The Real World

by Jacob Long

  Although he didn't expect the attack, he's barely phased. I use fire to make it more effective. I keep going, throwing jabs and crosses at his face. He slips to the side for each one. I send a roundhouse kick toward his st, but he catches it and breaks my knee with his elbow. The pain is excruciating. Not many people have the strength to break my bones. He lets go of my leg, and I hobble, backing up onto the walkway. He doesn't pursue.

  "Come on, Jayden. I have had decades to become more and more powerful. You've only had your abilities for less than a year." "Why would you regret them dying?" I ask. "You're just a mad scientist. You can always find more subjects for your experiments. Just look at this..." I gesture to the tanks. "You found a way to cross dimensions just so that you could find my family... Why are we so important to you?" "Fulloway and I created the Supreme Ministry and Paradisum to save people from themselves," he says, bypassing my question. We've seen too much death, too much carelessness."

  “You think you're a decent man?” I ask, incredulously. “You enslave people. You murder them!" "The ones that can't be convinced to do the right thing must be punished, and sometimes that punishment is severe." "Convinced? By brainwashing? You experiment on human beings altering their genetic and biological structures." "I'm not a mad scientist. I simply look for the best in people and help to bring it out of them. Paradisum is a safe place to live. I provide safety and prosperity for the lives of over a billion people!" "What do you want with my family!" I ask again.

  "Why don't you read my mind?" he replies. "Such a useful ability. A strange and unexpected one for you. I was going to tell you the whole story. Now I can show you. He bows slightly. Reluctantly, I place my left hand over his forehead. I set my index and middle fingers up to my temples, searching his mind. There is a barrier like a wall, keeping me from accessing the control part of his mind. In front of the wall, are sparks of light, flashing. Inside of them are images. These are the memories that he wants me to see. He's projecting them at the forefront. There are glimpses of what appears to be the Real World. The world that we're in right now.

  "These can't be very old memories," I say. "Keep watching," he replies. I teleport into a laboratory. I'm looking from his viewpoint. There is a woman. It's Fulloway. She's his associate. There are two other scientists as well. He seems- happy. Everyone seems happy. They are enjoying each others company and their shared work. They are working with Omega-crystals. A blinding light flashes. Carlisle begins to narrate in my mind as another image comes into view.

  "I started out as a simple man with no ambitions of world domination. What I wanted to do, what I've always wanted to do, and what I still want to do is to make the world a better place, for my family, for everyone." Now I see a living room with a woman holding a baby. I can't see her face. Again, an overwhelming sense of ecstasy. Another flash passes before my eyes. "The discovery of the Omega-crystals brought with them great promise. Fulloway and I were going to use them to create clean energy.

  We were going to usher in a new age of technology. Living conditions were going to improve for everyone around the world. Unfortunately, the initial experiments brought with them dire consequences. The radiation from the crystals gave me abilities. In addition to improved physical capabilities, I began to emit a powerful radiation. A radiation that I eventually learned to control, but by that time, it was too late.” Carlisle is now at a cemetery, looking at two gravestones. One of them is small. Grief and despair encompass my soul.

  Another flash of light. Now he's in his living room. He's looking at his hands which are glowing green. On the television is a news report of an impending nuclear war involving the Omega bomb. I don't know how much more of this I can take. "Yes, my world was destroyed by the Omega bombs." More and more flashes pass by as I see him struggling to survive in a devastated nuclear world. Another flash and he's back in his laboratory. Fulloway is there as well. They are working on a machine that looks similar to the Quantum Spectrum.

  "Before the war, Fulloway and I had done some research on the possibility of traveling to other times and other dimensions." There is a rough set up of security monitors on one of the counters. On the monitors, a group of people are breaking into the building. They have weapons and super-human abilities. The machine goes off, and they teleport to the 1940's at a school campus. They arrive behind some bleachers on a field. A nuclear demonstration is going on. It's Stagg Field at the University of Chicago during the first nuclear chain reaction occurred. "It wasn't perfect, but we hadn't had time to test it. When we arrived, we set out to put an early end to World War Two."

  Flashes continue to reveal Carlisle's past. He and Fulloway work on the Manhattan Project. They visit another laboratory. He prevents a negligent scientist from creating an explosion. The head scientist thanks him. It's my Great Grandfather Theodore Lancaster Junior. They transfer to that lab. Using their abilities, they plan and execute the assassination of several dictators of the time. This causes the end of World War Two thus preventing the use of the atomic and hydrogen bombs.

  "After becoming good friends with your great-grandfather, we helped him discover the Omega-crystals on his island. We knew that it would only be a matter of time before they were discovered so we figured that we would take charge of it. Fulloway and I set out to create another time machine, hoping that it would take us back to a better, altered version of the time that we came from. When the machine was complete, we opened up the portal to look inside. Nothing had changed. It was as if everything we had done had no effect." Images of what he is speaking about continue to fill my mind.

  “We wondered if there was nothing that we could do to change the future. We spent months trying to figure out what we were doing wrong. While working to fix this problem, I met a woman and fell in love again. I married her and started a family. Fulloway found someone and did the same. After that, we decided to stay in this time and ensure that the world would be a better place. It was enjoyable to watch history unfold, and we were able to guide it in the right direction. Everything was going well until we trusted the wrong man."

  Carlisle is at home watching the news report on one of their lab assistants who stole some of the crystals and sold them to terrorists. "Even with all of our planning and our precautions, it couldn't be stopped." His voice is softer now, even more thoughtful than before. "Fulloway and I were in D.C. for a meeting with the President and his council. We were there as expert consultants of nuclear science. They were discussing what steps needed to be taken to address the impending threat of an Omega War.

  While in the meeting, I learned that my daughter had been badly injured, and she was at the hospital. I excused myself from the conference, found a secluded area, and used my abilities to fly over to see her. I had never taken such a risk. It didn't matter. I had to make sure that she was okay. As I was about to reach the hospital, I saw on the horizon an Omega warhead.

  I rushed to stop it, but I was too far away. The hospital was miles away from ground zero, but the shock waves still leveled it to the ground. I searched through the rubble of the hospital for hours to find them. There was no doubt in my mind that my family had all died, but I had to look through every last piece of debris. What else was I going to do?" I see the image of Carlisle incinerate rubble left to right, being careful not to harm anyone. There are bodies everywhere, and they are all dead. In the distance a few feet away, he spots a glowing green light breaking free between the debris. He walks over and uncovers his daughter, preserved by a small dome force field.

  "She had inherited my abilities. They were dormant until the shock waves hit. Her subconscious must have created a force field to save her. When Fulloway arrived a few hours later, she used her telepathy to get Allie's subconscious to eliminate the force field. Despite her best efforts, she couldn't get her out of the coma. Allie had developed an immensely powerful mental block." I see her laying down in a specialized chamber, connected to a life support system. Machines are monitoring her every vital sign. "After that first bomb h
ad been dropped, two others quickly followed. We were forced to retaliate."

  Carlisle stops a warhead missile and destroys it only to turn around to see another bomb decimating a large city. “The third missile took the lives of the President and most of his successors. After the initial bombings, the new President rose to the occasion and led the remaining citizens well. He gave us hope, and resolve. We needed him to be our leader.” The new President looks like Carlisle. “I don't understand,” I say. “That is you.” I may look like him, but I am not the original Carlisle,” he replies. “I didn't know that shape-shifting was one of your abilities.” “Only to a very limited extent. I needed to make myself look like Carlisle.”

  “So you could kill him, and take over?” I interrupt. He pauses for a moment. "I'm not the murderer that you think I am," he replies. "Carlisle got sick from the Omega radiation. The people of the United States needed him to stay alive, so I found a shape-shifter, and I groomed him to play the part of Carlisle. I didn't fully trust him so I started experimenting with his and Carlisle's DNA to see if I could duplicate the shape-shifting gene in myself. Eventually, it worked. I managed to create the ability to transform from my normal self into looking like Carlisle. He's the only person I can change into. He's the only one I needed to change into. After I got rid of the shape-shifter, Fulloway and I unleashed Omega bombs all over the world."

  I see him soaring through the air, following the trajectory of a warhead. He watches as the bomb decimates the city below. He flies to another city and unleashes his own radioactive energy upon it. "We couldn't build the bombs fast enough, so I did much of the work myself. I could see now that the nuclear holocaust was necessary to usher in a new age. It was for the ultimate benefit of humanity. From the ashes of destruction, Fulloway and I would build a new civilization, a civilization that would be governed and regulated properly. A civilization where all people could recognize their full potential."

  "And what about all the people that died?" I ask. "Progress has its casualties. The Omega bombs were the ultimate screening process in deciding who was ready and capable for an improved way of living. Survival of the fittest." Now I see the beginnings of the Supreme Ministry and Paradisum. New cities are formed before my eyes. People being brainwashed and experimented on. Citizens of Paradisum appearing to live peacefully. They seem strangely content while displaying very little personality.

  Carlisle abruptly shoves me out of his mind, and back into the physical world. My leg is healed now, and I feel ready as ever to attack. “Mankind cannot be trusted to make the right decisions,” he says continuing his corrupted sermon. “So you brainwash them,” I reply “And force them to do whatever you decide is best.” “I don't force them. I merely guide them. Too many people submit to laziness, selfishness, violence, and even cruelty when left on their own. These vices only lead to the pain and suffering of themselves as well as others. Someone had to take charge.” “You can't just control people!” I reply. “They deserve to be free. To make their own choices.”

  "My citizens live in peace and prosperity. They are not prone to the self-destruction that your so-called 'free' people experience," he states. "My people are good, peaceful human beings!" I strike back. "For the most part, yes. Your civilization was founded on good principles, but it has always been small. What happens when there are too many opinions in the room? What happens when there are millions of people, and they all want a piece of the cake, so some of them decide to take it for themselves." He takes a deep breath and lets it out. "You don't understand. One day you will though. It's only a matter of time."

  “What makes you so sure of that?” I ask. He doesn't reply. I stare at him for a moment. “If you knew about the island being the source of the crystals, how did you not find us sooner?” He stares back at me with penetrating eyes. “Are those the only questions that you have for me?” He wants me to ask him a specific question. I think back to everything that he just told me, everything that I've just witnessed from his mind. Wait. That's it.

  "If you're not Carlisle than who are you? Is there any significance to your original identity, or were you just some nut with a misguided ideal?" One side of his lips curl up as he smiles. There is a distinct sadness in his brown eyes as they change to blue. "When you attacked me, you caught me off guard," he says as entire body alters before my eyes. "I forgot about our temper at this age," he says, as my voice comes out of his mouth. It can't be. He finishes transforming, and I can't believe it. He's... me...

  30

  How is this possible? The man that I hate, the man that I have trained to destroy my entire life is... me... Although he appears to be several years older, the blond hair... the blue eyes... everything is the same. I shake my head. “You are lying to me,” I accuse, hoping that this is a sadistic joke.

  “What do you want, proof? A DNA test? My genetic structure has been altered quite a bit over the decades, who knows what the results would show. I have no actual way of proving this to you, and it doesn't really matter if you believe me or not. I just wanted you to know. I wanted to be the one to tell you. I laugh, incredulously. “Really?” I ask rhetorically. “How thoughtful of you.” I can't help but stare at him. Somehow, I know that it's true, that he's not lying. I know that I am staring at myself, or rather myself from the future of another universe, but he's still me. How could any possible version of myself be capable of such atrocities? Of such destruction, and purely evil acts?

  "And the crystals?" I ask. "How did you not know where to find them?" I say, my shock quickly mutating into a rage. "How did you not know where the island was!" "Your island would have been gone long ago if it wasn't for one woman, Elena's Great Grandmother, the first telepath in her family. She took from me my memory of the island, and she implanted a false memory. A vague memory. Implanting that memory took everything from her, and when she was finished, I had believed that she failed. I still remembered that the Omega-crystals were somewhere in the mountains of Russia, I had just forgotten where. I scoured that nation over and over. She had me convinced for decades until Fulloway captured her family on that first island. She discovered the truth that Elena's father and your father were hiding.”

  "Is that why you had them killed?" I ask. He narrows his gaze at me as if he's confused. "You don't remember, do you? It must have been very traumatic for you." "What are you talking about?" He's choosing his words carefully. I try harder to read his mind, but Fulloway's block is stronger than ever. "If I had been there, I wouldn't have let them die," he says. "It's not your fault. It was a stressful situation. You didn't know how to control it. It was too much power." What is he saying? He thinks that I killed them. He thinks that in my rage, I lost control and ended up murdering my own people. My own family.

  "It's not your fault-" "-That's not what happened!" I cut him off. My breath is fuming. I want to strike him. I want to incinerate him. It takes every ounce of control that I have to calm myself down. I breathe in deeply, just like Doc taught me, and as I breathe out, it hits me. It's Fulloway. Fulloway has been deceiving us both this entire time. Now I understand why she is trying so hard to penetrate my mind. She's not protecting Carlisle from me; she's preventing him from learning the truth about what happened that day during the Battle for the first Island. She wasn't supposed to kill my family or Elena's.

  I picture her in my mind. "The burn scar, on her face," I say, referring to Fulloway, "She told you that was me, didn't she?" He looks at me with more curiosity than before. "If I had gotten that close, believe me, I would have finished the job.” “You can't expect me to believe this. Fulloway is my most trusted ally.” I scour his mind, searching for something that I can use to convince him. I see the image of his comatose daughter again. That's it. “Why weren't you there, on the island?” I ask. He drops his gaze. “It was Ally. She was dying. I had to stay behind to save her.”

  “And what was happening to her? Hadn't she been fine for decades, and now as you were about to attack us, she was dying? Who could have o
rchestrated such a coincidence?” Then I see it. The moment of realization in his eyes. There is a mentally palpable switch of sides as Fulloway telepathically moves to attack Carlisle's mind, and I move to defend it. We both fall to our knees, holding our heads in pain. As we slowly stand back up, Carlisle reaches his arm out to the door on the back wall. He fires a blast of emerald green energy, melting the wall and revealing Fulloway.

  The shock is enough to distract her and let me get past her psychic defenses. She recovers quickly. We have a showdown on the astral plane. Fulloway unleashes her full power against me. I strain to fight against it. The extent of my abilities could be greater than hers, but I have less experience than she does. I can't give up. I want to get angry, but that won't help. Especially since I have no skills in this realm to back me up. Again, I focus on my breath in the physical world. I have to rapidly learn how to access my telepathy to its full potential. As Fulloway's power nearly overwhelms me, green colored energy surrounds me. This green energy is familiar. It's not Carlisle's, but as I am pulled sharply away to another realm, I realize that I've seen it before.

  I arrive in the lounge of my parent's home on the first island of Idem. It's not real though. I'm inside of my mind. I can sense time moving slowly in the physical world. I stand by the window only to see fourteen-year-old Elena come sneaking in. She hides behind the chair by the window. She doesn't notice me. I see my fifteen-year-old self, peeking inside of the room. As my younger self, approaches the chair, swirls of green light surround young Elena, and she teleports away. I look on in awe as the rest of the memory unfolds. Is that how she did it?