The Mechanic nodded slowly. “I see where that might be confusing.”
Angel emerged from the trees, spotted Fil, and sat down next to him. Fil glanced at her, his invisible eyes asking a question that she could ascertain without needing clarification. “Charlie’s gone to the Cavern for a few days. We’re thinking of staying here permanently, making this our home.” She smiled. “It’s such a beautiful area. He’s going to retrieve some of our things before heading back.”
Fil nodded.
Angel glanced at Adam and the Mechanic. “What’s the topic of discussion?”
Fil straightened up. Angel was laying the cheerful empathic Energy on thick… and even though he knew she was doing it, he couldn’t help be feel more positive. “Wondering what Dad’s been up to. Wondering if…” He paused, then shrugged. “I guess we’re really wondering if he’s still around at all.”
“The historical record said that Will vanished from the world after the encounter with the Hunters,” Adam noted. “But we know he didn’t die at that point, because he reappeared to launch the Energy summons to bring the Hunters to Pleasanton. And…” He paused, glancing at Fil, as if wondering.
Fil shrugged. “We’ve all figured that part out, Adam. Dad—the old Dad—visited Mom nine months before I was born. That’s why Angel and I have different levels of Energy.”
Angel nodded, and then grinned. “It’s weird, isn’t it? We have the same father… but in many ways we don’t.” She patted Fil on the arm. “He just wanted to make sure you were best able to protect your sweet, adorable little sister.”
Fil tried to glower at her, but she pouted her lips, and he couldn’t help but laugh. Adam chuckled. The Mechanic smiled.
“Dad’s around,” Angel said. “So is Mom. I know they are; I can feel them. They’re healthy, and undoubtedly doing their own thing to help all of us.”
“I still wonder why Dad never showed himself again, though.” He sighed. “And Mom. I guess I keep remembering her being so sick that I struggle with the idea that she’s healthy and staying hidden.”
“Perhaps they got so proficient at staying hidden that they never knew how to reveal themselves to you,” the Mechanic suggested.
Adam nodded. “Hope hid from Will for decades; I suspect between the two of them, they could vanish from the world without much effort.”
Fil sat back. “I guess we have to just wait for them to choose to reveal themselves, then, don’t we?”
Adam nodded.
“We do have a problem to think about, though, outside that,” Fil said. He leaned forward, his focus returning. “The Aliomenti. Dad’s stay here was brief, but it’s done two things. They know he’s alive… or was, at any rate. And he indirectly caused Aramis’ death.”
“We don’t know that Aramis died, though,” the Mechanic noted.
“True.” Fil shrugged. “That’s the less important of those facts. They’d given up the Hunt for Dad and then he walks into Headquarters and severely injures a Hunter. With help.” He glanced at the Mechanic, whose lip curled into a grim smile. “They… can’t be happy.”
Angel sighed. “They’re going to start a war, aren’t they? They won’t be content any longer to just imprison our people.”
Fil nodded and sighed. “I think so. I can’t imagine the news of Will Stark’s continued existence is going over well. Aramis’ condition will provide something of a rallying cry, at least among the other Hunters and the Assassin. Assassins, that is.” He shuddered. “We need to be ready.”
Adam sighed. “We could certainly use Will right now. He’s known the Hunters and the original Assassin longer than any of us. Hope’s had a few encounters, but not to the extent Will has.” He turned to Fil. “I hesitate to suggest this, but… if you wanted to, you could… end the Aliomenti threat.” He spoke slowly, uncertain how his suggestion would be received.
Fil sighed. “I know. But I… I don’t want to be like them. I could level the island and Arthur and the Hunters and Assassins would be gone from the world. But we’d lose good Aliomenti in the process. And the humans there?” He shook his head. “I won’t do that. The last time I did… it didn’t end well for anyone.”
Angel squeezed his arm. “So… we should head back home, then? Make contingency plans, wait for Dad and Mom to appear?”
Fil sighed. Then he smiled. “I think that’s our best choice. Until we take the next step? We live freely. That’s what our parents would want.”
Angel and Adam nodded.
But the Mechanic laughed. “Freely? You call what we’ve been doing living freely, do you?”
The others turned to stare at him.
Eva, who’d noticed all three of them missing, moved closer. “What do you mean, Mechanic? Why do you laugh at the use of the word?”
The man shook his head. “If you’re living freely, you’re not living under constraints set by others. You’re not holding back on the good you want to do in the world because you’re worried that Porthos will find you. You’re not thinking about something you think would be a great course of action, but letting a video of a memory stop you because it might mean that some obscure future event won’t come to pass. No, everything we’ve done for centuries has only seemed free. We convinced ourselves that we’re living in greater freedom than Arthur’s brainwashed minions because we can make choices. But we have our own shackles. And most of the Alliance, like most of the Aliomenti, don’t even realize it.” He shook his head. “This isn’t true freedom. We can’t live in freedom until those shackles are removed.”
They sat in silence for a moment, pondering his words.
Eva finally spoke. “Your words ring true, Mechanic. Yet one shackle is now gone, is it not?”
He nodded. “With the journey through time commenced, we have no future history to guide and control our actions. Yet we still live in fear of the Aliomenti.”
Adam gave the Mechanic a curious look. “What are you suggesting? That we take the attack to them? That we start the war that we all know is coming?”
The Mechanic smiled. “Why not?”
“Dad wouldn’t want that,” Angel said. Her voice was quiet.
“Are you sure about that?” the Mechanic asked. “The guidance about not harming or killing the Aliomenti and the Hunters… do you think that was a moral decision, or a practical one? Killing Porthos in the year 1800 meant he couldn’t find Pleasanton in 2030. But without that constraint, is Porthos’ work something that you’d allow to continue?”
“I…” Angel frowned, staring at him. “Something’s not right here.”
The Mechanic smiled. “Perhaps.”
He closed his eyes. And they watched, mesmerized, as those next minutes unfolded.
His orange clothing morphed, turning a deep shade of purple. His face smoothed over, age spots replaced by freckles, his thinning, graying hair turned a deep red in color.
Adam frowned. “David, why are you suddenly concerned about your appearance? You’ve had the ability to look like you did in college ever since you joined us, and yet you allowed yourself to age. Why change that now? And what happened to your clothes? Why is your Energy suddenly registering so much stronger?”
The blue eyes twinkled. “My name isn’t David.”
The eyes snapped shut.
The ground around them rumbled as the man’s Energy swirled. The four bystanders watched, looking at each other, trying to understand what was happening. Were they in danger? Should they do something to stop him? What would they be stopping?
And then his Energy changed.
Fil’s eyes opened wide, so wide he thought they would fall out. Angel’s hand slapped over her mouth to prevent from crying out. Adam’s shock was complete, recognizing at last in an old friend his oldest friend, a transformation finalized as the eyes switched from a cobalt blue to a deep jade green, as the freckles vanished, as the hair darkened to a black as deep as the color of Fil’s clothing.
“I think you sent me back in time a bit fart
her than you let on,” Will Stark told them. His face was stern, eyes blazing.
They stared at him. Was it really Will Stark?
Eva looked at him, doubt etched on her face. “Tell me something no one else would know.”
“We first spent a lot of time together on our first trading expedition, not long after I arrived at what we later called the North Village. There wasn’t a separate wagon for me, so we rode together. You had enough Energy skills at the time to recognize that I did as well. We talked about Hope… which wasn’t her name at the time, of course—and about how the biggest threat to her wasn’t really her father.” Will’s green eyes blazed. “Shall I continue?”
Eva shook her head. “No. You have convinced me of your identity.”
Will turned to Adam. “We met for the first time beneath the lake on the island we called Atlantis. You thought I was threatening Eva and held a sword to me. When your father died and we called upon you to take his place, you were hesitant.” He paused. “Until she talked to you.” He nodded at Eva. “One day, Eva, you’ll have to tell me what exactly you said to him that so quickly transformed this man into the one I know now.”
Eva’s face remained placid. “I was the best trader in our village, Will Stark. I can be quite persuasive when necessary.”
Will nodded. He turned to Angel. “You always sensed my presence, even before you were born, even when I figured out how to change the signal of my Energy to enable complete invisibility to everyone else. I think it’s your strong empathy. You sense people and emotions far more than Energy, and those signals can never be masked.” He shook his head. “I went back in time knowing for mere seconds that I had a daughter. And I realized that the young woman I met reminded me so much of her mother that I couldn’t understand how I never made the connection until you told me.” He didn’t turn, but they knew his next words for all of them. “You modified my memories before I went back in time, didn’t you? Or at least before I regained consciousness? I didn’t recognize Eva and the others when I arrived in 2219. I didn’t recognize Eva in the eleventh century. You made sure of that, didn’t you? You made sure I couldn’t even recognize Angel.” He refocused his attention on his youngest child. “Hope’s natural hair color was a flaming red, just like you have now. Did you know that?”
Angel couldn’t speak. She shuffled forward, her eyes full of tears, and threw herself at her father, feeling for the first time the embrace of a man she’d never truly known but desperately wanted to meet. Will wrapped his arms around her and held tight, his hand atop her head, shaking with emotion of his own. He steadied himself and fixed his gaze upon Fil.
His face spoke volumes, and Fil knew what he needed to do. The mirrored sunglasses dissolved from his face, and he looked upon his father with his icy blue eyes, moist with tears. “I’m so—”
“Don’t,” Will said. “I’ve had twelve centuries to understand, and twelve centuries to make decisions that I didn’t care for either, some of which you’ve yet to learn. I had to sit back, invisibly, watching you grow up, wishing I could be there directly to answer the questions you had. I couldn’t have asked for a better role model to be there for you, though.” He glanced at Adam, who looked startled. “You’ve undergone a far greater trial than I have, son. Don’t let worry about my thoughts on your actions and decisions be part of that burden.” He removed an arm from Angel and waved his son to his side.
Fil didn’t shuffle. He moved to Will’s side in two long strides to join in the family embrace.
The embrace seemed to last an eternity. When at last they separated, Will reached out and tussled his son’s hair. Fil grinned. “You always did that when I was younger.”
Will grinned back. “You’re still pretty young in my book.”
Angel looked at him. “Mom…”
“She’s fine.” He frowned. “I waited too long to act. I hoped you’d figure something out. I didn’t want to take her from both of you when you were still so young and needed her presence. It took… a long time to restore her health. But I learned a few things by secretly watching some experiments.” He glanced at Adam. “Some of them were quite innovative. And they mattered.”
Adam startled once again. “What… are you saying…?”
“I’m saying I was there in the room on the day of my birth. And I know what you saw, and what you did.” He moved to Adam and held out his hand. “I finally understand your comment about wanting to join the family, a comment you made yesterday or twelve centuries ago, depending on your perspective.” When Adam accepted the handshake, Will nodded. “You have my blessing, Adam.”
Angel and Fil glanced at each other. “I think we’re missing something important here,” Fil muttered.
Will nodded. “We’ll get to that in a moment. The point, right now, is this. We’ve been living in fear for far too long. We’ve feared attracting the wrath of the Aliomenti. We’ve feared altering a future history we knew must happen to ensure our past remained unaltered. We eliminated the second concern yesterday, when Will—when I—went back in time. It’s time we went back to the Cavern, rallied the troops, and ended that fear of exposure once and for all.”
The word had gone out by then, among those in the camp, that Will Stark had returned. They moved into range, heard his words, and murmured among themselves.
“You want to… attack the Aliomenti?” Eva asked.
“In a manner of speaking,” Will replied. “I’ve had a few centuries to think this through. My son is correct in saying that an outright destructive assault would harm the innocent with the guilty.” He shook his head, and glanced around. “We can discuss the approach in the Cavern, but at this point, I can think of no greater impediment to being the change we want in the world than the work the Aliomenti Elites focus on. If we can stop that threat and that fear?”
He smiled. “Then, my son? Then, and only then, will we finally live in true freedom.”
XXV
Preparation
2219 A.D.
The private airplane touched down on the runway, tires squealing as they contacted the recently paved surface. The engines reversed, slowing the craft by propelling the craft backward. The plane slowed until it reached cruising speed. Moments later, the sleek aircraft came to a halt. A pilotless ground-level hovercraft glided noiselessly to wait at the bottom of the steps rolled to the door of the plane. When the door opened, the single occupant stepped out, glanced around, and pulled his overcoat a bit more tightly around him, protecting against the late evening chill in the air.
He moved down the steps of the plane and slid through the open door into the empty hovercraft.
Welcome to Pleasanton, Mr. Lowell.
Arthur pushed his hair out of his eyes and didn’t respond.
The door slid closed and the craft moved along its preprogrammed path.
His contact would meet him here in person. The contact said that there was no suspicion about them, that the communications they’d held over the past twenty-two decades were a secret both of them would take to their graves. Arthur doubted that; a secret held by more than one person wasn’t a secret at all. In their world, where minds were open books, the mere hint that a secret might exist would be its revelation to the world.
The craft meandered through the streets of the city Will Stark and his family had once called home. The city had collapsed after Stark’s disappearance, but in the human renaissance of the past century, the city had regained a bit of its former glory. The car moved past the old Stark residential community, and Arthur shivered. That night back in 2030 had proved to him that his contact’s story was true. That crazy, impossible story was true.
Today, the contact would provide further information as part of their bargain.
The restaurant featured dim lights and loud music that made private conversation possible. Energy users could track their conversation. Spies might employ old human listening devices to overhear the details. But no one knew who they were. No one knew that this conversation migh
t prove the tipping point in human history.
Arthur gave the name his contact provided to the host, who escorted him through the tables to a private corner booth. He flicked his eyes around. No one would see them. His Energy senses picked up no signs any patrons noticed he’d walked by, let alone recognized him. That was a good sign.
He slid into the booth. His contact was there already, buried under a heavy disguise. It was clear the person now regretted the association with Arthur. The Leader of the Aliomenti gave a grim smile. “Hiding from someone?”
“My people are more likely to live in this place than yours, Arthur.” Even the voice was disguised, impossible even to identify as male or female. “It is imperative that I not be seen.”
Arthur shrugged. “Suit yourself.”
The server arrived, took drink orders, and departed. “So it’s done then.”
The contact nodded beneath the brim of the large unisex hat. “Stark has entered the time machine and gone back to begin his journey once more. Now freed of the burden of living to the dictates of future history, the ancient Will Stark has emerged from hiding and has counseled a proactive attack against the Aliomenti.” There was a pause. “There have been no further conversations on what form that might take, however.”
Arthur studied the person seated opposite him. His drink arrived, and he stirred the mixture idly while waiting for the server to leave. “You’re lying. You know quite well what the plans are.”
“I know nothing as nothing has been discussed.”
Arthur snorted. “If Stark’s come up with an idea, how can you not know?”
“As already noted, Stark has no defined plan yet.”
Arthur rolled his eyes. “Stark has plans before he leaves bed each morning. He’s had an eternity, knowing this time was coming, to figure it out.” His eyes narrowed. “Stark has a plan. That means either you’re reneging on our agreement… or they’re on to you.” He nodded. “That’s it, isn’t it? They’re not confiding in you, not telling you what’s coming. They suspect what you’re up to.”
Aliomenti Saga 6: Stark Cataclysm Page 32