The Acolytes of Crane Updated Edition

by Tew, J. D.

  ‘Who are you, what am I doing here, and where is here?’ I demanded.

  ‘Don’t speak, and listen please, as you would to your grandparents. My name is King Trazuline Halperin. I am Zane’s Chief Defense Advisor, and King of the planet Karshiz. You were brought here because of your overexposure to a multiversal terrorist.”

  As I slowly mulled over the majesty’s name, it dawned upon me. ‘King Trazuline…. K.T.! You sent me the jeweled necklace!’ I exclaimed.

  ‘Yes, Theodore. That was the only way we could ensure your safety and locate you for the teleport. Right now, we are orbiting the planet of Sephera. You are an organic creature, created of living carbon. Therefore, you are not here in the manner most beings are. The populations that reside on Sephera are mainly digital and spiritual in nature. They are not extracted from life, but rather from death. Their fate, if you will, led them here. Your fate has not been decided yet, and your business here is of extreme danger. A risk we willingly took up. We brought you here in reaction to a growing dilemma. You should know, Theodore, there is an evil smothering Earth and threatening the serenity of Sephera.’ He turned to robot, ‘Prepare the chamber.’

  ‘Why should I care? I am only a teenager,’ I said. Who was Zane, I pondered to myself. What was Sephera?

  ‘Our nemesis extracted a man about a week ago from the future. You would know him, I’m afraid. We have conclusive data that the so-called David, the young man who led you to the river at Taylors Falls, was actually Travis Jackson.’

  I gasped. Whoa—Travis had actually transformed into someone else? And why did he stage his own disappearance?

  King Trazuline nodded solemnly at my aghast reaction. ‘He was extracted by the Dacturons, because they wish to use him to meddle into the affairs of the Urilians. He is no longer of your time.’

  My eyes widened. ‘He—he is of the future?’

  The king sighed. ‘No. Not that either.’

  ‘I—I don’t understand, your majesty.’

  ‘Travis is no longer here or there, but he is extremely dangerous still. It was a change that left us feeling extremely vulnerable. Travis’ future self murdered his fifteen year old version with a merge.’

  My hands began to shake.

  ‘Travis,’ the king continued, his eyes squinting, ‘has been wholly transformed into an unstoppable force, powered by hatred. He is attached to no time or place and can move freely between our realms. We estimate his age to be twenty-two.’ He began to pace left and right, ‘We are not entirely sure why he has been frequenting your house or why he attempted to end your life, so he could get you a one-way ticket to Sephera, but we do know that it has something to do with the home in which you live.’

  ‘A moment sire,’ the robot whispered to King Trazuline.

  Bowing his head at me, the royal left the room through the automatic sliding doors to confer with his subject. The hum of their discussion slipped through the slender gap of the doors, but I could not make out the words. I sat there nervous and inundated with thoughts. I wondered what the Dacturons wanted with my house. They were using Travis to get to me.

  The king and his subject re-entered the room, seemingly content.

  Pushing aside the thoughts of Travis, I had to know who my rescuer was. I gazed at his majestic garb as he towered over me. ‘Sir, so you are really a King?’ I asked. ‘Your armor is intense.’ I once again admired his armor.

  He said, ‘Yes, I am a king, and this is traditional battle gear in my culture. It is comprised of metals foreign to your land. What seems to be a crown my boy, is actually a rolesk entrusted to me by Zane. Rolesks afford us the ability to manipulate Dietons.’

  He stopped for a moment to stroke his fingers against an emblem on his armor, and like one of my old transforming figurines, his armor simplified into a shield that he slung over his back. I was stunned at this display of what seemed to be magic.

  He said, ‘I apologize, I was getting hot. Where was I? Dietons. They were designed during an age of nanotechnology near the beginning of my time. It is a concept upon which your planet spent lavishly in the future.’ His voice deepened. ‘They just barely scratched the surface! We are the ones who perfected the technology. You previously referred to these Dietons as The Intervention. You are unfamiliar with nanotechnology. Nanotechnology has to do with technology on an atomic or molecular level. In other words, too small to be observed by the naked eye, but still intensely signifi—’

  He was interrupted by another alien being from across the room. He said, ‘Sir, if I may, the boy may have trouble comprehending all that you speak of. We must not assume he can fathom these concepts. He must first evolve, at least at an intellectual level satisfactory for our purposes.’

  I sucked in my breath, as he stood out so easily. Over twelve feet tall, he triumphantly towered over the others. Like an angel, he had symmetrical wings tucked neatly behind his torso, encased in a golden material. As I looked at him, I admired him. He was of great nobility as well, just like King Trazuline. He too was crowned with a rolesk.

  This being turned his head toward me and gently said, ‘No offense, boy. I am not at all in disbelief of your capabilities. I am just concerned about your capacity for this overwhelming amount of knowledge in such a short time.’ He placed his hand on my shoulder and continued, ‘I’ll cut to the chase. The Dacturons are the enemy. Travis is working with them, and you are our only hope.’

  ‘Who are you?’ I whispered, staring straight up. He was nearly three times my height. ‘Human boy, my name is Migalt. I am a messenger of justice and power prescribed by my creator, and you will follow me now to the chamber. You must confide in us, for we have your best interests in mind.’

  Angrily, I blurted, ‘Why should I trust you guys? I didn’t ask you to bring me here. I didn’t want this. I knew that something crazy would happen if I pushed The Intervention.’ I paused, trying to remember all the strange names that I had heard within the last five minutes. ‘Or Dietons, whatever you call them. I am just a teenager.’

  Migalt said, ‘Theodore. Please calm down, and follow me.’

  Seeing no other option, I started toward Migalt.

  Trazuline said goodbye to me, with a salute to his head. To his side, the robot-like person was busy on his tablet.

  Migalt carried on and said, ‘See, trust is being able to predict one’s actions based on what they have done in the past. This is a concept that you believe in. You know of us to be completely in your favor. We have not wronged you thus far and have only brought you further into glory. We saved you from certain death. You shall believe in us, as we believe in you. Zane designed the entire mission. That alone comforts me.’

  We turned around a corner, then walked across a transparent hallway. Migalt held out his hand in front of him and said, “This way. The chamber was designed to heal the body and mind, but it can do much more. While you are in this chamber, you will be transformed mentally, as well as physically, to conceptualize the many mysteries of the multiverse. There are many planets involved in the conflict. Further, we will amplify the commendable abilities that you already display. Theodore, you are a born leader. We will advance your knowledge in military tactics to help you lead the Earth’s resistance against this particular threat. You will no longer be a fart-giggling teen, instead you will evolve into a hardened veteran, extremely skilled in tactical strategy.’

  I was afraid to say anything, so I chose to listen.

  As we walked to the chamber, Migalt then explained that he was enlisted by Zane to protect me. He was a Bromel, created in Zane’s lab.

  I remember the overwhelming feeling of anxiety that followed after he informed me of his duty. I even recall breaking a sweat, and at age fifteen, that is impressive.

  Bromels. Imagine a bird-like being, twelve feet tall, and clad in technologically unique armor. The revelation that such a powerful being was assigned to protect me confirmed that I was considered a very valuable ally to Zane. It was very humbling. I knew that eve
n though I was a teenager, I had to become mature enough real quick.

  We approached the vault of the chamber. He told me there was another chamber of that type on another spaceship, which had been hijacked by a Dacturon Imperial vessel. He went on to explain that we were currently aboard the ship Uriel, and we were orbiting the most secure planet in the multiverse, Sephera.

  What is Sephera? I thought to myself. I decided to be patient, and find out later.

  He told me that Zane chose me. I thought if this Zane had infinite wisdom, then how did he let all those events happen? It was only the beginning of many doubts. I was just exploding with curiosity. If I was so vital to the Urilians, I had to be as prepared as I could.

  I knew I could only ask one question at a time. I settled on one and blurted out, ‘So, Migalt, how will you protect me?’

  From the majestically clad armor, a secret compartment opened, revealing a massive weapon that appeared to be a gun. He pulled the weapon from his sheath, and upon his command, a beaming blade of light appeared from its muzzle. The beam of light was about six inches wide and was as long as Migalt was tall—twelve feet. This blade was extremely hot. I smelt the singe of my forearm hairs, which led me to take a step back in caution.

  ‘This weapon wields a rare mineral foreign to your world, known as tritium phosphoritite. It can generate controlled bursts of energy, either as a fighting tool, or as blasts of ammunition. These are concepts that you will understand soon enough. You will enter the chamber. Your body is likely to undergo changes as well as your mind. It is common for one to panic upon exiting. Pathways in your mind will be opened, and all that you hear or touch will be processed instantly. It can be daunting. Go forth, boy. If we deposit you back onto Earth, and you are in danger, just hold out your hand and we will rescue you. Oh, and Theodore, you are lucky we found you at the cliffs just on time. Your necklace gave us your location. I see you are wearing Megadenom’s amulet now. Only the use of Dietons could get that amulet to you in the way we did,’ he said.

  ‘Yeah, it came to me one night. It has been my guardian angel,’ I replied. I attempted to sound cool, but I could not take my mind off the chamber. I dreaded what it could do to me. I feared I would never be that idiosyncratic fifteen-year-old Theodore Crane ever again. I gulped. Would I ever savor the simple pleasures of performing ollies on my skateboard again?

  I walked toward the three-foot thick massive metal vault entry to the chamber, and I stepped inside. I heard Migalt whistling an upbeat tune with his lips and then the vault door slammed shut behind me. I stepped into the center of the room. I stood still and in a flash, the solid glass-like enclosure encased me.

  I saw an image of a man. His voice was pulsating and echoing through my mind, violently overcoming my senses. I tried to open my eyes to no avail, because he was so brightly dressed and the chamber was white.

  ‘My name is Zane. I am the Urilian Omnian, one of two Omnians born into this multiverse. There remains only two of us. We both were created by the Dacturons. Even though they created me, I totally oppose them and what they stand for. I created the Dietons, whose job in the multiverse is to fight the Dacturons in every way possible. I also built this vessel, the Uriel, to resist the Dacturon’s radical opposition to our way of life. I chose you, Theodore, because you have not deterred from the path I have set out before you. Now, I have spoken of two Omnians. This other Omnian is named Odion. He leads the Dacturons, and therefore, seeks my destruction and death, even though we are, in essence, brothers. Odion has already infiltrated Earth. You must understand this more than anything. Even though Travis is undoubtedly the one unstable enemy that could be the end of all that exists under my rule, you must respect him. Without respect, you will not be able to gauge what he can do. Furthermore, do not yield to any temptation to any inkling of evil Theodore, or I will be forced to crush you.’

  The urgency in Zane’s voice reached a new pitch, pounding against my head. ‘This is a call to arms! We have extracted many individuals from all lifestyles to react to the Darkness. Use your compassion. It is your powerful weapon to bring good and order to the multiverse. Your mission will soon be given form, because focus will divulge all truths.’

  His voice was so powerful and clear that my ears rang, and the shining aura around him caused my eyes to fill with tears.

  “Then, just like that, he vanished. All that remained was darkness and then nothing, allowing my mind to recuperate immediately with great relief. No sound, nor light, nor thought existed within me—simply nothing. I was teleported again.”

  That was a marathon, but it feels great. Pacing the entire time causes me to tire. Thirsty, I take a drink and lie down. My throat is sore, and as I swallow, there is a slight sting. While shutting my eyelids, my weak body pulls me into slumber.

  8 theodore: a leaf

  “Slowly, I felt the weathered wet wood of a dock below my feet, as I was set into time and place, back to my present. I stood slightly off balance from the teleport, and my vision strained. I was now a changed person. On the outside, I looked like the teenager I used to be, but on the inside, I felt a raw new energy, about to be infused into a brand new consciousness, ready to defend Earth.”

  I brought my flattened palms to just above my eyes, because the light was deluging my head with aches. My hands were about five inches from my face, and the Dietons, those speckled radiant white pixels that covered my body, rapidly evanesced.

  I lowered my arms and looked up toward the sky, toward what must be Sephera. I knew I could not see it if I tried, but I was newly aware of its existence. While I stared upward, I witnessed what could be described as a giant re-run reel of my extraction from time and place by the spaceship Uriel.

  It was as if I never had left the scene of the potential murder by Travis. I stood transfixed, watching the past.

  Across the river at the mid-height of the cliff, my body double was frozen in space, and there Travis stood at the top, with his hands extended after pushing me. He almost fell from the cliff, following his rash actions. I was the young man across the river that my body double had observed when falling.

  It was a weird feeling to observe an attempted murder of your past self. In that moment, I discovered my formidable opponent’s most apparent weakness. Travis had no control over his raging anger. He was so weak, so spent, that he nearly stumbled off the edge of the cliff. A leaf falling on top of him at the critical time could’ve knocked him off for good. I did notice, however, that he rapidly regained his strength after that brief setback. Something I definitely had to take note of for our inevitable rematch in the future.

  In a wild rush of adrenaline, confident that Travis had not seen me, the ‘new’ Theodore Crane, I crossed the bridge back over to the other bank downstream, and dashed through the woods. I had to find the gas station, and I worried it could involve revealing my position to enemies, now that I knew more of their secrets. I really needed to call Winston, the cabby, before he gave up waiting for me and returned to Minneapolis.

  As I ran through the woods, a miracle happened. The trees’ branches, as well as the brush, bent away from me. It was if a path free of the brush instantly appeared within a certain radius of my mad sprint. I could not explain it. I suspected it must be the Dietons—previously labeled by Lincoln and me as The Intervention.

  I found the highway and paralleled it toward the town. The gas station was at the town’s entrance. I ran at full sprint, and a car pulled up next to me, slowing to my speed.

  ‘Hey! You need a ride?’ the woman asked. She was trying to yell over the passing cars from her station wagon window.

  ‘No, do you know how much further to the town?’ I asked.

  Before she could answer, I ‘heard’ an audio hallucination in my mind: ‘One-point-two-six-miles.’ I knew the audio was from the robot aboard the Uriel. Apparently, there was no sound from the transmission, so the lady didn’t detect any of my private communication.

  As if the woman driver observed nothing u
nusual, she told me the town was about a mile away. I figured it might only take minutes if I ran. I was afraid to tell her my destination, because I had an overwhelming feeling of distrust. Trazuline had told me that there was an evil smothering Earth, and that heightened my sensitivity toward strangers.

  I ran. The carbon monoxide from the passing cars in my lungs and the accumulating lactic acid in my leg muscles weakened me, and I slowed to a stop. A familiar cab interrupted my exhausted breathing, and Winston yelled from the window, as traces of cigarette smoke billowed out past the top edge of the frame. ‘What the hell are ya doing? Com’ere, what are you doing?’ he asked again as I moved in closer to him.

  ‘Sir, I have to tell you, I lied. I only have one house in Ferndale, and my grandparents are going to be worried sick any minute now—if not already.’

  ‘What! Get your ass in this car now, you have some explaining to do, where the hell are your shoes?’ Winston asked.

  Luckily, Winston stayed in town after I left for the cliffs. On the way out of town, I told Winston that I just wanted to continue my tradition of visiting Jason at the cliffs, and that I was willing to do anything to go there. He thought I was nuts, but he told me that I was a clever bastard and a great friend for what I did.

  “It was quiet and tense in the car after our initial meeting and there was only room for reflection, with the presence of a daunting vanilla smell.”

  I hear the automatic view box open, and one of the guards presses his face against it. He says, “Hey prisoner, what happened next? I mean, what did you think Zane wanted with you?”

  I hesitate and observe the man, sizing him up, and I say, “Zane confided in me. I was the only person who could derail Travis—they needed me.”