Fallout (Tales of the Other Universe Book 2)

by J. G. Taschereau

  Mr. White paused. “Well, good show, Daniel. I’ve got to say, I had my doubts about you, but you really showed your mettle in the end there. Well, I’m a man of my word, so rest assured I’ll be taking my leave. You and the girl can do as you please now.”

  The Creator looked downward at the gun in Mr. White’s hand, which was quick to return to its holster as Mr. White strolled closer to the window. “Oh, come on, let’s not fuss over that. Just a little insurance, is all. No need to worry, so let’s just call it even and go our own ways.”

  Mr. White was met with the Creator’s staff pointed at him, and with the bitter look on the deity’s face it seemed clear he was no longer on any amiable terms with his involuntary partner. Mr. White scoffed and held up the skull in his left hand.

  “Daniel, there’s no need for theatrics,” he said. “I’m sure you’re a bit sore with me, but you’ve just got to deal with it. You can’t do anything to me. I know your secret, Daniel. I know you’re not the god you say you are, and that knowledge means that you can’t kill me!”

  The Creator locked eyes with Mr. White, and with a swift movement jammed the bottom of his staff into the floor. Mr. White seemed curious at the empty show of force, but moments later he felt a bolt of panic as the ground beneath him began to crack. He looked down and saw the floor he stood on crumble. He tried to move, but the floor gave way and he went with it as the outer wall of the room and much of the wall of the fortress where he stood slid away and collapsed downward in an avalanche to the ground below. Mr. White’s scream was lost amidst the rushing rock until at last it all settled and stopped as dust and debris filtered upwards into the air. The Creator looked out onto the devastation with disdain for the villain.

  “You’re right,” he muttered. “But you’d be surprised what you can live through.”

  The Creator turned back towards Dee, who was still in a state of shock after watching Adam’s fall and coming within seconds of her own death. The Creator gave her the same empty look he had first showed when he arrived at the room. A wind picked up beneath their feet, spinning in a circle that surrounded both of them and in a flash of light they were gone, leaving the ruins of Rosa Wist behind and letting the desert return to a calm stillness, a terrible silence settling over the impending night.

  Chapter 30

  The Hall of the Overseers

  A new darkness surrounded the Creator, and he found himself in a rare circumstance: he was unaware of his surroundings and he had a feeling of powerlessness. He didn’t know how this had come to be. The last memory he had was bringing Dee to the Office of Wondrous Visions, a municipal building on an island in western Carul where he could hold her safely in the wake of his battle with Adam and his betrayal of Mr. White. He knew that he was not there now, and it felt as if he were not even in the Other Universe anymore. Something had happened and he could not explain it, which meant that something was very wrong indeed.

  A light spread out from the darkness, as if a door had opened behind him to light his path ahead. The Creator turned and saw that there was a door, a tall rectangle of intense bright light that revealed nothing beyond its frame. That light spilled onto the floor, showing the Creator the vague dimensions of some sort of chamber where he stood. As he wandered further into the room, he could make out the shapes of a tall, long bench bent in the shape of a horseshoe. Seated along the other side of the bench were a collection of hazy figures, much greater in stature than the Creator. Behind them all, on some sort of elevated platform with another bench, there was another obscure figure, apparently of some greater importance. At the sight of these beings, the Creator narrowed his eyes and realized at once where he was, for it was not the first time he had stood in this room.

  “Daniel Wilson,” came a booming voice from one of the beings. “Step forward.” The voice was unsettling, carrying an inhuman tone that was neither male nor female. But its commands were clear, and the Creator approached with rare humbleness.

  “I was wondering if I would be hearing from you all,” he said, standing at the edge of the light. The faceless figures seemed to have their full attention on him, though he could not make out their true forms from behind the shadows.

  “Do you understand why you are here?” another voice asked.

  “I don’t know specifically,” the Creator replied. “But I gather it has something to do with the events of the past few months occurring in my universe.”

  “Let’s not dawdle on the subject,” one of them said. “We will carry on with your trial immediately.”

  The Creator blinked. “Trial? For what?”

  “That you need to ask at all shows the extent of your failure of conscience,” came an answer. “Do you carry no sense of guilt for your actions?”

  “I...of course I do,” said the Creator. “I was made to do things that I’m not proud of. Many people were touched by these events and lives were ruined.”

  “You were made to do these things?” The response was skeptical and derisive. “Are you not the supreme authority of your universe? Yet you believe you were made to do anything against your will?”

  “You all know my limitations well enough,” the Creator defended himself. “You’re the ones who set them. I was given no alternative; to have opposed that maniac’s orders would have meant exposing myself and jeopardizing the entire established order of the Other Universe.”

  “And you sincerely believe that allowing a madman like Leonardo Polybius to carry out his plan as he did was in the best interest of your universe?”

  “When the alternative was to let my true nature be revealed, then yes,” the Creator said. “But there was not a moment when I enjoyed helping him.”

  “But still you were not opposed to him. In fact, you sought to benefit from his offers. He intended to remove the obstacle that kept Diatyallah Gatti from you. Will you honestly testify that this temptation did not influence your choices in the slightest?”

  The Creator struggled to think of a decent excuse to respond with, but he knew nothing would suffice. His interrogators knew well the depths of his soul, and how far he had already gone to find Dee in the first place. He would be lying to say that he didn’t want her back more than anything, even more than protecting the people of the Other Universe.

  “I realize that I have erred,” he said. “For this, I am truly sorry. I know I can’t change what’s been done, but I’ve already started taking steps to correct what I can and to set things right.”

  “We are aware of what you’ve been doing in secret for the past several days,” one of them said. “It is a small start, but it is hardly enough to reestablish the balance you have carelessly allowed to erode.”

  “I’m sorry, but I can fix things,” the Creator argued. “Before I lose control, I have to put a stop to Oracle and their true agenda.”

  “And what would that be?”

  “Bringing about the wishes of Fatum. You must all understand that full well. From the moment I saw that young man I knew that Fatum was involved in all of this. I don’t know how, but he is, and I’m the only one who can stop him.”

  “That is incorrect, Daniel. It became clear to us long ago that you were incapable of stopping your ancient nemesis. Still, we recognize that he is a problem that must be dealt with, but not by you.”

  Another spoke up. “We have found someone else to watch over your universe, someone with a more neutral perspective of the situation.”

  The Creator was baffled. “You can’t be serious.”

  “We are, Daniel,” was the response. “Our decision is final, and judgment has been passed. Your reign as a deity in this universe is over. Your inability to prevent disaster time and again while exclusively serving your own interests as well as your failure to learn from past mistakes has led us to see that you are not capable of responsibly keeping the universe and powers that we bestowed upon you.”

  “But the Other Universe needs guidance!” he pleaded. “Please, at least give me the chance to make things
right!”

  “We intend to,” one of the said. “You have twenty four hours to clean up the mess you made as best as you can. After that time, your divinity will be confiscated and you will endure the fate you would have had we not given you a second chance at all.”

  A terrible fear came over the Creator and his heart began to race. “Is there no other way?”

  “Our decision is final. We ask that you make your peace in the time that remains.”

  “And what of Oracle? They won’t stop just because Leonardo’s revenge is over. Whatever it is they’re planning to do will happen if I don’t stop it.”

  “The problems of your universe as well as the one it sits parallel to are no longer your concern, Daniel. It is in the hands of those left behind to do what they can now.”

  “And will you all do nothing? If the day comes when all hope fails and that great darkness resurfaces, will you just let it happen?”

  “Our purpose is only to oversee, not to interfere.”

  “You have the power to prevent that from happening,” the Creator testified. “If it comes down to that, you must stop him.”

  “You should be telling this to those you are leaving behind to inherit your problems. It is their burden to bear, and their fate alone to save the worlds from darkness or allow them to be consumed by it.”

  The Creator clenched his fists in frustration. He knew he could do nothing to influence the cosmic beings. He was bound to their judgment and had to accept their wishes. The only hope now rested with those left behind, and he would need to ensure they would be victorious against the malevolence hiding behind the guise of the Oracle group.

  “So be it,” the Creator said. “If my time left is now fleeting, then let me away to do what I can with what I have left.”

  “Go then,” they responded. “And may you find the strength to stand tall when the end comes.”

  The Creator lingered before them a moment longer, becoming pensive and contrite. “Was I so wrong to dream? Were my efforts to create a perfect world for her flawed and hopeless from the start?”

  “We care not for your dreams, Daniel. We only sought to prove a point and show you a path that even now you fail to see. If you wish to know how flawed your creation was, why not ask the woman you built it for?”

  That was all the Creator could expect to hear from them, and he didn’t intend to give further response. He turned and walked away in silence, stepping with tremulous footsteps into the doorway filled with all-encompassing light.

  Chapter 31

  Reparations

  Under the cover of darkness, there was a restructuring of governments not seen in the history of the Other Universe, all at the command of the Creator. Upon returning to Carvon, the Creator first visited Leapador. He decreed that the Opal King no longer laid any claim to the conquered land and demanded all the occupiers to leave. The god-fearing Opalites didn’t question the sudden change in the Creator’s decision and set in motion plans to remove all of their forces from the city. The noblemen of Leapador were allowed to return to Wensfell Keep, to establish a temporary government to sustain the country until a proper heir to the throne could be named. The Creator was intent on keeping quiet about a choice of heir and left the decision to the rulers, taking leave of the kingdom after making a brief visit to the burial mound where Mathias had been interred.

  The Creator went north to see the Opal King himself, explaining that it was his providence to see the two nations remain separate and at peace. The old codger was reluctant to give up the land he had taken after a long history of contention with Leapador, but he would not argue with the Creator Most High. Thus the army of the Opal Kingdom received reassurance from their two highest authorities that a period of lengthy peace was to be upheld with Leapador, and it was to stay that way.

  Towards the Opal Kingdom, the Creator bared no ill will; their role in the revenge plot was as pawns. The government of the Republic of Gravell was not so innocent, nor where the weapons manufacturers who operated within their borders, all of whom collaborated to support Oracle in secret. When the Creator arrived in the capital of Gravell, his retribution was swift and deliberate. Before the night was over, the politicians and military leaders of the state were gathered and imprisoned, marked as enemies of the Creator. The weapons factories were reduced to rubble at the raising of the Creator’s hand, and the industrial age that had driven the country was ground to a screeching halt. A moderate party was selected by the Creator to rebuild a government free from Oracle’s corruption, one that would work on creating technology that would benefit the world rather than destroy it through pollution and weapons of mass destruction.

  His final stop was Magid, where the puppet government established by Mr. White and controlled by Miko had already been abandoned. The Creator officially pardoned those who had played a role in Adam’s government, reestablishing them as the ruling force of Magid. By now it was morning, and the Creator escorted them to the temporary capital building so that they may begin to right the wrongs that had been done to Magid. While those citizens who had believed in the Western Liberty Movement protested, the Creator expressed his firm backing of the old party and assured the people of Magid that all would be explained by day’s end. As a final offering to Magid, he returned the elemental powers that had been entrusted to her king, taken from Adam at the end of their duel, sealing them back in a set of ancient relics until it was decided to bestow them onto anyone else. So it was that the Creator did all that he could to undo the damage caused by Mr. White during that long autumn.

  Mr. White himself learned late of what the Creator was doing. While it was still night, he lay amidst the rubble at the bottom of Rosa Wist, drifting in and out of consciousness for hours. As his mind floated, he heard a faint sound in the distance. The sound grew louder and he recognized it as helicopter blades chopping through the air. He saw a light shining from the dark sky that fell across the rubble, feeling over it until the beam exposed Mr. White. He winced as the bright light burned his sensitive eyes, hearing the sound of the helicopter draw closer and blow dust and debris about as it landed nearby.

  After this he slipped out of consciousness again, waking some time later to find himself on the helicopter, lying down and secured on a cot. He dragged his head around in a daze, seeing the familiar shape of Evangeline sitting beside him. Miko was there as well, along with the scarred gunmen he knew as Nicholas Dremmel. As his eyes opened, both Miko and Evangeline seemed relieved.

  “Thank God you’re alright,” Evangeline said. “I was beginning to worry you wouldn’t wake up.”

  Mr. White groaned. “Daniel, that traitorous nuisance. I suppose he thinks he got me pretty good.” He tried to move, but pain wracked his body. He could see he had been bandaged quite a bit, but the linens were still soaked with his blood.

  “Don’t move around, sir, you’re still hurt badly,” Miko told him.

  “This pain is nothing,” said Mr. White. A smile returned to his face. “It’s done. He’s dead.”

  “You saw it?” asked Evangeline.

  “Yes, it was the most beautiful sight I’ve ever seen. Adam Evans is dead and gone. I can’t express the extent of my elation!” He shifted again and felt more pain, but he ignored it. He was far too satisfied with himself to allow bodily harm to deter him. “Still, there remains the problem of Daniel. I didn’t intend for him to survive this encounter and he remains a loose end. Where has he gone?”

  “The Creator has been moving north across Carul and restructuring the governments of the human kingdoms,” Evangeline said. “He cast the Opal Kingdom out of Leapador and destroyed the government of Gravell. We have nothing left there.”

  “I see,” said Mr. White. “It’s an unfortunate loss, but we have other resources on Earth to help fuel our munitions. We can survive without Gravell.”

  “What should we do about the Creator?”

  “What we had intended to do from the beginning,” said Mr. White. “Prepare to circulat
e the truth about his identity.”

  “The loss of our positions in the governments will make it harder to spread information,” said Evangeline.

  “It will spread soon enough, just get it started,” said Mr. White. “His actions tonight will only show the world how little control he really has, and they’ll be more likely to accept what we tell them.”

  “There are more important things to deal with right now,” Evangeline told him. “We need to get you to a hospital. We’re heading to the port and returning home immediately.”

  “If you insist,” said Mr. White. He let his hand fall to the cot and a terrible fear came over him. He pawed at the cot, looking all around him. “Where is it? What did you do with it?”

  “With what?” Evangeline asked.

  “The skull,” he told her. “I had it with me when I fell. Where is it?”

  “It must be back in the rubble, we didn’t see it when we were getting you out of there.”

  “I want to go back,” he said.

  “You’re in no condition to be making that assessment,” she scolded him. “We’re getting you medical attention. You’ll just have to live without it.”

  Mr. White sighed, bringing his hand up to his bloody face and covering his eyes. “Oh well,” he said, “I suppose it would have been too much to have asked for a perfect ending.”

  Chapter 32

  Two Questions

  The air outside of the Office of Wondrous Visions was cold, even though the Winter Solstice and the changing of seasons was still weeks away. Despite the dropping temperatures and constant winds, a healthy crowd was beginning to gather outside the gates of the building. Though the Creator had yet to appear publicly, news of his triumph over the treacherous Adam Evans had spread across Carvon along with word of the sweep of reformations throughout the human kingdoms. Upon his return to the island of Sloben where the Office of Wondrous Visions stood, he had given word that a full disclosure of events would take place from the Office just before sunset. This had brought throngs of people out to see him and praise his righteous deeds. He watched them from the window of a plain office on the third floor of the building, mulling over the words he would say when the time had come. Before then, he would need to find other words as he prepared for another important dialogue.