by J. M. Preiss
Victor screwed up his mouth as he thought. He finally cocked his head to one side. "I never thought about it that way. No, that's as far back as it goes. We have word of mouth relating of history, but nothing is concrete beyond what the Elders took down. Those records begin at the founding of Respite. That is what Hedington was originally called before the rebellion. That was, oh, two hundred years ago," Victor mused. "You could have asked for anything at all in exchange for your knowledge, but you chose history. Why?"
"What I have to tell you deals with history," Jacob leaned back in his chair and stared up at the ceiling. It was a simple white plaster. "Another question, if I may?"
Victor nodded. "Certainly, but this is the last one you get to ask without giving us information." Victor gave a friendly smile.
"Of course," Jacob said. "Have you ever heard of Halcyon?"
"A fairytale," one of the suited men said sarcastically.
"So you have heard of it," Jacob pressed.
Victor shifted in his seat. "We have all heard it told. It's a story that is passed down each generation. I'm afraid it's as Mike says though. It's just a fairytale."
"Would you mind telling it to me?" Jacob asked.
Victor looked around the table. "I don't see the harm in doing that." He took a breath. "Halcyon was a valiant mission to stave off disaster. There was danger lurking in the darkness that only a few had managed to foretell. Two brave men were to be sent to the land of darkness where they would seek out the danger and destroy it, but they were lost and never heard from again."
That's different from what Hector said, Jacob thought.
"Their sacrifice was not kept secret though. These few who saw the danger warned the people to be vigilant and await when the darkness would fall." Victor looked to the men around the table again.
"The people called for another mission into the darkness to succeed where the two brave men had failed. Instead of two men, they called for a heroic team to step forth into the darkness to do combat. When it was time for them to step through into the realm of darkness, the danger became evident."
"The danger took on the form of a serpent entwined with itself, and it enticed the weak among the heroic team to turn against their fellows. The portal into the darkness was forced open, and true evil was allowed into the world. A valiant fight of good against evil was waged in this world, and there was vast damage caused by it. Mother Luna was irreparably harmed and shattered in the final days of the war."
"It's said that when she was shattered, Terra groaned and wept at the loss of its companion. In retaliation, Terra turned against both good and evil and tried to shake them from its surface. Ever since, we have known almost eternal winter."
Jacob had leaned forward during the telling of the myth. Perhaps the true myth as it actually was meant to be told.
"There is a prophecy in the final telling of Halcyon. It's said that the two brave men that were lost when going into the darkness would one day return and finally manage to avert disaster." Victor leaned back in his chair as he finished.
"Interesting," Jacob said. "So everything that has happened is the result of Halcyon?"
Victor nodded.
"It's a fairytale," said Mike. "The world has always been this way. The Elders started the fairytale to give us false hope, make us think that things would one day be better."
"I see." Jacob rested his chin in his left hand and used his right to talk with. "Let me make sure that I am completely understanding this. There was an evil that waited on the other side of the portal in the darkness."
Victor nodded.
"The two heroes were sent forth into the darkness to find this evil and destroy it."
Victor nodded again.
"They failed, so they had to get another team together. When this team was ready to embark on their mission, they turned on each other."
"That's correct," said Victor while nodding.
"Then a war breaks out. Fast forward who knows how many years, and here we are."
"That about sums it up," said Mike. "But as I said, it isn't real. The myth is just that, a myth."
Jacob had a bad feeling about what he was about to say next. He took a deep breath and slowly let it out.
"It's not a myth."
"What are you talking about? Of course it is!" exclaimed Mike.
Other people around the table nodded in agreement.
"It's something we tell the children to give them hope," said another.
"Simply a fabrication by the Elders to keep us chained to them until the day we could live on our own," a final person added.
"Now now," said Victor. "Let's hear him out."
Jacob bowed his head slightly in thanks. "Like I was saying, it isn't a myth. It's quite real. Of course, you have to take out the artistic flare that was added to make it a good story to pass down. When you look at the facts laid out simply, it makes sense." Jacob looked at all the blank stares he was getting. "Well, ok, it makes sense to me, I should say."
"What do you mean?" asked Victor. "What do you know that we don't?"
"That's what I was looking to give you as part of our trade." Jacob leaned back in the chair and wondered how they were going to take this next bit of information.
Best to put it simply, he thought.
"I am one of those brave men that was sent into the darkness."
They were silent for a moment, and then Mike started to laugh. People around the table joined him, and soon enough the whole room was laughing except for Victor and Jacob. Victor stared at Jacob intently.
"Alright, that's enough," Victor said. "Pipe down."
As the laughter died down, he closed his eyes and sighed. "Let's hear him out."
Mike guffawed. "This is a waste of time, Victor. He is simply playing on myth and legend to take advantage of us."
"I assure you, I'm not attempting to be dishonest," Jacob said as he raised his hands. "I honestly believe that your myth references my companion Mason and myself."
"And what leads you believe this?" Victor asked as he glared at Mike to stay silent.
"Mason and I were on a mission for a project known as Halcyon." Jacob held up his hand to let him finish. "It wasn't some mission to go into this realm of darkness as you put it to fight evil."
Victor narrowed his eyes. "Then what exactly was it?"
"Well, this might be a bit of a stretch to believe, but we were on a mission to go back in time," Jacob said.
"Excuse me, but did you just say travel back in time?" asked Victor. He had a puzzled look on his face. The rest of the people around the table looked disgusted and about to leave.
"Yes, sir. That I did. Halcyon was a mission meant to go back in time and deliver a package to the people of the year two thousand. We were seeking to establish another gate on that end as well as advance technology artificially through intervention with the timeline. Nobody had any idea what that would cause, but that was the idea anyways."
"That's pretty farfetched," Mike said sourly.
"It's the truth though. Although," Jacob trailed off into thought.
There was the mission critical box that had the information inside disintegrate.
"Jacob?" Victor roused Jacob out of his reverie.
"Sorry. There is one thing that doesn't add up. We were sent with a sealed box that was supposed to contain mission critical information. They never told us what was in the box or its purpose." Jacob shook his head. "We weren't aware of any danger in the darkness or anything like that. I don't even know what that would mean. Is there any clue what the darkness represents?"
"Nothing," said Victor.
A man in a set of militia fatigues leaned forward. "This is a waste of time. We have been through all of the historical documents. Nothing corroborates his story. Furthermore, he is turning the myth against us. How do we know he can even be trusted?"
"You don't," Jacob replied before Victor could speak up. "All you have is my word."
"That's great," the man said. "He's given us his w
ord. That's worth about as much as a pile of snow in winter."
"Quiet, Julian," Victor said. "He's trusted us. We can trust him. It doesn't hurt anything, and he does line up with the myth. The prophecy spoke of the two brave men returning to make things right. Maybe they really are them."
"They don't even know what the danger in the darkness is," Julian mumbled.
"We were never told of any danger," said Jacob. "We were simply told we were on a mission to the past, like I said. I guess that it wouldn't be a far stretch that the mission critical item held information on the danger."
Jacob chewed on his lip for a second, and then he had an idea.
"Tell me, were the Elders machines?"
"Excuse me?" asked Victor. "I'm afraid I don't understand."
"AIs," explain Jacob. "Autonomous Intelligences. They would look like people, but they wouldn't actually be people. They would be a machine on the inside."
Puzzled looks went around the table. Then a look of recognition shone through on Julian's face.
"Now that you mention it, the guards were all very odd. They seemed stronger than normal men, and they were much tougher. They didn't seem to know pain, but all of this is just story that has been passed down. Surely it's just exaggeration by now."
"I highly doubt that," Jacob said. "We ran into AIs back in Repose. They chased after us when we made good our escape into the forest. It would stand to reason that there would also be AIs here originally under the control of the Elders, but if the Elders weren't machines themselves, who were they?"
"We don't know," said Victor. "They were normal people like you and me."
"And what is it about the serpent mentioned in the myth? Hector, the man from Repose, mentioned that as well. He said that during the final battle with the serpent, Luna was lost. His story was so much more different though."
Jacob leaned back in the chair and looked up at the ceiling again, absentmindedly searching it for answers as he mulled over everything. "Is there anywhere that might have more complete records?" he asked as he leaned forward again.
Victor looked at Julian. "Maybe," Julian said. He scratched his head. "There is an abandoned facility from the time of the Elders not too far outside of Hedington. Nobody goes there because there is some kind of automated defense system. We can't defeat it."
Jacob nodded to himself. "Take us there," he said.
Victor cleared his throat. "That would be ill advised. Anybody who goes there never comes back."
"Sir, I don't mean to be conceited, but I have come back from every suicide mission that I have been assigned. They are my specialty," Jacob said as he stood up. He leaned back over and put his hands on the table. "And before I forget, do you have a full medical facility?"
Julian nodded. "We do."
"Good," Jacob said. "My companion, Mason, needs medical assistance. He has broken ribs that need to be mended. Am I right in believing you have the proper equipment for that?"
"We do," Julian replied again. "But we don't have the power budget for it."
"That's fine," Jacob said. "We have power cells that we can give you, but I ask that you allow us to hold on to some of them. There is no telling when they will come in handy."
Victor nodded. "That sounds reasonable to me. See to it, Julian." He looked over to Mike. "See that our guests here run into no further trouble within Hedington. I do not fear for them, but I do fear for anyone that takes them on. They disabled one of our search teams, destroyed a large portion of our gas supply, and made a mess of the Rusted Spigot. All in one night, I might add."
Mike shook his head as he walked off mumbling to himself, something about trusting the outsiders.
"Well then, if I may be allowed to rejoin my friends?" Jacob posed.
"That would be ok," said Victor. "Good luck. I'm interested to know more about our history as well as if there is anything in there that corroborates the myth of Halcyon."
Jacob nodded and was led out of the room by the same blonde that had brought him there.
Chapter XXV
Jacob was lying down on one of the bunks when the barracks door opened and Mason and Hector walked in. Mason was wearing a simple robe while Hector carried his clothing and suit for him.
"Get you all fixed up?" Jacob asked.
Mason rapped his ribs with his knuckles. "Good as new," he said.
"Good. We're going to need to be in top form for this one."
"Just what exactly are we doing?" Hector asked with a confused look on his face.
"You are doing nothing other than staying here, Hector," Jacob stated. "This is something that Mason and I have to do. Don't want you to get hurt out there or worse, killed."
Hector blanched at the thought. "Well uh," he stuttered. "I would really prefer that not happening."
"What's the deal anyways? They didn't tell us a thing other than I was getting medical treatment for my ribs." Mason went over to the other side of the bunk across from Jacob and started getting dressed after Hector handed Mason the clothes he had been wearing earlier.
"There is a facility somewhere outside of Hedington that they're going to take us to. There might be more information there about what happened after Halcyon was activated."
Hector pulled at his lower lip. "Mason explained Halcyon to me. I still don't believe that you are both from a different time."
"Well, it's true," said Jacob. "Sorry we had to keep you in the dark for so long, but it was never beneficial for us to divulge it at any earlier moment." Jacob shrugged.
Hector shook his head. "I think I understand."
Mason finished getting dressed. "Good," he said as he buttoned up the shirt that he had taken from the shop. "While I hate to say this, do we have to leave him behind?"
Jacob chuckled. "No, I guess we don't. His choice though."
They both looked at Hector.
"What?"
"You can continue to come with us if you want," said Mason. "Truth be told, it would be better to have a third person that we can trust in case things get bad."
Hector paced around that part of the room. He stopped. "I suppose I can continue to go with you. I am interested in knowing what else the Elders have been lying about."
"Good enough for me," Jacob said as he stood up. "Think they have any auto-rifles?" he asked as he turned to Mason.
Mason shrugged. "I haven't the slightest clue. It would stand to reason that there are some left over from before the rebellion. After all, Repose had them. Maybe they just don't have the power cells to keep them active and in constant use. They weren't carrying any when they took us prisoner."
Jacob nodded in agreement. "That would be my guess. We've got power cells though, so we can charge them. Though I did trade some to get you mended."
"Fair enough," Mason said. "We should have enough left over to keep us armed for a while. With any luck, this facility we are going to will have a stockpile."
"Maybe, but I don't know how viable they will be after more than fifty years. If they have a reactor that could be primed and activated though, we wouldn't have any issues getting more," Jacob said as he walked to the door and opened it up.
"Can we go get some food?" he asked to the man standing outside the door.
While they were no longer prisoners, they still had an escort because of the confusing nature of the complex they were in.
"Certainly," the man said.
"We can discuss more over dinner," said Jacob. "I'm certainly hungry after missing lunch and breakfast."
"You know, I had totally forgotten that we hadn't eaten today," Mason said as he walked over.
"Real food?" asked Hector. "I could definitely go for some real food."
They followed the guard down the corridor and engaged in small talk with each other about how far in the future they probably were.
Chapter XXVI
The first month of training was just as stressful as day one had been. Jacob was being put through a slew of psychological based tests and exercises. H
e didn't understand what the ultimate goal was for them, but he also understood that it wasn't for him to understand, just do.
He lay on his back in the barracks when his drill sergeant came in. "Call for you, Cadet Brown. Make it quick."
Jacob jumped up and walked over to the com unit. He pushed a red button that activated the call. Lisa's face sprang to life.
"Jacob," she said. "I'm glad I was able to finally get a hold of you."
"Hey, Lisa," Jacob said. "Yeah, no communication for the first month. Sorry," he said sheepishly.
She shook her head. "It's ok. I understand now. I think. I looked over more about what had originally been done to us, and I think that I understand the importance of what you are doing."
"Think you could explain it to me? You know how I am about studying and all that stuff."
Lisa grinned. "Always slacking in the studies. How like you." She cleared her throat and looked at something off screen.
"The eugenics program that we are a part of is the first stage of genetic modification on such a massive scale. All around the world, genemods, that's what the paper calls us, are coming of age. Of importance to the researchers are the professions they choose and how the genetic modifications assist in those tasks."
"There are countless others just like us," she continued. "They are becoming world leaders, scientists, teachers, soldiers, you name it. It seems that my choice to become a teacher was the right choice for me, whereas your choice to become a soldier fit you perfectly. What we choose and how we do in it will guide the eugenics program for generations to come."
Jacob rubbed the back of his neck. "That's a lot of responsibility," he said. "And what if we don't perform to expectations."
"That's part of the research too," Lisa said. "It will tell them where they need to alter the program. From what I can tell, they are trying to make a person that will excel at whatever they choose to do, barring natural talent of course."
"Of course."
Lisa noticed the drill sergeant walk into the room. "Looks like your time is up, Jacob."
Jacob turned around, and then he turned back and nodded.
"When will I get to actually see you next?" Lisa asked.