by Al K. Line
"Dale, what the—"
There was a loud crash from out in the hallway and then a meow, followed by the deep voice of a man she really didn't want to meet. "Laffer no like cat."
"What's going on, Dale?"
"Let's just say things have got a little out of control. It's Laffer, the one we met at The Ward, the adult one, not the one that came with Hector here. Ugh, no time, you ready?" Dale stared at the bedroom door in a panic and with shaking hands he adjusted a Hexad. Without waiting for an answer, he grabbed Amanda around the wrist and slammed the Hexad into his chest as the door crashed open and Laffer ducked to enter the room.
~~~
31 Years Future
Something buzzed loudly but Amanda wasn't sure if it was in her head or it was a genuine noise. All she knew was that it was loud. She decided maybe it would help to open her eyes, so she did, only to be confronted with a huge machine trundling toward them, tires as big as a house with a weird cab up front and a huge skip on the back.
"Move, come on." Dale dragged her away from the approaching vehicle, picked up speed and directed her to a series of prefabs where they ducked down around the side and he pushed her up against the wall.
"Dale, what the hell are you doing? What's happening?"
"Sorry, just wait a minute. I'm not sure if it's safe."
Amanda didn't think she had ever seen him looking quite as scared as this. She glanced back the way they had come, watched the giant dump truck move past and looked at the barren landscape she found herself in. Everything was black. It was some kind of quarry where piles of rocks were loaded onto similar machines to the one she'd just seen, before being carted away down winding makeshift roads she could make out across a decimated valley — there wasn't a tree or anything green in sight.
"Okay, we should be fine for a while. I don't think he'll be coming for us yet, it usually takes him a while."
"Dale, will you please tell me what's happening?"
"Brief recap. You fainted, remember?" Amanda nodded. "Okay, then I got you out of there, got you home, but then Laffer, my guess the one from when you were in The Ward before, he just turned up and nabbed you again. I didn't know what to do so I kind of, well, I'm not sure, but as he'd just jumped I concentrated hard and did a jump of my own, without setting any dials, just focusing on him and you. They had you, put you back in that cell, and I was about to get you but, well, let's say it's been a long day and I've done more jumps than I ever want to in my entire life and that damn giant is really starting to piss me off.
"Anyway, I managed to lose him for a bit, jumped back in time a little to earlier in the day and got you, brought you home to a different time to try to shake him off, and, er, you know the rest."
"How do we stop this, Dale? It's just going around and around in circles. We have to do something. Where are we?"
"It's where they produce the Hexads, or will at any rate. They're clearing the area, ready to build."
"Dale, how do you know this?"
"You don't want to know. This has just been mental, we keep making things worse. Laffer has been following me, so I followed him. You should see this place once it's up and running." Dale's face darkened; he was lost for a moment. Amanda knew she didn't want to ask. "Anyway, I jumped back to see when it began here, and then Laffer caught me and we've been going around and around. Nowhere is safe, Amanda, I don't know what to do." Dale wept; tears fell; he hugged her tight. "I've seen some terrible things. Why are they doing this to you?"
"I don't know, Dale, I wish I did. But it's not just me, it's you too, isn't it?"
"You didn't see. You thought The Ward was bad, you should see this place. The Factory they called it, will call it. Ugh. He won't stop, Hector keeps sending Laffer, they'll get you again, they'll get me, everything's so jumbled, so messed up. That billionaire, he knows how it works, funded the whole thing. Hector is working with him, they are in it together, then they do it, everyone buys the damn machines and then... Goddamn! Tellan was right, we messed up."
"That's it, that's it." Everything became clear to Amanda, it all made sense, or, it made no sense, but she knew what they had to do.
"What is it? Have you come up with something?" There was hope in Dale's eyes as he wiped them. What had been happening while she was asleep or captured again? How bad could things have got?
"Tellan, The Caretaker, we need to go pay him a visit."
"Of course, he'll know what to do."
"No, Dale, more than that. This is his fault. We're not to blame, he is."
"What? He came to warn us, so we'd make things right."
"Yes, but how many times has he done that before? How many versions of us, and how many different universes does he turn up in and go through the same thing time after time? No, it has to be him. Everything else makes sense on at least some level, but he makes no sense at all. Come on." Amanda took the Hexad from an exhausted looking Dale and stared at it. She looked at Dale.
"Sorry, it's the only one I have on me."
Amanda stared at the flashing 1. This was the last jump. Was she mad for doing this or was it the only way? Fate or bad luck? Either way it felt right, as if everything had led to this point: risking it all. "Shall we?"
Dale smiled and nodded his head. "I trust you. I love you."
"I love you too, Dale." Amanda set the dials to default, and let her mind soar into the ether. She focused on the strange man known as The Caretaker and felt the connection, the link across time and space, felt her mind sharpen and will the jump to be made, to connect with the person she now knew was at the heart of the whole damn mess.
She opened her eyes and said, "One more time?"
Dale stared at her, nonplussed, then got it. "Okay, here we go. Whooooooooooooooooooosh."
They pressed down on the flashing 1. A 0 screamed red.
They vanished.
Out of Time
Time Unknown
"Oh, shit." Amanda couldn't help it, she wasn't one to swear, but now was precisely the time to start. She wasn't ready for this, not by a long shot. She'd been locked up, drugged for months, escaped, abused, chased, captured, seen rooms full of herself in one bizarre situation after another, woke up to find the man she loved wasn't really him, watched herself disappear multiple times, been drugged and locked up again, jumped through time and met the person who caused her downfall, actually started the whole mess in the first place, seen inverse worlds and written books to herself so she could save a different her and Dale from doing who knew what, and none of it even came close to the situation she now found herself and Dale in.
"Um, yeah, you could say that." Dale groped for her hand and squeezed it tight. He lifted the Hexad, still clutched in Amanda's hand and stared at the angry 0.
It didn't matter. Amanda got the feeling it was the least of their worries — they'd found Tellan, a.k.a. The Caretaker. He was walking down a mossy path between rows of ripening tomatoes until he saw them and stopped dead in his tracks. He seemed to consider them for a moment, a faint smile changing to anger and back again, then adjusted his wide-brimmed hat, set his face to neutral and walked toward them.
"Dale," whispered Amanda, clutching his hand as tight as she could, "I think we made a very bad mistake. This place isn't right, it feels off somehow." Amanda watched as Tellan came closer. What was it about the place that made her feel so weird?
"You're telling me, it's not possible." Dale lifted his head and stared at the sky. Except it wasn't the sky.
Amanda looked too, and the universe came crashing down on her in all its infinite and terrible majesty.
"Which ones are you? No, don't tell me," said Tellan with a sigh. He fiddled with his hat again, already sat at a perfect, jaunty angle on his head.
Amanda and Dale were mesmerized by the impossible land they found themselves in, unable to draw their attention away and back to Tellan — he may as well have been talking to himself. Amanda felt something weird happening inside herself, like she was being read someh
ow, almost as if her genetic makeup was exposed, recorded and imprinted into the fabric of the strange place. Her mind ebbed and flowed, clarity coming then wafting away like a breeze, butterflies dancing on the air before vanishing into a dream world.
They were at the end of the world, or the beginning. At the point of all creation or the point of annihilation. Amanda wasn't sure there was a difference — each gave birth to something new, something spectacular, something wonderful.
"Ahem, hello? Can you hear me?"
Amanda knew Tellan was talking but found herself unable to do what regular people did. She was part of something bigger now, a part of it all, the end or the beginning, the things that made her Amanda finding a place in the vast cosmos, everything rearranging to accommodate this slight, insignificant blip in the order of things. But there was no order, this was chaos on a universal scale, infinite and terrible, beautiful too — this was reality stripped bare, the backbone of existence, where everything and nothing collided and things got done, or undone, and in such a place nothing mattered but the enduring reality of the universe.
Tellan clicked his fingers.
Amanda and Dale shifted their gaze from an average height, blank ceiling, and looked to Tellan for an answer. One minute they were confronted with the entire cosmos, packed tight with multiple planet earths, overlapping and receding into infinity, knowing that each was another universe, each containing billions of people. Some were the distant past, others the far future, some were cracked, burning or freezing, a few a pure blue. Many were black, pinpoints of nothingness squeezed into a cramped, yet endless space that made Amanda feel like they were ready to crush her, rip her apart to constituent atoms with not a care for her insignificant life.
"That's where you're wrong, Amanda. You are the most important thing there is, and I'm sorry. I'm sorry for all of you, and you too, Dale."
"What? What do you mean?" Amanda managed to ask, coming back to herself now she was in what appeared to be a rather nondescript room, an office of sorts she supposed, although with a distinct lack of books or even a computer. It was more like a place to contemplate, to think through problems, the room dominated by a large, red rug. A huge fireplace with meaty logs crackled and pumped out heat.
"He means it's all his fault, don't you, Tellan?" said Dale as he rubbed at his head like he could take away what they'd just seen.
It was hard to shake the feeling of vulnerability, as if her thoughts were there for Tellan to see. But they were clear, the fog of the drugs gone — Amanda wasn't even sure any of it had happened now. Had she been taken again and then freed by Dale? Was it a matter of hours, days, or was she still there and it was all just her insanity? No, this was real, or as real as something so alien could possibly be. Dale was real, so was Tellan — what did she expect? He was The Caretaker.
"Please, sit down." Tellan indicated the chairs set back a little way from the fire, then walked over to what was clearly his usual spot — a high wingback in leather so dark it was hard to tell if it was deepest red, worn brown, or just so old it didn't matter. He eased himself into the leather with a squeak; Dale and Amanda shrugged at each other and took a seat.
Amanda studied Tellan closely. How was it she felt like she knew this man so well when they had met for little more than several minutes on a few occasions? She felt relaxed in his company, if not the actual weird place they were in, as if she had known him all her life. She supposed someone like him would have that effect on you.
"Oh."
"What, you okay? I'm not, my head feels like it's ready to explode. What is this place, Tellan? How can it..."
"I'm fine. No, I'm not fine, but..."
"Allow me to explain. Dale, to answer your question first." Tellan crossed his legs and frowned, thinking of a way to explain. "This is my home, this is where The Caretaker lives. Where I, um, well, it's where I do what I do: look after things. What you saw, out there, that's the problem I am facing at the moment. All this time travel business has messed up a lot of my work, although it's better than it was, thanks to you two, but it's also getting worse again, and that too, I'm afraid, is thanks to you both."
"But it isn't, is it?" Amanda leaned forward in her chair, eyes bright and clear, hair shining orange with the reflected glow of the fire. "It isn't our fault, not really. It's because of you. I knew there was something, a feeling, something forcing its way up into my thoughts but I could never quite get a hold of it. All the terrible things that have happened to us, to me, and all those things you told me and Dale had happened before, to us, or other versions of us, it's all your fault. Isn't it, Dad?"
"What!?" Dale was out of his chair, stood between Tellan and Amanda, staring from one to the other as if he could figure it out that way.
Tellan said nothing.
"Dale, he's my father. I don't know how, as I had a mother and a father, and I loved them dearly, but it's what was bugging me. Him, he's my father." Amanda pointed a finger in accusation at Tellan.
He smiled a faint smile. Sorrow so deep was etched into the curve of his mouth it looked like he'd just witnessed the death of worlds, and Amanda supposed he probably had. A single tear fell onto his shirt collar.
Amanda watched as it stained the white then soaked in and faded like everything else seemed to do.
Going Home
Time Unknown
"I'm sorry. You have to understand, it's out of my control. I loved you, love you still, so very much, but I am powerless. I can't seem to get things to fit back together properly. You belong here, with me, Amanda. My daughter."
"No, no, no. This can't be happening, this can't be real. I know it but I can't handle it. This place, this terrible place, it's like it's clawing its way inside of me. I'm going to break, crack like an egg and just spill out and be nothing. I want to go home. Dale, I need to go home, now." Amanda was falling, her mind receding to an empty place, a white place where thoughts were nothing but fluffy clouds and she could sit in a corner and hum to herself and everything was all right. She clutched at Dale, clawed at his clothes, grabbed for the Hexad he still held.
Dale stared at Tellan then Amanda, and looked at the Hexad. "I'm sorry, it won't work. It's used up, dead."
"No, Dale, we have to go. I want to go home."
"You are home, my dear, this is your home."
"No, I want to go home, with Dale, and for everything to be how it was. Why is this happening? What did you do?"
Tellan rose, and for the first time Amanda saw him as he truly was: a man so old it held no meaning. Ancient, enduring, always there. "So be it."
~~~
Present Day (Frozen)
"We're home. We're back home! Ugh."
"Amanda, Amanda!"
The carpet rushed up to greet her, or was she falling to the carpet? It didn't matter. Peace, there would be peace, maybe forever? She hoped so. "Ow, ow, ow." There was no oblivion, no rest from the madness, just a raw carpet burn on her cheek and a headache she didn't think could get worse than it already was. And the most ridiculous thing of all? All she could think of was that the carpet smelled nice — the powder she used before she vacuumed really worked a treat. Now it would be ruined; they had their shoes on.
"Are you okay?" Dale squatted beside her and helped her to sit. "Look at your face. That damn man."
"By damn man I assume you're talking about me?" Tellan was right there in the room with them, looking concerned as he stepped closer.
"Stay away from me!" shrieked Amanda, as she clambered to her feet. "This is your fault, all of it. You and your stupid bloody games. You've known all along that this wasn't our problem, yet you made us believe it was. How long has this been going on, all this, this madness? How many versions of us have you told your stupid story to and then let run around like headless chickens trying to put something right you knew was impossible to fix? Tell me!"
"Calm down, Amanda, calm down. Look, you'll make yourself ill."
"Don't tell me to calm down. Dale, don't you see? He
's done all of this. What's next, eh? I suppose I'll be locked up again, or we'll—"
"Hey, guys. Oh!" Peter paused, hand in mid-air as he reached for another HobNob from the pack he clutched as if they were made from gold.
Amanda got a funny feeling, if it was possible to feel funnier than she already did. She stared at Peter, then at Tellan, then back again. "You know each other. You do, don't you?"
"What? Don't be silly, how would they know each other? Peter?" Dale entwined his fingers through Amanda's to help calm her.
She loved him, she really did, but was there no end to this madness? When would it all be over? She just wanted to sleep, rest and never wake up.
"They do, Dale, look at him. Peter looks guilty as hell."
"Guys, um, please, let me explain." Peter turned to Tellan, snacks forgotten. "Did you tell them? You did, didn't you?"
"No, I didn't tell them, there wasn't time. It hardly seemed appropriate anyway."
"Will someone please tell me what the hell is happening?" shouted Dale. He let go of Amanda and waved his arms about manically, close to the edge of losing it.
"Um, Dale, I guess you could say I'm your brother-in-law."
"What? This is too much. He's her father, you're Amanda's brother." Peter and Tellan nodded.
"I'll put the kettle on," said Peter, and walked into the kitchen.
Amanda collapsed onto the sofa; Dale sat next to her. She let him put his arm around her and she leaned into it, grateful for the closeness and something familiar in a world that no longer made sense.
"I think you have a helluva lot of explaining to do. More than that, what if they show up? Hector or that damn giant of his," added Dale.
"They won't," said Tellan.
"How do you know?"
"Because he's The Caretaker," said Peter, as he came in with mugs of coffee on a tray.