by Logan Castle
“KT-1, please access system audio recordings,” he said in barely a whisper.
“Yes, sir.”
“Play the last thirty seconds prior to me losing consciousness.” Time was now of the essence. Such a silly notion considering where he stood, but there was really no sugar-coating what was happening. Every second counted.
After a moment of silence, the sound poured through KT-1’s internal speakers. First the cacophony of destruction blared before a voice split through the chaos. Sirius shuddered as soon as the voice spoke.
“Don’t get in my way, Time Keeper. Remain here in this prison of yours and I will allow you to live. This will be your only warning.”
“Sirius?” KT-1’s voice broke through his tempestuous thoughts.
Sirius waved his hand impatiently at the robot, dismissing her alarm. “Can you track the source of that message?”
“I… think so,” KT-1’s voice was rarely so hesitant and unsure.
“Do it. We must know who is responsible for this,” he commanded.
“Of course, but even if I can pinpoint the location, with the viewing systems offline, I will be unable to bring anything up on screen…”
“Do your best, KT-1,” he interrupted her. “If the system offers you any information, even a general location, that’s better than nothing.”
KT-1’s eyes dimmed slightly as she plugged herself into the Axis systems and began to churn through massive amounts of data. Sirius, meanwhile, issued a silent prayer that she would stumble onto something soon and if she did, he only hoped they could use it. They had no other options. The Multiverse was simply too large to guess where the attack might have originated from. They needed something more. Anything.
After several agonizing minutes, KT-1 spoke. “Time Keeper? I have a location.”
Sirius felt a huge wave of relief pouring through him at the sound of her words. But his relief was temporary.
“Sir, all systems are telling me that the transmission originated from here.”
Of course. That was only logical; the loss of system functions had to be the result of on-the-scene sabotage. The confirmation of that, however, had truly frightening implications. It meant that someone had entered the Axis itself. Even with all the security and stealth protocol in place, someone managed to breach the walls and enter completely undetected.
“Where are they now, KT-1? Run a full scan of the Axis!” Sirius commanded.
KT-1 responded back almost immediately. “Sir, the only living entity currently in the Axis is…you, sir. Whoever was here has since departed.”
“How is that possible?” Sirius asked in a stunned whisper.
“That is unknown, sir. What I can tell you with absolute certainty is that the intruder is no longer here. System scans have been run and re-run, which confirm that fact.”
Sirius’s mind raced. “If he is not still here, then where in blazes could he have gone to?!”
KT-1 reeled back slightly at the sound of his tone before answering cautiously. “Sir, I don’t know the answer to that. However, it is possible that once our security systems picked up his presence. They might also have recorded his bio signature.”
Sirius tilted his head both in confusion and annoyance. “What does that mean, KT-1?! Speak plainly!”
“I’m sorry, sir. Every living creature contains and emits unique chemicals that confirm evidence of their presence in any particular location. Like a fingerprint, sir, and no one is ever like the other. It is the same with bio signatures. What I am suggesting, sir, is that our security system may have registered his bio signature while he was here, thus allowing us to track his current whereabouts.”
Taking in KT-1’s explanation, Sirius simply shook his head. “Do it, KT-1! I will cross my fingers.”
“Yes, sir,” KT-1 answered before communicating with the Axis security system.
Thoughts cascaded through Sirius’s mind as he waited. How could somebody manage to locate the Axis and slip in completely undetected and then, just as quickly, vanish?! The Axis was concealed in the middle of space in one of billions of galaxies, so far from anything even remotely that could be referred to as intelligent life. It was unfeasible to suggest that someone could have just “stumbled” upon it. Even if that were the case, he should never have been able to enter the Axis without Sirius being alerted to his presence. And where could he possibly have gone?!
With the questions mounting and no reasonable answers, Sirius bristled with annoyance as he eagerly waited for KT-1’s reply. Even if the security systems had recorded a bio signature as KT-1 suggested, Sirius struggled to find even one plausible explanation for this series of events. To his increasingly mounting frustration, nothing made any sense.
Unless he’s using… No, that can’t be possible!
All at once, a thought shattered the muddled mess of his mind and Sirius became very rigid. As he considered a certain possibility, his mouth went dry and his heartbeat quickened. Despite the sheer impossibility of it, the voice echoed throughout his body, screaming that it was the only explanation that made any sense. Still, Sirius resisted accepting it.
Once you eliminate the impossible, whatever remains, no matter how improbable, must be the truth, he reminded himself.
Sirius shuddered and decided he couldn’t wait for KT-1 any longer. “KT-1, I need an answer. Now.”
KT-1 remained silent and Sirius almost reached out to snap her from her trance. Before he could do that, she spoke. “Affirmative, sir. Systems already grabbed his bio signature and have locked onto it. We can track it to his current location. Our subject is currently residing on a reality catalogued as Terra 614.”
“Excellent work, KT-1,” he breathed in deeply, trying to calm the rapid beating of his pounding heart.
“Thank you, sir,” the robot said, turning a slight shade of red in response to his compliment. “What’s next?”
“Hopefully, lots and lots of luck, KT-1,” he responded with a sigh. “Scan systems and tell me if Skypunch protocols are active and functioning.”
After a few seconds of silence as KT-1 queried the Axis systems, she replied, “They are. But sir, how will that help us?”
Sirius looked at KT-1 with a grave expression. “I have a theory, KT-1. A theory that must be confirmed before I give it any more credence. If I am correct, then we are potentially dealing with a crisis that, if not contained at once, will affect the rest of the Multiverse and all the worlds therein. We must act quickly to learn the true nature of this threat and eliminate it.”
“I don’t understand, sir, but of course, I will do as you ask. A Skypunch would allow us to travel to Terra 614 but, without the use of our viewing systems, we have no way of knowing exactly where he is.”
“Yes, we would be going in blind,” Sirius finished for her before clearing his throat. “But we aren’t going anywhere, KT-1. Instead, we will bring this threat right to us.”
If KT-1’s face could have expressed surprise, Sirius guessed her mouth would have dropped onto the floor at hearing his reply. A Skypunch had only ever been used to transport Sirius to a designated world within the Multiverse…and even that had been done only a select few times. It had never been used to bring someone back to the Axis itself. Such a notion had been considered unthinkable, prior to now.
“But, sir!” KT-1’s voice rose up into a high pitch of protest. “We can’t just snatch him from his reality! What if his absence is noticed? Even worse, what if someone sees him being taken?! It could cause irreparable damage to the foundation of his reality!”
Of course KT-1 was right and Sirius knew it. It was unknown how much damage this man may have already unwittingly caused, but in order for Sirius to contain it, he had to cut his losses. Adding more to it was not an option. To physically take this man from his reality would inevitably cause ripples, possibly even starting an avalanche that could bring down the entire Multiverse, not just his own world of origin. In that instance
, it was clear that discretion would be the better part of valor.
After a moment of mulling over their limited options, Sirius spoke. “We will set the Skypunch to capture and bring us his metaphysical form, KT-1.”
“I…I don’t understand, sir.” KT-1 answered, sounding perplexed.
Sirius was growing annoyed at her, but he kept himself from snapping at the robot. “It means that when he falls asleep, the Skypunch will bring us a physical manifestation of his subconscious. Thus, no one will ever know he is gone because his physical body will remain in his world. Meanwhile, we will have extracted the most important part of him.”
“But for how long, sir? And to what end?”
“For as long as is needed to get to the bottom of all this. Even though we will only possess his subconscious, he can still be persuaded to give us the answers we seek.” Sirius answered evenly.
“Sir, I still don’t understand how this helps us. He has already been inside the Axis and his very knowledge that this place exists threatens the entire Multiverse. To just bring his metaphysical form here is not enough. Even if we get the answers we seek, we can’t allow him to return to his reality now! Not knowing what he knows!” KT-1 protested.
Sirius held up his hand, trying to reassure the robot. “First things first, KT-1. We will bring him here and get our answers. Once we have those, we can determine whether we must alter his memories to erase his knowledge of the Axis and its existence.”
“And if we can’t alter his memories, sir?”
Sirius squinted his eyes at the prospect of KT-1’s question. “If we are unable to do that, then we will have a very tough, but necessary decision to make, KT-1.”
“Sir… I understand that; but I can’t say the prospect of killing him makes me very comfortable,” KT-1 said, measuredly.
Sirius nodded at KT-1 in agreement. “I don’t suggest any of this lightly, KT-1. Indeed, the risks associated with our course of action are great but to do anything else, I fear, will only hasten the destruction of everything we seek to protect.”
KT-1’s display came to life with a series of beeps. “Skypunch protocols are ready, sir. I am setting the target for Terra 614.”
“Excellent KT-1, but one Skypunch will not be enough.”
KT-1’s robot head turned ever so slightly towards him. “Sir?”
Sirius breathed in slowly. “As I said before, we are flying blind. Without the help of the viewing systems, placing a single Skypunch on such a wide surface area to locate one person would be like trying to find the proverbial needle in a haystack. No, there can be no half-measures here. We need to create enough Skypunches to comb every major surface area of the planet.”
“Sir, systems are already partially damaged and heavily compensating. To place such a load on them…”
“We have no choice, my friend,” he interrupted her, knowing in his heart of hearts that he was correct. “Use back-up generators if necessary.”
“Sir,” KT-1 ventured yet again. “What you’re suggesting is to create a worldwide phenomenon across a world’s entire surface area, the likes of which none residing on that world has ever seen. Couldn’t such an event cause ripples throughout the Multiverse?”
Sirius considered it for a moment before shaking his head. “A risk we have to take it seems. What choice do we really have, my friend?”
Without further objection, KT-1 lit up like a beacon in the night sky. Sirius could see that she was calling upon the systems of the Axis and all its remaining power to accomplish what he’d requested. The Axis immediately came to life with a loud hum. Systems interlinked and communicated with one another and that distinct hum quickly turned into a thunderous roar. The Axis, though damaged, was giving them all she had.
KT-1’s display dimmed as though her own power were being diverted to run it. “S-S-Sky Punch p-p-parameters have been s-s-set and are ready for d-d-disbursement, Time Keeper.” KT-1’s voice was garbled as she was clearly struggling with the weight of the task he had assigned her.
“Initialize, KT-1.”
“Yes… sir. W-w-what n-n-now, sir?”
“Now, we do as we have always done, old friend. We watch. And we wait.”
The Axis of Time gave a loud and deafening rumble as if a storm were brewing directly above them.
Chapter 4
“We interrupt this program to bring you an update on the global phenomenon. We’ve received confirmation of even more formations developing over various parts of Europe and Africa, in places such as Moscow and as far away as Tanzania. We now have forty-seven confirmed sightings and that number is still growing. Judging from the images coming in from our affiliates all over the world, the formations appear to be almost completely identical in shape and scope. The fact that they are appearing on such a grand scale has meteorologists everywhere scrambling for answers. As this story continues to develop, we’ve been swarmed with calls to the station with reports of looting and general civil unrest. While we can’t yet substantiate any of those reports at this time, we do know that this world-wide phenomenon has captured the imagination and the attention of many people who believe that what we are seeing is just the first sign of something much bigger yet to come.”
Half asleep, the sound of the TV brought me back to the land of the living. I could feel every square inch of my body… and all of it hurt. A fog had completely enveloped my brain. Moving a finger or even a toe was incredibly difficult. A little too difficult, actually. What the hell did I do last night to deserve what felt like the world’s worst hangover?! For the life of me, I couldn’t remember. Perhaps I just needed some time…yes, that was it. I didn’t even try to open my eyes. My eyes stayed shut and I felt like death. The last thing I wanted right now was to open them up and watch the world spinning.
“We are trying to get our meteorologist correspondent on the air to give us his take on these rapidly unfolding events. In the meantime, we will review a timeline of today’s news for those who have just joined us or aren’t completely up to date on what’s been going on.
At approximately 7:21 am, we received the first reports of mass sightings coming from several cities including Los Angeles, New York, Dallas and Chicago. Around 7:32 am, we heard about another sighting outside the U.S. in neighboring Mexico; and Canada quickly reported the same phenomenon as well. Within an hour of the very first sighting, we had twenty-one confirmed reports around the world. Since that time, the number has steadily increased. What began as nothing more than coincidence has since developed into one of the biggest modern-day wonders that anyone has ever witnessed. We just heard from our affiliate in Buffalo that there is a video of one of these formations taking shape overhead. It was filmed by an onlooker. When we have that video, we will instantly show it to you. The time now is 10:36 am and the official number of confirmed formation sightings stands at forty-seven.”
Goddamn TV. I cursed myself for leaving the thing on and groped blindly for the remote to turn it off. My arm seemed to drag as though something were holding it back. The remote was nowhere to be…. Wait. I don’t even have a TV in my bedroom. And it’s 10:36 am?!
In a panic, both of my eyes snapped open. I found myself looking straight up into a white tiled ceiling. I wasn’t home. Then where the fuck am I?! I turned my head to the left and noticed how small the room was. A large, white, dry-erase board was mounted on the wall that spanned the length of the room. The source of my panic, a TV, was mounted on the wall next to a closed door.
I tried to pick up my left arm to push myself up from the bed but a pinching pain coming from my forearm stopped me abruptly. I peered down and saw a tube going into my arm. I followed the tube upwards to a bag with clear liquid suspended above me. An IV?! What the fuck is going on?!
Glancing around, I noticed the rest of the room was hidden from me by a long, white curtain. On the wall opposite me was a whiteboard. As I inspected it, I noticed some writing on it. I couldn’t make out much. Mostly just times of
the day written down with initials scribbled next to them, which didn’t help me at all. Then I read something small in the corner of the board.
“Isaac Kent, patient of Dr. Lee.”
“Here we go, folks. This is the video we mentioned. What you are about to watch is a video taken of a formation that recently formed over the skies of Buffalo, New York. Judging from the footage, our experts are guessing that this formation is roughly three miles in diameter. It is visible from miles away. As you can see, the video shows a blanketed, cloudy sky one moment and then, in a matter of seconds, a hole, approximately one-mile wide, opens. The images are absolutely breathtaking and the evidence matches other visual accounts submitted by many people who have been witnessing these same scenes developing all over the world.”
I was in a hospital. That much was clear. But how did I get here? My mind raced, searching for an answer, but I had absolutely no recollection of the events that could have brought me there. It was scary enough to wake up in a strange place, let alone, a hospital. I wanted to yell to get someone’s attention so they could explain everything to me but my throat was too parched, and too sore. What came out of my mouth sounded more like a wheeze. I tried to swallow but my throat protested so vehemently. I stopped immediately.
“We are going to bring you a visual of the formation that is currently above us here in Los Angeles. Folks, these are spectacular images. When this showed up in our skies this morning, people literally stopped their cars on freeways to get out and take pictures and videos. Social media has exploded and people from all over the country began to post images from their own respective territories. That was when we realized we were all witnessing something on a global level. #skypunch quickly became the web’s top search on Google, Facebook, You Tube, and Twitter. Some of the videos are truly awe-inspiring. The sheer size and presence of these mysterious events are spectacular and frightening. Here is an image taken from one of the satellites orbiting the Earth. This is a picture of what our skies look like from outer space.”