The Power of Forgetting

by A M Russell

  'What did you mean about me not following you? What can you do that I ought to be wary of?'

  'They were right about you,' he smiled, then appeared serious, 'you do notice the things others miss….so I will answer. The people beneath us here are all the others who have ever joined the project. All of them trained and disciplined to control the flow of time. All of them ready to join us on a great journey. And as for the rest; they are from many places; from many versions of your reality. Each one is the best that they can be; each one has been through a process of initiation. This tough training that means they understand one thing…'

  'And what is that?' I asked evenly.

  'How to survive.'

  'Survive what?'

  'An end.'

  'What sort of end?'

  'The end of all things Jared. Don't you see? There is no time like the present. There is going to be no… Time…. Like The Present…' and then he put his hand on mine. I felt the transference before I saw the images. It was smooth; almost as smooth as my sister Karis. It was not forced. I was open though. Curiously I let those images in. and then I saw a future. I saw a line of something approaching a great city, and I felt their fear. It wasn't just darkness; it was the end of existence; the darkness was a cessation of being. Time was fracturing and breaking. I saw people appear in the city; a small team. They came through a dimension gate like the one we had passed through to reach this land. They stood near the line of approaching darkness. And then they linked hands until there was a circle formed. There they stood and the time energy that was generated caused a visible arc and crackle of light and a wind that came out of nowhere. Then the edge of the darkness began to fold in on itself. It folded over and over. And it was as if it consumed itself. Suddenly the light shone through again. The sunrise, and the world was sweet and whole and the people were not afraid anymore. And these few took their leave quietly and left through a small dimension gate that remained open a few minutes after they had left. In my mind the image of it grew larger. But it was as if I was approaching it; and then there was whiteness, like a gleaming pearl. This place!

  His hand dropped down, and he appeared shocked.

  'You are still alive after all that….'

  'What did you see?' I asked.

  'I saw death.' he spoke in a whisper.

  'Yes.'

  'But…. but it cannot be….it should not be.'

  'You saw me die?'

  'You were there….and she had killed you. It was over.' he stepped back from me then, 'forgive me… I did not know. You have travelled where few dare to tread, and have come back to tell the tale. I should not have presumed…. forgive me.'

  'Why does that bother you?' I asked him, 'People die every day. You know this happens. Why are you surprised that sometimes people come back from the dead?'

  He seemed to turn pale, but spoke carefully and evenly as he had at first; 'I am not surprised….it just seemed that this would be a miracle of medicine perhaps?'

  'Perhaps.' I answered, 'So tell me, what do you want from me?'

  'Vincey...' he turned towards the space outwards from the balcony, 'Mr Vincey, you mistake my intention. I have not set the conditions, you have…I wish to tell you.' here he seemed reluctant as if the job of delivering this message was onerous to him.

  'Tell me what?' I glanced at the door ways to this balcony, trying to calculate the best possible route out of here.

  'I see that it is not for you to decide this now; but I am here to offer you all of this….as the Head of the Project.'

  I stared at him. Clearly this was one of those times where I was supposed to be tempted. But it felt just far too…. easy.

  'He said you would be uncertain. And that you would want to be sure of your situation. This project needs a good commander. It needs someone who understands the Art of Causality in a way that no others can do. It needs you.'

  'Who told you to ask me to do that?'

  'I must not say.'

  'Well you better. I couldn't possibly take… err…. command of all of this without knowing.'

  'No.' he said, 'I agree that would not be logical.'

  'So then…' I quickly glanced about again, 'who sent you?'

  'I'm…. not permitted to say.'

  'Why not?'

  'It is related to paradox.'

  'One of those things that create parallel sets of events?'

  'Yes. We cannot afford to create an alternate in here.'

  'You could have met me on the field. Or back at home. Or even at the pub. Why all this elaborate wild goose chase?'

  He stood there looking a little pained, as if some indecision was gaining ground in his mind.

  'Very well,' he responded at last, 'I will tell you. But it must remain a word that is only spoken here.'

  'So be it. So who has sent you to make this offer?'

  Instead of replying he went to the handrail and looked down; 'Wonderful isn't it? I never thought I would regret my decision, but now I do…. you are impossible Jay Vincey.' then he turned to me and said very quietly: 'He sent me to say all this. He said you would ask…. he warned me.'

  'Who did?'

  'You did.'

  I suppose I felt a wash of shock on one level. But the practical part of my mind realised the precariousness of my position, and was computing the best way to make the rendezvous with my friends.

  'Prove it.' I said, my voice hard and low.

  'It's alright now…' he said to himself, 'remember the training, keep the faith…' his face had gone white. I wondered why he was lying; this couldn't be. I couldn't be the creator of all this. But I was never the creator. I was brought on board…. I had been before. The board. Rimmington…. he was the one who demanded my resignation. A test of determination; of resolve; they wanted me. They wanted what I had, what I could do. I wasn't about to give them what they wanted.

  'You need time to think about it.' he said then.

  'Yes.'

  'You have exactly one day.' he looked at his watch. I also glanced at mine. Two thirty precisely.

  'What happens in one day's time?'

  He looked at me and seemed almost haughty, 'You may never know that….' and suddenly without any warning launched himself over the rail of the balcony.

  I leapt backwards gasping. There was a cry from down below. A chain of events had been set in motion that would result in what? One day. That was all I had, just one day.

  I looked along the balcony, already I could hear feet running. They would take me and I would be punished. I must get out. But think! Think hard! He was going to let something slip. No. that wasn't it. He destroyed himself in a motiveless way. But perhaps not. He said paradox…. Juliet had said about a paradox event. Perhaps it was happening right now. He would survive this by leaving the time line. Just like the Cloud Field. He could only be alive in another reality if he was dead in this one. The logic was almost certain. I didn't dare look over the rail. I wasn't about to test the supposition either. But it did tell me one thing. This was a place between worlds. It was made of stone and was not the same as the outside. It had it be part of somewhere else. This wasn't an illusion though. It was real. But in my past. One day. Come on think! I had one day. One day from the point of origin. This was the past. Therefore, I had as much time as I needed. There was all the time in the world. It occurred to me then, as it did often after that point that time travel really does tend to muck up one’s social life. Not that I had one as such.

  I started to run. Down the tunnel I had come in by. There was a route out that I knew, and I was just as likely to meet someone who wanted to stop me going that way as any other. The sound seemed to have died down now. I followed the curve of the wall, passed the door way to that first room and carried on.

  Suddenly I burst out onto the little area to the left of the huge dais. Shock, then incomprehension followed each other round in my mind. Out there in the vastness of this pure marble hall, all was still. It was punctuated only by the small raised areas f
urther back in the distance.

  I walked forward then into the now empty space. I didn't understand. I had made no turn. I had made no change. Perhaps it was simple. They had all gone. Leaving me here. It was unnerving, but now my mind was furnished with what seemed like an explanation, I walked with more purpose. Out into the vacant space. It took me a good twenty minutes to cross. I walked and jogged some of the way. It was too big even with some people in it. This was just like the surface of the moon as I imagined it would be when I saw it from my window.

  I came to the end of the hall way. It was the place if small arches and intersecting galleries. I turned to my right and headed as quickly as the current circumstances would allow in the direction of the labs. After ten minutes of this I found myself in a corridor that looked very like one you might find in a school, with windows all the way down one side. It let in the afternoon sun, which seemed to bring back a sense of reality and proportion to the place. Those strange places I had left far behind through at least a mile of corridors, and I had almost reached my destination.

  I slipped in through the door. It was an unused room, to judge by the dusty cabinets and scattering of old desks and other wasted and unwanted objects. I found an old chair and sat down. Some rough tangles of grass and trees were visible through the window. The air was quite warm. I looked at my watch again. Two thirty. I shook my head as if to dislodge the information and looked again. I stubbornly refused to be different. I felt calm then. No one about. It was quiet and still on this summer afternoon. I just had to wait. The window of time was those ten minutes between quarter to, and five to the hour. We would be on our way out by just after three at the latest. It was certainly very warm and quiet. I tried to stay alert. But the stillness and the relief made my head start to nod downwards towards my chest. I had a brief reprieve from the action of the day; and some strange habit of mine to take a nap where I could when I was working overcame the discipline of the soldier that Oliver had tried to instil into me, and I think I slept.

  'Jared? Come on….'

  'Uh…'

  'What's wrong?' another person asked.

  'Nothing…. nothing at all.'

  'You have got to be kidding!' It was almost like Oliver, but not quite. Then I thought I was dreaming for a moment. But it seemed like being awake too. I was lying on the floor, as if I had slid off the chair as I was overcome with tiredness. There was no sound. They looked down at me. I was blinking. Someone came near. I heard them faintly then:

  'He's fine.'

  'Don't be stupid.' said someone female. I saw red hair and thought it must be Lorraine. She was kneeling down beside me. There were others, but it seemed indistinct and watery. The silence faded in and out.

  'Just need to give him a shock.'

  'Like electricity?' said another person who sounded like Davey.

  'No! A surprise. Something that would make you jump.'

  'A trance you say.' said Oliver in his drawl of soft welsh tones, 'An idea Captain.'

  I think I tried to see her then; something swam into view… blue eyes. Silky waves of corn. Janey. She turned to the others and the shimmering lights travelled up and down the strands of her hair, where she had loosened it from the clips.

  Janey…. I tried to mouth her name. But I was entranced by the silence inside, and the warmth of the sun from the window.

  'As you say: a shock.'

  Suddenly I was swamped by someone pressing their hands on my shoulders and then pressing their weight on top of me. My eyes were open but it was hazy.

  'Jared?'

  I blinked but wasn't sure what to make of this. Silky strands brushed against the side of my face.

  I was kissing a woman. She was prising my mouth apart with hers, pressing deeper in. it was forceful and strong, and not entirely unpleasant…. Until I realised it was Janey! I think I tried to speak or utter something random and stupid. But she curled her tongue into mine.

  Suddenly I was pulling myself upright. I sat on the floor facing Janey and blinked a couple of times. They were gathered in the room, some sitting, some standing. I thought everyone might be here. But I wasn't thinking too clearly about that that at the present time. I ran my tongue around my teeth. The taste of mint.

  'Are you okay now?' Janey asked.

  I stared at her. She had that rumpled look of a woman in a state of excitement. I knew that look, but my confusion was more to do with what had been going on with the Mr Charles character. My watch said two forty-seven. I looked back at Janey. We always did talk with our eyes. I wasn't sure what she was saying now. I looked into her eyes, which pulsed with brightness and luminous purity. Her pretty face was slightly flushed and she was smiling.

  'I think…' I began rather hoarsely, 'I think I'm alright now.'

  'Good.' She said, 'Well, that's good.'

  She stood up, and offered me a hand. I took it and she pulled me to my feet. We were quite close for a moment. She looked sideways at me; 'well dear brother, I think we should go now.'

  'Yes.' she was still smiling at me, but there seemed a shadow behind it. I wanted to her if she was alright. But then I saw Hanson in the background and just blinked and turned to the rest of them.

  'You have seen the Boss.' said Lorraine solemnly.

  'Yes.'

  'What did he say?' asked Marcia.

  'He made me an offer.'

  'What offer?' asked Joe

  'Look… can we discuss this later? Don't we need to get out of here?'

  'Davey's getting the access codes now.' said Marcia.

  I moved over to and old table were Davey had put his pack and was running a search.

  'Got it!' he said.

  'Are you sure?' said Oliver.

  'Yeah, pretty much.'

  A moment later they were out in the corridor trying the door.

  'It doesn't work.' Said Davey, 'but this is the right one.'

  'Shit!' said Hanson.

  'Perhaps I might hazard a guess,' Lorraine said firmly, 'there is a chance that we have accidently rotated the codes. It could be you tripped the changeover to next day's codes when you went into the computer.'

  'Try it.' said Oliver, as everyone looked at Lorraine in a surprised way.

  'Just a minute,' Davey set the pack on the floor.

  'Alarm's out now.' Said Oliver, 'Five minutes to get away.'

  'Okay! There they are.' Davey showed the screen to Marcia.

  'This better work.' Joe said, as Marcia tapped it into the panel.

  The door popped open then with something like a hiss and a sigh. We quickly piled through and prepared to close it behind us.

  'Don't!' said Davey quickly.

  'What is it?'

  'Leave it. The door I mean. It will set off a reset if you close it and trigger an internal alarm.

  'We can't just leave it open.' said Hanson, and made to push the door.

  It was swinging inwards then on the mechanism. I saw Janey smile and at once the distant sound of an alarm started.

  'Oh… Bloody fabtastic.' said Joe.

  'Come on!' Marcia shouted at them and we all started to run for the nearby trees, and almost immediately crashed through tangles of undergrowth.

  'We are going the wrong way in case anyone interested!' Lorraine gasped as she ran.

  'Short cut.' said Oliver and grabbed her hand and veered to the right. We all followed. We seemed to be circling to the right. It didn't seem sensible. But I knew Oliver. The ground started to rise and we were above the last point within a minute by a considerable elevation.

  'Have we got what we need?' I yelled as we ran.

  'Yes! Pictures and everything.' Marcia replied.

  'Our people?'

  'No.'

  'Are you sure?'

  'Absolutely.'

  We carried on up the steep incline. We didn't look back. We didn't have to. A deep noise was heard, vehicles starting up. We needed to get to the fence as soon as we could.

  We arrived near the innocuous looking elec
trically charged barrier. Oliver frowned in a thoughtful manner.

  'Davey?'

  'Tide's turning in five minutes.'

  'What?' Lorraine said, then when no one answered, 'what does that mean?'

  Oliver checked his watch, 'Just wait.' He said.

  We crouched in the bushes. Five minutes. I looked at my watch again. We could hear the distinct whine of machinery. The guards having been stymied by the incline were forced to take the long way round.

  'On my mark.' said Oliver 'Davey first.'

  We paused watching Oliver as he held up his hand and stared to the watch face.

  'Now!' he chopped his hand down.

  We ran to the fence and started to climb. There was no doubt in anyone's mind that this was not a time to stop and think about what was happening. Just climb. Fast. Davey was over and dropped down the other side. Hanson, by reason of his speed and sheer terror was next. Marcia and Janey followed, then Joe. Lorraine was climbing fairly quickly and reached the top. She swung over the top and appeared to stop. Oliver nimbly shinned up and dropped his pack down the other side. He was hurriedly trying unfasten Lorraine's plait from a loop that had broken and got stuck in her hair. I started to climb. I didn't stop to help, because it wasn't going to help. Lorraine was wincing. She was well and truly stuck.

  'Err…. guys! One minute.'

  'What happens in one minute?' said Lorraine trying to keep still. Oliver pulled out his knife.

  'Thirty seconds.'

  'Okay Honey, let go and jump as soon as you feel it give.'

  'Do it!' screamed Janey.

  'Ten seconds.'

  Oliver broke the next few strands. And she was free. He hooked his arm around her waist and jumped. Lorraine tumbled over and landed on top of me.