Origin: Eternity's End

by Uneeb Qureshi

  Dedication

  I would like to thank Mark Wehberg for his effort and vision in designing the cover art for the book, truly a visually powerful addition to the story.

  In addition I would like to thank the following faculty at the University of Maryland; Dr. Lee Friedman, Dr. Johnpierre Paglione, Dr. John Merck, and Dr. Thomas Holtz, Jr. for their phenomenal teaching ability, and unparalleled propensity for mentoring.

  And last but certainly not least I would like to thank my family, you have done so much for me that I cannot hope to give anything as valuable in return... you have made me the hard-working and intelligent man that I have become today.

  “I can look inside your memories, your nightmares, your dreams. You're a man haunted by those two most terrible words, ‘What If’?”

  H.G. Wells, The Time Machine

  Prologue

  The dark woods cowled the moonlight. The wildlife was stagnant. It watched through the shadows as a lone rider trotted through the woods on a dark mare.

  The leathery chaps of a saddle bumped against a horse’s thick torso amidst the darkness, lapping through the primordial serenade of the insect life. The sound of waves crashing ashore was just a few hundred meters behind. A wooden ferry brought a man and his horse to the island. They would not be leaving until their work here was done.

  The rider’s cloak cowled his head as he glared toward the ground. Somewhere in his thoughts he was distant, watching the road yet from afar.

  “She appeared at the courts of our kings, foretelling ominous signs…”

  “We hear the banshees’ call at night, they appear in various locations…when someone is about to die…”

  The horseman remembered the O’Connor clansmen’s words and heeded them carefully. His horse trotted slower now. He brushed its mane as it walked forward. It calmed him in preparation of what was to come.

  The man was a bounty hunter by trade, but his motives were his own. He accepted paid bounties only when he needed the money.

  “Relax, girl…” He whispered to the horse as it grew tense.

  The horse neighed coarser with each advancing step. The man dismounted and held his robes aloof.

  A thin, screeching sound that thinly resembled an owl was heard somewhere in the distance. The horse followed the bounty hunter’s steps, not wanting to take the lead.

  The bounty hunter unsheathed his weapons and slowed his pace, stealthily gaining ground on the strange noise. If it was the banshee he was hunting, it was on the cliffs just above their makeshift landing.

  He scaled the cliffs, hearing the voice growing louder. He crept into a crag to watch his prey from the cliff.

  The banshee was dressed in a winding sheet and cloak sitting by a small artificial well of water. At first glance she appeared as a beautifully young woman. Despite her face being tarnished by dirt she remained alluring.

  The man knew the secrets behind the myths. He had anticipated the banshees to be human and not ghosts. He glanced around and saw no other life around her.

  The bounty hunter stood up, pacing briskly toward the ghostly woman alerting her of his presence. She stood up pointing at him, screaming in the characteristic howl the villagers had heard nights before. He ignored her, standing aloof with his unsheathed katars intimidating her. She stepped back, afraid.

  His eyes met hers with a dim white hue in the darkness. He walked up to the woman standing just a few steps shy of her, poised to strike her down lest she attacked.

  “You! You will die tonight!” The banshee said, ominously pointing to the man.

  Will you be the one to finally end my pain…

  She rushed to her hovel and picked up a crossbow.

  The bounty hunter side-stepped and broke the weapon’s loading mechanism. He held the woman by the wrists as she cackled in the old Gaelic tongue.

  “Your pain and suffering will end tonight…” He said.

  The bounty hunter let go of her and kneeled to her level. He offered his hand in friendship this time but she refused.

  “I did not mean to…” The woman continued.

  The bounty hunter knew what she was begging about. The banshees had haunted villages, warning many of the major Irish families’ of their impending deaths. But many suspected the banshees were responsible for the disappearances of numerous villagers.

  “Come.” He said, outstretching his hand.

  She shrugged his hand, “We are undead, and we must not be brought to the living lest they die…”

  She had dim white eyes like the bounty hunter, they were related somehow.

  “We’re the same, you and I.” He began, “I am not here to kill you or your sisters…I am here to take you away from here…” Beside her he saw a small pool of blood and cloth, the villagers’ clothes.

  It began to rain. The drizzling droplets of rain scattered across the pool, causing the viscous blood to ripple. The bounty hunter stood up and lifted the blood bath, draining it toward the sea. The entire mountainside was painted red.

  The rain picked up, the larger droplets pattered against the rocky cliff face while the clouds rumbled. A bolt of lightning and a thunderous shockwave roared through the region seconds later.

  The young woman stood up letting out a fierce shriek, covering her ears from the thunderous roar. She shuddered.

  “I’m a ghost…but…why do I feel pain and fear?” She approached the bounty hunter looking for answers. As she walked over to him he could see she was injured, her leg was bruised.

  A wound from a struggling villager perhaps…

  She hobbled over to him, clutching him tightly not wanting to let go. He brushed her unkempt hair aside.

  “Don’t be afraid.” He responded in the ancient Gaelic tongue, “You are not undead, you are quite alive.”

  He brushed away the tears running down her face. Each rumble from the thunderous storm forced her to hold him tighter. She fell to her knees, forcing him down with her against the cliff face. Each crashing bolt of thunder that hit the nearby sea startled her.

  He patted her, covering her ears from the storm encroaching around them.

  “It’s okay, go to sleep.” She tried but could not. “You are immortal just like me,” he continued as she wept in his arms, “You don’t have to kill the villagers or have them fear you any longer…it is time for you and your sisters to finally leave this world.”

  “Who are you?” She whispered.

  “I am a ghost, just like you. Haunting the world that never wanted me…”

  The storm grew more violent each second, she was clearly frightened.

  “We are all ghosts here on Earth, but in the heavens our people have found their home…” He whispered to her as he laid her down beside him under an overhang in the cliff.

  He stepped out wearily into the rain shrugging an earlier shoulder wound off. His blood coagulated quickly.

  Unlike the banshee he was not afraid of the storm. Each bolt of lightning filled him with wonder. It was invigorating. The heavy droplets of water pounded against his skin, cleansing him of the day’s deeds.

  He hunted neither for profit nor for the villagers, but for himself. He sought the last of his people in this world, and the myths of the world were his only clues.

  A teacher moved through the aisles of the classroom making her way down the stairs watching the grins glean the faces of young children on the way down. The classroom was nearly circular but its diameter was as much as the length of an Olympic track, an ovular stadium orientation reminiscent of the Roman Coliseum filled with young students.

  What her children hated the most was the way she kept teaching them things they already knew. They grew up with these stories of their peoples’ greatest hero.

  B
ut each of them did their best to make sense of the jumble of information she lectured to them. Bits of geography, ancient and modern, made up their studies. They learned the names of dozens of ancient ‘nations’ and modern planet principalities. Few knew what a nation really was; such things were far before their time.

  As the professor reached the center of the classroom her eyes turned towards the archways at the top of the stadium stairs. A man peered inside the clearing, leaning on a pillar. He had been listening in, watching her while contemplating the story she had just finished.

  “Is that the one about Shep?” He yelled towards her. “I couldn’t help but overhear.”

  The teacher stopped abruptly. A smile cut across her face.

  “Yes Solb, the one that you were in.” She finished with a salute.

  “As were you Monica.” Solb replied, “But I can’t help think that you left out the hero again. Hm?”

  “Was it you?” Monica said.

  “As I recall.” His smile grew wider. “Yet all things aside…I miss him, too.”

  “Of course.”

  She turned back towards the audience of children. Some were in shock of her clear disdain for authority while others tried dearly to hold back their laughter. They were eager for another exciting tale.

  ‘Tell us the one about him fighting off a hundred men with a spear through his heart!’ Yelled the child in front.

  ‘No, no. The stories of his inter-galactic travels!’ Screamed the back.

  Monica turned red.

  “My…they do know their history don’t they?” She said looking back at Solb.

  “It’s our heritage, and our future, without it we’re hopeless, clearly.” In her presence his humor suffered just as much.

  Solb was about to turn toward the door but paused for a moment.

  “Oh and Monica,” Monica turned attentively to her commander, “remember to tell them how he met you.”

  Book 1 - Eternity’s End

  Chapter 1

  From the Ashes

  The Not Too Distance Future…

  Washington, D.C

  A car rushed toward a parking spot in front of a shop on M Street, one of central DC’s busiest streets. The driver stepped out of his car with brisk pace to avoid the on-coming traffic.

  Early morning joggers, students and civil servants crowded the local morning cafés on their way to work. The man picked up a duffel bag which read a local café’s name on it. Rudi’s. Under his jacket a pinned name tag read “Rudi Sarna – Owner”. As he grinned at his handy work the name tag fell off, the pin holding it cracked from the cold.

  “Piece of shit!” He yelled.

  Onlookers shot a glance as he apologized for the obscenity, Whatever… Rudi thought. The air began to thicken as mobs of cars noisily cut across intersections. The few small trees that dotted the historical streets helped little to alleviate the shadow of the urban jungle that surrounded the city. The concrete canopies in the surrounding blocks reminded him of the infinitesimal size of his store.

  He rushed towards his shop, taking a moment to gander at the lackluster sign broadcasting his business.

  “Come on! They were supposed to have it changed by Friday!”

  Oh wait, today is Friday. He told himself.

  His eyes gazed around at the few shops open around him at this hour.

  Ideas always roused some sort of story in his life. His day had begun almost too quietly but he welcomed a change to his mornings.

  Upon reaching the front door of his store he spotted a man reading a newspaper on the tables. Calmly the customer peered away from the headlines and shot a quick glance to the owner.

  “You’re always here before I am. I guess that’s what I get for giving ya the barista job huh? Do you ever sleep?” The owner inquired.

  “Oh come on Rudi, I thought I was your favorite employee?” The man responded.

  “You’re my only employee Shep who’s always here before I am… Well, no sense in lettin’ ya sit around doin’ nothing, you good at making banners?”

  “So in addition to coffee duties I’m also your janitor?”

  “Master janitor.” Rudi replied.

  “Ha. Ha. I’ll get right on it, boss.”

  Shep went into the backroom grabbing a large canvas and paint bucket. He laid the banner canvas out into a rectangular and quickly drew the store’s name on it.

  What a guy. Rudi thought.

  Without further thought Shep took a ladder outside and got to work putting it up. A small party of young businesswomen entered, chattering like always until Shep noticed the hands-free devices in their ears. Shep smiled, Rudi could tell that he thought them inferior.

  But who’s he to judge? He’s wearing paint covered overalls.

  Shep jumped down from the ladder outside, content with his handiwork and informed Rudi.

  “Your shop is officially open for business.”

  “What does the sign say?”

  “I don’t like to brag, I think it’s worked though.”

  “Well whatever you did must be genius! You can take a break for a bit while I handle the customers, go ahead and freshen up.” Rudi said.

  “You mean…in the restroom in the back?” Shep asked.

  “Yeah, why do you ask?” Rudi had a hard time managing the conversation and handling the patrons.

  “The door is broken. I had to jump out the back last time.”

  “That’s just hogwash that Lauren keeps feeding you, you just need to show it some love and it’ll open for you.”

  “But you don’t even use our bathroom, how would you know?”

  “I’m just checking out our competition when I head out!”

  “Well it doesn’t matter anyway, we actually have one of the cleanest alleys to jump into, and we should be rated for that. Hold my calls Rudi.” Shep said with a grin.

  Sarcastic as always. Thought Rudi.

  With subtle grace Shep entered the back room.

  Rudi turned his attention to a silent visitor that had took a seat by the door a few minutes ago. The man had the look of an Olympic body builder and a body to match. His monstrous six and a half foot physique was even more menacing when standing in front of the counter.

  “A man works here, dark haired, tall, late twenties, where is he?” The dark stranger asked in a baritone voice.

  “In the can, why you need ‘im?”

  “An old acquaintance.”

  I knew Shep was too good to be true, he’s gotta be a gangbanger. Probably bailed out back earlier…

  “Yeah he works here I dunno if he’s still here though you can wait for him...”

  “Very well” The stranger said sitting at a table by the door.

  The dark man said nothing more. He sat vigilantly at the door, his gaze intently forward as if meditating.

  As the day wore on the cafe began to fill to capacity, crowds hustled in and out all morning. The clock above the door read 8:30 a.m. but Rudi already felt like it was going to be a long day. He handled nearly all the customers that entered the store since Shep had left.

  That was like an hour ago! Where the hell did he go? Is he seriously running from this guy?

  Rudi was relieved by the sight of a young woman entering and joining him promptly behind the counter.

  “Lauren thank God you’re here, I think Shep is a gangbanger on the run from the law, he’s probably missed a shipment or something and that guy near the door is there to get the money back. We have to call the police to get them out of here!”

  “Seeing as I’m a barista.... I guess I’ll just handle the coffee?” The girl had no idea what was going on.

  “Oh yeah, Shep might be fired after today and he’s doing the banner outside so when you have time finish that up, will ya?”

  Lauren shook her head, “Whatever ya say Rud…”

  “Oh my God! Shep is back!” Rudi said, as he started dialing.

  “I don’t know what you’re talking about Rud, he doesn’t look t
hat hood to me. I mean, he’s wearing paint-covered overalls for God-sakes.” Lauren said, pre-occupied with the full capacity of the shop.

  Shep caught sight of the stranger by the door and paused.

  “Long time no see.” The giant mouthed from inside the shop.

  Shep did not say a word. Before he could act the man rushed outside and tried to subdue him.

  Shep caught the man by the wrist and struggled against the attacker’s iron-hard muscles, he was clearly outmatched in strength. After a few moments of struggle Shep finally found a weak point and quickly threw his body’s weight into an uppercut. The giant’s arm wrenched clockwise into an inhuman position.

  “Hello!? Police!” Rudi yelled into the phone.

  The stranger submitted to the sudden attacks bearing all the pain effortlessly. Shrugging off his pain he used super-human physique to head butt Shep into a nearby electrical pole

  Shit, he’s too big to dodge. Shep thought as the air in his lungs were being squeezed out.

  Shep prepared to drive his other elbow into his assailant’s neck. With an exasperated heave he pushed down with all the force in his upper body could muster causing the giant to falter momentarily.

  His attacker’s grip loosened, Shep used the moment to try and regain the upper hand in the fight. He thrust kicked his opponent onto the road forcing him into oncoming traffic. An SUV rammed into the man and swerved onto the sidewalk. The traffic that followed diverged around him.

  “I told you to come with me peacefully. There was no need to get any of these innocents involved.” Yelled the man as he groaned in pain.

  “Unfortunately I don’t have the liberty of knowing who you are or where you’re from. So trust is out of the question.” Shep replied.

  You know you haven’t fought in years, don’t try anything fancy.

  “My master and yours are very close acquaintances.” His opponent added.

  “You’ll have to prove to me how close.”

  The hulking soldier rushed at Shep again causing the ground to tremble in his wake. Shep dodged him, rolled in between his legs, and slashed his heels with a knife from the café. The behemoth finally collapsed to the ground in defeat, unable to muster the strength or will to stand up again.