《A New Dawn: A "Dreamer" Epilogue》


 SIDE A | PROLOGUE

    ???


    The End


    This story echoes throughout time and space. Echoes you can¡¯t


    help


    but


    hear.


    Whose echoes? It depends when you look. If you looked thousands of years ago, you might see echoes of an ice age¡ªmaybe the final breaths of the last of a now-extinct species. Maybe even the echoes of the expanding tectonic plates as the Earth continued to settle into place. Here, though, lies the echoes of a past excursion in the gunfire that rings through the hallways. They echoed like a motif repeating across time as if a celestial creator imprinted it themselves. In this moment, that gunfire scarred screams into the walls that would last longer than any bloodstain.


    Outside of the room two bodies had just been cut in half by the high-caliber bullets of the old station set in the vastness of space; far from the Earth.


    On a grander scale it was almost the loudest sound rattling across the entire universe. If one were situated on the farthest point from the station it is almost assured that in some form the echo of that fire would reverberate out¡ªwhether it be by pure energy or divine will.


    Up above the room we investigate inside the station, the residue excreted from the weapons melted the strange metal that comprised the bunker like lava. If given enough time it might spill down far enough to reach them. Then again, it might cool before it ever reached them. Either way, it was their final stand here no matter what. The gunfire hung heavy in the air like they could pick up from where they left off without any source. Any one of these threats would be enough to send anybody into a state of alarm. That much was true for half of the bodies sitting alone in the room at the deepest point of the bunker.


    An old man and a young boy sat alone inside the confines of a prison cell with nothing but a vintage tape recorder with an old pair of headphones beside them.


    ¡°Lock down is imminent,¡± A voice called out over the intercom. It was the voice of another old man. There was an air of heavy exhaustion in it. ¡°This is it, our final stand. I¡¯m going to hold them off for as long as I can. It is time for me to face the demons of my past.¡±


    You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.


    He nodded his head as if he knew he would be seen by the voice. He then looked over beside him¡ªhe was quivering on the floor beside the bench.


    ¡°Are we going to die?¡± The boy looked up at him with a look of dire concern. There was panic behind those eyes.


    The old man took a long. deep breath that seemed to restore his voice. Everything around him was eventual. He cocked his head toward the cassette player next to him, ¡°I can¡¯t promise anything. Use it and ease your mind.¡±


    The boy, frail and shaking out of his pale skin looked toward the bench and eyed the old cassette player lying on top. Every movement he made was fidgety. He took frantic steps toward it and grabbed it and the headphones and looked back to the old man.


    ¡°Go on, put those on over your head,¡± the old man couldn¡¯t sound more unenthused to be where he was.


    Another shot rang out sending the boy into a screeching jump. He nearly dropped the cassette, but ending up letting go of the headphones. They bounced off the ground as the boy¡¯s chest began heaving heavily. He waited as the echo from the shot continued down the halls¡ªwaiting if they would continue and his existence would be put to the end. The anticipation almost made him shake more. It was clear he was having difficulty keeping his grip on the cassette.


    The old man sighed and rested his head against the back wall and closed his eyes. ¡°Just block out what¡¯s outside. Let yourself put the headphones on and listen. It¡¯ll calm your nerves.¡±


    The tension in the room was thick like a heavy coat they couldn¡¯t remove. It was an oppressive presence that would end a single way¡ªa way the boy wouldn¡¯t enjoy in the slightest. He was satisfied enough that the boy didn¡¯t fight him on the point. He got back his control over his hands and walked toward the corner of the room and slipped the headphones over his ears. He sat back and closed his eyes as he pressed down on the PLAY button.


    There was a moment where the man swore that reality could have stopped. Like everything would just end and in that thought he smiled, but was careful to keep an eye on the boy as to not reveal his inner thoughts. There was a quality to the air that made it feel ephemeral. There was a sort of peace that came when the end of one¡¯s life was coming closer. And no matter how this all ended, the old man hoped he would be alive long enough to be present for the boy¡¯s understanding.


    The boy¡¯s eyes closed as the sound on the tape played in his ears. It began as crackling static and for a moment the boy was scared the tape only contained static to try and blur the world¡¯s sounds outside. That would have been awful because he knew that the shots outside were much louder than whatever this static was.


    The old man smiled again as understanding filled his eyes. The boy was going to hear it all from the beginning. It wouldn¡¯t be long now...he was going to understand. It was only a matter of time.

 SIDE B | PROLOGUE

    Jake Carroway


    June 20<sup>th</sup>, 2029


    Deliverance is a word in which some people liken to formal speeches given by politicians, but I¡¯m going to shine a light on another meaning of deliverance¡ªthe act of being rescued or set free. Depending on which context you use it in I guess it could be multipurposeful. For me, I liken the meaning to freedom. Our country was greeted by a deliverance after the fall of Jack Adata. We had been under a lot of stress and his oppression threatened everything we had left. In the few short months since the beginning of our newfound freedom, we have named our new capitol building after the freedom and rescue we sought.


    A lot has happened to the world in the last twenty years. I don¡¯t believe there was any period of time where that statement wasn¡¯t relevant, but I felt confident using it now; for us it meant the death and rebirth of a nation. The end of a tragedy that consumed the lives of all that was touched by an overreaching shadow¡ªa force so determined to see happiness stamped out like a raging fire. And from the remains of that fire we¡¯re now able to grow, to improve, to evolve.


    Back in 2013 there was an assassination of the president of our Britain-occupied government by one Mason Radica. He was infected with the Radical-9 Virus. It was a terrible poison that overloaded the mind until the host was forced to kill themselves and others. It seemed to differ in how it affected each individual, but the end result tended to be the same. The increase in these dangerous tendencies is guaranteed with enough time. The end result of the virus wasn¡¯t just death of the host¡ªit ended with the violent and oppressive explosion as the Radical-9 decayed inside of the host to create a blast so powerful it rivaled an atomic bomb.


    Mason was one of the initial patient zeroes of the Radical-9 Virus when it had been incidentally created in 2008 as he was one of the scientists working under the Promethean project, organized by the same government that had fallen to the virus. The original group ended up falling prey to the virus¡ªalthough some like Jack it took a lot longer for the end result to come out.


    England had given up on us as soon as news of the assassination broke British shores and our government was left in shambles. Riots in the streets became commonplace in larger cities as people fought to gain control. They fought out of anger, sadness, depression. They fought to survive. They fought a lot. At the end of all the fighting people began to form their own safe districts that remained to try to continue life as it had been before all the fighting. They had to survive simply with what remained of the society that had crumbled before.


    The original scientists responsible for the Radical-9 Virus disbanded and went their separate ways...except for one. Jack Adata and the first patient inflicted with the virus continued testing as he discovered that with the virus came potential. He grew supernatural abilities as the virus latched to his mind and accelerated his mental prowess. The overwhelming power of his abilities caused him to amass a large protective force of people that either wanted to be him or were afraid of him.


    He used the children of the original scientists as test subjects by willingly infecting them with the Radical-9. Ten children were infected. Four remain alive today. Jack wasn¡¯t satisfied with the results of his work, so his tests continued. In 2018, he received communications from one of the children he had tested on...only they were communications sent from a different time entirely, the year 2042.


    The message foretold of the result of a future where the world had perished to Radical-9 and the sender was the caretaker of the last of humanity¡¯s survivors. Jack was astounded at the variety of abilities that the Radical-9 had granted. The sender of the message used his abilities to bring Jack into his own time to speak with him. Jack met the man¡ªolder than even himself and taking the name Micah after shedding his own. Jack learned that this was in fact Gavin Daniels, one of the first children that had been tested on back in 2008.


    Jack stayed in this future for eighteen years to construct the Infinity Core Amplifier for Research Under the Sun (ICARUS). It was an Infinity Engine that contained the power to recognize, view, and simulate the events of other timelines, as well as contain a database for logging a complete history of the memories uploaded by the current surviving humans. Once ICARUS was completed Micah utilized the machine to view a timeline that is his current¡¯s sister¡ªone that has not yet been destroyed by the Radical-9 experiments. He sent an automaton¡ªa robot built to look exactly like a human that is implanted with artificial consciousness from ICARUS¡ªto this sister timeline in the year 2018 to kidnap the Gavin Daniels of that time.


    The automaton, sickly enough, was in the form of Jack¡¯s firstborn daughter, Megan Adata. Although, since Megan originally passed when the Radical-9 experiments first went wrong, it was an approximation to what she would have looked like if she hadn¡¯t passed. Gavin¡¯s never told me exactly why Jack and Micah modeled the Automaton after her¡ªhe thinks that deep inside the corrupted mind of Jack¡¯s existed an underlying regret over the death of his daughter, and by creating a vessel in her image he can make himself believe that his exploits are for her memory. I think that his mind began to deteriorate faster the longer time went on, and he simply pulled from what he had available and that was that.


    Gavin¡ªbeing of course the Gavin that grew up in the sister timeline to the wretched future Micah existed in. He¡¯d woken up in the First Republic Building in Denver Colorado with two strangers. These people were further relatives of people directly related to the Radical-9 Incident¡ªMason Radica¡¯s nephew and the daughter of one of the first reporters on the story. They worked their way up through the building, but only Gavin managed to arrive at the top alive. It was there he confronted the automaton that built to look exactly like Jack¡¯s deceased daughter, Megan.


    She touched his forehead with a hand stained with blood infected by Radical-9 and his body overloaded. He panicked and threw himself off of the building. His body exploded and leveled Denver completely. However, his consciousness was dragged to Micah¡¯s universe because of the tainted blood. His mind was deposited inside an automaton shell that Micah prepared that looked just like Gavin¡¯s body when he was twenty one. Micah revealed himself to Gavin as an ally and warned him of Jack¡¯s nefarious deeds. He shows Gavin ICARUS, and said that he must complete his journey by investigating the memories of the surviving humans to piece together exactly how to fix the Radical-9 Incident.


    In truth, he was buying time for Gavin¡¯s consciousness to become comfortable with his new body so that Jack can inject his own consciousness into the body and claim dominance. This would double the power that Jack could wield without the negative effects of the Radical-9, as since he was poisoned back in 2008 his body had begun to deteriorate at a much faster rate than normal.


    Their plan failed as Gavin figured out their plan before it is fully underway and he managed to make use of newfound powers (such as the ability to draw in nearby electrical currents and use them to fashion weaponry, and the same ability Micah has mastered of opening rifts through time and space) to escape Jack¡¯s clutches in a battle that has them tumbling through time and different timelines. Gavin was deposited back in his home time-line, but four years have passed since he was taken. He was in the ruined city of Denver where he meets up with one of the original scientists, Jay Rein.


    Jay wasn¡¯t alone, however, because in the car he had driven up in are three kids, two of the infected ten, Andrew Cress and Jennifer Adata, as well as Andrew¡¯s girlfriend, Lindsey Berrant, who he had met inside a virtual world. It turned out that Jack was deposited earlier in this same timeline than Gavin was by nine whole years. He shifted his plans to preserve his consciousness by creating a virtual existence named Elysium. He masked the experience as a video game to trick its players into becoming pawns for his amusement.


    Andrew and Lindsey were two of the original players of the game who met up while inside, with Jen going in later to save her brother. It was Jay who helped from the outside in the end when Andrew clashed against Jack in the finale. They killed the system that kept everyone trapped and the four found each other in the real world to begin a quest to put an end to Jack once and for all.


    It was when they met up with Gavin they learn that Jack had given Micah a mission to hunt down another one of the ten infected¡ªJay¡¯s own son¡ªwho had been hidden in New York to keep him safe from Jack. The only problem is that the couple Jay had given his son to had moved and now his location is a complete secret. The group leave determined to find Jay¡¯s son and end this incident forever.


    Sometime in 2027 the federal government was reinstated on the west side of the country under a man named Oliver Avery. Seven years pass in total and there are no leads at all from 2022-2029. The group worries that he may have moved again and entirely out of New York, but Andrew catches sight of a name that interests the whole group. Micah has hacked several news stations across New York to broadcast threats about the end of the world to draw Jay¡¯s son out.


    Andrew learned that a young boy named John Baker had been arrested for the gruesome murder of his gym teacher and both of his parents. Figuring the strange circumstances in the case could be a lead toward the person that he and the others were searching so long for he took the case¡ªnow as a lawyer for the past seven years¡ªand finds out that not only is the accused the person they¡¯ve been looking for, but the person who put in the request¡ªa teenage girl named Sarah Newman is another one of the infected ten.


    Andrew introduced himself properly and the rest of his group on the day of the trial and explained the importance of getting John acquitted of his charges. John expressed concern over dreams that he had that prophesied the end of the world in the coming months and a mysterious shadowed figure in his dreams who proclaims to be a god named Reinhardt. Through the trial it is learned that this Reinhardt is in fact Jack Adata, still kicking and determined to see his goals through, no matter what the cost. Before he trial can be finished and just before John is proven not guilty the courthouse is ambushed and John is stolen away by none other than Micah himself.


    The group rushed out of the courthouse and organized a plan to follow Micah¡ªwho they believe is taking John to the new-found president¡¯s headquarters in California. Gavin traveled using his abilities alongside Sarah¡¯s friend, Iris, who has taken a liking to him. As he does not have room to take everyone, the rest of the group travels by car to their own workshop where Sarah is introduced to Jay, who has been working on a cure for the Radical-9 poisoning in the past seven years. He finally has a working prototype, and joins along in the journey to find his son.


    They traveled as far as they can in one day until they have to make a stop at a nearby inn to sleep. Inside the inn Sarah has a dream of her own where she sees the life of a man named Friedrich Adata, Jack¡¯s Father, and consequently, her own grandfather. Friedrich is the originator of the entire Radical-9 Incident, as he was naturally gifted from birth with the ability of foresight. He understands exactly how the future will turn out, using this ability to his advantage he successfully flees Germany before they invade Poland and begin World War II.


    It was during this time that Friedrich uses knowledge from the future to construct reliable spacecraft and befriends two unnamed assistants who end up venturing to Mars to find the mysterious elements that combine to create Radical-9, predating the British-American Government in 2008. Friedrich befriends scientists from all around Europe and Russia to entertain his own experiments on the Human Genome Project.


    Friedrich discovered that mankind can ascend to higher power by altering certain chromosomes in their DNA. These experiments are called the Schr?der Experiments, after the late Ken Schr?der. The results of the experiment are the first known Automaton in Sonja Von Kleist, who has had most of her internal organs removed and replaced with mechanical parts. After Friedrich is tried for his crimes and killed in 1999 Sonja vanished from public view and is not heard from again. This killing in 1999 is as far as we know the event that created the split in timelines between Gavin¡¯s time and Micah¡¯s time.


    Back in the inn the group woke up to a chaotic period where Lindsey committed suicide in the bathroom. Her previous untreated traumas had come back to haunt her and have forced her to end her own pain. Andrew freaks out at his wife¡¯s suicide and his own despair unlocks a new power inside himself from the Radical-9 in telekinesis. Unfortunately, he discovers this power by unleashing it on Jay¡ªthrowing him against a tree outside the inn and breaking his back, killing him.


    Andrew and Sarah were the only ones remaining from the inn, they took the cure from Jay¡¯s pocket and buried the both of them with tears fresh in their eyes and continued onward to California. Gavin and Iris ended up in California immediately, but they didn¡¯t know where John and Micah could possibly be. They found a couple willing to let them stay the night as they gathered information. The two grew closer as the danger of everything around them closed in.


    A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.


    The couple ended up revealing themselves as automatons and the two raced out o the apartment as quickly as they could. Gavin took a blow to the head from one of the automatons and could not focus his powers to escape. They make it out the front door only to be surrounded by thousands of automatons standing and waiting for them.


    Micah had sent them back from his time as a trap waiting to be sprung for them. Gavin mentally calls out for help which is immediately answered by Andrew and Sarah, who have linked back up with Jen after she split from them during the courthouse raid.


    They picked the two up and begin driving to the new Statue of Liberty hanging on the remains of Alcatraz Island when they¡¯re stopped by Micah himself. There was an all out assault on the group until he turned his focus on Gavin, wanting a proper rematch with his alter ego. Gavin uses all of his strength to rip a hole in time and barrels through it with Micah. Gavin sacrificed himself to take Micah down with him¡ªit¡¯s the last the group ever sees of Gavin.


    The remaining moved on to the final showdown with Jack, who has been revealed to have hijacked John¡¯s body. When he was captured from the courthouse he was brought right to the Californian hideout inside the Statue of Liberty. It was there he met the remains of Jack, a withered body continuously hooked up to a massive life support machine With his body finally dying, he overloaded John with Radical-9 and injected himself in before his own death.


    He created a barrier that only those of his own blood can enter, barring Andrew from having his final fight. Sarah and Jen, both his daughters from different mothers, walk in to see their father. Sarah has a gun loaded with bullets containing the cure that Jay had made to save his son. Jay seemed to have feared that John would be used as a vessel, so he prepared the cure to free John from Jack once and for all.


    She tried to fire the gun at him, but Jack was much too powerful. He¡¯s able to fend the both of them off at the same time without breaking a sweat. He steals away the gun, but John inside him manages to pull one last ounce of will and fires the gun on himself, killing them both and neutralizing the Radical-9 inside their body to prevent an explosion that would decimate half the country. It seems to be too much Radical-9 to neutralize, but John managed to pull the energy all together forming a solid green orb the size of a baseball containing everything that John and Jack has used to be.


    We took the orb and vowed to protect it¡ªthe kind of energy that could be released from it was too dangerous to let it fall into the wrong hands. Now that the threat of Jack had finally been taken care of we all took a long period of time to mourn our losses. We were determined to remember the fallen and not let what had happened ever escalate to that point ever again.


    The government that had allowed such experiments to be taken place¡ªthe benefactors behind the funding. Our eyes turned toward England¡ªthe kingdom that had become the world¡¯s superpower after their victory in World War II. The Kingdom that had enacted dangerous tests in America and backed out when it backfired on them. The Kingdom that had been waiting in the shadows and working the puppet strings so that someone like Jack could come to power. The group could not rest until the world is at peace and they rebuild their broken nation, with the vote coming unanimously to elect Andrew as their new President.


    ~...~


    I closed the book of our recent history shut and stood over it with a contemplative look on my face. I sat wondering at the kind of life I had lived up to this point and where it would go from here. I opted not to have my story shared in this book because I was ashamed of my part in the global scale. Those close to me know that in the end I came to the group¡¯s aid, but similarly know just how long I had been lost and unable or unwilling to do the right thing. The entirety of my adult life after losing Jen was too much for me to bear. Maybe that should have been reason enough to display it¡ªso that nobody followed in my footsteps. But Andy was kind enough to keep it out. I think more than anyone he understood my hesitation and regrets.


    ¡°You can rewrite your own story starting today,¡± he told me. Sarah was the one who wrote the book, so she was more than willing to oblige, but something about it all left a bad taste in my mouth. I needed to tell my story the right way¡ªby telling the truth. And I don¡¯t think I would have been in the right mindspace to tell it when this book was being written.


    My name is Jake Carroway. My father was the chief of police in Colorado and had since been arrested for being an accomplice to Jack Adata seven years ago when he brought out the virtual world Elysium. Due to Jack¡¯s overwhelming power he and the other officers in his department were to keep others from snooping into his business¡ªfrom asking any questions¡ªand from generally doing what Jen and I had done.


    During those events I went with Jen to the Republic Plaza in Denver to investigate the origins of the game¡ªpartly because Andrew was one of the people that was stuck inside, and partly because Jen had asked me too. I realized that I probably wouldn¡¯t have gotten so involved if she wasn¡¯t already. I liked Andrew enough, but I hadn¡¯t known him as well as I do now back then.


    Of course, those events turned out nasty for me. I was already suffering from some pretty nasty chronic diseases that limited a lot about my life. So going out on an adventure of sorts to explore the ruined city of Denver was pushing my luck, but the real damage came when my father came to investigate us. I had helped Jen get past the large fence surrounding the First Republic building, but while I was searching for my own way inside my father appeared on the scene. I had known I was in pretty big trouble looking on the look that was on his face, but I didn¡¯t expect him to shoot me.


    I don¡¯t think he really believed he had done it either, I didn¡¯t fall unconscious until we started driving away. But as I hit the ground I started coughing up blood and I was able to see the look on his face as he froze in front of me. He had begun justifying it in his head and it was at that moment that I realized I had lost my father for good. He was always a strict man¡ªnot oft to talk about his feelings. Often he brought his work home with him, but that was a long stretch from shooting your own kid. That fact took me a long time to recover from¡ªmuch longer than the actual bullet wound.


    After that point, I was drugged so heavily the next seven years were a blur. I was groomed to be a district attorney around New York so I could be Micah and Jack¡¯s puppet. Sort out every single case they toss my way in their search for a boy I hadn¡¯t even known. The drugs affected my perception and beliefs, but most of all I had a terrible sense of regret that mounted into my worst side. It would be too easy to say I wasn¡¯t aware of my own actions. That wasn¡¯t the truth, and I don¡¯t ever want it to be confused for such.


    I found the kid they wanted me to and I even found the people I had once known, but I considered them enemies. That was the only thing that made sense. To me, life only made sense in the context of feeling as little pain as possible from day to day, but on that meeting everything had caught up with me. All the pain I tried to escape came slamming into me like a freight train. I couldn¡¯t escape it, and my strings were finally cut. When that trial ended without a guilty verdict Micah stole away the kid and the drugs in me started to fade. I realized I was nothing but a pawn for the people I swore to help stop all those years ago.


    The realization of the entirety of what my life had been building up to absolutely crushed me. The friends I had were fighting for justice and against everything I was standing for because of my own grief and inability to come to terms with what had been happening to me.


    It had been too much so I ran. I wanted to kill myself¡ªto stop my streak, but Jen...damn her goodness. She found me. We talked for a long time and she was never judgmental toward me. She never stopped believing that I was me deep down. But the most powerful thing that she told me was that what I had done mattered, but what mattered more was how I was going to fix it.


    I tried my best to fix it.


    Jen got a call from Andy when they were stopped in some hotel after Lindsey and Jay¡¯s deaths. I regretted not being able to apologize to them, but that was when I got the idea of stealing the police van. We detoured to Colorado and made it just in time to save them in California.


    These three months that have passed since the end of the Radical-9 Incident with Jack¡¯s death I don¡¯t feel like I¡¯ve fully made up for my actions. I don¡¯t know if I ever will feel that way, but the best I can do is keep moving forward. Keep pushing to fix things that were once broken. We¡¯ve reassembled our country under the name of Deliverance because the people needed a form of rescue. I think I needed a Deliverance, too, because without my rescue I wouldn¡¯t be here today to be the same for others right now.


    The book sat in front of me like a scornful watcher¡ªits eyes on me eternally. I know what I have to do...it¡¯s just the act of doing it which has me so at odds with myself. In ten minutes I have to go out to the chamber and tell my story¡ªtell our story. The act of doing so terrifies me, even if I know it is necessary. I think it¡¯s because I know how important it is my mind keeps on ushering in brand new waves of fear and paranoia. The people out there are...complicated. A lot of them believe our story and how it all happened, but that¡¯s the kicker¡ªthey don¡¯t know. They simply believe, and the ones who don¡¯t¡­


    Well, I guess that¡¯s why I have to tell my side now. The people of this country cannot be called such if we are not unified, and so the past three months have led up to this¡ªthe election. The last part of the book here about Andrew¡¯s election was an author¡¯s creation. Sarah¡ªshe means well¡ªbut she jumped the gun in assuming everyone would see eye-to-eye with us about everything that happened and that needs to happen. We all thought that Andrew had the tact of leading us into a better tomorrow, but I admit we were naive into thinking everyone would feel this way.


    So, our election now has another candidate¡ªvoted on by the dissenters themselves. His name is Matthew Avery¡ªthe estranged son of our previous president, Oliver Avery¡ªwho currently lay buried in the wreck of what used to be the Statue of Liberty in San Francisco. He was a few years older than Andrew and myself with gelled brown hair cut slick and dark brown eyes.


    Altogether our Deliverance held five thousand people. We were operating out of Los Angeles for the time being since San Francisco was currently unfit for living. We hit all the major cities that survived the government shutdown and its after effects sixteen years ago and gathered as many people as we could find. Five thousand was not many for a country, but it was more than large enough for our Deliverance¡ªbuilt out of the remains of City Hall sandwiched between North Main and Spring Street.


    It also eased up on the number of candidates for our election¡ªthe people seemed to agree to that¡ªmeaning we have a fifty percent chance of Andy getting elected. That didn¡¯t necessarily mean a fifty percent chance that our country re-birthed itself fully or not¡ªI personally didn¡¯t know Mr. Avery much at all, but I¡¯d be lying if I said that his father didn¡¯t inspire the greatest leadership for our country, working for Jack and all.


    Don¡¯t forget your father worked for Jack too, you idiot. I sighed. It was true...and hardly a reason to not like someone. From his speeches he seemed like a well put together guy, but I¡¯d also be lying if I said I felt like I¡¯d be okay with him winning over Andy.


    Either way I felt like somebody was going to be upset...I didn¡¯t know if I could bear to be complicit to the beginnings of another two party system...but right now it¡¯s all we¡¯ve known...ah jeez it¡¯s my time up now. It¡¯s my turn to go and convince all of those people out there why they should believe in Andy like I do.


    He was a strange guy...delegating his final speech to the same guy who fought against him in court just three months ago. I guessed it went to show his moral fiber. Me, I don¡¯t know if I¡¯d have been able to do that¡ªto be able to have forgiven so easily. I guessed that was my herculean task...forgiveness. The rest of them have been something special to me in my time of need. It was time for me to be something special for not just them, but for every single person out there¡ªeven if they didn¡¯t know it yet.


    The door opened behind me, a calming presence filled the room and I instantly knew who it was. ¡°It¡¯s time,¡± Jen said. Her hair was done up in a way that looked unnatural. I guessed it was more out of obligation to the importance of the day because I knew she typically hated having her hair up. I looked back to her and a small, nervous look crossed my face. ¡°You ready?¡±


    I threw back a bigger grin, ¡°Of course, what do you take me for, an amateur?¡±


    She cocked her head, ¡°No, I take you for nervous. That¡¯s okay, though. We all are.¡±


    My shoulders slumped and I let out a deep breath. ¡°I can never hide anything from you.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, what a shame,¡± she rolled her eyes and closed the door behind her. She¡¯s wearing a tight black dress. The last time I¡¯d seen her this dressed up was when we met in court. As enemies. It was hard to keep from reminding myself of how things were and how different they were to how they are now. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it. Andy wouldn¡¯t have given the spotlight to you if he didn¡¯t trust you.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s like you can read my mind.¡±


    ¡°Well, I may not have that talent per se, but I can read it on your face. You looked stressed for days. There¡¯s gotta be something that can help ease your mind before you go out.¡±


    ¡°I just don¡¯t know how much I can help,¡± I said, taking a glance around the room¡ªanything but looking directly at her.


    ¡°You¡¯ve got personal experience that none of us do, and you¡¯re the only one who hasn¡¯t gotten to share.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t want Sarah writing about me.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s fine,¡± Jen put her hands up in a defensive stance. ¡°Tell us now, in your own words. Tell it to them. Resonate with the people in that crowd and tell them of the world before.¡±


    ¡°You really think it means that much?¡±


    ¡°One hundred percent.¡±


    I nodded slowly and felt the energy of the mumbled voices outside start to fill my body. I don¡¯t know how she does it, but she can make my own thoughts seem to make more sense with seemingly no effort at all. I take in a deep breath and feel it wash over me. The tension between my bones faded away. ¡°Okay, yeah. I think I can do it.¡±


    Jen brightened to a smile and placed her arm on mine. ¡°I know you can.¡± We take one final look at each other and head through the doorway.

 SIDE C | PROLOGUE

    Andrew Cress


    April 23<sup>rd</sup>, 2032


    Time broke everything; the blowing winds were born only to die hours later. A flower bloomed in the spring to live its short life before the frigid winter ended its existence. A lush field would in enough time become the arid desert that could only dream of holding a single flower.


    Humans, too, expired with time, although they liked to believe that they were the exception. The rule of the universal extinction surely couldn¡¯t happen to the species with the most to lose, right? And why was that, really? Was it because they could understand their own morality¡ªthat by some divine gap in logic they could overcome it? As if by understanding our beginnings¡ªwhich humans do not understand our morality any more seriously than any other species¡ªsomehow we could advance past our deaths and those of our loved ones. Like a fissure in the earth is forever a split in two¡ªonce the human spirit is divorced from the body it was forever separated. Forever removed from the game as the pieces that remain lose the parts of them that connected with those that died.


    Human beings may have been able to recognize certain patterns that could help prevent obvious ends to their existence, but that did not mean that they were in any way prepared to do anything but jump head first into the fissure when it was their time¡ªand almost all of the time they jumped in with no idea that it was the end. So much for being able to recognize those patterns.


    There was one human that understood morality¡ªboth his own and of everything around him. There was a long time in the universe where he did not exist, His name was Friedrich Adata. He was the father and progenitor of the Radical-9 Incident. He was born with the unique ability to know everything that would happen in the universe during the course of his life and even thereafter. He set forth in motion the events that would ruin my life. He set forth in motion the events that made me the leader I am today. How can I hate the man I owe my growth to?


    Easy. He killed my wife.


    Andrew Cress knew that Friedrich Adata wasn¡¯t directly responsible for Lindsey¡¯s suicide three years ago, but it sure was as far back a cause could go, and it was an exercise in not blaming himself. If Friedrich never gave birth to Jack and set him on his goal to discover Radical-9. I never would have met Lindsey...but she wouldn¡¯t have killed herself. It was a dual sided coin that came back often to his mind. There was a lot of blame that came back to the actions that inspired the Radical-9 Incident, and those spun as far back as eighty years ago.


    Time didn¡¯t just end existence. It would be naive to think that the end was anything but another beginning; a different beginning. Sometimes it even echoed the past. Sometimes those echoes don¡¯t seem so loud at first¡ªor maybe they hid themselves under bigger echoes until their time to resonate comes¡ªstronger and louder than the original caster.


    Lindsey¡¯s suicide echoed through Andrew¡¯s dreams often. It wasn¡¯t until spring proper that a different sort of echo would drop on his doorstep. An echo to silence everything in his mind. Nothing could steer his gaze from the little yellow envelope that arrived that Friday morning. A part of him knew as soon as he held it that it held a powerful resonant force inside. He knew his life was now separated into two emotionally powerful times¡ªthe time before and after receiving that letter.


    He felt the Radical-9 inside of his body begin to fluctuate like a magnet. It felt like he had been holding his own death sentence¡ªan echo from long, long ago finally coming back up to the surface. In truth, because he knew how powerful the words inside the letter were going to be, he held off on opening it. It scared him. It really shouldn¡¯t have, he felt words by themselves really shouldn¡¯t be able to hold him over like this, but in reality he knew all too well the power of words alone.


    Finally, taking himself in he took in a deep breath and opened the envelope. Slowly, time around him seemed to understand the weight of his action and his hand seemed stuck to the letter forever as he pulled it out. Just open it already. Just bite the bullet and take it out and end this terrible torture that you continue to put yourself through.


    He held out the sheet in front of his face and quietly began to read.


    ¡°To the current President of the United States,¡±.


    ~...~


    ¡°Hello? Yeah...Can you come to my office? I have an urgent matter I need to speak to you about...yes, the both of you. It concerns you both. No, you shouldn¡¯t need anything else. Okay, see you in a few.¡± Andrew hung up the phone. A few hours had passed and he was sitting at his desk in the Deliverance¡¯s Presidential Office. The desk was a carved mahogany that was a gift from a few of his supporters. He was modest about receiving such a gift, but they insisted. They were each a pair of old souls who had been woodcarvers for a very long time.


    He sat opposite the grand windows that casted him from behind. Andrew joked that it were a major security risk as anybody could enter the garden and make an assassination attempt from behind. Truth be told, any serious assassination attempt would probably be foiled if attempted to simply.


    The human mind can react faster than it believes it can. Any sort of noise out of the ordinary sends Andrew into panic mode with his telekinesis. Ever since the Radical-9 Incident he has had to use his powers defensively, and getting into a habit like that is a hard one to break. And yet, even with the chance of being killed by surprise were slim, he still had a lot of hesitations about keeping the window where it was. It was easy enough to guess that something so large would at the very least be a pain to clear if anything ever happened to it.


    At the end of the day, he understood the source of his worries sat on his desk now¡ªand what that would entail with this meeting that was to be. He placed the phone back onto its cradle and tapped his fingers on the desk impatiently. He never thought he¡¯d be sitting here after all of this time. The days of Elysium felt like so long ago; much less the election.


    Truth be told, he was scared. Scared of the will of the people that called him a false leader or a dictator in the wings. Everything and anything he heard came out over those tumultuous months that preceded the election. He doubted himself, but knew that he had to do something to fix what had once been broken. He had to do it for everyone who had died in the Radical-9 Incident.


    He had to do it for Lindsey.


    Thinking of her hurt his heart. In those troubled times so long ago he was able to push the thoughts away from his front mind because there were more important matters that needed to be focused on or else everyone would be dead. Time was a cruel mistress that always paid its dues. Sometimes, it came early and asked for extra. The hardest part about being in control is you were the one that paid the debts, and often it wasn¡¯t with your life that you paid. Always with other faces that you signed the proverbial check. It was the time where he couldn¡¯t backdate those thoughts anymore. They have been here at the front ever since the day that Jack died. In every dissenter that hurled insults his way or doubted his resolve he saw Lindsey in their eyes¡ªthe ghost of his wife¡¯s regrets and pains. I couldn¡¯t stand up there in front of everybody on that final election day. I couldn¡¯t stand against Avery. I¡¯m sure he had pleasant ideas, but I had to do this to keep from feeling like I¡¯m failing her memory.


    It has been almost three full years since that day and it¡¯s been more than three years since Lindsey took her own life. And yet in the back of his eyes he saw himself waking up at The Continental Inn, the hurried energy of everybody packing to leave back on their trip to California. The rush back upstairs to check on Lindsey. Finding the door locked, the instant fear and panic that set in. The exact feeling of failure rising from my stomach to my chest and¡­


    Andrew took in a deep breath and tried to pull his thoughts more forward. He knew Jake would have done a spectacular job talking on stage, but he felt a growing tension in the crowd that was unsatisfactory. Even if he had won over the majority there would not be a good enough outcome. That¡¯s when the magic happened¡ªJake improvised, and that was his greatest strength. He got on that stage and talked, but not of how great Andrew was as a candidate or how awful Matthew Avery would be¡ªhe told his own story, and poised a new option to the people before him.


    ¡°Why are we splitting ourselves into two halves over two perfectly capable gentlemen? Why don¡¯t we elect the both of them so that everybody gets the chance to speak their mind, and we work through this like a team? I learned the hard way what trying to solve everything alone gets you...nobody wants that. Nobody.¡±


    Andrew couldn¡¯t believe that he had never thought of it. They were so stuck in their old ways that they hadn¡¯t realized the possibilities were endless for their new system. Part of him was frustrated that he hadn¡¯t thought of it, but that was when he realized that he wasn¡¯t alone at the top of the totem pole¡ªthat it wasn¡¯t just up to him to spark the flames of rebirth. That relieved a lot of the weight that had been crushing his heart. Not all of it, but now was not the time for that. He didn¡¯t know when the time for all of the healing was supposed to happen¡ªif it ever did. He knew that no matter what there was always going to be people depending on him.


    He let loose a long sigh and blew a long breath out of his cheeks. It was such a simple childish motion it instantly brought him back to simpler times when he was a kid back in his home in Aurora. He remembered when he and his younger sister, Jen, tried to break the world record for the longest time for a held breath. The record at the time was something crazy like twenty minutes, but she was so sure that the next attempt was going to be the winning one. (Her longest was forty-five seconds, so no attempt was going to be the winning one, but that was beside the point.) Their mother loved watching them try to outdo one another. For a short time it made her believe that things could stay simple.


    He missed Jen. She was everything he wasn¡¯t: detail-oriented, blunt, strong. He hasn¡¯t seen her as much since taking office, but those memories come flooding back instantly as the sound of the door opening pulled him out of his memories. In came the two people he needed to see in a time like this¡ªJake Carroway and Matthew Avery. Needed to see. Not wanted to see. The fact that they were all together meant only bad things were to come. The people he wanted to see were mostly dead. Lindsey...Gavin...Jay...but he had to set those thoughts aside.


    He had to, for now it was time for business, and these were his partners. They were the remaining two of their authority trifecta. I knew Jake wanted to right his wrongs just as much as I did, so it was more than fitting that the crowd resonated with his speech. It helped of course that I seconded his nomination.


    Andrew was worried that people wouldn¡¯t trust Jake as they had himself¡ªor doubt the fairness of their leadership when one side outnumbered the other, but thankfully no word against Jake¡¯s nomination was ever challenged. His story grabbed at people¡¯s hearts the way the rest of theirs could not. Of course, he wasn¡¯t naive to believe that such talk didn¡¯t exist. He was sure that it fluttered in some of the minds of the public. It was a natural assumption to make, however he hasn¡¯t heard of it reaching the surface¡ªwhich usually meant people only let it go so far as a thought.


    ¡°You wanted us?¡± Jake walked closer to the desk and rested an arm on his waist. His white hair made him look much older. It wasn¡¯t all that aged his face¡ªever since he was elected he has been up all hours of the night to impress the people that voted for him. It definitely helped his image in being the youngest out of the three of them¡ªunless you really got to know him you didn¡¯t see the innocence that sometimes filled his face. He didn¡¯t let it show often because Andrew felt innocence wasn¡¯t a feeling Jake felt often, but that was up to him to decide.


    And who am I to decide that, anyway?


    ¡°What a way to compose yourself in a professional environment,¡± Matt strode in right beside Jake. ¡°Not even a hello Me. Avery, how are you doing today? I swear that you folk aren¡¯t all that attributed to pleasantries.¡±


    Andrew knew that when he agreed to the three leader system that there would be conflict and argument down the road, so in some fashion he had been prepared for it, but he wasn¡¯t prepared for just how good Matt was at his job. He was calculating to the point where Andrew had rarely seen him out in public for any reason other than the civic duty¡ªleisure was only a figment of the imagination. Although, to balance the scale¡ªMatt was terrible at reading a room and conducting any sort of social skills. There was one thing, above all else that Andrew appreciated about him¡ªthe guy was vocal of his father¡¯s failings. In some ways that trait they all shared¡ªand even bonded together. Unfortunately, the times they saw eye to eye were like a rainbow; fleeting and certainly a spectacle to behold, but only usually seen after a tough bout of rain.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± Andrew said and let his hands fall to a rest on his desk. ¡°I wish I could be calling you here now to share good news.¡±


    Matt grinned a sly look. ¡°Good news is like an accurate weather forecast. Nice if you get it, but you never plan for it.¡±


    ¡°That is...not untrue,¡± Jake said.


    ¡°You can let me have that one,¡± Matt said, turning slightly to Jake. ¡°I¡¯m not wholly inhuman. I can have witty banter now and then.¡±


    ¡°Well, now that you used up yours for the week,¡± Jake began.


    Andrew held up a hand for the both of them. ¡°The business remains as important.¡±


    Jake looked to Andrew and nodded quickly. ¡°Yes, what is it?¡±


    He took in a deep breath and counted in his mind just how many seconds it bought him. ¡°I¡¯ve received communications from England.¡± The look on the both of their faces was about what he had expected.


    ¡°What kind of communication?¡± Matt asked.


    ¡°And...who from?¡± Jake added. ¡°It¡¯s been so long...why now?¡±


    Andrew bowed his head, trying to pick his words carefully, but when the right ones wouldn¡¯t come he opened the drawer on his desk and took out the tiny yellow envelope. It was such a small thing but carried large footsteps. He was sure that they both felt the weight that it carried as both their eyes were drawn to it immediately.


    ¡°Take a look at it yourselves and tell me what you think...before I continue on with my piece.¡±


    Confused, Jake took the envelope in his hands and took out the letter inside and read:


    To the current President of the United States,


    I would like to congratulate you and your allies on your recent and not-so-recent independence from our great kingdom. I will not front and say I am ecstatic that I¡¯ve lost control of America, but I will not be so naive to believe that in the later years I had much control over former President Avery.


    Nonetheless, I hope this letter finds you in a time of well reconstruction. Of course, I¡¯d known about the events that had taken place with the individual known as Jack Adata days after it had happened, but I assumed that the times immediately thereafter would involve mourning and recovery.


    So now three years later brings me to the point of this letter. I do not wish for this to drag on with unnecessary information, so we shall get down to business. I am extending an offer for a joint meeting between our two powers. I understand that this request comes with certain risks and hesitations. I do not expect you yourself to take this meeting. You¡¯re a new leader of a nation, and surely the people you lead would fear for your life...I am sure you can find suitable representatives to send in your stead¡ªperhaps the fine gentlemen you pretend share your power? The date of our meeting shall be May 1<sup>st</sup>. I look forward to further relations between our two powers.


    Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.


    I expect that this meeting shall be successful for all involved, however, if for any reason you decide not to keep the appointed time I will be forced to consider it a direct insult to both myself and my great kingdom. I will be forced to take back what I had lost, and I do not believe that you would like the results. Nor do I believe¡ªno matter how powerful you may think yourself¡ªthat even you would survive the first wave of our prowess.


    Humans are known to do funny things when they are stressed, I understand this. So it isn¡¯t impossible that you may act out of your own best interest due to some preconceived notions or prejudices you may have. I trust you will not do this, Mr. Cress. You have a lot of people to live for, and I am sure you do not want anymore to end up like your late wife.


    Sincerely,


    S.V.


    Jake slowly brought the letter down and it felt like it weighed a hundred pounds. He met Andrew¡¯s green eyes, ¡°Are you freaking kidding me? It sounds like a threat. Show up or we fuck you up.¡±


    ¡°Language,¡± Matt crossed his arms.


    Jake gave him a dirty look in response and showed him his favorite finger.


    ¡°Let me see it, for god¡¯s sakes,¡± Matt snatched the letter in his hands and read with a startling voracity. By the time he finished he slammed it back down onto the desk.


    ¡°Now you see the rub we¡¯re in,¡± Andrew said, tightening his grip against the edge of the desk. ¡°It¡¯s plain to see that we¡¯re not without observation to the Queen herself. There¡¯s quite a bit of strategy to this letter, too. She¡¯s feeling us out. Seeing if she can use us before steamrolling and building anew.¡±


    ¡°After throwing out my family name, of course,¡± Matt tensed his fists. ¡°Fuck her.¡±


    ¡°Language,¡± Jake said.


    Matt side-eyed him and relaxed. ¡°It¡¯s so kind of her to think of us as your ambassadors. It just goes to show how little she actually really knows,¡± a wiry smile crossed his face.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think she cares,¡¯ Andrew said. ¡°Look right here, where she writes the fine gentlemen that you pretend share your power. I think it¡¯s bait more than anything to see if we¡¯ll be provoked.¡±


    ¡°Well, what¡¯s our plan?¡± Matt asked. ¡°I¡¯m not to keen on being the delivery boy for gift baskets with little red bows on them.¡±


    ¡°No matter what we cannot let anything happen to the orb,¡± Jake said.


    ¡°I wasn¡¯t suggesting we hand it over, either,¡± Matt added. ¡°I just don¡¯t think we can bend ourselves over to their whim.¡±


    ¡°No, I don¡¯t think we submit,¡± Andrew said. ¡°It would defeat the purpose of our society. The Deliverance is meant to be free. However, I think it would be the end of us if we ignored the threat in this letter. Which is why I think that the two of you should make this meeting.¡±


    ¡°Both of us?¡± Jake asked.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to have to ask your reasoning,¡± Matt raised an eyebrow and crossed his arms once more.


    Together there Andrew felt an energy he hadn¡¯t felt between the three of them together. With the Queen at the forefront of the conversation it was almost like they were as they should have been.


    ¡°And you¡¯ll have your answer,¡± Andrew raised his hands in return. ¡°We¡¯re definitely sending at least someone, that isn¡¯t something we can budge on.¡±


    ¡°Agreed,¡± Matt said. ¡°I still fail to see why we need to send two.¡±


    ¡°Let me pose you with a hypothetical scenario,¡± Andrew said, straightening in his seat. ¡®Say we sent just one person over. What is stopping them from being taken prisoner¡ªor worse¡ªkilled on the point of entry?¡±


    ¡°Nothing would stop them from taking two people prisoner,¡± Jake pointed out.


    ¡°Or killing two people,¡± Matt added.


    ¡°This is true, but it would definitely be harder. You have twice the work to do. And we¡¯ve already ruled out that we can¡¯t send nobody, because I fully believe that she will follow through on her threat, and I think we should just think simply¡ªtwo heads are better than one.¡±


    ¡°And it would be bad news bears if all three of us went,¡± Jake said.


    Andrew grinned for the first time that day, ¡°Of course. Hence why I believe the two of you should be the ones to go. I¡¯m sure she¡¯s expecting me to lead the charge after calling you two pretenders. ¡°


    ¡°We¡¯re not pretenders,¡± Matt said.


    ¡°Of course not. You¡¯re stubborn as fuck but you¡¯re every bit as important as any of us,¡± Andrew said, and the comment almost made him smile. ¡°That¡¯s why I think you should go. Be the heroes that the people chose you to be.¡±


    Jake¡¯s face darkened. ¡°So...that¡¯s why you¡¯re insistent on staying behind.¡±


    The look in Andrew¡¯s face was immediate. He looked like if he had a response, but chose to hold it back. It was of no consequence, as Jake could read the look from a mile away. ¡°You think you don¡¯t deserve to be called a hero. And you think that going along on the trip is reserved for heroes, so a + b...¡±


    Andrew sat back in his chair, ¡°Nothing that complicated...I just am paranoid about the orb.¡± His eyes shifted up and to the left as he said it. The tell of an incomplete truth. ¡°Besides, if my...time comes at least I won¡¯t start an international conflict.¡±


    Andrew was speaking about the fate of those infected with the Radical-9 Virus. In almost every single case the life of an infected ended with the explosion of the host due to the chemical reaction inside of the body. There were cases were the reaction didn¡¯t happen with. Jay was one of them, but then there was also the case of John¡ªhis son¡ªand Jack Adata. Their deaths almost caused an explosion that would have leveled half of the country in seconds, but at the last second John was able to contain the raw energy until their life force solidified as one solid crystal orb. This was the weapon Andrew protected with all of his efforts. If anything ever happened to it...the end of the world would surely come.


    ¡°Don¡¯t talk like that,¡± Jake said. ¡°We¡¯ll go and find out exactly what this all means. Who knows, maybe it won¡¯t be as bad as it sounds.¡±


    ¡°And maybe she¡¯ll offer us handy tips on how to rule a nation¡ªbow to our whim even,¡± Matt said.


    Jake sighed. ¡°We don¡¯t even have a full month to prepare for this whole shit show.¡±


    Andrew shook his head, ¡°No, time unfortunately is not on our side. I don¡¯t want you two to feel forced into anything. I know I implied it before, but you do have a choice in the matter. If you don¡¯t want to go I will in your stead, but I think that the both of you are perfect for the job.¡±


    The two of them looked at Andrew in silence for what seemed like forever. ¡°Andy,¡± Jake said. ¡°Do you remember when we first met ten years ago? We were sitting out in the bleachers at one of Jen¡¯s soccer games. You probably thought I looked like I was on death row already¡ª¡± He waved his hand up and down toward himself, ¡°...what with the hair and chapped looking skin. Truth is, I was dying, and I¡¯m pretty sure I wouldn¡¯t have made it to see a bright and shiny 2024 much less 2032 after that. Since the Radical-9 Incident I¡¯m dedicating however much time I have left to fixing as much bad shit that¡¯s still here in the world. Right now England¡¯s posing itself as a big threat¡ªso I¡¯m going to do whatever I can to neutralize any threat possible. I am in this.¡±


    Matt shook his head, ¡°I¡¯m still averse to consider myself a contributor to the Radical-9 Incident, nor do I have personal experience with the things that you each have experienced because of it, but you have been partners for the last three years. Pains in my sides, but I realize that no matter how much or how little experience one has¡ªa job like this cannot be handled alone. I volunteer to personally visit this queen and remind her of the strength of the Avery name.¡±


    Andrew looked at them both with a wistful look in his eye, ¡°You two truly are heroes. You¡¯re going to do excellent work.¡±


    ¡°Oh shut it Cress,¡± Jake hand-waves him off, ¡°You¡¯ll have all the heroic action here getting to run the ship solo.¡±


    Andrew shakes his head, ¡°As if. Matt would have my head on a silver platter if I didn¡¯t consult him on anything.¡±


    ¡°Damn straight¡± he bellowed out a hearty laugh.


    ¡°If anything comes up call me and we can handle it from there. Nothing about this trip changes your positions. The people will know that, too.¡±


    ¡°Well, I think that this matter is officially set in stone,¡± Jake said. ¡°What day do we ship out?¡±


    Andrew relaxed in his chair and tapped his fingers against the desk. ¡°You¡¯ll be flying out. Turns out some of the folks we picked up last month were ex pilots before the shutdown in ¡®13.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± Jake asked. This fact took them both by surprise, but Jake was the first to vocalize it. ¡°You¡¯ve been keeping secrets from us?¡±


    Andrew grinned, ¡°Just the one. I tasked them on my own payroll to get a working flight ready unrelated to our current situation the past few weeks. I can confirm they¡¯ve had several successful test flights. You boys will be riding first class the week before. We cannot trust extremely long distance, so we¡¯re having you land in Plymouth on April 30<sup>th</sup> where you¡¯ll take a connecting flight right up to London. What happens after that...I¡¯m afraid I don¡¯t have those answers.¡±


    ¡°Well, thank you. I understand your reasons even though you don¡¯t want to say. You¡¯re going to be doing a good job here. We¡¯ll keep you updated on everything that happens,¡± Jake said.


    Andrew held a moment, and nodded slowly.


    ¡°Well if that¡¯s all, I¡¯m going to formally adjourn this meeting. Any objections?¡± Matt asked. He cracked his knuckles, and after none were had he stood up from his chair and looked at them each kindly. ¡°Gentlemen,¡± he nodded his head and turned from them, and left the room.


    Jake crossed his right leg over his left and set an elbow down onto the table, ¡°Ughhhh, if there was anyone I could avoid sitting on a plane alone with it would be him.¡±


    ¡°It won¡¯t be so bad,¡± Andrew said, smiling a small look. ¡°Maybe he¡¯s a flight-sleeper.¡±


    ¡°I doubt it. He¡¯ll probably lecture me on sitting etiquette.¡±


    Andrew laughed, ¡°And now you found the real reason why I¡¯m staying.¡±


    Jake laughed too, but it carried a sad undertone because he could tell Andrew¡¯s carried a sad sort of symphony. ¡°You are doing a good job, Andy. Don¡¯t forget that. Everyone would be proud of you. And I know that, because I¡¯ve been feeling that same guilt.¡±


    Andrew nodded slowly, ¡°Yes...I don¡¯t intend to sell short the feelings you carry. I just...I didn¡¯t feel too comfortable showing that side to Matt. Not the right kind of atmosphere to have I think.¡±


    ¡°That feeling will lessen. I promise,¡± Jake extended a hand out to Andrew¡¯s shoulder across the desk. ¡°And the mornings won¡¯t be so rough.¡±


    Andrew smiled small, ¡°Yes, I do believe they will in time. Thank you for understanding.¡± He looked down to the desk, ¡°Why don¡¯t you go see how Jen is doing? I¡¯m sure she¡¯d love to hear the news sooner than later.¡±


    ¡°Why don¡¯t we go together? She¡¯s always telling me how much she misses you.¡±


    The smile disappeared. ¡°I¡¯m...I¡¯m not ready yet.¡±


    Of course Andy missed her. He missed everyone in his family that formed together during the old days, but seeing them now only brought back painful memories of when they were whole. It was like a vase shattering and taking the time to piece it together by hand¡ªall the cuts involved with handling all the sharp edges only to find you were missing large gaping holes¡ªholes you knew would never be there again.


    It was easy for the challenges of the world before them to seem so simple when they were all together. It really did seem like nothing could stand in their way¡ªno matter how difficult the actual situation was. Each of them contributed to a unified whole.


    It was easy enough to get lost in his work here because it didn¡¯t take much to convince him that it was important work...but he would be lying if he said that it didn¡¯t feel...all too staggering. He didn¡¯t want to let everybody else down. He didn¡¯t want to let his family down. That thought was the scariest and most haunting of them all.


    Well, almost the most haunting.


    His thoughts traveled to less dark tidings. He thought of Jen, and how much he did miss speaking with her. She still worked in forensic science down in the city¡ªso it was no secret that she was just as busy as he was. Establishing a new nation and unifying people who haven¡¯t been unified in quite some time has had the unfortunate side effect of reintroducing crime to an attempting-civilized society. Last that he had heard was that she was up to her neck training some new apprentices so that she wouldn¡¯t need to be so involved with every single case.


    He¡¯s seen them around once or twice in town. It¡¯s easy to pick them out because they tend to keep their bright orange vests on¡ªAndrew had mistaken one of them¡ªSullivan Waters¡ªas a traffic guard.


    He tried to smile about the memory, but all too easily it slips into the inciting incident to her taking on the assistants in the first place. Sometime about a month ago she had to take leave from a case because of a reaction she had to a body. The victim was pushed off of the roof of a diner nearby, but not before they were riddled with bullet holes and...from what the papers described it wasn¡¯t anything close to pretty.


    Andrew understood the aversion, but from what she had said in her phone calls to him was that for the slightest of seconds it was as if she saw Jack¡¯s face imprinted on the victim¡¯s own.


    That part...was familiar to Andrew. Sometimes¡ªvery briefly, but still all the same¡ªhe¡¯s seen the ghost of Jack in other people. He was sure it wasn¡¯t actually Jack¡¯s ghost, but it was enough of a sight to give him a stir and more than a fair few awkward looks. She didn¡¯t say, and probably wouldn¡¯t unless they had a few drinks in them, but he was sure she was having a poor time sleeping because of dreams surrounding the Radical-9 Incident.


    That too, Andrew could relate.


    Sarah was living back in New York. She found that she had a powerful voice in writing. It surprised her as much as it had the others¡ªas she almost seemed to pride herself on her visual art skills to the point that she¡¯d self-deprecate her writing abilities. Shortly after the incident started to die down she had decided to dedicate an entire book to the heroes of the Radical-9 Incident so that they would never be forgotten, and that eventually became the official record for The Deliverance. Of course, writing a history book after so shortly learning your own skills in writing was something she took into consideration. The idea was shopped around for an editor to clean up some of the more rookie mistakes. Jokes from Jen were made that Andrew should be the one to do so¡ªbut those lasted about as long as the laughter.


    Eventually, they did find someone who had done editing work previously before the government had laid her job to waste. Her name was Marie Yenette. She was a few years older than Andrew¡ªdefinitely an intimidating force if he had to work with her critiquing and editing his work, but Sarah seemed to blossom under the pressure.


    Andrew handled manner of payment¡ªeven though currency was still a topic they needed to iron out, a deal was struck for business space. Since Sarah was intending to move back to the upstate region of New York, the two would work together in the remnants of a local writing center that used to help students back when the schools were open in this area. She figured it¡¯d be easier to work in person before heading back to return to her mother. After reading the finished work¡ªit really is a marvel, and Andrew can feel the pride in the words that Sarah felt about being a part of the change in the world¡ªthe love she felt in belonging, even if the situations that inspired so were...well, what they were.


    Iris decided to stay against the wishes of her parents. They were adamant about her continuing her education, but she used the tried and true argument ¡°I¡¯m eighteen you can¡¯t control me.¡± Of course, she wasn¡¯t when she had told them that, but considering there wasn¡¯t much that her parents could realistically do, she remained in the area¡ªhelping Sarah out and helping her de-stress when the work got tough. She found herself at a loss of motivation throughout the Radical-9 Incident, and the heartbreak of losing Gavin broke something in the perfect way inside her. She was driven to create a new force of good for our new society. ¡°Sunrise¡± was a new foundation headed by the girl herself meant to be a safe space for anybody for any reason to come together and find new friends¡ªlike she had. In the past three years Andrew has heard the name Sunrise more and more often on the general public¡¯s tongue.


    He saw the building itself the first time after its first week after opening. How it looked then compared to how it looked now was...well, it was like night and day. People stop in for all sorts of reasons and they all leave with some portion of their day improved. Some people stay more long term¡ªpeople who have a lot of issues they need support or therapy for. Iris¡¯s new group had managed to attract a lot of the mental health professionals in the area who remained and they¡¯ve made quite a name for themselves.


    Andrew had told himself numerous times that he really ought to stop in to relieve himself of his load...but then that was exactly where the self doubt came in. What message would that send? That he was looking to better himself, right? That he had nothing to be ashamed of¡ªthat everyone struggled...but these were different times. If he went in, he would be admitting that he needed help¡ªthat he wasn¡¯t the rock that they at this point in time needed. And on and on did his mind continue to justify not stepping through those doors. He knew if things got to the point where he felt massive depressive pangs or troublesome thoughts gave way to physical action he¡¯d have to go in no matter what.


    But yet, more important things kept coming up, and now he sat here on the precipice of a watershed moment¡ªthis letter from the queen was certainly no small event to take lightly.


    And from the letter his mind went to Jake. He¡¯s had plenty of his own demons to confront. And sure enough Andrew has seen quite a positive change in him over the past three years. He smiled more. He jokes more. Andrew saw a lot of the person that he wanted to be in him. The person he used to be...and the person he would be again.


    Jake nodded, and tapped once on the desk, ¡°She¡¯d love to see you. At least once when I¡¯m gone, okay?¡± Andrew nodded, and Jake stood up, and like Matt, left.


    Time was the ultimate determinator. With it everything lived or died. With it everything smiled or frowned. With it...you lived or you loved.


    It was just a matter of time¡­just a matter of¡­

 SIDE A | CHAPTER 1

    ???


    June 24<sup>th</sup>, 1971


    Stories that start at the end try everything they can in their hand to try to trick you¡ªto sweep you under their preconceptions. I know you must be so confused, little one. It is unfair to start you with anything but the very beginning. Let me start by telling you that the monster is very real, but, you can choose to keep listening or you can stop this tape and choose to fear the monster outside. Once our time is through you will know who the true monster is.


    Let us begin.


    1971, the fifth birthday of a young brown haired boy just like yourself¡ªonly a year younger than you now, right? The boy¡¯s name was Larry George¡ªLawrence is what was written on his birth certificate¡ªbut only one person ever called him Lawrence and that was his mother, Theresa. She only called him that whenever he neglected to do his homework in school¡ªan issue which we¡¯ll touch on soon enough. But for now we need to start back at the beginning.


    Larry lived in Greenbush, New York with his older sister, Heather, twin brother, Steven, and his parents, Theresa and Gilbert. They were a moderately sized family for their time, but such came at a price. The family lived in a very small home on the west end of the suburb¡ªthe impoverished part of town. Presents for birthdays were very...modest to put it lightly. ¡°It¡¯s the thought that counts¡± was a lesson that the George children learned early on.


    On Steven and Larry¡¯s fifth birthday (that was how they were referred to early in their life, always Steven and Larry) they each received a present from their father. Steven would receive a baseball and a ratty glove that had looked like it had been fished out of the dumpster¡ªhowever it still looked usable. Larry, on the other hand, got a cassette player and an old tape with the label rubbed off.


    Now wait! You may be saying, I¡¯m listening to a ratty old cassette player with a tape that has the label rubbed off! Well, congratulations for putting two and two together, I wrote that line especially for you, but I can assure you the tape you are listening to and the tape Larry received on his birthday back in 1971 are two wholly different tapes. Don¡¯t believe me? The tape Larry had is long gone, nobody knows where it is now. (Do you hear that? It¡¯s me being witty. I know perfectly well where the tape is, but we¡¯re going off on a tangent now...)


    Steven and Larry thanked their father and Theresa silently scolded her husband.


    ¡°It¡¯s the thought that counts, dear,¡± Gilbert George told his wife, looking down at his children, smiling through his bushy brown mustache. Steven had always wanted to grow a mustache¡ªhe admired his father and anything that would put him closer to his level was something he wanted. Larry, on the other hand, didn¡¯t care much for facial hair. His interest laid squarely on the little black box in his hands.


    Later that night after the special day was celebrated Larry would finally get the chance to listen to his new tape. He cuddled up cozy in his bed¡ªdirectly opposite of Steven¡¯s in their room. He look over at his brother, playing one handed catch with his ball and glove before sliding the old pair of headphones over his head and clicking PLAY. Silence filled Larry¡¯s ears for the first ten seconds, and just before he was about to press STOP, a voice spoke out to him.


    ¡°hello?¡±


    Larry¡¯s eyes ballooned wide as the voice, little more than a whisper called out to him. There...there was no way a person was talking to him on the other line, right? No, unless...what if he was stuck inside? Like a bug or...what if it was a ghost? Millions of possibilities sped through Larry¡¯s mind. As soon as he settled on one possibility another one came to replace it. What even was he supposed to do in this situation?


    ¡°H...Hello?¡± Larry asked out loud.


    Steven turned to face Larry, a confused look on his face. ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°No, I didn¡¯t mean you,¡± Larry said. I was talking to...uh¡­¡±


    ¡°Talking to who? Got an imaginary friend?¡±


    ¡°I...think?¡± Larry said, equally confused.


    ¡°Huh, that¡¯s cool,¡± Steven said, and was instantly bored of the topic.


    ¡°there is no need to speak out loud. i can hear you just fine from in here,¡± said the voice. It had an airy quality like it were uttered by a spirit of the wind. ¡°i am here for a very important purpose. i am here to be your guide.¡±


    ¡°Guide?¡± Larry thought, looking back out to Steven to judge if the sound was spilling out from his headphones. It still sounded so surreal that he were talking to someone trapped inside his tape. Steven, lost in his own world, surely wasn¡¯t making any sounds. He would pull a prank like this, but he really isn¡¯t doing it. He pulled the blanket over his knees and crawls into the darkness. ¡°Who are you?¡±


    ¡°i am not sure. i just know that i am supposed to be a guide. will you help me? can i help you?¡±


    ¡°Help me? I don¡¯t think I need help,¡± Larry thought back to the voice. And then he thought on it more. Was there anything he needed help with? He closed his eyes and thought up to the starry sky, and he knew sometimes that his mom and dad were sad. They never told the boys what they were sad about, but sometimes he saw the looks when they tried to hide them. He wasn¡¯t sure what they were so sad over.


    ¡°Are you a friend?¡±


    ¡°i want to be. i want to help.¡±


    ¡°Okay. I¡¯ll be your friend. I guess I could use some help. What do I have to do?¡± Larry thought that it was odd at first, but came to understand that this must have been the reason his father had given him this present. Maybe...this was his father¡¯s way of telling him that he and his mom were sad?


    Like an offering to help them out...but if that were the case, why couldn¡¯t they speak to the guide and help themselves? It wasn¡¯t that he wouldn¡¯t do it, he was just confused on a great many things. Fortunately, since Larry was only five years old, those concerns lasted the entirety of twelve seconds.


    When he was downstairs he was initially jealous of Steven¡¯s present. He thought it was a lot more practical. You could do a lot of things with a ball and glove¡ªlots of outside activities could be played with a ball and a glove. By comparison, the cassette player seemed...dull. But now, just like the concerns that bore over him, those feelings washed away as if they had never existed. He can play ball all he wants, but he didn¡¯t get a friend for his birthday.


    ¡°i need just one thing, i need to make a bond. i don¡¯t want to lose you.¡±


    ¡°Why would you lose me?¡±


    ¡°i¡¯m scared. i had a friend once before and i lost them. it makes me so sad.¡±


    ¡°Well, I don¡¯t want to lose you either. What do I need to do?¡±


    ¡°i want to know your name. once i know your name i¡¯ll tell you mine and then we¡¯ll be all set.¡±


    That was it? Larry was almost scared over the word bond. In truth he hadn¡¯t known what it meant. It almost sounded scary. But if they were just exchanging names, then he¡¯d definitely want to bond with other kids as well.


    ¡°Oh, well my name¡¯s Larry.¡±


    ¡°larry. do you accept me as your friend¡ªyour guide to life?¡±


    ¡°Uh, sure. What¡¯s your name?¡±


    ¡°call me kappy.¡±


    ¡°Kappy? All right, that¡¯s a bit of a strange name. I like it, though! Reminds me of a baseball cap.¡±


    ¡°there¡¯s one more thing, larry, that i need to ask of you.¡±


    Larry struck up another confused look. He looked around his mini-blanket fort, waiting for the rumbling sounds of the cars outside to cease. They were always so loud. I wish mom could just go turn them off.


    ¡°What is that?¡±


    ¡°i need you to listen to my advice. if i¡¯m going to be your guide, that comes with giving advice. sound fair?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, sounds fair to me.¡±


    ¡°good. the first piece of advice is to get some sleep, nothing good comes from staying up all night.¡±


    ¡°Aww...but it¡¯s not even all that late, and the cars outside are still so loud.¡±


    ¡°larry, the cars outside will not bother you once you fall asleep. i promise you that. it will be very¡­¡± Kappy seemed to hesitate on the word choice. ¡°you need to be able to listen when i give you advice. i am only looking out for what is best for you.¡±


    ¡°...but if I sleep early I¡¯m not going to get to talk to you until tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°i am going to be going to sleep too, larry, so even if you did stay up i would not be up to talk. i highly recommend going to sleep, larry.¡±


    Larry heaved a heavy sigh and rolled his eyes. He knew that if he wanted to help his parents he¡¯d have to listen. He hoped his dad would be proud that he was going to bed early. Maybe he can ask if they can go get ice cream since he¡¯s being so good.


    ¡°Okay, Kappy. I¡¯ll do it.¡±


    ¡°good night, larry.¡±


    Larry slid the headphones off of his head and shuffled the entire ensemble to the small wooden table beside his bed. He slipped his tiny head out from underneath the blankets and turned to his side, slowly letting the rhythms of his breath take his mind away. It took a little effort to focus his mind away from the cars outside.


    The truth was there was no posted speed limit outside, so the drivers of his suburb tended to let loose with how fast they went down the street. Unbeknownst to Larry his parents have petitioned the town hall to post a sign to slow down the traffic nearby. Unfortunately, their requests have been thus ignored, as city council have doubts over the actual effect a sign would pose for their road, specifically.


    Back in Larry¡¯s bed, his eyes closed shut and his breaths got heavier. As his train of thought changed tracks to his unconscious mind he started to see a sprawling environment construct itself before his eyes. On both ends he saw the world originate one patch of grass at a time. Large cows bigger than the trees nearby trotted and sheep of various colors flew in from above.


    If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it.


    Stars lit the sky above him even though it was a bright and sunny day. One in particular shone brighter than any sun, and it seemed to streak faster than any shooting star. It came closer, closer, and even closer still until Larry could construct a telescope with his hands to see the glowing marvel up close.


    At the end of the track lay a single house that reminded him of a television show he had seen a few days prior. He wasn¡¯t sure what the name of the program was, but something about the house felt familiar. It felt like home.


    It was nice.


    Larry woke up before Steven did the next morning. The sun was only barely in the sky. Larry thought it was the first time he was up this early and wasn¡¯t absolutely exhausted. He slowly turned to take in how his room looked in the low-light. This was...weird. He kind of liked it. It was so interesting to see everything so early.


    He looked over to Steven¡¯s bed and saw his brother sleeping soundly. It was such a weird sight he had to laugh. Steven had his baseball glove around his hand and over his heart. It rose slowly and fell just as much.


    He then turned to his bedside table and grabbed the headphones and pulled them over his ears. ¡°Kappy! Are you there?¡± He asked without speaking.


    ¡°hello larry. good morning. how was your sleep?¡±


    ¡°I slept really nice! You were right about going to sleep early, I had the coolest dream!¡±


    ¡°oh?¡±


    ¡°It was this big field with all these farm animals! It sounded like all those stories that my Dad tells me about. Oh, and then they started glowing all these cool colors.¡±


    ¡°farm...animals?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, they¡¯re these cool things called cows and sheeps! And then at the end of the track...oh, we were on a train...uh, I guess you weren¡¯t there, so I was on a train. And we made it to this big old house at the end of the tracks.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Kappy?¡±


    ¡°its nothing. anyway, we should talk about my next piece of advice.¡±


    ¡°What would that be, Kappy?¡±


    ¡°respect your parents. this next piece of advice entails you to do an action i ask of you, which in this case would be to go downstairs and thank your parents for your birthday present.¡±


    ¡°Thank them? But I already did that yesterday!¡±


    ¡°yes, but everyone thanks their parents for their present on their birthday. very few show their thanks afterward, and keeping a healthy relationship with your parents is very important.¡±


    ¡°relation...ship? What kind of boat is that? We don¡¯t have a boat,¡± Larry replied, out loud.


    ¡°What are you talking about?¡± Steven sat up in his bed.


    Larry almost jumped as he looked out toward Steven who was now turned toward him. ¡°Wh...What?¡±


    ¡°You were talking. Who were you talking to? Oh,¡± he said, remembering. ¡°Your imaginary friend, right? What¡¯s his name, anyway?¡±


    ¡°Oh, uh, sorry.¡± Larry said, embarrassed. ¡°His name is Kappy.¡±


    ¡°Kappy, huh? Why¡¯s he named that?¡± Steven turned around in his bed to face Larry.


    ¡°i¡¯m afraid that the others won¡¯t understand me, larry. they can¡¯t hear my voice like you can.¡±


    ¡°What? What do you mean?¡± Larry asked in his mind.


    ¡°Larry?¡± asked Steven, ¡°You¡¯re just staring.¡±


    Larry shook his head and slid the headphones off onto the blanket. He rubbed his temples where the faint signs of a headache crept in. ¡°Too many voices speaking at once,¡± he said.


    ¡°Too many voices?¡± Steven sat up and rubbed his eyes with balled fists. ¡°Is he talking real loud?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Larry shook his head. ¡°You were just talking at the same time. It was really confusing.¡±


    ¡°You know you don¡¯t actually hear your imaginary friend, Larry,¡± Steven said. ¡°That¡¯s why he¡¯s imaginary.¡±


    ¡°Well, I do.¡±


    Larry swung his legs over the edge of the bed, bounced up and ran over to Steven¡¯s bed. ¡°Here, put this over your ears and talk to Kappy. You¡¯ll understand what I mean. Oh! But you talk in your mind, not out loud, that was what I was saying earlier, I messed up.¡±


    Steven¡¯s brow furrowed a confused look toward his brother for a moment but then placed the headphones over his ears. ¡°I thought these things played music,¡± he said as he closed his eyes. After a few seconds he bobbed his head.


    ¡°What¡¯s he saying?¡± Larry asked, scratching his head.


    Steven kept bobbing his head, opens an eye, ¡°Oh, you could have told me you were listening to the singer. I didn¡¯t know his name was Kappy, though. He sounds like that guy that Dad plays downstairs.¡±


    ¡°What? But there isn¡¯t any music, it is Kappy...oh, I guess that¡¯s what he meant when he said nobody else would hear him.¡±


    Steven shook his head, handing the headphones back over to Larry. ¡°Now you¡¯re just talking weird. I¡¯m gonna go down and have breakfast, you wanna come and play catch after?¡±


    Larry held the cassette close to his chest, shaking his head. ¡°No, I¡¯m going to go thank Mom and Dad for my present.¡±


    Steven puckered his lips and turned his head to one side, ¡°Why¡¯s that? We already thanked them yesterday.¡±


    He shrugged his shoulders, ¡°Kappy said that it was good to thank your parents. I dunno.¡±


    ¡°Okay, well after?¡±


    ¡°Maybe.¡± Larry said.


    Steven stepped out of his bed and traveled down the stairs, leaving Larry still sitting on the bed. He slowly put the headphones over his ears and thought out to Kappy, ¡°Why is it he couldn¡¯t hear you?¡±


    ¡°i tried to tell you before you took the headphones off. i can only be heard by my friends. we have a bond, so you can hear me.¡±


    ¡°But I could hear you before we had a bond,¡± Larry argued. ¡°What about then?¡±


    ¡°sometimes, life works in mysterious ways, and sometimes we don¡¯t have all the answers. i don¡¯t really know much. i do know that i just had to...¡±


    ¡°Had to...what?¡± Larry asked.


    ¡°i just had to ask you to be my friend. i had doubts about asking...i was nervous you wouldn¡¯t like me. but then...today when you told me about your dream...that¡¯s when i knew that we would be good friends.¡±


    ¡°Why¡¯s that?¡±


    ¡°...nobody¡¯s ever told me their dream before. i thought it was really special.¡±


    Larry smiled, feeling a warm feeling inside of his chest. ¡°Well, thank you, Kappy. You¡¯re really nice. I¡¯m happy to be your friend.¡±


    ¡°you¡¯re very welcome, larry. now, go on and enjoy your day, and don¡¯t forget what i told you.¡±


    Larry nodded as he took off the headphones and wrapped the cord around the cassette player and placed it down onto the table beside his bed. Turning, he stepped out of his room into the narrow hallway¡ªit could only fit a Larry and a half across, so whenever someone would be passing through the hallway as him he¡¯d have to scrunch up against the wall as if he were made of paper. Part of it made him laugh, he often imagined that he were made of paper.


    Larry would feel that feeling a lot later in life, but he¡¯d seldom draw it back to this hallway as its origin point. I¡¯m only pointing it out so that you, listener, may revel in knowing that all things are related¡ªstart to finish¡ªbeginning to end¡ªmiddle to beginning.


    Everything we do¡ªhave done¡ªwill do¡ªbegan at one point as something that someone else had done. We live our lives as creatures who interact with our world around us¡ªpebbles being tossed into a riverside, never truly knowing where we¡¯re going to land. Of course, we aren¡¯t being tossed into our own separate rivers, we¡¯re tossed¡ªskipped sometimes, even, into one communal riverside that continually moves forward.


    Always forward.


    Each toss created a tiny ripple which spiraled outward, and when many pebbles are tossed in, each ripple has that much chance to change how the others react inside the water. That river was our very existence, everything we knew. Imagining outside of what we know as the forest in which that river resides, almost a million acres of everything that we do not know. Multiply that by ten for the entire country resides in, for every planet that country exists on, for every galaxy that planet orbits in. What we know as that tiny river now seems microscopic. Larry would never grasp the concept of how small he was in comparison to the rest of the galaxy, nor would he tell his mother that his feeling like paper was similar to feeling small in the universe.


    Larry instead walked downstairs to his mother already having made breakfast, taking her moment of solace before the day fully began. She would soon go to work in the local laundromat¡ªGilbert had already left at the break of dawn to collect trash. Larry reached the bottom of the stairs and saw his mother sitting in her chair¡ªa purple floral design imprinted all throughout the peach color. ¡°Hey Mommy, good morning!¡± Larry smiled as he passed by..


    She looked down to her son and smiled¡ªthe kind of smile that made her bright eyes gleam, ¡°Good morning Lare-Bear. You seem excited.¡±


    He smiles and nods his head, ¡°I really wanted to come down and thank you for my present again. Can you tell Dad that I said thanks, too?¡±


    She has a surprised sort of look that she quickly masked and nodded, ¡°Oh...of course.¡± She looked happy, almost as a weight was lifted off of her shoulders. Larry liked that look.


    ¡°And thank you also for all my old presents. I know I didn¡¯t say it too much, but thank you.¡±


    Her smile grew bigger, ¡°Why, that is very nice of you, dear. You¡¯ve just gone and made my day,¡± she chuckled. ¡°Thank you very much, Larry.¡±


    He smiled as he went to the kitchen to join his brother for breakfast. Who would have thought that Kappy would have been right about that? He didn¡¯t at first, he thought it was a bit silly, but now he thinks he understood. This feeling inside of him was worth the initial confusion, and he wanted to feel it more often. He would listen to Kappy more often.


    Larry and Steven both headed outside after breakfast has finished. Steven grabbed his baseball glove. The sun climbs its way up toward the peak in the sky¡ªthe day was only just beginning. The two boys stood at each end of their front yard¡ªa small space that seemed much larger a year ago¡ªthat in fact was larger a year ago before a section of their front yard was reclaimed by the state and added to the street in which they had lived on. Now, the grass only stretched out a few feet before the pavement cut it off. Steven turned to Larry and tossed the ball into the glove and imitated the motions of chewing gum. ¡°So, you ready to try and catch it?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t have a glove like yours is, though. I don¡¯t know if I can catch it.¡±


    ¡°Sure you can! Just hold out your hands like this,¡± He made the motion with the glove and nodded for Larry to repeat.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know...I¡¯ll try.¡±


    Steven took in a deep breath and threw the ball to Larry. He flinched as the ball beaned him in the stomach. ¡°Ow!¡± He called out, rubbing his stomach. ¡°That really hurt.¡±


    ¡°Oh, come on. Here, throw the ball back to me and we can try it again.¡±


    ¡°Can I try with the glove?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s my glove.¡± Steven held it close to his chest, protectively.


    Larry sighed and shook his head, stepping forward and bending down to grab the ball by his foot.


    ¡°Okay, here you go,¡± Larry lobbed the ball underhanded as it flew into the air.


    ¡°No! You have to throw overhanded! That¡¯s how the pros do it!¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to be a pro,¡± Larry said.


    Steven stuck out his tongue as he attempted to mimic the signature pitching pose and he threw the ball, faster than the first time. Larry tried to catch the ball¡ªhe made contact at the very least¡ªbut the ball slammed his hand and he screamed out and shook it to distract him from the pain. ¡°OWWWWWWWW!¡± Hot tears streamed down his face as he turned toward the door. ¡°This is why I didn¡¯t want to play!¡± He ran up toward his room and shut his door, throwing himself on his bed. His bedroom light flickered as the slam shook the room. He didn¡¯t care, he was focused on the big red welt on the side of his hand¡ªit burned with a stinging pain that he had to inhale sharply to help alleviate the sensation.


    With his other hand he grabbed for the cassette player on his bedside table and placed the headphones on. ¡°Kappy...are you there?¡± Larry asked.


    ¡°of course, larry. what is wrong?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m no good at sports. I never have been and it always hurts! Steven¡¯s way better than me and he¡¯s always gonna be better than me!¡±


    ¡°sometimes people are better than you at other things.¡±


    ¡°That isn¡¯t fair! Steven¡¯s better at sports and Heather¡¯s so much smarter than I am!¡±


    ¡°heather?¡±


    ¡°My older sister. She¡¯s already in the second grade, but she¡¯s so smart. I don¡¯t think I¡¯ll ever be as smart as she is,¡± Larry teared up even more, it streaked down his face. ¡°It just isn¡¯t fair.¡±


    ¡°larry, i am sorry it has caused you to be sad, but you are going to have to accept that your siblings are better than you at some things, but not everything. there will be things that you are better at, too.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± He wiped his tear with his sleeve.


    ¡°of course.¡±


    ¡°Like what?¡±


    ¡°i do not have the answer for you yet. that will come in time i am most certain. i can however help you find the answer when the time is right.¡±


    Larry nodded and laid his head back against his pillow. ¡°Thank you, Kappy. That means a lot to me.¡±


    ¡°you¡¯re welcome, larry.¡±

 SIDE B | CHAPTER 1

    Jake Carroway


    April 30<sup>th</sup>, 2032


    I didn¡¯t sleep at all last night. I kept thinking about what kind of hellhole I was going to be walking into the coming day. Anxiety be thy name.


    Whenever my mind fixed itself on England I saw red skies and barren streets¡ªchildren enslaved for a medieval labor force and at the helm of it all was the figure of darkness enshrouded by a veil of pure gold. I pictured the kind of horror that only could exist in fantasy stories of old¡ªkingdoms of barbaric nature that bend every whim toward the ruler supreme. The thought of what kind of place awaited us gave me anything but confidence. It was those thoughts of pure evil that soaked into my terrified night-fueled mind.


    The night never helped me much when I was stressed. When I was left alone with my thoughts they seemed to grow like gremlins. Tiny stresses that suddenly gain the courage to grow and become real demons. Sometimes those demons disguised themselves to cause as much damage as they possibly could.


    On the opposite side of the spectrum, I pictured a glowingly perfect utopia where the rivers were made of gold and the people didn¡¯t know of such a thing as suffering. The thought of such a place existing while we existed in the desolate remains of war almost seemed worse¡ªfor if they existed in such splendor surely they have the resources to help the other countries of the world¡ªmuch less the land that was actively rebuilding itself from the ground up. And for many, many years we were just left to rot. The idea of it boiled a frustration deep within me that measured to equal the fear of the hellscape in equal sound.


    I found myself awake, but with my eyes closed as the possibilities melted away. I tried begging my unconscious mind to take me back¡ªbut to anywhere except where my future lie. Anything to distract my mind instead of hyper focusing. Anything to delay the inevitable by even the smallest margin. All at once bright light and sound filled the room and part of me believed that the nightmares of England had finally invaded my doorstep, but I realized that it was just my alarm cutting through the silence.


    I wiped a hand across my face and it came back damp with sweat. I rubbed it all off on the blanket and tossed it off. Fuck. Today was starting off great already. My back ached and I could still recall the dream as clear as closing my eyes. The stress that bubbled up from my slumber was going to be my close companion tonight.


    My flight is going to be leaving in an hour and I¡¯m sure if I closed my eyes one more time I¡¯d be out like a light. I know the temptress of sleep all too well and it¡¯s been a bad habit I¡¯ve had a horrible time breaking.


    I let loose a tight breath that seemed to hold a world¡¯s amount of toxic morning inside. Instantly my brain feels brighter and more awake. I think of coughing but don¡¯t. It¡¯s been three years since I¡¯ve had C.O.P.D. My lungs were messed up and obstructed the air I¡¯d breathe in. I had it since I was younger like my Vitiligo¡ªmy patches of discolored skin and off-color hair. While the Vitiligo didn¡¯t pass, it wasn¡¯t killing me like the C.O.P.D. was. I didn¡¯t have long to live, but the one benefit of constantly being drugged back during the days of the Radical-9 Incident...my shit cleared up. I don¡¯t know which one of the dozens of drugs I was injected with did it, but it worked. I¡¯m sure it was just a happy accident, but one I¡¯m grateful for every day of my life.


    I definitely wouldn¡¯t be some spokesperson that jumped out on TV to speak out on the positive effects of what happened, but that¡¯s I guess why I don¡¯t let it slide to the public what exactly happened with that situation. Lord knows somebody else will try it trying to find the perfect cocktail and end up killing themselves. I...couldn¡¯t handle having that on my hands¡ªknowing that my message inspired someone out there that they could be free of their debilitating disease by trying the riskiest thing of their life.


    It still feels weird to be able to live without constantly hacking up a lung¡ªalmost like I can feel a phantom obstruction in the back of my throat. Like, I¡¯m still intimately aware with the feeling of coughing so frequently and so nastily. I can even remember how crippling it got when a real bad spell came on. I¡¯d have to sit down because it just scraped my insides out. I hated it almost more than anything else. Turns out the mental scars that life hands you cut deeper. Harder to treat¡ªand often those drugs that pumped in only worsened things.


    I sat up finally and let my morning stupor fade, hopefully leaving the less than pleasant thoughts behind. I wipe my face off again and just sit there a moment¡ªas if my mind needed a moment to catch up to my body. I reached over to the end table beside my bed and grabbed my phone, clicking it on, I saw there were three messages from Jen:


    ¡°Hey. Morning doofus.¡± - 6:30am


    ¡°Oh, look who didn¡¯t wake up to his first alarm. Great. I¡¯m coming over and bringing the bucket. You can¡¯t get mad since I¡¯m telling you right here.¡±- 6:48am


    ¡°I should be there in about twenty minutes. Your last chance to avoid a freezing morning lol¡± - 6:55am


    A sudden chill came over my shoulders as I saw it was now 7:34. My heart raced as I jumped out of bed and scrambled my clothes on¡ªpractically ripping into the dress pants to yank them up. I slid on my shoes as I was buttoning the front of my shirt, practically forgetting to breath until it was fastened correctly. I barreled down the hall to my front door. I threw open the door and was standing face to face with Jen who¡¯s face turned from a mischievous snicker to slight disappointment at seeing me awake.


    ¡°I¡¯m up,¡± I panted.


    She stood there for a moment before launching the water at me anyway. It surprised me more than anything and cold water blasted and froze me to my core. Her grin returned, and she set the bucket down beside me and started to laugh.


    ¡°Ah! Ffff¡ª¡± I try to rein my voice in, ¡°Ffffuck that¡¯s cold.¡±


    ¡°No, what¡¯s cold is you keeping your door locked so I couldn¡¯t do that to you when I got here. You don¡¯t even have neighbors, why are you trying to be so quiet?¡±


    ¡°If I were still asleep I totally understand the bucket. Why now?¡±


    She cocked her head to one side and gave me a look. ¡°You know enough not to wear that shirt with those dress pants.¡±


    ¡°Well, it¡¯s going to be a right time trying to get either to work unless we¡¯re headed to the Arctic.¡±


    ¡°Listen, I¡¯m trying to help you, I don¡¯t need the sass back,¡± she said, still smiling. ¡°C¡¯mon. I think we both know you wanted to wear the blazer.¡±


    Still sopping wet, I ran a hand through my hair and rubbed my eyes. ¡°You know as much as I do it¡¯s not professional as a nicer shirt.¡±


    ¡°Fuck professional, now,¡± Jen said. ¡°Normally, yes, I¡¯d say go with the nicer shirt. But you¡¯re literally going to parts unknown. The highlight of anybody in this country. I think your comfort comes first in that regard. If you were going to give a speech here, sure. But nobody¡¯s gonna see you here.¡±


    ¡°I guess I could bring a change for the ride,¡± Matt suggested.


    She nodded. ¡°Plus, the water¡¯s a trick my mom used to tell me about. She said if you have an unpleasant experience with it it¡¯ll trigger some response in your system to wake up on time next time. Your body sort of gets used to expecting it so it just¡­¡± she makes a motion with her hands that looks like she was strangling someone. ¡°You know?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m afraid to ask, honestly,¡± I laughed. ¡°Your mom used to do that to you?¡±


    ¡°No, but she said she used to read it somewhere. Threatened to do it to Andy, with how he always slept in.¡±


    ¡°Oh, yeah I think if there was anyone that could oversleep me it would be him.¡±


    ¡°Well, not today. He¡¯s already up and at the airport.¡±


    ¡°Oh, well shit.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, we gotta fix that for next time,¡± she said. ¡°Here, lemme help.¡±


    I nodded, and started to unbutton the shirt. We entered back into my bedroom and I wadded the shirt up into a ball and tossed it in the bin. It was probably ruined for all intents and purposes since it was going to be quite some time before I got the time to get it cleaned. I¡¯d just pick up another one when I got back.


    ¡°When you get on the plane, you should maybe try reducing the number of alarms you wake up to down a peg¡ªmaybe just one like normal people,¡± Jen said.


    ¡°Honestly, I think this is more evidence to having multiple. If I didn¡¯t I wouldn¡¯t have gotten up at all. I didn¡¯t even hear the first one go off.¡± I took out a red shirt and was about to put it on, but I was still too wet from the bucket, so I stepped into the bathroom to grab a towel.


    ¡°Did you set it for the correct time?¡± She asked, grabbing the blazer out and taking it off its hanger.


    After wiping myself down I shed my pants and everything underneath. I step back into the room and grab a spare pair of boxers.


    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m sure I did,¡± I said, sliding them on.


    ¡°Listen, you stripping wasn¡¯t part of the plan, although it¡¯s a fantastic side effect,¡± she chuckled.


    ¡°Only if I wasn¡¯t the only one,¡± I called back. ¡°And yeah, lemme confirm.¡± I reached for my phone and opened the alarms menu. Last night after I got off the phone with you. I set it right here to...oh¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡±


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    ¡°The alarm was set to 6:30...pm.¡±


    She raised her eyebrows sarcastic-like and said, ¡°Huh, imagine that.¡±


    ¡°Okay, okay, it was my bad. But it¡¯s all set now. Tomorrow will be on the right time.¡±


    ¡°And you¡¯ll go down to one?¡±


    ¡°Why are you so dead set on me going down to one alarm?¡± I laughed. I turned to the red shirt I laid out on the bed and threw it on. She handed me over the blazer.


    ¡°Because,¡± she began. ¡°When we eventually get a place together I don¡¯t know if I¡¯d be able to stand more than a single alarm going off.¡±


    ¡°Maybe by then I¡¯ll have my life under my control.¡±


    ¡°Assuming so,¡± She said.


    ¡°Little by little,¡± I said, picking out a dark pair of jeans from the closet. ¡°I think the subconscious of me knows how worried I am about all this going on.¡±


    Her face softened, and in one fell swoop it lessened my worry then and there. ¡°I know you¡¯ve got a lot going on¡ªNot everything I can even pretend to understand. But I want you to know you have a choice here. If it¡¯s too much you can let me know and I¡¯m sure Matt will be more than fine heading it alone.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m more than sure he would,¡± I replied. ¡°Then he¡¯d probably come back looking like the hero of the world.¡±


    ¡°I hope you don¡¯t care about the little rivalry you got to that point?¡± she asked.


    I chuckled. ¡°No, of course not. I¡¯m going because I want to do some good for the people here. Of course I¡¯m scared, but that can¡¯t be the reason I don¡¯t do it.¡±


    She nodded, understanding. ¡°I agree. I¡¯m sorry for being so prickly, and for dumping water on you. I figured being a bit spontaneous would help shatter the nerves.¡±


    ¡°About half and half. I¡¯d consider it working.¡±


    ¡°Half isn¡¯t passing, so it¡¯s not satisfactory enough,¡± she walked closer to me and pulled me close into a hug. ¡°I just don¡¯t know what to imagine. I¡¯m scared for you. I don¡¯t want to be fighting just before you go.¡±


    I pulled my arms around her and held her tight. Her hair smelled like jasmine. ¡°I know. I¡¯m going to be okay, I want you to know that. I¡¯m going to have my phone on me and Matt will be there to have my back.¡±


    ¡°Somehow that inspires less confidence,¡± she said.


    ¡°Things are going to be okay. We¡¯re going to make it there and I¡¯ll even try to get some pretty sights to send to you.¡±


    She took a deep breath and said nothing. We remained there in silence until I broke off and rubbed her back. ¡°Okay, we should get going. Going to be a little late, but Matt will have to deal with it.¡±


    Jen moved closer and put one hand on my cheek. ¡°Let¡¯s...make him wait longer. I can¡¯t say good-bye to you just yet.¡± And all at once my shirt was off and so was hers. I followed.


    ~...~


    We made it to the Albany International Airport at quarter to nine. The silence was a tense nail set in-between us. What had been so easy to say back then suddenly became a reality that we didn¡¯t know how to separate. Ever since coming back into each other¡¯s lives we had spent nearly every day together. Being without her again was only a hypothetical or a ¡°come-what-may¡±. I...realized I was not prepared to say good-bye.


    When the car stopped we simply looked at each other¡ªperhaps all we needed to say was in that last look as I stepped out. It was far from all I wanted to say, but I...was unable. I think she felt the same, in that knowing look we met as equals.


    As expected Matt had his own lecture¡ªprobably saved from some earlier sleight he never voiced his grievances on. It mostly went over my head. Andrew was there too, but he seemed to be more preoccupied with catching up with Jen to care for the time. He wore a suit¡ªsurely because he was going to be doing important business later today.


    I realized then too I had no idea what he was going to be doing today. As part of the triumvirate I had always had some sort of basic idea of what the other two were going to be up to¡ªit was my duty. And today, on the day that felt like the last day of my normal life¡ªI felt in the dark. What was wrong with me?


    The pilots came out to greet us next. They were two older gentlemen who looked capable enough, but I¡¯d be lying if I¡¯d said the idea of trusting them with my life was a little disconcerting.


    ¡°Well why don¡¯t we get your luggage on board and we can shove on out?¡± The pilot with a big bushy mustache and dark goatee had said. ¡°I hope you¡¯re not expecting a huge empty flight to yourselves¡ªwe only got something more private flying consistently.¡±


    I held up my hands, ¡°No, that¡¯s absolutely fine. Thank you again for your help.¡± The pilot gleamed at the praise. They took my bag and suitcase to the plane personally. I turned to face Jen who had tears welling up in her eyes. I walked over and held her tight.


    ¡°Don¡¯t die or something equally stupid,¡± she said and tried to laugh.


    I couldn¡¯t say anything in return or else I¡¯d start to cry too. I just held her tight until it felt right to let go...or at least, until it should have felt right, because it never did. The air hung heavy with the dark of the early morning¡ªit was that time of the year where mornings didn¡¯t get bright until midday. It could have been four hours earlier and I wouldn¡¯t have known the difference.


    Andrew walked closer and hugged me close too. He came close and whispered, ¡°Thank you for everything.¡±


    I nodded and clapped him on the back. ¡°I¡¯ll make you all proud here.¡±


    ¡°Well, of course. You¡¯re the right man for the job.¡±


    I¡¯m glad Jen pulled him back after that because I felt a wave of emotion rush over me after he said that. I started to believe it, too, but those beliefs started to fade back as Matt came by my side.


    ¡°You finished?¡± He said, gruff, but I could sense the snark underneath.


    ¡°Yeah, about so,¡± I said.


    ¡°The time they spend wishing you good-bye you think we could have been halfway across the ocean by now.¡±


    ¡°Doesn¡¯t hurt to be tender once in your life,¡± I said.


    He made a grunting sound that didn¡¯t sound affirmative or negative.


    They said their good-byes to Matt, the both of them stood side-by-side as they watched us board the plane. I kept my eyes on them until the doors closed. When they did I exhaled a long breath and took one of the few available seats on the posh looking plane. All in all there were only about ten seats total, but that was still more than they needed. It was a comfortable amount of space if I had to judge. Not too close but not awkwardly far from each other, either.


    Matt sat directly across from me and so quickly the uncomfortably close idea vanished into thin air. The pilots moved to their seats and I took to watching out of the window to those below. If it didn¡¯t feel real before, it had finally sunken in the totality that we were leaving. Andrew and Jen shrunk with every foot we climbed. Matt¡¯s face was locked to a grin as he eyed me up and down. He sat staring at me for several seconds until finally, ¡°What? Is there something on my face?¡± His grin grew but said nothing. ¡°What? What is it?¡±


    ¡°Oh, I¡¯m just wondering...¡±


    His consistent not-getting-to-the-point was always one of the most annoying things about him. That was a fun little quirk about Matt. He liked to be all pomp and circumstance when we¡¯re on official business, but he also had a layer underneath that loved¡ªreally loved pushing my buttons.


    ¡°Wondering...what?¡±


    ¡°Oh...it¡¯s not much. I was just curious on the nature of sex you and Ms. Cress thought more important than being on time. I mean, we are going to have the time so I must hear the juicy details.¡± He crossed his legs and looked at me with candid enthusiasm. I gave him with what must have been the most vacant stare I had ever given anybody. He regarded me with a toothy grin¡ªa rare sight if I had seen any. ¡°Oh, I mean, I¡¯m sure it was quite enjoyable, don¡¯t get me wrong. I just...you know, happened to take you for¡ª¡±


    ¡°Take me for what, exactly?¡± I asked, the confusion giving way for irritation.


    He raised his hands defensively, ¡°I would have taken you for a bottom.¡± He shrugged and turned to look out the window as if that was that.


    ¡°Uh? What? I...I¡¯m not having this conversation with you.¡± I said, not believing my ears. ¡°That¡¯s...¡±


    ¡°Too much? I don¡¯t think so. It¡¯s just sex,¡± he still stared out the window at the ground below. ¡°It¡¯s not a secret you keep, or else you¡¯d be much better about keeping it.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean by that?!¡±


    He chuckled and flashed his bright teeth, ¡°I mean that if I¡¯ve noticed then I¡¯m sure others have as well. I mean, you two looked messier than how you probably left your bed.¡±


    ¡°What do I care what you or anybody else has to think about what I do in my spare time?¡±


    He shrugged again. ¡°If it were anybody else other than the sister of our fine third councilman I don¡¯t think people would have any sort of care aside from tabloid gossip...but that isn¡¯t the situation we have, no? I¡¯m sure rumors have spread already.¡±


    ¡°Rumors? What rumors? We aren¡¯t anything new¡ª¡±


    ¡°Ah, so you are having relations. Confirmation of one¡¯s assumptions are always nice.¡± He cocked his head and rested his hands firmly in his lap. ¡°Anyway...yes. Rumors have been spun about you using Andrew¡¯s sister to pull favor. I personally don¡¯t think it matters much considering your history with him already begets more than a sliver of familiarity, but I cannot turn a blind eye to what I see forming in the public conscious.¡±


    ¡°Nothing is going to happen because of my personal relationship,¡± I said.


    ¡°I never said anything would. I was just simply curious to see if I had any reason to be concerned.¡±


    ¡°Are you?¡± I asked.


    He winked and said no more. It aggravated me to no end. It had been three years since the three of us had gotten together, but I still could barely get a solid read on him. He kept his cards very close and rarely let personal affects intervene with his professional demeanor. Maybe it was because of their sudden trip to England. Maybe it was because they were out of The Deliverance. Or maybe it had to do with me. There was quite the age discrepancy between each of us councilmen; Andrew turned twenty-nine this coming July, Matt¡¯s coming on twenty-five himself, and I¡¯m only twenty-one.


    I guess I can kind of see his point¡ªpeople might worry that I might try to cover for my age by getting pull with Andy by sleeping with his sister. I mean, if I didn¡¯t know him or her and assumed the worst of politicians altogether because of past experience...then it made a certain kind of sense...but I wouldn¡¯t let gossip get in my way. I know why I¡¯m doing what I¡¯m doing. I¡¯m not trying to get pull with anybody I didn¡¯t earn.


    Anyway, what was that nonsense about me being a bottom? Out of all the ways to phrase it...and as I¡¯m sitting there confused to the umpteenth degree he leaned forward, stood to his feet, put his hand on my armrest and bent down, locking his lips onto mine. Instantly I¡¯m driven back to this morning.


    Jen kissed me and...I didn¡¯t know what happened. She wanted to...and I...wanted to. I couldn¡¯t. I flashed back even further to our first kiss nine years ago. I knew she was searching for something I couldn¡¯t give her because my C.O.P.D. was terminal back then. I didn¡¯t feel the spark she needed...but now the C.O.P.D. is gone...and those feelings weren¡¯t. They just weren¡¯t. And all at once I¡¯m thrown back into my own body and my eyes go wide when it hit me what I came back to.


    But before I could do anything he stopped, curling his lips into a smile. He bent down and whispered into my ear, ¡°I¡¯d get some sleep if I were you. And...I was right. You¡¯re a bottom.¡± He walked down the aisle and found the bathroom stall in the back, looked at me once and then shut the door.

 SIDE C | CHAPTER 1

    Andrew Cress


    April 30<sup>th</sup>, 2032


    The plane has taken off and Andrew watched as it soared away into the deep blue sky. Aboard was the future of our nation...and it killed Andrew to not be on that flight leading the charge. That was what he was supposed to do¡ªlead. But his fears kept him grounded here in the states. Hiding behind the excuse that somebody needed to stay behind¡ªand that was true¡ªhe certainly couldn¡¯t leave nobody behind to keep control of their growing country, but he couldn¡¯t help but flash back to how right Jake had gotten it when they had spoken about it.


    ¡°You don¡¯t think you deserve to be the hero alongside us.¡± He didn¡¯t deserve it...not yet. He knew that the others depended on him, and that he was happy to be their leader, but he didn¡¯t deserve it. He let his own wife strangle with demons until they finally overtook her. He killed Jay in his grief. He couldn¡¯t stop Gavin from sacrificing himself to save him. All that and in the end he couldn¡¯t even lay a finger on Jack because of his cursed blood barrier. Sarah and Jen were the true heroes¡ªthe ones that deserved to be called heroes.


    ¡°Three years and not a single call. What¡¯s up with you?¡± Jen¡¯s voice stole away his focus¡ªhe hadn¡¯t even seen her there. She always had the bad habit of interrupting his thoughts, and a part of him felt warm inside from the familiarity, but instantly severed that warm connection because what she had said had been true.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± He said. ¡°I don¡¯t have any excuse. I¡¯ve been too caught up in my own thoughts.¡±


    ¡°I thought we fixed this shit back in Elysium, dude,¡± she said. ¡°We¡¯re family, and that means you need to talk to me about the things that bother you. I know that things still do.¡±


    Andrew doesn¡¯t hide it. He just lets loose a deep breath. ¡°I don¡¯t know really what to feel. I¡¯m ecstatic that we¡¯re moving on and growing...but it feels like it¡¯s not really over for me¡ªlike I¡¯m still waiting for my final go ¡®round with Jack to get back at him for everything.¡±


    She cocked her head and understanding filled her face, ¡°Life isn¡¯t always neat and orderly like that. Sometimes you don¡¯t get closure.¡±


    Andrew nodded, ¡°Yeah. It¡¯d be nice though.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re doing a good job.¡±


    Andrew chuckled, ¡°You¡¯re the second person that¡¯s used that as an exact response to my feelings about this...¡± he trailed off, then recovered, ¡°...trouble with Jake?¡± She was shocked. ¡°I notice things about you, too. You two looked like you had a lot unsaid when you showed up.¡±


    Her eyes shifted to the left, ¡°It¡¯s...I don¡¯t know. I hadn¡¯t seen him in a while so I expected...I expected that rekindling would be easy.¡±


    ¡°What happened?¡±


    She exhaled, ¡°He just didn¡¯t seem all there. I...I¡¯m just scared I waited too long to come back.¡±


    ¡°You needed the time away,¡± Andrew said.


    ¡°We kept in touch the entire year. I called him and he, me. We texted and things seemed fine, but when we saw each other for the first time since...¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°It reminded me of our first kiss. Back when we were in Denver. I...I felt really guilty about it because I thought that he enjoyed it as much as I did. I wanted him to, because...I love him. I loved him then, I¡¯m sure I loved him back when we were in elementary school together. I mean, we were best friends for pretty much ever so it only made sense. It made sense that it would feel good to kiss him...but back then I think I knew he didn¡¯t like it...I covered that feeling up because I was scared about what it would mean for us. I mean it was easy to back then¡ªwe were dealing with Elysium and then immediately after his father grabbed him and I didn¡¯t see him until we were back in New York...¡±


    Andrew processed this a little slowly, but he understood. He nodded as he listened and when she trailed off he continued, ¡°Do you think he¡¯s gay?¡±


    Jen sighed and placed a hand on her side as she looked at the ground, tears now in her eyes. ¡°I don¡¯t think, Andy. I know. He¡¯s my best friend...¡±


    ¡°C¡¯mere,¡± he held her tight as she cried.


    ¡°And now...I feel stupid for making him feel uncomfortable and I¡¯m probably never going to see him again...¡±


    ¡°He¡¯ll be okay.¡± Andrew stroked the back of her head and held her tighter. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t let him go on a trip I didn¡¯t think he wouldn¡¯t come back from.¡±


    ¡°...this doesn¡¯t mean you¡¯re off the hook about not calling.¡±


    ¡°...I know,¡± said Andrew. ¡°Listen, do you have some free time today? I want to make it up to you...and I have a lot on my mind I want to get out in the open.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m free right now. Come on, I know just the place to go.¡±


    ¡°That sounds good,¡± Andrew said. He nodded to her and they walked to Andrew¡¯s car. They arrived at Lucky John¡¯s¡ªa local ice cream shop/diner combo that rested on the Los Angeles Bay. Lucky John¡¯s was the first to pop back up on the coast and it became a very popular spot. It was chock full of nostalgia of better times¡ªand a sign that we could return to those times. Andrew and Jen both got chocolate milkshakes¡ªfavorites from their childhood. Andrew stirred his intermittently between sips¡ªa habit also kept from childhood.


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    ¡°I wasn¡¯t fully honest about why I haven¡¯t called.¡± Andrew sighed into his cup. ¡°As soon as I realized I wasn¡¯t going to get the closure that I really wanted, I distanced myself from everyone involved. Obviously I couldn¡¯t keep from seeing Jake, but I couldn¡¯t help but feel...¡± he looked down at the table and tapped. ¡°I couldn¡¯t help but feel like I could have done things different. I know that¡¯s a dangerous way to think...but it still got to be so much.¡±


    Jen nodded, ¡°I know you¡¯ve been through a lot these past few years, and not all of the blame is on you for keeping in contact, but you have to know that I¡¯m always here to support you. You¡¯ve lost a lot. Lindsey and Gavin were your two closest friends. Jay was pretty much our second Dad¡ªnot to mention Mom...¡± Andrew looked down as soon as she had said it. ¡°¡­and I¡¯m sure if we thought about them every single day like you have been we¡¯d never be able to really live. The year I took off was all about learning that lesson.¡±


    ¡°Seems to be a long time for one lesson.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s how you know it¡¯s important,¡± she said. ¡°It took me that long because it was a hard lesson to learn. I know it isn¡¯t easy, I¡¯m not even really fixed. I don¡¯t think I really ever will be, but I¡¯m a lot better than I used to be.¡±


    Andrew sighed, ¡°I believe you¡ªyou look better. There¡¯s an energy in you I miss in myself.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not a one-thing fix. There isn¡¯t something you can do to make things hurt less, it just comes with time by doing healthier things and surrounding yourself with people who care about you...which reminds me. I¡¯ve called some people here today.¡±


    Andrew looked up and stopped stirring his milkshake. He saw Iris and Sarah enter and greet them both with a smile. ¡°What are...you two doing here?¡±


    ¡°Well, hello to you two, Mr. President,¡± Sarah curtsied. She was nineteen years now and has grown a few inches taller. She wore here hair in a bun and now wore a thin pair of glasses on the bridge of her nose. ¡°Or should I say co-councilman Andrew Cress?¡±


    Andrew smiled, ¡°You¡¯re supposed to be upstate looking after your mother.¡±


    Sarah¡¯s smile faded, ¡°She passed a month ago unfortunately. She had complications with her legs and it spread.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m so sorry,¡± said Andrew.


    Sarah returned her smile with a vigor, ¡°She passed happy. And I was more than happy to have a few more years with her. I¡¯ve been doing a little exploring since so I can location scout for my next book, but that was put on hold the second I got the call from Jen.¡±


    ¡°She put her literary career on hold for you Andy, you ought to be honored,¡± Iris joked. ¡°It¡¯s nice to see you again.¡±


    Iris hadn¡¯t been joking, the year she went back to New York Sarah wrote fervently. She released her first book, ¡°Dream of a Day¡± to what Andrew heard was a bright success. He had a copy himself, but hasn¡¯t opened it yet¡ªhe could tell immediately it had been inspired by the Radical-9 Incident and thought it would be too much. Since then she¡¯s released a sequel and was currently working on a third and end novel to the trilogy.


    ¡°Wait a second...when did you call them in, Jen? It couldn¡¯t have been before we got here...¡±


    Jen let loose a devious smile, ¡°I had planned on organizing an intervention for you a week ago.¡±


    ¡°Well, your honor, may we sit or are you going to let two beautiful ladies stand for our entire meeting?¡± Iris asked, grabbing Sarah¡¯s arm.


    Andrew gestured for them to join the table, ¡°And enough with this your honor business. I¡¯m just Andy here.¡±


    ¡°Well Just Andy, I wanted you to see the positive effect you¡¯ve had on some of the people we¡¯ve met through the years. Something to keep the bad thoughts from becoming too much.¡±


    Sarah sat next to Andrew, and Iris took the seat next to Jen, setting the pocketbook strung over her shoulder down beside her. Her reddish-brown hair had grown, but her fierceness in her gaze remained. ¡°I want you to know that you were one of the main reasons why Sunrise is the foundation it is now. I can¡¯t ever believe that it would even exist if not for you. You were the one who inspired me to face the public with a brave new idea. I saw your commencement speech and just knew I had to do something to help the people that were like me...people who didn¡¯t know where they belonged. And if we¡¯re going to be extremely literal¡ªyou were the one who saved me back in San Francisco, don¡¯t forget. Gavin called out to you¡ªand you came for us.¡±


    Andrew nodded his head slowly, ¡°I¡¯m extremely happy that Sunrise is doing you and others some good, but I can¡¯t take the credit for your great idea.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not giving you credit, I¡¯m cheering you up,¡± Iris said, leaning back in her seat. ¡°I¡¯m giving you...hmm, okay I guess it¡¯s sorta credit, but just take it, will you?¡±


    Andrew chuckled and sipped some more on his milkshake. ¡°Fine, I give.¡±


    ¡°You helped me too, Andy,¡± Sarah said. ¡°I couldn¡¯t have done what I did back when we fought Jack without you there. Knowing that you had stood against him and fought him back...I believed it was possible, no matter how strong he was or how low the odds. John was a lot like you, and that is something to be proud of.¡±


    ¡°And next you¡¯re going to say I inspired your writing because of my wonderful speeches as well? How succinct and witty they are?¡±


    Sarah smiled, cocked her head and laughed, ¡°Oh, no. That¡¯s all me. I¡¯m afraid I can¡¯t give you credit for that one.¡±


    Andrew laughed too. ¡°I guess that¡¯s fair. I was joking anyway. I know they¡¯re a bit blunt and dry.¡± He took a deep breath. ¡°Thank you...all of you. It really helps knowing that you¡¯re here. It¡¯s been a tough time for all of us, we¡¯ve each lost a lot back then...¡± he looked at each of them and thought about each of their losses. ¡°...but things will always get better.¡±


    ¡°I think you¡¯re saying that more for yourself,¡± Iris said.


    Andrew nodded, ¡°Yeah, but I actually kind of believe it.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s good. It¡¯s important to keep it in mind. You¡¯ll have good days and bad days, but we¡¯re your friends,¡± Sarah said. ¡°I¡¯m gonna be traveling still so I won¡¯t be physically around, but I¡¯ll give you my number if you ever need to talk.¡±


    ¡°Thank you Sarah,¡± Andrew nodded.


    ¡°And you work down the street from me so you have no excuse not to come see me anytime you have a heavy mind,¡± Iris said. ¡°Although I can¡¯t guarantee that I¡¯ll be as helpful, but I¡¯ll certainly try my damnedest.¡±


    ¡°And I¡¯ll light your ass on fire if you don¡¯t keep in contact with me,¡± Jen smirked. Her look was one Andrew was nostalgic for¡ªit instantly brought him back a decade and he felt a warmth in his chest.


    ¡°Yes yes, I hear you,¡± Andrew said. ¡®Thank you all again for coming here to cheer me up. I¡¯m not going to let you down.¡±

 SIDE A | CHAPTER 2

    Larry George


    </a> September 4<sup>th</sup>, 1971


    Larry and Steven woke for their first day of Kindergarten and Heather for her first day of the third grade. Larry has learned basic life etiquette from Kappy over the rest of the summer¡ªwhat Theresa would have called a rapid development. She even spoke with Gilbert about placing him in an advanced placement program, but that idea dissolved faster than it had appeared whenever the topic of money came up. Funnily enough, it seemed to be a familial habit to lose track of ideas once they were proposed.


    Steven and Larry walked outside with their matching backpacks and similarly styled t-shirts to join Heather who was already standing outside at the edge of the front lawn. She turned around as Theresa and Gilbert stepped outside, watching their children all stand out on the edge of the lawn. A picture of the three of them outside would be clipped onto a magnet and hung up on the family fridge for the entirety of time that both boys were in school. By the time the end of this tape finishes through, you may assume that some fragment of that picture exists out there in the universe. Think of it as some sort of inside joke that the family here will long forget about after everything happens.


    ¡°Please keep an eye on them, okay? Promise me?¡± Theresa asked Heather.


    The look that her daughter gave was one of genuine joy. If Heather were just a little bit older, she may have given off the attitude that most teenagers know¡ªthe kind that yearn to find themselves through testing limits.


    ¡°I will.¡±


    ¡°Now, the both of you are going to be on your best behaviors, right?¡± Gilbert regarded his boys.


    ¡°Yes Dad.¡±


    ¡°Mhm.¡±


    ¡°Great,¡± Gilbert smiled a nervous look, ¡°I uh...love you and hope you have a really good day.¡±


    The bus pulled up in front of their house and slowed to a stop¡ªthe ancient sounding wheels screeched as the red stop sign flung out like one of those gag toys you¡¯d get from a carnival. The doors swiveled open and Larry saw the older man behind the wheel. From the second the doors opened he could smell a thick coat of coffee emanating from the man¡¯s body. Larry had never drank coffee, but when he would later in life try the drink, his mind would instantly impress the smell that this man carried for life.


    Heather walked to the stepped and climbed up the first, then turned to her brothers, ¡°Well, come on now!¡±


    Larry and Steven turned to their mother and father who both nodded at them. The twins turned and then they both made their way to the bus just as their sister had, climbing up the stairs. Steven made it up first, looking around all of the new kids with wide eyes and an open mouth. ¡°Wow!¡±


    Larry reached the top step after him and then also saw all of them, ¡°...wow.¡±


    ¡°Come on, Larry, let¡¯s find a seat for the both of us!¡± Steven said, jogging to the middle of the bus.


    The small act of Steven including the both of us in his statement was one that touched Larry¡¯s heart so subtly he wouldn¡¯t have been able to pinpoint the feeling if asked, but if he had access to an entire transcript of all of his life he would pinpoint this moment as the last that he and his brother were twins and more like two unequal halves. The both of us would change to me or you. As twins oft to wonder if one or the other is more of the whole, Larry was the one who tended to be more uneasy about these feelings. He tended to more often than not think that Steven had been the whole one.


    Quickly, we¡¯re going to rewind in time just a little bit¡ªnot long, I assure you...just to last night. Larry lied awake in his bed staring up at the ceiling, a parasite ate away at his heart and a cold sweat formed on his face. This parasite was what Larry would grow to know as fear. He had never really been afraid of anything before. Meeting new people struck him as a very real¡ªand very primal fear inside of his core.


    The only people he¡¯d ever known his age were his brother and sister, they were the people he knew, they were his people. He¡¯d known what they¡¯d liked and disliked and what kind of food they would hate to find under their pillow for Easter (it was all of them, but Heather especially hated broccoli. Steven was more of a spinach decrier, Larry himself was not partial to potatoes. Vegetables were not liked in the George household.)


    He didn¡¯t know these other kids, and he didn¡¯t know what kinds of food would make them the most mad if they had found it underneath their pillow. Of course, he had no intention of sneaking into their houses to hide food under their pillow, but it was the uncertainty in not knowing that paralyzed him completely.


    ¡°i used to not know a lot of people,¡± Kappy whispered in his ear. ¡°it is a very natural thing to be nervous, but do not let it worry you. if you ever feel that it is too much, just pull out the headphones and i shall be there to comfort you.¡±


    ¡°Oh...um, I was actually thinking of leaving them here,¡± Larry said.


    ¡°leaving them...? larry, as your guide i don¡¯t believe that is the best thing to do. i would worry about you, and it is nice to have me there just in case, you know?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I guess. I¡¯m sorry for thinking about leaving you here.¡±


    ¡°it is okay, larry. now, you should get some rest. tomorrow is going to be a big day.¡±


    Larry rested his head down with the words of Kappy echoing in his head. It eased his heart a little, but he still was nervous about the big day. Steven was snoring up a storm, lost in his dreams, mildly content.


    Back to the morning of school, the children left the bus as it started back up and took off. Steven and Larry were guided with the other Kindergartners along to the assembly hall inside the school. The time flowed for both of the boys. They were assigned their classes and for the twins¡¯ sake they had been placed in the same class. Their teacher was named Mrs. Farnon.


    Once they arrived at their new classroom¡ªfilled to the brim with tiny little desks¡ªthe two boys were put on opposite sides of the classroom, however, a fact that Larry wasn¡¯t too keen on. He watched Steven turn to the kids at his side and beginning to introduce himself. He said something, and they laugh. Larry turned to his left and saw a girl turned to her left, talking to another girl by her side. He didn¡¯t dare interrupt their conversation. To his right was a boy who was staring up at the teacher, a concentration stronger than steel. He didn¡¯t speak to him either. He looked back to Steven across the room and saw he was making a motion of catching a ball as he spoke to the kid next to him.


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    Larry took a deep breath as he looked down to his bag beside him and pulled out the cassette player, sliding the headphones over his ears quietly.


    ¡°Kappy, making friends is so hard. I don¡¯t want to be rude to anybody, but nobody wants to talk to me like they do Steven.¡±


    ¡°larry, you always have to keep close to your heart that everybody else is second to you. friends help, but they aren¡¯t necessary. the most important thing is that you keep yourself happy.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know, I just feel down on my luck.¡±


    ¡°trust in me and you won¡¯t regret anything.¡±


    Larry looked up and he saw Mrs. Farnon¡¯s gaze right at him. He slid one of the headphones off of his ears as she stepped closer toward him. ¡°Excuse me, but we haven¡¯t begun yet. I¡¯m going to need you to take those off until recess, then you can listen to whatever you like.¡±


    ¡°do not take take them off, larry.¡±


    ¡°But Kappy, she¡¯s the teacher.¡±


    ¡°do not take them off. authority isn¡¯t right just because they¡¯re the authority, that is an important lesson you need to learn.¡±


    ¡°I...¡± Larry held his hand up, shaking, he took in a deep breath as he slid the other headphone back over his ear. A muffled ¡°oooooooooooooooooooooooh¡± rung out through the classroom.


    ¡°very good, larry. you are a very strong boy.¡±


    Mrs. Farnon stepped closer, ¡°I¡¯m going to give you one more chance to take them off, or else I¡¯m going to have to take it until the end of the day.¡±


    ¡°do not bend.¡±


    Larry sat back in his chair, his eyes wide open and he gave a bit of a smirk. ¡°Try me.¡±


    Mrs. Farnon gave a shocked look as she turned around, walking to her desk, shaking her head. ¡°Not even the first day and already we have a problem child,¡± she said to herself. ¡°Alright...¡± she looked down to a clipboard down on her desk. ¡°You¡¯re name is...Lawrence George,¡± she read. ¡°Well Lawrence-¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s Larry,¡± he said quietly. All eyes shifted to him.


    ¡°Larry...it looked like we¡¯re going to need to call your parents. Maybe you¡¯re not ready yet to handle coming to school with the other kids,¡±


    ¡°don¡¯t let her intimidate you. stay strong.¡±


    ¡°My name is Larry, Mrs. Farnon, and my headphones help me stay calm.¡±


    The eyes shifted back toward Mrs. Farnon, her eyes of thirty haven¡¯t prepared her for an open discourse with her kindergarten students. The children waited for her response. ¡°We can¡¯t have you listening to music while we are in class. How would you hear?¡±


    ¡°going strong. keep breathing.¡±


    ¡°I can hear you just fine,¡± Larry said. ¡°I¡¯m not listening to any music. If I was blind I could have a guide to help me I may not be blind, but I need my headphones, they are my guide, and I insist on keeping them on.¡±


    She waited a tense second, not wanting to be made the fool by a child, she looked to the phone and back to Larry. Never before has anyone in her class done anything but dribble and doodle, and here was a kid who was insistent¡ªdebating, forming full arguments. A part of her wanted to just yank the headphones off of the little brat just to see his argument crumble before her¡ªbut a part of her just couldn¡¯t. A part of her was proud that she got one of the thinkers. ¡°Okay, you can keep them on,¡± she said, forming a wry smile, ¡°but the second I hear any music I¡¯m confiscating them for good, got it?¡±


    ¡°good job larry, you¡¯re in there. smile and go for the finish.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll keep them on,¡± he said, giving a tiny smile.¡±


    ¡°i¡¯m proud of you larry. you¡¯re a hero to these kids now, consider that for making friends.¡±


    Later on¡ªwhen the school day ended and the boys returned home, Steven was mostly quiet throughout dinner, Larry too, but that much was normal around dinner time. Heather was the only one willing to share stories of how much better the third grade was compared to last year. ¡°We talked about all the things we were going to learn this year,¡± she said. ¡°We were going to be learning cursive, and how to do our times tables.¡±


    ¡°Times tables already?¡± Gilbert asked, ¡°I still don¡¯t know those, and they¡¯re already starting you out on ¡®em?¡±


    ¡°I think it¡¯s wonderful,¡± Theresa said, fanning her hands across the table, ¡°I think it¡¯s just wonderful.¡±


    Later still, the boys had made it to their beds after dinner, absolutely stuffed from the special school dinner that Theresa had cooked up¡ªa stuffed turkey, a special treat that both her and Gilbert had decided to splurge on. Gilbert would be eating canned beans for the next few days, but he considered it a worthy time to instill a sort of happy memory for the kids to associate with school. Learn things and you¡¯ll be able to eat like this every day, Larry¡¯s father would say. Steven looked up at the ceiling, taking even breaths as if each one was deeply calculated. ¡°Why didn¡¯t you take off the headphones?¡± He asked out of nowhere.


    Larry looked to him with a cocked head, ¡°Huh?¡± He looked to the side toward the cassette player by his side out of habit.


    ¡°Your headphones. Why didn¡¯t you take them off? You aren¡¯t blind...or deaf. You don¡¯t need them.¡±


    ¡°I just thought...uh, that the teacher wasn¡¯t always right.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t even know that. We don¡¯t even know what a teacher is supposed to teach. You can¡¯t know that.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s like I told you, Stevie, I have a guide. I hear Kappy and I feel like I can do stuff like you can. I can¡¯t do stuff the way you can.¡±


    Steven shook his head and crossed his arms. ¡°It¡¯s not that hard, and all you did today was make yourself look weird.¡±


    ¡°Weird? I was a hero today, Stevie.¡±


    ¡°Not to Conrad and Sally.¡±


    ¡°Who are they?¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re the kids that were next to me, I was talking with them about baseball stuff before you did your stunt. They said that you were weird for listening to music in class.¡±


    ¡°Stevie, it¡¯s like I said, it wasn¡¯t music it was-¡±


    ¡°Kappy, I know. But Kappy doesn¡¯t exist, Larry. I tried to hear him, myself.¡±


    ¡°He said that only a few people can hear him,¡± Larry said, a bit defeated.


    ¡°He isn¡¯t real, Larry. Please don¡¯t be weird tomorrow,¡± He turned over, facing away from Larry. Please don¡¯t be weird tomorrow. Larry turned in his own bed, sliding the headphones over his ears, silently asking his guide, ¡°Kappy, I don¡¯t know if I feel good about what happened today.¡±


    ¡°what you did today was learn firsthand that authority isn¡¯t the end. they aren¡¯t always in control of you. sometimes you need to stand your ground to them.¡±


    ¡°But it was just wearing a pair of headphones.¡±


    ¡°today, yes. but there may be someday where this piece of advice comes singing back to you and you really need it. you never know when the formative years of your childhood will come back to you later in life exactly when you need it. there will be times that this may get you into trouble, today could have ended up differently with you being sent home. that is the risk of the world. i am instilling the building blocks in hopes that it shall be useful.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡± Larry looked up to the ceiling in the dark. He really didn¡¯t see, but if Kappy had said so, he must have had his reasons. He sighed and rested his head on his arm. ¡°I just wish I could be better at talking to people.¡±


    ¡°i know larry. i know. this is something that shall get easier with time, i promise.¡±


    Larry set the headphones aside and pressed his face against his pillow and breathed out hard, letting it flow back into his face, cringing as the hot air traveled back up his nose.


    He let the thoughts swirl around his head for a few before he turned on his side. Still, he felt uncomfortable, but he couldn¡¯t tell if it was with Kappy¡¯s advice or if his pillow was just ratty and needed a wash. Sitting up, he fluffed it extra hard and sat back down, cradling it between his neck and head as his eyes closed. It seemed like it was going to be one of those nights where sleep was the eternal treasure at the end of a long adventure that would escape his grasp.

 SIDE B | CHAPTER 2

    Jake Carroway


    April 30<sup>th</sup>, 2032


    I can¡¯t sleep.


    How can I after what just happened? Matt fell asleep easy enough. Of course he could he got what he wanted what the actual fuck was that about? I stared at him until I couldn¡¯t bare to any longer. Who does he think he is? He probably thought it was so smooth or that I¡¯d immediately fall for him on this trip and he wouldn¡¯t even have to try. Fuck that. FUCK that. And fuck him. I¡¯m not playing this hallmark movie bullshit. And the second he wakes up I''m going to let him know that.


    But now...while I was alone and can¡¯t sleep. I¡¯m going to look at him. Because fuck...he¡¯s not a bad looking guy. Why fuck oh why did I have to think that? Once, just once and I feel like my mind is poisoned. Why am I this way? Why...why...why can¡¯t I just be happy with Jen? I love her...but I don¡¯t think I can be in love with her. Why¡­I sat for the rest of the ride in my seat that increasingly felt like it did not want me. I couldn¡¯t keep still. And finally Matt opened his eyes and I was going to fucking give it to him.


    ¡°You look like you¡¯re plenty frustrated,¡± he said. He stretched his neck to the left and then the right, then sat up fully. He looked at me, and then confusion splashed across his face. ¡°What? You¡¯re seriously mad at me for that?¡±


    ¡°Mad? How could I not be mad you fucking asshole?¡±


    His composure returned, ¡°Come on, you¡¯ve been wanting since you first laid eyes on me.¡±


    ¡°Not a chance. You¡¯ve always been smug and work obsessed. Besides, I¡¯m not¡ª¡±


    ¡°Not gay? I think you¡¯re lying to yourself there.¡±


    ¡°...You don¡¯t get to say you know anything about me,¡± I said. ¡°You¡¯re the one who has kept it business and that¡¯s more than fine with me.¡±


    He shrugged, ¡°I notice what I notice. And I¡¯ve noticed your eyes hanging on me longer than maybe you¡¯ve noticed.¡±


    I could feel my blood boiling. ¡°Listen, whatever I am or am not does not give you the right to do anything like you did to me.¡±


    ¡°Oh come on you haven¡¯t been satisfied like that ever, am I right? I asked about your romp with Ms. Cress because I saw how terribly it must have been for the both of you.¡±


    ¡°Who the fuck do you think¡ª¡±


    ¡°Matthew Avery, proud of who I am. Can you say the same?¡±


    ¡°Pride is one thing...¡± I said. ¡°You¡¯re never going to get me to think that what you did is okay.¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡±


    ¡°It wasn¡¯t. It¡¯s one thing to be spontaneous. It¡¯s one thing to accept yourself. It¡¯s an entirely different, and wrong thing to take advantage of whatever the hell you want because of what you think about me.¡±


    ¡°So tell me, what would you have done had I not? Hm? Finish our job here and make it back to Ms. Cress? Tell me, how would that work out? She loves you¡ªI can see that much in the way she looks at you.¡±


    ¡°What the hell is it to you what I do?¡± I barked back. ¡°It¡¯s up to me how I feel, who I feel about, and not some wannabe matchmaker.¡±


    He fell silent, taking a breath to compose his thoughts. ¡°I wasn¡¯t trying to be a matchmaker.¡±


    ¡°No, but what did you think was going to happen? That I¡¯d be so surprised that you revealed me? That¡¯s not on you to reveal. I don¡¯t...I don¡¯t go by your rules.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t you think you should let Ms. Cress know your indecision?¡±


    My eyes darted to him. ¡°Maybe when we¡¯re not currently dealing with an international emergency? None of your business, anyway.¡±


    ¡°Think you¡¯ll be able to reciprocate the feelings she has for you?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m done talking about this,¡± I said.


    ¡°Well, we can either sit here in silence for the entire trip, or we can talk about this, because clearly there are some mountains between us we need to iron out if we¡¯re going to be acting as a unified front on foreign ground.¡±


    I was flabbergasted. ¡°I am more than fine with it being silent for the rest of the trip. I cannot believe you¡¯re this brazen.¡±


    He shrugged. ¡°Old Dad taught me to talk about my issues. Probably one of the things I learned from him that wasn¡¯t toxic.¡±


    ¡°Not toxic¡­?¡± I sat up as I repeated it incredulously. ¡°Compared to what, an atom bomb? What about what¡¯s happened do you classify as not toxic?¡±


    He clapped both of his hands together in front of his mouth and took a breath. ¡°Okay, going offhill, real quick. Lemme adjust. I...I tend to jump to points further than what I¡¯m thinking of when I¡¯m talking. I had almost forgotten that I didn¡¯t apologize for acting that way on you yet.¡±


    I had no answer, I simply had to let it play out.


    ¡°I am sorry.¡± He exhaled quickly. ¡°Obviously the environment I grew up in did things differently. Spontaneity was...I don¡¯t want to say more accepted, but...it¡¯s not unheard of.¡±


    ¡°I mean it¡¯s not unheard of here, but it sure isn¡¯t accepted or appreciated when it¡¯s like that.¡±


    ¡°Right. Okay, I accept that. I apologize. I took our frequent jabs back and forth to be more than what they were. I...am a competitive person. I hardly mean the things I say as deep as they go. I mean, at the end of the day we work toward the same goal.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s what it should be, yes. I haven¡¯t taken anything that¡¯s gone between us as anything but you having a chip on your shoulder about your dad.¡±


    His eyes shifted to the left, as if contemplating. ¡°I see...okay. Okay, I am not as well practiced in flattery as I had imagined. I am sorry.¡±


    I exhaled, running my hand through my hair. ¡°Fine, I guess. I¡¯m firm in what I feel but so long as it doesn¡¯t happen again we can move forward.¡±


    He nodded. ¡°I do have concern for how Ms. Cress will handle...things. I¡¯m not totally heartless, and just know that from experience, the longer you wait the harder it becomes.


    I looked up at him, but didn¡¯t say anything in return.


    ¡°I know I don¡¯t know as much about you as I probably should¡ª¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t know because you made it a stern point to not get to know the either of us at all. It¡¯s been three years Matt. And the only thing I know about you is that you¡¯ve got some good ideas for our country and some not so good ideas¡ªthose of which you seem to fight the hardest on. And sure that speaks to your character but you¡¯ve not let us in on anything else so what do you expect me to think?¡±


    Matt went silent. He didn¡¯t have an answer for that one. My mind was begging me to stay on the attack¡ªto hurt him how I was hurting...but then it clicked. Why was I hurting? Sure, his kiss was unwarranted and he still wasn¡¯t off the hook for that...but why was it causing so much hurt inside me? Was it because I really didn¡¯t know who I was...or was it because I knew all along?


    And that feeling just led to sadness.


    ¡°Listen, I¡¯m sorry. I don¡¯t even think I should be sorry¡ªbut I am. I¡¯m sure I¡¯ve been a bit brusk to you even before this, so I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    Matt was confused, ¡°You? No, not at all. Gah, fuck you¡¯re making me feel shitty. Okay, I¡¯m sorry. I know I don¡¯t talk to you two. I had to do what I felt I had to. Before I learned you two were all right-if-not-a-pain-at-times I had thought that Andrew¡¯s sudden nomination of you was an attack on me and my ideas. You obviously had a lot of history together¡ªand history against my family name. I couldn¡¯t see any way except the way I walked to have my ideas be heard for me, and not as my father¡¯s son.¡±


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    ¡°Well you know how you fix this situation? You talk about it. We¡¯re not going to oust you or bring out scandals against you because of shit your dad did because we know what that¡¯s like, don¡¯t you understand? Fuck, Andy¡¯s dad was responsible for Radical-9 being released. My father assisted Jack the entire time¡ªhe shot me when I went digging around. We know the sins of the father shtick. But we don¡¯t get anywhere unless we open up about it.¡± I said, then rounded back, ¡°...not by taking advantage of what you perceive about this,¡± I motioned to my forehead. ¡°I don¡¯t know what I¡¯m feeling, but I¡¯m clearly still involved with Jen. If that¡¯s something that breaks away or dissolves then that¡¯s on me to do. Not for your hand to set in motion or whatever savior like bullshit you were trying to spout.¡±


    Matt didn¡¯t answer.


    ¡°You were trying to capitalize on what you wanted and tried to make me feel like shit for not giving it to you. I¡¯m sorry, but that is not my fault. I am sorry that you felt like you couldn¡¯t open up to us, but I¡¯m making sure now. Just don¡¯t pull that shit again.¡±


    ¡°I understand your point.¡±


    ¡°Well that¡¯s fucking dandy,¡± I said, and then held my breath, rubbing my temples. ¡°Sorry. I¡¯m trying myself to keep my emotions in check. That one wasn¡¯t fair.¡±


    ¡°Seeing...seeing as we¡¯ve got a few hours left in our trip...¡± Matt started. ¡°...would it be too much I try to make it right?¡±


    ¡°Make what, specifically?¡±


    ¡°Everything,¡± he said.


    I sighed. ¡°I could do with some good energy. You weren¡¯t wrong¡­.about me and Jen, at least.¡±


    ¡°Well why don¡¯t I distract you a little bit with my tales of woe? Maybe you can get a sense of schadenfreude.¡±


    There¡¯s a ghost of a grin on my face. ¡°You must have plenty of crazy stories with a dad like yours.¡±


    It was a silent joke between them. Anybody with a dad like theirs had some crazy stories. Crazy parents bred crazy stories for eventually crazy kids...if they lived, that was.


    ¡°You wouldn¡¯t even believe the half of it,¡± said Matt.


    ~...~


    Matthew Avery was an only child born in 2007 in London. His father was prime minister to the Queen from the early 90¡¯s. He was raised solely by his father¡ªa strict man of regulation. His childhood was very quiet¡ªrestrained. He spent many days and nights in his room, alone. His mind was his playground.


    Matt learned quickly not to speak unless he was spoken to. It became the golden rule around the Avery household. He never emotionally bonded with his father¡ªand because of his father¡¯s position keeping him away during the day friends weren¡¯t around the Avery home, either. Matt took to books to find the friends he had so desperately been lacking. It was in these fantasy worlds he found most of his personal growth and development. His one solace became the printed word of other people he wished to meet one day.


    Even though he spent a lot of his time alone¡ªhe was kept under strict surveillance. If anything had happened to Matt news would reach every corner of the county and investigations would not cease. The Queen was adamant about the safety of those immediately within social reach¡ªany sort of scandal or headline was one too many. So it was made clear that Matt would be watched constantly when Oliver was unable to himself.


    Matt didn¡¯t see much of the outside world¡ªso his views were carved exclusively from the stories he read. He often thought himself as a prisoner in his very own castle. Wondering if one day there would be a prince charming out there for him.


    He knew early on that he was gay. Most of the stories that he read told tales of dangerously handsome men who Matt wanted to identify with¡ªbut ended up falling for each and every time. They were usually awful people whose only redeemable traits were their looks and status as the [GOOD GUY], but Matt often dreamed of being there to course correct their awful behaviors. After reading book after book with the dashing prince, he questioned if people really enjoyed being treated that way. If...people didn¡¯t like it, why did so many people write about it? He thought that he may have been wrong about his perspective, and acted more like the people he read about¡ªemotionally distant (he had practice from his father), gruff, and more sarcasm than actual wit.


    His facade broke when one day late in 2012 Matt heard a loud noise in the downstairs of his home. Matt lived in a luscious mansion¡ªthree stories altogether¡ªbut largely empty save for the rooms most used by the Avery family¡ªthe bedrooms, the kitchen, dining hall, bathroom, and library. Leaving 90% of the house empty space it made for a very large echo chamber when fresh activity rang through the halls. And on that late summer day activity did more than ring through¡ªit stampeded like a horde of bulls.


    Three masked men blasted through the doors¡ªsending them off their hinges into the foyer. They were each clad in black full body suits that were unmarked. They looked around at each other and split up to search the house, not uttering a single word to one another.


    Matt never heard anything like this¡ªhe cradled up in his bed and hoped that someone was watching any of the surveillance footage that was constantly spied on him to come and help¡ªbut on that day nobody was watching.


    The officer of the Queen¡¯s court scheduled to oversee the Avery boy was currently dressed across his desk¡ªhis torso emptied and head decapitated. Nobody would be signaling out for help on this day.


    The masked men found Matt quickly enough. The first kicked open his door and stared his golden eyes at the small boy who had since soiled his sheets in fear. The masked man looked through him for just a second and then suddenly the other two materialized right behind the first¡ªas if they had been there all along.


    The first looked to the closest behind him and then nodded, and they all stepped in the room closer to Matt. He knew in times like this the prisoner would fight back¡ªdo something¡ªanything as a distraction while the hero found their way to the room and saved the prisoner just in the nick of time, but deep down Matt knew there was no hero there to save him. There was no distracting these heartless creatures¡ªthey weren¡¯t men any more than they were birds. They were cold beings with only one thing in their eyes.


    The first stepped just before the bed and reached down, picking Matt up by the leg. Matt¡¯s body froze and he dangled there¡ªuseless as terror shot up his spine like a lance struck through him. The man¡¯s gaze didn¡¯t change as he raised an arm. It changed shape before Matt¡¯s eyes¡ªsharpening and hardening like it were made of steel.


    But it was more than that¡ªthe edges weren¡¯t smooth. They had grooves and hooks all over¡ªwhatever was pierced with that arm¡ªblade wasn¡¯t going to die simply. It was going to suffer, and suffer long. The man ripped across Matt¡¯s neck in a terrible arc. His flesh tore and gushed blood over his face and onto the floor. He wasn¡¯t dead¡ªnot yet. Somehow his spirit clung on, but his death was assured. It seemed only torture now to hang on. He choked as the blood blinded him¡ªdraining down his face.


    The man dug his arm just below Matt¡¯s abdomen and dragged it all the way down to his first cut on his neck, emptying the contents of his insides onto the floor. He felt everything. And still his mind refused to die. He refused to let it be the end. He coughed one final sound and then the blade struck just under his chin¡ªcutting up through his skull like butter. It shredded his left eye coming up and ripped his jaw apart coming out. His life finally left¡ªfinally gave up, but it never left his body. He remained tied to his being¡ªbut he could no longer feel. He couldn¡¯t move anything. He was severed, but not kicked out to the ether.


    ¡°I woke up four years later in California. I didn¡¯t understand what had happened to me¡ªmy father never explained the circumstances of my apparent rebirth. We continued living as if everything was normal. I believed that my time in England was but a dream.¡±


    ¡°I feel that there¡¯s a but coming...¡± I said.


    He nodded, ¡°A year after that I had a vicious nightmare reliving that last day in my house. I felt everything as if it was happening to my real body. I woke up covered in sweat. I knew then that there was something seriously wrong with my existence...I should have been dead. My father must have known otherwise why else would I have been brought back? I think that was the first moment I hated my father.¡±


    I remained silent.


    ¡°I ran away that same night. I was ten years old and on the streets of a country that was completely foreign to me...although to be fair everything outside of my home was foreign to me. I wasn¡¯t sure of anything then...until she found me...¡±


    ¡°Hm?¡±


    ¡°It was an old woman¡ªshe looked like she was at least a hundred years old at the youngest. I couldn¡¯t believe she was still standing after everything, but she found me in some dark alley in Los Angeles. I must have looked like a feral animal¡ªI don¡¯t know how much time passed between when I left and when she found me¡ªmaybe a week, maybe longer. But she did, and she took me in and fed me, clothed me, and taught me pretty much everything I know now.¡±


    ¡°Since then you never found out what happened when you were five?¡±


    Matt shook his head, ¡°Nope. Just blinked out and then back in. I didn¡¯t hear about my dad after I left¡ªI stayed with the old woman until she passed four years later in 2017. By that point I grew up a lot¡ªI was working and pulling my own weight. I saw how ruined this place had become after Valhart was killed¡ªthat fact I¡¯d heard from the old woman.¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you ever learn her name?¡± I asked.


    He smiled, ¡°I didn¡¯t need to. She never learned mine, only called me boy. I think she knew what it was like to be in my situation¡ªa runaway. She didn¡¯t want to enforce the name I was running away from. So to me she was just the old woman, and I was boy. Now, I¡¯m much older than that, and the last herald of my family name is dead, so I am no longer boy. I am Matthew Avery, son of the last President of the United States. I¡¯ve learned to reclaim my name, and now here I am traveling back to the country of my birth.¡± There was a twinkle in his eye and he turned to me, ¡°I came on this trip for many reasons¡ªto investigate the Queen is just one of them. My main reason is to discover what really happened to me¡ªto find those crooks who broke into my home.¡±


    ¡°Are you prepared to learn that they may be dead? Or that you won¡¯t find them at all?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m always prepared,¡± said Matt. ¡°But that doesn¡¯t stop me from being hopeful.¡±


    I let loose a breath, ¡°Well, I¡¯m very sorry what you went through. I¡¯m more than willing to help you find what you¡¯re looking for...but none of it excuses the way you acted. That¡¯s still you, and I¡¯m open to forgive, but you need to earn it.¡±


    Matt nodded, slowly, ¡°I understand.¡±


    ¡°Great, now that you do, I need to make a call of my own, and then I¡¯m probably going to sleep the rest of the ride.¡±


    Matt nodded. He knew exactly who I intended to call¡ªand what it was going to be about. I silently thanked him for not pressing the issue and stood up. I dialed the familiar phone number and made my way to the back of the plane. I paced back and forth before I hit confirm. I was nervous, but knew it was a call I had to make. As I lifted the phone to my ear I could tell the nerves were getting to me because my ears were ringing hollow sounds. I waited as the line rang once...twice...and on the third time she answered.

 SIDE C | CHAPTER 2

    Andrew Cress


    April 30<sup>th</sup>, 2032


    Andrew did not sleep well the night his two companions left for England. His mind felt more relaxed after talking with Iris, Sarah, and Jen, but there was an underlying sense of dread that nestled its way deep into his heart. And no simple prodding would remove it so easily.


    He dreamt of subtle chaos¡ªbarely noticeable destruction. A rot that ate away under the surface until all foundation would crumble underneath. He worried about the Queen. Something was so blatantly wrong about her but he barely knew anything about her¡ªnot even her name. She merely signed their first communication with a pair of initials.


    He felt guilty that he wasn¡¯t out there leading the charge, but he knew the real reason why he stayed behind. The biggest reason for staying was the orb. What remained of John Rein and Jack Adata¡¯s body after their deaths¡ªJohn used all of his remaining energy to encase the Radical-9 explosion into a physical container that glowed with menacing greens and blacks.


    There was no telling the destruction that would plague this world if that container were to release its contents. Life as they knew it would end¡ªthere was enough Radical-9 in the both of them to level the country. That much was understood between the three of them who made the decision to protect the orb with their lives.


    But the others didn¡¯t know one more thing about the orb¡­it was leaking. There was no surface damage to the orb¡ªit had looked as crystal clear as it had on the day it was formed three years ago, but he could feel the Radical-9 spilling out. He figured...there was probably half a year before it emptied completely.


    The question of the hour was where do we put the Radical-9 that¡¯s escaping out? How do we stop it from contaminating the people around us? At first Andrew didn¡¯t have the answers to these questions, but then one was made abundantly clear to him.


    Andrew still had Radical-9 coursing through his blood. He still had every ability that he gained through its poison in the last eleven years, but he hadn¡¯t once thought on how Radical-9 attracted itself like a magnet. And then he remembered just how John had kept their explosion from killing everyone. Jack had telekinesis, just like Andrew had formed three years ago. John used Jack¡¯s abilities to suppress the explosion, and Andrew then had the idea he may be able to do something similar.


    So Andrew let the orb leak into his own body¡ªacting like a vacuum for any stray Radical-9. He had been practicing creating an invisible barrier around himself using his telekinesis¡ªto no avail at first. But as time progressed he got better at it, and could then do it perfectly.


    There were a few drawbacks, however. It took a lot of energy to continuously project a field around his body to prevent Radical-9 leaks from his own body and he could not keep the field up when he was asleep or otherwise unconscious. He also could not make physical contact with anybody. There wasn¡¯t any feasible way to keep his field present while touching someone else. Any sort of contact was a risk.


    This was also why he hadn¡¯t kept up contact with Jen. Andrew understood the eventual fate of someone who would take in so much Radical-9. I...am fated to die. It was a hard truth to grasp, but he did. He knew that at some point¡ªand some point very soon¡ªhe would succumb to the effects of the Radical-9 poisoning.


    When I die I¡¯m going to spread out as much Radical-9 as John and Jack did...no...I¡¯m going to spread even more. I can¡¯t be around any sort of society when that happens. I need to find a way to fix this problem.


    Andrew lied awake from his night terror. Still his thoughts drifted back to his condition and his close friends. Jen. Sarah. Iris. Jake. Matt. They were right. Andrew knew he couldn¡¯t just seclude himself and hide away to die. This wasn¡¯t a problem he could solve by himself. He needed his friends.


    There was a sound at his door. Andrew lived alone and never invited people over so a personal visit from anyone was rare. Especially at...eleven at night. Andrew drowsily stood up and made his way to the front door. He opened the door and found not a person standing on his porch, but a package. Confused, Andrew grabbed the present in his hands and held it up, squinting to read the writing on the face:


    To President Andrew Cress


    He took it inside and sat down in his living room. A small lamp sat in the corner of the room sadly trying to illuminate the room. He¡¯s been in this house for three years, but it barely felt like home. Nothing really ever felt like home anymore. Not without Lindsey. Not without Gavin. Not without Jay. He slipped his fingers underneath the crease of the paper and tore it open. Inside was a box with a letter tied on top with some twine. He undid the letter and opened it up.


    Dear Mr. President,


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    I understand you are not the sole leader of our country, but it feels right to call you such after your glamorous exploits during the Radical-9 Incident. Please do not confuse my calling you this as any devaluing of your cohorts¡¯ ability to lead our country. I understand they are away currently on official business, hence my calling you our President.


    Right, now back to the topic of my letter. It¡¯s come to my recent understanding that you and the other leaders of the United States have come into contact with an object of great importance and danger. I fear naming the origin of this object just in case this letter is intercepted, but I am certain you are aware of exactly which item I am speaking of. I hope that you realize exactly what kind of dangers lurk ahead by keeping such a dangerous item as it currently is.


    I would like to organize a meeting with you to discuss this item further and offer my assistance in neutralizing its potential dangers. I am sure that this is a prospect that is of interest to you.


    Finally, do not worry about the method this letter was sent to you. I can explain everything when we talk. And feel free to tell your friends about this communication¡ªI do not want you to feel like you have to choose between secrecy and safety. I am only interested in keeping the dangerous item as danger-free as possible.


    If this is acceptable, I shall be free to meet tomorrow around noon at the pavilion on Laixley Street. I trust you can find it yourself. If you don¡¯t show up I shall take that as your answer and shall cease communications, but I sincerely hope you do show up. I have a feeling you want to as well, so in that case I shall see you tomorrow.


    Oh, also, the included package is a...test of your skills. I apologize, but I must be sure of your ability before we meet.


    The letter wasn¡¯t signed. Andrew had no idea who could have sent it. Andrew took the box and opened it slowly. Andrew saw a flashing red light as he pulled off the top. Inside was a small mechanical device no bigger than a baseball. Attached to it was a post-it note that only had four words written on it.


    I am a twin.


    The device exploded. Andrew yelled and the field around his body immediately clamped onto the explosion like two overlapping hands. It fell to the ground and hardened as a reddish-orange orb that looked just like the orb. Andrew was breathing deeply as he waited for it to explode and end everything...but it didn¡¯t. It just sat there in his house. What the fuck kind of test...but he knew just what it was. Somehow the sender of this letter knew exactly who Andrew was and what he could do. Somehow this person also knew about the orb. That news was concerning, but it wasn¡¯t the most concerning thing.


    I am a twin.


    That simple phrase threw his mind into overdrive. And instantly he feared he knew where that twin was. ¡°I understand they are away currently on official business...¡± that line from the letter instantly flashed through his mind. There was no other reason why whoever sent this letter had to mention Matt and Jake. This is their test¡ªtruly. They¡¯ve given me multiple time sensitive tasks at once to juggle and they want to see if I can handle it. On paper this would be fine...but if he was right, that bomb¡¯s twin was currently on the plane Matt and Jake were on right now.


    I have to let them know. I instantly leaped across the room and slammed the bedroom door open and grabbed my phone. I dialed Jake¡¯s number and pressed it up to my ear. As it rang I went back to the living room to scoop up the orb in my hands¡ªthankfully the explosion from this would be much smaller than that of the orb, so he could probably find a safe location just out of town where it¡¯d only be a noise disturbance more than anything.


    The phone continued to ring in his ears until he heard Jake¡¯s voicemail come up. Cursing, Andrew hung up and dialed Jen¡¯s number. Voicemail. As he was searching up Matt¡¯s number his phone vibrated. Jen was calling him back.


    ~...~


    Jen¡¯s phone started ringing late at night. She normally goes to sleep earlier than most around her¡ª10pm was usually her cutoff for the night, but if she was ever talking to Jake that time was usually extended.


    It¡¯s Jake, all right, but she¡¯s not as excited as she usually is to pick up the line. There¡¯s a hesitation¡ªa weight on her hand holding it down. She took in a deep breath and picked up the phone. ¡°Hello?¡±


    ¡°Is this a good time to talk?¡±


    ¡°...yeah.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Jen. I¡¯m sorry how things turned out before I left. The last thing I wanted was to upset you.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°I...I need to tell you something.¡±


    ¡°I know, Jake. You don¡¯t have to say it. I¡¯ve known all along...I guess I just never believed it¡ªor didn¡¯t want to believe it.¡±


    There¡¯s a sound on the other line like him holding back a sad sound. ¡°I really should say it, you¡¯re the first person I want to tell. I¡¯m...I think I¡¯m gay...or at least bi. I have to do a lot of soul searching to see where my feelings truly lie, but¡ª¡± Jake never got to finish his thought. A loud sound tore through the air and rang in her ears.


    ¡°Jake¡­.? Hello?¡±


    Her phone started vibrating¡ªshe saw Andy was trying to call. Ugh, gimme one sec.


    ¡°Are you there? What was that noise?!


    The line cut. Her hands were shaking and she immediately dialed Andy¡¯s number. Even before she heard him pick up she was talking, ¡°Andy I think something¡¯s wrong with Jake...¡±


    ¡°I know.¡±

 SIDE A | CHAPTER 3

    Larry George


    January 4<sup>th</sup>, 1980


    A heavy frost embraced the George household after the conclusion of winter vacation. Larry and Steven were both in their freshman year while Heather was now a senior. She danced danced spryly in the kitchen¡ªa burst of joy coursed through her legs like fire. In her hands was an acceptance letter to Yale with a scholarship. Heather was always the smart one. That was the day she believed it and the largest smile consumed her face.


    Their parents were ecstatic, but they were also troubled by the thoughts of their first child going away to college so soon. Both Gilbert and Theresa were sucked into the work force just after high school just to make ends meet¡ªthey no personal experience of what higher education could offer their daughter (and they would be lying if they said that they weren¡¯t immensely grateful for the scholarship she¡¯d earned).


    Steven branched out in his own way too¡ªroots of his future already beginning to bud. He tried out for the school baseball team and sufficiently ¡°knocked their socks off¡±. He also tried out for the lacrosse team¡ªbecoming a staple to both teams early in the year. He spent more time with friends out and less time at home¡ªan unspoken double edged blade in the George household.


    Larry liked music. He collected vinyls of anybody he could¡ªsaving money from his allowance to head on down to the local record shop¡ªLittle Spinners¡ªto satiate his hunger. He had a penchant for picking up vinyls of people he¡¯d never heard before and keeping them in his stack. He didn¡¯t have a record player (those cost a bit more than he was able to afford on his small earnings). He did love listening to any cassettes he came across, though. Songs usually would be joined by Kappy.


    His guide was still with him after all of this time, nudging his direction and being his one person to talk to when it all came down. Larry was thankful for Kappy, not knowing what he would have done without him. Larry¡¯s grown up since he was a small boy. He didn¡¯t carry around his headphones everywhere anymore, he has his own sort of courage within him¡ªeven if it wasn¡¯t quite at his brother and sister¡¯s level yet. He did choose to speak with his friend at least once every night.


    Things weren¡¯t all good, however. His grades slipped the first half of the year. C¡¯s and D¡¯s replacing the B¡¯s of old, and his father most of all didn¡¯t know how to process the fact. Both Heather and Steven were getting fantastic grades¡ªsure, Steven would slip once in a while and get a C on a test, but he usually brought it back up by the end of the quarter. Gilbert didn¡¯t know how to deal with the sudden slip of one of his kids, when up to this point things have been doing just fine. There was a mistake somewhere along the way, and he wouldn¡¯t¡ªcouldn¡¯t¡ªbear to think that he had anything to do with it, his other two children were doing great so it had to be with Larry specifically.


    This thinking led him to subconsciously separate Larry from his other two siblings. It became a case of his two children and Larry. Larry who did poorly at school. Larry who didn¡¯t bring home any friends. Larry who didn¡¯t seem to be romantically interested in anyone. This led to an inexplicable rage that bellowed inside of Gilbert George¡¯s heart, a rage that tried to be sadness but came off too sharp. It first manifested at the start of Christmas break¡ªGilbert erupted in the living room at the sight of his report card. Storming through the house as his thoughts got tangled in his head, all bursting to come out at once, it ended in him snapping one of Larry¡¯s records and stomping to his room.


    Theresa was never mad at Larry, she saw how her husband had acted toward him, and knew that it was unfair, she loved all of her children. She couldn¡¯t help but feeling a sort of guilt under her heart for a long time to come. Christmas break wasn¡¯t a good time for Theresa and Gilbert, even when they had so much to look forward to.


    Larry wasn¡¯t feeling too hot over the break, either, and now it was the first day back to school. Kappy helped temper Larry¡¯s hurt feelings, talking him through the feelings of sadness and anger that he felt toward his father. This was a day where he sat in his bed and prepared his I¡¯m gonna be sick mantra in his head for tomorrow. Heather peeked her head in through the door, sliding it open and stepping in quietly. Larry was looking away from her, feeling shame, ¡°I don¡¯t feel good. I don¡¯t know if I¡¯m gonna make it to school tomorrow.¡±


    She walked in closer, her dark hair bouncing just above her shoulders. Larry thought girls with longer hair were more pretty, but that¡¯s just how talented Heather was¡ªshe made short hair work. She sat down at his bed and assumed a stance not unlike their mother¡ªLarry thinks it was by accident, and a fleeting thought of seeing her as a mom someday makes the tiniest of smiles in his heart. ¡°Don¡¯t let your grades get you down, there¡¯s always a chance to raise them.¡±


    ¡°I just don¡¯t think it¡¯s fair. You and Stevie are treated so much differently than me. Just because of some stupid tests,¡± Larry crossed his arms, looking to her.


    ¡°His heart is in the right place, Larry. He knows that your grades are important, they decide your future,¡± she said, looking down.


    ¡°I don¡¯t see how numbers on a piece of paper can tell me how smart I am, or how successful I¡¯m going to be.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t either, Larry, but look where I am. I just did my work and now I¡¯m going to college in a few months.¡± She tried for a reassuring smile, but it quickly changed course. ¡°I know you can pick up to at least a B. You¡¯re a smart kid. I¡¯ll replace the record and add one more onto that fact tomorrow when we get out of school, but you¡¯ve got to apply yourself, sound fair?¡±


    Larry groaned, but complied. He already knew that numbers don¡¯t define him, Kappy told him that as much two years ago.


    Heather left to join Steven downstairs. Larry pulled the blankets over his face and sat until sleep overcame him. The next morning, for the first time in almost four years he grabbed the cassette player off of his drawer and slid it into his backpack¡ªheadphones and all. The day faded into normalcy; normal kids attended normal school as normal teachers taught them normal things. It all snapped back to reality when Larry was sent to the guidance counselor¡¯s office.


    I do not know why he was sent. There will be gaps in the story like this, and for that I do apologize. It has been quite a long time ago and it was quite hard to keep the story straight at all times, but I am trying my best.


    Anyway.


    I assume it had something to do with the cassette tape, as I bet you¡¯ll know was that cassette tape has been a common occurrence whenever Larry got into trouble with authority. He walked through the halls of the school in a haze. His footsteps were as light as the cassette player in his pocket. A whirring sound softly played over the intercom¡ªa problem the school had been eager to fix, but not too eager as it never seemed to. The speakers would sometimes hiss with this dead sound of static. He pressed on until he walked through the guidance counselor¡¯s door.


    Mr. Callahan sat upright in his chair with his sleeves rolled up and thin glasses cast aside on his desk. Larry walked over to sit in front of him as the sun outside crossed the sky at super speed. Everything around them changed figures¡ªLarry¡¯s posture turned to a more reluctant slab.


    The room around them shifted and molded to a small office space and Mr. Callahan morphed into an older man with white hair and different colored beady eyes¡ªno need for glasses. The rest of the school year had past¡ªJune had come and gone and Larry¡¯s guidance counselor visits became more frequent¡ªso much so to the point that Mr. Callahan had suggested that Larry speak with a therapist. He¡¯d taken notice to Larry¡¯s habit of listening to the same tape over and over, and when Larry refused to answer why, he chalked it up to some inner mental trauma taking the form of a cassette tape.


    This was an easy enough solution for Gilbert George. It was as if God¡¯s wondrous mercy had at last given him the answer. There wasn¡¯t anything wrong at home; it was something to do with Larry. A wondrous weight was subconsciously lifted and he agreed posthaste to have his son signed up. And so, it was done.


    Heather was preparing herself for college, saving up any money from her babysitting that she could so that she could start her nest egg, something she was proud of. Gilbert and Theresa were proud as well. In less than three months their first born would be leaving the nest and be flying off toward success.


    Steven was applying himself in school¡ªhe saw how well Heather did in her final half of her year and showed an early start to getting similar grades. His sports kept him active and around friends.


    Gilbert and Theresa were so proud.


    Larry was barely passing his classes. He was supposed to attend a therapy session every Thursday afternoon with his therapist, Dr. Abbot, but all too often his more truant side erupted and led to a call home to the parents. He mentioned to them that he believed Larry had an obsession concerning the cassette player, and his fixation on it created the delusions in his mind¡ªthe friend that he had opened up about in the sessions.


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    Gilbert got frustrated with this, ¡°My son has told me this for years that some friend lives inside his damn cassette player. I should never have gotten it for him!¡± He threw his arms in the air, looked aside and shook his head. ¡°What do we do to fix him?¡±


    ¡°We must stop this before it gets too deep. His mind was wrapped around this idea of music...this unhealthy association. Now, it was impossible to remove music from his life, obviously, but he cannot have any memorabilia. Any of it reinforces that grip it has on his life,¡± Dr. Abbot mentioned, his bushy eyebrows bent down as his beady eyes stared at both Gilbert and Theresa.


    ¡°Oh, we can¡¯t take it away from him,¡± Theresa said, her eyes wandering around Dr. Abbot¡¯s office.


    Larry sat back in the office with a hastily marked 1 on the door, he never liked this place...called the doctor a quack and a half. He was one hundred percent sure that Dr. Abbot wasn¡¯t a licensed doctor in any way, shape, or form, but he knew that he was the only person who his parents would be able to afford. He sat in the room, set away in an effort to keep his discussion with his parents private, although the good doctor was quite a loud speaker naturally, so the flow of the conversation from his end was at least audible. He didn¡¯t know what to feel inside.


    ¡°You baby him,¡± Gilbert said, making a sort of sound at the end that sounds like he spat. It was suffice to say that Gilbert was up to his shoulders in stress over the whole situation and desired to see the end of it immediately.


    ¡°I care about him, Gil.¡±


    ¡°If you do, then you must let him grow without it. He will keep lashing out because of all of this crazy rebellious music these kids listen to. It isn¡¯t good for them,¡± Dr. Abbot spat himself, craning his neck, cracking it loudly. ¡°They have no respect and that gobbledygook ain¡¯t helping them one bit. And there are kids like Lawrence that take it to the next level. If this continues, I¡¯m afraid to say that he might go out and kill someone.¡±


    Theresa gasped, Gilbert shook his head and crossed his arms, letting out a deep breath. ¡°You got it, doc. We¡¯ll take care of it, right, dear?¡± He looked off to her.


    ¡°Y...Yes.¡±


    ¡°Same time next week?¡± Gilbert asked Dr. Abbot.


    A crooked smile crossed his face, teeth missing and a darkness fills the gaps, ¡°Sure thing, Mr. George. I do wish to hear how the treatment handles good Lawrence.¡±


    July 12<sup>th</sup>, 1980


    Larry didn¡¯t adjust to the treatment well.


    It was an obvious fact that to anybody involved would have been an inevitability. As soon as they got home, Gilbert hobbled up toward Larry and Steven¡¯s room. Larry, knowing what was going on from his eavesdropping ran up the stairs after his father. ¡°Dad, you can¡¯t do this! It¡¯s my stuff!¡±


    To Gilbert George, all of Larry¡¯s things were his things. He provided the roof that he lived under, and so until he was eighteen and out that damn door he was going to have to deal with it.


    Gilbert didn¡¯t say anything as he continued up the stairs, pushed open the door and turned in immediately¡ªhe reached inside towards Larry¡¯s collection of records lined up on his drawer and scooped them up in his large arms. Larry was behind him now and was wailing his arms on his father¡¯s back. ¡°No stop! I paid for those with my own money!¡±


    Gilbert looked down toward his son and gave off a nasty sort of look and he blew out at him, back-pacing out of the room with his records in hand. My cassette player¡¯s still in my backpack, Larry thought. He¡¯s not going to stop, but he doesn¡¯t have to get everything. A curious idea formed in his head as he followed his father down the stairs. ¡°Those are all my records! What are you doing?!¡±


    ¡°This is for your own good!¡± He finally barked back. ¡°You have an unhealthy obsession with this garbage and it is ruining your life.¡± The words of Dr. Abbot rang with a terrible echo through his father¡¯s voice.


    ¡°Gil, maybe you shouldn¡¯t be so harsh about it,¡± Theresa reeled back, crossing her arms.


    ¡°No, you are not going easy on him today. We need to do this, and he¡¯ll be better for it.¡± He regarded her as he passed off of the stairs and continued to the front door.


    ¡°Dad!¡± Larry called out, running down past his mother.


    Crash! A record slammed against the ground and the case was shed aside. Larry was out on the front lawn as a black car sped across the shards in the street as Gilbert unsheathed another record and sent it flying across the street. He threw it a little too well and it flew down past the bluff and the crash was a bit more faint. Again and again he threw and discarded, each record shattering and each case discarded until they were all gone. He pivoted to see his whole family staring at him from the porch, a light rain has coated his black hair. He took a deep breath and coughed out a foul sound, ¡°It¡¯s done. Get in and get ready for lunch.¡± He hobbled past all of them. As soon as he reached Larry he turned and looked at him, in that moment he could swear he saw hatred running through his father¡¯s eyes. Look what you made me do. Look what you turned me into, they said.


    ¡°Why?¡± Larry asked, his lip shook.


    ¡°Where is your cassette player?¡±


    The question struck him hard. He tried to supplant the idea that the records were it, but his father was smarter than that. He was the one that got him the cassette player all those years ago. Of course he knew about it. ¡°Dad...that was a birthday present.¡±


    ¡°Where is the cassette player?¡±


    ¡°Gil,¡± Theresa said quietly.


    ¡°Go inside. Make them some lunch.¡± He looked up at his wife only for a moment before turning his eyes back down to Larry, ¡°One more time.¡±


    ¡°My...backpack,¡± Larry said, defeated.


    Gilbert nodded and he moved past them, pushing into the house and Larry stood out in the rain as he heard the faint thumps of his father walking up the stairs. His mother stepped out into the rain and cradled her son into her arms, patting his back.


    The day faded into tears and anger, screaming and fighting. The George family knew no unrest until the day that Gilbert threw out Larry¡¯s records. Steven roomed with Heather when he could no longer stand trying to sleep in the same room as Larry. The night lasted forever as he could not find sleep.


    It wasn¡¯t anything he¡¯d ever wanted to see again...that look. It shook him to his core and he thought all of this was like it were some nightmare. That¡¯s how foolish it had all seemed, all over some poor grades. None of it made any sense to him and he knew that if he were to object, possibly to his mother he¡¯d get the response ¡°You¡¯ll understand when you¡¯re older.¡± He hated that response. He knew that he wouldn¡¯t get it when he was older because he didn¡¯t get it now.


    The whole situation left him with a bad taste in his mouth. He could swear that it tasted almost coppery, but it left immediately. Suddenly, in his bed he felt a strange protrusion from his pants. He¡¯d learned about puberty in school, but didn¡¯t expect the changes they spoke about to be this noticeable.


    Of course, what was protruding from his pants wasn¡¯t any part of his body...it was a small square shape in his rightmost pocket...the cassette player. He reached for it...all at once it was there as if it had been the whole time. But there was no way that could have been...he¡¯d seen his father bring out the cassette player from his room, stamp on it like it were an old campfire and toss the remains out into the wild. Yet...here it sit in his pocket. He rolled over and wedged his hand into his pocket, yanking the thing off, finding his headphones sitting in front of him as if they had been there the whole time.


    ¡°What...is going on...?¡± He asked aloud. Before he could think anymore he unwrapped the headphones and plugs into the cassette player. ¡°Kappy? Are you there?¡±


    ¡°hello larry.¡±


    ¡°Oh! Kappy! Thank God...but I thought my dad broke you? I saw him throw you out.¡±


    ¡°he did because of that doctor who told him to. i have a bond with you, larry, so that means i¡¯ll always find my way back to you. i¡¯m supposed to be your guide.¡±


    ¡°How do you do that? I mean, the cassette player should be broken, though.¡±


    ¡°how it happens is another story for a future day. i¡¯d love to tell you that one in person.¡±


    ¡°In person? You...you¡¯re actually someone out there in the world?¡± Larry asked.


    ¡°why...yes. everybody is someone out there in the world.¡±


    ¡°Huh, I guess I never really thought about it. I sort of thought you¡¯d be like a ghost or something.¡±


    ¡°i am no ghost, larry, but we both know that at the current moment the only thing dead here are those records of yours.¡±


    Larry sat back in his bed and groaned, letting out his entire chest-worth of breath. ¡°God, it sucks so bad.¡±


    ¡°you can¡¯t let him crush your dreams, larry. you love music.¡±


    ¡°I know, Kappy, but he¡¯s my Dad. And without him I wouldn¡¯t have met you.¡±


    ¡°yes...i understand that you love him, but you must also love yourself. here¡¯s what i think...you should go out and get a guitar.¡±


    ¡°A guitar? I don¡¯t have that kind of money. Besides, my Dad would probably just smash it like all my records.¡±


    ¡°i can help you out with that, larry. don¡¯t you worry.¡±


    ¡°How are you going to do that?¡± Larry asked, but Kappy didn¡¯t reply. He was left to himself for the rest of the night, and so he took in a deep breath and rested his head against the pillow. So many things in his life were out of his control, but Kappy seemed to be the one thing that was very much the opposite. Someone who knew what to say to get him feeling more at ease. He dreamt of many things that night: his father, his records, but the prevailing image that came to him was the starry night sky. He dreamt of sailing across the stars and wondered what kind of music they liked. He wondered if he would get to someday go to space.

 SIDE A | CHAPTER 4

    Larry George


    May 25<sup>th</sup>, 1982


    Larry was now a junior. His grades picked up considerably since his freshman year¡ªand it thanks to his guide. A mysterious package arrived in the mail for Larry a few days after that dark July night. Inside the package was an acoustic guitar and a note signed by Dr. Abbot. It recommended that Larry turn his love for music into something productive and worth keeping, which helped convince his father to not immediately trash the instrument.


    Kappy later revealed to Larry that he forged the doctor¡¯s name in order to get the package in the door. Coincidentally, Larry never saw Dr. Abbot again. As soon as the guitar entered his life he was doing better in school; the therapist was no longer needed. Since there were no further bills that were being mailed to the George household Gilbert had put the idea out of his mind entirely.


    I mentioned that Larry¡¯s grades picked up, but they weren¡¯t at his sister¡¯s level, not that high. They¡¯d gone up to a respectable B+ average¡ªa grade his father believed was worth respecting his hobby over. Kappy became his guide in more than one way¡ªteaching Larry the basics of the guitar. He picks it up quite easily, finding a sort of inner peace whenever he held on.


    Larry and Steven¡¯s junior prom swung around. The two boys elected to go without dates.


    ¡°do not worry about going alone, larry. it would only cause you more stress than you need,¡± Kappy told him the night before the big day, and so he didn¡¯t worry.


    Steven worried, though. He was hesitant in going alone¡ªhe¡¯d just broken up with his girlfriend of a year the week before. They¡¯d met after school at one of the co-ed lacrosse meets and hit it off soon after. The stress from the prom of course had gotten to the both of them and a fight ensued.


    The two boys were dropped off at the front of the building, the night was warmer than both boys anticipated. Larry¡¯s neck itched in his pantsuit. Nervous, Larry stepped inside and the music playing over the speaker caught his attention¡ªit was a ratty song about girls. The brothers split up as they entered the gymnasium¡ªthe both of them knew that they didn¡¯t have much to talk about among all the people around them. Larry felt disheartened¡ªand he didn¡¯t even have Kappy with him to make conversation with.


    Larry found his place off to the side of the gym where he met a miscreant who was similarly socially-outcasted named Stanley Ticks. The two boys talked and bonded over their similar dispositions toward school functions and their passion for music. ¡°Sticks¡± as he¡¯d have Larry call him was a part of a garage band with a few other kids from school who were all lucky enough to not have come to the dance. He invited Larry to come check them out that weekend¡ªto which Larry thought sounded like a great idea. The night ended without a bang or a whimper, but with a friend. Larry found himself at Sticks¡¯ trailer after school on Friday and was introduced to the rest of the band: Paul ¡°Paulie¡± Knox ran the drums, Thomas ¡°Tommy Boy¡± Bentham on lead guitar, Mary-Anne Wilhelm on lead vocals, and Sticks himself on Bass.


    Mary-Anne and Paulie seemed to be a couple¡ªat least heavily hinted by the affectionate looks they¡¯d give one another. Larry also noticed Mary-Anne...she was¡­everything. He kept staring at her as they showed him their first single, ¡°Send Me Around¡±. He felt their emotions tumbling through his body as they finished the last note. It was unlike anything he had ever heard. They were unrefined, sure, but nothing he had ever listened to had come close to what they had played. He knew he had to be a part of the experience in making music that sounded like that. He was surprised when they took him up on his offer¡ªSticks had said he was grateful that Larry had asked first¡ªas he didn¡¯t quite know how to form the question himself. Larry became the rhythm guitarist of Rosewood and felt companionship for the first time outside of Kappy.


    Things took a turn for the worse when he arrived back home that same day. Steven was in the middle of being reamed out by their parents for LSD they found in his backpack. When Larry was off talking to Sticks at the prom Steven was out finding his own hooks¡ªbeing Laney Delereaux on the volleyball team. The two snuck off and made out and they split her stash.


    That day was the turning point for both of the George boys. Larry started hanging out more and more after school at Stick¡¯s trailer and his grades improved as he found a way to express his musical passion. Steven on the other hand slipped from the honor roll and started receiving calls home for behavior related incidents. This trend continued throughout the rest of their junior and even into their senior year.


    We next see the Larry brothers on their graduation day in 1983. The whole George family was in attendance on the overly-sunny Saturday afternoon. Larry¡¯s grades had never been better than his last quarter of his senior year¡ªand his parents didn¡¯t know it, but inside his pocket underneath the robes sits the cassette player with Kappy by his side. Also by his side was Mary-Anne also dressed for the occasion¡ªwho had definitely led to a disgruntled Paulie who had not just split from Mary-Anne, but also from Rosewood a few months back due to creative differences. They¡¯ve also since replaced Paulie on drums with one of Sticks¡¯ neighbors¡ªKevin Whaley. In the time since Kappy advised Larry follow his heart and ask Mary-Anne out. The two clicked instantly¡ªthey had already been fast friends so it only made sense that once her relationship with Paulie ended that Larry would fill the hole he had left.


    Steven had managed to graduate, but his grades were lackluster¡ªonly coasting on the fact that he earned a baseball scholarship at NYU the following year. Both George boys were called up and receive their degrees and the both of them pack away their high school memories, eager to move onto the next steps of their lives.


    1984


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    After graduation the George household became nearly empty¡ªall the birds have flown the coop. Heather was living on campus for her senior year at Yale. She was also participating at an externship at a prestigious law office in New Haven. Steven, like her, also lived on campus at NYU and regularly partied where unbeknownst to his parents his drug problem only grew. His group of friends kept pulling him back in and he didn¡¯t see anything wrong with having a good time. Larry was the only George child that had not gone off to college.


    As soon as he was free from the shackles of public education he followed Kappy¡¯s advice to remain free. Whatever good-will Larry had earned in his final year of school with his father had been dashed fully and completely with the announcement that he was going to be traveling around with the band on the road instead of heading to college. Gilbert George was not happy.


    Larry was ecstatic. Sticks, Tommy Boy, Larry, Mary-Anne, and Kevin all traveled by RV to perform odd and end gigs that fueled further travel and future gigs. Rosewood became a more known name throughout the capital region and soon enough the band played farther and farther away.


    One of these such shows marked the end of the perfectly good times Larry experienced within the band. They were playing a show in the city which brought out applause and the raucous bar sounds. As the group packed up for the night Sticks put forward the idea of evolving their style. Stick¡¯s idea of evolution included taking in musical styles from more popular rock groups.


    Larry disagreed with this idea as it went against their style of melody and funk¡ªRosewood was enjoyed so much because of the sound they brought to the table¡ªnot because they were exactly like every other musical group out there. Tommy Boy agreed that Larry had a point, but also saw that they weren¡¯t getting as many jobs as they really needed to keep touring like they were. Kevin remained neutral on the situation not wanting to get involved. And in a surprising upset to Larry most of all, Mary-Anne sided with Sticks, saying that she felt they were stagnating.


    Larry was frustrated with the outcome, but after consulting Kappy on the subject he learned to compromise with the majority and so Rosewood evolved¡ªthe band¡¯s name even changed to Hardest Times. They continued working through the city and as the months of 1984 passed more small fights about creative integrity sprouted up. Each of them were aware of just how easy it was for bands to break up¡ªand knew if any one of them had taken any of their arguments too far it would have been the wedge to end Rosewood¡ªand Hardest Times¡ªfor good. Nobody wanted that end as the times they played was still that cathartic moment each of them sought¡ªthat escape from everyday life.


    That wedge came on August 23<sup>rd</sup> of that year. They had a big show¡ªthe biggest they¡¯d played in quite some time¡ªfor an upscale club who had paid extra for them to play longer than their usual show.


    Larry walked in on Sticks and Mary-Anne having sex in their RV. That wasn¡¯t all¡ªthis was an affair that had been going on the entirety of Rosewood¡¯s launch into the city. Just before they started preparing for the show Mary-Anne had approached Sticks alone to tell him that she was pregnant with his child and that made him so crazed with love for her that they¡¯d stripped and made love right in the RV. She didn¡¯t know whether it was his or Larry¡¯s, but she hoped it was Sticks. Larry didn¡¯t know why she didn¡¯t break things off with him before sleeping with Sticks¡ªnor did he know if the kid was truly Sticks¡¯ either. He didn¡¯t stick around to find out, either. He saw them slapping flesh and all it took was her moan and he was out of the RV¡ªout of the band¡ªout of their lives.


    He walked the city streets with his headphones on and Kappy by his side. Together they found a spot to squat for the night¡ªa low run hotel called Sabbesquatch. He had some spare cash on him, but it wasn¡¯t much to live on¡ªthis last show was going to be the start of their big break, but now he could only imagine them breaking live in that dumb club. Part of it made him smile¡ªthe thought of them getting up their and embarrassing themselves. They had played without him before Larry joined Rosewood, but they never played without him in Hardest Times. They no longer had to add parts in for him in their old songs¡ªtheir songs were created with him in mind¡ªand without him they would be thrown off balance.


    As luck would have it¡ªsomeone recognized him in the hotel¡¯s lobby as he had booked himself a single¡ªsomeone that eyed him at one of their previous shows that never forgot a face. His name was Arinn Loway and he was also in a band that played local, named Carroway Hearts. Larry had actually heard of them¡ªalthough they were what he liked to call a drug band. The kind that started out aiming to be the best¡ªand had a lot of success along the way¡ªbut certain substances killed any chance of large success from ever happening. Larry wondered if Hardest Times would follow that route with two of their members now gone. He hoped so. Arinn and Larry talked in the lobby and the talk eventually moved up to Arinn¡¯s hotel room out on the second floor. They¡¯d just kicked their own guitarist from the group for smoking too much¡ªthey were trying to reclaim their previous fame and he wasn¡¯t ¡°jiving with it¡±. He offered the position to Larry on the spot, which shocked him to his core...the chance to play with Carroway Hearts? It was a dream come true! But...he also remembered a promise he made to Heather after Steven¡¯s LSD problem after prom.


    ¡°I know you want to follow your passion in music¡ªI can see that in you from a mile away,¡± she said. ¡°I¡¯m not ever going to try and stop you from that. I know you¡¯re talented and I will always be your biggest fan...I just need you to promise me something.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Larry asked.


    ¡°I¡¯m not dumb, and know that as a band on the road that drugs and alcohol are like bread and butter¡ªI¡¯m not saying that your friends are junkies or that you¡¯re a junkie¡ªplease just think about us if those things do come up, okay? Promise me you¡¯ll stay clean. I know you can¡¯t control them if they decide to, but promise me you will.¡±


    Larry thought as he looked into his sister¡¯s face. ¡°Of course, Heath. I wouldn¡¯t want to do anything like that to hurt any of you.. Stevie scared me enough already.¡±


    Larry was troubled¡ªhe was well enough on staying clean thus far¡ªsure the others in Hardest Times liked to smoke weed when they were on the road, but they knew Larry didn¡¯t and never pushed him into trying. These people said they didn¡¯t want that image anymore...but could he really trust that old habits were really dead? Could he trust himself? He didn¡¯t know, he had to think about it. He had to ask Kappy. And so that was that¡ªhe told them he¡¯d have an answer by tomorrow¡ªhe just needed the night to think on it.


    Arinn agreed and showed him out. Larry thanked him for the offer and then walked the distance back up to his room on the fourth floor and laid down on the bed and plugged Kappy in. He rested on the bed and listened to the words of his guide. He knew what Kappy was going to say¡ªit would be unwise to join a band that had such a historic drug problem, but he didn¡¯t know what else he could do at this point. When he unplugged the headphones and stared at the ceiling. He was going to disobey his guide and join the band.

 SIDE A | CHAPTER 5

    Larry George


    September 1<sup>st</sup>, 1984


    Larry woke, dazed in a hotel room he didn¡¯t recognize. It was a wreck. The memories of the previous night came back to him in fragments. He saw...colored lights shining down. They were from the club that he played in...they finished loud and proud and the party didn¡¯t stop...it moved back to the hotel room. They...they all had an orgy in the room¡ªthere was people he didn¡¯t know all mixed in with those that he did. Someone offered out the heroin and they all...shot up.


    Larry¡¯s eyes opened wide and went to his arms and his heart broke when he saw the marks. He threw his head back and closed his eyes. Fuck Fuck Fuck Fuck. He didn¡¯t know how he was going to explain this one to anybody. He was aware how quiet it was in the room¡ªand the worst part of it all had hit him then. He remembered hearing them leave¡ªthey thought he was asleep¡ªthey were ditching him. They took off with his clothes and bags. He wasn¡¯t asleep¡ªbut he couldn¡¯t move. He was...having a seizure. It was a miracle he was alive. His body remembered how stiff it had gotten¡ªit transformed that stiffness into an eternal ache throughout his entire being.


    He closed his eyes¡ªresigning to just dying here and wasting away the rest of his pain, but he felt a weight in his pocket. He fished it out and was holding the cassette player in his hands. He didn¡¯t want to hear from Kappy now. This was furthest from the time he wanted to be lectured on how he hadn¡¯t listened.


    Then suddenly the weight of headphones was on his head. He didn¡¯t put them on...but there they were.


    ¡°you didn¡¯t listen to me. the one thing i asked you to do larry was to listen to my advice whenever i gave it to you.¡±


    ¡°Ughh...I don¡¯t want to hear it right now Kappy. I feel like garbage as it is.¡±


    ¡°larry, you are not understanding the severity of the situation. i told you not to get involved with this band because you would end up tainted by influence, and here you are tainted by influence. Not listening to me has to have consequences.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m already suffering consequences, Kappy,¡± Larry said, opening his eyes weakly. ¡°All my stuff is stolen and I¡¯m sure they¡¯re all gone...¡±


    ¡°no, larry. You do not understand. i don¡¯t care about that. i¡¯m talking about real consequences.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°there is $100 left in your pocket, larry. i suggest you use it to go visit your family.¡±


    ¡°My family?¡±


    ¡°drugs kill people, larry...if you catch my drift...¡±


    Larry¡¯s eyes opened wide. ¡°What? What are you talking about?¡±


    ¡°...i would hurry larry. they¡¯re going to want you there for the wake.¡±


    ¡°What the fuck Kappy? What do you mean? What happened?¡± Larry tried to goad his guide out, but Kappy refused to say anything more. ¡°Kappy? What the fuck?! Tell me what¡¯s going on!¡± This continued for another hour until Larry brought himself out of the bed. He did find the hundred dollars in his pocket, but that was all he had left to his name. He stumbled his way out of the hotel. He found a car rental not too far from the hotel¡ªand used half of his money on the cheapest junk-bucket he could find.


    All he could think about on the way back home was Steven overdosing at some party. He knew his brother partied¡ªmore than his parents knew, but who was he to snitch? Hell, Larry had heroin in his system now. What could he even say against drug use now that wouldn¡¯t be thrown right back into his face? Please, God just let Steven be okay.


    Heather George (27) has passed away this past weekend from serious injuries sustained in a collision with another driver who was under the influence of alcohol and other narcotics. Heather was a cherished daughter to Gilbert and Theresa George. She was finishing her senior year at Yale University and working at the Hobbs and Carlton Law Firm. The news of her passing is a terrible tragedy for her family, who wishes for prayers in these tough times. Services shall be held on Sunday, September 9<sup>th</sup> at the Harmony Hill Funeral Home.


    Larry was unwelcome in his own home. He could feel it plain as day. Happiness was unwelcome in the George home on the day the news of Heather¡¯s death breached their consciousness. She was coming home to surprise her parents with a weekend of what was supposed to be good times.


    She was side-swiped by a thirty-something who was driving forty over the speed limit on I-87. He had just lost his job by being drunk on the premises for the last time. He didn¡¯t know what to do about his mounting debt so when he merged onto the highway absolutely nothing else mattered. Not even the girl who he slammed into.


    Larry only stayed so long to hear the news before he took off again. It took that long for the reality of the world to fully set in. Heather¡¯s death was real. She was gone from this world, and worst of all he knew that his father blamed him for being the surviving child. He wasn¡¯t sure what he felt about Steven, but he was sure that there was absolutely no love he would receive from Gilbert George. So, to avoid any conflict for his mother he skipped out on planning for the wake and started driving in the rental car.


    He didn¡¯t know where he was going¡ªjust that it was anywhere but his home. There was no stereo in the car¡ªbut it had a cassette player. Larry shook his head and reached into his pocket¡ªhe knew the cassette player would be there¡ªand it was. He ejected the tape and slid it into the car¡¯s cassette player.


    ¡°What the fuck did you do?¡± Larry asked.


    ¡°you chose to not listen to me. i told you that there would be consequences. i am not giving you advice for no reason larry. if you would have listened to me this terrible tragedy would never have happened.¡±


    ¡°So you¡¯re telling me 100% that you¡¯re the one who killed my sister? Is that fucking it? This whole time you¡¯ve been trying to lead me down the right path but then you pull a stunt like that?!¡±


    ¡°larry you are missing the point. i did not kill heather. if anyone can be blamed aside from the drunk driver¡ªit was you. you made the choice that led to her death.¡±


    ¡°So you¡¯re blaming me then? Oh that¡¯s just rich. Fuck this. We¡¯re done, Kappy. I¡¯m done talking to you.¡±


    ¡°i would not do that if i were you, larry. we would not want anymore accidents in the george family, now would we?¡±


    ¡°Is...is that a threat?¡± Larry couldn¡¯t believe it. All this time he¡¯d kept Kappy close to him and never realized just how...manipulative he could have really been.


    ¡°i am only trying to help you, larry. If you break our pact then i will have to be forced to get you to comply by any means necessary.¡±


    ¡°Pact...I was five years old! I can¡¯t legally make any sort of pact or contract or anything like that at five!¡±


    ¡°ha...ha...ha...larry. do you assume i live by your rules?¡±


    ¡°You...you live by the law. That¡¯s the fuckin¡¯ law!¡±


    ¡°i do not care about the law. i care about you. i would recommend you not mention this to the police however¡ªi am more than sure you¡¯ll be detained for clinical insanity, trust me when I say we both do not want that.¡±


    Larry pulled to the side of the road and threw his head in his hands. ¡°What do you want me to do? Just listen to you forever?¡±


    ¡°is that not so bad? have i told you do do anything that breaks your laws? Have i told you to kill other people? no, larry. i have been looking out for you from the very beginning, but you are difficult. You live with a rebellion in your heart. you believe its in rebellion of those who keep you down, but that is not true. you keep yourself down, and you rebel against yourself¡ªjust like when you joined up with that drug den of a band. all i want is to help set you right¡ªto ease your pain.¡±


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    ¡°You ease my pain by killing my sister?¡±


    ¡°i will tell you again, larry. you killed your sister. your rebellion against yourself pushed those balls into motion. if she were to remain living then you would not learn your lesson¡ªyou would not grow. that is what you must do now, and i will help you. My next piece of advice is going to require a big sacrifice on your part¡ªbut you have to believe that i know what is best for you.¡±


    ¡°What...what is it?¡± Larry asked, shaking his head.


    ¡°you are going to join the army.¡±


    Larry signed up for boot camp that very day.


    1990


    Larry was now stationed in Panama under the command of Richard ¡°Dick¡± Hadaad and First Lieutenant Robert Paz. They had been stationed out by the British embassy for an act of self defense against the Panamanian Defense Force. Their mission was code named Operation Just Cause. On his very first night out in Panama Larry wasn¡¯t the only soldier that went to his solitary quarters clutching a cassette player¡ªDick Hadaad also had one. It was strange as cassettes were starting to get old when he was young¡ªso to see them still used by anyone normally was very strange. Larry¡¯s mind drifted¡ªhe wondered if Dick also had his own guide to listen to, but wrote it off as preposterous¡ªthe man was easily twice his own age so it made sense that he¡¯d stick to what he was comfortable with.


    Sounds erupted into the quiet of the night¡ªgunfire. Shit. It was his watch and here he was wondering about Dick¡¯s cassettes. He ran and started screaming for everyone to form up. A private along for their journey thunked to the ground as a bullet pierced his brain. Just like that he was gone. Larry tried to remove Heather from his mind when he saw the body, but he couldn¡¯t. All he saw in the private¡¯s face was her. He shook his head and took cover. His heart was pounding.


    Larry and his team formed together to protect their camp and eliminate the rebel force. The majority of the defensive maneuvers enacted by Captain Bartholomew ¡°Barry¡± Rainwater. Barry joins Robert, Dick, and Larry for a meal and they each in turn talk about the reasons why they were where they were. Their talk extended into the night as the bright moon climbed into the sky. Slumber took them all eventually, and all Larry could think about in his dreams was Dick¡¯s cassette player.


    A few days later Larry and the rest of his squadron are relocated to the Fort Clayton Military Base northwest of Balboa. Larry didn¡¯t get much of any chance to settle in inside the base, as he was immediately invited by Barry, Dick, and Robert for a nice dinner at the nearby Marriott Hotel. Larry asked Kappy in private what he thought of the idea¡ªbut Kappy had stopped entertaining irrelevant questions by this point in their relationship. No answer meant Larry was free to decide on his own accord. He agreed, and so the four of them left out in a civilian vehicle.


    The four of them dressed in their finest and headed out. Trouble arose along the way when Panamanian civilians alongside PDF members ambushed their car¡ªconvinced they were armed and dangerous and on a recon mission against the PDF. People surrounded the car and hammered on the sides and windows demanding they stop and surrender themselves. Larry felt a claustrophobic feeling as all the bodies packed in around the car. One of the PDF soldiers outside opened fire in the sky which erupted the rest of the bullets to begin flying.


    One shot pierced the driver side window and stuck in Dick¡¯s shoulder. They begun to open fire as Dick¡ªthe driver¡ªis caught with a bullet in the shoulder. Another shot¡ªthis time from behind¡ªshatters the back windshield and sprays Robert¡¯s blood across the back of the passenger seat. Larry, horrified, leaps up front and laid onto the horn as Dick got control of himself enough to drive out of the panic. The crowd scurried away and they redirected to the Gorgas Army Hospital. Robert died the instant the bullet scattered his brain, but otherwise the group survived with their lives.


    January 23rd, 1991


    Larry was honorably discharged after his time in Panama and returned to America at the start of the new year. He was homeless, but his time in the army provided him with the funds to get himself something small to crash in until he figured out what the next step in his life was. Kappy was silent on the days he returned to the states, so his time was largely spaceless¡ªweightless. He felt like he was floating on nothingness with no way to move forward.


    Near the end of the month a letter arrived in the mail from Dick asking for a meet-up to discuss some personal matters. Larry didn¡¯t want to respond to the letter at first. Seeing Dick would only bring back terrible memories of Robert or of every single dead body he had seen while in Panama¡ªwhich would only go further to bring fresh memories of Heather back into his mind. But something inside him urged him to follow through on the meet-up.


    The two went to an upstate-New-York diner and the two friends greeted each other as they sat down and ordered a couple of coffees.


    ¡°Why¡¯d you write?¡± Larry started off the conversation. ¡°I don¡¯t think you want to just strike up friendly conversation.¡±


    ¡°Sharp as a tack, George.¡± Dick said and took an apprehensive sip of his coffee. ¡°I haven''t been sleeping lately, but not for the obvious reasons. I keep thinking back to the night we all were talking until the hours of the night and you said that you felt like you¡¯ve had a guardian angel. I...I didn¡¯t think much into it then but I¡¯ve gone back to that conversation so many times in my mind now and how you said it¡ªwith how honestly you believed it¡ªstuck with me. It made me think that you weren¡¯t talking about a hypothetical figure.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean, hypothetical figure?¡±


    Dick looked like he was conflicted about sharing, but decided to in the end. ¡°I¡¯ve seen you eye my Walkman more than once. I thought at first you just had klepto-eyes, but when I got to knew you I pushed that possibility out of my head, but it still seemed strange to me. I feel stupid for not realizing it now, but since coming back I¡¯ve been thinking and thinking and I finally put two and two together. You...hear the voice too, don¡¯t you?¡±


    Larry didn¡¯t respond¡ªnot at first. He felt like he was playing a tactical game of cards and wasn¡¯t sure if he should reveal his hand.


    In the end, he did. And the two talked about their shared experiences¡ªDick too has been following the words of a voice, although he was never given a name. The voice assured him that he would be able to help him in life.


    Larry shared that his experience was just as similar, and asked if he had his Walkman on him. Dick nodded, saying that it¡¯s with him wherever he goes. Dick brought out the Walkman and handed it over to Larry.


    ¡°Go on, try on the headphones. Tell me if the voice is the same.¡±


    Larry did, sliding them over his ears and his body felt hot as he slid his fingers over the play button. He pressed it and waited. He waited and then the drum beat of the song kicked in driving in the melody of the track. There wasn¡¯t any voice, just the song that was originally recorded on the tape.


    Larry excused himself from the table and left the diner¡ªleaving a distraught Dick holding the Walkman and sitting alone with the two coffees. Larry was on the road faster than a jaguar in the jungle and slammed his own tape into his beat-up car¡¯s stereo. He turned onto I-87 and started driving north.


    ¡°What do you really want, Kappy? You¡¯re talking to Dick too?


    ¡°larry, i talk to many people.¡±


    ¡°You never said that! Not once!¡± He slammed his fist on the steering wheel.


    ¡°why would i need to tell you that?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m done, Kappy. I quit. I did everything you asked me to. I signed up for the army. I¡¯m done.¡±


    ¡°you are far from done. you do not want your father¡¯s cancer to become terminal.¡±


    ¡°C-Cancer?¡±


    ¡°terrible thing, really. he was diagnosed on christmas eve of all times. poor man is too proud to tell you because it¡¯s a sign of weakness.¡±


    ¡°You...you¡¯re lying.¡±


    ¡°i have never lied to you, larry.¡±


    ¡°You lied to me about talking to other people!¡±


    ¡°no, I did nor. I did not think it important that you know, so I did not tell you. I never lied about it, though.¡±


    ¡°That is basically the same thing!¡±


    ¡°it isn¡¯t, but wouldn¡¯t you rather worry about your father than argue pedantics?¡± Larry didn¡¯t have a response for Kappy. ¡°i am growing tired of your attitude, larry. if i am going to continue being your guide i need to know that you will listen to me when i give you advice.


    Larry gripped the wheel tighter and gritted his teeth, ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°i need to see if you can follow directions, larry. stop the car¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°stop the car larry.¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t¡ªwe¡¯re on the highway.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Larry groaned and pulled the car into the rightmost lane and slowed off to the emergency stop lane. ¡°What? What do you want me to do?¡±


    ¡°you¡¯re going to exit your vehicle. You will walk into the woods and strangle what you find.¡±


    ¡°Woah what?!¡± Larry sat up straight like a lightning rod. ¡°What the fuck, Kappy?¡±


    ¡°time is ticking, larry. you have five minutes to prove to me you¡¯re in this.¡±


    The radio turned off. Larry heaved a sigh and rested his head on the steering wheel. He thought alone in the car until he finally convinced himself to unbuckle and barrel out onto the highway¡ªhurling himself over the railing and stumbled into the woods. He cursed and looked around in a panic as a mental timer continued to tick down. He finally saw what Kappy had in mind¡ªhe had no clue how Kappy knew that it would be here...but here it was. It was a stray dog¡ªscrappier than most he¡¯d seen¡ªit looked about how he felt. Its back leg was bent at an odd angle¡ªit looks like it was broken. The dog must have been here in suffering for a long time because it no longer cried out. It only looked at Larry and thumped its tail weakly. In that moment time seemed to stop and a world of indecision flowed inside him like a whirlwind.

 SIDE A | CHAPTER 6

    Larry George


    July 17<sup>th</sup>, 2015


    Lights.


    Camera.


    Action!


    The cheers of the crowd drowned everything else out. Lasers shot into the sky in all colors and assortments. On the stage was a single performer¡ªa single talent that encapsulated the joy of all who stood in attendance.


    Larry George stood tall on the stage with his guitar strapped over his shoulder. He was forty-nine years old and still carrying the most energy out of everyone at the Saratoga Performing Arts Center. He thrust his hands into the air into a rhythmic clap. The audience joined him and the combined synchronicity of the noise drove Larry into his final song for the night¡ªhis hottest single and the very song that sent the crowd into a vivacious explosion of excitement at the very start, ¡°Little Moon¡±.


    The night blossomed into cherished memories that the concert-goers would remember for the rest of their lives. When the show eventually ended Larry wanted nothing more than to forget the night ever happened. His life hasn¡¯t been his life¡ªthat much has been true since the very beginning. Kappy designed his childhood so that he could have full and total control over his adulthood. It was a simple fact of life that he has known for a long, long time. And yet each day still promised him the tantalizing thought of what freedom could be like. Larry dreamed about freedom every single night¡ªbut he knew exactly what that freedom would cost.


    Larry drove alone back to his hotel room and undressed. An earpiece remained in his ear from the concert¡ªhowever it wasn¡¯t for any negligent reason.


    ¡°excellent performance larry. aren¡¯t you happy? you have your childhood dream of playing all these big shows.¡±


    Larry didn¡¯t respond. Terrible memories flashed through his mind each time he heard that cursed voice. He hasn¡¯t talked to Kappy since the day he broke inside. It was after the dog¡ªback in 2013¡ªwhen Kappy ordered Larry to end the life of a young girl who was a fan of his music. Kappy had assured him that he would not face any legal ramifications, and Larry was more than sure he was telling the truth, but obviously that was not the major concern Larry had with the request.


    ¡°You¡¯re asking me to kill someone, Kappy. I can¡¯t do that.¡±


    ¡°i am done explaining this to you, larry. you do as I advise. you know of the consequences. unfortunately your father has passed, but there are others you care about. and if somehow you no longer care about them in an effort to spite me, then I have prepared for that possibility as well. let¡¯s just say more than a single person will die if you do not listen to me.¡±


    And so Larry did. It wasn¡¯t difficult by any meaning of the word. Larry was set up at a yearly convention in Saratoga when the girl approached him for an autograph¡ªshe couldn¡¯t have been older than ten. There were plenty of witnesses all around¡ªit was inside a crowded convention center after all.


    Yet.


    No-one.


    Cared.


    He wrapped his hands around her throat and picked her up. She flailed. Gurgling sounds spewed from her throat and nobody around gave them the time of day. Larry finished and dropped the girl to the ground¡ªstill invisible to the people around. He moved on with his day. He never spoke back to Kappy again¡ªonly listened when he was given advice and he followed it.


    Now he sat in his empty hotel room as the excitement of the concert died down inside himself. Kappy spoke in his ear.


    ¡°i think...that the time i have been waiting for is ready to come. larry, we¡¯re going to cancel your show tomorrow. i want you to come to where i am. i want you to see me face to face.¡±


    Before, this kind of news would have begged all sorts of questions from Larry, but he was through with questions¡ªthrough with asking¡ªthrough with fighting. He did not answer, but he would comply.


    He slept and on the very next day started up his car and drove. He turned when told and ended up driving for four hours without stopping¡ªignoring the hunger that built up. He wasn¡¯t sure if Kappy cared if he ate so long he followed what he was told.


    He arrived in Washington DC after eight full hours of driving¡ªonly stopping when commanded by Kappy to refuel. Larry¡¯s stomach was screaming for food, but he still not dared bend from the commands. He parked outside what looked to be an abandoned Costco. His was the only car in the lot¡ªand it was strange to see any sort of parking lot as empty as this was.


    The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.


    ¡°make your way inside and find the employee break room, larry.¡±


    He turned the car off and suddenly felt the weight of the cassette player in his pocket. He sighed and stepped out of the car, did what he was told and entered the Costco. The lights were all turned off¡ªit looked like nobody had been around to pay the bill. The uneasy smell of rotting food invaded him. With no power the refrigerators had stopped working, leaving everything inside them to go to waste.


    He forced his stomach to stay still as he pressed on. He moved passed the empty check out lanes to a section of the store marked ¡°EMPLOYEES ONLY¡±. The rotting smell only grew as he stepped inside¡ªthe break room was thrown apart by what must have been looters looking for an easy meal. Whoever did it must not have been satisfied as all the food that had once sat in the refrigerator now lie out in the open with flies feasting happily.


    Larry held the headphones close to his ear but this time didn¡¯t hear Kappy¡¯s voice through them¡ªhe was close enough to hear the echoes of his guide¡¯s voice through the walls.


    ¡°come downstairs, larry.¡±


    He didn¡¯t move¡ªsimply looked to confirm that he did not see any sort of stairs that he could feasibly walk down. Was this how his journey would end? Stuck in some dead-end store to never end up finding the one who had called him here? It turned out¡ªno, that was not how this story was going to play out. A panel in the wall receded and opened to a doorway six feet tall¡ªit opened to darkness. To anyone normal this fact might cause confusion or wonder at the events playing out¡ªto Larry he simply sighed and moved toward the doorway.


    He took the first step into the darkness and found his footing on a stone slab of a step. Each step down was a greater leap from the last¡ªuntil the last of which he had to sit down to crawl his way off the edge as the distance between had been a good ten feet.


    ¡°you¡¯re almost there.¡±


    Larry continued forward. Lights guiding his path from above him until he reached a large metal door that looked twice his size. It opened with a slow, crawling groan and bade him inside. The room was mostly empty¡ªmachinery of unknown purposes clung to the far edge of the cylindrical room, but in the center commanding attention was a singular tank connected at both the floor and ceiling. The tank was filled with a green fluid and some sort of creature¡ªone the likes Larry had never seen before, but in his heart, he knew exactly what it was.


    It was an amorphous being that floated inside the tank¡ªits body was filled with a multi-colored gel that glowed as he walked in.


    ¡°welcome, larry. you¡¯ve finally made it. i bet you have plenty of questions.¡±


    ¡°I only want to know what you are. Everything else I¡¯ve stopped caring about. If you¡¯re going to ruin the rest of my life I at least want to know why.¡±


    ¡°i do not aim to ruin your life, larry, but I shall tell you my story. you are the first in a long time that I will...¡±


    It was late in the summer of 1903 when a meteor crashed into southern Kentucky grasslands near a farm owned by an old man. Inside the crater a protoplasmic specimen crawled on gooey appendages before shifting its appearance to that of a human infant before being discovered by the man. Confused of the child''s origin his hospitable side had him take the child in; caring for it as if it were his own.


    The infant aged slower than a normal human. After 25 years of caring for the child the farmer passed away and the creature looked like that of a 15 year old¡ªit had no gender and no name which it was called¡ªthe farmer had only referred to it as ¡°You¡±.


    Once the farmer passed, You stayed in the farmhouse as it was the only home it had known on Earth. It was able to stay here until one of the farmer''s exporters¡ªconfused at the mysterious cease of shipment¡ªarrived to investigate. The exporter discovered the farmer¡¯s corpse and the creature he believed responsible for the act.


    The farmer never made public knowledge the existence of the child, so the exporter believed that the creature had murdered the old man to take his home. He confronted You, accusing it of murder and theft of the man''s home, which caused the creature to become upset. The exporter called the police and drove the creature out of the old man¡¯s home. For the next eleven years You would live off the streets and on the run¡ªonly visibly aging about four years in that time. During its experiences with the Great Depression You learned how to deal with sorrow and how to survive on the smallest amounts of food.


    As Germany invaded Poland in 1939 You took notice of the savagery of the German blitzkrieg. It sympathized with those they terrorized. It listened to a lot of blues around this time¡ªconcocting a new identity based on one of its favorite singers, Alonzo Johnson. It shifts its physical appearance to be more masculine and enlisted in the army¡ªremembering the stories that the farmer had told it about his time at war.


    It was put on reserve under the alias of Alonzo Johnson. It succeeded in its training to join the United States Third Army. It was sent to clean up Germany in the invasion that took place in 1945. It acted differently in combat as it was trained, as it didn¡¯t care about protecting its fellow soldiers. It instead focused on defending those who cannot defend themselves, such as with the Polish and German Jews who were stolen away into the concentration camps. You saw the war through to the end. It witnessed the trials of the German soldiers and the aftermath of the fighting. You¡¯s sense of justice over humanity wanes as it comes to terms with the atrocity of the war crimes that these humans could inflict on one another.


    As You dedicated itself to rebuilding the lives of those destroyed by the war it saw that the victims it tried to help also carried darkness within. Cries of revenge and blood lust were common whispers that traveled through the night. During this time You began to fully understand human nature¡ªit only served to wrong and hurt one another rather than to live and co-exist. It was also during this time that the creature discovers its ability to project its voice through certain human electronics, but only devices that the creature''s personally touched can be made into a channel for it to communicate through.


    It spent its time throughout the second half of the 1940s and all of the 1950s creating 95 different channels through which it could communicate through. You decided that if humanity was willing to fight itself to extinction it would stop fighting it, instead it would act as its guide to the bitter end. It had sent the channels it had created to guide certain individuals to turn the tide of the planet.


    Unfortunately, the first listeners of You¡¯s voice didn¡¯t last longer than three months without ending their lives. Disturbed, You had been shocked to learn that the human mind was quite more fragile than it originally believed. Most people that listened to You ended up dead sooner rather than later. All except for Larry. Larry was the one exception who lasted. He suffered immense tragedy, but he still continued¡ªhe still lasted. You would do everything in its power to make sure he would continue to last.

 SIDE B | CHAPTER 3

    Jake Carroway


    April 31<sup>st</sup>, 2032


    The air tasted like ash. There was a sudden sound of reality kicking back into my ears. As consciousness returned so did the sounds. It wasn¡¯t pleasant, because it came with the pain. My body ached from head to toe, I wasn¡¯t even sure if all of my body made it to the ground.


    My eyes opened to harsh sunlight and a ringing pain in my side. My fingers clutched the dirt as I strained to lift my head. The sound of fire crackling was my only companion. It crackled and suddenly it felt like all the air around me had vanished as the remnant heat forced heavy coughs out of my lungs. I spat up blood onto the ground, it looked nasty and I could only fear what my insides looked like.


    Some part of me knew I had survived the accident, but until I brought my hand to my chest to feel my heart beating I didn¡¯t believe it.


    Accident? Was it just some freak accident? I tried to think back. I was talking to Jen¡ªapologizing and then all of a sudden there was just...nothing. No, there was a sound. A...crack. I looked over to see the source of the fire¡ªa giant heap of metal that used to be the plane I was on was now sending black smoke to the sky.


    You weren¡¯t the only passenger.


    My eyes opened wide and I struggled to my feet. Pain lunged into my right arm¡ªI looked down to see that it was broken. I had to put that aside¡ªat least for the moment. Matt was somewhere in this wreckage and I had to see if he was okay.


    I stumbled once. Twice. Finally making my way over to the bonfire. I used my good hand to shift over un-burnt piles of debris, but none of them revealed a body.


    ¡°You¡¯re okay, that¡¯s a relief.¡± I heard from behind me.


    I turned and Matt was standing off in the distance. He was definitely dirty, but other than that he looked otherwise unharmed.


    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m alive. A little banged up, but I¡¯ll survive,¡± I said. ¡°You look like you¡¯re one lucky S.O.B, though.¡±


    His face darkened¡ªdefinitely not the response I was expecting. ¡°Yeah...about that...¡±


    ¡°What?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Not here. Its not an easy thing to talk about, and we need to find someplace safe.¡±


    ¡°Do you have any idea what happened, at least? I don¡¯t remember anything after I stepped out.¡±


    He shook his head. ¡°No, you walked out and then...¡± he shrugged his shoulders. ¡°Something happened¡ªwhether we were struck down or not I don¡¯t know, but that was when I...¡±


    ¡°Come on,¡± I said, ¡°we¡¯ll talk about it on the way. Let¡¯s try to find our things if they¡¯re not charred.¡±


    He nodded slowly. The closer I got to the main mass of metal the more my arm hurt. I held my arm close to my stomach as I saw what I feared¡ªall of our gear was burning with the rest of it. We were lost, barely alive, and now had no supplies. Great. Why didn¡¯t we think that there was a possibility we¡¯d be shot out of the sky? I turned back to Matt and shook my head.


    ¡°Damn, hoped we could have at least salvaged something from the wreck.¡±


    I sighed. ¡°Yeah. I don¡¯t even know where we are¡ªmuch less which direction we should go.¡±


    ¡°Well,¡± Matt started. ¡°...the plane is facing that way,¡± he pointed at what looked like the nose. ¡°If we assume that we fell straight down then we can try moving in that direction.¡±


    ¡°What if we spun as we fell?¡±


    ¡°We didn¡¯t spin.¡±


    ¡°You know this?¡±


    ¡°I do.¡±


    ¡°Okay, then.¡± I said. ¡°We go that way.¡± We started walking past the burning wreck. I waited for him to start talking on whatever was bothering him, but he wasn¡¯t so inclined. ¡°Do you know how much longer we had in our trip?¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°Okay...do¡ª¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not...right.¡± Matt blurted out.


    ¡°Not right?¡±


    ¡°When I woke up in California I wasn¡¯t right. I wasn¡¯t like how I was before. I could do things I couldn¡¯t before¡ªstrange things like...well...like what happened up there,¡± he looked up toward the sky.


    ¡°What happened up there?¡±


    ¡°When whatever happened happened¡ªI still don¡¯t know quite what did¡ªI protected us as we fell. Created a shield I guess you could say.¡±


    ¡°So, it wasn¡¯t just luck that we lived?¡±


    He shook his head and was clutching his arms tight. ¡°No. There was an explosion of some kind¡ªbefore I knew it we were falling. I saw you in free fall¡ªyou had passed out. I created our shield as the plane fell around us. I fell faster, so when I hit I still was protected...however I lost my focus on you.¡±


    ¡°So that¡¯s when I broke my arm.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m very sorry. I didn¡¯t know how else to help.¡±


    ¡°No, don¡¯t apologize. If you didn¡¯t help I would be dead.¡± He acknowledged this fact, but it didn¡¯t too much to improve his mood. ¡°I don¡¯t think you¡¯re a freak, or any other thing that you must think.¡± I said. It was the first thing that came to my mind. ¡°It¡¯s not my first time meeting someone who could do something most other people can¡¯t. I mean I know the Cresses after all.¡±


    A small smirk crossed his face. ¡°No, I don¡¯t feel like a social outcast if that¡¯s what you mean. I¡¯m much too old to be feeling insecure about how others think of me. No, my problem lies in with myself¡ªsolely myself. Sometimes I remember things¡ªthings I cannot be sure actually happened, or are simply falsifications made to make me believe...¡±


    ¡°False memories? What would make you think that?¡±


    ¡°I told you what I believe is my past, correct?¡±


    I nodded.


    ¡°Well, along with those memories, there is a second¡ªseparate¡ªset of memories of those days. Almost exactly the same...but just that. Almost. There¡¯s a sister in the second pair of memories. A sister I knew I had, but never met. A sister I whispered to through the walls, one who I told all my secrets to. But I can¡¯t for the life of me remember her name, or face, or if she was even real. And if she¡¯s not real¡ªif I just made her up or someone else did, then who is to say that the rest of it isn¡¯t the same? Who¡¯s to say I am Matt Avery? I am not like you¡ªmy bones aren¡¯t human and my mind can produce things¡ªthe energy that protected us. My fear is of my own existence. I could not take it if I were some android made to think like a human¡ªmy life would not be worth living for some false purpose.¡±


    Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.


    ¡°You seem to have thought a lot about this.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s quite the response,¡± he grinned, but the smile didn¡¯t reach his eyes.


    ¡°Yes, it is. I understand your fear, and if I were in your shoes I would feel the same. I cannot tell you if you are some android or not. I¡¯m not particularly good with machines, myself, but I can say you strike me as a person through and through. So whether or not your memories are real, and whether or not your sister is real, I would say that your life has worth. I believe that you¡¯re here¡ªand still alive¡ªfor a reason. You saved me for a reason.¡±


    He didn¡¯t respond, and we walked for the next few miles in silence. I thought about how much I would love just wake from this terrible dream and have none of the events of the past twenty-four hours happen. Everything would be fine and I wouldn¡¯t have freaked out in front of Jen and we wouldn¡¯t have had to talk about me. We could go on pretending like everything was okay. And then everything would be okay.


    The ground rose and fell as we continued in the direction the plane was facing. It got rougher and soon my legs got tired of climbing up hills. Soon enough the sun set and painted the sky a bright orange.


    ¡°I think I need to take a break.¡±


    Matt turned, ¡°Tired?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, a bit. You¡¯re not?¡±


    He shook his head. ¡°No, I¡ª¡± He turned his head quick and stared out into the distance.


    ¡°What is it?¡±


    He held out his hand and hushed me. ¡°Whoever you are...show yourself!¡±


    I tried to strain my eyes to see what he had seen, but it wasn¡¯t a case of seeing. Behind a hill a small creature the size of a lion cub crawled out. It looked like a round rodent with brown fur and a white tummy.


    ¡°Oh, it¡¯s just a rat,¡± I said, letting relief fill my body. ¡°I thought we were about to get attacked.¡±


    ¡°I. Am. Not. A. Rat.¡± The creature howled with a surprisingly deep voice.


    ¡°Um...¡± I said.


    ¡°You¡¯re sentient?¡± Matt asked.


    ¡°You stupid pea-brains have no clue, do you?¡± It scrambled over toward us like a gecko. ¡°You¡¯ve never seen an Ilot before?¡±


    ¡°Ilot? That¡¯s what you are?¡± I asked.


    ¡°No, I¡¯m a vampire. I just happened to be curious¡ªyes of course I¡¯m an Ilot!¡± It was now bouncing up and down on its spring-like tail like a kangaroo.


    ¡°No, we haven¡¯t seen anything like you before,¡± Matt said. ¡°But that¡¯s besides the point. Do you happen to know where we might find a town¡ªpreferably one with humans in it?¡±


    ¡°Or a doctor?¡± I asked, pointing to my arm.¡±


    ¡°A docdoc?¡± the Ilot walked closer and looked at my arm, tapped it once, and chuckled when it saw me recoil in pain. ¡°Ah! A docdoc! Yes, I think I know where you can find a docdoc. But I ain¡¯t gonna tell ya.¡± It crossed its little arms defiantly.


    ¡°And why¡¯s that?¡± Matt asked.


    ¡°Because you two are suspicious. You come here trying to blow up the sky and think I¡¯m going to just tell you how to find the docdoc?¡± he blew raspberries in my direction. ¡°That¡¯s phooey I say!¡±


    ¡°We weren¡¯t trying to explode...hold on. You saw what happened to us?¡±


    ¡°Saw what happened? I bloody heard it from my hidey-hole!¡± The Ilot paced in a circle, ¡°So there I was minding my own business when boom from up in the sky. I peeked up and saw you two explode from your big metal bird! Then you two weren¡¯t satisfied with attacking the air¡ªthe very same air that I breathe mind you¡ªbut then you had to come and smack your bodies on the ground! Hit the ground with your very bodies you did!¡±


    ¡°Well we can assure you that we weren¡¯t the ones who blew up that plane¡ªthe uh, metal bird.¡± Matt said, and then turned to me. ¡°It¡¯s possible there was a bomb stowed aboard.¡±


    I nodded. It made the most sense with what the ilot had seen. I couldn¡¯t imagine anyone that knew about our trip would do something like that, though.


    ¡°Well, even if I believed you two, you still hit your bodies on the ground! Hit the ground as if you didn¡¯t care about standing on it, you did!¡±


    ¡°Well, we were blasted out of the sky,¡± I explained. ¡°The only way we could go was down.¡±


    ¡°But you could have gently landed like me!¡± He jumped up and extended his arms out, slowly descending as I saw that from his arms to his side was webbing that acted as wings.


    ¡°No...no we couldn¡¯t have,¡± I said and extended my own arm out¡ªthe one not broken. ¡°We don¡¯t have wings.¡±


    The Ilot landed and scratched his hairy chin. ¡°Hm. No wings. No wings and no wings means can¡¯t fly which means use metal bird which means...¡± he looked up in sudden realization. ¡°You hit the ground because you couldn¡¯t fly.¡±


    It took everything in me not to explode, I just nodded and bit my tongue.


    ¡°Yes, exactly. We¡¯re supposed to be on our way to meet the Queen and need some directions¡ª¡±


    At the mention of the queen the Ilot looked at them both wide-eyed and shook his head feverishly. ¡°Nope, no nah sorry I can¡¯t help you with that I have to go do things that isn¡¯t this.¡± He hopped off of his tail and ran as fast as his little legs could carry him.


    Unfortunately, his legs were tiny and thus could not take him very far very fast. Matt caught up with him almost immediately and picked at his tail, holding him up at a distance.


    ¡°That seemed to strike a chord with you,¡± he said, but the Ilot couldn¡¯t hear over his immediate burst into frantic tears. I almost felt bad for the creature if I wasn¡¯t in constant pain from my broken arm.


    ¡°Listen, just tell us where the closest town is and we¡¯ll leave you alone.¡±


    ¡°I caaaaaaan¡¯t,¡± he bawled out. He sounded like a forty year old man crying like a five year old boy. ¡°I can¡¯t just tell you because I have to show you. And I don¡¯t want to show you because you¡¯re dumb and nothing like old ma¡¯s stories were like.¡±


    ¡°Excuse me?¡± Matt asked. ¡°You¡¯ve heard about us?¡±


    ¡°Not you¡ªhumans. Ilot are fated to lead the first humans they come into contact with. It is destiny for my kind and I always heard stories of valiant adventurers who were strong and kind and nothing like the queen but you aren¡¯t strong or kind or valiant or¡ª¡±


    ¡°Slow down,¡± I said, pursing his lips together. ¡°One step at a time.¡±


    He took a deep breath and nodded. Matt let go of him and he ploinked to the ground. ¡°Its the Ilot way to partner with humans. It is what we were created for.¡±


    ¡°Created?¡± Matt asked. I could feel the tension in his voice.


    ¡°Humans of Ing-Land created us. We come from Mother Ilot and are to serve the first humans we come to know. That is how it is supposed to be, although some Ilots ran away before they could bond with humans. That¡¯s where I come from¡ªthe ones that ran away and started having little Ilots of their own.¡±


    ¡°So your...um, Mother Ilot is not the Mother Ilot?¡± I asked. What kind of strange world did we get dropped into?


    Mother Ilot will always be Mother Ilot. Us runaway Ilots just don¡¯t ever ever want to see her ever again.¡± He shook head viciously now. ¡°No no I mustn¡¯t. If you¡¯re here and meeting me now that means I have to join you and go back to see Mother Ilot.¡± He hopped from one tiny paw to the other and was shaking terribly.


    ¡°No, you don¡¯t.¡± Matt said.


    All at once the Ilot stopped and stared at him.


    ¡°I...I don¡¯t?¡±


    He shook his head, ¡°Through whatever irony this may be¡ªyou don¡¯t have to do what you were created to do. You ran away. You have the choice to do whatever you want.¡±


    ¡°I...¡± his eyes opened with a glow and he was tapping his head absent-minded. ¡°I...have the...¡± and then all of a sudden he was back. ¡°I do have the choice! See you suckers! I¡¯m getting far away from Ing-Land!¡± And he dashed away much faster than he ran before.


    ¡°Well, he wasn¡¯t very helpful, now was he?¡± I asked, more in jest.


    ¡°Well he wasn¡¯t hurtful, so that¡¯s one thing. Although I can¡¯t say I¡¯m terribly excited to not have anymore information.¡±


    ¡°Well then we do as we did before,¡± I said. ¡°We continue forward,¡± and I motioned with my good arm.


    Mother Ilot, huh? Something tells me that we¡¯re going to be running into you very shortly.

 SIDE C | CHAPTER 3

    Andrew Cress


    April 31<sup>st</sup>, 2032


    It was past midnight when Andrew finally caught up with Jen. She hadn¡¯t stopped crying for almost an hour. Andrew held her close and told her that everything would be fine¡ªthat Jake was okay and that he¡¯d find a way to let them both know as such. He had a hard time convincing himself of it, but reconciled that it wasn¡¯t the first time they thought Jake had perished, so eventually Jen was able to calm down.


    ¡°I...I won¡¯t give up until I see a body,¡± Andrew said. ¡°He¡¯s resilient. And there¡¯s no way Matt would go down like that.¡±


    ¡°A body...¡± Jen repeated, thinking back to when she had thought she had seen his body be shot¡ªwhen she thought that was the last she would see of him¡ªhe still came back She turned back to Andrew and steeled herself. ¡°The note, I want to see it.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s right here,¡± he handed it to her and then sat down on the sofa, eyeing the glass sphere that contained the explosion that accompanied the letter. The glowing amber sucked in his gaze until Jen was tapping on his shoulder.


    ¡°Hey, I¡¯m sure we could find some googly-eyes and you can marry that thing if you want.¡±


    ¡°Huh...oh,¡± Andrew shook it off and looked back to her. ¡°Sorry. I was just thinking...¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s nowhere near as condensed as...the other one,¡± she said. ¡°But it¡¯s still concerning now we have two of these things to worry about.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll only have one,¡± Andrew said. ¡°I can bring this one out to the bay and I should be able to set it off there¡ªaway from any people.¡±


    ¡°Not Guardia Bay you¡¯re not! Think of all those fish that wouldn¡¯t see an explosion like that coming.¡±


    ¡°No, not Guardia.¡± Andrew shook his head. ¡°Closer to Buffalo.¡±


    ¡°Oh...¡± her eyes went to the floor.


    Buffalo was one of the cities hit the hardest nineteen years ago when the government first went under. It¡¯s come a long way since then and just by looking at the city itself you couldn¡¯t tell that it was ruined so long ago, but the wildlife never fully recovered like the people did. Chautauqua Lake was a prime example of a water-wasteland.


    ¡°I guess...it wouldn¡¯t hurt as much there.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯ll have to be after I meet up with our dear sender here,¡± Andrew pointed to the letter. ¡°I don¡¯t think I have the choice of turning them down.¡±


    ¡°Well, then I¡¯m going to come with you. Someone crazy enough to stuff bombs into their letters isn¡¯t going to be safe to meet up alone.¡±


    ¡°You sure? You free?¡±


    ¡°Of course,¡± Jen said. ¡°Even if I wasn¡¯t I¡¯d clear my schedule. Besides. I¡¯m going to give them a piece of my mind¡ªif I don¡¯t kill them first.¡±


    ¡°It won¡¯t come to that. You know I wouldn¡¯t let it.¡± Andrew said. ¡°Question, then subdue. I¡¯m not a fan of enduring a near-life experience either, but they seem to know something we might like to.¡±


    She groaned. ¡°I hate it when we need bad people.¡±


    I silently agreed with her. ¡°Okay, well, we¡¯re not going to be doing anything productive right now. You hungry?¡±


    ¡°Nah, I drowned myself in chicken earlier. I¡¯d burst if I had anything.¡±


    ¡°You sure?¡±


    ¡°You can¡¯t cook, so anything you could offer would be fast food. Like I said, I gorged myself.¡±


    ¡°Okay...¡± Andrew said. ¡°And I can cook, I¡¯m just...not too familiar with any recipes anybody would like.¡±


    ¡°Right, so can¡¯t cook it is.¡± She said. ¡°No, I¡¯ll just crash on the couch and you can wake me around nine.¡±


    ¡°Wake you?¡± Andrew asked. ¡°Since when have I ever been the one to wake you up? If I recall you always acted as my personal alarm clock.¡±


    She sat down beside me, kicked off her shoes, and stretched. ¡°Yeah, well now you get to pay back the favor, El Presidente.¡±


    Andrew rolled his eyes. ¡°Okay. I¡¯ll set the alarm for nine. If you need anything just holler and I¡¯ll fetch it.¡±


    She nodded, and then scooted me off the couch so she could stretch out. Andrew turned to walk back into his bedroom, but was stopped when Jen called him.


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°Do you need anything?¡± she asked.


    ¡°I...¡± he hesitated. ¡°Having someone else in the house helps. Thank you.¡±


    She nodded and closed her eyes. He looked on her for a minute longer before retiring to his own room. This place had been his home for a few years now, and it had certainly felt like it, but he felt there was always something missing. He was the only one that stayed here through the days, so whenever he came back to it he felt the loneliness hang around the building like a ghost.


    Andrew found his bed and melted into his sheets as his head hit the pillow. For the first time in a long while he didn¡¯t dream of Lindsey. He wasn¡¯t sure if what replaced her was any better¡ªin fact he was sure that it wasn¡¯t.


    He dreamt of Aria.


    There was a stinging pain in his heart and knew that it was a dream¡ªthat it wasn¡¯t real, but the fact was that he missed her. He missed Lindsey too¡ªboth of them were people he grew to love, and both of them were no longer with him. It...had been a long time since he had thought of Aria, though. A few years at¡ª


    That was when it hit him and he woke up staring at the ceiling. The last time that he dreamed of Aria...he knew exactly when that had been. It was three years ago. He was at The Continental Inn with Lindsey, Sarah, and Jay on their way to track down John. The night Lindsey killed herself he dreamed about Aria¡ªthen it must have been the first night he had in five or six years at that point. They didn¡¯t talk about it the next morning¡ªAndrew had plenty of other things on the front burner he needed to focus on. But what if he had talked in his sleep? She has told him that he did that in the past¡ªeven if he never had any idea of when he did it.


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    Could it have been the fact that he had been thinking about someone else that she decided to do the deed? He didn¡¯t think it was the only reason¡ªthey¡¯d talked about Aria enough to the point that she was a person that he had loved¡ªand she wasn¡¯t insecure enough to get jealous at the fact that he had loved someone before her...but there was still something there that ate away at him. It might not have been a trigger, but it must not have sounded like what you wanted your husband to say in his sleep while you were going through some seriously tough shit.


    He drew in a breath and closed his eyes. He would give anything to bring the both of them back¡ªbut he hesitated. No, not anything. That kind of thinking was what made you like Jack. He quite literally did give everything¡ªincluding those that were not his.


    No. The best he could do was to try his best to keep those that he loved safe. He spent enough of his life hurting them as it was. He thought of Jen out in the other room and didn¡¯t have to wonder how she was feeling. He was going to be there for her just as she was for him, and that was that.


    He drifted off once again and his dreams were merciful this time.


    Morning came softly and Andrew woke with a start. The damn alarm didn¡¯t go off! But as he sat up the phone by his side hummed and he only blinked at it absently. That¡¯s happened way more than should logically be possible.


    He swung his legs out from under the covers and silenced the phone. He yawned heartily and stretched, letting the morning sink in. He opened the door and found Jen sleeping still on the couch. He looked at her and she seemed to be resting peacefully. He hoped that all of her sleep was like that¡ªand not only the result of nightmarish fits exhausting her body further.


    For all of the garbage that Jack did...without him at the very minimum I wouldn¡¯t have met Jen. That wasn¡¯t a justification for any of Jack¡¯s actions, but he reconciled that there was always something good to take from a shitty situation.


    Lindsey was out of pain. That was something good, even if he didn¡¯t like to admit it.


    He decided that he¡¯d let her sleep a few more minutes while he took a shower¡ªhe was sure they¡¯d be fighting over it if he did wake her up like they were kids¡ªownership be damned. The thought was tempting to bring some humor to the situation, but humor wasn¡¯t what she needed right now. She needed time to sort through her own feelings, but most importantly she needed rest. He remembered how much he overworked himself in the year following Lindsey¡¯s death. He slept maybe eight hours a week¡ªand to give credit it was work that needed to be done to get where they were now, but he could have as easily delegated more and focused his own duties. It was Jen who helped him step back. It was also part of the reason why he had let Jake and Matt take the case in England.


    Andrew decided it was time that he help to repay the favor and he stepped back into this room and closed the door, working off his clothes. When he slept alone he rarely changed into pajamas¡ªa fact Lindsey used to poke fun at him for.


    He picked out a nice suit from his wardrobe and hung it on the top of his door. This one would be perfect. He stepped into the bathroom and entered the shower after letting it settle. The water coursed off his skin and provided instant relief. He held himself as the heat beat out the remnants of his dreams.


    He wasn¡¯t really surprised that Aria had returned to his dreams. It was a shock that he had kept to himself that he was working with her brother¡ªthe elusive Matthew Avery.


    When Andrew was back in Elysium ten years ago he had heard Aria talk about her past while she lived in London. She never met her brother¡ªnever believed that he knew she even existed. He was supposed to have been killed when she had been discovered by an outsider¡ªthe laws in London were very strict about how many children were allowed to be born per family.


    He never confronted Matt about the situation. They haven¡¯t been on such personal terms¡ªit had always been about the job. But that didn¡¯t mean that he didn¡¯t wonder.


    He finished cleaning and exited the shower. Taking in a deep breath he vowed that when he next saw Matt he¡¯d work up the courage and ask him about it¡ªoffer to tell him about the sister he allegedly never knew. It was selfish holding back the information and if he wanted to help, that was the key.


    He dried his hair and wrapped the towel around himself and retreated back to his room, changing into the nice suit. It was a dark blue with pressed dress pants and a vivid red tie.


    He stepped outside and saw that Jen was still fast asleep on the sofa. He pulled up a chair and sat down beside her. Andrew placed his hand on her shoulder and shook her gently, ¡°Hey, welcome to the new universe where I wake up earlier than you.¡±


    Her eyes opened slowly and she made a small sound of confusion.


    ¡°Wakey wakey,¡± he said, sitting back in the chair.


    She looked at Andrew and then her eyes found the floor. ¡°I dreamt about Jake.¡±


    ¡°I had a feeling you would.¡±


    ¡°It just doesn¡¯t feel real.¡±


    ¡°Well we won¡¯t know until we do some legwork of our own. Now come on¡ªwe¡¯ve got about an hour and a half until we¡¯ve got to go.¡±


    She sighed and rolled over. ¡°You mean an hour for me to sleep and half an hour to rush to get ready.¡±


    ¡°And what have you done with Jen, alien doppelganger?¡±


    She smirked. ¡°You know I¡¯ll never understand how you can just shower and get dressed and have that be it.¡±


    ¡°Just got that natural beauty in me,¡± he said.


    ¡°Pfft, the only thing natural here is the air.¡± She sat up slowly. ¡°Thanks for letting me stay the night. I appreciate it.¡±


    ¡°Anytime,¡± he said. ¡°You go on and get ready and I¡¯ll see about making something for breakfast.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll see if I don¡¯t end up hurling it up.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll take that as a pending compliment.¡±


    ~...~


    When everything was said and done and the both of them were ready, they took one final look out toward the view from Andrew¡¯s front porch. He didn¡¯t know what about that moment there told him that he wasn¡¯t going to be coming back, but he thought it was a mutual feeling between the both of them. Something about this whole situation didn¡¯t feel right, and he started to get a similar feeling to just before the battle in California¡ªthat similar fear of something big going down hung in the shadows.


    Andrew felt his grip tighten against the steering wheel. There was a certain...fear that hung tight in his chest. He looked in the back seat and swore he saw a shadow. Was it...Lindsey? Or...was it Aria? Part of me thinks it was a little bit of both. I swallow hard and return forward as the passenger side door opens and Jen slides in. The door shuts and with the shadow creeping behind me I take up the ignition and we head off.


    "Do you have the sphere?" Jen asked.


    "It''s in the back. I don''t have a good idea about bringing it to the talk. But I do want to get rid of it as soon after as I can."


    The ride was a quiet one. The radio is kept to a low¡ªjust to keep the deafening silence at bay. Out of the corner of my eye I could see Jen resting her head on her arm. The sun outside hangs high in the sky¡ªunaware to the stresses of the world. In a way I was almost jealous.


    Laixley came quick. Not too many people were out at this hour, but what few seemed to depend on the cafe that the small town provided. Andrew found a spot to park in¡ªalways without other cars on either side. Ever since he was much younger he had a paranoia about coming too close to others when parking. Even now more than a decade of driving he still felt that tightening up whenever he came close enough. he turned back to see the shadow gone, an action not unnoticed by Jen.


    "Expecting someone?"


    "Been having bad dreams myself. Feeling like an omen."


    She looked over to him and placed a hand on his shoulder, "Yeah, I get what you mean. Feels like we''re clinging on the edge of the cliff and once we head in there we''re gonna be kicking off the side and leaping."


    He nodded slowly. "If anything goes south I''ll keep you safe."


    "I know. But I don''t think anything will go directly south here. Don''t think they would have chosen so public a place if this was where it all ended."


    "That''s true. Unless they''re really crazy."


    "Guess we''ll just have to see for ourselves," she says. She unbuckled and opened her door.


    Andrew did the same, and they looked up at the early morning sun above them and stood in a contemplative silence. After a moment they looked at one another and walked toward the caf¨¦.

 SIDE B | CHAPTER 4

    April 30<sup>th</sup>, 2032


    The air around here hung closer to the ground. At first I wouldn''t have been able to tell you how I was able to ascertain that¡ªbut I noticed it as Matt and I continued to walk. It almost felt like the ground was *pulling* the air downward. Gravity felt more dense. I was sure if I attempted to jump I wouldn''t get as high as I could before. I wasn''t going to attempt because of how sore I was¡ªand my broken arm wasn''t doing me any favors. Of course, if I didn''t expect something was up with the air around us, I would have certainly noticed it when we breached the outskirts of the...well, calling it a city was too light a term. It really was a kingdom.


    Buildings rose high above the horizon point and fractals of light shards hung in the air¡ªI could only guess to their purpose. They looked like luminescent diamonds all jagged and numerous. Their many colors shone brilliant against the humongous castle propped behind it all. Highways and railways swirled the city like a protective guardian. In all essence it looked like a futuristic utopia juxtaposed with medieval grandeur.


    "What...is this place?"


    Matt stood staring in silence. His fists were gripped tight and he looked like he was locked in a terrible memory. I dared not interrupt. Together we stood there until he finally blinked and turned to me. "This place has grown since I last remember it. It had always been advanced, but this is on a whole ''nother level."


    "So, what do you think? Should we carry on?"


    He nodded, "I think we should. Nothing good comes from us standing here. Once we enter we''re going to need to head to the nearest..." He trailed off.


    "Nearest...?"


    The word had completely escaped him. A confused and frustrated look crossed his face. He brought a hand up to his forehead and gripped tightly. "Agh, FUCK what was it..."


    "You okay?"


    "Feels like...like my words are just gone. Like I can''t find the name of the place you get treated."


    "Hospital? Or, like a...general or urgent care?"


    He looks up to me, a dead look in his eyes, and nods slowly. "I don''t know what it is, but I can''t...say that. What''s...wrong with me?"


    I didn''t know what to say. Anything I could felt like fake encouragement. I didn''t know what I''d feel like if I were in his shoes¡ªto not know something so...intense about yourself. It wasn''t good, no matter what the end result was, and yet I couldn''t find it in me to let the conversation hang.


    "I think we both need to get checked out, don''t you?"


    He took in a deep breath. "Yes, you''re right. I shouldn''t succumb to my anxieties. Let''s get a move on, shall we?"


    As we approached what I learned to be London''s inner sector, the fractals of light above us began to shift colors. It made the castle even more a daunting threat. It almost looked like a beast hiding in camouflage. Somewhere within that beast resided the biggest threat to this planet. It felt like the fate of everything rested on how these next few days played out. Of course, that was being hopeful that it would take that long. I didn''t know if it would go any longer than us walking in and being killed on the spot.


    I wondered then how Andrew and Jen were faring. In truth that was going to be the first step¡ªfinding some way to get in contact. I wasn''t sure if international calling was still possible. If I could find access to a cellphone I could text Jen¡ªI had her number registered by heart, but otherwise I feared nothing short of physically appearing would do it anymore. I felt a horrible darkness in my chest for how she must be dealing with how our conversation ended. It played back in my mind she must think I was dead...and that fact would not set well considering past events.


    Finally entering within the city''s limits I was surprised to see strangely dressed people with strange headpieces that looked like crowns that swirled around their heads. The first couple looked at the both of us like we were animals let loose from the zoo¡ªand sure, I could concede that compared to them that''s probably how we looked.


    I don''t know what came over me, but I was almost...afraid to make contact with them. I instinctively drew back like I was some other. Matt seemed to notice, because he was the one who stopped and raised his hand. "Hello, I was wondering if you could point us to the nearest..." he trailed off when it came to the word he couldn''t say.


    "...Hospital. We''re looking for the hospital," I added, gripping my arm as if to signal to them the urge.


    "Yes, we''re in need and are supposed to be meeting with the Queen afterward. We''re the Envoys from the States."


    As if the man on the right''s suspicions were confirmed, his look of tension only solidified. The woman however seemed more resigned to empathy. Her shoulders slackened the slightest bit, "It is...in the middle of the city. They have transport options posted around so you shouldn''t have too much trouble finding it. I''d be wary of talking to just anyone though until you receive Her blessing, though. Dark times out there."


    The man, as if taken offense by her answer, placed his arm around her waist and pulled her away.


    "Well...he was charming," I said.


    "She was right though. People take a real risk on talking to us without a blessing."


    "That''s an actual thing?"


    Matt nodded. "From what I recollect it was an official seal that told others if you were worthy or not of public trust. There''s a ceremony held yearly where people went to renew their blessings."


    "What would happen if you were denied?"


    "I didn''t know many people, so my pool of experience is very shallow, but I heard that you were for all intents and purposes exiled. People who lost their blessing were considered unworthy in the eyes of the land. Businesses wouldn''t hire unworthies, landlords would terminate leases. They''d have to leave. And if they returned..."


    "That''s chilling."


    "No doubt. I won''t lie and say I''m not anxious for that part. I can''t imagine that she looks upon my name fondly considering how things have played out."


    "I think we''re in that same boat. My father being police working for her state and all."


    Matt nodded, "Right, well, come on then. Time we open this box."


    "Box?"


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    A slight grin that came out of habit instead of feeling crossed his face. "Time to see if the cat''s alive or dead." He started off on the sidewalk. A turquoise light streams through a tube embedded into the ground running the length of the street. Its purpose as foreign to me as the fractals above our heads.


    "Ah, right. The thought experiment."


    "Figures it fits here, right?"


    "Whatever you say. I never was much for those kinds of things. I always preferred practicality to hypothetical."


    "You could argue that one leads into another."


    "I could. I choose not to."


    "To each his own."


    We were able to find what the woman regarded as public transportation. Now, in my mind I was thinking it was at the most a bus, maybe a little fancier than normal to fit the environment. In reality, it looked like a fishbowl on wheels. A hard glass exterior made me feel uneasy that this thing would do well in any sort of accident, but with how slowly it drove up it seemed almost impossible like it would have. I looked up to Matt for any kind of clue on what this thing was. He was similarly dumbfounded.


    "You ever see anything like this?" I asked.


    "Never."


    It came to a stop in front of us and a panel on the side slid open. I saw steps leading up to the interior¡ªwhich I could now see the exterior was fully opaque. Inside I saw the large form of the driver. They looked like a bear stripped of all of their fur. Thick hands gripped the strange controls for the vehicle as the large lopsided head turned to us. He greeted us with a snarl.


    "Might as well come on, freeloaders. Already stopped for you."


    "Rather rude to assume us freeloaders," I whispered to Matt, but he was thinking on other things. I don''t know if he heard me. He stepped forward and grasped the railing on the steps and pulled himself up. I sighed and found myself following him up the stairs.


    Inside, I saw that the innards looked like a limousine if you stuck a straw in the side and blew as hard as you could to expand the sides into the globular shape. I saw two more of the intricately dressed people adorned with long purple robes and golden sashes, each with the crown adornment around their heads. Stranger than the sight of the fishbowl or even the garb of the people was that of the endpoint of the crown adornment. They seemed to be plugged into the side of the fishbowl.


    Up on top of part of the dip I saw a sign.


    "Remember to unplug from the bus before you step up. Globubus is not responsible for injuries relating to user error or failure to protect themselves with reasonable judgment. Speed is clearly posted as 10 kilometer per hour per adjusted plug-in give-or-take road conditions. Thank You."


    "So the people who plug in control the speed of the bus," Matt says. "Probably explains why we''re freeloaders. No plug for us to contribute."


    "Not really our fault though, is it?" I asked.


    Matt shrugged as he found a seat across from the two others plugged in. He could have chosen anywhere to sit and of course he chooses to be right near other people. Fantastic.


    "What''s happened to you two? Seems like you been through a war," One of the guys¡ªone with brown hair running down to his neck asks.


    "Feels like it," Matt says. "We''re due to meet the queen. Had a little difficulty along the way."


    "Sucks," the guy says. "Where you headed now? Not off to see her I hope?"


    "Why''s that?" He asked back.


    "Looking like that I couldn''t imagine anything short of you being jailed for an insult on the high order. Don''t even have your Re-Cep."


    "Afraid I don''t know what that is. We''re both from the States."


    The statement seems to draw a confused look from the man. "Well, that is not quite what I expected to hear. But I guess...it would make a certain amount of sense. I thought that travel from the States was forbidden, though."


    "I guess that''s what we''re here to assist with," Matt says. "We''re envoys for the President."


    "Oh," this fact seemed to not settle well with him. "That''s...well, that''s certainly hard to believe if you don''t mind the rudeness."


    "We were blasted out of the sky," I said, then I realized how rude back that sounded. "uh, mind my rudeness."


    The man laughed. "I guess we''re even. And that is quite a tale. You two sound like you have many an exciting. I have to say, I yearned to see the States at least once before I passed, maybe our meeting here is chance. I''m Dinet, how goes two envoys of the sister nation?"


    Sister nation, more like abandoned and beaten stepchild.


    "I''m Matthew, and this here is Jacob," Matt says.


    "Jake," I corrected.


    Dinet looked from me to Matt and then took us in together. "Pretty bland sounding names. Guess that''s an American thing, huh?" He started chuckling.


    "Something like that," Matt answered. "You can see we''re standing at a bit of a standstill against understanding a lot of things, mind if we probe your mind?"


    I saw the other man sitting near Dinet shift slightly closer to the door uncomfortably. I tried to not let it bother me.


    "Fire away, I''ve got quite some time on here if we don''t pick up anymore Re-Ceps."


    "I guess my first question is about that. What''s a Re-Cep?"


    He points to the crown. "Receptor, it dampens and controls your powers in public to prevent accidents. Very strange to hear America doesn''t utilize them. I can''t even begin to imagine how you all regulate your usage."


    Power? These Receptors...there''s more on them I need to know. "What kind of powers do citizens have here?" I asked.


    "Should be the same as you¡ªtelekinesis. Some people report telepathy as I''m sure the popular rumor suggests for you but nobody''s ever been able to demonstrate the ability."


    I felt the slightest nudge from Matt in my side and I glanced to him to see the slightest shake of his head. I don''t know how I knew, but something inside me bid to avoid revealing that I didn''t have abilities like he and everybody else here did. I think it would likely cause a scene and that was the last thing we needed.


    "What is the common procedure for...those that don''t have these powers here? I mean, I''m curious if it compares."


    "Without...?" He asked. "...I guess with a place as large as the States it makes sense that some may crop up here and there. I''m not actually sure. I haven''t seen anybody like that around here, though."


    The bus came to a stop and four people got on in total. First was a woman with neon green hair spiked up and a pair of shades that faded to a normal pair of specs as she entered the fishbowl. Behind her was a man wearing a red version of the garb they all wore, his head was shaved and his eyes looked mean. Behind them both were two people I couldn''t make out¡ªthey stopped for a seat near the front.


    "Ah, excellent. Now we should pick up some speed," Dinet wrapped a hand behind his neck and laid back. "I really hope your meeting with the Queen goes well, so I''m going to recommend before you go you visit the clothier. Set your best step forward and all...although, without a Re-Cep you wouldn''t be able to purchase anything...hm." he began tapping his fingers along the seat. "Hm...I wonder. What time were you both going to be meeting up with the queen?"


    This statement drew the attention of the newcomers immediately. I was aware of all the eyes on me and had to grip my fist tight behind my back to keep steady. "We''re appointed to meet tomorrow at noon."


    "Oh, well then that works out. I''m off work at nine tonight. I could meet up with you and assist with your wardrobes?"


    "We couldn''t ask you to take time off of your own day for that," Matt said.


    "Humble tidings be damned," he waved it off. "I really would like for connections to be at their possible strongest. I''ll not have you squandering any possible chance for a travel opportunity," he grinned.


    "Well, then I''d certainly thank you," Matt said. "Do you have a way for us to meet up? We''re headed to the...we''re headed to get checked up."


    "Oh, well, that shouldn''t take too long to get out of. I assume you''re headed to New London Hospital? I could arrange for a ride to come get you from there, just...hm..." he reached under the garb and grabbed a small square device. It looked like it had a small "G" on the front. "Just press that when you''re out and it''ll call up the G."


    "What does the G look like?" I asked. "So we know what to look out for?"


    Dinet winked, "You won''t be able to miss it."

 SIDE C | CHAPTER 4

    April 30<sup>th</sup>, 2032


    The cafe smelled of fresh biscuits and it occurred simply how hungry Andrew was in that moment. He hasn''t eaten...it had been over a day at this point. The tables were scattered around the lower level and on the upper was the food assembly line where the workers scrambled to prepare everything. He noticed a unique floral pattern adorned across the front of the booth. Looking back down toward the lower area there was a spread of patrons. Immediately Andrew saw who he guessed to be the mysterious writer of the letter. It was an older man sitting alone¡ªhe looked to be in his sixties and looked to be a rigorous sort¡ªrough features and the kind of person that could back up the intimidating aura of the letter. He sipped from a coffee cup and had a look about him that was different than the other patrons. He didn''t have a book or another person to talk with. The move that sealed the deal was his faint smile when he looked up to see me enter.


    Jen joined him and we both took a seat at the table.


    "You picked me out easily enough," the man said. "You look like you''re on a mission."


    The ease of how he began took Andrew off guard, but he could tell it was as false a front for him. He felt a deep seated unnverving feeling from him that echoed his own.


    "It''s been three years. This place has been growing for three years, what have you done?"


    There was no smile on his face now. "You act as if I have a choice. We''re all given parts to play lest we end up dead. Take a load off, this isn''t an interrogation or negotiation."


    Jen was angry, but she was aware of how public they all were. She took in a deep breath. "Who are you, and you have ten seconds to explain why you..." He could tell she was about to say *bombed our friend* but chose to avoid the public reaction. "...did what you did."


    "You can call me Larry. I work for a higher power¡ªone who is very aware of your situation. I''m going to stray from answering your questions on the recent event directly because I''m nothing more than a remote control when it comes to it. You''ll get no satisfactory answers from me."


    "Then what are we doing here?" Andrew asked.


    "I''m to organize a meeting between you and the one I work for. I''m to judge your...compatibility."


    "Just what does that mean?" Jen asked.


    Larry pulled a slip of paper out of his coat pocket and slid it across the table. "You''re to come to this address two days from now. Bring no weapons, but bring the sphere¡ªnot the one you contained from our test. The one from three years ago. There is a method to dispose of it safely and we also have additional things we''d like to discuss."


    "Discuss them now," Jen said.


    "Similar to the plane, I do not have satisfactory answers for you. I only bring directions."


    Andrew gritted his teeth. "If your master or whatever knew me so well he''d know I don''t take kindly to those who threaten me or those I care about. Much less those who act on them."


    The faintest of smiles crossed Larry''s face once more. "You silly fool, you are so much like I was. If you truly care about those you say you do, you''ll follow the directions and stuff the defiant attitude away."


    A bright light rang across my eyes and I saw flashes of people I didn''t know at various points in life and I returned to pieces of a grander puzzle in front of me.


    "Something tells me you know loss," Andrew said, still rearranging the pieces in his mind. "And that you are doing what you can to survive." He blinked hard and raised a hand to his forehead, Jen notices my strain and looks to him hard. "But I still cannot accept some higher force so simply and resign to following orders like that. I''m here to fix this country. To take back the power that was stolen from us. Anything that demands obedience acts as that which I stand against."


    Larry didn''t answer, simply looked at me with eyes that stared at only shadows. Those like that haunted behind him at that very moment.


    "If we go," Jen began, "What would you be ordered to do? What''s your next step? Are you to force us along if we do not comply?"


    "I cannot force you. You are both much stronger than I am. I can tell that from sitting across from you now, and I''ve been told you would have brought the sphere from yesterday with you now. I do not doubt this. I seek to reason with the parts of you that desire to see those that you care for continue to do so. I''ve learned in my very long life that disobeying...directly leads to consequences you can''t even begin to regret."


    Andrew clasped his hands together and pushed back from the table. "Well, I think we''ve nothing more to talk about here."


    "I think likewise," Larry said. "If I''m speaking plain, I would like nothing more than to find a way to rid us of the growing power...but even compared to you, I cannot envision any situation where anything but obeying doesn''t lead to the total collapse of everything we enjoy here."


    Jen stood up, "Well, if I may be so kind to be the first to break the pleasantries, but fuck that."


    Larry smiled small, but it was the first real smile that crossed his face. "If you must, at least visit. He aims not to kill you, otherwise he would have sent a much stronger force to you. He desires something from you, and if you can at least cooperate long enough to rid us all of that sphere, I think that benefits us all."


    "I think that''s the first thing we can all agree on, but we''ll have to talk among ourselves."


    Larry nodded, and then gestured with his hand as he resumed drinking his coffee.


    Jen slid her chair in and both of them exited the cafe. Andrew had the slip of paper clutched in his palm. The directions led to Mount Rushmore. Quite a sizable distance from us now. They would need to make a decision soon in order to make it there by the time Larry asked of them. They walked back to the car, and when they sat inside and closed the doors¡ªa noticeable tension released from their bodies.


    "I don''t have a good feeling about obeying this...whoever it is," Jen said. "Whoever could so callously..." she couldn''t bring herself to finish.


    "I understand. I feel the same way, however...I do feel like we have a responsibility to remove the sphere as a potential danger if we can. I have an almost worse feeling about that than I do whoever is giving him orders."


    Jen let out a sigh. "I know the time after Jack wasn''t going to be a perfect time, but fuck if this isn''t proving to be larger than we bargained for."


    "Yeah...we may need to ask for help on this."


    Jen looked at him fast, "Look at you. Knowing to ask for help."


    "Don''t patronize me. I think this is bigger than any one of us. Is Sarah still around?"


    Jen sat back and pulled out her phone. "Yeah she should be. I think she was sticking around until tomorrow for her flight, but I''m sure she can be convinced to reschedule."


    "What about Sully? Think he''ll be available?"


    "I''ll have to check. I think he might be out of town. I''ll let you know."


    Andrew heard the phone start to ring and he glanced over.


    "Eyes on the road," she said, "I''ll toss it on speaker."


    "Sorry, habit."


    "Please break it."


    "Hello?" The voice was Sarah''s.


    "Hey, how are you?"


    "What''s wrong?"


    Jen looked up to Andrew and took in a deep breath. "Get a feeling?"


    "I''ve been anxious all day. Figured it had something to do with you. Andy with you?"


    "Yeah, I''m right here. We''re driving now."


    "Mind picking me up? I figure you two have something you want to talk about and I''d prefer to talk about it in person."


    "Do you have the ability to cancel your flight?"


    "Going to be an involved issue?"


    "I think so, yeah," Andrew said. "Should probably do it now while you can."


    "You still have the address?" Sarah asked.


    "Yeah, I can steer him in the right direction. Been doing it this long may as well continue."


    "Your career in stand-up leaves a lot to be desired," Andrew mulled.


    If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    "We can be there in about ten." Jen grinned.


    "Got it. I''ll be out front."


    She ended the call and started navigating to Sully''s number. Sullivan Waters was Jen''s coworker who excelled at the shooting range. He was a young fellow with a military-like disposition. Andrew was a little put off on their first meeting, but the few times after were a lot better of a show of his kinder side. Even if he was a little standoffish, he certainly would have trusted Sully to be a safe bet to bring along.


    "Hey Sully, you there?" She had this phone off speaker¡ªAndrew was thankful. He wasn''t as close to him so it only would have been awkward. "Yeah, we might need some help...yeah, it''s all official. Okay, sounds good. I''ll let you know when I know more. Okay, see ya." She similarly ended the call and turned to Andrew. "He''s available. I figured we''d talk to Sarah first and come up with a plan before we did anything else."


    "Sounds good."


    There was moment of silence.


    "You doing okay? Less about this situation, more about the nightmares," Jen asked.


    Andrew tapped his hands on the steering wheel. "I feel this...shadow over me. Like, a presence that hangs just on the edge of my vision. Stealthy it sneaks and hides so most of the time I don''t notice it, but it''s there, always reminding me when I''m on the edge of forgetting."


    "Do you remember what you told me when Mom died?"


    Andrew remained silent.


    "It wasn''t right away. It took a few days for us to talk to each other again. I was kind of mad at you for that. But when you did, what you said stuck with me. You said ''No matter how bad you feel, how much you feel like breaking. No matter how dark your pit is, the strange thing about people is that they can always dig themselves out. Mom was dead for a long time before we found her, and I''m not talking about physically.'' It took me a long time to put that together in my grieving mind. You were right, and it did help me slot my feelings properly knowing that blaming myself was only hurting us." She placed her hand on Andrew''s arm. "That shadow of yours is a liar. Do not let it take you in its sweet whisperings."


    "I appreciate it," Andrew said. "It doesn''t whisper to me. I don''t want you to worry about that. I just think sometimes it feels like it hangs around."


    "Tell it that it''s uninvited."


    "I¡ª"


    "Don''t you say that it''s implied because this shadow isn''t a real person. It doesn''t understand implication. It doesn''t understand anything. It''s all about you telling yourself that it is uninvited."


    On these words, Andrew thought. They arrived at the Grand Orlen Hotel a few minutes later. The building was wider than it was tall¡ªit was one of the surviving rest locations on the East Coast. Others like it attempted to rebuild but were poorly managed or sold off to bigger sellers. The Grand Orlen was helmed by Parker Petrelli, who Andrew would have described as a business soldier. She and Andrew met privately a few times discussing the limits of the G.O.''s growth while the country recovered. He could swear that by the end of the decade he''d be witnessing the birth of a new chain.


    Sarah was sitting on the stone wall of the fountain in the front of the hotel. Andrew didn''t notice it when they met up the day before, but he could see that the anxiety had been taking a toll on her. She looked like she didn''t sleep well at all. Jen rolled down the window and Andrew slowed to a stop.


    "Hey," Jen said.


    "Hey yourself," Sarah said. "I brought everything. My stay at the hotel is over with. Can I toss the suitcases in the back?"


    "Yeah, that''s more than fine," Andrew said as he popped the trunk.


    "Great, I''ll be a sec¡ª" The two suitcases floated toward the rear of the car. "Oh, thank you Andy."


    "No problem. I...actually just remembered something, one second." He put the car in park and unbuckled. Sarah looked at him confused as the suitcases slowly fluttered back to the ground just outside the car.


    "You okay?" Sarah asked. "I could have gotten it."


    "Fine, just forgot something was in here, don''t want to risk breaking it."


    "Oh, shit," Jen said, remembering.


    "Yeah, we''re going to need to make a pit stop," Andrew said, pulling out the sphere. It sat in his hands slightly larger than a baseball. Swirling orange energy pulsed inside.


    "What''s..." Sarah''s eyes widened as she saw the sphere. "That''s not..."


    Andrew shook his head, lifting the two suitcases by hand into the trunk. "No, it''s not his. It''s involved with the story, though. We were going to dispose of it. We can fill you in on the way, though."


    "Right, okay. Let me slide in here and tell me what''s up."


    Andrew shut the trunk and got back into the driver''s seat. The three of them left with the noon sun hanging high above them.


    "So, we''re kind of in over our heads," Jen began. "Think you''d classify it that way?" She looked to Andrew.


    "Yeah. Certified." He said.


    "So, from the beginning, Jake and Matt...we''re both hoping they''re fine but we don''t know. Last night Andrew got a letter in a box that had a bomb inside it. That''s what that sphere is that he''s got with him now¡ªwhoever sent it was...I dunno, testing him I guess?"


    "Jesus...you contained it even though you''re still containing John?"


    "It was...tough. Once we get rid of this one I''ll be able to let go of the tight leash a bit, but that''s why I felt so stupid about lifting your luggage. I don''t really have the energy to spare."


    "Then stop being so damn polite," Jen said, "Focus on keeping it together. We can handle ourselves."


    "Right. Sorry."


    "Anyway, we met up with who we thought wrote the letter. Turns out it was just a messenger. Seems to be under the influence of whoever really did. Was this old guy who met us in the cafe on Laixley."


    "Did you learn anything about who is behind all of this?" Sarah asked.


    "I saw bits and pieces of the man''s memory. Saw a lot of sadness, but I couldn''t make out any fine detail. He seemed to imply that whoever it was had immense power and knowledge."


    Sarah thought this over. "I wonder...if this ties back to Friedrich."


    Andrew''s gaze darted to the side slightly.


    "Your grandfather, right?" He seemed to pose the question to the both of them.


    Sarah nodded. My memory of that dream isn''t as clear as the day I had it, but so much of it hung heavy on my mind. He''s dead, but we never learned what happened to his other experiments. Maybe one of them is behind this?"


    "If I remember correctly you mentioned that only the one survived? Sonja I think?"


    Sarah nodded. She was...not fully human when she left. Friedrich replaced so much of her with inorganic parts. I fear she could be out there and just as much of a threat as Jack was¡ªmaybe even more."


    "That thought doesn''t sit well with me..." Andrew began. "I wonder...if something similar to what happened near the end will happen. If some genetic shield will come into play again."


    "I hope not," Jen said. "That kind of material...it wasn''t meant to exist. I felt like my body was tampered with entering it."


    "Yeah, I know what you mean," Sarah said. It took me a little bit to feel like myself again."


    "Our plan now," Jen said, rerouting them back to the main course. "Is to decide if we''re going to meet up with the person behind it all. They''re waiting for us at Mount Rushmore. I kind of feel like us going is inevitable, I guess it just depends on what our plan is when we get there."


    "I see," Sarah said. "Well, I''m a hundred percent down with coming along. If there''s even a chance it has anything to do with Friedrich I feel I have some responsibility to step up."


    "It''s not your responsibility to clean up after your blood," Andrew said.


    "Touche, Andy."


    He had no good retort to this.


    "Besides, if I backed down I''m sure I''d meet with a disappointed John come next dream."


    At this point they were all silent. This was something Sarah hadn''t meant to reveal¡ªnot yet at least. It had been going on since the end of the Radical-9 Incident, but a part of her felt like being able to meet with him and Jay on the odd occasion felt personal¡ªspecial. Suddenly she felt anxious about keeping the secret from the both of them.


    "I''m sorry, I should have told you both sooner. It''s in my dreams. I still like...connect with him. Sometimes Jay appears, but not always."


    "How is he?" Jen asked.


    "He''s...better. He doesn''t remember he''s gone until a ways in each time. It''s nice to pretend sometimes like he''s still here."


    "I know what you mean," Andrew said. "Maybe...if this person is connected to Friedrich you could connect with them?"


    "I...am not sure. I think it would have to be something I actively tried. I think if it didn''t happen up to this point it''s not gonna happen by itself."


    "That makes enough sense."


    "Unfortunately I''m not too sure how to actively trigger it. I know it happens enough when I dream¡ªthat much is simple, but when I actually become unconscious it kind of leads the way. Anything can come to me at that point."


    "Maybe we can try on the way. It''s going to be more than a day''s drive, plenty of chance to try."


    "Not sure how great the reception''ll be in here," Sarah joked, "but I''ll give it a try."


    Once they arrived at the lakefront Andrew found a parking spot near the lodge close by and shut the engine off.


    "Going to be a quick affair here. I''d say in the car, both of you."


    "Promise you''ll try to avoid the fish?" Jen asked.


    "Going to try. Can''t promise they won''t stay away from me. Once it goes off I''ll have to shield myself, will try to use the energy I was sealing around the sphere to save any I can."


    "My hero," Jen said.


    "Yeah yeah."


    "You need any help?"


    "Didn''t know you developed telekinesis," Andrew said.


    "I haven''t...at least not yet. But maybe I could help augment yours? I dunno, I want to feel helpful."


    "You''re fine staying in here. I''ll be back in a few."


    Andrew shut the driver side door and walked the few steps to the water''s edge. He took a few steps into the water and felt the cold touch his legs. "N-Nope, gonna prevent that real quick" He said as his teeth chattered. A thin layer of air surrounded him and he continued down into the center of the lake. As he continued on the lakebed he had to increase the strength of the air around him. He would have liked to get to the deepest part of the lake, but he was running out of strength to keep the air up. He got as deep as he possibly could and around him in the murky depths he saw various trout and carp swimming around him. Some larger fish took interest in the large air bubble and began swimming up beside it.


    Sorry Jen...I''m not going to be able to save everyone of them here.


    He held out the sphere in front of him¡ªhoping that the light that was now glowing would be enough to turn the fish population away, but they seemed attracted to the new light. Andrew closed his eyes and relaxed the casing around the explosion inside. He tightened the air pocket off between him and the explosion and pushed with all of his force downward toward the dip in the lakebed. It funneled down before shooting up through the center of the lake.


    The sound was deafening beneath the waves. The force pushed him back¡ªenough that his hold over the shield went completely and water crashed into Andrew from all sides. The cold battering beat the air out of his lungs. He surfaced and took in a great breath before coughing hard. A single frame of a gigantic water tank flashed in his mind that froze him still. Somewhere, from the depths of his mind came a voice.


    And with all your smarts, you understand that the larger threat still exists contained. Just how will you get rid of that by yourself?

 SIDE C | CHAPTER 4

    April 30<sup>th</sup>, 2032


    The cafe smelled of fresh biscuits and it occurred simply how hungry Andrew was in that moment. He hasn''t eaten...it had been over a day at this point. The tables were scattered around the lower level and on the upper was the food assembly line where the workers scrambled to prepare everything. He noticed a unique floral pattern adorned across the front of the booth. Looking back down toward the lower area there was a spread of patrons. Immediately Andrew saw who he guessed to be the mysterious writer of the letter. It was an older man sitting alone¡ªhe looked to be in his sixties and looked to be a rigorous sort¡ªrough features and the kind of person that could back up the intimidating aura of the letter. He sipped from a coffee cup and had a look about him that was different than the other patrons. He didn''t have a book or another person to talk with. The move that sealed the deal was his faint smile when he looked up to see me enter.


    Jen joined him and we both took a seat at the table.


    "You picked me out easily enough," the man said. "You look like you''re on a mission."


    The ease of how he began took Andrew off guard, but he could tell it was as false a front for him. He felt a deep seated unnverving feeling from him that echoed his own.


    "It''s been three years. This place has been growing for three years, what have you done?"


    There was no smile on his face now. "You act as if I have a choice. We''re all given parts to play lest we end up dead. Take a load off, this isn''t an interrogation or negotiation."


    Jen was angry, but she was aware of how public they all were. She took in a deep breath. "Who are you, and you have ten seconds to explain why you..." He could tell she was about to say *bombed our friend* but chose to avoid the public reaction. "...did what you did."


    "You can call me Larry. I work for a higher power¡ªone who is very aware of your situation. I''m going to stray from answering your questions on the recent event directly because I''m nothing more than a remote control when it comes to it. You''ll get no satisfactory answers from me."


    "Then what are we doing here?" Andrew asked.


    "I''m to organize a meeting between you and the one I work for. I''m to judge your...compatibility."


    "Just what does that mean?" Jen asked.


    Larry pulled a slip of paper out of his coat pocket and slid it across the table. "You''re to come to this address two days from now. Bring no weapons, but bring the sphere¡ªnot the one you contained from our test. The one from three years ago. There is a method to dispose of it safely and we also have additional things we''d like to discuss."


    "Discuss them now," Jen said.


    "Similar to the plane, I do not have satisfactory answers for you. I only bring directions."


    Andrew gritted his teeth. "If your master or whatever knew me so well he''d know I don''t take kindly to those who threaten me or those I care about. Much less those who act on them."


    The faintest of smiles crossed Larry''s face once more. "You silly fool, you are so much like I was. If you truly care about those you say you do, you''ll follow the directions and stuff the defiant attitude away."


    A bright light rang across my eyes and I saw flashes of people I didn''t know at various points in life and I returned to pieces of a grander puzzle in front of me.


    "Something tells me you know loss," Andrew said, still rearranging the pieces in his mind. "And that you are doing what you can to survive." He blinked hard and raised a hand to his forehead, Jen notices my strain and looks to him hard. "But I still cannot accept some higher force so simply and resign to following orders like that. I''m here to fix this country. To take back the power that was stolen from us. Anything that demands obedience acts as that which I stand against."


    Larry didn''t answer, simply looked at me with eyes that stared at only shadows. Those like that haunted behind him at that very moment.


    "If we go," Jen began, "What would you be ordered to do? What''s your next step? Are you to force us along if we do not comply?"


    "I cannot force you. You are both much stronger than I am. I can tell that from sitting across from you now, and I''ve been told you would have brought the sphere from yesterday with you now. I do not doubt this. I seek to reason with the parts of you that desire to see those that you care for continue to do so. I''ve learned in my very long life that disobeying...directly leads to consequences you can''t even begin to regret."


    Andrew clasped his hands together and pushed back from the table. "Well, I think we''ve nothing more to talk about here."


    "I think likewise," Larry said. "If I''m speaking plain, I would like nothing more than to find a way to rid us of the growing power...but even compared to you, I cannot envision any situation where anything but obeying doesn''t lead to the total collapse of everything we enjoy here."


    Jen stood up, "Well, if I may be so kind to be the first to break the pleasantries, but fuck that."


    Larry smiled small, but it was the first real smile that crossed his face. "If you must, at least visit. He aims not to kill you, otherwise he would have sent a much stronger force to you. He desires something from you, and if you can at least cooperate long enough to rid us all of that sphere, I think that benefits us all."


    "I think that''s the first thing we can all agree on, but we''ll have to talk among ourselves."


    Larry nodded, and then gestured with his hand as he resumed drinking his coffee.


    Jen slid her chair in and both of them exited the cafe. Andrew had the slip of paper clutched in his palm. The directions led to Mount Rushmore. Quite a sizable distance from us now. They would need to make a decision soon in order to make it there by the time Larry asked of them. They walked back to the car, and when they sat inside and closed the doors¡ªa noticeable tension released from their bodies.


    "I don''t have a good feeling about obeying this...whoever it is," Jen said. "Whoever could so callously..." she couldn''t bring herself to finish.


    "I understand. I feel the same way, however...I do feel like we have a responsibility to remove the sphere as a potential danger if we can. I have an almost worse feeling about that than I do whoever is giving him orders."


    Jen let out a sigh. "I know the time after Jack wasn''t going to be a perfect time, but fuck if this isn''t proving to be larger than we bargained for."


    "Yeah...we may need to ask for help on this."


    Jen looked at him fast, "Look at you. Knowing to ask for help."


    "Don''t patronize me. I think this is bigger than any one of us. Is Sarah still around?"


    Jen sat back and pulled out her phone. "Yeah she should be. I think she was sticking around until tomorrow for her flight, but I''m sure she can be convinced to reschedule."


    "What about Sully? Think he''ll be available?"


    "I''ll have to check. I think he might be out of town. I''ll let you know."


    Andrew heard the phone start to ring and he glanced over.


    "Eyes on the road," she said, "I''ll toss it on speaker."


    "Sorry, habit."


    "Please break it."


    "Hello?" The voice was Sarah''s.


    "Hey, how are you?"


    "What''s wrong?"


    Jen looked up to Andrew and took in a deep breath. "Get a feeling?"


    "I''ve been anxious all day. Figured it had something to do with you. Andy with you?"


    "Yeah, I''m right here. We''re driving now."


    "Mind picking me up? I figure you two have something you want to talk about and I''d prefer to talk about it in person."


    "Do you have the ability to cancel your flight?"


    "Going to be an involved issue?"


    "I think so, yeah," Andrew said. "Should probably do it now while you can."


    "You still have the address?" Sarah asked.


    "Yeah, I can steer him in the right direction. Been doing it this long may as well continue."


    "Your career in stand-up leaves a lot to be desired," Andrew mulled.


    The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    "We can be there in about ten." Jen grinned.


    "Got it. I''ll be out front."


    She ended the call and started navigating to Sully''s number. Sullivan Waters was Jen''s coworker who excelled at the shooting range. He was a young fellow with a military-like disposition. Andrew was a little put off on their first meeting, but the few times after were a lot better of a show of his kinder side. Even if he was a little standoffish, he certainly would have trusted Sully to be a safe bet to bring along.


    "Hey Sully, you there?" She had this phone off speaker¡ªAndrew was thankful. He wasn''t as close to him so it only would have been awkward. "Yeah, we might need some help...yeah, it''s all official. Okay, sounds good. I''ll let you know when I know more. Okay, see ya." She similarly ended the call and turned to Andrew. "He''s available. I figured we''d talk to Sarah first and come up with a plan before we did anything else."


    "Sounds good."


    There was moment of silence.


    "You doing okay? Less about this situation, more about the nightmares," Jen asked.


    Andrew tapped his hands on the steering wheel. "I feel this...shadow over me. Like, a presence that hangs just on the edge of my vision. Stealthy it sneaks and hides so most of the time I don''t notice it, but it''s there, always reminding me when I''m on the edge of forgetting."


    "Do you remember what you told me when Mom died?"


    Andrew remained silent.


    "It wasn''t right away. It took a few days for us to talk to each other again. I was kind of mad at you for that. But when you did, what you said stuck with me. You said ''No matter how bad you feel, how much you feel like breaking. No matter how dark your pit is, the strange thing about people is that they can always dig themselves out. Mom was dead for a long time before we found her, and I''m not talking about physically.'' It took me a long time to put that together in my grieving mind. You were right, and it did help me slot my feelings properly knowing that blaming myself was only hurting us." She placed her hand on Andrew''s arm. "That shadow of yours is a liar. Do not let it take you in its sweet whisperings."


    "I appreciate it," Andrew said. "It doesn''t whisper to me. I don''t want you to worry about that. I just think sometimes it feels like it hangs around."


    "Tell it that it''s uninvited."


    "I¡ª"


    "Don''t you say that it''s implied because this shadow isn''t a real person. It doesn''t understand implication. It doesn''t understand anything. It''s all about you telling yourself that it is uninvited."


    On these words, Andrew thought. They arrived at the Grand Orlen Hotel a few minutes later. The building was wider than it was tall¡ªit was one of the surviving rest locations on the East Coast. Others like it attempted to rebuild but were poorly managed or sold off to bigger sellers. The Grand Orlen was helmed by Parker Petrelli, who Andrew would have described as a business soldier. She and Andrew met privately a few times discussing the limits of the G.O.''s growth while the country recovered. He could swear that by the end of the decade he''d be witnessing the birth of a new chain.


    Sarah was sitting on the stone wall of the fountain in the front of the hotel. Andrew didn''t notice it when they met up the day before, but he could see that the anxiety had been taking a toll on her. She looked like she didn''t sleep well at all. Jen rolled down the window and Andrew slowed to a stop.


    "Hey," Jen said.


    "Hey yourself," Sarah said. "I brought everything. My stay at the hotel is over with. Can I toss the suitcases in the back?"


    "Yeah, that''s more than fine," Andrew said as he popped the trunk.


    "Great, I''ll be a sec¡ª" The two suitcases floated toward the rear of the car. "Oh, thank you Andy."


    "No problem. I...actually just remembered something, one second." He put the car in park and unbuckled. Sarah looked at him confused as the suitcases slowly fluttered back to the ground just outside the car.


    "You okay?" Sarah asked. "I could have gotten it."


    "Fine, just forgot something was in here, don''t want to risk breaking it."


    "Oh, shit," Jen said, remembering.


    "Yeah, we''re going to need to make a pit stop," Andrew said, pulling out the sphere. It sat in his hands slightly larger than a baseball. Swirling orange energy pulsed inside.


    "What''s..." Sarah''s eyes widened as she saw the sphere. "That''s not..."


    Andrew shook his head, lifting the two suitcases by hand into the trunk. "No, it''s not his. It''s involved with the story, though. We were going to dispose of it. We can fill you in on the way, though."


    "Right, okay. Let me slide in here and tell me what''s up."


    Andrew shut the trunk and got back into the driver''s seat. The three of them left with the noon sun hanging high above them.


    "So, we''re kind of in over our heads," Jen began. "Think you''d classify it that way?" She looked to Andrew.


    "Yeah. Certified." He said.


    "So, from the beginning, Jake and Matt...we''re both hoping they''re fine but we don''t know. Last night Andrew got a letter in a box that had a bomb inside it. That''s what that sphere is that he''s got with him now¡ªwhoever sent it was...I dunno, testing him I guess?"


    "Jesus...you contained it even though you''re still containing John?"


    "It was...tough. Once we get rid of this one I''ll be able to let go of the tight leash a bit, but that''s why I felt so stupid about lifting your luggage. I don''t really have the energy to spare."


    "Then stop being so damn polite," Jen said, "Focus on keeping it together. We can handle ourselves."


    "Right. Sorry."


    "Anyway, we met up with who we thought wrote the letter. Turns out it was just a messenger. Seems to be under the influence of whoever really did. Was this old guy who met us in the cafe on Laixley."


    "Did you learn anything about who is behind all of this?" Sarah asked.


    "I saw bits and pieces of the man''s memory. Saw a lot of sadness, but I couldn''t make out any fine detail. He seemed to imply that whoever it was had immense power and knowledge."


    Sarah thought this over. "I wonder...if this ties back to Friedrich."


    Andrew''s gaze darted to the side slightly.


    "Your grandfather, right?" He seemed to pose the question to the both of them.


    Sarah nodded. My memory of that dream isn''t as clear as the day I had it, but so much of it hung heavy on my mind. He''s dead, but we never learned what happened to his other experiments. Maybe one of them is behind this?"


    "If I remember correctly you mentioned that only the one survived? Sonja I think?"


    Sarah nodded. She was...not fully human when she left. Friedrich replaced so much of her with inorganic parts. I fear she could be out there and just as much of a threat as Jack was¡ªmaybe even more."


    "That thought doesn''t sit well with me..." Andrew began. "I wonder...if something similar to what happened near the end will happen. If some genetic shield will come into play again."


    "I hope not," Jen said. "That kind of material...it wasn''t meant to exist. I felt like my body was tampered with entering it."


    "Yeah, I know what you mean," Sarah said. It took me a little bit to feel like myself again."


    "Our plan now," Jen said, rerouting them back to the main course. "Is to decide if we''re going to meet up with the person behind it all. They''re waiting for us at Mount Rushmore. I kind of feel like us going is inevitable, I guess it just depends on what our plan is when we get there."


    "I see," Sarah said. "Well, I''m a hundred percent down with coming along. If there''s even a chance it has anything to do with Friedrich I feel I have some responsibility to step up."


    "It''s not your responsibility to clean up after your blood," Andrew said.


    "Touche, Andy."


    He had no good retort to this.


    "Besides, if I backed down I''m sure I''d meet with a disappointed John come next dream."


    At this point they were all silent. This was something Sarah hadn''t meant to reveal¡ªnot yet at least. It had been going on since the end of the Radical-9 Incident, but a part of her felt like being able to meet with him and Jay on the odd occasion felt personal¡ªspecial. Suddenly she felt anxious about keeping the secret from the both of them.


    "I''m sorry, I should have told you both sooner. It''s in my dreams. I still like...connect with him. Sometimes Jay appears, but not always."


    "How is he?" Jen asked.


    "He''s...better. He doesn''t remember he''s gone until a ways in each time. It''s nice to pretend sometimes like he''s still here."


    "I know what you mean," Andrew said. "Maybe...if this person is connected to Friedrich you could connect with them?"


    "I...am not sure. I think it would have to be something I actively tried. I think if it didn''t happen up to this point it''s not gonna happen by itself."


    "That makes enough sense."


    "Unfortunately I''m not too sure how to actively trigger it. I know it happens enough when I dream¡ªthat much is simple, but when I actually become unconscious it kind of leads the way. Anything can come to me at that point."


    "Maybe we can try on the way. It''s going to be more than a day''s drive, plenty of chance to try."


    "Not sure how great the reception''ll be in here," Sarah joked, "but I''ll give it a try."


    Once they arrived at the lakefront Andrew found a parking spot near the lodge close by and shut the engine off.


    "Going to be a quick affair here. I''d say in the car, both of you."


    "Promise you''ll try to avoid the fish?" Jen asked.


    "Going to try. Can''t promise they won''t stay away from me. Once it goes off I''ll have to shield myself, will try to use the energy I was sealing around the sphere to save any I can."


    "My hero," Jen said.


    "Yeah yeah."


    "You need any help?"


    "Didn''t know you developed telekinesis," Andrew said.


    "I haven''t...at least not yet. But maybe I could help augment yours? I dunno, I want to feel helpful."


    "You''re fine staying in here. I''ll be back in a few."


    Andrew shut the driver side door and walked the few steps to the water''s edge. He took a few steps into the water and felt the cold touch his legs. "N-Nope, gonna prevent that real quick" He said as his teeth chattered. A thin layer of air surrounded him and he continued down into the center of the lake. As he continued on the lakebed he had to increase the strength of the air around him. He would have liked to get to the deepest part of the lake, but he was running out of strength to keep the air up. He got as deep as he possibly could and around him in the murky depths he saw various trout and carp swimming around him. Some larger fish took interest in the large air bubble and began swimming up beside it.


    Sorry Jen...I''m not going to be able to save everyone of them here.


    He held out the sphere in front of him¡ªhoping that the light that was now glowing would be enough to turn the fish population away, but they seemed attracted to the new light. Andrew closed his eyes and relaxed the casing around the explosion inside. He tightened the air pocket off between him and the explosion and pushed with all of his force downward toward the dip in the lakebed. It funneled down before shooting up through the center of the lake.


    The sound was deafening beneath the waves. The force pushed him back¡ªenough that his hold over the shield went completely and water crashed into Andrew from all sides. The cold battering beat the air out of his lungs. He surfaced and took in a great breath before coughing hard. A single frame of a gigantic water tank flashed in his mind that froze him still. Somewhere, from the depths of his mind came a voice.


    And with all your smarts, you understand that the larger threat still exists contained. Just how will you get rid of that by yourself?

 SIDE B | CHAPTER 5

    April 30<sup>th</sup>, 2032


    Color me surprised. I wasn''t foolish to think that I couldn''t be surprised by more things here in London, but I never expected medical care to be one of those things. They propped my arm inside a gigantic machine and left me there for an hour. I thought they were doing all kinds of crazy expensive tests I never would have been able to afford¡ªbut no. That was the SURGERY.


    My arm''s all fixed. They practically shooed me away after that. I can''t explain it. Must be something to do with the powers they all have now. That part is still taking its time to settle with me. I had to wait outside while they finished looking Matt over. I remember feeling...so angry, when it all came down to it. So much death could have been prevented back home.


    With this kind of technology...so much could have improved. It seemed to the general public they weren''t aware how different things really were, but the Queen knew. Her letter was evidence of such. She knew the whole time and did nothing.


    My anger subsided as my available options to deal with it dwindled. There was no reasonable way to bring this up with the Queen at this point in time. With Andrew here, certainly, I could trust that he could argue the point to the grave. Hell, even if Matt were passionate enough about it, but as we are now and so obviously relying on the fact that the Queen didn''t shoot us down herself...too many things depended on variables not in our control. The absolute frustration of the deal we were given.


    Matt eventually joined me. He seemed to be in higher spirits than when he entered.


    "What''s the news?" I asked.


    "Full checkup. I''m not an android or anything like that."


    "Well that''s good to hear."


    "But I''m like them. I''ve got Radical-9 in my system."


    "Explains the shield magic you got there."


    He looked at me with a perturbed look. "Guess you can call it magic. Might as well." He looked off to the side and I could see the whimsy fade from his face. "Also thought of something. Thought it was me dozing off or something, but I think I saw Andrew back home. He looked worried."


    "When is he not?"


    The grin stayed for longer on his face. "I guess I don''t help that."


    "I could say the same."


    "You know, I''ve got more of a bad feeling about them back there. That so weird of me to think?"


    "I''d say so, I have absolutely no clue how we''re going to navigate this conversation with the Queen."


    Matt shrugged. "We either die or we don''t. It''s not so difficult. Them though, a lot is uncertain."


    Die or don''t...I don''t know how much I cared for the odds being put so bluntly.


    "Well, I guess all we gotta do is press on. Got that button?"


    "Yeah, right here." Matt said. "I was hesitant on giving it a go."


    "Think it''ll self destruct or something?"


    "No, just...unsure. It could theoretically do anything."


    "Just open the box already," I folded my hands into my pockets and leaned against the exterior of the hospital. The air around us was starting to get chilly¡ªif there was one thing all these buildings lead to¡ªit was pretty terrible gusts and gales.


    "Well look at you go Mr. Optimist. We''re gonna have to get you a cat when we get back. Maybe he can keep you warmer than that jacket."


    As if his mention of it made me colder, I shivered. "Toss off. Just press it already."


    "The British is getting to you," He clicked the button and it glowed a dull red hue.


    The ground in front of them immediately opened up from both sides. It looked as if the sidewalk were peeling apart at the seams. Looking inside, I saw deep tracks that looked to continue far past where I could see. Rising up from the tracks looked...almost like a spaceship. Compact was certainly a word for it as much as cosmic was. Angular edges jutting¡ªI felt if I brushed up against it I''d need to bandage myself immediately.


    "Huh, guess Dinet was right. Surely couldn''t miss this."


    "Are we even going to fit in it?" I asked.


    "Guess we got not much of a choice, do we?"


    I scratched my head. "No, I guess not. Would be pretty foolhardy to pass up this opportunity."


    The doors opened up from the top hinge. When Matt stepped in I quickly realized we were going to be packed inside tight like sardines.


    "Hm, shame. Seems there''s barely any room left," Matt said.


    "Stop." I rolled my eyes. "Let''s just go."


    "Waiting for you," Matt said with a renewed vigor.


    "Someone''s excited."


    The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.


    "Just the air of a Saturday night, you know?"


    "God, I can''t even believe it''s Saturday. It feels like a really bad Wednesday right now."


    "Them''s the breaks."


    I bent down and slid into the seat next to Matt and the doors slid shut.


    "Wonder where it''s gonna take us?" I asked.


    "I figure some clothing store or some such. I''m unfamiliar with the businesses here, but it seems the general sentiment of the large variety of stores and businesses is still here."


    The doors swung shut and the vehicle started to lower back under the ground.


    "Guess that explains why we haven''t seen any cars on the road," Matt crossed his arms.


    "Wonder what happens to the exhaust?"


    "Assuming there is any..." Matt said.


    "A fair point."


    I gripped the side of the door when the car took off¡ªthere was almost no delay to reaching max speed. Lights strung up to the walls underground sped by in a blur. The car darted right which threw me against the door.


    "Agh, shit." I called out as the car straightened itself and stopped on the time. "How do they expect people to ride in these?"


    "They probably use their powers to keep themselves unhurt. Only thing I can think of. It''s bullshit though," Matt was rubbing his right arm which had been shoved into my side.


    ¡°Wonder if we could bring this kind of technology westward,¡± I began. ¡°without all the extra pain involved.¡±


    ¡°If all goes well we¡¯ll see a growth for both countries.¡±


    ¡°If all goes well is assuming a lot¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m aware.¡±


    The car zoomed off faster than it did before. It turned three times and I felt each one against the door, cringing as the discomfort grew with each one. Finally, after a few more minutes we came to a dead stop.


    The car began to rise, the dark of the sky appearing above as the ground opened up. The car breached the surface and continued to rise until it stopped fully. The ground closed up enough to allow us to step out as the two doors opened up automatically. I looked over to Matt¡¯s side and saw the familiar figure of Dinet. He looked like he had been waiting for quite some time at the spot where he stood.


    "Well there you are! Figured you would have shown up sooner or later¡ªI know you Americans like to stay up with the moon," he joked. "Jokes aside, I''m glad you''re here. I''ve admittedly been distracted all day planning my getaway trip. So by extension I''ve been excited to help you."


    "Glad to know we''re working for a greater purpose," Matt said, rubbing his arm again.


    "Oh your jokes sting me so," Dinet grinned. "But no worry, I know you have your own reasons so I dare not take offense. Come, though. We waste the moonlight."


    He swayed away toward the entrance of the building behind him.


    "We''ll, I guess we''re not getting anywhere by staying out here," I said. Matt followed me in and immediately the inside assaulted me from all senses. It was...brighter than any store I''d ever been in. Vibrant didn''t even begin to explain it. And the smell¡ªI almost choked on the intense odor. Somewhere between leather and sweat sat the funkiest smell that nearly knocked me over. When I adjusted I saw an overly boisterous woman standing directly in front of me looking like I had the last offering of food in a room sealed for a thousand years.


    Dinet appeared just behind her holding an impressive mound of clothes in each of his hands. "Here, I had the perfect idea for the both of you and Marshie here got us stocked by the dozen if we needed."


    I raised my hands defensively, "I am sure we don''t need anything by the dozen, that is way too much. Whatever you think would be best is more than fine."


    "You''re gonna shine in these."


    "So long as the physical shine is kept to a minimum," Matt said, "We''re still trying to seem professional."


    "Already ahead of you," Dinet turned, revealing a suit top hanging off the others, it was a dark blue pressed neatly.


    "Think that could pair nicely with those bottoms there," Matt pointed out.


    Dinet looked at the set in his hands and smiled. "Now you''re talking my language. Just what I was thinking. Come on, let''s get you over here, I guesstimated your sizes, so let''s do a little trial run-through.


    He handed me a stack of clothes one on top of another. Overwhelmed, I took them to the changing room in the corner of the store and stepped inside. Dinet had picked out a gray two piece suit and a complimentary undershirt which I admit looked nicer on me than those I had been previously wearing.


    Dinet told "Marshie" that he had them both covered.


    "Now, I''ve done all I can to support the cause," Dinet said, staring us up and down as we came out. "You both have to promise you''re gonna do your absolute best to put us right as rain. See if you can negotiate for international travel maybe."


    "Yeah, we plan to discuss a myriad of topics," Matt said.


    "So official. Of course you have your own way of going about things. Don''t let me intrude."


    "No intrusion," I shook my head. "Really, you''ve been a big help. We''ll definitely see if we can find something to get you what you''re looking for."


    Dinet began laughing, "Oh don''t you worry, you will."


    Confidence upon confidence. I wondered if I was ever going to feel enough to present myself like that. We left the clothery looking almost sharper than the vehicle we arrived in. We decided that we''d take the fishbowl when it next passed around to our final destination for the night.


    We took our seats and ignored the same gaze judging our freeloading off the Globubus. I almost expected to see Dinet come back on the bus and our last few hours to repeat.


    The longer we stayed here the more it seemed like it was intended we die aboard the plane. We have no hotel reservations, no money to get any¡ªhaving to rely on the kindness of a stranger. All of it led to the horrible conclusion that we were probably riding straight to our deaths.


    "You anxious too?" Matt asked.


    I looked over to him. He had his right leg crossed over his left and anxious perfectly described his posture. "Yeah, feeling like we''re dressed for the slaughter, personally."


    "Honestly, felt like that ever since reading that letter. Always had the sinister undertone I didn''t care much for."


    "Do you have any plans?"


    "Nope, I''ve pretty much accepted things are going one way or the other."


    "Right..." I thought.


    "Just because I think so doesn''t mean you have to. You still have friends back home to return to."


    "If you desire it, you can too."


    Matt was silent in response. The fishbowl continued its journey¡ªmuch faster than their previous journey on account of the increased public plugged in.


    I rested my head back as I looked up at the top of the fishbowl¡ªthe stretched reflections of the other riders were all around my own stretched image. It almost looked like one of those funhouse mirrors¡ªand in another life I could imagine looking into one of those mirrors at some carnival where things were normal. Where happiness could survive.


    The shadow of the castle loomed over us as the fishbowl got closer. On the wall was a display showing the current path we were taking. It looked like we''d need to get off at the next stop. I returned to staring up at my reflection and thinking on brighter worlds.

 SIDE C | CHAPTER 5

    April 30<sup>th</sup>, 2032


    Andrew couldn''t get the thought of the water tank out of his head. Even when the group gathered themselves up and took off, his mind still dragged his body toward their destination.


    "Any confidence in our situation?" Andrew asked.


    "Less each minute," Jen answered.


    "You mind seeing if you can gleam anything?" He called back to Sarah.


    "I can try. Try to drive easy if you can."


    "Can do," Andrew said. "How long until we grab Sully?"


    Jen brought out her phone and begun typing in numbers. "Lemme confirm some details with him. He''s off in Weymouth right now."


    "Where''s that at?" Andrew asked.


    "South-East Massachusetts," Jen said.


    "All right. It''s in the opposite direction of where we want to go, but honestly, I''m kind of okay with pushing back the meeting with whoever is in charge of this enough for me to gather myself," Andrew said.


    "I get you," Jen said. "Should be nice having some more support in this."


    The both of them went back and forth¡ªalmost to convince themselves more than each other. Sarah rested her head on her arm and let her eyes fall closed. They had about seven hours ahead of them until they reached Weymouth. She couldn''t even imagine the length of the in total. Mount Rushmore was half the country''s distance away. The thought made her shudder, but knew that they''d be rotating shifts for driving so it wouldn''t be as bad.


    As silence rejoined them slowly, Sarah falls into her dreams. The world around her is pitch black. There is an echoing sound of clanging on metal. She spins in a full circle slowly to find out the direction it is coming from. Suddenly, in front of her eyes a patch of the ground ahead of her flashes in sync with the sound. Each reverberation fades it back to darkness but it always comes back¡ªa white flash that reveals the dull-blue metal underneath. Under the surface she sees pipes of all sizes winding and unwinding off to the unknown darkness. A face flashed beside her for but a moment. It was familiar, but she could not place her finger on it.


    Taking a step forward onto the flashing point a new point ahead of her began flashing rhythmically with the sound. It looked like the beginning of a grand staircase. She swallowed hard and was about to take a step forward, but was stopped by an arm on her shoulder. She turned to see John, looking no different than any other time she''s seen him in her dreams. He always looked sixteen¡ªand it always hurt her heart to know he''d never get any older.


    "I''ve been looking for you everywhere...things are..." he looked around, confused. "Things are..."


    This was how it always began¡ªJohn coming so close to realization of his situation before it leaves and it''s like the slate is wiped clean. Only...something in his eyes frightened her. They were different, like he was trying to keep from forgetting.


    "Things are...not good. This place is full of poison. You have to leave."


    "John..." Sarah turned toward him fully. This was the closest he''d ever come. "You remember?"


    His face filled with fear. "Sarah...I''m sorry...I didn''t mean to upset you last time. I...I didn''t mean to imply that things were easy for you. I know it must be hard...hard to continue living, but I need to convince you to stay away from here."


    "Slow down, John. What''s here? Is this Mount Rushmore? I don''t recognize it."


    "You''re inside the mountain. These halls are poisoned. There''s a presence here that is...dark. I can''t see it but I can feel its reach. Even now you''re so much closer to it¡ªit''s dragging you to it like...like it''s got you in its web."


    "That doesn''t make any sense...we''re not even heading toward Mount Rushmore...we were driving to Massachusetts."


    "Sarah...you''re not going to make it there. The presence is changing so much. Please, you have to turn around."


    "I...I''m sorry John, I can''t do anything from here."


    He turned and clenched a fist tight. "Damn it...this shouldn''t be happening...wait, can you connect to..." he hung on the word. "to...Tiki. I think that was her name, right? She was from the outside. She was like that presence...but different. Do you think she can help?"


    Sarah stood staring at him, silent. "I...don''t know who you''re talking about, John." She was confused, because he seemed serious.


    There was an even greater look of fear and confusion painted across his face. "Was...I just dreaming that? Can I even do such a thing...oh god..." his eyes grew wide and he froze in place.


    This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    "John, hey, stay with me here, I need you to talk to me. Who are you talking about?" She shook his side and he turned to her slowly.


    "I...I was in the clouds. I...fought with you by saying something dumb. Do you not remember that?"


    She did not remember that...was it possible that she was just as likely of forgetting? The thought terrified her. "I don''t...I don''t remember anything like that. The last time we talked we were back in Elysium¡ªdo you remember standing above that city of lights¡ªhigher up in the levels? We talked about what you wanted to be when you grew up."


    "Grew up...? Sarah...I''m..." He stumbled not for forgetting, but because she knew it was hard to come to terms with.


    "Dead...I know," Sarah nodded. "You don''t always remember. I...sometimes find solace in pretending with you while I can."


    "We...may not be the same..." he said, staring off into space once again.


    "Not the same? What do you mean? We''re still interacting here, right?"


    "We may not be the same John and Sarah that keep meeting up."


    It was Sarah''s turn to share the look of confusion.


    "I think...we may be connecting at uneven points. I remember things you don''t and you remember things I don''t. I think...I remember something about the future."


    "The future?"


    "Fragments, scrambled like..." he trailed off, and for a moment it looked as if he phased out of existence, but he was still there. "like stars. Like...a shooting star carries a glimpse and then its gone, and I have to wait for another star to pass to get another part. I saw a door. It opened...I think I saw a cave. I was scared. I remembered, but then...I guess I never really forgot. There''s a darkness...above us all. I can''t comprehend it, but a shadow of that darkness is back there¡ª" He pointed at the flashing point of the staircase. "There''s a remnant of darkness back there and it is here to only cause tragedy. You have to get away..."


    "John...I''m afraid we can''t. Even if that''s true...we can''t let it stay here. We have to do something about it."


    His face turns grim. "I know...I just...I want to know that you''re alive for longer. If you die...Sarah..."


    "If I die, then I''ll come join you here. You, Jay, we''ll meet up with my Mom and we can be how we should have been."


    He shakes his head, crying now. "No...I don''t think that is going to work. You''re the only reason I can connect with you¡ªconnect with my dad. It''s because you pull us from...wherever we are. You''re the star I see passing by¡ªwhere I can get glimpses. If you die..."


    Without another word, he was gone. Sarah stood staring at the spot he was standing. Her heart broke in two at the thought. Was...that true? Was her living the only reason that John was able to communicate with her? Would that mean that when she died she wouldn''t be able to see her mother...? She fell to her knees, suddenly the darkness around her felt tragically cold. Still the mechanical clanging sound echoed and in a flurry a horrible anger flushed through all of her system.


    She practically leapt at a running pace up the stairs. Her hands suddenly felt heavy with energy. Her footsteps bolted up the staircase and she found a door which she ripped easily off its hinges without even lifting a finger on it. Down a hall that lit up as she crossed it and suddenly the environment changed. One final step and the metal shifted to damp earth. Raindrops fell from a black sky with a million stars illuminating the plateau she stood at the edge of. The Earth beyond was...different.


    It changed a second later to a different, dark existence that seemed to glow with a dark light that she couldn¡¯t even begin to describe. It didn¡¯t look like anything that could naturally occur on Earth, and yet she was watching it here.


    Another second and it was back to the normal light¡ªbut even then she couldn¡¯t describe it as normal. It was...it almost seemed like layers of lands layered on one another that she could somehow individually identify. Another second change. Another, back. Sarah¡¯s eyes started to roll as it kept flashing back and forth she had to close both of her eyes.


    She was in total silence as she kept her eyes closed¡ªshe couldn¡¯t even hear the rain even though she could feel it against her skin. She wondered if she could just stay like this and wait out the storm, but a part of her knew that she¡¯d have to confront what was ahead of her.


    She opened one eye slowly and was confused. The world around her wasn¡¯t changing so drastically...it wasn¡¯t changing at all. It was all the normal light¡ªshe saw hills bounding off in the distance and she could almost make out large mountains through the fog of the storm. However, as soon as she opened her other eye when ease settled in she was immediately thrust into the visual overload that both changing brought.


    She let out a sound of defeat and closed both of her eyes again. Slowly breathing to regain her composure, she opened her other eye this time, slowly. And almost amazed if it weren¡¯t so awfully composed, the dark world stretched out just as far as the light had. Mountains were in different places, and she swore she could have seen a city off in the distance. Opening her other eye similarly brought on the overload.


    Okay, this was vital information. Looking with both eyes was the straight way to not be able to understand anything. One side saw the light, the other saw the dark. What kind of world was this...and just what happened to me to make it this way?


    Ezrael, do you read me?


    A familiar voice rang in her ears...it was...John.


    She turned around¡ªher eyes still closed. ¡°John?! Where are you? John? I¡¯m scared...please...come back.¡±


    She took a fearful step back as the anger was extinguished immediately and she fell over herself. Explosions rocked the earth as a dark figure grew from the depths as a massive shadow over the skyline¡ªthe stars glowing through their body like a backlight. Horrible laughing rang in her ears as her eyes opened on the back of the driver''s seat inside the car, Andrew was at her side and shaking her awake.


    "C''mon Sarah, we need to step out for a second. Something''s wrong."


    "I..." she was unable to finish when she saw out of the front windshield was the imposing face of George Washington. "How did we get here so fast? How long was I out?"


    "An hour," Andrew said, not taking his eyes off the mountain. "We couldn''t make it to Weymouth. The land around us just...changed. We just arrived here."


    "This is really bad," Sarah said.


    "What''d you see?" Andrew asked.


    She unbuckled and still stared out at the mountain. "Death. Destruction...the end of everything."

 SIDE B | CHAPTER 6

    May 1<sup>st</sup>, 2032


    I stared up at the exterior of the castle. It stood tall like a monolith among the ants. Everything inside me bade me away from entering, but I looked to see Matt standing beside me, similarly looking up at the beast and I thought of what it must feel like for him to be back here.


    "I''m as ready as you say you are. If you want to ditch we can," I said.


    "You''d never follow through."


    "I know, nice to be given the option though, isn''t it? Feels...better about making it our choice."


    "Something like that..." his focus wanes only slightly before coming back into himself. "Let''s go."


    The front gate was open without any sort of door or hatch. It led to a courtyard that was almost too-white to see any detail outside of the shrubbery that lined in rows. Sculptures of various creatures adorned the outside garden. If it were anywhere else I might have marveled closer at the individual pieces, but here I stood with a singular goal.


    I walked forward ahead of Matt, who took to walking just slightly behind me. This was how this was going to go. I took a deep breath and took the lead. I could feel his gaze turning back and forth¡ªwary of anything coming from the sides, but that was the thing¡ªit would have been very hard to take us by surprise. It was a very large courtyard that seemed to be entirely devoid of life. We were the only ones crossing the distance and we would have seen anybody coming from a mile away. Still, we stayed our course and traveled with caution.


    The other end of the courtyard held a gate that was much the same to the one that initially guarded the castle, except it ended at a wall with a very ornate door carved into the front. I couldn¡¯t determine if it was wood or rather ornate stone based on looks alone, so when I reached for the handle on the front, I was surprised to find that the door was remarkably...light. I was able to swing it open with extremely little effort.


    ¡°This place is built to be foreign. I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if the gravity on the inside were reversed,¡± Matt said.


    ¡°I¡¯ve read enough science fiction to believe that at this point. Do you have a plan if we end up walking on the ceiling?¡± I asked, turning slightly toward him.


    ¡°None whatsoever.¡±


    ¡°Nice,¡± I said, swallowing my hesitations and taking a step inside.


    Inside I saw that the ceiling rose high up¡ªit looked like it could have been thirty feet high. What kind of giants must roam these halls to necessitate these large of rooms? I almost wished I kept my thoughts quiet.


    Immediately to my right I saw what could only be described as a containment tank smashed to pieces. It looked like it was the bottom half of an egg with the glass sprayed all over the floor¡ªthe green liquid spilling out onto the red carpet below.


    ¡°Did your stomach just turn like mine?¡± I asked, this time without turning.


    ¡°Feeling mighty uncertain about a lot of things. Can we take back our choice?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m afraid that¡¯s not going to be an option.¡±


    ¡°Thought you¡¯d say that.¡±


    ¡°Got your trigger finger ready on your shield?¡±


    ¡°Doesn¡¯t quite work like a gun, but, yes, I¡¯m prepped for an emergency.¡±


    ¡°Do you want to go first?¡±


    ¡°Honestly, not really. Scared I¡¯ll freeze up and not do it.¡±


    ¡°Thanks, really appreciate it.¡±


    I sighed and kept moving forward. The hallway extended down to the right and branched off in two. The left looked like it would continue toward the center of the castle¡ªwhich was where I could only assume the royal chamber was. Plus...I could see that the carpet continuing down the left path had a damp trail leading down the way.


    Fucking. Awesome.


    I take in an even deeper breath than I thought possible and continue down the path. Around the corner I saw another one of the containment pods¡ªalthough this one wasn¡¯t broken. Inside looked like an embryo. Written on the glass was a single word, ¡°Tigros.¡±


    Was...what escaped one of these...whatever they were? Just what was their purpose...and why are they being propped up for decoration in public view? I didn¡¯t have a good feeling about any of this.


    ¡°Just what is this¡­?¡± Matt said, coming up behind me.


    ¡°No clue. Hope it means ¡°cute and cuddly rabbit¡± in English.¡±


    ¡°Sounds something like a tiger.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t stomp on my hopes.¡±


    ¡°Rather stomp on your hopes than your legs.¡±


    We continued forward and came across another containment pod¡ªthis one was labeled ¡°Ursos¡±. It was contained and also had a somewhat different looking embryo inside.


    ¡°Bear, most likely,¡± Matt explained.


    ¡°Tigers, Bears, unknown...oh my.¡±


    ¡°Scared we¡¯ll find something worse up ahead?¡±


    ¡°Scared we¡¯ll find something grown up ahead.¡±


    ¡°Unfortunately I think¡ª" a terrifying scream cut me off.


    This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    ¡°That came from down there,¡± Matt cocked his head toward the path forward.


    I nodded, silently.


    Finally when we got to the central throne room I noticed the already-high ceiling opened up to a room almost as large as the courtyard outside. Stacked and lining the walls were containment pods all like the ones in the halls. It looked like there could have been thousands stretched down from top to bottom¡ªthere was barely any space in between each of them locked in place. The central rug led to the throne at the very far back of the room. A few facts took center stage as soon as my eyes laid on them.


    First, was the beast that looked like a naked armadillo with a back so grotesque it was full of open sores and welts¡ªthe green liquid from the tank shone on the exterior in sticky splotches. It had thrown its own head through one of the containment pods in the far back corner of the room. Its head bled a dark purple gush as the liquid spills out over it¡ªclosing its wounds and spilling the dead embryo onto the ground as it moved to the next pod to repeat the process.


    Second was sitting on the throne was a woman who looked to be in her twenties hunched back¡ªlarge chunks of flesh removed by gnarly¡ªmessy teeth. Blood didn¡¯t pool from her body...but instead exposed wires and metal shone through.


    ¡°What...the fuck¡­¡± I asked, my focus returning back to the creature. It looked three times my size and I could barely begin to comprehend it. The creature¡¯s mass looked like it shifted around a mess of bones so it at once looked like an armadillo and another moment like a boar. It looked like it shouldn¡¯t exist.


    ¡°I...don¡¯t know how to feel,¡± Matt said. ¡°I don¡¯t know what to think about that thing other than primal fear.¡±


    All at once time seemed to resume back as the creature started sniffing the air with an elongated snout. Its head cocked toward us almost immediately and it let loose a sound that sounded like a siren filled with water.


    ¡°Matt, got a plan?¡±


    ¡°Not particularly, aside from shield as long as I can.¡±


    ¡°Have anything in your pockets that you can use as a distraction?¡± I asked, patting my own pockets down.


    ¡°Not that I¡­¡± He stopped short.


    I saw that the creature had started to bolt toward us and instinctively I realized this was the moment where I was either going to die or unlock my secret hidden potential and come out on top. As I stood there, frozen in fear I then realized which of the two it was going to be when I felt a hand shove me from behind.


    Everything happened so fast.


    Out of the corner of my eye I saw Matt holding something in one hand and his other held out as his shield erupted from his person. It looked like an extremely dense glass figure expanding from his person into a wall. It grew to separate the room into two halves¡ªone I¡¯d been pushed into and him with the creature. Before I could say anything a deafening explosion filled the other half of the room with dark smoke. Dirt and rubble flew into the air and blood sprayed the walls all around, but thanks to the shield I was kept clean.


    I knelt there as the sound started filling back into my ears¡ªI heard liquid draining all around me, and I noticed the shock wave had destroyed a large chunk of the containment pods around me, and all of them on the other side.


    The debris started to fade on the other half as the shield vaporized instantly. All the flesh and guts that had sprayed across it fell to the ground with the most disgusting sound I¡¯ve ever heard. It elicited an immediate and volatile reaction.


    I puked.


    When I brought my head back up, I knew what had happened. The fact that I had all the time to get myself together means that¡­


    They were both gone. Blown to smithereens. I didn¡¯t even know how it happened. Whatever Matt had in his pocket? He was holding something...but that would mean¡­


    Flashes of Dinet scrolled through his mind. Did he plan to use us as a walking bomb for the queen? An assassination attempt and getaway ride in one fell swoop? Surely he would have been let down to know we had no direct ride home considering the state of our ride in...but what if this was Matt¡¯s plan all along? What if he brought them and stashed them aboard and one of them accidentally went off en route? What if it wasn¡¯t an accident?


    Whatever the answer...it didn¡¯t really matter. For all intents and purposes...it was over. I sat there, alone in the throne room, the guts of the only person I thought I trusted even somewhat in this land spread throughout the room. And at the far end of the room, dead...was some woman. Was it the queen? Maybe, but the only reason I had to suspect such was her presence on the throne. It was equally likely she was some steward who came to check on the mess and found her demise.


    Despondent, I got to my feet and trudged to the back of the room. Nothing but the hollow draining of the containment pods behind me to listen to. The green liquid seemed to grow more viscous as it came into contact with the air, and I could swear I saw the colors start to shift and distort. My breath started to shorten and suddenly my body felt twice as heavy. The trip across the room suddenly felt as arduous as running ten miles.


    Finally, I made it to the rear of the room. Nothing but the pure hatred toward this acursed kingdom and its desire to keep me from returning home.


    The face on the woman frozen in her last moments revealed everything to me. This was the queen. Her face was calm, even the remnants of a smile remained on her face. There...was something stuck in her hand, and after pulling back I saw it was a sheet of paper.


    Dear Matthew,


    You have traveled far to reach me here. I assume you are confused at the state in which you find me. I must say you shall not worry about any other creature coming to attack you. The beast that Jacob has sacrificed himself for was your final test¡­


    Before continuing on I stopped and looked up at the queen. ¡°You expected me to die to that beast? What kind of...fucked up plan did you have in store for us...what was even the point¡­?¡±


    Knowing that nobody would answer my question, I continued reading.


    ...I must admit, my plans end here, as you can see that my life has ended here. In truth, my life ended long ago. It is easier to say my servitude ends here. Ever since the second World War I was programmed with very specific instructions to lead a very specific life. My creator bestowed upon me knowledge of infinite timelines, of which I leave behind this throne. Its knowledge is useless to me here in my final moments.


    For the purposes of the environment you see before you¡ªwell, consider these a parting necessity for the future. The world is a very...very homogeneous place as it stands now. These specimen are to become the beginning of a new universe in a future far off from today. You may doubt as much as you please. I cannot argue with you.


    And your purpose for coming here¡ªI needed a key to ignite everything to begin the future. You must have noticed the people of this land are different than the people of yours¡ªpowers beyond your wildest imagination...except that¡¯s not wholly true. You know people with power just like that...and you must know the origin of that power¡­


    When my eyes hit that passage my heart sunk to my stomach. The people of this land...they¡¯re...they¡¯re all infected with Radical-9. You will be the key to ignite the future. My head spun to the liquid spilling out of all of the containment pods¡ªthe rainbow liquid I suddenly flashed with similar recognition and I whipped my head back so fast toward the faintly smiling face of the queen ahead of me.


    ¡°You fucking bitch!¡± I yelled at her, and suddenly a pain pierced my head louder than any I¡¯ve heard. I then started to hear the queen finishing her letter in my mind and I reached both of my hands up to my head.


    ¡°I gladly accept the end of my servitude, just as every living thing must do in order to make way for the origin of the future. If I had any of my old life back, I may have told you to close your eyes as it won¡¯t hurt a bit, but I no longer have any of my humanity, so I can do nothing but tell you the truth¡ªit feels every bit as bad as it looks. It¡¯s over quick, but it is not painless. The sooner you get over this the faster you¡¯ll be able to accept your own death.¡±


    I screamed into the void, knowing nothing else would respond to me, and in my knelt posture I saw a void spinning behind the throne. It was concentrated darkness that looked like a tunnel. This must have been what she had written about. Knowing my death was inevitable...I wondered...only slightly what sat at the other edge of oblivion. I pulled myself closer to it and another pang yelled through my mind and it sent me to all fours. I was able to pull my face just over the edge.


    My legs grew numb so I had to pull with my elbows digging into the ground. I felt an immense cold overlooking the void and on looking at the sight of two gigantic statues fighting my gaze froze forever.

 SIDE C | CHAPTER 6

    May 1<sup>st</sup>, 2032


    Andrew stared up at the mountain for only a moment longer.


    "What do you want to do?" Jen asked. Her look was the most resilient out of the three of them.


    Sarah was thankful that the rain from her dream carried over to the waking world, it hid the tears streaking down her face well. She held herself tight in a defensive position. "I want to leave here and never turn back...but we can''t do that."


    "We can''t turn back for good...but maybe we shouldn''t move head forward like this. We''re not even remotely prepared..." Jen said.


    "I don''t think we can turn away at all..." Sarah shook her head. "I think if we try we''ll be turned right back around."


    "But we don''t know that for sure."


    Andrew spoke up, "I feel that Sarah''s right. The air around here is...tighter. It feels like there''s a cage around us. I don''t think we''re getting out of here without going in there," He nodded his head toward the monument.


    "If it helps any," a voice from behind all of them came. They turned to see the owner¡ªLarry George. "Your guess that you''re unable to leave without attending the meeting is correct."


    "Who are you?" Sarah asked.


    "This is Larry," Jen began. "He''s who we met at the cafe before we picked you up."


    "So he''s with whoever''s in there," Sarah said, turning him him to Jen.


    "We''re all in the same boat. Just seems that the boat is...marooned for now. May I lead you inside?"


    "Do you have any choice?" Andrew asked. "Do we?"


    Larry''s face contorted as if he''d just been told an off-color joke, "Do you understand the meaning of the word maroon?"


    And that was the end of that discussion. Sarah tried to subtly wipe her eyes, but she nodded toward the group. Larry returned a look that seemed almost apologetic but before it could fully manifest he walked ahead of them. The three remained behind, staring at him going, almost testing how far he''d go without them. It wasn''t far, turns out. He stopped and cocked his head slightly, "They''re not a fan of being kept waiting. There''s an incredible patience there, but everything has its limits."


    With solemn resolution, Andrew led as Sarah and Jen trailed behind. They trailed up the side of the path until Andrew could see just where they were going¡ªthere was a continuing path that eventually lead up what looked like would be an extremely unstable climb up to the rear of George Washington''s head.


    Andrew doubted that a man of Larry''s build was even up to climbing, but Andrew''s doubts were immediately answered when the ground under their feet changed in a flash¡ªinstantly warping them to a sight that hadn''t been familiar to him. It was familiar to Sarah, however.


    She looked around with her breath held firm, fearing the same arm would reach for her shoulder. "We''re inside, aren''t we?"


    "We are," Larry answered.


    "I saw this place. It was as toxic as it feels now."


    Now that Sarah had put the word to it¡ªAndrew agreed that he felt a deep seated poison seeping from the innards. His eyes shifted to the side¡ªhe saw the shadows of Aria and Lindsey clearer than he had before. It were as if he were dreaming now. He could almost hear the whispers on their lips.


    "If we''ve no choice then let''s keep moving," Jen said. "I''m sure I''m not the only one feeling the despair of this area sinking into their core."


    "You don''t get used to it," Larry said, taking in a deep breath and continued walking forward. The area was only lit by the random flashes of what must have been lightning from the outside¡ªthe ground was very clearly man-made, but the walls and ceiling looked to be made from the natural stone. Cracks where the foundation broke away offered small pockets of light that spilled in. Sarah could only hear the rhythmic pounding of the metal as they approached. Andrew began thinking of the water tank.


    They reached a staircase which ascended into what must have been Thomas Jefferson''s head based on how far they had walked. At the top lay a door of solid steel. It opened at their presence and the inside walls transitioned to similar looking metal as the floor outside did.


    "Still a work in progress out there. Or at least, it was..." Larry trailed off.


    Leading up toward the rear on the left hand side of the lab was an exoskeleton of a machine that was comprised of many different parts¡ªall serving the central column where Andrew felt his heart stop as he saw the water tank¡ªand the creature that inhabited it. It looked somewhere in the middle between a man and an amoeba. A fleshy membrane flashed through and exposed fading internal organs. It tried to smile at them as they entered, but it was clear to all that it was a struggle.


    "finally we meet," a voice echoed into each of their minds. "i am thankful that everyone here can hear me this way. it is troubling having to exert so much energy speaking to larry physically."


    "Who...or what are you?" Andrew started. "Just what the hell do you want from us? It''s never as simple as your letter so go on and explain why we shouldn''t take you out here and be done with it."


    "cool your temper, andrew. we seek common goals. i shall gladly offer everything i can to help you understand. my name is khap-en. I do not originate from your planet. it is a long story, but i shall avoid giving unnecessary details so we can move onto the important stuff, can we agree to that?"


    "An alien...? Whatever else you have must be something if it supersedes talking about that."


    "when the important matters are discussed we can talk about it all you like. we unfortunately do not have time to cover everything now."


    "Okay," Andrew nodded, but with some hesitance. "Why did you summon us?"


    "i discussed half the reason inside the letter. the orb that which you conceal is very, very dangerous. i have a method to ensure it does not cause any harm, but to discuss that involves the other half of the reason. two of your ambassadors were going to england, were they not?"


    "How would you know that?" Jen asked, a bit more bite to the question than she realized, but it mattered little to Khap-En.


    "irrelevant. i am in the know of many things. my view is large. i assume you are angry about the bomb on the plane? that is an easy thing to guess."


    "Angry? Of course I''m angry!" Jen yelled at him.


    "your friend lives, for now. i know many things. the other¡ªthe one you care less about has the power to protect him from the explosion. i wasn''t aiming to kill them¡ªsimply remove the chance of anybody from england making a return trip."


    This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.


    "The plane? Why''s that?" Andrew asked.


    "while i am sure that the both of your ambassadors survived the explosion, i fear that by arriving in england they are as good as dead. have you ever wondered why news about anything that''s going on over there was cut off to you? why you never heard of anything over the past few decades? england has been busy evolving far past the point of survival. the queen has been involved in a great many experiments of catastrophic design. i could spend time we do not have going over the minutiae, but the point that is of greatest interest to you is that each and every citizen of that kingdom is a walking time-bomb. they are like you three."


    "Radical-9..." Sarah said, her eyes widening.


    "You mean...if just one of them dies..." Andrew was thinking at the destructive power that John and Jack had combined¡ªit would have been enough to level half the country. If even five people like that went off it''d be enough to clear a country off the globe, but if an entire nation went like that...


    "it is not tied to their death. they are not exactly the same as you. people have died and no such explosions as you experienced have occurred. however, the trigger to unlocking them is currently in their hands. matthew was always an unknowing key to the queen''s plans."


    "How long have you known this?" Jen asked. "And how can we be sure that you''re telling the truth?"


    "He is," Andrew said, staring bullets at Khap-En. "I can feel it."


    "i think we have little time to waste on doubting the truth. the long and short of our situation is very dire. i have been...unwell as of late, and my ability to affect the world around me is weakening every day. in truth, if you so wanted i could send you all over there to confirm that those you sent are still alive, however you would be there on your own without any reasonable way back, and when the key fits the lock...you would be unable to escape all of your untimely deaths¡ªand the deaths of this entire planet."


    Andrew could see the possibility play out in his head. He felt like Khap-En was reading his emotions directly. He could see him asking to see the proof for himself, being sent over, and confirming everything Khap-En said as true. And that would leave nothing behind. He wouldn''t have failed just Aria and Lindsey...he would have failed them all. Everyone on this planet...


    "You sound like you have a better alternative," Andrew said.


    "Andy, are you even considering this?" Sarah asked.


    He turned to her, "I have to hear him out. If it sounds like something that will help...I think the end of everything you saw in your dream was...was refusing that."


    "I don''t think so, Andy," she shook her head. "John warned me about...that thing."


    "our time runs low, and you may refer to me using male pronouns. less confusion, less arguing."


    She looked up at Khap-En and held her wrist tight with one hand. "I don''t like any of this."


    "I...don''t either," Jen said. "I still can''t get over the fact that you bombed us and expect us to help you."


    "What do you need? What''s your plan?" Andrew reiterated. He feared that arguing amongst everyone would be just as worthless as throwing themselves up to the slaughter.


    Sarah noticed his decision, and loosened her grip. "You''re the boss. I...I guess I''ll go with whatever you decide."


    Jen looked from her to Andrew, and in looking at his pleading eyes she softened, and nodded slightly.


    "excellent. now that we''re all on the same page, i fear it is too late to save the planet as a whole. it is an inevitability that the trigger will ignite. we have one option remaining to us¡ªto save as many people as we possibly can. i have had larry working for me for quite some time. he wasn''t the only one¡ªbut he is the only one remaining. in the time since i have been having him construct a vehicle that could take the remaining humans off of the planet."


    "You spent your time building a ship instead of alerting us of this threat earlier?"


    Khap-En stared simply back at Andrew. "i had as much proof of my words then as i do now. and you only choose to believe me because of the situation you are now in. besides, we have only just recently been able to complete the vessel. any wasted time and we would be too late no matter what."


    "This is crazy," Andrew said to himself, putting a hand to his head. Slowly he raised his gaze back up to Khap-En. "You''re saying the Earth is fucked no matter what we do?"


    "i estimate by nightfall tonight the key will fall into the ignition. there are approximately ten million people across the kingdom. do you really believe that even one percent of them going nuclear would imply a future for this planet?"


    As crazy as it sounded...it rang true to him. He felt no lies coming from Khap-En. "This ship...where would it go? I''m not familiar with any planets around our solar system that can support human life."


    "not a planet...we would travel to charon. it is a moon that orbits pluto on the edge of the solar system. it is where i originate from. the innards of the moon are sufficient¡ªalbeit unpleasant toward humankind. although at this point unpleasant is better than dead."


    "Move as many people as possible to the moon..." Andrew repeated. "That''s...how many could this ship hold?"


    "this comes to a tough decision...and i bring this lightly because it does spell the difference between the survival of the human race and complete eradication. there are two choices. both of them are estimations, mind you."


    "What are the choices?" Andrew asked.


    "if we were to fill the ship with people back to front¡ªabsolutely take advantage of squeezing in as many people as possible...approximately five hundred people. that''s unrealistic as it''d probably be closer to four hundred-eighty or so to be able to travel."


    "That''s..." Andrew swallowed...his heart sank to his stomach. "...what''s the other option?"


    "we have a real chance of saving the lives of millions of people. i don''t honestly think we''d reach the cap of this second option, but i could understand the serious blowback to the idea. the ship has been outfitted with a quantum computer. i''ve combined the limited technology i''ve encountered on this planet with the knowledge of my kind. we can upload the consciousnesses of as many people as we can find to the neural database and not take up a single physical occupancy on the ship."


    "That would leave everyone''s bodies behind, right?" Jen asked, breaking her silence.


    "It would, yes. This option would be much easier in the beginning, but much harder in the end as the ultimate goal when landing is made on charon to restore the minds of those to substitute bodies."


    "Reminds me of Gavin," Sarah said, looking up to Andrew.


    "Me too...god, I wish he was here right now. He could make this so much easier...could probably jump over there to remove the threat without a hitch."


    "the one you call gavin...ah, i am familiar. i am sorry for your loss. but i actually was thinking of similar when i thought of human substitutes. so if that makes it easier to digest, i would strive to come as close as possible to that design of use."


    "Andy...I think the physical option is impossible, going off of the distance," Jen said, finishing the mental calculations. "I don''t have exact numbers, but the last rocket that went out to Pluto took eleven years to make it, and that was unmanned. Saying this was our choice...as much as I hate to admit it, it only makes sense to go with the numbers."


    "That''s...awful though. How could we force everybody to give up their bodies or die?"


    "it is a tough situation. i understand the severity of the choice, but i do agree that the second option is the best outcome out of all planned proposals."


    "And the orb would be left here, then? Doesn''t matter how we dispose of it if the entire planet is going out." Andrew asked.


    "no, the orb would be our propulsion to assure the ship can make it into orbit. if we ran a fully manned ship it would take much longer than eleven years as our strength of propulsion would run out after initial breaching of the atmosphere."


    "So it''s the takeoff fuel..." Andrew said. "And we have until nightfall to decide?"


    "we have until nightfall to make it off the planet. i assume based on my last finding we have...well, we have no more time to decide. it is your choice, i have no more will or power to make anything happen. i am in this boat alongside the rest of you. my survival depends on your survival."


    Andrew turned to Sarah and Jen. "I want to have your support. I don''t think we have any other choice. I haven''t felt any lies since we came here. I..." he turned to Jen, "I hate...that this means we can''t save Jake. It..." he started gripping his fist tight.


    Jen clasped her hands over his. Andrew looked up and saw the fresh tears in her eyes. "I...support you."


    Sarah joined in, holding her breathing steady. "I trust you, completely."


    Andrew, still shaking, let out a small sound and felt the weight of two extra hands on his¡ªlooking up he saw the darkened faces of his dreams. He turned slowly toward Khap-En. "I wish to save as many people as possible."

 SIDE A | CHAPTER 7

    May 1<sup>st</sup>, 2032


    Larry hated relying on the putrid existence he tended too so long for survival. As much as he hoped in seeing the power of the individuals that were sought out¡ªa sliver of hope could get him to believe that his service could be ended before his death. The day that he met the man and the woman in the cafe was the exact moment that the hope inside him died. There was no way that they were strong enough to overpower the horrors that Kappy could unleash¡ªeven in this state. He almost hated it more seeing it play up the old and tired fool.


    He would like nothing more than to see the lot of them busted and Larry be allowed to die with the rest of the shit planet in peace. The fear that the boy faced was nothing to what he had experienced over the past fifty years. The boy knew nothing, and he was supposed to lead them? What a fat joke. A fat fucking joke and a half. Larry knew that there wasn''t anything to be said about the situation. Ever since the beginning it was all decided. Ever since the beginning when his guide first spoke to him. His guide bade him away from the edge of the cliff one last time and he¡ªthe simple sheep obeyed.


    And because he obeyed, the plan went perfectly¡ªjust as was envisioned. The boy demanded to remain aboard the ship¡ªhe refused to be uploaded along with the rest of the sheep. Kappy gave in to his demand. If only the boy knew that his demand was not unexpected. It wasn''t a demand at all¡ªit was an allowance. You only get so many allowances from your guide before your hand is bitten for begging too much.


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    He''d learn in due course. Every single one of them would.


    The two girls remained by his side until the end. The process for uploading all of the humans went simply¡ªKappy broadcast his voice to every living human that could listen. It asked for a pact in return for salvation, and scenes of the apocalypse were transmitted. Those that formed the pact were automatically uploaded into the database. Those that refused will remain on Earth to await its inevitable destruction.


    How Larry envied those that had a choice.


    ~...~


    Everyone that would board has. The two girls at the boy''s side said their farewells and were uploaded like the rest. It was nearing the fated time. All told about three hundred thousand minds rested inside the computer aboard the ship. Much less than the boy hoped for, but about how much Kappy had expected. The ship was loaded with the last of the necessaries¡ªthat being itself, Larry, the boy, and the orb. Kappy had let go of all pretense at this point. The boy was too focused on the mission to notice the lie¡ªhe was able to send the boy back to retrieve the orb and return him in a matter of moments. Perhaps the boy noticed and believed that it would only work for short distances. Regardless, he made no uproar.


    Everything was put into its proper place. Even when the orb was settled in everything went smoothly. Larry said his final goodbyes to everything he had ever known and the ship began to leave the surface.


    The boy sat on the cold floor next to the computer. He didn''t budge. Part of Larry thought he''d died on the spot, but on closer inspection he could see the boy was whispering to himself. Larry couldn''t quite make out what he was saying, but then again, Larry didn''t much care for the boy''s whisperings.

 SIDE D | PROLOGUE

    ???


    Dimension Between Dimensions


    Reality was simple at the start of my life. Comparatively speaking, at least it became easy to understand how things worked around me. I had to grow up fast since both of my parents died when I was real young. I wasn¡¯t really a good person back then. I thought a lot of immature things and blamed everyone but myself for my problems. I was thrown into conflict after conflict and I never even stopped to wonder exactly why everything was happening to me. I blocked it out and chose to ignore it.


    As the years went on I found a new family¡ªa group of people who were a lot like me in some ways¡ªnot as misanthropic of course¡ªbut damaged all the same. That¡¯s what kept me around at first, I think. It wasn¡¯t their personalities or their looks or even that they extended the hand first¡ªjust that they had been through a lot. I had a feeling I wouldn¡¯t be able to make new friendships with people who hadn¡¯t for a very long time.


    I liked Andy the most out of everyone¡ªI think that much was an obvious fact. He was the closest to my age and I wasn¡¯t good at talking to girls¡ªso Lindsey and Jen had to deal with the...brasher side of my personality for a while. I wasn¡¯t proud of it, but I didn¡¯t put a stop to it then either.


    Time passed and those walls were broken down and I saw them for more than just broken people forced together¡ªI saw them as a family. We lived, ate, and worked as a unit and nothing broke our bonds...until I died. Even after all of my growth, I still didn¡¯t fully see myself as someone who deserved to be where they were. I didn¡¯t see the good I brought to the world, even if I stopped bringing in bad. So my sacrifice to get rid of Micah was just as selfish as it was heroic, maybe even moreso. I wanted my pain to end¡ªand I was depressed because my family seemed to be healing¡ªgetting better and I was scared that they would all move on from me once they did¡ªI¡¯d remain as the broken little boy with no-one left.


    I didn¡¯t know how much they missed me. Not for a long time. When I came out on the other side I was so confused. My memory was completely wiped. I wasn¡¯t on Earth anymore¡ªI wasn¡¯t even in the same dimension anymore. My body disintegrated into the void known as the Dimension Between Dimensions; a vast ocean that connected all worlds and times.


    I wasn¡¯t alone¡ªMicah¡¯s soul also survived and had his memories wiped clean. That was when we met Father. The overseer of all existence¡ªborn once on Earth as a man named Friedrich Adata, but his existence covers so much more than that. He¡¯s been here since the beginning of all time¡ªalthough it¡¯s an important enough distinction that he didn¡¯t create all time¡ªhe¡¯s just been here since the start.


    Reality was much stranger, now.


    Micah and I were sent into new universe after new universe to act as their overseers. I typically would play the role of a benevolent protector and Micah would be the malefactor. I don¡¯t think I was meant to remember my past life as Gavin Daniels. That identity was locked away inside The Pit like everyone else¡¯s consciousness who had died.


    I think that was the harshest thing to come to grips with¡ªthat there wasn¡¯t a heaven or a hell to reward or punish those who lived. Once you died your soul was brought back to The Pit¡ªa void of pure black tar that ripped the identities out of the souls that passed through it and cataloged them like some sick science experiment. Somewhere inside that mess rested my identity¡ªkept inside a pitiful excuse for an afterlife with the ones I loved.


    It wasn¡¯t true¡ªbecause I was here¡ªon the outside. Whatever emotions were being faked inside the void were not real, and not for me. It was a library of human consciousness¡ªfeeding on completing its ever growing connections. I had a feeling The Pit was the real creator of the universe¡ªand Father was just lucky it didn¡¯t consider him part of its collection yet.


    I mounted a rescue. Ever since the very start I believed something was off about all of this. I wanted to return home, but they wouldn¡¯t let me. Micah and I participated in our little game for a while. A few thousand years passed and I still felt like something was wrong. One day I found myself outside of the cycle Micah and I were trapped in. Father must have made a mistake, must have thought we were both compliant little angels because I got free and I went straight for The Pit.


    It was awful, terrible. It reeked of decomposition. The tar was everywhere and covered everything. I could feel the millions of identities free of their souls screaming in agony. They knew it wasn¡¯t right. They saw their loved ones but knew they weren¡¯t really themselves. I was mortified. I tried to save them, but I couldn¡¯t hold more than one of them at once¡ªI¡¯d take their identity as my own. I...had to find this out by experience.


    I took in the memories of a young woman. She died when she was in her twenties to a drunk driver. Heather George...I am sorry for what I did. I panicked and went off to find my self as quickly as I could. I did...there was a pull that came from it that I knew was mine. As soon as I reunited with it Heather was repressed into the depths of my subconscious. I didn¡¯t know she would be locked away like that¡ªso I vowed not to touch any more of them¡ªI didn¡¯t want to destroy anymore of them¡ªtheir memories¡ªloves¡ªdesires. Not until I could figure out how to save them all, at least.


    I remembered who I was¡ªwhat I had lost¡ªand exactly what Friedrich had done to my world. Something had to change. I couldn¡¯t go back to what I had been doing¡ªI had to fix what had been broken.


    I haven¡¯t reclaimed my body yet¡ªit¡¯s kept separate from my memories. The moment I did my jig would be up and I¡¯d probably be struck down for blasphemy by Father. No, for the moment I have the ball in my court and he didn¡¯t know it yet. I had to play this smart. I had to find some way to get the upper hand and overthrow him.


    All that sounds wonderful, but I don¡¯t know the first thing about overthrowing the overseer of all life. I didn¡¯t even know if he had a physical presence in this world...if not then what could I do?


    Did your doubts stop you from taking on Micah? Or Jack?


    A voice from deep within my mind¡ªthey couldn¡¯t have come from anyone but Heather. I struggled to wonder how she would have known those things, but just as I have been able to glimpse into her life she must be able to do so with mine.


    Did your family know exactly what they were going up against all the time? Were you at a loss for hope sometimes?


    We didn¡¯t know what we were doing for a lot of the time...we kept each other moving when there wasn¡¯t a clear way forward.


    Think of them with you now. They never left you, as you never left them.


    I...I will. And that was all I needed. I looked across the stream of brilliant lights that flowed through the waters of life. The reverberating streams that spewed the bubbles that held the near-infinite times. Micah was nearing one¡ªjust before I threw myself into The Pit we had overseen a time that resembled ancient Grecian wars. There he held the name Styx and acted as the destroyer god. I was given the name Acheron and was given the role of creator god. I remembered how strong I felt inside that world¡ªjust like an omnipotent being, but after we leave and the universe ends our powers are stripped just as our memories are. Micah has no recollection of being Styx, and at first I had no recollection of being Acheron or of any of the people I knew in there,


    Now I see this place for the prison it truly is¡ªforced to repeat our actions for eternity never to remember them. Forced to kill and to save and to always...always fight. I¡¯ve been fighting Micah ever since I was dragged into that ruined future he came from...but that is exactly the thing that¡¯s been holding the both of us back. It¡¯s the fact that we¡¯ve both been denying¡ªthat we¡¯re both Gavin Daniels.


    He may have shed his name and I may have renounced his actions, but at the end of the day I am him and he is me. And as long as we fight¡ªclash, kill, maim, save¡ªwe¡¯re only living up to our roles in this prison. I¡¯m done playing a part. I¡¯m done fighting myself¡ªhating who I have become in his time¡ªhating who I was in mine.


    I floated closer toward Micah, a dark aura with two tentacle-like appendages on his sides. ¡°Ah, hello, who are you?¡±


    I smiled. He couldn¡¯t have seen it, because I was just like him, but I imagined that the effect of my human smile shone through, because I could feel a response in my core. ¡°I¡¯m someone you have been fighting with for a very long time, but I think it¡¯s time we make up and go home.¡±


    ¡°Home? Fight? I don¡¯t understand...¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s okay, I just want you to know I forgive you.¡±


    ¡°Oh...okay. I forgive you too!¡±


    I moved closer to Micah, but a thunderous roar bellowed out all around us¡ªshifting the luminescent tides.


    ¡°What do you think you are doing, Acheron?¡± Father boomed.


    I looked up toward the sky, a boundless swathe of shifting color. ¡°You don¡¯t have to play pretend anymore and use made up names. In fact we all don¡¯t, Friedrich.¡±


    ¡°That was only my name while I was present on Earth...I see. You disobeyed me and entered The Pit. I am surprised you are still alive.¡±


    ¡°You of all people should know the first thing about children,¡± I said back. ¡°If you tell them not to do something then you¡¯ve guaranteed that they will. But then again I¡¯m not your child, anyway, so I guess you can just chalk it up to the whole defying a creator thing that¡¯s all the rage these days.¡±


    ¡°Defying?¡± Micah asked.


    ¡°Ah, yes. I really should ream you out for fucking over his mind again and again,¡± I said. ¡°I¡¯m going to take over what you¡¯re supposed to do and fix what you¡¯ve broken.¡±


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    ¡°You know nothing.¡± Friedrich said.


    ¡°My name is Gavin Daniels. Son of Gregory and Lorraine Daniels, alternate incarnation to Gavin Daniels a.k.a. Micah, and if I recall correctly my family¡ªmy true family¡ªstopped your grandson. Jack is dead and rotting inside the afterlife you so protect. Your plans for him failed.¡±


    ¡°I foresaw everything¡ª¡±


    ¡°You didn¡¯t do anything. That existence that holds everybody¡¯s memories did all the work and you¡¯re here to claim credit.¡±


    ¡°How dare you speak to me like that?¡±


    ¡°If you¡¯re so prophetic then you would have seen this all coming. You would have known that I was going to sneak my way into The Pit and reclaim myself. But you didn¡¯t, did you? You saw the future for so long that you got used to knowing everything that was going to happen. The Pit considered you useful and necessary for its survival¡ªbut now those tides have turned. You can¡¯t see anything anymore, can you, Friedrich?¡±


    There was no answer for a long time. Micah sat beside me in a frozen silence. ¡°What black magic have you casted...¡±


    ¡°I said what I said. You were never the creator of existence¡ªyou were just a tool to be used and then thrown away. You have two choices now. You let me reconnect with Micah and we take down The Pit and free all of those memories, or you try to lash out against me in rage at your own lack of worth and I kill you¡ªtake your place, then continue on with previously mentioned plan.¡±


    ¡°I...will not...fade...away...¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s exactly what you¡¯re going to do if you don¡¯t help us out!¡±


    ¡°I WILL NOT FADE.¡±


    I sighed, ¡°Well then just fucking try to do something about it and stop repeating yourself. My guess is as the dimension we¡¯re in you can¡¯t physically do jack shit to us or we¡¯d be dead already from your childish tantrum.¡±


    More silence.


    ¡°What are you waiting for? Show us what you¡¯re literally made of, or go fuck off and let us go home. I¡¯m done playing by your rules.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s...you can¡¯t say that to Father!¡± Micah said.


    I turned to him, ¡°Yes, yes I can. And you can too. Here, come closer and I¡¯ll show you what I know.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t you dare,¡± Friedrich said.


    ¡°And what the fuck are you going to do about it? Lecture me to death? We¡¯re already dead, Einstein.¡± I reached out one appendage to Micah, who now looked frightened at all of this.


    ¡°I...¡±


    ¡°Take my hand...I promise you¡¯ll be okay.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t do it, Styx,¡± Friedrich warned.


    ¡°Your name isn¡¯t Styx, it¡¯s Gavin. Gavin Daniels, and I have the answers to all your questions.¡±


    ¡°STOP MANIPULATING HIM.¡±


    ¡°C¡¯mon, just take my hand,¡± I said.


    In an instant mine and Micah¡¯s lights touched and the force of a sonic boom erupted throughout the waves. We melded together and I thought it right to restore my¡ªour body.


    We floated together above the sea¡ªdirty blond hair and hetero-chromatic eyes glistening straight up toward the sky. We were stark naked, but we were proud to be in a body to bare again. I felt a rush of Micah¡¯s memories deep into me¡ªas if our body willed them from The Pit. There were feral roars deeper and scarier than Friedrich¡¯s voice. The Pit didn¡¯t like losing another soul. The waves ebbed higher and higher.


    ¡°Look at what you¡¯ve done¡ªyou¡¯re never supposed to upset it like that!¡± Friedrich said.


    ¡°Well I¡¯m going to keep doing it until you do something to stop me! I know a few friends I¡¯d love to rescue from that cesspool of nothingness. What are you going to do to stop it? I know that the both of us together can unlock the universe I was blocked from entering before. What power do you even have?


    My goading worked. I didn¡¯t know if that was a good thing or a bad thing, but instantly the air cracked with energy. The waves lashed and dragged me under. I fell through and landed hard on a stony surface. The water receded and I was left lying on the peak of a gargantuan mountain overlooking the boundless space of mingling lights. A black figure swung past my view faster than I could keep up. It was a gigantic hoof the size of the mountain I was on, easily. I followed the hoof up the leg to the underside of a beast.


    Another leg lifted up and rose up over the mountain, ¡°I SHALL SPLIT THOSE MEMORIES OUT OF YOU AND CRUSH THEM INTO NOTHING.¡±


    It hurtled toward me and in a panic I jumped back and almost fell, but Micah and Heather inside me supported me upright. As I propelled upward past the beast¡¯s underside I looked up to see the totality of the beast¡ªbut even my speed wasn¡¯t enough to see where it ended. I could see the tips of golden-scaled wings that flapped powerful gusts of wind at me. I shook but was steadied as I continued upward until I finally saw the rest of the creature in full, terrifying detail; The body was that of a camel¡¯s with humps as large as mountains on its back, but shooting out of its side were four wings of pure gold. Its face pivoted like an owl¡¯s and I could see the head was that of a lion¡¯s with a golden mane.


    ¡°YOU WERE LESS THAN AN INSECT BEFORE I TOOK YOU IN.¡± Friedrich roared. ¡°NOTHING BUT AN AFTERTHOUGHT IN THE OCEAN OF THE UNIVERSE.¡±


    I knew I had a penchant for getting the last word in, but this was too heavy a price to pay to risk dying here. I ignored him and continued flying higher.


    It felt like I was in a dream¡ªlike I¡¯d be stirred awake any second to realize that this was just some terrible nightmare that had only lasted the course of a few hours-but-felt-like-forever. It wasn¡¯t, but that didn¡¯t change how dream-like it felt to actually be flying. My hair blew back as I reached higher and higher.


    Heh. I imagine if there was a sun here it¡¯d be hot enough to melt the glue holding my wings together¡ªbut today there will be no melting. Heather and Micah were holding me steady and they weren¡¯t going to budge an inch.


    Finally I reached the height I wanted and arced back downward¡ªstraight toward the beast. If I went fast enough I might be able to pierce his hide¡ªafter all, only its wings were made of scales. There definitely seemed to be flesh on that body.


    And flesh can be torn.


    I suddenly saw a sight¡ªa memory flashed in my mind of Andy; how he told me of a monster he fought in that game he was subjected to. It almost looked like this beast does now. I remember how he took that fictional monster down as well. I think it¡¯s only right I honor him by following in his footsteps.


    I rocketed down to the nape of his neck just under his turned-head. The wind threatened to tear me to pieces in the descent, but I held together. I plunged through his flesh and felt his roars pierce my body. I sank into the ichor of the beast. It burned against my skin but I dug deeper until I slow to a stop inside. The blood all around swallowed me whole and darkness consumed me.


    From darkness came a small child sitting cross-legged in front of a small puddle in a barren wasteland. He only stared at the puddle as a dark figure overlooked the child from behind. Neither of them moved¡ªonly remained as they were.


    ¡°You have come a long way,¡± the child said. I realized he was talking to me, and in my confusion I realized I was there¡ªphysically there¡ªwith the child.


    ¡°Who are you?¡± I asked.


    Finally, the child raised his head. Golden eyes looked straight at me and I knew his identity then and there. ¡°Friedrich?¡±


    ¡°You shouldn¡¯t have angered The Pit. It is stronger than me. It is stronger than you. It is more than anything, and you¡¯ve made it mad.¡±


    I looked back to the dark figure behind the child, waiting soundlessly. ¡°Is that The Pit behind you?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t dare look. Because if I do then I will be sucked in like the rest of them. Everything in this universe I have right in front of me,¡± he gestured out to the puddle, ¡°...everything that exists is within the dimension between dimensions here.¡±


    ¡°If that¡¯s the universe, where are we?¡±


    He returned to staring at the puddle, ¡°A visual metaphor. You¡¯re inside me, so I can show you inside of my mind.¡±


    ¡°You have to realize that this whole thing isn¡¯t right. People matter¡ªtheir lives and connections matter. How their stories end matters!¡±


    ¡°The only thing that matters is survival. And I survive by giving The Pit what it wants. If I turn around and look back I will no longer exist. You are bringing that closer to reality, and for what? To not exist yourself?¡±


    ¡°To save them!¡± I cried out. ¡°To help the ones that I care about¡ªto help all of them. That is what a god should do.¡±


    Friedrich offered a sigh, ¡°I am not a god. I am..flawed...as a human would be. I lived as I wanted¡ªirrespective to your morality, but I still lived. Yet I lived knowing the exact road my life would take, and I have known it since the day I came into existence. And I have known this day would come.¡±


    ¡°You knew¡­?¡±


    ¡°Whether I like what I see or not. Whether I want what I see to happen or not, it comes eventually. You wondered how I could not see your betrayal coming? You wonder why you were able to slip under my attention? You wonder why you are allowed to get this far, and why what will happen next shall? Because it was imprinted on my being from the very day I came into existence. The Pit creates and recycles life in everything that it does. Nothing remains forever except for itself. That...is including myself.¡±


    ¡°What...do you mean?¡±


    ¡°It means that it is time for me to be recycled. The Pit no longer has any use for my oversight. I did the tasks I was assigned, and have been here to nurture you and Micah until your awakening and ascension.¡±


    ¡°I...I cannot accept that everything is predestined, Friedrich. I refuse to accept that!¡±


    ¡°Accept it, deny it. It means zero difference to The Pit,¡± he shrugged. ¡°Or to me for that matter. It¡¯s up to you now to follow The Pit¡¯s desires. I¡­


    am


    finished.¡±


    Friedrich slowly turned his head around completely without moving an inch and looked straight up toward the dark figure, and then vanished. The wasteland blinked out of existence and then I was returned inside the body of the beast which, too, no longer existed. There wasn¡¯t even any remains of the burns on my body from the blood. It was as if he was never here in the first place.


    I have a bad feeling about this.


    Sounds infiltrated my head in guttural, feral voices speaking languages I couldn¡¯t understand. I saw pictures of places that didn¡¯t exist and forms of figures that couldn¡¯t settle on one shape. It felt like a crowbar was prying my mind open and it finally broke free worming its way into my mind¡ªtranslating¡ªre-coding¡ªseeing¡ªwatching¡ªaccepting. Bonds of fire burnt around my wrist and a crown of voices swirled around my temple. I felt a power surge within me and knew instantly what Friedrich had said¡ªat least in part¡ªhad been true.


    He was gone¡ªvanished into the depths of The Pit, and I remained as its new¡ªrecycled overseer. I was its new plaything until I, too, would be thrown into the trash for some new, poor soul. I am not going to let that happen. But first...the first thing I¡¯m going to do is...save my friend.


    I don¡¯t know how I know, but I do know that my world is in danger. Danger that Friedrich was allowing. Danger that threatened people I love and care about.


    Danger that I will put an end to.

 SIDE D | CHAPTER 1

    ???


    Waking up as the progenitor is a lot less...important than I would have imagined. I felt the energies pooling around me of the dozens of worlds¡ªmillions of times. And yet...I still can imagine the irritation of those little bugs that would infest the area around the school I went to after the crash of 2013. How much I felt I needed a drink back then, when all I really needed was the reassurance that I was needed. Now, on a cosmic scale I guess I''m the most needed person alive. What an arc, right?


    Now that I had control over the dimension between dimensions I found myself wanting more. I wanted to return to the world I had come from. To the family I had made. I didn''t know if there was an HR department out here large enough to accept the resignation form if I tried if it meant I could go back. Maybe I could create one of those...


    I''m sure if I got the hang of it I could learn to subdivide my own attention to allow myself access to the worlds below like I used to¡ªbut as a citizen, not as a god or angel. That kind of suit didn''t fit me, personally.


    I looked back toward The Pit. Inside I could feel...a tear. Almost like some of the insides were pulling themselves to...wait. They''re headed to that universe over there. Let me see that real quick...


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    Finding myself face to face with the outlook of the universe, I recognize it. It is the same one Friedrich led me away from when Micah and I first arrived here¡ªI remember the desire in my very core essence to return. And this stream of consciousness leading to it...


    It was John. I recognize his essence. I saw it close by my own when I retrieved my memories. If John''s consciousness is being...connected to this universe...wait a second...Sarah met up with John in her dreams. Is it possible she''s connecting with him still? I''ve never seen The Pit act this way.


    I peeked my head in closer to the bubble, I could feel a wave of tense energy rush up my skin. Danger, someone''s in danger. Scared. Sarah...she''s scared. She''s...she''s with Andy.


    I stared up in a heartbroken gaze as the years flashed in front of my face. I...I want to go back. I don''t know...if I can.


    But, they''re in danger. But what if I cause a bigger danger¡ªa multiversal danger? Am I no better than Friedrich? Or am I no better by staying out...?


    I saw the images on the face of the bubble shift as John''s consciousness returned back to The Pit. I saw the Earth Exploding and a single ship floating out toward the desolate reaches of space. At the sight of this I threw myself inside and hurtled toward the timeline with only one thought on my mind.


    I need to save them.

 SIDE D | CHAPTER 2

    ???


    My eyes opened on the remains of Earth. I felt a deep sadness that I was too late pang at my chest. I was then immediately confused by my presence floating in space. I sat among the stars as if I truly belonged there. I brought my hands up to my face and found I could breathe just fine. Was it my very existence that drew air to me so perfectly that it did not disrupt the space around, or did I simply not exist as other beings? I could not find the answer by myself. I turned around to see the celestial backdrop as far as I could see. I tried interfacing with the Dimension Between Dimensions¡ªmaybe if I could access the past I could stop the Earth from exploding. I felt myself turning inward and saw the cosmic ocean replace the starry skies. The universe¡ªmy universe¡ªstood in front of me like it had before. I tried willing it to reverse. I tried physically spinning it backward, I even tried beseeching The Pit.


    The Pit did not answer, for it was not alive. I was met with total silence for my determination. Maybe...I could find another entry point into this universe from an earlier time. I could make my appearance and¡ª


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    Micah flashed in front of my mind and I realized that wouldn''t do anything to change my timeline. That would only serve to create a new branch. And...if I spent all my time obsessing over that I''d become just like Micah¡ªgrieving alone in the doomed timeline. I sat back as the realization hit of how cosmically different our situations were...and yet how similar at the same time.


    The ship!


    There was a ship that made it off the planet! Maybe if I can find where they land I can help them. Shit, I hope I can make it back. Already I saw the images within the bubble shifting. I had no clue how long was passing for them opposed to my own time. I took in a deep breath and fell back into the world, focusing in on the ship traveling through the depths of space.

 SIDE A | CHAPTER 8

    The End


    The old man removed the headphones from the young boy. Confused, the boy looked up at the old man. The look on his face was not that of a caretaker...it almost looked pleased with the current situation.


    "You''re caught up now, Khap-En," Larry''s long lost voice finally returned to him. "You restarted your life cycle. I didn''t know you had that ability¡ªand you didn''t bother to tell me. Neither did you decide to tell me you''d extend my own life. And now you''re caught up."


    "We''re...on Charon?" the boy asked.


    "Fifty years after the destruction of Earth. You''ve kept us here until you cycled over, and now we''re being assaulted by...well, you know."


    "Is he going to kill us?"


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    "Probably," Larry said.


    "Can you protect me?"


    Larry smiled and gave a chuckle¡ªan action that erupted in a series of coughs. "No, I don''t think I will."


    The child''s look turned to one of fear, then anger. "You promised to protect me!"


    "I promised no such thing. My bond to you died when you cycled over. You''re going to sit here and take what you deserve." Larry was unblinking¡ªa rage from deep below his body began to swell. "I can die now knowing that you''re going to be alone, scared, and as worthless as a child. I hope you burn in the pits of hell," Larry continued to laugh.


    Real fear replaced the anger on the child''s face¡ªrevealing the true face underneath. "Larry! No! I..." but it was too late. Larry''s face froze on the largest smile he ever offered. The hate dispelled from his body as his corpse stay staring at the young boy.


    The echoes down the hall of the station built into Charon only seemed to grow as the boy realized how alone he truly was. He looked up around the room for any respite, but it had been kept so bare that the only action he could think of was to cuddle up to the corpse who had only just moments ago been alive and wait.

 SIDE D | CHAPTER 3

    2084


    I found the remnants of the ship traced to one of Pluto''s moons, Charon. If I hadn''t seen it in the bubble I am sure I would have never found it. It looked like the ship had made a rough landing¡ªit had been in pieces when I''d seen it. It surely looked like it was hobbled together, but there was enough knowledge behind getting it into space and to its destination. I had to find out who was on that ship.


    I navigated toward the landing pad where the remains of the ship lay. Its edges up close reveal the hasty nature of its construction. It''s the work of the unskilled, for sure. I walked over to an alcove that lead to a gate of some substance I didn''t know of¡ªit looked like a glowing purple metal. The ground beneath me transitioned hard into the substance¡ªit certainly looked like intentional design rather than natural formation. I kept my hands prepared for hostility. Plasma danced on the edge of my fingertips. I heard the echoing of hard footsteps in the distance. It sounded...like two figures¡ªassuming they were bipedal. I dashed inside and saw two robotic figures turn around at the sight of me.


    "Oh, robots. That''s fine. No moral quandary for me, then." I called out, whipping my right arm out. Plasma leaped and coursed into a bolt of lightning in mid-air. It wrapped around the figure on the right. It looked to be made of a similar substance the walls and floor were made of¡ªbut silver in color. An oblong head flashed red as electricity coursed through its body.


    "INVADER SECTOR 0. ENTRANCE LEVEL. D DOCK," A woman''s voice called out, although I couldn''t see anything else around that could have received the call.


    "INITIATE LOCKDOWN IMMEDIATELY. THE INVADER HAS STRUCK DOWN KENNEDY-423. ZERO LIFESIGNS," the voice called again.


    Behind me the hatch to the outside sealed shut. It was much darker here than previous. I balanced a light on my hands and tossed it upward¡ªilluminating the rest of the dock. Dozens of machines of unknown use littered the hall and I saw a way down deeper in a staircase on the far end. Bullets shot past me and I stepped back. I hadn''t noticed the robot was armed¡ªthen I saw its hand had transformed into a rifle of some kind. The next spray I blocked, stopping the bullets in midair. I could see they seemed to glow with a golden intensity. They vibrated and exploded in my grip, covering the ground in a molten substance.


    "Shit!" I shouted, jumped back. "Okay, you''re going to stop now." I closed my eyes and shot more of the electroplasma toward it. Like the first it screamed and fell to the ground, motionless.


    "Can''t be just robots here. Come on, gotta find something. Please let me find someone."


    I lifted off the ground and flew across the room in a single leap. I landed hard on the ground just before the stairs and dipped down as the ground dented so much that it tore. "Gah!" I called as I fell to the layer below.


    I landed on my back and felt dazed as I sat up. Sore, I saw an entire dock full of similar looking robots all staring, confused at my entrance.


    "God damn it..." I said. Before I could get another word out the firing began. I immediately through bullets to the sides of the room¡ªat other robots¡ªat the ground, everywhere but myself. My vision filled with golds and oranges and it became unbearably hot. I lost myself in the motions until I heard the end of the firing. The entire dock assembly had melted. Furniture, structure, even large amounts of the robots, just gone.


    "Intruder, cease your violence," came a weathered voice over above me. "If you truly wish to destroy everything we''ve kept here, spare the others. They''ve got nothing for you. You can meet with me and settle whatever score you''ve got. I cannot see you, but I can feel your presence up above me. Come to my chambers. The most direct route from your location should appear momentarily."


    As the voice concluded I saw a path highlight in front of me. It was cut off by the parts of the ground that were melted, but I saw it continue on the floor below toward another staircase spiraling down. I leapt down the gap in the floor and hovered just above the ground before landing.


    I didn''t want to be caught off guard again. The path continued down three more identical looking rooms to three more identical looking stairways. The path finally diverged and continued straight past the next staircase down. Shimmering lights underneath my feet guided my way through a narrow hallway that only seemed to shrink subtly the further down I traveled.


    It finally opened to a dome shaped room with angled panels that covered the walls. They all guided my attention to the figure standing in the room, and the massive computer network standing behind him. The man that stood there stared at me with a look of measured fear. I was staring at an old man. Aged lines marked his face with permanent scars of worry. His green eyes cut through the darkness as if endlessly analyzing me.


    "What are your demands, phantom? Why do you invade this space...and why the fuck have you stolen my old friend''s face?"


    "Andy..." my shoulders slackened, and for but a moment I felt like the urge to cry was the most important thing in the universe. I took a step forward, and an arc of flames shot between us as his hand returned to his side.


    "Not another step, monster. What cruelty runs through your mind to step in here with another''s face? He was a braver than you could ever hope to be."


    "Andy...what happened? Where is everyone? Why are you here?"


    "Quit pretending!" Andrew yelled, a harsher sadness than my own permeated the room. "Just reveal your true face and end the charade!" He motioned his arm out again.


    I felt a force press on my face, but it faded quickly. I stood there unphased.


    "Why didn''t..." He looked down at his hand, and tried again.


    The same empty force brushed past me.


    This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    "What is this...?"


    "Andy...it''s me."


    He shook his head. "No...that can''t be. You died. I couldn''t..."


    "Andy...what is going on here?"


    For the first time he looked at me. "Everyone...I tried to save everyone. The planet was going to explode..." his voice started to break. "I tried...to fix my mistakes. I couldn''t save everyone," his hands started to glow faintly.


    "Andy, please, I need you to calm down. We can talk about this, we can try to fix this..."


    He looked up at me, his eyes glistened with the start of tears. "Fix...we can''t...we can''t ever fix this. And now...so many more are..." his gaze hardened. "Why did you kill them...?"


    "What?"


    "Those up there...they were people Gavin. The remains of who I could save. We had to...we had to make them like you were. We had to keep living. Even...if they were made into slaves. I couldn''t fix...they were at least alive! We could have saved..."


    And it dawned on me what he had meant. The robots above...they were automatons. Androids outfitted with human consciousness--just like the body I inhabited before in this universe. Never to age, never to wither, to eat. And yet...they weren''t human-like. Those above were sentries, workers, numbers.


    "Where did you get the idea to come here?" I asked. "Who built this? Built their bodies?"


    "I don''t know if it matters anymore Gavin," Andrew said, choking back tears. "I can''t sense anymore of them out there. We only had so many available. The rest are stored in this computer. I tried to save the ones I loved from that...that servitude that Khap-En enacted. They''re still in here, trusting in me, believing I made the right choice. And I can''t...I can''t bear to face any of them."


    "Face me, then. Not as an enemy, but as the friend I know you to be. Andy, even in my darkest moments I knew deep down I needed to return to you--to them, to everyone I loved."


    "What a time to come," Andrew said, despondent. "You don''t know how much suffering you missed. How many hard choices I had to make. And you think you can just come back and pretend like everything is okay?"


    "Andy..."


    "EVERYTHING IS NOT OKAY." He cried out. "This world is fucked. I killed everyone on Earth, and now you''re here to finish the job because that''s how the universe is written. Everything one cosmic joke to spit in the face of effort."


    I shook my head. "No, Andy, it''s not. I know this is hard to believe, but I''ve seen how the universe is written. It''s a long story--one I''d love to tell you later, but things are different now."


    "Nothing is different. Nothing''s changed. I almost wish you were some cosmic doppelganger at this point. The Gavin I knew died long ago. You''re just here to bring pain where pain exists and thrives." His hands glowed with the light of small suns. "I''m asking you to leave so I can try and fix this before it dies forever."


    "Andy...I''ve spent dozens of lifetimes to make it back here. I want to help--"


    "I''ve nothing more to say to you," He bit his lip and rose one hand. "One last warning. Just...leave."


    "You don''t want to do that, I assure you I don''t want to hurt you."


    "You''ve done enough."


    "Andy."


    A shot erupted from his hand and I stopped it in midair, redirecting it to the wall behind us.


    "Stop destroying what I sacrificed everything for!"


    "I can''t if you don''t stop firing!" I called back. "I''m not trying to insult you, Andy, but you literally cannot harm me. I''m..."


    He let out a growl that didn''t seem human and jumped to the side, letting three shots out at a speed that seemed above him.


    I caught each one and sent them behind me.


    "Andy, please. The harder you throw these the harder it is for me to control where they land. Please, I''m begging you."


    "Then stop blocking them and leave!"


    "I can''t do that, friend."


    "My friends are all dead! Don''t you get that? You''re nothing but a haunting memory." He threw another two shots out and like the others they made their home embedding into the walls, tearing open the material. I hold out both of my hands and grab his from across the room. They''re stuck like glue to his sides and the lights dim.


    "Let me go," he called out to me.


    "We''re done fighting, Andy. I don''t want you to do something you''ll regret."


    "Fuck off!" He pushed me away with a surprising amount of force. His hands began to glow with all different colors of the rainbow.


    "Andy no--!"


    The blast erupted from his hands faster than I could react. The energy hit my body and all at once I could feel nothing. It repelled back at him and I tried my hardest to split the wave down the middle to avoid it making direct contact with him. I was screaming and managed to redirect its path to right behind him.


    His scream was louder, and I realized where it had hit. The central computer housing the consciousnesses of every remaining human.


    The computer exploded and flames spread through the complex. Andrew turned and ran to the computer, using his telekinesis to compress the flames down. The sight of it was a far cry to the man I knew. As I sat there, watching him try his hardest to prevent what couldn''t be, I realized that we shared similar feelings. The friend that I had known had died back on Earth, and all that remained was a manifestation of regret and sorrow. He couldn''t help but try to cling to life as much as possible because he believed dying would be an even greater insult to those he failed.


    I looked away, there was nothing I could do here. I turned into myself and left a single tear behind.


    I found myself back into the dimension between dimensions. An immense wave of sadness poured over me and I sat looking out at the millions of universes at my fingertips. I had a responsibility to oversee them as well, but a part of me wished I could save the one I had come from. I saw the bubble, spinning on its cursed axis, and I could tell time was passing in much greater amounts. If I re-entered now, how much time will have passed? Ten years? A hundred? A thousand? I did not know, and I almost would not have ever known, but that was when I noticed the star.


    From within, a single glowing point flew backwards, against the flow of time. I looked closer, and suddenly I was looking out over Earth...years before I was born. It brought tears to my eyes, and from behind me The Pit growled as lights from within shot up from the depths and returned to the bubble, and the universe within. Two of the brightest lights I could see very clearly as they passed in front of my face.


    Alex Sharpe and Devon Campton. They were integral to this new singularity. They were the key to fixing everything.

 SIDE D | CHAPTER 3

    2084


    I found the remnants of the ship traced to one of Pluto''s moons, Charon. If I hadn''t seen it in the bubble I am sure I would have never found it. It looked like the ship had made a rough landing¡ªit had been in pieces when I''d seen it. It surely looked like it was hobbled together, but there was enough knowledge behind getting it into space and to its destination. I had to find out who was on that ship.


    I navigated toward the landing pad where the remains of the ship lay. Its edges up close reveal the hasty nature of its construction. It''s the work of the unskilled, for sure. I walked over to an alcove that lead to a gate of some substance I didn''t know of¡ªit looked like a glowing purple metal. The ground beneath me transitioned hard into the substance¡ªit certainly looked like intentional design rather than natural formation. I kept my hands prepared for hostility. Plasma danced on the edge of my fingertips. I heard the echoing of hard footsteps in the distance. It sounded...like two figures¡ªassuming they were bipedal. I dashed inside and saw two robotic figures turn around at the sight of me.


    "Oh, robots. That''s fine. No moral quandary for me, then." I called out, whipping my right arm out. Plasma leaped and coursed into a bolt of lightning in mid-air. It wrapped around the figure on the right. It looked to be made of a similar substance the walls and floor were made of¡ªbut silver in color. An oblong head flashed red as electricity coursed through its body.


    "INVADER SECTOR 0. ENTRANCE LEVEL. D DOCK," A woman''s voice called out, although I couldn''t see anything else around that could have received the call.


    "INITIATE LOCKDOWN IMMEDIATELY. THE INVADER HAS STRUCK DOWN KENNEDY-423. ZERO LIFESIGNS," the voice called again.


    Behind me the hatch to the outside sealed shut. It was much darker here than previous. I balanced a light on my hands and tossed it upward¡ªilluminating the rest of the dock. Dozens of machines of unknown use littered the hall and I saw a way down deeper in a staircase on the far end. Bullets shot past me and I stepped back. I hadn''t noticed the robot was armed¡ªthen I saw its hand had transformed into a rifle of some kind. The next spray I blocked, stopping the bullets in midair. I could see they seemed to glow with a golden intensity. They vibrated and exploded in my grip, covering the ground in a molten substance.


    "Shit!" I shouted, jumped back. "Okay, you''re going to stop now." I closed my eyes and shot more of the electroplasma toward it. Like the first it screamed and fell to the ground, motionless.


    "Can''t be just robots here. Come on, gotta find something. Please let me find someone."


    I lifted off the ground and flew across the room in a single leap. I landed hard on the ground just before the stairs and dipped down as the ground dented so much that it tore. "Gah!" I called as I fell to the layer below.


    I landed on my back and felt dazed as I sat up. Sore, I saw an entire dock full of similar looking robots all staring, confused at my entrance.


    "God damn it..." I said. Before I could get another word out the firing began. I immediately through bullets to the sides of the room¡ªat other robots¡ªat the ground, everywhere but myself. My vision filled with golds and oranges and it became unbearably hot. I lost myself in the motions until I heard the end of the firing. The entire dock assembly had melted. Furniture, structure, even large amounts of the robots, just gone.


    "Intruder, cease your violence," came a weathered voice over above me. "If you truly wish to destroy everything we''ve kept here, spare the others. They''ve got nothing for you. You can meet with me and settle whatever score you''ve got. I cannot see you, but I can feel your presence up above me. Come to my chambers. The most direct route from your location should appear momentarily."


    As the voice concluded I saw a path highlight in front of me. It was cut off by the parts of the ground that were melted, but I saw it continue on the floor below toward another staircase spiraling down. I leapt down the gap in the floor and hovered just above the ground before landing.


    I didn''t want to be caught off guard again. The path continued down three more identical looking rooms to three more identical looking stairways. The path finally diverged and continued straight past the next staircase down. Shimmering lights underneath my feet guided my way through a narrow hallway that only seemed to shrink subtly the further down I traveled.


    It finally opened to a dome shaped room with angled panels that covered the walls. They all guided my attention to the figure standing in the room, and the massive computer network standing behind him. The man that stood there stared at me with a look of measured fear. I was staring at an old man. Aged lines marked his face with permanent scars of worry. His green eyes cut through the darkness as if endlessly analyzing me.


    "What are your demands, phantom? Why do you invade this space...and why the fuck have you stolen my old friend''s face?"


    "Andy..." my shoulders slackened, and for but a moment I felt like the urge to cry was the most important thing in the universe. I took a step forward, and an arc of flames shot between us as his hand returned to his side.


    "Not another step, monster. What cruelty runs through your mind to step in here with another''s face? He was a braver than you could ever hope to be."


    "Andy...what happened? Where is everyone? Why are you here?"


    "Quit pretending!" Andrew yelled, a harsher sadness than my own permeated the room. "Just reveal your true face and end the charade!" He motioned his arm out again.


    I felt a force press on my face, but it faded quickly. I stood there unphased.


    "Why didn''t..." He looked down at his hand, and tried again.


    The same empty force brushed past me.


    If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    "What is this...?"


    "Andy...it''s me."


    He shook his head. "No...that can''t be. You died. I couldn''t..."


    "Andy...what is going on here?"


    For the first time he looked at me. "Everyone...I tried to save everyone. The planet was going to explode..." his voice started to break. "I tried...to fix my mistakes. I couldn''t save everyone," his hands started to glow faintly.


    "Andy, please, I need you to calm down. We can talk about this, we can try to fix this..."


    He looked up at me, his eyes glistened with the start of tears. "Fix...we can''t...we can''t ever fix this. And now...so many more are..." his gaze hardened. "Why did you kill them...?"


    "What?"


    "Those up there...they were people Gavin. The remains of who I could save. We had to...we had to make them like you were. We had to keep living. Even...if they were made into slaves. I couldn''t fix...they were at least alive! We could have saved..."


    And it dawned on me what he had meant. The robots above...they were automatons. Androids outfitted with human consciousness--just like the body I inhabited before in this universe. Never to age, never to wither, to eat. And yet...they weren''t human-like. Those above were sentries, workers, numbers.


    "Where did you get the idea to come here?" I asked. "Who built this? Built their bodies?"


    "I don''t know if it matters anymore Gavin," Andrew said, choking back tears. "I can''t sense anymore of them out there. We only had so many available. The rest are stored in this computer. I tried to save the ones I loved from that...that servitude that Khap-En enacted. They''re still in here, trusting in me, believing I made the right choice. And I can''t...I can''t bear to face any of them."


    "Face me, then. Not as an enemy, but as the friend I know you to be. Andy, even in my darkest moments I knew deep down I needed to return to you--to them, to everyone I loved."


    "What a time to come," Andrew said, despondent. "You don''t know how much suffering you missed. How many hard choices I had to make. And you think you can just come back and pretend like everything is okay?"


    "Andy..."


    "EVERYTHING IS NOT OKAY." He cried out. "This world is fucked. I killed everyone on Earth, and now you''re here to finish the job because that''s how the universe is written. Everything one cosmic joke to spit in the face of effort."


    I shook my head. "No, Andy, it''s not. I know this is hard to believe, but I''ve seen how the universe is written. It''s a long story--one I''d love to tell you later, but things are different now."


    "Nothing is different. Nothing''s changed. I almost wish you were some cosmic doppelganger at this point. The Gavin I knew died long ago. You''re just here to bring pain where pain exists and thrives." His hands glowed with the light of small suns. "I''m asking you to leave so I can try and fix this before it dies forever."


    "Andy...I''ve spent dozens of lifetimes to make it back here. I want to help--"


    "I''ve nothing more to say to you," He bit his lip and rose one hand. "One last warning. Just...leave."


    "You don''t want to do that, I assure you I don''t want to hurt you."


    "You''ve done enough."


    "Andy."


    A shot erupted from his hand and I stopped it in midair, redirecting it to the wall behind us.


    "Stop destroying what I sacrificed everything for!"


    "I can''t if you don''t stop firing!" I called back. "I''m not trying to insult you, Andy, but you literally cannot harm me. I''m..."


    He let out a growl that didn''t seem human and jumped to the side, letting three shots out at a speed that seemed above him.


    I caught each one and sent them behind me.


    "Andy, please. The harder you throw these the harder it is for me to control where they land. Please, I''m begging you."


    "Then stop blocking them and leave!"


    "I can''t do that, friend."


    "My friends are all dead! Don''t you get that? You''re nothing but a haunting memory." He threw another two shots out and like the others they made their home embedding into the walls, tearing open the material. I hold out both of my hands and grab his from across the room. They''re stuck like glue to his sides and the lights dim.


    "Let me go," he called out to me.


    "We''re done fighting, Andy. I don''t want you to do something you''ll regret."


    "Fuck off!" He pushed me away with a surprising amount of force. His hands began to glow with all different colors of the rainbow.


    "Andy no--!"


    The blast erupted from his hands faster than I could react. The energy hit my body and all at once I could feel nothing. It repelled back at him and I tried my hardest to split the wave down the middle to avoid it making direct contact with him. I was screaming and managed to redirect its path to right behind him.


    His scream was louder, and I realized where it had hit. The central computer housing the consciousnesses of every remaining human.


    The computer exploded and flames spread through the complex. Andrew turned and ran to the computer, using his telekinesis to compress the flames down. The sight of it was a far cry to the man I knew. As I sat there, watching him try his hardest to prevent what couldn''t be, I realized that we shared similar feelings. The friend that I had known had died back on Earth, and all that remained was a manifestation of regret and sorrow. He couldn''t help but try to cling to life as much as possible because he believed dying would be an even greater insult to those he failed.


    I looked away, there was nothing I could do here. I turned into myself and left a single tear behind.


    I found myself back into the dimension between dimensions. An immense wave of sadness poured over me and I sat looking out at the millions of universes at my fingertips. I had a responsibility to oversee them as well, but a part of me wished I could save the one I had come from. I saw the bubble, spinning on its cursed axis, and I could tell time was passing in much greater amounts. If I re-entered now, how much time will have passed? Ten years? A hundred? A thousand? I did not know, and I almost would not have ever known, but that was when I noticed the star.


    From within, a single glowing point flew backwards, against the flow of time. I looked closer, and suddenly I was looking out over Earth...years before I was born. It brought tears to my eyes, and from behind me The Pit growled as lights from within shot up from the depths and returned to the bubble, and the universe within. Two of the brightest lights I could see very clearly as they passed in front of my face.


    Alex Sharpe and Devon Campton. They were integral to this new singularity. They were the key to fixing everything.