Oh my god... I don't even know what to say. Gerald and Rosenberg are back? And they are... mutants? Demons? Ghosts? Something else? Holy damn shit... I... I don't know what to say, except the obvious: I'm super scared for Julia. Like, scared to the max. Sure, I'm scared for Michael as well, but especially for Julia, considering the words of the Rosenberg thing. I was indeed right that Leland wants her in particular, but I never thought that Rosenberg and Gerald were actually sort of coming back. And I also never guessed that Rosenberg was working for him all along. Gerald, I could kinda guess, but Rosenberg? I guess Rosenberg is also this thing that murdered the cop at Michael's house. Damn it, that was one hell of a scary plot twist! At least Adam and the others know about what happened, so they have a chance to save them before Leland does whatever scary mind-rapey thing he has planned for Julia. This is going to be super intense and super scary.
[Help Tyler]
This reminds me of the abductions in the early parts of the story. Perhaps now it is Tyler's time to get abducted, at least if Nathan can't prevent it. Tyler has been a great guy so far and I think we should try to save him.
Julia Carter
Julia looked at Micheal, honest fear in her eyes. She may not have been inside that bunker herself, but she’d heard enough t… moreo know she didn’t want to be in there.
“Run.” She said, again. Micheal nodded at her.
“Run.” He agreed as he gripped Julia’s hand and began bolting off away from the entrance to the bunker and towards the stairs.
Julia thought of herself as fit, she honestly was. But Micheal was faster, she guessed that years of football would do that to you. Micheal was practically dragging her along with him as he ran.
Julia could feel a cold chill working its way down her spine, she knew something was off. But she just couldn’t put her finger on it.
“Where are you going Julia?” A voice echoed off the walls as they climbed the stairs. “The fun is only beginning.” He said. Julia swore she remembered that voice from somewhere, but couldn’t put her finger on it. Judging by the look on Micheal’s face though, … [view original content]
First Alina, then Chad, now Tyler? Nuh-uh. No way! This cannot happen! Sure, Alina and Chad are alive but in my experience, the number 3 changes everything. Plus, Bastet will hopefully stay with Alina. She seems like a good lady who wouldn't kidnap a hospitalized teenage girl who just went through brain surgery. Knock on wood.
Julia Carter
Julia looked at Micheal, honest fear in her eyes. She may not have been inside that bunker herself, but she’d heard enough t… moreo know she didn’t want to be in there.
“Run.” She said, again. Micheal nodded at her.
“Run.” He agreed as he gripped Julia’s hand and began bolting off away from the entrance to the bunker and towards the stairs.
Julia thought of herself as fit, she honestly was. But Micheal was faster, she guessed that years of football would do that to you. Micheal was practically dragging her along with him as he ran.
Julia could feel a cold chill working its way down her spine, she knew something was off. But she just couldn’t put her finger on it.
“Where are you going Julia?” A voice echoed off the walls as they climbed the stairs. “The fun is only beginning.” He said. Julia swore she remembered that voice from somewhere, but couldn’t put her finger on it. Judging by the look on Micheal’s face though, … [view original content]
Julia Carter
Julia looked at Micheal, honest fear in her eyes. She may not have been inside that bunker herself, but she’d heard enough t… moreo know she didn’t want to be in there.
“Run.” She said, again. Micheal nodded at her.
“Run.” He agreed as he gripped Julia’s hand and began bolting off away from the entrance to the bunker and towards the stairs.
Julia thought of herself as fit, she honestly was. But Micheal was faster, she guessed that years of football would do that to you. Micheal was practically dragging her along with him as he ran.
Julia could feel a cold chill working its way down her spine, she knew something was off. But she just couldn’t put her finger on it.
“Where are you going Julia?” A voice echoed off the walls as they climbed the stairs. “The fun is only beginning.” He said. Julia swore she remembered that voice from somewhere, but couldn’t put her finger on it. Judging by the look on Micheal’s face though, … [view original content]
[Help Tyler]
First Alina, then Chad, now Tyler? Nuh-uh. No way! This cannot happen! Sure, Alina and Chad are alive but in my experience, … morethe number 3 changes everything. Plus, Bastet will hopefully stay with Alina. She seems like a good lady who wouldn't kidnap a hospitalized teenage girl who just went through brain surgery. Knock on wood.
Gerald and Rosenberg are back? And they are... mutants? Demons? Ghosts? Something else?
Oh yes. They're back. And like I said to Janitor, they're not really classifiable. This story defies all classifications. But yeah, ghostly phantom murder thingy.
And I can also credit their return directly to you. A while back when I asked what you guys wanted to see more of, you mentioned longer living villans. That planted the idea of an ever-living villan.
Oh my god... I don't even know what to say. Gerald and Rosenberg are back? And they are... mutants? Demons? Ghosts? Something else? Holy dam… moren shit... I... I don't know what to say, except the obvious: I'm super scared for Julia. Like, scared to the max. Sure, I'm scared for Michael as well, but especially for Julia, considering the words of the Rosenberg thing. I was indeed right that Leland wants her in particular, but I never thought that Rosenberg and Gerald were actually sort of coming back. And I also never guessed that Rosenberg was working for him all along. Gerald, I could kinda guess, but Rosenberg? I guess Rosenberg is also this thing that murdered the cop at Michael's house. Damn it, that was one hell of a scary plot twist! At least Adam and the others know about what happened, so they have a chance to save them before Leland does whatever scary mind-rapey thing he has planned for Julia. This is going to be super intense and super … [view original content]
When they showed up the entire building was surrounded by military troops, Humvees, and enough combined firepower to possibly eradicate all life within a hundred mile radius of this area. And it was all focused here, on this one building.
Adam hopped down from the back of the truck, landing on the pavement below. Behind him, one by one, everyone else jumped down beside him. Dana, Kiera and Kasey. The four of them began walking forwards towards the building, but a man stepped in front of them, blocking their part.
“You can’t go in there.” He said. “No civilians allowed.”
“They’re not civilians.” Davids spoke form behind them.
“Then who are they?” He asked. Davids eyed the group, as if searching for the word.
“The PFDF.” He said.
“What? I’ve never heard of that.” He said.
“Neither have I, but’s it’ll be better if you just let them through.” Davids said. He nodded.
“Go right ahead.” He said, stepping to the side. As Adam walked by him he could hear him whispering. “Fucking Spec ops. Never tell me nothing.”
“Nice save.” Adam said to Davids once they were out of earshot.
“Yeah.” Davids said. “But the rest of if it up to you from here. I can’t go in.” He said.
“Why?” Kasey asked.
“I have my orders, and I have to follow them.” Davids said. “Good luck in there.” Adam nodded to him.
“Thanks.” He said, as he turned his attention towards the building.
“How are we going to get in there?” Kasey asked.
“We’re not.” Dana said.
“What do you mean?” Adam asked.
“Take my hand.” She said, holding her hand out. Even though Adam had no idea of what was happening, he took her hand. Kasey and Kiera joined in.
Adam swore they hadn’t moved a bit. He swore nothing had changed. But one second, they were all standing outside, and now they were inside the lobby. And his insides felt like they’d just been put through a cement mixer. And he wasn’t the only one. Kiera looked off balance and Kasey looked like she was about to throw up.
“What just happened?” Kiera asked.
“I teleported us into the lobby.” Dana said.
“Why did you never mention that Adam nodded to him.
“Thanks.” He said, as he turned his attention towards the building.
“How are we going to get in there?” Kasey asked.
“We’re not.” Dana said.
“What do you mean?” Adam asked.
“Take my hand.” She said, holding her hand out. Even though Adam had no idea of what was happening, he took her hand. Kasey and Kiera joined in.
Adam swore they hadn’t moved a bit. He swore nothing had changed. But one second, they were all standing outside, and now they were inside the lobby. And his insides felt like they’d just been put through a cement mixer. And he wasn’t the only one. Kiera looked off balance and Kasey looked like she was about to throw up.
“What just happened?” Kiera asked.
“I teleported us into the lobby.” Dana said.
“Why did you never mention that you could do that earlier?” Adam asked.
“I was kind of busy getting shot.” She said. “Now let’s move, the stairs are this way.”
Nathan Zabek
Nathan looked out the window at Tyler. Whatever was going on, Nathan knew he had to stop it.
Nathan looked back at Bastet.
“I’ve got to go check something out.” He said. “I’ll be right back.”
“Okay.” She responded, sounding more confused than anything else. Nathan didn’t bother with an explanation as he walked out of the room towards the stairs.
He quickly reached the bottom and walked as quickly as he could without drawing to much attention. He found it odd that no one else was worried about what was happening outside.
Nathan pushed through the doors and jogged through the parking lot towards Tyler. But when he got there, the man that was talking with him was gone. Tyler looked over and saw Nathan standing there.
“I saw a guy with a gun talking with you.” Nathan said. Tyler gave Nathan a weird look.
“No, I just dropped my keys.” Tyler said. “He was just giving them back.” Nathan breathed a sigh of relief. For once, his suspicions were wrong.
“Okay then.” Nathan said, a little embarrassed. “Never mind I said that.” Tyler nodded.
“Can do.” He said, as he opened the car door. “See you around.”
“Yeah, see you around.” Nathan said as he turned around, glad he was wrong. He began walking across the parking lot back towards the front door. He walked back in and up through the stairs once again.
He walked back down the hallway and towards Alina’s room.
“Turns out it was a false alarm.” Nathan said as he walked in. “Nothing to be worried about.”
Then his eyes widened as the fact that the room was empty. Nobody was in here, neither Alina nor Bastet. They were both gone.
Nathan noticed there was small drops of blood on the floor, near where Bastet was sitting.
“Son of a bitch.” Nathan muttered, he heard a crashing sound out in the hallway.
Choice
[Stay here]
[Investigate]
Julia Carter
Julia’s eyes darted around the room. She was on her knees, her hands tied behind her. For being in a bunker underground, this place was pretty well-lit. Julia couldn’t help but to keep looking over at the two phantom-like figures of the two dead men. Rosenberg and Gerald.
“Your friends are late.” Rosenberg hissed.
“They won’t surrender to you, you son of a bitch.” Julia growled at him. Gerald moved closer to her, and she could feel his cold ghostly grip round her neck, lifting her up off the ground.
“They better, otherwise you’re in a world of pain.” He hissed.
“Put her down.” A voice boomed as the doors burst open. Gerald instantly dropped Julia back to the ground.
“Ah, Leland.” Rosenberg said. “We’ve done exactly as you’ve asked of us.” He went on. Leland walked farther into the room, and looked over at Gerald and Rosenberg, nodding.
“You have, and you are now dismissed.” He said.
“Sir, with all due respect…” Gerald began.
“You’re dismissed!” Leland snapped at him. Julia watched as the two ghostly figures disappeared into thin air. Like they’d never existed.
Leland walked across the room, his footsteps echoing through the silence. He stopped next to Julia and knelt down next to her.
“Sorry for the restraints darling.” He said.
“Let me go, or I swear I will kill you.” Julia snapped at him.
“I’m sure you would, since you’re the only one that can do so.” He said. Julia looked at him. “But none the matter right now, as we have more pressing matters to pursue.” He said.
“Like what?” Micheal asked him. Leland snapped his gaze in his direction.
“Do not speak unless you are spoke to.” Leland said to him, before looking back at Julia. “How have you been darling? Has this time treated you well?” He asked.
“What do you mean? And quit calling me that.” Julia said. He smiled.
“I remember when I met you, back in your first life.” He said. “You were Maria Fernando. Just a poor peasant, and I was a rich man.” He said.
“What do you mean?” Julia asked. “I’m not Maria if that’s what this is about.” She said.
“Oh no, I know you’re not Maria. Not anymore. She died centuries ago.” He said. “You’re Julia Carter. The sixth reincarnation of Maria Fernando.” He said.
“What?” Julia asked.
“After your last life as Nikita Kotzov in the Soviet Union, you disappeared. I’ve been searching through all of time to find you, and here you are.” He said, looking her in the eye.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about, I can’t die.” Julia said. He shook his head.
“That’s just not the case darling.” He said. “You’re ‘immortality’ is only partial. It’s only a hint. I gifted it to you, during your first life. It keeps you from dying, but only once in a lifetime. After that, you’re the same as everyone else.”
“I-I don’t know you.” Julia stuttered. Leland sighed as he reached into his pocket, pulling out golden locket with strange markings on it, and a topaz embroiled in the center.
“Of course you don’t remember me, darling.” He said, opening the locket. “You can’t take your old memories to a new life.” He said, as he took something out of the locket, it looked like a small, thin piece of paper. “But I can give them back. Just open your mouth.” He said.
“What? No.” Julia said, or tried to say. As soon as she opened her mouth to speak Leland forced the paper into her mouth, the second it touched her tongue the entire world blanked out.
Adam Becker
“Through here.” Adam said as he pushed the door open, and they were inside the bunker. “Keep your eyes open. We have no idea what’s down here.”
“I have a pretty good idea.” Kiera said. “We’re looking for a dead guy.”
“Any idea where he would take Julia and Micheal?” Dana asked.
“Possibly the observation room. It’s a big open area, easy to control people in an open area.” Kiera said.
“Lead the way.” Kas said. Kiera looked back at her, and Kasey shrugged.
“What, you know this place better than all of us.” Kasey said.
“This way.” Kiera said as she pushed her way to the front of the group. But just as they started walking, the lights shut off. Kiera let out a small yelp.
“What happened?” Dana asked.
“They cut the power.” Adam said. Just as he said it, dim lighting flicker on. “They have backup lighting. That’s good. I guess.” He said, looking at the lights that light the hallway enough to cast creepy shadows along the walls. “Let’s keep moving.”
“Yeah.” Kiera said. Her voice sounded as stiff as her body was as she started walking again. Adam heard something up ahead, it sounded like crying.
“Wait.” Adam said. “Do you hear that?”
“Sounds like crying.” Dana said.
“It has to be Julia.” Adam said. “Stay here. I’ll be back.”
“You want to go exploring through this bunker filled with the living dead alone?” Kiera asked him. He nodded.
“I have a little secret I’ve been holding onto.” He said.
“What is that?” She asked as she turned to look at him. Adam smiled slyly. “Where did you go?” She asked.
“Right here.” Adam said. She was looking straight at him.
“Adam. H-how are you doing that?” She asked.
“Same way I teleported in here.” Dana said.
“Don’t worry, I’ll be fine.” Adam said as he walked past Kiera, purposely bumping into her. She jumped a little, and Adam smiled. Being invisible made him feel like a kid again.
He followed the sound of crying through the halls until he came to the set of double doors that lead into the observation room. Adam slowly pushed the door open, as to not make any sound and slipped in, closing it behind him.
He instantly saw Julia on her knees in the middle of the room, crying. There was a man kneeling next to her, his arm over her shoulder. Micheal was nearby, on his knees too, though not speaking. Adam looked over and saw a gun laying on a nearby table and slowly began walking forwards towards it.
Just as his hand brushed over the grip, he was thrown off his feet. Something picked him up and launched him halfway across the room, only to come crashing back down.
“Adam Becker, I’ve been expecting you.” Leland said, as he stood up and walked over to Adam. Adam began to stand up, and Leland grabbed his arm helping him up. “Sorry for the rude introduction.” He said. “Leland Frye.” He continued, extending his hand. Adam tentatively took it and shook.
“This is civil.” Adam said.
“What would you expect?” He asked. “A monster?” He chuckled with a smile. “I assume your friends are right behind you.”
As soon as he said that, the door opened once again and Kiera, Kasey, and Dana walked in being escorted by two ghostly looking creatures.
“We found them in the hallway.” One hissed, sounding a lot like Rosenberg.
“Good, be gone.” Leland said.
“Yes sir.” The other hissed and both vanished into thin air.
“So.” Leland said, pressing his hands together. “Let’s talk business.”
“I’m listening.” Adam said.
“So, I’ve got your friends.” Leland said. “But you have something I want.”
“And what would that be?” Adam asked.
“I’m hosting a little revolution, a little coup d'etat, of the mortal race.” Leland said. “Now before you go all in on saying no, let me explain myself.”
“Go on.” Adam said, his eyes drifting over to Julia.
“I’ve been around for a long time, hundreds of thousands of years. I’ve seen the barbarisms of the human race. All they do is destroy, everything they find. This planet, other peoples, nations, species. They can’t control themselves.” He said. “And now, they are coming dangerously close to discovering the existence of us, mutants. And what do you think’s going to happen then?” He asked.
“Probably nothing good.” Adam said. Leland nodded.
“On my search through time for Nikita… I mean Julia, I went into the future. It’s not good. They hunt us, capture us, kill us, put us against one enough in fights to the death for their entertainment. And it’s all run by mortals… No mutant is safe, they train people to hunt us, to capture us.” He said. “I realized it was us of them. And I chose us.” Leland said, looking Adam deeply in the eye. “I choose us.”
“How do you know Julia?” Dana asked.
“I was married to him.” Julia said. “In a past life.”
“Adam, you need to make the choice.” Leland said. Adam looked from Leland to Julia, who had pain and sorrow and anger and fear all mixed into one look on her face. Adam looked back at Leland and shook his head.
“I’m going to have to decline the offer.” Adam said. “I can’t help you commit genocide against the entire human race.” Leland nodded.
“I thought you’d say that.” Leland said, sounding disappointed but not surprised.
“What now?” Dana asked, just as she spoke a low rumble was sent through the entire bunker.
“What was that?” Kasey asked,
“The military.” Kiera said. “They’re blowing everything up.”
“Yes.” Leland said. “And it seems that the only exit to the bunker is already sealed.” He walked over to Julia, kneeling down next to her. “I’m sorry darling, I’ll find you in the next life.” He said.
“Dude, we need to get out of here.” Dana said as a chunk of the ceiling collapsed to the ground, as the bunker shook once again.
“We’re not leaving without Julia and Micheal.” Adam said, becoming aware that the entire room was unstable as more chunks began to collapse.
“I’m sorry darling.” Leland said once again. Adam watched as he stood and took a few steps away, a gun appearing in his empty hand.
“No!” Adam yelled, just as Leland turned and shot Julia. Julia’s jaw dropped in shock as her head looked down at the red stain on her shirt. She shifted forwards and collapsed to the ground. Adam looked back up at Leland just in time to see the man disappear into thin air. “Son of a bitch!”
“Julia!” Micheal yelled.
“Micheal, look out!” Dana shouted, just as a chunk of the ceiling broke loose, falling from the sky like a bullet, and landing right on him. His head twisted in an odd angle as he fell over, blood pouring from a gash in his head as he lay on the ground with his eyes wide open and unmoving.
“Adam, we need to go!” Dana yelled as she grabbed his arm. Adam looked over at Dana just in time to see the entire world blur. When it came back into focus he saw Kasey and Kiera were still with them. Adam could hear a loud sound and looked over.
There was a sprawling city before them. Large skyscrapers as far as the eye could see. Adam watched a man walk a few steps down the sidewalk and then stop, looking at his watch for a moment before he disappeared into a super-sonic blur.
He saw a woman fly past them, another one creating art on the street with acid. Another one having a fight with someone, one of them throwing fire, the other water.
“Dana, where did you take us?” Adam asked.
“Twenty… Twenty years into the future.” She said. Adam looked over as he hear the sound of police silence and saw a police car that looked like it was from the 1950’s but sounded like it had the engine of a super car. It sped past them at break-neck speed and drifted around a hair-pin turn like it was nothing, and then squealed to a stop in front of a building. Two men wearing black suits jumped out, one of them wearing gloves.
“Everyone stay back, this is official PFDF business.” One of them announced as they walked into the building. Moments later, they walked back out, dragging a young woman with them. She kicked and screamed, begging to be let go.
“Kelly Hues, you have been found guilty by the PFDF of being a mortal. The punishment for such a crime is death. Do you have any last words?” One asked.
“Please don’t kill me!” She begged. The suited men pushed her to her knees. The one wearing gloves pulled them off, exposing his bare hands. “No. No, no, no!” She screamed as she struggled to pull away. The man placed his hand on her neck and she scream in pain, only for a moment before she quit moving, her eyes fixating forwards. The man pushed she to the ground.
“Dumb bitch.” He spat, but then looked up and saw Adam and his group stand there. He looked over to his friend. “Stay here.” He said, the other on nodded as he walked over towards Adam.
“What do we do?” Kiera asked.
“Adam?” The suit asked. “Adam Becker?”
“Yeah.” Adam said, his eyes darting around.
“Son of a bitch! You don’t look a day older than the last time I saw you!” He said.
“Who are you?” Adam asked. He smiled.
“It’s me, Wade.” He said.
“Wade?” Adam asked.
“Yeah, I know, I’m older.” He said. “I thought you were dead, man. Come on, let me take you to my place.”
“No offence Wade, but you just killed someone.” Dana said.
“It’s my job. I kill mortals so mutants can live. Leland made it so.” He said.
“I’m not going anywhere with you.” Kiera said. Adam’s eye instantly widened. Kiera didn’t have any powers. She was a mortal. Wade looked at her like he was about to say something, but Adam burst in.
“Yeah, we’d love to go.” Adam said.
“What?” Kiera asked. Adam turned and looked at her.
“You’re mortal, they’ll kill you if they find out. Just play along until we can get out of here.” Adam whispered she nodded.
“Alright, let’s go.” Wade said as he turned and walked back towards the car.
……………
“This is it.” Wade said as he stepped up to the door, pulling out a key. He unlocked the door and walked in. “Greg’s gone, so we’re here alone.” He said as he stepped inside.
“Who’s Greg?” Adam asked.
“My boyfriend.” Wade said. “Now go ahead and take a seat.” He said, ushering them into the living room. “So, how’s you guys get here? I thought you all died in that bunker.”
“Dana teleported us out.” Kasey said.
“And you just teleported here?” He asked.
“I was freaking out okay? I just went to the first place that came to my mind.” Dana said, an edge in her voice. Adam could see she was turning pale and that there was a bead of sweat on her forehead, apparently Wade saw it too.
“Are you okay?” Wade asked. She shook her head.
“Yeah.” She said. “I just really need to get high.” She said, Wade laughed, but Adam glared at her.
“Seriously? Julia and Micheal just died, we teleported twenty years into the future and the first thing you want to do is get high?” Adam asked her.
“Adam.” She said, her voice tight and strained.
“What?” Adam asked, annoyed.
“I need to talk to you.” She said. “Alone.”
“Okay.” Adam said as he stood up and walked out of the room, Dana following behind him. She stopped him once they reached the hallway. “What is your problem?” Adam demanded.
“Leland killed all the mortals.” Dana said.
“Yeah, I can tell.” He said.
“I was told that I have to prevent this from happening by identifying the point in time where this future started.” She said.
“Yeah?” He asked.
“It was when Julia died.” She said. “I have to stop her from dying. Only she can prevent this future from happening.” She said.
“Because my powers only work when I’m on drugs!” She said. “If I could have it another way, I would. But right now.” She said, looking around the hallway. “I really need to get high.”
Adam Becker
What was he expecting?
Not exactly what he got.
When they showed up the entire building was surrounded by military troo… moreps, Humvees, and enough combined firepower to possibly eradicate all life within a hundred mile radius of this area. And it was all focused here, on this one building.
Adam hopped down from the back of the truck, landing on the pavement below. Behind him, one by one, everyone else jumped down beside him. Dana, Kiera and Kasey. The four of them began walking forwards towards the building, but a man stepped in front of them, blocking their part.
“You can’t go in there.” He said. “No civilians allowed.”
“They’re not civilians.” Davids spoke form behind them.
“Then who are they?” He asked. Davids eyed the group, as if searching for the word.
“The PFDF.” He said.
“What? I’ve never heard of that.” He said.
“Neither have I, but’s it’ll be better if you just let them through.” Davids said. He… [view original content]
Adam Becker
What was he expecting?
Not exactly what he got.
When they showed up the entire building was surrounded by military troo… moreps, Humvees, and enough combined firepower to possibly eradicate all life within a hundred mile radius of this area. And it was all focused here, on this one building.
Adam hopped down from the back of the truck, landing on the pavement below. Behind him, one by one, everyone else jumped down beside him. Dana, Kiera and Kasey. The four of them began walking forwards towards the building, but a man stepped in front of them, blocking their part.
“You can’t go in there.” He said. “No civilians allowed.”
“They’re not civilians.” Davids spoke form behind them.
“Then who are they?” He asked. Davids eyed the group, as if searching for the word.
“The PFDF.” He said.
“What? I’ve never heard of that.” He said.
“Neither have I, but’s it’ll be better if you just let them through.” Davids said. He… [view original content]
[Investigate] Okay, let me get the choice out of the way first. This can be important. He needs clues to where Alina and Bastet have been taken to. Also, something is not right with Tyler. Either Nathan really just imagined the gun, or Tyler is hiding something and the latter sounds a bit more likely at the moment.
Now... the rest of the part. Holy hell, the rest of the part. I don't even know what to feel. It's a mixture of shock, sadness and a strange, underlying sense of relief, considering that Dana already has a plan. So many things make sense now. And Julia, oh god ;_; Michael too of course, but Julia I understand Leland's weird obsession with her a lot better now, though it is creeping me out more than ever. So, he's so madly in love with this woman that he travels through time to be with every single reincarnation of hers? And I guess that means Julia's power is not healing, but reincarnation. As for Leland, he switched back and forth between being a complete monster and having some redeeming qualities, only to end up at the lowest scale of irredeemability, when he downright murdered the woman he seemingly loved only to be with her in her next reincarnation. It's a diabolical plan, but one that is almost flawless, especially since Michael, the one guy who would have stopped at nothing to hunt him down, is out of the picture as well. That makes me realize, twenty years into the future... that's quite close to Julia's age, isn't it? I wonder if she already has a new reincarnation and if that creep has already found her in this life. Speaking about creep, Leland reached new levels of creepiness now. This is not love, this is a sick and twisted obsession, especially as he had no problems with killing her once he saw that this incarnation would never be with him. Julia is not only the only one who can kill him, she's also the only one who has to kill him, considering that he not only murdered her (time travel is confusing), but also undoubtedly controlled the lives of each of her previous reincarnations in a truly sickening way.
Anyway, as much as the deaths of Julia and Michael downright shocked me, I don't even know how to feel right now, considering that Julia has some sort of reincarnation power and especially considering that Dana already has some sort of plan how to save her in particular. Time travelling powers are awesome and Dana is awesome. Seriously, she has some of the best lines in the entire story, especially in this part. She's amazing. Simply amazing. I never thought that drugs would one day save Julia's life, but well, now Dana really needs to get high.
Adam Becker
What was he expecting?
Not exactly what he got.
When they showed up the entire building was surrounded by military troo… moreps, Humvees, and enough combined firepower to possibly eradicate all life within a hundred mile radius of this area. And it was all focused here, on this one building.
Adam hopped down from the back of the truck, landing on the pavement below. Behind him, one by one, everyone else jumped down beside him. Dana, Kiera and Kasey. The four of them began walking forwards towards the building, but a man stepped in front of them, blocking their part.
“You can’t go in there.” He said. “No civilians allowed.”
“They’re not civilians.” Davids spoke form behind them.
“Then who are they?” He asked. Davids eyed the group, as if searching for the word.
“The PFDF.” He said.
“What? I’ve never heard of that.” He said.
“Neither have I, but’s it’ll be better if you just let them through.” Davids said. He… [view original content]
Now... the rest of the part. Holy hell, the rest of the part. I don't even know what to feel. It's a mixture of shock, sadness and a strange, underlying sense of relief, considering that Dana already has a plan.
Dude, writing this part messed with my head a little. And yes, Dana does have a plan... But will it work? O.0
I understand Leland's weird obsession with her a lot better now, though it is creeping me out more than ever. So, he's so madly in love with this woman that he travels through time to be with every single reincarnation of hers? And I guess that means Julia's power is not healing, but reincarnation.
Weird right? And yes, Julia's power is a mix of reincarnation and immortality. Weird.
As for Leland, he switched back and forth between being a complete monster and having some redeeming qualities, only to end up at the lowest scale of irredeemability, when he downright murdered the woman he seemingly loved only to be with her in her next reincarnation. It's a diabolical plan, but one that is almost flawless, especially since Michael, the one guy who would have stopped at nothing to hunt him down, is out of the picture as well.
Leland was all over the scale for me too. I almost found him hard to control, and I ended up re -writhing it multiple times trying to get him right. I think I did it though.
That makes me realize, twenty years into the future... that's quite close to Julia's age, isn't it? I wonder if she already has a new reincarnation and if that creep has already found her in this life.
Well, as I tried to prelude to, Julia doesn't necessarily reincarnate in the time line. Meaning she can reincarnate at any time, past, present, or future.
Speaking about creep, Leland reached new levels of creepiness now. This is not love, this is a sick and twisted obsession, especially as he had no problems with killing her once he saw that this incarnation would never be with him.
Yeah, he has some issues. Not some, a lot.
Julia is not only the only one who can kill him, she's also the only one who has to kill him, considering that he not only murdered her (time travel is confusing), but also undoubtedly controlled the lives of each of her previous reincarnations in a truly sickening way.
Time travel is definitely confusing. Very confusing. And it's going to get worse. This is only the beginning of the rabbit hole.
Time travelling powers are awesome and Dana is awesome. Seriously, she has some of the best lines in the entire story, especially in this part. She's amazing. Simply amazing. I never thought that drugs would one day save Julia's life, but well, now Dana really needs to get high.
I almost feel like I'm sending out a bad message to my readers.... Oh well. Don't do drugs kids.
[Investigate] Okay, let me get the choice out of the way first. This can be important. He needs clues to where Alina and Bastet have been ta… moreken to. Also, something is not right with Tyler. Either Nathan really just imagined the gun, or Tyler is hiding something and the latter sounds a bit more likely at the moment.
Now... the rest of the part. Holy hell, the rest of the part. I don't even know what to feel. It's a mixture of shock, sadness and a strange, underlying sense of relief, considering that Dana already has a plan. So many things make sense now. And Julia, oh god ;_; Michael too of course, but Julia I understand Leland's weird obsession with her a lot better now, though it is creeping me out more than ever. So, he's so madly in love with this woman that he travels through time to be with every single reincarnation of hers? And I guess that means Julia's power is not healing, but reincarnation. As for Leland, he switched back and f… [view original content]
Dude, writing this part messed withmy head a little. And yes, Dana does have a plan... But will it work? O.0
I actually had to read some parts twice to fully understand what was going on. Some of these revelations changed basically everything I previously thought. And well, I have trust in Dana. Maybe not the wisest choice to bet on the person who literally has to get high to use her powers, but well, she's kinda the only option.
Weird right? And yes, Julia's power is a mix of reincarnation and immortality. Weird.
Weird, but pretty cool at the same time. I liked the healing, but the possibilities with this reincarnation/immortality mix are far bigger. If she/her reincarnation learns how to use it... well, so far I have thought that Dana's time-travelling is the most overpowered thing ever, but this power Julia has? Though I wonder if she always had this power, or if Leland gave it to her when she was Maria, like he did with the temporary regeneration.
Leland was all over the scale for me too. I almost found him hard to control, and I ended up re -writhing it multiple times trying to get him right. I think I did it though.
Yep, yes you did! This part alone gave him so much personality. Mostly negative of course, but he still became a very fleshed-out character.
Well, as I tried to prelude to, Julia doesn't necessarily reincarnate in the time line. Meaning she can reincarnate at any time, past, present, or future.
Yeah, I noticed. Considering that her last reincarnation was around in the Soviet Union, while she was born in the early nineties, there seem to be no set rules when she reincarnates. Still, would be interesting.
Yeah, he has some issues. Not some, a lot.
I just realized, following my previous thought, even if she already reincarnated, she might be just a baby. That means Leland might be in love with a baby right now and since he is at least centuries older than any of Julia's previous reincarnations, he almost certainly was at that point a couple of times before... He got some issues and that's a massive understatement.
Time travel is definitely confusing. Very confusing. And it's going to get worse. This is only the beginning of the rabbit hole.
From my experience, the moment time travel gets involved, things get massively confusing. Julia's reincarnation powers and the fact that she exists at least half a dozen times in this single timeline alone doesn't make it any easier. The possibilities are literally endless, perhaps only limited by how much drugs Dana's body can take.
I almost feel like I'm sending out a bad message to my readers.... Oh well. Don't do drugs kids.
Hah, it's too late! I'm going to do Meth and bathsalts and nasal spray and Oreos now to unlock my own time travel powers! Then, once I'm able to travel through time at will, I'm going to prevent my younger self from ever doing drugs. It's a foolproof plan!
Now... the rest of the part. Holy hell, the rest of the part. I don't even know what to feel. It's a mixture of shock, sadness and a strange… more, underlying sense of relief, considering that Dana already has a plan.
Dude, writing this part messed with my head a little. And yes, Dana does have a plan... But will it work? O.0
I understand Leland's weird obsession with her a lot better now, though it is creeping me out more than ever. So, he's so madly in love with this woman that he travels through time to be with every single reincarnation of hers? And I guess that means Julia's power is not healing, but reincarnation.
Weird right? And yes, Julia's power is a mix of reincarnation and immortality. Weird.
As for Leland, he switched back and forth between being a complete monster and having some redeeming qualities, only to end up at the lowest scale of irredeemability, when he downright murdered the woman he seemingly lov… [view original content]
Some of these revelations changed basically everything I previously thought. And well, I have trust in Dana. Maybe not the wisest choice to bet on the person who literally has to get high to use her powers, but well, she's kinda the only option.
Rule number 1, never assume anything is true while reading this story. even the laws of physics... I actually no longer trust myself with this much power. And if you were going to put trust in someone, Dana would be high on my list.
Though I wonder if she always had this power, or if Leland gave it to her when she was Maria, like he did with the temporary regeneration.
well, the reincarnation part is her actual power, healing was the part gifted to her.
there seem to be no set rules when she reincarnates. Still, would be interesting.
...There's such a thing as rules?
That means Leland might be in love with a baby right now and since he is at least centuries older than any of Julia's previous reincarnations, he almost certainly was at that point a couple of times before... He got some issues and that's a massive understatement.
Well, seeing as he's annihilated the entire mortal human race, I'd say he's got a little bit of a problem. Or maybe he just has a napoleon complex. I'm not too sure.
From my experience, the moment time travel gets involved, things get massively confusing. Julia's reincarnation powers and the fact that she exists at least half a dozen times in this single timeline alone doesn't make it any easier. The possibilities are literally endless, perhaps only limited by how much drugs Dana's body can take.
This... I'm taking science and history and using it as a jump rope right now. Or at least it feels that way. Maybe I'm just a mad scientist or something. Mr. Quality: Professional Crazed Scientist. I should get a poster.
Hah, it's too late! I'm going to do Meth and bathsalts and nasal spray and Oreos now to unlock my own time travel powers! Then, once I'm able to travel through time at will, I'm going to prevent my younger self from ever doing drugs. It's a foolproof plan!
Foolproof. Totally. Just try not to kill yourself, or create any paradoxes, but as my writing had shown, I obviously don't care about paradoxes... So... Don't blow up the world? And bring me back a souvenir if you travel back in time?
Dude, writing this part messed withmy head a little. And yes, Dana does have a plan... But will it work? O.0
I actually had to read … moresome parts twice to fully understand what was going on. Some of these revelations changed basically everything I previously thought. And well, I have trust in Dana. Maybe not the wisest choice to bet on the person who literally has to get high to use her powers, but well, she's kinda the only option.
Weird right? And yes, Julia's power is a mix of reincarnation and immortality. Weird.
Weird, but pretty cool at the same time. I liked the healing, but the possibilities with this reincarnation/immortality mix are far bigger. If she/her reincarnation learns how to use it... well, so far I have thought that Dana's time-travelling is the most overpowered thing ever, but this power Julia has? Though I wonder if she always had this power, or if Leland gave it to her when she was Maria, like he did w… [view original content]
So much stuff happening, I love it! Leland is such an ass. I feel sorry Julia. Even if Dana manages to save her, she still has the knowledge that she was married to this creepy guy. The time travel stuff is cool btw! Cant wait for the next part!
Adam Becker
What was he expecting?
Not exactly what he got.
When they showed up the entire building was surrounded by military troo… moreps, Humvees, and enough combined firepower to possibly eradicate all life within a hundred mile radius of this area. And it was all focused here, on this one building.
Adam hopped down from the back of the truck, landing on the pavement below. Behind him, one by one, everyone else jumped down beside him. Dana, Kiera and Kasey. The four of them began walking forwards towards the building, but a man stepped in front of them, blocking their part.
“You can’t go in there.” He said. “No civilians allowed.”
“They’re not civilians.” Davids spoke form behind them.
“Then who are they?” He asked. Davids eyed the group, as if searching for the word.
“The PFDF.” He said.
“What? I’ve never heard of that.” He said.
“Neither have I, but’s it’ll be better if you just let them through.” Davids said. He… [view original content]
Okay guys, now that I've totally messed with your minds and my own, It's time for some unfortunate news.
This story, as will all my others, will be paused for a little over a week.
The reason being simple, for the next week until Sunday, my life and soul belong to my owner aka my High School, as I am now working Tech Crew for the musical we are producing, 'The Little Mermaid'. Mostly all I do is set up the scenes and move around heavy objects and scenery, only to have to take it down and move it again, all while being critically undermanned and in pitch-black.
To tell you all the truth, I wasn't planning on being part of the play, but I got volun-told I was going to work Tech Crew, but after today, my first official day, I actually found it kind of fun and I think it will be worth my time. Plus, in one scene, me and the rest of the Tech Crew get to be a ship! Yay!
And best part of it all: I don't even have to say a word the entire time.
So, sorry guys. My life belongs to The Little Mermaid for about a week. Hopefully I'll still be around and try to write some, but it will be hard since I won't be getting home until anywhere between 6 through 9 at night. So, thank you all in advance for your patience. Thank you all for reading, and have a good night my friends.
Dana’s eyes darted around the medicine cabinet, there were pills in there, yes. But none that would grant a high, only ones that would more than likely just kill her. She picked up an orange bottle and read the label. ‘Mesalamine’. Immunosuppressant. Not what she needed.
“Can you find anything?” Adam’s voice whispered from the other side of the locked door.
“No.” Dana answered. “Not a damn thing.”
“You might want to hurry up, you’ve been in there for a while. He’s going to get suspicious.” Adam said.
“Just keep him busy. I need more time.” Dana said.
“Easier said than done.” Adam said. “He’s on to Kiera already, I’m worried he’s going to find out soon.” Dana sighed as she closed the cabinet and walked over to the door to the room. She pulled it open and looked at Adam, shaking her head.
“We need a plan B.” She said. Adam looked around the hallway.
“I don’t have anything.” Adam said.
“I do.” Dana said as she walked out of the bathroom and down the hallway towards the kitchen. She started pulling open drawers looking at silverware.
“What are you looking for?” Adam asked as he started opening drawers too.
“I’ll tell you when I find it.” She said, as she pulled another drawer open. “Found it.” She said as her fingers grasped the handle of a sharp knife. She pulled it out and flashed it to Adam. Adam just stared at her.
“You want to kill him?” He asked.
“Technically, I won’t be killing him. If everything goes right, this timeline will have never existed.” She said.
“I hate this time travel shit.” Adam said.
“You don’t even know the beginning to it.” Dana said. As she slid the knife into her pants, concealing it. She walked past Adam and went back down the hallway towards the room everyone else was in. She saw Kasey and Kiera talking with Wade. Kiera was definitely on edge. She looked almost scared, but then again Dana hadn’t seen Kiera not sacred about something yet.
Dana couldn’t help it, her mind just went back to Sophie on its own. They’d always just sit and talk for hours like the rest of the world never existed, like the only thing that mattered was them… But now they don’t exist anymore.
Dana must’ve paused a little too long because Adam walked up behind her, placing a hand on her shoulder. She jumped a little, she forgot Adam was behind her.
“Are you okay?” Adam asked. Dana nodded.
“I’m fine.” She said. Adam shook his head.
“Dana, you’re not fine. I can tell that by just looking at you. What’s wrong?” He asked. Dana sighed, her eyes drifting downwards towards the floor.
“I just… I miss my girlfriend.” She said. Adam slowly nodded.
“There’s still time to fix everything.” He said.
“I wish it was that easy.” She said.
“Nothing’s easy, not anymore.” He responded, as he brushed past her into the room. As soon as Wade spotted him enter he stood up and walked over to him.
“I need to talk to you.” He said, a forced smirk on his face.
“Sure, what’s it about?” Adam asked.
“In private would be best.” He said.
“How bout out in the hallway?” Adam asked.
“That’ll work.” He said. Dana shrank back against the wall as she heard them coming closer to her.
“So, what’s up?” Adam asked.
“Why the hell didn’t you tell me Kiera was a mortal?” Wade asked as he appeared in the hallway next to Adam. He grabbed Adam by the shirt and pushed him against the wall. He pulled something out from a holster on his pants, pressing it against Adam’s chest. It looked like a gun, but not one that Dana had ever seen before.
“So you’ve figure it out?” Adam asked. He nodded.
“Yeah, but I can’t kill her.” Wade said. “She’s from another timeline, I have to take her to the Time Council in Chicago for a trail. We don’t want to fuck up the timeline.”
“Time Council?” Adam asked. Wade rolled up his sleeve and reveled a tattoo on his right arm. It was a skull of a human with a clock on its forehead, the words ‘Time Waits For No Man’ were encircling it.
“Established back in the 1700’s. It was a way to keep time travelers under control, as they’re some of the most powerful people alive. They’ve been relocated a few times, but they’ve settled in the Willis Tower since it was built. If you need to find someone in a different time, or just need help on a history report, they’re your people.”
“And you’re taking Kiera there to determine what?” Adam asked.
“We’re trying to determine what will happen if we kill her.” He said. “We want to know if she’s important to the timeline.”
“I think that’s all I need to know.” Adam said, looking over to Dana. Her hand brushed over the knife and she quickly pulled it out, jumping forwards at Wade, but he seemed to have been expecting that, as he simply let go of Adam and stepped back. Before Dana could even take a swing at him, he smashed his gun into the side of her face, sending her to the ground with pain shooting down her cheek. Dana heard the knife slide away from her grip and looked back up.
Wade was standing over her, hovering the gun above her head. She was looking down the barrel and could see it was making a fluorescent glow on the other end.
“Hey, Wade.” Adam said. For half a second Wade looked over towards Adam, but that was all she needed. She kicked him in the leg hard enough to make him lose his grip on the gun. As soon as he lost his grip, Dana jumped at it. Her hand wrapped around it and put the barrel at Wade’s head. Then, she pulled the trigger.
A bullet, she was expecting that. Normally when you shoot a gun, you’d expect a bullet to be sent at the target. Not what she got. As soon as she pulled the trigger, a bright green beam sailed from the gun right to Wade’s chest as her aim was a little off, and upon contact blasted a hole through his chest and light a small fire on his cloths.
He didn’t move, didn’t make a sound, he just fell. He dropped like a bag of stones right onto the floor. Dana watched in amazement and horror as the wound on his chest regenerated, sealing the wound like it’d never happened. She looked back up at Adam and then to the gun.
“What kind of future is this?” She asked.
“Not one I’d want to live in.” Adam said. Dana ran her hands through her hair.
“We need to hide the body.” She said.
“I’ll get to it, you just go upstairs and see if you can find anything useful.” Adam said. Dana nodded to him as she quickly began climbing up the stairs towards the second floor. She got to the top and pushed open the nearest door, her eyes widened at what was within. It was a bedroom, but it wasn’t being used as one.
The walls were plastered with pictures, floor to ceiling. Pictures of people she’d never seen before. Some were in color, some black and white. A majority of them were scribbled over with the same word ‘Terminated’. Dana couldn’t help it, she walked further into the room, she brushed her hand along the pictures on the wall.
Her eyes fell upon a large black bag on the floor against the wall, she looked back at the door before she walked over to it, she grabbed the zipper and pulled it back and nearly threw up after seeing what was inside. Not what, who.
Ghost. She lay inside the bag, her skin colorless and her lips blueish. She eyes were wide open though they held no color. There was a dime-sized hole in her forehead, but it wasn’t from a bullet. It couldn’t have been. It was situated perfectly in the center of the head. Someone had bored into her head. It was sickening to think about, but someone had done it.
Dana quickly stood back up, backing away towards the door, but her eyes spotted something else, a black binder. She picked it up, flipping it open. It contained spreadsheet upon spreadsheet of names, locations, times, dates. Wade was stalking these people down, he was killing them. He was…
Dana dropped the binder and went back over to Ghost’s body. She unzipped the rest of the bag, only to find the bottom half of her body missing. In its place were multiple jars full of organs and what looked like brain matter.
She couldn’t help it anymore, it was all too much. Her stomach churned as she kneeled over and threw up on the floor. She staggered backwards, having to grab the wall for support. She backed out of the room, pulling the door closed behind her.
She sank down against the wall, pulling her knees close to her chest.
Nathan Zabek
Nathan looked out into the hallway, and back at the empty bed and didn’t even need a second thought as he dashed out from the room towards where he had heard the sound.
He rushed through the halls until he spotted a haggard looking man wearing a trench coat pulling Bastet along with him. Though He didn’t spot Alina.
He could tell that Bastet was bleeding from her forehead, he could also tell that nurses and doctors were trying to help her, but the man was keeping them all at bay with a gun he brandished in his hand.
Nathan looked at him, he could tell that the man wasn’t paying attention to what was happening behind him. Nathan took a few quick steps before bursting into a full out sprint, a few feet from behind the man he leaped forwards tackling the man to the ground. All three of them were sent sprawling, as the gun skittered away from the man.
Nathan rushed to get back up and leapt onto the gun, turning it on the haggard man.
“Where’s my sister you son of a bitch?” Nathan demanded. The man looked at him.
“Same place as the rest of your family, son.” The man said.
“And that would be?” Nathan asked.
“The land between time, where no one will ever them again.” He laughed.
“Where the hell is that?” Nathan demanded.
“Not where, but when.” The man said as he slowly stood back up.
“What the hell does that mean?” Nathan asked.
“It means your parents did something to piss a powerful man off, and now their entire family is paying for it.” He said.
“Just tell me how to get there and I’ll let you live.” Nathan said. He laughed.
“It’s not that easy son, and plus, you won’t use that thing either way.” He said.
“You want to bet your life on it?” He asked.
“I’m willing to, yes.” He said with a smile.
Dana Grey
Dana sifted through the dresser, wiping a tear out of her eye. She kept trying to push the thought out of her mind, but it always kept coming back. The harder she tried to forget, the more she remembered it. What was in that room would stay with her for the rest of her life, which at this rate wasn’t going to be much longer.
She became angry when she found nothing in the drawer. She yanked the drawer from the dresser and chucked it across the room, sending junk flying everywhere. The drawer itself crashed into a lamp before going back to the floor. It took her a moment to realize she was screaming. She was screaming at a drawer out of anger.
She angrily kicked the nightstand, sending it over its side onto the floor. She looked at the TV that sat on top of the dresser and a sick smile pulled at her lips as she reached back and sent her fist right into the screen. She laughed as the screen cracked, she yanked the TV from the dresser and threw it to the ground, smashing it under her foot for good measure.
She grabbed the framed pictures off the walls and threw them across the room, delighting in the sound of smashing glass.
She heard the door to the room open and just couldn’t stop herself, she picked up an already broken lamp and chucked it at the person who was entering. They ducked back as it smashed into the wall next to them.
“Are you fucking insane?” Adam asked as he walked in, looking at the mess in the room. Dana grabbed at her hair as she paced around the mess.
“I don’t know.” She responded, aware of the fact she sounded like a deranged lunatic. “I don’t know.”
She knew she’d already caused enough damage to this place, but the sliver wristwatch caught her eye. She picked it up and turned it over in her hand.
“Put the watch down, Dana.” Adam said. Dana smiled, her eyes looked over towards the window. “Dana, don’t even think about it.” He said. She couldn’t stop herself though, in the blink of an eye the watch left her hand and sailed through the air, smashing the window with a delightful sound. She smiled at her handiwork, only for half a moment though, as her world suddenly turned sideways and she fell to the floor. She felt Adam holding her down.
“Let me go!” She demanded, trying to kick Adam away. But he seemed to have a good grip on her, as he wasn’t going anywhere.
“Dana, look at me.” He said. Dana refused, she kept kicking. “Look at me Dana.” He said again. Dana glared up at him. “You need to calm down.” He said she could see he had a strange look in his eye. He looked like he thought she was some sort of animal. She quit kicking at him, she was breathing heavily and couldn’t even see straight.
“What’s wrong with me?” She asked, she could feel tears but forced them back. He looked at her and shook his head.
“Are you feeling okay?” He asked.
“I-I don’t know.” She said.
“What’s wrong with your eyes?” He asked.
“There’s nothing wrong with my eyes.” She snapped, feeling angry suddenly. Adam reached behind him without letting Dana up and brought back a shard of a broken mirror. He held it in front of her face. Her eyes were red. Not bloodshot, her eyes had turned red. She stared at her reflection, unsure of it was actually herself she was looking at.
“What the hell?” A new voice asked, Dana looked over Adam’s shoulder and saw a woman standing in the doorway. Her eyes were wide as she scanned the room.
“Get out of here.” Adam said.
“I’m here to help.” She said. “I heard the news, that you killed Wade.”
“How did you know that?” Adam asked.
“I’m the neighbor, and it’s kind of my power.” She said.
“So you’re going to turn us in.” Adam said.
“Just the opposite. I want to help.” She said. “What Leland is doing to the mortals is wrong, and many of us believe that. Just tell me what I can do.” Adam looked at her and then to Dana.
“How familiar are you with medicine?” He asked.
“I work as a nurse.” She said.
“Good enough.” He said
Nathan Zabek
Nathan stared blackly at the blood on his hands. He felt nothing, oddly enough. He thought he would feel something, but he was wrong. It was just numbness. He looked back up at the man in the trench coat, he was holding the pistol inches from his head.
“Don’t do this.” Nathan said, pressing his hand against the wound on his side
“You’re the one that started it.” He responded. Nathan shut his eyes as he saw the man begin to put pressure on the trigger. He waited. He waited for the end, and whatever came after.
“Stop!” A voice yelled. It sounded familiar, like someone he knew. Nathan opened his eyes and looked back up. The man was standing awestruck staring at something down at the other end of the hallway. Nathan slowly turned and looked back. His eyes widened as he saw Alina standing at the other end of the hallway, multiple armed SWAT officers surrounding her.
“How did you… How did you escape?” He asked.
“You don’t need to worry about that.” She responded.
“How… There’s no way. No one’s ever gotten out of there alive!” He demanded.
“Well, I’ve changed that.” She said. Nathan couldn’t help but to notice how healthy she looked all the sudden, like her life hadn’t been in danger just a day ago. Or less than a day, he couldn’t remember.
“I’ll end you.” He said. “No loose ends.” He said.
“If your raise that gun, these guys will shoot.” Alina said, motioning to the SWAT team. “Just put the gun down and you might get to live.”
Dana Grey
Dana grunted and jerked her head away from the woman as she tried to look at her.
“Stop fighting me.” She said.
“Leave me alone!” Dana yelled. “I’m fine!”
“You’re not fine.” She demanded, grabbing Dana’s chin, holding her head still. She flashed a light into her eyes. As soon as the light hit her eyes Dana started kicking again, trying to get Adam off of her.
“Get away from me!” She yelled, as she tried to pull her arm free. The woman turned the light off and looked back at Adam.
“I need to see her arm.” She said. “Just roll up her sleeve so I can look at it.” She said. Adam complied and slowly rolled up the sleeve of her shirt. The woman looked at her arm, as did Adam. She didn’t seem surprised, but Adam looked like he was about to pass out.
“Let me go.” Dana growled at him.
“Do not let her go.” The woman said sternly.
“Why? What is it?” He asked. She shook her head.
“Blood red eyes, the veins in her arm are bulging out…” She trailed. “I think she has Willis Syndrome. More commonly known as Time Sickness.” She said.
“What is that? Is it bad?” He asked.
“Time Sickness… I only happens in an exceptionally small rate of time travelers. Almost to small to even calculate.” She said.
“How bad is it?” Adam asked.
“This is only stage one; increased volatility. There’s three stages of time sickness, Stage Two is the worst. The patient loses ability to recognize life, forgets who they are, can’t remember, can’t function. The heart rate increases dramatically.” She said.
“And Stage Three?” Adam asked.
“These veins.” She said, pointing to Dana’s arm. “All simultaneously burst. The patient bleeds out within minutes.” She said.
“How do we fix it? What do we do?” He asked.
“Normally we have to put them down as soon as we diagnose them, if we let them go they can be to dangerous.” She said. “Time Sickness is to rare. We don’t get to study it, we don’t know how it acts. We only know how it kills. There’s no cure for it, and there’s none coming.” She said. Adam sighed, looking Dana in the eye.
“How much time do we have?”
Nathan Zabek
Nathan felt the blood on his back, not his blood, but the other man’s blood. He didn’t put the gun down, he turned it on Alina and pulled the trigger.
Alina didn’t get shot, no. She was saved by one of the SWAT members, who took the bullet for her. Normally, the vest would’ve stopped the bullet, but what they didn’t know was the fact that the gun was loaded with high-velocity armor piercing rounds.
So now there was a man bleeding to death at the other end of the hallway. One of the other members came over and checked Nathan, making sure he wasn’t armed and making sure the gunman was dead. He was.
“We need doctors ASAP!” One member yelled. The one next to Nathan looked at his wound.
“You’re going to be fine, it’s just a graze.” He said.
“What about your guy?” Nathan asked, nodding to the other end of the hallway where the rest of the team was surrounding the downed officer. One of them looked back in his direction and shook their head.
“It’s too late for him.” He said sullenly.
“I’m sorry.” Nathan said. The man swallowed hard, his hand resting on Nathan’s shoulder.
“It’s part of the job, he knew it.” He said, his voice breaking. “Let’s just get you some help.” He said.
Dana Grey
“We caught it early.” She said. “Her outbursts are short and periodical, the first one lasted only around five to seven minutes. The second came about an hour later, lasting about the same amount of time.”
“So I’m going to die.” Dana said as she looked around the wrecked room. The woman bit her lip, and nodded.
“Yes. There’s no other way.” She said. “You’re going to die.” Dana blinked back a tear.
“T-Then we need to get this done while I’m still in control.” She said. The woman nodded and opened the plastic case of medical supplies. She pulled out the small vial of clear liquid and a syringe. Dana tried to slow her breathing, she tried to calm herself, it just wasn’t working. She was freaking out.
“Dana.” Kasey said. Dana looked up towards her, she was sitting on the other side of the living room. The wouldn’t let her or Kiera anywhere near her. Dana felt a tear run down her c
“Yes?” Dana asked. Kasey stood up from where she sat and walked across the room towards her. She stopped at the center of the room, looking at Adam. Adam nodded to her and she walked to Dana, grabbing her hand. Dana could feel the woman tying the tourniquet around her arm. Her heart was racing, she was crying now. There was no other way to put it.
Dana looked away as the woman filled the syringe with morphine. She looked Kasey in the eye, trying not to completely break down in front of her little sister. She squeezed her hand tighter. Kasey forced a pained smile as she looked at her. Dana couldn’t even imagine how much it was hurting her to see her like this.
“Are you ready?” The woman asked. Dana felt Adam place a hand on her leg and saw Kiera standing right behind him. She drew a shaky breath. And then nodded.
“Yes.” Was all she could say. She could see a tear running down Kasey’s face, and used her free arm to wipe it away. She smiled. “It’s okay.” She said. She felt the needle tear her skin and dive into her arm. She bit her lip and tried to stop herself from shaking, but couldn’t.
“We’re here.” Adam said, his hand releasing her leg. Kasey let go of her hand. The woman pulled the syringe out of her arm and pulled off the tourniquet. She stepped back.
“It’s all you now.” She said.
“Good luck.” Kiera said.
Dana took one last look at the group of them standing together. Adam, their fearless leader. Kiera, the scared woman trying to act brave. Kasey, her younger sister who shouldn’t even be here. And the stranger, who lent a helping hand.
In her head she counted to five, letting the scene sink into her mind. It would probably be the last thing she would remember. When she got to five, she closed her eyes. She knew what had to happen now, but first she had a small detour to make. Chad Sparks.
Hey everyone, like I said it will be a while before I can post again, so I decided to just leave you guys with this for now, if that's okay. I had some free time on my hands today and decided to let this happen, so enjoy. And just as a reminder there will be no new parts coming out next week at all, possibly. I'm not reliable when it comes to me saying I won't be doing things.
Also, sorry I didn't include a choice in this. I just couldn't find a way to cram it it. And also, if you're confused with Alina's storyline it's alright, I intend on clarifying when I come back. And for now, i leave you with these questions which I literally copy-pasted from the top of this page. I swear my honesty will get me killed someday.
Who's your favorite character so far, and why?
Who's your least favorite character and why?
What's your favorite part so far?
What's your least favorite part so far?
What would you like to see more of in my writing? (other than blood. There'll be tons of that.)
What would you like to see less of in my writing? C'mon, be honest. I'm a big boy, I can handle it. Just warn me ahead of time if I'm going to need tissues.
Do you have any questions about the story so far? Anything that confuses you or you don't understand? I'll do my best to answer without giving away to much...
Anything else? Here you can put anything you'd like to say that I didn't ask. Fan mail is always welcome.
Another amazing part! Wade left me speechless. I mean, what the hell was up with him? Why was he keeping half a body at his place? I get that it was his job to hunt down mortals, but I doubt his boss forces him to keep a mutilated body at his place. That guy was fucking insane and I am glad they killed him. Here's hoping that past Wade is less of a hidden psychopath, should Dana indeed manage to travel through time to prevent this bad future from happening. Also, Dana... damn it, girl! This illness she has sounds serious and I hope she at least manages to save the world before succumbing to it. One question though: Why is she going to get Chad Sparks? Was there anything mentioned, or is this going to be revealed later? And finally Alina, the big wtf-moment of this part. It is indeed a bit confusing right now, but I will refrain from asking any questions about her storyline, because I'm sure it will all make sense soon.
Good luck with your school project by the way! I hope it's going to be fun
And now for the questions. Most of these answers are actually still similar to my previous ones from a few weeks ago, so I can make this a bit shorter than last time
Who's your favorite character so far, and why?
Not much has changed from the last time you asked. Julia, even though she is kinda busy being dead (or not, thanks to her own reincarnation paired with Dana's time travel), is (or was?) still great. Dana is amazing and might even be my absolute favourite at the moment. I also still like Adam and Keira and I still ship it. And Alina, especially after her cool scene in this part.
Who's your least favorite character and why?
Leland fucking Frey. I don't think an explanation is needed here. He's just beyond creepy. Also, and more importantly, he outright murdered Julia and who knows what he did to her previous incarnations. After this part, Wade is also another least favourite of mine, at least this twisted, messed-up future version of him.
What's your favorite part so far?
The ones I previously mentioned are still among my favourites. There is also a new one, a surprising one for me. I never thought I could ever like a part in which one of my characters died, but considering that it happened with some insane twist and also might not be irrevocable thanks to the awesomeness that is time travel, I have to say that the part where Julia died (for the second time), where Leland's sick motivation for his actions got revealed and where Dana put the remaining group into the future and came up with a plan to maybe still save the day is also one of my favourite parts.
What's your least favorite part so far?
I still don't have one. Maybe the part where Julia died XD Though, that one gave me more confliction emotions and is also simultaneously one of my favourites, so I guess I still don't have a favourite part.
What would you like to see more of in my writing?
You did find a crazy awesome way to give us villains with a longer lifespan, so my previous answer no longer applies. Though, considering how greatly my last wish worked out, let me try it once again: How about more... happy endings? Might be worth a try
What would you like to see less of in my writing?
Still nothing. This is still damn close to perfection.
Do you have any questions about the story so far?
Oh yes, one thing, which I only recently thought about. Do you have an ending for the story planned, and if, can you tell how much of this wonderful story is left? I mean, I obviously love it, so I would love if the story continues for a long time, it's just something I've been curious about lately.
Anything else?
Nopes. Keep up the awesome work! This story is getting better and better.
Dana felt a tear run down her cheek.
“Yes?” Dana asked. Kasey stood up from where she sat and walked across the room towards her. She sto… morepped at the center of the room, looking at Adam. Adam nodded to her and she walked to Dana, grabbing her hand. Dana could feel the woman tying the tourniquet around her arm. Her heart was racing, she was crying now. There was no other way to put it.
Dana looked away as the woman filled the syringe with morphine. She looked Kasey in the eye, trying not to completely break down in front of her little sister. She squeezed her hand tighter. Kasey forced a pained smile as she looked at her. Dana couldn’t even imagine how much it was hurting her to see her like this.
“Are you ready?” The woman asked. Dana felt Adam place a hand on her leg and saw Kiera standing right behind him. She drew a shaky breath. And then nodded.
“Yes.” Was all she could say. She could see a tear running down Kasey’s face, and u… [view original content]
One question though: Why is she going to get Chad Sparks? Was there anything mentioned, or is this going to be revealed later?
Well, a long time ago... Can't remember when... She was told she was the one that saves Chad Sparks. I guess she still believes it.
And finally Alina, the big wtf-moment of this part. It is indeed a bit confusing right now, but I will refrain from asking any questions about her storyline, because I'm sure it will all make sense soon.
Trust me,it'll all be cleared up when this returns next week. It made even more confusing. Who knows.
Good luck with your school project by the way! I hope it's going to be fun
It's a lot of fun already. The actual okay starts Friday. I think it'll be good.
Not much has changed from the last time you asked. Julia, even though she is kinda busy being dead (or not, thanks to her own reincarnation paired with Dana's time travel)
I thought as much.
You did find a crazy awesome way to give us villains with a longer lifespan, so my previous answer no longer applies. Though, considering how greatly my last wish worked out, let me try it once again: How about more... happy endings? Might be worth a try
Happy endings? Whats that? XD
Trust me, if I can I will. But I don't know.
Still nothing. This is still damn close to perfection.
Awww... Thanks Liquid!
Oh yes, one thing, which I only recently thought about. Do you have an ending for the story planned, and if, can you tell how much of this wonderful story is left? I mean, I obviously love it, so I would love if the story continues for a long time, it's just something I've been curious about lately.
Oh gosh... This has been bugging me too lately. Honeslty I have no idea how much longer this is going to be. I don't think it's going to go on for a very long time though. I kind of have an end sort of plan.
Another amazing part! Wade left me speechless. I mean, what the hell was up with him? Why was he keeping half a body at his place? I get tha… moret it was his job to hunt down mortals, but I doubt his boss forces him to keep a mutilated body at his place. That guy was fucking insane and I am glad they killed him. Here's hoping that past Wade is less of a hidden psychopath, should Dana indeed manage to travel through time to prevent this bad future from happening. Also, Dana... damn it, girl! This illness she has sounds serious and I hope she at least manages to save the world before succumbing to it. One question though: Why is she going to get Chad Sparks? Was there anything mentioned, or is this going to be revealed later? And finally Alina, the big wtf-moment of this part. It is indeed a bit confusing right now, but I will refrain from asking any questions about her storyline, because I'm sure it will all make sense soon.
Good luck with your … [view original content]
Dana. I liked her before but in the last few parts I started to like her even more and now she is my top favorite. Shes the best.
Who's your least favorite character and why?
Leland, that asshole! For a short moment in the last part I sympathized with him but it went down the moment he murdered Julia even though he claimed to love her. And everything afterwards made me hate him more.
What's your favorite part so far?
Each part seems better than before. The last two have been the most dramatic.
What's your least favorite part so far?
I dont have one
**What would you like to see more of in my writing? **
The same thing I said last time. Nothing, because this story is awesome.
What would you like to see less of in my writing?
See my answer above. This is my favorite story here and it is perfect for me.
Do you have any questions about the story so far?
Im sure its all going to get answered and I also think I understand everything I am supposed to understand.
Dana felt a tear run down her cheek.
“Yes?” Dana asked. Kasey stood up from where she sat and walked across the room towards her. She sto… morepped at the center of the room, looking at Adam. Adam nodded to her and she walked to Dana, grabbing her hand. Dana could feel the woman tying the tourniquet around her arm. Her heart was racing, she was crying now. There was no other way to put it.
Dana looked away as the woman filled the syringe with morphine. She looked Kasey in the eye, trying not to completely break down in front of her little sister. She squeezed her hand tighter. Kasey forced a pained smile as she looked at her. Dana couldn’t even imagine how much it was hurting her to see her like this.
“Are you ready?” The woman asked. Dana felt Adam place a hand on her leg and saw Kiera standing right behind him. She drew a shaky breath. And then nodded.
“Yes.” Was all she could say. She could see a tear running down Kasey’s face, and u… [view original content]
Her head was pounding, even though everything was foggy, she could still feel the gnawing pain in her head. Her eyes drifted open and her heart nearly skipped a beat, she was no longer in the hospital.
She was no longer in Ohio.
She was in Chicago. She was laying in the streets right outside the Art Institute of Chicago. She quickly shot up to her feet, her eyes darting around the area. Then she spotted something more earie than the fact that she was in Chicago.
Time wasn’t moving.
It had been raining, but the drops of water were frozen in the sky as they fell, no longer moving. Flags on buildings were frozen in place halfway through a wave. Pidgins were frozen in the air as they flew away, going nowhere.
“Where am I?” She asked herself, knowing she wouldn’t get an answer.
“Chicago.” A voice spoke. Alina spun on her heel and came face to face with a tall man with a sly smile. “This is the land between time.”
“What does that mean? How did I get here?” She asked.
“That’s a question no one can answer except you.” He said. “The name’s Hank. Mind if I ask you a question?” He asked.
“You just did.” Alina said. “But go ahead.”
“What year is it?” He asked her, no sign of humor on his face or in his voice.
“2016.” Alina responded. Hank sighed.
“So it’s been that long, huh?” He said.
“What does that mean?” Alina asked.
“I’ve been here since 1981.” He said. Alina narrowed her eyes at him.
“You look a little young for that.” She said.
“That’s because time doesn’t move, no one ages. No one dies.” He said.
“That’s impossible. Everyone dies.” She said.
“Not when time doesn’t move.” He said, looking up and nodding towards a large skyscraper. “That’s where it all happens. That’s the Willis Tower, it’s the only place where time moves.”
“Then why don’t you just go there?” She asked.
“Last time we posed a rebellion against the Time Lords, half of our populations was killed. Our time doesn’t move, but they’re in the future.” He said.
“There has to be a way to get out.” She said. Hank sighed and gave a halfhearted smile.
“Come on, there’s someone you should meet.” He said.
Adam Becker
“Adam, you need to make the choice.” Leland said. Adam looked from Leland to Julia, who had pain and sorrow and anger and fear all mixed into one look on her face. Adam looked back at Leland and shook his head.
“I’m going to have to decline the offer.” Adam said. “I can’t help you commit genocide against the entire human race.” Leland nodded.
“I thought you’d say that.” Leland said, sounding disappointed but not surprised.
“What now?” Kiera asked, just as she spoke a low rumble was sent through the entire bunker.
“What was that?” Kasey asked,
“The military.” Kiera said. “They’re blowing everything up.”
“Yes.” Leland said. “And it seems that the only exit to the bunker is already sealed.” He walked over to Julia, kneeling down next to her. “I’m sorry darling, I’ll find you in the next life.” He said.
“Dude, we need to get out of here.” Kiera said said as a chunk of the ceiling collapsed to the ground, as the bunker shook once again.
“We’re not leaving without Julia and Micheal.” Adam said, becoming aware that the entire room was unstable as more chunks began to collapse.
“I’m sorry darling.” Leland said once again. Adam watched as he stood and took a few steps away, a gun appearing in his empty hand.
“No!” Adam yelled, just as Leland turned and shot Julia. Adam surged forward but stopped dead in his tracks when he spotted something. Dana. The bullet hadn’t hit Julia, it had hit Dana. She was laying on the ground, writing in pain holding her hand against the wound in her abdomen.
Adam noticed Leland hadn’t even turned to look at what he’d done. He was still walking away. Adam watched as Dana moved her arm and brought up what looked like a gun, but only… different. As soon as she pulled the trigger a bright green bean shot from it and leaped through the air, nipping at Leland’s shoulder. Adam hear him yell in pain just as he completely disappeared. Like he was never even there. Just gone.
Adam’s eyes drifted back to Dana, as she let go of the gun and it clattered to the ground. Her head slowly drifted back, until it was laying on the floor. Her breathing was slow and pained.
Another low rumble shook the building. A chunk of the ceiling broke loose and came crashing to the ground, nearly crushing Micheal, but he was able to jump out of the way just in time.
“We need to go.” Dana choked out, slowly and painfully, spitting up blood. Adam, Kiera, Kasey, Julia, and Micheal all approached Dana.
Alina Zabek
“And you are?” Alina asked the man who was sitting in the leather chair smoking a lit cigarette.
“My name is Leland Frey, and I want your help.” He said.
“Help with what?” She asked.
“I want to free these people, the Forgotten. And I want your help in doing it.” He said.
“My help in what way?” She asked.
“I’ve had a plan about getting out of here for a long while now. The Time Lords may be strong, but they’re not indestructible. Everyone has their weak point.” He said.
“Go on.” She said.
“They’ll be expecting us to attack from below, by coming in through the front.” He said.
“And I assume you have a different plan?” She asked.
“We come in from the top.” He said. “We scale the skyscraper, and come in from the roof.” He said.
“Won’t they just see us?” She asked.
“That’s where you come in.” He said. “You’re going to be a distraction. You’re going to go in through the front to draw their attention, that’s it. Do not say a word of threat, act like you just want to talk. They don’t want to kill you and if you just want to talk, they’ll listen.” He said.
“You want me to put my life on the line for a bunch of people I don’t even know?” she asked.
“It’s that or spend eternity here.” He said.
“Where do I sign up?” She asked.
Adam Becker
Adam knew they’d teleported somewhere new, mostly because the entire place wasn’t collapsing around them anymore, but also because the smell had changed. Adam continued to hold pressure on Dana’s wound, even as she continued to cough up blood.
“Adam.” She said.
“What is it?” He asked.
“Let me go.” She said.
“No, I’m not going to just let you go.” He said. “We can save you.”
“No, you can’t.” She said. Adam saw her bloodied hand move towards her pocket and draw out a wad of folded papers. She weakly handed them to Adam.
“What is this?” He asked.
“It’ll explain everything.” She said, her eyes drifting over towards Kasey. Adam knew that Kasey was trying her hardest not to completely break down, but it wasn’t working. She’d already had to bury her face into Kiera’s shoulder to muffle her crying. Kiera was trying her best to calm her down, but to no avail.
Adam looked at her and nodded. Kiera moved forwards bringing Kasey with her. Kasey fell on her knees next to Dana.
“You’re going to be fine, we’ll fix you.” She cried. Dana managed a weak smile.
“It’s all going to be fine Kas.” She said, running her hand through Kasey’s hair. Adam handed the wad of papers the Kiera as he took off his jacket and pressed it against the wound to try and slow the bleeding.
“Adam, stop.” She said. “Just let me go.”
“Dana, no.” Adam responded again. “I’m not going to let you die.” Dana winced in pain as Adam pressed down harder. She coughed up some more blood. Adam turned and looked back at the rest of the group.
“Stop standing there, do something damn it!” He yelled at them.
“Adam, you have to just let her go.” Kiera said.
“Like hell I do.” Adam said. “What is wrong with you people? We have to save her!” He yelled.
“Adam, she’s sick. If you make her live, she’ll just die slowly and painfully.” Kiera said.
Alina Zabek
“That’s a big building.” She whispered.
“It is.” Hank agreed.
“I don’t want to go in there.” She said.
“I’ll be right next to you the entire time.” He said. Alina shook her head and sighed.
“Let’s go.” She said.
“Right after you.” He said as she stepped out into the street, walking across towards the doors to the skyscraper.
Adam Becker
“No.” Kasey cried. “Dana, no!”
“Kasey, there’s nothing we can do.” Adam said.
“Bullshit!” She screamed. “Dana, please.” She cried as she shook Dana’s unresponsive body. Adam shook his head wiping his bloodied hands on his jeans. There was nothing more to do now. She was gone. Adam just didn’t want to believe what the crudely hand-written papers had said.
If what they said was true, they all died in another reality, but Dana travelled into the future, and then back to here… Changing everything. Micheal and Julia both died in the opposite reality, but she’d saved them.
The more he read of the bloodied papers, the less he wanted to know. What he already knew was reaffirmed: Leland is the bat-shit crazy sociopath that incited this incident leading to Dana’s death. He’s more powerful than any other person alive, and if he’s not stopped he’s going to take over the world, killing anyone without powers.
But there was a new piece of information, one that had been missing. A final puzzle piece. Expect this wasn’t the final one, this was only the beginning.
Leland Frey’s obsession with Julia isn’t about love, it’s about control. As fate would have it, the same force that gives Julia her powers also links her with Leland. This link is the only thing that can stop Leland for good.
But that just opened a can of worms, didn’t it?
Where’s Leland now? If Julia is the only one that can kill him, how does it happen? Why did he chose now out of all the possible times in the history of the Earth to pose a coup of the human race? Why not wipe them all out at a different time, when they were weaker? What’s so special about now?
He had the sinking feeling that many of these questions would never get a satisfactory answer, and he had an even worse felling that even if they did get an answer he wouldn’t be alive to hear it.
It was only now that Adam began taking in his surroundings, he’d just assumed they had been taken outside the building, it never occurred to him they’d actually have gone somewhere. His eyes widened at the instant he saw what was surrounding him.
They were in the middle of a circular shaped court, rows of seats encircling them in all directions and stretching on into oblivion itself, it had no beginning it had no end. But even more: Each chair was filled with a person, each different from the last. But even as Adam looked at them, a few disappeared, but new ones appeared to take their place.
“W-Who are you all?” Adam asked. He watched one man, wearing a black suit and tie, stand from his chair and walk towards the center, joining them. His gaze drifted down to Dana’s mutilated body with… Was that sorrow?
“We are the Council of Time.” He said, waving his hand around as if Adam hadn’t already seen it. “We represent every time, every era, every timeline real or possible. We converge to decide which timeline is best for human nature, and that of our own. Then we act to make it so. Every action, every reaction, it is due partially to us. Human nature often gets in the way you see. Ever hear about World War II? Wasn’t part of the plan.” He said.
“I-I don’t understand.” Adam said.
“You wouldn’t. You’re not a time traveler like the rest of us.” He said. “Like Dana.” He went on.
“How do you know her?” Adam asked.
“I’m the one that recruited her.” He said. “My name’s D.B Cooper. I am responsible for the death of Dana Grey. I knew it would happen, there was no other outcome for this timeline, but I let it happen anyways. Even if it was against the ruling of the court.” He said.
“What do you mean?” Adam asked.
“I acted out of interest of the people, not the court. I went rogue.” He said.
“And they accepted you back?” Adam asked.
“They had to, I’m important to the timeline.” He said. Adam looked over to Dana and felt a sudden surge of anger sweeping through his body.
“That must’ve made her expendable to you then.” He growled. D.B shook his head.
“No, she’s valuable.” He said. “All life is valuable, all life has meaning. We can’t remove a single life without repercussions, as all people impact someone else, no matter how small or how big. Everyone has some sort of purpose. Dana’s was to bring us one step closer to ending the game Leland’s playing.” Adam looked back at the rest of his group, Dana, Kiera, Micheal, Julia, Kasey. Each in a varying emotional state, each with their own wounds, each scarred in one way or another.
“How can you help us.” Adam said.
“We can start by locating Leland.” He said. “Which we’ve already done.”
“Where is he?” Adam asked.
“Not where, when.” D.B said. “He escaped from the land between time, and went back to where he first met Julia. We may not know his intentions, but it can’t be good. He’s also gotten help form a group of people, We have no names, but they’re working for him now.”
“How do we get there?” Adam asked. “Dana’s dead.” D.B scanned the bloodied floor and the blood coated group of people before him.
“I caused this, I’m damn well going to be the one that pays to fix it.” He said.
“What happens now?” Adam asked.
“Now we make the jump.” He said.
“And what about Dana?” He asked.
“She’ll get a proper time traveler burial, an honor held by the Court, her legacy will forever live on, in past present and future.” He said.
“What about Kasey?” Adam asked. “Do you think it would be right to bring her with us after what just happened?”
“Do you think it would be right to leave her? Safer, yes. But would it really help her?” He asked.
Choice
[Leave Kasey]
[Bring Kasey]
Alina Zabek
“I just want to talk.” Alina said as she stared down the barrel of a gun. Apparently they weren’t big on warm welcomes here. She was pretty much horrified right now, she’d probably never have been this close to a gun in her life, much less ever had one pointed right at her head.
“Talk about what?” The man with the gun asked, sounding almost as freighted as she felt. She honestly didn’t see a reason for him to be afraid, he had the gun as she had her hands behind her head, fingers interlocking. “Outsiders don’t come to the tower unless something big’s going on.”
“Like I said, I just want to talk.” She said again. “I just showed up here, I just want to know what the hell his place is.” She said. He nodded.
“My area of expertice isn’t in talking with people.” The man said. “But I know some people who are, As long as you don’t pull any tricks I can get you in with them.” He said.
“I promise you, I’m not planning anything.” She said. It wasn’t a lie, she herself wasn’t planning anything. It was all Leland, she was just the bait. Maybe right now as they spoke, he was already working his way into the tower from the top. Who knows.
“Okay, right this way.” He said wearily, as he took a few steps, but never really taking his eye off of her, like she would strike at any moment. “What year is it anyways?” He asked.
“2016.” Alina said, she found it scary but oddly amusing that she was the only one that knew the date, if it was still the same time on the other side… Time seemed to have different rules in here. He laughed a little.
“Guess we’ve come a long way since 1803.” He said. “I guess Ohio’s come a long way since then.”
“You wouldn’t believe me if I told you.” She said, enlightened by the fact that this man had been here since the very founding of Ohio. He stepped up to an open doorway and knocked on the frame.
“Come in.” A woman’s voice responded. The guard waved her trough, though he didn’t step away from the door, he continued to guard the outside like he had to contain her. As soon as Alina’s eyes made contact with the woman’s who sat at the desk, her heart skipped a beat.
“Mom?” She asked.
“Alina?” Her mother asked, just as perplexed.
“What’s going on, where’s dad?” She asked. Her mother’s eyes drifted down to the barren desk before her.
“Your father didn’t make it, he was killed.” She said. Not only did Alina’s heart skip a beat, but it shattered completely.
“W-who killed him?” She asked.
“I don’t know. The same people that put me here.” She said.
“We need to get out of here, we have to go back.” Alina said. She shook her head.
“There’s no way out, you’d have to kill the timekeeper, and to get to him you’d have to go through all of the floors of this building, each as armed as the last.” She said. “And I can’t leave anyways. I’ve vowed myself to the timekeeper, is he dies, so do I along with everyone else who resides within this building.” She said.
“What?” Alina asked, her eyes widening. Her mother narrowed her eyes.
“What’s wrong Alina, something the matter?” She asked. Just as soon as she asked that, Alina heard the sound of an alarm sounding.
“What’s that?” Alina asked.
“A breach.” She said. “Someone’s broken into the building and made it past the first floor.” She said.
“Top floor! Move, Move!” Came a yelling from outside.
“The top floor?” Her mother asked. “They have the timekeeper.”
“Hello, and good afternoon… Wait, is it afternoon? I can’t tell time doesn’t move here.” A voice boomed throughout the building, coming from everywhere and nowhere all at the same time. “My name is Leland Frey, and I’m going to do something you pigs haven’t had the guts to do. I’m freeing these people. Those you’ve kept imprisoned for decades, even centuries, Pent up like animals. But first, I have an announcement to make directly to a miss Alina Zabek- when we are out of here, I will not forget your contribution to the cause. I will find you, someway. Together, we will make this planet a better place.” The voice continued. Alina couldn’t avoid the look her mother was casting at her.
“You…” She stuttered.
“It had to be done mother.” Alina said.
“You’ve doomed us all.” She said. Alina closed her eyes.
“Only those who’ve doomed themselves.” She said. With that, everything blinked out, like someone shut off a TV. There was nothing left but black and the sense of weightlessness, like she was floating through space, only she didn’t exist. It was like going on a riverboat cruise with your conscious.
Then the feeling of gravity overtook her, she felt like a truck just parked on her stomach. She couldn’t breath and felt dizzy, she felt like she was going to throw up.
But as quickly as it came, it disappeared. She opened her eyes and found that she was standing no more than a few yards away from the entrance to the hospital. The only thing separating her from the front door was a parade of police.
“Stay back.” A police officer spoke to her, she looked over.
“What’s going on in there? Is everything alright?” She asked.
“A gunman’s taken a hostage. SWAT’s been mobilized to neutralize the threat.” He said.
“Who’s involved?” She asked.
“We don’t know the name of the gunman, but the hostage has been confirmed as Nathan Zabek.” He said.
She didn’t exactly remember the rest of the events leading up to this moment, her standing here triumphantly above a man bleeding to death from a gunshot to the chest that punctured his bullet-proof vest.
Maybe it was adrenaline, maybe she just didn’t want to remember.
But now she was here, and that’s something she couldn’t ignore. She saw her brother at the other end of the hallway, blood soaking through his shirt. He seemed oddly unfazed by the fact he’d been shot, and was calmly leaning against a wall as a doctor took a look at it.
As luck would have it, the bullet just grazed him. It was one of those cases where it looked worse than it was. They put a bandage on it, gave him some antibiotics and sent him on his marry way.
? I was looking for you when I ran into that guy.” He’d said.
“It’s a long story, you wouldn’t believe me if I told you. I don’t even know if I believe it.” She said.
“Yeah.” He laughed, like it was a joke he heard before. “What now?” He asked.
“Now we wait.” She said. “I have a friend who’s going to help us change the world.” She said.
“Please tell me this isn’t another one of your bright ideas.” He said.
“Nope.” She said, as she looked down the hallway and saw a familiar looking man. “It’s his.” She said. The man approached them, resting a hand on Alina’s shoulder and the other on Nathan’s.
“Alina.” He said, almost proudly. “Are you ready to change the world?” She asked.
“Leland.” She responded causally. “We both know the answer to that.” She said. The only response she received was the cold curling of his lips into a small smile the wavered even as it lived.
Hey guys, I know I said I'd be gone for about a week and it turned into like two now... Sorry. I just got caught up with... Well, I got caught up with being on break. Sorry guys, I'm back now and this is definitely back on track.
[Bring Kasey] I don't think we have any right to deny her going with Adam and the others. She just lost her sister and she should get a chance to help in upholding her memory by fighting the guy responsible for her death. Not bringing her would be unfair. Safer for her, sure, but unfair. Perhaps she can help in stopping Leland, therefore avenging Dana and saving the entire world in the process.
Welcome back I have missed this story and I am glad about this new part! And it was a really great part. First, I was not expecting Dana's plan to succeed this quickly, even though it was definitely a pleasant surprise to see Julia and Michael alive again so soon. On the other hand, I'm greatly going to miss Dana. She was amazing, even though her death was clearly inevitable after her sickness has been revealed. Good to see that she went out like a hero instead of succumbing to the disease. Now it appears like they are indeed getting close to Leland's endgame. He is travelling back to where he first met Julia (Does that mean the baseball game, or to the time where he met Julia's first incarnation, this Maria?) and now that I think about it, his obsession with her makes a lot more sense. Since she is somewhat immortal, as well as the only one who can kill him, he must control her in order to be save from getting killed. Oh man, this is going to be really damn exciting.
And Alina... well, her storyline continues to be pure mindfuck. This land beyond time is clearly the most confusing, as well as the most disturbing aspect about time travel. As much as I enjoyed it, I am glad that she managed to escape it relatively soon, because the implications made my head hurt. I know understand what you meant when you said that her storyline might make more sense and get more confusing at the same time. And the twist with Leland... well, she's clearly being manipulated and I hope she manages to realize this as soon as possible.
? I was looking for you when I ran into that guy.” He’d said.
“It’s a long story, you wouldn’t believe me if I told you. I don’t even kno… morew if I believe it.” She said.
“Yeah.” He laughed, like it was a joke he heard before. “What now?” He asked.
“Now we wait.” She said. “I have a friend who’s going to help us change the world.” She said.
“Please tell me this isn’t another one of your bright ideas.” He said.
“Nope.” She said, as she looked down the hallway and saw a familiar looking man. “It’s his.” She said. The man approached them, resting a hand on Alina’s shoulder and the other on Nathan’s.
“Alina.” He said, almost proudly. “Are you ready to change the world?” She asked.
“Leland.” She responded causally. “We both know the answer to that.” She said. The only response she received was the cold curling of his lips into a small smile the wavered even as it lived.
Hey guys, I know I said I'd be gone for about a week and… [view original content]
Dont see a reason why not. She has as much right to go as everyone else in the group, maybe even more.
RIP Dana ;-; There goes my favorite. But she had a hero death and did her part in saving the world from Leland, so that was sad and awesome at the same time. And wow Alina, she just made a huge mistake. I hope she soon sees how Leland really is.
? I was looking for you when I ran into that guy.” He’d said.
“It’s a long story, you wouldn’t believe me if I told you. I don’t even kno… morew if I believe it.” She said.
“Yeah.” He laughed, like it was a joke he heard before. “What now?” He asked.
“Now we wait.” She said. “I have a friend who’s going to help us change the world.” She said.
“Please tell me this isn’t another one of your bright ideas.” He said.
“Nope.” She said, as she looked down the hallway and saw a familiar looking man. “It’s his.” She said. The man approached them, resting a hand on Alina’s shoulder and the other on Nathan’s.
“Alina.” He said, almost proudly. “Are you ready to change the world?” She asked.
“Leland.” She responded causally. “We both know the answer to that.” She said. The only response she received was the cold curling of his lips into a small smile the wavered even as it lived.
Hey guys, I know I said I'd be gone for about a week and… [view original content]
? I was looking for you when I ran into that guy.” He’d said.
“It’s a long story, you wouldn’t believe me if I told you. I don’t even kno… morew if I believe it.” She said.
“Yeah.” He laughed, like it was a joke he heard before. “What now?” He asked.
“Now we wait.” She said. “I have a friend who’s going to help us change the world.” She said.
“Please tell me this isn’t another one of your bright ideas.” He said.
“Nope.” She said, as she looked down the hallway and saw a familiar looking man. “It’s his.” She said. The man approached them, resting a hand on Alina’s shoulder and the other on Nathan’s.
“Alina.” He said, almost proudly. “Are you ready to change the world?” She asked.
“Leland.” She responded causally. “We both know the answer to that.” She said. The only response she received was the cold curling of his lips into a small smile the wavered even as it lived.
Hey guys, I know I said I'd be gone for about a week and… [view original content]
“She’s coming with us, her sister just died. She has the right to be there when this all goes down.” Adam said. D.B nodded, possibly in agreement possibly in disapproval, but either way he argued no more.
“Do what you see fit, they trust you.” He said. “They’ll do what you say, your visible power may be your invisibility, but it’s your voice that holds the true power.” He said.
“Where do we go from here?” Adam asked, changing the subject. He still didn’t necessarily view himself as the leader of the group.
“We go back, a long time ago.” He said. “Medeival Spain to be exact. I’ve been able to track him down to that time, as for location I have not a clue.”
“So, we’re just going to scoured all of Spain hoping to find one guy?” Adam asked.
“No, I have one idea of a place to look.” He said. “It’s where Leland Frey first met Julia, Barcelona.” He said.
“Are you sure?” Adam asked.
“More than sure.” D.B said.
“When do we leave?” Adam asked.
“We’ve got all the time in the world, Adam. Nothing happens unless we say it happens.” D.B said. “We leave once your friend has been laid to rest.” He said. Adam turned around and looked once more at Dana’s body. He felt responsible for what’d happened in a way.
He noticed there were two men and a woman standing over the body, each wearing all black and each had a similar burn on their necks, a kind of branding.
“Who are they?” Adam asked.
“We are the guardians of time.” The woman said, a posh accent in her voice. “We represent the past, present and future.” She said, she pointed to the man on her left when she said past, the one on her right when she said future. She was present. “Our job is to keep the council safe from outsiders, we are also responsible for preforming last rights.” She said. “Are we ready to begin?”
“Yes.” D.B said. She looked to her two colleagues, who nodded to her. The one on the left kept repeating something in a language Adam had never hear before. The one on the right was saying something in a language that sounded as if it were a mix of English and multiple other languages.
“The traveler has reached the end of her path.” The woman said. “It is time for her to move on, to where we may not know. Though the body grows fragile and is broken by stones, the spirit lives on in all who remember. Past, present, and future. We lose a traveler today, only to meet another tomorrow. The traveler gives her life to a cause more noble than that of her own desire.”
The woman stepped forwards, placing a hand on Dana’s arm. Nearly the instant her hand touched Dana’s skin, she pulled it back with a yelp as if it had hurt to touch her. She looked around, fear in her eyes.
“Stop it.” She announced. “Stop the ceremony.” D.B shook his head.
“But why?” He asked.
“She has the markings.”
Alina Zabek
She could barely believe what was happening right now, scratch that. She couldn’t believe what was happening at all.
She swore up and down, she was at the hospital. Now, she has no idea where she’s at. At all. She’s standing in an open field, stretching on for an eternity.
“Where are we?” Alina asked, being able to now speak instead of just gawk like her brother.
“Spain.” Leland said.
“Why Spain?” Alina asked. Leland smiled as he gazed out along the vast open countryside.
“We’re looking for someone, an old friend of mine.” He said. Alina narrowed her eyes, gazing off into the distance.
“That doesn’t narrow it down much.” She said.
“Her name is Maria Fernando.” He said. “And she’s the key to changing the world.” He said.
“The key?” Nathan asked. “I’m so confused.”
“She’s the only thing that keeps me anchored to this world, without her my powers would be limitless. But I sacrificed my powers in the name of love, or what I thought was the sort.” He said. “But I now realize, if I’m to change the world, I can’t have anything holding me back.”
“So we’re going to kill her?” Alina asked, almost disgusted at herself at the fact she felt no empathy at all as of now. He nodded.
“Indeed we are.” He said. “But it’s not going to be easy, we already have some unwelcomed guests.”
“Who? How many?” Alina asked.
“It’s nothing we need to worry about, I have friends to take care of that.” Leland said, as if on cue two phantom-like creatures appearing in the air in front of Leland.
“Yes, you summoned?” On hissed.
“I did. We have some problems, and I’d like for you to take care of them for me, would you?” He asked.
“Yes master.” The other hissed.
“Good.” Leland said, as the two creatures evaporated into the air from which they came. He turned back to Alina. “Let’s get moving, we’ve got some land between us and Maria.”
“Yes sir.” Alina responded, following directly behind him as he walked.
Adam Becker
“How can you be sure?” D.B asked.
“Because I’ve only seen this once before.” She said, looking at Dana’s body. “Once before on a man named Leland Frey.”
“You don’t mean…” D.B trailed.
“It’s his sister.” She said. “The prophesy has foretold this.”
“What does it matter now? She’s dead.” Kasey spoke, the woman looked over at her. Her eyes still hadn’t gone back to normal, she was looking around like this place would blow up at any moment.
“No child, she’s not.” She said. “This body is dead, but she lives on. I still don’t believe it, all those stories I was told as a child were true. The sister of evil…” She trailed. “We have to find her.” She said.
“Are you crazy?” Kiera asked. “She’s dead.”
“No, Dana is not dead. Dana was never alive. Dana is just like Leland.” The woman said, she sighed as she looked at everyone. “I know it sounds crazy, but Dana doesn’t exist in this timeline, or any other. She just is. She exists only as a counter to Leland, for all of eternity it’s been her that’s kept him from taking everything.”
“Then what’s changed, why act now?” Adam asked.
“Something’s changed, Dana’s powers are obviously limited in some way or another. She should have the power of a god.”
“gods don’t die.” Kasey said.
“I said should.” She said.
“It doesn’t make any sense to me, Dana and Leland are brother and sister?” Adam asked.
“Yes.” She said. “But they blend in with humans, though they don’t conform to any rules the humans do. They were both given limitless power, Leland just wanted more. He became determined to have to world bow at his feet. Dana promised to stop what from happening, no matter how long it took.”
“But I thought it was only Julia that could kill him.” Micheal said.
“No. Julia only makes him more human, she makes him vulnerable. Anyone could kill him as long as she lives, he’s tied to her. Dana forever and always could kill him.”
“Why didn’t she?” Adam asked.
“I don’t know.” She said. “It doesn’t make any sense to me. The story always ended there, with Dana vowing to save the planet. It never said what happened after that.” A small book with a black leather binding appeared in her hand as she flipped through it. She turned to show it to everyone. There were multiple pages left blank at the end of the book, nothing written on any of them.
“This book.” D.B said. “It’s not a story book… It’s a history book.”
“Then why’s the back blank?” Kiera asked. D.B looked to her.
“History’s yet to be written.”
Dana Grey
For a moment, all she could see was black. She could feel the void that surrounded her. She didn’t know how she’d gotten here, she was just horrified at the very fact that this may be hell.
It was strange, she didn’t feel dead. She didn’t feel dead at all, she felt awake. Alive wasn’t a term she would use so lightly anymore.
The blackness morphed, she was in a room. There was a table and two chairs, it look a lot like an interrogation room.
She didn’t decide to, not at all, but she took a seat in one of the chair. She was vaguely aware of the fact that this all felt as if it were a dream, like something happening within her subconscious.
Where there was no door, a door appeared just in time for someone to walk in. No. Not someone, that was the wrong word. It was her. It was Dana Grey.
She looked exactly like her from head to toe, not one difference between either of them. She walked across the room, taking a seat in the other chair. She crossed her legs and absent mindedly picked at her fingernails.
“Who are you?” Dana asked, after the silence became awkward. She looked up at her.
“I’m you.” She said.
“Am I dead or something?” Dana asked.
“Maybe, I don’t know. I’ve been here for a long time.” She said.
“What do you mean?”
“A long time ago, you took on the name of Ally Greyson to start a new life before your old body gave out on you. Your sister’s name was Piper, and you had a good life. But you were young and still didn’t understand the notion of saving the world, and before you were old enough to understand your brother made a move.” She said, looking Dana in the eyes. It was like looking in a mirror. “You were attacked, but they didn’t follow through and kill you as they were meant to do. But it was enough, as I was separated from you. You went your entire life under the notion that you were Dana Grey, just some ordinary person out on the streets. But somewhere, deep in the back of your mind, I was there. Waiting to come back.”
“I don’t understand.” Dana said.
“There’s a lot of that going around nowadays.” She said, with a slight sigh. “Here, take my hand. It’ll be a lot easier that way.” She said, reaching her hand out across the table towards Dana. Dana began reaching out towards her, but paused for half a second.
“You’re me, right?” She asked. She nodded.
“Yeah.” She said. “I am.”
“Is it wrong to say I think you’re kind of cute?” Dana asked. She smiled.
“Shut up and grab your hand.” She said.
Ok guys, sorry I just couldn't work a choice into this part. I just couldn't find a way to work on in. Next time, I promise.
This was an amazing part! The revelation with Dana being Lelands sister was pretty damn cool. I'm now not sure if I rather want her or Julia to deal the killing blow on that fucker Leland. Both would deserve it, with the one having an eternal vow to stop him, while the other one had basically her whole lives (plural) manipulated by him. Naturally, I'm still leaning in favour of Julia. I mean, that guy killed her at the very least once, and who knows how many times he did it in the past when she got inconvenient! Though, if he succeeds in killing Maria, which I imagine is going to be a major piece of work, considering her power, what does that mean for Julia? Is she just going to stop existing? Needless to say, whatever happens, I don't want to find out and it has to be prevented. Now that they are going to medieval Spain, I imagine a meeting between Julia and her past self to be really awkward for both of them Also, I am kinda irritated by Alina now. Why is she so... stupid? Here we have that guy, who plainly talks about murdering a woman, before he summons a clearly evil phantom creature and she still trusts him... Man, I liked her so far, but she quickly looses major sympathy points with her blind devotion to Leland. Hopefully she realizes what a mistake she is making before she crosses the rapidly approaching point of no return.
Adam Becker
“She’s coming with us, her sister just died. She has the right to be there when this all goes down.” Adam said. D.B nodded, p… moreossibly in agreement possibly in disapproval, but either way he argued no more.
“Do what you see fit, they trust you.” He said. “They’ll do what you say, your visible power may be your invisibility, but it’s your voice that holds the true power.” He said.
“Where do we go from here?” Adam asked, changing the subject. He still didn’t necessarily view himself as the leader of the group.
“We go back, a long time ago.” He said. “Medeival Spain to be exact. I’ve been able to track him down to that time, as for location I have not a clue.”
“So, we’re just going to scoured all of Spain hoping to find one guy?” Adam asked.
“No, I have one idea of a place to look.” He said. “It’s where Leland Frey first met Julia, Barcelona.” He said.
“Are you sure?” Adam asked.
“More than sure.” D.B said.
“… [view original content]
Great part. I loled at Dana flirting with herself XD It is interesting that she is not quite dead, looking forward for what this means for Leland. About him I am curios what changed his mind about Julia. He was in love with her for centuries and now he wants to kill her like that? And no Alina, bad Alina, dont help the mass murderer!
Adam Becker
“She’s coming with us, her sister just died. She has the right to be there when this all goes down.” Adam said. D.B nodded, p… moreossibly in agreement possibly in disapproval, but either way he argued no more.
“Do what you see fit, they trust you.” He said. “They’ll do what you say, your visible power may be your invisibility, but it’s your voice that holds the true power.” He said.
“Where do we go from here?” Adam asked, changing the subject. He still didn’t necessarily view himself as the leader of the group.
“We go back, a long time ago.” He said. “Medeival Spain to be exact. I’ve been able to track him down to that time, as for location I have not a clue.”
“So, we’re just going to scoured all of Spain hoping to find one guy?” Adam asked.
“No, I have one idea of a place to look.” He said. “It’s where Leland Frey first met Julia, Barcelona.” He said.
“Are you sure?” Adam asked.
“More than sure.” D.B said.
“… [view original content]
“We don’t.” She responded. “If I’m right about this, she’ll find us.”
“How long will that take? How will we know?” Micheal asked.
“Not long.” She responded.
“How do you know?” Adam asked. She didn’t look, but she pointed off to her left. Indeed, despite the dead body still laying nearby, a person looking exactly like Dana stood right there.
“Holy mother of…” Adam began. Dana raised her hand, not saying a word. The entire court had gone silent. Not a mumble had been spoken. Adam watched as all three of the Guardians; past, present, and future, took a knee in front of Dana.
The entire court of an almost infinite amount of people rose from their seats, all taking to one knee facing towards Dana. Adam looked over and saw everyone else; Micheal, Kiera, Kasey, and Julia. All three of them had also dropped down to one knee. It was only him and Dana, standing. The look in her eye told him that she was extremely uncomfortable about this, but also understood it.
Seeing as everyone else in this entire court had dropped down, Adam followed suit. He took a knee, looking up at Dana. He watched her turn around slowly, looking at the vastness of the never-ending hordes of people bowing to her.
“I… Uh.” She stammered, her eyes falling on her own dead body. “Can somebody do something about her? It’s kind of making me uncomfortable.”
The Guardians all rose up, each one taking extra care as they lifted Dana’s dead body and began carrying it away. She still looked in awe of everyone kneeling to her.
“Dana, can we like, I don’t know, stand up?” Adam asked. Dana looked at him, confused.
“Yeah, stand up.” She said. Immediately, all at once like some sort of robot, everyone rose. Adam and his group were the last to their feet. It took no longer than half a second for Kasey to burst forwards, away from Kiera and nearly tackle Dana to the ground.
“I thought you were dead.” Kasey said, nearly crying.
“I thought I was too.” Dana responded, not letting go of her sister. It was about then that the three Guardians returned.
“It’s been a long time, my liege.” Present said.
“I’m glad you’re back.” Past muttered in rough English.
“You don’t die easily, do you?” Future joked. Dana smiled.
“It is very… Enlightening to return.” Dana said. “But there’s no time to stand on celebration. My brother is planning an end-game here. If he succeeds, all we stand for will have been for not.” She said.
“We’ve already gone through this.” Adam said. She looked at him and nodded.
“I’m sure you have, but I’ve recently been dead.” She said. “We have a fight on our hands, my friends. Not only for our lives, or theirs, but for every man that has ever lived or will live. If Leland succeeds, humanity will end.”
“My liege, what are your orders?” Present asked. Dana looked to her.
“My order are this: I will lead a small group to the target time, isolate Leland. And when the time is right, I will call upon each and every one of you here to help me put an end, once and for all, to his crimes against humanity.” She said.
“This has only been done once before, Dana.” Future said. “And it was a global blood-bath.”
“Yes, yes.” Dana said. “World War Two wasn’t part of the plan, but something must happen. And we must be the ones to do it.”
“What you say is what will be done.” Past spoke.
“The Guardians stand with you.” Present spoke. Dana turned and faced all the others in the court.
“And you, will you fight for those who don’t even know you exist?” She spoke loudly, her voice echoing into oblivion. A low murmur ran through the crowd.
“The people stand with you, our fearless leader.” D.B’s voice boomed. Dana smiled as she looked at him. She turned to Adam and the rest.
“And you, you who have given so much already to a cause that isn’t your own.” She said. “Will you stand with me for one last fight?”
“We will.” Adam spoke, not a second of hesitation. “We fight.” Dana said nothing, but her lips moved, forming the words ‘Thank You’
“It is settled.” Dana said. “We fight once again on mankind’s behalf. They may not know what we have done, or what we will do. Our names may not be recorded into the history books as their names are, but it is the price we all pay to be forgotten. It is us, the ones who hide in the shadows who are tasked with saving the world that we live in. What do you all say to this, this one last effort to defend what is left of mankind? What do you say for the Forgotten?”
“Praeteritum! Praesens ! Futurum!” Everyone in the court chanted, every voice becoming one. Dana turned to face Adam.
“The time is now or never, Adam.” She said, holding out her hand.
“Then what are we waiting for?” Adam asked, taking her hand.
“You’re not going anywhere without me.” Kasey said, her hand reaching in.
“You didn’t think you were getting rid of me that easily, did you?” Micheal asked.
“I’m getting pretty damn tired of this time travel.” Julian muttered, reaching her hand in. “It gives me a headache every time.” Adam waited, but the last hand did not join. He looked back at her, standing alone.
“Kiera?” He asked. She shook her head.
“I’m not one of you, Adam.” She said.
“Kiera, after all you’ve done you still believe that?” He asked. “We’ve fought side by side, through time and space mind you. You saved my life, and you know it.”
“Courage isn’t the ability to pick up a gun.” Dana said. “Courage is having what it takes to do something even if you know you’re doomed from the beginning.”
“Not long ago, I was living a perfectly normal life. I was just a normal person, and everything was good. But then all of you came in and shattered everything I ever knew…” Kiera spoke, Adam could see the sullen expression on her face. She took a breath and let out a deep sigh. “Fuck it. I’m in.” She said, stepping forwards, her hand reaching into the stack.
“Thank you.” Adam said. She turned and looked right at him.
“Don’t make me regret saying this.” She said. “But I kind of like you.”
Leland Frey
This wasn’t what he wanted, maybe it was. Who knew at this point? He didn’t. He had no clue anymore, he’d killed the only person he loved, he’d killed his own sister, he’d killed anyone that had stood in his way. And now he’d stooped even lower than ever before, he’d enlisted the help of the girl, Alina and her brother Nathan. It wasn’t by their own free will, either. He’d stolen their minds. They though as he thought, thinking that those thoughts were their own.
He walked through the muddy street, not minding the gawks sent his way by the peasants. He did look like he was from the future, after all.
“What are you looking at, you filthy animal?” Alina snapped at one of them.
“Alina, don’t antagonize the locals.” He chided her. She lowered her head, it was sad. He had her mind, now she was only like a lost puppy. He knew she’d probably end up dead by the end of all of this. And if she didn’t, she’s probably kill herself after she realized what she did.
He looked and saw one young woman looking at her, unlike the rest of the peasants. She knew him, but didn’t know him. Not yet at least. I would still be a few more years before he would meet her.
“Maria, we need to speak in private.” He said.
“But who are you?” She asked.
“It’s not polite to question those above you, now come on. We need to speak.” He said. The young woman ducked her head and began leading them away through the mucky town. She led them to a run-down inn. Leland paused in the doorway, taking in the familiar, yet long-gone sights. Then he sensed it, his pet phantoms had returned. He turned to face the shadows. They had with them a man, a burly, familiar looking man.
“Past.” Leland mumbled. “The guardian of Past. What on Earth are you doing here?” He asked. He laughed.
“Your plans fail, Frey.” Past said. “She lives.” He barely got the words out before Leland’s hand was on his throat.
“What was that, you incompetent waste of air?” He demanded.
“Dana Grey Lives.” He said, laughing. “You loose.”
“No.” Leland said. “No, it can’t be. You lie!” He yelled, his hand tightening, he felt the guardian’s neck snap like a twig. He tossed the body to the ground. He looked up at the phantoms, then to his mindless followers. “No!” He screamed to the sky.
Adam Becker
Adam watched the fire and waited, the guardians had gone out and would soon return with news of Leland’s whereabouts.
He noticed that Dana had been silent this entire time, since they’d gotten here. She stared out into the valley not moving, speaking, heck, she barely looked like she was breathing.
The others we more lively, they seemed thrilled to be here in ancient times. Adam on the other hand, he felt un nerved being here, this close to the Black Death. He wasn’t a history expert, but he knew it was about now when that thing killed almost the entire human population. It was a scary thought, to him at least.
He still didn’t fully understand how Dana was alive. Or who she really was for that matter. All he knew was she was here, and that was good enough.
Another thought passed through his mind, the Guardians should be back by now. It’d been to long by now, either they were interested in something. Or something went wrong.
He looked back to where Dana had sat, but noticed that she’d disappeared. At firs the was afraid that she’d ditched them all here in the past. But his fears were assuaged when he saw her standing not far away leaning against a tree, still gazing out into nothing.
Great part! I see Alina's behaviour makes more sense now. Fucking Leland... Though it appears the guardian of the Past had the last laugh this time and he also probably gave our heroes more time to reach Maria. That made me just wonder, there is Maria and there is Julia, technically the same person. If being around one of them makes Leland vulnerable, what happens when both are near him? They are like his very own kryptonite and I can imagine that having both of them close will be even worse. With his sister around, it looks like his confidence finally seems to grow smaller. I guess he still has something up his sleeve though.
[Talk to Dana]
I mean, she just basically returned from death and learned that she is some sort of good counterpart to Leland, as well as related to him. That can't be easy and she probably could need someone to talk to. Or perhaps she does not want to talk, but it can't hurt to find out.
Adam Becker
“Where do we find her?” Kiera asked.
“We don’t.” She responded. “If I’m right about this, she’ll find us.”
“How long wi… morell that take? How will we know?” Micheal asked.
“Not long.” She responded.
“How do you know?” Adam asked. She didn’t look, but she pointed off to her left. Indeed, despite the dead body still laying nearby, a person looking exactly like Dana stood right there.
“Holy mother of…” Adam began. Dana raised her hand, not saying a word. The entire court had gone silent. Not a mumble had been spoken. Adam watched as all three of the Guardians; past, present, and future, took a knee in front of Dana.
The entire court of an almost infinite amount of people rose from their seats, all taking to one knee facing towards Dana. Adam looked over and saw everyone else; Micheal, Kiera, Kasey, and Julia. All three of them had also dropped down to one knee. It was only him and Dana, standing. The look in her eye t… [view original content]
Its appears that something is bothering her. Dana is their best weapon against Leland and Adam should talk to her and find it out. Maybe she has a problem and he can help her with it.
Adam Becker
“Where do we find her?” Kiera asked.
“We don’t.” She responded. “If I’m right about this, she’ll find us.”
“How long wi… morell that take? How will we know?” Micheal asked.
“Not long.” She responded.
“How do you know?” Adam asked. She didn’t look, but she pointed off to her left. Indeed, despite the dead body still laying nearby, a person looking exactly like Dana stood right there.
“Holy mother of…” Adam began. Dana raised her hand, not saying a word. The entire court had gone silent. Not a mumble had been spoken. Adam watched as all three of the Guardians; past, present, and future, took a knee in front of Dana.
The entire court of an almost infinite amount of people rose from their seats, all taking to one knee facing towards Dana. Adam looked over and saw everyone else; Micheal, Kiera, Kasey, and Julia. All three of them had also dropped down to one knee. It was only him and Dana, standing. The look in her eye t… [view original content]
“Creeps me out, just being here.” Adam said as he walked up next to Dana. She continued gazing out into the abyss.
“Me too.” She said. There was an awkward silence for a moment before Adam spoke up.
“What’s wrong?” He asked. “Something bothering you?” She looked at him from the corner of her eye.
“Yeah.” She said. Adam could see the faraway look in her eye. “But I don’t know if you’ll understand it, I barely understand it.”
“Then help me understand it.” Adam said. She sighed.
“After I… Died.” She said, chewing on it like it sounded weird, which it honestly did. “I got all of my memories back, my true memories of who I am. The fact that I’ve been alive for almost as long as the world’s existed.” She said.
“Yeah?” Adam pressed.
“The thing is, I don’t like who I am.” She said. “I liked who I was better. I liked just being normal, you know?” She asked.
“I wish I knew what normal was anymore.” Adam laughed.
“Yeah…Me too.” She said. “This whole thing’s ruined my life, and it’s not the first time.”
“what do you mean?” Adam asked.
“I’ve fallen in love before.” She said. “It didn’t last long, she was murdered. Then again in my next life it happened again, and again. Until I finally realized that anyone near me was in danger. I realized that if I loved someone, I had to distance myself from them.” She looked over at Adam and sighed. “And that’s not even the worst part.”
“What’s the worst part?” He asked.
“I’m not who you think I am, Adam.” She said. “I’m no hero.”
“What do you mean? You’re here fighting against Leland, aren’t you?” He asked.
“Yeah, But I’m the one that started the fight.” She said.
“How?” He asked.
“We both fell in love with the same girl.” She said. “Easy as that, I tried to kill him over her. But I couldn’t. He killed me. But it goes back farther than that. Before we started fighting, before he got his views on the world and everything like that, we were a team. We worked together, we were going to take over the world. It was our destiny, the world belonged to us. I would’ve followed through with it, had it not been for a woman named Maria Fernando.” She said.
“Dana, the past is the past.” Adam said. “What matters is that you’re here now.”
“The past is the past?” She asked. “Maybe to you the past is the past. But to me, I have to relive it all. Past, present, future. The pain of one lifetime is enough to drive some people to the edge, I’ve seen it all, I’ve done it all, I’ve felt so much pain and agony… Now, I just want it to end.” She said, tearing up at the end of her sentence.
“Hey, it’ll all be okay.” Adam said.
“I feel like such an ass.” She said, wiping her eyes.
“Why’s that?” Adam asked.
“Come on, as long as mankind has been alive they’ve been looking for a way to end death. And here I am, unable to die, and all I want is for death to take me away.” She said, as she ran her hand through her hair. “Through all my life all I’ve been looking for is the end.”
Adam didn’t know what to say, if he should say anything at all. He felt awkward standing next to her in silence.
“But… Today is the day.” She said. “Leland’s backed himself into a corner. Only one of us is going to walk away, and If it’s me… If it’s me, my purpose will we done. I can finally give this all up for a normal life. I can be human, we all can. We can all go back to the world we knew and forget all this shit.” Adam looked over at her.
“What happens if it’s Leland that walks away?” He asked.
“There’ll be no world to go back to.” She said, she paused and turned facing Adam. She looked him over with a sigh. “You’ve got to promise me something Adam.” She said.
“What is it?” He asked.
“No matter what happens today, you’ve got to promise me you’ll keep Kasey safe.” She said. Adam nodded.
“I can do that.” Adam said.
“Thank you.” She said.
Leland Frey
Leland kicked at the mud with hit boot. He paced a few steps and stopped, turning and pacing back again.
He looked up when he heard a clanging sound that droned on in the silent town. Gathered in front of him were the masses of mindless peasants and countrymen he’d recruited. Each man woman and child gave him an equally blank stare.
But one still stood out in the crowd, a young girl. Alina. Poor girl, she’s in the wrong time. She’s in the wrong place. She didn’t belong here. Nobody belonged here.
Standing here in front of them all, he realized something.
He didn’t want to control the world, he didn’t want to be a leader, he didn’t want to enslave mankind, he didn’t want to be what they all told him he was.
He didn’t want any of these things, yet he realized one thing more. He didn’t want to die.
Him, an immortal being that had walked the earth for as long as history existed, was afraid of what was beyond this world. He was afraid to die.
But he knew, deep in his heart, though he’d been told he didn’t have one, that there was no way he was walking away from any of this. He’d created a mess so big it collapsed in on him, and buried him alive. He was drowning in the mess he’d made, and nobody was going to throw him a rope.
He was boxed in now, there was no turning back. He couldn’t surrender, they’d never let him live after what he’d done.
His sister had started a dangerous game long ago. Even from the beginning he knew what her true intentions were, from the beginning he knew she was going to try to kill him. He knew it was coming, but did nothing about it. He just couldn’t turn on his own sister like that.
They’d planned from the beginning that they’d watch over the world, be a cosmic watchman. They’d make sure mankind survived, make sure they thrived in a place that seemed to support only death. They’d un wright those pages and replace them their own words.
Together, they could’ve stopped any war from happening. Cure any plague before it began. Save any person in need of a hand. They could’ve done it. They could’ve made this place something better.
But then Maria got involved. He saw it coming right from the start, the inevitable. The self-proclaimed prophesy had fulfilled itself. Driven by greed, and possibly love, his sister lashed out at him. Tried to kill him.
He found that his hand had moved towards his chest, covering the scar that had formed when she attacked him.
It wasn’t intentional, no. He never meant to hurt her, not in the least. He killed her. He’d tried to push her back, she fell. She stabbed herself, and as she lay there bleeding out, even as he tried everything he could to save her, she cursed him. She damned him, she vowed to kill him.
It was from that day forwards he’d taken a different path, not one of peace and prosperity, but instead he adopted a creed of self-preservation. He had to save himself.
Anyone that had any powers were dangerous, anyone that could oppose him was dangerous. He knew that if he wanted to survive he had to contain them all.
And how better to contain something than to control it.
It all began as a simple recruitment process, a few here, a hand full there. Soon he’d built up a large army, but required more. His advisors opted for more… drastic methods of recruitment. They insisted on segregating mankind from those with powers, picking those with powers off the streets and shipping them somewhere where they could all… Coexist.
He’d refuted the idea multiple times, but soon realized that it was the only way to achieve his goals. His tactic of volunteerism wasn’t working. And so it was, people began going missing left and right. Not a tract to be found.
And his numbers grew. And grew, and grew.
But now he’s here. Far from his army of power-wielding comrades. He was here, basking in the presence of peasantry. His numbers were many, but not nearly as many as he used to have.
He held up his right hand, and his hive-minded army stood straight up and went silent. He held out his left, and his ghostly comrade handed him a wooden torch. He watched the flames dancing on the head of the torch. He looked out into the crowd.
“Well, friends.” He said. “What do you say we go fight us a war?”
The hive-mind reared with joyous celebration at the mention of the idea of them all charging onto a battlefield only to have many of them die. He saw many of them bring up torches, some swords, some pitchforks, bows, anything that could be possibly deadly.
Leland looked across the path at the houses and buildings that dotted the city. He cucked his torch at one of them and watched as the masses light the town ablaze. Either he was a leader of the apocalypse, or an anarchist who was good at his job.
He turned and began walking, the town burning down behind him. He didn’t have to look back to know the masses were following him, he was controlling them.
Not much mattered here and now, only what happens next.
He had a war to fight.
Adam Beaker
“He’s here.” She gasped, as if out of air. The guardians had finally returned, sans one who’d they’d explained was dead.
“Where is he?” Dana asked.
“In the town.” She said.
“Is he still there?” Dana asked.
“No, he took control of the entire town and he’s leading them this way.” She said.
“How far out are they?” Dana asked.
“A day’s march at least.” She said. “I say we let them come to us, let them wear themselves out.”
“Not important yet.” Dana said, holding up a hand. “Where is Maria Fernando?” she asked.
“She’s being controlled by Leland also.” She said.
“But she’s alive?” Dana asked. She nodded.
“Then we still have a chance.” Dana said. “Guardians, it’s up to you to make sure she stays that way. Go.” She said, with that the two remaining guardians disappeared. Dana walked across the fire pit and collapsed down on a log, her face buried into her hands.
“Dana, what do we do now?” Micheal asked.
“I don’t know.” Dana said, obvious distress in her voice. Adam took his arm off of Kiera’s shoulder and stood up.
[Meet Leland on the battlefield] It can go both ways. I see no particular reason to wait for him, that's just going to wear them down.
Interesting part! Leland's PoV almost made him seem... human? I don't know, the fact that he brainwashed Maria, the woman he allegedly once loved just made him a lot less sympathetic than he otherwise could have been. He want to live, I can respect that. Sadly, he is responsible for killing Julia at least twice and that means he must die. Another interesting revelation has been that Dana fell in love with Maria as well. Does that mean that she's basically been in love with Julia's prior incarnation all along? Oh man, if they ever have a talk about this, it surely is going to be super awkward. A part of me really wants to see this XD Though, if Leland grows weaker around Julia and her past incarnations, does the same apply to Dana as well?
Adam Becker
“Creeps me out, just being here.” Adam said as he walked up next to Dana. She continued gazing out into the abyss.
“Me too… more.” She said. There was an awkward silence for a moment before Adam spoke up.
“What’s wrong?” He asked. “Something bothering you?” She looked at him from the corner of her eye.
“Yeah.” She said. Adam could see the faraway look in her eye. “But I don’t know if you’ll understand it, I barely understand it.”
“Then help me understand it.” Adam said. She sighed.
“After I… Died.” She said, chewing on it like it sounded weird, which it honestly did. “I got all of my memories back, my true memories of who I am. The fact that I’ve been alive for almost as long as the world’s existed.” She said.
“Yeah?” Adam pressed.
“The thing is, I don’t like who I am.” She said. “I liked who I was better. I liked just being normal, you know?” She asked.
“I wish I knew what normal was anymore.” Adam laughed.
… [view original content]
If we wait for Leland to come, we let him decide when the battle starts. I dont know which army is stronger but the one that starts the battle could get a little bit of advantage.
Adam Becker
“Creeps me out, just being here.” Adam said as he walked up next to Dana. She continued gazing out into the abyss.
“Me too… more.” She said. There was an awkward silence for a moment before Adam spoke up.
“What’s wrong?” He asked. “Something bothering you?” She looked at him from the corner of her eye.
“Yeah.” She said. Adam could see the faraway look in her eye. “But I don’t know if you’ll understand it, I barely understand it.”
“Then help me understand it.” Adam said. She sighed.
“After I… Died.” She said, chewing on it like it sounded weird, which it honestly did. “I got all of my memories back, my true memories of who I am. The fact that I’ve been alive for almost as long as the world’s existed.” She said.
“Yeah?” Adam pressed.
“The thing is, I don’t like who I am.” She said. “I liked who I was better. I liked just being normal, you know?” She asked.
“I wish I knew what normal was anymore.” Adam laughed.
… [view original content]
Adam Becker
“Creeps me out, just being here.” Adam said as he walked up next to Dana. She continued gazing out into the abyss.
“Me too… more.” She said. There was an awkward silence for a moment before Adam spoke up.
“What’s wrong?” He asked. “Something bothering you?” She looked at him from the corner of her eye.
“Yeah.” She said. Adam could see the faraway look in her eye. “But I don’t know if you’ll understand it, I barely understand it.”
“Then help me understand it.” Adam said. She sighed.
“After I… Died.” She said, chewing on it like it sounded weird, which it honestly did. “I got all of my memories back, my true memories of who I am. The fact that I’ve been alive for almost as long as the world’s existed.” She said.
“Yeah?” Adam pressed.
“The thing is, I don’t like who I am.” She said. “I liked who I was better. I liked just being normal, you know?” She asked.
“I wish I knew what normal was anymore.” Adam laughed.
… [view original content]
He had no idea how far they’d walked. It had been a while now, through the many hills and valleys. Nobody said a word, but everyone knew just what the other was thinking.
The look on Julia’s face only conveyed she was caught somewhere in deep though. Micheal only looked completely determined. Dana looked almost frightened of what was to come. Kasey was wide-eyed, she seemed almost exited to be here. Adam had noticed that Kiera had hung back from the group, he could tell by the look in her eyes she was thinking again. He dropped back and walked side by side with her.
“What’s up?” He asked. She shook her head.
“What I said earlier.” She said. “I wasn’t wrong. I’m not one of you, I don’t belong here. I’m just going to end up cracking under the pressure and getting someone killed.”
“We just have to keep our heads on straight, you’ve got to think like a solider Kiera.” He said to her.
“That’s just it, Adam.” She said. “I’m not a solider. I’m not a fighter. I’m a lab technician. I’m just some girl that likes makeup and music and art. I just don’t know if I can do it, Adam.”
“Kiera, you’re tougher than you think.” He said. “I’ve seen you do things that many people would shy away from doing. You shot someone so you could save me.”
“Does that make it right?” She asked. “Can you really justify killing someone like I did?”
“There’s going to come a time when we get to decide what’s wrong and what’s right, but right now… Now’s not that time.” Adam said. “Now, we just have to do what has to be done.” She paused for a while before responding.
“I just can’t help but to think this was my fault.” She said.
“How could any of this be your fault?” Adam asked.
“What if Rosenberg was right, and I knew what was happening was wrong. But I still did nothing about it.” She said.
“Rosenberg was using you.” Adam said. “He wanted you to doubt yourself because he knew how powerful an enemy you could be.”
“I’m not who you want me to be Adam.” She said. “I’m not a killer.”
“None of us are.” He said. “We’re all just survivors.”
“Before my father died, he always used to say something like ‘There’s a difference between surviving a living.’” She said. “What’s the point in living if it means ending someone else’s life?” Adam was thinking of something to say when he heard Dana call out. She was ahead of everyone else and had already crested the hill they were on.
“Guys…” She said. “Come look at this.” Everyone picked up the pace, quickly mounting the hill and taking their places next to Dana. Adam’s eyes widened at what he saw.
The valley below was packed with an army, not of soldiers, but of normal people. And this army sprawled on as far as he could see. The only time he’d ever seen such a large amount of people was back when they were at the Council of Time. From up here on the hill, he could hear the deathly sounding mummer from the vast army below.
“Holy shit…” Adam mumbled.
“Dana, where’s our army?” Micheal asked.
“They’re not coming.” Dana said solemnly.
“What?” Julia asked. “Where are they?”
“I don’t know!” Dana said. “I lost contact with them. I can’t tell them to come help if I can’t even get through to them.” She said.
“T-Then what do we do now?” Kasey asked.
“Do any of you believe in God?” She asked.
“Y-yeah… Why?” Kiera answered timidly.
“Now would be the time to pray.” She said as she stared out into the army. “I’ve killed us all.”
“Adam! Kasey! Anyone for God’s sake!” A new voice yelled off in the distance. Adam spun around and saw a figure, no two figures running towards them. The one in the lead wore a dark leather jacket, which was ripped and cracked as if it been in the sun too long. They wore dark cargo pants and tan boots, Adam couldn’t see their face, as it was wrapped in a scarf. Their eyes were covered by a pair of goggles.
“Who’s that?” Dana asked as she turned around and looked.
“No idea.” Adam said.
“Are they friendly?” Julia asked.
“I recognize the voice from somewhere.” Kasey said, narrowing her eyes at the figure. “Wait… It can’t be.”
“What? Who is it?” Adam asked.
“That’s Wade.” She said.
“What?” Adam asked, “How?”
“Hell if I know.” Kasey said.
“Over here!” Julia called out. He stopped dead in his tracks and turned towards them. He broke out into an all-out sprint for them, the other one following right behind him. It was then that Adam noticed multiple other figures chasing after him, and they were gaining. He seemed tired and weak.
He was about halfway up the hill when the ones chasing him tackled him and his follower to the ground. Adam rushed forwards, about to attack until he realized the one that had been chasing Wade was D.B himself.
“What’s going on here?” Dana asked.
“This little shit and his friend over there were trying to alter the timeline, we chased them for about a month until they lead us here.” D.B said as he let the rest of his men handle Wade.
“What do you mean a month?” Kasey asked.
“That’s how long you’ve been gone.” D.B said. “When you never commanded us to come, we all gave up. Thought you were dead.”
“I’m not.” Dana said.
“I can see that.” D.B said.
“I told them you weren’t dead.” Wade said. “I begged them to come help you, but they ignored me.”
“Let him up.” Dana said.
“But, Ma’am.” D.B said.
“Do it.” D.B nodded to his men who let go of Wade and the other one, letting them both stand up. Wade pushed the goggles to his forehead and pulled the scarf down to his neck. His face was dry and burnt, his lips cracked. His friend did the same, Adam instantly recognized her.
“Ghost?” Dana asked. She nodded.
“My name’s Ruby.” She said.
“What happened to you two?” Adam asked, taking in their weakness.
“After the council ignored our requests to come help you, we were left with other choice. We kinda broke some laws on time travel…”
“Kinda?” D.B asked. “You tried to go back in time and stop the revolutionary war.”
“It didn’t work, now did it?” Wade snapped. “After that, they began chasing us. We tried to time travel again, but only got ourselves stuck somewhere in the Sahara. We finally were able to travel here after about a month of trying.”
“You’re a time traveler?” Adam asked Wade. He shook his head.
“No, she is.” He said, motioning towards Ruby. “Hey, bad time to ask, but do any of you have any water? We’ve been lost in the desert for a while now.”
“Yeah, here.” Micheal said, handing over a canteen. Wade took it and unscrewed the cap, handing it over to Ruby first. He looked to Adam.
“Look, I heard about what you did to me in the future.” He said. “I don’t hold it against you, I would’ve done the same thing to myself if I had the chance. The only thing we can do now is stop that future from happening.” Adam nodded.
“What about the others?” Dana asked. “Are they coming?” D.B looked around at everyone.
“I guess so.” He said.
“Guess so?” Dana asked. He pointed back over his shoulder, Adam almost smiled as he saw the almost infinite army stretching into the distance. Adam watched as a man stepped forwards from the army and carried forwards multiple swords. He held them out to the group.
“Take one, it’s your new best friend.” He said. Adam grabbed one, liking the way it felt in his hand. He saw Wade take the canteen back from Ruby, and turn it up to drink from it. Nothing came out. He shrugged as he passed it back to Micheal.
“Sorry.” Ruby mumbled.
“I’ve made it this long without water.” He said. “I can make it through this.” He grabbed one of the swords, running his hand along the long, shiny blade.
“Are you sure you can fight?” Adam asked him. He looked up at him.
“I don’t have to be able to fight.” He responded. “I’ve done my job, the army’s here. All I have to do now is try not to die. So, show me this army we’re up against.” He said, Adam pointed over into the distance.
“There.” He said.
“Wow.” Wade mumbled. “Just tell me one thing. What level of crazy if too much for this world?”
“I don’t think there is a level.” Adam responded.
“What do we do now?” Kasey asked.
“Now, we attack.” Dana said.
“Attack?” Adam asked. He saw Wade pull the scarf back up over his face, the goggles once again coming down over his eyes. He lifted his sword.
“Attack!” A mass yelled behind him, Adam at first was pushed forwards but soon was running on his own.
The opposing army began charging at them, the ground between the two quickly closing. There was only one thing Adam was worried about. He saw Leland nowhere.
The two armies met in a frenzied clash. In every direction the only sound was either steel on steel or steel on flesh. Adam himself was lost in the chaos. He saw a dirty looking man charging at him with a pitchfork, Adam stepped aside and swung his blade upwards nearly taking the man’s head clean off.
He saw Micheal and Kasey fighting back to back against the mob surrounding them, and they were surrounded. But they stood no chance against Kasey and Micheal, who easily cut them down one by one.
Wade was locked in a one-on-one with a sword-wielding knight, who struck with power and purpose. Wade could only do his best do defend himself from the fury of blows. Sensing Wade’s weakness, the knight lifted his sword high above his head, ready to bring it down on his head, but this is exactly what Wade seemed to be waiting for. While doing so, he’d exposed a chink in his armor, right in his gut. Wade stuck his sword straight into the chink and the knight’s sword dropped.
Wade was on the ground on all fours, trying to regain some energy. Adam was right, he shouldn’t be fighting. But Adam’s attention snapped back to the present as one of the time travelers next to him dropped to the ground, an arrow in his throat.
Adam lifted his sword and continued surging forwards, running it right through another peasant, he quickly pulled the blade out and swung it diagonally upwards, slashing right through the torso of a poor woman.
It was about now the worry struck Adam, he hadn’t seen Kiera, Julia, or Dana since this started. He was now afraid for them. He heard a loud scream, one that was to shrill to go unnoticed. Even in this mess. And he recognized the person to whom the voice belonged. Kasey. Adam sprinted forwards, hacking and slashing his way through the mob towards where he’d heard the scream.
Then he saw it. They’d gotten past Micheal and Kasey’s defense and had them pinned. Kasey was on the ground, a sword hovering above her chest. Micheal was desperately fighting against the hive-minded mob to get to her. They began swarming him. Surrounding him, engulfing him.
Time was moving in slow motion, both of them were in danger. Both of them needed help. Both of them will die if he did nothing. This wasn’t a choice he wanted to make, nor one he should have to make.
He had to choose. Who lived and who died.
Choice
[Save Kasey]
[Save Micheal]
Dana Grey
Dana pushed herself up, suddenly noticing her surroundings. She was no longer on the battlefield. She was standing right next to a cliff that dropped off for almost a mile. She clawed her way back from the edge noticing she was not alone.
She saw Julia, only a few feet away from her, only beginning to wake up. Keira was sprawled on the ground not far away, a large gash in her head.
“What- Where are we?” Dana asked Julia.
“I-I don’t know…” Julia said. “It looks like the Grand Canyon.”
“But how?”
“Sorry about that.” A voice spoke. Dana jumped to her feet and spun to face Leland as he approached. “As much as I’d love to let you go play war, I feel as if it’s time we end this game.”
“Leland.” Dana said. “It’s been awhile.” She continued as he stared her down.
“I’m glad you’re back sister.” He said.
“Save the formalities.” She snarled. “If you want to fight, let’s fight.”
“Dana, if I’m correct, you’re the one that started this fight.” He said. “I’m only here for one thing.”
“And what would that be?” Julia asked. Leland paused, looking over to Julia.
“Peace.” He simply answered. “I want to discuss peace before too many are killed pointlessly.”
“You’re the one that brainwashed an entire army.” Dana said.
“You forced my hand sister!” He snapped. “Had I not had an army, you would’ve killed me before I could even say a word.”
“Damn right about that.” Dana said.
“Can we not be civilized for just a minute?” Leland asked. “This is important. I only want to discuss the terms of a truce.” Dana nodded to Kiera.
“And her, what happened?” She asked.
“She was seconds away from getting a sword stuck in her belly. She refused to kill.” Leland said. “I wasn’t going to let her die for something she didn’t believe in, unlike you.”
“It was her choice.” Dana said. He nodded.
“I’m sure it was.” He said. “But it was one you forced her into.”
“Fuck you.” Dana snapped. “I didn’t do anything.” Leland raised his hands and took a step back.
“I’m sorry, sister.” He said, calmly. “I should’ve said that. How about we continue with the terms of the truce before anything bad happens?” He asked. Dana nodded.
“I’m listening.” She said.
“Pull your army out, send them away.” He said. “In return, I’ll send my people home. Give them their minds back. I swear to back out of the lime light, I will never mess with human affairs again.”
“That doesn’t sound like much of a truce, Leland.” Dana said. “usually both sides get something out of it, only my side is benefiting.”
“Yeah, that’s the catch.” He said. “I’m going to need you and Julia to come with me.” He said.
“Never.” Julia snarled.
“Not for long.” He said. “I just want to fix things, remove the immortality from Julia. Let her live a normal life.”
“Why me then.” Dana asked.
“I can do the same for you, sister.” He said. “I know you just want to be normal again, and I can do that for you.”
“No.” Dana said. “If I don’t have my powers and you’re still alive, there’s no one to stop you from taking over.”
“Dana, I’ve already told you I won’t.” He said.
“Your word means nothing Leland.” She said.
“I swear by the immortality clause, If I’m lying.” He said.
“What’s that?” Julia asked.
“If I break my promise, my immortality will be ripped from me. I’ll disappear into history and nobody will ever know I existed.” He said.
“I don’t understand, why would you do this?” Dana asked.
“I’ve had multiple lifetimes worth of time to figure things out.” He said. “I know what I’ve done is wrong. And I want to try to fix it.” Julia stepped forwards towards him.
“Julia, don’t.” Dana said.
“I don’t believe you.” Julia hissed.
“I have no reason to lie to you, Julia.” He said. “I’ve made a mistake and deserve to die for it. Stab me, shoot me, hang me on a cross. I don’t care. Just let me fix the past first.”
“Bullshit.” Julia said, almost quietly enough Dana couldn’t hear. Her right hand surged forwards, a small shiny blade held within it. It tore into Leland’s side, and he let out a howl of pain as he stumbled backwards. Out of reflex, his fist sailed upwards, smashing into Julia’s jaw. She spiraled to the ground as Leland pulled the blade out of him.
Dana’s fist clenched as she looked at Julia’s crumpled body on the ground. Leland seemed to sense her anger levels rising.
“Dana, I didn’t mean to hit her.” He said. “She just came at me.” Dana didn’t care. She rushed forwards, her fist sailing into Leland’s face. A bolt of pain surged through her arm as she made contact, and both of them stumbled in opposite directions.
“Fuck…” Dana mumbled, rubbing her hand. Leland regained his composure, and stood to face Dana.
“I deserved that.” He said, spitting some blood onto the ground. Dana crouched down to the ground, picking up the small blade Julia had used. “Don’t do that, sister.” He warned her. She attacked anyway. She lunged forwards, he simply stepped out of the way. His fist hit the back of her head like a pillar of solid steel. She cartwheeled to the ground, but forced herself back up. “This is about peace, Dana.” He said. “Don’t spill blood on a white flag.”
“What, like you’ve done for centuries?” She asked. This time he wasn’t expecting it. She lunged at him, the knife imbedding deep into his arm. He howled in pain as he gripped his arm. He was able to kick Dana in the gut, forcing her to the ground.
“I told you to stop Dana.” He said, Dana pushed herself to her knees only for her face to come into contact with Leland’s boot. She fell over backwards, he planted his knee on her chest. “I told you we could have peace, I told you this all could be over. But now I realize, the only way one of us can have any peace is if the other is dead. Is that what you want?” He asked.
“I want to end your lies.” Dana spat.
“Is that what you want?” Leland asked. “You want me to play the bad guy so you can feel better about killing me? You want to look like a good guy, huh? Dana, there’s no such thing as a hero in this world.”
“Let me go.” Dana demanded as she attempted to free herself from Leland, but failed.
“You want to kill a villain?” He asked. “Let me make it a little easier for you. Let me play the role of the villain.” He said. His hands wrapped around her throat, she instantly couldn’t breathe.
“Leland.” She gasped. “Stop.”
“Come on Dana.” He said. “Kill me! Kill me Dana!” He yelled. “I thought you were a hero, was that not right?” He asked. “Come on, Dana, I’m a villain. Villains never win, do we?”
Kiera Peppers
She had no idea where she was, in every direction it was all just darkness.
The last thing she fully remembered was being pushed into battle, and then come man twice her size coming right at her with a sword. Nothing after that made sense. All she remembered was falling, then she was being trampled by a mob war-crazed people. She not kicked in the face, and then… Nothing.
“Kiera.” A voice called through the dark veil. “You there?” Her spine tingled and her muscles tensed just hearing the same steely voice. Her worst nightmare revisited.
“G-Go away.” Kiera managed to say weakly.
“Aha.” He called. “I knew you were here.” Kiera could hear the sound of his cowboy boots clicking against the floor as he approached her as if he could see through the darkness.
Kiera tried to get up. She tried to run. She was frozen in place, not in the sense she was too afraid to move. But in the sense that she physically couldn’t feel her arms or legs. Her breathing became quick and uneven.
“There’s no need to be afraid, Kiera.” He called, she he suddenly appeared as if a spotlight had found him. “I’m just keeping a promise I made to you.”
“What promise?” She asked. He walked briskly from where he stood over to Kiera, he brushed his hand through her hair. She shut her eyes tight and tried to hold back the tears.
“When you left me, I promised you I would find you.” He said. “And I told you you’d regret it.”
“J-just leave me alone.” Kiera stammered.
“Jesus. Can you hear yourself? You sound like a lost puppy.” He laughed. “How many times has that worked before? How many times have people back off just because you asked nicely? You’ve been used, abused, and everything in between and yet you still insist on being the good girl daddy always wanted.”
“Leave my father out of this.” She snapped.
“Why?” He asked. “Because he’s probably the only one in your life that did end up turning on you? Look at you, you ran away from your family because they kept using you, you ran away from me because I hit you a few times, don’t you have any guts at all Kiera? Where has all of this running gotten you?”
“Derrick, just go.” Kiera said. She felt his ice-cold hands wrap around her neck.
“Make me Kiera.” He said. “Do it, you can’t, you won’t. You’re afraid of me, you’re afraid of power. You’re afraid to f
Comments
Oh my god... I don't even know what to say. Gerald and Rosenberg are back? And they are... mutants? Demons? Ghosts? Something else? Holy damn shit... I... I don't know what to say, except the obvious: I'm super scared for Julia. Like, scared to the max. Sure, I'm scared for Michael as well, but especially for Julia, considering the words of the Rosenberg thing. I was indeed right that Leland wants her in particular, but I never thought that Rosenberg and Gerald were actually sort of coming back. And I also never guessed that Rosenberg was working for him all along. Gerald, I could kinda guess, but Rosenberg? I guess Rosenberg is also this thing that murdered the cop at Michael's house. Damn it, that was one hell of a scary plot twist! At least Adam and the others know about what happened, so they have a chance to save them before Leland does whatever scary mind-rapey thing he has planned for Julia. This is going to be super intense and super scary.
[Help Tyler]
This reminds me of the abductions in the early parts of the story. Perhaps now it is Tyler's time to get abducted, at least if Nathan can't prevent it. Tyler has been a great guy so far and I think we should try to save him.
[Help Tyler]
First Alina, then Chad, now Tyler? Nuh-uh. No way! This cannot happen! Sure, Alina and Chad are alive but in my experience, the number 3 changes everything. Plus, Bastet will hopefully stay with Alina. She seems like a good lady who wouldn't kidnap a hospitalized teenage girl who just went through brain surgery. Knock on wood.
[Help Tyler]
Whoa, that was awesome! I am curious, are Rosenberg and Gerald mutants or not? Rosenberg sounded a bit vague about it.
Well, he was vague on purpose. Honesty, it's either or. They're more like phantoms or ghosts, and those really aren't classified as supermutants.
Lots of it. Go knock on a rain forest. You know better than to make assumptions >:3
Oh yes. They're back. And like I said to Janitor, they're not really classifiable. This story defies all classifications. But yeah, ghostly phantom murder thingy.
And I can also credit their return directly to you. A while back when I asked what you guys wanted to see more of, you mentioned longer living villans. That planted the idea of an ever-living villan.
Adam Becker
What was he expecting?
Not exactly what he got.
When they showed up the entire building was surrounded by military troops, Humvees, and enough combined firepower to possibly eradicate all life within a hundred mile radius of this area. And it was all focused here, on this one building.
Adam hopped down from the back of the truck, landing on the pavement below. Behind him, one by one, everyone else jumped down beside him. Dana, Kiera and Kasey. The four of them began walking forwards towards the building, but a man stepped in front of them, blocking their part.
“You can’t go in there.” He said. “No civilians allowed.”
“They’re not civilians.” Davids spoke form behind them.
“Then who are they?” He asked. Davids eyed the group, as if searching for the word.
“The PFDF.” He said.
“What? I’ve never heard of that.” He said.
“Neither have I, but’s it’ll be better if you just let them through.” Davids said. He nodded.
“Go right ahead.” He said, stepping to the side. As Adam walked by him he could hear him whispering. “Fucking Spec ops. Never tell me nothing.”
“Nice save.” Adam said to Davids once they were out of earshot.
“Yeah.” Davids said. “But the rest of if it up to you from here. I can’t go in.” He said.
“Why?” Kasey asked.
“I have my orders, and I have to follow them.” Davids said. “Good luck in there.” Adam nodded to him.
“Thanks.” He said, as he turned his attention towards the building.
“How are we going to get in there?” Kasey asked.
“We’re not.” Dana said.
“What do you mean?” Adam asked.
“Take my hand.” She said, holding her hand out. Even though Adam had no idea of what was happening, he took her hand. Kasey and Kiera joined in.
Adam swore they hadn’t moved a bit. He swore nothing had changed. But one second, they were all standing outside, and now they were inside the lobby. And his insides felt like they’d just been put through a cement mixer. And he wasn’t the only one. Kiera looked off balance and Kasey looked like she was about to throw up.
“What just happened?” Kiera asked.
“I teleported us into the lobby.” Dana said.
“Why did you never mention that Adam nodded to him.
“Thanks.” He said, as he turned his attention towards the building.
“How are we going to get in there?” Kasey asked.
“We’re not.” Dana said.
“What do you mean?” Adam asked.
“Take my hand.” She said, holding her hand out. Even though Adam had no idea of what was happening, he took her hand. Kasey and Kiera joined in.
Adam swore they hadn’t moved a bit. He swore nothing had changed. But one second, they were all standing outside, and now they were inside the lobby. And his insides felt like they’d just been put through a cement mixer. And he wasn’t the only one. Kiera looked off balance and Kasey looked like she was about to throw up.
“What just happened?” Kiera asked.
“I teleported us into the lobby.” Dana said.
“Why did you never mention that you could do that earlier?” Adam asked.
“I was kind of busy getting shot.” She said. “Now let’s move, the stairs are this way.”
Nathan Zabek
Nathan looked out the window at Tyler. Whatever was going on, Nathan knew he had to stop it.
Nathan looked back at Bastet.
“I’ve got to go check something out.” He said. “I’ll be right back.”
“Okay.” She responded, sounding more confused than anything else. Nathan didn’t bother with an explanation as he walked out of the room towards the stairs.
He quickly reached the bottom and walked as quickly as he could without drawing to much attention. He found it odd that no one else was worried about what was happening outside.
Nathan pushed through the doors and jogged through the parking lot towards Tyler. But when he got there, the man that was talking with him was gone. Tyler looked over and saw Nathan standing there.
“I saw a guy with a gun talking with you.” Nathan said. Tyler gave Nathan a weird look.
“No, I just dropped my keys.” Tyler said. “He was just giving them back.” Nathan breathed a sigh of relief. For once, his suspicions were wrong.
“Okay then.” Nathan said, a little embarrassed. “Never mind I said that.” Tyler nodded.
“Can do.” He said, as he opened the car door. “See you around.”
“Yeah, see you around.” Nathan said as he turned around, glad he was wrong. He began walking across the parking lot back towards the front door. He walked back in and up through the stairs once again.
He walked back down the hallway and towards Alina’s room.
“Turns out it was a false alarm.” Nathan said as he walked in. “Nothing to be worried about.”
Then his eyes widened as the fact that the room was empty. Nobody was in here, neither Alina nor Bastet. They were both gone.
Nathan noticed there was small drops of blood on the floor, near where Bastet was sitting.
“Son of a bitch.” Nathan muttered, he heard a crashing sound out in the hallway.
Choice
[Stay here]
[Investigate]
Julia Carter
Julia’s eyes darted around the room. She was on her knees, her hands tied behind her. For being in a bunker underground, this place was pretty well-lit. Julia couldn’t help but to keep looking over at the two phantom-like figures of the two dead men. Rosenberg and Gerald.
“Your friends are late.” Rosenberg hissed.
“They won’t surrender to you, you son of a bitch.” Julia growled at him. Gerald moved closer to her, and she could feel his cold ghostly grip round her neck, lifting her up off the ground.
“They better, otherwise you’re in a world of pain.” He hissed.
“Put her down.” A voice boomed as the doors burst open. Gerald instantly dropped Julia back to the ground.
“Ah, Leland.” Rosenberg said. “We’ve done exactly as you’ve asked of us.” He went on. Leland walked farther into the room, and looked over at Gerald and Rosenberg, nodding.
“You have, and you are now dismissed.” He said.
“Sir, with all due respect…” Gerald began.
“You’re dismissed!” Leland snapped at him. Julia watched as the two ghostly figures disappeared into thin air. Like they’d never existed.
Leland walked across the room, his footsteps echoing through the silence. He stopped next to Julia and knelt down next to her.
“Sorry for the restraints darling.” He said.
“Let me go, or I swear I will kill you.” Julia snapped at him.
“I’m sure you would, since you’re the only one that can do so.” He said. Julia looked at him. “But none the matter right now, as we have more pressing matters to pursue.” He said.
“Like what?” Micheal asked him. Leland snapped his gaze in his direction.
“Do not speak unless you are spoke to.” Leland said to him, before looking back at Julia. “How have you been darling? Has this time treated you well?” He asked.
“What do you mean? And quit calling me that.” Julia said. He smiled.
“I remember when I met you, back in your first life.” He said. “You were Maria Fernando. Just a poor peasant, and I was a rich man.” He said.
“What do you mean?” Julia asked. “I’m not Maria if that’s what this is about.” She said.
“Oh no, I know you’re not Maria. Not anymore. She died centuries ago.” He said. “You’re Julia Carter. The sixth reincarnation of Maria Fernando.” He said.
“What?” Julia asked.
“After your last life as Nikita Kotzov in the Soviet Union, you disappeared. I’ve been searching through all of time to find you, and here you are.” He said, looking her in the eye.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about, I can’t die.” Julia said. He shook his head.
“That’s just not the case darling.” He said. “You’re ‘immortality’ is only partial. It’s only a hint. I gifted it to you, during your first life. It keeps you from dying, but only once in a lifetime. After that, you’re the same as everyone else.”
“I-I don’t know you.” Julia stuttered. Leland sighed as he reached into his pocket, pulling out golden locket with strange markings on it, and a topaz embroiled in the center.
“Of course you don’t remember me, darling.” He said, opening the locket. “You can’t take your old memories to a new life.” He said, as he took something out of the locket, it looked like a small, thin piece of paper. “But I can give them back. Just open your mouth.” He said.
“What? No.” Julia said, or tried to say. As soon as she opened her mouth to speak Leland forced the paper into her mouth, the second it touched her tongue the entire world blanked out.
Adam Becker
“Through here.” Adam said as he pushed the door open, and they were inside the bunker. “Keep your eyes open. We have no idea what’s down here.”
“I have a pretty good idea.” Kiera said. “We’re looking for a dead guy.”
“Any idea where he would take Julia and Micheal?” Dana asked.
“Possibly the observation room. It’s a big open area, easy to control people in an open area.” Kiera said.
“Lead the way.” Kas said. Kiera looked back at her, and Kasey shrugged.
“What, you know this place better than all of us.” Kasey said.
“This way.” Kiera said as she pushed her way to the front of the group. But just as they started walking, the lights shut off. Kiera let out a small yelp.
“What happened?” Dana asked.
“They cut the power.” Adam said. Just as he said it, dim lighting flicker on. “They have backup lighting. That’s good. I guess.” He said, looking at the lights that light the hallway enough to cast creepy shadows along the walls. “Let’s keep moving.”
“Yeah.” Kiera said. Her voice sounded as stiff as her body was as she started walking again. Adam heard something up ahead, it sounded like crying.
“Wait.” Adam said. “Do you hear that?”
“Sounds like crying.” Dana said.
“It has to be Julia.” Adam said. “Stay here. I’ll be back.”
“You want to go exploring through this bunker filled with the living dead alone?” Kiera asked him. He nodded.
“I have a little secret I’ve been holding onto.” He said.
“What is that?” She asked as she turned to look at him. Adam smiled slyly. “Where did you go?” She asked.
“Right here.” Adam said. She was looking straight at him.
“Adam. H-how are you doing that?” She asked.
“Same way I teleported in here.” Dana said.
“Don’t worry, I’ll be fine.” Adam said as he walked past Kiera, purposely bumping into her. She jumped a little, and Adam smiled. Being invisible made him feel like a kid again.
He followed the sound of crying through the halls until he came to the set of double doors that lead into the observation room. Adam slowly pushed the door open, as to not make any sound and slipped in, closing it behind him.
He instantly saw Julia on her knees in the middle of the room, crying. There was a man kneeling next to her, his arm over her shoulder. Micheal was nearby, on his knees too, though not speaking. Adam looked over and saw a gun laying on a nearby table and slowly began walking forwards towards it.
Just as his hand brushed over the grip, he was thrown off his feet. Something picked him up and launched him halfway across the room, only to come crashing back down.
“Adam Becker, I’ve been expecting you.” Leland said, as he stood up and walked over to Adam. Adam began to stand up, and Leland grabbed his arm helping him up. “Sorry for the rude introduction.” He said. “Leland Frye.” He continued, extending his hand. Adam tentatively took it and shook.
“This is civil.” Adam said.
“What would you expect?” He asked. “A monster?” He chuckled with a smile. “I assume your friends are right behind you.”
As soon as he said that, the door opened once again and Kiera, Kasey, and Dana walked in being escorted by two ghostly looking creatures.
“We found them in the hallway.” One hissed, sounding a lot like Rosenberg.
“Good, be gone.” Leland said.
“Yes sir.” The other hissed and both vanished into thin air.
“So.” Leland said, pressing his hands together. “Let’s talk business.”
“I’m listening.” Adam said.
“So, I’ve got your friends.” Leland said. “But you have something I want.”
“And what would that be?” Adam asked.
“I’m hosting a little revolution, a little coup d'etat, of the mortal race.” Leland said. “Now before you go all in on saying no, let me explain myself.”
“Go on.” Adam said, his eyes drifting over to Julia.
“I’ve been around for a long time, hundreds of thousands of years. I’ve seen the barbarisms of the human race. All they do is destroy, everything they find. This planet, other peoples, nations, species. They can’t control themselves.” He said. “And now, they are coming dangerously close to discovering the existence of us, mutants. And what do you think’s going to happen then?” He asked.
“Probably nothing good.” Adam said. Leland nodded.
“On my search through time for Nikita… I mean Julia, I went into the future. It’s not good. They hunt us, capture us, kill us, put us against one enough in fights to the death for their entertainment. And it’s all run by mortals… No mutant is safe, they train people to hunt us, to capture us.” He said. “I realized it was us of them. And I chose us.” Leland said, looking Adam deeply in the eye. “I choose us.”
“How do you know Julia?” Dana asked.
“I was married to him.” Julia said. “In a past life.”
“Adam, you need to make the choice.” Leland said. Adam looked from Leland to Julia, who had pain and sorrow and anger and fear all mixed into one look on her face. Adam looked back at Leland and shook his head.
“I’m going to have to decline the offer.” Adam said. “I can’t help you commit genocide against the entire human race.” Leland nodded.
“I thought you’d say that.” Leland said, sounding disappointed but not surprised.
“What now?” Dana asked, just as she spoke a low rumble was sent through the entire bunker.
“What was that?” Kasey asked,
“The military.” Kiera said. “They’re blowing everything up.”
“Yes.” Leland said. “And it seems that the only exit to the bunker is already sealed.” He walked over to Julia, kneeling down next to her. “I’m sorry darling, I’ll find you in the next life.” He said.
“Dude, we need to get out of here.” Dana said as a chunk of the ceiling collapsed to the ground, as the bunker shook once again.
“We’re not leaving without Julia and Micheal.” Adam said, becoming aware that the entire room was unstable as more chunks began to collapse.
“I’m sorry darling.” Leland said once again. Adam watched as he stood and took a few steps away, a gun appearing in his empty hand.
“No!” Adam yelled, just as Leland turned and shot Julia. Julia’s jaw dropped in shock as her head looked down at the red stain on her shirt. She shifted forwards and collapsed to the ground. Adam looked back up at Leland just in time to see the man disappear into thin air. “Son of a bitch!”
“Julia!” Micheal yelled.
“Micheal, look out!” Dana shouted, just as a chunk of the ceiling broke loose, falling from the sky like a bullet, and landing right on him. His head twisted in an odd angle as he fell over, blood pouring from a gash in his head as he lay on the ground with his eyes wide open and unmoving.
“Adam, we need to go!” Dana yelled as she grabbed his arm. Adam looked over at Dana just in time to see the entire world blur. When it came back into focus he saw Kasey and Kiera were still with them. Adam could hear a loud sound and looked over.
There was a sprawling city before them. Large skyscrapers as far as the eye could see. Adam watched a man walk a few steps down the sidewalk and then stop, looking at his watch for a moment before he disappeared into a super-sonic blur.
He saw a woman fly past them, another one creating art on the street with acid. Another one having a fight with someone, one of them throwing fire, the other water.
“Dana, where did you take us?” Adam asked.
“Twenty… Twenty years into the future.” She said. Adam looked over as he hear the sound of police silence and saw a police car that looked like it was from the 1950’s but sounded like it had the engine of a super car. It sped past them at break-neck speed and drifted around a hair-pin turn like it was nothing, and then squealed to a stop in front of a building. Two men wearing black suits jumped out, one of them wearing gloves.
“Everyone stay back, this is official PFDF business.” One of them announced as they walked into the building. Moments later, they walked back out, dragging a young woman with them. She kicked and screamed, begging to be let go.
“Kelly Hues, you have been found guilty by the PFDF of being a mortal. The punishment for such a crime is death. Do you have any last words?” One asked.
“Please don’t kill me!” She begged. The suited men pushed her to her knees. The one wearing gloves pulled them off, exposing his bare hands. “No. No, no, no!” She screamed as she struggled to pull away. The man placed his hand on her neck and she scream in pain, only for a moment before she quit moving, her eyes fixating forwards. The man pushed she to the ground.
“Dumb bitch.” He spat, but then looked up and saw Adam and his group stand there. He looked over to his friend. “Stay here.” He said, the other on nodded as he walked over towards Adam.
“What do we do?” Kiera asked.
“Adam?” The suit asked. “Adam Becker?”
“Yeah.” Adam said, his eyes darting around.
“Son of a bitch! You don’t look a day older than the last time I saw you!” He said.
“Who are you?” Adam asked. He smiled.
“It’s me, Wade.” He said.
“Wade?” Adam asked.
“Yeah, I know, I’m older.” He said. “I thought you were dead, man. Come on, let me take you to my place.”
“No offence Wade, but you just killed someone.” Dana said.
“It’s my job. I kill mortals so mutants can live. Leland made it so.” He said.
“I’m not going anywhere with you.” Kiera said. Adam’s eye instantly widened. Kiera didn’t have any powers. She was a mortal. Wade looked at her like he was about to say something, but Adam burst in.
“Yeah, we’d love to go.” Adam said.
“What?” Kiera asked. Adam turned and looked at her.
“You’re mortal, they’ll kill you if they find out. Just play along until we can get out of here.” Adam whispered she nodded.
“Alright, let’s go.” Wade said as he turned and walked back towards the car.
……………
“This is it.” Wade said as he stepped up to the door, pulling out a key. He unlocked the door and walked in. “Greg’s gone, so we’re here alone.” He said as he stepped inside.
“Who’s Greg?” Adam asked.
“My boyfriend.” Wade said. “Now go ahead and take a seat.” He said, ushering them into the living room. “So, how’s you guys get here? I thought you all died in that bunker.”
“Dana teleported us out.” Kasey said.
“And you just teleported here?” He asked.
“I was freaking out okay? I just went to the first place that came to my mind.” Dana said, an edge in her voice. Adam could see she was turning pale and that there was a bead of sweat on her forehead, apparently Wade saw it too.
“Are you okay?” Wade asked. She shook her head.
“Yeah.” She said. “I just really need to get high.” She said, Wade laughed, but Adam glared at her.
“Seriously? Julia and Micheal just died, we teleported twenty years into the future and the first thing you want to do is get high?” Adam asked her.
“Adam.” She said, her voice tight and strained.
“What?” Adam asked, annoyed.
“I need to talk to you.” She said. “Alone.”
“Okay.” Adam said as he stood up and walked out of the room, Dana following behind him. She stopped him once they reached the hallway. “What is your problem?” Adam demanded.
“Leland killed all the mortals.” Dana said.
“Yeah, I can tell.” He said.
“I was told that I have to prevent this from happening by identifying the point in time where this future started.” She said.
“Yeah?” He asked.
“It was when Julia died.” She said. “I have to stop her from dying. Only she can prevent this future from happening.” She said.
“Then why do you w
“Then why do you want to get high?” Adam asked.
“Because my powers only work when I’m on drugs!” She said. “If I could have it another way, I would. But right now.” She said, looking around the hallway. “I really need to get high.”
I didn't get to knock and the rainforest and I have doomed her!
[Investigate]
[Investigate] Okay, let me get the choice out of the way first. This can be important. He needs clues to where Alina and Bastet have been taken to. Also, something is not right with Tyler. Either Nathan really just imagined the gun, or Tyler is hiding something and the latter sounds a bit more likely at the moment.
Now... the rest of the part. Holy hell, the rest of the part. I don't even know what to feel. It's a mixture of shock, sadness and a strange, underlying sense of relief, considering that Dana already has a plan. So many things make sense now. And Julia, oh god ;_; Michael too of course, but Julia
I understand Leland's weird obsession with her a lot better now, though it is creeping me out more than ever. So, he's so madly in love with this woman that he travels through time to be with every single reincarnation of hers? And I guess that means Julia's power is not healing, but reincarnation. As for Leland, he switched back and forth between being a complete monster and having some redeeming qualities, only to end up at the lowest scale of irredeemability, when he downright murdered the woman he seemingly loved only to be with her in her next reincarnation. It's a diabolical plan, but one that is almost flawless, especially since Michael, the one guy who would have stopped at nothing to hunt him down, is out of the picture as well. That makes me realize, twenty years into the future... that's quite close to Julia's age, isn't it? I wonder if she already has a new reincarnation and if that creep has already found her in this life. Speaking about creep, Leland reached new levels of creepiness now. This is not love, this is a sick and twisted obsession, especially as he had no problems with killing her once he saw that this incarnation would never be with him. Julia is not only the only one who can kill him, she's also the only one who has to kill him, considering that he not only murdered her (time travel is confusing), but also undoubtedly controlled the lives of each of her previous reincarnations in a truly sickening way.
Anyway, as much as the deaths of Julia and Michael downright shocked me, I don't even know how to feel right now, considering that Julia has some sort of reincarnation power and especially considering that Dana already has some sort of plan how to save her in particular. Time travelling powers are awesome and Dana is awesome. Seriously, she has some of the best lines in the entire story, especially in this part. She's amazing. Simply amazing. I never thought that drugs would one day save Julia's life, but well, now Dana really needs to get high.
Dude, writing this part messed with my head a little. And yes, Dana does have a plan... But will it work? O.0
Weird right? And yes, Julia's power is a mix of reincarnation and immortality. Weird.
Leland was all over the scale for me too. I almost found him hard to control, and I ended up re -writhing it multiple times trying to get him right. I think I did it though.
Well, as I tried to prelude to, Julia doesn't necessarily reincarnate in the time line. Meaning she can reincarnate at any time, past, present, or future.
Yeah, he has some issues. Not some, a lot.
Time travel is definitely confusing. Very confusing. And it's going to get worse. This is only the beginning of the rabbit hole.
I almost feel like I'm sending out a bad message to my readers.... Oh well. Don't do drugs kids.
And now the rain forest is being torn down and turned into a parking lot. Maybe try the redwood forest?
I actually had to read some parts twice to fully understand what was going on. Some of these revelations changed basically everything I previously thought. And well, I have trust in Dana. Maybe not the wisest choice to bet on the person who literally has to get high to use her powers, but well, she's kinda the only option.
Weird, but pretty cool at the same time. I liked the healing, but the possibilities with this reincarnation/immortality mix are far bigger. If she/her reincarnation learns how to use it... well, so far I have thought that Dana's time-travelling is the most overpowered thing ever, but this power Julia has? Though I wonder if she always had this power, or if Leland gave it to her when she was Maria, like he did with the temporary regeneration.
Yep, yes you did! This part alone gave him so much personality. Mostly negative of course, but he still became a very fleshed-out character.
Yeah, I noticed. Considering that her last reincarnation was around in the Soviet Union, while she was born in the early nineties, there seem to be no set rules when she reincarnates. Still, would be interesting.
I just realized, following my previous thought, even if she already reincarnated, she might be just a baby. That means Leland might be in love with a baby right now and since he is at least centuries older than any of Julia's previous reincarnations, he almost certainly was at that point a couple of times before... He got some issues and that's a massive understatement.
From my experience, the moment time travel gets involved, things get massively confusing. Julia's reincarnation powers and the fact that she exists at least half a dozen times in this single timeline alone doesn't make it any easier. The possibilities are literally endless, perhaps only limited by how much drugs Dana's body can take.
Hah, it's too late! I'm going to do Meth and bathsalts and nasal spray and Oreos now to unlock my own time travel powers! Then, once I'm able to travel through time at will, I'm going to prevent my younger self from ever doing drugs. It's a foolproof plan!
I've ruined the rainforest now, too?! I am a villain!
Rule number 1, never assume anything is true while reading this story. even the laws of physics... I actually no longer trust myself with this much power. And if you were going to put trust in someone, Dana would be high on my list.
well, the reincarnation part is her actual power, healing was the part gifted to her.
...There's such a thing as rules?
Well, seeing as he's annihilated the entire mortal human race, I'd say he's got a little bit of a problem. Or maybe he just has a napoleon complex. I'm not too sure.
This... I'm taking science and history and using it as a jump rope right now. Or at least it feels that way. Maybe I'm just a mad scientist or something. Mr. Quality: Professional Crazed Scientist. I should get a poster.
Foolproof. Totally. Just try not to kill yourself, or create any paradoxes, but as my writing had shown, I obviously don't care about paradoxes... So... Don't blow up the world? And bring me back a souvenir if you travel back in time?
[Investigate]
So much stuff happening, I love it! Leland is such an ass. I feel sorry Julia. Even if Dana manages to save her, she still has the knowledge that she was married to this creepy guy. The time travel stuff is cool btw! Cant wait for the next part!
Okay guys, now that I've totally messed with your minds and my own, It's time for some unfortunate news.
This story, as will all my others, will be paused for a little over a week.
The reason being simple, for the next week until Sunday, my life and soul belong to my owner aka my High School, as I am now working Tech Crew for the musical we are producing, 'The Little Mermaid'. Mostly all I do is set up the scenes and move around heavy objects and scenery, only to have to take it down and move it again, all while being critically undermanned and in pitch-black.
To tell you all the truth, I wasn't planning on being part of the play, but I got volun-told I was going to work Tech Crew, but after today, my first official day, I actually found it kind of fun and I think it will be worth my time. Plus, in one scene, me and the rest of the Tech Crew get to be a ship! Yay!
And best part of it all: I don't even have to say a word the entire time.
So, sorry guys. My life belongs to The Little Mermaid for about a week. Hopefully I'll still be around and try to write some, but it will be hard since I won't be getting home until anywhere between 6 through 9 at night. So, thank you all in advance for your patience. Thank you all for reading, and have a good night my friends.
Dana Grey
Dana’s eyes darted around the medicine cabinet, there were pills in there, yes. But none that would grant a high, only ones that would more than likely just kill her. She picked up an orange bottle and read the label. ‘Mesalamine’. Immunosuppressant. Not what she needed.
“Can you find anything?” Adam’s voice whispered from the other side of the locked door.
“No.” Dana answered. “Not a damn thing.”
“You might want to hurry up, you’ve been in there for a while. He’s going to get suspicious.” Adam said.
“Just keep him busy. I need more time.” Dana said.
“Easier said than done.” Adam said. “He’s on to Kiera already, I’m worried he’s going to find out soon.” Dana sighed as she closed the cabinet and walked over to the door to the room. She pulled it open and looked at Adam, shaking her head.
“We need a plan B.” She said. Adam looked around the hallway.
“I don’t have anything.” Adam said.
“I do.” Dana said as she walked out of the bathroom and down the hallway towards the kitchen. She started pulling open drawers looking at silverware.
“What are you looking for?” Adam asked as he started opening drawers too.
“I’ll tell you when I find it.” She said, as she pulled another drawer open. “Found it.” She said as her fingers grasped the handle of a sharp knife. She pulled it out and flashed it to Adam. Adam just stared at her.
“You want to kill him?” He asked.
“Technically, I won’t be killing him. If everything goes right, this timeline will have never existed.” She said.
“I hate this time travel shit.” Adam said.
“You don’t even know the beginning to it.” Dana said. As she slid the knife into her pants, concealing it. She walked past Adam and went back down the hallway towards the room everyone else was in. She saw Kasey and Kiera talking with Wade. Kiera was definitely on edge. She looked almost scared, but then again Dana hadn’t seen Kiera not sacred about something yet.
Dana couldn’t help it, her mind just went back to Sophie on its own. They’d always just sit and talk for hours like the rest of the world never existed, like the only thing that mattered was them… But now they don’t exist anymore.
Dana must’ve paused a little too long because Adam walked up behind her, placing a hand on her shoulder. She jumped a little, she forgot Adam was behind her.
“Are you okay?” Adam asked. Dana nodded.
“I’m fine.” She said. Adam shook his head.
“Dana, you’re not fine. I can tell that by just looking at you. What’s wrong?” He asked. Dana sighed, her eyes drifting downwards towards the floor.
“I just… I miss my girlfriend.” She said. Adam slowly nodded.
“There’s still time to fix everything.” He said.
“I wish it was that easy.” She said.
“Nothing’s easy, not anymore.” He responded, as he brushed past her into the room. As soon as Wade spotted him enter he stood up and walked over to him.
“I need to talk to you.” He said, a forced smirk on his face.
“Sure, what’s it about?” Adam asked.
“In private would be best.” He said.
“How bout out in the hallway?” Adam asked.
“That’ll work.” He said. Dana shrank back against the wall as she heard them coming closer to her.
“So, what’s up?” Adam asked.
“Why the hell didn’t you tell me Kiera was a mortal?” Wade asked as he appeared in the hallway next to Adam. He grabbed Adam by the shirt and pushed him against the wall. He pulled something out from a holster on his pants, pressing it against Adam’s chest. It looked like a gun, but not one that Dana had ever seen before.
“So you’ve figure it out?” Adam asked. He nodded.
“Yeah, but I can’t kill her.” Wade said. “She’s from another timeline, I have to take her to the Time Council in Chicago for a trail. We don’t want to fuck up the timeline.”
“Time Council?” Adam asked. Wade rolled up his sleeve and reveled a tattoo on his right arm. It was a skull of a human with a clock on its forehead, the words ‘Time Waits For No Man’ were encircling it.
“Established back in the 1700’s. It was a way to keep time travelers under control, as they’re some of the most powerful people alive. They’ve been relocated a few times, but they’ve settled in the Willis Tower since it was built. If you need to find someone in a different time, or just need help on a history report, they’re your people.”
“And you’re taking Kiera there to determine what?” Adam asked.
“We’re trying to determine what will happen if we kill her.” He said. “We want to know if she’s important to the timeline.”
“I think that’s all I need to know.” Adam said, looking over to Dana. Her hand brushed over the knife and she quickly pulled it out, jumping forwards at Wade, but he seemed to have been expecting that, as he simply let go of Adam and stepped back. Before Dana could even take a swing at him, he smashed his gun into the side of her face, sending her to the ground with pain shooting down her cheek. Dana heard the knife slide away from her grip and looked back up.
Wade was standing over her, hovering the gun above her head. She was looking down the barrel and could see it was making a fluorescent glow on the other end.
“Hey, Wade.” Adam said. For half a second Wade looked over towards Adam, but that was all she needed. She kicked him in the leg hard enough to make him lose his grip on the gun. As soon as he lost his grip, Dana jumped at it. Her hand wrapped around it and put the barrel at Wade’s head. Then, she pulled the trigger.
A bullet, she was expecting that. Normally when you shoot a gun, you’d expect a bullet to be sent at the target. Not what she got. As soon as she pulled the trigger, a bright green beam sailed from the gun right to Wade’s chest as her aim was a little off, and upon contact blasted a hole through his chest and light a small fire on his cloths.
He didn’t move, didn’t make a sound, he just fell. He dropped like a bag of stones right onto the floor. Dana watched in amazement and horror as the wound on his chest regenerated, sealing the wound like it’d never happened. She looked back up at Adam and then to the gun.
“What kind of future is this?” She asked.
“Not one I’d want to live in.” Adam said. Dana ran her hands through her hair.
“We need to hide the body.” She said.
“I’ll get to it, you just go upstairs and see if you can find anything useful.” Adam said. Dana nodded to him as she quickly began climbing up the stairs towards the second floor. She got to the top and pushed open the nearest door, her eyes widened at what was within. It was a bedroom, but it wasn’t being used as one.
The walls were plastered with pictures, floor to ceiling. Pictures of people she’d never seen before. Some were in color, some black and white. A majority of them were scribbled over with the same word ‘Terminated’. Dana couldn’t help it, she walked further into the room, she brushed her hand along the pictures on the wall.
Her eyes fell upon a large black bag on the floor against the wall, she looked back at the door before she walked over to it, she grabbed the zipper and pulled it back and nearly threw up after seeing what was inside. Not what, who.
Ghost. She lay inside the bag, her skin colorless and her lips blueish. She eyes were wide open though they held no color. There was a dime-sized hole in her forehead, but it wasn’t from a bullet. It couldn’t have been. It was situated perfectly in the center of the head. Someone had bored into her head. It was sickening to think about, but someone had done it.
Dana quickly stood back up, backing away towards the door, but her eyes spotted something else, a black binder. She picked it up, flipping it open. It contained spreadsheet upon spreadsheet of names, locations, times, dates. Wade was stalking these people down, he was killing them. He was…
Dana dropped the binder and went back over to Ghost’s body. She unzipped the rest of the bag, only to find the bottom half of her body missing. In its place were multiple jars full of organs and what looked like brain matter.
She couldn’t help it anymore, it was all too much. Her stomach churned as she kneeled over and threw up on the floor. She staggered backwards, having to grab the wall for support. She backed out of the room, pulling the door closed behind her.
She sank down against the wall, pulling her knees close to her chest.
Nathan Zabek
Nathan looked out into the hallway, and back at the empty bed and didn’t even need a second thought as he dashed out from the room towards where he had heard the sound.
He rushed through the halls until he spotted a haggard looking man wearing a trench coat pulling Bastet along with him. Though He didn’t spot Alina.
He could tell that Bastet was bleeding from her forehead, he could also tell that nurses and doctors were trying to help her, but the man was keeping them all at bay with a gun he brandished in his hand.
Nathan looked at him, he could tell that the man wasn’t paying attention to what was happening behind him. Nathan took a few quick steps before bursting into a full out sprint, a few feet from behind the man he leaped forwards tackling the man to the ground. All three of them were sent sprawling, as the gun skittered away from the man.
Nathan rushed to get back up and leapt onto the gun, turning it on the haggard man.
“Where’s my sister you son of a bitch?” Nathan demanded. The man looked at him.
“Same place as the rest of your family, son.” The man said.
“And that would be?” Nathan asked.
“The land between time, where no one will ever them again.” He laughed.
“Where the hell is that?” Nathan demanded.
“Not where, but when.” The man said as he slowly stood back up.
“What the hell does that mean?” Nathan asked.
“It means your parents did something to piss a powerful man off, and now their entire family is paying for it.” He said.
“Just tell me how to get there and I’ll let you live.” Nathan said. He laughed.
“It’s not that easy son, and plus, you won’t use that thing either way.” He said.
“You want to bet your life on it?” He asked.
“I’m willing to, yes.” He said with a smile.
Dana Grey
Dana sifted through the dresser, wiping a tear out of her eye. She kept trying to push the thought out of her mind, but it always kept coming back. The harder she tried to forget, the more she remembered it. What was in that room would stay with her for the rest of her life, which at this rate wasn’t going to be much longer.
She became angry when she found nothing in the drawer. She yanked the drawer from the dresser and chucked it across the room, sending junk flying everywhere. The drawer itself crashed into a lamp before going back to the floor. It took her a moment to realize she was screaming. She was screaming at a drawer out of anger.
She angrily kicked the nightstand, sending it over its side onto the floor. She looked at the TV that sat on top of the dresser and a sick smile pulled at her lips as she reached back and sent her fist right into the screen. She laughed as the screen cracked, she yanked the TV from the dresser and threw it to the ground, smashing it under her foot for good measure.
She grabbed the framed pictures off the walls and threw them across the room, delighting in the sound of smashing glass.
She heard the door to the room open and just couldn’t stop herself, she picked up an already broken lamp and chucked it at the person who was entering. They ducked back as it smashed into the wall next to them.
“Are you fucking insane?” Adam asked as he walked in, looking at the mess in the room. Dana grabbed at her hair as she paced around the mess.
“I don’t know.” She responded, aware of the fact she sounded like a deranged lunatic. “I don’t know.”
She knew she’d already caused enough damage to this place, but the sliver wristwatch caught her eye. She picked it up and turned it over in her hand.
“Put the watch down, Dana.” Adam said. Dana smiled, her eyes looked over towards the window. “Dana, don’t even think about it.” He said. She couldn’t stop herself though, in the blink of an eye the watch left her hand and sailed through the air, smashing the window with a delightful sound. She smiled at her handiwork, only for half a moment though, as her world suddenly turned sideways and she fell to the floor. She felt Adam holding her down.
“Let me go!” She demanded, trying to kick Adam away. But he seemed to have a good grip on her, as he wasn’t going anywhere.
“Dana, look at me.” He said. Dana refused, she kept kicking. “Look at me Dana.” He said again. Dana glared up at him. “You need to calm down.” He said she could see he had a strange look in his eye. He looked like he thought she was some sort of animal. She quit kicking at him, she was breathing heavily and couldn’t even see straight.
“What’s wrong with me?” She asked, she could feel tears but forced them back. He looked at her and shook his head.
“Are you feeling okay?” He asked.
“I-I don’t know.” She said.
“What’s wrong with your eyes?” He asked.
“There’s nothing wrong with my eyes.” She snapped, feeling angry suddenly. Adam reached behind him without letting Dana up and brought back a shard of a broken mirror. He held it in front of her face. Her eyes were red. Not bloodshot, her eyes had turned red. She stared at her reflection, unsure of it was actually herself she was looking at.
“What the hell?” A new voice asked, Dana looked over Adam’s shoulder and saw a woman standing in the doorway. Her eyes were wide as she scanned the room.
“Get out of here.” Adam said.
“I’m here to help.” She said. “I heard the news, that you killed Wade.”
“How did you know that?” Adam asked.
“I’m the neighbor, and it’s kind of my power.” She said.
“So you’re going to turn us in.” Adam said.
“Just the opposite. I want to help.” She said. “What Leland is doing to the mortals is wrong, and many of us believe that. Just tell me what I can do.” Adam looked at her and then to Dana.
“How familiar are you with medicine?” He asked.
“I work as a nurse.” She said.
“Good enough.” He said
Nathan Zabek
Nathan stared blackly at the blood on his hands. He felt nothing, oddly enough. He thought he would feel something, but he was wrong. It was just numbness. He looked back up at the man in the trench coat, he was holding the pistol inches from his head.
“Don’t do this.” Nathan said, pressing his hand against the wound on his side
“You’re the one that started it.” He responded. Nathan shut his eyes as he saw the man begin to put pressure on the trigger. He waited. He waited for the end, and whatever came after.
“Stop!” A voice yelled. It sounded familiar, like someone he knew. Nathan opened his eyes and looked back up. The man was standing awestruck staring at something down at the other end of the hallway. Nathan slowly turned and looked back. His eyes widened as he saw Alina standing at the other end of the hallway, multiple armed SWAT officers surrounding her.
“How did you… How did you escape?” He asked.
“You don’t need to worry about that.” She responded.
“How… There’s no way. No one’s ever gotten out of there alive!” He demanded.
“Well, I’ve changed that.” She said. Nathan couldn’t help but to notice how healthy she looked all the sudden, like her life hadn’t been in danger just a day ago. Or less than a day, he couldn’t remember.
“I’ll end you.” He said. “No loose ends.” He said.
“If your raise that gun, these guys will shoot.” Alina said, motioning to the SWAT team. “Just put the gun down and you might get to live.”
Dana Grey
Dana grunted and jerked her head away from the woman as she tried to look at her.
“Stop fighting me.” She said.
“Leave me alone!” Dana yelled. “I’m fine!”
“You’re not fine.” She demanded, grabbing Dana’s chin, holding her head still. She flashed a light into her eyes. As soon as the light hit her eyes Dana started kicking again, trying to get Adam off of her.
“Get away from me!” She yelled, as she tried to pull her arm free. The woman turned the light off and looked back at Adam.
“I need to see her arm.” She said. “Just roll up her sleeve so I can look at it.” She said. Adam complied and slowly rolled up the sleeve of her shirt. The woman looked at her arm, as did Adam. She didn’t seem surprised, but Adam looked like he was about to pass out.
“Let me go.” Dana growled at him.
“Do not let her go.” The woman said sternly.
“Why? What is it?” He asked. She shook her head.
“Blood red eyes, the veins in her arm are bulging out…” She trailed. “I think she has Willis Syndrome. More commonly known as Time Sickness.” She said.
“What is that? Is it bad?” He asked.
“Time Sickness… I only happens in an exceptionally small rate of time travelers. Almost to small to even calculate.” She said.
“How bad is it?” Adam asked.
“This is only stage one; increased volatility. There’s three stages of time sickness, Stage Two is the worst. The patient loses ability to recognize life, forgets who they are, can’t remember, can’t function. The heart rate increases dramatically.” She said.
“And Stage Three?” Adam asked.
“These veins.” She said, pointing to Dana’s arm. “All simultaneously burst. The patient bleeds out within minutes.” She said.
“How do we fix it? What do we do?” He asked.
“Normally we have to put them down as soon as we diagnose them, if we let them go they can be to dangerous.” She said. “Time Sickness is to rare. We don’t get to study it, we don’t know how it acts. We only know how it kills. There’s no cure for it, and there’s none coming.” She said. Adam sighed, looking Dana in the eye.
“How much time do we have?”
Nathan Zabek
Nathan felt the blood on his back, not his blood, but the other man’s blood. He didn’t put the gun down, he turned it on Alina and pulled the trigger.
Alina didn’t get shot, no. She was saved by one of the SWAT members, who took the bullet for her. Normally, the vest would’ve stopped the bullet, but what they didn’t know was the fact that the gun was loaded with high-velocity armor piercing rounds.
So now there was a man bleeding to death at the other end of the hallway. One of the other members came over and checked Nathan, making sure he wasn’t armed and making sure the gunman was dead. He was.
“We need doctors ASAP!” One member yelled. The one next to Nathan looked at his wound.
“You’re going to be fine, it’s just a graze.” He said.
“What about your guy?” Nathan asked, nodding to the other end of the hallway where the rest of the team was surrounding the downed officer. One of them looked back in his direction and shook their head.
“It’s too late for him.” He said sullenly.
“I’m sorry.” Nathan said. The man swallowed hard, his hand resting on Nathan’s shoulder.
“It’s part of the job, he knew it.” He said, his voice breaking. “Let’s just get you some help.” He said.
Dana Grey
“We caught it early.” She said. “Her outbursts are short and periodical, the first one lasted only around five to seven minutes. The second came about an hour later, lasting about the same amount of time.”
“So I’m going to die.” Dana said as she looked around the wrecked room. The woman bit her lip, and nodded.
“Yes. There’s no other way.” She said. “You’re going to die.” Dana blinked back a tear.
“T-Then we need to get this done while I’m still in control.” She said. The woman nodded and opened the plastic case of medical supplies. She pulled out the small vial of clear liquid and a syringe. Dana tried to slow her breathing, she tried to calm herself, it just wasn’t working. She was freaking out.
“Dana.” Kasey said. Dana looked up towards her, she was sitting on the other side of the living room. The wouldn’t let her or Kiera anywhere near her. Dana felt a tear run down her c
Dana felt a tear run down her cheek.
“Yes?” Dana asked. Kasey stood up from where she sat and walked across the room towards her. She stopped at the center of the room, looking at Adam. Adam nodded to her and she walked to Dana, grabbing her hand. Dana could feel the woman tying the tourniquet around her arm. Her heart was racing, she was crying now. There was no other way to put it.
Dana looked away as the woman filled the syringe with morphine. She looked Kasey in the eye, trying not to completely break down in front of her little sister. She squeezed her hand tighter. Kasey forced a pained smile as she looked at her. Dana couldn’t even imagine how much it was hurting her to see her like this.
“Are you ready?” The woman asked. Dana felt Adam place a hand on her leg and saw Kiera standing right behind him. She drew a shaky breath. And then nodded.
“Yes.” Was all she could say. She could see a tear running down Kasey’s face, and used her free arm to wipe it away. She smiled. “It’s okay.” She said. She felt the needle tear her skin and dive into her arm. She bit her lip and tried to stop herself from shaking, but couldn’t.
“We’re here.” Adam said, his hand releasing her leg. Kasey let go of her hand. The woman pulled the syringe out of her arm and pulled off the tourniquet. She stepped back.
“It’s all you now.” She said.
“Good luck.” Kiera said.
Dana took one last look at the group of them standing together. Adam, their fearless leader. Kiera, the scared woman trying to act brave. Kasey, her younger sister who shouldn’t even be here. And the stranger, who lent a helping hand.
In her head she counted to five, letting the scene sink into her mind. It would probably be the last thing she would remember. When she got to five, she closed her eyes. She knew what had to happen now, but first she had a small detour to make. Chad Sparks.
Hey everyone, like I said it will be a while before I can post again, so I decided to just leave you guys with this for now, if that's okay. I had some free time on my hands today and decided to let this happen, so enjoy. And just as a reminder there will be no new parts coming out next week at all, possibly. I'm not reliable when it comes to me saying I won't be doing things.
Also, sorry I didn't include a choice in this. I just couldn't find a way to cram it it. And also, if you're confused with Alina's storyline it's alright, I intend on clarifying when I come back. And for now, i leave you with these questions which I literally copy-pasted from the top of this page. I swear my honesty will get me killed someday.
Who's your favorite character so far, and why?
Who's your least favorite character and why?
What's your favorite part so far?
What's your least favorite part so far?
What would you like to see more of in my writing? (other than blood. There'll be tons of that.)
What would you like to see less of in my writing? C'mon, be honest. I'm a big boy, I can handle it. Just warn me ahead of time if I'm going to need tissues.
Do you have any questions about the story so far? Anything that confuses you or you don't understand? I'll do my best to answer without giving away to much...
Anything else? Here you can put anything you'd like to say that I didn't ask. Fan mail is always welcome.
Another amazing part! Wade left me speechless. I mean, what the hell was up with him? Why was he keeping half a body at his place? I get that it was his job to hunt down mortals, but I doubt his boss forces him to keep a mutilated body at his place. That guy was fucking insane and I am glad they killed him. Here's hoping that past Wade is less of a hidden psychopath, should Dana indeed manage to travel through time to prevent this bad future from happening. Also, Dana... damn it, girl! This illness she has sounds serious and I hope she at least manages to save the world before succumbing to it. One question though: Why is she going to get Chad Sparks? Was there anything mentioned, or is this going to be revealed later? And finally Alina, the big wtf-moment of this part. It is indeed a bit confusing right now, but I will refrain from asking any questions about her storyline, because I'm sure it will all make sense soon.
Good luck with your school project by the way! I hope it's going to be fun
And now for the questions. Most of these answers are actually still similar to my previous ones from a few weeks ago, so I can make this a bit shorter than last time
Who's your favorite character so far, and why?
Not much has changed from the last time you asked. Julia, even though she is kinda busy being dead (or not, thanks to her own reincarnation paired with Dana's time travel), is (or was?) still great. Dana is amazing and might even be my absolute favourite at the moment. I also still like Adam and Keira and I still ship it. And Alina, especially after her cool scene in this part.
Who's your least favorite character and why?
Leland fucking Frey. I don't think an explanation is needed here. He's just beyond creepy. Also, and more importantly, he outright murdered Julia and who knows what he did to her previous incarnations. After this part, Wade is also another least favourite of mine, at least this twisted, messed-up future version of him.
What's your favorite part so far?
The ones I previously mentioned are still among my favourites. There is also a new one, a surprising one for me. I never thought I could ever like a part in which one of my characters died, but considering that it happened with some insane twist and also might not be irrevocable thanks to the awesomeness that is time travel, I have to say that the part where Julia died (for the second time), where Leland's sick motivation for his actions got revealed and where Dana put the remaining group into the future and came up with a plan to maybe still save the day is also one of my favourite parts.
What's your least favorite part so far?
I still don't have one. Maybe the part where Julia died XD Though, that one gave me more confliction emotions and is also simultaneously one of my favourites, so I guess I still don't have a favourite part.
What would you like to see more of in my writing?
You did find a crazy awesome way to give us villains with a longer lifespan, so my previous answer no longer applies. Though, considering how greatly my last wish worked out, let me try it once again: How about more... happy endings? Might be worth a try
What would you like to see less of in my writing?
Still nothing. This is still damn close to perfection.
Do you have any questions about the story so far?
Oh yes, one thing, which I only recently thought about. Do you have an ending for the story planned, and if, can you tell how much of this wonderful story is left? I mean, I obviously love it, so I would love if the story continues for a long time, it's just something I've been curious about lately.
Anything else?
Nopes. Keep up the awesome work! This story is getting better and better.
Well, a long time ago... Can't remember when... She was told she was the one that saves Chad Sparks. I guess she still believes it.
Trust me,it'll all be cleared up when this returns next week. It made even more confusing. Who knows.
It's a lot of fun already. The actual okay starts Friday. I think it'll be good.
I thought as much.
Happy endings? Whats that? XD
Trust me, if I can I will. But I don't know.
Awww... Thanks Liquid!
Oh gosh... This has been bugging me too lately. Honeslty I have no idea how much longer this is going to be. I don't think it's going to go on for a very long time though. I kind of have an end sort of plan.
Great part! And wft Wade, what a psycho!
Who's your favorite character so far, and why?
Dana. I liked her before but in the last few parts I started to like her even more and now she is my top favorite. Shes the best.
Who's your least favorite character and why?
Leland, that asshole! For a short moment in the last part I sympathized with him but it went down the moment he murdered Julia even though he claimed to love her. And everything afterwards made me hate him more.
What's your favorite part so far?
Each part seems better than before. The last two have been the most dramatic.
What's your least favorite part so far?
I dont have one
**What would you like to see more of in my writing? **
The same thing I said last time. Nothing, because this story is awesome.
What would you like to see less of in my writing?
See my answer above. This is my favorite story here and it is perfect for me.
Do you have any questions about the story so far?
Im sure its all going to get answered and I also think I understand everything I am supposed to understand.
Alina Zabek
Her head was pounding, even though everything was foggy, she could still feel the gnawing pain in her head. Her eyes drifted open and her heart nearly skipped a beat, she was no longer in the hospital.
She was no longer in Ohio.
She was in Chicago. She was laying in the streets right outside the Art Institute of Chicago. She quickly shot up to her feet, her eyes darting around the area. Then she spotted something more earie than the fact that she was in Chicago.
Time wasn’t moving.
It had been raining, but the drops of water were frozen in the sky as they fell, no longer moving. Flags on buildings were frozen in place halfway through a wave. Pidgins were frozen in the air as they flew away, going nowhere.
“Where am I?” She asked herself, knowing she wouldn’t get an answer.
“Chicago.” A voice spoke. Alina spun on her heel and came face to face with a tall man with a sly smile. “This is the land between time.”
“What does that mean? How did I get here?” She asked.
“That’s a question no one can answer except you.” He said. “The name’s Hank. Mind if I ask you a question?” He asked.
“You just did.” Alina said. “But go ahead.”
“What year is it?” He asked her, no sign of humor on his face or in his voice.
“2016.” Alina responded. Hank sighed.
“So it’s been that long, huh?” He said.
“What does that mean?” Alina asked.
“I’ve been here since 1981.” He said. Alina narrowed her eyes at him.
“You look a little young for that.” She said.
“That’s because time doesn’t move, no one ages. No one dies.” He said.
“That’s impossible. Everyone dies.” She said.
“Not when time doesn’t move.” He said, looking up and nodding towards a large skyscraper. “That’s where it all happens. That’s the Willis Tower, it’s the only place where time moves.”
“Then why don’t you just go there?” She asked.
“Last time we posed a rebellion against the Time Lords, half of our populations was killed. Our time doesn’t move, but they’re in the future.” He said.
“There has to be a way to get out.” She said. Hank sighed and gave a halfhearted smile.
“Come on, there’s someone you should meet.” He said.
Adam Becker
“Adam, you need to make the choice.” Leland said. Adam looked from Leland to Julia, who had pain and sorrow and anger and fear all mixed into one look on her face. Adam looked back at Leland and shook his head.
“I’m going to have to decline the offer.” Adam said. “I can’t help you commit genocide against the entire human race.” Leland nodded.
“I thought you’d say that.” Leland said, sounding disappointed but not surprised.
“What now?” Kiera asked, just as she spoke a low rumble was sent through the entire bunker.
“What was that?” Kasey asked,
“The military.” Kiera said. “They’re blowing everything up.”
“Yes.” Leland said. “And it seems that the only exit to the bunker is already sealed.” He walked over to Julia, kneeling down next to her. “I’m sorry darling, I’ll find you in the next life.” He said.
“Dude, we need to get out of here.” Kiera said said as a chunk of the ceiling collapsed to the ground, as the bunker shook once again.
“We’re not leaving without Julia and Micheal.” Adam said, becoming aware that the entire room was unstable as more chunks began to collapse.
“I’m sorry darling.” Leland said once again. Adam watched as he stood and took a few steps away, a gun appearing in his empty hand.
“No!” Adam yelled, just as Leland turned and shot Julia. Adam surged forward but stopped dead in his tracks when he spotted something. Dana. The bullet hadn’t hit Julia, it had hit Dana. She was laying on the ground, writing in pain holding her hand against the wound in her abdomen.
Adam noticed Leland hadn’t even turned to look at what he’d done. He was still walking away. Adam watched as Dana moved her arm and brought up what looked like a gun, but only… different. As soon as she pulled the trigger a bright green bean shot from it and leaped through the air, nipping at Leland’s shoulder. Adam hear him yell in pain just as he completely disappeared. Like he was never even there. Just gone.
Adam’s eyes drifted back to Dana, as she let go of the gun and it clattered to the ground. Her head slowly drifted back, until it was laying on the floor. Her breathing was slow and pained.
Another low rumble shook the building. A chunk of the ceiling broke loose and came crashing to the ground, nearly crushing Micheal, but he was able to jump out of the way just in time.
“We need to go.” Dana choked out, slowly and painfully, spitting up blood. Adam, Kiera, Kasey, Julia, and Micheal all approached Dana.
Alina Zabek
“And you are?” Alina asked the man who was sitting in the leather chair smoking a lit cigarette.
“My name is Leland Frey, and I want your help.” He said.
“Help with what?” She asked.
“I want to free these people, the Forgotten. And I want your help in doing it.” He said.
“My help in what way?” She asked.
“I’ve had a plan about getting out of here for a long while now. The Time Lords may be strong, but they’re not indestructible. Everyone has their weak point.” He said.
“Go on.” She said.
“They’ll be expecting us to attack from below, by coming in through the front.” He said.
“And I assume you have a different plan?” She asked.
“We come in from the top.” He said. “We scale the skyscraper, and come in from the roof.” He said.
“Won’t they just see us?” She asked.
“That’s where you come in.” He said. “You’re going to be a distraction. You’re going to go in through the front to draw their attention, that’s it. Do not say a word of threat, act like you just want to talk. They don’t want to kill you and if you just want to talk, they’ll listen.” He said.
“You want me to put my life on the line for a bunch of people I don’t even know?” she asked.
“It’s that or spend eternity here.” He said.
“Where do I sign up?” She asked.
Adam Becker
Adam knew they’d teleported somewhere new, mostly because the entire place wasn’t collapsing around them anymore, but also because the smell had changed. Adam continued to hold pressure on Dana’s wound, even as she continued to cough up blood.
“Adam.” She said.
“What is it?” He asked.
“Let me go.” She said.
“No, I’m not going to just let you go.” He said. “We can save you.”
“No, you can’t.” She said. Adam saw her bloodied hand move towards her pocket and draw out a wad of folded papers. She weakly handed them to Adam.
“What is this?” He asked.
“It’ll explain everything.” She said, her eyes drifting over towards Kasey. Adam knew that Kasey was trying her hardest not to completely break down, but it wasn’t working. She’d already had to bury her face into Kiera’s shoulder to muffle her crying. Kiera was trying her best to calm her down, but to no avail.
Adam looked at her and nodded. Kiera moved forwards bringing Kasey with her. Kasey fell on her knees next to Dana.
“You’re going to be fine, we’ll fix you.” She cried. Dana managed a weak smile.
“It’s all going to be fine Kas.” She said, running her hand through Kasey’s hair. Adam handed the wad of papers the Kiera as he took off his jacket and pressed it against the wound to try and slow the bleeding.
“Adam, stop.” She said. “Just let me go.”
“Dana, no.” Adam responded again. “I’m not going to let you die.” Dana winced in pain as Adam pressed down harder. She coughed up some more blood. Adam turned and looked back at the rest of the group.
“Stop standing there, do something damn it!” He yelled at them.
“Adam, you have to just let her go.” Kiera said.
“Like hell I do.” Adam said. “What is wrong with you people? We have to save her!” He yelled.
“Adam, she’s sick. If you make her live, she’ll just die slowly and painfully.” Kiera said.
Alina Zabek
“That’s a big building.” She whispered.
“It is.” Hank agreed.
“I don’t want to go in there.” She said.
“I’ll be right next to you the entire time.” He said. Alina shook her head and sighed.
“Let’s go.” She said.
“Right after you.” He said as she stepped out into the street, walking across towards the doors to the skyscraper.
Adam Becker
“No.” Kasey cried. “Dana, no!”
“Kasey, there’s nothing we can do.” Adam said.
“Bullshit!” She screamed. “Dana, please.” She cried as she shook Dana’s unresponsive body. Adam shook his head wiping his bloodied hands on his jeans. There was nothing more to do now. She was gone. Adam just didn’t want to believe what the crudely hand-written papers had said.
If what they said was true, they all died in another reality, but Dana travelled into the future, and then back to here… Changing everything. Micheal and Julia both died in the opposite reality, but she’d saved them.
The more he read of the bloodied papers, the less he wanted to know. What he already knew was reaffirmed: Leland is the bat-shit crazy sociopath that incited this incident leading to Dana’s death. He’s more powerful than any other person alive, and if he’s not stopped he’s going to take over the world, killing anyone without powers.
But there was a new piece of information, one that had been missing. A final puzzle piece. Expect this wasn’t the final one, this was only the beginning.
Leland Frey’s obsession with Julia isn’t about love, it’s about control. As fate would have it, the same force that gives Julia her powers also links her with Leland. This link is the only thing that can stop Leland for good.
But that just opened a can of worms, didn’t it?
Where’s Leland now? If Julia is the only one that can kill him, how does it happen? Why did he chose now out of all the possible times in the history of the Earth to pose a coup of the human race? Why not wipe them all out at a different time, when they were weaker? What’s so special about now?
He had the sinking feeling that many of these questions would never get a satisfactory answer, and he had an even worse felling that even if they did get an answer he wouldn’t be alive to hear it.
It was only now that Adam began taking in his surroundings, he’d just assumed they had been taken outside the building, it never occurred to him they’d actually have gone somewhere. His eyes widened at the instant he saw what was surrounding him.
They were in the middle of a circular shaped court, rows of seats encircling them in all directions and stretching on into oblivion itself, it had no beginning it had no end. But even more: Each chair was filled with a person, each different from the last. But even as Adam looked at them, a few disappeared, but new ones appeared to take their place.
“W-Who are you all?” Adam asked. He watched one man, wearing a black suit and tie, stand from his chair and walk towards the center, joining them. His gaze drifted down to Dana’s mutilated body with… Was that sorrow?
“We are the Council of Time.” He said, waving his hand around as if Adam hadn’t already seen it. “We represent every time, every era, every timeline real or possible. We converge to decide which timeline is best for human nature, and that of our own. Then we act to make it so. Every action, every reaction, it is due partially to us. Human nature often gets in the way you see. Ever hear about World War II? Wasn’t part of the plan.” He said.
“I-I don’t understand.” Adam said.
“You wouldn’t. You’re not a time traveler like the rest of us.” He said. “Like Dana.” He went on.
“How do you know her?” Adam asked.
“I’m the one that recruited her.” He said. “My name’s D.B Cooper. I am responsible for the death of Dana Grey. I knew it would happen, there was no other outcome for this timeline, but I let it happen anyways. Even if it was against the ruling of the court.” He said.
“What do you mean?” Adam asked.
“I acted out of interest of the people, not the court. I went rogue.” He said.
“And they accepted you back?” Adam asked.
“They had to, I’m important to the timeline.” He said. Adam looked over to Dana and felt a sudden surge of anger sweeping through his body.
“That must’ve made her expendable to you then.” He growled. D.B shook his head.
“No, she’s valuable.” He said. “All life is valuable, all life has meaning. We can’t remove a single life without repercussions, as all people impact someone else, no matter how small or how big. Everyone has some sort of purpose. Dana’s was to bring us one step closer to ending the game Leland’s playing.” Adam looked back at the rest of his group, Dana, Kiera, Micheal, Julia, Kasey. Each in a varying emotional state, each with their own wounds, each scarred in one way or another.
“How can you help us.” Adam said.
“We can start by locating Leland.” He said. “Which we’ve already done.”
“Where is he?” Adam asked.
“Not where, when.” D.B said. “He escaped from the land between time, and went back to where he first met Julia. We may not know his intentions, but it can’t be good. He’s also gotten help form a group of people, We have no names, but they’re working for him now.”
“How do we get there?” Adam asked. “Dana’s dead.” D.B scanned the bloodied floor and the blood coated group of people before him.
“I caused this, I’m damn well going to be the one that pays to fix it.” He said.
“What happens now?” Adam asked.
“Now we make the jump.” He said.
“And what about Dana?” He asked.
“She’ll get a proper time traveler burial, an honor held by the Court, her legacy will forever live on, in past present and future.” He said.
“What about Kasey?” Adam asked. “Do you think it would be right to bring her with us after what just happened?”
“Do you think it would be right to leave her? Safer, yes. But would it really help her?” He asked.
Choice
[Leave Kasey]
[Bring Kasey]
Alina Zabek
“I just want to talk.” Alina said as she stared down the barrel of a gun. Apparently they weren’t big on warm welcomes here. She was pretty much horrified right now, she’d probably never have been this close to a gun in her life, much less ever had one pointed right at her head.
“Talk about what?” The man with the gun asked, sounding almost as freighted as she felt. She honestly didn’t see a reason for him to be afraid, he had the gun as she had her hands behind her head, fingers interlocking. “Outsiders don’t come to the tower unless something big’s going on.”
“Like I said, I just want to talk.” She said again. “I just showed up here, I just want to know what the hell his place is.” She said. He nodded.
“My area of expertice isn’t in talking with people.” The man said. “But I know some people who are, As long as you don’t pull any tricks I can get you in with them.” He said.
“I promise you, I’m not planning anything.” She said. It wasn’t a lie, she herself wasn’t planning anything. It was all Leland, she was just the bait. Maybe right now as they spoke, he was already working his way into the tower from the top. Who knows.
“Okay, right this way.” He said wearily, as he took a few steps, but never really taking his eye off of her, like she would strike at any moment. “What year is it anyways?” He asked.
“2016.” Alina said, she found it scary but oddly amusing that she was the only one that knew the date, if it was still the same time on the other side… Time seemed to have different rules in here. He laughed a little.
“Guess we’ve come a long way since 1803.” He said. “I guess Ohio’s come a long way since then.”
“You wouldn’t believe me if I told you.” She said, enlightened by the fact that this man had been here since the very founding of Ohio. He stepped up to an open doorway and knocked on the frame.
“Come in.” A woman’s voice responded. The guard waved her trough, though he didn’t step away from the door, he continued to guard the outside like he had to contain her. As soon as Alina’s eyes made contact with the woman’s who sat at the desk, her heart skipped a beat.
“Mom?” She asked.
“Alina?” Her mother asked, just as perplexed.
“What’s going on, where’s dad?” She asked. Her mother’s eyes drifted down to the barren desk before her.
“Your father didn’t make it, he was killed.” She said. Not only did Alina’s heart skip a beat, but it shattered completely.
“W-who killed him?” She asked.
“I don’t know. The same people that put me here.” She said.
“We need to get out of here, we have to go back.” Alina said. She shook her head.
“There’s no way out, you’d have to kill the timekeeper, and to get to him you’d have to go through all of the floors of this building, each as armed as the last.” She said. “And I can’t leave anyways. I’ve vowed myself to the timekeeper, is he dies, so do I along with everyone else who resides within this building.” She said.
“What?” Alina asked, her eyes widening. Her mother narrowed her eyes.
“What’s wrong Alina, something the matter?” She asked. Just as soon as she asked that, Alina heard the sound of an alarm sounding.
“What’s that?” Alina asked.
“A breach.” She said. “Someone’s broken into the building and made it past the first floor.” She said.
“Top floor! Move, Move!” Came a yelling from outside.
“The top floor?” Her mother asked. “They have the timekeeper.”
“Hello, and good afternoon… Wait, is it afternoon? I can’t tell time doesn’t move here.” A voice boomed throughout the building, coming from everywhere and nowhere all at the same time. “My name is Leland Frey, and I’m going to do something you pigs haven’t had the guts to do. I’m freeing these people. Those you’ve kept imprisoned for decades, even centuries, Pent up like animals. But first, I have an announcement to make directly to a miss Alina Zabek- when we are out of here, I will not forget your contribution to the cause. I will find you, someway. Together, we will make this planet a better place.” The voice continued. Alina couldn’t avoid the look her mother was casting at her.
“You…” She stuttered.
“It had to be done mother.” Alina said.
“You’ve doomed us all.” She said. Alina closed her eyes.
“Only those who’ve doomed themselves.” She said. With that, everything blinked out, like someone shut off a TV. There was nothing left but black and the sense of weightlessness, like she was floating through space, only she didn’t exist. It was like going on a riverboat cruise with your conscious.
Then the feeling of gravity overtook her, she felt like a truck just parked on her stomach. She couldn’t breath and felt dizzy, she felt like she was going to throw up.
But as quickly as it came, it disappeared. She opened her eyes and found that she was standing no more than a few yards away from the entrance to the hospital. The only thing separating her from the front door was a parade of police.
“Stay back.” A police officer spoke to her, she looked over.
“What’s going on in there? Is everything alright?” She asked.
“A gunman’s taken a hostage. SWAT’s been mobilized to neutralize the threat.” He said.
“Who’s involved?” She asked.
“We don’t know the name of the gunman, but the hostage has been confirmed as Nathan Zabek.” He said.
She didn’t exactly remember the rest of the events leading up to this moment, her standing here triumphantly above a man bleeding to death from a gunshot to the chest that punctured his bullet-proof vest.
Maybe it was adrenaline, maybe she just didn’t want to remember.
But now she was here, and that’s something she couldn’t ignore. She saw her brother at the other end of the hallway, blood soaking through his shirt. He seemed oddly unfazed by the fact he’d been shot, and was calmly leaning against a wall as a doctor took a look at it.
As luck would have it, the bullet just grazed him. It was one of those cases where it looked worse than it was. They put a bandage on it, gave him some antibiotics and sent him on his marry way.
“Where did you go? I was looking for
? I was looking for you when I ran into that guy.” He’d said.
“It’s a long story, you wouldn’t believe me if I told you. I don’t even know if I believe it.” She said.
“Yeah.” He laughed, like it was a joke he heard before. “What now?” He asked.
“Now we wait.” She said. “I have a friend who’s going to help us change the world.” She said.
“Please tell me this isn’t another one of your bright ideas.” He said.
“Nope.” She said, as she looked down the hallway and saw a familiar looking man. “It’s his.” She said. The man approached them, resting a hand on Alina’s shoulder and the other on Nathan’s.
“Alina.” He said, almost proudly. “Are you ready to change the world?” She asked.
“Leland.” She responded causally. “We both know the answer to that.” She said. The only response she received was the cold curling of his lips into a small smile the wavered even as it lived.
Hey guys, I know I said I'd be gone for about a week and it turned into like two now... Sorry. I just got caught up with... Well, I got caught up with being on break. Sorry guys, I'm back now and this is definitely back on track.
[Bring Kasey] I don't think we have any right to deny her going with Adam and the others. She just lost her sister and she should get a chance to help in upholding her memory by fighting the guy responsible for her death. Not bringing her would be unfair. Safer for her, sure, but unfair. Perhaps she can help in stopping Leland, therefore avenging Dana and saving the entire world in the process.
Welcome back
I have missed this story and I am glad about this new part! And it was a really great part. First, I was not expecting Dana's plan to succeed this quickly, even though it was definitely a pleasant surprise to see Julia and Michael alive again so soon. On the other hand, I'm greatly going to miss Dana. She was amazing, even though her death was clearly inevitable after her sickness has been revealed. Good to see that she went out like a hero instead of succumbing to the disease. Now it appears like they are indeed getting close to Leland's endgame. He is travelling back to where he first met Julia (Does that mean the baseball game, or to the time where he met Julia's first incarnation, this Maria?) and now that I think about it, his obsession with her makes a lot more sense. Since she is somewhat immortal, as well as the only one who can kill him, he must control her in order to be save from getting killed. Oh man, this is going to be really damn exciting.
And Alina... well, her storyline continues to be pure mindfuck. This land beyond time is clearly the most confusing, as well as the most disturbing aspect about time travel. As much as I enjoyed it, I am glad that she managed to escape it relatively soon, because the implications made my head hurt. I know understand what you meant when you said that her storyline might make more sense and get more confusing at the same time. And the twist with Leland... well, she's clearly being manipulated and I hope she manages to realize this as soon as possible.
[Bring Kasey]
Dont see a reason why not. She has as much right to go as everyone else in the group, maybe even more.
RIP Dana ;-; There goes my favorite. But she had a hero death and did her part in saving the world from Leland, so that was sad and awesome at the same time. And wow Alina, she just made a huge mistake. I hope she soon sees how Leland really is.
Welcome back!
[Bring Kasey] No man left behind. Or woman. Or mutant.
Oh no, Alina, don't do this....
Adam Becker
“She’s coming with us, her sister just died. She has the right to be there when this all goes down.” Adam said. D.B nodded, possibly in agreement possibly in disapproval, but either way he argued no more.
“Do what you see fit, they trust you.” He said. “They’ll do what you say, your visible power may be your invisibility, but it’s your voice that holds the true power.” He said.
“Where do we go from here?” Adam asked, changing the subject. He still didn’t necessarily view himself as the leader of the group.
“We go back, a long time ago.” He said. “Medeival Spain to be exact. I’ve been able to track him down to that time, as for location I have not a clue.”
“So, we’re just going to scoured all of Spain hoping to find one guy?” Adam asked.
“No, I have one idea of a place to look.” He said. “It’s where Leland Frey first met Julia, Barcelona.” He said.
“Are you sure?” Adam asked.
“More than sure.” D.B said.
“When do we leave?” Adam asked.
“We’ve got all the time in the world, Adam. Nothing happens unless we say it happens.” D.B said. “We leave once your friend has been laid to rest.” He said. Adam turned around and looked once more at Dana’s body. He felt responsible for what’d happened in a way.
He noticed there were two men and a woman standing over the body, each wearing all black and each had a similar burn on their necks, a kind of branding.
“Who are they?” Adam asked.
“We are the guardians of time.” The woman said, a posh accent in her voice. “We represent the past, present and future.” She said, she pointed to the man on her left when she said past, the one on her right when she said future. She was present. “Our job is to keep the council safe from outsiders, we are also responsible for preforming last rights.” She said. “Are we ready to begin?”
“Yes.” D.B said. She looked to her two colleagues, who nodded to her. The one on the left kept repeating something in a language Adam had never hear before. The one on the right was saying something in a language that sounded as if it were a mix of English and multiple other languages.
“The traveler has reached the end of her path.” The woman said. “It is time for her to move on, to where we may not know. Though the body grows fragile and is broken by stones, the spirit lives on in all who remember. Past, present, and future. We lose a traveler today, only to meet another tomorrow. The traveler gives her life to a cause more noble than that of her own desire.”
The woman stepped forwards, placing a hand on Dana’s arm. Nearly the instant her hand touched Dana’s skin, she pulled it back with a yelp as if it had hurt to touch her. She looked around, fear in her eyes.
“Stop it.” She announced. “Stop the ceremony.” D.B shook his head.
“But why?” He asked.
“She has the markings.”
Alina Zabek
She could barely believe what was happening right now, scratch that. She couldn’t believe what was happening at all.
She swore up and down, she was at the hospital. Now, she has no idea where she’s at. At all. She’s standing in an open field, stretching on for an eternity.
“Where are we?” Alina asked, being able to now speak instead of just gawk like her brother.
“Spain.” Leland said.
“Why Spain?” Alina asked. Leland smiled as he gazed out along the vast open countryside.
“We’re looking for someone, an old friend of mine.” He said. Alina narrowed her eyes, gazing off into the distance.
“That doesn’t narrow it down much.” She said.
“Her name is Maria Fernando.” He said. “And she’s the key to changing the world.” He said.
“The key?” Nathan asked. “I’m so confused.”
“She’s the only thing that keeps me anchored to this world, without her my powers would be limitless. But I sacrificed my powers in the name of love, or what I thought was the sort.” He said. “But I now realize, if I’m to change the world, I can’t have anything holding me back.”
“So we’re going to kill her?” Alina asked, almost disgusted at herself at the fact she felt no empathy at all as of now. He nodded.
“Indeed we are.” He said. “But it’s not going to be easy, we already have some unwelcomed guests.”
“Who? How many?” Alina asked.
“It’s nothing we need to worry about, I have friends to take care of that.” Leland said, as if on cue two phantom-like creatures appearing in the air in front of Leland.
“Yes, you summoned?” On hissed.
“I did. We have some problems, and I’d like for you to take care of them for me, would you?” He asked.
“Yes master.” The other hissed.
“Good.” Leland said, as the two creatures evaporated into the air from which they came. He turned back to Alina. “Let’s get moving, we’ve got some land between us and Maria.”
“Yes sir.” Alina responded, following directly behind him as he walked.
Adam Becker
“How can you be sure?” D.B asked.
“Because I’ve only seen this once before.” She said, looking at Dana’s body. “Once before on a man named Leland Frey.”
“You don’t mean…” D.B trailed.
“It’s his sister.” She said. “The prophesy has foretold this.”
“What does it matter now? She’s dead.” Kasey spoke, the woman looked over at her. Her eyes still hadn’t gone back to normal, she was looking around like this place would blow up at any moment.
“No child, she’s not.” She said. “This body is dead, but she lives on. I still don’t believe it, all those stories I was told as a child were true. The sister of evil…” She trailed. “We have to find her.” She said.
“Are you crazy?” Kiera asked. “She’s dead.”
“No, Dana is not dead. Dana was never alive. Dana is just like Leland.” The woman said, she sighed as she looked at everyone. “I know it sounds crazy, but Dana doesn’t exist in this timeline, or any other. She just is. She exists only as a counter to Leland, for all of eternity it’s been her that’s kept him from taking everything.”
“Then what’s changed, why act now?” Adam asked.
“Something’s changed, Dana’s powers are obviously limited in some way or another. She should have the power of a god.”
“gods don’t die.” Kasey said.
“I said should.” She said.
“It doesn’t make any sense to me, Dana and Leland are brother and sister?” Adam asked.
“Yes.” She said. “But they blend in with humans, though they don’t conform to any rules the humans do. They were both given limitless power, Leland just wanted more. He became determined to have to world bow at his feet. Dana promised to stop what from happening, no matter how long it took.”
“But I thought it was only Julia that could kill him.” Micheal said.
“No. Julia only makes him more human, she makes him vulnerable. Anyone could kill him as long as she lives, he’s tied to her. Dana forever and always could kill him.”
“Why didn’t she?” Adam asked.
“I don’t know.” She said. “It doesn’t make any sense to me. The story always ended there, with Dana vowing to save the planet. It never said what happened after that.” A small book with a black leather binding appeared in her hand as she flipped through it. She turned to show it to everyone. There were multiple pages left blank at the end of the book, nothing written on any of them.
“This book.” D.B said. “It’s not a story book… It’s a history book.”
“Then why’s the back blank?” Kiera asked. D.B looked to her.
“History’s yet to be written.”
Dana Grey
For a moment, all she could see was black. She could feel the void that surrounded her. She didn’t know how she’d gotten here, she was just horrified at the very fact that this may be hell.
It was strange, she didn’t feel dead. She didn’t feel dead at all, she felt awake. Alive wasn’t a term she would use so lightly anymore.
The blackness morphed, she was in a room. There was a table and two chairs, it look a lot like an interrogation room.
She didn’t decide to, not at all, but she took a seat in one of the chair. She was vaguely aware of the fact that this all felt as if it were a dream, like something happening within her subconscious.
Where there was no door, a door appeared just in time for someone to walk in. No. Not someone, that was the wrong word. It was her. It was Dana Grey.
She looked exactly like her from head to toe, not one difference between either of them. She walked across the room, taking a seat in the other chair. She crossed her legs and absent mindedly picked at her fingernails.
“Who are you?” Dana asked, after the silence became awkward. She looked up at her.
“I’m you.” She said.
“Am I dead or something?” Dana asked.
“Maybe, I don’t know. I’ve been here for a long time.” She said.
“What do you mean?”
“A long time ago, you took on the name of Ally Greyson to start a new life before your old body gave out on you. Your sister’s name was Piper, and you had a good life. But you were young and still didn’t understand the notion of saving the world, and before you were old enough to understand your brother made a move.” She said, looking Dana in the eyes. It was like looking in a mirror. “You were attacked, but they didn’t follow through and kill you as they were meant to do. But it was enough, as I was separated from you. You went your entire life under the notion that you were Dana Grey, just some ordinary person out on the streets. But somewhere, deep in the back of your mind, I was there. Waiting to come back.”
“I don’t understand.” Dana said.
“There’s a lot of that going around nowadays.” She said, with a slight sigh. “Here, take my hand. It’ll be a lot easier that way.” She said, reaching her hand out across the table towards Dana. Dana began reaching out towards her, but paused for half a second.
“You’re me, right?” She asked. She nodded.
“Yeah.” She said. “I am.”
“Is it wrong to say I think you’re kind of cute?” Dana asked. She smiled.
“Shut up and grab your hand.” She said.
Ok guys, sorry I just couldn't work a choice into this part. I just couldn't find a way to work on in. Next time, I promise.
This was an amazing part! The revelation with Dana being Lelands sister was pretty damn cool. I'm now not sure if I rather want her or Julia to deal the killing blow on that fucker Leland. Both would deserve it, with the one having an eternal vow to stop him, while the other one had basically her whole lives (plural) manipulated by him. Naturally, I'm still leaning in favour of Julia. I mean, that guy killed her at the very least once, and who knows how many times he did it in the past when she got inconvenient! Though, if he succeeds in killing Maria, which I imagine is going to be a major piece of work, considering her power, what does that mean for Julia? Is she just going to stop existing? Needless to say, whatever happens, I don't want to find out and it has to be prevented. Now that they are going to medieval Spain, I imagine a meeting between Julia and her past self to be really awkward for both of them
Also, I am kinda irritated by Alina now. Why is she so... stupid? Here we have that guy, who plainly talks about murdering a woman, before he summons a clearly evil phantom creature and she still trusts him... Man, I liked her so far, but she quickly looses major sympathy points with her blind devotion to Leland. Hopefully she realizes what a mistake she is making before she crosses the rapidly approaching point of no return.
Great part. I loled at Dana flirting with herself XD It is interesting that she is not quite dead, looking forward for what this means for Leland. About him I am curios what changed his mind about Julia. He was in love with her for centuries and now he wants to kill her like that? And no Alina, bad Alina, dont help the mass murderer!
Adam Becker
“Where do we find her?” Kiera asked.
“We don’t.” She responded. “If I’m right about this, she’ll find us.”
“How long will that take? How will we know?” Micheal asked.
“Not long.” She responded.
“How do you know?” Adam asked. She didn’t look, but she pointed off to her left. Indeed, despite the dead body still laying nearby, a person looking exactly like Dana stood right there.
“Holy mother of…” Adam began. Dana raised her hand, not saying a word. The entire court had gone silent. Not a mumble had been spoken. Adam watched as all three of the Guardians; past, present, and future, took a knee in front of Dana.
The entire court of an almost infinite amount of people rose from their seats, all taking to one knee facing towards Dana. Adam looked over and saw everyone else; Micheal, Kiera, Kasey, and Julia. All three of them had also dropped down to one knee. It was only him and Dana, standing. The look in her eye told him that she was extremely uncomfortable about this, but also understood it.
Seeing as everyone else in this entire court had dropped down, Adam followed suit. He took a knee, looking up at Dana. He watched her turn around slowly, looking at the vastness of the never-ending hordes of people bowing to her.
“I… Uh.” She stammered, her eyes falling on her own dead body. “Can somebody do something about her? It’s kind of making me uncomfortable.”
The Guardians all rose up, each one taking extra care as they lifted Dana’s dead body and began carrying it away. She still looked in awe of everyone kneeling to her.
“Dana, can we like, I don’t know, stand up?” Adam asked. Dana looked at him, confused.
“Yeah, stand up.” She said. Immediately, all at once like some sort of robot, everyone rose. Adam and his group were the last to their feet. It took no longer than half a second for Kasey to burst forwards, away from Kiera and nearly tackle Dana to the ground.
“I thought you were dead.” Kasey said, nearly crying.
“I thought I was too.” Dana responded, not letting go of her sister. It was about then that the three Guardians returned.
“It’s been a long time, my liege.” Present said.
“I’m glad you’re back.” Past muttered in rough English.
“You don’t die easily, do you?” Future joked. Dana smiled.
“It is very… Enlightening to return.” Dana said. “But there’s no time to stand on celebration. My brother is planning an end-game here. If he succeeds, all we stand for will have been for not.” She said.
“We’ve already gone through this.” Adam said. She looked at him and nodded.
“I’m sure you have, but I’ve recently been dead.” She said. “We have a fight on our hands, my friends. Not only for our lives, or theirs, but for every man that has ever lived or will live. If Leland succeeds, humanity will end.”
“My liege, what are your orders?” Present asked. Dana looked to her.
“My order are this: I will lead a small group to the target time, isolate Leland. And when the time is right, I will call upon each and every one of you here to help me put an end, once and for all, to his crimes against humanity.” She said.
“This has only been done once before, Dana.” Future said. “And it was a global blood-bath.”
“Yes, yes.” Dana said. “World War Two wasn’t part of the plan, but something must happen. And we must be the ones to do it.”
“What you say is what will be done.” Past spoke.
“The Guardians stand with you.” Present spoke. Dana turned and faced all the others in the court.
“And you, will you fight for those who don’t even know you exist?” She spoke loudly, her voice echoing into oblivion. A low murmur ran through the crowd.
“The people stand with you, our fearless leader.” D.B’s voice boomed. Dana smiled as she looked at him. She turned to Adam and the rest.
“And you, you who have given so much already to a cause that isn’t your own.” She said. “Will you stand with me for one last fight?”
“We will.” Adam spoke, not a second of hesitation. “We fight.” Dana said nothing, but her lips moved, forming the words ‘Thank You’
“It is settled.” Dana said. “We fight once again on mankind’s behalf. They may not know what we have done, or what we will do. Our names may not be recorded into the history books as their names are, but it is the price we all pay to be forgotten. It is us, the ones who hide in the shadows who are tasked with saving the world that we live in. What do you all say to this, this one last effort to defend what is left of mankind? What do you say for the Forgotten?”
“Praeteritum! Praesens ! Futurum!” Everyone in the court chanted, every voice becoming one. Dana turned to face Adam.
“The time is now or never, Adam.” She said, holding out her hand.
“Then what are we waiting for?” Adam asked, taking her hand.
“You’re not going anywhere without me.” Kasey said, her hand reaching in.
“You didn’t think you were getting rid of me that easily, did you?” Micheal asked.
“I’m getting pretty damn tired of this time travel.” Julian muttered, reaching her hand in. “It gives me a headache every time.” Adam waited, but the last hand did not join. He looked back at her, standing alone.
“Kiera?” He asked. She shook her head.
“I’m not one of you, Adam.” She said.
“Kiera, after all you’ve done you still believe that?” He asked. “We’ve fought side by side, through time and space mind you. You saved my life, and you know it.”
“Courage isn’t the ability to pick up a gun.” Dana said. “Courage is having what it takes to do something even if you know you’re doomed from the beginning.”
“Not long ago, I was living a perfectly normal life. I was just a normal person, and everything was good. But then all of you came in and shattered everything I ever knew…” Kiera spoke, Adam could see the sullen expression on her face. She took a breath and let out a deep sigh. “Fuck it. I’m in.” She said, stepping forwards, her hand reaching into the stack.
“Thank you.” Adam said. She turned and looked right at him.
“Don’t make me regret saying this.” She said. “But I kind of like you.”
Leland Frey
This wasn’t what he wanted, maybe it was. Who knew at this point? He didn’t. He had no clue anymore, he’d killed the only person he loved, he’d killed his own sister, he’d killed anyone that had stood in his way. And now he’d stooped even lower than ever before, he’d enlisted the help of the girl, Alina and her brother Nathan. It wasn’t by their own free will, either. He’d stolen their minds. They though as he thought, thinking that those thoughts were their own.
He walked through the muddy street, not minding the gawks sent his way by the peasants. He did look like he was from the future, after all.
“What are you looking at, you filthy animal?” Alina snapped at one of them.
“Alina, don’t antagonize the locals.” He chided her. She lowered her head, it was sad. He had her mind, now she was only like a lost puppy. He knew she’d probably end up dead by the end of all of this. And if she didn’t, she’s probably kill herself after she realized what she did.
He looked and saw one young woman looking at her, unlike the rest of the peasants. She knew him, but didn’t know him. Not yet at least. I would still be a few more years before he would meet her.
“Maria, we need to speak in private.” He said.
“But who are you?” She asked.
“It’s not polite to question those above you, now come on. We need to speak.” He said. The young woman ducked her head and began leading them away through the mucky town. She led them to a run-down inn. Leland paused in the doorway, taking in the familiar, yet long-gone sights. Then he sensed it, his pet phantoms had returned. He turned to face the shadows. They had with them a man, a burly, familiar looking man.
“Past.” Leland mumbled. “The guardian of Past. What on Earth are you doing here?” He asked. He laughed.
“Your plans fail, Frey.” Past said. “She lives.” He barely got the words out before Leland’s hand was on his throat.
“What was that, you incompetent waste of air?” He demanded.
“Dana Grey Lives.” He said, laughing. “You loose.”
“No.” Leland said. “No, it can’t be. You lie!” He yelled, his hand tightening, he felt the guardian’s neck snap like a twig. He tossed the body to the ground. He looked up at the phantoms, then to his mindless followers. “No!” He screamed to the sky.
Adam Becker
Adam watched the fire and waited, the guardians had gone out and would soon return with news of Leland’s whereabouts.
He noticed that Dana had been silent this entire time, since they’d gotten here. She stared out into the valley not moving, speaking, heck, she barely looked like she was breathing.
The others we more lively, they seemed thrilled to be here in ancient times. Adam on the other hand, he felt un nerved being here, this close to the Black Death. He wasn’t a history expert, but he knew it was about now when that thing killed almost the entire human population. It was a scary thought, to him at least.
He still didn’t fully understand how Dana was alive. Or who she really was for that matter. All he knew was she was here, and that was good enough.
Another thought passed through his mind, the Guardians should be back by now. It’d been to long by now, either they were interested in something. Or something went wrong.
He looked back to where Dana had sat, but noticed that she’d disappeared. At firs the was afraid that she’d ditched them all here in the past. But his fears were assuaged when he saw her standing not far away leaning against a tree, still gazing out into nothing.
Choice
[Stay put]
[Talk to Dana]
Great part! I see Alina's behaviour makes more sense now. Fucking Leland... Though it appears the guardian of the Past had the last laugh this time and he also probably gave our heroes more time to reach Maria. That made me just wonder, there is Maria and there is Julia, technically the same person. If being around one of them makes Leland vulnerable, what happens when both are near him? They are like his very own kryptonite and I can imagine that having both of them close will be even worse. With his sister around, it looks like his confidence finally seems to grow smaller. I guess he still has something up his sleeve though.
[Talk to Dana]
I mean, she just basically returned from death and learned that she is some sort of good counterpart to Leland, as well as related to him. That can't be easy and she probably could need someone to talk to. Or perhaps she does not want to talk, but it can't hurt to find out.
[Talk to Dana]
Its appears that something is bothering her. Dana is their best weapon against Leland and Adam should talk to her and find it out. Maybe she has a problem and he can help her with it.
[Talk to Dana]
Adam Becker
“Creeps me out, just being here.” Adam said as he walked up next to Dana. She continued gazing out into the abyss.
“Me too.” She said. There was an awkward silence for a moment before Adam spoke up.
“What’s wrong?” He asked. “Something bothering you?” She looked at him from the corner of her eye.
“Yeah.” She said. Adam could see the faraway look in her eye. “But I don’t know if you’ll understand it, I barely understand it.”
“Then help me understand it.” Adam said. She sighed.
“After I… Died.” She said, chewing on it like it sounded weird, which it honestly did. “I got all of my memories back, my true memories of who I am. The fact that I’ve been alive for almost as long as the world’s existed.” She said.
“Yeah?” Adam pressed.
“The thing is, I don’t like who I am.” She said. “I liked who I was better. I liked just being normal, you know?” She asked.
“I wish I knew what normal was anymore.” Adam laughed.
“Yeah…Me too.” She said. “This whole thing’s ruined my life, and it’s not the first time.”
“what do you mean?” Adam asked.
“I’ve fallen in love before.” She said. “It didn’t last long, she was murdered. Then again in my next life it happened again, and again. Until I finally realized that anyone near me was in danger. I realized that if I loved someone, I had to distance myself from them.” She looked over at Adam and sighed. “And that’s not even the worst part.”
“What’s the worst part?” He asked.
“I’m not who you think I am, Adam.” She said. “I’m no hero.”
“What do you mean? You’re here fighting against Leland, aren’t you?” He asked.
“Yeah, But I’m the one that started the fight.” She said.
“How?” He asked.
“We both fell in love with the same girl.” She said. “Easy as that, I tried to kill him over her. But I couldn’t. He killed me. But it goes back farther than that. Before we started fighting, before he got his views on the world and everything like that, we were a team. We worked together, we were going to take over the world. It was our destiny, the world belonged to us. I would’ve followed through with it, had it not been for a woman named Maria Fernando.” She said.
“Dana, the past is the past.” Adam said. “What matters is that you’re here now.”
“The past is the past?” She asked. “Maybe to you the past is the past. But to me, I have to relive it all. Past, present, future. The pain of one lifetime is enough to drive some people to the edge, I’ve seen it all, I’ve done it all, I’ve felt so much pain and agony… Now, I just want it to end.” She said, tearing up at the end of her sentence.
“Hey, it’ll all be okay.” Adam said.
“I feel like such an ass.” She said, wiping her eyes.
“Why’s that?” Adam asked.
“Come on, as long as mankind has been alive they’ve been looking for a way to end death. And here I am, unable to die, and all I want is for death to take me away.” She said, as she ran her hand through her hair. “Through all my life all I’ve been looking for is the end.”
Adam didn’t know what to say, if he should say anything at all. He felt awkward standing next to her in silence.
“But… Today is the day.” She said. “Leland’s backed himself into a corner. Only one of us is going to walk away, and If it’s me… If it’s me, my purpose will we done. I can finally give this all up for a normal life. I can be human, we all can. We can all go back to the world we knew and forget all this shit.” Adam looked over at her.
“What happens if it’s Leland that walks away?” He asked.
“There’ll be no world to go back to.” She said, she paused and turned facing Adam. She looked him over with a sigh. “You’ve got to promise me something Adam.” She said.
“What is it?” He asked.
“No matter what happens today, you’ve got to promise me you’ll keep Kasey safe.” She said. Adam nodded.
“I can do that.” Adam said.
“Thank you.” She said.
Leland Frey
Leland kicked at the mud with hit boot. He paced a few steps and stopped, turning and pacing back again.
He looked up when he heard a clanging sound that droned on in the silent town. Gathered in front of him were the masses of mindless peasants and countrymen he’d recruited. Each man woman and child gave him an equally blank stare.
But one still stood out in the crowd, a young girl. Alina. Poor girl, she’s in the wrong time. She’s in the wrong place. She didn’t belong here. Nobody belonged here.
Standing here in front of them all, he realized something.
He didn’t want to control the world, he didn’t want to be a leader, he didn’t want to enslave mankind, he didn’t want to be what they all told him he was.
He didn’t want any of these things, yet he realized one thing more. He didn’t want to die.
Him, an immortal being that had walked the earth for as long as history existed, was afraid of what was beyond this world. He was afraid to die.
But he knew, deep in his heart, though he’d been told he didn’t have one, that there was no way he was walking away from any of this. He’d created a mess so big it collapsed in on him, and buried him alive. He was drowning in the mess he’d made, and nobody was going to throw him a rope.
He was boxed in now, there was no turning back. He couldn’t surrender, they’d never let him live after what he’d done.
His sister had started a dangerous game long ago. Even from the beginning he knew what her true intentions were, from the beginning he knew she was going to try to kill him. He knew it was coming, but did nothing about it. He just couldn’t turn on his own sister like that.
They’d planned from the beginning that they’d watch over the world, be a cosmic watchman. They’d make sure mankind survived, make sure they thrived in a place that seemed to support only death. They’d un wright those pages and replace them their own words.
Together, they could’ve stopped any war from happening. Cure any plague before it began. Save any person in need of a hand. They could’ve done it. They could’ve made this place something better.
But then Maria got involved. He saw it coming right from the start, the inevitable. The self-proclaimed prophesy had fulfilled itself. Driven by greed, and possibly love, his sister lashed out at him. Tried to kill him.
He found that his hand had moved towards his chest, covering the scar that had formed when she attacked him.
It wasn’t intentional, no. He never meant to hurt her, not in the least. He killed her. He’d tried to push her back, she fell. She stabbed herself, and as she lay there bleeding out, even as he tried everything he could to save her, she cursed him. She damned him, she vowed to kill him.
It was from that day forwards he’d taken a different path, not one of peace and prosperity, but instead he adopted a creed of self-preservation. He had to save himself.
Anyone that had any powers were dangerous, anyone that could oppose him was dangerous. He knew that if he wanted to survive he had to contain them all.
And how better to contain something than to control it.
It all began as a simple recruitment process, a few here, a hand full there. Soon he’d built up a large army, but required more. His advisors opted for more… drastic methods of recruitment. They insisted on segregating mankind from those with powers, picking those with powers off the streets and shipping them somewhere where they could all… Coexist.
He’d refuted the idea multiple times, but soon realized that it was the only way to achieve his goals. His tactic of volunteerism wasn’t working. And so it was, people began going missing left and right. Not a tract to be found.
And his numbers grew. And grew, and grew.
But now he’s here. Far from his army of power-wielding comrades. He was here, basking in the presence of peasantry. His numbers were many, but not nearly as many as he used to have.
He held up his right hand, and his hive-minded army stood straight up and went silent. He held out his left, and his ghostly comrade handed him a wooden torch. He watched the flames dancing on the head of the torch. He looked out into the crowd.
“Well, friends.” He said. “What do you say we go fight us a war?”
The hive-mind reared with joyous celebration at the mention of the idea of them all charging onto a battlefield only to have many of them die. He saw many of them bring up torches, some swords, some pitchforks, bows, anything that could be possibly deadly.
Leland looked across the path at the houses and buildings that dotted the city. He cucked his torch at one of them and watched as the masses light the town ablaze. Either he was a leader of the apocalypse, or an anarchist who was good at his job.
He turned and began walking, the town burning down behind him. He didn’t have to look back to know the masses were following him, he was controlling them.
Not much mattered here and now, only what happens next.
He had a war to fight.
Adam Beaker
“He’s here.” She gasped, as if out of air. The guardians had finally returned, sans one who’d they’d explained was dead.
“Where is he?” Dana asked.
“In the town.” She said.
“Is he still there?” Dana asked.
“No, he took control of the entire town and he’s leading them this way.” She said.
“How far out are they?” Dana asked.
“A day’s march at least.” She said. “I say we let them come to us, let them wear themselves out.”
“Not important yet.” Dana said, holding up a hand. “Where is Maria Fernando?” she asked.
“She’s being controlled by Leland also.” She said.
“But she’s alive?” Dana asked. She nodded.
“Then we still have a chance.” Dana said. “Guardians, it’s up to you to make sure she stays that way. Go.” She said, with that the two remaining guardians disappeared. Dana walked across the fire pit and collapsed down on a log, her face buried into her hands.
“Dana, what do we do now?” Micheal asked.
“I don’t know.” Dana said, obvious distress in her voice. Adam took his arm off of Kiera’s shoulder and stood up.
Choice
[Stay here and wait for Leland to come]
[Meet Leland on the battlefield]
[Meet Leland on the battlefield] It can go both ways. I see no particular reason to wait for him, that's just going to wear them down.
Interesting part! Leland's PoV almost made him seem... human? I don't know, the fact that he brainwashed Maria, the woman he allegedly once loved just made him a lot less sympathetic than he otherwise could have been. He want to live, I can respect that. Sadly, he is responsible for killing Julia at least twice and that means he must die. Another interesting revelation has been that Dana fell in love with Maria as well. Does that mean that she's basically been in love with Julia's prior incarnation all along? Oh man, if they ever have a talk about this, it surely is going to be super awkward. A part of me really wants to see this XD Though, if Leland grows weaker around Julia and her past incarnations, does the same apply to Dana as well?
Hai, hi, hello!
Just submitted, in case you still need any character... :-)
[Meet Leland on the battlefield]
If we wait for Leland to come, we let him decide when the battle starts. I dont know which army is stronger but the one that starts the battle could get a little bit of advantage.
[Meet Leland on the battlefield]
Alina probably can't be saved at this point, but hopefully Maria can
Adam Becker
He had no idea how far they’d walked. It had been a while now, through the many hills and valleys. Nobody said a word, but everyone knew just what the other was thinking.
The look on Julia’s face only conveyed she was caught somewhere in deep though. Micheal only looked completely determined. Dana looked almost frightened of what was to come. Kasey was wide-eyed, she seemed almost exited to be here. Adam had noticed that Kiera had hung back from the group, he could tell by the look in her eyes she was thinking again. He dropped back and walked side by side with her.
“What’s up?” He asked. She shook her head.
“What I said earlier.” She said. “I wasn’t wrong. I’m not one of you, I don’t belong here. I’m just going to end up cracking under the pressure and getting someone killed.”
“We just have to keep our heads on straight, you’ve got to think like a solider Kiera.” He said to her.
“That’s just it, Adam.” She said. “I’m not a solider. I’m not a fighter. I’m a lab technician. I’m just some girl that likes makeup and music and art. I just don’t know if I can do it, Adam.”
“Kiera, you’re tougher than you think.” He said. “I’ve seen you do things that many people would shy away from doing. You shot someone so you could save me.”
“Does that make it right?” She asked. “Can you really justify killing someone like I did?”
“There’s going to come a time when we get to decide what’s wrong and what’s right, but right now… Now’s not that time.” Adam said. “Now, we just have to do what has to be done.” She paused for a while before responding.
“I just can’t help but to think this was my fault.” She said.
“How could any of this be your fault?” Adam asked.
“What if Rosenberg was right, and I knew what was happening was wrong. But I still did nothing about it.” She said.
“Rosenberg was using you.” Adam said. “He wanted you to doubt yourself because he knew how powerful an enemy you could be.”
“I’m not who you want me to be Adam.” She said. “I’m not a killer.”
“None of us are.” He said. “We’re all just survivors.”
“Before my father died, he always used to say something like ‘There’s a difference between surviving a living.’” She said. “What’s the point in living if it means ending someone else’s life?” Adam was thinking of something to say when he heard Dana call out. She was ahead of everyone else and had already crested the hill they were on.
“Guys…” She said. “Come look at this.” Everyone picked up the pace, quickly mounting the hill and taking their places next to Dana. Adam’s eyes widened at what he saw.
The valley below was packed with an army, not of soldiers, but of normal people. And this army sprawled on as far as he could see. The only time he’d ever seen such a large amount of people was back when they were at the Council of Time. From up here on the hill, he could hear the deathly sounding mummer from the vast army below.
“Holy shit…” Adam mumbled.
“Dana, where’s our army?” Micheal asked.
“They’re not coming.” Dana said solemnly.
“What?” Julia asked. “Where are they?”
“I don’t know!” Dana said. “I lost contact with them. I can’t tell them to come help if I can’t even get through to them.” She said.
“T-Then what do we do now?” Kasey asked.
“Do any of you believe in God?” She asked.
“Y-yeah… Why?” Kiera answered timidly.
“Now would be the time to pray.” She said as she stared out into the army. “I’ve killed us all.”
“Adam! Kasey! Anyone for God’s sake!” A new voice yelled off in the distance. Adam spun around and saw a figure, no two figures running towards them. The one in the lead wore a dark leather jacket, which was ripped and cracked as if it been in the sun too long. They wore dark cargo pants and tan boots, Adam couldn’t see their face, as it was wrapped in a scarf. Their eyes were covered by a pair of goggles.
“Who’s that?” Dana asked as she turned around and looked.
“No idea.” Adam said.
“Are they friendly?” Julia asked.
“I recognize the voice from somewhere.” Kasey said, narrowing her eyes at the figure. “Wait… It can’t be.”
“What? Who is it?” Adam asked.
“That’s Wade.” She said.
“What?” Adam asked, “How?”
“Hell if I know.” Kasey said.
“Over here!” Julia called out. He stopped dead in his tracks and turned towards them. He broke out into an all-out sprint for them, the other one following right behind him. It was then that Adam noticed multiple other figures chasing after him, and they were gaining. He seemed tired and weak.
He was about halfway up the hill when the ones chasing him tackled him and his follower to the ground. Adam rushed forwards, about to attack until he realized the one that had been chasing Wade was D.B himself.
“What’s going on here?” Dana asked.
“This little shit and his friend over there were trying to alter the timeline, we chased them for about a month until they lead us here.” D.B said as he let the rest of his men handle Wade.
“What do you mean a month?” Kasey asked.
“That’s how long you’ve been gone.” D.B said. “When you never commanded us to come, we all gave up. Thought you were dead.”
“I’m not.” Dana said.
“I can see that.” D.B said.
“I told them you weren’t dead.” Wade said. “I begged them to come help you, but they ignored me.”
“Let him up.” Dana said.
“But, Ma’am.” D.B said.
“Do it.” D.B nodded to his men who let go of Wade and the other one, letting them both stand up. Wade pushed the goggles to his forehead and pulled the scarf down to his neck. His face was dry and burnt, his lips cracked. His friend did the same, Adam instantly recognized her.
“Ghost?” Dana asked. She nodded.
“My name’s Ruby.” She said.
“What happened to you two?” Adam asked, taking in their weakness.
“After the council ignored our requests to come help you, we were left with other choice. We kinda broke some laws on time travel…”
“Kinda?” D.B asked. “You tried to go back in time and stop the revolutionary war.”
“It didn’t work, now did it?” Wade snapped. “After that, they began chasing us. We tried to time travel again, but only got ourselves stuck somewhere in the Sahara. We finally were able to travel here after about a month of trying.”
“You’re a time traveler?” Adam asked Wade. He shook his head.
“No, she is.” He said, motioning towards Ruby. “Hey, bad time to ask, but do any of you have any water? We’ve been lost in the desert for a while now.”
“Yeah, here.” Micheal said, handing over a canteen. Wade took it and unscrewed the cap, handing it over to Ruby first. He looked to Adam.
“Look, I heard about what you did to me in the future.” He said. “I don’t hold it against you, I would’ve done the same thing to myself if I had the chance. The only thing we can do now is stop that future from happening.” Adam nodded.
“What about the others?” Dana asked. “Are they coming?” D.B looked around at everyone.
“I guess so.” He said.
“Guess so?” Dana asked. He pointed back over his shoulder, Adam almost smiled as he saw the almost infinite army stretching into the distance. Adam watched as a man stepped forwards from the army and carried forwards multiple swords. He held them out to the group.
“Take one, it’s your new best friend.” He said. Adam grabbed one, liking the way it felt in his hand. He saw Wade take the canteen back from Ruby, and turn it up to drink from it. Nothing came out. He shrugged as he passed it back to Micheal.
“Sorry.” Ruby mumbled.
“I’ve made it this long without water.” He said. “I can make it through this.” He grabbed one of the swords, running his hand along the long, shiny blade.
“Are you sure you can fight?” Adam asked him. He looked up at him.
“I don’t have to be able to fight.” He responded. “I’ve done my job, the army’s here. All I have to do now is try not to die. So, show me this army we’re up against.” He said, Adam pointed over into the distance.
“There.” He said.
“Wow.” Wade mumbled. “Just tell me one thing. What level of crazy if too much for this world?”
“I don’t think there is a level.” Adam responded.
“What do we do now?” Kasey asked.
“Now, we attack.” Dana said.
“Attack?” Adam asked. He saw Wade pull the scarf back up over his face, the goggles once again coming down over his eyes. He lifted his sword.
“Attack!” A mass yelled behind him, Adam at first was pushed forwards but soon was running on his own.
The opposing army began charging at them, the ground between the two quickly closing. There was only one thing Adam was worried about. He saw Leland nowhere.
The two armies met in a frenzied clash. In every direction the only sound was either steel on steel or steel on flesh. Adam himself was lost in the chaos. He saw a dirty looking man charging at him with a pitchfork, Adam stepped aside and swung his blade upwards nearly taking the man’s head clean off.
He saw Micheal and Kasey fighting back to back against the mob surrounding them, and they were surrounded. But they stood no chance against Kasey and Micheal, who easily cut them down one by one.
Wade was locked in a one-on-one with a sword-wielding knight, who struck with power and purpose. Wade could only do his best do defend himself from the fury of blows. Sensing Wade’s weakness, the knight lifted his sword high above his head, ready to bring it down on his head, but this is exactly what Wade seemed to be waiting for. While doing so, he’d exposed a chink in his armor, right in his gut. Wade stuck his sword straight into the chink and the knight’s sword dropped.
Wade was on the ground on all fours, trying to regain some energy. Adam was right, he shouldn’t be fighting. But Adam’s attention snapped back to the present as one of the time travelers next to him dropped to the ground, an arrow in his throat.
Adam lifted his sword and continued surging forwards, running it right through another peasant, he quickly pulled the blade out and swung it diagonally upwards, slashing right through the torso of a poor woman.
It was about now the worry struck Adam, he hadn’t seen Kiera, Julia, or Dana since this started. He was now afraid for them. He heard a loud scream, one that was to shrill to go unnoticed. Even in this mess. And he recognized the person to whom the voice belonged. Kasey. Adam sprinted forwards, hacking and slashing his way through the mob towards where he’d heard the scream.
Then he saw it. They’d gotten past Micheal and Kasey’s defense and had them pinned. Kasey was on the ground, a sword hovering above her chest. Micheal was desperately fighting against the hive-minded mob to get to her. They began swarming him. Surrounding him, engulfing him.
Time was moving in slow motion, both of them were in danger. Both of them needed help. Both of them will die if he did nothing. This wasn’t a choice he wanted to make, nor one he should have to make.
He had to choose. Who lived and who died.
Choice
[Save Kasey]
[Save Micheal]
Dana Grey
Dana pushed herself up, suddenly noticing her surroundings. She was no longer on the battlefield. She was standing right next to a cliff that dropped off for almost a mile. She clawed her way back from the edge noticing she was not alone.
She saw Julia, only a few feet away from her, only beginning to wake up. Keira was sprawled on the ground not far away, a large gash in her head.
“What- Where are we?” Dana asked Julia.
“I-I don’t know…” Julia said. “It looks like the Grand Canyon.”
“But how?”
“Sorry about that.” A voice spoke. Dana jumped to her feet and spun to face Leland as he approached. “As much as I’d love to let you go play war, I feel as if it’s time we end this game.”
“Leland.” Dana said. “It’s been awhile.” She continued as he stared her down.
“I’m glad you’re back sister.” He said.
“Save the formalities.” She snarled. “If you want to fight, let’s fight.”
“Dana, if I’m correct, you’re the one that started this fight.” He said. “I’m only here for one thing.”
“And what would that be?” Julia asked. Leland paused, looking over to Julia.
“Peace.” He simply answered. “I want to discuss peace before too many are killed pointlessly.”
“You’re the one that brainwashed an entire army.” Dana said.
“You forced my hand sister!” He snapped. “Had I not had an army, you would’ve killed me before I could even say a word.”
“Damn right about that.” Dana said.
“Can we not be civilized for just a minute?” Leland asked. “This is important. I only want to discuss the terms of a truce.” Dana nodded to Kiera.
“And her, what happened?” She asked.
“She was seconds away from getting a sword stuck in her belly. She refused to kill.” Leland said. “I wasn’t going to let her die for something she didn’t believe in, unlike you.”
“It was her choice.” Dana said. He nodded.
“I’m sure it was.” He said. “But it was one you forced her into.”
“Fuck you.” Dana snapped. “I didn’t do anything.” Leland raised his hands and took a step back.
“I’m sorry, sister.” He said, calmly. “I should’ve said that. How about we continue with the terms of the truce before anything bad happens?” He asked. Dana nodded.
“I’m listening.” She said.
“Pull your army out, send them away.” He said. “In return, I’ll send my people home. Give them their minds back. I swear to back out of the lime light, I will never mess with human affairs again.”
“That doesn’t sound like much of a truce, Leland.” Dana said. “usually both sides get something out of it, only my side is benefiting.”
“Yeah, that’s the catch.” He said. “I’m going to need you and Julia to come with me.” He said.
“Never.” Julia snarled.
“Not for long.” He said. “I just want to fix things, remove the immortality from Julia. Let her live a normal life.”
“Why me then.” Dana asked.
“I can do the same for you, sister.” He said. “I know you just want to be normal again, and I can do that for you.”
“No.” Dana said. “If I don’t have my powers and you’re still alive, there’s no one to stop you from taking over.”
“Dana, I’ve already told you I won’t.” He said.
“Your word means nothing Leland.” She said.
“I swear by the immortality clause, If I’m lying.” He said.
“What’s that?” Julia asked.
“If I break my promise, my immortality will be ripped from me. I’ll disappear into history and nobody will ever know I existed.” He said.
“I don’t understand, why would you do this?” Dana asked.
“I’ve had multiple lifetimes worth of time to figure things out.” He said. “I know what I’ve done is wrong. And I want to try to fix it.” Julia stepped forwards towards him.
“Julia, don’t.” Dana said.
“I don’t believe you.” Julia hissed.
“I have no reason to lie to you, Julia.” He said. “I’ve made a mistake and deserve to die for it. Stab me, shoot me, hang me on a cross. I don’t care. Just let me fix the past first.”
“Bullshit.” Julia said, almost quietly enough Dana couldn’t hear. Her right hand surged forwards, a small shiny blade held within it. It tore into Leland’s side, and he let out a howl of pain as he stumbled backwards. Out of reflex, his fist sailed upwards, smashing into Julia’s jaw. She spiraled to the ground as Leland pulled the blade out of him.
Dana’s fist clenched as she looked at Julia’s crumpled body on the ground. Leland seemed to sense her anger levels rising.
“Dana, I didn’t mean to hit her.” He said. “She just came at me.” Dana didn’t care. She rushed forwards, her fist sailing into Leland’s face. A bolt of pain surged through her arm as she made contact, and both of them stumbled in opposite directions.
“Fuck…” Dana mumbled, rubbing her hand. Leland regained his composure, and stood to face Dana.
“I deserved that.” He said, spitting some blood onto the ground. Dana crouched down to the ground, picking up the small blade Julia had used. “Don’t do that, sister.” He warned her. She attacked anyway. She lunged forwards, he simply stepped out of the way. His fist hit the back of her head like a pillar of solid steel. She cartwheeled to the ground, but forced herself back up. “This is about peace, Dana.” He said. “Don’t spill blood on a white flag.”
“What, like you’ve done for centuries?” She asked. This time he wasn’t expecting it. She lunged at him, the knife imbedding deep into his arm. He howled in pain as he gripped his arm. He was able to kick Dana in the gut, forcing her to the ground.
“I told you to stop Dana.” He said, Dana pushed herself to her knees only for her face to come into contact with Leland’s boot. She fell over backwards, he planted his knee on her chest. “I told you we could have peace, I told you this all could be over. But now I realize, the only way one of us can have any peace is if the other is dead. Is that what you want?” He asked.
“I want to end your lies.” Dana spat.
“Is that what you want?” Leland asked. “You want me to play the bad guy so you can feel better about killing me? You want to look like a good guy, huh? Dana, there’s no such thing as a hero in this world.”
“Let me go.” Dana demanded as she attempted to free herself from Leland, but failed.
“You want to kill a villain?” He asked. “Let me make it a little easier for you. Let me play the role of the villain.” He said. His hands wrapped around her throat, she instantly couldn’t breathe.
“Leland.” She gasped. “Stop.”
“Come on Dana.” He said. “Kill me! Kill me Dana!” He yelled. “I thought you were a hero, was that not right?” He asked. “Come on, Dana, I’m a villain. Villains never win, do we?”
Kiera Peppers
She had no idea where she was, in every direction it was all just darkness.
The last thing she fully remembered was being pushed into battle, and then come man twice her size coming right at her with a sword. Nothing after that made sense. All she remembered was falling, then she was being trampled by a mob war-crazed people. She not kicked in the face, and then… Nothing.
“Kiera.” A voice called through the dark veil. “You there?” Her spine tingled and her muscles tensed just hearing the same steely voice. Her worst nightmare revisited.
“G-Go away.” Kiera managed to say weakly.
“Aha.” He called. “I knew you were here.” Kiera could hear the sound of his cowboy boots clicking against the floor as he approached her as if he could see through the darkness.
Kiera tried to get up. She tried to run. She was frozen in place, not in the sense she was too afraid to move. But in the sense that she physically couldn’t feel her arms or legs. Her breathing became quick and uneven.
“There’s no need to be afraid, Kiera.” He called, she he suddenly appeared as if a spotlight had found him. “I’m just keeping a promise I made to you.”
“What promise?” She asked. He walked briskly from where he stood over to Kiera, he brushed his hand through her hair. She shut her eyes tight and tried to hold back the tears.
“When you left me, I promised you I would find you.” He said. “And I told you you’d regret it.”
“J-just leave me alone.” Kiera stammered.
“Jesus. Can you hear yourself? You sound like a lost puppy.” He laughed. “How many times has that worked before? How many times have people back off just because you asked nicely? You’ve been used, abused, and everything in between and yet you still insist on being the good girl daddy always wanted.”
“Leave my father out of this.” She snapped.
“Why?” He asked. “Because he’s probably the only one in your life that did end up turning on you? Look at you, you ran away from your family because they kept using you, you ran away from me because I hit you a few times, don’t you have any guts at all Kiera? Where has all of this running gotten you?”
“Derrick, just go.” Kiera said. She felt his ice-cold hands wrap around her neck.
“Make me Kiera.” He said. “Do it, you can’t, you won’t. You’re afraid of me, you’re afraid of power. You’re afraid to f