Skuld Trek
Unwoven: Part 1
One of life little certainties is that whenever the end of the world occurs, you can be certain its some person who just wanted to know what would happen if he/she pushed the shiny red button. Unfortunately or fortunately depending on which side you're on, this is a one in a million chance of this happening, and you all know what happens with million to one chances? They happen nine times out of ten.
* * * * * * * *
"Skuld! Skuld! Tsk. Where did that little brat go? Just running off with the TV listings like that. I haven't even finished reading it!"
It was a quiet day in Nekomi. Or at least quiet enough considering the sounds of cars blaring their horns, thousands of innocent animals screaming at the lost of their homes due to deforestation or the heavy industries churning out tons of chemical substances. But generally it was a quiet and peaceful day. If it weren't for the fact that Urd was shouting at the top of her lungs for Skuld to give her back the TV listings. During the course of her search for Skuld, Urd took her chance and peeked into Skuld's laboratory. As per usual, the floor was strewn with tools and other mechanical contraptions that Skuld created every day. Delicately picking her way through the 'safety' hazard zone of Skuld's Lab, she noticed the all-important TV listings lying at the foot of a huge, monstrous machine with knobs and lots of dials sticking out.
Scrabbling her way through the mechanical parts, Urd finally reached the TV listings. Grabbing it triumphantly in her hands, she stood up and waved it about with a flourish. It was then did she notice the large sign written in giant capital letters placed beside a giant red button:
DO NOT TOUCH THIS BUTTON.
IF YOU DO, TIME AND SPACE AS WE KNOW IT WILL BE DESTROYED. SO UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES MUST YOU, AND THAT MEANS YOU, URD, MUST YOU TOUCH OR PUSH THE RED BUTTON.
'Ah, one of those signs. I must NOT push the red button, is it, Skuld? Well then. I will NOT push this red button because I am absolutely FORBIDDEN to do so. Very well. I shall NOT push this button, then.' figured Urd with her usual logic towards things in which she was forbidden to do so.
So she lifted her hand above the button with theatrical slowness…
"Urd! Why are you looking for me? What is it this time, huh?" shouted Skuld in her usual Talking-to-Urd tone of voice as she walked into her laboratory. Just in time to see Urd press the button downwards with all her strength.
"You fool! Why did you push the red button when I specifically told you not to?! Now you have just set in motion the complete destruction of the Space-Time Continuum!"
"Well, why did you build such a machine when you know I was going to push it?"
"Because I was bored! Now any minute, we may be facing complete destruction! AHHHHH!!!!! AND I HAVEN'T EVEN COMPLETED MY GREATEST WORK YET!!!!"
Click.
"Click? Isn't it supposed to do more than that?"
"WAAAHHHHHAAA!!! I'm too young to die!"
* * * * * * * *
When a machine that could cause untold destruction when activated, people think something dramatic will happen. That is usually true. But it is the ones that do the undramatic that you should fear. Because they don't have the time to do a dramatic event. On account that the world is already destroyed by the time they're finished. Always fear the machine the does the undramatic. Always remember that...
* * * * * * * *
Whenever the Space-Time Continuum is destroyed, Yddgrasil, the mainframe by which all of reality and its infinite dimensions are run on, is always affected in someway. But you can be certain that when the Space-Time Continuum is destroyed, Yddgrasil programmers are always hard at work repairing the thing. Nobody knows if that is their sole purpose in life. Or perhaps there somebody saying, "If you don't repair all of reality, you can be looking at a nice, rectangular pink slip at the end of the day. So get off that canteen bench and stop drinking coffee already." Perhaps the only way to solve this riddle is ask one of them. Sadly, they don't seem to be very responsive to questions. On account of being too busy trying not to spill coffee on their laps while repairing the mainframe.
Today is no exception. When the Space-Time Continuum went down, Yddgrasil was plunged into a complete power blackout. Whenever a blackout occurs, there is usually a lot of confusion, shouting and rushing to escape. As a result, nothing ever gets done at all. That's why leaders always step in at times like these and get things into order.
The modus operandi of Yddgrasil dictates that lighting be restored before anything gets done. So when a voice that bellowed throughout the hallowed and darkened halls of Yddgrasil, and spoke thus, "LET THERE BE LIGHT!" A busy silence followed this. Whereby the audience responded in unison, "What color?"
The voice then sighed and spake thusly, "OH, FORGET IT THEN. LOOK, THIS JOKE IS GETTING REALLY OLD. COULD THE GUY WHO TURNED OFF THE LIGHTS, PLEASE TURN IT ON AGAIN BEFORE I DO SOMETHING BAD TO YOU?"
In the pregnant and embarrassed pause that followed the demand, a soft click could be heard very audibly before the lights went on again.
"NOW CAN WE GET ON WITH BUSINESS? LET'S TRY AND RESTORE THE SPACE-TIME CONTINUMM BEFORE LUNCH. OKAY PEOPLE, GET TO WORK."
With that, a business-like and professional air resumed in Yddgrasil. With everybody taking an sudden interest in their work. Apparently lured on with the prospect of being able to take lunch soon.
"SO, WAS EVERYTHING REPAIRED AND PUT IN ITS RIGHTFUL PLACE?"
"Um. Yes and no." replied a very uncomfortable looking Peorth. Who looked as if she would give everything in the multi-universe not to be here. That and the fact that this status report was eating into her lunchtime.
"OH? AND JUST WHAT DO YOU MEAN BY THAT, PEORTH?" inquired Kami-sama. Cocking an inquiring eyebrow at Peorth.
"Um. Well you see… Everything was restored to it rightful place in both space and time. But the catch is that somebody was accidentally sent to the wrong time frame in the future. Future Time Thread FT671, to be exact. His name is Kawanishi, Sentarou Kawanishi."
"HMMM… ISN'T HE THE BOY WHO MADE A CONTRACT WITH ONE OF OUR GODDESS RELIEF OFFICE PERSONNEL AND MADE HER LIVE WITH HIM?"
"Er… No sir. That's Morisato Keichii, sir. The one I'm referring to is the boy whom System Debugger, Skuld, has an romantic interest in."
"OH. THAT BOY. NOW I REMEMBER. AND JUST WHO ARE YOU PLANNING TO SEND TO RECOVER HIM?"
"Well, sir… I'm planning to send Skuld to retrieve him. He should respond well to a familiar face."
"VERY WELL. USE WHATEVER RESOURSES NECESSARY TO COMPLETE THE TASK. I AM ALSO APPROVING A TRANSFER OF SKULD FROM SYSTEM DEBUGGER TO GODDESS RELIEF OFFICE. I SHOULD MAKE THE TASK EASIER."
"Yes, sir." replied a relieved Peorth. Now she wondered whether this would be counted as overtime…
* * * * * * * *
Every time a machine does its job, the twin elements of smoke and soot are created. Nobody knows why this is so. Even when the machine is involved in the creation of clean energy, soot and smoke always comes out when it does its job. Apparently this has something to do with narrative causality…
"Hack. Hack. Hack… Urrgh. I think I burnt a lung."
"Think you feel bad? How about standing less than 3 inches from a machine that's blown up right in your face? Think you feel bad then?" replied an indignant Urd. "I definitely did NOT expect that to happen."
"Yeah well, all my machines do that. Even when I use clean energy resources. Strange that. Well, at least now we know that this thing works."
"Yeah. Now to wait for the phone call that will tell us that we messed up Space and Time… For that we will be grounded for all of eternity… Blah, blah, blah. Then it turns out all right at the end."
"Pffth. Think that's going to happen? That's as good as saying I'm technologically dumb." Snorted a blackened Skuld as she dusted the soot off herself.
"Well, come to think of it, you ARE technologically…" Just as Urd was about to deliver her insult, she was stopped halfway by the sound of the phone ringing in the hallway.
RINNNNGGGGGG...
Sharing the universal look that spoke in a very loud voice, 'Oh boy! We're in trouble now!', Urd and Skuld padded out of the laboratory. Running straight for the phone. After looking at it for over ten minutes, they finally decided on the person who would pick up the phone and face whatever unknown terror on the other end, with a simple rock, scissors, paper game. Unfortunately, the loser was Urd. Her hands shaking uncontrollably, she gripped the receiver and picked it up. Instead of getting the full fury of Kami-sama being blasted in her ears, she instead heard the soft almost purring voice of Peorth.
"Hello, Urd? Do you know what happened just now?"
"Um… Yeah? So what does it have to do with me?"
"Oh, nothing, Urd. Nothing at all… If it wasn't for the fact that Kami-sama is REALLY angry right about now!" Peorth's voice rose over ten notches at this point, "For a goddess that just caused the entire Space-Time Continuum to collapse, you sure take things easy!"
"Ow! All right, all right! I'm sorry, I'm sorry!"
"Hmmph. I had to miss my lunch to fix the mess you caused. Anyway, is Skuld there? There's something urgent I need to talk to her about."
Placing the receiver gently on a nearby phone book, Urd mouthed the words, 'Peorth' before stepping back a few steps. Taking the receiver in her hands, Skuld took a deep breath and put it against her ear.
"Um. Hello, Peorth. Look, I had nothing to do with the whole business! I was just having a nice ice-cream on the front porch when it happened honest!"
"Yeah right. When in actual fact you were reading CLAMP's latest issue of Card Captor Sakura, right?"
"OH! Um… I meant to bring to you the next time I went back. Honest!"
"Yeah right. You think I was born yesterday? Back to business, Skuld. There's something I should tell you. When we got back power and restored everything back to its original place, we found your friend, Sentarou Kawanishi, was accidentally transferred to Future Time Thread, FT671. His current status is unknown but we need you to go there and recover him."
Never did Skuld felt so much fear in all her childhood. All her loved ones, with the exception of Urd, were always safe from danger, even then Urd could protect herself. But knowing that she caused the loss of her beloved Sentarou sent chills down her spine. 'Does this mean I will never see him again, his stupid stunts on his bicycle... How can I live with the fact I caused him to be sent to an uncertain time stream? Can I live without him around, no more laughter, no more of sharing ice-cream on a lazy summer afternoon, without his smile at him seeing me everyday? Can I live... without him?'
"Hello...Yddgrasil to Skuld... You there or are you dead? We have just enough power to send you to the affected time stream and rescue the kid. For this mission, you will be assigned First Class, Unlimited powers and a temporary transfer to the Goddess Relief Office. When you get there, I'll give you your briefing, get the kid and then home sweet home."
"Why do you always sound so sure of everything, Peorth?" muttered Urd under her breath.
"I heard that Urd, but believe me, this is a simple get in, grab and go trip. Why! I bet this whole matter will be resolved in just a few hours."
"I accept the mission Peorth. It's my fault Sentarou got stuck there in the first place. When do I leave?"
"In two minutes. The Trans-Dimensional transfer portal is on its final stages of preparation. Wait outside the temple grounds, we'll transfer you there."
"Right. Thanks Peorth."
"You're welcome. Say hi to Keichii and Belldandy for me. Bye."
With that, Skuld put down the receiver, stepped out of the door and waited...
* * * * * * * *
In the Laws of Temporal Science, everything has a cause and effect. Anything done in the past affects the future. Because Time and Space is the same, an infinite combination of Pasts, Presents and Futures exist. So what may be our Present could have an infinite number of Futures in store for it. Vice versa and a whole lot more possible combinations.
* * * * * * * *
Being thrown from one time stream or reality to another is quite disturbing yet at the same time to the senses, it is a wonderful, indescribable experience. Unfortunately, a side effect is that the person involved in this also feels quite nauseated and tends to throw up. This happens on an average of ten times out of ten. But since Skuld is the first one to experience this, it just so happened that she experienced the same nausea that was meant for the other nine people.
So the end result was that whoever had to clean up in the Goddess Relief Office was going to deal with a large pool of vomit in one of their corners.
RRRIINGGG...
"H...Hello, Goddess Relief Office," mumbled Skuld weakly.
"Skuld! Are you okay?" inquired the anxious voice on the other line.
"Try throwing up the equivalent of ten people's vomit and see how you feel Peorth."
"Ouch, anyway back to business. I'm going to hang up the phone in awhile, the next call will be from Sentarou, all you have to do is show up, grant his wish, and that is to take him back home. Then with that done, everything will be back to normal. Easy as pie, right?"
"Whatever Peorth. Bye." With that Skuld hung up, effectively ending the conversation.
Certainly it felt weird, being a First Class Goddess, Unlimited License, and a GRO agent at that. To even top it all off, she now had a body of a 20 year old that even outmatched Urd's statistics! 'If Urd would see me now, I will show her whose boss! No more Big Sister Urd Bust checks, I'll be doing the checks on her now! Ahh, the sweet taste of revenge!'
RRIINNGGG...
'Onee-sama will be sooooooo happy for me! Now I can make ice-cream anytime I want and I don't even have to raise a finger!'
RRRIIINNGGG...
'Huh, what is that ringing sound? OH NO! The phone!'
RRRIIINNGGG...
End of Chapter One