Today was probably not going to be an ordinary day. He was awoken by a shout, only to realize that it was him that was screaming.
He never remembered his dreams. One of the first things he mastered after acquiring Dark Spear was to compartmentalize his thoughts. It was hard enough controlling it when he was awake. When he slept, there was a higher chance of it consuming him completely, so he had mastered the art of dreamless sleep.
Red water falling down like rain and Master kneeling in a pool of his own blood.
It was four in the afternoon and his mind still kept replaying fragments. He felt a chill go down his spine at the memory- no, the memory of a dream. It was only a dream.
It was approaching night time now. He was so absorbed with visions all day that he had barely made a dent on his work. His case made a silent click as he packed away his papers. If he left now, he would have still have time to finish his latest experiment.
The house was suspiciously silent- the children must not have come to visit today. Did they go out to play games? Hemade a silent probe and searched for a distinctive presence. Ahh~ Master must be relaxing in his quarters.
With that in mind, he shrugged off his blazer and made his way downstairs. As the elevator deposited him at the basement, he distracted himself by bouncing tangents in his head. He did not even notice another figure present as he entered the lab.
Any other man would have died from shock, or at the most, gone crazy. Seeing another you would warrant that reaction, after all. But this was him and he was rarely surprised.
"I am Frankenstein," said the man sitting at his desk. "and I am you." He quickly ticked off a mental list of possible explanations. Last time he checked, he didn't have a twin... A clone then? A prank? Someone in disguise? The possibilities seemed endless, and each one less likely than the last...
"I don't have time to convince you," the doppelganger continued. "But I am you from the future. An hour from now you will be attacked. Save Master-"
"What-?" An hour?!
"-no matter what happens, protect him!" The other he was slowly fading.
"But who-?" Too late, the time traveler vanished.
He needed a second to compose his thoughts. Me? From the future? Save master? An attack. In an hour. AN HOUR. SAVE MASTER!
Frankenstein catapulted himself out of the lab and rushed to the West wing. The door bounced off its hinges as he strode purposefully into the Master's quarters. Looking around, he expected to see a dozen Union agents crawling through the windows. He heaved a sigh of relief as his gaze stopped at the armchair in the middle of the room.
Raizel-nim, as usual, was contently nursing a cup of tea. His eyes lifted to meet his blue ones, and then his head inclined towards him in a quizzical manner.
The scientist gradually relaxed his features into an impassive mask. "It is nothing, Master," he said as he closed the door and went out of the room.
x x x
Frankenstein had just crossed the threshold of the lab when he heard the automatic doors open again. He turned around to see Tao enter, with Takeo and M-21 right behind him. They all had pale faces and their chests heaved as they struggled to steady their breathing. He was pretty sure it would take a lot for enhanced humans to get this winded.
"What-?" he started to ask, but Tao raised a finger to interrupt him. "Do you have a twin?" he asked, finally able to get a hold of himself.
"No." Frankenstein glanced uncertainly at the other man and felt his previous anxiety peak again.
"Have you ever cloned yourself?" Tao tried again.
"Not that I remember…" It felt strange, how they both asked the same questions. "I take it you saw…" He gestured to the tablet he was holding, its screen projecting the disconcerting CCTV footage of him talking with… himself.
Tao nodded, his eyes slowly widening in fear. M-21, from behind vied for his attention, "It's true?" he asked.
"How about you tell me first what you think is going on?" He wondered whether they had a better grasp of current events. Personally, he was having a hard time believing that he hadn't just lost his mind and was imagining everything.
"We have exactly 52 minutes and- "Tao quickly glanced at his wrist, "22 seconds before we all die. At least that's what your twin said."
"Nobody said anything about anyone dying."He felt nauseous, he didn't get much information from his time traveling visitor, for all he knew, everyone else had died. "And he's not my twin; he's me from the future."
"He said, 'Save Master,' It stands to reason that if HE needs saving and YOU from the future had no one else to ask for help, then it must mean everyone else from there is dead or will be."
He couldn't fault the hacker's logic, but he had a hard time accepting it. If it WAS true, then it would mean he had failed his Master. Again. The mere thought was too painful to think about.
"Let's not jump to conclusions. All we know for sure is that we will be attacked in an hour-"
"-49 minutes and 56 seconds." Tao corrected.
"It's pointless to speculate," he glared at the trio. "All we can do is to try and prepare ourselves as much as we can." Including him, there were only 4 of them at home. Karias and Rael were called back by the Lord to report. Regis, escorted by Seira, also went back for his coming-of-age ceremony, although they might be on their way back now. Only 4 to protect Master, and they didn't even know how many their enemies would be. Too late to flee, time to lock down the house.
"Takeo, M-21, take the best positions to defend the house." Would they be able to hold their own if ever an Elder attacked? Now was not the time for such thoughts!
"Tao, you are on surveillance, guide them to where they should be."
"Yes, Boss!" Tao said with a salute.
"I will be remotely accessing the safe houses near our area and starting up the facilities in case they need to be used. I will also be locking down the house. Stay clear of all the doors and windows, hold them off as long as you can but if they get past you and try to enter the house, you want to be as far away as possible." He paused and looked at the three of them in turn. "I won't lie to you- I'm not sure how everything will turn out. But I want to make something clear. If… the worst happens, take Master and go. Go to one of the safe houses. They will be adequate enough and are supplied with the essentials along with food and medical care."
The trio's faces were still pale and drawn but this time they were lit with determination. Frankenstein dismissed them with a curt nod and immediately started on his own preparations.
x x x
"-stein."
He started at the sound of his name. He was single-mindedly focused on the task at hand that he did not even hear the sound of the automatic doors. Frankenstein felt a sudden trepidation as he swiveled his seat to face his Master. For who else could it be? He might not have heard the doors opening but he would always be aware of that unmistakable aura.
Putting on his best smile, he stood up to greet him. "Master," he said as with a small bow. Was that anger he was feeling from him? Was he even capable of anger?
"It is time for you to offer an explanation."
Of course he would know. He might always seem detached, but HE ALWAYS KNOWS.
"Well.. I am not quite sure how to start…"
He was so preoccupied with preparations that he had failed to take this into account. How to explain when he himself had no idea what was happening?
"You can start by explaining the giant countdown timer in the living room."
". . ."
He wasn't surprised. In another time, he would even be amused that Tao could think of something like this in such a dire situation.
"I do not like being lied to or being kept uninformed, especially when it concerns me the most." Crimson eyes flashed and he was pretty sure he would be burned to ashes on the spot should his Master be so inclined. Inadvertently, he flinched at the implied accusation. It was never his intention to keep his Master in the dark.
"I have just received some...unsettling news." It was best to just state the facts. "I- another Frankenstein from the future has ordered me to save you. There will be an attack in…roughly half an hour. We don't know who or how many they will be but I have grounds to assume that at least one Elder will be involved, if not more." There will definitely be MORE, but he didn't say that.
"With your current strength, it would be best if you leave this matter to us."
The Noblesse stared at him for a moment, weighing the matter at hand. "I do not wish to hide myself and let you risk your lives for me."
"Please, my Lord." He begged. It seems I have failed you once already, even if I do not have any memory of it. I will not let it happen this time around. He knew that he could not really demand anything of him, only his desperation drove him to ask. 820 years he was alone, he couldn't- will not go through that a second time.
"As you wish." He said with a sigh. "Frankenstein, I will allow you to release the bonds that seal your power."
"Yes, Master."
x x x
He had been in many battles in his long lifetime- some he had personally instigated, some were just unavoidable. And they were all spur of the moment, attack or be attacked. Nothing like this.
Tick. Tick. Tick. 5 minutes 36 seconds.
He stood in the living room, watching the numbers slowly count down to zero. The waiting was torture. Too much time to think. Where would they attack? How many? Would they stand a chance?
"Do not worry," his Master cut into his internal monologue.
How can he not worry when his Master was in danger? He had not yet recovered from their last battle, and now yet another one was imminent. He must make sure that he does not use his powers again.
Tick. Tick. Tick. 1 minute 17 seconds.
He wondered whether they would attack exactly when the numbers reach zero.
Raizel-nim placed his cup back on its saucer and the soft clink of china on china was loud in the silent room. His crimson eyes were suddenly alert, fixated on something beyond the window.
There! He felt something fast approaching. "Tao!" he shouted a warning into his communication device. But before he could utter another word, a loud explosion rocked the house. The ground trembled with aftershocks and dust rained from the ceiling.
"Master, are you alright?" His body had moved automatically to shield him. He straightened up and quickly scanned for any injuries.
"I am fine."
He let out a breath of relief. Seems like the house also did not take any serious damage- he hoped he could say the same of the lawn. Sirens blared from the distance but he couldn't hear any sounds of battle from outside. They must have attacked the house directly.
"Tao, report."
"They sent a missile," came the reply. " I've mapped the trajectory, and it seems to have come from..." A series of tapping noises could be heard. "District 15. The house remains intact, but the surrounding grounds have taken collateral damage. Shield is currently at 62%- we can probably survive another direct attack.
"Takeo has reported several humans wounded by flying debris. Estimated arrival of medical team- 12 minutes. M-21 did not encounter any direct assault. End of report."
"What do you think is the best course of action?"
"They already have prior knowledge of our location, so it's no guarantee that if we leave they will stop. But if we counter attack, they will surely retaliate and this area will become a warzone." Tao let out a huff of frustration. "I'm trying to hack into their system, but they have seriously upgraded since last I checked. It will take me maybe 15 minutes."
He could've sworn he heard laughter before Tao signed off.
Not even 15 minutes later, Tao buzzed in his ear. "Boss, we have a prob-"
He didn't get to hear the end of the sentence as the world was suddenly plunged into darkness. He guessed that it probably wasn't a normal blackout since even their transmitters went dead. 10 minutes till the emergency system kicks in.
"Boss!" A voice whispered in the dark. Muffled footsteps echoed loudly as Tao made his way towards them. "Shieldsaredown! Andcommunications!" He was clearly panicking as his words jumbled together incoherently.
Frankenstein turned to his Master who had a worried expression on his face. He was looking outside the window again and his brows were furrowed in consternation. Please don't let be another missile! With the shield down, they would probably survive but nothing would be left of this area.
"Let's go-" he started to say when they heard a loud crack split the air. A hand lifted into the air and Raizel-nim shielded them before the wall exploded and a body came flying into the room.
"Takeo!" Tao cried as he scrambled towards his comrade and tried to rearranged his body into a more comfortable position.. A shaft of moonlight made its way through the crack on the wall, illuminating the fallen body. Takeo's eyes fluttered open and he blinked a couple of times, looking a little disoriented.
"M-21!" Takeo abruptly sat up. "I'm sorry! He took M-21 and it's my fault." His eyes became wild and he clutched at Tao's shirt begging for forgiveness.
"What happened?" Frankenstein asked.
"I didn't see him coming." Takeo confessed in a whisper. "He threw something at us- like a bomb, but it let out an electrical charge instead. M-21 immediately collapsed, I didn't but I felt really strange and drowsy."
"Who was it?" Frankenstein asked. Who has taken my child?
"Crombell."
XXX
A/N: Hello! This was supposed to be a really short time travel fic, inspired by a prompt I saw in pinterest. But It kinda snowballed? And instead of the ONE chapter with 7k words I was aiming for, it kind of became twice as long so I'm chopping it up into a few chapters. :)
This fic has a life of its own, I had a start and end and then it made its own story by itself. I didn't even know that M-21 was gonna get kidnapped till that last paragraph. hahha. Hope you like it! Please leave a review or just a 'hi' will really make me happy!