Chapter 2
"You didn't see her leave, did you?"
Deserale simply shrugged. Steel decided to search outside, and left through the front door. Deserale stared after him hesitantly, wondering if she should start involving herself in the two strangers' affairs. It then occurred to her that something different was happening in her life for once, and it was worth participating in. Slowly, she rose from her chair and motioned to the door.
She descended the flights of stairs, all the way from the tenth floor to the first, and found that Steel was already out combing the streets. She joined Steel in his search, and it wasn't until a full minute has passed when she gasped, "Everyone has disappeared!"
Steel ignored her. He kept calling out to Sapphire with his mental voice, but none called back to him. He felt that their link was still intact, so he could at least be sure that Sapphire wasn't dead. Yet.
They turned a corner and walked into another street. That was when Deserale gasped for the second time. Steel thought she had realised something obvious again, but was surprised when she cried out, "Trees!"
Deserale was pointing straight ahead of her. Evidently, looking quite out of place among the cluster of grey apartments, were many tall, green trees.
Steel started for the trees, leaving Deserale frozen in her tracks, open-mouthed. Never in her whole life had she ever seen trees. In books, probably, but never in this city. Finally, she snapped out of her awe and followed behind Steel.
They reached the trees, and found that the concrete paths they had been walking on had changed to forest ground. A pulse finally came. [Steel!]
Just that one pulse confirming that Sapphire was still conscious was enough to relax him considerably. [Where are you, Sapphire?]
[It's quite a long story, Steel.] her voice continued disquietedly. [Back in the apartment I tried probing around for old objects, as would be the trigger for most time break-throughs. I did feel something, very faintly. It was old... very old... But it wasn't an object...]
[What was it then?]
[I left the apartment, and it grew more distinct. It was old feelings.]
Steel's eyes lit up with realisation, but he waited for Sapphire to finish.
[I followed it out of the streets to the city square, where the source of the feelings had to be coming from. That was when the city square disappeared, and I disappeared with it.]
[So where are you?]
[I don't know. I can't feel or see anything. Where are you, Steel?]
[I'm in the midst of some trees, and I suppose this is where the city square used to be, am I right?]
[I didn't see any trees. But since you are able to receive me, I'm positive that's where you are now.]
Steel paced through the section of trees, mulling over their situation. [Now why would a city square disappear, in the place of trees, Sapphire?]
[I hypothesise that the old feelings caused a break-through in Time, reverting the city square to its origin. Or more specifically, the whole city to its origin, that explains the disappearance of the population.]
[But why only this section of the city, and why everyone except Deserale?]
Then he remembered. He turned to Deserale, who had been watching him curiously. "You said your government operates under a dead leader, is that right?"
"Yes."
"Now has there been any event to mourn or celebrate him recently?"
"Yes, of course, this whole week. The stupid king's stupid birthday party," Deserale mumbled.
"Held at the city square?"
"Duh."
"You had to tell me at the last minute, didn't you?" Steel muttered gruffly. He sent to Sapphire, [It looks like we've found our trigger. Take time back, Sapphire, to nineteen hours ago.]
[And what happens there?]
[Oh, you are going to like it. A party.]
[What about Deserale? Is she with you?]
[Yes. Take her with us. Take it back, Sapphire. Now.]
Deserale could hear a low hum resonating around her. Before she knew it, she found herself immersed in collective, thunderous chatter and cheer. She felt bodies roughly brushing past her, bumping into her, and squishing her, like in a pack of sardines. She realised that she was the only beige in the sea of red, and looked up at the unignorable banner above her.Hail the day of our glorious leaderKing Nicolaeus Avgedera 156
She was in the city square, in the afternoon, right in the midst of the King's birthday celebration. What on earth am I doing here?? Her mind screamed. She scrambled through the pandemonium, frenzied and lost. She had to find her fellow cooperators, questions later. Shoving people aside, like pushing water past her in a swimming pool, she motioned her way out of the red storm.
She had just reached the end when a group of guards marched past, and before she could be spotted, Deserale disappeared into the crowd again. She was too noticeable in her contrasting attire.
There came a sudden deafening screech from the audio feedback, and someone spoke through the microphone, "The mass singing activity will now commence. Please sing loudly and proudly for the sake of our almighty leader!"
With that, the crowd burst into song, making Deserale wince. She looked around, unsure of what to do, and that was when she caught sight of a man dressed in a dark grey suit, looking like a fish out of water. Him! What's his name again? Sapphire, and... Steel!
"Steel!" She called out to the man above the roaring of the crowd. Somehow, Steel heard her and turned around. They advanced towards each other, and as soon as Steel was close enough, he grabbed her by the arm and they teleported.
They reappeared at a dark void deck under an office building behind the city square. Sapphire was standing in front of them.
"Were we brought back in time?" Deserale queried.
"Yes, but we only have an hour before the city disappears again," said Sapphire. "There is an entity in Time, making use of the peoples' feelings as its trigger, then reaching in and taking the present day city."
"And I believe the entity is that King of yours," said Steel.
"But the King is dead!" Deserale rebutted.
"Well, he's not so dead anymore, after what your people have done for the past century to revive him," was his stark reply. Steel walked over to the edge of the wall and peeped behind the corner. The masses were still chorusing brightly.
Deserale thought for a moment. Suddenly angry, she stomped towards Steel. "If anything it wasn't my fault, I don't worship him like they do, and I really don't care what happens to them either! This is all none of my business-"
"'Tis our business and we need you to help us!" Steel yelled.
"Well then what can you do? Stop everyone from worshipping him?" She countered.
Steel fell silent. He looked at Sapphire, and sent, [She's right. We haven't seen enough. We don't know enough.]
Sapphire's intent expression broke into a smile, and she said aloud, "Then for this hour, we might just as well blend in, and observe." Her eyes twinkled playfully at him. Steel felt an odd sensation, and looked down at his body. He was now clad in a red suit and trousers. Deserale now wore a red cardigan and skirt. They turned to Sapphire, who was clothed in a magnificent scarlet gown and feather hat.
Less than amused by the garments, Steel asked, [And after this hour?]
[We will be back where we were, and we start again.]
Steel didn't like the sound of that. [Back where we were?]
[Back where we were.] She repeated gravely.
"It's a shame this is for the King," Deserale looked at all their clothes admiringly. She directed to Sapphire, "You have exceptional taste."
"Thank you," she smiled.
Just as the last song had been sung, the trio reappeared in the enthusiastic, whooping crowd. Sapphire clapped along with them, while Steel and Deserale just stood there grumpily.
[Do we have to?] Steel pulsed. In reply, a guard behind them called, "Why are you two not cheering?"
Immediately, Steel and Deserale clapped wildly. Satisfied, the guard moved away, and Sapphire gave them a little smirk.
The microphone came back on. "There will now be a twenty-minute recess. Please proceed to the side tables for refreshments."
The crowd dispersed. "Do we have a choice?" Deserale complained. Steel considered he might just get to like the woman. "We'll split up. Look out for anything strange. But don't eat anything." With that, he headed off to the exhibition booth.
Sapphire disappeared into the crowd, briefly observing and spot-analysing everyone she passed by. She approached the side tables, where a young man was serving refreshments. The man stood up when he spotted her and flashed her a big grin. Sapphire raised her eyebrows.
"Miss, would you like one?" He asked, holding out a plate of dewberry biscuits, stacked in a little triangular pyramid. They were pretty, with round, golden crusts and crimson-coloured jam centres.
"No thank you," she returned a smile.
"No? I made them myself. Fresh from the oven," he urged. Before Sapphire could respond, the speaker announced, "Everyone please gather for the one-hundred-and-fifty-six-bow salute."
Twenty minutes? That was quick, she thought, and turned around to survey the crowd. Yet nobody assembled. People were still happily chattering and munching away.
She turned back to face the table, to see the man serving refreshments again. He stood up when he spotted her, and flashed her a big grin. "Miss, would you like one?" He asked, holding out a plate of dewberry biscuits.
"You already asked me that," Sapphire stared straight ahead, her voice cold and distant. "You made them yourself. Fresh from the oven."
The man held the plate closer towards her. "That's right. Go on, try one."
She knew not to eat it, of course, but had to make contact with it to do a spot analysis. Slowly, she reached out and laid her fingers on the biscuit.
The effect was electric. Sapphire inhaled sharply and withdrew her hand, then turned around. The crowd of red swam before her eyes, walking backwards, and then forwards in fast-motion. She felt as if she was being pulled through- or held back- in Time. Suddenly, everything in her vision shattered and flew apart. She could see distorted images- pieces- blurred, broken. Her eyes glowed a brilliant blue as she exerted all her energy into fighting it, but not for long. The glow turned a brief turquoise hue before dying out.
Overcome with terror and exhaustion, she stayed extremely still while letting herself recover, her eyes unblinking, her senses at their keenest. She had never heard silence like that before. She was so used to Time whispering permanently at the back of her mind, that without it, she felt like a part of her was missing. Desperate, she let her instinct take over, she called out to the one person whose strong presence always anchored her, whose voice lingered in spite of all distance between them.
But that voice was no more. All she received in reply was that deafening silence resonating in her head, and it frightened her. She let one final cry escape her...
Steel...?
...before submitting herself to the corridor that had shunted her out.