D. Gray-man: Alternate Universe? Try Time Travel!:
Chapter 4: Thanks To The Time Warp Again
Author's notes: Nothing much to say about this chapter, just that I enjoyed writing it because now (In the next chapter that is) we get some Allen and other main characters action! Yay!
Disclaimer: I own D. Gray - man about as much as Adam owns the money in his wallet.
Adam: Hey! I worked hard to pick-pocket that money!
Me: Cheater.
Adam: Kiss my ass!
Me: ...Hacker.
Adam: Panting and sweating as you run through my hallways, how could you ever hope to stand a chance against a perfect, immortal machine?
Me: You did not just make a System Shock reference!
Adam: *Grins* How does it feel to be on the receiving end?
Me: *Grins*
Adam: What are you grinning at?
Me: That's what she said :)
"You have a leash around your neck right now, even if you don't realise it."
I was worried at the implications of what the visage in my mind had said.
Just what did the mysterious voice calling itself "The Millennium Earl" mean by that statement?
Is it speaking of my service to the Black Order?
No no no, nothing so drab. I was speaking metaphorically, not in the actuality that you are nothing more than a dog of the Order.
Thanks for the information, wiseass.
Any time.
I had gotten used the constant bickering between me and the voice, it had become part of my daily routine even.
Wake up, get yelled at until to get my best looking suit only to wear my Exorcist coat, get breakfast, get yelled at for my choice in cuisine, get a mission from the branch head (Which due to the fact that I wasn't allowed to leave the order merely transferring documents between places), get yelled at (Again) for being a dog of the Black Order, get back home, get yelled at some more for thinking that the Order was my home, go to bed only for the voice to suddenly flare up and keep me awake 'till 3 in the god damn morning listening to it rant on and on and on about how I should "Join up with the other Noah's".
Needless to say, I had contemplated suicide already.
But it had given me food for thought about my situation, I, was a test subject for the Order, to be used for testing calibrations and the like.
I was also an Exorcist, fulfilling my duty to serve the Black Order, hand chosen by "God" to use Innocence.
I was also (Supposedly anyway) host to the worst threat in all of the Black Orders history: The Millennium Earl.
I still don't believe that you're the Millennium Earl.
I can prove it to you. If you let me take over your body, which I can assure you that I will give it back, I can conjure up some Dark Matter and blow this place to smithereens. Come on, I know you want to.
No, if you are in fact the Millennium Earl then who's to say that you won't double cross me?
I am a man of my word. You can trust me.
That's circular logic and you know it. I need to trust that you are trustworthy? Please, a 5 year old could come up with a better reason. And whilst on the topic of discussion, can you please elaborate on just what you meant by saying I had a leash around my neck?
It's your choice to be wrong.
Now you're avoiding the question again, just what did you mean by saying I had a leash-
"HEY! TEST SUBJECT! STEP THROUGH THE PORTAL NOW!" The man with the megaphone said.
The man with the megaphone was known as "Clarke Stark" since his first name was Clarke and he liked Iron Man a whole lot.
Although, there was nothing heroic about how he was telling me to step inside of the portal that had a 75% chance of killing me.
He had glasses that looked as if they could fall off at any second given just how close they were to the edge of his nose; his hair was in a ponytail that almost made him look like some kind of hipster.
He was of average height, about 6 "2, maybe 6 "3-ish?
The most striking part though was the almost Elvis style haircut, and his eyes that had an unnatural amount of discolouration, (He had next to no colour in his eyes, and the colour that WAS there was pure grey) almost as if someone had cleaned his iris's with bleach.
"YEAH YEAH, I'M WORKING ON IT JACKASS!" I yelled back.
"Here goes nothing." I mumbled to myself.
I stepped foot first into the portal, at first, when I had come to an open clearing with grass as far as the eyes could see I thought that I might be Europe instead of America.
I stepped back through head first and let him know, "Yeah, think it's probably Europe given the way the place looks, the grass goes in every direction and it has a nice spring breeze in there."
"Alright, let's see here. The machine says that it should be Europe, in 1899, the day the Boxer rebellion began." Elvis said. (I've took to nick-naming people as a way of calming myself down. Why? By the time I've typed this report, I've met 13 different artificially created species of fish that made me throw up just by looking at it, and yet the science department just ate them for lunch - Adam)
I peeked back through, it was still the same place, same breeze, it was, relaxing, to say the least.
It practically beckoned me to go through, but I refrained, as they said that they didn't know just how dangerous it would be to go back to the past fully, hence why I only poked one or two limbs through the portal at a time.
"Step out of the portal please, we have to calibrate it so that it goes back in time to the Era of the first Black Order" Elvis said, almost yelling at me with a megaphone.
I stepped back out and took a good long look at what could very easily have killed so few moments ago.
It was circular; it looked very, very similar to a Stargate from the show Stargate, and had strange markings along the rims of it as well. (Note: I found out later that the markings were actually drawn on for effect, not for anything practical – Adam)
"Alright, just when are we talking about? As in during the very beginning of its formation, or sometime around the last few days before its destruction?" I asked.
"It is…during the years before Allen Walker joined the Order." He responded.
"Just how many years prior do you mean?" I asked.
"Let's see… It says here… Now add this and that, subtract this… Ahah! It says here, according to my calculations, approximately 3.2 years before he was born."
"3.2 Years? Alright, I'll just head on through now."
I poked my head in, "Please try poking more than just your head in now, Test Subject." He said plainly.
The place looked like London, I was in (Or rather, the portal was) a back alley. It was surprisingly empty.
I tried my left arm, "Good, good, now try your Innocence hand."
I nodded and poked my other arm in through, no problems.
"Interesting, every single time we tested it with other Innocence Accommodators they reported massive pain in whatever part of their body they held the Innocence in, even Equipment type accommodators, and their Innocence immediately started breaking down back into its natural form of a cube."
I looked at my hand, what made my Innocence so special?
"I'll report these findings to Inspector then" He said the words I had dreaded to hear, because now, came the cleaning.
They stripped me down and used a high-power hose to remove any radiation that might have leaked onto me, along with any diseases I might have contracted; I was put into a highly comatose state for days on end whilst they monitored my brain activity along with my cognitive function.
It was horrible.
This happened every time I had a testing session with Elvis.
Well, at least the Nurses were good enough eye candy.
The door to the room opened; there stood Shirley, the overweight judge from earlier.
Oh, didn't expect him to the one to escort me to the "Cleaning" room, albeit the man's a sadist so maybe he wanted to watch me suffer?
I noticed outside the bodies of the guards, the Noah Exorcist cross-breeds, laying on unconscious outside the door.
Something wasn't right, the air was disturbingly cold; more so than what they had to keep the room at in order to prevent the time-travelling device from overloading and going into a nuclear meltdown that would (Apparently) destroy the entire country of America.
The folds of flat of the man simply fell to the floor, I looked at the excess skin in awe, as it turns out he was wearing a fat he was wearing putty on his face that simply dropped off.
He kneeled before me, "Lord, have you, returned?"
What?
"Yes, I have, although not fully. You have been a good Noah for following me all those years, Sheryl." My mouth moved although I did not wish it to.
"Lord! It truly is a pleasure to see you again after all these years." He said, tears streaming done his face.
"Likewise, Sheryl." My mouth said.
He hugged me like I was his last bastion for survival, nearly choking me in the process.
Tears came down my face as well, but I couldn't control my own movements as I desperately wanted this man to stop hugging me so tightly for fear that I might black out at this rate.
Still, why couldn't I move?
Because right now I am the one controlling you, my dear servant.
Oh, the voice in my head claiming to be the Millennium Earl. So how are you doing? I thought sarcastically.
Shirley was crying on my shoulder, "There there, there there, just let it alllll out Sheryl, I had missed you too."
I am doing well, thank you very much, servant.
Will you stop with that "servant" crap? I'm not anyone's slave.
You, an Exorcist, saying that you aren't a slave to anyone is of such a great irony that I can't help but grin wider than ever before.
I take it that's some kind of high-class way of insulting me?
Yes, more or less.
At least you're honest. Anyway, if you are in control of me right now, then would you kindly get this man to stop crying on me?
No. He's family. He's still in mourning, and so am I. Poor Jasdero and Devit, they never even got to kill a single Exorcist their whole life.
Yeah yeah whatever, you can mourn all you want some other time, but can you please get this man OFF OF ME.
No need to be so harsh, servant.
I was practically fuming at that last statement.
"Sheryl, Sheryl, I can understand your grief as much as any other Noah but can you please stop crying on my coat? I need my host to at least look presentable." The-voice-inside-my-head-that-was-using-my-mouth-to-speak said. (Geez, that's a mouthful, I might as well as call him Millennium from now on)
"O-o-of course, m-my lord." He said, politely apologising as well.
He put my hand on Shirley's shoulder, "Shirley, I want you to do something. I want you to continue what you were doing, going undercover at the Black Order that is. Wait until I tell you it's time, and then, we'll strike."
He had an abnormally large grin that, if I didn't know any better would have sworn was from ear to ear.
"Yes, my lord." He bowed once more, put the fat suit back on and closed the door to leave.
There, you can move to your heart's content again, how 'bout that?
Just what are you plotting, Millennium?
Nothing really, just a grand opening for my revival, that's all.
That is assuming you're the REAL Millennium Earl.
Do I have to go over this again? Because I can explain it to you as many times as I need to until you remember.
That almost sounded like a threat, Millennium.
If you can hear my tone of voice that only means that you're now one-step closer to becoming my puppet completely.
And you still haven't answered my questions. One, what are you planning exactly? Two, just what did you mean that I have a leash around my neck?
…..
You're not answering me.
And why should I tell you anything at all?
Because, if you don't, then so help me god I will slit my own throat.
You would never leave your brother behind.
Would I, Millennium? I thought in the most sinister tone possible.
No. You would never leave your brother behind, that much I can say with a certainty.
I merely stayed silent, hoping that what I was trying to do was working.
So it's the silent treatment, eh?
I swear I could detect the slightest hint of worry in his voice.
I raised my right hand to my throat and invoked my Innocence.
You better start answering. Now. I thought in the most demanding voice possible.
…..
…..
No.
What? What do you mean no?
I meant that I'm not going to answer your questions.
I face-palmed, this isn't going anywhere, fast.
Shortly afterwards however, Elvis came back, along with The Inspector.
"Adam. I am giving you a mission that is of the utmost importance, it could in fact win us this war, if it succeeds." He paused to gather his breath. "Adam, you are travel back to the months prior to Allen Walker is born, find Mana Walker, observe him until he find meets Allen, follow around Allen Walker after that until Allen turns Mana into an Akuma, then follow Allen around on his apprenticeship with Cross Marian until he gets to the Order. After that, just follow him around, sending weekly reports back of course about all your observations from observing Allen and onwards from there. And then finally, when Allen turns into the 14th and defeats the Millennium Earl, you are to then execute him on the spot".
I stood there, staring, was he serious?
"Are you actually serious?" I said, with my face contorted in confusion.
I can't actually believe the fool is going to attempt this. You're weak! There's not a snowballs chance in hell that you'd defeat the 14th!
I gulped, realising what this must mean.
All my options seemed to result in certain death, besides if it simply didn't work, but from the tests it seemed to work perfectly fine.
They were executing me without a proper trial.
"You, you can't do this! Inspector! You can't just, just, execute me like this! Inspector! I swear if you lay a finger on my brother though, I will rip you apart! I swear it!" I said, furious.
He smirked, "I'd like to see you try and kill me," He paused before saying the next part. "Noah." He added.
I froze, how did he know? No wait, I'm not a Noah. I simply can't, because, if I'm a Noah, that means that my brother will hate me, and I can't bear to see those eyes look at me with hate ever again.
The first stage of coping with a traumatic experience is denial, you know.
Shut up Millennium, you're not helping.
You're telling yourself to shut up, you DO realise this, right? Hopefully? Please tell me you're not an idiot.
And you do realise that you just asked yourself if you're stupid? Two can play this game, Millennium.
Touché.
Oh it's on; it's on like Donkey Kong.
I was kicked into the portal, out on the dirty streets of London back in the 19th century.
"And don't come back here, this portal will open once a week, at precisely midnight every Sunday, you will hand your reports to Ezio who will be waiting at this location for a period of no longer than 1 day after the portal opens. Do not miss out on one report or I will execute you, Noah." And just like that the Inspector closed the portal, leaving behind a note and massive amount of reading material.
I opened the letter,
Dear Noah, I cringed, I wish he would stop addressing as a Noah. I'm still an Exorcist.
These piles of reports are copies of the reports that the Bookman, Lavi, had made back during the Era of the first Black Order. These indicate exactly what happened in every scenario that he is involved in, so make sure that what happens in the reports actually does happen, or else the butterfly effect could very well cause you to never exist in the first place, among other catastrophes.
I sweat dropped a little, "No pressure." I mumbled.
I took the pile of reports only to realise something; the bastard hadn't left me enough money to get a room for at least the night.
My stomach growled at me, alright, time to resort to my ordinary money gathering techniques.
I cracked my neck, pausing dramatically.
Time, to go fishing for some money.
3 Hours later.
As it turns out, there was a club within spitting distance of where the portal was. Using my master level abilities at poker I had won enough to practically pay for next month. Not to mention the pick pocketing, it turns out that people are harder to pick pocket back in these times than in modern day, but hey, I relished the challenge.
Of course, given my Parasite type Innocence, I ended up having to settle with the cheapest possible room for the night.
It was old and rickety, but nor did I care, as tomorrow, I was going to begin my search for Mana Walker, so i most likely wouldn't even go to the same part of town twice.
I wish the inspector had given me a photo of Mana or something, that way I'd be able to find him by asking around, but oh well, I took a swig from the beer bottle, tonight I was going to enjoy myself, as I knew I could at least try to have fun. Besides, what are the chances that me coning someone out of money was going to amount to anything problematic?
It's not like paying a guy a fiver was going to prevent me from being born, was it? Ah to hell with it, I didn't care; I was too drunk to care anyway.
I fell face first onto the bed and passed out.
Author's notes: Man is Adam going to have a hangover when he wakes up. I actually got the idea for a scene of Adam drinking and such from another FanFic, known as 'When the Mirror Lies'. It actually is my favourite FanFic on this site so far for no real particular reason.
I've been considering writing some other FanFics at the same time, that way when I don't feel like writing one story I can write another instead.
So, far the ideas are a RE crossover (Maybe just a simple RE story in of itself about someone else that survived the Raccoon City outbreak, but sadly died when the nuke demolished the city. Possibly) and a Black Butler 'What if X OC was introduced' story.
And don't worry about my Highschool DxD story for those that were waiting for it, I actually am using my time to think of the plot and a way of making the first chapter nice and readable, as so far I've read it and scraped every version of the first chapter because the plot was boring.
Also, I'm sad to say it but the gravy train of my story is actually being slowed down, I'm only going to have a bar minimum of one per week. Released on Saturday or possibly Sunday. (Note: I say bar minimum because I mean that there's a chance that I could release more than one chapter a week. But don't get your hopes up, I usually spend my afternoon reading FanFics so it is entirely possible that I'd forget about it)
Something else that I wanted to add: Adam's personality is still as the Earl described, he is in fact cynical, I just haven't put him in a situation where it truly shines, nor have I put him in a situation which truly reflects his hatred towards humanity. I am however going to put him in those kinds of situations, so don't fret about having to wait, the next one comes out this week, Sunday at the latest.
Edit: I had to make some changes to the story when I realised the Nea was killed 35 years prior to Allen being born. Woooops. It just some minor changes over-all, but it means revising a bit of what I've already written. By the way, I hope you realise that the last part is as it is because Adam is drunk. He doesn't sound like that unless he's drunk.
New AN: Again, I've done this. And again, this is just a error skim, so there probably is still an error or twelve in this.
