Time Troubles 2
(I do not own any part of Charmed. I just write about it. This continues a storyline begun in Degrees of Evil, and continued in several other stories).
The sisters stood in stunned silence for a few moments, and then Piper asked hesitantly "Melinda?"
The woman smiled, and said, "You guessed it Mom. Now then, what are you doing here? HOW did you get here?"
As Phoebe and Paige took turns filling in Melinda, Piper tried to cope with all of this. She knew beyond a doubt that not only was this her daughter, but this was the mysterious being that had been giving her nightmares. Piper had been living her daughter's life. Piper felt tears coming to her eyes as she realized what a vast nightmare her daughter lived.
When Phoebe and Paige finished, Melinda was quiet for a few seconds, and then she said, "Well, that is interesting. However, I'm going to need some more proof. Piper, blow this up." She threw a brick at Piper, who instinctively gestured. The brick exploded, and Melinda smiled. "Alright, so you are who you say you are. Well, welcome to the San Francisco of the future."
"How did things get so bad?" Paige asked. "What happened?"
Melinda looked out for a few moments, and then said, "I don't know. I was too young to remember, and I wasn't there. However, I'll take you to the Commander. He is probably only one of two people that know the story." She then looked up and said, "Grab on, quick. We have to move before the demons get close enough to detect my orbing."
The sisters quickly grabbed onto Melinda's hands, and then they orb out.
*** The sisters find themselves reappearing in some sort of bunker underground. As soon as they materialize, four different witches focus on them with some sort of projectile ready. When they see Melinda, they visibly relax, and Melinda begins to walk. As the sisters fall in behind her, Paige asked, "Where are we?"
"We're in New San Francisco," Melinda explained. "It's one of about two dozen cities that have sprung up since the Fall. We are scattered around the globe, and we are slowly fighting to take back this world from evil."
"What's the Fall?" Phoebe asked.
"I'm not really sure. The way I understand it, a demon somehow managed to inspire all the world's leaders to do violence, and caused a massive worldwide riot. Luckily, nuclear weapons weren't used, but when it was over, almost all the world's non-magical population was dead. The rest were hopelessly lost, and soon perished. As for the magical being, we found ourselves in a war with evil. Evil surfaced, and was ten times stronger than ever before. We were vastly outnumbered, and would probably be dead right now if it wasn't for the Commander. He organized us, and kept us alive. Now, he is leading the fight against evil, and we are slowly winning."
As Melinda talked, she was leading the sisters down a series of tunnels. None of the three sisters could have found their way out again, and they figured it was on purpose. After about five minutes, the sisters found themselves at a massive door that was heavily defended. The guards looked at Melinda, and nodded. They then opened the door.
Inside was a large chamber filled with a series of maps and computers. In the center was a circular table that appeared to be some sort of map screen. About 20 people were there, and they all were focused on a man who had their backs to them.
"Xavier, take at least three witches and a whitelighter when you go after this post. Be careful, because our contacts tell us it is heavily defended." One of the men nodded, and walked off past the sisters. Melinda cleared her throat, and said, "Sir, I've brought something you may want to see."
"What is it?" the Commander asked without turning around.
"I found some new magical witches," Melinda replied.
"Really? Are you sure they're not spies?"
"Yes, sir, I am. You see." Melinda began.
"Very well. Take them to Denise for basic training."
"Man, this guy is really rude," Phoebe whispered to Paige. The Commander jumped up in the air, as if very surprised, and appeared shocked. He said almost hesitantly, "No, it can't be." When he turned around, the sisters found themselves frozen in utter shock.
"Phoebe." Cole said in a loving voice.
As the sisters tried to adjust to the new development, Cole turned to Melinda and said, "What? How?"
Melinda began to fill Cole in, while Phoebe stared. She couldn't help it. Cole had aged well, and while his hair was a solid gray, his body was still lean and fit. No, what made Phoebe so shocked was Cole's right arm. It ended at the elbow.
After Melinda was done, Cole sighed, and said, "So, they are from the past, here about some sort of Temporal Echo."
"How do you know about that?" Paige asked.
"Because I've memorized your Book of Shadows." Cole replied absently.
"What! How did you get it?" Piper shouted.
"There wasn't much of a choice at that point," Cole said cryptically.
"Cole, your arm." Phoebe began.
"You want to know how I lost my arm." Cole asked. When Phoebe nodded, he simply said, "I used something I shouldn't have more than once, and it cost me dearly. It's not really important. I think what is really important is finding a way to send you back."
"But we have so many questions, so many things to learn if we are to prevent." Paige began.
"I will tell you nothing," Cole interrupted, "and I am the only one who could help you. If I told you something, I could wind up altering the future, which could be even more catastrophic."
"But, what about." Piper began.
"No," Cole said in a tone that brooked no arguments. "We have to get you back to your own time, and I'm not sure how we can do that."
"What do you mean; won't we be sent back when we've learned what we were supposed to?" Paige asked.
"You're too used to the Elders," Cole replied. "They sent you back from the future because their future selves were warned to send you back when you appeared."
"Well, can't we just ask them to send us back?" Phoebe asked.
"The Elders are." Melinda began, but Cole cut her off. "They are unreachable at this point, and so are most of the other beings that could send you back. I'm sorry, but you may be trapped here."
"Wait, what about Gabriel?" Phoebe asked. "He could easily send us back. He's the one who sent us here in the first place."
Cole and Melinda looked at each other, and then Melinda said in a voice thick with hatred, "That vile traitor abandoned us. He hasn't been seen in years, and I for one am glad he's gone. I hope he's dead."
"What is the date?" Cole asked suddenly. When one of his men told him, Cole sighed. "I know exactly where he is, and how to get to him."
"Well, then let's go to him." Piper said.
"He won't be there for several hours," Cole replied. "Why don't you relax here for a few seconds, so I can convey some final orders? I have things to attend to before I can take you there." He then turned and left.
"Well, who saw that coming? Cole being the leader of Good, it is rather interesting, don't you think?" Paige said.
"Boy, Cole sure does hop around. Leader of Evil, Leader of Good, what's next? Leader of Neutrality," Piper joked.
"So, what exactly did Gabriel do?" Phoebe asked.
"He abandoned us in the middle of a battle. I'm not sure what happened, but that traitor betrayed us, and I hope he rots in hell forever."
"So, Cole's the commander, and you're a warrior. Where's your father? I'm curious how time has affected him." Piper asked.
"Leo is in another colony, and is the chief healer there." Melinda said proudly. "He unfortunately is out of contact range right now, but I'll let him know you were here. It will make him feel happy."
"Where are we in this future?" Paige asked. Melinda was about to respond when Cole came back and said, "Alright, let's go. Everyone take my hand, and we'll be on our way." As everyone took one Cole's hands, they faded out.
***
When they reappeared, Paige asked, "When did you get a teleportation ability?"
"I picked it up around," Cole replied evasively.
"Are you ever going to give a straight answer," Piper said peevishly.
"This way," Cole said, and started trudging off.
"I guess not." Piper muttered. The group walked for about 4 minutes, through a jungle area.
"Why couldn't we just orb straight there?" Paige asked.
"The place has been shielded to prevent such teleportation," Cole replied. "It's right up here." As Cole pulled aside some branches and the sisters stepped out of the forest, they found themselves in a clearing. It was about 100 feet, and nearly circular. In the center was a granite slab about 3 feet high, and standing in front of the slab was a figure. He was about 6 ft tall and had black hair down to his shoulders. As the group entered the clearing, the figure said without turning, "You're late Father. They wouldn't have liked that."
"Sorry, something held me up," Cole replied, and said, "Turn around Gabriel." When Gabriel did, the sisters saw his eyes widen, and he asked, "Illusion, or past selves?"
"Past selves." Cole replied.
"I see.what do you want?"
"You need to send back to their time," Melinda said, "And this time I won't let you abandon us."
Gabriel smiled, and said, "I see time hasn't improved your mood. Maybe later, right now I have something else to do." Gabriel then turned back to the slab.
"Now wait just a minute, you don't really think," Paige began as she walked up to Gabriel. When she was about to turn him around, she saw the slab, and went deathly pale.
"Paige, what's wrong?" Phoebe asked, and she and Piper ran forward. When they also saw the slab, they stopped. It was a simple slab, and it had only a few words on it, but the words rocked the sisters to the core.
Here lies the Halliwell sisters, Piper, Phoebe, and Paige. May they find Peace.
TO BE CONTINUED.
(I do not own any part of Charmed. I just write about it. This continues a storyline begun in Degrees of Evil, and continued in several other stories).
The sisters stood in stunned silence for a few moments, and then Piper asked hesitantly "Melinda?"
The woman smiled, and said, "You guessed it Mom. Now then, what are you doing here? HOW did you get here?"
As Phoebe and Paige took turns filling in Melinda, Piper tried to cope with all of this. She knew beyond a doubt that not only was this her daughter, but this was the mysterious being that had been giving her nightmares. Piper had been living her daughter's life. Piper felt tears coming to her eyes as she realized what a vast nightmare her daughter lived.
When Phoebe and Paige finished, Melinda was quiet for a few seconds, and then she said, "Well, that is interesting. However, I'm going to need some more proof. Piper, blow this up." She threw a brick at Piper, who instinctively gestured. The brick exploded, and Melinda smiled. "Alright, so you are who you say you are. Well, welcome to the San Francisco of the future."
"How did things get so bad?" Paige asked. "What happened?"
Melinda looked out for a few moments, and then said, "I don't know. I was too young to remember, and I wasn't there. However, I'll take you to the Commander. He is probably only one of two people that know the story." She then looked up and said, "Grab on, quick. We have to move before the demons get close enough to detect my orbing."
The sisters quickly grabbed onto Melinda's hands, and then they orb out.
*** The sisters find themselves reappearing in some sort of bunker underground. As soon as they materialize, four different witches focus on them with some sort of projectile ready. When they see Melinda, they visibly relax, and Melinda begins to walk. As the sisters fall in behind her, Paige asked, "Where are we?"
"We're in New San Francisco," Melinda explained. "It's one of about two dozen cities that have sprung up since the Fall. We are scattered around the globe, and we are slowly fighting to take back this world from evil."
"What's the Fall?" Phoebe asked.
"I'm not really sure. The way I understand it, a demon somehow managed to inspire all the world's leaders to do violence, and caused a massive worldwide riot. Luckily, nuclear weapons weren't used, but when it was over, almost all the world's non-magical population was dead. The rest were hopelessly lost, and soon perished. As for the magical being, we found ourselves in a war with evil. Evil surfaced, and was ten times stronger than ever before. We were vastly outnumbered, and would probably be dead right now if it wasn't for the Commander. He organized us, and kept us alive. Now, he is leading the fight against evil, and we are slowly winning."
As Melinda talked, she was leading the sisters down a series of tunnels. None of the three sisters could have found their way out again, and they figured it was on purpose. After about five minutes, the sisters found themselves at a massive door that was heavily defended. The guards looked at Melinda, and nodded. They then opened the door.
Inside was a large chamber filled with a series of maps and computers. In the center was a circular table that appeared to be some sort of map screen. About 20 people were there, and they all were focused on a man who had their backs to them.
"Xavier, take at least three witches and a whitelighter when you go after this post. Be careful, because our contacts tell us it is heavily defended." One of the men nodded, and walked off past the sisters. Melinda cleared her throat, and said, "Sir, I've brought something you may want to see."
"What is it?" the Commander asked without turning around.
"I found some new magical witches," Melinda replied.
"Really? Are you sure they're not spies?"
"Yes, sir, I am. You see." Melinda began.
"Very well. Take them to Denise for basic training."
"Man, this guy is really rude," Phoebe whispered to Paige. The Commander jumped up in the air, as if very surprised, and appeared shocked. He said almost hesitantly, "No, it can't be." When he turned around, the sisters found themselves frozen in utter shock.
"Phoebe." Cole said in a loving voice.
As the sisters tried to adjust to the new development, Cole turned to Melinda and said, "What? How?"
Melinda began to fill Cole in, while Phoebe stared. She couldn't help it. Cole had aged well, and while his hair was a solid gray, his body was still lean and fit. No, what made Phoebe so shocked was Cole's right arm. It ended at the elbow.
After Melinda was done, Cole sighed, and said, "So, they are from the past, here about some sort of Temporal Echo."
"How do you know about that?" Paige asked.
"Because I've memorized your Book of Shadows." Cole replied absently.
"What! How did you get it?" Piper shouted.
"There wasn't much of a choice at that point," Cole said cryptically.
"Cole, your arm." Phoebe began.
"You want to know how I lost my arm." Cole asked. When Phoebe nodded, he simply said, "I used something I shouldn't have more than once, and it cost me dearly. It's not really important. I think what is really important is finding a way to send you back."
"But we have so many questions, so many things to learn if we are to prevent." Paige began.
"I will tell you nothing," Cole interrupted, "and I am the only one who could help you. If I told you something, I could wind up altering the future, which could be even more catastrophic."
"But, what about." Piper began.
"No," Cole said in a tone that brooked no arguments. "We have to get you back to your own time, and I'm not sure how we can do that."
"What do you mean; won't we be sent back when we've learned what we were supposed to?" Paige asked.
"You're too used to the Elders," Cole replied. "They sent you back from the future because their future selves were warned to send you back when you appeared."
"Well, can't we just ask them to send us back?" Phoebe asked.
"The Elders are." Melinda began, but Cole cut her off. "They are unreachable at this point, and so are most of the other beings that could send you back. I'm sorry, but you may be trapped here."
"Wait, what about Gabriel?" Phoebe asked. "He could easily send us back. He's the one who sent us here in the first place."
Cole and Melinda looked at each other, and then Melinda said in a voice thick with hatred, "That vile traitor abandoned us. He hasn't been seen in years, and I for one am glad he's gone. I hope he's dead."
"What is the date?" Cole asked suddenly. When one of his men told him, Cole sighed. "I know exactly where he is, and how to get to him."
"Well, then let's go to him." Piper said.
"He won't be there for several hours," Cole replied. "Why don't you relax here for a few seconds, so I can convey some final orders? I have things to attend to before I can take you there." He then turned and left.
"Well, who saw that coming? Cole being the leader of Good, it is rather interesting, don't you think?" Paige said.
"Boy, Cole sure does hop around. Leader of Evil, Leader of Good, what's next? Leader of Neutrality," Piper joked.
"So, what exactly did Gabriel do?" Phoebe asked.
"He abandoned us in the middle of a battle. I'm not sure what happened, but that traitor betrayed us, and I hope he rots in hell forever."
"So, Cole's the commander, and you're a warrior. Where's your father? I'm curious how time has affected him." Piper asked.
"Leo is in another colony, and is the chief healer there." Melinda said proudly. "He unfortunately is out of contact range right now, but I'll let him know you were here. It will make him feel happy."
"Where are we in this future?" Paige asked. Melinda was about to respond when Cole came back and said, "Alright, let's go. Everyone take my hand, and we'll be on our way." As everyone took one Cole's hands, they faded out.
***
When they reappeared, Paige asked, "When did you get a teleportation ability?"
"I picked it up around," Cole replied evasively.
"Are you ever going to give a straight answer," Piper said peevishly.
"This way," Cole said, and started trudging off.
"I guess not." Piper muttered. The group walked for about 4 minutes, through a jungle area.
"Why couldn't we just orb straight there?" Paige asked.
"The place has been shielded to prevent such teleportation," Cole replied. "It's right up here." As Cole pulled aside some branches and the sisters stepped out of the forest, they found themselves in a clearing. It was about 100 feet, and nearly circular. In the center was a granite slab about 3 feet high, and standing in front of the slab was a figure. He was about 6 ft tall and had black hair down to his shoulders. As the group entered the clearing, the figure said without turning, "You're late Father. They wouldn't have liked that."
"Sorry, something held me up," Cole replied, and said, "Turn around Gabriel." When Gabriel did, the sisters saw his eyes widen, and he asked, "Illusion, or past selves?"
"Past selves." Cole replied.
"I see.what do you want?"
"You need to send back to their time," Melinda said, "And this time I won't let you abandon us."
Gabriel smiled, and said, "I see time hasn't improved your mood. Maybe later, right now I have something else to do." Gabriel then turned back to the slab.
"Now wait just a minute, you don't really think," Paige began as she walked up to Gabriel. When she was about to turn him around, she saw the slab, and went deathly pale.
"Paige, what's wrong?" Phoebe asked, and she and Piper ran forward. When they also saw the slab, they stopped. It was a simple slab, and it had only a few words on it, but the words rocked the sisters to the core.
Here lies the Halliwell sisters, Piper, Phoebe, and Paige. May they find Peace.
TO BE CONTINUED.