Future Tenses
Prologue
And so it was on the edge of forever that gods and men died.
Chapter One
"What is this? Dick, I thought we weren't giving each other presents this year?"
He looked at his older brothers face. There was a faint smile around his lips but his face and eyes were set with a look of strong intensity. Was it fear? No. Sorrow maybe, or melancholy. It ringed the older mans features.
"This isn't a present Elias. Today is special for you. I'm just one year older but you're now old enough to be considered a man. Whats in that box is your birthright. I think your old enough for it now."
The younger man looked at the nondescript box he held. Brown and tied with packing twine. It could have just fallen off a mail truck. Despite his best efforts, his fingers began to tremble as he undid the knots. He didn't even try to resist letting his hands shake as he pulled open the flaps and looked at the contents. Within were two bracelets made of what looked like steel or burnished silver and a golden rope that seemed to glow with a radiance of its own.
He was confused. He looked back to his brother.
"Whats this supposed to mean? What are these?"
Dicks lips twitched slightly. Then he reached down and placed a hand on Elias's shoulder.
"Why don't you bring the box with you. I've got something else to show you. Then I'll explain."
Elias stared numbly at the floor of the cave. Behind him a bank of supercomputers rested, humming gently to life after years of silence. Up in the darkness beyond where the light would reach the sound of bat wings and dripping water echoed. He didn't bother to take in any of it as he mulled over the story that his foster-brother had just told him.
"Are you all right?"
The sound of Dicks voice brought him somewhat out of his funk. He looked up and saw the concern in his face.
"All these years. Like a fairy tale that makes sense. The stories, the powers, all of it..." He broke into a sudden laugh as the thought crossed his mind. "Ha ha ha ha! It must have been hell for you trying to handle a superpowered toddler! Ha ha ha!"
The smile returned to the older mans features. He too joined the laughter.
"Oh, I got my share of bruises alright! Ha ha ha!" The both continued to chuckle. Then Elias stopped.
He looked around the enormous cave, looking at all the objects that resided in it. Some seemed rather practical. Gym equipment, microscopes. And some seemed so ridiculous they became practical. A giant penny. God...
He sat up and began to move towards the winding stairs that led back to the surface.
"Dick... look, no offense Dick but I think I need to be alone right now. It just seems like so much... so much to handle."
His brother understood. He had gone through a few hefty revelations in his life as well.
"Sure, whatever you need to do." He looked around the cave, his own thoughts and memories rising to the surface. "If you need me Elias, I'll be down here. I think the past could use a companion right now."
As Elias climbed the stairs he took one last look back down at his brother. He saw him standing in front of a glass case that held a brightly colored costume. His hand was pressed gently against it.
Elias could have sworn he saw tears in his eyes.
"I always knew that I was different. After all, no one else I know can lift a car off the ground with ease or fly all by themselves. And thats always been a difficult thing for me to deal with. Dick knew about it of course, helped me to try and deal with it. I still remember his words. "Elias, your very special. Most people aren't like you. I'm not even like you. I can't fly and despite my best efforts, I still get hurt."
He had patted his crippled leg at that point. It was then that I think I started to understand that Dick and I weren't brothers in the blood sense. But I digress.
"I want you to listen to me Elias. You must NEVER feel ashamed of yourself for having these powers. They are a part of you, of who you are. But you must understand that other people, who don't have your powers, who don't understand them, can be very frightened by them. For their sake Elias, and yours, I want you to try and keep your powers hidden, at least in public." He smiled at me. A gentle smile. A tired smile. "Your not old enough to understand me yet. Someday you will be, but not now. So for now I want you to try and think of your powers as our little secret. Can you do that?" I had nodded and said yes. And I have done just that, all these years.
Elias looked up from his journal page, staring at the ceiling remembering those years. So long ago it seemed. He had hidden it for so long.
As I think back on it, Dick was right I wasn't old enough to understand. Despite him telling me I shouldn't be ashamed I couldn't help but think of them as a dark little secret. But now, after what I've just heard today..."
He looked over at the box of relics that had belonged to his mother. And he thought of the cave, his fathers cave.
"Its a difficult thing to learn that your descended from legends. That the world owes its life several times over to your parents. Even the universe. How are you supposed to deal with that? How do..."
The phone rang. Elias looked up from his journal at its sound. He reached over and picked up the reciever, holding it to his ear.
"Hello?"
The only sound on the other end was the light sound of breathing. Elias smiled.
"You always know when to call, don't you?"
Still no sound but the breathing. And the smile. Her smile. Despite the miles of distance and wire that seperated them, he could still see it plain as day. He could still feel its warmth. The kind that made you feel like the world was nothing but a sunny spring day of flowers and fields. He loved that feeling.
He smiled back. He felt her question, the gentle curiousity. What was he doing?
"The same thing I always do at this time of night. What did you think I would be doing?"
He felt her chide him. Its your birthday silly. Shouldn't you be having a good time? He felt like laughing at that.
"Good time? Heh, Keiko, today I learned who my parents were. I found out the truth about who I am. Shocking revelations about ones self aren't exactly my idea of a good time."
The wave of concern was almost palpatable. Was he all right?
He felt the strength behind her feelings. It was one of the things that he loved the most about her. That steeley inner resolve that she had, the force of will that seemed like it could take on any problem and beat it. Her utter willingness to lend that strength to anyone who needed it. He smiled as that strength gave him reassurance.
"Don't worry, I'm fine. Just a mess I got to sort out on my own. Listen, I'm pretty tired and I want to finish writing this journal entry. I'll call you tomorrow."
He felt her concern still lingering. Was he sure?
"Positive."
Then he felt that spring day again and the world brightened up a little. He smiled back.
"I love you too."
He hung up the phone.
"He's ready then I take it? In a proper cloud of turmoil and disillusionment? Why is it I always get handed the difficult cases?"
"Because, as much as I hate to admit it, your good at this type of job."
"An accomplishment I'm rather proud of."
"Can't you ever be serious?"
"I'm always serious, its the world thats not. Well, I had better get started. Aren't you going to wish me good luck?"
"I don't believe in luck."
"Yeah, neither do I anymore."
He was lying on his bed now, with only his table lamp to keep him company. He said he was going to finish the journal entry but his mind was wandering now. He'd finish it later. Keiko's call had managed to lighten his mood but his mind was still pressed by Dicks story. The question still rang in his head.
"How do you deal with being the spawn of legends kid? I'll tell you how. You become one yourself." The voice came from the shadows where his desk was.
He sat bolt straight up in bed, trying to find the source of it. Who was it, how had they gotten in? Almost as if to answer his question a match was struck in the darkness revealing the face. Thin, in its mid-thirties it seemed. Straight blonde hair brushed back from his face. Blue eyes and a straight jaw and nose. The match floated to a thin cigarette that hung from full lips and ignited it.
"Who are you?" Elias was out of bed now, looking at the shadowy figure. His desk light flipped on.
Now the man was bathed in light and Elias could make him out clearly sitting in his desk chair. A brown trenchcoat and trim fitting green suit and tie moulded themselves to an averagely built body. Legs casually crossed and cigarettes held between long, thin fingers. Smoke leaked from his mouth and wafted in front of his face. And his eyes were fixed on Elias.
"You mean to tell me you don't know?" The mans voice was like an entity of its own. South London accent from the sound of it, but traces of every place from Spain to Nepal and back again. And the irony. Every word seemed tinged with a trace of black laughter. Like the world was a joke and he had heard the punchline already. He was right, this guy did seem familiar to him. But from where?
"Hmmm, well then allow me to formally introduce myself. John Constantine at your service squire."
John Constantine?! Now he knew. Elias had always had a fascintion with the supernatural. He remembered seeing shadowed and blurry pictures of the man in various news clippings and occult books. He was one of the preeminent figures of magic in the past 40 years. Conjurer, con artist, bastard, saint. All words that were applied to him at one point or another. None of them seemed to fit.
Wait a minute. How could this be John Constantine? Constantine was...
"Dead? Of course I'm dead. You can't be a legend if your still alive. Asides, how do you think I got in here without you even noticing?"
Elias felt himself stumble back onto his bed and his head fall into his hands. First he had learned about his parents and Dick. Now the ghost of John Constantine was appearing before him like some twisted version of a Christmas Carrol. He found himself muttering
"Oh hell. What next?" He looked back up to the smoking figure. "Your not going to take me on a trip to christmas's past or anything are you?"
Constantine broke out in laughter. "Oh, thats very good. You should feel happy kid. Being able to joke about it means your still sane."
"Hmph, good news for once. I'd almost take it to heart if it wasn't coming from the ghost of a dead Englishman."
Constantine stopped laughing at that. "Now thats a bit unfair kid. You mean to tell me that despite learning what you are you can't accept the idea of conversing with a ghost?"
"No, thats where your wrong. I can accept it. Thats whats so disconcerting. First I learn that my parents were, well, superheroes and now I'm talking to you for reasons that aren't at all clear to me and I find myself accepting that as normal. I'd be much more disbelieving if you were just a burglar."
The cigarette went to Constantines lips again, somewhat muffling his speech. He uncrossed his legs and stood up slowly. Elias could have sworn he heard joints popping. Heh, a ghost with sore joints. What the hell, why not?
"Eh, burglary was never much of a fun gig. It was always easier to take their mony right from them than to be sneaky about it. Anyways, thats beside the point. No, I'm not here to show you the past kid, or at least not much of it. I'm here to try and show you who YOU are and get a grips with it."
Elias was puzzled. "Why's that? Don't tell me you of all people are supposed to be some divine guide sent to save my wretched soul or some such garble." Elias had meant it as a joke.
Constantine remained straight faced.
Elias threw up his hands at that point.
"Oh sure, what the hell, why not?! God sent you to help me! Praise Jesus and all his angels!" Constantine took a drag off his cigarette before speaking.
"Wrong God kid. Or at least the wrong version of it. And you can view it however you want. The point is, I'm here because I can make things clearer too you and even possibly give you some answers provided your smart enough to figure them out. You can take it or leave it at that." He fell silent and looked back at Elias. He was serious. Elias stared back and thought about it. He spoke slowly.
"Why do you want to help me?"
Constantine took another drag from his cigarette.
"Lets just say that I, and a few others, have a vested interest in this." Elias wasn't sure what that meant but it at least sounded somewhat positive. Or as positive as a prick like Constantine could get. He was silent for a few minutes more. Then he spoke.
"Alright, I'll go. Take me on your little voyage Constantine and lets see if I'm smart enough to figure out the answers."
End Chapter