I can only apologise for yet another colossal void between chapters. The truth is I've been suffering from a colossal lack of both inspiration and ideas for this story. A level exams and enough essays to cause a nervous breakdown didn't help either. Thanks to the reviews for last chapter however I finally pulled my head out of my arse and got down to writing. I've finally managed to come up with some new ideas so hopefully things should be back on the metaphorical track.
Thanks to all reviewers, both for reading and dragging me back to the dusty writer's desk. I'll sort out some proper replies in the next chapter which I've already started. (The reason being I can't get to the internet at the moment and can't remember what most people have said, also I think I've delayed this update long enough).
Chapter 14: Pain
'No one knows how or why a living receiver will be chosen' – From The Philosophy of Time Travel by Roberta Sparrow.
"That's ridiculous."
"Is it? I mean after what we've seen the last…"
"No. Half a registration plate is one thing, but the world doesn't just end like that." Seachnall snapped his fingers and moved his eyes back to the screen in search of some piece of information that he may have missed. "It doesn't just end because some – ghost says it will."
"He's not a ghost."
"You what?"
"He isn't a ghost, he…" Kelly trailed off, unsure of how to sufficiently articulate this point.
"Then what is he?"
"I don't know."
A moment of silence followed. Seachnall sat on the end of Kelly's bed and tried to come up with a new and relevant and above all helpful point that he could follow. None sprung to mind however. This whole thing, whatever it was, had just become far bigger then he had expected. So far, only three options as to what could be happening had occurred to him.
The first idea was that someone, through a series of highly improbable and extremely elaborate deceptions had fooled Kelly into thinking that Armageddon was looming.
The second option that through a series of improbable and extremely elaborate deceptions, Kelly was trying to fool him into thinking that Armageddon was looming. That was perhaps the most likely option, but he couldn't believe it. This wasn't the kind of thing that Kelly did, and it didn't take a genius to recognise that she was genuinely scared.
The third option was that a hitherto unknown supernatural being that had taken on the guise of a demonic bunny had appeared to Kelly and prophesised the end of days. This too seemed somewhat unlikely. So what the hell was going on?
"Can you email a copy of that thing to me. It'll probably help if I can come back to it later."
Kelly didn't respond, she simply stared blankly at the computer screen.
"Kel?"
"What?" She asked suddenly, "Oh sorry, sure I'll send it later."
"Right."
"Listen, there's more to it all this then just the end of the world. I'm not sure I understand all this yet but I think there's a way to prevent it."
"I'm all ears." Said Seachnall, sounding much calmer then he was beginning to feel.
A way around it? Thought Donnie, standing in the far corner of Kelly's bedroom, unbeknownst to either her or Seachnall. Sure, I guess that's one way of putting it.
Considering the fact that Donnie's 'way around it' had been a less then pleasant experience in more ways and one, and an experience which wasn't entirely over yet, it annoyed him to hear it trivialised.
His anger ebbed somewhat when he realised that Seachnall and Kelly's experience wasn't going to be any less unpleasant. He still wasn't sure if they were going to be able to escape it.
He moved his head closer to the computer screen and again felt a strange sense of admiration for the machine. This year he now found himself in was roughly two decades after his death. It was weird. Sometimes it looked just the same as his home decade had, other times it seemed infinitely different. Everything seemed faster, and everything seemed duller somehow. There wasn't as much colour in the world now.
Computers, though not unheard of in his time were certainly something he had never seen or laid his fingers on. They were however certainly not this small of fast, not were they as readily available. The information and power that this small contraption granted to Kelly and God knows how many others was almost unfathomable. It also made life easier for Frank, which he guessed was a good thing. Not that that made him feel any better about it.
"So let me see if I understand this," Seachnall was making a conscious effort not to sound scathing but there seemed no way around it, "We have to take this crispy registration plate back in time which will collapse a 'tangent universe' or a black hole or something which will otherwise erase all traces of creation."
"That's what it says."
"Why doesn't this rabbit man just do it himself?"
"Well that would be too easy wouldn't it? God forbid anything like this should ever be easy."
Another moment of silence followed. Whereas they had both expected some dull, sensible conclusion to the mystery of the registration plate, all traces of sense had seemingly abandoned them. And the only conclusion that seemed to present itself was eschaton. Now, Seachnall's instincts for reasons known only to themselves were urging him to turn away. The 'bury your head in the sand and hope for the best' mentality seemed the most appealing right now, but one way or the other it was the wrong thing to do.
"Right," he said finally, "I don't suppose you know how to travel back in time do you?"
"What do you think?" Kelly snapped in response. Seachnall was taken aback by this uncharacteristic and spontaneous anger.
"Hey I'm trying to help here."
"Yeah," The anger had vanished from her voice and now she just felt tired, "I'm sorry, I just…" She finished her sentence by way of a lazy gesture at the screen.
"Don't need this?" Seachnall volunteered, pointing the screen himself.
"Yeah."
"She looks tired."
Donnie jumped at the sound of Gretchen's voice and turned to find that she had quite literally appeared out of nowhere behind him. He gave a brief hint of a smile and nodded by way of greeting.
"How're they doing?"
"They're dying."
Gretchen stared for a moment at the two kids looking intently at the words of Roberta Sparrow for any clues as to what they could do next. Then she moved towards Donnie and placed a hand lightly on his shoulder.
"This isn't anything that we haven't seen," She said, "Hell we went through this remember? Death's just – well, it won't last."
"But –" Donnie broke off and tried to beat down an all too familiar frustration, "Even if they both go back to before it all happened, it won't be the same for them. All this isn't ever going to leave them alone. They can't be who they are. They can't have the lives they deserve. Frank's stolen that from them."
"If he doesn't –"
"I know!" Donnie slumped down into the corner and drove his fists into his knees. "I know, but why does it have to be like this? Why does he have to pluck more people out of the world to do his job for him? Why can't it be him, or hell even us that takes care of this sort of stuff?"
It was Frank that responded. He sounded quite sympathetic considering he'd just been insulted.
"Would you go back if you could?" He asked, his voice an ethereal whisper in the room.
It was a long while before Donnie finally answered.
"No."
"You see yourself as suited for this, maybe deserving of this new state. You wanted this. But that doesn't matter. You were chosen because you could do what was needed."
"Why is this necessary?" Donnie half shouted to the ceiling, "Why can't we take care of these fucking artefacts?"
There was a pause before Frank answered.
"Creation isn't governed by your sense of morality. Neither am I."
A piercing white light sprung into being where Kelly's mirror stood. Soon the reflection of Kelly's bedroom gave way to a portal to a darkened alley in an unknown city. The noise of sporadic passing cars sounded through it."
"Its time you let go of your morality Donnie."
He could do nothing but stare at the portal for a few moments, wondering what exactly Frank meant by all this, and not much liking the ideas that suggested themselves. He turned to face Gretchen who nodded and kissed him briefly before stepping back out of the way.
Donnie stood, and after a few more moments stepped through the portal.
To be continued