Chapter 4: For Better Or Worse

Chloe

July 23rd, 2017

11:12 AM

Meridian Prime

Meridian Rainforest

"Okay, I'm pretty sure we lost them," said Max while driving the stolen 4x4.

Max was driving us over a shallow water current the all-terrain vehicle was able to get us through. Though Bryan back on the plane may have gotten me up to speed on Max's side of the story, I was still left without answers about Joanna's side of the story and why she and Elias Alkaline were worshipping this Ares character.

"So, here's my question," I said. "Why is Joanna Prescott so interested in this Ares occult she's joined with Elias Alkaline? As if her brother Sean Prescott joining the Chronos occult wasn't twisted enough?"

"First and foremost," Max began. "Joanna is nothing like her brother. She's fearsome but in a more cunning and sustained way than Sean. Even smarter too. Second and even more twisted, Joan just wants the glory from Ares. Doesn't want the Prescott name to be known for its inheritance. Only it's legacy. Walking away isn't an option for her."

"Sounds just like her brother. So, Sean hires Neo-Chrys and Joan hires ConDef so that an army of terrorists can back them up for their sick games. Joan worshipping Ares is pretty much how Crosby used to worship Chronos. Where exactly did you get that shard again?"

"I hate to say it, but I got from Chronos."

"You got that from Chronos?"

"I know what you're thinking. The almighty god of time who had cost over forty-thousand lives in Portland actually lent me his shard. The same way the Sisters of Fate lent me the Power and Reality Shards. Before Ares got hold of them next."

"And you actually trust Chronos yourself with that shard?"

"When my great journey ends, we'll know for sure."

"Well, Joan is a good match for ConDef. She needs their muscle and they need her money."

"They do? They seem pretty well-stocked."

"ConDef got involved in a couple of civil wars that didn't pan out for them. Alkaline inherited his father's mess from the SAS. He's probably hoping that'll put him back on the map."

"Alkaline wasn't meant to be a colonel in the SAS according to his backstory. Same as how Crosby's hired muscle Alexei Ranikov blew off Spetsnaz for Neo-Chrys. You get the general consensus for both."

Max keeps driving the jeep across the dirt path we drive over and then stop at a concrete bridge that's out. I found a way around the broken bridge across another stream where the bridge was overlapping and where the road continued. Max backed the car up and drove through another current to drive on more solid ground.

Once on the road again, Max stops the car and spot another ancient elevator built by Ezra's people on top of a massive waterfall that was three falls high. There must be more elevators like those all over the island.

"Wowser," said Max. Stopping the car. "Check out that elevator."

"It's massive," I said.

"Bet you could build your own killer physics project about all this."

"I could. I doubt anyone would pass me."

"You and your late dad used to love building projects like that."

"My late dad's not here right now and never will be. Kinda wish he was though."

Max keeps driving the jeep across more water again to make it over the falls. I was now curious about Alex's actions taking advantage of my girlfriend's trust.

"So…why do you think Alex didn't come clean with you the first time?" I wondered. "If she knew you were part of this Herd of Whales bloodline?"

"I think she wanted to gather every clue Joan had on Ezra before bailing on her," replied Max. "Plus, Bryan probably told her to put a zipper on it until the time was right. Which I hope it is. Ugh, I mean if I had just looked it up…"

Max and I got ourselves wet a little driving through the falls. It was like a water ride at a Universal Resort or a Disney Park. Max stops the car again when we're on a dirt road and near a cliff where we could yet another elevator that can take us higher up the falls. One that may be able to fit the car and carry the weight of it as well.

"Now that is one crazy contraption," said Max.

"It looks big enough to fit the car," I said.

"Here's hoping this one works as well."

Max drives the jeep around the cliff and parks it near the elevator. She got out to take a look around to see if it was functional.

Max

July 23rd, 2017

11: 25 AM

Meridian Prime

Meridian Rainforest

"Well, that's a problem," I said. "Gears aren't connected to the water wheel."

"You think it's fixable?" Chloe asked.

"We'll need to get up there and see."

I had an idea to reconnect the gears back on the wheel. Like back in Italy, the 4x4 Chloe and I were driving had a winch as well. One that can be used to pull the beam mechanized to the gears so they can be reconnected. I take the winch from the front bumper, pull it towards the beam, and wrap it around the beam so it can be pulled.

"What's that gonna do?" Chloe thought.

"We'll find out," I said.

I hop back in and put the car in reverse to pull the beam backward. I hit the gas and nothing was working out.

"Well that didn't do anything," I said.

"It stopped the waterwheel," said Chloe.

"Doesn't really help us though. Alright, let's try something else."

I get out of the car and release the winch from the beam. Then I take the winch elsewhere and tie it around another beam that can be pulled down to tear down a wall for me to reach up the waterwheel and find a solution.

As soon as I tie it down to the other pole, Chloe warns me to stand clear and I do just that. Then the wall comes collapsing down into dust and rubble. Then I have a clear path to the waterwheel.

"How's that?" Chloe asked.

"Looks like I can get up there now," I said. "Thank you."

I step inside the small structure Chloe just pulled a hole through and I use a crate with wheels to boost myself to higher ground. Chloe calls me out for whatever I find and I shout back at her saying I've found nothing yet. It looked like I was going to need an elevator to fix an elevator.

Then I walk upon a higher platform and step out into the open where I see Chloe. Still hanging about near the 4x4.

"You made it," she said.

"Was there ever a doubt?" I thought.

"Wait, hold on. I got an idea."

I was gonna need a way across and to do that was the watermill. Luckily, Chloe had retied the winch back on the beam connected to the waterwheel and pulled it again with the jeep's reversal. Allowing the waterwheel to stop spinning and stop pouring water. That's my girl.

I climb up the watermill like a Guinea pig on a wheel. Then hand my hands and shimmy across a beam next to the wheel to get to the structure where I could reconnect the gears. I leap down on the platform inside the structure and find a bar I could use the push the gears for reconnection. I start using my muscles to push down the gears and eventually, they're reconnected.

Chloe drives the jeep into the elevator and I drop down to rejoin her. I meet Chloe inside the elevator with the jeep in it and the lift goes upward. Surprised to see the weight of the car can be carried with this one-hundred-year-old elevator. I hop back into the driver's seat and ride with Chloe again as soon as the elevator stops at our path again. Then I start driving again.

"So, I was thinking," said Chloe. "All this engineering and architecture. It doesn't come cheap. Unless there was a Prescott Foundation back then to fund them maybe."

"That foundation wasn't founded until 1998," I said. "HOW Foundation is more like it. We were wondering that ourselves."

Chloe spots the elevator closer to ourselves. Across the rapids of the falls, we needed to drive through.

"There's the elevator," pointed Chloe.

"Yeah," I said. "Guess we gotta cross these rapids. Does this car come with lifejackets? Here goes nothing."

I drive through some slipping slopes across a wet terrain driving through water and elevating up the falls. There was one portion of the falls where the current was taking control of my steering. Was able to maintain control again past that. Our clothes were getting a little wet from water splashing next to us a bit. We were gonna get even wetter for as long as we kept it up with these rapids.

"You didn't happen to bring some spare clothes, did ya?" I asked Chloe.

"I did," she answered.

"Great."

"They're on the plane."

"Not great. Not bad either."

Eventually, I drive ourselves out of the water and on top of the falls. Then we're right in front of the next elevator dead ahead from us. I stop the car right in front of the elevator door and get out to prepare the car for liftoff.

"And we're here," I said.

There was another structure built by our last elevator. Looked like a small house of some kind. Someone must've lived here guarding the elevators. Which was built next to another waterwheel powering the elevator. Every lift on this island was indeed powered by irrigation.

"Huh," said Chloe. "I wonder who lived here?"

"Probably the elevator…keeper person," I said.

"The elevator keeper person?"

"Yeah, you know…how else are you gonna pass HOW safety inspections? What are the odds that elevator's working?"

"Eh, so far we're one for one."

"Yeah, which means we're due for some disaster."

"Waterwheel's working. That bodes well. C'mon. Let's get that car onto the elevator."

Chloe and I start lifting the elevator door by hand with our muscles. When we do lift it all the way up, it immediately slides down and the two of us catch the door with our hands before it shuts itself again.

"I'll hold it," I said. "Just get the car."

Since I was now the only person holding the door, it was heavily. Chloe quickly hopped back into the car and drove it inside the lift's platform and I instantly drop the door shut behind me as soon as the jeep was loaded on. My arms stung a little from holding the door. If only I had super strength instead of rewinding time.

There was a lever next to us that was likely used to move the elevator up. I pull the switch and we're up and atom. These elevators sure and carry a good amount of weight. Maybe back in Ezra's day, these could carry horse carriages or automobiles built in the nineteen-tens. Now it's carrying a 4x4 built in the two-thousand-tens.

Chloe steps out of the car and the two of us get a view of the island on the elevator. We should take some time here. I stand next to Chloe by the railing and enjoy the glance.

"Two for two," said Chloe.

"You gotta love that HOW engineering," I said.

The elevator lifts us up high enough to where we now see the mountain with the curved peak. The centerpiece of Meridian Prime. As well as the bright blue afternoon sky where birds fly around as well. Feels like our next vacation together.

"Wow," said Chloe. "It's like a postcard."

"Yeah, Meridian Prime," I said. "Come for the beautiful views. Stay for the life-or-death gunfights."

Chloe chucked.

"So, what made you change your mind?" I asked her.

"Hm?" She thought.

"You said you…almost didn't come back."

"Well, I couldn't leave when you were clearly in over your head. And you know, there's the whole "relationship vow" thing."

"For better or worse."

"Yeah. For better or worse."

Alex

July 23rd, 2017

11:45 AM

High Rent District

Meridian Prime, Meridian Prime

I'm cuffed down and restrain to some sort of torture table these assholes found in the admin building of this district. Then there are razor-sharp needles shaped like icicles and clear as glass floating around me like razor hail in zero gravity. I try breaking out of the restraints by wiggling my wrists a little with no use whatsoever. The needles around me feel like something out of a Halloween slaughterhouse. It was frightening to know this wasn't that. It was for real.

Then Ares's brave little stooge named Apollo enters the room and approaches me for interrogation. This should be ecstatic.

"In all the time I have served Ares," said Apollo. Approaching me out of the darkness and into the light of the room. "I have never failed him. If I were to capture the traveler you call Maxine Caulfield myself, with the Time Shard still attached to your vaguely irritating cousin, there would be – judgment."

One of the needs slowly started to inject itself into the flesh of my cheek. I could feel the pain almost like a syringe needle only more painful. I'm sweating and pissing myself in nervousness. Grunting at the sting of the injection.

"We've had recent reports of two hostile individuals stealing a vehicle at one of our posts on the island," said Apollo. "We know Max is still alive somewhere. Tell me, where is she? I shall reward you with a reprieve should you tell me now. Refusal to do so, and you will endure endless consequences."

Then more needles come injecting into me and then I scream and holler in agony. I let down a tear and piss my pants even more now. As much as I want to resist telling this psycho of another psycho where my cousin is, my affliction from the needles is prompting me otherwise. I'm about to become Hellraiser if I don't speak now to this wrinkly ass god of prophecies.

"Painful, aren't they?" Apollo asked. "They were originally designed for microsurgery. And anyone of them could kill you in an instant. So, what's it going to be, Alex? The answer to my question…or a painstakingly agonizing death?"