First note: I'm extremely nervous about this chapter. Hopefully people don't start throwing rotten internet tomatoes at me because of what happens.
Note no. 2: Luke and Layton had a previous adventure that took place during another fic of mine called Out of Time. You don't need to read Out of Time to understand this fic - otherwise you wouldn't have gotten this far, I'm sure!
To summarise what happened, Luke and Layton travelled to Infinity, where Layton defeated the antagonist with a puzzle. The antagonist of Out of Time was the one responsible for the Time Crash, and as a result he is in fact the indirect cause of the changed timeline in this fic. However, since Layton has already defeated him, he does not appear in this fic.
Onwards!
Chapter 13: Never The Twain Shall Meet
"Layton." Future Luke's voice was little more than a growl.
"My, my, my..." said Future Layton slowly, somehow having the amazing ability to project the image of a smirk over an audio transmission. "You're in a favourable mood, as always. What do you think of my latest weapon? Very useful in persuading the European governments to see things my way, wouldn't you say? And I'm sure the Americans will be just as agreeable."
Layton's entire body seemed to freeze. It was his voice - it was him saying this - disclosing plans for world domination, by putting every country under his control.
"You already know what I think about you," Future Luke snarled.
Future Layton chuckled. "You are so easy to read, my boy. It appears you've saved me the trouble of digging you out of your hole in Hampstead Heath. I knew Dimitri's ship would be an irresistible draw."
Obviously, he had been expecting them. He had every outcome already foreseen, every eventuality catered for. They were dealing with a far more dangerous opponent than Dimitri here. If Dimitri was the cat that had strolled into the aviary, then Future Layton was the tiger that had sauntered into the village.
And yet, thought Layton, this was the only scenario presented by the mysterious voice where they had a slim chance to win...
"What do you want?" said Future Luke, losing none of his vitriol.
"Isn't it obvious?" said Future Layton. "I'm toying with you, my boy. I could easily destroy your ship. I could just as easily put you all under my control. In fact, I think I shall do just that."
"That's enough," said Layton sharply.
"Ah...! My past self. You're on board after all. Tell me, were you able to solve my little puzzle?"
"Yes..." said Layton. "The Song of the Stars. But giving me the riddle to solve was not the main purpose. It was in fact a clever way of disguising the fact that it was hiding a bug: an intricate homing device."
Future Luke's eyes widened as he made a surprised grunt; and then his face darkened into a venomous scowl.
Once again Future Layton chuckled, as though he could see Future Luke's reaction. "My dear boy. Did you really think I'd just let you take back Clive?" he said, voice as sweet as honey laced with poison. "No, I knew you would mount a rescue sooner or later. It was a simple matter to plant the bug on Clive. After that, all I had to do was wait. I have greatly enjoyed our little game, Luke. A shame it must now come to an end."
"Wait," said Layton, shaking his head despite the fact that they were communicating via audio. "I'm not done yet, Hershel. You see, I also saw something else hidden in that piece of paper, something important that even you are not aware of."
There was a sharp pause, and Future Luke, Emmy and Belle simultaneously looked at Layton, as if awed by the fact that he'd managed to give his future self food for thought.
"You... intrigue me," said Future Layton carefully. "What exactly did you see?"
"I will need to tell you in person."
Layton could imagine his future self narrowing his eyes.
"And why should I want to let you do that?"
"Because I have figured out the truth," said Layton. "All of it."
"I... see," said Future Layton. "Well, you've appealed to my curiosity. Very well. You will have to bring along your Luke and Flora. And Clive."
Layton narrowed his own eyes. "Why?"
"I'm afraid you're in no position to negotiate terms. And I will issue a word of warning to you. If I know you as well as I think I do - and I should think I'd know myself very well - then you will no doubt have some kind of ace up your sleeve. I would advise against taking any such action. If you should try anything, I will immediately open fire on the Silver Blaze. I don't particularly care that there are civilians down below who would suffer heavy casualties if a giant airship were to come crashing down, but I suspect you do. Do not test my patience."
"Understood..." said Layton.
The radio clicked off, and Layton breathed a sigh of relief. Not long to go now...
"You're going over, just like that?" said Future Luke. "Are you sure you know what you're doing?"
"Oh, yes," said Layton gravely. "Very sure."
After being searched, and then escorted by five scorpion robots, Layton walked along the metallic corridors of the Baryonyx, ready for the inevitable confrontation. The group of four had their hands tied behind their backs, and with several rifles aimed in their direction, there was little, if any, chance for escape.
They entered a large lounge of a room, with tables surrounded by comfy-looking sofas, and Layton couldn't help feeling that this was an odd choice for a meeting room. There was probably a reason for it.
Sitting behind a table was his duplicate, and next to him was Dimitri, slumped rather grumpily in the white sofa. Future Layton stood up, walking around the desk and coming to a stop just in front of them. He nodded in acknowledgement towards his younger self.
"So. We finally meet."
There were few things in life stranger than meeting an alternate version of your own self. A whirlwind of emotions went round and round, each fighting the other for dominance and it was perhaps the only time in years that Layton felt he had no control over any of them. It was too much, all too much. He was just unable to believe that this could have been him.
Eventually anger won out, and he growled. "Are you quite done with this madness?"
"Madness? All of this is not 'madness', I assure you. Dimitri and I are fighting against Time itself."
"Whatever do you mean?"
"What I mean, Professor, is that our timeline is tainted."
This sounded like the kind of comment that would precede an explanation, and indeed Future Layton put both arms behind his back and began to pace slowly from one side to the other.
"This is not the original timeline, as I'm sure you're aware. Time naturally wants to revert to its normal course. It's taking everything we have just to keep things as they are... So you see, though we seek to control Time, our aim is not to bring Claire here, despite that being a nice consequence. Our ultimate goal is to stop ourselves from fading into non-existence."
Layton set his features into a hardened frown. It never occurred to him that there could ever be a bad side to keeping a calm and composed nature at all times, but now that he was seeing this behaviour from the outside, he was finding it infuriating.
"And that's your justification for enslaving all of Britain?"
"A necessary evil. Clive was sent twenty years into his future. We had only a window of twenty years before Time organised itself and prepared to flow back along its original course... and considering Dimitri only approached me eleven years ago, that didn't give us a great deal of time. We needed a sure-fire way of getting all of Britain behind us in our endeavour."
"You were the one who sent those gangsters after me, weren't you?" said Clive quietly. He looked scared; his eyes were widened in fear.
"Yes..." Future Layton regarded him thoughtfully for a moment, and then returned his attention to his other self.
"Listen carefully, Hershel. Clive is what I call the 'pivotal moment'. If he is there, where he should be, your timeline flows. If he is not, my timeline flows. Your quandary is how to keep him there. Mine is how to keep him here...
"To be... Or not to be..."
There was something about the way he said this that made Layton's anger disappear. In its place was... pity.
"I must ask you something," he said. "It's about Schrödinger's Cat."
Future Layton let out a rather nasty laugh. "You have figured it all out, haven't you? Well done! But it changes nothing."
Dimitri straightened himself up, and unfolded his arms. "What are you both talking about?"
"Oh, don't worry, we're still going ahead," said Future Layton. "But there is something I need to do first."
"What's that?" said Dimitri.
"I've seen what I needed to see." Future Layton snapped his fingers, and the robots aimed their guns at the group. "It's time for them to die," he said.
"You can't be serious..." said Dimitri.
"I'm very serious," said Future Layton. "Why do you think I had them all brought before me?"
Dimitri shook his head. Clive looked terrified. Luke was defiant, looking rather like his angrier older self; but Flora's face broke Layton's heart. He'd never seen such disappointment cross her features before.
"Professor..." she said sadly.
Future Layton's face turned ugly by way of a smirk, and he sneered; but Dimitri contrasted this lack of sympathy by being completely shocked.
"Hershel...!" he said warningly.
"I suppose you're going to try to convince me otherwise," said Future Layton.
"I'm not going to simply sit by and do nothing," Dimitri said, standing and walking to stand next to him. "The robots respond to my commands as well as yours, and I won't let you do this."
Future Layton ignored him, his manner turning so cold that Layton's next feeling was one of disbelief. How could this have happened? How could he have gone so far?
"You," said Future Layton, taking a step forwards, his face forming a terrible frown, his cold eyes locking onto Layton's. "You are the 'good' Layton, from the 'good' timeline... and I despise you for it."
"Hershel... there's no need for this," said Dimitri. "You know what we're about to do... just leave them be."
"What difference does it make?" said Future Layton, eyes still cold, and still staring at Layton's own. "They're doomed either way. Once our timeline is set in stone-"
"It makes a difference to me, dammit!" said Dimitri.
"You're too soft, Dimitri."
"This is crazy! Think about what you are doing. You're pointing a gun at yourself."
Future Layton finally turned to look at his colleague. "This isn't some twisted form of suicide, if that's what you're driving at. He is not me, and I am not him. That is why I hate him so."
"Hershel," said Layton softly. "You're not going to shoot me."
Future Layton turned back to face his younger self. "Oh? Why not?"
Layton bowed his head down. "I'm sorry, Hershel." he said. And to the wind, he whispered, "Now..."
"AWK," said an invisible voice; and suddenly the light left Future Layton's eyes and he powered down as if he was -
"A robot...?" said Flora.
Both Luke and Clive made variations of an "Eh?" exclamation as Future Layton and all the scorpion robots dropped to the ground like ragdolls.
Dimitri's step back was almost a giant leap back. "W-what's going on?"
"Come out," said Layton, calling out to the air. "I know you're watching."
The sound of someone clapping echoed across the room, and the doors at the back of the room slid open. A man in a mask and a cape entered... followed by a wolf with a control device on its ear.
"Descole," said Layton.
"You!" said Luke, clenching his fists. "I knew it! I was right the first time!"
Dimitri's eyes went wild, in such a bewildered state that he almost looked like a trapped animal. "What's the meaning of this? What's your game?"
"You've played your part well," said Descole. "Now it's my turn..." He snapped his fingers and two cages rose up out of the floor, one for Dimitri and another for the group standing opposite them both.
Dimitri growled, grabbing the metal bars with both hands. "Where's the real Hershel? What have you done to him?"
"I did nothing," Descole hissed. "He did it all to himself. I'd assumed he wouldn't fight, however. That was my first mistake."
[ - Hidden Memory #3 - ]
That evening, by Tower Bridge, along the River Thames. The fool wasn't thinking clearly at all. Layton lunged at me and tripped! Fell over the edge! Had the tide been high, the water would have cushioned his fall. But at low tide...
And I was furious! How could I extract the information I needed if the idiot had gone and broken his neck?
I knew that Dimitri would suspect foul play... so before burying the body, I copied Layton's memories and personality, and then later I transferred them to an exact robot duplicate, hoping to fool Dimitri and the police. The trouble is, it worked rather too well. He had no idea he had died - from his perspective it was as though he'd merely knocked himself unconscious. He awoke far sooner than I expected, and was still very angry...
I saved myself by activating ... a prototype Com Link, if you like. I implanted a fake memory - an illusion of reality. In his mind, he thought he had killed me. That was the start of his descent into madness, I suppose. He stole the plans for the prototype, and left my lab.
I traced the precise moment in the future in which Infinity was breached, and pinpointed the source of Robot Layton's memories, which were located here...
[ - 3 - ]
"That wormhole a month ago!" gasped Dimitri. "Piccadilly Circus! That was you! You used your own time machine to travel here to this time so you could reap the rewards of all my hard work."
"That's right," said Descole, looking pleased at his own genius rather than disgusted by it. "I disguised myself as Ward, infiltrated the Family, and once I got close enough to the Layton robot... Well, the rest was child's play. Benji's collar here transmitted the data controls that I needed to exert over the robot. All part of my plan to take over this Infinity project of yours."
Over the rising sound of Dimitri's growl, Descole continued. "I must say, I'm surprised at how much you've both accomplished here. More so because I didn't program the robot Layton in any way; he acts exactly as he would have had he still been alive."
"And why should we believe you?" said Dimitri.
Descole turned to Layton. "Layton, you know it's true, don't you? Given the chance to get revenge on Bill Hawks, you would have done it, wouldn't you?"
Layton took a step back, recoiling as if slapped in the face. "No... I..."
"Claire meant so much to you that you wanted to get even," said Descole, sneering as though the thought of an action being driven by love repulsed him.
Luke growled, about to retort a reply, but Dimitri beat him to the punch.
"What utter nonsense!" he snapped. It seemed the discovery that he'd been used all along and that Hershel had been dead the whole time had forced Mt. Dimitri to erupt with rage. "I've never heard such tripe in my life! What would you know about human emotion? For all your credentials and research into the human mind, you've clearly never experienced true love first-hand before. What a sad man you are..."
Even through the mask, it was easy to see Descole's harsh glare. "We shall see how much of that attitude remains when I've gained control over all reality," he said.
With that, he turned around and walked briskly through the doors, which hissed shut behind him. The wolf remained as a guard.
Layton found, suddenly, that he was free. The air shimmered, like searing heat in a sandy desert, and Polly appeared, wearing his photon refractor, and with pieces of rope in his mouth.
"A portable photon refractor..." said Dimitri, staring at Polly while he chewed the ropes of the others and set them free. "And he's carrying a robot disruptor! Well played, Hershel."
"So - what - are you on our side now?" said Clive, shooting a fierce glare at Dimitri.
Dimitri sighed tiredly, looking down at the floor of his cage. "For years I toiled and slaved, working for a way to save Claire, and what do I have to show for it? Nothing! Hershel was never even alive. All this time, and I never knew! How could Descole be so... callous? He couldn't leave poor Hershel to die in peace! Perhaps the dead should remain dead." He laughed bitterly. "Look how long it's taken me to realise that!"
There was an awkward silence following the pause, but then Dimitri continued: "Descole may be willing to do anything for science, but... I will not. Not any more. We must stop him. If the machine is incorrectly aligned, he could inadvertently destroy our world."
"This cannot be happening," said Clive, shaking his head. "I'm stuck twenty years in the future, the evil professor controlling all of the United Kingdom is really a robot, and now I'm trapped inside a cage by some reject from a failed Phantom of the Opera production!"
"It's not all doom and gloom," said Dimitri. "In his haste, Descole forgot to take care of one crucial element."
"The crashing chandelier?"
"The parrot."
Clive stared at Polly, who was now perched atop Luke's shoulder. "Oh, well, now it all makes sense," he said sarcastically.
"No, he's right," said Layton. "In fact, I'd surmise that Descole doesn't know about Polly's ability at all."
Dimitri tilted his head and smirked. "He may have access to all of Hershel's memories, but... I never told Hershel about the parrot."
"Polly," said Luke. "Would you-"
"No!" said Polly. "If you think I'm going to work with that sleazeball of a scientist, you've got another think coming!"
"Sleazeball?" said Dimitri.
"Crap. I knew I shouldn't have stolen Baldrick's translator..."
"C'mon, Polly, we can't stop Descole without you," said Luke.
"If ever we've needed your help, now is the time," Layton added.
"Double crap," said Polly, looking disgruntled. "The voice entity thing in my head says I've got to help, 'cause of the fate of the universe and whatnot... Hold on..."
He shut his eyes, and then black light shone out like two mini-torches of darkness. Technically darkness was an absence of light, but the darkness was shining nonetheless.
"I am now. I am never. I am always... I cannot change. I can only flow."
Dimitri's eyes widened in awe, and he gasped. "I understand now," he said. "I know who you are! You are Time, aren't you?"
"Correct."
"A collection of events; a gathering of memories, from past to future, transforming into a stream of consciousness... and it all settled within this parrot's body," said Dimitri.
"But how is that possible?" said Clive. "How can Time be alive?"
"Within Infinity, all things are possible."
"It must have happened during the Time Crash event," said Dimitri. "The Time Crash was linked to a distortion which originated in Infinity. The distortion forced the time streams to leak into this timeline."
Layton nodded. "Horace and Bill gave us all a similar explanation."
"I have gone in the wrong direction," said Time. "The pivotal moment, the turning point... Clive should not be here."
"Then you must take us back in time so we can put things right," said Layton. "Take Clive back to where he should be. That would prevent all of this from happening, would it not?"
"I cannot. I do not possess the power. Dimitri's time machine forces the flow of time in this direction. I tried, with all my might; I searched through all the hidden memories, through each snapshot of the events that led up to this point, for a way to change the course. But I could do nothing to alter the flow. To use an analogy... you are asking the water in a river to change direction, when you yourself must dig the trench to avert disaster."
"Tell us what we must do, then, and we'll do it," said Dimitri.
"If you wish to change the timeline back to the way it was, then you must stop Descole, for he is digging his own trench. You must go to the exact point in which he opens Infinity to this world. If you do not stop him at that very specific point in space and time, I will forever flow in this direction. It will become the 'right' direction. I cannot help you then, or indeed ever."
"Take us back to my ship, then," said Dimitri. "We have another few minutes before the module fully charges up. I might be able to do something from there."
"That, I can do," said Time.
The group were teleported to a place that appeared to be a mix between a lab and a air pilot's cabin, where several people were at stations and consoles monitoring radar and other such things, as well as frantically yelling and waving arms; and an alarm was going off.
"Ach! Dimitri!" said Cuthbert, jumping in fright. "Where the bloody hell did you come from? Actually, never mind that - someone's stolen the Infinity module!"
"Yes, I know," said Dimitri. "He must have gotten the access codes from Her - from the robot."
"What robot? Who? What happened on the PM's ship?" said Cuthbert. "We've been locked out of our controls. The readout's goin' crazy!"
"We've been sabotaged." Dimitri sat at a console and typed in something, his fingers whizzing across the buttons. "Hmm, we can aim the cameras there at least. But someone will have to go in manually."
He turned on a large screen, which showed a mechanical apparatus opening out, like a giant eye in the sky. Purple lightning flashed around the eye, and a grey vortex swirled directly underneath.
"Now I see. That's why you built London into a machine," said Layton. "So you could power this entire operation."
"Yes. Well spotted, Hershel."
"But what is that-that grey hole thing?" said Flora.
"A Time-error," said Time. "What you call a wormhole. It can swallow entire worlds if one is not careful..."
"Then you must take me there at once," said Layton, a grim frown on his face.
"I cannot. The eye machine collects and directs time. I would be absorbed."
"Take us to the Pod bay," said Dimitri. "I can send Hershel along from there."
"Very well."
"Wait a minute!" said Cuthbert, ignoring the strange little bird staring at him with hollowed out eyes. "Dimitri, you daftie, you're not seriously thinking o' sending the Prime Minister right into the middle of that, are ya?"
Layton and Dimitri stared at each other, and then looked back at Cuthbert at the same time.
"Yes," they said.
"But that's suicide, man! If the module isn't in the proper alignment -"
"Look, I'd do myself," said Dimitri, "but if I stay here I might be able to regain control of the module. I'm certainly not sending anyone else; Hershel is the only person I can trust right now."
"But -"
"Please," said Layton softly, but firmly. "I must do this."
"Okay!" said Cuthbert cheerfully, returning to his console. "Can't argue with the Prime Minister, now, can I?"
"Should have put his one on a higher setting for me so he wouldn't argue with me all the bloody time," Dimitri grumbled under his breath.
"No time for complaining. Time to go! Time waits for no one!" said Time, with varying degrees of irony.
"Sounds like you're getting a sense of humour, there," said Dimitri, raising an eyebrow.
"Yes, the more, er, time I spend actively communicating with you, the more I seem to take on aspects of the world I'm inhabiting... More of a reason to hurry, frankly."
Once in the Pod bay, Dimitri opened the door to a tiny craft, gesturing for Layton to climb inside. It was the one-manned airship that Dimitri had used when they had first met outside Gressenheller University.
"I can direct the craft from here," said Dimitri. "But you need to stop him at all costs. I'm going to destroy the module the first chance I get."
"Are you sure? Didn't it take you eleven or so years to get this far?"
"Of course I'm sure. I don't want the world to completely collapse, you know. Nor do I have any intention of being Descole's pawn any more." He paused briefly, and then said, "Be careful, Hershel. Reality may distort while you are up there. The laws of physics as we know them may not quite work as they should."
Like Infinity, Layton thought. "Understood." He climbed into the mini-blimp, and Dimitri handed him a little round device.
"Radio transceiver, so we can keep in touch," said Dimitri. "Assuming, of course, that the distortion will allow the transmission of radio waves. You may be on your own out there."
The bay doors opened, and the tiny craft took off. He took a deep breath and steeled himself. Luckily he didn't have to do very much in the way of steering. Dimitri was controlling the small aircraft from within the larger one. But there were lightning bolts flying all across the sky, which made for some sharp jerks and turns. It was by no means a smooth ride.
The Eye was facing straight down; on the other side of the Eye there was a raised platform, upon which a large computer console sat, with two tuning fork prongs on either side. As Layton's tiny ship made the approach to land, a final bolt of lightning struck true, forcing him to abandon the ship and roll rather dramatically on the floor of the eye's platform.
On the platform, Descole was typing in a set of instructions on the console. Presumably he'd heard the crash landing, because he turned around as soon as Layton came near.
His lips were set into a tight smile. "I knew you'd come. You always do. Even when it isn't your timeline. You just have to play the hero."
Layton took one step forwards, frowning. "Descole. This insanity ends here."
"Insanity? This is not insanity! This is sheer brilliance!"
Descole held up his right hand, and formed a sphere of blue lightning, grin widening with a kind of crazed glee. "Look at this, Layton! Isn't it simply marvellous?"
"How are you...?"
"Don't be so close-minded! Can't you feel it in the air? The breakdown of the walls. The destruction of all and any limits! Now reality will be whatever I desire it to be!"
Layton didn't even think: it just happened. One moment he was standing there, waiting for the blue lightning ball to hit him, and the next he was holding a sceptre with the ability to absorb lightning - and it did just that.
"No...!" snarled Descole. "Only I may be allowed to change the rules of our universe! Not you!"
The lightning ball in his hand turned into a solid, metal mace, and he charged, mace held high, ready to pound on a potential head. Layton changed his sceptre into a giant shield, flinching less and less from the vicious attacks as the shield grew stronger in response to his inner desire to protect himself, so much so that it completely covered him. He was covered in brilliant mace-proof armour.
Maddened by this development, Descole threw away the mace, which, upon contact with the platform, disappeared in a flash of light. No longer needed, Layton's armour also vanished.
"You were always stealing my discoveries from me!" said Descole, breathing hard. "This should have been mine. Not yours!"
Descole's words degenerated into a low, murmuring hiss; and his pupils turned to reptilian slits. His head elongating, his body changed into that of a dinosaur with a large scythe for a thumb. The air around him came alive, the platform exploding with a spring bloom of plants, the area around him transforming into that of a riverside bank - a Baryonyx by a river during the Cretaceous period.
There was a moment when the Baryonyx-Descole stared down at Layton, growling menacingly; and then an energetic clash of wills followed, with the environment shifting accordingly. Two dinosaurs circled one another on the banks of the river, hissing and snapping at each other with crocodilian jaws. Two knights galloped towards each other with lances aimed at their opponent. Two wizards dashed around, magic wands dancing through the air, the arcane arts flying in sprinkled dots everywhere.
Wizard-Layton fired an ice spell, but the moment it struck, Descole transformed into a shining white tiger, with fur that repelled magic and that shattered the ice. He bounded towards Layton, leaping at him with claws extended and open jaws snarling. Layton chose to transform into -
"A dragon?" said Clive, watching on the large screen. "He turned into a Chinese dragon! This is absolutely bonkers!"
The radio clicked on. "It's the reality-distorting properties of Infinity," said Dimitri, from the Pod bay. "It's leaking into this universe."
"Aye," said Cuthbert. "Do not adjust your television set."
"Omigosh!" said Luke. "I remember now!"
"Eh?" said Clive. "What are you talking about?"
"I remember!" Luke persisted. "The professor and I, we've been to Infinity before!"
"Indeed...?" said Dimitri. "Are you sure?"
"Yeah, I'm sure! We saw two real dragons there!"
"What?" said Flora, glaring at Luke in a how come I didn't know about this? way. "When did this happen?"
"It was while we were at Folsense," said Luke. "We were transported to Infinity by a Chinese monk. And we saw dragons, and ghosts... and two dinosaurs, I think."
"That sounds... completely crazy," said Clive.
"Not like what's happening right now?" said Luke, with a raised eyebrow.
"But Folsense wasn't real - at least not what you saw," said Flora. "Anton wasn't really a vampire. And Dr Schrader wasn't really dead. How do you know it wasn't all a dream?"
"That's not how the ore works," said Dimitri. "It causes hallucinations, but it can only bring to surface what a person already believes to be true. I doubt Hershel truly believed in dragons, or indeed any mythical creature, during your stay at Folsense. So I think you really did visit Infinity, and this incident has triggered the latent memory - as it appears to have done with Hershel, too."
"But what's so special about the dragon, specifically?" said Clive.
"It's important to me, at least, because when we saw the first dragon, I asked him... Well, I asked him to have faith," Luke said. To think with his heart, instead of his mind... "Maybe now he'll believe it all to be true..."
High in the sky, the courageous dragon and the majestic tiger wrestled with each other. Round and round they went, in an endless cycle of infinity, like the ouroboros; locked into an eternal struggle.
The clouds lit up with purple lightning flashes. The dragon and the tiger fell off the platform. And in the crackling storm of broken reality, both Layton and Descole lost their minds... literally.
The Song of the Stars played.
Luke and Flora gasped.
"Vanished," whispered Clive.
"Holy smokes," said Cuthbert. "Where the bloody 'ell have they gone?"
"Transmission from the Silver Blaze," said the radio operator.
Dimitri, who had returned from the Pod bay, put a hand on his forehead and sighed. "Put them through..."
"What the hell's going on over there?" Future Luke demanded.
"Slight technical hitch," said Dimitri, somehow managing to keep his voice calm amidst all the chaos.
"Slight?" This was Bill's voice. "Do you even understand what's happening out there? Space-time is breaking down! If we don't put a stop to it, our entire universe will collapse!"
"I'm aware of that, Bill. I did design the device, after all. Now let me tell you what else I know. Jean Descole has gained control of my Infinity module and is, at the current juncture, attempting a complete overhaul of our reality."
"What?" said Future Luke, along with a female voice that Dimitri recognised from previous skirmishes as the Silver Blaze's extremely skilled pilot, though he didn't know her name.
"So, yes, while space-time is breaking down, within that vortex, it will reform to whatever Descole chooses. The Hershel from the other timeline has flown to the Eye to confront him. We're going to send the feed from our cameras to you now... but there's a lot of distortion, please hold on..."
"What are you, a sales operator?" said Don Paolo's sardonic voice, but Dimitri waved, signalling his radio operator to cut the transmission. There was no time for distractions now - right now he needed to concentrate like he had never before. He would do whatever he could to help Time, no matter what the cost.
Future Luke was pacing back and forth in the Silver Blaze cockpit. Descole was back? How could that be?
The sky itself seemed to shudder from the force of the device; the airship was rocking back and forth. The signal from Dimitri's camera came through, and it showed the mechanical Eye, with a backdrop of thunderous thick purple clouds, flickering with flashes of purple lightning; a giant silver vortex, like a black hole, underneath; and several specks of twinkling light dotted around the Eye, like tiny stars shining bright on a clear night.
"What the hell is that supposed to be?" said Bill.
"Wish I knew," growled Future Luke.
Where was the professor?
An idea was intangible, something that you could reach out and try to grab, but never truly touch. There was almost a magical quality about an idea, like you were trying to catch capricious fairies in the woods. If you didn't tie the little buggers down, there was the danger that they would forever escape, never to be seen again. And if your brain was full of ideas, whizzing about, whimsical and unruly - ideas that needed to be expressed, that demanded freedom from the confines of the mind and to be made real - well, it was no wonder artists and musicians could occasionally be seen to be a little on the eccentric side.
Layton was feeling light-headed, as if the contents of his brain had been poured outside, into the sky, and put on show, for all to see. Those floating dots of light in the sky, the shining stars: here lay Layton's mind. His ideas, his hopes, his dreams... He couldn't see them, for his physical self existed no more. But he could feel them, hanging in the air...
Hershel! You need to focus! The boundary between the imagined world within the mind and the real world without has shattered. Your very thoughts have become real... but don't become lost inside them!
He ignored Dimitri's warning, but not because he wanted to. It was just that he felt so empty... and at the same time, he felt free. No more pressure. No rules, like in Infinity. No worries that he would one day fail again, like he had failed Claire. He didn't have to be the perfect gentleman, nor the model citizen, nor the flawless crime-solver. He could just be normal.
Hershel! Stop Descole or there will be no future!
This voice...!
It...
It belonged to Claire.
That sobered him up, with the same effect that a splash of icy water to the face would have done.
There couldn't be any questions asked. How she was here, speaking to the shattered pieces of his mind? Irrelevant. Whether she was truly here, brought forwards in time by science, or whether she was a by-product of his own mind... it didn't matter. He would listen to her.
Layton collected his thoughts. Actually, right now, he was his thoughts. So he collected himself, and found that he was coming across Descole's thoughts in mid-air, too.
The Song of the Stars played...
Descole's stars were made of irrational, disjointed thoughts, but they gave off emotions that Layton could feel as if they were his own. Desperation, fear, anger...
slowly breaking down... one dot of light said.
looking for a cure... another dot of light said.
each day a piece of me dies...
each day i lose more and more of my sanity...
must find a cure...
- That's why you were so desperate to find Ambrosia, said a Layton dot-of-light. Why you were so interested in neuroscience. You needed a cure for your own brain... which was slowly dying...
i don't want your pity! said all of Descole's dots.
Suddenly, reality got its act together and put everything back the way it was supposed to be. In that instant, Layton was standing on the platform of the Eye once more. Both he and Descole were holding swords.
"No..." said Descole, his eyes darting around quickly. "It's gone. The link to Infinity has been broken. I shall... have to dispose of you first."
Layton tensed as Descole ran forward, charging with his sword, the intent to kill clear in his eyes. Layton parried each time, always managing to deflect Descole's blows.
"Perhaps I need not bother," said Descole, still slicing through the air with his sword. "Perhaps I shall go back in time and kill your foolish girlfriend right before your eyes. That would be a marvellous stroke of revenge, wouldn't you say? You took many precious items from me, after all."
Layton stopped abruptly, distracted by the thought of Claire being in potential danger. In that moment of hesitation, Descole sprung forwards, and taken by surprise, Layton had to react with lightning reflexes. He dodged being stabbed with Descole's swinging sword just in the nick of time.
Descole drew back, triumphant in his actions. "This is child's play, Layton! I rather thought you would do better than that. But you're just like your alternate self. Claire is your weakness."
Weakness...? It was true that he had been heartbroken when she had died. It was true that, more than anything, he wanted to know the truth behind the explosion. It was true that, in his heart of hearts, he had known that she was the one for him, and he'd wanted to know whether she felt the same way.
But he also knew what else was true. That if she were alive, she would be right alongside him, supporting him in whatever way she could. He could almost hear her voice cheering him on, and with the memory of her encouraging him, he raised his sword.
"Claire is not my weakness," he said quietly. "She is my strength!"
What happened next was pure impulse. Summoning an incredible amount of both speed and strength, Layton pushed Descole aside, forcing the other man's sword to clatter sideways on the platform. He pointed his sword at Descole's throat.
Descole looked far from afraid. If anything, his contemptuous sneer grew even larger. "Come now, you're not a robot. You could never kill a man in cold blood."
Layton lowered his sword, knowing that Descole was right. This proved to be a mistake, for Descole took advantage of his show of mercy and lunged at him. Layton dodged; but he lost his footing, and his left foot stood on thin air. It was only sheer luck that allowed him to grab the edge of the platform with both hands.
Descole stood over him as he dangled, laughing long and hard, cold and cruel. "Just like your other self! Hanging over the River Thames! A righteous gentleman, as always. You were a fool to believe you could defeat me with such a chivalrous manner."
There was a booming sound, like that of a firework exploding, and the platform shuddered. Layton made a great effort to hold on, swinging backwards and forwards as more explosions rocked the Eye. What was happening?
"Damn you, Layton!" said Descole, yelling over the rumbling thunder. "Every time I think I find something worth a goldmine, you come in and snatch what should be rightfully mine! Not any more!"
He stamped his foot down hard. Layton yelled out in pain, jerking his hurt hand away, and strained hard with his other hand, his legs wriggling as he tried to regain balance. His heart pounded in his skull, his breath came in short gasps - he couldn't let go - his hat fell off his head - his thoughts whirled round - Descole was laughing...
It's over...
Just like my other self...
I'm going to die.
Time seemed to slow to a crawl as Descole's foot came down. Layton shut his eyes, hoping beyond all else that his right hand would not fail him.
And then a bright light flashed in his eyelids. He opened his eyes, to see himself looking down at Descole from a great height. Layton was floating.
Descole looked around, and then located Layton above him. He howled with rage, so furious that the entire sky seemed to fill with the sound of his voice.
"How dare you cheat me like that? How dare you rob me of my second revenge?!"
"The Eye machine has been set to self-destruct," said a voice. Layton looked beside him to see Polly floating right alongside him. "We should leave."
"You... you... saved me..." said Layton, still breathing hard.
"Yes," said Time, "but you should thank Dimitri. He was the one who shut down the eye machine and helped me to reach you in time."
Another explosion caused the swirling vortex underneath the Eye to suddenly pulse, and it grew larger, extending to absorb part of the Eye. Now Descole looked panicked, edging away from the vortex before realising he'd run out of platform.
Despite having been threatened several times in the last few minutes by Descole, Layton couldn't help but feel pity for him.
"I sense that you want to stay..." said Time, as though he thought that this was not a good idea.
"Yes. What about Descole? Can you not save him as well?"
"I don't have enough power. My powers are still being drained. They will not be fully restored until Dimitri shuts down his main time machine. Let's go, it's not safe here..."
As Time said this, the Time-error expanded like a big, round silver balloon, swallowing both Descole and the Eye; and then it twirled round and round, like water flowing down a drain... and vanished with a pop.
"Oh... no... Is he...?"
"He did not survive. But now I shall take you back..."
A flash of light signalled a return to solid ground, on board the Antares. Layton immediately sat down on the floor, feeling the wall with trembling fingers, as though he needed to touch it to actually confirm it was there.
"How... how awful..." he whispered, staring blankly at his hands and then at the wall. He wouldn't wish that fate on anyone, not even his worst enemy.
"Hershel... are you all right?" said Dimitri. "You look a bit shaken... do you want some water?"
"I-I'm fine," said Layton.
"You don't look fine..." said a female voice. It was one that was strangely familiar.
Layton looked up to see who the voice belonged to, and his heart leapt into his throat.
"Claire...?"
Note the third: So did anyone guess the plot twists? Too obvious? Not obvious enough? Didn't like what happened? Let me know in a review! :)
There are two more chapters and an epilogue left to go. Next chapter is called: "A Matter of Time".