Author's Note: Thanks to whoever "toolazytologin" (not sure who you are) and everyone else. Here's a new one. Hope you like!
Chapter 15: Dreams
"Hey, take it slow," Rose said to Mike when he opened his eyes several hours later. He looked at her and smiled, happy that she was awake and sitting next to him. Somehow he was back, sitting in the bed in the basement instead of in the bathroom. He was very confused as to what he had dreamt, but it had felt weird to him. The memories were still there and even though his head no longer hurt, he held his hand to his head as if that would somehow make things clearer.
"You feeling better?" Ginny asked walking over to them.
"Much," Mike said. "Rose, are you ok?"
"Yeah," she answered as he reached up to touch the wound on her head. "Thanks to you."
"Ginny?" Mike asked, worried about how she'd fared after whatever she did to help his head. He pushed himself up into a seated position and ignored the look Rose shot him. He didn't want to lay down, but he at least leaned his head against the wall which seemed to satisfy Rose.
"Fine," Ginny answered with a smile.
"I told you not to do that, you know," Mike said. "You'd already worn yourself out saving Micky."
"I'm fine," Ginny said. "I couldn't do as much as I normally would have been able to and it did wear me out a little. I had to leave you in the bathroom for an hour until Rose woke up."
"What did you do exactly?" Mike asked.
"I released some tension," Ginny answered. "Expanded the blood vessels. It's not hard exactly, but it does take some out of me. But I'm ok. So your head's ok?"
"Yeah, it's actually much better now," Mike said. "Do you remember when I told you earlier about those weird images in my head?"
"Yes," Ginny answered. "You said they were just flashes of things. You couldn't make anything out."
"Well I had a dream that clarified things," Mike said. "I think maybe that's why my head is better."
"What are you talking about?" Rose asked.
"When he touched that box, he started seeing images," Ginny answered.
"Like a little broken, out of focus movie projector," Mike added. "Only now it's not broken and it was in focus."
"What happened?" Ginny asked.
"It was weird," Mike answered. "It's like I was someone else. I wasn't in control of my body. There were these men discussing a Templar plot and something about a prophet. And they were sort of...Puritans."
"Puritans?" Rose asked. "Like Thanksgiving, early America people?"
"Exactly," Mike said.
"That doesn't make any sense," Rose said.
"I know it doesn't," Mike agreed. "Ginny, I need to know what's happening to me. I know I already asked you, but...you really don't know anything about any of this?"
"Well, um," Ginny said almost nervously. "When I was a little girl, my grandmother had me start this ritual...sort of. It was supposed to help me get in touch with my ancestors. I used a fragment of an artifact and meditated. It's how we all know where the artifacts are buried and how to protect them. We see our ancestors burying them. We saw things through their eyes. I didn't really get to finish before my father killed my mother and took me."
"What does that have to do with Mike?" Rose asked.
"You think that's what's happening to me?" Mike asked. "That I'm seeing something from my ancestor's past?"
"Maybe," Ginny said. "It's just a theory. I don't know for sure. I didn't get to finish my connection."
"How is that possible?" Rose asked. "He's not a witch."
"No," Ginny agreed. "But...there are different artifacts that do different things. There's the most common artifact, the Apple of Eden, that controls humans and takes away their will, but there's also a sword wielded by Joan of Arc, Attila the Hun, and King Arthur, an ankh with healing powers, Moses's staff, and the Shroud of Turin to name a few. They each-"
"Wait, the Shroud of Turin and Moses's staff?" Rose interrupted.
"King Arthur was real?" Mike added.
"Yes," Ginny said. "My ancestors researched miracles and special events throughout history. Sometimes one of us was there, so we could just access the memory. These were all pieces of Eden, as the artifacts are called. They were all protected by Assassins and the predecessors of the Assassin's. Sometimes a Templar would get ahold of one as was the case with Attila the Hun, but usually they ended up in the hands of good men trying to make the world a better place through peace. Like Jesus and Moses. Moses used the staff to save his people and Jesus rose because of the shroud. Joan thought she was talking to God, but it was the sword. It was an artifact. As was Excalibur."
"You're serious?" Rose asked.
"I know it sounds far-fetched, but these are all considered miracles from God," Ginny said. "And in a way, they are. Just a different God than most people thought. You remember, of course, that only King Arthur could pull the sword from the stone, right?"
"Of course," Mike nodded.
"Well that was because, my ancestors thought, he was a descendant of the first civilization," Ginny said. "They couldn't prove it, but only certain people throughout history could touch and use the artifacts well. The others would usually be driven mad or they couldn't make it work at all. The people that could often didn't even know they were doing it."
"Like Joan talking to God?" Mike asked.
"Yes," Ginny answered.
"You're saying Jesus, Moses, Joan of Arc and all those other people are part God?" Rose asked. "Like you?"
"Yes," Ginny nodded. "At least that's the running theory with us. We didn't have DNA testing to prove it, obviously. But it's the only thing that makes sense."
"What's that got to do with me?" Mike asked.
"Each God in Roman, Egyptian and Greek history had different domains," Ginny said. "The Egyptians called my ancestor Isis. She was the goddess of the hearth and fertility. Her descendants are witches today. That much we know. What we don't know is what the attributes of the other descendants are. But we have a theory...some of these people who wielded the artifacts already had special talents. Enhanced strength, agility, or perception. Or all of them. And there were some that would heal really quickly. Or be almost impervious. Agility would go with Hermes, strength would go with Zeus. The god of war could have multiple attributes. Bastet was an Egyptian healing Goddess. I could go on."
"Again, what's that got to do with Mike?" Rose asked, but Mike thought he saw where Ginny was going.
"Mike can see in fog," Ginny answered. "Mike got his arm sliced open when he and Micky rescued me and a few days later it was as nothing happened. He's stronger than most other Assassin's and faster."
"You think I'm a God too?" Mike asked a little shocked.
"You do realize Micky and I have all that, too, don't you?" Rose laughed. "That would me Micky and I are Gods as well."
"Part God," Ginny corrected. "Otherwise you'd be immortal. And I'm really only guessing here. But it would explain why he could touch the box and not die."
"Why?" Mike asked. "You said you couldn't even touch it without dying and you're part God."
"I don't think I can touch it," Ginny admitted. "But maybe I can. It's not like any member of my family has actually tried it. But since it's technology from the first civilization, and historically only first civilization descendants could use them properly, perhaps only first civilization descendants can touch the box."
"So the artifact is implanting some memory of an ancestor into his head?" Rose asked.
"No," Ginny answered. "The memories are already encoded in our DNA. The artifact just makes it possible to access them."
"What?" Mike asked confused.
"How do birds know to migrate south?" Ginny asked. "Or bears hibernate? How does an antelope know to run from a cheetah the first time it sees one?"
"Instinct," Rose said.
"Instinct because that's what they're ancestor's did," Ginny said. "It's called genetic memory. It's what helps determine what you are going to do during a fight or flight scenario. It's engrained deep inside us, but we can't access it."
"That might actually make sense," Rose said. "It's crazy, but when you think about it...we are different than other Assassin's."
"Let's say that's what's happening and I'm getting visions from an ancestor," Mike said. "Why? I'm sure there are hundreds of ancestors in my genes. Why this one? Random?"
"No," Ginny said. "At least it wasn't when I accessed them. Somehow the artifact helps guide that process by picking an ancestor that needs to teach or tell us something."
"So this puritan guy needs to tell Mike something?" Rose said. "What could he possibly need to know about what happened in colonial America?"
"I don't know," Ginny said. "But whatever it is, I can help guide Mike the rest of the way."
"Absolutely not," Rose said.
"I think I get a say in that," Mike said.
"Mike, she said you had a headache so bad you very could barely stand up," Rose said. "With only God knows what's going on with Micky, we need you to-"
"Micky's gonna be fine," Mike interrupted. "He was awake when they took him and as much as it pains me to say it, Robert is not going to let Micky die. He knows now there's too much riding on Micky. He thinks Ginny passed out because she was in shock over Micky getting shot. He knows how much Micky means to her and he needs to use that to get what he wants. Micky's gonna be fine."
"Until they start torturing him," Ginny mumbled.
"We have time to worry about that later," Mike said. "And my head is fine now."
"It wasn't before," Rose said.
"And if he doesn't see what he's supposed to see, it'll kill him," Ginny said adamantly standing up.
"What?" Mike asked.
"The reason your head was hurting so badly before is because you were ignoring it," Ginny said. "It's like something shouting inside your head and if you just keep ignoring it, it's gonna start yelling louder."
"Can't you turn it off?" Rose asked. "You said you didn't finish it!"
"I finished 2 of the 3 ancestors I was supposed to," Ginny said a getting angry. "It was the last ancestor I didn't even get a chance to start. Plus I'm a witch, so I know how to handle magic better than either of you. Rose, I did this when I was 6 years old. If it wasn't safe, why would my family let a 6 year old do it?"
"You were a 6 year old witch," Rose argued. "What if it affects him different because he's-"
"Stop, Rose," Mike interrupted. "Look, I get that the only reason I'm seeing something is because I touched that damn thing, but if this guy has something important to show me, I need to see it. It's my decision. It's my head."
"I'm just scared," Rose said quietly after a tense moment between them. "I lost my mother, and now Micky. I can't lose you, too."
"You're not going to lose Micky or me," Mike said pulling her close to him. He could feel her shudder a little as she stopped fighting back tears. Mike stroked her hair and whispered to her that everything was going to be ok. He just hoped he was right.
