Supernatural: Chronicles of the Order 5

Chapter 20: Reiko's Visit

(DISCLAIMER: No, I don't own Supernatural because it belongs to Eric Kripke and Warner Bros. So, enjoy the show! Rated M for graphic violence, adult content, and adult language.)

The Order's main headquarters had been busy as everyone was on high alert into keeping tabs on the Executive Division since General Wetzel's attempt to steal me failed with a dangerous warning on the horizon. It was also the main reason to keep me from being used as a weapon as the danger of Project Apollo still lingered. When Ginryu came towards his office, he noticed a Draaza man dressed in his native robes as he had a cerulean comb with purple eyes while standing there with a cup of coffee in his hands. He never expected the alien figure to appear here as the Draaza man was very youthful despite the fact that he was over four thousand years old and hasn't aged a bit. Whatever motive the Draaza man had was something important as Ginryu was both curious and suspiciou towards him at the same time.

"You sure came in without admittance, didn't you, Vakama?" he said.

"Project Apollo is coming, but I can't let the Executive Division weigh the main progenitor of destiny down to their scare tactics," said the Draaza man as he sipped his coffee.

"Recently, General Wetzel tried to enter into this place, but was stopped by guards who kept him at bay near the drawbridge."

"General Wetzel may be kept at bay, but he's not stupid. He'll stop at nothing to claim his prize just to unleash the most feared weapon in the cosmos."

"And it's Project Apollo… I remember that failed experiment during the time of the Galvanic Uprising and it's also a stern reminder that we can't let this come to fruition, no matter what the costs. I also know how it was unleashed the moment General Wetzel and his cronies used the fraction of the mysterious power on this planet as a weapon. Up towards space, there's a station orbiting above this planet in which it's now a derelict, but floating upwards."

"The Sol-1… We cannot let this madman unleash hell on this planet or else it will suffer with grave consequences."

"And we won't… Sam Winchester may be earmarked to be the ultimate prize, but he will never be a weapon to those who would take advantage of him and abuse his raw power. No one should do that to him, for he has the most highly-charged weapon he has besides his raw power and that is his unending kindness that trumps everything in his way."

Ginryu made his point clear as he vowed to protect me even further. He was also hopeful that the untapped kindness within me will be a weapon that will protect me if Project Apollo is ever to be relaunched again, for it will be my saving grace in the end…

It had been two days since we stayed at Skyward Temple as Reiko was busy preparing cookies for snacktime in the kitchen. When she noticed the twins walking on their wobbly legs, she was happy that they were all over the place as they were also at their climbing stages. By the time she noticed Aora walk towards her, he was stopped as he saw her take out the last batch of cookies from the oven. When she set the hot cookie sheet onto the counter, she got out a spatula and took them off gently one by one while putting them on a different plate with some that were already baked. It was something that she did as she was known to be a good cook for all the right reasons. When she was ready to bring out the cookies, she noticed Ghimru climbing up on the stepstool to grab one from the edge of the plate without letting it fall over. It wasn't long until she took him away from the stepstool as she didn't want him to fall down without warning.

"You shouldn't climb up like that or else Daddy would be worried just like Mommy," she said as she saw Ghimru eating his cookie while getting melted chocolate on his face. "Oh, dear; you are in for a bath soon, little one."

At that moment, Kanna came into the kitchen as she even noticed Aora trying to climb on the stepstool to get at the cookies that were baked earlier. It was a daunting task to keep the twins under control as it was also the messiest that ever happened to a pair of toddlers like them. By the time she saw him take a cookie, she took him from the stepstool as she didn't want him to fall on the floor just in time. It was something that was a mainstay in the twins' mischief as we all had to deal with it both at home and abroad at the same time.

"Looks like the two of them sure love to climb and to get into things," she said as she set Aora down on the floor. "Let's hope that they don't grow tall like a tree early."

"They're a year old and they have the growth of a four-year-old," said Reiko.

"We all know where they got their growth spurts from and he's outside helping the boys do the laundry with Carly following after them. As for the bodyguard in charge, she's watching our every move in which Lindsay kept telling me about how up-to-date she really is."

"Deejatra means well, but she isn't like Kevin due to her sharpness in the Hunter Corps."

"Well, at least we're in the kitchen, but with a pair of messy toddlers."

"Perhaps we'll go and bring the cookies to everyone, for they've been busy with the laundry lately."

At that moment, Reiko ushered the twins out of the kitchen as she saw them walking without any wobbly difficulty. With Kanna following them with a plate full of cookies, she was seeing them go towards the laundry room until one of the twins ran into the room with the large Buddha statue. It wasn't long until Reiko caught up to Ghimru as he was full of energy the moment she steered him out of there. By the time she saw Aora walking towards the mandala in front of the Buddha statue, she got him out of the way as she accidentally steps on it. Just as she was about to leave, she felt a strange force emanating from the mandala as it transported her far from Skyward Temple the moment she saw Kanna running into the room with the plate of cookies in her hands.

"What's going on?!" she cried as she saw the imagery of Skyward Temple changing further.

She was scared as she noticed the imagery changing into something unknown the moment she found herself into somewhere different. She was in unknown territory as she found herself in a kitchen that was remodeled a few weeks ago. The setting was different as she saw a calendar on the wall with the year, 2013, plastered on it with an image of an Irish terrier on it. She was in the past as she wasn't in the present right now. When she ventured out of the kitchen, she walked into a library that had the same Order of Letters sigil plastered on the walls as it was far different than what it was now. When she went towards a room that had a switchboard that resembled an ancient board game, it was nostalgic, but it had small red lights on it. When she saw a plaque on the wall, she saw it to be the old bunker that was in the time of the Elder Days as she also saw the words, "Men of Letters Bunker; Lebanon, Kansas;" embossed in faded gold writing.

She was in the Order of Letters bunker of old before the departure of humankind and other related species several years later. She never saw anything like it before as she wanted to tell me about it the moment she would get back to where she was. It wasn't long until she decided to look around the entire bunker as she went into the halls where the rooms were located. The old atmosphere surrounding it was pure nostalgia as she began to look into one of the rooms. By the time she went inside, she saw a bed surrounded by further nostalgia as she even noticed a machete hanging on the wall. When she sat on the bed, she saw a nightstand filled with old vinyl records as they had strange cover art on them stemming from Led Zeppelin to AC/DC put in a row. She also noticed a box of magazines with curvy women on the cover as she knew of them to be those from Busty Asian Beauties in bold letters.

Picking up one magazine, she flipped through it as she saw many women in risque attire that is more hardcore than Futaba's burlesque days. Putting it back, she decided to steer away from such troubling imagery as she had a feeling that she was treading in naughty territory. By the time she left the room, she was ready to go towards the next one as she saw an old bed that wasn't sturdy, but the quality of it was awful due to its military-grade blanket being itchy. Even the pillows were uncomfortable as they were stuffed with bird feathers instead of cotton. Still, the room needed work as she saw a bookshelf of books that even had an old radio on a nightstand. When she noticed an empty space that had a white piece of paper with black ink that said, "earmarked for big-screen t.v. set," she had a feeling that something would fill it as she noticed a plug socket below. Just as she was about to explore a little more, she heard footsteps approaching as she hid in a closet that had a mixture of old and new clothing in there.

With the closet door closed, she looked through the keyhole as she saw my past self fuming as he was coughing up blood the moment he had a tissue covering his mouth. She had a feeling that he wasn't doing too well as he was also not too happy with the situation he was in. She noticed him stare at the empty space with the paper on the wall as he didn't want what was coming in here to appear on the sly. My past self wasn't too thrilled about what he heard as he sat down on the military-grade cot he slept in while he kept coughing up blood on the tissue in his hand.

"I can't believe that I have to put up with getting a t.v. set that Totsuka won at a raffle, but it's better off in Dean's room instead," she heard him say as he threw away the bloodstained tissue in the wastebasket. "He's really pushing it, but I'm better off with what is in here."

"Sam!" said a voice coming from outside of the room. "We're coming in here with the t.v., so be prepared for the biggest bingewatching fest for the eyes!"

Reiko heard Dean's voice, but she only saw his past self coming into the room with a slim rectangular device with Totsuka holding the other end of it. It was what was earmarked to be in there as she saw them set it down on a square shelf that was sturdy enough to hold it. Even though my past self wasn't thrilled to see it, he was willing to get it out until he was overwhelmed by the sight of what was filling the empty space that was earmarked in the first place.

"That thing is a pain in the ass," said Totsuka. "It's a raffle winner, but at least it has a place to rest at in this bunker."

"You could've put it in Dean's room," my past self said. "Besides, he enjoys all the usual Chuck Norris films and porn all the time with it more than I do."

"Sorry, Dean may have wanted a t.v. set in his room, but there's not enough space after he decorated it with all his war trophies and classic rock."

"He's got a point there, Sammy," he said as he sat on the bed. "Still, after we get the tube put on the air, we'll get rid of this clunker of a bed 'cause it can throw out your back real quick."

"Don't you of all people have the better stuff than I do?" my past self said as he was feeling dizzy from coughing up blood earlier. "Besides, the older sibling gets the better things anyway, don't you?"

"Hey, you ought to be entitled to have a few luxuries and the beds are crap," said Totsuka. "The Men of Letters weren't sleeping on Sertas right now 'cause the meaning of beds will be in the form of memory foam, which I ordered to put in here while the candy-ass bed is going out the door."

"Well, at least I'll get a Tempurpedic for my troubles..."

"Hey, this bunker has a lot of things, but the bed has got to go. As for the t.v. set, it's here to stay 'cause it fits the room very well."

"Recently, Dean and I had to put up with a god's quarrel and removed a curse from a man who died constantly and came back to life. As for dealing with the first trial, it's hell, but at least I'll ride it through the end."

"Hey, let's take a break, shall we?" he said as he smiled.

Reiko never expected my past self to be clingy to the old things as he was starting to miss the awful cot that was about to get tossed out for a different bed. She was aware that those in his inner circle had a point as they all left the room. By the time she emerged from the closet, she saw the t.v. set standing there as it was perfect for this room after all. Still, she wanted to confront my past self about what happened to him as she also wanted to know more about what went on in this time and age in the Elder Days. It was something that she wanted to do, but she had to remain out of plain sight without anyone knowing, for she would soon return to the future without further delay…

Totsuka was busy getting rid of the old bed in my past self's room as it was the most awful thing that complemented the quarters to the extreme. It wasn't long until he noticed the closet door opened in which he had a feeling that someone else was there. Searching inside, he found no evidence as he noticed that Reiko was hiding up on top out of sight. Veering away from the closet, he resumed his dismantling of the bed as he got it out of there in order to allow the new bed to fit in there. Little did he know was that Reiko sneaked away from the room as she crept out of the room without arousing any suspicion. She was in the hall of the bunker as she was most likely to explore the rest of it before going back to her own time. Even though she was many centuries away from the present, she was staring at the bunker in all its glory as it was also a treasure trove filled with many things, but she couldn't stay out of plain sight for long.

After seeing what was there in the bunker, she began to slip out of sight as she crept into the storage hall. The place was a load of many things as she saw the various odds and ends that were part of what happened during the time of the Elder Days. She even noticed a spear that was in a glass case as she noticed it to be part of the many weapons of God. She also noticed several old magazines in a wooden box as she took one of them out to see an image of a voluptuous woman in a strapless bikini holding a parasol on it. Once again, it was the strange smut as Reiko noticed the words, "Voluptuous Asian Lovelies," in black letters. Putting it back, she decided not to look into anything else further as she skittered off into an empty room without anyone knowing.

When she walked back into the halls where the rooms were, she went into one of the empty rooms as she closed the door behind her. She was safe for now, but she would soon go back to her own time as she wanted to see me and the children again. She missed us dearly as she wanted to get back to Skyward Temple as soon as possible, for the time now was put into motion with two threats on the sly. Just as she was about to hide out even further, she heard her stomach growl as she was starting to get hungry. She remembered the cookies that she was baking as she went towards the kitchen without anyone noticing in order to bake them intensely. She never expected the kitchen to be full like that as she saw the main necessities that she needed to bake her oatmeal cookies with raisins. Getting out the oats, flour, baking soda, sugar, butter, and eggs, she was ready to get to work until she noticed that there were no raisins in sight, but only a bag of shredded coconut that was unopened.

She was in luck as she got out a cookie sheet and placed it on the counter along with a bowl to mix the ingredients in. With her hard effort, she followed the instructions carefully as she even had the oven preheated to the precise time that was needed to bake them. With hard work, she was giving her best shot into baking the cookies as she finally got the dough to be the perfect consistency. By the time she got out some parchment paper to cover the cookie sheet, she scooped the dough in handfuls as they were ready to go the moment that the oven was hot enough. Placing them into the oven, she spotted an egg timer as she set it for eleven minutes while waiting for them to bake. Covering the bowl of dough with a lid, she was on point until she noticed footsteps approaching. It wasn't long until she hid in the pantry as she peeked through the keyhole of the door.

She spotted my brother's past self walking in as he was busy putting away some meat into the freezer. It wasn't long until he spotted the mess that was on the counter as he had a feeling that either he or my own past self was baking cookies the moment he decided to put up the main ingredients back into the shelf. At that moment, he smelled the cookies in the oven as he even smelled the coconut that was baked with them. By the time he heard the timer go off, he spotted the oven as he grabbed a pair of oven mitts and took out the cookies while placing them on the counter with the bowl of cookie dough that was on it. He never expected cookies to be baked before, but it was a first as he waited patiently for them to cool off before eating them. It wasn't long until he spotted the cookie dough in the bowl as he decided to wash his hands and begin to make the rest of the cookies as planned without any further delay. With the first batch removed from the cookie sheet, he began to put some more parchment paper on it as he spooned some of the dough onto it.

By the time he was finished, he placed the cookie sheet into the oven as he set the timer to eleven minutes exactly because most cookies started like that. He was on a roll as he watched my past self enter into the kitchen. He smelled the cookies very well as he waited patiently before he had his first one. It was something that was different in the bunker as Reiko watched stealthily without attracting any further attention at all, for she saw them to be more than just Men of Letters.

"Take a good look at these babies," my brother's past self said as he grabbed a cookie and bit into it with such gusto. "These are great and I baked them."

"You never baked before in your life," my past self said as he took a cookie and bit into it. "I was cooking during my days at Stanford instead of chowing down on Doritos and instant ramen all the live long."

"So? I cooked some prime cut during our stint at that ranch, didn't I?"

"It'll be a while before we go all out on diner fare, Dean. Besides, we have a lot of problems that are looking in the air so far."

"We'll be looking for Cass later and such. As for the cookies, I'm hoping to make more of them."

Reiko was overjoyed that our past selves were enjoying the cookies as she hid in plain sight. As for the return journey back to the present, it was on hold until she had time to return to the empty room before being spotted soon enough...

"MAMA!"

The sound of the twins crying filled the hall as I sprinted down to where the room with the Buddha statue was. With Dirk following me, we only saw Kanna and the twins as they were wanting Reiko to return after being zapped into the further time slip. I was concerned about what happened as I saw the same energy emanating from the mandala in front in which I had a feeling that my wife would end up in the past for no reason. Still, I had to find her and get her back before the entire time stream begins to unravel soon enough.

"Sam, thank goodness that you came just in time," said Kanna as she was relieved to see me here.

"What happened, Kanna?" I asked.

"Reiko stepped onto that mandala and she hasn't came back. Even the twins are scared for her when she vanished."

"She could be in the future 'cause I got a taste of it already," said Dirk.

"No…," I said as I sensed something different. "Reiko is in the past in which she is in the bunker of the Elder Days…, on Earth."

"Are you serious?"

"I'm afraid so… Still, I hope that Reiko comes back because the time slip to the past is temporary and it lasts up to twelve hours. After that, she returns and the time stream will be normal without any difficulty at all."

"Reiko will surely return, but she will be exhausted from her travels," said Deejatra as she came into the room. "Her travel towards the Order of Letters bunker on Earth in the Elder Days will have an impact on what will happen here, mark my words."

"She better not break anything in the past," said Dirk. "It would be too risky if she did anything to cause a disturbance in the timeline so far."

"Reiko is also a Nephilim due to her angelic lineage from the Knights of Heaven. She'll soon navigate her way back here soon enough."

We all were worried for Reiko's safety as I feared it the most. She was not only travelling into the past, but she was also with child as the strain would be dangerous for both her and the baby inside of her. Still, we had to wait until she returned as we were most likely to be fearing the worst if need be, for it was something that we had to wait for. Without hesitation, I walked towards the mandala as I felt the energy of it so potently. At that moment, I stepped onto the mandala as I began to see the imagery of the present disintegrating and the past growing. Wherever I went to, I found myself in the same place as I was hell-bent on finding Reiko, for I was worried for her safety after all...

Reiko returned to the same room that had the same military-grade cot pattern in it as she was hiding from the presence of what she saw earlier. Still, she wanted to give my past self a good scolding after he complained about the new t.v. coming into his room earlier as she had to remain out of sight for the time being. Luckily, it rescinded as she noticed him eating her cookies earlier, but she was longing to return home to the present soon enough. Even though it was quiet, she wanted to make sure that the coast was clear as she heard something transport into her hiding place. She recognized the same energy from within as she turned around to see me standing behind her. It wasn't long until I saw her walk towards me as she hugged me warmly, for we were reunited, but in the past on Earth.

"Thank goodness that you're here, Sammy," she said.

"Looks like we both went back in time too far," I said.

"This place is the bunker from the Elder Days and the year it's in is 2013."

"According to the files from this time period, Crowley began his power trip by trying to acquire the Word of God tablets at the time."

"Sammy…," I see Reiko go and sit on the cot as she was concerned about what was going on so far in this time travel trap. "I saw your past self and he wasn't doing too well."

"He was suffering from the trials back then, wasn't he?" Reiko nods. "I see what you mean, but we all know what happens next in which it leads to the time of the Angel Expulsion."

"I also saw Brother's past self and Totsuka in his youth bringing in a t.v. set into one of the rooms, but your past self didn't like it at first."

"As usual, he's still pig-headed, but he also comes through swinging."

"I also saw what Brother's past self had and he shouldn't be looking at such smut like that."

"Back then, Dean's past self always had a thing for burgers, pie, women, classic rock, cheesy action films, and porn. That's how he was in this day and age, but he also had his fair share of terrible experiences along the way."

"Sammy..."

Reiko pointed at something from within the wall as she noticed something peeling from the white wallpaper. Getting up, she went towards the wall as she began to tear it off to reveal the same mural that was plastered in the ruins during our travels. It was a picture of us as we were meant to be put there in the first place, but who painted the mural in this bunker? When Reiko tore the rest of the peeling wallpaper off, she saw the rest of the mural in all its glory as it portrayed the two of us as eternal god and goddess sitting on holy thrones with light shining from above. She never saw anything like it before as it was a sign of what was yet to come in our present timeline.

"Reiko, you can't just tear off the wallpaper like that in this timeline," I said cautiously. "If this occurs, then we will end up displaced or disintegrated forever."

"Sammy…," she said. "This mural on the wall… It's the same, but different..."

"How is this one different than the others we've seen?"

"It's us, Sammy… It's what is said to be a future yet to come."

Without warning, we both heard footsteps approaching as we had to get the wallpaper back onto the wall before anyone notices. It was a daunting task to fix the wall as I was ready to use my raw power to fix it before anyone comes into the room. Just as we were about to do so, we saw the door open as we turned around and noticed my past self standing in front of us with a shocked look on his face. He never expected to see us like this before as he began to cough up blood without warning. At that moment, I came to his aid as I grabbed a tissue from my pouch and gave it to him in order to wipe his mouth with. Still, he never expected me to come here with Reiko before as we also had to get back to our own time before we were trapped here forever. It was also an encounter that will be one for the record books as I was seeing my past self remain calm after seeing me and Reiko here in person.

"Please don't be alarmed," said Reiko as she was standing by my side. "We never meant to scare you like that, so please don't be too worried about how we are right now. My husband was worried about me, so he is trying to bring me home to our own timeline."

"How did you guys get into the bunker?" asked my past self as he was still stunned to see us in front of him. "Does Dean or Totsuka know about this? How did you get that jewel on your forehead and are the ears on that woman real?"

"We came from the future, Sam," I said to him. "The jeweled sigil on my forehead is what I have within me, for it is the raw power that I was born with many centuries later. As for my wife's ears, they're real and we are ready to go back home as planned."

"It's all a dream, isn't it?"

"It's not a dream because you went through the first trial by killing a hellhound and bathing in its blood a few weeks ago. After that, you began to cough up blood and you don't tell your brother about it in which he's been through enough already."

"I even baked cookies for you," said Reiko. "Besides, you should also be thankful with the new television in your room."

"Well, Totsuka did gut the bed in order to make way for the new one to replace it… with memory foam on it."

"You deserve to have such nice things," I said. "I would be envious that there's a t.v. set in your room, but as for the trial situation that you're under, it's no walk in the park."

"I did so much wrong, so these trials I'm going through will run its course. So far, I've let Dean down so many times in which I even abandoned him when he went to Purgatory. I can't let that happen to me again and the things I did will always hang over my head in which I will vow not to forgive myself for them."

"Everyone should forgive themselves, even you and me. I even once complained how horrible you were until I got punched for it. I also heard about how you tried to correct your mistakes after running around soulless, only to be lectured by those who refuse to let you fall under the cracks. As for your own personal problem, you can't keep it hidden forever because of the fact that your brother and those in your inner circle are going to find out anyway. It's only a matter of time before someone spills the beans about the ongoing illness you're going through, for you can't keep it bottled up forever."

I watched my past self stare at us as he notices me get out a small wired notebook and a pen while writing something that I was about to deliver before leaving. By the time I finished, I put the notebook and pen away as I saw my past self stare out of curiosity at what I was writing, but I wanted to keep it secret before going back to Skyward Temple as soon as possible. When he was about to learn more about me and Reiko, we saw a portal emerge as we were ready to go, for he saw us departing without a trace into other parts unknown. At that moment, he didn't know what to think as he decided not to blurt it out too much the moment he left the empty room. By the time he was about to leave, he saw Dean's past self enter as he had a six-pack of beer in his hands.

"Hey, Sammy," he said as he entered into the room. "I found some junk that needs to be catalogued and it's up your alley."

"I'll see what I can do," he answered as he followed his brother out.

"Besides, I have a feeling that our work in the Men of Letters will be a handful by the time we get done with our sorting."

At that moment, Dean's past self stopped briefly as he saw piece of paper on the floor in the form of an origami cat. Picking it up, he unfolded it as he began to read the ink and writing that was written on it as he saw it to be both a warning and an omen in the making.

To Dean Winchester or any who are in the Men of Letters (It read),

I noticed that Sam hasn't been feeling well, but he refuses to tell anyone about

his suffering so far. I'm telling you to look after him and tell the truth, even when

he denies it briefly. The trials are taking a toll on him and he can't do this alone,

for this is what will happen to him in which it goes beyond my control. Even though

there will be failure, there will also be both courage and opportunity to do what is

put in front of them and to always keep fighting.

-A concerned friend from the future.

It was when my brother's past self followed my own as he was ready to keep tabs on him on the sly due to the illness he had. Looking at the wall that had the wallpaper torn off, he saw the mural of what was yet to come as he left it alone for now while leaving the room that was empty. By the time he got into the room with the switchboard, he went towards the wastebasket as he noticed several tissues tinged with blood on them. The futuristic omen was an eye-opener as he saw my past self sitting at the switchboard as he was busy at his laptop looking at things on it. Still, whether past or future, it was relevant all the way as we also had to play our parts in the end…

Reiko and I were back in the room with the Buddha statue as we got off from the mandala and noticed the children eating the cookies that were baked earlier. Everything was the same as we were most likely to be a bigger part of what was yet to come. When we saw the twins walking towards us, we scooped them up as they were happy to see us in full. Still, we had our work cut out for us as we noticed a familiar face enter into the hall in his current appearance and biker gear. It was Totsuka as he was in his current appearance while entering here in Skyward Temple to see us in person after our long absence. He never expected us to return home, but he had a gut feeling that our troubles weren't over just yet as he was ready to deliver the dire news that I didn't want to hear right now.

"It's been a while after the Gale Canyon incident, Sam," he said.

"I'm sorry that I've been gone for so long," I said.

"Hey, if you wanna blame someone for running you off like that, you should blame the asshat that put you in that situation."

"At least I came back, didn't I?"

"It also seems that you and Reiko took a trip through time in which you left a note before going back to the present." Totsuka fishes out a note from his pocket as the writing was there intact. "It was when Dean's past self picked it up to see the writing fade afterwards when he showed it to me. It was also when he was concerned about your own past self during the trials back then, but you knew what happened next."

"Whoa…, that's one sweet outfit!" cried Gyatso as he was excited to see Totsuka in person. "Are you one of those biker guys who rides a Harley-Davidson all the time?"

"You're the curious type, buddy, but I keep my bike in storage."

"I bet that you ride all over the dirt roads anytime you want."

"I would, but I've settled with a triple threat back at Shironami Temple in Heinlein. As for the news I'm about to give out, it's not pretty. General Wetzel was last seen in Doitsu and the worst is yet to come when it turns out that the two lackeys that were off to Shark Island were rescued by the rest of the Executive Division's cohorts and they won't stop until they nab Sam to be their weapon in this bitter power struggle. They're coming for you, Sam, and it's not gonna be pretty the moment they have the ways and means to track you down. I heard it very well from that old lady who lives in the temple up in the Kurosawa Mountains in which she fears the worst if you end up getting captured by the Executive Division. It sucks and both Charlie and I agree that you need to be both safeguarded and hidden in order to get those asshats off your back. In the end, karma will be on your side the moment you stand firm to keep doing what is done best and that's always keep fighting."

The news of General Arbogast and Julilla worried me to the core as I had a feeling that there's no end to such constant misery for me. Still, I had to steer clear as the news about the two disgraced generals had unnerved me to such terrible extremes. Even Reiko was concerned as she didn't want me to succumb to the Executive Division or their deplorable machinations of their making. Still, we had to remain vigilant in our struggle to steer clear from such danger as it was also something that we had to watch our backs for…

Later on in the afternoon, I was in the kitchen making dinner for everyone as I was hard at work making a beef roast with vegetables to go with the bread that I was making. The factor of getting Reiko home back to the present was something for the ages as I noticed an ancient package sitting next to the rice cooker. Walking towards it, I picked it up as I opened it to see a box filled with some old nostalgia from the bunker stemming from a pack of baseball cards to a cookbook that was in good condition. I never expected to get this before, but the time travel to the past was something that became an eye-opener in the end. When I spotted some cookies that were reserved for me, I began to eat at them until I noticed Totsuka come into the kitchen.

"Now, those take me back, but they don't have any coconut in them," he said.

"Reiko must've had an impact on her visit in the past, didn't she?" I said.

"I kind of foresaw her visit the moment I spotted the cookies that the Dean of old finished, but I got the last batch."

"Reiko is one of a kind and a very good cook."

"After you came to get her back, the visit in the bunker of the Elder Days had Dean thinking up a lot of things to cook the moment he and your past self came back on a hunt or two. It was also an eye-opener for them to focus on cooking in the kitchen instead of going out for the usual bar food all the live long."

"It's sad that you didn't live through it..."

"Dude, just because I died in the Elder Days and be reborn, doesn't mean that I counted out the time travel. It was fate that you and Reiko discovered the mural on the wall in the past, for it was painted by a Draaza man who is also a die-hard preserver of bloodlines that were a part of the Order of Letters lexicon. This isn't the first time that a mural of you and Reiko was painted back then, but it's been discovered in other parts on Earth and other planets like on Mars and such."

"And so our true purpose is put in front of us..."

"Dude, your true purpose is put in front of you in many ways than you think. In the Elder Days, your past self got a glimpse of you in this present now as if you're watching an episode of Red Dwarf about Lister seeing his future in front of him. It's about time that you see to your own in the making, for you got it all over you, no matter how many times you stumble and fall all the time."

"It's strange that our time travel hadn't affected the stream yet, but it was made to be told in the end of uncertainty. As for the Executive Division and its unquenchable thirst for power, it's dangerous to see in the long run."

I was now put into such determination as I was most likely to be on the right track when it came to dealing with what was put in front of me. As for what was yet to come, I had to be careful as the worst would be yet to come after that. It wasn't long until Reiko entered into the kitchen afterwards as she smelled the roast cooking in the oven. Even though she had a strange journey to the past, she wasn't about to opt out on the Destiny of Worlds just yet as she was ready to bake the cookies that she was making all day. By the time she saw me come in here to check up on the roast beef and vegetables, she saw the ancient box with the cookbook in it as she marveled at what she was ready to see in it. By the time she looked into the pages of it, she saw a note fall out as she began to read it, for it was a message from the past after all.

To the ones who travelled to the past (it read),

I am more than humbled to eat the cookies that you made earlier in which Dean is

trying to get the recipe for them. As for what is yet to come, I have my reasons to live

it to the fullest and learn the outcome of what is coming towards me. Still, I may be a

little hazy on the details, but I know for a fact that it will all come to fruition for many

years to come. In the end, I might meet my untimely demise, but I will always brave

this decision to what is put in front of me, for I will always keep fighting.

-A friend who knows about the visit in the bunker.

Reiko was happy that she heard from my past self as she didn't have no regrets at all. As for what would happen next, we all had to keep going, for this was the future that is put in front of us for a reason…

To be continued...