CHAPTER 32: KEEPING TIME
IN THE EYES OF THE MULTIVERSE:
Theas's phone rang in his pocket, and he put it to his ear and said, "Yeah?"
"Hey, we need a portal," Gibbs told him on the other end of the line.
"Cool, where to?" Theas asked.
"Dassen Island," Gibbs answered.
Theas typed on his watch and pulled up a virtual screen showing a map of an island. Also populating the map were several dots of various colors. "Uh…okay, I got it. I see ART has gotten involved in quite the party."
"Yeah, you got time to join?" Gibbs asked.
"I can't, man. Daak has me heading to Superias to talk with Seridon," Theas told him.
"Really?" Gibbs said. "That sounds interesting."
"Yep, and you haven't been authorized to join," Theas told him. "You've got a little much on your hands, and we feel it might be a little detrimental to add this to it." He tapped a couple of times on the map.
"Alright," Gibbs said. "Well, I want to hear about it when you're done," he stated.
"Well, we'll see how much clearance I'll have to disclose details," Theas told him as the virtual map disappeared. "Good fighting, Gibbs."
The phone call disconnected, and Theas returned his phone to his pocket as he looked out of the window of the carrier ship as it flew through space.
The carrier ship erupted out of warp just above the surface of a planet, and it descended down into the heavy atmosphere overwhelmed with intense storms. The ship shuddered with furious thunderclaps, and Theas gripped a handrail, standing next to the seats as the ship approached the surface.
After a few minutes, the ship landed, and the loading doors opened to allow Theas to disembark. He looked around at the rocky, mountainous surface of the planet Superias, at the storm clouds churning overhead. The sound of an engine approached, and Theas looked around as a second carrier ship landed. He watched as these loading doors opened, and out of the second ship came Falien.
Falien strode towards Theas, and the two clasped hands tightly, pulling each other into a brotherly embrace.
"It's good to see you, man," Falien said, fixing Theas with a jovial grin.
"I was pleasantly surprised to hear Daak had you pulled from going after Nok," Theas told him as they started walking.
Falien shrugged. "We haven't turned up shit. Even for the Keepers, searching a whole universe isn't easy."
Theas nodded. "Gilo's surfaced, but I'm not sure he's worth going after. I think the Macrobreach Anomalies will get him under control."
Falien gave a wry laugh. "I have to admit, those guys impressed the hell out of me."
"Yeah," Theas agreed, grinning. "They're becoming quite the paramilitary."
THE RECORDS OF BEFORE:
Snow fell thick from deep, purple clouds. A large city was blanketed in white, set amidst a large mountain that rose over the world. The buildings were made of gray stone, built as though growing out of the mountain like trees. The buildings were all square in base. The windows carved out of the stone had no glass. People milled about, thick clothes pulled tightly around them to protect from the snow.
Trudging through the snow that piled a foot deep along the sides of the roads was a young man appearing to be in his late teens. He wore a thin, sleeveless shirt with pants that went down to his shins. He was skinny, almost emaciated. He had tan skin and thick, dark hair that stuck straight up in thin spikes. He gave no acknowledgement towards the cold or the snow. He wrestled his way through the crowds with his hand resting on the handle of a knife sheathed at his waist.
This young man made his way through the streets, all but invisible to the people around him. He made his way to the edge of the city, which overlooked a massive valley below them.
A phone in the man's pocket rang, and he answered it.
"What am I looking for again?" he asked.
He listened to the speaker on the other end of the line. He let out an exasperated breath and said, "Someone like that isn't going to have much reason to come here. Are you sure she'll be here?"
After a pause of silence, the man shook his head. "Alright," he said. "I guess the money's there, so I'll trust you."
The phone call ended, and the young man looked all around him. This area of the city was mostly unpopulated, and he scanned the few individuals within eyesight.
"How much is he paying you?"
The young man quickly spun around, pulling out his knife to hold it defensively in front of him. The blade was silver with an electric blue stripe running up the center. Standing ten feet away, looking at him with a dry grin, was a woman with pale skin and deep, red hair pulled over one shoulder. She wore a plain purple hoodie and black pants, and she regarded the young man with something resembling amused indifference.
"How long have you been observing me?" the man asked.
The woman shrugged. "Long enough to know you're new at this. How long have you been doing hit jobs?"
The young man had to try very hard to keep his face from burning. He remained silent.
The woman nodded. "I'm your first, huh? I'd love to tell you how honored I feel, but I'd be lying."
"You don't seem especially concerned that a major crime lord put a price on your corpse," the young man commented.
The woman shrugged. "Not the first time."
The young man, disconcerted by this woman's nonchalance, was a bit lost on how to proceed. He had planned on taking the woman by surprise when he found her. He was just sizing up his chances in a head-to-head fight when she asked, "So, are we doing this, or what?"
The young man steeled his resolve, and he lunged at the woman. He swung his knife, but she effortlessly ducked the attack and moved out of reach. The man continued to pursue her, and when he swung his knife again, she blocked him at the wrist, struck him in the ribs, and kicked him back.
The young man tumbled across the ground, and when he rolled to his feet, the blade of his knife surged with electricity. The woman smirked, and when the man swung his knife, he fired off an arc of electricity that shot at her. The woman crossed her arms, and a panel of energy formed in front of her that intercepted the young man's attack.
The young man gawked at her, and as the energy panel faded, she lowered her arms to her sides and observed him with a triumphant grin.
"Who are you?" the young man asked, aghast.
The woman scoffed. "You agreed to a contract on me, and you don't even know who I am?"
The man stuttered. "Well–well I know who you are."
The woman shot at him, and he yelped in surprise as he put his knife up to defend himself. The woman shattered his guard, hitting him hard in the face and chest with several strikes that left him dizzy. He stumbled backward, and the woman kicked him in the ribs and knocked him to the ground. The man put his knife up in defense, but the woman kicked it out of his hand before kicking him in the face. The man was left dazed, barely conscious as the woman stood over him.
"Do yourself a favor," she advised, "find a new line of work. This one's not cutting it for you."
The young man didn't respond to her, and his head rolled back and forth as she walked away, leaving him laying on the road.
IN THE EYES OF THE MULTIVERSE:
Theas and Falien approached a gargantuan mountain, stupefying in scale, and they walked to the face while staring up towards the peak. They found a section of rock that was relatively flat, and Theas motioned for Falien to lead the way. Falien stood within inches of the mountain face, and after a few seconds, he was sucked into the rock and disappeared. Theas followed him, and he found himself in a room that appeared to be a cross between a cavern and a warehouse.
Theas and Falien walked across the polished granite floor, entering a corridor that led deep into the mountain. After a few minutes, they arrived into a massive, cavernous room. On the other side from where they came in was a large, smooth cave wall that bowed outward in a semicircle.
"Welcome back," greeted a voice.
"Seridon," Falien responded.
The two Keepers looked around to see a being that rose fifteen feet tall, with six fur-covered legs and bulging arms. Seridon regarded the two Keepers with a dignified calm. His tail twitched a bit as he observed them.
"You got any more wars you want to fight, leave them outside," he told them.
"Well, we're hoping this visit will be a bit more diplomatic," Falien stated.
"I'm hoping it will be a lot more diplomatic," Seridon concurred. "I appreciate you at least giving me a heads up before charging your way in here. Again."
"Look, you've made it clear," Falien stated. "You and Indyctus have no interest in allowing the Keepers to study your technology. And after careful consideration, it's been decided that nothing we do is going to change that."
"You're damn right," Seridon said firmly. "Now, what specifically are you wanting to discuss? I've already told you everything you'd ever want to know about the Kalavign."
"Yeah, that's not why we're here, at least, we don't think it is," Theas stated. "We want to talk about something different."
"I'm listening."
"Are you familiar with the concept of Anomalies?" Theas asked.
Seridon huffed. "Vaguely. You Keepers and Hunters have always made a bigger deal out of that than I ever would."
"Well, we've been going after them, trying to get them home safely," Theas continued. "And when we do, something is happening. We have no idea what it is. It's some powerful force that comes from out of nowhere and causes the Anomaly to disappear. We believe it kills them, but we have no solid evidence of what happens."
"Hm, now that is interesting," Seridon said, putting deep thought towards the matter. "Are there others present when this happens? Are they affected in any way? What do you see when this occurs?"
"There are always plenty of witnesses, but the Anomaly is the only one impacted," Falien answered. "When it happens, all that's perceived is a blinding flash of white light that overtakes everything in the vicinity. When the light is gone, so is the Anomaly. What could cause something like that?"
"Well," Seridon said slowly, "I can certainly see how you would think the Kalavign would be the guilty party, but I don't think it is. Can you give me time coordinates for when these events occur?"
"Yeah," Falien said, pulling out his phone. After typing on it for a few seconds, the phone cast a large, holographic display showing a list of events that Seridon looked over.
After about a minute, he said, "Yeah, these all happened after the Kalavign breached the Efiervis Universe."
"The…I'm sorry, the what?" Theas asked, baffled.
Seridon raised an eyebrow. "The Efiervis Universe. It's where those people came from, the Macrobreach Anomalies, I believe is what you call them."
Theas and Falien exchanged looks. "The Keepers have designated that as Universe 217659. This one is Universe 6704."
"Assigning a number is a bit primitive, don't you think?" Seridon asked. "I mean, really, now. Think about everything that happens across an entire universe. Can you really justify summarizing that with a number?"
"How is it any different than assigning it a single word?" Theas asked.
Seridon shrugged. "I guess you're not wrong. The Primidus use words from their ancient language to designate the different universes. I'm sure it has a lot more meaning to them than any of us, but that's what we're working with."
"So, what do you call this universe?" Falien asked.
"Seiqon," Seridon answered. "Anyway, we've gotten off topic. Back to what we were talking about earlier."
THE RECORDS OF BEFORE:
It took the young man several minutes before he was able to get back to his feet. He looked around. A couple of people were watching him, but as soon as they saw him get up, they turned and walked away, once more pretending he didn't exist. The young man wondered if these people had intended to help him or rob him. He paid no further attention to the matter and began to set out on his way.
The young man's phone rang, and his entire body tensed as though he had been turned to stone. After a few seconds, he pulled out his phone and answered it.
"Yeah," he greeted.
"I hear things did not go the way we planned," said the man on the other end of the call.
"Listen, it's fine," the young man said. "I'm going after her again, I'll get her this time."
"Theas, we both know that's not going to happen," the caller said. "She's long gone, and you'll never see her again."
"No, that's not true," the young Theas said. "I have a plan, I'll find her. The job isn't done."
"You're absolutely right," said the caller. "You're just not going to be the one doing it. Goodbye, Theas."
The phonecall ended, and Theas looked around frantically. He spun around, looking in all directions, and he drew his knife to hold it in front of him. His eyes then widened, and he looked up before diving out of the way.
A figure crashed into the ground right where he had been, letting out a surge of electricity in all directions. Theas sat on the ground, knife in front of him while panting heavily as he looked upon the person who attacked him. They wore heavy armor, dark-gray with electric-blue lines running across it like veins. The person had a helmet with a black visor that concealed their face, and they wielded a thin sword with a gray blade and electric-blue edge.
Theas scrambled to his feet, and he observed the current of electricity coursing through the person's whole body. The attacker shot at Theas with breathtaking speed, swinging their sword. Theas blocked the attack, but he was momentarily stunned as the attacker kicked him away. Theas hit the ground and rolled back to his feet, but he quickly backed away as the attacker came at him again.
After Theas evaded two slashes, the attacker aimed their fist, pumped electricity into it, and fired a powerful bolt that crashed into Theas. Theas gasped in pain as he was thrown back. Electricity coursed through his body, paralyzing him as the attacker marched towards him, raising their sword. Theas tossed three black marbles onto the ground at the attacker's feet, causing them to stop and stare.
The marbles erupted in powerful, fiery blasts that consumed the attacker. Theas got up and ran, fast as possible, away from the attacker. He shot past people watching the fight, and after a few seconds, the attacker stepped out of the burning fire. They stared after Theas as he rounded a corner several hundred feet away, and he was gone.
IN THE EYES OF THE MULTIVERSE:
"You really can't tell us the cause of this?" Falien asked Seridon.
"Well, no, not immediately," Seridon stated. "Based on what you've told me so far, it sounds like the work of Primidus, but I really don't think Indyctus is the ringmaster on this one."
Theas and Falien exchanged disconcerted looks.
"Listen, I'll dig into this a little bit more and see if I can find an answer," Seridon assured them. "It's going to take some time, though. The Primidus don't exactly operate conspicuously, if you haven't noticed."
"The Keepers are available to lend a hand with anything you need to figure this out," Falien told him.
Seridon scoffed. "I'm sure they are. Indyctus only ever gave me clearance to show you the Kalavign. He does not want you seeing anything else about the Primidus. I'm guessing they've kept themselves secret from the Keepers all these eons for a reason."
Falien looked as though he had swallowed a walnut, but he kept his mouth shut.
"How goes the search for that Hunter faction you were fighting?" Seridon asked. "I saw they retreated after your battle. You have any luck catching up with them?"
"My team was going after them, but they've stayed ahead of us," Falien repeated. "Why, have they come back here?"
"Yeah, that Nok fellow tried a couple of times to get in here," Seridon told them.
"What?" Theas said.
Falien looked ready to attack Seridon. "Why didn't you tell us?"
"What would have been the point?" Seridon asked. "They can't get in here, and by the time you would have gotten here, he'd be long gone. I can handle myself here just fine."
"Yes, but the Hunters continue to hurt people the longer they're out there," Theas reasoned. "We have reason to believe that Nok's Kill Team has killed four Anomalies since they left Superias."
"I empathize with you on this, but I'm sorry to say it's not my concern," Seridon told them.
"And what happens when Nok finds a way in here?" Falien asked.
"Then he fights me, and I promise you, he's not winning that one," Seridon answered.
"All the more reason for you to work with us and help stop them," Theas stated.
"Okay, and then what? Let's put aside for a moment the fact that Indyctus would never even consider approving me leaving this post to help you. We go after Nok and his bad boys and girls. We kill them. What happens after that? Another Kill Team comes along? A group even more powerful than the last one? And once we kill them, there's another one waiting. It's an endless cycle. I respect that you have your war to fight, but it's your war. The Primidus and their Dominions are staying out of it."
Theas and Falien stared at Seridon, trying desperately to conceal their frustration, but Seridon didn't miss it.
"You don't have to like it," he assured them.
"I want to ask you something else," Falien interjected, quickly changing the subject. Seridon stared at him, waiting. "When we first met you, you said you weren't sure how or why the Kalavign was activated. You said that Indyctus had full control of this machine, but then you talked like it might not have been him that caused the Macrobreach. Is it possible someone or something else used the Kalavign to do this?"
Seridon considered the question for a moment. "Very technically, yes. You'd find it hard to convince me anyone other than a Primidus was responsible, but I actually haven't received full confirmation that Indyctus was the one behind the event."
"And you haven't asked him?" Theas asked.
Seridon shrugged. "I haven't seen him. He hasn't been here in about six hundred years."
"Don't you have a way to contact him?" Falien asked.
"Yes, but that doesn't mean he has to answer," Seridon told them. "Believe it or not, I have tried to confer with Indyctus on this Macrobreach, but he hasn't shown any interest in revealing any details."
Theas and Falien exchanged looks, frustrated and at a loss for how to proceed.
THE RECORDS OF BEFORE:
Theas ran. He ran far and quickly to get as far away from his hunters as possible. As he tore through alleyways, as isolated from open view as possible, he looked over his shoulder to ensure he wasn't being pursued. He expected his attacker to burst through a wall and slaughter him at any moment, but for now he didn't detect any sign of incoming assault.
He eventually found himself in an old, decrepit storage facility that had been abandoned years ago when the company's owners moved offworld. Theas broke in through a window and snuck out of sight. He sat down against a wall, away from the street, and he panted and shuddered. It took several minutes for him to regain control of his breathing, and he took inventory of his situation.
There was nothing in this warehouse in terms of resources. The only things that had been left behind were rickety metal shelves and several hundred boxes of various sizes. There were no weapons. There was no food. Even if he chose to stay here, he had no way to survive. And when his attacker caught up with him, he would have no way to defend himself. Theas was unable to devise a solution. He clutched his knife tightly in his hands, and he looked around once more to make sure no one was about to attack him.
The air around him charged, brimming with power, and Theas looked around just as the wall near him was blasted apart. Electricity erupted into the storage facility, and Theas shielded himself with his arms from the debris. The dust and rubble settled, and Theas looked around as his attacker walked in. Trembling, Theas stood against his attacker, who stared him down silently.
"Theas, Theas."
Theas looked around, jaw hanging half-open, as a second individual walked into the storage facility. A man in his early forties, he wore an expensive suit consisting of a dark-purple shirt underneath a black jacket with pressed pants. He had fair skin, a full beard, and thick, brown hair held in a ponytail.
This man regarded Theas with a bemused grin, meanwhile Theas had to put a great deal of effort into controlling his trembling.
"I assume you knew my reputation before you took this contract," the man said to Theas, his sadistic grin unwavering. "You knew what you were bringing on yourself if you failed."
"Mekadro," Theas said, his teeth gritted. "Come on, man."
"No," Mekadro said, cutting Theas off. "No, I'm not here for your excuses. I don't want them."
Mekadro motioned towards the armored individual, who aimed their sword at Theas and charged electricity across their whole body.
"As I'm sure you're well aware, I have a wealth of assassins with a wide variety of specialties and abilities. My friend here, she likes to go by the name Stormedge. I honestly don't even know what name she was born with, but we mutually appreciate the relationship we've coveted over the years."
"Don't do this!" Theas said, backing towards a corner as Stormedge closed in.
"I didn't want this," Mekadro told him. "You didn't give me much of a choice when you didn't hold up your end of the contract."
"But he did hold up his end."
Everyone in the room looked around as the woman that Theas had attempted to assassinate stumbled through the hole Stormedge made in the wall. Theas, Mekadro, and Stormedge watched with some incredulity as the woman straightened up, looking around at them all while brushing dust and rubble off of her clothes.
"Hi, everyone," she said, giving a sheepish wave. "Anyway, Mekadro, as I was saying, your hitman here did accomplish his goal. He brought me here to you."
Mekadro stared at her with a raised eyebrow, stunned into silence for several seconds. When his brain caught up with his surroundings, he nodded. "I guess I can't argue," he conceded. "It wasn't quite the way we agreed upon, but there were no stipulations against you bringing yourself to me out of pity for him."
Theas was still gawking at the situation. Stormedge stared mutely at the woman, waiting for Mekadro's orders. Mekadro took off his suit jacket, and he laid it on a shelf nearby. On his wrist was a mechanical wrist brace that supported a small gun.
"Since I'm the one doing the killing, I don't even need to pay Theas, so it's a win-win for me," Mekadro said as he aimed his gun. "Thanks, Jensa."
Jensa didn't even flinch, and she crossed her arms in front of her. Mekadro fired a shot, unleashing a single bolt of red energy. Jensa's energy shields activated, intercepting the shot and forcing her back a step. Mekadro's eyes narrowed in anger, and he motioned for Stormedge to attack. Stormedge immediately stepped forward, building up electricity into her blade.
Theas charged electricity into his own blade, and he moved to intercept Stormedge. Stormedge, seeing Theas approaching, swiped her sword and fired a powerful arc of electricity at him. Theas held his knife defensively in front of him, and the electric arc crashed into him and knocked him back.
Jensa leapt at Stormedge, and when Stormedge swung her sword, Jensa blocked it with her energy shield. Stormedge was buffeted by the defense, and Jensa stepped in and kicked her in the ribs. Stormedge stumbled back, and Jensa slammed her energy shield into her and knocked her off her feet. Theas managed to struggle to his feet, and he watched Jensa and Stormedge battle through the storage facility. He tried to look for an opening, but the furious battle left him feeling quite ineffectual.
Mekadro, meanwhile, leaned with his back against a wall, typing on his phone and not paying the least bit of attention to the battle in front of him.
"Hey, real quick," Mekadro said to Theas, not looking up from his phone. Theas looked around at him, and he said, "You're absolved of my displeasure, but you try and intervene on my operation again, and we're going to have a big problem."
Theas stared at Mekadro, stuck between saving himself or helping Jensa. He looked back to the fight and saw that Jensa and Stormedge were fighting on even ground. They exchanged attacks between Stormedge's sword and Jensa's shields, and neither was able to deliver a significant injury against the other.
Jensa swung her leg at Stormedge, but Stormedge let off a powerful current of electricity across her body. Jensa was electrocuted, being knocked down as Stormedge stood over her. Stormedge focused electricity into the blade of her sword until it surged like lightning, and she brought the sword down on top of Jensa with all her fury.
Theas shouted out, but the strike never connected. The sword hung in the air, about a foot from killing Jensa. Jensa watched the sword with wide, unblinking eyes. The electricity, once churning and surging across the area with the power of a thunderstorm, hung frozen in the air like a statue. Theas observed this phenomenon, absolutely baffled, and he looked around at Mekadro. Mekadro was also frozen in the middle of typing on his phone.
"What the hell?" Theas whispered.
"Theas Fal."
Theas looked around in surprise, holding his knife close to him. Jensa, Stormedge, and Mekadro continued to remain frozen. He couldn't tell who had spoken at first, but then he saw her. She appeared to be in her late thirties, but Theas had the impression that she was in fact much older. She had short, black hair that came to her shoulders. She wore a black, long-sleeved shirt with matching pants that had silver armored plating over it. The woman observed Theas, seeming quite separate from the battle she had somehow frozen.
"Who are you?" Theas asked, breathless.
"My name is Daak," the woman answered. "I'm here to recruit you."
Theas stared at her, mouth hanging open, eyes wide. He had been stupefied by the sudden appearance of this woman. While trying to determine if he had already died and entered some kind of dream realm, he said, "Recruit me for what?"