The Campbell Chronicles
Chapter 23
in a flash of red light, Wanda, Nicholas, David, Bailey, and Yolanda appeared in the Gotham Botanical Gardens. Instantly, vines coded in thorns shot toward the group.
Nicholas eyed the vines briefly; his vision shifted, showing him the atoms that made them up and how energy bound them together in a specific pattern. Things were back to normal in the blink of an eye, and Nicholas raised a hand, enclosed in pale green energy streaked with blue, and the vines froze.
Nicholas flinched back as he took control of the vines; Pamela's control of the green was greater than his.
His feet slid along the ground as his knees shook.
The vines writhed in his mental grasp, but Nicholas curled his hand into a fist, and the energy around the vines glowed brighter. The energy shifted, clinging to the vines like a second skin that held them in place, "Is this the way to greet guests, Miss Isley?"
"I typically don't get guests," a feminine voice said, the vibrations of the voice ruffling the leaves of the trees around them. "I get people that want something, so why are you here?"
Nicholas stayed silent, thinking of his options. In the end, he was here for something, but hopefully, it would be something she was interested in, so he decided to go with the truth.
"I take it you saw the strange energy that washed over the planet today."
"Everyone did; what's your point?"
"And were you changed by that energy?"
Silence fell in the forest, but Nicholas already knew the answer. He could feel her mind in the plants around them with his telepathy. She now not only controlled them with her thoughts, but she saw through them they were extensions of her eyes and ears. With practice, he would bet she would be able to feel through them, too, but given how fragile plants were, he wasn't sure that was a good thing.
"From your silence, I take that as a yes."
"You still haven't told me what you wanted."
Releasing a breath, Nicholas felt the plants around them trying to draw back. Lowering his hand, he let his energy fade and watched as the plants that attacked them withdrew into the forest's depths.
"You were not the only one that was changed. Animals of legend have begun appearing worldwide; I want you to work with the people behind me and me to terraform Mars to put those animals there and the meta-humans that have begun being persecuted to live in peace."
"You're nuts."
"Maybe, but are you interested?"
Leaves rustled directly before them, and a woman emerged from the forest. She was 5'8" tall with sun-kissed skin, long, wavy red hair held in place by a crown of leaves, and green eyes. She wore a toga that showed off her well-toned arms and curvy figure. Vines wrapped around her wrists and ankles.
Nicholas raised an eyebrow, "Going for the mother goddess look, I see."
Pamela shrugged, "it just felt right with the changes I've been going through."
Nicholas nodded and was about to ask about the gift he left behind, but Pamela cut him off, "I know Wanda Nielsen, but who are your other friends?"
"I wouldn't call us friends, but these are Bailey Brandon," he pointed to the blonde woman, "David Drake," he pointed to the blue-skinned man with white hair and red eyes, "and Yolanda Montez," he pointed to the Auburn-haired woman cradled in David's arms.
"They are connected to the moon, the parliament of vapor, and the red, respectively."
Pamela glided forward. With each step she took, the grass grew thicker, and the heavy scent of flowers filled the air, "What's wrong with her?" She asked, stopping before David and letting one hand hover over Yolanda.
"The red is tearing her apart; the new animals being born are throwing off nature's balance, but at the same time, they are part of nature, so a part of her wants to protect them, while another part wants to destroy them."
Pamela nodded and turned to stare at Nicholas, "Do you truly believe we can terraform Mars."
"The Martians did it before and weren't connected to energies from multiple destroyed universes."
Everyone but Wanda looked at him, but Nicholas waved them off. "I'll explain later; Are you in or out? There's one more place in Gotham we need to go," he glanced at Yolanda, "and I'm not sure how much time we have."
Pamela glanced around. "I'm fighting a losing battle here. Maybe I can save the green by cultivating it in another world." She turned back to Nicholas, a hard look in her eye. "I'm in."
Nicholas turned to Wanda, "Take us to Slaughter Swamp, please."
The group disappeared in a flash of red light.
As they left, the garden Pamela Isley had spent years cultivating began to sink beneath the earth.
–XX –
The group appeared in Slaughter Swamp in a flash of red light. Their feet sunk into the mud with a squelching sound as the scent of stagnant water wafted around them. Sunlight reflected off muddy water with a yellow tinge.
Pamela stepped forward. Tree branches bent toward her, reaching to caress her skin like loving pets. Slowly, she turned to look at Nicholas, her eyes glowing. "Please tell me we're not here to get Solomon Grundy."
Nicholas cocked his head to the side, "The zombie guy? No, we're here to get someone much older."
Nicholas turned away and began Walking deeper into the swamp.
Pamela moved up on Nicholas's left, swatting at mosquitoes while eyeing a snake as it curled around a tree, "How do you know there's someone here connected to one of the elements?"
"I went away for a while but left a counterpart. While my counterpart was handling business, he sensed certain individuals connected to the elements but was incapacitated before he could contact them."
Pamela looked at him as they stepped onto a small island surrounded by muddy water. "I thought you seemed different before your powers seemed vast. Now you seem like part of the world," her eyes narrowed, "but you're changing again."
"You're not the only one changed by the energy that enveloped the world," Nicholas said, stopping before a gnarled tree. He placed his hand on the bark, "Prepare yourself. Don't know what kind of reaction we're going to get."
Closing his eyes, Nicholas breathed as the others formed a loose ring around him. As the breath left his body, he forced a little earth energy from his heart into the tree and followed it as it traveled down the bark and into the soil.
The gold energy traveled into a small hollow and curled around a young form.
Green eyes snapped open, and the ground shook, sending ripples through the water. Leaves fluttered down from the trees, settling on the water.
Branches snapped as little animals in the area ran for cover.
Nicholas backed away from the tree as it split in half. As the two halves fell on either side of the island, creating a natural bridge to the land, a feminine form rose from beneath the roots.
Red hair caked with dirt flowed down her back, and green eyes burned beneath loose strands. A torn plaid dress hung off her thin frame.
The redhead's gaze panned around her before her eyes slowly shut, and she fell forward.
Nicholas moved forward, using his powers to guide her fall into his arms.
Wanda moved up beside him, "Who is she?"
"Gaia Rosenstein."
The group drew closer, and Pamela leaned over the girl. "How long has she been within the earth?"
"187 years."
Bailey nodded, "That explains the clothes."
"How are we going to deal with this?" David asked.
The group looked at him.
"The girl has been under the ground for almost two centuries; everyone she ever knew is dead, and the world has passed her by. Nothing is the same."
Nicholas cleared his throat, "I know some of us came together in less-than-ideal circumstances, but this girl and people like her appear worldwide. They develop powers, and most are scared. I dream of terraforming Mars as a place where these people can come and learn to control their abilities. I hope it can be a place where people live, and we grow as a society away from the politics and ideals of this world,"
Nicholas nodded at Gaia and Yolanda, "These two are the first people we will help," he glanced at the rest of the group, "That is if this is something you can all get behind."
Bailey narrowed her eyes as Gaia began to stir in Nicholas's arms, "I stayed with Martin because I thought he was helping people regardless of who he associated with. If you are honest, I can get behind this dream of yours."
"I'm willing to let you all look within my mind; Wanda will confirm that my memories and intentions haven't been altered."
"Who are you people?"
The group looked down to find Gaia staring around her.
Nicholas shifted, sitting Gaia down on her feet.
Backing away, Nicholas gestured around them, "I am Nicholas Campbell. This is Wanda Nelson, Pamela Isley, Bailey Brandon, David Drake, and Yolanda Montez."
Gaia backed away toward the tree at the center of the island. "Why are you here? Where are my friends?"
The group looked at each other, and Nicholas reached out with his mind, connecting to them telepathically.
'What's the play here? Do I tell her or show her telepathically.'
David was the first to say, 'Whatever you do, don't lie; that will worsen the situation.'
Nicholas inclined his head ever so slightly and focused on Gaia, "Miss Rosenstein, you are what is known as a meta-human. Years ago, you fell beneath the earth, and your abilities activated to save your life, keeping you in suspended animation."
Gaia glanced back at the tree, memories flashing through her mind of the earth giving way beneath her feet.
Gaia fell onto her butt, tears pooled in her eyes, "How long?"
Pamela leaned over to Wanda, "She's talking very well for someone from the 1700s."
"I would bet money Nicholas transferred modern language into her mind."
"187 years."
Gaia released a wail that echoed through the trees as she began rocking back and forth, her knees drawn up to her chest.
Nicholas knelt before her, reaching out but hesitating to touch her, "I'm sorry, but right now, the world needs you."
Gaia's head snapped up, her emerald eyes burning, and her teeth bared in a rictus snarl, "You should have left me beneath the earth!" Rock exploded up from the ground and slammed into Nicholas's chest, sending him flying across the swamp.
Pamela stepped forward, her hands raised.
Vines spread beneath her feet, holding the soil in place.
"Listen, I know you're hurting right now, but this is not the path you want to take. I have been down that road, and you will live to regret it."
Gaia's head snapped toward Pamela.
For a long moment, the two redheads stared at each other. Finally, Gaia looked down, and sobs began shaking her body.
Pamela knelt before her and wrapped her arms around the girl. "They're all gone," she wept into Pamela's chest; "my parents, my brother, my friends, my life; what do I do now?"
Pamela held the girl to her chest, slowly petting her hair, gently removing the dirt tangled there, "I can't tell you what to do, but I can tell you I will be there to help you."
The group looked at her as Nicholas flew back to the island, but she ignored them. For some strange reason, she had a connection to this child, and she wouldn't let her travel down the same path she did because of anger and bitterness.
By the time the girl had stopped crying, she had fallen asleep against Pamela's chest.
Pamela rose, lifting the girl off the ground using vines. "Let's get this over with," she said, looking at Nicholas. "Will this plan of yours hurt us?"
"No, it shouldn't, and if it does, I will bear the burden."
Wanda turned to look at him, "Where to next?"
Nicholas closed his eyes. "About 200 miles off the coast of Japan," he opened them. "Keep us floating in the air until I can create a platform to stand on." Nicholas rubbed his chest, "I hope this one isn't as violent."
With a slight smirk, Wanda teleported everyone away in a flash of red light.
– XX –
The group appeared above the ocean.
Water stretched as far as the eye could see in every direction.
Reaching into the water, Nicholas isolated the salt and began pulling it together.
A pillar of salt 20 feet in circumference rose from the ocean. Slowly, the group floated down and settled on the platform. Once they were all stable, Nicholas turned and approached David Drake, who still cradled Yolanda.
Placing his hands on the woman's temples, she opened her eyes with a gasp.
Her head whipped from side to side, "Where am I? Who are you people?"
Nicholas backed away and turned his attention to Pamela and Wanda, "What do you think about taking Gaia and Yolanda to Japan," he nodded to the distance, "and explaining things to them?"
Pamela glanced toward Gaia. "It could overstimulate her, and the language barrier would be confusing, but it could also show her how the world has changed and help her forget about what she lost, if only for a moment."
"I can take care of the language barrier," he turned to Wanda.
"Why do I feel like you're trying to get rid of us?"
Nicholas shook his head, "I'm not. I just realized we have two individuals who don't know the plan, and if my idea is to succeed, we will need their cooperation. You two are the gentlest of everyone in the group."
Pamela snorted, "It's kind of sad when you think about it, considering I'm labeled as a mass murderer."
Wanda glanced between Yolanda and Gaia, "I'll go, but I think we need to take Bailey with us since we are unknown to Yolanda."
"Fair enough. Do you mind helping Gaia be more presentable while I talk to Bailey?"
Wanda nodded and moved over to the bed of vines that cradled Gaia.
Nicholas moved over to the group from the meta-human affairs facility.
They turned to him as he approached, but Nicholas focused on Bailey, "Do you mind taking Yolanda and Gaia to Japan and explaining the situation to them?"
Bailey narrowed her eyes, "Why, got something to hide?"
Nicholas rolled his eyes, "if I had something to hide, I would want all of you to go, but if you notice I didn't mention David's name, but if it eases your mind, I will leave you all telepathically connected so that you can hear our conversation," he shook his head, "I can already tell it's going to be a pain in the ass working with you."
Bailey turned to David, "Do you trust him?"
"Not really, but I believe he wants to do what he says, and if he wanted to hurt us, he would've done so before now."
"So, you think it's safe to be left with him?"
"If he hurts me, his terraforming plan will go out the window."
Bailey turned to Yolanda, "What do you think?"
Yolanda looked at the green-haired man. She remembered him before she lost consciousness the first time, the touch of his mind on hers as he saw what was happening. Now, everything was quiet.
She turned to Bailey, a hand gliding over her flat stomach, "I could use some food, and I would like to know what is going on."
Nodding, Bailey wrapped an arm around Yolanda and led her to the other women. Within moments, a crimson sphere floated in the air and disappeared.
Nodding to David, Nicholas made his way over to the platform's edge. Taking a deep breath, he focused power into his voice.
"Mai Miyazaki, I would like to speak with you. I have a proposition that could help you achieve the dream you gave up on after being transformed into an elemental."
The water around the platform began to bubble as a geyser shot into the air. It shifted before the two men's eyes, taking on a feminine form. Within moments, a woman made of water floated before them, her luminescent eyes burning with white energy.
"Who are you to summon Naiad, the Guardian of the sea?"