Fledgling (The Vampire Manifesto, Book Two) (17 page)

The Vampires were rushing after him. I tried to stand but my body was almost completely paralyzed now. I wanted to cry in pain and yet I didn’t. I refused to admit weakness. Ethan betrayed me, was working with the Translucent Man this whole time, undoubtedly reporting everything we did back to him. I cursed myself for being so stupid. Goodwin and Ethan. They were both at the beach that day. They were both spying on me. One from afar and the other in plain sight. I heard someone walking towards me, their heels clicking on the kitchen floor. I managed to turn my head towards the sound just in time to see Salome kick me in the face and everything turn black.

Chapter 7

The time is now…

“I think she’s waking up.” A voice said.

It was the pain that brought me back from unconsciousness.

“Well it’s about time.” Replied another one.

I wanted to open my eyes, but a part of me refused.

“Give her some space.” Came a third voice.

I knew that once I opened my eyes I had to deal with whatever came next. I sat up, light flooding my vision, eradicating any lethargy I had left. I wasn’t prepared for what I saw. It was something spectacular, a dream or a movie become reality. I found myself inside of some type of research laboratory, yet it was nothing I’ve ever really seen before. Supercomputers seemed as if they…shuddered ever so slightly on the desk that held them. Contraptions composed of gears and steam were everywhere, Victorian in design, yet futuristic as well. There were exoskeletons of what appeared to be automatons in various stages of construction; some appearing so lifelike one would be hard pressed to distinguish them from human, while others took the configuration of arachnids or insects. Still some, I couldn’t even fathom what shape they were meant to be.

The focal point of the room was some type of hovering contraption that altered shape, triangle to tetragonal to orbicular and emanating from it was an energy configuration that surged up into a cylindrical excavated tunnel in roof and disappeared. Yet what was more enigmatic was who was standing before me, or should I say whom.

It was John Rogers.

And John Rogers.

Along with a female who looked remarkably like, John Rogers.

Three distinctive varieties of the same man, all of whom give the impression that they originated from different points in the time stream. The first was young, I would gather no more than seventeen, while the following one could have been no older then forty. The woman, who could have been an exceptionally attractive version of him in drag, was around twenty-two.

“She looks a lot healthier now.” The younger version announced.

“I told you I knew what I was doing.” Exclaimed the female.

“Can you speak?” Asked the third one.

“Why are there three of you?” I asked, getting up from the couch I was resting on. There was some type of Intravenous fluid being pumped into my arm which I immediately pulled out.

“Uh…” The young one looked at the others. “…because there are three of us?”

The middle-aged one looked towards the female. “I thought you said the synthetic blood plasma you whipped up was going to heal her?”

“Well she’s up isn’t she?” The female defended. “Her back was completely shattered when they brought her in here, so that’s progress.”

“But her mental facilities seem…” The young one paused. “…in question.”

They were babbling nonsense and yet, when I stretched, there was no pain in my back whatsoever. It was as good as new.

I began searching; scanning the room I was in. “Where are my friends?”

“You were the only one they brought to us.” The female said. “They could be anywhere.”

“Why do you all look like John Rogers?” I asked.

Now all three of them drew back, throwing questioning glances among each other.

“You know me?” They pretty much said in unison.

It was like an episode of the Twilight Zone gone bad. “John Rogers? Chaos equation? Time travel? Any of this ringing any bells?”

“Yeah it is.” The female stated.

“And when did you become a hot chick?” I asked.

The younger one hit the middle-aged one on the arm. “See, I told you she was cute.”

This was too bizarre. “Do any of you know who I am?”

The looked amongst each other.

“No.” Proclaimed the middle aged one.

Of course they didn’t. “Why is it that every time I encounter you, it’s always some iteration that doesn’t know who I am?”

“How many times have you met me?” The young one asked. “Met us, I mean.”

“Not counting today?” I replied. “Twice.”

“How old was I?” The middle aged one enquired.

I started to walk around the lab, which gave off a very steam punk vibe. “The first time, I’d say around twenty-nine or thirty.” I picked up an eclectic looking device, which the young one promptly removed from my hand. “The second time, hmm, I’m not sure, eighty maybe?”

“But I was still a man right?” The middle aged one asked.

“Yup.”

“Then she should remember this.” The young one said.

The middle-aged one looked at the female. “Yeah, why don’t you remember this?”

“Oh no.” She glanced at the others. “This is bad guys. Really, really bad.”

Something resting on the bookshelf caught my eye and I walked over to it. It was a statue of a man and woman. It looked so pretty and when the light reflected off it, the statue seemed to sparkle as if it was not limestone but crystal. Underneath it on the shelf below was a long rectangular case that took up the entire shelf.

“What is she doing?” The middle aged one asked.

When I touched it, the top part of the case slid open and I peered inside. That’s when I saw it. I reached down and pulled it out, not believing my own eyes, thinking that I was surely dreaming, because what I held was what dreams were made of.

In my hand was the Blade of Osiris.

I turned it around, admiring the artistry, the sleek nature of the weapon. It was completely obsidian, as if carved from volcanic rock, yet the handle was fashioned in the way that it felt secure in my palm and would not slip free. It was no longer then a bayonet, yet when I thought in my mind that it could be bigger, the Blade actually extended in length, becoming the size of a broadsword.

“Did you just see that?” The young one stated. “It’s like she just reached into nonexistence and pulled something out of it.”

“I think she found it.” Said the middle aged one. “I think she just opened Pandora’s Box.”

What he said startled me. “I did what?”

“How did she even see it?” The female asked. “It’s not in synch with our dimension.”

I turned around; looking towards the bookcase, but the box was gone, nothing in its place but an empty shelf. From the Blade came a low hum.

World/Mind initiating…

I spun around. “Who said that?”

“Who said what?” The middle aged one asked. “What’s she doing?”

Quantum Parallel Dimension Shift Link in progress…

The young one looked at the female. “You should remember this! Why don’t you remember this? How the hell could you forget seeing a Box of Pandora being opened in front of you?”

Insufficient soul consumption available…

“What?” I spun around again. “You don’t hear that?”

“It’s the Event.” The female announced. “The Forgotten Future singularity.”

They all looked at me.

“It’s happening.” She continued. “Now.”

The Blade of Osiris burst into liquid flame, everything except the hilt remaining solid.

Biometric genetic scan initiated... Biometric genetic scan completed. Partial-Celestial energy matrix confirmed. Reconfiguring... Reconfiguring… Reconfiguring… Reconfiguration complete. Durability enhancement recommended. Cerebral cortex accessed. Initiate Ambrosia… Ambrosia consumption complete. Physicality enhanced. Restructuring of brainwave pattern needed for optimal performance. Injection of neurological replicating nanites recommended. Nanites injected. Reconfiguring… Neurological pathways rewritten for Celestial compatibility. Quantum Parallel Dimension Shift Link in progress. Error… Insufficient soul consumption available.

I watched as the Blade dissipated, seemingly evaporating out of existence. I looked up at the three John Rogers “What the hell just happened?” From my forearm, a black oil substance began oozing out of the pores of my skin and started to crystalize.

I was staring at my hand, which no longer appeared human any more. From my elbow down it was as if it was coated in obsidian volcanic rock, yet underneath that initial crystalized layer, it was as if the core of my forearm and hand was composed of nothing but black oil. I held my arm up and let the light reflect off it. Despite how alien that part of my body now appeared I had to admit:

“Now that looks bad ass.” I said. “So what’s the deal with you three?”

“Each of us represents a specific version of John Rogers, albeit from a different point in time.” The female said. “Megan has in her possession a device that has linked onto our specific quantum signatures and she is using it to keep us stranded in this specific timeline.” She explained.

“How is that possible?” I asked. “I thought it was a chaos equation that caused you to time travel? How can she affect that?”

The young one pointed to the device towards the center of the room. “With that.”

“What is it?” I asked.

“The Argo. We’re located at the heart of it. Some type of Celestial technology that Enoch unearthed on this island and partially deciphered.” The middle aged one stated. “Its original purpose was to ride Quantum wave lengths and provide voyage between planetary bodies and dimensional vortexes. When it’s activated, no quantum shifts can be made within the Argo until a destination is imputed into the device so that everyone arrives at the desired destination at once. She located as many of us as she could find in this dimension and brought us here, then activated the device without imputing a destination.”

“So as long as it’s on, we can’t quantum parallel shift out, the device keeps us trapped here until either a destination is imputed or the device is turned off.” The young one explained.

“And where is here?” I asked.

“Lemnos.” The female said. “It’s an island. Enoch discovered it centuries ago has established it as his center of operations for CornerStone Development.”

“Why don’t you remember any of this?” The middle-aged one asked the female again.

“What does that mean and will you please stop repeating it over and over again.” I concentrated and the Blade of Osiris materialized into my hand in its volcanic rock version, no longer then a bayonet. I concentrated again and it extended. I focused and the Blade transformed in a sword of liquid black flame with a burning white-hot core. With another thought, it evaporated.

“What is that?” The young one asked.

“Don’t worry about it.” I replied. “What’s with all the hate towards the chick version of John Rogers?”

“I’m from a later point timeline.” She explained. “About another century in the future.”

“Is that why you have boobs?” I asked.

“I’m…not a very popular person there. I needed to disguise my appearance.” Female Rogers explained. “But these two.” She pointed to the other versions. “They are from my past, so if they witnessed this event…”

“Then you should remember it happening because you’re from the future.” I finished. “Sounds easy enough.”

“But I don’t.” She said. “I don’t remember any of it.”

“It’s the singularity I’ve been trying to warn people about.” Middle-aged John added. “An event in the past that alters everything on a quantum level.”

I shrugged “So the future gets rewritten, what’s the big deal? It hasn’t even happened yet.”

The female shook her head. “But I would still remember it, because I’ve witnessed it in the past.”

“That would be me.” The young Rogers raised his hand.

“And me.” Said the middle-aged version.

“But I don’t remember a Box of Pandora being opened in my presence.” She explained. “That means something is going to happen to the timeline. Something catastrophic that will change things.”

“I’m fucking confused.” I admitted. “Forget about that. Does Megan know the Box was in this workshop?” I asked. “Is that why she brought me to you?”

“Yes and no.” The younger Rogers said. “She wanted us to fix you. She didn’t want you to die. That’s why she brought you to us.”

“There all types of material in this workshop that regenerate flesh.” The female said. “She knew we could figure something out.”

“And the Box?” I asked.

“Heracles had promised her that it was somewhere on this island.” The middle aged one explained. “That it was hidden away here by a Celestial, but they didn’t know where because it’s supposed to be out of synch with reality. It’s invisible, intangible and unable to be detected.”