Fallen Empire

chapter 10

X.

The Shadow reaches up and pushes back his black hood. Ryland and Seren run into the room, what they find stops them in their tracks. The Shadow’s skeletal mask retracts back withdrawing into the neck piece, leaving a pale, care-worn face and white hair of a distinguished older man, “What do you think of my holographic chamber Dr. Faith?” The man says pleasantly.

“How do you know my name?” Alice asks cautiously.

“It is my responsibility to monitor Time travelers, such as yourself. Scientific curiosity is welcome here. When I profile a new ‘Chronogynist’ as your world calls them, I have to decide whether their motives are simply to better understand the universe, or if they will present a danger to the fabric of Time. I thought you were a true scientist and that could be trusted to exist in a time that was not your own, but you created this disaster that I had to step in and repair.”

This offends Alice and she replies, “All things considered, I thought we did remarkably well.”

“If I hadn’t stepped in, you would have been killed.”

“How do you know?” Alice crossed her arms stubbornly.

“I considered the possibility of allowing you to seal your own fate, but the outcome would only have caused more danger to Time than that mess you created. You and the Scot were killed and your subservient assistant was taken by the Cerberions, who left all manner of modern debris in their wake.”

“We were not killed!” Alice protests.

“You were supposed to be killed, and would have been had I not brought you here and defused the situation. I watched the scene play out on my computers before deciding to intervene.” The shadow states resolutely.

“Your computers show you the future?” Alice asks, intrigued in spite of her fear.

“This is the year 5018, the end of humanity’s existence in this Time circle. From here everything is the past, which makes it the perfect vantage point to spot changes. Inconsiderate explorers who cannot appreciate the delicate nature of the universe are constantly altering time. My computers hold the entire history of mankind I can see any event without leaving the holographic chamber.”

“Is that how you appeared in the marketplace in Ancient Rome. Through this holographic projection?”

“Yes,” He says with some surprise regarding Alice’s understanding. He continues, “I use the chamber for observation. Only people in the wrong Time can see me when I am inside, if someone tries to combat me while I am here, they will look quite foolish because I’m not really there so they can’t land any attack. The downside is I can’t land an attack either in that state, which is why it’s perfect for observation. I usually use this chamber to make sure no one is around before going anywhere.”

“Fascinating technology,” Alice says. “How were you able to find us?”

“I have a network of probes within the Infinity-Tunnels, I am aware of anyone traveling by that means the instant they enter the Tunnels.”

“You must have been at this for a while now,” Alice says enviously, “Have you seen the man who brought Ryland to Ancient Rome?”

“Indeed I have.” the Shadow says with ugly overtones. He sees that his reaction has an adverse effect on Alice that he had not intended and attempts to elaborate, “Your world was created by a time-traveler whose personal motivations are more important to him than the balance of the universe. I have already foiled his plans twice, but he persists and gets wilier each time.”

“Who is he?” Alice asks before remembering the more poignant question, “For that matter, who are you?”

“I am Adam Domini, the Guardian appointed to protect and repair the fabric of Time.” He walks over to where the two horses are standing quietly in a corner. Talking softly, he leads them to a group of shadows collecting in the center of the room. The oval of Ancient Rome, that Alice saw earlier, re-appears in the center of the room. The guardian slaps each one of the horses on the flank to send them through.

“Where are we exactly?” Asks Seren.

“This place is called Vaulkner and this stronghold is the largest piece of Earth left, this facility is instrumental for me to defend True Time.”

“I can understand how difficult that could be,” Alice says ruefully, thinking of her own problems, “What did I do wrong? I thought getting Ryland out of Rome was the best option under the circumstances.”

“You left behind your Time machine,” The Guardian says flatly, “The soldiers from your time came through your machine and your Senate will continue to send more until they believe you are dead.”

“Did you kill them?” Alice wonders, “I would think that murder would cause more problems to the Time circle than my mistake.”

“I only destroyed the future soldiers. The natives were merely left unconscious.”

“What happens when they wake up?” Alice asks, wondering what Ancient Romans will make of the Time Guardian.

“I can erase the last ten minutes of a person’s memory through eye contact.”

“Nice trick,” Alice looks around the room then asks, “My world was created on the fifteenth of March. How did it happen and why?”

“I can show you.” The Guardian turns and strides into the computer room. He goes to a keyboard and types in a few lines. Alice feels as though the Guardian hasn’t dealt with people for a while and assumes she should follow. Uncertainty slows her a little, but she cautiously enters the computer room with Seren and Ryland trailing behind her.

A sharp color photograph of a man appears on the screen, “MacFall, do you recognize this person?” The Guardian asks without turning.

“The Wizard!” Ryland readies himself for an attack and points his spear at the computer screen, and taps the screen gently.

“Don’t stab the equipment,” The Guardian says condescendingly.

“I would like someone to explain this,” Ryland says, slightly impatient from being excluded.

          The Guardian turns to Seren, “You are a cognitive instrument, correct?”

“Yes,” Seren says.

“Are capable of explaining the situation to Macfall?”

“Yes, I believe I can handle the challenge,” Seren responds dryly.

“Take him into the next room then.”  The Guardian orders.

Seren looks at Alice, uncomfortable with leaving her alone with the master of this fortress.

“Go ahead,” Alice smiles comfortingly, “I have questions to ask and Ryland really needs to know what’s going on.”

Seren shakes his head, motions to Ryland to follow. A mistrustful look comes from Seren as he walks out of the room.

Once in the holographic chamber, Ryland turns to Seren, “Tell me truth – what is really going on?”

 Seren attempts to explain in the simplest terms the can think of “This ‘Guardian’ used ‘magic’ to bring us into the future...”

“Do you mean to say that we are in tomorrow?” Ryland asks inquisitively.

“Yes, a very distant tomorrow. Your today is different from Alice’s today, which is different from the ‘wizard’s’ today. He apparently can go to all the yesterdays in Time and send people to tomorrow and yesterday, just like your ‘wizard’ used ‘magic’ to take you into yesterday.”

Ryland tries hard to understand this life altering news, “So Rome was in yesterday?”

“Yes, a very distant yesterday for all of us,” Seren has been scanning the room while speaking and spots the staircase in a dark corner by the large door “Come on. Let us see what this ‘Guardian’ is hiding on the second floor.”

They look up at the circular stairs winding into complete darkness. Seren starts climbing with Ryland close behind, spear at the ready.

“There’s still something I donae’ understand. How can this wizard have tomorrow an’ yesterday in the same place?”

Seren looks back at Ryland and sees that the Scot is looking down at the now emptied holographic chamber. Seren reluctantly tries to explain, “It is like that picture in smoke your wizard showed you. This wizard can make a picture in smoke surround you so you think you are in the picture.”

They climb in silence for a minute as Ryland tries to understand four thousand years of technological advancement, “Why would the wizard go to the trouble of ta’ing me into yesterday when he could go there himself?”

“He needed Brutus killed by someone who could not be recognized and would not be missed.”

“He didnae’ think anyone in my today would notice that I was gone?”

“I have not studied your today yet, so I do not know. It is a possibility that you were chosen because you died. There is not enough data to support any such theories

“Why not?”

“Because this type of ‘magic’, this traveling to yesterdays and tomorrows is new to me and Alice and we are still figuring this out” Seren says candidly, “What I need to know is the past on your time-circle. Do you think you would have escaped that English prison without any help?”

“I’m not sure, what I do know is that my destiny was to be king, not to die in England.”

“The belief in destiny is one thing that separates humans from my kind.”

“You donae’ believe in destiny?”

“The human mind confuses accident and coincidence for something that was destined to happen. It is not based on fact and has no place in a logical mind.”

“Tha’s possible, but men need to believe that their lives have a bigger purpose an’ everything that happens to them leads them towards that purpose.”

Seren stops as they reach the top of the stairs and looks down a long dark hall lined with doors, “That sounds to me like a way for humans to excuse their bad decisions without having to take responsibility for them. Come on, we need to look through these rooms before the ‘wizard’ notices we are missing.”