Fallen Empire

chapter 17

II.

On the catwalk in the observatory of Vaulkner, in the year 5019, The Guardian takes a swipe at Alice with his sheathed sword. Alice, fully protected in her armor, skillfully blocks with her sword. Her Armor has a face of the god Athena, a short blue cape over her right shoulder, and a rocket pack on her back. Her sword is of Roman length but it is split down the center making two parallel blades with a small razor lined gap in between. She holds her sword with both hands because of the strength of the Guardian’s attacks however she has been trained to fight with one hand and right now is trying something new.

The armor over the Guardian’s head is retracted for a lighthearted sparring session, “Nice block,” He praises as he withdraws for another attack “You’re getting comfortable with weaponry.” He pauses slightly to accentuate his point, “What you must never lose sight of is: a step after comfort is complacency.”

He swings his Scimitar at her head; Alice blocks the attack with a clash of the metals. Before she can reposition he lunges his sword towards her stomach. She counters by moving backwards out of reach and beating his wasted attack away.

 “I remember…” She responds breathlessly as she has been at this for hours, she catches her second wind and seizes the offensive.

 She swings her sword at the Guardian’s unprotected head which he easily blocks, “Your experience only works for you half the time.” he states blocking a furious barrage from Alice “The other half, your experience is the key to defeating you.”

He steps backwards out of her reach and blocks her wasted attack, reclaiming the offensive.

Alice blocks his attack and says boldly “I can adapt to anything you can dish out”

The sheath retracts off the Guardian’s blade receding to the hilt exposing the sharpened bade, “Can you now?”

He launches his own bombardment driving her back on the catwalk. She blocks well but is rapidly losing ground.

Her suit, showing her the view behind her, reveals the elevator at her back getting closer leaving little room to maneuver. She takes one hand off her sword and reaches for her dagger sheathed on her waist. She lunges forward with her Cove dagger keeping the Guardian’s sword at bay with her sword. He maneuvers out the way collapsing his attacking arm and spinning off her extended shoulder resulting in him standing behind her with his blade at her throat. He takes her dagger away and tosses it to the bottom of the observation room.

“You still fight too passionately.” The Guardian sagely chides, “Every thought you waste on emotion is one less thought on the job at hand.”

Alice knows the Guardian only critics when the match is over and she feels unwilling to accept defeat so soon. Her rocket pack ignites and she flies over the Guardian’s head. She mentally tells the engine to stop and she drops down on the Guardian both hands clutching her sword.

As Alice descends upon the Guardian, he magnetizes his boots and evades her attack by stepping off the catwalk and walking upside down on the undercarriage of the catwalk, Alice lands where she aimed but misses the Guardian. She stands up trying to figure out her next move when the Guardian kicks the panel immediately in front of him. This forces Alice and the panel to fall off the catwalk. As she falls past the upside down Guardian he grabs her foot and pulls her leg back to the catwalk. She mentally tells her suit to magnetize and her boot sticks to the catwalk.

Upside down with only her cape hanging down Alice stares the Guardian eye-to-eye.

“Let’s see how well you can adapt.” The Guardian quips as he readies his blade.

“I wish you would have warned me about this, I wouldn’t have eaten.” Alice says feeling out of sorts having blood rush to her head.

“Life is full of surprises. Not all of them come announced.” The Guardian says before launching a barrage of attacks.

Alice blocks, furiously defending herself well against the Guardian. She turns her back to him aiming her sword at her opponent the whole time hoping to land a surprise attack, “You’re not without passion yourself.” Alice observes as she takes a stab behind her.

Alice’s attack would have succeeded if the Guardian didn’t release his Deadening-Sphere relinquishing her footing from the catwalk. She falls to the bottom of the room; quickly she ignites her rocket pack on the way down. She gains control over her fall, picks up her discarded dagger and flies above the catwalk once more.

The Guardian takes 1 step to move right side up onto the catwalk. She flies in closer threatening to attack; he launches the claw off his sword and brings her to an ungraceful landing on the catwalk, “Don’t expect your adversaries to play fair,” He says offering her assistance standing up.

She refuses this peace offering and takes a defiant stance He smiles and says, “I do admire your perseverance”

He unleashes another assault on Alice; she summons her lasts ounce of strength to meet his every attack. Failing to push through her defenses the Guardian re-thinks his advance. This hesitation allows Alice a heartbeat to activate her Temporal Gauntlet. An energy-field envelops her and Alice teleports.

Alice re-appears behind the Guardian with the point of her sword at the base of his skull. Gravely upset by this the Guardian quickly turns to clash swords with Alice, locking his blade between her twin blades. “Of all the lessons you have learned it’s most upsetting that you have forsaken your original fear of teleportation.” He says sternly. With a flick of his wrist her sword leaves her hand landing in his. “You still have much to learn.” He says in a tone that sounded almost afraid.

The armor around Alice’s head withdraws to her neck exposing her face. Her hair is braided and very sweaty from the workout. Alice starts to apologize for her mistake but stops abruptly as motion draws their focus outside the observatory.

The panoramic view of space is being replaced by an ocean view. This aquatic view from the bottom of the ocean sweeps over Vaulkner leaving no trace of stars or asteroids only marine life.

“Something has gone horribly wrong,” The Guardian says as he gives Alice her sword back. They move towards the elevator, Alice presses a button on her weapon and the hand guard folds in half, the twin-blades slide together, and a sheath extends from the hilt covering the blade perfectly before hanging it on her belt.

 The Guardian sheaths his sword and hangs it on his back as he presses the button inside the elevator. With both of them inside, the doors of the elevator close. The carriage drops and an uncomfortable silence envelops the elevator, neither Alice nor the Guardian knowing what to say to this bizarre occurrence.

The Guardian and Alice make their way downstairs; Alice stops off in the medical lab to interrupt Seren who has been welding on a new invention. Alice retracts her armor and is wearing black riding pants and a tight fitting black turtleneck that has no sleeves. She tells Seren about the ocean view and they head downstairs to join the search for what that means.

The Guardian is working on the computer as Alice and Seren enter the computer room. The Guardian quickly checks the computer for Ryland’s digital memories. 

The Guardian finds Ryland dying in the Mesozoic era and rewinds the scene before it comes to an ugly conclusion. The Guardian types on the keypad activating Ryland’s Temporal Gauntlet.

 An energy field emerges behind Seren and Ryland arrives, hunched over in a fetal position, screaming in fear, and having no idea he is not eaten.

Ryland’s eyes are clamped shut and he continues screaming until he runs out of breath. As he inhales, one-eye opens expecting to see the inside of a dinosaur’s stomach, instead finding Seren who is giving him a friendly yet condescending wave. Instantly Ryland’s armor retracts, and he straightens his posture, slightly embarrassed by his behavior and a little antagonistic towards Seren, “What took you so long?” 

“I am afraid I got distracted by my newest invention. I have invented a sphere uniquely designed to be beneficial for lifting heavy loads.” Seren boasts with pride but is interrupted by a disgruntled Scotsman-

“I donae’ care about heavy loads… I was just swallowed by a dragon and tha’s not even the strangest thing that happened today...”

          “What happened?” Alice asks concerned 

Ryland answers with, “We’ve got a big problem…” Ryland tells them about his adventure in the Mesozoic era, the Guardian listens but never turns away from the computer. As he finishes his story the Guardian stops typing momentarily to say almost under his breath “That’s not possible.”

 “I know what I saw, an’ so does your computer. If you donae trust my eyes see it for yourself.” Ryland challenges boldly.

The Guardian can tell Ryland is sincere and brings up on the computer screen Ryland’s escapade in the Mesozoic era. Everyone watches the episode play out on the screen before them,

Alice has never seen the Guardian look so puzzled and tries to bring logic to the insanity “Does the world being in one piece have something to do with this army building Vaulkner?” She asks.

“If it is them, we should be very concerned.” The Guardian says distantly, “That would mean their tactics have changed and true time has been rewritten.”

Alice shatters the ensuing silence, “How could True Time be rewritten? A Chronogynist who alters history tears a hole in the Infinity-Tunnels.”

The Guardian continues to watch the monitor as he answers the question, “They don’t alter history; they get history to alter itself.”

“How do you mean?” Ryland asks

 “They find someone in history and give them an advantage they were never supposed to have. They are not changing history they are using someone from the past to serve their purposes. There is no tear in the infinity tunnels because someone in their own time made the change. So there is not a creation of a second reality.”

The monitor fades to black as Alice asks, “The world is in one piece again. If this is now True Time is this reality such a bad thing?”

The Guardian says distantly, “If the Crusaders are behind it, I fear the worst.”

Everyone thinks hard for a moment then Seren speaks, “These men are building Vaulkner, how is that possible? I thought you built this place?”

The Guardian, lost is his own thoughts, returns to the conversation with, “No, I moved in after the Earth was destroyed and made some alterations. The Crusaders built it but they are supposed to be building it in the year 4848 not in the year 4,000,000 .B.C.”

“Why were these Crusaders building Vaulkner at the beginning of the Time Circle?” Ryland inquires.

“To hide from us, it will be impossible to find their entry points if Vaulkner is always there.” The Guardian answers. He takes a deep breath then continues to say, “You need to understand, this stronghold once housed a savage race, if you compare them to the rest of history the most similar to them were the Vikings. The Crusaders were rapists and pillagers and they were the scourge of the subterranean human race.

‘It was my hope that by erasing Phoenix I could prevent them from traveling through time. Now it looks as though I have made things worse.”

Alice starts to ask a question when the Guardian begins typing again, she restrains her query and silently observes.

 The Guardian checks his probe network and finds them disabled. Every image he brings to the computer screen is static.

Alice can no longer contain her curiosity “What does this mean?”

“It means my probes in the Infinity-Tunnels have been sabotaged.” The Guardian says flatly, “The Crusaders are launching a Blitzkrieg, or lightning war – it was a strategy first pioneered by the Germans during World War II. It refers to a fast attack designed to inspire fear and confusion, penetrating quickly behind enemy lines.” the Guardian says as he continues to type.

“Who is their enemy?” Alice asks impatiently.

The Guardian continues typing and says, “It would appear that we are.”

“How do they even know who we are?” Ryland asks

“I don’t know and that is what troubles me the most…” The Guardian says devoid of any emotion. From the computer terminal the Guardian recalibrates a probe and launches it. A probe expels from the top of the observatory and propels through the ocean. Upon reaching the surface of the water the probe changes propulsion to fly into the atmosphere.

The Guardian diligently scans the planet and finds no sign of Human life outside of Vaulkner. Instead only machines occupy the globe. “What has happened?” He asks rhetorically then begins searching the computer’s files. The Guardian’s search leads him to the protected archive of Daniel Phoenix. The Guardian quickly scans the available data and finds a recording that wasn’t there before.

 The Guardian clicks on this mystery file and an image of Phoenix graces the computer screen.

“To Whom It May Concern, my name is Daniel Phoenix… and if you are watching this, my mission to change the past has failed. You know the horrors I was trying to prevent, and you can succeed where I have failed. There is a soldier at the end of time that will try to stop you, but he has weaknesses. I have left my plans for time travel in this time capsule as well as tactical data on my old adversary. If you ever wish to return to surface life you must follow my instructions to the letter. Good luck.” The screen goes blank and everyone in the room is lost in thought.

Alice shakes off a dumbfounded look and asks, “How does he still exist?”

“He doesn’t.” The Guardian strains to make sense of the situation, “Before I had you erase Phoenix the Crusaders found a time capsule with this information. Phoenix must have figured out he would lose and replaced his original capsule with one made of Cove protecting his life’s work from the effects of the Decomposition-gun.”

“You mean I am tormented with killing him for nothing?” Alice asks feelingly slightly betrayed.

The Guardian tries to explain, “You’re not looking at the big picture. Phoenix shouldn’t have known what Cove is. He must have traveled to my lifetime to find Cove and I missed it. Now history has accelerated.”

“It was a year ago when Alice erased Phoenix, why would a change occur now?” Seren inquires.

“It’s different now because the Crusaders are different… They never carried out their mission before. They are making different choices now because they were warned about US and they are being cautious, covering their tracks.” The Guardian says hauntingly.

“Can we launch more probes into the infinity tunnels?” Ryland asks.

The Guardian shakes his head; “The Crusaders would destroy them before they could relay any information.”

“Then how do we find them?” Alice asks.

“The old fashioned way.” The Guardian says with as much of a smile as he can do. He leaves his seat and walks over to the window and kneels.. He magnetizes the hand of his armor and touches his fingertips to the floor panel in front of the window. He lifts the panel up revealing a dark staircase. On the underside of the panel is an autographed-engraving with the words: ‘There are more things in heaven and earth…’ but this goes unnoticed.

The Guardian climbs down the ladder in the darkness and as he reaches the bottom he flicks a manual light switch. Primitive lighting replaces the dark and Alice, Seren, and Ryland climb down to join the Guardian. Alice is the next one to reach the bottom and she looks around to see a dusty, dank, and old library. Seren reaches the library and sees a set of encyclopedias, sets of time lines, and a primitive monitor used to light film negatives of newspapers. By the time Ryland reaches the bottom the Guardian is already rummaging through the microfilm collection and asking the others to check encyclopedias. He continues addressing them as he searches “This library is not protected by Cove, so everything here is subject to change according to the new reality. It is considerably longer procedure than you are used to; it’s the system I used before inventing the probes as well as my reason for inventing them.” He continues rummaging through his collection to find the final headline published, finding several empty microfilm containers.

Alice blows off the dust and starts looking through the old books. She knows with a search of this magnitude it will require starting with broad strokes. She looks through them for hours searching for truth. Ryland and Seren peruse the bookshelves in vain attempts to help.

The Guardian finds container after container of empty microfilm canisters. Each one used to contain newspapers with the date labeled on each container. This tells the Guardian Humanity’s time of existence is much shorter in ‘THIS’ reality. Eventually he finds Man’s last printed words, “I found the last headline. Publications are silent after April 23, 2050.” The Guardian takes the last headline and places the microfilm in front of the lamp illuminating the monitor with a disturbing image: Hitler, standing with a cybernetic arm held out adjacent from his chest saluting to a cheering crowd.

The crowd is comprised of Nazi each with gloves over their right hand. The headline reads:  Hitler conquers the last resistance solidifying his dominion over the Earth.”

“How is that possible?” Seren questions, “Hitler would have been one hundred and sixty one years old by the time that was printed.”

The Guardian continues to analyze the microfilm and Alice reads from a book she has been thumbing through, “He is kept alive by cybernetic implants; his third Reich gradually evolves into the Cyborg-Legion.” A chill runs up her spine at the thought of this future, “Why would anyone want Hitler to win World War II?”

“They were looking for a leader to keep mankind on the surface no matter the cost.” The Guardian says continuing to read.

Alice turns to the monitor with the microfilm. She thinks for a moment then asks, “If the resistance is crushed is that why the publications stop in the year 2050?”

The Guardian answers, “Not necessarily, have you ever heard the expression: The one that wins the war writes the history books. Just because a headline says Hitler won the war doesn’t mean he actually did. This resistance referred to in the headline could just as easily have been the ones responsible for the publications to cease. Unfortunately with these altered historical-texts there is no way to tell for sure. We have a date to start looking into; I need the three of you to go there.”

“Where?” Seren asks.

The Guardian turns to face the trio “ Berlin, Hitler’s capitol, April 22, 2050.”

 “You’re sending us to the war front?” Ryland grumbles. 

The Guardian empathizes with his concern and replies, “Actually you will be the far from it. You will be in the heart of the Empire. Only when all the world’s computers are aligned under Nazi rule will we be able to find all the information we need. We have to locate all of them.”

“…All of them?” Alice regurgitates,

“These Crusaders coordinated multiple attacks on the Time Circle altering it to a point that never returns to the beginning because it never ends.”

“How do you know that? Alice asks flipping through her book looking for that information.

“When I first took up this post as Guardian I went back to find the ones who destroyed the Earth. These Crusaders were the ones responsible; they were plotting their attack on True Time, a plot to put Hitler in a position of ultimate superiority. The only reason they did not succeed was an internal struggle within the ranks. That struggle caused the Earth to c***k and their plan failed before it could be executed. What doesn’t make sense to me is what they are doing differently now that Phoenix has warned them about us.”

Alice thinks for a moment and says, “We could spy on these Crusaders when they are making their plans.”

The Guardian shakes his head, “We don’t know when they started this plot. I can search with the holographic chamber but there is no telling how long that will take. The information we need is in the world Hitler conquered and we need to find it before it’s too late.”

“What do you mean?” Seren asks.

“Putting Vaulkner at the beginning of the Time Circle was never a part of the Crusader’s original plan. Who knows what other surprises they have in store for us? Or more importantly, where are they now?” The Guardian says standing up as if to leave. He escorts everyone back to the computer room turning out the lights when they clear.

 Once upstairs he returns the panel over the entrance. “You have to understand who it is you are up against...” The Guardian stands up straight to properly address all three members of his audience, “When I was very young I knew the age of peace below the surface. Being raised in farming colonies was not the easiest of lives, I lived alone with my father we had other families in our colony but we didn’t interact with them very often and my father was not very good at communicating so it was like living alone.

‘It was rare when he spoke to me except for Sunday nights, we would sit and play chess. He always won but he made me feel like I could have beaten him,” He smiles for a moment then all expression fade from his face, “I’ll never forget the last time we played. He let his guard down and I was one move away from my first checkmate when a loud commotion outside stole our attention. I ran to the window and from there I saw the Crusader’s attack, they flew into our cave aboard their loud and heavily armed ships they called Valkyries. When they flew over our home my father told me to hide. I ran to his trunk stopping by our chessboard and taking my king. I was terrified of these men and wanted to take everything with me but knew I couldn’t. The Crusaders were known for their cruelty throughout the colonies of the subterranean world; taking what and who they could carry. When they entered my home, I peaked out the keyhole of the trunk and saw that my father was no match for them; he was mercilessly slain in front of me. For a moment I thought my father’s murderer saw me. I ducked grabbing my knees, trying to still my breathing.

‘The murderer came closer to the trunk for a moment then walked outside. I climbed out of the trunk and crawled over to my father’s cold body.”

The Guardian fights back tears and continues his story to avoid the emotion, “The Crusaders left nothing of value in their wake and any place they attacked had to be abandoned afterwards for fear of them returning. Most colonists referred to them as Creeping Death because they could wipe out colonies like a biblical plague. The name Crusaders was how they referred to themselves because they believed they were answering a call from God, to return the human race to the surface of the Earth. It’s nauseating what some men may do in God’s name, and perhaps it was slightly ironic that the colonies they attacked had abandoned religion. These Crusaders are misguided, fanatical, well organized and willing to die for their cause. We have to stop them by whatever means necessary. 

‘I am going to send you to Berlin the day before the fall-of-man. Look for anything out of place, any event you cannot find in our reality, find its source. If you find an obscure reference to aliens or ghosts you might be on the right trail. I’ll be keeping an eye on you while I continue to research this new reality; I’ll bring you back if you run into trouble.  You need to interact with this environment so don’t use your armor unless you have to.”

The Guardian turns to Ryland, “You will have to leave your spear.” Ryland groans but reluctantly places his spear on the ground next to the wall.

The Guardian continues, “I want you three to be careful; something tells me this world is rougher than what you are used to dealing with. I will protect you but we have to find where this all began and this is the only place to find the answers we need.” As he finishes this statement he moves to the holographic chamber and types on the keypad. The Guardian scourers the streets of Berlin to find a secluded entry point.

Seren converts to hover-cycle mode and Alice puts on her red leather jacket and takes her helmet out of the seat compartment before climbing aboard. Ryland climbs on behind her and Alice presses a button on Seren’s console engaging a holographic-cloak.

 The image of the two of them on a hover-cycle is replaced with a hologram of the two of them on top of a two-wheeled motorcycle. 

The Guardian summons the ShadowGate opening it for their journey, “Good luck.” he says flatly as they depart.