The Last Bend

FIRST BLOOD

She stepped out and he followed her. She led him back to her lab and closed the door. William stood aside and watched as she locked the door from the inside.

“I have my own shower here in my lab. Sorry the soap will be floral in nature.”

He entered the shower cubicle and turned to face her, “I would tell you I need my privacy but you have already seen me so go ahead. Also do you have laundry soap? I doubt your soap will help me much.”

She handed him a cream bar soap smiling at his words before she moved away. She heard him humming as he scrubbed himself. Fifteen minutes later she heard him tapping on the glass door.

“I don’t suppose you have any clean clothes?”

“Let me go and check in the lost and found but I doubt any will fit you,” she responded. “Now you wait here and don’t go wandering about.”

With that Kate left the lab and headed to the lost and found department that was on the ground floor. She entered the room and headed to the brown cabinet hoping she would at least get some clothes. For shoes she would give him her crocs as shed noticed he had small feet and a similar shoe size to hers. She opened the door and rummaged through the clothes until she felt the rustle of a polythene bag beneath the mound of clothes. She pulled out the clothes and frowned.

In her hands was a well ironed purple shirt, a brown pair of khaki pants and a matching brown pair of boots.

The frown still on her face she headed back to the lab and was surprised to see her door open. She warily walked in and saw her colleague seated at the laptop.

“Lisa, I thought you went for lunch,” she uttered putting down the green bag.

“Your samples have really baffled me, I ran the test twice and both times the results were different by a small fraction” Lisa replied. She held up the printed reports and gave them to Kate.

There was silence as she went through them for a minute. A gasp escaped Kate’s lips and she looked up.

“But that’s impossible, according to the results this shows the cells are in a constant motion of breakdown and restructuring. That means they are both dead and live.”

Lisa nodded, “Schrodinger’s effect. That’s why I did the test twice just to confirm. I’m sure it is just a glitch. I actually came down to see the body but it looks like you’ve already sent it down.”

“Something like that,” Kate muttered. “Hey mind covering for me, I’ll be going home now.”

Lisa nodded and stood up to go, “But it’s funny, when I walked in I swore I heard someone humming in the showers and I thought it was you. However I went there and it was empty though the water was running. I turned off the water though. I guess it must be ghosts eh?”

Kate chuckled as Lisa left and sighed.

“Is she gone?”

Kate jumped up as William got out of the shower.

“How did she not see you?” Kate wondered. William shrugged and stared at the clothes a frown forming.

“Kate?” She looked at him as he pointed, “Where did you get my clothes from?”

“What do you mean?”

“These were the clothes I had worn that day and they were burnt along with the rest.”

“That’s impossible,” She replied, “I got them in the lost and found”

William held it to her motioning for her to smell them. She caught a whiff of smoke and felt a bulge in his trouser pockets. She pulled out a phone and handed it to him, “I don’t suppose this belongs to you?”

It was William’s turn to be surprised as he handled his phone. He put it on and put in his PIN and phone password. Both codes were accepted.

“It looks like your guardian angel is working overtime,” she told him.

As soon as she said those words William clutched his head and dropped to the floor and curled himself into a ball.

[Well William how does it feel to be alive again?]

“I didn’t know I was dead,” he replied.

[If I didn’t know better I would say that is denial. But you are just being sarcastic eh? Be careful some of us don’t like being talked to that way]

‘Does that include you?”

[No my boy, I have what you call a big sense of humour. That’s why I thought it would be funny to return your belongings to you. I know that you have an attachment to them.]

“How thoughtful,” he murmured.

The Being chuckled, [I hear all and everything so you murmuring is just as loud as you shouting in my ear.]

“I forgot you can read my mind.”

[As can you if you really want.]

“But you won’t let that happen now would you?” William felt the being shake its head, “So what do I owe the pleasure of being in your presence?”

[It is time for the main act.]

“Do I have a choice in this?”

He felt the being laugh heartily. [That is your choice.]

“Choices have consequences, don’t they?”

[Your human mind is really limiting, I think I’ll have to expand it a little further.]

William felt a sharp pain in his head as if his brain was being split apart and it was at that moment that he fell down and curled into a ball.

“William, William.”

He groaned and slowly opened his eyes rubbing the side of his head. He sat up on the bed and frowned.

“Last I checked I was fifty five kilograms,” he commented.

“Fifty five point seven two to be precise,” Kate corrected. “Though you must have drastically lost weight a few seconds ago.”

“Don’t you mean mass?” William asked raising an eyebrow.

Kate shook her head, “No I mean weight, the pull of the earth’s gravity on a body-”

“Which is 9.8 newtons,” William interrupted her. “I don’t like what you are insinuating.”

“I’m a scientist so you are preaching the gospel to a Christian.” She continued, “As soon as you passed out, the area around you about three feet in diameter lost its gravity. I know because you started levitating.”

She looked at him, “And so did I, as well as a few objects around you too.”

William shook his head, “You must be the most level headed female alive.”

“You better not say that in front of feminists, yes I have myriads of questions but this is not the right place to ask. I still have to get you out of here.”

“And go where?” William inquired raising his hands, “I have no place to go to, remember I am literally a dead man walking. I have no home and no family and in case you didn’t read my file I grew up in a children’s home.”

“Have some faith.”

“I lost faith, trust and belief in God years back when,” he soberly said.

Kate chuckled, “I am a scientist remember. However my faith is not of the religious type. I need to get you out of this complex first, too bad I cannot do anything about the captured footage. Now let us go.”

William got gingerly to his feet, expecting to feel weightless but as nothing happened he followed Kate out of her lab. She made a quick detour to her office and took her bag. She locked her office and then led him out via the side entrance.

“Wait for me here I go clock-out and pick you up. Security here check you properly upon exit and entry.” She whispered and shut the metallic door.

William stood beside the doorway hoping that nobody would come this way. He took out his phone and looked at it. The power bar was 100% full and he shook his head again. This day was just full of surprises.

He heard a discreet hoot behind him and he turned to see a dark blue BMW X3 approach him. Kate was behind the wheel and he got in at the passenger side.

She entered the highway and drove home to Kileleshwa. William stepped out of the car and waited for Kate to open the door to her place. Once he got in he gave a furtive look around and sat down on the black Moroccan leather sofa.

‘I take it that not many guys hit on you,” he said looking at her. She shrugged and went to the kitchen and warmed some food for them both. She sat down after handing him his palate. For a few minutes only the c***k of cutlery against the plates was heard.

William washed down the meal with a glass of cool water then turned to face Kate. “What next?”

“This is a two bedroom house all ensuite,” she told him in a matter of fact voice. “You don’t have a place to go, for now my place is your place.”

“Do you just happen to house random men that you pick up from the street?”

“Only those who happen to die and come back to life. Any other thing you want to ask?”

“What next about me? Also what will be my cover story in case neighbours or boyfriend comes here?

Kate motioned for him to go to the window. He looked out and saw there was no other house in the compound. “As for boyfriend, that shouldn’t worry you much. After all you did say that guys rarely approach me. Honestly I don’t know what next for you but I was raised up not to abandon someone who needs help.”

Over the next few days, nothing happened out of the ordinary. Kate would report to work in the morning leaving William at home. In the evening she would come back and find William basking outside in the evening sun. On the fifth day she asked why he was always outside in the evening.

William couldn’t explain it but he felt drawn to the evening sun like a moth drawn to an open flame. He just shook his head and followed her in.

“Today I heard office chatter from the security room. Apparently footage was missing.” She told him as she set the table for dinner.

“May I hazard a guess and say five days ago during my resurrection?”

Kate nodded, “The funny thing is the missing footage is exactly one hour and seventeen minutes long, the exact time frame of when I discovered you until when we left. But what I heard though is that the camera were running fine but no images are present for any department during that time.”

William placed the food at the centre of the table, “I’m not really surprised.”

“Yeah but I also heard this dream today just before I woke up. It was a surreal dream yet it felt very real more of a lucid dream.”

William looked at her and she continued, “You were standing in this ethereal place and besides you was a little boy. I would hazard a guess and say that he was between ten to twelve years of age. He was very ordinary except that something about him felt off. Oh yes he also—”

[Unfortunately I can’t let that happen.]

William blinked as his eyesight got used to the surroundings. He found himself floating in space, starry light covering the cold vacuum around him.

“It is rude to cut someone when they are talking.”

The Voice gave a hearty laugh.

[This is your first battle, I hope you survive.]

William blinked twice and the silhouette took a more solid shape in the form of a young boy roughly in his early pubescent years.

The boy looked at William for a minute and coughed, “You must be the newbie that I have to destroy? Believe me I don’t want to do this but your very existence is unwanted.”

William looked at the boy staring intently at his face for a minute then he had to take a step back as he felt a motion.

“Very interesting, hadn’t you taken two paces back I would have impaled you with my claws.”

William quickly turned around to see the boy behind him. What was off about him though was instead of hands he had a pair of grotesque claws that had what looked like blue shimmering lights going on and off within the claw.

“However I knew that you would also take those two steps back and in turn it would be easy for me to do this.”

He launched forward claws open aiming for William’s neck. William at the last moment faded and appeared right behind him. He was shocked and quickly took a guard position.

Again he launched an attack but again William faded and appeared a few paces elsewhere. After three other unsuccessful attacks the boy paused to recollect himself.

“That is not teleportation, because even if you could teleport I would know where exactly you would turn up.” He growled and attacked again.

He missed and watched warily, “You are deliberately masking your movements, this reminds of five beings I’ve encountered that have unique travelling techniques. That puts them in the god-tier level by speed alone. But yours is different since until just before you move I know your exact position.”

William listened as he ramble on, he had a nagging feeling as his acute awareness described the phenomenon taking place. So far he had countered using the right move but that was just buying him time to lose slowly he needed to go on the offense.

Deep in his mind he crawled and searched for anything that would help him in his mind. After what seemed like years of crawling through his mind but was in actuality just a few milliseconds he came upon an answer deep in his subconscious. Now all he needed to do was set up the arena.

He pictured a two rectangular rooms connected by a single door in his mind and then had it expand and actualise in the space they were in. The boy still didn’t know what William was up to and he couldn’t sense anything. He was shocked when William approached him suddenly as if to attack. He dodged to the side and slashed at William who once again vanished only to appear a few metres away.

Four times William did the faux provoking move and vanished as soon as he retaliated. Just as he was about to attempt his fifth trial the boy slashed and a blue energy wave headed for him. He quickly vanished and reappeared only to be hit by another energy arc. It hit him squarely on the chest and he flew back a few metres banging up aginst the wall of the room.

He dodged two cross arcs of light and ducked a third one. He saw smoke and steam emanating from the boy’s body and he smiled. It was all going to plan, now it would be the survival for the slowest.

William once again did his feint and provoked the boy the quickly vanished. The boy retaliate and it shocked William to see him matching speeds.

“You are still a human and your speeds are not incredible.” The boy said.

If a human eye had been watching the match all they would see would be the blue energy arcs appearing at random locations around the room. Nothing else. That’s how fast the two were.

William could feel himself start to sweat and he knew he didn’t have enough time for his plan to work. He dodged once again and tumbled towards the unseen door. A force knocked him violently way from it and he landed on his back. The boy flashed before him claws bared ready to rip out his guts but at that moment a force pulled him away from William and through the door into the next room.

William felt the door shut as he got to his feet. He pictured the Star of David in his right and left palm then went to the door. He opened it and entered the room. In it he saw the boy trapped in a large circle having a six-sided star inscribed in it.

“Playing it safe by having that amulet in your palms.” The boy growled. “I accept defeat after all you’ve sapped me of all my strength. I just have one question how did you manage to beat me?”

“It was very easy, after working out your specific skill which can be incorrectly compared to future foretelling all I did was just to apply what I have called Heisenberg Technique in tandem with a friend of yours called Maxwell.” William said panting heavily. That move had not only knocked the wind out of his body but a large amount of energy had been burned. “What is your name?”

“Sorry human this is the only form of control I’ll let you have over me, I’ll not tell you my name. “The boy coughed out what looked like blood, “This is your pyrrhic victory but not for long. I kind of like you and hope not to cross your path again. I will tell you this though, you really need to prepare for what is in store. Your girlfriend will make a very good ally that will be my parting gift.”

With that William watched as he faded into nothing but with a smile on his face contradictory to how he was so ardent on killing him just a few minutes ago. A thought rushed through his brain and he frowned as the parting words took on weight.

[I shouldn’t have let him do that] the voice said. [However, he has already made the motion and so it has passed.]

ENOUGH! William thundered mentally. He felt the Voice raise an eyebrow. [You are going to explain to me what is going on]

[You are twenty millennia too young to challenge me boy.] The voice said humorously. It turned to a growl as William made a motion with his hand.

William watched as for once he started seeing an ethereal form appear besides him. For a second more the form started getting physical before it started dispersing. He closed his eyes and made a mental image of a container.

[Problem with humans is your thought to concrete process.]

But even as The Voice uttered those words, it felt itself staring to materialise and fill the human shaped container that William had conjured up. As soon as he was complete William struck him a blow across his face.

Laughter rang out through his head and William got on his knees cupping his ears.

[I hope that felt good for you. As you are well aware, physical pain is of no consequence to me even if you think you have successfully contained me. Which you have not.]

William felt the psychic hold he had on The Voice dissipate away.

[Maybe in twenty five years will you manage to give me a corporeal form but not now youngling. Besides even if you could your power levels are dangerously low right now after that fight. That was a splendid fight using Maxwell’s demon as well as Heisenberg principle to counter and defeat him.]

“Well you did increase my intelligence and rather painfully at that.”

[You humans have a saying right, that goes no pain no gain? Don’t hold me a grudge against me okay, I really wouldn’t want to get on your bad side.]

“For someone who hates human characteristics you sure are picking them up fast.

[Nit-picking are we now? The essence if it is there is a storm brewing on the horizons. Your entry has set off a dominoes effect that shall be felt very soon. In simple terms a war is coming and you need to pick a side that is all I will tell you. Of course defeating that lesser being was more than what I really hoped for. However I will answer one question and grant you one wish.]

“Wow thanks for the faith,” he said dripping heavily with sarcasm. “My question is this, does my participation or non-participation change the outcome of the war?”

[As of now you are a sticking point. Whether you like it or not you already have participated in the war, as to whether you are that important in the war, time will tell.]

“For my wish since I know asking you to let me die is not part of your evil plans and neither will you undo what that thing did to Kate, I have a small request.”

William telepathically sent his wish to The Voice. Rambunctious laughter rang all around him.

[It shall be done]

“Urgh, my head,” Kate groaned sitting up from the floor. She watched as William too woke up and rubbed his head.

“What happened? Were we just knocked out or what? Why do I have this splitting headache?”

William got up and headed to the bathroom and he came back holding a packet of painkillers. She swallowed two of them and the pain subsided almost immediately. She looked at the tablets suspiciously before putting them away.

She remembered she was telling him about her dream and she narrated step by step all that William had one up until the boy faded away. William sighed internally realising why he hadn’t had the chance to hear the dream first. He cursed at the voice internally and he swore he heard a faraway chuckle.

“I swear though that just before he disappeared he mentioned me and said I have—”

“You have—”

“LAPLACE FUNCTION.”

Kate stopped and looked at William surprised. “How did you know what I dreamt?”

“Because that wasn’t a dream. If I am not wrong I may have battled and won against Laplace’s Demon though I didn’t know it at that time. So this is real.”

Kate looked at William and had a feeling that last statement wasn’t directed to her. He sat down and sighed, “Kate I have something to tell you. You might want to sit down and take something strong.”

She took a seat beside him and waited for him to start. However, he stood up and headed for the kitchen where took a bottle of water and placed in on the countertop. He took a tumbler in his hand then faced her.

“Look at this bottle and tell me what you see.”

“Well it is a bottle of water, plastic PET bottle has 489.35 millilitres of water in liquid form and about 9.65 millilitres in steam form. In about three seconds that bottle of water will be lying flat on the floor and you will be besides me again—”

She stopped when the bottle hit the floor and felt William’s presence besides her. She stood up shocked and looked around slightly dazed before locking her eyes on William. In his hand he held a champagne flute and it was filled with what looked like a fizzy drink, she took it from his hand and downed the content in one gulp.

“My first time taking champagne, actually any alcoholic drink, did you make that the same way you made the wine glass?”

She looked up quickly as something dawned on her, “The same way that you not only made those expired painkillers safe for consumption but you also increased the efficiency of its active ingredients.”

He nodded and continued, “I have rudimentary control over matter, and by rudimentary I mean just the basics. I can change matter into different states as well as what was called transmutation. Also I might be the smartest human on this planet as of now. You on the other hand have access to Laplace Function. That boy you saw was an actualization of Laplace’s Demon and I fought him and because I won he made me lose by giving you a portion of his powers.”

She motioned for another glass and he made the bottle that was on the floor to rise and uncap itself. Clear water poured out of the bottle but golden sparkling wine filled the glass. She took a sip of it this time and set it on the table, “I am no wine connoisseur but this wine is superior quality. Okay so fine you have telekinetic powers as well as control over matter.”

“Point of correction,” he interrupted, “I have control over matter, and as long as it made up of atoms and molecules I have some power. The power is greatly weakened if the sub atomic particles are in any state of excitement. So no it is not telekinesis.”

“Noted, so in other words you cannot control chemical and reactions as well as any item that has heat or electricity or light, no energy control. Then for me that means that I have the ability to know the exact position in time and place of every atom in the universe.”

There was silence for a few minutes before she continued, “What do we do next? What’s the purpose for us having these powers?”

“From what I’ve gleaned, there is war looming and we are or at least I was to take part in it,” he answered her. “I think we are the only humans.”

Kate shook her head and her eyes glowed purple, “Not only us. Using Laplace I can tell that we have quite a number of people around the world. Some places have quite a number of people forming this super-clusters. We do have a small cluster right here in this country roughly thirty main characters, maybe we can start with them.”

With that done the two spent the rest of the night planning how they would reach out to the others.