Chapter 23

Sam stared at Lord Robert as she fought against the men holding her, struggling to stand. It had been over a year since she had seen him and he hadn’t changed. Other than the new cane, topped with a brilliant green jewel, he still had the same square chin, the same set of perfect clothes and spotless shoes and the same disapproving stare. The only good thing about the memory spell was, she had forgotten how much she hated his judgements. They always made her feel like trampled dirt, lucky to touch his shoes, even for an instant. He seemed a little older though. Some grey was starting to show around his temples.

“What the hell are you doing here?” she asked.

“Me? I set this up.” He waved at the warehouse. It resembled the place she’d just left, full of crates, but newer, cleaner. “Let her stand. It’s impolite to talk down to someone.” Gesturing to the two men holding her. “Keep her contained. I will be most unpleased if she escapes.”

“Let me go!” Rage filled her voice and she jerked her arms. The two large men held them tight, behind her, one on each side as they stood her up.

Where’s my strength? This morning, she could pick up a tree. Why couldn’t she move these men? Sam stared at the exoskeletons of the other men standing around. The machines were a new type, sleeker, less bulky, but only a little faster. She didn’t remember seeing anything like this before. They needed a lot of space to work in so they didn’t hit things. Had the technology changed this quickly since she was gone? She couldn’t gain any leverage, but there was a whine filling the air and dark smoke spiralling up behind them. The machines were straining against something, probably her. Maybe if she kept it up, she could cause enough damage and get free.

“Stop your struggles girl. I won’t have you hurting yourself, or these men. I need them,” Lord Robert said, placing his gloved hand under her chin, and raising her face. He was still a little taller than she was.

Sam jerked her head out of his hand and spat at him. Wiping it off his cheek with one hand, he slapped her with his other, grasped her chin again and forced her to stare into his eyes.

“Remarkable.”

The slap didn’t hurt, but the sting shocked her. There was a copper taste in her mouth. He’d never done that before. She stopped struggling with the two men and stared back. The whining noises from the exo-suits stopped. “Remarkable? What do you mean?” She shook her head and felt around in her mouth with her tongue. “What the hell is going on?”

“You’ve changed, even if you haven’t aged as much as I would have thought. When Eon told me you were coming back here, I was ready to strangle that fat bastard. That pig had one job, keep you there,” Lord Robert stood up and wiped his glove on a handkerchief. “I had hoped maybe that you’d matured over there. After all, it’s been about three years.” Staring at her, he raised his lip in contempt. “All I can see is a rabid dog that needs to be put down. Same as before.”

“Three years? What are you talking about?” She was only in Relancia for less than one year. At least that’s how it felt.

He smiled at her and shook his head. “Time moves differently over there. Slower, for some reason. It’s 1899 now. You’ve been gone over three years.”

Sam drew her head back. “No way! That’s impossible. How could that be?” How could time be different in Relancia?

Lord Robert ignored her questions and gave the handkerchief and his glove to his servant, Albert. Sam remembered that man too. Albert was as tall as Lord Robert, but where Robert was powerful, Albert was scrawny. A gust of wind could topple him. The butler’s thin face and sharp nose only added to the scarecrow image. He was second in his disapproval of all things Sam, behind his master. Both of them had made her childhood hell.

Albert handed a new pair of gloves to Lord Robert.

“Be that as it may, I still may be able to find a use for you,” Lord Robert said, putting on the new gloves. “While women have achieved some freedoms here, they still cannot vote or hold property. As well, it is still my responsibility to find you a husband. Senator Rathor is still looking for a new wife, and I want his land. For some reason, he was enamoured with you. Maybe I can play that for some advantage.”

“Rathor! Forget that,” Sam yelled, still struggling. “There’s no way I’d ever marry that pig!” Forcing her shoulders forward the two men in the exo-suits came with her. She couldn’t remove them. Dammit, where’s my strength? Every time she struggled, she could hear the metal pistons on the men’s backs going up and down like they were trying to take off, and a grating noise filled the room. Maybe she could use that.

“What are you struggling for? I told you to stop it!” Lord Robert sneered.

“Over there I could break a stone with my fist. Why can’t I move these two bastards?” Pushing back with her legs, she heard a grunt coming from the men. A strange sound, like metal grinding coming from their legs. Still, they didn’t move. The man on the right shoved his elbow into her stomach and Sam heard a crack. It sounded like a rib.

“I said, be careful and that goes for you too, fool,” he glared at the man holding Sam.

Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

“Sorry, sir. It’s like holding a greased bear,” the man said.

She saw Lord Robert smirk and shuddered. How can such a handsome face reflect that evil?

“I was wondering about your strength. Eon told me you were strong and able to do crazy things. That twit mentioned that there was a prophecy of a ‘Realmwalker’ over there, whatever that meant and thought he could use that to give you a place, once your memory was adjusted.” Lord Robert chuckled. “It didn’t work out quite as he’d hoped when you proved more obstinate than a stone when confronted with a mistake. I could have told him you were...” He paused searching for the right word, shook his head and sighed. “… a boil.”

“What are you talking about?” Sam screamed in frustration, rolling her shoulders forward. The men holding her shifted and she gained some leverage. The strange scraping sound grew louder.

“You’re a freak, Samantha. Your parents experimented on you to change your body and make it stronger. They wanted to make the perfect soldier. The perfect person. One who could survive in any situation.” Lord Robert said, frowning. “I told them that it was reckless and dangerous. Nobody should play God like that. Even if it’s for the betterment of the human race. I tried to stop them but failed. I blame myself for not convincing them to abandon their research. If only I had done more to convince them, their death wouldn’t have had to happen.”

Sam stopped her struggles and stared at Lord Robert, confused. Her mouth gaped open and she could feel the fear welling up. The pistons stopped moving and the grinding stopped. The men on either side of her sighed in relief.

“No,” she whispered; the memory of that night flooded back. Her parents had gone to Lord Robert’s house for dinner, but she hadn’t been feeling well, so she’d stayed home and rested. The next day he, and the police, came to her door. It was the only time Sam had ever seen her uncle sad, unsure of himself. He was wringing his hands and couldn’t keep them still. When he told her what’d happened in a gentle, sorrow-filled voice, she thought he’d cared about her. After that day everything changed. She had moved into Lord Robert’s house and Nadia became her sister.

“What the hell are you talking about? They died in an accident on their way back from your house.” Sam spat at his feet, getting the blood out of her mouth.

“No, that’s only partly true,” Lord Robert said, kneeling and wiping his shoes off. “They died on the way to my house. I let you believe it was later because, in my weakness, I felt guilty about trying to kill a child. I wouldn’t have ordered the attack if I had known you weren’t in the carriage.”

“What?” Sam gasped, her eyes blurring. “There’s no way. You’re lying!”

“Joel knew that what he was doing to you could have serious consequences. But he never listened. When Laura supported his delusions, I realized my hands were tied. As children, I enjoyed watching his stubborn streak annoy our parents. However, as we grew older, it became tiring and pedantic.”

“No! I can’t believe it. No!” Sam screamed into the floor and forced herself back, pushing against the men holding her. The gears sounded like they were screeching. A bit more effort and she would snap the suits.

Lord Robert stepped forward and slapped her again, cutting off her rebellion.

Sam glared at him and spit out the blood. “That’s twice. I won’t let you do that to me again.”

“You will listen. This is why you are here, isn’t it? To find out the truth.” He straightened and adjusted his vest. “When I found out about the research, they were conducting on you, I realized I had to put an end to it. Separating a child from their parents was undesirable, so I tried to get you all together. Nadia would miss you, but she was young, and that was an acceptable loss. With time, she would get over it.”

Sam looked into his eyes and watched as he brushed off some dust that was soiling his suit. She stopped struggling and sagged, all the tension left her body. The scraping sound coming from the men ceased as well. She heard them breathe out again, in what sounded like relief. A bit more. If she kept it up, maybe she could shake them loose.

Continuing in the same dispassionate voice as if he was reading a package of ingredients. “The next day when you hadn’t died, I felt ashamed. I couldn’t believe what I’d tried to do and promised myself that I wouldn’t stoop that low again. I don’t mind using children in my factories, but there has to be some limits.” He glared at her, in disgust, his face turning hard and his lip curling. “I always keep my promises, even if they damn my soul. You made sure I would regret that decision.”

He paused and a sigh escape his lips. “I now wish I hadn’t been too late. Your parent’s experiments had already corrupted you.” She saw sorrow in his eyes for an instant, until his usual stern contempt reared itself. He turned to Albert and directed his man to prepare the carriage. “However, maybe I can use it.”

“What do you mean?” Sam forced out through clenched teeth. Her face was hot and rage burned deep in her. Lord Robert couldn’t contain his disgust and snorted.

Regaining his composure, he took hold of his jacket lapels and continued talking. “When that fat king told me about your strength, I realized that you were different. I suspected it here, but there was nothing concrete. Only hints of what you could do. The others I’ve sent to that world, Albert included, showed no difference. They got sick and soon had to return.” He placed both his hands atop his cane and leaned forward. “You showed power there. When I checked Joel’s notes again, with this new information, I realized that he was engineering people to survive in that other world, not making soldiers. He wanted to send people there. His chemical formula, however, was missing.”

Sam’s eyes grew wide. If the chemical formulas were missing that meant he didn’t have all the notes. Where would they be? When she used them to open the portal, she knew something was missing. There was a reference to other pages she couldn’t find. There was someone else. Someone who held the missing pages. What was his name? Sam racked her brains. It had been years since she thought of her father’s assistant.

“With you here, I can now test your blood and find out the final piece of information,” Robert smirked and adjusted his jacket. “Thank you for your assistance.”

Sam tried to move forward, she wanted to punch him. The two men redoubled their hold on her, forcing her back. Their grunts echoed in her ears and the metal screeching grew even louder.

If Lord Robert was speaking the truth, it changed everything. “Do you mean my father was also responsible for creating the portals?” Sam asked. She was wearing down the exoskeletons but needed a little more time.

“Yes, I was surprised too. When he first showed them to me, I realized the potential they had. Your father wanted to expand science and your mother was right there with him. His dreams were contagious and I was content with that, then. I thought he’d see the light eventually, but sad to say, their time was too short.”