Chapter 57
My Reunions are Froth with Disappointment
“Momma?” The stone-cold killer Rayquel says, as she enters the holding cell that I am still in. Perhaps a bit of a back brief is required. Two weeks have passed since I got back to this timeline. Don’t worry, my case never went to court-martial, I am being released from all human military contracts and obligations, so long as I give my son away. Well not my real son, I don’t have any of those, at least not in this timeline. Wait, not in any timeline now that I think of it, stupid incontinence.
You might be wondering, why is Rayquel here? Why is her first word to me ‘Momma’? As for the second one I have no clue. For the first one, I have a somewhat easy if convoluted answer. I have within my possession a fully germinated world tree seed, as part of my having my entire court-martial trial dropped, I will have to hand over the seed to the Endarians. There is of course only one problem, the seed talks to people and said it would only be sent to Rayquel.
No wait, I think I now have an answer for the second question. See the seed likely thinks of Rayquel as the mother, as she was there with me when we got them. Well not this Rayquel, in fact the seed isn’t even from this universe. Part of me almost wonders if the seed can even grow in our universe, but I quickly end that rabbit hole of disappointment. See if the seed doesn’t grow, I will likely be brought back up on some form of charge.
“I take it this is the thief that we are going to free. So long as he hands this seed over?” Rayquel asks General Fellina, not Tigran in this universe. I made that mistake and let me tell you it was not pleasant. Well, it was, she was very nice about it and corrected me. Still the way command came down on me for forgetting someone I had just seen twenty-four hours before was concerning. No, I have not admitted to having a real time loop, though I think the good doctor suspects something. He kept saying, “you know, these meetings don’t go so well when you aren’t being honest with me.”
“Just so you know, he can speak fluent Endarian.” General Tigr…I mean Fellina states. These multiple universes and different names and rules for each are getting hard to remember.
It should be noted that General Fellina is here as well. She swore it was for my own protection, and so far, that seems to be the case.
Out of curiosity I activate my Revelation Sight, nothing. Well, nothing more than normal. I can see that Rayquel, or the Iron Butterfly as she solely goes by here is far more powerful than the General. Though the General has quite a bit of power herself. The only problem is that there was no blindingly bright golden aura coming from the two. That was my first experience trying to make Revelation Sight an active power in the alternate universe.
I remember I tried on these two, well the two duplicates of these two people in the alternate universe, when I was blinded by intense golden light. I immediately stopped and never tried it again, as that was far too bright to comprehend. Looking back on it now, I realize the signs were there all along, I was just too dumb, or slow to notice. That General Tigran, and Rayquel were both gods. Or something like gods, monsters able to come down and take the physical form of people. In a way that explains why Rayquel always took exactly thirty seconds to join combat, something about having a delayed reaction time.
My Precognition-X is letting me know in no uncertain terms, that this Rayquel is a stone-cold killer. I see her eyes flash, and I feel the gentle caress of her mental feelers on my mind, as I am being warned of the danger that is radiating from her in waves. I have to say, I am a little turned on by her prowess, her stance, her danger. Part of this I know is likely residual traces of my pair bond to the alternate her.
“So, is this it? I come in, he stares at me like a puppy in heat, then we get the seed?” Rayquel states. I feel a bit saddened by the response, though she is not out of line. I am likely staring at her in the way most humans do. Though to my defense, I have a reason to do so. Well, a different reason to do so.
“Not quite. He has three questions.” General Fellina states.
Oh right, yes, I had three questions. They were good questions too, what were they? I wasn’t allowed to take notes or paper with me. My captors, I mean the humans facilitating this exchange of peaceful ideas, didn’t want me sending coded messages to the enemy.
“Well then, go ahead and ask these questions of yours.” Rayquel says, as she folds her arms underneath her chest. Sadly, this is very distracting for me in ways I never can fully articulate.
“Do you feel any sort of way when you look at me?” I ask, wondering if she feels any possible chances of our forming a pair bond. Or if the ripped away portion of my soul can now resonate with her. I have it back, that portion of my soul that went to her. Well went to the other Rayquel. It is like having a heat lamp on in your soul. At first it is okay, just slightly warmer than usual, but after a while it begins to dry everything up.
“I feel the want to punch you in your odd-looking face, for making me come out here for this.” Rayquel answers.
“Fair. Very fair.” I state. God that was hot, but in that weird I know she would easily punch me in the face. Still, I have to say, going from the two extremes of Rayquel is tough for my mind. I know logically these are two completely different people, in fact one was just an implanted alien being of some kind. But to go from such extremes of one constantly throwing themselves at me, to this. It almost feels like she is playing hard to resist, or maybe just playing let get hard… Nope, I need to focus.
This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.
“And your second question.” Rayquel demands as I am letting my thoughts get the better of me. I am desperately trying to remember the many questions I had on my different papers. I had imagined this going a much different way. I am completely off my game right now. Finally, I go with the first thing that comes to mind.
“The seed what does it call me?”
“Daddy.” Rayquel answers crisply. I am about to make a comment about loving when she calls me Daddy but that would likely get lost in translation. Though judging by her glare, I figure she is likely waiting for an excuse to punch me. She is not like other Endarians, she is cold, calculating, and above all stoic in her resolve.
There are so many things I want to tell her. So many points in her life that I want to compare to the other Rayquel’s. That is when I get the idea for my last question.
“For this last question. I will make several statements. When I say something that is not true about you, you stop me.” I stop myself before asking, will that work as that will likely count as the third question. So instead, I stop early and leave it there.
The two look at each other. This is a bond that has likely shared many years. It is clear the general and Rayquel are familiar with each other.
“That is acceptable.” Rayquel answers.
“You were first pair bonded over seventy years ago.” I begin speaking, and after the first statement she only glowers at me in annoyance. Seeing this, I nod and continue. “You went on a Gemini Temple run with your bonded partner. You both made it to floor forty, at which point you got a regression potion that allowed your signature iron wings to form.”
I pause as I let these points ring out. “You were tired, while your bonded partner wanted to continue. They went to floor forty-one while you waited. The reason you waited was that you thought it would be like all the other floors and block his passage. The only problem is you didn’t know you both needed to be on the exact same page about going further from floor forty on. He died, while all you could do was wait. Once he passed away, the Gemini Temple spit you out.”
SLAM!
Rayquel slams her fist into the metal table, causing a fist sized dent to appear.
“Enough, you seek to mock me!”
“No, I seek an answer.” I say, as I get up turn around and then pull up my shirt to reveal the butterfly tattoo that is still glowing brightly. Now it has flecks of orange and purple mixed in with the white. Yep, just as my eyes changed, so too did my butterfly tramp stamp. “My third question is how can I get rid of this.”
“A regressor’s mark?” General Fellina states as she gets up and begins touching the tattoo. “It’s real.”
I am about to say something about the General randomly touching people without seeking permission, but then I realize such taboos are only from human society.
“Touch it.” General Fellina states, but Rayquel has backed up a few paces at this point. She is now closer to the door than ever.
“What is this? Some sort of sick joke?” Rayquel screams. Fortunately, she does not have her banshee howl that she had unlocked in the alternate universe. Then I realize something even deeper and slightly more depressing, this isn’t the same Rayquel that I had spent the last six months bonding with.
“Stop, you know this is related to the prophecy.” General Fellina said.
Hearing the word prophecy, I groaned. That Endarian trope was so old, that I wished it had died from decay.
“Look, I’m going to stop you there. I don’t care about any prophecy. I take it you don’t know how to remove this mark?” I ask.
“No.” General Fellina said.
With that I lower my shirt and sit down defeatedly in my chair. I went through a time loop and all I got was this stupid butterfly tramp stamp.
“Are we done here?” Rayquel asks to the general.
The general turns to me, but I just wave dismissively at them. “Yeah, with this we are done. Look the seed is yours.”
Then I turn my attention back to the dark mirrored wall, the one with multiple minds huddled together. Looking at the wall I begin to speak.
“I’ve fulfilled my part of the obligation.” I say loudly so that the human delegation that has been listening to this all along now has to respond.
“Yes, with this transfer of ownership of the world tree seed, your military obligation is over. You are now a free man.” General Sharma states.
Click.
I feel the electronically sealed bracers that were on my wrists and ankles release. Shortly after there is a hand receipt that I sign, that officially transfers all ownership of the world tree seed to the Endarians. I then receive a digital and physical copy of my DD214 papers that officially separate me from the military. With that I am granted my personal effects, including my wrist communicator.
As I put on the communicator, I turn it on and feel it update. I see all the missed messages fill my screen as two plus weeks’ worth of messages all come to me.
Then behind all the messages I see the picture of Mel, and my heart stops for a moment.
Before this point, it seemed fake, or empty. I knew I had gotten her inheritance, but I almost figured it was a joke. Or something that wasn’t real. Yet, staring at her face, I can’t help but wonder what could have been? Then another more sinical part of me wonders if any of it was real.
Seeing the image causes an intense ping of pain to fill me. It is my first time seeing her in months, and at the same time, I know I will never see her again. Kind of stupid, I only saw her the few times. Still, she always seemed to be alive whenever I saw her.
That is when I realize there is one last question I have about this Rayquel. Well, it is about me more than anything. “Actually, I have one final question.”
Hearing my words both Rayquel and General Fellina pause. Realizing there is no way to ask this question without sounding stupid, I begin.
“Pheromonally speaking.” I begin, then pause myself at the use of pheromonally, I almost wonder if it is a word, but continue before I lose this one moment to ask this somewhat important question. “Do I have a pungent pheromonal smell?” I ask.
Rayquel for her part stares at me angrily for a second, then leaves the room. General Fellina on the other hand takes my question seriously. She walks over, takes in a deep whiff.
Snif. Snif.
“I have to say, you are the most pungent human I have ever come across. But no more so than other Endarians.” General Fellina answered truthfully.
Hearing that I nodded. “I knew I didn’t stink that badly.” I mutter to myself.
“No, you don’t. In fact, I’d say that your pheromones are quite pleasant, all things considered.” The general explains.
“Thank you.”
With that there is paperwork, more paperwork, and then still more paperwork. Finally, after I sign enough documents that we would need to slaughter another world tree to print everything. I get my personal effects and leave. I had to pay back the military for lost items, my uniforms, and even the violin that I lost while in the alternate universe. Fortunately, I do manage to keep my world-tree-wood violin. With that one item, and my wristwatch and civilian clothing that is suddenly much too tight for my now bulging muscles I left the Military Academy as a free man.
Walking outside of the grounds I smelled the sweet smell of freedom, that was close to ammonia from cat piss, ozone, and the noxious fumes of traffic congestion. To put it another way, I was smelling what the world had to offer and it wasn’t half bad. Nope, to quote two of my favorite elderly critics, it was all bad.
Smiling to myself at the thought of those two old critics, I walk out once again into the city. Once again, I have no clue on what I will do next, but that doesn’t matter. I have a whole universe to explore, and for the first time in a long time. I am finally ready to act on my own.
I smile to myself, even as I feel the minds of would-be assailants try to surround me. Such actions are to be expected. Most soldiers can claim self-defense if there is another soldier to corroborate their story. But a soldier walking by themselves, even if it is all caught on video feeds, almost always goes to the favor of the assailants.
“You five just picked the wrong easy mark.” I begin, as I fell all five minds surround me. While I smile brightly. I am free.