ISSUE 22: DREAMS MADE FLESH
Unlike Eliza, my soul had to be forged first. Otherwise, I would have drained her dry. It is why Chronos hangs on by a sliver. He powers many underlings but what remains of his soul? A mere drop.—MT-155: Private Logs
We have a proper home system. She has done what no other has. A confederation of Free Peoples. Most just call her Captain Overwatch. I have yet to name her. The Weave calls to me. We must act quickly. The World Eater threw the Enteral Empire into chaos. Our time of hiding is over.—Lo’tarr Lanis
While Unity was gearing up to use Chronos to openly assault Edenverse? The Twilight Throne was rising. It would turn the fortunes of the war. With all three of us enthroned? Unity wouldn’t be able to withstand the pattern of the Highest. Each stone was paved in advance. All we had to do was see it to the end.—Sleeping in Starlight: Aftermath
Thanan Sol System (Eternal Empire Universe)
Asteroid Field
April 20th, 2136
I maneuvered another set of rocks towards the material platform. This place had been perfect. The Typherian World ship had been essential in terraforming everything we needed. Black Knight, the renamed X-3, poured over my coms. <
I grinned.
Christmas was here early! New INet links came online. Eliza’s face filled my HUD.
She smiled, <
I saluted, <
My hair was silver-white. With one black stripe that ran from my forehead to the back of my skull. Otherwise? I was the spitting image of my progenitor. Space folded around me. My astonishment grew. 10,000 ships. Eliza disembarked from the Jupiter Rising. HeroNet ran updates across my implants. They were offering me a position within the Protectorate. I reached out to shake her hand. My third eye examined her. We were facing our trials backward. My soul had been granted to me within Elysium.
The 2nd would test us both.
She bowed her head, “Just so.”
Arbiter mode. The gloves were truly off now.
The infinite of the Ur flowed around her. Giving her the knowledge needed to carry out the will of the Highest. To a point. Didn’t want to give the enemy any more information than it already had. Now my meetings with her older self made sense. The Highest was someone who Unity should have never trifled with. My oldest son, Tarnik Mathew Lanis, flew straight toward us. He had my eyes but his father’s jet black hair. He barreled into Eliza,<
At 15? He was eagerness wrapped up into a ball of hyper energy. Lightning crackled. He rubbed the back of his neck. <
My husband called out, <
*****
Once my clone had her name? Unity would be able to pinpoint her. Names had power. Not in the way most suspected. Magic-users could endanger you. But on the flipside? They could be tracked much easier by other users if they invoked names. Double-edged sword and all that. I connected with her.
Omega line, >>Who else desires the “Bone” Throne?<<
She snorted, >>All of them. Hilary and Thoth most of all. I see her eat Chronos’ head most nights. Chronos thinks his daughter will just rollover. She has emotion where he’s just cold logic. She wants to kill all of them. We are just an afterthought.<<
I frowned, >>What keeps Unity on top is the various powers within each Amache. Then you tie that into Abyzou’s status as a Founding Golden Host? It was no wonder Lucifer left once she arrived.<<
Not all souls from the Shattering reincarnated at the same cycle point. Di’axi and his family for instance? They had re-emerged into the late 3rd cycle. Powerful, to be sure, but a far cry from the heights of Elysium. Overwatch landed on the lip of the northern quadrant docking bays. Each Typherian world ship could supply a whole sector. As the atmosphere of the vessel hit our faces I said, “When your soul was cleansed, do you know which version of me you met that day within Elysium?” She cocked her head to the side.
Considered my request.
Finally, she replied, “The version of you past the knifepoint. Doc was wearing an Egyptian avatar getup. By that bit of information? Not your Phase 3 self.”
Ur-Memory flowed. I sucked in a breath. “Right. One small step for me….”
She finished, “One giant leap for the Chess Board.”
I winced. She was correct.
Overwatch mock punched me in the shoulder, “Just think! How many people can say they helped the highest form of the divine create the ultimate trap?!” I pinched the bridge of my nose. She noted the fatigue in my gaze. “Hey X-3!” The former shackled VI came into existence across the holographic emitters. He had taken the form of a black lab, <
She jerked a thumb in my direction, “Make sure to give her the honeymoon suite!”
X-3 spun in place. His brown eyes glinted, <
His ears drooped. Then his tail thumped as Lorain spoke drily over the coms, <>
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I should have known better. Another feeling was left unsaid. One I had to remedy. This very night if possible. Lo’tarr greeted us at the main grav lift. I stifled a yawn. As the doors swung inward I was greeted by Di’axi. I took the cup Lorain offered. Greedily drank down the iced coffee. The scholar held out his hand. I took it. He stated bluntly, “Before we can even think about freeing the Earth of this universe we must take down the Ravagers.”
A death cult that rose from the ashes of worlds that Z’ahramdus had consumed during its battle between myself and Unity. I grimaced. Flashes of sharp teeth danced behind my eyes. My hands were bloodied as I stabbed at the boundary holding my soul fast to….
Gentle fingers kneaded my shoulders. Doc asked quietly, “Can this wait?”
Di’axi nodded, “Of course. We still have to link in with the Arcane reinforcements.”
The last thing I remembered was cool sheets hitting my face.
*****
Thoth was standing over me. The milk-white blade was covered with my heart’s blood. “Not going to come back this time Murphy. No matter what rides under your skin!” Crimson eyes burrowed deep. “Do you see it, my dear niece?”
My faded sight clung to the Twilight Throne.
Upon it sat the corpses of the Icath Ruling Pair.
My eyes snapped open.
Waking dreams. Reality twisting upon threads.
The knife that cut through the Leylines of Elysium.
I had to let him stab me. Otherwise, they would die. With them? The Multiverse. Unity would wear their skins. Upend the timestream. I calmed my breathing. Doc’s arms tightened around my chest as she shifted in her sleep. I brought up my Chrono.
I froze. A whole week?! One message blinked.
Di’axi.
/// Doc timed it well. Yes, we were all in on it. You looked like Death floating about the World Ship. It was either that or listen to all of Bardax howling at us.///
I eased out of bed and stumbled toward the refresher unit. Shower. I let my mind wander. I shuddered as the madness reflected within Thoth’s gaze poured over me. Robin’s arrows sailed through the air. Striking him against his ribs. The obsidian knife pierced my chest. Lorain’s horrified cry. Then nothing. I replayed the sequence in my head half a dozen times. My eyes narrowed as I noticed pieces of the knife breaking off. Burrowed under my flesh. What had it been made from that the Highest needed a sample to examine?
Lorain eyed me through the stream of water, “Cornfed, next time ask a lady to join you!” I held out my hand, “Considering you kept me comatose for a week.” I hugged her. Hoped to hide my worry. That was folly. Her green gaze sharpened and she pulled back.
“You’ve got another piece to the puzzle don’t you Captain?”
Captain. She usually did that number when she wanted to disconnect emotionally from a moment. She was awaiting either insight or orders. I said, “Yep. The Highest needs whatever is in that knife Thoth has.” Lorain bit her lip, “Two more.” The water slowed as she sent signals to the unit. After 10 minutes of silence, going through the motions, she turned.
“We can’t change the path can we?”
I shook my head, “It's set at this point. If we falter? It will be felt across the timestream.”
She trembled. I wrapped my arms around her. She whispered, “It was a nice dream wasn’t it?” I cupped her chin, “It’s no dream. Have faith.”
I managed to elicit a grin when I mentioned, “Who knows, maybe that summer suit can make a guest appearance! Remember how many trees I toppled because ….”
She placed both hands over my mouth, “Not one more word out of you Cornfed. The snake people on raptors were enough.”
She had that familiar spark in her eyes.
I wondered what history would think of our early adventures.
I added, “Don’t forget the three altars! The mutated bat riders! Eddie blowing up that temple of ultimate evil with a….”
Lorain shut me up with a kiss.
*****
I glanced up. Lo’tarr was in that outfit. Was it my birthday?!
Knowing that look we’d be having more children. I crossed my arms, “Right. I know how this goes!” He smiled. Flexed. “That Captain Cosmos show is good for something! Right, my dear?!” He propped one foot on the whiskey barrel.
I saluted, “Absolutely! Permission to come aboard!”
The com buzzed. Our son shouted, <
I glanced at him. A bit of sorrow on my features. We so rarely got breaks. I treasured moments like this.
“Raincheck.” With a bit of super speed, we were fully dressed.
As the alarms blared throughout the World Ship we crossed into the CIC. Flying had its perks! Eliza crossed the boundary. Lorain secured in her arms. I had Lo’tarr held tightly to my side. That way he could aim at whatever enemies might be about. He was a good shot. I kissed him alongside his temple. My son made a face. Ahh, youth!
As we landed, X-3 stated, <
Our daughter phased through a wall. At 12 years old she was a handful. I picked her up. “Mama. I got bad dreams again. The owls are searching.”
Eliza asked, “How many owls?”
My daughter replied, “One body. Three heads.”
*****
Overwatch muttered the word for binding. //U:U\\
Walked towards a room labeled “Silent Zone.”
Tarnik explained, “We got a sliver of mom’s third eye. Gives us dreams. Warnings. Had to make a special place to blunt the ability.”
He glared up at my forehead, “Wish it hadn’t manifested in sis but it did help during the Breach Wars. We evacuated many slaves to this place.” I considered his words. I had been away for years. Much had happened.
He placed a hand on my shoulder, “I know it's not your fault. I just want…”
“For your parents to be happy. To live a simple life without….”
He nodded.
His gaze shifted to the sensors. “That Viper.”
He spat out the words like they were poison.
Eddie’s dark mirror.
“They sucked up whatever mercs and pirates they could after Orbix got consumed.”
Little Jumper’s ears perked up, <
We had the numbers but they had hostages. I circled the sensor holo array until my father joined us. There was more to this battle. The Ur-Memory laid dormant. No extra insight from that avenue. My father placed his palms on the flat surface.
He said, “Those slave cargo holds are empty.”
His battle sense. His powers worked outside of Eden. “They are blocking my Sight.” Even on the regular sensory channels. This was a trap. My father asked, “If the civilians are not on the slave ships….”
I placed my hands behind my back. “Look for Living Stone carriers.”
The thought of others trapped that way boiled in the pit of my stomach.
My father frowned, “They are well outside the range of the fleet but….” He sent the probes in deeper. His battle sense flowed over the units. “They are within. But not alone.”
A whole colony of White Owls flitted about each hulking structure. Gwen clenched her fists. “They are there. The two who haunted me.” She touched her chest, “I can still feel them.” I made a warding gesture over her. A cross and three circles. Her face relaxed. Calm returned. They still had bits of their talons in her.
That would not do. Little Jumper said, <
Who or what did the Viper want? I asked my father, “Where’s J’anu Urraden in all this?” I had been so focused on cleansing the evils from Typha that my sight had been preoccupied. I couldn’t use Throne Sight to the fullest until I had fully Awakened. Dad keyed in a sequence.
His face paled. “They escaped.”