Hearing the man blubbering all his life sins into the phone made Kiyan sick. The fact that a human could do some of these things to another person disgusted him. Hearing sirens Kiyan notified Ray of the need to depart. Kiyan and Ray waited for the officers to rush by them then left the building.
We need to move. Merlin might still be at the property. Kiyan and Ray sped to location of the address. At first glance there was only some rundown buildings on the property but they soon discovered the cellar beneath one of the buildings.
“It's empty. There were drakken here a few hours back but the smell is faint.” Ray sniffed around for a few more seconds before walking back out of the cellar. Standing outside Kiyan looked at the sky. Darkness had fallen before they had found the gang and it was close to midnight now. The city lights illuminated the sky but Kiyan adjusted for the light.
There isn't a single star in the sky. Kiyan felt a searing pain in his head as his surroundings began to flicker. Flashes of the moonscape replaced the rundown property and the city. Ray felt Kiyan's pain and both of them reeled. “It’s too late, Merlin is dead.” Kiyan lay holding his head as he tried to think through the pain. “I have to try again.” Kiyan focused on the past as hard as he could. In an instant the pain was gone and his surrounding were fading to red. Kiyan felt the familiar burning sensation but it wasn't so strong here. He hardly needed to channel the heat. His senses expanded but felt confined. The only thing that Kiyan could sense was the earth, sun and moon. The other planets in the system were crumpling. Kiyan channeled the heat into the sun when it became too hot to bear. The next instant he was in the cornfield.
“Kiyan are you OK? Ray recalled Kiyan back to his senses.”
“I know where he is or at least will be.” Kiyan gave Ray the information that he had as they sped towards the property. They arrived just as they saw the big man's men leaving the cellar. The door splintered at Kiyan's touch as he rushed into the dank room. A hidden door was opening on the far side of the room as Kiyan saw the boy laying tied and gagged in a corner. It only took a moment to reach the corner where the boy lay. Kiyan glanced at the open door as he cut the bloody bonds around the boy's hands.
“What is your name?” Kiyan asked as he took off the gag. Ray incapacitated the first couple drakken that exited the door.
“Who, why, help me. I'm Merlin. Help me please.” It took only one more slice to free Merlin.
Kiyan turned at the snarling voice from the dark doorway. “He is dead human. I will take pleasure in killing you too.” Kiyan saw the blaster in time to jump in front of Merlin. His shields absorbed enough energy to turn a human to dust. When he looked up again the drakken was lying in a pool of green blood. Unfortunately there was a dozen more drakken in the room and more pouring in. Kiyan and Ray both transformed and began to lay devastation all around them. Kiyan had impaled half a dozen drakken on ice when Ray breathed a torrent of fire into the door where more drakken appeared to replace the fallen. Screams soon silenced as a single drakken staggered out of the doorway wreathed in flames. Kiyan flung icy darts at a couple remaining drakken turning them into frosty statues.
The last drakken stopped twitching as Kiyan turned back to Merlin. Shifting back into his normal form Kiyan picked up the unconscious boy and carried him back to the surface. Ray busted his way out of the cellar and smashed the walls of the building in with a couple swipes of his tail. A loud crash filled the air with dust as the whole building collapsed into the pit. Ray poured flaming dragon breath into the pit until it looked like a pool of liquid fire. It took several minutes before the flames died down but there was no trace of the battle or the trio when the fire department arrived on the glassy melted scene.
Kiyan, Ray and the still unconscious Merlin were sitting on a hill overlooking the city as Kiyan and Ray examined Merlin's injuries. There are some scars but they are disappearing quickly. Kiyan ran his hand over them and felt the life energy pooling in the tissue.
“He is human, how is he ascending?” Ray questioned Kiyan telepathically.
“I don't know.” Kiyan was at a loss. He sensed a presence near him and looked up.
“It is a pleasure to meet you again.” An old man stood leaning on a wooden staff. His white hair and beard gave him a dignified ancient appearance.
“Again? I don't think I met you the first time.” Kiyan stood up and assumed a defensive posture.
The old man laughed quietly. Let me introduce myself. I'm that boy over there. I'm Merlin the wizard of Camelot. You are King Arthur's descendent. He told me a great deal about you before he reset the timeline and restored the human King Arthur. He told me you would save me but already had.”
“But how, how did you ascend in the first place?” Kiyan could sense that the old man spoke the truth.
“I'm a paradox. I will ascend because I have ascended.” The old Merlin didn't outright answer the question.
“Paradoxes can't support themselves. They collapse and reset. Why hasn't that happened?” Kiyan was determined to get to the bottom of the issue.
“You are so much like your ancestor. It warms my heart to see you. Some paradoxes do exist. Like this one for example. The drakken came to kill me because they feared me and wanted to undo everything I did or will do. You came to save me because of what I will do because the drakken came to kill me. You reversed time to save me. All that temporal energy created an island that resisted the reset caused when they killed me. I came forward through time to survive on this island of reality where anywhere else I would have been lost to the flow of time. All those factors combine to create the perfect paradox.” The old Merlin smiled. “In a couple months I will ascend and then I will train myself in the use of my ascended powers than I will travel into the past to protect the future. My young self will never realize my identity until just a few minutes ago.”
“So we saved the past? Why didn't you help us save you?” Kiyan had a clearer understanding but was still confused.
I may be able to interact with my own timeline and be a paradox but I do have limitation. If I had saved myself, you wouldn't have come. If you hadn't come you wouldn't have reversed time restarting the paradox. The future of the past is safe now. Arthur gave me a message for you. Nearly two thousand years I have carried this message. When the year is new in 2015 the sky will rain fire.” Kiyan remembered his first dream. The vivid memories of pain and desolation still was fresh. “But you already knew that didn't you.” Kiyan was recalled back to the present by the old Merlin's voice.
“I had a dream but I didn't know when it was supposed to be.” Kiyan admitted.
“There are always more than one piece to a puzzle isn't there. I see my younger self is waking up. Know I will be fighting the war. Maybe not beside you but I will be in the shadows.” The old Merlin helped the younger Merlin to his feet and Kiyan watched as they walked down the hill.
There are a lot of pieces to this puzzle. The irony of it. If the drakken hadn't come here to kill him, one of their greatest enemies would not have been born. Kiyan laughed out loud at the thought. It took a couple weeks for the Avenger to appear and collect him. During that time the duo visited the young and old Merlin and explored the new timeline. Kiyan learned everything he could of the history of this timeline and the old Merlin obliged by telling him a few stories of what he had seen. He was almost sorry to go when the Avenger showed up.
Chapter Fourteen: Kayloo Prime
Marisa stood up and rubbed her lower back. The tension in the muscles soon relaxed and she returned to working in her flower bed. It only took her a few more minutes to finish working up the rest of the bed. Standing back she pictured the crawling shinlow that would be growing up the wall. The bright colored flowers would be scattered over the rough bark of her house soon. The thought of seeing it at night with the glowing flowers casting light over the yard brought a smile to Marisa's face. The shadows off the corner of the house caught her eye. James should be returning soon.
It wasn't long after Kiyan
had left that James had been approached with the offer of a seat on the council. He had almost decided against it when he changed his mind and accepted the offer. Kiyan entered her mind as she began preparing supper. There was always a hint of worry about him when she thought about what he might be up to. The last message that she had received from him had indicated that he was doing well. The scientists on Samtan had developed a dimensional crystal that allowed them to transmit and receive signals from the other dimension. The last weekly exchange had been about a couple of his adventures and a couple new skills. He seemed to be enjoying himself even though he seemed older and more mature. A sound at the door told her James was here.
“How was your day?” Marisa deftly diced a couple vegetables for a salad.
“We had a delegate from the dragon lords today.” James hung his insignia by the door with his communicator.
“What did they want?” A few greens parted under the knife.
“They have several young dragons that want to go join the war.” James gave his wife a hug and a kiss.
“How are they supposed to do that?” Marisa gave up trying to work on supper as James teased her.
“We sent them to the ascended that remained here after the rest left. Nightingale said she would send a message on the next burst transmission and ask the other ascended. Florence thinks that she can send them back into the past to the second of the transition. The dimensional barrier would be weakest there but it would only be a one way trip.” James let Marisa return to cooking as he sat down.
“Do you think any of them would go to Kiyan's ship?” Marisa tossed all the ingredients into a bowl and began mixing them.
“I suspect that several of them will be given commands of their own. A couple of them wanted to serve under Theo.” James stood up and began slicing the warm bread that Marisa pointed at. I really don't know if there are that many ships operating out there that they could choose from.
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Kiyan felt a dream coming on after a dreamless night. Kiyan pondered for a moment the strangeness of night on a ship in space. Kiyan relaxed as the vision overtook him. Strange shapes surrounded him as he glanced about. Shadows passed him on all sides. Some alone and some in pairs. Kiyan took a few steps into the shadows and felt like someone was watching him. Turning back around he saw one of the shadows standing still amidst the moving masses. Kiyan was a little unnerved by the feeling of being watched. In a blink the shadow was gone. The tone of the dream changed as Kiyan moved on. He followed an energy scent, something Kiyan had felt before. He could see an object glowing in the distance when several shadows appeared in his path.
He was about to walk through them when he noticed a repulsive energy and their eyes following him. They shouldn't be able to see me. Kiyan dodged as one of the shadows reached out to him. He was too slow to miss the next shadow. For the split second that he was connected he felt two minds fighting each other. One was far more powerful than the other mind but he felt a plea emanating from the weaker mind. Kiyan connected with the stronger mind. To his surprise he sensed a simple mind with a singular purpose. Even in its simplicity it was a strong AI. Kiyan interfaced with the computer and fragmented the code. There was a glow as the shadow disappeared. Kiyan stepped back as the other couple shadows charged him. Kiyan was able to fragment one before the other was on him forcing its will into Kiyan's mind. He struggled for a moment before blasting the computer with all his mind. Kiyan jerked upright in his bed as reality replaced the dream, the cold sweat frozen against his face. Cold fire flickered across his skin as he caught his breath. He felt Ray waking up and inquiring what the problem was.
“It was like a warning or message or something. It wasn't like a dream, like I was really there or almost there at least.” Kiyan shook his head as white breath clouded the air around him. “They attacked me like I was really there.” Kiyan focused making the ice blades retract from his fingers. Kiyan's HUD blinked as a message came in from Theo and Kiyan's holographic clothes flickered into place as he climbed out of bed. “Come on Ray, they want us for a meeting.”
“Hair.” Ray watched as Kiyan brushed his teeth.
“What?” Kiyan glanced at Ray.
“Your hair, it’s still white.” Ray suppressed a smile as he watched.
Kiyan glanced up at the wall as a mirror flickered into place. “Oh.” Kiyan watched as his hair returned to its natural shade. His ice form was becoming too natural for Kiyan's comfort. It felt more natural than his normal form sometimes. His HUD flashed as another message appeared. Kiyan paused for a moment as he forwarded the message to Fred. It only took a moment more before he was ready. Kiyan made his way to the simulator and connected with the Odysseys and the Athena. The connection completed just about the time that Fred walked in trying to stifle a yawn. Kiyan laughed as Fred cast a rueful glance at the fresh looking wide awake Addy that was following him.
“It’s not my fault that I don't sleep like you do.” Kiyan could feel Addy laughing.
“I had no idea you still needed sleep or I would have waited a few hours.” Theo's voice had undertones of humor.
“Give him a break, Theo darling, remember how long it took me to stop sleeping?” The familiar voice of Kendra joined the conversation.
“I...I'm sorry, I didn’t mean to interrupt anything.” Fred hadn't been expecting Kiyan's parents.
“No need to apologize. You can't interrupt something that hasn't started yet or something that you are invited to. I count at least two reasons you aren't interrupting.” Kendra's musical tones reassured Fred.
“The real reason we invited you both was because we think we found something that could help us in the war.” Theo brought up some holograms over the table as he continued. “Our scans detected a temporal anomaly in a system.” The hologram of a small system shimmered above them. “I think it is a temporal fragment.”
“What is a temporal fragment?” Fred asked before Kiyan got the chance.
“Temporal energy is not constant. There are some areas where the flow of energy is stronger than in other places. In some spots the energy is so strong that it coalesces into solid matter. A piece of temporal energy is a powerful energy source. If the drakken get it they may be able to open a stable portal to the drakken home universe. Drovak told us that their portal is unstable and destroys any organic matter. They were only able move a few sequences before Kiyan sealed the portal. They are stuck with a fraction of their active clones. Drovak also says that if they have more than one clone active at the same time from one sequence both of them start to deactivate.”
“More clones mean more ships and agents.” Fred understood what Theo meant.
“So what about this planet. Do they know what they have?” Kiyan returned the discussion to its track.
“If they did know what they had they would have probably used it by now. The temporal energy release would have been enormous.” Kendra cleared Kiyan's question up.
“Exactly, what we need to do is meet with the inhabitants of the planet and see if we can get it if they already have it.” Theo brought up a closer hologram of the planet. “The problem is that they are somewhat xenophobic and don't welcome strangers. The hologram showed weapon platforms and a dense minefield surrounding the planet.”
“It could hold off a drakken fleet!” Kiyan examined the defenses.
“So a protectorate battleship flying up might not get the kind of attention that we want.” Theo explained.
Kiyan remembered his dream from just a bit earlier. “I think they have the fragment and they don't like us.”
“How do you know that?” Theo was a bit puzzled.
“I had a dream or I think it was a dream. I felt like I was there and they could see me. I found something that had temporal energy but they attacked me before I could look at it.” Kiyan told them about the dream leaving out no detail.
“This changes everything.” Theo was pacing the room. The planet is the kayloo home world and the people there are a race t
hat came to the planet a few thousand years ago. I had hoped that you and Fred could go to the planet and seeing that you both are bonded with kayloo might be able to open negotiations. If they attacked you while you were dream walking then they must have developed some telepathic abilities as well as who knows what. They have some interference generators so we couldn't get good scans of their planet.” Theo became silent as he paced the room thinking.
“Why don't we just go back in time and grab it before the people come to the planet?” Fred offered an idea.
“I wish it was that simple. The fragment wasn't always there. It only formed a few years ago.” Theo again became silent for a moment. “You are sure that the minds you touched were being controlled by a computer chip?”
“Yes. I was able to interface with it. It appeared to overpower the will of the mind it was connected to.” Kiyan watched as Theo continued to pace. “It was like they were slaves or something.”
Smoke rose from Theo's breath as he moved. “I should have put a stop to it the first time I met them. Instead I just brought some kayloo to the refuge planets. Lightning cracked as he smashed his hands together.” Kiyan had never seen Theo so worked up.
“Honey, calm down. You couldn't know this would be the result.” As Kendra spoke Theo began to relax.
“I condemned them to living in slavery. I could have stopped them.” Theo took one of the seats at the table.
“Let us go. We can scout it out and collect information about the fragment. Kiyan and I can't be hurt and we could escape if we get in danger.” Fred spoke with enthusiasm as Kiyan nodded.
Ray glanced at Addy's scowling face before speaking. “I speak for myself and Addy when I say that we will be coming with you.”
“I... I can't let you do that, its too dangerous. It is my problem to fix.” Theo held his head in his hands as he spoke.