Out of Time the Grand Quest

by Christopher Douglass

  “How many books are in here?”

  “Trillions. It is said that if every person who had ever been born, either here on Atlantis, on Aerth, or on either version of Earth, were to be handed one of these books, there would still be billions more unclaimed. This is also one of the only places anywhere in Atlantis where electronics are forbidden. The Librarians say that electromagnetic waves and energy weapons hurt the books. It can take an entire day to walk from this end of the library to the other. There are small way stations set up all over the place where those wishing to use the library can sleep. Sometimes finding a book in here is an adventure all on its own. Climbing up and down stairs, navigating the millions of aisles, and that is just to get to the proper genre. It becomes easier if you know what sector of the library the book you might want is in. If you do, you can circle around outside and enter through another door.”

  Kimberly returned to the main open area, her eyes trying to capture everything at once. The sheer magnitude of this place was too much for her to wrap her mind around. She could spend a hundred lifetimes in this room alone and that still wouldn’t be enough to read even a fraction of the works it held. Even if she read a book a day. She was sure if she had Quis’s Encyclopedia ability, even that would not be enough. Her brain would explode trying to retain it all. She watched as hundreds upon hundreds of people roamed the bookshelves looking for something of interest. Men and women in yellow robes helped them when they needed it. Kimberly knew these would be the Librarians even without being told. A librarian felt the same no matter what world or timeline you found them on.

  “This place is---”

  She stopped, unable to find a word grand enough to encompass it all. Quis chuckled with a knowing smile.

  “Yes it is. There are no words adequate to describe it to another person. You can try, but the words pale to the reality of it all. Would you like to check out a book?”

  Kimberly shook her head slowly. “I-- I don’t know where to start. This is all so overwhelming and the task so daunting. Just standing here is enough for me right now.”

  While Kimberly turned in a circle to catch some new sight or movement, a runner halted in front of Quis and whispered in her ear. The woman nodded, letting the messenger sprint off again.

  “If you are ready, Sage J is able to see you now. He has finished his business with the rest of the council.”

  “Y-yeah, okay.”

  Quis led her out of the room, a fact Kimberly was grateful for since she doubted she could have kept her eyes in front of her. The thought of venting her anger had been completely subdued. There just was no more room inside of her to be angry at J. Kimberly was still angry over the injustice of it all, but she could no longer focus that on anyone in particular. In fact, she had a desire to help the Sage even more now, for she had a feeling he was working to protect such a majestic testament of humanity.

  Soon enough, Quis held out her hand for Kimberly to pass through a wall. When she did, she found a good looking woman around five and a half feet tall. Her red and brown hair reminded Kimi of a forest fire. J had his head buried in her shoulder, his body shook, and the woman whispered words Kimberly couldn’t hear into his ear. Her blue eyes crinkled in greeting when they met Kimi’s, the edges of her lips curving up in a way that made Kimi feel less like an intruder. The Sage rubbed his face quickly, picking up his mask from the table and donning it before he turned to face her. Like a shadow, the woman slipped out of the room.

  “My apologies, my wife came to make sure I was all right. Please, have a seat. I’m sure you must be hungry. The doctors gave you a nutritional supplement when you first came here, but it should be wearing off by now.”

  “Are you all right? I’ll be honest, you don’t really look so good right now. Well, as not good as I can see with that mask on. Your skin looks paler than before, and you just have an air of something off about you.”

  “I’ll be fine. I just took a bite of something that didn’t agree with me. My wife has gone to fetch some medicine that will help me get over this quickly.”

  Kimberly didn’t miss the way his hand shook slightly, nor the way he hid it from view with a natural looking gesture. She had a feeling he was suffering from more than an upset stomach. But she wouldn’t push the issue, he obviously wanted to keep it to himself. J hit a button on the edge of the table, causing a hole to open in the middle. Platters of food rose on an invisible elevator and spread itself out until the table was laden with everything from a white pudding, to hamburgers, to a futuristic looking green meat.

  “I wasn’t sure what exactly you might like. I do know mediators can really pack it away. Since you said you were a mediator, I figured more was better. If you wish for anything specific let me know, I can summon more easily. If there is something you dislike, I can send it away just as fast.”

  With the banquet that was set before her, Kimberly realized that she was indeed famished. The series of events since she had woken up, and the number of amazing things she had seen, had made her forget all about her growling stomach. Without any further urging, Kimberly reached for something that looked like a purple chicken leg. By the time she had grabbed it, a plate and silverware had appeared in front of her.

  J stayed silent, his hands clasped on his chest as he leaned back in the chair. Kimberly didn’t miss the way his right hand was holding his left to keep it from shaking too hard. When she went to take another bite, Kimberly noticed the bone was bare. She hadn’t even tasted the meat.

  “So what was it you wished to see me about? Is there anything I can help you with?”

  Kimberly tried a slice of green meat, the flavor reminding her of turkey, only with a spicy aftertaste. Without her anger boiling inside, she wasn’t sure how to answer his question. If she tried acting angry now, it would come off the wrong way and he would know.

  “I saw a bit of Atlantis. And I wasn’t impressed with some of it.”

  “Oh? How so?”

  Kimberly recounted what had happened and her thoughts on the matter, trying her best to verbalize her thoughts so he didn’t misunderstand. She wanted him to know she thought Atlantis was a wondrous place, it was the rules and regulations she had a hard time accepting. He nodded knowingly, giving her his full attention as she vented. When she finally wound down he smiled, plucking a blue grape and eating it.

  “I totally agree. That is why I fought against the other Sages to begin with. People deserve to be free. While rules and regulations are meant to protect, people also need the ability to express themselves. They cannot do that if they are crushed beneath the weight of restrictions. Atlantis would have never been built if our ancestors had not had such freedom. It is folly to think, as the other Sages did, that Atlantis as it is now is the pinnacle of society. They grew complacent with how things were, and sure in the knowledge that we as a species could not reach even greater heights. I could not accept such a narrow view.”

  J stood up and walked over to a screen showing the outside world. Kimberly knew it was just a projection, they were inside the heart of the building still. Clasping his hands behind his back, J continued to speak.

  “Now, all those who would oppose my way of thinking are dead. A new council can be chosen, one that will lead the people forward into a better and more peaceful future. Ones that will serve the people.”

  “I get the feeling you will make a good leader. I might not know you that well, but I’ve heard the whispers.”

  J shook his head. “No. Once a suitable replacement is found, I am stepping down as the Sage of Manipulation. I am no longer qualified for the position. I am a creature of war. I had forgotten that fact, but this incident has reminded me quite harshly. How can a child of war, lead a city seeking peace? I knew this fact the moment I decided to rebel against the current order. If I stay on the council, there will be those who would fight my ideas and reforms, simply because of how I brought about the fall of the other Sages. All I do, is for Atlantis. I have looked at the logic and it say
s I will serve Atlantis best if I step down.”

  “I-- I want to help. There has to be something I can do. I still have my Other powers. Surely I have one that would be good at politics, or at helping to build relations or something.”

  “Do you not wish to return to your mage over on Aerth?”

  “Well of course I do. But I can’t right now, so I’d like to be useful here.”

  J looked at Kimberly over his shoulder. “That-- that is not quite true. I can send you back if you so wish. Now that the fighting is over, I control the machines that generate the time tears over to Aerth. It only activates when a mage does a summoning, and is linked to the mediator matrix. Once activated, it computes and finds someone in the system who would be the most compatible with the mage doing the summoning. This keeps the degradation of the veil down to a minimum. If the veil is torn too fast, or too quickly over a short period, it will cause Atlantis and Aerth to collide and destroy each other. The same with the veil between Earth and Atlantis and Aerth and Earth. Such is the balance. That is an overly simplistic explanation, but I hope it suffices.”

  “But how would you send me back? If you still need a mage to summon before the machine activates, I am stuck here until then.”

  “That is how it currently works. Atlantis has the best and brightest minds, aided by their nano-machines. I could have one altered to open whenever I wished. I could connect you to the generator, which would amplify your bond with your mage. In theory, this should allow us to open a small rift you could use to return to Aerth. By not linking you to the mediator matrix, we can bypass the need to use an excess of energy in computational power and activating the machine fully. That will keep the veil stable and minimize degradation.”

  “You seem quite well informed.”

  “It is my job to be informed. Plus, I discussed it with my engineers already. The moment I seized control, I got them working on the alterations. I did not want to raise your expectations with false hopes. They sent word shortly before you came that they were almost finished.”

  J took the few steps needed to stand next to Kimberly as he held out his hand. “Do you trust me? I cannot say with complete certainty it will work, but the probability of success is high. I will be with you every step of the way, for I will also admit this is a little dangerous. But I believe together, we can get you back to Aerth.”

  Kimberly tore her eyes away from his with great difficulty, reaching for another bite of food to help her compose herself. It was then she realized the table was empty, all the food had been eaten and only bones remained. Swallowing the fear rising in her throat, Kimberly managed to meet the Sage’s gaze once more and the hand he still held out. Kimi took a deep breath to steady herself, then reached out to take the offered hand.

  “I’ll try.”

  His smile was soft, easing her fear another fraction. “Than let us be off shall we? The sooner we start, the sooner we shall know if it works or not. You have my promise that I will make sure nothing happens to you if something goes wrong. Though, I will ask that you refrain from saying too much about Atlantis and the things you have seen if we are successful. Too much knowledge in some areas can be dangerous.”

  “I can do that.”

  “My appreciation.”

  J led her to a nearby room. At least Kimi believed it was nearby, she still had no sense of direction inside this building. All she knew was they used a yellow elevator to go up and walked for only a few minutes after that. Inside, Kimi found a room like she had never imagined before. Three walls filled with computer terminals being worked by over a dozen men and women. Hundreds of screens showed every section of Atlantis as far as she could tell. Screens that showed various years of Earth and even some that showed Aerth and its inhabitants.

  “Welcome to the Hive. At least, one of them. From here we can monitor all three worlds. Even if we might not be able to affect any of them easily, we do what we can. EVE is the brain of the system, constantly watching and making calculations. She finds points where the barriers become too thin, or where time diverges too greatly. It uses this information to create hiccups and time tears you mage-mediator pairs must close. This alleviates the stress or fixes the divergence. Only the ancients know fully how it all operates. And only the Seers can understand the readouts completely.”

  “There’s a ripple in 1814. No signs of alteration yet for the next hundred years.”

  “Have EVE run a comprehensive diagnostic and send the results to the Seers. If we need a hiccup they can let us know time and place.”

  “Have the new Quester Tree seeds matured yet? The sooner we send them over and get them in the hands of the Grand Wizards, the better. We shouldn’t need another Grand Quest after this for at least forty years, but with all the strange things that have happened lately it’s better to be safe than sorry.”

  “Two more months. The bio-signature recognition coding isn’t finished yet.”

  Kimi listened as the men and women shouted back and forth to each other, their hands flying over floating keyboards made of spun light. Grabbing and sliding monitors every which way. J stood next to her, a grin stretching his face from ear to ear as her eyes threatened to fall from their sockets.

  “It is an honor you know. Most do not get to see the inner workings of Atlantis. Especially not a mediator. Controllers, Seers, high ranking runners, and Sages are usually the only ones allowed to see this side of things. And all of them are sworn to secrecy, with restrictions added to their nano-machines to keep them from talking. But, this is the only place we can hook you up to the rift generator and use EVE’s computational skills to their fullest to aid our efforts.”

  His hand on her back got her moving forward. His decisive orders got men and women jumping to obey. In short order, Kimberly had circular suckers stuck to either side of her head that ran back into a terminal.

  “Now, just relax your mind and think of where you want to be. Close your eyes and imagine your partner and take even breaths. I will hold your hand through all of it so you know I’m still here with you. You will feel like your entire body is vibrating, that is natural. It is a low current of electricity running through your body stimulating your brain and opening that bond you share. Focus, as hard as you can, try to picture the place you want to be. Picture the world in every little detail if you can. Picture the people in every little detail. Don’t force it, just relax. Relax.”

  Kimi was lulled by the soft soothing voice and the reassuring grip on her right hand. The flesh was warm. It reminded her of the safety she felt when Bree was around. That feeling of being complete. Bree’s face floated into her mind from the darkness. The brown hair, cut short at the base of the neck. Dull except for when the sun hit it at just the right angle. Brown-gray eyes over a small nose. A rounded face with slightly rosy cheeks that made her look prettier when she smiled. So young and yet so old at the same time. Sometimes she seemed childish in her thinking, yet other times she carried a wisdom beyond her years. A little slow at times, and lacking in confidence, she still came through when it counted. Bree had quickly become like a sister to her.

  Thinking of Bree as a sister made her mind turn towards Maria. Then naturally to Grell, and Joel, and Daniel and Jordon. All of them had quickly found a place in her heart. They had all quickly become family.

  Kimberly wondered how her mother was doing. She had been gone so long, her mom must be worried about her. A lump grew in her throat as the loneliness reared up unexpectedly. The grief at never seeing her mother again catching her by surprise. Kimi had thought she had shoved it down into the depth of her soul. She had needed to lock it away so she could deal with the crazy situation she found herself in. Yet try as she might, she was unable to shove it down again. Unbidden, her mother’s light gray eyes came into focus. The long dirty blond hair she bleached yellow blond to attract men done up in curls. The crows feet she hid under make-up and the light lilt when she laughed. Kimi fought the tears, realizing once more she would never see her again.
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  She realized the weight of J’s hand was suddenly gone. The taste of the air was less metallic. Slowly she opened her eyes to see her mother passed out on the couch in front of the television, a half empty bottle of whisky on the stand next to her. It looked like she had not cleaned in days, and the air had a stale odor. No longer did her mother look pretty, tear tracks had made her make-up run. Joy filled Kimi’s chest as she realized she was home. She was actually home.

  Her mother coughed, the action waking her from slumber. Her bleary eyes looked at Kimi, the blank expression saying she didn’t actually see her. She blinked that blurriness away, realizing who it was standing before her. Her face transformed, became ten years younger as she got up unsteadily to wrap Kimi in a bone crushing embrace. Kimi felt her mom's tears soak into her shirt and finally, Kimberly began to cry too.

  Chapter 36: Action and Consequence

  “So what are you going to do now, oh brother mine?”

  Jeremy turned his head to the left a little so he could reply to the voice only slightly deeper than his. While innocent enough, he could hear the slight disdain behind the words, as if the person was sneering at the same time.

  “Why don’t you just go back to sleep?”

  “Don’t wanna. Besides, you have no right to complain. You are the one that woke me up of your own free will. Do you think you can just summon me and discard me at your whim? Do you think I don’t have feelings too? I’ve been asleep so long! I want to play a little!”

  “There’s no one for you to play with anymore.”

  “Now don’t say that brother dear. We both know that isn’t how this works. Civil wars are never ended so simply. There will be more struggles, more opportunities to play. And after-- well, there is always fighting somewhere.”

  “True, but a person like you isn’t needed for cleanup. So just go back to sleep. You had no qualms about it before.”