by Drew Cordell
I doubted I’d be able to resist the powerful effects of the drugs at my trial, and even if I could, Marwin and Mary didn’t stand a chance. A life without Mary for me wouldn’t be a life I’d be interested in living. I couldn’t stand it if I lived and she died. No. We’d either live together or die together. I wanted to live, I wanted Mary to live, and I wanted to get us out of Olympus. I was perfectly content with living underground in the Guild Hall for the rest of my life, hiding in the shadows and living out the rest of my days in peace. The Ascendants may rebuild the city, but we could hold the Undercity indefinitely. It was our domain, a gem of life amongst a world of death.
I spent the remainder of the day contemplating the trial and thinking about Mary. I needed to think of a way out, but it seemed like the Omniscience Engine had won. I should never have come here, should have made Mary stay in the Undercity. It was foolish to think we could win with such a simple move. I knew that now.
Eventually, hunger drove me to the refrigerator, and I searched for something to cook for lunch. I moved the dirty cookware from the stove to the sink and made myself an omelet. I shoveled down the food and cracked the top off of a beer. I sipped at the beer and made a mental note to stop after one bottle. Even if I didn’t think I would be able to come up with a solution, I needed to be mentally present, and it wasn’t the time to drown my problems in alcohol.
By the time night fell, I was restless. I knew it would be difficult to sleep. Tomorrow there would be only one more day before our deaths. Sleep eventually found me, and I drifted away into the night.
Something poked my arm, and I jolted up in the darkness. There was something standing above me, watching me. I scrambled to free myself of my blankets and pulled my fist back to swing.
“Stop. I’m friendly,” the voice hissed.
It was a man, but I didn’t recognize the voice and it was too dark to see. I reached over to the lamp on my night table and slammed my fist down on the power button. The light fired on, and I saw a man who looked slightly familiar. I couldn’t quite put the pieces together in my drowsy state.
“Who are you?” I demanded, preparing my mind to form my Nanotech module into a blade. If I needed to, I’d fight.
“Anderson, Adrihel’s pilot. Look, we don’t have much time until they get here. We’re leaving now,” he said.
“I’m not going anywhere without Mary,” I stated.
“She’s already in the ship; you’re the last pickup. Let’s move. Now,” he growled, grabbing my arm and pulling me up.
I stood and pulled on some pants and a shirt before grabbing a coat and my shoes while Anderson rushed me out. I wanted to ask about my father’s box, but he had already disappeared through the house and was heading toward my landing platform. Sparking wreckage of the Enforcers that had been holding me captive littered the hallways. Why hadn’t I heard any gunfire?
Most of the lights were out, and I kept up with Anderson’s fast pace. The blast of cold air hit my bare feet when I exited onto the platform, sapping the heat from my body and sending shivers down my spine. I pulled on my jacket and walked toward the ship. It wasn’t like anything else I had seen. The ship was low to the ground and wide. The engines hummed, but they were close to silent.
“Stealth fighter, probably the only one left,” Anderson said. “She’s modified a bit for extra passengers, and she’s our ticket out of here.”
I nodded and prepared myself for a trap. It couldn’t be this easy. I spotted bright LED lights in the sky, converging on our location. Anderson ran forward and jumped in the cockpit, pulling the glass panel down while I jumped in the cabin of the ship. Marwin greeted me with a smile and punched a button on the wall, pulling the side of the ship closed before Anderson took off. Inside the ship the engines were a lot louder. Mary was sitting directly across from me, and she met my eyes. Stunned by her beauty, I rushed over and kissed her for several seconds before Marwin pulled me back into a seat and handed me a headset. I pulled my seat restraints on while Anderson rocketed the ship into the air, and I struggled for breath against the intense gravitational forces. Still staring at Mary, I pulled on the headset.
“Get a room,” Marwin said, clapping me on the back when Anderson finished the intense takeoff.
“Are we going to make it out?” I asked, still staring at Mary.
“Anderson is the best pilot in the Guild, so yeah, I’d say so,” Marwin replied.
“How? Why didn’t the Omniscience Engine stop us?” I asked. It didn’t make sense we could escape so easily.
“This ship is hard to detect on any system. It’s stealth tech through and through. Anderson flew back to the Slums after the shit with Adrihel went down and picked up this baby from his reserve hangar.”
“How old is this thing then?” I asked.
“At least a hundred years old and she still purrs like a kitten,” Anderson said from up front. “We’re exiting Olympus now. We lost all the Dropships, and it looks like we’re clear from all scanners.”
“How did you set this up?” I asked.
“This is all Anderson. I wasn’t expecting it either, but Edgar hooked us up with an out. My guess is he had it planned all along,” Marwin said.
“So there’s really nothing we can do here?”
Marwin shook his head. “No, I’d say not. We’re not living through that trial. There is this, though.”
He reached into his backpack and pulled out my father’s box. My heart jumped at the sight and he handed it to me.
“This one is all you. Mary told me about the specific instructions of when to open the envelopes, and it appears you’re overdue to open the first.”
I took the box from him and punched in the code, opening the case and pulling out the first envelope. I tore at the paper and pulled out a folded letter, a sealed envelope, and a data drive. The sealed envelope read: ‘Don’t open until your 43rd birthday.’ I shrugged, put the envelope back in the box, then unfolded the letter while I held the data drive. This letter was handwritten.
Jake, you’re alive. If you’re still following my instructions, then the Guild is well on its way to defeating the Omniscience Engine for good despite how things may look now. As you may have realized, there is nothing left to gain by staying in Olympus. You tried and did what you could. If everything went according to plan, you’re on your way back to the Guild.
I have something for you and the Guild. You’re going to need to go on an Exodus out of New York. The data drive in this envelope contains a map leading out of the city. There’s an underground weapons lab in what’s left of Vermont. There is a way through the Undercity that will take you all the way there.
The lab will have everything the Guild will need to get rid of the Omniscience Engine for good. I will say the Ascendants aren’t your enemy, most of them are harmless, but Evelyn Aeoxous is not. I don’t need to tell you she can’t be trusted—you’ve learned that first hand at this point.
Take the data drive to the Guild, reach the lab, get what you need, and take back New York.
P.S. Don’t open the sealed letter until you’re forty-three. Like everything else, it’s crucial you follow my instructions to the dot. The sealed envelope will have instructions on when to open the second envelope in the box. Keep it safe until then.
I love you, son.
-W.A.
“What is it?” Mary asked.
“A map out of New York. We’re going to Vermont,” I said, testing out the unfamiliar word.
“Vermont is leveled and highly radioactive,” Marwin said, frowning.
“This is a map to an underground weapons lab; the letter says we’ll find what we need to end the war in Vermont. We can get to the lab using the Undercity,” I explained.
Marwin’s face lit up. “It looks like we’re going to Vermont.”
As the ship flew through the night sky and out of Olympus, I was renewed with a sense of hope. Mary and Marwin were with me, and we were almost out of harm’s way in Olympus. I returned t
he letter and data card to the box and closed it. Unhooking the latch on my seatbelt, I walked over to sit by Mary, reaching over and wrapping my fingers in hers. I loved the way her hand felt in mine. She smiled at me and rested her head on my shoulder. It felt so good to have her next to me again, to be near her.
We had hope again, a way to beat the Omniscience Engine. I didn’t know how my father knew any of this information, but it was helping, and I had to trust it would continue to help. I could see a vision of my future with Mary. I wouldn’t forget all those we’d lost, all those who had given their lives for a cause greater than themselves. They had died for their ideals and the belief that New York could be rebuilt without lies and corruption, without the Omniscience Engine.
Now, it looked like it might become a reality.
∞ EPILOGUE
I open my eyes, pulled back into the present from the deep depths of my mind. I’m not done with my recordings, but I don’t have the strength to go any further tonight. It’s time to open the package in the second envelope.
I walk over to my safe and dial the combination, removing the sealed box that has sat dormant for so long. I punch in the code and take out the second manila envelope; there’s only one left after I open this one. I know it’s time to open it, but I’m scared.
Hesitating, I grip the edge of the old envelope and dump the contents onto my desk. I move the old letter aside and grab the smaller sealed package, tearing into it. There’s another letter and a heavy sphere wrapped in some coarse brown paper. I don’t need to re-read the letter I opened a few days ago on my 43rd birthday. The instructions were clear, and there’s no way I’m going to ignore them and risk losing Mary and our daughter, Kimberly. They are my life, and I will do anything and everything to protect them. I can’t possibly comprehend how the information in my father’s letter is accurate, but I have to trust it’s true like everything else.
I unfold the letter and start to read.
Jake, there’s no way to prepare you for what’s coming, but you can’t stop now. If you’ve made it this far and have followed my instructions to the T, then I know everything is going to work out the way it’s supposed to. Once you finish the remainder of your recordings, you’ll be able to open the third and final envelope.
I know I’ve been cryptic about what you’re going to do, but it’s for the best. There’s no way I can possibly explain it all; you’ll have to see things for yourself. I know you’re probably struggling to continue recording your memories, but you have to finish or everything will fall apart.
Before you read any further, open the sphere that was in this envelope and press the button. Don’t twist any of the dials or mess with anything on the sphere, not yet at least. Press the button. I’ll catch you.
-W.A.
What the hell?
There’s nothing more in the letter, and I set it down, picking up the sphere wrapped in paper. I tear it open, revealing a brilliant ball of metal glowing in impossible movements. The patterns on the orb are swirling continuously, and it looks as if the movement in the alloy is being drawn to my hands. Nanotech? I think. It can’t be Nanotech, though. Nanotech requires a recharge, and there’s no way it would still be functioning after remaining dormant for almost thirty years. It has to be something else, but it doesn’t look like anything I’ve ever seen before. A pang of fear surges through my body. It looks like the metal Infinitum was made of when I encountered it in Olympus. It’s the same swirling metal that looks organic, almost alive.
There are several dials on the device, but I don’t move them. I’ve followed all of my father’s instructions exactly to this point, and I’m not going to stop now. I take a deep breath and push the button on the top of the sphere.
A mesh of bluish-green energy erupts around me, weaving in the room and winding around my body in brilliant beams of blinding light. I squint against the light encasing me, and I try to move, but my legs feel glued in place. The light blinds my vision completely, and I feel a rush of vertigo as my body is tossed through the air. I’m passing through the light, traveling fast even though I was standing still only moments ago. The light stops and I’m standing in a dark room, trying to force my eyes to adjust to the semi-darkness. I’m standing on coarse concrete, and it’s cold beneath my bare feet. There’s a man standing in front of me, unmoving, just watching me, but I can’t make out his face.
“Hello?” I ask, squinting and trying to rub away the spots of light from my eyes. The man doesn’t respond; he’s still standing there and watching me. My eyes adjust, and his face starts to materialize.
The man is my father, and he looks exactly as I remember him the last time I saw him almost thirty years ago. His brown hair is slicked back, and his brilliant green eyes send memories shooting through my mind. He has a shocked look of awe on his face, but there’s no question it’s him.
“Dad?” I can’t believe what I’m seeing. How can this be happening?
He breaks into a smile and steps forward. “Hello, son.”
ABSOLUTE INFINITE
DREW CORDELL
To my grandparents, for inspiration, love, and memories to last a lifetime.
The greatest mistake we can make is to stop believing we have the ability to change a situation for the better.
1 PARADOX
[2143]
“How?” I’m unable to process the fact my father is standing in front of me. I’m scared it’s all a trick, some sort of deep projection or an illusion of my mind.
“It’s really me,” my dad says, reaching forward to place a hand on my arm, but I pull back and lean against the cool metal wall behind me. I’m wearing a pair of jeans and a t shirt, and it’s cold in the warehouse we’re standing in.
“I don’t understand,” I say, watching him with distrustful eyes, trying to absorb my surroundings.
“I have a lot to explain. Are you hungry? Thirsty?”
I shake my head. “I’m fine,” I say, but I’m far from it. My head is spinning as I try to make sense of the impossible.
We’re standing in a large warehouse, and it’s filled with stacks of metal crates. My father is standing in front of a table loaded with expensive-looking computer equipment. A stream of data is sliding down the screens of the consoles, but it’s going too fast for me to comprehend.
“You’re actually here; I can’t believe it worked,” my father says, amazement in his voice.
“That’s the thing, I can’t be here. It’s impossible. This has to be some sort of projection or trick,” I say, but it feels real. I continue to scan my surroundings, looking for tell signs to break the illusion. I’m looking for any inconsistencies that don’t line up with reality, shadows pointing the wrong direction, missing details or pixelated textures, but there are none.
“You are here. I caught you when you jumped,” my father says, stepping closer again, slower this time.
“What are you talking about?”
“The sphere you’re holding allows you to travel through time. I barely understand how it works, but what’s important is that you’re here.”
I shake my head. “I don’t know if I am. What year is it?”
“2143,” he says. It’s the year of his death, and I doubt he knows it.
“Oh,” I respond, still trying to disprove this is real. It seems like something my mind is injecting, a possible tell that I’m not actually here, that this is all some lifelike projection induced by the strange sphere I’m holding in my actual reality. The metal of the orb is still glowing, and there are strange blue symbols flashing on the side. My thumb finds the button on the top—the button that brought me here, and I’m tempted to push it. I feel a warm hand grip my wrist, and I recoil slightly.
“Wait a moment. We’re not done talking. If you leave now, I’m not sure I’ll be able to catch you again,” my father says.
I want to talk to him, but I’m scared something is wrong here, that I’m somehow in more danger the longer I stay.
He continues,
“I need to show you something, and it will come as a shock. Once we’re done here you can leave. If something doesn’t go how it’s supposed to, your life might not be the same when you return.”
“What do you mean?” I ask.
“You’re in the past. If you change things here, those changes will shift your present and change the reality you live in. In theory, everyone else would have already lived through the changes, but you’d go back not knowing what waited for you on the other side.”
“How does this thing work?” I ask, holding up the glowing sphere but taking my finger off the button which I’m now treating as though it is some kind of detonator.
“You need to see something, and I’ll explain the majority of what I know when you come back a second time,” he says, typing something on his keyboard.
“Where are we? This doesn’t look like anything I remember from my childhood.”
“No, you’ve never been here, at least not yet. It’s one of my labs in the Slums,” he says. “Industrial district four. About thirty minutes away from home.”
“So the Government doesn’t know about this place, then?”
“Not yet. By the time they find it, I’ll already be dead.” There is no fear in his voice, just objective acceptance.
I wince. “You know about that?”
He nods. “All I ever wanted was a better life for you, and since you’re here, then I know what you said is true,” he says, pointing to a screen. “Watch this. It’s the real thing.”
