by James Riley
You’ve got your imagination now, so maybe use it! his mind yelled at him. What did the Countess’s daughter teach you about your powers?
Owen blinked, not really thrilled with his mind using that tone, but it did have a point. Dolores had copied his time powers, then evolved them to the point she could slow things down and speed them up just by touching them. Or at least that’s what he half remembered from the time prison. Still, if he was right and she had done just that, then so could he . . . maybe?
Dr. Verity had claimed the chambers could keep you frozen for a thousand years. What if Owen made those thousand years go by a bit . . . quicker?
He put his hands on the door and pushed his awareness out, trying to encompass the entire chamber. Fortunately, if Kara was in there, she’d remain frozen in time, no matter what he did, so she should be fine. He took a deep breath, then pushed his powers outward, away from his body and into the cell, willing time to speed up just in this one area.
The metallic footsteps grew closer as the gas in the cell door window began to swirl faster and faster, moving so quickly that it became an opaque cloud. A daze fell over his mind again as his chest tightened with pain, his imagination draining out of him as his heart slowly wore down, but that wasn’t going to stop him now. Instead, he tightened his grip on the door and sped the chamber’s time up faster, hoping that there’d be some sort of sign that it was almost done so he didn’t end up aging whoever was inside into dust.
“BACK AWAY FROM THE CHAMBER,” said a metallic voice, and a laser shot past Owen’s shoulder. He yelped and quickly raised his hands before realizing he’d just released his hold on time in the cell. Argh! Had that been enough?
Owen stepped away from the cell, spots floating in front of his eyes as the pain in his chest continued to throb. It was definitely harder to think now, though the headache wasn’t helping. Speeding up something else’s time this long was not something he should be doing if he wanted his heart to hold out for more than a few years.
“I’m not . . . supposed to be here,” Owen said, unable to think of anything more clever to say. Speaking at all wasn’t easy, actually, and he was finding it harder to breathe. “I—”
“SILENCE,” the lead Science Police robot said, and four of them moved to surround him. “YOU HAVE BROKEN THE LAWS AND WILL BE DEALT WITH SUMMARILY. WE—”
The door to the cell exploded outward, crashing into two of the Science Police. One of them swept an arm out as it hit the wall, and knocked Owen to the ground as the robots’ parts rained down around him. Smoke gushed out of the cell, obscuring everything as a third robot grabbed for Owen, then went flying down the hallway like a rocket.
“STOP,” the fourth robot said to whoever it was in the cell. They didn’t. Instead, the prisoner lifted the robot up, then slammed it down on the floor headfirst, crushing it into something no bigger than a garbage can.
Owen gasped at the carnage, trying to wave the smoke aside to see who it was.
“Hello?” he gasped. “I’m on your side. You don’t need to hit me!”
The prisoner snorted, then stepped forward. “Look who’s finally back,” said a girl’s voice, and a hand appeared out of the swirling mist in front of him.
“. . . Kara?” Owen said, his mind swimming.
A robotic arm reached down and picked him up by his shirt with one hand. “Try again,” Charm said, a half smile on her lips. “See? I told you I’d find you.”
CHAPTER 22
May I ask the meaning of this visit?” the Magister said slowly, not moving from his seat behind his desk.
Bethany slowly held up three Twilight throwing stars. “Pain, mostly,” she growled in her best Twilight voice. “And answers.”
“Whoa,” Kiel said. “I realize we’re not exactly friends here. Magi, you tried to kill the two of us, and we . . . well, we’re pretty blameless, actually.”
“She left me in a book of scientific facts!” the Magister said, strange energies beginning to swirl around him.
“It was a math book, genius,” Bethany said. “Now you don’t get to talk anymore. I’ll ask the questions, and you’ll only speak when I give you permission to do so.”
“You dare try to control me?” the Magister roared, rising to his feet. Twin wands rose into the air behind him, swirling ominously. “You’ve lost none of your nonfictional arrogance, you—”
“Hey!” Kiel shouted, moving to stand between them. “First of all, she’s entirely fictional now, so let’s not start bringing up old, weird prejudices. Second, we need your help, Magi.”
“What?” the Magister said.
“What?” Bethany said. “You’re doing this all wrong. The good cop is supposed to give the perp donuts and stuff, but not until after I threaten him!”
“Nobody has destroyed Quanterium, Magi,” Kiel said. “We learned from a message that Charm came here looking for help. Did you speak to her?”
The Magister narrowed his eyes. “I did. And I offered her the same mercy her people would have once offered me.”
“Oh, that doesn’t sound threatening at all,” Bethany said. “Kiel, can we just fight him already? This talking stuff is really kind of boring, honestly.”
“What did you do to her, Magi?” Kiel asked, and this time, he was the one sounding dangerous.
The Magister turned his gaze to his former apprentice and seemed to soften a bit. “I gave her refuge, as she asked. I sent her to a world I knew would accept those like her, where she might be safe. A world of scientists.”
Kiel nodded slowly. “See, Beth? He helped the Quanterians. He can’t be that bad—”
“Why are you sticking up for him?” Bethany hissed at Kiel, turning away from the Magister.
“Because I don’t have any magic, and you might disappear if you try to fight him,” Kiel whispered back. “I’m trying to avoid us getting turned into toads or something!”
“He was going to blow up Quanterium!” Bethany whispered. “You think he really is going to help them get to safety?”
The magical energy surrounding the Magister intensified for a moment, then seemed to dissipate. “I admit that in the past I was . . . not the most reasonable,” he said, slowly sitting back down. “But I am a new man now. I have changed.”
“Changed how?” Kiel asked.
“No one changes,” Bethany whispered to him. “Don’t fall for this.”
“I just changed,” Kiel told her out loud. “All you have to do is want it. So please, Magi, explain.”
“I would like to . . . apologize, Bethany,” the Magister said, looking a bit uncomfortable with his words. “The man you first met, the one who attacked you and Kiel . . . that was not me. At least, not the version of me that sits before you presently.”
“Really?” Bethany said. “So who was that, a clone?”
“Oh, please, no,” Kiel said. “Let’s not start that whole thing up again.”
The Magister gave Kiel the hint of a smile, then turned back to Bethany. “What I did, what I tried to do, back in the other world . . . those actions do not represent my true self. I cannot claim to fully know what pushed me to such a place.” He paused, and his face darkened. “But I suspect that man, that author who presumed to control us . . . perhaps he had something to do with it.”
Bethany gave Kiel a side look, putting every ounce of Are you seeing this? she could into the glance.
The Magister clenched his fists, then released them, and the darkness seemed to pass like a cloud over the sun. “However, Nobody showed me how to change, to fix any lasting damage that man might have caused. All it took was rewriting myself, changing into the human being I’d always wished to be. And now, ever since the worlds have separated, I’ve felt no hostility toward anyone, be they Quanterian or nonfictional. I would not even hold a grudge against Dr. Verity, if he were still around.”
“Oh, well, that’s great, then!” Bethany said, waving her arms. “So just blame all your crazy behavior on an author, and now that thin
gs have gone your way, you’re happy?”
The Magister glared at her, but slowly nodded. “I can see how it would look a bit suspicious. But I bear you no ill will, and if you do desire my aid, I will do what I can to help. You may trust me at my word.”
A Twilight throwing star embedded itself in the wood just next to the Magister’s head. Two more quickly followed, each one missing the man by mere inches, and Bethany crossed her arms as Kiel jumped back between them. “Trust?” she said. “If we’re all just one big happy family here, why are you still using a protection spell? I never would have missed otherwise.”
“Whoa!” Kiel said, spreading his arms wide, apparently not sure if she was going to throw any more weapons. “It’s a good thing he had it on! Apparently he needed a Big Bubble of Safety spell!”
“Protectorate of Physicality, actually,” the Magister murmured, staring at Bethany. “You really have changed quite a bit, now that you’re fictional, haven’t you?”
“Considering you were there when Nobody pulled me in two, that shouldn’t surprise you,” she said, glaring at him.
The Magister nodded, almost sadly. “Regrettable, indeed. But Nobody surmised that your halves would in fact be more content in your separate worlds, that being forced into one whole was actually leading to unhappiness. He thought that was why you were so restless in your life.”
“Restless?” Bethany said, her eyes widening. “I was searching for my father, who Nobody kidnapped!”
“Maybe it’s time we asked some questions, before things get out of hand again,” Kiel said, blocking Bethany’s view of the Magister.
“It warms my heart to see you, Kiel,” the old man said to his former apprentice. “If I can be of aid in any way, please ask. I owe you that, and so much more.” His mouth seemed to quiver a bit, and Bethany rolled her eyes. Kiel, though, seemed to be entirely taken in by the old man’s act.
“Are you serious?” she hissed at Kiel, but he gave her such a pathetic look that she sighed and let it go. “Fine. If Charm is safe, then we need to find out what Nobody’s doing with the possibility machines she built. According to Kiel, he plans on starting the fictional universe over entirely by first turning all of the worlds into pure possibility. Do you know anything about this?”
The Magister stared at her for a moment, then shook his head. “That would explain many puzzling bits and pieces I’ve seen in the last few months. How would he go about restarting our reality if we were but pure possibility?”
“He intends to do it himself, Magi,” Kiel said. “He thinks he’ll be the last one standing after we’re all absorbed into possibility, and then he’ll begin anew with himself in the role of author instead of nonfictionals. That way he’ll be able to create a world without their interference. He’s clearly missing some irony here.”
The magic behind the Magister began to intensify again. “That . . . would not be advisable,” the old man said quietly.
“I thought you were full of peace and love now?” Bethany said. “Don’t tell me you’d be angry at Nobody for this?”
“We’re also looking for someone, Magi,” Kiel said quickly, glaring at Bethany. “Could you try a location spell, to see if you can locate him? He works for Nobody and has been distributing possibility machines to other worlds.”
The Magister seemed lost in thought for a moment, then nodded. “I will need some sort of description of the man.”
Kiel turned to Bethany, who sighed. “Tall guy, really muscular, wearing a suit and sunglasses. I chased him from Jupiter City to Quanterium. He knew who I was and that I was fully fictional now. He had a portal to Quanterium, but once I made it through, he’d disappeared. A moment later Nobody showed up, and we lost all track of my suspect.”
The Magister nodded. “I will see what I can find.” He began mumbling words beneath his breath, and his hands started to glow, forming a golden ball of light between them. Recognizing this as the same one they’d used to find her father back in Owen’s library, Bethany watched the spell carefully, hoping it’d lead her to her missing suspect.
But after a moment, the light just faded away, and the Magister dropped his hands. “My magic cannot find him, either here or any fictional reality. As far as it can tell, he doesn’t exist.”
Bethany shoved Kiel out of the way and slammed her palms down hard on the Magister’s desk. “Are you kidding me? I chased him here, to this reality. He’s here somewhere!” She leaned in closer, giving the old man a death stare. “Try it again. Maybe you messed up when you described him to the magic spell.”
“I didn’t describe him, I used the image in your head.”
“You read my mind ?!” she shouted, Twilight throwing stars in hand again.
“Next question!” Kiel said, grabbing her hand and pulling it down to her side. “We’re also hoping you could check Bethany out magically. She seems to be, how do I put this . . . dissolving.”
Bethany glared at him, but he just shrugged apologetically. The Magister gazed at them curiously, then came out from behind the desk and waved his wand gently at Bethany. She put up her hands to defend herself, but just felt a gentle light wash over her, and she relaxed slightly. The light moved from her to the Magister, and he frowned. “I am seeing nothing more than a normal, healthy girl. There is no indication of anything wrong with her.”
“Show him what happens if you rewrite yourself, Beth,” Kiel said.
She pulled up her sleeve and concentrated on rewriting herself, pushing her arm out toward the Magister. As she reached, her arm grew longer and longer until her fingers brushed up against the invisible magical bubble around him.
“Ah, you’ve learned how to rewrite yourself as well!” The Magister actually seemed to enjoy this for some reason. “It really is the key to fixing all sorts of personality issues. If you want any suggestions on that—”
“Uh, Magi, there’s more,” Kiel said quickly, stepping between them as Bethany’s fingers clenched into a fist. “Watch what happens next.”
The Magister leaned forward, peering down at her hand over the top of his glasses as her fingertips began to slowly dissolve, just as they’d done back on Quanterium. “Extraordinary,” he said quietly, running his own fingers through the space where hers had been. “And you can bring them back?”
“I hope,” Bethany whispered, and rewrote her arm to normal. Three fingers and her thumb rematerialized, but her pinkie finger was completely gone.
“Hold on,” Kiel said, grabbing her other hand as she began to panic, breathing faster and faster. “You can fix this. Concentrate just like last time.”
Bethany nodded, trying hard not to hyperventilate. She pictured her old half-fictional self, with all of her anxieties, rule-breaking, and fictional friends and family (also not missing any fingers), and desperately tried to focus on what it felt like to be that girl again.
At first, nothing happened, but soon her pinkie finger slowly pushed up out of her palm. It stopped before the very tip of her nail grew back, but at least she had all of her fingers.
“Ah,” the Magister said, replacing his glasses. “I’ve seen something like this before. This, my child, is the same problem many apprentices have with magic, when first learning it. You are having trouble controlling the chaos within yourself! The power to rewrite one’s very essence is great indeed, and can be extremely dangerous in the wrong hands. To conquer it, you first must defeat your own inner doubts, or you shall dissolve into chaos.”
Kiel raised an eyebrow at this. “I’ve never heard of problems like this, Magi. Yes, magic asks a great price, but I never dissolved. Don’t you think—”
“You weren’t exactly lacking in self-confidence, Kiel,” the Magister said. “Now, perhaps you might help your friend here with some lessons on controlling chaos within ourselves. I must look into your suggestion that Nobody means to restart the worlds. If that’s true, I might have to take action.”
Kiel flashed Bethany a smile. “See? This all worked out. Now we’ve
found an ally against Nobody!”
“Perhaps,” the Magister said, then looked up as if distracted. “Ah, my new apprentice approaches. I’ll have to send him back to his lessons.”
Kiel’s smile slowly died, and he turned to the Magister with a hurt look. “Your new what, now?”
Someone knocked on the door behind them.
“Before you returned, I was sought out by one who wished to learn,” the Magister said. “That would be him now.”
“What’s the matter, Kiel?” Bethany whispered, elbowing him playfully. “People change. You can’t expect him to not ever take on another apprentice, right?”
The Magister waved his hand, and the door opened by itself. From behind it, a brown-haired boy in black clothes and a cape just like Kiel’s poked his head in.
A very familiar-looking boy.
“Oh, hey, you two,” Fowen Conners said. “Is this a good time, Magi? Because I’m really excited to show you how powerful my Penchant for Destruction spell has gotten!”
CHAPTER 23
Charm?” Owen said, not sure he wasn’t dreaming.
The half-robotic girl yanked him to his feet, then hugged him so hard that some of his ribs felt like they cracked. He whimpered, and she let go, her smile actually growing.
“Leave it to you to rescue me, when I was trying to rescue you,” she said, picking up one of the Science Police laser rifles and tossing it to him. She took two ray guns for herself, sticking one in a holster that popped out of her robotic leg. “How long was I here, a day or two?”
Owen winced. For all he knew, it could have been years. “Something like that. How did you get here?”
More metallic footsteps sounded from the stairs outside, and Charm nodded at the door. “One second,” she said, and led the way down the hall, a ray gun in her human hand, her robotic one curled into a fist.
