“Please stop!” Galen implored everyone just as the three large men fought their way through the inner most ring of the throng. The men, a father and his two sons, were all devoted members of the Divine Church of Christ. They paused at the edge of the crowd and stared at Galen, hate and glory mixed on their faces.
“Die!” the father roared at Galen and then raised his gun and fired.
“No!” Dorothy yelled as she leaped in front of Galen. She moved very quickly for a big woman and the bullet struck her high on the right shoulder. She grunted and immediately slumped to the ground. Ned’s mouth fell open in shock as Avigail and Vio rushed to meet the new threat, both eyeing the three men with deadly determination.
“NO MORE!” Galen yelled loudly and thrust his arms to the heavens. Instantly a massive bridge exploded into existence, filling the entire space within the gleaming silver arch. The wind suddenly howled and shrieked, blasting the crowd gathered beneath the monument, a great many people were blown completely off their feet by the power of the freak storm, and all the while the sky remained a deep crystal blue.
The crowd screamed in terror but their cries were ripped away by the wind. Everyone not immediately blown off their feet now dropped to the ground, trying to protect themselves from the howling wind. The smell of ozone was thick around the massive bridge and gradually everyone turned to face a darkened world. At first most could see only a few robed figures standing in torchlight but no one reacted as the windstorm briefly picked up in intensity. Because of the storm’s ferocity everyone stayed put except for a few smaller individuals who were blown about like tumbleweeds. Then inexplicably the wind slackened and abruptly fell off. Nearly everyone with guns, police and mob alike, quickly spun and pointed their weapons at the strange scene. Moments later the first of the Temple Knights charged through, their lances pointed and ready. People panicked and fired, and mayhem erupted across the arch grounds. A symphony of screams filled the air, while gunshots kept the beat, and swords flashed in the late afternoon sun like conductor’s wands.
Galen sighed and shook his head. People were dying needlessly, and at an astonishing rate, but for the moment the crowd seemed to have forgotten he was alive, busy with other things.
“Dorothy!” Ned cried in the respite and fell to his knees, cradling his wife’s head in his lap. Galen knelt down next to the elderly couple from Iowa, and Dorothy smiled up at him.
“It’s all right honey,” she said, speaking to Ned but looking directly into Galen’s eyes. Her face was pinched with pain and for a brief moment everyone around was distracted by her injury.
Most of the crowd fled before the mounted Knights, scattering in all directions as if a bomb went off.
“This time you die clone!” the grizzled father shouted as he struggled to his feet. He was no more than fifty feet from the group and staring directly at Galen, utterly ignoring the fantastical scene around him. His two sons stood directly behind him, but they were now busy firing shot after shot at the horsemen bearing down on them.
“William,” Galen said smiling, greeting the old man as he slowly stood. The man jerked in surprise and hesitated for a brief moment, but then quickly regained his resolve.
“Drove all the way from Memphis to kill you clone,” the man said with a slight drawl. “Guessing you knowin’ my name’s not enough to stop me,” he added and brought his rifle to his shoulder.
Vio, exhausted from the fighting and the manipulation of time, knew she could do nothing to stop the man, she just didn’t have the strength needed to reach him before he fired his cowardly weapon. Avigail however, buoyed by fear, was preparing to manipulate time. Her legs were trembling and her mind felt slow.
“NO!” She cried. In her heightened state of awareness she could see the man’s finger slowly pulling on the trigger and knew she would be too late. She was about to jump into the path of the bullet when a pair of figures flashed through the panicking crowd. Faster than thought they arrived, swords out and shining in the sun and before anyone could comprehend what was happening the three men collapsed headless in the grass.
“Arnot…Elin!” Avigail yelled in the relative quiet of the moment, and the deadly pair turned to her and smiled. Behind them hundreds upon hundreds of armored horsemen continued to charge through the bridge and onto the sunlit field. People screamed and fled the scene, those who were not fast enough died quickly. A few cops remained, trying to keep order, some fired at the horsemen as they thundered forward. They even managed to kill a few before they too met the Black Horseman. Soon however, the field beneath the arch was clear of any threats as the crowds melted away like lemon ice in summer. Within minutes there were thousands of armed horsemen surrounding Galen and Avigail and their little group and all was quiet.
Some of the angry mob stopped their retreat once they reached the relative safety of a large cluster of trees to the south, but most continued to run from the unknown, as a few zealous Knights galloped after. Only the television vans remained in the vicinity, their crews still perched on top, their cameras still rolling and capturing the strange events of the day.
Arnot turned, swords dripping, as Gwaynn and Samantha raced through the bridge and joined their children. Arnot smiled at his parents, happy that his family was whole again, but then caught sight of Garcia and Collier. The two agents were still armed, scanning the area for threats. Both Arnot and his father instantly recognized their look, dangerous and professional, and they began to advance together, swinging their swords in time. Collier’s eyes widened in fear and she retreated a few steps.
“No!” Galen said in the language of the Inland Sea. “They are friends.”
Arnot stopped with a frown and studied the young man who’d spoken. He was tall and a bit thin, but Arnot supposed he was handsome in a way. He had a friendly open expression; but even so, his eyes held Arnot captive for a moment with their intensity. And though he appeared to be about Arnot’s age, his eyes were much, much older. A twinkle of kindness appeared in his old eyes as he gazed back at Arnot and the prince was reminded of the Solitaries.
“Arnot…this is Galen,” Avigail said, but then Samantha rushed forward and scooped Avigail into a deep hug, while still others gathered around. Joining them was Monde and the Tars Kostek, Myson and Nystrom. Laynee and her husband also crossed, as did Lonogan and Jess na Massi along with hundreds of others, including Scott Sommers, who gazed about in relief, extremely happy to be home once again.
“Agent Sommers,” Armstrong greeted with a smile. Sommers strode toward his boss and held out a hand. Armstrong grunted and held up his arm which ended at the wrist. “Lost it, the night we lost you.”
Sommers raised his eyebrows. “It’s good to be home,” he replied and then looked around at the death and chaos. “I think.”
Nearly everyone still had their weapons out, scanning the rapidly retreating crowd for any signs of danger. At the moment there was none, and little by little the group began to relax. A few of the Inland Sea residents turned to stare at the tall buildings of downtown St. Louis, or at the massive bridges that spanned the mighty river, but most gawked with wonder at the enormous and elegant silver arch that dominated the area. Arnot, however, had eyes for only one person…his sister. Avigail broke away from her mother and moved closer to Arnot.
The twins gazed at one another for a minute until Avigail broke out into a laugh and then rushed forward to embrace her brother.
“You are alright?” he asked into her long dark hair as he swung her happily around.
“Of course I am,” she answered as if she were addressing someone particularly slow. “I’m with Galen.”
The Solitary Nyx finally joined them. She stared about at the wonders of the city, walking very slowly, as if taking a stroll through the strange and wondrous park. When she spotted Galen she began to laugh and after a brief moment, Galen joined her.
†
Sirens were shrieking all over downtown St. Louis as Christine moved over next to Galen. “We do
n’t have a lot of time,” Christine said and placed a hand on the young man’s shoulder. He was looking sadly down at Dorothy Newton as Agent Garcia and Collier tended to her. She was pale and had lost a lot of blood, but Garcia believed that if they got her to a hospital she’d have a good chance of surviving.
“Don’t you leave me Dorothy Marie,” Ned told her with false cheer.
“I’m not gonna leave ya,” the large woman replied with more confidence than she felt. “Galen…” she continued, and Galen again knelt by her side, “I’ve done all I can. I need a hospital now. Can’t leave Ned behind, he’d starve. He can’t cook a lick.”
Ned smiled sadly and Galen nodded and stood. An instant later a small bridge opened up and just on the other side was the emergency room to Barnes Jewish Hospital. A few nurses and orderlies gaped at the strange scene before them, but no one on the other side appeared to be panicking.
“I can smell it!” Agent Collier shouted in surprise. “I can smell the hospital,” she explained as Gwaynn and Monde gasped, awestruck by the power the young man displayed. As far as either knew, opening two bridges at once was impossible…but Galen was somehow doing it…and one bridge was enormous and crossed worlds!
“I knew it!” Dorothy exclaimed but didn’t explain herself; she just continued to gaze up at Galen, satisfied and content. “I knew it all along,” she added. “Now get me on my feet; I believe I can walk yet, if it ain’t too far.”
Agent Sommers moved quickly forward and helped Garcia gently lift the big woman to a sitting position. Dorothy hissed in pain, but it was Galen who reached down and gave her the strength to rise. She gripped his arm tightly and smiled.
“You’ll be leavin’ I expect,” she commented and gave him a quick one-armed hug, very careful not get blood on his clothes. Galen nodded and returned the embrace.
“Yes, it’s nearly time,” he told her as the sirens grew ever louder. Reinforcements were close now.
“You take care,” Dorothy said fighting back her own tears. She was now standing, but leaning heavily on Garcia and Sommers, “and come to visit if you have a mind.”
“I just might do that,” Galen answered with a laugh.
“I wonder if I’ll still dream about you,” Dorothy said to him absently, and then allowed the two federal agents to help her through the bridge.
“Thank you Ned…for everything,” Galen added and gripped the man’s hand tightly.
“Our pleasure,” the old man answered, and then staggered slightly. Agent Collier rushed forward to support him and together they followed his wife through the bridge and onto the clean tile floor of the emergency room. Seconds later the small bridge winked out of existence and the Newton’s were gone.
“What are we going to do?” Christine asked. She was having a hard time comprehending what was happening. None of it made any sense. Her body was shaking all over and she couldn’t keep her eyes off the nocturnal scene of the world beyond. Her attention kept wavering between the alien darkness, the mounted knights and the crowd in the distance which was again growing restless. She had a terrible feeling that the mob would soon grow bold again. But it wasn’t the crowd that worried her the most; it was the shrill call of police sirens echoing off the surrounding buildings of downtown St. Louis. The police were on their way, and by the sound of the sirens, the entire force was coming…and fast. They were getting much, much closer. If the police arrived and drew their guns, she was sure the situation would quickly turn into another bloodbath.
Galen chuckled, reached out and stroked Christine’s cheek. He gazed into her face and though his body was still quite young, she was struck by the wisdom and experience reflected in his eyes.
“Thanks to you my strange and wonderful mother, we have all the time in the world,” he answered but did not explain. Christine frowned, wondering just what he meant, but then she realized that the sounds of the sirens were lengthening, deepening, until finally everything was silent. A great hush spread over the world; everything beyond their immediate area was dead still and silent. It was quiet…unearthly quiet, the only sounds were the snorting and stamping of the horses, and the occasional chink of metal on metal, but even these were dull, without depth. Everything was utterly still, but even so it took several seconds before Christine realized that the rest of the world had stopped completely. Only their immediate group and the mass of horsemen were moving; even the wind and the clouds were stationary, frozen as if fixed on canvas, a painting to commemorate the day. Every policeman, every reporter and every protester now stood stock still, frozen in the moment.
“Look!” Blue yelled and pointed up into the air just north of downtown. There, hanging low in the sky, was a Boeing 737, brown and orange, the word “Southwest” painted boldly on the tail. It was frozen on its final approach into Lambert Airport. “Aaaaaah,” exclaimed the majority of the Temple Knights and they turned and stared at the miraculous flying machine. They couldn’t follow the current conversation, but they could easily see where the man was pointing.
“It’s not possible,” Christine whispered, even the current of the mighty Mississippi River had come to a complete halt.
“Galen!” Vio whispered in awe and stepped forward, dragging Adam with her by the hand. Now that she was reunited with her lover, she never wanted to leave his side again. He was her cure, her salvation; she’d only given Gwaynn a cursory nod when he appeared through the bridge. His face was no longer something painful for her. Adam was the reason for that and it made her love him all the more.
Yes, despite her best efforts, love had come again to Vio Valencia. It struck her suddenly and with all the power of an avalanche. She was wildly, frantically, happily in love, and this time she was not in pain and she was not afraid; this time she was in love with a man who loved her back…and that made all the difference in the world. “Galen,” she repeated with awe, “are you holding open the bridge?”
Galen nodded and smiled at the woman’s anxiety.
“Are you commanding time?”
Galen nodded again and the Solitary Nyx laughed joyfully.
“What the hell is going on?” Agent Cord Armstrong barked in English, unable to follow what Vio was saying, but everyone ignored him.
“We need to hurry,” Vio stammered to Adam. “We must move…before he catches weakness.”
“But I’m not going to the lands of the Inland Sea,” Galen corrected her. Beads of sweat were now forming on his forehead, testifying to the great strain he was under.
“Galen, are you doing this?” Christine asked the very same question though in a different language and tone of voice.
Galen laughed again. “In a manner…thanks to you.”
Christine shook her head, exasperated and amazed all at once. “Galen, speak English. What are you talking about? Can you open a portal to another world? Can you stop time?”
Galen nodded. “Yes, thanks to your R89 gene,” he replied and her mouth popped open.
“Most of the man-made genes you introduced changed little,” Galen continued, “but the R89 gene, well that was the key.”
“But it was…” Christine began.
“Yes, it was designed to alter the aging process,” Galen told her, “but time is part of the very fabric of the universe. You may have wanted to change one fundamental aspect of my being, but this gene had giant ripple effects. Christine, the human genome is not a simple puzzle where one gene has but one function. It’s true that the R89 gene altered the way I age, but you also genetically altered my ability to move through time, and therefore space,” he added and swept his arms toward the massive bridge, “and not only that, because of you and your R89 gene I can control space-time. The world is still,” he told her, “because I make it so.”
Christine gazed around, feeling sick and slightly horrified. She glanced at Adam, who was also looking a bit queasy, but Blue was smiling, as was Camille. The Lakota people knew of different worlds.
“By altering my genes, you’ve allowed humanity
to progress and evolve. Space and time are irrevocably linked,” Galen added. “Read your Einstein; he knows.” Galen lectured and turned and gave a wave toward the portal. “This window between worlds is ultimately your doing,” he told her simply and Christine nodded, almost understanding.
Galen glanced around at the people surrounding him and smiled, though most were confused by what he was saying, whether they understood English or not.
“Christine, with that one gene you changed everything!” He told her then took hold of her hands as if he was afraid she might at any moment faint and tumble to the ground. Christine was gazing wildly around at the world, eyes wide with fear and wonder. All around her, Galen’s friends from Old Earth were doing likewise, but everyone was listening intently to what he had to say, even Marigold was riveted, though she did not understand much of what he was trying to explain.
“These people, Christine,” he said in a whisper, shaking her slightly to get her attention. Her eyes immediately snapped back to his. He gave a sweeping motion covering all the men and women on horseback, but he also indicated the strangers on foot who’d recently come through the darkened portal. He indicated Gwaynn and Samantha, Lonogan and his wife Jess; he indicated the Zarina Monde and Laynee; he indicated Arnot and Elin, and he even gestured to Vio and Avigail, who were still at his side. “They are all my progeny...and so yours. Every last person.”
Someone gasped, but Christine only frowned. “My progeny?” She asked. “But how? It’s not possible.”
Galen laughed but everyone else remained completely quiet.
“Christine, humans may be linear, but time is not,” he explained. “The present, the past and the future are one, but up until you mankind could not hope to experience this truth. Now, just as before, everything is different.”
The Best of All Possible Worlds Page 48
