Terra recoiled. “I don't know...”
“Trust me. You will love this! Don't worry. We will be completely safe. The Sybil have precogged no temporal storms. You will be fine.”
Terra narrowed her gaze as she thought. If Alya had ill intent, then she could have simply abducted Terra many times over by now. “Will I be gone long?”
Alya laughed. “It's time travel.”
“Oh... Right.”
“Infinite!” Alya said as she grabbed Terra, pulling her close. “Let's go!”
Terra was about to push away from Alya when a glowing ring formed around both of them, moving clockwise around them. As the ring passed, it wiped away the quarry and replaced the landscape with a strange grainy storm of blue energy.
Terra's eyes went wide as she looked at the surreal landscape. The distorted world around her was now a shade of translucent blue with a static grainy appearance. The plants and animals around the quarry became ghostlike, surrounded by moving after images that bled into one another. Everything seemed in flux, moving in an azure shadow that stretched into a line on the horizon. A pale light illuminated the surroundings and when Terra looked up she could see the stars as though it was night. Somehow the sky looked strange with it filled with so many stars, more than she had ever seen before in her life.
Alya grabbed Terra's arm. “Hold on to me,” she said in a calm tone that echoed in the blue haze.
“What is this?” Terra asked, her grip tight on Alya's arm.
“This is the Edge of Time. Don't worry. This trip will not take long. Our destination is close in Time.”
Alya walked forward as the surroundings blew away, like a hurricane had suddenly swept through. Terra could feel the wind blow against her, trying to force her back. However, Alya didn't seem to notice the strange energy storm, acting as though this were normal.
After a few moments, the current died down and Alya stopped. She then looked at her shieldwatch for a long moment. Alya searched through a menu before pressing a holographic button. A ring formed around her, changing her appearance in an instant. No longer did she wear her armor, but an ankle length navy blue dress. Her long, silver hair was now curly, short, and dark brown. Terra thought Alya looked like someone from the 1930s. “How did you do that?”
“Shieldwatch,” Alya said as she checked her appearance. She then looked at Terra. “I suppose you will not be too obvious.”
“What time are we going to?”
Alya grinned. “You'll see,” she said before pulling Terra a little closer. A ring passed over them both, erasing the strange grainy blue haze and replacing it with an alleyway. The air was cold. Partly cloudy skies loomed overhead.
Terra turned, trying to gauge her surroundings. While Terra gawked, Alya put a hat on Terra's head and handed her a jacket. Terra then faced Alya who now also wore a hat and had hid her sword in a large bag she carried at her side. “Where did you get that?”
Alya sighed. “Listen, Terra. Don't ask questions. Right now, just follow me.”
Terra followed Alya into an open area out of the alley. She immediately recognized the Capital Building ahead. A small crowd gathered there.
“Washington DC?” Terra asked.
Alya nodded. They walked to a spot near the East Portico and waited.
Others gathered. Their clothes appeared dated to Terra. However, Terra felt out of place in her jeans and tee shirt. The only period clothing she wore was the jacket Alya had given her.
Alya pulled Terra close again before their surroundings accelerated, like the world was on fast forward. When crowd grew large, time returned to normal.
“Did you just speed up time?”
Alya grinned. “Yet another perk. I wished it worked in Saturn City. Crashing timeport crowds.”
Terra was about to ask what they were waiting for when a procession arrived. She gasped when she saw Franklin Delano Roosevelt arrive at the podium.
Terra couldn't believe it. She was watching the presidential inauguration of her favorite president! He was right there. Terra stood in a historical moment, in person. It all felt so surreal, yet his words were clear and Terra could see him with her own eyes.
After he took the oath of office, Franklin D. Roosevelt started his famous inaugural address. “I am certain that my fellow Americans expect that on my induction into the Presidency I will address them with a candor and a decision which the present situation of our people impel.”
Cheers and applause erupted from the crowd. Terra had heard the recordings, but this was without the audible sharpness of the old broadcasts.
“This is preeminently the time to speak the truth, the whole truth, frankly and boldly. Nor need we shrink from honestly facing conditions in our country today. This great Nation will endure as it has endured, will revive and will prosper.”
More applause came.
“So, first of all, let me assert my firm belief that the only thing we have to fear is fear itself—nameless, unreasoning, unjustified terror which paralyzes needed efforts to convert retreat into advance.”
Terra listened to the rest of the speech in awe. When the speech drew to a close, Alya leaned in closer. “Was it everything you had imagined?”
Terra shook her head. “So this is history?”
Alya looked back to the podium while the crowd cheered. “This is Time. This is what we protect. This is what you can be a part of. To protect the history you love. In this world, history is more than just words on a page. It lives and breathes. But if you are not careful, it dies too. You can protect it, Terra.”
Terra looked away. “I don't know. This is wonderful, but I don't think I am brave enough to join this Legion.”
Alya smiled, gesturing to Roosevelt as he turned to go. “Even after his words?”
Terra hesitated.
“Fear holds you back, Terra. Courage drives you forward. One cannot exist without the other. In most, courage and fear exist in a shifting equilibrium. Not you though. Your brave actions shattered that balance within you. Fear is the only thing stopping you from getting what you want. But, courage will get the better of you eventually. That courage needs to be shaped, hardened, and polished.”
Terra looked away.
Alya then pointed to the shadows behind the podium. “Terra, look to the darkness there.”
Terra did, but saw nothing.
“Now imagine Hanns stepping out of the shadows and pointing a gun at your favorite president.”
Terra scowled before turning to Alya. “He couldn't! Could he?”
Alya shrugged. “Maybe. Time travelers have assassinated leaders before. The Forgotten Guns were particularly good at it. The Legion could stop Hanns though. Even if Hanns succeeded, history would likely turn out the same. Still, more dead bodies have never made history a better place. These are all uncertainties though. The one thing that is certain is that you can face your fear.” Alya smiled. “Terra, you have already protected history once against all odds. Now I offer you the power of time itself to protect something you love. Yes there is danger on the way ahead, but I wouldn't extend this offer if I thought you incapable of enduring it. However, if you wish to let nameless, unreasoning, unjustified terror paralyze you, then go back to your little quarry and hide. I can even erase your memory again if you wish, but you need to make your decision knowing what you gave up.”
Terra bit her lower lip. “I just don't know. This is so sudden.”
“I won't lie to you. If you choose to come with me, then it will be the hardest thing you have ever done in your life. But if you choose not to come with me, understand that you are giving up both history and the power to defend it. Everything I did in the library, the abilities, the sword, time travel, all this could be yours. But you have to choose it.”
“Right now?”
Alya sighed. “You have no idea how long I have been trying to recruit you. However, I would be willing to give you a week if you really need that long.”
“What if I change my mind
after reaching this Academy?”
Alya burst out in laughter which drew the attention of several people nearby. “That will not happen. Trust me. If you change your mind after seeing Saturn City and getting taste of the shieldwatch's power, then you will be making history.”
After leaving the crowds, Alya brought Terra back through time to the quarry.
Terra checked the sun overhead, noting that it had not moved at all since she left. She then looked around the quarry itself. “So I won't meet myself will I?”
Alya changed back to her original armored form with silver hair. “Oh no. It's impossible to meet yourself using time travel. I don't remember the technical details, but once you time travel, then that instance of yourself will erase any doubles to times you travel to.”
Terra turned to Alya. “So what now?”
“As promised, I will give you until the end of this week to make your choice. Not that I consider it much of a choice, but I can understand if you feel it's sudden. Just remember, Terra, Hanns is still out there. While you spend your time deciding, he spends his working towards victory.”
The ring formed around Alya a final time and she vanished. Terra waited for Alya to come back again just as she had before, but she heard only the sound of a fading breeze.
Terra sat in the quarry for the rest of the afternoon, thinking. Alya had offered Terra almost everything she wanted. In truth, Terra had wanted that power in the library. But, knowing that history was more than just words on a page now made the offer irresistible. What Alya had offered Terra was the power to touch history itself.
She looked at the quarry wall and used her small pick to dislodge a bit of magnetite ore. Terra tossed the ore in her hands as she looked up at the darkening sky. This was her choice.
When the first stars appeared in the sky, Terra climbed out of her quarry. She reached the top tier before stopping to look at the quarry. In that moment, Terra realized that she was about to leave everything behind. After a long moment of solace, Terra turned and walked back to her parents' home.
“There you are,” Beth said, looking at Terra's feet to make sure she didn't track mud into the house again. “How many opportunities did you find in your quarry?”
Terra sighed. “Actually, one found me.”
Beth raised an eyebrow while Terra sat at the kitchen table.
Fred walked over to the refrigerator to get himself a drink. “So you think about that job offer any?”
“Sorry Dad,” Terra said as her shoulders drooped. “It seems I have another offer.”
They both stared at Terra.
“What offer?” Beth finally asked.
Terra spoke in a whining tone while laying her head on the table. “I'm joining the time police.”
Chapter V
The Edge of Time
It is highly advised that one discuss what to expect from time travel with the potential squire. The worst thing any legionnaire can do is to send a new squire into the Edge with no explanation of what is going on. All squires must be brought through the timeport and this process can be simplified if they are prepared for the shock of seeing Saturn City for the first time.
-Chapter Two from the Aeon Legion's Squire Recruitment Manual by Praetor Lycus Cerberus
High winds gusted around her parents' home the day Terra was to leave. Terra grabbed her bag from her room before saying goodbye to her parents. After promising to call them once she arrived at the Academy Alya had spoke of, Terra walked to the quarry. She stood and looked at it for a long moment.
Alya appeared as she had before with the strange glowing ring dissipating around her. She looked at Terra's bag and smiled before moving to stand next to Terra. “I have made a lot of mistakes. My last squire, I really didn't give her much say in the matter.” Alya faced Terra. “I don't want a conscript this time. I want a volunteer. This is your choice now. If you turn back, I won't blame you. Are you ready?”
Terra met Alya's eyes. “I've made up my mind. I'm done hiding in that quarry and wasting time. Let's go.”
Alya smiled before touching the glass face of her shieldwatch. A ring formed around them and the world transformed.
“What is this place?” Terra asked as they entered the blue haze again.
Alya consulted her shieldwatch. “This is the Edge of Time, a place where all time blends together. Follow. We have to find a salient.”
Terra walked closely behind Alya, clinging to the woman's forearm at all times. “What's a salient?”
Alya frowned. “Some piece of singularity technology. Don't worry about it.”
Like last time, the wind picked up when they moved. Terra struggled to stand, but Alya seemed unaffected.
“So,” Terra said after noticing the strange echo this place had, “How exactly does time travel work?”
Alya shrugged. “I have no idea. All I care is that it works.”
Terra looked up to see the stars tinted blue. They lit up the sky, unnumbered. Terra knew little about astronomy, but felt sure there were not that many stars in the sky. However, when Terra turned to face Alya, she saw a bright burning light that dwarfed every star in the heavens.
The bright blue light was massive enough to make the sun look small. Circular tendrils swirled from it, dancing like oil in water. A large tendril fed away from it, like a flowing river branching at different points. Terra traced the stream and discovered she stood upon one of its many branches. She pointed to the bright blue light. “What's that?”
Alya sighed. “Haven't you heard of the Big Bang? That's similar. It's the Beginning of Time. Nothing special.”
Terra's eyes were still wide as she wondered. Nothing special? she thought. She only gazed upon the origin of all time itself and Alya considered it nothing special?
Alya pointed the other direction. “It lies opposite the End of Time.”
Terra turned, looking at the large dark shape on the horizon behind her. The End of Time was as colossal as the Beginning. It hung in the sky like a shadowy maw. Unlike the Beginning with its chaotic tendrils, the End twirled in a spiral. It was like a black hole surrounded by a blood red light in contrast with the Beginning’s blue glow. Branches, like the one Terra now stood on, all converged at the End and bled into the red haze as though the End were devouring it. Looking at the looming, dark shape made Terra feel uneasy as the wind and glowing haze around her seemed to pull in that direction.
“Don't worry about that,” Alya said, pointing to something in between the Beginning and End of Time. “That's where we are going.”
In the distance, Terra saw a pearl white object drifting in the star filled void.
“There it is,” Alya said, gazing at the structure in the distance. “Saturn City.”
Terra saw a blue light burning bright like a beacon in the distance. However, it was too far away for Terra to see in any detail. Alya moved forward again and Terra followed. She approached a ring shaped structure.
Around the structure's outer wall stood twelve tall metal spires, all equally spaced. A small diameter ring hovered above the structure. It had a low wall with a ramp up the side. As Terra drew close, she saw it was constructed of a pearl white metal that appeared similar to the material of Alya's armor. The whole structure was the size of her quarry. Unlike the misty, ethereal world around them, the solid structure stood out.
Alya walked to the center of the metal structure, what Terra assumed was a salient, and touched the glass face of her shieldwatch. A glowing ring of energy ran around the inner edge of the salient and Terra watched the haze around the shift as the ring passed. When Terra looked up, she saw the ring structure had transported them nearer to the city.
Terra got a closer look at Saturn City. The monolithic scale of a structure stretched hundreds of miles in diameter. The outer ring edge of the structure shimmered pearl white. A convex energy field formed a dome in the center, covering both the top and bottom of the structure. Its outer design reminded Terra of a pocket watch.
The
blue grainy energy field was transparent enough to see a city that sat upon a large disc made of mountains, forests, plains, and lakes. Terra could barely see the tall white buildings that stood clustered in certain areas on the disc. She counted twelve sections, each occupying a slice of the disc.
Terra felt dizzy as she took in the sight of the pearl city floating in time. After a moment, Alya touched the orb on her shieldwatch and the salient transported them again. This time, the haze and city faded to reveal a circular room around them.
Another glowing ring formed and passed around them in a clockwise direction. “Biological hazards sweep clear,” came a female voice over the speakers in the room.
Alya shook her hand, trying to get a clinging, pale faced Terra to let go. After a moment, Alya took her free hand and pried off Terra's iron like grip. “It's okay, Terra. We're here.”
Terra swayed as she tried to regain her footing. The world still seemed to spin and her stomach churned from the strange experience.
Alya put her hands on her hips, waiting for Terra to recover. “Don't worry. You get used to it.”
Terra's vertigo passed after a moment and her stomach settled as she heard noise from a nearby crowd. She looked up, expecting to see the stars, but instead found clear blue skies overhead with the beaming sun above her. Terra wondered why the outside of the city looked like a night sky, while the city's interior looked to be midday.
“Come on,” Alya said, walking forward.
Terra shook her head, trying to focus before following Alya. Her vertigo returned once she walked out of the room, though not because of motion sickness.
It started when a man with silver hair passed by, pushing a large metal disk. It hovered off the ground surrounded by a glowing translucent field. Atop the disk, a saber-toothed tiger paced the inside, looking as confused as Terra. He pushed the hovering bubble as though it and the predator within weighed nothing.
Alya turned to Terra and put two small devices in Terra's ears. “For translations until you get a shieldwatch,” Alya said.
Aeon Legion: Labyrinth Page 5
