Syphon: Guardians of the Fractured Realms

by Kunego, Chad

  >Something is wrong… what has happened…?<

  New spikes of pain lanced through his mind, causing him to curl involuntarily into a fetal position. The overwhelming pain made it hard to concentrate on what was said next.

  >Samuel was injured. He has no memory of us, or much of anything past three days ago. I think it’s affecting his telepathy. We might need to switch to talking verbally to him for the time being. If he could just find some ***.<

  It took a moment to regain his bearings as the pain started to recede. Samuel sensed the dragon on his left arm had been the one talking. It took a several tries before he was able to form words again.

  “I don’t understand what you mean…”

  Samuel glanced up and noticed the professor looking at him with a concerned look on his face. He held up both arms to display the glittering, alien metallic creatures strapped to his arms.

  “They’re alive and talking to me. I can’t really explain it, but I know this one,” he said, motioning with his right arm.

  “Remarkable…” a slight look of envy crossing the professors face as he continued, “and how… how do you know ‘it’?”

  Samuel rubbed his head, trying to decipher all the information the memory had given him. After a few seconds, he looked back at the professor.

  “She… It’s a she. I’m not sure of the details and reasons why, but I remember placing her in a pyramid designed to keep her from escaping for some reason. I think I was concerned about some great danger that might happen if she wasn’t contained there, but I just don’t remember…”

  The professor nodded, then a look of confusion started to cloud his face.

  “You said you remember placing it, I mean her,” he amended when he saw the look on Samuel’s face, “placing her on the pedestal? That you were responsible for the pyramid’s construction…?”

  Samuel pondered the memory again before nodding.

  “Yes, I vaguely recall fragments of memory associated with the construction of the place, of how I felt the need to make it as secure as possible with the available resources of the time.”

  The professor leaned against his desk for balance, a distant look on his face.

  “That would mean…” he said, his voice drifting off in wonderment, “you’re well over a hundred and eighty millennia old…”

  §§§§§§§§§§§§

  Samuel stared at the professor, his mouth hanging open.

  A hundred and eighty millennia old… that’s impossible…

  “Nah, that’s underestimating your age by quite a bit, actually…”

  Samuel mouth dropped open as the creature on his left arm looked up at him. He noticed that the sword handle was actually attached to the underside of the dragon’s chin somehow, but he couldn’t tell where the rest of the blade went. Glancing at the professor, he gestured at his left arm.

  “Did you hear that, or am I imagining it?”

  The professor nodded slowly. Samuel looked back down at the dragon on his left arm.

  “You mean to tell me that I’m older than that?” he asked in disbelief.

  Nodding, the dragon continued.

  “Actually, you’re significantly older than that…”

  Samuel dropped heavily into the chair behind him. He looked up at the professor with a questioning look.

  “Professor, how is that even possible. Granted, I’ve got what appear to be two dragons clutching my arms, but look at me…” he said, gesturing toward himself, ”I look like I’m in my twenties or early thirties at the most. I don’t understand it.”

  The professor jumped, the question snapping him out of his thought. As he slowly made his way back around his desk, he stared at the dragons on Samuel’s arms. Dropping heavily into his chair, he pulled out a bottle of scotch from his desk. Pouring himself a good measure, he gulped half of it down without seeming to taste it. After a moment, he glanced back up at Samuel.

  “As I mentioned earlier, I told you how I talked to the detectives earlier. In that meeting, I’d told them that I’d uncovered the pyramid during an archaeological dig… But what I failed to tell them was when the dig was…” he said, taking his glasses off to polish them before setting them back on his face, “you see, I was in my early sixties when I was on that dig, and to be sure, it would have been the crowning achievement to my career if I’d been able to reveal that discovery. Unfortunately, at the time I found it, there was no way to document it in a way that would have proved it had existed, at least not after it sunk under the sands.”

  Professor Waide fussed with his glasses again before continuing.

  “You see, when I had picked that,” he paused to collect his thought, “that ‘creature’ up, I’d told the detectives that I had witnessed a brilliant flash of light. What I didn’t talk about was what that flash had done to me.”

  Samuel could feel a sense of satisfaction emanating from Amitiel, along with a pin-prick of pain when the professor mentioned it.

  The professor continued, unaware of what Samuel suspected, “That flash of energy seemed to have changed me somehow, changed me on a fundamental level. I suddenly felt stronger, faster, and seemed to have vast amounts of energy available. More than I’d ever felt in my life, even in my youth. As the structure started to collapse around me, I felt time slow down as I rushed from the chamber, the chunks of building blocks slowly drifting toward the floor as I easily maneuvered around the falling debris, pushing stone blocks out of my path like they were weightless. It felt like it had taken me several minutes to escape the collapsing pyramid, but I know, based off calculations I did later, that I’d been able to cover several hundred yards in the space of a few seconds.”

  “So you’re like me then?”

  The professor paused as he smiled to himself.

  “No… Even though I’m changed, I doubt I’m anywhere near as powerful as your kind are.”

  He paused to take another long sip of scotch.

  “As I was saying, when I finally reached the mouth of the structure, because of my velocity and the angle of the ramp I was traveling up, I accidentally launched myself through the air and landed quite a distance from the opening. I don’t remember much after that until they found me, but for several days after that, my body was racked with a burning fever and severe convulsions while I recovered. Since that day though, I’ve never had a day of illness, nor have I ever been permanently injured. Whatever that energy was, whatever it did to me, it now allows me to recover from most injuries within days, usually within hours.”

  To emphasize the point, professor Waide picked up a small dagger off his desk, pulled it out of it’s sheath, and nicked himself with it. Samuel watched as the wound gradually started to close. At the rate it was going, it would probably take at least another ten to fifteen minutes to completely close up.

  “Remarkable, isn’t it?” he said.

  Samuel gestured for the dagger. The professor quizzically looked at him before handing it over.

  “Yeah, not to shabby,” he said as he dragged the edge of the blade over his palm. He nearly broke the blade with the amount of force he had to apply to cut himself, wincing slightly at the pain.

  He held up his hand, showing the other man the bone-deep gash he’d just given himself. He watched with a slightly amused look as the professors rapt look of attention as the wound on Samuel’s hand close up seconds later.

  “Simply remarkable…” he said quietly. He shook his head slightly before he continued.

  “After that incident, I’ve devoted my life to researching everything I could about what most people would consider magic, for that’s the only explanation I can come up with for what happened to me. I’m now the foremost knowledgeable expert in the world. Unfortunately, not very many people are aware of it since I have to periodically disappear and change my identity.”

  Samuel tilted his head sideways in an unspoken question.

  “Well, the reason I have to change my identity, and the reason no one ever heard
about my find, was because I discovered that pyramid nearly three hundred years ago. One of the benefits, I’ve since learned, of my wonderful healing ability, is that I don’t age anymore.”

  Chapter 28

  The professor started to open his mouth to say more when the phone on his desk rang, startling both men. Samuel could see the professor ponder for a moment before picking up the receiver, listening intently to the speaker.

  “No, I’m quite all right. No, you don’t have to send anyone… No… No…” he said, getting visibly more upset as the conversation progressed.

  Finally, he spat, ”Fine, so be it,” before slamming the receiver down on the hook. Looking back up at him, Samuel could see the sadness on his face.

  “It would appear that your little beastie’s screech caused some concern with some of our other faculty members in the building, prompting them to call the police. The front desk was kind enough to tell me that the detectives from earlier have decided to check on my well-being, so it appears our conversation is going to have to end prematurely,” he said, getting up and herding Samuel quickly toward the office door.

  “I do so hope I’ll have the chance to converse with you again, hopefully with your wonderful memories restored, but for that to happen, you must leave before the detectives reach us.”

  Samuel looked back at the man, shaking his hand warmly before replying, “I look forward it.”

  As the professor reached for the handle, someone pounded on the door.

  “Professor Waide, open up, it’s detectives Blanchett and Giani.”

  §§§§§§§§§§§§

  The professor looked at him with fear in his eyes. Without thinking, Samuel jumped straight up, performing a split as he landed lightly on the mantel ledge over the door, completely hidden from view. The professor looked up at him in shock. Samuel nodded to the elder man as he continued to perch above the door, a look of understanding crossing the other man’s face.

  Reaching forward, the professor unlocked the door, opening it slowly.

  “Yes, detectives?”

  “Are you all right professor, we got reports of a loud disturbance coming from this part of the building.”

  Cora roughly shouldered him out of the way as she stepped into the office.

  “Mind if we come in?” she asked.

  The professor replied in a testy voice.

  “Fine… But I am going to have to file a complaint with your precinct. I provided you certain… leniency, when you stopped by earlier, due in most part with what you’d brought me, but now you’re just being a nuisance.”

  “Noted,” she said as her partner brushed past the older man as well, scanning the room carefully before glancing back at the professor.

  “So what happened here?” she asked, “You’ve got quite a few piles of books knocked over.”

  As she asked the question, Samuel noticed that both her and her partner had placed their hands near their sidearms.

  “Ah, just me being clumsy in my old age,” he said as he tried to wave off the mess, “when you get to be my age dear, it happens sometimes.”

  “Really,” she said as she moved deeper into the room, “is that why your cane is laying on the floor over there?”

  The professors eyes widened at Cora’s statement. Reflexively, the professor glancing up at him. Both Cora and Frank following his gaze. Eyes going wide, both detectives spun away from the door, trying to put distance between themselves and Samuel. As they tried to pull their guns, the professor lunged at the detectives.

  “Run,” he yelled as Samuel dropped lightly to the floor. Samuel paused for a moment as he watched the professor physically lift detective Giani over his head in an attempt to throw him deeper into the office. Detective Blanchett paused for a split-second, a stunned look etched on her face as she watched the older man effortlessly snatch her partner over his head, before she kicked the back of his knee, forcing him to drop her partner in a heap on top of them. The professor shoved Frank off, causing him to sail several feet through the air before knocking down another pile of books. As Cora struggled to free her sidearm, the professor clamped his hand down over her’s. Samuel caught her glance at him while he stood in the doorway. Their eyes locked for a moment, causing him to take a tentative step in their direction. The professor noticed the movement and yelled at Samuel.

  “Run, boy! I don’t know how long I’ll be able to hold them.”

  Samuel took another tentative step toward them, paused, then spun away, vanishing out the door.

  Chapter 29

  Cora saw concern etched across the younger man’s face as their eyes locked. It surprised her when he took a tentative step toward them, unsure whether he should help or not.

  “Run, boy! I don’t know how long I’ll be able to hold them.”

  Cora felt the professor relax slightly as he yelled at Samuel. As Samuel turned away, Cora took advantage of the lapse by sliding backward, causing the older man to stumble forward to keep his balance. Cora quickly reversed direction while performing a Koshinage throw, dropping the professor to the ground. She quickly stepped back while she drew her weapon, pointing it at the professor.

  “Frank!”

  “I’m fine! GO!”

  Cora glance over and saw Frank propped up against the wall, his gun pointing at the professor.

  “Are yo—”

  “GO!”

  Cora glanced between the two one last time before she spun around and raced out the door. Hearing the sound of someone running down the hallway, she glancing in that direction. She caught a flash of Samuel running toward the end of the hall and sprinted after him, trying to eat up some of the distance between them. As she closed the distance, she noticed him looking back at her before he glanced back and forth between the exit and the staircase to the upper floors.

  “Freeze,” she yelled as he launched himself up the staircase, clearing three steps per stride.

  Where the hell is he going?

  She started running up the stairs, stopping at each landing to make sure he wasn’t trying to ambush her. At each pause though, she could still make out the sound of him running ever higher.

  As she reached the top floor, she took a deep breath before slowly advancing down the hallway, trying each door to see if any were unlocked. About halfway down, she noticed a door marked roof access was partially open. She placed her hand on the door and pushed quickly, peeking out the door before ducking back. Not seeing any obvious danger, she pushed the door open again, slipping out and pressing her back against the wall. She glanced around rapidly as she slowly slid her way down the wall, trying to figure out where Samuel might be hiding.

  “All I want to do is figure out who I am and what happened to me, detective. That’s all.”

  The jarring suddenness of the sound caused her to flinch. Spinning around the corner, Cora spotted Samuel looking over the edge of the building.

  “Freeze,” she yelled, pointing her gun at him as he started turning around.

  “I said don’t move!” she yelled again, her finger slowly taking up the slack of her trigger.

  “Actually, you said freeze…”

  She kept her gun trained on him as he stopped, then turned slowly back to look over the edge of the building.

  “Place your hands on the back of your head and walk backward toward me. Slowly.”

  She watched as Samuel slowly placed his hands on the back of the head. Once that was done, he glanced over his shoulder.

  “I’m not going to hurt you detective Blanchett.”

  “I don’t care. Face forward and walk backward toward me. No sudden moves.”

  Samuel gradually approached her position. When he got to within ten feet, she ordered him to stop.

  “Now on your knees, ankles crossed.”

  “I can’t do that detective. If I let you take me in, I’m never going to get the answers I need.”

  “I told you I don’t care! You don’t have any choice in the matter. We’re six floors
up with a gun pointed at you… How did you think you were going to get away, anyway?”

  “As you said detective, we’re only six floors up.”

  Cora’s phone suddenly rang, almost causing her to shoot Samuel in the back. Taking a deep breath, she relaxed her finger off the trigger before slowly taking her left hand off her gun. She reached into her pocket to grab her phone. Glancing down, she hit the answer button before putting it up to her ear.

  “Frank, I got hi— OH SHIT!”

  In the split-second that she’d taken her eyes off him, Samuel had somehow spun around and covered the distance between them. She reflexively squeezed the trigger, but he was no longer in front of her. She saw his hand blur, moving faster than her eye could track. She tried to bring her gun back to bear on him again, but he effortlessly snatched it out of her hand. Simultaneously, he grabbed the phone out of her other hand. She made a desperate attempt to grab her gun back, but he effortlessly deflected her, before slipping behind her.

  “Is this detective Giani? Just wanted to let you know she’ll be back down in a minute.”

  He’s talking on my phone while fighting me!

  She tried to turn fast enough to catch him, but every time she turned, he effortlessly managed to stay in her blind spot directly behind her.

  “Good bye detective.”

  Cora heard the call end. Without warning, she felt a hand slide into her pocket. Acting instinctively, she launched an elbow backward, but felt it get redirected away again. She heard a click before the unmistakable sound of the slide being worked on her sidearm. Samuel slid back into view in front of her before launching himself at her, both arms outstretched. He moved so rapidly, like water rushing over rapids, that she didn’t have time to make sense of what he was doing. She tried to take a step back to give herself room but stumbled over something and started to fall.

  Unexpectedly, she felt both of his hands slide under her jacket. She couldn’t tell what his right hand was doing other than tugging on something, but his left hand and arm slid around her back, arresting her fall before pulling her back upright like she was weightless. She tried to grab onto his right hand to try and perform another Koshinage throw like she’d used on Professor Waide moments ago.