Anamnesis ©
Chapter Fourteen
By Fiction Writer #13
(nosex, sci-fi , paranormal, violence)

"So kid, what's your name?"

"Rob."

"Nice to meet you, Rob.   I'm James, James Hobbs."

It felt good to be back on the highway, once again heading in the right direction.  James had a nice car and the air conditioner kept them icy cold despite the blazing heat outside.

"So, do you make a habit of winning radio contests?  Got some kind of a system you could tell me about?"

Rob smiled to himself.  He still couldn't figure out how he'd done it.  When the phone rang and the woman answered saying 'congratulations' he was so freaked he threw the phone at James and nearly fainted.

"Sorry, that was my first one.  Just got lucky, I guess."

"Huh, lucky?   That's exactly what I'm going to get when I tell Darlene I've got these tickets."

"Darlene's your girlfriend?"

"Nah.   My girl's on a vacation in Montauk with her parents.  Three weeks in Long Island, must be nice.  She won't be back for another week.  Darlene is just some fun while she's gone.  You know what they say… when the cat's away the mice will play!"

Rob grinned as the man laughed at his own joke.  He didn't think it was right for the guy to be boasting about cheating on his girlfriend, but he kept his feelings to himself.  This was no time to offend the man behind the wheel.  Besides, he seemed like a decent guy, despite his lack of fidelity.

"So where am I dropping you off?"

"The Highland Plaza South."

"Nice place.  You getting a room there?"

"Nope, just going to a convention."

"Oh, yeah, that's right!  That UFO thing is going on this weekend.  What's her name, from the radio, she's going to that thing too.  So, are you one of them abductee freaks, or what?"

'I'm not so sure anymore,' Rob thought to himself, but replied, "Just curious.  It sounds interesting, so I thought I'd check it out."

"Kayleigh, that's it!  That's the woman's name.  Man, that was driving me crazy.  She sounds so sexy; I wish I knew what she looked like in person.  Probably has a face made for radio, right?"

"Yeah." Rob looked out the window as the trees and hills gave way to open lots and industrial buildings.

'God, this guy talks a lot.'

"If you meet her, and she's hot, try and get her number for me."

"I'll try." Rob rolled his eyes.

The hum of the tires on the road changed pitch as they passed into the outermost limits of Highland.  Soon they'd be exiting the highway and merging onto Route 229, the main artery into the heart of the city, but first they needed to cross the East Highland Bridge, which loomed before them like a giant mint green erector set.

Neither Rob nor James bothered to look behind them as they slowed to pay the two-dollar toll, but if they had, they might have noticed a familiar beat up blue Chevy Chevelle as it carefully maintained a five car distance from them.

Joe's world was spinning.  Thundering pain in his skull made his eyes water and his stomach lurch.  As consciousness slowly returned, he found himself bound to his office chair, but sure he was no longer in his office.

"He's coming around."

An angry voice cut through the pounding in his head, but his eyes couldn't focus on who had spoken.  His instincts came back first, an uncontrollable desire to be free, to run from or defend himself against these attackers.  His arms and legs strained hard against the plastic zip ties that bound him to the chair, but were not strong enough to break them.

He wanted to scream, but his words came out as a slurred whisper. "Let me go."

"Where are they?" The angry voice moved closer, but remained nothing more than a dark blur to Joe's teary eyes.

"Let... me... go..."

A strong hand grasped Joe by his hair and yanked his head up. "Where are the two teenagers?  Where did they go?"

"Fuck you!" Joe snapped defiantly, but regretted it almost instantly as a fist slammed into his nose.

"Ah fwuck!   Ya bwoke my fuck'n noze!  Gawddamnsonova!  Fwuck you!"

"If you don't tell us where they are, we can make this much worse for you.  Now tell us... where are they?"

"I don' know who the fuck yer talk'n 'bout!" Blood flowed from his shattered face, some trickling down the back of his throat and making him cough, which only served to heighten his pain.

"Lemme go!"

"You're not going anywhere until you start talking."

'Screw this.  I'm getting out of here, now.' Joe struggled push the pain away as he concentrated on drawing in what little power he could still control.  He'd not used the Art in so long that he'd almost forgotten how to do it.  Slowly he felt the Ether enter him, its energy flowing like water and causing his skin to tingle.  He felt it building, growing stronger, more focused.  In his mind he recited the same mantra that got him hooked on magic and all it could do to back when he was a teenager.  Words spoken so many times he no longer had to speak them aloud.  A spell designed to unlock what had been locked, to open things that had been closed, and to release what had been bound.

'Quoa ka nemota... nemota ka quoa.'

When Joe was certain that he was ready, he released the Ether and tried to leap from the chair, but his bindings remained tight.  His spell hadn't worked.

"Shit!" he blurted as the plastic cut painfully into his wrists. "What the fuck?"

Laughter filled his ears as all hope of escape left him.

"This isn't the first time we've dealt with scum like you," The blurry shape slowly came into focus to reveal a man with chiseled facial features and deep brown eyes looming over him, "Scum that deserves to be punished for crimes against humanity."

Joe's newly cleared vision allowed him to recognize his location.  He was in his garage, but his employees were nowhere to be seen.  Below his chair a circle had been drawn in gray ash on the concrete floor, one that completely enclosed him.  It took him a moment to remember what all of the symbols meant, but when he did it made sense why his spell had failed.  They had sealed him off in a circle of magic binding.  As long as the circle remained unbroken, and he remained within its borders, casting was useless.

All around him he was surrounded by men in coal black, ultra modern assault armor.  All but the one looming over him wore helmets with a protective shield that hid their faces.  On their left shoulder they wore an American flag, on their right the recently designed insignia of Homeland Security, though Joe knew that this was a lie.

"Wha' haf' I done?" Joe painfully snorted the blood out of his sinuses. "I'm nothin', a nobody."

"Got that right," one of the men snickered.

"Why're you doin' this to me?"

"Because you helped two kids today, two kids that we need to find before they do something terrible.  Now tell us," the tall man leaned down so that he and Joe were face to face, "where did you send them?"

"I didn' help no kids!"

The tall man's face showed no expression. "Shock him."

One of the men behind him pressed a baton to his head, sending unimaginable pain throughout his entire body.

"Aieeegggrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr !"

He felt as if he were on fire as the electricity coursed through his body.  Every muscle tensed, every nerve ending erupted in pain.  His world swam once more, his vision blacked out, leaving him alone in agony.

"Enough."

The baton was removed and Joe's body sagged in his bindings.  Pain still wracked him from head to toe, but it was better than when he was being shocked.

"Where are they?  Where did you send them?"

Joe was gasping for air like a fish out of water, but he found enough air to respond. "Fuck... you..."

This time the man smiled before the excruciating pain returned.

"Stop!   Stop!  Nruahhhhhh!"

"I can make the pain stop.  I can make this whole nightmare end.  I just need an answer.  Where did you send them?"

"To... to..." Joe's muscles still twitched even though the electricity had ceased. "To your Mother's house... I heard she could use a good fuahhhhhhhhh!"

"I don't have time for this.  Tell us what we need to hear."

Joe remained silent save for his labored breathing.

"If he wants to keep playing games, I think we should show him that we are the ones making the rules.  Turn it up."

" AIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIEEEEEE ! "

A cold wind blew up, sending the alpine trees swaying.  Their whispers only served to put the ten year old boy on further edge.

'Where is she?  She should have been here by now.'

This was no place for a child to be alone in the middle of the night, but 13 was no ordinary kid.  The freezing temperatures would have put down a grown man, but not him.  He'd been bred to survive in all kinds of weather conditions that would normally bring others to their knees.

He paced back and forth, wringing his hands nervously as he waited for her to show up.

'Come on 14, where are you?'

They were getting out.  Leaving.  They'd had enough.  No more drills, no more training, no more combat scenarios... It was over.

'Come on, come on, come on.  We've got to go.'

He knew they'd come looking for them, that their lives on the outside would be difficult, but it would be worth it.  Normal, that's what they wanted to be, normal.  Nothing sounded better.  Nothing filled him with more hope than the possibility of being just a normal kid.

'What's taking you so long, 14?'

All of the others could have their damn team as far as he was concerned; he never wanted any part of it to begin with.  If 1 wanted to be the leader he could have it.  13 couldn't help it if he performed better than the others; it was just how things were.  Besides, he worked better on his own anyway.  They were all about the team, how there are no individuals in their unit.  They didn't want him, or 14.

'Damn it.  If she doesn't get a move, on we'll miss the train.'

The plan was simple.  It had to be, there weren't too many options being as isolated as they were.  Sneak out of the complex, meet up on the hill, and get on the freight train that would be passing ten miles to the east in two hours.  Hopefully the weather would hold out at least until they met up.  A winter storm was due to hit within the next hour or so.  Footprints in the snow would give them away, but the storm had the potential for white out conditions, and that would help.  The window of opportunity would be slight, but they could do it.  They could do anything... together.

"Aiiieee !"

The short, high pitched cry cut through the high mountain air and sent a chill down 13's spine.

"No." His heart raced, pounding in his ribcage. "No, no, no."

He was off in the blink of an eye, running through the thick forest as fast as his legs would take him towards her cry.  The world around him was a blur as he ran head long into the tangle of branches and bushes.  It was nearly impossible to see, he was miles away from any city lights, and the night sky was obscured by the approaching blizzard, but his eyes were keener than what nature provided.

"No!  Stop!  Just let me go!"

'Oh no!'

The closer he got the easier it was to hear over the wind, and now he was certain it was 14 who was in trouble, and she wasn't alone.  Laughter echoed up the hillside from the clearing below, laughter he recognized.

"Come out and face us like a man, 13!  We know you're out there!  We caught 14, so if you don't want anything to happen to her, you'd better get your ass back in line!"

13 didn't have to see the one calling him to know who it was.

'Damn you 1, why can't you just let us alone.'

He slid down the steep incline, his feet digging into the rocky soil until he stopped at the bottom. "Let her go!"

They were all there, thirteen children whom he once considered his family, his brothers and sisters, but all they shared were chromosomes, there was no love.  Except for 14, she was like him; she was the only one like him.  Though she went through the motions of being one of them, in secret, she was like him.

"I said let her go!" 13 strode into the clearing eyeing up his opponents.  14 was struggling, trying to push off 11 and 6 who had her pinned to the ground on her belly.  1 and the others moved to block him from getting any closer, then circled him, cutting off his escape routes.

"You shouldn't have left us, 13.  It's against military code to abandon your unit.  I could put you in the brig for this." 1 spoke smugly as he approached.

To an outsider, the children would have all looked alike.  They wore the same hunter green jump suits, all where about the same height and weight, and the military buzz cut hairstyles erased even distinctions between the sexes.  These similarities further helped to remove any sense of 'self' among them.  They were designed to be a perfect machine, each gear and cog finely crafted to fit seamlessly together, fourteen super soldiers that could replace an entire regiment of normal soldiers.     

"Just let us go.  You don't need us."

The resemblance amongst them went even further between 1 and 13.  The two of them shared facial features that would cause their own mother, if they had had a mother, to look twice.

"A team is only as good as its weakest link, 13.  We all knew you were weak, but we didn't expect that your influence would be strong enough to corrupt others.  14 has shown us just how dangerous you really are."

"You leave her alone!"

13 peered past 1 to check on his friend, his only friend.  14 was scared, he could see it in her eyes.  He'd never seen fear there before; she'd always been so much stronger than him.  He was always the one who felt hurt by the other's taunts, felt afraid to be left alone with them, not her.  She was one of them, but she was also on his side whenever he needed help.  It had been his idea to run, but hers to join him.

"I'm afraid you're in no position to be giving orders.  Now, are you going to come back quietly and face your punishment, or are you going to make this harder than it has to be?"

13 weighed his options, but he was outnumbered and couldn't risk anything happening to 14.  He knew that if he left her they would make her pay for it.  Someone always had to pay if the team failed, and most times it was 13 who bore the brunt of those retributions.  That was the price paid for being different.

"I'll, I'll come back." 13 felt crushed, defeated. "Please, it wasn't 14's idea, it was all mine.  She was just... just helping me get to the train."

"Smart move," 1 smirked as he nodded to the kids standing behind 13, who then stepped up and took hold of 13's arms and bound them behind his back.  Once he was sure 13 couldn't move, 1 came closer, his face only inches away. "You know you never would have made it.  You're weak, pathetic, an anomaly in our perfection."

1 spun around, his voice rising over the howling wind as he addressed all in the clearing. "Our strength lies within our team.  A soldier is only as good as the men around him, but we're not men, we're better than men, and so that makes us Gods in comparison.  One day we'll be asked to prove ourselves, to show them what we are capable of on a field of battle, and when that day comes, we'll make the world tremble in fear.  No one will be able to stand against us, no one.  We won't just win battles, no, we will win wars.  We are the future.  We are the solution.  We are their salvation.  We are one!"

13 slumped in the grasp of the two holding him as the group gave a cheer to their leader.  He'd heard this speech before, heard the fervor in 1's voice, heard his teammates roar their approval time and time again.  It never ceased to send a chill of fear up his spine.  This wasn't a pep rally; this was a declaration of things to come.  It made 13 wonder if his brothers and sisters were getting out of control, and fear what would happen if they ever decided that those who were in command were not worthy of their allegiance.

"13 has decided that he no longer wants to be part of our team.  He thinks he's better than us, that he doesn't need us." The team booed. "But I think he's just lost his way, that somehow he's forgotten his purpose, his place.  Well, I think we should remind him, I think we should give him something that will make him think twice about disrespecting the Team."

1 sneered at 13. "Bring 14 over here."

13 fought to break free as he heard her struggling with her captors.

"Leave her alone!"

He tried to pull away, but one of them wrapped an arm around his neck and choked him until he settled down.

As 14 was dragged over the ground and into the circle, 1 whispered into 13's ear, "Always remember, this is your fault.  You caused this."

"Fuck you, 1!  Let her go!" Again he was choked from behind, cutting off any further argument.

Once 14 was within 1's reach he grasped her throat and held her head up so that her eyes met with 13's.  13's gaze locked onto her pleading eyes, eyes that cried out for help, but he was powerless.  He watched as tears formed and ran down her dirty cheeks, leaving a trail of clean skin in their wake.  He'd never seen her cry before, it was something he thought only he was capable of, something that had marked him from the beginning as the 'different' one.  It scared him to see it now, happening to her.

"13 may have gone AWOL, but 14 left her guard post to join him.  That's dereliction of duty.  That's treason.  If we had been attacked, we would have been left unprotected, vulnerable.  You let the team down, 14, and the team is only as strong as its weakest link."

There was a glint of steel despite the near absence of light.  It flashed so quickly that 13 almost didn't recognize it as a knife's blade, by the time he did... it was too late.

'Noooooooo!'

She didn't scream, didn't even cry out as her throat was cut.  Her mouth opened and closed over and over again, but no sound passed through her lips.  Her eyes expressed all that she needed to say.  Eyes haunted by the knowledge that she would soon be leaving this world, leaving before she'd truly lived.

13 shuddered in absolute horror as his blood ran cold.  Tears welled up and flowed from his eyes as life left hers.  She blinked twice, then slumped to the frozen ground, steam rising up from her spilt blood.  His captors released him, and 13 went weak, his body losing any pretense of putting up a fight.  He too slumped to the ground and joined her.

"We're done here," 1 growled as he wiped blood from his knife. "Leave him to think about what he's done, what it means to let the team down."

The twelve child soldiers slowly moved off in silence, leaving the boy crumpled over the body of his dead friend, sobbing so hard it hurt.  The boy stayed with her even as the first snow flakes began to fall; stayed until they covered him in a powdery blanket of white.  The chill of the snow was nothing compared to the chill he felt within.

'Why?  Why did they have to take you away?  It's not fair...'

"Jon.  Jon, stand up," a woman's voice floated through the air. "It's over now, you can get up."

For a moment 13 didn't believe the voice was real.  It couldn't have been, not out here in the rugged mountains of Oregon, not in the middle of a blizzard, not... not after 14 had died.  It didn't happen like that.  There was no one else, just the two of them laying there, her growing cold, and him shivering.

"Jon, listen to me, you have to get up."

The woman's voice was warm despite the cold.  It was soothing, comforting.

"Get up, you wanker!" a second voice yelled at him.  This one belonged to a man, an Australian, and he didn't sound comforting at all. "There isn't much time."

13 wiped the tears from his eyes before laying a soft kiss on 14's still warm cheek. "I have to go, but I won't forget you."

As he stood the snow fell from him in clumps, and with it went the little boy he once was.  He was Jonathan Reynolds again, but the nightmare of his childhood still lay at his feet, his former self still hugging 14's corpse tightly as the snow fell with a hiss.

Jon pulled his eyes away from his past and found Brian and Debra with him in the clearing. "What the hell is going on?"

"You're facing your nightmares," Deb offered.

"No shit?" Jon trudged towards them through the shin deep snow, but he didn't leave any prints behind.

"Why am I seeing this?  And why are you here?"

Deb and Brian looked at each other before answering.

"You're here to face your demons, mate.  To put them to bed once and for all, so you can move on and get down to work."

"I don't have time for this crap.  I should be getting back to the States.  I need to make sure the Doc and his family are still safe." Jon stared into the swirling maelstrom above. "This is a waste of time."

"No, Jon, its not." Deb put an arm around him. "We thought the same thing when we were brought to face our own nightmares, but... but now that we have, we can see things much clearer."

"So this is what happened to you?  You took shelter in the rocks, fell asleep, and came here?"

"Yes, Jon," Brian nodded. "We were brought here... well, not here exactly.  We were brought to our own nightmares, the things from our past that play over and over again in our dreams; the things that have made us who we are, but may be preventing us from moving forward."

"Only this time," Debra looked at the bloody scene still playing around them, "this time we get to work through it together."

"I don't need any help," Jon sighed. "This is how it happened, and I just have to live with it.  She died trying to help me.  Donovan was right, it was my fault.  If I hadn't put the thought in her head about running away, she'd still be alive."

"No, Jon.  No, you didn't do this, you didn't kill that girl.  He did.  This is his sin, not yours." Deb left Jon's side to get a better look at the little boy lying with his deceased friend before the snow covered them both completely.

"How long did you stay with her?"

"All night." Jon wiped away a tear as the memory replayed once again. "I stayed with her until the storm ended.  Then I carried her back to the compound.  The others all said that I killed her, killed her because she didn't love me, but I told Dr. Whelan what really happened, and he believed me.  He put an end to the Super Soldier program after that, and gave me the freedom I so desperately wanted.  He was always there for me; I should be there for him.  Instead I'm stuck here, half a world away and dreaming."

"There's a point to all of this, even if you can't see it." Brian kicked his foot through snowdrift, but none lifted into the air. "You need to put away your past, if you want to save the future."

"If you want to save the other little girl," Deb looked deeply into Jon's eyes, "The one who seems to be about the same age as this one, and the boy... you need to do this.  They both need you."

"How do you know about them?"

"We know lot's of things, mate," Brian grinned. "Ever since we came here and exorcised our demons, all kinds of things became much clearer.  Now we know what's going on, what's really going on.  I think we always did deep down inside, but it was just a feeling."

"What are you talking about?"

"War, Jon.  War."

Deb shuddered.

"He's coming.  You know it, we know it... everyone knows it.  They just can't see it, not yet, but they feel it.  Our dreams, Jon, that's where things become clear.  There's too much going on in real life to see what's really happening, but we sense it, we all know that something bad is about to happen."

"Everyone is on edge." Brian took a seat in the snow. "The world is moving so fast that we can't see what's right in front of our eyes.  The dark times are upon us.  The kids know it.  They know that their time is short.  You can see it in their culture of wanting everything right now, no waiting, no working for it, they just want it before it's too late.  And the news is full of those who feel like there's nothing worth living for, the ones who can't take the pain anymore.  Live fast, live hard, die young.  I used to think my generation was reckless, boy, was I wrong."

"I already know about all of that." Jon's eyes wandered over to where 14 still lay with his younger self. "It's the reason why I was created... why we were created.  When I heard that the temple was opened, I was hoping to discover something more than just reliving my past.  I was hoping for answers, I was hoping for some way to stop Him."

"I can only tell you what I've learned during our time in the temple, Jon.  And I can only tell you while we're here, in this dream.  Once we wake up, Deb and I will forget that this ever happened, but you won't.  We all have our parts to play in this dance, and yours is to remember what we've learned."

Brian took a deep breath before he continued. "The Dark God slaughtered billions, but he began with his rival Gods.  The first one he sought out was Ixshebet, the God of Dreams.  He knew that Ixshebet was powerful, that his power over dreams could raise an army large enough to defeat him.  So he ordered his minions to commit genocide against Ixshebet's followers, the source of the Dream God's power."

"Belief is the key, Jon." Deb sat down and tugged Jon's hand until he joined her. "If no one believes in a God, then the God no longer exists.  Its power is dependent on its followers, and vice versa."

"When the Dark God attacked," Brian continued, "Ixshebet's followers scattered across their Universe.  They went into hiding, knowing that as long as it least one of them still lived, and still believed, Ixshebet would never die.  They survived long enough to discover rifts, and how to open them.  That's how they found our world, the only one they could survive on."

"Sumeria," Jon interrupted, "The exodus, Niburu."

"No, Jon," Deb hushed him. "That crossing came much later."

Brian smiled. "They came to Oz, mate, thirty thousand years ago.  They befriended the human tribes they found, the Aborigines, and passed on their belief of the Dream God."

"They knew that this realm wouldn't remain hidden from the Dark Lord's eyes forever, that one day Ixshebet would have to face down his greatest foe." Deb smiled. "So they hid their God within a sacred artifact, sealed him inside of it so the Dark One couldn't find him, then they brought it here.

"His followers built a temple in Ixshebet's honor, hidden beneath Uluru.  Within the walls of the temple they placed the sacred artifact, the stone that you found, and then sealed the entrance until the time to rejoin the fight was imminent.

"Ixshebet's influence is weak in our Universe, as is the Dark Lord's.  They don't belong on our side.  We have our own Gods, our own rules.  For the most part our world has a monotheistic view, that there is only one God.  There are hundreds of religions and sects out there, each with their own take on the how's and why's, but the basics are all the same.  God is good, God is the creator of all, and God doesn't interfere, at least not directly.  We may fight with each other over who has it right, but in the end, we all are.  We created God in our own image just as God created us in his.  This is true on other worlds as well, not just here on Earth.  It's the one thing in our Universe that binds us all together."

"The good news is that you don't even have to believe in a 'God', just believing in the power of 'good' is enough.  To follow the path of light and shun the shadows is, in it's own way, a form of worship.  It's basically good versus evil." Brian laughed. "Which is a good thing for me, since I haven't set foot in a church since 1978 when Sister Margery gave my hands a good whacking with a ruler for looking at a Playboy."

Deb shook her head before continuing. "Ixshebet doesn't have an agenda.  He doesn't want to muscle his way into our world and take over, but the Dark Lord does.  It's who he is, how he was created.  There will be no peace should he gain control of Earth.  He will use it as a stepping stone to conquer other worlds.  He won't stop, he won't give in, and he doesn't take prisoners.  You either worship him or you die.  Now that's a problem, because if no one is left on Earth to worship good..." 

"Then the influence of Good grows weaker throughout the Universe, while Evil grows stronger," Jon finished for her.

"Exactly," Deb grinned at Jon. "Now, as I said, our rules are different here than where the Dark Lord is from.  Our universe needs to maintain a certain balance.  The pendulum may swing back and forth between good and evil, but it generally evens itself out.  Neither side gains too much power and neither side ever gains complete control.  The balance is maintained by beings that Brian and I know as the Messengers, though they have many names.  They're not Gods themselves, but they have influence.  If good and evil are opposing teams, then the Messengers are the referees.  They make the rules and enforce them, but don't play the game.  They're neutral, they keep things balanced.  The presence of the Dark Lord could change all of that, though.  He's not subject to the same rules, and therefore Evil will gain a distinct advantage."

"And that would be bad, very bad.  All of creation could be shattered if the balance is tipped too far," Brian said in a hushed whisper, "Everything just... just gone."

"That's why He needs to be stopped."

Jon stood up. "So how do I stop Him?"

"You can't.  Not alone anyway.  There are others out there, others who will help you, but they don't know it yet.  They don't know that they've been chosen." Brian motioned for Jon to sit once again, but he declined.

"The Messengers tried to prepare us by giving a prophecy, but Evil interfered, and it's been lost."

Jon shook his head as he began to pace. "But we have the prophecy.  We've had it for years."

"The message was tainted, corrupted in a way that's left all of us vulnerable.  Portions of it were re-written, or omitted completely.  If you had read the 'true' prophecy, you would know that you were the only one to whom the artifact's location would be known.  You'd also have known that the seal barring Ixshebet's temple could only be broken by the birth of love between two wandering souls lost in a sea of dreams." Debra blushed. "A love that Brian and I now share."

"So... I'm a part of the prophecy?"

"Yes, a big part.  You are the 'False Man', the one who will guide the 'Uniter' on her journey, teaching her how to be a leader."

Jon bristled at being considered a 'False' man, but in a way it made sense.  He wasn't normal, he'd been created, created by men in a lab, not birthed by a mother.

"One of the many tasks you must undertake is to find a way to restore the prophecy.  It's something you're already doing, though you don't know it.  Trust the prophecy, Jon.  It will lead you on the right path."

Deb stood up. "We have to get back now.  Ixshebet's powers beyond the artifact have diminished over the years, even more so in this last one."

"Wait, not yet!  I have so many questions!"

"Sorry, mate." Brian stood up to stand by Deb's side as the wind began to howl. "That's all we can help you with.  You'll need to fix the prophecy if you want more answers."

"How am I supposed to do that?"

The falling snow picked up in urgency as Deb spoke. "Speak with her.  Tell her everything you wanted to say, but couldn't."

"Who?   Who am I supposed to speak to?" Jon called as they began to fade away, but they disappeared completely as the wind swirled, snow falling so thick he could barely see his own self.

"Damn it!  I'm sick of everything being so fucking cryptic!  If these Messengers need my help to fix this mess, the least they could do is fill in some of the fucking blanks!"

Joe was still bound to the chair, but he'd been kicked over on his side.  His head throbbed where it impacted the concrete, and blood ran from him from a multitude of wounds inflicted as they attempted to coax him to talk.  He could barely hear the men after his left eardrum had been punctured, but he could hear enough to know that his time was short.

"He's not going to talk."

"No shit.  Looks like we go back to the original plan and hope the kid shows up at the Plaza."

"What should we do with him?"

"Erase him." The tall man paused. "Erase his whole fucking existence."

Joe listened to the tall man barking orders as he made his exit.  The other men went about dumping the stored fuel tanks, preparing to burn everything, including him.  It was too late to save himself, but he might be able buy those kids some time.

'And maybe even take out some of these son's of bitches in the process,' he prayed.

His right eye was swollen shut, but he could see a sliver through his left.  He was still within the magic circle, but a rivulet of his blood was about to cross its boundary.  Slowly the crimson river snaked its way this way and that, seeking out the easiest path to the lowest point.  He watched in desperation, wishing he'd had the garage floor installed with a steeper gradient to the floor drains.

'Come on... come on...' His heart raced. 'Cross the line... break the circle... wash it away...'

His blood touched the ashes used to create the circle and began to sizzle, sending tiny blue sparks flying.  If he'd tried to break the ring himself, the magic would have fried the blood within him just the same.  Even now he could feel tiny arcs racing through the stream and entering his wounds from where the blood flowed.  Luckily most of the spilt blood had already lost what life it carried, or else it would most certainly have killed him, and he didn't want to die, at least not yet, not by their hands.

'A little bit more... just a bit more... almost through... just... a... bit... more...'

Finally the flow of blood became thick enough to penetrate the line of ash, and the circle broke with a loud pop, one loud enough for the busy men to notice.  They dropped their cans of gasoline and raised their guns, trying desperately to prevent him from doing whatever he was about to do, but they weren't quick enough to react to what Joe planned.

He grinned a ghastly smile of broken teeth and spat blood as he spoke.

"See y'all in Hell..."

Donovan had just closed the door to his car when the building he'd vacated erupted in blue and purple flames.  His car flipped end over end before slamming into a nearby tree, its bark peeled away and limbs snapped off by the blast.  The magical fire engulfed everything around him, burning and twisting, melting and boiling.  If he'd not been inside one of Phoenix's specially designed vehicles, he wouldn't have stood a chance.

"Black Wolf to all units!  Men down!  Repeat, men down!  Send assistance immediately!  And bring a God damn spell cracker!"

Donovan seethed with rage as the fires continued to burn the air around his overturned car.  He wouldn't be going anywhere until a counter spell could be cast.  It was humiliating to have to wait for a magic user to arrive.

'Fucking degenerates.'