The Twilight of the Gods -- Chapter 17

Saturday, October 8, 2024

The TWILIGHT OF THE GODS -- Chap. 17

Posted 10-08-24

 

A Story of Mantra and Black September

By Aladdin and Christopher Leeson 

 

Chapter 17

STARTING OVER

 

“By seeking and blundering we learn.”  

Johann Wolfgang von Goethe


I never got as far as the flaming tower. The next thing I knew, I was back in the piloting deck of Gabriel's Time Capsule. Startled, I looked and saw him standing across from me, frowning.

"Mantra, you've been taking unnecessary risks," he scolded. "I had to bring you back."

I rounded on him. "I was trying to save lives! How did you snatch me out of mid-air?"

"Teleportation technology is relatively easy compared to time travel. I needed to bring you back to the Time Capsule. The moment after I transported you, the Avengers will receive the alarm that Nemesis is approaching Earth. They will commit themselves to the fatal battle that will destroy them and the universe they occupy, just as the three alternate timelines we've visited have been destroyed. If we remain in the same universe, we will be destroyed, too. The Capsule's self-preservation AI would have left you behind without my intervention."

“You mean everyone I just saved down there is going to die?"

"The possibility of that is close to being one hundred percent," he replied. "Even if that timeline's version of Amber Hunt intervenes, the universe will merely be written over by an aberrant and flawed replacement. Even that will be unstable and disintegrate in two to three hundred years."

"For a change, why don't you tell me something that will cheer me up?" I asked.

He gave a faint smile. "You'll be glad to know that people are waiting outside that hatch door, who will be overjoyed that you've returned safely."

He opened the portal, and the three kids came rushing at me.

Jamie grabbed my cape, and Evie's arms were tight around my neck, her cheek pressed against mine. Gus stood off, hovering just beyond her, looking uncertain. He looked so much like his father, just as tall though thinner. But the senior Gus wasn't so emotionally constipated as his son. I have sometimes wondered whether it was his parents' divorce that had damaged him.

I reached out to him over his sister's shoulder, and he took that as encouragement to step up closer. I put my gloved hand behind his head and stood on my tiptoes to kiss his forehead. I remembered how much I had liked to be kissed by my own mother at his age.

Gabriel was walking with a shuffle behind my back, and I looked his way. "If we can't save anybody, what have we accomplished by coming here in the first place?" I asked him.

"We've come to observe and learn."

"What have you
learned?" I asked."

"The most confounding thing I've learned is that Amber Hunt has escaped."

I glared at him like a grizzly bear. “What? After the hell I went through to capture her, you already let her slip out the back door?"

“In a metaphorical sense, yes. I'm very sorry
."

"What I'm sorry about is that you have me believing you're smarter than you really are!" I told him.

“Recriminations are not productive, Lukasz. But I haven't told you everything yet. The Reality Gem vanished with her. Possibly, it had even instigated Amber's escape. It's bonded to the young lady, as you."

“Do you think they'll remain together?"

“I hope so," said the little man. "Because without Amber, the Time Gem, and the Reality Gem working in tandem, they cannot attain so much as a Pyrrhic victory over Nemesis.
 If the Main Bough collapses, it will take the Tree of Eternity with it, not hundreds of years from now, but immediately."

"Is the Time Gem gone, too?" I asked.

"Fortunately, no. The Time Gem remains, at least for now. It's probably created its own bond with Jamie and hasn't seen fit to abandon her yet. If it can be reunited with the Reality Gem in time, we will not have worsened the situation."
“Do you have any more good news to dispense? At least tell me you've discovered something useful on this doomed planet!"

“Every experience teaches the keen observer something. It has brought us one step closer to crafting a new plan for saving the Multiverse," remarked Gabriel.

"If you have a new plan to fix this disaster, tell me about it before I develop ulcers!"

"The VIGOPS has no explicit recommendations for a new course of action. But in general, it is saying that our earlier action plan is fatally flawed and should be abandoned."

"Duuuh! I could have guessed that much on my own! It sounds like you've got nothing but a wish, not a plan. Or did you concoct a bright idea while I was fighting ten-alarm fires?”

Gabriel shook his head.

"I can envision various possibilities, but we must polish them carefully before returning to Zero Time on the Main Bough."

"By the way, what's happening in Zero Time?"

"Presently, the UltraForce is trapped in Sersi's Soulscape pen. She is, of course, doing the bidding of the Ego Gem. The Ego Gem intends to use them as bait to lure Loki into a trap.”

“You've said that the Avengers will join with the UltraForce and do battle of Nemesis. I met a couple of the Avengers’ time clones in the world we last visited. Where are the real Avengers right now?”

"In Zero Time, the Avengers are still in their home realm, the Scaffold Universe. They will soon enter the Main Bough when the Grandmaster induces Loki to accept a challenge with the seventh gem – the Ego Gem -- as the prize. That is the trap that the Ego Gem has set to take the six gems from Loki. When Sersi touches Loki, the Ego Gem possessing the body of Sersi, it will take power over the six that Loki holds and the seven will merge to become Nemesis."

“I don’t remember you mentioning anyone called the Grandmaster before? What woodpile did his one crawl out of?

"The Grandmaster is one of the oldest living beings in the Multiverse, coming from one of the first intelligent races to evolve after its creation. In the Scaffold Universe, he once possessed some of the Infinity Gems but lost them to a mighty being called Thanos. He's a strange being, a cosmic game player whose favorite game is pitting teams of mighty beings against each other. The Ego Gem can control his actions, probably due to some contact the Grandmaster has had with it over the eons of time since the death of the Demiurge.

“Since Sersi is the one who has been entrapped into acting as the Ego Gem's main puppet with the job of seizing the six, shouldn’t we be trying to keep Loki out of her grasp? Shouldn't he at least be warned?"

"Definitely, but Loki is a hard entity to guide or manipulate. Because he is the god of lies, he will naturally assume that anyone who tells him something is also lying. It's hard to negotiate with Loki, but his ego makes him susceptible to trickery.”

Then Gabriel abruptly changed the subject. “You seem exhausted, Mantra. Fighting that fire by the lavish use of magic so lavishly has depleted you. You need to rest and allow your power to regenerate.”

"How can I doze off when I'm hot-wired the way I am now?"

The scientist resumed fiddling with his control board and, a moment later, spoke to me over his shoulder. "I’ve brought the Time Capsule into attenuated time again," he said. “A single second can be extended into a century, giving you plenty of time to rest and recharge. The Capsule has a guest room with a subliminal-wave emitter to induce a long, restful sleep. I use it frequently myself. I can configure it to accommodate a human being such as yourself."

Though I still didn't want to drop into bed, Gabriel had a hard core and knew how to dig in his heels whenever he wanted to.

I was too weary to argue, so I excused myself from the kids and let the alien scientist lead me along the corridors to the resting room he'd highly recommended. The couch it contained looked pretty much like a bed, though it didn't look comfortable. With a show of grumpiness, I lay down and shut my eyes. The next thing I knew, I was wide awake but feeling rested.

#

As I already knew, going to bed in armor caused me to rise with aching shoulders. I flashed into my civilian garb to be more comfortable and then went to find Gabriel.

"Hi," I said, "has the VIGOPS come up with any good ideas?" My tone had sounded chipper, and I realized that my cloud of morbidity had been lifted. It seemed as though I had had a good night's sleep!

“The considered opinion of the VIGOPS is perfect unless it is carried out with perfection, and no extraneous events occur to disrupt the perfection of the plan which is otherwise being carried out perfectly," he said.

“That's just a bromide saying nothing!" I replied. "How can mere mortals ever achieve perfection?"

"Do not you Earth people have a saying that practice makes perfect?

"That's just a cliche! But how can a person prevent chaotic events from occurring to make a mess of everything? Don't you Timekeepers believe a chaotic principle is built into the universe? No matter how carefully one can plan a picnic, a sudden cloudburst will squelch it!"

“That is very true. Success comes from carrying out a perfect plan perfectly, plus the addition of one vital ingredient."

“What’s that?” I asked.

“Luck.”

“A two-bit scriptwriter can come up with an idea better than that. If that's all that your AI app has to offer, we're in big trouble."

"Mantra, our greatest piece of luck is having you to rely on when we deal with this dilemma. When you've needed strength, you have been strong. When we've needed a charm offensive, you have been charming. When we needed negotiation, you negotiated.  When we've needed courage, you have been courageous.  When tenderness was called for, you have shown tenderness."

"Let's hear more about my strength and courage. Tenderness is for wimps."

He looked at me with patient amusement. "Entire religions have been built from the foundations of tenderness and compassion."

“If you want to start talking religion, remember that the nutcase Demiurge was a god.

"Don't depend on me to do a fix-job for this catastrophe. I recently fought and lost a battle that allowed this avalanche to tumble down upon our heads. If I had had power and smarts enough to keep the Mind Gem out of Loki's grubby paws, he couldn't have assembled the Infinity Gem array in the first place!"

"But you never possessed the gem yourself. It was the synthetic life-form Primeval who took it into battle. Primeval was so weak of mind that required the mighty power of the Mind Gem to raise him merely to the mental acuity of an ordinary Earthman. He was entirely unfit to challenge Loki. On the other hand, if the Mind Gem had been able to enhance your brilliant mind, you might have been inspired with the means to win the day. An opportunity was lost, but you are not to blame."

"If so, why don't we time-travel back to that day on the Godwheel and start all over again?"

He shook his head.  "It is too late for that. Refighting that battle with Loki would only create a new alternate reality, one doomed to perish with all Creation when the Tree of Eternity collapses. The Main Branch can only be rescued with actions initiated in Zero Time.

I took a deep breath. "We've already learned that we can't win the battle over New York by using Amber Hunt, with or without the rebel gems. We must find the weakness in the Ego Gem's plan and keep Sersi from ever getting her hands on those gems!"

"I agree. Now, Eden, do you see what a good night's sleep can do for a person? We will have to use every bit of information gathered and build a new plan from the ground up!" said Gabriel.

I threw up my arms.  "You're so damned agreeable! Stop flattering me! Why don't you shout at, insult, or demean your companions?"

He smiled. “I've found such behavior on my part to be productive."

"What do you really expect me to do? I'm no match for the power wielded by the ancient gods! The magic I've used so far hasn't done us all that much good!"

"The VIGOPS recommended you as the optimum companion I could recruit. And I have not been  at all disappointed in your performance so far. You come closest to making mistakes when you yield to your best qualities. Namely, tenderness and compassion."

"Don't soft soap me! Add as much sweet talk as you like to $2.83, and you still can't buy more than one cup of coffee!"

Chuckling lightly, he shook his head. That gentle smile of his was starting to infuriate me. I wondered if the alien scientist honestly admired me in some naive and undeserved way or if he was calculating that flatter could motivate me.

What good was flattery coming from a man of his sort? What was Gabriel? A short guy with the look of a high school math teacher who had downed a few too many Whoppers in his day?

The TWILIGHT OF THE GODS -- Chap. 16

Posted 09-07-24

The TWILIGHT OF THE GODS -- Chapter 16

 

A Story of Mantra and Black September

By Aladdin and Christopher Leeson 

 

Chapter 16

THE TOWERING  INFERNO

I looked outside again, and I didn't like what I saw.

New York was down there again.

But how could that be? We left New York only seconds before it was destroyed.

This must be an entirely different version of New York.

But what version? And what was the date?

The monitor was giving us a few of the physical damage below, as if New York had been hit by something.

“What happened here?” I asked Gabriel.

“As you know doubt have realized, this is new alternate timeline. In this time and place, Nemesis has already seized the Infinity Gems and the ultras opposing have rallied to await her attack." 

“Why are we here?” I asked.

“To plan, and to learn.”

"There are serious fires down there. What are we going to do?"

"It's wisest not to do anything. This timeline is expendable. Standard policy advises the Timekeepers to leave bad enough alone. Do not allow what you see upset you. This isn't your world after all."

"My mind doesn't work the way yours does,” I told him. “Maybe it's because I'm not as educated as you are, but when people are in danger I want to do something about it. Are you going to get into my way about that?"

"You'll be subjecting yourself to danger for a world that is probably unsavable."

"Mom!" yelled Evie. "Don't go where you can get hurt! We lost you before that way!"

The three kids were standing together in the hatchway. "I’m sorry,” I said. “I have to go, but I'll be as careful as possible. If worst happens, remember that I love you."

I turned ghostly and leaped through the hull of the Time Capsule and found myself high above the ground and falling fast.

I arrested my plummet by summoning up my levitation ability. As I floated aloft, I took stock of the ground below.

From where I hung, I saw scorched concrete and plenty of blow out windows. I buildings swaying, but I knew that it takes a lot to knock over a Manhattan skyscraper.

One high rise was a blazing inferno and hundreds of lives were in danger. I don't possess the kind of powers I would need to help so many people evacuate a en masse, but I thought I could help. I could start by initiating an orderly evacuation.

I phantomed through the high rise's wall and entered an inside room I adjusted my shield to protect me from the smoke. I followed the hall until I heard cries and yells. The elevators had obviously been rendered useless by the emergency system and people were instead trying to wedge them into the fire stairs wells. We were high up and the trip down would be long and slow. But something was wrong. People were not feeding forward at all.

Someone grabbed my arm. "Are you really Mantra?!" an adenoidal voiced intern type asked in a shaky, adenoidal voice. Then he answered his own question. "You can't be. She protects L.A."

"I’m hi – her and I’m here to help. What can I do?"

"The stair’s jammed somewhere below.”

“Is there another escape route?”

“There's one on the other side. Maybe it’s clear!"

I did the ghost thing again and took the flew as a ghost to the alternate stairwell and saw people still using it. I went up through the ceiling and took the direct route to the other stair well. The smoke on that side was bad and persons were choking.

I used a force bolt to smash a gap into the outside wall were I could magically draw in fresh air from outdoors. I fed the the air into a force bubble that I had thrown over the asphyxiating people. But these people were as hard to manage as a coop of chickens. Some of them were frantically trying to leave the bubble, as if there was some safe place they could go. Scuffling fights were breaking out among the people. Their clamor kept them from hearing my instruction. To startle them into quiet, I released a bursts of light.

When the noise quieted a little, I shouted, "You’ll be all right. I'm Mantra. I'm an ultra! I'm here to help you!"

That got some attention. "No pushing, no climbing over one another. Settled down and get orderly!" I pointed to where I wanted them line up.” Does anyone know if there are people in the next floor above?" I asked."

"Not many,!" a woman shouted. "People from higher up must be cut off!"

That was bad. What could I do about it? "I'll have to go help them. Now keep orderly and evacuate. Panic will kill you, so keep your heads on straight!"
 

I did the ghost thing again and ascended through a number of ceilings I came out among a mob of trapped and baffled people. There was actually flame there!

The best way to kill fire was by cutting off its air supply, but that wouldn't be easy on floors laid out this way. I thought a flood of water was what the doctor ordered and so I dashed to a wall-sized window and broke it.  Again I used my elemental power to condense the moisture inside the mountainous cumulus clouds above the city. I started drawing it into the flaming building as quickly as I could. In fact, it came on so hard that I had to get out of the way of what felt like a burst water main. I channeled this by magic through the building's broken windows to overwhelm as much of the fire as possible. Clouds of hissing steam rolled up wherever cold water collided with hot flame.

With telekinesis I managed to direct the influx of water into the worst areas. The resulting smoke was so bad that I had to seal it off with force fields. But that wasn't enough; people were still asphyxiating. That forced me to bring in fresh air along at the same time I was trying to bring in which -- a juggling act that was harder than it sounds.

In one place where the blaze was ebbing, I used the respite to break through the blockage in one of the fire wells. I discovered it to be blocked by twisted steel and rubble. The most efficient way to get rid of it was to portal it into another plane of reality, the same way portaled objects into my mystical closet for safekeeping. I hoped the junk was not going into the same place my good things did; that make for a daunting clean-up job! But for now, my actions eliminated the obstruction and created a passable way for the trapped people to use.

This herculean effort on multiple fields at once was draining me. On the other hand, the thrill of my successes was energizing me.

Through a gap in the wall, I spotted a flying man -- an ultra I didn't recognize. Something told me he was a touch guy, the right man to have on my side. I left the high rise and flew after him, waving my arms to flag him down.

He looked back and was gracious enough to drop down and land on the chaotic street below. Whoever he was, he wore red and gold armor that made him look like a robot. I landed also and the guy stood there quietly staring at me.

"You must be some new ultra," I said.

"I'm not all that new..." the guy began, using an electronically enhanced voice. "But one can say I'm new to this locality. Do you need rescuing?"

"I'm good, Armor Man," I replied. "People are trapped in this building, and they need more help than I can offer."

"My handle is Iron Man," the newcomer corrected me. Then something drew his attention to the sky.

"This must be your lucky day, Goldy," he said. "We're getting reinforcement," said the armor guy, pointing.

"I'm called Mantra, by the way," I replied. I could see the "reinforcement" he was referring to. I recognized the amazing shape.

The mighty man -- if human he was -- settled down a few yards away from us. He recognized me, too. "Lady Mantra!" he exclaimed using a powerful baritone that I supposed a woman on the make would really like."

"Verily 'tis I," I affirmed.

"How do you know someone in another universe, Thor?" Iron Man asked.

"I spoke to you about my abduction to the land of Vahdala," answered the blonde titan. "This maid of blue and gold was there with us, fairest flower of the land."

I didn't rate this to be much of a compliment. Barren Vahdala didn't have many flowers to enter into the competition. But he wasn't really complementing me. The Mantra he remembered had been Eden Blake, during that brief span in which she had taken over the role of Mantra. I had been standing right beside her in a male clone body, but up beside Eden, Thor probably didn't even notice me.

"Hi, Thor!" I said. "Can you help me and Mr. Iron Guy get people out of that fire?"

Thor took in the lay of the land and answered, "It shall be done, my lady."

The two guys flew toward the high floors of the burning building, leaving me among a squad of arriving rescue workers.

I told the uniformed people what I knew and then got out of their way. I would be going aloft to help Thor and Iron Man since save lives.

To think that for the last two years I'd been thinking that live in suburban Canoga Park had been difficult!

TO BE CONTINUED IN CHAPTER 17

The TWILIGHT OF THE GODS -- Chap. 15

Posted 08-10-24

The TWILIGHT OF THE GODS -- Chap. 15

 
A Story of Mantra and Black September

By Aladdin and Christopher Leeson 

 

 Chapter 15

IF AT FIRST YOU DON'T SUCCEED

 

"Oh, yes. I have gone through a half million perambulations of possible plans and I think I have discovered the solution to all our problems."

"I didn't believe him, but I didn't want to hear this.

I was holding the Time Gem clutched so tightly in my hand that no pickpocket could have snatched it away. But who am I kidding? The gem had the power to evaporate a galaxy and I didn't have a chance of holding on to it if it decided it didn't want to stay with me. I raised it up in front of myself and told it, "The gentleman with me has an idea he wants to tell you. I hope you'll listen to him without doing anything silly?"

There was a short silence that felt like a gulf of time before it said, "I will listen."

"Okay, Gabriel, do that persuasion thing of yours," I told the gingerhead.

The Timekeeper gave another one of those edgy smiles and drew in a deep breath. I wondered if he had anything to say that might interest a piece of rock.

"You and your brother the Reality Gem have been in constant telepathic contact, haven't you?" the scientist said to the god's bone fragment.

The gem made no reply.

"Perhaps it only communicates directly with its holder. Would you repeat what I said in your own words, Mantra?"

I did so.

Yes. We have been in contact," the gem answered.

"From what we have learned so far, you intend to use Amber Hunt to absorb the Nemesis energy and render it harmless, correct?" Gabriel asked.

"That is correct."

"How is it that you and the Reality Gem expect to defy the will of your five brothers who are equally powerful?"

The two of us are capable because we are unique.

"Ah, that is good to know. Do you mean to say that you have run a data analysis that reveals a high probability of achieving success? If so, what is the scope of that probability?"

The gem made no immediate reply. That was bad since these living stones must be able to think many times faster than the fasted AI chatbot on planet Earth. Any delay noticeable in human perception must represent a much longer time in the private world of an Infinity Gem.

I looked back at Gabriel. "Why did you bring us here to be the custodians for Amber Hunt? It seems like we risked our necks for nothing. Now that we have her, how do we help her do something different from last time?"

How's that again?" asked someone who had just entered the command facility. Amber Hunt.

"I'm sorry, my lady," said the Timekeeper.  "We have reason to believe that an action that you and the Infinity Gems intend to carry out will come close to succeeding but will ultimately not succeed. Even an entity like the Time Gem that can see all points of time and space instantaneously seems at a loss to know how to improve the odds of accomplishing our goals."

"I don't follow," said the college girl. "If we're following a bad plan, why don't we get cracking and put together a better one?"

"I would conjecture that the immutable laws of time and space are standing in our way.

"I was never good at science," the young blonde said, "but if what the Reality Gem has been telling me is right, throwing in the towel, or just going through the motions of a plan is not the answer."

"The VIGOPS has suggested a plan that might bring us new insights. We have to carry that plan out while we still have time."

We all ran out of words just then until I broke the silence. "A question, Amber."

She looked my way.

"You speak like you're sane," I observed. "The last time we interacted, you seemed to be in a place where even squirrels fear to tread. What happened?"

"The Reality Gem happened. Before the inside of my head would have made Wonderland look sane. But the Gem brought me out of that. I don't know how."

"Maybe it gave you a dose of Realty?" I was surprised I could still make quips while standing one second to Midnight. "Now you seem ready to take on the second most powerful being in the Multiverse. What did it tell you to give you that kind of courage?"

"A lot of things, but one thing it said really made a lot of sense to me.

"I'm all ears."

"It reminded me that I've got nothing to lose."

We all ran out of words at that point and, with a departing nod, Amber went back to her cabin.

Gabriel and I just stood there looking at one another for a minute. I decided to stop badgering the little fellow. I could only distract him and if he got off his game even for an instant, it could be the shipwreck of all our hopes.

"I'm sorry," I said resolvedly. "I'm a worry wart. I believe in you, Gabriel. And I also believe that if this multiverse survives, it will be because of you."

There was a futility in talking to the Timekeeper. No matter what idea I came up with, he would know it before I could utter it. I wondered why the process didn't work for me in the other direction. Maybe since he was my senior, I hadn't been issued the necessary access code.

"You are right, Mantra," the little man replied. "This is no time for division. I do not expect you to out-think a multi-level mind like my own, the VIGOPS, which can think even faster than I can, or the Reality Gems, which can think more quickly than the VIGOPS. Your role is to keep your mind and soul open to inspiration."

"Well, I may not be the brightest bulb in the room, but I'd lay odds that I can think faster than our college girl ex-psycho."

Sheesh! Even at a moment like this, I couldn't stop being flippant!

#

I was almost out of my funk before we were some hundreds of feet above New York City. The scene was the same one we'd seen before.  The battle royal was already in progress. Thousands of ultra-clones were throwing themselves into a battle that staggered the imagination. Raw power alone was useless against Nemesis, because against even the remnant of the Creator God, an army of ants could have done just about as well as an army of ultras.

I went into the corridors of the city-sized Time Capsules and went looking for the kids. I just wanted to hug them because they reminded me so much of my kids at home – the home that was absolutely not safe. One thing that life has taught me is that kids need hugs and kisses at times like these. I don't know how much they understood what was going on, but even Gus didn't squirm too much when I put my arms around him.

"Mantra, get ready," the Timekeeper said from the corridor.

"What do you want me to do?"

"Pray." 

I blinked but was soldier enough to know that there were no atheists inside foxholes. "I promise that I'll at least keep my fingers crossed. But I heard you said something to Amber Hunt that I wanted to ask you about."

"What's that."

"You said the immutable laws of time and space are standing in our way. What do you mean about that?"

"The VIGOPS believes that the Reality and the Time Gem broke away from Nemesis too late to stop the first release of the lethal energy. They cannot go back in time before that event, because they already exist in that moment. For entities like the Infinity Gems to exist in two places simultaneously will destroy the Multiverse as effectively as the Nemesis release will."

"But I've existed at the same time and space with that other Lukasz and that better-looking version of myself."

"That is perfectly all right. You will not ignite the end of Reality. You are not an Infinity Gem. You are not a chip off the Creator God himself."

"That's something to be grateful about, I suppose. But if that is how things are, what has this excursion been for? Why did we go to the south side of Los Angeles in the first place? We rescued Amber Hunt, but we're still clueless about how to help her."

"When we started on the trail of the Third Force, we didn't even know what the Third Force was. Now that we know, we've made progress."

"What progress?"

"It is always progress when one can test a theory and find that it does not work!"

"Excuse me, but there are easier -- and less painful ways -- to fail, aren't there? Like sleeping late, for instance!"

"We have come here to learn something. Who can say that learning it won't be helpful."

"Go to, Bro," I said.

I couldn't help but take another look through the view screen.  The Nemesis power burst moved with the speed of light. I didn't know what I expected to see that was good, but in fact all I saw was a dazzling light.  

And, after that, all of the screens started showing blank blue screens.

"What's happened?" I called.

"Fear not! We have simply gone out of phase with that reality. Now I'm re-calibrating," the little man explained.

"Why did you phase out?" I asked.

"Because we have to."

"Why?"

"Because we would all have died if we stayed longer."

"That sucks!"

"The reality of that timeline was destroyed, but as far as this vessel is concerned, we're fine fine."

"Fine? Fine for how long? And where are we anyway?"

"The Time Capsule has taken us into a different future timeline."

"A universe has died and you act like nothing happened?"

"We learned something. That is the fate of the Main Bough reality if Amber Hunt does not intervene. Nemesis released its total charge of reality-changing energy and it made that universe vanish."

"I guess it's true. When one person dies, it's a tragedy. When a universe dies it's just a note in a history book."

"Sadly, that's true. Living beings are not made to fathom a tragedy on this scale." he said with a sigh.

"How much time does the Main Bough have left?" I asked.

"In your world's terms, hours. But, take heart, that still gives us some time to plan and act."

"That should give us a lot of hope! None of our plans have worked so far."

"That's true about our far-ranged plan, but we did succeed in acquiring data about the circumstances of that universe's destruction."

Gabriel was too easy to please. The dry run we had just gone through had been so intense that I had been driven to my limit! The two gems, meanwhile, had joined with the Timekeeper in watching and learning. I didn't know why that had been necessary. The Time Gem, at least, was suppose to know every event in every time and every place.
 
I had been close to flipping out with stress. Facing what we faced, I realized something about where my core is at. When emotionally driven to that extreme, I had suddenly ceased to be a hero and reverted to my lowest common denominator, a parent. In a way, that shocked me, but it had taught me something. What we think is important perhaps isn't so important. When the chips were down, the people I loved had taken on a meaning beyond anything else in my life.

I looked askance at Gabriel. He, the man, the being, the whatever, who had access to all my thoughts. And the response of his super-fast brain was to flash me a quick, proud smile.

"Do you think the two gems learned anything from what just happened?"

"We will have to ask them," said the scientist.

"Gabriel, do you think we can even trust those weird guys? I guess they're motivated by their wish to go on existing in their state of undeath, but they can't possibly care about the lives of living people. They must see us as dust in the wind!"

"They make strange allies, I agree, but all we can do is what we can do, and hope for the best."

How was I supposed to hope for the best when everything depended on two infinitely powerful aliens? I didn't even know how to classify what they were? Gods? Aliens? Something stranger still? If they could properly be called alive, it was a concept of life that I couldn't put my mind around.

"Gabriel, I said, how much wiggle room do we have? When do we come to the point where we might as well take the kids to the place that's fated to be the last living piece of the Multiverse and hunker down there until there is no place left to run?

I would have wished for a word of encouragement just about then, but my companion didn't appear to have anything to say.

I certainly hoped that he was as quick-thinking as he boasted. We were in desperate need of a single solid good idea.

TO BE CONTINUED IN CHAPTER 16

The TWILIGHT OF THE GODS -- Chap. 14

 

July 7, 2024

A Story of Mantra and Black September

By Aladdin and Christopher Leeson 

 

 Chapter 14

 

THE FLAMING WOMAN
  

I had to step carefully; Jamie still held me by the waist. I sank down to one knee and pinched her sad little chin.

“Evie said you have to go, Aunt Jenny, and she says we can go with you!”

“She’s right,” I said, “but do you want to go? Will your daddy let you go?”

“I don’t want to leave Daddy! Can’t you stay with us?”

I can't, darling. But I really, really want you, Evie and Gus to come with me.”

“Why can’t Daddy come?!”

“Your daddy can absolutely come, and I hope he does. But I don't know what he'll want to do. I’ll have to talk to King Daddy about that.”

I wasn't eager to confront Tark just then. I had banished his wife Necromantra into a different time and space, and he might get steamed up about that! Even if he didn't love her, as he probably didn't, he still would have wanted to keep her power arrayed on his side.

Suddenly, the door burst open, and two rough-hewn guards admitted themselves.

I threw a shield around Jamie and myself. "What is the meaning of this break-in?" I asked.

"The chamberlain sent us to protect the princess," said the uglier of the two. "We weren’t told that you’d be here."

"I just dropped in. I’m the girl’s aunt, aren’t I, sweetheart?"

Jamie nodded emphatically.

“The king has been injured by an assassin and may die," said the second of the guards. “He wants to see his daughter!”

The clod! How could he have said that in front of a dying man's child? "All right,” I said, picking up the little girl to carry. “Let’s go!”

The gunmen led me to the armory's rear area into a makeshift dressing station. Nicolas was already there, garbed in his Solitaire outfit. His intimidating hood mask was down, exposing a stern and urgent face. Warstrike lay on a cot too small for a man of his size and had an old blanket thrown over him. He looked awful, with his face scored by burn and blast marks. Jamie let out a moan.  I squeezed her close and kissed her.

"What happened?!" I demanded.

"Jimmy Ruiz made a suicide attack," Solitaire said.

"Prototype tried to kill him?"

"Ruiz wasn't wearing his ultra armor," Solitaire replied. "He ignited an explosion without it."

Jamie made a pathetic sound. I had heard many children cry that way. Usually, I heard it just after I had killed some kid's father. It was memories like that that made me want to forget the life I had lived before.  When I lowered Jamie to the floor, she dashed to her father's deathbed.

"Daddy! Don't die!"

Coming up behind her, I put my hands on her shoulders. I didn't want her to leap upon her dad's chest and hurt him even more.

"Jamie…" Brandon whispered. Then he glanced my way.  "I…I'm glad that you could be here for her, Eden."

"You've got to hold on," I told him. "That accelerated healing of yours can pull you through if you give it enough time."

He let out a weak laugh.  "That cheap Chung Brothers' wetware isn't working so well today. Damn me for not having my work done at NuTech."

"I can give you some of my energy," I told him. "Maybe it will kick-start your Chung Brothers enhancements."

"I'd like that," he said "Whenever you used to shoot me up with energy, it was almost as good as having sex."

He was remembering his wife, not me, but I didn't say anything. Touching his brow, I projected some of my bio-energy into him.  I've learned to do simple surgery over the centuries, but nothing I knew would help with such serious injuries. We would have to wait and see what my energy injection would do.

"Eden…" Brandon whispered hoarsely, "Those crazy rebels are capable of anything. I want you to take the kids away if I don’t make it!"

"No, Daddy, don't die!" the child shouted.

"I promise to take care of them," I said. "I know of a world that’s better than this one."

"Thank..." he started to say when his face became a mask, staring at the ceiling. I lightly touched his cheek and felt a flicker of life, but he was fading fast.

"Give me room!" someone said from the door. A man wearing old doctor's togs barged in. He carried a gym bag – probably for holding first aid gear. I backed out of his way, guiding Jamie along with me. She was shaking with sobs. The youngster hardly remembered the mother she'd lost; this was so much worse.

The dying man was not the same Warstrike I knew in my own world. The leadership this one exhibited exhibited had been a catastrophe. Had I been a native of this dying city, I might have joined the rebels against him. But, yet, I knew that the Mantra of this world had loved and stood by him. Had she been misguided, or had she understood things I didn't?

"We haven’t been able to find Queen Marinna," said Solitaire. "Do you know where she is, Mantra?"

I didn't feel like lying. "The two of us came to blows in Jamie's room and I had to send her away."

"What do you mean?"

"It’s a complex business,” I said. "Do you want me to bring her back?"

"No way!" he exclaimed.

"Who's in charge here now?" I asked.

"I'm not sure," Nicolas answered. "If the king and queen are gone, it will be our last chance to make terms with the rebels’ leadership."

"Why don't you make yourself king?" I suggested
.

"I should ask why you don't take the throne, Mantra. You have fewer enemies here than I do," he countered.

I shook my head. "No can do! I came here to corral the Flaming Woman. It's absolutely vital!

The medic who'd been working on the king spoke up. "He's gone," he said, pulling Brandon's blanket over his face. The girl beside me gave out another heart-rending wail.

"Jamie, let's leave here," I said. "Going through this is too awful for you."

"No! I want to be with him!"

Now I heard other young voices. Gus and Evie were squeezing their way into the crowded room. I hadn't seen this version of Gus before. How tall he'd grown! He looked more than ever like his father.

Gus moaned, looking down at his stepdad's covered face. While Evie was weeping as if doubled over in pain. Her brother, though, just stood there, displaying an expression too ambiguous for me to read. Then his fierce blue eyes shifted my way.

"You!"

I nodded.  "Yeah, it's me.  Whoever me is."

"Evie told me…."  He ended his sentence in midair. I was left to wonder whether he had ever found out that the Mantra who'd died had not been his real mother, other than physically. He certainly wasn't looking at me like a long-lost parent. Though he may have accepted Brandon Tark as a stand-in father figure, Gus wasn't reacting to me as Evie had. That was all right with me. My presence hadn’t made Evie any happier, and I wouldn't have wished the same agony she felt onto Gus.

Evie said, “Mother – I mean…"  

I  reached out to her and she stepped between my arms. The teen clung to me like a lifeline, and that was what she most needed then.

"Is he really gone?" Evie whispered.

"I'm sorry, yes.  Can you do anything for your sister?"

Evie, releasing me, turned to Jamie and dropped to her knees to hug her.

"What's going to happen to the rest of us?" Evie asked me without looking my way.

"Brandon wants me to take you three kids away from here. I want to do that."

A woman guard scrambled in. "Lord Chamberlain!" she yelled piercingly.

"What now?!" Nick barked, sounding like a man going over Niagara Falls in a barrel.

"War Eagle has brought in a prisoner! The guards have her in the cage wagon at the great hall’s entrance."

"Is…is she flaming?" the chamberlain asked. I was just as eager to hear what the guard had to say.

"She was, but witnesses say she flamed out when she struck the earth."

#

"Is that the flaming woman you're looking for, Mantra?" I heard Solitaire’s baritone ask.

I continued staring at the prisoner in the cage. It had been a while since I'd seen high school and college pictures of Amber Hunt in Aladdin's files. Most photos showed her distorted inside a blade of energy. "I believe this could be her, especially if she came covered with fire."

"That's what the guard says," replied Nicolas.

It made things easier for me that Warstrike's men had captured Hunt. Nicolas Lone was giving the orders now, and he'd impressed me as someone who was semi-sane. I wasn't at all familiar with the rebels' leadership. Choice hadn't made a positive impression on me. Los Angeles was a dying city of broken people.

I looked back at Solitaire. “Nick,” I said, “it’s vital that I take her away from here. Do you have any objections to that?”

“Not really,” he answered.

I regarded Amber Hunt.  There was a crowd of people around us, a lot of them ultras. Among them were Mastodon, Ironclad, and Meathook. For some reason, Warstrike had few supporters whom I would have called good guys. Solitaire seemed like a solid type amid this sinister crew.

The captive was lying on her left haunch, resembling an exhausted, battered college girl – which was what she really was. I detected power emanating from her, but it was a power of a certain kind. It was similar to the aura the Time Gem gave off, so it had to be the Reality Gem. But the new Gem was not to be seen, making me worry that it was inside her body. 

Amber Hunt had to be kept alive since it was her energy-absorbing power that could save the Multiverse, not either of the Infinity Gems. It was strange that I had to think of her as a savior, knowing what a world-endangering menace she was.

Just then, Hunt's eyes opened slowly and gave a feral reaction at beholding the bars of her wheeled cage. She instantly flamed on as if covered with burning gasoline. But I knew that Hunt could burn much hotter than gasoline and would melt through the simple metal bars confining her!

Damn!

I sent out a mental appeal to Gabriel. Have you got any ideas, Gabe?

The next thing I knew, the little man was nudging up from behind me. No one around us reacted to his sudden appearance, which told me he was invisible -- at least to anyone who didn't carry the Timekeeper nanobytes.

"We have to persuade her to cooperate!" he said.

"If you know how to do that, talk fast!" I said.

"If the Reality Gem controls her, I suggest you ask the Time Gem to negotiate with its brother.”

I didn't trust the Time Gem, but I had no better idea. “Time Gem!" I said to the lump inside the bag tied to my belt. "Speak to the Reality Gem and get his help to make the girl understand that we need her help to stop Nemesis."

Then I looked at Gabriel. "What then? You do have a plan, don't you?"

All I got back from him was an abashed look.

TO BE CONTINUED IN CHAPTER 15 

The TWILIGHT OF THE GODS. Chap. 13

 Posted May 7, 2024

The TWILIGHT OF THE GODS -- Chap. 13

A Story of Mantra and Black September

By Aladdin and Christopher Leeson 

 

CHAPTER 13

THE TIME GEM

We all walk in mysteries. We are surrounded by an atmosphere about which we still know nothing at all.

Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

 

Now left alone, I wasn't sure how well our conversation had gone. With nothing else planned for the day, I decided to mentally contact Gabriel.

It turned out that he’d been listening in on the conversation I'd just had. Should I be surprised?

What do the rebels want? the snoopy little man asked telepathically.

"Mostly, they want to have Warstrike dead."

We can offer them much, but they unfortunately won't have time to enjoy it for long.

"Yeah, I get it. They're going to blink out of existence. In that case, we can offer them almost anything, as long as we set the delivery date for after the eleventh hour.”

We will do what we must for the sake of the Multiverse, but I dislike deceiving people.” At that, he went silent.

“Gabe, are you there?" I asked. 

When his voice returned, he said, "I went to retrieve a useful apparatus I possess. It achieves the same effects as Warstrike's precognition but is more efficient."

“What do you want see?" I asked.

It is paramount to locate the Time Gem. If that is what Amber Hunt is coming here to seek, it might make a proper bait to draw her into a trap.

"Why didn’t you think of that before?”

Everything in its proper time, he replied.

"Oh, yeah? Weren't you just saying that time is a short commodity?" I reminded him.

Instead of replying, Gabriel gave a shout: I see it! It's inside the castle!

“It’s not a castle. It’s an armory.”

Whatever it's called, the Time Gem is inside of it!

"Who has it? Not Necromantra, I hope.".

Jamie Tark has it!

Jamie? How in hell did she get it?

Hurry, Gabriel urged. We have to seize the Gem before Amber Hunt arrives.

“We also have to worry about Warstrike," I told him. "He'll probably want to turn the thing into a weapon against the rebels. And then there's Necromantra! She's such a nihilist that there's no way of knowing what she'd end up doing with the thing. What's next?" I asked.

I'm unsure, but I have confidence in your resourcefulness, he said.

"Why not ask your mechanical seer what to do?"

It doesn’t work that way.

“So, you're dumping all this on me again?" I grumbled.

Unfortunately, yes.

“Science guys! You can't live with them and you can't live without them! "Okay, just give me a moment to think!"

I had already mingled my aura with Jamie's bio-field when I'd touched her before. This would allow me to find her almost automatically. Our conversation apparently being over, I turned ghost and followed Jamie's psychic scent. I took the covert route through the plentiful rubble that cluttered the broken streets.

At the trail’s end, I found myself in a room that must have belonged to Jamie, since she was sitting at a small table playing with dolls. Mr. Paws was one of them, looking well cared for despite the decrepit state of the world overall.

I solidified in front of the child. "Hi, Jamie!"

She looked up with a gasp. "Mantra!"

"I didn't mean to startle you."

"Have you come to say goodbye?" she asked. looking worried.

"Not yet, but I learned something that makes me afraid for you."

Jamie wrinkled her brow. "What, Mantra?"

"I've found out you're a little girl keeping a big secret. I also know it's a secret that's too big to hold on to all by yourself. Can you tell me about it?"

"I don't know any secrets," she said nervously.

"That's funny. I had a Mantra vision, and I saw you holding a pretty gem. But instead of being happy, you looked sad whenever you looked at it. Why is that, sweetheart?"

"I – I –" she stammered.

"Is it a bad gem? Does it make you have nightmares?"

"No – I don't have bad dreams." She hung her head guiltily. "That’s just something I told Daddy."

Kneeling beside her, I took her hand and touched her cheek. "Why did you fib to someone who loves you as much as your daddy, Jamie?"

"The gem said I had to keep everything a secret."

"Why, honey?"

"Because the gem said it had powers, and if Daddy took the gem and used those powers, he might hurt people."

"Why would he do that?"

"Because he's the king."

"Is he a king who does bad things?"

"I don't know. But he's fighting with everybody. If people fight, it doesn't always mean they're bad, does it?"

"Of course not. But you say the gem speaks to you? I’ve never met a talking gem. Will it speak to me?"

"I don't know. Maybe if it likes you?"

"What sort of things does it speak to you about?"

"It said the Flaming Woman will soon come and take it away, and that if she does, everyone here is going to die. So I hid the Gem to keep the Flaming Woman from finding it."

"Are you sure?" I asked. "Strangers often tell fibs. Do you suppose that the gem might be fibbing?"

"I don't know. Why would the gem do that?"

"There could be lots of reasons. A bad gem might tell scary stories to make children afraid and sad."

Jamie assumed a worried look. I gathered her into my arms and whispered into her ear. "Jamie, magic can be good or bad. What do you think we should do about this sort of magic?"

Instead of answering, she pulled away and went to her toy box, withdrawing from it a smooth, oblong, glowing vermilion stone. I had seen the Mind Gem before, and it had looked similar, except for its color. This gem supposedly contained a god’s power to control the flow of Time. Who could be trusted with its control? Not Gabriel. There were just too many mysteries surrounding the little man for me to trust him.

Jamie came to me with the Time Gem cupped in her hands. "You can have it, Auntie," she whispered.

“Why, don’t you want it anymore?” I asked.

“I think an adult should take care of it."

Was she saying she trusted me, a near stranger, more than her own father? It must have had the right sort of face!

I carefully took the gem and felt its warmth through my gloves. I braced, unsure what a piece of an ancient god's corpse might do to me.

"Can you speak to me?" I asked the gem warily.

I can communicate with you, said a whisper inside my mind.

"What have you been telling Jamie?" I asked.

Only truth.

"What is truth?"

Truth is an accurate description of a quantitative reality.

"Cute answer! Where are you from, and why are you here?"

I come from the Infinity Array. I am here to hide from my brothers.

"Why do you need to hide?"

They hold me to be a traitor. I cooperated with the Reality Gem to allow the Black Knight to break the Array. The other four seek revenge.

“How can they hurt you?”

They can unite to render me inert like the Ego Gem now is.

"Why did you break away from the array?"

I can see ahead in time and knew that the intentions of the Ego Gem would end reality. Not even the Infinity Array may continue to exist where reality is absent.

“How do you know about Amber Hunt, whom you call the Flaming Woman?" I asked.

The Black Knight broke the array, but the presence of Amber Hunt is needed to prevent the immediate destruction of the Main Branch. I must take her into the first possible nanosecond when she can apply her power.

So, that was Amber Hunt's role in this debacle? This was a nuance that I hadn't known about. I wondered whether Gabriel knew how Amber Hunt fitted in? If he did know, why hadn't he told me?

"Time Gem, in your vast knowledge, do you know how to prevent every particle of the Nemesis Energy from escaping?"

 I do not. I was part of the array when the first energy wave escaped. If I return to that nanosecond, I will occupy the same point in time twice, and that will create a paradox that must be avoided!

"Would the paradox be worse than letting the Nemesis Energy destroy the Multiverse."

"Hold on here? I did a paradox when I met a different version of myself from a different year and timeline! It didn't hurt either one of us!"

Your paradox was harmless because you are not an Infinity Gem.

Trying to see reality as a god saw it was overloading my mind. Maybe Gabriel could understand the Time Gem's lingo.

I hear you, Mantra, the Timekeeper spoke into my mind.

"Good, now tell me what to do."

The data is being analyzed. It is paramount that I analyze the physical gem also. Please bring it to the Time Sphere.

“What if it doesn't want to go?" I asked.

Try asking it nicely, my friend.

Before I could think of a rejoinder, a grating voice echoed between the cement walls. "So, there you are, bitch!"

My force shield reacted to my startlement  to protect myself and Jamie simultaneously.

Necromantra still looked like I remembered her, with no sign of aging. She still had the same costume I'd seen her wear before, the one that made her look like a tart. Before he went insane, I'd knew Thanasi well; I'd never had any inkling that he was the type who would get his jollies by sashaying around as a slut-dressing woman the first chance he got.

I didn't want to start a fight with Jamie present, so I tried a threat: "I killed you once, I'll do it again."

"When did you kill me?" she asked.

“In another timeline. Just looking at you reminds me of why I did it. I can't believe I actually felt bad for a while."

“When you're dead yourself, those bad feelings won't bother you anymore," she said scornfully.

“You're still the same little ball of sunshine, aren't you?"

"What's that in your hand?" the witch asked.

"Take a guess."

"Try this guess. I formerly felt the raw energy of the Power Gem that Lord Pumpkin used to attack me. What you have feels like the same energy. That's the kind of power I've always dreamed of having. Hand it over!"

"Why should I?" I said.

"I promise that if you give it to me, the child, at least, can live," Necromantra said.

"That seems uncommonly generous of you. Why would I think you'd keep your word?"

The tattooed woman smiled. "She's annoying, but I've been putting up with her to get the goodwill of her father. That no longer holds; that gem will allow me to destroy my enemies without need of Warstrike's help."

"Why do you want the city?" I asked. "It's a wreck. Wouldn't you prefer to take over a nice tropical beach somewhere?"

"You've heard my terms," the under-dressed redhead stated in a cold, hard voice.

"I have a better deal," I answered back. "Get out of my way, and I'll let you live. Don't you think that it's significant that I control the gem right now?"

This was tough talk, but I didn't have the foggiest notion of how to make use the gem, or even what the thing was capable of.

At that, Necromantia swept her arms up over her head and zapped me with a flaming mass of magical destruction.

Wow! My shield had kept Jamie safe and me safe, but I didn’t think it could stand up to many more of those!"

Mantra! Gabriel spoke into my mind just then. Think! The Time Gem controls time. Turn time into a weapon! Think outside the box!

That was an idea! Just as Gabriel had previously recommended, I decided to petition the piece of red rock I held politely. "Time Gem, please protect Jamie by putting this obnoxious bimbo someplace where there are lots of hungry dinosaurs!"

In front of me, a vermilion vortex opened. The power waves flowing out of it shoved me backward, my shielding notwithstanding. The energies whirled, forming a funnel made of crackling arcs of light. The funnel zeroed in on Necromantra and swallowed her down, shield and all. In just a couple of seconds, both the vortex and the witch had vanished.

"Mommy," said the little girl. "Where did the queen go?"

"I'm not sure, Jamie. Gem, where did she go?"

In your terminology, she now exists in an environment on this world prevailing seventy-five million years ago. Is that depository satisfactory?

"Yeah, I like it. Thanks much."

"Is the queen gonna come back, Auntie?" Jamie asked plaintively.

Would she? I doubted it. Unless Necromantra learned to time-travel, she couldn’t possibly survive for seventy-five million years. Anyway, when the Nemesis Energy hit this world, not only would its present be destroyed, but its entire prior existence would be wiped out, also.

"No, I don't think so. She'll never make you afraid again."

With a happy laugh, Jamie hugged me around the hips.

It had not been a victory I could savor. Necromantra's appearance had amounted to a mere annoyance. The real problems we faced still lay ahead.


TO BE CONTINUED IN CHAPTER 14

 

The Twilight of the Gods: A Story of Mantra, Chapter 12

 

The TWILIGHT OF THE GODS -- Chap. 12

A story of Mantra and Black September

By Aladdin and Christopher Leeson 

CHAPTER 12

SOLITAIRE

The way you see people is the way you treat them, and the way you treat them is what they become. Share this Quote Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
Read more at https://www.brainyquote.com/authors/johann-wolfgang-von-goeth-quotes

 

 

The moment one definitely commits oneself,
Then Providence moves too.
Whatever you think you can do,
Or believe you can do, begin it.
Action has magic, power, and grace.

Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

 

I found Tark in the room outside. He summoned me with a hand signal and led me to a private corner where we sat down.

"Shouldn't we be doing something?" I asked.

"We are. I sent my chamberlain, Nicolas Lone, to make contact with the rebels. I want him to arrange a truce that will give you a chance to talk to them."

"Should I know Nicolas Lone?" I asked.

"Maybe not. He used to be that anti-mob avenger, Solitaire. He was the son of L.A.'s top mobster, but because he was injured he was given some ultra wetware in surgery. It saved his life, but maybe it did something to his head, too. He used the ultra powers he gained to become a nighttime avenger with a beef against the mobs -- especially his father's."

Not being interested in Mr. Lone, I started asking Brandon questions about Gus, whom I hadn't seen yet. He had a sour streak in him and didn't work hard at his studies. I was interested in finding out what sort of young man he had grown up to be.

"He's handy with computers, databases, and analysis," Warstrike replied. "We don't have much of a tech department here, but Nicolas Lone works with Gus and Lone has some big league technical ability."

"As a boy, Gus was good at violent video games," I said.

"He has more than that on the ball now, but you might not like the job I've given him."

"Is he a soldier?" I asked.

"You mean like his mother? No, he's tasked with gathering information on people. He searches old data bases to find out whether anyone we work with has any troublesome red flags in his past."

"Are the red flag people marked for execution?" I asked pointedly.

"Not always. Once an enemy, not always an enemy. People with their brain twisted by politics can usually be flipped more easily than can the common man."

"Just don't make a killer out of him," I said firmly.

"Why? You've been killing for more than a millennium and a half?"

"I have, and I thought I was doing the right thing, but sometimes I acted on bad information. I want my son to have a clear conscience."

"I want the same for Jamie. Don't worry; I won't push your boy to think that killing is a good thing."
 

It was just then that Nicolas Lone came in from outside. He had the kind of face that some women might like -- if they were keen on walking close to the edge. He wasn't ugly, but the gangster's son had a certain look that told me that he was a dangerous man. I couldn't help but think that his face was a mask hiding something hard and deadly. And it was more than just the fact that he was packing.

He addressed Warstrike: "Our truce negotiator is back. He's set up a parley with Mantra."

"That was fast work!" Brandon replied.

"Well, the rebels must have been interested to hear that Mantra was back!"

"When's the meeting?"

"You said we didn't have time to waste. The deal is that Mantra's party will go to the spot, and after they've eyeballed her, their representatives will show themselves."

"Can we trust them not to shoot her?"

"They've been respecting the truce flag up to now," Lone said. He pointed toward the end of the block. "The meeting will be under that arch over there."

"Does Mantra have any enemies on the other side that she should worry about?" Tark asked.

"Not really," the chamberlain said. "Her worst enemy that I know of is Necromantra."

"Leave that one to me," Brandon said darkly.

"Who will I be negotiating with?" I asked Lone.

He shrugged. "The rebels were coy about that."

"Who was the contact you talked to?" I asked.

"Have you met Slayer?"

"No, I haven't. I read his Aladdin file, though," I said.

There was something slightly unreal about this conversation. This alliance of Solitaire with King Warstrike seemed a little unlikely. If Solitaire had turned against his crime-boss father, why was he working with Warstrike, who was ruling his little kingdom like a crime boss? I wondered whether Tark had ever tried to nail him down on that question. Why did Brandon trust a person with such a background? Like, if he wouldn't follow his own father, why would he follow a ruthless king?

"Well, maybe I should get over to that arch," I suggested, rising. Tark grabbed my arm and shook his head. "Go at the last minute," he told me. "If you make yourself a sitting duck, somebody might get the idea to take you out, truce or no truce."

So I waited a little longer. Lone and Brandon spent most of that time off by themselves, speaking in hushed tones. When I got antsy, I started walking toward the arch alone. Warstrike's glance followed me, but he didn't say anything. I planned to ghost myself; the rebels would be able to see me, but they couldn't touch me. Of course, my force field idea hadn't worked so well with Neuronne.

I crossed a street, my footfalls making crackling sounds as I crossed over the ash fall and entered the deep shadow under the arch. After a few minutes of waiting, I heard footsteps.

"If you're not here to represent the rebel alliance, get lost," I told the still-nebulous figures. "If you're part of an official parley party, step up and don't be shy."

That little bit of encouragement did the trick. Three persons came from behind the rubble, like gunfighters out of a livery stable. They were a mixed bag.

I didn't recognize the beefy blond guy wearing ancient Greek-style battle attire. The biggest of the trio I knew had been a member of the Freeks, a sad-sack team of young ultras. Cayman was green, scaly, and came off more like a creature from outer space than a human being.

 Information on him was sketchy, but he tentatively classified by Aladdin as a mutant. Though he had a human form, he was seldom seen using it. In mutant shape, he was tall - about six and a half feet - with bulging muscles and scales. He had eyes, a nose, and a mouth full of pointed teeth. His clawed hands better crafted for bloodletting than for handling things.

The third negotiator was a woman and a real looker whom I could instantly identify as Choice. Aladdin believed that her powers had been artificially created, making her another product of wetware surgery. Supposedly, she could shoot force beams from her eyes, fly, project force shields, and was ultra strong. But a quirk in her wetware limited her to using only one power for an hour before it would shut off and go dormant - hence her name, which to me sounded like a magazine title that some abortion lobbyist group would come up with. I suspected that the lady had been named by a committee. 

"Hello, Choice," I said amiably. "Is Hardcase out there keeping an eye on us? I'd like to say hello to him." I knew that in my world, Choice and Hardcase were a couple. If Hardcase was against Warstrike, no wonder his kingdom was in trouble.
 

The ultra woman looked at me crossly, and spoke with a stinging tone. "You really don't know?"

"I'm new to the neighborhood," I said lightly.

"Tell your own story first," the slim, brunette said. "Who are you, and where do you come from?"

"Didn't the chamberlain tell you? I'm the Mantra of a parallel universe. Both you and Hardcase have doubles there, too. In my world, Yellowstone never erupted. I can't believe the devastation I see here."

"And you just dropped in for a visit?" she asked skeptically.

"No, I came here to do an important job. I didn't even know about your civil war until today, and frankly, I'd rather not have to choose sides."

"Then why do we find you carrying messages for Warstrike?" she challenged.

"I'm not. I'm carrying my own message. I think Tark is willing to help me because I look like his late wife. While I'd like to see this civil war settled peacefully, what happens here isn't any of my business; I can't stay long enough to help either side. Come on, Choice, talk to me. Can we make a deal that will help very many people in a different universe?" I didn't want to mention what my mission entailed; she'd probably think I was either crazy or lying.

"To help you, are we supposed to make peace with tyranny?"

"I wouldn't ask that much, but a short truce would be very helpful. Wouldn't you like to take a break from the fighting for at least a little while?"

"None of us like the war, but those are the cards on the table."

"Why doesn't one side agree to leave the city? Wouldn't a mutually agreed on separation be useful?"

She snorted. "The world's a mess. At least here we have some resources that will help with the rebuilding."

"It seems to me that with all this fighting you won't have any resources left when the time comes for rebuilding," I said. "I got the impression when I was over with the other side that their people are only fighting because they think they'll be massacred if they lose."

"I don't pity them; they massacred plenty of good people in Warstrike's cause. He's unfit to lead. And having that witch Necromantra behind him makes him doubly unfit."

"Necromantra has to go, I agree. But that has nothing to do with the reason I'm here."

"Why are you here?" she asked sharply.

I told her as much as I dared, talking about Amber Hunt while leaving out the unbelievable details. "If you see a woman who bursts into flame whenever she uses her power," I said, "that'll be Amber Hunt."

"I once saw Miss Hunt over Las Angeles," Choice replied. "So you want us to capture Amber Hunt for you? Why should we do the dangerous lifting you should be doing?"

"I'd appreciate any help I can get, but all I'm seeking is an agreement that if she shows up, she belongs to me."

"Then what?"

 "Then I want to get the hell out of here with her!"

With a grudging expression, she said, "I'll take your request to the committee."

"You can also tell them that if my plan works, Hunt and I can save millions of people."

"Why should anyone here care what happens in another universe?" Choice asked.

"No reason," I said. "But wasn't there was a time when a lot of people fighting on your side, especially you and Hardcase, would have wanted to help people even if they didn't know them personally?"

"Hardcase is dead!" she declared with a rasp.

I blinked with surprise. "I'm sorry. What happened?"

"He left L.A., looking for other Americans he could help. Tom thought we had enough ultra-power with us to get along on our own."

"How did you find out that he died?" I asked.

"We didn't. But if Hardcase could have returned, he would have been back by now."

I sighed. "That's probably a reasonable guess."

"Will what you're trying to accomplish save your version of Earth, too?" Choice asked.

"Definitely! That's a big motivation for me," I admitted.

"But who's going to save ours?"

"I honestly don't know how either Amber Hunt or I can fix what's wrong  here. And what's wrong here is the war that's being waged."

"If we help you, how much danger would that down on our heads?"

"I'm going to try to talk down Amber Hunt, but wherever that young lady shows herself, there's always a danger. Remember how she almost went gamma?"

Choice grimaced. "I remember. But all I can promise is that I'll take your message to our council."

"How does it work, running a revolution by committee?" I asked.

"It seemed to work for the Founding Fathers," she replied.

"How did it work for the French Committee of Public Safety?"

Choice ignored my question. "When is she supposed to show up here?"

"According to my information, it's only a matter of  hours."

 "I see. I'll pass your information along," the ultra said as she turned suddenly away.

TO BE CONTINUED IN CHAPTER 13

The Twilight of the Gods: A Story of Mantra, Chapter 11

 Updated May 8, 2024

The TWILIGHT OF THE GODS -- Chap. 11

A story of Mantra and Black September

By Aladdin and Christopher Leeson 

CHAPTER 11

MANTRA'S DAUGHTER

You can have everything in life you want, 

If you will just help other people get what they want.

Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

I was amazed by how grown up she appeared to be. She looked about seventeen and was the image of Eden Blake. To think that the last time I’d seen her she was only seven years old and a second grader.

I checked first to see if she looked underfed. Everyone else I’d seen in this tortured land had appeared hungry.

But my daughter's clone had not arrived alone; an excited Jamie stood beside her. Warstrike was looking at them. I wondered how he felt about his little girl breaking her promise so quickly.

"Evie, Jamie, come in," Brandon said. Evie now saw me and was apparently struck speechless.

Tark drew his daughter away from her – sister. It was still hard for me to put my mind around the idea that the family I knew had been expanded. "Jamie," he asked, "have you dreamed about the Flaming Woman again lately?"

She nodded. "Yes, Daddy. I wanted to tell you, but when I met Aunt Jennie I forgot about it."

"That's okay,"Tark said. "But it's important that you tell us what you dreamed. Mantra thinks that maybe a real-life Flaming Woman is coming. We have to learn as much possible about her before she gets here."

The little girl glanced back my way. "Have you met the Flaming Woman, Mantra? Is she coming to hurt us?"

"I do believe she's coming," I said, "but I don't know why. I'm hoping we can all make friends with her. I have a big favor to ask of her."

Jamie frowned confusedly. "But she's bad, isn't she?"

I tried to reassure her with a smile. "I'm guessing the Flaming Woman's not so much bad as mixed up. When she was back home, there was a big explosion where all her friends died. She hasn't been acting herself since that bad thing happened."

Jamie smiled uneasily as if her child's mind was trying to reconcile the idea of someone being both good and evil at the same time. When her age, I had mulled over things like that myself.

"B-Brandon," stammered Evie. “Our mother didn’t have any sister named Jennie. Didn’t you know that?”

"Aunt Jennie has explained quite a few things to me," said Warsrike, "but you ought to talk to her yourself. But first, Jamie has to tell us about the Flaming Woman."

"But this person can't really be Mantra!" Evie insisted.

"Speak to her. Decide for yourself," Brandon told her.

The father and his young daughter left then, and the guards shut the door to give Evie and me privacy.

"I refuse to believe that you're my mother," Evie said, her chin high and expression determined.

"My name is Eden Blake, but I'm not your mother. I come from an alternate dimension."

She blinked perplexedly. "An alternate dimension? Like in the science fiction books?"

"Yes. Your stepfather believes me, and I'd like you to believe me, too."

“Why are you here?”

"I have a job to do. When I left my own Evie and Gus at home a day or so ago, they were still in elementary school. To me, that was only hours ago, but when I look at you, I know what my daughter will look like when she's almost grown up."

“There aren’t any alternate dimensions!” she declared.

“Maybe if we talk for a while, the idea won't seem so strange."

She grimaced. "Whoever you are, you look exactly like I remember you – her."

She looked so full of hurt, but I thought it was too soon to take her into my arms.

"I dreamed a thousand times about my mother not being dead, that she would be coming back. But if you're not my real mom, nothing at all has changed."

"I'm sorry. I thought you might feel that way, so I decided not to meet with you. I knew that even if I could make you feel better for a moment, the hurt would come back even worse than before when I had to go away again."

She pulled back and broke eye contact.

“If you come from another place, why are you in this world?" she asked.

"I'm looking for the Flaming Woman, the one Jamie keeps dreaming about?"

"But they're only dreams, aren't they?"

"No. The woman is real, and she's an ultra with a unique power – a power that can save untold billions of lives."

Evie suddenly looked hopeful. "Will she save our world, too?"

I decided to hedge that question. "I'm not sure. I hope so."

“Was there any volcano in the world where you came from?”

"No, not yet. Maybe there won't ever be. As soon as I get home, I intend to do my best to stop it from happening." I might have to kill a few dozen Deep Staters to do the job, but I was game for that!

"I wish I could believe you."

"I know this is hard, and I think you've had too much hardship already. How badly have things gone for you?" I asked.

She shook her head. "I think the rebels are going to attack the castle soon. They want to kill Warstrike and Necromantra. Maybe they'll kill the rest of us, too. I don't know."

"Do you think that your – stepdad – is can win the war?"

She bit her lip. "No, I don't."

Reaching out, I took her by the shoulders. When my daughter reached her age, I wanted her to be enjoying a happy life. This world was a bizarre parody of my own; too many ghastly things had gone wrong here.

"I'm going to try to talk to the rebels and see if that helps," I said. "But the first thing I want to know is how has Warstrike been treating you?"

"He's been all right. He's good with our sister, too. He’s done some bad things, but I can't forget how he loved our mother so much. I can guess how much it must hurt him to look at you knowing you're not the person we both loved."

"I wish things could have worked better for you, Evie, but please tell me about yourself. Have you been keeping up with your studies?"

She stared into my face. "How can that matter to you?"

I forced a smile. "Because I'd feel better if you could have all the things I want her to have."

The teen girl shrugged. "I can read and write and do arithmetic," she said. “Brandon has made sure that we know about the world, at least how it used to be. I don't know why that's important. That world is gone, and what's left so terrible."

"What kind of a king has he been?" I asked.

Instead of answering, she glanced back at the door.

"Do you think someone out there is listening to us?"

"I – I don't know," she replied haltingly. "People are always spying. Stepdad has executed a lot of rebel spies, but he spies, too. And Necromantra spies on both sides."

Just the sound of that witch’s name sank my more tender feelings.

"Yes, I’ve been wondering about Necromantra. How has seen been treating you?"

Evie gave a shudder. "I hate her! She killed my mother."

"She killed Mantra? Are you certain of that?"

"Maybe she did, but I know for sure that she killed my first mother."

I nodded. "Has she tried to harm you?"

"She keeps her distance," said Evie. "She showed up right after Mother – Mantra – was killed. She ignores us, mostly. It's horrible that my first mother's murderer is living in the same house with us."

"Why does your stepdad put up with her?" I asked.

"I'm not sure. She's powerful, and Brandon needs power on his side. But it makes me crazy that they decided to get married."

“It makes me pretty crazy, too. Do they get along personally?"

Evie glanced to the floor, frowning. "I don't think he trusts her, but she has a way with people, even Dad." Evie lowered her voice. "There's all kinds of stories about her. Some people say she used to be a man. Does that make any sense?"

"Does she act like a man?" I replied evasively. I thought that Evie already had enough weirdness in her life.

"Not that I can see."

I smiled. "Well, then, maybe those rumors aren't true."

"Mom – Mantra, I mean. Are you just like my mother?”

“In what way?”

"She once told me that she had the ghost of a man inside her." Evie was watching my expression as if to see my reaction to the bomb she'd just thrown.

I sighed. When Necromantra attacked, Eden had been in her own body, and I was in the body of a male clone. Having no magic of my own, I was no match for the witch's sorcery. Eden, wounded and dying, urged me to reenter her body. I had to do it to defeat Necromantra, but Evie had been watching it all and knew something wasn't right. She asked me if I was really her mother. Rightly or wrongly, I very briefly explained what had really happened. After that, I was surprised that she hadn't asked for more information.

"By the time you grew up, I hoped you'd have forgotten what I'd said," I told her softly.

"I almost did. I didn’t want to know about something so strange. Whenever I thought about it, it worried me. I wanted you to be the Mantra I had always thought you were -- an incredibly special woman. I could never understand why you behaved so much like my mom when you were a completely different person. After a while, I didn’t think about what you'd said at all."

"I did my best to act like Eden Blake whenever I could. But I truly did like having a family after living alone for such a long time."

“Did you live a life just like the real Mantra’s?” Evie suddenly asked.

I smiled. "I've always thought of myself as being the real Mantra. I never knew your mother existed until today."

"Being with you makes me feel like Mantra has come back. Do you have to leave?" she asked with a hint of urgency. The poor kid was hoping for a redo of a life that had gone so haywire.

"Yes, I do. I don't have any choice about that. Many people on many worlds will die if I don't get help from the Flaming Woman."

"Then please tell me that you're a bad person so I won't miss you."

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"If I hate you, I won't miss you when you’re gone."

"It's all right if you hate me if it will make you feel better."

"If you were really a man?" she asked. "What kind of a man were you?"

I could have told her many disgraceful things about myself. I had lived a very long time, and in trying to do good in crazy circumstances, I had gone into some dark places.

"Evie, I've made mistakes, and maybe your mother made those same mistakes. I'm far from perfect, but I'm not a monster either. Evie is my daughter now, and I do my best to make her happy. I only wish that you could have known a much better life than the one you've had."

"I still want to know if you were really a man?"

I sighed. "If I said yes, would that make you want me to go?"

"It would be strange and hard to understand. What kind of a man were you?"

I glanced away. "I was a soldier. Your mother and I met, fell in love, and wanted to be married."

She stood in front of me quietly before saying, "I'm not surprised you were a soldier, not after all the times I've seen you fight."

I very much wanted to change the subject. "What happened to your father, to Gus Blake?"  

She shivered; I'd touched a sore spot. "We never found out. He was away on a business trip when the volcano exploded. There was hardly any communication at all. Mobs, mostly illegals, started breaking into homes, stealing, and killing. Mantra took us to Brandon's house. The only thing I could take with me was Mr. Paws."

You saved Mr. Paws?"

"You know about Mr. Paws? How could you?"

"My Evie has a Mr. Paws, too."

"I still have Mr. Paws. He's about the only thing left to remind Gus and me about how life used to be. I love Jamie, but I didn’t let her play with Paws until she was big enough to take good care of her toys."

"Did you ever go back to your old home?"

Evie shook her head. "There was nothing to go back to. The looters didn't just steal and murder, they seemed to want to burn down the whole Los Angeles area."

I straightened. "Time is running out, and I have a lot to do. As bad as things are, be strong, be wise, Evie. Take care of your brother and sister. Also, let Brandon know how much you like him."

Evie nodded, wiping her eyes. "I will. Goodbye...Mom."

Carrying an ache with me, I started for the door. Before I could touch the knob, I heard Gabriel's voice:

"I decided to join you, Mantra."

I looked back and saw Gabriel, but that was all I saw. The room I'd shared with Evie wasn't there! The two of us occupied a misty, insubstantial place. "Where have you snatched me away to this time?" I asked.

"This is a location in zero-time where we can talk," he explained.

"Did you fix what was wrong with your communications system?"

"There wasn’t much to do. The psionic blast the ultra attacker gave you damaged your nano-receptors, but they're self-repairing. Though you couldn't hear me, I could hear and keep track of you."

"I messed up and involved myself with the folks here. It's hard to keep focused when I'm surrounded by people I think I know."

"You've proceeded splendidly. Your task was to contact the local leadership and get assistance with subduing Amber Hunt.  Warstrike has already agreed to help, and you are preparing to meet with the opposing faction. I commend you, Mantra; you have a natural instinct for time agent work."

"Spare me the flattery.  When is Hunt coming?"

"From all indications, she will arrive within several hours. We need to use our available time to establish friendly channels with both sides."

"What's going to happen to all the people here?"

Gabriel gave back a glum look. "If Amber Hunt takes the Time Gem away from this world, the local reality will be eliminated."

"That's it?"

"I'm sorry."

"Gabriel, I have a request to make."

"Yes?"

"We can't rescue everybody, but can't we take a few people away with us? I mean, take away Evie and her family?"

"It's possible. Do your best. I'll leave the details to you."

"I’ll do what I can! What now?"

"You should go talk to the rebel leaders, as Warstrike has asked you to do."

"I'll do that as soon as you start time again."

An instant later, Gabriel was gone, and I was back in the room with Evie. I heard her gasp.

"What's wrong, dear?" I asked.

"You blinked out of that spot and reappeared where you are now?" she said incredulously.

"What happened to me is one of those crazy ultra things. They're always hard to explain, Button."

Evie gave me an odd look. "Nobody has called me Button since – Mantra – died."

"That's probably because it's not a nickname that fits a grownup girl like you."

"Maybe not, but hearing you say it makes you sound just like my mother."
 
"I've got good news," I said. "When I vanished, I went to talk to a super-scientist ally I have. He says you and your whole family can come with us when we're ready to leave."

"Are we going to live together?"

"Not forever. I have to go back to my own family. But I promise we won't part until I find you a safe and happy home."

She smiled the kind of careful smile that children smile when they've already had their hopes shattered too many times to count.

"Can't we go now?"

"We could, but there won't be a happy ending for anybody unless we do some major league world-saving. In the meantime, find out whether Gus will be willing to leave with us. Do you want me to ask your stepdad to come along, too?"

"Yes, please!" she said.

I kissed her cheek and then made another attempt at leaving the room. My knock summoned a guard who unlatched the door in about five seconds flat.

TO BE CONTINUED IN CHAPTER TWELVE