Hello Mr. Robinson Pt. 09

"The tunnels that you erected, are they part of that legacy?"

"Indeed, we fashioned them early on in during our time of exploration. We watched and learned from all the old races. Most are dead now but a scant few have moved along as we have."

"What do you mean by moved along?" I asked staring out at the smooth surface of the lake.

"I love humans. They are so inquisitive. The universe, this universe, is comprised of many dimensions. Some you can perceive but many that you can't. We decided the younger races were far too excitable for our tastes. So as a collective we..." he stopped searching for the right word. "Well... we translated our minds into higher dimensional constructs. A few of us linger but soon we will follow our kin."

"It sounds to me like the universe will be a much lonelier place without you."

"For a race that has barely scratched space travel I suppose our race must look romantic and wise. We are what we are. You have the rare opportunity to become something greater than your genetic heritage. You might topple empires or stare unblinking into the face of your creator. Who knows? We wish you the best. As a child of two worlds we offer you understanding or as your Dalai Lama might describe it, enlightenment. Look into the water Greg Voidsinger. Look and see."

I walked to the very edge of the water and looked in. I saw my reflection but then a ripple disturbed the surface and I saw myself in the cell at the black site. My hand was thrust forward and before me the thing in the rift. The light from my hand was dazzling and the entity lurched back from the breach and it sealed the rift behind it. I watched my body fall and lie limp on the floor. I peered closer and could see that my aura was nearly nonexistent and that I was dying. Was I dead? Was this vision me on the other side? I heard the spider laugh in my head. I turned and saw it gesturing for me to follow it again. I was disturbed by the vision in the water. What else could I learn? He took me to the figure I had spotted before. I looked again at the crystalline statue and the spider explained.

"When one of the wise among the J'Nai has learned all that he or she might perceive they come here. It is the Forest of Crystal Promises. There are many like him that took a substance that would preserve them so that future J'Nai could come and be enlightened. Unlike the Dome of the Seers these people are still alive. They are petrified but also quite aware of the universe around them. They can see further and glean much of what others fail to perceive."

"I'll be honest with you, the thought of being trapped in a body that is frozen like this petrifies me."

"Yet you saw your body fall after being exposed to the forces of the gate's event horizon. You should be dead Voidsinger but alas here you stand. How do you reconcile these facts?"

"There is a line my grandfather said to me when I turned thirteen. He was very ill but he came to my birthday party anyway. We sat together and he handed me a small box. I unwrapped and opened the box. There was a coin inside. It was a standing liberty silver dollar. I picked up the coin and looked at it. He smiled and put his hand on my shoulder. He said to me, Am I a man dreaming he is a dragon or am I a dragon dreaming he is a man?"

"Well said Voidsinger, are you a dragon or a man? The time grows short and I have one last thing for you to see."

I followed the spider to the very edge of the woods. A few of the trees appeared damaged and a crater dominated the scene. It was an old impact and the trees had grown much since it struck. We walked to the edge of the crater and looked down. There was a huge dark meteorite that still remained. It was comprised of an odd metal. The light seemed to be absorbed all around it casting it in shadow. I looked at the spider and I felt he wanted me to take a closer look. I scrambled down and stood next to the thing. I heard a very low hum coming from the meteorite. I reached out to touch it and in that instant the spider's mind speech could be heard.

"That is one of the rarest alloys in all creation. It has a dual nature. One side of it absorbs anything that comes in contact with it. It can swallow anything from gamma radiation to the blast of a super nova. The other side can be shaped into any form by a mind that is strong enough to overcome its first side. It is formed in the crucible of a black hole and only rarely is such a meteor ejected. Are you strong enough Voidsinger? Will it absorb you or can you conquer it with your mind alone?"

The darkness took me. I hovered in a silent weightless void. What was real anymore? Had I imagined waking up in the hospital? Was I dead or dying and the memories passed on by Ariana trying to comfort me? Was I trapped in digital space while my body died around me? I remembered the image of the crystal seer. The man trapped and petrified for all time. Was that me? Was it my mind's way of telling me to accept what happens next? I clung to the last image. I was reaching out and if my will was strong enough I could command the dark alloy. I reached out to feel the edges of the abyss. It was close. I willed it into submission. The darkness withdrew and tried to flee. Oh no you don't I would not be denied. I would bend it to my will. It would obey me like a puppy. I would teach it and it would instantly follow any command I gave it. I am not dying. I will live. I will conquer the dark and it would serve me. The abyss faded around me as I slowly rose to consciousness. After what felt like forever I opened my eyes.

I was floating though not in space but in water. I was suspended in some kind of tank of water. There was a mask around my head that fed me oxygen. I looked around and there was a sleeping Rhea on a couch close to the tank. I remembered how badly I was hurt so I moved in increments. I began with wiggling my toes and fingers. No pain so I rotated my hands and feet. I was encouraged by the lack of pain. I flexed my arms and my legs. I heard voices outside the tank and a very familiar face looking in at me. It was my daughter Cindy. I smiled and I heard what must have been her shouts of joy. Her face was replaced by someone I didn't recognize. He was an elderly man with bright blue eyes and scruff that passed for a beard. There was a clicking sound in my ear as a voice came over the earphones built into the head gear I had on.

"Hello Mr. Robinson," the man with the heavy German accent said. "You are awake I see that is great news. It was touch and go for a while..." his sentence ended abruptly as I heard Cindy's voice now.

"DAD... oh my god I knew you could do it. Don't try and talk you are hooked up to an external oxygen supply. The doc needs to take another scan to make sure you are okay. Your friend Zoe came up with it when she heard you were hurt. We need to talk. She is like my age. You are such a man whore..."

"As I was saying Mr. Robinson... we will scan you and see how well you have taken to the treatment. Please be patient and if the news is good we will have you out shortly."

There was another crackle and the earphones went dead. When I looked up again I was staring into Rhea's eyes. Tears were streaming down her face and I felt the soothing comfort of her mind touching mine. I reached out and caressed her thoughts.

"Greg... I was so scared..." she sent gently not wanting me to over exert myself.

"I had the craziest dreams." I replied and her curiosity was blazing. "Well I kept flip flopping between being in the hospital and on a J'Nai maiden world." I felt her mentally stiffen in surprise. "In one I was being shown around by get this a giant spider. Well, it wasn't exactly a spider but it was scary smart. In the other you had two sisters. I dreamt that you were identical triplets." The shock coming from her was like a rogue wave hitting me out of the blue. "Is it true?" I asked and her silence was answer enough. "So you are a triplet. Are you Morgaine, Morgana, or Morrigan?"

"How... I haven't seen them since... it is true Greg. But I haven't seen them since we were separated. I haven't felt them since the destruction of our world."

Her pain engulfed me and I endured it so that I could be there for her. I sent soothing thoughts and the pain left and her love wrapped around me so serenely.

"You never cease to amaze me Greg. There you are floating in a metal lozenge, placed in an induced coma, and you worry about me. I love you."

"I love you too."

Free Fall:

The scans showed I was on the mend despite the critical injuries I had suffered. It turns out that I had been subjected to the gate's event horizon for a fraction of a second. Many of my bones had been broken and some of my internal organs had been damaged. It was a miracle that Nick arrived with the tank. He said that he had wanted volunteers to test the tank and its effectiveness. I think he knew somehow. I believe he showed up to save my life. I can't prove it but it is a gut instinct. I had been transported back to Arkham for treatment. I was under twenty four hour observation and I had shown no signs of activity for the three months I had been in hibernation. Today was March twenty-seventh and I was going to be released from the tank. So to pass the time I hacked the hospital's Wi-Fi and pulled down my music from my cloud account.

I was listening to 'Smoke on the Water' when I was informed they were going to open the tank. The top of the tank split in half. Just above me was a metal bar and that bar was the top of what Nick had called the patient assembly. A hydraulic arm reached down and grabbed said bar. It was slowly removed from the tank. I was the heart of the patient assembly nestled in a complex body harness. When I was at the top of the water line nurses gingerly lifted me up and out. They removed the oxygen helmet as well as the IVs that had been feeding me this entire time. I was toweled off and dressed in bright green hospital scrubs. They put those micro socks on my feet and I very slowly climbed down the metal staircase to a waiting wheelchair. My hair wasn't even dry when I was subjected to a series of noninvasive scans. They were about to run the tests again when Rhea put her foot down. She said she was taking me home and that was that.

Cindy drove while Rhea and I sat in the back of the car. I glanced outside and saw that we were heading towards the outskirts of Arkham. When the city was founded only the richest could afford to build out here. Did Rhea know someone that lived here? We pulled onto Miller Road and parked at the second house from the very end. The road was named after the Miller family but that was before the murder suicide that marked the demise of that prestigious bloodline. Cindy came around and opened my door for me. I had to lean on her as I got out of the vehicle. While I was in no pain my body was weak from inactivity and the ravages of the gate's effects upon me. I stopped when I caught sight of the Old Miller Place. Someone had refurbished it. Hell, it looked brand new. I told Cindy stories about how when I was a kid we came up here on a dare to throw rocks at the windows. The place was supposed to be haunted by Old Man Miller's ghost. I never saw any ghosts but the place still gives me the creeps.

The house we were renting belonged to a late professor of Miskatonic University. His widow was out of the country and placed it for rent. While it was not nearly as grand as the house next door it had a certain charm. I was going to be using the guest bedroom for now. It was located on the first floor and even had a bathroom attached to it. Once I got my strength back up I could join Rhea in the master bedroom upstairs. I guess that is what they call incentive. The place had a nice feel to it. I settled into my room with Cindy's help while Rhea carried the rest of the luggage to the second floor. I was forced to use a cane while I walked. I was a shadow of my former self. While my body was on the mend my mind was stronger than ever. I practiced various psychic disciplines while I tried to reconcile my memories. We are the sum of our memories and I have discovered that the alien memories that Ariana had provided had become my own. I had days were I couldn't distinguish between them and the frightening part was that those days occurred more and more frequently. While my body healed so did a portion of my brain. I was becoming someone I didn't recognize.

"Dad, are you okay?" Cindy asked breaking me out of my fugue.

"Sorry sweetie what, oh am I okay..." I said trying to focus on my surroundings. "Yeah I suppose so."

"You worry me when you get all spaced out like that. Is there anything I can do to help?"

"It's raining," I said as I walked past her and stared out one of the French doors that faced the backyard. "There is sleet mixed in with the rain. I can hear the sound of the ice hitting the bricks. Do you remember that night before the battle of Shiori's Shadow? I stood on the command deck of the heavy cruiser. We were landing and it was raining just like this. The soft patter of the sleet bouncing off..."

I fell silent and looked at my daughter. She had that look of confusion on her face. I felt the pain of separation crafting a gulf between us. Cindy rushed up and hugged me. I was crying but I couldn't remember why. My tears fell into her hair as I held her close. Rhea walked in and my pain must have been radiating from me. She turned away and left but returned soon with two bottles of champagne. She set the bottles down and grabbed a few glasses. Cindy and I settled down onto the couch while Rhea opened the first bottle and poured. We took the fine crystal stemware and toasted to my health and a quick recovery.

"Your accent is practically nonexistent boss man," Rhea said between sips of the champagne.

"That is high praise indeed," I replied smiling. "I am afraid. The memories that Ariana held are taking me over. I don't know what to do."

"I do," Rhea said her eyes blazing with purpose. "Let go. You cannot fight a storm Greg. The tree bends or it is broken. We will be here to catch you."

"She's right dad we will always be there for you."

"Alright," I said as I placed my glass down on the coffee table. "I will surrender. I will fall and let you catch me."

I leaned back and closed my eyes. I wasn't sure how to do this. I tried to remember one of the alien memories to try and trigger the process. Nothing happened so I sought them out in a more direct fashion. I dove into the digital ether and searched for the remnants of Ariana. It wasn't like there was an index of her files but perhaps a search would trigger something. I thought about how her voice sounded and hoped it might awaken that part of my mind. I remembered those haunting words she had said to me.

"You have to save his soul."

"Wait, you have been here the entire time." I growled as a shifting cloud of geometric shapes appeared.

"I apologize for my appearance. There isn't much left of the old me. I am sorry for any damage or pain I might have caused Greg. How can I be of help?"

"Well, I keep having these moments where I fugue out and it is driving me crazy. I need to get this blending process over with."

"I understand completely. Hold on to your panties it's gonna get rough." She said giggling. "I will miss you Greg. Accessing sector zero..."

They say that when you die your life flashes before your eyes. In my case I had two lives passing simultaneously. I watched and felt all of those memories quite intimately. The early lives are quite similar but after high school things changed drastically. A series of images appeared and I stopped them so I could see them better. They were schematics of some kind of device. I saved them for future review. While I had gone to college the other's life took a familiar turn. The device and his immense popularity with women seemed to go hand in hand. I was going to have to build the damn thing once this was done. I saw flashes of Miskatonic University as well as the Pickman house. So he was a student and the flashes of women's faces and bodies made things interesting. I liked this guy more and more.

I was noticing a certain pattern when something new came into view. It was a gold signet ring and he was wearing it. The design on the ring I recognized instantly. Steve had been a member of the Order of Chthon. I saw a gathering of men. They were in some kind of temple and it looked Japanese. I saw things through Steve's eyes and that's when I got the shock of my life. There was Nick Shaw among the members of this secret society. I never imagined he would join such a thing. I guess you never really know people. Whatever I may think about the Order I trusted Nick. He had saved my life and I had to give him the benefit of the doubt. The next rush of images and emotions were tied to reading volumes of history about the Order. Steve had been or became the Keeper. He had at his fingers much of the society's history. I would remember it no matter what.

The next images were of an ancient city. I gleaned the name from the memories, Iram. It was here that his humanity took its first hit. It went swiftly downhill from there. In the end he wiped his existence from the minds of his family and lovers. The world would never recall his name or the fact that he had ever been born. He was dead to us but that was only the beginning. The change was rapid after that. He shed one form for another as a caterpillar becomes a butterfly. In becoming he lost any sense of morality or human emotion. He had duties to perform and he did them without question. My life reached the point where I entered this meditative state but his went on and on. The thing that had been Steve bent space/time to his will so that he could serve the Old Ones. Who or what were the Old Ones? The images that followed made me regret that question for the rest of my life. They came from the dawn time of this universe and others. They were born of a living crucible known at the Daemon Sultan Azathoth. The Old Ones were entitles comprised of exotic matter and molded into shapes and forms that were the stuff of nightmares and inspired only insanity. Steve had shed his human shape in favor of that of his masters.

"How can I possibly save his soul?" I asked and what was left of Ariana replied.

"I can feel it..." her voice was more echo than source now. "He's still in there..."

"I will do my best." I said trying to convince her and me at the same time.

What followed was a disorientation blend of past, present and future. Time became a nonlinear serpent that slithered through my mind revealing terrible events that have been, are happening and were yet to manifest but not in that order. I saw how they were connected and that terrified me. I saw how a simple argument in the fifteenth century would lead to a five centuries long blood feud and that would allow a terrible evil to enter our world. All things were interconnected and if you were gifted enough you could greatly affect the skein of time/space. The being that had once been Steve was now a weaver of dark destinies. He was a slave to the will of the Old Ones. I was the inheritor of his temporal estate. While I was locked by the arrow of time I could change the events set into motion and perhaps in that way save him and our world. If he failed perhaps another would be chosen and he would be cast aside. It was a gamble but the only one I had. If I failed it wouldn't be for the lack of trying.

"Dad... dad you have a visitor. Are you naked?"

"Cindy, what the hell," I asked as I was torn from my meditation. I looked at the doorway and the familiar figure standing there. "Madame President..." I said as I began to get to my feet.

"Remain seated Greg," she said her lips turning up in a smile. "Consider that a presidential order."