Time Traveller. Epilogue. The Caches. The Portal

 - For heaven’s sake, man, how many of you are there, after all? Do you all look like this?

- We are a group of clones from the same original DNA. That’s why we look so much alike. We were thirteen… in principle…

- Oh, my sweet Lord!

The three friends looked at each other. Was History repeating itself… in the future? Or were they just playing it over and over again?

- What are these false ‘caches’, after all? They are certainly parts that match together, as far as we could find out.

The sudden change in the subject was more than welcome.

- Yes, they are. They are two parts of a single portal, placed separately, on purpose. They were not supposed to be used by anyone but the messenger… Me, in this case… They were left here for one specific purpose: the mission, I have come for, as you might have noticed already.

The three friends were not surprised at all. That conversation developed as an interesting series of mysteries unsolved, soon to be explained.

***

- The past, as well as the future, belong in where and when they are originally. They must neither be touched, nor changed, in any way. That’s a sacred rule and ought to be respected, above everything and all other existing laws, otherwise an unlimited chaos is the result. When there is a risk that this decree is being broken, the only way to interfere is to use a subterfuge.

- Oblivion…

- That’s correct. And then the portal to that opportunity is closed, so it will never arise or open again.

- How?

- It is completely destroyed at once.

- But there can be others…

- Time portals are not open unless there is a reason… And only the council and the Supreme can authorize the creation and opening of a new one. There must be a very good reason to come back to the past and the traveller must always come back using the same means.

- And there is a reason, right now, I guess.

- Yes. There is a reason… a good reason…

Anticipation was stamped on the three men’s faces. The traveller looked straight at the pale skinned man.

- There is a very good reason, indeed!

***

- I was sent here, by the scientists, to look for and take you back to the future, where you really belong in. It was not easy to find you, as I thought it would be when I arrived…  I have left some clues, but they’ve never been used. It seems, however, that someone else might have found them and started looking for the pieces that were prudently placed apart from each other.

- I read a post that there was supposedly a false geocache in the lighthouse…

- And I saw the one about the mill.

- Someone else must have read about them and wanted to verify what they were all about.

- I don’t think it was an innocent search. These people know what they are looking for.

- And that is…?

- Let’s get out of here. I’ll explain everything on the way.

***

- When you were sent back to the past, there was… there will be… whatever… a rumour about your presence there. Some say you’ve saved the future of humanity, some say you brought a critical suspicion about the intentions our Supreme Chief had about the planet itself.

- Maybe both things…

The man with pale skin spoke with a tone of voice that was very grave.

- And what do they say about the vaccine?

- The vaccine works well. Everything is under control.

- Well, it seems the voyage was worthwhile, after all.

- It looks like it, indeed.

The young man wearing glasses looked at the three men. He caught a glimpse of a strange gaze amongst the other three men. They did not seem to be very comfortable with the subject.

- What was that?

- What do you mean? What was what?

- You three are hiding something from me, aren’t you? What happened?

The stranger looked at the friends, as if waiting for a clue on what to say.

- He knows about the use of Oblivion and that it was obviously an ingredient added in the capsule before he was sent back to your past, that is, our present.

- Then it’s more than time for the truth.

***

- But why?

- They sensed you were going to break the most sacred universal rule.

- Did I do anything wrong?

- Not really. You just told Leona that the Supreme would explode the planet.

- Oh. And does it make any sense? Would he do something like that?

- Not likely, I guess. He cannot do that without the approval of the whole council.

The pale skinned man and the young man spoke at the same time:

- But he will!

- What?

- He will definitely destroy the planet.

- When? Why? How will he do that and how can you be so sure?

- That was how I landed here in this time and space, in a capsule that was sent on a trip back to the past, at the moment the planet exploded. He sent me here… And I did not come here alone…

***

- What do these people want?

- They are evil, rich and they control one of the most powerful Pharmaceutical Industries that  rule over the present and probably the future of mankind. They killed the other passenger. If they get access to the portal, they will have even more power and they can change the things in the future and past… or at any time… They would transform this world in complete chaos.

- We need to act immediately. We will be protected in the woods…

- So, what is the plan?

- We need to reach the facilities before the Supreme gets what he wants. Otherwise we will be lost in the middle of nothing, as well as the planet, which will be completely blown to ashes and cosmic dust.

- What if we get there too late?

- They are waiting for us. It will not be too late… Maybe late, but not too late… We got to talk to Leona, or her father… or both…

- First the scientists… Leona used the Oblivion against him, remember?

He pointed to the man wearing glasses.

- She is too faithful to the Supreme… she must be convinced first, and we have little time.

- What if you fail?

- Then our fate is sealed. But we must try. It is our only chance.

The four men got into the woods and found a small clearing where they put the two parts of the portal together and, with a key that was brought by the traveller, a curious door opened, as if by magic. The difference was that the magic was pure science, not yet available in the present time. That technology in the wrong hands would be a disaster to the world.

The two clones, similar in appearance and purpose, turned to the two young men and got ready to depart.

- We have little time. We better go. You will be OK.

The sound of a car stopping and the quick steps running closer put everyone in state of alert.

- Quick. Go!

They made it to the portal, running and without a proper goodbye. The gateway closed immediately as they crossed it. The young men ran away to the opposite direction, hidden by the trees and grasses, while two men dressed in black got to the clearing a fraction of a second too late.

- Fuck! We missed it! We are in big, big trouble now! The director is going to kill us.

- Let’s go back! We must report it immediately!

***

- Do you think they got there in time?

- I guess we will never know, will we?

- Probably not. I would like to think they fixed the things properly.

- Not an easy task, however… but worth the try…

- What do we do now?

- We go back home… There is nothing we can do about those things anymore… I read about a cache hidden in the other lighthouse… we must stop there and check it.

The young man wearing glasses opened his eyes wide.

- You must be kidding me! I want to be away from caches…for a time… Let’s just go back home!

The two men got in the Jeep. The night was falling slowly. The red light flickered in the lighthouse, when they drove past, as if blinking invitingly to them.

***

Time Traveller. Part 3. The Mill. The Caches. Encounters.

The police officer did not let go his grasp from the young man’s arm. The man who they assumed was from the security company was on his side.

- What are you doing here?

- The same as all these people. Being curious about what has happened.

- I know you. I have seen you before, I’m sure.

The man wearing glasses pretended he was just a tourist and dismissed the security man’s affirmation.

- It’s not possible. I’m not from here. I’m just spending the day at the beach. Was the mill broken into?

- Don’t try to be funny, young man.

- I’m not trying, officer. In a small village like this, even a robbery is a big event, you know.

- I thought you said you were not from the region.

- It’s easy to guess, isn’t it?

- I’ll take care of him.

The security guard grabbed the young man’s arm with a grip that felt as strong as a powerful claw.

- Hey, let go of me. I did nothing.

He spoke out loud and that made the people in the area turn their heads to their direction. He then looked around and saw his two friends coming closer, ready to take action and help. He shook his head, discouragingly. They understood the message and stayed away, observing from a safe distance, together with the other locals, who started circling around them.

The evidently bigger and stronger man tried to pull the young man away, under protest, attracting even more attention to them than before. The small crowd soon completely surrounded the three characters who were in that increasingly heated argument.

The burgled mill itself had been forgotten for a minute or two.

That was an opportunity to be taken advantage, before anyone would notice it, so the pale man slipped into the building and climbed the steps to the upper floor. A few minutes later he came back downstairs, almost unnoticed and left through the unattended open door.

***

- That was an insane but very brave move.

- I have to agree. I could not leave that chance untaken. It would not be fair, after all this trouble.

- True!

- Come on. We need to help him now.

- Did you get anything from up there, after all?

The pale skinned man smiled demurely.

- We will talk about it later. Let’s help our friend. I have a good and convincing argument. If they want to take one, they will have to take all of us. Let’s make the crowd come into this with us and bring them to our side.

- You’re absolutely crazy, my friend, but that’s a great idea!

Amidst the whole turmoil, they did not allow the police and security guard to take the young man wearing glasses away with them and he was soon released. Those two men were not happy, however.

The three friends got off as immediately as they could. They had a couple of things they would need to work out straight away.

***

The Jeep turned around the roundabout and took the right exit. They were back on the A28, heading south.

- They would not be there for no reason.

- That’s what I thought.

- That incident just confirmed my suspicions.

- There’s one piece still missing in this story…

- Yes. The man in the hooded tracksuit…

- What he wants, we kind of know already… What we need to realize is who he is and what he knows…

- And if he is a friend or a foe…

- One thing is true: we are one step ahead… still… but we need to go and visit that lighthouse again down in the city… And it must be done immediately!

The two friends stared at the pale skinned man, who was holding the phoney ‘geocache’ he took from the mill in his bare hand.

***

- Shame! What could have happened here? I can’t find it anymore. Where is it?

- What? What do you mean you can’t find it anymore?

- I think I know what could have happened. I wonder if…

- Do you think he got here before we did?

- Yes, I do.

- And what do we do now?

- I don’t know, but if he hadn’t realized it, yet, he will soon find out that we hold the other piece of this puzzle and maybe he will come to the sensible conclusion that we will need to work together, otherwise somebody else might…

- Are you serious? He is not a friend, as far as we could find out.

- We don’t know it yet…

- Then what is he? Who is he?

- Think with me: if he ran away from the police and those guys, he is not an enemy at all…

- Well, he broke into the mill, didn’t he? That’s not an innocent move. He knew exactly what he was doing.

- We’ve got to find that man and get some answers to all these questions.

- But how? How can we ever come to find him in this city? We have no clue as of to where he is and how to contact him…

- We need to find a way. I wonder if there’s a way to communicate… He might not be far from us… from here… from this whole thing…

- You are correct!

The three men turned around at the same time. A man with a dark hooded tracksuit was standing at the door of the lighthouse. His face was in the shade.

- That ‘cache’ is no longer there, as you have already noticed, for sure. I was waiting for you!

- What?

- It’s not going to be effective fighting against each other. It doesn’t make any sense. We’ve got to work together and quick. These people are dangerous and they want the same as we do, but with a different intention. And they are getting closer and closer…

- And who the f… I mean, who the hell are you?

The man uncovered his head. The three friends were in awe.

- How can this be possible?

***

Time Traveller. Part 2. Oblivion.

The three men were in silence, for a moment. There was not much else to say. The one wearing glasses was holding his head in his both hands, shaking it slightly, trying to process what he had just heard.

- How could that be possible? Why did they do that? I wonder if such a complicated trip to the future and with that purpose had helped anyone, anywhere, anytime, anyway…

- I guess we will never know.

- Well, then how would we know I really did get there and reached the intent?

-You would have never gotten back here if you hadn’t.

- Then…?

- Oblivion was rarely used in time travelling. It was efficient when they wanted to send the voyagers back to when and where they came from. Sometimes also to prevent being revisited. You travelled to help them and all mankind in the future. Those must not be the reasons they used it in you.  I wonder what the real intention was…

That was not the only concern in the pale skinned man’s mind, however. Something else seemed to be out of place. He thought the parts they acknowledged about that whole story did not fit well, somehow, but he did not want to express his apprehensions out loud still. He had some doubts, but an idea was building up in his distressed mind. He had decided he needed to think a little longer about it.

The young man had had trouble enough for the moment and maybe he would need time to process some things before anything else could be planned or done.

He tried to avoid his friends’ stares, when he walked off for a while and stayed out in the porch, gazing at a point that could not really be seen in the distance.

His mind was elsewhere, in another place and another time… His thoughts were hastily overflowing and urging for action. He needed to do something.

The pale man sat by the computer and typed some words. The result of the search made him divert quickly to a string of pages, until he thought he found what he was looking for.

He closed the laptop, straightened up and muttered to himself:

- I think it’s more than time to go and see this whole thing by myself…

He walked back to the living room.

- Guys, we need to do something... but first we need to stop at the beach, on our way down to the city.

- At the beach?

He acceded with a faint smile.

- Yes. At the beach…

***

They drove along the beach road to where the mills were standing. The car was parked not too far from their destination. The wooden walkway was quite filled with passers-by. For all that mattered, they were a bunch of beach-goers, walking erratically by the seashore, taking pictures of everything around.

- There they are. And what do we do now?

- There are too many people around. We will need to be careful.

- For all that matters, we are just looking for geocaches…

- Is that the official version?

- Yes. That’s the official one, but I don’t think anyone is interested in what we are doing here, anyway.

They pretended to be taking pictures of every feature of the peculiar rock and shale constructed buildings. There were five of them along a line by the wooden built pathway, facing the sea. Each one was photographed in detail to be scrutinized later. If the pale man was right in his suspicions, they would need to come back to the beach in the evening, for a closer check.

The night came down very slowly. They were sitting out in the terrace, facing the sea and drinking cold beer, almost in complete silence. The place was not busy. They had been analysing the pictures taken and some needed to be zoomed up to show details of what they thought would be useful later.

The pale skinned man was correct in his qualms. There was something there... definitely…

***

The night was fresher and quieter. Three silhouettes moved silently along the wooden pathway. The men knew what they were looking for, but they needed to be careful. The mills were not public property. The owners could have cameras installed around the area, which would be a nuisance.

When they reached the mills, they looked around to certify they were alone, before getting into their target. They jumped over the roped rail, so to examine the first building.

The man wearing glasses suddenly got stiff.

- Do you hear that?

- What?

- Shhh! Listen!

Someone was running on the wooden pathway.

- Quick, let’s hide.

They hasted to the shadow of the round building, hoping they had not been seen by the runner who was getting closer to where they were. Their hearts were pounding hard. They could hear him (or her) coming closer and closer.

A jogger wearing a dark hoodie slowed down and stopped right in front of the mill. Looking around as if checking if there were no one else around, the figure stepped into the private property and disappeared from their sight. They heard a noise. It seemed the door was being forced.

The man wearing glasses whispered.

- Who the hell is that? How come he is here?

- Quiet!

The door seemed to have been opened. It kind of complained in its ungreased hinges, with a distinctive sound.

- He is in! What is he looking for in there?

- Let’s get out of here, before someone shows up. This is getting too dangerous!

- Wait!

The loud sound of an alarm setting off was coming from inside the house. They heard someone hurrying down the stairs and suddenly the hooded figure sprinted past them, jumped over the roped rail and disappeared in the darkness, away from them and from the light.

Not long afterwards a police car, flashing its red and blue lights, raced up the cobblestone street, followed by a white van with red lettering on the side. The two cars stopped by the mill. They heard the noise of people shouting and running closer…

- What the fuck? Did you see that? I can’t believe this!

- What are these guys doing here? What are they up to?

- This is not good news! Let’s get out of here before it’s too late.

- No. Wait! That man did not have time enough to search for things while he was in there. I wonder what he was looking for upstairs. Maybe this is our chance to get in the mill, without trespassing…

- What do you mean? Are you crazy? We cannot go in there. These guys are dangerous and they might know us!

- I’ve just had an idea. We’ll turn around the mill and pretend we are just nosy passers-by trying to find out what’s going on here. We better split!

- This is crazy, man!

- Don’t think much. Just go. Now!

People were coming from different directions. A police event was something the quiet village was not used to, so it was quite a commotion.

They walked around, separated from each other, trying to avoid being seen together.

When the man wearing glasses was approaching the door, he felt like someone pulled him back.

- Hey!

He turned around. A policeman was holding his arm. He stiffened when he realized there was another man, he was sure he had seen before, standing by the officer.

***

No Day Like Today (A Pact. Impact)

- You shouldn't have gone out in this weather!

He laughed. He expected a less rational welcome, but someone had to keep both feet firmly on the floor.

- Well, I thought that…

- It's really awful! It doesn't stop raining!

- Only out there. Not in here, no. Or maybe it does… But I like the rain… you know…

This time he didn't smile.

- Has anything happened?

- Not yet!

- What do you mean?

***

The room was still dark. It was hard, almost painful, to open the eyes. The blinds were lowered to the floor level. Getting up and reaching the switch was an extra effort, almost not achievable. The sound of the engine slowly moving the thin blades up and allowing light to enter the room, seemed louder than usual. Sunlight getting in felt like thorns piercing the eyes.

Had they had too much wine? That uncomfortable sore head was not welcome at all. It seemed like spinning around amongst those not so clear thoughts and memories that came and went, in and out, in and out.

That secret knocking code at the door. The heart beating fast under the promise of a secret loving. Secret lovers, sharing love-making like the last living lovers on the planet and creating inexorable new memories, never to be shared with anyone else.

How unfair and how unavoidable. How sad and, at the same time, how indescribably pleasurable and satisfying.

Looking around it was noticeable that the bed was totally untidy. Unwelcome small red spots still stained the white fabric. All that mess should be fixed right away.

The sheets were immediately tore off the bed and placed into the laundry basket without much thinking.

That bed should always be seen spotless and with clean sheets. It would look great with those white linen with hand-painted red poppies.

***

Seagulls. He envied those birds. He liked the ones with white bodies and huge grey wings with black tips. They were really frightening at times when they brushed over his already so tormented head. All those strange ideas kept tantalising his mind.

Maybe he would be like the birds, one day soon, when… He tried to divert the thought…

‘Not yet… but soon’…

The sky, full of heavy grey clouds, anticipated a storm. Another tempest. None as big as the one that had unleashed inside him, however. He hoped, even without much conviction, that that time it would be easier.

The iodine scent of the sea filled his nostrils with life and memories. He felt the wind blow harder against his body. There was little left… and yet so much…

***

- Promise you’ll understand?

- No. I'll never understand.

- Do you remember that stormy night?

- Remember what about it?

- Can you recall that night?

- Recall what, for heaven’s sake?

- Everything. The pact.

- That damn wine! We were so drunk. It was such a crazy thing!

- It wasn't... or maybe it was, but... it was a pact... of blood...

- You're not going to take this forward, are you?

He looked into that beloved face, now showing great concern, and considered whether to tell more than the known truth. He couldn't keep his gaze steady. He looked down, as if turning inward once again, after so many other times in those last days.

- I will… eventually…

***

The seagulls. So white and so loose, soaring, with their huge wings, supported by the wind that blew against their bodies and against the cliff, celebrated, in their own way, their freedom to fly.

He opened his arms. He felt lighter, like never before. The sea below roared like a huge dragon… patient but merciless.

Thunder echoed in the distance. The thunderstorm was coming closer… but it did not matter anymore.

***

From the window of a particular spot in the city, two tired eyes watched a lightning strike across the sky, followed by the inevitable thunder.

Those same eyes stared at the small scar left on the wrist by the short, sharp blade of a pocket knife, which appeared almost playfully in the man’s trembling hand, that night of heavy rain, like the one that was approaching quickly.

A shiver went up the spine when the pact came to mind...

‘How stupid!’

That should have never been agreed to and now there was that discomfort making its home in the worried mind.

It was a cruelty not knowing the exact day, not being able to help, not being able to interfere. But a pact is always a pact. The feeling that something horrible was about to happen was even more gruesome than anything else. The mind was still processing the fact and the heart was already reacting to it.

One more lightning bolt. That one fell very close, by the sound of the thunder that followed almost immediately.

***

‘Be bold now. It can't be that hard’…

He took a step forward… and another… until the ground dissolved into ether and his body was diving down in the open air.

And he savoured the victory. That war was finally over, before the damn illness would make him invalid for good.

He would have hated being a dead weight on anyone’s shoulders.

There would be no other day like that.

***

No Day Like Today (Prelude)

He looked at the sky at night but saw no stars. All he could see was a huge uniform, indigo-tinged, almost black cover. It all seemed so dry, so dull and so trivial. Even the night had become entirely devoid of any interest to him. He sighed. Maybe it was him who had gone dried… more inside than out…

***

The rain was falling outside. Torrentially. He liked the rain. He used to say it was good for the plants and for the soul. He decided to leave in spite of the heavy weather anyway. He wondered how such a decision could change everything. At other times, in the past, he would never come out in the rain if that could be avoided. Now it was more a matter of wanting, not of being able to. And he wanted to.

He put on his waterproof coat, pulled the hood over his head and left. The cold autumn air hit him head on. He bent forward and strode down the street. He knew where to go and was in a hurry.

***

He fumbled in his pocket. Among a tube of lip balm, a tissue and the keys to the apartment, he found what he was searching for. He stroked the cold surface of the metal with his fingertips, as if caressing it. He almost smiled.

At the door, after the usual three-knock code, he waited. The sound of the key turning in the lock filled him with a known excitement, in greater anticipation than at other times before. He stepped in quietly until he heard the door close behind him.

His heart pounded heavily.

***

Hypnos (Epilogue: Twins)

- I was not expecting this to happen.

- Don’t even mention it. This is too crazy!

- I could not say everything I saw and experienced… not in front of them. That seemed too absurd and obscure to understand or explain.

- But we must tell them. It’s not fair to keep this… secret… if we really can call that a secret… from them.

- I need to think it over. We must be careful. They are going to ask us why we did not say anything before… or maybe they’re going to call us “the two madmen”.       

- Ha ha! Time is running, anyway. We must be quick. If what you’ve seen was really…

The young man hesitated for a moment.

- The danger is getting closer and in high speed. And although I’ve never taken this subject seriously, I feel I need to research a little deeper, so I can find out some more details of this implausible story…

***

- Mythology? Do you think I’m stupid? Everyone knows that mythology have always been a way men invented to try and enlighten the things they don’t understand or can’t explain. I can’t accept such a nonsense. I am a scientist and so are you!

- We know it’s not easy. We could hardly believe that too, of course, but…

- Are you in drugs? Did you smoke anything?

The two young scientists laughed. They knew the woman was right. Who would ever believe such a thing? They had to recognize it was a complete nonsense…. Or not…

***

- What are we going to do?

- I don’t know. What are we supposed to do, after all? We don’t even know if that has any real fundament or if it was just a normal delirium in our dreams. This story is so absurd.

- What if we are wrong?

- It’s possible, of course. It’s really possible…

The young man looked at his friend with an expression that exposed his frustration and doubt, associated to the apprehension that what they most feared was actually happening.

- And what if we are NOT wrong?

- Then we need a plan. We both know that no one will support, follow our fears or protect us. Neither will they believe us or protect her…

***

- Mythology! What a pair! These two are definitely crazy!

She giggled, as if the idea was so absurd no one would ever believe or even consider it, but something inside her mind kept on telling her she was wrong.

She felt sleepy. It was long past her bedtime. She had tried to eat her dinner, but it was left almost untouched. She had felt no pleasure in eating that night.  She had cleaned the dishes and put them back in the cabinets, leaving the kitchen as organized as possible, as she used to do every night.

She then turned off the computer, as well as all the lights in the apartment, and went to the bathroom.

When she looked at herself in the mirror, she noticed how tired she was. Her eyes were red and sagged. She had cried, but it was not out of sadness.

There was some kind of a strange nostalgia filling her soul.

“So much to do and so little time”… 

She suddenly felt exhausted. She walked into her bedroom and opened the bedside table drawer. There were many medicine boxes in there. Some were almost empty, others practically untouched.

She closed the drawer without touching any of those tablets, as she had been doing for the last week, after that odd conversation with the two young scientists. 

She put her favourite cotton pyjamas on and went to bed.

The two-room apartment suddenly felt like an immense desert. She turned the bedside lights off and closed her eyes…

***

The extremely attractive young man walked closer to where she was. She knew him from other occasions. He held out his hand, in an inviting and gentle gesture, which the woman easily accepted, as if they were long-time close friends.

For the first time ever she had the courage to talk to him. He had always seemed so distant, powerful and untouchable.

- Will you tell me who you are, after all?

- You know who I am. My name is Hypnos, the guardian of dreams.

- I don’t believe in gods, nor do I worship any live being.

- I would not expect you to, although I am not to be considered a live being.

She almost laughed. She waited. He simply looked into her dark eyes.

- Where are you taking me to?

- Why do you ask what you already know? He is already waiting for us.

- I want to go to the beach… to see the ocean.

- It’s where he is now.

She shivered. There was that strange apprehension unsettling her chest.

- Don’t worry. He is gentle and peaceful. Be calm. There is nothing to worry about… anymore…

He was sitting on the rail, out in the sun. As attractive as his twin brother, he looked more comfortable when she walked closer to him. He smiled. She did not.

- Meet my twin brother Thanatos. He is the one who will take you ahead from this point on. Don’t worry. You won’t suffer, but there’s no way back anymore. He will lead you peacefully and quietly in this journey.

The young man held out his hand.

- Are you ready?

- I’m not.

- Yes, you are. Come on. Walk with me.

And they wandered silently and side by side along the immense beach way.

***

- He must have heard the conversation between the twin brothers, Hypnos, the dreams and Thanatos, the peaceful death and thought they were talking about him… so he lost his mind and despaired completely…

- Do you really think that was what happened?

- I don’t really know and I think we will never know… for sure… will we?

***