Making sense of Bavaros' words felt like swimming in butter. Luckily Falco's grandmother didn't have to hear any of this, safe as she was in a hidden panic-room under the city.
Falco cleared his throat. "When Gabriel dies, the universe ends? Do you mean these things happen at the same time... or?"
Thick wrinkles stood out markedly as Grandpa Bava sifted through whatever memories he'd locked away. "As far as I can tell Gabriel's death triggers the immediate collapse of reality."
The strain was evident on the Telepath's weathered face and Falco wondered how remembering entire lifetimes of events might feel.
Falco could see Lilith tensing like she was stopping herself from charging after Gabriel. Their resident clueless brainiac had really done a number on her.
Through clenched teeth, Lilith asked. "But why Gabriel?"
Bavaros gave a weary sigh. "That, I have been unable to answer. The only reason I know Gabriel to be the catalyst of our destruction is that - in my last life - I managed to read Red Global's thoughts. She recognized what she had done, she knew what would happen to reality after she killed him. Whatever Gabriel is, ending his life breaks something fundamental in the Universe."
Falco was wondering what any of this had to do with them, but Lilith spoke up before he could.
"You mean he can't die?" Lilith asked hopefully.
"He can, but when he does, reality seems to reset itself - en-masse for everyone on Earth. Maybe so he can live again? Have another chance? Gabriel might be the reason the timeline began to change so long ago." He coughed. "I don't want to speculate too much. All I know is that today, we have a real shot at stopping this disaster from repeating itself."
Falco's legs were getting twitchy. He was having a harder time listening to the old Telepath than Lilith was. Only respect held him in the audience. He needed more information. "But why us and why now?"
Bavaros patted Rosenquartz's head, stimulating a chuckle from the crystal Super. "By chance, in my last life, I happened to come accross this fine creature. By my last go around, events transpired almost exactly as they did in this timeline: The news station, your grandmother, Strike Force Gamma, even this exact hideout. You, Falco, found him by the entrance to the park, and when I touched Rozenquartz I sensed him to be a spiritual vessel of untold power.
In that timeline, there was only one thing stopping me from finding more answers."
Watching the old man sip tea slower than a snail made Falco want to rip his hair out. For every second a normal human experienced, speedsters lived ten; like animal years. Damn sensory dilation. No wonder dogs were always sleepy - humans were so damn slow.
"That thing was trust. At the time, Rosenquartz would not trust us. He refused to be a tool for my powers, dashing my hopes. In this timestream, however, you joined the Sentinels, Falco, and - by accident - Rosenquartz's strike force."
"For what though, Bava! Please, out with it." Falco interjected.
The mobster gave him a sideways look but kept his cool. Bavaros remembered what happened last time he tried to mind control Falco into submission. "In the short of it, I want to use Rosenquartz to program your souls to remember this night the next time we all reincarnate."
Blank stares met Bavaros' idea. Falco couldn't blame the rest of the squad, this all sounded ridiculous. Unless, of course, the world was about to end. Falco could have assumed the old Telepath might have finally lost it, but there was something in the air that smelled important.
YOU ARE READING
Looking Glass (Darkest Secrets Volume 2)
Science FictionFalco never had an easy life - and he's the fastest human alive. After stealing, hiding, and all-around scoundrel-ing his way through the world, he'd finally found his way out of the seedy underground of Vigilantes and onto the proper track of a Sen...
