Complications

Puzzling

Clessa rose her eyebrows.
"How did he know I was going to die? He cried....for so long."
"I'm not sure."
Clessa, unable to process what was happening, escaped to her mind.
Oh! Drama.
Shut it.
Why?
The Professor would never do something like that.
All the evidence points to him.
So?
So..he's guilty.
Are you sure?
Positive. When have I ever been wrong?
Clessa, now letting he thoughts go, turned back to Xander. She strongly decided to talk to him again.
"Where is he?"
"How should I know?"
Clessa, with a frown across her face, briskly walked to the back of the house.
"OI! SPACE MAN!"
Clessa walked into a small, faded yellow laundry room.
"We need to talk."
Clessa grabbed the Professor's arm, and led him back to the room where Xander was standing.
"What do you need?"
"You know exactly what I need."
The Professor raised an eyebrow.
"Umm..."
Xander jumped in for Clessa.
"Plutonik Ashes. Placed in a fake broccoli called Gateway. Gave Clessa the power for her mom to resurrect her. Sound familiar?"
The Professor looked awestruck.
"You can create Plutonik Ashes?"
"Don't act innocent. You must have been the man who placed the fake broccoli in the quaint little grocery store in the first place, knowing I would have died. All of the evidence points to you."
The Professor was at a loss for words.
"I...never....what?"
"My body has been producing Plutonik Ashes over the years, leading up to this day, so I would not die. You have Ben watching me, so it would have been easy to get the flower from gryp-whatever and pretend it was broccoli. And do you want to know something, ET? I'm not okay with it."
Clessa stepped closer to the Professor, anger showing all over.
"I never did that."
"Really?"
"Really."
Clessa stepped away.
"Just tell me the truth!"
"I am! I'll even go grab a lie detector out of the Machine to prove it."
"Go with him Xander."
Xander nodded and went out with the Professor.
"You have to believe me Zandy!"
"I don't really."
"Please. You know I would never do that."
Xander flared his nostrils, feeling defeated by the Professor.
"How did you know my nickname was Zandy?"
"Giselle."
"Stay away from her."
"Why? We were sharing stain removal tips when Cless interrupted me."
"Call her Clessa."
The Professor unlocked the Machine, ran in, and came out with a giant silver box. Wires were hanging down from it.
"Now, I know you know that this is an authentic lie detector."
Xander nodded, and took the box from the Professor.
"Let's get back inside."
The two walked in silence back to the house. Clessa was sitting, impatiently on the couch, holding her elbows.
"Is it a true lie detector?"
"Yes."
Clessa sat, expectantly.
"Hook it up then!"
The Professor sat the box on the glass table. The screen flashed on.
"Lie detector ready," said a robotic voice from the gray box.
"Please place your hand on the green button."
The Professor did as it said.
"Please say what you have been accused for lying about."
"I, the Professor, have been accused of placing the plant from Gryptok as a fake broccoli in the grocery store to make Plutonik Ashes grow inside of her."
"Ha ha. That sounds stupid," said the robot.
"I thought you said this thing worked," said Clessa.
"It does, I just got bored with the robot."
"You, Professor, are not lying," said the robot.
"See?"
"How do we know that you did not rig it or something?"
"Test it out."
Clessa stood up, and walked over to the detector.
"Place your hand on the green button."
Clessa did so.
"Say something into the mic."
"I, Clessa Fairway, eat grasshoppers."
"Liar."
"See, legit enough."
"But...if it wasn't you...then who would know I was going to die?"
The Professor shrugged his shoulders.
"Who else can travel in time? Do you know anyone else?"
The Professor gave a faraway look.
"No...it can't be. He died...."
"Who died," asked Clessa slowly.
"He died...I...killed him."
The Professor sat down, and put his hands onto his face.
"Who died?"
The Professor looked up, leaned back, and sighed.
"A man I met...a long...well...I met him in 17th century England. I had gotten a call from the queen, reporting a man who kept coming and going, stealing items. A man met me, and the queen said he could help me. The man was kind. He had lofty, black hair, and grey eyes. He was an older man...but a bit not that old. The man led me to local sightings, and was very helpful. Then I found out he was the man. He would walk around, and soon instead of robbing, he was trying to gain power and allies in the city to form an army. The army was going to try and take over the earth. Of course, his plan was far fetched, so every time, he failed. But, this man would go back in time, and try again. And every single time, his army grew larger. The queen saw him as a threat. She gave me a hand pistol to kill the man. I did.....and his last words were 'when I come back...I will form an immortal weapon...so you could never stop me.' Of course, those weren't his actually words...but I think now, the broccoli has made you a sort of immortal weapon."
"What's his name?"
"Kent. Kent Tally."
The Professor stood up, and started pacing back and forth.
"I think I just figured out all of our issues."
Clessa and Xander both walked over to the Professor.
"What do you mean," asked Xander.
He just figured out all of our problems!
I could have told you.
Sure.
It's true!
But now...will he figure out us?
You mean you?
Us. We are two now.
What?
Forever. You are me, and I am you. I can affect your decisions.
But I'm Clessa.
No, we are Clessa.
Clessa snapped back into the Professor's conversation.
"So... think...if you had an immortal weapon....would you want anyone to use it besides you?"
Clessa and Xander shook their heads.
"Exactly. So, I think he gave you enough enough to make you immortal but he has a plan to drain you out...in time to kill you."
"So you are saying-," Clessa was cut off.
"Camilla is not the only person needing you to take over the world. Kent was the one who put on the Geranium Code so no one else could use your powers of immortality. He is planning to use Plutonik Ashes' rumored power to take over the world, and then get rid of the weapon."
"But, he put on the Geranium Code yesterday. So his plans will be one day ahead."
"Yes, but you are missing the point," said the Professor.
"What's the point?"
"Camilla also needs you to take over the world. So, there is two people competing for you, for two different reasons. They are both very mad, and could turn on each other, and then get ruthless."
"So?"
"So, you have twice a chance of dying now."
"Ok...explain this so I can understand," said Clessa.
"I'm saying, you have a ninety nine percent of dying within the next two days."
"I thought I had eight!"
"Get your sister, Xander, we are locking down."
"Now?"
"Now. Everyone in this house or that is with Clessa is in danger."