A Forgotten Power

Chapter 09: Contingency

"How much is it going to cost to save the world?" Jaz questioned softly. "How high is the death toll going to get?"

"I don't know," Alexis admitted. "I am certain of one thing, extinction is the other option, so anything less has to be better."

"We didn't cause the end of humanity," Jaz insisted. "In reshaping history, you'll actually have to kill people. How many can you have on your conscience? I'm not sure I want any on mine. Somewhere there has to be a middle ground between our time and conquest of this one."

"If there is such a way, I don't see it," Alexis replied. "I was hoping you would be with me on this, but I took a precaution in case you weren't."

Jaz took a step back as Alexis removed a piece of carved bone from her pocket.

"What are you doing?" Jaz asked quickly, holding up a hand defensively.

"I'm doing what I must," Alexis answered, a tear in her eye. She snapped the bone in half, and a green field of temporal energy wrapped around Jaz, suspending him in a single moment. Alexis placed a hand against the cylinder of energy encasing her friend, feeling a buzzing, electrical sensation in her fingertips. "I can't let anyone or anything stand in the way. I'm sorry Jaz. I hope you'll be able to forgive me. Even if you don't, I hope you realize it was necessary."

Alexis stepped over to the computer and accessed the flight controls for the examination room, setting down in a clearing close to a number of human life signs. She etched a few bones with the proper symbols in case the locals proved hostile. With a final look toward Jaz, and a deep breath, Alexis opened the door and stepped outside.

***

The energy field encompassing Jaz dropped, and he looked around in confusion as everything had changed since he'd seen it last. The examination room was powered down and dark. Bones etched with symbols hung from the walls or were spread on the floor in complex patterns.

"Welcome back," Alexis said from the nearby doorway.

Jaz looked in the direction of her voice, but his eyes narrowed when he saw her for although her face was the same, she was very different than he remembered. Her platinum blonde hair seemed paler, almost stark white. A flexible suit of black, highlighted with a circuit pattern of silver threads, covered her from the neck down. Bones, cut to fit and etched with symbols and ornate patterns, adorned the outfit in a skeletal arrangement. Finger bones resided on the tops of her gloves and ribs hung across her torso. Arm and leg bones had been sliced in half in order to put one half on either side of the appropriate limb.

"What's with the ghoulish outfit?" Jaz questioned.

"Many years have passed," Alexis answered. Her manner was cold and formal. No smile marked her face or disturbed her glacial expression. "Due to certain problems during those years, it was necessary to accumulate a few bones for contingency purposes. Each one fulfills a function. Some regenerate my cells to accelerate healing and make me immune to aging, others are a form of arsenal with fire and lightning powers at the ready, and a few hold time controlling abilities. No matter what happens, I'm prepared to face it instantly."

"Immune to aging?" Jaz repeated. "How long has it been?"

"Ten thousand years," she replied.

"You sent me forward ten millennia?" Jaz demanded.

"No," Alexis denied, her voice soft and measured. "I held you in stasis for that long. You wouldn't listen to me, and I couldn't allow you to interfere. It seemed a better option than killing you, but, I promise you, that option is still on the table."

Jaz swallowed hard.

"What have you been up to?" he asked, desperately wanting to change the subject.

"Much," she answered simply. As she turned to leave, she said over her shoulder, "Follow me."

Jaz hurried to keep up with her long stride. When he left the room, the first thing he noticed were the two massive robots that detached themselves from alcoves in the walls and followed a step behind Alexis, flanking her on either side. Their positions put them ominously close to Jaz, making him feel very small and vulnerable. The robots were smooth, glossy black, and their slender forms looked built for high speed pursuit. Sharp, claw-like fingers and what appeared to be laser ports on their forearms showed their combat abilities. Their faces were metal skulls with glowing white optics in their eye sockets.

"Before you ask, the robots were built to protect me," Alexis said without looking back. "Even with my powerful abilities, the number of people on the planet soon became too much for even me to control, so I built them. They guard me and the palace."

The hallways were well-lit but still dark as every surface was made of black metal. Carvings of skulls were everywhere, grinning at some private joke while their hollow eye sockets watched any passersby. Pillars held up arched ceilings, but the massive columns were shaped like giant bones as if the entire structure had been built from the remains of everything that had ever lived upon the Earth.

The décor, along with the cool and still air, was making Jaz feel like he was exploring a hunted crypt, and he desperately wanted to leave.