C h a p t e r X V I I

T r y A g a i n . . . S l o w e r

“Of all the things you guys did, perhaps the greatest were those not yet done. Perhaps the things to come were influenced by present events, maybe not. We can never truly know if this wasn’t all pre-ordained. But by that same token, perhaps those were the worst things you guys did too. It was a bittersweet consequence.”

Standing among the jungles of Central America, Kaitlin and Richard listened as the scientist finished his story. Now, more than ever, their purpose was clear. Everything was coming together, and all that was once shrouded in mystery was finally coming together.

“But…why share this with us?” Kaitlin asked.

“Yeah, this seems like a violation of time. Future events aren’t supposed to be known.” Richard said.

“Because,” the scientist began, “when all is done here, hopefully a complete reversal of your choices will cause all to be restored. All that was not meant to be, will be forgotten.”

“Hopefully?” Kaitlin asked sarcastically.

“Isn’t that all we ever had? Hope?”

Richard pondered over this. “It’s just that if you guys could do something so massive with time, I would hope for a more reassuring answer. After all, look where we are! We’re in the middle of Nephite times! And not just that, but during the war chapters of Alma!”

The scientist smiled. “Well, you two and the others have first hand seen what happens when you mess with time.”

“We didn’t choose to come back here.” Kaitlin added in.

The scientist nodded. “And for that, you won’t stand accountable. I fear that my colleagues and I will share the blame for this one.”

Richard shrugged. “If what you say is true, then we all took part in this overall mess.”

“What’ll we do about the others?” Kaitlin asked. “How will we bring them back?”

The scientist pulled out his remote, and flipped on the screen. “We’re pretty sure where Jon is. I’ve been monitoring his progress for awhile now, and we can retrieve him first. Brian and Kenzi on the other hand are in much more serious trouble.”

“Why? Where are they?” Richard asked.

“There is no time to discuss their present fates now. We have work to do, and must act quickly…”

There was a slight charging sound from his remote, like the build up of energy. Kaitlin and Richard stepped closer, and he pushed the button. There was a flash of bright light, and the three disappeared.


*     *


It was night, and the usual bright orange clouds that filled the apocalyptic sky were now a dark bluish haze. There were no stars, just the reflected light from the cataclysmic fires below. The city was quiet, and all that lay around it was silent. There was no indication of any life, but it was there.

Huddled in the back of an alley, Kenzi and Aero had covered themselves with newspapers, and were trying to get some sleep. After the events at the gulley, Kenzi had at first abandoned the ring, fearing what power or destruction it could bring to them. But curiosity got the better of her, and she returned it to her finger. The fiery force she had witnessed earlier would not display itself again as she could not will it to life. Whatever had happened before would not happen now. So it remained silent, much like the rest of their surroundings.

Fearing that she would run into more creeps like the ones encountered before, she and Aero journeyed back into the city where they had previously seen absolutely no life in any form. This alley ran behind several brick structures that might have once been local business. Now all that remained were the charred brick walls that still stood, providing surprising well shelter.

Kenzi snuggled closer to Aero’s warm fur, and shivered. Suddenly a feeling of terror ran through her body. She could sense something…or someone. She didn’t know how, but it was as if she could feel another person’s presence bearing in on her. Her eyes shot open, and a shadow loomed overhead.

She bolted upright, awakening Aero. Aero looked up too, and began growling. The figure was standing only a few feet away, but was too shrouded in darkness for Kenzi to make out any facial details. Who ever they were stood tall; a few inches shy of six feet. They had shoulder length hair, and the figure looked feminine in nature. Then she heard the voice.

“McKenzi, I’ve been waiting, and now you’re here…” It was the exact same voice before, but now it was clear. There was no echo, there was no electricity. It was clear, and sounded familiar.

“Who…who are you?” Kenzi stuttered.

The figure chuckled. “I am a monument to your alter achievements. I am the very thing you could never become. I am the chance you had at succeeding in that which you thought impossible… I am your posterity…” The figure stepped forward in to the light, and Kenzi gasped. “I am your destiny…”

The person was indeed a female and had almost the exact same facial features as Kenzi. She was a mirror image, except for the height. Who ever this was was much taller than Kenzi. It was then that Kenzi also noticed she had sharp, blood red hair. It was like looking into her alter ego.

Kenzi stared wide-eyed, as the Other-Kenzi chuckled again. “Cat got your tongue?” Aero had stopped growling, and was looking intently at this new person.

“What?” Kenzi said, almost in shock.

“As I said before; I am your posterity. Great-grandchild to be exact.”

Kenzi was still too in shock, but rationality began to return. “You…you brought me here?!”

“No easy feat, trust me. It cost me quite a bit of energy. But I figure it was worth it.” She reached down, and began petting Aero.

“Why? Why did you bring me here? To watch the end of the world with somebody?!”

Other-Kenzi stopped petting Aero, and looked up at Kenzi. “I should think that you would know that this isn’t the end… No, this is just the beginning. This is just another worthless city being demolished for a greater purpose.”

“Wait a minute; are you suggesting that you destroyed this city?”

“And not just this one, but countless others in its place. All is readied.”

“All is readied? What are you talking about?!”

Other-Kenzi smiled evilly. “Domination…”

Kenzi's mouth dropper open, and her eyes grew wide.

“Don’t lie to me. I know what you secretly dream of. Ever since you and your friends discovered how to use that time-remote, those same thoughts have been crossing your mind…power, and lots of it. But you couldn’t do it. You were too weak! You were too afraid of the consequences!”

Kenzi stood up, and backed away from the wall, fists clenched. Aero remained seated by the Other-Kenzi. “Screw that! Do what you want, but I don't want anything to do with it!”

Other-Kenzi stood up, but looked upon her with distaste. “Look at yourself! You would deny yourself the one thing you sought?! After all the temptation, you would say no? Well take a good look around you! I’ve already done it!” She raised her arms up, motioning to the ruins lying around her.

“You can have your world and your apocalypse, but send me back!”

Other-Kenzi looked on at her for a moment, and then spit at the ground in front of Kenzi’s feet. “I ashamed to have your blood in my veins. When you are ready to face the truth, I’ll be waiting…”

The Other-Kenzi turned to leave, and pat Aero on the head. Aero stood up, and began to follow.

“Aero, wait…!” Kenzi called out.

Other-Kenzi stopped, and turned back to face her one last time. “I will give you one warning before you choose. There was a prophecy given some time ago foretelling of these events. It is after your time, so don’t go looking for it. Let me tell you it: The two Lamanites shall unite, and for a season there shall be war. But on the eve of destruction, the two will gather, and bring back that what once was lost…”

She then reached in her pocket, pulled out something, and tossed it to Kenzi. Kenzi caught it, and to her horror realized it was a gun. It was a pistol model that looked somewhat futuristic, but a basic gun nonetheless.

“One of your friends is a Lamanite, is he not? When the time comes, you must decide whether or not you really know what side he stands on…” She winked, and continued to walk away, Aero still following.

“Aren’t you going to send me back?” Kenzi yelled.

Other-Kenzi spoke as she disappeared into the darkness. “Although I brought you to this world, I will not be the one responsible for putting you back. The time for your decision is near, though, and your return will mark your fate…”

The two silhouettes faded from shadow to nothing. And there Kenzi stood, feeling more alone than ever before, separated by time, space, and an unknown fate. She collapsed on the ground, and began to cry silently.


*     *


There was a bright flash of light, and Kaitlin, Richard, and the scientist came into being. A quick look around revealed a barren landscape, and a giant structure made of wood. Richard did a double take on the giant structure, and gasped.

“Don’t tell me that’s Noah’s Ark…”

The scientist nodded. “Yep, that’s it all right. We’re about two months after the great flood. This isn’t quite where our scanners picked him up, but Jon has to be somewhere nearby.”

As he spoke, the clouds above parted, and a beam of light descended next to the ark. The three quickly jogged over, and stopped next to where the beam of light had rested. The light briefly grew in intensity, but when it cleared they could see Jon’s figure standing where there had previously been nothing.

“Man, that is one really weird elevator…” Jon’s eyes suddenly went wide when he realized who he was looking at. “What the heck are you guys doing here?!”

“We’ve come to get you!” Kaitlin finally got a good look at Jon. “Jon…what happened. You look older.”

The figure before them had grown what appeared to be an extra inch, his black hair had become much longer, and he looked to be about two years older.

“Never mind that now.” Richard cut in. “We have an emergency. You might want to sit down before we begin explaining…”

fin


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