Ashlyn Chronicles 2: 2288 A.D.: A Time Travel Sci-Fi Fantasy (19 page)

The mutants knelt, humbled by the power of the god who stood atop their temple, the Teotihuacan, Pyramid of the Sun.

Ashlyn then spoke to the gathered mutants in a powerful, ethereal, godlike voice that was not her own. It boomed throughout the city, resonating into the hearts of all who listened. “We damn all your impure, human souls! You are an abomination, unworthy of the Anunnaki blood within you!”

The air crackled as Ash erected a solid ring of lightning, seven miles in diameter. It encompassed all the structures within the park, trapping near a hundred thousand mutants.

Ashlyn slowly moved her hands together, collapsing the massive ring.

When the mutants saw what was happening, they scattered—seeking shelter within the monolithic structures. Little did they know, that the interconnected web of lightning existed on a plane which they could not comprehend, allowing it to pass through the walls of cement, steel, and stone. The power it held was beyond that of any natural, earthly lightning storm. It reached into every corner, every tunnel—killing everything it touched.

In the wake of the wave, the world beyond was set ablaze. The jungle of brush and vines reclaiming the great structures ignited, casting a fiery orange glow upon the closing wall.

The mutants backed up, retreating from the crackling ring of electricity as it approached. They congregated in the large square, around the base of the pyramid, huddling tighter and tighter as the circle grew smaller. When it reached the crowd, it branched out, linking them together as one. Their shrieks of terror were quickly silenced as the sustained effects of the lightning destroyed their brainstem, killing them. Their bodies sizzled as the moisture in their blood boiled and expanded, exploding their hands and feet—as did the super-heated air trapped in their lungs, explode their chests. The ground was red with blood, chunks of flesh, and splintered bone.

Reveling in the sight of so many dead littering the ground, the voices spoke, “We have the power of a god. We will become the bringer of death, the destroyer of worlds. Heaven will burn, Anu will die. We will live forever, conquering all who oppose us.”

The crackle of lightning stirring the air came to a stop as Ashlyn recalled it. Picking up the sheathed sword, lying by the alter, she slipped it over her head and started down the stairs. Possessed by the darkness, her black eyes gleamed with purpose. She had but one desire. To kill.

At the base of the stairs, the darkness reached out searching for the unclean humans. It found them to the southwest, deep below ground. She could smell the Anunnaki in them, their blood tainted by the impurity of their human genetics. Despising their adulteration, she looked forward to seeing them die.

Ashlyn hadn’t taken but a single step when a warm wind stirred around her. Riding upon the wind was a familiar voice. It was Anu.

“Ashlyn? I know that you can hear me. I know that you are confused and lost—but you must understand that the place you are in is not a true physical place. It is a void, a place that exists only in your mind. The darkness has forced you into it.”

Ashlyn tottered, her legs weak. Feeling faint, her head lowered and she put her hand to her forehead, steadying herself. She regained her composure. “You are too late,” said the multitude of haunting voices speaking through Ashlyn. “She belongs to us now. She gave herself freely—so that we might save the life of her unborn son. You have no hold on her. The woman she was no longer exists.”

“That’s not true,” said Anu. “You must listen to my words, Ashlyn. I know that you can hear me. You
can
escape.”

Controlled by the darkness within, an evil grin crossed Ashlyn’s face. “You are a fool, Anu—and we shall laugh when Enlil burns Heaven beneath your feet. We are the destroyer of worlds and we are legion.”

“Ashlyn, it’s important that you do not try to fight the darkness. That will only empower it. The void is making you forget who you are. To escape, you must focus upon your memories. Try to recall the most important moments in your life. You have the strength. I know it.”

Dismissively snubbing the voice of Anu, Ashlyn turned and stepped around the bodies at her feet, heading southwest, toward the humans.

The image of Anu coalesced in front of her, blocking her path. Though his appearance and style of clothing was the same, it was not the fifty-foot tall Anu she had seen on Olympus. Anu was now of normal, Anunnaki size.

“Go back to Heaven,” said Ashlyn as she stepped atop the body of a dead mutant and walked through the projected image of Anu. “Prepare your world to die.”

“Ashlyn, stop!” shouted Anu commandingly.

Ashlyn came to a stop and turned around to face him. “You waste our time, Anu. We now possess the one who has passed the trials. In doing so, we have claimed the right to summon whom we wish to the arena. We have her powers, and we will summon Enki—killing your beloved son for all the worlds to see. All who are loyal to you will die this day. When their bodies die, they will join us, making us even stronger. It will be your own sons who come to kill you. We will be Legion. It is our destiny.”

“Ashlyn, listen to my words, hear my voice. Over the course of millions of years, I have loved you. And in that time, I have been many people. You see me now as, Anu—but long ago, before them all, I was Steven—and I love you desperately.” Anu changed form, becoming Steven as she had seen him last, aboard Destiny. He was dressed in khaki’s and his black polo shirt.

When Ashlyn saw Steven, for a few brief seconds her black eyes changed back to normal and she was Ashlyn again. “Steven?” Her voice and eyes were soft and plaintive, begging for help.

A moment later, her eyes turned black again. Her face twisted, her teeth clenched. Inside Ashlyn, a battle raged as the darkness fought to retain control. The battle was not one of swords, but of the mind. The darkness had thrown her into a pit, a void that was cold, desolate and without dimension. It was an asphyxia of her mind, blocking her from accessing memories, or experiencing feelings of self-worth. Her identity was fading; slipping from her grasp with each passing second—time, the definitive enemy. The more pieces she lost of herself, the stronger the walls became, until there would eventually be nothing left of her but an empty shell.

From Ashlyn’s perspective, her mind interpreted the void’s walls of fear, dread, and despair as though it was a literal prison. And for as long as she continued to think of it as being solid, there could be no escape. The psychic battle between darkness and light raged.

“Ashlyn!” shouted Steven as he tried to help her tear down the walls. “You promised me that we would be together again. You asked me to trust you. And I did.

“Now, you need to trust me! The fate of both our worlds depends on it. I want you to remember all that we shared in the fugue. It brought us together, synching our auras. Our souls became one. Our bodies became one. If you die, I die. My life is yours, because I love you. You aren’t alone, you never have been. I’m here, waiting for you. Remember your love for me. You must come back to me so that we can fulfill our dreams—so that we can spend eternity together.”

Ashlyn heard his words. She grasped onto it with an intense ferocity, letting his love for her fill her heart. He’d reminded her of all they had, and all she would lose. Her love for Steven filled her with strength, helping her cast aside the darkness that had buried her.

Wavering unsteadily, Ashlyn dropped to her knees. Her head was down, her hands atop her belly, lovingly soothing the child inside her. When her head lifted and her eyes opened, she was herself once more.

“The darkness, it’s gone. I can’t feel it anymore,” said Ashlyn. Her mind was tired and fragile. She was visibly troubled, disturbed.

“Yes, it’s gone,” said Steven. He felt for her, knowing fully the nightmarish experience she’d endured. Though he was only an ethereal projection, he moved closer and knelt beside her, trying to comfort her. “It won’t return.”

“The place where I was at was so cold, so lonely. It felt like I was locked in there a lifetime. The desperation was—was like being in Hell,” said Ashlyn, her voice weak and quavering from the deep emotions stirring her.

“In a very real way, it was Hell. They sent you into the void, a place where time has no meaning. Moment by moment it steals the person you are away,” said Steven. “Even a moment in the void, can feel like years. It is why I warned you that no one who enters the nexus can return as the same person who entered. It changes you. Try to let go of it. Think of it as a nightmare from which you have awakened.”

Ashlyn put her hand out as though she could touch him. Her hand went through his. “I knew I couldn’t—but I miss you so much—I wanted to try. I miss your voice, your touch.”

“No more than I’ve missed yours, Ash. We are one, forever and always,” said Steven trying to comfort her shaken composure.

“Steven, where are you? I’ve tried to reach out to you so many times, but …” Ash shrugged her shoulders.

Steven smiled. “The Steven you see, is not the Steven you know. I am he, but from a far distant time in your future. Much has happened. A lot has changed.

“Your Steven will be returning to you shortly. You must not tell him of our meeting, or of his future. It’s too dangerous.”

“That damned paradox effect of yours just keeps biting me in the ass,” said Ashlyn.

“I can tell you now, that if you survive, that is not the only thing that will bite you in the ass,” said Steven with a smile.

“Talk of bitter wine? If I survive?” Ashlyn repeated back to him. “If you’re from my future, don’t you already know?”

Steven swallowed. “That is hard to explain. But to put it simply—yes, I am from your future, but the man I am now, is from the distant past.”

“Okay, Abbott—who’s on third?”

“No, who’s on first. I don’t know is on third,” responded Steven, playfully. “You still remember that?”

“Remember? How could I forget? You and Brooks had us in stitches back at the Academy mess hall with that Abbott and Costello routine,” said Ashlyn.

Steven smiled. “Those were good times. It seems like just yesterday.”

“It does seem like yesterday. Steven, when I came to you at Olympus, why didn’t you tell me then who you were?” asked Ashlyn.

“I wanted too, but I feared my support would weaken you. The trials are designed to strengthen you, preparing you for the arena,” answered Steven. “They must be faced alone, because once you enter the arena, I will not be able to help you.”

“But you did help me. I never would have escaped the darkness without you,” said Ashlyn. “Wasn’t that breaking the rules, weakening me?”

“No, the darkness is not part of the trials. The voices are the fallen enemies of the Anunnaki people, taking advantage of your vulnerability,” said Steven. “One’s enemies are always waiting for an advantage.”

“That’s why I sensed disappointment from you about my decision to come here. It was because of the darkness,” said Ashlyn. “You knew they were going to attack me?”

Steven nodded. “When the Council opened the nexus for you, I heard the voices. That’s when I knew they’d come for you.”

“You knew because—you’ve been in the void, you’ve seen the darkness,” stated Ashlyn.

“Yes, I’ve been in the void,” replied Steven. “I also witnessed what it did to Ja’kal. And like you said, it is like Hell. None of us will ever forget the memory of how it felt to exist in a place of such heartbreaking desolation.”

Even after all this time, such was the weight of Steven’s emotions, that Ashlyn could see him visibly shaking.

“The best we can do is to try and let go of it, putting it behind us,” added Steven. “You need to put your emotions aside before entering the arena—or you will fail. Your greatest test is still to come.”

“How did you escape from the void?” asked Ash.

“I too had help,” said Steven, giving her an insightful grin.

“From me?” asked Ash.

Steven nodded. “But that is all I can safely say.”

Ashlyn then asked a question she had been wanting answered, “Can you tell me what the arena is? What should I expect?”

“I knew that question was coming eventually,” said Steven. “It consists of two worlds. The first is unlike anything you’ve experienced. You won’t have the powers of the Transor. You will have only that which is natural to the Anunnaki, the ability to shift form.”

Steven’s face suddenly became strained. “I wish I could stay with you, but my time grows short. It is hard for me to maintain this connection,” said Steven.

“Did you forget to pay the phone bill?” quipped Ashlyn.

Steven laughed. “If only it were that easy.”

“Before you go, I need to tell you that—” Ashlyn looked around at all the death surrounding her. “I’ve done terrible things, Steven. I’ve killed so many innocent people.” Just saying the words broke Ashlyn’s heart.

“I know, Ash. But you don’t need my forgiveness, just understanding. You did what you had to. It was born of necessity and it was for the greater good. I too am not without guilt. No one who enters the nexus does so untainted.” Steven looked at Ashlyn, his face sullen.

“What is it?” asked Ashlyn. “What’s wrong?”

“I’m wondering why you haven’t asked me the most important question of all?” said Steven. “You’ve completed the trials, but I’m worried that you may not be ready.”