Hello Mr. Robinson Pt. 09

Windsword Manor appeared and damn it was impressive. It was surrounded by a twenty foot wall of diorite. I did a quick check and found that diorite had a rating of seven on the mohs scale which placed it close to adamant and diamond. The wall and house were centuries old so how the hell did they fashion a wall and house out of this stuff? The wall was polished to a glasslike surface and the man hours required must have been massive. They had weathered the years very well and if I were Jon I'd be quite proud of his ancestral home. We reached the circle drive and parked out front of the house. Cindy handed me my cane and I walked under my own power. The oaken door opened with Jon and his family greeting us. The spike of emotional energy took me by surprise as I looked over my shoulder at Rhea. She was frozen in her tracks as was Jon Masters.

"Morrigan..." Jon muttered.

"Jason... I suppose its Jon now," she said smiling even as the color drained from her face.

I felt a pang of jealousy as I picked up on the ever growing intensity between them. I was suddenly trapped and I couldn't breathe. A part of me wanted to simply disappear while another wanted to turn back and get in the car. My pain must have shaken her out of the reverie. Rhea looked at me and saw the tears I was blinking away. Cindy was as paralyzed as I was. She didn't know how to react to such an intense reunion. Jon invited us in and kept his distance from Rhea. He made no move either physically or emotionally towards her. He shut down his mind completely which alone told me that Jon was no normal human being. He was a well-trained psychic and Rhea knew him intimately well. I was tempted to seek out lodgings elsewhere but with the revelation of the Blink technology London was full up at every hotel, hostel and boarding house. I could make a road trip of this and tour the UK. I could manage on my own for a few days. As I made the plans mentally Rhea touched my hand and god help me I mentally flinched.

"I didn't know Greg," she whispered.

"I know. I feel out of place. Listen, I am going to change plans..."

"Greg..." she replied her voice cracking. "It was a very long time ago."

"Time may have passed but I can feel that there is a connection that is... I have to go. I can't stay here. Cindy, help Rhea with her bags. If you want to stay I'll understand."

"Dad... I will go with you. Rhea..." Cindy said and I felt the conflict rising up like an emotional tidal wave. "I see."

Three minutes later Cindy was behind the wheel and I was watching Windsword Manor and Rhea disappearing in the rearview mirror. I was silent as we drove northward towards Scotland. I was able to pull some strings and land a nice hotel suite in Glasgow. Once that was settled the emotional pit yawned inside and I wept as the car headed towards the highlands. Cindy tried several times to start a conversation but failed. I was emotionally shutting down. Who was this Jon Masters? How the hell did he know Rhea? She had said it had been a very long time ago and for her that must mean centuries at least. How long had they been lovers? If he was immortal then... gods she was gone. I couldn't stand up against that kind of connection and I shouldn't. She needed someone to spend time with that could endure as she endured. It hurt so much. She had become such an integral part of my existence. I never thought that a time would come when she might choose someone else. I wasn't going to be selfish. I had been that since the girls had taken a fancy to me. I had chosen to take so much from so many.

"No more," I said wiping the tears from my eyes.

"No more what," Cindy asked.

"I have been so damn selfish. I won't go on like that." I told her. "I have to let go. It isn't fair for me to continue on like this."

"What the hell are you talking about dad?"

"All the women... your friends... you... I was being so damn selfish. I..."

"Men are so stupid," Cindy growled. "You are so damn smart about a lot of things but you don't understand a damn thing about women. Do you really think she's going to abandon you? She will talk to him but my guess is she'll charter a plane to Glasgow. I bet she beats us there."

"But I felt..." I began and Cindy shook her head. "She was stunned and I went and did something stupid again."

"It was perfectly natural dad. You need to understand that she has the same desires you have. She shares you and this may be a time when you need to share her. I can tell you this. Rhea or Morrigan or whatever name she uses is dedicated to you. It doesn't take a genius to see that. Be patient and look at this is a time to heal up and do some site seeing."

She was right of course. Rhea had seen all manner of young ladies parade in and out of my life. The least I could do was to give her the time and space she needed. The memory hit me so hard it felt like a physical blow. I blacked out from the strain upon my already fragile body. The pain relented and consciousness returned if reluctantly. I lay on a soft surface which yielded scents of earth, flowers and the falling rain. I was in a fetal position as I slowly unfolded my body so that I could slowly sit up. I feared I was still too weak to stand on my own. I pushed my hair from my face and looked around me. I recognized the trees instantly but they were far larger and far older than those I had seen in the Seer's Grove. The grass that I sat upon was crimson with tips of violet. I ran my fingers through the lawn and I discovered there was no weakness or pain in my movements.

"They tell me you are called Voidsinger," I voice said behind me.

"I wear that name," I said as I looked at the speaker. "Who are you?"

"That question is far more difficult than you might imagine. You could call me Memory. You are dying Voidsinger. That body of yours is failing you and that is why I am here."

Memory was a tall muscular J'Nai. He wore sapphire and gold with an ancient longsword on his right hip. His eyes were bright and narrowed as he mentally sized me up. When I say mentally I mean he literally scanned my mind with great acuity and patience. I endured his probe and when he finished his smile was grim but held some promise of success.

"I guess the treatment Nick used has failed me." I replied feeling a loss of all those things unfinished. "I wanted to accomplish so much more."

"Ah, that is a sentiment shared by trillions," Memory said smiling. "You can continue that is why I am here. Your body is poorly designed so that your ability to repair damage is insufficient to the task. I can help you but you must ask."

"I am not J'Nai and well I guess I'm not even human any longer. I am not sure what I am or even who I am."

"You require time to discover those things. Ask and I will show you a secret. Ask and you can live long enough to find out your answers."

"I... please help me..." I asked feeling the fear of dying fade into nothing.

The tall J'Nai named Memory stuck out his hand and helped me to my feet. A new strength welled up in me. The perpetual dizziness fled and I took in a deep lungful of air. I exhaled slowly and smiled back at Memory. He or was it she? Memory's sex was difficult to adequately determine. The word androgynous came to mind and it fit Memory to perfection. There were features that were sharp and angled at one moment and then soft and rounded a moment later. The loose fitting garb hid any hint of breasts or hips and so I remained clueless. Memory let go of my hand and traced a fiery triangle in the air.

"It is time to establish a tiered consciousness Voidsinger. You will be told what it is and we will establish it in full. It will allow you to govern your body from the cellular level to the most profound concepts of intervention. The pyramid will be your guide. At the lowest level your microscopic machines will heed your call. Above that will be the governors that direct portions of your nanites' functionality. Just above the governors is another layer of control that directs the autonomic nervous system. It goes steadily upward until it reached your conscious mind. When you are injured you can reach down through the management of your body of ever precise machines and control the healing process. That is what we call tiered consciousness. I have altered your body so that it now functions in this capacity. You can now work directly to save your own life."

"Thank you this was explained to me before but why me why interfere in my life?"

"A single decision can dictate cosmic events. You have memories of events that have yet to become reality. Imagine the power you possess. You can shape the destiny of billions. I suppose that is why."

"I was asked to save one man's soul. Now you tell me I could save a billion lives."

I pushed away my emotions and focused on healing my broken body. I dove deep into the digital ether and called on the entire swarm of nanites scattered throughout my body. It was almost too much but I managed to gather them under my control. I gave them their orders and set them loose. I took a small number and reprogrammed them so that they could coordinate the others. I built the second layer of command and had them watch over the first layer. I continued this effort until I had seven full layers of control. It allowed me to increase the number of base nanites by three fold. I let them do their job and tried to gain access to the key memories mentioned by the other. It was apparent that healing my body was going to be easier than finding the strings that needed pulling. It was like finding the proverbial needle in the haystack.

"How the hell am I supposed to find you?" I muttered to myself.

"You have but to ask." A voice replied.

"I don't understand."

"We are ready to help," the voice returned but this time echoed in the thousands.

"Nanites... are you the nanites in my brain?"

"We are Sir. All you have to do is ask."

"I need your help."

The microscopic machines formed themselves into ranks. It was as if they had been waiting for this moment. It took them less than a heartbeat to form up and begin the task. The task of finding the key memories I would need to take advantage of. Once more I was bombarded by images, sounds and all manner of sensory overload. But then just as a scream was about to escape my throat it slowed and finally came to a halt. There was the occasional flash of insight but even that fell silent after a time. I was catching my breath when a few nanites asked for my attention. These messages came in the form of text messages and it appeared that every aspect of my body and mind were now carefully organized and waiting for my orders. I created a kind of chat room and took in their council. I learned from them that instead of reacting as I suffered injuries my body would be run in a more proactive manner. They told me that I would be in peak physical shape in no time at all. The nanites that were in charge of my mind estimated it would be three standard hours before they were finished analyzing my memories. It was like some program running in the background that you rarely see.

I opened my eyes and Cindy was holding me tightly. I looked around and we were parked on the side of the road. Cindy was crying and calling out my name. I wrapped my arms around her and she fell silent. I touched her thoughts and told her I was going to be just fine. The relief radiated from her like a solar flare. I was almost burnt by her raw emotions.

"What happened?" I asked and she told all.

"You drifted off and I thought you were asleep at first but then you started having convulsions. I pulled over and called for an ambulance. It was maybe a minute later when your hand settled on mine and I heard that terrible voice. It was in my head but it didn't sound like you at all. It was like a swarm of angry bees. The voice told me that you were going to be alright. I cancelled the ambulance and held onto you. It seemed like forever but here you are. You look better than you have in weeks. I thought you were going to die."

I held her as another round of tears took hold. I shifted my seat and felt a portion of my former strength returned. The chronic pain that had followed me for so long was gone. I still ached but that was a far cry from the stabbing pain and the agony I felt when I rolled over or shifted too quickly. I was still holding my daughter when the flashing blue lights appeared behind us. I turned my head to see that it was a police cruiser. The officer stepped out and approached the driver's side of our car. She bent over and peered inside.

"Did you call for medical help? Is she alright?"

"She's fine," I replied. "She called for me."

"Wait... I know you! You're that fella that I saw on the tellie and you... she was pushing your wheelchair. I got a report that an ambulance was called for and then cancelled. Are you alright? Can I be of help?"

"We are fine. I had a little episode but I am feeling fine now officer."

"Do you need a police escort? Where are you heading?"

"We were heading for Glasgow. I had a bit of a falling out back in London. She needed some space so here I am."

"If I can be of any help here's my card."

"Thanks again officer... Jenny. Do you mind if I call you Jenny?"

She blushed furiously and nodded. The officer stood up and was heading back to her car when I heard the rhythmic sound of helicopter rotors. Cindy got out of the car and looked up. She stuck her head in the car and she mouthed the words, 'It's her.' She meant Rhea of course. Who else would arrive by helicopter to hunt me down? The police officer directed the aircraft to a safe landing area. There was just enough room between either side of the highway for it to set down. Rhea stepped out stooped over until she was clear. The helicopter's rotors picked up speed once more and lifted off. Cindy and Rhea hugged while the cop looked on. Cindy remained outside while Rhea sat in the driver's seat. Her color was pale and her eyes showed signs of tears.

"I didn't know..." she said as she wept again. "I would never..."

I kissed her. Our minds linked on a new level of intimacy. I apologized even as she tried to do the same thing. I calmed her and she listened to me. I told her how much I loved her but if she needed or wanted the company of another man I was okay with it. I wasn't thrilled but I understood. Her thoughts were quite clear on the matter. There had been and would be other men in her life but none of them held any emotional meaning to her. She was right of course. Of all the women I had taken to my bed Rhea was the only one I actually loved. I cared about the others but caring and love are very different. The only one that came close was Cindy but she was different. One of the back doors opened and Cindy slid into her seat. Rhea broke our kiss, put the car in drive and turned us back towards London. We even had a police escort for most of the trip back. We arrived at Windsword Manor right at dusk. I was able to leave the car under my own power. The nanites were doing their work and more efficiently now. While I had to lean on my daughter's shoulder I could walk inside.

"Welcome to Windsword," Jon Masters said greeting us. "Have we met before?"

"I know what you mean. I have this intense sense of déjà vu."

"I have set aside a seat by the hearth for my new friends."

I sat down with a sound that was a mix of a heavy sigh and a whimper of surrender. Two charming ladies served us food and drinks and I thought for a moment that I was seeing things but the pair was in fact identical twins. They were Carol and Colleen Masters and we were their guests. The twins were Jon's younger sisters. Jon pulled up a chair and sat opposite of me while his sisters hovered nearby. If they were in fact his siblings how could he possibly be centuries old? Jon asked the sisters to take care of Cindy and Rhea. The four of them left for a tour of the mansion and perhaps enough time to get to know each other better. Jon and I stared at each other in that awkward silence before he got up and opened a bottle of twenty-year-old scotch. He served it and we went back and forth asking and answering questions. There seemed to be an unspoken agreement to hold nothing back, so we didn't. I learned what had happened in those twenty-four hours he had been missing and I shared my dealing with a ten-thousand-year-old A.I. After what felt like a marathon session of unburdening ourselves we both fell silent to process everything that we had learned.

"Whoa..." I muttered breaking the silence. "I thought ten thousand years was a long time."

"I admire you." Jon replied. "Everything that I have experienced has been my own decisions. You have taken on another man's life. Yet here you sit intact."

"Have you had any contact with the J'Nai?"

"Yes. I have spent many years off world and seen their rise and fall." He said his voice soft and distant. "They were a great people once. I saw their impact on the entire galaxy. While they rarely directly intervened in events a word from them was enough to direct the path of entire races. When they fell, a darkness seemed to manifest and signaled a time of conflict and chaos. It took centuries for some of the older races to reestablish order."

"What is it like? I mean, how did you get out there in the first place?"

"Can you walk?" He asked and I nodded. "Good, follow me."

I got to my feet and he handed me my cane. Jon guided me out of the main chamber and down a hallway. He produced a key as we approached a stout oaken door. He tested the knob and found it locked. He unlocked the door and we took the stairs down to the basement. I learned later that the proper term for this lower floor was dungeon. Once we reached the bottom of the stairs we took a fairly direct route to a private lab. A second iron bound door barred our way to Jon's work room. He unlocked it and let me walk in first. I felt the energy in the air after only a few steps. I was drawn to some sort of pattern burned into the stone floor. The soot and scorch marks made it difficult to identify. I approached it and I felt the hairs on the back of my neck raise.

"What in the hell?" I muttered as I got closer. "No way, this is some kind of J'Nai power circle. Did you make this?"

"No, a friend of mine fashioned it and it is the reason for my disappearance." Jon said his voice low and unsettled. "Can you decipher the runes?"

"It is the most complex runic design I have ever seen or should I say that Steve remembers."

I walked around it slowly. Calling it a circle was more about its function than its appearance. There were several clusters of runes connected by mystical conduits. I found the primary runes and could decipher its function after that. It was temporal magic that allowed the user to speed up or slow down their own personal flow of time. Anyone that was uninitiated could find themselves catapulted forward or backward along their time line. In Jon's case, he was thrust hundreds of millions of years in his past. If not for the intervention of benevolent beings he would have died long before the human race ever evolved. While his words had struck a certain chord in me, this jammed the horrific image of being alone on a primitive world without any hope of survival or a way back. I don't know if I could survive something like that.

"It is a J'Nai tool for slowing down or speeding up time for the person at the center of the design. You know what happened when the uninitiated stumbled upon it."

"Yes... can you disable it? I don't want anyone else suffering as I have."

"I can try."

I tapped into my memories. They were mine now and I had to own up to how I used them. I was able to kneel down without falling. I placed my hand over the heart rune of the design and drew the entire structure into my being. The rush of power drove the lingering pain and fatigue from me in an instant. I closed my eyes as my mind and the runic structure became one. I saw a blinding radiance behind my eyelids during those few crucial heartbeats. The light dimmed and I felt strength in my limbs once more. I got to my feet and my body felt light and healthy. I opened my eyes and looked at Jon. He seemed pleased with not only with my success but with my restoration.