Hello Mr. Robinson Pt. 13

'Rhea Willowmist.' I whispered as I touched her mind.

She glared at me and we shared the burden between us. Her mind and features softened as I helped her through the grief. Rhea seized the moment to save my father's legacy.

"Soldiers attend me!" Rhea called out. "One last thing before the other forces arrive."

The mental assault was sudden and vicious. She wiped the memory of the teleportation from their minds. They blinked and looked around confused. Rhea smiled triumphantly knowing we were safe from government repercussions. The second wave of troops hit the plant and since Magnus knocked out any sort of communications, we waited patiently for them to clear the area and look for any stragglers. There were none. Magnus had swept them out of existence as the corpses were struck with the fog to make sure nothing sinister regenerated out of the ashes. There would be no dark phoenixes this day.

We sat in decontamination for twenty-four hours. Whatever the Thanaton had been doing to the reactor had exposed us to elevated levels of radiation. It wasn't lethal but better safe than sorry. My two constant thoughts were the loss of my father and what would Cronos do now that he was gone? Why didn't Cronos help? Wait. Wait!

"Hold the fuck on!" I growled as Rhea looked over and gave me a quizzical look. "He must have... somehow."

"Hope." Rhea replied. "It sustains us all. He smiled before he ordered the strike."

"If anyone could pull it off..."

"...it would be your father." Rhea completed the thought. "He once served the Phoenix King, wore his colors, and fought beside the greatest of my people. Why so down in the mouth St. Louis?"

"I... oh hell... it would be inappropriate to speak of the dead like that." She replied.

"Oh no! That is exactly the kind of thing he'd want to hear." Rhea giggled. "Give!"

"Fine! I feel like I missed out." She began and I knew what she was going to say. "The way you two played off each other and the way he looked at me. You know?"

"Oh yeah, I know." Rhea purred. "He has that effect on women."

"Add me to that list," Boston reluctantly muttered. "Now, I'll never know."

"Two," I said aloud. "You hear that you old bastard?! It is time to make that miraculous appearance!"

Nothing. Of course, nothing happened, he was dead. He knew the chances of his survival if he was within the confines of the area struck by Magnus. The A.I. council confirmed the death of my father's original body in their keeping. After a day in confinement and treated for radiation sickness we left the treatment area and found Winslow still under martial law. They wanted time to make sure this didn't resurface. Nick Shaw was a constant comfort to the people of the city. He offered his help to make sure as little of their lives was disrupted. He was waiting for me when I exited quarantine.

"Your dad was a hero." Nick said as he hugged me. "We read a strange energy signature while you were in the plant."

"Nick. No." I said, and he frowned.

"Your dad eh?" He asked with a smile.

"We won, that is all that matters." I fired back. "Drop it."

"What are you going to do?" He asked.

"I am going to help raise my little sister." I declared looking over at Rhea. "If..."

"She will need you now more than ever. But before we leave, I have a promise to fulfill." Rhea explained.

"Want company?" I asked.

With dad's death the secret service agents were recalled to Washington. Rhea managed to 'borrow' one of Nick's new repulsor ground effect vehicles. He couldn't call it a land speeder for obvious reasons, but basically it was one. We flipped a coin to see who drove and Rhea won. I suspected she cheated but there was no fun arguing with her. It was quiet, fast, and I wanted my turn behind the wheel. It was the ultimate off-road vehicle. We took off towards the edge of town where the ship was located. We were off to see the U.S.S. Eldridge with our own eyes. Rhea blasted tunes out of the epic quality speakers as not a ship, but an old Spanish era plantation house appeared on the horizon. It looked straight out of an old western movie. A house that the rich landowner would reside in and lord over the tenant farmers, ranchers, and the like. Its exterior was in good condition if a little sun kissed and faded.

I spotted movement near the front door. From this distance though it was more like a mirage than a clear perception. It was impossible to tell if it were a man or a woman. Rhea drove up the dusty drive of the big house and shut off the music just as Santana came up on the play list.

"Aw," A sultry southern voice called out. "I dated him for a few years you know."

"No shit," Rhea replied to the statuesque woman before us. The white cotton dress only made her tanned skin look even darker.

"Yeah, he was an amazing lover, a real monster." She purred. "So, she-elf what brings you to my humble abode? Are you a ghost hunter too?"

"The only ghost I know is a recently passed lover." Rhea replied her eyes narrowing at the woman.

"You look like you've looked around a few too many corners," the woman stated as she looked at me. "No, this isn't the only one."

"I didn't ask you a question." I replied to her strange statement. I was still trying to determine her age and that eluded me as much as the mirage did. One moment she might have been in her sixties and then she'd turn her head and decades tumbled off and she was in her twenties except her eyes. Those were ancient and ageless. "How long has the house been haunted?"

"Since it was built." She replied. "Soon. Well, come on in. I just brought in a jar of stardust tea. I have sugar and lemon."

We followed the willow thin woman into the house and there was a definite chill when I crossed the threshold. My skin crawled and I felt like I was about to be attacked. The interior was in much better shape than the outside. The antiques were many and arrayed in a pleasing fashion. A large pickle jar was on the kitchen counter and its contents must be the stardust tea she mentioned.

"You came to see the ship," she stated as she poured the tea. "Where are my manners. I am Mythic Bliss, and this is my abode the Sundance Palace."

"Rhea, and this is my daughter Sindy with a S." Rhea replied.

"Why do you call it stardust tea?" I asked as I sipped the tea.

"It is the only tea grown inside a temporal anomaly." Mythic replied with a mischievous grin.

"Where is the other one?" I asked making the connection with her earlier statement.

"There." She said as she picked up a remote and turned on a big screen TV.

"This just in..." the anchorperson reported their eyes alight with a world-shattering story. "...a massive nuclear weapon has been triggered... what? I don't understand." She said touching her earpiece. "We have conflicting report that the city of..."

Click!

"What the hell?!" Rhea snapped. "Are you telling me there is a city that has a nuclear explosion sending death and radiation backward in time?"

"Got it in one elf lady," Mythic giddily responded. "If you check with records in a certain remote portion of the former soviet bloc, you'll find a gradual buildup of radiation and unexplained destruction that slowly works towards its epicenter. Just like this place it is, and it isn't real."

"Help me! Help us!" The voice called out of thin air. "For the love of god, help us!"

"What in all that is holy!" Rhea snapped as she drew one of her gauss pistols.

"Relax, it is just an echo. It is almost over. Hurry or the three of you will miss the show. Over a century in the making and it ends today. Take the service road a half a mile down and up to the overwatch. You'll catch up to him there. Look for the brass triangle. You can only see it when you are standing there."

Rhea and I raced out of the strange house. Rhea stomped on the accelerator and sent the vehicle away from the haunted house. We sped down with the music blaring again. The she elf's eyes were narrowed, and she drifted the vehicle into a maneuver any professional driver would have been proud of. We blasted onto the service road and spied the mesa she must have been talking about. If it had been anyone else taking those hairpin turns, I would have been terrified. Rhea was a woman possessed. I felt the magnetic pull encompassing her entire being. She bared her naked teeth in a rictus grin of determination. We made the final corner just as the woman predicted and there he stood.

"DAD!"

"Beloved!"

"How?!"

"It is a kind of magic." He replied as he turned to face us.

"You look so young... younger than ever." Rhea said as she flew into his arms.

Their kiss was volcanic. I turned away to give them time alone. Cronos popped into existence without his typical projection from a given device. How the hell was he doing that? While the reunited lovers kissed Cronos explained to me what had happened.

"Greg isn't just special to you," he began. "I have been alone for so long in the depths of interstellar space. I couldn't take the chance of his accidental demise. I have, with his permission, been performing regular psychic backups. Once a day at least I copy his memories and experiences onto a crystal aboard our ship. Cloning his body was easy. I made a few improvements. Human evolution is so limited, and he has longed to return to his soul shape."

"Huh? I got everything but that last bit." I replied as dad reached up and pushed the long dark hair away from his ears. "OH! I got it. It doesn't matter. He's back!"

Dad hugged me as the three of us stood near the edge marked with three metal rings. That must be the triangle Mythic mentioned. We looked down and instead of seeing the haunted house there was the nearly restored warship. It was difficult to look at. My eyes didn't want to focus on it. Was that the effects of the anomaly? Suddenly dad was shouting and pointing.

"A man! There is a fucking survivor!" Dad was gone.

The two of them were on the deck of the Eldridge. Dad was helping the naked man to his feet. Rhea and I both felt it in our bones. We began shouting as the ship neared completion. The naked man appeared in front of us and then alone on the plain below was the haunted house. The Eldridge and my father were gone. I cursed while Rhea laughed.

"What is so..." I began and then saw tears rolling down her cheeks. "He's alive. We just need to find him."

"Yes. It all makes sense now. I feel like such a fool. Daughter... may I? Daughter of my heart, let's help this poor man out and then go find your dad." Rhea declared confidently.

The man from the Eldridge was naked. That was hardly the strangest thing about him though. Most of his body was covered in arcane looking runes of various size. The largest no bigger than the font you'd find in your average newspaper. The smallest required squinting to perceive accurately. How the hell had the tattoos been applied with such care and perfection? They ran from the tops of his feet to just under his chin. The interlocking hexagonal designs were gorgeous and yet disturbing. How the hell had they tattooed his ass cheeks without marring the pattern?

"Hello." He said as he reoriented. "My name is Steve, Steve Osborn. Why am I naked and where the hell am I?"

Back to the Beginning:

I awoke on what appeared to be a pier or dock. I sat up slowly to come face to face with three armed men. The rifles pointed at my head didn't lend any confidence to my safety.

"Who the hell are you?" One of the men barked at me.

"My name is Greg Robinson." I said as my eyes adjusted. There were all wearing military uniforms though they were either historical reenactors or I had travelled back to when the original Philadelphia Experiment had been performed.

"Stand down!" A voice cut through the air with unquestioned authority.

"Yes Sergeant!" The trio said and shouldered their weapons.

"I must apologize for my men's dedicated response to your somewhat sudden and unusual appearance." The newcomer greeted me. I knew him. Those eyes. That casual demeanor. Holy shit, it had to be him!

"You are Missouri Smith! Holy shit!" I exclaimed and he smiled.

"Attention! Officer on the deck!" One of the trio announced.

"Sergeant?" The tall dark-haired officer addressed Smith. "Who is this civilian?"

"I believe he is an aberration from yesterday's event." Smith offered. "I feel he should be debriefed, Captain."

"I agree. Take him to my jeep. I'll do the debriefing myself with your help of course." He said as he processed the situation. "You three, excellent work as always. Keep up the good work!"

"Thank you, Sir!" They replied as they stood a bit taller and straighter in the captain's presence.

"Let's go." The Captain directed. As we walked to his waiting jeep he muttered under his breath. "One god damn survivor and he isn't even a part of the original crew. I fucking warned them but no, they never fucking listen. Sorry. Captain Jon Masters at your service."

"Greg Robinson... wait... hold on. I know a Jon Masters. He worked for Nick in the European office." I stammered.

"Nick! God, that is a name I haven't heard yet for a long time." Jon stated with an unreadable expression.

"That makes... oh... seriously?" I said trying to decipher the meaning of his words. "How the hell did you end up?"

"Long story. Hop in, let's hit the bar. I need a drink." Jon demanded. "It has been one hell of a day."

"Tell me about it." I told him.