So Many Paths

© Copyright 2001-2009 Michael J. Ahlers. All Rights Reserved.

Chapter 3: Comings and Goings

Caption: Earth Negative Y422, Independent City-State of Chicago, Warehouse District. Wednesday 23 April 1980. 9:23pm GST. [8:23pm local]

<A rat scurries along a line of dumpsters. It stops to sniff occassionally, looking, perhaps, for a meal or a mate. Then it catches a new scent. It stands up on its hindquarters and sniffs again. Deciding that it doesn't like what it smelled, it drops to all fours and bolts underneath the nearest dumpster.>

<Tatiana and Mekul come running around the corner into the dumpster-lined alley. They each carry a sack. Behind them, the beams of two flashlights bobble up and down.>

Guard #1: Come back here!

<The Guards come around the corner and shine their flashlights around but the teenagers are nowhere in sight.>

Guard #2: They have to be here somewhere. They weren't that far ahead of us.

Guard #1: Yeah, they're quick buggers, but not that quick.

<The Guards slowly walk down the alley, shining their flashlights into, behind, and under the dumpsters. Guard #2 sees something between two of the dumpsters and signals Guard #1 to come over quietly. Guard #2 shines his light between the dumpsters. In the side of the building is a small metal flap. It's still swinging slightly in the still night air.>

<FADE OUT>

Caption: 9:28pm GST. [8:28pm local]

<FADE IN>

<Tatiana and Mekul are sitting inside a tent on the roof of a warehouse. The tent is filled with a chaotic mess of items: a sleeping bag, pillows, clothes, piles of canned goods, chocolate bars, a screwdriver set. Hanging from the tent post is a teddy bear wearing a shirt touting the Denver Gazelles as the World Champion Arena Football team. A can of Spaghetti Ring-a-Lings is heating on the hotplate of a coffee maker, the cord of which runs out of the tent and out of sight.>

Tatiana, watching the can: I wish we could find something else. These spaghetti things aren't very good.

Mekul: I know. I did find some good stuff at that last place. <Tatiana looks hopeful.> Well, not food, but... <He grabs his sack and pulls it open. He pulls out two dark blue backpacks.> I was going to get a red one for me and a pink one for you but then I remembered about the guards. That was kinda close tonight.

Tatiana: Yes, it's a good thing they're so fat.

<They laugh.>

Mekul: And, <He looks into his sack again.> there it is. I got something for you. <He pulls out a knit winter cap and tosses it to her.>

Tatiana: Thank you. <She holds it up and looks at it.> Thank you so much.

Mekul: You're welcome.

Tatiana, pulling on the hat: What do you think? <She turns her head back and forth.>

Mekul: Perfect.

<The Spaghetti Ring-a-Lings start to boil.>

Caption: Heaven, Lost Souls Task Force HQ. Thursday 24 April 1980. 9:02am GST.

<The Task Force is standing around in small groups talking. Raphael walks in unnoticed. A Throne Angel comes in behind him and pulls a chair over to the conference table.>

Raphael: OK, everyone. Settle down. <The other angels start taking their seats.> Sorry to keep you waiting. I had a matter to discuss with HIM. HE has gratiously allowed me to add a member to the Task Force. <Raphael indicates the Throne Angel.> This is Modiel.

<A few of the Task Force members let out astonished mummers.>

Raphael: I'll let Modiel tell you about himself and his mission and then each of you may introduce yourselves. Modiel.

Modiel: Obviously at least some of your have heard of me. <He pauses.> When HE allowed HIS creation to be splintered into the myriad Earths by the Time Traveller, HE formed a Task Force, much like this one, under the leadership of the Archangel Phanuel, to observe and catalog all the effects of the splintering. I was one of the seven Throne Angels who were eventually assigned to that Task Force. Technically, that Task Force was never dissolved although we've had no formal meetings for some time. My task was to track down a man known only as the Wanderer. What most of you have probably not heard is that many of the Earths that came about during the splintering would have been destroyed very shortly after they were created, except for the actions of the Wanderer. As a reward, HE offered the Wanderer the opportunity to be admitted directly to Heaven, in BODILY FORM.

Several of the angels: An Assumption?!?

Modiel: Indeed. But Free Will reared its ugly head. The Wanderer said "No." <Several of the angels start to speak at once but Modiel holds up his hand for silence.> The Wanderer knew of the alternates Earths. The idea of being able to explore them was just too great a temptation. So HE granted him the ability to traverse the Net. He can create and control Nexus Gates just as we do.

Paquel: I'd heard that there was a Human involved in the discovery of the Nexus Gates.

Modiel: There was indeed. The Wanderer saw the effects of the splintering of creation more clearly than we. We were, I'm afraid, too caught up in our discussions of why HE had allowed the splintering in the first place. In fact, HE might not have allowed us the ability to access the Nexus Gates so swiftly if the Wanderer hadn't pointed out the fact that they would exist as a natural by-product of the splintering.

Paquel: Wait a second. If the Wanderer can see and control the Nexus Gates, then he's like, no, he IS a Lost Soul.

Modiel: Exactly. In fact, until last week, he was THE Lost Soul. My task was to keep tabs on the Wanderer and to ask him, from time to time, if he was ready to come Home to his reward. It turns out that that was easier said than done. I've only caught up with him twice. And I'm pretty sure that he was letting me find him both times.

Daelotial: So the Lost Souls are just like this Wanderer fellow.

Modiel: No, not entirely. See HE didn't just make him a Lost Soul. HE linked his physical and spiritual essences together. And he gave him the ability to create and control the Nexus Gates with his will.

Ophanin River Arcadia: The Wanderer is immortal?

Modiel: Yes. These children that we've lost, though, aren't. They can age, get sick, be injured, even die. <He laughs a wry laugh.> Again. But because they're not in the SRS there's no way for their Souls to get routed, so they probably wouldn't stay dead. Just as they didn't stay dead last week.

Paquel: And they can't create Nexus Gates. Nor can they control them. They CAN sense when a Gate is opening nearby and they CAN travel thru it, but their destination will be random.

Raphael: OK, people, we're getting ahead of ourselves. Before we go any further, we should do some introductions for Modiel's sake.

Daelotial, sarcastically: By all means. Wouldn't want him to not know who he's been trapped with in this hopeless task.

Raphael smiles and points to Daelotial: You can go first.

<Daelotial sighs, loudly.>

Daelotial: I'm Daelotial-

Ordiel interrupts: The Naysayer.

Daelotial: And I'm here because HE doesn't like me.

<Several of the angels laugh.>

Malek Septus: I am Septus Bluefeather, formerly of the First Army. <He indicates the Maleks sitting on either side of him.> These are 7th Archon 5 and 7th Archon 6. We helped defend the Souls being called home during the crash of the SRS.

Raphael: You're being too modest. Septus and the 7th Archons stood their ground against a frontal assault by over 200 Fallens. They didn't pull back until all the Souls were safe and the SRS was back online. They are the only three who made it back.

Septus: We were just doing what we'd been trained to do.

Raphael: Well, Suryal and her Archivist Angels are already calling you the Heros of the Crash.

Septus: Overly dramatic romantizing if you ask me.

Modiel, smiling at Septus' genuine humility: Perhaps. <He turns back to Raphael.> I understand we have another hero with us.

Raphael: Yes we do. <He nods to Angelica Blue.>

Angelica Blue: Hi. I'm Angelica Blue. My Watcher unit got split up trying to round up all the stragglers while the SRS was offline. I ended up finding a group of nearly seventy Souls. I'm not sure I feel comfortable being called a hero either. But, you know, it did feel good to rescue all those Souls.

Modiel: I understand there's more.

Angelica Blue: Being a very small cog in the machinery of Heaven has taught me that even the most tedious task can become the lynchpin that makes or breaks an entire operation. So my team, Econial and his nine assistants, and Jurisial and her seven, <She indicates two Ophanin.> set out to find Souls here from the effected worlds who would have had relatives, children, nieces, nephews, grandchildren, who would have been around the right age and then check to see if those children were still in the tracking system. We not only found the identity of one of the Lost Souls but her Grandfather was watching her when she died. We have more exact data on her than we ever hoped we might have on any of them.

Modiel: Impressive.

Daelotial: Only if you consider a carrot hanging from a stick that prompts a horse down an infinite road with no real hope of ever reaching the carrot impressive.

Modiel, to Raphael: I see what you mean.

<Several of the angels laugh. Daelotial frowns at them. The laughter continues.>

Raphael: <Clears his throat.> Next. <The laughter dies down immediately.>

Saphrael: I'm Saphrael. I was one of the Programmers on duty during the crash. I've been trying to build an effective simulation of the crash as a means of pinning down who the children were, where they're from, et cetera. Knowing about Sandra Elizabeth Hamburgh is giving me some new angles to work on but I'm not sure how much more hard data I'll be able to generate. My team includes River Arcadia and Denesitia. <She indicates two Ophanins.>

River Arcadia: I've been building a complete duplicate of the SRS and the tracking system in an attempt to safely duplicate the accident. Obviously it will be quite some time before this is complete and I can begin testing.

Denesitia: My task it to figure out how the crash happened in the first place. We still have not pinpointed exactly what went wrong. This leaves us in the very uncomfortable position of not being able to assure HIM that it won't happen again.

Raphael, indicating the three remaining angels: Paquel is our expert of the Net and the Nexus Gates.

Modiel: I've read your theories on convergence within the Net. I'd be interested in discussing it in depth after the meeting.

Paquel: Certainly.

Raphael: Ordiel is our jack-of-all-trades.

Malek Ordiel, smiling: An elaborate way of saying gopher and all-around-peon. <He gets a few chuckles.>

Raphael: And Quorillael is here as the Task Force Archivist. Just a reminder, people, three copies of any documentation. One to me, one to her, one for yourself. When this is over, HE expects a full report and I expect to be able to give it to HIM.

Caption: Earth Negative Y422, Independent City-State of Chicago, Warehouse District. Friday 25 April 1980. 10:02pm GST. [9:02pm local]

<Tatiana and Mekul, wearing their backpacks, are kneeling behind a cluttered desk in a small warehouse office. They are cautiously peeking out the only window at the activity outside. The two Guards from their narrow escape two nights earlier have been joined by four more and at least twice that many City Peace Officers. Much of the Warehouse District has been lit up as bright, and in some areas brighter, than it is during the day. The CPOs have also brought dogs with them.>

Tatiana: We have to try to make it back to the tent.

Mekul: Yeah. I'd hate to lose all our stuff. We can't carry it all, but there's a few things...

Tatiana: Yes.

Mekul: OK. How do we get past them and into the alley?

Tatiana: Remember last night how we forgot to shut the door to the roof?

Mekul: Yeah.

Tatiana: Well, when I went over to shut it this morning, I saw the men driving those forklift trucks. I think I could get one of them started. I would cause enough noise to get them in here. Then we go out the front and sneak around the side.

Mekul, nodding: Cool. I like it.

Caption: Outside. A few moments later.

<The Guards and CPOs are gathered around a car with a map of the Warehouse District spread out on the hood. The Warehouse where the children's tent is located is highlighted as are various access points to the building.>

CPO #4: Hey Sarge?

CPO #1: What?

CPO #4: What's that noise?

<The Guards and CPOs all turn towards the warehouse that CPO #4 is looking at.>

Guard #2: That's a forklift. <He grabs his keys off his belt and starts running towards the warehouse. The others follow.>

<As they run towards the building, the view shifts to the alley. Tatiana and Mekul dart out from behind the corner of the warehouse and run down the alley. About a third of the way down the alley they duck between two dumpsters, drop to their hands and knees and crawl thru a small access panel, Mekul first. As Tatiana crawls into the warehouse, a hand grabs her by the back of her tunic and lifts her off the ground.>

Guard #7, holding Mekul and Tatiana several inches off the ground, one in each hand: You little buggers think you're so clever, don't you? Well your little crime spree is over. By the time you two get out of prison, my grandkids will be older than you are now. And I don't even have kids yet.

<Tatiana and Mekul look at each other. Both are terrified and tears are streaming down Tatiana's face. Guard #7 looks at their reactions and laughs. Tatiana kicks him squarely between the legs. He drops both of them as he grabs his wounded crotch. They knock him over as they run past him into the warehouse.>

Guard #7, an octave higher than before: Ahh! You little shits'll pay for this! Oww!

<They run over to the ladder. Mekul starts up it.>

Tatiana: Wait. What are we going to do? They know we're in here.

Mekul: I have a plan. We get up to the roof and lock the door. While they're breaking thru it, we tie the extension cord to something and climb down.

Tatiana: I thought you were afraid of heights.

Mekul: I am. This is a really bad plan, <He smiles a half-smile.> but I don't have any other ideas.

Tatiana: OK.

<They have just past the first of the two catwalks that run around the walls of the warehouse when Guard #7 reaches the bottom of the ladder.>

Guard #7, over his shoulder: Here they are! <To the children:> I'm coming for you.

<The children increase their pace. Mekul looks up at the door to the roof.>

Mekul: Oh, crap!

Tatiana, worried: What?

Mekul: Look up.

<Tatiana looks past Mekul to where a CPO is starting down the ladder from the roof.>

Tatiana: Oh, crap!

<Mekul reaches the second catwalk and jumps onto it. He helps Tatiana onto it as well.>

CPO #9: Nowhere to go kiddies!

Guard #7: I am SO going to enjoy this.

<Mekul and Tatiana take each other hands and start to run to the right. Then they both stop.>

Mekul, looking at Tatiana: The other way?

Tatiana, looking puzzled, then nodding: Yes, the other way.

<They run back past the ladder just seconds before CPO #9 reaches the catwalk. Ahead of them, just below the level of the catwalk, a sphere of light springs into being.>

Tatiana, pointing to it: There! It's like the light when you appeared. <She runs over to the railing and starts to climb up. Mekul stands back.> Come on.

Mekul: I'm not sure. Oh, crap. <He grabs the railing and climbs up beside her.>

CPO #9: Get down from there! What the hell are you doing?!?

<The teens look down at the light, then at each other. They grab each other's hand and jump.>

CPO #9: NOOOOO!!!

<IN SLOW MOTION. The children hit the sphere of light ... and vanish. The view shifts to CPO #9's perspective. He sees the children jumping. In mid-air they disappear; he doesn't see the sphere of light.>

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