Chapter Nine: Twilight of the Future, Part One

Elias walked over to the edge and sat down, he sat down and decided to count his sins and how much he changed this world. In the light of the setting light, Elias thought back to the time he came through and from that moment, everyone he touched had died. Ping, Pong, Octavian as Twilight, Colin, Ronan and Dustin all passing because of his actions. And the wars, so many Earths burnt and so many places ruined, Finn, Isaac and Basil all gone because of his touch as well.

And then in that moment, Elias decided that it was too much, he was a black death to everyone, he was truly the dragon emperor, he didn’t even need transformed dragons to strike instead seemingly a set flew around him picking off those that gathered around him.

And in that moment, when the words don’t come, when to many emotions are in and the pain is too great. When you realize your entire purpose in life is wrong and your effect in life is to cause pain and death was too much for Elias, and the Kagen shark was left without a witty phase to say.

He held the pearl in his hand, the energy of all the Kagens in his hand, their legacy in his hand, he got to decide the Kagens’ legacy. The seeds they would not get to sing, the universe a great unfinished garden, symphony, notes being created at the moment, so many people on the other side. Looking forward at the burned Manhattan and the sunset, the orange ashy water striking the rocky beach, it was all so beautiful and spoke of rebirth.

And the Kagen just sat there, looking over the city he decided that he didn’t need to protect. Instead he decided to admire the beauty of the sun setting on the city and soon enough rebuilding would start, because New York City always was there in the end. And then the Kagen looking down at the pearl, stared at it and knew all the credit he had in this.

And he knew what had to be done, and what had to remembered, who’s flame had to be stoked. And in that moment, when all the universe seemed to come to and understanding the Kagen’s head, he had one sentence come to his tongue.

“There should have been another way.”   

…

“They say that good endings always have a way of bringing along happiness for the heroes, the villains that live would have to live in horror of agony and yet the way I see it, if I am the hero why do I have to live with the agony and pain in my heart now?” Elias opened his eyes and looked in front of him. Into his vision, fire and oil engulfed the city of Manhattan. Not but melted metal remained. The buildings melted and the entire structure of the island destroyed, the million or so residents still trapped, all dead. The moon shined in the water, and lit the night sky.

And the swirling chopping of helicopter blades, entered his ear. The Army, Navy and Air Force all taking their own path to the island. Flames flew up from the charred remains of the island, bursting up from the solid iron. The Neuroseekers’ sewers were being emptied of their contents, and in that way, so were the Neuroseekers. Most of them had to be dead, and if any were left, Elias finally felt content with letting the army deal with them. 

“What’s the use anymore, the Outsiders can’t seem to do anything right and I can’t do anything right.” Elias lamented on everything that seemed to be on him, the burning city, the dead bodies around him and the darkness with in his heart. At this point, Elias knew he was the last of the Outsiders and he was the only one to survive.

Death followed him in this universe more so than normal, and it all culminated in what had to be a war. Riker’s Island Prison, the massive fortified stone prison now stained red with the blood of the war. But to the Kagen shark, the blood that stood out of the most was that of his friends.

Elias leaned back and looked forward. Well there's a rose, in a fisted glove, and the eagle flies with the dove above the burnt city. And looking down at the blood-stained hands before him, he wondered if he could wash away the red crimson and he wondered back to Colin.

Something told him and if you can't be with the one you love, love the one you’re with. The shark smiled, his teeth finally being revealed to the world and he wondered if he could return to Benji. And then his hands appeared before his eyes, even with them dipped into the water of the Hudson he could still see the blood of all he killed.

Even the oceans of Europa, the ocean of all the worlds; all the water that he could have commanded would have been worth nothing if it couldn’t get the stains of death out of his fingers. HIs mind saw this, and he was unclean. He was unworthy the time and the place to be dealt with.

“Come out, damned spot! Out, I command you! Hell is murky and before me in the East River.” Elias leaned down on the wall and looked in front of him, if the devil were to appear and finally ask for his immortal soul he wouldn’t be surprised at all.

“Alas, good Elias I knew him well.” The Kagen stood up and walked forward, performing a soliloquy his own funeral. “And even as the most bombed ass Kagen that Benji or Colin might have known, or the closest thing to a real relationship that Basil had; I still made them stay up wondering if I may come back.”

“Imagine had I never made a real name for myself, had I stayed in the Kagen Realm, had I never dared to be the Dragon Emperor, had I never dared to lead on the invasion of Finn and Isaac’s Earth, had I never seen the fire in my hands burn the Earth.” Elias held open his hand, surely the largest spot of blood was from his hands himself, the wildfire that replicated over the Earth, only the Antarctic could contain it. 

“I tried to change, I let myself be influenced by those around me, I tried to be softer, nicer on the outside, nicer on the inside. Nicer to the Outsiders, the Riftwalkers, loved them; nicer to myself and I let myself be drug into the fantasy of the honeymoon, changed my name, I threw myself into the volcano, got on my knees and levitated, I drank it all and begged for everything!” Elias listed his attempts and looked down to the water.

“And yet coiled inside of me was the horror of the truth within, maybe I haven’t changed from the Dragon Emperor. That guy who attacked Koji and his Outsider team, I am still that guy, that eternal, mortal transforming asshole! Elias is still Bright, and Bright is not right!” Elias came to his grand conclusion and looked in front of him, a bird landed in front of him, twisting its head around as if looking for answers.

“Oh what the hell are you looking at.” Elias kicked a few pebbles at the bird and it flew forward squawking. And then he felt a burning in his chest, the Kagen reached into his shirt and pulled out the necklace, the last remains of the Kagens he once lived with. It was shaped like a flame and attached to a metallic string, he strung it around his leather jacket and walked forward.

“Oh but Elias, all is not lost. You must win the past in order to solve the future’s problems.” The shark yelled and raised his hands, but behind him a woman stood in front of the wall, it was weird Elias could see the wall behind her. It was a toucan, deep black feathers integrated with rainbows, all contained in a black shirt.

“Call me crazy but who the hell are you?” Elias stood forward and phased his hand through the hologram, no, he didn’t need that question. “I saw you before, in a few timelines in my pre-Universal memories.”

“Right, Elias, I am Mary, Afternoon killed me or was it Noon, either way I was what pushed Finn forward. And now the Kagens have immortalized throughout time, and using that little energy you have I think we can help you.” The toucan spoke and raised her hand, a foggy blue portal forming. “Any time you want, to change the future, all at the price of this universe, in hope you can create a better one.”

“But, I, don’t have much choice but to take this offer anyway and hope it works out for everyone. I don’t think I can do much worse than this, so then take me to the climax of the war; one day before I commit the action.” Elias spoke and he opened his hands, Hologram Mary snapped her finger and like that Elias saw around him, a gate opening, surrounded by a blue portal, but it was a familiar place.

The forest of Lake Tahoe, right outside of Carson City. And above him, he felt a change; the stars started to fade. Elias realized that time was rewinding and this was his chance to change what went wrong, the shark smiled with the snarky grin and took a running dash. Leaping forward, the shark jumped through the air and his hand touched the portal. His hand reached through and like that waves from his future and waves from his past all collided, sending out waves into the world changing it.

…

Finn jumped forward grabbing the chest of a Riftwalker and knocking him back into the crowd with their like minds. The shark adjusted his white jacket and held his hands out, next to him was his boyfriend Isaac and then familiar Kagen, Bright; with them was his son, Tidus.

Finn kicked forward and slammed a Riftwalker back, before one came swinging down with a sword. The shark did what he always did in that type of situation, he reached forward and grabbed onto it. Holding it tight, he looked in front of him, the Riftwalkers seemed to becoming generic.

Finn kicked his feet forward and knocked the Komodo Dragon back, that was the thing about Riftwalkers they could be any race. And as much as that brought up memories about Erick, he held them back as he swung his hand forward. And then kicked into the crowd.

Isaac held his hands forward, gravity pushing the men back and keeping their relentless waves away and at bay. The shark knew that he couldn’t give in without a fight. And then he turned, another Riftwalker jumping to him. Finn held his hand forward and fired a pulse of energy.

Bright punched forward and knocked a few back, their team was stationed somewhere in the ruins of Carson City. And here they were in the middle of the destroyed street, fighting a group of Riftwalkers. Finn buckled his hands together and knocked them into the Riftwalker, he was slammed back into the ground.

Finn smiled as he twisted around and Isaac strained, with his hands in the air, he held a gravity wall but the Riftwalkers were climbing up it. The shark held it still for a few seconds and Bright noticed this. The shark ran forward and at the dangerous cost started to punch and blast at the men.

Finn saw this, surely this was the battle that would knock the Riftwalkers back into the mountains. That was their goal, to keep the Riftwalkers fighting the Kagens and keeping them on the edge. If they got tired then the Riftwalkers would surrender and maybe the Kagens would follow suit, but the shark doubted peace.

Finn jumped forward and fired a wave of electricity at the Riftwalkers on the gravity wall, they lost their grip and a few were knocked back. Tidus kept the Riftwalkers back from Isaac but he and Bright were knocked back at the increasing amount of fighting. The shark blasted electricity forward, he could generate his own power.

And then raising his hand, Finn shinesparked. His body flying forward, propelled by the unbalancing charges; and like a bolt of lightning he landed on the gravity wall. The shark touched his foot to the hand of one of the Riftwalkers and it chained, the first screamed and many were blasted with electricity.

The Riftwalker grabbed at his leg and then pulled, Finn fell back and was knocked off the ground. Isaac opened his other hand and grabbed the shark in the air, floating him down. And yet that distracted him enough, the wall collapsed and Riftwalkers climbed up. The wall collapsed and Finn looked up as the Riftwalkers fell on them, a hundred or so warriors all prepared to kill the Outsiders.

And then suddenly he opened his eyes, it was like a second wind blasted over his body. In fact, he felt rejuvenated, reaching with his hand out, the shark grabbed electricity from an outlet, sparks flying out and into his hand. The shark couldn’t generate anything and had to absorb from the grid.

Around him was his team, Isaac and Edison stood with him. And on the other side of the city, was his other Outsider team, Iren, Michelle and Ross. The shark took a breath and looked forward, fire burned in the streets, citizens ran but the shark had a duty to protect him and the citizens of Carson City.

Edison was a temporal agent who joined them recently as the battle became worse, she held no powers only the knowledge they might need. And Isaac was his boyfriend, the two loved each other dearly but the war was putting a strain on that.

And thus Finn, in his camo jacket, Isaac dressed in the same, Edison wore the same black FBI jacket every day; they all walked forward. And marched, behind them was his army, inherited from the military. The shark was leading the war and pushing equally on the Riftwalkers and Kagens, and his motto was easy, “Thus spoke Finn.”

The shark marched through the terrorized city and yet while one might have expected to be wiped off the map, one shark saw it as the same.

…

Elias landed on the ground, he didn’t specify time but it looked to be about midday or so he thought he could tell through the smoke clouds whiffing above him. He knew where he was instantly, Elias landed on the treeline separating Carson City and Lake Tahoe, this was where the battle was fought.

The shark knew this battle well, as both groups finally marched into Carson City and the final effort formed in the war. This would be a day before he acted, in the past when he was known as Bright, and opened his hand spreading wildfire out on the Earth and burning it to chars.

But this was what always happened, Elias never saw Carson City nuked nor did he see himself join the Outsiders or ever really get together with Basil. The shark stood in front of the burning city, looking around and wondering what would happen first. Elias wondered why he allowed himself to be taken back to this point.

And then a body appeared before him, a shark; a familiar shark. Not familiar enough in looks, but familiar in soul. The crimson stained armor was something that looked familiar to him, he wore it once. And looking back in his memories, suddenly a few more appeared, ones where he talked to a strange shark, who didn’t talk for a few seconds, almost to the point of awkwardness.

“Ah sorry for the silence, you’ll understand.” Elias spoke, the shark that teleported in front of him was no ordinary Kagen. And as the memories of his previous sentence appeared, he knew he was talking to himself.  Bright stood in front of Elias, this was the root timeline and he knew that the future held darker thoughts.

“Explain yourself, your energy is remarkably similar to mine in feeling but not strength.” Bright walked forward, a dagger with blood clotted over appeared out of a sheath on his waist. Elias raised his hand, he was threatening himself and unlike the other way, this time he could die by his own hands.    

“Well maybe if you put the dagger down and use your energy you’ll grow in strength to be like me one day.” Elias spoke to his past-self, he hated himself two regenerations ago. The honeymoon phase or they so called it, he got this after he was killed once by High Brother Ignatius.

“I’m sorry what do you a pardon?” Bright spoke as he held the knife up to his own futureself’s throat. Elias backed up and held his hands up in the air, his necklace glowed and his temporal companion appeared.

“Strange as it, meeting your future self as it is.” Hologram Mary spoke as she held her hand forward and interacted with the real world, pulling down the knife from Bright’s hand, the shark confused as he looked over.

“And I would pardon that, but think about this, were doing some visiting from the future and trying to change thing for the future.” Elias spoke as he held his hand out and as the two Brights hand touched, sparks flew out, the sharks pulled their hands back.

“Haven’t you already, just appearing here back in time should change how this timeline goes, but I assume that hologram Mary would now something about this, I won’t remember this will I? I will just remember this as the oldest one interacts, so then new memories.” Bright spoke, the young shark grabbing the idea of the whole situation.

“Correct, but Elias isn’t changing the timeline, he’s only visiting. He was always destined to come back here, challenges free will sometimes doesn’t it. Either way don’t worry, because something very soon will happen that will send us on the right course into the future.” Mary spoke and she winked disappearing leaving he two Brights, Elias and Bright on their own.

“So then you’re Elias, and you come from the future. This universe having a future surprises me, hell sometimes the multiverse having a future surprises me.” Bright spoke and he looked into the eyes of his older self, so much unknown pain seemed to be in his future.

“Yeah, well I come from a different universe altogether, Mary just offered to take me back here and well, I need to change this timeline. You won’t remember this so; I can tell you but the future is a hell. Everyone I know dies, but it seems that if I am just visiting well how can I change what already happened?” Elias proposed unknowing to the fact that their answer was in the valley below.

…

Edison walked forward, her tablet in front of her. Everything seemed well today to her, in fact the timeline looked less complicated than normal. As if an unknown string was pulled out of the equation and fixed everything.  And then she remembered the day before, there were no memories.

And the more she thought back the less the timeline she was looking at made less sense, her last memory was of her in a building on an oil truck. The human stood still for a second, Finn took notice and walked over. The agent was searching through her mind, trying to sort all the bullshit she had that didn’t match up.

It never occurred to her that her mind was simply ignorant to the memories placed in her head, when the timeline changed. Her body was revived; in fact, it was never like she died. That was strange, she remembered a nice Finn not the one she had been fighting with all day.

“Hey Edison, keep moving.” Finn spoke to her as he put his hand on her shoulder, the army behind him kept moving and Finn signaled to Isaac to keep leading. He stood there with the human, looking into the pained eyes she never had before, something was different.

“I don’t know it’s like, things don’t match up. The memories I have to this universe, or maybe the universe to my memories. I’m a temporal agent but they don’t tell me the full extent of my powers. I remember Carson City being destroyed, a shark named Tidus, your son!” Edison cried out.

“How did you know he was my son, Tidus only told me and Iren on his death bed, are you losing it?” Finn asked, his interest was definitely telling him something was wrong. That fact pushed him to believe the truth of the situation, Edison was smart and she wasn’t one for lying or jokes.

“Tidus lived, he is still living as far as my last memory. But the temporal readings I am getting it’s like something that had an influence on the past had suddenly removed all that happened. I need to find this; temporal anomalies are appearing.” Edison shared that and Finn looked deep into his heart that day, he lost his son by letting him go off a different path.

“Edison I know what you are going to ask, but if what happens if true. If you set the past right, then you would die are you okay with that?” Finn asked and he looked down to the human.

“In the right timeline, but this timeline is needed for something. It creates something and I will still be alive in here, even if it is worth nothing, but this timeline has to be instrumental in creating another timeline.” Edison nodded and quickly started to walk away, her mind racing. And then she stopped, Finn put his arms around her.

“Good luck don’t die on me.” Finn spoke and Edison nodded, he smiled and giggled a bit, she was a bit stoic at time and a bit independent but she knew what she wanted to have done.

…

Maryam Edison adjusted her jacket and looked around her, the city she was in, Carson City was blown to pieces in the other timeline. If she remembered right, a nuke by a man named General Volgin. The memories flooded back into her head, Isaac and Finn appearing in her mind. Still she walked forward and through an alley, ducking down as she reached a sidewalk. A few Kagens flew ahead on the road and she quickly watched as they disappeared.

Everything she saw pointed her forward at the forest. And time seemed to prove to her that the forest was important. Running across the street between the patrols of Kagens, ducking past flaming dumpsters and trying to get to the edge of the city.

“What the hell is happening?” Edison looked forward on the last street, and into the forest. A blue light seemingly being emitted, it was about a quarter of a mile away, she could run for it. She adjusted her heels and then shot off, running across a street and to the forest.

“Hey Outsider! Get her!” She heard the cry of a Riftwalker, and quickly the hoard of about two were unleashed on her. She ran forward, adjusting her feet and quickly grabbing and throwing off her heals as she grabbed them and ran across the sand.

“Stupid dress code!” Edison yelled as she ran for the forest, behind her two Riftwalkers chased her. She struggled to ran forward, her feet sinking into the sand but she saw the beginning of glorious dirt and grass. And she celebrated internally as her foot arced onto green field.

Trees shot up instantly, under the covers of leaves and darkness, the agent believed herself capable of getting away. And yet as the blue glowing stood there a hundred feet or so away, she knew her journey might be over. If someone from the future who traveled to the past, as to kill another person.

And then two sharks walked out from behind the tree, signaling her to duck. Both of them fired blue energy, arcing out towards the Riftwalkers. Maryam took the hint and hit the deck, while behind her the Riftwalkers blew up in ash. She stood up and adjusting her hair, looked forward.

“Hello Maryam.” Both sharks, Elias and Bright spoke as they stood in front of a blank, almost foggy hole into the rift of space. And while it might have looked normal to them, she walked past them and looked at the glowing portal. It existed almost in three dimension, as she walked around it, the face was always in front of her eyes.

“Sorry Edison but you’ll need to get past that for a second, but congratulations on getting your theory correct. Now then again, your temporal training allowed you to keep memories past timeline changes. And you are right, there was a timeline where Carson City was destroyed, Finn died and was brought back to life and Bright and Basil dated.” Maryam spoke and she looked back at the two Brights, the two surprised.

“What?” Bright spoke as he remembered the shargon, sure he was hot but he was a Riftwalker.

“Oh sorry, to make this less biased until this temporal shit is fixed and our Bright makes the right choice, well you can have memories from both timelines.” Mary spoke, the toucan raising her hand and a wave blasted out. It hit Bright and the shark was knocked back, his first memory appeared.

Warmth on his lips, he touched his lips and his mind conflicted. He was used to dealing with many timelines from his pre-Universal days but so much information on the timeline. And he opened his eyes, he didn’t know what happened but it felt right, but so did this.

“Now then here is the question, two timelines, one Bright from the past and while you might not realize it, two Elias’s from the future. I think we can say with certainty that our Elias with us had the bad timeline and the other we will be joining is in the good timeline.” Mary spoke, her wings opening and flapping.

“And the question is, which timeline created the other. So, when Elias traveled back, he changed the timeline. He traveled back to the main good timeline and because of something that him traveling back in time prevented, all of us were shifted into the bad timeline.” Edison theorized.

“So then I say we catch up with Good Elias and see what he is doing.” Bright added and Edison nodded, Mary held her hand open and a portal to New York appeared.

“This is the same universe I was in, this good and bad business split the multiverse in two as well.” Bad Universe Elias commented on as he put his hands in front of the portal, Bright walking up to him. Mary looked over to Edison and snapped her finger, the human felt free and walked forward.

“You know I don’t take it well when you say that I was in the bad timeline, and call me Bad Elias. I did my best.” Elias spoke as he warped through the portal, but this time the timeline didn’t change. On top of a builder, standing on the edge, Elias stepped out into a timeline he might have called his own, and yet it wasn’t.

“Same time you were at, what is it, fall in New York City?” Mary spoke and that burned Elias, the shark looking forward and almost expecting ashes and melted steel. When he saw the city of New York in front of him, it hurt, this was his failure. He felt anger inside of him, that he was chosen for the bad timeline.

His heart of broken glass, his body nuclear, that he had to be chosen. And he knew what had to happen, this timeline had to happen. He had to find a way to enjoy this. And yet as he sat down on the building he felt an energy before him, Kagen energy in front of him.

The Elias from this timeline ran forward and punched his fist into the body of Twilight, the shark smiling as he grabbed it and twisted it. Mary and Edison looked down, Bad Elias and Bright sitting on the edge and looking down.

“So then this is the good future, Octavian managed to escape his faith. Twilight was trapped elsewhere and he didn’t have to suffer till the end of the universe with a fateless life.” Elias looked down, this felt like a continuing and expanding list of his failures. And all of it was going to horrifically burned into his memory, the Comedy Central Roast of Elias. The shark stood there and groaned, Bright stood their wanting to speak up. Mary walked over and kept him silenced.

“Elias don’t worry, this is all for you in the end. I am helping you, but we need information and this timeline will be experienced by you if all goes well. I see the possibilities and the future is not set in stone. But I will make sure you choose right next time.” Mary spoke and Elias looked up to the hologram.

“Choices, where was there a choice for me. I, he, young Bright is just following the path set out for him, all that ever happened to him and ever will and what he won’t get.” Elias spoke and Mary smiled.

“Jump down with me, the battle should be over once we are down there.” Mary smiled smugly as if she knew something and she simply took off, falling off the side of the building. Bright followed and Elias grabbed Edison’s hand, she had to be they’re because of her knowledge. She was typing on her tablet as they went, she was figuring this out as well.     

Elias activated his powers and his body glowed, energy pushing up on the body of him and Edison. And the two floated, still flying down the side of the steel and glass building the sun shining in front of them and on their backs. The sidewalks were empty, the citizens running from the battle.

Elias couldn’t blame them, his battles with Twilight were notoriously bloody and he held his breath as he landed. The shark he knew as himself flew forward and with a glowing punch slammed it into the body of Twilight. A portal opened behind the shark and this time Twilight was enclosed with it.

“Oh don’t worry your future isn’t written yet.” Twilight threatened as the dimensional wall closed on him, the shark traveling back to the Dominion with his minions. Mary laughed and the shark turned when he heard the noise. She disappeared and the three stood there in front of an alternative Elias. 

“Ah you two seem awfully familiar to me, in fact I think that we might be dealing with something altogether that you need help with; so, then is this some sort of timeline cross over thing. I think you’re Riftwalker War me and you’re maybe a future version of me; but I think that we should talk over food.” Elias, the new Elias, spoke; and the Elias with them stood there with a shocked open smile on his face.

Both sharked looked into the eyes of the other, both understanding the other as they took a look down at their outfits. This good Elias wore a blue and white stripped tee-shirt with jeans and looked like a hipster; and yet this bad Elias wore a jean jacket and cargo shorts, like some sort of juvenile.

“You just sent your own brother to what looked like hell? How the hell can you deal with that?” Elias stumbled forward, the other Elias looking forward and confused as he did.

“Interesting, either I don’t get stronger or you’re managing to hide your true power from me.” The mindlessness of this Elias shocked his counterpart, how was he different like that. The shark stood there and then as if thinking he did something wrong raised his hand. “Oh sorry, I didn’t introduce myself; ah well I am Elias but you would know that since your me, but a past me would be introduced yet.”

And then the shark’s stood their silent until Edison, engulfed with the appearance of the city walked forward and out of the building’s shadow. The Good Elias’s eyes instantly wandered to her ad his mind realized something. “Oh me are we dealing with a Mutli-timeline situation?” 

“Bingo.” Edison spoke and as Elias turned his head towards her, a sadness appeared in his eye and he looked down to the ground. The shark kept silent for a second. “Ah it’s okay, I didn’t feel much pain and you have no reason to feel guilty for your brother’s actions.”

“So then I feel a bit more responsible to give you a dinner for all that’s its worth, luckily we are near a good place. And right now I think Colin is there, for all its worth Bright you might want to meet your future and smuggle a few subconscious thoughts through.” The Good Elias spoke and the shark looked over to the Bad Elias, still trying to figure out his game.

“So then, there are two timelines. A good timeline and a bad timeline, I am from the bad timeline, this is the good. And what we need to go is figure out if the bad made the good or the good created the bad; and then make sure the good timeline remains the mainline.” Bad Elias spoke and Good Elias nodded.

“Okay, well then I think with time travel and all we can spare a few moments with a Ruben sandwich.” Elias spoke as he jumped onto the sidewalk, his hand gripping the lightpole and spinning around it. Before jumping off and landing on a few steps, a train cart bolted to the ground, a restraint.

Bright followed and Edison took his path as well, and yet Elias walked to the lightpole and he tried to jump up. Do a happy spin and feel something again, feel life again; if he could just do that then maybe he would be content with his possible death when they eliminated the bad timeline.

Elias just shrugged and put his hands into his jacket, he followed inside of the dinner. A smile on his face appearing as the smell of cooking pork hit his nose.

“Wow then I’m surprised, I didn’t smell a restaurant this good in my timeline’s New York.” Elias commented on as he walked forward and walked between the stalls and the seats, a steal counter and a waitress serving dishes. The shark quickly joined his counterparts on in a stall.

All four of them sat down, but a fifth had joined them. Elias was shocked, a lizard joined them. A smile on his face, but his eyes focused on the new Elias, both sharks were being watched. The way he smiled and snuggled up on the good Elias told him that he was Colin. Bright stood there confused, but even Bad Elias knew who he was.

Colin was a blind lizard or so was his story, he could see but he could see the auras of lifeforms and the way Bad Elias saw he was being stared out, well the shark knew the lizard caught on quickly to their similar timeline properties.

“So then Colin, I’ll tell you about it later but basically these two are the same of me and this is their associate Edison; we are trying to find out why the timelines split.” Elias explained to his boyfriend, and yet Bad Timeline Elias looked at him with jealous and grief, his own Colin was stolen from him by the grips of death.   

“Okay then, do you want me to call Dustin?” Colin spoke, another bullet into the heart of Bad Elias. Of course it felt good to know their might have been some way he could have saved, Ronan probably was never turned into a werewolf and never went crazy.

“No, so then young one tell us what you know about both timelines.”

“Okay, a lot of memories. In the good timeline, Carson City is destroyed but the Outsiders most of them are dead; only Dustin, Isaac, and Iren remain, Tidus and Ross by Ignatius and Michelle and Erick by the Riftwalkers, Barry dies by the fire and Billy is taken out by the atomic fires but they will leave with the least causalities. But all is not good in the Bad timeline, wildfire will take them all.” Bright spoke with dread on his tongue looking forward.

“You mean the Outsiders are doomed either way?” Good Timeline Elias spoke and then he looked over to his counterpart’s face, the dread of wildfire in his hands and his eyes. “And you used the wildfire, I watched the Outsiders die by their own choice and hands; you gave them nothing.”

“It wasn’t easy for me but we are both focused on trying to save the Outsiders, but what will choosing one timeline do; both seems to end pretty grim for them so how can we make sure that this isn’t selfish?” Bad Timeline Elias looked forward, a stare expanding a thousand yards going forward as he looked out into the city, still filled with alive people.

“Mary I think we need your help.” Bright spoke he snapped his fingers and from Elias’s neck, the hologram appeared. The two sharks moving over and letting her into a seat.

“Wait that necklace has some power to it.” Good Timeline spoke.

“The sum of all the energy that Kagens had, expect for me.” Bad Timeline retorted, Mary laughed looking at the meeting.

“Good Timeline Elias, meeting Bad Timeline Elias; what a historic meeting and moment we were all looking for.” Mary joking spoke to sour looks from around the table, she leaned back and wondered what she was going to tell them; giving the solution would be too easy. No character development with that, and she needed them to figure it out.     

“And what’s the solution, it seems that the good timeline isn’t so good for us, the Outsiders of Carson City both die horrid deaths in both; how the hell can we fix this. The choice of morality here is weather we want most of New York here but we need to do something to protect the Outsiders in the past, they don’t deserve that.”

Mary looked down to her waist and saw something, a metallic device on her waist. She grabbed it and looked up to the three; holding it up.

“You never said about my death in the Good Timeline, I was killed by Twilight on an oil truck.” Edison mentioned as she held up her device, the hologram weapon generator given to her by Volgin. “I got this from him, it managed to come with me somehow.”

“Strange, no you died with the Outsiders in the last battle; but you only joined them because of Iren’s death, then you were quickly disposed by Twilight and his Kagens.” Good Timeline spoke as he looked over; Edison’s face filled with confusion.

“But what about the nanobots?” The memory of the swirling black death still fresh in the temporal agent’s mind.

“What about them, I haven’t heard much about them they only have a brief resurgence in the sixteen years before, I was exposed to them but not much else, so were all the other Kagens.” Good Timeline spoke as he looked over thinking about it. Mary winked.

“Interesting, like you managed to affect Michelle from a different timeline into having a different faith, but if she is already from a pre-established timeline that you figured was the good then how are you here right now?” Mary asked the important question, the question that Bright never asked himself or Elias.

“Wait your right, we must have done something wrong. This is Bright from the bad timeline, me from a Bad Timeline and me from a good timeline but if we went back and collapsed a third timeline into the bad timeline then there must be a third timeline and its dependent on the two timelines.” Elias conjunctured as he stood up taking his hands out of his pocket and standing up. 

“Your right, so we need to find the moment where the three timelines form and where we need to go. We need more information, so then how do you guys time travel?” Elias stood up, his shirt flapping up in excitement.

“Easy enough, back to where you were.” Mary snapped her finger, a portal opening under the table. “Sorry Colin.”

The four of them fell into the portal, slipping into time again as the blue vortex engulfed them. Mary smiled and disappeared, Colin looked forward confused on why the strange blue lady didn’t fall in with the three. He stood up and walked over, he would just sneak out.

…

Edison hit the ground and landed on soft grass, a cool wind blowing over her body as she stood up and wiped the dirt off her jacket. She held her weapon generator tight and then tightened it back to her waist. Bright, and the two Elias’s stood up and looked around.

“Same time and place you left, Iren is a few hundred feet over there. Ross is being left in charge as it seems, she’s trying to find you.” Mary spoke as she pointed out of the forest and towards the tiger standing on the stump. A little buzzing could be heard in the buzzing.

Maryam felt joy again she had to tell Iren the good news, but she couldn’t that might affect the timeline.

“Don’t worry Maryam, once the two figure it out and the strings are unraveled, the damage done to this timeline will be undone.” Mary spoke and Edison knew she could do it all. So with the wind behind her, her black hair blowing she ran out of the forest.

Bright, GT, and BT all walked out following her standing a few feet behind as Hologram Mary disappeared and let the Outsiders work on their own again.

“Oh Iren I’m sorry I just ran off but I found out the most amazing thing, and I know about the timelines.” Edison spouted as she looked into the eyes of the tiger and smiled.

“Girl what are you talking about, timelines?” Iren looked back and smiled a bit, holding her laugh in for a second and then looking at the other two.

“Well Tidus is alive in another timeline and we are going to make sure he stays alive, if he can change time so that he exists so can we.” Edison laughed and Bright looked over to the other two; the two Elias’s smiled and laughed a bit as well.

And then the sound of a helicopter flying overhead caught their attention, almost like it snuck up on them. And then Good Timeline Elias’s eyes dropped as he looked up and saw Volgin standing their smiling. He backed up, opening his hand for a burst of energy.

“Hello Outsiders, guess what you have failed me; you have failed this world and I will make sure you pay for what has happened, the transgressions of you.” The military master stood there and held his hand back. Iren backed up, putting her hand to her waist and raising her weapon.

“Where did you get that?” Iren asked as she backed up, one of the machine guns would fire too much ammo for her to deflect. But what Volgin was put into possession was far more frightening. He smiled as a large RPG with a yellow and black painted head was put into his hands, his ocelot assistant not even caring anymore.

“It’s a nuke.” Good Timeline Elias pointed out as he ran forward, putting his hand forward, uprising the other two. The shark had a plan and he needed to block that thing, he needed to make sure that Volgin didn’t fire that. The helicopter started to shake, the shark affecting the blades as he threw a blast of energy.

 “Oh and look we have some volunteer’s we know what is happening now, the Outsiders have a few more sharks for me to kill.” Volgin spoke and Iren backed up, raising her hand and nearly cursing. And then he clicked the fire button, the RPG blasted out, a massive rocket propelled nuclear device flying at the five, and destining the five and Carson City for the same faith.

…

Edison closed her eyes, the timeline was hard and confusing but she took comfort in knowing she would die in her lover’s arm. Well a bit one sided, Iren would never know about her love and that was okay because they still had good moments.

…

And above her the Kagens and mortals, fired at them and threating them and the entire city. And Elias looked forward, seeing in it the death of him and his death, him being able to join Colin in death.