blood red moon
~ a Shadow of Destiny fanfiction
Chapter Thirteen
Eike stared at his counterpart, immediately noticing the little details that kept the man from being some strange, walking full-length mirror. The clothes were different, a combination of grays and blacks that looked much too professional for any job he could imagine he held. A few pronounced scars stood out on his face, pale chalk marks even against his fair skin. The man’s hair was shorter, cut rather rakishly, or was that just the look in his eyes? A little too intense, maybe even a little crazy.
The cup Eike had been holding slid out of his hand, too sturdy to shatter dramatically, just bouncing a bit as the coffee spilled all over the table. He could feel a few drops sliding through the cracks in the wood, spattering on his pants.
“You shouldn’t do that. Unless I’m mistaken, those are the best clothes you’ve had on in a while.” The mirror image took a step closer, rubbing one slightly stubbly cheek. Eike reached up to find his own clean-shaven, another detail, another reason this couldn’t be happening.
//Maybe I have a twin?//
“I forgot a lot of things, but I still remember that shower.” He grinned, as if he could hear Eike’s thoughts. “... and no, we’re not twins.”
The men near the bar had turned, watching this strange turn of events, though the new Eike didn’t seem to notice, accidentally jostling one of them as he stepped forward. At the table, Eike winced, watching a rather large amount of whatever alcohol the man was drinking slosh out of his glass, all over his shirt. He froze, eyes burning as he slowly looked up at the other Eike.
This wasn’t going to go at all -
“Well?”
At least Eike thought the grunted word was “well,” it really could have been any number of things. He could hear the sound of chairs being moved, drinks being set down as the men around this new Eike shuffled up, closing in on him.
The greatest proof that this man couldn’t have been him, no matter how similar he seemed, was in those green eyes now. There was no sign of fear or even concern, as if the thought that he would soon be fighting alone in a bar brawl didn’t bother him in the least.
“So, what?” No, not concerned at all. Eike gaped in amazement as his double waited for another moment, and then turned back toward him, ignoring the angry man and all of his friends. He saw over his double’s shoulder, his opponent’s scowl deepening in a dangerous way, and the man dove forward, more than willing to start things off with a sucker punch.
//He’s not taking his hands out of his pockets.//
Eike kept watching, figured it was just a mistake in timing, but the other him didn’t move at all, or even turn to face his attacker. The dodge, when it came was one of those subtle, planned things that always looked easy, planned out or even accidental. An accident, except that the man who had been preparing to attack Eike was now stumbling out of control. Overbalanced with a punch that went nowhere, he was assisted in his fall as the corner of a table leg caught his shin. Within moments, he was face down on the floor.
It wasn’t over, of course. His friends may have even been glad he was gone, giving each of them the chance at the newcomer. The other Eike turned to face them, hands /still/ in his pockets, voice dangerously calm.
“You really don’t want to do this.”
Eike believed him. The gang of thugs did not, which actually made him kind of glad. It was fun to watch this man who looked like him do things he never could, sort of like watching a stunt double in an action movie.
He /did/ glance around, just for a moment, to make sure there weren’t any cameras, feeling a little stupid as he did so. No other explanation, either rational or insane, seemed to make more sense. The other Eike was making quick work of his opponents, hands finally in view now, most of the attackers going down with a single punch. The sadly confident one who smashed a glass bottle into a makeshift weapon soon realized Eike didn’t see it as any more intimidating, disarming him and knocking him unconscious with the same maneuver.
By the time the last man fell, sent down with an unexpected high kick that left Eike gaping, the leader had managed to get back to his feet, leaning against the pool table as he shook his head groggily. Eike let out a shout of warning as he saw him reach behind his back, probably a knife or gun stuck in his waistband. He doubted his cry had done any good, the other Eike was already moving, almost too fast to follow. The pool cue was in his hands immediately, so fast Eike couldn’t tell where it had come from. It blurred in the air, snapping down hard against the hand planted on the side of the table.
The sound of breaking bones carried easily across the room.
His double turned away, dropping the cue as the man fell whimpering to the floor, clutching his smashed hand, face pasty white and tight with agony. Eike thought twice about clenching the table as the other him approached, not wanting his hands in view, and grimaced as he realized his back was to the wall. He glanced at the bartender, who was clearly not going to involve himself with any of this, except perhaps by checking the injured men for cleanup money.
“It /is/ you, right? God, if I have another close encounter with someone who just looks like...”
The other Eike bit his lip slightly, trailing off with a sigh before staring at him intently. Eike froze, he didn’t want to stare back but it was too difficult not to. It wasn’t like staring into a mirror at all. As much as this man was him, he was not him, the fight itself was proof of that.
//Unless...//
The other Eike seemed to read his thoughts.
“No, no you can’t fight like that.” He gestured slightly toward the men on the ground. “You didn’t forget how to do it, either. I haven’t exactly ended up with angels, running around like this.”
“Running around...?” Curiosity overcame fear, Eike was hooked. “Who are you?”
“I’m you.” The other Eike sighed slightly, organizing his thoughts. “Not a twin, not a brother. I’m you. Time... well, think of it like layers, or a spider web. Multiple times, different versions of ourselves. I’m you, you’re me, sort of.” He grinned slightly. “No touching. We touch, we both go boom. Haven’t quite worked out how that works, if we’re not technically...”
“You’re me?”
It was the wrong question. The other him growled slightly, slapping his palm against his forehead.
“I knew it would be - we don’t have long enough for every stupid question you want to ask. Come on, I’ll explain on the way.”
“I’m not going with you!”
The other Eike laughed, a sharp, unfriendly sound. “All right.” He turned away, gesturing toward the men he had defeated, just starting to groan and get to their feet. “You can explain when they get up that we have nothing to do with one another, and that you have no intention of beating the hell out of them again. I’m sure they’ll understand, if you’re polite.”
Eike only had to run a little to catch up to his double, waiting impatiently for him at the door.
------------------------
The man didn’t say a word, moving quickly down the street, his gaze strangely wary, never resting on a single point for more than a moment. He looked at everything, but it didn’t seem as if he cared about any of it - and he wondered as he had for every step since they had left the bar, if he really was safer with this person who claimed to be him.
“What you’re saying is impossible, you know.” He ventured, the other Eike glancing at him with cold, hard eyes that nearly made him wince. “I don’t know why you look so much like me, but...”
“Eike, you don’t know where the hell you /are/, or why you’re here or where you came from. Do us both a favor, and don’t think you can argue with me on the finer points of space and time.” He frowned, lips coming together in a thin line, and his shoulders sagged a bit, though he didn’t slow down.
“I’m sorry. I knew if I ever found you, you’d be like this. I’m just... we’re going to have to move quickly. Come on.”
“Wait, wait just a minute.” It was a brave move. Even if this man couldn’t touch him, Eike didn’t want to argue. He probably could do a lot of damage without ever laying a finger on him. Confusion was winning over fear, though, and he had the vague feeling he’d been dragged around like this before.
“I want some answers. What do you mean ‘like this’? Why are you here? Why should I trust you at all? I’m not going anywhere until you explain things.”
Green eyes flashed dangerously. Eike wondered stupidly if his own murder would be homicide or suicide.
“You don’t remember any of it, do you?” The voice, so much like his own, but resting on a foundation of deep anger, a well of frustration he didn’t recognize. “Wagner, Hugo, Margarete, Dana. Homunculus. None of this is ringing any bells, is it?
It was just barely a question, and Eike cringed.
“No.”
The other Eike stared at him for a long, silent moment. It was nearly impossible to meet the hard, sharp emerald gaze - his eyes really did look like stone. So similar, and yet completely different.
“I can’t explain this as well as I can show you. I’ll make you a deal. Give me five minutes, if you don’t believe me, you’re free to go.”
If the man were truly dangerous, he would have just killed Eike then and there, right? Crazy men didn’t make deals, right? Warily, Eike nodded. The man grinned, and took off across the Marketplatz, Eike nearly having to jog to keep up. He stopped short when they reached the end of an alley, and the other him pulled out something from his back pocket.
It was, thankfully, too small to be a gun, but he had no time to sigh in relief as the other Eike pointed it ahead of him, towards the dead end of the alley, and he... well, he didn’t know exactly what he was seeing, but it certainly wasn’t normal. At first an opalescent pearl, but the distortion quickly grew, until it was a bubble large enough for a man to walk through. Or two men.
The other Eike grinned at him, all teeth. “I’ve got three minutes, fifty-two seconds left, by my count. Let’s go.”
----------------------
He braced himself for whatever might happen, but it was surprisingly little. A moment of alarm, as if he was falling, and Eike shut his eyes against a sudden rush of twisting vertigo. As soon as he did, it was over. Eike took a hurried step forward as his counterpart dropped into the space next to him. He didn’t take any steps after that. He didn’t want to get any closer to the body.
“What is this?”
The air was cold, stale with the smell of metal and stone, as if no one had breathed it in a very long time. Everything was covered with a thick layer of dust, a stray cobweb here or there but not many. The body on the floor lay face down, a few strands of blond hair covering most of what was skeletal, or mummified. Eike didn’t move closer to check, and neither did his double.
“Where are we?” He was surprised he had the strength to speak, it barely felt as if he could stand.
“The future. The far future, where the problem began.” The other Eike stared rather dispassionately at the body on the floor. “He’s been dead for nearly two hundred years at this point. The whole world here is dead, it just keeps going. A ghost ship. I’m sorry, I know this is, that I’m not explaining-”
“No.” Eike could not take his eyes off the body, his body, no matter how much he wanted to. “No, I believe you. Whatever it is, I believe you.”
“You met Homunculus in the Middle Ages, for the first time. You were old, your wife was dead, you didn’t realize what you’d done, setting him free, until it was too late. Homunculus...” The other Eike trailed off, a small amusement glinting in his eyes. “He was a bit of a bastard back then. We tried to trick him, and won, sort of. He granted us eternal life, but took away our memories. We met again...” He sighed. “It gets really complicated, more jumping through time, more people... more people we lose. Everything that happens, it jarred his spell, it brought back some of the past. The Eike from that point is where we all come from, and none of us ever really recovered.”
The body lay as undeniable proof of that, and Eike didn’t argue.
The other Eike gestured towards what remained of some massive, shattered container. “In the far future, we created a creature named Dopple for our revenge, and sent it back to kill Homunculus. It failed, but it attracted the attention of Atropos, one of the Fates. Atropos joined with the creature, wanting to destroy the djinn once and for all.” Icy emerald eyes glanced up at him. “That’s where you come in. You’re as close as I could get to the Eike that I splintered from, to the Eike that was there when Homunculus made his initial decision.”
“Decision?”
A wry, rueful grin spread across his double’s face. “He, being the stubborn, arrogant bastard that he is, decided it would be better if you, I... we weren’t involved. He took all your memories and dropped you someplace safe, to let you ride out the battle unscathed. I’m from that future, but in my timeline, the erasure didn’t work right. I remembered.” He frowned. “I don’t know if Homunculus ever planned on coming back. I doubt it. If I remember right, he was off on some sort of tangent about what would be ‘best’ for us, about how we deserved better.” The other Eike snorted softly. “As if he can just kiss us like that and expect nothing to change.”
“Wait... he what?”
The other Eike smiled, even here, in this dead place, even now. “I really can’t explain this part to you. I /remember/ it, and I still don’t understand it, but it changes this.” He swept a hand across what remained of the lab, rusted machines and the death of his future. “It means all of this never has to happen. It’s why I need your help.”
“What happens? If we’re so far in the future... what happened when Homunculus fought Atropos?”
The man’s smile twisted bitter, still watching him, always making sure he was following, that he still believed. Eike was willing to give him the benefit of the doubt, with his own corpse on the floor just a few feet away.
“He knew he couldn’t win, not even with all of the djinn on his side. Homunculus’ powers were bound by the Stone, by the one who had trapped him even earlier than that. He couldn’t use his full strength, so he used the power he could. He and the rest of the djinn sacrificed themselves, to destroy her. I don’t know if the rest were so willing, but Homunculus knew from the start. He knew when he went to face her, that he wouldn’t come back.” The man glanced down, and up. “I think that’s my five minutes, by the way.”
“So what are we going to do? What can I do to change it?”
He wasn’t surprised when the other him grinned, knew there had always been the option to refuse, to /still/ call him crazy, or maybe just go crazy himself. It was /him/ though, standing in front of him now and /him/ dead on the floor. This creature, Homunculus, whomever he was, had given his life trying to keep this terrible future from being the future for all of them. If he could help... it seemed he was almost obligated to do it.
“I’m glad you asked that. I’ve got a couple more things I need to explain and then we can-”
The attack came out of nowhere, especially when Eike had come to see his double as all but invincible. The other him gasped, stumbling backward with one hand pressed against his chest, barely catching himself against the wall. Eike winced as the man spit out a thin stream of blood, shuddering for breath with his eyes firmly closed.
“You’re hurt! What-what’s wrong?!”
He remembered not to touch, though his hands still hovered worriedly over the shoulders of his double. The other Eike shook his head in dismissal, carefully wiping his mouth, though his smile and bravado suddenly seemed much more fragile than it had in the bar.
“There’s nothing to be done for it.” His voice was thin, very weak, he had to breathe deep just to get the words out. “I knew this would happen. Too much time, too much time /in/ time, you know?”
Eike nodded, though no, he really didn’t know at all. He tossed a wary glance backward, to where the portal they had come through had vanished.
“You don’t have to worry about it. It takes a long time for this sort of thing to affect a human body. You should be fine, for the little bit of travel we’ll be doing.”
Eike took a step back. “How long have you...” He trailed off. The weary look in his double’s eyes said it all. The man sighed, gesturing back toward the corpse.
“The first time our future ran this long, he ended up destroying time, creating a monster that might have destroyed everything. The second time, I tried to find a way to stop it, to stop Homunculus from destroying himself. The next future will be up to you.”
“All that time? It took you...” He was aware that he trailed off once more, but the thought of so many years was pressing painfully on his chest. He may not have lived through it but he knew what it must have cost, could imagine what it must have been like.
Slowly, the other Eike got to his feet, expression broken, slightly less than sane. “It took me a long time, just to find out how to make it work, and even longer to find the power, the technique... these are not things mankind was ever ready to learn.” He coughed again, wavering a bit on his feet, and Eike winced.
“I spent too long jumping back and forth in time before I realized it was killing me, trying to find out what had happened, trying to find a solution. I didn’t have a choice. I think Homunculus knew how to make it safe. I never could find that out, and I couldn’t... even if I had known before I started, I couldn’t wait another thousand years to find the way. I was already too old, too tired...” Another gesture towards the corpse. “Too much like him. We need Homunculus, you do... he’s the only one who understands, the only one who keeps us sane. No one else... I tried, but they died, eventually. All of them. It’s too much.”
“I’m your happy ending.”
The smile was weary, but genuine, and his double nodded, pushing a hand back through his short hair. “I won’t survive, even if I could stop Atropos by myself. I don’t think even Homunculus can change what I’ve done. It’s all right, though. Since you believe me-”
“I don’t understand... what can I do?”
Eike was already becoming familiar with his double’s collection of dangerous smiles, and when the man grinned, he tried very hard not to wince.
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The leap was smooth, Eike even dared to open his eyes for a moment, the strange twisting and looping of tunnel they fell through making him a bit seasick. The trip seemed to take longer this time, and when he stumbled out onto a new street it was like no place he’d ever seen before. Low, rough cut walls, and streets paved with stones instead of asphalt.
“Where are we?”
His ears immediately grabbed on to the sound of unfamiliar music, the low rumble of city life echoing down the alleyways. He was relieved to hear it, glad to let it block out the memory of the dead world still too fresh in his mind.
“The Middle East, around 550 B.C.” The other Eike looked around for a moment, smiling. “It’s a beautiful place, really. I wish I had a chance to give you the grand tour. Well, come on.”
He took off down the dark street, and Eike quickly followed. The night cast helpful shadows everywhere, a few torches lit here and there, easily dodged. Most of the people in this neighborhood were asleep, no one noticed the strangers creeping about. Eike was glad, he doubted there was much of a chance of going unnoticed if they were spotted. Not too many around who looked like them, probably, unless there were a few more Eikes-
He quickly squashed that thought, far too weird to be worth pursuing.
“What are we doing here?” He whispered when they finally paused, the other Eike scanning an empty courtyard carefully before they passed through.
“Homunculus didn’t have full control over his powers, remember? It’s the reason he couldn’t just stomp Atropos flat. He gets himself trapped here, in this place and this time, not too long from now.” The other Eike had to stop his explanation then, they were moving too quickly for him to speak and still catch his breath. Finally, they arrived at the edge of a courtyard. The double held up a hand for him to stop, and disappeared silently around the corner. Eike heard a slight grunt, and the other man’s hand appeared again, beckoning him forward. A guard lay crumpled neatly at his feet as soon as he turned the corner.
“I suppose I could have come up with something more interesting. It was just easier this way.” The other Eike shrugged, and kept moving.
Once again, they had returned to the action movie, Eike watching his double carefully as the man crept with him through the massive garden, avoiding some guards and knocking out a few others when necessary. Finally, they reached a small door, some sort of rear entrance, guarded by one of the largest men Eike had ever seen. He was shocked when, instead of any attempt at subterfuge, his double merely walked out of the shadows, approaching him directly.
Eike winced, and waited, and goggled, as the massive man merely smiled, and the two exchanged friendly greetings. The other Eike beckoned toward him, and he gingerly walked into the light. The guard murmured something, Eike replied, they exchanged a few more words and the man stepped aside, letting them through the door.
“I saved his father, about fifteen years ago. He’s returning the favor by letting me inside.” The other him murmured as they stepped inside, before Eike could ask the question. “It took me a little while to figure out that one. I mean, not that I’m not used to my life being a Rube Goldberg machine by now, but still...”
“So what happens now?” Eike murmured.
“Now?” The double glanced up the corridor, lined from floor to ceiling in beautiful patterns, intricate mosaics. “At the end of this hallway is a staircase, a few more doors. The most powerful man alive is currently trapping Homunculus... well, he’s not the one who actually does it, they usually kill that man, so there’s no danger of the limiter being taken off.”
“Hn?”
“The only person who can remove it is the one who put it on. If that person dies right after, then it never comes off. The sorcerer doesn’t have to be the one... well, you’ll see.”
It wasn’t much comfort. Halfway down the corridor he could hear the sound of voices, staccato bursts of conversation in between another sound, one he couldn’t comprehend at all.
“It burns, you know, for us to try and speak their language. Hurts like a son of a bitch.”
“Oh.” Eike said, without the slightest clue of what the man was talking about.
He wondered briefly about the safety of opening the final door without any hesitation, but his double didn’t seem too concerned. No one was guarding it, it slid open silently, not that he thought that mattered much. Everyone was firmly focused on what was happening in the center of the room, and for good reason. It was a veritable pyrotechnic display, caught and struggling within a series of intricate designs gleaming on the floor, one on top of another on top of another. The flickering, sparking column of fire was snarling, the same language being spoken back. The men circling the pillar of flame were tense, but eerily calm.
“Whoever this guy was, he sure had balls. I don’t care how many shields he put down to protect himself.” The other Eike crouched behind a pillar, gesturing toward a tall, cloaked figure. The man was performing some sort of spell over a small table, the entire room shaking a bit, dust dislodging here and there from the ceiling.
“/That’s/ Homunculus?”
“More or less... he’s not quite as pissed off when you meet him later. A bit less... on fire.” The other Eike shrugged, somewhere along the way it seemed he’d gotten used to this. “All right. We’re just about there. You see that thing he’s got in his hand?”
Eike narrowed his eyes, nodding carefully. Whatever it was, it winked slightly in the firelight as the man tipped his hand.
“All right, that’s the limiter. He’s going to hand it to the man in blue, who’s going to put it on Homunculus - but we’re going to rush them, and you’re going to grab it, and stick your hand through the barrier and put it on him first. I don’t /think/ it will kill you.”
Eike goggled, could barely keep his voice at a low hiss. “... this is your plan?!”
“It’ll work. I’ve been here before, I timed it out.” He bit his lip just slightly. “Okay, maybe I should have grabbed a few extra Eikes. Oh well, too late now.” He leaned forward, eyes narrowing. “You ready?”
Eike seriously doubted whether it mattered or not.
“All right, let’s go!”
He was amazed, despite the shadows that cloaked most of the room, that they actually managed to make it to the other side, nearly to the circle before being seen. The first man to see them cried out - abruptly cut off with a nasty elbow to the jaw from his double.
“Get it Eike! Hurry!”
He didn’t stop to think if these men had weapons, or spells - but it seemed this was too fragile a situation to other magic, and none of them had thought weaponry a necessity. Not here - who would dare interfere? In fact, since he hadn’t died yet, Eike was starting to feel a little bold - he was /pathetic/ at this sort of thing, and they hadn’t stopped him yet? He lunged forward, snatching the limiter in what was probably the last moment of surprise he had.
The other Eike was making short work of his opponents, clearing out most of the rest of the room. He paused only for a moment to look at him.
“Hurry! Do it!”
Eike couldn’t help the moment’s hesitation, feeling the gold ornament burning a bit in his hand, glancing at the magician he had stolen it from. The man behind him... well, didn’t look evil at all really, not when compared to the pillar of fire still snarling and flaring behind the layers of shields. He was really supposed to help this thing? It was going to make things better? The other him seemed to think so, he had put his life up for it.
//Damn. Well, I suppose I know best.//
Eike steeled himself, lunging forward before he could change his mind, ignoring the alarmed shouts of the men the other Eike hadn’t incapacitated. He half expected his arm to bounce off the shielding, or burst into flame if it did manage to get past it, and was pleasantly surprised when his hand passed through the glimmering shields and still remained whole. The whole of his arm tingled like mad, pins and needles, as if there wasn’t any blood left in it at all, but he could handle that.
Eike wished his double had told him exactly what was supposed to happen next. Inside the shield, the creature roared, and he gingerly tipped his hand until he felt the golden cuff catch on something. It seemed to do the trick. He pulled his hand back as the light flared and /screamed/, turned his eyes away just before he would have been blinded. Eike winced, his fingertips had been burned a little, all that energy being bound and contained by the limiter. As the glow faded, he looked up. Whatever he had expected to see paled in comparison to what stood in front of him now.
//Wow.//
Ruby eyes were glaring at him, filled with a cross between venom and curiosity. He said something, voice low, still in that language Eike didn’t understand. The magicians still standing were shocked motionless, staring along with him, though Eike doubted that would last much longer. He smiled wanly at the strange creature - so delicate-looking, amazed that something so fragile could hold such power.
“Sorry about this. He tells me you’ll thank me for it, someday.” The creature followed when he pointed, staring even more intently, incredulously at his retreating double.
“Time to go, Eike!”
“See you soon, I think.” The second smile came easier, watching the utterly perplexed look on the doll-like face. Maybe this had been the right decision, after all.
Eike heard the expected angry shouts as they ran down the corridor, knew there had to be alarms being sounded from somewhere, but the guard was still in place at the exit, pointed them quickly to the safest way out before making himself scarce.
“That went well, I think.” His double was grinning fiercely. “All right, time to go to war!”
“War? What do you mean /war/?!” Eike yelped, trying to catch his breath as the other man activated the portal, and they vanished.
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Author’s Notes -
1. Ignore the author behind the fic. She is crazy but well-caged.
2. Dear god, I hope there isn’t anything important I’ve forgotten. I checked, I really truly did. ^^;
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Shadow of Destiny Christmas Special
====================
Eike: <pointing at Hom> Elf.
Homunculus: Elf?
Eike: Dingle shoes? BWA HA HA HA HA.
Dopple: <sticks blinking nose on herself> Rudolph the red-nosed psycho.
Homunculus: Bah humbug.
Eike: Dingle... shoes. Can't breathe... HAHAHAHAHAHA.
Homunculus: You are /so/ getting coal in your stocking.
Dopple: <leaps off roof> I can fly!!!! *THUD*