The Time Capsule

Chapter 25: Spies Live Among Us

Chapter 25: Spies Live Among Us

Gail Sultan was brooding. Granted, he spent most days brooding over his fate, his destiny. He grumbled as he shoved a fellow soldier out of the way, causing him to almost fall over the edge of the balloon ship. A stream of profanities followed Gail as he collapsed in a comfy chair. The upper levels of the balloon rocked back and forth, the girl had disappeared with her idiot father. No one needed him at the moment. And Gail Sultan despised not being needed. As a hero, as a villain. Neither mattered as he was called forth into action. He would do whatever it took to get there. He slowly closed his eyes and the world of dreams swirled around him, a vision overtaking reality. 

Multicolored quills scratched across the desks and the feathers embedded in ink pens produced actual bubbles of ink into the air, which swirled around to form words. The words formed into bigger images of objects covered in words, but then promptly vanished. It was a practice session of words they could make in the future. Students of all different ages sat in rows of desks, their hair in all the colors of the rainbow and constantly changing back and forth as if it couldn't decide what it wanted to be, all of them dressed in lilac robes. Gail stepped around the room, holding a hand out as if sensing the air. Something was wrong. The air warbled with a gust of wind as if in a forcefield, and he yanked his hand back. An old man entered the room, his long black cloak swishing behind him dramatically, his snow white hair falling down his shoulders as he approached Gail and looked him directly in the eyes. And then he stuck his hand through Gail's chest to shake another man's hand, ths man a lot more conservelaty dressed in a black suit with blue swirls, his hair halfway between black and blue. 

"She is conscious," the man whispered, and Gail recognized him to be Mr. Arctrus, his old teacher. "Do you not realize the scale of the situation?" 

"The entire plan is in jeopardy," the old man said. "If it is true what you say, and she is awake, she won't be for very long. The Artifact Room contains the most powerful sedatives ever known to man or Wordsmith kind." 

"Headmaster," Arcturus pulled the man away from potential overhearing students. "If she is awake...if she is conscious. have there been any new worlds added to the universe? Any warnings sent out for help?" 

"Not as yet," the headmaster replied. "We can be grateful for something. She is simply breathing, biding her time. It's all thanks to the young apprentice that she's there in the first place. Safe from any harm." 

"What do you mean by that, headmaster?" Arcturus tilted his head curiously. 

"Have you heard of the legend of Castor and Pollux?" the headmaster asked. "The two Gemini twins, sons of different fathers-"

"Yes, I've read it," Arcturus cut him off, hating being scrutinized as stupid. 

"I hear whispers," the headmaster dropped his voice to an all time low, this was information of the utmost importance. "That the legend has been recreated. But of a different sort. Not different fathers...but different mothers. Four siblings, separated through time and space. Not aware of their own destiny." 

"Until they are each, in turn, granted immortality," Arcturus finished. "Sir, if an author had such powers, if they took the creation of our societies and used it against us..." 

"Unspeakable horrors would be unleashed on the mortal world," said the Headmaster. 

Gail clutched his head in confusion, this was *not* what the prophecy he had been told was about. He'd heard one of an entirely different sort. Footsteps sounded behind him and were getting closer. He slowly turned and nearly fell over in fright when he saw a young woman in a hospital gown attached to several IV fluids creeping towards him. Her usual flowing brown hair had turned quite dull, hardly any color in her skin left. She barely lifted a finger before the two men were screaming, their cloaks caught on fire. She slipped past them and put the same finger to her lips, Gail nodding and swallowing in far. She kept quiet.