THE SHADOWVERSE

The Answer

The light fled the sky and night swooped down on Herook. The band of wannabe heroes stood on the cliff and stared out into the night sky. An array of blue, white, and orange-tinted stars glistened down, and Johnny swore it was more than he had seen his whole life.

"Wow, just wow," Johnny said.

The others marveled. "The Milky Way," Sam acknowledged, in awe. "I've never seen it before. NYC isn't very good for starwatching."

"Yeah, neither have I," Ryan added, unable to tear his gaze from the sky. He walked farther down the cliff.

"That's Orion, right?" Jane pointed to a string of three stars.

"Yeah, that's Orion," Johnny replied. "There's Betelgeuse. It's a red supergiant more than one thousand times as massive as the sun. If it were in our solar system, it would extend beyond Jupiter."

"Wow."

"It is pretty spectacular, correct?" Sonovan said, looking up. "Few planets are blessed with this view, for interstellar matter and clouds block most from seeing anything."

"Really? I never realized that, but it makes sense," Johnny replied.

"It's amazing," Jane admired, eyes wide, taking in the view of the universe beyond—the universe they were trying to save.

Ryan sat at the end of the cliff, alone. He wondered where Rose was—what she was doing, if she was all right, and if they could ever retrieve her. "What's our plan?" he asked, out of the blue.

"What do you mean?" Sam asked, his attention diverted.

"You know, how are we going to get Rose back? We can't just sit here and become amateur astronomers." For the millionth time, a smooth, calm breeze flowed over them.

"He's right. There isn't time to waste," Johnny said.

"Well, for one thing, we must find a way off-planet," Sonovan replied. "And that is something I have not done in a very, very long time."

"All right, well, how did you do it the first time?"

"I knew a smuggler who would help me," Sonovan said. "He brought me weapons and prototypes for suits. In fact, he gave me an invisibility suit."

"You have a secret room? Awesome!" Dustin exclaimed.

"But, uh, when were you going to tell us that?" Sam asked.

"When it became necessary."

"Oh, that's good to know," Sam replied. "What about this smuggler guy?"

"I do not know what happened to him. I assume he has passed on, since that was about a hundred years ago."

"Geez."

"I was amazed how he could do it. I was very thankful for him, and he became a friend I cherished for a long time. But, like all the others, he is now gone."

"Are you trying to say our case is hopeless?" Jane asked.

"No, that was not my intent."

"OK, so let's get on with it and develop something we could call a plan," Johnny stated.

Sonovan chuckled to himself, shaking his head in the starry darkness.

"What?" Johnny asked him.

"You are so ready for a fight, Johnny Sparks. More so, even, than I was. While it is a good trait, you must also have patience. Sometimes the knee-jerk, first reaction is not always the best. Time is on our side."

Silence fell for a long minute. Dustin, Sam, and Ryan shot nervous looks at Johnny, while Jane continued to gaze serenely at the view.

"Uh, thanks for the tip. You sound like my Dad," Johnny eventually said.

"It's for your betterment," Sonovan replied. Then he turned to the rest of the team. He motioned towards Jane. "Look up, like she is."

In response to his gesture, they tilted their faces towards the speckled sky once again, filled with millions of white, blue, and orange dots, along with the enormous spiral arm of the galaxy that stretched as far as the eye could see. "I brought you out here because you must understand the scope of our mission—but not only that. You must find peace. The night sky can teach you things unattainable and unwanted by many. Just gaze . . . empty your minds. Never stop looking up, never stop looking into infinity. You are children of the light."

* * *

Marching into the throne room, Solis bowed before speaking. "My lord, the variable has arrived. He is inside the testing cell on Level Twenty-Three." Solis strode back out and Titan grinned. He turned with haste and made his way straight there.

Wonder and excitement pervaded his demeanor. Upon his entry, he caught sight of the variable immediately—a male human. The man squirmed in his restraints at the sight of Titan. He slowly approached the man. "What is your name?"

"M-My n-name is J-Jackson G-G-Greene," the captive stuttered, terrified. "W-What's happening?"

"Do not fret, Jackson Greene. You will be returned to your proper location soon enough. In fact, you will not remember what happened here."

"What will happen h-here?"

"A few tests, that is all. Thank you for your cooperation. Many do not behave as well as you have."

Titan had brain scanners brought in with haste. The soldiers brought hypnosis machines in too, but Titan sent them back out. "Why would we need a hypnosis machine when you have me?" he quipped. Solis stood behind the opaque glass, observing. This could be the culmination of centuries' worth of work.

Titan placed his hands on the man's head, which shook violently. Then Titan noticed something peculiar. Jackson was murmuring something under his breath. Titan realized what was taking place and decided to search the human's mind for the words he uttered.

Oh God, please, help me. I need You right now. Please, help me. You were there for my parents. Be there for me.

Uncharacteristically, Titan's eyes widened in slight surprise. Another religious one, he noted. His mind contacted Solis's like a hammer blow, ordering him to activate the brainwave scanner. Make sure you check the medial prefrontal and the posterior cingulate cortexes.

A few minutes later, the results came back. Solis handed it to Titan. "My lord, here."

Titan read over the data in seconds. "Solis, bring in a Halluxian prisoner at once!" he boomed.

The second prisoner was shoved into a restraining bed opposite the human. Tests were repeated with this new prisoner. The data arrived and Solis brought it once more to Titan. The resulting information differed significantly from the test on Jackson Greene.

As Titan compared the two results, it became apparent this human was unlike any species he had come across. These foolish, primitive, useless nothings. They were like him.

Titan dropped both pages and paced to the throne room. His eyes landed on the familiar expanse once again. He began to laugh, and soon he was bellowing so loudly that Solis rushed in. "My lord? Well? Are you all right?"

Titan continued to laugh deeply, and pivoted to his Voir. "Solis, this is it! It took a millennium, but I have finally found it!"

"Impossible."

"You and I have witnessed many things, Solis, but this"—he turned back to the window and the universe beyond— "this tops it all. My crowning glory."

"Our mission is accomplished," Solis spoke, his voice hollow. "I was so honored to be a part of it."

Titan shook his head in dismissal. "No, Solis," he replied, turning back to the window. "Our journey is now only just beginning. This is the path to the Justification. The way. The key. The answer."