Quintus Crossings - Story I: Jason - Emergence Arc

Chapter 8: An Empty Place

That high-tech cylinder, the Jensmal, was going crazy, reacting to the Transmensional residue, which was likely essence of the blue chick. Captain Jennsen had guessed this tower was where it all began and the girl confirmed it. Whatever Captain Jennsen was looking for, it had to be here.

The captain ran down the hallways of the building, Jason close behind. The same blue lights that lined the outside of the building also snaked along the walls and ceiling, casting everything in light blue. Jason froze at an open doorway. A stairway leading up and down stood before him. Captain Jennsen hadn't given it a second look.

The captain veered left into either a room or another hallway. He emerged seconds later and went into a room on the opposite wall. Jason should look for his friends, but Captain Jennsen had even said they were fine and being brought here. He'd see them soon. Besides, Jason wanted to know about the loved one the captain was doing this for. He wanted to help if he could.

I really will fall for any sob story, won't I? Jason stepped away from the stairs. If this is who I am, then I might as well accept it.

He followed the captain. Many doors were opened, leading to rooms with contents that varied from packed with broken equipment to only having a bed in the center. Some doors were closed, but they forced them open.

There were monitors in some of the rooms, but none of them worked. They searched the entire first floor and found nothing.

"No time to quit!" the captain said, stormy eyes determined. "There are plenty of floors. Let's go!"

They checked one floor up with the same result as the first. The next floor, however, had something intriguing, albeit disturbing, in one of its rooms.

A skeleton lay near the back wall. Jason inspected the once-living person. He or she had laid on their side as they died, limbs splayed out.

What happened to you? Sorrow surrounded him. This doesn't seem natural.

"Boy, over here!" Captain Jennsen said.

Jason walked to the captain. Dust puffed up. The rest of this building was oddly pristine. This dust must have come from the body. Jason fought off more sadness – and slight revulsion – as he walked around the remains of a life. The captain was hunched over, flipping through the pages of a journal.

"Never mind," Captain Jennsen growled, slamming the journal shut. "It's all gibberish. Let's move on!"

The captain charged from the room. Jason, however, stared at the journal. There was an inscription on the front that read "Experiment Log." Jason picked up the journal and flipped to a random page. Hmm... The handwriting was horrible, but it wasn't gibberish. He could understand every word on the page if he concentrated. It read:

January 14th, 1887,

I have fashioned the machine as the Forebears have informed me. Sadly, every test was a failure. Yet the pulses lasted longer than the last five experiments combined! Clearly I am on the right track. Soon, I shall be able to join them. I am on my way.

Jason frowned, then flipped to a page halfway through the journal.

November 8th, 1888

I am on the verge of a monumental discovery! The machine is set, everything is finally ready! Tomorrow I'll run all the tests one more time. Surely this one will be successful.

November 9th, 1888

Eureka! I have finally done what the Forebears asked of me fifteen years ago! But I can't stop here. It's been so long since the Forebears last contacted me. They knew how to travel and converse across the worlds far before they showed it to me. Their technology must be even more immense than it was then. If I arrived with this likely obsolete technology, they would surely be disappointed in me. I have to find something new to impress them. But what?