Chapter Thirty-One: Arx

Our conversation didn’t end there. More problems popped up. What if it was all a trap? What if Mad dies? What if I die while we’re in the future? What if Leo got more power? What if we get caught? What about the group? We finally settled on going to the probably confused and scared group before we faced Leo.

It’s the next day, and we plan to make the jump soon. But we have to do one more thing before we go. We have to exchange memories.

I’m not exactly sure how it’s going to work, but I trust Mad. Or my past self. Or…

“Look into my eyes,” Mad says as she sits down on the bed beside me. Suddenly a song pops into my head. I stand atop a spiral stair. An oracle confronts me there. He leads me on light years away, through astral nights, galactic days… It’s so familiar, I clutch my head and pull out of Mad’s gaze. “What song is that?!” I moan. “It’s so familiar…”

“2112,” Mad replies, staring into my eyes again. They are a dark green now. “By Rush. How about this?” A even more familiar song come into my head. “Try and recognize it,” she quips.

The name suddenly pops into my head. “Upgraded. By Capital Kings.”

“Good. Now this one.” She smirks. “I made it your theme song.”

Now the name comes up instantly. “Renegade. Styx.”

Mad pops up and jumps around triumphantly. “Yes! It worked! Now your turn.” She sits back down again. “Think of something that might come in good use for me. Then just try and stare it into me. I know it sounds stupid, but it works.”

I think of some fighting moves I learned, and reactions to interrogation questions. “Here,” I say. I try and stare it into Mad. Her eyes widen. “Cool! I never knew you -- I -- can do that!” she says excitedly. I nod. “Did it work?”

“Yeah,” Mad says, beaming. “That’s really cool.” She must be thinking about what I just gave her.

“Should we go now?” I ask Mad. She nods solemnly. “I think they’re on Neptune 7.”

“Okay, let’s go,” I say, and I open a time loop. Kato and Jules stand by, both faces expressionless. Mad and I, past and future, take hands and step through the portal.

And what was happening when we landed was not what either of us expected.

Reviews

[Peregrinator7]

Oh, my old tastes in music. I mourn thee, old self.

[Locke Redwyne (night sys)]

XD wow just wow

[Peregrinator7]

i mean those songs are still good but i like other stuff now...