Aeon Legion: Labyrinth (7 page)

Terra hesitated while she
considered Alya's words when another ring formed over Alya and again
changed her pose.

Alya's smiled had returned in
full. “How about I show you time travel?”

Terra recoiled. “I don't
know...”

“Trust me. You will love
this! Don't worry. We will be completely safe. The Sybil have
precogged no temporal storms. You will be fine.”

Terra narrowed her gaze as she
thought. If Alya had ill intent, then she could have simply abducted
Terra many times over by now. “Will I be gone long?”

Alya laughed. “It's time
travel.”

“Oh... Right.”

“Infinite!” Alya said as
she grabbed Terra, pulling her close. “Let's go!”

Terra was about to push away
from Alya when a glowing ring formed around both of them, moving
clockwise around them. As the ring passed, it wiped away the quarry
and replaced the landscape with a strange grainy storm of blue
energy.

Terra's eyes went wide as she
looked at the surreal landscape. The distorted world around her was
now a shade of translucent blue with a static grainy appearance. The
plants and animals around the quarry became ghostlike, surrounded by
moving after images that bled into one another. Everything seemed in
flux, moving in an azure shadow that stretched into a line on the
horizon. A pale light illuminated the surroundings and when Terra
looked up she could see the stars as though it was night. Somehow the
sky looked strange with it filled with so many stars, more than she
had ever seen before in her life.

Alya grabbed Terra's arm.
“Hold on to me,” she said in a calm tone that echoed in the blue
haze.

“What is this?” Terra
asked, her grip tight on Alya's arm.

“This is the Edge of Time.
Don't worry. This trip will not take long. Our destination is close
in Time.”

Alya walked forward as the
surroundings blew away, like a hurricane had suddenly swept through.
Terra could feel the wind blow against her, trying to force her back.
However, Alya didn't seem to notice the strange energy storm, acting
as though this were normal.

After
a few moments, the current died down and Alya stopped. She then
looked at her shieldwatch for a long moment. Alya searched through a
menu before pressing a holographic button. A ring formed around her,
changing her appearance in an instant. No longer did she wear her
armor, but an
ankle
length navy blue dress. Her long, silver hair was now curly, short,
and dark brown. Terra thought Alya looked like someone from the
1930s. “How did you do that?”

“Shieldwatch,” Alya said
as she checked her appearance. She then looked at Terra. “I suppose
you will not be too obvious.”

“What time are we going to?”

Alya grinned. “You'll see,”
she said before pulling Terra a little closer. A ring passed over
them both, erasing the strange grainy blue haze and replacing it with
an alleyway. The air was cold. Partly cloudy skies loomed overhead.

Terra turned, trying to gauge
her surroundings. While Terra gawked, Alya put a hat on Terra's head
and handed her a jacket. Terra then faced Alya who now also wore a
hat and had hid her sword in a large bag she carried at her side.
“Where did you get that?”

Alya sighed. “Listen, Terra.
Don't ask questions. Right now, just follow me.”

Terra followed Alya into an
open area out of the alley. She immediately recognized the Capital
Building ahead. A small crowd gathered there.

“Washington DC?” Terra
asked.

Alya nodded. They walked to a
spot near the East Portico and waited.

Others gathered. Their clothes
appeared dated to Terra. However, Terra felt out of place in her
jeans and tee shirt. The only period clothing she wore was the jacket
Alya had given her.

Alya pulled Terra close again
before their surroundings accelerated, like the world was on fast
forward. When crowd grew large, time returned to normal.

“Did you just speed up
time?”

Alya grinned. “Yet another
perk. I wished it worked in Saturn City. Crashing timeport crowds.”

Terra was about to ask what
they were waiting for when a procession arrived. She gasped when she
saw Franklin Delano Roosevelt arrive at the podium.

Terra couldn't believe it. She
was watching the presidential inauguration of her favorite president!
He was right there. Terra stood in a historical moment, in person. It
all felt so surreal, yet his words were clear and Terra could see him
with her own eyes.

After he took the oath of
office, Franklin D. Roosevelt started his famous inaugural address.
“I am certain that my fellow Americans expect that on my induction
into the Presidency I will address them with a candor and a decision
which the present situation of our people impel.”

Cheers and applause erupted
from the crowd. Terra had heard the recordings, but this was without
the audible sharpness of the old broadcasts.

“This is preeminently the
time to speak the truth, the whole truth, frankly and boldly. Nor
need we shrink from honestly facing conditions in our country today.
This great Nation will endure as it has endured, will revive and will
prosper.”

More applause came.

“So, first of all, let me
assert my firm belief that the only thing we have to fear is fear
itself—nameless, unreasoning, unjustified terror which paralyzes
needed efforts to convert retreat into advance.”

Terra listened to the rest of
the speech in awe. When the speech drew to a close, Alya leaned in
closer. “Was it everything you had imagined?”

Terra shook her head. “So
this is history?”

Alya looked back to the podium
while the crowd cheered. “This is Time. This is what we protect.
This is what you can be a part of. To protect the history you love.
In this world, history is more than just words on a page. It lives
and breathes. But if you are not careful, it dies too. You can
protect it, Terra.”

Terra looked away. “I don't
know. This is wonderful, but I don't think I am brave enough to join
this Legion.”

Alya smiled, gesturing to
Roosevelt as he turned to go. “Even after his words?”

Terra hesitated.

“Fear holds you back, Terra.
Courage drives you forward. One cannot exist without the other. In
most, courage and fear exist in a shifting equilibrium. Not you
though. Your brave actions shattered that balance within you. Fear is
the only thing stopping you from getting what you want. But, courage
will get the better of you eventually. That courage needs to be
shaped, hardened, and polished.”

Terra looked away.

Alya then pointed to the
shadows behind the podium. “Terra, look to the darkness there.”

Terra did, but saw nothing.

“Now imagine Hanns stepping
out of the shadows and pointing a gun at your favorite president.”

Terra scowled before turning
to Alya. “He couldn't! Could he?”

Alya
shrugged. “Maybe. Time travelers have assassinated leaders before.
The Forgotten Guns were particularly good at it. The Legion could
stop Hanns though. Even if Hanns succeeded, history would likely turn
out the same. Still, more dead bodies have never made history a
better place. These are all uncertainties though. The one thing that
is certain is that you can face your fear.” Alya smiled. “Terra,
you have already protected history once against all odds. Now I offer
you the power of time itself to protect something you love. Yes there
is danger on the way ahead, but I wouldn't extend this offer if I
thought you incapable of enduring it. However, if you wish to let
nameless, unreasoning, unjustified terror paralyze you, then go back
to your little quarry and hide. I can even erase your memory again if
you wish, but you need to make your decision knowing what you gave
up.”

Terra bit her lower lip. “I
just don't know. This is so sudden.”

“I won't lie to you. If you
choose to come with me, then it will be the hardest thing you have
ever done in your life. But if you choose not to come with me,
understand that you are giving up both history and the power to
defend it. Everything I did in the library, the abilities, the sword,
time travel, all this could be yours. But you have to choose it.”

“Right now?”

Alya sighed. “You have no
idea how long I have been trying to recruit you. However, I would be
willing to give you a week if you really need that long.”

“What if I change my mind
after reaching this Academy?”

Alya burst out in laughter
which drew the attention of several people nearby. “That will not
happen. Trust me. If you change your mind after seeing Saturn City
and getting taste of the shieldwatch's power, then you will be making
history.”

After leaving the crowds, Alya
brought Terra back through time to the quarry.

Terra checked the sun
overhead, noting that it had not moved at all since she left. She
then looked around the quarry itself. “So I won't meet myself will
I?”

Alya changed back to her
original armored form with silver hair. “Oh no. It's impossible to
meet yourself using time travel. I don't remember the technical
details, but once you time travel, then that instance of yourself
will erase any doubles to times you travel to.”

Terra turned to Alya. “So
what now?”

“As
promised, I will give you until the end of this week to make your
choice. Not that I consider it much of a choice, but I can understand
if you feel it's sudden. Just remember, Terra, Hanns is still out
there. While you spend your time deciding, he spends
his
working towards victory.”

The ring formed around Alya a
final time and she vanished. Terra waited for Alya to come back again
just as she had before, but she heard only the sound of a fading
breeze.

Terra sat in the quarry for
the rest of the afternoon, thinking. Alya had offered Terra almost
everything she wanted. In truth, Terra had wanted that power in the
library. But, knowing that history was more than just words on a page
now made the offer irresistible. What Alya had offered Terra was the
power to touch history itself.

She looked at the quarry wall
and used her small pick to dislodge a bit of magnetite ore. Terra
tossed the ore in her hands as she looked up at the darkening sky.
This was her choice.

When the first stars appeared
in the sky, Terra climbed out of her quarry. She reached the top tier
before stopping to look at the quarry. In that moment, Terra realized
that she was about to leave everything behind. After a long moment of
solace, Terra turned and walked back to her parents' home.

“There you are,” Beth
said, looking at Terra's feet to make sure she didn't track mud into
the house again. “How many opportunities did you find in your
quarry?”

Terra sighed. “Actually, one
found me.”

Beth raised an eyebrow while
Terra sat at the kitchen table.

Fred walked over to the
refrigerator to get himself a drink. “So you think about that job
offer any?”

“Sorry Dad,” Terra said as
her shoulders drooped. “It seems I have another offer.”

They both stared at Terra.

“What offer?” Beth finally
asked.

Terra spoke in a whining tone
while laying her head on the table. “I'm joining the time police.”

It is highly advised that
one discuss what to expect from time travel with the potential
squire. The worst thing any legionnaire can do is to send a new
squire into the Edge with no explanation of what is going on. All
squires must be brought through the timeport and this process can be
simplified if they are prepared for the shock of seeing Saturn City
for the first time.

-Chapter
Two from the Aeon Legion's S
quire
Recruitment Manual
by Praetor Lycus Cerberus

H
igh
winds
gusted around her parents' home the day Terra was to leave.
Terra grabbed her bag from her room before saying goodbye to her
parents. After promising to call them once she arrived at the Academy
Alya had spoke of, Terra walked to the quarry. She stood and looked
at it for a long moment.

Alya appeared as she had
before with the strange glowing ring dissipating around her. She
looked at Terra's bag and smiled before moving to stand next to
Terra. “I have made a lot of mistakes. My last squire, I really
didn't give her much say in the matter.” Alya faced Terra. “I
don't want a conscript this time. I want a volunteer. This is your
choice now. If you turn back, I won't blame you. Are you ready?”

Terra met Alya's eyes. “I've
made up my mind. I'm done hiding in that quarry and wasting time.
Let's go.”

Alya smiled before touching
the glass face of her shieldwatch. A ring formed around them and the
world transformed.

“What is this place?”
Terra asked as they entered the blue haze again.