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Counter Earth Chronicles - Dual Realities

Chapter 47: I Love My Sins They Are All I Know

October 15th, YOE 35

12:34 PM Conquered Counter Earth (The lava and magna lake- formally World Three)

"Well here it is World Three in all its splendor!" Dane shouted, taking in the scene from a safe distance.

"Wow a huge lava field as far as the eye can see!" Jonan added. "Can you feel the heat?!"

"And five volcanoes feeding that lake of magma. A toxic wasteland would be a more accurate description." Ed said to his companions. "Are we sure this is World Three?"

"Yup. Eon confirmed that before leaving. Everything is covered in this blackish, reddish blob-ish, molten magma for miles in each direction." The ewe observed.

"And I thought World One had it bad- sheesh." The dawn horse replied.

"Imagine dying by volcano?" Jonan asked her friends. "How did this come about?!"

"Doesn't matter, ONE tasked us with proving ourselves to him this time without help; we are to seek out survivors and bring them with us to the local field office." Dane said to his friends.

"You make it sound like this is some sort of recruitment drive." Jonan replied.

"We better get a move on; I don't think it is a good idea for us to be here for any length of time." The eagle observed.

"Just as well, who could live or even survive in this type of environment?!" The ewe said as she started coughing from the carcinogens in the air.

"Someone who is suited to this environment?" The dawn horse added.

"Hey guys, I think I saw something move in the lake!" Ed shouted.

To Be Continued....

[MEANWHILE]

October 15th, YOE 35

12:34 PM Free Counter Earth (Sir Ram's Undisclosed Lab, World One)

"My communicator camera recorded this a few days ago Sir Ram." The knight of Warwick announced to the knight of Wundagore.

"Beautiful fall day isn't Iggy?" Faust asked.

"Yeah it seems like not a thing can go wrong." Ceil added.

But of course the tortoise spoke too soon.

*bump*

The lizard and gecko watched the turtle get tossed in the air like he was street debris.

"Faust!" The two knights shouted running to their friend's side.

"My shell!! It is cracked!!" The tortoise bemoaned.

The lizard and gecko watched as the occupant of a red circular hover vehicle that had hit the knight stop and look at what he had done and then continued on like it wasn't his fault.

"It was a human." Iggy grumbled. "Blond hair, green blazer, brown pants."

"I am alright you two go!!" The tortoise said, waving his fellow knights on.

Iggy and Faust raced toward their hover bikes and gave chase as the driver made a left turn at an intersection.

"How do we stop him?" Ceil asked.

"Remember the driver is a second class citizen." Iggy advised.

"Oh yeah, I almost forgot." The gecko said switching on his PA system."HUMAN I ORDER YOU TO STOP!!"

In that instant the hit and run vehicle came to a dead stop a mile up the road.

"NOW EXIT THE VEHICLE!!"

The occupant did as ordered- reluctantly. Iggy and Ceil were on him in an instant.

The driver was in his late twenties.

"You ran over a knight of the empire- human!" The lizard said sternly.

"What do you have to say for yourself? Well?" The gecko asked, piling on.

"What, what is that?" The blond haired man asked, pointing to a triangular ship hovering over the metropolis.

"It is the KLIS! Take cover!" Ceil shouted as yellow beams emanated from the ship moving left and right, up and down through buildings and the streets below.

"My camera shut off during the attack." Izzy said apologetically to the knight of Wundagore.

"How bad?" Sir Ram asked the lizard on his viewscreen.

"Bad. The KLIS got a large swath of the populace, Faust, Ceil and Commander Gator included."

The beastial scientist was silent.

"In his absence, I am now acting. There must be a way to stop these incursions or at least establish some type of early warning system Sir Ram! We can't continue to live like this!" Izzy shouted.

"I know, I am working on it. I will be in touch when I have something." The big horned sheep replied, ending the transmission.

But the big fat question in the room was how do you stop a technologically superior race of beings from harvesting the populace? How do you stop evil from being evil?

The beastial knight's communicator sounded off.

"Master Koala. This is not a good time." Sir Ram grumbled at the image of the little bear on his communicator.

"I know, I know, I know but I have been looking into the disappearance of Namoi Good and I have made some discoveries that have led to a lot more questions." The koala scientist stated.

"Who better to answer them, than me?" The big horned sheep asked.

"You are one of Counter Earth's most brilliant minds." Was the koala's answer.

"One of?"

"Okay the most brilliant mind."

"I had a feeling you would be reaching out sooner or later. Alright send over what you have." Sir Ram said, sitting down at a chair and high table near his captive class.

"Actually Sir Ram, what I have is of a sensitive nature. It would be better if I show you in person."

"Fine, I am on my way." The ram said, ending the transmission.

He put away his white lab coat and put on his blue knight uniform. The one with the gold highlights, right shoulder piece and the red bandana.

"Sorry class that will be all for now." He said addressing his extraterrestrial prisoners as he exited the grey room and the building.

On the street, he took a seat in a white prototype parked a block away unaware that he was being watched by remnants of the rebellion.

2:10 PM Free Counter Earth (Master Koala's Lab, World Three)

"I trust your trip here was uneventful Sir Ram?" The koala scientist said, greeting his guest at the entrance to his laboratory.

"Is this a laboratory or a classroom?" The evil beastial asked as he stared at the core of master koala's operations.

The room looked more like a home economics room- brown cabinets and black counters.

"Not everyone has the financing that allows them to do what they do, good sir knight." The little bear in the orange shirt, brown pants and white lab coat replied.

"Yes. Now what was so important that it couldn't be discussed remotely?" The big horned sheep asked as he made his way inward.

Once inside the ram gave the room interior another dressing down. This was where that utility vehicle was constructed? It looked more like someone's basement; there were no metallic walls, tiered floors, or multiple levels- just linoleum flooring, wood paneling, a foldable table and two chairs but in the corner... there it was, the reality observation machine!

Sir Ram walked over and immediately started studying his colleague's life work.

"Hmm.... simplistic design, tactile controls, window-like doorway with a protective guard."

"I see you found my machine." Master Koala said, walking up to the big horned sheep.

"I thought Attack Beast was the pinnacle of your work, but you have out done yourself."

"Why thank you Sir Ram." Master Koala said, tapping a few buttons on the console and powering on the device.

"Now what was so important that you required me to be here?" The evil beastial asked crossing his arms indignantly.

"Abrupt and to the point." The little bear said fidgeting. Receiving an annoyed reaction from his guest he decided to continue. "You are familiar with the Naomi Good incident?"

"And its cover-up." Sir Ram replied, glancing at the alternating images, no, scenes of the window of the machine.

"Well yes. I was giving a demonstration to her and some of her classmates and she tried to use the machine to vacate the planet. She claimed she was tired of her life here, the empire and its human restrictions."

"What was her destination?"

"This place here- another Counter Earth, one inhabited only by humans." The inventor said pointing to the image of what appeared to be some type of wilderness settlement inside a stockade wall. "I observed that world extensively. She didn't wind up there."

"So what happened to her?" The knight of Wundagore asked.

"As far as I can tell- she arrived at an alternate destination somewhere and became a servant of the inhabitants that reside there."

"Stupid human!!" The ram belly laughed out loud unnerving his host. "Have you figured out where?"

"No. I only was able to see a brief image of her from a third party, it was not enough to provide any usable information."

"So these past few months you have been searching for her?"

"Yes Sir Ram. I have been documenting other realities... and other worlds along the way and get this- I even found another Counter Earth, this version suffered some type of apocalypse that wiped out much of the life there."

"Really?"

Master Koala continued. "On that Counter Earth the empire is no more; the High Evolutionary was assassinated by a mysterious entity that enslaved the population and collapsed the civilization."

"That sounds ghastly." The ram replied feigning ignorance.

"It gets worse. There are dark factions fighting over what is left and the survivors are caught in the middle of it."

"Master Koala, is that why you contacted me?"

"Well yes, I theorize that this reality is actually an alternate timeline. I was trying to figure out when the branch off occurred. To that end I have been watching the inhabitants of this Conquered Counter Earth. All make mention to the period they are living in now starting in January of YOE 34." The koala scientist replied pressing a few buttons on his machine.

Sir Ram watched as the image on the event horizon shifted to...

"This is World Three in that reality. As you can see the city is gone as are the inhabitants. Only volcanoes and a lake of fire exist here."

Sir Ram's mouth dropped as Master Koala pressed a few more buttons and the image shifted to World One, rather World ONE.

"As you can see castle Wundagore is no more nor is the city. The only structure here is this, it is called Diamond City. It houses the entity's subjects and was recently rebuilt after it was attacked by another faction vying for control.

"How can this be?!" The beastial knight gasped.

"Sir Ram?"

"This shouldn't be! That timeline should have dissipated! This has to be a fabrication!" The big horned sheep bleated.

"I assure you it is not." The inventor said to his fellow scientist.

The knight watched as the koala shifted the view back to World Three, dropped the shield on the event horizon of the window. He then went to a nearby drawer, grabbed a glass beaker, returned with it to his invention and threw it at the window.

*pish*

The two watched it disappear in the lake of magma.

"You seem anguished Sir Ram. You want to talk about it?" The inventor asked pushing two chairs up to the table foldable table in the center of the room. He then brought a teapot and two cups.

Master Koala realized that he was justified in contacting the scientist/knight. The ram folded his paws together on the table, exhaled loudly, and closed his eyes as he began.

"Master Koala what you are seeing was our reality. December 31st YOE 33 the entity as you call it- the synoptic or ONE, attacked the empire conquering the five cities, killing many including our leader."

"No!" The little bear said, mesmerized.

"Looking back the signs had been there- this entity/synoptic/ONE character was increasing its strength, but we were too busy with in-fighting and the rebels to realize what was happening."

"So how is it that our Counter Earth doesn't look like that one?" Master Koala asked.

The big horned sheep fell silent.

"I have been holding on to this secret for some time."

"How long?"

"Fourteen years."

"A decade and a half? Perhaps maybe now is the time you should tell someone?" The inventor said to the scientist.

The ram showed the koala a black PDA he had on his person as he began to recount his journey he had taken to defeat ONE, correct the timeline and restore the empire.

"What is this Sir Ram?"

"A time machine."

"Remarkable!" Master Koala said rolling it over in his paws. "It looks so ordinary."

"In the run up to December 31st, YOE 33- I was warned that that day was going to be a turning point for our civilization. I ignored the warnings until I lost Mara, castle Wundagore crumbled, our master was murdered and the empire fell. After the fall I searched for a way to change what had happened... I was hell-bent on it no matter how long it took."

"And you did, didn't you?"

"I did." The ram responded proudly.

(That inflection point... was it him?!) Master Koala thought to himself.

"I get the feeling that this is going to be a long story." The koala said, taking a sip from his tea cup.

"My first act was to save Mara. Then to find out what happened, how it happened and find a way to prevent it. It took a long time to accomplish the first part. In time I was joined by other time travelers...."

Their conversation went on for an hour as the knight recounted all he had done and those he had run over in the process of trying to prevent the apocalypse.

"You went to great lengths to achieve your goals Sir Ram- flooding an entire town?"

"The inhabitants were entity worshipers."

"Assassinating ruling leaders?"

"It was a clean kill and besides, the ruler of the government was ONE's proxy." The knight proclaimed.

"Starting a war between neighboring tribes?" Master Koala continued.

"Mara and I hoped that the possessed among them would be cleanly eliminated as well."

"Sterilizing a whole colony?"

"We tried to make them less attractive to the entity." The big horned sheep said proudly.

The beastial knight's admissions were hard for the koala scientist to hear but the last one of the former time traveler's admissions eclipsed all the others.

"You destroyed a whole space station? What about all the lives on board?"

"Mara and I believed that craft was how ONE arrived on Counter Earth." Sir Ram said side-stepping the question.

"But you were wrong." The Koala said judgmentally.

"After that we discovered that the timeline had not changed at all."

"So how did you actually save our present?"

"It was in the distant past. We found an ancient species of leech that counteracted ONE's control. I brought that to the present."

"Wow." The little bear said, taking another sip of his tea.

"We prevented the high master's demise and ONE's take over. I still have that species in my possession in case the synoptic tries to come back." The ram said proudly.

"Quite heroic of you. But what about all those souls you manipulated, sacrificed and even..."

"Killed?" The evil beastial said completing the little koala's sentence.

"Yes Sir Ram, to achieve what we have now... aren't you haunted by that?"

"No. Necessary sacrifices for preservation of the empire and this civilization." The beastial knight said coldly. "The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few."

The ram read the koala's face realizing his fellow scientist probably did not approve of the methods he used to achieve his goal.

"I will never take for granted what we have now after seeing how life is different on the other Counter Earth."

"That Counter Earth should not exist!! The timeline was corrected!" The big horned sheep said, pointing at the image from the koala's machine.

"Sir Ram, you visited many places and interacted with many individuals during your quest." Master Koala said, focusing on his cup of tea. "Exactly how long did it take you to neutralize the synoptic?"

The ram looked at his black PDA. "Fourteen years and about 1225 attempts."

"So you are actually older than you appear to be."

The ram studied the koala.

"I had age reversal treatments." He replied while his host pondered.

"So you made a calculated guess on how to stop ONE and then it was trial and error afterwords- an adjustment here, and adjustment there. Then check the results. If unsatisfactory, try again and again and again and again- which you did 1225 times over fourteen years."

There was a pregnant pause between the two beastials as Master Koala thought quietly to himself. The inflection point that prevented Free Counter Earth from ending up like Conquered Counter Earth was the leeches Sir Ram had found and used to neutralize ONE in the past and on December 31st YOE 33. But for some reason the other timeline remained. He then thought about his meeting with the Ghost Hunters and then it hit him.

"Sir Ram, I think I know what happened."

"I am listening." The ram said to the koala lifting his tea cup.

"Your NUMEROUS efforts to save our civilization, while successful, broke the timeline! That is why that alternate future didn't disappear or reset! Instead it continued on as its own separate reality!!! I also would go as far to say that the changes you made prior to stopping ONE also impacted those in that timeline."

"In what way?"

"I suspect your meddling may have resurrected those who had perished and killed those who had survived."

"I see." The ram said stoically as the magnitude of the unintended consequences hit him. "Is there a way to fix it?"

The koala shook his head. "You would need to undo all that you have done prior to finding your leaches."

"Not possible. The black PDA has exhausted its power source."

"Sir Ram- who else besides you and Mara knows the magnitude of what you have done?" The little bear said standing from his table.

"Three others who traveled with us for a time." The beasital knight said, placing his paws on the little bear's shoulders.

"And now me." Master Koala said stoically. That was the last thing the little bear ever said to the beastial he thought was his colleague.

*KRAAAACK*

"I am afraid not. What you have learned today can never ever reach another's ears."

The koala inventer tried to respond but couldn't his head was leaning at an unnatural angle with the rest of his torso; his neck had been snapped.

"The three who aided Mara and myself have vowed an oath of silence as well; they have no desire for their transgressions to see the light of day as well and have quietly resumed the lives they had within the empire before the fall." The evil beastial said carrying the koala to his invention. "Save for that human doctor. He decided to stay here in the present."

Sir Ram lowered the protective shield and waited until a random reality appeared. He then tossed the koala past the event horizon into the invention's window before turning off the device. He had considered destroying it, but thought better of his actions.

Before leaving he checked to see if the inventor had recorded any of their lengthy conversation. The koala inventor had not.

Only he, Mara, Cody Spencer, Primrose Willow and Dr. Richard First knew of what had they had done to save the empire and it was going to stay that way if he had anything to say about it.

To Be Continued....

[MEANWHILE]

October 15th YOE 35

12:34 PM Human Controlled Counter Earth (Cinereus' Photography Studio, Three Mile Creek)

"Alright everyone say cheese!" The photographer ordered his last clients for the afternoon- the Pell family.

"Cheese!" Mr. and Mrs. Pell shouted along with their two daughters as Cinereus snapped their photograph. The father, mother and their two children smiling quite broadly.

*CLICK*

The blond haired man in the white shirt, brown blazer with the handlebar mustache decided to take another picture just for safety.

*CLICK*

"Ok that will do." He said as the family stepped down from the small set in his studio. "This will be my best family portrait yet!"

"How long until it is ready?" "Mr. Pell asked. He was dressed similarly to Cinereus' only he wore a yellow hat.

"Should be a day or so, I have several clients ahead of you including the entire first year class of the elementary school. But it should be ready by then. I just need to devote time to it."

"Very well let us know when it is ready." Mrs. Pell said, collecting her children.

She looked stunning. The white shirt, purple blouse and pearl necklace made her look even better.

"Insects are quite persistent this time of year." Mr. Pell said, swatting something that was hovering over him.

"What a weird looking dragonfly mommy!" One of her daughters shouted on their way out of the studio.

"Yeah, I have never seen one that looked like that. Shoo! Go away!" Mrs. Pell said.

Cinereus didn't pay any mind as he went to his dark room to start developing the photographs he had taken from his clients and around Three Mile Creek settlement. He not only liked to take pictures of people but also of plants and wildlife in the surrounding area.

As he carefully developed a photograph he had taken just outside the stockade fence, he noticed in the background a grey looking dragonfly. Weird. He then moved on to the next picture of a doe and her fawn. Again the background there was that metallic colored dragonfly. Was it the same one?

As he developed the rest of the pictures he had taken of the mayor, elementary school class, the public dance, the settlement's bake off- in each one there was that dragonfly foreground, background, nearby and in the distance. It was rather creepy.

It was as if the dragonfly was observing him, his clients and life in the settlement. "Weird." Cinereus said to himself as he continued working. The next picture was one he had taken of some interesting cloud formations. There it was again!! He caught a close up view of the dragonfly that time. A very detailed view. It was very metallic and wait, what was that on the front below the head... a lens?!

The insect was a small mechanical camera! Someone was definitely photographing the settlement but for what purpose?! There was nothing special about Three Mile Creek. It was just another frontier-ish settlement.

Well to whoever controlled this device, it must be really important to use something that sophisticated. That technology did not exist here!

2:10 PM Human Controlled Counter Earth (Outside Three Mile Creek Settlement)

It took a almost two hours for Cinereus Bommy to clear his workload. He was considering kicking back with a relaxing book, but he kept thinking about that dragonfly camera he inadvertently filmed. He wanted to know more. He had to know more.

Returning to the area outside of the settlement's walls, he started photographing all the flying insects he could find- big, small and annoying. Try as he could, he could not find the dragonfly with the lens on its chest.

He was about to head back home when a weird portal opened up in front of him. On the other side appeared some type of room with wooden cabinets and black counters! Cinereus watched as a small bear wearing a green shirt, tan pants dressed in a white lab coat was tossed out of the portal by two paws landing on the ground face first.

"What the?!" Cinereus shouted as the portal he came through 'winked' out behind him as the photographer approached the clothed bear.

Cinereus poked at it. There was no response. That was when he noticed that its head was at a very odd angle with its torso; its neck had been broken.

"You poor fellow, how did this happen?" The photographer asked setting aside his shock at seeing a clothed animal lying on the ground in front of him.

The little bear's mouth started moving. He was trying to talk. Cinereus knelt down to listen.

"It was a colleague." The bear whispered.

"Who?"

"Sir... Sir... Ram."

"What is a Sir Ram?!" Mr. Bommy asked the clothed bear.

"Someone who I thought was a friend. Ironic that making first contact will be my last act..."

It dawned on Cinereus that this talking bear might have been the inventor of that dragonfly camera!

"First contact little fella? What is that?"

There was no response from the little bear that had come through the glowing door... those were his last words.

The End.... (For Master Koala)