UNSPOKEN: Undone Realms Book 3

Ch. 17: Overachiever

(26 days after Nolan's crossing)                        

Nolan is able to master the Vitalists' spoken language in a few days and their written language, which is somewhat akin to a character-based system rather than alphabetical, in a few weeks.  Marcella can barely contain herself when she discovers his achievements.

"Vira was right about you, Nolan.  Your energetic-heritage gives you an unprecedented advantage." She's been quizzing him all day on realm work and has, after nearly eight hours, decided he's passed the test.  "And believe me, you're going to need that advantage."

"I know you want me to save this guy that you keep talking about.  I want to help, but I don't see how I can do what you're asking me to.  It took me months to blend into Clara's realm... and that realm was more porous than most.  I'm not sure how you expect me to divide the way I did back at the hotel."  He powers off the tablet he's been using to answer Vitalist questions and leans back in his chair.  "Besides, I know how to open the Fold now.  You've had me go back and forth between here and the Dry Dock a dozen times.  Why not just send me in to get him out of the authority's realm?"

"First of all," his mother steps into the lab, closing the door behind her, "you're too valuable to send undivided.  The other Nolan is trapped with Clara so we only have you to work with.  If something were to happen to you on your rescue mission, we'd be completely screwed."

We'd be screwed.  Is her biggest concern really that if he were to die the mission would fail? 

"Second, If it were as simple as sending someone in for a rescue, we'd have done it ourselves, wouldn't we?"  She taps his head.  "Sometimes, it's like you just don't think."

Nolan scowls at his mother.  He's been with her on a daily basis now for nearly a month, yet he doesn't feel like he's gotten to know her much better.  Lately he's begun admitting to himself the possibility that he never will.

Marcella sighs.  "What your mother is so tactfully trying to say, Nolan, is that the failure rate for this mission is extremely high, but if we can divide you, that rate falls dramatically.  We'll still have you to send in again, don't you see?"

"I guess so."

"We believe the fact that you divided once means you can do it again, and that it will be much easier for you the second time around," his mother says.  "It's simply a matter of working with your different energy frequencies and nudging them in particular patterns. You'll need to test this theory, of course.  There's a lot at stake aside from your life, so we simply have to try.  I know it sounds unfeeling to state it like this, but the Vitalists have only accomplished what they have through experimentation... and you are our greatest experiment yet."

The pride she displays at Nolan's lab rat status causes his nostrils to flare. Swallowing his anger, he turns his mind to this supposed experiment, the particulars of which have been drilled into him ad nauseam.  It involves inverse time travel—that rare, complicated, and highly dangerous kind that involves going backwards in time.  The Vitalists believe Nolan is at less risk traveling to the past than most people would be; in other words, they think he'll survive, and in the process, will most likely manage not to collapse a universe or two.

"I may work for the Vitalists, and I am grateful to them for so many reasons." Marcella shoots Vira a look of consternation. "But for me, the heart of this mission has nothing to do with their tireless need to experiment.  You must know that, Nolan.  This is personal."

Nolan nods.  He does know.

"They stole him, held him in a place that would make him sicker than he already was."  Marcella had told Nolan about this the day after they'd arrived in the Vital realm.  They'd used the unfortunate man's energy signature to figure out a roadmap through the Fold.  These authorities, as Marcella refers to them, for all their hatred of realm journeying, had never actually done it themselves. But this young man, Oliver, gave them the ability to not only find their dual realm, but to map a path to other realms as well.  It took them several years, but they did it.  The Ban kept them somewhat in check, but, quite to the Vitalists' chagrin, they managed to access the Fold in spite of it.  They were limited in terms of actually accessing other realms, but their presence in the Fold was enough to be of great concern.  Vitalists had worried that it was only a matter of time before the authorities found a way around the Ban all together in order to infiltrate their world and begin a full on war against them. 

Now that the Ban has ended, it's drained a sizeable amount of Vitalist resources to keep the authorities out of the Vital realm, as well as the realms allied to them.  There have been some close calls as well as other incidents that neither woman seems willing to talk about with him.

Marcella cares about the security of the realms, of course, but what she wants most of all is to find redemption through her friend's freedom.  "It's my fault, you see.  When it comes down to it, it's all on me.  All of it.  We have to undue this, Nolan.  You're the best chance we have of succeeding."

Nolan nods once again.  He'll do whatever is asked of him to set the worlds right.  Because if he doesn't, the one world he cares about most—Clara's world—may be the first to crumble.

A/N:  If I'm understanding my own story correctly (and I think I am), the Vitalists expect Nolan to divide himself again and then send one of his selves back in time for a rescue operation.  That's just crazy, right?  Then again, isn't this whole story?  Do you think he'll be able to do it?

Thanks for your support on this chapter. I worried a bit about the amount of "realmy" information in this one.  If something's not clear or comes across as too wordy or just too much, do let me know.  If you liked it, then please consider voting.  I appreciate it!

Today's dedicatee is another one of my fellow Wattpadres. @JoshTownley has written a popular horror story called ZOEY that looks chillingly fabulous, but the book I'm reading and loving right now is his sci-fi, THE TWELVE STARS.  This story is set in a world living in fear of the dreaded arrival of a comet, set to strike Earth in the near future.  Some people are escaping, fleeing to the twelve space colonies orbiting the world.  But such escape is for the rich and the lucky.  Our lovable teenage hero, Felix, doesn't imagine he's either of these things, at least not any more.  If you like Sci-fi you HAVE to read this story!        

Today's image is courtesy of Mikko Luntiala, Flickr Creative Commons.