Project Cleopatra

Chapter 24:

If you ever feel like time-travelling, here's a little warning: waking up in your own body after being in someone else's was horrid. My head pounded from the hunger and dehydration that overcame me. I blinked up at the bright lights and tried to hold up my arms to block my face but someone had already provided me with that relief. I slowly looked at Marcus with me.

He was wearing a robe that seemed to be issued by the security team running around. I allowed myself to finally give in. I didn't hold back my tears this time as I threw my arms around him and we both cried.

I hadn't known Julius for long but the brief memories would haunt me forever.

You would have thought this story would be more about Cleopatra than it was about Julius but that guy had a way of stealing the show.

Gaius was still at the control panel sitting down, a look of defeat overtaking his body as the security staff spoke to him. Marcus pulled back as medical staff surrounded me and a stretcher was brought in. I glanced up and saw them around Octavian. My eyes landed on the black body bag next to him, as they lifted me onto the stretcher, and my heart dropped. I tried to speak but my throat was too dry. Marcus took my hand.

"I'll explain later. Rest now, you deserve it."

******

Several hours later I woke up in a hospital room with an IV drip stuck into my wrist. I closed my eyes. Woah, my body hurts everywhere. I heard someone shift on the chair next to me and I turned to find Marcus. He was in a much better state than me. "How are you feeling?"

"Like I just got caught up in a coup in ancient Rome," I responded before croaking something that resembled a chuckle and Marcus cringed. "Too soon?"

"A little," he said with a smile.

"What happened to Octavian?" I asked.

The last I remembered I was watching them pack up his body.

Marcus sighed. "Karma is the layman's term for what happened to him but scientifically... Well, we found out during one of our earlier tests that if you end up in a body where the host is killed you end up in what we called the Erebus. It's neither here nor there. Just darkness. We first discovered it when one of the explorers started forgetting who they were and the host took control, exactly what happened with you and Cleopatra when I left. That's when they made the rule to travel in pairs and explorers had to be two people who were related to one another along the same family tree at the time we sent them too. Unfortunately, during a trial run, an explorer's host was killed and we tried to bring them back but nothing worked. They were trapped in the Erebus."

I shuddered at the thought. I had been there for a short while and couldn't stand it. I felt like I was slowly being driven insane and couldn't imagine what it would be like to be stuck for all eternity.

Marcus shifted uncomfortably as if reading my mind. "Remember back when I told you that if Octavian destroyed our bodies we'd know because our consciousness would cease to exist. That's trial is how we found out and so, that's what they're going to do for Octavian so that he won't have to suffer any longer."

"I'd make him suffer," I grumbled and someone clapped their hands.

"I couldn't agree more, Thea. Greetings, Markie!" Gaius cheered, way too chirpy for what had just occurred. I winced but was glad someone had bounced back, even though he currently looked like a mummy with all his bandages.

However, I did notice a sadness in his eyes that wasn't there before.

"Octavian was a brilliant boy. It's a shame he became foolish in his greed for power."