Quickly running over there with Cassiel right beside me, I found myself asking, “What the hell happened?” My eyes were already scanning over what was clearly a starship engine sitting right out in the middle of this jumble of time-displaced locations. An engine that sounded like it was just a minute or less away from blowing up. Which, from what Manakel was saying, was exactly the problem. So, no sooner were those words out of my mouth than I was immediately shaking them off. “Never mind, how do we stop it?” That was the important bit now, not the backstory.

  Manakel gave me a brief look, his quick reaction making it clear he had been about to tell me off for asking for details about what was going on while we were so close to the entire area blowing up. But when I corrected myself, he let it go and pointed toward the back of the terrifyingly whining and vibrating engine. “Three inch circular panel near the rear edge, about two feet up from the ground, pry it open and find which wire is vibrating the most. Then tell me the color.”

  “It’s the orange one,” Cassiel replied immediately, without being anywhere near the spot in question. To say nothing of the fact that the panel was still closed. Belatedly, they added, “But you should double-check.”

  “Cassiel’s instincts on such things are excellent,” Manakel murmured. “But yes, double-check.” Even as he said that, the man was doing something inside a different panel right in front of him, while sending a tall ghost around the opposite side with a quickly snapped order to lift something up back there. He already had those few other Seosten running to fetch tools that he’d apparently seen just down the path. “Ah, speaking of Cassiel, you’re fast. I have two ghosts about half a kilometer that way, standing over a red crystal that’s buried partway in the ground. Kindly get it out of there without breaking it and bring it back here. They can’t pry it loose like you can.”

  I was already moving before he’d even started talking to them. Finding the panel in question, I produced my silver knife and shoved it into the crack, then grunted while forcing the thing open. There was a slight moment of resistance before the thing popped with a whine of twisting metal. This wasn’t the right time to be gentle. Well, in some ways it was, obviously. I really doubted that smacking the actual engine itself when the damn thing was about to blow up and take this entire area with it was a good idea. Still, a little broken panel was another story.

  Hearing and sensing Cassiel already taking off to grab that crystal, I bent down and checked the cluster of wires inside this panel. There were seven of them, each a different color. But it was one in particular that was very clearly vibrating against the rest in a way that made me want to reflexively back up. Yeah, that did not look or sound good. I was half-convinced the thing was going to disintegrate any second. “They’re right!” I called out. “It’s the orange wire, and it’s very mad.”

  My words made the man mutter a curse or two under his breath about how it couldn't possibly have been one of the easy wires to deal with. Then he did something inside the panel he was already working on before giving a quick series of instructions to the Seosten crew members that I didn't recognize. They ran off to work on that, while he took the box of tools one of his ghosts had grabbed. Sorting through the contents quickly, he found something that looked like a small screwdriver with a tiny hole in the tip and a series of glowing runes along the handle.

  Making sure I was looking, he tossed the tool my way. His voice was quick and curt. “Find the end of the wire, the part where it plugs into the engine itself. You want the end that has a star pattern etched into the metal around it, not the one with the two triangles. About six centimeters up from that you'll find a slot that thing can fit into. Push it in and twist it until it locks in place, then open up that interior panel and gently pull out the tiny chip you'll find there. Whatever you do, be very careful with it, or we’ll all end up diving headfirst straight into the void.”

  By that point, Cassiel had returned with the crystal they had been sent for. When he saw that, Manakel thanked them before pointing to the other side of the engine. He hurriedly told Cassiel to use that crystal to replace the one inside some sort of glass case there, and to absolutely not drop the thing, no matter how much it shook their hands. At the same time, he was still carefully working on something in his spot, and directing a handful of ghosts through their own quick repairs. In a quiet mutter that I was pretty sure we weren't supposed to hear, he lamented that he just hoped he had this right, because he was supposed to be a doctor, not an engineer.

  And yes, as soon as he said that, I had to very quickly suppress the reflexive snicker that came. Not only would that look really bad under the circumstances, but I also definitely couldn't explain why it was amusing. So, I bit my lip and forced myself to firmly smother the reaction.

  I had managed to find the tiny slot he was talking about by then, just above the part where the orange wire connected to the structure with the star pattern around it. I carefully slid the tool into place, trying to ignore just how bad things would be if the damn thing blew up while we were standing here. On the other hand, I probably wouldn't exist long enough to care. Not just because I would die in the explosion, but also because the effect would completely change the entire timeline and utterly erase me from existence. But hey, at least there wasn't any pressure to go along with what essentially amounted to disarming a bomb.

  Once I felt the tool lock in place, I gave it a twist and pried open that tiny interior panel. As promised, there was a microchip in there. I gingerly tugged at it, breathing out as it came loose. I could feel the whole engine vibrating angrily, that squeal getting worryingly louder the longer it went on. It really sounded like we were seconds away from death. References aside, I really hoped this particular doctor knew what he was doing in the engineering department.

  We continued like that through another few incredibly tense and dangerous minutes. I listened to everything the man said, following his instructions exactly. This really wasn't the time for trying to second-guess him. It wasn't like I had the slightest clue how this worked. Sure, I had learned a bit from working with the Cryptseeker recently, but this was on a whole different level. Story was very quiet as well, though I only realized belatedly that she was quiet because she was checking with one of the other Flique members, named Rig. She at least had more experience with mechanical things. As best as Rig could tell, this was the best way to stop the thing from blowing up. Maybe not the most efficient way of fixing it, but at least we wouldn't die.

  Through the course of that, we also found just how much faster it was for Cassiel and me to draw spells than it was for anyone else. Both of us were capable of instant transcription, creating the letters and symbols requested just by touching the surface. Which, in my case, obviously raised a few questions. Or it would have if we weren't in the middle of trying not to explode. I knew it was dangerous to reveal that much, but I had to make a choice. In the end, not letting the entire timeline get utterly vaporized seemed like it was probably the right call. I simply made a ghost appear and pretended it was the ghost making the instant transcription power work. One of the benefits of having Manakel’s Necromancy was that my ghosts kept the powers they had, so I could use that. I was just going to have to hope that was enough to stop the Olympians from asking too many questions.

  Finally, as Manakel triggered the last spell after getting me and my pantomiming ghost buddy to create the symbols for him with a touch, the terrifying whining sound from the engine that had been gradually becoming almost deafening the longer this went on completely stopped. It simply cut off completely like someone had flipped a switch. Honestly, it wasn't until I couldn't hear the sound anymore that I really noticed how painful it had been. The squeal had been giving me a headache, but now the silence almost seemed more ominous than the sound itself had been. Or I was just paranoid.

  All of us went completely still for a long moment as the silence stretched on. It was obvious that we were all waiting to see if the squealing sound would start up again. Or worse, if the whole thing would just blow up anyway without any warning. I was pretty sure each of us was giving that possibility at least a fifteen percent chance. But as second after second ticked by without the world ending, it became increasingly clear that we were safe for the moment. The fix worked.

  Cassiel was the first to speak, breaking the silence with a nervous chuckle. “Well, at least no one can claim that we make places boring when we show up, right? We bring the excitement with us.” They paused briefly before adding a quiet, “Some people might say a little too much.”

  Rather than respond to that immediately, Manakel quickly gave instructions to those other crewmembers, sending them off to check a couple things before turning back to us. He looked at me for a moment curiously before patting the side of the massive engine. “Yes, well, in any case, we seem to have warded off disaster for the time being. I believe this part is safe now.”

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  Cassiel shook their head, looking around at the chaotic landscape. Everywhere we turned, there was another building or piece of something from random parts of the timeline. “What happened? Why is a piece of the Olympus down here trying to blow up? What is all this?”

  Tearing his gaze away from me to look at them, Manakel looked that way while replying, “Unfortunately, that is not the only piece of the Olympus that has joined us down here. It seems the entire vessel has been split apart and scattered across the landscape, along with all our people. A landscape which also appears to be pulling pieces of this world back from various future moments in time. The captain and others are working on a way to restore the ship properly. With any luck, we won't have to hitchhike all the way back into our own space.”

  He let that settle for a second before pushing on. “I don't think it's a stretch to assume both anomalies are due to the power source we detected in the pyramid. A pyramid which appears to be distinctly absent from the horizon. The real question is whether this is an intentional defensive mechanism due to our proximity, or a sign that this power source is falling apart. Either way, every spell and sensor we have says that this is the same physical location we were in before. Although, given everything else we've seen, perhaps that should be taken with a grain or two of salt.”

  Grimacing to myself, I quickly announced, “I have to get to that pyramid, wherever it is. I still can't get into the details, but if your people told you anything about what I was able to say, you'll know how important it is. I have to find that pyramid and get to the energy inside now. I don't know what the rest of this is, or why all this is happening, but I’m… basically as positive as I can be that it will stop and go back to normal if I can get to that energy. Otherwise, it'll probably get worse.” Which, given the shit we were already seeing, was really bad. We had to stop this.

  After putting that out there, I added, “Whatever else is going on here, getting to that energy is the most important thing.”

  Manakel didn't respond at first. He seemed to be studying me silently before clearing his throat. “Yes, they have shared some information about what you’ve said. And before we do anything else, I'd like to verify for myself that you aren't attempting to lead all of us into a clever trap.”

  Cassiel started to say something in my defense, but he held up a hand to stop them. His eyes were centered on me. “I certainly comprehend the urgency, but I would have very little time to regret my mistake if I didn't insist that you at least attempt to prove that this is not a trick of some sort. After all, if you are telling the truth you should already know just how dangerous this situation is. Give me a reason to trust that you are not here for selfish reasons, and that you are who you claim to be. If you can do that, I will gladly do everything in my power to help you reach that pyramid, or whatever has taken its place in housing the energy you say could be so catastrophic.”

  What was I supposed to say to that? Honestly, part of me wanted to scream at him that this wasn't the time for suspicion. Actually, I was pretty sure some of that was coming from the feelings of other members of the Flique who were watching what was happening. Fortunately, there were also more patient members, so it kind of evened out in the end. I took a breath. He was great to have at least a little suspicion. It was kind of a lot to accept, and if I had bad intentions, helping me get to that rift could have catastrophic consequences for him and everyone else.

  Oh yeah, and then there was the fact that I actually was lying. Sure, it was for a good purpose, and I definitely didn't have bad intentions when it came down to it. I really did need to get to that rift for the good of not only this world, but the entire universe and the timeline itself. This absolutely was a big deal. And the thought of just how bad it could get if I screwed up made me tremble despite myself.

  There really was only one way I could think of to make this work and convince the man in front of me that I was on the level quickly enough. It was probably exactly what he was looking for, even if he didn't come right out and say it. And honestly, who could blame him for being curious. Even if this wasn't the potentially universe ending situation, I was pretty sure almost anyone would at least be tempted to talk to their own ghost from the future. Granted, anyone would also be tempted to ask how to prevent the whole ghost thing from happening, but still.

  And, at this point, I trusted Doctor Manakel--err, the ghost version-- to not risk changing the timeline by saying or doing too much. Even if it had to be tempting. Honestly, probably even more tempting in his case considering the memories he had to be holding of mistakes he'd made.

  Still, I decided to go for it. Even as part of me kept insisting that this was a terrible idea that was absolutely going to backfire, I focused on summoning the spirit in question. “Here goes nothing.”

  Just as the living Manakel started to ask why I had nothing and where it was going, he abruptly stopped short and stared. Yeah, that was a pretty understandable reaction to seeing a ghost of yourself suddenly materialize right in front of you like that. And, as it happened, he didn't simply see his own ghost. He was a Necromancer, like me (really like me), so he could feel the ghost as well. Which, of course, made me wonder briefly what it felt like to sense a ghost of yourself.

  Hell, it had to be strange from the other side of things as well. The ghost of Manakel was staring at his younger self, knowing all the dangers and problems that lay ahead of him. Which, come to think of it, he had to remember being here before, being on the opposite side of the conversation. How did something like that feel? There must have been a lot of complicated emotions there.

  Come to think of it, he probably had complicated emotions about the fact that he never actually had a son. That was a thought that hit me right then. Manakel had apparently spent all that intervening time thinking that he would have a son. I knew children were a big deal for these people. When he realized that he had lied to himself in this moment, how did that make him feel? I really needed to talk to him about all that as soon as we got through this and managed to steal a spare minute or two.

  Speaking of which, if we'd had the luxury of time, I would have given the two of them as much of it as possible to sort through at least as much as they could without breaking the timeline. But we were still in a rush. So, I gestured back and forth between them. “If anyone can convince you that this is the truth, that I have to get to that energy, it's probably, uh, yourself.” Yeah, that kind of sounded awkward when I put it like that, but hey, it was a rather awkward situation to start with. This was the ghost of Manakel, who had tried to kill me and all my friends, including the girl I loved, talking to his past self about how he should trust me. But I trusted that ghost of him now, and I was pretty sure this past version of him wasn’t nearly as bad as he would eventually become. We were kind of on either end of the time period when Manakel became the monster he was when Sariel and I killed him. It was--yeah, a whole thing. Probably best not to dwell.

  I just kind of stood there and watched for a moment while the two figures approached one another. Part of me was still very tense because, well, obviously. I had no idea how this was going to go. I really was flying blind on this whole thing. It made me wish my parents were here. Which, of course, just made me start worrying about where they were and what had happened to them. My assumption that going through the rift would send them home no matter where they were seemed safe enough, but I still wanted to know where they had been sent to. I wanted to know they were okay. Were they just somewhere else in this chaotic landscape? There were still ghosts out searching, but given the way everything was so messed up with pieces of architecture yanked here from so many time periods, it was hard for them to even keep track of where they were, let alone find my parents.

  They did find other people though. Manakel was right, the whole crew of the Olympus was scattered throughout this area. Seeing them, all those Seosten people, trying to figure out what was going on and why they were seeing human buildings, roads, and vehicles from decades, centuries, or millennia in the future was… well it certainly wasn’t helping my anxiety, let’s put it that way.

  So my parents were missing, I had the entire Seosten crew of the Olympus pawing through pieces of architecture that had been dragged back from all across the timeline, any of which could completely screw up the future if they saw something they shouldn’t, and Manakel’s ghost was trying to convince his living self that I wasn’t lying about being his son. Which I absolutely was.

  Why didn’t I have a spell to summon a paper bag to hyperventilate into yet?

  Finally, after a conversation I wasn’t privy to (Manakel used magic to ensure that, which just threw my anxiety into overdrive), the man turned to me with a nod. “Very well. I… have a son.” He looked me up and down with a soft smile that instantly made a pang of guilt run through me. He looked proud at the thought that he had offspring who had inherited his power. “I have things I want to ask, but… hm. I suppose they’ll have to wait.”

  Okay, I feel really guilty right now, Story murmured. Can we just… not think about how he’s gonna feel when he finds out he lied to himself and he’s never actually going to have a son?

  Well now I’m thinking about that, I shot back.

  Manakel pushed on while I kept myself very busy forcing my expression to remain as blank as possible. “You said you need to get to the energy in that pyramid. I can’t leave this engine. The risk of catastrophic failure is still too high. Cassiel, the two of you need to help him, make sure he gets to that place.”

  “Two of us?” Cassiel put in, giving me a look. “Who--”

  “I’m here.” The voice came as Sariel came around the side of the engine. When I looked that way, she offered a little smile that seemed both shy and encouraging. It reminded me of Vanessa more than the Sariel I knew. “Sorry for taking so long. There were… problems to deal with. You need to get to that pyramid, right? I found it. I can show you the way. And um, I didn’t really get a chance to say it before, but it’s really… nice to know that our people can have children after all, after Tartarus exposure. Whatever else is going on, I’m glad we had a chance to meet you, Jacob.

  “I can’t wait until I get to see you in the future.”

  Joke Tags: I Mean? As Long As None Of These Random Bits Of Time-Displaced Architecture Happened To Drag A Sports Almanac Back With Them? What Harm Could The Seosten Do?