*** Author’s Note: Please feel free to give feedback. Positive or Negative. Even if it’s through a PM. All of it is desperately wanted. I’ve had a lot of problems since the last part was posted. If you’re reading this, thank you so much for sticking with me. ***

*** So, the Mysteries deepen. (Sorry, couldn’t resist!) Something is happening, and just when Archie was learning about his great-grandmother. Also, something about Pap and his own history with his mother. Here is part two of the Infamous Day. ***

The world shuddered again. And then a third time.

“We have to go, Archie. That is the alarm.”

“Who has earthquakes as an alarm?”

“Do you see anything damaged?”

I stopped. The shudders kept coming, but nothing actually moved. It was as if my perception was shaking, not reality. “Okay. What’s going on.”

“The mansion is under attack.”

Doc grabbed my arm with his little mitten hands, “Hold on.”

There was a moment of nothing again, and then I was bent over puking up lunch. I dropped to my knees as all my pain came back. I could feel the it seeping into the knees of my pants from where I threw up. I didn’t care. It hurt to think. It hurt to breathe. It hurt just being there.

Finally I opened my eyes. There was sunlight on the stair landing. A good chunk of the roof was gone, and there were puddles of water on the floor. I could hear explosions going off in the distance. I could smell burnt things, wood and electronics.

“No time, Archie.” Doc Creepy’s voice was back. I looked down at those eyes, and they weren’t as scary now. “Here.” Doc put his hands together and an electric blue glow came from between them. He wrapped his hands around my wrist and when he took them away, there was a blue loop of string. “Think of the safest place you know.”

He gave me the creepy stare. My mind was kind of blank. Safe?

“Good.” He smiled up at me. “Only break that string if your life depends on it. I would have left you behind, Archie. But I cannot risk you being trapped in the painting without me. Go. Hide.” Then he was gone. Before the count of three there were storm clouds visibly gathering in the sky above the hole in the ceiling in response to the little dwarf’s magics.

I have no idea what the Doc saw in my head that meant safe, but I struggled to my feet and went down the stairs. Something must have been wrong with Doc’s alarm. Whatever happened here, happened hours ago. Shit like this is why I want no part of their world. Pap. Oh dear god, where is he? I reached into the cargo pocket where I carry my little tablet. It wasn’t there. I’d put it on the charging pad before I met up with the Chief to help with maintenance. I’d have to get to my room.

I headed towards the elevator to the levels below. There’s a stairwell next to it. Yay, more stairs. Lots more stairs. The elevator doors were gone. Just a hole in the wall and a damaged floor. I went to the opening and looked down. Looks like whatever was used on the elevator got used on the security doors between floors. There were rappelling lines going down. I couldn’t see any fires, but I could smell smoke and burnt stuff. Pap could be down there somewhere. I have to find him.

***

It took me over an hour to get down to the residential level. God, my knees hurt. Even going downstairs it starts to hurt after a while. All that cardio made sure my headache was pounding away more than normal as well. I’d found multiple signs of firefights. Bloodstains. All of the doors were locked open. There was something during the safety briefing that mentioned it in case of fire.

There was a blotch of red on the floor by the door into the level, and a handgun over in the corner. I picked the pistol up. It was a HKG service pistol, one of those polymer framed slug-throwers. I slipped it into great-gran’s bag. Like Pap always told me, only carry a gun if you’re willing to pull the trigger. It might come in handy.

I hadn’t been able to find anyone. No one. No dead bodies. Just flashburns and holes from teleforce weapons as well as bullet holes and shell casings. And the occasional bloodstain. That scared me even more for Pap. Where the hell is everyone? No rescue personnel, no Guard troops, no Police. Nobody. Something must be really wrong. Really really wrong.

I got to my room, and collapsed onto my bed. Between the headache (which was reaching around nine or ten on the Beaufort scale), the hour or so of stairs and wreckage climbing, I was done.

Gotta catch my breath. I lay there, sweating into the comforter. I tried to slow my breathing down to something not as fast as the thud-thudding in my ears. For a moment, I remembered being in the painting. Being able to move. To run. No pain. For a moment, everything hurt more. And for a moment, I hated being me more than ever.

Pap.

I couldn’t help groaning as I got off the bed and got my comlink from the charging pad. I can hate on myself later. I had messages from Pap. Lots of them. The date on the comlink read August 14^th. That’s tomorrow.

Fuck. Magic. Something must have kept us in the painting much longer than what the Doc had planned.

Later. I made a shooing motion with my hand. Deal with it later. I fell back on the bed. Much easier than standing. Really.

I called Pap. He picked up immediately.

“Boy? Where in the hell are you?” He was yelling. So was I. I didn’t even have the usual twinge when he called me Boy.

I was still breathing hard, “In my room… Had to get my meds and find you.”

“Don’t you go anywhere! We’ll be right there!”

Pap clicked off and I managed to get fully upright again. I started taking my meds, went through one bottle of water and started a second. I lay back and even with the lights on, it was just so easy to close my eyes…

***

“Archie. Wake up.” I was being gently shaken.

Everything hurt. I was so tired. Lemme sleep. “Five more minutes, Pap.”

“Archie! “ I was shaken harder.

I opened my eyes. Pap didn’t yell like that unless the shit was deep.

Now I was awake. There were several people other than Pap in my room. Three of them wore Americommando armor and carried teleforce rifles. Yeah, that bunch. The same whackjobs that think we should stand up to the Canadians and at the same time go to war with the Elves over in Europe. Morons. What the hell are they doing here?

The other two wore uniforms with the same Eagle on Flag motif as the troopers. One of them was older, I’d have to say close to Pap’s age. The other was a young woman who had a medical kit.

Pap shook me again to get my attention, “Archie? Where have you been?”

“Was with the Doc. He took me to this secret hideaway of his.”

The older man piped in, “That explains that, Gus. He was in the painting with the sorcerer. Frankly, I’m surprised your boy here would spend time with it.” The way he said ‘it’ really bothered me.

“If you hurt like my boy here does, Jim, you would try anything. I gave Beth and her people their chance.” I stared at Pap. What did that mean? “Why the hell do you think I helped you get in here?”

I grabbed Pap’s arm and pulled, “What did you do?”

Pap helped me up to a sitting position, “Archie. I can’t lose you. When Beth’s treatments weren’t helping, I called an old friend. I know how much time they said you had left.” I could hear the anguish in Pap’s voice. I squeezed his hand.

“Gus, can we get on with this? The canucks will be here in about five hours. The Vancouver and her escorts with the 4th CAM onboard.” Jim didn’t sound like a happy camper. What worried me even more was what happened that the Canadians would be sending their flagship along with their top special forces unit to Washington.

Pap nodded and the young woman came forward, “Okay, Archie.” She opened her kit and took out an injector gun. She attached a small bottle of a silvery liquid to the back of it. “I’m not going to lie to you. This will hurt.”

I started to back away, “What the hell is that stuff?”

Pap held me in place, “It’s going to cure you.”

“What?”

“Well, that’s the plan.” The woman said. Her name tape read D’Orazio, and there was a caduceus emblem on her shoulder.

“Are you a doctor?” I couldn’t keep the fear out of my voice.

She put her hand on my arm as she nodded. It was warm and her touch reminded me of Dr. Kirby. She waved the injector gun, “This is a serum which contains an enzyme that will attempt to activate your metagene.”

“How?” If they had one that could turn on the gene, they would have one that could turn off the gene. They’d be putting it in the water supply.

She smiled at me, “Symbiotechnics. The enzyme is as much nanotech as it is protein. This is a modified version of DNA Helicase that will locate the metagene in your DNA sequences and unzip it to help jumpstart RNA generation.”

I’d heard of symbiotechnics, but I didn’t understand all of that. It’s okay. I really didn’t need to, “No.” Her smile fell.

“Archie.” I could feel the sadness and worry in Pap’s voice. “I can’t lose you, boy. If we turn on your metagene, it should cure you.”

Dr. D’Orazio got my tablet from the charging pad and handed it to me. “Here. Why don’t you look up some information on Symbiotechnics.” I took my tablet, and didn’t see the signal between her and Pap.

“So who is this?” I pointed at the guy Pap called Jim.

“An old friend from the Corps…” Pap lunged. He pinned me on the bed, and I felt a sharp jab to the inside of my right thigh.

Fire. I felt it suddenly running down my leg. Burning, burning, burning Fire. It started to fill my other leg.

I couldn’t move. I couldn’t breathe. I couldn’t even scream.

Pain has been the center of my life for years now. I’d never hurt this bad before. Ever.

It flowed up my body to my head.

To be continued…