It was a fairly standard reaction for those who had newly arrived. Some see it the moment they wake up, others wander into it a few days later. But sure enough once they see things, other worldly things, they panic. Maxwell was resting in one of the holding cells waiting for the sedatives to wear off. His arms and legs were secured by leather straps. It wasn't ideal, but in this state the newcomers were a danger to not only others but themselves as well.
A head poked through the door of the Vrichter's office. "Hey boss, the newbie is waking up." He nodded and waved the assistant away. The Vrichter was a tall and thin man. His age had begun to sharpen his face and his black hair was short, clinging tightly to his head and sprinkled with grey. He finished filling out one of the many forms he filled each day and then made his way towards the holding cells.
The hallway was brightly lit with a subtle green hue covering the walls. The holding cells weren't really cells at all, rather rooms where newcomers could be kept in isolation. They weren't meant as a punishment or quarantine, just a tool of convenience. The Vrichter opened the plain door and entered Maxwell's room, ducking slightly as he passed through the frame.
"Ah, good to see you're awake. I'm terribly sorry for the restraints, but it is a necessary precaution." He pulled a chair from the corner of the room closer to the bed where Maxwell was laying. "I see you're confused, as expected. Doubting yourself, doubting what you saw. I find its best to nip that doubt in the bud." He sat in the chair and crossed his right leg over the left. A leather book opened in his lap and he turned to a clean page. "Hey, Vingo! Could you come here a moment?"
The Vrichter tapped his foot to lessen the silence that followed. Maxwell finally broke that silence, "Where am I?", he asked.
"All in good time, it is easier to see, than to hear." The man smiled as a doctor would.
They sat in silence for almost a minute before smaller, quicker taps could be heard approaching. What popped through the door made Maxwell recoil in fear.
"Holy fuck! What the fuck! Fuck!" Maxwell pulled at the restraints and struggled to get free, never once taking his eyes off this thing that had entered. It just stared at him will a dull, almost annoyed face. But it was a face entirely alien to Maxwell. Where a nose should have been there was simply a slit, which was cut into deep red skin that appeared dry and cracked, almost rock-like. There were no eyes apparent, but Maxwell could feel the creature's gaze. It turned to the Vrichter and rattled off a series of clacks and grinding sounds from its circular mouth.
"Yes, yes. Fuck this, fuck that. That's the same response you had when Mr. Ectron brought you in." He chuckled, "I see that response quite often."
Maxwell's memory suddenly triggered. He remembered the family he had stayed with the night earlier, and the silent horse ride into town with who he could only infer was Mr. Ectron. Then he remembered seeing that creature for the first time, and then he felt the sore spot on the back of his head where the creature's stony fist had knocked him unconscious. He stopped struggling, but was still breathing heavily. His eyes were rife with fear and they remained trained on this Vingo.
"Good, now that you're calm, well, calmer, we can get started. That will be all Vingo, thank you." He waved the creature away casually. It remained for a moment, staring, and then made what appeared to be a rude gesture before disappearing back through the door.
Maxwell let out a breath, one he had been holding since the creature walked in. "What the fuck..."
The Vrichter straightened his glasses and cleared his throat. "I'll cut to the chase. You are no longer on Earth. Where are you? That, is not such a simple answer. We're still not quite sure where we are in relation to where we were, or even when." He looked up at Maxwell and examined him. "I can tell by your clothing that you're from the later period of the 20th century, and that accent has a distinct Texan twang to it. I'm a Kentucky boy myself, probably born around the same time."
Maxwell let out a whisper, "The hell is going on..."
"Well, I see you're not ready for a real conversation, no worries. Let's get the formalities out of the way. What's your name?"He readied his pen.
"Maxwell" he responded.
The Vrichter probed further, "Full name, please."
"Maxwell Colt, no middle name." That was a decision his parents had made, they told him it made him unique.
"Alright Maxwell, what is your date of birth?" He kept writing, his eyes focused on the book as he inquired.
"12th of May, '83." Maxwell thought of taking out his wallet to just show his ID, but remembered it had disappeared, gone when he had awoken.
"Well, well. Looks like you're older than me after all. What's today's date?" Maxwell didn't catch the question, he was focused on the Vrichter's prior claim. The man in front of him looked old enough to be his father.
"What day is it?" Maxwell asked to clarify.
The Vrichter answered, "Yes, day, month, year, the whole thing."
"Shit, you should know better than me." Maxwell couldn't quite recall how many days it had been. Things were a blur since he woke in that field.
"You would think that, but no." It was an odd response.
Maxwell answered to the best he could remember, "Uh, Wednesday? No, Thursday. March 10th, 2012."
"Good, so that makes you almost 28, correct?" The Vrichter could do the math, but it was always good to ask as a way of verifying the dates given.
"Yes, sir." Maxwell confirmed.
"Great, great." he flipped the page to a blank sheet. "Now for this I'm going to need you to press your hand to the page and hold it there."
Maxwell nodded. The paper felt like any other at first, but began to warm and glow slightly. Maxwell felt a sudden prick of his palm and pulled his hand away.
"Apologies, I should have warned you of that. No matter, that is done, and I think its time I let you ponder what we've discussed so far." He smiled curtly and turned to leave, but paused for a moment. "You seem to be a bit more relaxed now, would you like me to remove the restraints?"
Maxwell nodded and the Vrichter unclasped the leather bonds. "I'll give you some time, in a little bit one of my assistants will come in to take some more information down, and I'll return after lunch. Don't worry, I'll be sure to send the human one. No more surprises." It was meant to be comforting, but Maxwell felt little comfort. He rubbed his arms where the leather straps left his skin red as the Vrichter left the room.
Several hours passed. The assistant came and went. Maxwell couldn't help but be confused. Some of the things this Vrichter had said only made things worse. He still didn't know where he was, or what had happened to him. And that thing, he still had no idea what it was. The Vrichter said he was no longer on Earth. He wondered if he had been abducted by aliens. That had to be it. He sat on the edge of the bed and waited, though he wasn't sure what he was waiting for.
After some time had passed, the door swung open and the Vrichter entered. Maxwell hadn't really made note of his appearance earlier, but now that he was more calm he looked him over. There was no doubt he was older, despite what he claimed earlier, his dark skin wrinkled around his eyes which shone a bright amber in color. He was tall, but lanky, Maxwell could take him in a fight if needed. It was something that had crossed his mind, but he quickly buried it.
"Good to see you're doing well, Mr. Colt." With the restraints gone the Vrichter reached out for a hand shake which Maxwell accepted. "I'm sure you've thought of many questions. With the formalities out of the way, let's have a more open discussion."
He gave the floor to Maxwell who hesitated for a moment before diving into his questions.
"Earlier, you said you wouldn't know what today was. Why?" The question caught the Vrichter off guard for a moment. He had expected a question about his colleague, or about the world in general.
"Very good question. The people that arrive here, we're not only from different places, we're from different times. Me, I was born a few years after you. But I was brought here when I was a child. Its been, oh, fifty years now? So here I am, born in 1986, and there you are, born in 1983. Yet I'm just about 62, and you're 28."
Maxwell nodded. "What do you mean 'brought' here?"
The Vrichter took off his glasses and wiped the lenses with his shirt. "I suppose that wasn't the correct word to use. We weren't necessarily brought here, though perhaps we were, we just arrived, much like yourself." He squinted at Maxwell. "While I'm sure your memory is barren at the moment, I know there is one thing you remember. A light."
Maxwell's eyes jumped up to meet the Vrichter's, his body tensed for a moment, ready to leap.
"I know what you're thinking, and no, that wasn't me. Or anyone, as far as we can tell. It is a truly random phenomenon. Each and every arrival, as we call it, on this world saw that light, and touched it. And each of us woke up in the same stupor as you." He placed the glasses back on his face.
"And you, a Kentucky boy named Vrichter? Never heard that name before." The question was slightly accusatory.
He laughed, "Oh dear no. 'Vrichter' is my occupation. Back home you would call me records keeper, or historian. That word, 'Vrichter', is a word from Mr. Ectron's world. Me, I'm Marcus. Marcus Scott. You can call me 'Vrichter' if you'd like, most do, or Marcus, or Mr. Scott. Whatever you're most comfortable with."
Maxwell nodded in acceptance. "I asked this before, but you didn't really give me an answer. Where am I?"
Marcus smiled, "Ah, of course. As I said earlier, we're not entirely sure where this place is. There are a couple of different theories floating around. I've setting on the Nexus Theory, as it's called. Imagine our universe as a string. Now, imagine there are seven of these strings, each its own unique universe. Over time these seven strings became tangled with one another, and formed a knot at the center. This world, this 'knot', is where we are. A tangle of seven universes all converging on a single world." Marcus's eyes brightened as he revealed this, it was an idea that clearly excited him. "But, that is neither here nor there. How we got here, or where, geographically or temporally, we are, is of little relevance. That white light was a one way ticket, and once it's been punched there's no going back. For better or worse."
Maxwell's stomach turned. "There's...no going back?" His mind raced to his family, his friends, his job, his life.
Marcus nodded, "That's right, so far as we know. This is your new home." His mouth puckered sympathetically. "It is a tough thing to accept, I know it was for me. But it is best you do it quickly. Dwelling on your past life will only hinder your new one, here and now."
He stood and placed a hand on Maxwell's shoulder.
Marcus smiled, "Welcome to Crossroads."
Thanks for reading chapter three! Feel free to give feedback on my writing style, always looking to improve. Here are the links to previous chapters for anyone who missed out!
Chapter One: https://steemit.com/fiction/@crossedsteems/crossroads-chapter-one#comments
Chapter Two: https://steemit.com/writing/@crossedsteems/crossroads-chapter-two-where-am-i
