What Would Victor Lazlo Do?

[Cybermancer]

This is not a question of what if's. If it were, I would post under the Philosophy forum. Rather, it is the recording and relaying of events that forced me to answer that very question myself.

I just realized that today is April Fools Day.

I must confess, I have felt like a fool quite a bit lately. It has been three months since I last posted in these forums. While the boards here have been relatively quiet, I have been incredibly busy.

It all started the beginning of winter. I was looking for my keys which simply weren't where I had placed them. While I am often absent minded, I have an eidetic memory. So I knew, down to my very bones that they weren't where I had left them. For reasons I won't get into, that sent a chill through me.

I calmed myself down. It was possible that one of the house mates had simply moved them for some reason. Worst case scenario, someone had stolen my keys. That was all. Nothing to get all freaked out over, right?

Right...

After tracking down and discussing the matter with all who were home, no new revelations regarding my keys had presented themselves. So out of habit as much as anything else, I went back to where I was certain I had left them.

And there they were!

I picked them up and immediately felt a wrongness about them. They were my keys and yet they weren't. Walking out to the garage, I kept running my fingers and thumbs over them, trying to make them feel right again.

The biggest surprise was yet to come. My car wasn't my car. It was my SUV. Hesitantly I got in. The seat conformed to my body from wear. It was already positioned comfortably for me. As were my mirrors. My CD jacket was over the sun visor just like in my car. The CD's were even in the same order. In the top of the garbage I could see the burger wrapper from my supper to go from the night before.

It all felt very comfortable. Which made it feel all the worse.

Just then an attractive red-head opened the passenger door and slid in. She flashed me perfect white teeth. "Hey Tiger. I bet you're wondering what the hell is going on."

[Cybermancer]

"Who the hell are you?" I demanded. She didn't appear armed but as many of you are well aware, appearances can be deceiving.

"Call me Maddie for now." She buckled into the vehicle. "We need to get going. To the airport."

"I'm not your cab." I said indignantly. "What the hell are you doing here?"

"Look Cybermancer, Dr. Knight, Daedalus or whatever else you're calling yourself these days, There really isn't much time..." She seemed to snort at that, "...I can explain on the way."

Hesitantly I started up the vehicle and began to drive. And she began to explain.

"We have a mutual enemy. One you've fought a few times in the past. And that's why it concerns you. IT followed you here."

At that time I began to suspect that my flame haired passenger was in fact a psychic. Possibly because the images flashing through my mind immediately made me aware of what IT she was discussing. It must be preordained that I will be buried in Ireland because at that moment, it felt like someone was river dancing on my grave.

"Impossible." I replied, not really believing what I was saying.

"You're closed to the greater world, so it is no wonder you didn't notice." She said, looking almost sympathetic. "But if you get to Ohio, you will find evidence of what I say."

"Ohio...?" I asked, wondering what could possibly be going wrong in that relatively dull place.

"The serpent mound."

[Grace]

Do you have a thing for red-heads or something?

[Cybermancer]

Do you have a thing for red-heads or something?

Yes. Now please shut up. Thank you.

Now onto the next part of the story.

The Ohio Serpent Mound.

This is what Victor Lazlo has to say about this location:

“I find myself obsessed with the Ohio Serpent Mound. Something about it gnaws at me, drawing me back to it time and time again. It has been guessed that the mound is a thousand years old, maybe older; yet, as always, no one knows why. One Indian tale speaks about how the worshippers of reptiles were reduced by the fortunes of war. Defeated, they buried their god and built the effigy mound over him. Another legend speaks of magic and celestial powers. Most scholars agree that the act of the serpent swallowing an egg is an allusion to the moon. Universally, the coiled serpent represents magic as it probably does here as well. Yet, I can find no mystic or historical significance. The mound is not on a ley line nexus nor even near a ley line. It is just a mound in the middle of a forest. But it can't be. There is something important here. Some link to magic I can not see, but I feel it. Perhaps it is the location of a transitional place of magic. If this mystery can be solved, I will solve it.”

And of course, Victor's last recorded words to us.

“It is an unseasonably warm afternoon for an Ohio December. There's no snow on the ground yet and a gentle breeze passes that must be the last warm fingers of autumn. I'm drawn again to this Indian serpent mound. All my usual questions and speculations are doing a warpath in my head. I don't know why I find this place so alluring. I guess, for me it's the North American Stonehenge.

“Jawaharlal has warned me that he feels restless spirits afoot here. I hope so. I'd like to experience something extraordinary at my favorite megalithic site. But I don't sense a thing. 'Jay' has learned to master his psychic sensative abilities surprisingly well over the past few months (I only wish he'd master the English language as quickly. Ha!). This time, however, I think it's his paternal instincts coming forth and not psychic intuition. It's getting dark quickly now. I'll have to set up camp and the lantern before I can continue. More later.”

Of course, most of us know that there never was any more. The rest of the page that he wrote this on is blank. Allegedly, his uncapped pen was found marking its place. All his camping gear (including the lantern) was found the next morning. Yet there has been no sign of Victor Lazlo since. Nor was there any sign of foul play at the site where he disappeared in December, 1984.

I wish I knew the exact day he disappeared.

I'll bet you anything it was the first day of winter.

[Cybermancer]

Getting to the mound or even to Ohio was a comedy of errors that I'm sure has old man Murphy laughing. Suffice it to say, we did not arrive at the mound until well after dark. Closing on midnight, in fact.

"We're too late," She said definitely, sniffing the air. "IT has already been here... around nightfall, I would guess."

I swore, "So IT's already here?"

She looked at me sideways, "IT was already here but IT is no longer. Which is worse. Far far worse. That means IT has already gone back."

"To my home?" There was grave concern in my voice.

"No. Back. Far back. You must go after IT."

"Not coming with me?" I wasn't sure if that was a good thing or a bad thing.

"You will see me there." I wasn't sure if that was a good thing or a bad thing.

The wind whipped up and seemed to form a cyclone around Maddie. Her eyes began to glow an eerie red. "Yes... there it is... I can still make out the trace of IT's passage."

I realized what she was doing and knew that I had very little time. I opened up my laptop and got a satellite link. I sent two messages. One to this board that is the first post in this thread. The second was to Robyn with some instructions for her.

Above us, a blood red moon reigned.

[Hannah]

A blood red moon? Like there was during the eclipse last winter?

Hannah

[Cybermancer]

A blood red moon? Like there was during the eclipse last winter?

Hannah

Hannah...

Yes of course. All of this happened after I posted this.

It's so weird talking to people here again. I just about went off on your dad for... I guess for things he didn't do.

I actually had to go read this thread several times just to reassure myself that things had turned out the way they were supposed to. Because I distinctly remember Darken killing Mordechai. That's not the way it was supposed to happen of course... and it didn't.

And that's all good if it means you're still chasing boys instead of hating men.

Anyway, I am beginning to ramble. Yes, this was all happening this Solstice past, with the Eclipse going on.

The new winter wind continued to dance and undulate around us. Maddie's eyes seemed to expand to form an aura around her.

And I heard her chant. A language that has not been heard on this world in thousands of years... if ever. The way she moved and gestured suggested that perhaps she was the wind's dance partner.

A mage? As well as a psychic? This set off warning bells in my mind. The red aura didn't help either. My trust here was misplaced, a trap...

Before I could formulate a plan and act on it, her spell was done. Blue light washed over me.

A familiar gut wrenching sensation as reality ceased to be real for me. Pulled from space and time, I was set apart. And then I was pulled back again.

I collapsed on top of the mound once more. I expected to feel damp cold snow against my cheek. Instead I felt warm grass. The wind too, was replaced with a gentle spring breeze. Of course it wasn't that warm but only felt that way compared to the winter I had just left behind.

The sun shone down on me. As comforting as it was, it felt very wrong. Groaning, I stood up. Somehow I instinctively knew that something had gone horribly awry. My gaze turned skyward.

It afforded me the last glimpse of sunlight I would have for 24 hours.

[Hannah]

My dad's used to people going off on him for things he did, he didn't do or he hasn't done yet but said he might.

So why couldn't you see the sun?

Hannah

PS: I don't chase boys. I've got enough man troubles already without stirring up more.

[Slayer]

Wait a second, this Maddie chic sounds familiar...

By the way nice to see your still alive and kicking Cyber.

[Hannah]

Science doesn't explain a lot of what happens around here.

Hadn't you noticed?

Hannah

[Slayer]

Science? Who said anything about science?

[Hannah]

You said time travel was impossible according to scientific theory.

[Slayer]

??????? No I didn't kiddo, maybe you were reading a different thread? But I did not write anything about time travel on any thread on this board. Take a look for yourself and see.

[Cybermancer]

Wait a second, this Maddie chic sounds familiar...

also, I thought that time travel was scientifically impossible?

By the way nice to see your still alive and kicking Cyber.

Trust me. If time travel were scientifically possible, I would be doing it all the time.

[Cybermancer]

In any case, it seemed for a day/night/time for the impossible.

Things indeed had gone wrong. The world I was in was not the world I remembered. It wasn't even the time I remembered.

It was a world of Darkness.

It was a world without Victor Lazlo.

Only, the people standing around me didn't realize that.

“Victor? Is it really him, did it work?”

I blinked and looked around for a man in his fifties. There were actually several that fit that very general description. Standing around me in a circle was what appeared to be a cabal of mages.

They were all looking at me expectantly. There is no way someone could mistake me for Lazlo. Not with my hair color... it was while thinking along those lines that I noticed a locke of my hair was snow white. I pulled it down for a better look. Yup. My hair was now white. Must have been the shock of the transit.

“He seems disoriented.” One of the men standing around me said with an uncertain tone.

“What do you expect?” Another queried, “we just yanked him forward in time.”

“He doesn't seem very old... wasn't Victor like fifty something?” A third voice opinioned.

Shakily, I got to my feet. “Something isn't right here... lots of things aren't right...”

“Look, the spell was supposed to bring him here, right?” One of the circle asked. “So it must be him!”

I just love circular logic. “Look folks, I'm not....”

“Walking away from here alive?” There was a snear you could hear in the voice from behind me. “You're right!”

Suddenly I was in the middle of a mystic dual as one half the circle turned on the other.

Still disoriented, I made a mad dash in a random direction. One of the cloaked mages broke away from the others and caught up with me. “Come with me, Victor.”

I wasn't about to correct someone who was trying to save me. He helped me past a stand of trees to where a 4X4 vehicle was stowed. He got in the drivers side and I hopped into the passenger side. Shortly, we were squealing on our way.

You may be wondering why I trusted this man. The answer is simple. I recognized him. It was none other than my house mate.

Doctor Boggs.

[Doctor Boggs]

I... wait, what?

[Slayer]

What the hell I never wrote that line cyber.

[Hannah]

Told you so Slayer!

Hannah

[Cybermancer]

I do apologize, Doctor Boggs for not discussing this with you before hand. I'm trying to record all of this before I lose the memory of it. I may remember it as readily as I do my other memories or they may begin to fade as things continue to straighten out.

Now as I was saying, Doctor Boggs drove us to a motel about half an hour a way. Apparently it was one he had already paid for as he just walked in.

“What took you so long, Tiger?”

To my surprise, Doctor Boggs walked right up to her and returned a very impassioned kiss. The visual side of my mind was screaming, “She's too young for you!” The analytical part of my mind had been compiling clues since I woke up on the serpent mound. The date the paper on the night stand confirmed it for me. I was in the past.

And Maddie was the same apparent age she was when I had met her during the Solstice.

While I was contemplating that, they were disentangling from one another. “I didn't get a good look at him during the ceremony.” Maddie was eyeing me. “But he's not what I was expecting.”

“That's what I keep saying.” I added while eyeing Maddie. I didn't remember her at the mound but then everything there had been a confused haze. Past her, laying on the desk was a robe quite like the one Doctor Boggs had shrugged off in the SUV.

Doctor Boggs crossed in between us, shooting me a dirty look. “He says he's not Victor.”

“That's because I'm not.”

“Then the spell failed.” Maddie looked dejected. “Probably due to the interference of those damn traitors.”

“They seemed to think it had worked, actually.” The good, and now that I was noticing, younger Doctor sat down in a chair and let out a sigh. “It's too bad. Victor Lazlo is the kind of visionary symbol we need right now.”

“It might not be a total wash.” Maddie said thoughtfully. “If they think that we actually brought Victor forward in time, others might as well.”

“You two suppose I might have a say in all this?” I interjected.

“Not really.” Doctor Boggs was looking miserable. Maddie was opening up the mini-fridge while he talked, “If they think you're Victor, they're going to try and kill you, despite what you say. Even if they beleive you, they'll have to be sure. If you're not Victor Lazlo, then you'll find precious little help from others. Help you'll be desperately needing now.” He held up a mini-bottle of scotch that Maddie had opened and given to him. “So welcome to the year 2000, Victor!”

Having a sick feeling about who the 'they' he might be referring to, I sat down. I ran my hand through my hair. “What would Victor Lazlo do?”

[Doctor Boggs]

I do apologize, Doctor Boggs for not discussing this with you before hand. I'm trying to record all of this before I lose the memory of it. I may remember it as readily as I do my other memories or they may begin to fade as things continue to straighten out.

Not to worry, I'm curious to see more about this odd trip you took so I'll stick to the better part of valor for the time being. So I snogged this bird did I? Hehehe, go young me!

[Cybermancer]

So by now I'm sure most of you are wondering what exactly was going on. For example, Hannah, you asked why it was so long before I saw the sun again.

I could say that it was because I went into hiding with Doctor Boggs and Maddie and didn't resurface again for over 24 hours. And that would be true. But the further truth is that Doctor Boggs and I had driven to the motel in darkness. No sun, moon or stars were in the sky. The only light was artificial. It took hours for the city to turn the street lights back on.

The official explanation for this darkness was the planet Nemesis.

You see, there has long been a theory in astronomy circles that there may be a planet beyond the orbit of Neptune. The theory has been debunked and then evolved over time. Part of the scientific mythology surrounding Nemesis is that it is responsible for periodic extinction events occurring every 26 million years or so. More recently, the theory has been changed to suggest that Nemesis might in fact be a red or brown dwarf star that is a companion to our own Sol.

The theory was once more altered to explain the strange 'eclipse' the world was experiencing. Scientists the world over claimed that a massive planet made of dark matter had passed between the earth and the sun. There was no gravitational disturbance as the planet's dark energy repulsed as much as it attracted effectively making it a null object. This alleged dark energy would be used to explain a large number of things that happened that day.

Sound like a bunch of bunk to you? You're not the only one. As quickly as the first scientist suggested this theory, several more set out pointing out the flaws and debunking the theory. They were all discredited, changed their minds or disappeared. The remaining scientists either toed the official line or kept silent on the subject.

Victor Lazlo dealt with this sort of thing during his life. This is what he had to say on the subject:

“It seems I have written these words a thousand times. I have given countless lectures and presented what I felt was conclusive evidence. But I seem to be waging an endless, futile campaign against a willfull ignorance. The men of science, my colleagues, refute all evidence and brand me a charlatan or madman. For every question, they devise an answer, regardless of how foolish or contrived. They cling tenaciously to their laws of nature. Man made 'theories' that they revere as a godsend. To the public they inspire trust, and ridicule, ever so cleverly, the existence of magic or the supernatural. They have created an environment where the mere concept of magic and supernatural forces, instantly relegated to the realm of fantasy. And those who claim otherwise are ignored as the insane or ignorant. A classic case of the blind leading the blind.”

I think he would have been surprised however, by just how many eyes were opened that day.

[Cybermancer]

A lot happened on that day. A day we would all come to know as Nemesis Day.

That's right. We named the day for a vengeful bitch from whom there is no escape.

In any case, I spent much of the day glued to the TV set, watching live news casts from around the world. Naturally every station was reporting on the strange darkness.

“How are they going to explain this?” I asked out loud.

“They've got a story already prepared,” Maddie informed me. “It's going to be blamed on the planet Nemesis.” She then proceeded to outline the details.

In response, I pointed out all the flaws with the theory.

She just shrugged.

Sure enough, within a couple of hours, it was being explained by accredited scientists and being recognized as the official explanation by the President. Other scientists and nations followed suite.

With the public's mind (almost) set at ease with an official explanation, the world was free to consider other news.

The sudden manifestation of psychic powers the world over, for example. Approximately a quarter of the worlds population suddenly found themselves with real psychic powers of varying degrees. Those who already had psychic powers found them greatly increased.

Both Doctor Boggs and Maddie admitted this was to be expected. They had both experienced the increase in power as soon as the event began.

“It's a natural reaction to what's going on.” Maddie explained. “Like a bodies immune system reacting to a virus or bacteria, humanity is trying to defend itself by reawakening long dormant powers.”

“You're talking about humanity as though it were a single organism.”

“It is in the same way as the individual cells of your body make up a single you.” Maddie shrugged as though it didn't really concern her one way or another, “Individual cells may not know that they are part of the immune system but that doesn't change their role.”

“So why does humanity need an immune system?” It was really a rhetorical question.

“Because we're being invaded.” Doctor Boggs looked glum. “Certain magic circles have seen it coming for some time. Many tried to resist or prevent it. They're dead or in hiding now.”

“What about your circle?” I asked him, “the one trying to summon Victor Lazlo?”

He exchanged looks with Maddie. “We were pretending to play along with the invaders while secretly working to undermine them.” He opened the curtain a smidgen to look out at the darkness outside. “Now we're either going to have to play ball or go the way of the others.”

Slowly he turned back to face me. “So whoever or whatever you are, you better figure out what side you're on.”

I met his gaze for only a moment before turning to look into the large mirror that dominated one wall of the room. Real classy place Boggsy picked out here. I pulled at a few strands of white hair. “Looks like I'm a white blood cell.”

[Doctor Boggs]

They named the shadow of doom Nemesis? How appropriate

[Hannah]

So if it wasn't Nemesis (not Darcy) that blacked out the planet, what did?

Hannah

[Grace]

Ha ha ha.

You guys all know that April Fools is over, right?

[Doctor Boggs]

Maybe it's the whiskey talking but I believe he took a trip. What kind of trip is up for debate, but hey, this is interesting.

[Ron Caliburn]

Definitely sounds like some kind of trip.

[Cybermancer]

Hannah,

I honestly can't answer that question. We all had much more pressing issues to deal with. And when we finally caught up with those responsible, we were not in the mood for asking questions. You, least of all.

As for you others...

A trip, huh?

Yeah, I can see how some of you might think perhaps this story is a drug induced fantasy.

Let's see then, if I can bring this journey a little closer to home.

It's March 6th, 2000, in Boston. There is a protestant Irish immigrant named Ryan Byrne. He's a business man. He's also a family man. Very charitable and a pillar of the community. He's popular and likeable. And that's a problem, because you see, he's running for city council. He's up against a crime syndicate sponsored puppet who doesn't stand a chance in a fair fight.

Of course, it's not going to be fair.

A 'trouble shooter' has been brought in to deal with the situation. He's there with his spotter and partner, a man of Italian descent. The partner might be described as a grease ball based on appearance but he's a pro.

The 'trouble shooter' is also Irish, although Catholic. His last name is Stewart and he's from a long line of warriors. His war is over but he fights on. And today, he's brought along his preteen daughter to teach her the family trade. Today will be the first time she sees death first hand.

Current records show that Mr. Byrne did indeed die and the file rests in an unsolved crimes file. But that is not the story I heard first hand from one of three witnesses to the event.

Mr. Stewart was lining up his shot in the early morning. His chosen location was a high rise about a mile from his targets home. Mr. Byrne lived in a closed community that was wooded and on a hill. But as it turned out, its drive way and front lawn were clear of trees and elevated above all the other properties in the area. Thus the top of the high rise, a good deal of the property could be seen.

The perfect vantage point for an assassin and his team to exploit for observation and eventually, the kill.

But things didn't go according to plan this day. Day turned to night and Mr. Stewart lost his clear view. So he had his daughter switch over the rifle to the night vision scope while he and his partner observed the situation with binoculars and spotter scope. The only light available to them was the house lights that Mr. Byrne had switched on.

They saw something then, that they did not expect to see. Mr. Byrne was being strangled.

By Mr. Byrne.

Mr. Stewarts daughter handed him back his rifle and then took the binoculars to observe. "Da..."

Mr. Byrne died and his naked murderer began stripping off his clothes.

"If that one takes his place, maybe no one knows that the contract was completed. We need a Mr. Byrne with a bullet in him." The Italian commented without emotion.

"Right." Mr. Stewart had replied. He took aim and fired.

Thus the invading forces suffered their first casualty.

[Grace]

Okay asshole,

This is officially NOT funny anymore!

[Cybermancer]

This is officially NOT funny anymore!

It never was.