Chapter 10

Angelika - Like an angel
Truda - Fighting woman
Varick - Protecting Ruler
Harman - Man of the army
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<Varick?> Alan thought to the man, <I think that you and Angelika need to come here as soon as possible.>

Alan could feel the confusion in Varick’s thoughts. <Alright we’ll be there as soon as possible.> Varick replied.

Emory was watching Alan as he was having a conversation with Varick. “Is everything alright?” Emory asked.

Shocked out of his thoughts Alan told him, “Yes sir, they should be along in a few minutes. It appears that the women are still shopping.” Alan said with a sigh. Emory started to laugh then nod he could remember giving up after trying to stop his wife from shopping years ago; especially when she was as in to it as the two young ladies appeared to be.

A few minutes later the two doors of the shops that all of them had gone into opened.

Varick and Harman swiftly moved to Alan’s side concern apparent on both of their faces. “I thought you said that we’d have no further problems after the talk you had with their leader.” Varick told Alan on guard for any sudden movement toward them.

“For the moment we have no problems, though what this man here has to say might lead to some.” Alan told a confused Varick and Harman. “Let’s just wait ‘til the women are here ok?”

Varick and Harman both nodded looking around at the amount of people, there were more than a few there that didn’t feel like the villagers.

A moment later they were joined by Angelika and Truda, both also with a look of concern on their faces. “We heard,” Angelika said. “I thought everything was good?”

Alan smirked a moment then replied, “As far as I can tell everything is. Apparently, the young woman’s father was impressed, as she said ‘Father was impressed when you brought me back and wished to talk to you. You are the first that have been here as long as you have and haven’t made a move, threatened or attacked. Father wished to ask you what your intentions are and if you would consider joining with us?’ I told them we all had to be here for something as big as the nature of this.”

Varick was nodding then scanned the crowd. Varick’s eyes coming to rest on the older man in the center of all those present. Then he did a double take, “I am sorry for staring but you appear to be familiar.” Varick told the man.

The older man stepped forward his shining, keen eyes wide as he took in Varick then Angelika. “I have to say sir,” the man started, “you also appear to seem familiar.”

Alan was nodding a wide smile breaking out on his face. “I think that all of you will be, to each other. Please sir,” Alan said looking at the older man, “please tell my uncle your name.”

The older man looked at Alan with a look of disbelief, “Uncle? You are joking; you both appear to be the same age. There is no...” The man stopped mid sentence staring even harder at Varick and the other three. “What is your last name?”

Varick sadly shook his head, “None of us know, much of our past is gone. I am Varick, this is my sister Angelika. These are our friends Harman and his sister Truda.”

“Varick..., “ the old man was whispering as he slowly stepped toward Varick. Touching the side of Varick’s face the old man drew back as if he were shocked. “Brother is it really you?” Turning toward Angelika, tears now streaming freely down his face. “Sister? My god you are still as beautiful as you were then!”

Angelika pulled back from the man as if she’d been burned, “Sister!? Just who the hell are you? What kind of sick and twisted joke is this?” She spit at the older man.

The old man retreated back as if he’d been punched. “I guess it has been far too long for either of you to remember me.” The older man whispered. Looking at Alan the man’s eyes were almost pleading with him to help.

Sighing Alan stood up between the old man and the siblings. “Maybe this will help?” Alan asked passing a hand over the older man.

There were more than a half a dozen gasps heard as the older man was suddenly regressing in age. In place of the older man was now a teen of eighteen or nineteen. “H ... h ... how?” The teen was stuttering.

“Ok, that’s a new trick we haven’t seen you do before,” A smirking Truda said. Looking Alan over closely she said, “What other things are you hiding?”

“Emory? My god! Is that you? We all saw you gunned down! They carried you out and threw your body away like trash!” They heard Harman’s voice.

It was the teen’s turn to smirk, “All of you forgot the game we used to play? Stop the stick? Come on I know you all remember it!”

Tears now streaming down her face Angelika bowed her head and whispered, “We just got our memories of you back an hour ago. Please forgive me brother I was so afraid, so terrified when I saw you go down. I thought they had killed you and were about to start on us!”

Varick and Emory both moved to comfort Angelika who was a mass of crying flesh at their feet. Gasping a moment when both males put their arms around her, then she sighed and relaxed.

Several of the shocked men had taken a step forward, but were stopped when the teen put up a hand and they all stopped dead in their tracks.

Madde walked over to Alan with a questioning look. “I thought father’s brother and sister were killed during the war. By the way what in the hell did you do to him?”

“Oh that?” Alan said sounding as if it were an everyday thing. “I just reversed the aging process on the rest of him. His insides are already that of a young man, I just matched the outside with the inside.”

“So,” Madde started again trying to let everything sink in. Father called the woman on the ground his sister, the man next to him his brother. You said that the same man was your uncle? Wait, then that makes that young beautiful woman your mother?” Shaking her head she was still having a hard time getting her head around it. “I saw what you did; I know you can do a lot of things but...” Even as she watched Alan started to grow older ‘til he was the same outward age that her father had been.

“It’s not that hard once you can grasp the concept,” Alan said matter of factly.

From behind them they heard Angelika giggle, “Ok Alan now you’re just showing off!”

Alan and Madde turned to see Angelika hugging and kissing both of her brothers. “You are the one who put me onto this mother.” Alan said with a smirk of his own. “You’re as much to blame as I am!”

“Me!? You are of course joking Alan, I never told you to show off like this!” Angelika said as Truda joined in on the giggling.

Alan shook his head and was quickly the age he was again. “Crap, never try to win an argument against your mother!” This of course started another round of giggling from Angelika, Truda, and now Madde. “Honestly! I don’t see the humor in any of this!”

Varick walked over to Alan, “Don’t argue that’s what you said, just let it go ‘til later then you can get back at them.” All this was whispered though Alan was sure that Truda was detecting what had been whispered between them.

Alan nodded toward Truda and Varick nodded as he clamped his mouth shut.

Emory turned toward Alan, “I appreciate what you have done for me but really Alan! A teenager?”

Alan nodded then waved a hand over Emory who aged for a moment then looked about thirty. “There that any better?”

“Yes thank you, I guess I should call you nephew now, no?” Emory said with a huge smile on his face. “So you weren’t engineered like they were?”

“No, as far as I can tell I came by all of mine by birth. As far as I know the doctor...” There were several gasps then more than a few angry shouts from those that came with Emory.

Emory held up a hand quieting all of them. “I am more than familiar with that monster. When we received word that the bunker had exploded we were also told that all were killed in it. Hence, my shock at seeing my family. Wait! You mean to tell me that the animal survived also!?” Emory’s face was now twisted into a mask of rage.

“I am afraid so though strangely enough no one has actually seen him in over forty years.” Alan told the man.

“Forty years? All of our memories go back almost that far except for what you have opened in the last few weeks. I still can’t remember your birth, or who the father is Alan. I fear I may never remember.” Angelika said a fresh set of tears in her eyes.

Madde ran to Angelika and held her close crying with her. “This beast of a doctor did this to you?!” Madde looked at Emory, “Father I want to be stronger, I want to help them destroy this monster you have told us about!”

Emory looked at Alan feeling the almost overwhelming amount of power the younger man possessed. Rubbing his chin he thought yes, he did feel many times more powerful than the doctor. “Alright I agree; that is if you can do it. I also want you to help those here also. If worst comes to worst we might need the added power to fight him. Especially if he tries to hurt you through us.”

“I can, though as strong as he is right now you are the only one that would stand a chance. I’m sure you know that to go against him takes a lot of power.” Alan told all that were present.

Emory patted Alan on the shoulder, “We have a lot more than power, and we have a full bag of tricks that have kept us hidden from him for all this time.”

Alan nodded as the man opened his mind and showed Alan all of the many tricks that they had used over the years. Interesting Alan thought some of these ideas might actually come in handy.

A sudden thought accrued to Alan, “I was thinking Varick. With the way the assistant is coming after us you think he might try to come here?”

Varick and Harman were suddenly attentive, “Wait you really think he’d risk trying to attack here,” Varick asked.

“I wouldn’t put it past him with the rise in the frequency of the attacks.” Harman said after thinking a moment. “You might want to put something in their minds to actually deter the assistant’s men.”

Emory and Madde were watching this exchange with great interest. “You mean to tell us there is another out there? Anything you can do Alan to keep all of these people safe would be welcome.”

Alan nodded and started on the weaker of the men with abilities within twenty minutes they were all at twice the power they had been. Shaking his head Alan knew they could stop a few of the hoard the assistant had but they would need to be stronger if they were going to be of any use.

Looking at Madde’s son Alan saw that the young man was already as strong as he’d just made the twenty men. I have to be careful Alan thought as he started to raise the young man’s power. Finally the man was far more powerful than any but his grandfather. Starting on his cousin he found that she was far easier than any he’d done. Finally finished with her a mere ten minutes later Alan felt a slight drain and sat with a thud.