Thursday, March 13, 2014 – 12:13 PM EST – The Compound – Old Saybrook, Connecticut



I'd been awake for hours. Nearing forty at this moment. Her image haunts my memory in ways that words can not explain. The image of when we first met at Boston General when Jacob was in a coma. The way her eyes shined under the cheap fluorescent lighting. I can still hear our first chat when things are quiet. Like now. I still vividly remember every last detail that night on the roof of the hospital. I can still feel her touch. Her hot breath on my neck in the cool night air.

It all seems a distant memory. Almost as if it were a dream. At the same time, it's like she never left. I still feel her as if she was lying next to me in the here and now, not in the gone and yesterday. I'm so tired yet I can not sleep.

I see her each and every time I look at our beautiful baby boy. I feel her every time I touch him. So much though, that I sometimes avoid him in fear of what I might see or what I might feel. My father tells me it was for the best. “For the good of the Illuminatus.”

Yet I can't shake the feeling that I could have convinced her. That I could have converted her. That her and I could have lived the fairy tale life with the “and happily ever after” ending.

It was not to be.

I remember the day she told me I was going to be a father. I remember feeling sick to my stomach when I shot her up with a sedative in that chopper in Central Park. I remember wanting to throw up each and every time I visited her down in the Dungeon. I remember acting strong, but feeling so weak.

I remember standing over her as my father took Thaddeus from her body. I remember standing over her, set to end her life. I remember the electrical charge from the stun gun coursing through my body. I remember my father ending her life in front of my eyes and me, powerless to stop it.

I can still feel the sting in my eyes as I watched her draw her final breaths of her mortal life. My beloved Caitlyn. The only woman I ever truly loved. Gone. Not coming back.

Our son now stirs and begins to cry in his crib. Today, I'm not in the mood to play daddy. I pull out my cell and give a call to Jake.



SEBASTIAN DUKE: “Jake, send Matthew to my office. I need you to come and tend to the boy.”

JACOB, THE MESSENGER: “Father is in your office waiting for you.”

SEBASTIAN DUKE: “Why?”

JACOB, THE MESSENGER: “I have no idea.”

SEBASTIAN DUKE: “Just get over here.”



I get dressed as I wait for Jacob. I try to console the boy but my paternal instincts are not up to snuff today. I have absolutely no idea what the child wants. Within moments though, my relief has arrived.

Jacob enters my private quarters. He heads right for the crying Prince.



JACOB, THE MESSENGER: “Jesus! He needs changed.”

SEBASTIAN DUKE: “Then change him.”

JACOB, THE MESSENGER: “And he's probably hungry.”

SEBASTIAN DUKE: “Then feed him.”



I begin to head for the door.



JACOB, THE MESSENGER: “Sebastian?”

SEBASTIAN DUKE: “What?”

JACOB, THE MESSENGER: “Do you need to talk about something?”

SEBASTIAN DUKE: “Nope.”



Without saying another word, I exit my private quarters and head to the ground floor. Once I enter the office, much to my chagrin, Asmodeus is most certainly in my office. Matthew is there as well.



ASMODEUS: “Another late night, Sebastian?”

SEBASTIAN DUKE: “Sleep is for the weak, Dad.”

ASMODEUS: “Jacob tells me he thinks something is on your mind.”

SEBASTIAN DUKE: “That's kind of what I want to talk about.”



I sit in my office chair behind my desk.



SEBASTIAN DUKE: “Just not with you.”

ASMODEUS: “Oh? And why is that?”

SEBASTIAN DUKE: “Because its your fault.”



Asmodeus swallows hard, knowing exactly what I was referring to.



ASMODEUS: “Matthew, would you please excuse...”

SEBASTIAN DUKE: “NO!”



I'm pretty sure I just startled myself with my own short temper.



SEBASTIAN DUKE: “Matthew stays.”

ASMODEUS: “Son, I don't think it's necessary for him to sit here while you yell at me!”

SEBASTIAN DUKE: “I said, he stays.”



Asmodeus taps his finger on the surface of the desk while looking down in defeat.



ASMODEUS: “Son, I know it bothers you. I know you still get upset...”

SEBASTIAN DUKE: “UPSET!?”



Again, that temper thing.



SEBASTIAN DUKE: “DAMN IT! I'M PISSED!”



Matthew inches closer to the door.



SEBASTIAN DUKE: “SIT! DOWN!”



Matthew drops like a rock to the floor.



ASMODEUS: “Son...”

SEBASTIAN DUKE: “She did not have to die, Dad! I do blame you and I will always blame you until the day you lie cold and dead in a pine fucking box!”

ASMODEUS: “There is nothing I can do about it now! Don't you think that if I could go back and...”

SEBASTIAN DUKE: “Just save it! You'd do it all over again!

“One day, Dad, I will tell Thaddeus that you killed his mother and his grandmother! How great will Thaddeus think you are then!?”

ASMODEUS: “I didn't kill your mother!”



Come again?



ASMODEUS: “Son, I'm not so different than you. I couldn't do it either.”

SEBASTIAN DUKE: “Wait. She's not dead.”

ASMODEUS: “She's dead son. It just wasn't from my hands.”

SEBASTIAN DUKE: “Who?”

ASMODEUS: “That's not important. What is important is that you stay strong for your son! You are all he has that links him to his mother!”



Silence. It can be deafening.



MATTHEW: “Sire, do you truly believe in science?”

SEBASTIAN DUKE: “What?”



Matthew climbs back to his feet.



MATTHEW: “If there was a way to travel to the past. Or to a different dimension, like an alternate universe. One in which Ms. Nguyen was still alive.

“If it was even a remote possibility, would you try to get there? Would you put absolute faith in another being or entity that could escort you there?”

SEBASTIAN DUKE: “What the hell are you talking about?”



That silence again.



MATTHEW: “Not what, but whom.”



I'm suddenly interested.



MATTHEW: “Supernova.”

ASMODEUS: “Huh?”

MATTHEW: “You remember him as Mr. Satellite.”



I lean back in my chair.



MATTHEW: “Your Highness, he's traveled through time and space to get here. Billions of light years across the universe. It's not unbelievable that he may be able to escort you to another time or another place and you can get your closure you so desperately seek and that you desperately need.”



I stand up from my chair and walk slowly around the desk. I place my right hand on Asmodeus' right shoulder.



SEBASTIAN DUKE: “Get out.”



He looks up at me.



SEBASTIAN DUKE: “I didn't stutter. Get the hell out of my office.”



Asmodeus stands up slowly, then exits. I sit on the edge of the desk.



SEBASTIAN DUKE: “You think it'll work?”

MATTHEW: “I don't know. But, if anyone has the ability, it's him.”



He's right. It sounds so far fetched and unbelievable. Yet, at the same time, Nova really has traveled through time and space and continues to today.



SEBASTIAN DUKE: “Make the call.”

---

---

---

You look down at Supernova, all covered in the debris and wreckage that not only tearing through the ocean caused. Nor just the repeated trip around the world at a speed faster than sight caused him to sustain. No, those things weren't enough. He had to then fall through the roof and practically every floor of Sebastian Duke's compound. Chaos couldn't describe the sight at Duke's feet. Nova was torn up and utterly broken looking. Ravaged to the point where survival was in question. His body damaged in such a way that the mere sight of it sent chills down your spine! You really never knew a body could contort that way, or that an arm could break in that many places and still be an arm. Not to mention Nova's clothes were in near shreds and what wasn't, was covered in filth. This picture placed before your eyes was truly...the stuff of nightmares. And yet, Sebastian Duke was able to keep perfectly composed with such a sight laying at his feet.


However Mathew, had a completely different reaction.


What the fuck!


Calm yourself, Mathew.


Calm myself? What just happened? Why did he crash through the ceiling and why does he look like he's been through hell a dozen times over? Is he even alive? Should we be calling an ambulance? I know he's an alien but I really think he might be dead!


I would bet....most assuredly, he is.


So...what do we do?


Nothing. We wait.


Are you serious?


Absolutely. We wait and when he revives he can explain what happened.


So just like that, we just wait and assume he'll just come back to life and have a detailed explanation on why he showed up like this?


Pretty much. He's died and returned to life before, I doubt today will serve as an exception.


I see, well...what should we do while we wait?


I suppose I could go for a sandwich.


Okay, then. A dead spaceman on the floor and you could go for a sandwich.


What, I'm a little hungry.


I'm starving.


Nova stated as he slowly pulled himself off the floor, still looking rather frightful, his clothes beyond tatters and covered in filth but also at the same time....completely healed. Yeah, it's amazing how quickly that can happen sometimes. You still don't have a complete handle on how long it takes for Nova to revive and why sometimes it takes longer then others. It's just one of those many mysteries about the spaceman, that'll probably never be answered.


Nova! You're alive. Good. Think you can swing hiding your shame and possibly fixing the mess you caused when you crashed through my compound?


Hide my shame?


Nova looked confused and tilted his head at Duke. To which Duke responded by simply nodding and casting a brief downwards glance, making Nova aware he was indeed standing there almost next to naked.


Oh, haha! Yes, of course. I can actually remedy both situations at the same time.


Nova snapped his fingers. Cleaning up and repairing the damage his body caused Duke's compound, and placing a fresh set of clothes onto his own body as well.


So was all that necessary? What, did you want to remind me you can fix things with a snap of your fingers, or what was all that?


That was this.


Nova tossed the severed monkey paw at Duke, who caught it and then looked down at it like he wished he hadn't.


I assume there's more to you throwing a severed monkey hand at me?


It's what I was doing when you called. Or rather, what I was locating. It can grant wishes and now it's yours. Well, now it's bound to you, since you used one of the wishes to bring me here. I didn't think the blasted thing would work over the phone, but it did and here I am. Ta da!


What?


That paw in your hand...it grants wishes. One for every finger. I found it on a pirate ship and was holding onto it when I was on the phone with you. You said you wished to speak with me and the paw granted the wish. It ripped me right through a pirate ship, tore me through the ocean, carried me around the world at a speed fast enough to break the time barrier and then dropped me off here. Hence the whole....crashing through your building, ordeal. It really was quite a ride.


I see and now you say, it's bound to me. Why?


Because you made the first wish. Now it's yours until you finish your wishes. It'll stay connected to you until you do.


Interesting. So all I have to do is say I wi....


Nova stopped Duke from speaking by clamping a hand firmly over his mouth. An act Duke did not look at all pleased about as he ripped it off his face.


Sorry....but that's really, all it takes. All you have to do is put 'I wish' in front of sentence, a statement, a request...hey, even just a single word. You could exclaim ' I wish coconuts!' and that'll count. Whatever it is, whatever you say....can and will happen. So long as you're holding that paw. So I'd really watch what I said. You never know what sort of thing you might cause to happen and....also, there's this thing about the wishes you make. Ah, but I'm sure you'll be careful.


Nova. What? Just spill it.


Well, there's a slight chance what you wish for....might, fall as close to the negative version of whatever it is. So you really need to word those wishes carefully. Like really carefully. You don't want to use my frivolous example at all. Geez Louise! Who knows what kind of nightmare world would incur from - 'I wish coconuts'? I know I'm afraid and I don't have experience from such an occurrence.


Great, so you curse me with a monkey paw. Thanks Nova, you're a real peach. Mathew, burn the paw.


Duke tosses the monkey paw to Mathew.


Well...you could do that, but I wouldn't.


And why, is that?


Cause then you'll really be cursed. Or at least as far as superstition goes. I don't really believe in all that myself, but I never thought I could be turned into a vampire and look where that got me.


Fine. Mathew, put that thing somewhere safe and don't destroy it. I'll deal with that later. Right now, I'd like to talk to the spaceman about why I actually wanted to see him.


Yes, sir. I'll see this is placed somewhere safe.


Good. Now spaceman, let's take a walk.


Can we be walking to somewhere those sandwiches you mentioned earlier, are at? I wasn't kidding about saying I was starving.


Fine.


Duke sighs and shakes his head.


A man gets dragged across the ocean, around the world even, falls through every layer of my compound, dies and wakes up starving.


I have a high metabolism.


To be continued...