Puppet On A String

"So this is the void?" McFizzer confirms. "It is not how I imagined it would look."

"It is what it is," Says Hartdegen. "It appears differently to almost everyone and can also change with the visitors mood, some find it a serene environment others a foreboding and menacing place, the void feeds on the soul of the visitor taking its cue from your very core.

"What is the purpose of the void? Asks McFizzer.

"It is a buffer."

"A buffer between what?"

"Between the now and the past and the future - it sits as a barrier never allowing the past - present and future to come into direct contact."

"Why?" I ask, wondering if my question was stupid or very profound.

"Because it is how nature protects the very survival of the universe, imagine the void as a simple cooking pot, you place the pot upon a fire and heat it, you then add oil, you allow the oil to simmer so that you can cook a basic process that occurs time after time without mishap. But what happens if the pot fractures if the buffer is broken and falls away? Chaos - The oil leaks onto the flames and becomes an uncontrollable fireball."

It turns out that my question was kinda intelligent after all and McFizzer is silent so I ask another. "Why are we here?"

"As travelers you have been here on many occasions - whenever you pass from one time to another you must traverse the void, sometimes this may happen in a blink of an eye and you may not be aware of it - on others you may catch a fleeting glimpse or feel the void within your bones put pass through it you must, this is what makes us special, we are able to navigate a path from past to present to future."

"But I have never navigated anywhere - it just happens and I have no idea why."

"You are young Tavis, eventually you will learn to control your abilities and become your own master but for now you must rely on us and others to direct you, that is why we have provided you with the services of McFizzer and you will meet others on your travels that we have positioned to help you fulfil your destiny."


"What! You mean you are manipulating me like some character in a video game?"

"No no," Hartdegen shakes his head and smiles. "No Tavis it is much subtler than that and you must understand that we had to react to the developing situation."

"What developing situation - and why should I worry about your developing situation".

I become angry - very angry. Was all this somebodies doing? The deaths and the torture - and then a thought struck me square between the eyes harder than any punch I had received at the hands of Drufus. "Did you kill my family?" I asked leaning close in my face pressed upon the glass.

"No Tavis." Hartdegen held his stare on me, "I did not kill your family."

"How do I know this? - How can i trust you? - you may be just like Drufus and intent on getting your own way," I stand and turn away. "How do I know who I can trust?"

McFizzer stands and places his hands upon my shoulders. "You can trust Mr Hartdegen."

"But how do I know this? He may be responsible for murdering the only people I could trust, how do I know McFizzer? He admits to using me for his own ends - he is just like Drufus a cold and calculating killer. You are always telling me to open my heart and trust my instincts, well my instinct tell me that he killed my family."

"It wasn't him Tavis."

"How can you know that? You are just like me - a pawn - something for him and his cronies to play with."

"I know he didn't do it," McFizzer tightens his grip on my shoulder. "I know he didn't do it Tavis because it was me."

I spin around and push my face toward McFizzer. "You." I spit the word at him.

"Yes Tavis - I am soldier and assassin. I am so sorry but I had no choice, I caused your car to crash on that day killing your family. I am as guilty as an executioner with a bloody axe.

"What? Why? I scream at him and clench my hand aiming a blow at his chin, my fist passes straight through McFizzers face and I stumble to the ground.

"Calm yourself Tavis." Hartdegen commands me from within his cocoon.

"Make me if you are so powerful." I role over looking for McFizzer. "Where is he? Where is the murderer hiding?"

Hartdegen repeats, "Calm yourself Tavis - he is no longer here I have removed McFizzer from the void. He is back in his own time."

I look at Hartdegen, "Why don't you come out of that over sized Christmas decoration and face me like a man, you may not have directly killed my family but you must have put McFizzer in the position to enable him to do what he did."

"Tavis sit and listen to what I have to tell you and then make your judgement, be decent enough and allow me the chance to explain the circumstances that led to the demise of your family."

"Decency - what would you know about decency? - Give me one good reason why I should waste my time listening to you?"

Hartdegens tone becomes threatening. "How about this for a good reason? We are both here within the void - you are trapped and I am free to go as I please, so how about if I disappear for a decade or so and see how cooperative you are when I return."

"I would be dead before then, there is no food or water that I have seen."I throw back almost childishly.

"Tavis the normal rules of existence do not prevail within the void, the fact is you will be just as you are now unchanged except that you will have experienced the passing of ten long years, and I don't have to stop at ten years how does fifty sound, all alone in silence without even the passing of a sun to mark time. You see Tavis I have been doing this for so long now that time has become irrelevant to me. So make your choice we can do this now or we can do this sometime in the future."

I sit sheepishly, taking up the position McFizzer had previously - cross-legged hands out stretched touching the glass and then I remove my hands from the globe and laugh at Hartdegen. "But you need me, that is obvious now, you need me for something and I doubt you are able to wait ten years."

Hartdegen softens his voice and smiles at me, "Bravo Tavis - bravo, you are a bright boy. Yes you are quite correct I and my associates do need you, but trust me if I have to I will abandon you to the void leaving you to drift in flux for an eternity or even worse if by your inaction the void is compromised then you will understand the true meaning of evil and do you wish to be alone when you face that?"

If for no other reason than that I was tired of all the banter and worn down by the revelation from McFizzer I agreed with Hartdegen, so I replaced my hands upon the glass dome and listened.