He wished he could convince himself that this was, in fact, a world of opposites. A world where-of course-Trevor was a kind of evil reflection of himself. But no, this place had proved less a mirror and more a window into the soul.
There was no Reverend Johnny or Stonewall McAllister in this universe because they had been born in the fire of invasion; personalities warped after subjection to great horror.
But there had been a Trevor Stone and a Nina Forest. As on his home Earth, one a great leader, another a natural born warrior. Yet here, Trevor indulged in acts of savagery and depravity, yet another testament to absolute power corrupting absolutely.
And the Nina Forest of this world? Well, that remained a mystery. He could not imagine what had turned a strong-willed woman into a brow-beaten girl who accepted objectification. She had been Trevor's plaything, not an equal; not a partner.
Why?
After resting their feet and eating their rations, the two gathered their packs and started off to the northeast again. The landscape around the road grew harsh as they moved deeper into what Trevor thought of as the Adirondack Mountains. As the afternoon grew long, the temperatures reversed and dipped as a wave of burly cloud cover cast shadows over the land.
Trevor and Nina saw animals during their march. They saw what Trevor called Chew Cows and Sloths. Both the herd of Chew Cows and the pair of Sloths looked half-starved. Yet Trevor figured the animals counted themselves lucky for having survived the winter. Spring was on its way and with it would come growing grass and wildflowers and trees full of leaves.
In an open field between two mountain ranges they spied, from a distance, four large creatures. Nina, in one of a handful of words they exchanged during the trip, said they were called Huskers. The things were part cow and part elephant as evident by the four ivory tusks alongside their big gaping mouths. Each stood the size of a house. According to the Major, these indigenous beasts were docile herbivores that, in a pinch, her people hunted for food.
A few minutes later, a destroyed bridge forced them to ford a small stream, descending first a steep, messy bank of tree roots and prickly brush then emerging on the far side after pushing through a thick wall of shrubs.
Ahead of them the road stretched on between muddy fields but it was a sight on the hills to the east that grabbed Trevor's full attention. His jaw unhinged and his eyes widened. He felt a shiver of wonder tremble along his spine and goose bumps sprung on his arms.
Atop a mountain summit stood a construct of incredible visual power, as if combining the size of the Pyramids with the mystery of the Easter Island Moai. Perhaps a temple, maybe some kind of fortress, or possibly a memorial-maybe all of those things-the site sprawled a couple of square miles surrounded by a wall of massive stones, or crystals, looking to Trevor's eyes very much like blue zircon.
Inside the perimeter stood towering pillars reaching hundreds of feet and seemingly built with big blue and white diamonds piled one after another. Trevor could not fathom how they held firm while standing so tall.
A number of those diamond shapes sported carved, Chaktaw faces meticulously designed but still vague enough to allow interpretation to remain in the eye of the beholder.
Those faces watched the valley between the mountains. Stone felt as if maybe they watched him. Judged.
How great a people these Chaktaw must be, to create something so beautiful, intimidating, and thought-provoking all at once.
"Marvelous…just…wow," he gasped.
Nina stumbled next to him and echoed, "I’ve never seen this before. Amazing."
He knew she spoke the truth because no living, sentient life form could gaze upon the sight without being swept away by the majesty, the grandness, the power.
Trevor turned to her and studied her profile. He saw her blue eyes and for a few seconds remembered that this was Nina Forest. A Nina Forest of another dimension, but Nina all the same. Her body, her voice, her eyes; everything arranged in the exact same manner as the woman he loved, at least on the outside.
His stare drew her attention. She flinched as if dodging a fit of his rage, then walked along the road with her head slung low like a guilty, beaten dog.
Trevor remembered how in the early days of Armageddon, after Nina had come to the estate, he had watched her walk with a shyness in her step that hid the fierce warrior beneath. She had carried herself as if she were a woman looking to pass unnoticed; hoping to slip quietly by in a world where no one understood her.
It occurred to Trevor that this Nina feared him. Not only because of his anger over her deception, but before that. Since the moment he had gained control over Thebes, she feared his temper. At some point their relationship had shifted from her trying to convince him-in all manner of ways-to stay and fight, to him dominating her.
When she finally reached that part of the other Trevor that lived in you.
After the failure at Erie Coast, he had nearly hit her when he deflected responsibility for the defeat on to her. He screamed. He bullied. Foul. Abusive.
The Trevor Stone she knew.
Nina of this world-and the one he knew back home-certainly had the physical ability to defend herself from any bully, including Trevor Stone. So why would she allow such domination? Trevor suspected that any man who raised a hand to the Nina of his Earth would find himself in the hospital rather fast. Why did this Nina tolerate such abuse?
He hurried to catch up to her. The two walked side by side along an embankment. The eyes of Chaktaw faces carved in the enormous pillars watched from across the valley.
"Nina."
She turned her head fast as if a sharp sound grabbed her attention, and then averted her eyes, unwilling to look directly into his.
"I want to talk to you."
Trevor spoke slowly so as to keep his voice calm. He sensed her fear and he did not want to spook her. Certainly anger remained, but he wanted information and could not allow his emotion to overcome his sense, he had done that far too often in recent weeks.
The two continued their walk along the road as it wove through the gorge and exited to the north. A few song birds chirped and small animals occasionally scurried across their path, but otherwise it felt as if they had the valley to themselves.
"I need to understand some things, Nina. I need those answers you promised."
She nodded without taking her eyes from her boots.
"Okay then. You brought me here. How’d you choose me? You said you saw eight parallel universes. Each with an Earth?"
The Major licked her lips and tried to answer. Her voice shook, seemingly worried that the wrong word could lead to an explosion.
"We…I didn’t have a chance to go sight seeing. We were given directions on how to get to your universe. I didn’t find you by accident. I mean, we picked you on purpose."
"And the reasons you picked me?"
A strange bird flew over head. It was about the size and shape of an Eagle but its scalp sported a plate of armor like a helmet.
"I told you the truth. Our Trevor was dead. Our world-" she stopped herself, huffed, and re-worded, "Our invasion had been stopped and turned back. We were down to just Thebes. I mean all of our outposts and resource stations and even the satellite colonies were wiped out. Mainly by the Chaktaw, but by other things, too."
"And how did you think I could help?"
"Believe it or not, I told you the truth on that already, you know? Our Trevor held things together. He was a great leader. You-I mean he-knew how to speak to people, to get their spirits up. We knew that you were a great leader, too. I-we-figured you could help us turn it around again."
He shook his head but he did not get angry. He refused to get angry. He was a human being capable of controlling his emotions.