Breathing

He was still in the same spot. With the same pile of drool coming out of his mouth getting bigger and bigger. He had no thoughts, concerns, or needs. His life had become mundane. He just lay there breathing.

"I guess five-thousand years is long enough."

The sound of marbles spilling across the floor fills the soundless void. They roll just in front of Arthur's face. They had golden lights coming from them. They began spinning and lifting into the air. There were so man spinning and floating it was lighting up the darkness. We seen just the feet of Euriel.

Her socks went above her ankles. not sure how far as the darkness wasn't completely gone. Her shoes worn almost to pieces. You could tell she walked a lot. The soles on her shoes were flapping.

"Prepare yourself Arthur. Nothing hurts more than carving out neural pathways in the brain. Bah! You can't even understand me."

The void that was previously lit has now become the very definition of dark. Once the light disappeared the screams began. They lasted for what seemed like hours. There were no noises other that blood curdling screams. There came a point in which his voice gave out. At that point Arthur passed out.

Much later when Arthur came too and woke up, he was groggy. Trying to get to his feet failing time and time again to get up. Struggling to make sense of everything going through his head.

Memories flashing through his brain at an unprecedented rate. Out of order nothing is making sense to him. Arthur begins getting memories back from his engineering and military time. At this point he remembers Excalibur. He spent so much time engineering it. The memories of the casting, forging, blueprinting, and testing the device flooding back into his brain.

"Breathe, breathe."

Arthur finally able to speak repeating the word breathe. For the last five-thousand years that is all he has done. Why does he have to tell himself to do it.

"Wall Formation!"

Arthur barks out. His memories coming back out of order have left him entirely confused. Trying to command Heart Company when they never came into the forbidden realm.

"Dearie me! What ever am I gonna do with you Arthur. You just don't seem to get it."

Euriel is pacing you can hear the footsteps somewhere in the darkness. Arthur is trying to get up and make sense of everything happening to him. His memories are all out of order. Like some delicate piece is missing.

"Just because you have your memories…. Immediately violent. Seems right you damn disgusting two legged pig."

Euriel cuts deeper with each sentence really tearing into Arthur degrading him. Arthur can't hear her though. The pain and damage being done to his brain is making everything phase in and out. All he hears is a loud humming.

"Oh. I forgot one!"

Euriel cries in torturous laughter howling way harder than anyone should.

"I am guessing without this one memory….. everything is out of place.."

Again the void is filled with the laughter of a maniacal woman. She manages to quit laughing long enough to really look at Arthur. His hair covering his face as he is on all fours trying his best to make his body stand. Tears soak the ground although no sound is coming out of his mouth. His mouth is indeed moving despite the lack of sound. His body continues to try and collapse. The pain from regaining memories is horrible. Your brain is destroying itself to create neural pathways. He is feeling his brain eat itself.

She can't look away. She begins feeling pity for Arthur. Her heart slowly starting to hurt.

The last memory slowly rolling under Arthur's eyes before shattering and returning to him. The final piece to the puzzle now in place the memories begin replaying in his head. Everything lining up and making sense.

"EXCALIBUR!"

Arthur knew if there was one thing other than his team that he could count on…. It would be his creations. Somewhere in the void a rattling can be heard. Getting more and more violent the rattling comes to a cease.

"I spent a very long time designing this very weapon. Although it's a sword do not underestimate it."

Arthur manages to stand up. Huffing. Barely standing. Unable to fully see, it all looks mildly blurry. He holds his hand out.

" I place a gps beacon in the palm of my hand. It acts as a signal for Excalibur. It will be here in a moment."

Arthur doing his best to stand. His lungs burning. His consciousness fading in and out. Not really even able to stand he's swaying back and forth.

Euriel laughing in the darkness.

"Barely standing, out of breath, brain bursting with pain. Yet I am supposed to fear you? You can't even see me."

A loud swooshing sound flings through the void. Growing louder and louder each audible swoosh making Arthur's face smile more and more.

" Five-thousand years may have been to short for a brat like you after all. Before that weapon gets here. Let me give you a piece of advice…. When you go back. Do it different. Okay."

As Excalibur burst through the darkness. The pure white blade, with two metallic circles on each side of the blade. The circles had rings of lights beaming out of them. The sword looked to be made of plastic. Almost laughable.

As it touches Arthur's finger tips everything goes black.

"For me. Do it different. Please. I can't see him suffer anymore."

Those were the last words she spoke to him before she sent him back to the time he came from.

"If you are so childish that you would lay down your life before I have even given…."

The words coming out of Arthur's mouth seemed to have come out of his mouth before. He begins looking around the room. Seeing the portal inside of the compression chamber. Director Richards setting up for disembarkment and Heart Company standing in front of him felt weird.

"Something… something's…."

Two words. That's all he could get out before he kissed it….. the floor. Arthur passed out. The sense of Déjà Vu was so strong that it caused him to question reality.

Was any of this real. Arthur began trying to piece everything together the moment he woke up. Setting up on the edge of his bed lost in thought.

"Sssirrrr?"

A quiet femal voice pierced the quiet.

"Report!"

Instinctively Arthur barked a command.

" We just wanted to make sure you were okay sir."

She wouldn't even come in the room or show her face.

"I am perfectly healthy no need to worry."

Arthur let out his sympathetic voice. What he imagined a husband or father would sound like if he were one.

"It's round up time. Let's head out."

Arthur declares as he hops off the doctors bed and grabs his things.

"Everyone's in the room awaiting you sir!"

The quiet voice declares before closing the door and dashing away.

Arthur waltzes into the portal room acting like nothing happened.

"Claire thanks for checking on me."

Arthur made sure no effort no matter how small went unnoticed.

"Uhhhh sir. We have all been right here. No one else has access to the medical bay or facility according to Director Richards we are the first people down here since they started the machine.

All of Heart Company including Director Richards is now staring at Arthur in confusion.

The room around Arthur begins spiraling out of control. He reaches over and grasps a table for balance.

" Colonel. It's time. Remember to breathe. Just breathe. That's all you have to do to get rid of an anxiety attack. Whenever you are ready step through."

Director Richards seems concerned, but in his mind these people. This battalion they are already dead. There's no way they are coming back.

"Fall in and fall through. Go! Go! Go!"

Arthur yells as he starts shoving them through the portal.

"One more thing Director. This is a one-way portal right?"

Director Richards stares at his shoes as he responds to Arthur.

"Indeed. Once you step through not only will you never return, but you will also belong outside of time. Forever."

Arthur places a hand on the directors shoulder.

"For growth, for science, for macaroni and cheese."

Arthur let's put a big smile and trust falls through the portal. As he enters he feels the energy tearing his body apart atom by atom. At the same time he feels himself being put together somewhere else.

"Breathe...Breathe....Breathe..."