Interlude IHerbert George Wells fidgeted as he waited for one of the Archivists to leave her (his?) current activity to talk to him. Herbert’s soul name was something else, but it was this incarnation that was in trouble with the Archivists, so that was the name he used.
The Archive itself was outside of time and space. Few people knew of it, fewer believed that it was real and only a handful, if that many, on each world the Archive served, had visited the repository. Herbert was one of those who hadn’t really believed in the Archive itself, but he was one of the few in all the worlds who had taken it upon himself in interfere with its workings.
As penance, he was under the orders of one of the Archivists to actively remedy problems he’d had a hand in causing. Or, in this particular case, his lack of action had caused. He hadn’t stopped Tempus from killing Lois Lane, initiating a string of consequences too terrible to contemplate.
One of the Archivists approached him – his case manager, as he had dubbed him (her?). All the Archivists were soul-stuff. They had no real substance that could be quantified by science, no distinguishing features that could be seen by the eye, not that he had eyes. His body was an illusion. It was all illusion. Yet, he could tell them apart. There were subtle differences in color and texture – language was inadequate to describe what he saw, sensed, felt. No artist’s pallet could do them justice.
“Crisis averted, I see,” the Archivist murmured. “Interesting solution.”
“I could see no other way without direct interference,” Herbert defended himself.
The Archivist nodded. “I understand the need to allow the boy access to his previous incarnation’s memories. It was needed for his survival. But why the girl child?”
“I felt that the link between them would be helpful,” Herbert explained. “In the worst case, she would be able to find him, lead others to him.”
The Archivist nodded again and Herbert was relieved.
“You realize they now carry their previous knowledge with them. It cannot be erased.”
“I felt it was the lesser risk,” Herbert explained.
The Archivist beckoned him to follow deeper into the stacks of records. “The next crisis may not be as simple. Their memories may complicate the problem.”
“They are both quite intelligent,” Herbert reminded her (him?).
“But are they strong enough to handle what you’ve forced on them?”
“I hope so,” Herbert admitted. “Archivist, forgive me for asking, but why is Lois so angry with Clark?”
The Archivist smiled and shook his (her?) head. “She discovered her beloved was a fool, among other things. She was prepared to go back to him, to find him, to help him. Her first demand on awaking in Summerland was to be sent back to her body. She was not happy when she found she could not, and was angry when he arrived here too soon. She was the one waiting for him. ‘Lunkhead’ was the most polite term she used.” She (he?) shook his (her?) head. “I have never seen soul mates as anxious to leave the between life as they were.”
Herbert sighed. “A little more time might have done them some good?”
“There was no more time. Not for the path they chose. And they do have some serious obstacles to overcome before they can reach the path that should have been theirs to begin with.”
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