The Peach Tree

An old man was seated behind a chair as he typed away at an interface. Behind him, a floating disc about an inch in height kept recording the events of what was transpiring. The display from the interface showed the gateway was finally activating again. After a few readings were calculated, the disc turned into a floating orb.

"So they are returning, that is good. Are the security devices in place? Hopefully, it should be able to deal with any foreign entities that might try to rush through as well." The old man spoke clearly to the orb.

"Of course Doctor. Everything is in place. Warning! Your heart has sped up. Do you need a supporter or would you like me to notify authorities?"

"Bah, no need. Just a little excited is all." The old man said. Waving his hands dismissively.

Within the metallic rings, a few people had started to appear. They started to converse amongst themselves using mental transmission, however. The old man knew nothing of this.

"My strength lies in my physical body. I can still fight when we transfer over. Leave him to me." The third voice transmitted.

"I think we should hear him out first." Another transmitted coarsely. This was the second woman in the group. One would think she smoked all her life to get like this.

"I can use some of my abilities." Another voice said. This one was somewhat feminine and male at the same time.

Before the conversation could continue, the metallic rings had stopped spinning. The gate was now stabilized. Out walked a man with a baby lizard on his shoulder. The lizard looked around curiously.

Followed by a Man with floating skulls around him. His flesh was missing from his face. "Urp!" With a belch, white gas poured out of his mouth. The gas then went around his face and turned to new flesh.

Followed up next, a petite man walked through. With two bear cubs trailing behind him. If one looked to where his eyes were, they would only see pure green in its place.

Up next two women came out. They could be mistaken for identical twins at first glance. The height was the same for both. The only difference were there eye color and hair. Both had a cold look on their face. The one in the back had a cautious look on her face.

At the center in front of the rings, the old man looked on with a smile. His hair had fallen out long ago. His skin was beyond wrinkled. His eyes were so dim he could barely see anymore. Even with the enhancements, he had to squint to see them step out.

"Welcome back my friends. I didn't think you would return before my death." The old man said walking up with his cane. "How did it go? Traveling to a different realm, was it everything we dreamed of?"

Hearing the man call them friends set his rage off. "Blink!" The man who walked out first disappeared. In a blink, he was in front of the old man.

"How did it go?!" The man said gnashing his teeth. He lifted the old man up with his right hand. The pressure radiating off of him started to crush the man. "You stranded us for so many years, and you dare ask this."

The moment the man with the lizard came in proximity his pressure already destroyed the mans hearing aids.

*Bam!* The old man was slammed down onto the ground. His bones and teeth-shattering on impact.

"Koff, koff, who did that..." The old man tried to speak. His nanites did their best to help keep his heart and brain alive. "Don't hurt my friends. Security target the intruder." The old man muttered as he started to have trouble breathing.

Security came out in the form of drone bots. With a quick scan of the room, no intruders were found and they went back into storage. Only others in the room were "friends" of the doctor.

The two women walked over to the console. One of the women's wrists opened up. A mechanical wiring came out and entered the computer interface. At first glance, it looked like a tentacle.

"He didn't change our codes. We can still get in no problem." The woman started to scan all the systems for what she needed. 'Huh, that is weird, the security is set to protect us. I have a bad feeling about this.'

The little man walked up. Unlike the others, he still was able to control himself. He was angry, yes, but he trusted his friend. Out all of them, he never lied or broke a promise to them. Ever. Despite the advantage, it would give him.

Then again he also knew about his past as well as how deadly the old man was in World War 5. Thinking to himself, he thought all the different ways the old man could have ended their lives. 'But then again he had neuro inhibitors installed. He was basically a new person when the others met him.'

The only thing that didn't change about him, was his need to always tell the truth. It always gave them both a kick seeing lost people's faces. Having the truth all the time told to you can become a very funny thing to have around. Sarcasm took the place of general chat for the most part.

"You hothead. We were supposed to talk to him first." Looking at the man with the lizard, the little man sighed. "Mathis, what happened? Why were we all gone so long? Did you strand us there just to get control of the company? I find that hard to believe."

The man with the skulls stepped up next. He waved his hands around. A skull went in the direction of each location he pointed to. Eye sockets taking in a weird phantasmal energy as they did so. In moments they came back. The phantasmal energy floated over towards their new master.

"No need to ask him. I have figured out some things." Information was his strong point. Help with blackmail and extortion in the other realm. "The dead have spoken."

"Spill it already." The man with the lizard said. He could barely contain himself as he kept glaring at his former friend. Even as the old man huffed and wheeze he felt little sympathy.

"Mathis was the only one here. For the last 150 years or so, he has been the only living soul to come into this place."

"And what else?! What about when we are transported? Find out that time frame."

"I have the answer to that. You idiot, you killed an innocent man." The woman with her hand in the interface said. The woman next to her had already ran to Mathis and tried to keep him alive. The two shared a link that allowed them to transfer information between one another. Organic tendrils left and enter old man Mathis to push his life signs back up.

"What do you mean?" The hothead finally calmed down some. A sinking feeling forming in the pit of his stomach.

"I mean exactly what I said. He didn't alter the computer at all. The coordinates show a malfunction for the dimensional bridge." Pointing her free hand at him, she continued glaring, "your algorithm did not fix it correctly. Old skull and bones over there had run a diagnostic beforehand again and adjusted it. This further offset everything as he made new adjustments."

"That can't be right." The man with the skeletons said. He walked over to the console and looked at the logs. "Damn it. Your right. But that should have only offset it by a few years. Not a few millennia."

"Damn it, you never got the bugs fixed in your script." The skull man looked at the woman next to Mathis. "You said you fixed it! What happened?" The woman didn't even look up at him. "That small error of yours always gave a 3% deviation!"

"But look at him. He has aged to be what?... less than 200 or so. He still has his original organs. I can't believe he didn't buy any new enhancements. " The short man said running his hands over him. He had walked over to Mathis and tried to help heal the damage. "Damn it. My abilities aren't working yet still. I can only do small checks."

"Neither are mine." The woman who first went to Athens said. She stroked his face to try to help calm him. She knew the blow to his body had done terrible damage. With her abilities, it would be a cinch to restore him. "This should help alieve the pain."

In her brow, the seed of the Devil Peach Tree was removed. Placing it in his forehead, it would nurture his soul just a bit longer. Staving off death completely.

Any one of them could likely do so. They had risen to ranks of High-Level Dietes in the various pocket realms they visited.

"What have I done?" The man with the lizard said as he collapsed to his knees. "Forgive me my friend." His lizard jumped down and ran over to Mathis. The bottom of its throat opened to reveal a tongue similar to that of a snake. The fork appendage left and enter Mathis's ear. The little lizard was passing its energy over to help heal the man.

Pulling her hand out of the console, the woman walked over. Her face had a dark look on it. "We all own him more than that. Take a look." Reaching a tendril out, she sent them images of what the security had recorded. As well as the footage outside of the place.

Technology had evolved even further since they were gone. Several industries had tried to purchase the building as well as the research. Mathis had refused to risk any changes to the system. For fear of the bridge no longer opening correctly. He had sold all his personal assets and did everything to keep the system and its back up running. A clause was put in place for several companies that he managed to gain control of. To keep the building working even after his death, he had signed away everything he could.

It was expensive, but it guaranteed nothing would happen for another 237 years or so.

Removing the tendrils they all looked at Mathis who had a smile on his face still.

"Hey, why so serious? Smile everyone, we are together again. It seems someone attacked while I wasn't paying attention." His hearing gone and eyes barely working, most of what transpired was gone from his notice. "Glad you all could stop them. So are you guys gonna tell me a story before I die? My monitor has alerted me.. my heart is failing." Athens said as he moved his semi-reformed eyes throughout the room.

"Oh.. Lore what have we done?" The tendril woman said placing her hand to her mouth. Reaching down she sent a tendril to show him the different experiences she had endured. Both good and bad.

"Our families tried to declare us dead." The skull man said looking over from the monitor. "The bastard of an ex-husband of mine. He sold my company. If he wasn't dead, I would kill him."

"At least you have continued family. Mine are all gone." The small man said. He scowled at the man with the lizard. Eyes glowing dangerously at the man who caused the biggest mistake in their lives. 'If this bastard didn't recover faster than me, I would kill him so fast he beat Mathis to the afterlife!'

"What is this?! I have a son? " The skull man stumbled backward. He looked at the monitor further and saw the readings. "He used my DNA to give birth to a son. Damn it! I have to go meet him."

As Mathis's breathing started to slow down, the hothead got up. He wiped his tears and picked Mathis up. The lizard jumped onto its master shoulder and looked around curious for a bit. He walked over to the gate and placed Mathis inside. Stepping back he looked at the skull man.

"Send him through!" He yelled.

Both women stared at him. The tendril woman was to tired to move. The other woman stood up angry for the first time.

"He won't survive! You can't do this!" She said, turning looking at the man at the console now her mental power already rising. A mental hand went to grab Mathis and wrapped around him.

"We don't have a choice. If he was closer to a city, we would be able to do something. But we are to far out. If you have a better idea, I am listening."

The skull man never stopped, as he continued to type in the computer. "I am done. Step back."

The man with the lizard had reached down and closed Mathis's eyes. "Take a rest. We will be able to talk when you wake up. Don't worry, help will be here soon." Standing up, tears could be seen adorning the man's face. "You always said my anger would make the worst happen."

Mathis looked at him a little. "Even in this state, I can tell you are lying. It is ok. I have lived a fair enough life. Enough to offset how many I have killed in my time. Take care of each other." Mathis started to shake a little. Small sparks had gathered around his earpiece. The components broke down as his nanites consumed them to keep the man's brain alive.

The tears had fallen gently onto Mathis as he started to fall asleep. His body was out of energy and could barely sustain the nanites anymore. The damage had been to severe.

The short man watched as the man didn't move. He walked over and pulled a seed from his pocket. "One of the first seeds from my garden. Gardening was your idea afterall.. so many recipes I wanted to show you. All kinds of new cross breeds. I did a little good while I was there. I saved a whole continent. You should have seen it.. Full of apples that you would like."

Tucking the seed in Mathis's hand, he stepped away.

"Step back now! You will cause a surge if you go with him. The machine was designed to send regular humans. It won't be able to handle your body." Seeing the man still not moving, he sent his two bears to drag him back.

Both bears latched on and jump back with him.

"I am so sorry. You always told me my temper would lead to a great mistake." The man with the lizard mumbled. Trapped in a loop somewhat. His lizard stoked his chin to comfort him.

The short man had walked to the console. Looking at the skull man hesitate he decided to push the button himself.

"The longer we wait, the harder it will be."

*Woom!* The first ring spun.

*Woom!* The primary ring spun.

*Woom!* The remainder rings spun.

On the third rotation of the rings, a portal opened up around Mathis.

*Bzzt!* The console had sparks flying out of it.

"What the hell is going on now?!" The short man said. He stepped from the console with the skull man.

*Bzzt!* The console shut down as the rings were deactivated. Mathis was nowhere to be found.

"Oh no." The group said in unison.

"The energy on the bridge will change him like it did us. Hopefully, that will be enough." The man with the lizard said.

"This location... why there!?" The skull man asked. "Oh.. shit. Mathis had been trying to find us with another bridge. The secondary bridge sent out probes." Looking at the terminal fizzing in out the new destination caught his eye. "Whew, he is going to the weaker area."

"Pft weaker my ass!"The tendril woman said. "That place was turning to crap when I left." Seeing there faces she elaborated. "I visit that countryside.. on a vacation."

"Vacation... you mean a killing spree!" The skull man said. "I can feel the lingering death on you still." Raising a hand up, a new skull appeared and took in the phantasmal energy from off her. "This should help you recover."