Century Smith and the Time Terror (short story)
Century Smith and the Time Terror was a short story in the The Crew of the Copper-Colored Cupids series, written by Lupan Evezan and furnished with a cover by Aristide Twain.
The story starred Century Smith and Briar, a duo of dimension-travelling character who had previously appeared in another Cupids story as protagonists, Century Smith and the Invisible Evil. Century Smith and the Time Terror was a very direct sequel to the earlier story, where Briar became infected with a form of vampirism. However, unlike Time Terror (which prominently features an incarnation of Jenny Nowhere), the earlier Century Smith tale did not feature any concepts directly related to the Jenny Everywhere mythos.
Contents
Plot
Century Smith has been visiting various interesting locations in the Multiverse with his still-quite-overwhelmed companion Briar. Currently, their Void Ship has parked on top of the 500-stories-high Adromedi Jungle Observation Tower while he does some repairs on his Ship, which has lost its door and whose actual mechanics are also somewhat frazzled. Meanwhile, at the Interdimensional Black Market, two cultists (a man and a woman) working for the Echo recruit Lainya Vantrik for the job of “assassinating” a specific timeline in the life of a particular individual, paying her five stells.
Smith and Briar head to the Interdimensional Tavern, where Smith has called ahead to arrange for a friend of his to meet them. She is a brilliant scientist specialising in the treatment of spatio-temporal ailments — though she is suffering from one herself: a lack of a name. Meanwhile, at the Black Market, the two cultists, revealing themselves to be vampires, turn themselves into batlike creatures to steal mysterious robes emblazoned with a red ‘Alpha’ that were up for auction.
After the dimensional scientist arrives, they head to the Interdimensional Bank to retrieve a “library card” and from there to the the Interdimensional Library for documentation. The Library's Librarians are fictional characters brought to life, and after an encounter with Robin Hood they end up primarily treating with Jack Pumpkinhead. The scientist finds a book on Sanguivor and, from there, a book about the vampires thereof, which does mention a possible cure. However, just as they are about to discuss it, Briar faints under the effect of the vampirism. She has a dream in which she lies in her bed in a room that is half-dark temple, and half a copy of her old bedroom. She is visited by the Echo, who insists that she will eventually succumb to the vampirism — which Briar denies.
After Briar wakes up, it is explained that the cure is a prick from the fang of someone who themselves were partially converted into an Invisible Vampyre, but later managed to cure themselves. Attaching one of the Library's computers to Smith's ship, they head out of the Library and once more into the Void Between Worlds in search of such a person. Arriving in the 819th Universe, they confront the cultists, who reveal themselves as the Cult of Acantha, but manage to make off with the fang. Smith lets the nameless scientist select the next coordinates, which turn out to be her own house on what looks like a version of Earth.
However, the scientist reveals herself to be an incarnation of Jenny Nowhere who's been trying to reconnect to her other selves, having somehow been born with an incomplete connection to the telepathic network of her other incarnations. She attempts to use Briar as a power source because she is at the heart of a mysterious split in timelines across the Multiverse, having two equally valid sets of futures depending on whether or not she becomes a vampire. However, Briar manages to knock Nowhere out of the way of the machine's output and be hit by its ray herself — causing the very split in timeline that Nowhere was using to power the machine. The paradox causes Nowhere's laboratory to explode.
Smith and Briar wake up separately in a dark shadow-realm where they each in turn confront the Echo — Acantha — who has now fully materialised into a vampiric duplicate of Briar. She explains that she is the alternative future split off from Briar by Nowhere's machine, one in which she fully becomes a vampire. Their confrontation actually already happened, with Briar successfully maintaining her timeline at the expense of Acantha's, but she managed to leave traces of herself in reality as she was ceasing to exist, ensuring a “do-over” where she would have the Cult of Acantha on her side.
As Smith wakes up, he is confronted by, but manages to get away from, Sentis. Acantha manages to keep Briar restrained, thinking that the “pruning” of her timeline from existence is imminent, but unbeknownst to her, an irate Lainya Vantrik bails out when she learns the intended target of her ministrations is only 19 years old, saying that she made an explicit exception for “children” in her contract. Rubus is able to save his sister from Lainya's wrath, but the assassin leaves with the job left undone. Acantha is baffled for a few moments at Briar failing to disappear, before guessing that her henchpeople have failed her. She claims that she'll simply try to loop time again, but Briar instead manages to merge with her.
Reemerging in the physical world, Briar reunites with Smith. They find that the recombined Briar is only partially vampiric, being able to turn into a bat but not undead or bloodthirsty (or indeed invisible). Sentis and Rubus resolve to try to get Briar back later and reextract Acantha from her, but, for now, leave to fight another day. Smith and Briar set out into the Multiverse once again, hoping for some actually thrilling, non-life-threatening adventures this time.
Worldbuilding
Jenny Nowhere
- The version of Jenny Nowhere seen in the story is “pale, with dark hair and thin features”; she sounds “reserved, almost monotone” and wears a labcoat “dotted with blackened splotches and holes with charred edges”. She describes herself as a dimensional scientist, having begun studying dimensional science in an effort to repair her connection to her other selves.
- At some point, she travelled to the planet Sanguivor.
- She notes that she “likes to work in the dark”.
- Century Smith describes Jenny Nowhere in general as “the Anti-Shifter… the villainess who can travel between the bodies of her infinite incarnations in every universe”.
Universes
- The story opens in a universe home to the Adromedian Jungle.
- Characters visit the Interdimensional Tavern, the Interdimensional Black Market (specified to exist in a pocket dimension), the Interdimensional Bank and the Interdimensional Library.
- A book about Rift science from the Prime Earth exists in the Interdimensional Library.
- The Cult of Acantha are based in the 819th Universe.
- Characters visit Jenny Nowhere's house in another universe.
- After her first attempt to become real, Acantha nearly fell into Oblivion, but managed to leave traces of herself before she disappeared completely, resulting in her surviving in a half-existence on the fringes of Oblivion.
Other
- Century Smith hopes to “trade for space-spyglasses or void compasses” at the Interdimensional Tavern.
- Briar was bitten by one of the Invisible Vampyres of Sanguivor. Her transformation induces a change in her biodata.
- The cultists of the Echo travel using the Shadow Pathway.
- “A book by the Hopeful Devotees of the House of Bi-Known from the 21745th century of Krizynkzh” is seen in the Interdimensional Library.
- Chellt is a variant of the game of chess from Tetrayon-Nine. It “involves the fourth dimension and the spontaneous creation of a localized miniature time loop”.
- Century Smith at one point swears with “In the name of Wrythk!”.
- Lainya Vantrik employes a timeline-trimmer.
Continuity
- It is mentioned that Jenny Nowhere “lost her name” and that this is “a sore subject with her”. The idea had been introduced in PROSE: Nowhere by Jeanne McClure in 2012.
- Lainya Vantrik previously appeared in PROSE: Genesis of the Cupids.
- When Briar asks where the tellers at the Interdimensional Bank came from, Century Smith explains that “they’re outcasts, probably. People with nowhere else to go. That’s how these places work”, highlighting that it is the same with the waiters of the Interdimensional Tavern. This was established in PROSE: The Grand Multiverse Hotel. Smith also mentions Psykha and the fact that Time in the Void has recently been thrown out of sync, both elements featured in The Grand Multiverse Hotel.
- Jenny Nowhere's personal vault at the Interdimensional Bank contains among other items “a polished black gas mask” and “a turquoise hoodie”. The former is an attribute of the Jenny Nowhere in PROSE: Nowhere, and the other part of the outfit of the Jenny Nowhere in COMIC: The Jenny Everywhere Chronicles. Also mentioned are "a jade bracelet", worn by 'N' in PROSE: From the Library of Failure, and a bicycle, in reference to the lyrics of the song Jenny Nowhere.
- The Interdimensional Library and its Librarians were subsequently referenced in the Jenny Everywhere story PROSE: You've Been To Eden, I Perceive.
- Century Smith swears “in the name of Wrythk”. The Spirit King Wrytkh was previously mentioned in PROSE: The Ghosts and the Machine.
Behind the scenes
Read online
This story is available online on the Crew of the Copper-Colored Cupids website.
