Meramac kept out of the light of the street lamps as he made his way home. He couldn’t power down, Something ate at him like he was forgetting something. Two minds one body, how could he forget…how can he remember? He was Jasper! No, he was Meramac. There was a life before, no there couldn’t have been. He had memories of childhood, he knew his mother and father! He could call them right now. There couldn’t have been another life!

Ducking behind a tree as a car drove past, he waited, his breathing slow and eased. Nothing was chasing him but he didn’t want anyone to see him either. What if that creepy girl with the long hair found him, and learned where he lived?

After a few more close calls and finally Jasper made it inside his mobile home. The nice thing about it being out so late is his neighbors were asleep. Leaning his back against his door he finally felt safe in his home surrounded by familiar sights.

Taking a few deep breaths to calm himself a bit Jasper looked down at himself getting the full look of his clothes. Purples, dark blue, tans….It almost reminded him of an old steampunk look he’s seen in a few strange tv shows. Heading to the bedroom he looked at himself in the standing Mirror.

A familiar stranger was looking back at him. Blue streak of hair mixed with his brown, Goggles with gears mixed in. The letter (?) P on his clothes yet before he could question its meaning the understanding of what it meant came as easy as breathing.

Pluto

And with the new knowledge new feelings of Pride, Loyalty, grief, and loneliness rose to the top as his past life rested on his shoulders. “Who….are you?” He asked the reflection not understanding what was happening. His left hand felt full again as he looked down and the compass-sized green gear once again appeared in his hand or maybe he hadn’t put it down? Would something bac happen if he did?

Grabbing a shoe box, Jasper put the gear inside and closed the lid. The color kid in Pink clothes works echoing in his head “When you want to be…ah. Jasper again just…think about who you are? And…you should turn back into you?“

“Okay then kid, let us try your way.” He closed his eyes and tried to focus. ‘Jasper, Jasper Addledale. Owner of the Gear Guard Garage. I am Jasper.’ He mentally muttered breathing slowly as the power he once reached for to fight back slowly slipped out of his tight grasp and slowly his hat, over shirt, and grease-stained jeans returned to their normal look.

Filled with exhaustion Jasper sighed as the world suddenly felt heavier. The power felt good that he could do anything and return to himself as if something was missing. Yet this was normal, a pace he could keep up with. “This was the weirdest night, I’ll have to thank him for his advice—” Just then Jasper smacked his forehead. He didn’t get their names or anything about them. He knew what they were now. Knights but Knights of what? They weren’t Pluto or they would have his markings. Wait did he even give them the name of his shop? Groaning in pain and exhaustion he decided this would all be problems he could deal with tomorrow.

For now, he’d go to bed and rest. It was time to put this strange night behind him. Getting changed he moved the shoe box to the closet. He could figure out the rest of this puzzle on another day for now he had to refocus on his work tomorrow.

As he lay down, sleep slowly taking him. The woman's voice in his dreams called out to Meramac…who was she?


[Word count:636]