Three Days Prior...

Jason turned in his bed. So much was about to happen in the next few days. What his family would go through hurt him deeply, but once they knew, once they truly understood, they would understand everything. His alarm went off as he sat up. Running his hands over his face, he prepared himself for the day. Over the years, he had developed a very strict daily regimen.

He would get up, take a shower, put on clothes (usually consisting of a whimsical T-shirt and some cargo shorts). Then, he would order his breakfast,( most commonly cinnamon sugar toast and Reese's Puffs), and make his way to his "Cave" as Jayne always put it. For some reason he really preferred the solitude. It allowed him to think. It wasn't some mess of parts and cans just laying about. It was a very intricate mechanical ecosystem. In one corner, he had his standard tools. Wrenches, hammers, saws, screwdrivers and what not. In another, he housed all his metal working equipment. on the wall opposite of that one, he had his current projects for work as well as things he was just tinkering around with. Then there was his favorite part.

The library.

It was a room within a room. On two walls, it was brick and mortar like the rest of the building. on the other two, it was soundproofed glass. John had it installed on his last birthday in case he ever got overwhelmed with anything or if mom was "being a drag". He would and frequently had fallen asleep in there for hours. There were bookcases built into the brick with a control panel on the side. If he wanted to search for a specific genre or author, all he had to do was press the microphone button and speak his selection. a light would go off above the title and he would know right where to go. He had made tons of changes to his house over the years, but this was by far his favorite. Over the past couple of months, this room provided him quite a haven. Since it was secured with a pass code, only 4 people on Earth could enter. Himself, John, Jayne, and his manservant Geoffrey. It was safe. Jason remembered the day all of this began. As most things that went crazy in his life, it all started with a visit from his mother.

She had come over in quite a huff over a gift he had received from his Uncle Gill. He remembered quite well from the day he got it to when his mother showed up, inquiring about his uncle's visit. He had been over earlier in the day, and seemed quite determined he hand his parcel over personally. Geoffrey allowed him in and made Jason aware of the fact he had company. When he made his way to the living room his uncle urged him to sit down immediately and thus began a very strange conversation.

"Jason, I am truly sorry to burst in on you unannounced like this" He sat in a large chair by the fireplace.

"Not at all" Jason replied, taking a seat as well.

"It just could not wait any longer you see, I had hoped it wasn't true, but the more I studied the facts, the more it became apparent" Gill became quite flustered the more he tried to explain himself. Jason ordered some tea and attempted to calm his guest. He had never seen him so fidgety. Uncle Gill was a world renowned psychologist. He was a bit crude at times and wasn't always the biggest fan of his niece and nephews, but Jason always thought that was because he was a major germ nut. Over the last few months he had become a neurotic hypochondriac and rarely spoke to anybody. Jason guessed he finally cracked judging by his attire. His shoes were hastily tied, his shirt was tucked in crooked, and his pants were wrinkled. It was obvious he had been wearing this same outfit for a few days.He hadn't even applied his hairpiece. There was a pungent odor as well. For a short and rather rotund man, he made quite a sight.

Geoffrey entered with the tea, set it down and quietly left. Jason fixed Gill a cup and placed it in his hands. "It was your birthday you see, that's when it really started. I had never realized there were only two for years. Never three, or at least never three at the same time."Gill sipped his beverage and placed it on its saucer. Jason really saw a look of fear in this man's eyes. "She did it Jason, your father, it was all her. I thought myself a madman but it all lines up." Now he had Jason's full attention. "I should have seen it sooner. The three of you were always special." As much as Jason adored puzzles, he was getting confused."What are you talking about?" Gill paused and looked him in the eye. "You're special, Jason. All of you. All of us, The whole family really. Your mom, me, your Dad, grandparents on both sides, all of us. You three kids are something else entirely though. Or at least you will be. There is something missing. Have not figured out what yet."

He picked up a box he had brought with him and handed it to Jason. Unable to comprehend his uncles deranged message, he took it. Geoffrey entered with his breakfast. Jason took the knife from the tray and used it to cut open the tape on the box. Unsure of its contents, he cautiously looked inside. It was an old book. A journal by the looks of it. The Divine family crest was embossed on the cover. Beneath it the laid countless notes and articles. He set the journal back down and re closed it. Gill looked at his watch and rose quickly. "I have to go" he said, as he made his way to the door. Jason was very concerned for his uncle. "Please'' he urged, "I'm not crazy, I promise. whatever you do, don't let your mother know you have that book! It's not safe, not for any of you". He reached into his pocket and pulled out a slip of paper." This is where I will be. Once you understand, please, come to me. we need to stop her. She will destroy us all". On that note, he turned and hurried to the door. No sooner had Jason reached the door himself,Gill was already in his car. Jason found it very peculiar that he drove over by himself. No attendants, no chauffeur. Just Gill. He hated driving. He always said steering wheels were the toilet rims of the auto industry. As his uncle left, Jason shut the door, took the box, and made his way back to The Cave. Disregarding the whole encounter, he placed it in a obscured cubby in his library and went about his day.

A few weeks passed without a word from Gill. It wasn't entirely uncommon for this to happen. He was probably off on some trip to find some miracle cure for some far fetched illness he had conjured up. Still, he couldn't get it out of his mind. It was quite bizarre for Gill to speak against his sister like that. For anyone to do so, really. He decided to take a look at the box again. Jason cleared his Library desk of debris and laid out the contents.

The book

Copies of the family tree

A coupon from some yarn store

His fathers death certificate

A few handwritten letters

Old ration books

Nothing too strange, except perhaps the final item. At the bottom of the box, there laid an old, dirty coin. Jason picked it up and turned it over. He was dumbstruck. If he didn't know any better, he would swear it was his fathers profile. He was a slave to knowledge and had read countless history books but this was impossible. This looked to be a greek drachma. BEEP! The intercom rang out.

"Mr. Divine, your mother is here to see you, I'll send her your way sir, she is most insistent."

Jason replaced all of the boxes contents and slid it under the couch. After checking to make sure it was hidden from view, he exited the library and locked it behind him. He had barely made it back to his work desk when his mother arrived. "Jason, have you spoken to your Uncle"? She began to straighten her cuffs. Much like his uncle, she appeared out of sorts. Her hair and dress were flawless and there wasn't a scuff to be found on her purse or her shoes, but Jason could tell something was off. Her eyes looked different. While the rest of her face was stern and business as usual, her eyes were roaming the room whenever she thought he wasn't looking.

"Hey Mom, how are you? its been awhile". It had been awhile. he hadn't seen her since his birthday in fact. Still, she was his mother and he looked forward to their visits. He learned a long time ago to let Jayne handle his money, so that couldn't be why she was here.

"Im fine dear, so have you seen him?"

"Not for a few weeks now. Why? Is he OK?"

"Did he perhaps leave anything, or give you anything?"

Jason grew curious. Why would she ask about that? Did she know about the box? She was never the chatty sort but she was being awfully dismissive of his question. She began to walk around The Cave peering around. Jason walked over to her.

"Would you like something to eat or to drink perhaps, its about lunchtime, I could have Geoffrey whip up something".

"No thank you Darling, I'm in quite a hurry. Let me know if you see him will you?"

"Absolutely, I'm sorry you cant stay, I feel like I dont get to see you anymore."

"Well you would see me plenty if you stayed living at home. Ill never understand why you let your brother talk you into moving out here". She ended her statement with her usual subtle sneer.Jason remained silent and took her arm in his as she walked out. "Mom, we've talked about this. I'm a grown man now. You've raised your children and now it's time for you to enjoy the fruits your life has brought you."

"Please, dear. You're hardly a man". she chuckled as the words left her mouth."Your twenties is hardly adult. Just look at that calamity of a garage. It's so...dirty. I expect such things from your oaf of a brother, but not from you". She extended a hand to brush Jason's cheek. He backed away from the caress and put his hands in his pockets. "Mom, I'm not going to listen to you bad mouth John like that. Now it was good to see you, but I think it's time for you to leave". He motioned toward her car as her driver stepped out to open her door. She got defensive and then put a smile on her face as she walked past him. As she neared her car, she knelt to the ground. She had picked a rose off one of the bushes that lined the sides of his house. "I do love your roses Jason, they are so beautiful and yet so fleeting". she raised the bloom to her nose and smelled it, closing her eyes as she did so. His father always gave her roses. He sent them to her on occasion as well, as a way to maintain tradition. Even when the love in their marriage had died years ago, he still sent them. "Goodbye darling, do call if you hear from him". With that note, her driver opened the back door and she got in her car. The driver shut the door, got in the front, and they left. After she was gone, Jason looked over where she had knelt.He knew it would be crazy, but he swore the rosebush she plucked a flower from was already beginning to wither…

Three days ago...

Jason looked around The Cave fondly. He hated traveling. Still, he had spent the last two weeks fully immersed in the box and its contents. He had discovered some truly startling things. He was scared. Not only for himself, but for his siblings and his nephews. His mother had to of known he had it. Nobody had heard from Gill since his appearance to part with the box in the first place.. Jason was scared something had happened to him. From what he discovered, it was certainly possible. He hadn't told Geoffrey where he was going, he gave him a few days off and an envelope for John. As he captured every part of his safe place, he knelt down to pick up his bags, rolled them to the car, put them in and got in the driver's seat. He looked at the slip of paper Gill had handed him with the address on it, typed it into his GPS, and descended down his driveway. The gates opened at the presence of his vehicle and he pulled away from his home. Gill was the only one who knew the truth. He had to find him. Once he was declared missing, John would come, Jayne would be with him, and they would find him. He wished he could call them but by now, his whole property had probably tapped. He didn't even bring his cell phone. As his house faded into the rear view mirror, he let out a large sigh. He wished with is heart of hearts that he could spare his siblings the trauma and stress of what they were about to face, but it paled in comparison to what would happen if he did nothing at all. Too much was already in play. Wheels were in motion that he couldn't stop.

There was no turning back now...