A Paradox of Fates

by Rebecca Hefner

  “Thank you,” she said, taken by the air of innocence surrounding him. In her experience, men were harsh. Rough. Angry. Sexual. He didn’t seem to be any of those things, and curiosity began to curl in her gut. Was it still possible to be born in this dystopian world and retain an aura of innocence and innate goodness? Perhaps it was after all.

  “My office is a few doors down on the right. Claire and I are usually in there crunching numbers. Just come find me if you need me.” With a tilt of his head, he closed the door behind him as he left.

  Exhaling a large breath, Elle collapsed on the bed. Reaching into her bag, she pulled out the old photo of her father, the only one her mother hadn’t destroyed. He wasn’t who she told them he was, but she felt that didn’t really matter in the long run. Eventually, all would come to light. For now, she was craving a shower.

  As the water sluiced over her, she wondered if she should feel guilty for lying. Deciding guilt was futile, she toweled off and brushed her teeth. Keeping her father’s identity secret would help her get back to 2035, and that was her ultimate goal. One thing Elle had learned was that one had to look out for themselves, even if it meant perpetuating lies.

  In the end, she would succeed no matter the cost. And then, she could join her mother in heaven, or wherever one went when they died, for she had nothing to live for once she accomplished her one singular goal.

  Resolved and determined, she lay down on the bed to rest for an hour before resuming her fight to join the team of ragtag time travelers who were intent on saving humanity.

  Chapter 23

  At midnight, the members of the scientific hub gathered in the bunker, the gravity of the journey upon which they would soon embark heavy in the air. All were dressed in the “bunny suits,” as Claire called them, to prevent radiation poisoning.

  The Sphere could only send back two travelers at a time, so Lainey and Hunter would be first, followed by Claire and Cyrus, Sara and Elle, Marie and Alora, and lastly, Zach. Lainey had offered to transport Ivan and Steven, but after a lengthy discussion, both had chosen to stay. They had family members in the current timeline and felt an obligation to remain and fight with the rest of Hunter’s men who would stay behind. Lainey found the decision extremely noble.

  She’d ultimately decided Elle would accompany them to the past, although she was still wary. The woman would have little protection in the current timeline, and Lainey felt an obligation to ensure her safety. Hopefully, she wasn’t a spy who would destroy everything they’d worked for. Only time would tell.

  The team lined up around the Sphere, Lainey and Hunter entering together. She gave the nod to Zach, and the metal arms began to spin. Hunter grabbed her hand and squeezed, thick through the material of the suit, and she smiled at him through the plastic head cover, so thankful he was with her. Regardless of how she’d first insisted she would remain aloof toward him, and even though it had only been a short few weeks, she now felt an unbreakable connection with him. Perhaps even her cynical heart could accept that they were fated to meet and form a bond so they could partner on this journey.

  She squeezed back, her throat swelling with fear and excitement as the wormhole opened behind them.

  When the pressure grew, and Lainey’s teeth were clenched as firm as her grip around Hunter’s hand, she closed her eyes, knowing their entrance to the time portal was near. Suddenly, she felt a tugging sensation at her backside, and all went dark. Struggling to breathe, she attempted to open her closed lids.

  Seconds that felt like eternities passed as she existed in a vacuum lacking time, space, air, or particles. And then, as quickly as it had appeared, the darkness vanished.

  Sucking in massive gulps of air, Lainey tugged the plastic helmet from her head, squinting against a bright light. Realizing it was the sun, she searched her surroundings, pushing her body up with her arms on the soft grass. Locating Hunter beside her, she crawled over and helped him remove his helmet. He gasped for air and then proceeded to rest his palms on the ground and vomit.

  Lainey rubbed his back, letting him get it all out. When he was done, he rolled to a sitting position and rested his forearms over his knees.

  “Holy shit,” he said, still breathless. “That was some journey.”

  “Zero G’s aren’t for the faint of heart.”

  His eyes narrowed. “You did fine.”

  She shrugged. “I’m a natural. Scientist and all.” He gave her a morose scowl. “What? I have a strong constitution. Don’t worry, I won’t tell anyone you puked your guts out.”

  “Thanks,” he muttered, surveying the surroundings. “Where are we? Did we make it?’

  Lainey unzipped the suit and removed it, then pulled the compass from her bag. “Yep. We’re in the forest I identified outside of Washington D.C. Hopefully, we arrived on March 26, 2035. We’ll wait for the rest of the team to arrive and then we’ll get to work. Zach will be last, once he shows Ivan how to push the buttons in sequence on the console and send him back. Then, he and Steven will blow up the bunker and destroy the Sphere.” She frowned as she absently ran her hand over the blades of grass.

  “I know it’s hard to demolish your masterpiece,” Hunter said, grasping her hand, now free of his suit as well, “but it has to be done. We can’t chance it falling into the New Establishment’s hands.”

  “I know,” she said, sighing. “At least you’ll all be with me.”

  Hunter smiled, consoling her as they waited.

  And waited.

  Until, eventually, they accepted the truth. No one else was returning to 2035 that day. Minutes turned into hours while Lainey and Hunter sat stoic, understanding something had gone terribly wrong. None of the members of her team appeared.

  Finally, they stood, knowing they couldn’t wait any longer, exposed in the grassy clearing. Together, they headed to the abandoned warehouse to find Luke. On the way, Lainey pushed away the tears. This was a time for strength, not emotion.

  When they reached the warehouse, set in an abandoned industrial park about a mile from the forest where the Sphere had placed them, they found Luke on the second floor.

  “Hey, guys!” he said, jogging toward them, his limp pronounced. “You’re early. I made it, Lainey! Can you believe it?” He gestured around the squalid concrete structure. “Where’s everyone else? Where’s Sara?”

  Lainey opened her mouth then closed it, unable to tell him she had no damn idea.

  “We don’t know, man,” Hunter said softly. “They were supposed to follow us back, two by two, but they never appeared.”

  Luke’s features collapsed into a mask of worry. “Do you think something happened to them?”

  “I don’t know,” Lainey said, emotion swirling through her body. “But we can’t stay here. It’s a long story, but I don’t believe this is the first instance of time travel. We’re most likely in danger. We need to find a different place to stay and change our entire plan. Otherwise, you’re going to be executed in a week.”

  Luke started. “How do you know this?”

  Lainey pulled a folded letter from her bag. “You wrote it to me in this letter. I’ll let you read it later. For now, I think the best thing to do is to head to a crowded place. That way, if we start disappearing, people will be more likely to file police reports. Police reports lead to investigations, and the last thing my grandfather and his associates want is people sniffing around. I know we discussed staying off the grid before, but everything has changed, especially now we have no idea what happened to the team. We have to employ new tactics.”

  “I agree,” Hunter said. “I like the idea of making connections and not hiding. If they already know we’re here, let’s stick it to them. Let’s shove our middle fingers right in their faces. Luke, did you scout the area?”

  He nodded. “Honestly, if we’re going to do this loud and proud, I say, let’s get a hotel downtown. Can’t be more conspicuous than that.”

  “I agree,” Lainey said. “Let’s go.”

  Luke
pulled a device from his pocket. “I can call us an Uber.”

  “Uber?” Lainey said.

  Luke smiled. “So, I bought this pre-paid cellular phone yesterday,” he said, shaking it in his hand. “The lady at the store was nice enough to show me the basics. It has these applications where you can summon things on demand. I bought some pre-paid Uber cards—it’s a service where you tap the phone, it pings your location, and the driver comes to pick you up.”

  “I’ve lived in a world without technology for so long,” Hunter said, staring at the device in Luke’s hand. “This is going to be really interesting.”

  “No doubt,” Luke said. He swiped his finger a few times on the screen and smiled. “Javier in a Silver Camry will be here in five minutes.”

  “Well, damn,” Lainey said, eyes wide. “Welcome to 2035. I can probably recite every equation that makes that thing work, but I’ve never actually used a cell phone myself. Incredible.”

  Luke nodded. “We’ll get to the hotel and then we can discuss next steps, right? Obviously, I want to figure out what happened to Sara.”

  “Yes,” Lainey said, exhaustion latent in her tone. “We have to figure out what happened to all of them.”

  Hunter must’ve noticed her tearing up because he placed a supportive arm across her shoulders. “Come on, guys. Let’s not keep Javier waiting.” Letting him lead her down the dirty concrete stairs, they headed toward the car and to the unknown future that awaited them.

  * * * *

  They settled on an economy hotel on the outskirts of downtown Washington D.C. They visited three hotels before they found one that would let them pay in cash, but eventually, they prevailed. Lewis had saved his old driver’s license, and Zach had created forged IDs based on the specs from Lewis’s for each of the hub members months ago, in anticipation of being sent back. When Lainey had approved Hunter’s travel to 2035, Zach had made one for him as well. The only exception was Lainey, who was using her mother’s old ID. She and Mara could pass for each other, although Lainey had inherited Lewis’s hazel eyes and not Mara’s light green ones.

  “We need to find a way to get a credit card,” Hunter murmured while they waited for the desk clerk to finalize the two rooms.

  “Yes,” Lainey said. “I know my mother’s social security number and can most likely get one that way. I’ll work on it tomorrow. First, I need to get my hands on a laptop.”

  When the rooms were secured, they traveled up the elevator, Lainey stopping at the door next to Luke and Hunter’s room. “Let me wash up and brush my teeth, and I’ll meet you guys in your room in ten.”

  Entering the functional, two queen room, Lainey pulled her toothbrush from her bag and commenced freshening up. Staring at herself in the mirror, she noticed the dark circles under her eyes. Man, her face looked like it had lost a fight with the wrong end of a shovel. Was it a result of traveling four decades in only an instant? With her fingers, she manipulated the skin around her eyes, willing away the small wrinkles that lived there. Almost forty, with what to show for it? Her team was missing, her journey to prevent her grandfather’s disastrous actions had only begun, and she was stuck in a time that wasn’t hers.

  Sighing, she forced herself not to dwell on the negatives, for they were vast. Heading next door, she sat with Luke and Hunter at the round wooden table in their room, discussing their path forward. They would need to make contacts, perform reconnaissance, and do their best to figure out what had happened to the others, all while ensuring Luke didn’t get sent to prison or executed. Each task was a huge undertaking in its own right.

  Finally, exhausted and irritable, Lainey acknowledged she needed sleep or she’d never be able to help anyone. Excusing herself, she headed next door and threw on the soft, worn boxer shorts and t-shirt from her bag.

  A knock on the door jolted her, and she eyed the peephole. Hunter stood outside, eyebrow arched.

  “Let me in, duchess.”

  She barely opened the door, somewhat embarrassed for him to see her in the faded sleepwear. “I’m in my PJs,” she said, giving him a glare.

  “Lucky me,” he murmured. “Come on, Lainey. Let me in for a sec.”

  She relented, drawing the door open and letting him enter. When it clicked behind her, she turned. “I’m tired, Hunter—”

  “Hey,” he said as his fingers encircled her wrist. Pulling her to the bed, he gingerly sat and drew her between his legs. “I know, Lainey, but I needed to check on you. You’re always so damn strong. Don’t get me wrong, it’s amazing. But sometimes, we all just need to be comforted.”

  “I don’t,” she said, feeling like a petulant child but too exhausted to filter it. “I just need a few hours’ sleep. After that, I’ll be fine.” Withdrawing from his grip, she headed to the bedside table in between the two beds and removed the tie that held the bun atop her head. Mahogany waves fell down her shoulders, and she fluffed it out, combing it with her fingers. The motion reminded her of all the times Marie had done the same, combing her slim fingers through Lainey’s hair before braiding it when she was young. Unable to squelch the emotion, she buried her face in her hands and began to cry.

  Hunter was there, his strong arms surrounding her waist, the warmth from his firm chest against her back. He held her as she shook, her cries sometimes violent, and whispered words of comfort into her hair. Hugging her against his steady body, he consoled her.

  “Where the hell are they?” she sobbed, her body quaking. “What if they’re dead?”

  “No,” he said, turning her and lifting his chin with his fingers. His other arm supported her lower back, holding her against his muscular frame. “I won’t let you think that way. We’re going to do everything we can to figure this out and set things right.”

  “My entire life has been dedicated to setting things right,” she said, chin trembling, “but I always seem to accomplish the exact opposite. What the hell am I doing, Hunter?”

  “Shhh…” He smoothed the pads of his fingers along her wet cheek, drying her tears as his silver gaze bore into her. “You’re right where you need to be. I told you, I believe in fate, Lainey. I don’t know how, but there has to be a reason for all of this.”

  “I don’t believe in fate.”

  “Then I’ll believe for you.”

  The words lingered between them, spoken in his deep timbre, and the dull thud of Lainey’s pulse pounded through her veins as it always did in his presence. They stood frozen except for their breathing, eyes locked as their hearts beat in tandem.

  She lifted her hand, sliding it over the stubble on his cheek. His eyes closed as he whispered her name.

  “Why does it feel this way with you?”

  His lids opened slowly, and his eyebrows drew together slightly. “What way?” he murmured.

  “Like I just ran a marathon and I’ll never catch my breath.”

  “I think that’s called chemistry, duchess. You should be an expert in that.”

  “I should be, but I’m not.” She shook her head. “Hunter, we can’t. With everything that’s going on, we can’t.”

  Concerned irises darted over her face as his fingers threaded through the hair at her temple. “I didn’t come over here to make love to you, Lainey. I came here to comfort you. But sometimes, those two things are one and the same. I think it might actually be beneficial for you to let go, if only for a few hours. For you to remind yourself that you’re alive and fighting to ensure your family stays that way too. But only you can decide. Do you want me to leave?”

  The words inspired a jolt of disappointment so severe her breath caught in her throat. The thought of him removing his arm from her waist, of losing the heat from his warm body, was…unthinkable. She craved him so vehemently, she wanted to crawl into every crevice of his muscular frame and let him soothe her with his velvet touch.

  “I’m not good at this,” she said, her voice raspy.

  “At what?”

  “At, you know, sex. I’ve only done it with one person
, and he was less than thrilled.”

  “Then he was an absolute idiot. No one can be with a woman as passionate as you and not be satisfied unless they’re only worried about putting themselves first.”

  “What does that mean?”

  “Did he touch you, Lainey?” Hunter asked, sliding his hand from her temple to thread his fingers through the hair at the base of her neck, cupping her head. “Did he take the time to make sure you were ready?” The hand at the small of her back drifted lower to cup the firm globe of her ass, palming it as he began to knead the flesh there.

  “Did he make you come, over and over, before he sought his pleasure?” His fingers slid from her bottom, around her thigh, to cup her mound, causing her to gasp. “Did he take care of you here?” His fingers rubbed in concentric circles over her shorts, showing her what he would do if she was spread wide before him.

  Lainey breathed his name, unconsciously pushing her mound against his fingers.

  “Yes,” he hissed softly, the cadence of his breath quick and choppy. “That’s what you need. Someone who draws out your pleasure. I want so badly to please you, Lainey. You only have to tell me yes.”

  “How can we take pleasure when the others are lost?”

  “Whether we make love or not, nothing will be accomplished tonight. You’re not a bad person if you let me comfort you for a while. Honestly, we’ll probably sleep a lot better if you ask me, but I’m biased.” His lips quirked.

  Her eyes flitted back and forth between his as she searched the depths of his soul. “I won’t be a substitute for Kara,” she said.

  He stiffened, a deep shaft of pain washing over his handsome features. “Wow. Way to kill the mood. Are you serious right now?”

  Irritation surged along with a hefty dose of guilt, and she stepped out of his embrace. “It has to be said, Hunter. You obviously loved her and always will. I don’t need avowals of love from you since I believe romantic love is just a jumble of chemicals in our overheated brains, but I won’t have you imagining you’re with her while we’re together. I have too much pride for that.”