“Right,” was all I managed in reply.
“So, Ellen…” he said. His use of my name shocked me a little. I must have not noticed him when I’d been led onto the ship and forced to introduce myself after being deemed special enough not to murder. “It probably goes without saying, but it’s best not to trust Lee…or any of his people. They’re kind of anarchic. Anti-establishment. A little evil. At the very least, really weird.”
“Yeah, I gathered that,” I replied. “It’s pretty clear to me that I can’t trust anyone on this ship.”
Markus looked like he wanted to protest, or like he wanted to promise me that I could trust him, but he seemed to think better of it. At least he wasn’t a liar.
“It’s a good idea, generally, not to trust anyone,” was his confirmation.
I frowned at him. “You really think that?”
Markus sighed. “Can’t trust anyone but yourself.”
I thought that was a pretty sad way to look at the world, but I decided to keep my opinion to myself.
A sudden knock on the door, sharper and louder than Markus’ had been, caused both of us to stand up in surprise. Whoever it was didn’t bother waiting for me to tell them to come in before they opened up the door.
“Hi, Ellen,” said the intruder. “My name is L- oh, hello, Markus! What are you doing in here? Chatting up the pretty prisoner?”
I glared at the pompous asshole with his stupid blue hair. So, I was still technically a prisoner.
Markus shot Lee an equally demonic glare, only Lee seemed to actually be affected by it coming from him. Lee was, clearly, a human just like me. Whatever Markus was, Lee knew better than to challenge him too strongly.
Lee sniffed and wandered over toward me, clipboard in hand. He was alone, and I didn’t see any handcuffs, so I figured I wasn’t totally doomed yet.
“Prin- I mean, Markus… Would you be so kind as to give me and Miss Moore some privacy?”
Markus rolled his eyes, but stomped toward the door anyway. He shot me one last backward glance, as if to remind me what we’d just discussed, before ducking out of the room and disappearing.
I turned to Lee, my arms crossed against my chest in a defensive stance.
“Now, Miss Moore,” said Lee, flopping down onto the edge of the bed and tapping his clipboard with excitement. “We have much to discuss.”
Chapter 5
Choices
Ellen
Lee was making himself at home in my makeshift prison cell. He settled back on the bed, leaning against the headboard casually as he flipped through the papers on the clipboard. I decided to keep my distance, taking up Markus’ abandoned chair by the tiny desk.
“So, Miss Moore,” said Lee, offering me a patronizing smile. “Tell me about yourself.”
I fought the urge to tell him where to shove that stupid clipboard.
“First of all,” I snapped. “You can call me Ellen. No need for formalities if I’m your prisoner, after all.”
Lee chuckled, but the sound wasn’t necessarily pleasant.
“Alright then, Ellen,” he replied. “If you don’t mind, I’m going to ask you a few questions. Your cooperation would be appreciated.”
Something told me my cooperation was actually non-negotiable.
Lee didn’t wait for me to give any indication that I agreed, glancing down at the clipboard while tutting his tongue in thought.
“Where were you born?” he asked.
“New York City,” I answered. “Or what remains of it, at least.”
“So, you were born on planet Earth?”
“Um, yeah?”
“In what year?”
“2763.”
“Hmm,” he replied. “And your parents?”
“What about them?” I practically growled. Obviously, my family was a bit of a touchy subject at the moment. Lee clearly didn’t care.
“They were also born on Earth in the twenty-eighth century BCE?”
“As far as I know.”
“And what do you do for work?” was the next question.
I furrowed my brow, snorting quietly. “For work?”
“Yes, what is your career? How do you make money?”
But, Lee was mistaken. I wasn’t stupid; it wasn’t that I didn’t understand what he was asking. My issue with giving him an accurate answer lay in the fact that it had been a long time since any of us on Earth used real money, let alone earned it in any type of formal career. What had once been a sophisticated capitalist world had dissolved into a primitive bartering system, and our jobs were simply the tasks and duties we had to perform in order to keep our small communities functioning well through the next handful of weeks.
“My work, I guess, is surviving,” I replied.
“Interesting.”
I wanted to knock my fist into his nose.
It was unlike me to think so violently, but something about this guy really irked me. Maybe it was the way his little minions had forced me and my villagers to our knees aboard the spaceship, and discussed our fates as if we weren’t real people. Maybe it was the way he would have happily handed me off to be the victim of that terrifying, soulless man with icy eyes. Or, maybe it was because the way he’d pressed that strange gun to my forehead had been cold and impersonal, like I was a cow about to be led to slaughter.
Whatever it was, all I knew was that I would have delighted in causing Lee any kind of pain. Maybe Markus would help me with that. I didn’t miss the annoyance that flared in his black eyes when Lee walked into my room.
Lee, totally unbothered by the waves of hatred rolling off me and in his direction, flipped to the next page on his clipboard. “Ellen, are you aware of what it means to be time lost?”
“Vaguely,” I replied, grateful that Markus had found me beforehand to explain a little. I hated being in situations where I was the one who knew less. Survival odds were greater if you had the upper hand, especially in terms of knowledge.
“Well, we grabbed a DNA sample when we picked you up,” he explained simply, as if he hadn’t just admitted to completely violating both my privacy and my autonomy. “According to our analysis, if you hadn’t ended up as one of the sole survivors of that crazy robot war, you could have been any number of things. In fact, there are currently a number of surviving timelines in which you, Ellen Moore, are flourishing.”
I listened carefully, trying to keep up and understand. This was all new to me, and it almost felt like I’d walked right into some kind of twisted nightmare where nothing made sense and all the childhood bedtime stories I’d heard as a kid were actually true.
Lee carried on in his explanation. “It seems that among the possibilities is a future for you as an award-winning artist, as well as an alien’s beautiful consort, and, perhaps most insanely, the President’s wife.”
“The President?”
“Yes. That is, of course, in a version of your country that still has a need for a formal presidency.”
“Of course,” I replied, inclining my head as if this was the most normal conversation I’d ever had.
“But, anyway, regardless of all that, the fact that you are time lost makes you quite a valuable…asset.”
I shifted in my chair nervously, but Lee was still focused on whatever was written on the paperwork in front of him. I didn’t like the way the word “asset” sounded coming out of his mouth, as if he’d been presented with the world’s greatest treasure, i.e. me.
Lee lifted his head and fixed me with a stare that wasn’t unkind, but wasn’t entirely pleasant either. “I have a need for a certain type of individual in my crew. Time-lost humans are incredibly useful, especially for our business… Your condition would allow you to enter into a variety of timelines and assist in our clients’ plans. It’s an ideal situation and you would, of course, be fairly compensated for your efforts.”
If I was understanding correctly, Lee wanted me to be like one of the crew members who had gone down onto Earth with the evil man that Markus
had called Zik and helped him kidnap me and those nine others. Not only that, but from what it sounded like, I’d be expected to play an important role in any number of horrors that went on these types of fucked-up adventures.
Fair compensation aside, I could never sleep at night knowing that I contributed to other people’s suffering. I just wasn’t that kind of person.
“What if I refuse your offer?” I asked.
Lee sat up on the bed, flipping back to the front page on the clipboard.
“Ellen, I’ll be as clear as possible,” he began. “Time-lost people are rare, yes, but they are not impossible to find. I have access to as many timelines as the entire official Time Agency, and will happily spend the rest of my life hunting your type down.”
I was unable to look away from his chilling gaze. Icy gray eyes held me in place, frozen to my seat. Though they were both obviously dangerous, Markus’ eyes weren’t like Lee’s; there was something deep within them that was redeemable, I could tell.
“So, in short,” Lee continued. “You have two options. You accept my offer and join the Rogues, or I give Zik the good news that he can, in fact, have his tenth prisoner back.”
Join or die, essentially.
It wasn’t much of a choice, and he knew that.
I thought of my parents. From what I’d learned so far, they were doomed to be erased from the universe when these so-called federal Time Agents eradicated the ruined timeline. Did that mean they would also be erased from my memory? Was I fated to forget my entire family? Not only that, but would I have no choice but to never remember anyone I’d ever known growing up?
“I’m happy to give you some time to think about it,” offered Lee.
I narrowed my eyes at him. “Oh, how kind of you.”
But, my rudeness didn’t bother him. In fact, he chuckled loudly at my response.
“Ah, she bites back!” he exclaimed. “If it counts for anything, Ellen, I do hope you join us.”
I rolled my eyes.
“Oh, one more thing, Ellen,” said Lee. He sat up and set the clipboard beside him on the bed, face down so I couldn’t catch a glimpse of whatever had been printed on it. I watched him fold his fingers together, the picture of practiced calm. “How do you know the Prince?”
“Who?”
Lee narrowed his eyes, visibly puzzled. “The Prince? Prince Markus? He was just in here.”
Prince Markus? He hadn’t mentioned that part.
“I don’t know him at all,” I answered. “He just came in here to say hello, I suppose.”
“To say hello?” Lee barked out a humorless laugh at that. “How funny.”
I made a mental note to interrogate Markus further about this alleged Prince status of his. It did make sense, though, when I really thought about it. The perfect posture, the delicate aura of arrogance, the practiced smirk.
“Well, Ellen Moore, allow me to give you some advice,” said Lee, standing up and making his way toward the door. I stood up as well, crossing my arms again. “That man? Markus? He doesn’t just say hello. He’s famous where he comes from…for being a royal trainwreck. Drugs… girls… Not to mention the fact that he’s now a criminal for engaging in the Dark Tourism network. And you seem like a sweet girl. Guard yourself, sweet pea.”
My chest tightened nervously. I’d been right; Markus wasn’t the greatest guy in the universe. Maybe he wasn’t even a great guy, period, given what Lee had said.
But Lee was also obviously biased. He didn’t seem to like Markus very much, likely because it was clear to any bystander that Markus could easily crush Lee like a bug. I had a strong feeling that Lee didn’t like being inferior to others.
“Thanks for the tip, sweet pea,” I replied, faking a smile.
Lee chuckled again.
He turned to go, but paused before turning the knob. “Please do think about my offer.”
His offer. Become a time-lost minion of his and help people around the galaxy live out their worst, most horrible fantasies. Do that, or die. It wouldn’t be just any death, either. I was certain it would be a slow, dreadful death.
I had no choice if I wanted to survive this, and surviving was all I knew.
As he opened the door, I took a step toward him. “Wait.”
Lee grinned and glanced over his shoulder at me, giving me a look that said he already knew what I was about to say.
“I accept your offer,” I told him.
His grin doubled in size. “Wonderful! I’ll come collect you tomorrow to begin your training. In the meantime, enjoy free reign of the ship, but do steer clear of our clients. They’re a nasty bunch.”
With a wink, Lee stepped out of the room and closed the door behind him.
In the silence that followed, all I could manage was a quiet sigh.
Sometimes we had to do things we didn’t want to in order to survive. As I turned to gaze out of the enormous window that stretched the entire length of the far wall and took in the sight of the galaxy stretched out before me, all pitch black sky and twinkling stars, I told myself that the only thing that mattered at that moment was that Lee believed that I’d willingly accepted his offer and that I was happy to work with him.
It was the only way I’d convince him to trust me, even if it was only a little bit. It was the only way I’d find a way to get off this ship. Maybe, in the meantime, during whatever this supposed training entailed, I could even learn how to get back to my timeline and save my parents before my entire world was destroyed.
And maybe, just maybe, I’d have the opportunity to get to know this mysterious Prince Markus a little better.
Chapter 6
Mother
Markus
A day passed before I saw Ellen again.
I’d searched the ship for her, just to make sure Lee and the other Rogues hadn’t changed their minds and given her up to Zik after all. I had to keep asking myself why I cared so much. What did it matter if some silly, inconsequential human girl was handed off to a torturer? Especially since Zik had, in fact, paid good money for the opportunity to torture her.
But there was something about her. I couldn’t shake the thought of her. Those dark curls, emerald eyes. She was brave, for such a fragile creature. She fascinated me.
After half a day, I’d stooped low enough to ask Rosa if she’d seen her. If Rosa was right about knowing everything that happened in the galaxy, surely she would also know everything that went on in a single ship.
Rosa had given me a look; half curiosity, half amusement. It wasn’t as if she was judging me for being obsessed with the human, but more so like she was invested in witnessing how this situation turned out in the end. Then, she’d told me that she saw Ellen coming and going from the central command chambers of the Rogues, looking a little exhausted, but definitely unharmed.
I wished I didn’t feel so relieved at hearing she was okay. It would make this trip a lot easier if I could stop thinking about her and get on with the business I’d come here to do in the first place.
We’d already landed in the second dark tourist’s fantasy world. It hadn’t been far from Ellen’s version of Earth. It was a barren, red planet, almost completely devoid of life. We’d watched in confusion as the man named Ryan wandered out onto the planet. According to the factsheet, the planet had been uninhabitable for humans for as long as it existed, but that a scattering of scaly, serpentine aliens had landed and claimed it as their own about a century ago.
But Ryan wasn’t like the serpents. I was pretty sure he was just as human as Lee. As Ellen.
“What in the galaxy is this fool doing?” asked Rosa, mostly under her breath as we stood beside the old couple, Patty and Paul, at the windows in the common room. Ryan had stepped down onto the fiery sand of the mostly abandoned planet and lay down in the dust, closing his eyes.
When the engines of the ship started up again immediately, I had to admit to being thoroughly confused, and grabbed a nearby Rogue for an explanation.
“Sir,” said
the silver-haired girl, her small white t pin glowing under the lights as the ship prepared to take off after such a short stop. “He wished to be erased within a timeline. It’s scheduled for destruction in just a few hours.”
“Oh, my,” Patty, the elderly woman tourist, had breathed.
I had noticed that the Ryan fellow was a little quiet and that a strange, sad aura followed him around. I wondered briefly what he’d experienced in his life to want to meet such an unpleasant end. Not only did he want to die, but he wanted to be totally erased. He wanted no one to retain a single memory of him. Even us, the rest of the dark tourists, would forget about him as soon as the Time Agents came down to destroy the red planet’s ruined, serpent-infested timeline.
But I decided not to concern myself with such a foolish thought process. I’d hated my life plenty of times through the past few decades, but not once had I ever considered ending it. The option hadn’t even occurred to me.
I supposed people dealt with their pain in different ways. Some of us elected to die, others simply chose to kill their entire family.
Anyway, between that small adventure and my thoughts of Ellen, the previous day had passed incredibly quickly, and now we were in Rosa’s chosen timeline.
I was alone in the common room, sitting at a couch right beside the window. Rosa had rolled her eyes when I told her I was eager to see what nonsense she got up to, but hadn’t said anything. Paul and Patty had disappeared off into their room, likely to prepare for their timeline, which was coming up next.
Rosa’s chosen timeline was on her planet. Hers and Zik’s, actually. It wasn’t far from my home planet, only about a day’s journey. Dominated largely by witch-like aliens who had the strange ability to control certain elements, and a scattering of highly-intelligent humans, Rosa’s planet didn’t seem to be very ruined in this timeline. In fact, it looked almost exactly the same as the handful of times I’d visited it myself.
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