by Lilly Mance
“Get Ethan!” Zack yelled, his fist colliding with Michael’s jaw as he spoke.
Still dizzy from the impact, I got on all fours, screaming Ethan’s name, then straightened up, and ran toward their room. I caught a glimpse of Ethan opening their door, then in an instant, he disappeared and reappeared behind my back, at our room’s entrance. I ran back there, and stopped at the door. Zack was sitting on Michael’s back while Ethan was tying the bastard’s hands with a rope. Guys rolled him over, and Sophie pushed me aside to get through, handing Ethan a roll of duck tape.
“How did you know?” I asked her, open mouthed, pointing at the tape.
“Zack had a bad feeling, so he had us prepared just in case,” she said, joining me at the door, leaning against the frame.
Michael was successfully restrained, heavily bruised, and roped on the floor as if he were a calf on rodeo. Zack grabbed our unpacked bag, and locked the door behind us.
“Are you okay?” He asked me, tilting my head to the side to see my bleeding neck.
“Yeah,” I replied, “This bump hurts more,” I chuckled, touching the painful spot on my head.
“Aww, I’m so sorry, my love,” he pulled me into his embrace, kissing the bump. “There was no time. I had to pull you out like that, or he would have cut you open.” He clenched his teeth at the last words. My gut responded equally disturbed.
“I’m okay. It doesn’t matter,” I smiled, pressing my palm against his cheek. “How’d you know he’d do that?”
“I didn’t,” Zack frowned. “It was the way he looked at me in our room. There was something in that look that said he was trouble.”
“Ethan checked the future,” Sophie said, “But it didn’t show anything out of the ordinary.”
“How’s that possible? I saw that look, too,” I scowled. “He clearly had bad intentions.”
“Yeah, but when time travelers are involved, future shows natural progress of things until we do something that changes it,” Zack leaned against the wall, tucking his hand in back pockets.
“Hate to be the party pooper, but we have to go,” Ethan said, then disappeared, only to reappear a few seconds later.
“Where did you go?” I asked him, puzzled.
“To check if we missed the last flight out of here,” Ethan answered, meddling with his bracelet.
“Have we?”
“No, but we have to hurry,” Ethan said, grabbing Sophie’s hand, typing into her bracelet.
“No time to walk, either,” Zack added, and typed into mine.
~*~
Chapter #22
“All is fair in love and war”
–– Sun Tzu, The Art of War
We boarded the plane to Christchurch, New Zealand, at the last moment. It was a small cargo plane in which we had to sit on metal benches surrounded by our luggage and cryoboxes. There was no passenger area with padded seats; it resembled a rustic ferry boat with wings. When we were asked what our cryoboxes were, Sophie and I explained that those were the main pieces of our scientific equipment, and should be handled with care. The guys responsible for loading them joked how it could have been warheads for all they knew. Well, we were in a war, and our heads would be in there, so they weren’t that far off linguistically.
The plane took off, bringing a painful realization into my head. My Antarctica plan was ruined. Desperation gripped my chest. I was out of options. Here I was with the love of my life, my soul mate, the man I couldn’t live without, and to keep him I had to cause the immense pain to the other two people I loved. Life didn’t seem fair. My gaze drifted off to Zack. He was immersed deep into his thoughts, occasionally sighing, and shaking his head. I couldn’t stand seeing him like that. Guilt was written all over him. With eight hours of flight ahead of us, someone had to break the ice, so I decided to be the one.
“Zack,” I said, wincing him. As if he had been shut down, his eyes came slowly back to life, carrying nothing but sadness.
“Yeah,” he breathed, his gaze slowly reaching my eyes.
“What are we gonna do now?”
“What were you thinking?!” Ethan yelled, glaring at Zack. “How could you trust him?”
“Who said I trusted him?” Zack replied, frowning.
“You put us all in danger. For what?” Ethan’s nostrils pulsated from anger. Sophie put her hand on his back, whispering something, but he dismissed whatever she had said with a scowl.
“For Lyra,” Zack spat out, returning the glare. “I never meant for any of us to be in danger. The least of all Lyra.” He looked at me softly, but pain and guilt found its way to the surface. He blinked, and then returned a harsh stare at Ethan. “I checked all the angles, and still wasn’t sure I could trust him. I tracked him down, saw that he was defrosted, but there were no indications as to why, or that it had anything to do with us.”
“What were you doing with him in the first place?” Sophie interjected. “He’s an Elder!”
“His wife left him because he couldn’t handle her decision to go along with changing history, and dying in the process. He came to me for help,” Zack trailed off into his thoughts, leaning against his knees.
“And?!” Ethan yelled, dragging Zack back into conversation.
“And the deal was to get his wife to switch sides. To come to TGA, and tell us how to stop that change. I didn’t achieve that, but I managed to persuade her to at least forgive him. They did get back together, and he owed me for that,” Zack said, and lowered his head on my shoulder. I offered my support by stroking his hair.
“What was that rambling when we tied him up?” Ethan leaned forward to look at Zack.
“He holds me responsible for losing his wife. For not getting her to switch sides. When he heard we were unbreakables, he saw a chance to get even,” Zack’s deep green eyes looked up at me from my shoulder. I smoothed my palm down his cheek.
“That’s plain stupid,” Sophie voiced her two cents. “You didn’t change history. His wife did,” she snorted.
“I know,” Zack sighed, “Regardless, that’s what he said.”
“I’m getting Zoe in on this,” Ethan sputtered, and devoted his attention to his bracelet.
“Who’s Zoe?” Sophie asked, darting confused glances at all of us.
“Our boss,” Zack resigned, tracing invisible lines down my sleeve. The reason that made it impossible for Zack to leave his time and be with me just got a name. I wondered if getting Zoe meant we were gonna have our asses handed to us on a plate.
“I sent her my memories,” Ethan said to Zack. “She demands you send her yours this instant.”
As if he couldn’t care less, Zack pressed a couple of things on his bracelet, then placed his head back on my shoulder. “Done,” he said, halfheartedly.
A moment later, Ethan said, “Zoe checked with her informants,” and then read the rest of her message, “Michael was discharged. He had a breakdown after his wife’s death. Tried to kill his superiors.”
“That explains his defrosted status,” Zack straightened up in his seat. “But that means he cannot follow us into this realm.” His eyes rounded as if he had an epiphany.
“Meaning?” I asked.
“He’s morally corrupted! There’s no way he can time travel ever again,” Ethan chuckled.
“You understand that now you have no choice, right?” Zack turned toward me, his words hitting my painful spot. I gulped knowing exactly what he meant.
“Yes. Now I have to die for my parents,” I said, feeling every word as if it weighed a ton, but strangely, I felt ready––come what may.
“I’m so sorry,” Zack bowed his head, repentantly. “I never meant for this to happen.”
“Don’t be! You tried everything you could. It would have come to this, eventually,” I had to let him know that. Had to ease the guilt he had imposed on himself. It really wasn’t his fault. None of us were to blame for Michael's actions. He gave me a chance to come to terms with my faith, and for that I was thankful.
&
nbsp; “As soon as we get to Christchurch, we’ll find a spot for your cryoboxes, and you’ll have to get inside. That’s the only way to keep you safe,” Zack said, his eyes closely focused on mine. Knowing what it meant for me, when I reached for his hands, he shook his head, saying, “I have only bad feelings at the moment. I can’t ease your pain.”
I cracked a smile, “This time, it’s not me who needs it.” For the first time since we had left McMurdo, I saw his eyes sparkle. Lyra that left her parents at the airport wasn’t this Lyra sitting here, offering her help. This person was stronger, and the reason was Zack. He gave me strength and courage I never knew I had. We connected our hands, and I allowed all my love and gratitude to flood his body.
~*~
“Money on the table,” Sophie said after a while, going through her pockets. The three of us looked at her as if she were mad. “We’ll have to rent a van in Christchurch,” she widened her eyes. “God, you’re all dumber than I thought,” she snorted, shaking her head.
We chuckled, and emptied our pockets. Who would have thought Sophie would be the sane one in a situation like that.
“Ha!” Zack chuckled, “Zoe sent us coordinates for cryoboxes,” he extended his arm to Ethan.
“Awesome,” Ethan smiled. “This will be enough money to rent a van, and to have the last supper,” he winked at me.
“Jerk,” Sophie kicked him, “That was uncalled for,” she scowled.
“It's okay Soph,” I chuckled. “When you think about it, it's kind of funny.”
“See? She digs my sense of humor,” Ethan flashed a cocky smile. His bracelet sounded, making him frown.
“What is it?” Zack's face became worried.
“Zoe.” Ethan picked up his glance. “She's sending in a Death Squad.”
The sound of that chilled my blood to Antarctica levels. “Death Squad?” I asked, swallowing hard.
“She met with the chief of Elders. They saw Michael go after Lyra's parents in the future,” Ethan looked at me, clenching his teeth.
“Oh my God,” I shrieked, feeling all blood leaving my face. “But...but...that means he’s already made that decision. He must have started that chain of events. You said before that time travelers have to change things to show up in the future timeline,” my voice broke, my body shivering.
Zack entwined his fingers with mine. “It won't come to that,” he said, fixing his gaze on mine. “That's what Death Squad is for. They will kill Michael before he does anything.”
“When both sides determine that certain time traveler is a threat, and that his actions will cause havoc, then a branch of time travelers that have a license to kill are sent in to put him out of his misery,” Ethan added.
“Who gives them the license?” Sophie giggled. Unlike me, she was amused by the new info, but she also had a good point.
“Exactly!” I narrowed my eyes, “Why are they allowed to kill, and Michael isn't?”
“It's the universe's way of making balance. They kill on contract, not out of their own moral corruption,” Ethan replied, pulling up a leg over his knee.
“So, it's moral to kill if someone asks you to, but not if you want it yourself?” I snorted, nervously. That was ridiculous!
“No,” Zack chuckled, “I doesn't work that way. Both leaders meet, asses the danger level, issue a warrant on his head, and the Death Squad goes after him. If their decision was correct, that he indeed is a threat, he will be killed. If not, the Death Squad won't be able to take him out, and no harm done.”
“Death Squad is merely a tool,” Ethan jumped in. “Only our leaders know their identity. They’re not active time travelers, they’re dormant, called in for these purposes only.”
“Wait,” I darted my gaze toward Zack, “If he will be out of the picture that means I can go back to Antarctica.”
Sadness in Zack's eyes answered the question before he replied, “Unfortunately, that's not an option. Zoe wants to see you as soon as we get you frosted.”
“But, why?” All my ships sank. Again.
“It's complicated,” Zack clasped the back of his neck. “You're no longer a regular human. Now you belong to a nation of time travelers, and like us, you answer to Zoe. Or Harold if you were an Elder.”
“And you couldn't have told us that before?” Sophie glared at Ethan.
“There's too much information. We told you the bigger part, this should have come later on,” Ethan replied, scratching his temple.
“If it weren't for the Michael incident, Zoe wouldn't insist on this, but since it happened,” Zack drew a sharp breath, “It changed everything,” he blew out a long breath. “She believes we're all too emotionally involved to make rational decisions.”
“She might have a point,” I sputtered, surprising everyone. “Well, we are too emotionally involved,” I clarified my point of view. “She might have a fresh perspective on this. It won't hurt to hear her out.”
“I don’t like the sound of it,” Sophie frowned. Ethan looked at her from under his brows. “I left my parents thinking I’d be free to make my own decisions. Now I hear we have a queen I have to answer to.”
“She’s not our queen,” Ethan burst out laughing. “Zoe is like a friend that was put in charge because she’s the most experienced and wise. We follow her lead out of respect. She’s never made a bad decision. Or unjust one.”
“A collective has to have a central point of command,” Zack added to the lot. “Someone objective to put the foot down, and make hard decisions for the better of majority. That’s Zoe in our case.”
“Soph,” I put my hand on her shoulder. “Let’s see what she has to say before we pass any judgment.”
Sophie nodded, but her pout remained until we landed.
~*~
Chapter #23
“Know thy self, know thy enemy.
A thousand battles, a thousand victories.”
––Sun Tzu, The Art of War
Getting inside a cryobox caused goose bumps all over my body. I wasn't claustrophobic, but it felt like I was getting into a coffin to be buried alive, and that image certainly didn't make me cheerful. Zack held my hand, reassuring me that they wouldn't press deep freeze until both of us were out of our bodies. Sophie and I exchanged looks, her eyes goggled like mine, colored with fear and doubt. I gulped and took a deep breath.
“Soph,” I called her from inside my cryo. “Let's get this show on the road, shall we?”
I saw her faint smile, and then she disappeared inside her cryo. I nodded at Zack. He placed a kiss on my forehead, saying, “Try to relax. It's no different than your bed.”
Right. Easy for him to say. I started counting from thirty backwards, taking a slow, deep breath with each number, and exhaling long in between. Cold metal surrounding me cooled my body, causing several short shivers. Luckily, since I mastered switching realms, my body and I had reached an agreement that it would go into deep relaxation once I finished counting. It must have become an automatic thing, because by the time I reached zero, cold metal wasn't bothering me. I couldn't feel my body anymore, meaning I could freely get up. Zack extended his hand to help me out of the cryo, and I took it gladly. Turning around, I could see my body peacefully stretched out inside the cryo. All it needed was some flowers and a minister. The funeral could begin.
“Ready?” Zack's mesmerizing eyes searched mine for confirmation.
I smiled, “Freeze away.”
He closed the lid on my cryobox, and typed in a code. In a second, my body wasn't visible anymore. Frost had taken over, tinting the glass lid. Strangely, I thought I would feel something. Instead, I was empty, as if it weren't me in there.
Zack took out a chain with a tag hanging on it, and put it around my neck, “Your cryo code is engraved,” he smoothed his thumb over my tag. “And this below is your personal code.”
We joined Ethan next to Sophie's cryo. Her little body was still full of energy, obviously nowhere near total relaxation. She squirmed, and with her eyes closed, sh
e yelled, “I can feel you all breathing there. Get the fuck away, or I'll never get out!”
We chuckled, and moved away to give her space. Twenty minutes later, we heard a thump behind our backs. She jumped out of her cryo, grinning ear to ear.
“You're a pest, you know?” She said, walking toward us, “I could have done this a lot sooner if it weren't for your microscoping me.”
Ethan chuckled, “Wanna see me freeze your ass?”
“Hell no! I'm done with that body,” she sneered, sitting next to me on the floor.
“K,” Ethan said, and went to her cryo. A crackling freezing sound was heard, then Ethan's footsteps back toward us. “Done! Let's get out of this basement.”
“Do we need to lock up or something?” I asked, getting up from the floor, dusting myself.
“I already did,” Zack draped his arm over me. “Don't worry. This is a TGA safe-house, so your cryos will be okay here.”
“These are Zoe's coordinates,” Ethan showed his bracelet display to Sophie and me, “Type 'em in and see you there.” He was gone.
“Motherfucker,” Sophie huffed, looking at the empty spot in front of her.
“You can kick his ass when we get there,” I chuckled.
“First, you two, and then I'll follow,” Zack threw a glance at our coordinates to make sure we didn't miss a number.
~*~
One nausea later, and we found ourselves in a dome-shaped room. The wall was full of what looked like safety deposit boxes. In the center of the room was a round, giant wooden table, surrounded by massive leather chairs.
“Welcome,” a female voice said behind our backs. I winced, and turned around.
“Hi,” I smiled, seeing a woman standing between Zack and Ethan. She looked about thirty, wearing a standard TGA uniform that perfectly fit her lean body. A black braid was neatly falling down her left shoulder. She uncrossed her arms, and motioned toward the table.