Neither Jason nor Stalls would have time to charge the other. Jason was positioned perfectly to see the house erupt into a ball of fire and disappear into a smoldering crater.
* * *
The shuttle landed nearby and everyone filed out. Billy had removed his helmet and was puffing fiery life into a fresh cigar.
“We’re going to let them go at it like that?” Rizzo asked.
“You want to get in the middle of the fray, Rizzo?” Billy asked back, taking in another smoke-filled breath.
Grimes and Dira were the last to come down the gangway and join Billy and Rizzo.
“We can’t just let them fight on like that, can we?” Dira asked them.
Jason and Stalls continued to fight. Stalls no longer had his knife and seemed to be getting his ass kicked.
“Too bad about the house. I’m sure that just pissed Jason off that much more,” Grimes said.
“At least it was the older house that took the hit.”
Dira rushed forward, arms outstretched, and embraced Nan and Mollie. The three hugged for a long while.
“I guess it’s time we break up the fight,” Billy said.
“Yeah, good luck with that,” Rizzo answered.
Chapter 45
“Captain! Don’t you think that’s enough?”
Jason released another hammering blow to Stalls’ solar plexus and watched the bloodied pirate fall to the ground, holding his stomach.
Billy joined Jason at his side and together they watched Stalls gasping for air. “I know you’ve wanted to do this for a long time, but there’s two people over there who would like to see you.”
Jason was having a hard time staying on his feet. Even before fighting with Stalls, he’d been ready to topple over. He looked back over Billy’s shoulder toward the Perilous and his crew standing around Nan and Mollie. Nobody would have told them yet … told Nan she had died weeks earlier, told Mollie there were now two Mollies. Then his eyes went to Dira; her arms were wrapped around Mollie and they were all laughing at something Mollie said.
“Sorry about your house, man,” Billy said.
When Billy and Jason turned back, bringing their attention again toward the crater, they caught Stalls backing into Jason’s battle suit. Before Billy could pull his own sidearm, Stalls finished latching the helmet and was running toward his own small craft, parked on the driveway.
“I’ll get him,” Billy said, following in quick pursuit. But Jason knew he was too far ahead to catch. Already at his ship, Stalls gave a perfunctory wave and moments later the little ship was fleeing into the sky.
“Sorry, Cap. He was too far ahead,” Billy said, jogging back.
“Let him go. I have a feeling that’s not the last we’ll be seeing of Captain Stalls.”
Jason headed over to the Perilous. Halfway there, Mollie and Nan began running toward him. He held his arms out wide and they engulfed him. Jason kissed Mollie’s forehead, and pulled Nan into his arms and kissed her on the lips. Pulling slightly away, he held Nan’s face in his hands and looked at her … looked at her small, upturned nose, the faint freckles on her cheeks, and her eyes, which held a strange mixture of intelligence and mischief.
“For God’s sake, Jason, it hasn’t been that long,” she said, brushing the hair out of her eyes. But the smile on her lips disappeared when she saw the seriousness on his face, his tears.
“What is it? What’s—”
Jason put a finger to her lips. “Not now.” He hugged them both again and stood back. “How about you show me the new house?”
“First of all, Dad, it’s called Bag End. The AI won’t talk to you unless you call her that.”
“Okay, I can do that.”
“And we have to get Teardrop out of the pool.” Mollie grabbed her parents’ hands, pulling them toward the house.
* * *
“Let me get this straight. Today, Mollie and I are actually living three weeks in the past?”
“Yes. But that’s not the … um … thing that I need to explain.”
“Well, just say it. What’s wrong with you?”
Jason watched Mollie in the backyard through the shattered rear window. Bossy as ever, she was pointing into the pool and telling Teardrop something about a missing arm.
“Nan, three weeks ago, what’s just occurred here, also happened then. But I wasn’t here to help you and Mollie. When Stalls came for you … You were mortally injured.”
“You’re saying Stalls killed Mollie and me?”
“You died later on. Mollie was fine. At least physically. But the emotional toll has been significant. She’s changed. All that’s occurred has changed her.”
“So wait up. I’m dead?”
“Mollie took it very hard. Hell, she chose the music for your memorial service.”
“So how’s this going to work, Jason? There’s two Mollies! You’re telling me there are now two Mollies?”
“Yes.”
They were sitting on the floor next to each other. Nan leaned back against the wall and watched Mollie. She was obviously happy. She stopped yelling at Teardrop just long enough to look in their direction and wave.
“Would you rather I’d just let things unfold the way they had before?”
Nan thought about that a moment before looking back at Jason. “Hmmm,” she said, holding two palms up as if weighing both possibilities. “Let’s see … dead or alive, gee, that’s a tough one.” She smiled. “You did just fine, Jason. We’ll work this out. I’m glad you saved me and I’m not going anywhere. How many people get a chance to live life again?” She took his face in her hands and kissed him hard on the lips.
Jason had ignored a persistent NanoCom hail for the last ten minutes. He held two fingers up to his ear. “My father’s been trying to talk to me. I have to get this.”
“Go ahead. I need to talk to Mollie, anyway.”
Jason watched Nan as she got to her feet and headed toward the pool.
“Go for Captain.”
“It’s about F-ing time!”
“What’s going on there, Dad?”
“We’ve lost her! That’s what’s wrong,” the admiral said, sounding furious.
“Lost who? Is Mollie all right?”
“What? No, Mollie’s fine. I’m talking about the Minian. Granger found a way in, somehow. The ship’s gone. No doubt he’s taken her right to the Craing.”
Jason thought about that, but the pieces weren’t fitting together. Doubtlessly, he’d been out of the loop too long.
“We need you and Ricket to return to The Lilly, now! Brian’s poised to get Her Majesty underway. You’re holding everything up.”
Jason had to laugh. “Well, thank you, too, Dad. Sorry I took so long saving the planet.”
“You can pat yourself on the back later; right now we’re preparing for battle—we’re planning to attack.”
To be continued…
Thank you for reading this fourth book in the Scrapyard Ship series, Realms of Time. If you enjoyed this book and would like to see the series to continue, please leave a review on Amazon.com – it really helps!
To be notified of the soon-to-be released next Scrapyard Ship book, Craing Dominion, contact [email protected], Subject Line: Craing Dominion List.
Books by Mark Wayne McGinnis:
Scrapyard Ship
(Scrapyard Ship series, Book 1)
HAB 12
(Scrapyard Ship series, Book 2)
Space Vengeance
(Scrapyard Ship series, Book 3)
Realms of Time
(Scrapyard Ship series, Book 4)
Craing Dominion
(Scrapyard Ship series, Book 5)
Tapped In
(a Novella - Part 1)
Copyright © 2014 by Mark Wayne McGinnis All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior writ
ten permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law. For permission requests, write to the publisher, addressed “Attention: Permissions Coordinator,” at the address below. This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
Edited by:
Lura Lee Genz
Mia Manns
Rachel Weaver
Avenstar Productions
ISBN: 978-0-9903314-2-1
Realms of Time (Scrapyard Ship) Page 24