“Billie?” Ray asked.
She turned back to him. “Hmmm?”
“I said, are you ready to head out?” he asked her. He held a brown leather bag in his hand with a couple pieces of paper sticking out of the opening from the top. Marcus and Ryan were both standing by the door. How long had she been daydreaming again? Was her mind that bad that she lost time? She straightened her back and secretly told herself to pull it together—she was not going to fall apart with two good looking men by her side.
Chapter Twenty-One
Marcus opened the door and checked the hallway with his weapon drawn. The smaller bag hung on his shoulder as he signaled the others it was clear. They rushed down the hall with Billie between them. Ray took the rear. Marcus wasn’t sure if Charles would be in hiding, waiting even with the front doors secured. He’d been to the library ahead of them so it was possible he could be there too. So, as they took the elevator down, Marcus wasn’t taking any chances.
Ryan helped him check above the elevator. The shift was empty. They loaded the metal box and descended. When the doors opened, he signaled for the others to stay. He rushed to the lobby, saw Tony reading his magazine, and knew it was clear. He returned to the elevator and told the others.
Marcus led them to the lobby. The entire building was filled with agents off duty or on vacation, so there were camera monitors scattered throughout the lobby. Marcus checked them as he glided past them, making sure the outside was clear of any visible danger. He couldn’t see a single version of Charles, so he released the metal doors covering the entrance. Marcus remembered one of his lessons that if a younger version of someone did something, then the older version of that same person would retain that memory eventually, if it didn’t happen right away. He held onto that knowledge as he stepped outside while the others waited. Still, no sign of Charles. “Wait here until I return with the car.” He pulled out the earpieces and radios. “Put these in your ear and attach this piece to your pants or shirt. I’ll signal you if it’s clear.”
Billie didn’t take the earpiece. She passed it on to Ray.
“Testing, one-two. Can you hear me?” Ryan asked.
“Loud and clear.” Marcus made his way out the door. “Everything is clear. Be ready to move out.”
He listened for Ryan and Ray. Both answered, “ten-four.”
Marcus reached the car in less than a minute. He checked the area as he opened the door. Nothing was in the car that shouldn’t be there, so he tossed the bag over the front seat and climbed in behind the wheel. “I’m in the car and the streets are empty. No signs of danger.”
“Ten-four,” Ryan said.
Marcus started the engine and drove the car around, stopping right in front of the main entrance. “Here.”
Billie and Ryan rushed out of the door together with Ray closely behind. They jumped in the car, and Marcus drove off. The tires squealed under pressure.
As he turned the corner, Marcus was caught in traffic, which forced him to slow down. He became boxed in and was haunted by the traffic light. Charles jumped out of the shadows and began firing his weapon. Ray was in the backseat with Billie, and he pushed her head down as Ryan began firing shots back at Charles.
They could hear the bullets ricochet off of the car. Being a government vehicle, it was bullet proof which it shouldn’t matter if they were using weapons from their own time but the cars surrounding them weren’t, which meant they were in danger. That alone sent a warning sign to Marcus. For one, it didn’t appear that Charles cared who got caught in the crossfire. And two, the weapon being used belonged to Ryan, Marcus recognized it. He was there for support when the weapon was assigned to Ryan. The handle had been later altered so Ryan would be able to single his weapon out in a hurry. He had it changed to the color brown whereas the others were merely black. It was a subtle change, but it was noticeable and even from the distance Marcus was from Charles, he could see it.
Charles had the weapon modified so it would be lethal. That was how he killed Billie. In that split second that it took Marcus to figure it out, he had to move, taking the danger with him.
He looked in all directions, searching for an opening, and caught a glimpse of another copy of Charles. This version had an automatic pistol from this time. A bullet hit the windshield, bounced off, and cracked the glass. That should not have happened. “Everyone, get down,” he yelled as he pulled the car onto the sidewalk and drove. A few people scattered, and they ran out of the way as the car moved down the cement path.
He found a clear path between parked cars as he turned down the next street, pulling off of the sidewalk and onto the street. Marcus picked up speed as he headed toward the highway. He wanted to get as far away from the inner city as possible so there wouldn’t be any injuries from stray bullets.
“He’s right behind us, Marcus,” Ryan said as he fired again. “Did he become a historian or something? How the Hell did he know where we were?”
“I don’t know but I need to lose him. I see the car.” Marcus glanced through the rear-view mirror and back to the street. He switched lanes like he was going to turn but didn’t. He kept straight. Ryan shot again.
“I’m out,” Ryan yelled out.
Ray handed him another clip and took the empty one. He tossed it in the bag as he held Billie’s head down with his other hand. Marcus kept looking back as he drove forward.
“Billie, put those glasses back on and turn on your shield,” Marcus said, as he switched lanes again.
“Okay.”
“Ryan, are you even hitting the target?” Marcus said, as he turned down the next street. The tires squealed in anger. A man yelled from the curb, but he couldn’t tell what the man said. He didn’t even see him there because of the speed he was traveling.
“He’s driving another government vehicle. I’m hitting it but no changes. Charles is gaining on us; we need to do something fast.”
There was a pop as Ryan hit one of the tires. Marcus glanced into his side mirror and watched the car swerve to the right, but he didn’t stop the car. He knew it wasn’t possible to go very far on a flat tire, but these cars were using special tires that would inflate after being struck. It wouldn’t be long before the tire would be operational again, which meant he had to do something quick if they were going to lose him.
Finally, Ray said something. “I remember this car chase. If you take the next left and go into the alley on the right, you’ll have your chance to lose Charles.”
Marcus listened to Ray and turned at the next intersection. He quickly turned into the alley. Halfway down the cement covered alley, a truck came out of nowhere blocking the path behind them. Charles couldn’t get passed him, and he couldn’t go in reverse because another car had turned down the alley behind Charles. He honked at the other car, yelling at him to move. Marcus could hear him as he turned down the next street. “Where should we go now, there’s bound to be another version of him popping up soon.”
“Isn’t there a new station going in?” Ryan asked.
“Yeah, I’m thinking about heading over there, but I’m sure Charles would have thought of that too.” Marcus turned down another street, heading east.
“I know where we are. This is Spring Street. We’re just down the street from a shopping center. That place is hard to get in and out of, so I don’t think I want to be stuck there,” Billie said, adding her two cents.
Marcus looked over his shoulder. “Charles may not be firing at us now, but you’re still in danger. Keep your head down, Billie.”
“Sorry. Should we change cars?” Billie asked.
“You know that’s a good idea,” Ryan said. “Pull over here, we can take one of these cars.”
Marcus pulled into a car lot and parked behind the building so they wouldn’t be seen. Everyone grabbed something as they jumped out of the car. Marcus, Ryan, and Ray held their weapons in firing mode, just in case Charles appeared. Billie stayed in the middle with her head low. She had her glasses on with the shi
eld wrapped around her, but it would only last for a little while since they were using weapons from this time. Even with Ryan’s old weapon being use, it wouldn’t protect her since it had been altered to kill.
Ray spotted a Kia Forte that was a Metallic Blue and pointed at it. “Jump into the K3, Charles won’t see that coming.”
Marcus jumped behind the wheel, pulled the wire from his watch and started the ignition as the others climbed in, clutching the bags. Billie and Ray were in the backseat again.
Billie put her head down as Marcus pulled out of the parking lot. They were just a few blocks from the freeway, so he took a different route, heading in that direction.
He jumped on the freeway, heading east, and drove fast weaving in and out of traffic. There wasn’t a sign of Charles, so he began to slow down, matching the speed limit of other cars.
“Marcus, if you take the next exit, you’ll be at the mall. I think we should change our identities before moving on.”
“All right.” He got off of the freeway and found the mall. He parked the car and they jumped out. They grabbed the bags and headed inside; just in case Charles did find them there they’d be able to protect themselves. As they searched the stores within to find the right one, Ryan and Marcus kept their eyes out for Charles. For a minute, Ryan thought he saw him, but it was someone else. They turned into a clothing store and rummaged through the racks, watching over their shoulders. They each found an outfit, changed them quickly, and paid for everything, leaving their original clothes in the dressing rooms.
When Billie stepped out of her dressing room, her hair was shorter. Marcus looked at her sideways. “I spotted a pair of scissors, so I cut it off really quick. Does it look bad?” She touched the back of her head.
“No, it looks fine. I almost didn’t recognize you,” he told her.
“That was the idea. Where’s Ray?” she asked.
“I’m right here. Come on.”
They followed Ray down a wide hallway, and he opened a door leading to the employee’s hall behind the stores. “We can hide back here for a moment.” Marcus checked to make sure no one was watching them.
“What are we going to do now?” Billie asked.
“It’ll be dark soon. I think we should wait until then. It’ll be too hard for Charles to see us,” Marcus said.
“But it will be harder to see him too.” Billie appeared nervous.
“I know it will, but we need to take that chance. He’s not going to know where we are.”
Just then, someone came crashing through the door. The door banged against the wall. All four of them jumped and turned to look in the direction of the sound. Marcus felt relieved when it was a janitor with his cleaning cart. He looked at them with a puzzled expression, and then decided to say something. “Do you folks belong back here?”
“Oh yeah, we’re on break,” Ryan blurted out.
Chapter Twenty-Two
Charles was about to jump to the year 2033 when a young woman began crying at the dock. It caught his attention, so he stepped out of the time chamber to take a look. She was screaming for her daughter, who disappeared in the area. He closed the door to the chamber, thinking he waited this long, he could wait a few more minutes. He approached the woman as he gazed upon the area, searching for a child out of place. When he reached her, he placed his hand on her shoulder to comfort her.
“Where was the last place you saw her?” he asked the woman. His voice was gentle and as soothing as he could make it.
Her face was red and puffy from crying. “She was right here. Her father went to go see if our chamber was ready. I turned around for just a second and when I looked back, she wasn’t here.”
“Okay, we’re going to find her ma’am. Come over to the bench and have a seat. Let’s get you calmed down first—that way your mind will be clearer. It won’t help anyone if you’re hysterical.”
“Thank you, sir.”
“My name is Charles. What’s your name?” His voice was soothing and quiet. He couldn’t believe no one else was willing to help this woman. That made him angry.
An employee ran toward them. “Mr. Ramsey, you need to move your chamber so the next one can arrive,” the man told him.
“Can’t you see I’m helping this woman? Go ahead and let the next person in line take my chamber. I’ll take another one out when we find her daughter.”
The woman gazed into his eyes. Her brown eyes danced as a tear formed. “Sir, you don’t have to do that. I can’t make you late for wherever you’re going.”
“Your daughter is more important than what I’m doing, so I will stay and help you find her.” He turned to the young man. “Why are you still standing there? I told you, I’ll wait.”
“All right.”
Charles turned and sat down next to the woman. “Do you have a picture of the girl?”
The woman sorted through her bag as her hands were shaking. She was still crying, but it wasn’t as bad as before. She found a picture and handed it to Charles. He studied it for a moment. The little girl wasn’t older than eight or nine years old. She had braided pig tails and a beautiful smile. There were freckles painted on her nose and cheeks. Her blue eyes were bright. He smiled as he looked at the picture. When he arrived earlier that day, he remembered seeing this little girl, but he couldn’t remember where. And then he began thinking about it. “Stop that chamber!” he yelled as it came to him.
The woman shot up, appearing surprised at his outburst. He didn’t mean to alarm her, but he was worried the time chamber would leave with her on it. He rushed over to the chamber, opened the door, and rushed inside. He searched the small pod and found her sleeping under the control panel. He scooped her into his arms without waking her and carried the child to her mother. The woman wouldn’t stop thanking him for saving her baby. She was crying again, only this time it was in praise and excitement. Charles was happy he that he was able to help the woman.
“Thank you, thank you. Please, you must accept a reward for finding her.”
“How about a home-cooked meal. I haven’t had one of those in a long time so that would be payment enough,” he finally told her.
“All right.” She began writing something down on a piece of paper. Her hand was still shaking, so he offered to write it down for her. “When you get back, give me a call and we’ll set something up.”
“Sounds like a good plan to me. I’m happy you two are together again.”
“Me too, thank you so much.” A tall man with dark short hair, rushed over to them and wrapped his arms around the woman. He had a short beard and thin mustache. His skin was light and smooth. He had just heard the news of their daughter. The man smiled at Charles and began thanking him, as well.
Since Charles was in a good mood now, he cancelled his trip to the year 2033 and headed home. As he showered, he thought of his day and began remembering his mother. He had never been lost as a child, but he imagined how she would react if he had gone missing. He wondered if he should do something like that to get back at his mother but then changed his mind. As much as he hated her for what she did to him that was something he couldn’t bear to do to her. He may be a lot of things, but he wasn’t that kind of man. He decided to stick to his plans, but just wait one more day.
The rest of the day flew by as if someone had hit fast-forward on him. Before he knew it, morning was upon him again. He showered, dressed for the day, and called for the air taxi as he did all the days before when he went downtown to the docks. Charles arrived at around 9 a.m. and set up a time to leave. There was a line in front of him, so he had to wait.
Since he canceled the day before, he didn’t have to pay for today’s trip—he just had to redeposit the funds. He already had his shot, so he didn’t have to worry about that. He had to explain why he canceled the trip, which he lied. And a new ticket was created, giving him access to a new time chamber for the day.
When Charles arrived in the year 2033, he went to Superior Street and snuck into the hou
se. He waited for Billie to come home after her long run. This time, he waited for her to shower as he waited in the kitchen. For some reason, she was taking a longer than usual shower, so he made a pot of coffee as he waited. As he poured a cup, Billie walked into the room.
“Charles?” She sounded surprised to see him.
“Hey, Billie!” He spilled some of the coffee so he picked up a dish towel and dried the counter. He turned around and took a sip of the coffee.
“What are you doing here?” she asked.
“Oh, I thought I would pay you a visit and see how you’re doing today. It’s been a while.”
“Yes, it has. I haven’t seen you in years. What’s going on?” she asked. She walked around the table and poured a cup of the fresh brewed coffee and sat down.
“I was thinking about your mom.”
“Oh?”
“Yeah, hey listen, I need to talk to you about her,” he said as he took another sip.
“I don’t want to talk about her right now. I’m in a hurry today, can you come by tomorrow?” Her body language was agreeing with her words. She kept looking at her watch. He knew her routine, so he did know she was lying. He wondered why she was trying to get rid of him.
“Billie, I know you don’t have anything to do today—that’s why I chose today above all the other days to come here. I really need to talk to you. Please, give me five minutes and I’ll be out of your hair.” He spoke as calm as he could, trying to convince her that he was being truthful.
“All right, five minutes. And then you gotta go.”
“Okay.” He pulled out the camera, like he did in 2035, and repeated those same steps, but changed the words. This DVD would be for his private collection. He then proceeded to tell her how they were brother and sister, and how their mother left him behind. He told her how his father killed himself because of what their mother did. Then he pulled out Ryan’s gun and fired it. He didn’t give her a chance to react. He checked her pulse. Nothing. He was glad he knew the right people to have the weapon altered to kill. That was the best thing he ever did. He smiled at his work and left the house, checking for witnesses. No one in sight, just like he knew there wouldn’t be. He did pick the right day and time for this. He smiled again, knowing what he had done. He returned home without skipping a beat.
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