by West, Shay
Tears filled her eyes and she forced them back by sheer force of will. She couldn’t afford to be distracted by her tears. The fate of the world rested on her young shoulders and like it or not, she had to stop Stygian. Her uncle would want her to do her duty.
As she had lain in bed, tossing and turning, she had realized that the only way to stop Stygian would be to use the magic spell she and Sean had used when they had traveled back to Egypt. Alex practiced it throughout the night just to make sure she wouldn’t forget the words. She put her hands in the pockets of her pinafore and touched the small hand mirror she’d taken from Agnes’ dresser. When she thought of confronting the evil Traveler alone, her stomach twisted into knots. Alex had no idea how she was going to restrain the man in order to recite the spell.
Maybe you can kill him.
Alex refused to listen to that voice. It was madness. She couldn’t kill Stygian. She’d only be killing the man whose body he inhabited. She couldn’t possibly do it, not even if it meant saving the world. She knew she’d have to find some other way.
Even though she was tired and wanted nothing more than to end her shift, she was also hoping the time would slow just a little. Agnes was due in the trauma ward that afternoon and Alex didn’t want to listen to any more dying soldiers begging for death. Though their numbers had dwindled, it was still more than Alex could bear.
As she walked to the lunch room, she heard a squeaking behind her. She turned and gasped as warmth flowed through her body all the way to her extremities. A handsome young man was pushing a mop bucket down the hall, heading right for her. He had cropped hair so blonde it appeared silver under the glare of the fluorescent lights. He kept his head down so Alex couldn’t see any more of his features.
It was difficult to filter through Agnes’ memories of this boy. His name was Christoph and he had been working at the hospital since before Agnes was hired on. He had tried unsuccessfully to engage Agnes in conversation but she rebuffed his advances, politely at first, but becoming more insistent as he grew more persistent. Agnes had tried desperately to make Christoph understand that she would never be able to date another boy again. The thought of going through the motions of getting to know someone else and putting her trust in them just seemed too exhausting and futile. Agnes convinced herself that all men were alike and that there was no man in the world that could ever remain truly faithful.
Alex knew that Agnes was drawn to Christoph on a level so much deeper than she had ever had with her ex-husband, but Agnes was unwilling to take a chance. For her it was easier to be alone.
Alex wanted to cry as she watched Christoph walk by, head down, refusing to even look at her. Part of her wanted to reach out, touch this man, speak to him, spend time with him, show Agnes what she was missing. But when Agnes returned to her body, she would only spurn Christoph once again. Alex couldn’t do that to the poor boy.
Her lunch break flew by. As she walked to the trauma ward, Alex steeled herself for the agonizing moans and shrieks, the smell of rotten flesh and death. She didn’t know how Agnes did it day after day. Most of her patients were on the brink of death. Alex could see the work being more rewarding if more people survived. Searching through Agnes’ mind revealed the answers. The woman actually enjoyed this ward. Most nurses did everything they could to be reassigned. Not Agnes. There was a peace here that she couldn’t sense on any other ward. Agnes had overheard doctors speaking about her calm nature and how it seemed to sooth the patients. Agnes knew she had a gift of bringing others comfort. She only wished she could do the same for herself.
Alex shook her head. It was so strange knowing that her name was Alex, that she was from the future, and yet to feel like she was Agnes, a nurse from 1939 Germany. Both lives seemed real.
Lucky for Alex, there weren’t many soldiers in trauma this afternoon. She met with the head doctor to see which patients needed care, if there were any surgeries she would be assisting with. As she stood receiving her instructions, she felt her skin crawl and a familiar voice came from over her right shoulder.
Alex held her breath. Does he know who I am? Panic crawled through her guts.
“Please excuse us. I must speak with the doctor alone.”
She tried not to jump at the sound of Stygian’s voice addressing her. Using all of the acting skills in her arsenal, she forced herself to meet his eyes, nod in agreement, and move to the first of her patients she would treat for the rest of the afternoon. Alex couldn’t believe her stroke of good luck. The two men began speaking with her still within earshot.
“Were you successful in creating the medicine?” Stygian asked.
“We followed the instructions you gave to the letter. But without being able to test it, we don’t know that it will work,” the doctor said.
“If you followed the protocol, it will work,” Stygian said confidently. “How much were you able to make?”
“More than enough for your needs. And we have the supplies on hand to make more.”
“Very good. I trust that you’ve spoken to no one of this?”
“Only the other doctors involved.”
“I expect you to keep your word. Tell no one of this.”
“Of course.” The doctor sounded unsure.
“I’ll be back in a few hours to collect the L-DOPA. Have it ready for me.”
Alex had to move away from the two men. She wanted to hear more but she had lingered too long already. Her frustration grew as she saw to her other patients. She still had no idea how to stop Stygian from giving Hitler the medication.
She felt rather than saw Stygian leave the trauma ward. Alex watched the doctor for a time. The man saw to several patients, all while checking the clock.
When he left the ward, Alex followed him, unable to believe what she was doing. She walked on the balls of her feet, ready to duck into a doorway if the doctor turned around. He pushed through a door and into a laboratory. Alex peeked through the window before following. She glanced at a table and grabbed a large glass beaker, holding it in her hands like a baseball bat. Her arms shook as she made her way to the back of the dimly lit room. Alex had no idea what she planned on doing with the beaker but it felt good to have a weapon.
The doctor was standing with his back to her. She tiptoed closer until she could see what he was doing. There were several bottles of white pills on the counter. The doctor was packing them into a black patent leather bag.
Acting on instinct, Alex swung the beaker as hard as she could, aiming for the back of his head. The doctor gave a muffled grunt and fell to the floor. With shaking hands, Alex grabbed the bottles and took them to a nearby lavatory. She opened the bottled and dumped the contents into the toilet, smiling grimly as the pills swirled and were carried away. Before going back to her duties, Alex checked the doctor, relieved to find him still breathing.
She hurried back to the trauma ward, sending up a prayer of thanks that she passed no one in the hallways. Alex resumed her duties, smoothing her hair, checking her uniform for anything that would give her away when Stygian came looking for the doctor.
When Stygian returned, she was arm deep in aiding another doctor with a critically injured patient. She refused to acknowledge Stygian when he walked up, keeping her eyes on her work.
“Where is Doctor Haussen?” Stygian demanded.
“I haven’t seen him. But I’ve only just arrived,” the doctor answered without looking up from the patient.
“Nurse, you were here earlier. Where is Doctor Haussen?”
Alex kept her voice steady. “I haven’t seen him since you ordered me to leave the two of you alone. As you can see, this ward is very busy and I can barely keep track of my patients let alone the doctors.” She, too, kept her eyes on her work.
She watched Stygian walk away out of the corner of her eye. Alex couldn’t help but breathe a sigh of relief. Her relief was sort lived when she saw that he was heading right for the laboratory. Alex hoped her deed wouldn’t be discovered until she was already
home for the evening.
When Stygian’s roar of rage echoed through the trauma ward, Alex jumped in terror.
Stygian ran back into the ward. “Someone get in here now! Haussen’s been injured!”
A doctor and several nurses ran after Stygian. Alex stayed where she was. The doctor she was helping was in the middle of a critical procedure and it was her job to assist him. Agnes had enough training to ignore anything but the patient at hand. Nurses and doctors couldn’t afford to get distracted.
By the time the others arrived carrying Haussen, Alex was finished with her current patient. There were several people surrounding the unconscious doctor. Alex knew she couldn’t go near the man without arousing suspicions. She went about her duties and left when her shift was over. It drove her mad to have to leave but it was the only thing she could do. Alex was careful to ignore what was happening with Doctor Haussen and left with the others that had also come to the end of their shift.
As she passed, one of the nurses who had been treating Haussen left his side and came closer to Alex.
“Is Doctor Haussen going to be okay?” Alex asked.
“Just a nasty bump on the head. He’ll come around soon,” the nurse said. “Sad thing, though, doctors getting attacked in the hospital.”
Alex’s widened her eyes and put her hands over her mouth. “He was attacked? Are we safe?” She looked around as though someone was going to come at her any moment.
“If you’re off shift, best head home. Security is organizing a search for the one responsible. Hopefully Doctor Haussen can tell us more when he wakes up,” the nurse said as she walked away.
Alex made her way to the exit doors she usually took on her way out. There was more activity in the halls than she had ever noticed before. Several security officers dressed in pressed uniforms were systematically searching every room and asking to see identification badges of all staff they saw. She showed them her badge and the man told her to be careful going home and to report any strange activity immediately.
A group of nurses ahead of Alex were whispering about the attack on Doctor Haussen. One was convinced it was a family member seeking revenge for the death of a loved one at Doctor Haussen’s hands. Another thought it was a disgruntled employee, maybe a janitor.
Alex kept her head down and refused to look at anyone, sure they would somehow know that it had been her. The walk home was a blur. The mixture of exhaustion, excitement, and fear made her mind a whirlwind. She wished she could contact Gavin and let him know about what she’d done.
At least Stygian can’t contact Poder.
That gave her some small measure of comfort. Until she defeated Stygian and she returned home, her uncle would be safe.
***
Drifter wanted to put a bullet in Doctor Haussen’s head. It took every ounce of will power not to strangle the man.
“I was standing at the counter ready to put the medicine in the bag and someone hit me. I never saw him. Never even heard him,” Doctor Haussen said, wincing as he rubbed the back of his head.
“The bottles were found next to the toilet so I can only assume that they were flushed down,” Drifter said.
“I take full responsibility. The others and I will get started on a new batch right away.”
“I will be assigning extra security to the laboratory. No one goes in or out except for you, me, and the other two doctors. What I wouldn’t give for some security cameras,” he muttered to himself.
“Security cameras? What are you talking about?”
Drifter spun around. “I expect you to get to work on more medicine as soon as you leave here. Do not fail me again.”
“Now see here, I don’t take orders from you—”
Drifter grabbed the man by the throat and squeezed. Doctor Haussen flailed futilely at Drifters hands, face turning red as he struggled for air.
“You will follow my orders or I shall kill you. It’s as simple as that. Do I make myself clear?”
Doctor Haussen managed to nod. Drifter released the man, turned on his heel, and walked out of the room. He made his way to his office and closed the door.
With a roar of frustration, he swiped everything off the desk. Drifter paced the small space, pulling his hair as he tried to grapple with what had happened.
He knew it had to be the girl. Poder said she wouldn’t be a problem and yet someone had stopped him. Drifter knew it had to be here. He tried to remember any women he’d come into contact with the last several days. The only one that stood out in his mind was the nurse he’d caught lurking about and confronted. But she had claimed to be stealing medicine for her sick mother.
Of course she did. The girl isn’t going to admit who she is.
Drifter wished he could go to a shooting range. He could barely resist the urge to wreak havoc on a paper silhouette. But that wouldn’t satiate his hunger. Deep down, he wanted to do far worse than shoot at a target.
He smiled as he walked out of his office, closing the door softly behind him.
CHAPTER 34
AGNES HAD THE NEXT couple of days off work. Alex knew there was no way she could go to the hospital without arousing suspicions.
Alex wandered around, getting to know Agnes a little better. Her apartment was small but cozy. Nearly every surface was covered with crocheted doilies that Agnes had made herself over the years. The walls were decorated with various landscape paintings. Agnes loved the outdoors. She didn’t get outside enough so she brought the outdoors into her living space. Various plants sat on tables and bookshelves.
It didn’t take long for Alex to explore the space. She tried reading but her nerves wouldn’t allow her to sit long enough to get through more than a page or two.
Alex spied a hand mirror on Agnes’ small vanity. Desperate to contact Gavin or Jenn, she tried to force the mirror to change to her own reflection. No matter how hard she tried or how long she stared at the mirror, only Agnes’s face stared back. It seemed as though she was stuck here until she completed her task.
She had no idea what people did to alleviate boredom back in the 1930’s. All she wanted to do was watch TV or get on her laptop. Alex sighed and decided to go for a walk and burn off some of her nervous energy. She grabbed a shawl and walked out into the warm afternoon air. Alex wished she could wear less clothing. It was hot outside and the long dress coupled with the shawl was stifling. But it wouldn’t be proper to walk about outdoors without being covered.
Following a route Agnes walked often, Alex let her mind wander. She tried to pay attention to the buildings and their wonderful architecture but she just couldn’t make herself care. Life as she knew it would probably end if she didn’t stop Stygian. And if she did manage to foil his plans, her uncle would pay the price.
Tears slipped down her cheeks. Alex brushed them away. Crying wouldn’t help her stop Stygian. She wanted to be surprised by her decision to perform her duty but she wasn’t. The moment she destroyed the medicine for Hitler, she had made the decision to stop Stygian. She couldn’t let people die, even to save her uncle.
Alex hoped that whatever Stygian had planned would occur while she was at work. If he was in the middle of making new L-DOPA, it would still take him a few days until he could replenish his supply. That meant that Alex would indeed be back at the hospital. She doubted it would be as easy to destroy the medicine this time around. Stygian would be watching for her. She’d have to be very careful unless she wanted to get caught.
She wished there was someone in this time she could trust, someone she could turn to for guidance or help. Beating Stygian with Sean while back in Egypt had seemed easy compared to the time she had had to face Stygian alone. Alex shuddered and pulled her shawl closer despite the heat of the day. She had nearly lost her life to Stygian once. She didn’t want to tempt fate and try to survive the void again. Best to find a way to beat Stygian without revealing her true identity.
Alex turned around and began the walk back to Agnes’ apartment. She stopped by a market
that was a favorite of Agnes’ to get some food for dinner. Alex knew that Agnes enjoyed cooking but didn’t do much since she lived alone. That was part of what she missed most about being married. Her ex-husband may have treated her horridly in every other aspect of their marriage but he had always loved her cooking. It had made Agnes feel special to hear her husband speak of her cooking skills to others.
Hot anger burned through Alex. She couldn’t believe a man would cheat on someone as sweet as Agnes. The woman was as nice as could be, smart, great at taking care of the home. Alex wondered if any marriage would ever work. It seemed an impossibility from where she stood. Her own parents couldn’t even make it work.
Alex thought of her mom and Bruce and wondered how her mom could date again, even though it had been years since Gary had left. Alex didn’t think she would ever be ready to open her heart to someone if she had suffered what her mom had.
Aren’t you willing to go on a date with a boy knowing you may not survive to date him a second time?
She couldn’t help but chuckle at the sound of Jenn’s voice in her head. The voice was right, of course. Alex wasn’t willing to put her life on hold just because she had a duty to save the world. She sort of understood why her mom was willing to open her heart to another man. Alex just hoped that Bruce wouldn’t ask her mom to marry him for a while yet. She wasn’t ready to have a step-father, no matter how nice he was.
Alex wasn’t any closer to solving the dilemma of how to stop Stygian by the time she arrived home. She hoped the mindless task of cooking dinner would leave her mind free to come up with some possibilities. It was Agnes who knew how to cook. Alex was lucky if she didn’t scorch the pan while trying to boil water. She was learning but no one would say her cooking was anything but mediocre.
As she chopped and sliced, she let her mind wander. She would have to try to destroy any more medicine Stygian made. She couldn’t allow him to give it to Hitler. Even if it meant her life, she would somehow have to stop Stygian.
***