The Tomorrow Man

by Percival Constantine

  He glanced over his shoulder and the visor flashed an alert. The jets broke from formation but in their place were a pair of missiles flying straight for him. Chronos dove but the missiles followed him, evidently tracking him in some way.

  The time traveler tried several twists and turns, looping around, ascending and descending to try and throw the missiles off, but they persisted. They were too close to him that if he tried to blast them, the explosion would probably affect him as well.

  He activated the tachyons in his suit and an aura of blue energy surrounded him. Chronos vanished from view and then reappeared behind. The missiles, having reacquired their target, turned and came at him once more. He raised his staff and unleashed a powerful blast that took both the missiles with him.

  Chronos didn’t have a moment to celebrate his victory. The jets were back, firing again at him. He dove for the water, increasing his speed. One of the jets chased after him. Chronos left the dodging to the armor and pushed on ahead, the surface of the water growing closer and closer. Just as he came so close he could reach out and touch the surface, he pulled up in a ninety degree angle.

  The jet didn’t have the same maneuverability and crashed into the ocean.

  There was one jet left and Chronos took it on directly. He threw up a shield to deflect several energy blasts and charged ahead. With one hand in front of him to keep the shield up, the other held the baton, the tip crackling with energy.

  The baton never expanded into its staff form. Instead, energy came from both ends, forming a laser staff. Chronos dropped the shield as he flew beneath the underside of the jet, raising the staff up and slicing through the metal of the body.

  Chronos dropped from the jet and flew up. The glider retracted and he fell onto the jet’s canopy. The pilot, struggling with the controls, looked up and saw the attacker.

  Chronos drove his fist through the canopy, shattering the glass. He grabbed the pilot and pulled his chair out, sending it flying into the air. Then he jumped from the jet and activated his glider, flying off as the fighter plane exploded.

  He circled back towards the Island, flying over its surface. Orange balls of energy formed in his hands and he hurled them along the deck, the energy bombs exploding once they made contact and sending the Cerberus agents scattering.

  Chronos’ baton resumed its staff form and he spun it to deflect teleforce blasts from the agents on the deck as well as return fire. His tachyons transported him through the air at rapid speeds, enabling him to gain some distance whenever the pressure became too much.

  Though the Cerberus agents weren’t enough of a match for him, they were causing unexpected delays. Chronos had quite a lead on Vanguard, especially thanks to his suit’s tachyons. But it wouldn’t be long before they managed to catch up to him. He had to finish the mission before they came after him.

  Chronos had a plan. It was radical and something he’d never tried before, but it was worth the effort. He activated the energy shield around his body and rocketed his glider at high speed towards the deck. Just an instant before he would have struck the surface, he activated the suit’s tachyons and vanished in a flash of blue light.

  He rematerialized below-deck and disengaged his glider, tumbling to the ground and rolling along the floor. When he finally came to a stop, Chronos pulled himself to his feet with a groan. He took a moment to catch his breath and looked up at the ceiling.

  He did it. He’d never tried teleporting past a structure while moving so fast and he was sure there was a chance he could have ended up teleporting too late and crashing into the deck or jumped either too far or not far enough and ended up in a wall.

  Now he just had to find his target. His visor pulled up the schematics of the Island he’d downloaded from Atlas, showing the total layout of the facility. Alarms went off, which meant the Cerberus agents were searching for him. He would have to move fast and stay quiet.

  But one way or another, his mission would end today.

  CHAPTER 12

  Aboard the Icarus, Sentinel sat at the back of the plane, working on a small device. The visor he wore as part of his armor magnified his view on the piece of technology, allowing him to view and manipulate the small components with ease. Sharkskin stood behind him, looking down at what he was working on.

  “What is that?”

  “I’ve been viewing the scans we took of Chronos’ armor,” he said. “Trying to work on a counter-measure.”

  “What kind of counter-measure?”

  Sentinel raised the visor and sighed. “Something that can send him back to his own time. Whether he wants to go or not.”

  “You can do that?” asked Sharkskin.

  Sentinel rubbed his face. “I’m not sure. If I activate his tachyon field, there’s a chance it can send him back to the origin point of his last jump. But there’s also a chance it could overload his tachyon emitter.”

  “What does that mean?”

  “I don’t know,” said Sentinel. “Worst case scenario, it might scatter his molecules.”

  “Oh…” muttered Sharkskin. “That sounds…messy.”

  Sentinel nodded and rubbed his eyes. “Guess I better get to it, though.”

  Sharkskin moved from Sentinel’s small workstation and into the passenger area. He took a seat beside Shift, who glanced over at him and then quickly turned away to stare out the window.

  “Oh come on…” he muttered.

  “I’m not talking to you.”

  “Erin…”

  “Shift. We’re on a mission.”

  Sharkskin sighed and his body changed into its shark-form. “Fine, be that way.” He stood from the seat and moved across the aisle to sit next to Wraith, whose mask hung loosely around his neck.

  “What, you making the rounds or something?”

  “What is with everyone today?”

  Wraith glanced around the Icarus. “Well, Lee’s having a nerdgasm over all this future tech. Boy scout’s struggling with whether or not he’s ready to be back in the field. Anita’s pissed at me for saying J’Karra could be playing her. The Tin Man’s pretty much the same as always. And as for you and Erin…that I’m clueless about.”

  Sharkskin shook his head. “It’s nothing.”

  “Seems pissed at you about something. What, did you forget to ask her to the homecoming dance?”

  Sharkskin scoffed. “Why do I even talk to you?”

  Wraith shrugged.

  They sat in silence after that until Gunsmith stepped around the partition separating the passenger bay from the cockpit.

  “We spoke to Zukov, and it looks like the Island lost contact shortly after sending a distress signal,” he said. “So it’s a good bet Chronos is already there.”

  “Plan of attack?” asked Paragon.

  “Sentinel’s working on something that might be able to take down Chronos. Wraith, since your powers seemed the most effective back in the Adirondacks, you’ll be backing up Sentinel with me. Sharkskin, if Chronos has already started an attack, there may be people in need of rescue. Since we’re in the middle of the ocean, you’re the best man for that job. Shift, you’re also on search and rescue, but your focus is the Island itself. Zenith will try to make sure none of the prisoner cells are compromised, keeping those guys locked up is one of our highest priorities.”

  “And me?” asked Paragon.

  “Find McCabe, get him to safety.”

  “What?” Paragon began to rise from her seat, but Gunsmith held out a hand.

  “Take it easy. The doc’s our friend and he needs protection.”

  “And this has nothing to do with what Chronos said about me?”

  Gunsmith sighed. “We have to be cautious.”

  “We’re approaching the Island,” came Zenith’s voice over the speakers. “There appears to be some chaos on-deck and I’m picking up lifeforms in the water.”

  Gunsmith nodded to Sharkskin, who stood and moved into position at the rear hatch. The door opened and he jumped from the Icarus
, diving into the ocean below. The Icarus approached the deck of the Island, the VTOL system lowering the craft onto its surface.

  ***

  Chronos crawled through the ducts on the Island, his visor displaying his current location. He looked through the vents as he saw Cerberus guards charging past, weapons in hand.

  He’d already moved through a few levels, monitoring the location of the agents aboard the mobile prison. The duct he was in ended at a hall connected to the elevator. And the elevator was what he needed to reach his destination.

  Before exiting the duct, Chronos activated his armor’s built-in scrambler. It would cause interference with any security cameras and he pressed the elevator call button.

  It wouldn’t respond. A security feature, shutting down elevator access in the event of an emergency.

  Wires moved from Chronos’ gauntlet into access ports and overrode the lockdown. The elevator doors opened and he stepped inside. A scanner was at eye-level with him and Chronos stared into it through his visor. The scanner passed over his visor and then he played a recording his armor saved: “Warden Howard McCabe, maximum security level.”

  “Identity confirmed,” came the elevator’s robotic reply and the elevator began its descent towards the most secure level of the facility.

  The doors opened into a long, empty corridor. Chronos stepped out, moving past the empty cells. The Cerberus files he’d accessed in Atlas told him that there were only three prisoners housed in here. A part of him was tempted to release the ones called Exemplar and Lucent. It would definitely provide a necessary distraction while he took care of J’Karra. But from what the files said, they were extremely dangerous and Chronos didn’t want to cause any unnecessary deaths.

  He stopped at the cell his armor told him housed the target. The cell’s opaque screen became clear and he saw her standing with her back to him. J’Karra turned, eyeing him carefully with her catlike, golden eyes.

  “Who are you?” she asked.

  Chronos went to the control panel and overrode the system so the door slid open. He gritted his teeth. The baton fell into his waiting palm and he held it in front of him, activating the laser staff. J’Karra seemed unfazed by the gesture, but more curious about the level of technology he possessed.

  “My name is Chronos,” he said. “Your people killed my family. Prepare to die.”

  CHAPTER 13

  Chronos charged into the cell, swinging the laser staff. J’Karra leapt over his head, flipping and landing behind him. She stood, spun on her heel, and the two faced each other. J’Karra’s yellow braids hung down her shoulders, framing her orange face and her eyes fixated on her liberator/would-be assassin.

  The inhibitor kept her from using her powers, but she still had a lifetime of combat training that would help her last longer. She didn’t know who this strange, armored man was. But she knew he was angry, allowing passion to control his fighting style. And she knew the technology he possessed was beyond anything she’d seen on this planet.

  Chronos came at her again and J’Karra back-flipped, springing off her palms and into the corridor. She pushed off a flip and went towards the wall, planting her feet on the surface and coiling her legs before shooting towards Chronos.

  J’Karra went over his head and threw all her strength to a kick against his back, forcing him to stumble forward. His armor was thick, she felt the pain of hitting it even through her prison-issued boot.

  “Where did you get this armor?” she asked.

  “Recognize it?” asked Chronos. “It’s Kotharian technology.”

  She narrowed her eyes. “You lie.”

  “Let me be more specific—it’s Kotharian tech from the twenty-fifth century.”

  J’Karra’s eyes widened. Kothar’s military scientists theorized that the tachyon generators their ships used to achieve faster-than-light travel could also be used for time travel. But the process was considered too unstable, the risks too great, and the project had been stalled.

  But this man—if he truly traveled from the future as he claimed, then how did a human get his hands on Kotharian technology? And what he said about her people killing his family—that means the invasion was a success.

  “You believe me, I can tell.” Chronos readied his staff. “I’ve spilled a lot of Kotharian blood with this armor. But it’s not enough. Not until I stop what’s coming.”

  ***

  Howard McCabe stood in his office, watching the various monitors and issuing commands to the Cerberus troops. The chaos caused by Chronos’ arrival had gotten the prisoners riled up. He saw surveillance from the deck, with Shift pulling agents from the water who had been rescued by Sharkskin.

  The door opened and McCabe spun on his heel. He breathed in relief when he saw Paragon standing there. “Am I glad to see you.”

  “Sorry we don’t have time for pleasantries.” Paragon crossed the distance from the door to his location. “What are we looking at?”

  “Sharkskin and Shift have pulled anyone who went overboard from the water and they’re starting to transport any injured down to the infirmary,” said McCabe. “I dispatched agents to deal with the prisoners and Zenith arrived to help them out with that. He’s confirmed that the defenses are strong. But there’s one problem.”

  He pointed to a monitor that just had static.

  “Where’s that from?” asked Paragon, although she already had a pretty good idea.

  “The maximum security level,” said McCabe. “I think your new friend has already reached J’Kar—.”

  McCabe felt a sudden gust of wind and turned. Paragon was gone.

  ***

  The elevator doors opened and the trio of Gunsmith, Wraith, and Sentinel were greeted with the scene of a battle between J’Karra and Chronos. Gunsmith ran out first, firing his blasters at both combatants.

  Both spun to face the new threat. While J’Karra flipped and dodged the blasts, Chronos stood his ground and defended himself with his energy shield. Wraith vanished into a portal and appeared behind J’Karra, striking her from behind with his ebon blasts.

  The alien warrior screamed and fell to her knees, curling into a ball. Wraith’s eyes were pitch-black as he channeled the dark energy into her body. Normally, he was indifferent when he used this attack on his enemies. But with what he’d learned of J’Karra, he took great joy from seeing her in despair.

  “Wraith! Remember the plan!” shouted Gunsmith.

  Wraith looked up from J’Karra and was about to attack Chronos as they discussed, but he was gone. A blur of tachyon particles appeared behind Wraith and he felt a searing pain across his back.

  Chronos stood over Wraith, the energy staff in his hand. Wraith lay prone on the ground, the scent of flesh, burnt clothing, and smoke rising up. Chronos fixed his gaze on Gunsmith and Sentinel.

  “Don’t worry, he’ll live. It’s her I’m after.”

  “How’s it going?” Gunsmith whispered, knowing the comm-link would transmit his voice to Sentinel.

  The young technopath continued tinkering with the orb-like device in his hands. “Still working on it.”

  “We’re running out of time.” Gunsmith raised his weapons, his fingers resting on the triggers but not pulling them. He aimed the blasters at his opponent and the eyepiece he wore displayed blinking crosshairs over Chronos’ head.

  “You going to pull the trigger, Gunsmith?” Chronos pointed at J’Karra with the staff. “Let this bitch destroy the world?”

  Gunsmith hesitated. What would be the harm in letting Chronos complete his mission? Zenith informed them over comms that the Island was secure and no criminals had escaped. And Gunsmith had personal experience witnessing how evil could flourish when good men stood by and refused to act in a timely manner.

  The guns quivered in his hands. There was another need growing within him. Even though he knew he could let Chronos kill J’Karra or end the situation without any death, a part of him screamed out for blood.

  “What are you doing?” asked
Sentinel, noticing his leader’s hands.

  “Go on, Gunsmith. Pull the trigger. Kill the human race.” Chronos lowered the staff to J’Karra’s neck, the laser positioned right above her throat.

  “Stop him!” said Sentinel. “I need another minute!”

  The tremor in Gunsmith’s hand became more severe. The crosshairs kept vanishing, unable to get a secure lock on the target. Chronos smiled and raised the staff, about to bring it down to strike.

  But he couldn’t. Something stopped him. He tried to move, yet every muscle in his body remained still as a statue. “What the hell did you do to me?”

  “Okay, got it!” Sentinel threw the orb across the corridor and as it came within range of Chronos, bright, blue lights emitted from it.

  Chronos’ armor reported warnings about the tachyon emitter. It had been activated, although he had no idea how. “No, what are you doing?”

  His mental commands were ignored by the armor and the date selector went mad. Chronos couldn’t keep it steady, with random years flashing across the selector. A message flashed across his visor: CHRONAL EMITTER ACTIVATED.

  “No!”

  Bright, blue light emitted from the suit, and Chronos found himself sucked inside a tachyon portal.

  EPILOGUE

  “And that’s it?” asked Thorne.

  Lee nodded, sitting between Jim and Koji in the monitor room. Anita and Erin were on the other side with Zenith standing across from Thorne. The only one missing was Dom, who was in the infirmary recovering from his wounds. The colonel sighed and sat in his chair.

  “So where is he?”

  “We have no way of knowing for certain,” said Zenith. “I’ve been scanning for the unique energy signature of his tachyon generator, but at the moment I’ve found nothing.”

  “And the Island’s secure?”

  Zenith nodded.

  “What about J’Karra?”

  “Still alive,” said Jim.