Same Self

by Brad Raylend

  The air in front of him shifted in an unnatural way, causing him to freeze. Suddenly, he felt a hard blow hit him just above the eye. He fell backwards, catching himself from falling off. He looked back and the bright sun reflected off the transparent figure standing before him. He quickly went for a magazine but felt a pair of hands grab him by the collar of his coat. He quickly grabbed ahold of one of the invisible hands with his left hand, and with his right began using the butt of the 1911 to hammer punch York’s helmet. He could feel the metal handle smashing into the helmet’s visor, causing it to crack. York released his grip slightly, giving Todd the chance to break away from his hold.

  Todd stood and faced him; he could see a visible crack in the transparent visor, which was causing distortion in the helmet’s micro-imaging system. Todd reached for his last mag but felt nothing on his belt. It must’ve fallen out during the fighting.

  York reached down and uncloaked himself, revealing the futuristic armored suit. The two stared at each other for a moment, then York charged.

  The tough skin of the suit made his blows seem even harder and more lethal as the hard-knuckled gloves delivered bruising blows to Todd’s forearms. He slowly backed up, blocking his combinations of jabs and hooks. He waited for a right hook, which he knew would be soon. It came, and Todd caught it. Thrusting his back into York, he pulled his arm over his shoulder and attempted to throw him.

  However, York recognized what was coming and quickly wrapped both his arms around Todd’s neck, making him roll forward onto his back atop York. York began to squeeze hard on Todd’s jugular, causing his face to redden and the veins in his neck to protrude from the skin. He lowered his chin, forcing a gap just big enough to impede the choke’s effectiveness. He forced York’s arm up and over his head and then quickly jumping to his feet. Todd grabbed the shotgun which lay a few feet away. He cranked on the lever, sending an empty shell out of the breach and shut it, leveling the sights on York. He pulled the trigger and was greeted with a disappointing click.

  York froze for a moment. Not at the fact of being at gunpoint, but because of how quick Todd had acted to attempt to kill him. York had no intentions of killing Todd; he had only attempted to subdue him long enough for him to make his getaway. The thought of killing his same-self had not even crossed his mind. Yet he would now be dead if Todd would have had a loaded cartridge in the shotgun. York turned to see the front of the train making its approach to his intended destination. The track curved around through a mountain pass and led to a large bridge that spanned across a deep valley, with the fast-flowing river nearly three hundred feet below. York turned back to Todd, who had ditched the shotgun and was now rechecking his belt for .45 caliber ammunition.

  “You have to let me do this, Todd,” York called out over the loud pistons and the screeching metal of the train.

  Ensuring he had no more ammunition, Todd holstered his 1911 and stood up to face York. The wind and the shifting roof beneath them made them sway back and forth. The train rounded the bend in the tracks, passing beneath the shadow of the large hill. The firm tracks gave way as they reached a slightly more wobbly bridge span, which forced the two men to squat down in order to maintain their balance. York looked down at the MTX, then looked back up at Todd.

  “It has to be this way,” York said, turning and facing the side of the train, looking out over the deep valley passing beneath them.

  Todd then realized what he was about to do. York steadied himself and reached back to ensure his parachute container was intact. He leaned back then lunged off of the train. Todd quickly sprinted towards the side and dove off after him. He caught him in midair and the two plummeted in a spin towards the earth’s surface. Todd quickly wrapped his arms and legs around York, bracing for the opening shock. Todd quickly grabbed York’s extended left arm and pressed the “Initiate” button on the MTX. There was a loud boom, then the container burst open, letting out a wad of black material that quickly caught the wind and inflated above them. There was a hard jerk upwards which forced Todd to lose his grip and slip off. Todd’s eyes widened and he felt his stomach become overwhelmed with the sickening feeling of falling. He braced himself to feel his body smash into the shallow waters below. He tensed up, then felt himself become engulfed in cool water. He sank fast and yet the water was deep enough to slow his momentum before hitting the bottom.

  He felt his head hit the hard river bottom and he saw stars fill his dark peripherals. The fast-moving waters yanked him for several meters down to the rocky floor before he was able to gain his bearings and reach the surface, gasping for air. He continued being pulled downstream, being splashed with white water and bumping into hard rocks below him. Todd could feel the MTX still in his hand and he grasped it firmly as he used every ounce of energy he had to begin swimming to shore. The stream mellowed for a few hundred meters and Todd took advantage of this to make his way to the side, crawl-stroking as hard as humanly possible, his heart pounding in his chest, and his limbs throbbing.

  The shoreline finally came into reach and he latched onto a large rock, fighting the river’s relentless pull. He crawled out and rolled over onto his back on the pebble-filled sand. He breathed heavily, coughing up the salty river water. He looked over at his hand which clutched the MTX tightly. A smile spread over his face, surprised with himself at his ability to wrench the MTX off of York’s suit while in freefall, as well as maintain his grip on it during the rough ride down the river.

  “Perfect,” Todd grunted.

  It took almost two hours for Todd to make his way out of the valley. He stumbled through the desert, trying to find any sign of civilization. Everything looked exactly the same, though he was certain that they had made a time jump. He was beginning to feel his body break down. Blood streamed down the back of his head from hitting the river bottom. He was certain that he had suffered a minor concussion, and he was now walking through an endless desert with no end in sight. He pulled the MTX out of his duster pocket and unlocked it. The screen transitioned to the time wheel, which was still set on the time which York had entered: 1986.

  “What the …” Todd paused, then something on the horizon caught his eye. He walked towards it. It was large and cast a long shadow towards him. He raised his hand over his eyes to shield them from the sun. The tall object came into view, and he realized he was only looking at the thin side of it. He walked around to the front of it and the large broken neon lights presented a familiar, yet very old-looking advertisement for Coca-Cola. He canted his head in confusion at the odd-looking bottle the drink was advertised in, which appeared to be glass. Next to the sign lay an aged pavement road with faded yellow dashes running down the center of it. The road was as straight as the flat horizon and stretched as far as the eye could see.

  He sat down next to the road in the shade of the Coke sign wondering what to do. He had no idea where York was and was especially confused as to why York had jumped to the ‘80s. Maybe it had been an accident while Todd had pulled the MTX off of his wrist while they were falling. He opened the MTX and looked at the numbered wheels. There was no way his thumb had swiped them so precisely by accident to go from the year that it had been, which was “2016” to the current year of “1986.” Perhaps York had intended to come here, but why? Maybe it had something to do with the Cold War, but why would he come back? The Cold War came to an end in only five years. What could he possibly try to alter?

  Todd suddenly had an epiphany; his eyes widening at his sudden grasp of what he believed to be the truth behind all this. He felt an awful feeling sweep over him as he sat on the side of the endless road. He laid back and stared up at the bright blue sky; his eyes began to feel heavy, and his aching body welcomed his motionless state. He hadn’t slept in over thirteen hours and he was feeling the consequences of it. Wincing as the gash on his head touched the rough sand and pebbles below him, he rolled over to his side, staring at his outstretched hand. His eyes slowly closed as the soft winds blew over him.

  Sudden
ly there was a large boom that made him sit up. He looked down the road to see a large wall of dust and sand coming towards him. He stood up quickly and prepared to run, but stopped when he noticed Odin’s silver nose protrude through the thick cloud. He stood in astonishment, uncertain of what his own eyes were seeing.

  The plane slowed, then came to a complete stop on the wide road. Its large wingspan stretched out over the desert; its wheels lined the edges of the road. Todd stumbled towards the plane, picking up speed as he neared. It took every last bit of energy he had to walk the few hundred meters. He passed beneath the large wing and walked to the rear of the aircraft, below the tail. The ramp made a loud hissing noise, then slowly began to drop in front of him, revealing the dark, futuristic interior. The ramp touched the pavement road and the hissing stopped. Todd wobbled as he stepped towards the opening. His eyes finally adjusted, and standing at the hinge of the ramp was Albrecht and Kara. Kara’s eyes widened. Todd did his best to smile, then collapsed on the edge of the ramp. He could hear Albrecht rush over to him, calling to several students.

  As Todd faded out, he felt himself gently picked up and rushed into the inside of the plane.

  FRAGO

  An all too familiar blinding white light made him wince and his eyes slowly opened. He could feel the rough air passing beneath Odin as he lay in the examination bed of the med room. There was an uncomfortable feeling of adhesive pulling on the small hairs of his left arm. He rolled his head over to his left shoulder to see the large IV bag that was slowly distributing its life-saving fluids into the crook of his arm. He lay in only his briefs; there were bandages on multiple areas of his body covering wounds he hadn’t even known were present.

  There was a tight gripping feeling from the bandages wrapped around his head. He was going to raise his hands to feel it, but stopped when he realized his right hand was being held by another.

  He looked over to see Kara sleeping in the chair next to the bed; her head rested on her arm, and long, stray hairs fell across her closed lids. Her extended hand was holding Todd’s. A warm feeling spread throughout his body. He exhaled and laid back, feeling a sense of absolute comfort. He studied her for a moment. Her beauty was overwhelming and made him question whether or not he was truly awake. Perhaps he had died in the desert. How could they have found him so quickly, and why hadn’t they told him that Odin was capable of time travel? He thought about this for a moment, then realized that they must have used the MTX to find his location. The thought of the MTX made his mind return to the epiphany he had several hours earlier. His body froze at the idea.

  “Oh no …” Todd said softly.

  Kara’s eyes slowly opened. She looked up to see Todd’s eyes shift over to her. She quickly sat up, pulling her hand away and placing both hands in her lap. It was only then that Todd realized how cold it was on the plane.

  “What … what year is it?” Todd asked, rubbing his tired eyes.

  “It’s still 1986,” she said softly.

  She stood up from her chair and leaned over him. Her blue eyes looked down at him with a look that he hoped was affection.

  “What is it?” he asked.

  She shook her head “I … can’t stand to see you like this anymore.” Her eyes widened. Her hands fumbled in front of her. “Every time you return … it’s like you’re one step closer to death.”

  Todd sat up on the bed. She backed away slightly; her eyes danced to the floor, then closed.

  “Please don’t do this anymore. I can’t bear to watch you suffer because of all this … because of us.”

  “Kara …” Todd said gently.

  “No,” she interrupted. “I won’t be a part of this anymore. It hurts too much.”

  Todd spoke sympathetically, “Kara, I don’t want this to affect you … but I have to go back out there.”

  “Why?” she asked, her brow arced, displaying her saddened eyes. “Why do you insist on killing yourself? Why can’t you just accept that you can’t change fate; that what happens in the future was meant to be?” She paused for a moment, then whispered. “You’re just like him.”

  “No!” Todd snapped angrily. “I am nothing like him … don’t ever say that again!”

  She looked up at him; her timid posture revealed itself at his aggressive response. Her eyes stayed locked on him intently. She knew there had been conflict between York and Todd, but what had York done to make Todd completely despise him? What could a man possibly do to make his same-self hate him? He looked the same, but was he the same? It was the same plane, the same med room. The same bed where York had lain so many times, insisting on returning to the past. Here he was yet again insisting on returning, but this time it was different. It wasn’t out of an obsessive compulsion to continue what he had started. She could tell it was more than that. It was out of desperation.

  Todd looked her in the eyes as he sat up on the bed; the only thing holding him back was the IV tube taped to his arm. His hard stare eased as he looked at her.

  “Kara … he’s going to kill …”

  Just then, Bohden came storming into the med room, waving crunched papers that were without a doubt copies of Todd’s transmissions. Kara backed away from the bed, and Todd laid back down, rolling his eyes.

  “Are you insane?” Bohden said at a volume just under a yell. “You have jeopardized the entire operation by making us risk being compromised in order to retrieve you!” He stopped at the foot of the bed and threw the papers down. “And it was all for nothing, considering you totally failed your primary objective by supplying York with another suit and completely losing track of him. Now we have absolutely no idea where he’s going, nor do we have the slightest clue as to why we are currently flying around in U.S. airspace in 1986!”

  Todd scratched the stubble on his jaw, avoiding eye contact with Bohden who was doing his best to intimidate Todd with his aggressive posture. Todd had a lot of questions himself, one being why hadn’t they told him that Odin was a time machine? Though he didn’t appreciate Bohden being so forward, he understood his frustration. They had invested a lot of time to make Todd ready for one mission. One mission that he had failed to complete. It made him uncomfortable; most likely they would no longer want him involved with the program as he and his same-self in reality had caused them nothing but trouble. He needed them to trust him, he needed them to give him one more chance. His entire existence could be depending on it.

  “You have every right to be angry,” Todd said calmly. “I have risked the lives of everyone on this plane. But you need to trust me when I tell you that you must give me another chance.”

  “Why the hell would I do that?” Bohden said angrily.

  “Because if you don’t let me go back … very soon, you and I will cease to exist.”

  Bohden looked at him in disbelief. “What the hell are you talking about?”

  Todd sat up, pulling the IV from his arm and tearing off the medical tape. He stood up on the opposite side of the bed, instantly feeling the soreness throughout his body. He looked at Kara, then over at Bohden.

  “York is going to ensure that he and I are never born … he’s going to kill our father.”

  Bohden stared at him in silence for what felt like several minutes. He shook his head, eyes not leaving Todd. “York’s nuts. How is that my problem? At this point, I can’t say I don’t blame him.”

  Kara’s beautiful eyes shot daggers at Bohden. She couldn’t believe what she was hearing. Todd looked down at the floor, insulted by Bohden’s words. He breathed out his nose loudly, flexing his jaw. He looked back up at Bohden and raised an eyebrow. “I think it concerns you … because if I recall correctly, he saved your sorry ass a few years before you brought him into this.”

  Bohden’s eyes widened and the creases in his face relaxed. As much as it pained him, he knew Todd was correct, and his recollection chilled him to the bone. York and Bohden had once been good friends. Combat had forged their close bond and it was time at the facility that had slowly ero
ded that bond. Their opposing beliefs had sparked much friction between the two of them and had eventually led to them never talking to one another except for when Bohden would brief him on an upcoming mission. He knew that there was no longer a friendship between him and York, and he also knew how stubborn he was. He wouldn’t hesitate to act upon his plan.

  Todd began dressing, a grimace on his face as he gently pulled on a t-shirt that he found folded next to the bed. He stepped into a pair of sweatpants and leaned up against the bed. Kara was silently standing in the corner, her eyes not leaving Todd.

  Bohden shook his head. “How can you be so sure of this? Did he tell you?”

  “No,” Todd said. “He didn’t have to. I know how he thinks … and I must stop him. It’s why you brought me here, right?”

  Albrecht didn’t seem as surprised as the others when he heard the news. Todd, Albrecht, and Bohden sat in the monitoring room in silence, all pondering Todd’s idea. Albrecht had cleared the room only moments prior. The three looked at each other from across the table, waiting for someone to speak. Albrecht broke the silence by clearing his throat. “How much time do we have?” he asked.

  Bohden was uneasy with the entire situation. He didn’t trust Todd at all, and he didn’t appreciate Albrecht immediately taking his side on the issue. Plus, the fact that his life was now on the line was beginning to make him feel detached and impatient.