by Brad Raylend
“Be sure to look up whether or not I was born when you get back to the future,” Todd chuckled.
“You got it.”
The students began flowing out of the cargo bay and into the adjacent room, watching from inside the pressurized cabin. Albrecht remained outside. Todd looked at Kara, giving her a hand signal to give him a moment. The visor of his helmet slid up and he walked over to Albrecht, who blinked rapidly, most likely holding back his emotions.
“You take care of her … okay,” he said, his voice shaky, eyes watery.
“I will, Brian … I promise,” Todd said, holding out his hand.
Brian nodded, looking back at his godchild, whom he didn’t even recognize within the sleek suit. “I believe you,” he said. He took Todd’s hand, placing his other hand on top.
“We’ll be back,” Todd said confidently.
Albrecht did his best to smile, but his eyes dropped to the ground in a way that displayed his disbelief. Either way, he was happy to see her finally leaving the confines of the facility. Although he would worry for her, it would put him at ease to know she was finally free. He smiled at her, then stepped into the pressurized room. The door locked and hissed. Todd walked up to Kara, closing his helmet once more and shaking his head to ensure the visor was snug.
“Okay, the communications setting is free-flowing, so you don’t have to activate a push to talk or anything of the sort in order for me to hear you. Just speak, and I’ll hear you.”
Her black helmet nodded timidly. He looked down at his MTX. Only six minutes remained until they were over Highway 41.
“Okay, let’s hook up,” he said, motioning her to turn around.
She turned, facing the closed ramp. He stepped into her, pressing his stomach against her back. He began clipping the metal D rings of her harness to his, ensuring over and over that they were firmly seated. He then pressed on her, making sure there was minimal gap between their bodies.
“Feel okay?” he asked.
Her helmet nodded once more. He chuckled within his helmet. “Don’t worry, I was way more frightened the first time I jumped out of a perfectly good airplane. I think you’re doing fine. If you go unconscious I’ll know; I have a live feed of you inside my helmet.”
“That’s reassuring,” she said softly.
He leaned over to the skin of the aircraft and flicked the switch to the ramp. The ramp hissed and shrieked as it slowly opened. Kara’s heart began to pound in her chest as the dark sky slowly presented itself. Her wide eyes behind the visor gazed out into the cloud-splotched sky below them. Beneath the clouds, she could see the lights of a dense city. Beyond it was an endless body of water that stretched out as far as the eyes could see. She breathed out slowly, trying to calm herself.
“Thirty seconds!” D said over the radio.
Todd moved her to the edge of the ramp. Every nerve in her body made her want to crawl back inside of the plane. She swallowed hard, closing her eyes, listening to her heart race. She didn’t even notice her HUD, which was actively tracking their altitude and speed. She was stricken with fear and adrenaline.
“Ten seconds!”
She breathed out once more, readying herself for the sickening feel of falling. Todd’s calm voice came into her ear. “Remember, relax your body. Don’t fight the wind. I’ll do all the flying.”
“Five … four … three … two …”
She closed her eyes tightly. Her body tensed up, then she quickly remembered what Todd had told her. Tensing up could cause them to tumble through the air, so she breathed out, relaxing every muscle in her body.
“Go!” D called out.
Todd leaned forward and she felt the ramp leave her feet as the two tipped forward and off the edge. The two dropped off the ramp head first; looking up, Kara could see the transparent belly of the plane as it flew away. She gasped, closing her eyes tightly. Todd extended his arms out past his head, catching the relative wind. Their bodies quickly leveled out and began an even descent towards the clouds.
She felt the fast air beneath her, yet she didn’t feel as though she was falling. She slowly opened her eyes and looked upon the most beautiful sight she had ever seen. All around her was a clear night sky. The stars wrapped around them as if they were in space; below them, the clouds approached slowly. Beneath the clouds, the moon cast a large white reflection off the ocean, pointing towards the small city lights far below on the coastline. Her wide eyes became accompanied by a smile. Todd dipped his right arm and the two did a half-turn towards the east. The loud winds rushing past her made it impossible to hear, but she marveled in the moment.
As they continued to fall towards the earth, Kara’s heart raced. She continued to look around at the rising earth. She traced the coastline up to the horizon from where the mainland separated from Miami Beach. She felt the back of her helmet bump Todd’s visor.
Todd laughed. “You okay down there?” he called out over the loud winds.
She was too astonished to answer. Todd looked at his wrist and saw that the deploying altitude was approaching fast. He tucked his wrists inward, showing Kara his MTX, which displayed the pulsing DEPLOY button. She braced herself and he tapped the button. The canopy slithered out of its container and quickly inflated and the two jerked upwards. Suddenly there was silence all around them. The calm winds brushed past them as Todd gently maneuvered the canopy through the air.
“Unreal, huh!” Todd said.
“Wow!” she said excitedly.
Todd laughed and pulled down on his right toggle, gently orientating them along the long highway several thousand feet below them. She never stopped looking around as they floated through the air.
“Hang on, okay,” Todd said.
He buried the left toggle, and the left side of the parachute buckled, putting them in a downward spin. Kara laughed, and Todd smiled and let up on the toggles, leveling them out.
“I … I can’t believe this is really happening,” Kara said.
“It never gets old,” Todd said. “There is something special about it.”
She looked down at her dangling feet. The pencil-thin highway ran directly between them. She could see the lights of tiny little cars, like insects moving down the road. She giggled and looked up to see a dark cloud approaching them. Todd veered off course slightly, skirting the side of the fluffy cloud. Kara extended her hand towards it, smiling as her black gloved hand disappeared in the thick mass as they combed the side of it. Todd couldn’t help but smile, seeing the joy on her face in the minimized screen in his HUD. The cloud passed, giving way to a breathtaking view of Miami to their front with the ocean just beyond it.
“Perfect,” Todd said softly.
* * *
The students and Albrecht stared at the black opening in the back of the plane. Albrecht couldn’t help but feel sadness to know that Kara wasn’t with him and safe. He felt like he had the worries of a father who was releasing his child into the world. Amber came to his side, putting her arm around him and leaning her head on his shoulder.
“She’ll be fine, Professor,” Amber said gently.
“I know … it was meant to be.”
Just then, the back door to the room opened. Bohden stepped in, wearing one of the suits, a parachute rig fastened on him. He stormed to the front of the room, squeezing past the large crowd within the room.
“Steven! What are you doing?” Albrecht asked, following him out of the airlock room and into the cargo bay.
“Go back inside, Brian!” Bohden called out, using the electronic voice intercom within the helmet. “You will go unconscious in minutes.”
“Bohden … what are you planning to do?”
Bohden stepped to the hinge of the ramp and stared down at the large peninsula below him. He looked up at the moon, then turned towards Albrecht. “I’m not going to jeopardize everything we have accomplished by putting our lives in his hands. I’m going to ensure York doesn’t kill their father.”
Albrecht’s eyes widened
and he stepped towards him. “Please Steven, don’t do this. There is still time. He will succeed, I trust him!” he yelled over the roaring winds.
“Your trust is too easy to earn,” Bohden said grimly. “Kara’s life … my life, is in danger now because you trust a man you don’t even fully know! I’m not going to sit back and wait to disappear from this world!”
He turned and ran to the edge of the ramp, diving off of it into the blackness. Albrecht felt dizziness overwhelming him; his vision began to darken and he started to see stars in the corners of his eyes. His brain was not getting enough oxygen and he was slowly slipping into hypoxia. He stumbled towards the airlock door, fumbling with the switch to open it. The door slid open from the inside and Kevin stepped out and grabbed him, quickly pulling him inside. He set him down against the wall, looking back into the room and yelled to the others to get an O2 system. Students quickly ran out of the room towards the med bay.
Albrecht was beginning to regain his consciousness, breathing in the oxygen within the room. “We … we have to …”
“Don’t talk, Brian, save your oxygen,” Kevin said, reaching down and picking him up.
“We … have to warn them,” he said as Kevin carried him out of the room. “Tell D to send a mess—”
THE GOLDEN YEARS
Todd and Kara came swooping in only a few feet off the ground. The pavement below them came quick, and without Todd’s night vision it would have been almost impossible to see. There was a break in between the passing cars and he took advantage of this to land on the side of the road. He landed, being careful not to trip over Kara in front of him.
“Phew!” he said over the radio, “good thing that was one of my better landings.”
Todd began unclipping her from him, being conscious to not touch her inappropriately as he loosened her leg straps. She continued to stare up into the night sky, not saying a word. He looked up at the corner of his HUD at the video feed of her face. Her eyes were wide with a look of a newfound astonishment and understanding.
“You okay?” he asked.
“That was absolutely incredible,” she said softly. “How many times have you done that?”
He stood up, ensuring the pouches on his web gear were secured. “Hmm,” he thought for a moment, “that would have to be around four hundred and twenty jumps for me.”
“Over four hundred?” she asked in amazement.
“Yeah … and believe it or not … that’s very few compared to more serious jumpers.” Todd chuckled, then saw a small set of headlights heading towards them. He turned towards Kara, motioning at his hand.
“Here comes a car! Quick, cloak yourself.”
The two turned invisible and made their way farther off the side of the road, ducking beneath the thick trees. They watched as the car raced past them, speeding towards the city. The car itself looked ancient; it was loud and Todd scowled as it roared past them.
“Jeez!” he said.
“What?”
“Cars sure are loud here.”
Kara smiled. “Well cars are all powered by gasoline during this time, and most of them are operated with manual transmissions.”
“Great!” he said. “Driving is going to be a pain in the butt!”
The two sat on the side of the road, quietly talking for several minutes. Todd listened as Kara spoke of the technological transformation from gas to battery-powered cars from the twentieth to the twenty-first century. Todd then had an idea. He ran back into the woods, causing Kara to stop talking and watch curiously. She listened to him rustle around in some bushes, then she heard the crunching and snapping of tree branches. He returned, carrying a large bundle of branches and a few thin logs. He knelt down next to her, holding the lumber in his arm.
“What are you doing?” she asked.
“We need a ride,” he said. “Keep a look out for a pickup, or even better, a semi.”
Several cars passed by, leaving them waiting in the dark for nearly an hour. Using the magnification feature in his visor, he spotted a large semi carrying two vehicles on its flat bed. He quickly ran out into the road, placing the thick branches out on the right lane. He then ran back to Kara.
“Okay … when he slows down to go around the debris, you and I are going to hop on the back of the trailer.”
She looked at him as if he were insane. She thought for a moment, then nodded in agreement.
“Stay right behind me, okay?”
She nodded once more. He looked back down the road to see the large truck approaching. The loud diesel engine roared and the brakes hissed as the driver slowed. The wheels cranked to the left and the truck began slowly pulling into the left lane.
“Now!” Todd said.
The two transparent figures ran onto the road. Todd quickly hopped up onto the trailer, grabbing ahold of a chain which secured one of the vehicles. He looked back, reaching his hand out to Kara. She reached out and he grabbed her, pulling her up to him. He assisted her up into the bed of a small pickup truck strapped to the rear of the trailer. The two sat down with their backs to the truck’s cab. Todd looked back towards the front, ensuring the driver had not spotted them. The semi quickly curved back into the right lane and began speeding up down the long highway.
“Nicely done!” he said.
“Thanks,” Kara said, smiling, no doubt finding excitement in all of the night’s events.
The dash marks on the road flew past them in a blur in the red taillights and disappeared. The moon lay above the long stretch of highway, shining down on the body of water that paralleled the road. Kara sat with her knees up to her chest, looking out at the darkness behind them in deep thought. Todd rested his arm on the side of the truck bed. He looked over at her, only able to see her because of thermal imagining. Her body was a warm red and orange, the world around her a cool dark blue.
Part of him wanted to scoot closer to her. It was the first time he had ever had someone with him on a mission who wasn’t a fellow Operator. He usually had an unwavering focus and stern demeanor while on an op. Nothing in the world could shake him from his combat mindset and his attention to detail when he was truly in it. Yet this time it was different; he felt somewhat insecure and distracted.
He was having a difficult time staying focused on the mission at hand. Ordinarily he would be going through every scenario in his head, trying to stay two steps ahead of whatever unexpected occurrence could possibly present itself to hinder the mission’s success. However, no matter how hard he tried, all he could think about was her.
His mind went to York and his relationship with Kara. He wondered what would happen when she finally met him outside of the facility. Would he instantly come to his senses, drop whatever he was doing and embrace her? The thought of this made Todd feel a familiar bitterness towards the current task. It almost made him want to fail. What was he going to gain from all this? Yes, he would obviously save his own existence, but was that truly even worth it? He had almost died twice already. According to every natural law he should be dead anyway. Maybe he was as he had previously considered: an anomaly. Maybe he didn’t belong. Maybe there was only room in this world for one Todd York.
A bump in the road shook him out of his daydreaming. He looked up to see Kara’s dark helmet orientated towards him. The illumination from the night sky faintly refracted through her transparent figure. He turned, raising to a low crouch, and peeked over the cab of the truck. The right side of the road was dark and shielded from the moonlight by thick trees and vegetation. Off to the left, the river running alongside the road was beginning to thin out as the road began to widen and lead into a large intersection. Todd ducked down, sitting next to Kara. The street lights passed over them and the semi hissed to a stop. Todd looked around at the many cars making their way through the intersection. He couldn’t help but notice how blocky the cars appeared. Off to his right, a lipstick red car that looked very sporty revved its engine. The sound of it made him stare in awe at the powerful machine. The driver
had his stereo at full blast. Heavy electronic beats were heard over the engine itself.
“That’s a Ferrari 308!” Kara’s voice said over comm.
“That’s a Ferrari?” Todd asked in disbelief. “Looks like an electric razor with wheels.”
The Ferrari didn’t waste time when the light turned green. It bolted through the intersection and down the long stretch of road.
Kara watched it race off, gripping the side of the truck bed.
“You’re into cars?” Todd asked curiously.
The diesel engine rumbled as they continued on down the road. “Not really, I just find it fascinating how technology changes very little over time.”
Todd canted his head. “How do you figure? We were pretty advanced in our time.”
“It may seem that way, but think about it, Todd … our phones may get better service, and our cars may be more efficient, but are we really that much more advanced? We can’t even prove how the Earth was created, only eight percent of the Earth’s oceans have been explored, and the farthest man has made it in space is the moon.” She giggled, bringing her knees up to her chest and hugging them. “If you think about it, all we really have done is made things smaller and flashier.”
“Hmm.” Todd looked at his MTX then back at Kara. “What about the tech you guys have made at the facility? What about time travel?”
Kara thought for a moment, she canted her head. “The world will never know it exists, nor should it ever know. Could you imagine what someone could do with such power?” She shook her head. “A single person could destroy everything we know.”
They continued down the long highway talking with one another. The whole time, Todd felt a sort of enjoyment in his overall complacency for the mission. It was nice to be distracted for once.
“So … Odin is a time machine, huh?” Todd asked.
A smile began to form on her face. She didn’t answer; she was not going to try and mislead him from what he already knew. “Yes … surely you must understand the reasons for why they didn’t tell you …”