The Valkyrie_Genesis

by LK Walker

  Chapter 37

  I’m back to counting down the days. There are only two undisturbed sleeps left before the future comes calling and I’m no more patient than I was the last time I was in this situation. Which is stupid, because I was the one who set the time frame. JT and I haven’t talked at all this week. We’re back to blackout, no contact of any kind, in the hope that the people we leave behind in our bodies will forget what happened. There is no way my memory of the future will somehow disappear from my consciousness, but I go along with the theory anyway.

  I’ve worn Eli’s necklace every day since he gave it to me. I feel more confident with it on. Even though the chances of being abducted again are low, I still look over my shoulder at loud noises and I’m ill-trusting of men in new suits. You don’t live through something like that and it not affect you. But it’s only a necklace, and the glittering stones are not capable of miracles. I can’t completely shake the fear that there’s someone out there looking for me. For now, the feeling is ingrained in my soul. It’ll take a while until it’s only a bad memory. So, the necklace is a keeper.

  ******

  As I’ve done every other night since Eli gave me the necklace, I unhook the catch and place it in a jewelry box that belonged to Mom. The box is a little old fashioned, dark brown wood, with an abalone shell insert in the shape of a rose on its lid. It sits on my nightstand and is the last thing I look at before I turn off the light.

  Refreshing sleeps are harder to come by this week, even without anyone dragging my consciousness into the future. Jack tells me I’m fidgety. He goes so far as to suggest that I should look around for a therapist here. He thought the last one did a great job. I’d love to tell him about storming into Doctor Abrams’ house and threatening him.

  Jack’s under the impression that my clinginess is an aftereffect of all that’s happened lately. But the reality is, I’m so sad to be leaving him, my heart is breaking and I want to hold him for every last minute. Knowing I’m leaving is a private hell. Knowing it and being unable to say goodbye is its own special kind of cruelty.

  Jack must have told Eli he’s worried. It’s not like Eli to ‘pop around after work’, not without an underlying reason. But here he is. He looks sheepish standing on the doorstep having ‘dropped by to say hi’. It’s definitely my mental health that’s brought him here, I can tell by the questions he’s asking. I’m sure he thinks he’s being covert, but his plan is completely obvious. I don’t care, I make the most of him being around and tell him to come inside. While he’s here, I take some photos of the three of us. A brief moment in time I never want to forget. I upload the file to as many different places as I can think of. People like my post on Facebook, the three of us nicely smiling, as if the world is perfect. I don’t care, I was never after their approval. All I want is the picture to be waiting for me in twenty-six years’ time. I want it in a frame on my shelf in the future. A sweet memory of the two most important men in my life.

  Before I go to sleep, I print off the picture and hide it under the tray in my jewelry box, next to my bed, in case the electronic versions don’t make it. For some reason, this sends me over the edge. As calmly as I can, I head to the shower and turn it on so Jack can’t hear me sob. How am I going to give all this up? I’ve only got one more day to come to grips with it.

  Chapter 38

  Tonight’s the night. It all happens once the sun goes down.

  The week is over. There’s nothing more I can do to prepare, not that there was much to start with. I pulled a sickie today. Work just felt like a waste of time. If I go in, my mind wouldn’t be able to focus.

  I’ve spent the morning calling the people I love, to hear their voices one last time. I’ve saved Dad until last. He answers after the first ring. His voice sounds petrified as he asks if we’re all alright. It’s probably a valid reaction these days.

  “I just called to say hi,” I tell him. “No need to panic.” This will be the last time I’ll talk to him—ever. Tomorrow, for some version of me, he’ll be dead. I’m glad he can’t see my face, my eyes are crushed tight to keep the emotions at bay.

  At least he is sounding better, happier than he has for some time.

  “Cara, honey, I was going to give you a call tonight. You beat me to it.” His voice is livelier when he knows I’m safe. “I haven’t talked to your brother yet, but I thought it was time for a visit from your ole dad. See what you two are up to in Seattle. Eli said he has a spare room that I am welcome to have, any time. What do you think?”

  “I’d love to see you.” His timing is lousy, one week earlier would’ve been perfect.

  “I have a lot to make up for. With you two being so far away, it’s given me time to think about my behavior when your mother…” He doesn’t seem to be able to say the word. I want to say it for him—died—but it will sound too harsh. I don’t want to stop what’s coming out of his mouth. It makes me sad and happy in equal measure. I’m getting my Dad back.

  “I want to say I’m sorry. You’ll always be my little girl, and I’ll love you forever. I lost sight of that for a short time.”

  “I love you too Dad. I’ve missed you.”

  “I can’t wait to see you. I’ll get flights booked once I’ve talked to your brother. See you soon.” His voice wavers towards the end.

  It’s the best going away present I could have asked for. My heart aches like it might explode, but it’s worth it.

  By the time Jack gets home from work, a three-course meal is awaiting him. I’ve even gone so far as to put on a nice dress and makeup.

  “What’s the occasion?” he asks, with a bewildered look on his face.

  “Does there need to be one?”

  “So, you’re not feeling too sick then?”

  “That’s why I cooked. I didn’t want to waste a perfectly nice day off.” I smile and flutter my eyelashes.

  Jack shrugs. He won’t analyze the situation when he’s getting a good deal. He especially refrains from commenting later that night, when I grab his hand and lead him off to the bedroom. I’ve made it obvious I mean sex not sleeping.

  Tonight has been perfect, nothing too exciting, but perfect nonetheless. It will be a lasting memory.

  Jack dozes off beside me. The street light illuminates the bedroom enough for me to see his face. He looks content.

  “Good night,” I whisper to him before snuggling down beside him, ready to fall asleep. If I’m going, then this is the perfect ending.

  Chapter 39

  “Well, it’s about bloody time.” JT’s voice rattles next to my ear.

  “Connections secure. Valkyrie’s locked,” Ryan says at the same time.

  I sit up and swivel around so I can see everyone. It’s reassuring to be in the same room as last time. We still have the metallic covering on the walls and Ryan and Indigo are still here to welcome me.

  “You ready to do this, Cara?” JT asks. He’s on his feet and heading to his bed.

  “Where’s Zander? He’s not here, is he?” I’m looking around the room and there’s no sign of him.

  “Noticed that did ya?” JT wrinkles his nose.

  “Zander isn’t able to be here. He’s incredibly sorry.” Indigo looks up for a second to tell me. Whatever she’s doing is more important than explaining where Zander is.

  “Well, tell him to get his arse back here. He made a promise.” I fold my arms across my chest as a sign of defiance. It might help make my point if anybody bothers to look up.

  “He’s not going to make it. He had to go back on his word. And I mean had to. You know him well enough, he’d be here if he could,” Indigo says.

  “Cara, we’re running out of time.” I’ve never heard Ryan so flustered. “We need to move if we’re bringing you through, if we’re making the transfer permanent. Tell me if you still want it to happen. Either way, you need to make the choice now.”

  He’s hooking JT back up to the bed. JT gives me a look that tells me he knows Indigo and Ryan are both on e
dge. I wonder whether it’s worth asking what’s going on. If I do, they’re not going to say, otherwise they would have told me straight away. I’m looking forward to finding out all the secrets that they’ve been hiding.

  “What’s it going to be Cara?” Ryan is pushing me for an answer. In my head, I had imagined this would be a little more ceremonial and way more relaxed. Everyone is plagued with stress and it’s contagious. After a deep breath, I give them my answer.

  “I haven’t changed my mind. Let’s do it.” I blow out the breath and lie back on the bed, swiveling my head so I can see JT. He gives me a nod and a smile.

  “What do we do?” JT asks.

  We’re simply lying here. Ryan and Indigo are making frantic movements behind us. It feels like something should be happening. Nothing is. I feel the same as I always have.

  “Lie still. That’s all you need to do.” Ryan’s comment is delayed as if it was the least important item his brain needed to process. He really is in a state.

  It knocks my anxiety up a step, but I do as I’m told.

  Finally, I feel something. My nerve endings tingle. My brain feels as if it’s floating in warm water.

  “What is it doing?” I ask Indigo quietly.

  “The computer is manipulating the neural pathways in your brain so they are a match with your old brain.” Indigo is busy on the computer as she talks. She relays what she is trying to achieve without emotion. “Now be quiet and lie still.”

  Minutes pass by while Ryan and Indigo frantically work on the computers.

  “JT, you need to sit up.”

  Behind me Indigo’s movements slow. She is watching Ryan, so I do too.

  Ryan has a pair of plyers in his hand. He takes JT by the shoulders and twists his torso until he can see the back of JT’s head. He uses the plyers to grip the head of one of the mimic pins at the base of JT’s skull and draws it out with one quick pull.

  JT immediately grabs at his neck where the pin had been. “What the hell man.”

  “They need to come out.”

  JT whips around to look at Ryan. “There’s more than one?”

  Ryan forces him back facing the other way. “Move your hand.”

  JT does and Ryan grips the other mimic pin and pulls.

  “How far away are you Indigo?” Ryan asks her without looking.

  Indigo mutters something indistinct before adding, “Nearly there.”

  “What the hell were they?” JT asks.

  Ryan briefly explains. The excitement in Ryan’s voice is excessive and his speech is rapid. All of a sudden, he starts counting down from five. When he reaches one, his eyes are as big as golf balls staring at JT as if he might disappear into thin air.

  “How do you feel, JT?” he asks.

  JT glances down at his hands flips them back and forth. “Fine. Why?”

  “We fucking did it!” Ryan screams at the ceiling. He’s grinning from ear to ear.

  “I told you.” Indigo yells but she has a grin just as wide.

  “There was doubt?” JT has to raise his voice to be heard over the celebrating.

  Ryan pats JT’s shoulder. “It’s never been done before. Of course there was doubt.”

  “Didn’t think to share that with us before now?” JT adds.

  One of the computers pings loudly.

  Indigo’s face becomes serious. “Twelve-minute mark.” Her and Ryan share a concerned glance.

  Ryan moves swiftly back to his work station. He rushes around dismantling the computer, pulling out cords from consoles, packing them away.

  “Give me a hand.” He almost yells at JT. “Wind these up and put them in the bag.” Ryan throws a handful of cables at him. They hit JT in the chest and fall to the bed.

  “I’d have thought you’d have gone wireless by now,” JT grumbles as he picks the first one up and starts looping it roughly around his elbow.

  “Trust me, you don’t want the radiation this equipment puts out going through your body, it’s better contained.” JT treats the cables with a little more respect after that.

  “Alright Cara, you’re done. You can sit up.” Indigo taps me on the shoulder.

  I don’t feel any different. I pull the cord off the back of my head. My vision stays stable. I’m seeing this place through my own eyes now.

  Indigo takes the plyers from JT’s bed and kindly asks me to turn away. I swivel on the spot and hold up my hair. The cold tip of the plyers touches skin, and I flinch. She draws out the first pin. The sensation is akin to someone tugging on your spinal cord which I must say is highly unpleasant but not painful like I was expecting. Indigo wastes no time taking out the other.

  “Is that it?” I ask.

  “One minute and we will know for sure if it’s worked. If it hasn’t, the neuron firing patterns will begin to revert to their previous patterns. We will see it as a fairly rapid deterioration of brain function.”

  “It will happen that fast?”

  “The computer will identify the degradation as soon as it begins. An alarm will sound.”

  Painfully slowly, the seconds tick away.

  Indigo hasn’t moved. She grabs my arm. Her breathing is shallow as she watches me.

  “How do you feel.”

  I shrug. “How much longer?”

  “We’ve crossed the threshold.”

  She bundles me in a vice like hug.

  “We bloody did it.” Ryan pumps the air with his fist before opening the door and tearing away a segment of the silver lining.

  “What’s going on?” I ask, hoping to get some answers finally.

  Indigo is handing me cables to pack away. She kicks a black backpack over for me to stack them in.

  The computer lets out a loud bleep. Is that what constitutes an alarm? It beeps again, this time louder and more determined.

  “No. No. No.” Indigo is yelling.

  After everything it hasn’t worked? Is my brain degrading? But I feel fine. Maybe it’s JT. He’s gone rigid on the other side of our beds, staring at me with bulging eyes.

  “Cara?” His voice is gentle, as if he spoke any louder I might break.

  “It didn’t work?” I whisper to Indigo’s back.

  Whether she heard me or sensed my inactivity, she now turns to see what I’m doing. “Sorry. The computer has picked up a tracker.” She says. “Our time here was always limited. We had hoped we would have more.”

  “The people that destroyed your compound. Who are they?” I ask.

  “A very well financed corporation. We’ve outwitted them so far. But they’re not our biggest threat. Right now, that would be our own lot, the Cypher.”

  “What sort of name is that?” I almost laugh at it.

  “Eli used to tease you for not getting a Si chip implanted. That’s what his nickname was for you. It means empty, like zero. I guess it stuck.”

  “Wait. Go back. You’re worried about the friendlies?”

  “After your untimely demise in the future, we had a change of leadership. Our new leader made changes to the running of our organization. If you’d had your way, we would stop the corporation without anyone knowing. You never wanted to be a hero.”

  “And now?”

  “Now, our new leader wants glory. He wants his name in the history books. Bringing you forward is going to jeopardize that. He wants this whole time-shift project shut down. We are under strict instructions not to bring you forward.”

  “Good to see you're compliant,” JT jokes.

  “I have no idea what he’ll do now that you’re here,” Indigo says.

  “Why wouldn’t he know where we are?” I’m starting to wonder what the hell I’ve stepped into.

  “After you were kidnapped, we only maintained contact with a few we wholly trusted. But the Cypher know what to look for in terms of the radiation markers our equipment sends out when we have an active connection with the past. They set off the warning bells. Zander’s been keeping them busy the last few days. Drawing them away. That’s why he�
�s not here, why he had to break his promise. If they’d found us, they would’ve shut us down before we could pull you through, permanently. After the massive radiation spike the computers just generated, the Cypher now know they were chasing the wrong person, they know where we are and probably so will the corporation. We have to get the hell out of here before either of them shows up.”

  Indigo’s hands are moving fast, stacking equipment into the backpack. My mouth opens to ask more, but Indigo holds her hand up. “There’ll be time to tell you more later. Now’s not it.” There is something in her voice that stops me asking anything further.

  Did I make the wrong choice coming here?

  It takes less than two minutes to pack away the gear.

  “Let’s get out, now.” Ryan’s voice booms in the small area.

  “What about the gear in the side room,” Indigo asks. Her eyes are darting around the small space. I have no idea what she’s looking for.

  “Leave it running, they’ll think we’re still here. It might buy us some more time. Move.” Indigo understands the urgency. She closes the case, grabs the backpack and slings it onto her back, holding it in place with one hand. The other hand grabs my sleeve and jerks me forward. “You heard the man, move.” She drags me from the room. JT’s already out, trailing along behind Ryan.

  We sprint down a short unlit corridor. The light from the room we came from is enough to see the exit at the end. Ahead of me, Ryan opens the door, ushers JT forward and waits for Indigo and me to head through it before following us out.

  We’re outside in the new world.

  There are buildings all around us. None of them are above two-storeys. From the middle of the street, I can see the night sky above me, a few stars are dotted amongst the clouds. Indigo plants a firm hand on my back to keep me moving.

  Ryan overtakes us, running towards a car parked on the other side of the road. I glance inside as he opens the door and flops into the driver’s seat. He appears to be fiddling with something on the dash, I have no idea what. Then he climbs back out, slamming the door closed. The car drives away by itself, with no more noise than the stones grinding under the tires. It accelerates rapidly. Red brake lights glow for a heartbeat before it screeches around the corner at the end of the street and then it’s gone from sight.