by D. L. Orton
And my time runs out at midnight—which is four short hours away.
The lock on the game room door clicks, and we both glance up.
Lani comes in, clipboard in hand. “Making any headway?”
“We’ve got all the hardware configured,” I say. “And the status checks all pass—”
“That sounds like progress,” she says and walks over to Matt’s bedside.
“—but the targeting is giving us fits.” I look up at Matt. “Figuratively speaking.”
“Do you have any idea where it’s going to send you?” she asks and starts checking Matt’s vitals.
“No,” I say. “But I’m hoping somewhere close to the cabin—and Isabel.”
“But you expect to arrive before Doomsday mutates,” she says. “Is that right?”
“Yes,” I say, still typing on the computer. “Last I heard, my version of Dave was planning to build a biodome—the Bub, probably—and I’m hoping he succeeded.”
She checks Matt’s eyes and then rests her hand on his shoulder. “You still feeling fine? No headaches, numbness, or dizzy spells?”
“Not a one,” he says. “Now that everyone is safe and sound, I feel better than I have in months.”
“Don’t we all,” she says and picks up her clipboard. “Uh, D-Diego?”
I stop typing and turn to her. “What is it, Lani?”
“My brother, Sam.” She touches the burn scars on her face. “If you get back before the virus spreads, do you think you could… try to warn him?”
I remember her telling me about the day they sealed the Bub. She had persuaded Dave to get Sam a ticket to join her Inside. But when she went to collect her brother, the two of them got caught up in a panicked mob. Lani was severely burned by a flamethrower in the ensuing melee—and Sam was killed.
“Of course,” I say. “I’ll do everything in my power to help him.”
And you, I silently add.
“Thank you.” She forces a smile and then walks to the door. “I’ll be back in an hour to check on both of you. Let me know if you need anything.”
She checks that the coast is clear and exits.
A while later, Custer presses his nose against the small window, trying to see what we’re up to. He’s been checking up on us every hour, but he doesn’t have an access card for the door, and James took away his gun. When he determines that we’re not doing anything new, he disappears—probably reporting back to his boss.
So far, Dave hasn’t shown his face inside the Magic Kingdom.
Given that both James and Isabella would just as soon strangle him as give him the time of day, I don’t imagine he’s too anxious to ring the doorbell.
At least I don’t have to worry about him—just the damn targeting software.
“Damn it.” I bang my fist against the desk. “The program keeps asking me to present the targeting object.”
Now that Lani’s gone, Matt sits up on the edge of the bed. “Are you sure you can’t remember anything about that?”
“No,” I say. “But we had trouble with the targeting too. I think that’s why I ended up in this universe instead of the one I was expecting.”
He takes off his reading glasses and rubs his eyes. “Was there something you had to put in the coffin before you got in?”
“Not that I know of.” I rack my brain, trying to remember. “We did have the inner capsule to protect against sudden decompression—that translucent thing I told you about—but I know for a fact that they sent mice back in time without it, and a few of them survived.”
“At least that part makes sense,” he says. “If the trip through the black hole is instantaneous, then there wouldn’t be time for your cells to react—the same way fighter pilots can take very high g-forces for a few milliseconds. That protective shell would make it more comfortable, but it wouldn’t be requi—”
“The shell!” I smack myself in the forehead. “It’s the seashell, Matt. That’s the targeting object.”
“You could be onto something, mate.” He sits up straighter. “Remember that seashell I found in my fridge the night the Bub was sealed? It was with that Kirkland Enterprises letter that warned me about the bomb—and contained the note for you.”
“Yeah,” I say, my hopes falling. “Unfortunately, that shell’s at C-Bay. Dave confiscated it when he threw me in jail.” I think for a moment. “But I had a shell with me in the time machine too.”
“Where is that one?”
“I gave it to Shannon as a birthday gift—back at the Bub.”
“Bloody hell. It’s probably still there.”
I walk over to the door and check that Custer is gone. “I’ll go ask Shannon. Maybe she remembers where it is.”
“And what? You’re gonna pop over to the Bub, find it in all that wreckage, and be back before midnight?” He rubs his hand across his face, looking tired.
“You got any better ideas?”
He shrugs. “Hand me the keyboard. I’ll see if I can make any progress while you’re gone.”
“Don’t let Lani catch you doing that,” I say, turning the computer display so it’s fully facing him.
“Right-o.”
I give him the keyboard and hurry out the door.
I jog over to the hospital and head to Peter’s room—or rather Shannon and Peter’s room, as it looks like she’s set up shop in there too. She’s sitting on the bed with her pet rat, Wilson, in her lap, teaching Peter how to play poker. He looks to be a quick learner if his pile of plastic chips is any indication. Bearhart is sprawled at her feet, and he thumps his tail when I enter.
“Mr. C!” Shannon gives Wilson to Peter—who looks a little iffy about holding the rat—and hops up to give me a hug.
“It’s good to have you back, Shannon,” I say, keeping one arm around her. “I’m so sorry I left you at that—”
“Going to Catersville was the best thing that ever happened to me, Mr. C,” she says and looks at Peter. “The absolute best.”
“Can’t argue with that,” I say and wink at Peter. “Welcome to the Magic Kingdom.” I shake his hand. “And thanks, again, for all you’ve done for Shannon.”
“She’s worth it,” he says, basking in the glow of her smile. “I’m grateful you brought her to me.”
I laugh. “My pleasure.”
“Are you going to make it home in time?” Shannon asks. “Mom says you have to leave today.”
“I’m hoping you can help me,” I say. “I need that shell I gave you for your birthday. You wouldn’t have any idea where it might be?”
She laughs. “I keep it in my backpack for good luck.” She crosses the room, gets it out, and hands it to me. “I hope it works as well for you as it did for me.” She beams at Peter.
“Thank you,” I say. “I hope so too.”
Ten minutes later, I unlock the game room door and start resetting all the hardware. When I’m done, I place the seashell in the coffin, and Matt runs the program.
“Bollocks,” he says. “It’s not working.”
We try three more times.
“It’s stuck at the same damn place—asking me to present the targeting object.” He shuts his eyes, his hand on his forehead. “It’s the one that brought you here.” He opens his eyes. “Therefore it must be from this universe.”
“So it wasn’t an accident.” The realization is unsettling.
“It would seem not.” He rubs his beard stubble. “But if we’re going to get you home, we need something that came from your universe.”
“I was wearing a towel in the time machine. Would that work?”
His face brightens. “Any idea what happened to it?”
I shake my head. “It’s probably still stuck in the tree.”
“Wait a sec,” he says. “If your time machine didn’t prompt you for a targeting object, why did you take the seashell?”
“It was stuffed inside a dirty sock along with another cryptic note,” I say, my heart banging in my chest. “And I have another shell exactly
like it, one that I found on the beach as a teenager.”
He shakes his head. “That doesn’t make sense. If the one in the sock was used for targeting, it must be from your universe. It wouldn’t have brought you here.”
“What if I mixed them up? It’s possible I brought the wrong shell—the one I found on the beach.”
“Bingo,” he says, pointing at the coffin. “The one you found on the beach must be from this universe. It brought you here.” He thinks for a moment. “And I’m betting the shell at C-Bay is also from here. In fact, the two shells could be the same Jinn object stuck in some sort of time-travel loop.”
I nod, trying to follow his logic. “So maybe there’s a shell from my world in this universe—the one on the beach.”
“James.” We both say it at the same time.
I grab the shell and race back over to the hospital.
James is sitting next to Isabella’s empty bed reading a book, Benny sitting on his shoulder.
“How is she?” I ask.
“She’s in surgery,” he says. “But Soleil is confident this will be the last time.” He looks tired but in good spirits. “I’m hopeful, and Isabella’s a fighter.”
“That she is.” I show him my seashell. “Have you ever seen a shell like this?”
His face lights up “Yeah, found it on the beach as a kid. Isa showed the twins how to listen to the sound of the sea with it, and after that, Lucas took it with him everywhere. He had it in his Scooby-Doo backpack the night of the accident.” He swallows, his eyes getting damp. “After we got locked up in here, he told me he could hear Soleil in it too.”
“It was his connection to her.”
“Yeah,” James says and gives me a sad smile. “He used to talk into it and tell me what Soleil answered.” He sighs. “The shell is on my desk in the Control Room.”
“I think that seashell is my ticket home,” I say, euphoria filling my chest.
“Really? How so?”
“It may have come from my universe.”
He raises an eyebrow. “Strange how the impossible can link up with reality now and then. You’re welcome to it.”
“Thank you,” I say. “For everything.”
“I didn’t do anything except stay alive,” he says.
I jog toward the door. “Exactly.”
Custer is in the Control Room arguing with Jack when I rush in, but I don’t waste any time finding out why. I grab the shell and run all the way back to the time machine.
I swap the shells and then lean over with my hands on my thighs to catch my breath.
Matt is sitting at the desk—which he’s not supposed to be doing. He ignores my order to get back in bed, resets the software, and leans back against the chair. “Here goes nothing.”
The computer makes a beep, and all the equipment in the room comes to life, clicking and blinking and humming.
“Target acquired,” a female voice says. “Enter number of seconds for countdown and press enter. Hit escape to cancel.”
I look up at Matt, who’s grinning. “Better go say your goodbyes, mate.”
An hour and a lot of hugs later, I change into a cotton T-shirt and sweatpants—organics that will pass through the time portal—and swap one sock for the timey-wimey one. I grab Shannon’s charcoal drawing of the jaguarundi, stuff the note on Kirkland Enterprises letterhead into my pocket, and hurry over to the game room.
Lani and Shannon are pushing Peter’s wheelchair through the door when I arrive.
Matt is back in bed, but he starts assigning jobs the moment the door closes. He has Shannon sit at the computer and run some tests while Lani reads out the instructions for her. Peter parks in front of the circuit panel and lets us know when the status lights change. I start resetting the hardware and checking that all the cables are tight.
When I’m done, all the control panel lights are green.
“Okay,” Matt says. “What’s the next test?”
“It’s called Load Capacitor,” Lani says, “and it’s the last one.”
“Shall I run it?” Shannon asks.
“No time like the present,” I say, and Shannon starts it up.
There’s a knock on the door, and Lani opens it for Soleil and James.
They come in, Lucy and Mindy—and half the folks from the Bub—right behind them. Everyone crowds in around the time machine, talking in hushed voices.
A second before the door clicks shut, Custer grabs it and wrenches it open.
Mierda.
Dave walks in, a Glock in his hand.
“David?” Lani looks like she’s seen a ghost.
He stares at her, his face unreadable, and then sweeps his gaze around the room. “What the fuck is going on in here?”
“We’re sending Mr. C back to where he belongs,” Shannon says and stands up. “Who are you?”
Dave points the gun at her. “Get away from that computer.”
“Please, David,” Lani says. “Lower the gun.”
To my surprise, he listens to her.
The room erupts in chatter.
Dave waits for the room to quiet. “Nadales isn’t going anywhere until the vaccine works.”
Soleil shifts her weight, and then clears her throat. “I’m very close.”
“So you’ve figured out how to stop them from self-destructing?” Dave asks.
“No,” she says. “But I’m confident I can do it.”
“Confident isn’t fucking good enough, Soleil.” He glances at the other faces in the room. “The biodomes are failing—you’ve all seen it—and this place will eventually go down too. If I let Nadales leave, and we run out of the biotech devices from his blood, it will be the end, folks.”
He waits for the whispering to stop.
“I need one-hundred percent certainty, Soleil—or Nadales stays. End of discussion.”
There’s a lot of shifting of weight, and one or two people nod in agreement.
“Inject me with his blood,” James says. “We have the same DNA. I shouldn’t have an immune reaction.”
Dave rounds on Soleil. “I thought you told me a transfusion would kill him.”
“Their epigenetics are different,” Soleil says. “I don’t know enough about the biotech to predict what will happen. It could be lethal.”
“I’ll take that risk,” James says. “Draw some of his blood and inject me with it.”
“Back in the hospital,” Soleil says. “That way I can treat any—”
“No,” James says. “There’s no time. Do it here and then let Diego go.” He sits down in a chair next to the coffin and nods at Soleil. “You have a syringe in your pocket. I saw you put it in there.”
Everyone looks at Dave.
“Okay,” he says. “If you can transfer the immunity, then he can go.”
She walks over to me, rubs alcohol on my arm, and withdraws a tiny amount of blood.
“Are you sure?” she asks James.
“Yes.” He meets my gaze. “Diego’s the reason I got to see my wife again. I want to be the reason he gets to see his.”
Soleil slips the needle into his arm, pulls a bit of his blood into the syringe, and then injects all of it back into his vein.
He exhales, his breathing slow and controlled.
Soleil puts her fingers on his wrist, keeping her eyes on his. “Are you okay?”
“It stings a lot,” he says and gives her a forced smile, “but I’m fine.”
We wait for more than a minute.
Considering that he gave two units of blood yesterday and is worried sick about Isabella, he looks pretty good.
“Any pain?” Soleil asks. “Is your heart racing?”
He shakes his head. “I feel a little—” He slumps over in the chair, looking like he might throw up.
“Okay,” Dave says. “Show’s over. Let’s get him back to the hospital. If he makes it twenty-four hours, we’ll re-evalu—”
“I don’t have time to wait and see,” I say and stand up. “The las
t guy who was injected with the biotechs was showing signs of anaphylactic shock in a less than a minute. If the biotechs were going to kill James, we’d know by now.”
“Diego’s right,” Soleil says. “There aren’t any signs of shock. It’s probably just the stress on his immune system.” She hands me a folded sheet of paper from her pocket.
“Probably?” Dave says. “You want me to risk humanity’s future on a ‘probably’?”
I glance at Soleil’s instructions on how to filter the biotechs in my blood and then slip the paper into my pocket. “Thanks.”
She nods.
I open the coffin lid and climb in.
“Don’t fucking mess with me,” Dave says, pointing the gun at me. “We give him twenty-four hours.”
“I need to leave now,” I say and glance at the clock. “So if you’re going to shoot me, get it the fuck over with.”
Nervous whispers fill the room.
James lifts his head and raises his hand to silence the noise. “I’m okay.” With an effort, he turns to meet Dave’s gaze. “You ruined my life once, Kirk. Don’t you think that’s enough?”
“I did what I had to do to save you and your family,” Dave says. “If you had checked to make sure your car was empty the night of the accident, things would have gone as planned.”
“Why didn’t you give Isa the letter?” James asks, barely containing his rage.
“What was she supposed to do?” Dave says. “Waste her life trying to find you and Lucas? The plan was to do some plastic surgery and give you a new identity, but that flew out the window when you got Lucas involved. By the time I could get things sorted out, the whole world was busy screwing itself over.”
“You should have told her the truth,” James says. “You were my best friend, and you fucking stole my wife.”
The blood leaves Dave’s face. “Use your brain, Nadales, will you? I had my hands full trying to save as many people as I could. When they told me you and Lucas were safe, I let it go. After I lost the biodomes in California, I had to sacrifice everything to save your wife and daughter.” He glances at Lani. “Everything.”
“Yeah,” James says. “You’re a real hero.”
“Let him go,” Lani says. “He’s done enough.”
Shannon sits back down at the computer.
Dave swings the Glock around, pointing it at Shannon. “Don’t even think about it, young lady.”