‘We are one mile from Rousseau Island,’ Ferdy said.
‘Have we lost The Agency pursuit ships?’ Brodie asked.
‘They are beyond the scope of our senses.’
‘Good. Let’s see this island up close.’
We broke the surface and swooped in low across a white beach. The island was a long, flat piece of land covered in palm trees and thick foliage with a lake in the middle, and a small mountain at the Northern end. A flock of white birds took off in alarm as we approached.
‘Looks like it’s time for chicks and guys to do what comes naturally,’ Chad said, grinning.
‘Uh, what’s that?’ Brodie asked.
‘You know...get down with nature...walk naked among the trees...’
‘You should do that.’
‘Uh...’ Chad went pink as a ghost of a smile creased Brodie’s lips. Months ago, she would have rolled her eyes. Now she was teasing him. This was something new. Something had changed between them while I was in jail.
Or had something happened between them?
I tried to push the thought from my mind. No one had said anything, but maybe they wouldn’t if Brodie had cheated on me. They may have decided to keep it secret rather than hurt my feelings. Focusing on the Environmental display, I took a few deep breaths. This is ridiculous. Brodie is my girlfriend. Also, Chad was my friend—maybe my best friend, considering everything we’d been through.
Dan brought the ship down into a small clearing a hundred feet from the beach. We made our way down three levels and stepped out into warm sunshine and fresh air. It was like landing on another world after weeks inside the Tagaar ship.
‘I’d forgotten what the outside world smelt like,’ Ebony said. ‘I am so sick of that ship.’ She added, ‘No offense, Ferdy.’
We all wore wrist communicators that allowed us to speak to each other. They even had a video screen so you could see the caller if you wanted.
‘No offense is taken, friend Ebony,’ Ferdy said. ‘The eighth element on the periodic table is oxygen.’
‘Is it?’ Ebony said. ‘That’s great.’
Brodie’s eyes swept the jungle. ‘How fantastic to not be on the run anymore,’ she said, sighing. ‘To be free of The Agency.’
‘You didn’t have to be a criminal,’ I pointed out. ‘You could have left me in jail.’
‘No, we couldn’t.’ She drew close and kissed my cheek. ‘Where you go, we all go.’
I watched a seagull arc towards the ocean. My month in jail wasn’t fun. I had expected to spend decades behind bars for kidnapping the Russian President. Instead, here I was on a Pacific island, the sun on my face, and my girlfriend at my side.
‘Let’s explore,’ Dan suggested.
‘Is it safe?’ Ebony asked.
‘What can possibly go wrong?’ Chad asked.
I peered through the jungle curtain, making out three distinct layers of foliage. Traipsing through that wouldn’t be easy. Visibility was only a few feet. Having superpowers meant we could handle most situations, but it didn’t make us indestructible. A wild animal could kill us as easily as anyone else.
‘What’s that?’ Dan asked.
We turned to see him staring at the sky. A tiny black cut had appeared in the clear blue expanse. For a second, I thought it was an aircraft, but then it grew more extensive as a low pulse filled the air.
‘Beats me,’ Brodie said. ‘But I think something’s inside it.’
The cut in the sky grew larger, and then within that blackness appeared a tiny glint of silver—a spaceship.
I tapped the communicator on my wrist. ‘Ferdy, what are we looking at?’
‘A temporal distortion has formed above us,’ Ferdy said calmly. ‘Within it is a vessel.’
‘Ferdy,’ Chad groaned. ‘What does that mean?’
‘Ferdy is not sure he can explain. Suffice to say, a hole has formed in the time/space continuum, and a vessel is entering our universe.’
‘Let’s get back into the ship,’ Ebony suggested. ‘It would be safer—’
The alien vessel suddenly grew larger, emerged from the gap, and zoomed low over the jungle. The black cut disappeared. Without a sound, the ship completed a slow turn around the mountain before heading towards us. Decelerating as braking thrusters fired, it landed next to Liber8tor.
Brodie turned to us. ‘Be ready,’ she said. ‘For anything.’
I stared more closely at the vessel. Although it had wings and rear thrusters that enabled flight, there were no visible windows. A squat ship, it was as if someone had taken a jumbo jet, cut out the middle, and stuck both ends together. The vessel’s tiny wings seemed too small to enable flight, but somehow they worked.
Sheets of ice broke away from the exterior as a hatch cracked open, slowly swinging upwards. The interior was dark, but then a man stepped out.
Brodie turned to me. ‘That man,’ she gasped. ‘He looks...’
I stared at him in amazement. He was tall and thin with brown hair and eyes. Millions of people fitted that description, but there was no mistaking the similarity. Chad also did a double-take. ‘He looks like you,’ he said.
‘I’m sorry to take you all by surprise,’ the man said in a familiar voice.
I know that voice!
He continued. ‘It’s a miracle I’m here at all.’
‘Are we related?’ I asked. ‘We look the same.’
‘We are the same, Axel,’ the man said. ‘I’m you—from forty years in the future.’
Chapter Four
It wasn’t often that we were struck dumb, but this was one of those times. We stared at the stranger in amazement.
‘Did you hear me?’ he asked. ‘I said that I’m you from the future. I’m here because we need to change history, and you’re the only people who can do it.’
‘You’re...me,’ I said, struggling to come to terms with what he was saying. This old guy is me—the future version of me. ‘You’ve come from the future...and...’
He frowned. ‘I don’t remember ever being this dense,’ he said. ‘It’s a lot to take it, but I need you to all wake-up and listen to me.’
‘We’re awake,’ Chad said, ‘but it doesn’t mean we’re about to start changing our plans for the day.’
‘You haven’t changed a bit, Chad,’ the man said, giving him an appraising look. ‘Still the same pain in the—’
‘How do I know you’re me?’ I interrupted. ‘That you’re not a...robot or…clone or something?’
‘Those are good questions. Why don’t we ask Ferdy?’
That he even knew about Ferdy was a point in his favor, but it wasn’t enough to convince me.
‘Ferdy,’ Ebony said. ‘Who is this guy? Is he really Axel? From the future?’
Ferdy’s voice came over the communicators. ‘It is impossible to ascertain whether this individual is actually Axel,’ he said. ‘A DNA test would confirm his identity, but Ferdy can confirm his vessel is capable of time travel.’
‘Couldn’t this guy just be an alien?’ Brodie asked. ‘An imposter?’
‘The Liber8tor’s sensors indicate he is human.’
Brodie persisted. ‘But even with a DNA test, he could still be a clone. Couldn’t he?’
‘That is true.’
‘Prove it.’ This time it was Dan who spoke. ‘Tell us something that only Axel would know.’
‘Something not embarrassing,’ I said. ‘I don’t want to look stupid.’
‘I have no desire to make myself look foolish. Either my younger or older self.’ The man thought for a long moment. ‘All right. You were in jail a few weeks ago for the kidnapping of the Russian President. You wrote in your diary every single day.’
‘That doesn’t mean anything,’ I said. ‘Anyone from the jail might know that.’
‘Fine. How about this? You were captured by Typhoid after first acquiring your powers. A psycho by the name of Doctor Ravana tortured you for information. You thought you were going to die, but Brodie helped you escape.’
<
br /> That was true. Horrible, but true.
‘That’s no secret,’ Dan said. ‘A lot of people could know that.’
‘Not really,’ Ebony said, frowning. ‘There are people in The Agency who know. People within Typhoid.’ She stared at the stranger. ‘But just not anyone.’
‘We went to the roof,’ the man continued, his eyes locked on mine. ‘At first, I wouldn’t jump onto the next building, but I eventually did.’
It all seemed a long time ago now, but it had only been a few months. It was all true. I’d been captured by Typhoid, and Brodie helped me escape. We went to the roof. I eventually jumped, but I ended up falling through a window in the opposite building. Then—
‘You were attacked by an old lady with a broom,’ the man said. ‘And you’ve never told anyone. No one.’
I thought hard. He was right. The memory had almost faded from my mind. The old lady living in the apartment had hit me with a broom after I demolished her window. It was a minor detail, something so unimportant that I’d never shared it with anyone. How could he know? How could he know unless he was me?
He spent the next five minutes sharing other memories, other events I had not told the others. The time I was ill from Ebony’s cooking but hid it because I didn’t want to offend her. Another time I had gone out looking at the stars and fallen into a ditch. By the time he finished talking, I found myself staring at him open-mouthed.
‘Does that sound right?’ Chad asked me. ‘Is it all true?’
‘It’s true,’ I said, nodding. ‘I don’t recall ever telling anyone that stuff.’
‘Good.’ Old Axel looked satisfied. ‘So now we can move on.’
‘Move onto what?’ Brodie asked.
‘I need your help.’
‘You’ve already said that, but I don’t know why. You’re the one with the time machine and all.’
‘A time machine doesn’t make you all-powerful,’ he said. ‘I’ll tell you what I can, but I can’t tell you about your futures. It would contaminate the timeline, causing irreparable damage to the space/time continuum.’
‘Sounds messy,’ Chad sighed. ‘We wouldn’t want to do that. Would we?’
Old Axel’s eyes narrowed. He doesn’t like Chad. No. It was more than that. He hates Chad.
My older self continued. ‘The world is a different place in forty years. It’s—’
‘It’s like Disneyland?’ Chad suggested.
‘—it’s like your worst nightmare,’ Old Axel said. ‘The atmosphere is failing. The natural resources are gone. Humanity is facing extinction.’
Chapter Five
‘Extinction?’ Ebony repeated the word, ashen-faced.
‘I can’t tell you the details,’ Old Axel continued, ‘but I can tell you this: the man responsible is James Price.’
‘Who’s he?’ I asked.
‘In this era, a scientist. In the future, a dictator. A monster. He has to be stopped.’
Brodie frowned. ‘And how do we stop him?’
‘He has to be killed.’
‘We don’t kill people,’ I said, having already been down this rabbit hole. ‘I once thought I could, but I felt—’
‘I know.’ Old Axel interrupted me. ‘The Russian President. I was there, but this is different.’
‘We’re not killing anyone,’ I said flatly.
Chad interrupted. ‘If you’re so keen to see this James Price dead, why don’t you do it yourself?’
‘I would if I could.’
‘And why can’t you?’
‘This time machine is experimental. I was lucky to arrive here at this time and place.’
‘So why not use your powers?’ I asked.
Old Axel glared at me. ‘Because I don’t have any powers,’ he said. ‘I haven’t had them in years.’
I was struck dumb.
‘I can’t say any more than that,’ Old Axel said.
I felt the others looking at me. They all knew my powers had worked intermittently; sometimes, they’d failed at the worst times. But to lose them completely...
‘There’s only one way to prove what you’re saying is true,’ Brodie said, her eyes fixed on the time machine. ‘You’re taking us to the future.’
‘That’s not possible,’ Old Axel said.
‘But it’s happening,’ Ebony said. ‘Either we go to the future to confirm what you’re saying, or you go back by yourself.’ She was a quiet girl, but sometimes she seemed to draw on some inner resolve as if another person were lurking inside. ‘But Axel—our Axel—is right. We’re not killing anyone based on a five-minute conversation with a stranger.’
Old Axel looked like he wanted to argue—or just scream at us—but finally, he gave a long, single nod. His eyes swept back to me. ‘It’s risky,’ he said. ‘I can’t fit you all inside the machine.’
Chad turned to Dan. ‘You should stay here,’ he said. ‘Seeing as how you’re the youngest.’
Dan protested. Of course. I watched Old Axel as Chad and Dan argued the point. The longer I studied him, the more I felt like I was watching someone on the verge of exhaustion—someone who had lived on the edge for too long. ‘We need to get moving,’ he interrupted. ‘The sooner I prove this to you, the sooner we change history.’
‘And I thought we had all the time in the world,’ Chad said.
Old Axel didn’t smile. ‘Dan, you’re staying here,’ he said. ‘The rest of you into the ship. This should only take a few minutes.’
Dan looked rebellious as we boarded the time ship. He didn’t appreciate being left behind. The interior was similar to an Agency flex craft but smaller. The dashboard looked unfinished with wires and gauges everywhere. A dial in the center displayed today’s date and geographical coordinates.
Old Axel pulled a component, covered in blue and silver circuitry, from the console. It looked melted.
‘This is the temporal resonator.’ He produced another from a carry bag and slotted it into place. ‘They burn out after only one journey.’
There was only one seat, and he took it as we crammed behind. Pushing a button, I saw Dan give a small wave as the hatch sealed shut. It was like being locked inside a tomb.
‘Say goodbye to today,’ Old Axel said. ‘The next stop is the future.’
Chapter Six
Dan watched as the time ship lifted off the ground. It shuddered in mid-air as a slit appeared over the clearing. The slit increased in size until it was as big as a small house.
When the time ship had first arrived, Dan had thought the hole it passed through was black. Now he saw it looked like oil on water, with rainbows curving about the interior. Ozone filled the air. A breeze pulled at his hair as the time ship eased itself into the hole. The junction in time and space shrank to a slit, before collapsing into a dot, and finally nothing.
The jungle closed in around Dan. It had all happened so fast he had not had time to consider the consequences of everyone leaving. Now the others were gone, he felt utterly alone. He was one small boy on a deserted island in the middle of the ocean.
Dan shook off the fear. He wasn’t going to hide. Not when he had an island to explore. He was a modern-day Robinson Crusoe, which meant his man Friday was...
‘Ferdy,’ he said. ‘Are you there?’
‘Ferdy reads you loud and clear, Dan. Egypt is the world’s thirtieth largest country—’
‘Great. I’m going—’
‘—and the most populated in the Middle East.’
‘That’s wonderful, Ferdy. I just wanted to let you know that I’m going to explore the island.’
‘That sounds exciting, Dan.’
‘It should be fun.’
‘Watch out for tigers.’
Dan stared into the dark jungle. ‘There are tigers?’
‘Ferdy is making a joke.’
‘Ha ha,’ Dan forced a laugh. ‘That’s very funny.’
Ferdy paused. ‘There is some new information that Dan should know. Liber8tor’s sensors are picking up poss
ible structures near the center of the island.’
‘Structures?’
‘From the Latin word, structura, meaning—’
‘That’s okay, Ferdy. What direction?’
‘Approximately three miles east of our current location.’
‘Are there people?’
‘The Liber8tor senses are not picking up any life forms.’
Which was Ferdy’s way of saying I don’t know. Maybe the island was completely deserted, but maybe a cannibal tribe lived here and fed on unwary travelers. Dan had seen a movie like that once. It was fun and games until the cannibals turned up and started eating people. Then the laughing stopped; it was hard to laugh without a face.
He peered into the jungle. Birds whistled and moved in the upper branches. A shrill shriek ended in a guttural choking sound. Undergrowth moved as something crawled across the ground. An animal raced away between distant branches.
This can’t be a good idea. Why traipse off into the arms of hungry cannibals when there are some outstanding computer games onboard Liter8tor?
Level twenty-six of Zombie Attack Squad was calling.
Still, buildings would mean shelter, and shelter might mean beds. Real beds. The Tagaar idea of a bed was something made from reinforced concrete. What he wouldn’t give for a decent night’s sleep on a real bed...
And think of how impressed the others would be when he told them what he had found. They might stop thinking of him as the kid and decide he should now be known as Metal Man. Or Metallaton. Or Metal...something.
‘I’ll stay in contact,’ he told Ferdy. ‘Let me know if the others return.’
Dan started into the jungle. The undergrowth was dense, but the ground was level. He purposely made a racket as he pushed aside vines and palm fronds; Dan wanted to alert anyone—or anything—that he was coming. Hopefully, snakes or lizards would bolt in the opposite direction.
Unless they were hungry, in which case...
‘Relax,’ he murmured. ‘I may be short, but I’ve got crazy superpowers. I can read minds. Sometimes. And I can control metal—’
Dan looked down. Sure, he could control metal, but he had forgotten to bring anything made of metal, which made his power useless.
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