* * *
After a long night of tossing and turning, Arielle got out of bed at 6 A.M. and dressed herself for the day, not in her camouflage attire she had been in since stalking Chris, but regular clothes of jeans and a button-up. She even put on a light layer of makeup and admired herself in the mirror. It had felt like decades since she last got dolled up and had an evening for herself. And while true free time would wait a bit longer, she felt like herself instead of the fierce agent she had been propped up as by the Road Runners.
Somewhere behind those hazel eyes was the woman who wanted to order a pizza on a rainy Friday night and watch scary movies until she passed out. In some other dimension her old life continued with her parents alive, her college boyfriend off the streets, and a job she had truly loved as a CIA agent.
These flashbacks often tried to infiltrate her mind, but she pressed forward, believing the past only dragged you down with it. Life had surely been upturned, but her future remained bright. After she had hit rock-bottom, Arielle immersed herself in hard work and education. The CIA was still willing to proceedafter a month off work to bury her parents and get her life back into shape, but that was also when the Road Runners approached her and explained the reasoning behind her sudden turn in life.
She had first joined the organization with no purpose, no goals. Granted, she didn’t quite understand the full capabilities of what they were offering at the time, but here she was today, about to place a call to Commander Briar in the year 2020.
She left her motel room, a small truck stop off the side of a frontage road in Colorado Springs. Chris had still lived in the Springs in 1988 where she had last left him, but was gone by the year 2000, off to either New York or Alaska—she hadn’t ventured that far enough into his future to know for sure.
It was summer, and the crisp morning air filled her lungs as birds sung from high in the nearby trees, providing a perfect melody for what would surely be a perfect day. Agents were allowed a full week off after completing a mission, but Arielle had parlayed one mission after another for the past three months. She hadn’t grown tired until this one in particular, and she planned to spend the free week on a tropical beach where muscular men brought her drinks all day.
A girl can dream, she thought as she pulled out her cell phone. Commander Briar had asked her to communicate all updates directly to him for this particular mission, so she dialed him.
He answered after one ring. “Commander Briar speaking.”
“Good morning, Commander,” Arielle said. “Do you have a moment?”
“For this mission, I have all the time in the world. How are things? Are you staying safe?”
Arielle rolled her eyes. The organization checked in on her frequently, and she wondered if it was because she was a woman. No one ever checked to see if Gerald was staying safe; they just assumed he was. Little did those same people know, Arielle could bring Gerald to his knees and make him cry. “I’m doing great. Been keeping a safe distance. Bugging the phones really helped. I’ve been able to work up to 200 yards away when he’s home.”
“I love to hear that. If there’s anything at all you need, please let me know.”
“That’s what I wanted to discuss with you now, Commander. I’ve covered a solid thirty years of Chris’s life, starting in the years leading up to his joining the Revolution, and am currently in 1988. I feel I’ve gathered enough information to use—not that there is much to begin with—but it’s intel we can work with.”
“Thirty years?!” Commander Briar gasped. “I only put you on this mission two weeks ago.”
“I know. I have my methods of skipping forward when it’s clear nothing is happening or if a risky scenario arises for myself.”
“And you’re sure you haven’t skipped over anything crucial? Tell me what you’ve learned so far.”
“I’m positive. I don’t skip anything unless it’s clear Chris is just watching TV or reading a book. For starters, as I’m sure you already know, his life is confirmed as linked to his daughter, Sonya. This process occurred when he became the Keeper of Time, and is something all past Keepers have done to ensure a long life beyond the measures of reality.”
“Yes, we do understand that bit of it.”
“Perfect. Secondly, what most surprised me was his obsession with tragedy. He takes a particular interest in wars, murders, natural disasters—he rarely misses one.”
“What do you mean? Is he causing these events?”
“No, nothing like that. He simply enjoys witnessing them. He even traveled back to World War II in Hiroshima, just to be in the city when the A-bomb dropped. He knows he’s invincible, so why not get a front row ticket to watch everyone else die? He’s a sick man, but well studied on all tragic matters. I’m concerned we could never outsmart him in this war, as he’s studied them all extensively and first-hand, even future wars that we’ve never heard of.”
“And how do you propose we use this information against him?” Martin asked.
“Well, for starters, there needs to be a serious discussion around killing Sonya. At the very least we should try to capture her and get Chris’s attention that way. I don’t get the impression that he’s one to negotiate, but if we hold the key to his immortality, then perhaps we can work something out.”
“I’m afraid this isn’t a matter of peace, Arielle. We need him removed from existence. And suppose we don’t ever find Sonya—she’s on the run in the year 2064 and no one has seen her in days. What are some other options?”
“If we can’t kill him, then we must capture and imprison him so he can’t lead. We need to get the powers of the Keeper of Time in our possession. Chris has already done irreparable damage to the world, but more will come if we can’t contain him or the line of successors he surely has in place.”
“Okay, I have two thoughts on this. We need to create a tragedy for him to watch, one we can control. Second, I think we need to make a move and capture anyone close to Chris. I assume his next move will be to find someone else to carry his invincibility.”
“What do you mean, his next move?”
“My apologies. We’re moving to blow up his mansion this weekend. We have approval and are just about ready—we’ve been building an underground tunnel to reach the house’s foundation and take it out from below.”
“Oh, wow, so we’ll be able to capture him already? That’s great news.”
“Unfortunately not. We’ll only be able to capture him if he hangs around. Obviously we have to keep our own people away during the explosion. There will certainly be a fire to put out and local authorities will arrive. It’s too risky for us to swoop in at that exact moment and take him away. We will try to track where he goes, but he’ll no longer have a home base. We assume he’ll try to hop around to different Revolution offices. The closest one to him is in Seattle. We already have eyes around there just waiting.”
“Sounds like things are falling into place.”
“They are. Tell me one thing, what is your greatest recommendation out of all this research you’ve done?”
Arielle sighed, knowing it was all a long shot. “Killing Sonya. We have to. It just makes the most logical sense.”
“Thank you,” Commander Briar replied, a slight tinge of frustration in his voice. “I can only trust your word, which comes highly recommended. If you feel your work is done, please report back to the office in person with all of your findings. How soon do you think that will be?”
“I should be there in an hour,” Arielle said, unable to keep a wide grin off her face. Something about following Chris around the clock made her feel like a pig rolling in the mud. But now she was given the green light to get out of the filth and return home.
“I’ll see you then.”
They hung up and Arielle returned to her room to grab her things and get the hell out of this mission.
15
Chapter 15
“I’ve been thinking more since we got off the phone,” Martin said. A
rielle had arrived to the Denver office and met with the commander and Gerald. “No one on the security team is going to like it, but I think it’s time for me to get into the game.”
“What do you mean?” Gerald asked.
“I’ve never actually used my Warm Soul for anything productive. Danced around the streets, sure, but that was silly. They’ve poked me and drawn blood, run tests on my head, all to find a way to replicate this gift to no avail. Dammit, I’m ready to use it.”
“What, are you going to barge into wherever Chris ends up hiding and take him away?”
Martin chuckled. “Of course not. I’m not even talking about him. Arielle and I discussed earlier the importance of capturing those closest to Chris. It’s possible he may try to inject his blood into someone else he trusts since Sonya hasn’t been heard from.”
“She’s officially on the run,” Gerald explained. “I received a briefing from 2064. Word leaked to her that Chris was sending a team to bring her to the mansion. He wants her by his side to ensure his immortality.”
Martin smirked. “It means he knows we’re coming. Why else would he worry?”
“True, but it’s also a mistake to have her by his side. She’s the designated survivor.”
The thought of a dead Sonya still infuriated Martin. “Who leaked the word to her?”
“Haven’t heard yet. They’re supposedly interviewing those closest to her. She had drivers, security teams, maids, chefs. It’s only a matter of time until they find out. Have mercy on whoever’s soul that it is.”
“So she’s really gone then?” Martin asked, simultaneously disappointed and relieved.
“I’m sure she’ll resurface when this is all over—which it will be. But tell me about your thoughts for capturing Chris’s cronies.”
Martin laughed. “I like that. Chris’s cronies. Arielle, have you thought about this further?”
“Yes,” she said. “I’m willing to help, but the first thing we need to do is track down who these people are.”
“Duane Betts,” Gerald said. “He’s been the number two to Chris for as long as I can remember. He’s probably the most important one to track down, but I’d assume he’s in the mansion with Chris, so he may be a casualty when we blow the place up.”
“Chris has an assistant named Mario,” Martin said. “He approached me when I was new to all of this. I tried returning to the Wealth of Time store and it was gone. Mario met me—expected me—and told me he worked with Chris.”
“Okay, so those are two names to look into,” Arielle said. “Do we know of anyone else?”
“Victor?” Gerald asked. “His counterpart in Europe.”
“I don’t think they’re that close,” Martin said. “Actually, I think Chris hates him, just one more person in the way of letting him rule the world. Remember, not all Revolters around the world are bad. Chris has done a serious number on the ones here in North America.”
“We’ll look into it,” Arielle said. “We can get some more agents to tail him for the sake of learning who he visits with the most. I can already tell you from my thirty years I just spent jumping through his past, he keeps an extremely tight circle. It’s rare to see someone come into his life and stay. Duane is one I can confirm, but I hadn’t seen anyone named Mario through 1988. He must come later.”
“He keeps a lot of those soldiers nearby, too,” Gerald said. “All of those who live in the mansion with him. Surely he’s bonded with at least one of them. Even if not, I doubt it’s a stretch to imagine he’s bribed one of them to take an injection of his blood and go live on an island somewhere safe. He could essentially live forever that way.”
“Do you want to lead this mission, Arielle?” Martin asked. “You already have the experience of tailing him, we would just need some more agents to spread out across time to see who Chris spends his time with.”
“How urgent is this?” she replied. “I’ve worked three months straight, and was hoping to get away for a week.”
“Three months?” Martin gasped. “Yes, please take a week off. Gerald can take this. We have all of your notes and can review those. I’m not even sure what to expect in the coming days. We have the explosion most likely on Sunday, and the start of a major trial on Monday. I know we have the resources, it’s just a matter of getting things in motion.”
“I already have the right people in mind for the job,” Gerald said.
“Great,” Martin said. “Get your rest, Arielle. Unplug from all of this. When you’re ready to come back, let me know. I want to look into these special teams that used to venture to different times to change things. That’s what this organization was started for and we’ve been pulled away from meaningful work thanks to Chris and his manufactured war.”
“I’d love that, Commander,” she replied with a wide grin. “I used to be very involved with those missions, still am from time to time, but lately everything has been about the Revolters, and now the Liberators. I just want it to all end and get back to business.”
“We’ll be there soon enough,” Martin assured. “Any final thoughts before you start your well-deserved vacation?”
“Yes,” she said. “I’m going to give it a try, even though I already know how you feel. Commander, it’s urgent to put your feelings aside for Sonya and look at the big picture.” Gerald shifted in his seat, knowing how much Martin absolutely despised being told that Sonya needed to die. “Gerald and I have both spent extensive time in the future. I’ve now seen the foundation of the man behind that grim future. It’s simply not worth it to not sacrifice one person for the sake of humanity. We encounter a genocide in the future where millions of innocent lives are lost—some of those close to Gerald. That is the only reality he’s ever known. Let’s give him a different outcome. You’ve seen the future – I don’t need to explain it to you. This can be stopped. Do the right thing, make the gut-wrenching decision, and commit to saving humanity as we know it.”
Martin’s lips were pursed as he listened, and he slowly nodded his head. “Thank you, Arielle. I will consider this. Is there anything else?”
His tone came out dismissive and Arielle understood she was beating a dead horse. “No, sir, that is all. Thank you for your time today.”
“Hey,” Martin said as Arielle stood up and started for the door. “Thank you. You did phenomenal work on your mission and we have a lot to consider. Enjoy your time off, and I don’t want to see you until you’re completely refreshed.”
“Thank you, Commander.” Arielle smiled before turning to leave the office, and Gerald followed her out to the hallway.
“Don’t be discouraged,” he said. “That was the most receptive of a reaction I’ve seen him have about Sonya.”
“That was receptive?”
Gerald chuckled. “Believe it or not, yes. Your words struck something inside. You got through to him, and now we’ll see if that actually changes anything. But I wanted to reiterate our thanks for your work. You have changed the future of this war – now we need to get to work and figure out how to go about this. Keep an eye on the news while you’re on vacation because we might be moving fast once that mansion goes down.”
“Will do. Do you think he’s serious about the new missions? The more fun ones?”
“He absolutely is. He loved the concept. I have a feeling he’s going to actually end this war. Win it? I don’t know. But I sense it’s going to end one way or another during his term. We’ve never had a commander just go for it like he is. They’ve always danced around the thought of attacking Chris, worried about what the retaliation might be like. It can be devastating, yes, but Chris seems concerned.”
“And he keeps blowing us up.”
“Exactly. If we do nothing, he’ll eventually kill all of us. That might have been Chris’s plan all along, a slow and steady extermination. But he’s forced Martin’s hand. Of all the commanders to piss off, he chooses the one who can resist the freezing of time.”
“Are you really going to let him
risk his life to capture these people?”
“Me? He’s the commander. I don’t have any control over what he does. The Council can technically order him to stay out of the line of battle, but someone would have to inform them first of his intent. I’m not going to, and neither are you.”
Arielle nodded. “Are you going to go with him?”
“I can’t. We can’t both be at risk. There needs to be a successor in case things go south. He’ll be fine, though. He held his own in the future—I’m not worried.”
“I hope you’re right. We’ve all been through enough with Strike.”
“I have no doubt that Martin will come out of this thing looking like the best thing to ever happen to the organization. He has a good heart and genuinely cares about everyone’s safety. He recognizes that no one is truly safe until Chris is dead.”
“Then why can’t he wrap his head around killing Sonya?!”
“I know. I want to strangle him sometimes, he’s so stubborn about that. But I suppose that’s what love does to a man. Fear causes irrationality, but love stirs it beyond comprehension. Just give him time, I’m still working on him as much as I can.”
“Well good luck with that,” Arielle said with a smirk. “I really should get going. The beach is calling.”
“Have a margarita for me. Stay safe, kid.”
They high-fived each other and Arielle left an office that would never be the same once she returned.
16
Chapter 16
On Monday morning, Martin entered the Council’s chambers still fuming from the phone call he had received the previous day. The team in Alaska had informed him they needed two more days to complete the setup around the mansion, citing some complications they had encountered as they approached the structure from underneath. Everything was under control, they had assured him, but the extra time was essential to completing the project correctly. Every day with a team out there digging made Martin nervous, increasing their chances of being caught by the crazy old man and throwing all their hard work out the door. They had no time for delays, but fate didn’t seem to care. Tuesday morning was now set on the calendar for the planned demolition.
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