part0039

Daniel Rice had always hated needles, both the sharp sting as the needle pierced the skin and the whole idea of inserting something foreign into the body. This would be an entirely new level of discomfort.

The guard gripped Daniel’s left forearm and laid the surgical tool flat against his skin. The blade at the end of its prong was a centimeter wide. It looked like it could do a lot of damage, though it wouldn’t go deep if the tool remained parallel to his arm. He could only hope this beast wouldn’t intentionally aim at a vein.

Father gripped Jacquelyn a few feet away. She looked near tears, grimacing either from the painful squeeze of Father’s enhanced grip or the menacing device ready to stab Daniel.

With a push of his wrist, the guard jabbed the blade under Daniel’s skin, allowing the full length of its prong to penetrate.

Blood seeped out from a clean cut, and the prong continued further another two inches just below the skin. With another push, the electronics chip followed the blade, sending a jolt of pain up his arm. The guard withdrew the tool, leaving the chip as a lump under the skin.

A blue bruise quickly formed around a bulge, and blood trickled from the wound. Daniel gritted his teeth as the guard wrapped gauze around his arm, covering the cut and staunching the bleeding.

“More false data about the nuclear launch?” Daniel asked as calmly as he could through clenched teeth. The chip would be difficult to remove without another incision, and Daniel doubted he’d find any knives lying around once he entered empros time.

“Not false at all. Very real information, just somewhat misleading,” Father said. “It will keep them busy long enough.”

Aiden’s olinwun was still in his stomach, and no one was brandishing any nasty tools to cut open his belly. If he made it back to his own time, even in death, there was still a chance of completing this mission.

The scar-faced guard who’d acted as a crude nurse left the room and returned carrying what was certainly Becton’s belt and the helmet. The belt looked no different than it had when Daniel had given it to Brother Benjamin.

Father traded Jacquelyn for the time travel devices, and the guard pulled both of her arms behind her back. His sneer increased now that Jacquelyn was in his grip.

“I was fascinated to see this device in person,” Father said. He ran a finger along one of the wires that connected the large battery pack to several electronics components. “I’d read the descriptions in the documentation of your jump. I’d seen the drawings. But I wasn’t prepared for such crude construction. Honestly, what is this?” He pointed to Chloe’s lip piercing, which still held a loose wire to the leather.

“Improvisation,” Daniel replied. “Your security team maligned it too, but it got me here.” Daniel rolled his shirtsleeve over the now-red bandage.

“And it will no doubt return you. We were careful not to disrupt the data stored in its controlling unit. The anchor point in time is still faithfully recorded and ready to whisk you back to 2023. But we did make a few adjustments to the software in the controller. Minor things, really. Any programmer could do it.”

Daniel held the belt in his good hand, eyeing the guard with the automatic weapon. He might be just stupid enough to shoot, though Father would never command it. Of course, Jacquelyn was also in danger, but that was true whether Daniel jumped or not.

Daniel wrapped the belt around his waist and buckled up as best he could with a bleeding arm. If there was any concern from Father now that Daniel had the belt, he didn’t show it. Still, the armed guard flipped on a targeting laser, and a red dot appeared on Daniel’s shirt.

Father studied the components glued to the inside of the helmet. “Being a time traveler myself, I’m well aware of the steps involved and of the unique ability to manipulate a frozen world once flowing empros. I can assure you, Dr. Rice, we’re not going to permit that to happen.”

He set the helmet on the floor just in front of Daniel. “We will now leave and lock the door. Your next steps are simple. Put on the helmet, flow empros, then select the decompress command. You’ll find that this location was nothing but a peanut farm in your day. The walls of this cell will simply disappear.”

The plan was simple, yes. But badly flawed for someone trying to deliver misinformation to the past. He must see his mistake. It was obvious.

Father smiled. “The gears are turning. You see the opening, don’t you? Empros provides so many options, if not within this locked cell, then on the other end of the jump.”

Simply remain in empros. Find Griffith and Chloe and leave them a note. Cut the chip out and destroy it. Then get to a hospital and flow forward.

“I’m glad we’re thinking along the same lines, Dr. Rice. It confirms our partnership in these fateful steps that we take together. I am the manipulator of time, and you are the messenger.”

Father pointed to the belt. “We’ve made a small adjustment to the decompress command by combining it with flow forward. The two commands are now one. Returning to your anchor will automatically trigger the flow forward. Sorry, but once you’re back, there won’t be any lounging around in empros time, writing letters to your friends.”

Of course. He’s not stupid. Daniel sighed. “With one command, I jump back, flow into normal time, and quickly die from snapback.”

Father shrugged. “I’m afraid so. We’re located a good distance from Atlanta. By the time the local farmers find you and call for medical help, you’ll be dead. Very tragic.”

Daniel would still have all the empros time he wanted before jumping back, but he’d be inside a locked cell. There didn’t seem to be much point in remaining in that state. He’d eventually die from natural causes long before a single minute had elapsed in forward time.

Daniel could only think of two remaining alternatives, and neither of them were very good. “What if I refuse to jump?”

Father wiggled the stretched fingers on one hand. “I could, of course, but I have something much better.” Father reached to a sheath on his belt and withdrew a knife with a curved blade at least ten inches in length. “I find this tool works miracles to concentrate the mind.”

He touched a recess on its handle, and the knife lit up with a white light that pulsated along the edge of the blade with an audible vibration. “It cuts like a razor but uses high voltage, much like a welder’s arc. It cauterizes the wound as it slices, keeping things tidy. It also functions quite well while in empros time—handy when I’m traveling.”

Daniel stared at the pulsating blade and contemplated a second not-so-great alternative. The helmet was only a few feet away. He’d have to flip on the power switch and press several buttons on the belt controller. Even if he was quick, it was certainly enough time for the guard to get off a shot. But if Father got closer, the guard might not pull the trigger.

Once flowing empros, this would all end. Everyone in the room would freeze instantly, rendering guns and knives harmless. He’d disarm all three, hoist Jacquelyn over his shoulder and walk out the open door. It was a long shot, but it was the last of his not-so-good alternatives.

“You cut me, and they’ll know I didn’t die from the time jump.” Last-resort logic was still worth a try.

Father shook his head. “Who said anything about cutting you ?” He pivoted toward Jacquelyn. The guard at the door easily held her arms with one hand and wrapped another massive hand around her neck, pulling her head back.

As the blade approached, she struggled and screamed. “Quiet, dear child,” Father said. “This may take some time. We’ll start with the fingers.”

She was in grave danger, but with all eyes focused on the vibrating blade, it was an opening he couldn’t afford to pass up. Daniel grabbed the helmet and slapped it over his head. He triggered the power switch on the belt.

Instead of firing, the second guard lurched forward, slamming Daniel to the wall. He pushed his rifle into Daniel’s neck. Gasping for air, Daniel thrust a knee into the guard’s hip, but the brute pushed harder. Daniel had his fingers on the controller. He could feel the keypad, but with his head pinned, couldn’t see its display. He pressed what felt like the Enter key, but nothing happened.

“Stop or she dies!” Father held the electric blade over Jacquelyn’s neck, ready to plunge it into her chest.

Daniel could barely breathe with the guard’s gun pressing into his neck. Father came close, his stale breath invading Daniel’s space. He lifted the blade to Daniel’s cheek, its white arc crackling with the heat of high voltage.

“I will kill both of you right now if I must,” Father said, his voice angry, his words deliberate. “Not my first choice, but necessary if you leave me no alternative.”

Daniel had been close to success, very close. But the clunky interface of the cobbled-together belt along with his limited experience made emergency use impossible.

Daniel nodded. “I’ll do as you ask. I’ll jump back. But if you hurt her, I’ll force you to kill me.”

Father paused, a growling coming from deep within his throat. “You have one minute.” He lowered his blade. “If you’re not gone, we will come back, and she loses more than just a finger. Keep your hands in the air until the door closes.” He motioned to the guard by the door, who still gripped Jacquelyn. “If he goes for the belt again, shoot her.”

Daniel kept his hands high and his back against the wall as the guard loosened the pressure on Daniel’s neck and stepped away. They left, the door slammed, and the dead bolt clunked into place, leaving Daniel alone with Jacquelyn once more.

Daniel lowered his hands and Jacquelyn ran to him. “Oh, my God, I thought that was the end.” Her head fell against his chest, her body shaking with sobs.

Daniel hugged her, caressing her hair. “This will have to be a quick goodbye. When I’m gone, they’ll come for you, but you have leverage. Tell them that I—”

Both of his arms snapped to his waist like he’d been hit with a bolt of lightning. In the same instant, Jacquelyn vanished .

It happened so fast his brain hardly registered the sudden change. There was no outline of where she’d stood just a moment before, no puff of smoke, nothing. Jacquelyn was simply gone.

People disappear. It happens, especially in this wacked-out world of quantum space and time. His mind raced.

There were two possibilities. One, she’d moved into a fourth dimension of space, though that required a neutrino beam or a portal. Two, she’d transitioned into empros time. Far more likely, but he couldn’t fathom how she’d done it. He still wore the belt and helmet, the only means of getting there. The yellow light on the helmet hadn’t flashed.

His shoulders ached. The wound on his left arm seeped bright red through his shirtsleeve. But the reason for his pain was clear. Both arms had been pushed down in a millionth of a second. He’d done the same thing to Chloe.

Less clear was where Jacquelyn had gone. If her disappearance had involved empros time, she would still have no way to leave the locked cell. Hundreds of years would have passed in empros time by now, and she’d be nothing more than a withered skeleton leaning against the wall.

If she wasn’t in empros time, then something else was going on. Daniel had run out of guesses.

He looked to the door. The guard had seen Jacquelyn vanish too, and his keys jangled in the lock.

Daniel’s heart raced. One more chance. One more loophole. He glanced down to the controller, initializing its function. An LED lit up on the belt.

They’d made their fatal mistake, but only if he could finish before a gun was at his head. Daniel selected the command from the controller display.