Predestiny

by Phipps, C. T.

  I stared.

  Was this a setup? How? No, it wasn’t. It was just an unlucky coincidence that I’d set the class conversation on things which shouldn’t be discussed. It was the least awful thing that had happened to me lately.

  “I think they’d be justified in killing Hitler as a young man,” Anna said. “Think of all the lives they’d save if they did that.”

  I gave my girlfriend a sharp look before rubbing my temples. Was I really identifying with Hitler of all people? This is what my life had been reduced to.

  “Maybe a person’s life doesn’t have to be dictated by the way history originally went,” Jane said, surprising everyone by speaking. “If you have a time machine then maybe you can alter the way events would naturally go and bring them to a better outcome. That way no one, not even Hitler, has to die.”

  Anna looked over at Jane. “Is that a chance you really want to take?”

  “Good, good!” Mr. Welles said, cheerfully. “This is great discussion. Of course, just killing or stopping the dictator is no guarantee of getting the result you want.”

  “What?” Jane and Anna said simultaneously.

  Mr. Welles went to the chalkboard and started drawing on it a series of lines and stick figures. “One of the things which ‘A Sound of Thunder’ is getting at is the fact that small changes are as important as big changes. However, there’s an opposite school of thought on this as well.”

  “Huh?” I said, trying to understand how we’d gotten on this tangent in the first place.

  Oh, right, I’d screwed up and not done the reading.

  “There’s a lot of historical thinking which postulates that there’s one great man of history who can shape the world with his will. However, another theory is history being dictated by events much larger than any single person can affect,” Mr. Welles said, circling one of his stick figures. “Say, if you killed Hitler then it probably wouldn’t prevent Germany’s fall into fascism because that’s happening due to a number of different factors. Things like World War One, the Treaty of Versailles, and the general atmosphere around Germany at that time. Fascism didn’t spring out of nowhere but was a reaction to the conditions of the period. It’s why it emerged simultaneously from several different places. Had Hitler never been born, we might have had a different but equally awful führer arise in his place like Hermann Goering or Reinhard Heydrich.”

  I was suddenly paying rapt attention. Looking over at Jane, I saw she was angry over Welles’s statement. She was staring daggers into his back as if he’d insulted her mother. I didn’t entirely blame her because this class was calling into question the entire reason for her being here. I didn’t necessarily believe Mr. Welles was right. Jane knew a lot more about time travel on a purely practical level after all, but he was asking a lot of questions which I thought needed to be asked. Had the Scorpion made the future so terrible or had the terrible future made the Scorpion?

  Or was I just trying to duck responsibility again?

  Welles, of course, couldn’t see her because he had his back turned. “There’s also a question over whether or not it’s possible to change history at all.”

  I coughed. “Of course there is.”

  Rex Jansen, a big, bulky jock with red hair, sneered at me. “Yeah, because you know all about time travel.”

  Now I wanted to stab … punch him. Maybe coming into school today wasn’t the best idea. I was a ticking time bomb of various nasty thoughts and dreams which felt more authentic than memories. Of course, what were memories but your mind putting the world together in your head? What I was seeing probably wasn’t real but it might as well have been.

  “Certain theories in quantum mechanics postulate the idea there’s an infinite number of universes which are all existing side by side,” Mr. Welles said, pointing to the various lines he’d drawn. “In this view of the universe, time travelers could go to dozens of nearly identical universes and change events without ever affecting their main timeline. They’d just disappear from their main timeline’s history.”

  Jane seemed thunderstruck by this revelation and just looked down at her desk.

  I didn’t believe it, but not because I didn’t want to. It would be wonderful to be able to let the Scorpion go and think of him as my evil parallel doppelgänger, maybe dream of him wearing a goatee for extra nerd points, but I couldn’t. The monster inside me felt too real and couldn’t just be brushed away.

  Brushed away like Mr. Welles wanted to do. “Well, all of this is purely theoretical, anyway. Even Butterfly and Noose, companies on the cutting edge of technological development, acknowledge the simple fact that time travel is almost certainly impossible. As Doctor Stephen Hawking pointed out, if time travel were really possible, then we’d almost certainly have been deluged by tourists from the future.”

  The class continued, but I found myself paying even less attention to it than before. I couldn’t get the image out of my head of Sabrina killing my father. It reminded me so much of how the Scorpion killed Christine, even if it was just a dream. I would never hurt Christine. I liked her a lot. The thought of causing my mentor pain made me ill. But it had felt so real!

  I looked over at Anna, still intently paying attention to the discussion like the diligent student she was. She had no idea how much her comments affected me. How could she? But it didn’t make them hurt any less.

  Unable to think of anything else, I leaned over and whispered to get her attention. “Hey. Psst. Were you serious about that business with Hitler?”

  Anna looked at me, confused. “Absolutely. It’s for the greater good.”

  “Which is killing him?”

  Anna nodded vigorously while shooting her eyes back to the front of the room to make sure Welles couldn’t hear her. “I mean, you were there at the riot. Can you really tell me if you didn’t have a time machine that you wouldn’t go back in time to kill Colin Reilly before he took over Butterfly?”

  I blinked, put off by Anna’s sudden viciousness. “You think Colin Reilly is as bad as Hitler?”

  “Have you seen what he’s doing?” Anna said. “He’s petitioning the New Freedom Party for the privatization of police forces across the country. Before long it’ll be dragging people from their homes to be executed.”

  After catching wind of our conversation, Jane narrowed her eyes at my girlfriend from across the room.

  I’d always been attracted to Anna’s hyperbole and passion about, well, everything, but this seemed a bit extreme. Had I ignored this sort of stuff before or had she changed her opinion because of the riots? I wanted to suggest that maybe Colin Reilly wasn’t so bad but the words stuck in my throat.

  “Yeah, he’s awful,” I muttered.

  That also got me a dirty look from Jane. Yeah, there was no way I was ever going to appease these two unless I suggested going to Taco Bell. That was about the only thing they both agreed on. It was weird because Anna reminded me of Jane in some ways. Well, not in the “scary murderous ninja from the future” way but in the, well, Anna could be a “scary murderess from the future” way. They were both very tough women.

  “I’m sorry,” Anna confessed, looking over at me. “I shouldn’t be talking about killing someone after what happened with your dad. You’re going through a lot and I can’t help but feel like I’m making it worse.”

  I blinked, looking over my shoulder and accidentally making it look like I was hiding something. “What do you mean?”

  “It’s just, after the riot you were quiet, withdrawn, and have barely even spoken to me. I thought you wanted to break up or that Jane had something to do with it. But then you came to the H.O.P.E. meeting and told Christine you wanted to get more involved. It seems like you’re being pulled in a million different directions and I’m tugging the hardest.”

  “What? No way. If it seems like I’m being pulled in a million directions it’s because I am, but Anna, you’re one of the greatest things in my life. These aren’t easy times we’re living in. Multiply that
with a riot and having my father murdered and…” I stopped short of adding “futuristic assassins trying to kill me”. I think I proved my point. “What I’m trying to say is you’re not the problem here. You’re my solution.”

  I must have said something right because Anna smiled. It was a rare sight these days but it reminded me of how happy she made me.

  Jane didn’t feel the same way. She reacted by standing up in the middle of Mr. Welles’s sentence and storming out of the class. Her dramatic departure caught everyone’s attention, yet my focus remained on Anna. Jane was my responsibility. It was probably in my best interest to find out what was wrong with her, but after sharing a moment with Anna I was reluctant to do so.

  She must have read my mind, though, for an instant later she gave me an understanding nod. “It’s okay. Go after her.”

  I returned her permission with an appreciative smile and then grabbed my backpack while standing. Mr. Welles’s attention then shifted to me and I was stuck trying to spit out an excuse. “She’s my cousin, so I should probably…”

  My voice drifted off, hoping that he would deduce the rest of the sentence on his own, which he did. Although annoyed by the interruption to his lecture, Welles rolled his eyes and gestured towards the door. “All right, Mr. Stone. Leave if you must.”

  I didn’t waste another second. I ran out of the class just in time to see Jane step through the building’s main front doors.

  CHAPTER SIXTEEN

  As soon as I exited the school, Jane was already halfway across the expansive front lawn. She wasn’t moving fast but appeared to be on a mission, storming forward with her shoulders pressed back and fists clenched.

  I gave a quick jog to catch up to her while calling out, “Hey, Jane! Wait up.”

  Jane didn’t, though, and didn’t look back either.

  Catching up to her, I reached out to place my hand on Jane’s shoulder. “Come on. Don’t be like—”

  Before my fingers could even brush against her jacket, Jane turned around and punched me square in the nose. I didn’t have time to react before a sudden painful shock jolted through my face. Blood burned my nostrils and my eyes started to water from the pain. Jane wasn’t a superhuman, at least I didn’t think she was, but she hit harder and more painfully than I’d ever received from my dad or anyone else.

  I stumbled back, holding my nose. “What the hell was that for?”

  Before I even finished asking the question, Jane answered it with a series of follow-up strikes. She started with an uppercut to my stomach, then moved on to a left hook to the jaw, and finished the sequence with a firm jab straight into my right eye.

  The shots, one after another, were precise and disciplined, hardened by a lifetime of training. They came unexpectedly and were simply too much for me to take. My body collapsed onto the grass, and I must’ve been a pitiful sight looking up at Jane while begging for an explanation. “Why?”

  Jane stood over me and screamed, “Because you’re weak!”

  My body still ached from the rapid assault Jane unleashed on it, but the betrayal felt by her words hurt even more. “What are you talking about?”

  I felt awful but the scariest thing I knew was the fact she didn’t even hurt me as badly as she could have. I’d seen Jane break bricks and boards like Bruce Lee in the back yard. If she had hit me as hard as he could, I’d be dead. Instead, she was making a point. I just didn’t know what.

  “You were the Scorpion! You were fearless and powerful. Now look at you.”

  I kept asking questions, but every answer she gave only confused me further. “I thought that was the person I was supposed to stop myself from becoming.”

  “Like you could ever become him,” she snickered, the disgust clearly evident in her eyes. “The man I knew had dignity and pride. He was a monster, sure, but at least he stood up and fought for what he believed in. You, Robbie Stone, don’t believe in anything. You just bend to the whim of everyone around you.”

  Luckily, classes were still in session, otherwise the lawn would’ve been flooded with people. Not that I cared. All I could think about was that I had somehow let her down. I had to make this right. “Is that what you think I’m doing?”

  “I know that’s what you’re doing.” Jane pointed to the sky behind her. “I should be out there hunting these assassins and cleaning up this mess. But no, you begged me to stay and protect you because you’re too scared to be left alone. And then what do you do? You go running back to your girlfriend and H.O.P.E. after one bad dream. What were you thinking? It got your father killed!”

  Although true, it was an unfair accusation, and I sat up from the grass to plead my case. “What do you want from me? I’m not a soldier. I’m not cut out for this kind of stuff.”

  The excuse annoyed her and she placed her foot on my chest. “You don’t have to be a soldier to believe in yourself.”

  Jane pressed down and I struggled with the pain.

  “Stop it, please!” I shouted.

  “You think you can survive another assassin attack? You couldn’t even stand up to your father. He wasn’t even a fraction of the man you could become, and you just let him walk all over you like you were garbage.”

  “I’m not … garbage.” I looked away.

  The truth was, I hadn’t felt like fighting anyone or anything since the events in Chicago. I’d tried to stand up and protect Christine, only to fail miserably. Afterward, I’d seen just how badly my attempts to fight others could turn out. Plus, it was hard to think of myself as a fighter compared to Jane. It wasn’t a man or woman thing, but she was my superior in every conceivable way. It felt pointless to even try when there was someone who was better at everything.

  Plus, I was scared. Why shouldn’t I be? I mean, I had frigging professional assassins from the future after me. Why couldn’t she understand that? It’s not like I had anyone to talk with about this either. Jane was about as sympathetic a listener as a concrete block. Where the hell did she get off talking about my father walking over me when she was the one who hit me too? Didn’t she know we didn’t do that sort of stuff in this decade?

  “What are you then?” Jane asked.

  I slowly got to my feet, careful not to aggravate the soreness in my ribs. “Give me a break. What do you want from me?”

  “Something better than you feeling sorry for yourself all the time,” Jane said, “I thought I could maybe guide you to greatness. To be a force for good rather than evil, but all I get from you is whining.”

  “Where is this coming from?” I asked, wondering what had set her off.

  “Your father, my…” Jane started to speak then shook her head. “We’re just spinning our wheels.”

  “And I’m fine with that!” The words instinctually shot out of my mouth and right into her face. “You think I like knowing my own future? Every day dreading that I turn into a monster? I never asked you to come here. I never asked for any of this. But I’m doing the best I can dealing with it. So why don’t you just cut me some slack and shut up about it already.”

  “Or what?” Jane taunted me.

  I looked away. “Whatever, I’m not going to hit you.”

  “That’s it?” Jane asked. “No wonder your girlfriend has you wrapped around her finger.”

  Her words burned because I knew they were true. I’d been terrified of losing her, but that didn’t mean I had to listen to Jane’s lecture. “I thought I told you to shut it.”

  She continued to taunt me. “Maybe I don’t need to fight the assassins coming to kill you. All I have to do is show them there’s no chance in hell someone as pathetic as you could possibly conquer the world.”

  “I said shut up!”

  Instinct took over as I pivoted around while thrusting a clenched fist forward. It connected with the bottom half of Jane’s mouth, rocking her head straight back. She took a moment to recover from the sudden shock of the blow, which I’m sure she never expected. The look of surprise on her face remained as she brought s
everal fingers up to feel the blood on her lower lip.

  With the force of the punch still aching in my knuckles, the anger inside me immediately flipped over into guilt. “Oh, my god, Jane. I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to.”

  The white-haired girl just nodded her head with a gratified grin. “There you are.”

  “What?” I asked completely confused.

  And Jane’s smile only grew as she continued to stare at me with pride. A little blood trickled down from the side. “That’s the tenacity I remember. I knew it was in there somewhere.”

  Jane was nuts. Downright certifiably insane. And driven by motivations that I couldn’t even begin to understand. “I just punched you and that’s all you can say? I hit a girl. That’s nothing to be proud of.”

  Jane chuckled, licking the cut on her lip. “Sabrina was a woman, just like one of the assassins still coming to kill you. At least now you have a chance of surviving her.”

  “Is that it?” I asked, realizing what she was doing. “You want me to be ready when they come? To defend myself.”

  “Not entirely. What your father said wasn’t wrong. You did cause this. All of it. From the moment I told you about your fate, everything you do, everything you say, every choice you make will shape the world. Even if the Scorpion is never born from your actions, they still have consequences. Good or bad. Right or wrong. You need to make a decision, Robbie, because you can’t hide from the greatness inside you. So will you drift through life fearful of your future? Or will you own up to it and make history?”

  I didn’t know what to say. Jane was talking crazy. She had to be. How else could I make sense of the ramblings from a time-travelling assassin from a dystopian future of my own creation? Deep down, her words hurt, but not because they were crazy. They hurt because in my gut I knew them to be true.

  So instead of trying to find a string of fruitless excuses to express some non-existent feeling of shame, I simply turned around and strolled across the lawn to head home.