Then There Was New York

by Kristina Garlick

  Riley: “It’s weird how I never really changed my look.”

  Future Riley: “I went through different phases over the years; this was just my favorite style, but I didn’t come here to talk fashion.”

  Riley: “So what should I do?”

  Future Riley: “I know that you are debating between three different options, but none of them are correct. Do you wish to know why?”

  Riley: “Of course.”

  Future Riley: “If you kill Broderick, New York is never destroyed and the heroes go on heroing, which I know isn’t a word, but that’s what they do.”

  Riley: “Where’s the downfall in that?”

  Future Riley: “Need I remind you about the ten others that die, including Jordan?”

  Riley: “And the second option? What’s wrong with that?”

  Future Riley: “You have to let the attack happen on the Raz & Berry Show. Unfortunately, Broderick wasn’t lying about powerful beings from other words and other dimensions as well. They are not here yet, but in the next thirty years, one by one, or sometimes more, they will come. It’s imperative that you help train future heroes. With Broderick out of the picture, the heroes that are made today, a lot of them will go on to have children. Not to mention, a few others will be created.”

  Riley from the future handed me a notebook.

  Riley: “What is this?”

  Future Riley: “The formula to make more advanced individuals.”

  I dropped the notebook on the ground as if it burned my hands.

  Riley: “I don’t want this shit.”

  Future Riley: “It’s not a matter of want but need in the future. There will be a rigorous screening process and only the right candidates will be chosen. While there will be heroes having babies, as I already said, none of the people that Broderick injects ever get their abilities when he is taken out of the equation. More advanced people will be required in order to protect humankind.”

  For moment, I stood where I was, but then I picked the notebook off the ground. I didn’t like the idea of someone shooting up and waking up with powers. However, I knew my future self wouldn’t lie to me and so I would protect this notebook.

  Riley: “All right, I will not let anything happen to it.”

  Future Riley: “I know you won’t. There is also a list of some baddies that you will come across and their abilities. I can’t say when or where, as that will change too much, but they will have information on you and your team, so fair is fair.”

  Riley: “Aren’t we already changing a lot?”

  Future Riley: “New York City was never supposed to be destroyed.”

  Riley: “Fair enough. So the second option is off the table.”

  Future Riley: “Which brings us to option three, and that would mean you go further back in time and convince Broderick’s parents to send their only child to a boarding school.”

  Riley: “How does that play?”

  Future Riley: “Broderick spends all of his informative years at the all-boys school and actually grows up to be a decent person.”

  Riley: “So what’s the problem?”

  Future Riley: “After Broderick graduates, he stays on to be a mentor, all the while attending college. Once Broderick graduates, he becomes a teacher at the school.”

  Riley: “That doesn’t sound bad.”

  Future Riley: “On Christmas Eve of his thirtieth year, Broderick is found hanging in his room. Without rage, all that was left within Broderick was sadness and the inability to ever get close to someone.”

  Riley: “So once again, Jordan and the others connected to Broderick die.”

  Future Riley: “But I found a loophole, and you can play it out one of two ways. I will leave it for you to decide.”

  Riley: “Why can’t you just tell me what to choose?”

  Future Riley: “If I tell you what happens that might alter the outcome that you want.”

  Riley: “Not even a hint?”

  My future self let out a sigh.

  Future Riley: “You go back in time and murder Broderick before his second birthday.”

  Riley: “So you are saying I should kill a toddler.”

  Future Riley: “Who grows up to be a mass murderer.”

  Riley: “Why before age two?”

  Future Riley: “Broderick and eight others will die. Jordan and a man named Pike will survive the curse because they have yet to be born so therefore, they can’t die. Anyone born before Broderick is damned no matter what, but you can save two or four.”

  Riley: “How do I save four?”

  Future Riley: “Make sure his parents never meet at a college fraternity party and then he will never be conceived. In this scenario, only six will die. Jordan and Pike will be okay per this setup, but so will the twins as they were born when Broderick was a week old. They will find themselves apart in the time loophole scenario.”

  Riley: “Are you sure this option could work?

  Future Riley: “If you go online and ask this question, I am sure the sci-fi buffs and the brainiacs will tell you a hundred and one reasons why this option won’t work, but shit, can they travel back in time? No. Let’s just say someone much older than us opened my eyes to these two possibilities.”

  Riley: “I am not picking between the choices until you tell me what you are keeping from me.”

  Future Riley: “I forgot how observant I am.”

  Riley: “And?”

  Future Riley: “After you save Jordan and stop Broderick, the world’s going to be a different place. Jordan and his family will be different people as the horrible break in will never happen. He will be a comic book artist and happily married.”

  Riley: “Diane?”

  Future Riley: “Yes. If you decide to come into the picture, you will put his life in danger on more than one occasion. Over time, Jordan will grow to resent the fact that the two of you can never be a normal couple. Yet, you must refuse him powers as that would only put Jordan in further harm’s way. If you really love Jordan, you have to let him go.”

  Riley: “If it means saving Jordan, I will.”

  Future Riley: “Just like that?”

  Riley: “You should know I would never deny Jordan his happiness.”

  Future Riley: “I did, but I wanted you to say it.”

  Riley: “Now that that is out of the way, what are you hiding about the twins?”

  Future Riley: “Without Broderick’s influence, one becomes a man of a cloth after committing low-level crimes as a teen. The other brother is a real son of a bitch. Rape. Murder. Drugs.”

  Riley: “I will make sure the parents never meet, but I will take down the evil twin before he hurts one.”

  Future Riley: “David Mitchell’s address is in his notebook. Go back eighteen years to March 3rd, to Atlanta, and take care of him before he graduates from drugs to far worse crimes. It’s the brother’s death that makes Leonard realize he wants out of the gang, and it takes him a year to untangle, but after that he devotes the rest of his life to church.”

  Riley: “I need the time, date, and location when Daryl and Sarah met so that I make sure that no little Broderick is ever born.”

  Riley of the future pulled a card out of her pocket with an address on it and handed it to me. Sarah apparently had gone to a prestigious school. No wonder the girl had done well for herself, although, much of Sarah’s adult life was riddled with tragedy, so was the luxury worth it?

  Future Riley: “This is where Sarah lives. Daryl graduated a year prior and already landed a lucrative job working for a senator. Before long, he will be on to even grander things. The reason Daryl was at the party is that he was in town visiting his best friend Matt, who—”

  Riley: “I will stop you right there. You don’t need to tell me anymore.”

  Future Riley: “Don’t you want to know the rest of the story?”

  Riley: “Nope. Just tell me the year and date already. I assure you, I will take care of the problem.”

  Fut
ure Riley: “From present day it is thirty-eight years ago. Daryl and Sarah didn’t have Broderick right away.”

  Riley: “Don’t care.”

  Future Riley: “May 14th of that year.”

  I opened a door to a few days prior to the date that my future self had given me. The college, or should I say university, was in Connecticut, so it would take me some time to get there from Florida. Then I wanted to do a bit surveillance to see what the best way to deal with Sarah and Daryl would be.

  Future Riley: “This will be the last time you will see me. Do you have any other questions you wish to ask?”

  Did I have questions? Of course I did, but I was also scared of the answers. Yet, if I didn’t ask, I thought I might regret it the rest of my life.

  Riley: “Will there be another?”

  Future Riley: “Another?”

  Riley: “Why are you pretending like you don’t know what I am asking?”

  Future Riley: “Yes, you will fall in love again.”

  Riley: “With who?”

  Future Riley: “I can’t tell you that.”

  Riley: “Can you share any information?”

  Future Riley: “It will be a long time before you meet him, but you will fell an instant connection and he will feel the same.”

  Riley: “I see.”

  Future Riley: “And Riley, it will not be doomed as you may think.”

  My future self had touched a nerve. I had never had the best luck with men as I had always gravitated towards the bad boys or emotional fucktards or even a combination of those two traits. Jordan had been the first and only person to date that I could have seen a future with, even though it was one of my shortest relationships. My actual quickest affair had been with a guy named, Pete, who didn’t have a job, liked to drink too much, and suffice it to say, that lasted three weeks.

  I got to New Haven, Connecticut, two days prior to the date of the party; in that short span of time, I had already figured out Sarah’s routine not to mention which car was hers in the parking lot. Sarah seemed like a good person, although a bit oblivious. All it took was a knife to all four of her tires to stop Sarah from going to the party. I almost felt like it was too easy of a task but Sarah wasn’t some evil mastermind; she just gave birth to one.

  To make sure my plan worked, I jumped to present day. As soon as I arrived in this new time, I was hit by a sudden gust of wind, which wasn’t something I had ever experienced before. My gut said it was a time ripple, so I must have succeeded in changing and also sealing the new timeline. I was really banking on the fact that I’d chosen correctly, that the disease known as Broderick was never born. But just to double check that my actions were just, I made my way to a nearby library and used the computer to search for Sarah. It took some time to locate Sarah because she had taken her husband’s last name.

  Sarah Daniels had been married for over thirty years to her husband, Michael. They had two daughters together and seemed rather happy. By not marrying Darryl, Sarah did not have to know the grief of losing a husband, nor did she make Broderick an orphan. Satisfied that phase one of my mission was complete, the next step was to check on Jordan and Alyssa.

  As Riley from the future had indicated, without Broderick’s influence Jordan was doing well. Married to Diane and a famous comic book artist, I was happy that while I couldn’t be with him, his life had taken the turn for a better. As I creepily watched Diane and Jordan from outside their window for a few minutes, I found a sense of peace. It was only when I realized that I was crying that I finally left.

  The next task at hand was to track Alyssa down and when I found her, she was thriving with her family, which for some reason I always knew was meant to be. Due to the fact that Alyssa’s mother and sisters never turned to drugs, she could have the type of family she deserved. Alyssa was an incredible child and deserved more than the absentee parenting I could offer her.

  When I approached my family, they did not recognize me and while a part of me was heartbroken, maybe it was for the best. The people I loved were certainly far safer if they did not know me, and I still could make sure they were taken care of from a distance. As to what happened, I assumed when that time gust hit me, my mortal self was erased from history along with Broderick; it was the ultimate life for a life. Yet, for some reason, I still walked the Earth. I believed it was because I had time energy coursing through my DNA or maybe it was because I was not completely human.

  My third and final task was to take out David Mitchell, so eighteen years into the past I went. I knew that at 1:23 p.m., David would walk into his house. I rewound the moment many times to make sure that nothing unexpected would occur. When I was finally satisfied with the results I got, I waited in his living room for him to come home. As soon as he walked in, I shot him in the head with his own gun. David probably shouldn’t have left his firearm lying on his kitchen table.

  Now that I had tied up all the loose ends from the past, I could go home. But what was home? All my money, real estate, and the things that I owned were gone. I could easily rebuild my empire, but was that what I desired? Future Riley had told me that I was meant to train new heroes but was I really the best teacher? My morals were questionable and I had no problem doing what needed to be done to save the day. However, I could teach the children that everyone has their own path. Not to mention, in about eight years or so, villains that future Riley had spoken of might actually start showing up; with my notebook, abilities, and a team by my side there was no way the bad guys could win.

  Decision. Decisions. What should I do? Suddenly, a diabolical smirk slid across my face as I knew what I had to do. There was a very good chance that Arcadia would blow a gasket, but after being forgotten, I want to make a grand return. Call it ego or my own form of self-expression, but I was going to blast onto the scene, quite literally, and hopefully I’d make all the heroes come running.

  November 1st, 2:20 p.m.

  Riley: “I will take these comics.”

  Cashier: “You must really like Team Occurrence.”

  Riley: “I like the artist more.”

  Cashier: “Jordan Jacobs is one of the best in the industry. My all-time favorite is Gordon Hall, but Jacobs is a definitely second. Just look at the line work. You can’t beat it.”

  Riley: “My first.”

  I took the comic that I had just purchased and slid it into my messenger bag. I would start reading it after I bought the donuts for Team Occurrence and also caused a little bit of chaos. It was a bit of a surprise that I didn’t hate the name the heroes had settled on as there were some really awful ones Mac had run by me. At one point, the group had been named the Super Security Trust, which sound liked a rent-a-cop service, and later the team was called the Heroes Cause, and that reminded me of a charity. While I still preferred Spandex and Capes, I could get behind being a member of Team Occurrence.

  When I finally got to the donut shop, I began to agonize over which donuts to buy. The food was trivial, I know, but I wanted to make a good first impression. Being a part of a team had never been my strong suit, but I would try my best. This was my fresh start and I didn’t want to fuck it up.

  Donut Lady: “Are you done deciding?”

  Riley: “Shh, this is a really important decision. I am going to see some people who I haven’t talked to in a long while.”

  Donut Lady: “I am sure they will be happy with whatever donuts you buy them.”

  Riley: “You don’t understand. I need the right cream to jelly to sprinkle ratio, otherwise there won’t be happy people.”

  The woman muttered that she didn’t get paid enough to deal with this shit and walked off to fill a coffee pot. In the meantime, I began writing my donut order down. I supposed two dozen should be good. If they wanted more, the heroes could come to the donut shop and buy their own. As of now, I was running on limited funds as I was trying not to swindle too many rich douches out of their money … really trying to turn over a new leaf.

  I signaled for the a
ngry donut lady to come back, who grudgingly fulfilled my donut order. Seemed like she’d much rather bitch about her lazy husband or how she needed a cigarette, rather than work. Not sure why she even bothered to ask me my order earlier.

  Anyway, once the donuts were paid for, I got in the rental car and drove to a nearby state park. Then I grabbed a foldup chair, a bottle of water, and the donuts from the car before making my way to a nice open field by a lake. I opened up the fold-up chair and had a seat as I took out one of Jordan’s comics and began to read. After a few minutes, I helped myself to a donut, which I promptly ate. Once my sweet tooth was satisfied, I used my abilities to create a rather massive time vortex over the lake; it wasn’t harming anything but should get me the attention I sought.

  It was a good thing that I’d brought the comics as five minutes went by, followed by five more. At the ten-minute mark, several heroes came flying in wearing Mac’s flight belt and I supposed that meant some things never changed. I couldn’t help but smile at the perplexed look on Vegas, Arcadia, Mac, and Ruperto’s face.

  Riley: “About time you all showed up.”

  The four heroes finally noticed me sitting on my foldup chair under the trees. I opened the box of donuts and ushered them over. Cautiously, they walked towards me.

  Mac: “Miss, do you know what’s going on?”

  Riley: “I had to do something to get your attention and it was either this or a small car bomb, which was my first choice, but heroes frown upon that.”

  Arcadia: “What is your name?”

  Riley: “Oh, how rude of me, Arcadia. My name is—”