The other person's footsteps were close, but his eyes would not adjust. From the sounds of it, the owner of those feet hadn't had their eyes adjust yet either.
Reaching the edge of the road, the resonance faded enough he could breathe without the fear of throwing up. His mind settled, and he was able to think more clearly. The headache lessened and began to subside.
He crawled over the edge of the graded dirt road and listened.
The other person had stopped moving, but he thought he heard a woman's labored breath. It sounded like that woman struggled not to cough. Immediately, he wondered who it might be. He wondered if that other person could be Avery or Jeremy. It sounded only like one person.
"Wyatt?" Hannah's voice asked from the direction of the footsteps. "Are you okay?"
Wyatt wondered at hearing her voice, glanced toward his wrist terminal, and decided he didn't have much time. "I'm over here."
He heard Hannah sigh and race toward him, her footfalls drawing nearer for a few seconds. She stopped with a skid near his face. The dust kicked up by her feet making him cough.
"We have to get out of here before she comes back," Hannah said, bending down and touching his right shoulder.
"Who?" Wyatt asked. He already knew who she probably meant, but he wanted to be sure there wasn't someone else.
"Linda," Hannah said. "Or whatever name she uses."
Wyatt nodded, rising to his feet. The sky had lightened, or his eyes had adjusted just enough for him to see her. Her face was the same as the version he had visited in the warehouse of 2039. He was glad she wasn't as old as the version that had sat at the table with Aldan in 2089.
He shook his head as she took his right arm and pulled him off the road. Moving through the brush was tough. The sagebrush tore at his pants and scratched his ankles where his socks and pants didn't cover. After a minute of movement, they dropped into the same dried drainage ditch he and Brooke would hide in later that day.
"Where did you just come from?" Hannah asked.
"I just came from seeing six versions of Linda." Wyatt slumped down to catch his breath. "One version should be arriving on that dirt road in a moment, but the others come in later."
"I think I know how we can stop it," Hannah said. "But you are going to have to trust me."
Wyatt shook his head and thought he could see the hint of her discomfort at his pause. The way she stood, looking down at him bothered him, so he rose back to his feet. His wrist terminal showed it was only a minute before 5:50 am. "How many versions of Linda have you ever seen in one place?" he asked.
"Three or four," Hannah said, then stepped closer to him to speak quieter. "But you warned me there were others. You warned me that she is not one that can feel the resonance."
"So, how do we stop her," Wyatt asked. He wanted to ask her how many times she had already tried, but something about the way she stood determined, stopped him.
Hannah was silent for a moment. When she did speak, her voice was silent, and the resonance filled the area again. "There is your answer," she said.
It was like seeing the future play out. With less than thirty seconds before that first version of Linda would show up, he saw himself arriving again with Hannah. The other versions of himself coughed violently as he and that other version of Hannah rose to their feet and raced toward them. Wyatt watched as that later version of himself nearly tripped as he raced through the sagebrush.
That version of himself carried something.
"Get down," Hannah said. "We don't want them to see us, just yet."
Wyatt crouched again. He watched the other version of himself approach through the sagebrush. That version of himself wore the same blue jeans and dark shirt he wore now, so it couldn't be a version from that far into the future.
That version of Hannah and Wyatt jumped over the edge of the drainage ditch, without looking at Wyatt. For Wyatt, seeing another version of himself made his head hurt again, but that wasn't the only thing he felt.
The resonance signaled the arrival of that original version of Linda.
From twenty feet away, the other versions of himself and Hannah worked to set up whatever that version of Wyatt had been carrying. It was only when that version of Wyatt extended the white pieces that he recognized it.
"They brought the drone," Wyatt whispered to the version of Hannah that stood beside him.
"It sure looks that way," Hannah whispered back.
The resonance faded, and Wyatt turned his attention back toward Linda. She stood in the middle of the dirt road, but in the lightening morning sky, it was hard to determine what she was doing.
When he looked back toward the other version of himself, that version watched him. It felt strange to be in the same area as himself. That version seemed to know he was there and nodded before crawling across the distance between them.
"You need to go," that later version of Wyatt said. "Get out of here before the other versions of her find you." That version of Wyatt nodded toward Hannah and turned around.
"We need to go," Hannah said. "For some reason I trust him." She giggled at that comment.
Wyatt couldn't tell if she were joking with him. He stared at her for a moment, but something behind her caught his eye. Another figure moved. He pointed in that direction, Hannah looked and shook her head.
"It's almost too late," Hannah said. "Come on." She pressed her wrist terminal to activate her portal and pulled him through it.
The concrete was cold against his back and the mildew smell filled his nose. They were back in the warehouse, it seemed, but he had no idea when or where.
He rolled to his back and closed his eyes as the dizziness passed.
"Come on," Hannah said. "You told me she would be following us. We have to keep moving." She was the first on her feet and extended her right hand to help him get to his feet.
He took her offered hand and rose shakily to his feet. "This is too much resonance," he said.
"It will get worse, if we don't stop her," Hannah said.
"Do you mean Linda is behind all the changes?" Wyatt asked, feeling more stable on his feet.
Hannah opened a portal, and it took his eyes a moment to realize it was one of the portals that Jarod had used. The edges were jagged. It looked as though something had torn a hole in the reality.
"I'm not stepping through that?" Wyatt said, shaking his head.
"You don't have much of a choice," Hannah said. "They're going to find you here soon enough, and if you don't come with me, we won't have that drone when we come back."
That comment sent Wyatt's mind spinning. He motioned back in the direction they had come. "Are you later than her?"
Hannah stopped walking and dropped his right hand. She looked back over his shoulder and shrugged. "I'm not sure," she said. "Maybe."
"How is that supposed to help me?" Wyatt asked.
"I don't know," Hannah said, with another shrug. "You told me this was how it would happen." She turned back toward the portal she had opened and stepped closer.
It seemed logical in that moment that she had only mentioned him to get him to trust her a little more. After the way she had taken his wrist terminal, he wasn't sure he could trust her. Part of his mind was glad she didn't ask him to trust her. That might have been too much.
"Supposedly, I returned your wrist terminal," Hannah said. "But you can't use it to get away from her"—she motioned with her right hand in Linda's direction—"because she would simply follow."
Her point sunk in as Wyatt watched over his shoulder. The resonance filled the area, and he saw his earlier version step through his portal. The dizziness was strong, even from a few hundred feet away. He heard that version's coughing with the effects and did his best not to react to the resonance.
"Come on," Hannah said. "Don't waste any more time." She held out her left hand and he reluctantly placed his right hand in hers. As soon as he touched her, she closed her fist around his hand and pulled him almost violently through the por
tal.
The sensation was worse than the portals his wrist terminal made. Rather than just the resonance, the ugly portal felt like it tore him apart as he traveled through. The ground on the other side of the portal was not quite where he expected it. As he stepped through, down suddenly became a little to his right side.
He tripped and fell as Hannah released his hand. The carpeted floor struck him quickly, as the light blinded him for a moment.
"You're okay," Hannah whispered. "Don't cry out. Don't make a sound."
Wyatt rolled to his back, feeling the heat from the carpet soaking into his sweat-soaked, cold shirt.
"It's always the worst after the first time," Hannah said. "I'm lucky. I only feel a little bit of the resonance. That's why you asked me to help you." She helped him to a seated position and crouched down in front of him.
Wyatt felt the resonance subside along with the sensation of being torn apart. His body ached as if he had just run several miles. His eyes had not adjusted completely yet.
He looked around for a moment then climbed to his feet. Hannah was right there to help him, but he didn't need it.
They stood in a bright small room. The walls were painted a pale gray. One light panel illuminated the room from the center of the ceiling. To his right stood a white doorway, ornately carved to match the flowing white moldings that traced the floor, which he saw was covered with a dark taupe carpet.
"Where are we?" Wyatt asked, holding back the question that really bothered him.
"This might be one of those moments where the less you know, the better." Hannah smiled, shrugged, and shook her head. "Just kidding. With all that has happened, I figured we need a way of making the Machina aware of that dirt road."
Scanning his wrist terminal Wyatt thought back to seeing the other versions of himself and Hannah arriving with a drone. "Is that why we came there with a drone?"
Hannah looked at him for a moment and nodded.
So far, their conversation had been at the level of a whisper. Wyatt looked away from the door, and realized they were in a bedroom. That sent his pulse hammering again.
"Whose house is this?" Wyatt asked, turning to face her.
With her smile growing, Hannah laughed. "Whose house do you think it would be?" She shook her head. "This is my house."
Wyatt shook his head and looked back at the door. "What did we come here for?" He realized that the resonance caused by that ugly portal would have brought Aldan in, if he were there. The room could have been part of Aldan's house on the dirt road. The colors were the same, but the resonance hadn't drawn Aldan. That meant they were probably whispering to keep Aldan's father and family from noticing. Not everyone felt the resonance.
Hannah turned from him, and bent to retrieve something from under the bed, which was covered in gray sheets and a comforter that almost matched the walls. She pulled the comforter up onto the bed as she placed a small cardboard box on top of it.
Spreading the top of the box open, Wyatt saw the shape of a white drone inside. The legs or pylons were folded up, as were the blades.
"Do we just go back now?" Wyatt asked. He tried to imagine what her answer would be. She turned on him, holding out the folded drone.
"You need to go back," Hannah answered. "But I won't be going with you." She smiled. "I've already been there."
"Huh?" Wyatt asked, thinking back to the way she had reacted about the other version of herself that had arrived with the other version of himself. Things were getting too odd. He backed away from the drone.
"You need to take this," Hannah said, stepping closer. "This allows the Machina to watch what happens."
Wyatt looked at the drone, and the camera hanging from between its folded pylons. That camera would give the Machina knowledge of the dirt road area. After all, the Machina could only see what cameras showed.
"How did your cousin get that code?" Wyatt asked as he backed into the door.
She glared at him and made a shushing sound. "Be quiet. We can't afford anyone else hearing this."
Sighing, Wyatt reached for the drone. She deposited it into his hands and the lightness of the drone surprised him. He had never dealt with drones before. It was definitely not made of metal. It could be plastic or some other material.
Hannah backed away from him and turned toward her bed. She dug under the pillow and retrieved something that looked quite familiar. The black, plastic-bound notebook was his.
"Where did you get that?" he asked. "That's my notebook."
She smiled and held it up, displaying the cover he had marked with his name in the lower right corner. "You gave it to me," she said. "This has been quite useful. But don't worry. This is one that is from a lot later than you remember. There are even more codes entered here."
"That's strange," Wyatt asked. "I've heard from you twice now that I gave that to you—"
"But you haven't given it to me yet," Hannah said. "You've seen other versions of me out there with it, right?" Hannah said and Wyatt thought he understood what she meant.
Rather than answer, he looked back down at the drone. "Do you have a controller for this?"
Hannah shrugged and looked at her hands. "That version of me you saw with your other version has it."
"Really?" Wyatt asked. He felt sweat running down his temple and his voice had grown louder with his shock. "What kind of plan did I set in motion?"
"Calm down," Hannah said. "I'm sure you will have a chance to think of a better way to present it to me, but you were a little overwhelmed and exhausted. There was a lot going on."
"How many times have I used you to fix my past?" Wyatt asked.
Hannah shook her head. "Plenty of times," she said, her smile fading slightly. "Nothing ever works out how we expect. You need to get back to that dirt road. I'll be there. At least, another version of myself that has the controller."
"Is there another that will have a battery?" Wyatt asked. "Maybe one that has a spare blade?" He knew he was being loud, but he was frustrated. This version of Hannah could only smile as he hit her with questions.
"Get back to that dirt road," Hannah said. "That's the next important task." Her smile faded and she backed away, motioning toward his wrist terminal. "Get there at 5:49 am. and run to the drainage ditch. Don't talk to me or your earlier self. Everything has to remain the way you saw it."
"That's the most important part, huh?" Wyatt asked, this time his voice was quieter.
"You need to get back there before Linda figures out where you went," Hannah said. "If you spend too long in one area, she will know. I think she is after a copy of this"—she held up the notebook—"which lets her know where you have been."
Wyatt shook his head, regretting the time he had taken to jot down the location codes, dates, and times. He scanned his wrist terminal, made the adjustments and activate his portal. With one last look at Hannah, he stepped through.
CHAPTER thirty-three
DIRT ROAD, R720RS
SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 3, 2040, 5:49 AM
The cold hit him as soon as the resonance made him dizzy. He managed to remain on his feet and didn't drop the drone.
"This way," Hannah's voice said. "We have to move." She stood just a few feet to his right but looking at her made his head spin. The resonance had not faded yet.
He could barely keep up with Hannah, but seeing her moving in front of him, gave him a target to direct his motion. They reached the ditch, and he saw his previous version there with a different version of Hannah than the one that led him now.
Things had gotten strange. Even though he was with Hannah, he found himself wondering about Brooke. Had she survived?
Crouching in the drainage ditch, he felt the resonance bloom again but whether from the arrival of the version of Linda or the departure of his previous version with Hannah it didn't matter.
"This is going to be tough for a few minutes," Hannah said. "Best thing you can do is sit there and be as quiet as possible."
Wyatt nodded, amazed
at the way the resonance was not affecting her. "Don't you feel any of that?"
Hannah nodded once, looking past him toward the dirt road. He glanced toward his wrist terminal and realized it would be only a few more minutes before he arrived with Avery, Aldan, and Jeremy.
As he suffered through the sickening resonance, Hannah pulled something from her pocket. It took him a moment to realize it was basically a smart phone with a glass screen. It might have even been a phone since he wasn't sure when she came from. Setting it beside her right knee, she reached for the pieces of the drone.
"They brought the drone," Wyatt heard his earlier version say. Obviously, he hadn't whispered as quietly as he thought.
"It sure looks that way," Hannah's earlier version whispered back.
Wyatt remembered what he had told himself at that point, and shaking his head, he crawled toward that version of himself. "You need to go," he said. "Get out of here before the other versions of her find you."
"We need to go," the earlier version of Hannah said. "For some reason I trust him." She giggled as her eyes passed over Wyatt.
The resonance hit him hard as they both left, but at least his memories were still intact.
Wyatt turned back toward the Hannah he had arrived with. She had the drone ready. She set it on the ground near them and retrieved her phone. A moment later, it launched into the air with the same hum he had heard earlier.
"Okay," Hannah said. "Now we need to get out of here also." She placed the phone under a sage brush nearby.
Wyatt looked from her to the drone then toward the group that were meeting with Linda. He remembered the way the other version of Hannah had said it was important to keep moving so as not to get caught. But he needed some answers.
"I'm sorry," Wyatt said. "But I don't want to go anywhere until you give me some kind of explanation."
"We don't know the answers yet," Hannah said with a shrug. Her voice was barely more than a whisper. "But if we stay here right now, you will get caught by her. That will ruin a lot more of this."
Wyatt shook his head and glanced toward the group. He saw that original version of Linda looking upward at the drone. Soon the other Lindas would arrive. That scared him. He had seen what the original Linda indicated had supposedly been done with Jeremy and Avery.
Dissonance (The Machina of Time Book 2) Page 29
