A Shattered Future

by Joel Adrian

  Something smashed into her face, and she fell to the ground. Someone shut the door behind her and stomped on her side. She yelped in pain, cradling her body into a fetal position.

  Mona peered up to see a muscular Japanese man wearing a button-up shirt. On the shirt, she spotted the hourglass emblem.

  A Regulator.

  She spun and threw her right boot into the man’s kneecap. He jumped, avoiding the kick, and pulled a pistol out. He turned and aimed out the door, firing at what Mona could only assume was an approaching Tanner and Catalina.

  Mona forced herself up and moved to tackle the Regulator. He was a second quicker, raising his boot and kicking Mona back onto the ground, this time sending her sliding into the hallway.

  “Damn it.” She pulled the pistol from her belt and took aim. She sucked in a breath and aimed low.

  She squeezed the trigger.

  The Regular cried out, a hand going to his knee.

  Tanner charged through the door, tackling the Regulator to the ground.

  “Tanner!” Mona shouted, scrambling to her feet. She rushed to Tanner and pulled him off the Regular. “Tanner, no, don’t!”

  Tanner shoved her back. “Oh, what, now you care?”

  “He’s a Regulator!”

  “A what?” Tanner’s face frowned in confusion.

  Catalina screamed outside.

  Mona pulled her gun up and stepped over the Regulator on the ground, charging through the doorway where the rickety door had been.

  Another Regulator, this one a thick, young man with blonde hair and tattoos covering his arms stood over Catalina. He had one hand around her throat, the other gripping a pistol aimed at her head.

  “Time Regulators!” the man called. “Drop your guns and step aside!”

  Mona gulped. She’d never seen or interacted with a Regulator before, but she’d heard enough horror stories to know that she didn’t want to piss them off. She eased her arm down to her side and extended her left hand. “Easy. Just let her go.”

  “Drop it! Now” the Regulator barked.

  A gunshot sprang from the house, hitting the Regular in the wrist. He dropped the gun and cried out in pain.

  Mona turned to see Tanner aiming his pistol. “No!” she cried, tackling him to the ground.

  Catalina picked up the pistol the Regulator dropped, but he spun and ran. Mona stood to watch the Regular darting off into the woods. Catalina aimed with her gun, but the Regular vanished before their eyes a second later.

  She blinked, struggling to confirm what she just saw.

  Catalina turned, her face horrified, confirming what Mona thought she’d just seen. She stepped back to look at the floor of the house, where the Japanese Regulator had fallen.

  There was a blood stain on the floor, but no body.

  Tanner jumped back to his feet and charged her, shoving her to the ground.

  She groaned as she met the floor again.

  “The hell’s amatter with you, lady?!” Tanner was fuming, his cheeks dyed a deep red. “I had that guy! I could’ve made that second shot!”

  She held a hand up, struggling to catch her breath. “No, no, just listen, okay? They’re Regulators. You can’t kill them.”

  Catalina stepped through the doorway, her face scratched and cut up from her altercation with the Regulator. She let the pistol clatter to the ground and slumped against the wall. Her face was fraught with shock.

  “We should just leave her, little lady,” Tanner said to Catalina. “She sure ain’t looking out for us.”

  Mona lowered her gaze, trying not to let the words from Tanner wound her. Seeing him again was already hurting her. His anger clawed at her chest. “Just hang on. They’re like . . . law enforcement of time travel across universes.”

  Tanner shook his head, his mind already made up. “Bull. How convenient you forget to tell us that during mission prep, or when the entire group was together.”

  “Just listen!” she shouted. “In my world, this world,” she said, motioning to the area around them, “there were laws established to protect time travel. There’s a group called TRALE. That’s Time Regulation And Law Enforcement. They exist to prohibit regular people from screwing around with time travel and messing everything up.”

  Tanner, now all out of steam, leaned against the decaying doorway and groaned. “So why are they here then? You’re a soldier. You’re on military business.”

  She shook her head. “Doesn’t work like that. If time travel is to be used for any purpose, it has to get approval. There’s an entire new governing body made for this stuff. When someone does transfer to another timeline, it’s for scientific study, or to apply knowledge we have now to research things from them. We’re never to use it to intervene.”

  “So you’re like, some international time criminal now?” Catalina asked. “Why do it? Why try to intervene?”

  Mona got to her knees, finally able to catch her breath. “I . . . when the bombs dropped, my squad and I . . .” She eyed Tanner, then looked away. “Okay, so from what they told us, some universes fall in line with each other, others couldn’t be more different. The ones that are similar to mine are almost guaranteed to go the same path.

  “That means most of them are going to end in some kind of nuclear war like mine. My group and I, we decided we needed our universe was screwed, but if we could get back to one similar to ours, correct the course, it’d be okay. We’d have done all we could to prevent it.”

  Tanner and Catalina watched her as she spoke.

  “They never told us much about the Time Regulators,” she continued, “only that they were dangerous as hell. They’re government officials. But the government took a very conservative stance, that’s why meddling is so prohibited. They believe that to mess with anything major, anything significant, is to defy nature and free will.”

  Silence fell over the room. She watched as Tanner and Catalina took in the information, keeping her eyes firmly off the Specialist.

  “How’d they find us?” Catalina asked, arching her head towards Mona.

  Mona shrugged. “I heard rumors they might be able to trace Requiem gems.”

  “Why didn’t they come for us back in our world?” Tanner asked.

  Mona shook her head. “They’re very strict on their powers. They’re correction-only. We hadn’t committed any crimes. Only by being here now are we in violation. They’re not trying to kill you, they want to imprison you. They’d have brought me in for a trial, though. I’d have been killed, deemed too dangerous. Rogue soldier? They’d have a field day killing me.”

  Catalina pounded a fist into the floor. “This crap gets worse and worse.”

  “Aye,” Mona said. She groaned and forced herself to her feet. “But we can’t kill them. Right now they’re hunting us. But if either of you killed one, they’d go into extermination mode. They’d wipe you out at any cost.”

  Tanner smirked. “Oh, but popping them in the kneecap’s okay?”

  She closed her eyes. “He was shooting at you. If they catch me, I’ll gladly face my sentence for that. But they both lived. They’re going to be coming for us though. This is why we need to get the hell out of here.”

  Catalina stood and pulled a phone from her pocket. She started aiming it around.

  Tanner held a hand up when she pointed the camera at him. “What are you doing, ink?”

  “We need to document this, even if it’s not related to the war.” She transitioned into what Mona could make out as a kitchen, and then to the back of the house.

  Mona kept her gaze from Tanner. She undid and retied her loose shoestring and holstered her pistol.

  “You sure don’t like me much, do you?” Tanner asked.

  Mona looked up. If you only knew, kid. “Let’s move out!” she called into the house.

  They reconvened on the deck, Tanner taking guard and watching out into the woods. Clouds were starting to form overhead, but the afternoon sun was still setting high in the sky.

 
“Look, we just need to get back,” Mona pleaded with Catalina. “These Regulators are relentless. They’re not going to stop. If we get stuck out here after sun-down, we’re dead in the water. Let’s just head back with what we’ve got, okay?”

  Catalina sighed. “If we have to.”

  Mona started to walk down the steps, but Catalina caught her with an arm. Mona turned to face her.

  “Just wanted to thank you,” Catalina said, nodding towards the yard. “If you hadn’t saved my ass out there, I’d . . . well, you know.”

  Mona shook her head. “No, no, he shot the Regular.” She pointed a thumb at Tanner.

  Catalina nodded. “Yeah, but you stopped him from killing ‘em. That would’ve been the end of both of us.”

  Catalina walked past Mona, and the three started for the road.

  Chapter 9

  Emersyn looked up and down the road, but it was desolate. Just as desolate as it had been 20 minutes ago. Joey’s wrist had doubled in size, and Bravon was resting against a tree, half-awake.

  She was the only one who could move, and she needed to secure help. There was no way she could carry Bravon into the cave on her own.

  “Child,” she heard Bravon call faintly.

  She turned, glaring at him. He’d been trying to move and communicate and help. She wished he’d just sleep, right now he needed the respite. “Rest, sir. Please.”

  He motioned for her to come over to him. She sighed. Military never knows when to shut up and sleep, she thought.

  Emersyn made her way over to Sergeant Major Bravon Pearson, kneeling next to him. “Yes, sir?”

  He shifted his position, bringing a sleeve up to wipe the sweat from his brow. “Things ain’t looking so good here. Bring me up to speed.”

  “But sir, you’re—”

  “But nothing!” he managed to shout. “Status report.”

  Defeated, Emersyn tried to recall the cluster that had happened since they arrived. “Okay, um . . . some hunter killed Naomi.”

  Bravon closed his eyes. “Damn. That’s the first soldier I’ve lost under my command in 8 years.”

  “We split up. Mona, Tanner, and Catalina headed back on the road we came from to try and find evidence, or news, or something. Anything to help film or take pictures of.”

  “To complete the mission.”

  “Yes, sir.”

  Bravon coughed. He raised his fist to his mouth, and it came away with a light spray of blood. “Damn.” He turned to her, his eyes hit with pangs of fear. “Where are we?”

  She pointed at Joey. “Joey was carrying you. We’re going back to the mountain. We’re just securing the Requiem gem and waiting for them to come back.”

  “So what’s the problem?” he asked, puzzled.

  Emersyn bit her lip. The one part of her job at Atriarch that she always hated was delivering bad news to customers over the phone. She always tried to sugarcoat it, to make it sound less bad than it was. She knew she couldn’t do that to the Sarge.

  “He dropped you and broke his wrist,” she said as fast as she could.

  “He dropped me and broke his wrist,” Bravon repeated. Suddenly a smile overcame his face, and he chuckled. “Damn if that ain’t some bad luck.”

  Emersyn put a hand on his shoulder. “Listen, we found a road. I’m just waiting for someone to pass through. I’ll flag them down, we’re going to get you some help.”

  “No, no,” Bravon said. He reached a hand back, gripping the tree. “I’m old, and I’m not as much of a soldier as I used to be, but to hell with dying here.” He forced himself up, his legs shaking.

  Emersyn watched, shocked and awed. “Sir, sir, please sit, you’re—”

  He held a shaking finger up to her. “Private, just shut the hell up.” He groaned, his hand clutching his wound. He surveyed the area and looked towards the mountain they were heading for. “Alright, let’s get this trek over with. If that pool’s still there, I could use a nice, long bath.”

  Joey stood, still clutching his broken wrist. Emersyn motioned for him to join her, and the three convened roadside. Bravon pulled his live pistol from its holster and handed it to Emersyn. “There,” he said, “those are live rounds. Don’t point and shoot at anything that isn’t attacking us.”

  The gun felt foreign in her hands. It was heavier than she pictured.

  “I’ll lead,” she said, though the words tasted strange in her mouth. She started across the road, looking both ways once final time.

  With no vehicle in sight, they continued towards the mountain.

  An hour later, and they were nearing the mountain. Emersyn felt like something, or someone was watching them.

  She couldn’t explain it, but she swore she could see darts and flashes of color out of the corner of her eyes. Neither Joey nor Bravon said anything, but she reasoned with herself that they were both wounded and probably not paying the fullest of attention.

  She stepped over a large stone and carried on through the hot, humid forest leading to the base of the mountain.

  The gun made Emerysn feel more secure. She could fend off an attacker or an animal. But she was more concerned with whom, or what could be stalking them.

  Pushing past a large bush and holding it for the others to follow through, she looked out behind them. There was nothing but more forest. Maybe her eyes were playing tricks on her. She hadn’t got any sleep last night, and now delirium and exhaustion were setting in and manifesting themselves. That must be it, she told herself.

  The fresh scent of pine grew stronger and stronger the deeper into the forest they got. A squirrel scurried across her path, and she used it to fuel the flame that was her doubt. Maybe it was real, she reasoned, and it was just a big squirrel.

  Bravon coughed behind her. She heard him groan and wipe more blood onto his uniform. Emersyn would never let it show, but she was worrying more and more about the old man. He’d seemed so defiant and unwilling to die when he forced himself to stand and walk with them, but the bravado was failing.

  He was hurt. She knew it was severe. Without medical attention soon, he wasn’t going to make it.

  Emersyn halted when she saw a man standing in a clearing just before her.

  She rubbed at her eyes and tried to wake her brain up, but the image stayed. She turned to Joey and Bravon, and they both stopped as well. He’s real, she realized, swallowing hard.

  The man had tan skin and looked Russian in appearance. He had a goatee growing in around his mouth and dark eyes sunk in on his face. His hair was messily strewn about his head. He wore a tight, long-sleeve shirt with the emblem of an hourglass on it.

  In his right hand, he held a pistol.

  “Who are you?” Bravon called, but his voice was weak.

  The Russian man took a step towards them, and then another. Emersyn tightened her grip on the gun. She wanted to raise it to him, to order him not to move, but she couldn’t. The willpower wasn’t there.

  “Get that gun up,” Bravon managed under his breath.

  “Come on, kid,” Joey urged her.

  The Russian man stopped about ten feet from them. “No harm will come if you comply,” he said, his thick Russian accent and deep voice making him difficult to understand. “You’re in the wrong time, friends. I’m here to fix that.”

  Joey grimaced. “That’s okay, you go on, now. Get the hell out of here.”

  Emersyn’s mouth was sewn shut. She should be speaking, negotiating, persuading. But the fear had a hold on her heart and a gun at her head. She couldn’t force anything. It was as if she was frozen solid.

  “You’re breaking Time Regulation, and I’m here to correct it.” He pulled the hammer down on his pistol. “You comply, we all walk away.”

  Bravon steadied himself. “Get out of our way.”

  The Russian man looked to each of them. “Last time I’m asking. International Time Regulation Law. Come with me.”

  Joey grunted. Emersyn could tell the big man had enough, and even if she wanted to stop wha
t happened next, she couldn’t.

  He swung his fist out and struck the Russian man in the face.

  Joey moved to secure the Russian man, but he vanished before their very eyes.

  “What in God’s name . . .” Joey turned back to the rest of the group, looking for some sort of validation. His eyes were streaked with horror.

  Bravon took a step forward, sticking a hand out to where the man’s body had been. There was nothing there.

  Emersyn eased back, still clutching the pistol. Grounding herself wasn’t working. She could feel the sanity slipping from her. She’d just started to get her head around the time travel and what their mission was, and now everything took a nasty turn with a man vanishing in front of her.

  “You saw that, right girl?” Joey turned his head toward Emersyn.

  She managed a small nod. “Y-yeah.”

  They heard a nearby ‘whoosh’, and the same Russian man appeared off to the side. He tackled Bravon Pearson from behind, sending the wounded Sergeant crashing to the ground with a cry.

  “Hey!” Joey shouted, turning and grabbing the man with a thick hand.

  The Russian brought a hand up and clutched at Joey’s broken wrist. The obese man howled in pain. The Russian turned and spun, hitting Joey in the face with a roundhouse kick.

  Emersyn felt like an observer. All she was doing was watching this man beat her friends. She didn’t see his gun, but she knew he was armed. You’ve got to do something, her conscious told her. Now!

  She swallowed the dread that was building in her throat and charged forward, defiant in the face of her worry and anxiety. Every step filled her with fear, like a thousand voices shouting “No!” inside her. But she pushed on.

  She raised the gun, The Russian man had his back to her, she couldn’t waste having the advantage. She cocked the hammer, the weapon feeling heavy in her two hands. Her aim was off with the shakiness of her hands, but she fired three shots as quickly as she could.

  One struck their attacker in the shoulder. The other two whizzed past him and hit the dirt.

  The Russian man yelped in pain. He spun, his good arm pulling his own pistol from his waistband. Joey sprung back to life and wrapped his massive arm around the Russian man’s throat, pulling him to the dirt in a clutch.