by P. S. Power
Bridget had mentioned that he should to do that, if he could. Why? He didn't know. Maybe to ensure that she wouldn't be around forever to make her plan come true?
He was laughed at then. It seemed like a real thing, too, not just her manipulating him. Again.
"Oh, Brian... Sweetie... Time doesn't work like that at all! You went to a future. If this one didn't exist, you'd just go to another. I suppose the field was all red when you traveled? Ask Mary or Zevros what they see when traveling in time. What you think you saw existed, and will, but... It wasn't here. I haven't just been working in this time and place, you know. I've been managing the next thousand years of this world's history. There is only the one line now! I've finished my great work. Our great project, Brian. You and I together hold the world in balance now. I..." She shrugged. Then walked a few paces away.
"Really, I just wanted to let you know that you can relax now. You've done what I needed, perfectly. Even producing a child with Mary was what had to happen. She's truly done a superior job with you, don't you think? All of it has been to my plan, including having my niece, Miranda, brought in tomorrow. All that was needed, all that remained to lock the true future into being, was this speech now. Past this point, everything you do, say, or even think, will be exactly what was needed. You can't escape it. Everything you are, belongs to me now. We are one, in a very real way, Brian Yi. Linked on a level that you can never break free from. Nor should you wish to. I've made certain that you and your friends will, for the most part, have the best life possible. Call it my gift to you all? There was no reason for that not to happen, and you'll have less stress that way, later."
She smiled, then moved easily to the left, as he tried to shoot her, dodging not just the five bullets, but also the stomping kick he aimed for her middle. The attack kept up for a while, the old woman just moving slowly to where she needed to be for him to miss, every single time. Things came close, but nothing touched her.
Finally he stopped, understanding that she'd simply been telling the truth.
He'd lost.
Worse, if she could be trusted, he'd never really been a player in the game at all. Just her pawn the entire freaking time.
"Well. Fuck." Shaking his head, he wondered how long it would take for the police to come. It wouldn't help anything, but shots were fired. If they got there to see an armed man trying to beat up a skinny older woman, he knew whose side they'd jump in on, didn't he? In most cases that would be the right one too, so he couldn't really blame them, as much as he might want to.
That got him to consider some things. Like having been locked up in a cell, and nearly killed. Not simply executed, which could have been managed easily enough, but truly tortured. So much that it affected every thought that he'd had since that time.
"So everything is to your plan?" He spoke the words, and she said them with him, at exactly the same time. It was really annoying.
Smiling, she winked at him.
"Yes. Even when you kill me, and you will do that, it changes nothing. I've done it! We've won, Brian. There's only one path now. One future! Think about it, you can feel it inside you now, can't you? Everything is lined up perfectly, and it practically screams to us that we've done it. And here you stand, holding it all in place, exactly like I planned for you."
He was a bit less thrilled about it than she seemed to be. She dodged again, as Penny tried to stick a knife through the back of her head. Brian had been careful not to look at her, too. It wouldn't help anything to give her away, even if he really did kind of know what was about to happen. Braid was right after all. The future really was being so loud that he couldn't help but miss it. It had gone from a quiet and muddled thing into something so strong that, even standing there watching a fight, he could trace everything that was about to happen, not missing even a single breath either of them took.
Devorah spun, the move seeming very controlled, and threw a few punches and a single kick, landing each of them on Penny perfectly, knocking the blade from her hand, and making her left knee crunch.
"Do you really think being unseen is enough? I can see all the possible results, and know what worked to make certain I survive each time. I'm a Timberland. It's what we do. Now, thanks to Brian, there's only one path, too. Nothing you do can stop me now."
For all she'd once been a pampered white girl, Cellophane didn't so much as whimper, just trying for the handgun she was carrying. Before she got it out, Devorah stepped backwards, not even bothering to look back, and kicked her in the face, hard. That caused a wet smacking sound when her head hit the pavement.
The woman kept staring at him the whole time.
"So, right now you should wonder what you've missed. If there is some way for you to still steal this back from me. There is, of course. The thing there is that you can't see it. I've closed off that reality to you. Even me pointing this out to you will just cause you to choose the wrong path, and do exactly what I need you to. This is so much fun, by the way. Everything is so quiet now. Peaceful, inside my mind."
That was probably just true. She hadn't even gotten mad when he'd tried to kill her. Even that was part of her plan? How insane was that?
"Well, I've wasted a lot of time and effort then, didn't I? I could have just stuck a gun in my mouth and ended it all, a long time ago." He had several bullets left, and was tempted to try it then, but she just smiled at him, looking happy.
"Do whatever you think you need to. It will be the right thing. I'm certain of it, in fact. I'm not even saying this to make you doubt yourself. Just gloating a bit. Which is beneath me, so I apologize for it. It's simply that there are so few I can share this kind of thing with, who can understand me. This is the perfect day, Mr. Yi. The day that I won the war. The day that we won. Both of us, together. The mastermind and the perfect weapon."
"I can see how that would make you happy. I don't suppose you'd care to consider that killing off all of humanity in a few thousand years isn't worth it, just for you to have what you want now? Then, if you could do that sort of thing..."
She turned and walked away, calling over her shoulder to him.
"Then I would have. Yes. I'm not insane you know. Just seeking peace, as best I can. Oh, by the way, you can have your friends come out of hiding now. They'll be needed for the events in the next few days anyway. The government can't hurt them now. Not that they won't be hurt. Most of them will die, eventually. Then, everyone does. I promise you though, it truly is the best future for most of them. Thank you, for all the help you've given me, Brian. I honestly couldn't have done this without you."
Then she stepped out into the street as a taxi came into view, climbed in and left, never even bothering to look back.
Then, it seemed pretty certain that she just didn't need to.
Chapter eight
The one good thing to come out of it all was that they discovered the Phoebe could heal Penny.
Even though she was too tense to relax enough to be seen, Brian had gotten Cellophane to kiss the other girl, and that seemed to work just as well. Apparently Phoebe didn't need to know about it for her own power to work. That was potentially useful, and beat trying to walk on a broken knee for six months.
Brian had to struggle to keep his brain from running away though. It wouldn't help to have a panic attack, and honestly, he couldn't think of anything else to do that was any better as far as what he could do just then. After they got back to the base, at about four in the morning, they all just sat there in the trailer, trying to figure out ways in which Braid might have been lying to him.
It was possible of course. Likely even. There was a very real possibility that she hadn't won at all, and this was just a further part of her setting things up. The thing there was that if it were true, there was every chance that whatever they did to try and fix the problem would be precisely what cemented her victory. Doing nothing did exactly the same thing.
Finally he chuckled, a bit darkly.
"Fuck it. I don't know what t
o do. Anyone? I'm open to suggestions? From the sound of it, my power is actually what's letting her win now. Working for her, for some reason. Controlled on a level that... Honestly I can't understand."
No one had anything though. Even the idea of killing her was one that wouldn't do any good, if she'd been being honest. They went over that one several times. It kept coming back to the same thing each time. Odds were whatever they did, no matter how many times they second guessed themselves, or how convoluted they tried to be, it would end up being exactly that Devorah Timberland needed them to.
Marcia looked at him wisely, and then winked at him.
"I have an idea. How about you go and get some sleep? I'll handle the phones here, and we can deal with this in the morning. Not being able to do anything won't be made easier because we're tired. Let's meet up at about two in the afternoon? The rest of you... Pass the word that there's no PT today. We need a break anyway."
He could see that one as being valid. It was probably what Braid wanted them to do, but he needed sleep anyway. Regardless. That was going to be a less than fun trick, wasn't it? Some of the things he needed to do, no matter what, would also have to be what she needed done.
For that, sleep, he went back to Mary's, to find her busily making the morning donuts. It was tempting to hide what had happened, but she deserved to know why he was about to go into a major depression, didn't she? His cute and sweet girlfriend smiled, after he got done explaining it all.
"Oh? That sounds likely then doesn't it? It can be very hard to fight a Timberland as you've been working to do. There is little shame in such a loss. Well, it makes little difference to our lives, even if that's the case. We must but live them. That is always the way. The best plan is to do what we can, for the good of those we serve, and protect. Past that, there is little we can do. Now, I think your Lady Marcia is correct to send you to find your rest. I shall finish these and make the delivery, then go and seek those from my world. Devorah is our difficulty to handle. Indeed, the mistake of bringing her here was mine own. It was done for selfish reasons, and I allowed myself to be used by her. It is only right that I seek to remedy what I may. Not that it will work, but even if it is doomed to fail, I must play my part. There is no real choice." She kept busy the whole time. Her fingers and hands never slowing as she glanced at him, still seeming happy while she carried on.
It seemed strained though, like she was putting on a good face, rather than actually believing what she was telling him.
"Right. Yeah. I guess I should go sleep. We can talk about this later? Probably more than will be useful. That's how things like this always go, isn't it? You try to figure them out and keep talking them into the ground, never really making a difference in the slightest?" He stared into her pretty eyes, noting how cute she looked in the jeans, and button up shirt she was wearing to work in.
That reminded him to give her a hug. Even if that was part of Braid's plan for the future. Mary deserved it. No matter what. Bits of what was coming as far as that went tried to hit him, since there was only the one single line. Brian cleverly ignored them, focusing on how tired he felt instead. Nothing he did was going to change that part of things now, was it?
He drifted off in their shared bed, which was a queen size, he thought. Big enough, especially since she was off working all day. At about noon he got up, still feeling tired, and got cleaned up for the day. Into a new set of fatigues, or at least clean ones. Mary had run them through her machine, which was far faster than doing it by hand.
She made lunch for him, which was just plain rice, since that was what she was having that day. Things had been busy all morning, so he couldn't blame her for it. It was good though, and he had enough of it that he felt a bit bad for letting himself feel full. That could slow him down, and Brian didn't know what he was going to be facing from that point on. Except, of course, he truly did. It was pretty clear, at least to him, that it would be whatever Braid thought he should. More to the point, whatever the path she'd set them all on was.
After he ate the bits of white, Mary grabbing hers over the course of about fifteen minutes, since people kept coming, like always, he retired to the living room and settled on the old, but well cared for sofa. It had heavy fabric with a floral pattern on it. For a long time he just sat there, not knowing what to do.
Then, closing his eyes, Brian felt it. The entirety of what would be taking place. It took searching, but there was a line in front of him, unbroken, and perfect. His entire future stretching out, in a vast line that didn't end, as far as he could tell. He sensed it all, rather than saw, but with focus, he could tell that it was all right there. There was no break, or allowance for something different either.
Every coin toss was known. Each breath planned out.
Even the idea of killing himself to mess things up, making that one last sacrifice, wouldn't be allowed. His own power would stop him, if he tried. It would occur to him, he noted, but each time it did, something would stop him from being able to do it. For instance, just then he needed to go and make sure a certain spy that he'd put in place wouldn't die, rather than sticking a gun in his mouth and ending his part in things. Devorah was playing her part, and she was going to kill Brie, if he didn't find her and save the woman. Even that was scripted, planned out ahead of time, and complete.
There was only one way to do it, and even though he searched for something else, he knew that it just wasn't going to be enough. He didn't have time to find a way around it, or the power to make it happen. He could, and would, try that eventually, but Devorah Timberland had already won.
"There's no use starting by letting Trivia die though, is there?"
It didn't take long to find her, since his own power was about to force a switch to take place if he didn't go anyway. He moved around that, his mind focused precisely on the task at hand. Pulling the nine he had, the one that Lancaster had given him, he noticed that it was held exactly like it was supposed to be without even trying. Almost as if he were just a puppet, unable to control what would take place.
Moving through space wasn't hard that time, and he was faster about it than he had been, but it was a locked and certain thing. No variation was allowed him. That sent a wave of frustration over him, which turned to anger. Exactly as he knew it would.
Then he went and started shooting at Braid, each bullet flying along the path that had been pre-set by the woman herself. Each one avoided perfectly. The only good thing there was that when she did the same, shooting back, his body moved correctly at the same time. Shifting out of the way like hers was. It didn't even take a lot of skill on his part. So while that was going on, as he moved and shifted, rolled and finally closed in to strike at the older woman with his fists and feet, which she simple moved back from to the correct spot to thwart him, Brian bent space and took Brie with him back to the new location.
Where everyone else had been hiding. It was pretty clear that it didn't matter anymore. Braid would know where it was, and had things set up to force them from hiding if he didn't do it first, which he would. It was the only way to control the story that came out about what had happened.
She'd clearly taken some damage in the fight that had been going on before he'd gotten there. Given that she was probably the best fighter in the world at any given time, knowing all the tricks and tactics that the best had developed over the years, but without any delusions involved, that was impressive. Then, Braid was that, wasn't she?
The woman had locked him, and perhaps an entire world, into a set pattern that was going to be very hard to break. Really, even trying felt impossible to him in the moment. Everything, every single moment, was playing out exactly as the woman had set up. She claimed not to be crazy, but that kind of thing was well and truly annoying. To him at least. Especially if she was being honest about how it was happening. Some part of himself, one that he'd barely been aware of, was actually holding the path that had been set? Brian still didn't understand how that one would work. If it was his power
, then why wasn't it trying to change things? To sacrifice itself, in order to protect people later?
They landed, so to speak, in the living room area of the Colorado base. He hadn't been touching her when they shifted, just including her in the movement carefully. Wrapping Brie up in space, lovingly. She looked the way that he'd known her for years, too. Like the slightly curvy girl at the book store he used to go to. The one that he'd badly wanted to date for nearly two years before he even became infected.
That wasn't chance, of course.
Everything in his life had been orchestrated by Devorah Timberland, Brian was willing to bet. Each date he had, or didn't. Every morsel of snack cake, or mile run... All of it had been worked carefully, so that he'd be there at the right time to help make sure her plan came together in the fashion she needed it too. Not knowing any better, he'd fallen right into lock step, only to be trapped now.
Her little puppet, without any strings needed.
Brie, the woman that had spied on, and for, their enemy for nearly three decades, looked at him and nodded.
"She's won. It's all in here. It isn't a lie either. It's what is really happening. I'd know the difference." She tapped the side of her own head, and looked at him. Scared. Her face was a bit battered, but she looked young. Cute, too. Which considering she had to be nearly sixty, at least, that was saying something.
Brian made a face, but then smiled, since other people were starting to gather around. Braid really had won, of course. Each moment was locked into place...
"Yeah. It seems so. Well, for right now we aren't going to help anything by brooding, or not playing our parts. We need to break her pattern, and it won't be easy, since there are no alternate possibilities left to us. Nothing any of us do will stop this. Not in any way I can see at the moment. It will have to be done anyway, but..." It was impossible to really describe to anyone else there, except Trivia, who already could feel it, knowing everything he and Devorah did.
