Dead Time Series

by Jason Wilcox

“How did you do that?” Caden asked. He tried to rationally understand what happened. “Did Robert and Allen do this to you? Did they perform some other experiment that they didn’t tell me about?”

  “It’s not safe for you out here. You need to go back,” Steven said again.

  Caden took a step back and the flooring gave out. He began to fall into the lower levels of the building. Incredibly, Steven caught him by the shirt and pulled him out as if Caden was light as a feather.

  “Leave,” Steven demanded after putting Caden down. Without another word, Steven walked through a small wall of flames that parted as he went through. “I’ll find you later. Right now I have to find someone.”

  After Steven disappeared, Caden turned and started back, moving rapidly across the rubble, knowing he couldn’t follow Steven because it was too unsafe. To the side of him, large sections of the building collapsed, which motivated him to move even quicker. James wasn’t by the car when he reached it. Caden looked back to the rubble. What had happened to Steven?

  “James!” Caden yelled out. The air filled with sirens and fire trucks converging on the scene, so he figured James must have gone to talk to the emergency teams. “James,” Caden yelled again.

  With no response and not seeing him anywhere, Caden walked over to the car door. He paused to look at the damage to the vehicle. The body was bent where it had slammed into the corner of the building. He reached out for the door handle and felt a gun push up against his back.

  “Why did you do it?” Robert asked.

  “Why did I do what?” Caden asked, frozen.

  “Don’t play stupid with me,” Robert snapped. “You have seconds to answer before I shoot.” Robert drove the gun farther into Caden’s back. Caden noticed one of James’s feet sticking out from behind the car. Time for conversations was over. With a swift move, Caden hit the Dead Time switch. He felt something driving into his back.

  Robert had fired the second Caden had moved. Reaching back, he felt the bullet that was stuck halfway into his skin. Pulling it out, he put it in his pocket. He then checked on James who was breathing and no sign of blood. Caden figured Robert had only knocked him out. It was time to take care of Robert.

  Blood spots hovered in the middle of the air from where he was bleeding. Noticing a shirt and worn out tennis shoes in the back of the car, Caden took the shirt and tied it around his left shoulder to block the bleeding. If the bullet had run its course, it would have hit Caden’s heart and killed him. Anger surged through him. Robert was someone he had looked up to for so many years and here he almost killed him. Caden ripped Robert’s gun from his hand. I have to tie him up. Pulling shoelaces from the old shoes, Caden tied Robert’s hands together behind his back. Caden turned Robert and pushed him against the car, so he wouldn’t be in an advantageous position to run or attack. Robert wasn’t a person to mess around with. He had seen more action than Caden’s whole team put together. Caden could hold his own with most people, but Robert was known to take down agents in seconds.

  Feeling paranoid about what might be in Dead Time, Caden was ready to leave. With James knocked out, he didn’t have anyone to watch his back. Steven’s strange actions and Robert’s betrayal didn’t help.

  Taking a deep breath, he hit the button. Sirens from all around flooded into Caden’s ears as time started. Lights flashed all around the scene and fires blazed.

  “Now,” Caden snapped, “tell me what you‘re talking about.” He pointed the gun at Robert’s temple.

  “Do you really think I’m that stupid?” Robert asked. “Matt calls me from some building and tells me you not only sprung him, but you want me to meet you at some location a couple of blocks from here. And the moment I arrive at the place, this happens. When I get back, James and you are still standing around. Obviously, you blew it up and wanted to keep me alive for some reason. And by the look of things, you’ve learned how to use Dead Time pretty well. So, I’m guessing your team is the one that sabotaged all the equipment.”

  Robert relaxed against the car and then looked at Caden with his jaw tightened. “Come to think of it, you were always there when things were going bad. I trusted you and told security not to worry. Now look at you. Why did you do this?”

  Caden stood speechless. He couldn’t understand why Matt told Robert to leave or even the bigger question how Matt escaped. There was no way Matt could have been a part of this, or could he? Sally had told him that Matt was the one getting into Robert’s files, but he needed to keep that information to himself for now, until he got the chance to talk to Matt himself. If he admitted his own suspicions about Matt, Robert might conclude he was guilty as well.

  Looking Robert up and down, Caden remembered that Matt had told him not to trust Robert. He was getting to a point where he didn’t trust anyone.

  “I wasn’t behind this,” Caden explained, lowering the gun a little. “And nor was my team. James and I arrived after being attacked on our plane. We barely survived that.”

  “Then why did it show on our system that you had entered the building?”

  “Obviously you didn’t get my message. Like I said, we were attacked on a plane. It was the same guys that attacked the scientist in the stairwell. They took my I.D. and pass card to get into the office. And my only guess for keeping you alive is to frame our team so they could get away without being hunted down.”

  “You expect me to believe that,” Robert argued. “Someone was able to steal your I.D. and pass card. You of all people! They just attacked you and stole it? I find that hard to believe.”

  “They were able to because they stopped time,” Caden responded with a heightened tone. He was frustrated with the fact that he had to argue with Robert about this. They should be working together to save those in the rubble, not fighting.

  “They stopped time,” Robert said mockingly. “Your story, once again, seems flawed to me.”

  “Robert,” Caden began, “you have to believe me. I’ll give you the details later. Right now we need to help save anyone still trapped out there.” Caden paused for a moment remembering his encounter with Steven, which reminded him how Matt had said that Robert was betraying them. “By the way, I saw Steven out there, and I want to know what other tests you did to him?”

  Robert’s face changed from angry to surprised. “You saw Steven? Where? Where was he? If you saw him, why aren’t you with him or getting him out of here since you’re obviously with him?”

  “With him? I might’ve gone out to help him, but as far as I’m concerned, he’s lost his mind, and I’m not going with him anywhere.”

  Robert sighed and looked relieved. “So, where was he?”

  “He was out in the middle of the rubble,” Caden said, pointing in the direction where he had seen him. “He survived the blast, but he was really beat up. The strangest part was that he grew back a hand and healed the rest of his wounds within seconds. So once again, what tests did you do on him?”

  “We didn’t do anything to him,” Robert said, sounding puzzled yet sincere. “We only sent him into Dead Time just like we did with you guys. Can you tell me what direction he went?”

  Caden bit his lip. “I’m not sure-”

  “Caden,” Robert pleaded, “I need to know where he went. I’m worried he might hurt people if I don’t catch him. So, can you please untie me and let me go find him?” Robert held out his tied hands.

  “How do I know I can trust you?”

  “The same way I’m going to have to trust you,” Robert said.

  Caden knew he was right, they had to trust each other, and if Robert was willing to trust him, then he would do the same. Besides, Robert had never led him astray before. Matt was the one Caden felt needed to be questioned.

  Signaling with his finger for Robert to turn around, Caden scanned the area to make sure he knew all of his options in case Robert decided to attack. He pulled the string apart and dropped it to the ground.

  “Thanks,” Robert said as he rubbed his wrists. “Now, wh
ich way did Steven go?”

  Seeing that Robert wasn’t going to fight, Caden felt reassured. Like he said, it appeared Robert just wanted to keep Steven from hurting others in his insanity.

  “That way,” Caden pointed. “To your knowledge, who was in the building when it exploded?”

  “Everyone.”

  Caden could feel his heart drop as pressure began to build in his chest. “What do you mean everyone?”

  “I mean everyone but us three,” Robert sounded depressed. “I had all the teams fly in to get Dead Time chips while yours and Burton’s teams were away. Burton’s Team had already arrived, and I thought you were there, but obviously you weren’t. Either way, because of your incident with the plane, you and James were the only two that I know survived.”

  Caden didn’t know what to say. He couldn’t believe that everyone was in the building when the bomb went off. Caden felt like vomiting. His head ached with immediate pressure as the magnitude of the tragedy began to settle in his mind.

  “I’m sorry, Caden, but believe me; I know how hard it is.”

  “I’m sure you feel worse than I do,” Caden said rather flatly, pushing away his emotion. “It makes sense now why you were so abrasive when you found me and James.”

  The amount of guilt and anger that Robert had to feel losing all of his men was unimaginable. Having his entire agency destroyed in one blast had to be tearing him apart. Caden knew once things were cleared up, the three of them would go hunting for those who had done this. For now, Caden needed to make sure James was okay and get answers from Matt.

  “Tell James I’m sorry.”

  “Yes sir. Don’t worry, Robert, we’ll find who did this.”

  Robert gave a halfhearted smile and ran off into the debris.

  Walking over to James, Caden was trying to push away the pain he felt inside. With little effort, Caden picked up James and leaned him against the car.

  “Wh…what happened?” James asked.

  “Robert thought we blew up the building and so he attacked you.”

  James rubbed his eyes. “Okay.”

  “He attacked me, too, almost shot me in the back.” Caden could feel the sticky blood pooled in the shirt he had wrapped around him.

  “Ouch.” James stood up.

  “Listen, you can do what you want, but I have a gut feeling there are bad things coming our way. We are the only ones left. Whoever did this took out the entire agency. They may be after us next. If you want my advice, I suggest you get back to your wife and disappear. I have one thing to take care of, and I’ll be following right behind you.”

  Some rubble crashed from the building, and Caden turned to look at the mess. The whole situation was overwhelming, the entire agency blown up in an explosion. Steven had miraculously healed himself, and Robert attacked him. Caden took a deep breath, but found it hard to breathe the hot blast of smoke that drifted in his direction.

  “Are you serious?”

  “I don’t know what is going on, James, but I fear our lives are going to be on the line next.” Caden kept staring into the rubble.

  “If you really believe so, I’ll trust you. You’ve never led me astray.”

  Looking up at James’s trusting expression, Caden knew they needed to go. “Get out of here. We’ll meet up later, through our usual methods, when it’s safer, and we actually know what is happening.”

  With a nod, James acknowledged the order.

  “Oh, and James,” Caden added. “Call Sally. Tell her to disappear.”

  James gave another affirmative nod and took off down the street.

  Caden figured he was trying to get far enough out to get a taxi and head to the airport. He would be doing so himself, but Matt was on his priority list first.

  CHAPTER 24

  A light breeze blew against Azgiel as he stood on the small wooden balcony of Maselda’s home. He was amazed by what they had built, an entire village made in towering trees. Hand crafted wooden bridges connected the trees, and balconies lined each dwelling with the same careful artisanship as the bridges. Ornately carved designs were in all the work, as well as ancient symbols that gave the dwellings power and protection.

  It was nothing like his old kingdom and castle, but after his time locked away, his tastes had changed. There was a peace that seemed to flow through him just being there. The world he had known before his imprisonment was full of war, pain, hate, anger, and revenge.

  “Do you like what we’ve done?” Maselda asked from behind.

  “I do.” He turned to face her. She seemed to glow in the shadows of her home. “Does everyone have a place to live up here?”

  “No, the Anubites have developed an interesting tunnel system in the ground.” She pointed over at one of the jackal-headed creatures, an Anubite, who was walking down a worn path.

  “The trolls live in small homes down by a lake not far from here, and the bark gnomes have developed small huts that burrow partially into the ground and snug up against the trees. You can see one just down there.” She pointed to an interesting bump that circled at the base of one the giant trees. A bark gnome was working on something outside of it. The strange armor, the kind they always wore shimmered in the sunlight.

  “And the rest are up in the trees?”

  “That’s correct.” She stepped closer to him, her bare feet moving softly along the smooth wooden floor. With a gentle touch, she placed a hand on Azgiel’s shoulder, followed by her head. “A lot of things have changed while you were gone. After Triaad almost completely wiped us out, we isolated ourselves here.” They both continued watching the bark gnome. He began using a small broom to sweep the front area of his porch. It was a strange sight to Azgiel. The small human-like figure covered in metal armor, sweeping a porch.

  “A lot of time has gone by since the wars,” she continued. “Outside of the demons and I, the rest of them don’t really know what it was like. They follow the traditions of their ancestors, but I’m afraid they will need work done to be ready for a war. They aren’t immortal like the demons and us. They weren’t there to see what happened. And you, you’re only a person in a story to them. ”

  “Speaking of demons, has Kaz returned or sent word?”

  He was being sucked into the calmness of the world around him and was forgetting the war that was brewing. It was vital he stay on task. They were able to get the sword. Now it was Kaz’s turn to do his part, and if he needed help, Azgiel needed to get out there.

  “No. No word yet, but he will, I’m sure of it,” she spoke softly.

  Comfort flowed through him with her words and her soft touch. Azgiel appreciated the small things more than he had before. A simple thing such as a touch from his wife was a blessing. Again, he was becoming distracted.

  “I’m going to go back and help him. We can’t take too long, or we could lose our window to get Mauldrin. The sword is the answer to defeating Triaad, and only Mauldrin can break its curse.”

  “I know.” She stopped resting against him. “Do you want backup with you? You don’t know everything that has occurred since your imprisonment. You don’t know exactly what you’re getting into.” Her light eyebrows furrowed with worry.

  “No, I’ll be fine. It will be easier by myself.” Sensing her worry, he reached down and took her soft hand.

  “Do you remember how to get there?” Her dark eyes seemed to look into his soul.

  “Yes.”

  “And-”

  “I’ll be fine. Most of my power has come back.” A smile stretched across his face.

  “I just got you back. I don’t want to lose you for another two thousand years or longer.” She tightened her grip on his hand.

  “No need to worry. I’ll be back before you know it.” Azgiel was surprised by her response. It was the first moment she had shown strong emotion about his absence. He raised his hands to begin the process of transporting. Soft lips pressed against him as his wife quickly put something in his pocket.

  “A charm fo
r good luck.” She stepped back as a ball of energy zapped around him.

  Her glowing skin and dark eyes imprinted in his mind after he zapped into the same cold building he had left only a couple of days ago. Walls were still smashed in the prison area and everything seemed quiet.

  “Don’t move or I’ll shoot,” a short, pudgy security guard barked. Azgiel raised an eyebrow while he looked the man up and down. The guard pointed a small black gun at Azgiel.

  “Steven?” the man mumbled and tilted his head.

  There wasn’t time for this. Azgiel lifted a hand and the guard was flung against the wall, dying instantly from the severe impact. Kaz needed to be found and soon. Hopefully he was with Mauldrin, but if he wasn’t, Kaz was his top priority, Mauldrin was second. If Domblin or the others had done something to him, they would pay dearly.

  Not wasting time, Azgiel left the area and went into the hallway. A voice echoed down the corridor from the stairway. Azgiel could barely make it out.

  “I’m not sure why he’s not responding, but I’m almost there to find out.” No one replied to the voice that Azgiel could make out, but the man kept talking. “Yes sir. Even if he’s not there I’ll check to see if Matt’s in his cell.” The words grew louder and Azgiel could make out the hard-soled shoes tapping down the steps.

  “If he’s really out there…” The guard came around the corner and stopped as his eyes made contact with Azgiel. “Steven’s here. Steven’s back, sir.” The man tried to draw his gun at the same time he spoke into the radio on his shoulder.

  Azgiel let out a sigh. He really didn’t want to spend his time fighting humans, there had to be another way. This guard looked more important than the last one by the amount of metal pins on his chest. He could possibly use the man to help him. Raising his hand, Azgiel was just about to silence him, but a loud explosion rang out and the building shook. Both of them braced themselves. Another explosion followed, even louder.

  Azgiel raised his hands to put a field around himself. Blue light encircled him, just as a third explosion, far louder than the first two, went off. The walls around him blew to pieces and a wall of fire followed, swallowing everything in its path, including the guard.