by Derek Slaton
“That’s harsh. You’re right, he’s earned the right,” he agreed, trying to keep his tone light. “Just try to keep his murdering to a minimum, unless the actor is really terrible.”
Artemis chuckled and noticed the clock on the wall. “We need to get going. It’s a bit of a drive to the warehouse to get the shipment, and it’s almost time.”
He nodded. “Alright, let’s do it.”
CHAPTER SEVEN
Hodge was restless as they ventured far outside the city. He was not a fan of long car trips, and certainly not a fan of being on unpaved country roads. Twenty minutes of jostling around due to the dirt road took its toll.
“You know, if you wanted to kill me and dump my body you could have just left me with Dan and his crew instead of going through the trouble of dragging me all the way out here,” he joked.
Artemis grinned at her passenger. “Aw, are you getting scared Hodge? You not a fan of being in the middle of nowhere?”
“I’ve seen enough horror films to know this is the beginning of one. Pretty sure a guy in a human skin mask and a chainsaw is going to pop out at any minute,” he replied.
She laughed. “Don’t worry, we are out this far because of safety concerns. We were fortunate that the time machine delivers people and packages into the middle of nowhere. Made it a lot easier to buy the land way back when.”
“So do you have any backup coming in case Duke and his puppet master show up?”
“Unfortunately it’s just the two of us. Outside of you the only other person I trust is Robert, and he’s not a fighter.”
“Not a fighter?” Hodge asked. “What, he didn’t help you out during the war?”
“When we arrived, we discussed tracking him down, because we needed all the help we could get with the war effort. Ultimately we decided against it because at that time we had no idea if that would disrupt the timeline,” she explained.
He furrowed his brow. “What do you mean?”
“We were afraid that if we contacted him before he made Day of the Demon it would create a paradox. If we pulled him into the war and he died, he wouldn’t be in the movie, I never would have saw it and known that the time machine was actually a time machine.”
Hodge nodded. “Okay, that makes sense.”
“It wasn’t until the fifties that we discovered we were outside the timeline,” she said.
“How did you discover that exactly? It doesn’t sound like a theory you would want to test out on yourself.”
“Yeah nobody was really lining up to be the guinea pig on that one,” she agreed. “After the war, there were a small handful of us still active, working as a team to ensure that the future we had created remained intact. I was the main researcher and had numerous search protocols set up to look for any of our ancestors. With what we did in Europe, we had altered the timeline in a massive way. We saved tens of millions of lives and not all of them were good ones, you know?”
He nodded. “So in addition to saving Suzy Homemaker you also saved Ted Bundy wannabes.”
“Exactly,” she said as she dodged a pothole on the gravel road. “So when the shipment came through in 1949, I ran a search on all of our ancestors to make sure everyone was alive and well.”
“And I’m guessing someone wasn’t?” he mused.
“Well, yes and no. Everyone’s great-grandparents were alive, but not hooking up with who they originally did.”
“I can see that,” he said. “I mean, the war uprooted millions of people in this country, especially compared to what you have told me about the war in your time. Not just soldiers being shipped overseas, but people having different careers, interacting with different people. It’s like your coffee example only on steroids.”
“Exactly. Once we discovered this I did an extensive search through everyone’s family tree. Out of the five of us in the group, only one of us had a record of being born.”
“And since none of you did the Marty McFly vanishing act, that was a pretty clear indication that you were outside the timeline,” he concluded.
She nodded. “That’s true, but it didn’t really sink in for us until we met up for the 1965 shipment. In the late forties we went our separate ways, taking up residence in separate parts of the country. A couple of us kept hunting down the bad guys, but for the most part everyone was retired and lived their own lives. When everyone walked into the room it was hard not to notice the fact nobody had aged a day since over the past four decades. We kind of put two-and-two together at that point.”
“Well as far as problems go, I guess that’s a good one to have. I’ve had more than my fair share of run-ins with people who have gone to great lengths to retain the appearance of youth.” Hodge smiled.
Artemis chuckled. “I know, I read up on your stripper murder investigation.”
“Terrible case, but totally didn’t mind doing the witness interviews,” he admitted.
She scoffed. “I’m sure your wife would be thrilled to hear that.”
“Hey now, just because you’ve ordered doesn’t mean you can’t look at the menu,” he replied, and then his face went pale. “Please don’t tell my wife I said that.”
“You’re lucky I like you Hodge,” she said as she slowed down. “We’re here.”
He gazed upon the fortress-like structure that stood in the middle of a clearing. Double twenty foot tall barbed wire fences, reinforced concrete walls, and no apparent door made this an imposing building. If anybody stumbled across this on a hike they would most certainly turn and walk the other way.
“Holy hell, that’s a building,” he murmured.
She shrugged. “Well we had the resources so we decided to make this place as secure and imposing as possible to make sure nobody would intercept our supplies if we happened to be late to a drop.”
“I’m pretty sure you succeeded in that. I mean I don’t even see a door.”
Artemis winked and punched a lengthy code into her cell phone. After completion the barbed wire fences opened up and part of the grey concrete on the building bubbled away to reveal a giant steel door.
Hodge’s eyes widened. “When we survive this and catch Duke, can I put in an order with you for some future tech?” he asked.
“Sure, you’ll just have to wait five years to get it.” She shrugged.
“Wait, seriously?” He furrowed his brow as he followed her inside. “How do you put in orders? Can you communicate with the future?”
“In a manner of speaking. Before we left we created a messaging system using books,” she replied.
He raised an eyebrow. “Books?”
“Yeah, we knew we’d have money and could get anything published we wanted,” Artemis explained, “so we each have a pen name to write under. In the beginning we bought our way into dime store sci-fi novels and magazines. We would include what we needed as items in the story as a plot device, like explosive ammo or an extra laptop. When it came time for the shipment to be assembled by our team in the future, they would search for pen names, read the stories and fulfill the orders.
“We had to get a little creative with the names once we figured out we were borderline immortal, so we passed the legacy on to our children. Technically I’m a third generation sci-fi writer with a rather impressive online following.” She grinned and puffed her chest out a little bit.
“Wait, what’s your pen name? I read a lot of sci-fi growing up,” he gushed like a schoolgirl at a boy band concert.
She laughed. “What? No, I’m not telling.”
“Aww come on I really want to know if I’m your fanboy.” He pouted.
“It’s my secret. Superman doesn’t go around telling people he’s Clark Kent, after all.”
“Wait, so you’ll openly share with me your a time traveling warrior who has killed an untold number of people, but you won’t tell me your pen name?”
She simply shrugged.
“Okay.” He sighed.
“I’ll tell you what, you help me kill Duke and catch
my former team member, and I’ll give you a hint.” Her eyes twinkled.
“Deal,” he replied with a thumbs up. “So how long until the shipment arrives?”
She checked her phone. “About fifteen minutes.”
CHAPTER EIGHT
The duo walked around the cavernous building, kicking up dust as they went along. Artemis had been the only visitor here for decades and cleanliness hadn’t been very high up on her list. The bulk of the floor plan consisted of an empty space, lined with rooms against the far wall with heavily tinted windows.
“Welcome to the warehouse, home of the amazing time-traveling shipments.” She spread her arms for dramatic effect.
“So now what?” Hodge asked, voice echoing.
She led him into one of the small rooms. “We hang out here, look away from the windows, and drink them if you got them.”
He pulled a flask from his pocket and toasted her with it. “Cheers!”
“I knew there was a reason I picked you as a partner,” she said as they took a seat on the floor.
He leaned back on his hand as he offered her the flask. “So how do we know when the shipment arrives? Does it do that giant electrical storm thing from the Terminator? Oh god, nobody is going to be naked are they?”
“No on both fronts there,” she replied and then took a sip. “Since we don’t age, there is no need to send back more people, and we’ll know when the shipment arrives when this room is bathed in light.”
“Even through the blacked out windows?” Hodge asked as he looked up towards them.
Artemis quickly shielded his eyes and pulled his view back to the ground. “Yes, even through the windows. Trust me, you don’t want to be looking that direction when it comes in, unless of course you want to be blinded in a horrific manner.”
“I would think any sort of blinding would be horrific.” He laughed.
She deadpanned. “Well, there is losing your eyesight and there is having your eyeballs melt.”
“Man you future people don’t fuck around do you? Exploding limbs, melting eyeballs. I mean, is there anything in the future that isn’t nightmare inducing?”
“Nope, it’s pretty much a non-stop orgy of chaos and mayhem.”
“Damn, it’s a shame I won’t live long enough to see it.” Hodge shook his head.
Before the conversation could continue, the room illuminated. Even with the protective windows, Hodge and Artemis had to shield their eyes from the light. After about thirty seconds everything returned to normal.
“Alright, let’s go get our future care package,” she said and hopped to her feet.
The two of them walked out into the center of the room towards three large plastic tubs sitting on the floor. A bit of residual smoke hovered about, looking like a discount magician didn’t purchase enough dry ice for his show.
He crossed his arms. “Wow, I was expecting something a little more futuristic.”
“What?” She shrugged. “They are cheap and effective. Plus we have to do everything we can to remain hidden, so a shiny futuristic box isn’t a great thing to have laying around.”
“Plus there was a spare room filled with these things back at the bunker,” a man’s voice boomed behind them.
Artemis whipped around in a defensive stance and Hodge drew his gun. Both of them remained on guard as six foot four blonde haired perfect specimen of a man emerged from the shadows. His physique made him look as though he was carved out of granite, and when combined with his height made him an imposing foe.
Artemis squinted, and then her arms relaxed. “Rudo? Is that you?” she asked with a sense of disbelief. “My god, I thought you were dead. Nobody has heard from you in damn near forty years.”
Rudo paused about ten feet away from the duo, giving the Agent a sense of uneasiness. “Well, I have had some troubles in recent years that forced me underground. All because I dared to live a normal life for a while in this new future we created.”
“What, did you get a wife, two and a half kids and a house with a white picket fence?” she retorted.
“All of that actually,” he admitted. “Back in sixty-seven I met this wonderful woman named Mary. She worked as a waitress at this small town diner just outside of Nashville, and I fell hard for her. After what we went through in the war and all those years tracking down the worst of the worst, I just wanted a chance to be a normal person, even if it was just for a little bit.” He smiled. “Took me a while to win her over, but once I did, we hit the road and left everything behind. Spent two years traveling the world. It was so amazing to see the world through her eyes, and frankly nice to see Europe again without having to worry about Nazi death squads around every corner.
“By seventy-two we had settled back in Nashville, married with two kids, Bill and Sasha. Had the biggest house on the block and enough in the bank to pay someone to mow the lawn because let’s be real, I’ll gladly track a serial killer across four states, but I’ll be damned if I’m going to mow a lawn as big as Volunteer stadium. I had it all, but by the late nineties a problem arose.”
“Let me guess, everyone got older but you?” Hodge cut in.
“You are quite correct, Special Agent Hodge. At first I was able to pass it off as good genes, but that only worked for so long,” Rudo replied.
The Agent paled. “Wait, how do you know my name?”
“Patience, Agent Hodge, patience.” The tall man sneered. “May I continue?”
“Oh, I’m sorry, by all means.”
“Mary began to question why I still looked the same as I did when we met thirty some odd years ago. After a lot of consideration I made the decision to trust the woman I had dedicated a large portion of my life to and told her the truth.”
Artemis winced. “Oh, Rudo.”
“I know. Believe me I know,” he said, putting up his hands. “I sat her down and told her everything. Even showed her the computer and let her get a glimpse of the future. I thought that coming clean would make everything okay. Instead of feeling relieved however, she felt betrayed that I had been lying to her since the moment we met. Over the next few weeks our relationship fell apart. At first it was non-stop arguments, then it was on to the silent treatment. I was hoping she just needed time to adjust, but ultimately that was a foolish hope.
“One morning she asked if I would go to the store for her. At first I thought this was her finally coming around, but I didn’t trust it, even though I desperately wanted to. I drove around the neighborhood park a couple of times and did a drive-by of the house before running the errand. There was a black SUV in the driveway. My heart sank because I knew exactly who they were. I went into my house and found her at the kitchen table with two agents and my computer. I… I’ll spare you the details of what happened next, but let’s just say that there is a lengthy disclaimer that is attached to any real estate listing of that property.”
“My god Rudo,” Artemis breathed. “Did you kill your wife? Your kids?”
“I didn’t have a choice,” he moaned, eyes shining with tears. “I had to eliminate anyone I had been close to in order to protect the secret.”
Hodge clenched his fists. “Bullshit!”
“It’s not bullshit,” Rudo snapped. “She has undoubtedly shown them the computer. Can you imagine what our government—hell, any government would do with that technology? It had to be protected at all costs, even the price I paid.” He paused. “After I committed those atrocities I had to fake my own death so there wouldn’t be a manhunt. Luckily I was able to get ahead of it and nobody outside of the deceased knew of what I possessed.
“Still, even though I know I did what had to be done, my actions took a severe toll on me. And to make matters worse most of the tech was damaged beyond repair in the process, leaving me with a limited knowledge base.”
Artemis shook her head, disgust evident on her face. “Christ, how many people had to die because you wanted to have a normal life?”
“Only about half a dozen,” he replied. “An
d really, who are you to pass judgement on me, standing beside Agent Hodge here.”
She clenched her jaw. “This is different.”
“You’re right, you only have to kill one person instead of six.”
Hodge glanced at her. “Wait, you are planning on killing me?”
“Only if you get chatty,” she shot back.
He shrugged. “Eh, fair enough.”
Rudo chuckled. “Oh Artemis, it is so good to see you again after all these years. It warms my heart to know that even after a century on this earth you are still as confident and cocky as always.”
“And you are still as cold and ruthless as you were back in the war,” she replied. “But those were different times, and we didn’t kill anyone we didn’t absolutely have to.”
“Well, in my view everyone I’ve killed has been out of necessity.” He raised his chin. “Just like forty-eight through sixty.”
She stiffened. “So you are Duke’s handler.”
“I don’t know if handler is the correct word,” Rudo replied, and tapped his chin in mock thought. “Duke, what do you think?”
“I’m kind of partial to mentor actually.” Duke emerged from the darkness with two henchmen, guns drawn and trained on the duo.
Anthony Duke was a compact powerhouse of a human being. He was only 5’4, but thanks to a combination of a six days a week workout regiment and a healthy dose of anabolic steroids, he was nearly as wide as he was tall. While his two henchmen Pete and Rocco towered over him, Duke had the core strength to lift them both off their feet simultaneously.
The lackeys both looked like they would be right at home in a dive bar throwing back whatever cheap beer was on special that night. The only thing that set the two of them apart was a large scar on the left side of Rocco’s face.
“Which one do you want me to kill first?” Duke asked while moving the barrel of his gun back and forth between the two.
