by West, Shay
At least I have Uncle Mark.
That thought gave her strength. Her uncle was a Marine. Surely he would be able to help her stop the evil Traveler, Lane Stygian, and his Master, Max Poder. She tapped her feet under the table as she watched her mom and Bruce slowly lift forks to their mouths.
Stop talking and just eat!
After what seemed an eternity, they finished the last bite and laid their napkins on their empty plates.
“Now for dessert!” Bruce said rubbing his hands together.
Alex groaned inwardly. She couldn’t refuse dessert without raising suspicions. She had never been known to say no to something sweet after dinner and she couldn’t very well say no to a birthday dessert.
After an interminable wait that made Alex fear she would die of suppressed tension, the dinner was finally at an end. She led the way this time, walking so fast her mother yelled at her several times to slow down.
She stood next to the car and waited for her mom and Bruce to arrive. She ignored the look her mom gave her and hopped into the back seat as soon as Bruce unlocked the door. As they drove, she silently urged him to drive faster. Alex wanted to scream at him that the fate of the world and the human race counted on him getting her home as quickly as possible. Instead of screaming, she sat in the back and willed the car to move faster.
When they reached the house, Alex jumped out of the car, shouted a hurried “thank you” to Bruce and ran to the house, snatching her keys out of her purse. She ran to her room, grabbed her laptop off the desk, and headed for the bathroom.
Before the computer even had a chance to boot up, her mom was banging at the locked bathroom door.
“Alex! What are you doing in there?”
“Sorry I ran into the house so quick. My tummy was feeling a little icky after the main course.”
“Oh, I see,” her mom said as though she didn’t understand at all.
“You know how I feel about doing that sort of thing in public, Mom,” Alex said, trying to get her mother to leave.
“Yeah, I guess I do. Well, I’m going to bed. There’s some Pepto in my bathroom if you need it.”
Alex mumbled goodnight and hoped she hadn’t made her mom angry again. Seemed she did that an awful lot lately. But she couldn’t worry about that now. She had a job to do. Alex opened her email and there was a message from Gavin.
What you saw through the mirror scares me, Alex. If Stygian is going back to WWII Germany, he can be trying to help Hitler win the war. I don’t know why else he would be going back to that time period. But is this his Master’s ultimate plan or is this just another random trip back like the others? I don’t know and that scares me as well. I fear you may have to contact your uncle and have him push to get some answers. The fate of the world could be riding on this.
Alex closed the laptop with a frustrated sigh. She had hoped Gavin had something more to tell her. How was her uncle supposed to push for answers without putting himself in harm’s way? Unless that’s exactly what Gavin meant for him to do. His last line had read “the fate of the world could be riding on this.” Maybe he thought her uncle putting his own life at risk was worth it if he could expose Stygian and Poder, prevent them from whatever it is they planned to do.
After getting ready for bed, Alex grabbed her hand mirror from a drawer in the bathroom and settled into bed. She held the mirror in one hand and focused on AJ. In moments, her reflection changed to that of the African American woman. This gets easier every time.
Alex took a deep breath and reached out to touch the mirror.
***
Drifter sighed as the reflection in the mirror returned to that of his own familiar face, that of the German doctor fading. He put his hands behind his head and wondered when Master would give him the word to travel back to WWII Germany.
The man is too cautious.
He had no doubts that he could beat the girl who had caused him so much grief. She was working without a Master. Drifter had even suggested to Max Poder to allow him to take care of the meddlesome girl in the present time.
Thinking about the strange turn of events that put the gifted Traveler almost within his grasp, made him cackle with glee. If the silly girl hadn’t slipped and called Mark “uncle” he never would have found out who she was. Even though he didn’t know Mark all that well, he knew the man only had one niece living in Grand Junction, Colorado.
Master insisted that the girl be left alone for the time being. Killing was such nasty business. And unless he killed Mark at the same time, the man could make Drifter’s life troublesome. And there was no guarantee that the girl hadn’t told others about her ability.
“There are too many unanswered questions regarding this girl. We’ll continue as though we don’t know who she is. I need time to figure out what to do to minimize the danger to my plans,” Max had said at their last meeting.
If the girl dares to interfere with me again, I’ll kill her despite Master’s protests.
CHAPTER 24
ALEX OPENED HER EYES and sat up slowly. Even though traveling this way was easier to acclimate to, it still left her feeling disoriented and dizzy. She was in the bathroom, the same as last time. Alex peered from around the partially closed door and glanced around quickly, hoping she was alone.
She stepped into a long hallway. After accessing AJ’s memories, she knew she only had about half an hour left until the end of her shift. Alex made her way to AJ’s cubicle and sat down, hoping she could just hang out and do nothing until she was free to leave. The last thing she wanted to do was flub some big secret, military intelligence stuff. AJ would end up in the brig or tried for treason or something.
Being surrounded by three and a half walls meant that Alex could sit in privacy and avoid talking to anyone. It was strange. When she had gone back in time previously, she had been nervous at first but had ended up enjoying her sojourns, interacting with the people, seeing the sights, watching history unfold right before her eyes. Fighting for her life with the evil Traveler was something she could do without of course, but up to that point had been rather fun.
But somehow this was different. She didn’t feel any urge to hang out and learn the inner functioning of a military base. Perhaps it was because she was in the present time, give or take a few minutes or hours, so there wasn’t anything historical to learn. It could be knowing the evil Traveler was here, plotting with his Master to do God knows what. Whatever the reason, Alex wanted to talk with her uncle about her suspicions and go back to her own body.
As soon as her shift was over, Alex logged out of the computer and headed for her quarters. Her heart was beating about a mile a minute. The last thing she wanted to do was run into Stygian.
At least I know what he looks like.
What scared Alex more than coming face-to-face with Stygian was coming face-to-face with this Max Poder guy. She didn’t know anything about him. He could be behind her right this very minute and she wouldn’t know it. Alex glanced over her shoulder nervously and let out a laugh that sounded almost like a sob when she saw that there was no one behind her.
As soon as she got back to the barracks, she dialed her uncle’s number, praying he was there. There was no way she could leave him a message. Her mind raced. What if he was off on a mission somewhere and not even on base? What if Max Poder had succeeded in doing something to her uncle? Or perhaps Stygian had him held captive somewhere.
Get a grip, Alex!
She gripped the phone tighter as it rang and rang. Just when she was about to hang up, a fuzzy, yet familiar voice answered.
“Who’s this calling?”
“It’s me. I need to see you right away,” Alex said.
“I’m on my way.”
Alex hung up the phone, amazed at how quickly her uncle had gone from sleepy and disoriented to wide awake and alert. She supposed it had to do with his military training. Soldiers couldn’t afford to be caught unaware.
She paced the room while she waited for her uncle to
arrive. When the door opened she turned, ready to spill her guts. Her heart sank when one of her barrack mates came in.
“Wanna hit the gym with me?” The petite girl began peeling her clothes off and rummaging around in her foot locker.
“Not tonight. Think I might be coming down with something.” Alex coughed a little for effect.
“What? You never get sick.”
“There was a guy in the cubicle next to mine that coughed all damn week. I bet that’s where I got it.”
Two more Marines walked into the barracks. Alex hoped they would run off to the gym along with the girl she had just been talking to.
“Hey, you guys want to hit the gym with me?” the first girl asked.
“Nah, I’m beat. Ran drills today so I already got my work out,” one girl said as she sat on the edge of her bunk.
“I’m out too. Been dying to read this new book my husband sent me,” the second girl said.
Alex bit her lip and tried to think of a way to get all the girls to leave before her uncle arrived. She needed to have privacy for the conversation they were about to have. Alex didn’t know if it was against protocol for her uncle to come to the barracks but the last thing she wanted was to call unwanted attention to herself. That could mean problems for AJ and Alex had gotten the girl in enough trouble already.
“Suit yourselves. I’m heading to the gym before dinner. Bye!” The first girl waved as she jogged out the door.
“Mmmm…dinner. Not a bad idea. Want to join me for a bite, ladies?” the second girl asked.
“I’m game. What about you AJ?” the third girl asked.
“I’ll meet you guys over there. I need to send an email to my mom first,” Alex said.
She avoided the urge to shoo them out the door. Alex paced and chewed her nails while waiting for her uncle all the while hoping more girls wouldn’t come back to the barracks. When a sharp knock sounded at the door she gave a little squeak and laughed nervously.
Get a grip, Alex!
Alex ran to the door and flung it open, startling her uncle.
“I need you to come with me, Lance Corporal,” her uncle, Mark, said.
“I’m alone so we can talk here if you—”
“Not here. Follow me.”
Alex followed her uncle, fear causing her heart to race out of control. She didn’t know how he would react to being told to find out about what Max Poder and Lane Stygian planned. Alex knew it was common for soldiers to put themselves in the line of fire but this was asking him to go above and beyond the call of duty.
Mark led her to a series of buildings shrouded in the shadows of the larger ones around them. He kept his head up and his eyes straight ahead, hands behind his back. Alex tried to walk as confidently as he was but all she could manage was hunched shoulders and shuffled footsteps.
He opened the door to a small building and indicated that she should enter before him. Alex squeaked in fear when the door slammed closed behind her. There were no windows in this building and she squinted against the blankness around her.
“We don’t have much time. I assume you’re here with news?”
Alex turned to his voice. “I wish. Actually it’s news I’m hoping to get from you. Well, Gavin and Sean are hoping.”
“I’ve followed Stygian when duty allows but I haven’t seen him try anything. And I can’t follow Max without arousing his suspicions. To tell you the truth I’m waiting for Poder to send me on some fool mission to get me out of the way,” Mark said.
“Gavin is worried about that too. But he thinks we’re running out of time and wants you to... well, push harder for answers,” Alex finished, hoping he wouldn’t grow angry.
“I’m doing the best I can. I won’t be any good to you if I get sent away. And if I push too hard that’s exactly what Poder will do. He has the power and he knows it. And Stygian knows it.” Mark punched the wall to his left so hard it made Alex jump.
She watched her uncle pace the tiny room, wishing he would turn and give her the answers she so desperately sought. For too long she had borne the burden of saving the world alone. True, she had Jenn, but she didn’t have her uncle’s power. Gavin and Sean were an ocean away and didn’t seem to have answers.
Please help me figure this out!
Mark turned to her and sighed, shoulders slumping. “I’ll try harder to figure out what they’re up to. It’s not going to be easy. I can’t jeopardize my career. Besides, I wouldn’t be much good to you if I end up in the brig. Or worse.”
“Worse?”
“Do you have any idea how easy it would be for Max Poder to have me killed? It’s so easy it scares me and I don’t scare easily.”
Alex put her hands to her face, the truth of what her uncle was doing for her hitting home. “Then you can’t push further. I’ll figure something out.”
“I can’t let you tackle this alone. You’re just a kid.”
Alex raised her eyebrows. “A kid who’s managed to do pretty dang good on my own.”
“Okay, okay, point taken. But you still need help. And I’ll give it. I just have to figure out what to do.”
Alex nodded. “I’ll take all the help I can get.” She tried to keep the disappointment out of her voice. She hoped he would come up with a grand scheme that would rid her of Max Poder and Lane Stygian for good. It would be nice to be a normal teenager for once.
***
Drifter smiled in the darkness as he spotted Mark and Lance Corporal Jensen exit the storage building. His eyes followed them through the camera lens as they made their way back to Jensen’s barracks. Mark exited alone a short time later, unable to hear the sound of the camera as it captured his every move. Drifter walked slowly toward the barracks, a coldness seeping into his veins.
He had been watching the barracks and knew that Lance Corporal AJ Jensen was alone inside. Drifter boldly walked through the door, eyes darting to the right and left. AJ was on her bunk, sitting up slowly as though she had just awakened from a nap.
I’m too late!
Drifter wanted to catch the Traveler while she was still in this body, to give her a message.
“What am I doing here? The last thing I remember I was at work,” AJ said as she looked at him with terrified eyed. “What’s wrong with me?”
He tilted his head to the left and watched her silently. The girl sat mesmerized, like a deer in the headlights of an oncoming car. She must have seen something of his intent in his eyes because she slowly scooted to the side of the bed and tried to stand.
Quick as lightning, Drifter grabbed her by the throat and shoved her back down on the bed. Strong as she was, she was no match for him. He pinned her arms to the bed with his knees. His alibi would be blown if he was covered in defensive wounds.
His skin tingled as her pulse quickened under his grip. Soon, it would slow then come to a sweet stop. Her dark brown eyes pleaded for mercy, as she no longer had a voice. He lost himself in those eyes, the pistol all but forgotten in this moment of ecstasy. Her eyelids fluttered, obscuring his view of her terror. Drifter closed his eyes as her pulse lost its strength and slowed. He often wondered what people thought in these last moments of their existence. Did they wonder at the damnable unfairness of it all, curious as to what had brought them face-to-face with a killer. Or perhaps anger that they would be nothing more than worm food, that all their hopes and dreams were dashed with the clenching of a fist around a delicate throat, fear at what comes next, pondering that age old question of the existence of heaven or hell.
Drifter kept his hand in place long after her heart stopped beating. The last thing he needed was some medic bringing the girl back from the brink. He positioned her on the bed facing the wall and covered her with a blanket. To anyone coming into the room, she was merely sleeping.
He took a piece of paper from his pocket and shoved it in her open mouth. Drifter walked calmly to the door, and paused for one last look around. There was no indication that he had even been here. He smiled at his handy w
ork and closed the door softly behind him.
CHAPTER 25
MARK WOKE UP instantly at a knocking at the door. It was a trait his wife, Karen, had always found incredible. She insisted it wasn’t natural, being able to be alert the second your eyes opened but he shrugged it off as something he had trained himself to do over the years he’d spent as a Marine.
It wasn’t just knocking. More like insistent pounding.
“Captain Mark Reynolds. Open up, Sir.”
Mark walked to the door, icy fingers of dread threading their way up his spine. He couldn’t say why, but he was certain that whoever was on the other side of that door wasn’t here for a friendly chat.
“What’s this about?”
“Open the door, Sir.”
Mark opened the door and swallowed the lump that formed in this throat as the sight of the two MPs standing on his stoop. Their presence definitely didn’t bode well.
“We are under orders to place you in restraints if necessary. I hope it won’t be,” the man said with no hint of a smile.
“Can I at least put some clothes on?”
A curt nod was all the response he got. Mark left the door open and walked quickly to his bedroom, mind whirling. MPs mean I’m being placed under arrest. He wasn’t an expert in military law, but he knew enough to make his skin grow cold.
As he dressed he tried to think of anything he might have done to warrant being arrested. The only unusual thing about the day was the chat with his niece while she was in the body of Lance Corporal AJ Jensen.
Could this have something to do with Alex’s ability to time travel?
He wracked his brain but couldn’t come up with a connection. At least, none that would mean his arrest. His hands shook a little as he buttoned his shirt. He had always planned on being career military. A court martial would end those dreams.
Mark took a few deep breaths to slow his heart rate as he walked back his front door, a trick he often did while out on missions. He needed to remain calm and in control of his faculties if he was going to come out of this unscathed.
