“I’m surprised you were able to manage it. The watch had been smashed, hadn’t been recharged—and no one was wearing it.”
“That was Matt’s idea. He wore your leader device in addition to his helper watch. It increases the field strength. We weren’t sure it would work, but it had to be tried.”
Anya glanced again at the laughing eyes in the rearview mirror. “And is he going to search for the device now it’s been Traveled who knows where?”
Page slid on a pair of sunglasses and leaned her head back. “He’s had enough experience already to calculate the spatial dispersion and estimate where the professor’s watch would land.”
The young man held the smashed watch up in the air for Anya to see before stuffing it back into his jeans’ pocket. She suddenly felt old enough to be an aunt, and she was certainly a spinster.
“You might as well leave me as your Aunt Anya.”
The car was already pulling onto the dirt road that led home. Anya felt as if she’d been away for years.
Page glanced around at the property with a bit of scorn. “That Ms. Dervan you dismissed so easily helped Matt and I understand some of the things we needed to do in order to establish a really credible identity for you. For the rest of us, too. Well, we’ll have to go back and take care of Tate and Nye and Turner once they decide on last names.”
Matt pulled up in front of the house. He parked the car, and they all got out with much slamming of doors. A harsh sound in this quiet country.
Page nodded at Matt and Tate. “You two go on in and make yourselves comfortable. I need to talk to Anya.”
The two men sauntered up the steps, and Anya confronted her junior. “So you’ve given that Matt a helper device and taken him Traveling. You confided in a contemporary and made him your helper.”
“I exercised my prerogative. As you did appropriating my helper.”
“The professor’s death left me in charge—so I did what I needed to do.”
Page stared at her for a long moment, and with those sunglasses on, Anya had no inkling what the woman was thinking. “I see you’ve grown attached to Tate. I’ll tell you what I’ll do—”
Anya interrupted. “I told you I’m in charge.”
Page bared her teeth. “You have seniority, and I’m quite willing to listen to what you have to say, but you’re not in charge of me. We’re both research leaders. I have the authority to make my own decisions, and I’ll do just that.”
Anya forced down her initial reaction to Page’s brazen assertion. Anya had been promoted to associate professor before they left and was more than just Page’s senior. But that battle would need to be postponed. “So what are you going to decide?”
Page took off her sunglasses and looked at Anya. “I understand wanting a base of operations, but I’d rather work out of the city myself.”
“So you’re planning on sticking around and doing some actual research?”
“This is the transition to a new period of history and a lot of changes are taking place, a lot of social changes. That includes dating. Studying the changes in those customs will help me better understand the twentieth century rituals.”
“I take it young Matt is going to be assisting you with your research? Why don’t you take Turner as well? In exchange for Tate.”
“That’s just what I was going to suggest. Tate wouldn’t be particularly helpful with my research.”
Anya frowned as she recalled the year. “Just be sure you all get out of the city in time.”
Page stared back. “And if we decide to stay and help? We can’t stop what’s going to happen, but we shouldn’t turn our backs on their suffering.”
Anya closed her eyes. “You don’t know what it will be like. I’ve seen my share of suffering, and I’d like to spare you and the others.”
There was a moment of silence, and when Anya opened her eyes again, she saw Page’s face had softened. “I understand why you’d feel like that, but I still want to help with the aftermath.”
They both stared at each other as they thought about what was coming. Something that never got left out of any history book. But until the time came to deal with it, they had other things to work on.
Anya sighed. “So where’s Bailey? And how do we find out what happened to Harold’s team?”
Instead of answering, Page drew a letter out of her bag and handed it over.
Unfolding the single sheet of paper, Anya began reading silently and realized it was from Samantha.
Dear Anya or Page,
I don’t know why no one’s come looking for us yet, but I know everything has gone horribly wrong. After you’ve read this, you’ll have to decide for yourselves what you’re going to do, but I’ve done what I needed to do.
I saw Kirin murder Harold. She took his device and fled. I couldn’t let her escape justice, so Bailey and I chased her down. She was using the access to the money from the trust and the ability to Travel to make herself rich. But now she’s dead, too.
That makes me a leader now. Bailey has volunteered to be my helper. (Sorry, Page, but you’ll have to make do with only one. So will I.)
I’m leaving you this letter and my helper device so you can know what happened. Also that the only way we could keep following Kirin through time was because she wore Harold’s device while she kept her own. Which somehow increased the size of the field for Traveling. I’m sure you’ll understand that better than me, and maybe it’ll be helpful. (I don’t know what became of Kirin’s helper device.)
Until the professor comes and says otherwise, I’ll be Traveling with Bailey—who knows where or when, or to do what.
Sam
Anya re-folded the letter and stared at it in her hands. “So now there are six of us—here, at least. Without the professor’s watch working, we have no way to find Sam and Bailey, and it doesn’t sound as if they’ll be searching for us. So much for leaving those breadcrumbs.”
Page smiled. “I noticed you counted Matt.”
Anya needed to reassert her authority. “You’ve the right to replace Bailey. And that young man of yours seems resourceful enough, so I’ve no objection. Now, about the professor’s watch...”
“Matt is quite brilliant. Between us we may be able to repair it. Then we’d be able to find Sam and Bailey, and we could return home. If and when we want to.”
Anya nodded. She’d have been better off not to carry the thing around anyway. “Alright. You can keep it. And I’ll let you have Turner in exchange for keeping Tate.”
Which was a better deal for her. Tate was completely reliable, but she didn’t think the same could be said for Turner. Not anymore.
“That’s settled, then.”
Anya smiled. “One more thing. Nye will want to spend a lot of time researching in the city. You can supervise her while she’s there. Of course, I’ll make sure she knows to make herself available if you want her help.
Page pursed her lips, then nodded. It was done, and Anya had managed to come out well enough. If only three of them hadn’t died and two weren’t lost in time.
But Anya still had hope.
Continue the Watchbearers Series with Book 2: Centenary Separation
THE TRAVELERS BECOME further parted from each other as an error sends Matt and Page to 1912 San Francisco and Turner to the desert in 1962, while Nye gets mistaken for a terrorist and Anya attempts to change her own past—with disastrous results...
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Also by James Litherland
Miraibanashi
Whispers of the Dead
Enemies of the Batsu
Endurance of the Free
Miraibanashi the Trilogy (Coming Soon)
Slowpocalypse
/> Durable Impressions
Certain Hypothetical
Threat Multiplication
Compromised Inside
Peripheral Encounters
Starting the Slowpocalypse
Watchbearers
Millennium Crash
Centenary Separation
Uncertain Murder
Prohibited Activities
Watch for more at James Litherland’s site.
About the Author
James Litherland is a graduate of the University of South Florida who currently resides as a Virtual Hermit in the wilds of West Tennessee. He’s lived various places and done a number of jobs – he’s been an office worker and done hard manual labor, worked (briefly) in the retail and service sectors, and he’s been an instructor. But through all that, he’s always been a writer. He is also a Christian who tries to walk the walk (and not talk much.)
Read more at James Litherland’s site.
Millennium Crash Page 22
