Fractured Futures

by SY Thompson

  Sidney could see his finger tighten on the trigger in the moonlight and steeled herself for what she knew was about to happen. Suddenly she heard pounding feet on the stairs.

  “Ronan, I’m here,” she shouted as the intruder cast a surprised glance back before refocusing on the object of his twisted lust.

  Determination colored his face and he opened up with the gun. Rounds tore through Sidney’s small frame and pitched her back into the closet door before she fell. Her head bounced slightly when she hit the ground, but she didn’t really feel it. She couldn’t feel any pain whatsoever, or sensation from the neck down except for a deep and abiding cold.

  The gunfire ceased and Sidney heard a grunt and a loud thump. She could only move her head enough to watch Ronan battle with the burly man on the floor. Arms and legs flailed and kicked as each fought to outdo the other.

  The killer thrust Ronan away from him with a foot to her chest before he jumped to his feet to flee the room. Ronan quickly rose and jumped on his back, wrapping her hands around his head and grasping his jaw. With a powerful twist, she snapped his neck and watched in satisfaction as he crumbled soundlessly to the wooden floor.

  Ronan turned away from him immediately, ran to Sidney’s side, and lifted her into her arms. Tears fell unchecked from her eyes as she gazed down at Sidney’s broken form.

  “It’s all right.” Weakened by the trauma, Sidney tried to reassure Ronan even in her deteriorating condition. “You stopped him. That’s all that counts. He’ll never do this to anyone else.”

  Chapter Eight

  SIDNEY COUGHED AND a dark ribbon of blood trailed from the corner of her mouth. She was going fast and Ronan knew there was nothing she could do. After everything she’d gone through to prevent this, Sidney was still about to die. Just then, Ronan felt an electric tingle like pins and needles covering her entire body. She’d felt this sensation only once before, when she traveled through the time gate. With Professor Horton dead, anyone pulling her back was an enemy. Sparkles filled her eyes. She was furious with fate for not giving her the one or two minutes she needed to say good-bye.

  “No!”

  Ronan reached for the laser pistol still tucked into her waistband while her body rematerialized. She recognized Professor Horton’s basement and instinct prompted her to dive out of the opening of the time sphere. She narrowly avoided the stream of red-hot energy directed to the spot where she stood only seconds before. Ronan squatted down beside one of the control rails, opposite where her opponent hid. She hoped the barrier concealed her from his weapon’s fire.

  Boris Kinsky, her partner from the Guard, crouched next to the computer controls and fired steadily. His features seemed to ripple slightly, like asphalt on a hot summer day in the desert. Ronan hadn’t expected hallucinations to be a side effect of traveling so abruptly back into her own time, and felt relieved when the sensation lasted only moments. The hatred in Kinsky’s twisted features was the biggest shock. Ronan had always considered him calm and rational. It seemed she’d underestimated his loyalty and fanaticism to the government.

  “I knew you were a traitor,” he bellowed in German. “I always suspected you were a bleeding heart for those mud races and tonight I saw you. I followed you here from your apartment and saw you set this lab for destruction. I disarmed the explosives you set, saving this technology for the glory of the Konservatives.”

  Using a derogatory term to describe other races, Kinsky attempted to badger her. His ploy gave Ronan a lot of useful information, the most important being that time was not constant. Though gone for over six months, his ranting informed her that locally, only an hour or two had passed. He’d spent that time trying to figure out how to bring her back. She also learned that he was alone. She couldn’t figure out why he was spying on her.

  “Why did you bring me back?” she shouted back in her native language, anger and worry for Sidney warring within her. She had to get back there. By a miracle, Kinsky managed to bring her to the exact place where she had one more chance of rescuing her beloved. An idea came to her. Ronan crouched and backed to the rear of the side rail. With luck, she wouldn’t make any discernible noise. She reached the end of the wall and leaned around the other side, fairly certain that she’d been successful. She could see the tip of Boris’s laser pistol, still aimed at her previous location.

  “How else can a traitor of the Regime be punished? I will make Colonel for this.”

  Ronan thought it more likely he’d just gotten lucky and pushed the right button to retrieve her. The crystal was in her pocket since she carried it with her everywhere and he’d accidentally activated it.

  “Why don’t you come out of there, Ronan? I will make this as painless for you as I can, and you know you will never leave here alive.”

  His efforts to distract her were unsuccessful. Ronan moved up the side of the other wall to close in on her adversary from his rear. He didn’t hear her when she eased up behind him and stood to her full height with the laser aimed at his back. Some instinct must have warned him at the last moment and he spun to face her. Kinsky was too slow and even as he drew his weapon around to bear on her, she fired into his chest with her weapon on full power. A moment later, he was dead. In a way, it was unfortunate that the time machine still existed, but Ronan couldn’t help feeling grateful for his timing. If he hadn’t disabled the explosives, she wouldn’t be able to try to save Sidney...again.

  Fearing she might already be too late, Ronan shoved the pistol into her waistband at the small of her back and ran back to the controls. Her heart hammered, her hands shook, and for a long moment she stared at the console without really seeing. Finally, she remembered some of what the Professor had taught her. She turned a dial and pulled up the last set of coordinates leading back to the United States of the past. Grabbing a small handheld data reader off the console, Ronan pushed the on switch. Seconds later, a holographic display illuminated over the device and she started the inconceivably difficult equations, incorporating the coordinates automatically received when Kinsky pulled her back. At least she didn’t have to work from scratch, and soon she had the information she needed to arrive back at Sidney’s home in Rock Hall.

  Ronan tried to set the gate for five minutes earlier than when she’d arrived last time, hoping to beat the stalker into the house. She knew what she needed to do but the images of Sidney’s death played repeatedly in her head, shaking her so badly that she had to reset the data twice. Ronan had to calm down so she wouldn’t blow this single chance to save Sidney. Ronan took a deep breath, reminding herself that if she could get there in time, none of this would ever have happened.

  When she felt she had her emotions under control, Ronan entered the data. She grabbed both her laser pistol and Kinsky’s, and she stepped up to the portal. Pressing the activation sensor on the disc she still carried, she felt blasts of air striking her body as the atmosphere collapsed in on the space where she stood. It felt as if all the air whooshed out of her lungs. Her atoms transmitted through space and time.

  Disbelief and frustration flooded through her when she returned to the basement an instant later.

  She stood for a moment inside the gate braces, surprised and confused. She knew she had entered the numbers correctly. Then the explanation hit her with such force that she actually doubled over. She could not go back earlier because she had already been in that exact moment. Mentally, she could see Professor Horton’s face as he explained paradox.

  Panic seized her. She started shaking and pounded her hands against the console. Her mind felt like it tried to cave in on itself, there was just too much emotion for it to contain. Ronan quickly regained control. There had to be a way to save Sidney and she wouldn’t let her down this time. She ran over to the professor’s work area in the rear of the lab and looked for something to write a brief message. Fortunately, the professor had an abundance of paper.

  The stalker is coming for you. Get away and hide.

  I am coming.

&nb
sp; Ronan

  For a few seconds, she rummaged about the room for a weapon and then realized it was an exercise in futility. There was nothing here Sidney would be familiar with in her century and that included the laser pistols that Ronan currently held. Her whole body shook in defeat before an idea finally seized her. The professor’s collection.

  She raced up the steps, ran to the front entrance, and stared at the long knives bolted onto the wall. Ronan narrowed the confinement beam on her laser pistol and used it to melt the fastenings away from one of the sharpest blades. The weapon was deadly, but still small enough she felt Sidney could handle it easily. Then she ran back down into the lab and prepared to send the blade and the note back to Sidney.

  From what she had seen in those few moments before, Sidney had been in bed when the intruder found her. Ronan needed to refine her calculations to deposit her gift onto the bed where Sidney would see it. She didn’t know if she could get that close, but even if the blade fell onto the floor, Sidney had a chance. She pierced the note with the blade and slid it up near the hilt so it wouldn’t come off.

  Then she entered the gate, neared the transmission point, and set the object on the floor. Since it was an inanimate object, Ronan had to activate the machine from the control panel. As soon as she pushed the button, it winked out of sight. It didn’t return.

  Sweating and shaking, Ronan wiped at her forehead. Then she walked over to the professor’s desk and sat down to work out the new computations. Now she had to get back.

  SIDNEY LAY ON her side in bed, drifting half-asleep when something heavy landed in front of her face. She jerked in surprise and lunged from the sheets as she reached for the light on the nightstand. The handle of a long, wickedly curved blade still trembled slightly from where the blade embedded itself into her pillow and even farther down into the mattress.

  “Holy shit.”

  The knife’s edge had narrowly missed the tip of her nose. Sidney jumped up onto her hands and knees, searching the room frantically for signs of an intruder. Her heart slowly assumed a normal rate when she didn’t find anyone. Sidney frowned in confusion as she bent to remove the paper from the blade and read the words. She didn’t know how this note got here, but she believed the words implicitly.

  Somehow conscious that she had little time, Sidney snatched the dagger up and raced to the dresser. She pulled on a sweater and jeans while she listened intently for any movement from below. For all she knew, the stalker was already inside with her. A soft sound caught her attention and she froze for just a second, her eyes wide in fear. Silently walking on bare feet around the bed, she slipped into the adjoining bathroom. Another exit led onto the landing and she felt confident the intruder would check the bedroom first. It was the only lit room. As she peeked around the corner of the darkened chamber, she saw she’d guessed correctly. Her heart beat double time.

  Sidney could see a stranger’s back as he paused in the entryway in confusion. As soon as he crossed the threshold into the room, she ran into the hallway. Unfortunately, it wouldn’t take him long to realize that the bedroom and the lavatory were empty. She had little time to find somewhere to hide. She couldn’t afford to go toward the stairs either since that would carry her toward him, but there was no other way off this floor.

  That left her little choice but to hide in one of the other rooms. Sidney stayed against the wall hoping the shadows would conceal her, and tiptoed quickly down the hall before she ducked into the sewing parlor at the end. There weren’t any locks on the bedroom doors so she picked up a straight-backed chair and wedged it under the doorknob as quietly as she could.

  She left the lights off and navigated only in moonlight. Frightened, she went into the closet and shut the door. Sidney was never afraid of the dark like many children, but right now, she couldn’t shake a “boogeyman’s-right-behind-you” feeling that made her crouch down on the floor and clutch the knife. She held it tightly, ready just in case she had to defend herself. If she were very lucky, he wouldn’t be able to get into the room. If he did, she fervently hoped he would never get the chance to check the closet.

  Ronan was on her way and hopefully the police as well. Sidney desperately prayed for her friend to arrive in time. She prayed Ronan would hurry.

  Chapter Nine

  RONAN MATERIALIZED ON the front porch of the Rock Hall manor just thirty seconds later than she’d left the last time. There wasn’t any chance to reset the explosives to destroy the time machine, but for the moment, she had other concerns. The door hung open just as it had before, yet this time she believed that Sidney still lived. Ronan palmed her laser and slipped into the darkened structure with all senses straining. A creak on the landing caught her attention and she barreled up the steps with all thoughts of stealth vanishing from her mind.

  The landing was also empty, just as before. She raced for the bedroom. Things here were different and she could see a large frame silhouetted from a light that hadn’t burned before. Her footsteps warned the intruder that he had company and he leaned quickly out of the chamber and fired off a spray of bullets in her general direction. Ronan pressed back against the wall, comforted by the fact that he didn’t have a good enough angle to target her. Unfortunately, that also meant she didn’t have a chance at him.

  A moment later, she extended her arm and pressed the trigger of the pistol. Ruby light shot toward the bedroom and she heard the murderer curse as the beam found its mark. Then she heard the distinct sound of breaking glass. Ronan moved before she even realized it, bolting into the space to find it empty. Curtains flapped in the breeze from the open window.

  Looking out from the second story, Ronan saw that the roof of the garage prevented the stalker from having to make a long and potentially hazardous drop. The snow beneath was deep and soft. His shadow raced across the lawn as he fled, but Ronan didn’t think he ran away in defeat. He wasn’t finished yet, the retreat nothing more than a tactical maneuver. According to events recorded in her time, this event wasn’t preordained. Therefore, it wasn’t the way fate meant for Sidney to die.

  Ronan turned from the window disappointed that he hadn’t at least broken a leg in the fall, but she was content to let him go for now, her only interest in finding Sidney. She began a systematic search of the floor.

  “Sidney!” she shouted, not worried about being overheard.

  She had to find her and get out of the manor. Unquestionably, a neighbor heard the stalker’s automatic weapons fire and reported it to the police. They didn’t have the time for authoritarian red tape. Ronan suspected Gentry knew about the stalker and had Sidney under surveillance as a preventive measure. She doubted concern for his beloved ex-wife motivated him, but she didn’t put it past him to take advantage of the situation. It was an opportune moment to have his henchmen take care of the job the stalker had botched. She reached the door at the end of the hall and turned the handle easily but it wouldn’t budge, as though something was wedged against it from the other side.

  “Sidney, it’s me.”

  Instantly, Ronan heard a scraping sound and then Sidney opened the door. She staggered back slightly when Sidney flew into her arms. Ronan wrapped her long arms protectively around the shaking shoulders and tried to comfort her.

  “Shh, it’s all right now. I’ve got you.”

  She allowed Sidney a moment of reassurance, while she closed her eyes and absorbed the warmth of her body before she pulled back to peer into gray eyes. She allowed tears of relief to show as she stared at the cherished features. Sidney wasn’t the only one needing reassurance.

  “Did you recognize him?”

  Sidney answered the soft question with a confused shake of her head and huddled closer against her.

  Relieved to find her uninjured, Ronan finally gave in to the desire she’d felt for so long. She lowered her head and gently brushed her lips over Sidney’s trembling mouth. The kiss was soft, meant to convey the relief she felt that Sidney still lived, but it became something more when Sidney w
rapped her arms around Ronan’s neck. Lips parted and she tasted Sidney deeply for the first time. She enjoyed the exquisite sensation for precious little time before she forced herself to stop.

  Gently Ronan eased back from Sidney’s mouth, but couldn’t tear her eyes away from the passion-bruised lips.

  “I hate to do this to you,” she finally said, resting her forehead against Sidney’s, “but we have to get moving.”

  “Why?” Sidney pulled away in confusion . “He’s gone, isn’t he?”

  “Yes, but no doubt the police are on their way and we don’t want to be here when they get here.”

  “We haven’t done anything wrong. Why should we leave?”

  She knew Sidney didn’t fully understand everything that happened and she was getting a little panicky. A crazy man had just broken into her house and tried to kill her and then Ronan showed up and chased him away. Ronan knew she’d be grateful for that, but wouldn’t understand why they should run from law enforcement.

  Before Ronan could come up with an answer, Sidney started asking more uncomfortable questions.

  “How did you know he was here? And how did you know I was here? I didn’t tell anyone. How did you get that message to me and what is that...thing in your hand?”

  Ronan looked down, mortified to see that she still held her laser pistol.

  “Too many questions.” She tucked the weapon back into her waistband. “I’ll explain as we go.”

  Ronan attempted to propel Sidney down the hall, but Sidney planted her bare feet and crossed her arms.

  “Not until you answer me.”

  Finally, Ronan lost her patience and grabbed her by the upper arms. “Look, we don’t have time for this. All I can tell you is that man was not acting alone and the longer we stay here the easier a target we become. You are just going to have to trust me.”