Mozzi-girl: Thanks so much! I'm glad I'm keeping you hooked :)
The Beautiful Filth: I guess you'll just have to keep reading to see what happens ;)
PetraWiggin55: Thanks so much! And no I won't answer that question because I don't want to give anything away :)
LittleGirlBigImagination: Oh my gosh, thank you for your review! It's stuff like this that keeps me writing :)
Abbzcadabbz22: Thanks so much! I'm going to try to update as soon as I can. I'm SUPER busy with school right now but when the year starts getting closer to ending I should have more time to write. :)
Alright so I'm REALLY SORRY I haven't updated in a while! I'm just really busy. Plus, I'm still in a foggy area with this story. Luckily though, the tennis season is over and I have my AP tests coming in 4 weeks so after that I'll be free to write to my hearts content. Not really sure how this chapter will turn out because I'm just typing randomly. This chapter will be as new to me as it is to you :)
Now that I finished the chapter, I'll just tell you that the first ¾ of this chapter is filler fluff. Oh well. I think it's cute :)
Chapter 4: What Next?
SFPD Captain Mal's POV
"How's Florida treating you?" I smile as I watch Natara, my Natara, on the hologram screen projecting from my phone, as she struggles with her phone. She can't seem to figure out how to get the window to pop up so she can see and hear me. "I can't hear you Mal. These stupid phones frustrate me." She mus have finally pulled it up, because she makes eye contact with me and grins. "Gotta love technology," I say. "Definitely. So what did you say?" "I asked how Florida was." "Oh! It's really great! Neha and I visited the Kennedy Space Center and then went and relaxed at Cocoa Beach. It's nice to see a part of Florida other than Disney and Miami." "I bet it is. So guess who came into town today to help Lauren with a case?" She thinks for a second but finally shrugs. "I don't know. Who?" "Ken."
Her face lights up. "Oh really? I haven't seen him in ages. Too bad I'm not there. Do you think he will be there long enough for me to see him when I get back?" "I'm not sure Nat, this case is pretty involved. They even had to bring in another Fed to help him and Lauren out. Maybe." "Do you know the agent they brought in?" I can't help but smile even though an extremely weird feeling comes to me. "Well, actually, it's. . . it's you." Her face scrunches up in confusion before a wave of realization washes over her face. "Oh. . . Is it weird?" "Extremely." "Hmm. Shame I can't remember anything about that case. Stupid side effects of time travel. Mal I'm worried." "Why?" I asked concerned. "You made it back, what's there to worry about?" "Ken and Lauren. I didn't know it was them I was chasing that killer with. I always had a feeling something bad happened when I was there. Nothing says they will be okay. Nothing guarantees their safety. Just because I made it back doesn't mean. . ." I cut her off. "Don't fret over it. We've got you, Ken, and Lauren, the greatest law enforcement individuals I've ever met, taking this guy down. They'll have no problem. You just enjoy your vacation and maybe you'll get to meet young you when you get back." She nods. "I don't want to meet me. That'll just make me mourn over my lost youth." "You are more beautiful than I remembered." I smile and Nat just rolls her eyes. "Don't try anything Captain Fallon." "Wouldn't cross my mind retiree Natara Fallon." "Never call me that again Mal." My phone beeps indicating an incoming call. I see it's from Agent Rose. "Sorry to hang up on you sweetie, but I'm getting a call from you. Love you."
She rubs her forehead and sighs. "Love you too." Natara smiles one last time and hangs up. Her image is instantly replaced with the image of young Natara, and it messes with my head a little bit. I take notice of her worried expression. "Natara, what's wrong?" She sits in what looks like her apartment, but the lights are all off. "I-I just got home. . . and I found this note." "Note? From who?" "I'm assuming Blake." She hold a business card up to the camera and I can barely make out the black writing in the dark. "What do I do Mal? I know he's not here because I think I saw him leave my apartment when Lauren dropped me off. I didn't think anything of it until now." I spin left and right in my office chair. "I don't know Natara. There isn't much we can do about it tonight. We'll show Ken and Lauren first thing in the morning. But I also don't feel safe leaving you alone." I furrow my brow, deep in thought. I rake my hand through my short gray hair. "I'll be right over." Natara doesn't look like she agrees, but nods anyway. "Alright."
Natara William's POV
When Mal got to my apartment, the first thing I did was throw my arms around him in a hug. He didn't hesitate to hug me back. I feel so lost here in the future. I have some psycho futuristic killer leaving notes in my unfamiliar apartment. Nothing is right. Except for Mal. He may be 65 and married to someone else who happens to be 63-year-old me, but when I close my eyes and hug him, I feel safe. I feel like I'm in my Mal's arms. And the world I'm in doesn't feel so unfamiliar anymore, even if it's for a few seconds. "I'm sorry Mal." "Don't be." He pulls away and rests a hand on my shoulder. "Are you alright?" "I'd be lying if I said 'Yes.'" "And I would be able to tell," he laughs. He finds his way to one of the weird chairs and settles down. "I don't think Blake will bother you, but you can never be too safe." "Right."
I find my spot on the red couch across from him and we instantly lose ourselves in conversation. He asks me to retell old stories that are really only a year or two old to me, but are decades old to him and he can't remember the specific details. I watch in delight as his face is stuck in a permanent smile. I try getting information out of him about the future, but he won't spill. "Tell me about how you propose to me. Tell me about our wedding." "No and no." "But you said I won't remember anything about this experience anyway. I won't remember this conversation." "I'm not ruining the magic for you, even if you won't remember." "It's because you can't remember isn't it? Senior citizen Mal is losing his memory!" "Har har. Thirty years of your humor I've had to deal with. I don't need two Nats giving it to me now." We talk like this for hours, and I unknowingly fall asleep at around five o'clock in the morning.
When I wake up, I look across at the chair Mal was sitting in to see that he isn't there. A note sits in his place. It reads: "I know you and notes aren't really on the best of terms right now, but I thought I'd leave you this anyway. I had to go to work. I suggest you do the same. - Senior Citizen Mal"
I chuckle and fold the note up, and then set it back down on the chair. The business card is gone. I get ready fast and go downstairs to find Ken leaning up against his car, grinning. "Morning Sleeping Beauty." I roll my eyes. "Let's just go." Ken and I chat casually on the ride to the precinct. It was mostly him telling me about his date night with Sara. The romantic dinner. Catching up on their lives. "Oh, and we agreed to go pick out a puppy this weekend," he beams. "Is the puppy to replace you?" I ask jokingly. "Haha no. We just thought it would be good for us to have something that ties us together. Better than a kid." He laughs. I just glare at him. "Not funny. Got it."
When we get to the precinct, Lauren is already inside waiting for us. "About time. Captain said he's got something important." Ken looks toward Mal's door. "Then let's go." The three of us walk in and I immediately spot the business card in an evidence bag tacked to a board. "Detective. Agents." Ken and Lauren take notice of the card. "Where was that found?", they both say in unison. Mal sighs. "Blake Sharpe supposedly wrote this note and left it in Agent Rose's apartment last night." They both whip their head around and look at me. "Last night?" says Lauren. "Why weren't we made aware of this? Something could have happened!" Ken says angrily. "I had it under control," I respond. "Agent Rose notified me. She was safe," defends Mal. "What do you we do now? That is basically an open threat," states Lauren. "This may actually be a good thing. If he's feeling confident, he might make himself known more. Appear more. He'll be easier to spot. Easier to catch," says Ken. "But if he's making more moves, that means more people will be murdered," I add. "These are all good points, but they all involve waiting around to see what he does and we can't afford that. Go down to the crime lab. The techs may have found something," orders Mal.
Just like that, I find myself following Ken and Lauren again, down into the crime lab. A short and stocky forensic technician with blonde curly hair sits at a table studying something. "Whatchya got for us Mo?" asks Lauren. Mo looks up from his work. "Oh hey guys! Perfect timing!" His green eyes sparkle like an emerald. "Agent Rose, this is Maurice Fisher, our forensic tech," says Lauren. "Call me Mo." He extends a hand. "Special Agent Elizabeth Rose. You can call me Beth." He nods. "So! Enough introductions, you're here for the goods, right?", he says. "That'd be appreciated Mo," replies Ken with a smile. "Coolness. Follow me."
Mo leads us to his laptop sitting on the table. A power grid of the city is displayed on screen. "So, first off, I think the weapon that killed Victoria was a, hear me out, laser disc." We all stare at Mo blankly. "Alright so obviously you don't know what that is. Well it's this prototype weapon that is literally a frisbee with a hole in the middle and the outer rim is a super lethal laser, like a circular lightsaber. The hole is so you can grip it. . . It's like the thing on Tron. . . you guys don't understand my movie references. . ." His voice slowly trails off as he sees the looks of confusion on Ken and Lauren's faces. "I understand your references Mo," I reassure him. "Movie buff I see," he says impressed. "Sure, something like that." Ken interrupts. "Anyway, I think I can imagine what you're describing Mo. Continue." "Right, well, it's still in it's prototype stage like I said, but by 2080 who knows how far along it's come. But that made me think of something. Laser disc. Time traveling suit. He has to recharge that somehow, and I don't think a wall outlet will cover that. So I combed through the power usage at all of the power plants in San Fran and look what I found." I lean forward and look at the screen. "Greenville Power Plant used an astounding amount of power this month. Thousands of volts more than all of the other plants combined." Lauren speaks up. "If we stake out that power plant, maybe we'll catch Blake there when he goes to recharge!" Ken nods in agreement. "Sounds like a plan. Beth?" I wear a face of determination. "Let's go catch this 'time lord' before he kills again."
I literally made this chapter up as I went. Except for the phone call at the beginning. I knew I was doing that. Hopefully I can plan better next time haha :)