AN: Hi everybody! I'm actually quite pleasantly surprised I was able to update so fast- I hope you like this chapter!

Reviewers:

romancejunkie: Thank you so much! I'll send you the link to the music vid soon as I can...

mysticofthepen: Wow! I guess I better update before y'all die of anticipation, lol!

howrude2u; And FOREVER; pokey: Thank you!

Readrbug21: Yes, I've noticed the same thing. The more I read and write, the more I've been improving, and it means that each chapter is a bit different. Hopefully this will continue to be a good thing!

heartsyhawk: THANK YOU! I'm so excited that people are seeing my video- it was my first try, so I love to get feedback on it. I'm glad you like the fic, too- here's your update!

acosta perez jose ramiro: Thank you very much! I'm a little worried this chapter doesn't touch as deep on her thoughts/emotions, but I hope it works out anyway.

badwolf1: Glad to hear it! Thanks!

Note: There will be another hint toward the code at the end as usual, but this time it is a bit of the big-giveaway type, so if you really want to figure it out on your own, I suggest not reading it, lol...don't forget to reveiw!

Disclaimer: "Numbing the pain for a while will make it worse when you finally feel it."- Joanne Kathleen Rowling

Chapter 10

She sat on the chair, before the computer screen that loomed above and beyond her thoughts. Time slowed to half of the time it took for her heart to beat in rapid secession.

"The clips are in indefinite order, Miss Vortex, but I shall try to approximate the source code."

"What?" She asked, having neither heard or understood his warning.

"It is," He continued, having learned the value of illustrating his point, "as if I am grabbing at passing clips, Miss Vortex. I will aim my best, but it may take several sessions of trial and error."

"Sure." She confirmed, trying to steady her breathing and focus her thoughts. But her thoughts, as usual, would not obey.

"What will it be like?" She couldn't help but ask herself- but the future was as blurry as her tear-stained vision.

Suddenly, her thoughts were interrupted as a voice pulled her to the screen.

"Goddard," He said, as she watched the young boy pulling on the rope in his hands. "Give that back!" The sounds of his laughter filled the spaces between the moments of pain. "You crazy dog!" With another laugh, he finally tore free his quarry.

"Fast forward search enabled. Commencing."

She watched in silence at the years flew by. Twelve- seven- fifteen- the ages passed before her at lightning speed, out of order and out of sync; but embedded in her memory as quickly as they came. She wiped away the tears at her eyes, waiting constantly for the next clip- the next visage of the past.

And as she watched the memories she had forgotten play out on the screen, she slowly felt the numbness rising and falling inside her. Hardly noticing, she raised her hand to cover her chest- over the organ that beat now in time with the clips, intertwining with the motions onscreen.

A clip, passing rapidly in procession, caught up her own memory in a replay of a time and place. "I remember-" she thought, as she began to laugh. "When we-"

But the laugh caught in her throat. With wide eyes, she realized what she had done.

"How could I laugh? How could I? I'm waiting to see Jimmy die! How dare I-" But she couldn't so sternly accuse her own heart- the heart that had confused and hurt her, strengthened and grown with her… it was too much like him.

Suddenly, an explosion rocked her from her thoughts.

"There it is." Fred mumbled. "Extracting. Rewinding."

She tensed as Fred worked, counting the lifetimes in between the moments.

"I believe I have it."

And with his words, the clip began to play.

(AN: Don't forget: This is a recording in Goddard's hard drive, so whatever Cindy sees is from his point of view- and she can't really see Goddard.)

"Monitoring all levels," Jimmy said, flipping a switch before him. "Switching to Earth audio frequency. Yep, Goddard, it's a beautiful day!"

"Bark, bark!" Goddard said in reply.

"Four hours to touch down. We're gonna make it just in time for 'Advanced Physics Theatre'!" Jimmy exclaimed, putting his hands behind his head in relaxation.

"Bark!"

Cindy's eyes followed the movements on the screen, her ears working in collaboration- but her head was busy with thoughts. They pulled her in all directions, opposite of logic and beyond emotion.

The clip played on.

"Hey, Goddard, any Subspace 17 e-mail yet?"

"Barr.."

"It's been almost 18 hours- you'd think it would be completely encrypted and accepted by now."

"Bark!"

"Well, that's Kyrok for you- always late." Jimmy rubbed his eyes as Goddard watched on. "Well, soon it'll be set up, and I'll improve the subspace level e-mail by around 23 percent!"

"Bark!" Goddard said, opening his screen.

"Okay, 23.636 percent- close enough." He said, with a laugh. "I just wish the coding didn't have to be so dirty- my point system is cleaner and less confusing. Too much unnecessary binary. A 3.46345AhgR system is so much more efficient, but…aliens are so temperamental…not to mention smelly. Goddard, I still can't figure out a logical hypothesis as to why the greater majority of the Alien species we encounter smell so bad! "

"Bark." Goddard replied.

A blinking light caught Cindy's gaze a moment before Jimmy's.

"Hello- what's this?" He reached for the control-

Suddenly, there was an explosion, and the screen flashed with flames and white noise.

She heard Goddard bark as the camera came back into hazy view- and out again. Her hands unconsciously grasped at the chair beneath her, pulling her toward the screen. In clips of seconds at a time, she was able to make out finally the seat in which Jimmy sat, the floor of the rocket, and what appeared to be Jimmy's hand- but the screen continued to fade in and out as Cindy turned to Fred.

"The clips are becoming fragmented, Miss Vortex," He said in answer to her unasked question. "What you are seeing is probably seconds or perhaps even minutes apart."

She twisted back to the screen just as it turned black.

The darkness of the screen opened the channel within her- she was able, at last, to cry once again.

JCJCJCJCJCJCJCJCJCJCJCJCJCJCJCJCJCJCJCJCJCJCJCJCJCJCJCJCJCJCJCJCJCJCJCJCJCJCJCJCJCJCJCJCJCJCJ
AN: Okay, gang, here we go:

Remember, The code was 2/3 4/3 6/2 3/1 9/3
Also, the decoding object was...a telephone!

So, then, you have to use a telephone with the numbers. here is a start: the the first number in each set refers to a button on the phone! For example, the first set is 2/3, so the 2 refers to the second button on the number pad! Now, you have to figure out what the second number in each set is for!

Happy decoding!
-RR

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