Chloe sighed contentedly, and sat back against the fallen tree. The morning sunlight, filtered through thick branches covered in leaves, was warm on her skin. The birds sang joyously from the trees around her. Her hunger was sated with the morning's catch and her thirst well quenched. If only, she wished, things could always be this pleasant and simple - no bandits, no fanatics, no Maxine.

She tried not to think too hard on them, though. At that moment, she simply enjoyed the peace. She smiled and closed her eyes as she napped.


Friday, October 12, 2018


Timeline 3

Chloe Surviving

So what am I looking for here? Chloe asked.

Any sign of the quantum device, for starters. If this is where you heard the generator running, then, well, it was running for a reason, right? Besides that, anything useful for building the portable version.

Such as…?

You'll know it when you see it. Or I guess I will. God, you don't know how much effort I'm putting into concentrating on what you're seeing.

I can imagine, Chloe replied.

Chloe grasped the handle of the door. With a push, it swung open and she stepped inside. She was greeted by the sight of old, rusted machinery and long rows of empty, metal tables.

The old cannery, Chloe thought to herself. Once, this building by the harbor used to process the catch of the fishermen. Workers fileted the fish, then the fish meat would be fed into machines which would, in turn, pack the meat into cans. Chloe remembered seeing an old picture in school, years ago, of workers lined up along either side of the long tables to do the sorting and slicing. The cannery shut down years before the storm ever came.

The roof of the building had been partially caved in from the storm, and snow blanketed the exposed rubble within. It was not much warmer inside than out, but at least Chloe was out of the wind. Chloe shut the door behind her and glanced around. A metal staircase was just off to her left, leading to rooms with big windows overlooking the factory floor. Presumably, that's where the factory managers would watch their minions working below.

Okay, she thought. Let's start in the offices upstairs.

Chloe headed to the rickety metal stairs and climbed up to the offices. She opened the door at the top and stepped inside. The large windows allowed sufficient light into the room, thanks to the gaping hole in the cannery ceiling. The first room appeared to be some sort of a lobby or break room, with a dilapidated sofa against one wall, a worn coffee table in the middle, and against the other wall, a refrigerator and counter. The counter was littered with a broken coffee maker and chipped coffee mugs. Doorways sat at the end of the room, directly opposite of Chloe, and on the other side of the sofa. A quick glance in those doorways revealed them to be small offices.

The fridge! Blue told her. Check if it has a water line. You should be able to get some copper tubing from the back that you can use for cooling the quantum device.

We need a better name for it, Chloe thought. How about PQD? For portable quantum device. I- uh, we really don't need to be saying… thinking the whole thing out.

Sure. PQD it is.

Chloe went to the fridge and pulled it away from the wall so she could check the back.

Perfect! Blue exclaimed. Just as she had suspected, copper tubing ran from the fridge to the wall. We'll have to find some tools to see if we can detach that.

Damn, I should have thought to bring some with me from camp, Chloe thought. She glanced around the room. By the sofa, there was a small pile of objects beside a rumpled sleeping bag. She walked over and kicked aside a few useless things with her boot. Unsatisfied with what she found, she picked up the blanket and scrunched her nose at the smell of it.

I'd rather freeze than sleep with that thing, she thought.

She dropped the blanket indignantly on the sofa. Underneath it was a small space heater and a toolbag.

That's lucky, she thought.

I wonder if someone had been living here?

It's possible. If they had fuel for the generator outside, maybe they were using it to run the space heater in here.

That ancient thing outside must be really old. They'd have to had fixed it up, Blue suggested.

That could explain the tools, Chloe reasoned. Look at this toolbag. This one looks like it's from decades ago.

So, you think some old guy was living in here?

Could be. Maybe he used to do repairs in here back in the day, who knows. Could explain how he got the generator working. Whatever the case, it looks like no one's been in here for a while. I don't think he's coming back.

Chloe picked up the toolbag and returned to the fridge.

Hmm, if he had the space heater running, I wonder if he had the fridge running too? Check it for food, Blue suggested. Chloe obliged and pulled the door open. She immediately regretted it - a foul odor was released from within. Chloe clapped a hand over her nose and mouth and shut the door again, trying not to gag.

Ugh, gross…

Chloe kept her hand over her nose and mouth as she reopened the door. There were a few items that were likely the source of the odor - she dared not touch those, but there was a can of soda and two cans of beans.

Heh, our mystery man is obviously not Frank. There would be more beans.

Chloe removed the usable items and put them in the small sack she brought with her, with the exception of the soda. This she cracked open and immediately consumed.

God, I don't think I've had a soda in years, she thought.

We'll be sure to add that to your homecoming party.

And liberal amounts of liquor. Please.

Chloe returned to her original task of removing the copper tubing from the back. It was held in place by hexagonal connectors. Chloe reached into the toolbag and removed a few wrenches, testing the size of each until she found a match. Unscrewing the connectors was tough, as some sort of sealant kept them strongly attached, but a few firm cranks finally loosened them.

Now, this thing is a little long for my sack here. Should I coil it up?

Very, very carefully, Blue answered. Be very careful to not let it kink. Don't make it a very tight coil.

Okay.

Chloe took another cursory glance around the offices for anything useful or edible, but found nothing of interest. She continued downstairs and gave the cannery floor the same treatment with the same results. Nor did she find any evidence of any quantum devices, so she decided to return to her camp.

She cringed at the loudness of her boots crunching in the snow as she walked. If anyone were near, they'd definitely hear her. Soon, snow began to fall, drifting lightly to the earth. As she left the Arcadia Bay main street and passed into the more residential neighborhoods, the snow thickened and the wind picked up to a howl.

Great, now I'm stuck in a blizzard, she thought.

Dude, that picked up really fast.

Welcome to the new Arcadia Bay. This is the crazy weather stuff I told you about before. Chloe glanced behind her. At least the wind will drown out my footsteps. No one will likely see my footprints, either. Not unless they're looking carefully.

Chloe turned down a quiet street lined with townhouse-style homes. Several of the buildings were partially collapsed from the storm, though some appeared to have been partially rebuilt.

Probably were in the middle of being rebuilt when the shit hit the fan and everything fell apart, she thought.

She froze when she heard loud voices being carried toward her on the wind. Shit. Through the blizzard, she could barely make out several figures heading her way. She glanced around for a hiding spot - to her left she saw a shattered window. She hurdled over the small stone fence that surrounded the front yard, then ran over to the window. Ignoring the throbbing in her leg, she flung herself and the copper coil inside, and ducked into the corner just under the window. She glanced out and watched as the silhouettes approached - a small group of four or five, she determined. Chloe ducked back down, and pressed herself into the corner, trying to make herself as small as possible.

And was staring directly at Maxine, hiding in the corner under the opposite side of the window.

The two girls locked eyes and sat motionless for a moment, then Maxine suddenly pushed herself forward, towards Chloe. Chloe was faster - she quickly pulled the revolver from her pocket and pointed it directly at the other girl. Maxine grit her teeth and stilled. Neither dared to speak as the voices outside drew nearer. Both girls' eyes darted back and forth between the outside and their opponent.

"Why do we have to keep pursuing her?" One voice asked from outside. "We'll never see anything through this storm!"

"Because the Divine Prophet wishes it," another answered. "We're to search for sinners and either return them to serve penance, or deliver them to their judgement. I'm certain the woman came this way, keep looking!"

Maxine grew bold and began to creep slowly toward Chloe. Chloe clenched her jaw and put her other hand up, gesturing for Maxine to stop, but she was not heeded. Maxine continued to crawl closer, even as the voices were now just outside the window. Were it not for the heavy snow, Chloe was certain Maxine would have been spotted. Chloe swallowed and swiftly pulled back the hammer of her revolver with a stroke of her thumb. That caused Maxine to stop and snarl at her. Chloe shook her head at the other girl. Don't even think about it, she thought. Chloe was worried of making even the slightest noise that would alert the cultists, but she'd rather risk their ire and shoot Maxine than fall into her clutches again.

The two of them remained unmoving until the voices had passed. Chloe debated her next step. She could simply shoot Maxine, but she didn't want to risk the noise bringing the Marshians back her way. She could try to stab or pistol whip Maxine, but Chloe did not want to risk getting too close. Chloe settled on her last option: simply leave and hope she's not followed.

But what if she rewinds? Blue asked.

"Keep your hands on the ground," Chloe instructed. She tried to keep her voice soft and quiet, but firm. "If I see your hands leave the ground, I will shoot you. If you rewind to try to catch me, I will shoot, and the noise will bring those cultists back."

Maxine made no visible sign that she understood or would comply, but neither did she attempt to move.

Chloe stood, adjusted the string of the sack over her shoulder, and picked up the copper coil. She quickly glanced to her right, inside the room - a living room once, it appeared. A closed door was on the other side of the small, leather sofa. Keeping her revolver aimed at Maxine, who only stared and maintained her snarl, Chloe went to the door and opened it. As it swung inward, bits of rubble tumbled inside the room. She stepped through the doorway and shut the door. Thankfully there was a deadbolt lock on this side - she engaged it carefully but quickly, then walked across the rubble pile of the collapsed roof as the door handle began to rattle behind her. That will buy me some time.

She found herself in a small backyard. Chloe passed through an opening where a fallen tree had knocked down the fence, and into the next backyard. She hopped another fence again into the next backyard. She ran to the front of the crumbling house and glanced both ways up and down the street. The storm was still thick so she couldn't see very far. Good - that also means Maxine won't see her very well either. She glanced around quickly for any sign of either cultists or Maxine, and seeing neither, fled toward her camp.


Timeline 2

Max and Chloe

Chloe gleefully tore the packing tape off of the cardboard box and opened its flaps. She dove her hand into the packing peanuts until she hit an object, then pulled it out with a grin. The copper tubing was here! The other two packages must contain the other items she - well, her adviser - had ordered for building the PQD. She couldn't wait to open those too, even if they were mostly just screws and aluminum frame-constructions bars.

Christ, she thought, five years ago, I was a troublemaker trying to sneak into bars and smoking joints. Now I'm getting excited for a bag of goddamn nuts and bolts. What happened to me?

You grew up, Che answered.

No kidding. God, I - we were so naive back then, huh?

Yep. I made it back to camp, by the way - what should I do with this pipe stuff?

Hmm...well, it's going to need to be coiled up to fit around the quantum core, when you find that. Chloe explained. You'll need something to coil it around. About the size of a paint can, if there are any of those around.

I think there's one or two of those in the shed.

Chloe got to work on opening the other packages.

I guess you made it back to camp with no issues then? She asked Che.

Storm let up a little, so it wasn't too hard to make my way back once I cleared town.

Good. No chance that Maxine followed you?

It would be unlikely, Che responded, but who the hell knows with that demon girl. Here's some paint cans. I'm just...gonna try to not think about her right now.

Yeah...sure thing. Chloe glanced down at her left arm. That flesh was untouched, she knew, but Che's was not. Their shared subconscious haunted them both. Okay, uh, paint cans. Perfect. Now, you've got some tools there, right?

Well, yeah, I would have brought that grubby old thing back from the cannery if not, right?

Chloe sighed. I guess. You sure haven't lost the snark, huh?

Heh. Nope, that's what's kept me going these past five years. You seem to have lost the attitude though. At least a little.

Chloe retrieved an old, empty paint can from the shelf in the corner of the lab.

I've tried to. For Max. She deserves better. A lot of people deserved to be treated better by me back then, I think. I wish I had realized that years ago, Chloe answered sadly. Not that Max and I never have any arguments or anything. I've just forced myself to be more civil than I used to be. At least with her.

She deserves better, for sure, Che agreed. Now what do I do with this stuff?

First, Chloe began, crimp one end of the tube, then fill it up with water. Then crimp the other end. Make sure there's no air trapped inside at all and that the ends don't leak. Then, you're going to coil that around the paint can. Make it a tight coil!

Can't I just wrap it around without the water? Che thought. It's pliable enough that I can easily do that.

The water will help keep the pipe from forming kinks or anything. Some people use salt too, but I guess you don't have a lot of that lying around.

Gotcha. Yeah, no salt here. I wish I did have some, I'm dying for some flavor to my food.

Chloe started working on her own coil, following her own instructions. It wasn't very long before she was looking at her own nearly-perfect coil in her hands.

How is this? Che inquired. Chloe closed her eyes and focused.

Not bad. Not as long as I would have liked, but it'll have to do, I guess.

Pleased with her work, Chloe went to the quantum device and slid open a panel, revealing the inner workings - framing, instruments, cooling pipes - and reached in to disconnect cords from a cylindrical metal object.

Is that…?

...the quantum core? It's one of them, yes. The primary, we call this one, Chloe answered.

Not as exciting to look at as I would have thought.

Chloe laughed aloud. Yeah, I suppose not. She brought the primary core back to her work table and slid the copper coils over it. They fit almost perfectly.

So, what's the difference between the primary and...uh, I'm guessing it's called the secondary core? Che asked.

The primary has a device built in that allows it to manipulate the electron inside. Since the paired electron in the other device does the same thing, we just need to measure it, so it's a little smaller.

Hold on, Che thought, how will I get it to work? I don't exactly have a lot of scientific equipment just lying around.

If you can find the primary and secondary cores, you just need a power source. Anything else you need is internalized.

Assuming this core is the same as yours.

Chloe paused. Yes. I strongly suspect it was built by my adviser, though. If the Prescotts have been funding his research, then that would make sense.

And why would the Prescotts have this in Arcadia Bay to begin with?

I have no idea, Chloe answered truthfully.

Che groaned in her head from another timeline. Okay. What about this power source?

A car battery could work -

-are you kidding? I thought this thing was supposed to be portable! How am I going to to carry this around with a car battery? That's not something I can just squeeze into my pocket!

Alright, alright! Let me think… a laptop battery maybe? We're not powering any measuring instruments, and if you can get compressed liquid nitrogen, then you won't need a pump or anything, either. You won't need as much power.

A laptop battery? I should be able to scavenge a few from around town, Che said.

Awesome. The trick is going to be finding one that actually has power left in it. The more juice, the better. Once you have that, you'll just need some wire to run from the positive and negative terminals on the battery to power port on the core.

Okay, Che responded. I'll head back into town tomorrow to see if I can find those things. The day after, I'll be heading to the Prescott estate to look for that quantum core.


Timeline 1

Max Alone

"Ready for round two?" Max asked. Kate nodded. They had set up the break-room the same as the last time they had met the agents. When a knock came at the door, Kate let the agents in. They took their seats at the coffee table across from the girls.

Andrews glanced between the duo in their EMT uniforms. "Are you sure this is a good time?" She asked.

"We should be fine," Max answered. "The others are answering a call from a frat party. We're just doing dispatch."

"Alright, let's get right to it, then," Andrews started. "We've brought information about the Prescotts. And their source."

She nodded to Berry, who set a briefcase on top of the coffee table and unlatched the clasps. He opened the lid and removed a yellow folder, opened it, and pulled a stack of documents from within. He shuffled through the documents until he came across two photographs, and handed them to Max. Max took them and examined them both. One photo was older, appearing to be from the seventies, judging by the haircuts and fashion of the people in it. The next was much more recent, and depicted Sean Prescott standing with other well-dressed men.

"See this man here?" Andrews asked, pointing at a man standing beside Sean Prescott. Max nodded.

"This is the man I had mentioned before. We believe this man is some sort of adviser to the Prescotts. This photograph was taken in early 2008. But now, look here, in the other photograph," Andrews pointed at another man in the other photograph. Max examined him closely.

"No way," She said.

It was the same man. Same age.

"In this photograph, he's standing beside Martin Prescott, Sean's father," Andrews continued. "The other man here is Doctor Sven Kaufmann. He would later be the adviser to Dr. Adam Smith - Chloe's adviser in the other timeline - while he was doing his PhD. Warren's adviser in this timeline."

"There's no way that's a coincidence," Max stated.

"Indeed."

"So, who is this man?" Kate asked. "Is he...like Max? Is he a time traveler too?"

"We don't know for sure," Berry answered, "but it certainly appears that way. We don't know if he has any power like Max, or if he has some sort of….device or tool that allows him to time travel. We're fairly certain this is the same man, though, and not a relative of some sort."

Max ran a hand through her hair. Well, shit, she thought.

Definitely a time traveler, I think, Noir said. So...the Prescotts are using time travel for profit. No matter who might get hurt. Disgusting.

Max exhaled and sat back in the sofa. She remained silent for a moment, contemplating this bit of information. She then turned to Andrews.

"Are you a time traveler, too? Is that what the experiment was that linked you?"

Andrews laughed. "No," she said. "I was just exposed to some sort of quantum particle experiment that caused me to be linked. I joined the special investigations division shortly after."

"Just a quantum particle experiment?"

"Run by a colleague of Dr. Kaufmann's. Let's leave it at that, for now."

Kate turned to Agent Berry. "So what led you to join the FBI?"

Berry mulled over the question for a moment before answering. "After Chloe Price's murder, and seeing how Sean Prescott got off scot-free - uh, no pun intended - I wanted to bring him down. I told him I would not work for him any more. No more favors. Andrews approached me with the offer of joining the FBI and becoming her partner, given my knowledge of the Prescotts. So, I did."

Max sighed and shut her eyes as she remembered Chloe's death, the trial, and the years of pain that went with it.

You'll have your happy times with Chloe when we rescue her, Noir assured her.

I know… But that doesn't make her death any less real. She died here, even if she survived in other timelines.

I know. I have nightmares about it, still.

"I have one more question," Max asked. "How do I fit into all of this?"

The two agents looked at each other. "Well," Andrews answered, " If this man came from the future and knew about your abilities, he could have told the Prescotts. Beyond that...we don't know."