Wasteland…
Part 2: The Future Chapter 12 FabricThree days since the battle had ended, and Fidget hadn't said a word; her usually fiery face was burnt out, leaving a depressed, mute replica of the old Fidget. Delia couldn't say she wasn't worried, but she could say that Fidget was taking it a little too badly…you can't just hide in a room all day and not say a word about anything…you can't just be a zombie…
But she was, and Delia decided that she would just let Fidget sit. Eventually she would get restless and come out, and Delia was determined to wait until then.
Things were quiet on the island…they buried the dead, repaired the turrets, and started the factory up again because they were nearly completely out of ammo for all guns and vehicles… To sum it up, everything went back to its normal routine; the biggest difference was all the long faces of those mourning the dead…and rumors spread like wildfire in a dry field. Rumors that the TFP was going to be used again and that Delia and Connor were to try again. Delia could only hope it was a rumor; she didn't want to go back in time, deal with all the mysteries and paradoxes of how the slightest thing you do could change the future. She didn't want that and she didn't want to mess with it.
Rumor also had it that Fidget was going to go back too, and if she were, she would have a lot of explaining to do. Of course, Fidget didn't have to go back…it was really up to her, and her attitude on the whole thing…and now wasn't the time for an attitude check on Fidget.
The days eventually sped back up to their normal routine, and on the seventh day after the battle, the nursery released three boys and one girl to start going to the island's small school…which was one room for each division of children; elementary, middle school, and high school. After that, they had a choice of being whatever they excelled at or wanted to be. Most wanted to be soldiers, which was fine by the General as long as they got a couple scientists in every batch of newbies.
Everything seemed quiet…finally quiet…
§
Alex, why did you leave me, Fidget silently asked for the hundredth time that day, why did you go off and do that stupid stunt? Of course, Fidget knew the answer, and knew that it was the right one…but Alex Mann not being with here anymore was taking a heavy toll on her, and no matter how hard she fought off the tears, they always came.
Fidget sat up on the bed and looked around through blurry eyes; the room was dark and small, the tiny bed she was in was probably made for a ten-year-old…the room itself was seven by seven feet, a small box, Fidget thought. Fidget got up and walked over to the window and pulled open the shades…the sun was shining…only it wasn't quite right…it seemed to be shining a more…pale-greenish kind of color. Strange, thought Fidget, and somebody's voice said, "It's because of all the radiation in the area."
Fidget jumped and whirled around to find Delia quietly closing the door. "It reacts with the sun's radiation and causes it to change the color slightly." Fidget raised an eyebrow and said, "Oh."
Delia fought hard to hide her surprise at Fidget actually saying something. "Fidget, they're going to send me and Connor back in time again, and they want to send you back too. It's actually only a rumor but every time I ask the General, he just grunts and stalks off." Delia paused and then said, "I've been doing some research on time travel and I've been analyzing the mathematics of it…if you're interested, I have some theories that I think you might take comfort in hearing." Fidget turned around and looked at Delia for a short time…then shrugged and said, "Sure, whatever."
Delia had to fight to hide her emotions again, and just barely kept a straight face. She had good news for Fidget… "Fidget, the TFP committee has figured out a few things about time and they're going to hold a meeting with the General and the leaders of the island's divisions…you're invited because…well, a lot of the explanations involve you."
That raised Fidget's eyebrows. Clearing her throat, she sarcastically said, "So they want a lab rat?" Delia hid her smile, replying with a simple, "No; they want you to hear what they have to say," she paused, and then added, "I'll be back in a couple hours. Make sure you're looking good because…well, you'll find out."
She left, leaving Fidget alone again, with nothing but her thoughts to keep her company…
§
The meeting was being held in a room that had a large, oval table in the middle and twenty chairs circled around it. Delia guided Fidget to her appropriate position and sat next to her, patiently awaiting the start of the meeting; more people filtered in, some wearing Remnant military uniforms, others casual wear, and some with lab coats. Once all twenty people were seated, the scientist at the head of the table stood up and said, "Thank you all for coming to this meeting. We will be discussing the Time Frame Project's latest developments and discoveries, some of which are appalling and others things that you might've already known or guessed."
Another scientist stood and said, "With the proper introductions out of the way, let's get right to the point. Time is often described as fabric, a.k.a. the fabric of time. Well, when we designed the TFP, we had this very concept in mind and it led us down the right path for the Project to become successful…but there have also been glitches. Of course, the TFP is still an experiment so there's bound to be glitches, but the main ones are going to be discussed quite thoroughly, and hopefully in a manner that you can understand."
Fidget stuffed a sigh that was coming and tried to listen, despite her rapidly depleting attention span.
"All technicalities aside, we used the 'fabric of time' theory to create the TFP. We manipulated matter a.k.a. fabric and created, bended and/or added strings to the fabric of time. When we sent Connor, Delia, and Dare back into time, we pulled a string out of it's place and stitched it onto another spot in the fabric…fabric that had already been completed, thus causing the rest of the fabric to slightly alter. Unfortunately the test mission's objectives were not met and really couldn't have been expected to be met. The longer Connor and Delia were back in time though, the more the stitch seemed to tighten until it had no slack…and eventually popped out the place/time that we put it in and back to where he and her came from. Unfortunately, they were too close to two other strings in the fabric of time, a.k.a. Alex Mann and Fidget Wilson." How'd they get my last name, Fidget wondered; ever since he mentioned Connor and Delia, her attention span had stopped leaving her and she was actually starting to focus on what was being said.
"These two strings somehow got tied up as they came back with Connor and Delia, thus ending their journey through at Connor and Delia's landing point; our time. When you travel back in time, the fabric in the future doesn't cease to exist because then Connor and Delia would, but they're obviously here with us today. Apparently years pass in the few seconds it takes for them to get back and, despite they're influence in the past, their impact on the past wasn't even to stop the war. Before I pass this on talk onto the next speaker, I would like to add that, on a minor note, this theory disproves the idea of Fate because Connor and Delia did have an influence and did change certain things, though none were big enough to change the world."
The speaker sat down and another stood up, his voice rusty and gruff. "No time, to those of us that didn't travel, no time passed. The island was actually in the same exact position as it was when the TFP was running its first run with Connor and Delia; it was in the same exact position when they came back, but somehow they wound up in a different place. Our guess is that their 'string' landed just shy of where it had been when we sent them away. Naturally, Alex and Fidget came with our two time travelers."
He paused, a quick, just barely noticeable glance at Fidget, and then continued with, "When Mr. Mann died—," Fidget squeaked, …did I just squeak?…, "his string was severed from Connor and Delia and snapped right back to he had been when they came back. Fidget's string is slowly unwinding from Connor and Delia, and soon, very soon, she's going to snap back to where she was when it happened. We're assuming she'll remember everything that happened, the same way Connor and Delia do." The man stopped talking, letting that sink in.
"Of course, this is all hypothetical. The calculations involved were analyzed many times but can't be guaranteed to be right…" He droned on about some other things but Fidget lost her interest. Delia's so full of it sometimes, she thought bitterly. Just as her thought ended, she tuned back in to here, "Ms. Wilson…Ms. Wilson?"
She looked up suddenly and mumbled an apologetic 'oh, sorry'. The scientist nodded and said, "You need to be confined into a room after this meeting. If our calculations are correct, you'll be going back to your time in less than an hour…and we don't anyone to be snapped back with you. Or anything," he added, almost to himself. Fidget shrugged and the meeting was adjourned after a few more science muck and Fidget stood up and faced Delia, about to confront her but hesitated when she said, "I'll lead you to the room…"
They walked in silence through the base but Connor caught up eventually and the trio began to talk the typical chitchat that was awkward before a goodbye. When they stopped at a door, Fidget turned to Delia, who said, "So this is it, huh? The TFP failed and the war is still going…many people still died." Fidget nodded silently but almost yelped when this strange, golden aura started to swirl around her body. Her head reeled back in surprise and she reached out to touch it but felt nothing; Connor and Delia were still talking as if nothing was happening. Then Fidget could see that the aura was spreading to Connor and Delia; they gasped out in surprise then turned to run when Fidget could feel something pulling…
The golden aura flashed a great light and everything went black.
§
Fidget awoke to her nose gushing blood and a Neo-Human limping away. She started move but was covered immediately covered in pain; she cried out and tried not to move. She remembered this, she remembered where she was…and she looked at Alex Mann, covered in blood and unconscious. Her pain was immediately forgotten as she crawled over to his limp body and tried to stop the bleeding with one hand and the other trying to stop her nose's onset of blood.
In a few moments Delia showed up with Connor, who looked cut up in every place. Delia gently asked, as she put Connor's body down beside Alex's, "Do you remember the…the future?" Fidget only nodded and then Grinder's voice was suddenly heard, "Get out of the way so I can help, mates. I can't do much good with you two in my way." As hard as it was, Fidget stepped away from Alex's body and Delia did Connor's…and something of a hum filled her ears. She stepped outside, doing her best to forget the pain that had returned.
Delia had stepped out with her and looked into the sky to find the shape of a small plane flying high up in the air…then it started to descend. Fidget was watching the Neo-Human limp away when suddenly there was a plan swooping down to its direction. Delia and Fidget just watched as Dr. X, in his old, gray and rotting body stood up on his robotic legs; he stepped out of the plane and walked towards the Neo-Human with a needle in his hand. He seemed oblivious to Delia and Fidget's existence.
Fidget ran through the debris, searching for a weapon; she tripped on something and landed hard on the ground, looking through a small opening in between boxes to see…a spilled crate of M-16s on the other side. She jumped to her feet, hollering Delia's name. Delia came running and by the time she got there, Fidget had two of the rifles in her hands and two on their way down to Delia's open arms. Delia caught them and sprinted towards an open area in which they could shoot Dr. X. He had to go, no matter what…
But when Fidget and Delia crawled through the debris-ridden area, when they had gotten close enough to Dr. X to hear his voice, they hesitated and listened. "…Yes, Team X-treme has caused quite a problem haven't they? If Alex Mann weren't so important a project of my past, I would've destroyed them by now. Relax…I just need some of your blood and tissue… You see I've lost all of you Neo-Humans that I've worked so hard to create…and all of the information on them. I have it all memorized except for your DNA structuring…relax…and I need that to create a mega-army." X must've been talking to the Neo-Human, which was now lying on the ground, breathing raspy breaths.
Fidget didn't wait any longer. That was the last surviving Neo-Human and the last chance of Dr. X rebuilding his army; she stood up, quickly took aim, and fired six shots into Dr. X's chest. The bleeding Neo-Human roared and tried to get up but fell right back down because of its broken leg. Fidget fired a shot at its head and the decapitated body went limp.
Fidget looked up and saw Dr. X, lying on his back and blood seeping from his body. His breathing was now a bunch of short, quick breaths; he was dying. Fidget walked over to him and raised took aim when she suddenly thought, Wait! This could…if X started the war in the future, then killing him now would be the same as killing…Delia…and Connor…
Delia must have already thought it through and said quietly, "It's true. I've already done a lot of thinking on the subject and from what you two have told me about this guy, I'm sure that he's the one who started the War of the Wastelands…do it Fidget. If I pull the trigger it could cause a paradox and destroy us all…" Fidget squeezed her eyes shut and kept thinking; Sacrifices must be made…two lives for a hundreds of millions…you have to do it…
"Wait," Delia said suddenly, "just…let me go tell Connor. Kill him in a few minutes…" She ran off towards Connor, who was a hundred or so yards away. Fidget heaved a sigh of relief, despite knowing that she was going to have to kill X soon.
"So…you knew about…my…plans, did you," X breathed out. Fidget jumped and fired a shot, which hit the dirt right next to X's head. He shook with laughter and winced in pain at the same time. "I wish I knew…the time was…coming…ever…so…slowly. The drone was…already…starting his…career as a pol…politician…" X smiled as he said it, adding, "The next president of the United…United States" He shook with laughter again and coughed up a bit of blood.
The look was nasty and Fidget tried not to look at the disgusting sight. Dr. X kept talking though, "With the drone in place…I could use his…power to man…mani…manipul…ate the other…enemies and wash out…the world… The Neo…Humans that you've…have fought…are just rough-drafts…the real ones will…come when…the nukes…nukes go off… But I guess they…won't now." Suddenly his voice took an intensity that Fidget never even considered X had, "And you foolish insolents had to destroy everything that I had thought of, make me look like a fool!" The blood he kept choking up wasn't stopping him from talking. "My own project was my final downfall! Ha! It's ironic isn't it? How pathetic—," he stopped as he started coughing again.
Fidget was so close to pulling the trigger that it made her nauseated.
§
Delia sprinted to Connor, ignoring any and all pains…she would soon cease to exist and her pain didn't matter anymore; as soon as she reached Connor's blood-soaked body, she noticed his eyes were open and Grinder saying, "…Here she is, mate…no worries…"
Delia grasped his hand, tears stinging her eyes as she saw how much pain he was. His head sort of dropped to one side to look at her; there were tiny streams of dried and fresh blood across his face but Delia didn't care because there was too much to say and so little time to do it…
"Connor, we've stopped the war. We've done what the TFP was made to do…it'll happen in a couple of minutes." His eyes widened and Delia kept talking, "But…in a couple of minutes…or a minute, or a few seconds, I don't know…Fidget's going to end it all and…" The tears flowed freely and Connor's face was unreadable…
Delia didn't even know she was crying…all she knew was that she had to say it to him before they died…she might have already but it didn't matter…he had to know for sure before… "Connor…I love you…" She silently cried, not even noticing Grinder working on Alex. "Connor…I just wanted you to know—''
With a painfully raised hand, Connor pushed a finger to her lips and gently squeezed her hand. He understood how she felt, and he felt the same way…
Delia slowly bent down, her eyes never leaving his until she kissed him, a gentle, soft kiss as he held her hand and told her that he loved her. Her eyes never opened as the world around her began to fade away and blue lights swirled around her and Connor…
The kiss had lasted but a few seconds before there was a gunshot in the air and Delia and Connor quickly faded out of sight; Grinder was so focused on Alex that he didn't even notice they were gone until he looked back up. He felt himself wanted to faint but ignored the feeling, knowing that all would be explained in due time…he just had to take care of his friend first…
§
Fidget pulled the trigger, sending a bullet through and out of Dr. X's head, silencing him forever. It was over…finally…over…
The tears came and rolled down her cheeks as she stumbled and walked back to Alex and Grinder, her thoughts on her five and only five friends. Now three…
§
A few months later, Alex had been nursed back to full health and Fidget was trying to explain why he wasn't dead. She couldn't believe it when it actually hit her that Alex wasn't dead; then she remembered the talk about the strings of the fabric of time—his string simply popped back to the way it was, but with the memories…the memories would be a mystery no one could, hopefully never, solve.
Alex's string simply went back to where it was, as did Fidget's…
Over the following months to come, Alex and Fidget dated and got closer to each other until, three years later (and much to Ricky's dismay), Alex proposed and Fidget accepted with a rather fiery remark, "Did it take you that long to figure out I loved you?" And she slapped him…(Alex took that as a yes). They were married and lived life to its fullest…
But they never forgot about the two people that were willing to sacrifice their lives for the sake of millions; the two people that sacrificed their love for each other to save millions that would never know of it. They always remembered, and they always honored them…
The End