Gaby, Gunn, Kane, Klezmi, and Silva are mine.
Rated PG-13 : sexuality; harsh language, strong violence.
Wes and Eric stopped for a moment, looking at the timeship. Jen walked on, and then turned to look back at them.
"What's wrong?" she asked.
"It's different from the other timeships," Wes said.
She looked at the ship. It was a standard Time Force ship, oval, with a propulsion funnel at one end. It was black with silver trim, reminding her unpleasantly of Special Services.
"Different how?"
"The others were rounder. Spherical. With portholes."
Jen sighed. "A different design. I keep forgetting, my reality isn't the original one."
"What do you mean?" Wes asked.
She turned back to the ship. "It's a long story," she said, her voice harsh. "We may not have much time."
"Before what?" Wes asked.
"You still haven't told us what happened. Why Conwing is here," Eric added.
"Conwing is here?"
"Yes. He must have been the one attacking me," Wes said. "And obviously he brought a friend."
She started walking. "Not now. They could have traced this ship. Special Services may follow me here from my time. We have to get as much equipment out as we can, and get somewhere safe." Looking back she saw them exchange a puzzled and skeptical glance. "I'm not playing around!" she exclaimed. "You don't know what we're up against."
"And we won't know, if you won't tell us," Eric said.
"I said not now." She glanced up at the sky. "They could be here any minute. We have to take what we can."
Inside the ship, she left Wes and Eric to look around and make a mental inventory. "We'll take the flyers," she said. "One for each of us. And the medical unit. There's no portable scanner or computer or communicator, only the ones built into the ship. I guess that's about it, Alex didn't have much time to prepare."
As she spoke, her eye fell on a small box tucked under the control panel. She bent to pull it out, opening it to reveal a collection of tiny metallic silver loops in hand-labeled protective cases. Wes and Eric watched as she opened one and slid it into the ship's reader.
They all bent to peer into the small display screen as Jen clicked through several pages of information. "Historical documents and news stories," Jen murmured. "It's all here, everything about the alternate reality. My reality. Everything that's wrong with it, and a summary of what led up to it." She looked up at them, feeling tears in her eyes again. "Thanks to Alex."
Quickly she used the ship's scanner again, with no results, and showed them how to lock the flyers to their morphers, so that they could be summoned remotely. Then she led them back outside.
Wes expanded his new flyer as soon as they were out. "This is cool!" he exclaimed. "It's both a flyer and a 'cycle. The Eagle doesn't do that, Eric."
"Yeah, yeah. Keep your flyer, I'll stick with the Eagle."
"Take it anyway," Jen said. "Where can we go that's safe?"
"Guardian headquarters," Wes said, moving closer and taking her hand. "You'll be safe there."
"It's not me I'm worried about. They're trying to kill you. Both of you, and your father, Wes. That's what this is all about."
She saw Wes and Eric trade another glance.
"My dad was kidnapped last night. By Conwing," Wes said grimly.
"Kidnapped? No..." Suddenly she understood why both of them looked so exhausted and troubled.
"Who is it we're up against?" Eric asked. "Is it just Conwing and whoever is with him?"
"No. There's more. A lot more."
"All right. Let's get back to HQ," Wes said. "Then you can tell us all about it."
Wes glanced at her as they walked into his office at Bio-Lab. Jen still looked anxious, and heartbreakingly sad. He led her to a chair and watched her sit before taking his own place behind his desk. Eric, as usual when he was nervous, paced.
"All right. Tell us," Eric demanded abruptly.
"Give her time. You can see she's upset."
"I have a feeling we don't have time. Not if we're going to get your father back, and save our own necks."
She looked at Eric. "You're right. Conwing must be working for Klezmi now... They're trying to change history by killing both of you, and Mr. Collins."
"You think they're going to kill Dad?" Wes asked, his face alarmed.
"Not before they get us," Eric said. "Your father gives them a hold on us. They already used him to make you walk into a trap. They won't hurt him while we're still alive."
"I hope you're right." Wes turned back to Jen. "Who's Klezmi?"
"He's..." She sighed. "It's a long story." With another deep breath, she started to talk.
It took half an hour. Wes and Eric listened quietly most of the time, interrupting occasionally with questions. Wes held in the increasing horror he felt, seeing it reflected in Eric's eyes, as Jen told them what had happened to his former teammates in a wavering voice. When it was all said, Jen was sagging with exhaustion and grief, her eyes filled with tears again. They all sat silently for a few moments.
"I can't believe it," Wes said softly. "A future like that... we have to stop it."
"And the way to stop it is to stay alive. And to get your father back in one piece," Eric said grimly.
"Yes. The three of you seem to be the key," Jen said. She turned to Wes. "I'm sorry about your father."
"Thanks." He gave her an unhappy smile. Then he looked up, his face hopeful. "Wait. You just prevented them from killing us. Won't the future change back now?"
"I don't think so," Jen answered. "Conwing and his friend will just try again. Things won't change until they're no longer a threat. And there's still Klezmi and Silva. If Conwing fails, they may send someone else, or come back themselves. We have to stop them, too."
"Maybe we can use that scanner of yours to find where they're holding Mr. Collins," Eric said.
"Maybe. But they've probably shielded it by now, since they know I'm here. I looked when we were in the ship, but I didn't pick up anything."
"Damn." He straightened. "First of all, we have to decide where you can spend the night."
"She can stay at the house," Wes said.
"No, she can't. She's a target now, as much as we are, and that'll be the first place they'll look for her. You shouldn't stay there either, and I think you should get your staff out of there, too."
"You're right," Wes said with a sigh. "And you shouldn't stay in your house either."
"Yeah. We can all stay here, in the Guardians' barracks. They'll think of looking here, but it's well protected, and we'll be together."
"Jen?" Wes asked.
"I guess you're right. It's probably as safe here as anywhere."
Eric spoke up again. "I don't get why Conwing would work for someone like Klezmi. From what you said, he's anti-mutant. Conwing seemed to really believe in Ransik's cause, helping mutants."
"You're right. He believed in what Ransik was trying to do. I can't explain it. Maybe he doesn't know what Klezmi is really after."
"Well," Eric said. "I'll make arrangements, and go by home to pack and pick up my birds. And I'll check on whether anything's turned up about your father, Wes. I'm sure you two have a lot to talk about."
Wes smiled at him. "Thanks. Just let me know if you need me for anything."
"I will." With a glance at both of them, he left.
"Excuse me a minute," Wes said. He called his house, and spent a few minutes arranging with Philips for the household staff to stay at a hotel. After hanging up he looked at Jen again.
She was staring at the floor, her expression tense. With time for a good look, he saw that she was thinner, with unfamiliar lines of stress in her face. Her eyes were puffy and reddened, and she was mechanically twisting her hands together.
"Jen."
She looked up. "I still can't believe they're all gone."
He got up and came from behind the desk to sit next to her, in the chair Eric had vacated, and took one of her hands. "I can't believe it either. It must have been terrible."
"It was."
"But if we can stop Klezmi and Conwing -- the future will change, won't it? They'll be alive again?"
"I hope so." She paused before going on. "Trip said he had memories of a Time Force a thousand times better than the one we worked for."
"That's the Time Force I saw. Jen... you don't remember being here a few weeks ago?"
"Not really. I've dreamed about it. I can feel the memories, but I can't -- touch them. It's sort of like when you wake up and you know you dreamed, but the dream fades and you can't hold on to it."
"What about when you were all here, a year ago?"
"I remember that. I think it was the same in both timelines. But my memories of my life -- my past, before we met, and after I went home -- those are different." They looked at each other for a few seconds. "In a way, I'm not the same Jen who was here before," she said softly.
His eyes fell. "You seem the same."
"But you sense a difference. I can tell."
"I don't know." He looked up at her again. "Maybe it's just what you've been through. I mean -- you're the same person, aren't you? Even if your memories are a little different?"
She smiled softly. "How do you define a person? The way I am comes out of the experiences I've had. I'm sure I am different."
He smiled back. "But you are the same, the same spirit. I can feel it."
"Maybe you're right. It seems like people stay basically the same, no matter which reality they're in... the same person, underneath... and I do have some memories of the original timeline."
"Jen…" He hesitated. "A few weeks ago, when I went to the future, to your time, you didn't want to see me at first."
"Why?"
"You said you had accepted the way things were. You didn't want to start anything again."
"I guess I understand that. But I changed my mind, didn't I? I remember us being together, in the dream."
"Yes." He was silent, staring at their clasped hands, before he went on. "How do you feel about it now?"
She sighed. "Wes, right now I'm so scared, and tired, and so sick about what happened…" Her voice shook again.
"I understand. You shouldn't think about it now."
"I still love you, Wes, if that's what you're asking."
He looked up at her face again. "I love you too. Never stopped."
"In all this time?"
"Yes."
She looked into his face and smiled again, faintly. "We'll just have to say goodbye again."
"I know."
"It doesn't matter. I want to be with you, for the time we have. How do you feel about it?"
He leaned forward. "I'll show you." He kissed her gently, feeling her respond. His hand rose to touch her cheek. As they moved apart she smiled.
"I hate to be practical, but I need a shower. I've been either locked up or on the run for two days."
"I hadn't noticed."
"Liar." She became serious again as she looked at him. "Wes..."
"Yes?"
"We'll find your father. You'll see."
He smiled again. "With you here, we can do anything."
"Who was that? If anyone came from our time, they should have been on our side!"
Conwing gave his partner only a glance before turning back to their chrono-communicator console. "There's too much disruption. I can't get through. Whoever it was, their interference has changed the course of events again."
"What does that mean?"
"It means we have to continue. Eliminate our targets. Complete our mission, without help from our own time, or the original reality may be re-established."
"We could have completed our mission today. Why did you retreat so quickly?"
Conwing shot him another glance, angry this time. "Things were not going according to plan."
"We could have beaten them."
"Perhaps. Perhaps not. I couldn't take the chance of losing."
"And now? What do we do?"
"We find out who that was. Find another opportunity. Destroy Eric Myers and Wes Collins at the same time, quickly, without allowing them to summon help." He stared grimly at the blank communicator console. He believed in planning, in preparation. Another person helping their enemies had come as an unpleasant surprise. He didn't like it. And yet -- a part of him welcomed the challenge, the opportunity to prolong the game... The chance to confront Eric Myers face-to-face, and watch him die.
"We'll get them next time..." he murmured.
"May I?"
Gaby looked up. She had been so preoccupied with her own unhappy thoughts that she hadn't even seen him approaching. But now there he was, the cause of a good part of her current gloom, standing at her table in the Bio-Lab cafeteria where she had gone for a fast, late dinner. His face was cool, but she knew him well enough to see the uncertainty underneath.
"Sure. Sit down." She gave him a quick and slightly nervous smile.
Eric sat, casting a look at another table. Wes and a young woman were sitting there, their heads close together, largely ignoring their meal.
"Who's that?" she asked.
"That's Jen, Wes's girlfriend. Here from the future."
"What's she doing here?"
"Long story."
Gaby frowned, but was unwilling to press. "She's pretty."
"Yeah." Eric turned back. "I wasn't sure you'd want to even talk to me."
"Obviously I do." When he was silent, she looked at the other table again. "All that time apart, and they still love each other."
Eric shot another look at them. "Doesn't make sense, does it?"
"What do you mean?"
"I mean I hate seeing Wes make himself miserable for a woman he can't have."
"You're right, I guess." Gaby smiled. "But still -- there's something -- beautiful about it." As she watched, she saw Wes and Jen get up and start for the door, hand in hand.
Eric glanced at them again, then back at her. "I thought you were more practical than that."
She gazed at him with a slight smile. "I thought so too. But I guess not." She sighed inwardly. "Is she here because of Mr. Collins?"
"Yeah. Someone from the future has him. She came to help us."
She watched his tired, tense face for a moment. "How's it going? Any progress?"
"No. No reports, nothing from the police, not even any rumors. I guess it makes sense; Conwing -- the mutant who kidnapped him -- wouldn't have any contact with anyone in this time."
She frowned, wondering how anyone could expect to find Mr. Collins under those conditions, but not wanting to say it. "I wish there was something I could do."
He smiled fleetingly. "You're still talking to me. That's something."
She shrugged. "I guess."
Looking up, he went on. "About last night..."
"We don't have to talk about it now. You've got plenty on your mind."
He glanced up at her face. "I want to."
"Okay." She waited. "What did you want to say about it?"
He sighed a little. "I'm sorry for the way things turned out. I guess I'm just not ready for this. Maybe we should cool things off for now. See what happens."
Gaby looked down, trying to hide the unexpectedly sharp stab of pain and disappointment she felt. "If that's what you want," she murmured.
"I hope we'll still be friends."
"Right."
"And... I want you to know, when I said Angela was part of the problem, I didn't mean I'm still thinking about her."
"Oh."
"I'm sorry."
"So am I." When Eric was silent, she tried to think of something to say. "You look tired."
He glanced up again. "Yeah. Didn't get much sleep last night."
"You're really worried about Mr. Collins, aren't you?"
He turned his eyes back down to the table. "He's been good to me. Gave me this job. He's..." His voice almost choked. "He's treated me like a son."
"I know. I hope you find him," she said, folding her hands in her lap and resisting the impulse to reach out to him. "He seems like a nice man, from what I've seen of him. Wes must be really upset."
"Yeah. They're pretty close." He turned his attention back to his dinner for a few moments, then looked up at her again. "And Conwing -- he's the worst of the mutants we fought a year ago. When I think of him..."
His cell phone rang, interrupting him. With an impatient sigh he answered it. She waited, starting to pick at her food again as he talked. After a brief exchange he hung up.
"Sorry. Something's come up in a case I'm working on."
"Anything to do with Mr. Collins?"
"No. This is just ordinary arson." He smiled briefly, the fatigue and anxiety showing through. "The rest of the world doesn't stop. I have to go."