Chapter 29 – The Prevention of Disaster
As soon as the curvature had ceased, Hershel and Little Emmy looked at each other anxiously. Little Emmy took Hershel's hand.
"Vat is going to happen to us after ve stop all of zis?" she asked.
Hershel's eyes widened. He hadn't thought of that. "Er... I'm not sure." He squeezed Emmy's hand, trying to reassure her, but he knew what was coming now. They would be erased from existence, just as everyone else had. He looked into Emmy's eyes and saw tears pouring down her cheeks.
"I don't vant to die," she whispered.
Hershel didn't know what to say. He knew that she was right, but didn't want it to be so. He swallowed, trying not to cry himself. "I know. I don't want to... to go either, but..." he trailed off as Little Emmy wrapped her arms around him, resting her head on his shoulder. He hugged her back, letting a tear fall down his cheek.
Little Emmy sniffed. "I... I never got ze chance to..."
"Don't," Hershel croaked. "It'll only make things worse. Try not to think about it."
"But I... I need to tell you... I... I really like you, Hershel..." Little Emmy gulped as she lifted her head from Hershel's shoulder and looked into his eyes. She was relieved to see that Hershel's expression had softened. She offered him a watery smile, which he returned.
"I like you too," Hershel smiled.
Little Emmy leaned forward and held him tighter. She lifted her head higher and moved her face closer to his, only pausing to see if he would move away. When he didn't, she kissed him.
Hershel smiled to himself as he kissed her back, holding her tighter in his arms. He lingered in her embrace, enjoying the moment, for it was likely to be the first and last that he would ever enjoy. He was so glad to be able to share it with someone as kind and special as Emmy Altava. Even if he was going to die afterwards.
After a while, they broke apart, smiling at each other. Hershel leaned in for another kiss, but was interrupted by a loud knocking on the door.
"Uncle Leon! Uncle Leon, are you okay?!" they heard Emmy yell as they heard Celeste's rapid footsteps run to answer the door.
Hershel sighed anxiously while Little Emmy closed her eyes and took a deep breath, wiping her eyes.
"Zis is it, Hershel."
"What on earth is going on here?" the professor demanded.
"Vat are you doing to my uncle?!" Little Emmy shouted, stepping forward with fists clenched.
"Take one more step," Andrea droned, one finger placed teasingly on the activation button of the control, "and you will all disappear."
"Do as she says, Emmeline," Leon said gently.
"What is that on his head?" the professor asked, forcing himself to stay calm.
"This," Andrea's counterpart said, pointing to the helmet, "is a memory eraser. Now, as you all know very well, Bronev here is not from this time, and you all would not be who you are this day if he did not exist. So, if my counterpart here were to push this button..."
Andrea raised her finger threateningly.
"No! Don't do it!" Markus cried.
"The choice is yours," Andrea smarmed. "Give me what I want, or die."
"Do it."
Everyone turned to stare at the person who just spoke.
"Do it," Emmy repeated. "I dare you."
The professor shook his head viciously at Emmy.
"What is the meaning of this, girl?" Bronev hissed.
"Very well—"
"NOOO!"
Everyone turned to stare at the figure who had just crashed in the kitchen door. Hershel rushed in looking all hot and bothered, with a very worried looking Little Emmy at his heels. Another little Emmy.
"Uh-Wh-what?" Andrea stammered, looking flustered.
"Emmeline?" Leon asked, looking startled.
"What? Why are there two of you?" Luke cried.
"Never mind that now! We've come from not too far in the future to warn you," Hershel panted.
"Don't sink zat she is bluffing, she is serious! In our time, she uses ze memo thingy and everyone is gone!" Little Emmy looked close to tears. Hershel took her hand.
"Everyone else has gone, and I mean everyone. Leon, Emmy and I are the only ones left, and Leon has no memory whatsoever..."
"Vait... but vy is zere two of me and not two of Hershel?" Little Emmy (the Little Emmy who was supposed to be there, not the one who just travelled through time and blah blah blah, you get the picture) asked.
"Because my other self is at home with Flora, about to watch her disappear if Andrea pushes that button," Hershel explained, panic-stricken.
"So she has to get access to ze machine, Ozervise, everyvun vill disappear again and ve vill be back to sqvare vun," Little Emmy said quickly. She turned to her older self. "I understand zat you are trying to see if she has ze guts to do zis, I vould do ze same in your shoes, but please understand me ven I say zat I have experienced all of zis and she is serious. She vill make everyvun disappear and she is a crazy fucked-up psychopath."
"Oi!" both Andrea and her counterpart snapped at the same time.
"Just give her access to the machine and everything will be okay," Hershel promised.
"Alright." The professor stepped forward and approached Andrea. "We will give you access to the machine on one condition; that you take that thing off of Leon's head and give it to me. Now."
Andrea smiled and turned to her counterpart, who nodded, with a smile exactly the same as hers. She then took the helmet off of Leon's head and handed it to the professor.
"Right," Markus said, standing up to lead the way. "Let's get this over with."
Everyone followed Markus out of the kitchen and up the ladder to the attic. Well, everyone but Little Emmy and Hershel. As everyone filed out of the kitchen, Little Emmy's vision suddenly wavered slightly. She took Hershel's hand and looked dizzily into his eyes.
"Is time, yes?"
Hershel nodded. "Yes."
He leaned forward and wrapped his arms around her, as they shared a brief kiss before their molecular structure began to break down. After a minute or two, they had fully disappeared, completely erased from existence, and nothing was left of them but the consequences of their sacrifice.
But there were still one Little Emmy and Hershel left in that world, so their story was far from over.