TIME MACHINE CHAPTER FORTY
A/N: Warning: Character death and some violence.
"Well, well" Hanssen gloated, "A different set of people coming out than the ones who went in. I'd call that a success. Care to tell me what happened to the others?"
Dylan forced himself to say the words:
"Ben died."
Cal added:
"And Connie and Rita decided to stay in the past so they're out of your clutches."
"I knew that machine was dangerous; I was right to send in guinea pigs" Hanssen reflected. Dylan, unable to control his rage, rounded on him:
"No, it's not the machine that was dangerous, it was people. Bloody greedy, grasping, callous people."
"My" purred Hanssen, "You've certainly seen the sights, haven't you, sunshine?"
He leered at Jess.
"Seems this little lady's been around as well."
Ethan stood in front of Jess.
"Leave her alone."
"Let's cut the crap" Hanssen snapped, "Show me what you've brought back and pray for your sakes that it's worth having."
"We didn't bother" Dylan said calmly, "We knew you'd just take everything and kill us anyway."
He felt the talisman glowing again and wondered if it could be Ben's soul protecting him and the others. Even as his logical mind told himself not to be such a prat.
"Oh you're going to suffer for that" Hanssen sighed with mock regret. He looked over at Jess.
"If I shoot her in the gut, that's the end of her baby, too, isn't it?"
"You'll go through me first" Ethan declared.
But Lucius was unable to contain himself and rushed at Hanssen, swearing in Latin. Brad, the most gormless of the henchmen, aimed his gun at the child to scare him but Hanssen snapped:
"Don't touch him, don't touch any of them."
He looked at Lucius.
"Are you from ancient Rome, boy?"
Lucius nodded.
"Don't lay a finger on this kid; he's going to make our fortune."
Lucius, normally so tractable, shouted:
"I'll not do a thing to help you make money if you hurt any of my friends."
"Are you saying if I don't harm them, you'll come and speak in lecture halls for me?"
"You have to promise you'll let my friends go. If you do, I'll come with you."
"No, Lucius, you can't go with these people" Dylan said despairingly.
"I have to, for your sakes" Lucius replied doggedly.
Hanssen's eyes narrowed calculatingly. They could keep them all alive for now, and then, one morning while the kid was asleep, take his friends out and 'lose' them in Cardiff Bay…
He gave everybody a sickly smile.
"What a good kid, he deserves respect. Okay, you'll all be safe as long as he does what he's told. Right, we'll just get this machine closed up…"
Dylan felt the talisman glowing even warmer against his chest. And then, even though he could hardly believe his eyes, he saw a shape forming on the wall behind him. A familiar face, or perhaps the ghost of one…
Grey Owl put his finger to his lips, indicating that Dylan should act the innocent for a while longer.
"And you'll really spare our lives?" Dylan asked, unconsciously imitating Ben's wide-eyed innocent look.
"Sweetheart, we'll even feed you all!" grinned Hanssen. For once Ethan didn't smile at this.
"Now thank your lucky stars and let's get moving!"
He sensed a movement behind him and turned round to gape at Grey Owl.
"Would you like me to come with you as well, stupid f*cking white man?" the Indian asked.
"A genuine redskin from the Wild West! Oh, it's as if all my birthdays have come today!" whooped Hanssen.
"Another birthday present for you, stupid f*cking white man" Grey Owl said, indicating the back of the machine, "Meet somebody from Red Dog's travels."
The shape increased in size. A shape that had been small and vulnerable when last seen, but now not only powerful, but an object of terror to those who viewed him. As a full-grown dragon, Morpeth was pretty impressive.
As Hanssen and his thugs moved nervously to the front of the machine, near the exit, Morpeth padded over to Jess, who stroked him as if he were a puppy. He nuzzled against her tenderly. Dylan's heart leapt in sudden hope. Grey Owl, Morpeth… was another beloved shape from the past going to materialise?
But Morpeth was whimpering, having looked around for Ben, and not finding him.
"He's gone, Morpeth" Dylan said gently.
Two dragon tears fell. Hanssen and his thugs backed away from the scalding spray.
"Oh to hell with this" Brad interrupted, "Let's fight back a bit. Kill the bitch in front of them all to start with."
Even as he aimed his gun at Jess he realised it was a bad move. Morpeth scooped his human friends out of harm's way with his wing, then aimed a blast of fire at Brad, who ran for the exit with Hanssen and his henchmen, who were practically knocking each other out of the way to save themselves. Just to make sure. Morpeth followed them all, and soon the travellers shuddered as the screams of pain and blasts of fire came from the front of the machine.
Then Morpeth came waddling back with something in his mouth. Three wallets stuffed with notes, which he lay at the feet of Jess, seeing her as the rescued maiden. A souvenir of the battle.
"Oh Morpeth" Jess said, not knowing whether to laugh or cry.
Morpeth put his head on one side, as if he were asking if he'd done wrong.
"Come, dragon" ordered Grey Owl. Morpeth faded away to his own time with one last little wave of his paw.
Grey Owl, eyes full of compassion, looked at Dylan.
"Red Dog, you have suffered" he said gently.
Dylan nodded.
"You will see Storm Eyes again."
"When, Grey Owl? When I die?" Dylan persisted.
But Grey Owl was fading like a hologram. Cal shouted as quickly as he could:
"Thank you for saving us all!"
They picked up the wallets, without a shred of remorse. They had to survive and these would help them until they could take back their places in the present day once more.
Ethan, behaving more like an adult than he ever had before, put his arm round Jess to shield her from the sight of the charred bodies as they passed them on their way out.
When the travellers were safely clear, there was a violent explosion behind them.
When they looked round every trace of the time machine was gone.
"Good riddance" Ethan snapped.
Then they stepped out into Cardiff in 2014.
The first thing they noticed was that there were Christmas decorations and lights all over the city.
Dylan fell to his knees, tears running down his face.
"Merry f*cking Christmas" he sobbed.
.
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