"At least stop holding my foot, you're making me sick." Jake complained, emphasizing his discomfort with an obvious look of distress on his face.
Maybe a little too dramatic, but sincere nonetheless.
"I can't blame you." The guard replied, grabbing the boy's sweatshirt by the scruff of his neck. A low growl came from the big dog walking beside him, as if to warn Jake not to try to run away. Ted nodded slightly to calm the animal. He could always count on his faithful and loyal friend.
"I can walk, you know. Let me go!" Jake struggled, trying to escape the inspector's iron grip.
"I don't want you running off again. What were you doing in that subway underpass?"
"I was running from you, wasn't I? I thought you would never find me down there."
"I thought you were hiding somewhere. My dog even helped me sniff you out."
"It's amazing that he could smell me despite his own stink!"
"Please do not insult my friend. He is a very clean, well groomed dog."
"You mean a well-groomed Satan. Look at him, it looks like he has demons from hell in his doggy body.
"At least he does not ruin my yard every damn time. Come on, we have arrived at your house. Looks like your mom doesn't know you're out, all the lights are out.
[CHRONOERROR]
"Jake, the inspector told me you were graffitiing on the subway again. Honey, I know you want to have fun with your friends, but you need to be more careful!" Connie crossed her arms and stared at Jake, worried and vaguely irritated at being woken up by the inspector in the middle of the night. "Especially don't walk around alone at night without my permission! It's full of strange people who might hurt you!
"But there's no one strange, Mom! This town is safe, even a bit boring! Nothing ever happens here, I've never seen anyone weird!"
[CHRONOERROR]
A deafening noise rumbled through the vast metal laboratory. The time machine was spinning madly, like a blender with something wrong with the blades. The time vortex made a very high-pitched sound as it threatened to pull Jake inside. In front of a strange cockpit, Andy watched the scene with a clear satisfaction on his face as he gradually increased the power of the machine.
"Jake! Jake, are you there? I've got you!" A familiar voice called his name. Despite the flashes of blue electricity threatening to electrocute him, a man in a rabbit mask held Jake's hand tightly. His elegant black jacket flapped as if it was about to fly away.
"Frank? What the...?" Jake began to turn his head toward the portal, trying to look behind him, but Frank yelled at him not to. Everything was confusing, everything was strange. He could see arms holding Frank's waist to prevent him from getting sucked into the vortex himself.
"Frank, damn it, hurry up! I can't hold them off for long!" yelled Miss Maia's powerful voice as she tried to make herself heard over the sounds of gunfire.
Jake could not see her from this position, but he was beginning to realize that things had gotten bad.
"I'm trying! The pull is so strong! Jake, do not let go of my hand for any reason, do you understand?"
"What's going on?" Jake screamed at the top of his lungs, terrified.
[CHRONOERROR]
"What should we do, Miss Maia?" asked Frank, tapping softly on the keyboard. Jake could see his back as he stood next to his friends. They were all watching in horror at the same scene on Frank's computer.
The bot named Frankette by Bruno, Yutani, and King was holding an astronaut's neck between its powerful steel pincers. Despite the astronaut's slender body, she was clearly robust for a girl in her mid-thirties. She tried in vain to free herself from Frankette's pincers, a terrified look on her face.
"Shit. There wasn't supposed to be anyone on the space station." Miss Maia muttered through clenched teeth, staring at the screen with a worried look on her face. From the computer speakers came the astronaut's terrible wailing.
[Can you hear me? My name is Amy... please listen to me! I am on your side! I will not tell anyone about the codes you have hidden here! I just want to go home, I promise I won't tell anyone!]
"You can't kill this innocent girl!" Fresh suddenly blurted out, his voice cracking.
"She may very well betray us." Frank commented coldly.
[Please listen to me! I have two small children at home waiting for my return! Let me live, please! I'm begging you!]
"Unfortunately, she had the misfortune to be doing maintenance on the space station just when we needed it." Tricky murmured, clearly upset by the scene.
Lucy stared at Miss Maia with a desperate look, silently begging her to let Amy return home.
"Frank, what do you think?" asked Miss Maia, clearly conflicted. Her body moved stiffly, as if an abrupt movement would suddenly make the situation go downhill.
"It makes no difference to me if she dies or lives." The man answered truthfully, ignoring the stunned looks of some of the group. "From a logical point of view, it would be better to kill her to make sure she does not tell anyone where the codes are. At the same time, killing an innocent woman might cause feelings of disappointment and resentment among the people, who now see us as something of heroes. It would give Prince K. more reason to make them believe that we are mere terrorists."
"..." Miss Maia narrowed her eyes, clearly unsure of what to do. Amy's desperate cry tugged at her heartstrings, but at the same time she was terrified of repeating the same mistake she had made with Tasha. Did it make sense to risk the safety of an entire nation to save one person?
"We can't do that. We can't, it's against our principles." Rain murmured with tears in his eyes. He kept his fists clenched, as if he was holding back from taking matters into his own hands and resolving them for himself.
King, Bruno and Yutani watched the scene fearfully, not daring to say anything.
"If you give me permission, I can decide. Then you won't have to feel responsible for her fate." Frank suggested, but his suggestion was interrupted when Miss Maia's hand began to type commands on the keyboard.
"Oh no, Frank. That would be way too easy for me. Part of being a leader is making tough decisions and taking responsibility for them." She finally decided to push a button.
[CHRONOERROR]
All eyes were on Yutani's funny homemade metal detector as she inspected the old rails, now abandoned for decades, that lined the edges of the city's skate park. The wind gently rustled the leaves of Delorean Park's trees, creating a pleasant harmony in the background.
"Hey! I think I found something!" Yutani exclaimed, anxiously holding the metal detector in her hands. The boys sitting on the skateboard ramp watched the scene with curious eyes. Jake was massaging his sore shoulder from his fall after a failed stunt of his own. He sighed, hoping a bruise wouldn't show.
"There it is! This is it!" Yutani exclaimed excitedly as the electronic beep of the device grew louder and louder. She pressed a button on the display, activating the magnet at the top of the device. Everyone held their breath.
"Oh." Yutani muttered disappointedly, looking at her prey attached to the magnet.
"False alarm, it's just an empty beer can. How disappointing."
"What did you expect? The remains of an alien spaceship?" Fresh teased jokingly, drawing amused laughter from Tricky and Jake.
Yutani gave them a wry, blushing look before starting to search again.
Unfortunately, she found nothing of interest.
[CHRONOERROR]
"What do you think, Frank? Isn't it beautiful?" Yutani spread her arms wide to better show Frank her creation. "I had the idea to make it the same as my model!" In front of her was a giant version of the green toy alien spaceship she had bought a few days ago.
Next to the spaceship, a bot with female features, but a mask on its face very similar to Frank's, stood at attention with its arms folded across its chest, similar to the behavior of a rabbit.
"We were thinking of calling it Frankette," King added amusedly, chuckling as the bot seemed to react to its name by turning its head and jumping slightly in place.
"As long as they are functional objects that can do their job well, they can have all kinds of designs for me." Frank commented, looking at the new inventions. "They are certainly pleasing to the eye as well."
"You can be sure of the functionality. I personally took care of that." Bruno gave him a smile before lowering his eyes back to his notes.
[CHRONOERROR]
"Of course we are a couple, Jake! Didn't you ever notice?" Tricky blurted out in annoyance as Lucy giggled, hiding her mouth behind her hand.
"Sorry, I thought you were..." The boy was stuttering awkwardly as his face turned red. The last thing he wanted was to interrupt a passionate kiss, but he had not expected to be confronted with such a scene. After all, he had only gone to the kitchen to make himself a sandwich.
"What? That we were just friends? Of course, as usual! What does a lesbian couple have to do to convince you that we are really together and not just friends? Do you think the relationship is not complete without a man?" Tricky looked at Jake disappointedly before crossing her arms and glancing at Lucy with an annoyed look.
Lucy gave her a gentle smile, as if to suggest being more patient with Jake.
"No, Tricky, really. It's just stupid of me, but I didn't realize. Sorry to interrupt. Would you hand me that jar of pickles in oil, please?" Jake asked with an embarrassed smile.
"You're always in your own world, Jake." Tricky huffed, reaching for the requested jar. "You have to be careful. If you keep your head in the clouds, you might neglect Yutani, too." she placed the large glass jar in front of him and slammed it down hard on the table. "You might regret it one day."
"I'm sorry." Jake mumbled before hurrying out of the kitchen.
{You should go easier on him. I don't think he's a bad guy.} Lucy wrote in her notebook with a sad smile.
"It pisses me off when he does that, Lucy. And the fact that we will never see each other again pisses me off twice as much, what can I tell you?"
{Does it upset you that I choose to continue my life here? Tricky, I think you're a wonderful person, don't get me wrong. My heart hurts that we haven't had time to deepen our relationship. But you have to understand that I can't leave my family and my plans to go to a time I don't know with a girl I just met. Try to understand. Please.}
Tricky let out a long sigh, hoping her glasses would hide her tears. "I know, I know. I didn't mean that I'm mad at you. I meant mad at the situation. I like you a lot, and I'm sure our story would last if we spent more time together."
{Sometimes the right people come into our lives at the wrong time. It breaks my heart too, but I feel that I would not be happy in the past. I didn't join this group to run away in another century}.
"So when this is over, are you going to go to law school?"
{Yes. I want to become an expert in law and I also want to run for politics. I want to be a quiet but powerful voice for all the people who have endured things like mine}.
As soon as Lucy finished writing, she squeezed Tricky's hands as tears streamed down her red cheeks.
"I admire your determination." Tricky nodded, trying to swallow a knot in her throat that almost took her breath away. "I wish you well."
{Thank you, Tricky. You too. I'm really glad I met you. You will always be in my heart}.
[CHRONOERROR]
"No, no, no, boss, please stay with me!" Rain shouted in a desperate tone as their surgical gloves began to turn the same color as blood. The medic was bent over the helpless body of Miss Maia, who was writhing and gasping for breath.
"Rain..."
"Please stay with me." They murmured, their voice cracking and their hands shaking. They did their best to stop the bleeding, which unfortunately seemed to be uncontrollable. As if Maia's blood had a deep need to leave her body.
"You monster!" Yutani screamed in desperation, shouting at Andy, who was enjoying the spectacle by keeping his feet crossed on the control panel and his hands behind his head with a cocky attitude. "Huh? What's the matter, kid? It's not like you wanted to kill Prince K? There, now you're satisfied."
"You killed him!" cried King in despair, on the verge of tears. He also tried to help Rain dab at the wound, but to no avail. He felt frightened, helpless.
"Me, you - what's the difference?" chuckled Andy, turning his gaze to Frank and his hilarious attempts to save the insignificant little boy from the time vortex he had activated.
"Frank, I see you are struggling. Have you gone soft by any chance? The Frank I know would have had a knife at my throat by now, whereas now look at you, trying to save a brat while your boss lies almost lifeless on the floor."
"Shut up." Frank replied in a calm tone, but clearly trying to handle the situation. It seemed to him that Jake was caught in a very strong shifting sand and he could feel his arms slowly losing strength.
"Please don't let me go!" cried Jake desperately, clinging to Frank's gloved hands with all his strength.
Meanwhile, Fresh, Tricky and Yutani were holding Frank's waist, trying to give him more strength to hold Jake.
For now, the only thing keeping a squadron of armed soldiers from catching up and slaughtering them all was the strong resistance Ted, his dog and Tagbot were putting up. The dog barked furiously at the enemy, even as Ted held him by the leash to protect him from bullets.
Tagbot also acted as a shield for the inspector, doing his best to make sure he was not killed or injured.
Bruno was lying on the ground, a few steps away from Andy, his face down and his round, shattered glasses beside him. He was still breathing, but he was unconscious, knocked out by a heavy blow to the head from Andy.
[CHRONOERROR]
"Oh my God, they are so adorable!" Yutani watched the scene ecstatically, clasping her hands together beside her face with an adoring expression.
In the center of their laboratory, they had built a small ring in which their mall-bought robots would compete.
"No way! I've never seen anything like this!" laughed Bruno with glee, resting his hand on his forehead and shaking his head in amusement.
Yutani's small four-legged robot wagged its tail like a dog happy to see its master after a long day and pranced toward the small, elongated robot with a rectangular head.
Instead of struggling and trying to throw Yutani's robot out of the ring, Bruno's robot petted it and two hearts appeared on its eye display.
"Booo! What a shame! This is not a fighting match!" protested Jake in an amused tone, throwing popcorn at the ring. He and Fresh were sitting on some old empty cardboard boxes, and every time they moved, they threatened to collapse under their weight.
"Right! We want to see them fight!" Fresh joined in, stamping his feet loudly in protest and laughing. "Booo!"
"Try convincing a robot to fight and tell me how it went!" shouted Bruno in their direction, still laughing.
"You guys don't understand anything. This is much better than a stupid fight!" said Yutani with a smile, enjoying the cute scene.
[CHRONOERROR]
Prince K blinked before collapsing onto his desk. His sunglasses slid down his nose, revealing a vacant, lifeless gaze.
"President? PRESIDENT?!" The guards rushed to his side, but by now there was nothing they could do.
Prince K was dead.
Andy grinned before looking in the direction of the group that had entered the President's room armed with guns and knives.
The group seemed as surprised as the guards at the sudden death.
But Andy took the opportunity to point at Frank. "Killing by poison clearly falls within the modus operandi of our former agent, as you may know he always tried to kill discreetly and covertly. But not this time. I don't think there's anything more to say, kill them all."
"You damn bastards! You'll pay!" a soldier vehemently pressed a button on his helmet, setting off an alarm that echoed throughout the building.
"Quick, to the lab!" Miss Maia shouted.
[CHRONOERROR]
"Blaming you for my betrayal was the best plan I could ever come up with. Now I will have limitless power and you will all be dead." Andy exclaimed happily.
"Soon the temporal anomalies will consume you completely, Frank. If you don't let go of the little boy, you will die."
"Frank, please! Don't let me go!" sobbed Jake, closing his eyes and expecting the worst. Surely a man as cold and analytical as Frank would have left him to his fate. Right?
"I told you to shut up!" Shouted Frank suddenly, turning to Andy without giving any sign of letting go of Jake. "You're a hypocrite! You always say you hate traitors and now look at you!"
"Well, yeah. But I kind of do what I want." Andy replied in a mocking tone, not noticing that Bruno had come to his senses.
The boy slowly felt around for his glasses, his headache and dizziness making his skull throb. He heard a terrible noise from the machine that shocked him to the core. He felt himself running out of breath. He could not move and was shaking like a leaf in the wind. He tried to cover his ears with his fingers, but the noise was still too loud.
"Bruno! Quick, come on!" Yutani's cry rang out loud and clear despite the noise, and that was when he took courage. He lunged at Andy, pushing him away before he could react and pressing the button that calmed the time machine. He quickly typed in commands, barely seeing what he was doing, hoping it would still work.
"NOW GO! GO!" Bruno shouted, running towards the portal before jumping in and disappearing into the bright light emitted by the machine.
At this point, Frank let go of Jake, who was soon joined by his friends and the inspector with his dog, who threw themselves into the light without wasting any time.
Only Rain would not make up their mind to leave Miss Maia to her fate. "I'm not leaving you here! Come with us!" Rain shouted desperately, trying to drag Miss Maia's helpless body towards the time machine before the soldiers would reach her. Their turquoise hair was crusted with blood and they had a shocked expression on her face.
"There is no time, Rain! Go! Frank! You know what to do!" Miss Maia shouted with the last of her strength as Tagbot did his best to protect her from the bullets flying near them.
"It was an honor to serve you, Miss Maia." Frank said in a serious tone, running up to Rain and grabbing her by the waist, forcibly dragging her towards the portal.
"Thanks for everything, guys," Miss Maia murmured, looking at her friends and breathing heavily. "You were an outstanding group."
Rain flailed desperately, punching and kicking Frank as their glasses blurred with tears. "No! No! No! Frank! Let me go! We can't leave her here! Frank! NO!" Their last scream was cut off by the light of the time machine, which, as soon as it engulfed them in its light, went off in a series of flashes and thunderbolts.
When the soldiers arrived, they found Tagbot, his metal body riddled with bullets, bent over Miss Maia, who lay helpless on the ground with her eyes closed.
Andy was still laughing maniacally, his eyes fixed on the time machine.