Time Quake

By

DarkWiccan

Disclaimers: Buffy the Vampire Slayer and all characters associated with the show are owned by Joss Whedon and Mutant Enemy and their affiliates. If they belonged to me, none of the horrors of season six would ever have happened, and Willow and Tara would be on their honeymoon by now. But they don’t, so for now I borrow and kindly ask the big, scary corporate lawyer-guy to look the other way.

Feedback: Yes, please. But I have a Fire Extinguisher to put out all flames.

Distribution: Sure, just ask me

Spoilers: Everything up to Season Six “Seeing Red”

Rating: PG-13

Pairing: W/T

Notes: Told from the point of view of a third person watching W/T's relationship. W/T are the main point of this story

Summary: 25 years ago something went horribly wrong. Now she’s going to put things right.


A Small Government Science Facility Just Outside of Los Angeles. The Year: 2027

You’d like to think, for the sake of comfort and your own sanity, that the universe, or at least your own little corner of it, is for the most part a stable unit and therefore a safe and predictable place to live. This is, of course, not the case. Things happen. Unexpected things like temporal rifts and space/time anomalies. Shifts in the fabric separating dimensions and small portals into other worlds that suddenly appear, and then just as suddenly are gone, these things happen. Most of the time nothing comes of these little “hiccups” as I like to call them. They come and go and ebb and flow just as the tide and equally as natural. But sometimes things go wrong, things are affected and timelines change, and when that happens, it’s my job to fix whatever damage has been caused.

I knew it had happened before I even got the call. When you’ve been jumping for as long as I have, you start to develop a sixth sense for these things. But this time, it was bad, really bad, and the feeling of it shuddered down my spine and settled like a lead weight on my stomach.

I leapt from my bed, momentarily feeling as though I’d left my stomach behind me, but it quickly rejoined my body as I dressed into my jumpsuit, tucking my lucky charm, a silver locket on a chain around my neck, inside and raced to the lab.

“When did it happen?” I asked as I entered the blinding white light of the pristine facility.

“At approximately 2100 hours”, one of the young interns replied.

“I know what time it registered on our equipment”, I said tersely, “When did the anomaly occur spatially?”

“127.002-21.2746 clicks.” Said a young man dressed in a polo shirt and khaki pants. His attire kept mostly hidden by his knee-length white lab coat.

“David”, I said, slightly surprised by his presence. He seemed to be equally taken with my appearance as well.

“Bridge…” He said, using my nickname, short for Brighid. I always hated being called my nick by anyone other than my mother. Mom always had a way of saying it that made it sound like something other than a structure built over water. David knew this, but I forgave him the slip, just this once. I was too preoccupied with the present situation to allow any room for pet peeves.

“Brighid, I’m sorry”, David continued, adjusting his wire-frame glasses and nervously running his fingers through his short-cut blonde-brown hair. “You shouldn’t be here.”

“I got the call.”

“I know, it was a mistake.”

“But this is my jump”, I say, my anger starting to flair a little. I always did have Mama’s temper.

“No it’s not”, David countered firmly, his eyebrows coming together. “We’re sending Margie.”

“I’m the best”, I stated. Yes, stated. It’s a fact. And he knew it. I started to move toward the jump cylinder.

“You’re too close to this one, Bridge”, David snapped in a hushed tone, stepping in front of me.

“Get out of my way, David.”

“No.”

We stood staring at each other for a long moment. Nostrils flaring, jaws clenching, we looked intently at one another, locked in a wordless battle of will.

“Think if it was you”, I said finally. “Put yourself in my shoes.” I interrupt him before he can counter, “I don’t have much time. Now get the hell out of my way before I make you.”

David met my gaze evenly. He broadened his stance a little and centered his balance.

“No”, he said.

“Fine”, I replied, before elbowing him square in the nose and leaping into the cylinder. I sealed the sliding portal door shut and locked it. Quickly I began to enter my coordinates.

X, Y, and Z are already entered, they must have had this preset for Margie, I thought. I punched in the time code. 125.002-14.2416. Two days in advance of the anomaly. Should be enough time, I tried to reassure myself as I pressed the button marked “Go.”

I looked up to see bloody-nosed David and a confused Margie staring back at me. And then the world went black.

*****

Darkness. All around me. Surrounding me. Engulfing me. And smelling funny. That was the part that threw me the most. The darkness I was used to. Darkness always accompanied the initial jump. But the smell was a new experience, and not exactly a pleasant one.

And then I realized. I was in a custodial closet with a mop that hadn’t been cleaned in a very long time. I had to get out. I fumbled for a doorknob and found it, quickly turning it and falling out of the small space and into a rush of humanity.

“Hey, watch it”, a young man snapped as he barreled into me, knocking me against the stucco-coated wall.

“Sorry”, I said, not sure why I was the one apologizing.

I looked up and took in the world around me. I was in a hallway. A big one. Filled with young nomads racing from point A to point B. The archways were accented with red brickwork and the floors were red tile. I recognized it immediately. UC Sunnydale, circa 2002.

I glanced down at my wrist chronometer: 125.002-14.2534.

Made it, I thought, I can still stop it from happening.

I made another casual glance down the hall, and that’s when I saw them. My heart swelled in my chest and my throat went dry as suddenly I found myself clutching at the wall behind me for support. It was them, it was really them. I blinked my eyes once, twice, to try and make sure that what I was seeing wasn’t an illusion. Wasn’t a dream.

Satisfied that what I was seeing was, in fact, real, I quickly brought myself out of my reverie and made my way down the hall and towards them. I ducked inside a small archway, keeping myself hidden but able to listen in on their conversation as they moved down the hall.

“It’s between a hitch and a kink, with a side of a twinge”, the redhead said, her voice smiling. “It’s okay.”

“And Buffy’s okay too”, asked the dark blonde, “enjoying the refreshing sanity and so forth?”

“HA! Yeah! ‘Refreshing san…’ That’s funny…”

Geez, I thought, chuckling to myself, over compensating much?

Suddenly my chronometer beeped. I looked down to see the display flashing, “Voice Transmission.” Shit. As discreetly as I could, I raised my wrist to my mouth.

“What”, I asked, harshly, my tone hushed.

“Have you seen them?” Asked David’s voice.

“Yes. I have made visual contact.”

“Just make sure that’s the only kind. You know the rules.”

“Yes, Dave, I know the rules”, I bit back, “I helped to formulate them, remember?”

“I know, Bridge, but given the situation…”

“Copy”, I cut him off. “Over and out.” I shut the communicator off and once again tuned my ears to the hall, picking up the two girls conversation.

“Coffee”, said the blonde.

“With us who are… just friends”, answered the redhead. “So, um… after class…”

“Tomorrow, yeah.”

“I’ll, uh, I’ll meet you there.”

That seemed to be the end of the conversation. I stood perfectly still as the familiar blonde walked past me down the hall. Assuming that the other girl had gone the other direction, I quickly turned the corner… and crashed right into her.

“Oh!” I said startled as books and papers went flying.

“Ouch”, the redhead cried as she landed with a “thump” on the floor.

I knelt down and quickly began to reassemble the mess of paperwork.

“I am so sorry”, I said, trying to avoid eye contact. “I can’t believe I did that.”

“It’s okay”, the girl said, crawling over to join me in my frantic clean up. “At least you stopped to help, most people would have just kept walking, let alone even apologize.”

“Again, really sorry”, I answered, finally looking up to her eyes as I handed her the last of the loose pages.

“Again”, she smiled back, “It’s okay.” She held my gaze a moment before speaking again, her brow knitting slightly, “Do I know you?”

“Uh…” I quickly stood up, glancing around for the nearest escape route.

“Because, you look really familiar”, she continued, also rising.

“Nope”, I replied with false cheer, “Can’t say that we’ve ever met before today.”

“Weird”, said the redhead, “Your face is just so…. Like I’ve seen it before…”

I tried to control the nervous fidget that I was about to break into. “Um, guess I have that kind of f-face?” I offered, somewhat pathetically, cringing at the stutter.

“Guess so”, she stated matter-of-factly, “I’m Willow, by the way.” She extended her hand in greeting.

“Brighid”, I took her hand in mine to shake it. A small jolt of electricity ran through us. I knew it would. I anxiously watched her face, and noted the sudden confusion there. She quickly reclaimed her fist. I couldn’t help but blush a little. I absent-mindedly clutched my locket through my jumpsuit with the hand Willow had just let go of.

“Are you sure I don’t know you?” She asked, speaking again after I hesitated to answer. “That jumpsuit looks military. Are you with the…Initiative?” She had lowered her voice when she spoke the last word.

“At this point in time, the Initiative has been shut down”, I answered honestly, continuing, “besides… not my branch. I’m Air Force.”

“Oh”, Willow muttered, looking even more confused, “How do you know about it, then?”

“Everyone heard about the fiasco of it”, I said, trying very hard not to reveal too much, as if I hadn’t said enough already. “I’m not sure what it was they were doing. Just that it failed miserably and that a lot of good men were lost.” This seemed to appease her slightly; I decided to add a little more spin to calm her nerves. “I’m just in town to… visit my mother.”

“Oh”, Willow replied, this time more brightly, “Have you seen her yet?”

“Um… yeah”, I smiled, “but, I really must get going, I promised her I’d be home in time for dinner.”

“Sure”, said Willow, stepping aside.

“Sorry again about the collision.” I said as I took off down the corridor and out of sight. I ducked around a corner and peered back into the hallway in time to see Willow turn around and head the other way. Maybe two days is too much time, I thought to myself glancing down at my chronometer. They’re so young. I quickly regrouped my thoughts as I tried to maintain focus. I looked down to my chronometer again, just in time to see my hand flicker in and out of existence like a dying bulb. I gasped, my breath catching in my throat. I clamped my eyes tightly shut for a moment before opening them again and seeing my hand returned to normal. I flexed it a few times, feeling the muscles work, ensuring it was real. I’m running out of time, I realized.

“I’ve got to stop it”, I said aloud, if only to myself, “And I’ve got to stop it now.”

*******
tbc...



Edited by: DarkWiccan at: 5/17/02 10:23:49 pm

Cool! I love the premise of the story. I hope there is more soon.



-Will

Interesting. Maybe I missed it, but who is this person?

Tara: My heart doesn't stutter.

Tara: Willow, I got so lost.
Willow: I found you. I will always find you.

Willow: Hi, um Tara. I was wondering maybe you want to go out some time for coffee? food? Kisses and gay love?

Can't wait for update..

I'm really liking this. Keep up the good work!

Yay! You like it, you really like it!



*Willntlover: Glad you like the premise, I was nervous about it at first, but it seems to be coming together nicely. I'm working on the next part right now



*The Rose24: I'm actually kindof glad that you don't know who the narrator is... I was afraid that I had made it glaringly obvious... almost too much so... keep reading and you will find out



*The Next Tara Maclay: Don't worry, an update is coming soon... possibly tomorrow if my insomnia holds out



*Eric tr: Thank you! I feel all warm and fuzzy inside now



Cheers!

DarkWiccan

"Promise me you'll never be linear." "On my trout."

DW, I'm really lovin' this first part....can't wait for your update!

"Straight,” Joel huffed, rolling his eyes. “That’s like, two drinks and a light switch away from being totally gay" - Final Exam by tommo

Hey All --



Unfortunately my insomnia did not hold out and I crashed before I had a chance to finish the second part.



But, I am working on it right now... so by the end of the day (if not sooner) I should be able to post it.



Thanks for all of your warm replies.



Cheers

DarkWiccan

"Promise me you'll never be linear." "On my trout."

please have one as soon as you can



can't wait to see where all the mystery is going... big fan of this type of set up myself



bravo

kathleen

"I am my beloved's and my beloved is mine."

This is very cool. I'm looking forward to reading more.

-----------------

"This world's no fun."
"You noticed that too?"

Oooh! I was just generally surfing, looking for the fic where Willow and Tara go to visit Giles (does anyone know what that is, by the way?), and I found this. More, please? I like anything that's going to prevent the events of 'Seeing Red'. How does Bridge (sorry, but can't remember how to spell her full name) fit into Buffyworld?



Gem

Here goes! Part two! This will hopefully answer some questions for you Kitties!

See First Post for Disclaimers...

*******

I was tired. Exhausted even. After wandering the streets of Sunnydale all yesterday afternoon, I suddenly found myself with an interesting problem. What to do once the sun went down. I was intimately familiar with the nightlife of Sunnydale and didn’t want to be caught with my proverbial shorts down around my ankles.

At the same time, I was on a limited time schedule to locate and correct the problem that would ultimately be caused by the spatial anomaly set to occur in less than two days time. That was the tricky part about jumping. You can’t stop the anomaly, you can only do “preventative maintenance” to ensure that whatever effects the anomaly has on its environment would be minimal and undamaging.

So it would be quite counterproductive to spend the night hiding out from the creatures of the night rather than staying on my quest. After finding a good, sturdy piece of wood and fashioning it into a stake, I continued to make my way up and down the dark and abandoned streets of Sunnydale. All night long I walked, waited and watched.

And now that the sun was up, I was very, very tired. Coffee was the order of the day. Most definitely.

I made my way back into the center of town and towards the Espresso Pump. I knew where it was based on stories alone… Well, that and the fact that I had walked passed it about six times during my night of reconnaissance. But it was the stories that had led me here first. The Espresso Pump, the only remotely hip place in town next to the Bronze, I remembered them saying, recounting all the fun times that they had here before it closed fifteen years ago. Well, fifteen years ago, my time.

The place was already bustling, and the scent of fresh brewed coffee drew me in like a siren’s song. I made my way to toward the expansive entrance of the shop and suddenly hesitated, the sound of familiar laughter filling my ears. I’d know it anywhere. They did say that they were going to have coffee, I reminded myself of the previous day’s conversation. I stood back a moment and allowed my ears to tune in again.

“Okay, wait, it was under her wig?” Said the unmistakable voice of the blonde.

“It was this thing, and it came out from inside her head”, Willow explained, her voice beaming with glee.

“That's disgusting. What did it look like?”

“Well... let's put it this way. If I wasn't gay before...”

The girls again broke into laughter. I couldn’t help but smile at the comforting sound. I carefully glanced around the wall of the shop to see the blonde mock-flinch at the imagery.

“Gah”, she said playfully, “And this was after the invisible ray?”

I smiled peacefully, warmed by their voices. The sudden relaxation caused my tired brain to drift off for a moment into a sweet reverie. I was snapped out of it by a sharp beep from my chronometer. I glanced down, another transmission from David.

“What have you got for me”, I said, speaking into my wrist as nonchalantly and as quietly as possible.

“We think we’ve located the perp's whereabouts at this point in the timeline”, Dave responded quickly.

“Go ahead”, I replied, urging him on.

“They rented a small, one-story tract house on the corner of Emerson and Higgins”, Dave continued, “They’re holed up in the basement.”

“Emerson and Higgins”, I murmured, strangely unable to process the information, “Not familiar with them…”

“What do you mean”, asked David, “I thought you knew Sunnydale like the back of your hand. Didn’t you grow up there?”

“Yes, but…”

“Don’t your parents still live….”

I could tell by the way that Dave’s voice drifted off that he instantly knew he had really stuck his foot in it.

“Well, that’s the question now, isn’t it?” I responded, my tone biting. “Let me know when you have more information. Over and…”

“Bridge, wait”, Dave interrupted. “Brighid, are you experiencing memory loss? Is that why you don’t know the streets?”

“I don’t have time for this, Dave”, I said again, even more acerbically.

“You’re fading”, he stated. Not a question. A fact. I was running out of time and he knew it. We both did.

“Copy. Over and out.” I turned off the communicator and adjusted my hearing again to the two girls. Only now there weren’t two. There were three.

“You’re lesbians”, said the new member of the table, a smaller blonde woman with wild curly hair, “so the hating of men will come in handy.”

If I had been drinking something that statement would have inspired a spit-take. I collected myself and sighed, making my way to the coffee bar and ordering a double-espresso. Praising the coffee gods for their bounty, I took a small sip of the piping hot liquid and headed back over toward the table where the three girls were sitting. This time I stood closer to the front of the shop, near the corner, and watched their interaction from afar.

“Well, Xander is a man, so it's kind of not the surprise that he likes to watch... Girls... Why are we talking about this?” Asked Willow, seeming to want nothing more than to change subjects.

“We're comforting me.” The curly-haired blonde urgently persisted.

The other girl made an attempt at reassuring, “Well, I guess it's natural for guys to be interested in…”

“God! What kind of lesbians are you?!” The smaller woman protested, rising quickly from her seat. “If you love men so much, go love men!”

She collected her things and started to leave. Started to leave in my direction. I hastily turned my back to them, and went to casually take a sip of my drink, when I suddenly felt myself being rammed into from behind, the force causing me to dump my blazing hot coffee down the front of my jumpsuit.

“Ah”, I cried out in sudden pain at the burning liquid, “Hot! Hot!” I looked up to see the small blonde marching deliberately down the street and away from the Espresso Pump. I was tempted to shout after her, but the painful burning on my chest forced me to subside.

“Are you alright”, said the redhead, approaching me.

“Yeah, just a little scalded.” I turned to face her. “Oh, hi”, I said, pretending to appear surprised by her presence. “I’m fine. First, second degree burns at the worst.” I smiled sheepishly, what else could I do?

“You sure do have a knack for bumping into people”, Willow commented lightheartedly.

“I prefer to think of it as a form of artistic expression.” I answered faux serious.

The gentle blonde approached with a dampened towel. “Here”, she said handing it to me, “This should cool things down.”

“Thanks, M…uh…” Shit. “Mah…My…you look familiar.” Shit. Shit. Shit.

“I was about to say the same thing”, she replied, her eyebrows knitting together curiously.

“Tara, this is Brighid”, Willow introduced, “She’s the girl I told you about. The one I ran into yesterday.”

Tara’s eyes widened in recognition. “Oh, r-right… Go Air Force”, she said after a pause.

“Uh, thanks”, I offered, not knowing what else to say.

“Would you like to sit down”, Willow interjected, “You look kind of tired.”

“Actually, I’m exhausted”, I admitted freely, “But I don’t want to impose.”

“Oh, you’re not imposing”, Tara assured.

“No, really”, I replied, “It’s obvious that you two are trying to have a… some alone time. Don’t let me interrupt.”

“But you’re not”, Willow answered, resolve face firmly in place. It always worked on me before, why should it stop now? I used to fear that face.

“Alright”, I relented, “At least until my jumpsuit dries. But then, I’m going.”

“Fair enough”, said Tara melodically, “Now come on and sit down.”

The three of us moved back over to the table and sat down, with me taking the third seat the other girl had vacated.

“So, Brighid”, Tara began.

“Please”, I said interrupting her, “Call me Bridge.” Please.

“Oh, okay… Bridge”, she smiled, my heart skipped a beat, and she continued, “Will tells me you’re in town to see your mom?”

“Both my parents, actually”, I clarified, tugging a little at my wet clothes.

“Do you have anything on underneath that?” Willow asked suddenly.

“Uh, t-shirt”, I responded, taken a little bit off-guard.

“I was just thinking that if you unzipped your jumpsuit a little it would dry faster.”

I nodded in compliance and unzipped my jumpsuit down to my navel, revealing the blue t-shirt beneath. “Much better”, I noted congenially.

“So, how are they”, Tara inquired.

“Who?”

“Y-your parents.”

“Oh, uh…” I glanced at the girls briefly before continuing, “They’re, um, looking good.”

“That’s nice”, said Willow.

“Yeah”, I replied.

“That’s a pretty necklace”, Tara said, referring to my locket, which had fallen into view between the opened zipper of my suit. “It looks like the one my grandmother gave me when I was little.”

I clutched my fingers around it quickly, nervously fiddling with the chain between my fingers.

“Thanks.” I finally managed to say. “My mom gave it to me… also when I was little.”

“Oh.”

We sat in awkward silence for a moment. I shifted on my stool, causing it to creek a little. I wouldn’t have been at all surprised to hear a band of cartoon crickets suddenly fill the silent void, if only to comment on how silent it was.

“Well, I, uh…” I paused to clear my throat. “I think I’m pretty much dried off. I’m gonna get going.” I rose from my stool in an attempt to make a hasty exit.

“Are you sure?” Asked Tara, concerned and slightly flustered.

“Yeah, I’ve got some stuff I should be doing.” I explained, “Important stuff.” Crucial. Life and Death. I started to move away from the table. “Thanks for the towel and everything…”

“Are you sure we haven’t met?” Willow queried again, her eyes giving away her suspicion.

“If we hadn’t met before yesterday, I’m certain we would have met… eventually”, I offered, smiling knowingly. “Thanks again for your help.”

I nodded to Tara warmly and quickly left. It seemed that was all I was doing lately. Leaving quickly. But how I kept managing to get myself into these situations was starting to boggle my mind. I checked my chronometer: 126.002-09.3604.

In a little less than 36 hours, things were going to get interesting. And I really wished that they wouldn’t.

*******
tbc...




Edited by: DarkWiccan at: 5/18/02 4:37:56 pm

wow, this fic is very intriguing. i'm just trying to piece this all together. i think everyone can figure out who bridge is precisely, but the big question is how can she possibly exist...can't wait for you to answer our questions.

BabyJune

***"Now whatever will become of me? Elegant waste and chivalry."

ohhhhh....I am so loving this....

More please.

Willowfan

“Love’s bitch?” Spike asked softly...
“Woman enough to admit it,” Willow agreed with a nod and a sad half-smile.

“Cheers, luv,” Spike whispered... -Answering Darkness by Sassette

This is great! I never know how to take fusing science-fiction concepts such as time travel with the Buffyverse, but I'm liking this so far. Keep going, please.

______________________

"I love you all. I love you more than life itself. You're all f***ing mad." -- Ozzy as "The Dad," THE OSBOURNES.

Hey, this is wonderful! Looking forward to seeing more of this.

--------------------------------


"But when they're playing your song on the jukebox in Hell, you might as well dance." - K. Simpson


"Futile... like a FOX, baby!" - Tara in The Late Shift by wiccachica

DarkWiccan: Great fic so far, it is really interesting to read. I can't wait to read more.



Lonewolf

First off... Thanks!



You guys are so nice! Glad you are liking it so far... there is, of course, more to come.



I wish I had an update for you this second, but alas, I was a naughty little DarkWiccan and spent my evening getting quite "versnickered" in honor of a friend of mine who is leaving to go to Germany (lucky bastard)... As a result... though I am thankfully not hung-over... I am without a chapter. Sorry



But!! No fear, as I am working on the new bit now... so perhaps by the end of the day... or tomorrow....



*BabyJune - Funny you should ask that, as the first part of this next bit goes rather indepth into that subject.



*CaptMurdock - I understand your wariness of a sci-fi/horror/fantasy world splice... I was nervous about this premise at first as well, but it seems to be coming together quite nicely... I hope you continue to enjoy



*Willowfan, LeatherQueen, and LoneWolf - Thank you, Thank you, Thank you!!



Fasten your seatbelts! It's about to become a bumpy ride!



Cheers

DarkWiccan

"Promise me you'll never be linear." "On my trout."

oooo... just caught up with part two... and can't wait for more...



love the little hints that are tripping Bridge up along the way... and how despite herself she can't help being drawn in...



oh and the line about Willow's resolve face... that just melted me



bravo

kathleen

"I am my beloved's and my beloved is mine."

hey there,

i really like your fic...it´s fun to read! keep going!!!!

akira

by the way germany is TOTALLY boring!!

hey, this fic is ubershibby, hehe i said shibby. okay okay, this is a great story, cant wait to read the rest!

-------------
These endless days are finally ending in a blaze.

I am waiting for an update .. Here Dark Wiccan have a cookie! *Gives Dark Wiccan a cookie*

Hey! Michelle Branchs twin! I give out cookies! only me! *Takes Cookie away from Dark Wiccan and gives her, Her cookies* There.

Okay, okay.. Sorry!!! I promised a new chapter today.. and, well... time got away from me. But, rest assured, I am writing as fast as my little hands will let me and by tomorrow evening there will definitely be a new addition. I guarantee it!



*Kathleenwolf: Yeah, I liked that little tidbit too My brain did a little shimmy dance of joy when it came up with it



*akira: I certainly hope Germany isn't that boring for my friend's sake... he is so excited about going, he can hardly sit still... of course, sitting still isn't something he's ever been really good at



*Wonderant: "Ubershibby" LOL I LOVE it! I shall now adopt it into my ever growing vocabulary!



*Michelle Branchs Twin and The Next Tara Maclay: Now, now, I will be perfectly happy to accept everyone's cookies... provided they don't have nuts as I am allergic. (Both literally and figuratively )



I'm all for the cookies...I think that cookies are "ubershibby"... I am a true fan of cookieness... er...yeah.



Cheers (Until tomorrow!!)

DarkWiccan

"Promise me you'll never be linear." "On my trout."

Wow, you've set things up really well here. Wonderful start to a very interesting story.

Adding up the total of a love that's true, multiply life by the power of two
Indigo Girls

This is a great start, just enough mystery to suck the reader right in.I really like stories that make me "work for it", nothing is worse than read a story that the author has written "down" for his dumb "oh they wont get it anyway" readers. Thanks for NOT being that Author I look forward to the next update

Give into the sunshine....give into the W/T love..let it take over"

--------Sassette

New update will be posted at or before 9pm PST



Gee, even I am getting excited



Cheers

DarkWiccan

hehe, now i will be looking at the clock every five minutes... thanx alot

-------------
These endless days are finally ending in a blaze --------------

And here it is! Part three!!!

See disclaimers in initial post

______________

For those of us who shouldn’t exist in the first place, continuing to exist becomes that much more important. I should not be here right now. That is the thought that kept running through my mind even at that moment as I stood across the street from the Espresso Pump, hidden by a lamp post, a small tree and a newspaper box, and stared at the two people who I hold dearest to me in all the world as they chatted over coffee. They were completely unaware of anything but each other. That made me smile. They had no idea of the potential tragedy that could befall them in less than two days time. That made me frown.

If I were to describe to you in detail, in true detail mind you, of the circumstances surrounding my origin onto this planet, you would look at me as though I had lobsters crawling out of my ears and a pack of flying green monkeys coming out of my ass. Forgive my vulgarity, but it’s true. But how I initially came to be no longer matters, regardless of how or why. All that matters is that I am here. And not only here in that I am alive, but here in the past after coming from a world forever altered by here-seeming future events. Coming from a world where now my existence is…not.

I should not be here right now, my mind echoed again.

Now the question came: Why? Or, more to the point, how? My only answer is the “Miracle of Modern Science.” The same technology that allowed me to travel back in time was shielding me from the effects of the temporal rift. The government facility where I live and work is protected by a sophisticated defense system that, when activated, causes the entire unit to shift temporarily out of phase with the space-time continuum. After all, how can we correct damaging shifts in temporal space if we never even knew they happened to begin with, or if we never even existed as a result? The system’s effects are temporary of course, and sometimes fluctuating, hence the occasional “fade-out”.

I am here on borrowed time.

I stole myself from my thoughts and focused my eyes again to the small coffee shop across from me, but the table was empty and they were gone. I sighed and turned to go, off to find and destroy the cause of my future loss, bent on protecting that which was mine, when she stepped into my path.

“I thought you had important things to do”, she said, her eyebrows rose in amusement, her blue eyes twinkling with wisdom.

“I-I do”, I managed to stammer out.

“And spying on my friend and I would be one of these things?” Tara continued, crossing her arms over her chest.

“I wasn’t spying”, I tried to clarify, “I was watching.”

“Watching”, she replied, seeming to roll this over in her head, “For what reason?”

“You”, I began, searching desperately for the words, “remind me of someone I know back home. The… resemblance… is so amazing I…couldn’t help but… stare. I’m sorry if I made you uncomfortable. I’ll just be going.”

“Wait”, she said, stopping me, “You look familiar too. Really, really familiar. So familiar that I’m kind of glad you didn’t just disappear.”

“Give me time”, I muttered under my breath.

“What?”

“Nothing”, I assured her, “You were saying.”

“Yes, well, I k-kind of thought… maybe we do know each other…like from school or something. It’s going to really bug me until I can figure it out.” Tara finally admitted, “Throw me a bone here?”

“Uh…”

“Where are you headed?”

“Emerson and Higgins.”

“Is that where your mom lives?”

“No, a friend.”

“Well, it’s over by the college”, Tara offered, “I’m headed that way anyway, I could tag along.”

Now I was faced with an interesting dilemma. On the one hand I could accept and she would unknowingly lead me to the house on Emerson and Higgins. On the other, I could politely decline and then shadow her, and still find my way to the house of my enemy. But given that she had already caught me “spying” on her once, it was an unlikely event that I would get away with it again. The last thing I needed was her spying on me.

“Sure”, I said finally. “Lead on.”

We walked on in relative silence for a few moments. I, because I was unsure of what to say for fear of saying too much, and she because she was no doubt running through her mind the faces of everyone she had ever had a passing acquaintance with from her younger school days.

“So”, I began, unable to take the silence any longer, “Where are you from?” Knowing full well the answer.

“Tonopah, Arizona”, she said, “Near Phoenix. My family has a farm.”

“Yeah, I know Tonopah”, I replied.

“You do?” For someone who thought I was an old school chum, she sounded awfully surprised.

“Yeah”, I explained, “my mom’s dad died when I was seven. Her brother had drank away most of the inheritance, but what was left was hers. We moved into the old house and took care of it for a couple of years, but it was so run down. My mom and… m-my parents decided it was best to sell, and we came back here.”

“Well, maybe we were in second grade together”, Tara said, her voice sounded as though she was victoriously connecting the dots.

“Home schooled”, I shrugged, grinning.

“Well, Tonopah is a really small town”, Tara offered up again, “What was your mom’s name? Maybe I knew the family.”

My heart caught in my throat. I didn’t know what to say. I racked my brain trying to remember someone, anyone from that time so long ago. I decided again to dodge.

“Um, I dunno. My family was kind of reclusive… All of them.” I added with emphasis.

“Mine too”, she smiled.

“Funny that.” I commented, also smiling. “So, that girl Willow”, I said, taking a breath and changing the subject, “You guys are together?”

“Good question”, she answered.

“How so?”

“It’s complicated and I don’t know you”, Tara stated.

“Yes you do”, I smirked, “We’re old school pals, remember?”

“We’re something”, she commented airily.

“Who, you and I or you and Willow?”

She thought about that for a moment. “Both”, she finally replied. “I know you… somehow… and I’m gonna figure it out.” I stood silently. I believed her, and it scared me. “I mean, c’mon, Tonopah… small town… maybe you and I are related.”

“Maybe”, I said, stifling a chuckle.

“Well, this is your stop.”

“Huh?”

“Emerson and Higgins?”

I paused in my tracks to look up at the street sign. “Oh.”

“It’s been fun, Bridge.”

She said it again.

“Take care”, she continued as she started to walk away, “it’s not safe here at night.”

“I will”, I assured her. Then as an after thought, “Hey, Tara?”

“Yeah?” She asked, looking back to me.

Tell her. Tell her. Tell her and she will be safe. Just tell her about the gun. Screw protocol. Screw the rules. Tell her.

“Never mind.”

“Okay”, she said looking confused and shrugging. “See ya.”

“See ya”, I answered, barely a whisper.

I watched her go. I watched her disappear down the street and around the corner. Then I turned and faced the small house before me, my jaw set in a determined line.

*******
tbc




Edited by: DarkWiccan at: 5/22/02 10:43:50 pm

Please tell me Bridge is gonna get Warren & Co.



Your explanation of the whole time travel process was really well written. I am really impressed with this story.

Adding up the total of a love that's true, multiply life by the power of two
Indigo Girls