The Loved and the Lost (16 page)

“Nope,” Kingsley said, and Hansum looked at the big man. He didn't like it when Kingsley grinned that way, and then he felt it. Kingsley's legs tensed. Hansum grimaced and tried to twist one of the massive ankles around the other, straining till his arms almost burst.

“If you put all the energy you're using to make that face into your arms,” Lincoln jeered, “maybe you'd have a chance.”

“No he wouldn't,” Kingsley said, and before anyone could say more or laugh, Kingsley was on his feet, standing above a vanquished Hansum, who was now sprawled on his back. “I'm not helping you up again,” Kingsley said, “but good try.”

“Not good enough,” Hansum said, puffing as he strained to his feet.

Lincoln came over, still laughing and helped brush sand off the opponents.

“At least you can still beat him with a sword,” Lincoln said.

Suddenly everyone put their hands to their temples, grimacing like someone was screeching in their ears. Each was receiving a call. At the same time, they could see that someone was running toward them across the university campus, shouting at the top of his lungs. It was Arimus running, with Talos by his side.

“Now I've seen it all,” Lincoln said. “Arimus has gone nuts, sending us a message and screaming like that.”

It was extremely bad etiquette to shout when sending a message. They all double tapped, turning him off like they would a rude child.

By the time Arimus reached them, he was out of breath and even barefoot.

“It's . . . it's started again,” he said puffing.
“Time travel.”

Hansum grabbed Shamira and hugged her. Kingsley slapped Hansum's back. Lincoln hugged Medeea.

“Oh, I'm so happy for you,” Shamira said to Hansum.

“But . . . but there's a problem,”
Arimus said, red-faced and doubled over.

The teens went quiet.

“What's wrong?” Kingsley asked.

Arimus was having trouble catching his breath, so Talos answered.

“A rare blackout condition still persists. We do not know the reason but just the symptom. It's called temporal bracketing.”

“What's that?” Shamira asked.

“It's when people from one time in history can't travel to another particular one, if it's not their home location. It's very rare. We think it has something to do with the decay rate of the energy making up the atoms and molocules of animal tissue, but we're not sure. Technology isn't affected, only humans.”

“And who's affected?” Hansum asked.

“Me and anyone from the 31
^st
-century!”
Arimus answered, regaining his breath.
“We can't go back in time, I fear.
All seem to be stuck . . . here.”

“Bummer,” Lincoln said.

Hansum took a step toward Arimus. “But people from our time can travel back?”

“Yes, and I know what you must be thinking,” Arimus said.
“But, without me along, I cannot give authorization
for such a dangerous operation.”

Hansum looked at Arimus for several seconds, assessing the situation and the man.

“There's something else you're not telling me,” he finally said. “You look scared, Arimus. I've never seen you scared. Why?”

“I . . . I . . . can't say.”
Arimus was wide eyed.

“Can't or won't?” Lincoln asked. Arimus just stood there, silent. He always exhibited strong self-control, but not now.

“He's not allowed to say,” Talos intervened. “It's information about the future. But in this instance, old friend, I think you may share it. The A.I.s give permission.”

Arimus looked at Talos, his eyes showing true surprise, and then he nodded. Looking from teen to teen he, explained.

“It's not supposed to happen like this.
Coming from the future, we know your
what, when, why, how and where.
We're just not allowed to share.
But now . . . but now . . .”
Arimus' eyes went wide.
“History is unfolding differently.”

“Happening differently? How?”

“In the known, established history,
when time travel started again,
I went back with you. . . but now I can't.”

There was another prolonged silence as this sunk in.

“Did I succeed?” Hansum finally asked.

“Succeed at what?”

“At saving Guilietta? In your established history, do I save her?”

“That he may not answer,” Talos interrupted. “And if he could, it wouldn't mean anything now. As he said, history has somehow changed.”

“Well then, I'm going back myself,” Hansum announced immediately.

“And me with him,” Lincoln added.

“No,” Arimus said. “This is not advisable.
Remember, my people and I went back to save the della Cappas.
But some force of time just wouldn't let us.
You must not try by yourself.”

“It would be impossible
with
you,” Lincoln said. “You can't go. We can.”

“With respect, Elder Arimus,” Hansum added. “We've all learned much from you, but now it's time to make our own decisions. If we can go back and you can't, we should.”

“You're not making any sense.”

“It makes perfect sense,” Hansum countered. “Consider this. You told me that when you couldn't save Guilietta, it was like time had a mind of its own. Well, maybe this same force is showing that you weren't the one to save her? Maybe it wants us to do the job?”

“Speculation. Anthropomorphism of nature's forces,”
Arimus argued. “And besides, your time's scientists
have so much they still don't know.
Their technology can only take you close to the times
you'll need to go.
You need our technology to complete your mission.
And of its use you won't get permission.
True, Talos?”

“No, my friend,” Talos answered. The 31
^st
-century Elder was stunned. “Arimus, the boy is correct and you are wrong. I have communed with the world-wide consciousness of all my A.I. brothers and sisters. They concur with Hansum's assessment. Some force is denying us and calling to him. All we may do now is lend our support and let him go.”

Arimus looked at Talos, shocked. Then he took a deep breath, as if he were resigning himself to a new fate.

“You'll be needing my elder's cloak then,”
he said with equanimity.
“Sideways, show yourself to your new master.”

“Who's Sideways?” Lincoln asked and, as everyone watched, a bass-relief face appeared on the breast of Arimus's cloak. He had a bold nose, fat lips and deep-set eyes.

“Greetings. I am Sideways. We have met many times, but never been introduced.”

“One of the secrets from the future that
we can now reveal,”
Arimus said.

“And now we may be friends and colleagues,” Sideways added.

“Why do they call you Sideways?” Lincoln asked.

“Because of the way I can move,” and he blinked his eyes.

Without the hint of movement, Sideways disappeared off Arimus and was suddenly covering Hansum's bare torso. Arimus was left wearing what looked like boxer shorts and a plain tunic.

“How in the . . .” Hansum said with surprise.

“I site transported onto you,” Sideways said. “Pretty good fit, but I think you need to look like this,” and the cloak grew and changed color till it covered Hansum's body as an exact copy of the clothing he used to wear as a lens-grinding apprentice.

“Zippy,” Lincoln exclaimed. “Just like old times.”

“When should they go?” Shamira asked.

“Right now,” Talos said.

“Good!” Hansum replied immediately. “Lincoln. Are you and Medeea ready?”

“You got it, boss man.”

“Remember,” Arimus warned.
“If things go wrong, your emergency return buttons press.
Sideways, where's the new piece of technology
Hansum's plan requires for success?”

Sideway face looked up at Hansum. “Please reach into your tunic, sir.”

Hansum did so and pulled out a necklace with a simple silver me-dallion on it. It was a simple buffed disc, etched with the image of an hour glass.

“This is the modified temporal shielding you specified to complete your plan, sir,” Sideways said. “It replaces the temporal time change protection built into your sub-dermal. Once you put it on, it will turn off and replace the protection the sub-dermal gives. However, if you take this new one off and the time line changes significantly, you will not be protected from disappearing from history.”

Without hesitation, Hansum put the necklace on. Because of the sacrifice it symbolized and the fact it meant they might never see him again, everyone crowded near. Shamira threw her arms around him.

“It'll be okay, Sham,” Hansum said.

“I don't want to lose you again.”

“Hey, if this doesn't work, you'll still have me. And if it does, you'll just have to bring me back up to speed.”

“But so much else can go wrong.”

“Hey, that's what I'm there for,” Lincoln said. “To look after this big galoot.”

“And I'll look after Lincoln,”
Medeea thought to Shamira. The two girls hugged.

“It's been a privilege, Hansum,” Kingsley said, putting out his hand. “Lincoln, my friend, travel well.”

“Even in time travelling,” Talos interrupted, “the phrase ‘no time like the present', sometimes applies. We must take advantage of this opening.”

“Very good,” Sideways said. “Everyone stand back, please. Master Lincoln, take hold. Yet another adventure is to begin.”

“I've heard that one before,” Lincoln answered, grabbing the arm of Hansum's sleeve. “Ready, Med?”

Arimus stayed by Hansum as the others backed away. He grasped his student's hand and looked deep in his eyes.

“Your plan is a good one. Good luck.”

“No luck,” Hansum said. “Just success. Farewell, elder. Thank you. It's been a privilege.” They hugged and Arimus stepped back.

“
Master
Hansum,” Sideways said, “you must give the word. You are the lead on this mission.”

“Take us to location one of the plan. Let's go!” Hansum said. The words were no sooner out of his mouth when the familiar whirlwind started to spin around them and the thousands of yellow spheres appeared.

“We love you,” Shamira called.

“We'll be watching,” Kingsley said.

The yellow Sands of Time sped up, followed by the larger translucent balls bouncing up from the solid earth.

“It's been a privilege,” Hansum repeated, staring into Arimus's eyes, and the ground fell away.

“It's like riding a bicycle,” Lincoln shouted gleefully above the noise of the vortex. “Ya never forget.” He was referring to keeping his balance while falling through time. His arms were extended and his eyes sparkled with anticipation.

Hansum held his arms out too, keeping himself what felt like up-right. But his face was not animated like his friend's. He was surprisingly calm.

“Ya know what's weird?” Lincoln called. “I don't even feel nervous.”

“That's what training is all about,” Hansum answered. And it was true. They had been working extra hard the past month. Besides improving physically, Lincoln had mind-delved over one hundred people, and not once had he been detected. These skills and others were all part of the plan to rescue Guilietta.

“Okay, we should be there any moment,” Hansum announced. “Ready?”

Lincoln looked at him with a broad smile, and then he turned to his side, winking to where Medeea was. “Things couldn't be better,” he shouted gleefully. “I'm on an adventure with my best bud, Hansum, and my favorite girl, Med . . .”

Lincoln stopped mid-sentence. The vortex suddenly disappeared and they were not a few inches from the ground, like every other time they landed, but about six feet above terra firma. In the split second gravity allowed, they saw their surroundings, dark virgin forest, with trees towering above them and a tangle of underbrush coming up fast. Lincoln's broad smile changed to one of terror. They crash landed, Hansum falling on a narrow walking trail, while Lincoln hit the thicket. Hansum bent his knees and rolled to break his fall, but Lincoln had no such luck. He crashed into a tangle of bushes and, as his legs and arms hit, he became entangled in different parts of the shrubbery. One leg became ensnared, causing the rest of his body to twist violently as it continued downward. “Owooff!” The air was knocked out of him and his spine and free leg slammed onto massive tree roots.

“Lincoln!”
the injured youth heard Medeea's voice shout in panic.
“My Lincoln!”
and he felt billions of nano bits streaming though his body, all thrumming around to assess the damage. Lincoln groaned and tried to move.
“Stay still, my darling,”
Medeea said with urgency.
“Don't move. Let me . . .”

Of course, Lincoln tried to move, attempting to turn and push himself onto his elbows. “Owww!” he cried, falling back. “Frickin' frackin'!”

Hansum hurried over to Lincoln, but didn't touch him until his injury had been thoroughly assessed. Sideways's face looked quite worried.

“You've twisted one knee and torn the cartilage on the other,” Medeea advised. “And badly bruised your back.”

“I don't know what happened,” Sideways said. “My calculations have never been off before, not in the thousands of site transports and hundreds of vortex navigations I've managed.”

Lincoln felt a warm relaxation spread through his body. “Ah,” he sighed. He looked up at Hansum. “Med says she's having my body create its own analgesic and anti-inflammatory. She's also creating micro splints to hold things together, so I can continue the mission.” He looked up at Hansum. “Best laid plans, eh pal?”

“The first rule of executing a plan,” Hansum replied, repeating a line from their field training, “is to be prepared that nothing goes to plan. Maybe we should abort.”