AllFreeNovel
Share Us
"All secured, sir," I said, breaking the standoff.
"Let's get dressed, then," Bryan said, eyes still locked with Mr Black's. "We've got a Russian asshat to locate and thwart."
"What do you mean 'get dressed'?" Mr Black asked, the tension in the Vehicle ratcheting down with those words — a sure indication that Black wasn't going to press the landing — which was ironic because I was getting a bad feeling about where this was going.
"We can't step out of the Vehicle dressed in International Orange jumpsuits, now can we?" Bryan said. "We need to blend in wearin' contemporary clothin'."
"No one is exiting the Vehicle," Black said.
"Ah, yes we are," Bryan said.
"No, you're not."
"We can't fix Time if we don't know what's gone wrong. But even if we could, this rip is undoubtedly the result of Lunik and if we don't stop Lunik getting what they want, then we risk our time and the Academy. We've got no choice, Black, but to exit this Vehicle and stop Sergei Ivanov."
"You could make Time. From scratch. You don't need to stop anyone. Let them do what they came here to do, and then simply make Time after they're gone."
"After Ivanov steals Luna's secrets, you mean," I snapped.
"No need to get so riled, Miss Wylde."
"It'sDrWylde," both Bryan and I said together.
Black waved his hand dismissively. "It wasn't Dr Wylde last night, was it?" He gave me a look that said he wasn't buying my recent and sudden promotion. I arched my brow back at him and dared him to pass comment. I bethedidn't have a Masters in Science and a half-written legitimate Ph.D in Biology that, combined with my time at RATS so far, equated to a semi-legitimate Ph.D in Physics, majoring in Time Travel, of course.
My glare beat his. He looked away first. Ostensibly to face off against the Surgeon; clearly a bigger threat than me.
"No one will be exiting the Vehicle," he said just as Grumpy managed to release his buckle and stand up.
The Idiot palmed a pistol in a smooth move that proved youcouldteach a mindless ape to do tricky things and they'd make it look good.
Bryan slowly raised his hands. "Let's all take a step down the looney ladder. Aside from a bullet bein' lethal, this is a technically sensitive machine. One bullet in the wrong place and we're stranded at best, expanded particles at worst. Trust me, you don't want that. Holster the weapon, big guy, and we can talk about all of this."
"There's nothing to discuss," Black said. "You will wait for the rip to complete its tear and then make Time. Then we will fly back to RATS none the worse for wear."
"That's ridiculous," Fawkes snapped. "This rip could tear Time apart if we delay."
"Then start fixing it now. Stop that from happening."
"You have no idea what you're talkin' about. Mimi, get changed."
"Belay that, Wylde," Black snapped. "You move an inch and Harvey has permission to shoot you."
I eyed Grumpy, who was clearly called Harvey. It didn't soften him to me at all. He grinned threateningly and stroked his pistol, letting me know exactly how excited he was to have permission to harm me.
"That's uncalled for," Fawkes said. "We have a job to do and you're preventin' us from doin' it. Time ain't an old pair of socks we can simply stitch back together when they're holey. There're consequences" — I thought perhaps he'd used that word on purpose — "to simply ignorin' what caused the rip and placin' a Bandaid over it. If this is Lunik, and I would wager my left testicle that it is, then they're after Luna's secrets. Secrets that lead to Orion that ultimately lead to time travel. We let that lunatic get his hands on those secrets and it's lights out for RATS and possibly for Time itself. Are you prepared to let that happen, Black?"
"Making Time will fix this rip. Stepping out of the Vehicle is an unnecessary risk."
Fawkes stared at Black while Grumpy stroked his pistol and the sine wave on the main viewscreen started to pulse a bright orange.
"You really believe that," Fawkes whispered. "The PM believe that, too?"
"There's no argument to be had here, Dr Fawkes," Black insisted. "You know as well as I that making Time will fix this rip just as well as risking your lives to run around like headless chickens in contemporary time to satisfy a misplaced sense of curiosity."
"Well, you see, you're wrong right there, Black. 'Cause it ain'tmakin'Time, it'sremakin' Time. So, if you can't even getthatright, how the hell can you be right about anythin'?"
"You know what I mean," Black snapped.
