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Chapter -18- Timely Complications

Twenty-five years ago...

"You're so conservative." Evan grabbed two suitcases and put them on a glass pushcart made with glass wheels on a glass axel. "I'm not saying it's a good or bad thing. I'm just saying if we're both doing the work, you should get half."

Johann Foster shrugged. "You're doing the hard part, and the old man gave you twenty-five dollars, man. You earned it, you keep it. Are you saying I'm conservative because I'm white? I don't get it. I always thought of myself as independent."

"It has nothing to do with you being white and me being black," Evan assured his friend. "You're bringing the bags down to the bus. You're still doing work. You should get half. That's the democratic way. We split it, we are a team." Evan took two more suitcases off the glass cart and eased them up onto the storage space beneath the enormous charter bus. "This tour group of old people really appreciates us offering to help load their bags for them. Giving back to the community is what makes us better than cops. They're paid to be heroes. But WE give back to the community."

Johann grinned and passed two more bags to Evan, watching him climb under the storage hatch of the large bus. "You're the one wedging those big heavy things in there. The driver gave YOU the money. You earned it, man. Keep it. I don't need half of twenty-five dollars. You're doing the hard part, you keep it. If that makes me conservative, then so be it. I believe that if someone works harder than the others, he should make the most. That's the heart of capitalism, man. I've heard of people in Vegas making six-digit-figures per year, busting their butts panhandling. The CEO of a company has to do a lot for a company AND they take liability for how well the company does. So they make the big bucks. That's how it should be."

Evan grinned, shook his head, and put two more bags up into the belly of the bus. "You and I work together - we're a team. I think the tip should be distributed evenly."

Johann laughed. "You're such a liberal."

"Funny how we are able to get along better than politicians despite our slight differences in our views." Evan loaded two more bags then climbed out from beneath the storage panel of the bus. He pulled it down and clicked the handle into place. "Wshew. That's all of them. What a workout." Evan approached his friend and fished out the tip money.

Johann held his hands up. "No, no, it's yours."

Evan counted out ten dollars from the twenty-five in his hand. "Then take SOME, man. You forget, I'm a business owner. I'm not strapped for cash by any means. This new chair I've been making ... it's so popular I can't even keep up with demand."

"Oh, wow, really?"

Evan nodded enthusiastically and put the ten dollars into Johann's hand. With a grin, he used his thumb to close Johann's hand into a fist. "Stop being stubborn. That's a conservative trait, too. You act too proud to accept a handout even when you did some of the work, too. Cut it out."

Johann smirked. "God, we really are different despite all our similarities. And you're also right - why can't politicians learn how to get along when they're publically preaching bipartisanship? Okay, so we helped out the local elderly tour-bus group. Now what?"

Evan shrugged. "We don't always have to hunt for bad guys. Sometimes helping people is the best way to give back to the community. Superman made time to get cats out of trees. Batman made huge donations to charities. In the comic book world, values are different. He wasn't doing it for the tax write-off. He was doing it because he believed in the charities. Bruce Wayne was a philanthropist AND a businessman."

Johann grinned. "Yeah, I guess you're right. So when does a superhero put their own needs first?"

"How do you mean? I need to do what I'm doing for a living. It's my calling. I'm already fulfilling my needs."

"I mean, let's say you have a family. What comes first? The wife and child? Or your duty to doing the right thing?"

Evan waved away the glass cart until it became a pile of sand on the sidewalk. He used his foot to shove it off the concrete walkway. "It's complicated and depends on the situation. You have to use common sense to prioritize. If you go out at 3am because your pregnant wife wants ice cream, and while you're out there is a robbery nearby ... you do your best to do both. But it isn't always that clear cut."

"So if you ever had to choose between your duty and your family, how do you choose?" Johann asked.

"You make sure your family is safe, first and foremost. Then you do your duty. But remember, there's a third thing to consider," Evan explained. "Yourself. If you get so burned out you can't be a father and husband, then you've let down your family. If you let yourself get so out-of-shape that you can't protect the innocent and stand by your code as a hero, then you've failed the world - you won't be able to do a good job when the time comes to act. So you've got to consider yourself, too. That means taking breaks and working out, and sleeping enough to have a sharp mind. All that stuff. Speaking of which," Evan trailed off then studied his friend's face. "Johann, you've got dark circles. Are you getting enough rest?"

"Sometimes. It's hard to sleep. We've been fighting people. We could die at any time. I've seen people dying. I saw that FBI agent shot. We're surrounded by chaos as of late. Plus, people like us ... they've been dying."

Evan frowned. "Benadryl. Get some rest each night. At least until you get yourself back on some sort of schedule. It's important you take care of yourself. Like, REALLY important, man."

Johann shrugged a bit. "I'm not having nightmares or anything. Evan, you helped me become the person I've always wanted to be, man. I used to be scared to death of dying. Like, I was a total coward. And you gave me a purpose and stuff. You make me feel like I can survive all the things I was scared of ... you know? I'm glad we met."

Evan held his hand out. He initiated a handshake and guided Johann through several maneuvers to make the handshake more intricate. "Like this. We need some sort of shake, brother."

Johann grinned halfway through the shake, and laughed as it became somewhat more intricate. "My first bromance. No homo."

Evan chuckled. "Yeah. Totally straight here. So anyway, let me go and find the old guy that runs the bus. They're in the diner across the street. I want to let them know everything is done, then we'll get moving."

"Hey but seriously, Evan..." Johann cleared his throat and pushed his hands into his pockets, releasing the ten dollars that was in his left hand. "What if you had to make a choice between your family's safety and your duty to be some sort of superhero ... how do you choose, man?"

"You do the most manly thing you can, Johann - you talk to your spouse, bro."

X

X

Friday, August 27, 2049 - midnight-ish New Atlantis ...

Evan rolled onto his side and scooted closer to his wife. He pressed his chest against her back and wrapped his arm around her then whispered into her ear. "You awake?"

Patience murmured softly. "Mm? You can't sleep again? Dozed off in your 'office' babe?"

"Yeah, something like that. Hey, I was just thinking ... and we should talk. It's important."

"What's on your mind?" she asked.

"Patty, are you happy here?"

Patience glanced back, over her shoulder, as if to look at him despite the bedroom being pitch dark. "Here? As in this city? Where we've made our life together?"

"So you're...?'

"Evan, I get to see things I've only ever dreamed about. And I think we made the right choice to stay here. But I've never been happy. The thing is, I'm not sure Aris Falcon was ever the bad guy. He believes he's the good guy in all of this. Which means someone convinced him he's doing the right thing. And let's face it, one day this city is going to be ground zero for something very bad and ... we have to think about our daughter. So at some point, we'll have to get out of here."

Evan gently tightened his arms around her from behind. "I'm glad we're on the same page about so many things. So you should probably know that the Parkers figured out how to get down here. They were looking for people - friends, family ... and Snipes brought it up. He said they were captured. He said they're 'gone.' I don't want to risk my family but I can't just ... I have a code and I haven't lived by it in a long time."

"Evan, you've been a prisoner every day for twenty-five years. You've been patient and biding your time. I know you have. I don't think you've ignored your code, I think you've been like Batman ... brooding and waiting in the shadows for the right time to act. Why didn't you tell me about the Parkers?"

"I was afraid something would happen and I would be implicated for talking to them. I gave you plausible deniability. I did it to keep you safe but I couldn't keep the secret from you forever. It feels weird hiding things from my wife."

"Good. Because keeping secrets is weird. But I appreciate why you did it, considering all the stuff we've seen and have learned about how life works down here." She paused then asked, "How old were you when you manifested your ability?"

Evan thought about it for a moment then said, "I was a preteen. I didn't even realize it was something unique at first. I used to use a magnet as a toy and I would cause patterns to occur in beach sand. I thought it was normal until a year or two later, when I learned in school how polarity and attraction works. And I kept it to myself, and soon realized I could do stuff with sand without using the magnet toy. It evolved by the beginning of high school."

"Don't you want to know why I asked?"

Evan leaned forward, resting his cheek against hers, gently clinging to her back. "Why'd ya' ask?"

"Nichole Parker was with me on a worksite one day. She turns to me and says, 'Just so you know, I can sense an ability in your kid, Mrs. Balmoral. You keep that girl in line.' And that same week, Nichole disappeared. I've not seen her since."

"She went topside for some mission and hasn't returned yet."

"Good. I hope she stays up there. To be honest, though, I'd rather switch with her."

Evan sighed softly. "Maybe if I didn't break like glass, twenty-five years ago, during the assault on this place ... maybe, just maybe, I would have helped the others make a difference. Maybe we would have won. But hey, there's one other thing I have to tell you."

"Hmm?'

Evan spoke in a soft tone, right into his wife's ear. "The Parkers managed to confirm something ... not all of us were captured."

"Wait, what?"

"I had a feeling, but now I know for sure ... some of the biggest power players of the group made it out. If we were to escape, we would have them to protect us."

"Evan..."

"I'm not suggesting we go topside and train for another assault on this city. I'm just saying ... if we did get out before this place becomes ground zero ... we'd have somewhere to go. Somewhere safe."

Silence.

"Patty?"

She reached up and gave his arm a gentle pat. "I have an idea."

"Oh?"

"I'll talk to Doctor Falcon. I'll tell him how my husband is growing depressed after twenty-five years of feeling useless for nine hours a day. I'll tell him that you and I talked, and that all my husband wants is to feel useful. Then, if he gives you a task, you can get out and stretch."

"I don't care about..."

"Evan, hush." She rolled over in his arms, facing him directly in the dark. "Once you're not held captive anymore, they'll have their eyes on you. They'll watch you close. I'll start figuring out how to escape. When the time is right, we'll create a diversion and cause the city to be locked down. You won't be in a cell. And we'll leave together. The hardest part will be our daughter."

"Wait, what do you mean? We're not leaving her."

Patience reached up and cupped his face. "You're right. Sorry. I don't know what I was thinking. You're right, we can't leave her. Still, first thing's first ... I need to convince them that you shouldn't be in that ... that goddamn cell anymore."

"You think they'll...?"

Patience kissed her husband then, in a muffled voice, said, "I have to try."

"I appreciate it."

"Good," she said. Her voice lowered to a sultry tone. Patience leaned up a bit and whispered into his ear. "Now kiss me like you love me. It's been too long since we've connected, Evan."

"Sorry, Patty. I guess I've been ... 'depressed' lately. You know any cures for depression?" he grinned and wiggled close, pressing himself against her.

"I'm sure we can think of something together."

"Sounds like a plan."

Patience grinned. "I know how you love having a plan. You're still my superhero."

"I am?"

"Always." And then she kissed him again.

X

X

Friday, August 27 - 10am PDT San Francisco ...

Conner Parker licked the inside of his teeth, brushing his tongue across three chipped teeth, and one broken tooth. With all the money he had, and all the prestige of his family, he still dreaded going to the dentist like anyone else. Having his teeth smashed out in the building collapse seemed somehow unfair.

He thought back on when he was first rescued. Having the vacuum tube shoved down between his lip and lower gum-line to pull out all the bits of loose rubble and debris ... Conner shifted his weight in the hospital bed and grunted softly.

"You're lucky, kid."

The voice startled Conner. His eyes popped open, looking up at Joseph Pendleton Sr.... The boy squinted with disdain. Memories flooded back from the night of the collapse. He suddenly recalled staring up at Pendleton that night, too.

Karla was mostly buried. There was an acrid smell. And Conner was surrounded by chunks of the broken building. He remembered Joe Sr. taunting him. He remembered the older man taking his cane, much to his chagrin, as if considering whether or not to take the staff then-and-there.

Joe's voice brought Conner back from the reverie. "Do you remember that night, kid? I should have taken your stupid staff with me. I said it would be too easy if I took it from you while you were helplessly covered in concrete. I said I'd rather wait until you're dead."

Conner narrowed his eyes again. "You also said I deserved it for hurting your son before you drove it right into my abdomen. I remember now. Then you shoved a chunk of concrete over me, thinking you'd just cover me up like trash. But guess what? That saved me?"

"Oh, did it now?" Joe smirked. "How so?"

"It put pressure on the wound. I didn't bleed out."

"Oh, well in THAT case..." Pendleton withdrew a century-old Lugar and pointed it in Conner's face. "I'll fix my mistake right now."

The front end of his handgun began to glow orange and the barrel bent downwards, sealing itself. The heat went into the rest of the frame, causing Joe to throw the pistol on the floor. He brought his left hand to his right, favoring his burnt palm. "What the hell?"

Sinopa Guillot stood in the doorway to the room, arms crossed. She wore a violet kimono with butterflies hand-painted around the bottom. Their eyes met. She recognized the man instantly.

James Parker and Dawn Razin stood behind her. Reno Nevada moved into the doorframe, behind everyone else. His body glowed brightly - Reno disappeared and teleported himself inside the room, at Sinopa's side. "You really should learn to whisper, pal."

Joe sneered in aggravation. "Fine. I'll leave, but this isn't over."

"You're _not_leaving," said Sinopa. "At least not of your own will. You've attacked my grandson who defended himself against your boy. He came to visit your son to extend an olive branch. And you tried to kill Conner out of greed. You have two options. Take your life, or I will take it for you."

"You weird Shinto bitches and your stupid fascination with suicide. You'll have to catch me to kill me."

"Stop," Conner said. "He's family." He looked back up at the man by his bed. "We'll finish this personally when I'm back on my feet. It's only fair."

"Oh, no, I'd love to fight your friends, boy."

Reno opened his hands and created a brilliant arc of current between his palms. "Good. I'm ready when you are, pal."

Conner lifted his hands, gingerly. "Guys, come on. Grandma, tell them. Tell them it's my honor to fight my nemesis."

"Nemesis?" Joe balked at the term. "Is that how you see your family?"

"Hey, he's got family," James cut in. "And it isn't you."

Conner pushed his tongue into the gap where one of his front teeth had been shattered during the collapse. He locks his gaze with Pendleton then casually reached over to his nightstand and pressed a button to open the window to his bedroom.

The window grunted softly on its track, sounding like a bleating goat, until opening all the way. Conner nodded towards the window. "Leave."

Joe glanced over his shoulder then back at Conner. "You'll regret letting me leave as much as I regret not taking the staff from you when I had the chance."

"You know, I was actually going to bring you a piece of Orichalcum after taking the headdress. I was doing to bring it by as a peace offering. I've changed my mind. You can have it all - if you ever find the vault, that is."

"Is that so?" Joe backed his way to the window. "It shouldn't take long to find it."

"There are a _lot_of small islands in the Pacific Ocean. You'll have to investigate them all. It's not like we have a neon sign out on display to let you know which one it is."

Joe smirked. "It Batman had the balls to kill the Joker, Bruce Wayne would have saved a lot of lives in advance, boy. You opening the window was a dumb move."

"I have to agree," said Reno. He held his hands towards Pendleton. "I'll fix that right now."

"You think you can hit me?" asked Joe.

"You think you can move faster than the speed of light?" Reno released some pent up current. The discharge struck the window frame, electrifying the sill.

Joe glanced over his shoulder at the glowing square around the window. He arched his back and dove through without touching the frame.

Reno took a step towards the window and electrically teleported across the room. He put his hands on the sill, absorbing the current back into his body. "Damn, that guy moves pretty fast, just between all of us here." He watched the man zip across the grounds and disappear into the tree-line behind the mansion. "That was a three story drop. He dropped to all fours and landed it like a ninja, man."

"Impressed?" James approached Reno and glanced over Nevada's shoulder to see through the window. Jaye frowned with disappointment, having missed Pendleton's retreat. "His son is pretty fast, too. I learned that the hard way."

Dawn balled her left hand into a fist. "That's the father of the guy that stabbed you?"

Jaye frowned. "Yeah, that was him."

She took a deep breath to calm herself. "What an asshole."

"Hai," Sinopa agreed. "Jonathan's father had a shaky détente with the Pendleton family. Jonathan was approached by Joseph, who was quite young at the time, seeking to be trained. When Jonathan refused to allow Joseph entrance into the family vault, the boy became resentful and broke into my home and stole from my husband several times."

Conner eased back against his pillows and sighed. "Thanks, everyone, for coming. Sorry I let all of you down. I know you guys needed me for this attack against Aris Falcon but I sort of ruined everything." He pushed his tongue into the gap where his tooth was missing.

"We'll figure something out," said Reno. "You're not out of the woods yet, bud. But you'll be back in the race. I have a good feeling. I've seen some crazy stuff, man. Just stay positive."

"Hai. Reno-san is quite correct. Having a positive attitude is key at this time, Conner. Please don't worry yourself. We will find someone to help heal you somehow."

Dawn sat down on Conner's bed and looked him over. "How're you feeling?"

"I'm worried about where my cane is at."

Dawn grinned. "I've already done that. I hacked into the computer for the British authorities. James and I went there and took it from their evidence locker."

Conner's eyes widened. "You guys went and stole my cane back? For me? Oh, guys, holy crap, I could kiss you!"

Dawn held her hands up with an awkward expression. "Let's uh ... let's not go there. I've seen a little too much, thanks to your girlfriend. More than I ever wanted to know. Not to mention kissing you in Hawaii."

"Oh. Right, sorry. It was an expression."

"Yeah. I know. Still. Weird."

"Right." Conner nodded. "Right, of course. No worries. So. Where is it?"

Sinopa chimed in. "I have it downstairs. Also, Karla-san called today. She found the family member whose help we will need. She feels as though it was too easy to have found him, but as Reno-san has deduced, a man who can move through time would know when and where he would be sought out. He made himself available to us when looking for him. They are already in the area, and will be coming by this evening."

"Where are they now?"

Reno cleared his throat. "They're looking for this guy that ... it's a long story. They're also trying to find out who killed or abducted Lance Patterson. But I'm told there is some sort of negative-energy field around the area that keeps the guy from going back and warning Lance."

"Negative energy?" asked Conner. "How's that even work?"

"Hell if I know," Reno said with a shrug. "Lance has books on all sorts of crap at his place. The Pineal Gland and how it helps some of us have abilities. Dark matter, and negative energy, and how it can be used to create shadows the way the Loupe family is known to do, and now we're finding out that it can also be used to stop time traveling from occurring in a certain region. I don't really understand that kind of stuff. Hell, I might be saying it wrong, too. Somehow, Karla's uncle can't go back and stop Lance from disappearing, and he can't warn Lance, either. It's complicated."

Dawn frowned. "Like in Doctor Who - it's a fixed point." She paused and looked at the way everyone stared at her. Dawn scowled and said, "So what? I'm a nerd. Deal with it." She cleared her throat then added, "By the way, I've changed my name. It's ... it was easier to reinvent myself after losing touch with my identity. I figured I'd tell you all, while you're all together. I'm going by Rachel, now."

No one said anything.

"Glad nobody is acting weird about that, good."

Conner offered her a soft smile. "Thanks for coming here. It sucks being injured and in bed. I really appreciate the support."

Dawn smiled and slid off the side of his mattress. "I appreciate your appreciation, Conner." She looked to James then nodded towards the doorway. "Let's give him some time with his grandmother. C'mon. I say we walk the perimeter and see if that douchebag is still hanging around."

James walked away from the window and headed for the door with Dawn. "You got it, Rachel."

"Please be careful," Sinopa said in a soft tone.

Reno looked from Conner to Sinopa and back. "I'll go with them and make sure they don't get into anything they can't handle."

"Thank you, Reno-san." She bowed.

Reno returned the slight bow and left the room.

Conner rubbed his tongue into the empty gap between his teeth again. He trailed his tongue tip along his row of teeth where another of his teeth was chipped then eased it back to the missing one. "This sucks."

"I agree. But I almost lost you, Conner. After losing so many others, I was quite besides myself to hear that you were on your deathbed."

"I'm sorry I made you cry."

"I thought I would cry," she said. "I did not. I was very, very calm. I prepared myself for such a loss in advance. I was elated that you survived. I only cried when I learned you pulled through."

"I'm really glad you guys got the cane back for me. I can't begin to tell you how dumb I feel for having lost it. I'm going to take it back to the vault."

"Iie," she said, pronouncing the word to sound like, 'Ee-yuh.' Sinopa settled on the edge of his bed where Dawn ... where Rachel sat moments ago. She reached for his hands and gently ran her thumb over his knuckles. "Conner ... the staff is a part of who you've become. I will not stand in your way if you wish to continue using it."

He smiled at his grandmother. "You said you've. You used a contraction."

She smiled in return. "I am trying. For now, you should rest."

"What're you going to do?"

Sinopa gave his hands a gentle squeeze. "I received a call from Tamamo. She is ready to find her Egyptian friend. I will take the headdress to Egypt and find the lioness warrior. We will need her help."

"I get to meet her?"

"Of course, Conner. Rest up and do your best to heal. You will need your strength when the time comes."

"Thanks for the help. Are you bringing Tamamo here afterwards?"

"I am."

Conner grinned. "I look forward to it."

Sinopa replied with a knowing grin. "I can only imagine." She leaned down and kissed his forehead. "Take care." She stood up, adding, "I will leave Kuda here to watch over you," and walked out of his bedroom.

Conner reached over to his nightstand and pressed a button. The window grunted in the rails and slid shut. A mechanical hum was followed by a soft whine - the lock moved into place.

Silence.

He closed his eyes and willed himself to relax again. Sleep came easy this time.

X

X

Friday - 11:40am PDT San Francisco ...

_ _ "Just take 101 until you get to that marker. We're in a field; you can't miss us. See you soon," said Karla. She thumbed the screen of her smartwatch and turned to Raul. Karla ran her fingers over her blouse then gave a tug at the hem to free it of wrinkles. "Reno is on his way here."

"Muy bien, Karla." Raul looked down, first looking over his niece and the way she was dressed in the blouse and short skirt, then to the body by their feet. "I like your contemporary late 1990s fashion. I see it's making another come back this year."

"Yeah, for the third time. So, our guy is dead. What does that even mean? How do you kill someone who moves through time like that?"

"I do not know who could have done this to him, Karla, but look at his lips and face. As blue as the lettering on his jacket."

"Yeah. I saw."

He tilted his head. "Karla, you've killed people before. Why does it bother you now?"

"When I kill, it's out of self-defense. So, in my mind, I've already written those people off as a threat, and I made them sub-human in my eyes. I get it - this guy is ... was a bad guy. But he's got that empty accusing stare in his eyes. When I kill people, I don't look them in the face afterwards. I move on and think of it like I just killed a snake out in the garden."

"They aren't vermin. They're sentient people with families and favorite sports teams."

"Yeah. Well, I'm not looking down at him right now because he's facing up. And I won't move him or close his eyes or touch him because Reno was a homicide cop and he needs to see everything the way it was. So ... yeah."

"Karla, you still have your humanity. I'm glad for you."

She walked away from the body and crossed her arms beneath her ample bust, which strained at the blouse she wore. "I introduced myself to you as Keturah. After you sobered up, you called me Karla."

"I told you, Nathanial Carrington talked of you. We met again after you changed from your cavalier way of living. It was the war in the summer of 1908. You're telling me you don't remember?"

"It was a long time ago. It was the last time I saw my father. I thought I was about to drop dead from age at any time, because I was exactly double the age of everyone else from my lineage. Save for my father, of course."

"Si, your father lived that long because I brought him into the future. You are sure he's still alive?"

"He called me in 1999. And Nichole Parker said she saw him recently. So yes, he's still alive. He _has_to be."

"I ... how can you both be immortal? I don't understand."

"I sure as hell don't understand, either. And stop staring at my ass."

Raul pivoted, facing away from her. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"You're a piss-poor liar."

"Si, that is true. So, Karla, are you still only on your third child?"

"What?" She turned back to face him, and approached her uncle from behind. "You've seen the future? I have more?"

"Well, yes. But not for some time."

Karla came alongside of him and eyed her mother's brother. "God this is confusing."

"How so? You move on."

"Yeah by having two more."

"Two?"

"I'm only at two right now. A girl and a boy."

"Oh. Shit. Sorry." He reached up and tucked a lock of her hair behind her left ear. "You have a third for a while, then you have a fourth at some point."

"If you've seen that far ahead, why are you so weirded-out by the fact I'm an old succubus now?"

"I thought someone moved you through time the way I did with your father. At least that's what you told me at the time. It's quite a number of years from now. I simply assumed there was a split in the time-stream, and that one of you died from old age, and the other was moved forward through time. I usually try to stop time fragments like that. It's become my purpose in life. But I let that one happen because you're family."

"Oh. I see. _Now_you're suddenly sentimental."

"What are you wanting from me, Karla? Anyhow, yes you have more children. Apparently two more. Possibly to replace the two you have lost now - you never talked about your first two in the future."

"So is my future husband the love of my life?"

"How do you mean?" he asked.

"It's one of those questions I have about life. Am I supposed to fall in love, or am I supposed to find the one? Aristotle said love is a single soul composed of two bodies. And I've only felt that once, in 1999. He died a month later - gave his life to protect me, or so I'm told."

"Karla ... maybe you settle. Maybe your future husband is reincarnated, because the other half of his soul, you, still wonders the Earth. Maybe you have to die together to enter Heaven - if Aristotle is correct, that is."

"That's a romantic notion," she said in a soft tone. "I thought you are a womanizer."

"A hopeless romantic, perhaps. Why, if a man is a flirt and sensual, is he disregarded as using women ... but if a women does the same to men, she is considered a prize?"

"She's not a prize, she's a trollop who plays with men's emotions. A slut. A jezebel."

"No, she is sought after. She is desired. Men who cannot have her want what they cannot have."

"Let's agree to disagree."

"Si, let's. So, then, perhaps you fall in love again, in the future, with a reborn version of the one. Let us hope, hmm?"

"Yeah. So I move through time to get there?"

"I thought so."

"That means I disappear off the map for a while. You think I die. And then I appear again, meaning you thought I move through time."

"Conceivably."

Karla frowned. "Maybe I'm caught and I'm frozen by Aris Falcon. But then I somehow get free at some point and start my life over."

"Perhaps. Wait ... frozen?"

"You didn't know about that?"

"I never asked."

Karla rubbed her face. "Fair enough, hon."

"Hey!" The voice belonged to Reno Nevada.

Karla turned away from her uncle, seeing a blue Chevy Chevelle down by the tree line at the end of the meadow. She smiled and waved him over.

Reno took a step towards them and then disappeared. The ankle-high grass browned from the electricity. Reno formed adjacent to the body and knelt besides it. "Hey, how's it going? Give me a moment. I'm going to see what stands out - looks like this guy couldn't breathe, but I don't see any strangulation marks. He has no defensive marks, either."

"Nathanial! Look at you, amigo! Young and fit! You see? You were worried about getting old!"

Karla furrowed her brows, looking at Reno then back towards her uncle. "Holy shit. Why didn't I see the similarity until now? I mean, I thought you guys looked alike, but ... I can see how Raul would mistake you two for being the same person."

"Yeah, well, I'm being compared to him a lot," said Reno, adding, "and it's starting to get annoying. Kalen says we're related. And I didn't try hard enough to save the old man. So let's just put that to rest, huh?"

"You're not Nathan?" asked Raul.

"No. Sorry to disappoint you. Although Karla legally changed my name to his while I was in a coma. So I guess I'm Nathan, now."

Raul approached Reno and the body and offered his hand. "Raul Poliandro."

"Reno Nevada." Reno reached up and took the hand. After a quick shake he started looking over the body again.

"Geeze, really? Karla did you a favor by changing your name, amigo."

"Yeah, yeah. So ... this is definitely the guy from the other day. Looks like he died from loss of oxygen." Reno eased the man's mouth open and pushed a finger down to the back, just beyond the uvula. "He didn't choke or anything that I can tell. I need to get his body back to Wilfred. One doesn't just die from loss of air without good cause."

Karla swallowed with a frown. "Are his lungs collapsed?"

Reno shrugged. "X-ray vision ... yeah, I didn't get that power. Again, we have to get the body to Wilfred. Why do you ask?"

"I just realized Nichole might have found him before we did."

"My ... my Nichole?"

"Yeah. I tagged her with a radioisotope. We've been tracking her to see if she'd go home. Instead, she refused to fall for the trap and found Rufus. I thought she was up in Washington State. If she came down here and took this guy's ability then we're all in a shit-ton of trouble."

Reno took off his gloves and ran his hands up through his hair. "I'm kind of torn. I want to see her but ... I don't want to have to fight her again. I know she's probably a clone or something but ... it's still Nichole. I was going to put a ring on that girl's finger."

"I'm sorry," said Raul with a frown. "That sounds rough."

"Yeah. It's bullshit."

Raul furrowed his brows. "You even sound like Nathanial."

Reno rolled his eyes. "Here we go again. Yeah, I know. I'm like ... his illegitimate son. Stop the comparisons. I'm never gonna live up to the guy's accomplishments, I know that much already."

"So now what?" Karla asked.

Reno rubbed his face. "So can you go back in time or whatever? Isn't that your thing? Let's go back to when this guy got killed and see if it was her."

"I'm afraid I cannot. This area is cast in an energy that..."

"Yeah," Reno said, cutting off Raul. "I heard about that already. I thought that was in Europe? It's here, too?"

"Si. I can move forward or back by moments. It's very frustrating and limiting."

"Goddammit. This is bullshit. Okay, let's get this body to Wilfred. We need to close ranks, you guys. I want to find Rufus and everyone else we can ... we need to circle the wagons and all that."

"Oh?" Karla thought for a moment then nodded decisively. "That sounds like a good idea to me. I've been wanting to get the band back together for a while."

"Yeah," said Reno, "it's time for a return of the titans. That's the only way we're going to survive this shit."

"I'm down with that, sweetheart." Karla frowned. "You brought a bag for the body?"

"Yeah, I've got something to put him in. I don't want to mess up the car." Reno gestured for them to hold tight. "I'll bring the car out here. Be right back."

Karla turned back to Raul and frowned. "I watched Nathan grow old. That's how I remember him, I guess. God that's weird. Anyway, I'll introduce you to the rest of the gang. We're staying at the Parker Mansion. Can you stick around and stay sober?"

"Maybe just a little. But I have to get back to my day job, sobrina."

"Which is?"

"Stop people from fucking with the time stream."

"I thought you said you can't move forward or back except for a few minutes?"

"It's difficult to explain, Karla. I can go into the distant past and future. I can move through the minutes. But I cannot go days, weeks, or months at this point. It's frustrating."

"Well, at least stick around for a little while."

"A little while," he agreed. "I can do that for you."

"Thanks, hon."

"I'll stay for ... a kiss?"

"Get real, slimeball." Karla turned away with a smirk. "Not you; not ever."

---

Penultimate Chapter: https://www.sofurry.com/view/760891