A Fortunate Accident – Chapter 31

It’s our turn to infiltrate the enemy camp and see what we can learn.

Once the sun has set, Luca leads us all to the outskirts of the nearest military camp. Yes, we keep tabs on them, too. The difference is that we watch them so we can avoid them. They watch us so they can hound us, steal what we’ve learned, and kill a few people along the way. We’re decidedly more pacifist.

Even though the sun has set, Belem, Rio’s moon, and the glittering rings fill the sky, making everything glow. We assembled a small team for this — Luca and two of his men, two of our lab techs who will spy on the labs on the other side of the compound, and Saif and Kalvin, who wouldn’t let me go without them. Takemo and India are helping our location pack up and move while we do this.

What are we doing? Hell, if I know.

My idea was to just get here and figure it out as we go.

“Did I say I love danger?” Kalvin whispers as we approach the fence on the outskirts of the base. He stops and pulls back his boot as a snake slithers across our path. I grab his shirt and hide behind him. “Oh, holy fucking shit, that was close.”

I squeeze him and bury my face in the back of his shirt. “I hate snakes.”

“You and me both.”

“Get down, you two,” Saif warns, “or I’ll be the only one left in this network by the end of the night.”

“Sorry,” I mouth to him.

We crouch down and peer through the fence at the back of the compound.

“What do you see?” I whisper to Luca.

Luca gets on all fours and leans forward, his head practically at the fence.

“Hmmm, mess tent. Maybe some storage? Hard to tell since the bastards don’t have to move as much as we do.” He sits back on his heels. “Let’s go right and circle around. Our other team is on the opposite side.”

We move right, skirting around the outside edge until we reach a point with a guard and have to stop. I lie on my belly and peer through the underbrush, hoping I won’t encounter anything poisonous along the way.

Five minutes later, the guard moves on to a spot much farther down. I let out a long-held breath.

“What about now? Any ideas?” I ask Luca.

His grimace shines in the wan light. “I don’t know. Nothing’s really sparking anything. If only I had a clue about what to do. Are we supposed to break in? Or gather intelligence or what? We made it out of that scrape the other morning by the skin of our teeth. I don’t want to get caught again. I’m surprised we weren’t caught before.”

Ding, ding, ding!

We have a winner.

“Hey, what happened on our trek the other day?” I whisper. “I figured we were done for. They had guns trained on us, and we had nothing to defend ourselves except to run.”

“I…,” he begins and trails off. “You’re right. None of us got hurt. What happened?”

He sits and thinks for a long moment. I say nothing because I don’t want to bother his thought process. Something is sparking a memory here. I’m not sure what it is, though.

He turns to his man and rests a hand on his arm.

“Did it sound like their guns jammed when we were running away?” he asks.

The guy perks up. “Yeah. Yeah, boss. I heard cursing, and the shooting stopped.”

“Right, right.” Luca nods, his eyes focused far off. “And that one guy who ran after us? He stopped after a bit. I wonder if maybe he had gotten sick or something.” He turns to me. “That happens a lot on Rio — random sicknesses. Usually puking or diarrhea. The plants here get in everything, including the water supply.”

A plan starts to form — bullets and water.

“Okay, then. We need to find their armory and their water supply.”

Kalvin gasps. “Good idea, Skylar. I like where you’re going with this.”

“Jam the guns and poison the water?” Saif asks. “You think that will work?”

“It already has,” I say, smiling at him.

We traverse the side of the military’s camp, under bushes, crawling past downed tree trunks, and avoiding every guard we can. A dog barks; we hide again. But the dog moves farther into camp.

“Seems quiet,” Luca says, his eyes narrowing at the expanse of the camp in front of us.

“Maybe everyone turned in early?” I whisper.

A door flies open on a nearby building, and a man flies across the lawn like his pants are on fire. He opens a door and slams it behind him. The dog barks again. I catch the scent of onions. Hmmm.

Luca taps me on the shoulder.

“There,” he says, pointing to the building to the right of where the man just entered. “That’s their water supply. It backs up to the mess tent. Potable water will all be in one place.” He points to each of the buildings. “There are tanks at each private building for non-potable water for washing. It’s boiled and filtered, but only the drinking water is processed further.”

“Okay.” I commit the location to memory.

We circle even more to the left, and Luca stops us again.

“That’s the armory.”

My stomach sinks. Two men stand on either side of the door with their giant guns at the ready. A vehicle, armed to the teeth, sits right next door. I bet it’s guarded night and day.

I sit down on my knees and face away with my eyes closed. This is a challenging task, but it’s not impossible.

And what do I have to lose here? Honestly, if I died tomorrow, it would affect no one. Dominic would be happy he wouldn’t have to deal with me. My mother? I’m not sure how grief-stricken she’d be. Vivian would definitely miss me. Marcelo might shed a tear, but he’d go on to help Lia build her network. Carlos would miss me, but Vivian would take care of him. Kalvin and Saif? Well, I know they care, and they want to stick around. But I haven’t committed them to a contract, and they’re both young enough. They’d move on. Everyone else would just continue to exist without me. Even my brothers and sisters.

I have nothing to lose.

“How far is it back to camp?” I ask.

“Uh, about two kilometers?” Luca says. “Give or take.”

I shake my head. “That’s too far. I’ll never make it there and back in the time it takes for the plant to wear off. Hmmm. Wait. Which way should I go?”

He points back. “You should be able to pick up the trail.”

I tip my head up and gaze at the rings of Rio while I think. I need to trust my gut and do something. Whether I live or die today, this place means something to me now.

“You don’t have to do this,” Saif says, sitting across from me.

“I’ve already done this.”

I pull the plant from my pocket and pop it into my mouth.

—-

Okay, so time is not an issue, right? Because I can control it. I need to divorce myself from time and think instead about distance and my own abilities. I can walk two kilometers safely, especially if time is standing still and I won’t be attacked by animals. And I have enough of the plant to last me a lengthy time. So I’ll continue to ingest it and keep myself in this state as long as I can.

I stand up, and they all look at me.

Stop.

The world is sucked free of noise, all in a blink. Everyone and everything stops — the trees, the camp, the universe. I step out of the way and off to the side before changing things.

Reverse, reverse, reverse.

My team disappears, walking backwards into the bushes we just came from.

Faster. Dammit. I want to see the sun.

The sky lightens after a few breaths, and the sun climbs back up overhead. I wait until it’s midday, and then slow time to a stop again.

Okay. Time to hike. Now that I can see where I’m going, and nothing is moving, I should be okay. I remember how we got here, and our camp is not that far. I just need to put one foot in front of the other.

It’s super strange traversing the jungle when it’s still. I pass birds in mid-flight, insects hovering in the air, and a snake on its way up a tree. Eek. I don’t even want to think of them in the trees at all.

As long as I have the plant in me, I have all the time in the world. To keep its magic in my bloodstream, I eat another as I draw closer to camp. As I suspected, I feel pretty good while eating the plant. It gives me energy and removes any leftover pain from my previous jaunt through the jungle.

Luca and his men are doing their usual thing when I arrive. They have their own operations tent so I head straight there. Glancing at the clock on the wall, it’s a little after lunchtime.

Start time again.

“Ah!” Luca cries out and jumps away from me. “Jesus, Skylar. Are you part ninja or something? I didn’t see you there.”

“I wasn’t here,” I say and shake my head with a smile. “We’re going on a mission later to fix a few things. I’m going to need to jam their guns.”

“Whose?”

“The military.”

Luca pauses. “I don’t get it.”

“Try not to think too hard.” Holding back a laugh is tough. “I need something that I can put in their guns so they jam. Sorry. I know little about weapons, so I’m not sure what to ask for.”

They all stare at me for a long moment. Hello! Snap out of it!

“The training rounds, sir,” one guy says. “We can load up some magazines with a few of them. That’ll jam them, assuming you remember what they were carrying.”

“Sure. Yeah. I do.” Luca scratches his head. He’s definitely thinking too hard.

“Great. Perfect. You go do that.” I clap my hands at them. “Chop, chop. I haven’t got all day.”

I actually do, come to think of it.

“Boss?” the one guy asks, but Luca waves them off, so they leave.

“Are you…? Um, what?” Luca asks, rubbing at his chin’s stubble.

“Like I said. Don’t ask and don’t think about it. It’ll all make sense in a few hours. I promise. I’m going to wait outside.”

With me out of eyesight, I speed up time by twenty minutes when I notice the men returning. They drop several magazines into my hands.

“Just swap these out for whatever they’re using. That should do the trick.”

“Thanks. I’ll see you guys later.”

“Uh, sure. See you then, Ms. Skylar.” They wave as they walk off. I put the magazines in my pockets, my bra, my waistband, wherever I can fit them, eat some more of my plant, slow down time again, and head back to the military camp.

Returning is much easier now that I’ve walked the same way twice. I keep a brisk pace and my eyes on the path. With nothing but me moving in time, though, I’m better able to hear my own thoughts and relive my past errors. I’m already sick of my mistakes lately. They tumble in my head, over and over.

I really lost it last night, and the shame of my breakdown in front of the guys coats me from head to toe. I’m not supposed to doubt my own memories, and every time I do, it will introduce more doubts into my relationships, too. It’s so hard to stay strong and resilient when it’s me against the universe. I’m the only one who experienced these things. A few others witnessed them, but they’re not coming to my rescue. It’s only me.

How can I possibly win?

My mind is wandering all over the place — from my breakdown to the space probe to sex — by the time I return to the military camp.

Okay, time to get back to work. I eat more of the plant again, in case my increased activity caused it to metabolize faster, and I find the armory. Picking a spot behind a tree on the outside of the fence, I reverse time and speed it up to see what happens.

I shield my eyes as I go through night and day again. I’m starting to get a headache, so I hope that’s normal. My stomach hollows out, so hungry it could eat itself. I watch the armory become a hive of activity for a short while, then soldiers leave it in reverse. While they’re gone, people come and go from the labs and the mess tent and the infirmary. Everything looks like an ordinary day in military land.

I have to go farther back. Reverse, reverse… and here! It’s morning, and the men return to the armory, leave behind their guns, and then retreat to the mess tent.

Pause.

I test out the jungle; nothing is moving. I walk over in front of the guard standing next to the gate. He’s frozen still. Good. I sneak past him and inside, heading right for the armory. The soldiers are standing guard as I enter the building.

I gasp. Oh shit.

It’s Nina Correa, Gus’s mom. She’s sitting at a desk, her eyes trained on her datapad. She was the one who got the Amagi hijacked a few years ago, and it ended up a skeleton on Neve. My blood boils for a brief moment before I examine her closely. She’s hardly the person she was years ago. She’s gaunt, her skin pale and gray. Her blond hair is in a limp ponytail, and she’s lost a lot of weight. The military put her in prison for a few years after the stunt she pulled on Neve, helping us out on the military base. What’s she doing out? She doesn’t look happy.

I ignore her for a moment and hide behind a nearby cargo carrier. Speeding up time, I watch to see where the men get their guns and ammunition. The door opens, and the men come in. Nina stands up.

“Is everything set?” one man asks Nina.

She nods. “We sent someone back and got intel on when the blockade runner will return with the Kawabata woman.”

I blink my eyes a few times at ‘Kawabata woman.’ Obviously, that’s me, and she knows who I am. Why won’t she call me by my first name? Too informal?

“Remember, this is a snatch and grab. Do not, under any circumstances, shoot to kill or even wound them. You need to take her into custody and bring her back here.”

The man nods. “Yes, Ms. Correa.”

I wince. Ouch. The military stripped Nina of her rank. No more Commander Correa. I edge to the side, and, yeah, she’s wearing civilian clothes. What the hell is going on? She must have made some kind of bargain with the military to get out of jail. What was it?

The men grab guns and ammo from a locker on the far wall, so I stop time again, run it backwards and freeze once they’re outside. Nina has her feet propped up at the desk, reading from her datapad, like before.

I cross to the armory closet and open the doors. I take out all the magazines and replace them with the ones I’m carrying in my pockets, my bra, and my waistband. Carefully, I arrange everything like it was before and close the closet door, making sure it looks exactly the same. I grab an empty bag, place the military’s magazines in it, cinch it up tight, and leave it in a different locker.

But when I turn to face Nina, I get an idea. I need to leave her a note. She looks unhappy, and if she’s working for the military out of spite, then maybe we can convince her to become an ally. There is a stack of paper on the desk and pens, and it makes me chuckle. Only the military uses paper anymore because they like the impermanence of it. Once something is on the duonet, it’s there forever.

I grab a piece of paper and a pen, and I write, “Meet me on Laguna in five days. You know where. Skylar.” I fold it up in little squares and slip it into the pocket on the shirt she’s wearing.

I turn to leave, and once my back is turned, my skin prickles.

“Skylar.”

I jump and whirl around. The voice was definitely Nina’s, but she’s still frozen in time where I left her. What the fuck? I stare at her for a long few breaths, but nothing happens.

Maybe I imagined it. Move on, Skylar.

Get going!

Leaving the armory, I stride across the grass, find an interesting looking bush on the outskirts of the military compound and strip its leaves until I have an armful of them. Getting them into the water supply is a pain, and I’m sweating buckets by the time it’s over. I’ve lived three days in the last several hours. I hope there’s a nap in my future.

Outside of the camp, I find a sheltered place close to where I left everyone, and speed time back up again until my team enters the area. Watching myself gives me the chills, and then I blink out.

“Shhh, it’s me,” I say, approaching them crouched down. “It worked.”

“But…” Saif points to where I just was. “How…?”

“It’s a mind-trip. Don’t ask.”

“Shit. That’s weird,” Luca says, shaking his head. “I now remember you asking for the ammunition. I… I…” He stumbles, looking for the right words, but it’s impossible.

“Once the timeline changes, it’s hard to remember it like it was before,” I tell him. I look at the fence and notice it’s not being watched anymore. “Where’s the guard?”

“Ran for the bathroom about five minutes ago, remember?” Kalvin asks.

I close my eyes and see the two timelines. The newest one includes the intestinal distress of the guards. Sorry, not sorry.

“I do now.” My stomach growls, and hunger surges up. I’m suddenly starving.

“Wow, time travel really works?” Saif’s eyes are eager.

“Yeah. Can we leave now? I just walked back and forth from here, and I’m dying to eat.”

“Dinner’s on me,” Luca says with a smile.

I leave while keeping the camp in my sights. Time travel, Nina Correa, the end of the military, and now a promise to meet on Laguna in five days — there’s too much here to ignore.

But, oh, so much here to take advantage of.