Infinite Time: Time Travel Adventure (8 page)

“Don’t you go into the future to find out?”

Scarlet leans forward toward me, resting her elbows on the table, like I’ve finally said something that’s she’s interested in. “Every time. And they basically disappear off the face of the earth. Or are reported dead. I’ve never found one of them after I leave them.”

We both look at Tora. “They disappear or are reported dead?”

Scarlet nods. “But I don’t think they die. I think someone is taking them.”

“What, so we rescue them because they are important to the future, but then they disappear in the future?”

“Yes. This is the part that doesn’t add up.”

“The other people that can time travel, do they also have the assignments when they sleep?”

“Yeah, we all do.”

“And have they gone into the future to find the ones they've rescued?”

“Yes, and they can’t find them either. After time people just give up searching for those they rescued. Most don’t go into the future anymore to find them, because they know they won’t.”

“What’s happening to them?”

“I wish I knew.” Scarlet gets to her feet. “Wait here, I’m going to the restroom.”

I smile.

“What are you grinning at?” she snaps. There she is, snarky Scarlet is back.

“Glad we stopped, aren’t you?”

Scarlet doesn’t even look at me as she heads to the back of the store.

What the hell?
As I look back at Tora, Kimi’s face is staring at me through the window of the ice cream shop. She waves at me to come outside.

“Tora, stay here,” I tell Tora, who responds with a blank stare.

“Stay here,” I repeat, waving my hands down to the seat, then pointing at Tora, then outside. Great, I’m making her even more confused.

I just put my hands up and head outside. Tora’s eyes track me as I stand beside Kimi. I nod to Tora, smiling. She looks like she understands, and reaches over for my ice cream tub and digs in.

“Kimi? What are you doing here? Was that you on the crossroad?” All the questions pour from my mouth as I stand there in shock, surprised at seeing Kimi here.

“Yes, it was me.”

“What...” I shut my eyes and then open them again. She’s still here. “You’re… a time traveler?” I sound and feel stupid asking the question.

Relief washes over Kimi’s face. “Yes, Parker, I’m the same as you.” Kimi pushes up her glasses and I do the same to mine, even though they weren’t falling.

“Why didn’t you help us?”

“Because she was coming.” Kimi scowls into the window, then moves toward the side of the doorway.

“Who?”

“Scarlet. Parker, don’t trust her.”

“What? Scarlet? Why?"

“Parker, just listen to me. You’ve known the girl for a few hours, and me for the last two years. Trust me on this, Scarlet isn’t someone you want to trust.”

I look up and down the street.

“What are you looking for?” she asks me.

“I’m wondering when Douglas will arrive. And if Clara will make it into this dream. I could rescue Clara as well,”
Sweet idea, Parker.
Kimi punches my arm. “Ouch, what was that for?”

“Didn’t Scarlet tell you that this is for real? It’s not a joke, Parker.” She looks at me like a disappointed mom.

“Yeah, she told me all that, no need to hit me,” I say, rubbing my arm like it hurts.

Kimi looks embarrassed. “Sorry, Parker, it’s… it’s just, your life is in danger.”

“Yeah, I know. Scarlet told me.”

Kimi shakes her head. “She’s the person putting your life in danger. You need to come with me,” she says, looking around in a hurry.

“But our assignment… Tora,” I say, confused.

“Leave Tora,” Kimi says bluntly.

“Leave her? No, I’m not leaving her.”

Kimi sighs, then there is a look on her face that I’ve never seen before. “Just leave her. I… I need you. I can keep you safe.”

“You need me? Why?”

“Not now. I just do, Parker, that should be enough.” She crosses her arms.

“Come with us,” I suggest.

Kimi laughs, but not a happy laugh. “With them.” She scowls at the window that Tora is looking through.

“Kimi, what’s your problem with them?” I ask.

“With them.” She grits her teeth.

“Parker, what are you doing out here?” Scarlet’s voice travels through the doorway before I see her. I turn to Kimi and she’s gone, vanished, just like in a dream.

I pause. “Waiting for you, are you ready?”

When the woman at the apartment said that the bar wasn’t appropriate for children, she wasn’t kidding. There are three glowing red x’s on the door and pictures of nearly-naked women all over the blacked-out windows. It is clearly more than just a neighborhood bar—it's a strip joint, like the ones parents would try to make you avoid, and, as I got older, the more I wanted to enter. And now I have no choice but to go, and I don’t want to, not under these situations.

Two burly men stand at the door, guarding the entrance for some reason, not very welcoming. Their faces are flat, like those of English bulldogs.

Scarlet speaks Japanese to the burly doormen. They don’t look too inclined to listen to her. Then she says Tora’s name and “Goro,” I guess informing them who Tora is. It's getting a little easier to understand parts of what they are saying even though I can’t understand the words, but more from the body language and the odd word here and there.

One of the doormen says something to Scarlet in a flat, nasal way, like you would imagine an English bulldog would speak, all through the nose. Then a doorman disappears inside, leaving us on the street with the other doorman, who doesn’t look too happy to be left with some kids.

Some people walk past us, and a flurry of dirty looks and words come from the people. This must look bad, kids standing outside a seedy strip joint.

To my relief, the bar’s door opens, music booming out from it, and the doorman and a smaller man with longish hair come out. He looks like he uses the same hair products as Douglas. His hair’s got a greasy shine to it. How can anyone think this looks good?

“Tora!” Goro says when he spots us, then covers his mouth and looks quickly up and down the street before opening the bar door for us. Loud music pours out. “Come quick!” he shouts over the music.

Goro leads the way inside.

My eyes adjust to the dark bar. Each step feels heavier than the next, and my sneakers stick to the ground. I can’t see what’s on the floor, but guess it's from drinks being spilled and not cleaned up for years.

A spotlight shines down on a girl on stage. Her feet are up in the air as she hangs upside down on a stripper pole.
Oh my God, she’s naked.
Her breasts aren’t covered up. I can’t help but stare at them. I can feel the blood racing all over my body.

Oh, frigging hell, she caught me staring at her.
The layers of makeup on her face crack as she smiles knowingly. She’s older than my mother. All the women are. Yuck.

There is just one perfect word that sums this bar up: seedy. Everything about it is seedy, especially the men that ogle over the old naked women, throwing their money at them.

I tighten my grip on Tora and walk fast to get away from this sinister bar, and to wherever Goro is taking us. I hope it’s not one of those private suites that you hear about in a movie.

We all duck into an office at the back of the bar. Goro closes the door and the pounding music immediately dulls.

“Stay here,” Goro barks. “The Yamaguchi-gumi are looking for Tora.”

“Why?” Scarlet asks.

“I don’t know. Something about my brother, I’m sure.” He turns away and grabs a gun from under a mahogany table that looks out of place in the bar. It’s more like a home-office desk like Dad had. “When we get busy later, I’ll sneak you out of here and go somewhere she can hide.”

“You speak good English,” I say.

“I studied in England,” he says, quickly dismissing me.

“We don’t have time to hide. I need to end the threat now,” Scarlet says, a little panic in her voice.

“There is no ending this kind of threat,” Goro says. “The only choice is to hide and hope they give up.”

As though to punctuate his words, we hear shouting beyond the door. And then gunshots.

“Were you followed?” Goro asks.

“No,” Scarlet replies with an annoyed tone.

Kimi?
No, she wouldn’t have come in here, and for sure she wouldn’t be yelling.

“How did you know where I was?” he asks.

“Your girlfriend told us.”

“Girlfriend?”

“Well, the girl at your last known address.”

“Oh, frigging hell. She’s not my girl, she’s my ex—and one that will do anything for money. There is a bounty on Tora’s head.”

“A bounty on her head?” I repeat, trying to make sure I heard correctly.

“Yes, a bounty.” Goro rubs Tora’s head like you would a genie’s lamp, hoping your wish for more money would come true. I step closer to Tora; she’s not going to gift him his wishes.

“That drugged-up woman ratted us out, told them where we were going, all for money? How could she do that to a kid?” Scarlet asks with disdain for the woman.

“For more drugs, hopefully enough that will kill her.”

Tora stiffens in my arms, whimpering against my shoulder.

“They’re coming,” Goro says.

Scarlet pulls her electric shock rods out of her bag. I wonder if that’s why she likes to use those weapons, to inflict the same type of pain on them as they did to her. My eyes catch hers.

“Get under the table,” she orders.

I turn, spotting a knife and a set of keys on the table. I put Tora under the table and grab the knife and keys, then dive underneath as well. Any good superhero or video game antihero knows that you have to be prepared. It might be a dream, but I’m not going into this fight unprepared.

Scarlet opens the door and the room is filled with loud music and yelling in harsh Japanese. I don’t know what they’re saying, but I know it’s not good, as gunshots are fired.

I hold Tora as close to me as I can, afraid that she might suddenly decide to run off and get hit by a stray bullet. What would happen to us if we fail in our assignment? If Tora dies, how will it change my timeline, or Scarlet’s timeline? If this isn’t a dream and things go badly, what will it mean for my present?

It’s all too much to consider right now.

“Come on, Parker,” Scarlet suddenly says. “We have to make a run for it.”

I cautiously peek out over the top of the table. Goro is lying on the floor between me and Scarlet. Blood is pouring out of his chest and his mouth is moving, but no sound is coming out. As I stare, his movements slow. Then stop.

I need to get out of here. I need to take Tora to safety. I need to get myself to safety. I wrap my arms tighter around her and stand, pressing her head to my shoulder so she can’t see another family member dead.

We pause at the doorway for a moment, and the coast seems clear; the strippers are either lying on the ground crawling toward the back of the building or running behind the stage’s velvet curtain. I throw out a silent prayer as I look down the narrow corridor to the outside door. No one there.

For the moment, that is.

Scarlet pushes me and I begin to run.

A hand grips my shirt, pulling me back.

Without even thinking, I slam the blade into the man’s chest. It slides into the man like it was nothing more than one of my mom’s pot roasts. The man’s eyes roll back in his head and he screams in pain. He wraps his hand around the blade handle as blood seeps through his fingers. He begins to fall slowly to the ground.

I can’t believe I just did that. If I’d had a chance to think about it, would I have done it? Probably not. No, I know I wouldn’t have. My hands are shaking, my heart pounding.

“Come on!” Scarlet demands.

She grabs me and drags me out the door.

We hit the street-racing-car jackpot. A lime-green Honda Civic with black flames on the side is parked outside the bar. Everything about it is amped up, from the oversized wheels to the double exhaust. It looks like it's straight off the set of
The Fast and the Furious
. There is nothing concealed about this.

Scarlet jumps inside and starts to use the same silver device as before, but I remember the keys I grabbed in Goro’s office. One of the keys has the Honda logo on them.

“Try these,” I say, tossing them to Scarlet as I rush around and get in on the other side. My door clicks open, and I jump in with Tora in my arms. Inside is just as over-the-top as the outside, with the lime-green accent details on the black leather seats and steering wheel.

In seconds, Scarlet has the car moving, and we speed down the alley. Twisting in my seat, I see Hector and Clint staring at our car for a moment then rushing out of view.

We burst onto a main street, and try to blend a lime-green car in with the other traffic.

“You shouldn’t have stabbed that man,” Scarlet says as it becomes clear that no one is following us for now.

“Trust me, I didn’t intend to. It just happened.”

“Yeah, well, don’t do it again.”

Before I can say anything else, she gestures to her bag. “Grab my phone.”

She makes a quick call, again speaking so quickly in Japanese that I can’t even pretend to understand what she’s saying. When she hangs up, her face is twisted in a worried frown.

“What?”

She shakes her head. My body flies into the door as Scarlet spins the car around and heads in a different direction.

“What?” I repeat, pulling my seatbelt over us.

“I know an agent. We’re going to see her.”

“That’s good, right?”

“I don’t know. She sounded off.”

I run my hand down Tora’s back, still trying to calm her. She hasn’t moved since we left the bar. I’m afraid she’s in shock, but there’s nothing I can do about it now.

“Why are we going there if you don’t think things are good?” I ask. “Isn’t that asking for trouble?”

“We don’t have much choice. She’s our only friend in this place and time.”

“Great. Why don’t I feel reassured?”

Scarlet glances at me, but she doesn’t say anything. It’s pretty clear she’s worried, though.

“How far away is it?”

“About one hour.”

I stroke Tora’s long black hair as she sleeps on my shoulder, letting out the softest breath as a hint that she’s still alive. I rest my head against the car window, watching the streets of Tokyo fly by as a blur, each building melding into the next.

“Mom, you have to take the medicine. It will stop you from being sick,” I say, holding out two white pills and a glass of cold, but not ice-cold, water for her.

She shakes her head and just looks out the window as if waiting for something or someone.

“Please,” I beg.

Her body drops on her bedroom chair, and she lowers her hand out for me to drop the tablets into it. I do as requested. Then her hand comes out for the glass of water. She takes it and sips some, then passes it back to me.

I wish I had taken some of the anti-nausea tablets, as I feel like I’m going to be sick myself.

“Mom,” I say, trying to break her blank stare. “I need you to sign the paperwork.” I take the documents from her desk, where they have lain for the last week next to a photo of my dad.

“He would have never wanted me to sell the house,” Mom says in a flat, lifeless tone.

“I know. But we have no choice.”

She shakes her head. “Parker. Your dad would never want you to speak that way. There is always a choice.” How does she make me feel even worse than I already do? What kid should tell his parent that she has to sell the house? Or what kid should be left to sort everything out to sell it? An eleven-year-old shouldn’t be left with Google to figure this all out.

“We need the money for your treatment, for the medicine that’s keeping you alive.” I try to stay calm, holding in my emotions.
Be strong, Parker.
My dad’s voice drifts into my mind.
Be strong. You are stronger than your mom. She needs you. Look after each other.

“I told you I didn’t want the treatment. You made me have it. I could be with Edward now if I hadn’t done the treatment. And we wouldn’t have to sell the vacation home in Texas,” she says bitterly.

“Mom. H-How could you? Dad said we should look after each other. I’m keeping my promise. But… you… You’re not.” Words fight to be released from my throat, the anger from the last few months building up.

A cloud moves away from the sun, letting its rays shine down on my mom. She’s glowing like an angel. She just wants to be left to die. I know this because she’s told me many times. Part of her died the day my dad did, and the cancer is keeping her between life and death.

I kneel down beside my mom. “Please don’t leave me alone.”