I don’t really know if you like it, but since is my first ongoing fic, I’ll keep writing and posting!
Now I bring you the 2nd Chapter. I don’t know if I edited this well… but it was messier than this, so sorry if this somehow confuses you a lot >< If anyone could help me betareading I would really appreciate it!
Still editing Chapter 3 and will write chapter 4, if work allows me to…
As always I accept any recommendation, suggestion, yell, disagreement, comment, hate words, anything xD
Total words: 2, 334
Quick note: Italics are memories
Warning: The NONSENSE came back! Also Poor Grammar and Descriptions (Try to endure it OTL)
Enjoy! (or at least try to! ><)
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“Locked away the secrets deep inside of me
I chose to live in here
Lost sight of what is real
Subconscious lies
Dream within a dream
But I’m not afraid of this illusion
Still inside my head”
– Cybersleep, by Lacuna Coil
I was feeling scared. Not for my own integrity, but because I knew that they would be here soon. I knew, as the letter said, how the Special Police Forces worked; and I was scared that anything could happen to Atsuko, while I was with her. But right now, Atsuko needed me the most and I haven’t left her since the day I arrived here. I confessed to her that I needed a place to stay for the night, after we arrived to her house. Without thinking twice she suggested me to stay there until I found somewhere else. And I never left.
I knew back then that I was making a mistake. I shouldn’t stay, she would be in danger. But I simple couldn’t leave her side. Sooner than later, I realized the reason. I loved Maeda Atsuko. I realized that fact after a year of knowing her; after a year of living with her and protecting her. There wasn’t a turn back. But, she always saw me as a friend and I couldn’t bear to lose her; I never confessed my feelings.
And now, she could be in danger if I stayed here. But I couldn’t hide anymore; somehow, they found me and, even if I tried to escape again, they would find me again. The government always was inventing new methods to find the time travelers, also known as ‘jumpers’. Sighing, I got up and walked towards the kitchen. Poured water on a glass and I drank it very slowly. Letting my own memories cloud my mind.
Year: 2670. Month and day, unknown.
Oshima Yuko and I were chasing a supposed ‘jumper’ that had stolen a few mechanism of Time Traveling. We were informed that he was a deserter and was supposedly duplicating new mechanisms for Time Traveling.
The Special Police Force appeared for the first time after one of the Scientifics accidentally opened what they called, at that time, a Timeless Door. A few of the Scientifics who saw the event tried to duplicate it. Many failed, but the ones who had success, started to recklessly make Travels and changed some of the historical events of the past. Some never returned to the present and stayed living in the past, and many citizens wanted to do the same. In an era in which almost the whole world was trying to recover from the World War III, the few people who survived lived on a destroyed and deserted land. The new governments that formed after the War started hiring the surviving Scientifics so they could bring life back on Earth. But after a few years, their efforts were in vain. Until that accident that changed the world.
At first the Travels were purely and merely tests. After that, many started to go to the past and tried to stop the War. But the government understood that they couldn’t stop the War or the present they were living in would be lost. The tests stopped and the Time Travelling became illegal. But the society wouldn’t allow it. They wanted to live in a better place and so, the so-called ‘jumpers’ were born and, at the same time, the Special Police was formed.
The ‘jumpers’ had only one mission: To go to the past and try to change the future. The Special Police chased after them, in the past, present or future. They would track them and arrest them; or in extreme cases, kill them. We were 18 at that time, but that didn’t stop us to become one of the Elites inside the force. There were older people, of course but, somehow, we managed to become better than them, with effort and hard work.
A heavy rain was falling, making our chase more difficult. The ‘jumper’ was spotted on one of the ‘phantom zones’ around the city. There were only abandoned buildings, no electricity, no life. But it was also the best hiding place for all the people who were against the government.
-Yuko, are you sure he went this way? – I asked her when we turned in what it seemed like an alley with no end.
-Positive. I saw him running towards here. – She was in front of me, but I could notice that the rain was blocking her vision. I was the same.
A lightning appeared followed by the roar of a thunder. We were going nowhere in this kind of weather.
I turned to my left just in time to notice the man we were chasing, with a pole in his hands, aiming to hit Yuko straight to her head.
-Yuko! Watch out! – I yelled and pushed her aside. And the pole crashed on my shoulder.
I knew I was in a very bad situation. My shoulder was, probably, broken and the pain was clouding my mind. I looked up, towards the man and saw him lifting the pole again; he wanted to finish his work. But Yuko reacted faster and she kicked him on his chest, making him fall and hit his head on the wall.
-Are you okay, Takamina? – She asked me and placed her hand on my pained shoulder. A groan answered for me.
-I… I think… -I tried to say, gritting my teeth – I think… it’s broken…
-Well, at least we have him, right? – She smiled at me, dimples showing.
We were distracted. I only heard the sound of the pole hitting hard the back of Yuko’s head and her body slowly falling to the ground.
Instinctively, I grabbed the gun on my belt with my good hand and pointed at him.
-Stop! You have anywhere to run! Surrender yourself! – I yelled.
He dropped the pole and laughed.
-I never intended to escape from here, Takahashi-san – he replied.
I frowned. How did he know my name? Our names were supposed to be a secret, except… for the personal of the Installation. My jaw tensed.
-My mission is done – he said before I felt something hard crashing on my head.
-Minami…? –I felt a hand on my shoulder and the glass slipped from my fingers and crashed on the floor. – Minami, Are you okay?!
Turning around I looked at Atsuko, surprised. I blinked and noticed her worried face.
-It’s… I… -I cleared my dry throat – yes, I’m okay.
She stared at me, obviously knowing that I was not okay; but didn’t say anything else.
November, 2013
A month had passed. For a few days I went paranoid and saw Yuko everywhere. On the other side, Atsuko seemed to be better. She soon forgot of that jerk, or so she said, and was clingy and childish as before.
But I was still worried. I knew that soon, the second warning will be delivered.
-Nami… Minami! – Atsuko grabbed my shoulder worried.
-Eh? – I blinked for a few times – Oh, sorry! I… I’m sorry.
-Are you okay? You’ve been acting strangely these past days- A frown appeared on her face.
I knew that I was acting strange, but I couldn’t help it; I felt very worried and scared at the same time.
-It’s nothing, Atsuko. I’m just thinking about the exams I have the next week. I want to achieve my goal and finally be able to work in a big laboratory! – I started to talk cheerfully about the things I wanted to do after the graduation.
Atsuko knew how I wanted to become a scientist and also was aware that my classes and tests were really difficult. That made me remember how she helped me to study once.
-Just tell me if what I’m gonna say is correct, okay? – I said.
She nodded as I gave her the big book I was studying a few minutes ago. I pointed the paragraph I wanted to learn and I started reciting the words on the book. I guess, Atsuko didn’t quite understand any of the words that she was reading, considering the frown she had. But, even if she was confused, she still read it and if I had a mistake she would make me stop and would say the correct sentence or word, even if she couldn’t pronounce the words. I would, immediately, repeat the word or sentence for a few minutes before continue where I left. Sometimes, Atsuko would randomly ask how a few words were pronounced, or the meaning of it or for what it was used. To every question she had, I would stop my recital and would, excitedly, explain everything she wanted to know.
But we would always laugh in the end.
-… Did you understand? – I would ask once I finished my explanations.
-Eh… nope… – Would be Atsuko’s reply and I would face palm and sigh.
I liked those days; I enjoyed her company.
Eventually, Atsuko nodded.
-Why don’t you go to rest? – She said – I will clean up.
-Are you sure? I could help you and… – she interrupted me.
-Just finish your dinner, take a shower and then just go to sleep, okay? – She smiled sweetly and then continued eating.
It was late and I couldn’t sleep, my own thoughts were haunting me. I was worried about the person I saw in the Train Station. I knew that Yuko was the most affected in the whole incident that made me run away and Time Travel; I couldn’t blame her.
We both lost something valuable in the past. We lost our family and friends in the attacks during a revolt that lasted 10 years, a bomb stole our most precious memories. Both enrolled in the Army and, later on, the Police, so we could prevent bomb attacks to happen again. We became comrades in arms, we trusted in each other, we were the only family we had; just the 2 of us.
But then, that incident happened.
I was running as fast as I could, I knew the plan and I wanted to prevent him to success with it. I didn’t tell anyone, I didn’t want to put them in danger.
As I arrived at one of the control rooms, I pulled up my gun and opened the door very slowly. I was aware that he knew I would come to him, so I wanted to be careful. I looked at around the place from behind the door. I didn’t see him, but I spotted the bomb placed in the middle of the room. It was connected to the computer of the room. The 3D screed showed some numbers. I was trained to disarm bombs, so I walked towards the bomb; I was so concentrated on the dangerous device that I forgot to look carefully around me, I lowered my gun and the next second I found myself on the floor, pain spreading from the back of my head. My eyes were teary due the pain; I felt the room was spinning and a hot liquid fall from my head.
I looked up at the person in front of me and I could distinguish his smiling face.
-I won’t allow you to walk out alive of this. – He said smiling. He then reached the door and locked it. – No one will distract us from our work now.
He then took the control of the bomb and activated it. As the countdown started, the alarms of the building echoed around us. I knew I had to get up and overcome the pain; I knew I was the only capable to stop him. He was busily typing something as I slowly got up from the floor. The dizziness didn’t disappear right way, but as I forced my own body to move my mind cleared. I ran towards him and tackled him down. We started struggling on the floor, I was trying to make him give up in the struggle, but he was a strong opponent. We rolled on the floor trying to stop the other, until we saw something on the floor not far away; my gun.
I moved as fast as I could, he tried to stop me, he grabbed my leg and pulled me away of the gun as he moved forward, my arms slammed the cold floor and I ignored the pain as I tried to reach the gun. He grabbed it first, but I grabbed his wrist and got up. We fought fiercely for the domain of the mortal artifact; however, during the fight, the gun was fired. Three gunshots were heard, one crashed on the floor and the other two on the big windows of the room. The glass cracked up but didn’t fall.
I then heard the fast footsteps of the personal. I knew they were my friends and I wanted to prevent them to go inside the room. I tried to yell them to go back and try to rescue as many innocent people as they could, but the room was sound proof. They could see us struggling from a little window on the door. They desperately tried to open the door, without success.
I glanced up, at the screen. The countdown continued and I had left less than a minute now. With a kick on his stomach I made him go down in pain. I rushed to the device and started to disarm the bomb. I knew I just needed to type a few numbers, but I was about to hit the enter button, when the man tackled me down. I landed on the other side of the room as the door cracked open; I looked at the door and then towards the man.
-I won’t let you destroy this building! – He yelled as he grabbed the bomb in his arms and ran to the cracked window. He hit the glass and as the glass broke and he jumped out the bomb exploded.
The Lone Wolf-48 