Chapter 28

They were all on the deck of the Velociraptor, Lennie was smiling so big Charlie thought his face would hurt by the end of the day. Rolara sat in the chair beside him with what looked like some kind of oversized smart phone and a pen. Yet, with the new technology Charlie was surrounded with, it might be a port-a-jon, or the cure for cancer in a stylus, it could be a nail polish changer, or even a translation device. Anything.

Then there was Xander, and out of all the circumstances they had been in over the last few days, she’d never seen him as anxious as he appeared now. She wished she could take the extra burden off of his mind. If she hadn’t gone to him last night, he wouldn’t be so worried about her now. If she could just go back somehow...wait.

“Lennie, I’m supposed to be The Time Keeper, right?” Charlie asked.

“Yes,” he said emphatically.

“How does it work? I mean, do I just think go back to here and when, and time just goes backwards?” Charlie continued.

“There’s a lot of conjecture around time travel. There’s not much The Allegiant lets out about the operation of the JUMP machine,” Xander answered.

“But you’ve used them,” she challenged Xander.

“The mechanics are incredibly intricate. The biggest problem they have is the ability to make more than one JUMP. You see, one JUMP lays them out of commission for seven to ten winter cycles. With a human though, a machine can be used as many times as the human can utilize it,” Rolara added.

“So, I’ll work as a grounding wire; but how does the machine know where to deposit a person?” Charlie asked.

“Well, I hacked into the system and told it where to send Xander,” Lennie said.

“So the machine has to be told where to send someone.”

“Only without the human. They added that part when doing testing while the last Time Keeper was alive. With a human, it’s the human who is given visual stimuli that lets your brain tell the machine where and when to place the person or people when and where they go. Then, the second part of the JUMP is when you are brought back. I’ve been learning about this in my com classes,” Lennie said.

“What if we never move? Like, Xander you and I didn’t make it back to the same spot and ended up in the puzzle prison, but what if we didn’t move?”

“Then you would have come back into the JUMP room,” Lennie answered.

Charlie’s mind was working furiously, but she didn’t have to say anything to Rolara who had been listening and watching everything with frightening concentration and clarity.

“How long will it take you to build a JUMP machine, Lennie?” Rolara asked.

A sheepish grin crossed Lennie’s face.

“Another twelve hours, and a parts stop. As soon Charlie and I boarded for this whole thing, I began building. Don’t be mad Xander, please, I only started it just in case,” the child looked at Xander under sad almost frightened eyelids.

Lennie truly saw Xander as a father figure, and although Xander’s very nature seemed against it, Xander accepted the role.

“It’s alright, Lennie. I don’t know what kind of stupid thing she’s planning now, but I know for certain that I’ll hate it, and I also know that she’ll do it anyway, so just do whatever they tell you, and I’ll take this up with Charlie later.”

Xander’s tone promised retribution, and a shiver shook Charlie straight to the core. However, no matter his tone, she wasn’t worried about Xander. Not anymore.

“Ok, so twelve hours. How much longer until we get to where they’re holding Brick?” Charlie asked.

“Fifteen,” Xander said.

“Lennie, get to work,” Charlie ordered.

“I’ll get everything together that we might need for a rescue of this magnitude. I mean we’re going up against The Dilligara, right?” Rolara asked.

Xander only nodded.

The brother and sister duo left the deck, and Charlie could no longer fight the pull to go to Xander. Sitting in the Captain’s Chair, he stared broodingly out into space. Charlie turned slightly so she could sit in his lap. Raising his hand, he grabbed her ass and guided her down to the best place. Leaning in, she put her head on his shoulder, her forehead against the side of his throat. Feeling his heartbeat in her chest, she spoke softly, quietly.

“We’ll get him back, I promise,” Charlie said.

“It’s not so simple Charlie, The Dilligara have ravaged this galaxy for thousands of years. Sojo is the most feared leader they’ve ever had, and has Brick. I don’t want to lose Brick, but I don’t want to lose you either, and if for some reason, he’s already killed Brick and I hand you over too, well, then I’ve lost both of you. How does a Captain and Master Tracker turn overnight into me...someone who sells his and another’s soul for the life of a brother? Because make no mistake, that’s exactly what I’ve done,” Xander said, fury and self-recrimination in his voice.

“I know it seems a little crazy, but if I can send you back and you can get Brick right after he’s kidnapped, then you’ll come back and be here and we can all leave before they even know he’s gone,” Charlie said, laying her plan out before them.

“It’s nice of you to want to try, but you’ve never done it before. It’s not safe.”

“Since when have you ever seen me do anything safe?” Charlie asked him.

“Besides, it doesn’t solve the problem of Sojo or stop them from coming after us again,” Xander ignored her comment, continuing to tell her why it wasn’t a good idea.

“Listen, I know you’re the Master Tracker, and no one is saying otherwise, you’re also the Captain of this ship, and no one else is saying otherwise, you’re also Brick’s big brother, and no one else is saying otherwise. I am The Time Keeper, and no one is disputing that either. So, you do your job, and let me do mine,” Charlie said, standing up sharply.

There was no way in hell she was going to let any man tell her what she couldn’t or wouldn’t do. She took a step away, anger writhing inside her, a living thing looking to be fed and pampered, wanting to be let out to play.

Xander grabbed her by the upper arm, turning her around so fast, in her anger, Charlie didn’t have a chance to respond.

“I’m not telling you this isn’t your job. I’m saying it’s too dangerous. You don’t know how that machine might work, and it takes the best minds in the universe to simply fix one after it breaks, much less to build one from scraps in my spare junk. I know Lennie’s a genius, but damn it, that thing might kill you, Charlie, and I can’t lose you too. Not now, not when, well, not when I’ve just found you.” Xander’s tone quieted, his entire being went still. It cost him something to say those words. What, she didn’t know––pride maybe?

“If I die, it’s because my missions in this life are over.” Shrugging slightly, she picked her voice up to almost perky, if she didn’t she might not turn back around. “See, God left me alive in that trunk because I had more to do. You’re brother might indeed be my last mission, but I haven’t saved him yet. No worries, Tracker, I’m not done.” Turning around, Charlie fought for every step away from him.

She wanted to run back to him, throw her arms around him and run like hell to get away from all of it. What good would that do, though? She’d never run before. Why start now?