“We’re losin’ altitude,” he said.

“Um, at 100 feet, you pretty much have it or you don’t,” I said.

“It’s a slow descent, Billy-boy. Hang on.”

Please, call me Falcon. That ‘Billy-boy’ stuff was fine when it was all fun and games. This was not fun anymore.

We reached the end of the developed area and entered a forest of large oaks. I caught a glimpse of a sign indicating it was a park of some sort, but couldn’t make out the words. Sparse undergrowth dotted the ground. At first I thought it had been cleared recently, but then I noticed that only a few shafts of sunlight broke through the dense canopy overhead.

“We’re still goin’ the right direction. I think we’ll hit ground about a quarter mile short of where we’re headed. Oh, pardon me, about 400 meters.”

“You could have at least used the word ‘land,’ Theo.”

“I don’t want to sugarcoat it,” he said.

“Well, you don’t have to piss in my Cheerios, either.”

He laughed and winked.

We drifted downward, Theo dodging easily around the massive trunks. I still had no idea where we were going, but I was glad to hear we were fairly close. No doubt the TCE already started a search for Theo and, consequently, me.

“Oh no,” I said. “No impact absorption shields.” Theo’s skyporter would not have the emitters needed to break our fall gently.

“What?”

“Nothing. Just something that should exist but doesn’t.”

“And you had somethin’ to do with that?”

“Indirectly, yes. You know that note in the World Conservation Museum? The one that Nixon got from the future?”

“Sure, I know about it. So what?”

“Well, one of my customers wrote it.”

“Jumpin’ Jehoshaphat! You’re makin’ history now, are you?”

The skyporter was 10 feet above ground now.

“Not on purpose.”

We hit the ground hard. A rush of noise hit my ears and airbags exploded on all sides. The skyporter scraped along the ground and rumbled to a halt in what couldn’t have been more than five seconds. I had heard of airbags, but they had a relatively short lifespan that ended long before I was born. Until Danetta became my customer. The pain in my face gave me a newfound fervor for going back to make sure Jacob Beers was born, so that every vehicle created could included his greatest invention. When we were completely still, the airbags deflated to reveal dust dancing in the sunbeams, forming glittery shafts that narrowed as they ascended.

The Falcon has landed.

The silence was startling. In a forest with so little undergrowth, there wasn’t much wildlife to disturb. I shook my head to clear it, briefly enjoying the calm after the storm.

“Time to haul ass, Billy-boy!” Theo shouted as he released his seatbelt clips and leaped out of the skyporter. He jogged off in the same direction we were headed before our ‘landing.’

I did the same and felt to make sure my BFG was still tucked safely in the back of my pants. “Wait, Theo!” I yelled. “I forgot something.”

I ran back to the skyporter. In the passenger’s floorboard was the gun he had handed me before I made my mad dash for his closet. I must have dropped it before the impact. Good thing, or I might have wound up with a face full of smashed teeth. I leaned over and grabbed it, then headed back to follow Theo.

Just as he said, about a quarter mile past our involuntary stop was a small clearing, barely large enough for the maintenance shed we found. Theo promptly slid his plasti into the door’s reader. I heard the telltale thunk of the magnetic lock disengaging, and Theo pulled open the door.

“I know the feller who manages this park. Sometimes I volunteer my time just to get away from the hustle and bustle, and to stay on the ground a while. Man wasn’t meant to fly,” he said. “There’s an ATV in here we can use. It will recognize my DNA, so once again you’re stuck with me as your driver.” He sounded a little too happy about that. “I’ll take you wherever you need to go.”

“Great. While you see to that, I’m going to comm somebody.” I pulled out my display and dialed the number, hoping Danetta was where she could answer. Figuring I’d be safer out of plain sight, I ducked inside the shed.

“Hello?” a voice answered.

“Danetta?” I asked.

“No, it’s Chura.”

“Hey, kid, how are you?” It was nice to hear her voice again.

“A little tense, Falcon.”

“Well, get ready to ratchet that up a notch. We need to jump as soon as possible.”

“What?”

“You heard me. Is your aunt there?”

“Yeah, hang on. I’ll put you on vid mode.” My display lit up in my peripheral vision. I pulled it down from my ear, then saw Chura turn her head and shout, “Hey, Aunt Danetta. Falcon’s on the display.”

Danettta and Chethra appeared over either of Chura’s shoulders.

“Hey, Falcon. We’re almost ready. Can we jump tonight?” Danetta said.

“Well, how’s now sound?”

Chethra shook her head. “Why, is there a reason to rush?” she asked.

“I had a little problem while getting the cash,” I said.

“We’re ready,” Chura said. “Right, guys?”

“Yes, we can go now. We meeting at your lab?” Danetta asked.

“Yes.” I thought for a moment. The TCE might be waiting there. “No, better not. It’s probably too risky now. I have another idea,” I said.

I explained to her that I knew a friendly competitor who ran a lab, and that I had access to it. When customers asked me to do something that made me uncomfortable, I sent them his way. At one time in my career, that was saying a lot.

“There’s only one catch,” I said.

“What’s that?” Danetta asked.

“Hey, Pard, we gotta git. Jump on,” Theo said. He sat atop a four-wheeled vehicle, outfitted with knobby tires, presumably to facilitate traveling over muddy terrain.

I gave Danetta the coordinates of the lab, disconnected the comm, and climbed on behind Theo. At least if this thing malfunctions, we won’t plunge from the sky.

The ATV cruised quietly across the forest floor, allowing me to hear the leaves crunching under its large tires.

“Theo, I hate to be a stickler, but what about the money?”

“It’s buried not far from here.”

It was some cash he never had retrieved after one of his jumps with me. We continued along, sometimes in long, straight stretches, sometimes seemingly on a wooded slalom course. In a feat itself worth noting, neither of us spoke for several minutes. He slowed as we approached a low-lying area. The ground gave as I climbed down from the ATV, and mud almost lapped over the top of my shoes.

Theo reached under the seat and pulled out a small shovel. I didn’t look forward to what came next. One thing I enjoyed about my lifestyle, before and after our fateful jump, was my ability to pay someone else to dig in mud when the need arose.

Each time either of us lifted a foot to take a step, a great sucking sound permeated the forest. The mud got shallower as we reached a small stream. “These trees was just seedlin’s when I buried this cash,” Theo said. He stopped and planted the shovel in the gravelly streambed. It gave off a muffled crunch.

“You’re sure this is the spot?” I asked.

“Don’t lose faith so fast,” Theo said. “If this ain’t the spot, then my name ain’t Theodore Maximilian Cranston the third. I been around these woods a lot, thanks to my park manager buddy, and I knew this spot remained unspoilt through the years.”

We took turns digging — first gravel, then silt. It tended to flow back into the hole with the water, but we made progress. Finally we came to a small, waterproof case. Theo set it in the clear water upstream to rinse it.

“I didn’t know they manufactured anything that durable back then,” I said.

“Yep. You just had to know where to git it.” He held the shovel in one hand and bent down to grab the case. Without a word, he heaved the case my direction, and I managed to grab a handle.

We carried it back over the boggy earth to the ATV. Our feet sunk deeper now, our pace reminding me of dreams in which the effort frighteningly outweighs the forward progress. More than once I almost lost my right shoe to the mud’s incessant tugging.

We set the case down on the ATV seat. I backed off a step, just enough to give Theo room and stay out of the mud. He popped open the lid.

“Whoo-hoo! Sweet old greenbacks!” he said quietly but with zeal. “No time for countin’.” He shut the case and strapped it onto a cargo rack behind the seat, then clipped the shovel back in its place. We both climbed on and Theo hit the throttle, sending us off in a mud-slinging fishtail of glory.

I told Theo where we needed to go, and he headed in what I could only presume was that direction. Again we fell silent. I wondered what happened to agents Glock and Speel after they finally broke in to discover their search sentry in scattered pieces. How did we lose them so easily? Are they content to camp out and wait at my lab and my flat? That must have been what they did.

A tree trunk in front and to our left split open and a shower of bark hit our faces. Guessed wrong.

I looked back. Nothing there. I looked up. Dammit! About 100 yards directly behind and above us, a skyporter weaved effortlessly around the trees, coming fast. Only a robot could fly with that kind of skill.

“Gawd dayum. They’re shootin’ at us!”

“I find your alacrity borders on disingenuous,” I said.

“What?”

“You can’t possibly be as excited as you’re letting on.”

“This is me, livin’ high on the hawg!”

Theo somehow urged the ATV into going faster, and I clamped my hands tighter around his waist.

Another near miss from the skyporter sent dirt, leaves, and rock flying. A chunk hit me in the shoulder, ripping my shirt. Instinct told me to reach my opposite hand over to check it, but I had to hold onto Theo to prevent being flung from the seat.

“Draw your weapon, Billy-boy!” Theo yelled.

I hadn’t planned on shooting anybody. With a heaping dose of trepidation, I spared one hand to pull out my BFG. A bump jostled me, and I almost lost my grip on Theo. After steadying myself again, I turned back and held the BFG aloft, pointed at least vaguely toward our pursuers. I squeezed the trigger. The kick pushed me against Theo.

“Whoa, that sucker packs a punch,” he said.

I missed my target, but the energy blast made splinters of a small oak. Small oak?

I turned to look forward, and saw the light at the edge of the forest. With each passing second we reached thicker undergrowth and trees smaller but more numerous. We had to slow to avoid brier patches and saplings, but the skyporter also had more trouble maneuvering.

I turned again and leaned farther from Theo this time to avoid bumping him when I shot. The skyporter fired first. We decelerated. I turned to see what was slowing us down.

Theo lay motionless over the handlebars.

“Theo! Talk to me!” I shouted. I reached out and shook him. He didn’t move.

“I’m hit,” he said. “I can’t move.”

The ATV stopped. I turned back. The skyporter kept coming.

“They’ve immobilized you somehow,” I said.

“You have to keep my hands on the grips or this thing won’t run. Remember, my friend added my DNA sequence to its programmin’. Lean over me and take the throttle and the handlebars. I’ll try to stay out of the way.” He may have lost his physical faculties, but his sense of humor was intact.

The TCE cops bearing down on us, and my virginal driving skills our only hope of escape, I turned to the other possibility. I raised my BFG. Sitting still, I was able to take fast aim. I squeezed the trigger.

My energy pulse scored a direct hit. The skyporter, still coming toward us, listed side to side and then plunged into a tree. I ducked, leaving Theo vulnerable, as splintered wood and pieces of metal flew in all directions.

“Was that the bad guys blowin’ up?” Theo asked.

I wasn’t sure that was exactly the correct assessment, but considering our specific circumstances, I went with it.

“Yes, or my name ain’t William Broward Plotz, Jr.”

I leaned over Theo, put my hands on his, and pushed the thumb throttle lever.

“Turn right a little bit,” he said. “I’ll gitcha where we’re goin’.”

I eased us carefully out of the woods and into an open field, looking around to make sure nobody lay in wait. We made good time through the head-high grass. Occasionally before uttering directions Theo spit to rid his mouth of the abundant but not particularly tasty wild herbs.

When we reached the streets, we took backroads to avoid attracting attention. Within just 10 minutes of facing down the TCE, we parked behind an old, run-down time travel lab. Danetta and her crew would arrive on foot.

“Psst. Hey. Over here,” said a female whisper.

Or maybe they already have.

I climbed off, careful not to bump Theo. If I had the option, I would have collapsed right there in the street. I couldn’t believe I got him into this. Shutting down would not do, especially not now. Then, as I recalled his rash actions back at his house, some of my guilt sloughed off. At this point, though, if we succeeded we owed it all to him.

A familiar face emerged from an alley. Then, two more joined it. Here I was, almost completely spent, with three ladies looking to me to be their guide. To keep going, I convinced myself that once we jumped, I could just let them run the show. It was their plan, and they had proven they had follow-through.

“Hello, ladies. This is your benefactor.” I gestured toward Theo.

“Howdy,” Theo said. “Pardon me if I don’t come over and kiss your hands.”

Chura and Danetta looked on with concern. Chethra seemed intellectually intrigued.

“He got stunned by some kind of TCE weapon,” I said.

“I’m not feelin’ too good, Billy-boy.”

Danetta and Chura shot me quizzical looks. I closed my eyes and shook my head, indicating now was not the time.

I walked over and put a hand on Theo’s back. He felt cold. I saw that his right pants leg was soaked, and it stunk of urine.

“Could you ladies help me get him inside?” I all but prayed that my plasti still worked on the backdoor reader.

Chethra stepped forward and said, “I’ll help.” I wanted to question her intentions, but instead I rushed around to Theo’s right side, trying to spare him complete dignity deprivation. The grouchy sister squatted and very gently lifted Theo’s left arm over her shoulder and placed a hand behind his left knee, while I did the same on my side. We lifted him off the back of the ATV and headed for the door.

“Danetta, my plasti’s in my front pocket. Can you fish it out?”

She did. “So, this is all just a plot to get me to reach in your pants,” she said.

“You caught me. I go to great lengths.”

“Aunt Danetta! Falcon! Cut that out,” Chura said.

“Umm, Chura, can you go grab the case from the ATV?” I asked. She ran over and unstrapped it, and then with both hands she lugged it over to us.

Danetta slid my plasti in the slot. The green light shone and the magnetic lock disengaged.

“That’s a very good thing,” I said.

Inside, Chethra and I carried Theo through the lab to a set of waiting room chairs. As we lay him down, he groaned in pain.

“You going to be okay here?” I asked.

“I feel awful cold, but I’ll be fine.”

He didn’t look fine at all. Rivers of sweat eroded paths down his dirt-covered face. His arms hung limp at his sides. His breathing was irregular and labored.

Theo was dying, and I had to leave him there alone, in hopes that somebody would find him.

“I’m sorry, Falcon,” Chura said. She plunked down the case and then put her hand on my shoulder.

I reached up and patted her hand. “Thanks,” I said. Then, to Theo, “You use your display to call somebody, okay? Promise me.”

He turned his eyes toward me. “I don’t promise nothin’ to nobody, never. Now git.”

I tried to think of some way we could take him with us. No. Even if we had unlimited time, the year 1970 could not save him. They wouldn’t even know what hit him.

“Listen, Theo, I’m going to get them started, and then I’ll come back to check on you,” I said.

The ladies and I walked into the lab. It was primitive compared to the shiny facility I bought with my grandpa’s money, but just the type of place where I learned the trade. Although it looked like something out of a B movie, I knew it would work just fine. Judging from their faces, the ladies weren’t so sure.

“Don’t worry. It will send us back just like my lab.”

“Falcon. There’s only one chamber,” Danetta said.

“I know. That was the catch I was trying to tell you about. Getting back will be risky.”

“You said bringing back more than one person at a time could get ugly. I think that’s exactly the phrase you used,” Chura said.

“I know, I know. I was just trying to spook you when I first met you.” She was right, though. It was done for emergency rescues, not as a routine practice on leisure jumps.

“What’s the plan? How will this work?” Chethra asked.

“I’ll set it for each of you and send you through individually. Then, I’ll set it for myself and come through after you’ve all gone, setting the chamber to come with me.”

“How do we know you’ll join us?” Chethra said. “You might just send us to some godforsaken time and leave us. Good riddance.” So much for her change of heart after helping me carry Theo.

“Look, I’ll send you as close as I can to the time and place that we went before. If I don’t come through with the chamber right after you, then you’ll know that something went wrong and you have to get back to the exit window within three hours.”

“Chethra. Enough with the interrogation,” Danetta said. “He’s in more trouble than we are right now. The cops still don’t know who we are. He has no reason to stay here.”

That quieted any dissent, and I proceeded to prepare the chamber.

A loud pounding came from the front door.

(continue to Part 11)