The soldier sat in the chair with his feet propped up on the desk. He chatted quietly with his buddy who currently guarded another important installation halfway across the base. They were much more interested in the bust size of a certain young lieutenant that had just transferred into their unit, and were thanking their lucky stars for coed assignments.
“I’m telling you, man, she’s gotta be at least a forty double D.” The soldier said, his smile wide as he spoke. Suddenly, as he listened to his friend counter with a measurement of forty-two, a loud clanging noise began to sound. “Oh shit! I gotta go.” He slammed the phone down. He went for his radio, but the alarm was too loud. He turned and headed back towards the lobby of elevators. He walked to the first one and punched the button, the door opened immediately, he stepped in, and doors closed behind him. A few seconds passed when the doors of the elevator beside it opened, and Jack came out, with his gun in his hand. Jack ensured that the lobby was empty, and then went through the door towards the entrance, as he ignored the blare from the alarm. He reached the front door, which was locked, and hesitated. He looked from side to side to find something to break the glass with. Suddenly, he remembered the keys that he had stuck in his pocket when he and Ted had escaped from this very same building only a few days before. He reached in and pulled them out. The third key turned in the lock. Once outside, Jack began to look closer at the key ring that he had taken from the guard. His eyes fixated on the car key. Then, for the first time he noticed the standard military issue jeep parked near the front of the lot. Its drab tan paint job did not do a good job of camouflaging it in the parking lot filled with normal shiny cars. He ran to it and hoped that the key would fit. He also hoped that he could make it to the restaurant in time to help Ted. He had lost him twice, once for ten years, and the next time forever, he had thought. He didn’t want it to happen again. Jack jumped into the jeep, and was relieved that the key fit. He was ecstatic when the engine turned over. He slammed the jeep in reverse, and barked the tires as he slid out of the parking slot. There was hope.
Jack pulled out onto the main road and headed for the gate. He slowed when another car skidded out onto the pavement in front of him. As the car ahead approached the gate, the passenger inside turned sideways and spoke to the driver. Cold fingers ran down Jack’s spine as he recognized himself. His other self. Ted was driving the car ahead of him. Though he knew that he was in a time loop, and the sequence of events as they had unfolded, it was still hard for him to swallow. Paradoxes. Time loops. These were not things that he had studied in school.
His mind began to leap ahead as to what he should do once he got to the restaurant. He would arrive too late to help and save the couple in the parking lot, but he couldn’t just approach Ted and his sidekick. That wouldn’t work. The other Jack would be too blasted away by the paradox to continue with his job. His only real course of action had one path. He had to find a place to lay low. He needed to see into the alcove where Ted would take Smith. He needed a clear shot. If Jack or Ted saw him before he could take the shot, they would stop him, and even kill him if they had to. As of yet, they had no idea how bad this was going to get. He began to run over and over the layout of the alleys behind the restaurant in his mind, as he mindlessly followed his counterparts across town. He accelerated when they did. He slowed down when they did. When they made it through the railroad crossing, even as the crossing arms came down, he was shocked that he didn’t. He came to a full stop, and looked back to the left to see if a train was coming. He didn’t see a train. He took his foot off of the brake and began to coast forward as he turned to the right. Suddenly a train blared its horn as it blew through the intersection. Jack slammed his foot back down on the brake, and his heart skipped a beat. Though he cursed train crossings, he was suddenly thankful for crossing arms. He waited as car after car rocketed past. Finally the last car whipped through the intersection, and Jack turned around the crossing arm, and accelerated through. He had lost valuable time, but at least he wasn’t far away.
Moments later, Jack slid to a stop across the main street, and jumped out of jeep. He timed the oncoming traffic, dodged in between the cars on the road, and ran immediately to the rear of the alley. He pulled his gun, and kicked the safety off as he approached the corner of the alley. He laid his back against the brick wall, and slowly peeked around the corner. He could see into the alcove. Ted had Smith against the wall, but there wasn’t enough room to get a decent shot. He brought his gun up anyway, and hoped that if he timed it right, he could make it count. There was no more time to find another place, and he still couldn’t come out into the open. He braced his right hand with his left and leaned heavily against the brick. He fought to slow his breathing so that he would be ready if an opportunity presented itself. The sudden beep from his watch caused a wave of nausea to hit him as he realized that it was time. Through his gun sights he saw Smith whirl and face Ted. Jack fired. The weapon kicked in his hand, and obscured his view. As the gun came down, he saw Ted crumpled on the ground. Smith fired at his other persona. The other Jack frantically dove out of the way. Jack raised his gun again and started to aim towards Smith. Suddenly he turned towards him. Smith saw him and began to shoot. The bullets ricocheted off of the brick wall just inches from his face.
Jack pulled back. He stuck his arm around the corner and fired two rounds blindly. Smith rounded the corner at full speed and fired almost at point blank range. The bullet missed Jack by fractions of an inch as he barreled into him, and knocked him to the ground. As Jack landed, his gun clattered to the ground beside him, just barely out of reach. Smith regained his composure, stood up and aimed his gun at Jack. Jack stared back coldly, as Smith pulled the trigger. The firing pin fell, but only a click sounded from the gun. It was empty. Jack lunged for his gun, but Smith kicked him in the chest, and knocked the breath out of him. He fell backwards and rolled towards the brick wall in a semi-fetal position. Suddenly Jack’s other self ran out of the alley. He was too fixated on identifying where Smith had gone. He did not see Jack as he laid on the ground. He ran by and disappeared. Almost a minute passed before Jack could finally breathe again. He sat up, grabbed his gun, and very carefully stood up. He walked past the entrance to the alley and looked at Ted as he lay on the ground. A lone tear came to his eye as he turned away to cross the street.
Suddenly, behind him, he heard a sound. He stopped and turned back around. He listened intently to see if the sound came again. Again, a soft moan. He ran towards Ted. As he approached, Ted’s arm moved towards his head.
“Ted! Ted! Can you hear me?” Ted rolled his head towards Jack, and grimaced.
“I’ve been shot, you idiot. I’m not deaf.” He struggled to get into a sitting position, and Jack bent down to help him. “Damn I’m glad you called me.” Ted said as he put a finger through one of the many holes in his shirt.
“Body armor?” Jack asked.
“Yeah. It’s heavy and it’s hot. But it saved my ass.” He chuckled as Jack helped him to his feet.
“You okay?”
“Yeah. Actually I am. A couple of busted ribs. I’ll probably feel like shit tomorrow.”
“Yeah, but at least you’ll be around tomorrow.” Jack said as Ted looked up at him and paused.
“Wait a minute, now. Just which Jack are you. The best I can figure, there are three of you assholes running amok in this city tonight.”
“The first. Well the last. Damn it, can this get any more confusing? I’m the one that called you.”
“Okay. Now that we’ve got that straight, I think...where is Smith.”
“He got away. The other me was chasing him, but he’ll get away again. Our best bet-”
“Is to get him at your house...tonight.”
“Exactly. But this time, no bullshit. We see him, we shoot. No hesitation.”
“My sentiments exactly.” Jack put his arm around Ted and helped him to w
alk towards the end of the alley. “We’ll get him, Jack.” Ted said in an effort to comfort him. Jack smiled slightly.
“I already did, Ted. Right place, but wrong time.”
“I don’t get it.” Ted answered. Jack explained about how he was knocked unconscious the last time that he had tried to stop Smith. How Smith had killed the family, and the chase that ensued. They were in Jack’s stolen jeep and on the road back to Ted’s place before he finished.
“So even though you’ve already killed this bastard, we’ve got to kill him again?”
“Like I said. Right place. Wrong time.” Silence ensued for a mile or more before Jack spoke up again. “Do you think that time can be changed? I mean, are we wasting our time. Is this whole mess destined to happen again and again no matter how many times we come back?” Ted looked at him, as Jack stared at the road ahead, his jaw set.
“I don’t think so, Jack. I mean, look at me. I’m alive. Is that what happened last time?” Jack looked at him, and shook his head, as he confirmed Ted’s suspicions that he had been killed in the other time line. “If that could be changed then why can’t we change the outcome for your family? Why can’t we save them?" He asked. Jack thought for a moment.
“I don’t know, Ted. But it just seems like...like...every time we change one little thing, something else changes to balance it. Like just now, I was there. I intended to shoot Smith before he ever had a chance to shoot you. Before he ever even had any real idea that he was going to shoot you. But I couldn’t get a clear shot.”
“But I’m still here.”
“Yeah, but he shot you anyway. Don’t you see? Maybe we can change some things, but maybe we can’t others. Big things. Important things.” The two rode in silence the rest of the way to Ted’s hotel, each consumed by their own thoughts. Thoughts of what had been, could have been, almost was, and will be. Tonight they had to be successful, failure was not an option.
Chapter 30