A Timeless Love

“Safferr,” Kir croaked, and the doctor became somber. “I’m very sorry, Detective. She was inside the police cruiser when the device exploded. I doubt she felt a thing.” The doctor turned and left the room, giving the broken man in the sickbed some privacy to grieve even as the tears and great heaving sobs began to wrack Kir’s body.

Chapter 10 --------------------------------------------

It was three days after the murder of Captain Safferr when Detective First Class Balen stepped out of the elevator and walked to his office. The normally hectic squad room was silent, and many nodded to him in understanding.

He sat behind his desk in darkness, the light from the data scrolling on his datapad reflecting from his face as he read. The door chimed at one point, but whoever it was didn’t intrude further.

Balen read the life history of Yarnra, his childhood accomplishments, the accolades of his fellow scientists, and a little of his exciting discoveries and inventions, most of which meant nothing to him. And then a recent group of files, still classified, caught his attention.

Dr. Yarnra was given a large operating budget to work on a new weapons system that required huge cash expenditures and large amounts of energy. There were several reports covering the last three years detailing failure after failure until finally there was a notice that the budget for the project had been suspended, followed by a number of protests by Yarnra himself.

Balen stood, checked his weapon, and strode purposefully to the elevator. He requisitioned a cruiser and drove as fast as he could for Galatrex Arms. He parked in a backup lot and rode the shuttle to the main building, where he marched straight for Yarnra’s office. He was almost to the door when he turned a corner and caught sight of the old scientist at the end of the hall. Both froze momentarily, and Yarnra bolted into a nearby room. Without hesitating, Balen ran after him and into the room, where Yarnra stood, holding a shiny pistol trained on him.

Balen stood at one end of the room, and watched Yarnra hold his pistol steady on him. All the old man had to do was pull the trigger and Balen would fail, and it would all be for nothing. He knew he had to keep him talking.

“They cut your budget and cancelled the project on the eve of your greatest discovery,” Balen said as he inched closer to the deranged scientist. “You had to prove to them that it would work, and in such a way that it couldn’t be ignored.”

“Yes, yes,” Yarnra giggled, “All of that is history now. I knew it would work, so I sent a letter to the president of Galatrex Arms detailing the destruction of the shuttle. I worked tirelessly and now, now!” he shouted, “it is ready, and I shall be triumphant!”

“You know I’m going to stop you, Doctor, and you know I’m going to kill you for what you did to Capt. Safferr,” Balen growled.

“You never had a chance, don’t you see? It’s all already happened! We wouldn’t be standing here if the experiment failed! In a few minutes, I will launch the missile that will destroy the shuttle, and at some time after that I will build the bomb that I will send back to destroy you and that Selovian whore!” He held the pistol steadily on Balen and wiped his forehead on the sleeve of his free hand.

“Why did you have to kill her, you bastard?” Balen howled, unable to restrain his fury.

“Kill her? You fool, I was probably trying to kill you both! If I had timed better, you both would be in pieces now!” Yarnra’s face was crimson, the gun in his hand shaking.

Wait a minute, Balen thought, he should have known better, if it all really happened in the future. He would have had this showdown with Balen and known that he had killed the wrong target, or that he needed to kill him before this. Either Yarnra was right, and Balen was about to die, or Balen was right, and there was still time to change all of this. Balen reached for his pistol, hoping the old scientist’s aim would be compromised enough to take him out.

The old scientist’s pistol barked and a section of the doorway near Balen’s head cracked and broke loudly. Returning his attention to Yarnra a split-second later, Balen saw him disappear into the corridor leading to the test chamber. He crossed the room and poked his head through the doorway warily. The corridor was empty, but he could hear the distinct clopping of Yarnra’s shoes in the test chamber beyond.

Balen ran through the corridor, pistol ready just in case Yarnra stopped to return fire. He stopped at the large door to the laboratory and opened it. It was dark inside except for the lights from the various indicator panels. He stood and listened, and let his eyes adjust enough to make out shadowy details inside. He could see a large circular portal, and in front of it the Sting missile. Hearing nothing, he stepped inside and began to move along the wall when he heard two loud “pop”s and felt pain sear through his body.

Balen fell against the wall, and stared down at the two smoking holes in his chest, blood beginning to pour from them. His free hand went to his chest, and he toppled to the floor.

“You see,” Yarnra snorted in hate-filled joy, “you never had a chance! I knew from the beginning that I was going to succeed!” He stuck the gleaming chrome pistol into the deep pocket of his lab coat and stepped over to the control panel. His fingers flew, and he laughed quietly.

Balen felt his strength ebbing. He was beginning to feel the cold numbness of shock spreading through him. The circular portal began to glow a vibrant blue, and a faint, high-pitched humming sound began to emanate from it. The Sting began to whine as the reactor came online, getting ready for the launch that would begin all of this again.

As his vision became dark and fuzzy around the edges, Kir remembered the devastation, and how beautiful Safferr had been standing among the ruins. He remembered working with her, their lovemaking, and replayed her violent death again. Not again, he thought. Never again.

Eyes still without focus, Balen raised his pistol and leveled it at the Sting. As darkness swept over him, he pulled the trigger and heard Yarnra scream.

Epilogue ----------------------------------------------

Kir Balen woke screaming, bathed in sweat. His hands went to his chest, then franticly searched his body for wounds and found none. Good god, he thought, it was a nightmare. Only a nightmare. He got out of bed and showered then shaved. He dressed in his freshest uniform and drove to work.

Steering through a traffic jam, his attention was drawn to the entertainment station. A woman was babbling happily, having just won two coveted tickets to tonight’s concert by Farah Dione. His cop instinct was buzzing, but he couldn’t place what it was that was bothering him. And then it hit him. She was the famous passenger from his dream, the one killed when the missile, the Sting, had...

He became aware of alert tones sounding and shook his head. There were no vehicles in front of him and the line behind him was signaling him angrily to proceed. He accelerated and distractedly drove to headquarters.

In the elevator, Balen’s finger came to rest on 112, then on an impulse reached up and jabbed 147. The door opened on the familiar plush reception office and Kir strode past the familiar receptionist and down the hall. He heard the receptionist calling for assistance when he ignored him, but he was desperate to find her, to see if she was real. At her office door he paused, then chimed and entered. Safferr looked up from her datapad quizzically and said, “Can I help you, Detective?”

Kir’s mouth went dry. Was he insane? Could it have all been a dream, and she a beautiful woman he had seen in a hallway once before? He walked briskly to a chair, sat, and leaned forward. “I don’t think you know me, but I have information about a military experiment into temporal weapons. There is a Dr. Yarnra at the Imperial Weapons Division of Galatrex Arms who has built a device capable of sending missiles into the past, where they can destroy a target with no one the wiser. If you know where the target was in the past, you can destroy it easily.”

Capt. Safferr sat back in her chair, her brow knitted in concentration. After a moment, she reached for her datapad and tossed it to Kir. “You have come to me with this information at an interesting time, Detective.”

He read the information on the datapad in wonder. It was a crime report, detailing an explosion only an hour before, at the Imperial Weapons Division’s laboratories. It was thought that sabotage was involved.

“I can see how you might think I have something to do with this, and in truth I do. I exploded a Sting missile in the lab with my pistol. But the interesting part is that I did it next week.” Seeing her frustration, and glorying in her confusion, he continued. “You see, Captain, the missile originally destroyed a shuttle that arrived this morning. You and I investigated the crime and ran down Dr. Vincent Yarnra. I cornered him in his lab and shot the missile as it was being launched. At that precise moment, I woke this morning believing I had had a terrible nightmare.”

“And why should I believe any of this, Detective?” but she didn’t reach for the alert button on her desk to summon aid.

“Because, your people have a strong connection to the paranormal, and even if it was only a vision, you will place some importance to it. Because even now you feel the stirrings of Felahn with me and because you know I could never deceive you...Szalya.” Kir sat back and watched anger flash across her face, and then soften to confusion.

“I don’t know how you learned that word-” she began angrily, but he interrupted.

“You told me, my love. You told me, and I swore I would never tell another. So, investigate the explosion, convict me if you like. This whole mess will be worth it because I will always remember you and our love, and know you are safe.”

“I see,” Safferr said softly, and stood. “There is an explosion to investigate, Detective, and I feel there would be no one better to assist me on this case than you, my Szalya.”

“I hoped you would say that, my Szalya.”

The End

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