“I want to thank you both,” Martin said. “Arielle, you whipped together this team so fast and have shown how forward-thinking you are with all of this planning. Your attention to detail is unlike anything I’ve seen before. And Alina, I know that if everything works out we’ll have a clear, simple path to finally getting rid of Chris. Cheers to you both.”
Martin raised his drink before gulping down its remains and slamming the glass on the table.
“We’re honored to just be working on this mission,” Arielle said with a grin, brushing back her honey-brown hair. “In our line of work, even with how dangerous it is, so many of the missions can feel repetitive. Our days sort of blend together: fight the bad guys, save the innocents, you know? But this has breathed new life into me. I don’t think I’ve been this excited to be a Road Runner since I first joined.”
Alina nodded in agreement. “It’s true, Commander. There are so many of us working hard every day, knowing it’s for the greater good. I never dreamt in a million years that I would one day serve as lieutenant commander.”
Martin shrugged. “I don’t know what to say—I was elected into a job I didn’t really want or know how to do. All I wanted was to surround myself with the best talent, and that has led to you two, which has led to your teams that are here with us. My only goal is to kill Chris. Once that’s done, we can return to the days of doing meaningful missions—all of us. I want everyone in this organization to feel empowered to do their best work and move their lives in the directions they want. And that starts from the top down. If this is successful, you can both do whatever you want, as far as I’m concerned. Arielle, if you want to be a Lead Runner, just tell me where. Alina, you’re stuck with me for a couple years, but after that, you’ll have my full endorsement for the commandership, should you like.”
Alina smiled. “I appreciate that, Commander, but let’s worry about one thing at a time and get Sonya tomorrow.”
“Of course,” Martin said. “I’d be lying if I told you I wasn’t thinking about my own death—it’s certainly more than possible tomorrow. That’s why I wanted to thank you both, just in case.”
“And that’s where we’re different, Commander,” Arielle said. “You see, we don’t have that mentality. We’re aware that death is possible every mission, but we don’t dwell on it. We are the better team in this battle, and you must always remember that.”
Martin nodded. “Thank you for that.”
“We should probably call it a night,” Arielle said, checking her watch. The evening had crept past nine o’clock, a potential long night of tossing and turning ahead. Arielle and Alina both stood, prompting Martin to follow suit. They shared an apartment unit four doors down the hallway. The entire team was spread all over the complex, able to snag units for dirt cheap, considering they were in the Great Depression.
Sonya lived on the third floor, an advantage for the Road Runners, as they could jam the stairwells should she try to flee her apartment. She wouldn’t make it off her floor before a flock of Road Runners swarmed her.
“Sleep well, Commander,” Alina said. “I’m gonna look everything over one final time before going to bed—can never be too sure.”
“And I’ll try to fall asleep and fail miserably,” Arielle said. “Been that way my whole life—I’m a night owl at heart. Must be why it’s so hard for me to get out of bed in the mornings.”
Martin chuckled. “Learning what makes you two tick these last couple weeks has been really interesting. I’ll be asleep in two minutes—the moonshine has that effect.”
“I could go into the science of why that stuff is absolutely horrible for you, but I know you won’t actually care,” Arielle said, letting out a light giggle.
“I’ve been drinking alcohol my whole life,” Martin said. “This stuff may not taste the best, but it serves its purpose. Now, you ladies have a good night, and I’ll see you in the morning.”
“Good night, Commander,” Arielle said, leading the way out.
Martin closed the door, falling back into the silence of isolation. He poured one more glass of moonshine to polish off before calling it a day. The stress had mounted to unprecedented levels. Aside from this two-week mission, he still had daily responsibilities to tend to: putting out small fires around the continent, approving and denying special mission requests, and attempting to remain a transparent and accessible commander for the organization.
The silence was nothing but a double-edged sword. He enjoyed the time to himself to unwind and not constantly live in the bustle, but it also prompted his mind to churn out wild thoughts and scenarios. Maybe Sonya would want to run away with him forever, disappearing into the sunset where they’d build new lives together. The future tormented him.
Martin returned to the couch with his full glass, sinking into it as he pulled out his wallet, flipping it open to the old, tattered photo he kept of his late daughter, Izzy. He ran a thumb over its plastic covering, her adolescent grin wide and cheerful. “I don’t know if this all happened because of you. Maybe I’ve just been telling myself that to keep my heart in it. Worst-case scenario, I’ll be seeing you soon. Best case, I’m a hero.”
Martin turned on the radio, still not quite used to having that as the only means of in-home entertainment, and listened to a jazz station while he finished off his nightcap, eventually falling into a deep sleep on the couch for his final night in 1933.
Chapter 2
Duane and Chris sat in Wealth of Time’s back office in the northern Nevada desert. Beautiful, unincorporated territory, as Chris liked to refer to it.
Chris had listened to
