The elevator stopped at the lobby and Marylin stepped in with him.
“Is this next step absolutely necessary?” she asked. “I understand there is a prison in northern California.”
“He killed Scarlet.” Was all Jessie said and they rode the rest of the way in silence.
When the doors slid open at the penthouse, Jessie had his guns up but the CEO’s bodyguards stood there with their jackets open, holsters empty and their hands in the air. A monitor behind them showed the bodies of the rest of their friends bobbing in the water rushing into the lower level.
“Don’t shoot.” The biggest one said quickly. “We’re done. We quit.”
“Where is he?” Jessie said, his guns never wavering.
“In his apartment.” The man said and moved aside.
“Go.” Jessie said as he stepped out and motioned them in.
The men hurried inside and hit the down button repeatedly until the doors closed.
They found him on the balcony, his back to them, taking in the view of woods, river and mountains that stretched as far as the eye could see. Fireworks still shot into the night sky and sounds of the revelers and music could be heard echoing up from far below. He was in his best suit, his shoes polished to a shine, his hair carefully combed.
“I watched you on the cameras.” He said conversationally. “I know you’re angry and you have a right to be but before you do what you came to do, will you answer a question?”
Jessie’s eyes darted looking for a trap, an ambush or weapons aimed at him.
“You knew.” Horowitz continued when Jessie didn’t reply. “You knew exactly what to do. You’ve used the machine, haven’t you? You’ve traveled to the past or future or perhaps both.”
He turned to face the boy with the ancient eyes and the guns pointed at his head.
“Did you go forward? What did you see?” he implored. “What was it like? Did I leave my mark on the world? I only wanted to make it a better place.”
“You left your mark.” Jessie answered and holstered his Glocks as he started forward. “but it’s a better place without you. You’re a destroyer. Your way is not the way.”
“My Tower?” Horowitz asked, anxiety in his voice as he stepped back against the railing “does it help? Does it save mankind?”
Jessie stopped his advance and looked at the CEO. He was putting on a brave face, he knew what was coming. He knew he’d never talk or fight his way out of it. The breeze tossed his perfectly coiffed hair and he licked his lips in fear. The simmering anger, the quiet rage that had propelled Jessie across the country to extract his vengeance was fading as exhaustion rolled through his body. He almost felt pity for the man. He could give him a little peace before his twelve-story plunge.
“It does.” He said. “I’ve seen it with his own two eyes. There are towers like these sprouting up from jungles and forests. Self-sustaining communities rebuilt from the ashes of the old cities. There are statues of you, the man who had the vision, in every atrium. You are honored as the creator, the pioneer, but Marylin is the one who finishes your work. She leads the world forward.”
With shaking fingers Horowitz combed his hair back in place and smiled. He straightened his tie and when Jessie started forward again, he rolled over the railing and disappeared from view. Marilyn covered her face as the Road Angel peered over the balcony. He heard the splatter of impact as Horowitz landed in the midst of the horde surrounding the building, their cries of hunger then silence. Within seconds, the undead closed ranks again and started pawing uselessly at the concrete and steel.
“It’s all yours now.” Jessie said.
“Is that true?” Marylin asked, her face ashen and looking older than he’d ever seen her. “Everything is going to get better?”
“Maybe.” Jessie said on his way out. “That’s one possible future. It’s up to you to make it happen.”
4
Loose Ends
Jessie idled into the A’Le’Inn tourist shop parking lot in Rachel, shut off the motor and waited for Christopher while Bob sniffed around. Everything happened pretty much the same as before. They had dinner, he told them about Lakota then left the family to head down to the underground base. He knew how to get inside and had the big vault door open a half hour after he arrived. He had a few days to kill before Chris, Valerie and the kids showed up and he spent it exploring instead of opening case after case looking for the time travel files. He knew the couple and their children were important in the overall scheme of things. They helped the world rebuild. He didn’t know how or why but sometimes when he landed, even in the far future, the colony they started had been as influential as Lakota or the Tower.
He took the tags off the cases that held the returner belt and the manuals for the time machine and replaced them with new ones he made. He found an empty case, created a label then packed away the super soldier vials and hard drives. He found the computer password on the blotter, updated the numbers on the cases and changed the descriptions to something completely mundane. The most powerful artifacts on the planet were now listed as a prototype plant growth timer, detailed manuals on the building and construction of military grade file cabinets and an experimental dog deworming medicine. When he was satisfied they would never be found, he started scrolling through the various devices stored in the facility. He wasn’t really looking for anything in particular but there had to be some awesome prototype tech hidden away. DARPA couldn’t have spent all their black budget money on research to find bigger and
