Chapter 1
Chapter 1
“Look. I’m not saying this is your fault. I’m just saying it’s like ninety-eight percent your fault.” Hero Mcfitzowitz said, her voice muffled. Hero was a tall girl of seventeen who could charitably be described as spindly. She wore a blue floral print shirt, with green suspenders, pants with what appeared to be antlers all over them, and a blue and green striped bow tie. She had a mop of curly dark hair and green eyes rimmed in blue. Every time she moved it was an explosion of flailing limbs, though her moments were limited at that moment due to handcuffs. Her voice was muffled because she was lying face down on the pavement outside The Wolf Lyre Pub in the City of the Present.
“Ninety-eight percent. How’d ya come up with that figure?” Her boyfriend Billy said. He too was cuffed. He dabbed at the blood on his lip with his tongue.
“You obviously had a tell.” Hero said. “The bouncer could read on your face that the ID’s were fake.”
“Look darlin’, I ain’t got a tell. Billy the Kid ain’t got a tell.”
“Ugh. Don’t refer to yourself in the third person.” Hero said. She rolled away from Billy.
“Obviously there was sumthin’ wrong with the cards you made.” Billy said.
Hero rolled back over to face him angrily. “Impossible. Those ID’s were a thing of beauty. I built the printer myself. It’s exactly like the real thing. Embedded microchips. Watermarks. They were pristine. No way the bouncer could tell.”
“I think we maybe coulda’ left of our own volition if you hadn’t hauled off and punched the feller.” Billy said.
“He was impugning my forgery skills!” Hero said. She flopped onto her back. She stared into the night sky. Always engulfed by the black hole that made everywhere on earth but the UK uninhabitable, but also made time travel possible.
“Least ya gave as good as ya got.” Billy said.
“Will you two please shut up?” Lawman Menke, the lawman who’d arrested them, said.
“Why don’t you?” Billy said. “And git my hat outta that puddle. Cost me two damn dollars.”
Menke grudgingly pulled Billy’s cowboy hat from the oily puddle of water. “Look Mr… The Kid.” Menke said. “Just stay calm and we’ll get you back to your own time.”
“Mm-hm.” Billy grunted.
Menke turned his back on the delinquents to answer a phone call.
Billy scooched over so he could nudge Hero’s shoulder with his own. “Doin’ okay Outlaw?”
“Yeah.”
“Yer head okay?” He leaned over and rested his lips on her shoulder.
“Yeah.”
“Ribs?” He didn’t remove his lips from their position on her shoulder and his voice sent vibrations down her back.
“Yeah.”
“Knuckles?”
“Think I busted ‘em on his face.” Hero said.
“That’s my girl.”
“Sorry Kid, I know you wanted to see the show.” Hero said.
“It’s okay. I think I can still lead a full life not knowin’ what country punk sounds like.”
Hero rolled over on her side so she and Billy could lie face to face. She stuck her neck out and pooched her lips expectantly.
“What’re you doin’?” Billy said. “I ain’t kissin’ you.” A smirk spread across his face.
“Shut up.” Hero said.
Billy kissed her. He spoke out the side of his mouth. “Really wish I could use my hands right now.”
“You and me both pardner.” Hero said.
Menke returned to them, reading from his tablet. “Okay Mr. Kid, the moppers can take you back to-“ Menke cut himself off when he saw Hero and Billy making out. He used his foot to nudge Billy onto his back, disengaging the teenagers. Then he hauled Billy to his feet.
“Time for you to go.” Menke said.
“Police brutality.” Hero muttered.
Menke gestured to two large men in suits that had materialized. They seized Billy on either side and led him away.
“Don’t weaken Billy!” Hero called. “See ya soon!”
“Don’t weaken Outlaw!” Billy called back.
Then the group turned the corner and were out of sight.
Menke helped Hero stand. “Are you gonna be trouble Hero?”
“When am I ever trouble?” Hero said.
***
The council called a special meeting. They had to discuss the greatest security threat the City of the Present had known since Trygg Nova. They had to figure out what to do with Hero Mcfitzowitz.
***
At the time the council was discussing her fate Hero Mcfitzowitz slept off date fistfight in a jail cell. She had a sinking suspicion one of her watches had been cracked. If it was actually broken she was well and truly screwed, but rather than spend her night worrying about it or the fact that she was in a jail cell she opted to sleep.
You may be wondering why Hero was so worried about a cracked wrist watch. It didn’t look special, just a hunk of cheap plastic. She had two other watches strapped to her arm and they looked fine. In fact they both looked a lot nicer than the broken one in the middle. The one on her wrist was incredibly ornate with exposed brass gears and a leather band. The one further up on her forearm was sleek with black brushed steel. Those watches were Hero’s life. The exposed gear watch could send her into the past. The brushed steel one could send her into the future. The cracked one in the center, it was the most essential, it brought her home to the present.
***
Back in the council chambers the battle over Hero’s fate raged on.
“She’s only eighteen.” Councilman Morstan said. “She just needs time to mellow. I seem to recall a little incident concerning you in Jabalhabad in your youth Councilman Hartnell.”
“Yes, yes, everyone has had an unruly youth. But for goodness sakes she’s dating Billy the Kid. She’s putting history in danger.” Councilman Pace said.
Morstan snorted. He tucked his chin down to hide his smile. While he knew about Hartnell’s youthful indiscretions he doubted Hartnell’s cohort, Pace, had ever so much as skipped forward five minutes on the last day of school.
“It’s not funny, it’s dangerous.” Hartnell said. His portly face reddening. “And that isn’t even the half of it.”
“She doesn’t mean anything by it.” Councilman Olliver Tennant said. His was the only American accent in the room, a holdover from when the Tennant family had immigrated to the Present 400 years ago. A lot later than most families, which some took to be some odd form of rebellion.
“Well that’s almost worse.” Pace said. He fiddled with his horn-rimmed glasses on the bridge of his nose for a moment before taking them off altogether and polishing them. “She’s just gallivanting around with nary a care in that head of hers.”
“What exactly are you suggesting we do?” Morstan said.
While Hartnell pondered the question, Morstan stood and paced the room. He didn’t care for the feeling he had about this meeting. Hartnell and Pace had whipped themselves into a frenzy over the “Mcfitzowitz girl”. He knew Tennant would side with him. He had been quite wild when he was younger and he was dating Hero’s brother Benvolio. As for Freeman, well it was impossible to tell with him wasn’t it? He was always the swing vote and he hadn’t said a word since the council had convened. Freeman was a bit of a hardliner but he had a soft spot for rebels. Hero was a good girl. Bit eccentric, bit wild, not a lot of respect for authority, but she didn’t deserve whatever Hartnell and Pace had planned. If he somehow got her out of this current predicament, Morstan resolved to have a chat with Hero. Tell her things had gone far enough. Tell her to toe the line, at least for a while, and she really needed to break up with that cowboy.
“I think we should consider banishment.” Hartnell said. “Stick her a few centuries in the past, and let her live out her life. Maybe the 1980’s, that era would certainly match her...style.”
Morstan was thankful that his dark skin hid the mottles of red that he was sure would otherwise show on his face as rage washed over him. Tennant was not so lucky. Splotches of red bloomed on his cheeks and his normally handsome face contorted into a snarl.
“There’s no way in-” Tennant began at the same time Morstan roared “If you think I’ll-”
“Seems a bit harsh.” One voice easily cut off the other two. It drifted across the table and easily brought silence to all the men seated around it. For the first time that night Councilman Freeman spoke.
Morstan breathed a sigh of relief. Of course Freeman would see sense. Hero wasn’t dangerous. She was just...weird.
“I think a more fitting punishment would be simply taking her watches.” Freeman continued.
Morstan’s stomach dropped. Taking someone’s watches was brutal. Of course there was the embarrassment and dishonor, but for someone like Hero there was something far worse about being trapped in the present. Boredom. As far as Morstan knew, Hero hadn’t spent a full day in the Present since she’d received her watches on initiation day. Most people took their watches for granted, used them for small mundane tasks. The time for great adventurers was past, but Hero had never accepted that. Morstan, in addition to his council duties, was the history teacher at the academy Hero sporadically attended. Hero loved the stories of the greats like Hiddleston and Travers. Her favorite stories concerned Sebastian O’Connell, an adventurer with an affinity for pirates who went missing while exploring revolutionary America.
"That seems acceptable." Hartnell said.
"Yeah, it would to you." Tennant said.
"Oh, I suppose you'd just let her off with a slap on the wrist." Hartnell said.
"Of course not." Morstan said. He looked to Tennant, trying to get the younger man to calm down, while still feeling quite angry himself.
"Can't you see what this is?" Tennant said, turning to Freeman. "They're railroading her."
"Councilman Freeman, perhaps Councilman Tennant should recuse himself from this case. Conflict of interest." Pace said.
"Oh you'd like that wouldn't you." Tennant said.
Pace lowered his gaze, suddenly very interested in a scratch on the table.
"Do I need to read the charges again?" Hartnell said.
"I'd rather you didn't." Tennant said, doing a very poor job of hiding his anger.
Hartnell cleared his throat and flipped open the shoulder sitting before him. "Assault for one. She nearly killed Lawman Booth just two months ago.”
“That wasn’t her fault.” Tennant said. “The charges were dropped.”
“Thanks to you.” Hartnell said.
“Yeah. Thanks to me.” Tennant said.
“May I continue?” Hartnell said.
“Don’t weaken.” Tennant said.
“Oh look at that, several more charges of assault. Fraud. Theft. Fraternization with significant historical figures."
"Is that what the kids are calling it these days?" Tennant said.
Hartnell leveled a glare at him before continuing. "Weapons possession. Reckless endangerment and TREASON." He finished, slamming the rap sheet on the table for good measure.
"She hasn't committed treason yet." Morstan said quietly.
"But she will. We know she will. Turk saw her." Pace said.
"No citizen of The Present shall be prosecuted for crimes occurring in the future of their own personal timeline. Glasgow Pronouncement Article 13 Paragraph 1." Morstan said.
"Taking into consideration-" Hartnell began.
"No citizen of the present shall-"
"Oh very clever. I can quote policy too. You forget I am a solicitor Morstan."
"-Own personal timeline."
"Not some glorified babysitter."
"Article 13 Paragraph 1."
Hartnell clapped his hands in mock applause. "Well done. So you'd prefer she just traipse about and destroy what has taken hundreds of years to build?"
Morstan sat down settled into his chair again. His eyes never leaving Hartnell's.
"The charge of treason will be struck from our deliberations yes?" Freeman said. "May we continue?"
Hartnell and Morstan nodded. When the council left their chambers in the small hours of the morning Hartnell was smiling. Morstan was not.
***
Hero awoke the next morning feeling surprisingly refreshed. It was a wonder what eight hours of uninterrupted sleep could do. She hadn’t been home much over the course of the last couple months and sleep was hard to come by. She rarely stayed in the City of Present for more than a few hours. Instead, she elected to skip class and spend some time in the old west with Billy or head to 5050 for some underground boxing. However, if she was going to be rewarded with a full night’s sleep every time she got arrested she’d make more of a habit of it.
Hero stretched on the narrow cot. She had a smile on her face. A smile that promptly died the moment she caught a glimpse of her watches. The center one. The one that brought her back to the present was cracked. Dirt caked the face. She pressed a button on the side, wincing as grit worked into the cracks in the side. The face illuminated dully through the dirt, flashed twice, and went out. She licked her thumb and rubbed the face of the watch clean. She dug at the dirt with her fingernail, but only succeeded in grinding the dirt further into the inner workings of the watch through a crack on the face. She ruffled her hair in frustration. An old habit that made sure her curls grew in volume as the day progressed until by the end of the day it looked like she had a massive black cloud surrounding her head.
She pressed her tongue to the inside of her lip, surveying the damage. It stung but didn't start bleeding again. She’d skinned the palms of her hands and her back felt a little tweaked, but otherwise she felt just dandy. She was thankful she'd chosen boxing as her physical education subject and got a lot of practice or she'd have been feeling a lot worse that morning.
She rubbed her eyes and waited for the guard to come and let her out. She knew the standard operating procedure, this wasn't the first night, or even her fiftieth night, she'd spent in a cell. She personally thought of herself as quite affable, jovial even, so it was a total mystery why she ended up in situations that got her punched in the face on such a regular basis.
She hoped Portnoy was on duty. He usually brought her tea and didn't drag on the sign out process. She sprawled back on the cot with her arm thrown over her eyes to shield them from the harsh sunlight. Maybe she could catch a few more minutes of sleep. This thought was shattered before it was fully realized.
"Wakey wakey, Mcfitzowitz." Someone yelled joyfully down the hall. "You're burning daylight!"
Hero groaned. Only one person got this much glee from her incarceration. Hershey. The biggest douche in the precinct. They had clashed on a number of occasions. Most notable was an incident where Hero had convinced Hershey that she was just a figment of his imagination. He'd never really forgiven her for that and always took pleasure in torturing her.
Hershey dragged his nightstick down the line of bars, raising a magnificent racket. When he reached the door to her cell he whacked his nightstick against the bars loud enough to make her ears ring.
"Cap says you're free to go." Hershey said.
"Wunderbar." Hero said.
Hero rose from the cot, but Hershey made no move to unlock her cell. She tapped her foot.
"You know I would teleport out of here but I left my transporter in my other trousers." Hero said. "Mind opening the door mate?"
"Eh, not sure what your big rush is." Hershey said.
"My mum hates it when I'm late for breakfast. So..." She made a shooing gesture. "Let's get this show on the road."
Hershey scowled at her. He made a large show of shuffling through his big ring of keys. It took all of Hero's concentration not to fidget while all this was going on. She didn't want Hershey to know his grand production had had any effect on her. Finally Hershey selected the right key and slid it into the lock. At an excruciatingly slow pace he turned the key and the cell popped open.
Hero walked to the door. Hershey blocked her exit. "Getting a bit creepy now Hershey. Am I free to go or not?"
Hershey just stood there, leering at her. She nudged him aside with her elbow and exited the cell. As soon as she stepped out of the cell he slapped a chronocuff on her wrist. A chronocuff kept a citizen of the Present from using their watches. The jail used the same technology in a field to keep people from escaping. Chronocuffs were only used for extreme flight risks. Hero's stomach dropped. This did not bode well.
"Not. Funny. Hershey."
"Not. Laughing. Mcfitzowitz."
"Well you are a little." Hero pointed out. Indeed he was. Hershey valiantly attempted to squash the giggles erupting from his mouth, but was unsuccessful.
"You said Cap-"
"Oh yeah. Cap says you're free to go. But councilman Hartnell said to detain you."
Until this point Hero had attempted to maintain an air of nonchalance. At the mention of Hartnell any such attempts ceased. Hartnell hated her. Hated her. All because on a field trip to the solicitor's office she may have looked at a couple case files. They weren't even that interesting, solicitors never get the juicy cases. And that's what she'd told him when he caught her. She was only eleven so she got detention and her parents had to sign a strongly worded gag order on her behalf. Hartnell had launched a vendetta against her ever since. He even went so far as to bar her admission to several academic clubs of which he was on the board. Hero made excellent grades, when she bothered to show up to school, Blending for Historical Travelers and attendance being the only black marks. She was an ace at standardized tests and academic competitions when she wasn't busy getting arrested. Hartnell always claimed the clubs didn't need "her sort" around. To that statement Hero had no real rebuttal.
Hershey seized Hero's shoulder and led her down the narrow hall. The flickering fluorescents overhead brought to mind the old film the Green Mile. She felt as if she were being led to her execution or something much worse. She had an idea of what was about to happen and she was ready to do anything to stop it.
The council's chambers were conveniently located right next to the police station. So at least Hershey couldn't parade her all over town wearing that damn chronocuff. She examined the chronocuff while they walked. She hadn't seen a cuff in person, only read about how they worked. They made it impossible to leave the City of the Present. The city was parked on the event horizon of a black hole and the watches allowed you to escape the pull, this was what allowed you to manipulate space time geometry. Really the wristwatches were a side discovery. The real discovery was the field the city existed in. To the outside world Present would appear frozen, unless you occupied the precise present moment. The field around Present prevented it from being crushed by the singularity. The first watches to be discovered synced with the field and allowed you to re-enter the Present at the precise right moment. Next was the future watch, traveling into the future was easy enough after the field had been invented. It just all came down to relativity. Finally came the past watch. Traveling into the past had taken scientists hundreds of years. Hero still wasn't entirely sure how it worked. She knew it had something to do with manipulating your own timeline and moving faster than the speed of light, roughly the speed of the universe expanding, to fundamentally shift space time geometry. The chronocuff anchored you to the field, made it so you couldn't leave.
They entered the building that housed the council's chambers. Councilman Tennant was there to greet her. He chewed the collar of his shirt, a habit Hero recognized. He only did it when he was really upset. Tennant was around the same age as her brother, 28. He was a war hero. A captain. Hero's older brother had had a major crush on him in high school. When Tennant returned from his tour of duty they discovered the feeling was mutual and they began a relationship. Tennant was tremendously respected and very smart. He was the youngest person to ever be appointed to the council. When he saw her, he spit out the collar of his shirt and ran over to her. He looked distraught.
"I called Volio. We’re gonna fix it. They’re not getting away with it Hero.”
Hero did her best to smile.
Morstan emerged through a large mahogany door. His face was grave. He approached her. Hershey stood beside her, but Morstan dispatched him with a single look. He recused himself to a chair in the lobby. Morstan held her by the shoulders, nearly shaking with vehemence.
"We'll fight this Hero. We will. It's not right” Tennant said from behind him.
"The council's decisions are final Ollie." Hero said. Her voice bleak.She turned to Morstan "You taught me that, Mr. Morstan." She felt numb, the world swam.
"They're wrong." Morstan said.
"What did I do?" Hero asked. "I didn't hurt anybody. Well not permanently. Is it because of Billy? Is it Booth?"
"It's not something you did. It's something you will do." Morstan said.
"But-"
"We'll fix it. It won't stand." Tennant said.
"What is it?" Hero said.
"You know I can't tell you that." Tennant said.
"Yes. I know." Hero said.
"We've called your parents."
"Yes." She said.
Hartnell and Pace entered the lobby next. Hartnell wore a smug grin. "Ah, thank you Lawman Hershey for bringing her to us."
Hershey smiled. "It was my genuine pleasure councilman."
Hartnell turned to her. "I expect you know why you're here."
"Not really." Hero said. Her voice completely free of it's near omnipresent jocular tone.
"Assault. Fraternization-" Hartnell read from the rap sheet.
"She doesn't need to hear it Hartnell." Morstan said.
"She said she doesn't know why-"
"And you reading those charges isn't going to enlighten her. We both know the reason and it isn't on that list." Tennant snapped, his voice getting higher with each angry syllable.
Hartnell glanced down at the sheet. "It appears forgery was added just last night."
"The crime doesn't fit the punishment, Hartnell, and you know it." Tennant said. He started forward. Morstan reached out and stopped him. He held Tennant with one arm and wrapped the other around Hero's shoulders.
"This isn't right!" Tennant burst out.
"I know." Morstan said.
Finally Freeman entered the lobby. He surveyed the scene coldly. "Have you done it yet?"
"No." Hartnell said.
"Well quit dragging it out." Freeman said. "Tennant, Morstan, once we leave the chambers we stand together."
"But-" Tennant began.
"If you can't do that you are dismissed."
Tennant looked from Freeman to Hero's stricken face. He looked to Morstan, who shook his head just once. Tennant set his jaw and left the lobby.
"Very well." Freeman said. "Councilman Tennant has been relieved of his duties."
Hershey smirked. He'd never liked Tennant. Hero had heard him call Tennant “Captain Pretty Boy” more times than she could count. Seeing Hershey smiling finally shook Hero out of her stupor.
"Councilman Morstan, please step away from Ms. Mcfitzowitz." Freeman said.
Morstan shook his head.
"Officer Hershey." Hartnell said.
Hershey elbowed Morstan out of the way. He grabbed Hero's arm. She could tell she'd have a fantastic bruise the next day. Hero's breathing grew faster. She knew what was about to happen and she was scared.
"Hero Mcfitzowitz, by the power vested in me by this council, for your crimes against the laws of the present, I do hereby strip you of your watches and do declare that you shall remain in the city of the present as long as you shall live."
Hero's knees turned to jelly. She couldn’t stay in Present, she just couldn’t. She sank to the floor. Hershey tried to haul her up, but she became dead weight. She tried to steady her shaking hands. She had a theory for how to circumvent the chronocuff and now was the time for a test run, but she'd need to be steady.
From the second Hershey slapped the chronocuff on her wrist Hero had been counting. The field that shielded the City of the Present ran on a never ending fibonacci sequence. When Hero was 13 and their class had visited the field generator Hero had noticed there was a tiny flicker anytime the sequence encountered a number where the index number was a prime. A number had flashed on the cuff’s screen when the cuff had been placed on her wrist. The number was 2880067194370816120. Otherwise known as the 90th number in the fibonacci sequence. If the cuff ran on a similar sequence, it may have the same defect. Hero waited for another prime index number to arise. She’d already missed 97, 101, 103, and 107 because Hershey was holding onto her. Her best bet was 109. If she missed that then they may have taken her watches before it reached 113. With a great heave she shoved Hershey away. They both sprawled on the floor in opposite directions. Hartnell and Pace rushed forward. Hero finished the count in her head. 109. She tossed Hartnell a wink, punched down the button on the past watch, and blinked out of existence.