Canadon't - A Hatchetfield Story

A Risk

Pa-ding.

MacDonald looked at John's pocket, "What was that?"

"A text. It might've been for you."

"If it was for me, I would've received it."

"Then who's texted me," John pulled out his phone and checked the message. It was a voice message: from Georgiana.

"Hey- uh. Gotcha number from a phonebook. Listen, I gotta go do something, it's important I promise, but I have a plan to getcha back home. Can't say much, they could be listenin'. But, I have faith in ya, John. G- godspeed."

John responded with his own voice message, despite it being left on delivered, "I'm safe, I've spoke to other John. We're working on getting everything turned off, where can we meet later on? Either of us could be anywhere," John ended the message, waiting patiently for some form of confirmation. It didn't come, but that didn't matter, he had a mission to do, "John, how was your plan supposed to go?"

MacDonald began walking out of the cell room, into the main office, "We have communications with PEIP headquarters across the planet. A radio frequency would be broadcast, signalling to release the weapons."

John remarked, scanning the room properly, "So violent.."

"I know. It wasn't my plan."

"Whose was it?"

"Jay. Arrington. He worked with Xander for the logistics, but he had a vision for this type of thing," MacDonald opened up PEIP Records, showing Jay's message history.

"Jay?"

"Yes. My point is: I think I can get everything shut down, I just need to know where I'm going," MacDonald logged out of PEIP Records and instead opened up Hatchetfield Surveillance. He looked around, like he was searching for something. Something significant.

"Well, where are your weapons stationed?

"I wasn't filled in."

"You're the General."

"I might've forgotten to ask."

"Then where could they be? They'd have to be somewhere secluded."

"Lakeside Mall!"

"..Really?"

"It was abandoned, ages ago, it faded out for a new mega store somewhere else. Some 'coven' thing, I don't remember. PEIP has access to large areas of Hatchetfield, I'm sure Jay could've figured it out. With Lorelei's help, or something."

"That's a sound theory. But we can't take risks scanning only 1 place, we might only have hours."

"I'll be sending the command. We have as long as I say we do."

"You sound very certain that those rules are going to be followed. John."

MacDonald's face slowly grew less and less confident, as if he had realised something. He had no reason to believe the team would trust him at all. Why else was he on cell duty all day, while the others were working on the end of the world scheme. Why was MacDonald rarely involved in discussions? What reason did he have to be there?

If he'd have been better, he thought, he could've been safe.

"John, I'm concerned."

"So am I."

"I don't know if my team will be taking my side."

"John, we have no time to worry, our lives are at stake. We need to get hold of SOMETHING."

"I'm fucking trying!" MacDonald frantically checked the security cameras, records, every file on his computer, but he found nothing. No e-mails he'd been clued in on. No records he had to see. Nothing on the cameras. He frantically switched between them in fear he didn't know to do anything else.

"Stop! Stop! John, stop! Right there! Look!" John identified the figure on camera 24E as Xander Lee. And Georgiana Pinewood, the one from this universe, "They're planning something! Right outside of The Starlight!"

"We need to get there!"

"Fast!"

Meanwhile, in Oakley, Georgiana got up and checked her watch. PEIP Records told her to prepare for destruction at midnight, and 2200 hours was already approaching. She got up and ran, in case the enemy was ahead of schedule. The sky was darker than usual that day. In this time she listened to John's voicemail, wanting to come up with a response. But she didn't feel it'd be the best idea to bring him where she was going.

The streets of Hatchetfield were dark, and particularly empty. Georgiana struggled to make her way through modified streets, though able to identify where she was thanks to Google Maps. Hatchetfield couldn't just change shape between universes, she knew as much. She thought about the immense risk she was taking. Particularly on the brink of the end of the world. But she had a job to do, and she could not let John down.

She ran into the woods in a blind panic, checking her watch to see the timer ticking down. She felt out of control, time was slipping by when it seemed to be mere minutes between her and John on the plane. She began looking, and looking. She checked her map and began digging. She dug long and hard, yet no dice. She yelled, "Come on, where is it?! Don't fail me now, Hatchetfield!"

An unknown voice came from behind her, "Looking for this?"

Jay Arrington held up the Black Book in one palm, a gun in the other.

Georgiana took a shaky breath, "Come on sonny, let's think about this."

"I don't think I will. You're gonna get to see a military headquarters, how fun is that."

Georgiana looked to her left and her right, nothing was there. She thought about all of the possibilities in that moment. Every split decision. She made a point to think of these things as she ran for her life out of the Witchwood.

Jay gave chase, threatening to invoke the names and send her to the shadow realm. The unfortunate thing was there wasn't a black altar in sight. Jay instead resorted to cold, hard gunshots. And then he hit one.

Georgiana fell to the ground, her leg throbbing with pain. She fell on a bed of sticks, helpless to fight against the end of the world. She waited for death to finally take her, until..

She heard a gunshot.

Jay fell to the floor, his head shot cleanly. Georgiana from this universe had shot Jay, "You're welcome: by the way."

"Y- you were on the plane! With John!"

"You and I have both been deceived so we'll make this quick, shall we?"

Georgiana hid the Black Book in an inner pocket, lying on the floor trying to make it through the hurt.

"Talking about Xander. Right, you won't know him. He's the physicist. He's got the remote control. He said he's firing it midnight. But first he needed to capture you. Now, that was what he said, but the Johns have gone. And for good reason. They needed to kill us."

"W- what?!"

"Why else did they fly me all the way down to Hatchetfield? On a whim? These plans weren't developed over years, this has been a 6 month thing. They'd just tell you it's more developed than it is. You, I and the men are sacrifices."

"This isn't happening, my god this isn't happening."

"We need to get rid of those PEIP fuckers. If we can get down to HQ, Xander will be there. No one else is gonna be there until 11. Gives us.. 10 minutes to find HQ and take him down."

"W-"

"And listen, I'm sorry I went and wrapped you into this. I wish I could make it up and do this big apology about the error of my ways, but- let's just go already."

"I can't. I can't go anywhere! He shot me."

"Oh jesus.."

"I can't just go and leave you."

"Yes, you can. Go stop Alexander or whatever. You're me, in some shape or form, I trust you can do it. Godspeed to ya."

Georgiana saw as her double ran to PEIP HQ. She checked her watch and felt her stomach sink, though it may have just been the pain. 22:53.

All she could do was pray.

Pray.

To God.