Instants Instance Wattys2016

Chapter 3

10/08/2168 7am.

"Get up. It's time for the final test." Nestor's voice jolted Alex out of sleep. Yawning and stretching, it took him several seconds to understand what had just been said.

"You mean you're finally going to tell me what it is I'm meant to be doing?"

"Yes. But first, you're going to have to do something you've never done before."

"What?"

Nestor grinned evilly. "You're going to have to beat me."

Alex's mind immediately started whirling. Over the last five years, he had trained rigorously, learning to fight the robotic enemies Nestor sent at him using both his wits and travelling through time. He'd learnt to think about time as something to use to his own advantage, but until today, he'd never tried to take on someone who also had the ability to travel in time. How was he going to beat him? Nestor was obviously far more experienced than him, so what advantage could he possibly have?

But then his brain kicked into gear, and the whirling cogs of his mind actually started working. A slow smile spread across his face.

"You're on."

They stood in the largest hall, at opposite ends. Both wore their headsets, gloves and Warpers, and both holding handguns with bullets called Shockers. These were somewhere between tazers and paintballs, projectiles that stuck to what they hit, and shocked the target at different amounts depending on where they hit, essentially mimicking the pain of a bullet.

"Ready whenever you are!" called Alex, catching sight of a flash of blue behind Nestor.

Nestor grinned, checked his gun, took aim and fired. But Alex was already gone, right behind Nestor and three seconds into the past. He aimed his gun but was forced to duck as a shot whistled past his head from a version of Nestor standing to his right. This gave the Nestor that Alex was behind just enough time to disappear into the past to defend himself as the Nestor to Alex's right.

Alex grinned. "And I thought normal time travel was confusing!"

Nestor cracked his knuckles loudly. "You ain't seen nothin' yet!"

Suddenly there were another two versions of Nestor running at Alex. With no time to think, there was only one thing to do. Alex jumped five seconds into the future just as all three Nestors dived at him, re-emerging just in time to hear the thuds of them landing behind him. Spinning around, he shot three times. The first two missed their intended targets, which had already disappeared into the past, but the final shot hit the last of the Nestors in the shoulder. Hissing with pain, he crawled over towards his gun, but Alex kicked it away, and levelled his own at Nestor's chest.

"Give up."

Nestor smirked through the pain. "Not a chance."

Before Alex had a chance to fire, he was flattened by a version of Nestor landing directly on top of him. His own gun skittered out of his grip. The Nestor on the ground crawled over to his gun, grabbed it, and disappeared, presumably to thirty seconds ago ten metres above Alex's head.

The Nestor sitting on top of Alex pressed his gun between his shoulder blades. "I think this is the point where you give up."

There was a series of gunshots behind them. One apparently hit Nestor, because he spasmed and pulled the trigger, hitting Alex in the arm. Ignoring the pain, Alex chose that moment to slide out from under Nestor and grab his gun again. As shots whistled through the air, Alex travelled back to where he needed to be- thirty seconds earlier and at the edge of the room. He watched as he blinked out of existence as the three Nestors hurled themselves at him. He watched as he levelled his gun at Nestor, and he berated himself as he saw Nestor materialise above his head. How did he not see that coming? He waited for a few more seconds, and then took a shot at Nestor's back, but a searing pain in his elbow diverted his aim, and the bullet hit Nestor in the side. He turned to see Nestor to his left, obviously in a lot of pain, but determinedly aiming his gun. Alex dived to the side as Nestor fired again, getting off a lucky shot to Nestor's knee. As Nestor collapsed, Alex glimpsed himself again, and so he travelled two seconds into the past, behind the now prone Nestor. He levelled his gun, but then he smirked, ducked, and turned sharply.

There was no one behind him. He scanned the whole room, and aside from himself and the version of Nestor on the floor, the room was devoid of people.

"Looks like I win, then."

Nestor laughed. "Shoot me, then!"

Alex pulled the trigger, but nothing happened. Impossible! He'd only fired five shots, and the ammunition clip on these weapons held eight. Nestor must have removed some bullets, but how would he know how many to take, and how did he get to Alex's gun?

Of course. Nestor had switched guns when he'd landed on him. He must have had a message from the future. Alex turned around to see Nestor sending that very same message. He dived for the other gun, but Nestor caught it up and shot him in the gut. Double over on the ground, Alex managed to kick Nestor's wrist, sending the gun flying through the air, and into the hands of a hunched over, Alex, who fired, and with unerring aim hit Nestor in the neck. Nestor screamed and passed out, his limbs still twitching violently.

"It's done," said Alex.