Instants Instance Wattys2016

Chapter 5

Kiev 4/5/2046 4am.

Alex appeared in the main square, still dimly lit by some of the last remaining sodium lamps. The market seemed deserted, but he knew that soon the people would be coming who would plant the bomb that would set off a war. He was interested to find out who it was who had done it.

Concealing himself behind one of the bins towards the edge of the square, he watched the other side closely. Nestor had told him that the bomb was going to be planted by the column at the centre of the square.

He didn't have to wait long. A few minutes later, five figures in black crept across the square, dodging the floodlights illuminating the column itself. One of them unlimbered a bag from his shoulder, secreting it behind a sign where only someone who knew it was there would find it.

Then he noticed that one of the other figures had a bag, and was hiding it on the other side of the column. Something was wrong. There was only meant to be one bomb in the square.

He didn't have long to think, though, because, with a blue flash, another figure appeared through a black hole in the air. The figure produced a gun, and shot down three of the figures in quick succession, with a practiced manner. Alex realised that this must be Max Lucas, and began plotting his plan of attack. Nestor had asked him to stop the man using Shockers, but Max clearly possessed a gun, and seemed extremely proficient with it. Alex's only edge would be surprise and his experience with time travel.

Max shot the fourth figure in the back as he tried to run, then, pausing, he shot the final figure with great accuracy in the leg. The would-be bomber collapsed to the ground, and Max strode over to him and rolled him over, obviously interrogating him.

This was Alex's chance. Slipping out from his hiding place, he moved silently towards Max, nonlethal gun steadily pointed between his shoulder blades.

"Put your hands on your head, Lucas." Max froze, facing away from Alex.

"How do you know my name?" His voice was somehow familiar, but tense and controlled.

"Like you, I'm not from this time. I know what you're planning, and I'm here to stop you."

Max's shoulders tensed visibly. "If you know who I am, you'll know exactly why I will never let that happen."

Alex was suddenly belted across the back of the head extremely hard. Falling to the ground, he saw the message in his Heads-Up Display that said roll left. Doing so, he neatly dodged the foot of another version of Max who had appeared behind him.

Max was about to shoot him, when a second version of Alex wrestled the gun out of his hand and threw it away. A fight between the two started, giving the two initial versions of Alex and Max time to disappear into the past. Alex re-emerged behind Max, twisting the gun out of his hand.

The two began to fight hand to hand, Alex discovering he had found himself a formidable opponent, almost as skilled as Nestor, but with the energy and strength of a younger man. The two traded blows for nearly a minute, until suddenly, the square was filled with hundreds of versions of themselves fighting.

Alex, recognising what had happened, began a bizarre process known as Looping. He jumped back one minute into the past, and started fighting the first version of Max that he came across, who sported a graze on his temple and a split lip. After a minute, Alex had been given a dead leg from a well-aimed kick, but had returned the favour with a hard punch to the stomach. He then went back one minute again, to come face to face with an apparently unharmed version of Max. The next minute went by, Alex gaining the advantage and managing to escape with barely a scratch, whilst giving Max a scything kick to the head.

And so the cycle continued. Jump back. Max hunched over with a damaged wrist, giving Alex a kick in the ribs, getting swept off his feet in return. Jump back. Max with a graze on the temple, getting punched in the face, but damaging Alex's knee. Jump back. Hunched-over Max with a split lip, head butting Alex in the chest as Alex pulled his arm into a wristlock, hyper-extending his elbow.

The fighting continued for what felt like hours. Alex fought various versions of Max, in several different states of repair, some fresh to the fight, others covered in cuts and bruises. All the time, Alex grew more and more weary, and the injuries that he sustained slowly mounted.

It was at the end of one cycle, when Alex was at the point of collapse, when he received a message on his Heads-Up Display.

Go to 5/10/2049 05: 48 at coordinates x: 8768 y: 9332 z: 6282, orientation 27 degrees East of North. Take the ammunition clip immediately in front of you, and remove FIVE bullets from it. Then return. You'll see why.

Alex, glad for something to do other than being hit multiple times, did exactly this. He appeared inside what appeared to be a rather luxurious apartment, obviously in a skyscraper in the middle of some major city. The skyline caught his eye, both familiar and yet hauntingly different. Some of the famous monuments had disappeared, and others stood where none had previously been, but this was unmistakeably London.

The ammunition clip lay on the table in front of him, small and black, holding ten bullets. Alex picked it up, removed five bullets, and replaced it on the table exactly where it was before. Curious, he peered around the room. Then he noticed the Warper lying on the bed, and realised that he was in the apartment of Max Lucas, obviously just before he was about to set off. Oh-

Hearing footsteps outside the door Alex returned to 2046 Kiev, just in time to see the door handle twist, and then just in time to land face to face with Max in Kiev. In one hand, he held one of the bags that contained a nuke. In the other he held his pistol, which was now pointing directly between Alex's eyes.