It's not my place to know what you feel
I'd like to know but why should I?
Who were you then, who are you now?
Common laborer by night, by day highbrow
Back in my room I wonder, then I
Sit on the bed, look at the sky
Up in the sky
Clouds rearrange
Like the talk of the town
-- Chrissie Hynde and the Pretenders (Talk of the Town)
=/\=
Carmen and Tom materialized behind the same set of oil drums. They heard the sound of gunfire.
"That's the Uzi," Tom said.
They ran to the back and found his slightly younger self and Kevin. Carmen whistled, and the two of them turned around, "What the –?" asked the slightly younger version of Tom.
"Temporal Integration, am I right?" asked Kevin.
"Explain," the slightly younger Tom asked.
"There's no need. Just touch your elder counterpart over there and all will be revealed," Kevin said, "We musta failed somehow."
"Yes, we've had a pariotric change," Carmen said, "Hurry."
The slightly younger version of Tom still seemed a bit stunned by the turn of events, so the older one took the initiative, and touched an arm. The two bodies merged, nearly instantaneously, "Huh, that was strange," said the newly merged Tom.
"You're a few hours younger but have the knowledge of the older you," Carmen said, "I'm sorry we didn't warn you of the possibility earlier – we didn't think you'd need it quite so soon. Kevin, there's no time to explain the problem, just get the ships merged, beam up and temporally transport yourself to the predefined in the system for your own Temporal Integration."
"Aye, Boss," he said, and beamed up to program the two ship versions to temporally collide.
"All right, let's get in there," Carmen said to Tom.
"And make sure Benson stands in the back," Tom added.
=/\=
The Kent State Campus was alive with students. Leaflets were being handed out, telling them that the day's protest was cancelled. Ignored, the leaflets were scattered on the ground, like just so many pine needles. Someone rang the school's Victory Bell, a call to arms.
"Wait here a sec," Rick said to Sheilagh, "It'll be faster if I get myself done first, and alone."
"Um, all right."
He ran over to Windy's place. He had his own signal to himself, as he had had to do this before. It was a knock, twice, on the bedroom window.
Inside, the slightly younger version of him heard. Fortunately, Windy didn't wake. Very, very carefully, he disentangled himself from her, and grabbed his clothes. In record time, he had them on, and Temporal Integration was achieved rapidly.
Windy woke alone, and cursed him, and did not see a sixtysomething man quickly walking away.
As for Sheilagh, she stood, not too far from where she knew her slightly younger version would be. The mechanics kind of made sense to her, but the logistics just didn't seem possible. It seemed insane.
Rick got back as soon as he could, as the National Guard threw tear gas canisters. He found Sheilagh's earlier self, "Excuse me, Miss," He said to her quietly, "but can you tell me where I might find the Temporal Integrity Commission?"
"I beg your pardon?" she asked.
"Sheilagh, it's me. Just follow along, and act natural."
"Why is your appearance different?"
YOU ARE READING
Ohio
FanfictionThis time, they had no one to blame but themselves. Time was again messed up, but no one else was at fault. Still, someone was watching, and taking notes. And they had their own dilemma to deal with - how do you decide who lives, and who dies? Who's...
