The Basement

Part 9

Taylor pushed himself up from the window frame. The Professor's revelation about being able to send a thought back in time troubled him. He wasn't sure why exactly and before he had time to contemplate further his hair and clothes flapped wildly.

Standing in the portal behind him was the Professor who'd come out of hiding after his weather machine had been used to destroy Japan, the one he'd convinced to help the rebellion.

"Taylor," he said. "I'm not sure what's going on but I don't think your Professor is building a weather machine. From what I saw earlier and what I can see now, the components he's using don't make sense."

"No shit," said Taylor. "He's building some kind of time machine. One that's going to allow him to send a thought back to a younger version of himself."

The other Professor remained quiet for several seconds.

"He can't be allowed to do that," he said after he'd processed the information. "Changing the past in your universe will have untold ramifications for all the universes."

"All the universes?" Taylor said. "Why?"

"Because of the portals." The other Professor stepped closer. "We're all connected now because of them, so even a minor change in how a person thinks and behaves in one universe will alter the course of history for all the universes that person's had contact with. In turn the contact those universes have with other universes will also change. None of us will ever get back to this point we're at right now. Whatever that thought is, you have to stop him from sending it." 

Taylor looked at the chain around his foot.

"I need a gun."

"I don't carry one," the other Professor said. "And the others have left."

Taylor looked back at the portal.

"They left? Where'd they go?"

"A perimeter alarm was tripped, so they went to check it out."

"Oh shit," Taylor said. "It's a trap. The watches we're using to get through the force field, they're really tracking devices. The Senator was using them to reveal everyone's location."

"What?"

"I'm so sorry Professor, you're only part of this because of me. You have to get out of there before her soldiers—"

The other Professor held up his hand to stop Taylor.

"None of that's going to matter if you can't stop him."

"I don't understand."

"If he's successful in sending that thought back then this moment will cease to exist. Hell, the whole rebellion may never exist. There's just no telling what will happen if you can't stop him."

Taylor jangled his foot, and the chain clinked on the concrete floor.

"I'm not sure what you want me to do?"

The other Professor looked down at the top half of ODU1783.

"How long until the portal closes?"

Taylor followed the other Professor's gaze down to ODU1783, then looked at this watch.

"Just over ten-seconds why..." He looked back at the portal and closed his eyes as he realised what the other Professor had in mind.

"We don't have time for anything else," the other Professor said.

Taylor nodded slowly then opened his eyes. He walked up to the portal and raised his right leg so that it rested on its undulating edge. The rippled surface sent a gentle vibration through his body.

The other Professor grabbed hold of his ankle and Taylor shot a look at him.

"To make sure your foot stays on this side," the other Professor said.

Taylor took a deep breath and then his body was lifted into the air as the portal closed slicing off the lower half of his right leg, causing him to fall. He slammed shoulder first into the concrete floor and the air burst from his lungs as he cried out in pain. The pain only lasted a few seconds though as the nerve endings in his leg cauterised, however several tears rolled down his cheeks as he pushed himself up from the ground.

He hopped over to the window. The Professor was nowhere to be seen, however he could hear mechanical tinkering coming from behind the machine.