To Overthrow the Guardians

Chapter 28: Down with the Guardians

When Beth walked into work the morning after having two dreams in one night, she heard strange whispers. Many people also entering were keeping to themselves, holding quiet conversations with each other. This struck Beth as odd. Why couldn't they talk at a normal volume? Were they talking about the rebellion? Beth hoped so. That way, she could try to listen and hear what their plans were so that maybe she could stop them. They hadn't done anything yet, as far as she knew, and she needed to know if they planned on doing anything to the Guardians when they returned. What she heard, however, was not what she had expected.

"Did you hear about the time travel device?" she heard someone ask another.

"Yeah. I heard someone's gonna steal it. Do you know who?" was the response.

Beth's chest tightened in alarm, and blood pumped hard through her veins as she raced as fast as she could to Garcia's lab. Carefully avoiding the problem area, which a group of people was standing around and murmuring, Beth rapped on the door.

"Don't come in!" Garcia shouted. "I'm busy!"

"But, I-"

"Busy!"

"It's an emergency, ma'am!"

"And I have one, too!"

Was Garcia really, or was she just saying that to get Beth to leave her alone?

"No, it's serious!" Beth said. "This is Agent B. Howard!"

"And so am I! I can't find...something!"

Oh no.

"Is it the time travel device?" Beth asked. "My emergency is that I heard someone was going to steal it."

Silence.

"You're not kidding?" Garcia said.

"No." The group around the problem area of the wall could probably hear their conversation, but who cared at this point?

"That's what I can't find," came a soft voice from Garcia. There was a click, and the door to her lab opened. There she stood, a few inches shorter than Beth and her face pale. "Are you sure you heard it right?"

"Yeah."

"Oh no." Garcia ran out the door, shutting it behind her. She dashed toward Matt and Haven's office. Beth was about to follow her when Irene and Leif approached.

"Beth...there's something you need to see," Irene said.

"Have you heard?" Beth said. "One of the rebels stole the time travel device! How did they find out about it?"

"Oh no..." Leif said.

"What is it?"

Leif cringed. "I did what you asked, and told Irene what you had told me when she came last night. They must have overheard."

Beth's temper flared, blood rushing through her. "You told her about that in a non-private place? After we discussed it by ourselves in my office? You should've known better!" Beth tried to calm herself down, but fearful adrenaline was pumping much too fast to be reasoned with. Besides, she had tried being vulnerable with him, and now the whole headquarters probably knew what she had said! "Now people might die from the two times existing at once!"

"I'm sorry!" Graham said, his voice higher than usual. He was afraid, too. "You're right. I should've known better. How can I make it up? How can I fix this?"

"Ask around," Beth said, though she was tempted to tell him that he couldn't do anything. It would serve him right. "We need to find it before it gets in Bennett's hands." The love for Graham that had built back up over the past few days was beginning to fade. He should've known better than to talk about the time travel device where rebels could hear about it. Accidents like dropping plates and tripping into people were one thing, but accidents that put people's lives in danger were completely another.