* * *
One Month Later
“Jack, Swifty’s in th’ refuge.” Pie Eater reported.
“Serves ‘im right.” Jack muttered.
“What? Jack, ya-” Pie Eater couldn’t find his words. “I mean, what makes ya say that? Ain’t ya gonna bust ‘im out?”
“No.”
“Ya’d better gimme a good explanation b’fore a tip over from a heart attack.”
“It’s because you ‘n’ everyone else’s told ‘im a million times t’ quit pickpocketin’ like th’ rake ‘e is. ‘E never lissens, so let ‘im serve some time!”
David shook his head. He hadn’t seen Jack this desolate before. Since learning about his father’s death last month, Jack had changed to a more anti-social, apathetic personality. He was vulnerable and sensitive, insensitive toward other people, and basically not caring about anything else. David wished he could help, but he was only going to add to Jack’s troubles.
It was yesterday that David had received the acceptance letter from a university in northern New York. His parents had barely saved enough money for his college education, and David had dreamed of this since he was a little boy. Why did Jack have to lose his father now, of all times?
“Jack,” Blink whined, “Race’s cheatin’ again! I want my money back!”
“Shove it, Blink!” Jack snapped. “An’ you too, Race! It’s bad ‘nough ya gotta keep bummin’ off everyone else when ya lose your money, but fixin’ th’ games, I hear ‘bout that again an’ I’ll soak ya!”
“Geesh, Cowboy!” Boots defended. “Ya don’t gotta be so harsh on ‘em!”
“Don’t talk back t’ me, I ain’t in th’ mood!”
“Jack.” David said softly.
“What?”
“Get a hold of yourself before I slap you across the face! You’re being a jerk to everyone!”
He glared at David. “Why should you care?”
“Because it’s my business. And…” he paused. “I should…probably tell you now. But not here.”
His sudden shyness intrigued Jack. David was only like this when he had some big secret he wanted to spill out.
“Alright. Where ya wanna go?”
“Didn’t you say you wanted to check up on Medda? Find out what the doctors had to say?”
Jack nodded solemnly. “Guess we should. She wasn’t lookin’ too good when I saw ‘er yesterday.”
The two left the restaurant. It was dark outside, and still cold. Spring hadn’t come so early after all, but the snow was thinner than ever. In a week or two, it could be melted if there were no more snowstorms. The sky was clear now, which was a good sign.
Yet as Jack looked up, he saw something bright streaking toward earth. At first he thought it was a shooting star, but it was coming closer and closer. And right when it seemed directly overhead, it shone brightly and disappeared within an instance.
“What was that?” David wondered aloud.
“I dunno.”
“It was probably nothing. Anyway, I should probably tell you what’s going on.”
“So, what’s th’ big deal?”
“Remember how I told you two months ago that I applied to a college?”
“Yeah.”
“Well, yesterday I got a reply. I’ve been accepted.”
Jack stopped in his tracks. He swore softly under his breath so that David wouldn’t hear and be fully aware of his disappointment.
“That’s good news.” He said. “When ya goin’?”
“Papa is taking me there for the weekend to get to know the school and what I’ll be taught there. Then I’ll be leaving mid-August when classes begin.”
All Jack could do was sigh. He was so jealous of his friend. David had it all: a mother, father, sister, brother. Now he had the education he deserved for the bright future that lay ahead of him. He had everything while Jack had nothing.
“So you’re leavin’, huh?”
“I’m afraid that’s the way things go. I don’t want to leave, but-”
“Don’t give it a second thought. But I gotta get somethin’ off my chest b’fore ya say anythin’ else.”
“Tell me.”
“I…” he sighed. “I wanna leave th’ newsies.”
David’s brow arched. “Why?”
“Cuz since my pa died, I realized that I only got one person left: Medda. An’ Medda’s sick. I wanna stay with ‘er, but she’d only tell me t’ live my own life.”
“What about the newsies?”
“I’m eighteen, Dave. Eighteen. In three years I’m a legal adult. But I gotta start actin’ like an adult now. Not a lot ‘f th’ newsies are as old as me. Sure, some are older, but I don’t wanna be a kid no more. I gotta start doin’ what guys my age are doin’.”
“What do you plan on doing if you do leave? You don’t have enough money for Santa Fe.”
“But I got Medda. When I tell ‘er, she’ll probly wanna give me money. Ya know ‘er. I’m not tryin’ t’ hit ‘er up for any, I jus’ know ‘er, an’ that’s what she’ll do.”
“And who’ll lead the newsies?”
“Well, since yer leavin’…I dunno.”
“You don’t know?”
“Dunno.”
“Why not?”
“Cuz none of ‘em seem real fit for th’ job. They’re too immature.”
David snorted back a laugh. “I can agree with you there. So Race isn’t a candidate.”
“Nope.”
“How about Blink?”
“Blink’s too eager. ‘E needs more experience b’fore ‘e can take over.”
“Mush?”
“Too dang sweet. Every leader would walk all over ‘im.”
“Skittery?”
“Skittery’s ego’s big ‘nough already. If I leave ‘im in charge, ‘e’d probly hold it over everyone else’s heads. Then they wouldn’t wanna be newsies no more.”
“Snoddy?”
“Too shy. ‘E’d get too scared if ever someone wanted t’ challenge ‘im.”
David shrugged. “All right. You got me.”
“I know. It’s sad, ain’t it? I didn’t realize that once I got named th’ leader that I was a leader. But ya helped me, too. Since ya’ve gone back t’ school an’ left me by myself, I realized I can lead jus’ fine. I guess I don’t wanna leave th’ guys in th’ hands of someone who ain’t…ain’t…”
“Qualified?”
“Okay. Yeah, I don’t wanna leave ‘em with someone like that.”
“Jack, maybe you’d better take a step on faith. If you leave, then maybe someone will take your place who you’d least expect and be just as good as you. You never know who’s good enough unless you let them try.”
“I’ll think ‘bout it later, Dave. ‘Sides, we’re ‘ere already.”
They had just arrived at Irving Hall and entered. The place was deserted and had been since Medda had become ill several weeks ago. Most of her employees had been let off because she could no longer do her shows. Toby had remained, as well as Louise. They were still being paid, for Medda still had money safely invested and saved to last her quite a while.
Toby was the one who found the boys first. He greeted them, then showed them to Medda’s room. He led Jack and David through the empty auditorium, echoing their footsteps against the walls. Jack had never seen the Hall this empty before. It was almost eerie.
David could tell when they were nearing Medda’s room because he heard her harsh coughing. The last he saw her, her coughing hadn’t been as bad. He had the feeling in his gut that she was in worse shape than Jack was prepared for.
As Toby opened the door for them, Jack entered and found Louise taking a bucket from the room. Jack didn’t want to see what the bucket contained and looked at Medda. Her red hair was damp and tangled, her eyes grey, skin pale, and she looked incredibly weak. She held a handkerchief to her mouth as she coughed.
“Kelly.” She rasped, joy evident. “How’ve you been, kid?”
“I’ve been better.”
“I’ve missed seeing you around. How are the newsies?”
“Doin’ okay too. So how’s your condition?”
She sighed and coughed again. “It’s…very bad. The doctors say that my lungs have been filling with fluid.”
“Is…that bad?”
“It’s…fatal.”
His eyes widened. “Ya…ya mean…”
“Don’t worry about me, Kelly. I’m fine with everything. I’ve had a good life, and I feel I’ve lived as much as I’ve been meant to. I don’t want you to be sad. I’m not. I’ll be with the Good Lord soon.”
Jack couldn’t stay long. That sickening feeling in his gut that had begun when his father died began nauseating him again. He left not ten minutes afterward, doing everything in his power to keep from bursting into tears. And once he had cleared the Hall with David behind him, he lost complete control.
He slumped against a lamppost and slid down to the pavement. Only a few tears flowed, but they were enough. David crouched down beside him.
“Jack, are you okay?”
“No.” he forced. “Medda’s goin’ now too. I ain’t got no one left. Ma died when I was eight. Then Pa hadta go t’ jail an’ die there. Sarah dumped me. An’ now Medda’s dyin’.” He looked up at David. “Don’t ya get it, Dave? I’m all alone now. I got no one. No one, ya hear?”
“Do you want to stay with us tonight?”
“No. Sarah’s too ticked off at me already. I…jus’ wanna be alone.”
“For how long?”
“Tonight, maybe tomorrow. I’ll ask Kloppman if I can sleep alone t’night.”
* * *
“I believe it is most important that we apprise you of the current situation.” Tuvok said. “As you know, we were hit with some sort of temporal weapon several hours ago. We have been once again transported back to earth. The year 1900.”
Telsia could hear the murmurs behind her and rolled her eyes. They were back in time again. What year was it last time, 1996? Tom Paris had been obsessing with that time period for weeks after he returned.
“That’s enough, crewmen.” Lt. Foster ordered. “Tuvok, please continue.”
“The aliens with the technology that had caused this have contacted us. They are the Odarians. These Odarians are a people with telepathic powers that rival those of the Ocampa and Betazoid. The Odarian government was pursuing a known terrorist, who was the one who attacked us.”
Liz Laird raised her hand.
“Crewman Laird, yes.”
“Why were we fired upon? It doesn’t make sense.”
“The ship was in pursuit by one sent by the Odarian government. They asked us for assistance, and the terrorist, whose name is Keptik, fired upon us. He was using a temporal weapon he had manipulated for his terrorist acts and attempted to disintegrate the ship. Instead, it has taken both us and him back to 1900.”
“Where is he now?” Chell asked.
“We were unable to localize his position, but believed he is on the surface. He has masked his signature with some kind of stealth shielding, but Ms. Jurot has some confirmation of his location. Jurot, would you mind explaining?”
Juliet nodded and faced the rest of the Hazard Team. “When we were hit with the weapon, I was rendered unconscious because he knew I had the ability to communicate with him. But I managed to find out where he has hidden. He has hidden somewhere within the vicinity of Long Island, New York. Somewhere around the lower eastern side.”
“We have been contacted by the Odarians again.” Tuvok continued. “They have asked that we send down a squad of our people to the surface to destroy the ship. The ship is armed with several modified weapons by Keptik and must be destroyed before he can leave the planet. The Odarians are giving us seven days to destroy the ship.”
“What will happen if the ship isn’t located in seven days?” Jeffrey Nelson questioned.
“Then the Odarians will come here and destroy the area were his ship is.”
“What are we going to do about this?” Perfecto Oviedo inquired warily.
“Captain Janeway has decided that we will send down five members of the Hazard Team to search for this ship. Originally, we had chosen Lt. Munro to lead. However, we have chosen someone else to lead, using evidence from previous exercises that this person would possibly have a greater chance of locating the ship sooner. Ms. Murphy.”
Telsia’s eyes widened, and heat filled her face. “Me, sir?”
“In some of the training exercises you endured for the Team, I observed that when it came to locating certain items that had been hidden, you recovered them the soonest. Stealth infiltration is also one of your strong points, is it not?”
“Oh, yes sir.”
“We wish for you to lead this expedition.”
“Aye sir.” She stammered.
Tuvok returned his attention to the rest of the team. “We have chosen four more to accompany Ms. Murphy. Crewmen Chang, Jurot, Csatlos and Jaworski, you have been selected.”
“Permission to speak freely, sir.” Chang voiced.
“Permission granted.”
“Sir, is it wise that Jurot and I go to the surface in this time period?”
“If you are concerned about your alien physiologies, your concern is noted. However, neither you nor Jurot have and physical markings to suggest you are not fully human. You, in particular, were selected to destroy the ship. I assume you can modify your explosives to prevent any tampering to the timeline.”
“I can, sir.”
“Very well.”
“All right.” Lt. Foster took over. “Murphy, Chang, Jurot, Csatlos, Jaworski, I’d like to brief you more on the current situation. Everyone else is dismissed.”
Tuvok began to leave, but Telsia needed to speak with him. Rising from her seat, she rushed to catch up with him before he left.
“Commander Tuvok,” she called.
Tuvok halted and waited for her. “Yes, Crewman?”
“Sir, are you sure it’s wise to send me to command this mission? I’ve never commanded a mission before. And our planet’s history is too important for a novice like me to baffle.”
“Ms. Murphy, your concern is understandable. However, your performance on the Forge has proven you to be a solid member and potential leader for the Hazard Team. You handled Crewmen Lathrop and Biessman’s deaths extremely well and did not allow them to interfere with your missions. Also, your knowledge of stealth infiltration was excellent with the Maquis. I trust you will do an excellent job.”
Oh, why had he mentioned Rick? Tuvok was a Vulcan, he should understand that Telsia was only doing what Vulcans did: deny her true feelings and focusing on the mission. Telsia would never forgive herself for that. Plus, Tuvok hadn’t seen her break down in front of Commander Chakotay. Thankfully, Chakotay hadn’t said anything. He had a special trust with her since he was once her captain.
“Telsia, we need you before I can brief the others.” Lt. Foster called.
“Your mission awaits you, Crewman.” Tuvok said. “I shall speak with you to before you beam down to the surface.”
She sighed nasally as he left her. There were times she wished she could deal with him the Maquis way, but that would not benefit her, nor to Rick. How Tuvok could just move on with his life angered her. The only thing Rick was ever guilty of was his passion for doing things right and his oversized ego.
He shouldn’t have died that day. He may have destroyed those Reavers out of his own pleasure, but deep down inside, he must have known that he was using himself to save the rest of his teammates. There was a heart of gold hiding somewhere behind that ego.
Telsia turned and joined her team. And deep inside of her, there was a deep sense of dread that she was not qualified to command such a critical mission. If she failed, history would change, and it would be all her fault. She didn’t know if she could live with herself if she failed.
Lt. Foster briefed them of their mission objectives, as well as the Temporal Prime Directive, and the time period they were currently occupying. He explained the clothing, the primitive technology, and the resistance they may encounter.
“However,” he said, “if you have any means of using other people to help you locate the ship, feel free to do so. And if you need to communicate with each other or to Voyager, always make sure you do so in a private place. Remember, any mention of being from the future can divert the entire timeline.
“You will be transported to the surface at oh nine hundred hours. I suggest you spend the next few hours gearing up and finding the right clothing and materials for your mission. Meet in the transporter room early for last-minute briefing. Dismissed.”
Telsia was the first to leave. She then realized that she and Mitch Csatlos were the only former Maquis on this mission. Though the differences between Maquis and Starfleet had been settled long ago, she acknowledged that the fact that she was close to Mitch and while Chang, Jurot and Jaworski were close as well, it could draw a line between the two. She hoped and prayed that it wouldn’t happen.
“Telsia, wait!” Juliet called, catching up.
“What’s wrong?” she wondered.
“I just want to say that I know how you’re feeling right now. And I understand your feelings.”
She looked away. “Please, I’m unnerved enough as it is.”
“But I wanted to say that I know we’ll finish our mission. You’re a fighter, Telsia. I’ve seen you. And I know you can lead this mission flawlessly. You shouldn’t be afraid at all.”
“I’m never afraid. You should know that.”
“You’re right. But you’ll do a good job. We’ve got Austin, Mitch and Michael with us. You know they’re some of the best we could ask for.”
“Thanks.” She murmured half-heartedly.
“You’ll see, Telsia. Everything will work out.”
Telsia wished with all of her heart that Juliet was right.
* * *
