TIME & TIED: ESCALATION

ARC 2.3 - To the Past

PART 40a: REPARATIONS 1

"Corry... I want to know what's really going on."

Her twin blinked back at her in surprise. "What's going on with what?"

For a moment, Laurie regretted saying anything. However, after both knocking AND waiting for Corry to invite her in, she decided she might as well see things through. She closed the door behind herself, to make it harder to leave.

"What's going on with Carrie and Julie," Laurie explained softly.

Corry sat up on his bed. “What has Chartreuse been telling you?”

Laurie tried to remember; she shouldn’t have left this talk for so late into the evening. “Not much. But she said that you both talked, and that she’d decided to tell you a bit about what was going on, and that you didn't think there was any point her discussing more about the time traveling stuff with me today."

"Okay," Corry said, visibly relaxing. "So?"

"So... I've decided I’m going to go see Chartreuse’s other friends tomorrow. To learn more about this on my own.”

Corry's face clouded again. "I see. Why is that?"

"Because I want to," Laurie stated. She forced herself to breathe, and speak in short sentences. "Because Chartreuse is right about stuff a lot more often than you give her credit for. And because I need to know what really happened to Carrie and Julie. Even if that means discovering that my own brother is behind it all.”

Corry's look became one of confusion, and he swung his legs off the side of the bed. "What?"

Laurie took in another breath. "Look, I know I’m naive, but maybe I'm not actually stupid," she asserted. "You've never been fond of Carrie. Then you led that whole flyer campaign against Julie. The next day, Carrie’s in the hospital, Julie’s vanished, and you barely investigate. So... so what part did you play in their conditions?”

"You think I'm somehow responsible for what's happened to those two?” Corry said. Now he looked shocked - but maybe he was faking it for her benefit.

"Aren't you?"

"No! No, Gods no, Laurie, ruining a reputation is one thing, but have I ever done something that would threaten a person's life?"

He seemed legitimately horrified. Oh no. Laurie looked down at her feet. “M-Maybe you've come close a couple of times."

She heard Corry jump off of his bed and approach her. "Laurie... Laurie, look at me. Please,” he insisted, taking her by the shoulders. Slowly, her eyes came back up to lock with his. Okay, it didn’t look like he was upset with her, more - scared?

"Laurie, listen. I know sometimes I can get a little carried away. But you have to believe me, I would never, ever, do something that could outright kill a person," he said. “Understand?"

Laurie searched her brother's expression for any sign that he was lying. If he was, she couldn't see it. She nodded, relieved beyond belief. “Okay. But then, if you're not responsible for what's happened - isn’t it possible that what Chartreuse said is the truth?"

Corry released Laurie's shoulders, shaking his head. “I’m sorry, but no. Time machines? That’s science fiction. Apply Occam’s razor - meaning the simplest answer is likely correct. Carrie caught some disease after the shooting, and Julie ran away. And while I grant that I may have been indirectly responsible for the latter, it was Julie’s decision to go.”

Laurie shook her head. "No, Corry. The right answer isn't always the one that makes the most sense - otherwise I'd have higher marks. Besides, remember when Chartreuse found mom’s missing keys last August? Or when she had that premonition before our pop quiz in math class last month? Or when she predicted the Star Trek franchise coming back, despite the weak interest in that TV show ‘Enterprise'?"

"Sis, predictions related to Scott Bakula do not imply that a person can leap through space and time."

“You KNOW what I mean,” Laurie protested, stamping her foot. “And it’s not only Chartreuse this time, apparently it’s Frank, and it’s Clarke, and so unless they’re all crazy there HAS to be something to this. So why couldn’t we at least talk more about that?"

Corry took another long, hard look at her before speaking again. "You're not going to drop this subject no matter what, are you," he realized.

"No, I'm n-not," Laurie said, swallowing. She summoned up all of her resolve. "So please Corry, don't blame Chartreuse for anything that happens now, because I'm doing it myself. You may be satisfied by your more simple answers, but me, I’ve got to know more.”

Corry frowned. At first, Laurie thought he was getting upset again, until he said, “In truth, I’m not that satisfied. All right, Laurie. If Chartreuse can somehow PROVE to me - to us - that her time travel theory is correct, I'll go along with it."

"Oh, thank you! I knew you'd be reasonable,” Laurie said, grabbing her brother in a big hug. “Let’s call her first thing tomorrow.”

"But at the first sign of a setup, we're both out of there, okay?" Corry added, hugging back.

Laurie nodded. "Don't worry," she said happily. "I'm sure Chartreuse's explanation will make PERFECT sense!"

***

"This doesn't make any sense," Luci muttered to herself. "The circuit is closed, it should be getting power, so why isn't it working?"

"Problems?" came the tired voice of Frank Dijora from the stairway.

Luci turned. "Frank, you said you'd get at least six hours of rest,” she accused.

Frank yawned. “I’m surprised I managed five," he admitted. He gestured at the clock. “Besides, it's almost time for breakfast. My mom's up and making pancakes. Though I can bring ‘em down here if you don't think we'll make the noon deadline."

"No, no, we’re on track,” Luci sighed. “But it’s frustrating - whenever we replace parts, they’re not as compact as whatever was in there before, and the wiring gets awkward. This would be so much easier using futuristic technology.”

Frank smiled wanly. "Tell me about it. I'm sure you've done the best you could with it though." He moved next to her in order to peer down inside the black box himself. Luci felt her cheeks warming at his proximity, and was not entirely successful in hiding it. "Er, sorry... too close?" Frank said, taking a step back upon realizing.

“It's all right," Luci murmured. “Some silly worries I’ve been having, which when coupled with my feelings... look, assuming we get this fixed, you make sure you're careful while you're back in the past, okay?”

Frank seemed surprised. "Of course," he assured. “And..." His gaze drifted away from her face. "Luci, I realize it's been three weeks now since... since you made your feelings clear to me. So... so I'm sorry that I'm still trying to sort it all out. But there's been a bunch of other things happening lately and... well..." Frank stopped, obviously at a loss for what to say next.

Luci sighed. "It's okay, Frank," she said, reaching out to touch his arm. "I'm a patient girl. It can wait until after we get through this crisis." She smiled, as a thought struck her. "Besides, with this impromptu sleepover, I got to spend the night with you, in a way. I'll let that carry me through." She winked, and watched in amusement as Frank turned away to hide his own reddening cheeks.

"Frank, there's a Chartreuse on the phone for you,” came the voice of Frank's mother from the top of the stairs. "She says it's quite important - something about Laurie’s brother?”

The two teenagers exchanged a quick glance before heading back up the stairway together.

***

"This is preposterous," Corry said dourly. "You expect me to believe that pile of junk is a time machine? I mean, aren't you supposed to be able to ride in them?"

"You can, you know, believe whatever you like," Chartreuse declared. "The fact remains, it's true."

Corry hmphed, crossing his arms as he leaned back against the wall of Frank's basement. Frank and Luci seemed to be in the process of some sort of repair work on the thing. Tim, who was apparently mixed up in this as well, had been delayed. Which meant the Veniti twins were being brought up to speed by, of all people, Chartreuse and Clarke.

Corry glanced sidelong at his sister - she looked skeptical, but it still seemed like she wanted to see things through. Fine. He shifted his gaze to Clarke, the tall boy seeming the saner choice. "So let me see if I have this straight," Corry began.

"Carrie found a time machine last September. Julie found out about it, shot Carrie, and then used the thing to time travel back to the year of her birth, where she died. Carrie's present condition is related to the fact that Julie's death was not supposed to take place.

"Add to this a mysterious caller from the future, the rediscovery of your time device back here in town, and the fact that you need someone who was in Miami at the same time Julie was born to end up in the correct geographical location for this rescue operation. Is that right?"

"Yeeeeah," Clarke said. He frowned. “I grant it doesn't sound so plausible when you put it together like that."

"So me, Frank and Clarke would be trying to track down Julie in Illinois?" Laurie said, chewing nervously on her lower lip.

"Right,” Chartreuse confirmed. “We need you, otherwise they’d end up in the wrong place. Though even so, you'll probably be, you know, several kilometres off where you have to be, that's why you'll bring, like, bikes and rations and stuff along.”

"Miles, Chartreuse, they use miles in the States," Corry reminded. He glanced around the room, scrutinizing everyone present.

"You're all insane," he decided. "I mean, it's a fun little fantasy story, but you have yet to offer us any concrete proof. So please, give us an example of your magical 'time travel' abilities?"