The right moment to strike came and went in the blink of an eye. Sky, frozen due to bewilderment, saw Haywire concentrating on the Control Tower and gathering enough energy to blast his signature attack on it. His former self had aimed, fired, and succeeded at bringing that Sonic Echo Ranger down, but his current self was swimming in a thunderstorm of feelings.
The moment Mrs Evergreen pushed the red button, I knew I was coming back here, but to be blatantly honest, I'm shocked I'm actually here. It feels surreal. I never wanted to come back. I gave that idea up days ago, when I was determined to face problems head-on and deal with the consequences, like a grown-up.
He stared at his hands and the fuming, time-skipping wristwatch. He clenched his teeth in frustration.
The time leap must've been too big. That's why it's probably fuming right now.
My arms and hands still feel well-built and tough. And my vision? Still super sharp. If I started running, would I match the speed I had before travelling back in time? Does that mean that the Lifebringer came back in time with me? Damn. I didn't see that coming. I thought I'd become my former, weaker self.
A few seconds later, his skin got regenerated thanks to the Lifebringer coursing through him.
The sound of shotguns called his attention. A group of Elite Academy students and their captain were there, and Sky's friends were among them.
Sky sighed. Look, there goes Hazel with her fiery red hair. This Hazel hates the shit out of me. Same with the rest of my friends. Look at them, all geared up and violent, attacking a foe that's way more powerful than they are—not that they care. If they see me, they'll bully me again. I'll need to befriend all of them once more.
Besides that, my father's still being kept in a secret lab room down Anti-Ageing Inc.'s headquarters, with his memories completely lost. I'll need to rescue him and try to emulate what Endurance did during his brief takeover. Let's hope I can manage that, because I have no idea how to achieve that. Otherwise, my father's memories will be forever lost.
Let's not forget about freaking Kovak, who started all this shit and manipulated me for days on end. I need to contact him and make him believe I'm from the future or something. Will he trust me? Or will he use me again? It'd be easier if I restored his relationship with my aunt first.
And my mother? In a few minutes, she's bound to appear here and tell me off... if she sees I'm here. She'll be as harsh and unreachable as usual ever since my father disappeared. How can I fix my relationship with her before we reach the point of no return again?
But I just missed my chance to hit Haywire. Does that mean that events will start to unfold differently from now on? I have absolutely no idea.
I need to hack into Haywire's brain to make him my friend and ally, too.
And save Naomi and Hazel from Mrs Evergreen while making sure I've got all the meds they need to survive.
And publicly expose Mrs Evergreen's ruthless business tactics and the truth about her secret Lifebringer project, tainting the reputation of the company.
And I need to kill Endurance, too. No biggie. And free his phoenixes.
Oh, and let's not forget that I cannot afford to lose sight of this damned watch again. Otherwise, it could end up in that bloody woman's hands once more.
I swear to God that, if I survive this shit, I'm gonna flee from this city and look for a radically different career and job!
His heart was already playing a crazy, tachycardiac solo due to panic. Too much to be achieved, all at the same time.
I can't do all this shit. It's too crazy. But... wait! What if–?
A smile flashed on his face as an idea dawned on him. He rushed into the street while the elite was shooting at Haywire. Trying not to run too fast and call their attention with his drug-induced super speed, he approached Hazel.
"Hazel!" he yelled over the noise of the firing of several shotguns at the same time.
She narrowed her gaze and pouted. "Sky? What are you doing here, you idiot?!"
"I know I'm not supposed to be here, but listen to me, okay?" he said, speaking fast as he spread his palms flat towards her in a calm, peaceful approach. "I've got an idea that can... solve all this. Sort of."
"Hey, Sky!" Kenji yelled at him from the distance as he reloaded his shotgun. "I admire your guts, man. Approaching Hazel when armed while fighting against a phoenix. Either could kill you, but you're here anyway." He chuckled.
"After screwing the admission test up," Luca, who was standing near Kenji, added while aiming and firing at Haywire. "I knew you'd have a death wish."
"Good. I admire that you're willing to die," Charlotte said as she ran past them and shot at Haywire, "even though you're a nuisance to us right now. Can't you do and get killed somewhere else?"
"Don't cry very loud when you die, please," Winona said. "And drop dead on the sidewalk, if possible. We're working here. Thank you."
Sky tried hard to ignore his former friends' hateful remarks and focused on talking to Hazel alone. "Please, step with me aside for a moment. I need to talk to you."
"Somebody call the Head of the Elite and tell her to come and fetch her son," Hazel said with a bored attitude as she took a glimpse at her friends.
"Hazel!" Sky complained.
A grunt later, Sky grabbed her arm and pulled her behind him as he walked to the nearest sidewalk.
"Not now, Sky!" Hazel complained as she tried to aim once more at Haywire but couldn't. "Can't you see we're under attack?!"
Sky saw as Charlotte got their superior to make a call. After a wry face and a curt nod, their captain agreed and dialled a number. Great. Must be calling my mother. She'll be here soon. I need to hurry up!
"Hey! Let go of me!" Hazel yelled as she tried to free her arm from his strong grip on her, but failed.
When both reached the nearest corner, Sky pulled her to the wall and said, "I'm sorry I'm pulling away from your job, Hazel, but this is really urgent."
"How come you can pull me like that?!" she said with a furrowed brow while she gently massaged the spot which Sky had grabbed. "You weren't that strong not long ago. Besides, didn't you fail the admission test because you didn't have the required physical prowess?"
Sky sighed and bit his lower lip for a moment as he took a brief glimpse at that violent Haywire he should've hit with his sonic gun.
"I... I'm sorry I've hurt you," he whispered in remorse. "But I've got little time to explain things right now. Will you listen and help me, please?"
"Whatever, Sky," she replied with a daring and mocking tone. "Fuck off and let me go back to the battle."
"I promise everything's gonna be fine out there if you help me. As if nothing had happened." If my idea works.
"Help you with what?" She crossed her arms over her chest as she frowned deeply.
"With this. My time-skipping wristwatch." He showed her his device.
She made a funny face and raised one eyebrow in disbelief. "Your time-skipping what?!"
"It allows me to travel in time," he whispered, and after a brief moment of hesitation, he added, "I'm not the Sky you know. I'm from the future."
Hazel's lips quivered and spread into a hysterical smile. Her laugh then echoed almost like a snort. "Did you hit your head on your way here to tell me this bullshit?"
"Hazel, please, please, please. You have to believe me!" he replied, speaking fast.
She shifted the weight on her other foot and combed a stray lock of fiery red hair behind her ear. She crossed her arms over her chest with defiance once more while pouting.
Sky let go a long sigh. I need her to trust me, but what can I tell her to make her believe me? It should be something only she and I know, something like... "I know about your condition. You told me... in my past, your future."
Her eyes went wider, her skin a bit paler. "What?"
"You're hiding it from everybody else," he went on. "Only your therapist at the academy knows, and your family, obviously. And Naomi, because she's your teacher."
Her expression became enraged when she replied, "Which of these bastards told you about it? I'm gonna kick their teeth in!" Her fists clenched and shivered.
"At this time, nobody told me, Hazel!" he replied, leaning a bit forward towards her. "In a few days' time, Naomi will tell me about it because she'll be worried about you."
A chuckle escaped from her lips. "Your brain must be really fried, Sky, if you insist so much on this future-self thing."
"It's not a thing! I'm not making it up," he complained as his shoulders dropped.
"Well, excuse me, but I've got no time for your delusions right now," she said. "Stay here and, when I'm done with that beast out there, I'll tell your mother to get you admitted to the psych wing of the nearest hospital. Don't worry. You'll be fine." Her tone by the end bordered a patronising kind of worry.
She took a step to go back, but Sky grabbed her by her arm once more and pulled her to the wall again.
"No, Hazel! Hear me out first, please," he said, not letting go of her.
The puzzled look on her face didn't surprise Sky. She must find it very odd that I can overpower her, but telling her about the Lifebringer... I don't know. Would it be too much to handle?
"I need you to cover me while I tinker with the watch. Don't let that..." he said with a begging attitude and mild regret due to the word he was about to say, "beast know I'm here, or the rest of the team, including my mother... when she shows up, please."
Sky let go of her and took future Hazel's Swiss army knife from one of his trousers' baggy pockets.
"What the fu–?!" Hazel exclaimed with wide eyes. "My... that's my Swiss army knife!"
He smiled briefly. "Your future self's one, to be more precise. You lent it to me."
"No, I haven't!" she replied with wounded pride. "I love it. I would never borrow it to anybody—much less someone like you," she said in panic as she patted all her pockets until she found her Swiss army knife.
Fishing it out with a pale face, she gulped. Her eyes, widening in disbelief, travelled to and fro between the past and future versions of the same object.
"You're wrong." Sky's tender eyes locked with hers. "Hazel, in the future, you trust me. We're... friends again."
If I tell her we kissed, she's gonna freak out too much and I can't afford that right now. A nervous giggle escaped from his lips almost breathlessly.
"Look, if you cover for me," he added, "I can tinker my watch with your Swiss army knife to add some sort of 'undo' feature to it, granting me the power to undo my last time trip into the past. I really need to go back to the future. Will you help me?"
Silence ensued.
"Your grip is stronger," she whispered as she stared deeply into his eyes. She put a hand on his forearm, travelling up to his biceps. "Damn. You feel more well-built. But how? You were skinnier, more... more... weaker. And your eyes are kinda... glowing?" She leaned closer to his face. "Like a cat? But... that's not possible. And... and the two Swiss army knives. How... How's that possible?"
Come on, Hazel. Do the math. "I belong in the future. Things are... very different. Do you believe me now?"
A long moment came and went as they stared at each other in the eyes. Haywire was still hitting the Control Tower while their friends fired at him. Some additional elite soldiers had come to back them up, their shouting echoing in the street as loud as the noise of firing.
"I'll help you," Hazel finally said, and turning her head briefly to watch her friends from the corner of her eyes, she added whispering, "I must be going mad."
"You're not going mad. This is me, screwing things up, as usual." He rolled his eyes at himself. "But if I add this 'undo' feature to the watch, I might be able to fix things." He made a brief pause. "But I need time... and someone to cover for me. I need you to distract the phoenix so that he doesn't see me or attack me, but I need you to distract the other elite too. And my mother, when she shows up. Because your captain called her a few seconds ago, right?"
Hazel sighed and said, giving in, "Okay, fine. I'll make sure no one bothers you."
"Great! Thank you, Hazel." He flashed a wide smile at her, leaving her momentarily breathless as they locked their gazes.
Shaking her head to clear it, her lips trembled and then she rushed back into the street.
"Come on, guys!" she yelled. "Let's do a circle formation to annoy this stupid beast!"
While her friends and the rest of the team members ran and formed a circle all around the area which Haywire was able to hit, the Golden Ranger cried loudly in every direction. Turning his head to and fro, he launched several sonic echo blasts all around him.
I really hope this strategy works. Sky sighed but lost no more time and knelt down on the pavement, with the Swiss army knife and his watch both ready.
He took the metal case back off, which was now mildly burnt and black, and started tinkering with the circuits in the guts of the watch.
With meticulous care, Sky balanced Hazel's Swiss army knife between his fingers, its finely honed tip poised over the delicate circuitry within his time-skipping wristwatch. His brow furrowed in concentration as he navigated the intricate, miniature maze of delicate wires and components, his movements precise and deliberate.
Despite the chaos of the battle near him, each adjustment was made with a steady hand, his touch reverent as he coaxed the watch's inner workings into alignment. The hardware displayed its stubbornness as it heated up and started fuming just slightly. As he tinkered with the heart of his most prized possession, Sky's determination burned brighter than the watch's death wish, his resolve unyielding in the pursuit of mastery over time once more.
I really hope I can fix it. The burn isn't so bad inside... for now. I really hope I can undo this last trip. Otherwise...
His train of thought was interrupted when a familiar, angry voice echoed in the air.
"Where's the idiot of my son?!" Halle's voice boomed from one end of the street to the other.
Sky swallowed hard. Oh, no! My mother's here. He leaned closer to the nearest wall of that brick wall corner as he spied on her.
Please, Hazel. Distract her too. Sky silently begged her inside his head.
"Head Falcon!" Hazel shouted to call her attention. "Your son escaped, I think. I saw him a few minutes ago leaving this area."
"Then, why didn't you call me back to tell me that as well?!" she complained.
Unfortunately, Haywire took that chance to hit the elite soldiers who were closer to him at that moment. With a massive sonic echo blast, meanly shot at them, he managed to crush their weapons and reduce them to bits. Needless to say, his attack also crushed his human enemies.
Six elite soldiers died instantly, bleeding out their ears. Among them were Kenji, Winona, and Luca.
"No!" Charlotte yelled in fury as she aimed and shot her shotgun at Haywire several times, with her teeth clenched. "Take this, you monster!"
But it was no use. Haywire hit the Control Tower with a massive, successful sonic echo attack, causing large metal plates and debris to fall down the street, where more elite soldiers and Charlotte were standing.
A piercing cry later, they got crushed dead beneath the falling rubble. Despite the damage, the Control Tower was still standing. Blood was coming out of every crevice and every hole.
"Damn, Sky!" Hazel yelled with ire.
"What did you just say?!" Halle asked her, with a raised eyebrow. "Didn't you just say Sky wasn't here?"
Hazel had no time to reply. Flapping his wings fast, Haywire cast an unforgiving wind current that sent cars, motorbikes, and other street objects flying, crushing Hazel and any other remaining soldiers.
No! Hazel! Sky got up to rush to save her, but it was too late. Halfway on his way to her, he froze as the back of a flying, rolling van fell on her and crushed her skull like an egg. The van rolled over a few more times down the street, taking Hazel's body with it.
His heart went tachycardic due to shock. Tears ran down his face, but the strong wind dried them in an instant. Hazel! What the hell did Haywire do?! I have to go back to the future, right now! I'm almost done.
With trembling hands, he halfway turned to the corner from which he had come to focus on his device once more, but he accidentally locked his gaze with Halle's, who was standing a few feet down the street, closer to Haywire and his flapping wings. Oh, no. She saw me.
With a furrowed brow, she sprinted towards him. Her dark hair got in the way of her eyes due to the strong wind, and she yelled, "Sky! Go away! Go back hom–?"
A metal squeak echoed in the wind. They turned their heads to the source. A spinning streetlamp dangerously flew in a helicopter-helix rotation movement towards them.
She took one last long step towards him, and pushed him aside with brute force. He fell on his back and mildly hit the back of his head on the asphalt.
A loud groan echoed in the air as the flying streetlamp boomeranged its way down the street. But her wail got cut in half like her body, slain by that treacherous unexpected weapon.
Sky sat up and went paler than ever before, while Haywire chirped a satisfied, loud cry and took off.
Halle's eyes went blank as her upper body lay right beside her lower half in an awkward position.
Oh, my God! MOM! Sky turned his gaze away in shock. That's... gross.
"Sky?" Halle's frail voice said.
Sky's eyes widened with bewilderment. He turned his face to watch her. She's still alive?!
"Son..." her weak, rusty voice said.
Sky crawled to her in a hurry.
Blood emerged from the corners of her lips. Her uniform was dirty and ragged. Her black, dishevelled hair fell over her eyes and lips.
"Mother?" Sky asked in a frightened whisper.
"Why are you outside? There's a reason it's forbidden for civilians to be outside during a phoenix attack." Her raspy voice did not have any sign of anger.
With trembling hands, he held her hand. "I... I know, but..."
"Always so stubborn, like your father." She smiled and sighed. "At least, I'll see him now, wherever he is."
"No, you won't. He's alive!" he cried.
"What..." she whispered in disbelief and a furrowed brow.
"Mrs Evergreen lied to us," he explained in a hurry. "She's keeping him alive somewhere in the labs in the headquarter's basements. She used... an experimental drug on him to save his life."
"Oh, Jesus Christ. I... I can't believe this. Are you sure?" She coughed and spilt more blood from her mouth.
"Don't talk. I'll call an ambulance," he replied nervously as he fished his phone and started to dial the emergency number. "I'm sure they can re-attach you somehow, right?"
But a hand stopped him.
"I'm... I'm so sorry, Sky," she said with a sad smile. "I've wasted away so many years trying to make you stronger... than I didn't realise you're not who I want you to be—and you don't need to be someone anybody wants you to be."
"Why... why are you saying this right now?" I wonder where this comes from.
"It's too late for me," she whispered, going paler. "Promise me you'll find your father and tell him that I'm an idiot. Tell him to let you be what you want to be. I've constantly told you that you were a failure—truth is, it was me all along."
Having said that, her eyes unfocused and her hand on his lost all strength.
"Mother?" he asked feebly, staring into her dull eyes.
Since no reply came, he understood. He bit his trembling lips and closed his eyes. Tears ran down his face as he leaned his face down to her hand.
With a nervous gulp, he opened his eyes and stared at the watch. When I hit Haywire with my sonic gun, I... I prevented all this from happening. They all survived thanks to me. My friends, other elite soldiers, and... even my mother.
With tears welling in his eyes, he stood frozen in a moment of agonizing realisation. Memories flooded his mind, poignant reminders of happier times.
I recalled my mother's acts of support, back in the future. She brought my enhanced whistle from the headquarters after destroying it. She also issued a press release defending me. She threw my sonic gun at me when I most needed it, when Mrs Evergreen was attacking me earlier. And now, she saved my life.
I wish I could see her smile the way she did when I was little again. At least once more!
The wind combed past Halle's hair over her pale face. Sky gulped with teary eyes.
That memory is a bittersweet reminder of the warmth and compassion that had once defined our relationship. And as I gaze upon the lifeless form of my mother, her once radiant smile now forever extinguished, a pang of regret pierces my soul.
If only she, my future Halle, had known the truth—that my father had been alive all along—perhaps things would have been different. Perhaps her heart would have softened, and our family life would have been filled with love instead of resentment. With a heavy heart, I am forced to confront the bitter truth of my recent anger and coldness towards her, grappling with the weight of my doubts and regrets.
In this moment of vulnerability, I allow myself to mourn not only for the loss of those I love but also for the fractured relationship with the woman who had once been my everything when I was little.
I... I want her back!
He wiped off his tears and finished tinkering with his watch right there, beside the corpse of her mother. Closing the case back, he sniffled and exhaled loudly. He put on the watch on his wrist.
Here goes nothing... and everything. If I fail and the watch burns out for good, I'll have to remain here, in this awful past.
With trembling fingers, he pushed the green button.
Hello, my sugar cubes!
How was this trip in the past? Will Sky succeed at coming back to the future?
Stay tuned!
XOXO
Mar