Tia paced back and forth in front of the door, waiting. The thieves had tried several times to escape so far, but none were fighters. They seemed to have decided to wait her out. She was fine with that.
After hours of waiting, there was a quiet noise nearby, signifying the return of the time machine. She glanced in the direction it had come from. Now was when she should go back and meet the others. Go back to the museum where more of Kenneth's messes waited to be fixed.
A deep ache formed in the pit of her stomach. It was all so pointless. She had nothing left to look forward to. Home was a dreary existence filled with constant fighting. Going back there alone... she wasn't sure she could survive it anymore.
The wind caught her hair, tugging it out in front of her eyes. She pushed it back and stepped away from the door to the warehouse. The others would be waiting. They knew as well as she that hesitation only put her in more danger.
But that's why I offered. Dying here would be quick. From the reports she had read, the people in the immediate blast zone would have been killed almost instantly.
Her feet stayed rooted to the ground as she stared at the warehouse. Somewhere, deep down, she knew Felipe wouldn't want this. He wanted her to be happy. To live. She could almost hear his voice in her mind.
"I didn't take a bullet for you so you could die here, Tia. You know all I want is for you to find happiness. How can you do that if you are ash in the streets of Hiroshima?"
Tears leaked from the corner of her eyes. For weeks, guilt had torn through her whenever she thought of him. He hadn't deserved to die like that. It should have been her in front of that bullet, but stubborn as he was, he had saved her from that fate.
Squeezing her eyes shut, she remembered the months of peace with the settlers in Jamestown. It hadn't been easy, but they had confessed their love for each other there. Her hand went to her stomach as she remembered their late-night talks. When they gave up hope of rescue, they would lie awake planning for the future. Planning for marriage and children. Her heart ached just thinking about it now.
I can't do this. Not without you. I'm not strong enough. She sucked in a deep breath. It hurts too much.
This time, she could have sworn she heard his voice, as clear as if he were standing next to her. "Living is never easy, but you have people waiting for you who want to help. You're stronger than you think, you just have to find that strength."
Shaking, she moved further away from the warehouse. Maybe she imagined his voice, but the words were his. It was exactly what he would say to her, if he were there. He was right, too. She wasn't the only one suffering. Ujarak lost a son, and Rebeckah lost her entire team.
Sirens began to scream in the distance, and people rushed about, panicking in the streets. She wove through them toward the time machine, her resolve strengthening. She would live on and find a way to be happy, even alone.
***
Tia expected the ride back to be bumpy, but it turned out to be much worse than that. When she began to hit the controls on the machine, it sputtered to life with a loud grinding noise. Though she tried to ignore it, it only got louder.
As the machine took off, an explosion echoed in the distance. Tia gripped the controls until her knuckles turned white, bracing herself for the aftershock. It hit the machine like a tidal wave, tossing Tia across the room.
Black spots danced before her as she stood, shaking. When she felt the back of her head, her hand came away covered in blood. She tried to ignore the sudden fog surrounding her thoughts and hurried to the nearest seat to strap in.
Just as she finished, the machine lurched forward, then came to a complete stop. The engine died with a pitiful whine and Tia's heart sank. She remembered Kjell's letter, and the events he described. Getting stranded, and the eventual destruction of the machine.
This place isn't stocked with food or supplies to last longer than a few days. She could feel blood dripping down her neck and winced. Her head throbbed, but she didn't know the extent of her injuries or how to treat them. She found the medicine cabinet and pulled out something to press against the wound, hoping to stop the bleeding.
The quiet rasping of the door scraping against the floor of the time machine alerted Tia to the intruder's presence. She looked up and found a woman standing in the doorway. Behind her was another time machine, bridged by a wooden plank.
"Tia, we don't have long. Get in." The woman gestured to the other time machine. "I'll take you back."
A frown creased Tia's brow. She knew the faces of everyone left at the museum, and though this woman was oddly familiar, Tia couldn't put a name to her face.
She moved closer to the stranger and studied the woman's features. Her blonde hair fell in waves past her shoulders, left down except for a braid that pulled back the hair from the left side of her face. In her brown eyes, Tia saw a knowledge and experience that far surpassed the woman's age. She could only have been in her mid-twenties, but her expression held the weight of someone who had suffered for years.
Tia searched those eyes for answers and came up with only one. "Akiko."
With a curt nod, Akiko pointed to the time machine once more. "Hurry. Before this old junk heap blows up and kills us both."
Tia approached the wooden beam hesitantly. One look outside and she knew she was staring straight into the timeline. It was as if she were watching hundreds of events unfolding simultaneously. Scenes of bloodshed mingled with the peaceful events of history, becoming one chaotic mess. Just trying to comprehend it all made Tia's headache worse.
"Don't look." Akiko reached for Tia's hand, tugging her onto the board. "Focus on the wood under your feet."
It seemed like solid enough advice, so Tia took it, staring down at her feet and studying the grain of the wood as it passed beneath her feet. The silence was incredible. Even without looking, she knew that wars were happening as she passed, yet she heard nothing. Not even the sound of her feet as they moved between time machines.
When they got into the other machine and close the door, Tia relaxed. Now she could ask questions, and she had plentysome questions.
***
Naoki sat on the floor in front of the space where the machine should have appeared an hour ago. His legs were crossed and his eyes stayed closed. Next to him, Khen sat, her fingers interlaced with his. Akiko sat in her lap, much quieter than usual.
"Isn't she coming back?" Akiko hadn't said anything since asking that, and Naoki had found no answer for her.
How can I reassure my daughter when my own thoughts are so filled with worry? A familiar hum filled the room and Khen's grip tightened. "Someone's here."
Naoki's eyes snapped open, and he stood, releasing Khen's hand. "That isn't the machine we sent."
This one didn't look like any of the others. It was newer and looked as though it was more advanced too. The door opened with a quiet hiss and Tia stepped out. Akiko gave a cry of delight and leaped from Khen's lap, running to Tia, who enveloped the girl in a hug.
"You made it!"
Khen's voice was filled with such relief that it made Naoki relax as well. He didn't understand what was going on, but Tia was safe, and that was all that mattered for now.
He opened his mouth to ask where the new machine had come from, and what had happened to her, but the appearance of another woman stopped him. A tall, thin blonde stepped out of the machine and looked around. Her expression seemed like a strange mix of nostalgia, fear, and hatred, but when she looked at him and Khen, he saw only sadness. But why? She looks as though she knows us. I feel as if I should know her.
She looked so familiar, and standing next to Akiko, Naoki realized why. "You are Akiko, from the future."
"Yes." Tears dripped down her face, but she quickly wiped them away. "But you can call me Kiko here, if it's easier."
Upon hearing her name, the Akiko from the present ran over to meet her future self. "You're me!" She grinned, practically jumping up and down with excitement.
Kiko nodded and knelt beside Akiko to talk. Naoki didn't hear their conversation. The implications of Kiko's presence in their time... it could only mean one thing. They never made it out of the museum. Naoki estimated Kiko must be in her mid-twenties. That meant they would spend at least another twenty years working to fix the timeline. Another twenty years of picking up after Kenneth.
"Kenneth comes back." Tia's voice pulled him from his thoughts. "Today."
"So we'll fight him. We're free now- he has no hold on us." Ujarak stepped into the room, his face a mask of determination. "I have to get back to the rest of my family. They need to know... about Kjell." His voice broke as he said his son's name. "We all deserve to go home. We've done enough for Kenneth. More than we should have."
Kiko shook her head. "He'll come back as though nothing happened, with all the guards and men he had before." She swallowed, more tears trekking down her cheeks. "We tried to fight him, but his men knew more about fighting than most of us."
Her gaze locked with Naoki's. "You'll try to explain, about the messed up timeline and how hard we worked to fix it. You'll try to tell him that we did everything we could, and to let us just go home. You tried to make him understand that continuing the museum would make things worse. But he didn't listen. He shot..." Her voice broke off with a sob.
Tia finished for her. "Kenneth is going to know, about everything. Before you tell him. He and his men remember, and Kenneth will come back planning to force us to continue fixing whatever problems he causes while the museum is still functioning. When you try to explain everything, he's going to make you watch Khen die. Then he's going to kill you too."
The words hit like a sledgehammer. He's going to make you watch Khen die. Naoki met Khen's gaze with only one thought in his mind. He would kill Kenneth before he allowed the man to hurt Khen.
"I came back to save Tia and stop Kenneth from taking over the museum again." Kiko glanced at the clock. "We have two hours, but we need to get everyone out of here. Back home, or wherever they want to end up. If we destroy the museum and all the time machines before Kenneth gets here, he'll have nothing left to go back to."
Naoki nodded. "We need to get the others and start sending people home."
***
Kiko watched Naoki and Khen working together, grouping people based on what times they were from and assigning machines to groups. Over the next hour and a half, they sent everyone back and gathered all the time machines back in the basement where they belonged.
She looked at Tia, who gave a slight nod. She was ready. That was a relief, at least.
"After we change the future, I won't exist anymore. But even if he lost all of his research and time machines, Kenneth will never lose his desire to harness the timeline. He'll keep trying, and there's simply too much he doesn't understand. If we let him live, he could break the timeline far worse than before, and without us to fix it, things could go horribly wrong."
Tia nodded. "We have to kill him. I expected as much." Her voice held no hesitation. "I'll do it. But we can't tell the others. They may try to stop us."
"Naoki... I remember how much compassion he has. How much honor." Kiko frowned. "You're right. He would not like this plan. We'll keep it to ourselves then."
"Kiko?" Akiko tugged at Kiko's sleeve. "Did Mommy and Daddy really..." Akiko trailed off, her eyes filling with tears. "I don't want to lose them."
Kiko knelt beside her younger self and hugged her. "Everything will be fine. We're changing all of that now, so you can go home with them and be happy." Perhaps this version of myself will stay innocent like this. She shouldn't have to suffer as I did.
"We are ready." Naoki held up a timer. "It is set to go off in fifteen minutes, so we have to go."
"I'm staying." Kiko released Akiko and stood. "This timeline is about to change. I'm not going to exist anymore. Someone should stick around to make sure the charges detonate."
Tia met Kiko's gaze. "I will stay as well. I have little desire to return to the life I once had, and without Felipe... Going home would be painful. I want to stay here, and make a life in this new world."
Naoki frowned. "Are you sure? It will not be easy. You could come with us, to Nihon."
"No. I want to see this new world for myself. Not behind some force-field, talking to the people about my homeland."
Kiko hadn't expected this. She had thought Tia would go home after taking care of Kenneth. There should be enough time, if they moved up the timer after Naoki, Khen, and Akiko left. Did Tia really mean to stay in this place that had taken so much from them? She sounded serious about it.
"You guys need to go," Tia said, propelling Naoki toward the time machine. "Settle down in Nihon. Marry Khen and raise Akiko. Take care of your family. I'll be okay."
***
Tia closed the time machine door as Naoki stepped through, without so much as a goodbye. He wondered if it was better that way. He was never any good at goodbyes. Sometimes it was easier to leave them unspoken and hope to meet again.
"I want Tia to come!" Akiko ran to the door, trying to pull it open again, but Naoki gently pulled her back.
"I know you do, Akiko, but she wants to stay here. She's going to be happier here." He wasn't sure why, but he believed that. Something about Tia's body language said that she was ready to find a way to be happy. Maybe staying in Kenneth's timeline was her way of searching for that.
The time machine landed with a soft thump. Khen pushed the door open and stepped outside. A gasp of delight burst from her as she looked at her surroundings. Naoki stepped out and felt the sense of peace that only comes from being home.
In front of them was Naoki's home, before he became Daimyo of the Hojo clan. It was a small house, but surrounded by lush meadows, with a garden in the back and flowers growing along the sides of the house. The sun shone behind it, creating a glow around the edges of the house and casting shadows down the hill toward the village below.
Khen threw her arms around Naoki and kissed him. "It's perfect." Tears were shining in her eyes.
"It's home," he agreed. "Our home."
***
Tia set the timer up to thirty minutes, giving herself the time she needed to take care of Kenneth. He would arrive any minute, expecting to find the place packed. She stared down the barrel of the gun she had found and took a deep breath. He wouldn't see her from her hiding place. She had time to escape after she took him out. Time to get back to Rome.
It surprised her, how much her desire to go home had died in just the past day. She had wanted to go back to the fighting at first, to use it to drown out the sorrow of Felipe's loss. But she knew, deep down, that it wouldn't make her happy. There was something about this time that fascinated her, and she wanted to explore that for herself.
The front door of the museum opened, and in walked Kenneth, followed by a flood of guards holding guns. They looked ready for a fight. They have no idea what's coming. Tia took another deep breath to calm her racing heart and peered through the scope. There would be no talking Kenneth down or trying to negotiate. She would not confront him, nor would she give him a chance to change. He'd had that chance and wasted it.
Her finger tightened on the trigger and a loud bang echoed through the museum. Kenneth dropped like a rag doll and Tia set down the gun. It was finished. Kenneth would never again get the chance to ruin the timeline.
Shouts of anger followed her as she ran out the nearest exit and into the streets. Kenneth's men tried to follow her, but even in this new place, she knew her way around a crowd. This one was not difficult to blend into, and she used that to her advantage, quickly losing them.
When she stopped to catch her breath, she had no idea where she was or what she was going to do. But the feeling was exhilarating in many ways, and for the first time in weeks, a smile played across her face.
***
The police never figured out who killed Kenneth, or who set off the charges that destroyed the museum and most of the guards who remained inside. Many people thought the police gave up rather easily, as many of them held no love for Kenneth or his treatment of the people who worked in the museum.
As for everyone else, they finally got to relax again and settle down. Ujarak went home to his family and told them about Kjell. There, they had a proper funeral and with much support from each other, Sylvie and Ujarak coped with and overcame their loss. Two years after their return, they welcomed their third child into the family- a little girl they named Tia.
Naoki and Khen did get married. It was a memorable occasion for everyone involved, and their whole village came together to celebrate it. A year after their marriage, Akiko got a little brother who they named Turgen.
And Tia... she adjusted. Things started out rough, but she found a family who helped her through it all and even got her off to college, where she studied Ancient Rome and became a history professor and archeologist. She never forgot Felipe, but she found love again, and eventually got married to a fellow archeologist. Together, they travel the world in search of Roman artifacts and pieces of her people's history.
Though the friends never saw each other again, they kept each other close in their hearts and thought of each other often. Each felt peace, knowing the others were all home and happy once more.