Gernot exhaled into his ear, a ragged sound of pleasure. “There’s nothing like killing a man you respect,” he growled. “To see him die, and know that in that moment you are the better man. I respect you. I really do.”
The pressure on Blake’s neck loosened for a moment, and his hand slipped free. He sucked in air and croaked, “That’s nice. I think you’re a fucking twat.”
His reprieve was short lived. Gernot tightened his grip on the cable and the strangling resumed, harder this time.
By now Blake was so far gone he barely registered that Gernot was whispering something to him again.
“Do you know why you have lost?” Gernot said, but he wasn’t looking for a reply. “Because you have always lost. I wouldn’t be able to travel back if you had won. Think about that before you die.”
Blake couldn’t think. He was on autopilot; the only thing on his mind was how to get the next lungful of air. He was choking on the saliva in his mouth, and his body was beginning to spasm. The edges of his vision dimmed, his eyes stung as the capillaries popped … but he was almost at the lip of the platform.
A woman’s voice blared out suddenly in the room, speaking in Russian through an intercom on the wall.
“That is the sound of my deliverance,” Gernot said, exultation lacing his words. “After I’ve killed you, I’ll be on my way.”
Blake didn’t have to speak Russian to know what deliverance Gernot spoke of. The machine was ready to suck his foe back to 1948 … but the knife was at his fingertips. He might just …
At that moment, he heard his own voice speak out — or what used to be his voice.
“Do you want to know why you lose?”
The cord around Blake’s neck slackened.
The voice belonging to Ethan continued, “Because you can’t kill us both.”
Gernot realized his predicament and in a flash went for the button on his watch — his only salvation — and clicked it. Nothing happened.
The Russian’s face went blank with puzzlement. He clicked the watch again. Still nothing. Then he looked down at Blake, who was now holding the knife in bloody fingers.
Blake opened his hand then, dropping the blade. He picked up a cut cable between his index finger and thumb. “Oops.”
Gernot’s eyes traced the origin of the severed cable, which led back to his watch. He gaped up at Ethan, who had his weapon trained on Gernot’s chest. The Russian’s face morphed into an animalistic snarl, his brows furled, teeth bared.
Blake let out a wet sounding laugh. “Checkmate,” he choked out, grinning up at Gernot. Although this hadn’t been a game of chess with Tobias, he’d finally managed to checkmate someone.
There was only one option left for Gernot, and he chose it, charging straight for Ethan. Before the Russian took more than two steps, Ethan emptied several rounds in the man’s torso. His body jerked from the impact of the slugs and hovered a moment upright before tumbling over.
Zodiac, Worm, Priest, and Jackman reached the platform. They weren’t out of the woods yet. More troops were already entering the reactor room from both sides, encompassing the small group. This would become their tomb before long. Their ammunition wouldn’t last forever against such odds.
The helmet Jackman wore was malfunctioning, its lenses sparking and flickering on and off from unseen circuitry damage. Reaper tore it off and tossed it away. “We need to get you out of here,” he said.
The commandos took up positions behind terminals and computers on the large platform. Blake looked at the time traveling device still affixed to Gernot’s wrist. Ethan could use it to escape, saving at least one of them.
He disengaged the watch and started to hand it to his twin, but stopped himself. On impulse, he gave the watch face a quick twist, and saw the random number ‘23’ flashing on the display. That’s far enough, just in case. Then he poked Ethan’s shoulder.
Ethan’s head whipped around. “What?”
“Here. You can teleport out of here.” Blake pressed the device into Ethan’s palm.
“It won’t take us all,” Jackman yelled from his position, and Blake saw the resignation in his eyes. “Take this.” He pulled something out of a side pouch and tossed it to Blake.
Blake swiped his hand up, snatching the item from the air. It was another time jump watch. He met the commando’s gaze.
“It’s Tobias’s,” Jackman said.
The question — How, and when? — was clearly visible on Blake’s face as he started attaching the piece to his arm.
“That old bastard buried it and activated the tracer,” Jackman said. “We’ve already plotted the LOC1; it’s about two miles from here. Take this too.” He threw another object, which Ethan caught easily.
The item was shiny, silver, and looked like a small soda can. “It’s a thermite magnesium grenade,” the commando said. “When it explodes, it’ll melt through anything. That reactor core needs to be destroyed. We can’t allow this facility to stay in operation. Just give the top a twist when you’re ready.” He demonstrated the motion with his fingers.
Reaper hefted his gun, readying it for use. “We’ll hold them off while you plant it. Then teleport the fuck out of here.”
“What about you?” Ethan asked.
The resigned look appeared again, and Jackman’s lips flattened into a grim line. “We signed on for this. Just don’t let it be in vain. Now go!”
The two Tannors dashed for the reactor core’s interior, both of them still fumbling with their watches. Ethan cursed as the metal hooks latched onto his skin, but he didn’t break stride. The noise of gunfire reduced in volume as they distanced themselves from the fray and ran into the reactor room. They stopped to take in their surroundings and examine their options.
The room was filled with dials, gas-filled pressurized pipes, and the loud hum of fluid that whirred around them. Over the beeps and buzzes of the instruments, another sound rang out — a door slamming shut on the opposite side of the room.
Sudden shots bounced off the walls and pipes. Blake and Ethan dove for cover. Blake felt his hip crack as he collided with the floor.
He looked over just as a Russian soldier launched himself on top of Ethan, clawing for the watch. The grenade popped out of Ethan’s hand and rolled toward Blake.
Blake heard rushing footsteps and knew another Russian would be on top of him in seconds. He glanced about frantically, noting that he was in as good a spot as any to set off an explosion in the reactor’s interior.
Then a subconscious thought sprang to mind, providing an alternate solution. It was their only hope. Dear God, please let this work! He threw out another prayer that Dr. Amhurst had been correct.
We have the same DNA.
Thinking fast, Blake reached for the dial on his timepiece, quickly marked the spot where he was positioned as ‘LOC2’, then switched it back so LOC1 flashed on the screen again. He snatched up the grenade and put it in his pocket before shoving himself into a lopsided roll, closing the distance between himself and his twin, stopping when his foot struck Ethan’s side.
Then he pressed the button.
66
The Dark Insight
Blake landed in a pile of broken rubble. Chunks of concrete floor and wall, piping, wires, and mechanical gear splayed around him in a ragged circle. There was also the blood.
For a second, he thought it hadn’t worked; that Ethan had been split apart during the jump. But no — that mangled half body wasn’t Ethan. It was the Russian soldier. The man was a bloody carcass on Ethan’s chest, his eyes wide and blinking rapidly, mouth open as far as the jaw would allow. A grotesque gagging sound spurted from the man’s throat as he gasped for air.