Elmira sat, trying to meditate on the present situation. She'd lost contact with Radu several hours ago, and still she could hear nothing. It was extremely frustrating to her, not knowing what was happening.

Not that she'd give the Mercurian girl hovering over her the satisfaction of watching her squirm. Rose looked anxiously on, unsure of what to do. Elmira guessed that she was also unused to helplessness, being second in command of the rebel forces that opposed the Spung. It was difficult for Elmira to see her as an ally, after having been a loyal servant of the Spung Empire for most of her life. She was used to thinking of the rebels as the enemy. And now here she was, teamed up with them, working along side them and helping them. Funny how life worked out.

Rose certainly wasn`t making her feel welcome. She'd made it very clear that she was only tolerating Elmira's presence because she could help the rebellion.

Vaguely, she realized that the Uranian was talking again. As usual. That boy never seemed to shut up.

But enough of this. She had to concentrate, or she'd never get any answers. For as long as Elmira could remember, she'd been able to receive glimpses of the future. But everything was all jumbled in her head, and things didn't always become clear until it was too late to do anything about it. Sometimes meditating helped her to order her thoughts, and to puzzle things out.

At the moment however, it wasn`t doing a bit of good.

Resignedly, she got up, wincing as her legs shifted position for the first time in hours.

"Did you learn anything?" Rose questioned anxiously.

"Nothing. I still can't contact Radu, and I haven't been able to find out why. He just mentally jerked all of a sudden, and then went silent."

"Something must have happened!" Rose was clearly worried.

"Well, duh," Bova broke in. "It's not like he's playing a joke on you. 'Oh, we're on the most important mission of our lives, let's all pretend we`re dead."

"Did I ask your opinion, recruit?"

"He does have a point," Elmira interjected.

"I didn`t ask your opinion either!"

Elmira felt her temper suddenly flare. She'd had enough of this--this child telling her what to do. Before she even realized what she was doing, she began to vent the anger she'd been storing for hours. "Well, you have it! You`re not the only one who order people around here! I`ve done the best I can to help you and I don`t even know why! My best reason seems to be this boy who is apparently--who might be--"

"Don't say it! Don`t even think it! Radu is alive, I know it! We certainly can`t expect you to understand the concept of loyalty, but I am not giving up."

"Neither am I! I just--." She stopped midsentence, her jaw dropping in shock. Something resounded quietly at the back of her consciousness. It wasn`t so much a voice as raw, primary emotion. It couldn't be!

"Radu!?!" She spoke out loud as well as with her mind in haste. "Radu? Are you there?"

Radu! Rose nearly jumped on the Spung girl in her anxiety. "Is he--?"

Elmira held up a hand to silence the worried Mercurian. She closed her eyes and concentrated, calling him several times before receiving even a semblance of an answer.

Once again, it was something less than words, but a definite answer. It came slowly at first, then faster--images of a young boy, a tall, menacing man, then suddenly, a great deal of pain.

Elmira understood in a single instant all that had occurred. Just as suddenly, the gravity of the situation hit her. Radu, listen to me, you have to concentrate. You're in danger!!!

There was no response.

Raduuuuuu!!!!!! She shouted at him with her whole mind and her whole heart. WAKE UP!!!

Elmira stood motionless for a moment waiting for a response, fearful that there would be none. And for the moment, it seemed that she was to be correct.

But then, a groggy response. Elmira? Where--?

Radu, listen, you have to get up. Reaver will destroy you if you don't.

Huh?

Desperately, she appealed his military side. The mission, Radu, you have to complete the mission!

Feeling a sudden rush of understanding from the Andromedan, she smiled gleefully.

The mission! That's right! Then, as if directed elsewhere, an unfocused Catalina!?! before his attention snapped back into focus. I've gotta go!

With a pleased look on her face, she came back to the reality of an anxious Mercurian tugging at her elbow.

"You know, we might just have a chance," Elmira muttered, with a touch of disbelief.



Harlan sat, shivering beside Goddard on top of a tall, aging building. Though it had been warm when they arrived, night had brought with it a chill.

It hadn't been too difficult to find Goddard. It had been another matter, however, to find someplace safe to hide him.

They'd run through the streets for what seemed like hours, not stopping until both were exhausted. After that, they`d searched for a place to stay, finally deciding to take to the rooftops. It would be harder for Reaver to find them, and less conspicuous to the ordinary pedestrians.

"Tell me again why that guy attacked us?"

Harlan sighed. "I already explained this. Reaver is an old enemy of ours, and he followed us here. We didn`t know he would be here and we didn't mean to put you in danger." Harlan thought that, under the circumstances, his story was a pretty good one. Too bad Goddard didn't entirely believe him.

"But he seemed to know me. It was as if he hated me, personally. Why is that?"

"I don't know. He's a lunatic. Maybe he was just having delusions and thought you were someone else."

"Maybe." Goddard didn`t look convinced. "You`re not from Los Angeles, are you?"

"Has anybody ever told you that you`re too smart for your own good, Kid?"

"Plenty of people."

They said nothing for a few moments, until Harlan replied again, "No, we`re not from Los Angeles."

There was little conversation after that, which was the way Harlan preferred it. It gave him time to think of Catalina.

He`d been such a fool. He never should have left at all. Though Harlan still believed that it had been the right thing to do, he couldn`t shake the feeling that he could have protected her if he`d been there. Instead, he`d run like a coward and left the only family he had to die.

No, you can`t think like that! he told himself. He`d made the right choice, and all the regrets in the world wouldn`t change that.

Never would`ve ever figured me for the hero type, huh Cat? He smiled wryly at the thought. Harlan had spent the majority of his life ignoring the fate of the universe, and now, all of a sudden, he was playing martyr for it.

Who woulda guessed it? Me!

Well, everyone always said that the universe worked in mysterious ways. But did it have to take away Catalina? When everything else I`ve ever cared about is already gone? Why her instead of me?

He received no answer, but was not discouraged.

I`m gonna fix things, Cat. If the timeline changes, then at least you`ll be alive. As long as there`s a chance, then we`ll find a way to be together.

With these thoughts in his mind, he waited for the slow coming of dawn, guarding his young charge as he slept.



At that moment, the object of his thoughts was trudging through the streets of San Francisco, her arm around Radu, dragging him along side her. Catalina marveled at the fact that she was alive to do anything. She still couldn't believe it, but the events of the past several hours stood clear in her mind.

She'd been screaming her lungs out at Reaver, watching him advance, inch by torturous inch. As she'd felt her voice weaken, her breath come faster and faster, she'd realized that this might well be the end of her adventure.

She had felt her voice crack and fall silent, having finally failed her. She'd taken in a breath, believing it might be her last. Then, something in the shadows caught her eye. Could it be? She'd thought that Radu must be dead by now, he hadn`t moved for ages. Yes, she'd seen him jolt, quite visibly. Carefully, she`d turned her eyes away, not wanting to reveal his presence.

She couldn't, however, have kept a small grin from creeping onto her face.

"What're you smilin' at--." Then Reaver had broken off suddenly. His eyes rolled to the back of his head as he`d gone limp and collapsed suddenly to the ground.

Radu had then seem to visibly weaken, his strength spent. "Are you--?" he`d manage to begin, before pitching forward with a gasp.

Cat had caught him before he`d hit the ground, grunting with the effort. Despite his wiry shape, Radu was dense. But then, she was stronger than she looked as well.

She`d regained her balance and managed to stay on her feet, before looking down at the fallen pirate.

It had occurred to her to kill Reaver then, as he`d lain helpless. She could have ended it then and there, but something inside her had rebelled at the idea, however much she fought against it.

Finally, she'd turned away. "Let`s get out of here!" she'd whispered quickly, before putting her arms around the Andromedan and pulling him along.

They'd made their way through more dark alleys and sidestreets. If they'd gone onto the mainways, someone would have noticed Radu's dubious condition and made him go to a hospital.

Considering that Radu`s species wouldn`t be encountered for another two and a half decades, this would have certainly blown their cover.

At any rate, they'd have to stick to the shadows for a while. Cat shook off her musings and concentrated on staying upright. Between screaming at Reaver and carrying Radu, she was growing increasingly fatigued.

Can't fall asleep!she ordered herself sternly. It did no good. She was still exhausted, and knew that she had to find a safe place to rest before she herself collapsed.

"Radu?" she questioned worriedly. He hadn`t spoken for the past several hours. At least he seemed to be walking, though she supported him as he went.

There was a long pause before he replied. Whaaaattt--? he questioned groggily. Then, slightly more awake, "Did you say something?"

"I just wanted to make sure that you were all right," she answered, feeling foolish for having bothered him.

"Oh, yeah, I guess I wandered off a little bit. It's kinda hard to concentrate. I don`t know why, but I feel sort of--fuzzy. Like a viewscreen not quite in focus. I must just be tired."

Or maybe it`s a lot worse than that... Cat couldn`t help but think. She knew it had occurred to Radu as well, but neither one was willing to say it out loud.

Instead, she changed the subject. "It's strange. Reaver seemed to recognize you and Harlan, but not me. I wonder if you would have met him somehow, if the past hadn`t been altered."

Radu nodded, but didn`t seem to be listening.

"Radu? Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I`m fine. Nothing to worry about." His voice sounded broken somehow, despondent.

"Radu!?! Come on now, you shouldn't fall asleep. Reaver ought to be up by now and he'll come looking for us soon. We have to get farther away from here."

When there was still no reply, she spoke again, this time with more urgency. "Radu, c'mon, talk to me. Tell me something, anything. Just stay awake."

She waited in fearful silence for a moment longer, before a reply came. "I--I don`t know what to tell you."

Anything. Tell me about where you were born, your family, your childhood, whatever you want. We're both getting sleepy."

He paused a moment, and she started to wonder whether he was drifting off. But then he began, and she realized that he was only trying to decide what to tell her. He cleared his throat solemnly. "I was born on a Spung slave ship about twelve hatches ago. I don`t know where it was and I don`t really care. I don`t have any family, and I spent the majority of my childhood doing hard labor for the glory of the Spung Empire. Does that answer your questions?"

She immediately felt horrible. "I didn`t mean to pry. I just...I thought you`d be better off. I was only trying to help." Cat should have realized that his past might not be the most comfortable subject for him. She looked up apologetically, silently begging for forgiveness.

He sighed. "You`re right, I was overreacting. I shouldn`t have snapped at you. It`s just that...a great deal of my life is an unpleasant subject for me. Perhaps you would be willing to talk for a while?"

She considered a moment, then replied, "A great deal of my life is...also unpleasant, but I`ll do my best."

She began telling him about her childhood on Saturn, hesitantly at first, then with increasing speed and detail. She told of growing up amid constant attacks from the Spung, yet still finding time to play with other children, and her family. She shared her memories of her brother and sister, and of her parents. Cat even told him the embarrassing story of how, when she was five years old, she had been sure that she heard voices. And then suddenly, she came to the invasion of the planet, the fateful day she was ripped from them forever. She shared that part too, though she hadn't meant to, and looked over to gauge his reaction.

Cat was half afraid that he would be asleep on his feet by now, but he was listening intently, wondering why she had stopped. He seemed to realize that she wanted him to say something, and uttered quietly, "I guess we all have a certain amount of pain in our lives."

"Especially in these dark times," she returned. "But we can change all that." She smiled tenuously to him.

He smiled back.

Cat finally broke the moment. "I`m sorry, I`ve been talking too much."

"No, you haven`t. And you were right, by the way. It does keep me awake. Talk as much as you want."

"I don`t know what else to talk about. I`ve already pretty much covered my whole life in the last few minutes."

"I guess I could...I mean, since you`ve shared so much with me already, it would only be fair if I told you..." He sighed. "All right. I was born in a hatchery. I have no family and no friends." Seeing the expression on her face, he hastened to add, "t`s not as bad as you might think. There`s no one to hurt you, no one to worry about."

"No one to worry about you, or to care about you..." she murmured.

"No. No, there`s not." He studied her for a moment, before continuing, "I grew up a slave of the Spung, all around me seeing the death and destruction they caused. I grew to hate them, hate everything about them. When I couldn`t find an opportunity to escape, I made one. As soon as I was free, I joined the rebellion. I was determined to make the Spung pay for what they`ve done. In a way, I still am." He glanced sideways at her, wondering at her thoughts.

Clearing his throat, he continued, "In a short time, I came to the attention of the current leader. She said I had plenty of fire." He smiled briefly at the memory. "When she died, I found out that she`d appointed me as her successor. So I`ve been leading them ever since."

"Twelve years old and holding the fate of the universe in your hands. That`s an impressive achievement."

"If you say so."

Catalina squinted. She wasn`t sure, but she could swear he was blushing. It made her suddenly very glad. That simple act made him seem much more like an ordinary boy than some dangerous rebel leader.

"Hey," he broke in. "Where are we?"

"I don`t know. We`ve been walking a long time." Vaguely, she recalled that they`d been plodding along the whole time they`d talked. They`d turned corners a dozen times, winding their way through the city.

"Well, I guess we lost Reaver," she said cheerfully. A small smile played on his lips as he paused and turned his face to the sky. Dawn`s coming," he declared.

She turned to look. A smile broke out on her face as well. "It`s so beautiful!" she exclaimed. "I haven`t seen a sunrise in--"

"Forever," Radu finished.

They looked to each other in surprise.

"The war hurts us in small ways as well as big, doesn`t it?" Cat couldn`t take her eyes off the gorgeous colors blossoming on the horizon.

"Yeah, it does. Which is why it has to end. And why we have to stop it."

"We`ll find Harlan and Seth, and a way to beat Reaver. I know it."

"Tomorrow," Radu said as he lay down on the side of the alley, beside a garbage compactor. "Right now, I have to sleep, or I won`t be of much good to anyone." As the events of the past few hours suddenly caught up with Cat, she yawned and sank to the ground next to him.

"You have a point," she breathed, her eyes already half closed. It didn`t take her long to fall into the deep well of sleep, but as she did, she watched the sun creep over the earth, banishing shadows both real and imagined.

"Radu?" she whispered, just before she fell asleep.

"What?" he yawned back.

"You know what you said, about no one caring?"

She though she felt him nod.

"Rose cares, I think. And so do I."

At first, she thought he was asleep. But then she heard him whisper, "Thank you, Catalina."

She settled down next to the Andromedan, waiting for sleep to claim her with a smile on her face.

Though she was exhausted, and she missed Harlan, and she was bruised and bumped in a dozen places, and she had to save the galaxy tomorrow, she felt more hopeful than she had in a long time.



Someone else was watching the sunrise, though not quite as optimistically.

Harlan Band stood at the edge of a rooftop, thinking of his lost love. It was taking all the restraint he possessed to fight the urge to leave his young charge and run back to where he`d last seen Catalina.

But no, that would undermine the only reason he`d left her in the first place. Reaver would find Goddard in no time without anyone to protect him. And through some odd series of events, that little boy was the key to a future that now meant everything to Harlan.

If by some miracle Cat`s alive then I'll find her. But she won't be back there. She`ll find someplace to hide out, like we did. He ran this logical argument through his mind several times, but was not convinced. His mind said Stay!,but his heart said Go! and his heart seemed to be winning.

He mourned for her loss, even sparing a though for Radu. He`d seemed a nice enough kid, if a little headstrong. Harlan remembered his mother telling him that his father had been killed by Andromedans, but he didn`t really hold that against Radu. After all, he`d never known the man, and hadn`t heard much about him, though he imagined he must have been very brave. His father`s death certainly wasn`t Radu`s fault, or even the Andromedan who pulled the trigger. It was the Spung who were evil, and they who had killed his mother. She was the one he remembered, and had loved.

Evil in one form had taken his father, had taken his mother in another, and had now taken Cat from him. Life wasn`t fair. Everyone always said that, but he`d never realized how very true it was.

He glanced at Goddard, amazed at how innocent he looked in sleep. The fate of the future rested on such thin shoulders.

He swore, at that moment, to keep the boy safe, no matter what. And it wasn`t for purely unselfish reasons, either. If Seth survived, then Harlan had a future. Cat had a future. And perhaps, just perhaps, they had a future together.



Reaver groaned and rubbed his head. It all came back to him in a flash as he attempted to sit up. Dang kids! They did it again. He managed to make it to his feet. This isn`t over yet, kiddies. Not by a long shot! He may not have succeeded in his first attempt, but he wasn`t too upset.

"You know what they say," he laughed to himself, "If at first you don`t succeed, try, try again."

He took off after them, trying to decide which way they might have gone.

He would find them. And he would have his revenge.



Catalina groaned awake, bright sunlight spilling in through her tightly closed eyelids. She realized abruptly that she was being shaken.

"Wake up, girl!" she heard someone say sternly.

"Huh? What?" It couldn`t be time to get up already. It felt like she'd just gone to bed. "Five more minutes, okay Harlan?"

"No, Miss, I`m afraid that won`t be possible." The voice was unfamiliar.

Oh yeah, I`m on Earth! The disorientation of sleep quickly wore off and she remembered the events of the past several days.

Cat opened her eyes. There was an unknown face staring down at her.

She sat up hastily, nearly bumping heads with the stranger in the process.

"Who--?" she began, before noticing the uniform the woman was wearing. Police!?! No! And now she could see Radu there as well, standing between two more.

"You`d better come with us, young lady," the policewoman ordered. "Uh ohhhhhhhh!!!" she murmured.

This didn`t look good.


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Time's Arrow, part 4