Alex glared at the woman.
"Who are you and why do you want to kill us?"
The woman returned the glare.
"If you must know, my name is Tara Rusch. My brothers, Toby and Quinn."
Quinn took this moment to speak up.
"You ruined the greatest oppunitity we had going for ourselves. That is why
you will die tonight."
Alex blinks.
"What did I do to you? I never met you before!" he asked.
Tara looked down at him.
"Perhaps not now, but in the future we know each quite well."
Alex stared, not beleiving what she might be saying. But then again, stranger things
have happened, haven't they?
"You...you mean...your're from the future?"
Tara nodded, grinning slighty.
Alex frowned.
"But...what exactly did I do..?"
Tara shook her head.
"Enough talk. It is time to die. But since your friend showed up..we might have
to change our plans..."
Tara looked at her brothers.
"We burn the place."
Toby and Quinn simply nodded, both of them picking a gasoline container they left against the wall.
without a word, they sprayed the liquid on just about everything around them.
"I COuld have simply shot the both of you," Tara started, "But this seems so much better."
She pulled out a book of matches from her pocket. As she lit the match and threw it on the ground
Sam tackled her, since all of them had lowered thier guns in order to light the fire.
Alex lept up, punching Toby in the stomach, then knocking Quinn to the ground. He snatched both guns,
though using only one to aim at Toby and Quinn.
"Don't move," Alex commanded. "No need to make this more diificult then it already is. Brandon, you doing ok
over there?" He asked without diverting his gaze.
Sam looked at Alex after knocking Tara's own gun halfway across the floor.
"Yeah...but the fire is spreading fast. We should get out of here and call the fire department."
Alex nodded.
"We will." He confirmed.
Keeping his attention to the brothers, he continued with one last question.
"Allright. So tell me, what did I do in the future? I want to know."
Toby glared at him.
"We were- will be- members of the council of doom. We were finally founding our ture potential when you defeated
him and the council disbanded."
Alex windened his eyes in shock.
"I...do eventually defeat him?" Alex was pleased to hear this. He had started to wonder is he and X would be locked in a
stale-mate for the end of time...
Tara growled, and stood up, reaching into her clothes and whipped out another gun. The one she was saving the the worst
possible moment. It wasn't like any other gun any person would had seen before. It was a silver color, with a long handle and a wide barrel, though it didn't look like it shot bullets. It looked...futuristic, if anything.
"Enough!" She shouted angerily.
Aiming at Alex, she fired only once, but it was enough as what seemed to a be a burst of white energy flew though
the air and almost exploded as it hit Alex. Alex was knocked some feet away and landed to the ground unconious. Toby and
Quinn were close enough to be hit as well. Tara stared at, not expecting it to knock out her brothers as well. She aimed it back at Sam when she noticed a movement from him.
Without another word, Tara shot Sam, smiling when it knocked him off his feet and several feet away. But this time it left him
concious. He phased a little, then somewhow morphed into a diiferent man, from Tara's point of view.
"What the..." She mumbled while staring at the new man.
Sam blinked, feeling a stange sensation ripple though his body. What was that? He glanced to his hands, but he didn't see the
hands he had the last four days. They were his own, older and slighty wrinkling, hands. But, how could that be? Had the energy
blast somehow eliminated the appearance of Brandon, leaving his true self? From the way Tara was looking at him, it seemed that was the case.
"You see me. The real me."
Tara could only nod at that, temperaily losing the ability to speak. Sam sighed.
"Short story, I'm also from the future. But by a different method then yours, I assume. I travel back in time by 'replacing' a
person for a short time. I take thier-"
Tara interrupted him.
"Thier appearance, thier memories...the rest of the world thinks you're them." She finished, Then grinned. "We did it the exact same way."
Now Sam stared.
"How?"
"You've been in the past for a long time. Some details and information about your project has been...'released' to certain
others. We recreated that."
Sam shook his head, not beleiving that his group...his 'friends' would ever do that. But then how else would would she know?
"Allright...so you know. But that doesn't change the fact that half the building is in flames. None of us have much time.
You could either kill Alex and I, or we could work together and save your brothers and Alex."
Tara gazed at him for a minute, then nodded. She hid the gun again and went over to Toby, dragging him out by his feet, since she was unable to pick him up.
Sam, on the other hand, had no problem draping Alex over his shoulders. He looked at Tara, stuggling with her brother. He debated helping her...finally deciding to get Alex outside before he did. Sam raced outside as fast as he can while
carrying a person. Once a good distance away, he gently lowered Alex to the soft ground.
Alex stirred, blinked his eyes opened, and looked up at Sam.
"..Who are you?" Alex asked weakly.
Sam shook his head, then smiled broadly and shrugged.
"Just...a passerby. Saw you were in trouble and tried to help out."
Alex groaned, trying to sit up.
"There are other people in the gym..."
Sam nodded.
"I know. Just rest here for a minute. I'll get everyone out. I promise."
Without wanting for a response from the other man, Sam ran back into the gym intrance, where Tara was still trying to drag one
of her brothers out. He immediatly picked the unconsious guy up and took him a different location where he left Alex.
"One down, one to go." Sam mumbled to himself as he and Tara went back for Quinn.
The fire blazed around them, leaving barely enough room to walk. Parts of the building looked ready to collapse.
A loud crashing noise cuased them both to jump, then look back. The doorway had fallen, leaving them trapped inside.
"Great..." Tara grumbled. She looked around, remembering something. "Hey...you came though a different way, didin't you?
I know you didn't use the one Alex did, becuase I was keeping my eye on it."
Sam nodded, and picked up Quinn.
"Yes...It's longer path, since it goes into the actual school, but there's less fire there."
"Perfect. Let's go."
Sam led the way, taking detours past the more dangerous areas. Eventually, they found a door they could get though, on the
other side of the high school. Tara and Sam ran across the courtyard, stopping when they were far enough away. Sam
placed Quinn on the grass, then turned to Tara. Tara held up a hand.
"Before you say anything, this is not the end. We will be back to deal with Alex." Tara stated.
Sam sighed.
"Then I guess I might be back. I stopped you today, and I can do it again."
Tara smirked.
"So...your being here means we would have succedded. That's very...encouraging."
Sam glared at her.
"I bet it is...But I promise you this. I will stop you how many times nessessary. You may have won before I arrived,
but that has obviously changed."
Tara nods.
"Then untill next we meet again. You better go check on him."
Sam looked at her, then walked away. It was better to end the conversation while he still had the ability to.
Just as he turned the corner, his body was suddenly surrounded by a brillent white light that faded almost as soon as it
came. Sam Becket left that place and time, moving on to another.
Alex stood as he only now able to. What was going on? Had that guy succeded in getting out? Then where were they? He looked around again, then saw Brandon walking back. Alex waved as Brandon neared.
"What happened? Where's Tara and her brothers?"
Brandon blinked, looking confused.
"You mean that lady and the two guys? Yeah...they ran off after they got together again."
Brandon looked at Alex, then back at the burning gym.
"Alex..what happened and why are we here?"
Alex blinked, and stared at Brandon.
"You mean...you don't remember?"
Brandon sighed.
"No...the last thing I remember is the motercycle race."
Alex just shook his head.
"Nevermind. Let's just...go."
the end
Author's note:
Yay! It's done! Almost took as long to finish as Green Dreams. Almost. Anyway, The first chapter of 'The Island' should be out
soon, perhaps in the next few months. See you then.
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