Well, here it is, the last chapter of Time's Arrow. I've put a great deal of time, effort and thought into it and now it's done. *sniff* What ever shall I *sob* do now? I'll just have to move onto one of my other ump-teen projects. *sigh* Well, anyway, here it is folks, the completion of my story, in all it's glory.


Catalina sat, drumming her fingers against a hard metal desk. She was in a police station, being questioned yet again, for the third time in as many hours.

"I've already told you everything!" she protested.

"Everything except the truth," interjected the policewoman.

Lady, you couldn't handle the truth, she smiled to herself. It certainly was bizarre. Sent back in time to save a child who would change the universe in some unexplained fashion, she and her comrades had gotten separated when attacked by an evil space pirate with a grudge to settle. She and Radu had been apprehended by the police for sleeping in a alley. Apparently that was a crime here or something.

She wondered how Radu was doing. He'd been taken to the hospital as soon as the police had realized how badly he was hurt. In a way, she was glad for him, since he would get the care he needed. On the other hand, they were bound to discover that he was not the ordinary Earther he appeared to be at first sight. His people were not supposed to be encountered for several decades.

Biting her lip, she hoped that this would not change the future significantly. Then, realizing the pointlessness of the concern, since she was here in the past for that express purpose, she sighed and sank back into the cold, hard-backed chair.

Gritting her teeth, she reiterated her falsified story. "We just got lost. This city is unfamiliar and we couldn't find our way back to our ship. Where we come from, sleeping on the street is not considered a crime."

"Where exactly do you come from, Miss... Catalina?" She obviously didn't believe that this was her real name, but Cat decided to let that slide.

"That is, um, classified. Aren't I allowed to go, if you're not going to charge me with anything?" She knew that it was only a matter of time before they discovered Radu's oddities.

"We just want to know the truth, Miss. You and your friend are a bit of a mystery to us. You show up out of nowhere, with no registry anywhere, no fingerprints or retina scan listed, the boy looking like he just walked outta Hell... and it's classified." She flung herself into a seat, seemingly agitated.

"Geez, between you and this missing Goddard kid, we've had more action here than there's been in years."

"I've already told you everything I can. Are you going to let us go or not?"

"Well if you're not going to talk, then I suppose that there's nothing to do but--"

The door creaked open, and another policeperson hurried through it. Whispering fervently in the woman's ear, he glanced continually at Catalina.

As he left the room, she turned back to the Saturnian, one corner of her mouth turned up in a caustic smile.

A sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach, Cat studiously avoided the woman's eyes.

*****


Harlan Band walked aimlessly down the streets of San Francisco, young Seth Goddard at his side. He wasn't sure exactly where they were going, but the important thing was to move around, to stay out of Reaver's way. Harlan knew that this was not a permanent solution, but it would have to do until he thought of a decent plan. It would have been much easier if Cat and Radu had been here, for he could have left Goddard with them and gone after the pirate himself. If only Cat were here...

But no, he couldn't think like that, it would only lead to pain. Cat was gone, he'd have to accept that. The best thing to do right now was to just put her out of his mind until he could find a proper time to grieve.

These thoughts in mind, he strode past a holovid store, vids in the window broadcasting the daily news. Walking swiftly by, he caught the tail end of a sentence, "--children, one identifying herself as 'Catalina' and the other unknown."

He paused, his heart missing a beat. He stood that way, frozen for a moment, incapable of movement. Then, slowly turning, he caught hold of Seth's arm and brought him around. As if entranced, he walked back to the store and stood staring into the window.

"The two were found this morning, sleeping in an alley, the boy known to have severe injuries. Where he sustained these is still a mystery, but he is being treated at the Eagleview hospital. In other news..." she began, at which point Harlan stopped listening.

Cat... alive!?! It didn't seem possible. He had managed to finally accept her death, finally accept that he may never see her, never hold her again. He had finally accepted a life without hope, and now... now there was hope.

"Harlan, do you think this means--," started Seth.

"Let's hope so!" interrupted Harlan. Grabbing the boy's arm once again, he started to jog swiftly down the street, towing Goddard behind him. "Do you know where Eagleview Hospital is?"

"I think so. Or at least, I can find out."

"Well then, do it! We have to find them." If Radu was at the hospital, then Cat couldn't be far away. They would simply have to break the Andromedan out of jail, steal Cat from prison, and figure out a way to defeat Reaver for good. No problem.

Anything was possible with a little hope.

*****


Harlan was not the only one to see the holovid broadcast, however. One other found the news extremely interesting.

Reaver had been sitting in an expensive restaurant, deciding upon the best way to find Goddard and his friends and smash them into a bloody pulp.

He had come back in time to murder the boy, but that kiddie crew of Goddard's had somehow managed to follow him back and get in the way. Or at least some of them--he didn't recognize the girl, but she had certainly made a pest of herself.

Which is why he had decided to extend his plan. Originally, he had intended to kill only Goddard, that aggravating thorn in his side. However, as long as those brats were here, he saw no reason why he shouldn't take care of them as well. Kill two birds with one stone, so to speak. It should have been incredibly easy, four kids lost in an unfamiliar city, injured and alone.

There was only one problem. San Francisco was a large city, and thanks to that little Saturnian brat he had lost them all. He wasn't entirely sure where to start looking--parks, restaurants, video arcades, they could be anywhere.

Yes, this would have presented a serious problem, had he not looked up at that particular moment to see a reporter reading the evening news over the televid.

Catalina... The name sounded familiar. Where had he heard it before? Then it hit him, Isn't that what the others called the Saturnian kid? Pausing to listen again, it occurred to him also that there weren't many kids likely to be sleeping in alleys on Earth. It must be them! This'll be easier than I thought. Where one goes, the rest are sure to follow. He'd just have to wait there, at the 'Eagleview Hospital' until the other rugrats showed up to rescue the Andromedan.

Leaving the restaurant without paying for his rather delectable meal, he paused in the alley outside to report back to his one man crew, waiting back in Reaver's own time. Unlike Radu, the report wasn't mind to mind, but merely through the trans-dimentional wrist communicator he had stolen along with the time device.

Appraising Ubi of the situation, he then continued off down the street, smiling and whistling as he went. This'd be a piece of cake.

*****


Rose knelt, her bare crimson head bowed close to Elmira's. The Surola seemed to prefer a cross-legged sitting position, her long tail tucked innocuously behind her. She was also rather soft-spoken, which caused the Mercurian to lean closer in her desire to hear the girl.

At the moment, Elmira was recounting a discussion with Radu.

"They've figured out that he's not an Earther, but no one's done anything about it yet. He hasn't seen Catalina since they took him to the hospital, but he suspects they brought her to a police station. A nurse gave him some sort of sleep-inducing drug, they may be preparing him for surgery. I'm not sure, no one's telling him anything. He did mention..." She drifted off momentarily.

"What? What did he mention? If you're holding out on us--!" Rose apprised her anxiously.

"No, nothing like that," Elmira rushed to assure her. "He just said that he wished the rebellion had medical supplies like those he is being treated with. He's being healed rather quickly by his own standards."

Rose looked at her sheepishly, her mouth forming a genuine smile for once, and the Spung girl couldn't help but notice that it made her look much younger, even friendly. Though she couldn't exactly place the memory, it somehow seemed that this was the way it should be--Rose smiling.

Elmira beamed back at her, and this time, Rose didn't turn away.

"Sounds just like Radu," she admitted. "True to the end." Standing up, she pulled herself to her full height and said, "Listen, I'm sorry I keep snapping at you. But I've spent the last few years hating the Spung for what they did to my parents and to my people. I mean, that hasn't changed, and it never will, but I'm starting to think that maybe you're telling the truth about wanting to help us, though I still don't understand why." Rose shifted awkwardly, as if the sentiment she wished to express was difficult for her. "What I'm trying to say is--"

"It's all right." Elmira interjected, standing herself. "I understand. My people have done awful things--horrible, evil things, and until now I never did anything about it. But I'm trying to do something now, to make reparations for what's been done. For what I've done."

Holding out a long-fingered hand in a surprisingly human gesture, she said, "Help me, please. I can't do it alone. Please." It was the first time she'd said those words in her entire life.

Rose studied her for a moment, trying to gauge her honesty. Then, seemingly surprised that the Surola truly meant it, she brought her own small hand up to grasp Elmira's.

They stood that way for several seconds, both sensing the significance of the gesture. Neither had ever thought that such an event was possible, and the simple handshake said more than petty words ever could.

As often occurred with such epic moments however, a matter of even greater importance interfered.

"Excuse me, sir," Bova said as he rushed into the room. "I don't mean to interrupt, but we have a problem."

"Well, don't just stand there, speak up! What's the trouble?" Rose urged impatiently.

As she turned to fix the full effect of her steely gaze on the Uranian, he blanched and visibly shrank, stuttering, "There, uh, seems to be--"

"You have something to say?" Elmira urged levelly, as she also spun to stare at him.

Rose alone was enough to make Bova a bit edgy, with her fiery spirit and hair-trigger temper. Combined with the quiet aloofness and powerful command of the Surola, the two were more than enough to make Bova extremely nervous. With both imposing presences staring him down, he managed to stammer out his message.

"A... an immense fleet j--just dropped out of Hyperspace. It's the Spung, they--they've found us."

"My father, here? No!" Elmira stood aghast.

As Rose turned to accuse her, she hastened to add, "I didn't summon them, please believe me! I don't know how the found me."

"I believe you." Prepared to argue further, Elmira was taken aback. "What?"

Rose shuffled her feet and muttered, "If Radu trusts you, than I guess I do too." Straightening, she shifted into the role of second in command of the rebel fleet. "Ready the troops," she ordered Bova. "We can't outrun them this time, we'll have to make our stand here."

"There's no way we can match them," the Uranian protested. "They've got the entire Spung fleet out there!"

"We have no choice. It's time to finish this."

*****


Cat stood on the seventeenth floor of Eagleview hospital, staring with concern at the prone figure on the bed next to her.

She'd managed to talk the police into letting her visit Radu, on the condition that as soon as she was done she'd tell them the truth about who and what he was. She supposed she'd better think of what to say, the truth certainly wouldn't be of much use.

But none of that mattered right now. The important thing was that Radu was all right. And that they figure out a way to get out of here. These people were getting on her nerves.

Perching on the end of the bed, she assessed the boy's injuries. Fortunately, they weren't as bad as they could have been. Although the damage were unequivocally serious, the wounds were healing well, according to the nurse she'd wrangled the information out of. While several hundred years ago broken bones, a split skull, and puntured organs might have resulted in weeks of surgery and bedrest; Radu would be fully healed in a few days, without the need for uncomfortable casts.

A good thing too, since they wouldn't be sticking around here for a few weeks. If Cat had her way, they wouldn't be around for a few hours.

"Radu," she whispered, as she shook him gently. "Radu, wake up."

His eyelids flickered momentarily, then slammed shut, his entire body tensing in preparation to strike. He lay still and unmoving, feigning unconsciousness.

She'd forgotten that he was a rebel and a former slave, accustomed to awakening in dangerous, often deadly situations.

Hoping he wouldn't injure himself (or her, for that matter), she murmured soothingly, "It's okay, Radu. It's just me."

Instantly relaxing, he opened his eyes and smiled weakly. "Cat, hi." In an attempt to lighten the situation, he said, "So... what's a nice girl like you doing in a place like this?"

"Waitin' around for a guy like you," she grinned back. "Radu, we don't have much time, the police'll be coming for me soon. Can you walk?"

"I think so. What's the plan?"

"I don't exactly have one yet. I wish Harlan were here! He always had a pl--."

Radu sat up abruptly, hearing a clamor in the hall. The exertion proved to much for him, however, as he swayed back to the bed. "Don't count him out yet," he groaned.

The door slid open suddenly, a tall dark figure stepping through it.

"HARLAN!" Cat shouted, as she rushed to him. She embraced him, burying her face in the crook of his neck, holding on as if she'd never let go.

"Cat, I... I though you were..." he murmured into her shirt, engrossed in the sight, the smell, the feel of her. He held on a moment longer, then released her and said, "We've gotta get out of here."

"He's right," interjected Radu, as he carefully got to his feet. "The Spung have engaged the Rebel fleet and... well, things aren't looking good. Elmira says that if the time device is destroyed, we'll be brought back to the present, whether our mission in completed or not. And if the ship it was on isn't there either..."

"There won't be much left of us when this is all over. C'mon, I left Goddard in the hall."

The three rushed (or staggered) to the door and waited for it to open. It did so slowly, yet they were unprepared for what lay on the other side.

Gasping as one, they stood horrified at the sight that lay before them. Seth clawed angrily at grimy hands which encircled him, kicking and growling.

Reaver stood in the doorway with a knife to the boy's throat.

*****


Rose shouted order after order at her crew, directing the Rebel fleet into battle formation. Or what was left of it, at any rate. For the past several hours, she had done her level best to give her much smaller armada a tactical advantage, dictating elaborate maneuvers that evened the odds against the gigantic Killcruisers.

But in the end, it had proved futile. The odds were just too great--the Spung had five times as many ships, thousands of years more battle experience, advanced technology and billions of enslaved beings supplying to their every whim.

The remnants of the rebel fleet flew at the armada, causing damage, even destroying ships, but it wasn't enough. For every Spung ship that went down, ten more took its place.

From her position at Rose's side, Elmira studied the situation. Radu and the others were in a tight spot, with no end in sight. The rebel fleet wouldn't last much longer, and any minute now the Spung would break through their lines and come right for this ship. This didn't look good.

"We need more time!" she hissed quietly to herself.

Rose, overhearing, said back, "I know, but there's nothing I can do! We're almost out of time." Elmira could see clearly that, from the way Rose was leaning forward to watch the screen and clenching her fists tightly, she was anxious to join in the fray. She knew that Rose was undoubtedly dying to order the ship right into the midst of the fight and kick some tail, but that she was resisting the urge in the hopes that Radu would save the day. Elmira admired her restraint.

She'd also figured out now what must have happened. Her father had found her remarkably easily, and she now knew why. Shank must have had a tracking device inserted into her system. It was the only explanation, the only thing that made sense. He had never trusted her.

There was, however, little time to dwell on the subject. At that moment, a Killcruiser broke through the front lines and soared towards them.

"Been nice knowing you," Bova said flatly, from his station.

"You could try thinking positively!" Rose said sharply. Then, as another rebel ship was destroyed, she admitted dismally, "Actually, you have a point." Turning to the bridge crew, she shouted, "It's been an honor serving with you all! I'm proud of you, and I'm sure Radu would be too."

"He couldn't have done a better job in command himself, Sir, if he were here," complimented an officer.

Smiling sadly at the speaker, she sighed to Elmira, "Now would be an excellent time for a miracle."

The Spung girl only smiled at her. She still possessed the ability to foresee the future, though the gift had been eluding her lately. Perhaps the rebels had one more trick up their sleeve.

"Sir," bellowed Bova suddenly. "I'm picking up a fleet dropping out of hyperspace."

"Spung reinforcements!?! Like we didn't have enough problems!" Rose yelped.

"I don't think they're Spung ships. Actually, according to the sensors--."

"Stardogs!" Rose exclaimed, peeking over his shoulders. "What are they doing here?"

"They're hailing us," called the communications officer.

"Well, put it through!" she ordered. This ought to be interesting.

An unsmiling feminine face, crowned by a short cap of fire-red hair filled the screen. Rose knew her by sight, as did most of the crew. She was a woman well known for her ruthless strategy, harsh discipline, and 'take-no-prisoners' attitude.

"Admiral Davenport," Rose acknowledged, equally stoical.

"Ianni. We seemed to have picked an excellent time to show up, didn't we? Just in time to save your proverbial 'rear'. Would you like us to engage the enemy?" She seemed highly pleased with herself.

Though the Rebellion and the Stardogs fought the same enemy, they were not allies. The Stardogs were obligated to protect the remaining member planets of the UPP, and so were generally on the defensive. The Rebellion had no such weakness.

The Stardogs didn't see it this way, however. They wanted the rebellion to join with them in defense of the remnants of their worlds. The rebels saw this as a dead end strategy doomed to failure, and so tended to treat their associates with a touch of scorn.

None of that mattered at the moment, however. The small fleet of ships the Admiral had managed to gather would, if not defeat the Spung fleet, then at least buy Radu and the others some time.

Though Rose hated to admit it, the Rebellion needed help more than it ever had.

Swiftly making up her mind, she said simply, "Welcome to the fight."

*****


"Well," the space pirate said as he noticed the group crowded in the doorway. "Look who finally decided to join the party."

"Let him go, Reaver!"

"Now why would I want to do that? I think I'm gonna enjoy this!" Tightening his grasp, he brought the dagger closer and laughed. "Aw, don't feel left out, I'll get to all of you in a minute."

As Reaver prepared to cut the young boy's unprotected throat, Radu let out a bloodcurdling cry and rushed at him.

Unprepared, the space pirate was easily bowled over, the blade clattering to the floor and Seth rolling out of the way.

Gasping as he rose, Radu dragged the boy to his feet. "Hurry!" he wheezed.

Stepping over the unconscious forms of the police officers (Harlan had taken care of them earlier) they sped down the hall and up the stairs, mere meters ahead of the disgruntled Reaver.

Luckily, the entire floor had been cordoned off due to the concern that Radu was a security risk, so they weren't putting anyone else at risk.

It also meant that there were more guards at the end of the hall, unaware of the present situation.

This led to trouble, for as they ran full kilter through the hall doors and into the endchamber, the security officers yanked their phasers from hip holsters and trained them on the kids.

At that moment, Reaver came barreling into the room.

Sizing up the grizzled space pirate as a greater threat than four exhausted children, the police hastily refocused their weapons.

Not waiting to see what happened next, the kids took off running into the stairwell on the other side of the chamber, Catalina and Harlan supporting Radu on either side. Slamming the heavy metal door behind them, Seth set a lock in place.

Indecisively they stood, unsure which way to go. "Up or down?" Cat asked.

"Whatever you choose, do it fast!" Radu urged, hearing what transpired in the room behind them.

"Let's get outta here!" Harlan growled as he started down the stair. The others quickly followed, but a quartet of police came dashing up in the opposite direction.

"Go up! Go up!" Harlan yelled.

The officers started after them, but paused as the door behind them resounded with a dull thud. It reverberated again, a protrusion the size of a fist clearly visible.

Seeing this, the children did not hesitate, bounding up the stairs in the attempt to escape both the villain and the police. Hopefully, the two parties would distract each other long enough for the kids to make their escape. They knew, however, that in a battle between the space pirate and four human cops, there could be only one victor. The only thing that surpassed Reaver's strength was his incredible tenacity. Whatever Seth Goddard had done to tick him off, he was determined to get even at all cost.

They raced upward, fast as was possible with an injured Andromedan dragging behind. Radu suggested several times that they should leave him to distract the pirate, but the others were extremely opposed to that idea, so he continued to limp along beside them.

It hadn't taken Reaver long to deal with the police and follow them, they could hear him now, charging after them, scant meters away. By some miraculous luck, guards occasionally came across their path, and the space pirate was forced to battle his way through them in order to continue after his prey. It was only this interference that had kept him from catching them previously.

Still, he was gaining on them, slowly but surely. The four continued to climb stairs, steadily ascending for what seemed like hours. Everything but the need to escape, to survive just one minute longer had fled their minds. They were totally focused on the act of scrambling up step after step.

As they came across another group of police, Cat spared a quick breath to whisper a prayer for them. It wasn't the cop's fault that they were mixed up in all of this, and she hoped fervently that none of them would die for this little adventure.

But soon they had bigger things to worry about. Oddly, it had not occurred to them earlier was that they might eventually run out of steps.

Gasping for breath, Harlan stared resolutely at the stair and struggled up the last few steps, twisting to pull Cat up behind him. As he turned back, his view was blocked by a large gray surface.

Stepping back, he realized that it was a sealed metal door, with no way out to the right or left. The only way to go was back the way they'd come.

Hearing a swift scream and a bellow of triumph, followed by heavy footsteps growing steadily closer, he realized that this was not going to be possible.

*****


Elmira closed her eyes and sighed softly in frustration. This whole situation was largely her fault. She was the one who had come here and put these people in danger. She'd done it because it had to be done, because it was destined to happen, but she may have doomed the rebellion in the process.

Indeed, though the Stardog fleet was holding their own for the time being, she couldn't imagine this ending in anything better than a stalemate, with both parties limping away to lick their wounds.

But there was one rather large problem they'd have to deal with very soon. The rogue Killcruiser that had started after them earlier was still coming, flanked by several others. They were systematically destroying everything in their path, coming steadily closer.

Elmira needed no psychic power to tell her who was on that ship. Her father had come for her.

As the Killcruiser at last came to fill the screen, she felt an icy fear grip her heart. She'd avoided thinking about Shank's reaction to her betrayal for as long as possible, but she had to face it sooner or later.

The Spung ship was in an ideal position to blow them into a hundred billion free-floating atoms. It was a larger ship, and would almost certainly defeat them in open combat. It was also quite close. She wondered what was stopping them.

It seemed that her plan was destined not to work. There just didn't seem to be enough time! They were so close...

"Sir, the Killcruiser is hailing us!" cried the communications officer with a touch of disbelief. Spung never contacted rebels, considering them beneath their notice.

"Put it through," ordered Rose flatly. After the events of the past several days, few things would surprise her.

"Daughter..." Shank hissed, as soon as the call was put through.

"Well at least we know why he's here!" Rose whispered softly to Elmira.

"What should I say?" she asked, with growing panic. "What should I do?"

"You want my opinion? Stall."


I happen to be extremely long-winded, and I ran out of room, so here is the rest of Time's Arrow, part 4.