head.
“Look at what Jack has to do to work it. Three sets of controls. If you’d gotten off the ground, you would have crashed.”
“Yes,” Dr. Florence says, suddenly flustered. “I see. I… I’m sorry.”
“That doesn’t matter now,” Jack says. “What matters is that we continue on to Location Thirteen.”
I nod, and we start on our way. And if there’s a black speck on the very edge of the horizon, I don’t pay it much attention.
="+1" face="Garamond"> NINE
J ack gets us clear of the facility, continuing on our original course. He flies that way for hours, putting ground between us and the site of our last battle. Eventually, he must feel safe, because he flicks a few switches before turning to me and gesturing to the controls.
“Take over, Celes. I want to talk to Dr. Florence.”
“Take over?” I say. “I don’t know how to fly a helicopter.”
“Just keep the controls steady,” Jack says, clambering out of his seat.
I take his place, even though I’m not sure that this is such a good idea. As the controls fit into my hands though, I realize that I do know what to do. Memory floods back into me, and I remember flying myself in the future, piloting everything from small transport copters to full attack ones. Anything that would let me get to where my presidential duties needed me.
So I hold the controls steady, which is probably just as well, because a second later, Jack has a grip on Dr. Florence’s shirt, holding him half out of the door of the helicopter.
“What are you doing?” the scientist complains.
“I’m finding out the truth.” Jack says it perfectly calmly, like threatening to drop someone out of a helicopter is perfectly normal for him. “Now talk. What was that place. What’s your connection to Wilson Hammond? Why did he suddenly show up?”
“Please,” Dr. Florence says, sounding terrified, “I’ll tell you anything you want to know, just pull me back in.”
Jack hauls him back inside. “Talk.”
“Please, I’m just a researcher. That’s what that place was. An R&D space for Hammond Industries.”
“So you did the research that came up with his heat resistant materials?” I ask.
“More than that.” Dr. Florence suddenly looks pretty nervous, even considering that he’s just been held out of a helicopter. “Much more.”
Sce=a helic “Like what?” Jack demands. “And who were those people chasing after you? They looked pretty weird, but they didn’t have any abilities that I could see.”
“Abilities? You mean like burning?” Dr. Florence shakes his head. “No, they aren’t the ones who can do that.”
“Then who were they?” Jack repeats.
“They’re Hammond’s people. I guess I am too. Or I was. I was his chief researcher. We did the materials research you’re talking about. We worked from a specimen with those abilities to create exactly what we needed.”
“A specimen?” I ask from the front of the chopper. “You’re talking about someone like me and Jack? Someone from the future?”
“No,” Dr. Florence says, and his eyes widen in surprise as he says it. “You two… you’re from the future? How is that possible?”
“Never mind that,” Jack says, looking slightly annoyed. Have I done the wrong thing by mentioning the future? Maybe I have. After all the point of an
“Look at what Jack has to do to work it. Three sets of controls. If you’d gotten off the ground, you would have crashed.”
“Yes,” Dr. Florence says, suddenly flustered. “I see. I… I’m sorry.”
“That doesn’t matter now,” Jack says. “What matters is that we continue on to Location Thirteen.”
I nod, and we start on our way. And if there’s a black speck on the very edge of the horizon, I don’t pay it much attention.
="+1" face="Garamond"> NINE
J ack gets us clear of the facility, continuing on our original course. He flies that way for hours, putting ground between us and the site of our last battle. Eventually, he must feel safe, because he flicks a few switches before turning to me and gesturing to the controls.
“Take over, Celes. I want to talk to Dr. Florence.”
“Take over?” I say. “I don’t know how to fly a helicopter.”
“Just keep the controls steady,” Jack says, clambering out of his seat.
I take his place, even though I’m not sure that this is such a good idea. As the controls fit into my hands though, I realize that I do know what to do. Memory floods back into me, and I remember flying myself in the future, piloting everything from small transport copters to full attack ones. Anything that would let me get to where my presidential duties needed me.
So I hold the controls steady, which is probably just as well, because a second later, Jack has a grip on Dr. Florence’s shirt, holding him half out of the door of the helicopter.
“What are you doing?” the scientist complains.
“I’m finding out the truth.” Jack says it perfectly calmly, like threatening to drop someone out of a helicopter is perfectly normal for him. “Now talk. What was that place. What’s your connection to Wilson Hammond? Why did he suddenly show up?”
“Please,” Dr. Florence says, sounding terrified, “I’ll tell you anything you want to know, just pull me back in.”
Jack hauls him back inside. “Talk.”
“Please, I’m just a researcher. That’s what that place was. An R&D space for Hammond Industries.”
“So you did the research that came up with his heat resistant materials?” I ask.
“More than that.” Dr. Florence suddenly looks pretty nervous, even considering that he’s just been held out of a helicopter. “Much more.”
Sce=a helic “Like what?” Jack demands. “And who were those people chasing after you? They looked pretty weird, but they didn’t have any abilities that I could see.”
“Abilities? You mean like burning?” Dr. Florence shakes his head. “No, they aren’t the ones who can do that.”
“Then who were they?” Jack repeats.
“They’re Hammond’s people. I guess I am too. Or I was. I was his chief researcher. We did the materials research you’re talking about. We worked from a specimen with those abilities to create exactly what we needed.”
“A specimen?” I ask from the front of the chopper. “You’re talking about someone like me and Jack? Someone from the future?”
“No,” Dr. Florence says, and his eyes widen in surprise as he says it. “You two… you’re from the future? How is that possible?”
“Never mind that,” Jack says, looking slightly annoyed. Have I done the wrong thing by mentioning the future? Maybe I have. After all the point of an
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