Extracted

THIRTY-THREE

LEX

Flynn is less than a foot from me, and his lash is drawn back over his head, ready to strike. Leveling Kara’s weapon at him, I squeeze the trigger and let loose. Fiery drops of liquid blast out the tip of the weapon. Flynn dodges to the side and rolls out of the way.

There is nothing better than the feeling that we might survive this. The Tesla monster spits sparks and green hydraulic fluid all over the trampled grass.

Flynn looks up, seeing where Ember has landed, and struggles to his feet, abandoning his battle with me to go after her. There is nothing I can do now. I can’t get through the force field. He takes a few steps and stops, putting his hand up. At first, I think he’s waving to her, but then I know. He can’t get through it either. Good. At least one of us is safe.

I turn, firing on Tesla, and though it doesn’t look like the weapon is doing much damage, I keep firing. Kara has managed to get free, and Ethan balks as she attacks. Just as I wonder if he has some compunction against hitting a girl, he steps forward, taking her by surprise, and nails her with a right hook. She falls to the ground. I see Kara quickly touch her ear and then dial something into the tech on her wrist. Immediately she disappears into nothingness—like a vacuum sucking up a plastic trash sack.

We are winning.

“Ethan!” I yell, continuing to fire. “Get Stein up.”

It is as if she hears me. She’s already struggling to stand when Ethan helps her up and props her against the tree. I keep volleying flaming bullets toward Tesla. They hit, burning holes in the artificial skin. But they aren’t damaging the metal underneath.

“Come on, guys! A little help here,” I yell.

Stein staggers over, though she’s leaning to the left, a sign of broken ribs and possibly a dislocated shoulder.

“You okay?” I ask.

“I’ll survive.”

Ethan helps support her as we stand huddled together. I hold the strap of the backpack with one hand and keep my other hand clutched around the key in my vest pocket.

“What’s our plan?” Stein asks.

That is a very good question.

“You two distract Tesla. I’ll activate the Dox,” I say just as Tesla shoots an electric bolt in our direction. We dodge it, and I find myself too close to the caterpillar tracks of the creature. Pieces of dirt and damp grass are spit up as the monster tries its best to run me over. Rolling out of the way of the treadmills of death, I find myself on the opposite side of Tesla. Stein and Ethan are standing where the fallen leg lies.

I watch as they grab it and jab at the tank tracks. Little by little, they bend and chip away at them with their newfound weapon.

The wind picks up, and lightning strikes the tree where Stein once lay. On the perimeter of the burning building I see the vortex, a giant tornado sucking up time and leaving chaos in its wake. It’s moving slowly, but I know we only have a few minutes before we are doomed to the paradox. There’s no time. I look over to Ipatiev House, wanting to see my sister one last time, just in case.

I can’t believe what I see. Flynn is pulling my sister from the flaming building. He manages to get her through a main floor window before most of the building crumbles in on itself, sending a shower of ash and sparks high into the air. He cradles her in his arms and walks toward me. She’s limp. Her arms dangle as he moves, and her eyes are closed.

No, no, no. This isn’t happening. I unstrap the backpack and carefully remove the Dox from inside it. Quickly giving the thing a look-over to make sure it is still intact, I pull the key from my pocket. With the key in close proximity, the Dox starts to hum. I look up to make sure my team is still okay and realize that the Tesla monster has turned and is heading in my direction. I’m not sure if it’s fleeing from the vortex right behind it or if it is attracted to the Dox. Stein lies on her side and Ethan has been thrown some distance away.

I hold out the Dox as a last resort to stave off the onslaught of Tesla’s monster. For some reason this stops it right in its tracks. The Dox continues to glow as I press the key up against the glass. Holding it in outstretched arms so everyone can see, I insert the key past the glass barrier. It’s still a marvel to me how the glass softens just enough for me to put the key in. I don’t have to fumble around to find the correct orientation. It’s as if the filament recognizes the key and accepts it. As with any good key, all I have to do is turn it. With that simple gesture, I restart the time stream.

Nothing happens at first, but then the base starts to spin. A light brighter than the sun shines from the glass bulb, and the key falls out of the center, back into my hand. Oddly, the Dox isn’t hot.

“Lex, give me the Dox!” Flynn yells.

My eyes dart from him to the Tesla monster. There’s something about the way that he’s looking at me, I can’t quite describe it. Not pleading really, but sincere. He gently puts Ember down beside me and holds his hand out.

“Please. Trust me. Just this once.”

I hesitate, glancing down at my sister. Ember blinks and lays a hand on my foot. She nods.

I take a deep breath and hand it to him. I’m not sure why, but something inside my head is telling me to trust him. Maybe it’s just relief that Ember is alive and that we might actually survive this night. Again.

Behind Flynn the Tesla monster is spinning, its now broken track digging a rut it can’t escape. With two back legs gone and one track disabled, the monster isn’t able to go anywhere. Behind the monster, the vortex looms. I watch as it engulfs the burning house. The flames aren’t the problem anymore. Torrential winds rip my parents’ tomb from the ground and up into the void.

I watch with awe and curiosity while Flynn tucks the Dox under his arm and sprints toward the Tesla creature, toward the path of the vortex. He doesn’t stop his drive until he comes in contact with the Tesla monster. Bolts of lightning course through his body. I see his eyes roll back, and he jerks with convulsions. Pulling himself up by one arm, Flynn slams the Dox into the creature’s chest cavity. He shakes and thrashes, and all his muscles contract around the Tesla coil at the center of the creature. He holds on as the paradox tornado comes at them.

I scramble back without taking my eyes off the scene. Stein and Ethan have crawled to me. We huddle next to Ember, who is awake but limp in my arms.

It’s hard to see Flynn now beyond the storm closing in around us. I have no will to run. It’s almost like I no longer care if the paradox swallows us. I’ve got both people I love right here with me. And Ethan’s here, too.

We are together. I’m willing to let time take its course. We hold each other, unable and unwilling to move, when the sky rips open like God himself slashed through it with a sword. The last thing I see is an explosion of light that erases everything.