It felt nice to be back in procedure mode for Samuel. Graham had long since accepted his fate living up in that satellite out in space. He had even done the math on food. Samuel stayed up most nights talking to him, keeping him company with his task of building a ship. Together they charted out the next couple of weeks. The plan was to have launch day be the same day Graham runs out of food. Then he would find the quickest and most painless way to end his suffering.

After the first week it did not seem like they were going to hit their mark. They tried putting things in overhaul but Samuel was only one person, no matter how long he worked, some tasks required more than one person to accomplish. Samuel was debating whether or not to go ask for help when help came to him. Rebecca brought the family home. Sure they were down a few and still missing Ruby, but extra hands meant Graham might get to see ignition.

Thankfully for Samuel, he had found a viable cockpit for his retro-fitted vessel that seated five people. It would have been six if Samuel did not remove a chair to attach the harness for his three time travel devices. Doubt overruled his mind that anyone would want to go on this suicide mission anyway. To his surprise, he had a lot of volunteers. Luckily, Jesse and Marcus were the only two that opted to stay behind. This meant that they would have enough seats for everyone. Karina would give anything to go back to a life without the constant fear of Hamilton. And Harold, just like Samuel, found redemption in returning to his family. Samuel was both shocked and pleased that Atticus and Rebecca wanted to go with him.

It would feel like old times. So much had happened since they left the Cheyenne Mountain Complex together. Now things would end the way everything began, with each other, plus a couple of strangers. In the final days leading up to the launch Samuel had some private time with Atticus as they prepared.

“You never told me what happened on that island.”

“Samuel-”

“Even after I told you everything about Savannah and my son”

“You want the truth, Samuel?” Atticus bluffed, “because I think you know it already.”

“So it is true.”

“We thought we were going to die. Before I could even reach for cab fare they had bags over our heads.”

“That’s a colorful way of putting it.”

“A lot has happened since then.”

“Do you believe her?” Samuel inferred.

“I don’t know what I believe. She made it out when she had every reason to die and I’ve never had cause to suspect her as a liar.”

“If her late husband is still out there somewhere regaining consciousness, there is no telling what could happen to this world.”

“This is hell. And I’m glad we’re leaving.”

“I’m glad to have you onboard, old friend.”

“I wouldn’t have it any other way, Doctor Chase.”

“How would you like to be behind the wheel?”

“Are you serious?”

“I just referred to piloting an interorbital space ship as getting behind the wheel, do you really think I am qualified?”

“All we have to do is go up?”

“Lift off, I press the red button, and then we pull the parachute.”

“You make it sound like a piece of cake.”

“After all the thought I’ve put into this experiment I have come to realize that getting off the ground will be the hardest part.”

“Samuel, you’re trying to time travel.”

“I stand behind what I said.”

“Graham can’t help us?”

“Graham is the reason we are launching in two days and not in twenty years.”

“I can’t believe I signed up for this. Is Rebecca going to be able to take that sword?”

“I don’t want it on board, but I have no reason to believe it will be a factor.”

“So we’re really doing this.”

“Can I ask you something?”

“What is it, Sam?”

“Do you love her?”

Atticus stopped what he was doing and looked at Samuel gravely, “I do.”

“I thought so.”

“Which is why you never made your move,” added Atticus.

“That, and my wife.”

“Samuel, I don’t know what to tell you. We haven’t really talked since we got off that island, let alone about what happened.”

“It doesn’t matter anymore. We’re going back. I just had to get it out in the open. No stone left unturned.”

Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

“I understand what you mean. Love is for the past.”

“Atticus, that’s the most poetic thing I’ve ever heard you say.”

“I guess I’m losing some of my training.” He smiled.

They finished up putting the final routines into the Launchpad mainframe computer and headed back to Control. The best part about Graham in orbit was they could triangulate with the networks still online in the satellite and run the programs necessary to green light a launch. Marcus and Jesse volunteered to man Mission Control and be Graham’s hands on the ground. Everything was progressing promisingly. Samuel’s harness for his time travel devices hooked them all together and ran them to a central control console made up of one red button.

“I hate when in movies they have an absurd amount of buttons on their time travel machines. I got the dials set on each of them already. All I’m worried about is GO!”

Rebecca laughed at him, not sure if he was kidding or not, “Are you serious?”

She looked back from her seat beside Atticus to Samuel next to the devices. He showed her the red button and she laughed again. “Aren’t we supposed to be looking straight up?”

“We won’t even be breaking atmosphere. We can’t fuel and prep a rocket to launch us into orbit or else we would attempt a rescue for Graham. What we can do is use a shuttle, take off like a jet, and get high enough above any known aircraft and hit the button. That way even if we don’t materialize on my vector there is no chance of collision.”

“That sounds… much more reasonable.”

Rebecca stared out at the other launch sites and the ocean behind them. She turned around to face Samuel and the setting sun.

“I can’t believe we are doing this tomorrow.”

“Rebecca, I…” Samuel trailed off, “I need you to know that I love you.”

“I love you too.”

“I would do us all a disservice if I didn’t ask about Atticus.”

Rebecca’s reaction said it all. She lowered her shoulders and pinned her eyes to the floor. And so she had to admit it, “I love him too.”

“You have to choose.”

“Then I choose you, Samuel.”

She didn't even hesitate. Samuel embraced Doctor Rebecca Pratt with a kiss and she dropped her sword. It was pulled into their bed and moved throughout the night along with them. Rebecca laid with Samuel and rubbed her charcoal painted hand on his cheek. Samuel let her finger brush his temple and with a sudden jolt he was now waking up the next morning ready for the launch. Rebecca had no inclination that something was off with Samuel. She was too worried about facing Atticus. Rebecca had decided that the right thing to do would be to tell Atticus how she feels. Atticus took it rather well.

It turned out, when you’re eyeballs-deep in the zombie apocalypse with a shot at turning back the clock, nothing really mattered anymore. That’s where Atticus was at. That’s where Harold had been at. Soon that’s where Marcus would be, but by then it would be too late. They all ate their final meals and packed the shuttle with rations just in case anything went wrong and plenty of parachutes. There was also an arsenal of weapons they had gathered all along the way, along with a virtual library Samuel made of history and technology, alternative power sources, everyone’s personal effects, and of course Rebecca’s moonsword.

Samuel almost didn’t talk at all that day, until Harold asked him what was wrong.

“I just had a bad dream and I can’t shake it off.”

“What was the dream about?”

“I don’t think I should say.”

“Well now you have to tell me,” Harold laughed.

“It would be in poor taste.”

“Listen Samuel, I really don’t give a shit anymore, and I won’t tell anyone what you say. Now let’s hear it.”

“I dreamt I died. It was today, the launch. There was a big explosion during take-off and I die in my seat on the shuttle. It all felt so real.”

“Everyone dies in the explosion?”

“No. Only I die.”

“I can see why you didn’t want to talk about it.”

Final preparations were made. They tested and greenlit all major and minor systems. Everyone was nervous but really didn’t know what to expect. Odds were they were all going to die but no one wanted to admit that. The hour grew near. There was nothing really more to do but start the great experiment. It was time for Samuel to finally complete the mission he set out for at the beginning of all this. It was time for man to achieve power over time. Graham and Ground Control begun initiating the countdown sequence as the crew boarded.

“Can you hear me in there?”

“We got you loud and clear, Graham.”

“Great, you are being sealed in now and launch is in T-minus three minutes.”

“We are all strapped in. All systems are a go for take-off.”

“Wait a second Sam, there is a malfunction in life support.”

“What could it be?”

“Sam, I think you need to get out here…”

“Graham?”

“And bring those weapons.”

They followed Graham’s advice and got out of the shuttle to face someone they did not expect. Everyone got ready for a fight as they found someone from their past holding a gun to Jesse’s head.

“Did you really think I would let you get away with it?”

“No” Rebecca gasped incredulously.

“It can’t be” Atticus seconded.

“Adam…” Samuel tried to reason with him, “I can bring Alana back. I can bring them all back! You just have to let me go!”

Adam, from the Outer Banks Safe Zone in North Carolina, laughed at Samuel’s silly words and pressed the gun firmly against Jesse’s perspiring skin. Marcus watched helplessly as almost the same exact thing happened as with Annie and his brother.

“You followed us all this way just to exact your vengeance on me!?”

“You killed my sister!”

“You killed Tyrell!”

That was it. Samuel had finally lost it. Nothing would stop him from his destiny, especially not some skeleton from the trail of dead he left behind him. There was no way this hillbilly islander would get the better of him! Samuel didn’t even expect to die in this confrontation. He almost felt no fear, just nerves. He was eager to take on this monkey wrench and continue with his quest. And so the theoretical physicist gripped his fingers into fists and dug his toes into the ground through his shoes, ready to pounce at the man holding the gun.

Before Samuel could charge Rebecca threw her sword at Adam. It went clean through him and he didn't even blink before dying on the floor. The sword, unfortunately, kept going into a fuel capacitor and ignited an explosion that would burn the entire launch pad.