Chapter 17 - A Tale of Two Timelines

Definitely after midnight. Daryl assessed the position of the crescent moon. All was

fairly still about them, no coyotes tonight. He'd watched, tending the fire as

Emmeline fell asleep. He caught himself dozing off a couple of times. Only to be

expected; he hadn't slept the night before, just stayed up all night with his tribe

going over plans, then headed out with the dawn.

He knew it'd be a rough go trying to stay awake until they were outof sight of Popo.

Damned big mountain, that. Not easy to hide from. Daryl hadn't even looked to the

skies much, preferring the ostrich response to impending threat. If I just don't see

IT, IT won't bother me...

Unfortunately, this attitude seldom did one any practical good.
Leaning against a rock and covered with his serape, Daryl didn't even notice when

his head finally fell to his chest and Morpheus got the drop on him.

...Dark and silent, an ovoid shadow hovered over the two sleeping figures. A second

later, it disappered, and so had they.

. . . . .

Emmelina found herself in a strange place... Oddly, it appeared to be both an

early-Victorian house and a passenger ship. One moment, she was entering the house,

and then found herself on board a ferry, of sorts, although she could discern

nothing outside the windows but a grey fog.

From behind, she spotted someone who seemed somewhat familiar to her, a tall man

seated before what appeared to be a control panel. Feeling her gaze upon him, he

turned. It was He! Her...father.

Sm
iling, he rose and came to greet her. 'At last, Little One! You have come!' He

spoke to her in her head, taking her shoulders with one arm and walking with her

down a smooth hallway. 'We will be there soon.' Steering her into a room full of

windows, a screen slid back from the portals and the grey view changed, revealing
a wide blue sea. Emmelina stared below her, much intrigued, and somehow not alarmed

by all this strangeness. She viewed islands rising out of the blue expanse with tall

mountains. 'Do you recognize this place?' His voice asked.

Yes, Em thought. This looks like the place of my dreams...

. . . . .

Without knowing how she had arrived, Emmelina became aware suddenly that she was

seated upon a stone bench overlooking the water. Around the balcony where she sat

she noted two women approaching, a tall woman with dark hair and a shorter, younger

girl with hair much like her own. Oh, of course, she knew these people...why

couldn't she recall their names...?

Thelene. The name appeared in her head at last, that was the tall woman's name. They

were smiling as they drew near to her. 'Anara' the younger woman spoke in her mind.

They regarded each other; Em wonderingly, the other girl with kind eyes upon her.

Thelene took one arm, Anara the other and they walked with Em down the wide stairway

to the beach.

There was a slight breeze as they walked along the waterfront. Emmelina felt

completely at home and at ease in their company, although she felt a nagging thought

that there was something odd about all this, but she wasn't sure exactly what.

Then she noticed the Tall Man in the distance, gazing out to sea; his long

strawberry hair blew behind him in the wind. He turned to them, smiling. 'Here are

my girls.' His gaze welcomed them. The tall woman, Thelene, turned to Emmelina then.

'Your father, Axelis. And, this is your sister, Anara, Emmeline...'

Em stared, questioningly. Indeed, the girl looked much like herself. Only...she

seemed almost of a different race somehow. Her skin was nearly translucent--it

seemed to glow, much as the man, her father's, did. And her eyes...they were

mesmerizing. They seemed to be much larger than most peoples'. A deep, cobalt blue

with large irises that nearly filled the area, with just a small space of white on

either side. She radiated an energy that seemed to stir the air about her.

They seemed to sense that Em was struggling to understand the situation. 'Come,'

Thelene took her arm softly, and Emmeline immediately felt a soothing sense of ease

descend upon her, calming her. They walked together out upon a promontory jutting

into the water and at the end of the pier-like structure, sat upon benches together,

with only Anara at her eye level.

Anara seemed to know her thoughts. 'I'm so pleased to meet you like this, sister.

This is our first meeting, in this frequency.'
She took Em's hand, and Em felt a current of energy from her, a sortof thrumming, as

if she could feel her heartbeat. Or purr.

'Anara...my sister...'Em looked at her, wonderingly. 'How...?'

'Anara is your sister, in another Timeline.'Thelene looked into her eyes, willing

her to understand. Em felt her mind expand and accept a torrent of information in an

instant. She couldn't process it immediately, but felt it being stored, as if on

file for later. 'She is your Future Self.'

Her father took her hand in his large one, long fingers, spatulate on the ends. Em

found herself thinking what an incredible musician he would make...'Would that we

could be together my daughters and get to know one another as we should! That will

come, at another meeting. I long to tell you our plans, our hopes. But, we are

risking much just for this short encounter.'

'We haven't much Time...' Thelene turned to her. 'But we wished to meet together

like this, before the Nexus.'

Yes, the Nexus. Em had forgotten. 'The Nexus...is imminent?'

They nodded. 'It Will Be. And it will be soon. Have no fear. You have lived for this

beginning. It is your destiny.' Her father took her in his arms, held her gently.

'Know that we are all so very proud of you, and of all that you have withstood thus

far!
And our love is ever with you.' He looked at her then, eyes full of compassion and

gentleness. 'Most importantly, know that it is all for a good reason, a great and

miraculous plan for all of earth's people. The age of ignorance, and greed, is

nearly at an end. A new age is dawning. And you are helping to bring it about.'

'I?' Em asked. 'How?'

He nodded slightly. 'Just be yourself. You will know what to do when the Time comes.

It is knowledge you hold within.' He touched the space betwixt her eyebrows. 'I have

left with you, a legacy, my daughter. The Jewel in the Lotus.'

'Do not be afraid, sister,' Anara smiled. 'I am ever with you. Anytime you wish, I

will hear your call.'

'Yes, Emmeline,'Thelene turned to her, 'Do not fear. It will be a change, and it

will be different, but it won't be anything you cannot handle. You were made for

this...you can easily flow with whatever timeline claims you. Do not fight it. Relax

into it, and
think of us, here. You can always return here. Feel us here with you, store that

feeling within. We are imprinting you now with our key signatures. That will be your

lifeline mooring you here to us.'

'Wherever we travel, we're never apart.' Anara placed her hand upon Em's, then

looked back down the beach. 'He comes.'

Em noticed then another familiar figure, heading their way. Daryl.
Oddly, he did not seem out of place here. Anara rose and went to meet him. Em

watched as her sister approached Daryl, looking like a sliver of sunlight glowing

beside his dark, disheveled person, still wearing his serape and wide brimmed hat.

The two embraced, and held one another close for some time.
--Interesting.

'Let us give them their time together...'Thelene and Axelis arose, she taking Em's

arm, while her father placed a hand lightly upon her shoulder, and they strolled

back down the strand.

'For a first meeting, we've done well, my daughter. You must return now.' Axelis

absently stroked her hair. 'But, soon, we may speak together of our mission and it's

importance. And, with Time, you will remember, how and why you volunteered for it.'

He smiled down at her, 'For,to be sure, you did indeed. In Time, you will

remember...'

'Remember us.' Thelene spoke deep within her mind, 'Remember...
remember...'
. . . . .

Midday. Already? Daryl cursed himself for having fallen asleep. He roused Emmelina,

and they broke camp, double-time.

'Andele! We're outa here, now!' Daryl barked at her from his horse as Em tied her

boots. Daryl shook his head, 'I don't even know how I fell asleep...'he muttered,

'...too late now...'

Em mounted and they were off over the hills. 'We'll stop when we get to a creek.

Sorry, but we really haven't time for breakfast, here...' he handed Emmelina some

dried fruit and deer jerky. 'Water ok?'

Em nodded. She felt drugged, lethargic. Bleary-eyed, she tried to rally in the heat

of noontime. How had she slept so late? She never slept 'til noon, unless she'd been

late to bed. As they trotted along, the motion seemed to jog her foggy mind.

Snatches of weird dreams would flash through Em's brainscape...a pink Victorian

house with white trim...no, it was a ferry boat cabin on the inside...how odd...and

then it was gone... Em shook herself as they crested the mesa, and gazed over the

valley before them.

Daryl slowed to a walk finally and drank from his canteen, muttering to himself all

the while. '...half a damn day, wasted!
How could I have let it happen...?' he spat, removed his hat and ran a hand through

his hair, replaced it and stared at Em. 'You get enough sleep?'

She assumed he was being sarcastic, and sighed. 'I can't imagine why I slept so

late...really, Daryl, I rarely do sleep in...'

'I know.' A short sigh. Daryl looked down. 'Sorry. I'm just, it's frustrating! Lost

half a day, and we haven't time to waste! I wanted to get past the tracks up ahead,

before now...' he motioned west where they were headed toward a rail line. Em could

now make out the dark crease in the land below them delineating the train route.

'Well, no help for it. At least there's no trains...at the moment...'

They headed down into the valley. Daryl glancing behind and all around them. Now

that they were over the ridge, Popo had become hidden from view. His shoulders

seemed to relax more, Em noted, following; and she detected the smell of his

cigarillo on the wind...

As they neared the tracks, however, Daryl pulled up. ''Ho...' He leaned forward over

the saddlehorn. 'See that? That's why we're not seeing any trains...'

Emmeline noticed then that something about the track seemed amiss. Looked like a

blast area with darkened patches of burnt track and twisted rail. 'Sabotage?' Em

enquired.

'Yep. Dynamited, methinks.' He looked all around them. 'Doesn't seem that fresh

though, I don't think the rebels are still around. But, just the same, we should get

moving...'

They nudged their mounts away from the rail line, heading ever westward. 'I don't

begrudge the revolutionaries their battle...but I don't want us to get caught in the

middle of things. Even the pacificos are being harassed...it wouldn't do for us

to...hel-lo.'
He pulled up. 'Blast.'

Em looked where Daryl was gazing, noticing a dust cloud on the horizon. 'What is

it?'

'Someone's coming. We'll have to take cover, til they go by.' He nodded toward some

large boulders surrounded by low trees and brush just ahead.

They had just reached the safety of their concealment when they could make out a

wagon approaching. 'Looks like a work crew, maybe, to fix the track...' Daryl

frowned. 'Dammit. They're probably not going to leave any time soon...' This day

wasn't going at all the way Daryl had planned.

'Can't we sneak off, once they're...busy?'

Daryl shook his head. 'I don't know...maybe.' He sighed, then sat down. 'S'all we

can try to do though. Meanwhile, just stay low and keep quiet.'

The wagon pulled up alongside the broken track and now they could see that only a

few men were moving about, while the rest sat immobile within the wagon. Then

Emmeline saw why. The men inside the wagon were tied up, or handcuffed to the wagon

slats. 'They're prisoners!'she whispered to Daryl.

He nodded. 'Yep. Being used for work detail, poor devils...'

'Can't we...do something?' Em asked.

Daryl looked at her like she'd lost her mind. 'What are you talkin'? They're

jailbirds! Drunks, thieves, killers...!'

'--Jack!' Em gasped.

Open-mouthed, Daryl narrowed his gaze toward the wagon. 'No...it can't be...'

'It's him. I know it.' Em was adamant. 'Oh, Daryl, I knew it!'

'Shhh! Quiet, nena! What do you mean, you knew?'He whispered harshly, glaring at

her.

'Carmen, she read the cards for me, I had asked about Jack. She said he

was...imprisoned.' Em nodded, sagely. 'Look, Daryl, it IS him!' She sighed. 'He came

after me.'

Daryl had to admit the tall fellow with dark hair in a black hat and a red bandana

certainly looked like Jack. 'I'll be right back. Don't move!'

'Where...what---!' Em turned, but Daryl was gone. She saw him sneaking through the

brush closer to the wagon. The men were hustled out now and, under the close watch

of their jailers who were heavily armed, freed and handed large hammers and other

implements and herded to the blast area.

Definatley Jack. Oh, Jack...how could this be happening? It was all Em could do not

to run to him. How could they get him out of this? Meanwhile, Daryl was edging his

way back to her.

'Okay, here's what we're going to do. When the crew works it's way up to that big

rock there, see, just where the track turns that corner? That's where you will be

hiding, behind that rock. Meanwhile, I'm going to create a diversion, back at the

wagon, alright? When these goons investigate, you grab Jack, and the both of you

vamanos, got it? Don't look back, just go.'

'And you?'

'I'll catch up. Don't worry. Just do your bit, now--go!' he pushed Emmeline over to

the rocks ahead.

As luck would have it, Jack was at the head of the gang, and his overseer was closer

to the middle, having the men knock out the damaged parts to be replaced. Emmeline

crept up behind the big rock, hardly daring to breathe as she watched Jack banging

away with a big hammer trying to loosen the damaged rail. There was no one near the

wagon now. Suddenly, there came a series of loud pop! pop! pops!--and several large

rocks sailed into the wagon at the same time.

'Quien vive?!' The jailers ran back to the wagon, and while everyone was staring

that way, Emmeline reached out and grabbed Jack's arm, dragging him behind the rock.

As she hustled them away, Daryl popped out of some brush beside them, startling

them. 'Give me your hat, and kerchief! Quick!' Daryl grabbed Jack's hat, while he

unwound his bandana. He turned to head back to the tracks. 'Wait!' Em rasped, 'What

are you--?'

Jack had been missed. The jailer who had been closest to Jack, had returned with

another and they were asking the men what had happened to the man in the dark

sombrero with the rojo bandana...

'GO! NOW!!' Daryl pushed them both toward the horses. 'Andele!'
And, sticking Jack's hat on his head he tied the scarf 'round his neck and picked up

the hammer, headed back around the edge of the rock.

'C'mon, Em.' They took the horses and quietly as they could, edged away from the

area. Jack knew there was nothing they could do, now, just the two of them...right

now he had to get Emmeline out of here, somewhere safe. What the hell was she doing

here, anyway? Well, now wasn't the time for a chat...

They crept down into an arroyo and then mounted, riding quickly and quietly from the

scene, as the sounds of ringing hammers and men's voices faded. When they could hear

them no longer, Jack finally stopped, Em beside him.

'Fireworks,' he said. 'I wondered where the fireworks came from!'
He looked at Em, dismounted, and helped her down. They embraced like two people just

saved from drowning. 'Emmelina...' Jack hid his face in her hair. 'Migods...I can't

believe it's you, here! How did this happen?' He looked at her then, unbelieving.

Emmeline regarded him. 'I...I, hardly know, myself, darling! Oh, Jack, is it really

you?' They held each other tightly. 'It's been crazy, Jack...' Em led him over to

some rocks where they sat together at last, and just gazed at one another for

awhile.

'What happened, Em? How did you get here? Damn Daryl...!' Jack frowned back from

whence they'd come.

'Daryl...!' Em realized what he'd done. 'Oh, Jack, we can't leave him here!'

'We can't?' Jack asked.

'Of course not! Jack, he just saved your life! Substituted himself as prisoner for

your freedom!' Em couldn't believe Jack's callousness.

'Yes...but,' Jack stared at the ground, 'Wasn't it his doing, taking you away, back

here, back to Mexico? I don't see the heroics in that...'

Jack didn't understand. 'It's not like that. That isn't what happened, and Daryl

isn't to blame!' Emmelina gave Jack the short version of what had happened. 'Neither

of us knows how we got here! When I, disappeared, from the ball, I found myself here

in Mexico, or rather, over there,' she waved vaguely in the direction they'd come,

'and in the middle of gunfire! There was a battle raging all around me! Suddenly,

Daryl came pounding up on a horse and took me out of there!' Em was still trying to

piece together the puzzle of events leading up to now, herself. She sighed,

smoothing her hair out of her face, 'We've just been trying to get back to

California. Back home. We were going to the coast to take a ship heading north.'

Jack said nothing, stared at her. 'I can't believe you're really here. How?' He

shook his head.

'How did YOU get here?' Em regarded him closely. 'And what were you doing in jail?'

Jack gave Em the short version. 'They think I'm a spy for the US government.'

'What's your scentence?'

Jack took a deep breath. 'Execution. Eventually. Death by firing squad.'

Emmeline shot Jack a pained look. 'We can't leave Daryl here. I know how you feel

about him, Jack, but...he doesn't deserve this! He sacrificed himself for you!'

Emmeline wasn't going to leave Daryl to such a fate. 'Just like Sydney Carton!' She

gasped in realization.

Jack ran his hands through his hair, and shook his head. 'Let me think...Oh, Em, I

wasn't going to let him take the fall...but at the moment, I don't think we really

have the upper hand in this!
Just the two of us, no weapons, other than Daryl's rifle... We're going to need

help.' Jack was wishing he had a clearer head, he hadn't slept a wink in the jail

cell. 'We have some time still. They won't be anxious to be rid of him as long as

they can use him for manual labor awhile...'

'That won't be forever.' Em sighed.

'No. Don't fret, Em, at least now we're back together again. We're a team, right?'

Em nodded. 'Okay, then. It'll be alright. We'll figure something out, darlin'...'

Jack put an arm around her, held her close.

Surely they could think of something to get Daryl out of this spot. But what?

At the moment, Em was fresh out of options.

. . . .