Paradox (Travelers Series Book 2) (11 page)

“He’s in security. For a major Vegas casino.”

“How is that—” I stop before I finish my sentence. “He can tell who’s cheating can’t he?”

“You got it. He can tell whether or not gamblers are excited, nervous, or stressed. Obviously, no one knows how he’s able to figure it out, but from what I hear, the casino values him enough to pay him the big bucks.”

“Okay, so there’s Moose the Empath. Who else?” This is getting interesting. A medium and a human lie detector test.

“Taylor McGee. Her story is a little bit more tragic, I’m afraid. She lost her parents in a tragic house fire when she was ten, which caused a small mental breakdown. Getting access to her is going to be a bit harder than the others, I’m afraid.”

“Why’s that?”

“Because she’s been hospitalized ever since she lost her parents.”

Great.
A mental case. And she’s supposed to be on my team? “You mean institutionalized.”

“Yeah, but she’s not a mental case, just so you know. After her folks died in the fire, Taylor kind of snapped.”

It doesn’t take long for me to put the pieces together. I have a pretty good idea of what her power might be. “Let me guess, she has the ability to start fires.”

“You got it, darlin’. Only, before you get the wrong idea, she didn’t start the fire.”

I make a mental note to revisit Taylor’s story later. “Okay, so who’s next? A fortune teller?”

“Close. Two geniuses, actually,” Cooper says.

“Two?” Because one isn’t enough?

“Chase and Chance,” he finishes saying with a chuckle.

I smirk. “Seriously? What are they, like twins?”

“Good guess. Looks like I’m dealing with three geniuses.” He laughs harder this time.

I lightly punch Cooper in the arm. “Funny. So what can they do? Aside from being brilliant, that is.”

“Well, Chase has the ability of precognition—”

“Pre—what?”

“Cognition. He can predict the future.”

“Ah. Hold on, don’t tell me. Then Chance’s power has something to do with the past?”

Cooper looks down at me and smiles. “You’re getting good at this. He can see past events or rather, he has the power of recognition.”

At first, when Cooper told me we’d be rounding up a team of psionically abled individuals, I wasn’t impressed. I mean, how in the world are we ever going to take down Thornberry with his massive military control? Now, I feel a bit better knowing I have a pretty dynamic group backing us up. We really are like superheroes. How can I not be impressed with all those powers?

The coffee I had earlier is still pretty bad, letting it get cold didn’t help, and I seriously doubt it’s even caffeinated. I begin to yawn and become sleepy again. This time I rest my head on Cooper’s shoulder and hope I don’t drool again. I feel a light kiss on the top of my head as I fall back asleep.

The Year 2017

Outside the Warehouse

“H
oly crap, Jenny! Where in the world?” Etta’s mouth hung open as she stared at the fleet of Land Rovers parked in front of the warehouse. Even though everyone lived in their own respective homes, they almost always hung out exclusively at headquarters. For one, it was safe, and two, they had so much work to do, they often forgot the time. There were plenty of bunks for them to crash on if they worked too late. So, when Jenny called her out in the middle of the night and pulled her outside, Etta wasn’t too surprised to see Jenny still hanging around.

Jenny’s luminous smile just about brightened the smog infested night. “You like?” She was obviously proud of herself.

“Yeah, but…” Etta was still at a loss for words. “How in the world did you manage to get all these Rovers?” Any vehicle was scarce in their world—most of them appropriated by Thornberry to outfit his military—so she could only imagine where Jenny got her hands on these high end, no doubt black market, SUV’s.

“I knew you’d like them. Let’s just say I got us a great deal,” she giggled.

For as long as Etta has known Jenny, both the one standing right in front of her and the alternate Jenny she’s had the unfortunate pleasure of knowing, she didn’t exactly take her word for it. There was almost always something up her sleeve.

“Is this somehow going to come back and bite us in the you-know-what?” Depending on how Jenny scored the Rover’s, they could be in for some deep crapola, Etta thought. The punishment for stealing in their reality was death. In other realities, you had to show proof of insurance when stopped by authorities. Here, one had to prove their purchase was legal. Aside from Thornberry’s troops, only the neutrals had the means in which to secure a vehicle.

“Oh, come on, Etta! You’re always such a worry-wart. No one’s going to come looking for these bad boys,” she swore.

And bad boys they were. The entire area was filled with what looked like black and white shiny Storm Troopers. Etta remembered the day Cooper arrived into her old life several realities back with his pristine white Land Rover. She’d thought it came straight out of
Star Wars
. Now she knew where it came from.

“What’d you do?” Etta said, arching eyebrows as she spoke. She was still wary of Jenny’s offering.

Jenny gasped. “What? You think I’d put us and the mission in jeopardy? Whatever.” She continued to admire her recent acquisition. “But if you must know, I found out about this abandoned dealership not too far from here. I bribed one of the neutrals for access to the lot and had them all delivered here. His business pretty much tanked after Thornberry took over, so he had all these trucks just begging to be rescued.”

The neutrals were those who were able to afford to stay, well neutral, in this reality. They did not wish to side with Thornberry and for a hefty tax—or bribe—they were pretty much left alone. They neither sided with the regime that had established its stronghold, nor did they wish to fight for their independence. Only the wealthy could afford to remain unaligned, so it made sense that the individual who sold Jenny the SUV’s would have the ability to bargain.

“Oh, Jenny! That must have cost you a fortune!” She knew her friend had the necessary funds to purchase the whole fleet, but it was still a grand gesture, nonetheless.

For a split second, her friend looked serious. Jenny couldn’t stand for people to see just how vulnerable and caring she could actually be. But Etta knew better and was grateful for the spoiled characteristic of her friend and the generosity in which she shared her wealth. Money in their reality didn’t equate to the fortunes found in other realities, but there were still people in their reality who still dealt in cold hard cash. The neutrals were no exception.

“I have a fortune,” Jenny replied. “But it didn’t cost me a dime. Let’s just say the guy responsible for this generous donation was very happy to have been able to speak to his mother one last time.”

“You didn’t,” Etta said, stunned. Even though they used their powers to defend their cause, there was an unspoken agreement between them that they would not betray their abilities to those who could take advantage of it.

“Why not? I can speak to the dead, Etta. It’s not like I asked for this gift, you know. But, if you’ve got it, flaunt it,” Jenny smirked. “Besides, it was kind of nice to be able to do that for him. It seemed like a fair trade.”

Etta resisted the urge to hug her friend. She knew Jenny would only shrug it off, so instead, she said, “Well, I’m just glad you didn’t pay full sticker price.”

Jenny hooted with laughter. “Sometimes, I forget you actually have a sense of humor.”

W
e arrive at the airport and I’m shocked at the sheer number of people hustling about. I guess I never really considered how big Mexico City actually is. On the flight down, Cooper explained that the
Aeropuerto Internacional de la Ciudad de México Benito Juárez,
or Benito Juárez International Airport, is the main hub for the entire country.

“Come on, darlin’,” Cooper says, taking my arm. “Let’s go rent ourselves a car.”

It seems like every few seconds, I’m being bumped and pushed. Everyone seems to be in a rush to get to their destination. At the customs area, we’re immediately met with what looks like a traffic light. At the push of a button, the light turns green and we are free to continue down the terminal without being searched. I’m glad I didn’t get the red button. It’d be a real pain to have to be inspected by the guards.

With Cooper’s keen sense of direction, we’re able to navigate out of the main terminal and towards the rental car section of the airport. Thirty minutes later, we’re all set and head into mid-day traffic in our rented VW Jetta Clásico. If Jaime were here, she’d have found it amusing to hear the rental car agent explain it’s the most popular car in the country. Jaime had a Jetta, which she liked just fine, but hated it in comparison to my MINI.

As my mind wanders back and forth, from admiring the busy city to Jaime’s whereabouts, Cooper brings me back to where we are and why we’re here: to find and convince Jenny to join our group. I glance out the passenger side window to see the city bustling with activity. There are folks hanging out, dogs playing freely in the streets, local vendors selling everything from jewelry to juice, while the kids sell Chiclets and tourist trinkets. With all this action going on, it’s a wonder no one got hit by the fast moving vehicles that didn’t seem to be following any of the traffic laws.

Cooper is successfully able to maneuver the Jetta around the city and quickly rounds a corner. “We’re approaching the jump, darlin’. Buckle up,” he advises.

I’ve only experienced one reality jump and that was when Cooper brought me to my real reality. It really wasn’t an unpleasant experience as one would expect. In fact, after we jumped, I didn’t even realize we had even traveled to parallel universe. So, I don’t know why he’s being overly cautious this time around.

“It’s just an expression,” he says, noting my rolling eyes.

“Ah.” I fasten my seatbelt anyway, just for good measure.

Physically, the jump happens so fast, I still can’t tell the difference between the world we just left and the one we’ve just arrived in. Visually, though, it’s quite the opposite. No longer are the roads jammed with sedans or overcrowded busses, nor are the milling crowds of pedestrians getting to wherever they need to be. I notice a few cars here and there, but the streets are primarily dominated by military trucks. Instead of children selling novelty souvenirs and gum, there are men standing guard with automatic weaponry. No wonder the Jenny of this reality holes herself up at the Four Seasons. I just hope those carrying the heavy artillery don’t decide to stop us on our way to meet her.

“Wow,” I breathe. “So, this is Mexico, huh?”

“It is in this reality. The drug cartels have taken over,” he explains. “You see those military trucks around the corner?”

He didn’t need to specify which truck. They’re everywhere. “Yeah.”

“It’s not the really the Mexican military. It’s most likely cartel henchmen.”

What in the world did Cooper get me into? Okay, it was my idea to come with him, but just the same, if Aunt Maggie, or even my father knew where he’d actually taken me, they’d have nixed the idea of me coming here altogether. I’ve already been abducted once and that was less than a week ago.

“Do you even know where we’re going?” I really don’t want to be kidnapped by some drug dealer hoping to score a ransom. What if I don’t have a family here in this reality to pay it? I don’t even give Cooper time to answer, before I get another idea. “Hey, Coop, how well do you know this reality?”

“I know what you’re thinking and no way, darlin’. You can’t look for your mom. I know how much you want to meet your mother, but it’s just not possible.” He keeps his eyes on the road ahead of him, so I can’t really see his expression, but I can tell he’s serious.

“Why not?”

“For starters, we don’t know whether or not she’s alive in this reality and two, you cannot, under any circumstances, be put in a position where you could bump into yourself.”

“Again, why not?”

“It could create a rift in the timeline,” he explains, “or create a paradox.”

“What’s that?” There is still a whole lot I have to learn about traveling between alternate dimensions. I guess there are a lot more rules than just learning how to jump.

“Simply put, a paradox is a contradiction that defies logic. What if I take you to meet your mother and you accidentally bump into yourself? So, let’s just leave it at you not interfering with your family in this reality, okay?”

“Oh, I get it. Like in
Back to the Future
when Marty goes back in time and screws up the meeting between his parents so he has to fix it before he’s permanently erased.”

“Never saw it, but yes, that’s what happens when a paradox presents itself.”

“Fine,” I agree somewhat reluctantly. There’s got to be a way we can get around messing things up, but Cooper has a leg up on all this alternate reality stuff, so I let it go for now.

“And to answer you’re previous question, yes, I know exactly where I’m going.”

“Good, ’cuz this place is really beginning to freak me out.”

“You better get used to it. The other reality, where you lead the council, is much worse than this I’m afraid. But, yeah, I’m not exactly comfortable driving around here myself. The faster we can get to Jenny, the faster we can get out of here.”

I feel a little better knowing Cooper is a little apprehensive about this place too. Which means he’ll only be more cautious given the surroundings. “Finally, something we both can agree on.”

As we drive around the city, I get even more solemn. I’m sure other versions of Mexico City are beautiful, but in this world, it resembles Beruit. But after a few more minutes, Cooper manages to pull the car into one of the nicer structures in the city, The Four Seasons. I guess in any universe the ritzy hotel chain remains unscathed, including war-torn Mexico.

The valet takes our rental, hands Cooper the ticket, and we walk directly over to the front desk. The receptionist seems pleased to see us.