chapter 4

‘That's very kind of you Harry,’ said Darcy. 
  ‘Ok, you start today. It’s going to be busy at lunch time,’ said Harry, the shop owner.
On her stroll, Darcy had walked past a Deli and noticed a chalk board outside with specials for the day. The menu had intrigued her. In her spare time, when she was not reading, she would cook. The food in her day was slightly different, but she would often look up old recipes and experiment with them. Sometimes it went well, other times it was a total disaster.

N.Y. SUBMARINE $2.99

Ham, salami, provolone cheese, lettuce, tomato, onion, and yellow peppers on a French roll. (Served hot or cold).
NEW YORK STYLE STEAK SANDWICH $4.39
6 oz. steak served on a grilled French roll with sautéed onion, mushrooms, and melted provolone.

The specials were followed by the tag line: "this is the best sandwich shop in the world.” That is quite a statement to make, perhaps it was true. The specials sounded delicious, and Darcy thought about the time she had made a dish with provolone cheese. Baked provolone with tomatoes and balsamic. It was a fancy pizza without the crust but tasted delicious and served with warm crusty bread or a green salad. It had been hard to come by the Italian cheese. After talking to various sellers, someone had been able to track some down or replicate it for her, but it had cost a lot of credits.

At the bottom of the chalk board, the deli was advertising for workers:

Job Vacancy. Apply Within.

Walking in, Darcy had decided that if she could earn some money today, she could carry out her plan tomorrow. If was a spur-of-the-moment decision, so Darcy talked to the owner and asked about the job.
  Harry was an older man, balding on top with a large belly that forced his trousers to hang low. He cared about what he did because he was constantly wiping down surfaces during their conversation. After a few questions, he asked if she had ever worked in this kind of environment. Darcy may have lied a little, but she was overqualified for this place anyway. How hard could it be to serve food and make drinks? They shook hands to confirm the deal and with a warm smile Harry pointed to the back door.
  ‘Your apron is in the back.’ He stopped and wiped some mess on the surface. ‘Get back here in ten minutes and I’ll explain how things work.’ He pointed to the rear door and waved her through. Darcy smiled back and headed toward the door. This was going to be different from what she normally did. It was exciting. The squeaky door opened into the back, which was cluttered with boxes, cans, packages and hanging behind two racks of food was an apron.
‘Harry's Place.’

The large brown writing on the apron identified the Deli which was wrapped around a large logo of a mug, a sort of coffee mug, she guessed. Darcy grabbed the apron, passed it over her head and tied it round her waist. She looked the part. Darcy Freeman, waitress. She headed back out to start her work, when a tall, blond woman walked in, carrying two large bags of shopping.

  ‘ere you go, ‘arry. Today's groceries.’ Her voice was soft, but each syllable was spoken with a rough New York accent.
  ‘Thanks Gina, you’re a doll.’ Harry spoke in the same accent, but he spoke fast and rolled the syllables together missing some of the sounds.
He turned to Darcy and introduced her to Gina, who worked here every day, six days a week.
  ‘Darcy’s gonna help you out Gina. Will you show her the ropes?’
  ‘Sure ‘arry.’ Gina walked over to Darcy. ‘Come on, let’s get started.’ She grabbed Darcy’s hand and led her behind the counter.

Gina explained to Darcy how the coffee machine worked, what to do if someone ordered food from the menu and showed her the till. Her manner was kindly, and she seemed impressed that Darcy was quick to respond and picked things up quickly. Gina carried on with her explanation, making sure Darcy knew exactly what to do.
  ‘How’s that sound?’ finished Gina.
  ‘It sounds fine,’ said Darcy, smiling to herself. ‘Shouldn’t be a problem.’

Darcy had handled high tech computer equipment, capable of projecting fragments of time, while working with visual holograms. Working a simple coffee machine and a basic till was going to be easy. But she tentatively smiled at Gina, the way a shy girl would smile at others, head down and barely looking up.
  ‘Nothing to worry about.’ Gina put her hand on Darcy’s shoulder to reassure her.
  ‘Come on, here comes our first customer. Give me a hand.’
Gina walked away from Darcy to serve the customer who had just walked in. Darcy stood motionless watching as the man walked toward the counter. Immediately her heart started racing. She was filled with panic as she recognized the logo on his jacket.
New Research Security.

It was an exploding star logo for the private security company hired by the research lab. Her mind buzzed with a thousand questions. But mainly, How? How did they get here?
How! How! How!

What was Darcy going to do? She thought she had the only device capable of sending someone through time. The research company had been working for many years on an actual device in the hope that one day, theory could be put into practice. But Darcy had been impatient and now she was facing the consequences. Slowly retreating away from the counter, she tried to make herself disappear. But it was pointless. The only way out was the front entrance and he was in the way.
  ‘Can I help you,’ asked Gina politely? She eyed his outfit. It was strange but this was the 80’s after all.

Ignoring Gina, he walked on, only interested in one thing. Find Darcy. Retrieve the device. Panic was building in Darcy, she watched as he slowly moved his hand toward his blaster.
  ‘Is there a convention nearby?’ Gina was getting impatient, but she kept calm trying to make pleasant conversation by asking if there was some sort of sci-fi event nearby, seeing the way this man was dressed. No answer. Find Darcy. Retrieve the device.

There were no other customers in the deli, the six tables away from the counter were empty, each held a neatly stacked menu, a napkin holder, and an array of condiments. Watching the security guard walk toward her, she had flashes of memory rushing in and out of her mind. It was confusing and she found it difficult to hold on to one thought as it disappeared. One moment she was running away, then being chased by someone and now hiding. Then the thought was gone. Now she saw herself sliding, jumping, and fighting. It was weird and difficult for her to understand. The man she saw in her mind was now standing at the entrance of the deli. She had clearly met him before.

Forcing herself to focus back on the present, the memory flashes were gone. Slowly edging out from behind the counter, Darcy hoped she could make a run for it. The futuristic guard had moved away from Gina and was now looking directly at Darcy. His cold stare sent shivers up her spine. What was she going to do?

  ‘Darcy Freeman. Hand over the device?’ the soldier asked in a mechanical voice.
Darcy said nothing. He looked at her with a cold, emotionless expression and was oblivious to everyone else around him.
  ‘Last chance. Hand it over.’
Gina had walked up to Darcy, slightly concerned about what was going on. Her cheerful smile had turned into one of worry.
  ‘Hey, Darcy! Everything ok here?’ Thankfully, Gina’s cheerful tone was still there.
Darcy said nothing.
Gina then touched her shoulder and the man pulled out his blaster. Darcy said nothing.
   ‘Hey, buddy. What’s your problem? Do you think this is funny?’ Having a weapon suddenly shoved toward you can turn a happy, smiling face into one that is frightened and worried. That was the look Gina had now.
  But her fear escalated when the blaster released a powerful discharge which hit the wall behind her. The explosion was deafening, pinning her to the ground, and all Gina could do was scream. The shot had blown a hole in the wall behind them and destroyed every piece of equipment. Glassware, wood, and money flew into the air and settled next to them. Gina was still screaming. Darcy had now crawled away from Gina to the opening at the end of the counter and stopped. Her path was blocked by large feet. She slowly looked up to be greeted by a blaster pointing directly at her face.
  ‘Where IS it?’ He was angry and getting more and more annoyed. Darcy thought about her options. She could tackle him, but looking at the large weapon, maybe he would shoot her. Or she could push past him and make a run for it.
  After the explosion, people had started to gather outside, and someone had called the police. You could hear sirens in the distance, police cars getting closer and closer. She made up her mind. Make a run for it. He was about to ask her again to hand over the device, when she stood up and charged past him, knocking against his shoulder, and running, sprinting towards the doorway. The knock to his shoulder surprised the soldier but only for a moment and he spun round to see Darcy running toward the entrance of the deli.

Harry had been watching the events from the other side of the room, seeing debris covering the counter and wreckage all over the ground. He was holding a chair in the air and without anyone noticing walked quietly toward the man, moving slowly and steadily. In one quick move, Harry swung the chair and struck him on the back, hitting the soldier hard between his shoulder blades. The impact sent him crashing to the ground giving Darcy enough time to push pass the onlookers and run out into the street. The chair had shattered from the force and Harry went to strike him again with the remaining pieces of the chair. But a chair was not going to stop this guy. The soldier dodged the blow that was intended to hit him over the head.  Harry was swinging his arm back to deliver another blow and released his arm to inflict another strike. The soldier anticipated the hit and before Harry could make contact, he grabbed the broken wood and pushed it away. All Harry could do was release his grip because he was no match for the man. Darcy was now racing down the street, the wailing of sirens getting closer and jumping to his feet, the soldier barged his way out of the door in pursuit.

Darcy had a head start and made good use of it. Glancing back, she caught sight of a futuristic blur behind her, running as fast as she was, maybe slightly faster. The blare of sirens grew louder and the flashing lights could be seen in the distance. Cars began to stop to allow the speeding vehicles through the congested traffic. Without hesitating she ran out onto the road, barely missing a red pickup, that screeched to a halt. Weaving passed a white van; Darcy rejoined the path as the flashing cars flew down the road. She continued her sprint on the opposite side of the road, hearing the honks from horns and screams of angry drivers.
  ‘Get off the road, you lunatic.’
  ‘What’s wrong with you?’

The soldier had darted into the traffic, causing the commotion and the abuse currently being shouted at by drivers. Darcy dashed to the left, not once slowing down, or looking back, breathing steadily and calmly.
  The secret to a successful run is to breath well. Those who huffed and exhaled every breathe out from their lungs, found they quickly became tired and could not endure a long run. But slow, calm breathing, allowed you to keep going.
  Even though she managed her breathing, the soldier was gaining on her, he too had turned the corner and was catching her up. Damn he is fast. The street was quieter than the main road with the deli and the only vehicle on the street was a small black van parked on the curb making deliveries. Darcy zoomed passed the stationary vehicle only to hear a whoosh behind her and the van unexpectedly shot up into the air from the blast. The soldier had fired his weapon, missing Darcy, and hitting the van instead. The impact struck the side and the powerful blast punched a hole through the thin metal doors and shot out the other side. Not only did the weapon obliterate both sides of the van but caused an explosion which lifted the black vehicle off the ground. The boom behind Darcy echoed down the street, shattered nearby windows from offices and apartments and left Darcy lying flat on the ground.
  The van then hit the ground, metal breaking and scraping, glass sent in multiple directions and flames coming from all sides. Darcy looked back with shock. She had not expected the attack and she could feel the heat coming from the burning vehicle. It was then that the guard or security person, whatever he was called, was standing next to her. Even though the temperature was cold, enough to see your breath, sweat covered the chiseled face of the soldier. All he did was look at her, angry, hot, and breathing heavily.
  Darcy pulled the device out her back pocket. The circular object was small enough to fit into her hand and was made from metal she knew nothing about. A series of lights were flashing around the device and a central button sat slightly raised on the top.

‘Hand it over,’ asked the soldier. His tone suggested that this was not a request, more a demand. He asked again, this time emphasizing his order by moving the weapon closer toward her.

All that Darcy could do was press the button on top of the device.

Time stopped and a bright light engulfed her; she was gone.