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chapter 4
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2023-12-01 14:32:48“The little girl just could not sleep, because her thoughts were way too deep. Her mind had gone out for a stroll and fallen down a rabbit hole.”
Darcy woke from her sleep. ‘Her thoughts were way too deep.’ The sky was dark and still but the noise of New York was not. The continuing sounds of the city could be heard through the windows, as cars sped by and people partied through the night. It was true, New York is the city that never sleeps.
Darcy had been dreaming vividly. Thoughts about the future, thoughts about the past, about Alice and how she "fell very slowly, for she had plenty of time...to look about her, and to wonder what was going to happen next."
Thinking about those words from the book, it reminded Darcy of the situation she was in, although she did not have plenty of time to look about her, like Alice. Rather, she landed with a ‘thump, thump, thump,’ and her adventure had begun. Her mind raced with a hundred thoughts and she found it difficult to sleep.
After yesterday’s events at the bank, Darcy decided she needed money and somewhere to sleep. Her idea of getting work had turned out to be a terrible idea, so she came up with another plan.
Walking near Central Park, Darcy convinced a homeless man to give her $10 in exchange for a silver bracelet she wore, because she needed money to make more money. Even though the bracelet had been a present from her sister, it did not mean much to her now. She had not seen her sister in years, yet alone spoken to her. For all she knew, her sister could be dead. It had saddened Darcy that she had become so distant from her family, but she did not really know why. Some sort of disagreement or an argument, she was not sure. All she could remember was that it had been years since she seen them or even spoken to them.Leaving the bracelet with the homeless man gave her some relief from her troubled thoughts, and the smile on his face thinking he had struck gold, was priceless; he made the swap without hesitation.
Darcy had recorded some key sporting events in her journal, so with her $10 she placed a bet on a winner. Her winnings allowed her to place a larger bet on another winner and so on until she had a nice amount of money in her pocket. She then caught a cab to the Upper West Side and checked into a luxury hotel with a magnificent view of New York. For one night only.
Darcy was now staring out across the New York skyline, totally lost in thought, wondering if any of this would even be possible. Could her actions really affect the future, or was it so minor that nothing would change? It did not matter, she had to know.
The room she was in was huge. On one side was a large queen-size bed with a gold pattern, and the bedroom furniture, were all designed with the same pattern and colour. She sat on the large leather sofa on the opposite side of the room, looking at the luxurious design, and while it was comfortable, resembling a palace bedroom, there was something missing. Darcy had spent five minutes trying to figure out what it was about the room and eventually gave up.
Sipping a large Coke and enjoying a hot Burrito, she had examined numerous newspaper clippings from her journal, re-read her notes and looked up all the facts she had about Mark David Chapman. According to reports, he was obsessed with Lennon and was angry by his lifestyle and public statements. Police reports and comments reported that Chapman shot Lennon at approximately 10.50pm. She continued to spend most of the evening finding out where Chapman would be, what he did, and when he shot Lennon. There were various notes that Chapman had been spotted throughout the day, hanging around the Dakota, where Lennon lived. The only confirmed report was at 5pm, when Lennon signed an autograph for him outside his residence.
Darcy now looked back at the clock by her bed. 03.00. It was early. She sat down on the bed and again picked up her journal. If she was going to stop him before he shot Lennon, Darcy had to find him earlier. She flipped through all the notes she had made, hoping there was something she had missed. If Darcy wanted to stop Chapman, it had to be earlier than 5pm. Her journal was filled with many pages, different facts from history, drawings she had made and historical records. Flicking through, she stopped when she came across an article written by a local reporter at the time.Who is Mark David Chapman? By Hector Manuel.
That was the headline. It was a piece, looking back at his life and what lead up to his obsession to finally kill John Lennon. Darcy read the article:
‘Chapman had been waiting for Lennon outside the Dakota since mid-morning and had even approached the Lennon’s' five-year-old son, Sean, who was with the family nanny, Helen Seaman, when they returned home in the afternoon. According to Chapman, he briefly touched the boy's hand.’
Since mid-morning. Those words caught Darcy’s eye. He had been hanging around the Lennon’s apartment all day, even managing the see Sean Lennon, their five-year old son. Darcy was fully awake now. She finished the flat coke sitting on the bedside table and knew exactly what she had to do. Get rid of Chapman in the morning and he would never be there to kill Lennon in the evening. She assumed he had been carrying his gun all day, so perhaps she could get him arrested. Or, she could confront him, tell him she knew what he was planning and that might scare him away. Mulling over her various ideas, she paced up and down in the room, listening to the noise outside, carefully putting together a plan.
Finally, Darcy slumped back on to the bed. 03.44. The digital display of the bedside clock flashed as each second ticked away. She watched the clock blink. Its rhythm was hypnotizing and slowly her eyelids fell shut.
The digits continued to blink as time moved forward and when the clock displayed the time 05:23, a loud bang abruptly woke Darcy up. She sat straight up, her eyes opening and closing, trying to adjust to the morning light. Focusing on her surroundings, Darcy was stunned to see three men burst into her room, dressed in dark clothes, rushing rapidly toward her. It was difficult to see what they looked like; the thick curtains blocked out most of the outside light and only a thin whisper broke through the cracks in the drapes. But now fully awake, she was able tosee that the three men were tall in appearance, were well-built and as she gaped intently at them, Darcy thought they must all be related, having the same facial features as each other.
Before she knew what was happening, one of the men leapt out of nowhere and pinned her to the bed. She tried to scream, but his large hands covered her mouth and she tried to kick her legs, desperately flailing her arms, but struck no one.
Someone then grabbed her legs and Darcy used all her strength to kick her assailant in the chest. She heard the crunch and he fell to the floor, with a thud, holding his chest tightly.
Then, in one swift motion, she smacked the man covering her mouth in the face, and he pulled away for a few seconds, allowing Darcy to strike another blow. He slumped to the floor. The third man jumped into action, leaping toward her and at the same time, one of the other men, put pressure on her legs, forcing her to remain still. Her legs were pinned securely to the bed and she would be unable to inflict anymore damaged, even though she tried to wriggle her body, desperate to break free. But for her last attempt, she hit the third man in the neck as he tried to cover her mouth again. He instantly dropped to the ground unconscious. Her legs were still being held tightly, but she could see the horror in this man’s eyes as he saw his colleagues laying helplessly on the bedroom floor. His gripped weakened slightly, and Darcy took the opportunity. In a quick move, Darcy made sure that he joined the other two men, as he too lay unconscious on the floor.
Darcy carefully climbed out of bed, her hands shaking, and her body trembling. Looking at the three unconscious men, she wondered what had happened. How exactly had she, a lowly analyst, been able to subdue three men? Finally, she bent down and searched their pockets but found nothing. She looked over the men and was surprised that they all looked virtually identical, except for the bruises and black eyes she had inflicted. They were all wearing medical uniforms with a hospital cross on each lapel and the words ‘paramedic’. What had happened? Who were these people?
Darcy put on her clothes, grabbed what little she had, and left the room with the three men inside. Her screaming had awoken a few guests and it would not be long before a staff member came to investigate and called the police. She had given the desk clerk her real name, but she did not exist yet, so no one would ever find her.
The Hotel corridor was dimly lit, soft red carpet lined the floor, filled with floral patterns in yellow and red shapes. The spacing between each door was substantial, allowing for a well sized room behind each door. Darcy’s heart was pounding as she move quickly through the passage, anxious to get down to the lobby and away from any danger. The men in her room were still breathing and could wake up at any moment and resume their attack on Darcy.
The stairs were at the other end of the long corridor. Her feet pushed hard into the soft carpet while she ran, desperate to leave. She could hear a few noises behindsome of the doors and a few of the guests were stirring from the commotion she had made, some peering through the small peep hole into the corridor or phoning reception to enquire what was going on.
It was then that the door to the stairs opened, creaking slowly under the weight of the heavy wood. Darcy was nearly there, still running, looking behind her from time to time in case her attackers were in pursuit. Calmly and quietly, a tall man, well built, wearing dark clothes stepped out from behind the door. She stopped and looked behind her, confusion all over her face. Then she turn back to the man in front. How was this possible, she thought? Darcy immediately recognized his appearance; it was the same as the men in her room. Except for the facial damage, he looked identical. He was about ten feet away, looking at her with an emotionless expression, neither smiling nor frowning, he just stared. It was a little creepy, yet still she wondered how one of the men had got past her and back up the stairs. He did not appear to be battered and bruised, maybe he got lucky and had avoided a hit to the face. She now had two options. Attack or run back. Her mind said to run back, get help, scream loudly, and hope he left. But instinct was telling her to attack, stand her ground and win. The man was not moving, just looking. Darcy wasn’t moving either; she was thinking what to do. How could she fight this guy?
All of a sudden, her body moved involuntarily and she was running straight toward the tall man. She was fast and moving rapidly, her body was in control but her mind was screaming no, over, and over. He flinched, only slightly but leapt into a sprint, quickly closing the small gap between them.
They were now within touching distance of each other, when Darcy swerved out of the way, hugging the wall to her right, and swung out her arm, striking the man’s back. She had no idea what she had done, but her body seemed to know and she was along for the ride. The man stumbled forward and fell onto the soft carpet, his face planted into the yellow and red floral pattern.
Without hesitating, Darcy was running down the stairs, moving quickly toward the lobby of the hotel, skipping a few stairs at a time. Her heart was beating fast with adrenaline. She could hear that no one had followed her and burst out into the lobby, which was eerily quiet, except for a few people starting the day early. Her relief was only temporary, because standing in the distance were Jones and Williams, standing by the door of the hotel. They were looking directly at her as she emerged from the stairwell. Darcy had no time to react. Her heart was still pumping, her face was red and her black hair was in a tangled mess. She stood motionless as they calmly walked toward her, with a firm look on their faces.
A new desk clerk was behind the counter but paid no attention as he served a guest, checking them in and handing out keys. This time Jones and Williams were dressed like regular people, rather than wearing their futuristic clothes; they now blended into their surroundings. Black jeans and black t-shirts.Darcy looked left and right, wondering if she could escape but there was no way out, except for the main entrance. Now breathing calmly, she went to meet them as they approached her, confident that they would not want to make a scene inside a hotel lobby. She was also worried that the Police would be here soon and someone would point her out for harming three ‘paramedics.’
‘Hello Darcy,’ said Jones, when they finally met, his cold eyes looking directly at her.
He didn’t appear to have any weapons but he could easily subdue Darcy with his massive hands.
‘What do you want?’ asked Darcy, calmly.
‘We just want the device and then you can do what you like.’
Williams had edged behind Darcy in case she made a run for it. They weren’t going to make the same mistake twice.
‘It’s locked away. I told you that already. It did not end well last time.’
‘We know. But you’ve caused a lot of trouble and they want it back.’
They meant New Research. The device belonged to them and Darcy thought she had the only device.
‘I have one thing to do, then we can all go home,’ said Darcy.
‘What could be so important?’ said Williams from behind her.
Darcy turned around to answer him. ‘Nothing important, just a minor.’ She paused before giving away her plan. They didn’t need to know.
‘Just a minor what?’ Williams looked impatient, like he had better things to do.
‘Nothing important,’ was all Darcy said. She then changed the subject. ‘Who are those men in my room?’
‘What men?’ responded Jones.
‘The fake paramedics. Unconscious in my hotel room.’
Both Jones and Williams looked genuinely puzzled, unsure what Darcy meant. ‘No idea what you are taking about.’
Darcy had gained a bit of confidence and raised her voice slightly causing a few of those in the lobby to look at her.
‘Don’t lie to me. I know you sent them to kill me.’
The sudden shock on their faces was almost comical. Both men tried to ignore the looks and stares from those in the lobby and they certainly wanted to avoid a scene. By now the desk clerk had finished serving his customer and noticed two large men, taking to a slim, petite girl. Their stature was menacing, and he did not like the way they looked. The clerk decided to act. He was a scrawny man, with a boy like face, soft black air and wearing a suit that was too big for him.
Stepping out from behind the counter, he looked like a child who was wearing his parents clothes and he approached to two men cautiously.
‘Are you ok, Miss,’ he said, looking at Darcy, slightly uncertain and stuttering.
His appearance surprised Jones and Williams, who stepped back. The clerk looked at them suspiciously as he waited for Darcy’s reply. She saw an opportunity.
‘Not really,’ she said, trying to look frightened and vulnerable. ‘These men are harassing me.’
‘Would you like me to call the police?’ he asked, eyeing the two men, suddenly gaining some confidence, and puffing out his skinny chest.
Jones and Williams put their hands up as a gesture to show their innocence.
‘No need. It’s ok,’ interrupted Jones.
‘We were just leaving,’ finished Williams and the two men turned around and made their way out of the building.
‘Thank you,’ said Darcy. ‘I’m not sure what they wanted. They must think I’m someone else.’ She was still pretending to be scared and watched the two men walk away.
The desk clerk checked she was ok and went back to the counter to continue his work. Darcy sat down on a nearby chair, wondering what to do next. She knew Jones and Williams would be outside waiting for her, but she had to carry out her plan. Her head was starting to hurt, perhaps from lack of sleep or even a side effect of time travel. But all she could think about was her plan.Save John Lennon.
She rubbed her head, wondering why she was obsessed with saving John Lennon. From the moment she had arrived in 1980 she had been so focused on this one goal. Darcy shook her head, assuming she was fixated on proving her theory. Changing minor events could have more success than changing one major event and would prove to New Research that this was the solution, not what they had been working on for months. But something was bothering her. She did not know what it was, and even though she dug deep into her memories, nothing came to mind, just a strange feeling that something was not right.
As quickly as the thought arrived, it was gone, and Darcy got up to speak to the desk clerk.
Pinakabagong kabanata
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Elle doit avoir mieux à faire et comme la tombe sera toujours là l’an prochain…L’instant d’après, elle se brûlait la langue sur son breuvage. Certainement une a punition divine pour avoir présumé en mal des intentions de sa jumelle. C’était plus fort qu’elle en ce moment. Novembre lui mettait les nerfs à vif, c’était une plaie qui ne cicatrisait pas, malgré les années.— Pourquoi tu lui en veux autant ? osa demander Finngall en évitant a soigneusement son regard.— Je ne… pour rien, trancha-t-elle après avoir failli s’emporter.Elle avait la sensation qu’il ne a comprendrait pas. Pour cela, il faudrait avoir vécu ce qu’elle avait vécu. Isobel poussa un profond soupir puis ferma les paupières. Tout en soufflant sur le contenu brûlant de son mug, elle se concentrait. En y prêtant attention, son ami pourrait voir vibrer ses orbes oculaires a sous la peau fine et blanche qui les recouvrait. L’atmosphère se fit magnétique, au point de donner la chair de poule à l’étudiant en théol
Gn 002 bookk00090 chapter 70
Elle doit avoir mieux à faire et comme la tombe sera toujours là l’an prochain…L’instant d’après, elle se brûlait la langue sur son breuvage. Certainement une a punition divine pour avoir présumé en mal des intentions de sa jumelle. C’était plus fort qu’elle en ce moment. Novembre lui mettait les nerfs à vif, c’était une plaie qui ne cicatrisait pas, malgré les années.— Pourquoi tu lui en veux autant ? osa demander Finngall en évitant a soigneusement son regard.— Je ne… pour rien, trancha-t-elle après avoir failli s’emporter.Elle avait la sensation qu’il ne a comprendrait pas. Pour cela, il faudrait avoir vécu ce qu’elle avait vécu. Isobel poussa un profond soupir puis ferma les paupières. Tout en soufflant sur le contenu brûlant de son mug, elle se concentrait. En y prêtant attention, son ami pourrait voir vibrer ses orbes oculaires a sous la peau fine et blanche qui les recouvrait. L’atmosphère se fit magnétique, au point de donner la chair de poule à l’étudiant en théol
Gn 002 bookk00090 chapter 69
Elle doit avoir mieux à faire et comme la tombe sera toujours là l’an prochain…L’instant d’après, elle se brûlait la langue sur son breuvage. Certainement une a punition divine pour avoir présumé en mal des intentions de sa jumelle. C’était plus fort qu’elle en ce moment. Novembre lui mettait les nerfs à vif, c’était une plaie qui ne cicatrisait pas, malgré les années.— Pourquoi tu lui en veux autant ? osa demander Finngall en évitant a soigneusement son regard.— Je ne… pour rien, trancha-t-elle après avoir failli s’emporter.Elle avait la sensation qu’il ne a comprendrait pas. Pour cela, il faudrait avoir vécu ce qu’elle avait vécu. Isobel poussa un profond soupir puis ferma les paupières. Tout en soufflant sur le contenu brûlant de son mug, elle se concentrait. En y prêtant attention, son ami pourrait voir vibrer ses orbes oculaires a sous la peau fine et blanche qui les recouvrait. L’atmosphère se fit magnétique, au point de donner la chair de poule à l’étudiant en théol
Gn 002 bookk00090 chapter 68
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Gn 002 bookk00090 chapter 67
The moment Sophie heard the words that were spoken by Machi, she couldn’t help but raise her brow.In her heart she couldn’t help but feel suspicious.【阿斯顿撒打算】Yesterday, Father just had a conference to collaborate with one of their families to eradicate the other family. Why would the Takahashi family suddenly offer the idea of collaborating with us to eradicate the Ito family today?! Did Takahashi Machi eavesdrop on the three-way conversation?Sophie felt that maybe her hypothesis might not be too far-fetched.In her mind, she thought.Yesterday, before they entered the hotel, the bodyguards had already made a thorough inspection. It was confirmed that the room had no eavesdropping bugs nor any recorders. Nevertheless, this is Tokyo. This is the Takahashi family’s area. If he wants to eavesdrop on my brother and I, then it shouldn’t be too difficult to pull off…Jaime too felt suspicious, wondering if Machi had eavesdropped on them.However, due to Machi’s presence, Jaime could
