OVER THE SILVER SKY TO THE WORLD OF NEVER : Part 84 - Certain Death.

In the entertainment world this week we have the nomination of Lady Gaga for a Golden Globe. Once again proving that acting is the hardest job in the world. So hard that you can quite literally pull a random stranger off the street and they'll get an acting award. It must be their turn or something. I'm not suggesting Lady Gaga is some random person off the street. This lady (see what I did there) has a list of credits as long as your arm. She's played Lady Gaga in at least fifty things I found on IMDB. Giving a convincing portrayal in every one so I'm told. And as we all know the hardest job in the hardest job in the world is acting like yourself. Very few people can do it who aren't highly trained and talented actors. Most people couldn't play themselves in real life. They wouldn't know where to start. They'd definitely have to go full on method and live the role for the duration of filming. Only to set it aside and stop acting like themselves when it finished. Acting profession we salute you and here's another award for doing fuck all, for a huge mountain of cash and a percentage of gross.

(The copyright for this image is the property of Fox."

"Have you come up with any idea's?" Jake panted as he ran towards Port Bristol.
"Plenty but none of them have anything to do with contacting our acquaintance. There are ways you can attract its attention of course. Only they involve disturbing an already fluctuating timeline. Bear left here." His friend directed.
"Can we do that while we're on the move?"
"No. That would require a lot more power and a ton of equipment we don't possess. I'm still not giving up." Hermes insisted. "Having spent so much time avoiding them it's difficult to reverse every instinct you have."
Jake vaulted a fallen tree smoothly and with no apparent effort.
"What are we like for time?"
"We left Grundel's office a little over two minutes ago."
"What's our ETA at the entry point?"
"At your current pace, another four minutes."
Jake picked up speed. His legs pumping hard. His kit bouncing in its webbing.
"What about our backup?"
"They are on their way. They'll be at the settlement before we are."
"Get them to hold until commanded. I don't trust those little bastards any further than I can throw them."
They hit the beach then headed right towards the entrance of the cave Jake had used to escape from the tavern.
"Fifty eight seconds ahead of schedule." His friend advised. "The cave is twenty meters ahead. I've let you down I know."
"No you haven't." Jake stated. "Look up ahead."
Within the darkness of the mouth of the cavern was a deeper darkness. A shadow of inky black coalesced into a Time Agent. It's head swinging from side to side in a sickening motion.
"This one has heard your call Wanderer. What is it you seek?"

It took all of those 58 seconds he'd saved and a few more. To get what he needed from the creature. Jean-Pierre was the main reason it had come here in the first place. Something restricted it from acting directly against the Ashenram. Something that meant the Time Agents had to come at him obliquely. For want of a better word Jake was as oblique as you could get. Their interchange completed, the military historian jogged into the cave. Past the stacks of boxes and barrels to the very rear. Eight meters above his head was the escape hatch he'd fallen through. Jake pulled the equipment off his back and set it up before standing on it.

"Do you need a pause here?" The nanite consciousness asked. "We're a couple of seconds ahead of ourselves."
"No. Those two seconds could be vital. Make sure this thing is lined up correctly."
"On it. Move a centimeter to the left. That'll do."
Jake pulled out his shotgun and opened up with four rounds of high explosive. The wooden hatch disintegrated in a shower of splinters. Then the stun grenade followed.
"Fire in the hole." He yelled.
"You really don't have to say that. There's only you and me here."
"Sometimes Hermes, you take all the fun out of certain death. Go."

The apparatus he was standing on activated. Jake was flung up into the air. Brushing his way through the wrecked hatch. A very pleasing cat like landing on his feet, to either side of the gaping hole. There was no pause. he went straight into action. Hermes directing him. Two to the left. Three to the right. All of them were coughing and reeling from the blast and bright light. They went down easily. Completely disorientated and helpless. Even if they'd been fully capable the smoke would have blinded them. Not Jake. He knew this place like the back of his hand. If a floor board creaked he could tell you which one it was. A few swings of the butt of his weapon and the men were unconscious. He turned them onto their faces and cuffed them.

"No one up stairs but we've got one down in the bar." His friend advised. "This should be child play. You've done this with eight."
"Let's not start counting those chickens just yet."
"Balls. You were right. Whoever it is has cloaked. I'm being jammed and phantom infra red signatures are flashing all over the place. I've got no idea where they are apart from downstairs."
"Yeah they'll be covering the stairs I expect. A couple of grenades?"
"It's worth a try. You might get lucky."
"I'm just hoping to get down there without being shot in the legs or nuts."
He sent down two stun grenades from the top of the stairs. Bouncing them off the walls to opposite sides of the room below. The loud cracks of them detonating hurt his ears. Instinctively he ran down the 13 steps. Taking three at a time. A hail of gunfire following him. Diving for cover behind the bar Jake changed load.
"They're under cover at eleven o'clock. That's all I can give you."
"It'll have to do."
Jake shuffled along behind the counter. More bullets zinging past. They were random rather than targeted. On the count of three he rolled back the way he'd just come and popped up. Bottles shattering behind him, he ducked down again. Without firing.
"What's wrong?" His guardian asked.
"It's Lady Margaret. I could only get a head shot. Instant kill. No way she'd come back from that this side of Christmas. What are we like for time?"
"Coming up on two minutes. You won't be able to reason with her while she's under the Ashenram's influence Jake. Killing her may be our only option. The longer this takes the more difficult it's going to get. People have noticed the disturbance."
"Disturbance? So that's what we're calling it. I'm not shooting her in the face just yet. Let me know when we hit fifteen seconds."
All the while he'd been talking Jake had been moving and thinking. Another dart above the counter was greeted with another hail of gunfire. Blood began to drip from his ear as he ducked back down.
"You've got eight seconds."
"Fuck. Please forgive me Pip and Margaret I..."
There was a piercing whistle from the direction of where Margaret was holed up.
"Lady Margaret, what on earth are ya doing girl?"
That was Daisy. He edged his head above the bar. In time to see her plant the sweetest headbutt he'd ever seen on Lady Margaret before punching her out with a right cross.
"Can't stop Daisy. I need you to do something for me. Something very important."
It took valuable seconds to pass the request. To his relief she agreed to it. Then he warned Daisy to get Margaret and herself under cover. Things were about to get lively.
"Two minutes thirty four." Hermes intoned solemnly.
As if purely to compound this two of Margaret's threw the tavern door open and began firing randomly. A forward dive into a roll brought Jake to the door jamb. As they darted out to take a few more pot shots he clubbed them down with butt and swinging foot.
"If you could help this lady and gentleman as well I'd appreciate it thanks Daisy." She shooed him on his way.

This was the shit or burst moment, Jake liked to think. He'd been trying to solve this conundrum the wrong way. Cutting the time down on the easier parts so that he'd have longer with the difficult ones. The wrong approach entirely. What he really should have done from the start was make the difficult easy. Because of his mistake Jake hadn't been able to rehearse the next move. This was now the crunch moment. Both sides now knew he was here. It didn't take a genius to work out he was the wild card here. Speed was vital. Jean-Pierre was an Ashenram. They didn't like to take risks. They'd place all their thralls between them and any enemy. The need to reach the quantum entanglement communication equipment would affect this. It would be protected above all else. Without access to it the Ashenram was stranded. That meant for a short space of time JP would be between Jake and most of the Scarlet Harlot's crew.

Having been deliberately stirred up by Jake, the Ashenram would have been raging with anger. Not used to anyone or anything defying it. JP had expected to have Jake turn up with the means to open the ship. Alone and unarmed would have been the only way Jake would have gained entrance to the emporium. For now it would feel safe. Locked inside an armored building. One, that due to a design feature, only had a single weak point. Jake had to get inside before more personnel were brought away from the ship. Otherwise he'd be wading through blood. While all of them sacrificed their lives for the Frenchman he would make his escape without delay. There were many things that could complicate this. Chief of which was the ship taking off as soon as it was boarded.

"I will see you again Jake Halliday." Daisy smiled weakly.
"That's not likely Daisy. There's no way I'm coming back from this alive. Thank you for your help wonderful lady. You know what to do. It's been a pleasure knowing you. Hermes? Let's get busy."

He headed out of the open door and into a shit storm. Every single weapon turret opened up on him instantly. Three of them sending rockets his way. Jake sprinted and dodged across the street as best he could. They were being really serious here. The combined firepower would have turned the tavern and all inside into dust. Hermes hummed excitedly.

"All systems green. Time for the boys to do their work." He crowed.
"Damn right. Precision strike."
The eight Custodians, which were allegedly incapable of functioning outside the city, swooped down from their positions above. Hermes had slaved them into the security droids systems. This had the added benefit of making them inconspicuous to the ground forces here. Security droids rarely interfered in Port Bristol. They left them pretty much to themselves. In very short order the turrets were history and the Custodians were laying down fire upon anyone with a gun. Forcing them to take cover. Which they did, not being as firmly under the influence of the Ashenram as the crew must be.

Jake broke cover and headed for the emporium at top speed. Scaling its side as he'd done dozens of times before. He didn't know what was inside. The outside had been scanned to within a single molecule. In very short order he was on the roof. Fuck You and Fuck You Two hovered there. Aw shit. He could have hitched a ride with them. At Hermes command they opened up the roof like it was tinfoil. He dropped through the hole. The drones following obediently to perform the same task twice more. Taking him to the first floor. Noises from the next room told him where his objectives were. He stepped through the door, his rifle leveled. Then stopped. Before him stood Doxy. Beside her stood Pip. Still bound and gagged. Though now she was dangling from a rope and slowly choking to death while precariously balanced on the back of a chair. At the far end of the room, near the exit, stood JP. Grinning from ear to ear.

"That was almost clever." He droned. "Fortunately my little slave came up with this. The little girl is dying. Each breath she takes could be her last. See how she struggles. It must be so hard breathing through that gag. Oh and if you should make one last desperate gamble and try to free her. My toy will kick the chair away or failing that slit the girls throat. You have ten seconds to open the ship. Don't think you can fool me either. I have thralls waiting to inform me."
He started to laugh with glee. Jake had no choice. This option hadn't come up in any simulation. He didn't really know how to open up the ship. All he knew was that he only had to ask Angelique. No clear shot at the Ashenram. No way past this.
"Angelique. Please allow access to all areas of the ship."
The Frenchman had a communicator to his ear. He nodded at Doxy.
"Dispose of the child."
There was no hesitation. The chair kicked from beneath her feet. Pip dropped the six inches that cut off her air. Jake cast aside his firearm rushing to her. Lifting her up to release the pressure of the noose. Having to turn himself to get a better angle and grip. Two shots in the back. Then Doxy drove a knife into his heart. her cold dead eyes staring into his as she snapped the blade deliberately.

It hurt. Not as much as he'd thought it would. So this was dying. He heard the door open then close and lock behind them. Still security conscious then. His vision clouded. The pains in his back and chest combining to cut him in half. A moment later he was lying face down on the floor.

"If you lie still I can save you." Hermes voice echoed in his head.
"I can't." Jake gasped the words tearing new holes in him. "Got to save Pip."
"She's got seconds Jake. I can get us up but there's no way we can help her down. That blade has dissolved into millions of nanites. They are killing me and you now. If you stay still I can save you. My lower processes will still function even when I'm gone."
"No." That took so much out of him. The pain was coming in jags now as the poison took effect. "Get me to my gun. We go out together mate."
Somehow or other Pip had freed one of her hands. It clasped the rope above reducing some of the pressure on her throat. Jake forced himself towards the discarded shotgun. Centimeter by centimeter. Pain cascading along every nerve. His vision fading. One last desperate lunge and his hand grasped his gun. With a pain filled grunt he rolled onto his back.
"I know what to do." Hermes croaked.
Jake felt his vision clear. Some strength returned to his right arm. He would only have the one shot. It was all he needed. He felt Hermes die inside him. Pip knelt on the floor. Damn that girl was strong. She rubbed her bruised throat and stared at him
"Get. To. Daisy. Go." Were his last words.