Time Jacker by Aaron Crash (nonfiction book recommendations .TXT) 📕

it’s so close to the stairwell, why didn’t the Clockwatcher grab this Eternity Cannon himself?”

“Because of Count Palatine,” Bailey said. “Let’s just go and get this over with.”

They started toward the massive log walls surrounding the citadel.

Jack thought he saw a pale face peering at him from the pebbles underfoot. But then the rocks adjusted, and there were just stones there. Every so often, there would be a cracked doll, or an old plastic dump truck, or a single sock, black and brand new.

So this was where socks went when you lost them in the laundry.

He suddenly felt very far away from home. He glanced at the new tattoo on his left hand, a gift from the Clockwatcher. “So at this point, if I started the Tempus Influunt right now, what would happen?”

Bailey wasn’t any help. “Dammit, Jack, I’m a sex demon, not a temporal engineer. I don’t fucking know.”

“You’ve got some cake batter on your cheek,” Jack shot back.

Bailey grinned and wiped the imaginary batter away, sucking it from her thumb. “Thanks.”

Gabby looked at them like they were crazy, then shrugged. “Well, we are two realities removed from the Tempus Influunt. I would think your soul would be shattered, all the Kairos exploding into pieces. Or we’d be trapped here, another bit of temporal wreckage cast away.”

“Gone astray,” Jack said. “I’ll keep time stopped, then. We just have to hurry. My head is killing me.”

“Don’t worry,” Bailey said. “I’m sure some shit will try to kill us to take your mind off your migraine.”

“What makes this place so dangerous?” Jack asked. “Who is the Count Palantine?”

“He’s someone who has risen in the ranks of the Interim Lords,” Gabby explained. “I mean, with a certain series of battles I can’t discuss, heaven and hell can’t really keep the Interim in check. We don’t want to run into the Count. I’ll tell you that much. We would die.”

“Fucking Fugs,” Bailey spat.

Gabby sighed.

From the top of the log wall floated down a number of black birds that looked very familiar. They were the cyclops birds he’d seen before—black wings, a squirmy pink body, and that single eye above their puckered mouths full of fangs. Yellow claws erupted from bright pink feet.

The monsters came streaking through the sky toward them.

“They can sense your Kairos,” Bailey said. “Gabby, they’re going to go right for our boy. When they hit, we can fuck their shit up.”

“Engage them in battle?” Gabby asked. “Yes. I agree.”

Jack thought this was going to be like shooting skeet. He waited until the lead bird was about twenty-five yards away. He waited a beat, and then he squeezed the trigger and blew the shit out of the incoming monster.

The shotgun was a far better weapon for the Fugs. If he only got one shot before they adjusted to the time signature of his weapon, having eight pellets hit improved his odds greatly.

Better yet, Jack felt the Kairos flood him. His headache improved immensely.

He blinked and checked his stats.

Current Kairos: 43/100

He figured he’d gotten down to about 18 points of Kairos, so each cyclops bird was around 25 points of Kairos.

“Let me take as many as I can!” he yelled to the women. “But make sure you protect my back.”

He jacked a fresh shell into his shotgun and strode across the black pebbles, taking down another bird. More Kairos filled him.

Current Kairos: 68/100

He spun, worked the action, and took out a third bird. He was almost full.

Bailey threw her war pick. She hacked into a bird, killing it. She pulled the war pick back to herself by the long chain.

Gabby floated up into the air on her white wings. She gripped her glowing sword in both hands. She sliced through another cyclops bird and then soared around to land behind Jack.

By that time, he took out the last two birds. He’d maxed out his Kairos levels, but he didn’t have access to the auxiliary storage it seemed. Well, it was under “special abilities,” whatever that meant.

He felt great. Without that headache threatening to tear off his head, they had a ton of time to explore the Cast Away, Gone Astray.

Gabby went flying up to the log wall. She clung to the top. She motioned for them to hurry.

Jack turned to Bailey. “No wings?”

“I have wings, but unlike some people, I don’t like to be all showy. Besides, with how Gabby has been looking at me, I think she wants a chance to get her hands on the merchandise.” Bailey slapped him playfully with her tail, a rubbery ace of spades. Her horns were back, jutting out from her forehead, and she had the black eyes and fangs of her full demon mode. Since she didn’t have to pass as human, she could be as monstrous as she wanted.

Jack and Bailey walked to the huge redwood log wall.

Gabby floated down. “I don’t see a way in, or a way into the tower itself, but I think there is a way. I can fly you both over the walls. Maybe this is also why the Clockwatcher didn’t come for the Eternity Cannon himself. He didn’t look very nimble.”

“Bailey first,” Jack said.

Gabby grabbed the demon and up they went, up and over the top of the wall.

Jack fed six new shells into the shotgun. He probably should’ve brought more ammo. He had another half-dozen shells. He should switch to his pistol—for that he had over thirty rounds.

While he waited for Gabby to come and grab him, he checked out the landscape.

To the south looked like a forest of some kind, but the leaves were black, glittering in the strange light. Between that forest, the mountains to the west, and the gleaming city he’d seen, Jack was curious about this strange place. Would he come back to explore? Maybe, but he needed to get a better sense of his powers first.

Gabby flew down and landed next to him. “You ready?”

He’d barely said yes when the angel grabbed him under his armpits. They went sailing up in