The Edge of Forever Read Free

with your partners and assume your positions,” Professor March says once we reach our break-off point. “And don’t forget to activate your comm-sets once you’re there.”
    Zed squeezes past me and glances at Vika, snickering. “You two lovebirds better behave.”
    He joins his partner, and they melt into the crowd. Elijah and his partner follow suit.
    “Problems?” Professor March asks.
    “No, sir,” I reply.
    Vika just gives him a tight-lipped smile.
    “Excellent. I think I’ll observe you two first since I have a feeling I’m going to be needed elsewhere soon.” He casts a weary look in Zed’s direction.
    Vika’s fingers wrap around mine, and she leads me away. When we’re far enough from Professor March, she whispers, “Are you sure everything’s all right?”
    I give her a quick nod. “I already told you everything’s fine.”
    “Okay, but remember, I’ve got your back. Always.” She gives my hand a reassuring squeeze.
    I squeeze her hand back before we separate and activate our comm-sets. I begin to scan the area for other Time Benders. At first nothing shows, but then a light blinks in the corner of my lens. The outline of a body flashes white. That indicates a cloaked Time Bender standing in the distance. Since frequencies are changed every few months, our comm-sets won’t be able to penetrate the cloak. “I’ve got one Unknown to my left, approximately sixty-four feet away,” I say, reading the info flashing across the bottom of my lens.
    “None here,” Vika says.
    I continue to scan the area, but I still wonder about the Unknown. I wonder what year he or she is from. We run across them on occasion on our time trips. The DTA rarely overlaps visits to the same time. That doesn’t mean someone from our future couldn’t be here. I almost wish I could talk to the Unknown, but that’s forbidden. It could contaminate whatever point in the timeline they’re from.
    “Let’s begin phase two,” Vika says after another minute.
    “Be careful,” I reply as a man bumps into me. It’s a little unnerving being here. There are so many people around us.
    We spread out and observe the audience while our comm-sets record. The excitement in the air is contagious. The void inside me doesn’t feel as empty now.
    The singer finishes and a large man dressed in a black suit hurries across the stage. A hush settles over the crowd as they await the main event.
    “Ladies and gentlemen, may I have your attention. I would like to present President Kathleen Foster.”
    Frenzied cheers erupt when a slender, red-haired woman in a dark blue dress emerges from the Civic Center and steps up to the stage. She waves both hands and flashes a brilliant smile. It’s easy to see why the country loved her. I wonder for a moment what would’ve happened to the country if she didn’t die today. How different things would be now.
    Vika’s voice crystallizes in my ear. “I’m going to move a little closer to the stage.”
    “Don’t go too far,” I reply. Exiting our parameters will result in points being deducted from our grade.
    “I just want to get some better footage. You know I like to live on the edge,” she says, flashing me a smile.
    Professor March cuts in. “I need to check in with the others. Maintain position and watch each other’s backs. You’re doing great so far.”
    He threads his way through the crowd, toward Zed’s area.
    I return my attention to the stage. President Foster’s voice is almost hypnotic as she speaks. Yeah, I could definitely trust her if I lived in this time. I glance at the info screen on my DataLink.
    It’s 9:17.
    She’ll be dead in less than five minutes.
    My stomach clenches. I don’t know why I’m feeling like this. She’s a ghost. She’s already dead. All these people are dead.
    Just like my dad.
    The familiar lump swells in my throat. I try to swallow it back down.
    “Have you taken any rear crowd shots?” Vika asks.
    I haven’t. I’ve been too busy watching