Entry 05 - Attack
Title: Attack
Entry Number: 05
Author: luna_moonsilver
Rating: PG
Genre: Fantasy/Sci Fi
Word count: 1,310
A/N: Set in the time travel 'verse, directly after Missing.
5.39 p.m.
3rd August 2011.
London, England.
Frankie sat back in a chair and neither she nor Nate spoke for a while. The heavy rise and fall of Kris' breathing as she slept on, unaware of anything beyond her own pain, was the only sound in the room.
"Why did I end up in 1918?" Nate asked finally.
Frankie didn't look up. Her fingers tightened on the arms of the chair. Dionne had said; she couldn't tell him - but- She swallowed and when she looked up, Nate was staring straight at her.
"Why was I in 1918?" he asked. He looked like hell, now that she thought about it. His skin was almost grey and the bruises under his eyes were prominent. "Why did I end up with Spanish Flu?"
She ran a hand through her hair. "You travelled. In time."
The silence lasted almost a minute, a too-long pause where Nate stared at her, uncomprehending of what she meant and Frankie stared right back at him, her eyes begging him to believe her.
Eventually, he sighed. "I travelled in time?" he asked. "How did I manage that then?"
Frankie sighed and her fingers loosened on the chair arms. In for a penny… "You're a traveller. Just like me, just like Kris. Just like a bunch of other people who travel every day of the week." She paused, then clarified, "In time."
Nate nodded. "Yeah. I got that."
"Travelling's a pretty innate thing," Frankie continued, carrying on like Nate hadn't said anything, "It doesn't come from magic watches or whatever; you're either born able to do it, or you're not."
Nate's eyes were narrowed. "I've seen your watch, though."
"Once we've travelled for the first time, we tend to bind ourselves to -- well, we call them Artefacts. Almost always watches of some description, though I heard of someone who bound themselves to a grandfather clock once…" Nate cleared his throat and Frankie's eyes snapped up to his. "It stops us from drifting off. Like you did. We can anchor ourselves with it, I suppose."
Nate shook his head. "I don't see how this can be happening, not really-"
"Well it is," Frankie said, shrugging almost helplessly. "It's been happening for a long time, too. I'll have to take you to get your Artefact sorted out tomorrow."
She stood and crossed into the kitchen. Nate's eyes tracked her movements and then he said, "Take me somewhere in time."
Frankie looked up. "No. I wasn't even supposed to tell you about all of this. What am I supposed to say if we're caught?"
"I don't know," Nate replied almost sulkily. Frankie sighed. He was using the puppy-dog eyes and damn him, they were going to work.
"Fine," she snapped. She crossed back over to him and held out a hand. Nate took it and pulled himself to his feet, though Frankie felt all the doubts crowd her mind again when she saw how he swayed when he stood.
"Are you sure you're well enough?" she asked.
Nate shrugged. "They let me out of the hospital when your sister came from me. I'm fine."
Frankie nodded. "Fine. Let's just get this over with, shall we?"
She pulled the watch out of her pocket and felt two time streams shift and flex around her as she pointed them in the right direction.
*
11.10 p.m.
25th May 2051.
Gateshead, England.
When Nathan could see again, it was dark. Frankie let go of his hand and stepped back - and he took that moment to look around, try and work out where they might be.
"We're in the future," Frankie said. She slipped her watch back into her pocket. "Forty years. Thought it might be just a little bit different for you."
Nathan nodded. The moon was full and they were standing on a bridge - one he recognised, come to think of it.
"Are we on the Millennium Bridge?"
Frankie laughed. "Yeah," she said. "They keep it."
A few minutes passed in silence as they watched the dark water move below them. Finally, Frankie held out her hand again.
"Come on. We'll go back, I'll let you rest."
Nathan didn't really want to leave; the air was cool and he felt better here than he had in days, but he knew she was right. He was tired. He took her hand and watched as she pulled the watch from her pocket and flicked it open.
He thought he heard something then, like something woosh past his ear; but then Frankie was falling, her face contorted in pain as she dropped the watch and lifted her hands to her head, trying to-
He didn't know what she was trying. He dropped to his knees, reaching for her, wanting to help-
"What is it?" he asked, almost panicked. "Do you have the same thing as your sister?"
"No," Frankie said, letting out a pained gasp. "No, this is an attack, Nate, this is something-" She bit her lip to muffle her scream and Nathan grabbed her watch from the ground.
"How do I-?" He waved the watch around vaguely and Frankie shook her head.
"I have to," she said. "You can't-" She held out her hand. "Give it to me, don't let me drop it, whatever happens."
Nate nodded. As soon as he put it in her hand, she seemed to almost convulse again but he held onto the watch and her hand tightly, until she was still. Frankie's fingers trembled as she twisted one of the dials, only stopping when pain seemed to overtake her again.
"That's it," she said. Nathan reached an arm around her shoulders as she pressed the button on top.
*
5.52 p.m.
3rd August 2011.
London, England.
They arrived on the carpet of the flat and Frankie was surprised to find the pain gone, the only reminder a slight ache that lingered in her muscles. Nate had his arm around her and was checking her over with his eyes, clearly trying to see if she was okay.
She sat up and, when the pain didn't emerge, she stood. Nothing.
"What the hell was that?" Nate asked, getting to his feet as well. Frankie stuffed the watch in her pocket.
"I don't know," she admitted, annoyed to find her hands were still shaking and her voice was weak, tired.
Nate shook his head. "It was dangerous, is what it was," he muttered. He looked up. "What do you mean, you don't know?"
Frankie shifted from foot to foot. "The future is more flexible than the past. But there should never be anything like-Anything like that. There should have been Guardians, or anyone-"
She ran a hand through her hair and looked up when Kris shifted on the sofa. "I'm going to see some people tomorrow. About all of this, about you- Something strange is going on."
"Does it have anything to do with what happened in Paris?"
Frankie laughed, but it was a laugh of surprise, not mirth. "God, I hope not," she muttered. She cast a critical eye over Nate again. "You need to shower and rest, even if you don't sleep right now. You've had a hell of a day."
Nate nodded and Frankie showed him where the bathroom was. There were some jogging bottoms she had that would fit him - they were his, anyway. That done, she wandered back into the living room.
Kris was sleeping, but it looked like most of the pain had passed. She couldn't have travelled for long, for the attack to be so short. The thought of that made some of the tension in Frankie's stomach subside and she dropped into an armchair.
Something was wrong, wrong with all of this. She just had to hope that someone - Jeff, Dionne, Nora - might be able to fix it.
Entry Number: 05
Author: luna_moonsilver
Rating: PG
Genre: Fantasy/Sci Fi
Word count: 1,310
A/N: Set in the time travel 'verse, directly after Missing.
5.39 p.m.
3rd August 2011.
London, England.
Frankie sat back in a chair and neither she nor Nate spoke for a while. The heavy rise and fall of Kris' breathing as she slept on, unaware of anything beyond her own pain, was the only sound in the room.
"Why did I end up in 1918?" Nate asked finally.
Frankie didn't look up. Her fingers tightened on the arms of the chair. Dionne had said; she couldn't tell him - but- She swallowed and when she looked up, Nate was staring straight at her.
"Why was I in 1918?" he asked. He looked like hell, now that she thought about it. His skin was almost grey and the bruises under his eyes were prominent. "Why did I end up with Spanish Flu?"
She ran a hand through her hair. "You travelled. In time."
The silence lasted almost a minute, a too-long pause where Nate stared at her, uncomprehending of what she meant and Frankie stared right back at him, her eyes begging him to believe her.
Eventually, he sighed. "I travelled in time?" he asked. "How did I manage that then?"
Frankie sighed and her fingers loosened on the chair arms. In for a penny… "You're a traveller. Just like me, just like Kris. Just like a bunch of other people who travel every day of the week." She paused, then clarified, "In time."
Nate nodded. "Yeah. I got that."
"Travelling's a pretty innate thing," Frankie continued, carrying on like Nate hadn't said anything, "It doesn't come from magic watches or whatever; you're either born able to do it, or you're not."
Nate's eyes were narrowed. "I've seen your watch, though."
"Once we've travelled for the first time, we tend to bind ourselves to -- well, we call them Artefacts. Almost always watches of some description, though I heard of someone who bound themselves to a grandfather clock once…" Nate cleared his throat and Frankie's eyes snapped up to his. "It stops us from drifting off. Like you did. We can anchor ourselves with it, I suppose."
Nate shook his head. "I don't see how this can be happening, not really-"
"Well it is," Frankie said, shrugging almost helplessly. "It's been happening for a long time, too. I'll have to take you to get your Artefact sorted out tomorrow."
She stood and crossed into the kitchen. Nate's eyes tracked her movements and then he said, "Take me somewhere in time."
Frankie looked up. "No. I wasn't even supposed to tell you about all of this. What am I supposed to say if we're caught?"
"I don't know," Nate replied almost sulkily. Frankie sighed. He was using the puppy-dog eyes and damn him, they were going to work.
"Fine," she snapped. She crossed back over to him and held out a hand. Nate took it and pulled himself to his feet, though Frankie felt all the doubts crowd her mind again when she saw how he swayed when he stood.
"Are you sure you're well enough?" she asked.
Nate shrugged. "They let me out of the hospital when your sister came from me. I'm fine."
Frankie nodded. "Fine. Let's just get this over with, shall we?"
She pulled the watch out of her pocket and felt two time streams shift and flex around her as she pointed them in the right direction.
*
11.10 p.m.
25th May 2051.
Gateshead, England.
When Nathan could see again, it was dark. Frankie let go of his hand and stepped back - and he took that moment to look around, try and work out where they might be.
"We're in the future," Frankie said. She slipped her watch back into her pocket. "Forty years. Thought it might be just a little bit different for you."
Nathan nodded. The moon was full and they were standing on a bridge - one he recognised, come to think of it.
"Are we on the Millennium Bridge?"
Frankie laughed. "Yeah," she said. "They keep it."
A few minutes passed in silence as they watched the dark water move below them. Finally, Frankie held out her hand again.
"Come on. We'll go back, I'll let you rest."
Nathan didn't really want to leave; the air was cool and he felt better here than he had in days, but he knew she was right. He was tired. He took her hand and watched as she pulled the watch from her pocket and flicked it open.
He thought he heard something then, like something woosh past his ear; but then Frankie was falling, her face contorted in pain as she dropped the watch and lifted her hands to her head, trying to-
He didn't know what she was trying. He dropped to his knees, reaching for her, wanting to help-
"What is it?" he asked, almost panicked. "Do you have the same thing as your sister?"
"No," Frankie said, letting out a pained gasp. "No, this is an attack, Nate, this is something-" She bit her lip to muffle her scream and Nathan grabbed her watch from the ground.
"How do I-?" He waved the watch around vaguely and Frankie shook her head.
"I have to," she said. "You can't-" She held out her hand. "Give it to me, don't let me drop it, whatever happens."
Nate nodded. As soon as he put it in her hand, she seemed to almost convulse again but he held onto the watch and her hand tightly, until she was still. Frankie's fingers trembled as she twisted one of the dials, only stopping when pain seemed to overtake her again.
"That's it," she said. Nathan reached an arm around her shoulders as she pressed the button on top.
*
5.52 p.m.
3rd August 2011.
London, England.
They arrived on the carpet of the flat and Frankie was surprised to find the pain gone, the only reminder a slight ache that lingered in her muscles. Nate had his arm around her and was checking her over with his eyes, clearly trying to see if she was okay.
She sat up and, when the pain didn't emerge, she stood. Nothing.
"What the hell was that?" Nate asked, getting to his feet as well. Frankie stuffed the watch in her pocket.
"I don't know," she admitted, annoyed to find her hands were still shaking and her voice was weak, tired.
Nate shook his head. "It was dangerous, is what it was," he muttered. He looked up. "What do you mean, you don't know?"
Frankie shifted from foot to foot. "The future is more flexible than the past. But there should never be anything like-Anything like that. There should have been Guardians, or anyone-"
She ran a hand through her hair and looked up when Kris shifted on the sofa. "I'm going to see some people tomorrow. About all of this, about you- Something strange is going on."
"Does it have anything to do with what happened in Paris?"
Frankie laughed, but it was a laugh of surprise, not mirth. "God, I hope not," she muttered. She cast a critical eye over Nate again. "You need to shower and rest, even if you don't sleep right now. You've had a hell of a day."
Nate nodded and Frankie showed him where the bathroom was. There were some jogging bottoms she had that would fit him - they were his, anyway. That done, she wandered back into the living room.
Kris was sleeping, but it looked like most of the pain had passed. She couldn't have travelled for long, for the attack to be so short. The thought of that made some of the tension in Frankie's stomach subside and she dropped into an armchair.
Something was wrong, wrong with all of this. She just had to hope that someone - Jeff, Dionne, Nora - might be able to fix it.