Heliarc buzzed with activity. Sirens blared and an automated voice called everyone to stations over the intercom. In the Hermes chamber Dr. Zachariah and his technicians worked feverishly to prepare the system. In the control room Missy and Ben typed like mad on their computers. Valeria was answering questions and directing traffic. Cruz was making preparations to turn the lab into a bunker should their plan fail. Bradigan took it upon himself to run down and see the Lancaster sisters.

“Anyone here?” he said as he entered their studio.

They both were. After Bradigan explained what was going on he took back the A.S.R. uniforms he and Valeria were wearing when they returned; the twins had already had them cleaned. He changed into his, apologized for leaving the evening wear they’d made on the station, and ran the other back up to Valeria.

“Here,” he said, handing her the uniform. “We should wear these. I’ve got our guest cards too.”

“Good idea,” Valeria agreed. She changed and together they went down to the Hermes chamber where Dr. Zachariah was giving the conjoined pods that would insert them again through the tear their last minute inspection.

“Are you both ready?” he asked, seeing them walk in.

They nodded.

Zachariah waved up at Missy and Ben with a thumbs up and Missy flicked on the intercom to give him the ready word from the control room.

“Alright,” Zachariah said. “Let’s get you two belted in.” As he led Valeria first over to the pods he looked at her and said, “Good luck, Valeria.”

“Thank you, August,” she answered. She hugged him, hating to leave him again so soon.

After he closed the dome on her pod Zachariah helped Bradigan into the other and ducked back under the barrier that contained Hermes, it slowly sank to the floor, sealing them in, and the countdown began. Bradigan looked over at Valeria, wishing he could reach through the glass that separated them and hold her hand. She could see the concern in his eyes and nodded her thanks. For the third time Bradigan watched as Hermes came to life. Mist sprayed up from the floor and ice crystals formed on the glass of the pods as the frozen pillar was built. All seemed to be going well. The warning sounded and the beam fired from Hermes into the ice pillar. Bradigan couldn’t get over how mesmerizing it was seeing the pillar rip itself apart molecule by molecule. The tear began to form. Suddenly an alert sounded in the control room and echoed through the radio into the pods.

“What’s wrong?” Cruz asked.

“Unknown interference.” Ben answered.

“The tear isn’t stabilizing,” Missy added. “I can’t make any sense of this data, it’s coming in bits and pieces.”

“Can you shut it down?”

“Trying.”

From the pods Bradigan and Valeria watched as the tear warped and flashed, the scene within was changing constantly. The border extended outward like an amoeba, almost touching the containment wall. Zachariah slammed his fist down on the console and looked at the pod. He called for all the technicians to evacuate the chamber. The pod shook violently and Bradigan stared into the mouth of the tear.

“Initializing full shut down.” Missy said. “Doctor Zachariah, get out of there!”

Cursing, the doctor fled the room. He looked back on the pod as the door to the testing chamber closed and locked behind him.

“Collapse imminent,” Ben announced.

The tear continued to warp and stretch until it exploded in a blinding flash. Bradigan felt the pod tilting to his right until it seemingly broke free from its arm and crashed onto the floor. Still stunned and partially blinded, Bradigan soon felt himself being hauled out of the wrecked pod by the technicians who’d rushed back in after the collapse. He blinked and look back at the pod to witness the damage but couldn’t believe what he saw. He rubbed his eyes and blinked over and over but the scene didn’t change. Valeria was gone. With its dying breath the tear had reached out and consumed her pod.

Zachariah was distraught. “Valeria!” he shouted. “We need to get her back!” He immediately took to the other consoles, mashing buttons feverishly. He turned and shouted things Bradigan couldn’t understand at the technicians who looked back at him with stunned faces. Shoving them out of the way the old man went from one console to another. Ben and Missy suddenly burst through the door.

“Doctor we can’t!” Missy shouted.

“I’ll do it myself!” Zachariah shouted back.

Bradigan suddenly realized what was happening. Or rather, what was happening again. “Ben, we have to stop him,” he said.

Ben nodded and together they set upon the crazed old man, pulling him away from the machines and hauling him out of the laboratory.

“Release me!” he shouted as they dragged him into the hallway.

“Doctor, you need to calm down,” Bradigan urged.

“But Valeria!” Zachariah insisted.

In the moment Bradigan forgot it was a secret and said. “You’re going to kill everyone again.”

His words shocked the old doctor. “What?”

Just then, Cruz came running to meet them, “What happened?” he asked.

Bradigan took the three other men to a side room and locked the door behind them so he could explain in private. “Valeria disappeared,” he said.

“What! How?” Cruz demanded.

“I’m not sure. The tear started to warp and when it collapsed it just swallowed her up.”

“Dios mio,” Cruz responded. “What can we do?”

“Just wait. Doctor,” Bradigan said, turning to Zachariah, “Valeria didn’t want to tell you this but, shortly after we were taken to the station, the world was destroyed by a massive temporal destabilization.”

Zachariah looked up at him in shock. “How?” he asked.

“You,” Bradigan answered. “Lieutenant Hughes was watching the timeline and said your attempts to recover Ms. Davis were the cause.”

The old doctor was mortified. He sat down and Ben sat with him, trying to comfort him.

“Valeria blamed Commander Hoban for it.” Bradigan knelt down and grinned. “She actually punched him. Knocked him clean off his feet.”

Zachariah chuckled and cracked a smiled in spite of his sorrow.

“Captain Vidal assured us that when we were returned,” Bradigan continued, “that timeline would cease to exist. Valeria still mourned for all of you the whole time we were there.”

Cruz knelt down as well and put his hand on the old doctor’s shoulder.

Zachariah produced a kerchief from his breast pocket and dried his eyes. “Thank you for telling me, Bradigan.” With Ben’s help he stood back up and straightened his jacket. “Ben, what happened?”

Ben blinked. “Oh, right. Must have been interference from the station.”

“Can you and Missy account for it?”

“Maybe. But the closer that hulk gets the harder it’ll be.”

“We’ll have to work fast then,” Zachariah said, turning to Bradigan. “Our plan remains the same. Send you back to warn the A.S.R.”