Through Time Chapter Two

 
“I beg your pardon, but do I know you?”

Jake stepped back, finally coming to his senses. He looked up at the person he had just embraced. There was still a tear or two remaining on his face, which he hastily wiped away. “S-Sorry!” He apologized. “You just, look so very much like a dear friend of mine. I…I must be mistaken.” ‘Of course it’s not Dirk, Dirk’s dead you fool, this is just a random, cruel happenstance.’ “You, you probably think I’m crazy. Some random kid hugging you in public, spewing nonsense about a look alike friend.”

“A friend you say? One who shares my name, odd,” he also stepped back, but this time to examine the boy who stood in front of him. He was tall, whoever he was, with piercing green eyes and an interesting set of clothes. Those eyes spoke volumes and Dirk could read everything. “You’re not a loony, or,” he paused looking him over again, “at least I don’t think you are.” He held out a hand, “You really do look homeless though. Why don’t we walk for a bit, what’s your name.”

“E-English,” he stammered, “Jake English.”

“Well Mr. English, let’s have a little chat. You can tell me all about your friend who looks like me, but isn’t me.” Dirk could tell something was amiss with this boy. He caught every time Jake’s eyes moved and fell on a person walking down the street. Another interesting thing he noted was that Jake looked very unwell, almost like he was going to vomit. He was actually getting pretty concerned.

Jake backed up again, “Uh, no. No, I’m sorry, I should probably go, I don’t want to inconvenience you,” he replied. But in reality he didn’t feel comfortable being around someone who was so much like the friend he just lost. “I have a place to be, actually.” Jake didn’t know he had just started a mental game of poker.

Dirk eyed him suspiciously, then raised an eyebrow, “Well, where are you off to?” He saw through Jake’s bluff.

“Oh uh you know, around.” He backed up some more. The odds of Jake winning this game were not in his favor and he just placed his hand down.

Dirk smirked, and then he called it.  “You don’t know where you are, do you?”

“I,” Jake protested, “I never said that!” Jake kept unwittingly raising the stakes while digging himself a hole.

“Where are you? Right now, what street?” Dirk stepped closer, “I’m not a fool English, there’s something about you. I can’t put my finger on it, but I’d love to find out.” He had a feeling he just went all in.

Jake could feel the situation slide from his hands, though he wasn’t even sure if it was ever in his hands to begin with. “I…I don’t know what you’re talking about, I’m perfectly fine.”

“Says the one who smells like last night’s garbage. Who, might I add, is the only one dressed in shorts and a…is that a skull? A skull shirt.” Dirk folded his arms confident he had played his cards correctly. “Well, in any case, if you have somewhere to be, I’ll just be going on my way then.”

He turned and started walking away, not slowly, but enough to let the idea sink in, the idea that Jake would be alone. He waited with baited breath, “And…” thought to himself. He heard Jake call his name one more time, “Jackpot.”

“Dirk wait!” Jake called out, a bit hastily.

“Yes?”

He sighed, “Uh, I…I don’t actually have a place I need to be at…”

“You don’t say?” Dirk turned around and locked eyes with the boy again. He could tell Jake was jumpy and probably still ready to bolt. But he could also see the uncertainty behind the rims of his glasses, and also a hint of fear. Something was bugging Jake and Dirk had to find out. “So,” he started smoothly, “you get kicked out or something?”

“K-Kicked out?”

“Yeah from your home,” Dirk continued, “you don’t look much older or younger than me, so you could still be living with your parents.” He winced, “Or uh, lived with them…”

“Do…do I really give off that aura?” Jake asked, examining himself more closely.

“Well, you’re panicked, obviously, confused, and looking for any form of comfort.”

“How do you figure the last one?” He asked, genuinely curious.

Dirk laughed quietly, “Well, you embraced the first person you found that had a slight resemblance to a friend you had,” he shrugged, “that leads me to believe that perhaps you were really desperate. You also cried. That’s not something a person with their life together would do.”

Jake thought long and hard about his answer. On one hand, he could lie, and say he was fine, just stressed or lost, or something. On the other, he could lie again, but not to such an extent, he could say he was thrown out and in desperate need of some help, some directions. “Yeah, you hit the nail on the head…I got thrown out not too long ago…”

“What did you do?”

“I…” Jake paused, “I don’t want to talk about it.”

Dirk was silent again before he nudged the other boy gently, “You didn’t kill a man did you?”

“What?” Jake exclaimed, “No! For goodness sake no, it was for something completely different.”

Dirk waited a few moments before pressing further, “Different?”

“It was a personal dispute, between a friend of mine.”

“Was it this other Dirk fellow?”

Jake stopped dead in his tracks. “I-I…”

“You don’t have to say, I understand.”

“We were close, really close, and then, just stuff happened. It’s still sorta fresh; I don’t want to think about it.”

Dirk nodded sympathetically, “I’m sorry.”

“I don’t know why people say that,” Jake said a bit harsher than he intended, “It’s not like you could have done anything to stop it, or anyone really.” He glanced back over at this other Dirk, “There, now you know my little story, thanks for listening, now could you please direct me to the nearest bridge or clean-ish alleyway? I’m a little low on funds and would appreciate a dryish place to sleep tonight.” He coughed again, which reminded Jake of the poor air quality.

“Whoa no way, you aren’t sleeping on the streets.”

“Well I don’t quite see a solution to my conundrum here.”

He laughed, “I have an open room, stay with me.”

“Don’t bleedin say that. I’m a stranger, I’m not going to just room with you.”

Dirk put a comforting hand on Jake’s shoulder, “Nonsense, I insist. You have nowhere to go, I have an open bedroom, it’s the least I could do.”

“Why? Why bother?” Jake wasn’t entirely trusting of this look alike.

Dirk almost said, “Because you’re interesting,” but instead opted for, “Because I’m the kindest jerk you’ll ever meet.”

“I don’t know how to take that,” Jake answered honestly.

“Then don’t take it, simple as that. I’m offering you a warm bed, a roof over your head, and a shower. For free. No obligation, you don’t even have to stay the whole night.”

Dirk watched as Jake shook his head, “The offer is nice and all, but…I don’t really think I should…”

“I don’t think I’ll be taking no for an answer, English.” He wanted to retract that statement but it was far too late. “Oh shit,” he thought, “That was a bit too aggressive, damn it Dirk think for a second before running your mouth.”

Jake eyed him, one eyebrow raised, “Wasn’t that a bit aggressive Sir?”

The arm was retracted from Jake’s shoulder, “Uh, yeah, wow.” “Smooth Dirk Strider, smooth,” his inner voice chimed in again. “Sorry I’m not good at the intricate social constructs of man.”

Despite the situation Jake couldn’t stop himself from giving a small smile. His brain nudged the small idea into his head. That idea was to stay with this new Strider. “My friend wasn’t too good with people either.”

“Seems like we have more than just a name in common,” Dirk laughed. “How about I start again?” Jake waited with an amused expression displayed. “Don’t mess this up Strider,” he thought again. “Hello, my name is Dirk Strider, nice to meet you.”

“Jake English, likewise,” he replied, even shaking the extended hand presented to him.

Dirk took hold and gave the other hand a comforting squeeze, “You seem in a rough spot, how would coffee sound? Or tea, if you’re a tea kind of guy.”

“I wouldn’t be opposed to that.” Dirk nodded and seemed pleased with how this interaction transpired. He hit up a small shop further downtown; it served decent coffee and pastries. It was owned by a friend of the family and generally had good service. His new acquaintance seemed impressed that the owners not only knew him by name, but also what he wanted to order and where he liked to be seated. “You a regular here or something?”

“Of course, best cup in town. My brother also knows the owner personally,” Dirk tried to pass it off as nothing. “Anyways, what are your plans? You’re homeless, have you thought about what you’re going to do?”

“Honestly, no,” Jake said bluntly. “I don’t even know where I am, this is a new city to me.”

Dirk found that hard to believe, but he’d heard crazier things. “You don’t even know the capital town? Fuck, that’s bad. You come here for a job opportunity or something?”

“Something like that, I guess.”

Dirk studied Jake once more; the boy had more mysteries than facts. His interest was gaining with each one. His dress, speech, and behavior seemed out of place. “Must be from the country right?”

“Oh yeah, that’s it. Country. Farmer.” Jake decided that that sounded pretty good. “Got me in a big heap o trouble back home, like I said earlier. Had to uh, get away…fast.” The coffee and cakes arrived shortly after they sat down. “Oh gosh, Mr. Strider I can’t pay for this…I’m as broke as well as…a homeless person.”

“It’s on me. Don’t worry,” he watched as Jake picked at the small cake. “Cake not your thing?”

“What? Oh, no, no it’s great. Thanks.”

Dirk rested his chin on his hand, “It’s not the most filling of meals, but it’ll do for now.”

“Hm? You’re acting like I’ll take you up on your offer of shelter.”

Dirk took a drink from his glass, he swallowed and looked away nonchalantly, “Of course you will. You have nowhere to go. Any sane person would be grasping at any offer they could find. Best not leave an opportunity to slip through their fingers.”

“Oh for frigs flipping sake! I’m a complete stranger to you, with no money to boot! I could be a swindler how would you know?”

Jake was going say more but stopped when he caught sight of Dirk’s eyes. They were the same intense orange, only now they seemed to burn straight through him. There was something about those eyes, about that stare that made Jake feel incredibly vulnerable. “Yeah I’m going to call bullshit on all those proposed claims. I can tell you aren’t the type to rip me off. I’m helping you because I fancy you,” he watched Jake cock another eyebrow and he raised one right back, “Fancy as in you are interesting to me. Slow it down there cowboy. The mind is a terribly fast thing; it’d be a shame if it jumped to an untrue conclusion too quickly.”

Dirk leaned back on his chair and waved a hand, “You are free to leave, I won’t stop you. However,” he dropped the chair back to the floor and sat forward, “you seem like an interesting guy English, and I happen to be in a charitable mood.”

“How do I know you’re not the swindler?”

“Haha, that’s a good question,” Dirk’s smirk was borderline predatory, “you’re smart.” He produced a pen and paper from a pocket and scribbled a few things down. “You’ll have to take it on faith, I can’t convince you I’m not a con man, same as you can’t convince me you’re not a dirty thief.” He placed the piece of paper down in front of Jake, “It’s a proposition, that’s all. I like interesting things, I quite enjoy puzzles, and you Mr. English, are quite the puzzle. This is my address, should you decide to take me up on my hospitality you can find me here. If not, well,” he pulled out a few bills and set them beside the note, “here’s enough for a change of clothes and dinner. I suggest sleeping alongside the garbage bins instead of inside them.”

And with that he was gone. Jake was left with a half-eaten cake and nearly full cup of coffee. He flagged down a waitress, a bright girl in a blue apron, “Hey, um, by chance what was the bill? I didn’t see my er…friend pay.”

She laughed, “Oh Dirk? He doesn’t need to pay, family tradition, Striders and their friends eat free.” Jake was aware that her eyes were now on him, “You don’t look like Dirk’s usual type. Interesting. What’s your name?”

“What’s that supposed to mean? ”

She shook her head, “Nothing stranger, it means nothing. Anyways, I have tables to clean; you have a good day Sir.”

Jake watched her leave, “W-Wait! We aren’t like that; I mean I just met him.”

“Just met him and he took you out for coffee? Now I’m really interested,” she said spinning back around. “The name is Jane, pleasure meeting you, stranger of Dirk’s.”

“Jake,” he said a bit awkwardly, “my name is Jake.”

“Well then, it was nice meeting you, Jake.”

Jane was about to turn and leave again when she was stopped once more by the young man at the table. “What do you know about that Dirk fellow?”

“What do you need to know?” She looked him up and down, noticing that he seemed a bit out of place compared to his surroundings. He had disheveled hair and the look of frantic panic. It was clear he was trying to hide it though, she looked closer, it was like he was trying to hide the fear of being alone. “I’ll entertain you for a moment.” She called to someone in the backroom, “Poppop can you tell dad I’m going on break?” Then she turned back to Jake, “So, what do you want to know?” She sat down in the seat that Dirk vacated. “Just know I won’t spill anything too personal, he’s a good friend of mine.”

Jake pulled on his shirt collar, “Oh well…er, I just met the guy right? And he offers up his house to me! Frig, I mean who does that? Seems sorta suspicious if you ask me.”

She nodded, “Well, Dirk’s an interesting character that’s for sure. But he’s a good guy, cold sure, but a good person. You must have caught his eye something fierce for him to do something like that. You sure you aren’t…”

“Aren’t?”

Jane looked at him like he was daft, “You know…” her voice dropped to a whisper, “playing for the other team?”

“What?!” Jake said a bit too loud, “Whoa nelly! I’m not…do I look?”

She watched Jake go through several layers of emotions from surprised to worried before she shook her head, “No, no. You’re fine; perhaps I’ve said a wee bit too much. But with Dirk sometimes…you know what? Yeah I’ve said too much. Forget this conversation transpired.”

“Uh, ok. You’re his friend right?” She nodded. “Well, is this guy for real? Is he trustworthy? Is this address he gave me even real?”

The paper was pushed in-front of Jane, she read over it quickly before answering, “Yes, that is where Dirk lives. He’s about as trustworthy as a person can get. Like I said, he’s a good guy. Dirk is antisocial so I’m surprised he offered this to you.” She also rested her head on her hand, “You must be an interesting character, in fact, I’m starting to become very interested in you. What could Dirk see in a homeless guy like yourself?”

“Do I really look homeless? Dirk said that too.” Jake’s scanned his appearance, “Apparently,” he thought, “I can look gay and homeless at the same time.”

She shrugged, “I’m good at observing people, you aren’t acting like someone with a solid base beneath them right now.” Jane looked him in the eye, “Well, am I wrong?”

“N-No, you’re right. So this Strider fellow isn’t a creep or anything?” Jane shook her head.

“What about you? I should get some for info for giving some.”

Jake ran a hand through his hair, “I got kicked out of my home, need a job, need a place to stay.”

Jane’s grinned a bit, she thought to herself, “Detective mode engaged.” “So, why’d your parents throw you out? You a trouble maker?”

“N-No, nothing like that. It was a fight over a friend. Silly right? Now I’m just trying to get my bearings.”

There was more that she wanted to know, much more. But she didn’t know how far to push her luck, instead she offered up, “Well I can’t help you out, but if Dirk extended a hand I suggest you take it. He doesn’t offer up charity like this often. At the very least, it’ll give you a dry night off the streets. Heard it’s supposed to storm tonight.” She stood up, “I gotta get back to work, I’ll see you around Jake.”

Jake was once again left alone at the table. He still had his half eaten cake; the only difference now was that his coffee was lukewarm instead of hot. Honestly, Jake didn’t know what to do. On one hand, Dirk seemed like a good man, on the other, there were the risks of staying with a complete stranger. The only other word that he had to go off of was that of another stranger. He stared at the address scribbled on the paper for a good long while, then at the money that accompanied it. His thoughts were a mess, but at the very least he decided to return the cash. It didn’t seem right that he could have so much without doing anything in return.

He took the address and asked a few people outside where the street was. Apparently Strider lived on the outskirts of the town and he was in for a long walk. Jake didn’t mind walking; it gave him the chance to take in the sights. He was definitely in the past, that much was sure. A quick glance at newsstand revealed the year to be 1921. “Damn,” he muttered to himself, “that’s quite a ways back…” Briefly he peaked in at the alleyway where he hid the time machine. It was still safely covered in garbage and unnoticeable.

The city itself was like Jake would imagine any other city of that era to look like. All the space was either paved over, cobblestoned over, or occupied by multistory brick houses. The streets were clogged with cars and the middle had lines for railcars to use. Every once in a while he passed by a horse and buggy rig. The sky was muddled with a haze of smoke and exhaust. Surprisingly the air wasn’t clearer; it was thicker, like too many people were all trying to breathe it at once. He would have thought that the air would be cleaner in the past, but it wasn’t.

There were more troubles for him to consider besides the air quality. He had to figure out how to get home. Jake didn’t build the time machine, not all of it. Dirk did most of the work since it was his ancestor's plans they were using. Jake helped out with a few things; he wasn’t at a complete loss when it came to this kind of thing. Dirk often sent him little projects to do in his spare time, most of them were tiny robots he hoped to assemble and enter in various high school science fairs. His friend was aiming to be a top engineer even before he started college. Dirk’s skills skyrocketed once he was in school and had access to more equipment. All his teachers were blown away at his mind and his creations. They said he’d be the new leader in human aiding robots; his inventions would change the world, and possibly save lives. Everyone he knew boasted about how much Dirk Strider had going for him, how bright his future would shine.

However…Jake thought darkly, now he won’t do any of that. His future was gone and Jake partially blamed himself. He botched the time machine rescue plan and now was stuck in the past with no way to get home. “I guess my future died too, didn’t it?” He asked himself. Before his mind could go any deeper he decided that he was going to try to repair the machine himself before getting too sad. It could be an easy fix; Jake hadn’t had the time to truly examine it. The answer could be simple. Or, on the other hand, it could be incredibly complex and he’d be stuck here forever.

But before he could even start considering the possibility of fixing the time machine he had to figure out what to do presently. He still didn’t have a place to stay, nor did he know anyone in this time. Getting a job would probably be impossible, and if the machine needed any repairs that the small arsenal of tools in the emergency bag couldn’t handle he’d be doomed. Not to mention the very real possibility of the machine being found and taken away. There was a lot that could go wrong, and it was a daunting task to think of everything while trying to find the Strider residence. So he decided to focus on one thing at a time.

Dirk lived in a sturdy looking brick house of about three stories. Jake was impressed, so impressed that he had to check the address three times before walking up to the door. He presumably lived in such a big place alone. Jake had no idea how he could afford it. The house wasn’t very wide, and shared the street with six other similarly styled houses. He knocked on the door and waited for a response. A few minutes of silence passed before he knocked again. The same reaction came from inside. Jake was feeling dejected and turned to sit on the step, “Perhaps Mr. Strider is out?” Though he clearly remembered Dirk telling him he could be found at the address. “He implied that he’d be there all day, but maybe I was mistaken?”

He got up and tried one more time, this time he noticed a small button by the door, there was a note that said “Press Button for Answer”. “Is this some sort of doorbell?” Hesitantly Jake pressed the small white button and waited for a response. He took a step back as the door opened and a chime sounded out throughout the house. An automated voice spoke through speakers, “Welcome, please step inside, Strider will be there shortly.”

Jake took a few steps inside the house, not quite sure what to expect. The entryway was standard for a house of its size and style. The first thing he saw was a stairway on the left that lead up to the second and third floors, and off to the right was a set of double doors that he assumed went to a family room or dining hall. Beside the stairwell was a hall that led straight back and disappeared through another set of double doors. “This guy must be loaded,” he thought to himself, the house seemed much too large for one person.

Jake’s patience was running thin as he stood in the doorway, there was still no answer. So he pushed the button again and resumed waiting. The same chimes could be heard through the rooms, however this time a voice spoke at the end of the ringing instead of at the start. “Excuse me Sir or Madame, but Master Strider will be with you shortly. Continued ringing of the front door will not produce a faster result.”

“Master? Well isn’t he full of himself?” He didn’t know what to think of the guy anymore. Dirk claimed Jake was mysterious, but Jake was beginning to believe he was the far more mysterious one. He gives random presumably hobos his address and money, then disappears without much explanation. The layers that Dirk probably had were vast; Jake didn’t even want to begin to try to unravel them. His thoughts picked up again, “Perhaps it would be best to distance myself from a character like that?”

But he still couldn’t shake the familiarity he felt around this man. He’d only been around Dirk for maybe an hour, possibly a bit longer, but he couldn’t stop thinking that it was natural. Dirk didn’t seem threatening, intimidating sure, but threatening? Jake wasn’t so sure anymore. Logically he should see him as a danger, but emotionally Jake couldn’t shake off the memories of his friend Dirk. It was probably their looks and even their voice; it lulled Jake into a false sense of security. He was pretty sure that in his distraught state anyone who resembled Dirk could make him feel safe. Which is exactly what appeared to have happed, seeing as how he was now standing in a strange house waiting for the even stranger owner.

Jake was about to tap the button for a third time before the light sound of feet could be heard coming from the stairwell. “Sorry to keep ya’ waiting like that.” Dirk appeared in sight and with a swift few movements was right in front of Jake. “I knew you’d come. I’m usually about ninety-seven percent correct when I judge people. Now, if you’d follow me I’ll show you to the guest room.”

“That’s erhm,” Jake stammered, “not exactly what I came here for.”

“Oh?” The gleam was back in Dirk’s eyes. Jake was proving to be interesting yet again and Dirk took the bait like a catfish to canned corn. “Then what are you here for English?”

The money that Dirk had given him previously was extended out in an open hand, “I can’t accept this.”

“Why not? It was a gift,” Dirk said calmly, he was quite interested in what Jake had to say.

“It doesn’t feel right. It doesn’t sit well with me to just take money without doing anything to earn it I guess. So here you go, I’d rather not have it.”

Unbeknownst to Jake he had just sprung a trap on himself. “I see…” Dirk lowered his gaze from Jake’s face to the money in his hand, “well in that case, you’ll be working for it then.”

“What?” Jake exclaimed.

Dirk smirked, “You did just get done saying that it didn’t feel right to just take the money, so you’ll be ok with working it off then? There should be no problems with that.”

“T-That’s not what I meant!” Jake protested. “I was just saying that I can’t-“

“Accept free money, well now it’s not free. You’ll stay with me and work it off. That’ll clear all debts then.”

Jake took a step back until he was against the door, “Debts? I have no debts with you. I’m giving back the money, right now, here take it.”

“What about the coffee and cakes? Is that not a thing you ate that I provided?”

Green eyes widened and Jake’s mind whirled, “I knew it,” he thought, “I knew he was no good!” “Ok that’s bullhonky and you know it!” At Dirk’s raised eyebrow Jake continued, “That meal was free, your little friend down at the café told me so!”

“Who? Jane? You met with her?” Dirk laughed, “Well then, looks like I can’t use that on you then.”  

Jake threw the money on the ground and turned to leave, “Yeah I met her, she said you were a decent guy, but it seems like you’re only out to entrap me.”

“En…shit wait hold up!” But Jake had already shut the door. “Well fuck.” Dirk opened the door but Jake was already across the street and running at a fair pace. “Going after him would probably end up in disaster…” Dirk shut the door and trudged up the stairs to the third floor. He pressed a small button near the rail, “Sawtooth, open the door to my bedroom.”

“Right away Sir,” an electronic voice responded.

Dirk fell face first on his bed and rolled over to stare at the ceiling. “Wow were my calculations off…” He held up a hand and watched his fingers flex and relax, “I was so certain that boy would be staying with me…” He brought his arm down and rested it on his forehead. “What is wrong with me? Why am I obsessing over him? This…this is obsession right?” Dirk rolled over to his side and saw thick, dark, clouds rolling in from the south. “He’s a stranger plain and simple…why is he in my thoughts like this? This is not normal, natural, or healthy.”

He couldn’t place it, but there something about that boy that he couldn’t let go. It wasn’t just his strange dress or behaviors, it was deeper than that. Somehow he felt like destiny was leading him to that other man. Dirk was never one to believe in a concept like destiny, he was much more fond of the provable, the fact. He believed that nothing happened unless you yourself made it happen, there was no cosmic force pulling the strings, you pulled your strings. It was easy to understand the world that way. Today threw that belief into turmoil.

There was no logic behind it, his newfound obsession with Jake. The smart, safe thing to do would be to forget about it. Leave it in the past where it belongs. But something was still nagging him in the back of his mind. Something told him not to drop it, and it wasn’t just the pretty face. He wasn’t so shallow.

Any opportunity he had to interact with that strange individual was now lost. For some reason his judgment was clouded, he hardly ever let his judgment become muddled. He should have taken a step back, thought of things in a more calculated manner. But he hadn’t, he foolishly tried to pursue a person like a lion pursued an antelope. Any sane person would have run, and apparently Jake was a sane person. The reason why he came on so strong wasn’t clear either. Dirk understood his shortcomings with other people, his brother had told him over and over again that he was an intimidating person and that he needs to work on that. He knew he takes things too fast and doesn’t see people as people. It was something he was painfully aware of. To him, people were nothing but equations to figure out and solve.

But humans weren’t mathematics, nor were they a hand of cards to be won. Dirk screwed up the moment he started weighing the odds for the outcomes, he lost the second he treated Jake English like another chemical equation. He messed up, plain and simple. And what he lost, it was more than a failed prototype or a couple bucks at a poker table. He lost the potential to unravel an individual, no; he was thinking of Jake like a problem again…what he really lost the opportunity to befriend a person who interested him on a deep and indescribable level. Obsession was something that Dirk did easily; however having that obsession be something of flesh and blood was rare.

It killed Dirk inside to know that he messed up.

“Fuck,” he groaned and sat up. “Might as well do something productive with this day,” he said to no one. He picked up a sword that was leaning against the wall and left his room. He walked down the hall and pushed through doors that led to an open room. The floors were all hardwood and polished to a shiny finish. Two of the four walls were lined floor to ceiling with mirrors while the other two where windowed. Dirk flung his shirt to the side and began stretching.

His mind loosened with his muscles and cleared with every breath he took. He then picked up his sword and slowly brought it from behind him to the front. He would take small steps forward while bringing the blade down and then he pivoted to the right, the blade following the flow of his movements. The art of swordplay had been an interest with Strider since he was a child. His older brother indulged him in this hobby and even practiced with him. It was always something he could fall back on if he had a hard day. Bringing that sword down in powerful strokes was like meditation. During most parts of his day his brain was always moving, always thinking, but practicing his swordsmanship took that away. He could set himself on autopilot and let the world move around him. None of his other hobbies had such an effect on him.

Dirk often lost himself while practicing; he could be up in that studio for hours. What usually broke him out of his movements were shifts in his environment that crept up on him. Most notably was the lack of light that occurred when the sun went down. This time it was sudden contrast of lightning against the darkened room. “Wow…it’s pouring out there…” He walked to one of the windows and looked out at the city. Rain was coming down in sheets and it obscured his vision. He could see trees across the way thrashing about in the wind. Dirk could feel the hairs on his arm stand; he shivered and walked back to his room.

Another flash of lightning lit up the room and Dirk had a sudden realization as he set his sword against the wall. He remembered the reason he needed such an intense training session. “Jake…” He went back to the window and stared out at the thunderous storm. He hadn’t accepted the money, and Dirk knew he had no place to stay, which left only option. “He’s out there somewhere…” Dirk went to his wardrobe and pulled out a jacket and practically ran for the door. He paused to grab an umbrella and pressed another white button by the door, “Sawtooth, lock the place up. Standard security, passcode set to one.”

Then he stepped out into the storm, his only intent was finding Jake.

---

With burning lungs and an overbeating heart Jake finally slowed to a walk, then braced himself against a building to catch his breath. “I don’t understand why I ran,” he thought. “I wasn’t in any real danger and I didn’t even give Strider a chance to explain himself. I just stormed off like an entitled child.”

Part of him felt like going back, but the other part resisted. He figured it would be better to distance himself from someone like that anyway. This Strider seemed too emotionally manipulative, and with his weakened state of mind he could be easily taken advantage of. Jake decided that he should first return to the time machine and see if he could figure out what was wrong with it. A glance to the sky revealed that it was nearing the end of the day and he still had to walk across town.

It was dark when he did manage to find the alley that hid the machine. Even worse, it had started raining while he was searching. Now he was soaked through to the bone, cold, and starting to get hungry. “Well this was a great start,” he grumbled and started tearing off bits of piled up garbage from the machine. Jake decided to make a sort of garbage wall in front of the time machine to hide it from public eye and make it easier to access.

When he finally crawled inside he was shivering and upset. With the door shut everything was dark; there was just the sound of rain pounding against steel. He rummaged around for his bag and pulled out his cell. When he flipped it open the bright screen illuminated a small area of darkness. The battery was hanging in at ninety-eight percent charged and it picked up no trace of service. Jake decided to turn off the Wi-Fi settings and change the rest to emergency mode before shutting it down. No sense in wasting its limited battery life.

Now it was dark again. He could hear the rumble of thunder in the distance. “They weren’t kidding when they said it would storm tonight.” Jake curled in tighter and tried to stop shivering. His clothes were soaked, and he didn’t have any extra, now he was regretting not using the money that Strider gave him for an extra jacket. It was spring, sure, but it was nowhere near being warm. “Frig! What I wouldn’t do for a fire or something…” A few drops of water slid slowly down his back causing the hair on his arms to rise, “Why’s it have to be so gosh darn cold? Couldn’t this adventure have happened in June and not in the middle of fucking April?”

Jake almost jumped out of his skin when another loud boom sounded out across the sky. The flashes were hidden but the sound wasn’t. He wasn’t scared of storms; in fact most times the opposite was true. Jake liked the rain and he loved storms, usually it calmed him down. But this storm didn’t have any such effects. Instead it just made him shiver and jump at every noise. He placed his face firmly against his knees and tried to focus on breathing. The corner he was curled up in was getting slightly warmer and he could feel a bit of life come back to his hands. Whatever was wrong with the time machine would have to wait until the morning. There was no way Jake would be able to fix anything in his condition. Sleep and not dying were his only priorities at the moment.

The sound of the rain almost drowned out the voice of someone calling his name. Jake sat up a bit when he heard what he thought was his name. There was silence and more pounding rain before he heard it again. Someone was definitely out there calling for a Jake. He didn’t know if he was that Jake or not. Seemed unlikely since the only two people in this time were that nice lady at the coffee shop and… “Oh.” Jake whispered on the realization of who was out there yelling his name.

Jake hesitated in answering. It was back to weighing options on his hands again. He could go with this Dirk fellow and have a warm bed tonight, or he could take his chances alone and risk hypothermia. The voice was getting further and further away. Finally Jake acted. He grabbed his bag and opened the door stepping out into the pouring rain. “Dirk!” He called once he was out on the street. “Dirk?” He said again, though to his dismay the other man seemed to be gone. His damp clothes were now soaked through once more and he felt utterly hopeless.

In the freezing rain he stood, clutching his bag to his chest and regretting more than he had ever before. He regretted turning Strider’s generosity down, he regretted giving back the money, he regretted passing up shelter during the rain, he regretted letting go of his Dirk’s hand, he regretted getting in the time machine, and he regretted not answering his phone that fateful night most of all. Now he was left with nothing and it sunk into him deeper than the cold that he felt in his bones. Dirk was gone. Now he would be gone too.

The first few tear drops he didn’t feel. It wasn’t until the trail they left on his cheek started to warm his skin did he notice he was crying. He didn’t bother to stop though; it seemed like the most natural thing to do. Crying in the rain only reminded himself of Dirk’s funeral and that didn’t help anything. He hadn’t felt this empty since the first night he had to sleep with the terrible news. It wasn’t a surprise that Jake hadn’t responded when someone grabbed his shoulder.

He didn’t register that someone was talking to him, nor did he notice or care that the rain had stopped falling on him. “Oh my god…shit you are soaked through.” A voice said worriedly. “You’re freezing…didn’t I tell you to sleep under something? What were you thinking?” He didn’t really protest when the same voice and hand started leading him away from where he was frozen in place. “Don’t die on me ok?”

Somewhere around ten minutes into his zombie shuffle Jake started to regain some sense of self. He found that his wet jacket had been removed and a dry one placed over his shoulders, there was a firm hand on his back guiding him along the sidewalk, and an umbrella had been placed over his head. When he looked over he saw that it was Dirk walking beside him with a very worried expression set on his face. “How did you…when…where am I?”

Dirk’s orange eyes quickly focused on Jake’s face, “You’re saying stuff, good. You were standing alone in the rain crying, I found you about fifteen minutes ago, and we’re about halfway to my house.”

“Sorry,” he mumbled.

“What do you have to apologize for?”

“Sorry I ran off. Sorry I hid and I’m sorry I’m causing you so much trouble.” He noticed that the front of Dirk’s shirt was wet, suggesting that he ran for some distance against the rain. “Why’d you…”

“Come looking? You had no money…and it was raining pretty hard. It just didn’t sit well with me.” He looked Jake over another time. “I’m glad I did come though, I highly doubt you would have lasted the whole night. Hypothermia sets in quickly with these cold temperatures and rain.”

“Thanks,” Jake mumbled.

Dirk laughed nervously, “Just don’t run away this time.”

They made slow progress back to Dirk’s house. The storm never stopped in its intensity. When they reached the steps Dirk pressed the buzzer on the door and an electronic voice greeted him, “Welcome to the household of Dirk Strider. He is not here right now, I’m terribly sorry for the inconvenience.”

He held the button down even when the voice had stopped talking, “Sawtooth, this is Dirk. Hella Jeff one.”

“Security pass one cleared, welcome home Mr. Strider.”

Dirk pushed the door open and said, “Sawtooth, turn on lights and unlock my door.” He moved Jake upstairs quickly and led him to his room. “Jake I want you to take these clothes and take a hot shower, don’t worry about using too much water, I have an industrial sized tank and enough money to heat it for the next millennia.” Jake just looked confused, “I like my showers, what can I say?”

Jake was then brought to a tiled room with an old-claw foot bathtub along the wall. Then he was left alone in the room where he stood shivering slightly. He shrugged off his clothes and walked over to the tub, it seemed simple enough, take a shower, rest up and be on his way. But when the warm water started trickling down his back Jake knew that somehow he was trapped here. At the very least, he wasn’t in danger of freezing to death by morning.

Dirk’s clothes fit him pretty well, about as well as his own Dirk’s did. Like his former friend this man was thinner and slightly taller than Jake was. But the clothes fit, they were loose obviously meant for sleeping in, and they were soft and seemed to trap the heat of the shower. He gave himself a once over in the fogged mirror before stepping out and heading back to Dirk’s room.

The stranger was sitting on a chair reading a book; he looked up upon Jake’s approach. “Feeling better?”

“Yes, very much so. Thank you for allowing me the use of your shower.”

“It was no problem,” Dirk said closing the book. “Now, I want a chance to talk with you. Are you alright enough for that?”

“Yes, quite so.”

“Splendid. Now, I’d like to start off with an apology.”

“Apology? I don’t follow.”

Dirk shook his head, “Of course not. I’m apologizing for my past behaviors. I came on much too strong.”

“You can say that again,” Jake muttered.

“Now,” Dirk said his eyes trained solely on Jake’s, “I was quite rude before, and I treated you as a prize to be won, like a game of cards. That wasn’t right. I’m not going to lie Jake English, I still find you fascinating and I know there has got to be more to you than meets the eye. I’d like a chance to get to know you. However, I completely understand if after tonight you would like to go it alone and make something of yourself without my help.”

Dirk stood up and showed Jake to a spare bedroom, “Everything I do tonight is simply out of sympathy. No strings attached and you can leave and never see me again.”

“I see…” Jake put a hand on the guest bed, it was perfectly made but felt like it hadn’t been used in ages. “Does your offer of shelter extend to dinner too?”

Dirk grinned, “Of course, what kind of host would I be if the kitchen was not open?” He turned and headed down the stairs. Jake was correct in his earlier assumption that the hallway beside the main staircase led to a back room that could be the kitchen. “Sorry,” he apologized while opening a refrigerator that Jake could have sworn was in the wrong time period.

“Excuse me, Dirk, uh that is a mighty fine cooling machine you have there.”

Strider turned to look at Jake’s widening eyes, then back at his refrigerator, “Oh right, you’re a country boy. Did you have a refrigerator back home?”

Jake eyed the floor nervously and shifted his weight to another foot, “Well, yeah, I mean, we did. It was tiny though, and not like this.”

He got a smirk in return, “Well, I have access to funds greater than your family probably had, not to boast. But I also found the recent models severely lacking in their performance. What you see here can’t be bought, I practically made it myself.”

“What the hell do you do for a living?” He hadn’t meant to ask that question out loud.

“I’m an electrician,” Dirk replied without missing a beat. “You like omelets right? That’s easy to make and should sit well with your stomach.”

“Y-Yes I do, but why give a damn about my stomach?”

“Well, for starters you spent hours in the cold and rain, you might be coming down with something. I’ll see if we have any medication upstairs, second you’ve only had cakes and coffee today unless you found something in the trash.” He paused and looked back at Jake, “You didn’t find anything in the trash did you?”

“No, I’m not that desperate.”

“Well I don’t want to overdo it by serving some grand meal, so a simple omelet will do, unless you just want the eggs, not as showy, but they’ll do.”

Jake took a seat at one of the small tables, “Anything’s fine, thanks.” He rested his head on his hand, “Just no peanuts, I’m deathly allergic to those.”

“Thanks for telling me your grand weakness English,” Dirk laughed.

“Yeah…” Jake kept thinking about all the crazy out of place stuff in Dirk’s house, he was beginning to feel like maybe he wasn’t the strangest thing within these walls. “So…electrician?” Dirk nodded. “Is that why you have fancy electric stuff all over?”

“You got it,” Dirk turned off the burner and set a plate down in front of Jake. “I don’t often have guests over, sorry if my cooking is a bit rusty.”

“It’s no problem, I was just…admiring your house,” Jake took a few bites; delighted he hadn’t fallen over dead.

“You don’t know much about me Jake, which honestly I find a bit surprising, but if you stay here…well you’ll learn a lot more.” Dirk seemed to stare off into the distance, “There are a lot of strange things in this world Jake. And there are also many wondrous things as well. Both in nature, and in man.”

Jake chuckled a bit, “And you said I was the interesting one.”

After the late night meal Dirk accompanied Jake back up to the guest room. “I do truly hope you stay here English, but I shall leave you now to your thoughts. Good night.”

“Oh, uh, good night.” And with that, Jake was alone once more. He spotted his bag lying next to the bed, “Dirk must have brought it in,” he thought as he sat down on the bed and opened it. The bag itself was wet, but the contents inside were still dry. “Thank god,” Jake said under his breath. He pulled out the journal and thumbed through the pages, none of them were damaged. Next he took out his phone and checked it over too. He was satisfied that everything was safe and decided that his brain needed time to process everything that had just happened.

He reached for the bedside lamp and reflected on the day. Outside the storm still raged on, lightning lit up the room, but Jake was running out of such energy. Alone in a strange new place he fell asleep, still questioning what tomorrow would bring.