Chapter 30

Bobby

Present

8:30 PM

Bobby breathed, coughed, and twisted to his side. "Fucking hell. Were you using me as a doorstop?" Every nerve-ending fired as he flexed his fingers and toes to work the blood back into them. "My body wasn't this beat up the last time I travelled through time." He'd finally found the right pattern to power the spell. Like Kansas had said, all it needed was the proper beat to get him back.

He was going to miss nineteen forty-seven and Jessica. That time had grown on him. Hopefully, she'd be okay.

"Maker! You're back," Barbie squealed. "Sorry, I had to throw you around."

He turned to the voice and saw a blond-pink blob wrestling with a shorter black blob, maybe a woman.

"Who the fuck is that?" he said, squinting at the brightness. Each movement sent waves of agony shooting through his body. Wincing, he focused his eyes and whistled as the scene came into focus.

"Dammit, girl, you're powerful." He recognized her now. She was Yichen's secretary. "How are you stopping her, Barbie?"

"I don't know." Barbie elbowed the secretary in the ribs. Steam rising from her shoulders. "She's a slippery one," she said, panting, "and I'm losing my strength. Even at half excel, I can't keep up."

The secretary staggered back, clutching her chest. Barbie followed it with a roundhouse kick to the side, sending her bouncing off a pillar. Barbie grabbed a piece of a broken chair and pounced on the woman.

"These pillars are the only thing---." She swung the chair leg at Wu's head, but was cut off as the other woman wrestled Barbie to the ground.

Ming was crawling to his left. "Bobby! I thought you were stuck in forty-seven." He heard the relief in Ming's voice. The Detective stood to his right, cradling one arm and mashing the computer keys.

"Put my computer down, Detective. You don't want to break it." Bobby turned to Ming. "Where are we? And who broke all my bones?" Bobby groaned as he sat up. His bones started knitting together, like tiny pinpricks administered by a jackhammer. Steam rising from his body. "It looks familiar, but no way is it your place." The piano and collection of guitars were beyond anything a policeman could afford.

"We're at the Shujing," Ming said. "This is my Uncle's penthouse. What happened? Is Jessica okay?"

Bobby nodded, ducking his head as another piece of chair flew past him. "She and Jim were starting something when I left. I don't know if it'll last, but she seemed to like him. He gave her your package."

Ming smiled and lowered her head. Bobby could have sworn she was crying. He turned away. It wasn't polite to watch when people were vulnerable.

He ducked his head as another piece of furniture came flying at him. He couldn't see Barbie anymore. The fight must have moved into the kitchen based on the jingle of dishes breaking.

"Why'd you have to come back, Washer?" said Yichen.

"Lee Chang? That you?" Bobby squinted. Everything was still blurry. He scratched his head, wincing. After the cold pain of Catherine's wound, feeling the fire of his bones knitting together was unpleasant. "What are you doing here? Did you help Ming get back?"

Yichen rushed forward. The sheath of his cane dropped to the floor with a clack.

"What are you doing?" Bobby yelled, twisting to the right, flopping against a piano leg and stopping. The blade slashed the floor, missing his head. Yichen brought it around, slicing Bobby across his back.

"Dammit! What are you doing? That hurt!" He grabbed his back, and his fingers came back sticky. "I'm still healing from whatever fucked up games you were playing with my body, and that just gives the nanites more work to do. I can't get any more. You're going to burn them out before they finish."

The detective lumbered towards the old man, his arm hanging at an odd angle. Yichen must have been on some powerful drugs, the way he ducked under the Detective's grip and used the handle of his cane to send the Detective stumbling back into one of the pillars in the room, knocking pictures of a family to the floor.

"Dean!" Ming shouted. "Uncle, what are you doing?"

"Slazney wants you, Bobby, more than anything else. I can't let him have you. I was happy to see you dead and your computer out of power. If I could have, I would have destroyed it myself. I wish you hadn't come back." He was gasping for breath, clutching his chest. His face was grimacing in pain.

"My heart," he groaned.

Bobby could still feel the bones in his legs knitting together. He was able to bend his knees, but there was no way he could stand now. Yichen was coming too close.

"I don't want anything to do with Slazney. He screwed me over as well, and he's trying to change too much. He failed in forty-seven, but I'm ready for him." Bobby grimaced. He wasn't healing fast enough.

"That doesn't matter. He controlled you once, he'll do it again." Yichen stepped forward.

"Maker!" Barbie rushed the old man and tackled him. His cane went flying and clattered on the ground. "Stay down!" She stood over him, panting. Bobby couldn't see the secretary.

He was groaning on the ground and clutching his chest. He raised his head and said, "Wu. It's up to you." His arm fell, and he stopped moving. He was breathing, but it looked shallow.

"Uncle!" Ming yelled, crawling to him. She was still healing, too. "Get away from him!" she shouted at Barbie.

Her face was angrier than when his mother caught him and Vlad stealing cookies from the neighbour. Ming cradled Yichen's head, rocking it. After the concern she showed for Jessica, Bobby wasn't surprised. She cared about people more than a story, no matter what she said.

"Sorry! I didn't mean to hurt him, even if he touched my tushy." Barbie panted. She was running out of breath. "Maker! Look out!"

Bobby rolled to the side, missing the foot that would have gone through his back. He stopped moving when he hit the pillar closest to the remains of a desk. Wu's foot shattered through the floor, and she toppled over.

"How did you see me coming?" she asked Bobby. She was getting back to her feet and stalking over to him.

"I didn't," Bobby grunted. "Anybody could smell you coming. When was the last time you took a bath?"

Wu's face turned hard.

Barbie rushed in front of her and stood over Bobby. "If you want the Maker, you'll have to go through me, you meanie."

"You have strength but no skill. You haven't been able to stop me yet, girl." Wu circled to the left of Barbie, and her palm shot out, catching Barbie in the nose. Barbie staggered back, kicking Bobby, and landed in a flower pot by the desk, toppling it over.

"Ow!" Bobby winced.

"Sorry, Maker." Barbie shot forward and grabbed Wu in a bear hug, pushing her back against the wall.

"Give me my computer!" Bobby shouted to Dean. "Slide it over here, then go help out Barbie!"

"It's out of power!" Dean yanked the cord from the wall and wrapped it around the laptop. He slid it across the floor toward Bobby and glanced at where Barbie and Wu were fighting. Clutching his broken arm with his right one, he ran across the room.

"No problem." Bobby stopped the computer with his foot and gritted his teeth as a tsunami of pain travelled up his body. "There's a trick you have to follow." He stuck the charger in the slot in the back and connected it to the outlet under where Yichen's desk used to be.

Flipping the computer, he ripped off the battery cover and flicked a switch. The machine powered up. Without the limiter, the machine would charge up twice as fast. It would also burn out twice as quickly. He didn't care. He needed this finished.

Dean tried to tackle Wu and give Barbie a hand. Wu grabbed the Detective by his broken arm and spun him into another pillar, clipping Barbie in the process. He went down with a grunt of pain. Barbie staggered, and Wu grabbed her by her shirt. She smacked Barbie back and forth across the face, dropping her to her knees. Holding her head, Wu brought her knee to Barbie's chin, smashing it back and forcing her to the ground. Barbie stopped moving.

She was breathing, but the spark was gone from her eyes.

"It's over, Window Washer." Wu limped past Ming and stood over Bobby.

Her foot was dripping blood, and there was a hole in it. The front doors opened, and a massive shadow made its way into the room.

"Baba -- Yaga," Bobby whispered, his eyes going wide.

Dean struggled to stand, but couldn't get his legs under him.

"Wu, leave him alone!" Ming yelled. She was massaging Yichen's chest, trying to keep his heart from stopping.

"Fucking hell!" said Bobby, backing up. "I didn't make it out of the desert to die here. I still got a Crue concert I want to see."

The pillar behind Bobby shattered into dust, and two large, meaty hands wrapped themselves around Wu's head and pulled it forward. She bounced off the broken wood and slumped to the side. A piece of the pillar jutted from her left eye, and blood gushed down her face. The other one was open but stared at nothing. Her chest was moving. He didn't know whether to be relieved or not.

Turning around, shocked, Ivan stepped around the pillar and looked down at him.

Dean Lifante

8:40 PM

Dean watched the big Russian dust the rubble from his suit from where he huddled on the ground, cradling his arm. Where the hell had he come from? There's no way he could know where to find them. He tried to get up, but the secretary had hurt him badly. His arm was broken, and he could barely feel his legs. They felt like someone had torn them off, dripped them in molasses and shoved them back on, upside down. That last toss had been the worst. His arm snapped in a different place. It was getting difficult to breathe. Shock was setting in.

"Ivan!" Bobby crab walked backwards away from the big man. He bumped into the wall in the back and couldn't go any further. "What the fuck are you doing here?" he giggled. Bobby was scared. Dean couldn't remember him not shouting a curse word.

Ivan ignored the damage in the room and strode towards Bobby. He reached down and picked him up by his shirt.

"Careful. This is a limited edition signed Crue shirt," he babbled, hitting Ivan's arm. "I have enough blood on it."

Dean looked over at Barbie. She was still holding her head. Looking ... human for a change. Whatever had given her the strength to take Ivan down the first time was gone. The beating Wu had given her had been too much. He watched as she tried to get up but collapsed to the floor.

Ming was still holding Yichen and cradling his head. The old man was still breathing, but he was in trouble. Blood bubbles were popping from his mouth.

It was up to him.

Ivan turned around and started for the computer, dragging Bobby behind him.

"Dammit!" Dean forced himself to stand. He looked for a weapon, anything to take him down. He'd already lost to the big man twice. He still had his backup piece, but with how shaky he was feeling, hitting the floor with it would be a challenge.

"Hey, Mountain Man!" He took one step, then another and another and plowed into the big Russian's legs. No matter how big something is, they have to have a weak spot. The sudden jolt caused him to drop Bobby.

"Get outta here, you fucken roadie," Dean yelled, trying to trip the big Russian. Nothing had worked before, but he was out of options.

Ivan reached down and picked up Dean by the belt.

"What the hell?" shouted Dean, punching Ivan's hand with his good one. Ivan raised Dean to eye level and sighed. The stub of a tongue was clear in his mouth.

"Let me down, you freak!" Dean yelled, heart racing.

Ivan shrugged, raised his arm back, and tossed Dean into the wall, ass-first, driving the breath from his lungs. He smashed through the treated wood and hung with his back hanging out the other side, breath coming out in gasps. Spots and stars fought with each other across his eyes, and Ming shouted his name through a fog. It sounded good coming from her.

Looking up, he watched as Ivan lumbered forward, grabbed the two structural supports and brought them down on top of Dean. Dust and plaster filled his lungs. He gasped for air as his life flashed before his eyes.

"Welcome, Rookie. I hope you can live up to your name." Zacoski said as the lumber covered his head. He still wondered what Zacoski was hiding.

"I'm Ming Na Liu. Nice to meet you. I want to help you uncover the truth, and I will make you trust me."

She certainly did. The darkness filled his eyes, and something pierced his side. He let out a grunt. More dust invaded his mouth, choking him.

"Not guilty!"

Ming hugged him, and Zacoski patted his shoulder when the judge dismissed the case against him and sentenced his ex-wife to three years for perjury. The open hatred on her face was the only stain.

The light faded as darkness swallowed him.

Why didn't I tell Ming how I felt about her?

Ming Na Liu

8:45 PM

"Dean!" Ming shouted, putting Yichen's head on the ground. She rushed over to the broken wall and tried to dig him out. His broken arm poked through the rubble, but the rest was buried. "What the hell do you think you're doing?" she yelled at Ivan, tears spilling down her face. Pulling at the boards on the top, some of them shifted and collapsed further on Dean.

"No!" Ming shouted.

Ivan turned away from her and started back to Bobby.

"Fuck!" Bobby said, backing away from the big man. "Stay away from me!"

"Maker! Please run!" Barbie said, standing. Her nose was broken, and blood covered her chin. She looked like she had one foot in the grave.

Ivan stopped and started swaying, startling everyone. He put his hands to his head and rocked back in a silent scream.

"What's happening?" Ming asked Bobby.

"The fuck if I know. He could be having a meltdown," Bobby shrugged, crawling

toward his computer. "This is more emotion than I've seen him show in years."

Grunting, Ivan dropped his arms to the side, then winced and turned to the left. He walked over to Yichen and picked him up by his shoulders. The old man's head was weak and flopped forward.

"What are you doing, Russian?" Yichen said. His voice was weak and tired.

"Put him down!" Ming stood up and clenched her fists, tears dried on her face. Blood dripped from her fingers; her palms were cut from shifting the wood. The nanites had stopped healing her body. Bobby said twenty-four hours. Was there another limit? Whatever damage she had from her time travel trip had been reversed. "He's not a danger to you."

"Yes, but he has interfered too many times," a new voice said from the doorway. A young man in a simple blue button-down shirt with a squeegee over the pocket stepped through. He was holding a tablet computer and swiped up. "Finish it, Ivan."

"Chip?" Ming's jaw dropped. "Squeegee's R' Us, Chip!" This is impossible.

"What the fuck are you doing here, Chip?" Bobby yelled from the other side of the room. He slouched on the wall on the far side of the room. His damage had been more extensive.

"Setting an example," Chip said. He wasn't smiling, raised a finger high in the air and tapped something on the tablet.

Ivan winced and shook, tears flowing down his face.

"Stop it!" Ming yelled, stalking toward Chip. She smashed against an invisible wall, just outside arm's length. "What the hell?"

"I'm not making the same mistake as I did with your father, dear," Chip said, leering.

"Slazney!" Ming put her hand to her mouth and stepped back.

"Yes." He turned back to Ivan. "You know what I want, Ivan. Do it, and you can go back to Gregory, but without Petor!" He pushed the button again.

Ivan stopped trembling and grabbed Yichen's head. Mouthing something, he twisted. The crack filled the room, bringing silence with it.

"Grandfather!" Ming collapsed. She couldn't think, couldn't breathe. This was too much. She couldn't take her eyes off the big man.

Yichen fell to the floor. Dead. Ming couldn't see any light in his eyes. Ivan staggered and moved towards the back. Chip slapped the tablet a few more times and sighed. He dropped his arm, and Ivan left through the emergency door across from where he had smashed Dean into the wall.

"Thank you, Ivan. I'll see you again." Chip sighed as the door closed.

With Ivan gone, Ming turned her head and stared at Yichen, her uncle/grandfather. She had hated the man. He was overbearing and opinionated, but also always there to help her family when they needed him. Giving advice and helping out. His dancing was atrocious, but now he would never have the chance to get better.

She turned to the pile of debris. Dean was still there, and Ming had no idea if he was alive or dead. She bent forward and pounded her fist against the floor.