No Future Christmas (22 page)

A lump formed in Mike’s throat.
No one had ever said
anything so beautiful to him.
He kissed her wet lips, tugging on the full
bottom lip.
“We’re never getting out of here if you continue to do that.”
Shauna had been rubbing her hands up and down his chest, going lower and lower
and lower.

“That’s the plan, big boy.” She licked his chest and
followed the same path down to his thighs.
Hard and ready, Shauna stroked and
squeezed him until he was on the brink of losing control.
She offered him the
same treatment he gave her and took him in her mouth.
Mike couldn’t take it
anymore and shuddered his approval of her technique.

* * * * *

Over breakfast Mike asked Shauna, “What’s your plan for
getting us back?”

“I’m thinking about that.” She scooped up the scrambled eggs
and bacon.
After a bite of toast she said, “I think I’ll program us to arrive
after the chase we escaped from.
I’ll put us somewhere in Switzerland.
I figure
the Global Guardians think we’re dead because the skycar crashed into the
Atlantic.
Maybe the time travel device can pinpoint Mom and Dad.
Luckily,
anything that is on a skycar computer is automatically downloaded to the
computer in the device.”

“They think we’re dead?
That’s great!
They’ve probably
already taken our names off the most wanted list.” Mike thrust his fist in the
air.
“Yes!
I’m not a criminal anymore.”

Shauna forced a cough.
“Earth to escaped felon, you are a
criminal.
You’re an enemy of the world, at least for now.
Maybe when this gets
sorted out you’ll be a hero.”

“Damn.
I don’t want hero status.
I want regular guy status.
Finished?” Mike gathered up their dishes and put them in the dishwasher just as
the doorbell rang.
“Get that, sweetheart, I’ll be right out.”

* * * * *

Shauna opened the door to a very tall, dark-haired man with
deep brown eyes.
He had wavy, black hair and the lean body of an athlete.
“Scott Forrester, I presume?”

The serious eyes raked over Shauna.
It wasn’t a leery, sexy
kind of look, it was an “are-you-good-enough-for-my-brother” look.

“And you are?”

“Shauna Wentworth, meet my brother, Scott Forrester.” Mike
said when he entered the living room.
He pulled Scott inside the apartment and
gave him a long, tight hug.
“Boy.
I sure have missed you.”

Shauna watched the two men.
Mike was tall but Scott stood
inches taller than him.
Their bone structure clearly identified them as
brothers.
Scott was extremely handsome—movie star handsome.
Shauna thought he
had a more serious side, a quieter nature.

“It’s only been two days, Mike,” Scott laughed.
“You act as
if it’s been months.”

“It has.”

Scott frowned at Mike.
“Are you all right?” He glanced at
Shauna.
“She done something to you?”

“I’m fine, Scott.
And yes, Shauna’s swept me off my feet.
Literally.”

“What?”

Mike laughed.
“Sit down.
Have I got a story to tell you.”

“I’ll make some more coffee,” Shauna said.
She stepped into
the kitchen and stared at the coffee pot.
“Coffee pot, on.” Nothing happened.
“I can’t get this to work, Mike.”

“What’s with her?” Scott asked.
“You find her in a loony
bin?”

“Hold on a minute while I go make the coffee,” Mike said.
“Believe me, it’s all part of the story.”

Once they had their coffees, Mike pulled a chair up to the
sofa, leaned forward and began his story.
Scott’s mouth gaped open for most of
it but he didn’t interrupt.

“So, that’s it.
Everything’s automatic in the twenty-second
century.
I can fly a skycar, use laser weapons and light-rays and I’m still
learning to hurl a javelin.”

Scott stared into his coffee mug.
“I don’t believe it.
That’s the most cockamamie story I’ve ever heard.”

“I can prove it,” Shauna said quietly.
“Here.” She pulled
out her travel device and pressed a button on the left side.
The hologram
screen popped out.
She pressed it again and the holographic keyboard slid out.

“Wow.” Scott stared at the instrument.
“So big deal, here’s
a fancy gadget.
Doesn’t mean it’s from 2110.”

“No, it doesn’t,” Shauna agreed.
Mike’s head swiveled toward
her in disbelief.
“But this does.” She pressed the left button a few times and
images of Mike and Shauna in the skycar trying to escape the Global Guardians
scrolled by.
Audio of their conversations, the instruments talking back, her
mother’s voice and the sharp sound of the Guardians ordering them to hover were
enough to convince Scott.

“Oh my God.” Scott sat in stunned silence.
“Time travel.
Who
would have thought it’d come true?”

“Not me, brother,” Mike said with a laugh.
“But I was there
for three months.
And I’m going back with Shauna today.”

“What?” Scott jumped up.
“You can’t put yourself in danger
again.
Why, according to you, you just got out of prison after a beating.
I’d
like to see this Pain Away thing and that Roll Away healer, by the way.
You
can’t go back, Mike.”

Mike gave his brother a stern look.
“I can and I will.”

“But…”

“I know what you’re thinking.
I have to go back and help
Shauna’s parents.
They need us.
Plus, you’d love them.
They’re the kind of
parents every kid would want.” Mike took a steadying breath and finished.
“I
don’t know if I’m going to stay or not.”

“What?” Scott shouted as he paced the small living room.
“You’re considering staying in the future?
What about me?”

“I feel the same way you do, Scott.
Slightly panicked.
I
have a good measure of it myself at the thought of giving up everything and
staying in the future.” Mike stepped closer to Scott.
“You’re a grown man.
I
know you’re still searching for your way in life.
Don’t rush anything right now.
First Shauna and I have to help her parents get the word out to the people how
corrupt the Fearsome Foursome is, then we’ll make our decision.”

“You sound as if you’re already a couple.
What’s between you
two?
Besides sex that is.”

Shauna gasped but didn’t say anything.
She knew Mike’s
brother felt threatened.
Mike was the only person left that Scott could rely
on.

“Not nice, Scott.
You know me better than that,” Mike
chastised.
“I love Shauna.
She loves me too, although I don’t know what she
sees in me.” A crooked grin split Mike’s face and Shauna fell deeper in love
with him at that moment.
She loved his concern for his brother.
It showed her
what kind of a man Mike was.

Scott turned to Shauna, a light tinge of red on his face.
“I’m sorry.
I…I…just don’t want Mike to leave me like our father did,” he
blurted out.

“I’ll never leave you, Scott.
Never.
Shauna and I will find
a way to work this out.
Say!
Maybe you can come with us to the future?”

Scott shook his head.
“I don’t think so.
I like a nice quiet
life.
No drama.
Sounds like there’s too much going on in 2110.”

“There is,” Mike said.
“Anyway, it’s too early to make
predictions about our futures.
When the time is right, we’ll discuss this
together and make our decision.”

Mollified, Scott sank to the sofa.
He hung his head in his
hands.
“This is too much too fast.
I need to process this story.”

“Take all the time you need,” Mike said.
“Shauna and I are
going back as soon as we gather some supplies.
When we’re finished there, we’ll
come home to tell you how it went.
Oh.
Don’t tell Dad about this.”

“Why would I do that?
He’d think I was nuts.
Plus, he turned
me down again for Christmas dinner at Aunt Evelyn’s.
The man’s a real hermit.
I
wonder how he sells any commercial real estate at all.
He has the personality
of a cold fish.”

“Look after the apartment, okay?”

Shauna saw Scott’s eyes narrow and knew he wasn’t happy.
She
read disbelief, loneliness and a good dose of abandonment reflected in them, as
well as in his body language.
“Scott, I’ll keep him safe.
I promise.
I love
him.”

“Oh, sure.
You did a great job of keeping him safe already.
That’s why you guys had to escape out of a maximum security prison and from
some cruel futuristic cops.”

“Not all of them are bad,” she said.
“Some are members of my
parents’ underground group, The Subversives.”

“Flying cars, hover scooters, corrupt CEOs, secret
underground organizations and military police.
Doesn’t sound like a world I
want to live in.” He ran his hand through his thick hair leaving it disheveled
and attractive looking.
“I think I’d rather go back to a more peaceful time.”

“When you find that time period, let me know,” Shauna said.
“I can help you get there.
You okay with all this now?”

“Hell no.
But I know I have to accept it.” He turned to his
brother and poked him in the chest, hard.
“You will come back.
You will be
safe.
You will not get killed.
You hear me?”

“I hear you,” Mike said in a deep, quiet voice.
“I love you
too.”

* * * * *

The preparations were set by late afternoon.
Mike and Shauna
gathered up clothes and weapons.
Shauna had purchased a few items of clothing
because she wouldn’t be able to go home.
Even though the future had plenty of
weapons, Mike wanted what he was most familiar with.
He packed his duffle bag
with his Glock 19 compact pistol, his Heckler & Koch Linerlock folding
knife and plenty of ammunition.
With one last look around his apartment he
asked, “Well?”

“Are you ready?” Shauna asked him.

“I am.
Let’s get this over with.
I want to start a future
with you,” Mike said.

Shauna’s head snapped up from the duffle she’d been zipping
closed.
“A future or a past?”

“I don’t know, love, but whatever it is I want it to be with
you.”

“Is that a proposal Mike Forrester?” Shauna stood up to her
full height almost eye to eye with the man of her dreams.

“It is.
Not the most romantic but one nonetheless.”

“I accept.” Shauna leaped onto Mike and wrapped her arms
around his neck and her legs around his waist.
She kissed him all over his face
while she held his head between her hands.

“Good.
Now let’s get this show on the road.” He patted her
behind.

Shauna jumped off him and cocked her head at a provocative
angle.
“It’s amazing I even heard that proposal in between all those sweet,
romantic things you were saying to turn my head.”

Mike laughed.
“Do your magic, love.
Your parents need us.”

Shauna’s face sobered.
“Okay, come here and touch my arm.”
When Mike placed his hand over her wrist she asked, “Got the duffle slung over
your shoulder?”

“I do.”

“Sounds like a wedding reply,” Shauna said.

“I hope you don’t plan on one of those big, fancy shindigs.
I never wanted—” The room filled with a tangerine glow and began to shimmer.
The walls faded in and out.
A high-pitched whine pierced the air.

“I look great in white,” Shauna replied as they disappeared
from the room.

Chapter Thirteen

March 31, 2110

Shauna and Mike materialized on a street in Andermatt,
Switzerland.
Shauna chose it because of its size and location.
Forty two miles
southeast of Lucerne, it lay near the junction of four alpine passes.
Good hiding
place for The Subversives.
The plateau setting of the city wasn’t spectacular
but the surrounding mountains were.
With snow from November to May, the
hard-core intermediate and expert skiers loved the city.

Few passersby noticed the light tangerine glow.
It came and
went so fast.
Most were intent on hauling their skis over their shoulders to
the nearby lifts to try the suicide runs down the Alps.
Shauna and Mike
strolled the streets looking for lime green uniforms.
There were a few men
lounging at a nearby hover scooter station but no one paid them any attention.

“Let’s find a room.
Then we can plan our strategy,” Mike
said as they ambled along the snowy street.

The gray, cloudy weather indicated an imminent snowfall and
everywhere they looked preparations for skiing were underway.
After an hour and
a half they found they’d arrived in the middle of a skier’s convention and all
the hotels were sold out.

“I have an idea,” Shauna said.
She led them to the local
real estate office.
After a quick negotiation she had the keys to a small
rental chalet.

Shauna immediately turned on the heat when they entered the
one bedroom chalet.
“Brrr.” She rubbed her hands together to warm them.
“Wonder
if there’s anything to eat in here?”

“I’ll check,” Mike said.
“You start finding a way to locate
your parents.” He opened the door to the refrigerator, slammed it, then opened
every cupboard in the kitchenette.
“Nothing.
We’d better get some supplies or
we’ll starve.
Got any money on you?
I left all mine back at Global Guardian
headquarters.”

“Yeah, they took mine too.
If I hadn’t found this pre-paid
money card in the pocket of my jacket I wouldn’t have been able to pay for the
chalet.
But it used all the credits on the card.” Shauna had a thought.
She
turned on her travel device and pushed the left button bypassing the time
travel feature and going straight to her computer.

Mike stood behind the sofa and peered over Shauna’s
shoulders at the holographic screen.
Her fingers flew over the keyboard.
“It’s
so strange seeing you type without touching any keys.
What are you doing?” Mike
asked.

“I’m accessing my accounts to see if they’re still active.
If the guardians think we’re dead, they might have deactivated them.” She typed
over the holographic keyboard, then gave a happy yelp.
“They’re still good.
But
I wonder if accessing the money will ring any alarms.”

Mike sat on the sofa next to Shauna.
“Is there anyone you
trust that you can contact.
They might be able to lend us some money.”

Shauna’s head swiveled toward Mike.
“Great idea.
Why didn’t
I think of it?
I’ll call Nathaniel Ridge, my boss.
He’s not a Subversive but he
knows about the organization and has kept its secret for all these years.
He
hates the Fearsome Foursome.
They took away his wife in the middle of the night
some years ago.
He’s never seen her since.” Shauna typed furiously then tapped
one button on the keyboard and sat back.

“What?”

“We wait.” She glanced around the small studio chalet.
“Cozy.
I like the blond-wood tables.
Very modern.
And the pictures of the Alps are
stunning.
I can see why this town is known for its suicidal ski runs,” she said
as she stared at a picture on the wall.

“Yeah, it’s nice but I don’t want to stay here too lo—”

“Contact!” Shauna interrupted.
“Nate says he’s transferred
money to a bank in Lucerne under his name.” She typed in the information and up
popped a confirmation on her holographic monitor.
“I’ve got it.”

“How does it work, sweetheart?
Do we have physical money to
hold?
I haven’t seen you use any since I first got here.”

“No.
We go to the nearest grocery, pick out what we want and
when we pay we give them the account number.
The amount’s automatically
deducted.
Most people don’t carry cash anymore.
It’s all done with prepaid
cards or account numbers.”

“Okay, so we can get some food.
Want to eat in, or out?”

“In.
I don’t want to show our faces too much.
Even if the
Global Guardians think we’re dead, if they see our faces, alive and well, we’ll
be back in their New York prison in a New York minute.”

“They still have that saying?” Mike shook his head.
“Why it
must be a hundred and twenty years old.”

“The city of New York will never get rid of that saying.”
Shauna turned off her travel device and stuck it in the pocket of her overcoat.
She grabbed her mittens, hat and scarf and said, “Let’s go get groceries.
I’m
starved.”

They were cautious on their walk to the grocery store.
Always on the lookout for Guardians, Shauna and Mike kept their hats low, their
scarves over their mouths and noses and didn’t look anyone in the eye.
Normally, that would be unusual in a resort city like this one but the cold
weather caused everyone to duck their heads to avoid the wind.
Snow now fell
and that too helped them to blend in.

They purchased enough food for two days.
Hopefully, they’d
have found her parents by then.
Once back at the chalet Shauna cooked the
beans, rice and frozen vegetables they’d bought.
Plain but simple fare, the
food tasted delicious after a day of time traveling.

After cleaning the dishes Shauna pulled out her device.
“Maybe Mom and Dad can home in on my signal.” She punched the left button in a
series of fast and short bursts and sat back to wait.

“If you have a signal, can’t the Global Guardians find it?”
Mike asked.

“Not this one.
It’s encrypted to a secret frequency used
only by a few people in my division at Travel Planet Com, Nate Ridge being one
of them.
Maybe if he gets the signal and Mom and Dad contact him, then he can
pass it on to them.”

“So we sit here and wait.”

“For a while.” Shauna glanced at Mike.
Lines marred his
forehead and his mouth turned down in a frown.
“What’s wrong?
We knew this’d be
like looking for a needle in a haystack.”

“I just don’t like inactivity.” He stepped to the window.
Colored skycars flew above them in a rainbow blur.
A few hover scooters shot
down the street.

“We can relax…get to know each other better,” Shauna
suggested in a husky voice.

Mike chuckled.
“Believe me, I intend to get to know you
quite well.” He sat down on the bed and pulled her into his arms.
“Starting
right now.”

* * * * *

“This is what you mean by getting to know each other
better?” Shauna panted.

“Sure.
What did you have in mind?”

“Oh, I don’t know, some questions like, ‘What’s your
favorite color, food, position for sex?’” she whispered.

Mike’s heart thundered next to hers.
He licked around a
nipple then left a trail of wet kisses up her chest to her collarbone and along
her neck.
He stopped at her bottom lip and lingered until she couldn’t stand it
anymore.
Her body shuddered from the cold wetness and strained for more.
Shauna
groaned.
“You make me want you all the time,” she muttered.

“Is that a complaint?” Mike sucked her bottom lip, licked it
and nipped it.

“Not exactly.”

Mike’s deep, quiet laugh flowed through Shauna.
The timbre
of it snaked through her filling all the empty, lonely holes in her and she
knew at that moment that she always wanted to hear it.
She needed that sound.
Craved it.
Shauna rolled on top of Mike.

“Taking control, huh?” he said through gritted teeth.
“I
love a woman who knows what she wants.” His hands roamed her waist and hips.
In
a slow, seductive, sensual pattern he traced light circles on her skin moving
closer and closer to her core.
When he found the sensitive center he stroked it
until she strained against his hand demanding more.

“Oh, God.” Shauna knew she couldn’t hold back, didn’t want
to.
She pushed her body forward, needing to get closer to Mike.
His finger
never left her and continued its onslaught.
Shauna’s quick pants became gasps
and her whimpers rose to cries.
She felt light, tight and stretched to the
breaking point.
Her legs were rubber, yet held him with a strength borne of
desperation.
“Now, Mike.
Now.” He stroked faster and kissed her more fervently
and she cried out when the waves of pleasure exploded over her.

Before she could catch her breath Mike rolled her over and
entered her.
Shauna was more than ready and eagerly guided him in.
He moved
with slowness at first, then thrust faster, harder.
She climbed back up the
peak and they strained together momentarily lost in the sublime feeling of
being one.
With wildly thundering hearts they crashed over the precipice and
tumbled together until they returned to earth.

It took some moments until Shauna could speak.
Her breathing
slowed.
Her body felt soft, warm and languid.
Something about this time with
Mike felt different.
Permanent.
Right.
It was as if he finally gave his whole
heart to her.
As if he’d come to a decision that settled him.
Shauna glanced at
him.
His eyes were warm brown sugar.
He looked like a man well and truly
besotted.
A flicker of fear flew through Shauna for a moment.
She hoped she was
worthy.
“Something’s different.
I feel it.”

Mike smiled but didn’t answer.
He ran his big hand over her
hip then pulled the covers over the two of them.
“I’m just so glad I found you
glowing on the street.
You’ve turned my life upside down and I wouldn’t have it
any other way.
I love you.”

Shauna blinked back tears.
No one had ever said anything so
beautiful to her.

* * * * *

Her time travel device chirped and a hologram popped out.
“Morning, daughter.
Glad you’re safe and sound,” her mother said in a happy
voice.

Shauna turned the hologram away from the bed.
“Mom!
You
found us.” She felt flustered that her mother had caught them in bed.
Especially since this had been the most incredible sex with Mike yet.
It had
been true lovemaking.

“That I did, my dear.
I see you’re well rested.”

Shauna felt the blush start at her neck and work its way up
to her face as she scrambled to find her clothes.
“Uh…right.” She shrugged her
shoulders at Mike as if to apologize for her mother’s behavior.
His face showed
his mirth at the situation.
His eyes sparkled, a wide grin split his
countenance and he held out his arms for Shauna.
No, she mouthed.
The man was
incorrigible.

“I’ve sent our coordinates to you.
Grab a skycar and you’ll
be with us in fifteen minutes.”

“Okay, Mom.” Shauna hastily pulled on her clothes then
turned the hologram screen toward her.
“We’ll get some breakfast and be right
there.”

“I’m glad your safe, Shauna.
Your last cryptic message to us
when the Guardians were chasing you helped to ease our minds when your skycar
crashed into the Atlantic,” she said on a serious note.
“By the way, I’ve sent
articles about your demise to you.
The Global Guardians have declared you both
dead.
They were pretty angry that they couldn’t apprehend you.
Don’t let them
see you’re alive.
They’ll go after you with a vengeance.”

“Right, Mom.
We’ll see you in a short while.”

Shauna and Mike stared at each other for a long minute.
“Well, we’re dead.
That answers some questions and raises more.”