Ticking Clock Page #5

for what they think are the right reasons.

So, you don't think people intend evil?

No. I've seen too many kids.

They wanna be good.

Then life just doesn't work a certain way,

and wrong choices

have a way of multiplying.

Even Hitler didn't think he was evil.

He thought he was saving the world.

Manson, too, in his own way.

But what if you could kill Manson or Hitler

when he's still a child?

No way. They're children.

They're not Hitler or Manson. Not yet, no.

You're talking about James.

He's had a troubled life,

but there's hope for him.

- He's just a child.

- People are dead because of him.

- Who? James?

- And more people are gonna die.

- What are you talking about?

- What's your name?

What?

- Your name. What's your name?

- Polly.

Anne.

Anne is my birth name,

but because of my sunny disposition,

my friends called me Pollyanna.

Polly for short.

It's a nickname that sort of stuck.

What is going on?

Why are you carrying a gun?

Anne Brighton. I have to stop this.

I'm sorry. Please don't go anywhere.

It's not safe. I have to...

Freeze! Police!

- Wait! Wait, wait!

- Get down! Get down!

He's gonna kill Polly.

- Down! Down! On the ground, now!

- Gordo! Wait, wait! He's gonna kill Polly.

Anne Brighton! He's gonna kill Polly.

- Get down! Now!

- Anne Brighton, she's next on the list!

Gun. Gun!

You don't understand!

I'm trying to save her life!

She's the one who called us.

Said you were acting all crazy,

threatening a child.

- You don't understand!

- Louis, Louis, calm down.

Louis Hicks,

you have the right to remain silent.

- Gordo, listen to me!

- Anything you say...

Anything you say can and will be used

against you in a court of law.

Listen to me, Gordo!

The boy and the killer are the same!

- You have the right to talk to a lawyer...

- The boy and the killer are the same!

...while being present!

- The boy and the killer are the same!

Louis...

Copy that. I'll tell her.

Okay, miss, you can relax.

We have him in custody.

Thank you. That's great.

- Good night.

- Good night.

Call me if you need me.

- All right.

- All right.

You betrayed me, Anne.

Polly. Anne. Whatever your name is.

You don't know it yet,

but you're about to betray the boy.

And I can't let you do that.

I'm sorry. You were like a mother to me.

- Time travel?

- Those things he said.

"You'll never write another book."

"I'm making things right."

He had a revenge fantasy as a child,

and now he's making it happen.

Listen, his next victim, Anne Brighton,

is April 22nd, today.

And you think this because an 11-year-old

told you he wants to make a time machine.

Check the date on the article.

It's more than 20 years from now.

Come on. My kid can make that

on her laptop in five minutes.

There's a cloth from his jacket

that hasn't even been invented yet.

- Where is it?

- Listen to me! You're not listening to me!

Listen to me!

Everyone connected to him is dead.

Felicia was the DA on his custody case.

Vicki Ihling was the teacher

that returned him to the orphanage.

The boy... The boy is the only thing

they both had in common.

They also had you in common.

Your lawyer's here.

Detective, I'd like a private conference

with my client.

Sure.

Thank you.

Did you mean it? When you said,

"Cross my heart and hope to die"?

I thought we were friends.

We went to the zoo together.

That wasn't so long ago, was it?

Now I'm all grown up.

And I get to fix the world, my world.

To make it a better place for that boy.

That boy who never meant to hurt anyone,

that boy who just wanted a chance.

A chance, a chance, a chance.

Random counter, root applied to...

You're insane.

Time travel is complex.

You have no idea how complex.

I have to choose the exact moment in time

to end someone's lifespan

so the ripple effect

has the specific impact I want it to have.

Do you know the sheer number

of calculations necessary?

It would blow your mind.

I thought we were friends.

Why are you doing this to me?

To you?

You don't get it, do you?

You promised that you'd come back for me.

You never did.

I waited and waited for months.

Do you know how long a month is

for a little boy waiting for his hero to return?

- I'm sorry, James.

- Don't you f***ing call me that.

I ran away from that sh*t-hole orphanage.

I lived on the streets

until I was old enough to lie my way

into joining the army.

They've taught me how to kill

in so many different ways.

Then they sent me to school.

Turns out I had a real facility for math.

Worked on some classified sh*t.

You gave me that idea, you know?

You told me,

"You can be anything you choose.

An inventor, even."

Hey. You wanna see it?

I made it portable.

Nanotechnology.

Are you proud of me?

Time to go.

- Wait.

- Bye-bye.

- Wait!

- Okay.

See, you don't get it.

Every move you make,

I've already planned for.

Oh, no.

I probably should have

warned you about that.

The first jump

really messes with your insides.

I remember my first jump.

It was a sweaty, filthy evening 11 years ago.

I cut her heart out. Dear Mom.

Rest her soul.

I paid her back in advance

for a lifetime of misery.

She was the definition of shitty mom.

Addict, fondler.

Killing her didn't solve anything,

and they then sent me to live

with Aunt Carol,

who made my crack-whore mommy

look like a saint.

So, I offed her, too.

But I couldn't stop there.

You see, every time I fixed something,

something else needed to be fixed.

Time doesn't like to be messed with.

But that's when I figured it out.

You're the problem.

Each time I revisited this week in my life,

you were always there to mess things up,

so this time, I made you part of the solution.

The future, in black and white.

You see, you bring the boy here,

and he becomes a hero.

See, I never had a chance.

You're his chance, his only chance.

My chance. Now, go get him. He trusts you.

Not sold? Okay.

If you don't bring the boy back here

in 15 minutes,

I'm gonna gut her

and make her eat her own intestines.

You'd better hurry.

No. No! No, no, no, no, no.

What do you mean

you never saw them leave?

What the f*** did they do?

Beam up to the mother ship?

Like I said, when I came in the room,

they were gone.

Gone? They Houdini'd out of here, right?

That's what I'm supposed to believe?

That's bullshit! It just doesn't happen!

The social worker, she was on the list, right?

- She's next?

- Yeah.

But he kept talking about the boy,

so he might have

headed back to the orphanage.

Okay. Okay. I'll take a team there.

You take Maddox and go check on that girl.

- Louis?

- Hey, James.

What are you doing here?

I came back for you.

Yeah?

I'm gonna get you out of here.

Okay, come on.

Okay, buddy, get your shoes on.

Okay, go, go. Go, go, go.

I'm sorry I'm not what you thought

the future would look like.

Listen to me. I need you to stay in here.

- Why?

- Just trust me, please.

Where's the boy?

You let her go and I'll tell you.

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