Echoworld

"Did you do that?"

She shrugged and nodded. Shaun grabbed the corpse under the arms and dragged it across the street to a dark alley, while they talked.

"Were there any others?" Eric asked seriously, looking around.

"No."

"Odd. They don't normally work alone. Come on, let's get you two a key and a room." He stepped aside, allowing her to go first as he once more scanned the street for the dead man's companions. He saw Shaun and motioned for him to hurry.

Once they were all in the small office, Eric shut and locked the door.

"What's the big deal? He was alone and I dealt with him," Wren said, confused.

"Normally, they aren't alone. It's very rare that a single attack occurs. People like this travel in groups of three, so that they will utterly overwhelm the person," Eric explained.

Shaun shook his head, relieved. "It's over now. Room, Eric?"

He grinned evilly. "There's only one left. You two will have to share."

Shaun glared at him, blushing slightly. "Fine."

Wren gave Eric a cool glance and stood next to the stairs in the corner of the room. As Shaun moved to join her, Eric grabbed his arm. "She's special. Something about her. In any case, do your damndest to protect her."

Shaun nodded. "I will."

Eric changed back into his teasing self. "Now go up to the room and have a good time." Shaun hit him in the shoulder. Eric, still smiling, rubbed his shoulder and returned to his room, shutting the door behind him.

Wren and Shaun walked up to their room wordlessly. Once inside, Shaun flipped the light on, revealing a small room with a single bed and a desk right next to it. Someone had scratched into the wood of the desk "The further forward we travel, the farther back we end up." Underneath that, someone else had written "TIME/HISTORY."

Shaun sat awkwardly on the bed. Wren read what the table said, then looked to Shaun.

"If it will make you feel better, I'll sleep on the floor," she offered.

Shaun shook his head. "That wouldn't be fair. You're the girl, after all."

"What is that supposed to mean?" she flared.

"Nothing! Nothing. Forget I even said it."

She sat next to him, with her hands clasped together. "Is he the echo of the man you're supposedly giving me to?"

"Supposedly?"

"I am not given to anybody. I will choose who I want to give myself to. You'd have a very hard time trying to give me to Eric - I'd fight it the whole way."

"Yes, he is the echo of my friend. But their personalities are very different. The real Eric is much more fun to be around."

"Still..." She clicked her thumbnails together nervously. "I've seen all my echoes. They're all pretty much useless. So, if you want to do your job...well, I won't stop you."

Shaun looked at her, contemplating. Lyrea would pay him extremely well for ridding the Alpha universe of Wren. He would be considered a hero. And he was being stupid, letting emotions get in the way of his job. But she was so pretty, smart. Accepting. She was handing her life to him so he could finish an assignment he gave himself.

And then there was the matter of her age. Every other echo was fourteen years older than the girl he found himself staring at. Time does travel at different speeds in different universes, but not years different. Because the year was the same in both Alpha and Delta, he induced that every universe was in the same year, but different time frames.

The further forward we travel, the farther back we end up. History repeats itself constantly.