ALL NOVEL Loop 255 - Part 7: Harold
“Bart, what the hell is going on? Who is that monster?” Harold yelled into the mic that fed into Bart’s earpiece, not wanting Clark to overhear anything, assuming he even could, given the new circumstances.
“One of our missing companions, no idea how he’s here though, he’s a bit of a strange one,” Bart answered.
“Okay, can you think of any coded message you can give him to break off and meet us somewhere else?” Harold asked, already packing up what little gear he had placed in the room. It was quickly nearing time to make his own escape, and unlike Bart he could just vanish off into another universe.
“Nope, I told you, not from here, and for that matter, he ain’t either,” Bart replied.
“Ask him how he found us,” Harold instructed, annoyed. Everything just kept getting more complicated.
“Hey Twonger, how’d you find me anyway, mate?” Bart yelled into the melee.
“Under Libary energies!” Twonger yelled back.
“Oh, that’s perfect then. I’m going to get the hell out of here soon. You should break off back to wherever it was you came from and find me again in a week. We can talk a lot safer then,” Bart yelled.
“Can I kill this idiot first?” Twonger asked as he sliced off one of Clark’s hands. The rest of the combatants were on the ground, and if they were still alive, Harold couldn’t tell from the camera.
“Yeah, sure, probably for the best if you do, honestly, but I’ve gotta get out here. See you in a bit then,” Bart said as he vanished.
Harold sent the electronic pulse to all the devices left behind as Bart exited, frying them all. It might be overkill, but now, with Twonger’s presence, Clark would pull out all the stops for payback. He swept the room one last time, grabbed his briefcase, and headed for the bus station where Trashcat should now be waiting.
***
Three buses and a conveniently placed car later found Trashcat sitting in the living room while Harold locked the door behind them. “It’s not safe for Bart to return just yet. We need to get to the sub-basement, and I want him to stay inside a shielded room I have down there for as long as we remain here. If that other creature can track him, it stands to reason Clark can too, so for now, the only time he will be unshielded is when we want to be found,” Harold explained to Trashcat as he slumped onto the couch for a brief rest.
“I wonder where Twonger was this whole time,” Trashcat said as she slowly stretched one of her paws out in front of her.
“Where does he normally start the loop, and what exactly is he?” Harold asked. They had briefly mentioned Twonger as one of the missing people but nothing else about him. Harold had just assumed he was another human being or, at most, another talking animal.
“Oh, he’s an alien. He and his brother killed Cal in a lot of loops, from what I heard, but then his brother died to hold the void house together. The dogs all went on a journey with him into the Under Library, and I think that’s why he can find Bart now,” Trashcat explained. Harold did not find the answer very satisfactory but decided against pushing the point for the moment. It would be far easier just to get the information from Bart and Twonger later.
“Alright, follow me to the basement. I want to get this sorted out and then get some food into me,” Harold said, standing up and walking out of the room. Trashcat followed him through three doors, two flights of stairs, and down a very hidden ladder, finally stopping and sealing a huge, heavy door behind them. He then turned to Trashcat and said: “This entire area is shielded; it should be safe for Bart to make an appearance now.”
“About time. I’ve got some news from the other side!” Bart explained as he appeared seconds later.
“What’s the news?” Harold asked. Had they figured something out?
“Andrew has apparently returned to the Under Library for help. He is determined to find a way to get you access to the time loops. According to Excalibur and Gus, he’s worried about the disadvantage we will be at if you don’t retain your memory for the next loop while at least some member of the Agency does,” Bart answered.
“Do you think he’s likely to find a solution there?” Harold asked. Bart had explained the Under Library before, but the amount of dangerous creatures there made it seem like somewhere you wouldn’t want to go without an army.
“Possibly, Wiggles or Libby might have any idea. So what are we doing about Twonger?” Bart asked in return.
“We do exactly what you suggested. In what is now a few days' time, you will manifest reasonably far from here. We give him two hours to find us, and then either he does, or you head back to the other universe. If he does, we make our escape back to the safe house and plan our next moves,” Harold explained.
“Sounds good. Has anyone got any food? The menu in the void house just ain’t as good without the capybaras,” Bart asked, finding himself a seat and relaxing into it.
***
“How much longer are we going to wait for him?” Trashcat asked. It had already been over their two-hour window, but Harold had decided to stretch it slightly. He really hoped the alien would make another appearance. He apparently normally started the loop by teleporting into Cal’s bedroom, so he was a treasure trove of insights into what had changed.
“We can’t risk too much longer; I’m already pushing it as it is,” Harold said with a sigh.
“What are ya pushing exactly,” said a voice as a large one-eye figure came into view. “Didn’t want to appear right on top of ya, wasn’t sure if this would be a trap or not, so I walked from the woods that way,” Twonger said, pointing to the trees nearby.
“Well, hopefully then, that means that way is safe because that’s where we left the car. Bart, back to your void. Trashcat, Twonger, let’s get going. I want us back into the safe house as soon as possible,” Harold ordered.
“Twonger mate, listen to Harold, the guy knows what he’s doing, trust me. I’ll see you shortly,” Bart said before disappearing again.
“Why does everyone just assume I’m going to cause a bunch of shit?” Twonger muttered as he walked back the way he came following Harold.