Paradox Lost: 25
It's been way too long since I came back here, sorry. But here's the next chapter of Paradox Lost. Hope you guys remember what's been happening so far, or at least go backwards in my journal to find out.
Something wasn't jiving with the new calculations.
Luke tapped his pen against his lips as he studied the various equations he'd scribbled out onto the sheets of paper. He sat at the desk in the small study downstairs, a room next to the Professor's office. It was used primarily by his younger self to do schoolwork and work on some of the harder puzzles as a precursor to helping Professor Layton at the work office. But in his efforts to gain some peace and quiet, he commandeered the room and sent the younger Luke off to find someplace new to do his studies.
Suffice to say, based on that faint headache now growing in the back of his mind, Little Luke chose to do something else in place of his work. Just when he was growing annoyed enough to deal with it, the headache faded to nothing. Had someone else interfered with Young Luke and Hershel's little spat? Luke let the pen settle against his mouth, musing on it with half-lidded eyes. Perhaps he should just check on them, very quickly, to satisfy himself that one or the other hadn't decided to off their rival and destabilize the entirety of the Time Stream. The usual formula for plotting historical Hours seemed to be failing at the moment, and until Luke could develop a new one or gathered enough altered information from the current events there wasn't going to be much hope in discovering what was going on with the Binder.
Sighing despondently, Luke slipped both pen and pad away, rose from the desk and headed out of the room, just in time to nearly run into Professor Layton on his way to his office. He stopped short, momentarily startled. "Ah, Professor! Apologies for that; I didn't know you were out here." he remarked in a faintly surprised tone. Layton chuckled softly, shaking his head at the time-traveller.
"It's perfectly all right, Luke. I was just on my way to collect the papers for my lecture at Gressenheller University." he returned, lifting a finger to tap the brim of his hat, "It's been two days since Don Paolo interrupted the session and I do have an obligation to fulfill."
"The lecture is today?" Luke realized in alarm. Layton lifted an eyebrow at his reaction and he winced, mentally berating himself for adding extra importance to an event that, for all intents and purposes, should be of no consequence.
"Yes, it is, Luke." the Professor returned and smiled, that kind of smile that looked genial but was secretly sharp -and Luke imagined a shark leering at him with that smile-, "Why look so surprised? Is this another event that seems to have come upon us far too soon?"
Luke swallowed, feeling his throat go dry; the action didn't help at all. He shook his head quickly, eyes wide. Well, he'd challenged the Professor to uncover the secrets behind the Time-Binder and, by proxy, his mission. This was what he had asked for, so he shouldn't be so surprised about it. But that didn't mean he was going to roll over and let the man solve the puzzle this early.
"No. Not at all. Your lecture at Gressenheller has no historical value to me whatsoever." the elder Penford returned as flippantly as he could without being too insulting. The look on Layton's face was enough to tell him he'd failed that pretty badly. "I mean, not important as in, well, in the grand scheme!" Luke stammered out in an attempt to smooth over the faux pas, waving his hands before himself before sighing in resignation, "Professor, you know you're not allowed to know the future."
"Yes, yes. Don't worry, Luke, I'll leave the puzzle be for the moment." Layton chuckled, then pat him on the shoulder with a wry smile, "For the sake of safety, I'll be leaving the children here at home. You'll be in charge of the house while I'm gone." With that, he turned to enter his office, leaving Luke to blink rapidly a few times before realizing what was happening.
"Professor! You can't leave me behind!" he cried, whirling around to follow the older man, "My mission is dependent on staying near you, and the only way I can do that is if we are all with you!" The door closed shut and Luke's pounding on the wood seemed to fall on deaf ears. "Professor! Open this door this minute!" he declared, "You're not acting like a proper gentleman!"
That last exclamation seemed to jolt his memory. Layton acted out of sorts when Hershel was doing something un-Layton-like. Luke chewed on his lower lip for a moment, debating whether to keep hounding the Professor until he agreed to take them all along on the lecture or dash off to see what Hershel was doing. He jogged in place, decision already made for him by that kernel of logic in the back of his mind that told him it was best to preserve the past to ensure the future.
"I'll be back to finish this, Professor!" Luke shouted at the door and darted off. A moment after he disappeared down the stairs in the hunt for Hershel, Layton's office door opened and he emerged with his briefcase of lecture notes and paperwork. He smiled at the last place he'd seen the future Luke, a look of faint exasperation on his face.
~*~*~*~*
Hershel had been scuffling with Young Luke again earlier, but froze in place at the sound of a small bird whistling just outside. In a flash, he twisted free of Luke's attempt at a grappling hold and raced for the door in the kitchen that led outside. Startled, Luke scrabbled to his feet and followed as quickly as he could; he'd always been the fastest of the three of them, him, Professor Layton and Flora, but he was finding Hershel was really making him fight to keep that position.
"Hershel! Hey!" he shouted, surprising Flora as she entered the den in time to see the boy rush into the kitchen. Luke dashed out of the house, following the little Layton to a nearby alley. "Hershel!" The other boy must have finally heard him as he stopped abruptly and turned to look back at him first in surprise, then in irritation.
"Why don't you go back to the house? I know what I'm doing!" Hershel told him in frustration and faced forward again, whistling sharply a few times. Luke puffed his cheeks but refused to budge, folding his arms over his chest in defiance.
"We're not supposed to be outside! At least not without telling Professor Layton where we're going to be!" he pointed out as two figures emerged from the shadows of the alley to approach Hershel. It was Rattik and Duke, the Gutter Valley Boys that Hershel had befriended and hired to watch the house. They gave Luke a faintly distrustful look.
"'Ey, Hawk-Eye. Is dat bloke wit' you?" Rattik asked uncertainly, "He's a chum?" Hershel gave Luke an appraising glance and shrugged. That seemed good enough to Rattik and he went on with his report. "Okay, so's we been watching dat house and those old blokes showed up in the mornin', early like." Hershel and Luke both gasped in unison, sharing their alarm at the news. Duke nodded, picking up where his brother began.
"They went into the carport, there." he pointed towards the sheltered part of the brownstone where the Laytonmobile was kept, "They didn't stay long, just a few minutes, then they scrambled off like someone sicced hounds on them."
"What would they be doing in there?" Hershel wondered worriedly, "Sir Luke keeps his magic scooter with him all the time...." There was the sound of a door closing and the boys all looked to see Professor Layton move quickly from the front door to the carport. They stared in confusion, heard another door slam and shifted their gazes to see the older Luke scramble out of the kitchen door, head turning back and forth as though searching for something or someone. The sound of a car engine starting drew the boys' attentions back, and even the future Luke stiffened at hearing it.
"Where's Professor Layton going?" Luke questioned aloud and started running back to the house as a dread feeling grew in the pit of his stomach. Why was he leaving and without him or Flora? Did he want to go somewhere without them? Was this a sign that he didn't want either of them around? He pushed the thoughts aside as Hershel thanked the street urchins for the information and raced to join Luke in meeting with Penford. The young man had dashed across the grass around the house just in time to see the Laytonmobile hurry off down the street. "Penford! What's going on?!" Luke cried out to his future self.
"Luke, Hershel! Where have you been?" Penford scolded in a rush before looking over at the disappearing form of the car, "No, no, no! It can't be this early!" He pulled out his pocket-watch, clicked it open, and looked at its face in dismay before pocketing it again. "It's too soon! Why is it moving so fast?"
"What's too soon?" Hershel asked of him in concern before remembering the information he'd gotten, "Sir Luke! The creepy old men that were chasing you; Rattik and Duke said they were here this morning! They were in there!" And he pointed at the carport. Penford stared at him, followed his arm to the shelter, then looked up at the distance in horror.
"They're accelerating the timeline!" he whispered and pulled out the capsule containing his scooter, "Hershel! Take Young Luke back inside the house! Lock all the doors and windows, don't let anyone inside, don't even answer the door if anyone knocks!" He threw the capsule and shielded his eyes as his scooter appeared in its place on the street. Penford climbed on and aimed a stern glare at Hershel when the boy tried to join him. "Get in the house. Let no one in. Not until I return for you." he growled and raced off, coat flapping in the wind as the scooter rushed to catch up to the Laytonmobile.
"Why won't he tell us anything?!" Luke complained, shaking his fists after the fading dust cloud that was Penford's trail, "You creep! At least let us know what your mission is so we can help too! Don't you even trust me? I'm you!" Hershel glared at him with half-lidded eyes, wishing he could smack the other boy, before he felt that skin-crawling sensation of someone watching him. Carefully reaching up to tug down his hat and shield his eyes, the young Layton scanned their surroundings, ignoring Luke's shouts to find who it was that was giving him that familiar feeling.
There. Across the street and lurking in the shadows of buildings and rubbish bins, the two Don Paolos leered at them, already making moves to get closer. Yelping in alarm, Hershel pushed at Luke to get him moving.
"They're here! Get in the house! Hurry!" he cried as Luke protested the pushing. The sandy-haired boy looked up at the men hurriedly coming their way and cried out in alarm as well, grabbing Hershel by the arm and running for the front door. They scrambled inside, slamming the door shut and locking it. "I'll get the windows! You do the doors!" the young Layton added, yanking his arm free and racing for the closest window. Luke nodded quickly, fear making his heart pound as he twisted a knob by the door that dropped a puzzle lock into place on the other side, a second layer of protection for the house.
"Flora!" he called out as he ran for the kitchen to lock that door as well. The girl was there, confused by the commotion as she made herself a sandwich for a snack. "Flora, we're being invaded! Hide!" Luke blurted out in a panic, locking the rear door and dropping another puzzle lock in place.
"Invaded? By whom?" Flora questioned in confusion. She yelped when Luke hurried over and grabbed her hand, rushing back into the den with her just in time to see Hershel arm himself with his slingshot and candies. Luke pulled her behind the sofa, dropping into a crouch as he peeked around the furniture. Flora peeked around it as well, her head appearing just over Luke's in a rather comical manner. The young Layton took his place before the two of them, hands gripping the slingshot and loaded candy even as he held them together down by his side, loose enough to avoid stressing his arms but ready enough to easily be brought up and fire at a moment's notice.
The house was silent, and the silence frightened them.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Professor Layton had no idea what events were passing at his home, and only felt confidence that leaving Luke, Flora and Hershel in the care of Penford for the next few hours would be perfectly alright. Penford had a unusual sense of responsibility and logic; he would be able to maintain the household for a short time. He adjusted his hat and breathed a sigh of relief. If anything else happened at the university during his lecture, at least the children would be safely out of harm's way. That was an additional comfort.
Layton spotted the turn he would need to take to get to Gressenheller University just up ahead and pressed lightly on the brake to help slow down and ease into the curve.
The brake didn't respond.
Curious by that, Layton glanced down very quickly to be sure he was indeed pressing the brake pedal. Yes, he was, but it didn't seem to make a difference. He pressed down a little further; still no response. And now he missed the turn, but that no longer was important as the Professor realized with growing alarm that the brakes on his car weren't working. He pressed on the pedal repeatedly, pumping it desperately and praying under his breath that the car would slow down. When it refused to, he went to the next logical step in attempting to stop his car; lifting his foot from the gas pedal.
There was a click when he released pressure from it, and the car sped up anyway. Layton clenched his teeth together, trying not to panic as he steered his car as best he could, dodging other automobiles and hoping he didn't get into an accident. What had happened? Why was the Laytonmobile acting this way? He'd tuned it this morning after breakfast so it would be ready for his trip to give his lecture. It looked perfectly fine then!
He reached for the emergency brake, pulling on it and crying out in shock as he heard the gears drop with a Clank! That was it, now he knew what was going on.
"Sabotage!" Layton whispered and returned to steering, evading cars and running through traffic lights as his part of his mind shot back to that mysterious letter he'd received at Mr. Riley's office. It had threatened him if he persisted in adopting Luke; was it possible that the sender was making good on that threat by setting him up for a fatal accident?
"Professor~!" A voice yelled at him, hard to hear over the noise of tires screeching, horns honking and his own pounding heartbeat. At first, Layton thought it was a trick of the mind, panic making him believe someone was calling for him, distracting him from the task of getting his car off the busy streets and somewhere else, someplace where no one else could be harmed.
"Professor~!" There it was again, closer this time, and Layton dared a glance into the rearview mirror, eyes widening at the sight of Penford on his scooter, barreling after him with a determined glare. He didn't dare look away from his task of avoiding a collsion, even as the time-traveller managed to gather enough speed to pull up alongside him, swerving to avoid hitting incoming traffic that did the same to avoid him and the speeding Laytonmobile.
"Professor! Jump!" Penford cried, reaching an arm out to him. Layton shook his head, eyes darting back and forth to track the positions of the vehicles around him, hand lowering the window to reply to the young man.
"You shouldn't be here, Luke! You could be hurt!" he declared.
"I don't care! Jump! The Laytonmobile's going to crash, but you won't be as seriously injured!" the young man returned and shook his hand, like the gesture would magically change Layton's mind about jumping.
"If I abandon her now, she'll crash into someone else and hurt them!" the Professor yelled, turning sharply to dodge a car in the same lane. Penford swerved aside as well, then angled back to within an arm's reach of the customized car, reaching out again. "I'm not jumping, Luke! I've got to get my car out of populated areas!" Layton shouted forcefully. The young man glared at him, teeth clenched tightly, but he withdrew his arm and returned to steering his scooter with both hands. For a moment, Layton felt a grim satisfaction and pride that he'd convinced his future student -and son- to pull away.
That moment passed quickly. Luke pressed a button on the scooter's little control box, nestled between the handlebars, and it sped up even more, matching paces with the Laytonmobile more easily. He turned it carefully, bringing it closer, and Layton stared in shock and horror as the time-traveller steered his scooter just enough to bump against the Laytonmobile.
"Luke! Stop! This is madness! You'll be killed!" he yelled out the window at the young man, "What do you hope to accomplish?!"
"The lesser of two evils, Professor!" Luke returned, drawing closer to the right front tire. Layton steered away from him, changing lanes to avoid further collisions with anyone and evading Penford's advances. The young man only pressed in closer, his favored blue cap staying on only by a miracle. Again Layton moved aside, turning off the main streets and into the more rural roads, businesses making way for homes and parks, trees and shrubs becoming more abundant.
"Get away, Luke!" the Professor yelled at him furiously, fear twisting around his heart as he began pounding on the brake pedal again, even though he knew full well how futile it was. Luke was standing on his scooter now, leaning forward in an attempt to reduce drag. He steered to the left again, scraping the end of a handlebar against the driver's side door. "Luke!" Layton looked around helplessly, but there was no more road to drive on. The young man was pressing him into a looming park, and people were already scattering to the winds in screams of panic.
"Hang on, Professor! Your time isn't here! Not according to history!" Luke called out. He pulled the silver dagger from its sheath at his side and leaned down, jabbing it into the tire of the Laytonmobile. It blew out, forcing him to swerve away, but he drew back as the car began swerving on the flattened tire. Grass and dirt was torn up and thrown about in its wake, the Laytonmobile turning in the direction of the weakening front tire. A tree loomed directly in that path and Layton found it increasingly difficult to maintain a sense of calm despite the urgency.
There was a thump and he looked aside in shock at the sight of the future Luke clinging to the door, hugging it through the open window. The scooter was starting to fall back and his foot was hooked on the handlebar, trying to keep it close. Layton tried to pull him in with one hand, his control over the car slipping in the attempt. Finally, Luke gave up on the scooter, kicking it away with enough force to shove himself the rest of the way into the car. He sprawled across the passenger seat and Layton's lap, scrambling to get reoriented as the Professor tried to get the car back under control.
"Luke, what on earth are you doing?!" Layton declared, unable to pull his hands away to help his unwanted passenger for fear of the Laytonmobile flipping over. The tree was drawing closer, and he steered away from it as best he could with the blown out tire hampering him. Luke kicked open the passenger door, pulling his hat down more firmly on his head. He turned then, unclipping the safety straps that held Layton in his seat and pulling him aside. "Luke! My car!" the Professor protested loudly.
"I've got it!" Luke returned sternly, slipping himself into place and shoving Layton aside, "Get out! Jump! Now!" He steered the Laytonmobile back on the path with the tree, ignoring the Professor's cry of alarm and protest. "We can't stop the Laytonmobile any other way!" Luke snapped, "The tree will halt it, but you have to jump out before the collision!" He glanced aside, and now Layton could see the warring emotions in his eyes, panic and determination and a strange resignation. "This is meant to happen, but you are meant to survive!" he added, "Now go! This is written in history; I can't allow it to change!"
"Luke...." the Professor began, reaching back to him. Luke shook his head fiercely, and he threw one arm aside, shoving Layton back with just enough force to knock the older man out of the car. The Professor instinctively tucked in his arms and rolled in the direction of his fall, tumbling across the torn up landscaping of the park as the automobile roared on ahead. He finally came to a stop, scrambling to all fours and yelling Luke's name again.
The car suddenly spun at the last moment and Layton watched in horror as the driver's side slammed into the tree. It crumpled, bending in place, but it stopped at last. Layton stared at the ruined car for a moment longer, then stumbled to his feet, wincing at the pain running through his limbs from having been shoved from a speeding vehicle. He gripped his bruised arm with one hand, certain that the previous injuries to it were now exacerbated by this turn of events. But he wasn't the only one that could be hurt and Layton staggered to the car, dreading what he would see.
Luke's figure was slumped to one side, sprawled across the seats of the Laytonmobile. The Professor gasped, reaching out to shake the young man and freezing in place when Luke groaned, shifting in place. He pulled his arms in and used them to lift himself up, albeit unsteadily. He coughed a few times, one hand rising to press against his head.
"Luke?" Layton questioned in concern, "Are you all right, my boy?" Luke nodded, wincing at the motion. The Professor offered his hand again and the young man accepted it this time, allowing himself to be half-guided and half-pulled out of the wreckage by his mentor. "What did you mean by this being meant to happen?" he asked once Luke was out of the car and standing on his own two feet. He swayed a little and shifted more of his weight against Layton, one arm pulled across his shoulders. They walked away from the Laytonmobile, watching as the people that had dodged them started reemerging, hurrying towards them to check on their conditions.
"It's nothing, Professor. Just so long as you're safe now." Luke returned with a faint grimace, "Wretched bloody way of passing an Hour, though." Layton gave him a faintly suspicious glance, noting the odd statement but he flicked it to the back of his mind, adding it to the other bits of clues he was gathering about the time-traveller's mission. "We have to go back to the house." Luke added softly, looking around for his missing scooter, "Or at least you do. The children are home alone. I couldn't take them with me to help you. Not this time."
"We must get to a hospital first! There could be injuries...!" Layton began pointing out worriedly, trailing off at the beginnings of a headache. An old, new memory was slipping into place; Hershel standing guard, full of fear yet determined to make a stand that would make Sir Luke proud of him, against two familiar foes attempting to get past the puzzle locks on the house. "Something... something's very wrong." the Professor murmured grimly. Luke nodded again, pointing out the scooter lying on its side in the earth.
"I know. That's why you must go back." he explained and pulled away from the Professor to sit on the grass, cringing in pain as he pressed a hand gently against his side. He waved off the older man when he tried to kneel and tend to him. "Don't mind me! I'll go with the medical team these people most probably called to get us." Luke told him sharply, "Take my scooter and go home! It's the only method of transport I have, but you should be clever enough to solve the puzzle of riding it." Layton glared at the young man, as if the stern look would change his mind and allow him to stay and tend to him, but Luke's return glare was more potent, loaded with his preordained knowledge and certainty of future events, information that was kept out of Layton's reach and contributed to his older student's nightmares.
Finally, Layton nodded, slowly, and he moved aside to pick up the fallen scooter, brushing off debris and taking a seat. He pressed a button on the control box that was marked 'Start', and a small screen came on. The text on it asked him for either his identification number or a puzzle. Eyebrows furrowing slightly in thought, Layton turned to see if he could get the number from Luke first, but the young man was already shaking his head, even though his eyes were upon the wrecked Laytonmobile only a few meters away. Like he already knew what would be asked of him. The Professor sighed and returned to select the option for a puzzle, and one began appearing on the screen.
"Two men stand face to face, occupying same time and place. Near perfect match in each detail, few differences make these twins fail." Professor Layton read softly, wondering where the puzzle would take him, "Though one always raises his right hand, the other raises his left as planned. A single sun, this day shines bright; what could make this incident be right?" He frowned in thought. This puzzle was playing with words and rhyme, no doubt some were intended to throw him off. He curled his fingers over his chin, faintly aware of Luke changing position to lie in the grass, breathing in a deliberately even pace.
The puzzle stated two men standing and facing one another. They looked perfectly alike, save for a few minor differences, and each raising opposing hands constantly. What troubled him was the last line; what could be the point of stating there was a single sun when only a breath later the puzzle confirms it is a bright day? One only needs to say the day is bright to let someone know the sun was shining. Unless the word wasn't meant to be 'sun', but 'son'! The Professor blinked, realization dawning on him as the shrill tones of an ambulance neared the crash site. A single son, meaning the puzzle must be referring to the men, which changed everything. The puzzle couldn't be solved if the two men were just that, two men; it made sense once he knew that the two were really one.
The control box had a small speaker on its front, along with a button next to it that would activate the device. Layton pressed and held it down, hoping it would register a voice speaking into it. He cleared his throat and spoke his answer evenly.
"A mirror." he told the control box. A man looking into a mirror would be looking at his 'twin' with asymmetrical details being flipped, hence making them 'fail' as twins. Raising his right hand would make it appear as if the reflection was raising his left, and the best way to see a reflection would be on a sunny day, since mirrors needed to reflect light to create this illusion. And apparently he was right; the engine on the scooter purred to life and Layton looked over at his future student for one last check.
"I'll be fine! Go!" Luke scolded, glaring up at him from where he lay on the grass. The Professor thinned his mouth, nodding once, then steered the scooter away, hurrying down the street with one hand pulling his hat down lower to keep it on his head. Luke watched him leave and pulled the Time-Binder from his pocket, clicking it open to check. "Fifth Hour, complete." he whispered, gazing at the two hands spinning around the face of the watch to rest on the numeral for six, the next Hour to come. He closed it, pocketed it, and finally let himself sink into unconsciousness as the onlookers came close to tend to him.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Something wasn't jiving with the new calculations.
Luke tapped his pen against his lips as he studied the various equations he'd scribbled out onto the sheets of paper. He sat at the desk in the small study downstairs, a room next to the Professor's office. It was used primarily by his younger self to do schoolwork and work on some of the harder puzzles as a precursor to helping Professor Layton at the work office. But in his efforts to gain some peace and quiet, he commandeered the room and sent the younger Luke off to find someplace new to do his studies.
Suffice to say, based on that faint headache now growing in the back of his mind, Little Luke chose to do something else in place of his work. Just when he was growing annoyed enough to deal with it, the headache faded to nothing. Had someone else interfered with Young Luke and Hershel's little spat? Luke let the pen settle against his mouth, musing on it with half-lidded eyes. Perhaps he should just check on them, very quickly, to satisfy himself that one or the other hadn't decided to off their rival and destabilize the entirety of the Time Stream. The usual formula for plotting historical Hours seemed to be failing at the moment, and until Luke could develop a new one or gathered enough altered information from the current events there wasn't going to be much hope in discovering what was going on with the Binder.
Sighing despondently, Luke slipped both pen and pad away, rose from the desk and headed out of the room, just in time to nearly run into Professor Layton on his way to his office. He stopped short, momentarily startled. "Ah, Professor! Apologies for that; I didn't know you were out here." he remarked in a faintly surprised tone. Layton chuckled softly, shaking his head at the time-traveller.
"It's perfectly all right, Luke. I was just on my way to collect the papers for my lecture at Gressenheller University." he returned, lifting a finger to tap the brim of his hat, "It's been two days since Don Paolo interrupted the session and I do have an obligation to fulfill."
"The lecture is today?" Luke realized in alarm. Layton lifted an eyebrow at his reaction and he winced, mentally berating himself for adding extra importance to an event that, for all intents and purposes, should be of no consequence.
"Yes, it is, Luke." the Professor returned and smiled, that kind of smile that looked genial but was secretly sharp -and Luke imagined a shark leering at him with that smile-, "Why look so surprised? Is this another event that seems to have come upon us far too soon?"
Luke swallowed, feeling his throat go dry; the action didn't help at all. He shook his head quickly, eyes wide. Well, he'd challenged the Professor to uncover the secrets behind the Time-Binder and, by proxy, his mission. This was what he had asked for, so he shouldn't be so surprised about it. But that didn't mean he was going to roll over and let the man solve the puzzle this early.
"No. Not at all. Your lecture at Gressenheller has no historical value to me whatsoever." the elder Penford returned as flippantly as he could without being too insulting. The look on Layton's face was enough to tell him he'd failed that pretty badly. "I mean, not important as in, well, in the grand scheme!" Luke stammered out in an attempt to smooth over the faux pas, waving his hands before himself before sighing in resignation, "Professor, you know you're not allowed to know the future."
"Yes, yes. Don't worry, Luke, I'll leave the puzzle be for the moment." Layton chuckled, then pat him on the shoulder with a wry smile, "For the sake of safety, I'll be leaving the children here at home. You'll be in charge of the house while I'm gone." With that, he turned to enter his office, leaving Luke to blink rapidly a few times before realizing what was happening.
"Professor! You can't leave me behind!" he cried, whirling around to follow the older man, "My mission is dependent on staying near you, and the only way I can do that is if we are all with you!" The door closed shut and Luke's pounding on the wood seemed to fall on deaf ears. "Professor! Open this door this minute!" he declared, "You're not acting like a proper gentleman!"
That last exclamation seemed to jolt his memory. Layton acted out of sorts when Hershel was doing something un-Layton-like. Luke chewed on his lower lip for a moment, debating whether to keep hounding the Professor until he agreed to take them all along on the lecture or dash off to see what Hershel was doing. He jogged in place, decision already made for him by that kernel of logic in the back of his mind that told him it was best to preserve the past to ensure the future.
"I'll be back to finish this, Professor!" Luke shouted at the door and darted off. A moment after he disappeared down the stairs in the hunt for Hershel, Layton's office door opened and he emerged with his briefcase of lecture notes and paperwork. He smiled at the last place he'd seen the future Luke, a look of faint exasperation on his face.
~*~*~*~*
Hershel had been scuffling with Young Luke again earlier, but froze in place at the sound of a small bird whistling just outside. In a flash, he twisted free of Luke's attempt at a grappling hold and raced for the door in the kitchen that led outside. Startled, Luke scrabbled to his feet and followed as quickly as he could; he'd always been the fastest of the three of them, him, Professor Layton and Flora, but he was finding Hershel was really making him fight to keep that position.
"Hershel! Hey!" he shouted, surprising Flora as she entered the den in time to see the boy rush into the kitchen. Luke dashed out of the house, following the little Layton to a nearby alley. "Hershel!" The other boy must have finally heard him as he stopped abruptly and turned to look back at him first in surprise, then in irritation.
"Why don't you go back to the house? I know what I'm doing!" Hershel told him in frustration and faced forward again, whistling sharply a few times. Luke puffed his cheeks but refused to budge, folding his arms over his chest in defiance.
"We're not supposed to be outside! At least not without telling Professor Layton where we're going to be!" he pointed out as two figures emerged from the shadows of the alley to approach Hershel. It was Rattik and Duke, the Gutter Valley Boys that Hershel had befriended and hired to watch the house. They gave Luke a faintly distrustful look.
"'Ey, Hawk-Eye. Is dat bloke wit' you?" Rattik asked uncertainly, "He's a chum?" Hershel gave Luke an appraising glance and shrugged. That seemed good enough to Rattik and he went on with his report. "Okay, so's we been watching dat house and those old blokes showed up in the mornin', early like." Hershel and Luke both gasped in unison, sharing their alarm at the news. Duke nodded, picking up where his brother began.
"They went into the carport, there." he pointed towards the sheltered part of the brownstone where the Laytonmobile was kept, "They didn't stay long, just a few minutes, then they scrambled off like someone sicced hounds on them."
"What would they be doing in there?" Hershel wondered worriedly, "Sir Luke keeps his magic scooter with him all the time...." There was the sound of a door closing and the boys all looked to see Professor Layton move quickly from the front door to the carport. They stared in confusion, heard another door slam and shifted their gazes to see the older Luke scramble out of the kitchen door, head turning back and forth as though searching for something or someone. The sound of a car engine starting drew the boys' attentions back, and even the future Luke stiffened at hearing it.
"Where's Professor Layton going?" Luke questioned aloud and started running back to the house as a dread feeling grew in the pit of his stomach. Why was he leaving and without him or Flora? Did he want to go somewhere without them? Was this a sign that he didn't want either of them around? He pushed the thoughts aside as Hershel thanked the street urchins for the information and raced to join Luke in meeting with Penford. The young man had dashed across the grass around the house just in time to see the Laytonmobile hurry off down the street. "Penford! What's going on?!" Luke cried out to his future self.
"Luke, Hershel! Where have you been?" Penford scolded in a rush before looking over at the disappearing form of the car, "No, no, no! It can't be this early!" He pulled out his pocket-watch, clicked it open, and looked at its face in dismay before pocketing it again. "It's too soon! Why is it moving so fast?"
"What's too soon?" Hershel asked of him in concern before remembering the information he'd gotten, "Sir Luke! The creepy old men that were chasing you; Rattik and Duke said they were here this morning! They were in there!" And he pointed at the carport. Penford stared at him, followed his arm to the shelter, then looked up at the distance in horror.
"They're accelerating the timeline!" he whispered and pulled out the capsule containing his scooter, "Hershel! Take Young Luke back inside the house! Lock all the doors and windows, don't let anyone inside, don't even answer the door if anyone knocks!" He threw the capsule and shielded his eyes as his scooter appeared in its place on the street. Penford climbed on and aimed a stern glare at Hershel when the boy tried to join him. "Get in the house. Let no one in. Not until I return for you." he growled and raced off, coat flapping in the wind as the scooter rushed to catch up to the Laytonmobile.
"Why won't he tell us anything?!" Luke complained, shaking his fists after the fading dust cloud that was Penford's trail, "You creep! At least let us know what your mission is so we can help too! Don't you even trust me? I'm you!" Hershel glared at him with half-lidded eyes, wishing he could smack the other boy, before he felt that skin-crawling sensation of someone watching him. Carefully reaching up to tug down his hat and shield his eyes, the young Layton scanned their surroundings, ignoring Luke's shouts to find who it was that was giving him that familiar feeling.
There. Across the street and lurking in the shadows of buildings and rubbish bins, the two Don Paolos leered at them, already making moves to get closer. Yelping in alarm, Hershel pushed at Luke to get him moving.
"They're here! Get in the house! Hurry!" he cried as Luke protested the pushing. The sandy-haired boy looked up at the men hurriedly coming their way and cried out in alarm as well, grabbing Hershel by the arm and running for the front door. They scrambled inside, slamming the door shut and locking it. "I'll get the windows! You do the doors!" the young Layton added, yanking his arm free and racing for the closest window. Luke nodded quickly, fear making his heart pound as he twisted a knob by the door that dropped a puzzle lock into place on the other side, a second layer of protection for the house.
"Flora!" he called out as he ran for the kitchen to lock that door as well. The girl was there, confused by the commotion as she made herself a sandwich for a snack. "Flora, we're being invaded! Hide!" Luke blurted out in a panic, locking the rear door and dropping another puzzle lock in place.
"Invaded? By whom?" Flora questioned in confusion. She yelped when Luke hurried over and grabbed her hand, rushing back into the den with her just in time to see Hershel arm himself with his slingshot and candies. Luke pulled her behind the sofa, dropping into a crouch as he peeked around the furniture. Flora peeked around it as well, her head appearing just over Luke's in a rather comical manner. The young Layton took his place before the two of them, hands gripping the slingshot and loaded candy even as he held them together down by his side, loose enough to avoid stressing his arms but ready enough to easily be brought up and fire at a moment's notice.
The house was silent, and the silence frightened them.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Professor Layton had no idea what events were passing at his home, and only felt confidence that leaving Luke, Flora and Hershel in the care of Penford for the next few hours would be perfectly alright. Penford had a unusual sense of responsibility and logic; he would be able to maintain the household for a short time. He adjusted his hat and breathed a sigh of relief. If anything else happened at the university during his lecture, at least the children would be safely out of harm's way. That was an additional comfort.
Layton spotted the turn he would need to take to get to Gressenheller University just up ahead and pressed lightly on the brake to help slow down and ease into the curve.
The brake didn't respond.
Curious by that, Layton glanced down very quickly to be sure he was indeed pressing the brake pedal. Yes, he was, but it didn't seem to make a difference. He pressed down a little further; still no response. And now he missed the turn, but that no longer was important as the Professor realized with growing alarm that the brakes on his car weren't working. He pressed on the pedal repeatedly, pumping it desperately and praying under his breath that the car would slow down. When it refused to, he went to the next logical step in attempting to stop his car; lifting his foot from the gas pedal.
There was a click when he released pressure from it, and the car sped up anyway. Layton clenched his teeth together, trying not to panic as he steered his car as best he could, dodging other automobiles and hoping he didn't get into an accident. What had happened? Why was the Laytonmobile acting this way? He'd tuned it this morning after breakfast so it would be ready for his trip to give his lecture. It looked perfectly fine then!
He reached for the emergency brake, pulling on it and crying out in shock as he heard the gears drop with a Clank! That was it, now he knew what was going on.
"Sabotage!" Layton whispered and returned to steering, evading cars and running through traffic lights as his part of his mind shot back to that mysterious letter he'd received at Mr. Riley's office. It had threatened him if he persisted in adopting Luke; was it possible that the sender was making good on that threat by setting him up for a fatal accident?
"Professor~!" A voice yelled at him, hard to hear over the noise of tires screeching, horns honking and his own pounding heartbeat. At first, Layton thought it was a trick of the mind, panic making him believe someone was calling for him, distracting him from the task of getting his car off the busy streets and somewhere else, someplace where no one else could be harmed.
"Professor~!" There it was again, closer this time, and Layton dared a glance into the rearview mirror, eyes widening at the sight of Penford on his scooter, barreling after him with a determined glare. He didn't dare look away from his task of avoiding a collsion, even as the time-traveller managed to gather enough speed to pull up alongside him, swerving to avoid hitting incoming traffic that did the same to avoid him and the speeding Laytonmobile.
"Professor! Jump!" Penford cried, reaching an arm out to him. Layton shook his head, eyes darting back and forth to track the positions of the vehicles around him, hand lowering the window to reply to the young man.
"You shouldn't be here, Luke! You could be hurt!" he declared.
"I don't care! Jump! The Laytonmobile's going to crash, but you won't be as seriously injured!" the young man returned and shook his hand, like the gesture would magically change Layton's mind about jumping.
"If I abandon her now, she'll crash into someone else and hurt them!" the Professor yelled, turning sharply to dodge a car in the same lane. Penford swerved aside as well, then angled back to within an arm's reach of the customized car, reaching out again. "I'm not jumping, Luke! I've got to get my car out of populated areas!" Layton shouted forcefully. The young man glared at him, teeth clenched tightly, but he withdrew his arm and returned to steering his scooter with both hands. For a moment, Layton felt a grim satisfaction and pride that he'd convinced his future student -and son- to pull away.
That moment passed quickly. Luke pressed a button on the scooter's little control box, nestled between the handlebars, and it sped up even more, matching paces with the Laytonmobile more easily. He turned it carefully, bringing it closer, and Layton stared in shock and horror as the time-traveller steered his scooter just enough to bump against the Laytonmobile.
"Luke! Stop! This is madness! You'll be killed!" he yelled out the window at the young man, "What do you hope to accomplish?!"
"The lesser of two evils, Professor!" Luke returned, drawing closer to the right front tire. Layton steered away from him, changing lanes to avoid further collisions with anyone and evading Penford's advances. The young man only pressed in closer, his favored blue cap staying on only by a miracle. Again Layton moved aside, turning off the main streets and into the more rural roads, businesses making way for homes and parks, trees and shrubs becoming more abundant.
"Get away, Luke!" the Professor yelled at him furiously, fear twisting around his heart as he began pounding on the brake pedal again, even though he knew full well how futile it was. Luke was standing on his scooter now, leaning forward in an attempt to reduce drag. He steered to the left again, scraping the end of a handlebar against the driver's side door. "Luke!" Layton looked around helplessly, but there was no more road to drive on. The young man was pressing him into a looming park, and people were already scattering to the winds in screams of panic.
"Hang on, Professor! Your time isn't here! Not according to history!" Luke called out. He pulled the silver dagger from its sheath at his side and leaned down, jabbing it into the tire of the Laytonmobile. It blew out, forcing him to swerve away, but he drew back as the car began swerving on the flattened tire. Grass and dirt was torn up and thrown about in its wake, the Laytonmobile turning in the direction of the weakening front tire. A tree loomed directly in that path and Layton found it increasingly difficult to maintain a sense of calm despite the urgency.
There was a thump and he looked aside in shock at the sight of the future Luke clinging to the door, hugging it through the open window. The scooter was starting to fall back and his foot was hooked on the handlebar, trying to keep it close. Layton tried to pull him in with one hand, his control over the car slipping in the attempt. Finally, Luke gave up on the scooter, kicking it away with enough force to shove himself the rest of the way into the car. He sprawled across the passenger seat and Layton's lap, scrambling to get reoriented as the Professor tried to get the car back under control.
"Luke, what on earth are you doing?!" Layton declared, unable to pull his hands away to help his unwanted passenger for fear of the Laytonmobile flipping over. The tree was drawing closer, and he steered away from it as best he could with the blown out tire hampering him. Luke kicked open the passenger door, pulling his hat down more firmly on his head. He turned then, unclipping the safety straps that held Layton in his seat and pulling him aside. "Luke! My car!" the Professor protested loudly.
"I've got it!" Luke returned sternly, slipping himself into place and shoving Layton aside, "Get out! Jump! Now!" He steered the Laytonmobile back on the path with the tree, ignoring the Professor's cry of alarm and protest. "We can't stop the Laytonmobile any other way!" Luke snapped, "The tree will halt it, but you have to jump out before the collision!" He glanced aside, and now Layton could see the warring emotions in his eyes, panic and determination and a strange resignation. "This is meant to happen, but you are meant to survive!" he added, "Now go! This is written in history; I can't allow it to change!"
"Luke...." the Professor began, reaching back to him. Luke shook his head fiercely, and he threw one arm aside, shoving Layton back with just enough force to knock the older man out of the car. The Professor instinctively tucked in his arms and rolled in the direction of his fall, tumbling across the torn up landscaping of the park as the automobile roared on ahead. He finally came to a stop, scrambling to all fours and yelling Luke's name again.
The car suddenly spun at the last moment and Layton watched in horror as the driver's side slammed into the tree. It crumpled, bending in place, but it stopped at last. Layton stared at the ruined car for a moment longer, then stumbled to his feet, wincing at the pain running through his limbs from having been shoved from a speeding vehicle. He gripped his bruised arm with one hand, certain that the previous injuries to it were now exacerbated by this turn of events. But he wasn't the only one that could be hurt and Layton staggered to the car, dreading what he would see.
Luke's figure was slumped to one side, sprawled across the seats of the Laytonmobile. The Professor gasped, reaching out to shake the young man and freezing in place when Luke groaned, shifting in place. He pulled his arms in and used them to lift himself up, albeit unsteadily. He coughed a few times, one hand rising to press against his head.
"Luke?" Layton questioned in concern, "Are you all right, my boy?" Luke nodded, wincing at the motion. The Professor offered his hand again and the young man accepted it this time, allowing himself to be half-guided and half-pulled out of the wreckage by his mentor. "What did you mean by this being meant to happen?" he asked once Luke was out of the car and standing on his own two feet. He swayed a little and shifted more of his weight against Layton, one arm pulled across his shoulders. They walked away from the Laytonmobile, watching as the people that had dodged them started reemerging, hurrying towards them to check on their conditions.
"It's nothing, Professor. Just so long as you're safe now." Luke returned with a faint grimace, "Wretched bloody way of passing an Hour, though." Layton gave him a faintly suspicious glance, noting the odd statement but he flicked it to the back of his mind, adding it to the other bits of clues he was gathering about the time-traveller's mission. "We have to go back to the house." Luke added softly, looking around for his missing scooter, "Or at least you do. The children are home alone. I couldn't take them with me to help you. Not this time."
"We must get to a hospital first! There could be injuries...!" Layton began pointing out worriedly, trailing off at the beginnings of a headache. An old, new memory was slipping into place; Hershel standing guard, full of fear yet determined to make a stand that would make Sir Luke proud of him, against two familiar foes attempting to get past the puzzle locks on the house. "Something... something's very wrong." the Professor murmured grimly. Luke nodded again, pointing out the scooter lying on its side in the earth.
"I know. That's why you must go back." he explained and pulled away from the Professor to sit on the grass, cringing in pain as he pressed a hand gently against his side. He waved off the older man when he tried to kneel and tend to him. "Don't mind me! I'll go with the medical team these people most probably called to get us." Luke told him sharply, "Take my scooter and go home! It's the only method of transport I have, but you should be clever enough to solve the puzzle of riding it." Layton glared at the young man, as if the stern look would change his mind and allow him to stay and tend to him, but Luke's return glare was more potent, loaded with his preordained knowledge and certainty of future events, information that was kept out of Layton's reach and contributed to his older student's nightmares.
Finally, Layton nodded, slowly, and he moved aside to pick up the fallen scooter, brushing off debris and taking a seat. He pressed a button on the control box that was marked 'Start', and a small screen came on. The text on it asked him for either his identification number or a puzzle. Eyebrows furrowing slightly in thought, Layton turned to see if he could get the number from Luke first, but the young man was already shaking his head, even though his eyes were upon the wrecked Laytonmobile only a few meters away. Like he already knew what would be asked of him. The Professor sighed and returned to select the option for a puzzle, and one began appearing on the screen.
"Two men stand face to face, occupying same time and place. Near perfect match in each detail, few differences make these twins fail." Professor Layton read softly, wondering where the puzzle would take him, "Though one always raises his right hand, the other raises his left as planned. A single sun, this day shines bright; what could make this incident be right?" He frowned in thought. This puzzle was playing with words and rhyme, no doubt some were intended to throw him off. He curled his fingers over his chin, faintly aware of Luke changing position to lie in the grass, breathing in a deliberately even pace.
The puzzle stated two men standing and facing one another. They looked perfectly alike, save for a few minor differences, and each raising opposing hands constantly. What troubled him was the last line; what could be the point of stating there was a single sun when only a breath later the puzzle confirms it is a bright day? One only needs to say the day is bright to let someone know the sun was shining. Unless the word wasn't meant to be 'sun', but 'son'! The Professor blinked, realization dawning on him as the shrill tones of an ambulance neared the crash site. A single son, meaning the puzzle must be referring to the men, which changed everything. The puzzle couldn't be solved if the two men were just that, two men; it made sense once he knew that the two were really one.
The control box had a small speaker on its front, along with a button next to it that would activate the device. Layton pressed and held it down, hoping it would register a voice speaking into it. He cleared his throat and spoke his answer evenly.
"A mirror." he told the control box. A man looking into a mirror would be looking at his 'twin' with asymmetrical details being flipped, hence making them 'fail' as twins. Raising his right hand would make it appear as if the reflection was raising his left, and the best way to see a reflection would be on a sunny day, since mirrors needed to reflect light to create this illusion. And apparently he was right; the engine on the scooter purred to life and Layton looked over at his future student for one last check.
"I'll be fine! Go!" Luke scolded, glaring up at him from where he lay on the grass. The Professor thinned his mouth, nodding once, then steered the scooter away, hurrying down the street with one hand pulling his hat down lower to keep it on his head. Luke watched him leave and pulled the Time-Binder from his pocket, clicking it open to check. "Fifth Hour, complete." he whispered, gazing at the two hands spinning around the face of the watch to rest on the numeral for six, the next Hour to come. He closed it, pocketed it, and finally let himself sink into unconsciousness as the onlookers came close to tend to him.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*