Moments later, Kepa materialized seemingly out of nowhere next to Maite.

“Zer…?” he began. Looking at Maite, he asked “What is going on?”

“We’re in Garuna’s mind,” replied Maite. 

“What?” he exclaimed. “Why?”

“Garuna wants to go with us.”

“Go with us? Where?”

“Our own time.”

“Can it do that?”

Maite nodded. “It can, but only by becoming part of the zatia that I then absorb. It will become a part of me.”

“Inola ere ez! No way! Why would you ever do that?” exclaimed Kepa.

“Because, otherwise, it won’t let us have the zatia. It won’t let us go.”

“We can find a different way. We can take it from it!”

Maite shook her head, a tear slowly trickling down her cheek. “You saw what it did to de Lancre. And de Lancre was prepared. We have no hope of breaking into its facility and getting the zatia. If that is even where it is keeping the damn thing. I don’t see another option.”

“We can just live here. Spend the rest of our lives in this bubble.”

Sadness filled Maite’s eyes. She knew Kepa loved her, but didn’t realize the extent to which he would sacrifice for her. A weak smile spread on her lips. 

“I appreciate that you would even offer that, more than you could ever know. But, you and I both know that isn’t an option. The bubbles could become unstable. And there are other versions of de Lancre out there, searching for the zatiak. We have to stop him.”

“And there are other versions of us too. One of them may come back to this bubble and find a way to defeat Garuna.”

“We can’t take that chance, when we have the ability to pop this bubble now.”

Kepa’s shoulders slumped. “What would it be like, with it inside you?”

“Ez dakit,” replied Maite. “I don’t know. I guess like another little voice in my head?”

“I expect that will be the case,” added Garuna, its voice filling the empty space.

“Damn you, Garuna!” yelled Kepa. “Why are you doing this? Why won’t you just let us go?”

There was a pause. “For the same reason you are here in the first place. Self-preservation. If I cannot preserve my time, my space, then the next best thing is for me to preserve myself. I hope I can learn to stabilize the time bubbles and prevent others from being burst. Regardless, I do not want to cease existing. Just like you.”

Kepa looked at Maite. “Are you sure this is what you want?”

Maite shuddered. “Ez. No, I don’t want this. But I want us. And I want to save the timeline. If this is the cost, I’m willing to pay it.”

Kepa nodded.

“Garuna,” announced Maite. “I’m ready.”

The circle of light that surrounded them pulsed, slowly at first and then increasingly faster until it was almost a strobe light. Kepa shielded his eyes but Maite simply stood her ground. The circle rose above them and then shrunk further, coallescing into a small ball of light that hovered in front of her at chest height. The zatia.

Maite looked over at Kepa, smiling as she reached out to touch the zatia.

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