BB had met up with Joey and Scott as they took turns beating the headless one down before Sears spoke up.
"This isn't going to work. We need to throw him somewhere he can't come back from."
The new AI of the TODD, now named ODETTA, understood and placed the Headless Heckle on the face of the moon.
"By the way, how do you have so many bullets?"
"Simple, I never reload."
"Huh?"
"Never mind. We have a bigger fish to fry. BB, why are you like that?"
"Why are you a dictator?"
Scott frowned as he wiped the sweat off his forehead. His suit was torn and covered in rainwater. Sears on the other hand, basically blended in with his surroundings with his black stealth suit. BB was dressed as always, sweatpants and a white sweater.
"If I'm correct, that means that there's some kind of hospital in the area. That'd be where they took me and where the other BB would be."
"Good thinking, Scott. Soon, you'll have my job."
Scott was smiling and jabbering on and on about how he couldn't wait for them to enter their own time again and reclaim Backtown. After some time, they made it to the hospital and walked around it looking through windows.
"Maybe, we should go to the part with all the security?"
"Right, right."
Mistress was busy on the ODETTA as she had tied up the Headless Heckle and thrown him in a cell somewhere before coming back to the boiler room and seeing the handcuffs that held Alexandria down were broken.
"BB is going to kill me."
She quickly made her way towards the hospital and saw a small explosion before three bodies went flying into the air. It was sloppily but she managed to catch them.
"Thanks."
Scott took out his pistol and wiped off some wet stuff he couldn't tell if it was man meat or mud. BB thanked her before limping back as he had some residue in his left leg. Sears gave her a hug before eventually handing her a bowie knife and running into battle.
"I'm either surrounded by idiots or geniuses and I can't tell which."
"It's a mix of both."
She turned to see Alexandria and her blade. It was an enemy who had her match and using so much psychokinetic energy had come close to frying her brain.
"Don't you want out of here?"
"I want to tell you something and then I'll join your little until merry band."
"What is it?"
BB and Sears had taken a calmer approach as they snuck in through the window, but Scott decided to go in guns blazing and accidentally set off a tripwire that ended up killing him in the process, the evil one I mean.
"Why can't we just go?"
"This world needs our help. The best we can do is not let it have us anymore."
This time, they were trying to find out where the other BB was. He was cunning, but so was his younger self as this world was four years ahead of theirs. But he had underestimated himself very much as they searched through the hospital, but they were found by their prey first.
"This is a foolish bunch. TODD chose you at the worst possible time. You're old and rusty."
BB lunged at himself with no regard for fear or the pressure growing in his chest. The other swiftly punched himself in the face before placing BB in a sleeper hold.
"Let him go. Though, your form is magnificent."
Sears was a man that admired warriors of all kinds. He was a jack of all trades and mostly a master of them all, besides interrogation and bombs. Those he had the most respect for were those who were in the thick of it.
"Thanks. You know, I'm a few years older than you. Let me tell you what's going to happen, you betray them and realize you're just as bad as Dials. The whole world is a joke, and the punchline misses you entirely."
BB elbowed himself numerous times, but it always ended poorly. Scott took out his pistol and tried to fire at the other but ultimately ended up taking out BB's shoulder.
"Seriously Scott?"
"Don't talk, it'll only hurt worse. See, TODD made me, and a few friends go on a mission a lot like this and we ended up all killing the others. He told us that he would be coming back for us soon and here we are."
"Let him go."
"No. He and I will be going on a little trip. You were never a good friend, Scott. Sears, I know you weren't a good man and that you had platoons of child soldiers."
The two went away as BB was sent through the streets as the other spilled so many secrets. I just don't have to do this. It can all be prevented.
"Let me go."
"Stop talking, I know what you're thinking about and for a time, so did I. Just know, my time has passed, and so will yours."
"Couldn't have been any faster?"
Sears came from behind and kicked in the other's knee before he said his last words. They were something that would haunt BB as his new life and old life merged.
"He's secretly a serial killer named the Appalachian Butcher. The reason he knows Dials is because he is his mentor and adopted father."
"Sure, buddy."
With a pull of a trigger, the other BB was down, and they were on their way back to the ODETTA. Mistress was met by Alexandria who explained what BB did and how. The group was back together as they went to Backtown. Dials was expecting a threat, he began training the kids in combat and repressing thoughts. Scott may have been a dictator, but he was open. Never propaganda.
"Should we let him near the kids?"
It was put up to a vote that obviously didn't allow BB to put his two cents in. Joey voted first.
"I say, we forgive him."
"One vote for, no against."
Then it was Alexandria and Mistress who had the same answer.
"We want him out."
"One vote for, two against."
Then Scott and Sears said the same as Joey.
"Keep him, he's an asset. We've been through enough and need our sharpest mind."
"Three votes for, two against. With twenty percent of the vote, the decision has been made, BB will be kept."
The other BB figured Scott would shoot the knife and Joey would pick it up. But he also knew that the ODETTA ai would absolutely play devil's advocate for BB and convince him.
"I've been expecting you."
"Why are you so calm? We will happily kill you here and now."
BB was mad at Dials. They sat across from one another in a boardroom as negotiations raged on. Dials was willing to let them in if they were his guard dogs.
"I will allow you and your group if you do one thing."
"And that is?"
BB was mad but couldn't help but smile. He could see the death date of Dials and it was coming. He was getting bludgeoned, and it was making BB more comfortable as he looked at how soon it would be.
"You will be the warden of my new prison."
Dials had found a bunch of cryosleep pods and began to open them and let those people into Backtown. Dials acted as the president and some of those people began to get their own ideas. BB was supposed to work and live in the prison because it would keep him in one place.
"I agree, now what about the others."
"Simple government jobs. This technically is a communist state. We plan on doing a lot of work with you. Hopefully, I can find a way to put you behind some in a few years."
"Catch me if you can, Father."
That concludes this part of the story as BB and his group work tirelessly to take back Backtown. Here is one last excerpt from BB's journal.
Prison warden. He is truly an evil force of this world.
I could never agree with that but what choice did I have? He's probably monitoring the journal as well. Just know Dials, I'm going to get you. Whether you're smarter or not.