Back in Time

I opened my eyes slowly to see blurry figures dragging me through some corridors. I shook my head trying to clear the images I was seeing. However, my brain had other plans. My head lulled to the side as I succumbed once again to the darkness.

I was on my way to uncorrupt a scene. I was new to the world of marine archeology, back then I was innocent, impressionable and naive. I smiled as opportunities presented themselves. This had followed me around since I had graduated college. I always loved a challenge, I remembered when my mother Charlotte, father Howard, Josephine, Victoria, Alex, Rick, Evelyn and Ardeth bursted with joy when I received my diploma: double doctorates in psychology and archeology. I pulled off my Ray-Bans as I walked into the tent set up for the preservation of the artifacts we had found from the Nile river. I noticed a man I had yet to know, I walked up to him fully confident in myself that he did not belong here. As I approached I noticed his features. He was quite handsome with his almost completely symmetrical face. His eyes glowed as he looked at the golden jewelry that lay on the table before him.

"Excuse me? You are?" I asked him as I finagled my way between him and the table. My arms crossed as I studied him closely. Green eyes, dark brown hair tousled like he had just rolled out of bed, smirk on his face.

"Nick Morton, pleasure to meet you miss?" He reached his hand out to shake mine.

"Dr. Elizabeth O'Connell." I stated happily I had earned my title through a tremendous amount of hard work there was no way anyone would get away with just calling me 'miss'. He nodded staring at me until another man came through the entrance to the tent quickly letting my hand go as if embarrassed he didn't let go in the first place.

"Nick. Stop fucking around we have to leave. We'll get in serious shit from the colonel if we're caught in here." The man said to Nick. He was about the same as Nick size-wise. The muscle tone on both their bodies had me thinking 'soldier' immediately. My mouth formed an 'oh'. My instincts were telling me to leave the man be and get to work on the analysis of the objects.

"Hi, I don't believe we've been introduced." His friend turned to me. He had a scar on his nose most likely from a break. His eyes were brown. He had a beard that matched the dark color of his hair. I stood there not saying anything.

"Chris meet Dr. O'Connell. Lead marine archeologist." He didn't even glance at his friend, he was too busy eye locked with me. I was the first to break the staring battle. As his friend reached out his hand.

"Chris Vail." He told me, smiling slowly before letting my hand go.

"Well I'd say it's been a pleasure but-- seeing as you're not even supposed to be here." I trailed off as Chris grabbed Nicks arm leading him away from me and out of the tent, I stared after the strange two seeing Nick glance back at me put a smile on my face.

~~~

"ELIZABETH!" I heard the yell before I saw the man in question, the door slamming behind him. Nick fucking Morton. I rolled my eyes as I silently packed my stuff into a suitcase.

"I'm really not in the mood for a fight right now," I told him calmly as he raced into our bedroom. I threw open the nightstand drawer gathering my books and papers before throwing them into the suitcase.

"What're you doing?" He asked me, his voice above a whisper as I crossed the room to the closet avoiding my boyfriend.

"I'm leaving Nick this clearly isn't working," I told him as he stepped in front of me preventing me from grabbing my favorite jacket.

"Why would you say that babe? We're fine, I was out with Chris." He started to explain himself as I tried to retrieve my jacket. His body stopping me every chance he got.

"I don't care, Nick, enough is enough. I'm done and you're done I see it clearly as ever. Late nights out doing God knows what. I don't care. I deserve better and I know it. I'm done." I said as I looked into his eyes not feeling done at all when he stared right back at me, I could see the inner turmoil on his face as his head dropped to his chest. He stepped away from the closet allowing me to finally grab my jacket. I threw it into my suitcase zipping it up. I grabbed the handle pulling it from the bed as I started my walk across our apartment towards the door. Nick grabbed my arm preventing me from leaving.

"Elizabeth, please..." I looked into his eyes. Tears threatening to fall from mine.

"I can't... I can't do it anymore Nick. I'm sorry." I told him as I opened the front door suitcase in tow as it closed suddenly behind me.

~~~

BANG! I woke to a door being slammed behind me I looked around at my surroundings trying to figure out where I was. There were men at my sides, dragging me through what seemed like a lab. I noticed a rotting squid sitting in a jar and a hand from what seemed like... I couldn't even describe it as a zombie? All kinds of different organisms were around me. I noticed a skull with elongated canine teeth. No, no, no. I jumped into action flipping my body backwards against the people on my sides that were gripping my arms. Doing a back flip out of them. They were stunned as could be as I swiped one guy's legs out from underneath him, he fell to the ground, hard. The other man pulled out a taser trying to get me back into a compliant state. I quickly dodged around his back as he proceeded to taze the man behind me. I smirked as I kicked him in the back causing him to drop to the ground too, on top of the other man who I had just previously thrown to the ground.

"STOP!" I heard a man yell as I picked up a glass jar containing a specimen about to smash it on the man who tried to taze me. I looked in front of me to see Nick being held and a gun pointed at me. I had considered throwing the jar at the guy and taking my chances but upon seeing Nick's face I ended up setting it back on the table where the other ones were, raising my hands up in surrender. The two men got back up and grabbed my arms and we proceeded forwards towards another door. The man who yelled at me put his finger on the reader and the door opened. I walked towards the room looking around in awe. It was like being in a medieval castle, all kinds of different weapons were in glass cases.

"Stay." The two said as they took the straight jacket off of Nick. I scoffed and threw myself down onto a sofa.

"What the fuck was that Liz?" Nick asked me.

"Don't blame me, you were up before me and you didn't do anything!" I told him.

"Yeah because I was in a straight jacket... Are you okay?" He asked as he reached towards my face to see if I was hurt.

"I'm okay," I said to him hoping the words coming out of my mouth were true. I cringed as I heard a door open to my right expecting the worst I took a fighting stance at an older man probably in his 50s.

"There's no need for that-- Dr. O'Connell." I heard the words slip out of his mouth as I stared at him mouth agape, there was no way he could possibly be alive.