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Chapter 32: A Moment of Truth, A Lifetime of Lies

"If I gave you the truth,

Would it keep you alive?

Though I'm closer to wrong,

I'm no further from right."

-"Truth" by Seether

"Fantastical places." Kyra murmured.

"What?" Cutter asked.

Helen merely eyed Kyra and Cutter, while Connor stood near her.

"You—you killed my family." Kyra spoke quietly, looking on at Helen.

"I'm right here." Cutter spoke, standing next to her.

"No, in an alternate future," Kyra explained.

"You were the one who set fire to the ARC and killed everyone including Nick Cutter and Claudia Brown. Weren't you, Helen?" She spat at Helen.

"You have no idea what it's like to be completely and utterly alone for years at a time, do you?" Helen began.

"I know the feeling well enough, from you leaving me on my own at that mansion lost in time." Kyra retorted.

"I needed companionship. Nick refused, as did Stephen."

"So, you just thought that you'd abduct a child and kill everyone that mattered to her?" Cutter jumped in.

"Someone had to pay the price for my happiness." Helen shrugged.

Kyra clenched her fists. Then, her theories sprung to mind.

"What about Connor? How does he play into all of this?"

Stephen, Abby, Jenny, and Lester cleared the parking lot just before the explosion.

"Cutter!" Jenny called.

"Nick!" Stephen shouted.

No answer.

"What a surprise." Lester crossed his arms. "She lied to us, again."

"There must've been a reason." Abby muttered.

"Nick is still in there, they're probably going to kill him if we don't go back in and get him!" Jenny spoke, angrily.

"No one is going back into the burning building." Lester commanded. "If Cutter isn't out in the next five minutes, I'll send one of the soldiers to recover him. They're trained for such an emergency."

Stephen glanced at Abby.

"Be careful." She whispered, a torn look on her face.

Stephen took off back into the ARC, Lester shouting after him to stop.

"I think I'll let Connor explain himself." Helen smirked.

"I spent the past couple years watching everyone in the ARC, Connor; but you, you've changed too much for me to know why." Kyra stated, debating whether or not to grab her hand gun from its resting place, in the back of her jeans.

"She's right. You're a completely different person." Cutter stated.

"I'm Connor Temple. A more improved Connor Temple; but the one and only, nonetheless."

"Right. Can you prove it?" Kyra countered.

Stephen made his way over, around, and even under the debris, looking for Cutter.

"Nick!" He called for his friend.

He paused for a second as he heard voices up ahead, around the corner.

"She's right. You're a completely different person." Cutter stated.

"I'm Connor Temple. A more improved Connor Temple; but the one and only, nonetheless."

"Right. Can you prove it?"

Stephen darted forward and came face to face with Cutter, K.C., Helen, and Connor.

"I'm living proof." Connor retorted. "What is there to prove?"

"Maybe you could start with how you go from being a guy who cared about his friends, to running off and joining Helen, then harming the ones you used to care about?" Stephen cut in as he came round the corner.

"Hello, Stephen." Helen smiled.

"I was wondering when you'd come looking." Kyra cocked her head to the side, glancing at Stephen.

"I'd like the Artifact back in my possession, Nick. You obviously don't know what it is." Helen held out her hand.

"So you can run off and mess with time again? I don't think so." Cutter shook his head, hiding the Artifact behind his back.

Helen pulled out her gun, cocked it, and aimed it at Cutter.

"I've seen what you've all done to the future. I wish there was another way, Nick."

Kyra also pulled out her gun and aimed it at Helen. Connor aimed his gun at Kyra.

"What an interesting turn of events." Helen mused. "I saved you all those years ago and now you repay me by turning against me."

"I wouldn't have needed saving if you hadn't started that fire, like you did here." Kyra said, not faltering her aim.

Stephen wished that he would've remembered to bring the gun with him. He felt helpless; he and Nick would have to rely on K.C. not to turn against them again.

"Like I said earlier, it gets lonely travelling through the anomalies. It gets dangerous out there, I needed a companion."

"You continuously dumped me into your past so you could raise me while not really aging at all. What kind of life is that?" Kyra shouted.

"I was protecting you." Helen said, glancing at Kyra.

Stephen saw this as his chance and rushed at Helen, knocking the gun out of her hand. The anomaly device fell to the floor, which Connor picked up.

"What are you doing, Connor?" Helen asked incredulously.

"You didn't keep your end of the bargain, Helen. Now, neither am I." Connor smirked, stepping away from the group.

Kyra turned her gun to Connor.

"Coming?" He offered Kyra.

Kyra glared at him.

Stephen kept Helen pinned against the wall. Helen struggled underneath Stephen's touch.

"And to make sure that you all stay here," Connor spoke as he pulled the trigger, shooting Helen in the torso near her rib cage and Cutter in the shoulder before dashing off down the hallway of the burning building.

Helen groaned and slid down the wall, Cutter fell against the opposite wall, grasping his shoulder.

Kyra fell down next to him, gun in hand. "Dad, I'm sorry."

"Stop 'im." Cutter ordered, meeting her gaze.

"But—"

"I trust you. I'll be fine. Stephen and I will get out of here with Helen." Cutter forced a smile.

Kyra nodded before giving chase to Connor.

"Stephen," Cutter groaned as he forced himself to his feet, grasping the Artifact in his hand, trying to ignore his shoulder. "We need to leave; this place is going to collapse."

Stephen nodded and reluctantly picked up Helen as he and Nick moved quickly and made their way out of the building.

"Connor!" Kyra coughed, the smoke becoming thicker.

She turned a corner and saw Connor entering an anomaly. Without thinking, she dashed and jumped through it, smacking into Connor seconds before the anomaly slammed shut.

They were back at the mansion.

"I see you've changed your mind, yet again. I'm glad you chose to join me." Connor greeted, knocking the gun from her grasp, holding her wrists.

"What was your end of the deal between you and Helen?" Kyra asked, struggling against his grip.

"Why does it matter so much to you?" He asked amusedly.

"Because you're not Connor Temple!" She sneered.

"I am though."

"Where's your ring, then?"

"I lost in when I was traveling through the anomalies." He hesitated.

"You're lying." She accused.

He couldn't let her know. He shoved her off of him and leapt to his feet, dashing down the hallway. Toward the direction of the locked door.

"Get medics over here, now!" Lester shouted as Stephen, Nick, and Helen emerged from the burning ARC.

"Nick." Jenny breathed, pulling him into a kiss.

"Shoulder." Nick muttered in pain, against her lips.

"I'm sorry. I didn't—"

"It's fine." Nick smiled.

The medics collected Helen and packed her into an ambulance rushing off to the hospital as she started to go into shock.

"I want military escort with Helen Cutter at all times, no one is to let her out of sight." Lester ordered.

Jenny rode in another ambulance with Cutter to the hospital.

"I thought I'd never see you again." Abby spoke, looking at Stephen, who had blood on his t-shirt.

"Can't get rid of me that easily." Stephen smirked, leaning in and kissing her passionately.

"What about K.C. and Connor?"

"Connor shot Helen and Nick before taking off through an anomaly. K.C. went after him." Stephen explained as a medic guided him toward another ambulance, Abby following.

Kyra moved cautiously, but quickly down the hallway, gun at the ready. She didn't have time for a deep breath as she spun round the corner.

Nothing.

She moved to the door with the lock.

The lock was broken off, the door partially open.

She pushed the door open and entered into the dark room, only to be meant with a stabbing pain in her side. A hand flew instinctively to the spot.

It was warm and sticky.

Blood.

She'd been stabbed.

Light flooded the room as she fell to her knees almost in slow motion.

There were machines everywhere and in the center of the room was a large containment unit with Connor in it, eyes closed, surrounded by some sort of liquid. He was hooked up to all sorts of wires and in nothing but boxer shorts, the ring floating around his neck.

"Connor." She mumbled as she leaned forward, trying to ignore the pain.

She heard the knife clatter to the cold floor.

"I gave you a choice and you refused. See, I'm not as savvy and lenient as Helen. I don't give multiple chances to redeem yourself." Connor spoke, circling in front of her.

Kyra tried to force herself to her feet and stumbled slightly.

"That's the real Connor Temple." She stated.

Connor glanced at the tank.

"Well, technically speaking, we're both the real Connor Temple. I'm just his—evil twin clone, if you will—from another time, sort of like you."

"We're not the same." Kyra spoke, breathing heavily.

"You wanted the truth? Here it is." Connor smiled, outstretching his arms, gesturing to the room.

Okay, I apologize, I lied. lol The next chapter will be the final. The rest of the story/epilogue. ^-^;

Please review! ;D