by S. H. Marpel
I was there to give a series of shows to the base. Courtesy of the U. S. O. That’s why I was in this fluffed-out, swishy long dress. Even though I didn’t have a performance today, I was sitting at a long table with the other show-girls and singers, giving autographs to the endless lines of appreciative fans.
Most of them male.
So the extra skin I was showing was not just to keep me cool, but to encourage these guys to come back for the other performances.
Most were just friendly. Some were frisky as well. Today, the long table separated me from both, other than the occasional brushed hand. The modest décolletage I was sporting would just have to satisfy them. Even though I still got more than my fair share of phone numbers.
My visitor housing was shared with the other gals, so it wasn’t like I could bring any “private conversations” back there.
Meaning my brother didn’t have to worry about me, much.
He was around somewhere, probably invisible to the rest of the people crowding the big commissary today.
Big – because this is the one store, practically the entire “downtown” for this base. There simply was no shopping off base, just minefields. World’s biggest minefields. Courtesy of the Communists.
Still, the adoring and smiling faces were appreciated. And nowhere is a girl treated better than when she’s a show-girl on a U.S.O. tour.
At last the autograph line thinned out. I smiled warmly to the last hunk as he lingered. And took a second to work the cramps out of my writing hand. Down the row of tables, I saw the reason for the thinning line was due to some M.P.‘s setting up a cordon. Our agent was there with them, just making sure we had our breaks. Nice guy. I could see the sign he was putting up, which said we would be available tomorrow, after the show, for signatures yet again.
Sigh.
Of course, I had a different agenda than just entertaining the troops and support personnel like the other gorgeous girls in this row of tables.
The trick is – I was different. I only borrowed this body. Because I was here to solve a crime - one that hadn’t happened yet.
But when it did, the evidence would disappear and the witnesses would forget what they saw - all within 24 hours of the crime.
That had been my job for months. Chasing these goons around and trying to piece together what they were after.
I didn’t remember more than blurs of those months, knowing that I had a job to do and every day showing up in another gal’s body in a different city.
Then my brother Finn got a girlfriend. She was called Carol. And I still wasn’t sure how they met. But she was a healer, and helped my short and long term memories. After that, it seemed we started making progress on these goons.
I frowned, remembering all the details now. Because one of these was still an unsolved mystery. This guy who called himself Will had shown up in two of my recent assignments. Showed up, then left. A few minutes or just seconds each time. Helped us, but didn’t explain why he was doing what he did.
“Good morning, Erotika Jones!’
That was my red-headed brother, dressed in a casual tan knit pullover and loose duck trousers. “Hi-ya Finn. How’s things today?”
“Well, I’d say seeing a fine line of ladies all dressed up with nowhere to go always brightens any day.”
“Of course – Carol has you on a long leash?”
Finn smiled. “More like my own leash is shorter than hers. She knows I appreciate good fruit, but know enough to leave it on the tree when I already have the best pick at home.”
I suppressed a chuckle. “Not that I’d call your control room ‘home’, by what you’ve told me about it.”
His smile turned into a grin. “You know the old phrase, ‘home is where your heart is.’”
You’re such a dear. Of course, Carol can hear everything you say...”
“And that’s a great reason for me to rein in my own leash.”
I had to shake my head. “She knows how you’re incorrigible.”
“Part of the fun there is in courting. But between you two gals in my life, I more frequently get the short end of the teasing.”
“That’s only fair.”
“OK, sis. If you say so.”
“Oh, you can stop pulling that trick that savvy husbands use. How to get the last word...”
“Is ‘Yes, dear.’”
I had to grin. “Remind me to punch you when I get out of here.”
Finn looked down the long line of tables. “Well, almost all of the other girls have left. Where are you supposed to be now?”
I slid over a schedule on the table. “This says I have the rest of the day for myself.”
“Perfect. Maybe we can combine your favorite hobby with your best talent.”
I stood and started making my way around the table. “Which would be?”
“Shopping and Sleuthing.”
Then I did chuckle. “You know me just too well.”
Once I rounded the table end and slipped between it and the next one, Finn held out his elbow for me to hold. I was thankful for his support, as that helped me keep my balance in these spike heels. Plus his keeping his paces short. I had no doubt that these dancer legs could keep up with him if we were both in soft-soled running shoes and a track outfit, but today I was dressed for show.
This outfit wasn’t really designed for anything strenuous. And the wide, ruffled skirt meant staying toward the center of the aisles to keep from brushing items off the shelves.
Not my usual choice of dress, but today I was a show girl. If I wanted something more comfortable for solving mysteries, I’d have to get transport back to my temp quarters. And it looked like I’d just missed the one bus going that way – containing most of the rest of the troupe.
As if to read my mind, “OK, Erotika, here’s the briefing from what we know of the after-action reports...”
And I listened as Finn ran down what our A.I. in the control room had pulled from the timeline years from where we were now.
II
I HEARD A MAN CLEAR his throat before he spoke in the quiet control room.
And that was the difference between being shocked and just surprised.
“Hello, Carol. Glad to meet you.”
Still, I jumped. And looked up to see a tall, dark-haired stranger in naval chambray shirt and dungarees smiling down at me. He was standing just inside the viewscreen entrance door. Blue ball cap held in his hands.
“Sorry to surprise you. I thought using the door this time would be easier on you, but you were absorbed in your work.”
I eyed the captured handgun that I’d left on the narrow shelf above the monitors. He saw my glance.“That won’t be necessary. My name is Will - and unlike the government, I am really here just to help.”
“Will - you’re Erika’s mystery man.”
He smiled, but came no closer. “That would be me. Mind if I sit?”
I gave a cautious nod.
Will reached for the nearest chair and pulled it back toward him to sit, away from me and the handgun.
“Carol, I thought I’d better introduce myself and answer your many questions.”
“Well, that’s thoughtful.”
He smiled. And waited.
“OK, Will. What kind of help are you expecting to give us?”
“Pretty much any way I can. But my talents are not being some whiz kid at computers or martial arts, so it’s more that I need to find out what you most need help with. Then I can tell you what parts of those I can assist on.”
“In that case, tell me how you sped up the algorithm yesterday and get us arriving 24 hours early.”
“Just a little time-bending - picked her up as she arrived and ‘pushed’ her back a day.”
“That’s not a little trick - neither she nor Finn saw that happen.”
Will shrugged. “It’s not that hard. Besides, if Erika had noticed, then she’d be spooked off her assignment.”
“Considerate of you.”
“What do you think of our detective duo?”
“Nice folks. Efficient. Finn’s straight up and decisive. But Erika, she’s something else – almost too savvy for her own good.”
“If they weren’t that skilled, she’d already been removed. By the bad guys.”
Will nodded. Just the assignments I’ve seen proved that. Wherever she goes after this, she’ll do great.”
“So you know we only have 3 days after this one.”
He nodded again, frowning. “That’s why I’ve come to see you.”
“You want to help with the extraction?”
“Sure.”
“Why?”
“Other than her brains, guts, and being a fast study? She’d be welcome anywhere she winds up.”
“Are you sure it’s not because somehow she always winds up as a real looker?”
One side of Will’s mouth went up in a wry grin. “Don’t think I don’t know what she really looks like. A red head like no other. And she makes that uniform go into shapes I’ve never seen before.”
“So you’ve been bending onto her back trail to gawk.”
Will’s face went a bit pink as he grinned. “You can’t blame a guy for doing his homework. And knowing her background was part of the research I needed to do.”
“Research?”
“There wasn’t any evidence she was a time-bender before this.”
“Do you think the radiation in that flash she got made the change in her DNA so she could?”
He shook his head no. “From what I understand, it doesn’t work that way. More like she and Finn could already do any bending they wanted, but never had any chance to try - well, they didn’t see what they did as bending any way. They thought everything was normal.”
“Other than their consistently showing up exactly on time when they were needed, every single time.”
“There’s that. Despite all traffic and any accidents put in their path.”
“You put something in their path?”
“No, but I’ve seen others do it. I was only observing at that point.”
“How did Erika get onto your radar?”
“A bender can feel when time has been squeezed or pulled. Haven’t you felt that?”
“Actually, I figured that was from my own efforts. But I’m used to bending solo more than not.”
Will nodded. “Same here, well, mostly.”
“Mostly?”
“I found their trails. And some others.”
“Others?”
Will looked away, then back to me. “That will have to wait for another time.”
“You’ve got to be somewhere?”
“Some where and some time. But we have a few minutes yet. What else can I answer for you to reassure you of my intentions?”
“What do you want for Erika, for this project?”
“For Erika - to keep her safe. For the project - to help all of you extract yourselves when the time comes.”
“Is there something we should know about preparing for the finale?”
Another wry grin. “Carol, you know more than you think. And you’re more talented than you know. Just ask Felicity when you meet her.”
At that, he frowned and glanced toward the door, then back to me - and stood, returning his chair to the spot he’d pulled it from.
“Carol, it’s been a pleasure. I’ll bend back when I can - but this project makes bending a real trick. We’ll have to compare notes later. Thanks again.”
He put on his ball cap, smiled, and shifted like a folding mirror - both sides toward the middle. And was gone.
III
I SPOTTED THE FIRST one before Finn could. Charcoal gray overalls, right hand in the front pocket. No name tag or stencil. Wearing sunglasses indoors. Shaved head.
“Finn - to your right, 10 o’clock.”
He only glanced that direction, keeping his face straight ahead. “Got him.”
With a fast long-armed motion, he snagged a shampoo bottle from eye level and turned to face me. He held it up between us as if getting my opinion of the brand or price.
“Another to your 5 o’clock, and two aisles over at about your 7.”
“You’ve got another on your own 7. So that makes four.”
“But they all seem to have stopped.”
He turned back to his right to put the bottle back, then held out his arm again for me to take it – and keep us moving.
“Nothing behind us. So they are only tracking us, not herding. A bit distinctive outfits, even though no one would particularly notice them.”
I nodded. “And what’s with all of them having bald heads?”
“Same bad hairdresser.”
I had to smile at that joke. “What’s your suggestion?”
“Just keep going for now. These aisles are long. And we’re heading for the women’s clothing – lingerie. At least you and I can stop and have a discussion - but they’ll be out in the open and standing out like sore thumbs in all that pastel-colored lace.”
So that’s what we did.
The result was that those beefy guys had to spread out to take whatever cover they could without looking like fetishists.
Which meant as long as I was acting the part of teasing Finn with unmentionables, we could stay relatively safe. But it also meant that anyone else in the commissary shopping near us would be at risk.
We were basically surrounded.
Then I saw them pull out their guns and adopt their take-no-prisoners stances.
A DISTRACTION HELPED. The lights went bright, then dimmed to nothing, and then resumed.
Since there was still a good amount of afternoon sunlight streaming in on the side windows, it didn’t get completely dark. But the split- second of them looking away gave us time to dive beneath a rack of swimsuits.
But the commissary got real quiet at that point.
All the noise of the crowd disappeared. The shoppers had vanished.
The only sound remaining was the creaking soles of the goon’s soft-soled boots on the polished tile floor.
Coming toward where we were crouched - not too far from where they’d seen us earlier.
Finn caught my eye with a signal and disappeared from view.
The next thing I needed was some sort of distraction.
And then I had to be able to run.
Looking down at my swishy stage outfit gave me an idea. That outfit problem gave me an opportunity.
Pulling down some of the heavier one-piece suits and their hangers, I figured these along with my spiked heels would give me the extra heft I needed. All folded carefully together, as I wanted that dress back in good shape, not wrinkled up beyond any use.
A strong toss and my long dress sailed out into the aisle and landed with pink thud.
The goons came running.
While I slinked off in between them. Much cooler and lighter without that dress.
I heard four sets of feet converge and stop.
My own quiet bare feet had gotten me to just outside changing rooms nearby.
So I waited there, hoping my current state of undress was hidden enough.
Catching my breath and listening, I didn’t see or hear anything. And as I was deciding where I needed to run and which direction from there - I saw the flashes.
Close enough that they seemed to be almost the same, but the brightnesses were distinct peaks instead of one single large flash.
FINN’S VOICE BROKE the quiet. “OK, Erotika, you can come out now.”
“Just a second.” I looked around for something a bit more modest to cover me.
And then the crowd noises returned. Crouching down, I saw the cause. Hundreds of pairs of feet in the commissary again.
Oh, joy.
There - a thin, floral sarong. Fine for tropical heat, if not designed for covering much above the waist with more than a single thin layer.
Looking over my outfit one last time, I at last stood and came out
to where I’d heard Finn’s voice.
Right into the middle of a cluster of shoppers.
IV
JOHN WAS WAITING FOR me when the wall dilated, with another young girl next to him.
“Carol, this is Felicity.”
“Great to meet you.”
“She’s come to vouch for Will.”
I raised an eyebrow.
Felicity was as cute as a button. Looked like she was about 12, and had a smile that would melt the coldest heart in a glacier. Stood straight, almost up to John’s shoulder. Dressed in a white lace camisole top, blue jeans and classic sneakers. Her hair was brown with sun-bleached highlights, pulled back into a pony tail. Behind a pair of sparkling blue eyes that twinkled in humor and almost glowed.
“Glad to meet you Carol, John’s stories are informative and entertaining, but it’s always great to meet the real person behind the legends.”
I glanced over to John. He was grinning. “Legends?”
“Well, my story characters are bigger than life. You know better than most about how I leave out what doesn’t need to be said.”
I just shook my head and looked back at Felicity. She was enjoying our interchange, her grin even broader.
“He’s got a way of writing about your time bending that makes readers feel like anyone could do what you do.”
I had to smile at the compliment. “Some things come natural, but John’s greatest gift could be his ability to prune the worst parts out of his stories.”
“Felicity, he said you know Will?”
“More like, I can recognize him. What you’ve seen isn’t a Will I’ve met yet.”
“Sounds like time-bender grammar to me.”
She grinned. “Sure - like when you and John first met. Anyway, the short explanation is that he turns out OK the way John writes him up.”
I frowned at that. “Sounds like it’s not a story that John has written yet.”
“No, and my saying much more will just confuse things worse.” She glanced at John, then back to me. “Anyway, he’s told me we are on the clock here.”
“Oh, right.” I held out a pendant to John, but Felicity took my hand.
Instantly my mind was filled with curious images, but overall was a strong feeling of hope. For things yet to be.
