Slideways

by Jeffrey Grode

  Katerina had long dark hair and a thin nose. He’d kissed her once, briefly, when he dropped her off at her house. The kiss had felt awkward and he never followed up. Why had Albert kept this? Had his doppelganger continued the relationship with her, or was this simply a reminder of what might have been? The world changes so fast when you are young.

  While still on the ladder, he turned the frame over and saw a message- For Patrick. After bending the staples, he removed the cardboard backing and his eyes grew wide. Inside were schematics for both the portal watch and the S41K UniZol solar chip.

  Wrapped within wax paper, he found Albert’s revolutionary S41K chip which significantly magnified solar battery storage and energy output. The chip had allowed Terra to function without petro-chemical engines. He held a fortune between his fingers, but only if he made it back home.

  A hand grabbed the back of his calf. He gasped and threw his arms up. The chip flew into the air.

  Chapter 38

  Jack lay on the ridge with his hands behind his head, and watched Earth’s sunset. Ben had fallen asleep as they waited for Brandon and Lori to arrive at the reservoir. The sky was incredible, as if God scratched his pink fingers across a dusky blue horizon.

  Jack couldn’t imagine a birthday crazier than the one he had yesterday. He’d met his doppel-brother and another Lori from a different world. His life had never been more exciting, or dangerous, or complicated.

  Law enforcement agents from both worlds hounded them. He didn’t want Ben, or anyone else, to get hurt. Both sets of parents were involved and at risk. Each could be harmed while protecting their sons. He glanced at Ben. I won’t let anything bad happen to you.

  Jack heard a loud vehicle engine roar and what sounded like a gunshot. He peeked over the rise and saw a big blue pickup truck zoom to the picnic shelter and park. Smoke billowed from the truck’s tailpipe. As the door opened, the remaining family packed their children into a white minivan and rolled away.

  Jack recognized Lori and Brandon in the twilight as they slid out of the truck. Lori carried a small cooler and set it on a nearby picnic table. She moved with such grace. Memories of his Lori pulled at him, but he shook them off.

  Brandon turned his head from side to side and scanned the park. Jack kept silent. Brandon conferred with Lori, pulled a small stack of wood from the bed of his pickup, and built a campfire. Jack wanted to join them, but didn’t want to give away his position on the ridge in case Brandon had been followed.

  He crawled back below the ridge and circled through the shadow of the forest until he found the fire trail. He hiked over the ridge and down to meet Ben’s friends.

  “There’s Jack,” Lori said, loud enough for him to hear. “I told you.”

  Brandon rose to his full height and slowly moved toward him like a bear on his hind legs.

  Jack stopped in the dusky light, not sure what to expect.

  Brandon’s head tilted and his brow creased. The campfire light flickered across his marble white face and red hair. He was a big boy here too.

  Jack smiled despite his worries. “Hey, Brandon.”

  Brandon stopped a yard away, staring, his features set like carved stone. “Is it really you, Jack?” His voice was tight and low. “Lori told me you’d be here, but I –”

  “I’m not the same Jack you grew up with. Not the one that died.” Jack stepped closer and offered his hand to Brandon. “Sorry.”

  “Lori told me how you got here and that you need to go back.” Brandon shook his hand. “You look so much like him. You could be his ghost.”

  “No, I’m real.” Jack squeezed Brandon’s hand to prove the point.

  Brandon let go and bear hugged him. Jack’s eyes bulged.

  “Better put him down and let him breathe,” Lori said.

  Brandon released him and stepped back. “Sorry.” His watery eyes reflected the moonlight. “He was my friend.”

  Jack smiled. “I have a good friend named Brandon back home. He looks like your twin.”

  Brandon smirked. “Good looking I bet.”

  “Well, I’m pretty sure he’d agree with you.” They both chuckled.

  “Where’s Ben?” Lori searched the darkness.

  “Up on the ridge resting.” Jack turned his head toward the trees. “He’ll see the fire and come down.”

  Lori caught Brandon’s eye. “Call my cell. Ben has it.”

  Brandon dialed. “Went to voicemail.”

  “Let’s get him,” Lori said. “I don’t want someone else to find him first.”

  As they moved toward the ridge and away from the fire, they saw a dark figure sprinting down the hill toward them. Jack froze.

  Brandon stepped in front of Jack and Lori and assumed a wrestler’s stance to intercept the intruder. Lori moved forward to stand alongside Brandon. Jack joined her on the far side.

  Ben woke on the ridge above the reservoir and blinked away his fugue. I’m on Earth. The air had cooled and the evening light had bled away to darkness. He sat up and found himself alone. Had Jack gone to the park to await Brandon and Lori? He stood and peered over the ridge. Three people stood about twenty feet from a small campfire near the park’s pavilion. He thought about joining them, but used Lori’s phone instead.

  His mother answered. Ben assured her all was well, but he didn’t tell her his location.

  She told him how she’d stalled the two FBI agents for an hour, and how they’d become surly when she refused to let them search the house. The agents promised to return with a search warrant. Dad had called during the FBI’s visit, but she had let it go to voicemail out of caution.

  Ben began to pace. “Sorry, Mom. Didn’t mean to get you or Dad in trouble.” He ground his teeth. Just for once, he wished he didn’t have to apologize all the time. If only he could impress her, instead of always falling short.

  “We’ll be alright,” Mom said. “Just stay safe and find a way to bring GranPat home.”

  “Okay, Mom. I promise.”

  “Do you still need a ride?”

  “No. Got it covered. Don’t worry.” Ben thanked her and said goodbye.

  He kicked his sleeping bag into a lump, and dialed his father.

  John crossed his legs in Patrick’s leather recliner. The Orioles had edged up six to five over the Pirates in the top of the ninth. The Pirates were at bat now with one out, one on, and the winning run at bat. Sawmill snored loud enough to keep Bootsie away. Both FBI agents huddled on the back deck and smoked.

  John checked his cell for new emails and frowned. Mr. Kline wanted his car back from the shop ASAP, and John hadn’t even touched the car yet. Getting behind might cost him customers, but finding Ben and Patrick came first.

  His cell vibrated as he checked his third message. Caller ID: Lori. John had added her to his contact list after she’d asked for updates regarding Ben. He hurried upstairs to the guest room and closed the door. “Hello?”

  “Dad?”

  “Ben! Are you okay?” John walked to the window and looked outside.

  “We’re fine. Sorry, I have to keep this short. Have you seen GranPat?”

  “No.” John bit his lip. He wasn’t ready to believe Patrick had died.

  “Have you seen Albert?”

  “Who’s Albert?” John frowned.

  “Albert Dugan, we thought he was GranPat and drove him to Carmichael on Sunday. He just looked like GranPat. I told you something was wrong.”

  A doppelganger. No wonder Patrick seemed odd. “Did they know each other?”

  “Yea. GranPat found him when he used the beacon.”

  “Did Albert have a tattoo on his wrist?”

  “Yea, like a barcode.”

  John let his breath out. Had the FBI found Albert’s body instead of Patrick’s? Focus. “Is Jack with you?”

  Ben remained silent.

  “Is the boy you’re travelling with Albert’s grandson?”

  “Yes.”

  “The FBI’s been asking about a watch—”

>   “Let’s not get into that now,” Ben said. “Did they turn off the beacon?”

  “Yes.”

  “We need it back on so we can bring GranPat home.”

  John thought of the Star Trek episode. “Back from a parallel universe?”

  “Exactly,” Ben said. “He’s stuck on a planet called Terra. Albert was kidnapped on Earth by their CSD agents. They’re dangerous.”

  John swallowed. “I have some bad news. The FBI raided a warehouse in Carmichael. The place caught fire and burned to the ground. Albert may have been killed. I’m sorry, son.”

  “Me too.”

  “How can I help you?” asked John

  “Can you restart the beacon?”

  “Wait.” John said. “Think about this. We can’t let these . . . Terrans use the beacon to invade our world.”

  “I promised Mom we would bring GranPat home. Jack needs to go home too. We need a live beacon for a few minutes. You can shut it down if someone else tries to break through. Do you think you can do that?”

  “I can try. Within the next fifteen minutes?” John hoped the guards were still on a break. “If I can’t tonight, call me back in the morning when you’re ready.”

  “Okay, Dad. Give me fifteen minutes.”

  Tonight, while Sawmill napped in the recliner, might be the best time, but he still had to deal with the FBI agents. “Keep your head down, Benzo. Love you.”

  “Love you too, Dad.”

  John eased down the stairs to the living room. Deputy Sawmill snored gently as the sports broadcaster wrapped up the postgame coverage. Once inside the kitchen, John peeked outside the window and saw both FBI agents still on the deck. He moved toward the closed cellar door, grasped the doorknob, and heard a sound behind him.

  “Agent Lovitsky, did you record the audio?” Miller asked from his office at the joint command post.

  “Yes, sir. We have the whole conversation.”

  “Good. Take the precautions we discussed.” Miller hung up, glanced at his watch, and dialed the Deputy Director in Washington.

  I’ve got fifteen minutes! Ben checked the time on Lori’s phone, pulled on his shoes, and laced them. I need Jack with me. The watch bounced beneath his shirt as he ran straight over the ridge and toward the picnic grounds.

  Lori’s phone rang in his hand. As he checked the display - Brandon, he accidentally banged his shin on a boulder. Twelve minutes. He let it ring. Avoiding the rocks and scrub, he flew through the tall grass toward the campfire. Three imposing silhouettes stood between him and the flames. “It’s only me!”

  “Ben?” Lori called.

  “What’s wrong?” Jack held out his hands to stop him.

  Ben glanced at Lori’s cell. “We have ten minutes before Dad tries to turn on GranPat’s beacon. Get ready.” He was breathing heavy. “We’ll need — to jump — to Carmichael.”

  Brandon turned to Lori. “Grab the cooler. I’ll douse the fire.”

  Jack guided him to the picnic table. “Sit. Breathe. Check for the frequency.”

  Ben sat and nodded. He turned on the watch and searched for GranPat’s beacon. “Nothing yet.” He turned the dial and found a strong Erde beacon. Could he use it? No. Better wait for Dad.

  John stood in Patrick’s kitchen and turned the knob to the cellar door. The patio door squeaked open behind him. His stomach lurched. He stepped away from the cellar door and turned.

  “John,” Sheriff Banks said, as he walked into the kitchen from outside. “Just making my rounds. Are they treating you well?”

  “Yes. I’m fine.” He glanced through the patio door and saw the agents stub out their cigarettes. The tall agent with oiled hair nodded as he entered the house, opened the cellar door, and jogged down the steps. John sighed.

  Banks spotted Bootsie’s empty water dish. “Where’s Deputy Sawmill?”

  “Right here, Boss.” Sawmill rolled around the corner and tucked in his uniform. “Bring the cards?”

  Banks smiled and pulled a worn pack out of his back pocket. He eyed John. “C’mon. We have time for a few hands. What do you say?”

  John forced a smile, took a deep breath, and nodded. Sorry, Ben. First thing tomorrow.

  Three sedans and an SUV roared into the parking lot at Reservoir Park, one after the other. Bright headlights flicked past Ben and his friends as the vehicles came to a halt near the pavilion.

  “Shit.” Ben slid the portal watch back under his shirt.

  Patrick’s left hand clung to Albert’s stepladder as he grasped for the billion dollar solar chip with his right. He caught the chip in his palm without falling. He swallowed and glanced behind him. Miss Betsy stood below holding her forefinger to her lips. He exhaled. Not CSD.

  Patrick slipped the documents and the chip into his inner jacket pocket, closed the hidden compartment, and descended the ladder.

  Betsy motioned him closer, put her hand on his shoulder, and whispered into his ear. “Did you find what you were looking for?” Her fingers squeezed him gently.

  He put his hand on the small of her back and his mouth next to her ear. “Yes, just a moment ago.” He could smell her perfume. Lilac? The proximity made him dizzy. He knew she wasn’t the woman he’d loved and missed all these years, not the wife he’d worked so hard to find, yet, her soft touch and familiar scent called to him. He wanted to turn his head and kiss her lips. Instead, he pulled his head away, and gazed into her soft eyes. She smiled slowly. Oh, God. She knows how I feel.

  Before he could explain himself, or apologize, Betsy pulled him close and kissed him. Her lips felt soft on his and banished his concerns. Nothing else mattered, but this moment. Without words they made their way upstairs to her bedroom, locked the door, and eased into bed. Albert’s bed. He pushed the thought aside like chaff on the threshing floor.

  Chapter 39

  As four vehicles roared into Earth’s Reservoir Park, Ben and Jack sprinted toward the darkness of the ridge. Brandon and Lori stayed behind at the picnic table. Halfway up the steady incline, Ben glanced back at the parking lot. The vehicles had stopped, but their headlights burned through the darkness. Ben swallowed. Hope they’re not FBI.

  “C’mon.” Jack tugged on Ben’s arm and motioned up the hill. “Let’s go.”

  Once over the crest, they jogged left to their campsite behind the ridge. Jack crawled back to the crest on his stomach. “We weren’t followed. Who do you think they are?”

  “Not sure.” Ben thought of the torch carrying villagers who had come to kill the Frankenstein monster. On a hunch, he checked Lori’s phone and found unopened emails from AT&T, Brandon, and Rouge. “Check this out.” He read Rouge’s e-mail out loud. “Lori, meet me and my Cranberry friends at the reservoir tonight for a flash party. Just found out. Bring Brandon. C’ya.”

  “Flash party?” Jack looked over his shoulder. “Should we join them?”

  “No. Not yet.” Ben set Lori’s phone down and took out the portal watch. “I need to check for GranPat’s beacon.” Ben turned switches and dials. “Nothing yet.”

  “What about the frequency from the dry planet?” Jack said. “Maybe we could use Erde’s beacon to travel to Earth’s Carmichael?”

  Ben checked the portal watch display. “It’s still there.” He glanced at Jack. “Let’s take a peek at our grandfather’s house on Erde.”

  “Okay. A small window, but be ready to shut it down.”

  Ben opened a basketball sized portal to what looked like a well-lit basement laboratory. Florescent light washed back through the darkness and across his face. He saw beacon-like machinery on a metal table, but with many more orange wires connected to a large stack of old car batteries. Clinking and scraping noises resounded somewhere inside, but out of view.

  Without thinking, Ben moved the watch forty-five degrees to the right and the view shifted. Someone, with his back to the portal opening, rummaged through spare parts in a large metal box. Ben blinked. The person’s right arm and leg appeared robotic with bluish steel, tubes,
articulated plates, joints, fingers, and toes. The left side looked human.

  “Wow,” Jack whispered. “Is that a cyborg?”

  The person stopped browsing, tilted his head, and listened. After ten seconds, it dropped something into the box with a clank, turned around, and met Ben’s gaze through the portal. Its left eyebrow rose over a hazel eye, but the right side of its face was a dark green metal mask with a blue glass eye. The cyborg’s mouth, nose, chin, and left eye were human and looked exactly like—.

  Me. Ben couldn’t look away.

  “Ahh.” The cyborg blinked. “My shadow has opened the Way.”

  Ben rubbed his own cheek. More like a split shadow, but at least my Erdian doppelganger is still alive.

  “Close it down,” Jack said. “It’s not human.”

  The cyborg’s glass eye whirred as it refocused upon Jack. “Johann?” It took an awkward step closer to the portal. “Is it really you?”

  “My name’s Jack and this is Ben.”

  “Ah, my shadow brothers,” said the cyborg. “I am Ben-Gen. I had a brother once.” The fluorescent lights flickered across his face. “Johann took my shift at the mine, so I could fight in the pit. I needed the extra credits to feed my family.” His human eye glistened. “He died in a mine explosion that night.” Ben-Gen’s human hand covered his heart.

  “I’m sorry,” Ben said.

  “Thank you for being kind.” Ben-Gen studied Ben. “You are who I might have been.”

  Ben stared at the robotic parts. “What happened to you?”

  “Laser misfire during a food riot. I was fortunate the blast cauterized my wounds. My grandfather rebuilt me using spare parts.” Ben-Gens human hand brushed across the metal side of his face. “I’m still human, but accessorized. We don’t say ‘cyborg’. It’s considered vulgar.”

  “Sorry,” Jack said. “Is your grandfather home?”

  “No, not until tomorrow. He and his shadow brother have been working on the portal technology. I help maintain the signal and keep the Way open. Yours must have been the other signal we detected. We believe the discovery of teleportation and travel between worlds may have occurred across the multiverse.”