The Portal At The End Of The Storm (Quantum Touch Book 6)

by Michael R. Stern

“We're going back.”

  “What about your job?”

  “I'll worry about it later. They didn't miss me this week, or they would have called. I certainly didn't miss them.”

  We arrived in Riverboro a little after midnight. Jane brought her copy of my notes and before unpacking, we sat at the table, reviewing the trips while I tried to remember the weather, and in which storms I'd walked through the rain. For certain, my trip to DC, the courthouse and the jail, I'd been saturated and left puddles by the portal entrance. But which times, which other ones, had taken me across the universes?

  We slept fitfully and were back at it early Saturday. I had an erasable board in this universe, too, so we listed the trips in order, and next to each, I wrote the rain conditions. If the rain dates matched, then Eric was right about how obvious the crossing was. But reconstructing the scenarios to be sure which ones actually crossed dimensions wasn't easy to remember. All I could think about was the water, but I still had no idea where Fritz had gone from Appomattox. He could still travel, and what made matters worse, he could set off the universal tumblers. I hoped he remained predictable.

  Jane and I reread every entry, and we agreed that Eric had found the missing link. Now the only remaining question—where did Fritz go? My original thought continued, that he went in search of Lee. Since that's where I left him, he would be in friendly company. But a nagging reminder of his reluctance to come home kept tapping for attention. That he could time-travel, create portals of his own, complicated matters. I believed the portal where I found him remained open. He might try to go back. The reason made no sense to me. But I hadn't lived his life for what he believed was so long a time. I asked Jane if I should call Linda. She said we should find out if we could replicate Eric's findings first.

  “You don't know where Fritz is, so telling her won't help find him,” she said. “And if you go back in, you need to be able to get out. You know how to open the portal to the other dimensions. But you can't stay unless Eric can track you. He's found a variable, but according to physics, more than one bridge exists.”

  “Do you know how to find them?”

  “Not exactly. But I have a theory. We all float on a timeline, here, and in the parallel worlds. The bridges are formed based on individual connections. In other words, if I could time travel, my bridges would connect to significant events or people, like magnets, in my life. Your connection to Fritz is a very powerful one. So you will open to places you share. That's why you met our friends in that dimension, went to your home. And that's why I believe, why I'm certain, you'll find Fritz. Wherever he is.”

  Chapter 58

  Fritz

  NOW I'M WEARING glasses. I don't have any idea how old I am. The necessities of my previous life are wishful thinking, things I took for granted. Lights with a flick of a finger, indoor plumbing and toilet paper, controlled heat and air conditioning. If you've never had these things, you accept improvements with Five Star ratings. When you know what's coming, but can't change things, suffice it to say that I would trade places in a heartbeat.

  Since Appomattox, I've followed Lee around like a puppy. When he was offered the job here at the college, he brought me along as an instructor, which at least gave me a chance to face classes again, with an entire century I didn't have to teach. And for the past four years, my skills as a cook haven't gone unnoticed. I have however had to learn how to cook with less than ideal products. Supermarkets and convenience stores are only a dream, so I plan ahead. And now I understand why so many recipes had “a pinch of this, a handful of that.”

  General Lee and I have daily conversations about the politics of the day and about the future. I think he prefers discussing the future as an escape from the deprivations of Reconstruction. I see first-hand the damage to a once proud, if arrogant, society, and we've argued more than once that what has changed is the hubris of a society based on slavery continuing, succeeding.

  Lee is adamantly opposed to Negroes voting. I've come to know a different man. When I told him a Constitutional amendment would pass soon, he asked if I thought slavery would have ended on its own, and none of the disruption would have been necessary.

  I told him that question will be discussed for years to come, but that if the rest of society progressed as it will, slavery will stop being economically feasible in an agrarian economy. I said that just as the cotton gin made slavery's expansion feasible, other machines such as motorized vehicles would replace the need for so much labor. Whether that labor would be converted to industrial use within the same culture, I didn't want to speculate.

  “Motorized? Like your automobiles?”

  “Exactly. A tractor will be able to plow and furrow acres in a day, and harvest crops by the ton. Take cotton. Large versions of Whitney's machine will clean the bolls from an entire field in a matter of hours. After other machines have harvested the crop. Other inventions will prevent depleting soil of the nutrients needed to grow a variety of crops.”

  “So if the North had known slavery couldn't survive, we could have avoided the war.”

  “No, General, I don't think so. Both sides saw slavery as the underlying cause. Enslavement of other human beings couldn't survive moral scrutiny, and the South didn't use the economic argument, only that your slaves were inferior and each state had the right to decide what law prevailed. All the other arguments merely deflected the real reason.”

  Lee's eyes bored into mine, as he considered my response, “Do you think if we agreed to emancipation by some year in the future, say the turn-of-the-century, the Yankees would have agreed?”

  “I don't think the north wanted war any more than you. Secession ended the chance for discussion and reconciliation. And for more than a century and a half into the future, the ramifications of the war still resonate in my world.”

  We often discussed the portal and how tampering with time could change the present and future. He asked me to relate the details of how I ended up here with him. Each time we spoke, I noted the topic and any item that might give me an idea on how to get back. He offered encouragement, reminding me that I had been stuck in his office once before. Leaving him, he said, would inevitably occur, that I belonged to a different time. Patience would have its reward.

  After almost four years, I prepared my lectures in my little office down the hall from the general. A soft tap on my open door turned my attention to the general's smiling face.

  “Come with me, Mr. Russell. I have something to show you.”

  I placed a paperclip where I'd stopped. I had purchased some of the earliest ones available. I stepped to his side, but he gave me no clue why. He stopped at his door, an almost sad grin passed to me.

  “Is something wrong?”

  “Yes and no. Please come in.”

  Sitting at his desk, his back to us, a rather tall young man stared ahead, not turning to see us.

  “Mr. Russell, I believe you are familiar with this gentleman.” As I entered the room, a glowing rectangle sparkled just out of sight of the door. The man stood and turned.

  “Hi, Mr. R. I've finally found you.”

  Chapter 59

  Ashley

  TWO WEEKS AFTER he'd called, less a couple of days, on a Wednesday, Eric called me again. He said he'd found Fritz. I asked, “Is he with you now?”

  “No. But I know where he is and how to get back to him. He's with General Lee. At the college.”

  “Can you get him now?”

  “If he'll come. I think he will. At least, Lee thinks he will.”

  “Where are you now?”

  “In my lab, looking through the portal at the general's office. By the way, he said to tell you hello. Mr. Gilbert, he remembers me, from when Mr. R found the portal. Weird, huh?”

  My mind raced. I couldn't go to help. How to get Fritz back here ran through my head. I told him to hang on, and borrowed a phone from a student.

  “Linda, what's your brother's phone number?”

  “Joe? Why?”

&n
bsp; “I'll tell you in a minute. The phone number.”

  “Is it Fritz? Have you found him?”

  “Linda, yes and yes. Give me Joe's number.”

  When she calmed enough to answer my question, I said I'd call back within the hour. I disconnected as she began to shout.

  “Eric, write down this number. Linda's brother lives in Boston. Get Fritz out. I'll call Joe. He'll help. Tell the general I said hello and thanks for his help.”

  “I'll call you when I'm done.”

  Chapter 60

  Fritz

  “ERIC, THAT'S YOU, isn't it?” I looked at the portal opening and the young woman holding the door.

  “Mr. R, I can get you back to our dimension. If you have anything you need to bring, get it now.”

  Lee said, “I believe your patience is now your reward, Mr. Russell. Although I will miss our conversations, you should go with Mr. Silver.”

  I ran to my office, gathered my papers and placed them in my saddlebags. Like my days with backpacks, I had my emergency getaway only a few steps away. In moments, I returned, had parting words with my old and new friend, General Lee, and as I reached the portal, Lee said as he had before, in my past and my future, “Godspeed, young man.”

  I expected to be in the hallway at Riverboro. Not the case. I let my eyes wander, but had no idea where Eric had transported me. He introduced me to his lab partner, Lenore Green. Judging from her penetrating gaze, in her mind, she was something more. Although stunned at what she'd just observed, she led us to an office. Eric made a call. To Ashley.

  “I've got him, Mr. Gilbert.” He held out the mobile to me.

  “Hi, Ash.”

  “It really is you?”

  “It is. I wondered if you all still remembered me.” When he asked why, I worried I might be in another universe. I told him I'd been in the past for almost four years.

  “Fritz, it's only been a few weeks here. It's only the end of April.”

  “Well, I'm back in our universe. Thanks for not forgetting about me.”

  “Give Eric the phone. Joe is coming to get you. You're in Boston, at MIT. Eric will fill you in.”

  I handed the phone over. Eric called Joe and explained how to find us. I asked for the phone. “Hi Joe. It's Fritz. I'm back. Ash said you could come and get me home.”

  “Glad you're back, but like I told Ashley, I'm short of time right now. I can get you later and you can stay at my place, but I can't drive you home until the weekend.”

  “That's okay. We'll figure something out. Eric can arrange where to meet and I'll see you later.” I handed the phone back, and walked away. I'm back, I thought, but not sure I'm glad.

  More importantly, Eric had a portal, not in Riverboro and without being hit by lightning. We had lots to talk about.

  “Mr. R. He said he'll pick you up around seven outside my dorm.”

  “I have enough questions to fill the time. Can we sit somewhere? Before we leave, I'd like to see what you've found. But do you have a change of clothes? You're soaked.”

  When he grinned and said he knew, the story began.

  “So, water and electricity do mix,” I said. “And everyone knows how this works?”

  “Nobody knows. Except the three of us. The only difference I could find was falling into the pool. But I felt … not wet, but, I don't know how to say this … like Superman breaking through a wall. The door required an effort to pry open. Then some force on the other side exerted a counter pressure, and just like that I could see in. Then the force just disintegrated, like smoke in the wind.”

  Lenore listened as intently as I did. She said Eric hadn't told her the story before. Eric said he didn't want to tell her, that he had promised the president. I wanted to ask about all those people in Riverboro, but I had another trip I wanted to make.

  “Eric, Ashley found me in another dimension and brought me back. If that bridge is still open, the universe is at risk. Do you think you can get me there? I couldn't go from Lee's office. I need to be in the current time.”

  “What book would I use, Mr. R?”

  “All the time I've been gone, I've collected anything that might be important. I've held on to it, first in a backpack, and now in here.” I opened the saddlebag to a stack of notebooks, labelled with times and dates. Pressed between the pages of my writing were the precious items that would transport me. “I've carried these with me everywhere, every day, in a pouch I made to fit my coat pocket. Ash doesn't know I have these. I'd appreciate it if you didn't tell him. Or anyone else.”

  I selected the notebook with my most recent days in Washington and the article Ashley had used to find me. I handed one article to Eric, showed him where to place the paperclip if I got stranded, and told them both what to do in an emergency.

  “So, let me get this straight. To get here, we need to punch through one dimension and then another. And still keep the portal open? That's a lot of power, Mr. R. I used up most of the generator just to find you today.”

  “Do you have a heavy duty electrical cord?”

  “Not heavy duty enough.”

  “Let's give it a try. I won't cross the bridge if the power gets strained.”

  “I think the strain will be greatest when you open to the second dimension bridge. It's really strong. It's like being pushed and pulled at the same time. I wish you would wait to get home to try this.”

  “No time like the present, Eric. That bridge needs to be closed. I'm the only one who can do it.”

  Eric didn't need to know what I had in mind, and he agreed to help. Joe wouldn't be here for at least two hours. So we set up. Eric said that both of us should be soaked, so we took our dips in the pool.

  “Not enough water in here now,” Lenore said. I didn't know how time would match up, and rued any added delays. But Eric insisted that following the precise steps made a difference. He asserted that I stand by the door and drip, and then get back in the water once more.

  “Mr. R, maybe you can't tell, but you smell awful.”

  “It's the woolen clothes, Eric. They probably don't get as clean with lye soap in a barrel. I haven't had a dry cleaner. I bathed this morning. I can tell you that when they dry, I'm going scratch like a dog with fleas.”

  “Okay, let's go.” Eric said that he would stay back, and hold the door after I opened it, and keep it open while I was gone. I said that depending on where the rectangle formed, energy could be saved with the door closed. He didn't need to know my destination.

  A powerful jolt replaced what I remembered of the familiar tingle when I grabbed the doorknob. I pulled, harder than ever. When I had a crack, air rushed by me from the hallway, pressing the door closed. Eric helped pry the door, and we both fought the suction until the door fully opened. Then the closer I moved to the portal, a greater force pushed against me. I told them both to push me. And in a moment, a green neon sign flashed, lighting the street and buildings all around. McNamara's awaited.

  Chapter 61

  Ashley

  TWO BACK-TO-BACK text messages from Eric sounded urgent. I pulled to the roadside and from his first words I had no doubt that something had happened.

  “Mr. Gilbert, I didn't know what to do so I'm really glad you called.”

  “Calm down, Eric. Tell me what's wrong.”

  “It's Mr. R. He's in the portal again. He said the universe you found him in is open and he's the only one who can close it.”

  “Do you know where he went?”

  “He had a newspaper story with him. It's about a trial. In Washington. About a time traveler.”

  “Dammit. I knew he'd do something stupid. Can you find him again?”

  “He gave me instructions, but I'm not sure. I haven't tried.”

  “Just what I need. Can you come and get me?”

  “I'm in my lab. I don't have any way to reach you.”

  I told him I'd call in ten minutes, once I arrived home. Just in case, I told him to call if Fritz came back. I hit the gas and pulled in the driv
eway five minutes later. Either the dimension had never been closed, which is what I thought, or the idiot reopened it, and the chase would resume.

  I took pictures of my living room, sent them to Eric, and then called him. I told him to print the pictures, and once I arrived in Boston, we'd figure it out. He said it might take him a while. He needed to go to his dorm to hook up a printer.

  “Go quickly, Eric. There's no telling what damage he's doing. Call me when you're ready.”

  Just as I disconnected, my phone rang and the door opened. “Hi Jane. Hang on. Linda's just walking in. We have a problem.”

  “Fritz?” Jane asked.

  “Yeah. Hi, Linda. What's up?”

  “Is that Jane?”

  “Uh-huh.”

  “Good. I called her. I told her you found Fritz. Are you bringing him home?”

  “Jane, can you hear all this?”

  “Yes.”

  “Good. I'll tell you both. Eric called. Fritz went back in. I'm going to Boston and see if I can find him.”

  “Why did he go in?” Linda asked, her eyes welling up.

  “I don't know. And until I do, we're guessing.”

  Jane asked, “Do you know where?” Yes, I said. “Did he go back to Washington like you guessed he might?” I told her yes again. “Don't tell Linda anything. Just go get him. If you can, come get me. I'm home. Either way, call. I'll get off. Wait, let me talk to Linda.”

  “Jane wants to talk to you.” I went to get a drink, and she followed me, and handed the phone back.

  “He doesn't want to come back, does he?” Linda asked, wiping the dampness from her cheeks.

  “Do you want a drink?”

  “No. Answer me.”

  “Linda, he said he thought the portal to the universe where I found him is still open, and he's trying to close it. That's what Eric said. I won't know until I see him.”

  “Take me with you.”

  “No. This mess is screwed up enough without adding more fuel. I don't know if he wants to come home, but if he has any more distraction— meaning you—I don't know what he'll do.”