“When are we going to have to leave?”
“I don’t know, Tori. The notice came yesterday. They usually give three to four days on something like this. First off, we can put most of our stuff in storage until we can find a place. We’ll probably need to stay at a motel for a week or so.”
“A motel?! Seriously?! Dad!”
“Listen, Tori.” Peter didn’t mean to snap, but he did. “It’s not like I planned for this to happen. I want to stay in the house as much as you do. But, this is how it is. I sold the Mercedes to help with money for now. I’m really trying to do my best here.”
Tori began to sob. Looking back at Brett, Peter saw that now he was crying too. Seeing both of his children in tears, Peter began to cry, too. He wanted to be strong—needed to be strong for the kids, but it was so damn hard. He hurt deeply for letting them down and there was nothing he could do to make things right.
“Let’s go in and get some ice cream,” Peter said finally, wiping his own tears away. Brett was already out of the car heading for the door before Tori unlatched her seat belt. “Listen, kiddo. Please believe me when I say this. I love you both and I want only the best for you. If I could make things right, you know I would.”
She relented. “I know, Dad. But what will all my friends think?”
“Well, they shouldn’t give it a second thought if they’re real friends. I promise you, Tori. I will do everything possible not to interrupt your high school experience. If I have to drive you back and forth to school forty-five minutes each way, then that’s what I’ll do.”
Tori sat in silence a few moments longer. Brett still stood just outside the shop, staring inside at the couple that had walked in moments earlier.
“Okay, Dad. I’ll do my best to stay positive.”
“Thanks, kiddo.” Peter hugged her warmly. “Let’s go, before Brett adopts that other couple as his parents.” Tori chuckled lightly, and that was the first time in ages he had seen her smile.
CHAPTER 4
The knock on the door was loud enough to be heard in the basement, where Peter was going through some old boxes. He was trying to make some headway before they had to move. Another knock, more insistent this time.
“Dammit,” he exclaimed aloud, even though only the dust heard him. Ascending the stairs two at a time, he swiftly made his way to the front door. Just as he reached for the door handle, the loud knock came again. Peter yanked the door open and, without thinking, blurted out, “Enough already!”
“Hello. I’m looking for Mr. Peter Cooper?” said the man at the door. To Peter’s surprise, the man was wearing a U.S. Army brigadier general’s uniform. Peter recognized it right away, from his days in the service.
“I’m Peter,” he said, looking around the general to see if he had any more company.
“Not to worry, Mr. Cooper. There is nothing wrong. I’m here on somewhat of a private matter. May I have a few moments of your time?”
Peter stood there for a moment, wondering what a general from the army would want with him. His mind flashed back to the days prior to his enlisting, his forced enlisting, and he felt the same sour feeling in his gut that he’d felt back then.
“Will this take long? I’m rather busy.”
“Not at all, Mr. Cooper. I’ll only take a few minutes of your time. May I come in?”
Peter opened the door fully for the general and stepped aside. “Please don’t call me Mr. Cooper. Peter’s fine.”
“Very well, Peter. What a lovely house you have here.”
“Thanks,” replied Peter insincerely, as he led the general into the living room.
They chose opposite chairs and sat in silence for a long moment before Peter said, “Uh, can I get you a glass of something?”
“No thank you, Peter. Hopefully, this will not take long.”
“Well then, what can I do for you?” asked Peter.
“Do you remember me at all, Peter? We met many years ago.”
As soon as the general mentioned it, Peter noticed a slight tic in the general’s demeanor that triggered a small bit of recognition… But he lied, “Sorry. You don’t look familiar.”
“Well, that doesn’t surprise me,” said the general with a smile. “It was back when you enlisted. I was a staff sergeant stationed at the admin office. I administered your ASVAB.”
“Okay. I might remember seeing you there,” Peter admitted.
“Well, as you can see from the shiny star here,” the general pointed to the brigadier general star on his uniform, “I’ve had a few promotions since then. I’m now Brigadier General Harrison Applegate.”
Applegate. That was the name that was on the tip of his lying brain.
“And in a strange sort of way, I’m actually here to talk to you about that day twenty-two years ago.”
“How so?” asked Peter, his interest reluctantly piqued.
“The ASVAB exam tests ten separate categories, as you may recall. The scores you had in each of those categories are combined to get an overall score. Your score was a 94, where the minimum to enter the army at the time was 31. In short, Peter, you were far above the norm. And by all accounts you were very successful at your job. Yet you only stayed in the army for four years. Why is that?”
“I’m not real sure, to tell you the truth. I enjoyed my tour in Germany, and I made a few friends while enlisted. I guess… military life was just not my style.”
“And life after the military, how has that been for you?”
Peter sat and contemplated that for a moment. Life had been great after the military. He’d met the love of his life. He’d had two great children, and a rewarding career. But then came the three-year decline into hell, and he was not about to discuss that.
“Life has had its ups and downs.” Peter didn’t offer any more than that.
“To be honest, Peter, I already know a considerable amount about you and your life since the military. I’ve been keeping tabs on you.”
The army had been keeping tabs on him? “Why?”
“Because, Peter. You are a bright, intelligent man; far more intelligent than you give yourself credit for. Your entrance exams were exceptional, to say the least, but you scored particularly high in one area. Off the charts, as a matter of fact.”
There were several moments of silence as this information penetrated Peter’s mind. The general sat across from Peter, arms to his side, and not once did he take his eyes off him.
“Why are you telling me this now?” Peter demanded. “Why didn’t you tell me this back then, if it’s so important to you? I’m no longer in the army and I’m not going back. What does it matter anymore?”
“Would it have made a difference if I’d told you this twenty-two years ago when you enlisted? Would you have stayed in the army longer with this information? Would you have still married? Would you still have become an architect? Would Mary still have died in an auto accident?”
All these questions floated through the air, but Peter flinched at the mention of Mary. Mary was his wife’s given name, and anyone that knew her called her Minnie. Hearing her name spoken out loud felt like an ice pick in the heart.
Peter was confused and irritated. “What’s the point of all this?” he asked, angrily.
“Peter, I clearly have more knowledge about you than just the basics. I know you are about to lose this house. I know your kids are barely passing their classes. I know you were laid off, and are currently looking for work. What if I told you that I could drastically change your circumstances, almost instantly?”
Peter was a proud man. To hear a stranger plainly spell out everything that he was struggling with almost brought him to tears. He had failed, and he was embarrassed. He was far too ashamed to ask for help from anyone.
“Are you sure I can’t get you something to drink? I’m going to get myself a scotch.” Peter stood without waiting for the general to reply and walked to the bar cabinet. He pulled out the bottle of Glenfiddich and two glasses. He returned to his seat a
nd poured out two fingers each.
“Peter, this is not the answer to your problems,” said the general as he took the glass from Peter.
“It might not be the answer, but it might help ease the process.”
Peter brought the glass to his lips and tilted it back until the glass was again empty. The general sipped at his glass and returned it to the table. Peter poured himself another and leaned back, glass in hand.
“So, what do I have to do to get this ‘help’ that you’re offering?”
“Before I can really tell you more about that, I have to have your word that you will not divulge any of the information that we are to discuss to anyone. Not even your children—although I don’t think they would believe any of it. I have to be clear here: no one. No one at all.”
Peter held up his hand, his pinky finger pressed against his thumb and said with mock solemnity, “Scout’s honor.”
“I’m sorry Peter, but I’ll need more than that. I have a confidentiality agreement that you would need to sign. What I am about to tell you is beyond top-secret-level clearance.” The general opened his attaché case and removed a file folder with the words “EYES ONLY” on the cover. From it, he slid out two sheets of finely typed paper. He handed one of them to Peter, then sat back in his chair and again sipped his scotch. As Peter read over the forms, the general finally took his eyes off of Peter and scanned the living room. He was quite surprised to find the house in good order, considering all of Peter’s troubles, including raising two teenage children alone.
After several minutes of silent reading, Peter looked up at the general and said, “This must be seriously top secret if the army would go to these extremes, were I to talk. Do you have a pen?”
The general produced a blue-marbled Mont Blanc pen and Peter signed the document before returning it to the general.
“Actually, Peter, this isn’t an army operation. It’s an unclassified branch of the government that only a very select few even know exists. It’s so clandestine that I’m currently not at liberty to inform you of its call sign. The document that you just signed will only afford you just enough information to make a rational decision whether or not to assist us; no more than that. If you agree, there will be several more documents that will need to be signed along the way. Do you understand?”
Peter nodded.
“Good. Now that we have an understanding, and your signature, we are inviting you to join a small team of exclusively selected civilians, others such as yourself, to travel back in time. Back to 1942, France to be precise.”
CHAPTER 5
Visibly stunned, Peter sat in silence. Not sure if what General Applegate was saying was a joke, he said, “Come again?”
Applegate smiled. “You heard me correctly, Peter. We want to send you back in time. Back to 1942. Without disclosing too many overly complicated details, we have found—hypothetically, that is—a way to time travel, and there is something that we would like the team to accomplish back in 1942. Something so simplistic, yet so monumental, that life as we know it could possibly be changed forever.”
Peter slumped back into his chair, his mind reeling from the words escaping the general’s mouth. He looked down at the empty scotch glass and wondered if the alcohol had anything to do with how outrageous this whole scenario was. He mentally shrugged off the thought and focused on General Applegate. Was he telling him the truth, or was this all some kind of ruse? Then the words started to hit him, as if on a time delay. “Wait—hypothetically?” scoffed Peter.
“Well, yes. The technology allowing us to travel in time is limited. Meaning, we are confident that we can send our team to 1942 and retrieve them back to the present; but only once. Obviously, once put into motion, we are committing to a certain number of events that will begin to unfold. You, Peter, are the last team member necessary to complete this operation. If you agree to participate, you will be one of four in total that will be going on the mission. You, an associate with similar ties to the military, and two scientists. The two scientists were chosen to ensure you have passage back to the present. You and your associate will focus on the mission. It’s simple, really.”
“Simple? You call going back in time and changing some event simple? How safe is this ‘hypothetical’ device? If you can’t test it, how are you sure that it will work? And more importantly, how are we guaranteed that it’ll be able to bring us back?”
General Applegate merely nodded at each of the questions. When he was sure Peter was finished, he replied. “Again, without divulging classified information, we are very confident that the mission will be successful. Once you commit, everything that is pertinent will be disclosed to you.”
Peter shook his head. “I just don’t know. Why are you asking me? I am sure there are a hundred other candidates currently in the military that can handle this mission much better than I can. As you said, I’ve got many personal issues to deal with already, and I’m not sure that adding one more to the list will make my life any better.”
“First off, the reason we selected you for this mission relates to your ASVAB scores. Your scores from twenty-two years ago have been flagged for many potential missions over the years. With many of those missions, I have proposed adding you to the team, and each time, my superiors have rejected it. This is your chance, Peter.”
“Rejected? Why?”
General Applegate’s eyes darted to the side and then back to Peter. “Because of your legal issues prior to enlisting. Nothing more.”
“What?! Those were supposed to have been removed from my record if I enlisted. You mean they’re still there?”
“I’m afraid so, Peter. They’re not on your civilian records, but they will always be in your government file. No getting around that.”
Again, Peter sat in silence, attempting to comprehend everything the general was telling him. Peter had long ago believed that his juvenile escapades of stealing cars and dabbling with drugs were no more than a bad memory. He was assured at the time by his father’s attorney that the whole mess would be “cleansed” from his record if he joined the army. To hear that it still existed worried him. It was all quite overwhelming.
“Peter, you don’t need to decide today. Take some time to think it over. This is a big decision. Just remember, you cannot discuss this with anyone, but you do need to think it through completely.”
“How long is this mission expected to take? As you so astutely pointed out, I have personal issues that need immediate attention. More importantly, why should I trust you?”
“The mission should be completed in less than three months, from start to finish. You will need training and be completely read-in on the entire mission, and that is expected to take six weeks. The overall time you will be away will be four months. In that time, I am prepared to take care of all of your financial obligations, including stopping all foreclosure actions against you. I will also arrange for proper care for your children while you are away. As to why you should trust me, I’m offering a solution to a majority of your problems, beginning with the financial. I believe you have found no other avenues to provide solutions to these issues. Not to mention, this will be the greatest adventure on which any human being has ever embarked.”
“God, my children. What’ll they think is happening? Where will they go?”
“We are aware of your situation. We know, as I’ve said, that your wife died in an automobile accident twenty-one months ago. In that time, you have not contacted Mary’s parents once. I would imagine that they would love to see their grandchildren. And perhaps that would help the children to let go of some of their anger toward you. I understand that they are both quite rebellious right now?”
“That’s an understatement,” replied Peter. “How is it you know so much about me?”
“As I said earlier, I’ve been keeping tabs on you. Since the first time I met you, I believed there was a spark of brilliance inside you. Your test scores supported my hypothesis. Unfortunately, my direct superior b
ack then is still my direct superior now. He still feels I am wasting my time with you, but I have lobbied hard for you, and he finally conceded.
“In fact, you and I both have a lot riding on this operation. I am taking leave from the army because of this mission. This is an unsanctioned mission, and there cannot be any paper trail whatsoever that could lead back to the government.”
“If not backed by the government, who’ll be taking care of my financial commitments?”
“That would be me.”
“You? Why would you do that?”
“Because, Peter. I feel that strongly about this mission. The lives that it could positively affect are worldwide. The entire global economy could be profoundly affected in a positive way. By how much, nobody knows.”
“Two weeks? You need to know within two weeks?” asked Peter.
“We would like to know much sooner than that. The training begins in about a month. Should you choose to decline, I will still need to fill your spot on the mission.”
“Understandable,” agreed Peter. “What about pay? Will you also be paying for my time on the mission?”
“There will be no pay, Peter. I will be personally paying all your bills, along with getting the mortgage payments caught up. That alone should be plenty of compensation for your time and effort. Besides, you will be doing this for your country. That should be reward enough.”
“To hell with your ‘for my country’ crap. If my country gave a shit about me, they would have told me about my skill set when I enlisted and given me a better job than a cook’s assistant, and not held it in some general’s pocket until they needed my help,” shot back Peter, surprising both himself and General Applegate.
“I can understand your anger, Peter. I’m sorry that it had to be done this way. But if not for your country, consider this: the changes you make on this mission may very well affect your life in ways that neither of us can comprehend. We don’t know for sure what will happen after the changes on the mission transpire. It could be nothing, or it could be amazing. I would ask that you consider it.”
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