“It’s not simple,” she argued. “What do you know about it?”
“So, one day in the college library, I’m bored senseless and I pick up this book. . .changed my life. It was religious, almost, like an epiphany. I understood it all. Kind of scary, really.”
“Uh huh.” She sounded skeptical. “Chaos theory, huh?”
Ted took two cocktail straws and laid them parallel on the bar ledge. “Let’s say these two straws represent different versions of your life. The first straw is what we’re living right now. You married, divorced, got kids?”
Teanna chuckled. “Marriage and babies? Never in the plans.”
“If you went back in time and had a kid, Chu is saying that you create a different reality than the one you currently live in. Say instead of being single, you got married to a guy named Ted and had a son named Luke.”
“I’d never marry a Ted,” she smiled. “Don’t sound like the tied-down type.”
He laughed and picked up the second straw. “If you went back in time right now, found a Ted and married him, you think you’d have a Luke?”
“No. Yes. I don’t know!”
“Chu said he could fix the odds? How? What’s more likely is you screw something else up. Messing with time is different than we think. Maybe you have a girl, twins, a miscarriage. You get divorced, he abuses you.”
Though Ted ate with vigor, the negative possibilities stopped her from chewing “Does it gotta be bad?”
Nacho crumbs dropped from his mouth. “It’s chaos – unpredictable, violent, chaotic. That’s the point. It could be good, I guess, depending on your point-of-view.”
“Do you even know the answer to the question?”
He drank enough to wash down his food because Teanna grew more impatient with his long-winded explanations. “I think so, but I don’t care what scientists say, it‘s not humanly possible.”
“What is it?” she interrupted. If he don’t give me a straight answer! Teanna gulped down the last of her wine, but clung to her glass.
“Assuming it’s possible, someone’s sent back in time and they make a decision changing the past – the only way they would ever know that they had altered anything is if they were told.”
Slowly, Teanna’s eyes opened with realization.
“Someone with knowledge of the original timeline and the altered one would have to tell them – God, in other words, or someone like Him.”
Teanna’s glass slipped from her hand to the ground and shattered into a dozen fragments. She knew the answer, and must contact Doctor Chu.
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
January 28, 2050
“Where is she?” Harper’s surprise translated well across the three-way hologram.
Damario checked the time. “Landed at Metro Airport an hour ago.”
“Metro’s an hour from here with good traffic.” Quinne fidgeted in the bathroom: the one soundproofed room in the apartment and the lone place where Troy would not disturb her. “Sound the alarm and go get her!”
“You don’t get it. If I do that, she might run.”
“How you figure?’
“She pays with printed marks, doesn’t own a registered holophone, and largely stays away from public places. If she wanted to vanish, she could. . .and we need her.”
“Got an idea.” Quinne’s face brightened. “You a cop, but we ain‘t.”
Harper caught on. “And instead of driving, I have a hybrid helicopter at my disposal that will get us there twice as fast, if not more. Just say the word.”
“I’ll pick up Quinne. Meet you in 15.” Damario disconnected and dressed in plain sight, so that his wife would know the nature of his business. Though his vacation had ended, that did not mean Robinne would not fuss. She walked into the room and immediately stiffened.
“Nope. Not tonight.” Damario accidentally dropped his armament belt and she grabbed it. “You can’t go without this.”
“That’s not funny.”
She stuck her finger into his chest. “You promised me some alone time today, again, remember? Burgers on the grill, movie, Sweet Georgia Brown. . .any of this sound familiar?”
“I caught a break in the James case. I have to go. I‘ll be back.”
“I know how this goes. You won’t be back for dinner, or maybe even breakfast tomorrow. What were you talking on the holophone about?”
He sighed. “I don’t have time for this.”
She pulled him by the shirt and led him through the foyer into the kitchen. “Then make time, Negro. Something’s not sitting right about this case. You’ve been obsessive and weird. It’s like you’re hiding something.”
He wanted to tell her the truth, about Harper, Quinne, Teanna – all of it. It sounded like a foreign language inside his head only Harper and Quinne understood. “I can’t tell you why. I‘m not cheating, if that‘s what you thought.”
“I never thought you were cheating!” she said, more irritated than angry. “But you’re hiding something, and sometimes, that’s even worse than if you were.”
Damario tenderly laid his hands on hers. “I need you to trust me. I can’t tell you now because I don’t know everything.” He reclaimed his belt. “That’s the truth. I will be back – maybe not for burgers, but definitely breakfast.”
“Kiss me goodbye,” she said, crossing her arms.
Damario did so passionately, quickly stepping into the front room and flying out of the door. He mapped a mental shortcut to Quinne’s apartment before starting the transport. With his emergency lights on, he could make up the time he spent halfway explaining things to Robinne.
He arrived at Quinne’s home minutes ahead of schedule. Before he could open the transport’s suicide door, Quinne bolted from the building, angrily yelling in Spanish mixed with English obscenities. When the passenger door did not open, she cut her eyes at Damario, who readily unlocked it. With one last outburst directed at the man standing in the doorway, she dropped the bag slung over her shoulder into the foot space and plopped onto the seat.
“I don’t get why guys gotta be possessive. I mean, he act like I’m gonna see another guy. You’ve got to be like what, twice my age?”
Damario chuckled. “Something like that.”
“I’m not into older guys. . .at least not that much older.”
He swung into a sharp left turn to the highway. “Is there a point to this?”
“I left him. I’m gonna need help gettin’ the rest of my stuff later.”
“I don’t do domestic calls.”
“Ain’t that serious,” she said, clicking her teeth. “Just stay there while I get the rest of my clothes. Everything else’s his.”
“Stay there with my Ordnance? Sounds serious to me.”
“Then forget it,” she huffed. “I’ll do it when he’s not home, with my Ordnance.”
He dialed Harper’s direct line from the transport’s communication module inside the dashboard. She did not answer. Instead, she sent him directions to the home’s landing pad and a guest code to the security system. “Depending on how this goes, you might not be back for a while anyway.”
When Damario and Quinne pulled through the gates, a charcoal grey helicopter/jet hybrid idled on a small landing pad. Though they shouted over the rotating propeller, its sound made it impossible to hear. The trio entered the cabin and strapped themselves in. Soon, they were airborne.
“Right on time,” Harper mused. “I usually run late, myself.”
“So, how will we catch her?” Quinne stared directly at Damario. “We’ll land, what, almost two hours after her? She could‘ve already left.”
“She’s still there. My security scan updates every five minutes. Teanna’s been there for an hour now and she just ordered her meal not too long ago. I have eyes at the entrance and he’ll get her if he tries to leave. I told him I need some time with her before we bring her in.”
“Do you think she knows Micah’s whereabouts?”
“I don’t know what she knows
, but I’m interested in finding out.” Damario unfolded a digital notepad and accessed everything the women described from their dreams. He juxtaposed theirs with his, one over the other, and would ask Teanna for any information she could offer.
After nearly a half-hour of flying, the pilot radioed for permission to land. They landed at the west side of the airport. The steakhouse where Teanna ate was located in the east branch. Once inside, Damario identified himself to an airport official and commandeered a transport normally used for handicapped passengers and their baggage. The official insisted on driving, but promised to do so as fast as reasonable to get them there.
It took ten minutes to reach the eatery section of the airport, where the trio disembarked. Damario rushed inside, with Quinne and Harper in tow. He sprung into the restaurant and breathlessly described Teanna to the bartender droid, who pointed to the barstools. None of the women were wearing a red suit! Where is she? Quinne and Harper stood behind him and looked at one another. The women checked both bathrooms without being asked. Damario phoned Justin Rochester, whom he had stationed at the airport’s exit.
“Easy, D, I know what you’re going to say.”
“What am I going to say, J? You lost her?”
“I’m just forensics, dude. If you want it done better, get it on the books and not somebody off-duty.”
Damario cursed. “Look, you got anything for me?”
“She got into a public serve Crown Alice with a steward named Mitchell. They’re stuck in traffic headed east. Can I call it in now? At least let me call Shenk. You‘re freaking me out a little. Cap’s going to bust a brain vessel, if he finds out what you‘ve been doing off-hours.”
West? “Back to the city? Can you find out where they’re going?”
Damario’s friend smiled. “The Exodus Foundation. You‘re welcome.”
Though she visibly perspired, Teanna kept her jacket on, surprising Ted. If hiding her visible cleavage was her intent, she failed. After their meal, he insisted on seeing her to wherever she intended to go. She had been drinking from the plane to the steakhouse, dropped a wineglass, and gone into a trance. He assured her that anyone decent would have seen her home too.
But the address she gave to the droid was west, in the city’s industrial district. She doesn’t want me to see where she lives. He did not know of a way to look up the address in front of her without Teanna realizing his motives.
“Burning the midnight oil, huh?”
Teanna snapped free of her thoughts. “Sorry, what?”
“You’re going to work after a half-day flight?”
“You do what you have to. Somebody‘s gotta pay the bills.”
“Yeah.” He eyed the colored soles of her pumps and her jeweled clutch. “What’s your occupation? You never told me.”
She sucked her teeth. “What’s with the questions, Ted? Seriously.”
Ted pointed to the trail of tail lights ahead. “We’re going to be here for a while, that’s all. Making conversation, just being friendly.”
“Weather’s crazy. The mark is up. Did you see the Dodgers game last night? That’s small talk. You askin’ particulars ‘bout my life, and all I want is a quiet ride.”
Somebody’s defensive. Maybe it’s the alcohol? Ted gestured surrender. “Just a conversation, honest.”
Teanna overreacted, but it ticked her off that his tone suggested it. She did not want an honest conversation, and did not want to put forth the effort to lie. What’s he after, anyway? She hated persistent men, especially annoying ones who talked a lot. His concern also irked her, for she did not know the reasons for it. “I work, Ted. I’m good at it and I makes money. Really, that’s all you need to know. What ‘bout you? Who you goin’ home to, your wife? Baby momma?”
“Nobody.” Ted crossed his arms and turned to the window. He stared at the picturesque landscape outside. The setting sun lit the sky with violet and tangerine undertones. Watching the reflection of the light painting the sky during flights gave him inner peace.
As he watched the panoramic view and the sun descended into the horizon, the Crown Alice began to move faster. Finally, the traffic broke and they traveled at a normal rate of speed. When he looked back at his traveling partner, Teanna gently snored. A thumb-sized, gold disk protruded from her slightly closed left hand. Ted plucked it free and read it. We’re stopping at the Exodus Foundation? She must be after that Chu character.
“We will reach our destination in approximately five minutes,” said the droid in a calm male voice. The change in volume roused Teanna. Ted flipped Chu’s disk close enough to her hand that it looked like she had put it there.
Teanna blinked her eyes. “This is a luxury Crown Alice? Caribou Coffee endorsed?”
“Yes,” said the droid. “That is correct.”
“Large raspberry mocha, extra whip.” Teanna placed her hand over a panel and a steaming cup of light red liquid with a fluffy white crown rose to meet her palm. She blew the whipped cream back and sipped. “Mmm, sex in a cup.”
“And for you, sir?”
“No thanks.” He held up a hand. “Caffeine makes me jittery.” He pointed to his top lip.
Teanna had relished her coffee so much that she neglected to clean the whipped cream from her lips. Before an offer to “do it for her” came from Ted, Teanna used a napkin to blot out the mess. “Thanks.”
“Given current traffic conditions and our present traveling speed, we will arrive at our destination in two minutes.”
“Enough, Teanna. What's with the Exodus Foundation?”
Startled with realization, she looked at the disk by her thigh. “Snoop much, Ted? God, I can‘t even catch sleep without you botherin’ me. You really gotta know?”
“Yes,” he hissed. “I really do.”
Teanna punched a code into her holophone and set it to replay a downloaded news video. A small display emerged and rotated to face Ted. This is Nora Hunter. In tonight’s news, inventor, mathematician and former Exodus Foundation CEO Dr. Miles Chu is dead. Chu, whose foundation had its state funding revoked in last year’s final Congressional session, was found in his home, victim to a single gunshot wound to the head. Police investigations have ruled it a homicide.
Ted’s eyes bulged. “But. . .”
“There’s more.” She held up a finger. “Look at the time and date stamp.”
He focused his eyes on the lower right corner of the display. Chu has been dead for days! “I don’t understand.”
“That‘s why we‘re here,” she said.
The transport slowed. “We have approached our destination.” A thumb plate appeared on the interior of Teanna’s and Ted’s doors. “Your fee is 18,342 marks. Verify a funds transfer with your fingerprint. Thank you for this opportunity to service you this evening.” The droid paused briefly. “Your transfer, in the amount of 18,342 marks, is complete. Thank you, Mister Adharma.”
Teanna looked at Ted, whose hands rested on his knees. “You usin’ fake names now? Who’s Add-harm-ya?”
“What are you talking about? I didn’t touch a thing.”
Teanna’s door raised open. The austere looking European exposed an impeccable set of teeth and reached underneath his left arm.
Ted reached across the seat and covered Teanna, shielding her from the ensuing Ordnance shots.
Upon hearing Ordnance fire, Damario raced from the ground floor area near the air tubes to where the firing originated. In front of the building, he saw a Crown Alice with one door lifted open and a smashed payment panel. Inside, a large man slumped over a woman in a red business suit.
“Officer Damario Coley, badge number 086114. Notify emergency channels,” he said to the driving droid before checking the man’s pulse. Dead. After he withdrew his hand, he touched the woman’s wrist. Alive.
Harper and Quinne stood clear, but they were close enough to interpret the morbid scene, noticing the immediacy with which a quartet of flashing lights and blaring sirens approached. They stepped aside, quick
ly establishing themselves as bystanders, not witnesses.
Two black-and-white Capers parked neatly at the curb. Two droids exited the first vehicle and secured the area as a crime scene, with Madison close behind. Soon thereafter, medical droids from an ambulance converged on the bodies. Damario ducked beneath the erected laser markers with Madison following him.
“I’d expect nothing less from you on a night off.” Madison smiled at him. “Couch’s uncomfortable, but you can have it whenever Robbie kicks you out.”
“I stumbled into this one, Maddie,” he said to his partner. “Honest.”
“However you want to play it. What do we got?”
“Print scans identify him as Theodore Mitchell, 37, commercial steward, no record. Shot inside the transport, while trying to shield Teanna Kirkwood.”
“Wait, let me guess, that’s the girl from your dreams; the Boricua in the sweats?”
He nodded.
“Surveillance?”
“Off-line in the transport. No witnesses and the record of payment’s already been scrubbed. Fast and clean, for a hack job.”
Madison scoped the area. Cameras inside the traffic signals had a 100-yard rotating diameter focus. Using a palm-sized surveillance device, she made a three-point figure with her thumb, index and middle finger to indicate direction. All three cameras had been disabled. “What are you doing here?”
“I needed to check something out. . .playing a wild hunch.”
“If you hadn’t drawn duty for that government thing, I‘d put marks on you getting benched. You‘d be sitting in a chair getting scanned and poked.”
No thanks, he thought. “Forensics, got what you need?”
A droid head swiveled all the way around to face Damario. “Medical Examiner Rochester will be in touch with you, detectives.” The droids filed into their Caper and drove away. The ambulance followed. The machines pronounced Ted dead at the scene, while they declared Teanna to be in critical condition.
“D, let’s go. If she makes it, we’ll have to question her.”
The Anarchists Page 17
