Amanda agreed. “Connor, would you mind taking Steven to your mom? Matthew can help me find Walter’s office.”
Matthew replied, “I can take Steven if you want, and Connor can help you find his office.”
Amanda rolled her eyes. “No, I need to talk to you. Connor, do you mind?”
By the look on Connor’s face, he did mind, but he agreed nonetheless. “Come on Steven, let’s go see what Mom’s up to.”
Connor left with Steven, heading back to the main bay where all the equipment had been unloaded. Matthew and Amanda turned in the opposite direction and made their way to the elevator banks. Since the complex was underground, the elevator levels were a bit tricky. Level one was ground level, and level eight was buried deep in the ground.
Matthew pressed the elevator button for level two and said, “I think his office is on level two, but we can ask someone if we can’t find it. Didn’t Walter tell you to ask Johnson?”
They were alone on the elevator. This was the first time they had been alone since they’d arrived in 2185. Amanda took the opportunity to question a nervous Matthew.
“You’re not fooling anyone, you know.”
“What do you mean?”
Amanda started to poke Matthew in the stomach and said, “You think you’re convincing everyone that you don’t have feelings for me. I don’t know why you’re doing it, but you’re doing a terrible job.”
Matthew grinned. “Is that a fact? Maybe you just don’t know how to read people. Maybe I meant what I said before we left Sector 37.”
Amanda backed away and replied, “Friends don’t do what you were going to do for me. You’re still that guy that could barely talk to me at my locker. You’re also that guy that pulled me from a burning building.”
The elevator dinged as they reached level two, and the doors opened.
“You can’t look me in the eyes and tell me that you don’t feel something more for me.”
Amanda was right. Matthew couldn’t look her in the eyes and lie to her. Instead, he just pulled her from the elevator and began looking for Walter’s office. “I think it’s down here.”
Amanda followed along and watched as Matthew asked everyone he could find if they knew where Walter could be found. After ten minutes of running around the halls and pulling Amanda this way and that way, he got the answer he had been looking for.
“Walter’s office is behind that door.”
Matthew turned to Amanda and asked, “Do you want me to wait out here for you?”
Amanda stood up straight and made as if she were going to walk past Matthew. Instead, she stopped, turned to him, grabbed his head, and planted a quick kiss on his lips.
Startled at the unexpected contact, Matthew stuttered, “What was that for?”
“I just wanted to try something,” Amanda replied.
Amanda approached Walter’s door and knocked three times. Walter’s voice came to them from the other side. “Come on in.”
Amanda looked back to Matthew as she entered, and Matthew indicated that he would wait out there for her. She nodded and turned to see Walter setting up his desk. At her entrance, he welcomed her and told her to take a seat. Then the door closed behind her, and Matthew was unable to hear or see anything else that happened.
Matthew paced the floor outside for the entire meeting. Ten minutes went by, twenty minutes, and then an hour. Matthew wondered, “What in the world could they be talking about for a whole hour?”
His own meeting with Walter had only lasted forty-five minutes, and they discussed the entire trip back to 1984. He was concerned that Amanda was telling Walter about the feelings she had for him. If Walter thought Matthew had been lying to him about their relationship, he might separate them—or worse.
Matthew started to wonder if he were doing the right thing. Perhaps he should be honest with Amanda and tell her the truth. He wanted to tell her that the only reason he was being distant was to protect her and to keep them together. She could do the same thing. She could act like she didn’t care for him and when all this was over, they could be truthful with everyone else.
As the minutes dragged on, Matthew was a wreck. Not knowing what was happening behind that door was torture. His protective instincts were in overdrive, and the thought of bursting into Walter’s office had crossed his mind twice in the last ten minutes. He knew he couldn’t do that, but he could still think about it.
Several members of Walter’s team walked by Matthew as he paced the corridor near the office door. One of them asked him if he was looking for a bathroom. He chuckled at the question, but in reality, he did feel like he wanted to throw up.
After one hour and fifteen minutes in Walter’s office, the door opened to a distraught Matthew, and out walked Amanda Curry. Walter thanked Amanda for her time, and she replied, “You’re welcome.”
Matthew was like an eager puppy as Amanda emerged from the office. He stopped her progress down the hall and said, “I think we need to talk. I think I need to get something off my chest.”
Amanda had a blank scowl on her face and replied, “I don’t want to hear anything else from you. Let’s just do what we need to do. Beyond that, just stay away from me.”
Amanda left Matthew standing there in the hall and wondering what had just happened. He saw her disappear behind the curve of the rounded wall and waited to hear the ding of the elevator again. He could sense that she didn’t want to be in a confined space with him. It was pretty obvious.
He had been standing there for a few minutes when the door to Walter’s office swung open again. Walter emerged with a smile on his face and said, “Matthew, what are you still doing out here?”
Matthew told Walter that he was just thinking.
“Thinking is a great thing, my boy, but right now, you can help me out. I need you to gather up your family, Amanda, Agents Blake, Marco, Bryan, and Johnson. We all need to meet on level one in an hour.”
Matthew was confused by the request. “Why? Are we gonna go after Addie?” he asked.
“It’s time to move ahead with plans, with or without Agent Addison,” replied Walter. “She’s an amazing young lady, but I fear that she is lost, for now.”
Disappointed, Matthew continued to stand there in front of Walter. Walter looked at him for a few seconds and said, “Well, we’re not getting any younger. Go to it!”
Matthew took off and started looking for everyone. It wouldn’t take long to round them up, since most of them were still in the loading bay. The agents were focused on getting the hardware laid out, and April was busy entertaining Steven. Connor was hanging around Agents Marco and Blake, asking them about their workouts. He wanted muscles like theirs.
The only one Matthew had trouble tracking down was Amanda. She was either lost or didn’t want to be found. Matthew ran around for most of the hour asking if anyone had seen her, but no one had a clear answer. Matthew was going to be late to the meeting himself if he didn’t get a move on, so he decided to give up the search.
He called for an elevator, and when it arrived, he jumped right on, nearly crashing into Agents Blake and Bryan. Together they proceeded up to the first floor, discussing Agent Addison and worrying about what had happened to her out in the field.
Blake held his hands up and described a security team member he had seen rushing toward Addie. “This guy was built like a brick outhouse. I know she’s good, but I don’t think anyone could have gotten out of that, even Addie.”
Bryan replied, “You may be right, but I would never bet against her.”
Matthew mumbled under his breath that they should have stayed and helped her. That didn’t sit well with either of the agents.
“Look, kid, I know it looks cowardly to leave one of our own behind, but that’s just part of the job. She understands that. The risk is much worse if several of us get caught.”
Blake rubbed his eyes for a moment. “Besides, we all know that we’re integral to the next mission. Losing her is huge, but if the rest of
us can’t go either, it’s a game changer.”
The elevator reached the top floor and everyone exited. Matthew followed Bryan to the meeting room where everyone else had already assembled. The only one missing was Amanda.
Walter wrote on a large whiteboard at the front of the room. He turned and counted heads. “Where’s the girl? Where’s Amanda?”
Matthew answered that he hadn’t been able to find her. “I’m sure she’s still here, I just think she wanted to be alone for a while.”
Walter seemed to understand what Matthew was saying, so he decided to let it go. He looked over the room and there sat the Chance family, along with four of his best agents. He only wished Agent Addison was there with them.
“I called you all together because it is time to move forward with our plans for Phase Two. This mission will be more dangerous than the last and will involve more of our team.”
Walter bowed his head for a second and said, “Agent Addison was an integral part of our next phase, but we will have to work around her absence. It won’t be easy, but I know we can figure something out.”
It grew quiet in the room as Agents Johnson and Bryan looked at each other. They knew enough about the next phase to know that the loss of Addison was huge. Walter could see their concern and started to make his next statement, but before the words got out, he was interrupted by the high-pitched voice of one Amanda Curry.
“Wait a minute! She’s here! Stop the meeting!”
The group turned to see Amanda pulling on the arm of one of Walter’s most trusted agents. It was Addie.
Walter shouted gleefully, “You did it! You got away!”
Addie took a seat at the front of the room. She looked tired, but the Hathmec would improve that in no time. She was back, and that was the most important thing.
“How did you get away?” asked Johnson.
“I would tell you the truth, but then it wouldn’t seem as dramatic or cool. In all honesty, it was quite boring, and I was crazy lucky.” Addie smiled at him.
She held her hand up to Walter and said, “Please continue, sir. I can tell you my miraculous story later. This is more important.”
Walter smiled and felt a rush of energy. Addie making it back to the compound was both incredible and the best news he had received in months. She was a major player in his plans, and now he could go through with those plans as he had scripted them.
Walter tried to contain his excitement as he continued. “We’re back at full strength now, so we can follow through with my original plans. We are taking another trip back in time. This time, you’re going to the year 2016.”
April clapped her hands together. “I’ve always wondered what those years at the beginning of the 2000s were like.”
Connor added, “That sounds cool. Are me and Matthew heading back to high school?”
Walter stopped the conversation before it went any further. “No, you’re not going back to high school. In fact, you’re not going back at all.”
Connor was confused and a little angry. “What do you mean, I’m not going back?”
April added, “Look, Walter, I’m not sure if I’m comfortable leaving Connor here.”
“You don’t have to leave him here, April,” replied Walter. “You’re not going either.”
That response got April’s attention in a big way. She stood from her chair and asked, “What do you mean? If we’re not going, then who is?”
Walter wrote five names on the whiteboard and talked over the squeaking of the pens against the laminate. “We have two objectives this time, so there will be two teams. Team one will consist of Agents Addison and Bryan, Matthew, Amanda, and Steven. They will travel back to 2016 and find the transport charm, or trans-x charm, as we will call it from this point forward. Team two will consist of Agents Blake and Marco, April, and Connor. You will stay here and recover the memory charm, which we think exists somewhere in Sector 4.”
April’s maternal instincts kicked in. She interrupted Walter, saying, “Absolutely not. We are a family, and we need to stay together. What about Steven? He’s a little boy! You can’t send him to 2016 without me. He shouldn’t go at all.”
April looked over at Amanda and said, “You can’t think this is a good idea.”
Amanda also stood up. “I thank you for your concern, but I spoke at length with Walter about this plan, and I think it’s the best thing to do. I can help recover the charm, and Steven’s presence will help us convince everyone we meet that we’re a family from 2016.”
April now approached Walter. “This is insane! These kids aren’t soldiers. They’re just kids, and now you’re asking me to let one of my kids go off without me.”
Agent Addison assured April that she and Bryan would be there with them. “We won’t let anything happen to them. We’ll complete the mission, and we’ll all get back safe and sound. You can trust me.”
April thought about the boot to her face that she’d received from her just a day earlier, and the idea of Agent Addison’s protecting her child didn’t seem that farfetched. Her skill in defending herself wasn’t the issue. The problem was that Matthew wasn’t Addison’s son. April knew that when it came down to doing whatever it took to protect him, Addison wouldn’t go as far as April would.
“I just can’t allow it, Walter. I can’t send one of my sons on a mission into the past without me. You’ll have to come up with something else.”
April sat back in her seat and furrowed her brow at Walter Wainright. She was determined to keep her family together at any cost.
Addison said, “Maybe we don’t need Matthew to go back with us, Walter. He can stay here and help with the mission in Sector 4. I’m sure Bryan and I can find the charm with Amanda’s help.”
Walter replied, “That’s not an option.” He placed his marker back on the table and put his hands down at each end of it to support his weight as he stared off at the back wall, lost in thought. “I need everyone to leave the room, except for April, Matthew, and Connor.”
His tone was relaxed. It was an order, but it didn’t come off that way. It sounded more like a request from a friend. The room cleared, and Matthew looked to Amanda for reassurance. But she never returned the look and left the room in silence. She did bump up against Addie on her way out, though, and smiled upon the contact.
Walter took a seat in front of April and said, “You told me that you would do whatever it takes to defeat the Minister. This is what it’s going to take.”
April shook her head in defiance. “It never included separating me from one of my boys. I’m here to protect them, and if I’m two hundred years away from one of them, I can’t!”
Matthew tried to assure his mother that he would be ok. “I can take care of myself. Remember what happened in the park?”
April put her hand on the back of Matthew’s head and said, “Yes, I remember. You were great.” She turned to Connor and added, “You were both great.”
Walter interrupted and took April’s hand. “This plan does not work without Matthew going back to 2016. The trans-x charm is critical to defeating the Minister.”
April asked, “Why does Matthew have to go? What can he do that no one else can do?”
Walter looked to the younger of the Chance boys and replied, “He can find the charm.”
Walter explained that Matthew and Amanda would be posing as brother and sister. Addison and Bryan would pose as their parents.
“It’s important that Addison and Bryan are involved in the community that they will be sent to in order to meet the proper people and gain trust. That is one area where little Steven will be very helpful. Matthew and Amanda will be on campus trying to befriend someone who is critical to finding the trans-x charm. The combination of the two of them should loosen the lips of this target enough to help retrieve it.”
Connor asked, “Why does it have to be Matthew? He can stay here, and I can do the same thing with Amanda.”
Walter replied, “That’s not possible. I need
you and your mother here. You two are the perfect candidates to retrieve the memory charm. It has to be you.”
“Why does it have to be us?” asked April.
Walter stood up from his chair and walked around the room. The bright yellow paint on the walls reflected the lights into his eyes. He stared first at the ceiling and then back down to his feet. His nerves were emitting a tense energy that everyone in the room could feel.
“I have a theory as to why no one has been able to retrieve the memory charm that Liam Liot hid so many years ago. You are the only candidates that I will trust with that information, but I can’t tell you what it is right now. You’ll just have to trust me.”
April replied, “Yeah, there’s a lot of that going around.”
Matthew pleaded with his mother to let him go. “We have to do this. If Walter says that this is the only way, then this is the only way. I won’t be gone long, just a couple of weeks, like last time.”
Walter put his hand in the air to interrupt Matthew. “That’s not quite true. I estimate that this mission will last anywhere from six to nine months. That’s for both teams.”
April was taken off guard by Walter’s comment. “What do you mean, six to nine months? You told us before the last mission that it ate up too much power to leave the rorimite tunnel open for more than a couple of weeks.”
Walter replied, “I told you that we couldn’t leave the tunnel on for more than a couple of weeks because the amount of power drain could lead someone to our location. Our move has taken care of that problem.”
Walter walked over to a map of Sector 3 and Sector 4 and pointed out several locations around it. “This new location gives us total cover as it relates to power consumption.”
He pointed to a spot in the far northeast corner of the map. “This is a primary power hub for all of Sector 3. This is where they get the power to run that massive complex we looked at earlier. We’ll be siphoning power straight from there, and no one will ever notice that we touched it.”
Walter pointed to another location on the map, further south. “This is where your team will take up shop, April. It will take months to scout the location and gather the intel needed to complete the mission, but I know you’ll be able to handle it.”
Last Chance Volume 2 - The Legend of the Hathmec: Planting the Seed Page 10
