BackTrek

by Kelvin Kelley

The sun shone brightly across the petals of the red and yellow flowers that danced easily in the afternoon breeze. The smell of the hot dogs and hamburgers that cooked on the grill was enhanced by the occasional cloud of smoke that rose from the fenced-in backyard. Children laughed and played, as they ran to and fro, and chased one another with brightly colored water balloons. Brandon ran around the swing set, and was attacked by a slightly larger boy. His blue balloon landed square on Brandon’s back, and exploded with a gush of cool water that sent him into a dance that had no resemblance to anything ever attempted by a human. But even as the water still ran down her brother’s shirt, Bella retaliated. She came out of nowhere, and smashed her own balloon across the top of the larger boy’s head. He stood there and laughed. Dumbfounded. And soaking wet.

  Balloons flew in all corners of the small backyard, except for one area that had been ruled ‘Off Limits’. This is where the picnic table sat, covered in a red checkered table cloth that occasionally flapped in the wind, as if it tried to keep time with the dancing flowers. The half dozen kids ignored the two grownups that tended the grill. If they weren’t targets, as far as the kids were concerned, then they weren’t even there.

  “How’s that beer?” Jack asked his friend, as he turned his own up and finished it off.

  “Cold.” Ted replied. “My favorite kind.” He finished his off, grabbed Jack’s empty bottle, and tossed them both into the trash. He opened the cooler that sat beside the table and fished two more long neck bottles from the icy slosh inside. He handed one to Jack as he set his on the table, and winced at the sudden pain in his arm.

  “Arm still sore?” Jack asked as he twisted off the top of his beer. He took a long slow sip and set his bottle on the table.

  “Yeah. The doc says it’s healing just fine, but it sure does seem to be taking forever.”

  “It’s only been two weeks, Ted. A gunshot wound doesn’t heal over night.” Jack said, slightly exasperated at his friends impatience.

  “Have you told anybody?” Ted said as he twisted off the top of his own beer.

  “What? About Atwater? Hell no.”

  “Me either." Ted said, his gaze still focused at the ground. “I don’t think we should.” Jack looked up at Ted and thought for a moment. His mind poured over all that he had learned over the last two weeks.

  “It’s not like they wouldn’t believe us. Not with the way things are now.” Jack said as he took another sip of his beer.

  “I’m not sure I believe it. I mean we come back through the gate and every thing has changed.”

  “For the better.” Jack added.

  “True. But still. Now I’m the C.O. of the project. What do I know about being a C.O. I’ve always been a grunt.”

  “According to what I was able to dig up, you’ve been the C.O. for the last five years. They may be pretty big shoes to fill, but you can do it. You have done it, evidently.” Jack said with a smile.

  “And what about you?” Ted asked.

  “Well, evidently I never left the military. Just transferred into your department. The project still falls under military control. In this time line, it never split into its own entity.” Jack said, as a serious look lingered on his face.

  “So the whole episode about you being framed ten years ago...it never happened?”

  “No. When we went back to get Atwater, we changed the past. Instead of him setting me up and getting you involved in the cover-up, we turned the tables.”

  “I still don’t exactly understand what happened.”

  “When I went back into the office to ‘clean up’, I called the M.P. office and reported a homicide, pointing my finger at Atwater, and indicated that it was drug related. When we were leaving I saw them. The M.P.s. Ted, I was leading the squad. At least, a younger version of me was. They were headed for Atwater’s office. Later on I did some research and found that he was arrested. They confiscated the coke that he had hidden in his safe, and matched the bullet that killed the guard to the gun that was in his office. He was tried and convicted on both charges. About a year after he went to prison, he committed suicide.”

  “He killed himself?” Ted asked.

  “Yeah. That’s why when we brought him back through the gate, he vanished. He couldn’t exist in his original time line because he had killed himself nine years earlier.”

  “So now we run the project.” Ted said.

  “No. Now you run the project. I just help.”

  “Help my ass, you’re my second in command. I’ve done a little research myself. Over the last few years, you’ve led numerous missions, quite successfully I might add.” Ted smiled as Jack looked puzzled. “You’ve got clearance to the mission records, but you’ve probably been too busy to realize it.”

  “What kind of missions?” Jack asked.

  “Angel of mercy missions. The records refer to them as BackTreks. Either way it involves traveling into the past and stopping major events from ever taking place. Do you remember when the Israeli Prime Minister was assassinated about three years ago?” Ted asked.

  “Yeah.” He thought for a moment. “It was a hell of a blow to the middle east. Weren’t they about to have some big peace conference when it happened?”

  “Yes they were, and when he was assassinated it all but caused an all out war. Well we fixed that. Or more to the point, you fixed it.” The look of puzzlement on Jack’s face was sincere as his friend continued with his explanation. “It seems that after our involvement, the assassin was arrested at the airport prior to the assassination. Something to do with a large amount of drugs that apparently found its way into his luggage. He’s still in prison.”

  “And the prime minister?”

  “Alive and well. The peace conference went on as planned, and things have been relatively quiet over there ever since.” Jack was amazed at what his friend was telling him. He knew that things were different but until now he had only scratched the surface.

  “But I thought the time gate had only been up for a short time?”

  “In our original time line, as far as we knew, that was true. But in reality it had been working for some time. Atwater knew it and was using it. He had used the gate for his own benefit. Playing the stock market to amass his wealth. Going back to hire Van Hogue for a variety of murders to solve whatever problems cropped up. He never let anyone else even know what was happening.”

  “So they were still doing research, even though the gate was functional.”

  “Exactly.” Ted replied. “Atwater was using it, while everyone else still thought it didn’t work. But in this time line, with us running the project, we began to use the gate for its intended purpose-” Ted began.

  “As soon as we knew it worked.” Jack finished.

  “Right. You get the idea.” Ted answered as he took another sip of his beer. Brandon and one of his friends ran by the table. Their laughs trailed away behind them. Soon they were followed by Bella as she was chased by the same boy that she had drenched earlier. “So how’s Mike?” Ted asked.

  “Fine.” Jack answered.

  “Has he said anything?”

  “No. Best I can tell he doesn’t remember any of it. He was let out of the hospital last week, but hasn’t mentioned anything about Atwater.”

  “Since Atwater evaporated the way he did, I’m surprised that all of the damage he did didn’t disappear as well.”

  “I’ve wondered about that. The only thing that I can figure is that he actually shot us while we were looped-” Jack began.

  “BackTreked.” Ted interjected. “We’ve got to get used to the new terminology.”

  “Okay. BackTreked. He shot us while we were BackTreked, so when we reentered our own time, though he disappeared, the damage he did stayed. Maybe some day we’ll figure that part out.”

  “If we’re lucky we’ll never be faced with anything quite like that again." Ted said somberly. He too
k a drink of his beer, and Jack took a sip from his own bottle. Suddenly Jack had a bewildered expression.

  “Hey, wait a minute. It just dawned on me. If I was never railroaded out, then Trace and I never split up.”

  “You’ve got a point there. How is it between you two?”

  “Right as rain. Of course I’ve been careful about everything I say. Kind of walking on egg shells. I wondered why she seemed nervous about the way I was acting. I thought it was because she was still unsure of her decision to let me come back home.”

  “And the whole time, she thought you were probably going nuts.” Ted said as he laughed.

  “After what we’ve been through, that’s not entirely out of the question.” Jack said seriously at first, and then joined his friend in laughter. The backdoor of the house opened and Tracey came out of the house. A large birthday cake was on the tray in her hands. Her smile was as genuine as was the light in her eyes. Jack’s heart warmed as her liveliness filled his soul. He had never doubted his love for her, but now after all that he had seen, he loved her even more.

  “It’s a different world, Jack. Every thing is the same, yet every thing is different.” Ted said as he watched his friend’s wife approach. She paused as Brandon ran to her. She bent down and kissed him gently on the forehead, careful not to tilt the cake. Jack smiled.

  “It’s a better world, Ted. Much better.” Jack said and drank the last sip of beer from his bottle. Ted turned back to his friend. His smile had faded, and his eyes squinted slightly. His mood had turned serious.

  “And it’s our job, to keep it that way.”

  A Word From The Author

  Thank you for taking the time to join me in this near future adventure. I hope that you enjoyed the journey as much as I loved living in this world during the many months it took to take it from a hint of an idea, to the final result. I am still amazed at how often the characters took twists and turns that I had not planned, nor expected. It seemed that as the story continued to develop, they came to life, even as my fingers tapped the keyboard.

  This was especially true of Smith/Von Hogue. I had painstakingly drawn out his character beforehand, but as I entered his mind, it was like jumping out of an airplane with no parachute. Suddenly his thoughts became a whirlwind of insanity, moving ever closer to a breaking point. Okay, I know he was the bad guy...or at least one of them, but he was truly a surprising character to bring to life.

  The science behind BackTrek is of course fiction, however I did quite a bit of research on time travel theories in order to make it at least plausible. Will we see time travel in our lifetimes? Absolutely! Just close your eyes for a moment, and you’ll be transported into the future...at least as far as the length of time your eyes were closed. Now going backwards in time? That’s a completely different story.

  Coming Soon

  Also by Kelvin Kelley

  Immortal

  After a genetic mutation has left the human species sterile and doomed to extinction, the citizens of New Sebastian live long and luxurious lives, thanks to Rejuvenation. But when Jericho and Gabrielle, two specimens from the Rejuvenation supply farm, escape prior to being harvested, the dark truth threatens the existence of the last society on Earth.

  The cure for the Deathshead plague has created a genetic mutation that has left the human species sterile and doomed to extinction. But in the last known civilization on Earth, the citizens experience long and luxurious lives, through a process known as Rejuvenation.

  Jericho and Gabrielle spend their simple lives in the Village dreaming of their future together, and barely notice the metallic humanoid Guardians that ensure obedience. But when she scans positive for the plague and is permanently sent away to the mysterious Quarantine, Jericho enters a frantic battle to find and save her.

  Jonah and his wife enjoy their carefree lives in New Sebastian, and Rejuvenation every twenty or so years keeps them eternally young and healthy. But when Jonah discovers the dark secret behind their long and privileged lives, he struggles with the bitter choice of continuing to live his long life or facing the horrific discovery head on. As Jonah helps Jericho and Gabrielle attempt to escape, they find that they are on a predefined path which leads to the last hope for the survival of the human species, and the salvation of mankind.

  **Bonus**

  Read on for a free sample of, Immortal.

  Release date - July 4, 2015

  Chapter 1