by Alan Seeger
“Brad,” said the woman. “What’s happening? Tell us what’s going on!”
Brad looked at her. “I don’t know any more than you do at this point,” he said. “I’m no different than you.”
CHAPTER 54
1960
Forty-eight hours later, Time Team Delta flew back to Los Angeles, hoping that what had been done would be sufficient to change the course of future events, and that the seed they planted in 1960 — or, perhaps more accurately, the plant that they had uprooted and burned — would prevent the cataclysm that they knew was hanging over the world of 2020.
They arrived in Los Angeles in the wee hours of the night, and Nigel rummaged through his pockets for the scrap of paper where Jake Benson, the truck driver who had driven them in to Los Angeles just a few days before, had written down his telephone number. There were no mobile phones in this era, of course — true cellular technology was four decades away, and American Telephone & Telegraph had only introduced the first mobile phone the year before; they were far from commonplace, and of course, Benson could never have dreamed of having one.
The time travelers found a pay phone. Terry smiled at how quaint it seemed. It had an old fashioned rotary dial and was housed within a wooden booth, which Terry knew would bring collectors howling and salivating by the dawn of the 21st century.
He fished in his pocket for a dime, inserted it into the coin slot, and dialed Benson’s number. He had warned that he was occasionally dispatched on long distance routes, but said that he didn’t expect that would happen any time in the next few days; still, Terry hoped that he was home. If he wasn’t, they would have to find an alternate method of getting back to the Gate.
Three rings in, he heard someone pick up on the other end. A woman’s voice said, “Hello?”
That was unexpected. He hadn’t even considered that Benson might have a girlfriend staying over.
“Uh… hi. Is Jake Benson there?”
“Just a minute,” the voice said. She sounded young. Very young. There was a thump; it sounded like she’d tossed the receiver onto a table.
“H’lo?” Terry closed his eyes in relief. The man’s voice, with its southern twang, was just as he remembered it.
“Jake? Jake Benson?”
“Yuh.”
“This is Terry Cambridge. You gave my friends and me a ride into L.A. the other day, and you told me to call when we got back?”
“Why, sure! I remember you. How y’all doin’?”
“We’re fine, Jake. We’re at Los Angeles International Airport, at LAX. I hate to be a bother at this late hour, but we’re stuck here with no transportation.”
“Well, hey, that ain’t no problem. I’ll come and get y’all here in just a bit.”
“I hope we aren’t interrupting anything, what with the young lady who answered the —”
“Nah, that was my sister Melba! She come out for a visit from Oklahoma.”
“Oh! Your sister!” said Terry. “Well… uh… how nice. So you’re sure it’s no trouble?”
“No trouble at all. What terminal y’all at?”
“We’re at Terminal number two.”
“I’ll be there just as quick as I can,” Benson said. They said their goodbyes and Terry hung up.
“He’s on his way,” he said, looking at the other members of Time Team Delta.
CHAPTER 55
2020
Charles Lawrence sat on his living room sofa, transfixed by what he saw on the flat screen television which took up a large portion of one wall of the room. He and his wife Virginia lived in Helena, Montana now, in a rather nice two bedroom condominium. It had been a bit of a luxury upgrade from the more pedestrian three bedroom house they had owned in the town of Three Forks while their son was growing up.
Virginia was in the kitchen, rinsing the dishes and preparing to load them into the dishwasher. She’d made quite a delicious morning meal of whole wheat tortilla breakfast burritos with scrambled eggs, feta cheese, low fat turkey bacon, and spinach. She’d also made a batch of honey-oat muffins with fresh whipped butter and homemade strawberry jam. Charles had found it to be quite delicious, and worth every penny he’d spent to indulge her whim to go to the gourmet cooking classes she’d asked to take that summer.
However, as Virginia was cleaning up after the meal, Charles had wandered into the living room and sat down on the sofa just in time to see a news flash that was reporting that a massive attack on the United States had commenced using nuclear weapons which had apparently been launched from orbit. He got up and hurried to the front window, which faced west, just in time to witness the first blossoms of orange light in the distance, toward the part of the state where he knew there had, at least at one time, been numerous ICBM silos.
Charles grabbed the phone and dialed their son’s cell number. He knew that Brad was on tour with his band; Charles couldn’t recall exactly where they were supposed to be this week. Illinois? Texas? Or perhaps it was Oregon... he couldn’t quite recall. All he got, however, was a recording saying all circuits were busy.
Virginia walked in and, seeing the worried look on his face, sat next to him to watch the news report.
“Oh, my God,” she said. Despite never having had much in the way of religious convictions, they clutched one another’s hands and prayed for Brad’s safety.
CHAPTER 56
1960
“We appreciate ever so much your coming to our rescue at this hour,” said Nigel.
“Weren’t no big thing,” said Benson. “I’m off work for a couple more days, and all’s I had planned was to show mah baby sister around town. Happy to help you folks out.”
The five Time Team members fit comfortably into Benson’s car; it was a 1954 Ford sedan, shining black in the moonlight. It was obvious that it was Benson’s pride and joy. All that Geoff, who was an aficionado of antique vehicles, could think of was what it would bring at auction if there were a way to get it back to 2802.
After some persuading by Benson, the group decided to go to his small apartment and get some rest; then he would drive them back out to the location where he had originally found them just days before.
“Y’all got a car out there or sumthin’?” he asked.
“Something like that,” Sarah smiled.
CHAPTER 57
2020
It was about thirty minutes before sunrise in the sleepy community of Mililani, Hawaii, situated roughly in the center of the island of O’ahu, about ten miles north of Pearl Harbor, and roughly 13 miles northwest of Honolulu.
Kona Akanu had just woken up and walked out into his small front yard to retrieve the morning edition of the Honolulu Star-Advertiser. Clad only in a pair of black shorts, he yawned and stretched, looking toward the east at the pink glow where the morning sun was coming close to peeking over the horizon.
He slid the rubber band off the rolled-up paper and unfurled it, glancing at it to see what the morning’s headlines had to say about what the day had in store.
The main headline was more of the same grousing that had been taking place for weeks regarding the Pan-Asians’ refusal to return to the economic conference that they had, rather rudely, Kona believed, walked out on a few weeks before.
Oh, well, he thought. Let them fuss and fight. No skin off my nose. I’m living in paradise, and no one can take that away from me.
Three seconds later, there came a brilliant flash of light from the south, followed by two more in quick succession, and one to the southeast. Pearl, he thought, and Honolulu.
It looked as though a flower made of fire was blooming on the horizon, followed by three more. A little over a minute later, he heard the echoing blasts, one after another. He knew he should take cover, but he was frozen. He stood staring, watching the south burn, as tears flooded his eyes and rolled down his cheeks.
Paradise was burning.
CHAPTER 58
1960
Twelve hours to unwind, take showers and nap briefly did wonders f
or the demeanor and attitude of each of the members of Time Team Delta. After all, Nigel reminded them, since they could generate a gate to whatever time they needed to be in, a twelve hour delay in completing the business they had to do was pretty much inconsequential.
In the morning, Benson’s sister Melba made a big, country-style breakfast for the entire group. Scrambled eggs, fried potatoes, bacon, and toast were served up family style, and everyone ate heartily. Terry and Sarah then insisted on doing the dishes in thanks for the excellent meal.
It was edging close to 10 AM when Nigel mentioned that it was time for them to move on. The five Time Team members packed their few belongings, thanked Melba for cooking for them, and loaded up in Benson’s Ford.
Just over two hours later, they arrived at the location on Highway 58 where Benson had picked up the five hitchhikers just days before.
“Okay, now, this here’s where I picked y’all up, but where’s your car?” asked the trucker.
Terry glanced at the others and said, “Well, it’s kind of a strange story, Jake. But it’s okay. We can walk from here.”
Benson, however, would not hear of it.
“My momma back in Oklahoma taught me that every kindness you do to someone’s gonna come back to you seven times over. Now, y’all don’t wanna deprive me of gettin’ that seven-fold blessing, do ya? So which way are you needin’ to go?”
“Jake, it’s okay, really. Where we’re headed is a couple of miles out into the desert,” Terry explained.
“That ain’t no problem. Most of the sand ‘round here is pretty hard packed, and we can drive out there.” He turned the big sedan off the road and headed in the direction that Terry had gestured. The five time travelers looked at each other helplessly. What were they supposed to do?
Twenty minutes later, Nigel saw a familiar looking scrub of sagebrush ahead. He consulted a small handheld device and saw that the homing signal from the equipment that they had left concealed was coming in very strongly.
“Checkin’ your compass?” Benson grinned over at the lanky Englishman.
“Something like that,” Nigel smiled.
“I learned when I was a Boy Scout how to find my way around usin’ nothin’ but a compass and the Sun. It’s real useful to know how to do that stuff,” Benson said in his Oklahoma drawl.
“Right here is fine, Jake,” Terry said when they were next to the sagebrush. “This is perfect.”
Jake Benson’s eyebrows twisted together in confusion. “Here?” he asked. “Ain’t no car out here. Ain’t nothin’ but some bushes.”
“I know, Jake,” Terry nodded. “But this is where we need to be.”
The five piled out and Janelle and Geoff began rummaging underneath the sagebrush, looking for the equipment she’d concealed there while Nigel, Terry and Sarah attempted to distract Benson by drawing him into conversation.
“We’ve got everything under control, Jake,” said Sarah. “You don’t need to stay. I’m sure your sister is already missing you.”
“Missin’ me?” Benson laughed. “She only came to see me because she wanted to go out dancing at the clubs every night. Ain’t no place to do that in Mustang, Oklahoma. Hell, there ain’t but two hundred people in the whole damn town.”
“Still,” Nigel said, “There are some things that we have to keep to ourselves. I’m sure you understand, Jake.”
“So… you don’t have no car, but you’re headin’ out from way out here in the desert…? What, is somebody gonna come and pick you up in a helicopter?”
“Something like that,” Sarah smiled at him. “Now, Jake, you just need to trust us. Get in your car and head back to the highway, and don’t look back.”
“Or what?” Benson grinned. “I’ll get turned into a pillar of salt, like Lot’s wife?”
“Well, no. Nothing so dramatic as that. It’s more like secret government stuff. Do you like James Bond?” Sarah asked.
“Who?”
“Never mind,” Sarah said, suddenly realizing that the first 007 film — which she knew, frankly, would be more this Oklahoma farm boy’s speed than expecting him to read the book — wouldn’t come out for another two years.
In the end, Jake Benson agreed that he would head home, promising that he wouldn’t try to hang around to see whatever hi-tech wizardry was going to transport the Time Team members to where they were going…
Which actually wound up being rather unfortunate for several members of the team.
CHAPTER 59
1960
Janelle had the Gate device in hand, and was entering the parameters of their desired destination as Terry, Sarah and Nigel watched Jake Benson’s black 1954 Ford disappear in the distance, the desert sand billowing as he sped away into the distance.
Soon, the familiar crackle and greenish glow appeared and a thunderclap echoed across the flat desert sand. The three turned back toward the newly opened Gate to see Geoff and Janelle standing, staring at them, an odd look on both their faces.
Nigel looked at them with a frown. “Is there something wrong?”
“Nothing that can’t be fixed,” said Geoff.
“We’d like the three of you to go on through the Gate,” said Janelle. “There are some… adjustments that need to be made on this side. Go on through and we’ll follow momentarily.”
There was something odd about that statement, but Terry wasn’t quite certain just what it was. He approached the Gate, followed by Sarah and Nigel, but as he looked through the green whirlpool, expecting to see the familiar environs of the staging area at the Time Team offices in Granite City 2802, instead he saw a city street that looked as if it dated to the early 21st century. He started to turn around to ask what was going on, only to see that Geoff was aiming a hand weapon at him.
“What the hell…?”
“Stay right where you are,” Geoff said. “All three of you. Don’t move.”
“Geoff,” Nigel intoned, “what the fuck do you think you’re doing?”
Janelle turned from the Gate controller with a serious look. She drew a weapon of her own and trained it on Nigel. “We are sending you home, Nigel. You have no business dealing with things you aren’t equipped to handle.”
“Sending us home?” said Nigel. He gestured toward the green, spinning Gate. “What I see on the other side of this gate isn’t our home. It appears to be some American metropolitan area far back in the past, hundreds of years before our time, perhaps the late 20th or early 21st century.”
“Shut up,” said Geoff. “You’re going to go through the Gate, and you’re going to do it now. I have no real desire to kill you; I will if it’s necessary, but I would much rather let you go through the Gate and give you a chance to deal with the situation you find on the other side.”
“But —” Sarah started to say.
“I said shut up,” Geoff said again. Get your arses through the Gate now.”
“All right,” said Nigel. “But just one thing. Who are you, really? You’re not Time Team members, obviously.”
“You’re right,” said Janelle. “I don’t suppose it matters now. It’s too late for you to change anything.” She looked over at Geoff and he at her. “My name really is Janelle, though. Janelle Wilson. My father is a gentleman named Benjamin Wilson. In the year 2802, he is… that is, he will be… a member of the Ruling Council of Five, the delegate from Northam, the name for the unified governments of North America, including what once were the nations of Canada, the United States and Mexico. Geoff, on the other hand…”
Geoff grinned coldly. “I suppose proper introductions are in order. Charles Hyde-Stephens here, more properly Geoffrey Charles Hyde-Stephens. I myself will be not only the Eurasian delegate to the aforementioned Council of Five, but its president. I was born in New London, Great Britain in 2722, and since usage of the Gatespace was so commonplace, when I was eighty years old, I was able to travel back to 2752, find my 30-year old self — this self — recruit myself to travel forward to 2802, infiltrate the Ti
me Team, and do this deed. Simple, but elegant, I think.”
Nigel, Terry and Sarah stood silently, not knowing what to do.
“That was supposed to be the simple part?” said Terry.
After a moment, Geoff and Janelle gestured with their hand weapons and urged them toward the Gate. The three looked at each other as if trying to formulate a plan, but nothing came together. None of the three were particularly heroic in nature; Nigel was tall but almost insectoid in his slenderness, while Terry was quite short and slight. Sarah was, ironically, perhaps the most physical of the three, but her personality was the sort that shies away from conflict. At a loss for a plan of action, the three allowed themselves to be herded toward the Gate and, not knowing what else to do, stepped into it.
CHAPTER 60
1860
Wilkerson made his way to the Hudson River at mid-morning and boarded a ferry that would take him across to Manhattan Island. Again, the two members of Time Team Epsilon followed at a distance.
He spent most of the day near his objective: the Cooper Union building at 7th Street and Third Avenue in Manhattan. He stood near the main entrance for a time, then walked around the building, as if familiarizing himself with it.
Near noon, Wilkerson bought two meat pies and two bottles of beer from a street vendor. He found a park bench and settled down to eat.
Calliope and Samuel found a spot nearby from which to watch him. They realized that he had no way of knowing who they were; the only things they had to be concerned about were not to be too obvious about observing him and not to let any of their modern clothing or equipment show. Like Wilkerson, they had “borrowed” garments to conceal their identities.
Wilkerson ate one of the pies and wrapped the other up, apparently saving it for later. Then he drank one of the beers.
