Charlie stood quietly on the tarmac, then looked up through the slowing Helo’s rotor blades as she spotted a shiny object that seemed to be floating above the estate.
Seeing her glance, Marc said. “That’s a surveillance camera.”
“But it doesn’t seem to have any support, Marc. How does it stay up?”
“It’s powered by a microwave beam, Miss. It’s relatively new.”
Charlie suddenly felt dizzy and realising that the stroboscopic effect of the Helo’s rotor blades had caused her dizziness, took her eyes off them.
“Please come with me, Miss,” Marc requested. “Cedrick’s wife Linda is waiting for you.”
“This should be interesting,” Charlie remarked, feeling slightly nervous.
“They’re both really nice, you’ll see.”
The four of them then headed for the house, leaving the Helo pilot to finish his after-flight checks.
Cedrick’s house was enormous. It had white walls with a striking dark green tiled roof. The windows were large and had steel shutters.
‘In fact,’ Charlie thought, ‘it looked so striking, the house could easily have been on a movie set.’
Then she saw Linda, as she stepped out to meet her on the broad veranda that ran across the whole front of the building.
Linda was tall and very attractive. She was wearing a loose fitting cream dress with matching shoes. The cream dress suited her slightly tanned face and long blond hair.
Charlie was somewhat surprised when she noticed that Linda was wearing a smart leather holster, complete with a silver looking pistol. The holster hung on her right-hand side, and the gun looked just like the ones that gunfighters had carried in old western films.
“Hello Charlie,” Linda said, as she greeted her warmly and hugged her.
“Glad to finally meet you, Linda.”
“Come in dear, you look like you could do with something to eat and drink.”
She turned to the other three.
“Do you boys need anything?”
“No, Mrs Ervin,” Marc answered for the rest. “We’ll grab a bite in the canteen.”
“Chris, is that the Laptop for Cedrick?”
“Yes, Mrs Ervin. But Micky made me promise to give it directly to Cedrick.”
“Then that’s what you must do Chris. He’ll be about half an hour.”
“Thank you, Mrs Ervin,” Chris said then left with the rest of the guys.
“Come along then, Charlie.”
“You know Linda. All I seem to have heard for the last few days is people making promises.”
“Just be thankful that they do Charlie,” Linda gently replied.”
Once inside, Charlie looking around realized the sheer size and magnificence of the place.
“It’s absolutely beautiful Linda.”
“Thank you. We like it very much.”
She handed Charlie a glass of homemade lemonade. “Here drink this, you look done in.”
“Thanks.”
“When you’ve downed that, I’ll take you to an apartment we’ve set aside for you. It’s self-contained and overlooks the calmer side of the estate, so you’ll have more peace and privacy.”
Linda waited, patiently.
“I assume you’ve nothing of your own?”
“Sorry, I had to leave everything.”
“That’s OK. You’ll find everything you need, and more, in the apartment.”
Charlie put the empty glass down.
“That was lovely. Homegrown lemons I suppose?”
“Naturally. I’m sure your name’s not really Charlie, is it?” Linda asked as they headed down the hallway to Charlie’s new living area.
“No, it’s Christine Herriot Bernstein.”
“Then, I will call you Christine if I may?”
“Of course.”
“Micky told Cedrick that you are pregnant. Are you?”
“I’m afraid so Linda.”
“Christine, you have no idea how welcome that news is to us, in more ways than you can ever imagine.”
The apartment, though self-contained was attached by a short covered path to the main house. It was, in the main, open plan, and was fully furnished. With beautifully designed, furniture. The kitchen area, she could see, seemed to contain all the equipment and utensils that she might ever need.
“Lovely,” Charlie said, overwhelmed with the generosity of Cedrick and Linda.
“The en-suite shower and dressing rooms are through there. You can access them from here. Or through this door, into your bedroom, here.” Linda finished, beckoning her through.
Once inside. Charlie couldn’t help saying, “Wow Linda, it’s all fantastic.”
“Yes, I hope so my dear. There’s everything you need in those wardrobes and in the cabinets in the en-suite.”
“This isn’t what I expected.”
“Christine, don’t be silly. You are part of our family now.”
Both hugged each other, as Christine tried not to cry again.
“See you in our sitting room when you’re freshened up, and relaxed, yes?”
“Certainly.”
“No rush, take your time Christine,” Linda added as she left.
Charlie went back into the en-suite then saw a mirror that seemed to be beckoning to her. She looked into it but didn’t like the state of the person staring back at her. Tears started running down her cheeks as she looked at herself.
Her coppery hair, which was normally neatly curled into a sort of bun, hung raggedly over her shoulders.
‘Oh Micky,’ she thought. Seeing, that even her usually vibrant blue-green eyes that Micky had loved, now seemed dull and lifeless.
She threw herself on the bed and lay there crying her heart out.
More than an hour had passed before Charlie got herself together. She showered, then found some clothes, that fitted her perfectly she was pleased to find. Then combed her hair and made herself up, to look more like her old self.
She entered the main house and found the sitting room, where Linda and a distinguished looking man were both studying Micky’s Laptop.
“Charlie,” he said getting up and extending his hand to her.
“Cedrick,” she replied tearfully, throwing her arms around him, and hugging him instead.
“Call her Christine, Tomas,” Linda said.
“Come now Christine,” Cedrick urged. “We know how you feel. Micky was like a son to us…. We loved him…. He was different in so many ways.”
She backed away from him a little.
“I’m so sorry Cedrick. How selfish of me.”
“Don’t be silly my dear,” he replied patting her arm gently.
“You know where he came from now, don’t you Charlie?” He asked, with a comforting smile.
“Yes. It has to be the future.”
“Very perceptive of you Christine,” Linda added.
“You both know that we were more than close…. You already know I have his baby growing inside me, yes?”
They nodded both smiling.
“So, yes. At least I…, sorry, I mean we will have more than a reminder of what we all went through together.”
“Then you must also know that it’s imperative that both you and your child survive, Christine. So you must stay here, with us. We can keep you safe.”
“So it would seem,” she replied grinning at Cedrick.
“But, there still appears to be an awful lot of promises going around,” she finished, smiling.
Cedrick laughed. He knew he was going to enjoy having Christine staying with them.
‘She’ll be just like a daughter,’ he thought.
“I think this is what Micky was trying to tell me,” Christine added. “That I needed to be here, with you, his real friends.”
“So Tomas,” Linda said, thinking they should change the subject. “What was the message that Chris told us Micky wanted us to see?”
“First things first, Linda,” he replied.
“I found your father’s number on the Laptop, Christine. So I took the liberty of calling him to let him know that you are safe and well. And, I told him that you’ll be staying with us for a while.”
“Thanks. I think I’ll talk to him later when I feel calmer.”
“Very sensible. Your father also said that he hoped to come over to see you soon.”
“I’d like that. Would that be all right Linda?”
“Absolutely my dear.”
“Right. Now let’s listen to Micky’s message.” Cedrick said. “It’s very short.”
“Hello, Cedrick and Linda. I hope Charlie is with you by the time you read this.”
His voice paused, then continued.
“I finally remembered a couple of snippets from my past, or actually my future.
But Cedrick already knows this from our first meeting, or should I say car-bump…
It seems that I knew there was going to be a war in the distant future, or rather in my future.
And, that the successful completion of the Starship Acarea, which Earth is working on, is a vital factor in the timing of events that will unfold in this distant future. Well, that was the first thing,” he said.
Then there was a pause.
“The other thing I remember now, concerns Charlie and me.”
His voice paused again.
“If you are there Charlie, take note that I’m going to call you by your real name of Christine from now on. So Christine, please say your surname out loud?”
“How silly,” she said with tears in her eyes again.
“OK. It’s Bernstein, of course, Micky.”
After a short pause, Micky spoke again, adding. “But even if you’re not there Christine, I’m sure you will have said, Bernstein.”
There was another pause.
“If I’m right Christine, then your family’s descendants, our future generations, will actually be on that ship. The Acarea.”
Even Cedrick gasped at that.
“It’s funny.” Micky went on, “I can imagine Cedrick. No, all of you, gasping at that.”
“He’s not wrong,” Linda remarked.
“I still don’t remember much about the future at this point,” Micky then said.
“But I’m sure that when I finally confront this killer, I will remember it all.
I also believe that everything I do from now on shouldn’t affect the timeline.
Well, that’s all I am able to say. Except, I love you all.”
There was another pause, in which they could all hear Micky breathing heavily now.
“Above all Cedrick, please keep Christine safe. If you are there Christine, remember that I love you and both our babies,” he said sounding breathless, then paused again.
“Christine, make sure you never let ‘Bernstein’ be lost from our, or rather your ancestor’s family name.
Goodbye to you all, I have to go now and finish off what I came here for.”
They heard Mickey cough, then the recording ended.
They all looked at each other, with tears showing in their eyes, as they realized that Micky was gone for forever.
“Oh Micky,” Christine whispered, struggling to speak.
“He must have known deep down that it had to end like this,” Linda said as she gripped Christine’s hand.
“So, we know more about him now that he’s gone, than we ever did,” Christine said, wiping her tears away again.
“Am I really having twins?” she wondered. Gently rubbing her stomach.
Chapter 42.
Dangerous Truth.
20th November 2034.
It had been over a month since Christine had come to live on Cedrick’s estate.
Linda had seen to her every need after Micky’s vanishing act, and now Christine’s torment had subsided enough for her to realize, that her baby or babies would be special.
Later, when it was confirmed, that she was indeed carrying twins, she settled down, deciding that the twins were now her primary reason for living.
Meanwhile. Hector, Christine’s father, taking a break from his job in England, had made the first of the many visits he was planning, which had lifted her spirits tremendously.
Today, was an unusually warm November day, and Cedrick and Linda were sitting on the veranda, a short distance from Christine’s apartment, chatting while enjoying the warmth.
They watched as an Eagle circled slowly overhead. Then saw an arrow-headed flight of geese, chattering to themselves as they descended to the man-made lake, almost a mile away.
They had been discussing Christine and had finally decided that today was the right time to tell her all they knew about Micky.
They had also agreed that Christine would be responsible for safekeeping the information after they were gone.
“Christine,” Cedrick called to her. “Join us on the veranda, please.”
“Coming,” she called back, having heard his call.
“Take a seat, my dear,” Linda said, gesturing to a chair facing them.
Christine sat down, feeling a little nervous at being summoned.
“Am I in trouble?” she asked noticing a box on the floor next to Cedrick.
“Don’t be silly dear. It’s just that Tomas has something we both feel that you need to know.”
“Linda and I won’t live forever,” Cedrick pointed out. “There are things that only you can do.”
“Then they must be significant?”
“Yes, very.”
Cedrick pondered as to where to start. “I know you think I held the ‘key’ to solving Micky’s memory problems, and that I should have told him what I knew.”
“Well, I felt sure you were holding something back from him. But, strangely, he wouldn’t push you for it. Even though I encouraged him to.”
“Micky was a very ‘wise’ man, Christine.”
“Alright Tomas, just start from the beginning,” Linda urged him.
“OK. You remember that Micky’s body cells had this glow about them? Doctor Henning discovered this using an electron microscope. Yes?”
“Yes.”
“Luckily, I persuaded Henning to give his report to me, instead of the medical council.”
“Go on.”
“I know you know a lot of this anyway, but bear with me. I need to make sure you know everything, and that I haven’t missed anything by thinking you already know it.”
“Tomas, I can hardly put up with the strain? Just humour me. Tell us, now.”
“Right, sorry Christine. But please keep calling me Tomas, I like it.
So, one more thing about the cells, then I’ll start from the beginning.”
“Cedrick,” Linda impatiently snapped.
“Alright. She always calls me ‘Cedrick’ when she’s irritated with me, Christine,” he remarked deliberately grinning at Linda.
“Even I’m getting tired, Tomas,” Christine tried to joke.
“Right. Have you looked at your own eyes lately, Christine?”
“Not intensely, if that’s what you mean?”
Linda picking up a magnifying mirror, handed it to her. Then Christine held the mirror and looked carefully at her eyes.
“I don’t belie…” she started to say, then gasped.
“They’ve got a faintly fluorescent look about them.”
“Yes. What you can see in your eyes, are your cells. But your cells are ‘glowing’ and are reflecting this almost fluorescent light back out of your eye’s lenses.
You saw, from Micky and Axon’s blood test results, they had the same effect, but Axon’s was more intense.
Do you remember? It’s the Entropy Effect.”
“Yes Tomas, but… Oh, I see,” she said.
“So, does that mean that each time Micky and I had sex, he passed some of his cells, in his…?” She asked, stopping short of actually saying it out loud.
“Yes, my dear. No doubt, some cells will pass to your children. Though less with each generation, I suspect.”
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“But Christine. Although Micky and Axon were from the same time in the future, you’ll never be pulled into that future because you’ve never been there.”
“That’s not strictly true Tomas,” Christine said thoughtfully, “some of my cells have.”
“Not enough of them.”
“Cedrick,” Linda impatiently interjected. “Can you get on with it, I’m getting hungry.”
“Linda, I’m going to now, woman.”
“Tut-tut,” she replied.
“I came across Micky five years ago when I was driving home from a meeting at SEID’s Chicago office.
It was late, and the sun had just set. Then something came from nowhere, landing right in front of my car. I hit it, just a glancing blow thank goodness.”
“So, was that Micky?”
“Yes, Christine.”
“Any clothes, to give you a clue where he came from?”
“Just let me talk.”
“Sorry.”
“I got out and checked him over. You’re right, he didn’t have any clothes. He was naked.
At first he was incoherent. Then suddenly, he seemed to know where he was, and astonishingly, who I was,” Cedrick said, shaking his head in disbelief.
“I still can’t get my head around that, even now… Anyway, he started to talk, but with great difficulty.
All of this was luckily recorded on my personal recorder. I always have one concealed in my coat. We all have to wear one of these just in case we’re attacked and need to provide evidence,” he added. Then pausing briefly, took a sip of water.
“Micky’s words were hard to understand at first. He said he was from the future, and, well I don’t know why, but I believed him.”
“Tomas. Really? A man jumps out in front of you, stark naked, and talking gibberish,” Christine interjected, almost giggling. “I mean, why wouldn’t you believe him?”
“Well, you have to admit Tomas,” Linda added, “It would sound pretty far-fetched to anyone else.”
Death of Time (SpaceFed StarShips Series Book 4) 2nd Edition.: A thrilling, psychological, Mystery and Suspense, sci-fi detective thriller. (SpaceFed StarShips Trilogy) Page 26
