by S. H. Marpel
Of course, their own view of my exposed activities on top of their boss was undoubtedly slowing their response – just a little, anyway. Probably why they’d rather look in the windows into that office than break any of them to get in.
That was the point.
THE FINAL COUNTDOWN had begun. I could hear Carol in my head through the pendant, as could Finn.
VI
IT WAS ACTUALLY AL doing the countdown, using my voice.
“50 – 49 – 48...”
“OK, Will, do you have it?”
Will was looking off in space, concentrating. He nodded yes.
“Erika, Finn – Get that goon boss on his feet. You need to be within a four-square foot space, standing.”
“35 – 34 – 33...”
VII
AT THAT SIGNAL, I SCRAMBLED back. My arms let go and pushed off against his chest to get away from him.
Finn’s swish-clicking of his “camera” continued in closeups of the boss goon’s ruby-red face.
As the boss goon worked to get his balance, I “lost” mine again, “falling” nearly to my knees with my hands on his waistband.
The boss goon had to push himself from his desk with both hands behind him on its edge.
Meanwhile, his trousers jammed down his legs to his ankles.
I thrust up with my own legs, which clocked him beneath his chin with the top of my head. And his own head went back as he became unconscious.
Finn moved in and hugged us both together.
We heard Carol’s voice in our heads. “5 – 4 – 3...”
VIII
FINN AND I NOW STOOD behind Carol in a diner.
Carol ran forward to hug a girl friend she recognized. In one of her hands, she held a round shell that contained a compressed version of “Al”.
An older couple stood behind that friend and Carol.
Finn and I were in our Navy dress whites, just as the day we had entered that experiment’s control booth decades ago.
He looked dashing as an officer, his Naval cover on his head.
And I had my own red hair back, brushed and pinned inside my WAVE cover.
“Who are your friends, Carol?”
Carol disengaged her friendly hug to gesture toward us. “Mary, Abe, Stefi, this is Finn and Erika.”
Finn came up by Carol and hugged her with one arm. And we all shook hands with everyone.
About that time, the building itself shook.
Carol had shut her eyes and was concentrating. Finn was ensuring she kept her balance with a firm, full hug.
Finally, the shaking stopped. Carol opened her eyes again, accompanied by a wide smile. “We’re here.”
Where the diner windows used to be filled with surrounding L.A. streets, concrete walks, and palm trees – now were filed with a large metallic-and-concrete dome that rose up overhead. The smog-filtered sunlight had been replaced with a grayish artificial light.
WE ALL SAT DOWN AT one of the booths and Finn pulled over a couple of extra chairs that were available.
Carol placed the A.I. on a nearby table, on top of a fused lump of metal, which kept it from rolling off.
In front of us at our table was a full apple pie in its original pie pan, most of a quart of ice cream, and a few quarts of eggnog.
We were now the sole customers in that diner.
Finn started filling and passing out mugs with eggnog, while Carol started telling us all her part as she served up dessert for everyone.
“Finn and Erika were stuck in their own time-loop-sort-of-bubble-thing. The battery that was powering their loop/bubble-thing was running down, and that was the project I couldn’t get out of in order to save John. So I brought them and you all here instead.”
Mary asked, “And John...”
Abe spoke up. “...Is fine now. He’s in good hands, someone who can help him make his own wishes come true.”
Mary frowned. “But what happened to all the people – Molly, Hami?”
“They are all doing just fine back on Earth.”
We all waited for the other shoe to drop.
Abe continued. “The only way we could break the loop was to make a duplicate of the diner and move it to the Moon, out of those other force’s reach. Everyone else is in the original diner just as before – but to them, we vanished. Not that they weren’t expecting it.”
“And that broke the loop for good?”
“Yes. In this diner. It still continues in that one.”
Mary still frowned. “So I’m just supposed to take that explanation at face value?”
Abe shrugged. “Mary, you always appreciate details. OK: The china were actually built as little pendants like you’re used to using in your Ghost Hunter Library training. That connection weakened the time-loop spell. The food came from Hami’s through a special door that connected right through. (Actually, the door is still there, and you can use it to get to Hami’s when you’re done here if you want.) The duplicate diner then further weakened that spell, since it was only designed and cast for a single diner, not two of them at once. Carol brought us here to the moon. Somewhere in those couple hundred thousand miles, the sheer distance finally broke that spell. So now we are all safe.”
Smiles all around.
Then the quaking started again.
Abe looked at Carol, who shrugged. She was secure in Finn’s arms.
I looked over to the other table and saw something glowing. “It’s the A.I.!”
With the quaking, the round satin-brushed globe and the fused metal both shook together and merged. They began glowing from the interaction.
A blinding flash resulted.
When we all got our vision back, there was a scorch mark on that booth table, but nothing remained of the two objects.
Abe looked at Stefi and she nodded.
THERE WAS NOTHING LEFT to do after that but get back to work.
Carol, Finn, and me all headed to the back door to get to Hami’s. From there we could get to the Library for debriefing.
We left Abe and Stefi in the diner, as they’d explained they were safer on the moon for now, so they were going to meet with the people running that dome.
VIII
SURE, WE GOT A GREAT meal at Hami’s. She insisted. And she told us some stories about her mom, Molly. Plus we got some of her incredible raisin-oatmeal cookies for the next leg of our journey.
The debriefing at the Library was more informal than either Finn or I had ever experienced. It was more of a round-table discussion of what happened.
Will was waiting for us in the Library when we arrived, and added in his own view of what happened.
I didn’t miss the paperwork we usually had. But then, a few decades stuck inside that “experiment” would have had tall stacks of paper to fill out if we had.
So missing that was a plus.
That and Granger’s brownies – with her special spice tea. Both are real pluses you don’t want to miss if you get a chance.
AT LAST IT WAS JUST the four of us sitting in the Library. Two mission-style couches faced each other across a matching, wide tea table. At each end were two mission style chairs, both empty.
Will and I were cozy on one couch, while Finn and Carol were just as relaxed on the other.
The tall, endless shelving of the library extended off in radial spokes into the darkness from where we sat. The ceiling itself was lost in darkness, while the lighting came from some unknown sources. Just light enough to see our little center. Cozy, and to me – even a bit romantic.
Finn and I had changed into civilian casual. And found out that as we had been given full military burials after the original “accident”, we were released from active duty.
On the tea table were the platters, plates, cups, and carafes that used to hold spiced tea and brownies. Now just chocolate crumbs and a few swallows of tea remained.
For now, it was great having no deadlines at all, and no one to have to report to.
I still had questio
ns, though.
“Did that girl get back to her regular life?”
Carol nodded. “Will took care of that. She woke up in her own bed the next morning, all safe and sound. No memory of how she saved the day.”
“The goons?”
“They scattered. But without leadership, they mostly got rounded up sooner or later. Many just disappeared with no trace.”
“OK, what happened to the goon boss?”
Will answered before Carol could. “Erika, he’s still stuck in that diner in L. A. That fused metal you saw was the original controls for that time loop. He’ll have plenty of good food from here on out, but a fixed menu. And anytime he wants to walk out that front door, he’ll find himself simply walking back in. But the diner now has a firm policy – no goons allowed. Besides him, anyway. Everyone else can come and go as they please. But he’ll quickly get a reputation for being left alone, as he will start talking about space-shifting handguns, and body-shifting female detectives, and all sorts of wild theories that can’t be proved.”
I moved my arm that curled around Will’s shoulders and raised my hand up to start stroking the back of his head. “But how did you get out of there?”
“That’s going to be part of your training. Tess is scheduling some classes for you and Finn to bring you up to speed.”
I leaned back to look at his face. “Classes?”
“In time-bending. If you haven’t guessed from Carol’s and my hints, you’re both natural time-benders, and are the only reason that experiment worked at all. When you first came on your inspection, it was to examine the circumstances of a missing person. But he only went missing for a little while, since he was just ‘misplaced’ somewhere else. The experiment was a failure and you were supposed to find that out. Unfortunately, that one scientist managed to trap you both inside, affected by the radiation. Carol came in, cured you both, and the rest of it was figuring out how to extract you and preserve the experimental project itself.”
“So it’s all still there?”
Carol nodded. “Yes, Erika. But it’s all buried again. The only way in now is by time-space bending. There is still enough power down there to keep Al fully powered. And Al has the entrance keyed so that only me or Will – and later, you two – can access it. But he won’t be lonely. He’s hardwired into all the report lines he had earlier access to, plus a new one to this Library. Bart and Ernst are keeping him occupied, by helping them on other projects that the Library needs. Plus, they’ve got a great lab to build things.”
I leaned my head down on Will’s shoulder, and curled my legs and feet onto the couch beneath me.
As exciting as all this long experiment was, this comfort could be habit-forming.
I looked across to the other couch and it seemed that Finn and Carol were thinking the same as Will and me.
Tomorrow, we had to get a check-up at Rochelle’s and receive treatment for any residual effects. And there was a lot to catch up on that had happened during those decades we were stuck inside that extended-time sleuthing experiment.
But tonight, I had other “catching-up” on my mind.
I heard they have some great canoodling spots around here. Long, dark library shelves to give us all the privacy we could take advantage of...
Book Universes Notes
All long series of books become complicated. The universes of these stories can mix and merge. There are short and long series, as well as crossovers. So we’ve begun the process of adding Book Universes Notes to each of them. This allows you to get links to the earlier materials that explain the character backgrounds and abilities, story arcs, and even easter eggs.
Please enjoy.
THE FIRST IN THIS SERIES is “The Saga of Erotika Jones 01“, where Erika and Finn are first introduced.
“Erotika Jones 08” is the last in this series, and ties up most of the loose ends.
Like the others in this series, this story is placed in the late 1970’s. The Long Beach Naval Station existed there at the time.
Carol and the concept of time-bending were first introduced in “Time Bent“, as well as her learning to heal.
Will was first introduced in “Eroktika Jones 02“, but his existence as a time-bender shows in “Erotika Jones 04”
The “C. E. L.” phone stands for Communication and Emergency Logistics – but it operates much like our current cellphones. But those weren’t around in the 70’s.
The green stone pendants were first introduced in “A Case of Missing Wings“, while their first use for data-storage was introduced in “Moon Bride“.
The diner is first introduced in “The Case of the Walkaway Blues“. It’s time loop is introduced in “The Case of the Walkaway Diner Redoux“. Three later stories tell that whole story arc, as assembled in “Walkaway Blues Anthology“.
Mary was first introduced in “The Case of a Cruising Phantom“.
John, Ben, the Library, and Granger, as mentioned, were first introduced in “Ghost Hunters“.
Abe and Stefi appeared together in “NaN“, a prequel to “Walkaway Diner Redoux”.
Molly was introduced in “Walkaway Diner Redoux” while her daughter Hami was first introduced in “The Lazurai“. Her healing clinic was first described in “The Case of the Forever Cure“.
Bennie and Ernst were first introduced in “When Cats Ruled“.
The Healers Chronicles: Miracles
BY S. H. MARPEL
THINGS WERE GOING WELL, until we got arrested.
By our own security.
No lawyer, no rights read, even our own boss turned on us.
Because now we were being studied like the very specimens we were studying before.
Or trying to.
You see, we couldn’t find any trace of those specimens, except for faint traces of biological material that were old enough to be historical.
Everyone was starting to think they were some sort of urban legend.
Until the two of us went on a short vacation.
And came back as the very specimens we were looking for.
We used to be scientists. Now we were called terrorists. With no rights to our own lives.
All because of a really tasty, gooey, sweet bun.
And we got it at a restaurant that no one could find...
I
“I KNOW WHAT YOU’RE all hiding here.”
The boy was my age, but was acting like some “investigative reporter” modeled from watching old movies too much.
“So you say? Did you want another serving of pancakes - or go right to our famous apple pie?
“No, seriously. There are secrets to this little town and I need you to tell me the details.”
He was sandy-haired, neatly dressed in a long-sleeved, tan dress shirt tucked into broken-in blue jeans, and had a face that was more than a little cute. I looked around and only saw one other couple in the place – who were more interested in each other than ordering more food – so I sat down with him.
“What’s your name?”
“George.”
“Hi, George, my name is Suzy. So what are these secrets you think we are ‘all hiding’?”
George leaned over to tell me like a conspirator. His blue eyes were twinkling, which made him even cuter. Plus, his scent was - well, attractive.
“Suzy, you may not believe me, but I’ve been doing research on this town. And - it’s pretty spooky.”
I had to smile. “George, I’ve grown up in this town, spent most of my childhood here. So tell me what makes this any ‘spookier’ than some town up the road.”
“Well, to begin with, there’s no accidents around here. No hospitalizations. In fact, no one seems to leave town at all.”
“Sure, maybe that could be. But going to neighboring towns to shop wouldn’t show up on any reports anywhere. Or other people coming here to visit our restaurant.”
He raised his eyebrow, and looked steady into my eyes. Of course, my heart raced a bit at that. I did tell you he’s c
ute...
“Yes, that’s right. But I’ve been to the towns nearby and nobody has any recollection of seeing someone from here.”
“So? What does that prove?”
George sat back. “That’s why I’m here. To find out enough to finish writing the scoop I need.”
I chuckled. “You need a scoop? What – someone told you that silly story to get you out of their hair just for some assignment?”
He nodded. “Wait, you read minds, too? How did you know I was in a course on this?”
“You just did. You just said you ‘need’ a scoop. That’s a journalist class of some sort. Meaning you have to be in college, since that’s way beyond what you need for a high school newspaper or yearbook.”
He still looked at me a bit spooked. “But your mind-reading would fit that story...”
I sat back and grinned. “You’ve been missing your classics. Sherlock Holmes? Mrs. Marpel? Poirot? How about simple observation and deduction?”
George smiled at this and relaxed. “OK, you got me there. But the weird part I can’t get is all the miracles that happen around here.”
My mouth dropped open at this. He was getting a little close now.
“Miracles?”
“Sure. Like I said, I’ve been to these other towns nearby. Some people who have come through here, even though they didn’t stop, have found their illnesses go into remission. And there is some sort of climate change that happens just outside the town borders. Fruit trees give more fruit regularly, nut trees are more abundant, and there’s less snow in winter around here. Also the pastures green up faster in Spring...”
I chuckled and almost laughed. “Are you sure you aren’t listening to jealous farmers who are always looking for ‘greener grass’ on their neighbor’s land? How would that fit into your ‘scoop’ – no one keeps detailed meteorological records for small towns with that much precision, unless they lived there and all the farmers around would pool their records.”