by T. A. Uner
“But that falls under human resources’ jurisdiction.” She hated it when others made decisions for her, especially ones which relegated her to mediocre roles. Not that she thought negatively of AL’s HR department, she just didn’t have any interest working there.
“Exactly,” Mitchell replied. “If this screw-up has taught us anything, it’s that you need more interaction with others, especially our newest recruits.” He looked at his watch. “I have a meeting with the Secretary of Defense at the Pentagon.”
“Very well, sir,” Patrice replied.
“I’m granting you two weeks of unpaid leave. Go home and think about your position here at AL and whether or not you want to remain working with us. If you decide that you do, we’ll proceed from there. Now, you’re dismissed.”
An hour later Patrice was in her quarters, she hadn’t started packing yet, she didn’t feel like leaving. Why did Mitchell think she needed time to think about her future at AL? As if she hadn’t made it obvious she loved her job here, working with some of the most brilliant minds on Earth, not to mention the highly-advanced technology that was leaps ahead of what any other United States governmental agencies had at their disposal.
She wondered what her parents would say when she turned up at their doorstep. What would she tell them? That she was suspended? On vacation?
The first failure of her career and she didn’t know how to deal with it.
Chapter 16
AL Command Headquarters
Present Day
Johnny was glad to be back home. 1861 had been interesting, but it had also been disconcerting.
Still, it had been a notable start to his AL career, and he knew if his father were around, he would have been proud of him.
After landing Gina inside Mount Baldy, they disembarked and were greeted by a team of technicians that welcomed them home before getting to work on inspecting Gina’s systems and getting her ready for the next mission.
After changing out of their field jackets and returning their weapons and equipment to the arsenal they reported to the conference room for their mission debriefing. Jessie and Studs followed them.
Johnny was happy to see Director Mitchell sitting in his chair. Sitting next to him was Patrice. He was surprised to find that he was glad to see her too.
“Welcome back gentlemen. Your mission was a success, otherwise I wouldn’t be here,” Mitchell said good-naturedly.
“Yes,” Patrice added, “the timeline has been fully restored, well done.”
“How did you like it, Johnny?” Mitchell asked.
“The mission, sir? Or the time period itself?”
“Both.” Johnny looked at Mitchell before his eyes shifted towards Patrice. She smiled at him and he felt as if her demeanor towards him was softening.
“The mission was everything I’d expected from that time period, sir. Some folks back then were very primitive.”
Mitchell grinned. “I suppose they were, Johnny. But in a few hundred years, I’m sure future people may find us ‘primitive’ as well.”
Argos took a seat at the conference table and Johnny followed suit. “We met Mark Twain,” Johnny said. “He’s as impressive as his writing.”
“Naturally,” Patrice chimed in, “I’ve read all his books, he was a man way ahead of his time.”
“That he was,” Johnny said before Argos placed the Lycarian buoy on the table.
“You found a buoy?” Patrice asked.
“We acquired this in 1861 from the Lycarian who was sent to kill Abraham Lincoln. It’s a time buoy.”
“Good job men,” Mitchell said. He pressed a button on his wristlink, “we’ll have Research and Development begin picking it apart immediately.” A few moments later two men in white lab coats appeared and took the time buoy. “Now you two get some rest, you’ve earned it. We’ll meet back here once the information in the buoy has been analyzed.”
After temporarily parting ways with Argos (who took Jessie and Studs outside the AL base for a walk), Johnny took a shower and went to unwind in his quarters. He decided to write his first mission report while it was still fresh in his memory before sending his mother an e-mail. After looking over his report and correcting any lingering spelling/punctuation mistakes, he turned his attention to the e-mail. After that was finished, he decided to try some writing. He hadn’t written down a single word since he’d been rejected by Darkwood and he felt the time had come to get back to wordsmithing.
But the words wouldn’t come. He slammed his fist against the table surface, cursed, then tried again. Nothing. Maybe he was in the wrong state of mind. Anger never helped, and his mother had always told him to write for fun, as if it was a hobby, not with the intention that he’d be a world-famous writer one day. But writing meant a lot to him, and it was the only thing that made him feel in control, and despite the rejections, something inside of him urged him to carry on. He wondered if other writers felt like he did. He wanted to ask, problem was, he didn’t know any real writers. He hated sharing his work with those other wannabe writers. They never gave constructive criticism, and always acted like condescending pricks when it came to critiquing other peoples work.
The doorbell to his room chimed softly and he looked up from his word processor. “Come in!”
His door slid open and Patrice walked in. She wasn’t wearing her glasses. “I’m sorry, I hope I’m not bothering you, Johnny.”
Johnny? Did she just call me by my first name? It was a surprise, a pleasant one, he thought. “Not at all, come on in, Patrice.” She thanked him and stepped inside.
“I must say I wasn’t expecting you,” he said with a smile on his face to prevent her from feeling uncomfortable.
“I bet,” she replied before she looked around the spartan surroundings of his room.
“I know, my quarters aren’t that interesting, but I haven’t had the time to decorate.”
“No they’re fine. Now, I’m sure you’re wondering why I’m here.”
He stood up from his bed. “The thought did occur to me.”
“I just wanted to apologize to you. I haven’t really treated you fairly, and I just wanted you to know that isn’t who I am. Rude, that is. It’s just that I had a bad experience once with a new recruit and I kinda took it out on you. Very unprofessional, I know.”
For the second time in the past few moments she’d surprised him. First, by appearing inside his room, and now by apologizing to him. For a moment Johnny wondered if he was hallucinating, but then realized he wasn’t since he could smell her perfume. “No need to apologize, Patrice.”
“Well I think you’re too forgiving,” she replied. “I’ve acted like a conceited little bitch.”
Johnny laughed. “Conceited? Maybe. But a bitch? No. I think you’re being too hard on yourself there. It’s natural to be wary of newcomers.”
“Still, you’re a part of the team now; an AL operative.”
“It’s nice of you to think so,” he said, not quite sure where this conversation was heading.
She approached him, leaned over and kissed him on the cheek. He felt a tingle ripple through his body before she headed for the door. “Well, I just wanted you to know how I regretted treating you before. Anyway, talk to you later.”
After Patrice left, Johnny scratched his head, and looked at himself in the mirror. “Now that was weird.”
Argos was glad to be home. He thought about the mission they had just completed and wondered how he’d managed to not kill the two racists who’d taunted him back in 1861. His training probably had something to do with it, and also the fact that he had to serve as a role-model to Johnny, who desperately needed one now that Scott was gone.
He checked his phone for any texts or voicemail messages during his absence and his face became mired in a scowl. No calls from Gina. He had one text from Jessie but that was the standard I-need-to-ask-you-for-some-money message. He’d get back to her eventually but his thoughts turned to Studs. The boy hadn’t returned most
of his calls since he and Gina had separated and Argos grew more concerned every day. Jessie had taken her parents separation a lot better than her younger brother, and Argos felt that he needed to see his son more often.
Gina was still supportive of him, despite everything that had transpired, and had always encouraged him to see his children as often as he could. But working for AL was almost a 24/7 assignment, and now, with the Lycarian threat, he had no idea when he’d see his children next.
His thoughts turned back to Johnny. The boy had performed admirably on his first mission, and had demonstrated the potential he had seen in him. He wished Scott was here to see how far Johnny had come in such a short time. From a confused teenager wanting to fatally cut himself, to a young phenomenon working for AL.
Argos exhaled and dialed Studs’ number.
Patrice was glad she had talked to Johnny. It was as if a huge weight had been lifted from her conscience. Now she could work with a clear head and focus her attention on TimeBoss.
For the past hour she’d been monitoring a minor timeline discrepancy in 1969. Nothing to cause TimeBoss’ internal alarm to activate, but a possible threat nonetheless.
“Can you tell me anything about this 0.9% timeline deviation in 1969?” she asked TimeBoss.
“Inconclusive. Not enough data. But a possible enemy time-incursion may exist.”
“Lycarian?”
“Inconclusive. Not enough data,” TimeBoss repeated.
She checked the current AL roster database for any changes. There were none. “So whatever it is, hasn’t occurred yet.” She twirled a pen between her fingers. “But…there may still be a potential problem that can significantly alter our current timeline.”
“That is correct, Miss Waters,” TimeBoss said in its composed voice.
Her wristlink flashed and she answered it. “Waters here.”
“Patrice?” It was Director Mitchell. “Research and Development has deciphered the data found in the Lycarian buoy. I need you in the conference room in five minutes.”
“On my way.”
(2)
When Johnny arrived in the conference room Director Mitchell was busy talking to two men in white lab coats. As soon as he saw Johnny he paused his conversation. “Johnny I’d like you to meet Doctors Ahlstrom and Goldfarb.” One of the men, a tall man with piercing blue eyes and straight blonde hair shook Johnny’s hand and complimented him on his retrieval of the time buoy. Goldfarb was shorter, had thin dark hair that was balding at the top and wore thick-framed eyeglasses. He invited Johnny back to Research and Development for a full tour, apparently there was much more to see beyond the basic tour which Patrice had taken him on during his training.
Argos arrived, followed by Patrice. The former dog-breeder looked tired and worn, like an old piece of leather. He wondered if it was the aftereffects of their recent mission or something entirely different.
“Hi Johnny,” Patrice said. She looked a lot more pleasing to his eye after she’d shed her cocksure attitude towards him. He smiled at her and took his seat next to Argos who nodded cordially at him.
When everyone was seated Mitchell spoke. “I hope everyone’s enjoyed their downtime because it’s time to get back to work. You all know Doctors Ahlstrom and Goldfarb from Research and Development, they’re here to tell you more about the buoy which Agents Better and Veto recovered from their recent mission.”
The two scientists stepped up to the lectern and greeted the audience. Ahlstrom spoke first. “There was considerable data on this alien buoy, but we believe that we’ve deciphered almost 95% of its contents. We’ve discerned that sometime in the late 1960s the Lycarians will attempt to sabotage a NASA space mission to set back America’s challenge in the space race with the former Soviet Union.”
Patrice cut in. “TimeBoss just detected a 0.9% timeline deviation from 1969. I’m guessing they’re related.”
Both Ahlstrom and Goldfarb nodded their assent. Goldfarb spoke: “They could be trying to sabotage the Apollo missions.”
“Which one?” Argos asked. “If I recall correctly there were four Apollo Missions in 1969, including the first manned lunar landing, which was Apollo 11.”
“Then it has to be Apollo 11,” Johnny added, “that was the big one.”
“Not necessarily Johnny.” Patrice brought up data from her control panel and a 3D readout of all four Apollo missions appeared above the conference table for everyone to see. “Maybe that’s what the Lycarians want us to believe. Don’t forget the other Apollo missions leading up to Apollo 11 were equally important. They helped pave the way for the manned landings.”
Johnny shook his head. “I hate to butt heads with you Patrice but my gut tells me that they’ll go for broke and try and sabotage the Apollo 11 mission.”
Director Mitchell looked over the data then turned towards Argos. “How fast can you and Johnny be ready for a time-healing mission?”
Argos thought for a moment. “As of right now, Gina’s only got enough power for one time-incursion. She suffered minor structural damage to her forward tire nacelle during re-entry. Only one repair crew has been assigned to her since we got back, unfortunately they’re not finished yet.”
Mitchell pressed a button on his terminal interface and spoke into it. “Have all available repair crews focus their efforts on fixing TIV-1, codenamed ‘Gina.’ Agents Better and Veto will be leaving in a few hours.”
It was decided that Johnny and Argos would make the time-incursion right before the Apollo 11 launch. They had only a one in four chance of guessing correctly but the general consensus was that the Lycarians would attempt to destroy or cripple the Apollo 11 launch. And while the other three missions in 1969 were important, it was the Apollo 11 mission that defined the project, as it landed the first men on the moon’s surface.
This time, visiting the quartermaster for appropriate time-period clothing for their mission wouldn’t be a total make-over. While styles had changed over the past 50 years, it wasn’t as monumental a difference as 1860s clothing had been. Johnny and Argos took a few clothing items that would make them blend in completely. Gina was originally built in 1968, so they could utilize her more openly without having to camouflage her like they had in 1861. They would also be taking along field money with them since they’d be spending more time in 1969 than they had in 1861. Johnny was relieved at not having to eat the unpalatable field rations for this trip.
After eying the mission supply checklist on his tablet, he packed his bag and checked his wallet before heading off to the hangar bay to meet Argos and the Red Dobermans.
On the way to the hangar bay he ran into Patrice.
“Hey Johnny,” Patrice said. The ceiling lights reflected off her eyeglass lenses and made her pupils sparkle like stars. “Heading out now, huh?”
For a moment he couldn’t utter a word, so taken by her sudden appearance. But then he smiled at her and nodded. “Yep. Seems like my job’s never done.”
“You be careful now.” She leaned over and hugged him and he felt her chest press up against his. He hoped she couldn’t feel his heartbeat. It felt like a hammer striking his chest. She leaned back and her face was less than an inch from his. He could smell her hot minty breath mingling with her perfume as their lips eyed each other like nervous dance partners. He didn’t want to seem too eager to her charms, but she was becoming harder to resist.
In the end his self-control held and he slowly backed away from her. “I’ll be seeing you around Patrice, count on it.”
She smiled anxiously before he turned back towards his original path. After she was out of range he kicked the wall. “Why the hell did I wuss out like that?”
Inside one of the hangar repair bays, Johnny saw Gina elevated on a dual-post car lift, while a half dozen technicians were checking her undercarriage meticulously. Argos was arguing with a technician in front of a computer terminal. He looked agitated and he wondered what was troubling his friend. He knew something was wrong ever since they’d
returned from 1861. Both Jessie and Studs were sitting on their haunches behind Argos and they both looked at him with concern in their eyes.
Johnny waited until Argos was done “talking” to the technician.
“Hello Argos.”
Argos nodded curtly. “Johnny.”
“Something wrong? You were kinda worked up back there,” Johnny said, jerking his thumb towards the technician Argos had argued with earlier.
Argos scratched his cheek. “Yeah well, that little display probably didn’t look so good, the truth is Gina needs more work. Mitchell is adamant about us leaving immediately. I really hate it when he does that, it’s not like the past is going anywhere.”
“Didn’t you mention there was another Time-Traveling device around here? What was it called…Time-Displacer? Why can’t we just use that?”
Argos nodded. “We could, but like the scanner I used during our last mission, AL is planning to phase that out too; it’s not as efficient as Gina’s Antimatter Drive. There have been some instances when AL agents have missed their landing points in time by a few days, sometimes, by a few weeks. Mitchell is limiting its use until AL can complete the second Time-Incursion Vehicle, to be called TIV-2.” He pointed to another vehicle sitting under a white cover in the repair bay next to Gina’s. “That’s that TIV-2. It’s supposed to begin its trial runs in a few weeks. If everything goes according to plan with it, AL will get funding for two more TIVs. The goal is to have a fleet of those things.”