Sem- Adventures Across Time

by T S Wieland

  “What’s your friend's name?” Gina asked, leaning over to type the password into the computer.

  Sem shut the double doors to the study behind them and turned to look at the screen.

  “Uh… we don’t know,” Ally replied.

  Gina looked over at her with a curious look.

  “Uh… okay? Guess we’ll start from the bottom... Guy or girl?”

  “Same thing. We don’t know that either,” Sem replied.

  Gina’s eyebrows lifted towards her fine, curled bangs. She looked at Sem with a less-than-serious face.

  “You guys don’t know anything about the person you're looking for?”

  “Yeah, more or less,” Ally replied.

  “Wait? So, you’re looking for someone you don’t even know?”

  “The person we’re looking for probably was found bare skinned in the city today with no identity on record. That’s all we know,” said Ally, looking at the screen.

  “That’s very unlikely. Everyone’s identity is known. There’s no way your friend wouldn’t be registered in the world ID system.”

  “Trust me. They’re out there,” said Ally to Gina.

  “Alright. If it’ll help prove my point. Looking for one naked, unknown person,” Gina replied, skeptically bending over to type into the search bar on the computer.

  After a brief moment of searching, the computer emitted and error sound as the screen read the words, “No Case Found.”

  “Nope. Like I said, nothing,” said Gina, standing upright.

  “Try just searching for, ‘unknown identity,’” said Sem, keeping an eye out through the space between the double doors.

  Gina typed in the search bar and waited for the computer to show a response. The same words appeared on the screen. “No Case Found.”

  “Nope. Same thing.”

  Ally sighed. She looked back at Sem. Sem had the same brokenhearted expression.

  “What now?” Ally asked.

  Sem looked down at his communicator. They had a little over five hours left. “Guess we go back out there and look. Ask around and see if anyone’s found them yet.”

  “Sorry I couldn’t help more, you guys,” said Gina, her lips downturned with disappointment. “Why do you need to find this person so badly?”

  “It’s another long story that we really don’t have time to explain,” said Ally.

  “Well, I’ll keep checking the computer for you and message Kyle if I find anything.”

  “Thanks for the help anyway, Gina,” said Ally, offering her a hug.

  “My pleasure,” Gina replied, returning the gesture. “Any friend of Kyle's is a friend of mine. I hope you guys find who it is you're looking for.”

  “Yeah, so do we,” replied Ally.

  Gina turned off the computer and walked around the desk back over to the doors. “I’ll lead you guys back out through the kit—”

  Bang!

  A loud gunshot echoed through the halls of the home.

  Ally and Gina looked at each other, their faces frozen. They could hear the sudden cry of the guests coming from down the hall. Sem glanced at both of them to confirm what he’d just heard.

  “Oh no… Kyle!” said Gina, racing past Ally and the dog. Sem opened the double doors and ran out ahead of her.

  Gina flung the doors to the ballroom open. Gina, Sem, and Ally entered with haste. They looked towards the ballroom’s main entrance to see Teech standing face to face with Marcus. Teech held a handgun pointed at Marcus's head, holding it with both hands.

  Marcus was dressed in a fine suit with a bandage on his nose from when Ally had head-butted him. He raised both his hands in the air as he stared at Teech with a steely look. The party guests had scattered, some fleeing out the front doors while other hid beneath the tables. Kyle, Twig, and Zip stood behind Teech, seemingly shocked to see a gun in their friend’s hands. On the floor next to Teech lay an android, lifeless and immobile. He had clearly stolen the gun from the android and had used it to slay the robotic guard.

  “Where’s the old man, Marcus?” Teech asked in a shaky voice.

  “I don’t know how you got in here, but you had best turn around and leave while you can,” replied Marcus with his hands still up.

  “Teech, what the hell are you doing, man?!” yelled Kyle.

  “Shut it, Kyle! You and I have things to discuss Marcus. Now where’s your old man.”

  Gina looked ready to bolt and intervene. Sem grabbed her by the shoulder. “Marcus!”

  “Stay here,” said Sem, pulling her back.

  Ally wrapped her arm around her new friend to prevent her from escalating the situation any further. Ally’s dog growled at Teech as it hid under the table next to Ally. Ally shushed at to stay quiet.

  “Where is he at, Marcus?” asked Teech, again moving even closer.

  “He’s not coming. He’s busy.”

  “Busy doing what? Ruining more lives?”

  With the loud echo of metallic feet filling the room, Teech and the others found themselves surrounded by a dozen androids, guns drawn and ready to fire.

  “Wait! Don’t do anything!” shouted Marcus to the androids, his hands still up. He looked back at Teech with not a flicker of fear in his expression, showing his lack of worry as he now had the upper hand.

  “Why did you come here, Teech?” asked Marcus.

  “You burned down our home. You ruined my life and stole this city from us. And now I want to see you pay it all back.”

  “How? How did we ruin your life?”

  Teech flared up and grinded his teeth.

  “How?! How! It’s because of you my mom died, ‘cause she wasn’t able to pay her medical bills. It’s because of you that my father committed suicide after one of those machines of yours replaced his job and he couldn’t provide for us anymore. It’s because of you I was forced to live as a kid eating trash while you built your golden future over our heads.”

  Teech took a deep breath and looked Marcus square in the eyes, trembling in his voice. Sem stepped slowly towards them, one slow step at a time. “It’s because of people like you that this city gasps for its final breath with your hands wrapped around its neck.”

  “So, you're going to kill me as payback?” asked Marcus, clearly unmoved.

  “No. I’m going to kill the man who started it. I’m gonna kill your father so that you and this city will know the same pain you’ve caused me and my friends. I want the world to know my pain as the father of its android revolution lies dead at my feet,” replied Teech, pushing the gun to Marcus's throat.

  “What’s going on here?” shouted an older voice from the entrance of the ballroom at Teech’s back. The crowd parted.

  The subtle squeaking sound of tires rolling across the polished floor entered the room. An older man rolled his way through the crowd in his electric wheelchair. He was dressed in a fine tuxedo, his greasy, silver and black hair combed to one side.

  “Nothing, Father,” Marcus replied as his father rolled up next to him.

  “Far from it, I’d say,” replied Marcus’s father, Thomas McNeal.

  Teech turned the gun towards Thomas, still holding it with both hands. Thomas stared at him, confused. He appeared shocked at the gun barrel now pointed head-level with him, with no explanation.

  “You... This is all your fault,” said Teech through his tears.

  “Young man, I surely have no idea what you're talking about,” replied Thomas with his arms firmly at the sides of his chair.

  “You. You killed my mother with your greed. You killed my father when you put a robot in his place. You ruined my childhood when you destroyed my only home and forced me to live on the streets,” said Teech, removing one hand from the gun to wipe the tears from his face with back of his hand.

  Sem inched towards them, doing his best to avoid making any sudden movements. “Teech, this isn’t the way to solve anything. You can’t blame one man or a single group of people for all your troubles,” Sem said to him, calmly.


  “Why? I wasn’t the one who chose this way to live! I was forced to,” Teech shouted back.

  “Young man, I may not know your life story, but I know you’re right. I’m sorry for everything that has happened to you,” said Thomas, rolling closer towards Teech.

  Teech looked down at him, clearly shocked by his apology, but still trying to remain strong in his convictions.

  “I never intended to hurt anyone with my work. I only wanted to help. Twenty years ago, I tried to end my life feeling like an utter failure. My wife passed away and left me with two kids and a heavy weight to bare. I tried jumping off a skyway bridge, thinking selfishly about myself and never about my children. Instead, the attempt left me broken in more ways than one. It left me permanently confined to this chair, with no one there to take care of me.

  “I mortgaged everything I owned and started my android project trying to look after myself. I didn’t want to leave my children burdened with taking care of me because of my selfish actions. And yet, in the process of helping myself, I made a business out of helping others. I paid off my debts, gave my family a better life, and in the process believed that I could make this city safer place for all of us. My revolution became so helpful that I chose to apply it to our New York City police force, our medical facilities, and even construction projects.

  “It’s only in the past few years that I’ve seen that my project has brought more harm to others than help. I was saving lives while destroying others. I believed I was building a brighter future, but all I’ve done is destroy lives.”

  Teech stared at the man with a conflicted look. “So, you think I’ll just spare your life because you shared your story?”

  “No. I only wanted you to know that my intentions were never to destroy your life or anyone else's. I just wanted to help everyone. I know I’ve ruined many lives, and I’m now trying to do my best to make up for that in as many ways as I can. So, if killing me will undo all the pain of just one life I’ve destroyed, so be it.”

  Sem dropped his guard, hoping Teech would be wise enough to do the same.

  Teech stared at Thomas, his hands still trembling. He pulled the hammer back on the gun, ready to fire.

  Tears rolled down his cheeks. His aim was suddenly blocked by a red and white shirt, standing firmly in his way. Teech wiped his tears away. Kyle stood between him and Thomas, seemingly unafraid and forgiving. “Stop this, Teech, before you do something you’ll regret. Your family isn’t gone, man. They’re still right here. We’re your family now.”

  Ally listened to Kyle words, feeling them carve a lasting impression into her heart. Sem walked over and stood next to Kyle with a fearless stare. Zip and Twig joined the two of them, forming a wall to protect Teech from his own mistake.

  Teech shook, the gun still pointed at his friends. He finally lowered his aim to the floor. His head fell. Kyle put his arm over Teech’s shoulder and hugged him as the room remained quiet.

  Sem and Ally let out a sigh of relief.

  “Well . . . I guess I never expected the boy who stole my daughter's heart to be the one who saved my life,” said Thomas.

  Kyle turned around and smiled at him with a look of acceptance.

  Ally released Gina from her arms and let her run over to Kyle. Kyle patted Teech on the shoulder. He embraced Gina in his arms and held her close. Kyle held her for a moment before letting her go.

  “Thank you, young man,” said Thomas, shaking his hand.

  Marcus looked at his father shaking the hand of his rival, expressing a sense of fury building up inside of him through his clenched fists. Marcus pushed his way through the group, baring his teeth. He reached down and pulled the gun from Teech’s hand and aimed it at Kyle.

  The crowd screamed and backed away. Teech tried to grab the gun away from Marcus, only to be pushed aside by the bounding leap of a black and white canine.

  The dog planted his paws against Marcus’s waist and toppled him off balance. Marcus fired wildly up at the ceiling as the gun flew from his hand. He stumbled trying to catch himself, before planting himself chest first into the food table next to him. The table rolled over as he fell to the floor. Ally rushed over to grab the dog by the scruff.

  Mashed potatoes were now smeared all across his face and suit, as he sat with his back against the fallen table. The androids hurried over to assist him. The dog pulled away from Ally to begin eating the lean roast and mashed potatoes that had spilled onto the floor.

  Marcus brushed the potatoes from his suit like a child throwing a tantrum. Thomas rolled towards Marcus.

  “I saw the order you gave the helpers to burn down an abandoned shop earlier today before I came down. I didn’t want to believe my son was using my own creations for such barbaric acts, but now I’ve seen it for myself first hand. Take him away,” said Thomas to the androids around the room.

  Ally regained her control of the dog as Teech walked over to Thomas.

  “I’m sorry, Mr. McNeal. For everything. I have no excuse for my actions,” said Teech.

  “No, young man. Save your apologies. I know my life’s work has proven to be a tragedy for many. In recent months, I’ve realized that this city needs a serious change. A change where machines and people work together, not outdated and replaced,” said Thomas.

  “How?” asked Twig, curious.

  “As safe as it is to send an android in an officer's place, you can’t replace an officer's natural instincts and intuition with a computer. So, we’ve begun a new training program for officers to take on android partners as they help maintain the peace. The program will create more jobs in the city again, helping those in the impoverished areas find work.”

  “That... sounds like a good idea,” Teech replied with a warm smile.

  “As a matter of fact, I think we could use a few young men of your background in building that program. Assuming you all would be interested, of course. Having our newest officers be a shining example of what we aim to achieve would do the program all the more good.”

  Teech looked at Kyle.

  “Us? Work with the tin men?” asked Zip.

  Kyle gave Teech an excited and enthusiastic nod. Twig shot them a quick thumbs-up. Zip rolled his eyes and nodded.

  “I think that’s a yes, Mr. McNeal,” replied Teech.

  “Glad to hear it,” said Thomas as he shook Teech’s hand.

  Sem and Ally watched from the sidelines, both happy seeing a happy ending to their latest journey. There was only one big problem left to solve; find their missing traveler.

  Sem looked down at his communicator. They only had four hours remaining and still had no idea where to start. He looked over at Ally, still smiling as she watched the lives of their new friends changing for the better.

  The dog broke free from her grip once more. It hurried over to the other end of the ballroom, where he sat down and wagged his tail in front of someone. A gray-haired man. The same man Ally had seen earlier when they first arrived. He was now dressed in a fine suit, as another guest of the party. The man leaned down and began petting the dog behind the ears.

  “Glad to see we at least helped one of two lost someone’s find their way home,” said Ally.

  The man petted the dog as it basked in his attention. The man stood up and waved the dog over to Sem and Ally with one hand. The dog took turned around and returned to Sem and Ally. The dog stopped and sat at Ally’s feet, panting and waiting to be petted with a joyful look.

  Sem stared at the man from across the room. His face faded to white. A frightened shiver ran through him as his heart skipped a beat.

  Ally pet the dog on the head and looked over at Sem. She could see the pale expression on his face.

  “Sem?” she asked him. “Are you okay?”

  Ally looked over at the dog owner across the room. He stood with a satisfied grin on his face as he waved at both of them.

  Sem continued to stand in awe. He couldn’t believe his eyes. A playful visage stood across the room from him.
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  “Erland?” he mumbled.

  Ally looked at Sem, confused. She looked back over at the man. Her eyes grew wide. The man had a striking resemblance to the man framed in the picture on Sem’s nightstand.

  “You mean… Erland? That’s thee Erland? Your… teacher?

  They both stared at him in disbelief. Erland crossed his arms, laughing across the room to himself. A guest walked by and tapped him on the shoulder, then whispered something in his ear. Erland nodded and looked back at both of them. He pointed to the dog sitting at Sem’s and Ally’s feet, then winked. He then turned around and disappeared into the crowd of guests.

  “Isn’t he—”

  “He is! Or… so I thought…,” replied Sem, still looking at where Erland had been standing. “I can’t explain it.”

  Ally shook trying to make sense of what she had just seen. The man of whom she had gathered by all accounts to be dead had just been standing across the room from them.

  “You saw him though? Right?” asked Sem.

  “With my own two eyes,” Ally replied.

  The dog pawed at Ally’s leg. They both continued to stare off into space as the dog tried to get Ally’s attention.

  “Either way, we still have to hurry and find the traveler so we can get out of here,” said Ally.

  Sem looked at her. He glanced down at the dog sitting on the floor at her feet. The dog looked over at him still panting with a satisfied expression.

  “I think the dog is the traveler.”

  Ally looked at him, confused.

  “What? How do you know?”

  “I don’t. But if it can happen to people, I can’t see why I couldn’t happen to a dog too.”

  “Are you sure?”

  Sem reached down and petted the dog. He looked back over where Erland was. “One hundred percent.”

  Teech walked over to Sem and Ally, both satisfied with finding their missing traveler, right under their nose the whole time.

  “I guess I owe you again,” said Teech, extending his hand for Sem to shake.

  “No, this one was on me,” replied Sem as he shook hand.

  “Gina told us how you didn’t find your friend. I’m sure with Mr. McNeal’s help, we could help you find them now.”