But it seems this is the end of the journey. I can’t find any geocache, and I decide that it must be underground—buried, perhaps, with my father himself. I am convinced that this is something my father dreamed up before he passed away, but why? And, given the ability he has to communicate with me now, it makes even less sense.
I form a solid question in my mind, even saying it out loud in earnest, in hopes that my father will deliver me this one truth: Is all of this simply a way to get Tess and I together somehow? The seeming coincidence of this geocaching adventure? I think of that hair in the microscope, how something seemingly simple is so vastly complicated. Like this. Like my life.
The human hair, coincidentally, is the only part of the human body that keeps growing once deceased.
What. The. Heck? I shudder with the thought.
So vastly complicated, this life. Things we never imagined possible.
Suddenly, I notice a car idling by slowly, and I get spooked, quickly heading back. If everything I need to know is outside of my father’s research lab, I’m certainly not going to discover it all tonight.
As I head to my car, I run through my mind how I am going to approach Tess with this. There must be a way, and I will find it. It seems like the right direction to go.
As I start up my car, my phone beeps with a message from my father:
September 11, 2012
TO: Zach Webb
FROM: E.G.W.
RE: What you need to know
You are proceeding well, my son. Just remember, when you find what you are looking for, you must destroy this terrible truth.
Terrible truth? I assume he’s referring to the research and the chips, but it’s an odd way of putting it, especially when so many of his recent messages include his lofty ideas about truth and belief. At any rate, I have to wonder…is it really all that terrible? I mean, the man discovered time travel. That’s pretty awesome if you ask me.
No, there must be a reason, some explanation. Has my father had some bad experience with it? Something that he dare not tell me, but that so impacted him as to destroy his own work? I think back to the Time Traveler, who reached so far into the future that he saw the death of the earth itself. How terrifying would that be? Just to know that yes, one day, the earth will be no more…and that even knowing you won’t live to see it, just the realization of its awful fate. Could it be that my father has witnessed something similar? Perhaps he somehow caused his own death. It’s a random thought, but I mean, anything is truly possible at this point. Time travel shook up the entire realm of expected results.
Perhaps the best approach is to be direct.
September 11, 2012
TO: E.G.W.
FROM: Zach Webb
RE: What you need to know
Why is your research a “terrible truth?” Further, I am curious to know your personal experience with your research—not as a scientist, but as a time traveler. I know you took at least one journey into the future to plant your mind chip, but what others did you take? Did you ever go to the past? How far back is it possible to travel? Is it scary? I think I would like to do it, but I’m not sure. Should I? What do you suggest?
September 11, 2012
TO: Zach Webb
FROM: E.G.W.
RE: What you need to know
I have traveled enough to know that it isn’t wise to make it a habit. Have you ever watched the surface of a body of water, when you throw even the tiniest stone in it? What do you see? A series of ever-expanding ripples, radiating from the center. If you throw a big stone, the ripples are bigger and last longer. My point? Even a small adjustment to one’s memory or experience can have far-reaching effects, and they aren’t always desirable—or at least, may cause obstacles for you. To give you an example you know well, consider the fact that Tess returned to the day of her accident and saved Dani’s life. That Dani lived is certainly a wonderful thing, but her presence created obstacles to your natural connection with Tess.
To answer your question, the science of time travel makes it possible to access any conceivable point in the past or future—however, you can only visit times that are within your specific memory. In other words, it’s not possible to return to 1865 and meet Abraham Lincoln. You must have experienced it, or will, in the future.
My point is…stick to the present. As I mentioned before, you can’t manipulate fate anyway, right?
I was going to wait to tell you this, but I think it will explain things, particularly my request of you. When I went into the future the last time, there was a data leak that was picked up and stored in a CIA intelligence file. I was caught, imprisoned, my chip duplicated and downloaded and what was left was returned to die with my body.
I must explain this one detail to you, because I am certain you are confused at this point. When one time travels, his physical body is left behind, as he assumes his future physical body. It’s as if the mind itself exists in a fourth dimension…. Floating, if you will. Since time itself has no confines during the process of time travel, it all happens within milliseconds. If the mind is hijacked during the process, the body dies, and the mind is fused to a future self and can never return to the former body. Zach, it is with both sorrow and joy that I tell you: I am alive, in the future. In exchange for my complete cooperation with the CIA, you were given immunity and I was given access to a computer that I have programmed to communicate with you; however, there was one condition: You must relinquish your knowledge and any access to Project Zero.
My fear is that they will seek out both you and Tess, for what purposes I can only imagine. This is the primary reason I want you to destroy it—to protect yourself. Incidentally, I have successfully managed to encrypt our email messages, so they are, at least for the time being, secure.
It is my regret that my death prevented me from suppressing or preventing this leak, but I am contained. I have no time travel abilities left. My body no longer exists in your time and place.
As to your question about whether you should time travel…my immediate response is no, simply for the reasons previously mentioned. On the other hand, I understand your curiosity and there is something to be said for a sense of adventure. I will leave this decision to you, with a healthy dose of caution. Make it short and to the point. Don’t get caught up in it. Then, destroy the evidence.
Affectionately,
E.G.W.
Incredible. My dad is alive, somewhere. Some sort of information has leaked to the government. They could be tapping my phone, emails, and everything right now for all I know. Luckily, they are encrypted, but for how long? If they have been working on this for two years, they must be getting close to cracking it. Great. Not only do I have knowledge of the greatest scientific discovery in the history of the world, but now I’m smack in the middle of a possible CIA plot to uncover it. Could my life get any more complicated?
And then this: When Tess was in a coma, was she lost in time? And if so, where?
If I am going to travel, I need to do it soon. But first, I must talk to Tess.
Tess
Good news! My headache is gone. Bad news—I have to go back to school. My mom wakes me up slightly earlier than usual the next morning, and I grumble at first, but then she mentions French toast, and I am wide awake. “Be right down,” I say.
I decide to go down for breakfast before my shower since I have plenty of time. My mom is flitting around the kitchen, opening and closing cabinets, chirping to my dad about some dinner they are supposed to go to on Friday night. He is slurping down a cup of coffee on his way out the door. “We’ll get the details later,” he says, ruffling my hair. “Have a good day, sweetie.”
“Eggs?” My mom asks.
“No thanks, just the toast.”
“Your message was very sweet,” she replies, kissing the top of my head. “Thank you.”
I vaguely remember sending it, and now I feel sort of ambivalent about it, mainly because I don’t like mushy moments. At any rate, I respond.
“You’re welcome.”
“So…” she says, placing my plate on the table. “I haven’t had a chance to talk to you much about your night at the dance. Did you have a good time?”
“Yeah,” I shrug, forking the toast into my mouth.
“So you and Alex seem to be getting along well…”
Great. I’m not exactly ready to talk about that yet, but now I have to. “Yeah, we’re kind of…dating.”
Mom squeals. “Oh, I knew it. I could tell when he picked you girls up. He was looking at you the whole time.”
I roll my eyes. “Well, technically, it was just a friend date. We sort of got together at the dance.”
“So you danced.”
“Yeah, that’s what you do at dances, right?” I say with a chuckle.
Mom starts cleaning up the kitchen and just keeps rattling on about me and Alex. “I just knew it. I told your father…”
I finish my breakfast as fast as humanly possible, to avoid any further questions. “I’m going to shower,” I mutter, making a break for the stairs.
“Ok, sweetie! I will be gone by the time you get out. Have a good day at school.”
After a pretty typical day at school, I am heading out to my car. Alex has a student government meeting and Cricket is going somewhere with Kurt. I am clicking through the music on my phone as I walk, and I get the odd sensation that someone is watching me. Sure enough, as I get ready to open my door, the window of the car next to me goes down. Incredibly, it’s Zach Webb. I continue to get in, but he stops me.
“Hey Tess.”
“Oh, hey,” I say, turning around. I try to act casual, but my nerves are going haywire and my headache has mysteriously returned.
“You got a minute?”
What? Why? Remembering what Cricket had said about his “crush,” I fight to maintain a neutral face. “Sure. What’s up?”
“Can you get in?”
Huh? “Ok,” I say, opening the door and sliding in the seat.
Zach drums his fingers on the steering wheel. His right leg is bobbing up and down frantically. “I need to talk to you about something.”
What on earth would he need to talk to me about? Dani? Maybe he thinks I know something about John. “Yeah?” I glance over at him, but I’m afraid to look him in the eye for some reason. Why? I’ve known Zach forever, and yet, we really don’t know each other at all. He’s just some popular guy who dates my friend.
“Do you remember that day we saw each other at the graveyard?”
“Yeah, you mentioned it before…”
Zach takes a deep breath. “You mentioned you were there for some kind of English assignment… Cricket’s.”
“Yeah…” I reply.
“It was something to do with geocaching, right?”
“Was it you? I mean…it was your father’s grave, the last clue…”
Zach shakes his head. “No. But someone told me about it…someone…close to the family. I followed all the clues and ended up there.”
“Hmmm. So was it something your father did? Before he died?”
“I honestly don’t know.” Then he looks at me like he’s watching the most intense part of a movie, right before the verdict is read. “I just know that both you and I were there, and that it’s not a coincidence.”
Not a coincidence? “What do you mean?”
His look continues, more focused now. “I mean, there is a reason why we were both there, at my father’s grave.”
I feel a little sliver rush down my spine. To tell you the truth, he’s sort of creeping me out at the moment. “Um, well, it’s just a prank, right?”
“NO!” He clips, almost cutting me off. His eyes smolder. “It is not.”
“Look, I have to go…”
“No,” he says, more gently this time. “I mean—please stay.” He places his hand on my arm and I feel the hairs bristle.
Suddenly his eyes look so kind and sincere that I can’t help but stare at them. I actually start to relax. It takes me a few moments to speak, but I finally manage, “What do you think it means?” My breath catches as his hand twitches slightly. “If it’s not a prank.”
“Ok,” he sighs. “I think it was my father who put it there.”
“And? Why do you think he did that?”
“There’s something I have to do…”
“Ok,” I reply, starting to get out.
“Wait—I mean, there’s something I have to do—with you.”
“Such as?” He looks at me so seriously and almost desperately, that it is kind of cute.
“Come with me. I will show you.”
“But….” I protest, thinking of Dani and Alex.
“This has nothing to do with Dani and Alex.”
What? Did he just read my mind? “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“My father was a scientist.” He says. “He left these clues here for me—and for you.”
“But why?” I am seriously confused.
“Do you remember when I asked you about hanging out when we were kids?”
I nod. “Yeah…”
“Ok, well something happened that day…you were out in the yard and lightning was about to strike, and I pulled you back. My father said I saved you.”
“Thanks,” I reply. “But I told you, I don’t remember any of that.”
“My father spent years studying storms—lightning, in particular. He was fascinated with it. But something about that night haunted him. Until…after your accident.”
“What’s that got to do with anything?”
“Your dad asked him to help…you were in a coma, and he thought he could bring you back somehow.”
Ok, I am feeling even more creped out than before. I’m starting to feel a little like George Bailey, wandering around like a lost soul in his own skin. Why do I get the feeling that he knows something about me that I don’t? Part of me wants to know just what, but another part of me really wants to get out of this car. “I need to get home—”
“Wait—there’s something else.”
“What?”
“I know why your memory is disrupted.”
“Excuse me?”
“My father studied your brain and—”
I can hear my heart throbbing in my ears and my headache is coming back. “Hey, I’ll see you later,” I say, opening the car door.
“There’s something extraordinary you should know about your brain.”
“Look, Zach,” I reply, shutting the door. I lean down to the rolled-down window. “I don’t know what this is about, but it’s sort of freaking me out, so I’m out.”
“Look, Tess…please. I’m not making this up. Do you believe that we only use ten percent of our brains?”
Seriously? This guy is either way too smart for his own good, or he’s just plain nuts. How the heck did he and Dani get together? “Thanks for the tip. Catch you later.” Crazy train.
I’m debating whether to mention this to Dani, Alex, or Cricket. I mean, Dani would probably be upset that he wanted to talk to me. Alex would be mad I’d gotten in the car. And Cricket would just be fascinated with it, as usual.
I am still really stumped as to why Zach is trying to talk to me in the first place. He mentioned that there was “something extraordinary” about my brain and that his father had studied it. I guess it makes sense, that my dad asked a scientist to help him, when he felt I was in a hopeless situation. I will just have to ask him about it.
This is my objective, as soon as my dad gets home.
“Hey dad?” He is sitting in his recliner, leafing through the newspaper.
“What sweetie?”
“I have a question.”
“Ok, shoot.”
“Zach Webb told me that you and mom used to be friends with his parents.”
“Yeah, a long time ago…. Why?” His voice wavers.
“He told me that he saved me from getting struck by lightning when we were kids.”
“Oh really? I seem to
remember once when we were playing cards…there was a storm. My memory is kind of fuzzy though.”
“He also told me that you asked his dad to help you when I was in the coma.”
My dad is very quiet for a few moments. Then, he sniffles and starts wringing his hands. “What do you mean?”
“He said his dad studied my brain. Is it true?”
“Yes,” my dad replies, almost immediately. “It’s true. Edwin was an amazing scientist and I was desperate for answers…. I …. Wanted you back so badly.”
Despite the fact that I feel like a science project, it makes me feel good to know that someone cared so much. “So, what did he study, exactly?”
“I’m not sure. At first, he was giving me reports every week or so…and then, eventually, he stopped. After a while, we didn’t talk much about it. I do remember him telling me that you were an exceptional case…”
“Exceptional case… what does that mean?”
“I don’t know. He went off the deep end, and then, he died and it was all over. You woke up a couple years later, and it was all forgotten.”
All forgotten…well isn’t that ironic. “But aren’t you curious? What he found?”
“I was. But it doesn’t matter now. All that matters is, you’re back.”
“I think Zach knows something that he’s not telling me. It’s weird. It’s like he keeps wanting to tell me, but he never does.”
“Well, he was Edwin’s son…and, he was there the day of the accident. What do you think he knows?”
“He tried to talk to me Homecoming night…and again, today after school.”
My dad raises an eyebrow and smiles. “Well, maybe he likes you. Seems reasonable. I mean, you are exceptional.”
“Dad! I hope not. Dani would kill me.”
“Somehow, I doubt that.”
“Anyway, he’s kind of weird.”
“How so?”
“He’s all into science and stuff. He actually told me today that we only use ten percent of our brains.”
“Well, that’s actually true…at least, I think it is.”
Surfacing (Spark Saga) Page 15