The Twins Paradox

by Sco Thorson

might be waiting for us."

  "We could have the police check it out."

  He shook his head. "That will just attract attention to us. We need to stay hidden."

  "Then where do we go?"

  He scanned the beach and recognized the mast of the catamaran against the horizon.

  "Over there,” he nodded.

  A New Plan

  Thursday 1:00 a.m.

  TJ reached the end of the path, slipped off her shoes, and stepped onto the cool sand. A line of torches marked the boundary between the chaotic noise of the resort and the quiet thunder of the surf. She walked beyond the torch light into the darkness, then turned and headed along the beach.

  It was a strange place for rendezvous, but so far, the directions had been spot on. It was a secluded setting, and romantic. She stopped at the thought. Could Dave be trying to get back together? He was always inviting her to Grand Cayman, so he must care a least a little even if he was completely…

  She searched for the word. Unreliable, inappropriate, annoying, …and passionate. What would she do if he held her again? She smiled.

  Ahead she spotted the mast, and checking the GPS on her phone saw that she was almost there. She heard heavy breathing and a gasp. Someone was making out.

  Then she recognized Dave's voice and switched on the flashlight. The beam pinned Dave and a scantily clad woman to the deck of the catamaran. They froze in mid-embrace, staring shocked at the light.

  Bored waiting?" TJ fumed, switching off the flashlight.

  "TJ?"

  "Who did you expect? Did you invite anyone else to this little party?"

  He slid off the deck and crossed the sand to her.

  "Invite? How did you find us? I mean, why are you here?"

  She folded her arms. "I'm here because you directed me here."

  The woman climbed off the deck. TJ glared at her. "A case of mistaken identity in the dark, or is she just your warm-up act."

  He cleared his throat. "TJ, this is Rachel, Rachel…"

  "Somers," the woman added calmly.

  "Yes, Rachel Somers," he recovered. "She's helping me."

  "I can see that."

  He smiled, confident again “Rachel, this is TJ Jones."

  "So, you sent her here," Rachel asked?

  "I… perhaps."

  "Does she know," the woman tossed her head in TJ's direction.

  TJ saw him almost imperceptibly shake his head.

  “Well,” the woman continued, “why is she here?”

  “To help. She must be part of the plan.”

  TJ exhaled deeply. "Dave, focus. What is going on here, and what haven’t you told me?"

  He grabbed her hand and led her to the catamaran deck, snagging the Rachel woman on the way.

  "Okay, let's get everyone up to speed." He ran his hand gently along her thigh. “I’ll start.”

  He quickly explained the attack on the way to the airport, recruiting Rachel during her flight, Sunrise Air, and escaping through the orchestra and the party to the catamaran.

  "What orchestra," she asked, but then noticed that he had his other arm around the woman’s waist, and had her answer.

  She quickly recounted her conversation with her boss, the transfer to the CIA, and the video camera she had been given.

  He jumped to his feet. "That's it."

  "What's it," she asked.

  "We just sneak in to the hangar, install the camera, and when the CIA sees what's going on, they shoot down the flight. Mission accomplished."

  She laughed. "Shooting down the flight is a bit much, even for the CIA."

  The woman turned to Dave, mouth open, but said nothing.

  He extended a hand to each woman and pulled them to their feet.

  She eyed him coldly. “I know you’re hiding something.”

  "All will be explained, but no time for explanations now," he cut her off. "We need to get that camera installed before Sunrise opens for business."

  And with that he set off down the beach. After 10 paces he stopped, turned, and seeing the women haven't moved, beckoned for them to follow. Rachel looked at her, shrugged, and set off down the beach after him.

  She muttered a short curse, and called after them. "Hey, where are you going?"

  "Your car."

  "You're going the wrong way."

  "Then, where is it?" he asked in frustration.

  "Where you told me to park."

  She started off the other direction down the beach.

  “Wait!” Rachel exclaimed, “We can’t go running around the airport dressed like this. We need some clothes.”

  Dave stopped. “Sorry Rach, returning to the bungalow is too dangerous. We’ll have to make do with whatever TJ brought.”

  "TJ," he began, slipping his arm around her waist and whispering in her ear, "there is time to explain one thing. I don't always remember what I write in emails. So, if I send you an email, don't assume I know anything about it."

  His arm uncoiled around her waist and he grasped her hand. The woman caught up with them, and he took her hand as well and led them off down the beach. Minutes later they arrived in her car.

  “May I borrow some clothes?” Rachel asked.

  She nodded, opened the trunk, and unzipped her bag.

  “Help yourself.”

  "Can I see the camera?" Dave asked.

  She removed the camera from its foam lined case and handed it to him.

  "What did they say to do with it," he questioned.

  She shook her head. "They didn't say. But pressing the button on the back activates it. After that, it sends a continuous video stream to Langley via a satellite for 39 hours."

  He smiled. "Perfect. Do you have anything for me to wear."

  She reached into the bag and extracted a silk chemise.

  “Funny,” he protested.

  She reached deeper into the bag and pulled out an oversized t-shirt emblazoned with a cartoon cat.

  “You’ll look great in this.”

  Rachel had slipped on a yellow blouse and a pair of white shorts. Dave pulled the t-shirt over his head and grinned at the cat.

  “Ok, let’s go. Rachel, you drive.”

  She was about to protest the Rachel wasn't covered on the rail cars insurance policy, but decided that was the least of her problems. So she slid into the back seat, and they drove off.

  Breaking and Entering

  Thursday 2:30 a.m.

  This is more like it, Rachel thought to herself as she sped down the highway towards Montego Bay. She was still angry that they hadn't taken on the thugs back at the resort. Dave may have been right that they didn't have a chance on the dance floor against guys with guns, but she could have ambushed them from the bushes when they exited the building. She shrugged. At lease breaking in to install the camera would be fun.

  "I don't know if we should be doing this," TJ spoke up from the back seat. "I could call my contact the CIA and have them installed the camera."

  Rachel shook her head. "No time. The mechanics will come on duty at 4 a.m. By the time you get the right people out of bed, they get the blessing of their bosses, and they all debate a plan, the hangar will be crawling with people."

  TJ was silent.

  Rachel turned and gave her a big grin. "Besides, I guarantee it will be fun."

  "I just want to get back to my lab."

  Dave looked up from the camera. "This is the only way back, babe."

  "How do you know that? How do you know any of this?"

  Rachel is now certain she didn't know. She wondered why Dave told her and not TJ.

  She parked the car 800 meters from Sunrise Air.

  "Shall I bring the magnet," TJ asked.

  Dave looked surprised. "What magnet?"

  "The magnet you told me to bring in your email."

  "Good thinking. Bring it," Rachel ordered as she opened the door and slipped into the darkness.

  She led the wa
y along the dark street, sliding from shadow to shadow. She was almost disappointed when they reach the side of the hangar without incident. Sometime tonight we need to have a little action.

  She motioned for the others to follow her to a maintenance door under a bright mercury lamp.

  "The magnet," she whispered to TJ.

  TJ handed her the magnet and she ran it quickly along the side of the punch code lock on the door. After a second she heard the click and turned the knob. They were in.

  "What next?" Dave whispered.

  "We have to disable the alarm," she replied. "Look near the door."

  TJ walked quickly to a box with a glowing screen. "Here"

  She joined TJ by the box. Green letters were flashing on the screen. "Enter security code."

  "Dave, have you received the code," she asked.

  He was already scrolling through messages on his phone, but looked up and shook his head.

  "Why are we here if you don't know the code?" she fumed, exasperated. "Can't you remember anything?"

  "Why would Dave know the code?" TJ asked.

  "Let's see if someone got careless and wrote it down," she muttered searching the area around the box.

  TJ joined her. "What happens if we can't find the code?"

  "The alarm goes off and the bad guys know we've been here," she replied, slamming her fist in frustration against an I-beam.

  She turned to Dave. "Do something."

  He smiled. "I think I have."

  She followed his gaze to the display of the alarm box. It read, "Access Code Confirmed."

  TJ punched Dave in the arm. "What is going on here? What aren’t you telling me?"

  "No time for that now," Rachel said as she grabbed the camera from Dave. "We need to hurry and get this installed."

  She played her flashlight around the hangar, looking for a likely spot.

  "There," she pointed at a tall cabinet on the interior wall. "Help me drag a winch over next to it."

  A minute later, she had positioned the overhead winch next to the cabinet. Slipping her foot in the hook and grasping the cable with one hand and the