Quantum Touch (Book 1): Storm Portal

by Michael R. Stern

  Ashley said, “Wine, anyone?” He held a bottle in each hand. I handed him my glass, but the others merely shook their heads no.

  The president looked around. “We still have to have scientists investigate the portal. There are serious security issues.”

  James said, “Mr. President, couldn't we send some people to check out the classroom for out-of-the-ordinary power surges or something like that? We could do it over the weekend.”

  Tom added, “The Energy Secretary might have someone who could shed some light and come here. Or maybe the science advisor?”

  “Those are good ideas. I just think I should call her now.”

  From the kitchen came a loud, “I think you should wait.” It was Lois. She then came back in carrying four plates of cannoli. Sandy brought the rest of the plates on a tray.

  “Coffee, anyone?” Linda asked.

  As she looked around, James said, “Ma'am, I mean, Linda. Please.” Nods all around.

  I got up, held up my hand to stop the president, who had also started to get up. “I'll get them.”

  Linda and I went back to the kitchen. We didn't speak, but her wrinkled forehead said she was anxious. I brought out sugar, sweetener, and a pitcher of milk. No one spoke; everyone was considering what had been said so far. The president broke the quiet. “These are great,” pointing at his plate with his fork.

  “Thanks, I made them myself,” said Ashley.

  “No he did not,” said Linda. “I bought them this afternoon. If anyone wants another, there are three left.”

  George said, “I'll have another if it's okay.” Lois glared at him.

  “I can cut them in half if you all want more.”

  “No, thanks,” said the president. “Gotta watch what I eat, you know.”

  “Anyone?” said Linda, looking at Ashley, who nodded yes. “Fritz?”

  “Maybe later, if there are any left. George, can we get into the building over the weekend?”

  “Of course. If you let me know when, I'll meet you there.”

  George and I looked at the president.

  He said, “I'll call the secretary on our way back to Washington. I'll have her meet me in the morning. I'm sure she'll find someone and, knowing her, she'll want to come up herself. Early afternoon is probably the soonest we can get all the pieces in place.”

  “Can we get in in the morning, George?” I looked at Ashley, who mouthed “sure.”

  The president said, “I would appreciate if you waited. I'd like to get some guidance first, especially since you don't know what will happen.”

  “Sure, Mr. President.”

  “Oh, and be sure you have your phones on.”

  With dinner done and a plan in place, the president's visit was over. He said, “I think it's time to go.” He rose, placing his hand on my shoulder. He said he appreciated our cooperation and thanked Linda for dinner.

  The First Lady said, “I think we ought to help clean up first. We were uninvited guests, you know.”

  “Actually, you were invited,” I said. “You know those raffles to have dinner with you at the White House? Well, I responded to one and invited you to come to my house instead. Never heard back though. I was thinking about a barbecue, but this was nice too.”

  In the hallway to bid our guests goodbye, George said, “You won't forget about graduation, will you, Mr. President?”

  Lois said, “George, what are you talking about?”

  “I forgot to tell you. I asked the president if he could come to our graduation ceremonies.”

  The president frowned. “We forgot about the gym. We signed autographs and spoke to the kids. The inventor story won't work for that.”

  George said, “You could say you stopped to use the bathroom and then toured the school.”

  “That would work. Tom, when we get back, we're going to have to change the appointment book. Would you call Lily Evans and ask her if she would mind coming back to the office in about two hours?”

  “Yes, sir.”

  We waved as they drove away.

  Chapter Ten

  “I'LL HELP YOU clean up, Linda,” Lois said and began collecting the empty glasses. Sandy already had a handful of plates, and Ash was rinsing and loading the dishwasher when we came in with the last plates and glasses. I asked if there was any lasagna left.

  “Nope. Sorry, Fritz. No leftovers. But anyone want more coffee?”

  “That's just more dishes for you,” said Lois. “George, I think we should leave these three NICE people, and Ashley, to have a little quiet.”

  I disagreed. “I think another cup of coffee is a good idea, Lois. We still have a few things to discuss, just us.” We all sat at the kitchen table. I said, “Is anyone else not sure of what just happened?” They all looked unsure. “Look, we haven't had time to think about what went on, and the government is already involved. DISAPPEAR. Now there's a word. Doesn't make ME comfortable.”

  “I think he was kidding, Fritz,” said George, fidgeting.

  “Was he?” I asked, glancing at Lois. “We have some pretty smart people right here at this table. Something in the classroom opened the portal. I think Ash is right that lightning, or electricity was somehow involved. I got shocks when I touched the doorknob. I'm trying to remember what I was doing or thinking that might explain the locations we went to. You all know I'm interested in the Civil War, always have been. And I teach the course on workers in America. So there's a relationship, but why travel to those specific sites. And how did the Oval Office open up?”

  Lois said, “Fritz, at least for the moment, we have a plan to give us time to figure it out.”

  But Linda picked up my thread. “I'm not sure how much time we really have, Lois. They must be rattled. It only took three hours from the time Fritz left school until the president showed up.”

  “Less actually,” I muttered. “Lois, we have a story for school, and we have a guaranteed visit tomorrow. Unless there's a simple answer and they find it, we have a problem.”

  “What worries me,” said Ashley, “is that whole business about national security. I really think the president thought your visit and his were cool. 'Amazing', he said. But I watched him the whole time. He was listening, but he was staring like he was seeing what you were saying. He seems really shaken about your just walking into his office.” He sipped his coffee. “Look, so far as we all know, time travel and teleportation are impossible. But Fritz, you did it and then took him along with you. They aren't going to let this go.” Ashley looked at himself in the back of his spoon. “Did you pick up on changing the president's calendar for today?” he continued.

  “They really do need to explain his being here,” said Lois.

  “And I think they're afraid we may say something they can't explain away or cover up. We need to get on top of this, or we're all in trouble, maybe everyone in this town is at risk.”

  George said, “Don't you think you're exaggerating, Ashley?”

  “Not if he believes what he said about security, you know, bank robbers and terrorists. I mean, Fritz is number one, but we're all involved.”

  I wasn't that anxious, but I was glad that Ashley understood. George on the other hand had, well, the train had left the station while he decided which car to get on. I worried about the kids. We'd been lucky today. “We've got to figure this out fast.”

  Lois said, “It's starting to get late. Linda, let me help clean up. You TWO,” she glowered at Ashley, “need some time to talk, I'm sure.”

  Linda said, “Lois, really, I'm fine.” Lois got up anyway and headed for the sink. Sandy was stuck in the corner. George, shaking his head, said, “I've been very careful for years about when to tell her no. Mostly, she just does it anyway.” Lois scowled.

  We talked about the teachers' meeting on Monday, and after about ten minutes, Lois said, “George, let's go. You'll see these two delinquents tomorrow.” To me she said, “Someday, maybe, I'll live to see you two act your ages, not like your ninth graders.”
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  “Well, let's see. Hmm. Sorry, Lois. Don't think that will happen. Possibly for me. Definitely not for him.” I pointed my thumb at Ashley.

  Lois frowned, and then we all laughed. Except George, whose face reflected his trying to figure out what I meant. We laughed harder. George got up, followed by Ashley and me, and all three of us followed Lois and Linda to the door. Sandy worked her way out of the corner and caught up.

  “Linda, thank you so much for a lovely dinner,” said Lois. “I was certainly skeptical about this story, but I'm not now. George and I will work on the teachers' meeting, and he'll get back to you by Sunday night. If either of us has a thought or question, we should call each other. Okay?”

  Linda said, “I think that's a good idea. We have your number, don't we, Fritz?”

  “Yup,” I said.

  “Then we're off,” said Lois. She looked at me, shaking her head as she stepped toward the door. “Time travel. What next?”

  George shook my hand, kissed Linda's cheek, and said, “You're a good cook. Thanks. Good night, Ashley, Sandy. See you tomorrow.” He followed his wife out the door. We stood on the porch and watched them drive away.

  * * *

  “DID YOUR RECORDER get all that, Tom?” asked the president.

  “Yes, sir.”

  “Well, they certainly get it, don't they?” said the First Lady. “They're nice people, caught up in something no one understands. I don't think they're a threat to anyone.”

  “Not intentionally, anyway,” said the president. “Where did you put the device, Tom?”

  “In the table leg where the screw hole is. Someone would have to look very closely to find it. Unless you know what it is, it looks like a button, so even if it's found, it'll get thrown away. If they do move it, we'll know.”

  “Let's go home,” said the president. They boarded the jet and headed for Andrews Air Force Base.

  “Tom, did you reach Lily Evans?” asked the president.

  “Yes, sir. She'll be waiting. Frankly, I don't think she had left yet.”

  He told the First Lady he wanted to call the Energy Secretary. She said, “It's not even late. Call her.”

  “Yes, Mr. President, good evening,” she said.

  “Hi Brenda, sorry to bother you, but I need to speak with you in person tomorrow at 8 a.m.”

  “Certainly, Mr. President.”

  “Before the meeting, I want you to consider this. I need a person who is an expert in electricity, electromagnetic fields, recording electrical events, things like that. Power surges. That kind of thing. I'll fill in the details tomorrow.”

  “Mr. President, as you know, I worked with those kinds of topics before you appointed me. Besides myself, there are two young people on staff who fit your description. Would you like me to get in touch with them?”

  “Can they be at the White House tomorrow morning?”

  “I don't know either of their schedules, but I'll call. If they're in Washington, they'll be there.”

  “Thanks. See you all in the morning. Oh, and you may need to spend the night in New Jersey.”

  “Yes sir. Good night, Mr. President.”

  The president returned to the seat beside his wife and said, “She's got a couple of tech jocks who'll be there in the morning.”

  * * *

  “I FEEL like I've been awake for two days.”

  “We'll go,” said Ashley. Sandy pushed her chair back and started to get up.

  “That's not what I meant. I can't wait to look around. What I didn't say was that I had planned to talk about the end of the Civil War. And I was considering the different labor tragedies of the early 1900s, including Triangle. I still don't know what happened, but I can't imagine that it was brain waves that got us there.”

  “Well, in your case, brain waves don't explain it,” Ashley grinned. “Linda, can I have that last cannoli and another coffee?”

  “No way,” I said. “That cannoli is mine. And you can get your own coffee.”

  “I wasn't asking her to get it, only if I could have it. I'll split the cannoli with you.”

  “No. It's mine.”

  “Split it with him, Fritz. I'll get more tomorrow while you're at the school.”

  “Good,” said Ashley, going to the refrigerator. “Anyone want coffee?”

  “Sure,” I said.

  “Get it yourself,” said Ashley.

  “No wonder Lois keeps calling you two delinquents,” Linda said, handing me the cannoli and a knife. “When you've finished eating, drinking, cleaning up, and fooling around, it's time for you to go home, Ash.” I cut the cannoli in half and took the bigger piece. Ashley pouted.

  “Okay,” he said. “Throwing me out into the cold dark night. I get it.”

  Linda said, “Good. It's about time you got something.”

  Ashley and Sandy left about a half hour later. When she was leaving, Sandy whispered to me that she'd love to meet William Shakespeare.

  “Quiet at last,” I sighed. I pushed my cup away.

  “Fritz, I don't know if I should be scared or not, it's so unreal.” said Linda, sitting down again.

  “You don't know? I met Robert E. Lee, who died in 1870. What I did today is in a picture from a Detroit newspaper from 1937. My class witnessed the Triangle Fire in 1911. The President of the United States just had dinner with us. Any one of those would be reason to be scared. And not knowing why or how it happened, or what might make it happen again, that's not my typical day. Lin, we need to figure this out.”

  Linda's feelings are right more often than not, and I've learned to pay attention. Most of the time she understands pretty much everything before me. As an editor, she sees plots unfold. But we weren't dealing with fiction. She said, “I don't think we have to be afraid yet. Think about all the things they have to deal with every day. You have to be a special kind of crazy to want to be president. Fritz, what scares me the most is despite all the things he has to deal with, he took the time to come here. And brought his wife.”

  “I think they had three reasons. First, to check if we were regular people; second, to get away from Washington; and third, for a home cooked meal.” She still frowned. “Seriously, I think he trusts the First Lady more than his closest appointed advisors. My guess is she came to size us up for him and help him analyze the whole thing. She's smart, and she's a well-trained thinker. But, I'll bet they can't get lasagna this good even at the White House.”

  “Be serious.”

  “I am. Think about it. When you're the president, you've got to deal with every backstabber in the world. No wonder presidents go gray so fast. Congress, taxes, wars, special interests, the media. Did I mention Congress? I teach this stuff and it makes me crazy. I can't guess what it's like to be on 24/7.”

  “You never told me what Lee was like,” she said. Her eyes shone with the same intelligent curiosity I had discovered early in our time in New York. I grew up across the Hudson and had visited the city a lot. It was a playground. But with Linda, New York became a classroom. We did the Bronx Zoo and Yankee Stadium; we visited the Cloisters and Battery Park. We went to lectures at Columbia and N.Y.U, visited the Brooklyn and Bronx Botanical Gardens, and got seats for the U.S. Open tennis tournament for a day.

  We went to a Michelangelo exhibit at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, “Don Giovanni” at the Metropolitan Opera and, well, New York Mets games. We skated at Rockefeller Center, laughed at the comedy clubs, drank at McSorley's Old Ale House and, of course, saw a few Broadway shows. We even took the Staten Island ferry just to go for a ride. And we went out into the harbor to visit the Ellis Island Museum.

  We watched the Thanksgiving parade before I took her to my parent's house for dinner. At Christmas, we shopped and window shopped. And of course we went to the UN and the Empire State Building. I came to appreciate that “the Bronx is up and the Battery's down.” I'd lived nearby my whole life and had never seen New York like I did that year.

  In answer to her question about Lee, I sai
d, “We didn't have any time to discuss that. I haven't even had a chance to tell Ash. Anyway, we interrupted Lee's first chance to get away from the chaos. Lin, the gunpowder smell hung in the air like a thick curtain. One of the kids got blood on his hand.” I paused, visualizing Lee sitting on a stump with a laptop. “I was surprised at how receptive he was, though, once we got him curious.”

  “After what he'd been through the last four years, I think he enjoyed the distraction and the kids. He's slim for an older man, but he probably hasn't eaten a regular meal in years. I think he was fascinated that so much would change in the future. We showed him a computer and cell phone, and he was captivated by the idea of cars. He's a pretty smart guy, you know. He was up at the top of his class at West Point.”

  “You're talking about him in the present tense, like he was alive.”

  “Well, today, at least, he was. But I forgot to mention that when we first met him, Dan Wilkinson started to show Lee his textbook, but it didn't have any words. The words came back as we were leaving. It's like history caught up.” I winced when I started to lean my cheek on my hand.

  “What happened when you got hit?”

  “I opened my door and looked to my left. The big Ford sign was clear, but the presence of other men was more a feeling than my actually seeing them. I got blindsided. I think I surprised the guy who hit me, and my face got in the way as he raised his club. I don't know for sure, but I think he pushed me and I fell backwards.”

  “But the picture? How is that possible?”

  “From everything we know, it's not. I can't prove those are my feet, but the setting, the rectangly thing, and the Ford sign sure match. I wish I'd had even a couple of seconds more to look around. Lin, if this is real, why me?”

  “Right now, I don't know. What about Triangle?”

  My mind jumped. I could still the smell charred wood and burning cloth. “It was awful. We got there toward the end. Some people were escaping from the roof, but we watched as women jumped from the top floors. Some were on fire. They were like a meteor shower. All I wanted to do was get the kids out of there, so I was completely surprised when we entered the morgue, not only because it was so gruesome, but because it meant we also went to still another time that day, much later than the fire. I think it was that night. You know what was weird though? Even though it was the end of March, we didn't need jackets. I'll have to look up the weather that day. The kids were really upset.”