“I’m eight! And Michael’s six!”
“Hey! Let me say it!” Michael nudged his sister. “I’m six.”
Jennifer laughed. “Hello there. How do you do, Michael and Michelle?”
“I’m fine, thank you!” Michelle said.
“We’re eating papayas and ice cream!” Michael boasted. “Do you want some, Jennifer?”
“We have plenty,” Ian said, pulling out two more bowls. “Interested?”
“Sure,” Eeva said, and sat down. “Oh, and Jennifer, this is our son-in-law, Ian Shepherd. Ian, this is—”
Jennifer looked toward the handsome and wholesome father of the most beautiful children she had ever seen. He stood with a confidence she had seen in very few men, no doubt fully aware of his attractiveness but not in an arrogant way. He was stunning.
“—Jennifer,” Ian said. “Jules showed us the video of you rescuing the dolphin caught in the net.” Jennifer blushed and bowed her head to avoid staring at Ian; she could not keep her eyes on the children, either.
“Great job!” said Michael.
“You’re amazing!” exclaimed Michelle.
“Thank you,” Jennifer said. “I was just glad I could help that dolphin.” She reached out and patted the kids’ shoulders. “You two are so sweet!”
Jennifer couldn’t help realizing she was old enough to be their grandmother. She had missed out on the normal joys of family, putting aside such things for her career in the SS. Could she ever love again or would the experience of having children and grandchildren pass her by? Physically she would be able to have children for many years to come, if she were to reverse her implanted birth control. But she had no desire to raise children alone.
She pinched Michael’s cheek.
“Ow!” He pulled away. “Don’t do that!”
“Oh, I’m sorry. Will you forgive me?” She held out her hand. Reluctant at first, Michael eventually took Jennifer’s hand and they shook.
“It’s very nice to meet you, Michael. And I’m sorry I pinched your cheek. You’re just very cute.”
“Hey! I’m cute!” Michelle pouted.
Jennifer laughed. “You’re both very cute!”
After eating, Michelle proudly “helped,” rinsing the dishes and loading the dishwasher. Ian and Jules carried a cooler full of bottles of water and fresh fruit juices to the car, while Eeva dug out snorkels and flippers.
Ian said, “We’re going to get started in a few minutes so please use the bathroom, kids.”
In short order they were all ready to go and outside the house.
Jennifer looked around as they all piled into the car. “Where’s Erita?”
Eeva replied, “Erita can’t come today—she’s singing at the hotel this afternoon and this evening.”
“She says she hopes we have a good time, though,” Ian said. “We all ready?”
“Yeah!” the kids cried.
Ian drove down the road as Jules explained the plan to circumnavigate Tahiti Nui, the northwestern part of the Tahitian island—known as “big Tahiti.” They headed past the Faa’a International Airport and northwest toward Papeete.
The weather was perfect. Only a few puffs of clouds could be seen on the horizon; with trade winds blowing from the southeast, the temperature hovered in a very comfortable range. As they made their first few stops at King Tomb, followed by a trip to the famous Venus Point, Jennifer dictated various facts about the locations into her iPad. She summarized the brochures and added her own observations, impressions and feelings to help Jules see a tourist’s point of view.
“We’re approaching the Venus Point lighthouse,” Jennifer said for the recording, using her native French. “I see a low, sandy peninsula covered with ironwood trees. Captains Cook and Bligh landed here after anchoring their ships behind the reef in the nearby bay. In 1769, Captain Cook and his astronomers made important observations that improved our understanding of the solar system. They also improved navigation for British sailors—”
“Jennifer! Let’s take a picture!” Michael shouted as the others got out of the vehicle.
“Sure! Coming!” she answered as the group walked toward the lighthouse for the shot.
Next they stopped at the Arahoho Blowhole, a lava tube that opened into the sea. While Michael scrolled through all the photos Jennifer had taken so far, Michelle turned to Jennifer.
“What’s a lava tube?”
Jennifer explained, “It is a tunnel created about three million years ago when lava flowed underground to the sea. The top crust and side cooled but the lava flowed out through the now insulated tube, eventually reaching the ocean and leaving the tube open. The air inside the extinct lava tube becomes compressed when seawater from a powerful wave enters, propelling a jet of water through this small hole at the top, making a geyser.”
The children were silent for a time.
“Water explodes out of a hole in the ground,” Ian finally said.
“That’s awesome!” Michelle said. At that moment, the Arahoho Blowhole pulsed to life, shooting forth water; it looked like steam quickly rising above the rocks. Michael gaped in delight and awe as he ran toward the water.
“Stop! I don’t want you to get wet until you put on your bathing suit,” Ian ordered.
Michael stopped and returned.
Jennifer continued recording the details in her iPad. “After the Blowhole, we followed a paved road up a small valley. Eeva reports that the valley contains Tahiti’s most easily accessible waterfalls. We drove through a typical Tahitian village before hiking up to Vaimahutu Falls. The Falls plunge straight down several hundred feet from a hanging valley into a large pool below. It’s a beautiful sight.”
Both children changed into their bathing suits and swam in the pool for a short time before Ian called to them. “Time to move on! Come get your towels.”
After describing the falls experience Jennifer noted, “We’re now driving to the Mahena Battlefield.”
Jennifer paused and watched Michael and Michelle eating bananas in the car. Michelle happily chewed away as Michael played with the peel. During Jennifer’s childhood in Canada’s many natural parks her parents often gave her bananas and other fruit after swimming in the cool Canadian lakes. Seeing this happy family made her heart long for children of her own. But she had always wanted a child created with Zexton…fruit of their love. Now she must move on.
Ian and Jules talked about former rebellions and the Tahitian and French casualties. Eeva, smiling, watched Tahiti pass by outside the window. Jennifer, after a moment, closed her iPad and did the same.
Jennifer spent the rest of the day with the children and her new friends, exploring the sights. There was also swimming and snorkeling at fantastically beautiful reefs.
* * *
She was recording more of her observations into her iPad that night when Jules knocked on her door.
“I hope you had a good day.” He smiled. “Unfortunately we didn’t run into any dolphins that needed saving. Or rather, I suppose that’s a good thing.”
Jennifer laughed. “Yes, it was a good day.”
“I wanted to ask if—so long as you were feeling up to it—you would want to see an authentic archaeological site? I found out about a new expedition nearby.”
“Yes, of course!”
“I will ask my friend if he can arrange the visit and let you know,” Jules said. “Oh, and I’ll pick you up at seven tomorrow morning for your check-up.”
“Sounds good.”
Jennifer had forgotten about the hospital. That sense of dread she’d felt before was gone. She’d been through the exam once and could be reasonably sure this next procedure would be the same. She was fairly certain they wouldn’t be able to see her Symbiotes. She’d been researching twenty-first century medicine on the Internet, and the machinery wasn’t sophisticated enough to detect her nanotechnology…she hoped.
After Jules left, Jennifer re-opened her iPad to listen to her recordings. Her finger accidentally tapped the Photos
icon. “Ah, what n—”
She stopped. There was a single photo on the iPad—not hers; she’d been using the camera for photos and only recording on the iPad. She enlarged it. Alice had snuck in a photo on the day they left: her green eyes filled the bottom left corner while the rest of the photo captured the crew; Marty clasping Mike’s shoulder, both with huge grins on their faces; Kai watching in horror as Bill scarfed down some mess of food; Lacy caught in the middle of an eye roll; and there was Jennifer, covering her laughter with a hand.
She looked out the window again as tears pricked the back of her eyes. She’d enjoyed Tahiti so far. The place was beautiful and raw in a way that few places in the future still were outside of the wildlife reserves. She’d been able to relax while she explored its beaches and roads, and learned its histories and quirks. Perhaps next she would have a chance to explore the mountain jungle of the interior. Most of all she longed to learn the culture of the twenty-first century.
But with her best friends in this century miles and miles away, her view of Tahiti from the ocean-side window seemed to stretch out, on and on, indiscernible from the atoll she’d been stranded on.
CHAPTER 16
Exploring a Lava Tube
“Ms. Hero, you seem to be all clear.”
Jennifer waited as the nurse went about completing protocols and logging more information about her into the system. She let her mind wander as the nurse talked about the current condition of her health, any abnormalities, and so on—all obsolete information. Jennifer knew she was fine. She flexed her hand and imagined her skin covered in wrinkles like the middle-aged woman she really was. She thought of the children she’d met the day before and smiled.
So young, she thought. And so different from how I was…
Jennifer had been young once but not as innocent as those two children. She envied them. She envied Erita.
She waited outside the hospital for Jules as soon as the nurse let her go. Jennifer couldn’t help but imagine what her soldiers would think: Captain Hero, celebrated scientist and warrior, who could expertly work a Trans-Time Machine without even thinking, was waiting to get picked up by her legal guardian. Maybe she had more in common with those children than she’d thought. Jennifer chuckled.
“If Zexton saw me now…”
Jules pulled up in the car. Jennifer shook away thoughts of the thirtieth century as she got in.
“So? What did they tell you?” Jules asked.
“That I am as healthy as a horse,” Jennifer said. The phrase felt odd coming from her mouth. She’d never seen a horse but knew what they looked like from pictures. What was so healthy about horses considering they had such short lives?
“That’s great! I’m sure you’re happy about not having to make more trips to the hospital.”
“Yes, it is no fun being poked and prodded.”
Jules nodded. “Remember that visit to a new archaeological site I was trying to set up?”
“Yes?”
“It is all arranged!” Jules said.
Jennifer smiled so widely her cheeks hurt. “Thank you, Jules! When is it? And where’s the site?”
“It’s in the easternmost part of Tahiti Iti, small Tahiti. As it is a new site, some discretion is involved in its specific location.”
“I understand. I’m grateful for the opportunity.”
“But tomorrow we’ll first stop by the Royal Tahitien Hotel to pick up my friend’s daughter, Kyoko. My friend Shinji Matsubara is the archaeologist working on the site and his daughter is going to be joining you. Be ready to leave around seven a.m., all right?”
“All right!”
Even after Jules dropped her off and drove off into the distance, Jennifer still felt a buzz of excitement. It was true that she came from a time brimming with technology and answers to questions that people in this century would be left asking for many years to come. Even so, she was excited to be able to work firsthand with an expert on this time’s ancient past. She wanted to learn their techniques and methods, plus she loved any adventure with opportunity to explore the unknown.
The next morning, Jennifer watched the scenery out of the passenger seat window as Jules drove to the hotel to pick up the archaeologist’s daughter.
“What was her name again?” Jennifer asked. She knew it was something that sounded lyrical.
“Kyoko. Kyoko Matsubara.” Jules pulled up onto the hotel grounds. Polynesian bamboo, candlewood, and other flowering trees decorated the premises.
“Kyoko,” Jennifer repeated.
“Yes. Her father, Shinji, brought her here for vacation. She’s on break from her school in Japan.”
“And her mother?”
“Her parents are divorced. Between his work as an archaeologist and as a professor at Tokyo University, he doesn’t get to spend as much time with Kyoko as he might want to. That’s why they’re here on vacation. Well, Shinji returned to his archaeology work just yesterday.”
As Jules parked the car on the outside curb of the hotel’s entrance, Jennifer marveled at the lapping waves in the distance. The beach wasn’t far at all from the hotel.
“He must be very successful to be able to afford this vacation,” Jennifer remarked.
“He has written several books and over a hundred and twenty research papers,” Jules said.
“So you do keep up with your original field of study,” Jennifer noted. “I’m happy that you don’t just work as a banker.”
“What wrong with being a banker?” Jules asked, raising an eyebrow at her.
“Nothing at all. I’m just glad that I have someone I can share my fascination of archaeology with.”
Jules grinned.
A small-framed teenager with inky black hair pulled up in a bun at her nape walked out the hotel’s front doors with a black backpack around her shoulders. Jules waved from the driver’s seat. Recognizing him, the girl waved back and walked toward the car. Jennifer and Jules exited to greet her.
“Jennifer, this is Kyoko Matsubara. Kyoko, this is Jennifer Heros.”
“I am very pleased to make your acquaintance,” Kyoko said with a small bow. Her voice was soft and shy.
“I am happy to meet you, Kyoko,” Jennifer said. “How old are you?”
Kyoko smiled. “I will be sixteen tomorrow.”
“Happy birthday!” Jennifer smiled back at the teen. She’d forgotten the last time she celebrated one of her own birthdays. There had been so little leisure time.
“Yes, happy birthday, Kyoko,” Jules said. “Are you ready to go see your father?”
“Yes! I’m excited to join him at the site. He’s told me all about it.”
They all got into the car, Jennifer and Kyoko in the back seat together. Jennifer looked back at the beach in the distance until they were too far to see it anymore. She turned to her young companion.
“Could you teach me some words in Japanese?” Jennifer asked. “I’m curious about the language.”
“Yes, I would be happy to teach you. Say konnichiwa.”
“Kon-nichi-wa.”
“That means ‘good afternoon’ and is used for hello. Say arigato.”
“A-ri-ga-to,” Jennifer repeated. “What does it mean?”
“Thank you.”
“Ah, well, a-ri-ga-to, Kyoko,” she said.
Kyoko laughed. “Very good! Do you speak any other languages?”
“Oui. French.”
“Jennifer actually lost her memory in a shipwreck,” Jules said.
Kyoko drew in an awed breath.
Jennifer’s eyelids flickered. She felt dizzy. She put a hand to her forehead.
“The wreck left her on an uninhabited atoll,” Jules told Kyoko. “We believe she was born and brought up in Nuku Hiva.”
“But she does not look like a native.” Kyoko wrinkled her smooth brow and scrutinized Jennifer.
“Her parents were from Canada,” Jules explained. “We started looking for them after we found her.”
“Jennifer, I am so
sorry for this terrible thing that has happened to you!” Kyoko exclaimed. “How long were you on the atoll?”
Jennifer didn’t respond. Images blurred in front of her.
“Are you all right?” Kyoko asked.
“What? Yes. Oh, yes. I was there for about four months.” Jennifer had a headache now but could see clearly. She blinked a few times and rubbed her temples.
“How did you survive?” Kyoko asked.
“I was resourceful,” Jennifer said, shaking off the strange vertigo. “I ate fish when I caught it and coconut when I didn’t. I gathered rainwater by using old plastic bottles that washed up on the beach.”
“And you were all alone? I couldn’t do that.”
This young woman, like all the other people I have met, is a source of living history in a time I studied long in the future, she thought. Children are often more open to answering personal questions than adults. I should get to know her today.
“What about you?” Jennifer asked. “Do you have any brothers or sisters?”
“Yes, I have a younger brother named Masashi and a sister named Hitomi.” Her eyes brightened. “Did you become friends with any animals on the island?”
“Yes. My favorite was an octopus. After I fed him crab, he became friendly and would come out to greet me. He was very playful and intelligent.” She’d loved the tickling feel of the octopus’s tentacles on her arms.
Kyoko’s eyes widened in surprise.
“Do you have any pets?” Jennifer asked.
Kyoko shook her head.
“Have you lived in Japan your whole life?”
“I lived in England until the eighth grade. After the divorce, we moved to Yokohama.”
“What was that like?”
Kyoko fidgeted with her hands in her lap. “It’s very different. I like both the UK and Japan, but in both places I was always someone out of place. Because we moved around so much, my parents didn’t want me to get a pet so I had no constant companionship. I felt like an island floating downstream between two shores but I was far from either side.”
Jennifer thought that sounded a lot like her years in the service. Friends had come and gone so quickly, either through death or change.
30th Century: Escape (30th Century Trilogy Book 1) Page 14