Karen D. Badger - Yesterday Once More

by Karen D. Badger

  Kale grinned at her. “That, my dear, is a brilliant idea. You can do the honors.” He handed her a stylus.

  Andi lifted the boot and penned a short message on the worn sole. She then placed it back on the platform and returned to the console. “Let ‘er rip, Einstein!”

  The trio watched the outer rings begin to gain speed. Kale initiated the program to begin the rotation of the inner spheres. When the rings had reached maximum velocity, the boot began to levitate in the center of the spheres.

  “Jordan, let me know when the boot has reached the center.”

  Jordan stared intently at the boot until she was convinced all movement in the center of the sphere had stopped. “Okay, Kale. We’re there.”

  They reached for their dark glasses and braced themselves for the implosion as Kale initiated the power surge. A moment later, it was all over, and equilibrium returned to the room.

  Andi looked intently at the empty platform in the center of the still-spinning rings. “Go ahead and power the rings down, Kale. The boot is gone.”

  “All right, phase one successful. Now let’s see if we can retrieve it.” Kale reversed the direction of the rings and powered up the system once more. “We’ll have to program the power surge at exactly 249.41 seconds, okay? Jordan, the ball is in your court. It’s critical we get this right.”

  For a full four minutes, the trio stood motionless, watching the timer. When it reached 249.41 seconds, a reverse wave of energy swept over them.

  Jordan struggled against the wave as she craned her neck to see the platform. “It’s back, Kale. It’s back. Power down the machine.”

  Andi turned the boot over in her hand. “The writing is gone.”

  “That means we still retrieved it too soon,” Kale said.

  “Let me see the boot,” Jordan asked. Andi handed it to her. Jordan inspected it carefully. “Hmm. It looks pretty much like it did before the experiment. Here Kale, put it on the desk for me.” As soon as the boot was on the desk, it bent in half at the well-worn crease.

  “See what I mean?” Jordan asked. “It’s unable to stand up by itself, just like before, so even though the writing is gone, I don’t think we retrieved it significantly early. I think we’re close enough to try with the newspaper.”

  Kale nodded. “Okay then. Let’s give it a go.”

  May 27th, 2105, 8:47 pm.

  First attempt to send and retrieve today’s Burlington Free Press in order to identify the margin of error. If successful, the paper will come back with today’s date on it. If unsuccessful, the age of the paper will narrow the scope of our search field and allow us to further refine the number of significant digits used in our calculation.

  Jordan completed the entry in the electronic log and closed the file. She turned to her friends. “Are we ready?”

  They stood behind the barrier and watched the rings spin as the newspaper disappeared, then reappeared.

  “I guess this is the moment of truth.” Kale walked toward the machine. Moments later, he carried the paper to Jordan and handed it to her. The date at the top of the page was December 18, 2014.

  Jordan frowned. “December 18, 2014... That’s almost exactly five months too soon. Wow, I’m surprised we’re even that close.”

  Kale took the paper from Jordan’s hands. He scanned the articles. “I agree that we probably won’t get things exactly right, but we need to be closer than five months. Think about how your life might change if you relived the last five months. Remember our discussion about paradoxes? Well, this is one of them.”

  “How close is close?” Jordan asked. “How accurate do we have to be to make this work with only minimal impact?”

  Kale paced the room for a few moments before answering. “I’m not sure I know the answer to that question, but I’d like to get the accuracy down to less than a day.”

  Jordan pulled the computer close to her and opened the algorithm. “I guess we have some more work to do then.” Andi reached across Jordan and closed the projection system. “Yes— when we resume testing tomorrow.”

  Jordan sat back in her chair. “Tomorrow?”

  “Yes, tomorrow. Look at how late it is. You’re still under doctor’s orders. Let’s not lose sight of that. All of this will be for naught if you injure yourself again because you pushed too hard, too soon.”

  Jordan glanced at the digital clock on the lower right corner of the computer screen. 11:37 pm. “I didn’t realize how late it was getting,” she said. “Guys, we’re so close. I really don’t want to quit now. I’ll rest tomorrow.”

  Kale immediately approached the control console and began powering down the computers. “Andi’s right. We’re calling it a night. No argument.”

  Jordan spun her chair around. “You’re enjoying this way too much, Kale,” she said, a tinge of frustration in her voice.

  “Enjoying what?” he asked.

  Jordan’s hands flew into the air. “This... this power trip you’re on!”

  Kale cocked an eyebrow. “Power trip?”

  “Yes, power trip. You hold all the cards here, and you’re using that fact to manipulate me into doing what you want,” Jordan complained.

  Kale walked away from the console toward Jordan. He stopped in front of her chair and placed his hands on the arms. Jordan leaned back as Kale invaded her personal space.

  He spoke in a low, even tone, his gaze never wavering from Jordan’s. “Don’t you dare accuse me of manipulation. I am doing everything in my power to help you realize this half-crazed idea of yours to travel nearly one hundred years into the past because you have fallen in love with a dead woman. I am doing this against my better judgment because I happen to love you and because I want you to be happy. If it sometimes seems to you that I’m moving too slowly, that I’m using my power against you, then so be it, but someone has to look out for you because you are doing a piss-poor job of looking out for yourself. Someday, Jordan, someday you’ll appreciate all of this, and you’ll be happy that I was around.”

  Kale stood up and reached his hand out to Andi. “I’m heading to bed. Care to join me?”

  Jordan was speechless as she watched Kale and Andi walk to the door. Just before leaving the room, Kale turned to Jordan once more. “Don’t forget to shut the lights off when you leave.”

  * * *

  “Jordan, do you know where my saddle is?”

  Jordan turned to see Maggie stroll toward her from across the barnyard. She stopped working on the repairs to the front porch to give the red-haired woman her full attention. As always, Jordan felt the rush of desire pass through her abdomen. “Your saddle? It’s not in the barn?”

  “No. I put it on the stand yesterday when Shawny and I returned from our ride, but it’s not there today. I was wondering if maybe you moved it.”

  “No, I didn’t. In fact, I haven’t been in the barn yet this morning. The saddler came yesterday, didn’t he? Maybe he thought it needed repair and took it back to his shop.”

  Maggie stopped in front of Jordan and tilted her head to one side. Her curls escaped in all directions from beneath her cowboy hat. “Hmm. That’s possible, I suppose. I’ll call him to find out. This really stinks. I need to check on the horses in the north pasture, and you know Shawny doesn’t do well with saddles he’s not used to.”

  Jordan looked into Maggie’s eyes and smiled. “Why don’t you take my horse? I’m sure Sally won’t mind the exercise.”

  Maggie smiled back. “You’re so sweet. I just might do that.” She stood on tiptoe to place a kiss on Jordan’s lips. Jordan’s arms immediately circled Maggie’s waist as the kiss deepened. She pulled Maggie close to her.

  “Hmm,” Jordan moaned. “I want you, my love.”

  Maggie pulled back to catch her breath and to allow Jordan easier access to the sensitive skin of her neck. “God! If you keep that up, I’ll never get out to the north pasture.”

  “You could always send Jan out to check on them while we make better use of your time right here,�
� Jordan suggested slyly.

  “I would, but she doesn’t seem to be around right now. I’m having second thoughts about keeping her on. One moment she’s stuck to me like glue, and the next, she’s nowhere to be found.”

  Jordan picked up her hammer and dropped it into the sling on to her tool belt. “If you ask me, I think she’s trying to win you over.”

  Maggie blushed then gently punched Jordan’s shoulder. “Get out of Dodge. She is not.”

  Jordan locked eyes with Maggie. “Trust me, love, she wants you. She gets that same puppy-dog look on her face that I do when I’m around you. You have that effect on people, you know.”

  Maggie pulled Jordan close. “Well, lover, you have nothing to worry about. She can try all she wants. It’s you I love, and nothing she can do will change that.”

  “The feeling is mutual. Now go on. Take Sally to the north pasture. I’ll call the saddler for you while you’re gone, okay?”

  “Okay. I’ll see you in a few hours.”

  A few minutes later, Maggie emerged, riding Jordan’s horse. She waved her hat in Jordan’s direction as she galloped toward the north pasture. When Maggie was finally out of sight, Jordan entered the house and called the saddler. “Are you sure you don’t have it? She left it on the rail by the horse stalls. It wasn’t there this morning, and I thought maybe you picked it up by mistake. No? Okay. I’m sure it’s in the barn somewhere. Thanks, anyway.”

  Jordan hung up the phone and went into the kitchen for a glass of water. As she stood in front of the sink, she caught a glimpse of a figure leaving the barn. Jordan quickly moved to one side of the window so as to not be seen as she watched the figure move across the barnyard and into the bunkhouse. Suspicious, Jordan decided to investigate.

  She sauntered toward the barn. Once inside, she paused to allow her eyes to become accustomed to the dark. She searched the horse stalls but found nothing unusual. She petted Maggie’s horse, Shawny. As she left Shawny’s stall, she saw that Maggie’s saddle was hanging on the rail, right where it belonged.

  Jordan inspected the saddle. It looked okay, but then something caught her eye. Grasping the saddle with both hands, in one quick movement, she lifted it, spun it around, and placed it back on the rail so that the left side of the saddle was facing outward.

  Jordan lifted the stirrup and threw it over the top of the saddle, then reached down to grasp the belly strap. “What the hell? How did this get here?” Jordan released the buckle holding the belly strap. With the strap in her hand, she crossed the barnyard and banged on the bunkhouse door. “Open this goddamned door!”

  Seconds later, the door flew open, and Jordan stood face to face with a petite woman with short blonde hair, green eyes, and a deep cleft in her chin. Jordan thrust the belly strap toward her. “Care to explain this?”

  * * *

  Jordan shut off the alarm and stared at the ceiling for a long time.

  “Jordan? Are you awake?”

  “Come in. The door’s unlocked.”

  The door to Jordan’s room slowly opened, and Kale entered.

  “Truce?” he asked.

  Jordan reached for the spare pillow on her bed and threw it at him. “You big dummy. Of course, truce. Get your ass in here.”

  Kale grinned, picked the pillow up from the floor, and threw it back at her. He sat down on the bed beside her. “I’m sorry for leaving you all by yourself in the barn last night.”

  “Don’t worry about it. I deserved it. Sometimes, I get caught up in what I’m doing, and I end up with tunnel vision. I just want this so much there’s nothing I wouldn’t stop at to get there, even if it means neglecting my health. I’m the one who should apologize.”

  Kale extended his hand to her. “Apology accepted.”

  Jordan tried hard to smile but managed only a cursory effort.

  “Okay,” Kale said, “spill it. What’s on your mind?”

  She turned her gaze to the ceiling and tried hard to hold back the tears.

  “You had another dream, didn’t you?”

  Jordan could only nod, too choked with emotion to speak.

  “Take your time. I’ll wait.”

  It was several minutes before Jordan finally spoke. “It wasn’t an accident. I know it. Maggie’s death was no accident.”

  “You don’t know that for sure.”

  “No, I don’t know for sure, but it’s something I feel in my gut. All of these dreams, these visions... Maggie is trying to tell me something. She’s trying to warn me—to give me clues.”

  “What happened in this last dream?”

  “For starters, she knew me, spoke to me, kissed me, and she told me she loved me. It was as though I had always been part of her life. Anyway, she came out of the barn where I was working and said she couldn’t find her saddle. She ended up taking my horse to do chores. While she was gone, I went to look for her saddle myself and found it in the barn in the very place she always put it. I thought that was really odd, so I inspected the saddle and found a sharp spur on the inside of the horse’s belly strap—you know, the strap that goes under the belly of the horse to stabilize the saddle. Oh, I forgot to mention that right after Maggie left to do chores, I saw someone sneak out of the barn. It was Jan. When I found the spur on the belly strap, I went straight to the bunkhouse to find her.”

  “Are you suggesting that Jan planted the spur?”

  “I guess I am. Who else would have done it? I can’t help but wonder if Maggie’s trying to warn me about something.”

  “Just be careful not to confuse jealousy with guilt, okay?”

  Jordan fell silent as she thought about Kale’s words.

  Kale changed the subject. “Are we ready for the next round of experiments?”

  Jordan perked up considerably. Kale reached for the spare pillow and swatted her with it. “Well, then, I guess you’d better get your butt out of bed and get dressed. Andi went out and picked up bagels and cream cheese this morning, and the coffee’s brewing. Let’s get the ball rolling here, okay?”

  Jordan saluted. “Aye, aye, captain!”

  Kale stopped in the doorway. “Hey, don’t you have your checkup with Peter today?”

  Jordan’s eyes grew wide. “Damn, you’re right. I forgot all about it. It’s sometime this afternoon. Thanks for reminding me.”

  “I think Peter wants to discuss the implant schedule with you. He’s anticipating it will be ready to go in two weeks, but I think we’re actually ahead of schedule. I’d give it one more week.”

  Jordan drew one leg and then the other off the side of the bed and prepared to transfer herself to her hover-chair. She glanced at Kale. “The sooner, the better.”

  “Here, let me help you with that,” he said.

  Jordan maneuvered the chair toward the bathroom. “Let me take care of business here, and then I’ll be right out.”

  * * *

  Jordan saved the final changes to the algorithm. “Okay, the new code is installed. Let’s give it a try.” Andi placed the newspaper on the platform and wrapped the grounding wire around it. She looked over her shoulder to Kale, who was standing at the control console. “All set, Kale.”

  “All right then. Come over here behind the barrier,” Kale instructed. “Okay, ladies… here we go.”

  Kale ran the machine through the sequences. Several minutes later, the scientists stood looking at the paper sitting on the platform.

  Kale was the first to speak. “I suppose we should see how close we are, huh? I just hope we haven’t gone too far and retrieved news that hasn’t happened yet.”

  “If the original calculations are correct, we should never send anything to the future,” Andi said.

  “No time like the present,” Jordan declared. She maneuvered her chair toward the platform, retrieved the paper, and looked at it closely. “May 26, 2105. That was two days ago. We’re so close!”

  Jordan returned to the computer and called up the algorithm. Kale and Andi watched as she made changes to the code.r />
  “Be careful how much you add to the time. We want to be within twenty-four hours of the send date, no more than that,” Kale said.

  “I intend to do just that.” Jordan typed a few numbers into the code. “There. That should just about do it. Let’s give it a try.”

  Once more the hum of spinning rings filled the lab. This time, without hesitation, Kale leaned into the machine and read the date on paper. “May 27, 2015. We’re now within one day.” Kale turned and grinned at Andi and Jordan. “This is amazing. One more adjustment should do it.”

  As Jordan approached the time machine, Kale prepared the control panel for the next trial run. She reached in and lifted the paper from the platform, detaching the grounding wire. “No,” she said suddenly. “No more trials.”

  Kale’s head snapped up. “What do you mean? We wanted to get within twenty-four hours, remember? That means the paper has to be dated May 28 for us to claim victory.”

  Jordan grinned. Andi took the paper from her and looked at it carefully.

  “Andi, when did you purchase this paper?”

  Andi looked at the paper closely. “I bought it yesterday. I bought it on May 27.”

  Chapter 22

  Peter sat in the chair beside the examination table and looked through paperwork.

  “Despite all that you’ve been through, you seem to be in great shape,” he said. “All of your vitals are in the normal range, and I think that by the time the implant is ready, there shouldn’t be any question about your fitness to accept it.” Peter closed Jordan’s chart and looked up at her. “The whole team is counting on you to help us cross the finish line on this implant project. Are you up to it?”

  Jordan placed her hands on the edge of the examining table and leaned forward. “I have never been more ready for anything in my life. Kale tells me the implant is actually only a week away from being ready. Is that true?”