Karen D. Badger - Yesterday Once More

by Karen D. Badger

  * * *

  For the next two weeks, Jordan, Kale and Andi worked diligently on the self-charging power pack for the implant. As the two-week mark neared, Kale became more and more nervous about sending Jordan back in time. The night before Jordan’s surgery, the three were enjoying a dinner of baked chicken, garlic mashed potatoes, and steamed asparagus.

  “Jordan, I’m having second thoughts about this. What if something goes wrong?”

  Jordan put her fork down on the table. “Please don’t start, okay? We agreed to do this. You promised to do everything in your power to help me realize my dream.”

  Kale closed his eyes. He inhaled deeply then looked back at Jordan. “I’m afraid. I’m afraid of losing you. I’m afraid of failing you, I’m afraid of never seeing you again, but most of all, I’m afraid something will go terribly wrong and you’ll die in the process. If that happens, I’ll never forgive myself.”

  Jordan covered Kale’s hand. “I know the risks, and I’m willing to take them if it means I have even the smallest chance of being with Maggie. We’re so close. Don’t take this away from me now.”

  “Jordan, I have no idea what may happen to you during the transfer. I don’t know if you’ll be aware of what is going on. I don’t know if it will be painful. I don’t know what will happen to your body. When we attempted to send the boot, molecule movement was so high it made parts of it unbearably hot to touch. Imagine what that might do to human flesh!”

  Jordan frowned. “Don’t give me that bullshit. You resolved that problem by grounding the test subject. You’re trying to scare me into backing out. I won’t let you do it.”

  Kale exhaled, deflated. “I just don’t want to lose you,” he admitted softly.

  “Don’t you understand that this is a win-win situation for me? If we’re successful, I get to be with Maggie in life. If we fail, I get to be with Maggie in death. I’m prepared for both eventualities. Either way, I get what I need. I get to be with the one I love with everything I am. Don’t you see?”

  “Do you really love her so much that you’re willing to risk dying to be with her?”

  “Imagine for a moment that Andi was taken away from you for some reason. Then imagine you were given the opportunity to be with her again, but it meant leaving everything and everyone you know forever. Imagine the very process of reaching her again put your life in danger. Would you still risk it?”

  “I would risk it in a heartbeat. I love Andi with everything that I am,” he replied.

  Jordan nodded. “All right then. I’ll assume there’ll be no more talk of backing out of this, okay?”

  Kale looked at Andi as he answered Jordan. “Okay.”

  “Well then,” Jordan said, “I guess I’ll hit the sheets. I have a big day ahead of me tomorrow with the power-pack surgery. Thank you both for a wonderful dinner.” Jordan stood and carried her dish to the sink.

  “Leave that. I’ll take care of it,” Andi said.

  “Thank you. Good night,” she said. “Sleep well.”

  Kale watched Jordan exit the kitchen then returned his attention to Andi, who was staring off into space. “Are you okay?” he asked. “You look preoccupied.”

  Andi smiled. “I’m fine. There’s something I’d like to talk to Jordan about.”

  “Is it anything I can help with?”

  “No, love. It’s just girl stuff.”

  “Okay. Why don’t you go ahead and I’ll take care of the dishes?” he said.

  Andi cocked her head to one side. “Have I told you today that I love you?”

  Kale placed a gentle kiss on Andi’s lips. “You may have, but I have short-term memory problems, so I guess you’ll just have to tell me repeatedly so I don’t forget.”

  “Well, I do,” Andi replied. “I’ll be right back.

  * * *

  “Jordan, may I come in?”

  “Sure, the door’s open.”

  Andi pushed the door to Jordan’s bedroom open just enough for her to slip through.

  Jordan put down the book she was reading. “What’s up?” she asked.

  “Jordan, there’s something you need to know about the physics of time travel... something I really don’t want Kale to realize, because if he does, he’ll probably refuse to send you.”

  Jordan frowned. “What is it?”

  “Over a hundred years ago, an experiment was carried out with four atomic clocks.”

  “Oh, I know about that. Kale described it to me at dinner a while back. He said something about four atomic clocks flown on planes traveling in opposite directions and compared to one on the ground. He said that the clocks on the plane came back with different times than the one on the ground.”

  “Yes, exactly. The planes were flying at a speed faster than the rotation of the Earth. The clock flying in the same direction as the Earth ran faster and the one flying the opposite direction ran slower than the clock on the ground,” Andi said.

  “What about that concerns you?”

  “In theory, if you gain time by going backward, traveling into the past may have an effect on the aging process. It’s never been proven—primarily because time travel by humans hasn’t been accomplished yet—but it is a possibility. I want you to be aware of the risks,” Andi said.

  Jordan smiled. “I meant what I said at dinner. There is no risk too great that I would be unwilling to do this. I need to do this. I can’t live without her.”

  * * *

  Peter completed his post-op examination of the incision on Jordan’s back before signing her release papers. “Okay, Jordan. You’re free to go. Just remember to take care of the wound site for the next few days. It should heal quickly, since the surgery was minor and relatively noninvasive. It’s very important to let me know if you feel anything besides pain, or if the implant appears to fail in any way.”

  Jordan smiled. “I am so looking forward to this. No more plugging in at night. No more worrying that rolling over in my sleep will cause instant paralysis. Peter, I don’t know how to thank you.”

  “No thanks necessary. Now go on, get out of here.”

  Jordan dressed herself as soon as Peter left the room. She was soon in her vehicle and heading home. As she rode through the business district, she was delayed by a traffic signal. Waiting for the light to turn, she looked around and realized she was sitting in front of her lawyer’s office, the same lawyer who handled her parents’ estate. As the light turned, she made a quick decision and turned into the driveway of the office.

  * * *

  “What’s this?” Kale asked.

  “Open it,” Jordan said.

  Kale read the return address on the envelope Jordan had handed him. “Stuart Benjamin, Attorney at Law, Shelburne, Vermont. What is this about?”

  “Just open it,” she repeated.

  Kale opened the envelope and unfolded the document inside. A shocked expression settled on his face. His hands shook as he refolded the letter, returned it to the envelope, and handed it back to Jordan. “I can’t accept this.”

  Jordan handed it back to him. “Yes, you can. I don’t want any shit about it either, okay?”

  “Jord, this is morbid. Don’t do this. You’ll jinx us all,” Kale said.

  “May I?” Andi asked.

  Jordan handed Andi the envelope. “Sure. Maybe you can talk some sense into him.”

  Andi began to read. “In the event of my death, I, Jordan Marie Lewis, leave my 250 acre farm located at 1029 Pheasant Hill Road, Shelburne, Vermont, to one Kale Lyndon Simmons, currently in residence at that location. The property and the entire contents of the house and barns, currently deeded solely in my name, will be transferred to him without lien. Also upon my death, all assets and income associated with the property, as well as any balances remaining in my savings and checking accounts will become the sole property of Mr. Simmons. If at such time, Mr. Simmons is deceased, or unable to assume ownership of the above-mentioned property, ownership will pass to Andrea Mae Ellis. If at such time, both M
r. Simmons and Ms. Ellis are deceased, or unable to assume ownership of the above mentioned property, it is to be sold, and the proceeds donated to the Spinal Cord Institute at the University of Vermont, in honor of their memory. Jordan Marie Lewis, July 1, 2105.”

  Andi looked at Jordan. “Wow!”

  Kale looked at Jordan. “Don’t do this. It doesn’t feel right.”

  “What doesn’t feel right about it?” Jordan grasped Kale’s hand. “If something does go wrong, and I don’t make it, I want you and Andi to be taken care of. None of this would be possible without you two. Both of you are risking so much to help me realize my heart’s desire.” Jordan sat back and grinned. “Besides, I need a place for my ghost to haunt, and quite frankly, I couldn’t choose more suitable hosts than you two.” Jordan took the letter back from Andi and thrust it toward Kale once more. “Take it, Kale. Please?”

  Kale nodded his head slightly and accepted the letter. “You’re amazing, Jordan. You don’t have to do this, you know.”

  “I know I don’t, but I’d rather see the two of you have the farm than let the state take it over and turn it into commercial development property. I want you to have it. You deserve it.”

  ‘Thank you,” Kale replied softly.

  Jordan rose to her feet and began to collect the empty dinner dishes from the table. “Now that that’s settled, why don’t we go into the living room, pour some wine, and talk about this time travel thing?”

  Kale made himself comfortable at the far end of the sofa with Andi tucked under his arm. Both of them enjoyed a glass of merlot while Jordan crouched in front of the fireplace and tended the embers until the kindling wood she had placed on top began to burn. Her own wine glass was perched on the mantel. As the kindling burned, Jordan watched the flames dance to and fro along the wood.

  “Are you going to stare at those flames all night?” Kale asked.

  “Sorry about that.” Jordan placed a larger log on top of the kindling and rose to her feet. She reached for her wine glass and sat in the chair nearest the sofa. “Okay, let’s talk about when we’re going to do the time travel thing.”

  “When do you think we should do it?” Kale asked.

  “Tomorrow. Definitely tomorrow.”

  “Is that wise?” Andi asked. “I mean, you just had surgery today to install the power pack. Don’t you think we should give it a few days?”

  “I don’t see any reason why we can’t start right away. I mean, yeah, I had surgery today, but it was outpatient. Hell, Peter gave me a clean release and sent me home just a few hours after it was done.”

  “Andi’s right. It’s too soon. The power pack was just installed. At the very least, we need to give it a few days to be sure it’s functioning properly before subjecting it to something like this,” Kale said.

  Jordan frowned and tried her best to look menacing to her friends.

  Kale chuckled. “Give it up. Pouting won’t work with us. You’re just going to have to deal with it. Three more days, or not at all. Your choice.”

  Jordan threw her hands up in the air. “No fair. Why am I always outnumbered?” She looked at Kale and Andi one more time, but realized they were not going to change their minds. “Okay. You win.” Jordan rolled her eyes and released a sigh of frustration before continuing. “All right, so hear me out. We need a way to communicate between now and Maggie’s time.”

  “Communicate?” Kale asked.

  “Yeah. I need a way to contact you if I need for you to bring me back quickly. For example, if Jan comes after me with a loaded shotgun because I stole her hot red-haired girlfriend away from her.”

  “If you’d learn to curb your libido, you wouldn’t have to worry about things like that,” Kale said dryly.

  Jordan feigned surprise. “You’re asking me to do the impossible. Hell, you’ve seen her picture. Would you be able to resist her?”

  Kale grinned. Andi gave him a clearly disapproving look.

  “Yes, I would be able to resist. Yes, indeed. Why wouldn’t I when I have the most beautiful woman in town to share my life?”

  Andi kissed Kale on the cheek. “Good answer,” she said.

  Jordan and Kale traded a grin as Andi looked away. “So, like I said, we need a way to communicate. I’ve been giving this a lot of thought, and I think I should leave something in the barn. Maybe there’s a nook that would have been there eighty-seven years ago that’s still there today. It would have to be a place that’s relatively well-hidden, so that whatever I leave in there wouldn’t be found by anyone who might own the barn between Maggie’s time and now. Also, we need to use some medium that will withstand the amount of time it would be there,” Jordan said.

  “So we need to avoid things like paper,” Andi said.

  “Exactly. Anything biodegradable runs the risk of turning to dust over time period separating our eras. Maybe we could use rocks, or metal of some sort,” Jordan suggested.

  “How about we use a rock to mean ‘retrieve me now’, and maybe a nail or a horseshoe to let us know you’re okay?” Kale asked.

  “Sounds good. Now, all we have to do is find this nook.” Jordan jumped to her feet and headed for the door.

  “Where are you going?” Kale asked.

  “To the barn to look for the nook. Care to join me?”

  * * *

  The three friends stood in the center of the barn and looked around. None of them moved.

  “Who knows what was actually here eighty-seven years ago and what’s been modified? I would hate to use a spot that’s here now, but not back then. We need to find a place that’s out of the way. I would think it would have a greater chance of being original,” Kale suggested.

  “Original? Out of the way? Follow me,” Jordan said.

  Andi and Kale followed Jordan to the small tack room located at the end of the horse stalls. Jordan went directly to the workbench, dropped to her knees and began to clear away the hay and dirt from an area under the bench. Kale also dropped to his knees to help her. Soon, they had a large area cleared away.

  “What is it?” Kale asked as she struggled to lift one of the floorboards.

  “It’s stuck.” Jordan grunted as she looked out from beneath the bench. “Andi, do you see a screwdriver or something up there that I can use as a lever?”

  “There’s a long spike. Will that do?”

  “Perfect. Would you mind handing it down to me?”

  Jordan took the spike from Andi and used it to pry the board loose. Soon, she exposed a relatively small opening in the floor. “There. What do you think?”

  Kale looked into the hole. “It looks like this compartment was put here on purpose. Any idea what it was used for?” he asked.

  “My dad thought this might have been a working tack shop at one time, and the owners might have used that space as a type of safe,” Jordan replied. “I used to hide all my treasures in it when I was small.”

  “It looks like it might have been here from the beginning.” He turned to Andi. “We need to check it at regular intervals while Jordan’s gone so we’ll know if she needs to come home.”

  “All right then. We have our communication portal.” Jordan grinned.

  * * *

  Three days later, Kale embraced Jordan as tightly as he could while his heart beat wildly in his chest. “This scares the shit out of me,” he whispered in her ear.

  “I know. In a lot of ways, it scares me too,” Jordan confessed in a choked voice.

  “Please, let us know if you made it all right. If all goes well, you should be arriving in Maggie’s barn, just as the chimp did.”

  Jordan chuckled. “Just don’t send me to some alternate universe somewhere, okay?”

  “I’ll try not to,” Kale said.

  Kale released Jordan and walked toward the console, where he tried his best to focus on the computer screen through the veil of moisture that clouded his eyes.

  Andi was openly crying as she clung to Jordan. “Whatever happens, I love you, Jordan,” she wh
ispered before releasing her and joining Kale at the console. Andi wrapped her arm around his waist and buried her face in his shoulder.

  Jordan carefully climbed into the center of the sphere and sat cross-legged on the platform. With shaky hands, she reached for the grounding filament and secured it around her ankle. “I love you, guys,” she called out before she pulled her knees up, wrapped her arms around her legs, and buried her face on her thighs below her knees.

  Kale’s hand shook as he initiated the time travel program. The whooshing sound of the rings grew louder as they picked up momentum. Within minutes, both sets of rings were at critical velocity.

  Andi and Kale looked at the spheres and noted Jordan’s body floating effortlessly in the center of the rings—her arms still wrapped around her legs, her face buried deeply into her thighs. Andi wiped the tears from her eyes as she monitored the speed of the rings and began to count down the seconds before surge.

  Tears fell steadily from Kale’s eyes as he listened to Andi count down the last few seconds. A wave of energy passed over them as a blinding light filled the room. After the energy wave passed, Kale looked at the platform. It was empty save for the filament that had been secured around Jordan’s ankle.

  Chapter 25

  Jordan fought hard to remain in the fetal position as she felt herself slowly drift off the platform. Then, without warning, she felt a tremendous force exerted on her body, and she found it nearly impossible to breathe. She fought for oxygen. Immobilized by the force, she was unable to move even a finger. A terrible tingling then spread through her body as though every muscle had fallen asleep and was now awakening.

  Jordan found herself in utter darkness—the kind of darkness that supports no sound and no sensory feeling. The feeling was claustrophobic, and a deep fear welled up in the center of her being. Then, just when she believed she would die from fear, the space around her exploded into a spectacular light show. Before her appeared a multicolored mass with a dark center. The colors moved in and around each other like a giant kaleidoscope.