Karen D. Badger - Yesterday Once More

by Karen D. Badger

  Kale retrieved a pad of paper and stylus, and returned to the table. “We really need to figure out the difference between how fast time is passing here versus there, so we can coordinate the transfer and retrieval process better. Otherwise, it will be hit or miss.”

  “Good point,” Andi said. “Obviously, there’s a big difference between the two. Jordan, you were only gone for about an hour and a half, but your description spans eight to ten hours. Does that sound right?”

  “That’s pretty close,” Jordan said.

  Kale scribbled a few notes on the paper. “If we assume that ninety minutes here is roughly nine hours there, we get the time ratio. Now divide the amount of time that passes here by that ratio, and it should tell us how long you’ve been in the past the next time we send you back.”

  “We’re not going to do this again until we understand and fix the reason the implant failed,” Jordan insisted. “I’ll be useless to Maggie without my legs.”

  Kale nodded. “You’re right. We saw on the recording that the chimp’s implant worked in the past, so it must be the power pack. Tomorrow is Monday. Why don’t we visit the Electrical Engineering department at the university and do a little research?”

  Chapter 26

  Andi, Kale, and Jordan walked across campus to the Engineering building. They had arranged a meeting with Professor Clayton Hibbs to discuss possible interference devices for the implant. As they walked, they discussed their game plan.

  “We need to understand any external factor that might cause the power pack to fail electrically,” Kale said. “Here we are.” He held the door to the Engineering building open for the ladies.

  It took only moments for them to locate the office of Professor Hibbs, where they made themselves comfortable in the reception area until he emerged for their meeting. The professor was a scholarly looking man with a thick shock of graying hair, a bushy mustache, and glasses.

  Kale extended his hand. “Professor Hibbs, my name is Kale Simmons. This is Jordan Lewis and Andrea Ellis. We’re from the University’s spinal research clinic.”

  “Yes, I’ve heard of you,” Hibbs replied. He shook Jordan’s hand firmly. “Dr. Lewis, you’re quite well-known around campus. I understand your kinesiology class is very popular with the students.”

  “Please, call me Jordan,” she said.

  Hibbs turned to Andi. “Miss Ellis. It’s so nice to meet you. Are you new here?”

  “Yes, I am. I’ve only been here for three months, but already I’m in love with the area and the people.” Andi shot a quick sideways glance at Kale and smiled.

  “Come in. Have a seat.” He turned directly to the matter at hand. “To what do I owe the pleasure of your company?”

  “Well,” Kale began, “I’m not sure if you’ve heard, but about a month ago, Jordan was the recipient of a spinal implant that not only provides her with normal mobility, but also promotes nerve growth. Eventually, this will result in sensory feeling returning to the injury site.”

  Hibbs raised his eyebrows. “So you’re the pioneering young lady I read about in the campus newsletter. Congratulations. I would never have known you had a spinal cord injury by observing your movement. It’s quite impressive.”

  “Thank you, Professor,” Jordan replied.

  “How can I help you?” Hibbs asked.

  “As you might have guessed,” Kale explained, “it’s imperative for the implant to have an uninterrupted power supply in order for Jordan to maintain mobility and to promote continuous cell growth. We’re here because we need to understand what factors could interfere with the electrical function of the energy storage unit. The unit was designed to work with the body’s natural electrical generators. It’s basically self-charging.”

  * * *

  Kale looked at Jordan in the rearview mirror. “Looks like we’ll have to shield the power pack.” He steered the vehicle into the long driveway between the main road and the farmhouse. “Who would have thought that electromagnetic fields would cause it to fail?”

  “That’s assuming electromagnetic waves are really the culprit,” Jordan said.

  “True, but at this point, we don’t have any other leads. We’ll just have to test it.”

  “How do we shield the power pack?” Andi asked.

  “We use metal, just as Hibbs suggested,” he replied.

  Kale turned off the ignition, and the three climbed out of the vehicle and entered the house.

  “Who wants a beer?” Jordan walked to the refrigerator. “Beer,” she said, “quantity three.” A slot in the door opened and three bottles slid into the compartment below. Jordan grabbed the bottles and handed two to her companions. “Cheers,” she said. “Ah, that’s good. Okay, let’s get to work.”

  “Why don’t the two of you head out to the lab?” Andi said. “I’ll throw together some sandwiches and join you in a few minutes.”

  Kale and Jordan sat in front of the computer reading research material. Andi rejoined them, bringing a plate of sandwiches and a bag of potato chips. “Any progress yet?”

  “We need to build a Faraday cage,” Kale replied. “That will reroute the current generated by electric fields away from what’s inside it.”

  “That makes sense,” Andi said.

  Kale sat back in his chair. “Let’s do it, then.”

  * * *

  “I feel like a real geek in this thing,” Jordan complained.

  “It’s either this belt or no legs,” Kale replied.

  Jordan grinned. “I know, but I don’t have to like it.”

  Kale snapped the buckle in place on the front of the belt and stepped back to admire his handiwork. “Hmm... you’re right. You do look like a geek.”

  Jordan looked down at the belt. “All I need is a cape, some knee-high boots, and a spandex suit with ‘Faraday Girl’ written across the chest, and I’ll be ready for action. Are you sure this will work?”

  “In theory, yes,” Kale replied.

  “In theory? It would be nice to have something a little more substantial to go on.”

  “That’s all I can offer right now. Besides, the time machine was just a theory at one time, and look what we’ve accomplished.”

  “Point taken. When do we test it?”

  “Whenever you’re ready,” Kale replied.

  Jordan clapped her hands. “No time like the present—let’s do it!”

  Jordan sat on the platform in the middle of the rings and pulled her knees into her chest. The Faraday belt made it a little uncomfortable for her to curl into the fetal position she’d used for the previous transfer. She wrapped her arms around her legs and lowered her forehead to her knees. “Okay, Kale. I’m ready.”

  “Wait!” Andi cried before Kale could put the rings in motion. She fished a rock out of her pocket and ran toward the platform. “Here. No guesswork this time. Put this in your pocket and use it if you need to.” She kissed Jordan and took a step back. “We love you,” she said before joining Kale at the console.

  Jordan slid the rock into her pocket. Within moments, she had assumed the fetal position again. She gave Kale the “thumbs-up” to begin the transfer.

  * * *

  “Humph!” Jordan hit the dirt floor with a thud. “Ow! Damn, that hurts. Kale, old buddy, you really need to work on that landing.” Jordan elevated her upper body with her hands and looked around to be sure her entry was unnoticed. Gingerly, Jordan rose to her feet and took a few small, tentative steps across the room. Her legs appeared to be fully functional. Kale, you’re a genius!

  Suddenly, she heard a voice nearby.

  “Hey, Shawny-baby. How’s Mommy’s good boy this morning?”

  Holy shit! Jordan quickly hid behind a cluster of hay bales. She crouched low and stayed as still as possible.

  “How about a ride, sweetie? It’s a beautiful morning. The air is crisp, and the sun is shining off the snow. A nice fast ride will do us both some good. That’s a good boy.”

  Is that Maggie? Shawny is her hors
e. It has to be her.

  Jordan slowly shifted her position so that she could see just beyond the edge of the bales. The woman had her back to Jordan, but the unruly red curls told her that it was Maggie. Jordan wanted desperately to make her presence known, but how would she explain appearing literally out of nowhere? She waited, mesmerized, while Maggie saddled her horse. Maggie slipped her foot into the stirrup and swung her lean frame up and into the saddle. Shawny danced happily in a circle, affording Jordan a frontal view of the beautiful woman sitting astride the horse. She gasped, suddenly finding it impossible to breathe.

  My God, she’s beautiful!

  “Okay, dumpling, let’s go for a ride.” Maggie gently prodded the steed. Soon, she was out of the barn and gone.

  Jordan sat on the floor with her back against the bales as she caught her breath. What the hell am I doing here? She’s magnificent. I can’t imagine what she would see in me.

  After a few moments of self-pity, Jordan realized she had not yet removed the Faraday belt. Kale! I need to let them know I’m okay and that things are working well. Jordan grabbed the Faraday belt and covertly made her way to the tack room. She hid the belt in the back of a cabinet and then climbed under the workbench to expose the communication portal. After she removed the cover, she climbed back out from beneath the bench and looked around for a metal object—a horseshoe for its symbolism. Finding one in the tack room, she deposited it in the portal and replaced the cover. There, that should send the right message.

  She poked her head out of the room. As she stepped into the barn, she heard footsteps running toward her. She quickly slipped back into the tack room and hid out of sight as a farmhand ran past the door. Moments later, a horse and rider raced past. Jordan stepped out and watched the rider speed across the barnyard. That looks like me. I must be seeing things.

  Seeing that the coast was clear, she walked into the main room again and looked around. Having just seen Maggie ride off, she knew she had time to kill before her return, so for the next hour, she explored every nook and cranny of the barn, picturing it as it was in her own time.

  The barn was spotless, a fact that spoke clearly of Maggie’s organization. Jordan could see subtle touches of style and wondered if they reflected Maggie’s personality. To her, a barn was a barn, but Maggie had painstakingly added her own flare: decorative benches with scenic pictures of the Vermont countryside hanging above them; old quilts adorning the walls; milk cans filled with dried grasses and flowers. Everywhere she looked, Jordan could see Maggie’s attempts to make the barn feel homey.

  In the barnyard was a shiny new red pick-up truck. The personalized license plate was grass-green. It read WLDRDHED.

  WLDRDHED? I wonder what that means? Oh, Wild Redhead, of course. That’s clever. Maggie’s truck. It looks brand new. I wonder if she’s really that wild?

  Jordan pressed herself against the inside wall of the barn and began to formulate a plan. Okay, Lewis, you need to get your head together here and come up with a way to introduce yourself to Maggie. That’s the whole reason you’re here, so get your butt in gear and come up with a plan.

  Jordan decided she had to sneak out of the barn and make her way across the property to the main road, where she could nonchalantly saunter up to the farmhouse and ask the mistress if she needed a hired hand. She made her way to the back of the barn and slipped out into the pasture. Over the next half-hour, she carefully circled around the house and across the field to the main road. By the time she reached the end of the driveway, she was quite winded.

  “Damn. I’d forgotten how far away the main road was from the farmhouse. Now I’ve got to walk that entire distance back again,” she complained.

  Jordan wished she could transport herself down the driveway as quickly as she had been transported back in time, then chided herself for being so foolish. You’re out of shape, Lewis, that’s the problem. You’ve spent all those years using your handicap as a crutch to avoid exercise. Now you have to walk a quarter of a mile and you’re whining like a baby.

  She began the trek down the long driveway. As the house came into view, Jordan saw that some type of commotion was brewing in the barnyard. She slowed her step as she watched the scene unfolding before her.

  An older man was running across the barnyard, leading a saddled horse by the bridle. He was calling out loudly. “Miss Safford! Miss Safford!”

  A petite woman with short blonde hair came running out of the barn. “What is it? What happened, John?” she demanded loudly.

  The man was clearly distraught. “I found Shawny running around loose in the north pasture. Maggie was nowhere in sight,” he explained.

  Jordan’s heart sank. Oh, my God. What day is it?

  “Quickly, saddle me a horse. I have to go look for her,” Jan said.

  “Why don’t you just take Shawny?” the man suggested.

  “Shawny’s no longer fresh. I need a fresh horse to get to her faster,” Jan explained impatiently. “Please, just do as I ask. Quickly!”

  John directed Shawny to the barn and emerged five minutes later with a freshly-saddled mare. Jan grabbed the reins and mounted the horse. Within seconds, she was nothing but a speck in the distance as she galloped across the field toward the western ridge.

  Jordan felt ill. She hid herself in the tree line that ran along the driveway and vomited. God no! I’m too late. Please don’t let it be so, she begged any deity that would listen. Please let her be okay.

  Jordan hoped against hope that Maggie was all right, but she remained hidden and waited for the inevitable. She didn’t have long to wait.

  The sound of galloping hooves could be heard long before Jan returned to the farmhouse. Her hair was windblown, and her cheeks were chafed from the cold winter wind, but most distressing was the unspeakable pain in her eyes as she fell from the horse and sank to her knees, wailing Maggie’s name.

  The farmhand helped her to her feet. “She’s gone, John. She’s dead!”

  “Don’t say that, Miss Safford. She can’t be dead!”

  Jan pushed John away. “She’s dead, I tell you. I saw her. She’s lying on the shore off the cliff on the west ridge. She must have fallen. Maggie!” she wailed again as John led her into the house.

  Jordan was beside herself with grief. She sat there for what seemed like an eternity, chastising herself for poor timing, until the ambulance arrived. Soon, Jan and John climbed into the back of the ambulance and accompanied the paramedics to the west ridge. When they were gone, Jordan emerged from her hiding place and walked sadly to the barn. She needed to go home.

  Chapter 27

  Jordan sat in the middle of the platform, wearing the Faraday belt. She was crying.

  “Kale, she’s back. Power down the rings.”

  As soon as Kale brought the rings to rest, Andi ran to Jordan, whose shoulders were shaking with powerful sobs. “Sweetie, tell me what’s wrong.”

  Jordan looked at Andi with eyes full of sorrow “I could have stopped her, but I didn’t. I watched her saddle her horse and ride off to her death. I was a coward. I hid myself from her, and now she’s dead.”

  Kale came up behind Andi, who stepped aside to let him in. He scooped Jordan into his arms. “Come on, let’s go into the house,” he said in a low, soothing voice.

  Kale carried Jordan to the house, Andi following closely behind. In Jordan’s bedroom, Kale laid her gently on the bed and unhooked the Faraday belt.

  “All right, tell me what happened,” Kale said.

  Jordan clasped Kale’s hand tightly. “I failed her. I arrived just moments before she went out for that last ride. Instead of stopping her, I let her go. I was afraid of being found out, and so I hid while she saddled her horse and rode off.”

  “Jordan, don’t blame yourself. Keep in mind that you have no control over exactly when you arrive in the past. I’m actually surprised we got you that close,” Andi said.

  Jordan wiped the tears from her face with the back of her hand and inhaled deeply. �
��I know. Intellectually, I know it’s not my fault, but I was close, so close.”

  Kale squeezed her hand. “I guess we’ll just have to try again. We can change the timing a little so that you arrive a bit further in the past. How much further will be hard to predict, but I’m fairly certain we can deliver you early enough to prevent Maggie from riding off that morning.”

  Jordan nodded and closed her eyes. “I’m so tired,” she said. “What time is it?”

  Andi looked at her watch. “Around 9:00 p.m.”

  Jordan yawned. “Damn, why am I so tired?” She opened her eyes and looked at Kale. “Let’s try again in the morning, okay? I need some sleep.”

  “Sounds good to me,” he replied. “Sleep well. We’ll see you in the morning.”

  Jordan was so tired, she slipped into slumber before Kale and Andi had left the room.

  * * *

  Jordan lifted the carafe from the warmer and filled her cup with coffee. She walked out to the front porch and leaned against the railing, sighing heavily. As she surveyed the barnyard, she tried to imagine what it would have been like back in Maggie’s time, back when it was a real working farm instead of a private residence. She could picture Maggie’s red truck parked in front of the house, surrounded by free-ranging chickens pecking for food in the dirt. She imagined farmhands exercising horses in the corral, while others unloaded bales into the hayloft. She could almost smell the wonderful aroma of freshly-baked bread coming from the kitchen. A little piece of heaven, she thought, especially with someone as wonderful as Maggie to share it with. Pangs of agony filled her heart as she realized how close she had been to making that dream a reality, but in the span of a few heartbeats, Maggie had ridden off, never to return.

  “I’m sorry, my love,” she whispered softly. “I won’t give up, Maggie. I’ll reach you in time, I promise.”