The Garden

by Craig W. Turner

  He took a deep breath and smiled. “Today, we stand here having accomplished something that has never been done before. But we were only able to do so because we took a leap. We pushed the boundaries, and we challenged ourselves to do something better. You might not work at SATP, or have the opportunity to time travel. But no matter who you are and what you do – a student, a parent, a teacher, a doctor, an engineer… Push yourself. Break down barriers and pave new paths for yourself. Make the impossible possible, and you will find success. SATP grew out of nothing but an idea. What’s your idea? And how can you use it to make the world a better place?”

  The crowd stood and applauded again, as Robert breathed in his fresh start.

  CHAPTER 89

  Amy Cheng stepped off the jetway and into Terminal 3 at Beijing Capital International Airport, scanning the area for familiar faces. Through the sea of people, she saw a small entourage clearly awaiting her arrival – enough so to have bypassed security to collect her as soon as she got off the plane.

  The flight had been pleasant enough, especially because diplomats flew first class. Which sometimes made her feel a twinge of guilt, living lavishly at taxpayers’ expense while so many were in poverty. But given what she’d been through in recent weeks, she afforded herself a temporary respite.

  Just over seven hours before, she’d left Greensboro International Airport, the bustling hub that had been created by SATP’s existence. It was good to be getting away for a bit. She needed a break. And while she had no illusions that she would be able to have what she would define as leisure time – at least not right away – it was good to be home. Even if she wouldn’t make it all the way to her real home in Shanghai until her sponsors were through with her.

  One of the members of her welcoming committee spotted her and headed in her direction. It was a young man she’d never met before, one of the Director’s reports, she figured. He greeted her in Mandarin, which she hadn’t spoken since her last trip to her homeland almost two years before. It was pleasant to her ears.

  He offered to take her carry bag, which she refused. She acknowledged his greeting, and followed the man back to the circle of men who were oddly remaining in their cluster. Among the crew, she noticed two of the members of the Chinese SATP Liaison Board, Huang Xiopen and Li Wang. When she reached them, she greeted them both with a variety of handshakes and bows before they began to walk en masse through the terminal.

  “Why such a large welcoming party?” she asked in Mandarin.

  “It is important that we speak with you before you speak to the public,” Xiopen said to her, taking the lead. “You have an interview with state media in one hour.”

  That was not what Amy had wanted to hear. She immediately regretted not at least trying to postpone this trip in favor of Hawaii. Or anywhere else. “Why the hurry?”

  “The Premier wants you to give a more accurate story of what happened on your time travel mission than the American President has given the public,” he said as they walked slowly. Amy noticed that the rest of the group, aside from her two bosses, had purposefully fallen back several paces. “While there should be great praise for what you’ve accomplished, we feel an opportunity to capitalize on the Americans’ mistakes was possibly lost.”

  She shook her head. “I don’t have much more information,” she said, “though I will be briefing you tomorrow. Once you have the full story, I am happy to help you analyze it to see if there is anything more.”

  On the plane, and in the days leading up to her flight after the request from China that she make the trip, Amy had struggled with what her role might be once she arrived. She’d just been through a strong American political maneuver to take over SATP and the time travel technology, which had failed. She knew that China would have similar aspirations if it was at all possible. In her eyes, either situation was untenable. She’d seen the power of time travel first-hand, and knew that if there was ever an instance that one interest was able to possess it and use it for their own purpose, it would be the most destructive weapon the world had ever seen.

  It ate at her to withhold any information from her sponsors and her home nation, but she’d found solace in a conversation she was able to have with American Senator O’Neill, who had in many ways been required to make a similar decision. It had been risky, she knew, to reach out, as any mistrust of her could have meant her expulsion from SATP, but she thought O’Neill would understand. And she did. Amy had posed the question to her knowing that she would be asked about the situation, and requested the Senator’s advice in responding. O’Neill’s guidance was spot on: “If you believe that you’re doing the right thing, then it shouldn’t be a problem.”

  Of course, as Amy knew, warm-hearted philosophy was one thing sitting in a soft chair in a federal building in Greensboro. It was much different when being faced with sponsors who wanted nothing less than the keys to the kingdom when it came to time travel technology. But she’d determined that she was, indeed, doing the right thing, and that her own involvement in time travel gave her a higher responsibility to science, to humanity, and to the future, than to international politics.

  “Your initial report stated that there was a possibility of SATP moving off U.S. soil,” Xiopen said. “Were you correct in your assessment?”

  She shook her head. “No,” she said, as they stepped onto a moving sidewalk for the next length of the terminal. “I was not. One misguided American politician led a wayward attack on the program to try to shut it down, but he was unsuccessful. The program was never in danger.”

  They walked a few steps along the people mover until they reached its end and then resumed their pace in silence for a few moments. Finally, Xiopen said, “The Premier was hoping the news would be different.”

  “I understand,” she said, nodding. “But we have worked for many years to become a part of the organization and the team. We have access that we have never had before. I believe it is in our best interests to play our role and work with the other nations to sustain a program that will ultimately help everyone. Rather than fantasize an aggressively political move that will put us at odds with the rest of the world. Wouldn’t you agree?”

  He was silent, so she looked up to find him smiling. “You’re not the same girl we sent to America,” he said.

  “No, I suppose not.” She couldn’t tell if he was admonishing her for not being blindly loyal to the cause, or recognizing her personal growth. “I’ve seen a lot.”

  “And you will see more,” he said, turning to face front again as they walked. “Your country is very proud of you.”

  She felt humbled. “Thank you,” she said.

  “Let us get your bags,” he said, “and as we drive to see the Premier, you can tell us what it is like to go back in time 10,000 years.”

  Amy smiled to herself as she made her way through the crowd.

  CHAPTER 90

  Keegan stepped through the front entrance of The Copernicus, about five minutes late for his appointment with Robert. There hadn’t been anything specifically keeping him from being on time. Just fatigue. For the past week or so, since they’d gotten back from Washington, he was having a difficult time motivating himself for work.

  Though he was generally hard on himself whenever he felt like his attitude wasn’t doing him any good, this time he was having a difficult time snapping out of it. So much had happened, and there were so many highs and lows from the three days surrounding the Eden trip that he was bound to emerge with some emotional scars. First and foremost, he knew that while he wore a good façade, inside there was a part of him that was bitter that he hadn’t been able to go on the trip. As he’d sat through briefing after briefing the past week, it was evident that he’d missed out on the opportunity of a lifetime. But, knowing what he knew about the hazards of time travel, he also reasoned that had he gone, the outcome likely would not have been the same.

  He also knew that most everyone experienced a major drop off in endorphins and adrenaline after an
active and tense situation, giving a perfectly reasonable physiological explanation for his doldrums. He’d felt it before in his life – after the high school basketball playoffs, after college graduation, and even after some of the more challenging missions they’d taken at SATP. It was natural.

  The problem was what it was doing to his head. For the first time, he felt fear. Something telling him that he wasn’t going to be able to shake this one. The Eden mission was such a big thing. It had been his idea from the beginning, and he hadn’t even been able to go. While he wouldn’t admit it to her for a host of reasons, rekindling his relationship with Claire had substituted some of that fear with hope. But like everything else in his life at that moment, he wasn’t sure where that was going to lead. They’d tried a relationship while working together before, and it had been a disaster. While it seemed good for the moment, there wasn’t much to make him believe the outcome would be any different going forward.

  Keegan was looking around the bar area – a resume-quality skill of his, given his height – but didn’t see Robert, who usually arrived early and grabbed a seat at the bar for a bit before dinner. For a moment, he hoped that perhaps the newly-named head of SATP hadn’t arrived yet, which would alleviate his own guilt for being late. Giving up, he approached the maître d’, who told him that Robert had not only arrived, but had already been seated. So much for alleviating guilt.

  Keegan was led through the restaurant, where he politely waved to several SATP management folks that he knew. He wasn’t of Robert’s status, certainly, but he did have a network. Surprisingly, the maître d’ continued walking past the main dining area, where Robert usually sat and held court, to the back room, where the banquet facilities were located. They walked through the glass double doors into the dining area, where instead of the sea of tables that were normally there, just one had been set up along the windows overlooking the city of Greensboro toward the west.

  Seated at the table were Robert, and Keegan’s girlfriend, Claire.

  He approached them with his hands out, wondering what Claire was doing there. She smiled at him as Robert rose and shook his hand. “What’s going on?” he asked. “Why are we back here?”

  Robert smiled and nodded gently. “We needed some privacy,” he said. “Can’t have a conversation out there.”

  “Is that what we’re doing?” Keegan asked as he pulled his chair out and sat down. “Having a conversation?” Robert sat down without answering, so he looked at Claire. “And what are you doing here? You didn’t tell me you were meeting us here?”

  “Robert asked me at the last minute,” she said.

  “Well, I’m sorry I’m late,” he said.

  “No worries,” Robert said.

  For some reason, though, Keegan felt as though he needed to continue to explain himself. Or, he just needed to talk. “No,” he said, “I’ve been having trouble, just getting going the past week. I don’t have any excuse for being late. Just sitting on my couch not paying attention to the-”

  “Keegan,” Robert interrupted him, “it’s okay. I understand. You’ll snap out of it.”

  He stopped and looked at them both, then nodded. “You’re right.” He took a glance around the empty room. Leading up to the floor-to-ceiling windows looking out was a thick, elegant burgundy carpet that he’d never noticed with tables usually covering it, and the prerequisite hardwood dance floor. He’d only been in the room a few times for weddings of SATP officials and once for an awards ceremony that was staged only to give some Congressman from Missouri who wavered on his support for the program a made-up award to make him feel loved. Which had worked. But he was thrown off by the single table in the massive room, and for the first time noticed the intricate artistry of the molding along the mirrored walls opposite the windows. “This is kind of strange, Robert. What are we doing here?”

  Robert laughed. “Oh, don’t be thrown off by the room,” he said. “I just asked for somewhere private, and this is what they had for us. There’s no message here for you to decipher.”

  “That’s easy for you to say,” he said. “I thought you and I were just getting together for dinner. But suddenly we’re at a private table and Claire’s here. What’s up?”

  A waiter walked through the door into the mostly empty room and asked Keegan if he wanted something to drink. Noticing that Robert and Claire already had wine in front of them, he pointed to Robert’s glass and said, “Whatever he has is good.” The man left, and they were alone again.

  “Alright,” Robert said, leaning forward, “this isn’t just any ordinary dinner. We’re here for a reason.”

  Thoughts began to fill his head. The obvious one was that he was being promoted, but he couldn’t see Robert having a conversation like that in the presence of one of the other team members, especially with their personal relationship. Quickly, he assessed that Robert was likely going to lay out for him his new agenda for SATP as Director. Which was an honor, in itself, getting to be among the first to know the future of the program. He knew Amy was out of the country, and Landon was so new. It made sense for it to be Claire and him there.

  “Keegan,” Robert continued, “our team, myself included, owes you our lives. What you did – sacrificing yourself for the rest of us and in doing so giving up the mission that had been your dream – is one of most selfless acts I can possibly imagine. Your quick thinking to solve what was an insurmountable problem was nothing short of heroism. I don’t know if there’s another person on this campus who would’ve been able to think, and then act, under that kind of pressure.”

  He shook his head. “Robert, I don’t need-”

  “But, no,” Robert said. “You do.” The waiter returned with Keegan’s wine and set the glass in front of him. He motioned to Robert if they were ready to order, but he shook him off. As he left, Robert continued, “We can give you a medal and a Presidential commendation and all kinds of cool things for you to put on your fireplace.”

  “I don’t have a fireplace.”

  That threw Robert off for a moment, but he shook his head and smiled. “That’s good, Keegan. Good. Anyway, my point is, as the new head of the program, it’s important to me that you know I understand that we’re not sitting here today without you. Your work, even if you weren’t playing the role of scientist that we hired you for, was critical to the future of the program. No less than Javesh Chopra himself.”

  Keegan laughed. “Well, that’s overstating it a bit,” he said.

  Robert shook his head. “It’s not, Keegan. It’s not. I’m not going to argue that with you, because I believe it in my heart. And because I do, I can think of no better person to take over as the leader of our team.”

  Keegan’s heart jumped, and he looked at Claire for a moment, who was beaming. “Team leader?” he asked, for confirmation.

  “You’re the guy.”

  Of course, if they looked at hierarchy, Keegan was the “next in line” for the job, but while he’d always had his eye on that prize, there was no certainty that he was a lock to get it. In fact, there had been more reasons why he might not. For his entire career at SATP, he’d gotten used to the reality that Robert wasn’t going anywhere, that his own skills were more aligned with operations than being the hero of the program, and that his size and appearance made him a poor option for covert research. His dream had been more of a fantasy – and something he’d come to accept as such. “I can’t believe it.”

  “Why not?”

  “Man, where do I begin?” he asked. “I always thought… I mean, you’re talking first-on-the-scene on missions. Revolutionary research. Your research.”

  “As you may have noticed,” Robert said. “I have a new job now.”

  “That shouldn’t stop you from going on missions.” But Robert was shaking his head. “What?”

  “No,” he said. “I’ve gone on my last time travel mission.”

  “Why?” He looked at Claire, then back again. “Why’s that? We’ve only just begun-”

&n
bsp; “That’s why you’re the only person I trust to take the reins,” he said, smiling.

  He sighed, looking down at the table, not sure how he should be reacting. He’d walked into the room blasé about life, and suddenly his primary life aspiration had become a reality. As his mind raced, he finally settled on Claire, and looked up at her. “What about you?” He turned back to Robert. “What about Claire? I mean, I know you’re the director now so you can make decisions on interoffice relationships, but-”

  “I’m leaving, Keegan,” she said, interrupting him.

  “What do you mean?”

  “I’m leaving the program.”

  “Because of me?”

  She smiled. “No,” she said. “Though, with you as team leader we would’ve had some real challenges to deal with in our relationship, sure. I was offered a position on the faculty at UNC Greensboro.”

  “Teaching? What?” He was starting to get overloaded with new information.

  “What do you think?” she said, slapping on the arm with her cloth napkin. “Art history? No, Quantum Physics. We all have our roles in creating SATP’s future. Robert’s is in the political world now. Yours is running the program. I believe mine is making sure that SATP has a pipeline of people who are well-trained and passionate about the science.”

  Now, Keegan leaned back in his chair, his long legs stretching underneath the table. “So, no more missions for you, either?”

  Claire shook her head. “No. Too many things almost went wrong on this mission, not the least of which was needing to expedite the Fall of Man to return home safely. I will worry about you every time you go, but it’s not for me anymore.”