“Unbelievable is not the word, Fritz,” Liz said. “It could be a TV series. But not reality TV. No one would believe it.”
“I hope you're right. At this point, too many people know.” Fritz glanced at Ashley, who was still looking at his computer. “You okay, Ash?” Ashley just nodded. “Anyway, you heard my story last spring. Now you know the truth and why we have to treat it as if it's a fiction.”
“Who's your friend?” asked Al, looking at Tony reclining in Fritz's desk chair.
“Oh, I'm so sorry. Tony Almeida, meet Liz Chambers, Al Kennedy and Tom Jaffrey.” Tony waved. “Tony's a science advisor to the president. He figured out how to open the portal without thunderstorms. Alone, I need the storms. By a lucky coincidence, he was here today to provide cover for the original story—he's pretending to be my friend in special effects. You remember. He took some vacation time now while everyone at the White House is focused on the summit. Good thing, too. We couldn't have done it without him.”
“Fritz, I hate to interrupt this, but we still have a football game tonight,” Al said. “I gotta get the boys on the bus. Hope we'll see you there. More to the point, I hope I can keep my mind on the game.”
From the back of the room came, “Just give the ball to Johnny Clayton.” Ashley spoke in a voice foreign to them all.
George said, “I have to finish up and get ready for the game, too. Is there anything else?”
“Fritz,” Tom said, “I don't know what to say. This has to scare the hell out of you. But I have all sorts of questions about time travel that are swirling around right now. Mr. Almeida, are you going to be around?”
“I need to speak to Washington. I assume they'll want to debrief me pretty quickly. But if I get back here, I'll be glad to answer any questions. After you're cleared.”
“Cleared? What does that mean?” Tom asked.
“Tom,” Fritz answered, “George said earlier the president will probably speak to you all. He'll tell you how important it is to keep silent. He'll mean it. That will include no telling your wife.”
“But I tell Janet everything.” He cleared his throat as he ran his hand through his hair.
“Tom, the president will talk to you soon,” Tony said. “You can explain to him then. The secrecy issue, well, he's not fooling around. I'll pass the message along. Everyone always underestimates how tough he is. Say nothing for now.”
Liz asked, “How have you kept this quiet? Everyone knows about Naria, but there's been no explanation that makes sense.”
“No one knows, Liz. I don't think even the top Congressional people know. The president is trying to protect the portal. And me, I think. I hope.”
Tony said, “Tom, Liz, only a handful of senior security people know. Every time the portal gets used, more people find out. I know personally that there's a lot of guessing going on. Secret weapon, that sort of thing. But there's a list of everyone who knows—names, addresses, phones, personal contacts. They're very serious.”
“Wow,” Tom said. “Well, I hope I speak to the president soon. I won't say a thing.”
Fritz said, “Tom, he's a good guy. You'll see. Why don't you give Tony your phone number? We need to wrap up. We can talk more next week.”
Once they left, Tony and Fritz went to Ashley, who was still staring at the computer, a picture of Jane the only thing on the screen. “Ash, what's going on?”
“Nothing.” His face was blank, his eyes unfocused.
“Fritz, he should see a doctor. He's in shock. You need to get him out of here now.”
Fritz nodded. “Ash, we're going to get you some help. Give me your phone.” Almost robotically, Ashley reached in his pocket. Fritz found Jane's number and called.
“Hi, Ash.”
“It's Fritz, Jane. We have a problem. Ash is out of it. Tony thinks he's in shock. Where are you?”
“Still at the airport. Tell Tony I'll take care of this. Let me talk to Ashley.”
“Ash, Jane's on the phone,” Fritz said, just above a whisper. Ashley turned his head as though his neck had rusted, his focus still distant. “Ash, talk to Jane.”
“Hello?” Her words had no effect on him.
Ashley handed the phone back, saying nothing more.
“Jane?”
“Fritz, we're waiting for a plane to take us to DC. Tom's in bad shape. The doctor had to send him to a hospital here with a cover story about a mugging. We told them the police already knew about it. I'll come and get Ashley, and the doctor at the airport can decide what to do. I'll be there in twenty minutes.”
“Jane, how's the president?”
“He's a little shaken, but he's okay. He'll talk to you later, when he gets home. He's officially still missing, so he needs to put a cloak over this for the time being. Let me go now. I'll see you soon.”
Fritz said, “Ash, Jane's on her way.” Ashley slumped in the chair, staring at the screen and unresponsive. Fritz put a hand on his shoulder. “Tony, what are you going to do?”
“I'll go with Jane. I'll follow them to the airport. Maybe I can hitch a plane ride back.”
“Should I go, too?”
“I think Jane will be enough to bring him around. You need to take care of yourself and stuff here.” He peered at Fritz. “I didn't ask. Are you okay?”
“I haven't had time to think about it.” Fritz looked at his chest, patted himself, and shrugged. “Yeah, I guess so.”
“If you start having problems, call me. I'll get you hooked up. No matter what time, day or night. Okay?”
“Thanks. Actually, I'm more concerned about what Linda's going to say. I couldn't leave the president stranded. But I think I'm done. The portal is just too dangerous.”
“We can worry about that later. If I come up with anything new, I'll tell you.”
“I'm not sure I'll want to know.” He pointed to Ashley. “Look at him. He's supposed to be getting ready to go to the football game.”
Fritz's pocket vibrated. “Hi, Lin.”
“Fritz, did you hear what's happened in Geneva?”
“Yes. Tony and I were just talking about it.”
“Someone attacked the meeting. The president is missing, maybe dead.”
“He's all right. He's on his way to Washington.”
Silence on the other end. Then, “You didn't.”
“We got him out. Tom Andrews is badly injured. We got Mel Zack out, too.”
“We? Who's we?”
“I'll tell you when I get home.”
“Fritz, TELL ME NOW!”
“Lin, this is face-to-face stuff. Ash and I, Jim Shaw, and one of his colleagues went and got them. There was shooting. Ash is in shock. Tony and I are waiting for Jane to come and get him.”
“Jane? She's in Geneva.”
“Ash went back and got her. She's at the airport with the president.”
“You went into a gunfight? Are you okay?”
“I'm fine. But I could use a hug right now. Ash is almost catatonic. He shot three terrorists.” He wiped tears from his eyes. “I couldn't let those bastards get the president. This is just catching up to me now that I'm talking to you.” He sniffled. “I'll be home in a little while, once Jane gets Ash. We're pretty close to the end of the day. The kids will be gone soon. I'll tell you the story then.”
“I'll have a hug waiting. Hurry home.”
Moments later, Jane opened the door. She walked to Ashley and sat next to him. Turning his face to her, she kissed his cheek, then his forehead, and then whispered something in his ear. She glanced at the door and waved the face in. A woman carrying a bag joined them.
“Dr. Dutton, this is Fritz Russell and that's Tony Almeida. And this is Ashley.”
The doctor acknowledged Fritz and Tony and sat down. She held Ashley's hand, whispered his name, telling him to come back to school. He had students to teach. Then she waited, looking closely at his eyes. When he blinked, she repeated that his class needed him. She told Jane to talk to him. Jane repeated the doctor's words
. Then she told him they were going for a ride.
“Will he be okay?” asked Fritz.
“He'll be fine,” said Dr. Dutton. “He's refocusing now. I'll give him a tranquilizer and let him sleep it off. Get a substitute teacher for his classes. I'm going to take him to Washington, where a specialist can watch him.”
“Jane, call me please. Will you tell me what happened? And what happens?”
“Of course, I'll call. And the president will be in touch later. We're still monitoring the situation. Are you okay?”
“Yeah. I just need to go home.”
“Let's get Ash in the car, and then you can go. I'll take good care of him, I promise.”
Jane whispered to Ashley and he got up with her help. She pulled his arm over her shoulder, and the doctor took his other arm. Tony said he was leaving, too.
Students returned to the hallway, with the volume turned up. Talking, shouting, and shuffling, the corridor began to fill. Eric Silver and Jean Adams walked into Fritz's class, holding hands.
“I'm glad you're still here,” Eric said. “Jean has a rough draft of the script for the first scene. We wanted to show you and see if you think it's any good. I think it is.” He smiled at Jean.
“Do you have copies, Eric?” asked Fritz.
“We made one for you and one for Mr. Gilbert. He wasn't in his room.” He handed Fritz a folder and laid another on the desk.
“We'll look it over, and we can talk about it next week. Is that okay?”
“Sure, Mr. Russell. Thanks.” Eric took Jean's hand, and they left.
As the din subsided and the clanging lockers slammed shut less frequently, Fritz sat down at his desk. Happy for the quiet, he leaned back and rubbed his eyes. The clock read four minutes past three.
Chapter 15
LINDA HAD the big hug waiting. He could feel small kicks and thumps through her clothes, and his stress evaporated. She had already poured soda, and they sat at the kitchen table while Fritz revisited the afternoon's events. Her hand covered her mouth when Fritz told her he had killed a terrorist. It was amazing, he said, that he hadn't even had time to think. “I don't know for sure, but I don't think we were there more than five minutes. Though it felt like hours. Still does. Then everyone left the school so fast, almost like it had never happened. And now we have another story to cover up.” He sucked a chestful of air.
“Fritz, are you sure you're okay? I mean, look at what happened to Ash. I'm worried about him.”
“Me too. He just stared at the computer background, a full screen of Jane's picture. Then, he just melted.”
“That's not like him. He usually has a wisecrack for even the most serious situations. You don't think he got hit, do you?”
“No, but it's, I don't know, like he … just went away.” Fritz leaned into the table, looking down at his hands. “He commented about the football game. The only thing he said was that they should give Johnny Clayton the ball. But even then he sounded like a voice from somewhere else. I'm sorry, Lin. When I found out, I couldn't think of anything but how to get the president back.”
“I'm just glad you're back. I'll yell at you later, okay? Why don't we go see what's on the news.”
ON THE PHONE again, the man paced the perimeter of the Persian carpet. “Did they find the president? The reports say he might be in the rubble.” He received an unexpected response. “What do you mean, there's no rubble? The news said there were explosions.” He listened closely to the caller. “Then the meeting's been cancelled? Well, at least something went right.”
IN THE SHORT time since the initial reports, full news teams had made their way to the area surrounding the Palace of Nations. The pictures told the story. Troops and military vehicles, as well as police, filled the street. Certainly not like normal Geneva. One reporter said terrorists still occupied the building. After a sudden burst of gunfire, the soldiers had no trouble convincing spectators and the reporters to move away. None of the leaders who were at the summit had been located, and all were feared dead. According to an unidentified source, a few terrorists had masqueraded as delegates and allowed others to get in. Fritz recognized a face in a window, and then his phone rang.
“FRITZ, IT'S JANE. I'm at the airport. We're not going back yet.”
“How's Ash?”
“He's in the medical unit. Two planes of Spec Ops and a med team just arrived. Ashley's been given a sedative, but by the time we got here, his head had cleared and he told us what happened. He's sleeping it off now. Fritz, the president is on another call but wants to talk to you as soon as he gets off that one.”
“He wants to go back in, doesn't he?”
“I'll let him tell you. Here he is.”
“Fritz, James has more than forty agents and diplomats in a meeting room. The terrorists are still looking for them. Will you do it again?” asked the president, his words clipped. “We have an exact location. Tony has his equipment now. We don't have much time.”
“I'll meet you at the school, Mr. President. I'll call George.”
Turning to Linda, Fritz said, “Sorry, Lin. That was James in the window.” He pointed to the TV. “He's got people hidden, and the president wants to get them.”
“Get George on the phone. Let's get this over with.
Chapter 16
JANE CALLED from Washington. If all went well, Ashley would be home on Saturday. Eric and Jean stopped in during homeroom to see if Fritz had read the script yet. He'd completely forgotten, though he didn't tell them that. When lunchtime arrived, so did George, wanting to know when Ashley would be back.
“Fritz, I know you can't give the president orders, but with all that's going on here, you could ask him not to use the portal for a while.”
Fritz said, “George, we saved his life. If he asks, it won't be unimportant. Every time so far has been in a crisis.”
“Do you have teachers lined up for your tournament yet?”
“George, it's only been three days.” The muscles in his neck tightened. “I've been a little busy. I'll get to it this week. I promise.”
“Well, you're going to need to hurry. I expect you'll be taking time off when the baby is born. That's pretty soon.” Fritz shuddered as if he had hit a wall. Or it had hit him. He hadn't considered taking time off. “If you expect to be gone, you'll need to let me know beforehand.”
I need to talk to Linda.
Before afternoon classes, Al Kennedy stopped in. “Didn't see you at the game, Fritz. Is everything okay?”
“Fine, Al. Glad we won again.”
“Anyway, I wanted to tell you the president called.” His voice dropped to a whisper. “I can't believe I actually spoke to him. Exciting and a little scary, I'll tell you. I had to swear I wouldn't say anything.”
“Al, he means it. They have a list of all the people who know. It really is a national security issue.”
“Fritz, like I said, I understand the concept of need-to-know. Gotta go now, but I still have some questions.”
“Of course. I'll try to fill you in. Whatever you want to know.”
“Actually, I'm kind of interested in Robert E. Lee.”
EXCITED, SAMANTHA came to the final class of the day with news. “Mr. Russell,” she said, “a few of us went to some stores over the weekend and told the owners what we were doing. Everyone said we could put signs in their windows. Mr. Hoffman at the deli said he would donate sandwiches for the final game. Some of the others, we have a list, said they would make donations for the scholarships.”
“That's fantastic, guys. I'll be working on getting the teachers this week. Just for that, no homework, but read the next section about amending the Constitution.”
“But,” Jay said, “that's homework, Mr. R.” Fritz smiled.
Fritz was packing up when Tom Jaffrey stopped in.
“Hi, Fritz. Oh, sorry, you're leaving.”
“No problem, Tom. What can I do for you?”
“I've been thinking about a time-travel controversy. Are you
really going back in time, and what impact will it have on the future? I wonder what Albert Einstein would say.”
“Sorry, Tom. After all that's happened, as interesting as that would be, I'm not taking you to see Einstein. As to your question, I'm still trying to figure it out. I think the portal brings the past to the present, but in my opinion, we do change the future when we affect the present. Some of that is obvious, of course. Everything that happened on Friday will have an ongoing effect. I think there are more subtle changes, too. About something else, though, you can help me. I need a bunch of teachers to be coaches for a schoolwide history baseball tournament. I haven't had a chance to do any recruiting yet. Will you help?”
“I'll make you a deal, Fritz. Reconsider visiting Einstein, and I'm in.”
“Blackmail, huh.” Fritz said. “Sure, reconsideration on. I'll think about it. I really am skittish about using the portal. I'd like to find out more, but that means experimenting. Maybe you have some ideas about how to do this scientifically.”
Fritz could see Tom's brain click into gear. “Now you're talking my language. I'll need to know more about what you already know, so I can design…”
Liz Chambers walked in and cut him off. “Fritz, George said I should come see you about a project.”
“Hi, Liz.” She had already taught for twelve years at Riverboro when Fritz joined the staff and stood taller than his five-ten. Fritz had watched her argue with George, toe to toe, her chin to his eyebrows. “Imagine. George being helpful. My ninth graders have proposed a schoolwide history baseball tournament, and I need teachers to act as coaches. Tom said he would help.”
“Wonderful idea. I know about your games. How many teachers do you need, and what are we going to do?”
He explained. “The kids even got the Phillies to be a sponsor.”
“Really?” Her surprise turned to a smile. Fritz was delighted. Liz wasn't usually one to betray her reactions, good or bad. “Well, we should be able to get the whole history department and fill in from there. I'll ask around.”
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