by Karl Morgan
The card read: "Sacred Life Tranquility Retreat. Maui, Hawaii."
"Thank you, Peter."
"No problem, Zeke."
Thirty minutes later, Zeke was walking down the concourse with his backpack and roller-board suitcase. His panic had faded when he remembered that most airports had kiosks or phones for many resorts. He was now confident he would find a room somewhere. He followed his fellow passengers into the baggage claim hall and noticed the hotel phones on the opposite wall. He headed toward them. He was passing a long line of limousine drivers holding name signs when he froze. Someone was holding a sign that said, "Z. Thompson". His shock dissipated when he realized it was Bea Watson holding the sign. A huge smile crossed his face as he walked up to her. She was stunning in her bright yellow sundress, floppy hat, and stiletto heels. She wore two flower leis around her neck.
Bea put the sign between her knees, removed one of the leis, and put it around his neck. She kissed him on both cheeks and said, "Aloha! I'm glad your flight was on time. Do you have any other luggage to collect?"
"How did you know?"
She giggled and took him by the arm and began to lead him toward the door. "Have you forgotten again? This is your time, not mine. To me, I'm walking along in a history book."
"I'm still trying to figure that one out, Bea."
"Zeke, you have to stop wasting your time analyzing everything! Just be in the moment and let your gift take over," she suggested.
"Did you tell me that in your history book?" he quizzed.
"In some of them, yes," she replied. He stopped and stared at her for a minute. "It's kind of complicated, Zeke. We can talk about it when we get home."
"Do you live here? I thought you said you lived in the future!"
She grabbed his arm and pulled him along. "For now, Zeke Thompson, you and I live here. Come on." He reluctantly followed her to a silver Bentley GT Convertible. She opened the trunk and Zeke put his bags inside. Then he climbed in and buckled his seatbelt. Bea buckled herself in and started the motor and lowered the roof. Then she pulled out into traffic.
"Nice wheels, Bea," he said.
"It'll do in a pinch," she laughed and winked at him.
Chapter 5
"You expect me to believe that a foreign agent is uncovering our agents to let the American people know we're watching them?" Agent Tyrone Baker, head of the FBI San Diego field office, said to the conference table full of agents.
"We don't know what to think, boss," Agent Marcus replied. "All we know is this guy didn't show up in any scans of our people, the NSA, or the CIA. He doesn't match any federal, state, or local law enforcement profiles and doesn't have a criminal record."
"Agent Baker, I have another idea," Special Agent Stephanie Marshall said. The others turned to look at her. "I've reviewed the video from Jackson's camera, and it looks to me like this guy made a lucky guess."
"Go on, Stephanie," Baker replied.
"Let me put it up on the screen." She pushed a button and her computer screen appeared on the flat screen bolted to the wall. "On the left is the outbound video link. The camera looking back at Agent Jackson is on the right. After syncing both cameras, I see Stan making eye contact with the other man multiple times. It is possible that the man thought Stan was paying too much attention to them and that piqued his interest."
"Boss, I think we all know that is a possibility; after all, Stan is a new agent and doesn't have the experience we do. I'm just not willing to let it go at a theory," Marcus argued.
"Brad, I don't think I said I was certain. I agree it is only a possibility, although a significant one in my opinion," Marshall replied.
Baker sighed heavily. "So, you all say we need to turn this over to the NSA?" Everyone else in the room nodded their agreement. "Shit, this is the last thing we need now. If this story gets out, we're all going to take it in the can!" He sat and thought for a couple of minutes, looking at each of the others for new opinions. Most sat quietly with their heads down. "If this goes bad, you're all going down with me." Their heads snapped up and they were staring at him intently. "Sorry, forget I said that. Marcus, turn everything we have over to the NSA. Tell them to search all social media, school websites, and driver's license bureaus, whatever they've got. I want to know who this guy is. That's it." The other agents stood and began to file out of the room.
Marcus walked over to his boss and said, "It'll be fine, boss. Don't worry."
"With all due respect, screw you, Brad."
§
Zeke sat on the lanai outside the beach house where Bea took him. When they arrived, she showed him to his room, and then left on other business. She said she would return around nightfall. The house was magnificent, with ten bedrooms, and a massive open living/dining room surrounded by a library, a den, a theater, and a few rooms set up as offices. After unpacking, he had walked down to the beach and swam in the warm waters of the Pacific. It was so different from Southern California, where the Alaska current kept the ocean chilly year round. A man named Kally acted as butler and chef. He was aided by a guard, two gardeners, and a housekeeper. The home sat on an acre of beachfront property not far from Lahaina. Zeke looked across the infinity pool toward the sun setting into the ocean. He heard a sound behind him and turned to see Kally approaching with a tray, two bottles and two glasses. "Good evening, Zeke," he said. "Miss Watson will be arriving soon and thought I should bring you two a drink."
"Thank you, Kally," he replied. "When is dinner, by the way?"
"I'll be serving shortly after Miss Watson arrives." Kally opened the beer bottle and poured into the tall frost-encrusted glass. Then he opened the bottle of wine and poured the other glass. "Excuse me, sir, I need to prepare the oysters and lobster now." He turned and walked away.
Zeke turned to see the other man and said, "Thanks again." As he watched, a bright flash of white light shot from one of the small rooms inside. Zeke clenched his eyes against the intense light. When he opened his eyes, he saw Bea walking toward him. She was carrying several books under one arm. He stood and smiled at her.
When she arrived on the lanai, she set the books down next to the tray and kissed him on the cheek. "Always a gentlemen, I like that." Then she sat down and picked up the glass of wine. "Here's to us, Zeke." He took his glass and tapped it against hers and sat down as well.
After sipping his beer, he said, "Did you see that bright flash inside? What was that?"
"It was nothing to worry about for now, Zeke. How was your afternoon?" she diverted.
"Great. This place is amazing! Do you own it?"
She laughed. "No, I don't. It's for rent right now, but I have a feeling they will find a buyer soon. You did submit the ticket, right?"
"Are you implying that I'm buying this place?"
"According to my records, this residence was purchased by Abraham and Sarah Thompson on December 16, 2014," she stated as if that date was in the past. She picked up the top book from the pile and opened it to the marked page. "If I may, let me read a paragraph from this book." She cleared her throat. "If I recall the story correctly, Ezekiel told me how his father, of blessed memory, acquired the Maui house when he began to write novels. There was too much commotion and intrigue in the old neighborhood. Everyone Abraham had ever known came to the house over those first weeks, begging for a piece of their newfound fortune. Being a man of endless generosity, Abraham wanted to help them all, but Sarah turned them away. She knew if they all were given money, she and her husband would be broke, the others would spend theirs rashly and end up with nothing, and ultimately blame them. If they did not give, they would be blamed as well. "Might as well keep the cash," she was often known to say." She closed the book and handed it to Zeke, who was sitting with his mouth open and eyes glazed over.
After a speechless moment, Zeke looked at the book cover. Two men were standing, arm in arm. Zeke was on the left, though he looked older, with gray hair. The other was quite old, and there was something familiar about his face
. He was stunned again when he read the author's name: Peter Smith. "What is this, Bea?"
"Peter was one of your best friends, according to the books from my time," she replied. "He wrote several memoirs as well as biographies about you." She took the book from him, set it on the table, and held his hands tightly. "Zeke, you have to know that I'm doing this for a reason! Normally, this kind of thing is strictly forbidden, but this is the only way to guarantee that my society will ever exist."
"This is about the war again, isn't it?" he asked.
"Only partially, Zeke," she replied. "But it's more than that. All I'm allowed to discuss is how you and your dad need to do what you did in order for my society to come to pass."
"Just tell me what to do and I'll do it, Bea," he moaned.
She laughed out loud. He was beginning to love that laugh. It broke down the terror in his heart and filled him with joy and contentment. He wondered if he was already in love with this woman and what that would mean. "The way you said that was like you were about to be spanked! Do you want to be spanked, Zeke?"
He blushed and turned his head. He could feel the warmth of her hand caressing his cheek and turned to face her again. She leaned over and kissed him lightly on the lips. "I really like you, Bea."
"That's a good start," she said as she kissed him again. She sat back and picked up another book and thumbed through it. "Zeke, you are going to have a long and wonderful life. A lot longer than you might imagine, in fact. I know it sounds like I'm giving you an onerous job, but nothing could be further from the truth. Let me read you something from another book. It says: "As I travel and meet new people, I am constantly in awe of the majesty of His Creation. People come from every conceivable background and culture, and yet, inside each is that undeniable spark, whether they see it or not. It is often said that you can see a person's soul if you look deeply enough into their eyes. I disagree. If you look deeply enough, you will see God looking back at you.” Isn't that amazing?"
"Wow! That's really cool. Who wrote that?" he asked. She handed him the book. Zeke closed it and looked at the cover. The cover image was thousands of tiny photos of people from all over the world. The title read: “A Simple Life, Volume 4, by Ezekiel Thompson.” The tome fell out of his hands and landed on the concrete floor.
Bea leaned forward and picked it up. "Be careful with that, it's more than a thousand years old," she said and then looked up with an odd look on her face. "Oops. That just slipped out. Forget that, I am not allowed to let you know that." He only stared at her in disbelief.
"Dinner, Ms. Watson," Kally called from the French doors.
§
The rays of the early morning sun were moving across Zeke's face, so he rolled over to avoid them. He had a wonderful evening with Bea. Kally's dinner was flawless and the conversation afterward over wine with this lady of the future was warm and intimate. Zeke was beginning to understand the feelings he felt but could only wonder if those feelings might be requited. It was too early in their relationship to be concerned for such things, he told himself and tried to fade off to sleep again.
"Excuse me, Zeke," Kally said from the bedroom door. "Ms. Watson asked me to tell you that breakfast will be in forty-five minutes."
"Thank you," Zeke yawned as he sat up in bed. He looked at his watch, which showed it was 7:45 a.m. He wondered why she was in a big hurry today but quickly realized that every moment with her was better than a night's sleep. He walked toward the bathroom to prepare for his second day in Hawaii. He paused as he passed the picture window and looked out onto the formal gardens surrounding this side of the residence and thought perhaps it would be an excellent purchase, although he did not yet know the price.
As he climbed out of the shower, wrapped in his towel, Zeke heard his phone ring and rushed into the bedroom to answer it. He noticed that someone had already made his bed while he showered and thought his family should have someone like that too. All his life, his parents were on his back about keeping his room neat and organized. Such was not the mind of Zeke Thompson. He saw it was his father calling, so he pressed the connect button and said, "Hi Dad."
"Son, I'm sorry to bother you so early."
"Don't think about that, Dad. I'm already up and coming out of the shower. What's up?"
"Zeke, the FBI was here yesterday," Abe began. There was no sound on the other end of the line. "Two agents were here with a sergeant from the Chula Vista police. They said they just wanted to talk to you."
"Did you tell them where I was?"
"Yes, I told them you flew to Maui yesterday," his father replied. "That didn't seem to bother them. Are you still there?"
"Yes, Dad, I'm still in Maui. I suppose you realize this line is probably bugged."
"You really think they would do that?"
Zeke laughed. "Don't think that makes us special, Dad. They monitor everyone. After what happened at Starbucks the other day, I'm sure of it, although I'm not sure how they figured out who I am."
"Maybe they interrogated that reporter?"
"She didn't do anything wrong. They'd get the crap sued out of them for that. After all, they were spying on her, not the other way around. And all I did was point at the guy and he flipped out. If they're questioning anyone, it ought to be him."
"Calm down, son," Abe urged. "I don't think any of this is a big deal. He said you should call their office here when you get back from vacation, okay?"
"Thanks, dad," Zeke replied. "I'm sorry if I freaked out or anything. I'll talk to you later." He disconnected the call and turned to go back to the bathroom to finish up. He stopped when he noticed Bea standing in the doorway. "Hi."
She walked over to him and put her arms around his neck and kissed his lips. He wrapped his arms around her waist and kissed her again. He began to move his hands down her body. "Not now, Zeke," she said as she stepped back. She took his hands in hers. "I want to, Zeke, I really do, but the time isn't right."
"It's okay, Bea. You don't have to explain anything."
"There isn't much time. Get dressed as quickly as you can and I'll be waiting in the main room for you," she said.
"What happened to breakfast?"
"It's a surprise," she giggled as she turned and walked out of the room, closing the door behind her. Confused, and a bit frustrated, Zeke went back to the bathroom to get dressed.
When Zeke walked out of the bedroom, he found Bea pacing back and forth. Kally was wearing a bulletproof vest and ballistic helmet, and carrying a strange weapon that seemed totally unlike an automatic rifle, but equally deadly. "What's going on, Bea? This is beginning to frighten me."
She stopped pacing and turned to look at him. "There's been another change in plans, Zeke. We have to leave here right now."
"Bea, my dad told me the FBI wants to talk to me. That's no big deal, really."
"It's not the FBI, Zeke," Kally said. He turned to Bea and said, "The terminal reports ready, Ms. Watson."
Bea grabbed Zeke's hand and began to pull him toward one of the small offices around the center chamber. "Come with me, Zeke, quickly now." He followed her and Kally was less than a yard behind him, walking backward as if watching for home invaders. Bea opened the door and pulled Zeke inside. Just before Kally slammed the door closed, Zeke thought he saw shadows near several windows and heard a gunshot.
The room was painted bright white. There were no light fixtures, and yet light seemed to emanate from the ceiling and walls. There was a pedestal near one wall that held an electronic control panel of sorts. Kally walked over to it and began to tap away on a keyboard. Zeke heard a noise and turned to the door. It seemed someone was on the other side, turning the knob, but it would not open. "How long, Kally?" Bea asked.
It sounded as though someone was banging on the door or trying to kick it open. "Only a few seconds now, ma'am." A green light from the panel illuminated Kally's face and he pressed a large button. A massive guttural "whump" sound seemed to deafen Zeke. The sounds of banging stopped and he could
not hear Kally's fingers on the keyboard anymore. A strange feeling of static electricity rose in the room. Zeke could feel his hair standing on end and braced for the zap of current. He looked at Bea, whose gaze was focused in another direction, so he looked there.
In the center of the wall, a small black circle appeared. It grew in size slowly at first and then quickly grew to eight feet in diameter. It was not a normal black like the paint on a wall, or even the sky on a starless night. The blackness seemed to shimmer and oscillate as if it was breathing. He looked at Bea who was smiling at him. She leaned over and kissed his cheek and then took his hand and started to move toward the black. Zeke's feet did not cooperate. She turned to him and said it would be okay, although he could not hear anything, but the movement of her lips seemed to express that. Without other options, he stepped forward with her toward the black circle. He looked back at Kally who was removing the control panel from the pedestal and falling in line behind them. Then Zeke and Bea stepped forward into the absolute black.
Zeke was totally disoriented. Bea was still standing there, holding his hand, but all else was black. He could not feel the floor under his feet or see anything but their bodies and blackness. He wondered what had happened to Kally. What had this crazy woman done to him now, he thought. After a second or a minute or an hour, a tiny white dot appeared in front of them. In the black, he had no sensation of time passing. Now the dot was growing and his sense of temporal movement returned. After a short time, the white circle was eight feet in diameter. The white circle moved forward until it was almost touching them. Bea pulled his arm to get his attention. When he looked at her, she was motioning that they needed to step into the white circle. He nodded at her and watched her feet to stay in step. He was terrified of being left alone in the black. She raised her left foot as if ready to step and he copied her and they stepped through.
There was suddenly light and sound again. After a second of nausea, he looked around his new location. It looked identical to the other white room, except the pedestal was larger and seemed more permanent. A woman in a military-style uniform was standing at the controls. She smiled at them and said, "Welcome home, Bea."