He set it down on the desk in front of her. She approached the needle with apprehension. “Will it hurt?” she asked
“Only the needle part. The transformation will be instantaneous. When you return to your new home, you will be restored to your normal self. Unlike your first trip through time, you will now remember everything you know now. This is my final gift to you. Are you ready?”
“Will I ever see you again?” she asked.
“No, my dear. I’ve served my part in your life.”
“Thank you,” she said, “for everything.” She approached by flight, smiled, and kissed him on the cheek.
A moment later, she felt a slight pinch on her arm, thought of returning home to James, and disappeared as a flying time-traveler for the last time.
The department store was cold, dark, and empty at 7:00 in the morning. To Genesis’s everlasting relief, there were no guards on patrol and no security cameras present when she arrived. As with every other jump through time, only Genesis (in her perfect skin) appeared out of nowhere. It took her a moment to adjust to her new body; her steps were unusually light and her gait more than a little clumsy. She looked down at her naked body with her normal carefree manner as she walked down the aisle of the store when she realized that modesty would be essential now. I’m going to need something to wear, she thought. As she strode through the racks of clothing, she grabbed the first sundress off a rack that might look good on her and got dressed. After a quick trip to the lingerie department and the quick addition of bra and panties to her wardrobe, she ran to the front door. She grabbed some comfortable shoes on her way out the door and was off to meet the man she loved.
Despite being in excellent shape, Genesis wasn’t used to losing so much energy. She reasoned it was because she had never run on her legs before. She had always flown. Ten minutes after leaving the department store, she was exhausted and decided she wasn’t in any rush: James’s house was only a few minutes away and she remembered that the other, much smaller Genesis, hadn’t even brought him home from their first adventure yet.
The walk to his house served her well; she was able to take time and appreciate all the small things she previously took for granted. Flowers no longer seemed as frightening; nor did bees and other insects, creatures that always avoided her.
Outside the Grant home, Genesis stood along the street and looked up at the window to James’s bedroom, where she often stationed herself and stood guard over him as he recovered from their frequent trips through time. Now, she saw the man she loved weeping at the sight of her departure.
Whatever pain she may have felt in her legs from the run home meant nothing to her now. She bolted up the stairs to the front porch and took a moment to catch her breath before pressing the doorbell, desperate to apologize for leaving him and to explain all she had learned. This is it! she thought. My new life. The few seconds it took James to rush down the stairs and answer the door felt like years to the woman he would finally be able to hold in his arms. The door opened, and all their dreams came true.
Part 3
Chapter 1
John Archer sat at his desk going over the latest test results. He adjusted his glasses and ran his fingers through his salt-and-pepper hair as he read. His assistant, Ryan, sat beside him waiting anxiously for a sign of emotion on Archer's face. Fifteen more minutes passed before Ryan got a chance to relax.
“Now, this is interesting,” Archer mumbled.
“What? Did I do something wrong?” Ryan asked, his voice quivering a little.
Archer chuckled. “Not at all.” He stood up and took some printed pages with him. Archer looked like a man about to give a speech. “The thing is this: I've spent the last twelve years working for the government, working on things I'll never be able to tell you about, my young friend.” A smirk crept across Ryan's face, as the two were only three years apart in age - and Ryan was the eldest. “But this,” Archer continued, holding the pages up. “This is going to set us apart. Not apart from the Russians or the Chinese, no. A line now exists between humanity that will not exist again for many generations. This line now divides humanity of the past – the one that brought us cell phones and the Internet – and the humanity of the future.”
Ryan sat up straight in his chair. “All this from one test?”
“Not exactly,” Archer said, sitting back down. “I still need others to verify my work. But if I'm right – which I always am or else I wouldn't be paid so handsomely – then we have truly reached a turning point in our history!”
Ryan pulled his chair closer to Archer and leaned to whisper. “But Dr. Archer,” he always said out of respect, “are you seriously suggesting it may soon be possible to travel through time?”
“Probable, not possible,” he answered without lifting his head from his notes. “The math is all there. Now all we need is some idiot with lots of money who is foolish enough to build the silly thing.”
Across the room, a door opened and a man in military uniform decorated with medals walked through.
“Ah, General,” Archer said, “we were just talking about you!” Ryan chuckled.
“Dr. Archer,” the General said plainly. “I assume our ridiculously high paychecks are getting results.”
Archer stood up out of mock respect. He didn't care for military types but wasn't foolish enough to fake a salute. He merely put out his hand, which the General – as usual – ignored. “I wouldn't cash them if I wasn't, sir.”
The General, a tall, imposing man, was stoic. “Good. I was sent to escort you to Henderson's office.”
Archer set down his notes and clapped his hands together. “Then lead the way.”
The office of John Archer’s boss – Frank Henderson – was completely bare. There were no pictures. There was no comfortable furniture; only an empty desk with a minimalist's computer on top, the chair Henderson himself was sitting in, and two empty chairs that looked like he stole them from an elementary school's cafeteria fifty years ago.
The General and Archer entered the office and, knowing Henderson's business-only nature, tried to squeeze into the small, plastic chairs. Henderson leaned forward, folded his lanky hands neatly on the desk, and squinted through his half-inch thick glasses to examine his subjects.
“I'm assuming the General did not tell you why you were escorted here?” Henderson asked.
“No,” Archer said. “I mean, it's rare I'm escorted anywhere these days. I just figured the General was in one of his moods.” Archer laughed. The General did not. “Would you lighten up, already? We've known each other ten years!”
Henderson interrupted. “John, we've decided to stop funding your program.”
Archer looked shocked. “May I ask why?”
“We're simply not getting the results we need.”
“Well, of course you're not, Frank. You've taken away my entire team. I'm down to one assistant, and while Ryan's a great kid, I can’t get my research done with only his help.” Archer noticed his voice had risen.
Henderson sat motionless. “We're not cutting your project completely, John. Only the part that involves you.”
“Oh, I see how it is. I'd bet the fillings in my teeth that you wouldn't be firing me if I was a heartless, warmongering crony like you!”
“That's enough!” Henderson said as he towered over Archer. He realized he too had raised his voice and immediately cleared his throat and sat down. “We've made our decision, John.”
Archer prepared to stand up and wait for the General to escort him to his office and then out of the building to security. Instead, he remained seated. Henderson looked up at the General and motioned him to lead Archer away. “Not yet,” Archer declared. “I want to know what’s going to be done with my research.”
“That doesn’t concern you any longer,” He motioned to the General again. As Archer stood up and moved to the door, the General following closely behind, Henderson cleared his throat again. Archer stopped. “John, while I can’t make any assurances,
we will do our best to find the appropriate idiot foolish enough to continue your work.” He smirked.
Archer nodded. It was never a secret that they monitored his laboratory. He just didn’t care what anyone heard. “Then perhaps you should work on it yourself!”
John Archer returned to his house to find all of his work confiscated. His office appeared disheveled and his mail was open. Only one piece of mail remained sealed: it was from his former boss – and the postmark was from yesterday. He opened it even though he had a good idea what it said. Indeed, Archer was right; they fired him, which he already knew. Just like the government, he thought, always sticking a knife in your back before you’re aware of it. One piece of information in the letter got Archer’s attention though. Besides the boilerplate notice of termination, there was a copy of his original contract. Archer vaguely remembered reading the contract when he signed it, but the agency highlighted the important part in yellow marker anyway just in case he forgot. It read:
All research and experiments conducted in this department remains the exclusive property of the Agency and upon your termination, you are hereby forbidden to continue similar research with any other entity, both foreign and domestic.
The threat was in vain, as Archer had no intention of continuing his research. His only concern as he burned the letter over his stove-top and went upstairs to bed was where his next paycheck would come from.
James couldn’t let go of the gorgeous woman he held tight in his arms. He said nothing for a few moments as he contemplated whether he really wanted to know how she had gone from a powerful, time-traveling, miniature, naked woman, to the strong and beautifully adorned woman that stood confidently in his presence.
Genesis remained in his embrace with her eyes closed, half convinced that what she felt was little more than a dream she didn’t want to wake up from. The adventure of her life had yielded a reward she never imagined possible for her: she now had a time and place to call home. If only Jadzia could see me now, she thought.
“You know what?” James finally said. She opened her eyes and looked up at him. “I don’t care how you got here.”
“I don’t mind telling you what happened.”
“I know. And maybe someday you will. But right now, I want to savor this moment with you.”
She smiled and kissed him again. “I hope you won’t get tired of this,” she said.
“Of this,” he paused to kiss her long and deep, “never!”
He took her by the hand and walked down the street, away from his parent’s home. As James’s father arrived home from work and saw the new smile on his son’s face, he had a hard time recognizing James at all. James only gave his father a cursory glance as he and the woman he loved walked by, leaving his family and the past where it belonged.
James and Genesis returned from dinner a few hours later. His father was napping in his room, while his sister and mother were fighting over shoes or some other clothing-related issue. James’s mother, Becky, who was still living at home in the improved time line, was the first to meet Genesis. James introduced her as his girlfriend and invented some wild tale about how they met at work.
“It’s nice to meet you,” Becky said with a smile as Melissa stormed to her room, the battle with her mother lost.
“Likewise,” Genesis answered.
“Mom,” James said, “Genesis is going to sleep in the den if that’s alright. I’d prefer her not to drive alone this late.”
Becky smiled with approval. “That’s fine, James. Just get her whatever she needs from the pantry. Did you need a shower?” she asked Genesis.
“Sure, that would be great!” Genesis replied.
“Okay, there are towels in the closet in the bathroom,” Becky said as she finished the last of the dishes. “Well, I’m off to bed to read. Your father should be getting up from his nap in a bit.” She turned to Genesis: “He’s usually up pretty late watching television. I’ll let him know you’re here. Let me know if it gets too loud.” Becky dried her hands and disappeared.
“Wow,” James exclaimed, “she seems downright happy! I haven’t seen that in a while.”
“Well, remember all we changed,” Genesis said. “Hopefully, it will stay this way.”
James nodded and led Genesis to the den in the basement. There was a pull-out bed along the far wall, a small refrigerator just next to the family computer, and a TV with several of James’s video games hooked up to it.
Although just a den designed for getting nothing done, Genesis felt warm and at home. James was rummaging through an old hope chest – probably his mother’s – filled to the brim with loose-leaf pages and magazines. Underneath a stack of books James’s father had buried years ago was a fat envelope that James ripped open and emptied on the floor. Paper money floated to the carpet, along with a few stock certificates.
“This is all I have,” James said. “It’s a little cash and some stocks my grandparents gave me on the day I was born. I have no idea what it’s worth, but we’ll find out tomorrow.”
Genesis appeared confused.
“It’s for us,” he explained. “For our new life.”
She beamed.
“Gen, I know in my parent’s eyes, we’ve only just met. We’ll have to explain something to them, but I won’t spend another night away from you. I know I love you, and I won’t let my family or anyone else tell me that it’s too soon. Making you wait for us to get married would be unfair to you and…”
“Wait,” she interrupted, “you want to marry me?”
“Of course,” he answered without hesitating. “That’s what this money’s for. Tomorrow, you’re picking out a dress. And as soon as you’re ready, I’m going to marry you.”
She couldn’t contain her happiness any longer. She threw her arms around his neck, kissed him as hard as she could, and cried tears of joy she never knew possible. “I’m ready now,” she whispered in his ear. “I’ve been ready since I first saw you!” Her tears gave way to laughter as he held her tight, kissed her goodnight, and went upstairs to his room. It was the last night either of them would sleep alone.
Chapter 2
Archer awoke from a deep and refreshing slumber and couldn’t remember the last time he slept so well. He went downstairs to make himself a breakfast, but soon realized that his regular meal of a lightly buttered English muffin and weak coffee from the day before were no longer necessary. He wasn’t in a rush to be at work on time, so he decided to prepare a feast that no man could finish. Of course, finishing the meal was hardly the point in Archer’s mind. The purpose here was to savor each bite of a protracted and casual spread of pancakes, biscuits and gravy, and mounds of bacon cooked just right. For a man who had spent much of his adult life eating prepared food or take-out, he realized he had no idea how to prepare a bowl of hot cereal, let alone the meal he imagined here. No matter, he thought. I will simply learn. I figured out how to travel through time, I’m sure bacon and eggs aren’t much harder!
Within a couple of hours, the breakfast was prepared and eaten. Archer lay sprawled out on his living room floor looking up at the ceiling fan and imagining if now was the right time to think about redecorating. A flood of other thoughts began rushing into his mind as the anxiety of his unemployment began to mount. What am I going to do? he thought. Just before Archer’s mind approached a meditative state that removed all cares from the conscious mind, a soft knocking sound came from the front door. It was still hard for Archer to move since the digesting food had begun weighing him down, but after a moment of righting himself, he took a deep sigh and answered the door.
On his doorstep stood a man in a pressed shirt and a suit that appeared to have no wrinkles, almost as though no one had ever sat down in it. His hair was black and perfectly parted down one side and not a strand seemed to be out-of-place. It looked like the man had just come from a factory that manufactured elegant executives. Archer smiled at the man, who merely put out his hand to shake. Archer obliged but not before the m
an began stepping into his house. For a reason Archer couldn’t explain, he sensed immediately that the man who was already setting his briefcase down was someone he couldn’t ignore. The man was probably accustomed to that perception and forgot to ask permission, Archer thought. Either that or he's going to kill me. The man turned to face Archer, but only after first taking a long look around at the house during which Archer lingered on what to say.
“I’m sure you’re already expecting me or else I wouldn’t be standing in your living room,” the man said with a strong, indefinable accent.
“Actually,” Archer answered, “I’m not. Should I be?”
The man paused and hummed to himself as though he was processing all he saw and heard. “I’m having doubts about you already.”
The Great Altruist Page 20