Last Chance Volume 2 - The Legend of the Hathmec: Planting the Seed

by Bradley Boals

  Agent Johnson had spent several days stocking the housing complexes with clothing and preparing them for the team. While he couldn’t tell them exactly what he had done at each location, he did promise that they would all be happy with the result. The team would exit the compound one by one and travel to their locations on different transports. This was another precaution that may not have been required, but Walter felt it was safer.

  “Walter, where are the gadgets?” asked Connor. “Aren’t we taking any gadgets with us?”

  Walter chided him. “Oh, Connor, I can always count on you to bring up the most insignificant matters at the most important times.”

  April jumped to Connor’s defense. “There’s no need for that, Walter. He was just asking a question.”

  Walter smiled at them both and replied, “I’m sorry, that was rude of me. Yes, Connor, there are several gadgets going on the mission with you, but they will be controlled and operated by either Agent Marco or Blake. If you compliment them enough, maybe they’ll let you try one of them.”

  Connor smirked back at Walter and then stared a hole through him. As the days had gone by, his trust in Walter had become less and less. The smart comments and the lack of respect he showed Connor started to wear thin on the young man. He didn’t treat Matthew that way. “At least my mom has my back,” he thought.

  Walter accompanied Connor’s group to the main door of the compound and said, “This is it. Marco and Blake will head out first, and then April and Connor. Each of you has your transfer credits for the trip, so I wish you luck. Communication between the compound and this team will be very limited, so only contact us here if absolutely necessary.”

  April looked around. “Wait a minute. Surely we’re not going to leave without telling the others good-bye. They haven’t left yet, have they?”

  Walter chuckled and replied, “I thought that might be a problem.” He spoke into a small communicator located on his jacket sleeve. “Send the kids down here.”

  Within a few seconds, Matthew, Amanda, and Steven all emerged from a room down the hall, followed by Agents Addie and Bryan. Matthew ran up to his mother and gave her a big hug. Her eyes started to well up as she told Matthew how proud she was of him. She told him to be careful and watch over everyone.

  Matthew didn’t want to stay in his mother’s embrace too long. It was hard enough to leave her and Connor, but saying good-bye was worse than the actual act of departing.

  Amanda gave Connor and quick hug and said, “You take care of yourself.”

  Connor replied, “We will, and I’ll see you as soon as you get back.” Amanda grinned and proceeded to get a bear hug from April. April told Amanda that she was a strong young lady and that she would be ok with Matthew and the team.

  Lastly, April picked Steven up and gave him a big kiss on the cheek. “You be good for your sister and Ms. Addie. They’re gonna tell me when you get back how you behaved, and if you were good, I’ll have a big surprise waiting for you.”

  Steven asked April to tell him what the big surprise was, but April wouldn’t. “Not until you get back, and then we’ll talk about it.”

  April patted Steven on the head as she walked over to Addie. She told her about all the things that Steven liked, when his bedtime should be, and what types of things he wouldn’t eat. “Just make sure you pay him a lot of attention. With his parents being gone, he really needs to know that he’s taken care of.”

  Addie put her hand on April’s shoulder and said, “You don’t have anything to worry about. After spending six months with me, he won’t want to come back.”

  Confused by Addie’s comment, April questioned her about it. Addie grinned and said, “No child should be without his parents. I just mean that he’ll have a good time with me and Agent Bryan. We’re tons of fun.”

  April was still a bit unnerved by Addie’s comments, but she didn’t have time to dwell on them. Walter was pushing her and Connor out the door, and April wanted to make sure she got one final look at Matthew before he was out of sight.

  Catching Connor’s eye, Matthew held up the carrier stone that Connor had given him the night before, and Connor returned the gesture. They smiled at each other as the door to the compound closed. Matthew glanced to Amanda, whose face sported a blank look. Her emotions were tepid at best, and she seemed to be focused on nothing but what was to come. She grabbed Steven’s hand, and she and the rest of the group made their way to the room with the rorimite tunnel.

  It was a different experience for Matthew. The last trip through the tunnel had been witnessed by only Walter and Johnson; this one was being prepped by dozens of team members, and each one wished Matthew and Amanda luck as they passed by.

  “We’re pulling for you. We know you can do it. Just like last time.” It was as if Matthew and his family’s exploits had become legend around the PRO compound. They’d completed the first mission just a few weeks ago, and as the rorimite tunnel lit up for this new journey, Matthew could only think of the difficulties he had faced back then.

  Matthew and Amanda stood in an awkward silence at the rorimite control panel with Steven. Matthew kept glancing over at Amanda, trying to get some kind of reaction, but Amanda spent most of her time fidgeting with Steven’s hair or his clothes. The little boy was ready to go, his backpack firmly strapped around his shoulders and waist. He kept pulling at the bottom straps to make it tighter. Matthew thought it was curious that Steven already had his backpack but no one else had received theirs. It was gray with a red tag on the handle.

  Matthew said, “I can carry his backpack if it’s too heavy. Walter hasn’t even given me one yet.”

  Amanda moved Steven to the other side of her. “No, this is Steven’s pack. He can take care of it. I’m sure you’ll have plenty to carry.”

  Matthew shuffled his feet for a moment and tried to open up some communication with Amanda. “You know, when we get there, we’ll have to help each other out. Neither one of us is going to be an expert on what life is like in 2016. We can study from daylight to dark for months, and there’s still going to be things we can’t know until we experience them for ourselves.”

  Amanda grinned and said, “Let’s just focus on completing whatever mission Walter has planned for us, and then all of this can be over. From there, we’ll see what happens.”

  Matthew could see that Amanda’s level of enthusiasm was low. She acted like someone who had been convicted of a crime and was being made to do community service. He hoped her attitude would change once they reached their destination.

  The door to the rorimite room opened, and in walked Walter and Addie. They were in the midst of discussing something, but Matthew couldn’t hear what it was. Walter had a serious look on his face, and Addie seemed to be agreeing with him on whatever it was they were talking about.

  Agent Bryan had been reviewing some files in the corner while he waited for Walter to arrive. He didn’t talk with the kids too much. He was more focused on the mission. As far as he was concerned, he had learned enough about the kids to pass as their father in 2016. He knew their names and ages, and that was about it.

  Walter had had a trolley of bags delivered to the room. Matthew assumed the bags would be passed out among the travelers, and he was right. Each member of the team received one backpack. Walter explained that the mission notes were located in Addie and Bryan’s bags. Information about 2016 was located in Amanda and Matthew’s bags. He never mentioned Steven’s bag.

  “When you get to 2016, you will need to follow my instructions to find your new residence and then start the mission from there. It’s pretty simple. Addie and Bryan are the parents. Amanda and Matthew are their children. You’re twins, by the way; obviously not identical. Steven is your little brother. Any questions?”

  Matthew raised his hand. “What’s the primary goal, Walter?”

  Walter replied, “Get the trans-x charm. Any other questions? Good. Let’s begin.”

  Walter was not in a question-and-answer mood, so
Matthew backed off and let him continue his long speech on the importance of the mission and what was at stake. Matthew already knew all of this stuff and just wanted to get a move on.

  “Each of you, including Amanda and Steven, has a copy of my Hathmec along with copies of the health charm and attribute charm. The Hathmec is a very powerful device and should only be used in the most dire of circumstances. You don’t want to be found out while you are there. The Minister hadn’t yet taken any worldwide control in 2016, but he had started to infiltrate some high levels of government. He knew powerful people, and he controlled powerful people.”

  Matthew hoped they wouldn’t run into Keith Kellington while they were there. He had had enough of him in 1984 and didn’t want Amanda to have to deal with him again. In fact, if Keith was around Virginia in 2016 and did see Amanda, he would almost certainly remember her from Travis and all that happened around it.

  Walter moved over to the main control panel, where he punched a few buttons and turned a few knobs. Matthew had no idea what he was doing, but whatever it was, it caused the tunnel to burst into a new level of light and color. Images poured from the tunnel as they had before, but this time, Steven and Amanda were able to see the tunnel before jumping in to it.

  Steven was amazed. “Look at all the pictures. I see people, too!”

  Amanda stared into the tunnel, seemingly hypnotized by the images. “It’s like a pinball machine lighting up but with a hundred movies playing in the background. I can’t believe this thing allows you to travel through time.”

  Walter stood back, also marveling at the tunnel. He had seen it dozens of times, but it still impressed him as much today as it had the first time he’d fired it up. “It truly is a marvel of science, isn’t it?”

  Addie walked to Walter’s side and said, “I just hope this marvel of science can get us there and bring us home in one piece.” Walter assured her there was nothing to worry about. He had complete faith in the tunnel, and he also had complete faith in his team.

  As the group made its final adjustments prior to leaving, Walter came up to Matthew and placed something into his hand. Puzzled, Matthew opened it and saw that it was another watch. He looked at Walter and said, “I thought the watch could only be used once.”

  “The red button on the side of the watch could only be used once,” Walter replied. “Everything else still works, and I figured it might come in handy at some point.”

  Matthew was excited to have the watch back, but he was surprised that Walter had given it to him. After what had happened the evening before, Matthew wasn’t sure if Walter would trust him with something like that again. He was glad he did. As if reading his thoughts, Walter leaned in and whispered in Matthew’s ear, “Don’t worry about last night. It’s been forgotten.”

  Agent Johnson did a final check of the bags, telling Matthew that he’d added a few surprises. Everyone put their backpack on and held hands: Matthew held Amanda’s hand, who held on to Steven’s hand, who held on to Addie’s hand, who held on to Bryan’s hand. The group was ready to go, the tunnel was buzzing with activity, and the hearts of the entire group were thumping with fear and anticipation.

  Walter yelled one final instruction.

  “You all leave together, and you all come home together.”

  Addie turned her head for a moment and looked back at Walter. She smirked and then started the countdown. “On the count of three. One… two…”

  Matthew yelled out, “It only hurts for a minute!”

  “Three!”

  The entire group walked into the tunnel hand in hand, and within the blink of an eye, they were gone. Walter stood there for several minutes, hoping beyond hope that both of his teams would accomplish their missions. Johnson asked, “Six months is a long time. Do you think they’ll get everything done?”

  Walter walked over to the rorimite tunnel’s control panel and said, “I think things will become much clearer when they get back. For all of us.”

  Chapter 10

  IT’S JUST A BIRD

  “Look, I know I said we’d be late if you didn’t step on it, but I don’t think little cars like this were made to dart in and out of traffic like this,” Matthew cried as he held on to the handle at the top of the car door. His only comfort was that the Hathmec would protect him if he and Amanda were in some sort of traffic accident.

  Amanda pressed down on the accelerator of the little two-door, sky-blue, ergo-friendly vehicle the new Chance family had purchased a couple of months ago. As they lived thirty minutes from the college campus, getting there required some proper transportation. While neither Matthew nor Amanda was crazy about the car choice, they were both happy to have something to drive. On this particular morning, Amanda had drawn the long straw and got to drive with Matthew as her passenger.

  “What’s the matter, bro? I thought you were all about speed. Besides, my hand-eye coordination is awesome with the Hathmec pumping me up every morning.”

  “I’m all about speed and coordination.” Matthew replied. “Careening off the road into a tree isn’t my idea of a good time.”

  It wasn’t that Amanda was driving all that fast. The car could only accelerate up to eighty-five on its best day. It was the herky-jerky nature of her driving that turned Matthew into a weak-kneed, quivering pile of wuss.

  Not that any of this was new to Matthew. He had grown accustomed to being the second wheel of the new-look Chance twins. He’d put on a happy face and had everyone convinced that Amanda was his sister. He wouldn’t make any snide comments when she would call him bro. He didn’t flinch when she’d hug him and kiss him on the cheek, which seemed to happen every time she introduced him to someone new on campus.

  “This is my brother, Matthew. I love him so much! We’re the best of friends.” She would follow that up with a quick hug and peck on the cheek. Matthew didn’t mind. He was just glad he could spend time with her.

  It had been four months since Matthew, Amanda, Steven, Agent Addie, and Agent Bryan had walked into the rorimite tunnel and popped out in northern Virginia. To be accurate, they’d popped out in an abandoned field.

  It was 2016, and the acclimation to the new time and culture had been challenging for everyone in the new Chance family. Walter had once again done a masterful job of creating the backgrounds and rigging the systems in 2016. It allowed the new Chance family to fit into that world and flourish.

  This mission was going to take up to six months, so everyone had a longer time to get accustomed to their surroundings. For close to a month, they kept to themselves and just watched the world around them. They took their time and learned how the parents of the time interacted with their children. They would spend hours in shopping malls, in movie theaters, and on computers studying the Internet.

  Everyone in the family was amazed at the Internet. The information was endless. If they had a question about the town they lived in or the school they were going to, the answer was there. If they wanted to know what celebrity was married to that girl that had her own show on TV, they could find out on the Internet.

  The fact that Steven had picked up the use of the computer and how to surf the web faster than the adults was both a surprise and a welcome help to Addie and Bryan. While he homeschooled during the day, he would pull information for his new guardians. Addie figured he would learn more from the web than she could teach him.

  Matthew and Amanda took time to hone their skills with smart-phones, apps, and all the social media options that existed in 2016. They constructed pages that advertised their interests and learned all of the popular jargon. Tweets, hashtags, and profiles were all the rage. They took pictures of themselves eating a hamburger, drinking a bottle of water, or just looking at the mirror. Neither of them could understand why anyone would care about any of it, but when in Rome, do as the Romans do, right? They had to blend in and stand out at the same time, and it was tricky to find the right mix.

  The fake twins enrolled at Baylee College and were two months int
o their freshman year. The typical morning at the Chance home would follow a common pattern. Addie made sure everyone was up by six. She wasn’t much of a cook, but Bryan could throw together a mean omelet.

  Amanda would always take too long to get dressed. She would end up with some mix of colored leggings and a long, pullover top or just jeans with knee-high boots and a jacket. Colors and variety didn’t matter—she looked great in everything. She tried to keep to the styles that were most reminiscent of the 1980s, but she also enjoyed some of the more flashy styles from 2016.

  Matthew stuck with a basic preppy look. Amanda told him he looked good in it, so that was all he needed to hear. He would find a clean pair of khaki pants, throw on one of the many three-button collared shirts that he now owned, and then wait on Amanda.

  Addie played the part of a stay-at-home mom. This allowed her to stay on top of the mission and take care of Steven, who spent most of his day on the computer or going to basketball practice. The basketball games and practices were important to Addie. She used those times to speak with other parents in the area and, in this case, become friends with an important figure critical to their completing the mission.

  Bryan had found employment at Tiger Security, a local outfit responsible for security on campus and at all campus events. It was a perfect fit for him and a perfect fit for Walter’s plan. It would prove useful for keeping tabs on Matthew and Amanda while they were on campus.

  Addie found it frustrating to watch Bryan go off to a job every day. She was accustomed to being in the middle of the action. But for now she would have to play a role that she wasn’t as comfortable with. The black coat and sunglasses had been replaced with capri pants and colorful sweater-vests.

  It took only a few days in 2016 before her makeover was complete, and the rest of the team got a good laugh out of it. Amanda did her best to help Addie with her clothing options, and the time they spent together helped bring them closer. Amanda felt she had a true ally in Addie.