The Search for Cleo

by Aaron J. Ethridge

  “It is.”

  “What is it?”

  “It's called an MCB,” Vox answered. “A Molecular Cutter and Binder. It can cut things apart or stitch 'em together on a molecular level.”

  “Things like steel bars in windows,” Robert smiled.

  “It was lucky you thought to bring it with you,” Celeste observed.

  “It was,” the traveler agreed. “It's been in the car since we fired off the time cannon. I just happened to think to grab it 'in case'.”

  “Why did it take you so long to escape?” the green maiden asked, taking her love by the hand.

  “I had to wait until I was sure no one was looking.”

  “I'm glad that's all it was,” Morgan nodded. “I was afraid this was going to be another job where everything went wrong.”

  “What do you mean?” Robert replied with a slightly defensive tone. “None of our jobs have gone wrong.”

  “Are you insane?” Morgan laughed. “How many times did we fail to stop James Morgan the first?”

  “We didn't 'fail',” the traveler asserted. “Failing is when...”

  “You two can discuss what constitutes a failure over lunch,” Azure interjected, taking Morgan's hand in her own. “For the time being, let's just enjoy the walk, the weather, and the company.”

  Just over an hour after this, they had eaten lunch, made their way back to the ship, and sent the vessel hurtling back toward Never Never Land.

  “Cleo, love,” Robert said the moment they dropped into real space, “please reveal Emily's lunch.”

  “Belay that order, Miss Zelbizarre,” Morgan demanded.

  “You can't belay my orders, Morgan,” the traveler pointed out.

  “Alright then,” he nodded. “Cleo, can I do it, please?”

  “Go ahead,” she laughed, waving at the console.

  “Computer.”

  “Yes, Morgan,” the sultry voice replied.

  “You know my name?”

  “I certainly do.”

  “Who turned that on?” Cleo asked, her eyes locked on her love.

  “He did,” Robert replied, nodding at Morgan.

  “Who picked that voice for it?” Azure asked.

  “It's the default,” Morgan lied.

  “No,” Cleo corrected, “it's not.”

  “It was when I turned it on,” Morgan lied some more.

  “Rob,” the green maiden said, a touch of annoyance in her voice, “did you change the default?”

  “Nope. Vox?”

  “Not me, boss.”

  “Computer,” Cleo said.

  “Yes...” the machine almost sighed.

  “Is your current voice the default?”

  “I hope, Miss Zelbizarre,” the computer replied, “that your question isn't meant to be a veiled accusation. Surely you're not calling Morgan a liar.”

  “Is that normal?” Azure asked, pointing at the console.

  “Morgan,” Robert sighed, ignoring the blue maiden's question. “would you please just get on with it?”

  “Computer,” Morgan repeated.

  “Yes?” it said in anticipation.

  “Could you turn off the micro-holo-emitter?”

  “For you, Mister Harker,” it replied rather sexily, “it would be a sincere pleasure.”

  “That did it,” Cleo nodded, gazing down at the monitor in front of her. “Emily found her lunch and never met Norman. As a result, the first paradox was undone, she helped end the war, and a second – and far more serious – paradox was created by her not having Norman's babies.”

  “Glad I could be of help,” the computer said. “Be sure to let me know if you need anything else, Morgan.”

  “I will, thanks,” he smiled.

  This caused Azure to glare at the machine for some reason.

  “Step one is complete,” Robert said with a wide smile as he pushed buttons on the console. “Step two is to go back to just before Emily dies, sneak into the hospital, completely scan her brain, and snatch a blood cell from her. As we already have everything we'll need to do that, we have about two-and-a-half hours. What do we want to do with it?”

  Morgan instantly asserted that they should make use of the time to do a little marital arts training. Robert and the girls agreed to this proposal. Doc wanted to start a new e-book he had just bought, but assured them he could read it in the gym while they practiced. That way, he would be there if he were needed for any reason. Considering all the alternatives the ship had to offer, Vox and Celeste decided that taking a nap would be the best use of their time.

  An hour-and-a-half later, the two couples had finished their feigned fighting (which is another way of saying: they had completed their practice). Although Morgan hadn't 'impressed the girls with his mad martial arts skills', he had managed not to break any of his bones – or even sprain any of his joints.

  Once they were finished, Robert pointed out that Morgan probably needed to stretch out every day in order to make himself more limber. Both the girls pointed out that they did this every morning, right after they got up, in order to keep themselves flexible. For several seconds, this trapped the young man’s mind in a fantasy universe. However, Robert vigorously shaking him eventually brought him back to reality.

  With his mind back in his body, Morgan headed for the shower – as did three of his companions. Doc didn't need one as he had done nothing more than read the whole time. While the young man was scrubbing all the natural Morgan cologne from his body, he considered the fact that nearly two days had gone by since Cleo's program had fired off any events. He wondered if it was broken, if he could convince Robert to go ahead and modify it early, and whether he should start learning to program himself.

  The young man finished his shower, got dressed, and headed for the bridge. Robert was already there, and the girls arrived just minutes after Morgan did. The moment the maidens strode into the room, the traveler hit the comm and once again summoned everyone to the conference room.

  “We've got about half-an-hour,” Robert asserted as soon as everyone was seated. “Which should be plenty of time to get prepped.”

  “What do we need to do, boss?” Vox asked.

  “I need you to make up a couple of key cards,” Robert replied. “One will identify Doc as a doctor who's temporarily working for the hospital in which Miss Marrison will be dying. The other will show that Morgan is his medical assistant.”

  “I'm not sure I like this plan, Rob,” Doc said, shaking his head.

  “What?” Morgan replied defensively. “You don't want to work with me, Doc?”

  “It's not that at all, Morgan,” Doc smiled. “It's that Rob normally takes the lead in situations like this.”

  “Like what?” the young man shrugged.

  “As Rob means for me to pretend to be a doctor...” Doc began.

  “You are a doctor,” Morgan interjected.

  This caused Doc to pinch the bridge of his nose.

  “To pretend to be a doctor working for the hospital,” he continued. “there's a good chance we might end up a situation where I couldn't be entirely truthful.”

  “So?”

  “I never lie, Morgan.”

  “What?!” the young man asked with a rising inflection. “Never? You’ve got to be lying, Doc. I mean; I've never caught you in a lie before, but everybody lies, man.”

  “Not everybody,” Cleo and Azure replied in unison.

  “Whatever,” he said with another shrug. “Cleo, you and I were lying up a storm just hours ago.”

  “I did not lie,” she replied. “I told Emily that I was taking a class, and I was.”

  “Right...” he said slowly.

  “I was,” she insisted. “As such, although I was deceptive, I wasn't lying.”

  “Even if you did lie,” Morgan mused, “you won't have once we're done because we won't have to go back and hide her lunch in the first place.”

  “That's nonsense, Morgan,” Azure laughed. “She'll still have lied even if she
... un-lies?... in the future... Or would that be in the past?”

  “I didn't lie,” Cleo repeated.

  “We're getting rather far afield,” Robert pointed out.

  “We are,” Doc nodded. “My point is simply this: I don't think it's wise to place me in a position where lying might be the only way for me to conceal the truth.”

  “Say you did have to lie, Doc,” Morgan replied. “What's the big deal?”

  “That's a rather deep philosophical question,” Doc replied, “to which, there are a number of answers. For instance, Morgan, one of the truths of the universe is that without honesty, there can be no true friendship.”

  “What?” the young man laughed. “Are you serious? Rob is, like, the best friend I've ever had (the rest of you guys aside), and he lies basically non-stop.”

  “Although that's certainly true, it doesn't mean that he isn't honest,” Doc replied, before turning his eyes to the traveler. “Robert, do you ever lie to me?”

  “All the time, Doc.”

  “Would you tell me the truth on any given subject if I were insistent?”

  “Most of the time,” Robert admitted, rocking his head from side to side.

  “But not all of the time?”

  “Well, no,” he replied. “There are situations where that might cause... complications... or even be potentially dangerous.”

  “You see, Morgan,” Doc replied, waving his hand toward the traveler. “Complete honesty.”

  “You have a weird way of looking at it,” the young man laughed again.

  “There's also the fact,” Doc continued, “that I believe telling the truth always gives one better results than lying does.”

  “That point undermines your concerns,” Robert pointed out. “If telling the truth is the best way to handle things, then just tell the truth.”

  “What would happen if someone were to ask me if I were from the future?”

  “I have no idea,” the traveler replied. “But, you're the one who puts so much stock in the truth; not me. Personally, I'd just lie about it.”

  “Which is why sending me into a situation like this isn't a good idea,” Doc opined.

  “Look, Doc,” Robert said, “the easiest way to get into the hospital, and then into Emily's room, is by posing as a doctor. I could certainly do it, but you are a doctor. It'll be way easier for you to bluff your way out of any medical situations that might come up.”

  “Like what?” Morgan asked.

  “Like someone asking what to do for a headache,” Robert replied, rolling his eyes.

  “That's an easy one,” the young man said, “just tell 'em to take a couple of...”

  “I see your point,” Doc interrupted, rubbing his chin. “I suppose the odds are rather slim that anyone really would ask us if we were from the future.”

  “Very,” the traveler nodded. “The fact that Baguettian doctors are also fairly common on Rouladen at the target time is also a plus. You won't even need a holo-emitter.”

  “Why are Baguettian doctors common?” Morgan asked.

  “They have a great deal of empathy,” Robert replied. “As such, they're natural medics.”

  “I mean,” the young man clarified, “why are they common on Rouladen?”

  “After first contact was made,” the traveler explained, “the Rouladenians were very welcoming to alien species. The planet will be crawling with 'aliens' when we get back.”

  “Cool.”

  “I think so,” Robert chuckled.

  “Why send Morgan with him?” Celeste asked thoughtfully.

  “What do you mean?” the young man asked. “On occasion, I can be extremely helpful, you know.”

  “I realize that,” she nodded. “I just don't see how you'd be helpful in this situation.”

  “First off,” Robert said, “I've decided that each of you are going to practice working together without me. Should anything ever – heaven forbid – take me out of action, you all need to be able to handle any given situation on your own. You're all a good deal younger than me, and don't have nearly as much general experience as I do. Over the next few decades, you're going to work on getting more.

  “Second off, Morgan is getting better and better at talking his way out of tricky situations. Why, just before we headed down to the gym for practice...”

  “You're getting off topic, Rob,” Morgan interrupted, “and we're almost at our target. Make your point, so we can start getting ready.”

  “What did he do before we went to the gym?” Azure asked.

  “Nothing,” Robert lied. “I was just giving Celeste a practical demonstration.”

  “So,” Celeste replied, “you're sending Doc because he's a doctor, and Morgan because he's a liar?”

  “Exactly.”

  “In that case,” she smiled, “I think you've made the right decision.”

  “I agree,” he nodded. “Once we arrive, Azure and I are going to sneak into the hospital and setup a little device that will allow Cleo to hack into their computer system. Normally, we could do it remotely, but the hospital is using a closed system that doesn't have an internet connection – or even a wireless connection. Once we're finished with that, Vox is going to take control of the security system (just in case) and Cleo is going to alter their records to make Doc and Morgan, as well as me and Azure, new employees. Vox, Azure and I will also need key cards. We're going to be maintenance personnel.”

  “That won't be a problem,” Vox winked.

  “What am I supposed to do?” Celeste asked.

  “Whatever you want, Mama,” the traveler replied. “Like I told you, you just have to kind of jump in and figure things out as you go.”

  “In that case,” she replied, “I guess I'll just try to help Vox this time. I'm sure I can watch a monitor – even if that's all I can do right now.”

  “Don't worry,” he smiled, “you'll be able to do more before long. Now that we all know what we've got to do, let's get to it.”

  Get to it, they did. Vox started working on the key cards while the four members of the crew who would be leaving the ship got changed into appropriate clothing. Robert and Azure slipped into what appeared to be blue overalls. Doc and Morgan got dressed in blood-red clothes.

  “Give us a twenty minute head start,” Robert said, handing a stealth belt to Azure before beginning to hand out the key cards. “It'll take us about that long to get everything ready for the two of you.”

  “Should we take communicators?” Morgan asked.

  “Good suggestion,” Robert nodded. “Yes. Grab one from the armory as you head out, Doc. Azure and I will do the same.”

  “Certainly.”

  “Quick question,” Morgan said. “Why are our outfits red?”

  “They're the color of blood,” Doc replied.

  “Right,” the young man nodded. “Isn't that a little morbid, though?”

  “Because they're red,” Robert replied, “you can't tell when they're covered in blood. Earth was one of the few planets where doctors – who had to cut people open on a fairly regular basis – were crazy enough to wear white.”

  “Makes sense, I guess.”

  “Twenty minutes,” Robert said, turning to leave the chamber. “Then, follow us up.”

  “Aye, aye, sir,” Morgan replied.

  After roughly twenty minutes, Morgan and Doc were stepping from the interior of the currently invisible loading platform. Robert had parked the ship on a deserted lot on the edge of town and had given the pair a fistful of Rouladenian dollars so they could catch a cab. Morgan found himself hoping they would run into one before very much longer as he and Doc strolled down the sidewalk together.

  The young man was amazed at the changes that Rouladen had undergone in the seventy years since they had last been there. The first difference to attract his attention was the alteration in architecture. The quaint wooden houses that had once lined the streets had been replaced by more elegant – and larger – structures of steel and glass.


  He also noticed that security cameras had been mounted near the top of each of the currently glowing street lights that ran along the thoroughfare. Morgan wondered whether Cleo was going to need to erase all the video of them having come this way before all was said and done.

  As he was considering this idea, something in the sky above caught his eye. It was a two-seater helicopter-esque kind of vehicle that reminded the young man of an overgrown drone from back in his day. Obviously, as technologically advanced as the Rouladenians had become over the last few decades, they didn't have gravity drives yet. Or maybe they did, and they were just really expensive. Either way, the thing looked like it would be fun to fly. He would have to try to find out if he could rent one on the island and take Azure out for a picnic or something.

  Morgan's musing was interrupted by a cab stopping to ask them if they needed a ride. As they did, the rest of their trip to the hospital was made via not-so-future cab. Once they reached their destination, Doc paid their fare – complete with ludicrous tip – using what the young man suspected was 'funny money'. This attended to, the pair headed toward the massive structure.

  Before they attempted to make their way inside, Doc checked with Robert to make sure everything was ready. It was. Such being the case, the two approached the 'doctor's entrance', swiped their key cards, and strode confidentially through the door.

  “You know where we're going, Doc?” Morgan asked softly.

  “I know Emily's room number,” he replied. “That should be all we need.”

  “Maybe,” the young man replied without conviction, “but, in my mind, the floor plans of hospitals are laid out like mazes.”

  “It may seem that way to the uninitiated,” Doc chuckled, “but, I'm a doctor.”

  “Just don't get us lost,” Morgan replied. “How long do we have?”

  “A few hours. We'll find her room in far less time than that.”

  Doc led his companion further into the building, into an elevator, and up to the appropriate floor. With a swipe of his key card, Doc opened the double doors that stood between them and Miss Marrison's room. As her room number drew nearer, Morgan spoke.

  “Okay,” he smiled, “you were right. This was a piece of...”