by E. R. Mason
Colonel Eaton poured himself a cup of tea, sat across from his son and took another long look. “Well, I’m not one to talk. I was probably worse at your age. So tell me though, have you narrowed it down at all, pal?”
“What’s that, sir?”
“What you’re going to do now. Your grades came back pretty high. You can get in most anywhere. What do you think you’re going to do?”
“My grades were high? I . . . uh . . . I don’t know. . . .”
“Well, it’s all about where you want to end up. Military pilot? Corporate test pilot? Airline? I don’t really see you spending a whole lot of hours sitting there watching the autopilot follow the green line, son. You seem more like test pilot type to me.”
“You trying to get me killed, Dad?”
“Oh, you know it’s not like that. You study the engineering specs real good and learn every switch and button in the aircraft and there’s no way one of ‘em will ever get you. In all my flying time there was only one airplane that ever came close and that was a real strange story.” The Colonel paused and stared off in the distance for a moment remembering. “I’ll tell you that story someday when the time is right.”
“I’m just not in any shape to think about all this right now, Dad. All I know is that I want to do something for England. Maybe honor the World War II flyers somehow.”
“Where the heck is that coming from?”
“All this flying stuff just makes me think about what those guys went through. They had all the same problems flying as us, plus people were shooting at them.”
“Yeah, you got that right. Hey, you remember that time we took off from that grass strip off London Road? You were flying, and the bees came out of the air vent.”
Jax stopped sipping his tea to laugh. “Oh yeah. I made up my mind real fast that I was going to keep flying the airplane whether they stung me or not. But fortunately you became Bruce Lee and whacked all of them before they got us.”
“I had that happen again yesterday but it was just one bee. It brought back memories though.”
Hand shaking, Jax dared a sip from his tea. “Hey, that’s not as bad as that time we agreed to help Marty dump his uncle’s ashes out over the ocean. You kept yelling at him to keep the vase closed but he didn’t listen and as soon as the window was open he popped the top off and ashes blew all over the cabin so bad I couldn’t see a thing.”
The Colonel roared with laughter. “I had ashes in my eyes, ears and mouth even. What a horror story.”
“Yeah, if anybody ever asks, let’s not do that again.”
“Damn right,” replied the Colonel and he leaned forward and high-fived Jax.
Jax steadied his tea and looked lovingly at his father. “Dad, I’m glad you’re around, you know?”
The Colonel returned a look of wonder. “You not getting soft-hearted on me are you, buddy?”
“I’m just saying, Dad. I love you.”
“Oh boy, it’s getting thick around here. That sounds like my cue to get to work. You gonna be here later, Jax?”
“Yeah, I sure hope so.”
“Maybe we can go hit a few at the driving range. I’ve only got an engineering review and I’ll be back.”
The Colonel rose, grabbed his uniform jacket and headed for the door. He called back to Jax. “Wow! There is one red haired beauty coming up the drive, Jax. No wonder you were up all night, you dog.”
Jax could hear the conversation at the front door. A nervous female voice asked, “Is Jax here?”
“Yes, ma’am. He’s in the kitchen. Go right in.”
Jax turned in his seat to see Skyla appear in the kitchen doorway. She was a little out of breath and paused to put her hand on her heart and stare at him. Without taking her eyes away she entered and took a seat beside him. She gazed at length into both his eyes, one at a time like a doctor checking a patient, then sat back to catch her breath. She asked, “Do you know who I am?”
“That depends, am I dreaming, am I dead, or is all of this real?”
“How much do you remember?”
“Everything, along with some stuff I’ve never remembered before!”
“For once I’m glad to hear the old Jax Eaton sense of humor. Do you have any pain, a bad headache for example? Have you been sick, like with vomiting?”
“No headache, other than from believing what I’ve seen of the world so far. There was a bit of that sick thing when I woke up, but nothing since.”
“That was your father I just met going out the door, wasn’t it?”
“I’m still not sure I believe that.”
“My God, you prevented a death! You’ve completely rewritten your childhood. Do you have new memories of growing up?”
“Not that I can tell. But, the particle generator bomb worked, didn’t it?”
Skyla paused and appraised Jax like a pandering mother. She nodded. “Yes. It worked. It always does. The ship was destroyed. Time has been reset. You say you remember our entire mission?”
“Yes, and friends I left behind.”
“So you now have a completely different childhood and yet you say you only remember our mission?”
“Believe me, I am on a roller coaster. I remember how things were, our mission, and then being back here, but nothing else. When I came downstairs I never expected to run into my father, but there he was. It nearly knocked me over.” Jax stopped and rubbed his eyes with one hand. Abruptly, he looked back up at Skyla. “Wait a minute! While I was talking to him he reminded me of a time he and I were flying together and I did remember that. It just popped into my head after he mentioned it. Then there was something about spreading a friend’s ashes and I remembered that, too! Both of those were brand new memories. Holy crap!”
Skyla sat back. “I don’t believe it.”
“What? What is happening to me?”
“I’ve never seen or read about anything like it. Your mind has preserved your original memories and placed the memories of the new timeline in a sort of buffer. It’s allowing you to add them a little bit at a time to make the consolidation easier. Eventually you will have reconstructed the new timeline and have both available to you. My people will be astounded.”
“You think I’m going to survive this, then?”
“You will be like a man with amnesia remembering the new timeline in bits and pieces. You’ll run into people you don’t know but suddenly remember them. When you see pictures of your childhood, you’ll remember. It will all come to you eventually. It’s just bizarre, but in a very good way.”
A flush of guilt suddenly swept over Jax. “Oh my gosh! What about you? Are you alright? What an idiot I am. I should be worried about you, not me.”
Skyla suddenly looked pleased. “It was a smooth ride for me. Very little changed. There will still be details to attend to, though. I’m sure no one’s realized Remy is missing yet. That’s going to come up. We don’t know what other changes there are but you can be sure some are out there.”
“Rem, I still can’t believe he’s gone.”
“I’ll never forget him, either. I owe him a great deal. It’s a tough thing.”
“But you’re sure you’re okay? Have you been like checked out or anything? Is there something I should be doing for you?”
“I’m fine, Jax. You’re the one who looks like a wreck, believe me. You’ve got two or three years of war on you.”
“My father says I look ten 10 years older. He thinks I’ve been partying too much.”
“Believe it or not, we’re going to give you back those years. My people have that ability. They’ll transition you back to your old physical self. I’ll be helping with that.”
“So when do I finally get the full story of who you are? It’s been driving me nuts for too long.”
“We have to go for a long boat ride. We can do it tomorrow. But it’s going to be quite a shock.”
“You’re kidding. A boat ride?” Jax started to ask more but was interrupted by the doorbell.
&nbs
p; “Saved by the bell,” said Skyla as he rose to see who it was.
At the front door, Jax stood puzzled. Standing there was a man in a very formal chauffeur’s uniform. Parked behind him was a long black limousine.
“Jax Eaton?” the man asked.
“Yeah? That’s me.”
“Sir, my employer has sent me to ask you for a meeting of great importance. I am to take you to his office immediately, if possible.”
“What? Who is your employer?”
“Sir, I have been instructed not to say anything further, just that it is of the utmost importance that you allow me to drive you.”
“What is this about?”
“Sir, I am not allowed to say.”
Jax turned his head and yelled, “Sky . . .”
He stood appraising the chauffer as she joined him. “So you can’t tell me who is requesting this or why. Can you tell me where you would be taking me?”
“It’s a short ride downtown, sir.”
“Why doesn’t your employer come here himself?”
“Sir, he is unable.”
“And if I refuse to go?”
“My employer will be greatly disappointed and will probably send me back here for subsequent requests.”
Jax looked at Skyla. “Is this something to do with your people?”
Skyla looked the man over and shook her head. “I have no idea what this is about.”
“What do we do?”
“We’d better go see what it’s about.”
“Driver, can I bring someone along with me?”
“I was not given any instructions about extra guests, sir. So, I see no reason the young lady can’t join us.”
“Okay, then we’ll go with you.”
“Very good, sir.”
It was a luxurious limo. The driver dutifully opened a rear door for them to enter. On the road, they dared not speculate for fear the driver was listening. For Jax, the city going by beyond the dark tinted windows was not the city he had known the past three years. There were no bombed out buildings or streets. People were everywhere in colorful clothes. The shadow of Hitler was nowhere to be seen.
In an expensive section of the downtown business district, the driver finally pulled up to the front of a tall glass building. He hurried out and opened the rear door for them.
“Someone will meet you inside and take you up,” he said as they stepped out.
Jax gave Skyla a bewildered look. She shrugged and shook her head. They entered the building through automatic glass doors. The interior boasted a 40 foot high ceiling with balconies. In the center of the entrance area, a woman in a dark dress suit waited behind a circular security counter. Metal detector barriers were located on either side of it. As Jax approached she looked up and her eyes widened with pleasure.
“Oh, Mr. Eaton, we were told to expect you. If you’d just sign in here, Mr. Wells has asked to escort you up himself. I’ll notify him.”
Jax turned to Skyla and shrugged. She answered with slightly too loud a laugh.
“We need your guest to sign in as well, sir. If you don’t mind.”
Skyla gave an exaggerated smile and signed her name on the register. The attendant reached out and clipped a badge on Jax then Skyla. It declared them both cleared to visit SAID Corporation. Jax started to ask what SAID Corporation did exactly but was interrupted by a jolly man speed-walking toward him. He wore an expensive black suit with a loud orange tie that did not belong.
“Mr. Eaton, this is such a pleasure at last!” He jutted out one hand and shook Jax’s vigorously. Slightly off balance, he noticed Skyla and held out a hand to her as well. “Dexter Wells, ma’am and your name is?”
“Just Skyla will do, I think.”
“So glad to meet you, Skyla. Well, if the two of you will follow me, I’ve been directed to take you up as soon as you arrived.”
As they walked Skyla dared a question. “Mr. Wells, may I ask your position with SAID?”
“I’m executive vice president of marketing, Skyla. But, I still dabble in software design quite a bit. Mr. Remer encourages all his employees to preserve their fundamental skills. I’d imagine you will be doing the same, Mr. Eaton.”
Jax and Skyla exchanged another look of disbelief. Skyla paused in thought then leaned in to Jax. “Mr. Remer?” she said in a whisper.
Wells led them past a row of silver elevators, then turned left into a small adjacent room with a single smaller elevator. He placed a thumbprint on a keypad and the doors open. The three crowded in. There was only one button on the panel. Wells tapped it and the ride up began.
When the doors slid open, it seemed likely that this was the top floor, a suite that took up its entirety. They stepped out into a greeting room with chairs, an oak table, a small chandelier and windows looking out over the city.
“Give me just one moment to alert him we’ve arrived.” Wells disappeared through an open door. He returned a moment later with a nurse by his side. “Mr. Remer has asked that you go right in. We’ll wait here. Call if you need anything.”
After a moment of hesitation, Jax and Skyla stepped through the open double doors to a very large, well lit room that could have been a sitting room in any fine castle estate. It was filled with antiques and expensive décor. At the far end of the room a very large canopy bed was against one wall. There were medical devices stationed alongside it. A man with barely any white hair left was sitting up in the bed. He appeared to be in his sixties. A breathing tube was coming from his face. Medical sensors were attached to one arm. Pulse and BP were reading out on screens nearby.
Instantly there was no doubt in Jax’s mind. A freight train of new emotions plowed through him. Before he could collect himself to speak, a gravelly voice called out from the bed.
“Well you dog, aren’t you gonna at least come over and say hi?”
Jax hurried to the bedside. “Rem . . .?”
“And even Sky, too! More than I could have hoped for!”
“But you were . . . You went back in for the damn mobile phone. The building was leveled!”
Remy coughed a partial laugh and smiled weakly. “Me and one other made it out a side door and into a basement in the alleyway. But, that place got bombed out too. We were buried for a week. When they finally dug us out I was in a coma for more than a month. They did so many x-rays to fix the broken parts it was amazing that didn’t kill me. But, I was never caught up in the time shift thing ever again. Spent more than a year in rehab but I got better and became Arthur Remer. Getting rich was pretty easy. You wouldn’t believe the things I’ve done and seen. Don’t let this damned death bed appearance fool you. I wouldn’t change a thing.”
“My God, Rem!”
Remy looked at Skyla and smiled. “Don’t worry, boss. I was careful not to change anything major. It was easy to create a new identity. From there I just dabbled my way to wealth. No big historic breakthroughs. I watched the two of you from afar when enough time passed. Jax, I was there at the hospital when you were born. Stayed out of sight for all that. I knew exactly what day we were last here in the present. That was today. So I knew that probably the only way you guys could still be here today was if you made it back.”
“You are a very smart man, Remy,” said Skyla.
“There was some problems along the way. Things that I remembered were changed. Like Jax’s Dad didn’t die. That blew my mind. There were other things, too. You remember that park down the road from your place? The one dedicated to that school teacher and her kids that were killed in the bombing?”
Jax nodded.
“Well, that school is back. It was rebuilt. There’s no park and no plaque out front. The teacher and her kids were never lost. That and some other changes gave me headaches, but I’m okay with it now.”
Skyla asked, “What is your condition exactly, Remy?”
“It’s not as bad as it looks. It’s the asthma, actually. I have more and more bouts of that crap as I age.”
“My people wi
ll be coming along to fix that, Remy. They’ll also give you back quite a few years.”
“Your people, Skyla?” asked Remy.
“It’s a long story. I’ll tell you all about it when the time is right. You’ll be 20 years younger maybe more when their done with you. It’s partial payment for helping me.”
“Well, that’s bad news for you, Jax boy. I was about to turn this place over to you. If she’s telling me the truth, maybe a silent partnership would be a better arrangement.”
Jax put a hand on Remy’s shoulder. “Rem . . .”
“Oh don’t go getting all mushed-up on me, Jax. Tell me, you did it, right? You destroyed the time shift, right?”
“It never happened,” replied Skyla.
“So you guys gonna tell me what I missed?”
Jax looked around, found two chairs and dragged them beside the bed. He and Skyla sat and told their tales to their astonished friend.
Chapter 27
Jax stood at the end of the High Street dock staring out over the Hadleigh Ray. It was high tide and the sun was just rising above the horizon painting the sky aqua blue. The black water around the pier was rippling, then calming, then rippling again. In the distance, the bow of Skyla’s Sundancer was cutting through the water toward him. Today was the day.
Skyla pulled up to the dock with a precision that seemed unlikely. She hopped down to the deck, came to him, and stood staring with raised eyebrows and her hands on her hips. “Well are you going to get onboard or have you changed your mind?”
Jax scoffed and stepped aboard. “You’re not grumpy today, are you?”
“No! It’s just that with the boat not being tied to the dock it looked like you were chicken.”
“Ma’am. I’ve been flying shot up Lancasters over the North Sea with nothing but a Mae West. You think I’m chicken?”
“Wow! Touché! Well stow your gear, cabin boy. Your butt is mine now.”
“Uh-oh! What’s got into you? You sure you can drive this thing?”
Skyla came to Jax, hooked one arm around his neck, and planted a long passionate kiss on his lips. “Did Mommy and Daddy say it was alright to be gone for three days?”