Same Self

by Brad Raylend

  The man set the tablet down on the table and stood, extending his hand towards Todd. “My name’s Steven Bohden. I’m the one who extracted you from D.C.”

  Todd’s face displayed his surprise. “So you’re the one I have to thank … I really appreciate it.”

  Todd had been wondering who saved his life that night. He shook Bohden’s hand and then cracked open the soda and drank nearly the entire can in one tip. The carbonated drink was sweet and brought him back to reality.

  “How are you handling all this?” Bohden asked, crossing his muscular arms. He appeared to be in his late forties, having gray hair near his temples. He wore a black polo shirt and coyote cargo pants, an oddly familiar fashion sense to the government and contractor types that Todd often worked with.

  “It’s a lot to take in, but I think I’m handling it as good as anyone could.”

  Bohden sat back down in his chair. “So CAG huh?” he said with a grin. “Never took you for the Army type. The last guy was about as SEAL as they come. He was with Development Group.” His deep voice carried a weight to it that gave him a menacing presence.

  “Yeah, I was surprised when they told me that. I had never even considered the Navy when I was younger. I’m not sure how that difference happened,” Todd said as he took a seat at the adjacent table.

  He began studying Bohden’s appearance and demeanor. “You’re no scientist, and to be able to find me in D.C. in the middle of a war zone … and survive, would have required at the very least some sort of training.”

  Bohden nodded. “No, I’m no scientist. I’m with Langley … or, at least I used to be. I was a paramilitary operative during the early days of the War; that’s when I met a brilliant scientist who had just made the greatest scientific breakthrough in the history of mankind. I then became the CIA liaison for this project.”

  Todd tilted his head. “So … is this facility run by the CIA, or at least funded by them? Because I thought the CIA was disbanded by Kennedy in the original timeline.”

  Bohden snickered. “Well it was, but when you shatter something into a million pieces, chances are eventually those pieces are going to come together. It wasn’t until 1978, during the Carter Administration, that the need for a covert agency was once again seen as a necessary asset in order to combat a new type of enemy.”

  “How do you guys get all the tech? How do you sustain the place, the people?” Todd asked, motioning around the room.

  Bohden sipped his coffee and licked his lips. “Let’s just say we’re not exactly a law-abiding organization. Much like the CIA, we do what we must do to succeed and survive. So, if we have to visit the future or the past every once in a while and grab resources from various places around the world, we do it.”

  Todd raised an eyebrow and stood up. “Well, I guess you do what you have to in the apocalypse.” He walked over to the door that led to the rooms but stopped when Bohden spoke.

  “I’ll be seeing you around. Do your best to get rested and back in shape; we have some important matters to attend to very soon. We’re going to need your help.”

  Todd nodded with a raised eyebrow, somewhat irritated with Bohden’s apparent lack of patience towards his recovery. He had just survived a traumatizing event and was already being prepped for what felt like a deployment work-up. The door closed behind him as he went to his room.

  Todd sat on his bed, looking out the window. He took in what he had learned that day. He still was in disbelief. The whole situation was surreal, but he had a good feeling about Albrecht and the students. Todd had a knack for spotting people who were phony early on. He could tell this was a good bunch. The only one he was unsure about was his new acquaintance, Bohden. Maybe he was a little pre-judgmental of him because of his lack of trust towards the Agency. He had been hung out to dry on several occasions by CIA guys like Bohden during operations in Africa and Europe. Todd would keep his guard up around him, but he would also give him a chance. Like the rest of the people here, the man was trapped in an alternate timeline, hiding from his future. Chances were he had cut all ties with the CIA, and possibly everyone and everything he knew, much like the rest of the individuals here.

  During his briefings that day, Todd had been informed that the year he currently resided in was 2016. This information was enough to make his head spin. The facility was literally hiding from the future in the North Pole. Todd continued to try and wrap his head around the multiple timeline situation. Since it was the year 2016, it meant there were now three Todd Yorks in existence. York, the original, if he was indeed still alive. Todd, himself; and a 16-year-old Todd York attending high school in Colorado.

  Todd was about to lay down when he noticed the journal sitting on the nightstand. He stared at it for a moment, then picked it up. He opened it to one of the early entries.

  November 22, 1963

  The cheers of the crowd escalated in the distance, which meant the time was drawing near. The warm Texas weather was beginning to get on my nerves, or perhaps it was my own eagerness. Amber had just put in the new cooling system in the suit, but I think too much of her attention went to the upper body.

  My groin was on fire. I felt like I was sitting in a pool of my own sweat. It didn’t matter anymore though; I had been sitting on the roof of the book depository for the past twelve hours and it was about to pay off. I checked and rechecked my weapon.

  For this op, I’d chosen the suppressed 308 semi-automatic, courtesy of Kev. I wasn’t planning on missing, but having a few extra rounds in the magazine would come in handy if the Secret Service somehow caught on to me (but the chances of that were slim to none, plus I’d have that dipshit downstairs to draw their attention). The new improvements on the cloaking system were ten times that of the tech I had used back at ST6. If it hadn’t been for the impressive tech, I would have never agreed to do this op. I didn’t like that it was midday, but Kara had explained that after Lee Harvey Oswald’s attempt on this day, his security tightened up exponentially for the remainder of his time in office.

  Kevin had applied an outer coating of the micro imagining system on the DMR, which made it almost as invisible as I was. Although it was extremely effective, I had to make sure to keep my rifle attached to me at all times so that I didn’t lose it. I could hear the motorcade now. I looked back down the road to the L-shaped intersection.

  I could see the black vehicles and police bikes rounding the corner. The sidewalks were filled with civilians waving American flags and cheering. The cheers grew louder as the vehicles came closer. I checked the cable lanyard on my belt; the small carabineer was set to release in thirty seconds once I began putting tension on the system. I pulled the line out a few inches, ensuring there were no obstructions to keep it from letting out slack. I did a few last checks on my gear, making sure everything was still attached to me. I wore a chest rig on the outside of the suit, which carried spare mags and a few extra gadgets courtesy of the boys and girls at the facility. I also wore a lightweight climbing harness which carried my side arm, and I had the lanyard system on my lower back. Thirty seconds and he would be in the right spot.

  I did a chamber check really quick and shouldered the weapon. Although the targeting system displayed in the visor of my helmet was extremely effective, I preferred the old-fashioned way. My rifle was equipped with a 20-power scope that automatically made adjustments based on range and wind.

  Twenty seconds. He was lucky he got away with riding with no top on the first time. If Oswald had been worth a damn the first time around, I wouldn’t even need to be here.

  He was worthless as a sniper, but he’d end up proving his value when he took the rap for the assassination. The percussive sound of my time jump exit would pass as an un-suppressed gunshot. They’d be all over Oswald before he even had a chance to scratch.

  Ten seconds. I glanced back and could see the open top Lincoln with the six individuals inside it. His wife was wearing all pink, and I knew she was sitting next to him. It would make it easier to
acquire my target. The limo was now on the final stretch of the road. I pressed the rifle tight into my shoulder and peered through the scope. The crosshairs danced on his head. He wasn’t making any drastic movements that complicate the shot.

  I waited for a lull. Once he stopped waving to the crowd, I let out a smooth breath and squeezed the trigger.

  The round barely made a sound as it left the suppressor, but it hit a little lower than I had intended. FUCK!

  The other people in the car could tell something was up. He was hunched over and his wife was at his side. It would be only moments before they realized he had been shot and the limo would take off.

  I leveled the crosshairs on him once more, this time taking extra time to use all the fundamentals. I ensured there was no scope shadow by adjusting my cheek weld. I rotated my shoulders forward, ensuring my body had complete control over the weapon system. Using the very tip of my trigger finger, I squeezed the trigger. The round hit him in the head, erupting a pink mist. A kill shot no doubt. I could hear Oswald beneath me cranking out multiple rounds with his Carcano rifle.

  He’d take the heat just like he had the first time, only now they would pin him with actually killing the man rather than just attempting. I didn’t stop to see how it panned out; I’m sure it would be easy to find the event on the internet back in the future.

  I slung my weapon to my back and sprinted to the east side of the roof. Reaching back, I pulled out the line on the cable lanyard and looped it around a steam pipe that stuck up from the roof. I locked the carabineer to the line. The locking nut began clicking counter-clockwise and would unlock in thirty seconds. I ran to the side of the building. I did one last check on the line before I leapt off. The retention system hissed as it let out the line and I plummeted to the earth. When I was stable in midair, I pressed the initiation button on the MTX. One moment I was falling towards a small patch of grass on a sunny Texas day, and the next moment I landed in a puddle.

  It was now a dark rainy day in the year 2011. I radioed D for extraction. I was pulled out a few hours later. Although the mission was a success, it still bothers me to this day how I missed that first shot. That was some amateur shit. I better spend some time with Kevin and sharpen my long-range skills. From time to time I think about him, and how his death was necessary. I look at the skeletons in his closet to help ease my mind. The man had cheated on his wife multiple times with a celebrity whore. He was a politician; men of that caliber would sell their own mother to stay in office. I think of these things, and it helps me look past it.

  TRAINING

  The next morning, Todd conversed with several of the workers during breakfast and found most of them to be quite charming individuals who were pleased to speak with him. It was obvious the last York had established good relationships with the men and women at the facility. From what he had gathered, the first York had charisma, and possibly even a sense of humor.

  He started the morning talking to Corey, a twenty-nine-year-old Californian who had been one of Albrecht’s students for less than a year when they began the project. Todd was amazed to hear of Albrecht’s dedication to his students. They were like his family. He and the forty-some-odd men and women were part of the original timeline which saw the war begin in 2019. Albrecht used the technology he and his students had created to escape their dark future, and together they had continued working in an effort to alter the events that forced them into hiding. What started as a conversation with one, became two, then three.

  An hour later nearly the entire staff was all in the break room asking questions and sharing jokes with Todd. Kara was not among them. However, it was obvious she was held in high regard among them. Many of the students called her the brains behind the operation. Whenever they were about to send York back to a period of time, they would consult with her about the time frame. She had a Master’s degree in American history, which led Todd to wonder how she had gotten caught up with a bunch of theoretical physicists. None of the students could give him a straight answer as to how Kara had gotten involved in the program.

  Amber was among the group, and she seemed excited that Todd was asking about Kara. Kara couldn’t have been much older than twenty-five. He didn’t think she and the previous York could have had a relationship, or at least he hoped he wouldn’t have done such a thing. He was thirty years old. It was his understanding that the other York was also thirty when they found him, and he was with the facility for a little over five years which meant she would have been in her early twenties. Whether they did or didn’t have something, he made it a point to keep a distance from her and to keep it strictly professional. He wasn’t about to lead the young woman on.

  “Has she always been so … apprehensive?” he asked Amber quietly.

  “I’ve known her for six years, and for as long as I can remember she has always been that way.”

  Todd leaned forward. “Do you people get out much, take some kind of leave?”

  She sighed heavily at the question. “No, not really.”

  Todd shook his head in disbelief. “You’re telling me you have been here for six years … in this metal building?”

  She nodded and smiled slightly. “I’ve seen the outside world. I was there when the Communist forces invaded the U.S. If living at Santa’s Workshop means I don’t have to see people thrown out into the streets and killed ever again, then I’m okay with it.”

  Todd was amazed by her frankness. “The year is 2016, though. The war isn’t going on yet. Are you guys stuck up here?”

  Amber looked confused at the question and she shook her head. “Oh God no. We can leave at any time. We choose to stay. I can’t tell you how many times the professor has thrown out his offer to have us flown out of here. In a day, we could be anywhere in the world. However, we must take into consideration that we all have a same-self in existence.”

  “You guys must have one hell of a plane out there,” Todd said, pointing in the direction of the front entrance with his thumb.

  “Oh yeah, Odin. It’s an old military C17 that has been heavily modified. It’s not the most glamorous plane, but it gets the job done.” She laughed. “It has enough living space for everyone in the facility. It also has the medical bay on board.”

  “Hmm, so that’s where I woke up after you guys found me,” Todd said, recalling the events from a few days earlier. “Who flies it?”

  “That would be me!” said a man in the kitchen.

  Todd turned to see a tall, lanky man leaning against the sink. He was an older fellow who had clearly given up on his receding hairline and was now bald. He wore a flight suit that was zipped down with the sleeves tied around his waist, showing a faded Star Wars t-shirt.

  “Name’s Shawn Dietrich, but everyone just calls me “D.” I’m the pilot, and co-pilot, and pretty much everything else here at the workshop.” He winked at Amber. He had a slight Boston accent that had most likely dissipated a bit due to years of immersion amongst the students.

  Amber laughed and rolled her eyes. “He’s also the group nerd.”

  “Were you military?” Todd asked, nodding at the flight suit.

  “Eh, I was, then I got the hell out and tried putting my degree to proper use. That’s how I met Brian.”

  “How’d you get ahold of Odin?” Todd asked

  “Ah … yeah, ask Bohden. He did his G-man thing and pulled one out of his ass before we started the program.”

  Todd nodded with a slight grin. “You named the plane after the god of war?”

  D chuckled. “With the exception of Mr. Grumpy Bohden, we prefer the Odin as the god of wisdom and knowledge.”

  Everyone remaining in the room let out a laugh. It was now 8:30 a.m. and they began cleaning their dishes and headed out into the work areas. Todd was one of the last. Amber stayed with him. They both washed off their plates and headed to the R&D lab. Amber talked the entire time.

  He was met by Albrecht and Kevin in the R&D lab. Kevin bounced from foot to foot in excitement ab
out something.

  “What’s going on?” Todd asked as he approached them.

  “I think it’s time you start prepping for your first mission, Todd.” Kevin had his hands deep in his pockets. He rocked back on his heels. “We don’t have much time to get you ready, so we need to start knocking out the checklist.”

  “Checklist?” Todd shrugged.

  “We can’t send you back in time and expect you to just fit in to the local populace.” Albrecht made his way over to his desk and tapped the table, making the keyboard to his monitor come to life. “I thought it would be good for you to start with something you might enjoy. Kevin here will assist you.”

  Todd was led out into the hallway and down to the front entrance where Kevin opened the main door. Todd squinted as the sun reflected off the white surface. Kevin stepped outside and pulled a pair of ballistic sunglasses out of his pocket, handing them to Todd, who was quite familiar with the brand.

  “Thanks,” he said as he placed them over his eyes.

  The clear lenses automatically darkened into a comfortable setting. An Internal Heads up Display in the top left corner of the lens displayed the time, temperature, and elevation. Kevin led Todd to a single-story building next to the main facility. He punched in a code on the keypad beside the door and it slid open. Todd took a moment to look at the exterior of the facility. It looked enormous in the daylight. The outside looked far less state of the art than the inside. On the roof stood a giant metal antenna at least a hundred feet tall. The assembly was supported by cables that ran out diagonally towards the ground several hundred yards around the perimeter of the building. The aircraft hangar was vast and appeared as though it were capable of holding multiple large aircraft. The runway was a single long strip that stretched so far out across the white landscape that it was lost in the glare of the sun. Kevin led Todd over to the second building that lay between the main structure and the hangar.

  The two of them stepped inside and were greeted by a rush of warm air. Kevin closed the door behind them and turned on the crisp LED lights. They reflected off the polished grated steel walls of the warehouse. There were two rooms, one on each side of the warehouse. Against the far wall was an indoor shooting range complete with a track system on the ceiling for setting up moving targets. The back wall held a large bullet trap. Next to the shooting range was a large rubber mat with a few weight machines and a bench and a rack filled with dumbbells. Kevin walked over to the room on the right and opened the door. He motioned Todd over with a big smile. Todd stepped into the room as Kevin called out to the automated lights. The room lit up and Todd’s jaw dropped.