“Yes, well thank you. Can you tell us, exactly, what is my situation? What did happen?”
Wheeler turned, examining the room closely.
“You two better sit down for this.”
Angie leaned onto the bed and picked up her Knofer.
“Do I have to leave this out?” she asked.
Wheeler looked out the window at the sunrise. “There is no more beautiful sight…No, that’s alright, no need…”
He turned around and began to describe the event.
“I remind you that your Knofer has a record of all knowledge, Angie. And, your father has authorized these defense protocols. I am your link to those protocols.” He smiled kindly. “There is no reason to fear anything, yet. So relax, and we will fix this?”
Angie and Brian looked at one another.
“But,” Brian said, “if this isn’t my Angie, where is she? Who is this; and, where am I?”
“Brian, you are you and she is she, Angie is Angie. We are all who we seem to be but split. Consider her a sort of mirror image; if that helps; but not a reverse image”
“You mean I’m a reflection?”
Brian stood up and walked several steps.
“Or, are you both reflections, or am I?”
Angie sat up disturbed and uncomfortable. “What? I know I am real…”
She and Brian locked eyes as Wheeler spoke,
“Listen, carefully, you two. Reflection is just a word to help you. You are both very real. The laws of physics regarding space, time and matter can be easily understood, or very complicated. Let’s just say, Angie, you ran into something that bumped you into a different room.”
“So, where’s my Angie. She has got to be freaking out?”
Wheeler didn’t skip a beat with his reply, “She is in the other room.”
“Woe,” Brian said. “So, we are in an alternate Universe or something?”
Wheeler watched him sit down on the bed, agitated. So, he tried to explain, in simple terms, “No; not at all…Are you both familiar with the phrase, ‘my heart skipped a beat’?”
“Yes,” they nodded.
“Well, you are between beats of time. You are not moving in time. You are stuck in is what is called a ‘time anomaly’. This particular one is an event, out of control…”
Both Angie and Brian wore blank expressions.
“…I know; it is technical. I am here, to help you correct this; and, to prevent you from staying here, any longer than you have to. And, we have to prevent you from causing the Knofer to advance to the next defense level. That could cause a permanent separation, in the physics of it all.”
Brian wasn’t impressed, “Oh that’s clear, thanks. What the hell are you saying?”
“In the simplest of terms, it appears that someone has decided to try to use time travel but doesn’t understand the ramifications. You are both equally real, and you can be as you were, if you follow my instructions.”
“Yes, of course,” Angie said.
“Yeah, fine; but it sounds stupid.”
“That is, because you want me to explain things.” Wheeler smiled and said calmly, “Now; you have to return to the point of origin, where the anomaly triggered, to prevent it in, the first place…”
Angie asked nervously, “You want us-me, to go back to the courthouse?”
“…Yes; to the point of origin; the doorway, out of the anomaly.”
“And I should do what?”
“You must find the specific place and go back, through the door.”
“Well that certainly sounds simple enough, right, Anj.”
“What? How do I do that? And; what if I can’t?”
“In that case, ‘I’ will return you to your father.”
Brian cocked his head. “What is the catch?”
“The catch is; I am your Knofer, Angie. I am in defense mode, level 2. Therefore, my priority is you; no one else…No one here. If I initiate the next level protocol, the response has no regard for others, and it may leave a scar, on the time anomaly.
“What will happen to Brian here?”
“No one could say. No one can come back here, to find out. If I were Brian’s Knofer, no one could say what would happen to you.”
“My God,” Brian said. “Where is my Angie? Is she in the same situation, somewhere else ; and, her Knofer is telling her the same thing?
“Wheeler nodded slightly, “Actually it does not work that way. Angie is fine. My explanations may leave you more confused, than I hoped. The mirror analogy is merely to enable you, to have some sort of comprehension of the concept that all things exist at the same time. Truth be told, there are countless possibilities, of where your Angie could be…Perhaps this may help. If I say something to five people, what I said is now in five new places-five new heads. Think of the anomaly as a new place, one of many, a new head, so to speak.”
“Oh yeah; I got it now; that makes it much clearer…” Brian rolled his eyes.
“I am instructing you, on understanding this. I am coaching you, about what to do. My interference is a last resort. It is necessary to bring Ms. Bellos home and correct the anomaly.”
Brian and Angie let out a slow nervous sigh. Angie looked at the clock and then Wheeler.
“How do we do this, when court isn’t even at the same time it was, where I came from?”
“Get into the courthouse. Use your Knofer-me. I can do many things, including opening locks. Command it to sense the point of origin. The fact that I am in defense protocol level 2, has activated many security features; but, you have to be within the correct distance. I have reset, to try and sense the anomaly’s vibration. You must use me, to examine the room in which it occurred.”
“I don’t know which room to find, in the first place. The last thing I remember is the stairs outside.”
“That is the challenge. I function within a specific range. Your Knofer will find the ‘sweet spot’-the door, if within range. You simply dive in.”
“Sweet spot; what exactly is a sweet spot?”
“Look for, perhaps a moving blur, or a sphere, something out of the ordinary, in a familiar landscape.”
Angie raised her eyebrows.
“So, I see it; or don’t see what I should; the Knofer confirms; I dive in, and everything is fixed.”
“Yes; well, there is one thing,” Wheeler squinted a bit. “If anything else, or anyone else, touches the sweet spot; even inadvertently, before you get to it; it will close. They will be caught in their own separate new anomaly; and you here will be here, indefinitely, cycled again and again; and so on. It will go on and on, repeating the same time period, over and over. New anomalies can continue to appear, outside your original timeline, from anything or anyone, other than you. Unfortunately, this has triggered, as a result of compatible genetics. Regardless, the domino effect is quite unfathomable.”
“Give me an example of a trigger.”
“Even if the trigger were a bug, or a large enough dust particle, an anomaly can reproduce. You are the key Angie. With your input, alone, the anomaly will reverse, eliminating the perversion.”
“Huh, well; that sounds simple, right? Thanks, Mr. Wheeler. I have to think now…”
Angie looked at Brian, taking it all in. Then, she tapped her Knofer, and Wheeler disappeared. She picked it up and threw Brian his coat.
“Let’s go…”
“Yeah, no time like the present; piece of cake.Who cares what happens to me…?”
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
While all that was happening within the anomaly, outside the anomaly, back at the Arden city courthouse, Brian Sheldon made it to his car, shocked and scared, about what happened to Angie and Marshall. While driving, he turned on the radio and heard the news, confirming Marshall had disappeared; but, the media were broadcasting that it was an escape from jail. There was a three state alert, road blocks; and, he heard helicopter engines in the sky. Brian repeatedly called his father, but no answer. Finally, after countless times, J
ack answered. He and Johnson were in midflight, on another private jet to D.C. to find Rachel.
“Hello, Sonny; where are you?”
“Dad, thank God.”
“What’s wrong?”
“Dad, Angie is gone; vanished! And Dave Marshall escaped from jail.”
“Just slow down, Son; what are you talking about?”
“Angie and I were at the courthouse. They read Marshall’s verdict-guilty; and we were leaving, walking down the stairs, outside. I watched her-Angie; she just quivered, and vibrated. She blurred and vanished. That’s it. I talked to some ‘News’ guy; and, he said that Marshall disappeared inside too. Dad, what do we do?”
“Put your phone on speaker…Disappeared? That’s silly Son, people don’t just disappear. Where are you?”
“In my car.”
“This all happened at the courthouse?”
“Yes, about a half hour ago…”
Jack put his hand over the phone, because Johnson began talking.
“Jack, I bet your Son is describing a Sidron event. Can he tell us, specifically, where it happened?”
“Son, I have Abby Johnson here, from security at the Complex.”
“Hi Brian.”
“Hello.”
“Can you tell me where this took place?”
“I saw her disappear on the steps, outside. We were talking and then, poof, gone. I talked to a newsman, who ran out of the courthouse, a few seconds after. He said the same thing happened to Marshall inside room 210.”
Abby stared at Jack and spoke to Brian, “Listen Brian, I need you to do me a favor. Can you go back into the courthouse and ask one of the court house staff; or, if you find a court reporter, ask someone ,who witnessed the event. I need to know precisely where both events happened, specifically to within the inch, if that’s possible. Can you do that?”
“Christ, Johnson, he is my son, not a trained cop.”
Abby was quick and whispered to Jack, “This could be the break we need to find out the cause of the Sidron events. Trust me, Jack.”
Jack spoke into the phone, “Sonny, I know this is asking a lot; but, I need you to try and do this.”
“Fine; I’ll get back to you.”
“I love you, Son; good luck.”
“Yeah, thanks; love you too.”
Chapter 15
Hello Marion
A lone Knofer ticked on the desk, in a small plush office setting; and, the long fingers of a brilliant billionaire tapped it to answer. As a life sized holographic image grew before his eyes. Marion Brock marveled at the technology it took to create such a masterpiece of communication.
“Hello, Marion,’ the image said, “did you forget about me?”
Brock smiled, in his sinister way; and, with an evil twinkle in his eye, he spoke calmly and eloquently, “Mr. David Marshall; my connoisseur of the Arden jail; no, I don’t forget the most important people in my life. But, I didn’t know you had one of these little toys too.”
“Yes, it’s an insurance policy of sorts. I still have friends down below. I have several, including the one’s I gave you. They can’t trace any calls. Yours and mine are special. They are linked.”
“Fascinating; what can I do for you?”
“For starters, you can tell me why I’m still in jail? The ‘time boost’ was supposed to push me forward, out of here. I am still at the courthouse, and it’s this morning again.”
“Yes, well; frankly, we don’t know yet. You see, everything was properly programmed: but it took you back. I hope you didn’t suffer side effects.”
“Thank you for restating the obvious…Side effects? I have been sweating like a faucet. I was unable to speak for over an hour.”
“Hmm, David, David; do keep calm. We knew there was something wrong, when you didn’t show up at the pickup. Our people are on it. We will talk later. Just bear with this all, just for a little while longer. You can do that David. I have the utmost confidence in you.”
“Don’t patronize me, Brock. I have no intention of sitting in a six by nine cell, for the rest of my life. I mean it!”
“My, my; I’ll chalk that comment up to side effects. Remember my friend; I am more interested in the time travel working, correctly, than I am on keeping you in jail. You are my proof that Time Travel Inc. is a success. So, relax; be patient. Enjoy the free food and solace.”
Brock smiled, sarcastically; then, he cut the communiqué and looked at the Knofer. “I’m going to prove time can conquer you, and your Mr. GGM himself.”
Just then, his cell phone rang next to the Knofer.
“Yes; hello.”
“Mr. Brock; hello, this is Stevens, at the ‘Time Travel’ lab…”
“Yes Stevens, I was just going to call you, about the Marshall test this morning.”
“That’s why I’m calling you, Sir; there was an event; we think; sort of.”
“You mean he didn’t go forward; he went back in time? I know.”
“No, I mean something else. Mr. Marshall didn’t go forward or back in time. He shifted off of the timeline. There is now a separate anomaly, just hanging out there. It was quite by accident, I think. We are gathering data. We cannot explain it. Our readings indicate; it is a net, of repeating time; operating much, like an old merry-go-round. And, there was also another person affected, when we triggered the test.”
“Oh for God’s sake Stevens, can you speak English. Can we get Marshall out, or not?”
“Frankly, I’m not sure. There is another variable now; the other person.”
“Who is it?”
“We’re trying to get a fix; but, the person is not stationary. We can’t identify who it is, until they stay put long enough. Sir, this changes a few perceptions.”
“Perceptions? What the hell are you talking about?”
“It means, the cycle of time, within that anomaly will repeat; but, the events may change. Time may have taken on, a mind of its own.”
“For God’s sake Stevens, damn it! Tell me so I understand!”
“Sir, there are two people, from our time, stuck in that warp; Marshall and one other person, from the courthouse. Each went back several hours. They are stuck repeating that timeframe; but, the events, within that timeframe may not repeat. They may not even realize they are living the same hours. And, the longer they are caught in it, the stronger the likelihood they won’t get out. They will only live the two to three hours, over and over again, never moving into the future, or living with anyone else but those, they are with during those hours.”
“Shit!”
Brock sat for a moment and his expression changed. He thought, Why what a fabulous place for Mr. Marshall.
Stevens broke Brock’s concentration, “Sir, Sir; the fact is, this couldn’t have happened, if Marshall was captured alone. We think it’s the other person, attached to the program, who overloaded it, causing the anomaly.”
“Okay; I think. Can you fix it?”
“I am not sure. It would be a lot simpler if I could talk to David, directly; but, that would be impossible”
“Can we set up a new test? Would that be faster?”
“Probably; but we can’t just leave two people in a time anomaly, lost forever.”
“Wait a minute…Stevens, if what you say is true, how is it possible that I got a call from Mr. Marshall not ten minutes ago? He described the event and his side effects?”
Brock listen to silence; and then, Stevens spoke urgently, “Sir; there is no way Marshall can communicate with anyone, outside the anomaly. It is physics, Sir; impossible! Unless, that is…”
“Unless, that is…What?”
“ Unless you, Sir, are somehow, also linked to the event.”
Brock’s eyes bulged, Marshall said the same word-linked.
“Fine, Stevens, just shut up a minute; let me think. Have you heard from InVoy? Does he have the rest of the notes yet?”
As he held the cell phone to his ear, Brock looked back down at the Knofer. He stood
up, nervously, and whispered to himself, “It can’t be.”
“Sir, Mr. Brock; are you there?”
Brock regained his composure and listened to Stevens.
“Sir, we have to address this, immediately. If you talked to David, we need to examine you, right away. Is there anything unusual happening, particularly, electronic or magnetic where you are?”
Brock didn’t stop looking at the Knofer. He squinted and shrugged. “Just the phone; no, not really; I’m not sure.”
“Well good. The link has to be triggered by some electrical impulse; so, first, I advise that you discontinue use of anything that requires an impulse, even this phone. You should turn it off; and, come here, to me, immediately.”
Brock looked at his cell phone; and then, with a fearful frown; he reached and picked up the knofer, turning and examining it. But how do I turn you off, my little jewel?
“Stevens, what you are saying is unavoidable. Everything, from car batteries to my airplanes, generates electrical impulses.”
He raised his head and spoke softly to himself, “Marshall, you son of a bitch.”
“Sir, I don’t want to frighten you; but, that is why you need to be here. I can only secure you, here.”
“Yes fine; more importantly, though; what’s this about a beast, showing up; what beast?”
“I got a call from satellite warehouse. Something very strange, even alien appeared. I instructed the men to secure it, until I talked to you.”
“And…?”
“It appears to be a very large fish, Sir.”
“Who knows about it?”
“The men at the warehouse, me and now, you…I really must insist; come to me, immediately, Sir
“Send me the coordinates of the warehouse.”
Brock cut the call. He had been in deep seclusion; for eight months; careful who he saw, and disciplined to travel, only with his most trusted bodyguards. They were confidants, councilors really; and, they handled most of his private affairs, while he controlled priorities from his underground hideaway, in Vancouver, Canada. He developed many new interests, as a ghost investor; buying huge land bundles and sea rights, from foreign countries. He limited his travel, only puddle jumping, to ‘Time Travel Inc.’, when absolutely necessary. Brock had become a shadow foundation, supporting O.P.A.S. One particular prize, was that he quietly bought their old accelerator landscape, south of Seattle; and, when his team had reached its intelligent limit, he pirated Stevens from O.P.A.S. to complete his ‘time’ project. Rash InVoy, his Chief of Staff, managed most of his other worldwide affairs.
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