Soul Source: Back and There Again

by Charles Vella

  "I'm sure he'll appreciate that," Agnes said to the empty doorway.

  "Do you think so?" Dutch asked.

  Agnes stared at the tape in her hand.

  "Well," she sighed. "What now?"

  "Actually," Dutch coughed, turned red. "Monica thinks that you should stay here. The project will need a director. She seems to believe that you've got the perspective we need."

  "She does?" Agnes sighed. Shook her head. Stay here. Leave. What's the point? "I'm flattered but I don't even know how you control this place. How you keep people from running back and forth into the past killing each other."

  "Oh I can do that." Dutch said, getting red-faced for some reason.

  "There is one complicating factor," Dutch said, looking off to a corner of the room.

  Complicating factor? Of course there is. This place is one huge complication. So why stay? Of course for that matter what's the point of going anywhere else? She drummed her fingers on the desk looked up. "What's the complicating factor?"

  "Well, you see, that's a very interesting question," Dutch stammered, reddening even more and staring at the wall over Agnes's head.

  "I see." She shook her head. "That's clear." She stared at him. He finally turned and stared back. His eyes were bright yellow. She shivered.

  "Agnes?"

  "Yes?" Agnes projected a screen at the voice in her ear. "Monica? What is it?"

  "Is Dutch there?"

  "He's here." Agnes looked up. "Can you tell me how to get rid of him?"

  "There's something I need to explain."

  "I'm listening." Agnes listened, watching Dutch's face get redder and redder. "Please," she said when Monica had finished, "...tell me you're joking."

  What's undone is done

  "Monica." She'd finally convinced Sarah to take what Karen'd prescribed and go to sleep. She was slumping back to her office when Griff's call stopped her. He was coming down the hall with someone behind him. Her office door swished open and she went in. Whatever it was she needed to be sitting down for it.

  "There's someone I want you to meet," Griff said as he came in. "I know it's not a great time. You better come in and sit down," he said over his shoulder. "What'd you say happened?"

  Monica looked up and was face-to-face with a heavier, grayer version of the cop she'd met at the attack. The one who'd pulled her over the day before. He walked unsteadily into the room and lowered himself into a chair.

  "Beats me. I was in with that Homeland Security guy when..." he shrugged. Looked up.

  "Dad," Griff said. He was already looking back out the door so didn't see his father's eyebrows and jaw shoot out in opposite directions. "This is my fiancée Monica. Monica, my father," Griff said. "I've got to run for a few minutes but you're in good hands. Why don't you two get acquainted and we can go out when things stabilize." He shook his head. "Sometimes I think I never should've taken that promotion. Running operations is a bigger pain than I ever realized." He turned and left Monica and Mike to stare at each other across the desk. Mike gripped the arms of the chair as if he were afraid it would disappear from under him.

  "You," Mike finally said. He opened his mouth. Closed it. Opened it, but all that came out was, "you," again.

  Monica stared across the desk at him. She looked him in the eye. "Griff doesn't know anything about this. Right?"

  "What? Know about it? I don't even..."

  "Well let's keep it that way." She leaned forward and glared into his eyes. "I told you I'd be watching. You've done alright so far. Don't blow it now."

  (Almost) The beginning

  Whoever thought it'd end up like this? Who could've imagined? Ted sighed as the door swished open in front of him and he was in the four door area he'd never come up with a name for. Why bother to name it anyway? Only him, Sarah and Dutch ever came down here. What would happen to it now? Would someone tell Agnes about it? Would she close it? The door to his launch room'd been ripped apart. He sighed. Well none of that was his problem. Not anymore. What was left of the door to the launch room opened and he stepped in.

  Someone must've cleaned up. Pruitt. Dead. A killer. He shook his head. He'd never imagined. Veronica. Unfaithful, which didn't really surprise him, and dead, which did. It'd all turned out so badly. Was there anything he could do about it? It was really more of a question for Pruitt, but he couldn't ask that now. Not anymore. He sighed again. Stepped to the screen, which leapt to life when he touched it. "What day was it?" he murmured. He tapped icons. "Say ten seconds." He touched the last icon and stepped up to the platform.

  Several seconds later he stopped. Looked around. Just as he remembered it. A strange feeling. He walked up to the door. That's right. They don't slide, they swing. On primitive hinges. Amazing. He gave the door a gentle tap.

  "Come in." The door swung open and Ted was looking into Tomas's shocked eyes. "Oh my God." Tomas reeled back and caught the edge of the desk with one hand and collapsed into a chair.

  Ted leapt up from the table. "Tomas."

  "It's a stroke," Ted said. "Better get Karen. Then we need to talk."

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