Andrina, the assistant, told them to wait until Cap was ready to see them.
As they entered his office door, Cap gave them a quick look as he was getting ready to sit down, holding the chair handles with both of his hands. He seemed a bit surprised to see Branton still escorting Ingrid around. He had been around long enough to know when things are a bit more than what they seem.
“Cap, we came here because she needs a place to sleep. She needs to be assigned to her own quarters.”
Cap snickered incredulously. “Her own quarters? What is she, military? Do we even know if she’s on our side? How much do you know about her?”
“To be honest, sir, not much. But I do know…” Branton looked over at Ingrid, and back at Cap. “Before she lost her memory, there was… a moment. Sort of.” At this point, Branton didn’t even know if what he was saying made any sense.
“Do you need me to ask you what kind of a moment you two had?”
“Sir, right before she fainted, she kept asking, screaming, in fact, my name. Now, why would she do that? And, quite frankly, sir, I thought I had all of your trust, needing nothing to prove to you. I understand your concern about a civilian walking around military quarters but, sir, I found her barely breathing and I acted accordingly. I apologize for my straightforward behavior, but I believe we should keep her close by as she might prove useful to us, sir.”
Cap’s lips pressed together as he considered Ingrid. Finally, he spoke. “You have another room in your quarters, do you not?”
“Yes, sir, but it’s empty.” Branton informed him.
“Then I will send another mattress and two blankets that are standard issue. She remains in your care, Lieutenant. And as such, your responsibility.”
“Right. I understand.” Branton and Ingrid turn and walk out of Cap’s office. Branton gives Andrina a courteous nod as he walks by. As they exit HQ, Branton punches in his identity code. Ingrid watches the numbers carefully.
“52-27-32. Branton, Jackson…” Branton looks over at her.
“Jaxx Branton… Lieutenant Jaxx Branton. Branton!!” Ingrid exclaims. Branton grabs her wrist and pulls her into a quiet area where they are alone.
“Ingrid! Keep your voice down.” He told her in hushed tones. “What is it?”
“I remember!” She told him. “I know who I am. And I know why I’m here.”
Chapter Six: Ingrid Remembers
Branton stares at her for a moment, then pulls her all the way back to his quarters. They discover the bed has not yet arrived, so he pulls a rickety chair out and sits her down on it.
“Talk.” He tells her roughly.
“My name is Ingrid as I told you. I am a Lieutenant and I rank very highly under my captain. I was sent here to find you, Lt. Jackson Branton.” She tells him.
“Okay, but where did you come from? I’m not aware of many other habitable places in the world.”
“There aren’t.” She replied, her eyes rising to meet his. Confusion set across his face. So where did she come from? Reading the questions off his face, she stood up and pushed the chair towards him. “You are going to want to sit down.”
He smirked and waved his hand. “If there’s one thing I’m not, it’s weak. You can say what you need to say.”
Ingrid took in a deep breath.
“I am from Neocartopia. It is a planet outside of your galaxy, thousands of light-years away from Earth. I am from what you would know as the year 2247.” She explained.
Branton considered what she was saying, and did the math in his head. “You are from another planet, and from 30 years from now? Are you telling me that you are an alien?” He swallowed, and took the seat.
“Let me explain,” began Ingrid.
“Technically yes, I am an alien, but I am fully human. I simply wasn’t born on Earth. You see, within the next year, you are to lead your mankind through a man-made portal into the new world. You will call it Neocartopia, and it will become the new Earth. Imagine if you could press a reset button on this planet. You will build up and create the world as it once was, only, without the mistakes man made the first time around. It will be wonderful.”
“I’m sorry… I have so many questions. I’m not even sure I believe this. If it’s so wonderful, then why the need for a military system?” He asked her.
“Military is needed to fend off outside intruders. When I left our galaxy, I was followed through the portal and attacked by Fogarthians. They are intelligent but barbaric creatures that bring about a haze over the places they attack. They are known to tear apart anyone in their paths. I barely escaped with my life, and that’s when you found me.”
So the things that killed Geoff and Tommy weren’t even from this planet, Branton thought to himself.
Ingrid continued, “Before I was assigned to this mission, things were changing in my world. Slowly, the positive aspects of Neocartopia were fading away due to some unscrupulous people who came to power years after the new world was populated… and in a very real sense it started with you.”
Branton looked at her puzzled.
She went on.
“Our civilization was started by you once the portal on this side was developed. You will rise up in the end times of this world to be the leader, and you will lead your people through the portal to Neocartopia. I’m here to warn you that Earth will become totally uninhabitable in your near future, but under YOUR leadership mankind will restart by finding its way through the portal to the new world. In my own time-reality in Neocartopia, our people were desperate for your goodness and leadership. But you did not make it to the new planet. I was sent here to find out why, and to ensure nothing stands in the way of you getting through the portal. I was sent here to make sure that YOU change our future for the better by becoming the leader of Neocartopia.”
Branton couldn’t believe what he was hearing. It was all so ridiculous and incredible, it made no sense at all.
“Jaxx, you must not tell anyone anything of what I have told you. You must act like everything is normal, and go about your business like nothing is happening.” She told him. “And most importantly, trust no one.”
Chapter Seven: Branton’s Mentor
That night, Branton lay on his mattress thinking about everything that Ingrid had told him. A new world… a near perfect world, he thought to himself. He wanted nothing more than to speak to Cap about it… Cap! Why wasn’t HE the leader of this new world? Truth be told, Cap was his mentor. There was nothing he didn’t tell him; he was his oldest and dearest confidant.
20 years ago, Jaxx Branton was just a small boy, raised in sector 19. His mother and father lead a simple life, especially after his father was deemed unable to work and his mother was pregnant with his sister and could not work either. Times were tough, and living in one of the more dowdy sectors took its toll. Someone from sector 20 thought he was doing everyone a favor by stoning a wild boar to death for food. Unfortunately, that boar was full of E. coli and disease spread like wildfire. Hundreds were sick, and a large number of people died - including Branton’s mother, father and unborn sister.
When Cap found him, he was known as Lt. Freightman, and Branton was malnourished and half dead. Freightman was just about 25 himself, and treated Jaxx with kindness when others simply scoffed and walked away. As Branton grew, Freightman kept him close by his side, training him to be the best soldier he could be. He was like a father to Branton, and taught him things a father would normally teach his son.
When Branton first noticed the girl with the fair skin and flowing blonde locks, it was Freightman that gave him the advice on women.
“Don’t listen to those suckers that tell you to play it cool. Don’t make her come to you. You be a gentleman, put your big boy pants on and talk to her.” He told a fifteen year old Jaxx.
So he took the older man’s advice, and talked to her. Her name was Sayer and she was beautiful. When she spoke it was like a thousand doves singing in choir. Unfortunately, the words he spoke weren’t the one
s he wanted.
“H-hey Sayer. Lovely weather we’re having…” He stammered. She giggled.
“Hi Jaxx. Yes it is lovely, isn’t it?” She smiled.
After a series of unfortunate events, Dash ended up swooping in and courting her. That’s when Cap taught Branton about something called ‘The Code of Men’.
“Sorry champ. Once your buddy courts her, it’s not right for you to. Friends are more important than girls, anyhow.” Freightman told Branton. It was a shame, because even then Dash was a womanizer, and his relationship with Sayer didn’t last longer than two weeks.
That was one of many lessons taught by Cap. And now, 10 years after that moment, Lt. Freightman had worked his way to Captain and Branton was his right hand man. Branton drifted off to sleep with the image of a kind-hearted man in his mind, and made the decision that he would talk to Cap about this in the morning.
Chapter Eight: Stumbling Across Secrets
Branton awoke at the crack of dawn, his body naturally adjusted for that early time. He glanced in at Ingrid who was still sound asleep. He thought to himself that people in her world must be accustomed to sleeping late. He silently got ready and headed over to HQ.
Thinking about everything that had happened the night before, he began thinking about what his role was in all of this.
‘I must find or help re-create that portal and get the remaining population to the new world,’ he thought to himself.
In an underground facility of HQ there was a special ops-only section that housed what was left of the world’s greatest scientific minds. He knew they worked with Uranium, and with the proper modules and mixtures, a portal could be possible. It was something the science community was working on back in 2035, but the experiments were halted after the lead scientist was bludgeoned to death by a jealous university professor who claimed the idea was his all along.
Branton reached the elevator of HQ, and rather than putting in the code for Cap’s chambers, he punched in the code for Floor 00 to get to the bottom level. The elevator went down and once reaching its destination, the doors opened. Branton looked around, but it was empty. There were no other people around, and it appeared as though the whole place had been completely abandoned mid-operation. Suddenly, Branton heard the chiming of the breakfast alarm. Everyone had already flocked towards the dining hall for food. He was hungry, but not hungry enough to miss this opportunity to look around.
He walked around and found a computer. He punched in a few access codes that he’d memorized from more official people, and it unlocked. A video was playing on a loop, and Branton sat down to watch it. It showed Cap talking with lead scientist Dr. Marvel Knox. Branton put on ear pieces and listened.
“That girl coming here was no coincidence. And now a fog has settled over that sector and contains inexplicable horrors.” Cap told Knox.
“Aye, but how do you know she’s a time traveler?” Knox questioned, an eye setting eerily on Cap.
“This isn’t the first time she’s come here.” Cap spoke, his eyes looking away. “She came back about 10 years ago looking for Branton. The same thing happened then as well. It was then that I told her he wasn’t ready. I sent her back with the portal we created, but she warned of her return. She mis-stepped in time, and what has been 10 years for us, has only been about 5 minutes for her.”
Branton sat in shock, hearing the words that Cap spoke.
“So what do you intend to do?” Knox asked him.
“My dear friend, you and I have been in control here for quite some time. If Branton brings mankind to another galaxy, we may as well cease to exist. We cannot let that happen.” Cap told him. The two men suddenly got quiet. In the corner of the camera, Branton saw a thin figure standing behind a plant, listening. The two men saw it too.
“Identify yourself, soldier!” Cap demanded. The boy stepped out from behind the plant.
“Sir, Private Thomas Decker, Sir!” The boy saluted and stood perfectly still, a glimpse of fear in his eyes.
“Private, I will be sending Branton, Kline and Scott to Sector 27 to deal with the Fog issue. Please go with them.” Cap demanded.
“But sir…” Tommy began to protest.
“Excuse me? You will do as I ordered and you won’t speak of anything you’ve heard today!” Cap roared at him. Tommy nodded and left.
Branton could feel the waves of fury in the pit of his stomach, but of all the damaging information he’d just heard, something good did come out of it. There was a portal, and it did lead to the new world where Ingrid came from. But, does it still exist and where did they put it?
Suddenly he heard a noise coming from the elevator. People were returning to their posts already? It couldn’t be. He could hide, or he could face whoever this was head on. The doors open and Branton lept at the person inside, pinning her against the wall.
“Jaxx… Branton… what the hell are you doing?!” Sayer shrieked. Branton realized his hand was around her throat, so he quickly released it.
“Dammit Sayer, what are you doing here?” He exclaimed, his heart racing.
“I work here! What are YOU doing here?” She demanded. This was the first time he’d seen her in months, but she was still as beautiful as ever.
“I came to check on operations, but nobody was here so I was heading out. You startled me.” He explained, hoping she wouldn’t see past his lies. She looked at him with an odd look.
“I startled YOU? Okay. Try again.” She smirked.
“Where have you been anyway? One minute we’re training and the next you get pulled away for something I’m not even privy to, and you show up here?” He questioned.
“Science was always my thing. A position opened up down here and I snagged it. I work a lot, and so usually I just eat at my desk. Wait, why should I answer to you?” She became agitated, and walked around him. He turned towards her and grinned.
“Because you can’t resist my rugged good looks?” He chuckled at her. She let out a sigh and let her guard down.
“Very funny, Branton.” She laughed.
“I have my moments.” He winked at her. Now that tensions were down, he wanted to ask her about everything. How much did she know, what part did she play in all this?
“What’s on your mind, Jaxx? I know that look.” She pursed her lips waiting for his explanation.
“Sayer, what is it that you do down here?”
“Honestly, it’s all pretty hush-hush. I do calculations, and whatever they tell me to. I don’t really know what it’s all for.” She began shuffling papers on a random desk that he assumed was hers.
He excused himself, and headed into the elevator. She was hiding something, and he knew it.
Chapter Nine: Branton and Sayer’s History
10 years earlier, after Dash and Sayer broke up, something happened between her and Branton. He wouldn’t make any kind of a move, because after all, she was still Dash’s ex-girlfriend, and the Code of Men, and all that. But, they became as close as two friends could be. They talked about everything, including hopes, dreams and what they thought it would be like to have lived over 100 years ago.
“Back when all we had to worry about was keeping a charge on… what did they call those things?” She smirked.
“I think they called them ‘iPhones’,” he laughed.
Sayer always had a strong head on her shoulders. When all the girls were sent to become medics, she stood her ground. She wanted to be military, and it didn’t matter what they thought she should be. It was where she wanted to be. So, they put her through a series of physical tests and skill testing. She blew them all away, and was one of the first females to join the military ranks in the post-apocalyptic world.
Between training schedules, it was always like this. The two would sit together chatting up a storm. If he couldn’t be with her, he would at least be her best friend.
One day a few years ago, she looked particularly frazzled. She was walking pretty fast with a bundle of rolled up papers in her arms, and w
hen Branton tried to stop her she nearly snapped at him.
“Not a good time, Branton!” She called as she raced by.
“Branton?” He thought to himself. She always called him Jaxx. He knew she’d been working relatively hard, and they didn’t get a chance to see each other much with his constant missions and her learning the sciences.
It stayed that way for a while, and even though they spent time together, it wasn’t the same. She was distracted and always a bit on edge. One day, months ago, she stopped by his quarters. She definitely wasn’t herself.
“Hey Jaxx.” She said to him. “How are you? You good?” She was genuinely concerned, but there was something in her voice that he couldn’t recognize. Fear? Sadness? Regret? He wasn’t sure.
“Sayer, what’s going on?” He asked her. She cracked a smirk and brushed off his question. Sayer walked over to a crook in the wall and reached her hand inside a small gap. Pulling out a bottle of moonshine, she popped the cork and took a swig.
“Just tonight, can we just not talk?” Her voice quivered as she spoke. Branton said nothing, he merely nodded and took a swig from the bottle as well. And they sat there all night long, drinking.
The next morning, he woke up with a pounding headache and she was gone. He searched through the sectors and through HQ but she was nowhere to be found. She just vanished. Months went by and she was just gone.
Seeing her that morning on the lower level of HQ was the first time he’d seen her since then.
Chapter Ten: In Search of The Portal
Later that same day, Branton stopped by the medical center to see Dash Kline. Kline had been there since the incident in Sector 27, undergoing psychiatric evaluation. They had tried to get Branton in there, but he had bigger fish to fry. The doctor was standing in the wing outside his room when he found her.
“Dr. Sanchez,” he greeted her. “I’m checking up on Lt. Kline. Full report please.”
Military / Time Travel Romance: The Stranger In Sector 27 - A Post Apocalypse Love Story (Book 1) Page 2