“Hi, I’m Lawrence Holeman, but folks call me Larry.” Luke affected a nondescript accent using a much deeper voice. The two men shook hands and got down to business. Luke had a guy that had forged a new ownership for him in his new name.
When it was over, Luke had traded his car to the dealer, figuring he got ripped off, but was happy with the used motorcycle registered to one, Larry Holeman. The bike was a black Kawasaki, with lots of chrome, and lots of pep.
Tomorrow he would pick up the rest of his forged documents, including, a driver’s license which still needed a photo showing his dark hair, social security card, birth certificate, and medical card. All the documents had cost him five grand, a good investment as far as he was concerned.
Back at the cabin he cracked open a bottle of vodka, figuring he better lay off the beer while he was trying to lose weight.
Four weeks later and ten pounds lighter, Luke ventured into Halifax. He parked his bike and walked toward Joe and Harriet’s basement apartment. There was a small park across the street from the triplex, so Luke found a bench, and waited. He kept track of who showed up on the street more than once. He also made note of when the couple got home. Harriet showed up after her last class, so she was home first, around four. Joe never got home until just after six. Okay, a good start. Grabbing his notepad he shoved his phone in his pocket, holding photos of people he wanted to remember. Luke still didn’t have a clear plan, but he figured all the information he gathered now would help later.
This was the pattern for the next couple of weeks. At the end he concluded, there was some curious activity by two large men who showed up several times, right after Joe got home. The men hung out for a while close to where he sat. They’d watch the apartment building and then take off. Once, they got in their car and followed Joe and Harriet as they drove toward downtown.
Luke’s curiosity was piqued. After giving it some hard thought, he decided his next step would be to contact them. These two guys had to be up to no good and he wanted in on it. He’d reasoned that the only one who might put a tail on them would be that guy from the future that wanted to keep them there. During the time he’d spent with Maggie, he’d pieced together some of the story that Joe and Harriet had told her after they got back three years ago. It was different to the story they’d told the public about them trying to elope.
His wait wasn’t long, two days later the men showed up again. This time he walked toward them and stopped. “So, what’s up? I see you here watching the house over there. What’s your interest?”
“That’s none of your business, little man.” The one on the right looked down at Luke sneering.
“Oh, but it is, I think maybe we can talk about this. I have a real interest in these two that goes way back. I think maybe we should talk.”
The guy raised one of his substantial eyebrows and his partner cocked his head. Why would someone else care about their quarry? They had seen this guy sitting in the park every day that they were there and wondered about him.
“What’s your interest,” the guy on the right boomed in his baritone voice.
Luke knew he had their attention. “Let’s just say they owe me. It goes back a long way. I swore I’d get even and I will, no matter what it takes. Maybe we could work together.” Luke had to ask, “Hey man, are you guys from the future?”
He could see by the shocked look he got from both of them, that he’d hit a home run.
The other guy spoke up this time. “What do you know about the future?” he sneered.
Luke laughed, “I’ve been there. It was only for three weeks, but I bet I came through the same door as you and Joe and Harriet. It was an accident, but it’s not one I’ll soon forget. How about we go get a coffee or a drink and talk about this?”
The two thugs from the future looked at each other and shrugged. This had been one boring assignment, and maybe this strange little man could help to speed things up.
The one on the right nodded, “I’m John McDonald.”
The second one chimed in, “I’m Mike Bartlett.” Neither man offered his hand. They turned and headed for their car, Luke trailing.
“You guys want me to go with you or follow?”
“Follow.”
He hopped on his motorcycle and watched for them to move out in their car and then followed. It wasn’t far to the local coffee shop.
Inside the three of them talked for more than an hour, after which Luke walked back to his bike grinning. He had a solid plan.
“Those two pricks don’t have a prayer,” he muttered to himself as he hopped on his bike and headed out of the city and back to the cabin.
Chapter 10
A Visitor from the Future
2024
The balance of 2023 moved fast, Christmas and New Year came and went. The countdown to graduation thrust Joe and Harriet deep into their studies, as they prepared for the spring finale.
They got together with Maggie, but always alone. Her encounter with Luke was a hard lesson and she wasn’t ready for dating. Counseling for the past six months had helped her to come to terms with what had happened, but she still wasn’t comfortable around most men. However, she’d stopped blaming herself and could put it where it belonged, on the psychopath she had made the mistake of dating out of pity. Her therapy would continue, as she knew she had a way to go.
The cops still hadn’t tracked down Luke, but they assured them the investigating was ongoing.
They only had one more day of classes before spring break. She and Joe were looking forward to easing off for a few days before going back for the heavy going in this, her fifth and final year.
Finances were tight, so the pair of them made their week together a staycation.
Harriet loved her studies and ever since they had returned from the future, she and Joe had put their gift of artificial intelligence to good use.
It still wasn’t all that easy, but it took off a lot of pressure allowing Harriet to keep her part-time job at the bar and Joe working in their dads’ law offices clerking and doing paralegal work. During the previous summer he’d gone to work there full time. His salary wasn’t great, but it was still better than that of a grocery clerk. Next year he would enter the third year of law school. After that he would clerk and work toward writing his bar exam. He hoped to get into criminal law. It would be grueling and he was doing everything to prepare. Working in the law office was immensely helpful.
But, like Harriet, he needed and welcomed this break. He drove to campus and met her at four o’clock. They planned on doing some shopping at the big outdoor mall across the harbor then hitting their favorite Japanese restaurant close to their apartment to spend part of the evening over sushi and sake. They left their car at home after returning from the mall and dinner then walked the two blocks to the strip everyone gathered at on a Friday night. Harriet had taken the night off from the pub and the pair of them ended up in another one that was a little less rowdy. She and Joe needed this time to do nothing important but relax and have fun.
They settled at a high-top table for two near the back of the bar. It was busy, but not too bad. At least they could hear each other over the noise of the patrons and the piped-in music. They were discussing their day and their plans for the coming week when Harriet stopped in mid-sentence with a strange look on her face.
“What is it, Harri?” Joe knew that look.
“I don’t know. I just got a weird message.” This time Joe had the peculiar look.
“What kind of weird message? You mean telepathically?”
“All I got was, We need to talk.” She was frowning.
There was no questioning what she had received, Joe knew better than to doubt her. This isn’t something that either of them would fool around with. They communicated with each other, more for convenience and to keep in practice. It was a gift from the next century that had little practical use in their time.
Harriet shrugged, “What should I say?” Joe could sense her confusion.
“If it’s a guy, ask him where he is first, and then ask him what he wants.” Joe scanned the room as he spoke.
“How am I supposed to know if it’s a guy?” Are you nearby? What do you want? Are you from the future? The questions came tumbling out. There were many more she could ask, but she waited for a response.
I am from the future. You don’t know me, but we have a mutual friend. Arthur 5 sends his best wishes. I am on the other side of the room at the bar. We need to talk, may I join you?
Harriet relayed all of this to Joe who nodded, “Ask him over, so we can talk to him.”
The other shoe had dropped… the future had caught up and was now. Joe could see the tension as Harriet ground her teeth, her breathing rapid. His own heart raced. Holy crap! Joe waited, searching the room, not sure who he would see, and knowing that it wouldn’t much matter. How does one distinguish friend from foe? He reached out and grabbed Harriet’s hand, waiting. So many times over the past few months one or the other of them, had felt like they were being watched. Neither could say why and they’d ignored it. Today, they could no longer deny that the future was here.
It all seemed so long ago now. After four years, they’d settled into a comfortable routine and were so close to completing their educations.
The time spent in 2120 had influenced Harriet’s own future. She’d returned knowing that biomedical engineering had been the right choice for her vocation. Her first year in biomedical engineering was tough going but it had challenged and fascinated her. It was a way to help mankind. And with the help of her AI brain chip, she could now easily access the information needed to meet the challenges that faced her.
Every day, month and year, since they’d returned Harriet had looked for changes to her body, her mind, her wellbeing after the invasion she’d suffered at the hands of the doctor and commander in the twenty-second century. So far, she had dealt with it—there were no physical changes, and other than the dreams, she was coping. This wasn’t something she could take to a therapist. She’d be locked up. Joe was her salvation.
They were scanning the crowded bar when one patron stood up and came toward them. He was tall, about thirty and had longish fair hair, much in the style that Eric had worn, rather than the bowl cuts of so many others from his time. Harriet found him attractive. Joe thought he looked like another nerd, of the same ilk as Eric. He was wearing clothes appropriate to 2024.
He stopped by their table and stuck out his hand to Joe, “Hi, my name is Brian Morgan, I’m from the SPA.” He stopped, waiting for them to digest that.
Harriet and Joe had a kneejerk reaction hearing the SPA mentioned in this century. They wanted to run.
“Before you say anything, I will let you know that I am here because of Arthur 5. He told me your stories and I and a few others do not condone what happened to you, nor do we condone the repopulation scheme of Commander Weatherby. We want to stop him. It is insane and can only lead to trouble for all of us. Arthur 5 has championed our underground warfare and has put himself at great risk. We hope to replace the head of the SPA with someone who is not mad.”
“Since you made your escape, the commander has attempted to speed up his program by sending out scouts locally to recruit vulnerable young couples with promises of immortality and fame. But we have learned that he wants you back. Twenty-first century recruits are more apt to be fertile than those of my century. The birthrate in your century will continue its decline for the next one hundred years. The commander needs specimens he can rely on. He is not succeeding at home, so he further explored your claim that you are time travelers. He hasn’t yet found your portal, but it is only a matter of time. It helped that you didn’t give him specific directions.”
Neither Joe nor Harriet could respond. They drank in every word, still not believing that the future had caught up with them.
Brian continued, “This is a recent development and Arthur 5 sent me to warn you. Weatherby wants you back as the lead in his mad Adam and Eve project. To him, you represent the ideal forebears of a new race. I’m here to protect you for as long as you need me.” He smiled at that point in his narrative, looking around. “This place will take some getting used to.”
Harriet, stunned, blurted, “He wants us back!”
Joe found his voice, “There’s a fat flippin’ chance we’ll ever get involved in that crazy-ass plan. The man’s batshit crazy. How are we going to know who’s who? If someone wants to kidnap us, there’s not much chance we’ll spot them.
Man, that sucks—do we have to spend the rest of our lives looking over our shoulders?”
“No, just your fertile years, that’s another reason I’m here. I have a microchip for each of you that will detect anyone from our time. Arthur 5 designed it for you and once implanted it will detect the differences in our DNA. Arthur 5 discovered our development in the twenty-second century is distinguishable from yours. Arthur 5 designed it after he found out about the commander’s desire to return you to the twenty-second century.
You may not know this, but he is the most advanced computing system in existence, far beyond his creators’ expectations. The SPA hierarchy isn’t aware of that as yet. Arthur 5 has kept it his secret along with his many human attributes. As Arthur 5 has already explained to you, he has an agenda and will go to great lengths to achieve his goals. They are experimenting on giving him new limbs with artificial skin loaded with sensors. One day he hopes to feel human sensations. Taste and smell may still be a long way off, but prostheses with built-in sensors are already being used on human amputees. New testing is being done on cyborgs and androids, and Arthur 5 is always first in line to try out something that will advance his agenda.”
“Jeez, man, we want to believe you, but we’ll need more than just your word before we let you stick computer chips into our brains.” Joe no longer trusted anyone after what had happened to them in the future.
Brian laughed. “Arthur 5 expected you to react this way. He told me to tell you that he expects by the time you get to visit the future, he will not only be an emotional thinking robot, but he will also be just like Pinocchio. I’m not sure what he meant by that, but that was his message.”
Harriet looked at Joe with her eyes glistening. “Ya, we understand his message,” she said, her voice husky.
“We trust Arthur 5, so if he says this chip will protect us, then I guess we’re all for it,” Joe said.
“I’m staying at the hotel on the corner, a block away, here is my information. I don’t have a communicator with me as it’s doubtful it would work here. But I will contact you the way I did earlier. As long as you are in this downtown core, I shouldn’t have any problem reaching you. After only two days here, I’m still discovering things. Once I figure out one of your primitive, hand-held devices I will use it in case you are further away than our telepathy will reach.”
“I think you mean a cell phone, and we can help you with that. Look, this isn’t the best place to be talking about this. We live two blocks from here. Why don’t you come back to the apartment and we can get more information?” Joe took out his wallet and picked up their bill.
Brian nodded, and the three of them left after paying at the front counter.
Seated in their tiny apartment living room, Harriet brought them out a tray of coffee and donuts.
Brian watched her set things out. “Everything you do in this century is so labor intensive.”
Harriet laughed, “Ya, you’d think by the amount of work we do, we’d all be skinny.”
“I noticed—that it is not something I am used to seeing. Our diets are far more regulated in my time, but oh my, I could get used to this.” Grinning, their visitor bit into his jelly donut again.
“That’s a donut, and it’s loaded with sugar. It's one reason so many of us are overweight today. Harriet and I don’t eat a lot of crap and we get lots of exercise most of the time. But you can see many people don’t.”
“I must be cautious while I am here, I will e
xpect some guidance from you. I do not want to return to my time unrecognizable.” Smiling, he chomped down on the last of the donut and then licked his fingers.
“So, Brian, did you leave a girlfriend behind or family? Won’t someone be missing you while you’re in this century?” Joe tried not to make their guest feel uncomfortable, but he needed to know.
“My partner’s name is George and yes, I will miss him. We have been cohab’s for the past five years. He works in the facial reconstruction lab. He is a technician trained in skin rejuvenation. I don’t know how I will make it without him.”
“Couldn’t you bring him with you?” Harriet, ever the romantic, couldn’t imagine leaving Joe behind for any reason.
“Arthur 5 feels it is best to keep quiet about you and what I’m doing to protect you. He isn’t prepared to tell our group of rebels about you just yet. You are only a small part of his overall plans. I am one of his closest allies—he trusts me. George is one of us but not privy to this mission. I’m hoping that in a few months, you will have gained enough sensitivity with your new chip to know when you are in danger. I will help train you in what to do if you come in contact with our enemies. Once I am satisfied that you can handle yourself against this threat, I will return to the future.”
“That’s fair enough. In the meantime, now you know where we are, please contact us anytime.” Joe shook his hand.
Harriet was not prepared to turn their visitor loose just yet. “It will be lonely here for you. We’re planning a barbecue at five o’clock tomorrow, why don’t you join us? It will be hamburgers and cold beer. That was something I missed when we were in your time. Oh and my friend Maggie will join us.” Joe shot her a look; they hadn’t talked about this. But, she knew he’d be down with it.
Getting Maggie involved in this would add some truth to their lies about what had happened four years ago. Mugs still struggled around men, but Harriet figured she wouldn’t feel threatened around Brian.
“Any talk of the future has to be kept out of the conversation. It’ll be good practice for you if you plan on hanging around for a few months,” Joe added.
Return From the Future Page 7