Reassured that Brian hadn’t been recognized, Arthur 5 decided he was in no danger. Now, however, he had to find another bodyguard among his small band of rebels, knowing that John Weatherby was still trying to kidnap Joe and Harriet. Arthur 5 would do everything he could to protect them.
Chapter 16
A New Guardian
The couple was back at school with Joe working part-time at their dad’s law firm and Harriet at the pub. Things had been quiet for three weeks since Brian left so they’d stopped worrying about kidnappers from the future. Neither of them had felt anything out of the ordinary to indicate his replacement had arrived. Not until the third week in March that is. Harriet, who was always the more sensitive of the two, noticed it first. They were out on a Saturday, shopping, and had stopped for coffee and a hot dog at the little restaurant around the corner from their apartment.
“Joe, I feel something. I’m getting a little tingle. Oh God, I hope it’s our new guardian and not one of the bad guys. Should I try to reach whoever it is?”
“I feel it now too, go ahead.” Joe waited for Harriet to communicate telepathically with the source of the tingle. If it was the guardian, they expected he would answer. They weren’t sure if the bad guys were equipped to communicate telepathically. They both knew that any agent Arthur 5 sent would have artificial intelligence so they could send and receive telepathic messages. The commander might not have thought of that, although they wouldn’t underestimate him—it was he who had ordered the AI implants for them. They could control who received their transmissions, and no one could eavesdrop on them while they were communicating.
Harriet’s eyes widened, and Joe knew she was getting an answer. “What is it, what did he say?” He was impatient.
“He’s outside—he’s been following us from a distance for a few days. He said he realizes that we have no way of identifying him, so he gave me a message from Arthur 5 that the commander’s henchmen wouldn’t know.”
“What does he want us to do?”
Instead of answering, Harriet shot Joe a look that said, settle down. She could sense his anxiety. “He said when we leave the restaurant and walk toward the apartment, he will follow. We should wait for him inside—he will be right behind us.”
“That sounds easy enough. Although I don’t understand why he wouldn’t want to come in here and join us.”
“I don’t know, I suspect that it will look less like a meeting if he goes to our door. Are you done, I am?” Harriet hopped off the stool and carried her garbage to the recycling bins, with Joe following—then they left and headed home. They couldn’t see anyone that could be a guard, even though they were both feeling the tingles.
They had just hung up their coats and removed their boots when they heard a tap at the door.
Joe answered, ushering a tall, dark haired, attractive looking man into their small space. He glanced at them as he looked around. “My name is Martin Keefer, and I’m Brian’s replacement.” He didn’t offer his hand as he stood there taking in his surroundings.
“I’m sure you know who we are. I’m Joe and this is Harriet. We were expecting you three weeks ago.”
“Arthur 5 wanted to be sure the person he sent this time would have no ties at home. Oh, and I am to tell you that Brian’s partner survived. He lost part of his right leg in the accident and is now fitted with one of our new experimental prostheses. He has adapted to it and should soon walk without a limp.”
Joe was the first to ask a question. “What happened? Brian didn’t tell us and we didn’t want to press him for answers.”
“George was on the back of a motorcycle that collided with a vehicle backing out of a parking space. This is a rare occurrence in our time as we have so many built-in safety features. It would take me too long to explain why this happened, I will just say, it was a series of unfortunate coincidences. George was thrown from the bike, landing hard on his right leg. The damage was beyond what our medicine could repair. Amputation is rare and in most cases, is a war wound. But as part of the SPA family, he is privy to the latest technology. No facility is as knowledgeable as the SPA in prosthetic limbs. And with Brian working in that department, it guarantees his partner will get the best they have.”
Martin seemed proud of his workplace and droned on for some time about the miracle of George’s recovery and his new prosthetic limb.
He took a breath, “I am sorry, if I seem a little unhinged. The entire time travel process has unnerved me. I didn’t realize it was even possible. Although, from what I can see, the method in which you and I traveled is more by accident than design.”
Harriet had been so intrigued by this new arrival, she forgot her manners, “Forgive us, please sit down. When did you get here? Are you coping okay? What can we do to help?”
“Thank you, but I am okay. I arrived two days ago with a load of instructions on how to proceed. Once I found my way out of the cave, I used the communication device that Brian had purchased here and I punched in the number code he gave me to contact the air conveyance company to come and pick me up. I found the rope ladder that Brian told me about, so getting down was not as dangerous as trying to navigate the slippery rockfall. There are a few bruises on my body, from the ladder swinging against the wall, but it wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be. The aircraft that met me forty-five minutes later was a primitive, single passenger helicopter small enough to land in a clearing near the cliff.”
That’s the first Joe and Harriet had heard about the rope ladder. But they assumed, as did Brian, that this was the work of Weatherby’s goons.
“Riding in that thing was slow and terrifying—even though Brian assured me, while the technology may be antiquated, it is quite safe.”
Joe and Harriet empathized with his fear. They remembered how they’d felt sitting in the back seat of Eric’s jet-propulsion car-plane.
Once I arrived at the airport I used the information he gave me to contact a public conveyance. One of your primitive gasoline powered automobiles picked me up and transported me to the hotel in Halifax. I have secured a room there and paid in advance for six months. Now, please tell me what has been happening with you since Brian departed.”
Joe and Harriet were thinking the same thing. What’s with this guy? He’s even more uptight than Brian was when he arrived.
They explained the situation, hoping he would relax. He was wound tighter than a spring.
There was a lot to explain, including their recent wedding plans. They had just made those two weeks ago during a visit with Joe’s mom and dad. In their usual fashion they tag-teamed each other and got through the story. Joe finished with, “So far we’ve had no hint that any of the commander’s men are prowling about or following us. I’m not sure what happened to the other two, but we haven’t seen them since that day on the ski slope.”
Martin sat for a minute, deep in thought before speaking. “Well, we know that those two returned to the SPA, Brian recognized them. He thought it best to give them their space… he doubted that they would recognize him from the ski hill. He and Arthur 5 feel there is no point in any confrontation at this stage. Brian gave me as much information as he had gathered, and he guided me to the portal under the SPA. He tried to explain the feeling of falling through time, but there is no explanation that will ever describe it. I will admit, it made me regret the decision to go along with this scheme. And even after reviewing dozens of old documentaries and movies from this century, one must experience it to get the full impact.” Martin had a faraway look when he’d finished his tale.
“You haven’t been here long enough to get a good feel for it—we’ll try to help you ease into the twenty-first century, right, Joe?” He nodded, agreeing with his mate. “Let’s start with coffee and some treats.” Harriet figured, the donuts had worked well on Brian, why not try them out on Martin?
Just then Harriet’s cell phone rang. “I’ll take this in the other room.”
It was Maggie. She explained that they had c
ompany and who he was…“Are you sure you want to come over now?” She shook her head, “Well, okay, if you’re in town, anyway. We’re just putting on coffee I’ll make an extra one for you… Okay, see you soon.”
Returning to the living room she said, “My good friend Maggie McEwen’s on her way over and wants to meet you. She met Brian, and I explained that you’re also from the SPA.” Harriet explained to him the version of the story they’d told Maggie.
“We never talked about the future,” Harriet added. Martin nodded.
“That’s good, it’s a believable story. It will make it easier on me. I will try not to make comparisons in front of her. She will be the first person I will have to interact with, other than you. Please help me to maintain my credibility. I will try to follow your lead.”
Joe laughed. “You’re doing okay, man, just try to relax. Keep your conversation casual. You don’t have to be so… precise. I don’t know if you use any slang. But Brian learned to use it and I’m sure you must be familiar with it.
Martin would fit in as long as he stayed away from making comparisons and remembered to call the current century devices by their correct names.
Joe tried to explain, “For instance, it’s cars, not automobiles, that’s too formal. We ride in cabs and buses, not public conveyances and it’s not a communication device, it’s a cell phone or smartphone, or better still, a phone. Everyone’s got one so we’ll know what you’re talking about. Can you remember all that? The best thing you can do is listen a lot and choose your words carefully until you’re comfortable with the language of our century.”
“We’ll help you, and meeting Maggie will be a good starting point. She already knows that you guys are eggheads…” Harriet laughed at Martin’s blank look. “Eggheads, nerds, evolved, intelligent beings, did I leave anything out?”
Joe, laughing, took over. “Maggie knows about the SPA and what goes on there. She also knows that the employees live in the compound, so your lack of socialization doesn’t surprise her. But don’t overdo it… she thinks you’re from this century. And isolated or not, you would know the common language. So work at it is my best advice. You gotta chill, buddy, relax and unwind. Harriet and I don’t use a lot of slang unless we’re with friends. But we know it.”
“All I can do is to give it my best eff… ah, shot. I will spend more time observ…
ah, tuning-in.” He grinned, “I do watch old twenty-first century movies. Thank you for the help. I want to make this mission a success. My priority is to keep you safe and to report back to Arthur 5 and I will do whatever it takes.”
“That’s cool, man, you just gotta chill. Don’t worry about all the right words. Maybe watch some TV, listen to the people in the streets.” Joe could see he’d lost Martin at TV. They watched holograms in his century. He figured that even if Martin was formal most of the time no one would be likely to notice. They’d assume he was just another of their egghead friends from school.
Joe’s face lit up, “Speaking of reporting to Arthur 5… how the hell did our android friend get a message to Brian? It’s been driving us nuts trying to figure it out. Brian forgot to tell us in his rush to get back home.”
Dressed in jeans and a buttoned-to-the-top plaid sports shirt topped with a V-neck sweater, Martin cleared his throat, and thought about it for a minute. “That’s simple—Arthur 5 launched a messenger drone through the portal. It was a risk, but it worked. It homed in on Brian and when it got into range, it delivered its message and then returned to the future successfully.”
Joe laughed out loud. “Well, I’ll be damned, only Arthur would think of something like that.
“That makes me feel better knowing that it’s possible. It’s too bad we couldn’t do it the other way, but I don’t think our drones are sophisticated enough.” Joe stopped and looked Martin over.
“In the meantime, we have to help you fit in… fast… Harriet’s friend will be here soon. Let’s start with making you look more casual. The first thing you can do is undo the top two buttons of your shirt. The only time I button a shirt all the way up is when I wear a tie and I would never do that with a plaid shirt. Other than that, you look like you belong here.” It felt strange to be giving another guy grooming tips, but he felt it was better coming from him than Harriet.
Just then there was a knock at the door. Maggie had arrived and Harriet let her in and took her coat. “Maggie, meet Martin Keefer. He’s Brian’s replacement.. He’ll help us stay out of the commander’s reach.”
Maggie frowned, “How long will you two need to have someone babysitting you, this is getting scary?”
Martin answered the question, “Until they get that madman out of his job, but with the government’s hands-off attitude, that may take a while. Arthur 5 is working on it inside the SPA. Not everyone knows what is going on in the ivory tower, so it’s slow-going, requiring a lot of undercover work.”
“Arthur Five?” Maggie had caught Martin’s slip-up.
Chapter 17
Getting to Know You
“No, no, you didn’t hear it right, it's Arthur Fife—people nicknamed him Five.” Joe gave Martin a look that told him to be more careful.
“Yes, sorry, I guess you wouldn’t have known that,” Martin was quick to recover.
“Oh, okay, you made him sound like a robot or something.” Maggie laughed. She’d been watching far too many sci-fi movies.
The others laughed, nervously, knowing they had to be more careful. There was no way to explain the truth of their situation, and they were playing with fire to introduce Maggie this soon after Martin’s arrival. But it was done now, so they would deal with it. The practice would help Martin learn to be extra diligent.
“Would you two like to stay for dinner? I have a pot of spaghetti on the stove, and there is plenty for everyone.” Harriet looked at Joe for approval. He nodded, why not, they would have to break Martin in sooner or later, so why not sooner?
The rest of the afternoon passed in conversation. Martin, like Brian, had never eaten a donut. In the next century sugar was used sparingly. Nutritionists had convinced the population that the only way to curb the rampant obesity that had plagued mankind during the previous one hundred and forty years was to eliminate it from their diets.
Martin, like Brian, licked the sugar from his fingers realizing he couldn’t make too big a fuss over the donut as this was nothing special to these people. So he sat there silently savoring the aftertaste.
“So, Martin, tell us about your work at the SPA. Brian worked with some sophisticated prosthetic devices. That whole place sounds like something right out of the future.” Maggie was warming up to Martin. He made her feel comfortable, which was rare since Luke’s attack nearly a year ago. She still had no interest in getting close to any guy, but she forced herself to at least try to act civil and less fidgety around them. Her therapist said she was making good progress.
Harriet looked over at Joe, Jeez… I think Maggie likes this guy. I’m not sure that’s good… I’d hate to see her set back.
I think you’re right, should we discourage her or what?
No, but I think we should keep tabs on them and jump in if we have to.
Martin and Maggie, unaware of the telepathy going on between their hosts, were having their own conversation.
Martin, although he could receive telepathic messages could only take part if they chose to include him. That was one of the plus sides of AI. If you asked them how they could do that, neither could answer. It seemed to be a matter of desire. If they wanted a three-way chat, it happened.
Martin relaxed as he and Maggie got to know each other. She had a disarming manner and had him captivated. He wasn’t aware of how good looking he was and while he dated now and then, he wasn’t preoccupied with women. However, this lively, attractive, twenty-first-century chatterbox had his full attention.
It was the slight distance that he maintained, that seemed to draw her in. He was also forthright and honest and a little na
ïve. Maggie couldn’t imagine him harming anything or anyone.
She soon began inviting herself over whenever she knew Martin would be there.
March had come in like a lion with lots of snow, allowing the four of them the opportunity to do some spring skiing. Martin was as proficient at it as Brian had been.
Joe and Harriet had to think twice about returning to the ski resort after their frightening encounter with the commander’s goons, but their next two trips there proved uneventful. Martin’s proficiency with the old-fashioned skis improved in no time. He blamed his initial awkwardness on the rental skis and Maggie never caught on.
Nearing the end of the month, with the snow disappearing as spring approached they took Maggie’s car and headed downtown to the waterfront. The cold wind, blowing off the ocean, required them to bundle up, but it didn’t deter them from strolling along the boardwalk to their favorite pub.
It was here that Joe and Harriet got their first alien tingle. When Harriet looked sharply over at Joe with her eyes wide, Martin sensed something was up.
Are you feeling that, Joe? Martin, I’m getting a tingle distinct from the one you send out. I think we may have company. Harriet always was the first to detect the warning.
I have it now, what should we do, Martin? Maggie knows nothing about any of this. Joe had felt it seconds behind her this time.
Martin frowned and shook his head, alarmed. We need to get out of here without Maggie suspecting anything is wrong. Maybe one of us should feign illness? Anyone but me, I can’t act.
Harriet volunteered. “Hey, guys, I hate to be a party-pooper, but I don’t feel so good right now. I think it might have been that last oyster I ate.”
“Oh dear, I hope you’ll be all right,” Maggie said.
“Are you guys okay?” Harriet tried to look worried.
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