“Joe, Maggie will drive me back. We have to talk. She’ll stay over with me, since tomorrow is a day off from school. Her students don’t write exams until Tuesday,” Martin explained.
Maggie, whose eyes reflected how deeply troubled she was, had a hard time looking at anyone right then. Harriet could see it and expected to hear from her friend soon.
“Okay, man, no problem. Do you think you can get over to the office sometime tomorrow, maybe in the afternoon?”
“I’ll try, but I will spend as much time as needed with Maggie until we can work this out. Thanks for your support, Joe, I sure hope your parents will believe you and don’t think we’re all crazy. I’ll see you tomorrow if I can.” Maggie was his priority. Even though had had said he would be at the office tomorrow, that could wait. He had faith in Joe handling it.
Joe and Harriet were quiet as they drove home. They didn’t feel this had gone well. “I guess I’ll have to see what Dad has to say tomorrow. I have to put myself in his place. It’s a hard story to swallow. Can you imagine what’s going through his mind?”
“This has been a nightmare from the beginning. I feel bad for both of us and worse now than when we first told them the lie.” She was quiet for a while. “Call me as soon as you can, okay. I’m sure I’ll be done with the interview before noon.”
“Oh, ya, I forgot about that. I want to know how you make out.”
They pulled into the drive and parked behind the building. It was late, and there was nothing more to say, so they went to bed early, both lost in thought about what they were facing the next day.
Chapter 31
Soul Searching
Harriet showed up for her interview at Bio-Tech ten minutes early. Ann Shaw, head of human resources came out from her office and greeted her with a firm handshake. “Right on time… Mr. Andrews is ready for you. Follow me. He’s looking forward to meeting you.” Her voice was deeper than you would expect from such a tiny woman.
Harriet followed the well-groomed blonde, who strode confidently down the long hallway in four-inch spiked heels. It ended at a large glass cubicle where Tom Andrews greeted Harriet. The sign on his desk declared that he was vice president of research. When he stood up and came around to shake her hand. When he stood up and came around to shake her hand, she could see he was about her height. He had a firm handshake, not the limp rag, fingertips offered by so many men when meeting women.
“It’s nice to meet you, Harriet.” He looked into her eyes and gave her a pleasant smile, showing a mouth full of even teeth.
“Yes, me too.” Harriet hated interviews, she felt awkward and afraid of saying the wrong thing. First impressions could make or break her.
“I looked over your résumé. You’ve had no experience, but that’s understandable since you just graduated. You’re planning on starting your masters’ in the fall?”
“Uh, yes, sir, my husband is still studying law, so I decided to continue… Uh, thank you for giving me this opportunity to apply. I was hoping to hear from your company after I graduated.”
She began to relax as the two of them chatted back and forth. He explained some of their research programs, which included the development of artificial skin and asked her several pertinent questions. Overall, he seemed impressed with her answers. At least, that was her impression.
The interview was over in less than an hour. “I’ll have Ann call you tomorrow. It has been nice meeting you.”
Harriet left his office and walked down the long hallway, trying not to second-guess everything she’d said during the interview. She walked past the reception area, which was empty, and then out to the bus stop. The ride home was only about twenty minutes in normal traffic, which was excellent for her since Joe would take the car most days.
Harriet wasn’t sure how she was feeling. Other than knowing she had never been lost for an answer as Tom Andrews questioned her. But she didn’t have a good sense about whether she’d got the job. During their discussion, she’d reminded him that her availability to work was subject to her class schedule and he’d seemed okay with that.
“I’m supposed to hear from Ann Shaw tomorrow,” she told Joe. She’d waited to call him until she got home. “I don’t know how it went. It seemed okay, but all he said was he’d have her call me tomorrow. I guess it’s wait and see now. What about you? Did Martin show up yet?”
“No, but it’s still early. I expect he’ll call or text when he’s on his way. I suspect it will be after lunch. That’s okay, it will give me time to get caught up with my work first. Dad hasn’t been around much this morning either. I’ll drive Martin back if he’s still here. Do you want me to bring home a pizza? I’ll ask Martin to join us if that’s okay?”
“Oh, sure, I’ll make a salad to go with it.”
“Sounds good, I’ll see you around six. Love you.”
Joe disconnected, and Harriet filled the rest of the afternoon with cleaning and laundry.
Harriet felt Martin’s tingle at about five minutes after six, so she went to let him in. Joe had dropped him off at the front of the apartment and then parked the car.
“Hi there, Martin, I’ll take that.” She relieved him of the pizza and left him to carry in a bottle of Chianti. Meanwhile, she could hear Joe coming down the back stairs.
She went straight to the kitchen calling over her shoulder, “Sit down, and make yourself comfortable.”
“Hi, honey, I’m home,” Joe sang out from the living room.
Harriet came around the corner and smiled at her husband, “I guess we should eat now, while the pizza’s still hot.” She held out the wine bottle and corkscrew for him.
Martin came up behind him. “Can I do anything?”
Harriet handed him the plates and cutlery. “Yep, you can set the table, while I toss the salad.”
Joe poured while Harriet served. They all sat down and dug in.
They kept the chatter simple until they finished their food. Joe refreshed their wine. “So, I guess we’d better fill you in.”
“For sure, how was Maggie after the news, she didn’t say much last night? I’ve been busy all day trying not to think about it too much.” Harriet leaned forward, waiting.
Joe deferred to their guest. “I’ll let Martin start.”
“I think she was disappointed that none of us told her first. She felt it lacked trust on our part. I had a hard time convincing her that wasn’t the case,” Martin said.
“That’s what I figured might happen.” Harriet screwed up her face. “I had to wrestle with not telling her.”
“Maggie told me she always knew there was more to the story you gave her, although it made a lot more sense than the first version about trying to elope.” Martin laughed. “I have to agree with her there.”
“You and everyone else, but the irony is, that’s what our parents ended up giving to the authorities.” Joe piped in.
Martin continued. “After that, Maggie had a pile of questions about the commander, and the group of us who are trying to get him replaced. I was a little surprised. That’s a side of her I hadn’t seen before. She seemed so intense… a rebel.”
Harriet laughed, “If there is a pro just-about-anything march to do with human rights, you’ll see Maggie carrying the banner.”
“I can see that,” Martin laughed, “But that’s not the whole story.” His face grew dark, “Your friend wants to go back with me and help us with our battle.”
Harriet didn’t flinch. “Nothing about Maggie would surprise me.”
“Are you going to let her go back with you?” Joe could already see the answer on Martin’s face.
“She wore me down, but it was easy. I don’t know how I could survive without her. Is that selfish? Am I putting her in danger by letting her come with me?”
“You have to follow your heart, Martin.” But Harriet had another thought disturbing her.
“Has Maggie thought about leaving her mother alone? She’s elderly, and they have no nearby relatives?”
“Yes, she will call her aunt in Maine and invite her to come and live with her mother. We’ll tell them we’re moving to Australia for my work, and we plan to get married there. We can only hope they will accept that. I don’t imagine her mother would ever believe the real truth.” Martin looked worried.
“John Weatherby’s plans concern us all, especially those of us who are trying to take him down. His evil scheme could wind up affecting the entire human race.” He paused, sorting out his thoughts.
“The Lunans will always depend on manufactured air and environment. If the moon’s population gets too big for their resources, they may have to look at Earth as an alternative to their difficult existence. That could make us vulnerable as our own resources are dwindling.” He was thinking way ahead, not just concerned with the immediate effects, but concerned about the future of Earth.
Joe jumped in… he had been doing research for his dad on a case the family firm had taken on for a group of environmentalists who were trying to shake up the government to do more to save the planet. He was gathering data on the shrinking Amazon rain forest, the melting polar ice cap, and the earth’s polluted oceans.
“Climate change alone could lead to worldwide crop failure and famine. You in the next century are working hard to continue what we’re just starting to do. But as you said, you are still suffering the consequences of our era sticking our heads in the sand for too long. In the meantime, our birthrate is beginning to fall even now, due mostly to fear of bringing children into the current world. If we don’t replicate ourselves, the drop in population will accelerate as the decades pass.” Joe had been thinking a lot about this, since he and Harriet had been married.
You’re right, Joe, “Some of our regulations have led to further decreases. The bureaucrats in our century, are so afraid of birth defects, they have further slowed down the growth with their insane regulations. It will take another century to rectify the problem,” Martin said.
He added, “The commander’s repopulation scheme for the moon colony has merit but it is misdirected.” He stopped and took a breath.
Joe didn’t realize how passionate he had become. Looking directly at Martin, he shook his head.
“We can’t do as our forefathers did and ignore the consequences of our actions. Look what happened to us by ignoring greenhouse gases? It took until your century to get that under control.” Martin nodded in agreement.
Harriet had another concern. “What about the people he’s kidnapping? The commander’s goons snatched those six people and we have to stop him.” She didn’t realize that she had said we, but the reaction of both guys showed they did.
“What?” She hadn’t realized it herself.
“You know you said we just now? How are we going to stop him?” Joe asked, part teasing and part serious.
“Did I say we? I didn’t realize it.” She hesitated for a minute. “Maybe we should make it our fight, since we’re the only ones who know about it and we can’t go to the authorities. Martin and his group can’t be on both sides of time… I think it’s time for us to get involved.”
“I don’t dispute what you are saying, but I don’t know what we can do to stop them. We would have to know in advance that the commander has sent his guards to snatch someone, and unless Martin is there and can somehow find that out, and then get word to us, there’s not much we can do. I’ll think more about that,” Joe said.
“Did I say it would be easy? You have to agree that we need to get involved!” Harriet wasn’t backing down.
“This is everyone’s fight,” Martin jumped in, agreeing with her.
“I don’t disagree, but we don’t have a plan. Maybe we should think about it and come up with some way to track these guys.” Joe felt as if he was being railroaded into something he didn’t want and hadn’t really considered.
“Track… that’s it!” Martin had an idea. “Let me think about this a little longer. I might have a way this will work—I have to check some facts. I’ll get back to you tomorrow.”
Joe laughed. “Are you planning something to track movement of the commander’s troops?” Joe asked. “Won’t you have to know in advance who he’s sending?”
“No, I have to check on what I have in mind first. And yes it is to do with tracking. I don’t want to get our hopes up for nothing.” Martin was being cautious.
“Okay, man, I can see your point, it will be a huge advantage if we know who we’re dealing with and could track their movements,” Joe agreed, and Harriet nodded.
“We’ll leave that with you. We could have another meeting tomorrow and include Maggie. Maybe you should fill her in,” Joe suggested
Martin smiled. “A good idea, especially if it includes another meal. I’ll bring the food this time. The fast food in this century is so much better than the automat food of my time.”
Harriet found that funny, “Oh, we have so ruined you, Martin. We’ve turned you into a food junkie.”
“I plan to enjoy the novelty while I can. I know what my new hobby will be when Maggie and I get back to my century.”
“What’s that, cooking or eating?” That sent Harriet into a giggling fit.
“Don’t underestimate me. I love eating, but I also want to know how to put this stuff together. We have raw ingredients in the future and I plan on learning how to manipulate them into some of my favorite dishes. Assuming I can find all of the ingredients.”
“Maggie can help you, although I’ve never known her to like the kitchen and cooking. Mug’s own mother never encouraged her to learn. I don’t think Mrs. McEwan wanted to share her kitchen. But I will make you a copy of the recipes I got from my mom.” Harriet offered.
She turned to Joe and changed the subject. “So what about your dad, what did he have to say today, after having time to think about what we told them yesterday?
“Our two dads spent the morning hashing it over, that’s why we didn’t see them until this afternoon. That turned out okay, as Martin spent all last night and this morning working things out with Maggie. Dad called us into the conference room after lunch and locked the door. The bottom line—they never believed our story, but they couldn’t come up with a logical reason why we’d fabricated such a preposterous tale. Short of seeing Martin off through the portal, they’ve conceded that it is in the realm of possibility.” Joe said with a half-smile. “It makes me uncomfortable that they still have doubts.”
“Can you blame them?” Martin asked. “Seeing me off through the portal may be what’s needed. Your dads are athletic, they can make the hike. And there’s the ladder the goons left behind, unless they removed it after their failed kidnap attempt. Although they appear to have been back and forth several times, so they may have installed an elevator since then.” Martin laughed at his joke.
“Let’s wait and see what happens first. I thought for sure some of the stuff from your century you showed our parents yesterday would’ve convinced them. All it did was get Mom and Dad to delay their decision for now. They have until the end of August. So we have time to talk them out of going before then.”
The evening wound down, with Martin promising to bring Maggie over the following night for dinner and another meeting.
We’ve created a monster. Martin was so hooked on home-cooked meals; Harriet figured he’d better find that cooking class fast.
Joe shut the door behind Martin, “So what do you think, Harri?”
“I think we have a whole new set of problems. I never thought much about it. But we’re the only ones that know who kidnapped those six people, and we have a responsibility to do something about it.”
“I’m sure Martin will work hard when he gets back to have the commander replaced. Once he’s stopped, the kidnappings will stop.” Joe believed this was a given.
“But what about the six people he’s already grabbed. Someone has to rescue them. We can’t just leave them stranded in the future.” Harriet’s sense of urgency worried Joe. He realized this wasn’t idle ch
atter.
“You’re not proposing that we go back!” It wasn’t an option for him.
“If that’s what it takes. We have to get them back before the commander sends them to the moon.” She had a look in her deep blue eyes that scared Joe.
“Oh God! Harriet, you’ve got to be kidding!”
“No, the more I think about it the more I realize, we are the only ones that can do this. Let’s not dismiss the idea, at least let’s think about it.” She grabbed Joe’s hand and squeezed.
“Oh, man.” Joe put his head in his hands and groaned.
“Promise me you’ll think about it.”
“Okay, okay. I don’t agree, but I will think about it.”
Neither of them slept well that night.
Chapter 32
Plans
They woke to the alarm feeling bleak. Breakfast was not their usual joyful first meal of the day. Instead, they ate in silence each lost in thought. Joe kissed Harriet goodbye. “See you tonight, we should be home about the same time, just after six.”
Harriet shut the door behind him, feeling lost and depressed. Joe didn’t want to go back to the future ever, but she knew it was the right thing to do. Her current job didn’t require a master’s degree nor did any other job she’d want, and Joe could finish his bar exam when he got back. And there was no doubt they would come back. The hardest part of going would be to leave their parents behind.
The phone rang while Harriet was in the kitchen getting things organized for their company. She thought it might be Joe checking in on her, but it was Ann Shaw from Bio-Tech. With all they were dealing with she had forgotten about this all-important call.
“You made quite an impression on Tom Andrews yesterday.”
“Thank you.”
Harriet’s face flushed, everything for them was up in the air, so her pleasure was tinged with apprehension. She was thinking if she took this job she’d only be complicating her life further. She held her breath, as she listened.
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