“My studies kept me occupied and when I was old enough to leave the center, I found work with the SPA. They left me alone there and I liked my job. The only dark spot was after John Weatherby took over. Rumors began to fly that he was rounding up people like me who had no attachments and was shipping us off to the moon as part of a colony expansion program.”
Harriet had a sudden thought. “It just occurred to me that the commander could use robots and androids on the moon for the drudge work, it would take a while, but he could slowly build his workforce that way, instead of kidnapping people and waiting for them to reproduce. I’m sure the SPA could build quite a few in the nine months it takes to produce one human.”
Red laughed. “The commander wants to build an empire. He already has a large force of robots doing the mining. But they can’t breed, and he wants that planet to eventually become self-sustaining.”
He paused, trying to remember where he was in his story. “Oh yes, now I have it… John Weatherby started his expansion program with volunteers, and when they began to dry up, he began ‘re-assigning’ people like me.
“Did you get that confirmed?” Joe asked.
“No, but the longer I worked there, the more certain I became that it was just a matter of time. I didn’t want to end up working on another planet. That influenced my decision to stay in the past. It didn’t take me long to settle in, and I fitted in. People aren’t as tall in this century, which is a nice change, and everyone seems to like me.”
“What about that weird accent you were using.” Harriet was as curious as Joe about its origin.
“Oh, that. When I got to the ski lift, it just happened that there was a troupe of Scouts that had just finished a hike and were waiting for the lift. That gave me time to observe and to listen to their speech patterns. I noticed different regional accents. So I figured I better mimic someone.”
“That explains it. Neither of us could pin down where you were from.”
Red laughed in his pleasant way. “Well, I got away with it for over ten years, so it can’t be all that strange.”
We better tell you why we’re here.” Joe looked at the clock on the wall and saw they’d already been there an hour.
“You started to tell me before I cut you off,” Red interjected. “You were saying that you think the kidnappers are connected to the ski resort.”
Chapter 35
The Departure
Joe and Harriet explained everything they knew, including details of their kidnapping and what they’d discovered about the six local people who disappeared and as much as they’d learned about the rental car parked in the Bentwood lot by the kidnappers.
“I suspect that the kidnappers would leave their rental car for the next travelers the commander sends through the portal. If it hadn’t been for the Good Samaritan who took down the license plate number, it would still be there.” Joe had given it a lot of thought.
Red listened and nodded in agreement. “So maybe I’ll keep closer track of who’s in our car park? Right now we don’t worry about it. People often take two or three days on the trail. It’s not unusual to have half a dozen cars there for a few days.”
“What about in the winter?” Harriet always found another angle.
“That’s different. People don’t stay over in the winter. If a car is left behind, we’d have to send out a search party. We close the ski lift down before the sun sets and tell anyone who is cross-country skiing that they must be back before dark.”
“So if the commander plans to keep doing this, he will have to get it done before the snow falls.” Harriet got a nod from Red.
“If that’s right, hiking season could be over in another month.” Joe looked at Red for confirmation.
“Only a die-hard would stay in a tent after September. We don’t allow it after then, anyway. Our hours change when Daylight Savings ends along with overnight camping.”
“That gives us a timeframe. It will be a lot more difficult to spot the kidnappers unless they make themselves obvious by asking about the car. I doubt they’ll do that. I guess we can only ask that you be alert to any unusual activity. So far there have always been two large men, well-equipped with hiking gear and carrying the cell phone from the previous two. They’ll more than likely call U-Rent again,” Joe speculated.
“Okay, no problem, I’ll watch for them,” Red promised.
Harriet had a thought. “If they get by you when they arrive from the future, try to be alert to any group checking in that has two men and a man and woman or just a man or woman with two men. The two men will be dressed for hiking but whoever they bring with them won’t be, although they’ll be carrying new backpacks.”
“Hang on… I just heard a report earlier tonight on the radio. Something about the six… what was it?” Red closed his eyes and thought for a minute. “Oh, I remember, they found out that these were not random kidnappings. The investigation found that the three couples all knew each other. Oh and a guy they’ve been searching for, for several months, knows them all. They all used to party together. I can’t remember his name. Anyway, the cops are looking for this guy.”
Joe and Harriet looked at each other with the same thought. Joe spoke up, “Was the name Luke Holmes?
Red thought for only a second or two. “I think that’s it. You know the guy?”
“Yes, we do. Red you have no idea how helpful that is.” Joe thanked him and could see Harriet’s face had darkened. She said nothing.
Joe looked at this watch, “We better get on the road, it’s getting late, and we’ve still got an hour’s drive.”
“Thanks for filling me in, you two. I’ll do what I can to help you catch these guys. I hope I was some help. It’s too bad we can’t get the police in on this, but they’d never believe us.” Red walked them to the door and locked it behind them. He left the parking lot lights on until he saw them turn on to the highway.
“Do you think it would be a good idea to call Martin and fill him in on the way home?” Joe couldn’t contain his excitement.
Harriet had her phone out and was punching in the number before Joe finished the sentence. He gave her knee a squeeze.
She put her phone on speaker and they had a three-way conversation.
“That’s shocking,” Martin said when they explained that Red was from the future, and the new information he had about Luke Holmes.
“That’s an odd coincidence… Maybe it’s something you could look into, Joe. And as far as Red goes, I don’t remember ever seeing him at the SPA. He’s not someone you’d forget.”
“He is memorable, but I have another question about him. I wonder why we never got a tingle from Red.” Harriet was always the first to notice details.
“That is strange. The only reason you wouldn’t detect him would be a change in his DNA. The only thing I can think of, that would do that, is that he’s had a blood transfusion. Mixing his blood with someone from this century could cause your warning chips to no longer work on him. If you could ask Red about that the next time you talk to him, I will let Arthur 5 know about it when we return to the SPA.” Martin paused… there was something else on his mind.
“Look, I’m glad you called, Maggie and I had a long discussion and we have decided we should leave for the future before the Labor Day weekend. The ski hills will be busy with everyone wanting to get in their last hike before the cold weather. I think this coming Thursday morning would work for us. The sooner we return the sooner we can get things in motion. I’ll let you know by drone everything I find out about the kidnapped six. I’m not sure your new information will make much difference to our investigation. In the meantime, Maggie and I will get her aunt settled in after we pick her up at the airport on Monday. You two should be okay on your own, now that you have Red involved.”
“Okay, we’ll talk to you tomorrow. We have a busy week ahead of us. Harriet starts her new job on Monday, and I have half a dozen briefs I have to research and write for the office. I’ll try to look i
nto the police investigation on Luke. And, Harriet and I will find out as much as we can about the missing couples. We’ll pass it along to you when you get the drone system working.” Harriet and Joe said their goodnights and disconnected.
“God, I feel like our hands are tied. There’s so little we can do right now.” Harriet sighed and rocked in her seat, a sure sign of her frustration.
“I’ll see if I can go through the law firm and get more information on the Holmes case.” Joe was at least going to look into it.
He turned into their driveway and parked around the back then went through the back entrance to their little sanctuary. “You want coffee, or a drink?” Harriet asked Joe as he hung up their sweaters. The nights and mornings were getting cooler as August ran out of days.
They spent until bedtime talking strategy. There wasn’t a whole lot they could do until they heard from Martin… that’s assuming that the drone still worked. It had only been a few months since Arthur 5 had launched one to recall their first guard, Brian Morgan.
They went to bed that night with their heads spinning with unanswered questions.
***
The week flew by with Maggie and Harriet on the phone every day, exchanging ideas and just talking. They knew that time was running out. Soon they would no longer be in each other’s lives, and they were feeling the pain of separation already.
On the day of departure, Joe and Harriet were at Maggie’s place by seven in the morning. Joe took the day off, and Harriet set her own hours at Bio-Tech.
Maggie answered the door, “C’mon in, we’re all ready. You guys can load our backpacks while I say goodbye to Mom and Aunt Helen.”
The two of them came in without saying too much. Maggie’s mom and aunt stood hovering in the background. Harriet and Joe greeted them—they’d already met Maggie’s aunt. The tension was palpable. Martin stood by, not saying much.
Maggie hugged her mom then her aunt and they exchanged promises to write. Maggie turned and mouthed, “Let’s get out of here.”
The four of them trooped out and got into Joe’s aging Jeep. Maggie’s eyes looked glassy, but she didn’t cry. Harriet figured it wouldn’t take much to send her over the edge so she focused on Martin. “It’s too bad you have no way to let Arthur 5 know you’re on your way back.”
“Yes, that would be helpful. My only real worry right now is getting through the portal and back into the SPA undetected. We have no way of knowing if they are guarding the door.” Martin had been thinking about problems that might confront them now that the day of departure had arrived.
“They don’t need to guard it,” Joe said. “They have no way of knowing that you’re returning, unless you cross paths with someone coming this way. It’s not likely they’re anywhere near the portal.”
“That’s true,” Martin said with a note of relief. “I’m also not looking forward to walking through that damned door.”
Joe and Harriet could relate. “I can’t blame you there, man. But so far everyone has survived it.”
“I’m not worried about it,” Maggie piped in. “As you said, Joe, so far everyone has walked away from it. I’m trying not to think too much about it.”
Joe and Harriet admired her determination, but knew she was in for a rude awakening.
The hour’s drive to the ski resort flew by. Joe turned in to the parking lot and pulled out their gear. Joe and Harriet had brought their stuff out of habit. They dressed in suitable clothes and had on their hiking boots then trooped into the office where Red greeted them. No one else was around.
“So, the big day has arrived,” Red said with a smile. He hadn’t met either Martin or Maggie and Joe made the introductions.
“I’ve heard a lot about you, Martin. I can only say, I’ll do everything I can to help you all with your fight. Joe has filled me in with the details of what the commander put them through while they were there. That evil bastard’s the reason I’m still here. I’ve had no desire to return. If for any reason you can’t get your messages to Joe and Harriet, you can send them here, I’ll see they get them.”
“That’s good to know, Red. I’ll keep that in mind,” Martin said, grateful for their new ally.
“I’ll keep everyone off the trail for at least an hour, to give you plenty of time to get to your destination without being spotted. It won’t get busy here before nine, anyway,” Red assured them.
“Thanks, Red. Harriet and I will check in on the way out. See you in a few hours.” The four of them trooped out to the lift. Red came out behind them, locking the office door.
“I’ll operate the lift for you this morning. Our regular operator doesn’t get here before eight thirty. It’s better if there are no witnesses to your departure, anyway.”
The ride up to the nine-hundred-foot level was uneventful and they jumped down, hoisted their backpacks and took off down the now familiar trail.
There wasn’t a lot of chatter as they hiked toward the canyon with its steep cliffs. They took a break at the waterfall where they had a substantial drink of water and ate a power bar. Again, the chatter was light.
They were at the base of the cliff in less than an hour from the waterfall. They discovered that the rope ladder was still in place so they gathered it was still in use by Weatherby’s henchmen. They used it with Joe staying back. He secured it once Harriet, Maggie and then Martin were at the cave entrance then Joe climbed the rockfall and worked his way along the ledge to join them. This way if the commander sent anyone in the next while, nothing would be out of place until they got to the parking lot and found their car gone. Joe was certain that wouldn’t be a big deal. They’d figure the rental company had picked it up. They would call for another one using the cell phone the previous kidnappers had passed on to them.
The four of them took off into the cave following the tunnel to the first door. It was still open. Not much sense closing it, with all the recent traffic.
The portal door at the top of the stairs was closed, but it opened with ease this time, no longer screaming in protest. It looked and smelled like someone had oiled it.
Maggie tried to take in everything as Joe and Harriet explained it.
“This is what we faced the first time we looked through here. It’s hard to describe what we’re looking at,” Joe said.
“Now I know what you were talking about. Oh my God, that’s unnerving.” Maggie stared into the nothingness.
“Wait ‘til you see this.” Harriet showed how her flashlight and arm would disappear when she stuck them through the door.
“Holy shit! How did you get up enough nerve to walk through that?”
“I didn’t want to, but Joe’s determination to move forward convinced me otherwise.”
“Well, it’s a good thing I know what to expect. I have to tell you, my heart is pounding, and I may throw up any minute,” Maggie said with a quaver in her voice.
“You can always change your mind, my love. I can come back once we get things resolved at the SPA,” Martin assured her, although his heart wasn’t in it.
“No, I’m in it to the end. My life is with you. And we better go through one of your commitment ceremonies as soon as we can, because I have no intention of ever sharing you with anyone. I just wish you and Joe could be with us,” she said as she turned and hugged both of them one at a time. “I love you guys. Harriet, you’ll always be my sister.” She turned away, her eyes glistening.
“C’mon, Martin, let’s do this thing, before I change my mind.”
Martin shook Joe’s hand and kissed Harriet on the cheek. Then, he did something totally out of character. He looked from one to the other and with glistening eyes… he pulled them both in and hugged them. “Damn, I’ll miss both of you. We could use your help to fight this guy. Arthur 5 will get a message to you as soon as we can set it up. Thanks for all you’ve done for me.” He sniffed loudly, turned to Maggie, and linked his arm through hers “Ready?”
They moved forward, dissolving into the nothingness of
the portal. Joe and Harriet stood staring into the void, not speaking. Harriet knew if she opened her mouth, she’d cry. In silence, they worked their way back down the steep staircase.
The only sound on the trip back was their breathing and their footsteps. To help refocus their attention, they climbed down the rockfall rather than the rope ladder.
The trip to the lift went by fast, neither of them wanting to stop or chat. The lift operator was ready for them as Red had warned that there were two hikers expected back early. They headed into the office and waited for the people being served at the desk to leave.
“They got away okay?” Red said, more of a statement than a question.
“Yes, but neither of us thought it would be so hard. They felt more like brother and sister to us. We’ll miss them both.”
Red, feeling their sense of loss said, “Anything I can do to help, I’d be pleased to do it. In the meantime, I’ll let you know if I see anything out of the ordinary going on here. Let me know if they contact you. It would be nice to know that you have a pipeline into the future.”
“Consider it done,” Joe said. Grabbing Harriet by the arm, he pulled her toward the door, “Are you ready to go?” Over his shoulder he said, “Red, I’ll call and arrange to get together with you soon and thanks for your help.” He steered Harriet out of the office to the parking lot, knowing they both needed to be on their own for a while.
Chapter 36
Messages and Discovery
Joe now worked full time in their fathers’ law office handling briefs and depositions along with a load of routine cases. His favorite days were when he tagged along during court cases. This is where it was most exciting and offered the biggest personal rewards. Along the way, he was becoming a good researcher. He could cite law cases pertinent to pending trials, and his memory and AI were proving to be an asset to him and the firm. His dad was more than proud of him and didn’t hesitate to ask his son’s opinion on active cases.
Joe’s parents canceled their trip to Washington, based on the facts Joe, Harriet and Martin had presented. Like any good lawyer, after weighing the evidence, Mike Flemming recognized the truth.
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