by Clark Graham
Chapter Forty-Three
Hamptons, New York
1946
Brian, and his son, Jacob, sat in the parlor of Adalwolf Dalton’s home. They chatted as they waited for Grampa Wolf to come down. Soon the sound of slow footsteps coming down the stairs could be heard. Grampa Wolf turned the corner and slumped down in the nearest chair.
“This growing old isn’t for the faint of heart.”
“How are you doing, Dad?” Brian asked.
“Not bad, for an old guy.”
“How old are you, now?” Jacob asked.
“That’s a hard question to answer. Let’s see, I was in my thirties in 1894, let makes me around eighty-six. If you consider I was born next century, I’m a whole lot of negative years old. I think my body feels around 68, so we're going with that.”
Both father and son smiled.
“The reason I called you here,” Dalton went on, “is that Felix tells me that I’ll be dead of prostate cancer within the year. I need you two to find John Buck or Jason Ralston. He lives in the sixties in a small Arizona town. He holds the key to stopping the time machine, before it starts. If you can, talk him out of doing the time capsule and going back to his commander to tell him he traveled back in time. I need you two to stop him.”
“Of course, Grampa, anything for you.”
Brian nodded. “We will make sure and do that.”
Dalton smiled. “Good. Poor Ted, moved next door in the vain hope of capturing a time machine. He must have thought we had one a month landing here.”
“At least he has great barbecues during the summertime,” Brian teased.
“Yes, he has great barbeques. In another timeline, his son, Mel, murders you, according to Felix,” Dalton commented.
“He has always been a friend,” Brian replied.
“The idea of controlling time is toxic. Anyway, I’m off to see Felix. Anyone wish to join me?”
Brian shook his head. “I love the food, but we have to visit his other grandfather today.”
“All right, I’ll see you two when you come back around.”
Felix waited for Dalton to arrive. He paced back and forth. When Dalton finally stepped through the door, he said, “I saw a couple that looked out of place.”
“What do you mean, out of place?’” Dalton asked.
“Like they were from the future, but didn’t get the clothes quite right. They wore fifties clothes. The dress the lady had on wasn’t from the twenties.”
Dalton stroked his chin. “Do you think they were trendsetters?”
“No. They came in and ordered, but didn’t identify themselves as from the future. They scanned the diner a lot. I think they were looking for you.”
“Point them out if you see them again.”
“I will.”
“Meanwhile, how is Diana?”
Felix shook his head. “Not well. I thought I would go first after spending all those years in prison with bad food and disease constantly around me. They don’t give her but a few weeks. If I could take her back, the doctors could cure her. It’s a highly treatable form of cancer in our time.”
“Were you hoping those people you saw were from the future so you could take her back and get her fixed up?”
Felix hung his head. “Yes, I was wishing that.”
“It’s a hard thing to accept, but we are doing the best we can for mankind. I’ll die of prostate cancer before the year is out, too. We sacrifice so others can live their lives.”
“I’d still take her to the future in a heartbeat so I could keep her.”
“Can I see her?”
“She’s upstairs.”
A few moments later they both stood over her bed. She was thin and frail. Her eyes sunken in. Still she managed a smile. “Adalwolf, it’s good to see you.”
“How do you feel?”
“Like I’ve been hit by a runaway train.”
“I wish you’d let me take you to the hospital,” Felix interjected.
“I don’t want to die in a hospital. I want to be here, in my home. I don’t want to go to the future to be cured. I’ve lived my life. The doctors can’t do a thing for me. I’ll pass away soon.”
Dalton patted her arm. “You’re really brave.”
She nodded, and opened her mouth to talk, but started coughing violently. Blood trickled out of her nose when she stopped. She quickly wiped it away.
“I’ll leave you alone so you can rest.”
When they were back downstairs, Felix replied, “It’s almost too late. I’ve got to get her to the future soon.”
Dalton shook his head slowly, “It is too late. Even if you were able to get her back, she’s too far gone.”
Felix slumped down in one of the diner’s stools. “I know, but I hate to give up. I love her.”
“I’m so sorry.” Dalton patted his shoulder.
Chapter Forty-Four
New York, New York
1946
The clouds were threatening rain as the hearse pulled up. The grave was dug. Both Felix and Dalton were among the pallbearers. They pulled the casket out of the back and set it down on top of the supports over the grave.
The priest, Bible in hand, stepped forward. He read a few passages to the group gathered around. Sprinkling ashes, he said a few more words.
A man and woman appeared on the fringe of the congregation. Felix spotted them first. He nudged Dalton. “Those are the ones I told you about,” he whispered.
Looking up, Dalton shrugged. “They could be anyone.”
“They’re looking at you. Why wouldn’t they be looking at me, too?”
Dalton ignored him and went back listening to the priest. When the graveside service was over, he took Mary by the hand and headed to his car.
Felix walked towards the couple, but they walked off before he was able to catch them.
The next day at the diner, he let the assistant cook take over while he went to the library.
A knock came on Dalton’s door, loud and persistent. Brian answered. “Hello, Felix, how can I help you?”
“Where is he?” Felix pushed past him.
“If you’re talking about my father, he’s on the back patio.”
Felix stomped out there. Facing him, he yelled, “You killed me off. Imagine finding the headline, American Dies in Austrian Prison. I even found my obituary.”
Dalton looked up from his paper. “I had to. You’re weak. If they come for you, you will go.”
“I could have saved her, if not for you.”
Dalton shook his head. “It was her idea. She didn’t want to live in the future. She wanted you to stay with her in the here and now. She asked me to do it. She died because she lived in the 1940s and they don’t have the medication to save her.”
“That couple that followed you, they were from the future, weren’t they? They weren’t looking for me because I’m dead, right. They talked to you after the funeral, didn’t they?”
“No. No one talked to me after the funeral. I don’t know who they were. I think you wanted them to be something they weren’t. You are so desperate to get back to your own time, you’re imagining time travelers all over the place.”
Felix kicked the patio post, and stomped out.
“What was that all about?” Mary asked. She had brought out a tea server when she’d seen Felix out back.
“He just found out he died. He wasn’t happy about it.”
“Oh, that. Goodness, poor man. I was hoping he’d never figure it out. Do you think he’ll ever be back?”
“Maybe, when he settles down.”
Brian Dalton brought the group to the basement of his father’s home in the Hamptons. They consisted of Brian, his wife, Gina, their son, Jacob, Mary’s brother, David, and George and Betty Trumball.
They gathered around a wood replica of the Vmax3 time machine.
“This is it,” Brian said. “I had David’s help in recreating it as best as I could. Besides my father, mother, and Felix, we
are the only ones that have seen it.”
The plane stood ten inches off the ground and was two feet nose to tail with the wings around the same. Olive drab paint finished it out.
“It’s so ugly,” Betty commented.
“Yes, and it does ugly things too,” Brian replied. “That is why we must stop it. Father has given me the task, I have asked all of you for help. George, here is keeping an eye on Felix. How is that going?”
“Not well. He’s spotted us at the diner and again at the funeral. He thinks we’re from the future. I heard he even talked to Adalwolf about us. We pretended to ignore him and look like we were trying to get a hold of Adalwolf, but that only increased his suspicion. He found out about his obituary around that time.”
“We need to send someone else to do spy on him then. The only one of us he doesn’t know is my son, Jacob.”
All eyes turned to the young man. “I heard about the confrontation between Felix and my grandfather. I’ll find an apartment across the street from the diner. I can keep tabs on him that way without being seen.”
“Good idea,” David nodded.
“Are we ready?” Brian asked.
Everyone nodded. Brian set the model on fire and they all joined hands around it. Brian began the chanting. “We pledge our lives to stop the time machine.”
Chapter Forty-Five
The Hamptons, New York
1948
“I shouldn’t be here.” Felix stood at yet another graveside. “The last time I talked to Adalwolf, I yelled at him and kicked his house.”
“Nonsense,” Brian assured him. “You and my father shared a knowledge of the future. You were the only ones there. He liked you. I’m glad you came.”
The service was over. A few people still milled around the casket. Dalton had finally succumbed to the prostate cancer after fighting a good fight. Mary, comforted by her grandchildren, made her way back to the car.
“He kept telling me to live where I am. I so wanted to go back, that I didn’t take his advice.”
“He adapted well, passing up on two opportunities to go back. You should try also.”
“I stand no chance of getting rescued now. Diana saw to that. She wrote my obituary. The future thinks I’m dead. I thought I saw a couple from the future, but it turned out they weren’t. Wishful thinking, I guess.”
Brian patted him on the shoulder. “It’s okay. You have your diner. You should be all set.”
“I’m going to sell it. I want to travel. All the people around me are dying. I want to see the country before I go.”
“Good idea. The car’s waiting for me. I have to go. Enjoy the rest of your life in this century. These are the golden years of American prosperity.”
“Yes, I think you’re right.”
The two shook hands and parted ways.
“What did that man have to say?” Mary frowned as Brian climbed into the car.
“He feels bad for yelling at Dad the last time they talked.”
“He should. He would have gone back, if given the opportunity.”
Brian smiled. “I’ll make sure he doesn’t come back in time so we won’t have to worry about what he does or doesn’t do.”
She patted him on the knee. “Yes, you stopped all those fools. All except for my Adalwolf. Don’t stop him. I had such a good life with that man. I was at a dead-end job when I met him. My brother called me an old maid. Papa didn’t like him, but he came around.”
“Yes, Mom. We’ll stop all but one.”
Felix stood in the field in Washington state. Above him, a new motor hotel was being built. Ethan, if I live another thirty years, I’ll stop you and me from getting trapped in the past. He shuddered at the thought. I was so cocky back then. Until I met Robert Adalwolf Dalton. He ruined my life. I intend to get it back.
He walked up the hill. The construction manager came up to him. “This is the strangest hotel I’ve ever seen. There is no second floor and the rooms are spaced out so far.”
“It’s a motor hotel. The parking lot will face all the rooms. The idea is they can have their car in front of their room. I call it a motel, though. They are just starting to come into vogue. You’ll see, there are lots of them going up all over the country.”
“I hope you’re right. Otherwise you’ve spent all this money for nothing.”
“I’m right. I’m really good at reading the future. I made a quiet fortune doing that. My buddy wanted me to run my diner and live in obscurity, but I quietly invested money on the side while he wasn’t looking. I’m rich now and am going to enjoy it, and why not? I knew what I needed to invest in.”
The manager spit out a wad of chaw. “I’ll get back to work then. As long as you know what you’re doing.”
Felix looked over the hillside. He was just far enough back not to scare the plane away from landing, but close enough to hear it when it did. He would then have a ride back to the life he left. Now that Diana was gone, he had no reason to stay here. It didn’t matter, he would talk the younger version of himself into going back for her. Dalton wouldn’t get the chance of destroying the time machine this time. It would take another thirty years, but he would save the machine and himself.
Chapter Forty-Six
Arizona
1966
John Buck sat eating a burger in front of the McDonald’s. Lt. Granger came up and sat down. The two of them had a long conversation. When Granger left, John started to get up, but two men stopped him.
“Sit back down, Jason,” the taller man said.
“His name is John Buck at this time,” the other corrected.
“Is that my real name, Jason? Are you guys from the future coming to take me back?”
“Just sit down,” the taller one commanded.
Jason did as he requested.
“I’m Jacob Dalton, and my tall friend here is Paul Trumball. We mean you no harm.”
“What’s going on?” John asked nervously.
Jacob leaned back in his chair. “We’re from the past. A past we want to keep intact. We need your help doing that. Live your life exactly as you are, only don’t put anything in a time capsule, and when you get older, don’t visit your old commander. We need to stop a tragic event only you can help us.”
John stared at them wide eye. “What event?”
“That’s all we are at liberty to say.”
“Of course, I do want to prevent a tragedy. How are you from the past and know about the future? How does that work? If you know about me, then what’s my name and do I end up getting back to my time?”
Jacob leaned forward. “If I tell you any of that, it will destroy your future. All I’m asking you to do is not destroy our past.” Both men stood up and walked away from the table.
John shrugged, but then went back to work.
When they were out of earshot, Paul turned to Jacob, “Do you think it will work?”
“No, we weren’t forceful enough. What’s our next option, if that one doesn’t work?” Jacob replied.
Paul took a handwritten notebook out. Most of the pages were loose and some of them almost fell out when he opened it. Flipping through it, he said, Adalwolf believed the time capsule would be put in the ground in this week. If that doesn’t happen, we’re home free.”
“Unless they skip that step. We need to have someone on the base, if Jason wants to talk to his old commander. We’ll stop him before he steps into the office.”
Looking over everything, Paul replied, “That’s over forty-five years from now. We need to make sure we get this one because neither one of us might be alive at that point.”
“You’re a good-looking man. Figure out where the nurses hang out and flirt with one. If we have someone on the inside of the base, then we’re in good shape. They can monitor Jason for us.”
“You mean, John.”
“John, that’s right.”
Susan, the nurse that had taken John in, picked him up at the hardware store. They were going clothes shopping.<
br />
“Hi,” he said. “Thanks for doing this.”
“Sure, John.”
“Some guys who said they were from the past visited me today. One of them called me Jason.”
“Is that your name? Does it ring a bell?”
“I don’t know. I think they found out I have amnesia and were taking advantage of it. I’m going to ignore them.”
“Sounds like a good plan.” She started up the jeep and drove towards the clothing store.
On a barstool around the corner from the base, sat Mary, a petite redhead with a short dress on. Paul set down next to her and ordered a beer.
She turned and smiled, “Well, hello, there.”
“Oh, hi.” He sipped his beer.
She held out her hand, “I’m Mary, but the guys around here just call me ‘Easy.’”
He snorted, “And you’re okay with that?”
“No, I hate it. Just because I don’t like being alone on a weekend, doesn’t mean I’m easy. What’s your name?”
“I’m Paul.” He shook her hand.
“Glad to meet you, Paul. Are you a soldier at the base?”
“No, I am a traveler. My job is to investigate strange happenings. Do you work at the base?”
“Yes, I’m a nurse.”
“Oh, did you hear about the plane crash near here? I heard they brought the survivors to your hospital.”
“Survivor. There was only one. I didn’t hear much about it. He has amnesia and was taken in by another nurse. I did hear the plane was interesting, but it’s in pieces. I don’t know much other than that.”
“Well, Mary, what do you say that I get you out of this place and buy you dinner?”
She hopped off the bar stool, put a couple of dollars next to her unfinished drink. “Now we're talking.”
Chapter Forty-Seven
Arizona
1966
Paul met Mary at the bar on a Friday night. She looked a little sheepish when she came in.