Undercurrents in Time

by Pamela Schloesser Canepa

  On arrival at the airport, Jack rented a car to get the three of them to campus. They were allowed to drive in to survey the campus, but several of the parking areas required a special pass. This meant Jack had to park his car further away. He had acquired a parking pass; whether it was real or not, Milt did not know, but it didn’t allow them to park up close. The last thing they needed was a ticket. They would follow the rules and only park where allowed. It was worth the extra steps. Surveying the map posted at the entrance to the campus, Milt planned his footsteps. They would head toward the Science labs.

  Malachi made small talk; he definitely must have been an actor, Milt thought, briefly wondering what his real name was.

  Jack headed off on his own, coat obscuring his camera, and Milt and Malachi continued their walk. Without thinking, Milt tried the door to the Science labs. Locked. Of course. Anyone working in there would have a key. What would he do if Mahoney happened to walk out and bump into him?

  He steered Malachi back down the path to the Health Sciences complex, watching the lab building the whole time. There were lights on; he could tell. Exactly who was there and what they were doing, he couldn’t know. He made a mental note to see if Jack could finesse his way into getting a building key. Jack was able to do a lot of things Milt hadn’t foreseen, so maybe it wasn’t too much. “So, Malachi, are you thinking of college yourself? Or have you been in college?” He forced a smile.

  “Look,” Malachi retorted, “I didn’t ask you a thing about yourself, why you’re here, or what you’re doing in these hand-picked areas of the campus.” He waved his hand toward the Science labs.

  Milt was taken aback, not so much by Malachi’s response, but at his own carelessness. He had let his guard down with a stranger. Albeit, a stranger who was paid to be discreet, but still a stranger who might tell things for the right price. Things such as, a man hanging around the Science department at MIT when the campus was all but shut down. They were snooping around; that had to be obvious to Malachi. Milt was usually good at compartmentalizing parts of his life, particularly scientific secrets; he knew there were some times you had to fib to avoid revealing them, but he was not used to this sort of stealth. Still, it could be a matter of utmost importance in his attempt to stop Mahoney.

  “Touché,” he responded. “You know your job well. I apologize.” He added with a whisper, “I’m not accustomed to being so duplicitous. But, you know, I must keep an eye on the competition.” He then wondered if even that was saying too much. Louder now, he added, “I’m just here because my nephew can’t decide between Chemistry or Health Sciences. “

  “Well done,” Malachi answered, lightening up. “I’m leaning toward Chemistry.”

  “Okay, but we’ll view the Health Sciences area and buildings, just for good measure.”

  “Of course, Dad.” Malachi looked down, walking with his hands in his pockets.

  “Uncle,” Milt corrected, looking straight ahead.

  “Yeah, well, you’ve spent a lot more time with me than he ever did,” Malachi said, winking.

  “You’re a natural, son.” Milt patted him on the back.

  Jack showed up behind them half an hour later. “I got the photo,” he whispered to Milt.

  Success! It was killing Milt not to be able to view it yet, and he wanted to ask when it would be developed but was afraid of Malachi overhearing.

  “And…” he added hopefully. The true meat of the plan hinged on this.

  “He was leaving. You should be clear.”

  “Okay.”

  Jack spoke more loudly. “By the way, there’s a coffee shop open today over by the Arts building. I’d like to buy you both a cup. It being the holidays, there being nowhere to rush to and not much to do.”

  Perfect plan, Milt thought. Malachi need not be a part of this. That kid may already know too much, and Milt worried that he’d slip up if the kid was with him. It seemed the normal thing to do for someone in their pretend situation, and Malachi had been shivering the whole time they were there. He wanted to ask the boy why he didn’t bring a thicker jacket, but he knew that also would be intruding.

  “You all go. I’m going to search for a restroom. We’ll meet in thirty minutes.” Milt had kept a close eye on the time, wanting to make their two o’clock return flight. Thirty minutes would have to be enough time to do what he needed to.

  “Yes, I remember, you don’t like hanging out in coffee shops.” Jack held the door open for Malachi, who rolled his eyes, not expressing a desire either way.

  Milt looked up to a graying sky.

  At the Science building, he looked both ways and made for the door. It was locked. He briefly pondered breaking in then imagined being detained by campus police. He did have a family to get home to. Lacking the audacity to do anything more, he returned to the coffee shop feeling like a dog with its tail between its legs.

  “No luck?” Jack knew the answer from the look on Milt’s face. “Alright. Malachi, head back to the car. We’ll be ten paces behind you.”

  Without question, Malachi took off, coffee in hand.

  “So, you need me to come back?”

  Milt nodded.

  As they exited the coffee shop, Milt whispered, “I need photos. Zoom in or get in. I need to see what’s in that lab, especially any correspondence this man Percival might have. They’re up to something big, and maybe there is evidence. Schematics on a weapon, a letter to the President, applications for funding. I need evidence. I didn’t really know what we’d accomplish here, but I can’t do what I need to. I’ll need you to do it. Personally.”

  “No problem. You know my reputation.”

  “Yes. And believe me, I only want to stop this man from having the certain power that a destructive weapon would bring him. He’s liable to test it out on some human subjects.” He hoped to convey the extent of the problem without revealing the source of his knowledge.

  At the airport, the marquee showed a delay in their flight’s take-off due to a late arrival from Chicago. He hated doing this, knew she’d be rabidly upset, but Milt took out his cell phone to let Tabitha know.

  There was no answer. He tried the cell phone number. No answer. Of course, Tabitha still hadn’t gotten used to carrying a cell phone and frequently left it at home. Where could she have gone? He left a message at the home number. Maybe she was just asleep. He hoped that was the answer and tried to keep the worry at the back of his mind.

  They sat in the waiting area for two hours before word of a re-scheduled flight came through. Milt was dismayed to find that they’d be getting home at around 9:00 that night.

  Hours later, they arrived at the airport in Virginia and parted ways.

  “I’ll be in touch in two days,” Jack said.

  “Thank you,” Milt responded. As they exited the airport, he saw Jack handing Malachi an envelope of what he assumed was cash money. This, of course, would be billed to Milt. He sighed. All necessary.

  #

  Several days later, Milt arrived home from a day of work, setting a large manila envelope on the table.

  “Ah, it smells good in here. What’s cooking?” He put his arms around Tabitha’s shoulders.

  “Chicken stir-fry. Honey, don’t get mad at me. I told the counselor about the Envo.”

  Milt felt his heart stop. He took a deep breath. “Oh. Your first visit was today. You went alone. What exactly did you say?”

  “Remember, I didn’t want you to go with me every time. And, no, don’t worry; I only mentioned that I took your antique car for a sort of joy ride one night and got it nicked. Well, and that I got stopped by the police. All true.”

  “Or just a version of the truth…”

  “Yes, just a version of the truth.” She chuckled. “Really, that is all I said. But I know I may have broken your trust to some extent, and I’m sorry.”

  He waved his hand. “Forgiven. Now, can you come over here so I can show you something?”

&nbs
p; She sat down at the table next to him and looked at the envelope. “Milt,” she said, “I’m considering getting a prescription.”

  He took out the photograph and paused his hand in mid-air. “Okay….”

  “What do you think? Is that not a good idea? You know about these things.”

  “No, I don’t know any more than you do about what will make you feel better. You know better than I. It is one of the options. And it’s your decision.”

  “Okay.” She let out a deep breath. “What is that?”

  “This is George Mahoney today.” He pointed to the man in the photo. “The last photo we’ve seen is from two years ago.”

  Tabitha’s eyes got wide. “Look at that.”

  “Is that how he looked when you saw him in 2047? Did he look older?”

  “Yes, he looked older. His hair was grayer. He was bigger, had more weight on him.”

  “Okay. So that may have been a Mahoney who knew of us. Or not. Remember, we came back, and the future is not set in stone. It may be different. I’m just trying to make sure the deciding moment that brought us together in that other future we saw never happens.”

  Tabitha wrinkled her forehead in concern. “Yes. I know. So, the Mahoney I saw may have returned to a future, not to today, and the Mahoney who is around today, who works at MIT, has not met us.”

  “I think so. I hope so.”

  “But he has the secret of time travel.”

  “Yes,” Milt whispered. “Or, I mean, will. Obviously, he will in the future.”

  Tabitha furrowed her brow. “Do we dare hope that he can’t discover the time travel ability without you?”

  Milt took Tabitha’s hand. “I’m going to make sure he doesn’t get those secrets from me. I’m dismantling the Envo.”

  “Are you sure, Milt?”

  “Yes. Yes, I am. In that timeframe when he and I met, or were going to meet and work together, he would have likely gotten the technology from me. Maybe, in the other timeline, I had taken a demotion to keep an eye on him. Better the devil you know, right?”

  She nodded.

  “So this deadly weapon he would have used may only be on the drawing board. Jack still doesn’t know what Percival Stein is up to, but I’m sure time will prove that my suspicions are correct. I’d love to do something to strip Mahoney of his power.”

  “Well, the Mahoney of today may not have done anything immoral or objectionable,” Tabitha said as she moved back to the stove and the food that was ready to be served.

  “Trust me, Jack’s checking on that. To do what he is going to do, or, well, what he was going to do in the future, there’s got to be something in his past. You know, it feels good to talk to you like this.” He put his hand on her shoulder.

  “Milt, I’ve known from the start, since the day I realized there may be an ‘us,’ that nothing would be normal about us.” She looked up at him intently.

  “I just hate to worry you too much.”

  “I appreciate that. I do need to focus on my re-entry to work and decent care for Peter.”

  “Your re-entry? When?” She had told him she was going to wait a while.

  “In a few months. I don’t want to rush into this.”

  Milt let out a breath of relief.

  “You don’t need to worry either, Milt. I won’t go back until I’m good and ready.”

  “Well, in the meantime, I should make a little money off of the Envo parts.”

  “I still can’t believe you’re serious. What about the time booster?”

  “I’ll take care of it. Don’t worry.” Burn it, was his first thought. He just didn’t want to go into detail.

  They sat down to dinner, and Peter started crying, so Milt got up to give him a bottle. He sat down at the table to eat with one hand, holding Peter with the other.

  Tabitha reached over and rubbed the peach fuzz on Peter’s head, a smile on her face.

  Chapter 20

  Cold Water

  Tabitha looked down at her fingers, and they were blue. She was cold, like a stone in the middle of a forest during wintertime, covered with frozen ice. The water around her was freezing cold. She felt as if she’d been there for the longest time, but she saw the light. She knew where the surface was; she just had to get there. It was a little bit of a struggle, but she followed the light. She sensed that Milt was waiting up there and kept wondering if he would jump in and save her. But he didn’t. She had to struggle to get to the surface on her own. She turned and saw Ellie, of all people. A young version, that is, probably a teenager. Ellie wasn’t even real though, so why was she here, underwater, long hair flowing around her, waving at Tabitha as if to encourage her ascent out of the murky depths?

  Looking up again, she saw Milt with their son. That was her destination. Did Tabitha feel anger at Milt for not saving her? No. The only anger that ever came to her was anger at him for being Milt, for sticking his foot in his mouth, and for sleeping like an undisturbed rock in the middle of night with an infant screaming through the baby monitor. None of these things were his fault. Obviously, her anger was unwarranted and simply some misplaced emotion. She saw Milt up there above water, enjoying the sunlight, holding their baby, who had his own good days at times. Getting to the surface was not optional.

  In her sketchpad, Tabitha made the scene come to life. She drew a double-sided scene of herself; the first of her at the bottom of a body of water, holding herself as if shaking from the cold, looking up with fear and trepidation. On the other side, she drew herself with a look of determination on her face, swimming up with one arm up like Supergirl, long hair streaming down her shoulders. A viewer would not see her break through the water’s surface, but it was implied.

  It had been so long since she had drawn in this sketchpad! True, she had made the sketch of Salamanca with her lavender skin, Mahoney with his weapon, and a few other visions from 2047. Those had seemed like a fluke inspiration, and she had put the sketchpad down for quite a while before being moved to use it again. But now, she was adding extra touches almost daily. It felt really good to be doing something she loved again.

  Delaying her return to work made it easier to attend a once a week appointment with a counselor. Still, it was only a two month delay of her return. Milt called and arranged for the babysitter one night to take Tabitha for an evening out. He had thought it might make up for missing New Year’s Eve.

  “What have you got there?” Milt asked, coming in from another day at the university.

  “I’m putting a lot of the things I saw into my drawings. No one could ever guess the reality behind them.”

  Milt took a closer look. “That’s really good. You know, I wish I had gone with you.”

  Tabitha blushed, then remarked, “But you couldn’t go. It was just for me. Everything happened as it was meant to happen. I know I was being selfish, leaving like that, for the wrong reason, but there seemed to be a good reason that I ended up there.”

  Milt had no comment; he just put his arms around her. His wife had proven herself a true fighter, in a state of mind he could never experience, going through such physical trauma as childbirth, suffering the emotional blows, and emerging victorious while away in a world he had never witnessed. What could he say? He wasn’t sure he agreed with her views on fate, but it didn’t matter.

  “Well, now for something that’s just for us. The babysitter is coming over tonight. We’re going out on the town. Go get washed up and put on something you like.”

  “But I like what I’m wearing,” she replied.

  “Okay, that might just affect where I take you. But so you know, I do have reservations at Obelisk Restaurant. The food is really amazing. We’ll have a little wine, maybe walk by the river. Unless you prefer the old burger joint.”

  “I’ll go wash up then! I think I can find a dress to suit the occasion!” Her face lit up with a smile.

  “That’s my Pinky.”

  “No, I’m not we
aring pink tonight.”

  “Oh, you know what I mean. Just reminiscing.”

  “It’s not Pinky; it’s Tabitha,” she said, with a mock glare.

  “Yes, that’s right. Sorry, Tabitha.” He smiled and looked at the notepad in his pocket. He decided to let her win that one and instead turned to his notes and ideas. Sitting on the couch, he turned on some relaxing jazz music. He was imagining how she’d look when she came out of that room. The very last thing on his mind was the dismantled car in his garage and the part he had taken to a friend earlier, a trusted friend who stood next to him as they watched it burn in a huge bonfire, never asking a question about the made up story of its origins and importance. He thought of Peter, sleeping in the next room. The doorbell rang, and he opened the door to welcome the babysitter. Milt sat on the couch and made small talk. Peter started moving about in his crib, probably awakened by the noise and sensing that his parents would be leaving the house. After visiting Peter in the nursery, Milt came back out, and an hour had passed.

  She was ready. Milt had made the reservation for seven o’clock and now it was six. Everything seemed to be running smoothly so far.

  Tabitha came out with a floral dress that hit just below the knee and strappy sandals. Since it was a last minute invitation, her best option was to put her hair up, framing her face. A smile came across Milt’s face.

  “I can’t believe I’m wearing this,” she remarked. “It sure is stretched tight over my belly!”

  “I didn’t even notice. I’m sitting here thinking you have the best pair of legs I’ve ever seen! Of course, the rest of you is breath-taking.” He kissed her cheek.