Consigning Fate (42 page)

“Ok,” Dean spoke up. “We determined it does indeed work. We learned it can take us to a specific place and time and get us back without missing a beat. We’re gonna test it more, right?’

“Yes,” Jason replied. “And we test it together. Not alone. We need to test the radius. The locations and so forth.”

“Let’s start,” Dean suggested.

Jason shook his head. “I want to get specific location information first. Then we’ll meet tonight and perform the first test.”

Robbie asked. “Ok, where are we going?”

“Simple,” Jason said. “There’s only one choice. We’re going ahead to January. Same time. Same place that you Frank and Hal went. We’re gonna see if all the trouble Joe went through … worked.” Jason smiled and took another bite of his chicken.

When Frank made up his mind that enough time had passed, and enough ‘other’ things had been settled, he took the step toward Johnny.

He wasn’t sure exactly how he felt about it, and had the drive to Creedville to think it over.

Johnny didn’t have a telephone. There was a community link, and one to Creed. The town did have email, and Frank debated on using that. Instead, he called Creed and told him he would be coming into town and could he have Johnny meet him.

Creed picked the place for him.

There was a small shop where they sold the oddest little biscuits. Creedvillian food they had before coming to Beginnings. Square crackers in different colors, reminded Frank of the movie Soylent Green.

The shop was a success and they served the biscuits with some weird tea.

That was where Frank was meeting Johnny.

The aroma was familiar to dog biscuits, but the place had atmosphere.

Frank chose a table off to the corner, it offered the most privacy.

Since it was still daylight, the Creedvillian woman wore her wrap and robe to cover her skin.

She brought a pot of tea, laid down a small menu, bowed her head, and backed up.

“Thanks,” Frank said, and nodded in return. He lifted the menu and read the list. The items were called Crisquits. And under the word it gave the types. Frank didn’t know what the difference was. He’d probably choose the sampler.

He poured a small china cup of tea. Raw sugar set on the table and he added some. He sipped and cringed then added a ton more sugar. Second taste was better, mid sip he almost choked and felt the extra pound in his chest with the calling of his name.

“Dad.”

Frank set down the tea cup and stood. “John.”

Johnny took an excited step toward the table and stopped. He caught himself. “Creed didn’t tell me I was meeting you.”

Frank gave a closed mouth smile.

“Wow. I’m shocked. I am. I’m so glad that you and I are in the same room.”

Frank stared at his son. It had been the first face to face he had with Johnny in forever. “Sit down, John.”

Johnny nodded and sat.

Frank joined him. “Tea?”

“Yeah, please.”

Frank poured him some then watched Johnny sip it straight. “No sugar?”

“No this stuff is good.”

Frank shuddered.

Johnny chuckled. “It’s good to see you, Dad.”

“How are you feeling?”

“I’m good. Headaches have stopped.”

The waitress approached. “I take your order?”

“Um, yeah,” Frank handed her the menu. “Just give us the sampler. We’ll split it.”

“Yes.” She nodded once and walked away.

“Good choice,” Johnny said.

“Have you had those Crisquits?”

“Yeah, they’re awesome. Haven’t you?”

“I haven’t been able to bring myself to eat them. I keep thinking of the movie Soylent Green, and wonder where all the dead Creedvillians go.”

“That’s funny. Wait until you taste them.”

“So, John.” Frank folded his hands. “Lars is gone. Did you know that?”

“Yeah. He told me he was leaving. Tigger, too.”

“I’m gonna have you come to Beginnings to see Dean tomorrow. Someone will pick you up. Let him examine you, scan you and do what he needs to do.”

“Dad," Johnny chuckled. “I just saw Dean ten days ago.”

“I know. But ….he’s had some sort of revelation lately. I don’t know what. But he’s on the ball with things. I want to see if he has a different view.”

Johnny shrugged. “Ok. Sure.”

Frank nodded. “Also George is returning. Did he talk to you?”

“Yeah, he said something about starting an air force.”

“Yep. You’ll have to be involved in that.”

“I need to hone in my flying skills again.”

“Absolutely. But you’ll be getting more responsibilities now. You’re needed.”

“I’m here. For whatever is needed.” Johnny paused. “Dad, I need you to know something. I’ve … I’ve been having such a hard time with Pap’s death. I loved him and never meant him any harm. I never did. I can’t believe the things I did. The things I said. I wish to God the tumor would have killed me …”

‘John.” Frank held up his hand.

“No, Dad. I mean it. I caused so much suffering. There were things I was in control of. Like telling George what was going on. But the other shit, I lost my mind.”

“I know.”

“Please, Dad. Please can you ever find it in your heart to forgive me? I love you so much. I’m sorry. I am so sorry. Please.”

Frank’s jaw tensed as he connected eyes with Johnny. Johnny’s eyes had glazed over. He inhaled. “Johnny, I had a chance to talk to you in Lodi. I’ve had chances to speak to you here. It … I just needed time. No matter how angry I was with you. No matter how much I despised what you did. No matter how much forgiveness was not in my heart, I never … ever stopped loving you. I need you to know that.”

Johnny’s head dropped with sob.

“John.”

A hard sniffle, and Johnny wiped his hand under his eyes. “Yeah.”

“I love you. I’ve forgive you. It’s time to start mending.”

Johnny sniffed again. “Thank you.” He stood up and stood before Frank.

Frank stood, as well.

They embraced.

“I’ll never let you down again.” Johnny said within his hold. “I swear to you, I will never let you down again. I’ll make you proud of me. You’ll see.”

Frank cupped the back of Johnny’s head and brought his lips to Johnny’s ear, whispering. “I love you. We’re good.” He kissed him on the cheek. “We’re good.” Inhaling deeply, Frank stepped back from the embrace, and smiled.

The server approached. “Here is your sampler.” She set it on the table.

“Wow, our sampler.” Frank said and the smile dropped from his face. “Its soylent green, red, blue and is that brown?”

“Yeah.” Johnny sat down. “You have to try these.”

Frank grumbled.

“Dad, honest to God. OK. Take a red one. Close your eyes and take a bite. Chew it, let it absorb in your mouth and tell me what it tastes like.”

“John, you like the tea …”

‘Just do it.”

“Fine.” Frank grabbed a red cracker. He closed his eyes, hesitated, and then with a wincing face, took a bite. He chewed, paused, chewed, and opened his eyes. “I haven’t had this taste in my mouth for a while. It’s … hot wings.”

“Yep.” Johnny nodded.

“Holy fuck.” Frank ate the rest of the cracker. “What are the flavors of the other ones?”

“Depends what day it is. See.” Johnny pointed to the wall. Each day the colors mean a different thing. Today red is wings, tomorrow red is pizza.”

Frank nodded impressed. “Green is Caesar salad today, blue is blueberry pie …”

“Blue is always a desert. Brown is beef.’

Frank grabbed a brown Crisquits. “Fuck. How do they make them taste like it?”

“I don’t know.” Johnny said. “It goes back to when the group formed after the plague. They did it so people could taste the old world food.”

Frank finished his cracker and grabbed a green one. “How do they make them?”

Johnny smiled. “Out of people.”

<><><><>

“Yahtzee,” Ellen said after making her roll. “I so rock at this game.”

Elliott looked upon her curiously. “You rock at this game? What does that mean?”

“It means I’m good.”

“Yahtzee requires little skill. It’s all chance.”

“How can you say that?” Ellen asked. “I have to decide what I’m going to roll for, don’t I, huh?”

“Yes, but you don’t determine what is actually rolled. That is chance.”

“Not really.”

“How can you say ‘not really’?”

“Because I estimate the odds of the dice that have rolled, the hands that I have rolled, and the odds of what I need to roll.”

Elliott stared at her. “You are so full of shit.”

“No, I’m not kidding.” Ellen paused. “Ok. I am. But Roy would.”

At that second Roy walked into the living room. “Boy those children in there can be exciting and fun. Have you heard them speak about Forrest Ceceres? Alexandra imitates him wonderfully.”

“Watch.” Ellen winked at Elliott. “Hey, uh, Dean. I just rolled two fives. I need three more. That are the chances of me rolling three fives in the next roll.”

Roy nodded. He looked at the card at what she had rolled, and lifted Elliott’s card. “That would be one in four thousand, two hundred and twenty-one.”

“Thanks,” Ellen said.

“No problem. Good luck.” He walked back to the bedroom area.

“Is he serious?” Elliott asked.

“Oh yeah, very. He’s super smart. I mean all he had to do was learn when he was younger. No influence whatsoever.”

“Why haven’t you shared much of what he has told you?”

“I have his trust. And he hasn’t really told me much.” Ellen shrugged. “Just that he had a purpose for being here and was stuck. He said he’d let me know when he accomplished his mission.”

“Did he say why?’

“Just to make the future a better place. He was matured …” Ellen drifted into thought.

“What? What’s wrong?”

“Elliott I just had a thought.”

“What’s that?”

“He was matured, meaning placed in a womb out of a need for a great scientific mind. If the future was so bad and they needed that, what will become of him one he makes the future bright.”

“You mean if a bad future was the reason for his birth, then if the future turns and is good, would he be born.”

“Yes.”

Elliott shrugged. “I don’t know.”

“Then we have to do something, we have to secure his life.”

“Why?”

“Why?” Ellen asked. “He is a great mind. My God, we can use him. If that turning point comes and his mission is successful. It is conceivable that he could disappear.”

“How do you know?”

“I’ve seen back to the future.”

Elliott held up a hand. “Ok. But what can we do to secure his birth?”

“Talk to the person that is responsible.”

“Dean?”

“No.” Ellen shook her head. “Danny Hoi.”

Upon her stating the name of Danny Hoi, Ellen left leaving Elliot alone at the house with the kids and Roy.

She also left him wondering. Ellen claimed that Roy didn’t tell her much, but somehow Elliott doubted it. Perhaps Ellen didn’t see the relevance in stating all that Roy the Clone shared with her. Obviously, there was great detail on something if Ellen knew who was responsible for the birth of the clone.

Elliott, intrigued, watch Roy shake the cup with the dice and giggle.

“This is an exciting game,” Roy stated.

“Yes, Yahtzee is. That’s why they say to yell out when you get a Yahtzee.”

“Which is all the same of the dice.”

“Yes.”

Roy looked at his roll. He looked at his sheet, and picked up to dice, tossing them back in the cup.

“Are you calculating?” Elliott asked.

“Yes, the odds. The odds are in my favor that I will roll a two and a four.”

“But doesn’t that take the fun out of it?” Elliott asked. “I mean having to do math?”

“Oh, no.” Roy chuckled. “Math is fun.”

Elliott crinkled a brow. “Did you gamble a lot?”

“No. There was no gambling in my …” Roy stopped. He looked up. “In my home town.”

He almost slipped. Elliott knew it. He nodded and watched Roy play. Ellen wasn’t gone that long. He had to lie and tell Roy she went to see Frank.

The truth was she did run to see Danny. Needing to secure the survival of Roy. But how? Ellen said she had a plan. Elliott reminded her that she could not disclose the truth about the clone and Dean.

Ellen said she had a plan.

But he had to wonder, what was she going to say? Elliott trusted that. Ellen was smart, she knew the importance, and he was confident that she would not divulge any info she wasn’t supposed to.

<><><><>

They stopped just outside of St. Louis for two reasons. One they had to refuel and the other, Tigger had to use the bathroom. The little man offered to use a cup, but somehow George feared, one bad bump of turbulence would create an awful smell for the ride home.

Besides, Betsy was his plane, like his car, and he took care of her, treating her like a prized possession, even hanging fuzzy dice from the controls.

They had good strong conversation on the flight, and the stop off provided a moment of rest and food.

A small training camp was there in St. Louis, mainly a camp to train mechanics.

They were working on the railroad system as well. One day, George conveyed, the system of travel would be back and running. From one end of the country to the next.