Consigning Fate (47 page)

“I don’t know, why?”

“Wanna go have some fun. I can use some fun.”

“Sure. What do you have in mind?” Robbie asked.

“What do you think?”

“Journey music and the Killer Baby region.”

“Toddler,” Frank said.

“I stand corrected.” Robbie nodded. “Let’s go. Hey maybe we can find some aliens up there.”

“That would be fucking sweet.” Frank grinned.

It was demented brother bonding, but brother bonding nonetheless. Both Slagels, upbeat, headed off to Frank’s office to get the Journey music, then it was onward to the Killer Toddler region.

April 3
rd

George didn’t waste any time, and there really wasn’t any time to waste.

In fact, he was late arriving. Frank expected him at seven AM and it was close to eight when he landed. The meeting with the future pilots was just about to start.

“I got held up in Missouri,” George said. “Problem with fueling.” He extended his hand in greeting to Frank.

“That’s fine. We know to expect problems,” Frank replied. “Everyone is waiting.”

“Good. Good. What’s the turn out.”

“Not as good as I hoped, better than I would have anticipated.”

“At least twenty?” George asked.

“Yeah, more than that.”

‘Good.” George smiled and exhaled “I’ll get my gear later. I just want to get moving on this all.”

“Everything OK?”

“I feel a sense of urgency,” George explained. “I dreamt of Pearl Harbor last night. That I was there. That I got the message, the warning, and I couldn’t do anything about it.”

“You think it’s worrying or more.”

“I don’t know.” George got into the jeep. “But I’m feeling like we shouldn’t take any chances.”

Frank nodded an agreement. As he started to get into the jeep, his phone rang. “Yeah.” He answered. “El? What’s up?”

“Hey, Frank. When are you coming back to Beginnings?”

“I’m supposed to catch a ride with Hal in an hour or so. Why?”

“Can you and he meet me at the communications room?”

“Sure, but, what’s up?” Frank asked.

“Just …meet us there. Ten. OK?”

Click.

Frank stared at the phone with a whispering, ‘Fuck’

“Something wrong?” George asked.

Frank got in the jeep. He nodded to George but his mind was on the secretive message. Ellen wanted him and Hal to meet, not just her at communications, but she used the word ‘us’. He didn’t nor could he spend too much time to think about it. It couldn’t be urgent, so before he drove himself nuts, he placed it in the back of his mind. He’d find out soon enough.

<><><><>

“Eureka! We have it.”

A bit melodramatic, but that was how Jason represented it to Robbie over the phone.

He and Dean worked all night to complete the project.

They had created a mist gun for Robbie to carry. He’d see how clever it was using things from the past.

It took longer than they anticipated and in doing so they learned a few things about the time machine, but it was complete.

“Where is it?” Robbie asked.

Since Danny was in and out of Jason’s lab, Jason took the liberty of leaving it in Robbie’s special crime lab. Which was conveniently located next to his own.

He was informed it was on the counter.

When Robbie ended the call he realized how far away he was from that lab. Not only was it on the other side of the community, Robbie was checking perimeters. A task he couldn’t just skip.

He wasn’t really worried about a time frame until he receive a phone call from Ellen asking him to show up at ten in the communications room. She didn’t say anymore and that left Robbie curious. OF course he’d show up. But he really wanted to get the mist gun.

It was juvenile, and chances were he wouldn’t need the gun. He certainly couldn’t use it with Andrea around. Still, he wanted it. Especially after Jason reiterated how much trouble they went through.

After checking out the time, Robbie realized he could finish the current task at hand, go fetch Jason’s newest invention, and make it to the meeting.

Although he was quickly placing the meeting low on his priority list. After all, she didn’t say if it was urgent. He would do his best to get there. But Robbie had other things on his mind.

<><><><>

Jason only went back to Beginnings to take a nap, change his clothes, and pick up that cool tee shirt he had packed with him before he was originally cryogenically frozen.

That and leave the invention on Robbie’s counter.

The invention itself was simple.

An old fashion water gun—with pump action-and an adjusted nozzle to make a spray rather than a stream. The bulbous tube was filled with invisible ink. Fifty-seven tubes of invisible ink to be exact.

It was amazing how he and Dean pulled it off. They knew exactly what they had to get, but getting it was the trick.

The HG Wells came in handy and they were cautious.

The first trip took them back in time to Dean in Nebraska, pre plague. He knew where his past self was supposed to be and future Dean went into the lab.

“You OK?” Molly his assistant asked.

“Oh, yeah, great. Thanks.” Dean replied sniffing. Perfume. How long had it been?

“You look beat to hell.”

Dean snickered.

“I thought you had that class,” Molly said.

“I do. I forgot something.”

Good thing Molly didn’t look at him. A close look would have told her a lot. He went to his desk where he kept his credit cards, retrieved the Money Access Card, went to the money machine, took out over two hundred dollars, broke the card, and trashed it. He didn’t want to take a chance on going back to the lab.

He chuckled because he knew his past self probably wouldn’t even notice the deficit for a long time. He’d notice the missing debit card. Probably report it right away. Get a replacement. But the deficit? Nah.

His paychecks were deposited automatically, and in the past, Dean rarely used a money machine for cash. He wouldn’t notice.

After getting the money, Dean returned to the dining room in the present time.

It was then he and Jason went back to the same year, but to a mall, right in Montana, and hit a gift shop.

But they only had ten tubes of invisible ink.

It took four more trips to different malls in different times to get all that they needed.

Including a water gun.

Dean didn’t expect Jason back so soon, but Jason was enthusiastic. Yes, they were using the machine. But they were learning a lot. The radius. The time frames they couldn’t repeat. The lost time. 30 seconds per trip.

“Did you drop off the gun?” Dean asked.

“Absolutely, sitting and waiting for Robbie.”

“I didn’t expect you back so soon.”

“I’ve cleared my schedule. This is like a drug.”

Dean snickered. “I cleared my schedule, too. You look like you have something in mind.”

“Well, since we don’t lose much time, and I don’t think much is going to happen today. I have an idea.”

“What’s that?”

Jason removed his over shirt, exposing his tee shirt.

Dean laughed. “Oh my God. Where did you get that?”

“My father. And this is where I want to go. I got the coordinates, almost to a tee. What do you say?”

Dean shrugged. “Sure why not. It sounds like a great time.”

“I agree.”

“And you’re dressed for it,” Dean said.

Jason smiled.

“Jason you seem so happy.”

“I am, life is better. I don’t feel gloom over the loss of my best friend. I found out I am the inspiration for another great time invention, I’m solving a great mystery, and …we are going back to July 17
th
, 1980, Detroit Michigan, Joe Louis Arena.” Jason smiled and pointed to this shirt. “Ah, to see Ronald Reagan in the Republican National Convention.”

Dean nodded proudly. “It’ll be like a dream come true. Ronald Reagan.”

“He was my idol,” Jason said.

“Mine too.”

“Shall we?”

“Fix the machine.” Dean held up a finger and backed up. “I want to put on a blue shirt.”

<><><><>

Where was Elliott Ryder? Hal wondered. Surely, he knew about the super-secret meeting Ellen had called in the communications room. Admittedly, Hal was going to blow off the meeting until Ellen called him three sequential times to make sure he was going to come, along with bringing Elliott.

Ellen was acting as if it were a life or death emergency. Surely, if it were, she wouldn’t give a time to meet. Hal just hoped it wasn’t another one of her, ‘I called you here today to tell you one day we’re all gonna die together in an explosion’ meetings.

But just so he didn’t get any more annoying calls, he was going to go. Besides, he had to take Frank back to town so the truck was left behind for George and John Matoose.

Usually Hal didn’t keep tabs on Elliott. Sgt. Ryder took care of business and rarely did Hal need to find him.

But looking for Elliott was searching for a needle in a haystack. Everyone had seen him, no one knew when it was, but they heard he went there …

Hal knew Elliott didn’t leave Bowman, he always checked in before doing so.

He had to be sleeping or doing something secretive. After checking his home and his hideaway musical spot, Hal gave up. Elliott was just going to have to miss the super-secret meeting.

Frank was waiting at the schoolhouse where George was conducting his first session of the new Air Force.

A battalion of men who wanted to learn not only to fly, but to be part of the new team.

Hal had heard there were only thirty-two men.

Despite how disappointed Frank conveyed that George was, Hal wasn’t. It was a good start.

The only teachers they had were George, Robbie, John, Johnny, and Jesse.

And George was pretty much going to be in charge of getting the planes ready and overseeing the instruction.

Hal didn’t know how he felt about Johnny being in his town, but Johnny was an awesome pilot and as war time approached, Johnny’s talents were needed.

Admittedly, Hal was pretty excited about the simulators that would be brought in within the next week.

He, too, wanted to try those.

He arrived at the school house, removing his bandana before he entered.

Classroom 115. Not far down the hall, and he could actually hear George speaking. He talked about timetables and how it was dangerous. How each man selected had to be a fast learner, and not every man who applied would be selected to go.

Their dedication would have to be with the Air Force, because the Air Force was going to be a fighting force.

Hal knocked once on the closed classroom door, and then entered. “Sorry to interrupt,” Hal said. “I came for …” he paused. Eyes shifting, he mumbled the finish of his sentence. “Frank.”

He was surprised how crowded the classroom looked. But even more surprised to see Elliott Ryder seated in the first row.

<><><><>

“All right, all right already,” Robbie disconnected his call. “Jesus Christ.” He shook his head. Ellen was driving him nuts. What was so important?

He was impressed with himself and the time he had made. Fifteen minutes till ten. Robbie not only finished his perimeter rounds, he filled out his reports as he did so.

He had other plans in the afternoon, which didn’t include being stuck in an Ellen meeting.

Just as he mind bitched, he thought about Jimmy.

Jimmy was in the hospital. Maybe it had something to do with him.

Then Robbie felt bad … just for a few seconds. The he realized if it was about Jimmy, Ellen would have said so.

He had a lot on his mind and plate. Including jealousy over Dean and Jason going to the 1980 Republican National Convention.

They were using the machine and they weren’t supposed to … at least not without him.

Jason explained that they had to in order to complete the mist gun.

The mist gun.

Robbie had to get that.

Before it wasn’t as important, but after getting a call from Andrea in which she told him her and ‘Joe’ were having lunch in the park, Robbie had to get that gun.

He wouldn’t use it while Andrea was around. But a sniper’s position on the Containment roof with infrared would afford him the chance to watch for an opportunity when his father was alone.

OK, he thought. Fifteen minutes.

He could make it out to the lab—five miles—head to the meeting and be on the roof by noon.

All set.

Until the jeep just stopped.

He looked at the power indicator on the electric jeep.

It wasn’t charged.

“Fuck!” Robbie blurted out loudly. He had forgotten. He stepped from the jeep and yelled out again.

Time.

Ten minutes to.

Robbie inhaled and thought. He was precisely half way.

Two and a half miles to Beginnings. Two and a half miles to the lab.

Either way he was going to be running behind.

After a moment of debate, Robbie decided he would go to the lab. Run the remaining distance, and call for a ride back.