Regression (11 page)

Head cocked in puzzlement, she
wondered why he automatically assumed she was an academic. “Family
dynamics. Child Psychology. My specialization was child
development. I was a mother of six children ranging in age from six
weeks to sixteen years. I home schooled the children and…” her
voice faded at the look on Abraham’s face, taken aback by her
description of her life.

“
Adya, I have to admit
I am completely at a loss to explain your presence here. You see,
there has been a pattern to the regressions…until your arrival.” He
shifted to face her more directly. “I was initially hesitant
speaking with you on the telephone because I was afraid you may
have gotten the computer question correct through sheer luck rather
than an actual awareness of the meaning of the three elevens.
You’re the first and only female regressed− that we are aware of. A
group of twenty-eight males have regressed back to the time they
reached puberty, around 13 years old. As far as we know I am the
oldest and we have located all of the men through various means.
Roughly one has appeared each year. But that is not the only
significant difference.”

He hesitated, his expression
pained. “All of us prior to you have had strong scientific
backgrounds. The majority of us are at the top in our specific
fields. I do not want to sound narrow-minded but if you are simply
a stay-at-home mom you just do not fit the pattern.”

They considered each other from
their seats. She felt her understanding of the situation was not
much further along than before as Abraham had offered no
explanation for the how or why of the regression. He had actually
created more questions in her mind. Was there organization or
design in the selection of the regressed individuals? Who was
responsible? What was their purpose? She took a breath, intent on
asking Abraham for additional clarification and letting him know
she was not entirely uneducated, when he spoke.

“
Regardless of the
reason, your presence here must be treated the same as all other
regressees. We’ll have a meeting with all of them, a normal
component of the orientation for each new arrival into the
timeline.” He handed her a thick envelope. “This orientation
package will answer many of your questions. You should review it
thoroughly before attending the meeting tomorrow morning.” The car
pulled up to the airport, and he turned to Jennifer, dismissing
Adya and concluding the conversation.

She studied him as he conferred
with his assistant, reviewing notes from their session while they
approached the airplane. He exuded power and control, from his
strong writing style to the crispness of his suit. He would have
been an exceptionally successful politician but his current role
carried more influence than any political office would. The amount
of clout wielded by the Three Eleven Corporation had to be immense,
fuelled by the knowledge brought back in time with the scientists
of the future. He was in a position to command the direction of
that force. Thought of such power made Adya
uncomfortable.

The waiting airplane was a
testament to the status of the corporation, being the size of a
commercial regional jet rather than a smaller commuter craft.
Understated luxury was the theme in the interior of the jet.
Reminiscent of a cabin cruiser, the airbus boasted a salon, galley,
business office, and three staterooms, each with an ensuite
bathroom. The touch of a leading fashion designer was obvious in
all compartments, with sumptuous white leather seats ranging from
executive armchairs to sofas and designer finishes on the table
surfaces and the upholstery.

Adya took the seat indicated by
Abraham. “This is like a James Bond movie.” He did not return her
grin. She sobered. “Why Three Eleven?”

“
It’s the last date
any of us remember. You as well.” She inclined her head and he
continued. “It was sheer luck, I think, Mordecai went to the same
high school I did. I wasn’t entirely discreet in my new found
superiority after I awoke, so he deduced I had similarly been
through life more than once. His last recollection was also
November 11, 2011. Once we realized there were two of us, we began
the search for others and found all of us were regressed from the
same point in time, although we were different ages and regressed
to different calendar years. We named the corporation for our last
memories, but it served to assist any new regressees−they recognize
the significance just as you did.” He gestured toward a fridge
neatly tucked under the side table. “May I offer you a drink…of any
type?”

“
To be honest, I could
really use a rye and cola. This is a lot to take in.” While he
prepared the drink she took the opportunity to study his strong
hands as they held the decanter to pour the liquor. He handed her
the beverage with a slight smile.

“
I don’t think your
mother would approve of this, my dear.”

Grinning, she agreed. “Not in
consideration of my physical age. But, what she doesn’t
know…anyway, please continue.”

“
We started Three
Eleven using knowledge of the future. I wanted to advance human
understanding, to move technology along faster than before just for
the sake of technology. Mordecai, more ambitious, decided he wanted
to run the most successful company in the world. As more and more
scientists joined our team of regressees, we realized there had to
be a purpose to our presence. We came to a consensus our being here
was indicative of some global catastrophe occurring on or around
November 11, 2011. Further, we are meant to try and avert or at the
very least, mitigate this event. Since all of us came back from
that day, it must be of colossal importance.” Looking out the
window, his face grew pensive. “If only we had more information.”
The ice in his glass tinkled as he drank deeply.

“
You really have no
idea what the disaster is?”

“
None. We agreed we
would use our knowledge and expertise to enhance and encourage
research around the world, allowing development of ideas,
technologies, and practices which could be used across many
applications. A sort of cover your bases plan. Many would not have
begun for decades. Three Eleven became the benevolent benefactor of
R and D everywhere rather than just within the corporate
umbrella.”

“
Why didn’t I notice
any advanced technologies in public? The only clue was the
computers at school.” She thought for a moment. “And, I suppose,
the railway line.”

A smile played across his lips.
“Ah, yes, we did encourage more effective urban planning to avoid
the crush on the highways. Tracks run parallel to roads.” She
nodded.

“
Most ideas are used
within the Corporation to enhance our research but quite a few are
released judiciously to the world. The computers are an example.
They have been circulated in limited quantities with controlled
access. We are attempting to prevent the focus on entertainment
which permeated the original timeline.”

“
What do you
mean?”

“
Society in the early
Twenty-first Century as you and I knew it wasn’t working. It was on
the verge of collapse because of the dedication to a hedonistic
pursuit of pleasure and entertainment instead of productive use of
resources and energy.”

“
So you decided to
take on the role of managing the world’s access to
technology?”

“
Not just me, all the
scientists. We manage the resources and people in order to prepare
for the disaster. All of the technologies would have been developed
in time, we just prompted their development by providing funding to
the right people at the right time, planting ideas where necessary,
or outright developing ideas and products ourselves. But we’ve
taken it one step farther.”

“
How so?”

A self-satisfied smirk appeared on
his face. “The effort which would have been spent on developing
video games and virtual realities instead is being spent on
developing medical breakthroughs or ultra-sophisticated space
exploration technology or…you get the picture. We are making a
better world.”

“
I expect that remains
to be seen.”

Abraham gave Adya a hard look.
“You certainly don’t hesitate to speak your mind, do
you?”

“
In this situation, I
might be the only person looking at the rights of those people from
whom you have taken away choices. How do you justify
that?”

“
The good of the many.
We have also manipulated economies to ensure science and research
are prioritized rather than warfare, and helped redirect public
perceptions and policies away from alarmist and wasteful
initiatives such as global warming, the greenhouse effect, and oil
shortages. Our purpose is to ensure humans around the globe are
working together rather than against each other. The technologies
of the future are used to accelerate the global economy, to foster
communication and scientific development which was only starting to
blossom in the twenty-first century. With twenty-six more years to
work on it, we hope to have a solution to the disaster of November
11 before it even happens.”

The pilot interrupted their
conversation. “Mister Fairfield, we need to complete the pre-flight
check, sir. Miss.” He nodded toward her. “Welcome aboard the
Enterprise.” A snort from Adya elicited a raised eyebrow from
Abraham.

“
Trekkie?”

He smiled. “Admittedly. Didn’t
happen this time around, unfortunately. One of my great regrets.”
The pilot looked slightly confused as Abraham rose. “I will be in a
meeting with Jennifer for the duration of the flight, so please
make yourself comfortable.” Abraham excused himself, leaving Adya
to her thoughts. Looking out the window, she allowed the drone of
the engines to lull her into a light sleep.

Journal of Doctor Nicholas Weaver

September 4, 98 P. I.

There are three points
of importance in the timeline. Conception, puberty, and death.
Conception and puberty are points of entry; death is the point of
exit. I can best describe the process as detaching the thread from
one layer, which is immediately drawn to the point of entry on the
next layer of time and transfers the consciousness into the new
timeline.

I wrangle with the
ethical quandary of replacing one personality with another,
slightly different, version. My comfort lies within the fact in
every single timeline the major factors - such as impact- occur
without variation. The human factors are what differentiate the
timeline while the physical aspects remain consistent. I am not
killing Adya by sending her into her parallel self, instead I give
her the chance for survival. And all of us, the possibility of
continuity.

The plane landed at a tropical airport where an entire fleet
of identical carriers lined up outside a metal compound. Abraham,
Jennifer and Adya entered directly from the plane, no evidence of
customs officials, government agencies or any other form of
administration. Jennifer and Abraham input codes into an electronic
monitor which also scanned their palms. He completed further
coding. “I need to authorize your presence on the island. We’ll get
an identification card made up for you later at the administration
office since all individuals on the island must carry theirs at all
times.” He emphasized his words by shaking his own card. “We
maintain a strict security policy here due to the nature of the
projects being developed. As a regressee, you’ll have full access
both in terms of viewing the actual grounds and digital access
through the network.”

A few more keystrokes and he
removed his hands from the keyboard, selecting a pen and slip of
paper. “Here is a temporary code for you to use, once you are
initialized on the system you will need to select a new one.”
Abraham handed Adya the paper as they exited the building through
another door requiring a pass code.

The humidity hit her like a wall
after being inside the controlled climate of the airport building.
She had not packed enough light clothing for this tropical climate.
“Is there a shopping centre somewhere nearby? I don’t have enough
summer wear. I didn’t realize just how hot it would be.”

“
Jennifer can take you
to pick up necessities tomorrow morning. You can start the
orientation early in the afternoon.” They approached a white
limousine waiting outside the compound. The driver opened the door
and flashed a smile of greeting.

“
Welcome back, Mister
Fairfield. How was your flight?”

“
Excellent Terrell,
thank you for asking. I would like you to meet Adya Jordan. She is
going to be with us as an intern. Adya, Terrell will be your
assigned driver for your stay on Esmero Island.”

“
Welcome, Miss Jordan.
I do hope you enjoy your stay on the island. We’re a friendly bunch
here and you’ll be made most welcome.” A wider, welcoming smile
with genuine warmth flashed across his mouth and into his eyes. She
returned it.

“
Thank you, Terrell. I
expect I’m in good hands with you to escort me around.” He took her
small bag and loaded it in the trunk, closing the door behind the
passengers as they seated themselves inside the car. As soon as he
entered the limousine Terrell shut the interior divider, ensuring
privacy in the back of the car, where Abraham continued his
orientation.