Regression (14 page)

“
You likely have the
best perspective to comment, being on the outside. How did you end
up becoming involved in this? How did you learn about Abraham and
the rest? Isn’t it hard for you to keep that to
yourself?”

A dam seemed to open up in
Jennifer and she sank to the sofa. “It is incredibly hard, that is
why I don’t do stuff. I don’t go out, I don’t date. I am so afraid
of spilling some bit of information. Everything they do is for all
the rest of us, and I worry someday I will ruin it all.”

“
That’s a huge burden
on you, Jennifer. How long have you carried it?”

Jennifer looked up from the hands
she had been wringing. “I can’t believe I’m sitting here saying
this to you.”

Adya laughed lightly. “I used to
do this sort of thing for a living, Jennifer. I was a psychologist.
Mostly research, though, not practice. For your sake I think you
need to talk to someone…and I’m the only person outside the men who
knows the truth. How did you first find out about the men? I assume
through Abraham?”

Jennifer blushed. “How did you
know he was the first one I learned of?”

“
I’m good at reading
people. Have you known him long?”

“
We met almost
eighteen years ago. I was just finishing a secretarial program at
college and answered an ad looking for a secretary willing to
travel. It seemed like a dream job, working with a firm quickly
rising to the top of the markets in so many sectors.” Her eyes
shone with fondness. “I remember how nervous I was going in to the
interview, expecting to meet some high and mighty executive type.
When Abraham walked through the door…” She paused, looking
uncomfortable.

“
I’m not about to say
anything. I really need your friendship right now myself, Jennifer,
I think this is going to be a rough six months. You can trust me
with anything you are willing to share and I’m gratified you have
shared even this much with me.” She reached out a hand to touch
Jennifer’s sleeve, receiving a smile in response.

“
He seemed like a god,
all sunny and athletic. I thought he must be a junior executive or
something, too young to be the big boss if you know what I mean. It
was just him for the interview, and his questions were more about
my flexibility for travel and my critical thinking–mind you I
didn’t recognize the questions at the time but I know now what he
was looking for. He hired me on the spot and I started the next
day.”

“
An exciting whirlwind
of events.”

“
Yes, especially to a
nineteen year old. I did all his office work, typing and filing. He
had accountants to do the books, I never had to worry about that
but pretty well everything else ran through me first. As time went
by, my responsibilities increased.”

“
Did he tell you his
past?”

“
We were working late
one night when a call came in, like your call but we didn’t have
the private line at the time so this person started spewing crazy
stuff at me. He insisted I must be from the future and insisted he
needed to see me. I told him he was crazy and hung up on him.
Abraham was in the washroom. When I told him what happened I
couldn’t believe it–he was enraged, insisted we needed to figure
out where the call came from, telling me I was never, ever to hang
up on anyone no matter how crazy they might seem.”

“
That would sound
strange coming from a man whose every moment is
valuable.”

“
Yes. Then the man
made his way into our office and confronted me, insisting I had to
have come from the future, that the name of the company was a date.
From there, Abraham filled me in on the rest, swearing me to
secrecy. Three Eleven has worked so hard to do the right
thing.”

“
I really do hope
we’re doing the right thing. But, how do we know? None of them
remember any specific incident. The only common factor is the date.
Is that really enough?”

“
Well….there are the
dreams, too.”

“
Dreams?”

“
Because I have access
to all of the system files, I think I sometimes see things I
shouldn’t…and perhaps I shouldn’t be discussing this with you.”
Jennifer straightened up in the seat, looking ready to stand, but
Adya placed a pleading hand upon her wrist.

“
Jennifer, I think my
presence here is a turning point. Something has changed, making it
imperative we explore all the information. What are the
dreams?”

“
Each and every one of
the men experienced dreams they could not escape until they started
work with Three Eleven. It was like they had to act and if they
didn’t the price they paid was sleepless nights. Kalani was one of
the earlier regressees, and he tried to leave the company after
about five years of working with the rest of them. He came back
within months because the nightmares haunted him, forcing him
back.”

“
Any of them describe
the dreams?”

“
No, but they leave a
terrible impression on the dreamer. Devastation, darkness, and
despair are some of the words used to describe the aftermath. I
don’t know if they have any actual images or just such a strong
sense of foreboding they can’t ignore. Either way, the dreams are
part of the reason why they all work so hard. You never had the
dreams?”

“
Not like that. But
I’ve been having dreams.” The tenuous bond with Jennifer had
reached its limit. The assistant rose.

“
I should go. Thank
you so much for listening to me. It does feel really good to have
someone to talk to, someone who understands but is not…well, a man.
Not that there is anything wrong with them, but they just
don’t…”

“
I know. Thanks,
Jennifer. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

After Jennifer left, Adya logged
in to the computer. She navigated through the same presentation
shown earlier in the day, clicking links to learn more about
individual projects.

A flow chart followed the
relationships between initiatives for each disaster possibility.
Situations such as a meteor strike and nuclear winter shared many
response characteristics and so some of the initiatives for these
events were identical. One of the projects crossing various
initiatives was the underground city. Sanctum was fully equipped
with laboratories and support services as well as power generation
and infrastructure.

She shuddered. An underground
city. How long would humanity have to endure a life beneath the
surface? Would they? To not watch the sun rise, witness the birds
flying, enjoy the aroma of cherry blossoms in the spring. She loved
being close to nature and the thought of spending an indefinite
amount of time imprisoned deep within the crust of the Earth was
disturbing.

Feeling claustrophobic, her
breathing quickening, Adya sprang from the chair and pulled open
the sliding door to the patio. She stretched out in a reclining
deck lounge and watched the scattered clouds pass across the
brilliant stars overhead. Occasionally she could track the progress
of a satellite, wondering which, if any, were placed by Three
Eleven. Were they practicing surveillance from on high? Could
Abraham at this very moment be zooming in on her? Adya shivered at
the thought, rising from the chair to walk the perimeter of the
yard.

Five other cottages shared a
centre walkway bordering her yard, with no dividing fences. There
were privacy screens around the patios of each abode, but otherwise
the units were built to encourage community interactions and
socialization. The neighbours to her left emerged from their
cottage, a young couple with a toddler. They waved cheerfully and
she strolled over to meet them.

“
Hello, neighbour,
welcome to the island. We didn’t realize until last night someone
was going to be in residence, or we would’ve had a little welcome
wagon ready for you. Mark Lamont, my wife Nora, and our daughter
Stephanie. Are you here for an internship?”

Mark’s wife pulled at his arm,
chastising him. “Mark, you don’t need to be so nosey, you should at
least ask her name first.”

“
It’s fine, I’m Adya
Jordan and yes, I’m here for an internship. I just arrived last
night, and have enjoyed what I’ve seen of the island so far. How
long have you lived here?” She could not take her eyes off
Stephanie, who was working her way toward her, dressed in a
sundress with a little flowered hat.

“
Hello, you.” Bending
down to meet the little girl’s eyes, she was rewarded with a big
smile and outstretched arms. “May I pick her up?” she asked the
parents, who agreed easily. Relishing in the feel of a little body
snuggling in to her side, she held Stephanie on her hip.

“
You seem quite
comfortable with a little one.” Nora noted.

“
Yes, I have
six…siblings, younger than me, so I have lots of experience with
little ones. Stephanie is very friendly. She must be a real joy for
you.” The toddler twisted to plant a wet kiss on her cheek. “Thank
you for the kiss.”

“
She is just
incredible. You never know what it’s like until you’re actually a
parent, no matter how often you describe it to someone they just
can’t understand the intense feeling of parenthood. Having a child
fills a void you never even knew existed within you.” Nora glowed
as she spoke of her daughter. “We have to thank the Corporation for
their supportive approach to families, we’re going to be having our
second child in five months.” Adya murmured congratulations at
Nora’s announcement. “And because of the benefit package offered,
I’m able to stay with the babies without losing any wages or
seniority in the company. They really are progressive.”

Impressed to find out there was a
corporate emphasis on families, Adya wanted to learn more. She
probed further. “Do all staff members get time off for
children?”

“
Oh, it’s not just
time off. They have a whole bunch of rewards for having kids,
especially if you have managed to advance yourself in the company.
Mark has done very well for himself in the communications
department,” Nora smiled as she turned affectionate eyes towards
him, “and because of that we actually end up getting an extra
allowance for each of the children. You only get that if you have
made some great contributions.” She blushed as he nudged her
shoulder and whispered something to the effect of “Look who is
being too personal now.”

She walked with Stephanie around
the perimeter, the little girl pointing at moths, flowers, and
ants. “Who takes care of the cottages? Am I supposed
to?”

“
Only if you want to.
There are caretakers who do the regular maintenance, especially for
vacant cottages such as yours was, but residents can take
responsibility for chores if they enjoy that sort of thing. I like
to plant flowers but can’t stand mowing the lawn so we get someone
in for that.”

Adya glanced into the adjoining
yard. “Your flower beds are lovely.”

“
I find it such a
relief to let someone else take care of the majority of maintenance
if I don’t have time. It leaves me free to spend time with
Stephanie and Mark, or do some work at the tower. Although the
corporation gives leave when you have children, they invite you to
continue working on any projects you wish. They support you working
from home, or even going in to the child care centre and logging
into the system there while watching your little one play. It’s the
best of both worlds, being a parent but still staying in the loop
at work. We were so lucky to be invited to work here, we couldn’t
imagine working anywhere else.”

She wondered if the couple were a
plant, strategically placed to convince her the corporation was
benign and benevolent−they just seemed too happy to be real. She
quelled those thoughts, allowing herself to take their enthusiasm
at face value for now, since they appeared to be such nice
people.

“
What department do
you work in, Nora?”

“
I’m in medical
services, a nurse. I end up doing a lot of recordkeeping right now
because of the baby but I usually work maternity. I like to work
one or two half shifts there per week. I even get to bring
Stephanie with me because it helps with the expectant parents in
teaching them about diapering, feeding, and all that. The
corporation really emphasizes preparation for parents, each child
should to be wanted, loved, and dealt with competently.”

“
Wow,” she tried not
to sound sarcastic, “They really know how to treat their
staff.”

Mark spoke up, reaching for
Stephanie and taking Nora’s arm “We had better let you get settled
in, Adya. It was really nice to meet you.” The child was reluctant
to let go but eventually released her grip to go to her
father.

As she was walking back to their
cottage, Nora turned, “We’re set to move to a larger cottage with
more amenities at the end of next month. How long does your
internship last?” She did seem truly disappointed they would not be
neighbours for long.

“
I am only on the
island for a few weeks, unfortunately. Hopefully I’ll see you lots,
though, I really enjoyed playing with Stephanie.” She hoped she had
not offended Mark with her wariness of the benevolent Three Eleven
Corporation. The couple and their child disappeared into the yellow
cottage.