Regression (17 page)

“
Have you ever been
there?”

“
No. I understand it’s
located in Canada, though.” She shuddered. “I like tropical
climates, prefer to stay right here.”

Adya ran on a treadmill, hooked to
monitors, after they checked her body mass index, weight, and
height. She joined a group of nurses and technicians for lunch
served from the buffet cart. The staff food selections surprised
her, there were desserts and treats available but most of the staff
consumed a healthy selection from the four basic food groups before
taking a small indulgence, if any.

“
Hello Adya. How is
your orientation going so far?” Nora joined her at the table,
bringing a small plate of salad and a sandwich with her. Stephanie
left her mother to climb onto Adya’s lap.

“
Stephanie really
likes you. You have a way with kids. You should consider doing your
internship with children’s services after your orientation is
finished.”

She got up. “I do enjoy working
with little ones but I’ll wait and see all the areas first. I
expect they have something in mind for me.”

Journal of Doctor Nicholas Weaver

September 14, 98 P. I.

The answer to the
puzzle of Adya continues to elude me. No matter how many lifetimes,
we have yet to repeat the recipe which worked the first time
around. In part, that is why this is my last attempt. If you do the
same thing the same way you will get the same results. The human
variable has made each attempt slightly different. The first time,
she wasted her life in devilry, using her knowledge of the future
to build a financial empire only to blow it all in excess and
debauchery. No children to speak of in that timeline. Rather a
blessing. The next time, she redeemed herself, dedicating her life
to helping others. Again no children. The third lifetime she was
reviled as crazy for spouting madness, prophesying the end of the
world. Every time, I arrive without the opportunity to find her, to
save her from the fate in store for her. I read of her demise in
the papers because it is always spectacular. And then the rest of
it begins all over again.

Adya joined Abraham in his office on the thirtieth floor, the
skies slightly overcast but still beautiful from his
window.

“
I understand you made
some good impressions during your tour of the service departments.
Amanda was especially impressed at your skill with the
children.”

“
With six of them I
had plenty of experience. They are an incredibly valuable resource.
I see that fact being emphasized by the programs being offered for
both the parents and children.” A note of respect crept into her
voice and he nodded his acknowledgment.

“
That’s an excellent
group of staff.” He paused, smiling condescendingly. “They could
always use another contributor. Perhaps you would be interested in
joining their team.”

Her features resolute, she met his
level gaze. “That is something I can certainly consider upon
completion of orientation with all departments of Three Eleven. I’m
very excited to see what the group has done with all the knowledge
of the twenty first century, having an extra twenty years to work
on everything should really advance our cause.”

“
We’ve done much with
the time we’ve had and every year sees us move further ahead, a
cumulative effect as each technological revolution builds upon the
next.” Abraham guided her down the hall towards the elevator. “As
you have likely read, I head up the software and programming
department located on floors twenty-six through twenty-nine. I will
take you down for a tour.”

Abraham’s jabbed the elevator
button. His face belied his age, there was no trace of white in his
deep red hair, and he exuded strength right through to his broad
fingers. They were greeted by a man who looked vaguely familiar to
her.

“
Adya, I would like to
introduce Gil Bates. Gil has been with Three Eleven for thirteen
years, he has revolutionized business and government
administration.” Abraham scrutinized her as he introduced the
software development team leader. She controlled her response as
she met him.

“
It’s a pleasure to
meet you, Gil. I hope Three Eleven has treated you very well,” She
turned a tight smile on Abraham, “they must know the immense value
you have brought to the company.”

“
I couldn’t ask for a
better situation, I get to do the work I love on my own schedule,
and with the best and brightest support staff available.” His
pleasure was palpable as he shook her hand. “I must admit, having
the company back all of my ideas has been incredible, not many get
the chance to have their dreams come true.” Gil excused himself,
returning to his corner office.

“
Well done, Adya. You
will find quite a few well-known faces in our ranks and we need you
to be discrete.” She inclined her head. He continued. “We have
attempted to secure the most influential people in technology and
science from the original timeline to advance our cause. We have
accelerated the technological gains by more than just the years’
difference in timelines – we have been able to save technology from
false leads and fruitless initiatives, like the search for cold
fusion which would have happened in 1989.”

“
What about their
lives, what would have been? How do you compensate someone for
something they would have had but for your interference?” Her voice
was husky with dismay.

“
They are given
everything they could possibly want−” he began.

“
Except autonomy and
personal success.”

“
Are their personal
losses−which, I might add, are mitigated by the freedom and rewards
of working in the corporation–are their personal losses greater
than the loss potential we face in the future?” He clapped his
hands together for emphasis. “We don’t know exactly what’s going to
happen, but for someone in the future to direct so many of us to
the past, it must be catastrophic.”

They paced down the hallway to the
main programming area, tension in the air between them. Jennifer
had remained on the top floor, leaving him to complete her
orientation. At that moment, she wished Jennifer were guiding her.
She attempted to smooth the waters. “What are your thoughts on
that, on what is going to happen?”

“
I honestly don’t
know. It has to be a major catastrophe, why else have all of us
come back in time? But, none of us have a clue. No one remembers
any incidents in the news. Nothing.”

They entered the main programming
area. The majority of the floor was open concept, punctuated by low
sided cubicle walls made of clear acrylic, most covered with
cryptic symbols and scribbles. People chatted in areas comfortably
furnished with sofas and lift-top coffee tables. Some individuals
industriously typed on keyboards, prompting her to comment about
the choice of the ergonomic Dvorak keyboards rather than popular
QWERTY models. “I always thought QWERTY keyboards should have been
phased out, glad to see you changed that particular facet of
technology.” He acknowledged her praise with a nod.

The atmosphere of the floor was
pleasant, the employees seemed comfortable, productive, and
engaged. All of them knew Abraham by sight, and he knew them on a
first name basis. She was greeted with respect and courtesy,
although many eyes held open curiousity. They reached the end of
the floor space and all introductions appeared to be
finished.

“
What do people do for
leisure? I notice software is for productivity only, what is
encouraged for relaxation? What do you do?”

“
Regular fitness
classes, organized sports, challenging games and even horse back
riding for our workforce. A balance between work, physical
activity, and social interaction makes the most effective and
satisfied personnel, and we have spent quite a bit of time
developing an environment supporting staff in all aspects of their
lives.” He ignored the last part of her question. “Our lost
productivity days are minimal, almost always verifiable illnesses
because when someone doesn’t come in when expected they are so ill
they see their physician. That says a lot about staff
satisfaction.”

He led her to a computer terminal.
“You should familiarize yourself with the rudimentary concepts of
programming, but spend most of your time just seeing how things
operate here. Be sure, though, to operate discretion since programs
you once knew are not going to be developed here. Keep the intern
story up, it seems to be working fine.”

“
Except for the fact a
female intern has never been brought through. A few eyebrows have
raised.”

His own elevated. “Really?
Who?”

Adya schooled her expression, as
guileless as possible, “Oh, I don’t remember who commented, but
more than one person has been surprised a girl is on the short list
for internship. Might not be as good a cover story as you
think.”

“
We’ll keep it for
now, since you will be joining the executive. Enjoy your
morning.”

“
Thank you, Abraham.”
She logged in to the computer, quickly logging out again as she
wanted to speak with the actual programmers to clarify operating
systems and languages. Many of the familiar systems from the
original timeline had been implemented but the focus of the Three
Eleven development had been on productivity related to the research
and development of science and technology, thus programs deemed
“frivolous” had not been created. She wandered the floor, listening
to the staff as they brainstormed, collaborated and problem solved.
The collegial atmosphere created an environment of positive energy
and she did have to admit the Three Eleven approach to workplace
management was fostering growth and development at unprecedented
rates on this level as well.

“
Apparently any night
will do for going out, since there is no work week here.” Adya and
Jennifer headed through the executive hallway at the end of her
day, attempting to convince the dark-haired woman to go for dinner
and a movie that night. Jennifer mulled it over.

“
Well, Abraham has me
working on this project…”

“
You don’t need to
work on it twenty-four seven, though. You’ll be the better for a
mental rest. Take your own advice. Add some leisure to your
labours.”

Jennifer cracked a smile. “What’s
playing?”

“
Doesn’t really matter
to me since I’ll have already seen it.” Jennifer’s smile widened.
“I notice there are fewer releases than originally happened in
1985. Directly related to the actions of Three Eleven?”

“
Yes. Taking away the
emphasis and impetus driving entertainment, and replacing it with
productivity, took a while to permeate through society but looks
like it finally did, according to Abraham. He said television,
video, and games were how most people spent their waking hours
outside of work. I can’t imagine. Who needs to live vicariously on
screen when you can experience it first hand in real life?” She
gazed at Adya intently. “Was it really so bad in the original
timeline? I mean, society?”

She took a breath and a moment to
gather her thoughts as they waited for the elevator. “The downward
slide had reached terminal velocity. Families were disintegrating,
common courtesy was no longer common, and respect could neither be
earned nor given. The mantra of society wasn’t just ‘what’s in it
for me’, it was ‘what’s in you for me’…how much can I bleed you for
in my journey toward self aggrandizement. There were of course
pockets of sanity within the ocean of lost souls, but those pockets
were being fished out like so many choice morsels of bait. The
users could not stand to see anyone not of their own
kind.”

The elevator arrived, but she did
not notice as she continued her tirade. “I home-schooled my
children in an attempt to minimize the impact of the lax social
mores. Television was an occasional luxury rather than electronic
babysitter, and my children knew their extended family in depth
rather than only seeing them on holidays and at funerals. For me,
looking into the empty eyes of one more lost soul while working on
my thesis removed any and all blinders I wore. The children were
the victims of the ever-present thirst for “more”…more wealth, more
power, more rooms, more electronics…the list goes on. I wanted to
take each and every one of them home with me, to show them what it
means to live with love, discipline, compassion, and respect. I
would so often see a child looking for one stable, responsible
adult to be a foundation in their life, a role model they could
look up to and a mentor they could trust. But what children were
getting instead were more like siblings. Their parents had not yet
learned how to be mature adults, so they did not know how to deal
with being parents. This can be attributed back to the amount of
time spent being entertained as compared to the amount of time
spent experiencing relationships, activities, and life.”

Jennifer held her arms wide,
fending off the negativity. “Whew, sounds terrible.”

Adya shook her head, grinning
apologetically. “Sorry, Jennifer, you asked me for my opinion on
what amounted to my life’s work in the previous timeline so I have
a lot to say.”