Chapter 19
by Dan Kirk
“Why would an adult, in his sixties, want to hang around children all the time?” Mr. Mulkey questioned nearly an hour later. He had suspicion in his eyes as he glared at me. I’d managed to share with them a very abbreviated version of my last lifetime; leaving out certain details that were either classified or that I did not feel it wise to share, like my relationship with Brian. Ridgeway had appeared about fifteen minutes ago, with several Air Force stewards who served coffee, juice, and some snacks that everyone ate handily. Outside the sun was setting and I’d just realized that I’d gone without lunch or dinner. Once the Air Force stewards left and the door was shut, Mr. Mulkey had spoken his question.
“First off, I am physically this age.” I said carefully. “Whatever my mental age, I am the physical age of this body. I am a teenager, with all the complications that go along with that. Do you remember what it was like for your voice to change, or the testosterone to start flowing through your body at twenty times the level it does when you’re an adult? That’s all part of being a teenager, and I can tell you from TWO lifetimes now that it doesn’t matter if you’re mentally an adult or not, when your body starts going through puberty it’s as rough as the first time. In some ways, it’s worse because you’re use to being able to control… certain bodily functions and suddenly you can’t. Intellectually, you know there’s no reason for your entire body to feel like it’s vibrating and about to explode, but when it happens, you have to act out in some way; find some thing to act as a pressure release valve. That’s all part of being a teenager and just like your sons and daughters in this room, I’m going through the same things as they are. It…it’s a lot easier to be around other people who can understand that because they’re going through it too. In the last time line, I sat down with a psychiatrist and we went through all this over and over again. He finally came to the conclusion that it doesn’t matter how much experience you have, or don’t have, a teenager is a teenager.”
“That’s all fine and good, but shouldn’t you be in a government center somewhere?” Mrs. Wells asked a little worriedly. I knew she was thinking of all the time I’d spent at her house, and with her sons. “Shouldn’t you be where they could protect you and anyone else that knows you?”
“Since your sons are my friends, do you want them and yourself to be locked up in some government facility forever?” I asked her and she shrank back at those words. “I’m still a human being and social contact is something we all crave. This base, and the procedures you saw implemented today are designed to provide as much protection to me, and to those I care about, as is possible without unduly restricting our rights as Americans to determine our own course in life.”
“What if we want to move?” Mr. Crutchley asked with a protective look towards his daughter.
“Then you can move as long as you keep these secrets.” I said with a shrug. “Just remember, out there you’re outside of the protective umbrella provided by this base and its soldiers.”
“So you’re threatening us to keep us here?” Mr. Mulkey snapped.
“Oh come off of it Dad.” Derek said with more scorn than I’d ever heard him use. “I know you don’t like things outside of your control, and this goes so far beyond your control that you have to be jumping out of your skin. Whatever else he is, Davey has been my friend for years and he’s going to continue to be my friend.”
“I forbid you to have anything else to do with…him.” Mr. Mulkey fumed and Derek sat back hard in his chair. He looked at me, and I knew he was remembering a conversation we’d had once. This was his fight, though, not mine.
“You can do that, Dad, until I turn eighteen.” Derek said calmly, looking his father in the eyes. “Once I turn eighteen, though, I’m my own man. You won’t be able to tell me who I can and cannot be friends with, and I will remember this. I can choose at that point to be friends, or not to be friends with you.”
“You won’t make it to college if you turn your back on me.” Mr. Mulkey said angrily, but confidently.
“Davey, if I asked to borrow the money for college…” Derek started to ask but I didn’t let him.
“Derek, you know damn well I have enough money to pay for everyone, and
I mean every single person in this town to go to college for the next fifty
years.” I answered his half-finished question. That got a set of looks
from the adults in the room. “I put out over five hundred grand for Dad’s
little trailer park and used less than two percent of my available funds. Let’s
just say I’m financially independent.”
“So now you’re going to bribe our children’s loyalties?”
Mr. Mulkey snapped and I smiled at him, even though his question gained traction
with the other parents in the room. Well, the others except for Mr. Crutchley
who frowned at the man.
“Oh come off it, Mulkey.” Crutchley said with scorn. “You know damn well what he’s saying is that if we force our children to choose between us and him, and they decide to choose him, he’ll make sure they’re taken care of financially. As for me, I’m starting to think he might be able to date my daughter.”
“I’ll date who I want, Dad.” Tammy muttered, garnering a few laughs. Mr. Crutchley’s words seemed to sway everyone but Mr. Mulkey who did not look happy that one of ‘his’ teachers would contradict him.
“Mr. Mulkey, when I made the jump back this time, I had a horrible time adjusting.” I said, trying to reach out with an olive branch. “From my perspective, I was a Rear Admiral Lower Half in the United States Navy Reserve. I had the Medal of Honor on my chest and helped run a multi-million dollar international corporation. Thousands of people depended on me to make the right decisions in business. Literally a week before I went back in time, I had just commanded the joint forces of the United States, Taiwan, and Japan in defense of Taiwan against a Chinese invasion fleet. They outgunned us in ships, submarines, aircraft, and missiles, and the situation was almost hopeless, but under my command the combined fleet held off the Chinese until an aircraft carrier battle group arrived. In that ten-day battle, we lost over three hundred American lives, six thousand Taiwanese lives, and about two hundred Japanese lives. When it was over, I was told I could expect to see another Medal of Honor on my chest because no one believed we could have kept the Chinese fleet from reaching Taiwan. We did that, and more.
“Then, a week later I was twelve-years old and my mother was telling me to take the garbage out.” I finished with a sigh that was only slightly exaggerated. “If you want to find out what losing control of your own life is like, try having that happen.”
“How many Chinese did you send to the bottom?” Mr. Crutchley asked me and I smiled at him evilly. The memory was a good one, considering how many of my family had died today. Some might consider it wrong to relish in the death of the enemy, but at that moment it was a salve for my conscience.
“Nearly thirty-six thousand soldiers, sailors, and pilots died on their side.” I said with suppressed glee. That was something I’d never really talked about in-depth with my friends, who stared at me this time with mouths open. Mr. Crutchley just nodded, lifted a cup of coffee and saluted me. For some reason I’d never felt any guilt over killing those Chinese soldiers. Then again, their leaders had been responsible for separating me from Brian and that was something I found very hard to ignore.
“Way to go, Admiral.” He said out loud and I almost blushed. Mr. Mulkey didn’t say anything, but a knock at the door distracted me. Major Lapin entered after the knock and handed me several printed messages. I looked over them carefully while he stood there, waiting. There was something different about his attitude towards me and I realized he’d probably been given my full file by now.
“I’ll definitely be available for the President’s call.” I said after reading through the stack quickly. “Tell the General that I would appreciate being informed the moment Sean’s plane lands. As for the rest, my recommendation is to take down the checkpoints but keep an elevated alert. I also don’t recommend interrogating the Han family in town. They’ve been in Eureka for generations and are as American as you and I.”
“Got it.” The Major said without the least hint of irony or condescension. When I turned back to look at the assembled families of my friends from this time line, I could see that even Mr. Mulkey was affected by what had just happened. Things were sinking in on them and I felt it was probably time to make an exit so they could think things through on their own.
“I need to go see my mother and father now, if you don’t mind.” I told them with a hint of the sadness I was feeling creeping into my voice. “My parents have just learned tonight that their mothers and father were killed today by Chinese agents. Part of it was most likely in order to find me, but I would not be surprised if we learned someday that those deaths were motivated in part because of the defeat I handed the Chinese military in the last timeline. The guard outside will have instructions to take you to the base cafeteria for some food. I’m obligated to remind you that you are not to speak of what we’ve discussed to anyone outside of this room. Quarters are being prepared for you to spend the night. Tomorrow you’ll be allowed to go back home if you wish, but we want to make sure everyone is secure for tonight. I’ll see you later.”
“Davey.” David said abruptly as I stood up. Our eyes met and I could see the sympathy in his eyes. “I’m sorry to hear about your grandparents.”
“Thanks.” I said gratefully before turning to leave the room. Before I went in search of wherever Dad had taken Mom, I left instructions with the guard that he was to escort them to the cafeteria and then to the quarters that had been prepared for the assorted families. When I turned to head down the hallway, I didn’t have far to go because a door banged open and a very distraught mother appeared in the hallway. She was still wearing the pale pink skirt-suit she’d worn to work, and her face showed the after-effects of heavy crying. Dad appeared right behind her, with Jenny behind him, but she saw me and stalked towards me so fast his outstretched arm found only air. When she reached me, her arm lashed out and slapped me so hard I saw stars for a second. As I turned my face around towards her, she slapped me again, even harder.
“Susan, stop.” Dad said as he caught up with her and caught her arm before she could slap me again.
“YOU BASTARD!” She yelled at me loudly. The poor guard who had started to open the door to the conference room stopped and looked undecided as to what to do next. Dad waved with his free hand for the guard to stand back. Someone inside opened the conference room door and there were suddenly many more witnesses to Mom’s anger towards me. “THIS IS ALL YOUR FAULT YOU COCKY BASTARD. YOU HAD TO GO AND FUCK AROUND WITH TIME AND NOW MY MOTHER IS DEAD!”
“Susan, calm down.” Dad hissed with a worried look for the guard. I was so stunned by her anger that I could do little more than stare at her in shock and touch my sore cheek where she had slapped me.
“Don’t you DARE to tell me to calm down.” Mom roared in a slightly quieter tone. It was still loud enough that my eardrums were beginning to thrum. “He got my mom killed. Do you know who else was there you bastard? I talked to Mom last night. She told me Shantill was staying the night and not going to school because she’d had a fight with her Mom. Shantill’s probably dead too!”
“Mom, I’m sorry…” I mumbled softly. I was trembling now, and I could feel tears trickle down my face. “I didn’t want…”
“You’re SORRY?” She roared while pulling her arm out of Dad’s grip. She didn’t move to hit me, but every muscle in her body was tensed. “This is all your fault! I told you at the Reagan’s ranch that things would come back and bite you on the ass but you had to go and play hero. You had to warn that Thatcher woman about the invasion of those stupid islands, you had to go and dip your hand into politics and the military. You should have just kept your mouth shut and pretended you were a normal kid!”
“If I had done that, then right now, you’d probably be dead along with Dad and Jenny and Nanny and Papa, and who knows who else, and I’d either be dead or a prisoner of the Chinese.” I retorted as I lost all control of my emotions. Maybe if I’d been an adult I’d have kept better control, but I could feel those teenage hormones going wild and couldn’t stop myself. “Then they’d be able to use their knowledge of the future to ensure a communist grip on power the likes of which this world has never known! Who knows, maybe they’d one day be able to invade the United States or cause a communist revolution here! Then where would we be? Unlike you, I understand the concept of duty and that sometimes duty requires a high price to be paid!”
“Don’t you lecture me!” Mom shouted. “You are not my son! I disown you and everything about you!”
“Susan, don’t do this.” Dad hissed, staring at the audience watching.
“I don’t want him in my house one more day!” Mom shouted, turning to face Dad. “If you don’t kick him out, I’ll leave and I’ll take Jenny with me!”
“Fine.” I said firmly, just wanting to be done with her. “Dad, don’t argue with her. I’ll just talk to the General and get some Bachelor Officer Quarters here on base until we can arrange something in town.”
“No.” Mr. Wells’ voice surprised everyone and he shifted slightly as he felt everyone’s eyes on him. He looked at his wife who nodded briefly before he continued. “Davey, you’re more than welcome to stay with us until things are worked out at your home.”
“Thank you, but that’s not…” I started to say but Dad caught me off-guard.
“I appreciate the kind offer.” Dad said to Mr. Wells. “If you don’t mind, I think it will be a good idea for Davey to stay with you until things… calm down at home.”
“Mr. Jones!” An excited voice from further down the hallway grabbed our attention. Ridgeway was coming towards us at a trot and he stopped right in front of me. He didn’t even bother looking at the spectacle we were making in the hallway, but focused on me intently. “General Barstow requests your presence in Operations as soon as possible.”
“Let’s go.” I said with a nod towards him. Before leaving though, I took one look back at my parents to find that Mom was sobbing again against Dad’s chest. The pain of what had just happened ran through me, but I pushed it aside to deal with whatever lay ahead.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*
“Mr. Jones, you asked for a wake-up call when the plane landed.” The voice of one of the Air Force personnel dragged me out of the fitful sleep I’d been in since I came here to lie down. I opened my eyes in a darkened room and could barely make out the form of the soldier who had spoken. He was standing in the doorway to the hotel-style Temporary BOQ room with the light from the hallway spilling into the room.
“Ugh. Thanks.” I said as I sat up in bed. He must have nodded or something like that before leaving, but I couldn’t be sure as the room descended into darkness when he shut the door. I reached over to the nightstand and turned on the lamp there. The alarm clock told me it was three in the morning. Stretching a little in bed, and cursing the fact that a human body needed sleep, I managed to get out of bed and headed into the shower. Under that hot water I reflected on the events since that scene with my family.
After being summoned back to the Operations Center, I learned that a cover story had been developed to cover the events in Modesto, and here in Eureka. It was slightly outlandish, but enough facts fit that it would most likely be accepted by most people. Sure, some conspiracy theorists might someday hit on the truth, but by the time they did it would be given the same credence as the grassy knoll theory.
The public would be told, over the course of a few days, that a Chinese gang had sought revenge for one of their members being quarantined under the AIDS Quarantine laws. In the past year, those centers had been shrinking as the numbers of new cases dwindled tremendously. Even the testing provisions were being relaxed so that they only included people being admitted for hospital care and prisoners. According to the story, a Chinese gang member had been tested and found to be positive in prison. Local members had decided to lash out at the people they knew were involved in the AIDS Quarantine centers.
Apparently, Mr. and Mrs. Breckenridge had continued visiting patients in these centers and were recently recognized for their efforts in the local media. That would provide a positive link for most media outlets to latch onto. Grandma Jones had also continued to be active and had been on the same news report, providing another link as well as pointing directly back to Dad, who was still remembered for being shot back in 1981. That would also explain why I, and my sister, were pulled out of school to protect us.
On the surface, it was a little weak, but there would be more added as time went on, and it would explain the search for two Chinese men in a green van currently underway in San Francisco. At nine last night, I’d had another conversation with the President about the plans to bring Brian, Trevor, and Brandon as well as their families out to Nevada. He warned me that all the families involved were quite upset, but had agreed tentatively to coming out here. They would arrive sometime later this afternoon, and would receive a preliminary briefing from Colonel Kowalski before I met with them and dealt with some of the specifics.
He’d also shared with me what the FBI had discovered regarding Sean’s treatment in that psychiatric center. He was doped up on about six different psych drugs that were being flushed out of his system while in-transit. They’d grabbed a local doctor from the Air Force Academy to administer treatment while they prepped the plane and flew out here. The base here had its own doctor and a small infirmary where Sean would be treated when he landed.
Getting out of the shower, I opened up the toothbrush someone had gotten for me at the commissary, or maybe from the BOQ stores, and brushed my teeth. I looked tired, and my hair was such a mess I decided to give up on having longer hair. Sometime this morning, I’d find time to get a buzz cut just so I wouldn’t have to deal with it anymore. There was a barber on base near the commissary so all I had to do was get there. My dirty clothes were still piled on a chair and I wondered briefly if I could send someone to my house in order to get some fresh clothes. However, I looked around the room first and saw a clean set of fatigues hanging on the cheap wardrobe door. A pair of boots I recognized from the armory changing room were below them. It seems Ridgeway or one of the other Special Forces soldiers had the foresight to send them over.
The fatigues were a pair I’d worn on the weekends when we were doing sparring or work on the weapons range. They were just easier to wear and helped me stand out a little less. I was already taller than most soldiers anyway, so from a distance I blended in when wearing them. It was only when people got close enough to see my face that they could tell I was a little bit too young to be in uniform. Whoever had gotten them had been kind enough to include a pair of folded underwear and t-shirt as well as socks. It didn’t take me long to get dressed, and as I put the fatigue cap on my head, I realized that I really did need that haircut. A knock at the door surprised me a little.
“Come in.” I called out and Ridgeway entered with a slight smile. He had a tray in one hand and a plastic bag in the other.
“Heya, champ.” He said in a friendly tone. “How you feeling at this early reveille?”
“Tired and hungry.” I said, already smelling some bacon from the tray. He just smiled at my words and held up the tray as if to say ‘here ya go’. Crossing the room, he put it down on the small round table.
“Well, here’s some food and coffee to help with that.” He said, taking the other chair at the small table while I sat down and lifted the lid off the tray. It was standard military fare, which meant the eggs were a little runny, the bacon a little limp, and the biscuit a little on the hard side, but it was food. The coffee was also standard military fare, strong as hell and more than enough to wake you up.
“Thanks.” I said as I tore into the food and wondered if he’d gotten any sleep at all. Looking at him you couldn’t tell.
“Yes, I got about four hours of sleep.” He told me, guessing from the way I looked at him. He smiled again and lifted up the bag. “As soon as you finish eating, I’ve got some clippers here. Just take off the shirt and we’ll get your hair into decent shape.”
“What the fuck are you?” I asked in surprise. “Do you read minds or something?”
“No.” Ridgeway laughed. “I just got the FULL briefing on you last night and realized that with all the people you’ll be meeting today you’d want a haircut. If you’re really an officer from some other time or whatever, you’ll want to look like a real man, not some kid with bushy hair.”
“Okay, you’re right.” I admitted with a sigh as I finished off the food. I felt better with food in my stomach and coffee in my veins. So, Ridgeway now knew at least the stuff that was in my file. That was a lot, but certain things weren’t in there, I knew, like my former relationship with Brian.
Brian!
Brian was coming. Every time I heard that name my head swam a little as if I was on some drug. Oh, I knew that he wasn’t the Brian I remembered, or the Brian who had fallen in love with me, but he was still Brian. This wasn’t some fairy tale where we’d see each other and fall into an embrace automatically with a happy-forever ending. My life just wasn’t like that. I did know that he was still essentially the same person I’d fallen in love with, and who had fallen in love with me. I had met him, two years ago, and seen him as the same loving and caring person he had been in the last timeline. That would be enough for me to work with, slowly. It wouldn’t be easy, I knew. These circumstances had to be driving him crazy, but I knew him well enough to know how to reach him.
“You ready?” Ridgeway said and he looked like he’d been repeating himself. I must have zoned out again because he had the clippers out and plugged in while I still had the fatigue tunic on. Well, that came off easily and he wrapped a towel around my shoulders.
The number of soldiers who had given each other haircuts like this would be mind-boggling if anyone ever bothered to figure it out. Ridgeway wasn’t a professional barber, but he knew the basics of cutting hair military-style, and that’s what he did quickly. By the time he was done, my hair was all but gone. There was maybe a half-inch on the top, and just stubble everywhere else. It made my face look different, and I let out a sigh of both regret and relief. This was closer to how I had carried it for most of my adult life. This haircut felt like it marked the passage from being just a kid to a new phase where I’d probably have closer ties to the military.
I’d spoken to the President about my mother’s reaction last night and he was concerned. He’d given orders that I was to stay on the base until things calmed down at home. After that, I’d spoke to General Barstow, who had assigned me these quarters for now. Sometime soon, someone would be sent to the house to get my stuff. The furniture would probably stay there, but my clothes, files, and personal effects would be brought here. Ridgeway took off the towel he’d placed on my shoulders and grabbed a wet rag to wipe off most of the remaining hairs. It’d be a little itchy, but nothing too bad.
“Okay, there ya go, bud.” Ridgeway told me with a smile and I returned it gratefully. I’d noticed he still had a pistol in the holster on his hip and figured he’d been selected as my escort. I didn’t need one, I believed, but the General had insisted with everything going on that each person involved WOULD have an escort. He was turning into a nervous mother hen and it wasn’t time yet to argue with him.
“Thanks, man, I appreciate it.” I said as I stood and put the uniform tunic back on. No rank insignia was on it, but it did have my name, and US Navy emblazoned above the pockets. That had me smiling as I remembered protesting at the first one I’d been given a year ago. It had said Air Force and I’d yelled that I was Navy, not an Air Head.
We made our way out of the BOQ area and headed towards the small infirmary building that was near the Admin building. It was cold outside, and crystal clear. The base lighting was minimal, most likely because the astronomy group was doing some observations. Last I heard, they were still calibrating the large telescope.
“So this guy they’re bringing in, he’s a friend?” Ridgeway asked me as we approached the small infirmary.
“Kind of.” I answered him softly. It was kind of hard to explain. “Sean was someone I knew in Junior High during my first life. He ended up being the technician who picked me as the test subject in the first time-travel experiment. Later, he came back in time and saved my life during the Third World War. We were good friends after that even though he’d lost most of his memories of the first time-line. They came back later though. He was in the Chinese time-travel room with me and helped send me back this time, but the boy in the infirmary isn’t the man who did all that. This one doesn’t have any memories of that time. He’s just a normal fourteen year-old boy who has had a rough time.”
“Then why are you so concerned about him?” Ridgeway asked me with a sideways look that told me it was more a question about me than about Sean.
“Because he’s still essentially the same person that became my friend.” I answered honestly. “Sean sacrificed a lot to help me in both the past time lines and I want to return the favor. I owe it to him.”
“But he’s not the same guy.” Ridgeway pointed out. Say what you will about enlisted men, or Navy Seals, but they aren’t usually stupid. I’d earned my trident as an officer, so I knew them well, and Ridgeway was a good man even among SEALS.
“No, but he’s still the same basic person who made the decision to help me.” I answered carefully as we reached the main doors. I paused to finish my answer before opening those doors and faced Ridgeway directly. “That fact alone incurs a debt of honor to him that I am not willing to put aside.”
“That’s good to hear.” Ridgeway said firmly, and he put an arm out to keep me from opening the door. “We all know what happened between you and your mother and I was shown your file by the General. He felt we’d become fairly friendly over the last year and I’m supposed to get a new duty station soon. The General wanted to know if I’d consent to staying on here despite my rotations schedule. I live here on base and he wanted to know if I’d provide the ‘cover’ of looking out after you. We know you’re an adult in a kid’s body, so it would be more for formality than anything else.”
“You’re only what, twenty-six?” I asked him and he nodded. I remembered his birthday party back in November and seemed to remember that as his age.
“Yeah, so most people will probably think of it as a big-brother type thing and that’s how it’ll be presented.” Ridgeway said. “I’ve gotten to know you pretty well and the kid genius theory only goes so far. When I found out the full information in your file, well, let’s just say a lot of things fell into place. I know your friends’ parents offered to let you stay with them, but the government is going to be much more comfortable with you on base. The General even said they’d put us in our own double-wide so we’d have a nice place to call home.”
“I think I’d like that, but I’m buying the furnishings.” I told him. That would be something else we’d have to work out, how to handle my finances. Yeah, Dad was upset too, but he wasn’t the one throwing me out. That was Mom and while I knew she was majorly upset right now and might calm down, I seriously doubted she’d change her mind on this any time soon.
“You’ve got a deal there, Davey.” Ridgeway said and I smiled at him.
“Thanks, Ridgeway.” I answered.
“Call me Kevin.” He said and I nodded as he moved his arm to allow me to open the door. We went inside and were immediately greeted by the sight of two FBI agents talking to two doctors. The doctor on the left was the one from the Air Force Academy and had the gold oak leaf of a major on his uniform. The other had the full bird Colonel rank insignia. He was an older man, with silver hair and a bushy silver mustache on a craggy face. As usual, he had a cigarette dangling from his mouth and a sour expression. More than likely he was just pissed at not getting his beauty sleep.
“I see they finally dragged you out of bed.” Dr. Breshears stated
as I entered. He had been the Chief Medical Officer at an Air Force SAC base
until a year ago. (SAC stands for Strategic Air Command, the arm of the Air
Force that handles nuclear weapons. A SAC base is usually home to B-52 bombers
armed with nuclear bombs and on 24-hour alert in case of Soviet nuclear attack).
He’d been offered a transfer here or forced retirement after a scandal
broke at his previous command involving junior doctors selling medical equipment
on the black market. As the CMO, he should have caught it, but it had taken
a very bright nurse and a phone call to the Air Force investigative service
to bring it to light. While Breshears had not been involved in the illegal operations
at all, he had been less than competent as an administrator. Thus, his only
option to get his full 30-year retirement had been to come out here. Medically
speaking, he was a fine doctor, and even an almost-brilliant surgeon, far better
than we would have gotten otherwise. Even better, he’d managed to get
a decent-sized nursing and medical technician staff that were also top-notch,
and a lot of advanced medical diagnostic and examination equipment including
a full blood-laboratory. He’d also set up a consulting arrangement with
the town doctor that saw several severely injured patients live through things
that would have killed them. If he’d been here when old Alan Parsons had
his heart attack two years ago, we’d never have had to go to a funeral
so soon after Dad was shot.
“Yes, Doctor Breshears.” I said calmly. He had a surly temper and
an ego that always needed to be fed. He also preferred ‘doctor’
to ‘colonel’. “How is he?”
“This is Doctor Smith.” Breshears said calmly, introducing the younger doctor. “Doctor, this young man is Davey Jones, our resident child-genius.”
“Ah, yes, well the patient was found heavily medicated when he was removed from that facility.” Doctor Smith stated. “He was on high doses of several anti-psychotics and a hallucinogen. It’s a weird combination and I was surprised to see it being used for that. According to the chart that was seized with the patient, he was being treated for homosexuality but with those drugs I’d have thought he was extremely psychotic. We’ve been pumping him full of intravenous fluids since he came into my care. I also gave him a sedative because he was agitated and raving slightly. That was mostly due to the hallucinogen. He should be waking any time now and should be fairly lucid. His last dose of medication from that facility was nine hours ago, so with the fluids we’ve been pushing into him most if it should be out of his system. As a precaution, we put him in light restraints in case the hallucinogen causes some adverse affects, and also a catheter so he wouldn’t wet the bed. We’ll take the catheter out and remove the restraints once he’s awake and lucid.”
“Thank you Doctor.” I said carefully. Inside I was boiling with anger at the treatment of Sean, especially the innocent Sean from this time line. At least his case would bring an end to these ‘psychiatric’ facilities a lot earlier than would otherwise happen. “Is it alright if I see him?”
“Of course.” Dr. Breshears said with a shallow smile that was unexpected. He led me to one of the six beds in the infirmary. It was the only one curtained off, and when he pulled it back I winced slightly. Sean was so small in this time line, less than five-three in height, and he looked both paler and skinnier than I ever remembered seeing him. His face and arms were covered with freckles like always, but even they seemed slightly pale.
He was asleep, hooked up to an I.V. and a heart monitor while his arms were restrained. His legs weren’t tied up though, and I could just make out the catheter tube snaking down the side of the bed. “He’s in good condition, but those drugs worry me. In high enough doses they can cause arrhythmias in even healthy patients. I’m going to keep him on the monitor for the next twenty-four hours and we’ll take EKG readings of him once each day for the next week, just to be sure.”
“Thank you, Doctor.” I said with a genuine gratitude. Like I’d thought before, the man was just an incompetent administrator, not an incompetent Doctor. When it came to medicine, he was quite good. “If you’ll excuse us for a bit? Ridgeway, please make sure no one overhears anything when Sean wakes up.”
“Got it.” Ridgeway said as Breshears gave me a slightly irritated look before walking away. I shut the curtain and sat in the backless stool that was near the bed. Sean’s eyes were still closed, so I reached up to the bed and took his hand in mine. After a moment, I felt him tighten his grip on me.
“Hey.” His voice was raspy, but still there as he opened his eyes. I jumped a little, and realized he wouldn’t know me at all, not even as some guy from school.
“Hi Sean.” I said gently.
“Davey, it’s so good to see you.” Sean’s words caught me totally by surprise. There was no way he could know me unless…
“I…Sean…you…I thought you weren’t going to use the machine.” I stated in surprise looking deep into his eyes. They were sad, and slightly glazed, but they gave me a look I knew didn’t come from a fourteen-year old kid.
“I didn’t want to, and I was right.” Sean said. “It sucks to be me all over again. I had to do it though. There wasn’t a choice. I had to come back and warn you that they know.”
“Who knows what?” I asked him with more surprise.
“The Chinese, they know about you, Davey.” Sean stated weakly. “Davey, you have to be careful, the Chinese know you came back in time again. They know they’re not dealing with the you from the first Do Over, but the guy who destroyed their Navy and Air Force. They know you love Brian and they’ll use him against you the way they used Brandon against me. Oh, god, I’m so sorry Davey, they killed him.”
“What are you talking about?” I asked sharply and with some confusion. He wasn’t making a lot of sense. How could they know about me in this time line unless… “Sean, did someone else survive in the perimeter set up by the time machine?”
“Yes, there were some more soldiers coming.” Sean said as his eyes unfocused slightly. He was fading in and out of consciousness and I squeezed his hand to bring him back. His eyes focused on me and he continued. “Davey, it was an officer and two guards, they came in from a side passage just as we sent you back. I barely had time to twist the date knob, to make it look like you went back to 1983 instead of 1981 before they dragged me away from the machine. Davey, they had hostages.”
“They had Brandon with them?” I asked excitedly. It would be good for Brandon to have come back as well. “Did you guys overpower them and then you sent Brandon back before coming back yourself?”
“Brandon fought them, and Brian.” Sean said heavily and my heart faltered. Somehow they’d gotten Brian between the time I left him on the tarmac in Taipei and I arrived at the facility? But wait, that was good news, wasn’t it? That meant that my Brian would be back in time now and we could pick up right where we left off.
“You sent Brian back?” I stammered out happily. “Oh gods, I didn’t think the machine would have enough power to send three more people. That is…oh Sean, thank you!”
“DAVEY!” Sean’s voice at an almost-shout shocked me, and I was surprised at the frown on his face. He’d just made me the happiest man on earth. “You don’t understand. The Chinese officer, he made me send him back in time or he’d have killed Brandon and Brian.”
“That’s okay, we can deal with that.” I said confidently.
“He thinks you just came back in 1983.” Sean continued. “They didn’t know you can’t overwrite a mind that has already been overwritten, which is why we had to send you back to an earlier time. He thinks you probably just came back. He gave some orders in Chinese before I sent him back, probably for those guards to kill all of us. Brian didn’t give them a chance though, because as soon as the machine went active, he jumped a guard while Brandon jumped another one. Davey, I’m sorry, but the guard killed Brian and wounded Brandon. I…I managed to grab a gun and kill the guards before they could kill me. Then I came back. I’m so sorry, Davey, but they’re dead. I came back just to warn you. Now, just let me die because I really hate this life.”
“It’s okay, Sean.” I said as I gripped his hand tightly. There were tears in my eyes at his words. I knew this time’s Brian was on his way out here, but all of a sudden it didn’t feel the same. The Brian I knew and loved was dead. Hearing it from Sean like this, how he’d died, made it seem so much more real. I knew Sean was hurting as well, because he’d loved Brandon. For several long minutes we sat there, quietly, squeezing each other’s hand and letting silent tears fall down our faces. “They’re not really dead, you know.”
“I know, but it’s just not the same.” Sean muttered. “Davey, I came back the day my parents sent me to that place. I went to school that day…Davey, they’re not the same people.”
“Of course they’re not, but they are similar.” I pointed out.
“No, Davey, they’re not.” Sean said with a hurt look. “Davey, they picked on me and called me a queer. Brandon even pushed me into a garbage can.”
“Oh, Sean, I’m so sorry.” I said to my old friend. “It’s just a minor setback. Once they get to know us again, they can’t help but fall in love with us again.”
“Davey, you always were an optimistic bastard.” Sean murmured as his eyes closed and he drifted off to sleep. I wished I could join him at that moment. What he’d said worried me, but I knew I’d seen the good qualities I’d always loved in Brian two years ago. There was no way he was that different. Besides, it was Brandon, not Brian who had pushed Sean.
