Chapter Two
"Professor!"
"Yes, Alan, what is it?"
She smiled. She did so love to hear excitement in the voices of her students.
"I've found something. Hominid. Professor, I don't think it's... I think they're alien."
"Oh, my. Let me see that corder. Hmm. You may be right. Exhume them carefully, then we'll take them for a full scan at the university."
"I'd really rather you didn't."
"Who are you?"
"My name is Gallant."
"Uh, Alan, leave it."
"Professor, you've got to be kidding!"
"No, I'm not. Please don't ask questions. Go back to camp and send Mick to me. Don't talk about it, Alan."
Gallant smiled at the confused young man.
"Alan, come here. I'll explain. Those bones are why I'm here. They have no business being on Earth. In a moment, they won't be. You're on your way back to camp to send Mick to the professor. It's been a long day. You've enjoyed it, but didn't find anything unusual."
"You hypnotized him."
"Yes, I did. How did you know who I was? You recognized my name instantly."
"Pepperoni pizza has been a March Eighth tradition in my family for five generations."
"Ah, I see. And who is Mick?"
"My son, Miklos. I've got a thing for ancient Greece. I think it began with my name."
"Your name?"
"Oh, sorry. Professor Athena Buchannon. Oh, dear! What did I do?!"
She sat down next to the big, beautiful, blond, family legend and watched him. He looked pretty stunned. She wondered why she wasn't. Maybe because it was March Eighth. Or would have been by the old calendar. Suddenly an intense wave of mingled emotions washed over her. Foremost was a kind of ironic joy.
"Whoa! Warn me if you're going to let loose with a blast like that, please."
"I beg your pardon?"
"I'm a very strong empath. You just about flattened me. All right, what's with the bones?"
"I'm not sure. Athena, are you a... I'm not sure how to ask this. Are you gene selected?"
"Great-great-grandmother Alice's project. Yes, though it ended a while back. I didn't pick my husband from stus at the U in Alaska. They were still a bit disappointed. I'm the cream of the crop they tell me. I'm fifty-two. Got three PhD's, an MD and I'm continental martial arts champion. In the Olympics twice in biathlon. Medaled both times. My son Mick's on his way. Curious. Real curious."
"Hi, Mom. Uh, huh. Well, from the way you're brimming, I'd say Gallant showed up for pepperoni pizza. Hi, Gallant. I'm Mick."
"I take it you're an empath too."
"Not really. Just with Mom. Dad before he died. High psi, but no breakthrough. Just poten. What's that?"
Gallant turned the small unit over in his hands. He'd built it because Athena had told him it would be needed.
"It will give me the genetic code of the bones, their age, then destroy them. One of the dark brothers seems to have decided to meddle in Earth's distant past. The bones indicate I might have a chance at stopping him."
"You mean they indicate you will stop him."
"No, Mick, I don't. Chance exists. The course of life in the universe can be changed. Earth could become a barren ball and have always been that way. Or be totally changed. The bones merely mean I can succeed. Keyed. Stand back a bit. You too, Athena. I've never used this before and I'd rather not learn it's too wide a band by having you two disappear."
"Oh, terrific. Come on, Mom. Let's get uphill."
Gallant smiled. He really liked the pair of them. He wondered where the bright coppery hair had come from. Julie's family had all had hair in varying shades of soft brown. He waited until they were some distance away, keyed the unit, then ran to join them. They watched as the ground sank very slightly in the area.
"Good. Now, let's see how I did."
"Gallant, I've found more bones. Hmm... NO! This gets changed! Mick, pack us. We're going with him. Do it! Send resigs to the foundation. Get a super out here for the kids."
"Mom, Elaine?"
"Up to you, Mick."
"Athena, you aren't coming with me! I never take anyone with me!"
"You do this time, Gallant. I'm going to do my bit to change the universe. This is probably why I was born. The other bones are yours. I'm going to see to it they're not here."
"Oh."
"Yeah, oh."
"It's still too dangerous. Athena, I won't trade your lives for mine. It's been incredibly long and full. I'm sorry, I won't take you. I'll be careful."
"No. You'll take us or I'll hunt for your ship. It's got to be around here someplace. I'll look for it until I find it, then I'll follow. Probably take me a hundred years to figure it out, but I will. If I don't, my son, or my grandkids, or my great-grandkids, or however many it takes, will. You are not going to die in Earth's past."
"One of those selected genes was for stubborn!"
"Yeah, that too. I like it when you yell at me. It's loud, but it's all exasperated 'I care' underneath."
"You're really determined to go with me."
"Yes, Gallant. There's more to it. I'm bored. I have skills that I can't use for anything but play-acting. I'm a trained researcher in a half-dozen fields that are dying out or have too many in them already. The world is a delightfully peaceful and prosperous place and it's driving me crazy."
"And Mick?"
"Inseparable. Too closely linked. Elaine's his love. I can't imagine her allowing herself to be left behind. You'll like her. Gallant, she's family already and she doesn't really have other. She said she'd recognize her mother, because she's seen her on vid. We don't even need to come back. The three of us can say farewell and no one will hunt us. She's making pepperoni pizza. She loved the idea. Right in the middle of modern Greece, she's making an old Italian dish American style. Come on. She's a great cook. Almost as good as Mick. Have to say you look like you appreciate good cooking."
"I'm comfortable this way."
"Yeah, well, I'm putting us all on a training program. We're all going to be in top form when we... Gallant, you just decided to take us along, didn't you?"
"Yes. Your empathic powers are strong."
"It's not that. Look at the dig, Gallant. Look close."
"They're gone!"
"Yeah, both sets. There's no settled earth. We've got a chance! Come on! Let's eat!"