Chapter Six
1:00 P.M. MONDAY, NOVEMBER 19, 2012 SCAR
CONFERENCE ROOM
Standing at a whiteboard, mounted on a wooden easel Captain Scarburg motioned to the assembling group as they entered the room, “Come on in people... find a seat around the conference table.” The table was an enormous polished mahogany job spacious enough to accommodate at least twenty, the group around the table hardly made a dent in the available seating. Moving to the end of the table he announced, “Get comfortable we’re going to be here for awhile.”
Moving back to his whiteboard he turned and spoke, “I’m sure you are wondering why I have called you all together? Well you are all here because tomorrow is the forty-ninth anniversary of the attempted assassination of John F. Kennedy. On his last birthday back in May the President was ninety-three years old, and reports say he is still pleasantly spry. Rose, his mother lived to the ripe old age of 104. I guess it is in his genes. They are throwing a huge celebration party for him out at the Kennedy compound at Hyannis Port tomorrow afternoon also.”
“You mean they are celebrating the fact the President was wounded?”
“Actually Gabby I believe they would be celebrating the fact he wasn’t killed!”
“Oh, yeah... right... sorry.”
“Obviously the topic of our meeting today is JFK,” the Captain said as he exposed the notes he had written on his whiteboard. “As you can see by the list I have outlined some questions about the attempt on his life which occurred back in ‘63. Yes, this is about JFK, but the outcome of our meeting today will affect all of you too. That is why you are all here,” said Captain Scarburg.
Seated around the table were all the founders of SCAR with the exception of Papa Scarburg. He died in the winter of 2002, but Spook and Tinker were present, so were Spook’s two brothers Sam Lin and Si Lei.
Gabrielle, or as the family calls her, Gabby, was seated across the table from her mother Krista who, for some strange reason was invited to attend also. She was sitting next to her husband, Trey. Next to Gabby was another brother Lou. Beside Lou was an empty chair - it should have been occupied by her other brother Bud; however, Bud was killed in the Southwest Asian War.
Bud’s death weighed heavy on the Scarburg family at a time like this. They always leave an empty place for him in his honor, like when our military flies in the “missing man” formation. They don’t do this to remember he is dead; they do it so they will never forget he was once alive, and a glorious part of their family.
The younger sister Olive Marie sat in the next seat. Forrest was opposite Captain Scarburg down on the end of the table – way down on the end!
“What’s going on Grandpa... why all the secrecy?”
“You all remember the stories Papa Scarburg, Spook, Tinker and I told you about the film we watched while we were rescuing Tinker at Pac Toul?”
“We sure do Grandpa... The Zapruder film was of President Kennedy’s attempted assassination wasn’t it’?
Gabby chimed in, “Grandpa we haven’t seen the Zapruder film you ran through the Edison machines. I don’t remember all the things you told us. Explain that again.”
“I guess you are right Gabby... and since that time so long ago we have been wanting to explore what we saw and heard on that 26.6 seconds of eight-millimeter tape. First and foremost, as most of you know the reason we have never pursued the events we saw on the film - it would consume almost all our resources. Importunately, it could also be very damaging to our national image if the truth were finally uncovered. Last but not least it could be hazardous to our health!”
“Hazardous! Like in what way? You mean dangerously?”
“I mean you don’t understand whom we will be dealing with if we get involved. Get it?” Captain Scarburg continued, “We will need to find out about all those people and their involvement in the Kennedy assassination attempt.”
“Those people do not want that information revealed. Those are some of the same individuals who know where Jimmy Hoffa is buried. They might not have known exactly the spot, but they possibly could have gotten close to the mile marker on the interstate highway.
These people do not play nicely.”
The Captain continued to explain about SCAR’s construction of an alien inspired machine called the Mindtraveler, oh yes the Mindtraveler...
Forrest had used it and remembered everything his Grandpa did while serving in Vietnam, long before it evolved into the Viruchi War. He remembered it all, every detail. How, one may wonder? He was there... not physically, but mentally. Papa Scarburg and Grandpa’s secretive job intrigued the sixteen-year-old Forrest. He began to play detective to see if he could find out the mysteries surrounding the work they did. They were acutely clandestine. He was an inquisitive young lad and thought it his ‘mission’ to find out what they were hiding. While exploring an old double-door steel safe of his Grandpa Captain Scarburg that he had broken into, he stumbled upon a small gizmo called the Mindtraveler. He later was told it was an alien inspired gadget that alters the concept of the time and space continuum using only the mind.
The apparatus was a small device approximately six inches in length and hexagon shaped. It was made of gold, platinum and silver and looked much like a beautiful clock. An explanation of how it works cannot be undertaken, actually, that would be pointless, no one knows exactly how it works, but it is known it allows a person, through some type of alien conceived technology, the ability to be mentally transported to another place and time. Not physically mind you, just mentally!!
The transported one will be able to see, hear and smell all the events they are watching; however, they are limited by the following caveats: they cannot participate - they cannot talk - and the people they see cannot see or communicate with them. They are merely an observer, nothing more, a ghost like apparition floating in the viewed person’s midst but totally invisible, and undetectable. The ‘transportee’, (at that time, would have been Forrest), could not participate, speak or involve himself in the events he witnessed. It mentally transported him to Vietnam - he saw it all. He witnessed the entire saga of his Grandpa Scarburg, Great-Grandpa Scarburg and Spook as they rescued Tinker. He was right there watching when Sam Lin and Si Lei helped them all escape from Cambodia into Thailand and finally watched them return safely home.
Captain Scarburg continued – “the Mindtraveler can only allow for mental transportation - the Timetraveler can physically transport human beings through the fabric of time. This time/space theoretical boundary supposedly separates Universes, which run parallel to each other. Einstein was the one who said, “time wasn’t a straight line with a beginning or an end but was curved, so that the past, present and future were all available at the same time - if we had a method to access each particular segment” Using the Mindtraveler we can only observe events but with the Timetraveler we believe we have “a method to access each particular segment” of time and can finally prove if Einstein’s concept of time is actually true. We believe we will be able to interact with others in the time-period we visit. We gained this knowledge from the alien documents Pop, Spook, Tinker and I brought back from Cambodia. Sam and Si you both had a big hand in this too.”
“Okay,” said Gabby. “I hear your words, but what does this mean?”
“ARE YOU CRAZY?”
As Forrest sat listening to Gabby, he had to agree with her. What was his Grandpa trying to say? Was he suggesting they do something with the new Timetraveler machine? The Timetraveler was designed to travel from one Parallel Universe to another Parallel Universe. Forrest personally thought this could be extremely dangerous for the first human, guinea pig. Was SCAR even remotely close to being ready to attempt human transport, Forrest questioned? He didn’t even know if Parallel Universes existed. The only proof was in the alien documents and who knew if they were correct? He did not want to bet someone’s life on them.
Olive Marie had been sitting quietly too, but with the mention of Parallel Universes she
perked up, “Grandpa, you know I am the youngest one here, and you all already understand this concept, but what is a ‘Parallel Universe’?”
“Olive, in simple terms a Parallel Universe is a theory stating entire separate universes can be parallel, or running side by side or simultaneously with our own, but they all share a common beginning. Each event in every universe can be altered to generate another path to yet another universe possibly the one we are in presently. If someone knew the exact time a universe split, theoretically by changing events at that very moment this split might not happen. We have constructed the Timetraveler to try and prove this theory...”
Before Grandpa could go on, Forrest felt he had to say something... anything... he just needed to sound intelligent. Speaking with as much authority as he could muster he muttered, “Grandpa, this... new machine has never been tested with... humans - are you trying to say you want someone to travel back to the day of the Kennedy tragedy, in that... that... gadget. We have tried to transport several things from the launch site to different periods in the past, but I also understand we don’t know if they ever arrived at their assigned destinations, and we definitely have never been able to retrieve any of the... the... time traveling machines, have we?”
Turning from his board, Grandpa answered, “Yes, Forrest you are indeed correct, to a point. We have sent three expeditions into the past, and yes, you are also correct in saying we do not know if they arrived at their destination. We certainly have never retrieved any of them, and you asked if I wanted to send someone back in time to analyze the shooting of JFK. I do not... I do not want to send someone, I want to send not one but a number of you here this morning!!”
Gabby jumped to her feet and yelled, “Grandpa! Are you crazy? We don’t even know if your stu... stupid contraption will even work!”
“Being one of my two favorite granddaughters I am not going to take offense to your remark,” he said smiling. “But I believe there is a way to test the Timetraveler before we actually try to use it. And, by the way, since it is my custom to nickname everything, I have renamed the time machine ‘Pegasus’, the famed flying horse of Greek mythology, instead of calling it the Timetraveler. If Pegasus operates as it is intended, I envision it will be like riding a beautiful winged, flying stallion off into the sunset! Or, it could be more like riding a lightning bolt! We will soon find out.”
“Wait just a cotton-picking minute! We? Who are the ‘we’ you are speaking of? Darn it Grandpa do you have a rat in your pocket - I believe I speak for everyone, WE are not going to get into your time traveling Pegasus contraption,” exclaimed Gabby. Then emphatically added, “so don’t try to butter us up, WE... ARE... NOT... GOING!”
“Just hear me out Gabby.” Turning back to his board, Grandpa said, “I noticed all of you were reading my notes on the board. Let’s take a look at the information I have written.”
Grabbing a laser pointer Grandpa pointed to each item he had listed and explained briefly their significance:
1. Attempted Assassin - Lee Harvey Oswald.
2. Oswald was the lone shooter, fired from Texas School Book Depository.
3. Official records - three shots fired.
4. President wounded by a lone assassin.
5. President Kennedy received severe bullet wound to head and back.
6. Secret Service Agent Hill wounded in back and survived.
7. Jack Ruby arrested walking to Dallas police headquarters.
8. Severely hurt but after months of recuperation President Kennedy survives.
9. Kennedy re-elected to a second term in 1964.
10. Brother Robert Kennedy was JFK’s vice president in 1964.
“Does everyone agree those are the historical facts of the attempted assassination of President John F. Kennedy? The same facts found in our history books, and taught in every school in America - right? I would like for you to place your initials beside each statement you agree is correct.”
“Okay, Grandpa right,” said Gabby, “we all know President Kennedy was shot, severely wounded, but he survived and the rest of what you’ve listed is true, so I’ll put my initials on your board, but what does this have to do with anything? Especially about testing that Pegasus alien gadget?”
“You will see in a minute Gabby, and it is not an alien gadget. Yes, we did use their documents, blueprints and instructions, but we were the ones who actually constructed the machine. It is not their gadget it is OUR gadget.”
“Grandpa, please explain it to me again. This time in English,” said Gabby.