CHAPTER 13
09/25/2006
A Sulky Afternoon
Around one o’clock, Jayden finally stuck her head in the room. “I come bearing a white flag in the form of a lunch tray.”
“Uh,” I groaned from under the sheet I’d pulled over my head.
She placed the tray on the bedside table, and sat down next to me, “Come on, it’s time to get up and going, we’ve got things to do.”
“Really, do tell. I’m sure they’ve given instructions on how the next fifty years or so are supposed to go by now, right?”
She pulled the sheet away from my face, “Samantha Clementine Marquet, for as long as I’ve known you, you’ve chased adventure. You’ve been searching for something, and now you know what that is - the Society and all of its secrets. These are the things that motivate you. So what if your parents had to protect you? Now you know, and now you get to take control of your life.”
“But do I really? So what if I know?” I sat up, and looked around for my smokes. “I still have to play by their rules, don’t I?” I found them on the night stand, and lit one. “What if I don’t want to be a part of the Society? What if I don’t want to live forever?”
Jay didn’t have a snappy comeback for once. She tossed up her hands, “I don’t know what to tell you, Sam.” She took a cigarette and lit it, exhaling slowly. “Whether or not we realize it, we’re all waiting for something to come along in life we can be a part of, something that feels real enough to have a meaning of its own - something we will only recognize when it is before us. When they grabbed me yesterday morning, I knew this was my something.”
I rolled my eyes at her, “You’re the one talking crazy now.”
“No, I mean it. Whatever is going on here is way bigger than even you can imagine. Time travel, secret societies, money, and power - that’s what this ultimately comes down to, a struggle for power.”
“Yes, but, Jay, it’s a struggle that doesn’t take place for another hundred and sixty years.”
“Sam, it’s a struggle that’s going on right now. Don’t you get it? Our present is their past, but they are reacting and changing our present, so it’s happening now and then. Oh, it hurts to think about it.” She put the back of her hand to her head, dramatically. “It’s all for the plant, which yes, plays a role in the struggle in the future. But what if the wrong people get a hold of the damn thing now? Think of what will happen? They would commercialize it, sell it in a bottle, people would live longer and probably continue to reproduce even more. All ailments cured? I can see the infomercials now.”
“No,” I countered, “only those with ailments who can afford the highest price tag. With only one tree, I sincerely doubt the masses would find themselves in a position to afford indefinite life.”
“Sam, either way, the planet is already too overpopulated, if this stuff got out now, we would have nowhere to go. If everyone alive today were to live even twenty years longer than they do now, it would be catastrophic to the planet. At least in a hundred and sixty years, they’ll have the Moon and Mars to go to, to redistribute the population.”
I called her out on changing the subject. “So now this is about going green? Saving the planet?”
“No, it’s about saving you, and the planet, too. I don’t know what I’m babbling on about, all I know is this is something important and we have to do what we can.”
“How about if I do like George Washington did?” I suggested.
“What? And chop down the Flamella Tree? Samuel will still create it again, and I’d be willing to bet that if anyone from the Society makes it that long, they’ll be sure he doesn’t come back for you to destroy it.”
“If he never comes back, then I don’t exist.”
“That’s why we’re going to make sure that he does come back, and you’re not going to chop down the tree.” She sighed. “That whole cherry tree thing is a myth, by the way.”
“I’m sure someone in the Society was there, we can ask them,” I snapped.
Leaving the door open for her to shift subjects again, she asked, “Have you even thought about who is a part of this Society? I mean, there are more than just the Travelers from the future. What if Washington is among them himself?”
I couldn’t hold back the snort that came in response.
She persisted, “I’m serious. If I could go back in time and keep anyone alive forever with me....” She looked up, drifting off into thought.
“I know, you would take Lennon, Huxley and Socrates.”
“Ha! And you would take Indiana Jones.”
“It has to be a person who actually lived, not a fictional character. And Harrison is still alive, so no time travel needed.” We pondered a moment over the wonders the Essence of the Flamella tree could do; at least, I know I did. “I don’t even know where this tree is, so what do I have to offer the Society that would ensure our protection?”
“Sam, honestly, I don’t know any more than you do right now. Except that Michael said you could boot up that computer on the desk and access your home computer files, if you still want to send that email to Dave Grier.”
I can access my home computer from here. What doesn’t he think of? “Well, I guess I shouldn’t be surprised.”
“No, you really shouldn’t,” she put her hands on her hips. “He knows you better than me, and I’m pretty tough to beat.”
“Yeah,” I agreed. “That’s actually more than a little scary.”
“Yes,” she started to back away slowly, “it is.” Reaching the threshold she paused and gestured toward the computer, “I’m going to leave you to it now. Whenever you’re ready, we’ll be waiting for you in the Great Hall.” She left, closing the door behind her.
***
By three fifteen, I’d emailed Dave, with a post script that read “By the way, Mom says ‘Hello’.” He would know I was finally in on the secret. I wondered about who else I knew that might be a part of the Society, planted in my life. The only people I could say with one hundred percent certainty were not, were those I’d known as children, like Jayden, Tim, and anyone else I’d known since elementary school. And another thought struck me, even those I knew as children may have been recruited into the Society as adults. So much for one hundred percent sure, I was better off being one hundred percent unsure of anything.
In the Great Hall, I found Mom, Michael and Jay gathered, rather chummily, on the bearskin rug in front of the fire. Jayden was in the middle of a rather lengthy anthropology anecdote I had the pleasure of hearing her recite before, so I wandered unnoticed to the terrace door.
The handle turned, the door swung open effortlessly and I was outside overlooking the canyon below. In the center of the terrace was a large circular planter at the center of which was rooted a beautiful twenty foot tall tree. One of the three offspring of the Flamella Tree, its branches outstretched like open arms waiting to welcome me home.
I remembered learning to climb on that tree, and when I closed my eyes I could see the smaller version of myself, happily cradled on one of the lower branches with my back against the trunk, playing with my dolls. Long oval leaves, each about the width of my adult hands, grew in clusters, protecting the delicate fruit that matured underneath.
About the size of my fist and similar to a pear in shape, but with skin more the texture of a peach, the color of the Essence resembled neither. It was a deep purple with bluish undertones, but where the light struck it the skin was translucent, and I could see the red flesh within glowing through.
My mother’s hand on my shoulder brought me back to the moment, though I wasn’t sure that I could call it reality, yet. “You told me to never eat the fruit,” I murmured.
“Yes, we did.”
“Why?”
She smiled, “You were young. You didn’t need it yet.” She went to the tree and picked one of the fruit from the lowest branch. “You can eat it now though, if you like. It will heal your aches.”
I thought before
I ate. “Does it make you feel different?”
“Rejuvenated, perhaps, but no, not different.” She smiled as I bit into it.
It tasted like everything I loved about every fruit I’d ever eaten, with undertones of chocolate at times and vanilla at others. Each bite was slightly different, but even more delightful than the last. Not too sweet, not too tart, it was the most divine thing my taste buds had ever experienced. After just three bites, I felt no aches or pains and was full of energy.
It was more than just energy, all of my senses were heightened, I was aware. And I understood how Michael got by with so little sleep. He ate the fruit.
I devoured the remainder greedily, licking the juice from my fingers, until all that remained was the seed in my palm. It was a golden greenish color, and looked like it would taste nutty. “So nothing happens if I eat this one?”
“No, Dear, not that one,” she said dreamily, coming back to me from wherever her thoughts had taken her. “But not much would happen for you even if it was a Philosopher’s Stone, you’re still so young.”
“But you do save them for healing purposes?” I asked while handing it to her.
She slipped it in her pocket. “Yes, it can be dried and put to powder form. It lasts longest that way, and can be applied directly to a wound or ingested.” She put her arm around my shoulders and said, “Come, we should join the others.”
CHAPTER 14
09/25/2006
Hopping
Mom sat me on the couch next to Jayden, and moved to help Michael arrange a number of items he was laying out on the table before us. Among them I recognized several Hoppers, a couple of guns and cell phones. I had no idea what the other devices were.
“First the Hoppers,” Michael distributed one each to my mother and Jayden, and two to me. “Sam, you still have the one to your car - the dark blue one?” I nodded. “Good. Now we all have one that will bring us here, that is the chrome finish. Sam, the green one will take you to Zhou. Use that only if something has happened to me.”
“Zhou?” That shocked me. “How is he going to protect me?’
“That little old man is the deadliest weapon I’ve ever had in my arsenal,” Michael said. “He and Mrs. Zhou are black belts in multiple forms of martial arts. They know more ways to kill a man with their bare hands than I have bullets in my gun.”
I was still skeptical. “But I’ve seen him walk across a room....”
Mom laughed, and said, “Don’t let their age fool you, they both have enough of the Philosopher’s Stone at hand to make them younger than you at a moment’s notice. They were underground for over a decade before they resumed a public life this time around; this one has been good to them and they want to enjoy it as long as they can.”
It was hard enough to picture the Zhou’s as having ever been young, let alone to imagine them becoming young again. But here was my mother, forty and fabulous again, so who was I to question it? I nodded at Michael to continue.
“Jayden, I wasn’t planning on you being here - I don’t have a phone for you yet,” he explained as he passed the two cell phones to Mom and me. “That is a secure line, untraceable, it can’t be tapped. Use it when you need to reach me, or communicate with each other about all of this.
“In order to induct you into the Society, and receive their assistance, the Council of Elders must be called together. It could take as little as a day, or as long as a week, depending on where they are. In the meantime, we return to Novica, and get ready ourselves.
“Marion will go by ‘Mary’ publicly from here on out. She’s your cousin, just moving to town.”
“I’ll ‘stay’ at the house at first, but I’m thinking of moving to the cottage on Second St,” Mom said. It was one of the various properties around Novica she owned.
Michael continued, “When it’s time to go to the council we’ll tell Bailey that your mother is ill. Then we’ll have a memorial service for her when we return.”
“And you think this is going to work, just like that?” They’re crazy!
“We’ve done it dozens of times before, dear,” Mom smiled sweetly. “Why would this time be any different?”
Jayden voiced what I was thinking, “One of the conspiracy groups? They’ll use some computer technology or something to show that your facial structure is the same, or get DNA samples, or something. No one outside of the Society has had that kind of technology until now.”
“But why would anyone go to all that trouble?” Mom asked. “To prove what, that I’m still alive? I don’t see why they would bother.” She didn’t see what we did. She wasn’t from the future.
Michael understood. “To out you, to prove their theories exist. For many members of the Brotherhood, their quest has become a religion. As much as they want to get their hands on the Flamella Tree for themselves, the truly devout would be just as happy to do the media circuit to say ‘we were right.’ That’s what these nut jobs like to do, create misery for other people, to get themselves fifteen minutes of fame.”
“Then, if you think I must, I’ll get one of the surgeons to alter my appearance. I’ve never had to, but....”
Michael cut her off, “I understand where Jay and Sam are coming from, but I really don’t think it’ll be necessary. If I’m wrong, that bridge can easily be crossed,” he assured her.
Mom seemed satisfied with his judgment. She asked, “Have you come up with anything else on them yet, Michael?”
“I haven’t had time, Marion. Your daughter has been keeping me too busy. But Alec and Kristoff did email a summary of what they have so far this morning.
“Morrison does have loose connections to a group known as the Brotherhood of Asclepius - or BOAs. They’ve been trying to uncover the Society for some time. Alec has confirmed the identities of twenty-three other members in the state, sixteen more in the country and so far seven internationally. They are researching a list of at least three hundred others, but that list keeps growing. The group appears to have organized about nineteen years ago. Morrison is not one of the ringleaders, but his cousin Eric Morrison may be one of the original members.”
“Why does that name sound familiar to me?” I asked.
“He’s a Congressman. Representative Eric Morrison, Nevada.” He paused briefly for the collective gasp before continuing. “While he was in college, he was a very active member, but he’s out of almost all of their operations now. He keeps tabs on what’s going on, but the appearance is that he doesn’t even know he’s related to Raymond. They seem like strangers.”
“But this group formed before my father died?”
“Yes,” Michael answered.
“Could they have been involved?” I saw a quick exchange of glances between Michael and Mom that gave me a chill.
“No, Honey,” Mom shook her head. “That was another team from the future.”
“How do you know?”
“They had the mark.” Michael responded with a flat tone.
“I see.” Then I asked, “Did you find any evidence as to whether or not Bailey is involved?”
“Not yet.”
That gave me some piece of mind. It sounded like Alec and Kristoff were proficient enough to have proven Bailey was in contact with Morrison by now, if he was. I took the lack of news as a good sign.
“Now, let’s talk about the next few days. Sam and Jayden, you both will be going for some target practice,” Michael handed one of the guns to Mom, “before I give either of you a gun. ‘Mary’ will get settled in, and then will help me make preparations. Marion, we need your considerable influence to get the Council to help us.”
Mom nodded. “I can start making phone calls on the drive back, as soon as we get out of the canyon.”
“That’s what I was hoping for. All right then, let’s close up and get out of here.”
***
We gathered our belongings, Artemis and Orion, and met up in Dad’s study. Michael gave directions, “Everyone join hands,” which the three of us d
id. I was in the middle holding Jay’s hand on my left and Mom’s on my right.
Mom put her hand on Michael’s left shoulder, “Ready.”
He pushed up his right sleeve this time, twisted the face of a green Hopper, and we all became one with the light together. We came out of the light together in the cave where Michael and I left the Land Rover the day before. Mom’s other car, a red Camaro, was parked right next to it. According to the Hoppers on my wrist the time was 4:18 p.m., but then I noticed it said the day was Tuesday
“Michael, I don’t think this Hopper is set right.”
“Oh,” he glanced down at the face of the Hopper on my wrist. “No, it’s right.”
“Why does it say it’s Tuesday afternoon?”
“Because it is,” he winked. A whole day was gone, just gone.
“Marion, you want to drop Jayden off? I’ll take Sam back to her car, and we can all meet up at your place later?”
“Sounds good, but why don’t you take the Camaro this time?” She handed me the keys. “I feel better driving my tank on these winding roads.” She kissed my forehead, “We’ll see you soon.”
Jayden hugged me and then climbed in the Rover, while I took the driver’s seat in the Camaro. Michael opened the secret door from a panel on the wall, and waved Mom through first. I followed, but stopped while he tapped on the panel again, and then ran through the opening, just as it started to close.
“Ready?” I asked.
He waited until the secret entrance was completely concealed again before he responded, “Yeah. Marion has a key, so she’ll leave the gate open, but we have to stop to lock it behind us again.”
CHAPTER 15
09/26/2006
Reality
I guessed Michael’s plan was to let me drive until after he’d locked the gate, but I had no intention of jumping over to the passenger side and letting him take the wheel. I pointed to the passenger door when he walked up to the driver’s side, “Sorry, this seat’s taken.” To me, that stretch of the thirty-nine is a fun drive in any vehicle, and there was no way I was going to let him deprive me of the pleasure of hugging those curves in that car.