chapter 44
TEAM 3, YEAR: 2097
Time Remaining: 2 Days
The three brothers regrouped at Logan’s condo. They sat in silence on the floor, leaning against the foot of the couch and stared out the window at the fourteen-storey view.
“Well, if there ever was an occasion to drink, this would be it,” said Asher. “Anybody want a beer?”
Both men nodded as Asher stood. He returned to the living room and handed each of his gloomy brothers a bottle.
Spencer’s hypnotic trance remained unbroken as he spoke. “We have just over forty-eight hours to get the four finished personalities installed into demo robots that I don’t have access to. Then, I have to somehow demonstrate them to an organization I’ve just been fired and banned from. Then, I need to convince the people who fired me that this is how AEI needs to work.” He placed his beer on the coffee table and rubbed his eyes. “This is impossible. There is no way we’re going to pull this off. We didn’t plan for this because this is far worse than any worst-case scenario I could have imagined.” Spencer pulled his knees toward himself and placed his head between them, feeling sick. His breathing became short and he broke into a sweat as anxiety pressed in on his chest. “I can’t believe it. We’ve failed.”
Asher reached over and squeezed his younger brother’s shoulder. “We haven’t failed, and there’s still plenty of time left. It’s going to be alright. There’s a solution, we just haven’t figured it out yet.” Spencer was startled by his brother’s un-Asher-like behaviour; he spoke genuine words of encouragement. Some of this shock must have shown on Spencer’s face because Asher continued. “Come on now, I’m not a heartless ass all the time. Look, Spence, you’re the smartest guy I know. If there’s anyone who can pull this off, it’s you. We’ll help you with whatever you need, but I know you’re going to pull this off. I have no doubts.”
Spencer smiled weakly. “Uh, thanks.”
“Well, you’d better. I’ve got money riding on this.”
“You guys bet on me? What is wrong with you!” he looked at Logan angrily. “You bet against me?”
“Well, Asher bet that you’d succeed, so I had to go the opposite otherwise it wouldn’t be much of a bet now would it?”
The men sat in silence, drinking. Heartened by Asher’s words, Spencer began brainstorming solutions to their myriad of problems. He shook his head. “I don’t know how we’re going to be able to do this with no access to the building.
“Then, I guess we just need to get access to the building,” said Asher unequivocally, as though this would be as simple as walking through the front door.
“How are we going to do that? That building has state-of-the-art security. We can’t just walk in. Plus, Ian’ll have already circulated a memo discrediting any claim I’ve made. We’re going to be blackballed.”
Asher shrugged casually and swallowed the last mouthful of beer. “Don’t rule anything out.” He looked over at his twin who continued to stare out the window. “What’s up with you? You’ve been uncharacteristically quiet since the showdown today. I would have thought that you’d be revelling in the chaos. Your girlfriend’s a rock star.”
Logan shook his head, tormented by confusion. “Something’s up with Laney. She didn’t return any of my calls last night or today. She hasn’t been herself for a while, and for the last couple days…I don’t know. I think she’s going to dump me.”
Spencer looked over at his brother. His hair was messier than usual and the expression on his face flip-flopped between confusion and heartbreak. He picked absently at the label on his beer bottle. Delaney had asked Spencer to let her tell Logan that she had uncovered their truth, but it could be hours before she arrived, if she even came at all now. Seeing Logan so upset pained him, and Spencer knew he had to tell him. He hoped Delaney would understand.
“She knows.”
Logan turned to his little brother. “What do you mean, ‘she knows?’” He sat up straighter as his eyes widened.
“She came by last night looking for answers,” Spencer said. “When you guys dropped off my groceries and dry cleaning, she saw the watch and backpack when she put my laundry away. She knew how hard I’d been working and put it together. She’s pretty smart.”
Logan’s complexion turned to the colour of cold oatmeal. “Does she think it’s just you or does she know we’re involved?” He already knew the answer; she was smart enough to figure it out. He stood up and paced around the living room.
“No, she figured you were involved. She told me about a morning about six months ago when the two of you collided in a hallway or something. She thought it looked like you’d aged but had chalked it up to the drinking. Based on your involvement, she assumed Asher was too.”
Logan ploughed his hands through his hair. “How did she take it? Not well, I guess. I can tell she’s been out of sorts since, well, yeah, since that evening at your condo, now that you mention it.”
“She’s really confused, as you can expect. But she’s not mad that you didn’t tell her. She said that if she were in your shoes, she wouldn’t have said anything either. What she’s most worried about, apart from making sure that we succeed, is what we’re going back to.”
The door lock clicked open and the three men looked over to see Delaney walk in. Logan looked at her searchingly, desperate to read her for any reaction.
“I think I need another beer,” said Spencer.
“Yeah, me too,” said Asher. Both men stood and filed into the kitchen.
Logan walked up to Delaney and tried to wrap his arms around her, but she put her hand on his chest to stop him and took a step backward. Her eyes darted toward the kitchen. Sensing her discomfort, Logan pointed to the balcony and she nodded.
Logan slid the glass door closed behind him and turned to face Delaney. Unable to get any kind of positive read from her, his heart fell and he felt more scared than he ever had in his life.
“I’m sorry,” said Delaney, unable to meet his eyes.
An apology was the last thing Logan expected. “You’re sorry? Why are you sorry? I’m the one who should be apologizing.”
“No, you haven’t done anything wrong. You were right not to say anything. You’re here on an op and nothing should compromise that. The only stupid thing you did was make me fall for you, which was completely irresponsible and selfish.” A tear rolled down her cheek. “But I’m glad you did.”
The knot of anxiety in Logan’s chest melted. He cupped her face in his hands and touched his forehead to hers. “Honey, I’m so sorry. You have no idea how much I love you. Man, I thought you were going to chuck me.”
He pulled her close and they stood in each other’s arms. Her perfume smelled sporty yet feminine—a scent he knew would be imprinted on his memory forever. They stood in silence; however, their minds were anything but. For Logan, Delaney learning the truth forced him to think about what he had been avoiding—what would happen when the real Logan came back and he had to leave. Before now, it was something that he had planned on dealing with later. With Delaney knowing, later was now, and the pain it caused him far exceeded any physical injury he had ever sustained.
“What are we going to do, Laney?” He spoke softly into her hair. “I don’t want to leave you.”
She sighed heavily. “I don’t know.”
“This must be so mind-boggling for you.”
“Oh, Logan, this is so far beyond mind-boggling, but it’s you I worry about. The worst thing that can happen to me is that this relationship is over in two days. I’m terrified for you and what will be waiting for you in 2097.” She turned in his arms and looked out over the city. She watched the lines of air traffic weave through downtown in the distance. “Plus, I’ve never loved anyone before.”
Logan kissed the top of her head and pulled her close. “I love you, too.”
They stood in silence for several minutes, both unsure of what to say. Finally, Logan spoke. “So is trading me in for a model two and
a half years newer too creepy?”
She poked him in the side and rolled her eyes as she smiled sadly. “It sounds so tawdry. I can barely wrap my mind around it. Your present-day counterpart may not be as big a fan of me as you are.”
That was an answer he could live with for now.
The three siblings were encouraged by Delaney’s support. While disappointed that she could not get them into the building, it was good to know she would be pushing their agenda from the inside. Unfortunately, little time remained for her to make any kind of impact. All of the work Spencer and his team had done still resided safely in his car; however, with no access to the robots or to the presentation, the data was useless. The four brainstormed well into the evening, hoping to find an idea that would allow them to successfully complete their mission. A mission that now included stealing robots and hijacking the presentation, which now, according to Delaney, was to be run by Ian.
Time Remaining: 22 hours, 48 minutes
The past versions of the twins returned from down under tanned and trim, a fair match for their 2097 counterparts. It would be unlikely that anyone would notice a difference when the past versions of the twins integrated back into their lives on Tuesday. Spencer arrived from Europe looking sun-kissed and refreshed; a very stark contrast to the pale and pinched-looking Spencer that had been living in his place for the past six months.
The 2095 version of Spencer ached to hear every detail from the past six months. He took the news of being fired surprisingly well, though that may have been a result of future-Spencer softening the blow with the news about dating Kalen.
The 2095 version of the twins were amazed to hear what their future counterparts had accomplished in their absence. Past-Asher was dumbfounded that his future-self had cracked the robot vision mystery. Once he had learned what the missing link had been, it seemed so obvious. Future-Asher also bequeathed to his past-self, the business cards discreetly handed to him after the demo, telling his past-self that his final gift was getting him out of his contract early.
The past version of Logan nearly snorted beer out of his nose at hearing that his future-self and Delaney were a hot item. He laughed, certain they were kidding. “What? Are you serious?” The pained expression his future-self wore confirmed it was no joke. His expression changed from incredulity to genuine interest. “How did this happen?”
Future-Logan gave his past-self a brief synopsis of how he and Delaney had become an item and kept it from everyone, leaving out the steamy details. Most of this story benefitted future-Asher and future-Spencer, as they had never pried for details. Telling his past-self how deep his feelings ran for Delaney with the other siblings around was not as hard or awkward as he thought it would be.
When asked his opinion on the matter, past-Logan laughed heartily. “Are you kidding me? There’s no one I trust more than you and I’ve never truly loved anyone before, as you well know.” He shrugged. “But hey, I’m willing to try if she is. That is, if it’s not too weird for her.”
“Just don’t make her angry,” cautioned future-Asher.
Spencer felt heartened by the return of the present-day version of the siblings, convinced the doubled brain power could only help their situation. In reality, it yielded twice as many unusable suggestions. The six siblings spent the day in Logan’s condo tossing around ideas. However, every suggestion had either already been discussed, was too impractical, or, in the case of Asher’s suggestions, just plain crazy and unsafe. By the end of the day, even Asher’s plans were given a second look and seriously considered.
Sunday came and went with what seemed to Spencer to be unbelievable swiftness. By mid-afternoon, the group had settled on a simple, yet effective, break-in strategy of a fire exit door near some vacant offices. The plan was weak and riddled with holes, leaving Spencer feeling very uneasy. While the Spencers planned how the trio would disguise themselves once inside, both sets of twins focused on hacking into the alarm system and disabling it so they could break in unannounced.
Time Remaining: 16 hours, 46 minutes
Future-Spencer awoke abruptly, surprised to learn he had actually slept. His mind and body had become so sleep-deprived over the last week that his body had refused to take no for an answer. He sat up in bed then bolted to the bathroom, overcome by a tidal wave of nausea.
After several minutes of dry heaving, he lay flat on the cool stone floor as he stared up at the white concrete ceiling in despair. His heart pounded from the violent convulsions. His head and ears throbbed from the pressure of every beat of his pulse. He felt sweat trickle down his temple and into his hairline, and his whole body ached from the inescapable anxiety of the operation. The jagged ridges of the slate tiles dug uncomfortably into the back of his head and shoulder blades, but he felt too numb to care. He was staring down the barrel of complete failure with nothing he could do about it.