chapter 57
TEAM 3, YEAR: 2095
Spencer used the excuse of returning some papers to Kalen as a reason to spend more time with her before leaving. Sadness gripped his heart like an orange being squeezed for its last drop of juice. Like Logan, he had no clue about what he may be returning to in the future—maybe they would still be dating, maybe not. When he and his past counterpart had discussed the matter of Kalen, they both agreed that not telling her was best. This decision did not absolve them of feeling uncomfortable about handing her off from one Spencer to the other like a relay baton. The awkward feelings were their burden to deal with, not hers.
Spencer held the door open for Kalen as they entered his condo. She shrugged out of her jacket as he took it from her. He stood back and admired her as a smile grew on his face. “You know, I have some time before I have to meet my brothers. You don’t have to stop at the jacket.”
Kalen smiled at Spencer’s broad grin; it reminded her of the twins’ carefree nature. He tossed her jacket onto the floor, kicked his shoes off and spun her into his arms. He kissed her neck slowly and gently ran a hand through her hair then led her up the stairs.
“I know about the operation,” whispered Kalen, as they lay in each other’s arms, staring at the ceiling.
Spencer sat up and turned to look at her. Her words startled him like a bucket of ice water to the face; his eyes grew large as his mouth fell open and he shook his head. Questions fired off in his head like fireworks.
Kalen rolled onto her side and pulled Spencer back down. “Relax. I put it together a while ago. I didn’t say anything to anyone.”
“How did you know?”
“You’re a brilliant guy, Spence, but there were a couple of times where it seemed like you knew what was going to happen before it did. I didn’t think much of it at the time, I thought I’d just underestimated your intelligence. But there were a couple of things that gave you up. The odd comment here and there and the ‘family meetings’ with your brothers.” She laughed. “You can’t lie to me, Spence. I see right through you.
“I finally put it together one afternoon when I was cleaning up after one of your meetings with the twins. I was putting your shoes in your closet and I found your backpack lying on the floor. I was trying to find a spot for it and it seemed surprisingly heavy for an empty bag so I opened it up to empty it out before putting it away and I saw the controls.
“That’s why I didn’t hang around after we were all fired. I knew you and your brothers, I assumed that they were in on it too, would need to brainstorm a new plan. So I told you I went to my grandparents. I knew you’d think it was weird if I was in town but wasn’t trying to spend time with you, now that all you had was free time. I didn’t want to make you feel awkward by asking for space without being able to give me a reason why. I figured out what the problem was and I didn’t need to be around you to help think up a solution. I figured if I came up with something that could help, I’d tell you about it and then deal with you finding out that I knew after the fact. And it worked, didn’t it?”
Spencer had so many questions. “So you didn’t go to your grandparents?”
“Oh, I did, and that’s what gave me the idea.”
Spencer looked at her, perplexed. “What idea?”
It was Kalen’s turned to look surprised. “You didn’t put it together? You have no idea?” She laughed at his clueless expression. She marvelled at how he could be an unparalleled genius one minute and thicker than a brick wall in the next. “Didn’t you read the name on the letter that came with the swipe card?”
“I did, but I didn’t recognize it.” Spencer thought back. The name had seemed familiar to him but he had been too busy to consider it at the time. Then it clicked and a smile grew across his face. “You sent the swipe card? Philip White is your grandfather?”
“Yes. It wasn’t until I got to my grandparents and saw Grampa on the porch that it finally dawned on me. I called Delaney and told her my idea and she made it happen.”
“You are an amazing woman, you know that?” Spencer pulled her close and kissed her on the forehead. “So how did you know what the mission was?”
“Well, I wasn’t too sure about that for a while but I knew it was related to the testing. You were so bent on proper testing, and the results you predicted were so horrible, that I figured that you had to know something we didn’t.”
“I’m sorry I couldn’t tell you. I feel like I’ve been lying to you for months. I felt like I owed it to you to be truthful, but I was bound by the terms of the operation.”
She kissed him on the cheek and nuzzled into his arms. “It’s alright, I know you were sworn not to say anything, I would have done the same.”
“So then you know that Delaney figured it out, too?” asked Spencer.
“I assumed as much when she stopped by your condo the other night to talk to you. She looked so haggard and overwhelmed, and a late-night visit from her at your home seemed out of character.” She narrowed her eyes then smiled. “It is out of character, right?”
Spencer laughed and kissed her neck. “Yes, of course.”
“So that’s why I messaged her when Ian found us in the lab.”
“I was wondering how she and the twins knew to show up. I never had a chance to think about it again, I was so worried about how I was going to pull this off.”
“You were brilliant,” she said.
“Thanks, but I couldn’t have done it without your help. You’d be bailing me out of jail right now if it hadn’t been for that swipe card.”
Logan and Delaney returned to Logan’s condo. Being around two Logans felt less weird than she had expected and chalked it up to there always being a carbon-copy of him around. The two Ashers appeared from down the hall seconds later. Not five minutes after that, the two Spencers arrived with Kalen.
The two Spencers saw one single expression of dismay plastered across four identical faces. “Relax, she figured it out months ago.” The twins eyed him, unconvinced. “I’m serious. I didn’t tell her, she figured it out on her own.”
The future versions of the siblings transferred the knowledge and details that the past siblings would need for their reintegration into their lives and jobs. Future-Asher found the video of the evening’s presentation online—it had spread across the Nexus like wildfire.
“You’ve got your work cut out for you now, Spence,” said Future-Spencer. “Travis Ryerson asked me to oversee the pilot project.” Past-Spencer smiled, ecstatic to finally get the opportunity to work on the project. Future-Spencer continued, “But don’t worry, I’ve made it clear to everyone that I need at least two weeks’ vacation before I, well, I guess you, do anything. So I’d start diving into that data.”
The mood became more subdued as the departure time drew nearer. The gaps between conversations became longer. With less than ten minutes to go, the conversation died entirely.
Kalen wanted to leave before the group departed. She looked at future-Spencer and smiled. “I’m going to leave now if that’s okay.”
He walked her to the closet by the door, took her jacket off the hanger and held it up for her to slide into. Zipping it up, she looked at past-Spencer. “You’re going to need a hand with all that, why don’t I come over and go over it with you tomorrow? You can tell me what you’ve been up to for the last six months.” She smiled at him, waved to the rest of the room then walked out the door.
Future-Spencer followed her into the hallway and closed the door behind him. They walked hand-in-hand toward the elevator. She hit the down button and turned to him.
“I don’t know if this is good or just really creepy, but I don’t think it’s going to be that awkward. You know, the future-Spencer to the past-Spencer trade-up. Don’t get me wrong, this entire situation is completely twisted beyond comprehension, but he’s the Spencer I’ve always had a thing for. You’re more like an imposter,” she said smiling at him. The elevator door opened and she kissed him hard befor
e pulling away and stepping backward through the open doors.
He took one long final look into her impossibly large eyes and ached to join her in the elevator. Instead, he jammed his hands into his pockets. “I love you.”
“I love you, too. I always have,” she replied.
He smiled at her as she waved, then the doors closed.
“I got you something,” said future-Logan. He and Delaney stood on the balcony to say their goodbyes. The night air had grown chilly and she pulled her woolly grey cardigan tighter around her. He held up a silver necklace with a clock pendant. She laughed and cried simultaneously when she saw the inscribed words, “Logan was here: 2095.” She held her hair up and he attached the tiny clasp behind her neck.
“Marking your territory, are you?” She let her hair drop and turned to face him. “Thank you,” she whispered, caressing the silver charm between her thumb and forefinger. She looked at his watch and saw they only had minutes left. She hugged him one last time before opening the balcony door.
Delaney watched the brothers say their goodbyes and became acutely aware of how awkward it was to be in a room with four men that all looked like the man she loved. Spencer, Logan and Asher confirmed the control panels in their packs were set to the right date and time before sliding them on. In seconds, they were gone.
Even though she knew it would happen, seeing it had made it real. No longer could she contain her feelings. She cried silently, staring at the now-vacated corner of the living room, not wanting to turn around and face the remaining brothers. Past-Logan stood behind her and put his hand on her shoulder. She reached up and held it silently for a moment while she composed herself then walked out the door without saying a word.