Chapter 8

            Genesis hustled about the kitchen to prepare dinner for James, who had just left his office and would be home any minute. Their new life together was just what she had looked for all those years wandering through the stream of time. The timer for the oven buzzed and Genesis reached for a glove to remove the food from the range.

            She felt a slight pinch on her right shoulder and fell to the floor just as she finished placing the food on the counter. She never saw Val standing behind her with a syringe.

            Just as the front door was about to open, Val disappeared from the Grant home as quietly as she arrived. James rushed to the floor to care for his wife and called for an ambulance. The next few hours beside her in the hospital would be the last they would share together. We would leave her side to join Archer with the hope of one day returning with her cure.

           

            Archer stood behind Roger, who was seated at the desk in his office. In front of them was a young woman who could not have been older than twenty-five. Roger introduced her as Val, and Archer was eager to meet the girl Roger spoke so highly of. He was also intrigued to learn why Val would make a good addition to their expedition.

            “Val,” Roger began, “I wanted to take a few moments of your time to introduce you to Doctor Archer who will be heading the expedition we spoke of previously.”

            “I appreciate that,” she said meekly.

            Archer cleared his throat and said: “And may I just say that I trust Roger’s experience in selecting you. He is an excellent judge of character, and I don’t just say that because he chose me.”

            Val chuckled. Archer liked her immediately.

            “Still,” Archer went on, “there is a young man that has just joined us. I think he will make a great addition to the Philanthropy team. I know your formal training is in another field, but Roger suggested you might prefer to work alongside this other fellow I’ve just recruited.”

            Val smiled with delight. “That’s no problem. I believe in this mission either way. I’m just glad to be a part of it.”

            Archer smiled in kind. “That’s what I wanted to hear. You see, the most important trait I look for in this group is altruism. Without a desire to help each other, this mission will never succeed!”

            “I couldn’t agree more,” she replied with a wholehearted grin.

            “Good then,” Archer said. He nodded to Roger. “Thanks for sparing a few minutes. I’ll let you get back to her paperwork.” Archer shook Val’s hand and left the office a moment later.

            Roger looked at Val and smiled. “Now that that’s done with,” he said as he took her paperwork and tossed it into the garbage can beside his desk.

            Val’s demeanor softened and she relaxed in her seat. “He’s clearly in step with the program, isn’t he?” she asked.

            “He is. Still, you’ll come to see his brilliance and it’s important you play along, Val. As I’ve said, everything depends on Archer being kept in the dark about our real goals. Unfortunately, he promised Grant that we would save his wife upon our return.”

            “The same as your wife?”

            “No, I'm afraid not,” Roger said. “I won't be honoring Archer's promise to Grant. If Archer doesn't fall in line by the time we return, he's being left behind.”

            “And Grant?”

            He shoved a photo of James across the desk, which she quickly snatched up and studied. She didn’t look impressed. “That’s up to you what we do with him,” he said with a wink.

            Val smiled. “I don't think so. But if you want me to play along and even seduce him for the sake of the project, I'm at your disposal. I just want to make up for my mistake any way I can.”

            “You needn’t worry too much,” he said. “My wife is a merciful woman. But we are past the point of no return, as it were, and so you’re place in the future society is secure. The role you will play is what’s up in the air.

            “On a brighter note,” he continued, “now that Archer knows of your existence, you are no longer confined yourself to your quarters.”

            Val stood up, walked around the desk, and kissed him on the cheek as a daughter would her father. “I promise I’ll behave,” she said obediently. “And for what it’s worth, I’m sorry for my attitude earlier.”

      

            James did not adjust easily to his new life aboard the organization’s vessel. Doctor Archer urged him to leave immediately. James resisted at first. Then the nurses and doctors confirmed the worst: Genesis’s coma was now permanent, and she was in a persistent vegetative state with little chance of ever regaining consciousness. With that tragic news, he made the difficult choice of leaving his wife attached to a machine while he left to find the cure. If Archer failed in his mission, James decided he would spend the rest of his life finding a cure rather than give up on her chances.

            Eventually, as weeks passed and the deadline for their departure loomed, James was able to sleep through the night. The other participants made efforts to reach out to him - particularly a few of the women - but he remained cordial and avoided any of their attempts toward friendship. For him, this mission had a singular goal and whether anyone else was successful was unimportant. Still, there were aspects of life aboard the Apocalypse that upset James. He was not used to a communal shower and so often took showers late at night when everyone else slept. It didn’t take him long to observe the loose morals of the other participants, but since his wife was very much alive to him, he avoided their influence and kept to himself.

            The day of the launch, on the bridge of the Apocalypse, men scurried back and forth in their duties as Archer sat in the captain’s chair. He took a moment to observe all the men and women the organization recruited for the mission, all of them working for a cause greater than money, or so he thought. A smile came to his face. He motioned a hand to a technician.

            “How soon can we leave?” he said.

            The technician smiled proudly. “We can leave now, sir.”

            “Excellent!” Archer said with joy. He picked up a communication device and said: “Roger?”

            Roger's voice screeched out of the device's tiny speaker. “Go ahead.”

            “I've just been given word that we are go for launch.”

            “Godspeed, Dr. Archer,” Roger said with delight. “Let me know when we've arrived.”

            “Of course,” Archer said. He placed the device down and nodded to one of the officers. “You are cleared for launch.”

            Archer buckled his harness and listened to the ship rumble, its massive engines spun up. A few moments later, one of the crewmembers gave Archer a thumbs-up. Archer returned the gesture and the ship drifted away from the moon and disappeared in a magnificent explosion of azure light.

            Instantly, Archer knew they had reached their destination. He called out to one of the crew officers: “Cloak the ship from radar immediately.” Outside the port window laid the deep shadow of the moon's dark side, only in this century, several small settlements could be found on the surface.

            “Are there any signs of life down there?” Archer asked.

            “No, sir.”

            “Good. Stay cloaked anyway.” He reached for the com and said: “Roger?”

            “Go on.”

            “We've arrived.”

            “Good. Carry on the landing parties at your discretion.”

            After a quick toast with the crew, Archer was in good spirits to begin the next leg of their mission. All hundred of the mission participants were led into the conference room for debriefing. James took his place quietly near the back of the room. Around him sat the doctors, engineers, artists, and poets who were along for the ride.

            Archer stood at the front of the room waiting patiently for the last of the crew and security team to exit. As the last of the ship’s crew left, all other chatter dulled first to a whisper, then to silence.

            “We are heading towards Earth now under the craft’s own propulsion. Intelligence gathered before our departure tells us that along with the advancements in medicine and technology, we are also at risk of being detected. Not to worry, the ship is cloaked. Nonetheless, it is prudent we are organized and ready to depart long before we reach the atmosphere. You will all have two months, people, to achieve your primary objective: gather what information you can in your respective fields and get back here in time to transport. The folder in the possession of each team leader will contain all the specific information you need.”

            The group sat silently, waiting for further instruction.

            “One last thing,” Archer begins, “but I want to express again the importance of staying within your groups and trying not to get too involved in events here. The tendency for many of you who have watched science-fiction movies is to let loose and kill whomever you want because it can all be changed by going back in time. If any of you are that anxious to kill a man, then by all means, indulge yourselves; know this, though: if you are put in jail or executed, no one is going to rescue you. We leave as scheduled, and nothing will change that.” The group remained silent. “Any questions?”

            The room fell silent.

            “Then let’s move out. We transport down in ten minutes.”

            Everyone in the group stood and started loading their gear. James did not have many provisions to take with him except a bag with clothing and the limited food and water rationed between the volunteers. As James strapped his sack together and swung it onto his back, a young woman approached him. She smiled warmly as she tried to enter his field of vision.

            “Hello,” the woman said. “I’m Val, your partner.”

            James looked up and caught Val’s eyes; they were green like Genesis’s. “Hi,” he said. “Nice to meet you.”

            “Likewise,” she countered. “It looks like we’re partners. Funny that they needed charity organizers at all, isn’t it?” She chuckled.

            James smiled. “I thought the same thing once. Still, I couldn’t pass the chance to make a difference. You?”

            “Nut-uh,” she said. “Are you almost ready to go? I’ve never done that transport thing before. Except when we were brought aboard from Earth. The one moment, I was in a facility I didn’t recognize and a few seconds later, I was in a strange ship I didn’t recognize. I wondered at first whether I really traveled anywhere at all, right?” She stopped to take a breath. “But obviously I did because here we are: thousands of miles above the planet…unless that’s just a really cool painting, right?” She laughed hysterically at her own joke. He chuckled politely, although he couldn’t help but think about asking Archer for a reassignment. Nah, he thought. If all I have to do is put up with this chatty girl for two months to get Genesis back, I still come out the winner.

            “I’m ready to go,” he said. He and Val followed the rest of the group out of the conference room into the corridor.

            “Are you scared?” she whispered to James. “I mean, has this thing been tested from space before? What if we don’t make it all the way?”

            “If that happens,” he said, “you won’t be alive long enough to know the answer.”

            Moments later, the group arrived in a storage compartment that was just big enough to hold the hundred and one people, including Archer, going down to the surface. A few minutes later, the team of participants activated their wrist devices and disappeared from the room in a brilliant display of light.

            As soon as the civilian group departed, a separate armed security force entered the room. “We are ready as well,” one of the troops said to Roger, who walked in just behind them.

            “Make sure you leave no traces,” he said. Seconds later, the armored team activated their wrist devices and disappeared.

 

            Two months later and right on schedule, the ship was again populated with the returning team members. Many of them were dressed in regional clothes from their respective assignments; others were fashioning changes in hairstyle or other cosmetic adjustments. Archer stood away from the crowd to make a final head count of the team. He nodded as he counted the last and allowed everyone to exit the compartment.

            Roger stood outside the room and welcomed everyone as they exited. James smiled as he passed Roger, but never noticed the exchange of looks between his partner, Val, and their boss. Val again looked a little different – her hair was yet longer and she wore more makeup than usual. After the last of them left the room, Roger walked in to greet Archer.

            “So how did things go?”

            “Well, it looks like the participants were a lot more successful than I was.”

            “Rubbish, Doctor. I'm sure you did a fine job. Go on and get cleaned up. We'll talk more later.”

            Archer left down the hall and not a moment too soon: a few moments later, the group of armed men arrived with a large container in tow. All of the men appeared more hardened than before and many were out of breath. Roger stepped forward to greet them.

            “Are you okay?” he asked.

            “Barely,” the team leader answered. “We faced more resistance than we expected, but we got the device.”

            “And just in time too,” Roger said.

            “I'm sorry, sir. We faced resistance on the moon.”

            “No need to apologize. Job well done, men. I want the device placed in my quarters.” The men nodded and began to exit the compartment. Roger smiled and called out after the troops: “Get yourselves cleaned, gentlemen. We aren’t finished yet.”

            The team of volunteers gathered in the conference room, laughing and sharing stories of their adventures. As they talked, the engines of the ship sped up and the craft began moving away from Earth. Val looked out the window and waved goodbye to the planet as it drifted away from them. James set his gear on the floor and took his boots off.

            “So did you have fun?” he asked Val.

            She nodded enthusiastically.

            “Let’s just hope everyone else did – or more to the point, let’s hope they were more successful than us.”

            “You don’t think we did a good job?” Val asked.

            “It’s not that,” he said. “The real work for us is when we get back; when we have to lobby the government to accept our suggestions. Then some real good can come of this whole thing.”

            Val shook her head. “So you just wanted the fun part and none of the work, huh?”

            He grinned. “Few people would have it any other way.”

            Val smiled at James warmly. “At least you won’t be doing it alone, James.”

            James smiled back at the young girl in recognition of her sentiment. However, he was also well aware of her real intent. Over the last sixty days, and despite her best efforts, Val had grown quite attached to her partner. They became fast friends, but it didn't take long before her initial ruse led to a real emotional connection. Before long, she could no longer contain her emotions and made several romantic advances toward him. James always firmly rejected her kindly. He never explained his real purpose in going on the expedition and never spoke of Genesis for fear of revealing too much. His silence, though, only encouraged Val to try harder to win his affections, which she assumed would eventually be won from his wife. She didn’t know his wife was in coma; she assumed she was dead.

            He resisted her on every occasion, although it took all of his willpower much of the time. During their travels, they pretended to be a husband and wife tourist couple. They shared hotel rooms, shared a bed, and on more than one occasion, and in situations beyond his control, were forced to shower together. Val hoped that these instances would arouse feelings in James for her. She certainly didn’t make it easy for him to resist her, as she often insisted on undressing in his view, spending much of her free time in the nude – even sleeping naked next to him when they had to share the same bed. James was proud of himself for not giving in to the temptation. It would have been easy to reason that Genesis might never awake and their mission to save her could fail, but James was still very much in love with her. Even in his weakened state, in need of comfort and affection, James saw his celibacy, not as rejecting Val, but being faithful to Genesis. “I have to go report to Archer,” he said.

            James left Val behind in his quarters on the ship while he went to Archer’s office to plan for their return. Archer was seated behind his desk, had a pen in his hand, and appeared to be in deep thought. “Sir,” James said, “do you have a moment?”

            Archer looked up and smiled when he recognized James. “Of course. Come in.”

            He entered the office and took a seat in front of Archer’s desk. “I know you have much to do for our return, but were we successful with the other thing?”

            Archer smiled warmly. “My friend, I was just about to come find you. The medical team tells me that we were able to locate the drug your wife needs.”

            His enthusiasm level increased suddenly. The change in his expression and demeanor was so intense, Archer felt like he was meeting him for the first time.

            “As for the rescue,” Archer said, “we’ll plan on getting you transported to the hospital in plenty of time to satisfy my end of our little deal. Will that work for you?”

            James’s smile stretched from ear to ear. “Oh, absolutely! Thank you so much!” He jumped to his feet and shook Archer’s hand profusely. A moment later, he was practically skipping out of the office. Just outside the office door stood Val eavesdropping, finally accepting that her attempts would never succeed. She had failed too; Genesis was still alive.

 

            James went back to his room and climbed into bed. He lied on his back and let his thoughts drift to his future reunion with Genesis only hours away. As his mind cleared of all anxiety from his trip in the future, Val entered the room, a sad look drawn on her face. He ignored her entrance, although not intentionally so; his mind was dwelling on other things. Val stood silently over him for a moment before deciding to make her most desperate move for his attention.

            She lowered the light in the cramped little bedroom. James’s eyes were wide open but he was staring at the ceiling and didn’t appear to notice the newly dimmed lamp. Val proceeded with her next move: she removed her blouse. Still nothing from him. Within a couple of minutes, she had removed her slacks, her bra, and her panties; each time an article of clothing was removed, she studied James for a reaction. There she stood over him, naked as she often was in his company, the soft light from the light reflecting off her bare, silken skin. She raised her arms behind her head and pulled her hair back. If she didn’t know better, she would have concluded he was blind. Still, what she revealed now was nothing new to his eyes. Therefore, she tried something more desperate. As he daydreamed of Genesis, the sly, nubile woman climbed slowly into bed beside the man and gently started to kiss his neck.

            Immediately, James came to and realized what she was doing. He turned to Val with a shocked expression across his face as though screaming for a reason for her actions. Val only smiled and glanced down at her body, welcoming James to take advantage of her. He sat up, bumping his head on the bookshelf and night lamp above him, and climbed over Val and out of bed.

            “What are you doing?” he shouted.

            Val sat up on the bed and sunk her head in shame, although she did not attempt to cover herself. “I want you, James,” she said softly.

            James shook his head and huffed in desperation from pushing her away. “I figured as much. The last dozen times you stripped for me made it pretty clear, Val.”

            “But why don’t you want me? I love you,” she pleaded.

            James turned away out of respect for her indecency.

            She sat still a moment, trying to figure out whether she should give up her seduction. “Is it your wife?” she whispered carefully.

            James didn’t move an inch.

            Val stood up and walked up behind him. She tried to wrap her arms around his midsection to console him but he nudged her away. “Why won’t you talk to me?” she asked.

            He shook his head. “I don’t want to talk about it.” He turned to face her. “You’re a beautiful girl, Val. And if I wasn’t so in love with Genesis, I would never have gotten out of that bed with you.” She smiled. “But I don’t think I’ll ever get over her, at least while there’s hope.” He nodded firmly in an attempt to punctuate his thought without hurting her feelings. It didn’t work; she was devastated.

            He turned from her again, but this time he left the room, leaving Val standing naked and alone. I can’t do anything right, she thought.

 

            Roger sat behind his desk hovering over a titanium case. Inside was a small device that at first glance looked like a bomb. A security guard entered the office and approached Roger from behind. “Sir,” the guard said, “you wanted to see me.”

            “Yes,” Roger answered, closing the case. “I just wanted to make sure you can still be trusted with the organization’s plan. Are you?”

            “I am.”

            “Good. We also need this weapon ready for use as soon as possible. Do you know how to work it?”

            “Yes, sir,” he said. “I have the manual.”

            Roger looked at him curiously, missing the joke.

            “Sorry, sir. Yes, I know how it works. Will the operation be carried out immediately?”

            “As soon as I give the final word. Imagine society when we are done: No more money, no greedy corporations, and no disharmony with the environment.

            “Of course, to get to that point, we need to do some pretty ugly things.” Roger stood from behind his desk and stepped in front of the guard. “I’m afraid we find ourselves in an unusual circumstance here. Should we fail, there’s no hope for any of us.”

            The guard’s eyes met his glare. “We understand, sir. We’re committed to the end.”

            Roger smiled. “I know. The next few hours will be emotional for all of us. We will be ripping a very sticky Band-Aid off a fresh and bloody wound - seven billion lives will be destroyed. I just wanted to make sure the men are committed.”

            The guard nodded and turned to leave. As he hurried down the hall, James stepped out of the shadows near Roger’s office. He heard every word spoken in the office but turned away for his quarters instead of confronting the man Archer had so often spoke highly of. Val may very well still be standing in the same spot she was when he left, and may not have gotten dressed for all he knew. The hallway between Roger’s office and his quarters were usually noisy; many people were often bustling about. Not now. James heard nothing but he needed to find the other civilians and let them know of the organization’s real plan.

            James didn’t make it to his room. Archer’s voice called from behind.

            “James!” he shouted. “Wait!”

            “John,” he said, “I just heard Roger in one of the empty offices. He was talking with a security guard.”

            “What's going on?”

            “Tell me the truth. What is the purpose of this mission?”

            “The same as I told you the night we met: to bring back advance knowledge from the future and help the world. Why do you ask?”

            “And there's nothing else you know about?”

            “No, James, I've told you. Did Roger say something different?”

            “It’s worse than that, John. He has a device. From the future. The guards are in on it. Do you have any clue what he's up to?”

            “No, but I've often been kept in the dark,” Archer replied, shocked. “I'm so stupid for trusting so blindly.”

            “I know you and I believe in the mission, but it looks like it was all a ruse to find this weapon he has.”

            “I swear to you, James, I had no idea of any of this. Please tell me: what else did you hear?”

            “Seven billion lives will end. Whatever that weapon can do, we can’t let it happen. What do we do?”

            “We have to figure out who else is in on it,” Archer said. “But only after you return with your wife.”

            “Are you sure?”

            “Absolutely. We made a deal, James. It'll give me plenty of time to come up with a plan. We’ll be arriving in earth’s orbit in a few minutes. Do you have what you need?”

            “No, I haven’t picked up the medicine yet. I was distracted by my...partner.” James remembered the furiously angry and naked woman he left alone in his room.

            “I always suspected that girl would be a handful,” Archer said, smiling. “Be careful. The vial you need has a red rubber band on it. I’ll alert what members of the crew I know I can trust and I’ll have a plan by the time you return.”

            James smiled. “I appreciate it, John.”

            Archer ran down the corridor in the direction of the bridge.

            James made his way back to his room to get his wrist teleporter. As he approached the room, he saw Val sitting quietly on the bottom bed. She’s dressed, thank God! She saw him enter the room and smiled uncomfortably.

            “I need to talk to you,” he said.

            “About before, I…” she began.

            “No, it’s a little more important than that, Val.” He sat on the bed next to her. “I need to leave for a while, but I’ll be back. I need you to do me a favor, though. Whatever Archer tells you to do, I need you to listen!”

            “What’s wrong?” she said. “You’re scaring me.”

            “Everything will be okay. Roger has a device from the future. We need to stop him.”

            Val shook her head.

            “What’s wrong?” he asked

            “Oh, James,” she said, “you weren’t supposed to find out about that.” She stood up, reached for a gun behind a lamp, and held it to James’s head.

            “You knew?” he said.

            “Of course I knew. Everyone on this ship knew. You and Archer are too shortsighted to see the truth: this world can’t be saved. It needs to be destroyed! And I joined this mission to see that it does.”

            “Val, please,” he pleaded. “I need to see my wife. I have to save her first. Help me get to her before they do anything stupid. We’ll talk about all this later.”

            She cocked the gun and moved closer to him. “Why should I help you save another woman?

            “I was assigned to keep an eye on you for Archer’s sake, James, but I also meant what I did before.” She stepped closer to him. “Something happened during those two months. It stopped being an assignment; I fell in love with you.” She lowered the gun and her grip on it a little.

            James pushed her away. “I told you already. I’m in love with my wife, and I have to save her.”

            “There isn’t enough time. Everyone on that planet is going to die, James. If you want to live, you have to stay here…with me. We’re willing to let you help us rebuild if you stay with me.”

            James stepped closer to Val and embraced her, as though accepting the offer. “You’re a beautiful girl, Val.” Val smiled broadly; I've got him! “But Helen of Troy couldn’t keep me from her.” Val didn’t have enough time to get angry with James. She suddenly felt a cold shiver, but only for a split second. She was unconscious so quickly, she never realized how hard James struck the back of her head with a lamp. She went limp but James caught her before she fell to the ground. He carried her to the bed and laid her down.

            With Val no longer a concern, James ran out of the room and hurried to the medical lounge where the drug awaited. Inside one of the lockers, he found the vial with a red rubber band on it; the one Archer assured him was the cure for his wife. He placed the vial in his jacket pocket and rushed to one of the empty cargo holds. He entered the name of the hospital into his wrist device. Within seconds of the device finding the correct coordinates, he saw the Apocalypse no more.

            James knew the mission to save his wife might be the last thing he ever did if Archer's coup never materialized. It didn’t matter to him. If Roger’s device could really annihilate everyone on earth, there was little he could do alone. Standing alone against a spaceship with the power of a doomsday weapon was foolhardy. His only hope was that Archer could find someone on that ship that didn't know Roger's true intention. If his days were indeed numbered, he was going to spend them with Genesis – even if only a few minutes.