Absolute Power (Book 1): Origins (30 page)

“Must have fallen asleep,” Henry said grumpily.  He nodded toward Koji.  “He’s been out most of the day.  Feel free to stay,” he said.  Then made an awkward excuse, “I have something to check on.  Jess should be by soon.”  Not waiting for a response, he left the kids alone.

His office was on the first floor, so he took the elevator down.  Repair was underway on the damaged section of the building.  The noise had driven most of the other researchers away.  As a bonus, it meant that he had better access to the super-computer.  In the corner of his office was a console.  He typed something into the keyboard then drew up his sleeve.  Underneath, and attached to a data cable that Henry had pulled from his arm, was a small device. It had an antenna and a LED display.

“What’s that?”  Director Kelley asked.

Henry had heard him coming and decided on acting nonchalant, rather than trying to hide anything.  “A transceiver,” he replied.  “I’m running a diagnostic.  After the accident, I want to be sure nothing is wrong with me.”

“And is there?”  Kelley asked.

“No,” Henry answered.  “Can I help you with something?”

“I went over your analysis of what happened,” Kelley said.  His arm was in a sling, so he struggled to open the folder he was carrying.  “It sounds like you’re theory matched your duplicates.  The problem was in the divergence and eliminating the source was the solution.  Except that the other Henry was the source.”

“It’s more complicated than that,” Henry said.

“Try me,” Kelley said.

Henry took a seat behind his desk and ran his hands through his hair.  “A singularity is all things at once.  Time has no meaning,” he started.  “That other Henry was the source of the convergence, the reason we were stuck there, and the divergence.  A catch twenty-two, to the third power.  He was there because he put himself there.  He was stuck because he didn’t want to leave.  And his effect over the divergence was creating the convergence and the holding pattern.  A basic temporal paradox.”

“And his death broke the cycle,” Kelley said.  “You also think those two people who showed up were versions of Levitas and Kojima?”  Henry nodded his affirmative.  “And you have no theories as to what the other you was doing?  What he was planning?”

“No,” Henry replied.

“Could it have to do with altering the time lines?”  Kelley suggested.  “He’d interacted with a lot of alternate dimensions.  He could easily have developed a probability matrix to predict future events.  If that information was used…”

“Sir,” Henry stopped him abruptly.  “The thing about a paradox is, nothing comes out that wasn’t supposed to happen the way it happens.”

“Somehow that isn’t very reassuring,” Kelley said.  “Keep me updated on your diagnostic, or any new thoughts about this.”

Director Kelley left the Doctor to his work and headed out of the building.  There was a golf cart outside the door.  He got in and drove to the Administration building.  After a painful walk to his office, Kelley’s shoulder was throbbing.  His secretary had indicated that his one o’clock appointment was waiting.  Still he took the time to regain his poise.  He wiped the sweat from his brow, fixed his hair and sat at his desk.

Pressing the intercom button, he said, “Send him in.”

A second later a man walked into the room and bowed.  “Director,” he said with a Japanese accent.

“Major Oyama,” Kelley said, “I appreciate you coming all this way.”

Jigoro Oyama stood straight.  His body was a precision instrument, and it did nothing he didn’t intend.  So when he smiled, it threw Kelley off guard.  Nothing about the man indicated that he smiled much.  “I suspect you have a worthwhile reason,” he said.

“I’ve come across some disturbing information recently,” Kelley told him.  Jigoro eyed the sling.  “We have a very strong indicator that The One may be the target of an impending assault.”

“There must be something more?”  Jigoro questioned.

“It’s classified Ultra, and that’s all I can tell you,” Kelley said.  “We’re already out of time, and I don’t want to be caught defenseless.”  He pulled out a folder from his desk.  “If you accept this post it’ll never be spoken of, not even in your service record.”

“I am here to serve The One,” Jigoro said, “Not my ambitions.”  He stepped forward and took the folder.

As Jigoro read, Kelley explained, “You’ll have full discretion and requisition priority.  I want Project Mirror running in four years or less.”

“Then I will begin immediately,” Jigoro snapped the folder shut, bowed and left.

Kelley pressed the intercom again, “Is that Staff Sergeant here yet?”

“Yes, sir,” came his secretary’s response.

“Send him in,” Kelley ordered.

A balding, middle-aged man walked into the room.  He was the kind of man that was passed up for promotion after promotion.  The same type that thought all he needed was a leg up.  A meeting with the Director was just that.

“Sir,” he said apprehensively.  The man hardly made it half way to Kelley’s desk before his nerves overtook him.

“Can you keep your mouth shut?”  Kelley asked.  The man looked panicked.  “I need you to keep a secret,” Kelley explained.  “If you can do that then I have a job for you.”

“Yes, sir,” the Sergeant said with a salute.

“I want you to transfer these three people.” Kelley slid a piece of paper across his desk.  The Sergeant approached to take it, but Kelley held firm to the paper.  “Not necessarily immediately,” he said.  “I want this to go unnoticed.  Make it look natural and don’t leave a trail.”  Kelley let go of the paper.

“There are cadets on here,” the Sergeant pointed out.

“Then you know exactly the best time to transfer them to a quiet out of the way place,” Kelley said.

“Yes, sir,” the Sergeant said.

“Oh, and Herrington,” Kelley stopped him before he left.  “Do this right and you’ll have my favor.”

It was after exercise and Eve was walking back to the Residence with Sara and Danni.  The girls had suspiciously segregated themselves from the boys.

Danni looked back and decided they were far enough away.  “So you and Joe have been hanging out a lot,” Danni said.

Her interest made Eve suspicious.  “Yes,” she answered.

Danni made a face at Sara, and Sara hesitantly asked, “So do you, uh, like him?”

“He's our friend,” Eve answered.

“No,” Danni said frustrated.  “Do you like him, like him?  You're not into girls, right?”

Eve wasn’t following along.

“Are you guys going steady?”  Sara asked.

“Do you mean mating?”  Eve tried to clarify.

The two girls’ eyes went as wide as saucers.  “We mean, like dating,” Danni said after a moment.

“Dating?” Eve thought to herself.  “What's the point of binding yourself to someone of the opposite sex, if not for mating?  Aren't Joe and I already friends?”

“Wait,” Danni said suddenly.  “Do you mean you and Joe are doing it?”

“It?”  Eve asked.

“Have you gone to first base?”  Sara asked.

“First base?  Like in baseball?”  Eve asked confused.

“It's an analogy,” Danni said.

“Metaphor,” Sara corrected.  “Or maybe a simile?”

“Whatever,” Danni stopped her.  “It means the stuff you do with a guy before sex.  Like, getting to first base means making out.”

“I thought it meant holding hands,” Sara said.

Danni laughed and looked over at Sara.  “Seriously?”

“I'm pretty sure that's what it means,” Sara said meekly.

“Then what's a home run?” Danni asked her.

Sara's face turned bright red.  “You know,” she didn't want to say the words.

“Yeah, I do, but I don't think you do,” Danni scoffed.  “It's sex.”

“No, that's a grand slam,” Sara said.

“It doesn't go up to grand slam,” Danni told her.  “That's just something someone added on.  Its sex, that’s why they call it, going all the way.  Like all the way home.”  Danni turned back to Eve.  “So making out is first base.  Touching over your clothes is second.  Touching under your clothes is third.”

Sara still didn't agree.  “What about...,” she didn't want to say it.  “What about with, you know, your mouth?”

Danni waved her hand, “Ah, that's all part of sex stuff,” she answered.  Then she asked Eve, “So, how far have you guys gone?”

This entire time Eve had been looking back and forth at them, trying to keep up with the conversation.  “I have no idea what you guys are talking about,” she said finally.  “And I think if I asked you to explain, I'd get more confused.”

“Kissing virgin then,” Danni said.

“There's nothing wrong with that,” Sara said defensively.

“Kissing virgin too, eh?”  Danni laughed.

Eve ignored them all the way back to the Residence.  Luckily they stopped bickering at lunch.  Eve grabbed her usual bowl of noodles and went with Joe to their spot in the arboretum.

The air outside might have been bitter cold, but inside it was warm.  The trees were green and lush, fed by gardeners and UV lights.

Joe was standing on a rock, balancing precariously.  He had a sandwich in one hand and a soda in the other.  Since the day they visited Koji, Joe had worked hard to keep Eve distracted.  He'd even been doing an excellent job of it, despite the fact that it made him late to his classes.  For the most part, his boundless energy didn't bother her.  Neither did his abrasive nature.  The only real problem came when Michael was around.  The two would squabble and fight for hours.

“Are you going to the winter dance?”  Joe asked Eve.  “Because if you're not, then I can't go.”

“You don’t need to be with me all the time,” Eve said, then saw Joe frown.  “But I will go.”

“Well, then if we're going together, I think we should make plans,” Joe told her.

“Plans?” Eve asked.

“Like what we’re going to do and wear,” Joe tried to explain.  “You know like a…”  He lost his balance and stumbled across the grass until Eve caught him.

At the same time, Scott arrived and asked overly aggravated, “What are you doing?”

“Practicing for the dance,” Joe answered.  “Eve and I are going together.”

“You know it's not a date when you trick them,” Scott said to Joe.

Shruti showed up with her lunch in hand and said, “Silly boys.  There are plenty of girls to go around.”

Scott backed down and said, “Right.  Shruti, would you mind if I escorted you to the dance?”

“Oh, an upperclassman,” she said.  “I think the other girls might claw my eyes out.”

“Yes, I find them frightening too,” Scott joked.  “Possibly why I'm not asking any of them.”

“In that case, I'd be delighted,” Shruti curtsied.

“Whatever,” Joe said dismissively.  “I need to get my books.  Eve?  We have some plans to make.”

The two went to the elevator.  As they were leaving they came across Michael, who was heading in the opposite direction.

“Where have you been?” Michael said angrily.  “You know mom and dad are at the Administration building, right?”

“Sure, but I have other duties,” Joe nodded to Eve.  “Besides, we'll see them for Thanksgiving.”

“You don't know that,” Michael said.  “They could get an assignment or something.”

“They’re on an integration team now,” Joe pushed past his brother.  “They don't go anywhere.”  Joe got in the elevator with Eve and left Michael where he stood.

The elevator climbed to the third floor.  Eve turned to Joe and said, “I didn't know your parents were OIT now.”

Joe shrugged and said, “You never asked.”

“Yes,” Eve said, “I'm sorry.”

The two of them went down the boys’ hallway to Joe’s room.

“Don't worry about it,” Joe told her.  “You have a lot on your plate. I bet there’s a million things you’re curious about but haven’t had the time to ask.”

“Yes,” Eve agreed.

Joe's room was trashed.  Clothes and food were scattered everywhere.  For some reason, the mattress was halfway off the bed.  Joe rummaged through a pile of papers.

“Are you interested in me?” Eve asked suddenly.

Joe looked up at her. “Sure,” he said, “You're an interesting person.”  Eve was watching him intently.  He stood and said, “You’re nice too.  And smart.  And cute.”

“Would you like to go to first base?”  Eve asked him.  Joe's eyes narrowed as he tried to figure out what she meant.  “Would you like to kiss me again?”  Eve reiterated.

“Is that first base?”  Joe questioned.

Eve ignored the question and stepped forward, kissing him on the lips.  This time it was soft and long.  She tasted his mouth for a second thinking that it was surprisingly pleasant.  He felt like excitement, and that made it all the better.

When they pulled away for a breath, Eve said, “I don't understand this base thing people talk about.”

“I think I can help you with that,” Joe said and kissed her again.