The Didymus Contingency (8 page)

As Tom came within fifty feet of the strangers, he could see that one of them was an animal.
A horse
, Tom thought, but he soon realized it was a donkey. Tom then noticed how strangely these two people were dressed. One, a man, wore a red robe tied at the waist by a brown sash. The other, a woman, was wearing a mustard yellow robe complimented by a white head covering. Tom stopped in his tracks; exhaustion delivered its final blow and his legs began to shake. Tom saw the two strangers rush toward him as he fell to his knees.

He opened his eyes and looked up at the sky as he lay on his back. The woman and man were standing above him speaking to each other in a language that Tom recognized but couldn’t understand. They were clearly confused by what Tom was wearing and were debating over what to do with him. Tom’s mind began to function and put together the pieces of the puzzle. The land, the flora, these people, the donkey, the language and clothes of these people...Tom rolled his head to the left and looked at his wrist. He was wearing a watch, but not his own. It was different. It was...the watch...the time travel device!

Tom’s heart nearly stopped as nervous tension tied a tight knot in the small of his back. The events of the previous night slammed back into his conscious mind like a runaway freight train. He had traveled back in time!

“My god...” said Tom aloud.

The two people standing above Tom stopped talking and stared at him, obviously trying to make sense of the words that just spilled from his mouth. Tom felt their eyes on him and knew he had to make an attempt to communicate.

“Water,” Tom said in his native Hebrew tongue, hoping that two thousand years of modernization hadn’t changed the dialect too much. That, and he hadn’t held a conversation in Hebrew for fifteen years.

He was in luck. The woman quickly retrieved a wineskin full of water and poured it into Tom’s parched mouth. When Tom finished drinking, the man spoke. “Tell me stranger, are you a Jew?”

Tom thought about the question before answering. He had been an American citizen and held to none of the Jewish beliefs for so long that he no longer considered himself to be truly Jewish. But under the circumstances, he thought it wise to not stand out any more. “Yes,” said Tom in his best Hebrew, “I’m a Jew.”

The response Tom received was not expected. Both man and woman took a step back. “Then we will help you no longer.”

Tom panicked. “Wait! Why?”

The man and woman looked at Tom through squinted eyes. He was a true enigma to them. “We are Samaritans; surely you do not want our help?”

“I will take help from anyone who offers it,” Tom said.

The man and woman shared a look and it was enough for them to come to an agreement, “We will take you to Bethany and find you lodging. Then you are on your own.”

“Thank you,” Tom said.

“But first...tell us, why are you dressed so strangely?” the man asked.

Tom looked down at himself. He was dressed in blue jeans, running sneakers and a short-sleeved, red and blue plaid, button-down shirt. He wracked his mind for some kind of answer.

“I was a slave,” Tom said, “In…Asia…and I escaped. They dressed me like this.”

The man and woman were shocked. “A slave?” asked the man and then continued, “I have heard of this Asia. You have traveled far to escape your slavery. Like Moses from Egypt, you are now free. Come, follow us and we will see that you are taken care of. I know of a man in Bethany who can care for your needs.”

The man pulled Tom to his feet and helped him up on to the donkey. Tom thought the donkey smelled foul but his exhaustion overpowered his sense of smell. He clung to the creature and fell asleep as the two Samaritans led the donkey back the way they had come.

*   *   *   *   *

David was as ready as he could be on such short notice. He looked the part, could speak the part, at least better than Tom could, and he knew the beliefs and culture of ancient Israel. Unlike Tom, David had never given up his Jewish heritage. True, he was a Christian, which practicing Jews consider blasphemous, but the Christian faith is based on a Jewish man, who lived in a Jewish culture. David knew more about biblical times than the average man, but he also knew that two thousand years of history books could never capture how things really were in the day-to-day life of ancient Israel, his homeland.

Prepared or not, David was going. He knew where and when Tom had gone. When David found an instruction booklet in the receiving area, he thought perhaps his future self had foreseen this predicament. He learned that each watch had built-in tracking devices. Any one watch could be used to track down another—any place on Earth and in any time. David kept the instruction booklet a secret, even from Sally. The moral issues involved with time travel had already boiled over and David didn’t want anyone else knowing how to use the watches to their full potential. He read the instruction manual, committed it to memory and destroyed it.

Sally entered the receiving area where David was preparing to leave. She approached him quickly, wringing her hands together. “Listen, David,” she said, “When you find Tom, grab him and come back as quick as possible. Try not to do any sightseeing.”

“That’s the plan,” David replied.

“I was wondering...where and when do you think Tom went?” Sally asked.

“The most logical choice for someone who wanted to disprove the story of Jesus would be his death and resurrection, just outside Jerusalem,” said David, knowing that was the plan, but not wanting to reveal he knew more.

Sally looked slightly disappointed. “Just don’t hang around too long, okay?”

David was confused. Was Sally trying to tell him something? “Got it,” David said, “I’ll be there and back with Tom before a minute of your time has passed.”

Sally smiled at David’s confidence and her shoulders dropped an inch. “You have everything you need?” she asked.

David looked himself over. “I’m just waiting for Tom’s clothes.”

A man carrying a pile of clothes, identical to David’s entered the back of the control center just as David finished his sentence. When the door swung open, David saw three men. The first he recognized as George Dwight. He also recognized George’s assistant, Jake. But David had no idea who the third man was and took a mental snapshot of the man. He was dressed in ancient clothing, tattered and authentic looking. He stood tall and straight and had a look in his eyes that longed for action. And then, as the man moved his arm, David saw a shard of light reflect off what looked like a handgun.
This is not good
.

Sally saw them too and attempted to stand in David’s field of view, but it was too late.

“Who is that man?” David asked. “And what is he doing here?”

Sally was unsure how to answer.

“Tell me or I’ll ask him myself,” David demanded.

Sally mulled over the question and answered, “His name is Captain John Roberts. He’s the head of LightTech’s Time Enforcement Division.”

“Time what?”

“He’s our...backup plan.”

“Backup plan?”

“In case you don’t make it back for some reason. He’s going to the time just before Jesus’s death, where we’re most likely to find Tom. If you can’t find Tom, he’ll track him down.”

David nodded like he agreed with this assessment, though he knew better.

“So what you’re saying is if we
choose
not to come back, Roberts is the permanent solution.”

“It’s not my call,” Sally said. “George is taking over. You’re lucky he’s letting you go at all. This was put in motion years ago without my knowledge. Just stay away from him. If he finds you, come back without Tom.”

“Why?”

“Just do it,” Sally said, “Now go. The sooner you leave the longer you’ll have to find Tom before Roberts follows.”

“I think Roberts might have a harder time tracking us down than he thinks,” David said with a smile.

“What do you mean?” Sally asked.

“Just that time is on my side.”

David watched as George, Jake and Roberts enter the back of the control room. “Time to go.”

Sally glanced toward the control room.

“Better leave the room,” Sally heard David say behind her.

She turned around and looked at the bright light flashing between them. “Be careful,” she said and quickly left the room.

WhumWhumWhumWhumBoom!

David disappeared in a flash, leaving only glowing particles in his stead. It was a sight the LightTech staff would never grow used to.

Sally watched through the wall of glass as the little blue flakes settled to the floor. She wondered if she’d ever see David again.

“We’ll give him one minute before I go back and finish the job,” said Captain Roberts, standing behind Sally.

Sally pivoted toward the man. “Try and bring them back alive, Captain Roberts. We’ve invested a lot of money in these two men and no one knows more about this technology then they do.”

“I’ll try,” Roberts said, “but if your boys give me any trouble I’m going to have only two choices...”

Roberts pulled a military knife from inside his ancient robe, “rare...”

Roberts drew his silencer-laden handgun “...or well done.”

Sally glared at Roberts and he chuckled. Only a man trained like him could find this funny.

*   *   *   *   *

The room Tom found himself in was unfamiliar. The walls were scarcely decorated and constructed from some kind of clay and straw bricks. Tom sat up; he was still a bit nauseous, but his headache had subsided. He stood from the bed, which was cushioned by straw and covered by a thick handmade blanket. Tom stumbled as he took his first step. He was more dazed then he thought. But he wouldn’t let that stop him. He had to get his bearings. He had to find out where he was and how he was going to find Jesus.

Tom remembered why he had come back, and while it was true he would have never done it had he been sober, he was here. The least he could do was prove to David that it wasn’t complete buffoonery on his part. His pride demanded it. He could picture David now, storming around in the future; fearing the end of the world was near. It brought a smile to his face.

After throwing on a tattered robe that hung on the wall, Tom managed to walk his way through the humble home and out the front door. A small, but bustling town greeted him. The streets were dirt and the buildings were all made from the same pale bricks, but what struck Tom were the architecture and the layout of the town. It was beautiful. Tom wandered out into the busy street looking around in awe, listening to the ancient dialects, smelling the pungent odor of cooking lamb and the sweet scent of flowers. The colors were brighter then he had ever imagined as a child. People were dressed in colorful robes, buildings were decorated with flowing sheets and the flowers…the flowers grew everywhere.

Dizziness spun over Tom and he raised his hand to his head. He surmised the effects of time travel had taken its toll on his body. Before Tom could take action to prevent falling down or passing out, he careened into a passersby. The man yelled at him in Aramaic, “Watch where you’re going, swine!” But he could not understand the language.

Tom rolled from the hit and slammed into an old woman whose arms were full of food. Her bread and fruit fell to the ground. Tom bent over as best he could and started to help the woman pick up her goods, but she swatted at him like a pesky dog. “Back! Get back! You beggars won’t be getting any of my food!” the woman yelled.

The woman’s language sounded strange to Tom, but the message was clear. He tried to explain in bad Hebrew, “I’m just trying to help you.”

Wide, angry eyes stared at Tom from the woman’s wrinkled face and she yelled, “You speak like a man with half a mind!” She spoke in perfect Hebrew. “Away with you!”

The woman took one last swat at Tom, who moved away from her quickly and in doing so, ran into a large man’s elbow. Tom heard a crack in his nose as the cartilage twisted from the impact. As Tom fell to the ground, the large man simply looked down at Tom and walked away, seemingly unfazed and uncaring about the collision. Pebbles on the dirt road dug into Tom’s palms when he caught himself on the ground.

Tom grimaced in pain. His first time travel experience was not going well. He pushed himself up onto his knees and looked at his hands. They were covered in muddy blood. He did his best to remove the rocks, which caused him great pain, and to wipe away the dirt from his wounds. He trembled at the idea of how many foreign bacteria were now invading his system.

Still on his knees in the middle of the road, Tom removed the last stone. He grunted in pain and clenched his hands together.

“That’s not the best place to be praying,” came a deep voice from behind Tom. The man spoke perfect Hebrew.

Tom looked up and saw the man standing over him. He was rugged, like a man gets from years of physical labor. His facial features gave the initial impression that this was the kind of man you wouldn’t want to get into a barroom brawl with, but at the same time, he had kind eyes.

“I’m...I’m not praying,” Tom said.

“Of course not,” the rugged man said with a chuckle. He reached down for Tom’s hands. “Here, get off the ground before you’re trampled to death.”

Tom took the man’s hands and was pulled to his feet. The rugged man eyed Tom curiously. “Are you a slave or a prince?” the man asked.

“What do you mean?”

The man pointed at Tom’s clothes and said, “You are dressed like a beggar or slave...”

The man took hold of Tom’s wrist and held it so the time watch could be seen and said, “Yet you are adorned with an object that is no doubt from a far away land and worth fifty sheep.”

Tom smiled at the comment. The watch he wore was far more valuable than fifty sheep. It was probably the most valuable object in human history,
well, one of the ten most valuable
, he thought. He tried to explain, “I’m...from far away, where it is not uncommon for people of average stature to wear such things.”

The rugged man seemed to understand, “That explains why your Hebrew is so bad. Do you not speak Aramaic?”

“No,” Tom replied.