Chapter 82

Day 265/266:

John tossed a pair of black-bladed, stiletto-style knives by the fire as he, Corporal Quick, Adam and Ben walked back into camp.

“Sorry about that. Where were we?”

Everyone’s eyes went to the weapons.

“What happened?” About four different people asked him.

“Mokul, the Dwarf assassin who tried to kill Veronyka, and got Hal came for me.” John explained. “Corporal Quick here took care of him for us. Thanks Quick.”

The Odmaaran bowed. “It was a pleasure to avenge such a cowardly murder.”

Ben pointed at the knives. “What are you going to do with those?”

John shrugged. “Not sure yet. Maybe use them on the guys who attacked us. We’ll see.”

Veronyka shuddered. “Harsh, but I can’t say they haven’t earned it.”

“Exactly.” John said. “Now, can we get back to what we were talking about?”

Adam laughed. “I’m not sure what you mean. Last thing going on before the Colonel started spouting off was the Ariel and Sygraid mutual admiration society.”

Treb scowled. “Are you mocking my mother?”

Adam smiled. “Not at all. I’m pointing out that John needs to give some direction, since it’s not clear what he wants to discuss.”

Treb thought about that for a moment. “So, you’re mocking Lord Jyon instead?”

Adam snorted. “Yeah, you could say that. But before you get all upset, remember that I’ve been friends with John for a very long time. Trust me, it’s all good. Okay?”

Ariel put a hand on the boy’s shoulder. “Their friendship involves much joking. Our lord does not mind Adam’s method, so we should respect that.”

Treb looked from Adam to John and back. “All right.”

Everyone looked to John, waiting so he stood up.

“All right, this is the first time we’ve all gotten together.” John began. “Mostly that’s my fault, I admit. Thank you, my friends for waiting for me. Looking for me; everything you’ve done for me. Adam, Ben,” John’s eyes flickered to Spooky for a brief second, “I’m sorry that you’re stuck here now. I didn’t mean to drag you into my mess.”

“No way.” Ben objected. “We came looking for you, yeah but these fuckers killed Marty. And now they have Top*. They deserve whatever they get.”

John sighed. “That brings me to what I wanted to talk about. Yes, the people fucking with us are horrible, evil dudes; who do deserve every bit of our fucking right back. But it looks like we’re stuck without any way back to Earth that doesn’t involve running into a buzz-saw. Or getting captured as soon as we step out of the portal. Right?”

Ben and Adam turned to look at Veronyka.

She sighed. “Guys, I don’t have a way to use the other portals on Earth, okay? I know where they are, but they aren’t on my Network list. Yet.”

“Yet?” Adam demanded.

Veronyka shrugged. “Well, I have faith that we’ll get back to Earth somehow, someday. When we do, I’ll have options for getting back here, or wherever. But I swear I’m not holding out on you; the only portal on Earth that I have is the one in the Canadian Rockies. The one that’s still blocked, as of yesterday when I went to the Pyramid.”

“Well, you want to tell us where the others are anyway?” Adam asked sarcastically. “You know, in case it might help one of us out, too?”

Veronyka sighed. “Sure. Norway, Ireland, Australia, and Uganda, plus the ones you know in Chile and Canada. I never found the seventh, though I have it on good authority that it exists.”

“Good authority?” Adam sputtered. “Who’s that? Santa Claus?”

“The Seer?” John murmured quietly.

Veronyka nodded.

“Who is that?” Adam wanted to know.

John tapped his eye. “The guy who gave me this.”

“Ah, got it.” Adam allowed that answer to stand.

“You ‘found’ them?” Ben quoted. “Found them how? When?”

“When the Seer sent me back in time, to Earth.” Veronyka replied.

Ben shot her a hard look. “I thought you could only go back about two days or so?”

“On my own, yeah around fifty hours.” Veronyka clarified. “But that wasn’t what he did.”

“Veronyka,” John butted in, “how far back did he send you, and why?”

She smiled. “To about six months before we met. The first time.”

John gaped. “You went back fifteen years?”

She wagged her head. “Um, probably closer to sixteen, but yeah.”

“To do what?” John wondered.

“Mostly? Make sure I ended up on the project.” She hedged.

“But, if they brought back the stuff from Mars three years ago...” John trailed off. “How long had it been? When you found me at the Tower, how long had it been since you’d seen me?”

“Years, I told you it had been years.” She reminded him.

“Yeah, but then you talked about the whole two-year Technomancer apprenticeship. So I figured that’s what ‘years’ meant.” John argued. “Not that you went back into the past sixteen years ago. How did you get back? If you can only move two days at a time, how did you get back to the present?”

“I lived each day.” A tear fell from one eye. “Whenever I could, I would jump forward by the two days I can. But mostly I traveled through time at the same rate you do: day by day, hour by hour. Years where all I could do was think about how hard your life was. How I wished I could visit. Talk to you. Help you in some way. Give you hope. But I couldn’t; it would’ve been a mistake. A ‘grave error’ as Delphi says.”

He put his arms around her. “Well, I’m glad you were strong enough to do what’s right. And good enough to link back up with me. Twice.”

She wiped her tears away. “Thank you. I’m glad that those years didn’t tear you down. They made you into the man I love today.”

So, John had to kiss her. It took every ounce of willpower to only kiss, but he managed it.

“Uh, so, quick question Doc.” Ben interjected, after they finished. “If you were living the last sixteen years, at the same time as your younger self, how did you not cause a paradox or anything?”

She gave him a sly smile, dropping her eyes. “I used Jeff. Got him to be the go-between for me—us. He met me the same day I met John, after his injuries. After that, I stayed out of the country, mostly.”

Ben blinked. “So ... world tour? With what money? Sounds like a lot of lonely downtime.”

She winked. “I had intimate knowledge of what would happen for sixteen years. Money wasn’t a problem. As for downtime, well, I did a world tour, yeah. Looking for something very specific.”

All three men’s jaws dropped.

“You found the portals?” Adam breathed.

She nodded. “The ones I could. Number seven took the most time, and I still never found it.”

“Physically? You actually went and saw each one in person, or did research instead?” Adam pressed.

“I went to each one, yes.” She confirmed. “I had to be close enough to tell if they really were portals.”

“Well, then how can you not use them now?” John asked reasonably.

She shook her head. “I couldn’t touch them. The Network would know, and I’d be trapped on Earth.”

“Trapped? Why?” Adam inquired.

“The Network doesn’t allow time travel.” She explained. “Though the portals were ‘off’ for me at that point in time, the Network still knows everything and everyone who steps onto the platform. If I’d put myself into its ‘memory bank’ as it were, when John and I first went through in Canada ... Well, John would’ve gone, but I would’ve been stuck. That would’ve really screwed things up!”

“Then, how did you get back here?” Ben scowled. “If you got sent to the past, on Earth, and can’t let the Network catch you time traveling, how did you get back to this world from there?”

“I had to wait until after my last Network transit.” She grinned. “Until later in time, I mean. By that point I was a Traveler, not a Visitor anymore. I went to the Canadian Rockies and used the same portal I had the first time.”

Adam threw up his hands.

Ben was incredulous. “Are you kidding me, doc?”

“No, of course not.” She protested. “Why?”

“When?” Adam spat. “When did you use it the second time?”

She named a date 117 days after John first entered the Network. Three weeks before the battle between the Chinese and the SEALs at the portal in Canada. The battle where John pulled Spooky and Ben into Challenge World.

“You fucked us, doc.” Ben sighed. “The guys that had Jeff, Marty and Me up there were keeping it low key. They could’ve put a platoon or more on that mountain, but it would’ve drawn too much attention. Somehow, between when John grabbed Jeff off that mountaintop, and when Spooky and I went back up there, something changed. Something big.” He pointed a finger at her. “Something that’s tall, blonde and memorable as a supermodel.”

She cocked her head, thinking. “How though? Nobody saw me go back.”

Ben blinked. “Nobody saw you? Ha! That town was as big as a postage stamp. Everybody saw you, Veronyka!”

Now she was shaking her head emphatically. “No. They didn’t! I never went into town. I’m telling you, nobody saw me.”

Ben’s tone turned sarcastic. “Doc, did you hike up there from Montana? Somebody saw you, the second time. I’m telling you.”

She snorted. “I didn’t hike. Didn’t bike. Didn’t ride in any cars, trucks, or boats. I flew. And my plane never landed. I’m telling you, nobody saw me.”

Ben’s eyebrows crawled up to his hairline. “You jumped? From how high?”

“About eight thousand feet or so.” She estimated.

“A hop and pop**.” Ben summarized. “Somebody saw your ‘chute.”

“No. They didn’t.” She argued, getting hot. “I didn’t use a parachute.”

“Okay, wait.” Adam butted back in. “Hold up. You went from a plane to the ground, while the plane was flying, without using a parachute? What’d you do, flap your arms and say ‘Geronimo’?”