Laws of Time Read online

  There was one person that Sean trusted to take his place. “Kris?”

  “No. I don’t want to lose Kris, just like I don’t want to lose you. He also has a family to consider.”

  “And a company to run,” said Sean.

  “C’mon, there must be someone else. Anyone?”

  Sean thought about it. Is there someone else that could be trusted that would not abuse the potential power and conduct the experiment in the name of science? Ryan Graves? No, he had a young family as well.

  He replied, “Let’s be honest. We really don’t know everyone here. Times have changed. People change. I don’t know if there is anyone else that we can trust. But, there’s one more thing to consider. I really want to do this. This is my destiny.”

  Somehow, Stacey knew the end result of the argument long before it started. She arrived at the answer she expected to receive; yet she was still disappointed. She had failed to convince her husband of the risks. It was quite possible that she could lose her husband. She conceded, “I will not go with you. That is final and I will not change my mind. But if you believe this is your destiny, I will not stop you.”

  Sean was relieved.

  She continued, “However, you need to acknowledge that you’ve been very lucky so far in your lifetime. You cannot rely on luck. You need to take every safety precaution and run every test over-and-over to make sure that you will get home safely. I don’t want to lose you.”

  Encouraged, he answered, “I don’t want to lose you either. I will… I will make sure that we do not rush into things and that we’re as comfortable with the experiment as possible.”

  They embraced and held each other tightly, each not knowing the outcome of the decision they had just made.

  Suddenly, Stacey realized a potential issue even with the successful scenario. “Sean, how long do you plan to stay in the future? I realize that it will only appear to be an instant for me if everything goes according to plan. But you’re going to age faster than me. Tell me that you won’t be significantly older than I am when you return.”

  “I was thinking about three months in the future; twenty-four years from now.”

  “Okay. I think that’s okay.”

  Despite Stacey’s immediate acceptance, Sean felt compelled to explain the length of time decision anyway. “It’s very difficult to set up the experiments. If I were to go and return in a short timeframe, and then decide we need to go back to the future for more information, we would need to create two additional time machines. We need one to get there and one to get back. The current machine, and the one being built, will be locked up for the next twenty-four years and cannot be reused. Does that make sense?”

  “I guess. It’s a little confusing, but I think I get it.”

  “My body matter will be in the original machines, so tampering with these would have consequences. New machines need to be developed for new travel experiments.” Sean looked at Stacey to make sure that she understood the technical reasons for his decision. When he did not see a puzzled look on her face, he continued with the rest of the explanation, “Since it is difficult to easily travel back-and-forth to the future multiple times, I must be efficient about my use of time. I was thinking three months would be sufficient time to gather information about the future of our world and return. The longer I stay, the more that I risk something happening and not being able to return. The shorter the stay, the less information that I’m able to collect. Three months sounded like a good equilibrium point.”

  “Equilibrium point?” she said. “You are a true scientist.”

  The couple spent the remainder of the evening detailing the plans and goals Sean expected to accomplish when he got to the future. As they discussed plans, Stacey could feel his excitement. Although she still had her concerns, his enthusiasm began to rub off on her. What would it be like in the future if she was twenty-four years older and he was his current age when they were reacquainted? What would it be like in the future if his older self were still alive and the two Sean Harrisons met? Stacey admitted that the possible scenarios were intriguing.

  Chapter 19

  The sun was at its peak in the sky the following day when Alyssa found the Starbucks that she was looking for. She could see her mother through the window, already seated as she parked her electric-powered Toyota Kleen on the street in front of the coffee shop in Del Mar.

  “Hello Mom,” she said as she walked through the door.

  Stacey had waited patiently for her daughter to arrive and was sipping on a cold cup of coffee when she greeted her daughter. “Hi Aly, how are you?”

  “Good, thanks. Let me grab a coffee and I’ll be right back to join you. Looks like you already have your afternoon mocha…”

  Stacey watched her busy daughter get in line to order a drink. Alyssa had time for a quick lunch with her mother in between work meetings, but she needed it to be short and therefore she’d suggested a nearby coffee shop for convenience. Stacey admired her daughter as she observed her thumbing through her purse to pay for her drink. Her daughter’s attire was elegant and professional. Clothing styles were different in her new time period. Alyssa’s form-fitting, three large-buttoned, red sundress was appropriate for a hot San Diego day, yet suiting for a busy publicity professional. Her daughter was an executive in a public relations firm, and not surprisingly, one of her clients was Tace Technologies.

  After ordering, Alyssa returned to the table and asked her mother, “So what did you think of yesterday’s demo?”

  “That’s the question du jour. Your father asked me the same thing last night as soon as he got home.”

  Alyssa smiled. “It’s what everyone is talking about right now. I’m amazed at how many people can’t believe it’s true.”

  “Yeah, funny isn’t it. They’ll eventually realize that it’s real.”

  “I’ve had a busy morning helping to get the word straight at Tace. Our phones are ringing off the hook, and we’re just the agency. I can’t imagine how many inquiries they’re getting directly.”

  It took less than a minute before Alyssa’s name was called by the barista. Her decaf iced latte was ready. She briefly paused the conversation to grab her coffee and ham sandwich that she ordered for her quick lunch.

  After returning to her mother’s table, Stacey got to the point of the conversation. She knew her daughter was busy and had little time for small talk. “Your father wants to be the first one to travel in time – to travel far into the future. Twenty-four years to be exact.”

  Alyssa nearly choked on her iced beverage when she heard the news. In shock, she immediately thought of her mother first. “You can’t go! Mom, you can’t!”

  It was a surreal flashback. Stacey had a visual of the day she had left her mother on the porch of her home before leaving for Guadalajara. Although it had been twenty-four years in actual time, to Stacey, it was only a week – a very recent memory. Hearing her daughter’s plea reminded her of her own mother’s last words. They were words that seemed to be stuck in her head, being agonizingly replayed over-and-over, as the last memory of her mother.

  She had to calm her daughter. “No, I’m not going. This is your father’s choice. Not mine.”

  The thought of both of her parents leaving again had already brought tears to Alyssa’s eyes before Stacey confessed her intentions. Knowing that her mother was not going was helpful, but the crying continued as she thought of her father. He would still be going. She would miss time with the father that she had just been reunited with after decades. A tear ran down her face and landed on the table narrowly missing her iced coffee. She was breathless and had nothing to say.

  Stacey got up, walked around the table and put her arm around her daughter. She whispered softly to not draw attention from the other patrons in the coffee shop, “I won’t leave you. I’m here to stay. Don’t worry.” She felt like she needed to assure her daughter and not make the same mistake that she made with her mother. This was her way of making up for the pa
in she felt about losing her mother and their last memory together. “I cannot stop your father. He claims that it is his destiny. You know him. It probably is his destiny. But do not worry about your father either. Remember that this time, these travels will allow him to go to the future and return immediately. We will not even know that he was gone.”

  The barista behind the counter sensed something was wrong. Out of the corner of Stacey’s eye, she could tell that they were being watched. She returned back to her chair and sat directly across the table from her daughter.

  After a few moments, Alyssa recovered. It was difficult to imagine losing her father after just being reunited, but she understood. After all, it was the reason he suspended his life for a quarter of a century. “I get it. I know that we will hardly notice that he’s gone as long as everything works out right.”

  “You’re preaching to the choir. That’s the same thing I told your dad. He needs to make sure that he gets there and comes back in one piece.”

  “Yeah. I guess we expected this. I knew it was coming. I just didn’t expect it to happen so soon.”

  “I understand.”

  “And Mom, I’m glad that you’re not going. I hope Dad knows what he’s getting into.” Alyssa had finished most of her coffee, but she had not touched her sandwich during the discussion. She looked at her watch and realized that it was time to go. She packed the sandwich and told her mother, “I’ve gotta run. But I’ll call you tomorrow, okay?”

  “Yes, tomorrow,” replied Stacey. “Talk to you tomorrow.”

  Alyssa left quickly. Stacey remained in her seat as she watched her daughter grab her belongings, head out the door and immediately pull out of the parking lot in less than a minute. The sudden ending left Stacey to wonder if things were right with her daughter. Was she still angry? Was she not expressing any other feelings? Was there another issue bothering her daughter? It was too late now. Alyssa disappeared in an instant, leaving Stacey uncertain about the state of the relationship between her and her daughter.

  Chapter 20

  Seoul, South Korea was filled with bright lights, electronic gizmos and a perpetual haze in the sky blowing east from northern Chinese manufacturing cities. As Senator Rob Cordeiros walked the halls of the COEX Convention Center in Seoul, he considered turning off his mobile phone to stop the annoying advertisements that were talking to him. Each electronic billboard that he walked past recognized him and offered instructions to a seminar catered to his interests or a product to fit his needs. He had time for neither. He was in Seoul for a special meeting. The advertisements, he decided, were annoying but he could not prevent them. There was a way to turn off the RFID chip in his phone that broadcasted his information to the electronic billboards, but he could not remember the instructions from the sales agent at the store where he bought the phone. His only other option was to turn his phone off, but he decided that it was more important to keep it turned on. He knew that he would have to ignore the irritating ads.

  Good morning Senator, the keynote address for the Koreas Summit begins in five minutes in the Pacific Hall.

  He kept walking.

  Enjoy a taste of South Korea! Senator, we welcome you to Club M2 for karaoke this evening in the Hongdae district.

  Cordeiros hated karaoke. The ad displays got his name right, but they were not smart enough to understand his preferences. He had seen a small, mobile phone in an earlier meeting with a projection system built into the device. It was what he wanted after seeing the latest in Asian technology. Too bad the billboards were not intelligent enough to pick up on his desires and offer the product at a discount. They might have also offered to sell him a time machine.

  However, the annoying billboards did get his agenda right. He was on his way to the Pacific Hall to see the start of the trade convention where Korean leader, Kim Jong-woon, was preparing to address the audience to promote business between the Koreas. The North Korean premier took over the helm of his country when his father and former leader, Kim Jong-il, passed away. Although he was the youngest son, Kim Jong-woon was the most like his father. Unfortunately for North Korea, it meant more of the same hard line politics. Some progress had been made years earlier opening up the demilitarized zone at the thirty-eighth parallel, but the mass exodus of North Koreans to the south required quick changes to the policy. The North Korean leader made a special appearance at the trade convention, but it was seen to the outside world as a token gesture and another method of stalling discussions for an eventual reunited Koreas.

  The United States government was impatient and wanted to see more progress between North and South Korea; prompting the opportunity to send Cordeiros on a foreign mission. Senator Cordeiros was a member of the Foreign Relations Committee and his role in Seoul was to host three-party discussions between the U.S., North Korea and South Korea. Kim Jong-woon’s attendance at the trade convention would provide an opportunity for the parties to convene in a heavily guarded meeting room in a nearby hotel after the keynote introductions were complete. For the United States, a united Koreas meant a safer world. The impoverished North Korea continued its ways after the death of the elder Kim Jong-il building armies and nuclear arsenals to the detriment of its people – leaving millions in famine and malnourished by global standards. The temporary opening of the demilitarized zone had a similar effect to the opening of the Berlin Wall in 1989 when East Germans poured into West Germany. North Koreans were fleeing their homeland for the prosperous south. The North Korea leadership reacted quickly by shutting its borders and it soon reverted back to its old ways. All progress soon halted after the closure of the zone.

  The keynote address at the conference opened according to schedule. Cordeiros had a special reserved seat for VIP guests in the front row, but he realized that he would have an easier time seeing the podium a few rows back. Twenty armed North Korean guards stood between the audience and their leader in a single file line on the floor between the first rows of chairs and the elevated stage. It was more than protection – it was a show of strength and power to their southern neighbors.

  Cordeiros listened into an earpiece translating the Korean’s speech into English.

  “My brothers, we are one Korea,” said the translator, following each sentence by only a few seconds after Kim Jong-woon spoke. “Today, we speak of trade and cooperation. We unite to share our resources and become a world leader. Our combined strength will allow us to control our fate rather than have it be determined by others. The south has many industries and resources to trade with the north. In the north, we have inexpensive labor for these industries and offer protection for the Koreas with our advanced warfare technologies.”

  Did he just offer protection to South Korea? Senator Cordeiros was amazed that Kim Jong-woon offered a trade of goods and services for cheap labor and defense. This man is mad! He is literally standing in a public forum at a trade convention using his army as trade material. Isn’t this the first step in a mafia tactic? Protection from who? North Korea itself?

  Kim Jong-woon spoke fifteen minutes longer than he was scheduled on the agenda. He didn’t care. It was his time at the podium and he was going to speak until he was done. Immediately following his keynote address, he was whisked away by his guards and rushed to a hotel for his next meeting.

  A small group of men in the audience, all wearing white shirts and dark pants, rose to provide the North Korean leader with a standing ovation as he left the stage. Cordeiros looked around the audience. The remaining attendees were silent. They were just as concerned about the direction of North Korea as he was. The Korean leader must have planted these men in the room to provide the applause, Cordeiros thought to himself. They must be North Koreans themselves.

  Cordeiros had no time for the rest of the trade convention. He took the earpiece from his ear, left it on the chair and walked out the side entrance of the hall. Once outside, he dialed a number on his mobile phone. “David, can you have the driver meet me in front of the main entrance in two m
inutes? I’m on my way now. We need to get to the Intercontinental Hotel.”

  “Okay, we‘ll be right there. How was the speech?”

  “He’s got guts. No doubt about it. He can be a strong ally or our worst enemy. Still not sure which…”

  By the time Cordeiros reached the entrance of the convention center, his car was ready. David Kim opened the passenger door for his boss. It was helpful to have David, fluent in Korean, for the event. The Senator had chosen David years earlier to be his aide when he was selected as a member of the Foreign Relations Committee. Because of the turmoil in the Koreas and David’s history with the language and culture of the region, he was a perfect candidate to be his right-hand man.

  The driver did not have to navigate too far, yet the drive took twenty minutes in the Seoul traffic that surrounded the convention. Compact electric and hybrid cars lined the roads of the busy metropolis. Cordeiros admired the new age development in the bustling Asian city – home to electronic giants Samsung and LG.

  “Do you have your other meeting lined up?” Cordeiros asked his aide, using general terms in case the driver was eavesdropping on their conversation.

  “Yes, it’s all planned. I will make the drop before we have dinner this evening.”

  That was all that Cordeiros needed to know. He wanted to distance himself from David’s activities, although he knew that even David had taken the necessary precautions when arranging the exchange. David had gone as far as creating an alias when making the necessary preparations.

  After driving in the car longer than it would have taken to walk from the convention center to the hotel, the Senator and his aide finally arrived at the majestic Intercontinental Hotel. A delegation from the South Korean government met them at the front entrance to escort them to the meeting room for the three-party discussions between North Korea, South Korea and the United States.