Time and Space

Character

The alarm clock was buzzing as usual, and as Paul opened his eyes he was afraid that he would see his hotel-room prison as he left it. It was. The invisible wall was not invisible anymore and the clock said it was 8 a.m.

Paul slowly raised himself to the edge of the bed, walked to the bathroom and showered and got ready for what he expected to be one of the longest days of his life. Blue jeans, button-up shirt, white socks and sneakers. As he pulled a ball-cap onto his head he said out loud “okay, let’s do this”.

For a man so completely normal, this was a heroic moment and it confirmed what his captor had suspected all along – Paul was far from ordinary. What kind of man could be transported through time and told that his past course was destined to be self-damaging, then get one good night of sleep and be ready for whatever faced him? What he lacked in physical build or appearance he more than made up for in character. This was the man they were looking for.

Paul had learned not to dwell on the past, things you cannot control. Obviously this was a twist he had not seen coming but he had determined in his mind to make the best of it. Besides, to get the answers he wanted he would likely have to cooperate. There must be a reason for bringing him here, and there was only one way to find out.

The wall disappeared and D stood outside his enclosure with only the computer mouse in his hand. He looked at Paul and raised his eyebrows as if to say ‘are you sure you are ready for this?’ Paul nodded confidently and the man who had kidnapped him and held him prisoner clicked his mouse button and the entire room disappeared. All that was left was Paul’s bag, one chair, and Paul.

“Some sort of … what’s it called…hologram?” Paul asked.

D simply nodded, he knew that there was too much to explain to someone who came fifty years from the past to start describing every detail. They did not have the luxury of time for him to be more specific, so he would try to give simple answers to very complicated questions. “We call it an atomigram – but yeah – it’s a hologram.” How do you explain fifty years of scientific progress in harnessing the power of the atom in one sentence?

Paul stood looking confident, not scratching his neck, not rubbing his forehead – ready to find out more about this place he would now call home. From a strictly positive viewpoint he could see that he had been given a second chance and each day he lived now was a bonus day of life. It was all a matter of perspective.

D walked over to the far end of the warehouse and Paul picked up his bag from the floor and followed. He said it was January and Paul knew that he was very under-dressed for the weather that would greet him when the door opened. This would be the last assumption he would make, he had to get ready for a whole new planet, a new culture, a new world. When D opened the door the air was hot and heavy. Like a humid summer day where your shirt sticks to your back and you cringe at the thought of drinking a hot cup of coffee.

“The climate continued to deteriorate, obviously” D said as he held the door for Paul. Paul stepped through and shielded his eye from the glare. It was simply blinding, not a cloud in the sky. Fifty years might as well have been a thousand. Nothing looked familiar to Paul, and as his eyes got accustomed to the light he could see he was not in ‘Kansas’ anymore.

D continued, “The company that has brought you here needs your help right away, I’m glad that you have taken this all so well. I guess he was right about you.”

“He? He who?” Paul asked as he stopped walking. There were some answers that he wanted right away, and this would be a good place to start.

“The boss, the head of the company. His name is Tyler Rock. He is the one that remembered you from when you were married and suggested you as a travel candidate”

The name did not strike home right away. Paul was never great at names, he met so many people that he usually greeted everyone with a smile and nobody knew that he couldn’t tell them their name. He would use nicknames like “pal” or “buddy” and be so personable and friendly that names were unimportant. Who was Tyler Rock?

When the two had finally arrived at another non-descript building of two stories and fewer than ten windows, D scanned his finger and typed a few keys in the pad at the door. It opened silently and the men stepped into a dark room with one light at the far end. The room was less than ten feet wide and about forty feet long. As the door closed behind them the lights came on and illuminated what was obviously a waiting area. It was full of men, all about Paul’s age, and all were now looking at him. Some looked mad, others frightened, and others had no expression at all. There were about fifteen on each side of the room and there was one empty chair left. D looked at the chair and then at Paul. Paul was no i***t, he sat and prepared for a long wait. He avoided eye contact with the others as he was not sure what type of conversation would ensue if he were to start something. He slid his bag under the chair, as the others had done and D walked the length of the room to the door at the far end.

He knocked twice and disappeared through the portal. Paul looked around and sat quietly with his hands on his lap. He crossed his legs, then uncrossed them. He shifted his weight a few times and waited. Occasionally a girl in a white lab coat would come out of the room and call a name. A man would stand and follow her – his bag in hand. They would not come back. Finally the room was empty except for Paul and one other man, or maybe he was two men. The man was a giant, even seated Paul could see that this guy could handle himself and was physically the most impressive man Paul had even seen. They sat almost at the two ends of the room, but Paul thought he would talk anyway.

“Been here long?” Paul yelled.

The big man looked up, his shoes had been getting most of his attention. “I have no idea where I am, or what’s going on.” He said with a slight accent. Paul thought maybe he was from the south, or maybe the Carolina’s.

“Yeah, a lot of that going around.” Paul said. “I guess we gotta hope that things turn out – I mean, what’s the worst that can happen?”

The big guy left his bag on the floor and slowly stood up. He was about seven feet tall and his shoulders were broad enough to land a plane on. “Well, I don’t work for free, and I don’t like being drugged and taken anywhere by force. This had better be one heck of a job” he said as he walked toward Paul. “I’m Dave, Dave Crane. Was in my yard in Atlanta when these guys appear out of nowhere and drug me. Four of ‘em holding me down and two more with needles. That ain’t right!” He was in front of Paul now and held out his enormous bear paw for a handshake.

“Six guys!” Paul exclaimed, not at all offended that it was twice the manpower required for his own abduction. “Well, from what my guy told me we were specially selected for this job. I’m Paul.”