The Portal

The two of them sat there, looking back at him with somber faces. Just the two words left them in awe, but considering what they witnessed that morning and the fact that David was still alive was something they had to consider before just tossing it aside.

“Time travel?” Lindsay said, “You’ve got to be kidding.”

“Here,” David said as he pulled out a small bag of Cracker Jacks. He tossed it over to Jerry, “Read the expiration date.”

“August twelfth... nineteen forty-seven?” Jerry said as he looked back at David. “But this bag looks brand new!”

“Open it up,” David said, “It’s pretty good too.”

Jerry opened the small bag and took a few pieces into his hand and ate it. He looked back at David and nodded, “They don’t make the stuff this good anymore. I should know, because I used to eat this stuff all the time at Shea Stadium when I was a kid. Where the hell did you get this?”

“Ebbets Field,” David said, as he grabbed the Dodgers cap off the coffee table right beside him. “Same place I got this hat.”

“You were at Ebbet’s field in forty-seven?” Jerry asked, trying to put this altogether. “Why would you go there?”

“To see Jackie Robinson play,” David answered, “Duh.”

“So you’re telling us that you can travel through time?” Lindsay said, trying her best to grasp it.

“A few hours ago, you were here.” David told Lindsay, “You came to the house to tell me that Jerry was dead. He went to take my hummer back to the Marshal’s office and it blew up the minute he hit the ignition. You were deader than Dillinger boss, so I went back to stop that from happening.”

“So when you were at the parking lot,” Jerry started, trying to figure things out, “That was you time traveling?”

“Kind of,” David said, “Ricky told me that it was more of what we call an astral projection. So when I got shot, that flung me back to the present time. That’s what the bang was about; my dying causes the time travel to end prematurely.”

“So you weren’t shot?” Jerry asked.

“Oh, I was shot.” David said, groaning as he buttoned his shirt and opened it up. In the place where the bullet should have been was a large bruise but there was no broken skin nor was there any sign he had been shot. “It still hurt like a mother fucker.”

“How the hell does this work?” Jerry asked.

David went on to briefly tell them what the Portal was, and basically how it worked. As he explained it, the more interested his two guests listened to what he had to say. David talked about the two trips he took with Ricky but passed on the trip he took alone cause he didn’t want to discuss the his encounter and discovery of the Foundation just yet.

“That is amazing,” Jerry said, “And if you told me this yesterday, I would have called it all a bunch of hogwash.”

“I know,” David agreed, “But after what you’ve seen, it’s not something you can easily dismiss. I’ll be honest; a month ago I would have called bullshit too. I’m just getting a grip on all of this too.”

“Well, the good news is you’re still here.” Jerry said, as he saw Ricky return with the scotch and three glasses. “Yes, I’ll take one please.”

“None for you,” Ricky said to David, “Not yet, wait for the drugs Ousla gave you to wear off first. Drink your juice.”

“Alright,” David grumbled as he sipped his juice.

Jerry drank his glass straight up. “Man that is some good stuff.”

“It should be,” Ricky agreed as he took a sip. “This stuff was made over two hundred years ago.”

“That explains why it’s so strong,” Lindsay said, coughing.

“Look guys,” David continued, “I get how screwed up this all sounds, but this is why someone tried to kill me this morning. The same people who went after Ricky are now coming after me as well. As you can tell, they’re rather aggressive in their pursuits.”

“I assume this has something to do with this Portal,” Jerry said, shaking his glass at Ricky, indicating he wanted a refill.

“This group appears to want the ability to time travel as well,” David confirmed, “They just don’t understand that the portal doesn’t respond to anyone who isn’t in my family. I’m not sure why it works that way, it just does. I talked to my grandfather and he said if anyone else tries, there’s no response. It only works if we are in there to use it.”

“That answer isn’t going to fly with those goons,” Jerry said, taking a sip from his refreshed glass. “They’re not going to believe you, and assume you’re just trying to horde this all to yourself.”

“I’ll think of something,” David countered, “There has to be a way we can prove to them how things are.”

“Good luck with that,” Jerry said, “I have a hard time believing it myself.”

“What do we do with him?” Lindsay said, “Many people think he’s dead.”

“We’ll say we faked it,” Jerry answered, “Say that after his brother’s attack and today’s incident that it would be better if the bad guys thought he was still dead while we investigate. We’re going to leave it that way at least for the next few days till you’re back on your feet. You’re technically still on vacation anyway.”

“Sounds good to me,” David said, still aching.

“I’m going to see myself out,” Jerry said, “You’re driving cause I’ve had a few of those, and you didn’t even take more than a sip.”

“I’m not a scotch person,” Lindsay explained.

“Noted for future reference,” David said, “Thanks for coming by.”

Ricky showed Jerry and Lindsay to the door, and he came back into the living room to speak with his brother after they had left.

“Are you sure it was a good idea to tell them?” he asked.

“I know them well,” David replied, “They would have pushed and pushed until they squeezed it out of us. It was only a matter of time, so I thought it would be best to be honest rather than keep lying to him.”

“As long as they don’t tell anyone else, we should be alright.” Ricky said, as he picked up the scotch bottle to return it to the den.

“I trust them with my life.” David told his brother.

“That’s good enough for me,” Ricky replied, “Please lie back down and get some rest. That ache you’re feeling in your chest will go away in a day or two. When you’re feeling better, we’ll talk about this more.”

David decided not to argue with his brother, layed back down on his favorite couch, and just closed his eyes. He must have been asleep for a while because when he opened his eyes again the sun was down and it was dark. As his eyes came into focus, there was someone in the room with him, but it wasn’t Ousla this time. David could hardly believe who he was seeing and sat up slowly.

“Am I dreaming?” David asked the man sitting on the lazy boy across from the couch.

“Nope,” Harv replied, smiling back at him. “I bet that gunshot hurt like a son of a bitch, didn’t it?”

“You jumped forward just to check up on me?” David said, groaning in pain as his chest was still sore.

“Yeah, I said I would.” Harv reminded him, “I also wanted to talk to your brother about what happened today. Sorry to hear about your hammer.”

“Hummer,” David corrected him.

“That too,” Harv replied, as he didn’t seem to care.

“I still have your car, so I’ll be fine.” David replied, “I can replace the hummer since it was insured up the ass.”

“Good to hear,” Harv said, still sitting. “Was it the same foundation that approached us that weekend you visited?”

“I think so,” David replied, “But they’re a little more aggressive today than they were in your time. They tried to kill my boss, which is why my projection took one in the chest. I assume you’ve done this a few times?”

“Oh yeah.” Harv confirmed, “Died a few times in the second world war, trying to change the result of a few small battles.”

“Wow, that had to be intense.” David said, thinking about it, “Did you make any major changes when you were back there?”

“Do you remember a movie called two bridges too far?” Harv asked.

“Isn’t it called a bridge too far?” David replied.

“It is now,” Harv said, laughing. “I made sure that group didn’t over extend themselves too far, and that allowed the allies to repel the Nazi counter attack. I managed to save thousands of allied lives that day.”

“Wow,” David said, sipping the juice from the coffee table. “I don’t know if I could handle going back there.”

“You can try if you want,” Harv informed him, “Most of the gear I used and wore when I traveled back there is packed with the stuff I left to you.”

“Thanks,” David said, as he never really went through all of that stuff yet.

“Look, this foundation is getting too close.” Harv said, clearly worried about the future of his family. “How well defended is this place?”

“This one?” David asked, pausing for a moment. “Not much, but this is the defense. It’s a decoy.”

“It is?” Harv asked.

“Ricky’s got another house built a few miles up,” David replied, “Cuts down on the walk to the Portal too.”

“Smart boy,” Harv said, nodding his approval. “He’s clearly the brains and you’re the muscle. It’s a good combination.”

“Whatever,” David said as he laid back down.

“Don’t fuss about it,” Harv said as he stood up, “I’m going to talk to your brother about a few things. You rest and take it easy.”

“Alright Harv,” David said as he got comfortable. “Piss off.”

David closed his eyes again and this time slept through the night. When he woke up, his chest was considerably less sore than it was the night before. He was able to stand up without any pain either, as he slowly walked into the den to see if Ricky was there. Ricky wasn’t in the den, so David moseyed around the old house to see if he was anywhere in there. Not finding his brother there, he took the turbo lift up to the newer house and took the elevator up to the main floor to see Gail and the teens in the kitchen eating what appeared to be lunch. They all seemed very happy to see him, as he walked over and took a seat. Gail served him a small bowl of soup with toast and crackers on the side.

“Thank you,” David said, as it felt good to eat something. “Sorry about the scare I gave you guys yesterday.”

“It’s alright, David.” Gail replied, “We’re just happy you’re alright.”

“I should tell you something,” Ousla added, “I would recommend not dying by drowning, as that’s far worse than any other death because some of the water could still be in your lungs when you come back. So I’d recommend avoiding that cause of death if you can help it.”

“Good tip,” David said, as he hadn’t thought about it before. “What about poisons or toxins? Would they still be in my system if I die from that?”

“It’s possible,” Ousla conceded, “But if that happens the medical bay should be able to take care of most ailments and bring you back to health.”

“Good to know,” David said, dipping his toast. “Thanks for the heads up.”

“Ricky told me what your boss said,” Gail informed him, “You’re welcome to stay here as long as you want. You can even have one of the guest rooms if you’d like some privacy.”

“I appreciate the offer,” David replied, “But I prefer the couch in the old house, just something about it that lets me fall asleep much deeper.”

“We’ll work something out,” Gail said with a smile, “Especially if you’re going to be spending more time up here, even if it’s just for weekends.”

“I appreciate that,” David thanked her, “but I really don’t want you go out of your way just for me.”

“Noted for the record,” Gail said as she refreshed his supply of toast.

“Was I dreaming, or was Harv here last night?” David asked.

“Oh, he was here,” Gail confirmed, “Had a long talk with Ricky about a lot of things going on. It got pretty heated for a while too. I was afraid they were going to wake you up, but you slept right through it.”

“Did Harv find out about everything?” David asked, not tying to emphasize on the kids.

“I think so,” Gail asked, “But even Harv knew trying to change things back would be just as risky so since time isn’t broken yet, we shouldn’t try to keep fixing it.”

“Seems fair,” David concurred, “I hope Ricky didn’t take too much of a lashing for it. He’s doing the best with the hand he was dealt.”

“He seemed a little rattled,” Gail noted, “but after Harv left things seemed to settle down. Kind of like a twister: showing up and all hell breaking loose and then just dead silence in the aftermath.”

“I get it,” David conceded, “Harv’s etiquette could use some work. I will make an effort to bring that up the next time we talk.”

“I appreciate that, David.” Gail replied, “I think Ricky will too.”

“Where’s Ricky right now?” David asked.

“In the cave,” Gail answered, “He had something to check out.”

“Fair enough,” David said, as he finished up his soup.

“He’ll be back soon,” Gail said, “It’s already been an hour since he left.”

It was at this moment when David spotted something on the table. There was red dot fishing around, looking for a target.

“Gail,” David said, trying not to sound worried, “If this place has an alarm, I would recommend hitting it right now.”

Gail noticed what he was referring to and gestured to Ousla, “Dear, would you like some desert?”

Without hesitation, as if she was alerted telepathically, Ousla jumped out of her chair, and slapped her hand on a big red button that was on the wall near the clock. Upon hitting that button, massive sheets of steel came down and covered all the windows in the matter of seconds.