The Unknown: Part Four

Back at the military base, the one that our heroes have no idea exists or what they have planned...

The Major was expecting the phone call. He knew it would come.
He tapped his fingers on the desk and watched the clock tick by. He's going to call any minute now, he thought glumly.
Still, the phone did not ring.
He'd been at the desk for twenty-five minutes. His failure to get Preposition TTGS up and going was apparent by the time graph flashing on his screen, proving that Trevor Trekker had once more changed history.
The big man was not going to be happy about this.
His intercom buzzed and he absent mindedly hit the response button. "Major here, what do you want?"
"Sir." It was the guard at the hallway entrance. "There is a man here to see you." A pause, then, "He's got something important to discuss with you. Should I let him in?"
"I don't have time for this," the Major snapped.
"But sir," the guard stammered on the other end. "He as credentials."
Credentials or not, I do-not-have-time-for-this, he growled inwardly. Nothing he could do about it. No doubt it was his superior officer Colonel Steiner, checking on his progress on Project Thirty-Six. He's not going to enjoy this report. 
The Major sighed. "Fine, send him in."
"Will do, sir."
He leaned back in his chair and ran his fingers through his hair. If it is Colonel Steiner, what if the Big Man calls in? What do I do then? Yes, the CIA was authorized to find Trevor and arrest him. Yes, the President had agreed Trevor and Marin were dangerous, changing history and nobody knowing when it happened. But if they knew about the other figure he was reporting to...
"Hello Timothy."
He froze, his eyes widened. The Major's heart began to pound against his chest and he swallowed. It can't be. He'd only heard the voice over the phone, he'd never actually met him in person. But he'd used his real name-
Major Timothy slowly looked up and stared into the eyes of a medium height man with a pleasant smile and a dangerous look in his green eyes. "It's nice to finally meet," he said in an almost cheerful manner. "I came stateside yesterday and thought I'd come to see you." He gestured to a chair. "Mind if I sit down?"
"No, no! I mean, no, of course not," Timothy stammered. He leapt up and offered the guest chair to the light blond-haired man. "Please, sit down."
He needed to sit down. His mind was having trouble processing what was happening, who was even now sitting in the chair across from his desk. Him. The big man, the guy pulling all the strings. The one who knew his name. Who knew what he'd done.
"I'm glad I surprised you, I thought it would be jolly good fun to come unannounced," he said once he was seated, his eyes glinting as he smirked. "I am most pleased by your reaction."
Major Timothy sunk into his chair and clasped his hands on the handles. "How? Why?" he managed. "Why are you here?"
Once more a cat-like grinned cross his face, and he laughed. "I like how you get right to the point, Timothy." He drew out the Major's name for emphasis. "It never ceases to amaze me how a man such as yourself could let an idiot like Trekker slip through your fingers countless times." Now all the playfulness was gone, and in its place was pure evil. His eyes no longer glimmered, they snapped like a winter's cold spell. His face was etched in a frown as he leaned forward. He tapped the computer screen of Timothy's laptop. "You read the graph, yes?"
He could only nod.
"Then you can see that Trekker has done it once more," the blond-haired man snapped. "TTGS never lies. The timeline has wavered and bent, whatever you did to try and change Gettysburg didn't work. They stopped it. Just like the collapse of the dam, and the attempt to have the crooked deputy round them. My patience is running thin, Major Timothy. And you're not helping the situation."
"Please," Timothy stammered, "Give me another try at it. I'm doing the best I can, I want to catch him as much as you do."
He cocked an eyebrow and settled back in his seat. "Do you? Or is your conscience getting to you?" he snarled.
"What? No! I am doing everything I can, I'm using the device like you told me, I've followed all the instructions. If Trevor realizes what he has then-"
"Then your career is over, as well as a good chunk of the CIA agents you've paid off," he finished. "I know. That's why I sought you out for this job. You're in a bad position, Timothy. Either Trevor will spill the beans on who really killed Harriet," he paused, then lowered his voice, "or I will." Standing up, he scowled at the Major, then hissed, "You have one more chance to catch him in the act. TTGS tracked them to the old West. I expect you to catch them this time. Do not fail me."
He turned around and left, leaving Timothy in a state of shock and numbness. One thing was for sure- if he didn't catch the time traveler and his assistant this time around, he would wind up dead. Just like the others.

Part Five to come at the end of August.

The Month Ahead

Hope you enjoyed his month's adventures! It was kind of scary, but I'm glad Jimmy was agreeable to help. What was your favorite part of our adventure?
As always, if you have any questions please feel free to ask them! We'll do our best to answer. So fire away! Also, if you'd like to recommend our blog to your friends we'd really appreciate that. The more readers the better, we want to reach as many of you as we can.
Well, we're getting into the month of August this next week. So it's time we go to a new era, one that you are all very familiar with. We're going to...

August

2014

Week	Topic	What to expect
1	Saddle Up, Partner! The old West.	An introduction of the Wild West, some historical facts, today in history and a little known fact.
2	Ride On: Book Recommendations on the Wild West	Three books/series we think you'll like about the West.
3	Back to the Drawing Board	Trevor and I return to California to find things are as crazy as ever.
4	Back to the Drawing Board: Part 2	Trevor and I make a new friend who's as curious about us as we are about her.

Here's a preview picture of next month's adventure! Can't wait for you to join us!

Hmm, looks exciting, doesn't it?

Spies Be Warned: Part Three

Sitting on the edge of your seat to find out what happened? Hope so! Here’s the conclusion to our story!

I recognized the voice. I knew it from somewhere...but were?

This was the least of my worries at the moment, though, for my captor began to drag me back. “I remember you,” he hissed in my ear.

I do too, but from where? I thought miserably. My heart pounded against my chest and I wished Trevor was here. Oh Trevor, where are you? This was bad. Really bad. Trevor wasn’t here and I was in unfamiliar territory in a time period I didn’t belong in. What if this guy really shot me?

“You’re that drummer boy who was with the Colonel,” my captor continued. “I remember when I ran into you your hat flew off, and you had braids. I thought perhaps I was mistaken, but no, I see I’m right. You are a girl! And you’ve come to chase me down, have you? You and that Colonel?”

The spy! That’s where I recognized the voice from. This was the same boy we were trying to find!

“Oww!” he yelped as I bit down hard on his hand. He let go for a quick instant.

I took this opportunity to yell at the top of my lungs, “Trevor! Help me!”

“Oh, no you don’t!” He roughly shoved me down and pushed my face into the dirt. “Don’t mess with me!”

Could it be? Did I detect...fear, uncertainty in his voice? He was acting like he’d kill me any second, but his voice didn’t coincide with his claims. Is he scared? I wondered.

“Now, get up slowly and don’t make one more sound,” he growled fiercely. “If you do I swear I’ll shoot you on the spot, even if you are a girl.”

Okay, so perhaps it's too early to make a good judgement at the moment, I decided. But let’s keep the door open for possibilities. Even if he is threatening to kill me.

I slowly stood up and complied with what he said. I didn’t know if he was bluffing or not, but it was best not take any chances. I knew better than that. And Trevor wasn’t here to help me.

“Turn around,” he ordered.

I did as he ordered and faced him. He held his gun steady and looked me in the eye. I returned his gaze. He was young, much too young to be a soldier in my eyes. His boyish face looked frightened, but he continued to scowl like he was confident of his situation.

He glanced me over and his look softened. “You’re really young,” he commented. He frowned and scratched his head. “What’s a young girl like you doing in the Union Army?”

“I could ask the same about you,” I replied. “And I must wonder why you’re a spy. You seem too young to be a spy.”

“No one suspects a seventeen-year-old,” he retorted. “That’s why they made me a spy.” he cocked his head a little. “You are after me, aren’t you? How many of them are there?”

My previous fear was beginning to fade away. There was something in his mannerisms, or perhaps it was because I could see in his eyes that he didn’t want to hurt me. I couldn’t lie to this boy. He was only six years older than me. “Only me and Trevor,” I admitted.

The boy stiffened. “Trevor? Is he the Irish Colonel?”

“Don’t ever let him catch you saying that, he’s Scottish.” I giggled. “But yes, he’s...he’s the one pretending he’s a Colonel.”

This really threw the boy for a loop. He lowered the gun in his hand and stared at me. “Pretending to be?” he repeated. “You mean he’s not-”

“He’s not a real Colonel,” I finished. What is wrong with you? This boy has stolen the plans for the battle of Gettysburg and you’re going to let him get away with it? Something told me to continue the way I was going, to let the conversation go on. I knew it was the Holy Spirit guiding me, so I took a deep breath and tried to ignore the small remnant of fear inside.

“Then how do you know I’m a Confederate spy and why are you after me?” the boy asked suspiciously, unconscious that he’d raised his weapon once more.

“Because we’re just that awesome!”

It happened so fast, I didn’t even realize it was Trevor until he’d gotten off the young spy with the gun in his hand. He’d tackled that kid like a pro, I’d thought for sure another Union officer had shown up.

“Trevor!” I cried, coming forward and hugging him. He continued to aim the gun at the boy and patted me on the head.

“You okay?” he asked.

I nodded.

The Confederate boy stared at Trevor in terror, his eyes wide as he clutched his chest.

“You threatened my daughter,” Trevor growled. “And I take that as a serious offense. You also stole some very important documents that we’re going to be needing back.”

“Trevor, he didn’t hurt me,” I objected, noting the dangerous look in his eyes. “We were starting to talk, it’s okay. He wasn’t going to hurt me.”

At this the kid grew a little offended. “How do you know that?” he snapped. “I could have shot you any time I liked.”

Not helping, I mouthed as Trevor glared at him.

“Look, guys,” I stepped between my adopted father and the young Confederate boy, “I’m sure we can solve this without the gun.” I turned to the boy and asked, “What’s your name?”

“Jimmy,” he muttered. “And yours?”

“I’m Marin and this is Trevor.” I gestured to my time traveling friend. “We’re not going to hurt you. We just want the papers back and you can go on your way.”

“What!” Trevor yelped. “But he’s a spy!”

I ignored him, knowing he’d come to see it from my point of view in a little while. “I promise, you can go back to the South and no one will catch you.”

Jimmy glanced at me and frowned. “How do I know you’re telling the truth?” he sniffed. “This is my job, I have to do my job, or I dishonor my country.”

“Your country is the US of A, pal,” Trevor muttered. “Not some stupid South versus North argument. Don’t you get it? All of you are brothers!”

“You’re not making a lot of sense.” Jimmy glanced at Trevor. “You’re talkin’ like you know how everything is going to end.”

It was risky, I knew, but it might be worth a shot. “That’s because we do, Jimmy,” I said. “We’re time travelers.”

Trevor was silent. Jimmy’s mouth dropped open and he blinked a couple of times.

“I don’t think I heard you correctly,” he stammered. “What did you say?”

I smiled. “Trevor and I are time travelers. That’s why we must get those plans back.”

~oOo~

Back on our island, I was trying to teach our parrot Fruity-Toot to sing one of Leoš Janáček’s songs. “Come on, Fruity-Toot,” I coaxed. “Like this. Moje láska je na volném moři, k němu jsem se utéct, Odletět s větrem mé lásky, běh na břehu se se mnou setkat.”

At that second Trevor walked in, a huge electronic contraption in his arms and a smile to match. “Nice song, Marin,” he commented. He set down the device and wiped his brow. “Whew, this is heavy.”

“What is it?” I asked, forgetting about Fruity-Toot.

“A Lexicorphograph Laenin Factorial Composit Defunct,” he replied with a wild grin. “It’s really cool.”

“I’m never going to learn your language,” I teased.

“Yeah, well, I’m still having trouble learning you, period!” Trevor retorted. He leaned against his contraption and winked. “I’m still shocked how you got Jimmy to hand over the papers. It usually doesn’t work like that.”

I shrugged. “He seemed like a nice boy. And scared. I felt sorry for him, that’s all. I’m glad we were able to persuade him to help us.”

“After you put the fear of God in him about what would happen if America didn’t win the war.” Trevor chuckled. He walked over to me and gave me a friendly squeeze. “I must admit, I’m getting more and more impressed with your history knowledge, Marin. I can see you’re really trying to learn.”

I gave him a huge smile. For Trevor to say that meant he really was impressed. Perhaps I was finally getting the hang of this time traveling!

“Now, why don’t you join me on a nice trip to a pirate ship?”

Okay. Maybe not.

The End

Spies Be Warned: Part Two

We’re back! Here’s part two of our story, Spies be Warned.

            He was upset and I knew it. Poor guy, I thought. No doubt he was mentally kicking himself at letting a confederate spy slip through a Union camp.

            Trevor and I were mounted on large two-bit draft horses. Trevor’s was a grey and mine was a black, both without markings.

            The second Trevor realized what he’d done, he’d instantly volunteered to go after the lad. “Let me do it,” he insisted when the officers proclaimed he had too high of a rank to participate in such a duty. “I’m a great tracker. I’ll find him and bring the plans back before they can get into confederate hands.”

            “We thank you for your generosity, Colonel, but we must refuse,” Major Teton said.

            “And as a higher ranking officer I order you to get me a horse for myself and the drummer boy.” Trevor leveled his eyes at the Major and the man shuffled his feet.

            “Yes, sir,” he sighed.

            Now we were well on our way into enemy territory. We’d shed the uniforms and donned civilian clothes. I was happy to be rid of the boy’s outfit and pleased with my bonnet and dress. This is much more like it.

            “I can’t believe it.”

            Okay, here we go. I’d been waiting for the self-scrutiny to kick in, and it appeared I was in for a session of reasoning with my good friend.

            “Trevor, it’s not your fault.”

            “But it is! I let him get away, I let a kid show me up! And I’m a Colonel!”

            I raised an eyebrow.

            “Okay,” he admitted, “so I’m a self acclaimed Colonel. But still! Those men look up to me, and I may have just changed the outcome of Gettysburg!”

            “Trevor, might I remind you that you were giving them pointers to win the battle?” I pointed out. “You kind of went and changed history already.”

            “But Marin,” Trevor exclaimed, “If the South wins the war, what does that mean for the rest of the United States? What would happen then?”

            I didn’t know. I was not familiar with American history, but I did know the Civil War had been an important turning point in the books. Would America still be involved in the first and second World Wars? Would the Axis or the Allies win, depending on if the South won the Civil War?

            Strange thoughts indeed for a Czech girl to contemplate, but this was all part of the daily life Trevor and I found ourselves in.

            “Maybe I should tell my future self to help us,” Trevor mused. “We could use as many searchers as we can get.”

            I grimaced at this. “Future self” was the nickname we gave Trevor in the future when he’d come back to the exact timeline we were on and participated with us. It was quite odd, to say the least. Trevor would write himself a note to tell himself to come back to where he was now, and poof! Another Trevor would appear, and we’d have double the amount of craziness.

Except the last time he’d done that, we’d ended up with twenty Trevors and a lot of chaos. “Uhh, Trevor, are you sure you want a whole multitude of yourself running around in enemy territory? What if one of them gets shot?”

            “Oh, good point. Don’t want that to happen.” He frowned and bit his lower lip. “Maybe we could just have one of them come…”

            Before I knew what was happening, my horse spooked and leapt sideways, sending me flying out of the saddle and onto the ground. Wham! I moaned and sat up.

            “Oww.”

            “Marin!” Trevor leapt out of his saddle and ran over to me. He helped me up and dusted off my dress. “Are you okay? Are you hurt? Did you hit your head? Do you have a concussion? Should we find a doctor? Are you dying?”

            “Trevor-” I began, but he kept going on.

            “Tell me, how many fingers do I have? How many are there of me?”

            “Trevor-”

            “You’re not answering! Something’s wrong! Oh, no, what are we going to do?”

            “Trevor!” I exclaimed, exasperated. “I’m fine.”

            His blue eyes were wide open and wild looking, his hair stuck out at all kinds of angles. He looks like a mad man. I giggled at the thought.

            “What’s so funny?” he grumbled, crossing his arms. “You nearly gave me a heart-attack, lassie. I thought you were really hurt, and now you’re laughing at me! Are you happy?”

            “You look funny.” I giggled again and gestured to his hair. “Like a mad scientist.”

            He mumbled something under his breath, licked his hand and ran it through his unruly hair. “I can’t do anything with this mop,” he complained. “I never have. It always looks like that.”

            I walked over to my mount, who, after dumping me, had promptly gone to grazing. “This boy looks no worse for the wear,” I commented. “Wonder what he spooked at?”

            “I don’t know,” Trevor sighed. “Guess I’ll go find out.”

            He walked off into the wooded area we’d passed through and disappeared amongst the trees. I grabbed his horse’s reins and sat on a stump, letting the geldings graze while I waited for Trevor to come back.

            I waited. And waited…

            And waited some more.

            “Trevor, hurry up!” I called. “We need to get going!”

            There was no answer.

            This is somewhat frightening. What was taking Trevor so long? “Come on Trevor, please? Why aren’t you coming?”

            Still no answer.

            I started to count dandelions to ease my nerves, but the situation was beginning to bother me. Why wasn’t Trevor back yet? I hope he’s not chasing a deer, I moaned inwardly. Trevor had this thing about deer- every time he saw one he tried to catch it and ride it. One of his strange ideas he thought would be fun to do.

            I yawned and glanced at Trevor’s mount. The grey was chomping on grass like there was no tomorrow, while my black gelding ate slow and calculated.

            I noted their shadows and glanced up at the sun, figuring it was two in the afternoon. Trevor’s been gone about fifteen minutes. If he didn’t show up within three minutes I was going to-

            Without warning someone grabbed me from behind, jerking me off the stump. I screeched, but a hand shot over my mouth, muffling my attempts to cry for help.

            There was a click! Noise, one I was all too familiar with from my life in Czechoslovakia. Oh dear God, please, help me.

            “Make one sound and I’ll kill you.”

            Come back next week for the conclusion of Spies be Warned!