Two Months
The sun was setting behind the blue-glowing mountain. It was almost blinding, even with
my sunglasses on. I shifted my car into first gear and took off down the road toward the
Project. I once saw a movie in which a man compared women and Ferraris. I had to agree that
they were almost equal in greatness.
When I reached the Project, I went in and immediately went down to the Control Room. The
lovely black lady was standing there, reading something on one of the screens. She heard me
walking toward her, but didn't acknowledge me until she was finished reading.
"No." She said before I could ask.. She had a look of discouragement and sadness.
"Thank you, Verbena." I replied as I walked out of the room. I decided to go to my
office and do some paperwork. Although I wasn't in the mood, I starting reading over demands for
a new budget. After a while I became bored and I fell asleep.
Hours later I woke up and decided to do some more searching. Verbena had forbidden me to
do and for a week, saying I needed a rest, but after checking the clock I figured that she would
not be here and that it was safe. I had not been home for a week and only then it had been
brief. We had lost Sam about two months ago, and I guess I hadn't forgiven myself. I kept
saying that it was my fault that Sam disappeared and that we couldn't find him. I thought that
I hadn't tried hard enough to find him. I had only been home about once a week and had taken a
room in the Project's staff's quarters. I had dismissed all dispensable people and only kept
about a dozen and a half. Verbena had been on my case to come and talk to her regularly for a
month, but I didn't. I just wanted to find Sam.
I brought up the searching screen on my computer and watched the images spin like a
tornado. It was easier this way, and I dint get as sick (even though I learned not to do it after
eating). Every time I thought I saw a glitch or a sign of Sam I would freeze the screen.
Four hours and three cigars later I had to give up for the night. Then it dawned on me
that the stupid computer, Ziggy, had a big mouth and she would tell Verbena what I had done
unless threatened.
"Ziggy, don't you dare tell Beeks that I was doing this!" I said loudly.
"I wont, Admiral. But I think I should inform you of a file that had turned up in my
memory banks that was not there before." This was strange. How could a file not be there one
minute and there the next?
"What kind of file? Is it a virus or something we should worry about?" I was afraid it
could be a hacker.
"On the contrary, Admiral. It is under Dr. Beckett's name and no viruses were detected.
It is titled 'To Al', and I would suggest you watch it."
"Watch it? Is it a video?" This was too weird.
"Correct. Would you like to view it now?"
"Yes, Ziggy."
The video started loading. I saw immediately that it was a large file and that the video
was probably long. It took twenty minutes to load, which gave me more than enough time for
thousands of questions to go through my head: Who could be doing this other than Sam? And, if it
is Sam, then how did he get this to me? Did he leap back or something and I didn't know it?
Finally the video started.
The sun was setting behind the blue-glowing mountain. It was almost blinding, even with
my sunglasses on. I shifted my car into first gear and took off down the road toward the
Project. I once saw a movie in which a man compared women and Ferraris. I had to agree that
they were almost equal in greatness.
When I reached the Project, I went in and immediately went down to the Control Room. The
lovely black lady was standing there, reading something on one of the screens. She heard me
walking toward her, but didn't acknowledge me until she was finished reading.
"No." She said before I could ask.. She had a look of discouragement and sadness.
"Thank you, Verbena." I replied as I walked out of the room. I decided to go to my
office and do some paperwork. Although I wasn't in the mood, I starting reading over demands for
a new budget. After a while I became bored and I fell asleep.
Hours later I woke up and decided to do some more searching. Verbena had forbidden me to
do and for a week, saying I needed a rest, but after checking the clock I figured that she would
not be here and that it was safe. I had not been home for a week and only then it had been
brief. We had lost Sam about two months ago, and I guess I hadn't forgiven myself. I kept
saying that it was my fault that Sam disappeared and that we couldn't find him. I thought that
I hadn't tried hard enough to find him. I had only been home about once a week and had taken a
room in the Project's staff's quarters. I had dismissed all dispensable people and only kept
about a dozen and a half. Verbena had been on my case to come and talk to her regularly for a
month, but I didn't. I just wanted to find Sam.
I brought up the searching screen on my computer and watched the images spin like a
tornado. It was easier this way, and I dint get as sick (even though I learned not to do it after
eating). Every time I thought I saw a glitch or a sign of Sam I would freeze the screen.
Four hours and three cigars later I had to give up for the night. Then it dawned on me
that the stupid computer, Ziggy, had a big mouth and she would tell Verbena what I had done
unless threatened.
"Ziggy, don't you dare tell Beeks that I was doing this!" I said loudly.
"I wont, Admiral. But I think I should inform you of a file that had turned up in my
memory banks that was not there before." This was strange. How could a file not be there one
minute and there the next?
"What kind of file? Is it a virus or something we should worry about?" I was afraid it
could be a hacker.
"On the contrary, Admiral. It is under Dr. Beckett's name and no viruses were detected.
It is titled 'To Al', and I would suggest you watch it."
"Watch it? Is it a video?" This was too weird.
"Correct. Would you like to view it now?"
"Yes, Ziggy."
The video started loading. I saw immediately that it was a large file and that the video
was probably long. It took twenty minutes to load, which gave me more than enough time for
thousands of questions to go through my head: Who could be doing this other than Sam? And, if it
is Sam, then how did he get this to me? Did he leap back or something and I didn't know it?
Finally the video started.