"Rachel"
Written by: Michael Zenoski (pen name)
He didn't know what he was doing, but it had to be done. Dr. Benton Quest stood in front of his latest creation, a machine that would allow him to go back in time and stop the death of his beloved wife Rachel , so his son, Jonny, would not have to grow up without a mother. In front of him began to form a vortex of some sort, with voices he could hear, he tried to localize it with his scanner, so it would be on December 24th 1985 at Palm Key, where they lived before he moved with Jonny to the compound in Maine.
A few minutes later he went into the vortex and vanished.Dr. Quest didn't know what had happened, until he could hear his wife's voice over the intercom. "Benton, could you come to the house, your son wants to bid you a good night" Rachel said as her voice faded. Benton walked over to the intercom, and pressed a button on the device; "I'll....I'll be right there, Rachel." he said as the let go of the button. It was painful to hear her voice after all this time, after 13 years without here, he could finally change the past, to prevent her death, as he knew how and when she was going to die, he could stop it.
As Benton entered the house a 1 year old boy, greeted him. "Heya Jonny !" Benton said in a father tone of some sort, "Are you ready to go to bed ? Huh, are you ?" he said as he picked him up and held him in his arms. Rachel joined him few moments later: "My little Jonny, my little Jonathan Quest" she said as she stroke his hair and smiled, as Jonny was falling asleep in his fathers arms."I'll put him to bed, and make you a cup of tea when I get back to the kitchen" Benton said as he made his way to Jonny's bedroom. "OK" Rachel said as she made her way into the kitchen.
As Benton entered Jonny's room, he tugged him into bed, looking down on him, Benton said in a low voice; " I won't make you grow up without a mother, I won't!" Benton turned around, with tears in his eyes, and made his way to the kitchen where Rachel was waiting for him.On his way to the kitchen, Benton began thinking, did he have the right to change the future, did he have the right to prevent his wife's death ? All these questions began to rise up in his mind, how would this effect the future, his life, Jonny's life. He would have never met Race Bannon nor travelled to India where he met his stepson, Hadji Singh.
Benton entered the kitchen, with Rachel sitting by the kitchen table. She saw her husband in deep thoughts, so she decided to ask what was on his mind."Nothing important" he said, as he began heating up the kettle for Rachel's tea. Rachel didn't accept that; "Well something is on your mind, I know that look, Benton Quest, your thinking about something serious, something important." she continued. Benton could not stand how she could be so pushy, but that's why he fell in love with her. Her attitude, her vision of life, how everything was beautiful, and no-one could be so bad. She had gotten that from her father Doug.
"Well, something has been on my mind, and it conserns you." he said as he was taking cups out of the cupboard. About what happens if you would die, suddenly, what would happen to me and Jonny. Maybe if there was a way to stop it..." Benton was cut off by Rachel."Who would want to kill me and why ?" she asked her husband. Benton was a little bit nervous, as he put the cups on the table, along with some snacks. "Well, who knows, with my new job with the goverment plus my high-profile on the science community, maybe I would design something that would one day that other wants, so when I decline him, he decides to get back at my by killing you" he said as he laughed nervously.
He saw the look on Rachel's face, she was not entertained by this therory of his, but soon she stood up and huged her husband: "If someone killes me or I die unexpectly, I want you and Jonny to continue on with your lives. You can't change the future, prehaps it was my destiny to die, so you and Jonny could become something greater, something that is in the path of your lives. Maybe something I'm not suppose to be a part of, but I would always be with you in your hearts and souls. Don't try to change the future or even the past, leave it like it is, it'll all turn out alright." she said as the kettle began giving out a noice.Benton took the kettle off the fire, and turned the gas off. "Alright" Benton said as he poured hot water into Rachel's cup, "I won't try to change the future."After some while Benton was enjoying his time with Rachel, but with her words stuck in his mind.
After sometime by the fireplace, Rachel fell asleep. Benton got up, and put a blanket over her. He looked at her one more time, before he was going to go back to his own time. He began heading to the laboratory, as he heard Jonny's crying. He stopped and entered his room where he lay, crying on the bed. Benton picked him up, and held him in his arms for a few minutes. Shorly, Jonny was sleeping again, so Benton put him back to bed.Back at the laboratory, he picked up his scanner, and began prepearing for his trip back to the future. A vortex opened in front of him. Benton looked at it and began thinking, am I doing the right thing, should I return to the future without my wife. Then he began thinking about what she had said in the kitchen, then he made up his mind. He entered the vortex, and it closed right behind him.