1~
A well-coifed, dark-suited man held a microphone in front of a busy, French-style cafe, while a cameraman silently counted down from five to one on his free hand.
"This is Rob Robins," the man introduced himself on cue, before he made a broad gesture to show the viewers the neighborhood he was standing in. "As you can see, this town, seemingly, looks no different than it had before. The people, the businesses, and architecture, all seem normal. But, there is a change in the air, slight differences to the look and feel of, not just this town, but everywhere, that one just can't wave away."
An edited montage of patrons walking by the cafe was shown to illustrate the reporter's point.
"Clothing is still modern for the time," he explained. "Yet, today, one can see a sprig of oak leaf set, as a boutonnière on a man's suit jacket, or a picture of an oak tree or leaf proudly worn on some boy's dirty t-shirt. Even women's and girl's fashion are equally adorned with such subtleties as a twig of ripe, eye-catching mistletoe. Is the fashion world, perhaps, going back to Nature?"
Another montage, this time of various places of worship, was shown, next.
"And what of religion?" he continued. "Here, the number of known churches, mosques and synagogues in Gatorsburg has dropped, mysteriously, with those numbers, now, being replaced by maypoles and quiet temples, surrounded by oak trees, that you can only visit through paths that wind deep into the woods, devoted to gods that the average Crystal Cove citizen would need to be a scholar in Celtic culture to grasp.
"Our local reporters have confirmed that a noticeable change in culture and behavior has visited the country, and indeed, the world, almost overnight, and yet, incredibly, Crystal Cove, itself, seemed untouched by these mysterious alterations. However, it didn't mean that we weren't affected by them.
"The fear began during typical phone calls to friends and family outside of town. People, who attempted to call, soon found that they couldn't get through to them, the phone numbers on the other end being invalid.
"When no solution was found, a number of citizens made fact-finding trips out of town. What they discovered only confused them, even more.
"Starting in Gatorsburg, our citizens who had friends and family, here, sought them out by address, and found something shocking. Those people, were either gone, or worse, were there, but had no knowledge of the visitors.
"As more worried citizens sought out loved ones across California, they soon discovered more of the same. In the end, they all returned home, to Crystal Cove, the one place of safety and stability they still knew of.
"Our own mayor, Janet Nettles, was reached for a comment," he said, leading to a clip of her interview in City Hall.
"As it stands, now, through our local media, we've learned that, somehow, because of our strange immunity to what has happened, we've been disconnected from the rest of the world, cut off from everything, and perhaps, everyone we once knew. Our people are, of course, nervous, but my administration will do all that it can to aid and comfort the good folk of Crystal Cove through this troubling time."
Then, the scene returned to the reporter.
"It is the opinion of this Regional Emmy Award-winning reporter that the whole country, maybe even the world, is playing some long-belated, far-reaching April fool's joke, and that we all the confused butt monkeys of it. This is Rob Robins, reporting from Gatorsburg. CC News."
Marcie reached down and turned off the small, battery-powered television set on loan from Dale Dinkley, ending that segment of the late afternoon news. Then, she noticed a cluster of errant fingerprint smudges by Velma's face.
"Ugh! Would it kill people to wear gloves while they work around here?" Marcie clucked like a wet hen, while she went about polishing the glasslike exterior of Velma and the others' stasis chamber.
Thanks to Schrödinger granting her very limited access to the building, this became her noonday ritual, every day, after school, a quick drive to Sundial to chat to the still immobilized Velma about overheard gossip and happenings in school, or give her the news of the day. Sometimes, she would, also, relay messages from Daisy to Daphne, as well.
She pulled her chair closer to where Velma was suspended, looking like a fragile specimen preserved in amber, close, yet unreachable.
Marcie sighed those feelings away, and related what was on her mind.
"Well, you heard the news, V. The world has become completely changed. Some are saying that it's a global Back-to-Nature movement, but I know what it really is. Greenman."
A focused look towards the silent Velma, prompted a response from Marcie.
"That's right, V," she said, as if she, somehow, heard Velma reply. "Druidry is in, and it all points to him. He's a druid, he's partnered with the evil Dr. Quest, and used stolen time travel technology from Sundial. Now, everything's changed, except for Crystal Cove, and it's putting everybody on edge."
Another harkening look to Velma, had Marcie explaining more to her.
"Well, it's pretty obvious what happened, V. While we went looking for you, he was busy making changes to the past to make Druidry the dominant faith in the world. I know how he did it, I just don't know why. Even if he is devout, why go through all of that effort?"
She stood up to pace, working out the angles of possible motive, from the means and opportunity. "He's already on my hit list for hurting Dad, but why would he do that? Why was he so interested in Dad's park? There has to be a connection between that and what he's done, now."
Glancing over at the wall clock, she saw what time it was, and sighed. "It's getting late. I've got to go, V. I'll be back, tomorrow, and this time, I'll bring your cd player with me. I've already cued up your favorite songs."
She slipped on her book bag, picked the TV up, by the handle, placed a loving palm print on the glass in front of Velma's heart, and whispered, "I miss you."
Feeling at peace from the visit, she started to turn and leave the chamber room, and was suddenly startled to see Red running towards her, like a football player. He couldn't stop in time, and they crashed in a heap, to the floor, the TV sliding away from her.
"Red? What's going on? How did you get down here? How did you find me?" she sputtered. "You better not have broken Mr. Dinkley's TV set!"
"Marcie, I need help!" Red wailed.
"It's good that you're admitting to that to yourself. Now, all you need is some counseling," she quipped, as she straightened herself up and stood. "Now, what's this about?"
"I'm...being stalked!"
That gave Marcie pause, and she gave him a deeply quizzical look, knowing what she knew of the well-intentioned, intellectually non-curious braggadocio.
Red completely missed her skepticism. "Yeah, I know. You're thinking that with me looking this cool, why this hasn't happened years ago! Hey, even *I don't know why, but it's happening, now!"
Marcie put up her hands to pacify him. "Okay, Red, calm down. Now, who's, heh, stalking you?"
"I first saw her watching me from in front of Aunt Hedda's garage, a couple of days ago, after we came back from that crazy trip with the time machine, remember?"
"Yeah. So, did you see her anywhere else?" she asked.
"Almost everywhere I go, now, at the university, the mall, at work. I'm sad to say that, at the record store, it got...kind of violent."
Marcie gasped. "Red, you didn't hit her, did you?"
Red looked even more shocked than Marcie. "What? No way! Aunt Hedda raised me to never hit a girl, but I think my stalker's taking advantage of that, now. Just great, my moral upbringing is being tested by this devil woman."
"Take it easy. Have you told the Sheriff or a deputy?"
"Are you kidding?" Red asked, puffing up his already broad chest, defensively. "How would it look if I can't even handle some stupid crisis of the heart? I've got a rep, so I'm keeping this just between us. You got help me. Will ya?"
Marcie considered the time that would have been spent on her ongoing investigation against Greenman, being wasted, devoted to this, but, with a lack of solid leads, the priority, quickly, swung towards friendship, and so, she nodded.
"Okay, let's get the gang together," she said. "And solve this mystery."
In the circular conference room in the depths of Lab Facility #16, Everest Greenman raised an up-angled eyebrow in curiosity.
"Let me understand this," he said to Benton Quest. "You're saying that although I changed the history of the world, it ultimately worked out better for you? How so?"
Quest, lounging in the leather chair at the table's end, explained. "With the old timeline erased, you've also erased my outstanding criminal record, and the world's memories of it. Now, I can come out hiding, and expand my scientific endeavors, once again. It's one of the reasons I agreed to our strange partnership."
"I thought it had something to do with you needing a guinea pig to test out the Hour Arch," Greenman said, jovially.
'The thought had crossed my mind...several times,' Benton thought, as he lightly laughed the suspicion away. "Hardly. We both benefited from this. You survived and created your pagan utopia, and I'm a free man, again, with a brand new world ready to experience my genius."
"Not entirely brand new, Benton," Greenman warned him.
"Yes, I know. There's still the matter of Crystal Cove. Somehow, its history didn't change like everywhere else. Sundial may be the reason, an experiment in temporal shielding, perhaps."
"Perhaps," Greenman said, smoothly, contemplating how this unexpected little wrinkle could affect his goals, overall. "In any event, congratulations are in order. I trust that you will take advantage of the Hour Arch, soon, and go into the past to save your wife?"
Now, it was Quest who, imperceptibly, raised an eyebrow. On the surface of it, Greenman's question was supposedly innocent, but Quest's long suspicions of him told him that it was far more provocative and probing.
"That's the thing about time travel," he answered carefully. "You can't change one thing without upsetting a hundred others. Olivia lived and died in the old timeline. It would be unfair to undo all of your work in an attempt to save her. She must remain in the past, and I must do what I can to move on with my life."
"So, you don't have any plans to use the Hour Arch, at present?" Greenman asked, hiding his doubts that the doctor would ever be this self-sacrificing.
"Not at present, however, I may wish to make excursions into the future to see how things turn out from this point in the new history."
"I see," Greenman said, coolly. "I, too, lost a loved one, myself, a long time ago, and, like you, I had to understand that moving on was the best course of action, as well."
He stood from his chair, and said, with a gracious bow, "Forgive me, Doctor, but I have a lot of preparation to make before the week ends. Please, excuse me."
"Of course, Everest. I've been neglectful of my work, as well. I won't keep you any longer. Thank you for seeing me."
The moment Greenman left the room and the door shut, a concealed panel slid aside, revealing a small observation room used to spy on other administrators during their meetings to guard against disloyalty.
Race Bannon stepped into the larger room and stood near Benton.
"What do you think, Doc?"
"I think he saw through my ruse not to use the Hour Arch, right away. But, whether he saw through it, or not, we have to step up our plans to go back in time and undo his foolish crusade, so that I can start the start the empire of Time that I may someday leave to Jonny."
"I hope there's room in this new order for the likes of me, Doc."
"What, not have a place in my regime for my strong right arm and enforcer, or for Jonny's life-long friend, perfect spy and interrogator, Hadji? Oh, perish the thought, my old friend. We will meet more than our fair share of opposition in the past, and I will need all of my best people with me...when we crush it!"
"Well, when you put it like that, Doc, how can I say no?"
The two men shared a private chuckle, mentally preparing the betrayal that would fall on their dear, odd, financial benefactor, whose money and contributions to the temporal sciences, helped pave the way to their glory, and his destruction.