A/N: LOL I love the speculation but you'll have to wait and see.
Thanks again for reading and reviewing, I hope you like the next chapter :)
Chapter Four - Is it forever or will it all end?
Wheeler had declined the offer of dinner the night before but by the morning he was starving and since the whole time travel thing hadn't been just a nightmare the way he'd hoped it was, he asked his guard to escort him to the mess hall, or anywhere he could get some breakfast.
Tanya's face lit up when he entered the room, not because she was particularly happy to see him herself but because she knew Linka had fretted about his lack of appetite and she hoped that his appearance was a good sign. "Did you sleep well?"
The American shrugged, "I guess, I still feel a bit groggy though."
"Most likely an after-effect of the time distortion." She replied apologetically as they collected their meals from the kitchen staff. "If it does not wear off we can get Doctor Kolokov to run some more tests."
Wheeler gave her a wry smile, "It'll wear off."
She laughed, but her expression turned serious again, "I have started making enquiries about time travel research but it is not looking promising. If anyone is working on it, they are not making it public, I am sorry."
"I'm not giving up." He replied and she nodded, not sure what else to say.
They ate in silence for a while but finally Wheeler said, "What would you do?"
"I am not sure I understand you?" Tanya said slowly.
The ex-Planeteer shrugged, "What would you do? In my place… hang around here and wait? Try and get a job? What?"
Her gaze turned inwards as she considered the question and it was several moments before she responded, "I believe I would try to find out as much as I could about what I had missed first, and then perhaps try to find somewhere I could fit in and move on… although as a scientist I might also start researching ways back… I am not sure Jason. I do not think I am the right person to ask."
"Yeah, but who is?" he shrugged. "Well there's no point in my trying to build a time machine myself so that's out for a start."
Tanya looked at him curiously, "Are you sure? You keep putting yourself down but… I am sorry it is just that Linka has always spoken of you as if she believed you could do anything."
He laughed but his heart was thumping in his chest at the idea of his Russian friend speaking of him in such terms. "I've always been practical I guess, and not the kind of person who gives up easily when I set out to do something… but this stuff? Physics and Quantums and all that are way over my head." He thought for a moment and then added, "Given the right parts and a good design I could probably put a time machine together but you need to understand why it works to do the design in the first place, yeah?"
The Russian still looked thoughtful, "Da… you could study? It is not too late to learn…"
"Linka gave you a really weird idea of me if you think so." Wheeler grinned, "But it's good to know she didn't think I was a complete loser."
"Not at all." Tanya shook her head vehemently, "Jason she… she regarded you very highly."
Wheeler swallowed and looked back down at his breakfast.
"I am sorry."
"Not your fault." He took a long breath and blew it out slowly trying to get hold of his emotions. "Let's change the subject though okay? Tell me what this grey stuff I'm eating is…? And what the hell is that brown stuff that I'm definitely not eating?"
The Russian gave a soft laugh and began to explain their breakfast, laughing harder at his reactions and doing her best to persuade him to try some of the other options. She had the odd feeling that he was trying to make her feel better, odd because it was supposed to be her doing the comforting.
Their conversation continued along innocuous lines until they were done eating and then Tanya took her new friend on a slightly limited tour of the facility, ending up in her own lab where the data collected about the Quantum Fibre was held. Wheeler let her explain her research and findings without trying to understand any of it, she was too caught up in her subject to notice anyway.
"We really have just scratched the surface, if we could harness it in some way…" She smiled, "I am boring you, I apologise."
"Stop apologising for everything, you're not responsible." The American grinned at her, "Besides, I'm used to listening to technobabble with a Russian accent, it's kinda soothing."
Tanya laughed but then he took her off guard with a question she didn't understand at first.
"I suppose he was a brain box too?"
"Who was?"
"Your grandpa… Linka's husband." He was frowning. "Scientist type? Or was it someone I'd met… oh god, please tell me it wasn't Greg."
The young woman blinked, "Who is Greg?"
"Just someone Linka used to like." He sounded sulky all of a sudden and the shrug of his shoulders was less casual than he'd intended.
Tanya felt a surge of anger towards her relative. How can she love him and let him hurt like this? I've known him less than a day and I could not do it…
"She never mentioned a Greg." She told him, putting off lying as long as she could. "In fact I have never heard her mention anyone but you… and she mentioned you a lot."
Wheeler raised an eyebrow, "Her husband must have been a very understanding man if that's true?"
The lovely blond coloured, "Jason, look around you… the government fund this facility but Linka is… was, the driving force behind it. She joined the original scientific team sent to investigate the fibres, but she did more than that, she inspired them, she kept them together, pushed them and fought for the funding to keep the project going. She did that for you. She loved her family but you came first, we always knew that. Every breakthrough she made, every award she won, it was all for you… to bring you home. For this."
"But she had a family, a home. If my… absence, inspired her career choice, it wasn't her sole focus." He held up a hand to forestall her answer. "Don't get me wrong, I'm glad about that, there was nothing I wanted more than for her to be happy. I just can't help wanting to know what kind of guy she finally fell for, I've always had this crazy jealous streak when it comes to Linka, but I want to know that he treated her right... that she made the right choices. You know?"
Finally beginning to understand just how well Linka understood him, Tanya gave in to the restrictions the older woman had placed on her and began to tell him the things she'd thought of the night before. "He… he was one of the scientists assigned here. He shared her obsession with the fibres, if for a different reason. That is how they got to know each other, he understood her dedication to getting her friend back, and he admired her and helped her so… so he never really questioned it. They'd known each other for a few years before their relationship became anything else and I think by then they both knew that it was unlikely their work would be completed in their lifetimes."
She looked down at the floor, unable to meet his gaze in case he saw the truth in the tears she was trying to hold back. "They were happy together, Jason. I just did not want you to think that she forgot why she was doing this, and she did talk about you all the time too, because she wanted us to know you the way she did."
He sounded a little choked but he was still joking, "I guess my disappearing made her forget all the bad stuff huh? I think you got the edited version."
"Not entirely." Finding herself on safer ground Tanya smiled up at him suddenly. "I know you have a thing for immature practical jokes, you don't pay attention when you're bored and you're easily distracted by a pretty face. You flirt too much, don't do house work and avoid being serious whenever possible."
That got a more genuine laugh but it was still subdued. "Sounds about right… Well. I guess if she did all that for me, I'd better make the best of it huh? Get on with living this life she wanted me to have. That was what she wanted, right?"
Tanya nodded, "You have made a decision about how to do that?"
"I'll do the only thing I know how to do. I'll go back to the Planeteers." He didn't sound happy.
To Be Continued…