A/N This chapter is a bonus. A gift to the amazing Crystalline Green. Enjoy it mate!
See the end for further notes.
Chapter 11 – Trevor.
Astrid smiled watching Donald muttering something to himself as he fiddled with the interface Walternate had provided. "If I didn't know you better, I would swear that you just cursed."
Donald took his eyes from the interface and looked at Astrid. "I have seen people doing it when they do not achieve the expected results. Walter used to do it frequently. I thought I would try it myself."
"Did it help?" Astrid raised an eyebrow amused.
"Strangely enough, it seemed to alleviate my frustration at the lack of results I am getting from this interface."
Astrid chuckled as she walked back to her bench, on the way she gave a small tap on her friend's shoulder. "Don't worry Donald, you'll get that thing working in no time." Donald smiled back at the former FBI Agent and went back to his task.
The lab was quiet, Etta and Eddie had gone to New York with Walternate, so Astrid had a little time to kill. She browsed her holographic terminal, searching through the information directory, acquainting herself with the internet of this side to entertain herself. She was trying to pick up differences between both worlds and at the same time she was getting to know her new home better.
The creek of the door gained her attention. She was surprised to see the head of a young man peeking through the gap. She stood up and asked, "Can I help you?" already prepared to send another curious student on his way.
"Is this the lab of the former Secretary of Defence, Dr. Walter Bishop?" he asked.
Astrid frowned at the boy's question. "Who wants to know?"
"Oh, I'm so sorry." The young man stepped inside smiling shyly. He looked a bit dorky to Astrid, perhaps nineteen or twenty, filling out but not quite there yet, as if he'd grown a lot recently and his weight had yet to catch up to his height. His hair was mousey brown and precisely styled, rather than the scruff she usually would have associated with someone his age. She would have definitely called him a bit of a geek, although in an endearing kind of way.
"My name is Trevor Dunham-Lee. I'm the son of your former colleague, Lincoln Lee. If I'm correct you're Agent Farnsworth, from my father's Universe, aren't you?" The young man searched his coat for something that apparently was nowhere to be found while Astrid watched amused. "I could have sworn that I put my showme card in my coat pocket."
Astrid chuckled, "It's okay. I believe you Trevor. As you correctly guessed, I'm Astrid, it's a pleasure to meet you," she said giving her hand to Trevor.
"The pleasure his mine," he took her hand and shook.
"And over there is Donald," Astrid turned and indicated the former Observer with a sweep of her hand. Donald raised his head and gave Trevor a small wave of salutation without saying a word, before he went back to his work. The young man hardly had chance to wave back.
"Don't mind him, he gets like that when he is absorbed in his work," Astrid explained giving Trevor an apologetic shrug.
"Oh it's okay, I get it. I'm like that too when I'm focused on something." He kept eyeing Astrid without saying a word. She smiled wider, amused by the young man's little quirks.
"I'm sorry, I shouldn't be staring. It's just... it is truly remarkable. You're the exact copy of our Agent Farnsworth. I've heard the stories about the Other Side since I was a kid, but seeing someone from there, in the flesh... wow. I mean, it's not that I've never seen someone from your world before, since my father is from there, but he's been here since before I was born so he kinda doesn't count."
Trevor's rambling made Astrid chuckle. "I know it's weird and exciting at the same time. It was the same for me back when the Bridge was open, especially when I first met my counterpart," she explained.
"That, well, I can't imagine how it would be, since I know for sure that I don't have a counterpart on your side."
"That's right, you're the same as Etta. Parents from different Universes."
Trevor gave a slight nod. "Yeah I guess I am. Speaking of which, I actually came here hoping to meet her and her cousin."
"Oh, I'm so sorry Trevor," Astrid gave an apologetic smile, "but they went to New York with Etta's grandfather. They're supposed to be back this afternoon, you can wait here if you want. I'm sure it won't be long before they arrive."
Trevor's shoulders slumped, clearly disappointed. "Thank you but I can't, I have a class in an hour. That's really a shame, I was looking forward to meeting them. I had some time off this afternoon so I came here hoping to meet with them."
Astrid gave Trevor's arm a light pat. "You'll have other opportunities to meet them."
"I cannot believe that you gave my comm's number to that girl!" Astrid and Trevor both looked towards the door of the lab, from where the agitated voice had come.
"Of course I did, she was so in to you. She kept staring right at you, dumb-ass! But since you weren't doing anything about it, I had to take matters into my own hands."
The door swung open, pushed by Eddie. The look on his face matched the tone of his voice. "Maybe I wasn't interested in her!"
Etta followed him in and they stood face to face at the entrance of the lab, oblivious to Astrid and Trevor who stood watching their interaction like spectators at a tennis match.
"What? A hottie like that? I'm not gay and even I would have done her."
"Oh for God sakes Etta! Could you please stop trying to get me laid!"
"If you prefer men, you know I could help you pick up guys, I don't mind. I'll be your wing-woman." Etta said with a wide grin.
Eddie stared at his cousin, his mouth agape. "I'm not even going to dignify that with a comment."
"Ahem," Astrid cleared her throat loudly to get the cousins attention. Both heads swivelled towards Astrid and stared at her and in turn, Trevor.
"We have a guest," Astrid said amused.
Trevor gave a small wave. "Hi… I'm Trevor," he said in a low and slightly embarrassed voice.
Etta gave the young man a wide bright smile and approached him. "Trevor Dunham-Lee, right?" she said offering a handshake.
"Yes, that's me," Trevor returned the handshake with a smile, his face slightly flushed.
"So I guess that you're pretty much the closest thing I'll ever have to a half-brother?" Etta said arching her eyebrows playfully, amused by the young man's shyness.
Trevor hesitated a moment, allowing the statement to run though his head and sorting through the strangeness of it. "I guess I am."
Eddie approached and also shook with Trevor. "Eddie Blake"
"Nice to meet you Eddie."
"He's our gay cousin," Etta said smirking and giving a sidelong look at Eddie.
Trevor lowered his head embarrassed while Eddie glared at his cousin shooting daggers.
"Etta, don't you think that's enough?" Astrid said in a slightly reproachful tone.
"Okay, I was only joking," Etta said with a tut and a roll of her eyes. She turned to Trevor deciding to change the subject. "Listen, I'm starving. We barely ate lunch in New York. What do you say to grabbing something at the coffee shop here on campus?"
"Yeah, I'd like that."
"Come on Eddie, I know you're starving too. I promise, I won't try to hook you up with any girls." Etta grabbed her cousin's arm and bit her lower lip.
Eddie huffed and shook his head. "Sure, let's go."
"Aunt Astrid, don't you wanna come too?"
"No, thank you Etta, I'm fine. You kids go, you must have a lot to talk about."
Eddie approached the workbench where Donald was still working, seemingly oblivious to everything going on around him. "Donald do you want to join us?"
The former Observer raised his head and looked at Eddie, looking a little confused, his thoughts evidently still on his work. "No, thank you Edward. You go ahead and enjoy your meal." He turned his attention immediately back to the gadget he was working on.
Eddie smiled and gave a Donald a gentle pat on the back.
The three youngsters made their way through the busy campus, with Etta and Trevor engaging easily in lively conversation.
Trevor also took on the role of unofficial tour guide of the campus as they walked. "That section over there was released from amber only six years ago," Trevor pointed to a group of buildings on the far side of the campus. "It was the last ambered section here in the Boston area."
Etta and Eddie looked in the direction Trevor was pointing. "I was here with my parents that day. My mother makes a point to be at every de-ambering ceremony she can get to." Trevor gave a wry smile to the cousins. "She says that it helps her to deal with the fact that she was on one of the teams that was at the forefront of the ambering process, back in the days of the vortices. Before the forming of the Bridge, many lives were lost and many more were trapped in the amber when the containment protocols were actioned."
Etta and Eddie exchanged looks. Both remained silent.
"But that was a long time ago. I wasn't even born. Things are so much better now." Trevor gave the two cousins a smile.
They entered the coffee shop and approached the counter, each picked their beverage and food of choice. It was around three in the afternoon and the coffee shop was bustling with students and faculty members. After waiting a few minutes, they managed to get a booth by the window.
Eddie looked around, watching people crowded around the tables, cheerfully engaging in conversation with each other. The atmosphere of the coffee shop was full of life, so bewilderingly different from their Observer controlled society.
"Aren't you going to eat?" Etta asked noticing her cousin's introspective mood.
"We've been here for four days and I still feel... exhilarated and sad at the same time, watching all these people going about their lives, not a care in the world. It's just so different from our world."
"What's it like?" Trevor asked. Eddie gazed into space, pondering where to begin. "I mean, if you don't want to talk about it I completely understand." Trevor said giving Eddie an apologetic smile and a way out of talking about his home Universe.
"No, Trevor, it's okay," Eddie waved his hand, dismissing Trevor's concerns. "It's just, something like this," Eddie said gesturing to the food and beverages on offer in front of them, "is only available to a privileged few, those who side with the Observers."
"So, what do you guys get to eat?" Trevor asked, eyebrows drawing together in a frown.
"Food supplements mostly, like egg sticks, meat or fish tablets, vitamin and protein pills and so on."
"Boy, I can't imagine living like that." Trevor grimaced.
"You get used to it," Etta said with a shrug. "But the food is the least of it. Our society is controlled by the Observers. There is no government, the educational system is reduced only to a few years in school and they only teach the basics. Healthcare is practically non-existent. People just pretty much struggle to stay alive only so they can live another day. Hope is in very short supply."
Trevor was disturbed by Etta's account "That's horrible," he shook his head, "living without hope, without goals."
"Basically it is." Eddie said savouring a sip of his coffee.
"But there's the Resistance, right? My dad told me you were part of it."
"Yes," Eddie put down his cup before he elaborated. "But there's only so much the Resistance can do. Fighting the Observers has basically been a fool's errand. They control all the resources and they're so much more advanced than we are and to top it all, they can travel through time and dimensions. They can predict the possible outcomes an event can cause and use that knowledge to manipulate our timeline to suit their needs."
"You mean that they can foresee the future?" Trevor frowned, intrigued by Eddie's revelation.
"Not exactly. It's... complicated," Eddie tried to think how best to explain. "You see, they sacrificed human emotions in order to achieve a higher intellect. They developed technology and each of them has a device implanted in their brain, which gives them the ability to both travel through time and grants them enhanced capacity to solve very complex mathematical problems, connecting strings of probability, making calculations for each circumstance and every eventuality. That way they can evaluate the impact of a certain event occurring in the present, and the resultant effect it will have in the future."
"Like a very powerful computer that can analyse weather patterns and predict an accurate forecast months ahead?" Trevor prompted, fully engrossed in Eddie's explanation.
"Exactly."
"Damn!" Trevor leaned back in his seat, impressed by Eddie's account about the Observers, "If they are that powerful… surely it's impossible to defeat them."
"Most of the people back home think like that," Etta said, joining the conversation. "But for us in the Resistance, it's unthinkable to just passively accept it and watch as our world is destroyed. At least we are doing something. We refuse to give up. We'd rather die fighting for our future, than to just live a hopeless life under Observer order."
Trevor nodded, understanding Etta's position. "I know you guys have some kind of plan and that's one of the reasons why you are here. My parents didn't give me any details and I completely understand, but if you need any help I would be very happy to assist you."
"Thanks, that's very kind of you." Etta smiled at the young man's enthusiasm.
"I have a PhD in advanced electronics and I'm currently finishing a Master's Degree in nanotechnology, so feel free to call upon my expertise in those fields if you should need to," Trevor insisted.
"If we need anything we'll be sure to call, thank you," Eddie replied politely, not wanting to dismiss Trevor immediately. He had no wish to hurt the young man's feelings.
"Let's talk about something more cheerful," Etta said deciding on changing the subject. "We have something unique in common," she said raising an eyebrow. "We're the only two children of parents from different universes."
"Yes, so we are." Trevor nodded enthusiastically.
"When did you find out?" Etta asked.
"Honestly, I don't remember," Trevor replied shrugging. "My parents never hid the truth from me. I've known since I was a child. What about you?"
"I only found out a few months ago, Aunt Astrid and Donald where the ones who told me. Eddie and I didn't even knew about your Universe, let alone that my dad came from here."
"Boy, that must have been a shock to you," Trevor said raising his eyebrows.
"Believe me, it was a day full of them." Etta exchanged glances with Eddie and they smiled at each other remembering the day they had met Donald. "But how was it for you, growing up knowing that? Did everyone know? Did the other kids give you a hard time at school because of it?"
"It wasn't exactly a secret. Friends of our family and my parent's colleagues, they all know where my father is from. But I don't usually go around telling people about it. Honestly I barely think about it, it's just something that doesn't really bother me. I never felt I was being discriminated against or harassed because of it. Not at school or anywhere else, not that I remember," he finished with a shrug.
"That's great, I'm happy you managed to deal with it so well." Etta gave a small smile.
"Can I ask you a question?" Eddie asked eyeing Trevor cautiously.
"Sure, anything."
"Your grandma is still alive, isn't she?"
"Yeah, Grandma Marilyn!" Trevor gave a bright smile. "She's seventy four you know, but still as healthy as an ox. She's going to love meeting you both. Especially you Eddie, since my aunt Rachel died giving birth. She'll love meeting a son of Rachel."
"I'm looking forward to that," Eddie returned the smile. The idea of meeting the grandmother he never knew, and getting the chance to know made him nervous, but also excited. "Did you ever meet her on your side?" Trevor asked.
"No," Eddie shook his head solemnly, "she died when my mom was a teenager. Neither of us ever got to know her. Not even my sister Ella and she was older than me."
"My dad told me what happened to your sister, I'm very sorry."
"It's okay, it happened a few years back. We've lost many good people because of the Observers, Ella was just one more to add to the list."
Trevor noticed then how heavily the sadness weighed upon Eddie, even though he tried not to make a big deal of it. Trevor decided not to press on the issue. "What about your mom?" he asked changing tack.
"She's in Portland with dad. The last time we spoke they were fine, considering the circumstances."
"Didn't you think to bring them over to our side too?"
"Yes I did, but we had to leave quickly and coming here was totally unexpected. We weren't planning this." Eddie said gesturing to their surroundings with his hand.
Etta elaborated, "A very good friend of ours died last week. He sacrificed himself in order not to compromise our plan. But we don't know if the Observers managed to get anything from him. That's why we had to leave in a hurry. Due to my ability to cross over to your side, Donald had the idea of us hiding over here while we prepare. The Observers will not expect this. They don't know about my ability."
"That's why you don't want to risk crossing over to get your aunt? You're afraid the Observers may find out and capture you?"
"That's one of the reasons, but believe me, it's something that has been nagging me. After the invasion, my parents sent me to live with Aunt Rachel to protect me. It was too dangerous for me to be around while they were leading the resistance. So, Aunt Rachel raised me since I was three years old. I really wish I could go to Portland to bring them over here. But it's dangerous and we can't risk compromising the plan, as much as it pains me to leave her there."
Trevor nodded sympathetically. "You have to think positive. If your plan succeeds, won't that mean you'll get rid of the Observers?"
"We hope so."
"So focus on that. That way you will be also helping your aunt."
Etta gave a small nod and smiled. "I will, thanks Trevor."
"I have to go, I have a class in twenty minutes." Trevor picked up his tray, preparing to leave, "It was really nice getting to know you both."
"It was good getting to know you too Trevor." Eddie said following Trevor's lead.
"What about we get together this weekend?" Trevor suggested. "We could go out for drinks. I honestly don't get out much, I'm usually more focused on my studies. Mom is always nagging me that I should get out more and meet people," Trevor rolled his eyes and smiled. "I bet you guys never went to a bar or even to a club."
"That's an amazing idea," Etta said, standing from the booth to join her cousin and Trevor. "Maybe Eddie will finally meet someone to his liking," she clapped Eddie on the back.
"For God sakes Etta, don't start again." Eddie huffed in frustration.
"I'm just looking out for you, couz." She gave him a wide grin.
"Or maybe you'll find a guy to your liking... or a girl," Eddie retorted.
"Oh!" Etta exaggerated an open mouthed fake-shocked expression, but it quickly changed to a mischievous smile. "Maybe I'll find both a guy and a girl".
Trevor turned to his companions, "Are you guys like this all the time?"
Etta chuckled, "Only when we're not fighting Loyalists or Observers."
"You're joking right? You're even more annoying when you're fighting." Eddie said with a crooked grin.
"I am not!" She protested gently smacking Eddie's arm.
"Yes you are. I've seen Loyalists surrender just to not have to put up with your mouth."
Etta glared with narrowed eyes. "Donald was wrong after all," she said after a while.
"How?" Eddie asked raising his chin, shining Etta on despite himself.
"Crossing over with me can cause side effects. You're totally delusional."
Trevor smiled following behind the bickering pair. It was going to be an interesting night out.
A/N I had stated in my profile that chapter 11 was going to be the last of part one of the story.
Due to this bonus chapter, the final one will be the 12th.
It is already written and betaed, only some minor final adjustments to be done.
I hope I will be able to publish it tomorrow or tuesday.
Thanks to everyone still reading/following/commenting this story.
