Chapter 2 Freedom

Jeff walked out and headed back to the small apartment he and Bogg had been sharing. Amsterdam in 1942 might not be dangerous he argued with himself. Germany yes, but Amsterdam was full of civilians. Bogg could've landed in a quaint area of the city, far from any army. Headquarters was tracking him, they'd know if he were in trouble. Maybe this was just what Jeff needed, some time away from Bogg. Jeff smiled, his partner was probably kissing a young maiden at this very moment. And now, suddenly Jeff was as free as he could ever remember being. He sat down on the couch and looked around the apartment. He could do anything, go anywhere. It didn't take him long to decide he was going to enjoy this freedom while he could.

He left for the rotunda a few moments later. The schedule of classes was posted there and he could choose any workshop that interested him. He poured over the listings and chose a course called Technology Update. The course description stated it covered the latest in technology innovations. Jeff spent the next hour picking up the required textbooks.

"Hey Jeff," the voice caught him by surprise. He turned and smiled at a young Voyager he'd gotten to know since they had arrived.

"Hey Daryl, how's it going?"

"What course are you taking?" Daryl asked as he turned the book in Jeff's hands to read the title.

"Technology Update."

"Me too, it's supposed to be hard, we can study together," he glanced around, "where's your partner?"

"On a mission," Jeff told him.

Daryl smiled, "Wanna hang out tonight?"

"Sure," Jeff smiled as they walked together toward the cafeteria. Daryl was a senior at Voyager Academy. In just one more semester he'd be ready for his first solo voyage. Jeff had enjoyed learning about the academy from Daryl, who had approached them a week ago. His assignment had been to interview an experienced voyager and write a paper as a way of preparing for his first solo voyage. All the senior students had chosen a voyager who happened to be at headquarters, and therefore was available. Daryl had picked Phineas Bogg. He had interviewed him privately, without Jeffrey present, and Jeff had never been told what they had talked about. He did have the impression that Daryl suffered from a bit of hero worship where Bogg was concerned. He'd told Jeffrey that his class had studied one of Bogg's tactics during a course, and he'd seemed very nervous around him in the beginning.

The course began the following morning, and Jeffrey met Daryl as they took their seats.

"So this is the kid, eh? I thought he'd be younger," said a stranger with a friendly face and light brown curly hair.

"Jeff, this is Gary, a friend of mine," Daryl introduced them.

"Hi," Jeff answered nodding toward him.

"Nice to meet you," Gary said extending his hand and they shook as the teacher called the class to order.

Their conversation was lively during their lunch break.

"I can't believe how hard the projects are," Jeff said as he put his tray down on the table.

"Yeah, and the timetable on these summer classes is so short," Gary added.

"Anybody got any ideas on what to do to explore an alternate timeline?" Daryl asked before taking a bite of his hamburger.

Jeff bit into his sandwich and sat thinking as he chewed and swallowed. An idea had occurred to him, but he hesitated to mention it.

Toward the end of the meal, Daryl spoke to Jeff. "You've been awfully quiet."

Jeff stared at him, and finally spoke. "I have an idea for a project, but it might not be allowed."

"Let's hear it," Gary asked and both he and Daryl gave their full attention to Jeffrey.