Chapter 13

Sam hid herself in the bathroom stall so she could work uninterrupted. She placed a board over the toilet as it became her new office. She researched Colonel Austin trying to figure the enigma out.

"Retired Colonel Steven Austin. U.S. Air Force. NASA. OSI…what is the OSI?" she wondered. She clicked a link. "Oh, like the CIA. Weird." she continued. "Was one of the first to receive bionic artificial limbs. Wait! What? Bionic limbs? That is something they are still working on. He didn't look like he had artificial limbs." She continued to read. "Unconfirmed leak reported Colonel Austin was one of the first humans to receive advanced bionic legs, right arm and right eye." she paused and looked up from her reading. "Are you kidding me? They had bionics back in the seventies! What the hell? Are they sitting on the good stuff?" She continued to read. "Leaked reports indicate a female also received bionic limbs and an advanced artificial ear. The first test subject was a German Shepherd named Max." She puckered. "Okay! They are hiding shit from us still. And this shit is why no one trust the government anymore."

The door to the restroom opened. Roy called out. "Sam! You in here?"

"I'm in a stall." she replied.

He came to the stall speaking through the closed door. "You okay?"

"Just need a place to do some research. I found some leaked info online about Colonel Austin." she stated as she stood up. She grabbed her board and laptop and opened the stall door. She informed. "He was some kind of spy and has really advanced bionics. Artificial limbs. That's how he was able to jump out the window and walk away." she insisted.

"Leak info? So, it could be fake?" he asked.

She admitted. "I could be but it does explain how he was able to walk away. Things calming down out there?" she asked.

"Sabrina is settling in. The Brady's left." he informed.

"Thank god." she exhaled. "Talk about annoying."

"The more you shoot that boy down the more he's going to want to go out with you." he warned her.

"He's a kid. I'm twenty four. I'm not going on a date with some seventeen year old. I'm not in Hollywood where they do that kind of crap." she countered. "He's a kid. And in my time…he's an old man. So, no thank you." She walked out the restroom door with Roy in tow.

"In my time, seventeen is basically an adult." Roy told her.

She shook her head. "The mind doesn't mature until age twenty four to twenty five. They proved that. He's just a kid. A cute kid but a kid." She added, "Besides, what kind of message does that send to a seventeen year old boy? Going out with a twenty four year old woman. Talk about cougar vibes."

"No one said you had to date him. Just let him down easy." Roy suggested.

She miffed. "I'm about ready to taz his ass."

"His father wrote the station a nice check for a donation. Wait until the check clears before you do that." Roy chuckled.

"Ah-huh." she nodded. She then approached her locker and opened it. She stowed her laptop in the locker and made sure it was locked.

Roy asked, "Ready for some dinner?"

"Sure." she agreed.

They walked into the kitchen for some food. Sabrina found herself to subject of men. She was tasked to make dinner and she assumed the men were simply being sexist.

"Really!" Sabrina looked at the men as if they were joking. "This is my first day here and I'm making all of you dinner?"

Marco stated. "The probe makes dinner." Which was true. The new guy did make dinner.

Sam asked. "What's for dinner?"

Sabrina turned and stated. "Apparently, we're supposed to make dinner." She assumed the men wanted Sam and Sabrina to work in the kitchen and do lesser jobs.

Roy shook his head. "Chet normally cooks and he's not here. So, it's bit of a toss up. Nothing personal, Sabrina."

Johnny had been defending Sabrina. "Chet normally cooks. Sam filled in already. We are all taking turns. It's nothing personal."

Sam asked. "Can we get McDonald's?"

All eyes fell on Sam. Many men looked on disgusted.

Roy asked. "Why do you want McDonald's. You don't like it?"

"I want to try to deep fired pie." she stated. "The pies are urban legends."

Marco pondered. "I could go for a Big Mac."

"Quarter pounder and cheese." Stoker suggested.

Sabrina stood baffled. "You would rather go get McDonald's if I don't cook?"

"I don't care if you cook or not." Sam bluntly told her. "I also want to try to Kentucky Fried Chicken. I heard yours is better than KFC." she added as an afterthought.

Johnny got a paper and pen. "Okay, who wants what?"

Marco asked. "McDonald's or Kentucky Fried Chicken?"

"Let's do both." Johnny offered. "Everyone pitch in five bucks to cover it."

Sam looked at Roy. "I don't have five bucks. Can you cover mine?"

"You know I will." he soothed.

The Captain stated. "Alright! We can do take out. Boy, it will be nice when Chet gets back." he mentioned.

Marco asked. "How is Chet doing?"

All eyes fell on Sam.

She replied. "He's like a duck to water. Doing real good."

"When is he coming back?" Stoker asked for he missed his friend as well.

"Soon." Sam assured.

Later that Evening

Sabrina knew something was off about the station. She wasn't sure where the coffee machine and microwave oven came from and large screen television was simply defying all logic for her. After cleaning up from the dinner she decided to take a walk around the living area to investigate further. The most odd thing happened as an empty water bottle seemed to appear out of thin air in the corner. She walked over and picked the bottle up. "Now, how did this get here?" she asked baffled. She stepped closer to the corner to see if there was some kind of illusion. She felt an earthquake. It only lasted a short time but she was certain things were shaking. She turned around thinking the men would be called out. She then walked into the bay and found the fire trucks were gone. In the back of the bay was a dark haired man, wearing jeans and a t shirt. She heard him speak into a radio.

"It's away." Chet radioed that he sent another empty water bottle to track the moving mouth of the wormhole.

Sabrina approached. "Excuse me." She noticed the contraption on the table in the middle of the bay.

Chet turned around. He winced at the sight. "Where did you find the bottle?"

"In the corner of the living area." she replied. "Who are you and what just happened?"

"I'm Chet. Which corner?"

"Far corner, front by the window." she stated.

Chet radioed. "Sam! We got a problem. Sabrina found the bottle. The wormhole has moved to the living are. Far corner, by the front window."

Sam's voice replied. "Is Sabrina with you?"

"She is." he stated.

She replied. "Just keep here there for now. I need to block off the corner."

"What is going on?" Sabrina asked.

"Welcome to the future." Chet told her.

She asked. "Future?"

"It's the year 2025. Sam's time. That's her engine and she's trying to get control over it. You are safe." he told her.

The door opened and in walked older Roy and Johnny with a hot pizza for a late dinner.

"We're back, Chet." Johnny called. He then came to a stop. "Sabrina."

She cocked her head. "You're John Cage." She focused on Roy. "You are Roy DeSoto."

"We are." Roy nodded. "I see you found the wormhole. That was one of Sam's concerns."

"Sam is?" she wondered.

"My granddaughter. She invented an engine for space ships. It's a little out of hand." he explained.

She figured. "This way out there." She then realized. "Future. The large screen t.v. The coffee maker, the microwave are all from the future."

"Yup." Roy nodded. "The wormhole is a portal that connects 1975 to 2025. The problem is that is moving around the station in 1975. Here, we have it anchored to one spot. Chet is sending empty water bottles to track the opening to the portal. She needs to find a way to anchor to one spot to stabilize in in 1975."

"The whole station knows." she figured.

He nodded. "We all knew you were a private detective who was sent in to find the arsonist." He placed the pizza box down. "Come here." he waved her over to the computer. Roy took a seat and did quick search. "Here is your guy. Probie out of station 60. He joined so he could go around putting out the fires. I'll print this up and send it back with you." he offered.

"This is a computer. Like what Sam has." he found.

"This is a desktop. Sam has a smaller version called a laptop with her." he informed.

She asked. "Who is helping you with this project?"

"No one. We're on our own." he told her.

She gasped. "No government oversight?"

"Nope." he shook his head. "Just me and Johnny. We're Sam's lifeline."

Chet stated. "I'm her lifeline too."

"And Chet." he added.

She asked. "What can I do to help?"

"Just help Sam." he told her. "It's her project."

"I will." she assured. She noticed Johnny stood lingering. "Johnny?"

"Don't marry that guy." he requested.

"What guy?" she asked.

"That guy. You will know him. You end up getting divorced and being a single mom." he told her. "I do become a Captain and do get my own station. When young and dumb me chokes and tries to ask you out but can't bring himself to do it. Ask him out. He will go."

She paused thinking of the words. "I will keep that in mind. How are you?"

"I'm old. Never married, never had any kids. I basically adopted Sam as my granddaughter too." he told her. "Roy and I are just couple of old guys now. Too old to go rescuing people. Too old to fight fires. But not too old to help Sam."

"I think I understand." she told him.

Sam radioed. "Chet! I got the area blocked off. Send Sabrina back. If she stays with you guys, the cops will come looking for her."

Sabrina asked. "How do I get back?"

Johnny grasped her hand. "This way." He walked her to the back of the bay. "See the tape on the floor?" He motioned to the bright orange tape.

"I see it." she told him.

He instructed, "Just take a step over it."

"Okay." she agreed. She paused for a moment. "Thank you for telling what is going on."

"See you soon." Johnny gave her a warm smile.

She took a brave step over the tape. She felt the earthquake again and this time was back in the live area. Sam grabbed her shoulder and pulled her out of the portal's grasp. Sabrina stepped out and she was back in her own time. She looked at Sam as she taped off the area. "That's a trip." she told her.

Sam nodded. "The engine itself pulled me here. I can't go back until I can get this stabilized so people don't walk right into it like you and Chet did. Chet agreed to stay in the future to help Grandpa and Uncle Johnny."

"Because they are old?" she asked.

She nodded. "I let them help me because they were bored and nothing to do. I bought the old station for my project. None of this was supposed to happen. So, Chet wants to help them and since I can't, he's my next best thing."

Sabrina asked. "What do you need to me to do?"

"Don't tell anyone." she pleaded. "I don't need the feds breathing down my neck."

She looked at the paper in her hand. "This case is the reason I'm here. Should I let Bosley know?"

"Who?" she asked.

"My boss." she informed.

She shook her head. "They catch him anyways. I don't know how much the timeline has changed. My best guess is to just lay low and let him get caught like he did."

"And in the meantime?" she asked concerned.

She instructed. "If you see an empty water bottle don't pick it up."