Chapter 18 -No Time Like the Prescient

Chapter 18
No Time Like the Prescient
Meanwhile, Aleister had finally located Jack down in the lab.
After the initial shock at finding Emmeline and Alice gone, Jack had stormed off into parts unknown and Aleister wisely let him blow off steam awhile before tracking him down to his 'lair' below.
Years of experience with Jack had taught Al that whenever his friend was troubled, he would often lose himself in his work. For hours, or days or weeks on end. He'd have to have Yeats haul him out of the lab just to make sure he fed and showered occasionally.
Al feared that just such a work jag was coming on Jack now. He knew that Jack just wanted to put Emmeline and all else out of his mind and concentrate on solving some problem or puzzle just to give himself focus of some sort other than blaming himself for all that had gone...sideways.
Aleister, thinking himself somewhat older and wiser, or at least more experienced, knew that...stuff happened. Perhaps this was for the best at this juncture. One can control events, and especially human beings, only so far...
He found Jack seated on a stool gazing at an object in rapt attention,and with an elbow on one knee and   head leaning against his fist, he seemed the personification of The Thinker. He recognized Miles Davis: 'So What' played in the background. Ah. Jack could listen to 'Kind of Blue' over and over, never even hearing it, but needing it like a morphine drip  when he was, himself, Kind of Blue.
'What have we here, then?' Aleister approached cautiously. Jack still had a rather wild look about him;his hair standing on end on one side of his head, the result of his nervous habit of running his hands through it when he was exasperated usually.
Jack looked over at Aleister, straightening. 'I managed to get The Box open that we found in Em's trunk. This,'he gestured at the odd object on the table before him, 'was the only thing inside.'
Aleister bent over the object, curious. 'May I?'
Jack nodded, and Al picked it up. It was a sort of matte-silverish color, although when he turned it around, it seemed to have a violet sheen. It was egg-shaped, although rather flattened, perhaps like a soapcake, and slightly larger than palm-sized. It was seamless and had no markings on it whatsoever.
'Hm.' Aleister was baffled by the thing. 'Any ideas...?'
Jack sighed and stretched his legs out to the floor,
'No.I'd try xray diffraction analysis but using a scanning electron microscope I can find no inclusions.Nothing.Useware analysis can't be done.It would seem as if newly made without any preterite status. Can't get a picture, can't get a read-out. No response from any stimuli; electrical or magnetic, or sonic even. It seems inert. I somehow doubt that it is. But what it is, or it's use, is beyond me, other than it's obviously magnesium, zinc and bismuth. If it wasn't such a unique artefact,I could run it over to the university for laser Raman spectroscopy, wavelength dispersive spectroscopy, EDS, MRI...' Jack's eyes had that glassy look that Aleister knew all too well. Jack continued:
'The zinc could be a catalyst for magnesium ionization...but I can't yet locate any oxygen, they could both act as potentiators but we'd need ion probe spectra for analysis...'
Al stepped up to the plate, as it were.'Come have something to eat, old man. Coffee, at least, eh? We'll look into this later. I may have some ideas...' Aleister looked hopeful.
Jack stretched and rolled his head in a arc, setting bones to cracking with a loud crunching sound. 'Gods I'm stiff!I guess I have been down here awhile already.' He blinked at Aleister and seemed to focus at last. 'Coffee. Oh, mercy, yes...'
Al smiled as he watched Jack return The Object to The Box and put both in the safe, glad that Jack was amenable to something other than 'stewing' down in the lab for aeons.
As the two men came upstairs, Jack sniffed, scratched his hair and smiled at last. 'Coffee! Gods it smells good. Thanks Al, I admit I can use it!'
'I hadn't made any yet Jack!' Aleister said, 'I wonder--'
They both were surprised, but only slightly, to find Yeats in the kitchen, sipping coffee and leaning casually on the counter.
'I have something to impart to you both,' said Yeats, in his low melodious voice. 'But do help yourselves to some mocha java and then join me in the parlor. I have news.' And with that enigmatic proclamation, Yeats exited the scene.
                   . . . . . .
Duly summoned, Aleister and Jack took their coffees into the parlor in Yeats's wake and sat at opposite ends of the sofa, whilst Yeats leaned upon the mantlepiece, staring out the French doors at the still stormy landscape blowing about the house. A tall, already imposing figure, Yeats, when he was of a mind to,  could also give one the creeps. He was dashed uncanny, that's what it was.
His early history was not known amongst the Order proper, but, being a blackbelt in karate was a plus not to be sneezed at, and also he was a bloody great chef and loved to cook.
So, indeed Al and Jack did attend smartly to his summons.
Yeats took a poker from the fireplace and a cigarette from the case on the mantlepiece. He held the poker in the fire awhile, heating it nicely.
Jack looked to Aleister, who shrugged and maintained his poker face. He thought. Oh gods, poker face.
When sufficiently heated, Yeats took the red-hot poker from the fire and touched it gently to his cigarette tip, inhaling whilst casting an eye at the two on the couch.
'You bloody idiots.' Yeats announced matter-of-factly.
'Well, I...' Jack began,
'Are you arguing with me?' Yeats enquired, holding the hot poker tip up to his eye level.
'Wouldn't dream of it.' Jack was certain on that account.
Yeats dropped into the armchair. 'Lord and Lady, what a run you have given me.'he sat forward and leaned the poker against the fireplace.' I say, would either of you lads - he stressed the word - mind fetching this old man a brandy? I've had the devil's own Time of chasing your lady friends throughout It.'
                    . . . . .
Suiting action to suggestion, Jack did the honor and handed Yeats a snifter of Courvoisier. Al and Jack wisely stuck to caffeine. Unused to Yeats's newfound
verbosity, they sat dumbstruck, waiting.
'First of all. Miss Page and Mrs. Stein are safe at home in Pankhurst.'
Both Jack and Aleister visibly relaxed at this news.
'No thanks to either of you lot!' Yeats continued. 'Secondly, Flubber is on the lam. After the...altercation shall we say? -- at the theatre,
he was singled out as the cause of the disturbance
and had the crowd out for his blood thinking that he had somehow threatened Jacky when you two 'gents' tossed him out of her room on his backside. He'd managed to get away from them, but the police were given a fair description of him and have been on the lookout for him. I tracked him to a whistle-stop en route to Pankhurst and intercepted him there. When I showed him a fake badge and made a grab for him, he ran and managed to catch a train heading back westbound. I decided to let him go, as he seemed to know that we knew of his intentions and were looking for him. He'll  lie low for awhile now. I kept watch over the Stein residence for a couple of days without incident.'
Yeats paused and sipped his cognac.
Jack and Aleister quietly drank their coffees and glanced at one another surreptitiously.
'What happens now...is in the lap of the gods,' Yeats finished enigmatically.
'However!' He blew smoke forcefully, 'We need some new ground rules for you two.'
Aleister finally roused himself to confront this 'new' Yeats. 'Eh, and what does the Head have to say about
ah, things, as they now stand?'
Yeats peered down at Aleister over his cigarette, studying him like some sortof slightly odious insect.
'I AM the 'Head', you idiot.' He informed them with a cloud of smoke.
                       . . . . .
'Anara!' Thelene's voice sounded in her head bringing her more fully into The Dream.She 'woke', lying in a bed and saw her sensei seated on the bed next to her,gently holding her hand.
'Hai, Sensi!'Anara looked at her teacher.' Oh, Thelene! It's so good to see you!'
'How are you Mermaid?' Thelene tucked a straying lock behind Anara's ear. 'You had me worried so of late.'
'I feel amazing, Thelene! I feel renewed somehow...but it's odd. I...feel as though I've just been through something dark and troubling, but I can't recall what it was.'
'We had to do some work on you.' Thelene looked concerned. 'You were losing cohesion, in every Timeline, thanks to...well, it matters not. Now. You
should be fully recovered. But we will not allow things to get so far out of hand, not again.'
Anara realized the gravity of the situation now. 'I see. Somewhat. I, I haven't had to forfeit the Mission, have I?' Her eyes pleaded. 'I don't want to fail you, and everyone...'
Thelene looked hard at her, 'Don't even think that way! You are not the only volunteer you know! The Mission will continue, Anara!' her voice softened. 'Forgive me, little fish, you had me very concerned is all. Be assurred that you cannot 'fail' us by doing your best! Which you have done, already.'
Anara looked down. Fearing the worst she asked, 'Am I to be...taken off the Mission then?'
Thelene stood and went to gaze out at the sea beyond. She turned and regarded her favorite student.
'No. You will return to your duties soon enough. Although it is not what I would wish. If it were up to me alone, I would keep you here. '
Thelene looked outward again.'You have done more than your share already! But-- '
She came back over to Anara's bedside again. 'I'm not the only voice in this matter. The High Council has decided that we can't pull you out now. The Nexus point is imminent.'
                     . . . . .
The sound of waves, crashing on the beach. Calls of sea-birds. Emmeline's dream delivered her back upon mundane shores with the lingering memory of ocean air and cool breezes.
She wakened, stretching her arms above her head and sighed contentedly...it was a wonderful dream! She was back, in...that place again. It's near the sea, she remembered that much. And such a relaxing spot, she knew it must be somewhere special. But, why can't she remember where?
Glancing out her bedroom window she saw the sun rather high in the sky already and decided she'd best catch up on some things and get moving. Mercy, but it seemed a lifetime ago she when was home at last!
Heading downstairs she found Alice in the breakfast nook poring over some papers. 'Good morning Alice! How's your morning?' Em put the tea kettle on. How good it was to be in control of one's life again! She briefly thought of Jack and his dark, albeit delicious java and his 'almond milk' as he called it...she felt a slight pang of...regret, was it? No, it was merely common sadness.
'Greetings Em!' Alice studied her friend a moment, noting that she seemed more at ease. 'Good to be home, isn't it?'
'Oh, Alice...just kick me, will you, if ever I moan about life in Pankhurst again!' Emmeline answered the kettle's singing and poured for her Earl Grey. 'I'm so ready for some uninterrupted tedium.' She covered the pot with a cozy and took it with two cups to the table.
'What are you studying there?'
Alice sat back and removed her glasses, rubbing her forehead. 'Actually, some papers of Frank's! I didn't think I'd left anything of his here in the house, but...I found these in an old desk.' She sighed, and accepted the cup Em poured for her. 'Ta, Em!'
'Oh!'Emmeline glanced at the stack before Alice. 'Anything...of interest?'
Alice smiled. 'I'm sure it would be of interest, to Certain Parties.'
'Ah.' Em sipped her tea sedately, and setting her cup down, gazed at the garden outside seemingly intent on watching MacGregor tear about the yard.
Noting that Em wasn't about to 'bite', Alice decided to simply take the eh, heifer by the horns. 'So...still intent on heading back to the City for New Year's?'
Emmeline did look at Alice then. 'Oh, yes. Yes indeed!
I have a laundry list of questions for Miss Morgana, you can bet.'She frowned abit then. 'Alice...did Aleister ever speak to you about this so-called Nexus point?'
'Hmmm,' Alice bit her lip and frowned in turn. 'Nooo, not really, Em. However...'she looked up then, staring off into the corner, as if trying to dredge up a stray memory, 'It might have something to do with a thing that Frank had mentioned.'
'Truly, Alice? It's so exasperating! Those two...'she still couldn't bring herself to even say Jack's name,
'...they make something out to be so, so monumentally important, yet tell one nothing about it!' Em cleared her throat. 'Sorry. I still get, befuddled by it all.You were saying, Alice? Any information would be
helpful!'
Alice put her glasses back on, glancing at her papers.
'Well...when I find more, I'll try to put it together for you. I'm trying to remember, and it's not easy,'she peered over her frames at Em,'it was long ago, and also somewhat technical in it's way, and I really haven't the background in physics to relate to much of what he tried to impart to me...but! He did mention something about a...oh, what did he call it? Some sort of dimensional intersection...Time...quake? Was that it?
Possibly. A Timequake.'
'That doesn't sound very reassuring!' Em poured more tea. 'Anything else?'
'It'll...take awhile, like I said.' Alice looked at Em. 'I want to research this. It's just possible that, well, Em, it is possible that Jack and Aleister were right about that. The Nexus point.'
'Oh, Alice! Do you regret coming back here? Are you sorry we left, then?' Em felt badly now. She'd had her own doubts, but felt that she and Alice had done the right thing by leaving.
Alice removed her glasses and touched Emmeline's arm.
'Oh, no, dear! Not at all! We did do the right thing, by leaving.' Alice sat back with her tea,and crossing her legs, she sighed then.'Long before they had abducted us, I felt that they were becoming rather more...proprietary in their actions regarding us both than I would have liked. We had to be decisive about ourselves, or they'd overstep some serious bounds. And they did.'
Em visibly relaxed. 'Oh good. No regrets then!' Alice shook her head.
'None. However, we shouldn't just forget about things. And yes, speaking with Morgana is indeed a good clue to follow. But we can, in our own small way, get to the heart of this whole mystery on our own, I'm thinking.'
Alice seemed resolute.'You haven't forgotten that Mr. Orez as well as the Captain are due back rather soonish?'
'Mr. Orez!' Emmeline sat up and took notice now.
'Yes, Em.' Alice smiled. 'My! That's a switch! I never noticed how excited you become when I mention Alejandro's name before!' She couldn't resist teasing her friend.
'Alice! You said...Mr. Orez could...what's the term then?--access Frank?' Emmeline was excited, indeed.
This had some far-reaching possibilities!
'We'll see, dear.' Alice didn't want to 'presume' upon Alejandro unduly. She'd have to work up to things, so to speak. 'I'll certainly give it a shot.'
Emmeline was already off and running, in her mind. 'This could be just the ticket, Alice! If we can speak to Morgana, and, ah--interact with Frank at all, well, we could possibly find out what's behind this whole Nexus thing!'
Alice stood then, gathering her papers. 'Possibly. Or, we could simply wind up with a whole new laundry list of questions.' She took her papers into her room with her, muttering, 'Uninterrupted tedium, indeed.We should be so lucky.'
                         . . . . .
Jack and Aleister were not only dumbstruck, they were downright gobsmacked and discombobulated with this news. True, they hadn't actually ever met with the Head of their Order, but....Yeats?! It was mind-boggling. It was also most embarrassing, now that they'd a chance to recall some of their past, escapades. Oh, Lord and Lady...now what...?
Yeats, meanwhile, drank his cognac and puffed his cigarette with an air of detached serenity. No doubt giving them a chance to stew in their own juices a bit. Plenty of time for chastisement...then again, why put off what one can do so readily here and now?
He leaned forward and expertly flicked his cigarette into the fire.
'That was a major mistake on your part. I do hope you both realize that,' he said to the guilty pair.
Jack spoke up first, 'We didn't want to let them go!
We had no idea...'
'Let them GO?!!' Yeats thundered. 'They never should have been here at all, man!'
Jack looked suitably chagrined. He sat back and said nothing.
Yeats sighed softly and continued in a milder voice,
'Due to your work on the more technical aspects of this project, you were allowed--(he stressed the word)--
to co-chair the work here with Dr. Parsons. Who, I might add, did more than his share of haring about like an 'anserine rookie' was it?' his gaze flickered to Aleister briefly, who felt like a fieldmouse that had been sighted by a swooping hawk. Yeats continued,'Very
few in the order know of my identity.' He nailed them both with a heavy-browed look. 'Before you get any further ideas of being amongst the privileged few, the only reason I have revealed myself to you is that
things have gotten out of hand here, and you are both to share the blame.'
Not knowing what to say or do, the two friends did and said nothing. They both appeared to shrink into themselves whilst being chastised by their Head. As bad as things were before, they'd become considerably more horrific suddenly. But Yeats wasn't done with them yet.
'And, you are both to shoulder the job of cobbling back together some semblance of order here and seeing if we can turn this whole calamity about somehow...'he sighed, as if resigned. 'As I mentioned before: new ground rules.
Rule number one:'Yeats went slowly and carefully, as if speaking to a new puppy that had just made a mess in the corner, 'Neither of you will give another thought to Flubber. You will forget about him. You will leave him, to ME.' He stopped and looked at each of them in turn, being certain of eye contact.'Do. You. Understand?'
They nodded.
'Good. Maybe now we can get somewhere.' Yeats swirled the brandy in his glass and watched the amber liquid
awhile.
'Rule number two: You will both return to Crowley House in Pankhurst and act as though nothing is amiss.' He looked at them.
They both seemed abit nonplussed at this directive. 'I--'began Aleister.
'DO. You. Understand?' asked the Head.
Again they both nodded assent.
'We'll see...'said Yeats, almost to himself. He took a sip and then surprised them both with a question. 'How did you find the artefact?'
Jack cautiously answered. 'It's...in perfect shape. I haven't actually had time to analyze it much...'
'No, no, I mean HOW did you find it? Think now!' The Head was not above sarcasm it seemed.
'Well, Aleister spoke to Alice and got her permission to retrieve the trunk, as you know,' Jack began,looking to Aleister,and wondering what sort of new hole he'd been directed to dig himself into now.
'Exactly.'Yeats confirmed.' Which I did. Believing of course, that you had Miss Page's expressed consent to do so.'He paused. 'Which you did not.'
'She was...'--Jack began.
'Yes. She was knocked-out cold by one of Parson's brewwws (he stressed this)and was somewhat incapacitated at the time. How convenient.' Yeats wasn't going to let up however. 'So, then! On to the artefact! With Miss Page AND Mrs. Stein out of the way, we simply blustered ahead and pried open the box, did we?'
Jack looked suitably mortified. 'I...yes.'
'Rather wondered about that, Jack,'Aleister mumbled.
'I'm not done with you either, Parsons.' Yeats drank off the last of his cognac and sat the glass on the table before him. 'And, then what did we do with this very singular artefact from out of Time?'
'Tested it?' asked Jack, tentatively.
'An acid-test, as well?' asked the Head, sweetly. 'Why bloody not? Why not simply drop it from a great height and see if it bounces?!' He stood. 'Did you try to PRY it open as you did the bloody BOX? Lord and Lady...' Yeats wandered the parlor his head down, hands behind his back. He stopped at the piano and ran a hand over it's smooth black back as if stroking a cherished pet.
'Empirical experimentation is not performed upon such
a RARE object with HAMMER AND TONGS!' He turned to face them both then. 'What were you thinking? Were you, at all?'
Jack sighed and leaned over, his arms on knees and grasping his hands together as if to hold on to himself. 'You're absolutley right. I had no authority to test it, or even to, to remove it from the Box as yet. And, much could have been done before putting it to test...'
'Like receiving permission from Miss Page regarding her FATHER'S, NOW HER ONE OF A KIND ARTEFACT FROM BEYOND TIME ITSELF.'
'Yes.' Jack agreed. 'I felt, desperate. So much seemed to be spinning out of control, and I did feel that I was to blame for much of what had gone wrong.' He looked at Yeats. 'I couldn't bear to think of either of them coming to harm on our account. And with Flubber on the loose and looking for them...'
'Save it.' Yeats was having none of it. 'How, exactly would concentrating on the artefact help the two ladies then?'
'I don't know. Like I said, I felt desperate.'
'Desperate scientists wind up like El Juan Flubber, Jack.' Yeats said matter-of-factly.'The words 'desperate' and 'science' should have some degrees between the two, don't you think? A rather anode and cathode sort of thing, do you see, Jack?'
Gods...the Head could be a right bitch, thought Aleister, who sat stroking his goatee and hoping Yeats wasn't going to flay the piss out of him the same way.
Jack looked the picture of dejection. It'd take more than Miles Davis to lift him out of this pit. Finally, not knowing what he could do or say anymore, he simply said, 'I love her.'
Yeats slowly swiveled his eyes to rest upon Jack, and then arched one brow. 'Indeed?'
'Emmeline. Miss Page. I'm in love with her. Desperately.' Jack admitted.
'I say, Jack!' Aleister sat forward now, 'I didn't realize things had...gone this far!'
'I've been, I don't know, trying to deny it!' Jack stood himself and began pacing in his turn. 'But, it's just so...'he ran a hand through his hair, 'complicated.' He turned to face Yeats. 'I have dreams of her. Even before I met her, I, I dreamed of this same redhaired woman...when I met her, I knew it was her...'
'--The Girl of Your Dreams.' Yeats said, as a statement,not a question.
Jack sighed.'Yes. The Girl of My Dreams.'
                        . . . . .


One may wish to have tea whilst reading, and listen to the Miles Davis classic album, 'Kind of Blue' from beginning to end, and over again...