Page 61 of Erase Me
Xander broke in, a fierceness in his expression.“Nadine told me that everyone who was recruited into the program was terminal.Does that mean you…?”
“I went through the genetic testing when I was very young.Nothing showed up.I was just living my life...until late last year.”
“And?”Xander asked.
“I had some enlarged lymph glands that were blamed on a virus.Nothing debilitating, but that’s when you stepped in.”I squeezed Nadine’s hand.“You wanted me to go through testing again.See the experts.Get second opinions.In the future, science moves too fast to trust old results.It had been more than ten years since my last tests.”
“What did they find?”Nadine asked.
“I have the mutations of the disease.That was the real cause behind the enlarged lymph nodes.”
“Any other symptoms?”she asked.
“None.But this was when you told me about your illness.You’d lost thirty pounds in six weeks.You experienced neuropathic pain.Numbness in your feet, legs, and hands.Other things too.I had none of those symptoms.Mine was picked up early.”
“With me, it got so bad that I couldn’t walk.Every day, I was getting weaker and weaker,” Nadine said.“What did they do after they identified the disease?”
“A genetic mutation, not the disease.After undergoing more tests, including a biopsy, they gave me the statistics.The markers were high enough for an official diagnosis.They also told me that what I had would eventually become terminal.”Seeing the pained expressions on Nadine and Xander’s faces, I felt compelled to share more.“But I wasn’t there yet.It could take a decade before the disease deteriorated to that extent.The doctors said that perhaps by then there would be a cure.However, they expressed doubt, citing the rarity of this type of cancer, and the ‘for-profit’ healthcare system’s reluctance to prioritize the well-being of a smaller population.”
“Some things never change,” Xander muttered.
“What did you do next?”Nadine asked.
“Well, you were with me.Both of you were with me through it all,” I conveyed to them.“That was when you mentioned the Quantum Commuters for the first time.I had no idea there was such a thing as time travel.You insisted I should get myself into the program.”
“When I was recruited, commuters had to have terminal disease.They came after you not the other way around,” Nadine said.
“True, but some of it has changed.A recruit doesn’t have to have a terminal disease, but having it improves your chances of getting in.And you can apply to the program if you’re referred by another agent,” I explained.“Between what you told me and my own research, I found out that the preferred candidates were the ones who have no family.No parents or siblings or partners to go searching for them.The agency didn’t want anyone asking questions at headquarters while a commuter is on assignment.Also, top recruits require a certain level of education, good test scores, and the ability to perform physically.Even though, on an intellectual level, I knew all this, until I made my first jump, I didn’t understand how hard on the body a quantum leap can be.”
“How did you meet all those qualifications?”Xander asked.“A background check would have connected you to Nadine.That would have been trouble for all of us.”
“Not when I actually submitted my records.Thanks to you, I was taking apart, assembling, and programming computers before I even started grade school.I didn’t share this with them, but I’ve made a pretty good life for myself as a computer hacker.My legitimate way of making money is a martial arts studio I run in Los Angeles.”I shrugged.“I wasn’t going to shine any light on you two, so I made up a new personal record with no family...along with great references, test scores, and everything they needed.I got in.”
“I’m very proud of you,” Xander said.It was a déjà vu moment for me.I’d heard him use the same words and tone decades from now when I announced to them that I’d been accepted.
“The commuters used to be organized into specific job designators,” Nadine said.“Which one did you get?”
“Well, I’d only completed basic training when I hacked into their system and found your name on an active MIA list,” I explained.“I was still waiting for my assignment to a division when I came here.”
“You’re telling me I made it to ninety-one years old without anyone chasing me, but now they want to disrupt our lives?”Nadine shook her head in disbelief.
“Maybe it’s the difference between the timeline you experienced and the one I find myself in.More than likely, it’s the consequence of numerous changes to history made by other time jumpers who went rogue and stayed in the past.I just don’t know.Throughout my training, there were frequent references tocorrections.Correcting errors made by the agency is a big deal for them.”
Xander frowned.“Wait, you only finished learning the basics and you came back here?”
I nodded, looking at my grandmother.“I had to.You two had done an amazing job of avoiding detection, but when I hacked into the assignment lists and saw your name, I had to do something right away.”
“Did you talk to me about it before reacting?”Nadine asked.“I mean, in the future?”
I didn’t want to admit that the moment I discovered her name on the kill list—with an Assassin already assigned to her case—I immediately began planning a time jump for myself.
I couldn’t wait.Delaying the jump for any amount of time could have been fatal.If Reed succeeded in getting to Nadine before I had a chance to intervene, there would be no tomorrow for me, my mother, or my grandmother.We’d all vanish without a trace.That was a correction I couldn’t let happen.
So I immediately requisitioned devices I’d need, reviewed the manuals, and uploaded essential information into Payam’s memory for this time and location.
“Avalie?”Xander pressed, breaking into my thoughts.“Did you come and talk to us before you jumped time?”
Not wanting to worry them with the truth, I lied.“Of course.We planned every step of this meticulously.”
