Page 67 of Erase Me
“You know as well as I do that your mother is the brain behind quantum commuting.Her research and her brilliance are the foundation of the program.Without her, time travel wouldn’t be possible for decades after you and I have turned to dust.Your father and your brother run the show now, but without her, you’re all nothing.It’s because of her sweat and blood and brains that the agency was built.”
His eyes widened briefly as surprise flashed across his face.Before he could mask it, I saw it.This information wasn’t available, just as Reed’s connection to the family was a secret.As an active agent in the field, he didn’t want others to know of his ties to the upper echelon of the organization.
But I knew.Reed’s father had a military background.That was how the agency became so heavily funded by the government.His older brother was a scientific genius, like Judy.By the year 2079, he was running things.Information was power, and I was adept at doing whatever it took to obtain it, especially when my family’s existence depended on it.
“What do you want?”he snarled.
“Spare Nadine’s life and close her file.And don’t tell me you can’t.If anyone in the organization can do that, it’s you.In return, there will be no revenge.Plus, Judy will be fully funded.In fact, she’ll start earlier than before.She’ll continue her brilliant work, even having time to get married and have children.”I tapped him on the chest.“This way, you and I both live.How does that sound?”
The kitchen door opened.Judy stood on the other side, her complexion drained of color and her eyes wide in evident shock.
“How long have you been standing there?”Reed’s question cut through the air, his tone different now.I heard in it a mixture of frustration and concern.
“Long enough,” the young woman whispered.
ChapterTwenty-One
Reed
For more than a decade,I’d navigated the complexities of this job, experiencing numerous jumps that coincided with different times when my mother was alive.
Although I was particularly adept at thinking on my feet, I always pushed myself to follow guidelines set by the agency whenever possible.One rule I deliberately adhered to was steering clear of any potential interaction with her.This decision wasn’t solely due to any blind dedication to law and order; rather, it stemmed from a deep-seated reluctance to revisit the heartbreaking absence she left in my life.
I missed her.
The emotional scar that her death created was still too raw.It never faded, and it never will.I consciously chose to shield myself from the heartache that would inevitably resurface if I were to meet her again.
Losing my mother proved to be a challenging experience.Like many children, I didn’t value her enough when she was around.I always thought she wasjustmy mother.I never appreciated that she was the person who tirelessly shuttled me between school, sports, and friends’ houses.It seemed right that I should be the top priority in her life, ahead of her work commitments and everything else.It was a fact my brother often complained about, given that he hadn’t received the same attention in his younger years.
Despite my father always being around, my mother held an unparalleled position in my experiences and my memories.We shared a bond that was uniquely ours.We communicated in a language that was all our own.So, of course, it was natural that the lasting impressions of her final years were marked by the long and painful struggle she faced with her illness.
Over the passing years, in the wake of her absence, I came to grasp a deeper understanding of who she was.I maintained a profound appreciation for her legacy.As Avalie pointed out just moments ago, she was unquestionably a powerhouse, towering above her peers in the scientific community.But with all of her remarkable achievements, she was always, to her very core, my mother.Giving birth to me at the age of forty-one, she was determined to be there for me in a way she hadn’t been a decade earlier when my brother was born.
And then, Avalie dragged her into my life.To complicate matters even more, it appeared that Judy had been eavesdropping on our conversation.
People living their lives weren’t supposed to have insights into the future.That even included the woman staring at me now, a woman who was a pioneer in the development of time travel from concept to reality.
We’d revealed to her the reality that time jumping wasn’t merely theoretical, but rather, she was the one who’d successfully created it.Within the agency co-established by her and my father, exclusively serving the US government as its sole client, numerous agents had been enlisted throughout the years.Their mission involved traveling to various historical junctures, accomplishing designated tasks, and then returning to our contemporary era.
Mistakes had been made, of course.Physical objects left behind.Agents showing up in photographic records.And travelers going rogue to live a better life than the one they left in the late 21stcentury.Some of them were total scum, like Del Volpe.
Leaking information about the future was one of our greatest mistakes, however.It could set off ripples in history that could in turn set off a chain of disruptive events.Even minor slips had the potential to escalate into major catastrophes.
But it happened.And then, perhaps unavoidably, it became one of the Division’s primary missions to correct errors that we ourselves had committed.
As Judy came into the kitchen, Avalie and I instinctively moved apart, retreating and pressing our backs against opposite cabinets.We looked like two children, caught in the act of committing some mischief.
Judy’s initial astonishment upon pushing open the door had given way to curiosity.She now pointed a finger directly at me.
“So, you’re my son.”The hint of a smile tugged at her lips.“That’s interesting.How old are you?”
“Thirty-six.”
Her smile grew wider.
“Seriously, let me explain,” I said quickly.
“No explanation is necessary, at least not from you.You’ll try to lie to me.”She stood in front of me, her head tilted slightly, studying me as if I were a lab rat just released from an experiment.“I heard everything the two of you said.”
