Generation 2, Chapter 26 - The Trouble With Time

Stepping out of the of time portal, Peter looked around. It looked exactly the same as when he was last there, but somehow it felt different. Shaking his head, he went in search of Emit. In the distance he saw a man with blue hair with is back to him. Assuming it was Emit, Peter tapped him on the shoulder. "Hey Emit we need to ...." his voice dwindled away when the man turned around. It was someone Peter had never seen before "I'm sorry I thought you were someone else."

"Happens all the time. I'm Logan ... Emits brother," he extended his hand. A friendly gesture that Peter felt wasn't what it seemed as he shook hands with him. Despite his smile Logan's eyes were cold, holding a hint of malice in them. Peter had a feeling he had fallen into a pit of rattlesnakes.

"It's nice to meet you," Peter smiled attempting to cover up his nervousness.

"Peter when did you get here?" Emit asked coming up behind him. Peter turned noticing the menacing look Logan gave Emit before he turned and walked away.

"This afternoon," Peter told him watching Logan from the corner of his eye. "I didn't know you had a brother."

"I don't," Emit said through clenched teeth.

"What? But ... how .... I don't understand?" Peter sputtered "he looks like you."

Shrugging Emit looked over at Logan as he stood casually watching them. "It's dangerous for you to be here."

"What's going on?" Peter asked his confusion growing.

"I don't entirely know," Emit told him. He doesn't know? That simple statement terrified Peter like nothing else could. The time keeper didn't know? How could he trust him with his son's life, if he didn't know? This couldn't be happening Peter felt as if he were sinking in quicksand.

"We can't talk here," Emit said lowering his voice extending his hand, Peter shook it "It was good to see you again," Emit said smiling at him before walking away and joining Logan on the bench.

Taking his cue, Peter left walking along the sidewalk not seeing the wonders all around him. Sitting on a bench a mile or so away from Emits place.   Peter opened the note Emit slipped into his hand.

Meet me here - it's a safe house.

Emit

Safe house? Safe from what? The note had an address and a time. Peter walked aimlessly around the streets of Oasis Landing not feeling the wonder he once had for the place. It felt wrong. He couldn't explain it but the entire atmosphere of the place felt wrong. Was this the result of saving him? Would he need to sacrifice himself to right the future?

He stopped in front of the legacy statue of himself. He had donated so much already to ensure the future for generations after him. What was one more sacrifice? Staring up at his own face, he knew what he was thinking wasn't right. He had to be here in order to stop the aliens. It was his brain that had been altered to understand the alien technology. It had to be something else.  Something more sinister than saving his life to cause these alterations.

Walking over to the Pioneer in Robotics Legacy statue, he stared up at it. This statue should have been that of Adam but wasn't.  Peering intently up at it Peter recognized the face. Shaking his head, it couldn't be.  Looking again he was positive he knew that face. Reading the name to make sure he was right.  Stunned he knew he found the reason for all the changes he perceived. Looking away, Peter sighed the face belonged to a brilliant lab technician he once had, Chase Mars.

Peter personally didn't like the man.  Chase had always been looking over his shoulder, snooping in his office. Turning back to the statue, staring into the cold, calculating eyes of Chase, Peter shivered. He had the same eyes as Emits so called brother, Logan. Unsettled by what he discovered in Legacy Park, Peter took a taxi to the address Emit had provided on the note. He was a little early to meet Emit, so he sat outside waiting.

Fifteen minutes later Emit arrived, breathless looking over his should as if he expected someone to be following. "Peter what are you doing outside? Come in, come in," Emit ushered Peter inside. "This is the house Adam will live in while he's here."

Dubious Peter nodded "is it safe?"

Hesitating Emit acknowledged "as safe as I can make it." Running his hands through his unruly blue hair "the future is a mess and I have people watching me."

"Chase Mars?" Peter said thinking of what he had seen at Legacy Park.

Motionless Emit slowly nodded "you know him?"

Shrugging "he was once a lab assistant of mine. I didn't trust him. I caught him snooping through my research papers. He was fired shortly after that. Now I find his statue in Legacy Park as the Pioneer in Robotics." Staring into space Peter was struck with an idea, turning towards Emit "do you think .... oh god that must be it. He must have found something in my papers that helped him make the discoveries that Adam was supposed to have made."

Nodding Emit sighed "that must have been what happened. Did you notice the resemblance he has to Logan?"

Shaking his head Peter asked "do you think they're related?"

"Somehow, I'm not sure but whatever he found he not only replaced Adam but he replaced another descendant in the timeline so that Logan could be my brother and an experienced time traveler. This timeline has two timekeepers where there should only be one, me. I know I never had a brother." Emit paced a few paces away, peering out the window "I have a lot of enemies that would like to see me disappear or replaced. It's what I had always feared would happen. Someone figured out who my ancestors are and making changes."

"Jean and I didn't tell anyone, I doubt Adam has either," Peter mused out loud. "Why do you think you suddenly have a brother?"

"I don't know," Emit turned from the window hands balled into fists. "I've never not known the timeline before. But ever since Logan showed up I've found I have superiors I have to report to. They call themselves The Watchers. They've been overseeing any and all changes to the time line. They work with Logan, there's nothing I do that's not observed by Logan and reported back to The Watchers. I know the changes began with Chase Mars stealing your research, we have to prevent him from figuring it out before Adam has a chance to make the same discovery."

"If your being watched, how can you hope to stop Chase?" Peter wondered out loud.

"I'll have to rely upon my good friends," Emit said with a smile turning towards Peter.

"You mean us, don't you?" Peter asked uncomfortable under Emits steely gaze. "Is that why you've been manipulating things to get Adam here? To meet that girl? To move?" Peter shot one question after another at Emit.

"Yes, yes to everything," Emit said turning away. "I should have known you would see right through me. I just didn't know how else to go about it without alerting the watchers."

"Now you have no choice," Peter stated grabbing Emits arm forcing Emit to face him. "because of me coming here I alerted them, didn't I?"

Glumly Emit nodded "the worst enemy I have is that so called brother of mine. Logan will have reported your appearance here in Oasis Landing. You should leave before they detain you."

Crossing his arms, Peter shook his head "I can't. At least not until I know Adam will be ok when he comes here. They've been through enough. I can't, I won't let them come here if they'll be in danger."

"You act like you don't trust me," Emit said his tone and facial expression showing how hurt he was.

"You're right. I don't." Peter told him refusing to relent.

Sighing Emit looked away from Peter's face unable to look him in the eye "a lot of things have changed since you were last here Peter."

"I can sense something's wrong," Peter told him not wanting to be put off or accept anything less than the whole truth. "You have to trust someone, it might as well be me." Peter shrugged not sure what good it would do for Emit to tell him. He wasn't a hero with superhuman strength. What he was, was a concerned father.

"Unit Logan showed up announcing he was my brother I thought everything was fine. Then Chase Mars replaced Adam as the pioneer in robotics then everything went from bad to worse." Pacing a few steps away "I suddenly have people watching me. The Watchers oversee everything, assigning Logan to observe the changes I make. They have an agenda as to what they perceive the future should be and it doesn't include me. They have Logan who can replace me in controlling time and creating a future of their design."

"What does that mean for me and my family?" Peter asked.

"Honestly Peter they'd like nothing more than to eliminate my entire ancestry line through history. But they can't. You're the only one who can eliminate the alien threat. They know you need Adam to accomplish certain things here in the future before that threat can be nullified." Sitting Emit continued "after Adam accomplishes his goals the watchers want him to go back to Appaloosa where Windy will be waiting to ambush him, angry because of his refusal to raise her children." Looking up he met Peter's gaze, sadness showing clearly "he won't survive this next attack. It will completely shatter Heath and he'll succumb to depression and commit suicide before his sixteenth birthday. The watchers will have what they want,  me gone, time travel safely in Logan's hands."

"But the alien threat won't be solved because I won't be. I'm only here now because of you being the timekeeper." Peter pointed out.

"I thought of that the timeline that the watchers are trying to create hinges upon Heath having a relationship with Joyce Richards when he's fifteen. She becomes pregnant, she puts the baby up for adoption after refusing to marry Heath. That's the catalyst that pushes Heath over the edge. The child is raised by members of the watchers, as is each successive generation until Logan and I come along. I'm safe as long as they need me to deceive you and Adam into a false sense of security. After Adam goes back, no doubt they will try to eliminate me."

Looking around him "you called this a safe house. Does that mean Logan can't see into this house and see what is going on in here?"

Faintly smiling "Peter my old friend you are much too bright for your own good. Essentially yes. I designed this  house in what you'd call a blind spot, where only the true time keeper can see. Logan is powerful but he can't do everything I can, which gives me my only advantage. I've figured out how we can thwart certain things that the watchers want to happen but I need Adam's cooperation for it to succeed."

"Ok I'm listening," Peter said sitting down to listen to Emits plan. The way things looked, he didn't have any other choice.

"It's vital that Adam move to Dragon Valley before he comes to Oasis Landing. Dragon Valley is another blind spot the watchers can't see into. It's a little backwards compared to the rest of Sim Nation but Adam and his family will thrive there...."

"I don't like it. Windy and Scot both lived there and could still have friends there." Peter objected.

"If they had friends they have long since moved or turned to enemies. Scot and Windy were thrown out of Dragon Valley and told to never return. The Dragon's that guard the town know who to keep out of the town ..."

"Dragons, like real dragons?" Peter asked astonishment clear in his voice.

"Yes real dragons.  I told you the town is a little backwards," Emit shook his head at him. "The dragons actually keep the watchers from seeing into the town. So it's the perfect place for Adam to raise his family."

"Ok if the town is everything you say it is I'm ok with Adam moving there." Peter accepted "but why do you want him to meet this girl? The one who will come here to help him."

Smiling Emit shrugged "you could say I'm playing matchmaker. This girl would make Adam a good wife and be his intellectual equal.  She'll help him to become the pioneer in robotics." Looking at Peter reassuringly he added "don't look so worried I'm good at matchmaking."