Voyagers! Revisited
by Kathleen Y. Bergeron, ©1994
'God, I hate funerals,' Jeffrey
Jones thought. He stood on the deck of an ornate sailing ship staring west
towards the sun just beginning to set. The light slowly illuminated the bow
of the ship and reflected off the azure blue of the Pacific. Jeffrey had
the sudden feeling that he was bathed in blood but shook off the thought.
'Damn you anyway, Bogg. Why now and why me?' Death had been an all
too frequent but never welcomed visitor in Jeffrey's life and he was weary
down to his soul contemplating it once again.
Even though Phineas Bogg, his erstwhile father-mentor-friend, had retired
several years earlier as an active Voyager, the bond between them had never
disappeared, though his retirement had put a bit of a strain on it. Bogg
had taken a bullet in his right hip about 13 years ago and despite the fact
that he had healed well, he never believed he was fully "up" to his duties
again and no amount of pleading on Jeff's part had changed his mind about
retiring. Since then, Jeff had gone on as a solo Voyager. Thinking about
Bogg, Jeff felt a swelling kind of ache in his throat which threatened to
erupt into tears if he did not get a handle on it quickly. How could he really
be gone for good? 'How could he do this to me?' It was a selfish thought.
Bogg had been much more than a friend to him. He had probably saved his life
and sanity when he entered Jeff's life when the boy was newly orphaned, and
a hundred times after that, as well. Jeff grinned at that memory of the
"accidental" hook up of the two of them, which in reality had turned out
not to have been so random as it had appeared at the time. Nothing in history
was truly accidental; he had accepted that much of the Voyager code, at any
rate. 'Nope,' Jeff thought, 'history had dictated his fate and
his life, just like it dictated Bogg's now and railing against it was a waste
of intellect, energy, strength.'
"Right here will be fine, Captain," Jeff said, forcibly braking himself away
from his own thoughts. The enormous, bearded man next to him nodded.
"Aye lad, Captain Bogg did like this spot, though I feel a might funny just
dumping his ashes this way. Are you sure this is what he wanted? It's . .
. it's uncivilized."
Jeff smiled inwardly, thinking that this 18th century pirate really had no
conception of what "uncivilized" was, nor would he ever be likely to find
out. He frowned. If Captain Smythe wanted uncivilized, no scratch that, downright
barbaric, Jeff could describe it in graphic detail. 'Yes, we Voyagers
have such lovely pictures we carry around; blood, death, man's genuine inhumanity
to man from the beginning of history. So much hate, so much waste, so much
pain.'
"Yes, it's neater this way and I saw to the arrangements personally. This
was Bogg's wish," Jeff replied instead, trying to shake off this dark cloud
which he seemed to be covered in since the news of his friend's death had
been relayed to him several days before by Voyager Headquarters. They'd found
him on the docks, apparently dead of a heart attack. At least there were
no obvious marks on the body. Jeff had been right in the middle of a mission
but he'd come immediately anyway. Funny but it always amazed him how the
"powers that be" could have as many active Voyagers in the field as they
did and still keep track of all the "retirees" like Bogg. Of course, Phineas
had never been an average Voyager. 'Bogg was never an "average" anything
as long as I knew him,' Jeff admitted to himself. The tears were welling
up again, damn it. Bogg would have pretended this was unmanly and teased
Jeff out of the mood. He could almost hear that familiar voice saying, "C'mon,
Kid. Things are never that bad and anyway, people are basically good; they
just need a little nudge now and then in the right direction. We're Voyagers,
Jeff. That's what we're for. Didn't I teach you anything?"
"Well then, let me call the crew on deck." Captain Smythe shook his head.
"Are you sure it isn't bad luck having these women here on board? Really
Lad, it gives me the shivers."
Jeffrey glanced up as several people moved slowly towards the edge of the
deck. So many old friends, his and Bogg's, had dropped whatever they had
been doing to pay their last respects. A fair number of them were female,
of course; that would certainly have pleased Phineas. Susan, who had served
as Bogg's defense attorney during that trial when Jeff was a boy, touched
his arm in silent sympathy as she moved toward him. She was still a beautiful
lady and no doubt Bogg would still have found himself distracted by her presence
the same way he had been in Voyager school. Olivia was there too; she of
the almost disastrous Titanic mission. Jeffrey noticed many of the upper
echelon of Voyager Headquarters there, as well. 'Good for them,' he
thought. 'Bogg deserved this show of respect from his peers and former
superiors. If only . . .' but he stopped himself from finishing that
thought. Fate was fate and there was no reason to believe this was anything
other than the way things were meant to be.
Suddenly, Jeffrey realized that everyone was silent, looking at him with
an air of expectation. Captain Smythe cleared his throat, "Jeff, don't you
have something to say?"
Jeff blinked hard. Where were the words? He had considered writing something
appropriate down. After all, Bogg had always said he had a real flair for
that kind of thing. He'd discarded that idea, though, in honor of Bogg, in
a way. Instead, he had decided to be spontaneous. Bogg, after all, had been
the epitome of spontaneity and had lived his entire life in that perpetual
state of impulse.
"We are here to bid farewell to Phineas Bogg, lately captain of this vessel,"
he began, speaking slowly and as clearly as possible so as to be heard. "All
of us have our own private memories of this man." He paused and glanced
involuntarily at Olivia, who he could swear, blushed scarlet. "Bogg was no
saint, that's for certain but he was one of a kind, the likes of whom we
will never see again in this or any one else's lifetimes." The numerous Voyagers
present stirred at this, knowing what he really meant but could not possibly
explain to the majority of the crew present. "Bogg literally saved my life,
physically and spiritually a long, long time ago, and the debt I owe him
I could not repay in a thousand years," he continued. "He was a father when
I needed one, an example of decency I grew up wanting to be like and the
only friend I ever had who could teach me without preaching and make me laugh
when I wanted to cry." He could feel his voice starting to shake and cleared
his throat. "He was the only family I had. He was the only family I needed.
I will miss him but I know he'll rest quietly here in the sea he loved and
in his heart, never completely left behind, no matter how far afield he
traveled." The non-Voyagers among the crew looked confused but the rest nodded
quietly. He lifted the vase in which was contained Bogg's ashes. 'Goodbye
Bogg. What will I do without you?' he thought, not trusting himself to
voice the words. He no longer cared about the tears, which now had passed
the welling stage and were making their way down his cheeks, causing him
to look half his 30 years, and as he leaned over the bow, they mixed with
the salt water below. He poured the contents of the vase out slowly. No sound
came from those listening behind him. Jeff exhaled, not having realized before
that he had been holding his breath.
Suddenly from beneath a tarp to Jeff's right a girl's voice screamed, "Oh
that is so sweet, isn't it?! Makes me want to throw up, it does!" The cover
was abruptly thrown back and the stowaway emerged. She was perhaps 11 or
12 years of age, not particularly tall or short but with a long mane of flowing
chestnut hair, carelessly tied behind her in a bright red sash. She was not
dressed in a conventional feminine mode of the day, either, but resembled
something of a female version of a typical pirate in her choice of attire.
"Who the hell are you and what are you doing on my ship?" Captain Smythe
had finally reached his limit on strangeness and felt that a stowaway was
something he was finally equipped to deal with.
The girl turned in his direction and proceeded to spit rudely at his feet,
in a decidedly unladylike way. "My name is Crystal. No last name. And as
for what I am doing here . . . well, I guess I have some right to say goodbye
to Phineas Bogg myself."
Jeffrey grabbed the newcomer by her arm, hard, and whirling her around to
him none too gently said, "The Captain is considerably less than hospitable
to stowaways. I fail to see what gives you the right to disrupt this ceremony."
He stopped then because she turned those sapphire eyes on him and he saw
no fear in them. There was spirit there and a hurt Jeff could easily recognize,
but no fear at all. It was as though she was living with a bitterness way
beyond her years. Jeff would later remember that it was those eyes which
stuck him most strongly. They were so blue, they made the sky look pale.
He would realize that this was what seemed so familiar about this strange
child.
"Well now, a girl has the right to say goodbye to her 'dear' father, doesn't
she?!" She spoke with a forced cynicism that Jeff noted out of habit somewhere
in the back of his mind, having acquired the knack of reading tones during
his years as a Voyager. Clearly Bogg had been anything but 'dear' in this
girl's eyes. Then the content of her words penetrated.
"Father!? What do you mean 'father'? Bogg didn't have any kids and I'm the
closest thing he had to family. I'd know if he had any offspring."
"Well, he never knew about me either, but then he probably wouldn't have
cared a whole lot if he had. He . . ."
"He'd have seen to it that you had better manners."
She glanced down at her arm. "You're hurting me, you know." Jeff hadn't realized
it but he was still grasping the girl's forearm harder than he meant to do.
He let go. "Sorry. Listen, come here and sit down." He glanced around for
Captain Smythe, "Captain, let's head back now." The other mourners had dispersed
below deck, seemingly out of respect or maybe embarrassment leaving Jeffrey
to deal with the interloper.
"You're Jeffrey Jones, aren't you? My mother said my father never talked
about anybody else when they were together. I guess you knew him pretty well."
Crystal was trying not to let the envy creep into her voice but Jeff caught
it just the same. Maybe this girl was not as hard as she wanted everybody
to believe. "She said he thought the sun rose and set in you."
"I knew him well, yes--and you said your name was--what? Crystal? That's
a beautiful name for, I suspect, a pretty girl somewhere under that get-up."
Jeffrey Jones, Voyager, was taking over and years of experience dealing with
people of temperament and all manner of emotional states was speaking now.
"You say that Bogg never knew about you?" He motioned to a make-shift seat
next to him on a wooden barrel. She sat down without a complaint.
"That's right. He and my mum had a few good times but when she found out
I was in the oven, (at this expression, Jeff grinned in spite of himself.
The kid was as blunt as a dull knife but he got the impression she was incapable
of subterfuge) she skipped. I don't guess she believed Phineas Bogg was the
'daddy' type."
"You might be surprised what a father he could be," Jeff interrupted, thinking
aloud. "I'm sorry again. Go on."
"She married my stepfather not long after I was born and I never knew he
wasn't my bloodkin until just before she died last month. She knew she didn't
have very long so she told the story. By the time I got here, I heard he'd
died and then just this morning that you were burying him here in the sea.
Why did you do that?" The blue eyes now held an inquiring look.
"That's the way he wanted it. He wanted me to take care of it and I'd be
afraid to do anything else. He'd be the one person who'd find a way to come
back and haunt me if I didn't." Now it was the girl's turn to smile. 'My
God, I believe her. Nobody who didn't carry Bogg's genes could smile like
that.' "You could have come to me you know and told me this before. I'm
not usually prone to bruising young girls and if you really are Bogg's daughter,
well, that makes you and I family."
Crystal looked at him suspiciously, "What do you want from me?"
"Nothing. Maybe you want something from me. Maybe a few Phineas Bogg stories?"
Her expression told him he was right and before she could argue, he continued,
"Listen, when we get back ashore, come with me back to your father's place
and let me see if we can find you something to eat. We can talk a bit there."
Olivia tapped Jeff on the shoulder, "Jeffrey, can I speak to you for a moment?"
"Excuse me?" Jeff looked at Crystal and rose to follow Olivia to a far corner
on deck.
"Do you have your Omni on you, Jeff?"
He shook his head, wondering why she would even have to ask. "Of course!
I'd be half dressed without it." He pulled the round device from inside his
jacket pocket and popped it open all in one smooth, practiced move. It was
silver in color and Jeff kept it shining. It was his very own, newest model,
and highly efficient. He stared at it now dumbly, as though seeing it for
the first time. "Red light. What's wrong? Is it the girl?"
"Can't tell. I guess it could be or maybe something isn't right about Bogg."
"You guess? I thought you people were supposed to know."
A white-haired gentlemen whom Jeff vaguely recognized as a Voyager Elder
appeared, as though from nowhere. "You know better than that, Jeffrey Jones.
Sometimes history has several divergent pathways possible. You must find
out which is the correct one in this case. We simply have no written records
pertaining to Phineas Bogg's death, merely that he did die here and now of
apparently 'natural' causes."
"You want me to check into this." It was not a question but he answered it
himself. "Yeah, I owe Bogg that much at least. If this girl is his child,
something is going to have to be done and if there is something wrong with
the way he died . . ." He paused, now lost in his own thoughts." 'll stick
around here for a bit," he said to no one in particular, turning to return
to the girl.
~*~
Bogg had not tried to live as luxuriously as he probably could have but had
kept a modest two room dwelling in a fairly decent part of San Francisco.
Of course, he had not spent a great deal of time ashore since he'd left the
Voyagers. 'Apparently he had kept himself busy when he wasn't at sea,
just the same', Jeffrey thought somewhat sardonically as he and Crystal
entered the place. It was reasonably clean, though tidy was not an adjective
which could really be applied. It had the basics and a few items which Bogg
would have had some difficulty explaining should any stranger have entered
there. Most of those things, though, he'd kept locked up in an old sea chest
which Jeff finally located shoved back under his bed.
"Here," he commented as he handed the girl a relatively fresh looking hunk
of cheese and another of bread. "It isn't fancy but it should fill that empty
place in your belly." Crystal grabbed the offered food without ceremony and
stood back, watching the young man with a wary eye.
"Don't look at me like that. I don't bite, you know."
"What's that?" Crystal asked as Jeff produced a key to the huge chest.
"The stuff dreams are made of, child." Jeff paused as he lifted the lid slowly,
as though hesitant to open wounds. 'This has to be done sooner or later
anyway; it may as well be today.'
The contents of Bogg's chest were decidedly odd, by the standards of this
century, and as Crystal ventured closer to the opened box, her eyes widened
in proportion to the strangeness inside. In amazingly neat stacks were the
souvenirs of Bogg's years as a Voyager. Bits and pieces of experiences which
ordinary men of any time could not even begin to imagine. Prominent amongst
the items were pictures of Bogg in various styles of dress, ranging from
the early 1800's when the art was just beginning to be of practical use,
all the way up till Jeff was almost grown. The hat Jeff had made out of paper
and had given Bogg for Father's Day the first year they were together was
carefully folded and preserved, as though it were an expensive Stetson. Childish
things were side by side with gifts Jeff had given Bogg as an adult; a kimono
of finest silk hand woven in the Japan of 500 years before; an advertising
poster for Wild Bill Hickock's Wild West Show, framed and authentic from
the period; and a tiny airplane model of the one the Wright Brothers flew,
thanks to Jeff and Bogg's help once upon a time. Literally dozens of objects
stared up at Jeffrey, flooding his mind with memories he didn't know if he
was really ready to handle at the moment.
Crystal reached inside, as though to see if the things she saw were real
but Jeff's hand stopped her's. "Please don't. Some of these are older than
you can possibly understand and none of them can easily be replaced."
"Older? What do you mean? How did that image . . .?"
"Later, Crystal. Please." Jeff's voice was flat. He didn't quite trust himself
to even attempt the explain the unexplainable. He reached for a picture taken
not long after he had first met Phineas Bogg. "This is how your father looked
when I first knew him." He held the color photograph next to the girl's face
and swallowed hard. There was no mistaking the resemblance. Among many other
things, Bogg had been a good looking man, with eyes like no other Jeff had
ever seen, at least until now.
"How did you meet him?" She asked, holding the photograph in her hand after
first wiping her fingers on the cloth Jeff offered.
"Now there is another of those questions I don't know how to answer. Tell
me, Crystal, have you been to school?" Jeff wondered how much of the real
truth she could handle.
"Girls don't go but my mother taught me lots of things. I can even read.
She said my father was real smart; is that true?"
Jeff smiled, "I don't think that is the first thing a lady would notice,
but yes, he was certainly not stupid. Your dad had quite a bit of formal
education, do you know what that is? Like school. But he also had lots of
common sense, at least, most of the time. Bogg sometimes thought with his
heart more than his head. Do you understand?"
"You mean, he cared first and thought whether he ought to later?"
Jeff nodded. 'She's no idiot, that's pretty clear,' he thought. "Yeah,
that's a good way to put it. I never knew Phineas Bogg to be cruel on purpose.
Most of the time he was a little too emotional but he was able to do what
was right in the end, even when it may have cost him." 'I remember.'
"You still didn't answer my question. How did you meet him?"
Jeff opened his mouth to offer some kind of explanation but stopped, motioning
for the girl to be silent, his right index finger over his lips. There had
definitely been a sound emanating from the direction of the front door. Jeff
blinked and listened again. The room had grown somewhat dark and Jeff had
not yet lit a candle. 'It would probably look unoccupied from the
outside,' he decided. 'Yes, there it is again.' He pointed to
the far corner of the room for Crystal and moved behind the door himself,
waiting. Slowly, the door opened and a rough looking man entered. He seemed
confident that he was alone and began a systematic search of the room. Jeff
moved in behind him and tapped his left shoulder. "Hey Mister, don't you
know it isn't nice to come in without knocking?" Before he'd finished the
sentence, his right knee had connected with the intruder's groin. He bent
forward in pain and immediately afterwards, the man found himself in a firm
head lock. "Now, let's discuss your bad habits in detail. What the hell do
you think you're doing here anyway?" Crystal found a candle and lit it without
being told and Jeff glanced gratefully in her direction. She looked excited
but not in the least bit frightened. 'She keeps her head,' he thought
briefly. He gripped the man's head a little harder, inflicting just a little
more discomfort than before, "I don't hear you."
The man winced at the pain and replied, "Okay, okay. Some guy paid me to
look for a bunch of papers. I don't know what they are and I don't care.
Listen, let's just forget I was here, all right?"
"That depends. Who was the guy who paid you?" Jeff let up on the pressure
a bit.
"Never saw him before. Older guy. Clean looking. Fancy dresser." He paused.
"Wait a minute. I saw him the night before he talked me into this, over at
a bar I hang out in. I thought somebody called him . . . " He frowned in
concentration. "Drake! That's it. The barkeep called him 'Drake'."
Crystal could tell, even in the dim candlelight that Jeffrey Jones had turned
as white as death. He dropped his hands abruptly, as if the strength had
drained from them and sat down heavily on the nearest chair, looking as though
he was suddenly nauseous. The man turned and ran out the door but Jeff never
seemed to notice. The silence was thick.
"What's the matter with you? Jeff? Hey, remember me? Who's Drake?"
But he was a million miles away. Jeff's mind was filled with memories, flooding
his vision and clouding his perception. Drake in 19th century London. A Voyager
gone horribly wrong and called, in that time, "Jack the Ripper". And the
blood. So much blood. The trial that Bogg had been forced to undergo, all
because of the machinations of this same man. 'What in the world would
he be doing here? Why now?' Crystal shook his shoulders, "Hey,
you're scaring me. What's the matter?"
With an effort, Jeff forced his mind back to the present, and focusing on
the girl in front of him, he took a deep breath. "Crystal, I think there
are a few things you need to hear. You are going to find some of this a little
hard to believe but because of who you are, I'm afraid I don't have a choice."
It took a long time. Jeff told the story slowly and in as basic terms as
he could think of. He began on that long ago day when Bogg had ended up in
his room, touching only briefly on his own history before that time. He described
events that led up to Bogg's retirement and stopped. The girl stared hard
at him throughout the telling, shaking her head but saying nothing until
he paused. "You're even crazier than my mum said Bogg was. I think you're
more trouble than I need." She rose, as though to leave, but Jeff's hand
shot out and grabbed her by the wrist.
"Hold on. I know how strange this sounds to you. It was a shock to me too
and I came from a considerably later time period." He looked down at his
hand holding Crystal's wrist. His knuckles were white and he loosened his
fingers. "Sorry. I seem to be making a habit out of leaving my finger marks
on your arms. Look, there is really only one way to show you I'm not completely
insane." He reached out his hand to her, palm up. "Take my hand, Crystal,
and close your eyes. This can be a little dizzy at first but I promise you
won't be harmed. Close your eyes." She turned and looked down at the proffered
hand and hesitated only a moment before taking it. Jeff reached into his
pocket and pulled out the Omni. He frowned, noticing again the blinking red
light. "Where would you like to go and when?" She stared at him, without
answering, and he continued, "All right then, I'll choose. You have to promise
to do whatever I say when we get there, though, okay?" She nodded and Jeff
turned the dial of the small device in his hand, choosing settings and then
pushing a button.
The girl had no chance to reply before the world turned to darkness and stars.
She felt as though the breath had been knocked out of her as she ignored
Jeff's advice and opened her eyes. Every color of the rainbow flew by her
as she and Jeffrey seemed to be traveling through a vast open space. Suddenly,
it was over and slowly the world began to right itself again. Crystal's head
stopped spinning and she found she was still holding onto Jeff's hand. She
dropped it and looked around. The two of them had landed in an area that
looked vaguely familiar. It was a green grassy place in what seemed to be
a vacant area in the middle of a busy city street. Was this the city they
had just left?
"Well, not bad. Better than Bogg used to do most of the time," Jeff chuckled,
dusting himself off as he stood up, relieved they'd not ended up in a mud
puddle, swamp, large body of water or bed of cacti.
"What the blazes is going on?" Crystal asked, looking more-than-a-little
bewildered, as she looked around at the familiar, yet unfamiliar, surroundings.
"Where are we and what have you done to me?"
"You, my dear, are now in approximately the same area as you were when we
left, except it is about 13 years ago, and I have only brought you here,
nothing more."
"Where is 'here' and what do you mean 13 years ago? That's before I was born?!"
"Yes, exactly, and shortly after your father left the Voyagers. In fact,
if we are lucky . . ." he glanced down the street. Yes, his calculations
were accurate because there, only a few feet away, strode one Phineas Bogg,
now private citizen. Jeff closed his eyes to compose himself. "Go and say
hello, Crys, but please, don't tell him who you are."
"That's my dad, isn't it?" Jeff nodded, turning to fade into the shadows.
"Please just say good morning and don't mention me."
"Why ever not? If that's my father, don't you want to say hello?"
Jeff closed his eyes as though wincing in pain and Crystal saw the mask of
nonchalance slip just for a moment before he recovered. In that moment Crystal
knew he had loved the man as much as any son could love a father, genetics
notwithstanding. She knew that he was fighting to hide that fact and maintain
the casual air he liked everyone to see. He shrugged, and tossed off, "Can't
happen. I'm not here, I'm off playing 'hero' someplace. I don't even know
offhand where I was at this moment, except . . ." he took a breath and exhaled,
regretfully, "that I wasn't with him." He glanced again at the approaching
man. "Just go and say hello and we'll get you back where you belong." He
turned away and in a second, faded into the shadows, unseen. But still, he
could not take his eyes off the scene just a few yards away. He watched as
the girl, thinking on her feet, proceeded to conveniently trip over them,
right in front of Bogg. Typically, Bogg could never overlook a pretty girl,
even a very young one, and always the gentleman, gallantly picked her up.
Inside he felt that ache in his throat he'd last felt at Bogg's funeral,
and it took every ounce of his self control to stay where he was, out of
sight. As much as he wanted to, he knew that interacting at this point in
time with his friend could effectively change the future; probably Crystal's,
and Bogg would be the last one who'd have wanted to take away her chance.
Jeffrey Jones knew all about mucking around with alternate time lines and
such.
Bogg and Crystal stood face to face, talking as though they'd known each
other for years. Jeff caught a glimpse of Crystal's face alongside that of
her father's just for a second and got that shiver of recognition all over
again. Any lingering doubts he'd had about her story faded away completely
in that moment, as she laughed out loud at something Bogg said. 'C'mon
Kid, not too long now. I'm not made of stone,' he thought quickly. Suddenly,
as though catching his thought, she glanced in his direction and took her
leave of Bogg, seemingly reluctantly. Bogg waved goodbye and continued down
the street. Jeff stepped out slowly, watching that familiar, jaunty stride
disappear around the corner. He turned to look at Crystal as she stood beside
him once again. "Well?" he asked.
"Whadya mean?"
"That's 'what-do-you-mean', and you know exactly what. God, your grammar
is horrible."
"He's nice."
"Nice? That's all you can say about Phineas Bogg? Trust me, that doesn't
begin to describe him."
"That really was my father, wasn't it. This is all real," she said. Her tone
was not even questioning anymore.
"That's what I've been trying to tell you, Crys. This is very real. We have
traveled back in time and we can, in fact, travel almost anywhere, to any
time I choose."
"But why would we want to?" But before he could answer, she corrected herself
quickly, "Why would you want to?"
"Because I'm a Voyager. That's what I do. That's what your father did and
what I have done since I was your age. We help keep history on an even keel,
so to speak; give it a push now and then when it needs it. It's . . . necessary."
"Well, if it's true that you can change history, why don't we just go back
and keep my father from dying?"
Jeff paused. He'd been expecting, but dreading, this question since they'd
met. "Because according to Voyager records, Bogg was supposed to die
now. It's just that . . ."
"What?"
"We can't change history, Crystal. We just help it along. We make the wrong
things, right. The difference is subtle, I know."
"But you said that when that little red light is blinking, something is wrong.
Right?"
"Yes."
"Then if my father was supposed to die, why was it blinking back where we
came from?"
"I don't know. That's what I . . . what we have to find out."
She stared at him for a minute, and then smiled. "Nobody ever called me 'Crys'
before."
"Do you mind?"
"No, I kind of like it." She reached for his hand. "Can we get back now,
though?"
He realized all at once how tired she looked and mentally chided himself
for being so damn thoughtless. This was a KID, for heaven sakes, despite
her clear head and surprising maturity. He'd been on his own for so long,
he must have forgotten that other people had feelings, too. 'Sorry Phineas.
I'll try to take better care of her than this.'
"Ready?" And before she could answer, he pushed the button on the Omni he
had pulled out of his pocket and instantaneously, they traveled back to Bogg's
home. Jeff failed to glimpse the tall figure standing at a distance who
recognized that whooshing sound all too well and whose expression of sadness
reflected Jeffrey's own. Phineas Bogg turned and continued on his way, troubled
and more alone than he had ever been.
~*~
Jeff never slept well, at least not in the past several years. He seemed
to suffer from a perennial case of "jet lag." His dreams were haunted by
all the negatives he'd seen in his life, unrelieved by all the positive things
he had accomplished. There was also, now, this feeling of something important
left undone and his mind seemed unwilling to accept the necessity of sleep
before tackling the problems ahead. Thus, after a wakeful night, Jeff rose
before dawn and sat staring out the window. He glanced over at Bogg's cot
where Crystal still slept soundly. 'And where do you fit into all of this,
Crystal? Why is Drake involved? What the hell am I going to do with this
kid, anyhow?' He stood and began to rummage through what passed for a
kitchen in the small dwelling in search of coffee in some form. 'Ah ha
-- I knew he'd have some. And boiled is better than nothing at all. Why can't
I just inject the caffeine straight into my bloodstream?'
"That smells good. Can I have some?" Crystal stretched like a small kitten
and rubbed her eyes, pushing her hair behind her ears.
"I don't know about java and kids. Let's see, did I drink this stuff when
I was your age?" He thought for a moment, "Oh hell, I drank just about anything
I guess and I survived. Here. It's a little bitter but it should wake you
up." Handing the cup to the girl, he plopped down in what passed for a chair.
"Sorry but your dad never was much of a breakfast eater. We're going to have
to go out to find something to eat." Jeff had not taken his eyes off of her.
"Why do you look at me like that?" Crystal asked, curling her fingers gratefully
around the steaming cup and sipping in a not-very quiet way.
Jeff grimaced at the noise, making a mental note to begin tutoring her on
decorum at the earliest opportunity. "I don't mean to stare; it's just that
. . . didn't you see how much you look like your dad?"
"I guess so. Kind of like seeing a ghost for you, huh?"
"Well, like Bogg in feminine form and a little younger, I suppose. Listen
kid, do you have anything you need to go and get?"
"What do you mean?"
"Like clothes and such -- possessions."
"I'm wearing them. I left in a bit of a hurry after my mum died and I never
had a pot or a window, anyway."
Jeff smiled, "Well then, it looks like we need to get you a few things .
. . for this century at the moment. How did girls your age usually dress,
I wonder?" He was thinking out loud again. "We'll find something. After that,
you and I have to find out about Drake." Her eyebrows raised just a little
at the use of the pronouns but she said nothing about it.
"You never did explain to me who he was or is."
"Drake was a Voyager once. In fact, he was in your dad's graduating class
at Voyager school. He was always a liar and a cheat and your father found
out about it."
"And he turned him in, right?"
"No, not then. Just knowing that Drake knew that Bogg had him pegged for
what he was, was enough at the time. He tried to get Bogg thrown out of the
Voyagers and get us separated when I was just a kid but we were able to prove
that he had been manipulating the council with his lies and accusations.
Later on, we had a run in with him in London in the 19th century. He was
a murderer and Bogg was accused of his crimes. He left and, as far as I knew,
came to a bad end somewhere, sometime."
"I guess you were wrong."
"Yeah, I guess so. He hated your father then and there isn't anything Drake
would be incapable of doing."
"But I thought that my father died natural-like, didn't he?"
"So it seems but if that's the case, why do we have a red light?"
"You're the expert, Jeff. I'm new to all of this, you know."
~*~
'To say that the shopping sucks here would be an understatement,'
Jeffrey thought after several hours of traipsing around the city in search
of something for this child to wear. 'God, Bogg -- what have you done
to me?' Finally, after pulling out every ounce of charm he could muster,
he persuaded a few women who had girls close to Crystal's age in tow to sell
him a few pieces of suitable attire. "For your lovely daughter", they said.
Instead of correcting them, though, he hung his head in sadness and shrugged,
mumbling something about just having lost his wife in a fire and losing every
possession they had. Since San Francisco burned regularly, no one questioned
this story, and after managing to purchase a little food, and the pair returned
to Bogg's house.
~*~
"I think the first order of business," Jeff said to Crystal as they finished
their meal, "is to see if we can find just exactly what it was that our visitor
was looking for here."
"Do you think that has something to do with why the Omni . . . is that what
you call it? . . . is red?"
"Yes on both counts. And if I know Bogg, there has to be something here for
me to find. If he had something that Drake wanted that badly, he'd know that
he was taking a big chance and he'd also know that if anything did happen,
I'd be the one who'd be trying to piece it all together."
"I wish I could have known him like you did."
"Bogg was one of a kind, no doubt about it." His tone was casual but he avoided
her eyes.
"Why do you get that look when I mention him?"
"What do you mean?" Jeff turned away and started going through a pile of
clothing. "Listen, let's get started at this. I can't believe how much junk
he has piled up in here."
"Don't change the subject. Why are you so afraid to admit it when you're
hurting? You just can't stand the idea that somebody might find out you have
feelings, can you?"
Jeff turned around and stopped to look hard at her. "Feelings only get you
into trouble, Crys; you'd better learn that now. Love is the worst of them
all. Nobody ever sticks around very long, and when they leave . . . " He
shook his head. "It's better not to care too much."
"If you feel that way, I'd better leave now before you start feeling responsible
for me. After all, we might become friends or something. Very dangerous."
She rose as if to move towards the door and he grabbed her arm again.
"Too late, kid. C'mon, let's get at it." She hesitated and then turned around
to start searching the opposite corner of the room. Several minutes passed
in silence as each was preoccupied with their own thoughts. Suddenly, Jeffrey
continued, "All right, what is it you want to hear from me? That no son could
have loved a father more than I loved your dad? Okay, I said it. And he abandoned
me 13 years ago and a part of me went dormant at that point."
"I thought you told me that he was hurt and didn't think he could do the
job any more the way he wanted to."
"That was what he said, yes."
"But you don't buy it?"
"I never did. There was always more to it but I never got it out of him.
I never knew why he shut me out the way he did but it hurt then and it hurts
now. We never kept secrets from each other up until he left the Voyagers."
"Did it ever cross your mind that he must have had a reason?" Crystal had
stopped what she was doing and now stood in front of the young man, her hands
on her hips. "From all you've told me and just from what I felt when I spoke
with him, he did not seem like somebody who would deliberately hurt someone
he cared about. Maybe you ought to start thinking about somebody outside
of yourself, Jeff."
"Funny, I thought I was." He looked hurt.
Crystal impulsively threw her arms around him, "I'm sorry. You've been good
to me, especially when I came out of nowhere the way I did."
Jeff grinned, but looked uncomfortable. "You're welcome, kid -- now let's
get back to it."
Several hours later, the pair was still having no luck and Jeff was beginning
to consider giving it up. He stood, his legs stiff from having sat on them
too long. Looking back later, he would wonder whether they'd have ever found
it if that hadn't happened because he fell back against the wall clumsily,
his elbow banging hard. "Look at this!" Crystal was staring into the hole
he'd made. It was way too neat to be a random opening and Jeff realized
immediately that this was a secret compartment and had been put there very
deliberately.
He couldn't see much, bending down to look, but Jeff reached inside, gingerly
and the moment his fingers touched it, he knew why Bogg had so carefully
arranged a hiding place. The familiar "V" carved into Bogg's original Omni
felt warm and comfortable under his thumb, as he held it lovingly in his
hand. Through his mind flashed a hundred images, a thousand memories of places
this small device had taken him and Phineas Bogg once upon a time. Crystal
seemed to understand because she waited patiently until Jeff spoke. "How
the hell did Bogg manage to hold onto this when he left? The rules on this
are very clear; the Omni is always surrendered once the retiree decides where
he or she wants to stay."
"That's the one he carried when you worked together?"
"The very same. Why would he want it anyway? He was determined to leave that
part of his life behind. At least, that's what he told me over and over since
then."
"Look," Crystal said, reaching into the cubbyhole again and pulling out an
envelope. "This seems to be for you, Jeff."
In Bogg's careless scrawl, the white business envelope was addressed: "Jeffrey
Jones, VOYAGER." He hesitated for only a moment before tearing it open and
removing the folded pieces of paper inside. It was handwritten and dated
the day before Bogg had died. Jeff sat down slowly, as he read it:
In answer to the question you are probably asking, you know I always covered my bets, Jeff. The Omni was essential to what I had to do and so records were -- "changed" accordingly. As far as the muckedy-mucks know, this Omni is still safely in storage at Voyager Headquarters. You can do with it what you will after you do what I must not have accomplished myself. I would kind of like it if you kept it around but you're a grown man now and completely capable of deciding that on your own. What matters is the story I'm going to tell you, kid. Trust me just once more, whether or not you think I deserve that.
Not long before you and I parted company 13 years ago, do you remember we had taken a short vacation apart? You went -- I don't remember where you went but I thought maybe a little female company would be the ticket for me. I still wasn't feeling tip top after that mishap I had and this sounded like great R& R. Things were going fine until one night I was half asleep in the bedroom of an especially lovely lady whose services I had gladly paid for . . . well, that isn't important. Something had woke me up, though not completely, and the first thing I remember is hearing a voice that was real familiar. All of a sudden, it hit me and I came up out of the bed when I realized that the one voice was . . . Jeff spoke aloud, "Drake!" our old friend, Drake.
Now what I'm going to tell you might sound insane but give me the benefit of the doubt at least, kid. He sounded very drunk and he was apparently talking to a female companion, who I am sure thought he was completely crazy because all I could hear of her end of the whole thing was a "Yeah, I understand, Honey, sure thing" now and then. Jeff, when he started talking about "payback", I got the shivers. You know Drake was not exactly president of my fan club and I also knew that headquarters was still looking for him, even after all these years. I decided to wait around and see if I could find out what the hell he was talking about if I followed him. I thought if he caught sight of me, that would be it because he'd Omni out and I'd lose any chance of getting my hands on him. Whatever he was up to, I knew it had to be dangerous.
I did just that for the next several days and I guess my attention started to wander a little because one night he dropped into the booth I was sitting at in a bar he seemed to like.
"My old friend, Phineas Bogg. I thought that was your shadow that kept just out of my sight recently," he said, and it didn't sound like he was very surprised to see me. "Still on my back, aren't you? I should simply kill you right here and now and nobody would be the wiser but you know, I think I'd like to make you suffer a bit instead. Here take a good look at this."
He handed me a small box. "What the hell is this?" I asked.
"Payback, Bogg, payback," he said, laughing.
I opened it and inside was a stack of photos. God, Jeff, I thought I was going to throw up because these were of Voyager headquarters and everything was destroyed. There were a bunch of bodies in there, too, some of whom you would recognize. There was also a small notebook and from the glance I took at it, he'd written down the whole scheme. You know how he always liked to keep everything on record. He grabbed it back before I could read it all but I got enough to know that he was planning to plant a lethal explosive there and that he would, apparently, succeed.
"Why are you showing me this, Drake? Do you really think I'm going to let you walk out of here knowing you have this planned?" He smiled at me and I got that shiver again.
"Well, considering this doesn't happen for about 13 years or so from now on a very special day when security will be somewhat lax and considering that I intend to frame a good friend of yours for the crime unless you keep your mouth shut, yes, I think you will let me leave, and cheerfully, at that."
"What friend would that be?" I asked him, sick at heart because I knew the answer already. He reached into his pocket again and pulled out a few small hairs in a plastic bag, a picture of that locket with your mother's picture you lost a few years back, and a small key.
"You might recognize these items as belonging to your friend, Jones, yes? The locket is safely tucked away in a safe deposit box in a location known only to me but I do have friends, Bogg, and they will know what to do with it, and these little specimens, too, if I should be apprehended. Of course, if you let me walk away and forget you saw me then maybe these little treasures will disappear, too. Maybe."
I reached for him at that point but he laughed at me, "Of course, you have 13 years to find out where I keep them, and all of time to search through, before the big bang. Oh, but there's one more thing, my dear Phineas -- you've been a thorn in my side long enough and I think it's high time you opted for early retirement."
"Retirement? What are you talking about? I'm not old enough to 'retire'."
"Oh yes, you are. And one more thing, Bogg, if you tell anyone anything at all about this, there is nowhere in time that Jeffrey Jones will be able to hide from me. I promise you he will die most painfully. I am something of an expert at that, after all, and I assure you it will happen very soon. Not even you will be able to protect him."
"What's to stop me from warning the Council now?" I asked.
"That's the best part of all, Phineas! I 'own' a council member but you will never know who! If you tell, he may be taken, true, but he has a sure fire way to warn me and your boy, Jeffrey, is dead. It's sort of a 'win-win' situation for me, don't you see? If you keep silent, the Voyagers as a viable entity will eventually cease to exist and if you talk, you lose your surrogate son! It is so delicious, isn't it?!"
He pulled out his Omni and in a blink, he was gone. I spent most of the last 12-1/2 years or so trying to figure out where Drake might be hiding. I've gone over every detail of that little meeting of ours; what he was wearing, not just what he said, but how he said it and any and every other detail I could imagine. I guess you'd say my "subconscious" was working on it, too, because it finally hit me the other day where he had to be and if I'm right, I should be able to lay my hands on the damn journal tonight. Trouble is, since you're reading this, Jeff, I either failed or he got to me before I could get it into the proper hands. If the latter is the case, I have a hiding place in mind. I am afraid to commit it to paper, but kid, I will leave you some kind of signpost or die trying.
Anyway, now you know why it was I left you and why I never really explained my reasons. I guess I'd been protecting you for so long, it had become a habit by that time and I just could not see any other way. I know this has been hard on you. Me, too. I've spent the last 13 years waiting and watching. I know that Drake is going to turn up here again to make sure I am still keeping our "bargain" and as I write, I feel he isn't far away. If you're reading this, it's because I must have failed to stop him. I know that you'll be the one to deal with my personal effects after I'm gone, so now this task falls to you. If he succeeds in destroying all the computers and the people involved in this organization, history as a whole will suffer. Who knows what changes will happen if no Voyagers are around to put them right? You've got to find Drake and get your hands on that written record of his. You're the smartest man I know and nobody has a better sense of right and wrong, duty and responsibility or more guts to do what you have to do.
So why are you still sitting here? Get off your butt and find Drake. I wish I could give you an exact date when the explosion is supposed to happen but I can't; I just know it's soon. He has to be stopped. And one more thing, Jeff -- I never got to tell you but you're the best thing that ever happened to me. The years we spent together were the happiest I ever had. I came to love you as much as any father could love a son and most of all, I have always been proud of you. I'm just sorry I never had the nerve to tell this to you face to face. Forgive me, Jeff and remember me.
The signature at the bottom read simply
"P.B."
~*~
Jeff sat for several minutes after he'd finished reading and then handed
the entire letter to Crys. "You said you could read. Try this," and he walked
out the front door. She finished reading and then went out the door to find
Jeffrey sitting on the front steps staring off into space.
"That's an amazing story," she commented. "He must have been something. Do
you think that journal was what the guy was looking for here the other night?"
"Yes, I do but I also don't think it's here or we would have found it. Bogg
said it; he was planning to get it and hide it; the question is where."
"But Jeff, if he had the Omni . . . "
"It could be anywhere, anytime, yeah, I thought of that."
"Did he have anything on him when he died, anything that might give us a
clue?" Crys asked, plopping down beside him.
Jeff turned to look at her and raised his eyebrows. "Funny how you seem to
read my mind, kid. I was just going to check that." They stood up together,
and going back inside, Jeff pulled out a small box which Crys had not noticed
before. "There wasn't much, a little pocket change from this time period
and this." He pulled out a small piece of rough cloth. He looked hard at
it for a moment. 'It looks familiar somehow, but not . . .' Jeff thought.
"That looks old and not very fancy," the girl observed, holding it in her
hand. "I don't think I've ever seen anything like this. Is there anything
else?"
"Just some dried plants of some kind with some black stuff on it. I feel
like I should recognize these things but it just won't come," Jeff replied
suddenly feeling tired. He felt overwhelmed by the events of the day and
worry about the future was making him feel older than he was.
Crystal realized that he looked exhausted. "You really look tired. Why don't
you take a rest?" She put her hand on the young man's shoulder in what passed
for a motherly way.
Jeff grinned and the look of fatigue lessened a little. "Hey, that's supposed
to be my line, girl. Thanks but I have this feeling that time is running
out. I don't think we have the luxury of sleeping right now. I've GOT to
figure out what the significance of these things is."
"Why are you so sure they have any meaning at all?"
"Because I know your father -- knew your father -- better than I know myself
and he promised to leave me some kind of clue. It's just up to us to discover
what it is."
"Us?" Crystal asked, smiling.
"Absolutely. In the meanwhile, though, I'm starved. Let's see if we can find
any food leftover here." He moved toward the kitchen area. She followed him
slowly but stopped.
"Look at this. Isn't this a Bible?" Crystal said, picking up a heavy book.
She dropped it, "Ouch! That thing is heavy!"
"If you have to ask what it is, you probably ought to read it more often."
He laughed out loud for the first time in days.
"Ha, ha, ha," she sneered.
Jeffrey picked up the book and suddenly stopped dead still. It had fallen
open to Exodus 2:3-5. "That's it!! I've got it!" He screamed, grabbing up
the girl and dancing around the room with her, repeating, "That's it!" half
a dozen times.
She shook her head, laughing with him but not knowing why. "What are you
talking about?"
"Crystal, the very first time Bogg and I met, we ended up in Egypt in the
time of Moses; the baby Moses. Haven't you ever read the story?"
"Wasn't that the baby in the river or something?"
"Exactly! Moses was stuck in some weeds and Bogg and I put him back into
the Nile where the Pharaoh's daughter found him, just the way she was
supposed to do. You see? Voyagers. We were being Voyagers and it was
the first time ever for the two of us as a team! I'd bet my life that is
where Bogg hid the notebook and the pictures if he got his hands on them.
He'd know this was a day I'd remember!" She had never seen Jeffrey this excited.
"This bit of cloth is from the blanket that wrapped the baby and this grassy
material is what the basket was made of with the black pitch holding it together.
It's so obvious!"
"So, what are we waiting for?" she asked.
"Nothing that I can imagine." She touched his shoulder without being told
and he was smiling as the Omni took them to the appropriate moment in time.
~*~
The area resembled nothing as much as a swamp and was exactly the way Jeff
remembered it. He and the girl tromped through the grass near the river's
edge slowly. "It has to be around here someplace. God, I'm starting to talk
in cliches!" He was clearly in a better mood than he had been since Bogg's
death. For the first time he felt optimistic. 'Phineas, we may pull this
off yet but how will we find it in this big an area?' he thought.
"How will you ever find something that small, though?" Crystal asked, scratching
at her arms which were itching from rubbing against the plants all around
them.
Jeff stopped and looked at her, wondering if she was reading his mind.
'Funny how she seems to know what I'm thinking before I do; almost eerie
in a way.'
"But it could be anyplace, couldn't it?"
"Could be. Here," he said as they stopped by the river's edge. "If I'm not
totally senile, this looks like the spot where we found the basket with the
baby in it."
"You think it's someplace close by here?"
"Yeah, if I know Bogg it is. He'd know I'd remember." Several minutes passed
during which they continued to walk around the general area with no luck.
The sun was blazing hot and Jeff could tell that Crystal was getting tired,
so he suggested they sit and rest for a few minutes. He found a clearing
and both dropped down side by side. "Here, move that prickly stuff aside;
it won't do much for your itchy arms." He shoved away some sticky looking
grasses and then stopped and stared. There on the ground was a very distinct,
stylized "V" in an unmistakable style. They saw it at the same moment and
began to dig in the spot like a couple of wild dogs after a rodent. Within
a few minutes, Crys cried out in triumph and pulled out a small metal box
handing it to Jeffrey.
"No, I think you should do the honors," he said. She opened the lid and pulled
out a handwritten ledger, along with a sealed envelope of photographs. She
held them in her hand for several minutes and turned to Jeff.
"Do you think this is what my father died for?" She asked, tears brimming
in her eyes.
"Very possibly, Crys. If that's so, the best way to honor him is to finish
what he started, don't you think?
"Yes," and she opened the journal. The handwriting inside was small and cramped
but very readable. In minute detail, Drake had described how and why and
where he was planning to plant the deadly device, as well as a lot of self
aggrandizing notes on how the world would one day thank him for his actions
and how they all deserved it for failing to recognize his genius before then.
She started to open the photo envelope, but Jeff took it from her.
"No, Honey, I don't think so. Neither of us needs to see these. We've got
what we came for. Let's get back."
~*~
"I want to come with you, Jeff. You can't leave me here alone." Crystal was
complaining loudly the next morning as Jeff prepared to travel to Voyager
headquarters. They had arrived back and had almost collapsed from exhaustion.
Both had slept soundly, Jeff with the precious box under his head.
"I don't know if I'm going to be in time, kid. It could be dangerous and
you'll be safer here. Things may go 'boom' while I'm there and I want you
in the clear."
"How do you know that Drake isn't lurking around outside someplace? I tell
you; I'm safer with you. Please don't leave me, Jeff." Those blue eyes were
imploring and tearing over just enough.
He sighed. 'Talk about "paying for your raising",' he thought. 'I
wonder how many times I pulled this number on Bogg? I have to admit it's
hard to say no, especially when she's probably right,' "Are you sure
about this?" She smiled in triumph, knowing she had won.
"I'd say it was something of a moot point in any case," said a voice Jeff
recognized all too well. "How are you, Mr. Jones? You've grown up a lot since
we last met, I must say."
"Hello, Drake. What rock did you crawl out from under?" Jeff replied, staring
down the barrel of a nasty looking and very 20th century .357 Magnum. He
moved as unobtrusively as possible in Crystal's direction, pushing her behind
him as he spoke.
"Funny. Your friend Bogg was funny, too. He even laughed at me with his last
breath." Crys let out a small cry. "Now, what I need to know is the identity
of this charming young lady. I do know how to handle young ladies; do you
remember, Jeffrey? She does look a little familiar."
For the first time, a pang of fear shot through Jeff, but he covered it because
he had to. "Nobody you need to worry about, Drake. Your business is with
me," Jeff replied.
"Quite true. Right to the point. Well, I believe you have some interesting
material that belongs to me and I would like it back immediately." He smiled
in a cold way and held out his hand. Only his mouth was smiling; his eyes
were icy. "Bogg, unfortunately, felt called upon to take it and I have been
waiting as long as I could for you to retrieve it. It seemed logical to assume
that he would have found some way to let you know where he had hidden it."
With part of his mind, Jeff measured the distance between himself and Drake
and calculated the odds. They were not good. He knew that Drake would not
be here unless there was still time for him to stop what was planned. 'Keep
him talking, Jeff. He'll drop his guard.'
"It would have been so much simpler if I had just killed Bogg 13 years ago,
as my superior intellect warned me to do. Sadly, I gave into weaker impulses.
It was almost worth it, though, to know how much he suffered in the years
since, waiting and wondering all alone. It almost compensated me for all
he took from me; my peace, my rightful place, my pride. He turned me into
a hunted fugitive. However," and he laughed out loud, "I must say he died
well. Would you like to hear about it?"
Jeff blinked hard. "I'm sure I don't have a choice. "
"When I realized that my materials had gone missing, I confronted him at
that tavern we had met at 13 years ago. I knew it had to have been him who
was brazen enough to walk right in and take them, getting away without a
scratch in the process. But, he laughed at me -- imagine! He taunted me and
told me I may as well give up now because my days were numbered." Jeff was
silently pushing Crystal back a few inches at a time as Drake spoke.
"He was right," Jeff commented.
"That remains to be seen. In any case, he was so full of his own cleverness
that he never noticed the powder I managed to pour into his drink"
Jeff inhaled sharply. "Poison," he said, with no question in his tone.
"Indeed, my own personal discovery, I might add. I stood up and told him
that our business was not yet completed, and then I used my Omni, knowing
it would only be a short time before he would begin feeling the effects.
As usual, my calculations were precise because I arrived back out on the
docks just a few moments later in time to see him fall. I came to him then.
'Well Bogg, what do you say now? Tell me quickly where you have the journal
and I have the antidote right here.' I held it out in front of me. I was
offering him life, Jones, life! And what kind of thanks did I get?"
"Knowing Phineas Bogg, he probably spit in your eye," Jeff answered, when
Drake paused, as though expecting a reply. He had now managed to get the
girl off into a corner and as Drake glanced away, Jeff motioned for her to
stay put.
"Worse than that. He said, 'You lose, Drake. Shove your potion. Now you have
all of time to search and I have . . . peace. Finally.' He was even smiling
as he died. Most irritating, but then, Bogg always did have that effect on
me." He stopped. "Now, Jones -- the journal -- or do I have to discuss it
with this sweet youngster?"
Jeff knew it was now or never and his right foot came up faster than the
eye could see to connect with the hand holding the gun. It flew to the side
as the two struggled in the middle of the floor. In only a few moments, it
was clear that his youth and speed would make the difference and soon Jeff
was able to get Drake down on the floor, unable to move. "Crys, get me that
rope from Bogg's sea chest, will you?" She tossed it but the coil feel just
short of Jeff's outstretched hand. As he leaned over to grab it, he let off
his grip just a little. Drake seized the opportunity and from inside his
coat, he pulled a jeweled dagger. As he heaved it towards Jeffrey's chest,
a shot rang out from behind him, and Drake fell forward. Jeff sat up, pushing
him off,and stared in wonder at the girl standing in the corner by the open
chest. She held a smoking gun but not Drake's modern piece. It was Bogg's
own sidearm.
"I'm sure glad my stepdad taught me to shoot," she said, looking a little
pale and her tone reflecting her effort to sound confident.
Drake groaned and Jeff moved towards him. "Please Jones, tell me one thing
at least; who is this child?"
Before Jeff could reply, though, Crystal stood over the dying man, "Bogg
is the name, Sir, Crystal Bogg. You might remember my father, Phineas?" Drake's
eyes closed in pain, whether from the wound or the irony, neither of them
ever knew.
"Come on, Crys. We don't have time to do anything with the body. I have a
hunch we can still stop that explosion." He opened the Omni and the green
light popped on. They grinned at each other as they left.
~*~
The ceremonial hall was enormous, at least, it seemed so to Crystal. Jeff
stood in the middle of it, surrounded by robbed figures of both sexes and
apparent ages ranging from early adulthood to octogenarians.
"Jeffrey Jones, this body owes you a debt that can never be fully repaid;
quite literally our very existence, not to mention hundreds of individual
lives. Is there anything at all that we can offer you in return for this
invaluable service to ourselves, and indeed, to all of history?"
"It was Bogg's sacrifice that made it possible. I only managed to finish
what he had started."
"Nevertheless, I sense there is something you would wish." The President
of the Council was a kindly looking gentleman and he looked at Jeffrey with
a bittersweet smile. "I have long known there was a sadness in you, my boy,
and now that Bogg is gone, I would think that would be deepened considerably."
"In a funny way, I feel more settled on this score than I have in years,
your Excellence. I understand things now that have eaten away at me for years,
and somehow in death I have Bogg back with me for good."
"But," he persisted. "Isn't there something you wish which we can grant?"
Jeffrey smiled. "As a matter of fact, sir, I would make one small request
of this Council." He took a deep breath, "Would I be allowed to take on the
responsibility of raising Bogg's only child?" From a far corner of the room,
Jeff heard a cry of assent from Crystal.
The President glanced in her direction, laughing, "It seems that suggestion
meets with the approval of the individual involved for certain but Jeffrey,
are you certain that you truly would want this task? Bringing up a child,
particularly one who is not one's own, is daunting."
"Yes, absolutely. She is her father's daughter and I could not have succeeded
in stopping Drake without her help and insight. Besides, I think Phineas
would have wanted it that way."
"This is acceptable to you, my child?" The President directed the question
at the girl, who now ran to the center of the room and threw her arms around
Jeff, who whirled her around, laughing.
"Yes, please, sir. I want this very much. I promise to do whatever he tells
me."
"Now don't start out with a white lie, Crys," Jeff said, shaking his finger
in mock solemnity, trying his best to look stern and responsible.
"Well, perhaps not everything but almost!" The room chuckled.
"And one thing more, sir. I would respectfully like to turn this back in
to you, if that would be all right." He held out the Omni he had been given
when he began life as a solo Voyager 13 years before.
"Jeffrey, does this mean you wish to leave the service?"
"Oh no, not at all. I would just prefer to use this one, if you don't mind."
He held out Bogg's original Omni. "It makes me feel like Bogg is not too
far away, I guess."
"Oh, I won't be, Jeffrey Jones, I promise you that!" Crystal said, as they
walked out of the hall, arm in arm.