Chapter 10
Back in the Control Room, a flustered Sam sidled up to Ian, holding out the handlink.
“Ben requested you or Jenn to sub in.”
Ian looked back at him with narrow eyes. “Why?”
“Because I have a lunch date with Addison’s Mom,” he replied. “We’ve got a lead on the leaper—”
“I saw as much in the readings you pulled up on the handlink,” said Ian, pointing to some graphed data on the screen. “Nice timing with the lunch.”
Sam sighed. “Ben told me to go in case it was important. I don’t know how it could possibly be more important than Ben’s leap, but he insisted. And the sooner I’m back, the better. So I’ve gotta get goin’.”
“Absolutely, go for it,” Ian said. “I’ll get Jenn in there—I’m still working on getting that retrieval program into the system. Nice job with that, by the way.”
“I still need to tweak it, but it’s a start,” Sam said. “Thank you, Ian. I’ll be back as soon as I can.”
He spun on his heel to leave, and nearly fell over when a distorted, shadowy shape appeared in front of him. He stepped back, watching it resolve into a human figure, and then a face formed in the strange static mist.
It was a hologram. Specifically, Janis was standing in front of him. He hadn’t expected her to get that Imaging Chamber online this quickly. She really was a genius, he thought.
“Oh, wow, it worked!” she cried, laughing with triumph. “The connection wouldn’t resolve before. You must have been in the Imaging Chamber, right? Seems to be interference in there. No two holograms able to occupy the same space together, I guess.”
Sam opened his mouth to speak, then noticed the room full of people around them. He hastily walked out to the corridor as Janis trailed behind.
“We made eye contact,” she said, “so I assume you saw me and you just couldn’t say anything in there, which is fine. Just, I dunno, clear your throat or something so I know you hear me.”
Sam did as requested, covering his mouth and clearing his throat loudly as he headed for the building exit.
“Okay, great,” Janis said. “Mind if I ask where you’re headed? Answer me when you can.”
He passed through a security gate and then out the main entrance of the building. Taking a cue from Ben’s earlier tactic, he pulled out Addison’s cell phone and held it to his ear as he walked to the car.
“I’m on my way to have lunch with Addison’s Mom.”
“Her Mom?” Janis sounded baffled. “You’re abandoning your post with Ben to see her Mom? Why?”
Sam clicked Addison’s key fob, unlocking her car as he reached it. He looked back at Janis, who was still semi-transparent, like a ghost. “She and Addison are estranged. I’m trying to figure it out.” He opened the car door. “I thought Donna was supposed to be the hologram, anyway?”
He slid into the car seat, and jumped as he saw that Janis was already in the passenger seat.
“She is! I’m just in here for testing purposes.” She pouted. “I thought you’d be happier to see me.”
Sam turned the key in the ignition, and smiled at Janis. “Of course I’m happy to see you.” He began to drive towards the pier, stealing a few fond glances at Al’s daughter. “I take it you don’t know Addison’s Mom either, huh?”
“Addison hated my guts until recently,” Janis said matter-of-factly. “I wouldn’t have the faintest clue about her family. But if they’re as abrasive as her, you’ve got your work cut out for ya.”
Sam stifled a laugh. “You’re both strong personalities. Two magnets with the same poles repel one another… maybe you’re just too similar.”
“I never hated her, you know. In fact, I helped Ben save her life.”
“You did?”
Janis nodded, and proceeded to explain some of the details behind Ben’s original leap, leading to the confrontation with Martinez in 2018.
“So that explains a few things,” Sam mumbled, feeling pangs of Addison’s mixed feelings about the past year. The anger and hurt of being abandoned, accompanied by love for Ben and deep fear for his well-being.
With the car approaching the pier, Sam pulled it into a parking space, and stepped out. Janis was still following, and he turned to her.
“Have you got a handlink? Can you help me with this conversation in some way?”
Janis shrugged. “No, I don’t have a handlink—the only one I had was converted into the leaper detector.” She pulled her phone out of her pocket. “Having said that, I have Google, along with a few pathways into sensitive databases I’ve acquired over the years. I may be of assistance.”
“Okay then,” he said with a nod, “shall we?”
Together, they headed for the cafe that Missus Augustine had requested, Pretty Little Lattes, and entered the busy establishment, glancing around.
“Wish I knew who I was looking for,” he said under his breath to Janis.
“Well, she’d have to look something like Addison, right? And be sitting alone at a table? Maybe we can split up and look for her?”
Sam locked eyes with a woman at the far corner; a woman in her fifties, with golden brown hair flecked with grey. She looked… somehow familiar to him. He couldn’t quite think of how he recognised her, however—perhaps he’d met her in a leap long ago. It was going to bother him until he remembered, he was sure of it.
The woman waved at him, and he decided it must have been Addison’s mother. He weaved through the tables, reaching her and smiling.
“Hi, Mom?” he said in an inadvertently questioning tone.
“Addie…” the woman said sweetly, standing and drawing him into a tight hug. “I missed you so, so much.” She kissed him on the cheek, and returned to her seat. “I hope you don’t mind, but I ordered you a coffee. Latte, no sugar. Just the way you like it, right?”
Wrapped in the woman’s arms, Sam had not noticed Janis quietly slipping away, nor the alarmed look of recognition on her face.
“Thank you.” Sam took the opposite seat and sat down, smiling weakly. “I’m glad you could make it.”
“Of course, sweetheart,” she said. “Don’t ever think I wouldn’t drop everything to come see you.”
“I… appreciate that.” Sam licked his lips. “So, about the last text you sent me…”
“You finally want to tell me what happened with Ben?” Missus Augustine asked, leaning in closely. “You can tell me, honey.”
“Well, it’s… complicated,” he said.
What could he really tell her? He needed to know what she knew before he could reveal any information about what had happened to Ben.
She sighed, rubbing her eyes. “Look, I know you’re supposed to be all tight-lipped about it, Addie, but it’s me. You can talk about these things with me.” She placed a hand on Sam’s shoulder. “Did Ben—you know… leap?”
So she does know, thought Sam. Which makes me wonder why Addison cut her out of her life.
Something in Sam’s eyes must have answered Missus Augustine’s question, because she nodded in understanding.
“Geniuses,” she said, shaking her head. “They just can’t help themselves. They get obsessed, you know. And on the night of your engagement party no less—just wow. Thoughtless.”
Sam wondered why it felt like she was talking about him just as much as Ben.
Who are you? he thought, squinting his eyes as he studied her very familiar face.
“He… he did it to save my life,” Sam said defensively. “It’s a long story, but I swear he didn’t just jump in there for fun.”
Missus Augustine sipped at the cup of coffee she had in front of her. “Oh, there’s always some reason they just have to get in the Accelerator.” She leaned back in her chair. “But it’s not all bad that he did that. He took your place, didn’t he? Now I won’t lose you—not as long as he’s out there.”
That’s right, he thought. Addison was supposed to be the leaper. Is that really why they fell out? She didn’t want Addison to leap?
“But you did lose me,” he said, taking the chance. “Whether I leaped or not—you lost me when you refused to support my choice.”
He took his latte, taking a long drink from it as he waited for her reply.
Missus Augustine’s eyes misted up. “Can you blame me? You were going to end up lost in time. Just like your grandfather.”
Grandfather?! The coffee in Sam’s mouth was drawn into his nasal cavity as he reacted to this, and he coughed.
“It’s true, Sam.” Donna’s husky voice cut through the din of the cafe as she materialised by the table. “Addison’s mother is… your daughter.”