John Schettler - Meridian

“Paul?” Maeve smiled in Dorland’s direction. “Did you place an order for tonight’s meeting and forget about it again?”

Dorland glanced at Maeve for a second, but his gaze slipped back to the visitor. He spoke to Maeve, but his eyes swept over the man, focusing on the stranger with a keen inner assessment. “Mr. Graves doesn’t work for Peets, Maeve.” There was a blunt tone to his voice. “He was just was about to tell us he’s come for some other reason.”

The statement focused immediate attention on the visitor, and another awkward silence ensued. The man met Paul’s gaze, a strange mixture of admiration and fear in his eyes. He seemed very anxious, and Nordhausen noticed a sheen of perspiration on the stranger’s brow in spite of the chill on the room from the blast of cold air. He looked at Paul, and then turned to the visitor again with a hint of suspicion adding definition to the corners of his mouth.

Maeve broke the silence, always the gatekeeper as her instincts prompted her to smooth Paul’s remark over. “You must forgive us,” she said. “It’s been a very long night, what with this news and all. We just can’t imagine what this is going to mean now. But, Mr. Graves, was it? Did you have news for someone here tonight?” She was angling for some understanding of why the man had come, taking refuge and comfort in simple politeness, her thoughts still with her mother.

“Yes,” the stranger began. “I’m afraid so, and there’s no other way to begin but this: I’ve come for your help. You’ve all heard the news tonight and, now that Mr. Ramer has arrived, I think it’s safe to proceed. I must ask a very great favor.”

Nordhausen’s eyes narrowed. “Why do I have the odd feeling that you seem to know us, Mr. Graves? You have us at a bit of a disadvantage here.” He was beginning to think the man might work for the government. They had gone to great ends to keep the project privately funded, but government inspectors were always intruding nonetheless, and Nordhausen was concerned that this was just another bureaucratic busybody with some annoying regulation in mind.

“Know all of you?” The man smiled, his manner still a bit anxious as he pressed on. “Why, I suppose I do, in a way. Yes, we’ve never met, though I had a close brush with Mr. Ramer there earlier this evening. You’re a very impatient driver, if I may say so.” He looked in Kelly’s direction with a wan smile.

Kelly was completely befuddled now. “What on earth are you talking about?”

“You were near the BART station earlier tonight after you got off the freeway. You always take that exit. I’m afraid I had to delay you for a moment. I suppose I’d have leaned on the car horn as well, but when you hear what I have to say I think you’ll forgive me. I’m only glad you’re safely here.” He looked at his watch again, as if to reassure himself about something. “I think it’s safe now,” he said looking from one to the other. “We’re in a void—a very deep Nexus Point. We don’t have long, but there’s still time.”

“Time indeed,” said Dorland. His suspicions coalesced into a wry smile and he knew who the man was at last. “What did I tell you, Robert?”

“What’s that?” The professor was looking from Dorland to the visitor, a moment’s uncertainty tugging at him, even as he, too, came to grips with what was happening.

“Don’t you see?” Dorland broke into a broad smile. “That was no chance meeting with Kelly near the BART station. You did that deliberately,” he pointed at the visitor. “You needed to delay Kelly somehow—just a gentle nudge, isn’t that so, Mr. Graves?”

“You are very shrewd, Mr. Dorland. But then, why not? This was all your idea in the first place. Wasn’t it? Well, I was fortunate enough to succeed with Mr. Ramer here, and if the good lady would be so kind as to make us all a cup of that wonderful coffee, I think we should get started.”

The rain on the roof seemed much louder in the silence that followed. Then Dorland broke out in a laugh, and Nordhausen joined in. Kelly and Maeve were staring at them both like they had suddenly been taken ill.

“What in God’s name is going on here?” Kelly gave them an exasperated look. “OK, I want to know who the hell you are, and what the hell is so damn funny!”

Maeve gave him a sharp glance and tugged at his sleeve in spite of her own confusion. But Dorland and Nordhausen just kept laughing and, as she stared at the visitor, she recalled the opening rounds of the running gun battle the two men had fought earlier that evening. “You mean to say that—”

“Someone’s come to join us for coffee after all!” The professor was beaming as he looked at Dorland, his smile conceding a point of long contention with his friend, and seeming to drain away the stress and tension of the night with his laughter.

“Then it works, Robert!” Dorland was ecstatic. “It works!”

“It might work.” The visitor interjected a sobering note. “We hope it will work,” he explained. “In fact, we think it will work, now that we’re on this side of the Shadow, but we’re not quite sure. In any case, we haven’t much time and the situation is desperate. We’re in a void now—a Deep Nexus. We have to get this underway before the tsunami hits the east coast and the event begins to solidify. It’s just a little past eleven. That leaves us another six hours and twenty odd minutes. I’ve saved Kelly, and he has his laptop with him. We need to get started!”

“Wait a second…” Kelly was slowly catching up with the men at the table. “What do you mean you saved me? And what was this business about the BART station? You mean you’re the guy I was honking at?”

“I had to delay you, Mr. Ramer.” The visitor gave him an apologetic glance. “It was only a matter of a few seconds, but it was enough. You were the Primary Lever, you see. We determined that from the tape of the meeting. I must say, I’ve listened to that tape a hundred times. I really feel I do know you, at least the three of you: Mr. Dorland here, and the good Professor, and of course you, my dear Maeve. I know you like we were old friends, and I will be very pleased to make your acquaintance, Mr. Ramer, now that I’ve managed to prevent your untimely death.” He let that statement sink in for a moment.

Kelly just stood there, his mouth half open, but the light of understanding was gleaming in Maeve’s eyes, and she put her arm around him, whispering something in his right ear.

“Gentle nudge indeed.” Nordhausen put in.

“Right in the rib of history!” Dorland smiled.

“You were taping this?” Maeve gave Paul a disapproving look.

“For history’s sake. But I think my tape has run out by now.”

“It stopped at twelve minutes after ten,” said the visitor. “I aimed to arrive here well after that, so as to avoid any… complications.”

Kelly just stared at them. As the realization of what they were saying swept over him, all he could feel was the pressure of Maeve’s arm around his shoulder, claiming him, welcoming him. He passed a brief moment of light headedness, and a sudden chill shook his frame. The visitor was looking at his watch again.

“It’s time,” he concluded. “You’re safe now Mr. Ramer, though I see from that cut on your forehead that the world still managed to take a swipe at you.”

“You’re from the future,” Kelly whispered, “and you’re telling me I was supposed to die tonight? You deliberately stepped in front of my car to delay me?” He kept replaying the close call he had when he stopped at the Seven-Eleven in his mind.

“As far as we know,” the visitor said in a low, serious tone, “you were killed by an onrushing vehicle as you went to cross the street at the intersection of—”