Justin followed behind the old white van as it bumped along the winding gravel road. Paige gripped the gold pocket watch and silently observed the dashboard from the backseat. Blue and green lights lit up the console with a dizzying array of buttons and knobs and small computer screens that looked as complicated as the cockpit of an airplane. She felt homesick, truly homesick for the first time. She accepted the truth of her situation as it revealed itself more keenly and the thick fog of denial lifted–she knew she didn’t belong. Like the passing of a storm, she shook herself off, stepped outside and re-examined the color of the sky, overwhelmed by the many shades of blue she never knew existed.

In her world, the lights stayed on, the water ran freely, and gas was cheap and available at any gas station on every corner. Black backpacks didn’t pose a threat and armed guards were only needed at banks or government buildings. Vehicle checkpoints were a minor nuisance at a handful of state lines or when crossing into Mexico and Canada, but random checkpoints were unlawful, civil violations practiced overseas in a far off country with a dictatorial regime — not America. Fear ruled the airwaves in the future, and her country, where freedom used to ring and liberty prevailed, no longer existed. Twenty-seven years didn’t seem like a long time in the grand scheme of things but the change happened gradually, presented in slow increments until the public signed on to the agenda, hook, line and sinker. Fear is the path to total control, Gabriel used to say, and Paige had understood the concept back then, but to see the plans implemented with apparent ease, chilled her road-weary bones. In the last decade of the twentieth century, the Council of Six, the Green Police and the CMC’s already existed behind closed doors on carefully drawn out blueprints, but resistance still had a fighting chance. Vincent, despite all his misgivings, must have thought so too. She gripped the gold watch, looked back at the yellow glow of the fire, and then slouched down in the seat and quietly broke down.

Smoke from the cottage lingered in the air and clouded the narrow pathway leading through the dense forest. The sanctity of the open highway appeared around the last bend, but the van slid to an abrupt stop. The car skidded across the gravel as Justin slammed on the breaks and pulled off to the side to avoid hitting them. Barricaded by the van and a cluster of trees, Paige and her parents crowded the windshield for an explanation. Through the bright beam of the headlights, a figure came into view. Statuesque and expressionless, he stood about ten feet away and seemed to watch Paige as intently as she watched him. She jumped when the doors clicked and locked, and flinched again when the clone tilted his head and grinned. She attempted to read his thoughts but static flooded her mind and a bright red light engulfed him as he tilted his head to the other side. Like a slow motion ambush, more figures trickled out of the woods and surrounded him; each one possessing eyes like storefront mannequins, but the original held his grin, his eyes glowing like a wild predator. They linked arms and formed a blockade standing fifteen strong against the two vehicles.

“What do we do?” Justin asked. “How many of these things are there?”

“I don’t know,” Paige answered, still watching the original clone, “but they were supposed to self-destruct. They’re disobeying orders.”

“What do you mean?” Allison asked. “What orders?”

“That was Vincent’s last order,” Paige said, “clean up the dead and then throw themselves into the fire.”

“What do you mean his last order?” Justin asked. “How do you–”

“I read his mind, Dad, before he shot himself.”

“Shot himself?” he exclaimed. “Honey, no, Vincent wouldn’t–”

“He would, and did. Don’t you know what this means?” she asked. “They’re disobeying orders! They have free will!” Paige rolled down the window, stuck out her head and yelled for them to disband and let them pass, but the clones ignored her plea and stood strong, linked together and united in silence. She ducked back inside and rolled up the window.

“They see us as the enemy,” she said, “just like the others, just like Dr. Faraday’s creations.”

Michael honked the horn and revved the engine, but the clones held their position. Expressionless and holding hands, they stood behind the leader and defended their roadblock. The van shot forward. Fishtailing to the left before straightening out, it plowed through the human chain as they scattered into the air and collapsed under the tires. Paige screamed out in protest but fell back into the seat when Justin’s foot hit the accelerator. The car jolted forward. Bump after bump, her head hit the roof until the car found traction and picked up speed. A loud thud hit the windshield and her parents let loose a series of expletives as two clones fell from the roof and clung to the hood of the car. Justin honked the horn and sharply turned the wheel, weaving from side to side as the two clones dangled off the edge and then pulled themselves back up. Bloodied and disheveled, they peered through the windshield, vacant-eyed and stone-faced. The van slowed down and Ashley popped out of the passenger-side window with his rifle in hand. Paige turned away and cupped her ears. Two loud shots rang out. The windshield wipers screeched across the glass. She bowed her head until the gravel road gave way to smooth pavement.

Broken white lines appeared like a mirage through the darkness of the night. Glowing from the surface of the highway, they stretched across the horizon before disappearing into blurred oblivion – the effect hypnotized Paige. Sleep threatened to cloud her awareness and erase her much-needed perception, but she resisted. The gold pocket watch rested securely in her palm and offered hope to a bizarre and altogether dismal situation. She refused to close her eyes and let clarity slip away. She feared closing her eyes. She feared waking up in another world where she didn’t belong, but most of all, she feared losing her window of opportunity. In less than three hours, she thought, if all goes well, I’ll be back home with Gabriel. Vincent said he’d given her more time on the clock, but if she failed to catch him before the fall, she knew what had to be done. Back in her world, Vincent was alive and well, eager to gain control and far from having a change of heart. If she failed to save Gabriel before the fall, she knew the right thing to do, but the medicine remained safe in her pocket.

The French Quarters waited with open arms about fifteen miles down the road. They followed behind the professor’s van as Paige admired the weather-torn bumper stickers, permanent fixtures as detrimental as the engine itself. The black sticker on the left simply stated, with white block-lettering, The Government Lies. To the right, Uncle Sam stared back at her with the words, MISSING PERSON, spelled out underneath, and in smaller type, have you seen me? She smiled, amazed that the gas-guzzler still ran. Fond memories raced through her head as she longed for an unfinished past, one where the Doucet siblings, along with herself, Gabriel, Ashley and Billy, embarked on numerous road trips in the trusty white van. She remembered them as friends, loved-ones with whom she’d discovered herself, and family that she came to depend on. She remembered everything, but questioned why she ever forgot.

“Does time-travel cause amnesia?” she asked, bothered by the absurdity of her own words.

“What?” her father asked.

“Why couldn’t I remember anything at first?”

Justin glanced at Paige through his rear-view mirror and then quickly looked away. “Is that what you think happened?” he asked. “You think you time-traveled?”

“I know that’s what happened,” she said. “Why, what do you think happened? You think I’ve just been asleep or something? That I ran away for twenty-seven years and just decided to return one day?”

Allison shook her head, “No, but we, we didn’t know. I mean, we were told, but, we didn’t believe it.”

“Your mother’s right,” Justin said. “We looked for you everywhere, but Vincent, that crazy bastard, well he swore up and down that you time-traveled, but who would believe that? He even showed me the, well the…square, but I still didn’t believe him.”

“And what do you believe now?” Paige asked.

Her parents sighed in unison and she waited with folded arms until her father finally braved the question. “We believe we have you back,” he answered, “and that’s all that matters.”

Paige scoffed and rolled her eyes. She wanted to jump out of the car and run back to the plantation house, but she had to be patient, three more hours, she thought. Michael’s private message was the only reason she left with her parents. He’d explained that Abbey wanted to see her off, and after they picked him up, they’d return to Shady Oak before midnight to send her back. Vincent was no longer an obstacle, and soon she’d be riding passenger in that familiar van, heading down the same highway, destined for that fateful Halloween night in another decade’s time.

“You okay back there, honey?”

She flinched at the sound of her father’s voice. “No,” she answered. “I want to know what plan you agreed to. What exactly did you know?”

Justin hesitated before answering, “We knew more than what we told you.”

Paige sighed with laughter, “No kidding.”

“Paige, honey–”

“Mom, I really can’t handle another, Paige, honey. I need the truth.”

“When Regan brought you to us,” her father began, “we didn’t know what to think. At first, we thought it was some kind of trick, we were positive you were a clone, but, then you woke up.”

Paige waited for him to continue, but after a few minutes of dead air, she leaned over the seat and demanded answers. Her mother put her head down and rubbed her temples, but her father filled in the blanks and connected the rest of the dots.

“You remembered everything, Paige,” he said. “You were distraught, screaming and crying about Gabriel. You were inconsolable, and rightly so. To you, it had just happened. You had no idea how much time had passed. The last thing you remembered, besides Gabriel’s death, was being kidnapped by Alain and taken to Shady Oak.” Justin paused and looked at Allison before he continued. Rubbing her healed shoulder, she shook her head and turned away. Paige waited as patiently as she knew how for the explanation, and when it came, she understood their reluctance. Vincent and Alain had arrived at the house the next day, and after forcing their way in, explained to Paige what had happened, but she refused to believe it.

“We didn’t believe it either,” Justin said. “I mean, time travel? Come on. Should have, though. We were told twenty-seven years ago this would happen.”

“Why did I forget everything?”

Sighing, her father replied, “Vincent ordered Alain to, well, alter your memories.”

Paige quietly listened as her father explained the telepathic process. Alain erased selected memories from her mind but kept the ones that didn’t involve The Doucets, or Ashley and Billy, or Gabriel, especially. Paige awoke from the procedure unaware that anything had taken place.

“And you let them do it?” she asked. “Is that what you and mom wanted?”

“Of course not,” Justin said, “but we didn’t have a choice. They forced their way in, did what they did, and ordered us to keep you inside until further notice.”

Paige chewed her bottom lip and tried to wrap her mind around the deceit. She understood her parent’s forced position, but she didn’t understand why. What did Vincent have to gain, and why now? Why twenty-seven years?

“Is that everything?” she asked. “Is that all you know?”

“Not exactly,” her mother said, fidgeting with her nails. “Shall I tell her, dear, or would you like the honor?” Justin whipped his head around and glared at his wife, but Allison blocked his daggers and demanded he watch the road.

“We were given an out,” she said. “You didn’t have to go through all of this.” Digging in her purse for a nail file, Allison manicured her tips while explaining the extent of Justin’s deceit. Before leaving, Vincent had told them that, in the end, the decision to return would be up to Paige. Her memories would slowly return, if properly stimulated, and Vincent had complete faith that she would want to go back. The ball was in their court, and while Allison held onto it as long as she could, Justin chunked it to the opposing side.

“Two months,” her mother said. “It lasted two months before your father here, decided to act without my knowing. He contacted the others, pulled some strings at the college to get Billy in, and then allowed you go to the show. It snowballed after that.”

“Snowballed?” Paige asked.

Switching hands, her mother replied, “Of course. That’s what happens when you make a deal with the devil, things tend to snowball out of con–”

“Allie, dear, let’s not overdramatize things,” Justin said, glancing at Paige through the rearview mirror.

“Did you or did you not make a deal with Michael?” Allison asked.

“Yes, but, I was told everything would be okay, and I thought they would wait for us.”

“What did you expect to happen?” Allison asked. “Why are we even following them? Let’s just go home! Michael got what he wanted, Vincent’s dead, it’s over!”

Slamming his hand on the steering wheel, Justin answered, “Because Paige doesn’t belong here! She has to go back, honey!”

“Of course she belongs here!” Allison shrieked.

Paige tuned out her parents. She knew the rest and filled in the blanks herself. Her mother wanted her to stay, her father wanted her to go, same old song and dance, she thought. Michael needed the medicine but Vincent refused to give it up until he met with her, and my father, she thought, well, he’s just trying to do the right thing. As for her mother, she simply rejected the truth. Paige felt used, but in the same breath, she wanted to go back. Vincent had been right, as soon as her memories returned, she ached to go back, and after all was said and done, everything was okay.

“Michael’s not the devil,” she said, interrupting their argument. “He’s the only one who’s been remotely honest with me.”

Allison gasped. “Honey, Michael put your life in danger, he forced you to go–”

“Michael didn’t force me to do anything,” she said. “Besides, what would you have me do? Stay inside and watch TV for the rest of my life?”

“No!” Allison exclaimed, dropping her hands in her lap. “I just, I didn’t want to lose you again.”

“Your mother’s right,” Justin said. “We knew it wouldn’t last, but we wanted to pretend for as long as possible. We wanted to pick up where we left off, except, maybe, without all the anger and drama.”

Paige laughed, “Yeah that worked out well.”

“Paige, hon…sweetie, you have no idea what it was like for us,” her father said. “We thought we lost you forever.”

“I know,” she answered, “but how can I trust either of you?” How can I trust anyone, she thought. The muffled sound of someone talking caught them off guard. After a few seconds, Allison leaned forward and turned up the radio. A man’s voice gave orders in a calm, robotic voice used for basic protocol during an emergency situation. The message played on a recorded loop.

“Attention, attention, attention: Please remain calm. We are here to help you. We will not tolerate civil disobedience. Attention, attention, attention: Please remain calm. We are here to help you. We will not tolerate civil disobedience. Attention, attention, attention…”

Justin quickly switched the AM broadcast where another fragmented voice spoke through the static.

“It’s an absolute…out here. We don’t even…or how many are still…rubble. It could be weeks…final count.”

Justin changed the channel.

“Emergency crews are spread thin throughout the West Coast Region after a 9.0 earthquake struck earlier this evening. No tsunamis were reported. In other news, residents in counties all across the North American Region remain in the dark after a massive x-class solar flare knocked out the power grid Friday night. Officials haven’t released a time frame for the restoration of power, but warned, however; that rural communities would suffer the longest wait. Along the Gulf Coast Region, residents are being quarantined after a string of smallpox cases were reported. Scientists say the unknown strain is highly contagious and appears to have a ninety percent fatality rate in those infected with the virus. The origin of the outbreak is still unknown at this time.

Justin clicked off the broadcast. “Well, honey,” he said, turning to his wife, “At least the radio’s working now.”

Allison cupped her hands to her mouth and stared at the dashboard. Justin reached over and patted her shoulder before shutting off the vents and closing the sun roof. Besides the old white van, theirs was the only car on the highway. Paige checked the gold watch and wound back the arms at the start of the ten o’clock hour. Her shaky hands fumbled with the small knob on the side of the watch until the secondhand arm clicked into submission and restarted its familiar rounds. She swallowed the dry lump in her throat and rubbed the moister from her eyes.

“Will ya’ll be immune if you take the medicine?” she asked.

“According to Vincent, yes,” her father replied. “We knew this was coming, we just didn’t know exactly when. Sometime this year is all I was told.”

“Who told you, Vincent?”

“No sweetie, my father,” Justin said. “He’s the head of The Council. For whatever reason, he felt the need to warn me.”

“He’s the one who wanted Gabriel killed?” she asked.

“I’m afraid so.”

Paige remembered Dr. William Faraday. She’d never actually met him but his invisible presence haunted her throughout her life. Although her parents never came out and admitted it, she got the feeling he wanted her erased from the planet, along with the rest of humanity. Gabriel once told her he’d met Dr. Faraday while attending a party somewhere in Hollywood. He’d approached Gabriel and greeted him with a series of deceitful niceties before making his true intentions known. He wanted me to switch sides, Gabriel had told her, but I told him…

“Paige, did Vincent say how that thing’s supposed to work?” her father asked.

“No, not really,” she answered, lost in her thoughts. “Just that I’m supposed to press the top button.”

She remembered Gabriel gave them hell. He claimed to have met Dr. Faraday’s most prized creations at that same Hollywood party and described them as being blonde bombshells as cold and lifeless as Barbie and Ken. He said they could shape shift and pretend to be someone else. He said they could kill by thought alone. Paige glared into the glowing lights on the dashboard, intimidated by the buttons and knobs and blank screens that left her stupefied. She questioned her father’s random probe.

“Why do you ask?”

“Just curious,” he answered.

Shutting off her own rampant thoughts, Paige tapped into her father’s.

Time travel? bastard was telling the truth, with his damned coo-coo clocks and pocket watch. Can’t believe he shot himself. Should have paid closer attention when he showed me those maps. Something about wormholes or dark energy…traversable wormholes! That was it! Shortcuts from A to Z. Don’t know how that pocket watch works. The hell did he get that thing anyway?

“Egypt,” Paige answered.

Justin straightened his posture, “We’ve talked about this, Paige. Don’t read my thoughts.”

“What maps did he show you?”

Sighing, Justin replied, “We’ll discuss it later. I need to concentrate on my surroundings right now.”

Military tanks commanded the narrow streets of the French Quarters but the two-vehicle caravan ventured through without resistance. Justin stayed close behind the old white van as they rolled past stop signs and cut tight corners without tapping the breaks.

“Michael must be working his magic,” he commented. “There’s no way they’d let us get away with this.” The CMCs, he thought, just another finger extending the hand of authority.

Paige wanted to agree with him, but thought it best not to reveal her intrusion. Before Gabriel died, he’d been teaching her how to control her telepathic gifts. Sometimes she could shut it off, sometimes she couldn’t. As the familiar fragrances of the French Quarters excited her senses, Paige looked out the window to see Bourbon Street only one block away, dark and eerily quiet. The few people strolling down the sidewalks wore surgical masks and either didn’t know or didn’t care that they were violating curfew. The bar where Gabriel met his demise, the infamous Cottonmouth Club, lurked just around the corner on Bourbon and Royal, but they took a sharp left, avoiding the bad memory. In two short hours, she thought, these streets will be packed with people and I’ll be one of them. Her heart exploded with anxiety.