The Sphere: A Journey In Time Read online

  "Dinner tonight, if you like, in about an hour. You can take your meals alone or with us, it's up to you. We enjoy the company, but we know people like their private time." He slightly pulled out a linen shift and gestured to it. "We're usually a little more formal at dinner," he let the shift go again and it lightly fell back into place, "but whatever you're comfortable in will be fine."

  "Dinner sounds lovely."

  He gestured for me to follow him to the door, then pointed out across a small pool to a somewhat larger hut. "That one is where we stay. Your kitchen is well stocked, but if you need something additional we might have it in ours. If not, we'll get it for you as quickly as possible. We can discuss further details at dinner. I'll leave you to settle in for now then." With a quick nod he was off toward his hut.

  I opened all the windows in the place and savored the breeze for a moment. Even with the amount of trees and gardens in the dome, the air never smelled as fresh as this. I started poking around the hut. He wasn’t kidding, the kitchen was amply stocked. I filled a glass with cold water and carried it around with me while further investigating. The bathroom was a pleasant surprise. It had a tub large enough to drown in, and I realized I had not taken the time to have a leisurely bath in a long time. I made a mental note to take advantage of that.

  Despite the warmth of the air, I took a long, hot shower and slipped on a plain, tan, floor-length linen shift. I stared at the sandals for a moment and decided that during my stay here I would forgo any footwear whenever possible. As I shut the door to my hut behind me I realized I had no key. There did not seem to be any security recognition devices embedded in the door or the wall next to it like back home. With a small amount of effort, I turned my back on the unlocked door and walked toward the hut Adam had indicated earlier. There was never any crime in the domes, but I had gotten used to the reassurance of the security systems there. We were miles away from any other land, and though Adam had not mentioned anyone else, it was not like there was an easy method of escape if something did happen.

  As I approached Adam's hut I noticed a woman in a small garden patio in front. She was setting some food down on an ornate teak table, and looked up at me and smiled as I approached. She was similar in coloring to Adam and just as well toned. My thoughts flashed to the spot on my hips I always thought was just a little too wide. She was wearing a soft white tunic, loose pants, and to my dismay, sandals. Adam had said to dress however I was comfortable but I suddenly felt like I had pushed that too far.

  She extended a long slender arm towards me. "Adelaide." It was not a question, she knew who I was. "I'm Marina." Her voice was soft and her smile inviting but her grip on my hand belied a strong and powerful physique. Yet it was not threatening in the least and I could not help but return the smile. Like Adam, she immediately made me feel at ease.

  "Call me Addy."

  "Sit, sit!" She gestured to one of three chairs at the table and I claimed it while thinking it strange to have only three chairs at a table. There were several other huts visible from the patio. The place looked like it could hold at least a dozen people. "Adam is just finishing up the main course. Can I pour you some wine?" She picked up a bottle of Petraud and held the label out for me to see. I didn't recognize the vineyard, but the grape was one I enjoyed.

  "Sounds wonderful," I said by way of acceptance. She poured while I glanced around some more. I could see five huts in all, scattered around the area. Most were the same size as mine, though Adam and Marina's was larger. If this was their permanent residence though, that made sense. A pool surrounded by thatched umbrellas sat in the middle of the huts. There were a few lounge chairs about. From where I sat I could see out to the ocean through a clearing in the palm trees that lined the beach. The foliage got thick very quickly on either side of the clearing. The table where we sat was surrounded by tall flowers and plants, offering some privacy from the pool area without blocking the view of the beach completely. I noticed each hut had a similar area with smaller tables in between the front door and the pool area. "No one else will be joining us?"

  "You're the only guest we have at the moment."

  "Oh. I'm sorry to intrude-"

  "Nonsense! We love the company. It's rare that we have more than one guest at a time and I'd say at least half the year we have none. So you are a welcome addition, Addy." She handed me a glass and watched as I swirled the wine and sniffed. "It's Adam's own wine."

  "Really?" I took a sip. It had a leathery undertone that seemed out of place in a tropical paradise.

  "Well, he owns the vineyard land and dictates the process, though he doesn't do any of the work. It's a rather lengthy trip as you can imagine. He only makes it twice a year. He doesn't like to leave me on my own for long. Though I've never minded a bit of solitude now and then." She sat down next to me. I felt a silly about my prior concern of formality. Yes, she looked nice, but there was no air of pretension about her.

  "She likes to get rid of me." Adam had joined us from the house carrying a platter of what looked like roast beef. He gave Marina a quick peck on the cheek before setting the platter in the middle of the table, and sitting down with us. "If you'll indulge us for a just a few moments, Addy." He took Marina's hand and the two of them bowed their heads slightly. I was about to question what they were doing when Adam began to speak. "Heavenly father, we thank you for the opportunity to meet our new guest, Adelaide."

  He continued, but I was too thrown to hear what else he was saying. I was glad that their heads were bowed and eyes closed so they would not see my blush and confusion. I wondered if I should bow my head too or grab their hands? My mother had spoken of growing up in a religious household but all I knew of religion was what I had read in books. I squirmed in my chair and finally settled for placing my hands in my lap and casually looking down at them as though deep in thought. I timed it so my head would raise as theirs did and smiled at them.

  Adam gave me a polite smile. "Sorry, did we make you uncomfortable?"

  I tried a nonchalant wave. "No, no. I just never…didn't…" I was not really sure what to say.

  Adam smiled again but looked slightly concerned. "Please don't let it bother you. There's no need for you to join in if you're not comfortable with it."

  "I just wasn't raised on any sort of religion." I was no stranger to it though. The topic of religious missions was frequently discussed, especially between myself and Noah. Noah was raised some variant of Christian, though I could never remember exactly which branch or sect. The differences between them were always hard for me to remember. But from our discussions I was now well versed in the histories of Jesus and Joseph Smith. Noah argued that Mormonism being, in his opinion, a cult, deserved to have its origins exposed. I usually argued that since he was biased he was missing the obvious point that all religions could be considered cults and therefore exposed. I also argued that for all he knew things went exactly as Joseph Smith said they did. He had laughed at me, but acknowledged that I could be right. Before I had met Noah, I just assumed that anyone who believed in organized religion was an idiot. I tended to think people like Noah would not be all that shattered to find out their messiah never existed, but that we were still a few generations from when most people would be readily accepting of it. "I'm not uncomfortable, I was just a bit surprised." I paused for a moment but decided to be honest. They seemed like very understanding people. "And didn't know what to do with myself."

  "Not at all. So long as you don't dig in while we're praying, we won't be offended no matter what you do. Speaking of which." Adam gestured towards the plate of meat. "Roast beef in an apple nesbit jus reduction, braised beets, and asparagus."

  I realized how ravenous I was but out of politeness only took one slice of roast beef to start. The meat was delicious and had a wonderfully fresh flavor. I was doubtful that they had a ranch somewhere on the island but felt it would be a little bit rude to ask where they got their meat from. "This is fabulous. Where did you learn to cook?"

 
; "My mother taught me when I was young. She was one of the few natural farmers left in the plains. She refused to try any cross breeding of plants herself but let me plant a small garden and experiment on my own. I was never terribly good at it though."

  Marina laughed. "He tried it again when we moved here. Created this rutabaga green bean thing. It was awful!"

  I joined her laugh. "You have my friend Noah's sense of adventure with food. When did you start your own vineyard?"

  “When we were working in Washington, DC we met quite a few people from the Virginia wine country area. One of them mentioned he had a vineyard he was looking to sell, and though I didn’t have much free time with the hotel, it was always a dream of mine. So we bought it and hired some people to take care of the day to day business, though I always had a hand in how the wine was made.”

  “Hotel?”

  “Ah, sorry. Let me start a little earlier. We met at a small business conference I was catering about 15 years ago-”

  Marina grabbed his hand. “It was love at first sight.”

  “Yes. It was a bit of a whirlwind. We were married within a year and Marina took over my catering business.”

  “He needed some help with the management aspects of it.”

  Adam smiled at her again. “I was in it for the food, not the money.”

  “But when you’re not turning a profit that makes it hard to continue-” she countered.

  “So Marina helped me grow my business and before I knew it, we had enough money to buy an old hotel in DC that was in a bit of disrepair.”

  Marina smiled at the memory and continued. “The place needed to be gutted, to be honest. But I saw the potential. And with DC being such a popular place to travel to, I knew one thing it would always need was more hotels.”

  “Between her business sense and my creative touches it became popular more quickly than I could imagine. And important people were staying there.”

  “Senators, visiting dignitaries. We got quite a reputation for being discreet about our guests and their activities.” Marina could not hide the pride in her voice.

  “And apparently word spread. The laboratory approached Marina about 8 years ago with an offer to build a resort on this island. They explained their need for people who could be trusted, given the nature of the guests. Frankly, we were excited by the idea of something a little more low key. The hotel was grand and very profitable, but the life was exhausting. And this place, is truly a paradise.”

  I smiled in agreement, amused by the back and forth nature of their narrative. “And what did they tell you would be the nature of your guests?”

  They exchanged a nervous glance before Adam spoke. “We try not to ask questions. We know the lab has a variety of research projects and some of the researchers, yourself included, are involved in time travel. But generally people come here to escape their work, and we encourage that.”

  “We’ve also been warned that you’re quite the workaholic, and likely to throw yourself into the task of learning to sail.” Marina smiled and the tension immediately lifted with her tone.

  “And to that end, we should probably retire for the night. I plan to wake you up bright and early to start challenging you!”

  I laughed. “I have no objection to that.” Adam stood and Marina and I followed suit. “Can I help clear?”

  Marina wouldn’t allow it. “You have a big day ahead of you tomorrow, get some rest.”

  “Good night then.” They both nodded good night in return and I headed back to my hut.

  There was a silky looking nightgown in the closet that felt wonderful on my skin as I brushed my teeth. I nearly jumped into the large fluffy bed and was out almost as soon as the sheets had settled over me.

  Chapter 7

  The next thing I knew, Marina was knocking on my door to wake me. I mumbled something close to "come in" and she entered with a tray full of some beautiful looking scrambled eggs, bacon and potatoes. The glass of orange juice had the thickness of fresh squeezed style. I decided I could get used to this. "Good morning."

  "I figured you should have a filling breakfast on your first morning learning with Adam. He's going to feed you a lot of information this morning and you'll need to be able to focus well." She placed the tray on the table in my kitchen area and pulled a chair out slightly.

  "Thank you so much Marina, this looks wonderful." I sat down in the chair and smelled the food appreciatively.

  "Enjoy. He'll be by around 0730 to start on your first lesson." She gave me another smile and left.

  As I ate the eggs, I mused that if they didn't have cows on the island, they must at least have chickens. The eggs looked gorgeous and tasted extremely fresh. Again, I thought I could get used to this. I finished my breakfast and took another long hot shower. I decided that for sailing, an airy long sleeved shirt and loose pants would give me good coverage from the sun, but not be too hot.

  After dressing I opened my backpack and pulled out the few things I had brought with me. A few books for some leisurely reading, and a link to my present day journal, which I was never without. I opened the journal file and had made some notes on the previous evening, including a few more observations about religion when there was a knock at the door. "Come in!"

  Marina entered, followed by Adam. She took away the tray that held my empty breakfast dishes and nodded before leaving again. Adam gave me an excited smile. "Ready?"

  I stood up, equally as excited. "Absolutely!"

  "Right then!" He sat down at the table and gestured for me to do the same.

  I sat down, a little crestfallen. "Aren't we going out to the sailboat?"

  He laughed. "Eventually. But first you need to understand some basic principles about wind direction and forces!" I smiled again at his enthusiasm as he pulled a pen out from behind his ear and flipped to a clean sheet on a pad of paper he had brought in with him. Pen and paper, how archaic. I settled in as he started drawing diagrams of boats and sails and wind vectors.

  It boggled my mind that you could steer a sailboat towards the wind and still make forward progress. I was assuaged by the fact that math doesn't lie and the vector addition he showed me at least made intellectual, if not common sense. It bothered me, but Adam assured me that I was making good progress if I could at least accept the idea, even if I didn't quite feel it.

  He made up a quiz for me involving a diagram of a boat and a list of parts. I had to label the diagram with what each part was called. It felt like I was back in grade school. He explained that it would help me to have an idea of what each part was before trying to use them. Though his style was simplistic, I knew I was learning a lot.

  By the time Marina knocked on the door with lunch, I had a basic understanding of the principles of sailing. I was struggling to keep straight which rope hoisted or turned which sail. Adam told me it would make more sense when we were on the boat. "It helps to see the lines in action. It'll feel natural after a few hours. We'll go out late tomorrow morning."

  "Not today?"

  "Wind's a little strong, not too great for learning. Anyway, I'm sure you'd like some time to yourself anyway? Relax? Maybe explore the island a little bit?"

  "I have been curious to look around. Maybe go for a swim. How big is the island?"

  "It's roughly circular and about 6 miles to walk around the circumference. There’s a good sized stream on the other side that flows out from near the middle of the island, but it’s easily crossed. There's a small mountain towards the middle. Not so steep it isn't easily climbable and there's a 360 degree view from the top of it. There's a hydration pack and some sturdy boots in your closet if you'd like to climb it."

  "Nice view?"

  "You can't see much of anything but ocean from the top. Some people find it a little unnerving to be so isolated from the mainland. But given you spend most of your life in a big bubble, I can't imagine that would bother you."

  Something from his tone when he said "big bubble" left me feeling that he didn't exa
ctly approve of my work place. I kept the thought to myself, even though there were times I didn't exactly approve of it either. I justified to myself that the sacrifices of freedom I made were worth it in the end. And since he and Marina shied away from talking about it much last night, I figured it would be better to remain silent on the issue.

  We finished lunch and Adam left me to myself. I found the hydration pack and loaded a couple of protein snacks and a towel into it, then tied the boots to one of the hooks on the back. I changed into shorts, found a wide brim hat in the closet and headed out to the beach barefoot.

  I took a counter clockwise trek along the edge of the water. The waves were fairly calm and the water was just cool enough to be refreshing. The place really was paradise. I walked what I gaged to be about two miles and stopped to look around. I was not able to see more than a hundred yards or so back down the beach. The trees were thick and nearly reached the edge of the water. Adam and Marina were well around the other side of the island. For the first time in a very long time I was alone. No people. No surveillance equipment watching me or listening to me. At least I hoped not. I scanned the trees briefly and thought about it.