Then


“Yes sir—we’re very aware of the risks involved in this type of energy conduction but if you refer to the data package I forwarded---“Allison paused mid-sentence and frowned down at the bright white screen of her blackberry, flashing on her desk. A text message appeared in bold black letters.

Allison. Are you there?

She glanced up at the projection floating above her where the DOD head of Intelligence Acquisitions waited impatiently for her to continue. “---the data package I forwarded clearly explains how much more cost effective this new system would be and it would double the strength of our EM field---“

Allison glanced down as another message flashed across her phone.

I know you’re there. I can see the back of your head through the window.

“Ms. Blake, I understand you and your people would like to make strides to be more eco-responsible---but as I understand, the current energy conductors hold the EM field just fine---“

Allison grabbed the phone and punched in a message, her fingers flying over the keys.

I’m working.

“Mr. Wise, Sir-----as you well know, our EM field protects the main server of Global Dynamics. It is the most important security feature of this facility. Though we’ve been lucky so far---“

The phone flashed again.

What are you wearing?

“---I can’t stress to you enough the importance of constant diligence in keeping the field safe from hackers---“

Allison typed as she spoke.

My bitch face.

“I understand that Ms. Blake but you’ve yet to convince me the current energy conductor isn’t perfectly capable of doing that.”

Is that like your O face?

Allison bit her bottom lip, her face warm from the need to laugh. “Mr. Wise, the data package---“

“Oh would you stop with the damn package Allison. No one reads those things---“

Allison sighed and rubbed her face. “Well maybe if you had, we wouldn’t be having the exact same conversation for the third time in a week.” She froze.

Had she said that out loud?

“Excuse me,” the stern voice floating down from the hologram snapped. “I don’t believe I heard you correctly Ms. Blake.”

The phone flashed again.

Come down from your tower princess.

“Mr. Wise---really, the material speaks for itself.”

Meet me at the park. 30 minutes.

The man sighed and shook his head. “I’m still not convinced---“

Allison glanced down as the phone flashed again.

Wear the bitch face. It’s hot.

“Mr. Wise, I’m apologize but I just received an urgent call from local law enforcement that needs my immediate attention,” Allison said. “We’ll have to continue this at another time.”

“What? But---“

Allison waved her hand and the projection disappeared. She picked up the phone and typed a response, a large smile spread across her lips.

Not as hot as the O face. See you then.

Now

“What do you mean you don’t remember?”

Jo frowned at the folder in Carter’s hand. She opened her mouth and then closed it with a small shake of her head. “I don’t remember what’s in that thing---I try---and there’s just nothing.”

Carter flipped open the file and looked at the small black and white photograph of a middle aged African-American man. “Dr. Riley Porter,” he read. Carter looked up at Jo. “Ring any bells?”

Jo shook her head. “Never head the name before.”

“Says here he’s missing,” Carter said. “Did Allison want us to help find this guy?”

“Carter---what part of I don’t remember do you not comprehend,” Jo snapped.
“And she gave this to you this morning?”

Jo nodded. “Yes---that part I remember clearly. It’s just---everything else.”

Carter paused. First Allison forgets an entire year of her life and now Jo can’t remember a conversation that took place a few hours ago. What the hell was going on? Jo jumped and grabbed her phone from her hip. A red light flashed in angry succession indicating an emergency call. She turned it on and spoke into the receiver. “Deputy Lupo.” Carter waited as she listened to whoever spoke on the other line. He wanted to grill her some more---see if she’d lost more than just a few minutes of the morning. If she had it would help make his case to Allison---and maybe help him figure out what had caused their memory loss or more importantly how to fix it.

“We’ll be right there,” Jo said. She hung up the phone and sighed. “We’ve got to get downtown.”

Carter shook his head. “I can’t leave---I’ve got to watch—“

“Someone at the electric company turned off the stop lights to recalibrate the sensors.”

Carter shrugged. “They do that all the time.”

“They removed the safety barriers and forgot to turn the traffic lights back on.”

Carter stared at her for a moment. “You’ve got to be kidding me.”

“There’s a pile up and a traffic jam leading all the way to the borders of Eureka. We’ve got to get down there now.”

“All right, all right,” Carter said. “I just got to figure out what to do with Faith.”

Jo frowned. “Who?”

“You know this memory thing is really starting to irritate the shit out of me. Maybe you should give me your gun before you forget I’m not a perp and shoot me in the ass.”

Jo’s face went flat—her eyes cold. “I never give anyone my gun.”

Carter paused. “You can be real creepy sometimes Lupo---you know that?” He turned around and looked at the living room, finding the couch where he’d left Faith empty. “Oh hell,” Carter moaned. “Faith!” He walked further into the living room, scanned the area and then made his way down the hall. “Faith---where are you?”

“In here!”

He sighed with relief at the sound of her voice. She’d yelled from the bathroom, the door shut tight.

“Faith---I need you to come out of there---you need to take a ride with me and Deputy Lupo.”

“Can’t I just stay here,” Faith pleaded. “I want to watch TV.”

“I can’t leave you here alone,’ he said. “The last time I did that you touched my beer.”

“I won’t do it again----please Sheriff? I hate police cars and guns scare me. I’m just a kid---I shouldn’t be around those things.”

Carter looked at his watch. “Okay---Zoë will be home in about ten minutes. Can I trust you not to get into any trouble before she gets here?”

“Uh huh.”

Carter paused. “You promise.”

“Uh huh.”

He hesitated. “Swear.”

“On what?”

“The bible.”

“You’re not supposed to do that.”

“Well---just---promise again.”

“Okay this is starting to get awkward.”

“Carter!” Jo’s voice boomed from the living room. “We need to go!”

Carter gave the bathroom one last look. “Okay---I’m leaving.”

“Bring back ice cream!”

Then

She left her heels in the car. Eureka’s public park was covered in an organic hybrid monocot as soft and giving as the average person’s living room rug. She’d shrugged off the constricting suit jacket as well, and padded barefoot under the clear night sky, towards the flicking light in the distance.

He stood with his back to the parking lot and didn’t seem aware of her presence. He’d changed out of his uniform and Alison took a moment to admire the broad set of his shoulders underneath his dark blue button down and how his hands rested on slim hips, his usual stance when deep in concentration. He was staring at the ground and she knew a familiar frown of frustration marred his handsome face.

“Something wrong,” she asked.

Carter jumped at the sound of her voice and turned around with wide surprised eyes. His lips narrowed and he looked up at the sky and sighed. “You’re going to laugh at me.”

Allison smiled. “I always laugh at you.”

“I know, but for real this time—not the ‘ah ha, Jack’s so cute’ way you do when I say something stupid at Global.”

“Oh like when you called the lunar mineraloids at in the petrology department kryptonite?”

“They were green rocks from the moon. What would you call it?”

“Moon rocks.”

“Well—“Carter paused and frowned. “Well yeah but---“ He waved his hands dismissivly. “Whatever--look, I had this entire night planned out.” He waved at the clearing—a small patch of grass surrounded by tall green trees. White candles were scattered about the area---a half-hazard pattern of light that just screamed Jack Carter. A flat silver disk lay at his feet, tilted as though it had been thrown there in frustration.

“What’s that,” Allison asked, pointing.

“That---is supposed to play music---and project—stars and flowers or---some shit. Fargo loaned it to me—said he built it for the high school prom last year.”

“You borrowed something from Fargo,” Allison asked. She walked towards him and picked up the disk, her feet sinking into the thick carpet of grass beneath them. Carter nodded, his eyes fixed on her toes.

“Yeah—well more like blackmailed---but after the jelly incident I was due.”

Allison looked at the disk with one raised eyebrow. “So I’m guessing you—“

“Can’t turn the damn thing on,” Carter snapped. “It’s in some kind of secret geek code that mere mortals could never begin---“Allison pressed a small red tab and the disk whirred to life, a beam of light shining from the top. Carter’s mouth opened and closed and reached up to rub his neck, his entire body tense with agitation. “I know it may not seem like it but I can tie my own shoes---honest.”

Allison laughed and threw the disk out towards the middle of the clearing. It floated in mid-air as it filled the area around them with white rose petals, so meticulously imaged that Allison felt the urge to reach out and touch one. They stared at the picturesque illusion---silent. Carter reached out and threaded his fingers through Allison’s.

“Music,” he said, his voice strong and clear. The disk shifted with a faint click and the soft tinkle of piano keys floated towards them. Allison lifted her eyebrows with an impressed purse of her lips. Carter shrugged. “Now that—I remembered.” He leaned over and kissed her cheek. “Dance with me.”

Carter led her out a few feet into the clearing and slipped his arms around her waist. Allison lifted her arms to his shoulders and moved closer, until her body was pressed against hers, his warmth spreading over her skin. The top of her head barely reached his neck without her heels, and she pressed her face into his chest, and breathed deep—lost in his familiar scent.

It’s not the pale moon
That excites me
That thrills and delights me…

“I love this song,” Allison whispered.

“I know,” Carter said. “You told me along time ago---a few weeks after we met.”

Allison leaned back and looked at him in surprise. “You remember?”

Oh no.
It’s just the nearness
Of you…..

Carter reached up to brush a stray hair from her cheek. He fixed her with clear blue eyes, so warm with affection that her heart leapt into her throat.

“Allison, you should know by now,” he lowered his lips and brushed them against hers’ in a whispered of a kiss. He spoke against her lips, the warmth of his breath caressing her skin.

“I remember everything.”

 Now


“I don’t know what happened.” The electrician struggled to match Carter’s pace as he gestured towards the dark traffic lights. Cars filled the street, some damaged beyond recognition as angry motorist spat insults at the nearest driver in their path. To say the scene chaos was an understatement. Carter was pretty sure if the road wasn’t cleared soon they would start eating each other.

“I was gonna turn it back on---I was,” the man said, his voice pleading. Carter nodded.

“I know—Jo told me you forgot to do it.”

The man frowned and shook his head with such conviction that the movement set his hardhat ajar. “No---I didn’t forget to turn them on.”

Carter glanced back at Jo who looked up at him with a confused frown of her own. “But you said---“

“He said he forgot,” Jo interrupted. “That’s what was radioed in—“

“I did—“the electrician paused with a frustrated sigh. “I didn’t forget to turn the lights back on---I forgot how.”

Carter’s eyes flew opened and his neck flew back then forward as he stared at the man in disbelief. “Excuse me?”

“I forgot how to turn the lights back on,” he man said. He pulled the hard hat from his head and grunting with impatience. “Look, I’ve been the head electrical engineer in this town for fifteen years. I was only doing this job because one of my staff called in sick this morning.” He gestured towards the lights and shook his head. “I could fix those things in my sleep---always been able to but—“He shook his head again and glared down at the ground. “Something must be wrong with me.”

Carter paused--the man’s hopeless confession so much like Allison’s that gooseflesh rose on his arms. Carter placed a hand on the man’s shoulder and leaned down to find his gaze. “What’s your name,” Carter asked.

“Bob---Bob Hunter.”

“Well Bob---I don’t know if this helps any but I don’t think it’s just you.”

“Fire!”

Carter looked up at the sky and groaned. “Oh, come on!!”

“Café Diem! It’s—it’s on fire.” The frantic cries came from a few feet away. Carter recognized the man as once of Vincent’s waiters. He held his apron in his hand and waved it around like a flag—pointing in hysterical jabs down the road. “Sheriff,’ he gaped. “You gotta help.”

“Jo—“

“Fire Department’s on the way,” she said, her radio at her ear. Carter broke out in a sprint, heading towards the dark billow of smoke that had begun to rise into the sky. He dodged gawking pedestrians, screaming at them to clear the path to the restaurant. The roads were hopelessly blocked---the sidewalks were the only route to the blaze.

Carter turned the corner and stopped in his tracks. Vincent sat on the stoop of the Café--, coughing into his dish rag as the dining room was filled with black smoke. “Oh,” he croaked. “Hey Sheriff.”

“Vincent, what the hell---“

“I put it out.” Vincent eyed the screaming waiter and shook his head. “You have to excuse Larry—my waiter. Ever since his eyebrows got singed in a grease fire, he’s developed a flair for the dramatic.”

“What the hell happened,’ Carter said. He covered his mouth and pushed open a window, shaking his head at the thick black fumes.

“It was the weirdest thing,” Vincent said. “You know that gamma emission stove I’ve been using--the one that could—“

“Roast a turkey in the time it takes a fart to hit the wind,” Carter finished. “Yeah---unfortunately I do.”

“Well—I’m prepping fifty pheasants for today’s lunch special—“

“Pheasant,” Carter frowned. “Is that---like pigeons?”

Vincent paused and glared up at him. “Could you at least pretend to pay attention?”

“Sorry.”

“Like I was saying, I’m prepping a tray of pheasants and I’ve got them all ready to stick in the gamma oven. I turn around and reach out to set the thing and---“Vincent paused, his face flushing red with embarrassment.

“And?”

“I—I cant’ remember how to use it.”

Carter frowned. “What do you mean exactly?”

“I mean I don’t remember how the damn thing works---I just started pressing buttons—“

“Oh, come on Vincent, even I know doing that around this place is like having a death wish.”

“I panicked okay!” Vincent leaned forward, his round cheeks puffed with indignation. “I can recite 12,355 recipes I’ve been committing to memory since I was eight years old—I can tell you chemical compositions of very ingredient in my pantry---and the exact calorie count of all the dishes on the menu—plus a few that aren’t. I’ve used that stove more times than I can count---now all of a sudden I can’t even turn the thing on?” Vincent leaned back and shrugged. “Excuse me if I was in denial and took a damn guess.”

Carter looked up at the smoke. “Well—from the looks of things you must have---“

“Guessed too high.”

****

Allison rubbed her eyes, her head aching with fatigue. The frantic calls to her office about the traffic jam in town had finally been diverted to some other obscure public safety department she’d pulled out the recesses of her memory.

What was left of it anyway.

The more she’d thought about it, the more she’d become convinced that her memory loss wasn’t an accident. Someone or something had wiped her mind clean of a large portion of her life---a realization that frightened her so badly that she’d locked herself in her office, unplugged her phone and proceeded to look through every research file in the neurology department---certain there must be something that might help her figure out what caused it. But so far she’d come up empty. Though there were tons of studies about brain waves and memory function, there was nothing in development with the capacity to cause the type of complete amnesia she had experienced.

A year of her life---gone. The thought formed a ball of fear in her stomach that almost doubled her over with nausea. And it wasn’t just Carter who was suffering---what about Kevin?”

“Kevin,” Allison cried. What if she’d forgotten something about Kevin---something important that could be dangerous not to remember? Allison rose from her seat, knocking a glass of water onto the floor. She jumped at the loud shatter, shook her head and reached out to grab her purse from her desk. Her arm moved across her computer keys inadvertently hitting the enter button which caused her computer screen to flip rapidly through the neurology files.

“Shit,” she hissed. Allison moved her arm and looked up at her screen to find herself staring into the somber brown gaze of Dr. Riley Porter---her missing employee. She frowned. “Wait---he’s not in this department.” Her eyes moved lower to a small subtype beneath his areas of expertise. Her eyes widened as she read aloud. “Electro-neurologic Studies.” She reached out and scrolled the screen lower, only to grunt in frustration at the flashing red “classified” where his active research projects would normally appear. She printed the screen with a hard tap of the button and waited as her computer spat the paper out onto her desk. Allison moved to grab it and then paused, her eyes fixed on the name below Dr. Porter’s credentials.

“Direct Supervisor, Henry Deacon,” her eyes widened as she continued reading. “Special projects coordinator---Nathan Stark.” Allison slammed her hand on her desk. “That asshole!” She crumbled the paper in her hand and stalked towards her door. Allison pushed them open in a blind fury, oblivious to Fargo’s presence on the other side until he was sent crashing to the ground, the silver disk in his hands clattering to the floor.

“Oh,” she cried. “Fargo—I’m sorry---“

The hall was suddenly filled with rose petals that floated around the pair in a soft lilting dance that matched the strains of the music floating from the disk

It isn't your sweet conversation
That brings this sensation…

“It’s okay Ms. Blake---nothings broken,” Fargo said rising to his feet. Allison stared at the floating petals, her eyes wide. Fargo looked at her in confusion. “Uh---Ms. Blake---is something wrong?”

Oh no….

“No—I just,” Allison shook her head and turned to Fargo. “That’s my favorite song.”

It’s just the nearness
Of you.



The Nearness Of You