It's Really Not So Sweet

It's Really Not So Sweet--Part 3

John W. Gilmore

Sitting On A Sofa--Chapter 5

I slept well in the moving vehicle. It was smooth ride over the snow. Everything was quiet...no pounding rain on the roof, which was new. I loved the silence. I was sleeping in the loft bed this time, underneath the skylight, watching the snow fall onto the window and be blown off quickly from the motion of the van. I could lay like this all day since I was doing my job, traveling from one site to the next. I closed my eyes again.

“Be prepared for a time slip,” the van said. I hadn't signed up for any time slips. Before I knew it I found myself sitting in a large padded chair. What the hell was this? I looked around. I was moving through space.

“Glad you're back,” Helena said. I looked at her. I guess I had a bewildered look no my face. She smiled pleasantly. “Take your time. I know you have to adjust a little. You have been transported 4 light-years.” She sat back in her seat and swiveled around to look at a console for a moment. She turned to me again. “I don't know why they keep playing games with you guys. This is just part of the same job you have on New Earth. We are just part of Epsilon Site. I don't know why they keep giving you mind wipes either.”

“What?” I asked dumbly. “This isn't a dream?”

“Not hardly. I doubt I would be here if it were. There are better places to be. You are on the Bad Habit, heading for an Artificial Life Form Planet.”

“The Bad Habit. I seem to remember that.”

“Good. Your memory is coming back.”

“Yes. And I am getting pissed off. Why the Hell am I being brought here and then having my memories erased?” She shrugged. “Yeah. You shrug.”

“Don't kill the messenger. I'm here with you. You're the one in the Cabal.” She laughed to herself. I was silent. She arched her brows. “Don't you get it? You work for the real Cabal. You are a member.”

“When did I sign up for this?”

“When you signed up for special forces you were told that you could be called back to service if there was an emergency and it was necessary. Well, there is an emergency, it is necessary, and the Cabal has bought your contract. So don't you be on New Earth talking about the Cabal because you are a member of it.”

“I still can't believe I'm not asleep.”

“Well I don't have time to slap you again like I did last time to prove it to you. So let's just bypass this conversation shall we? I'm tired of it.”

“I'm sorry, Helena, is it? I didn't mean to set you off. You seem a bit peppery.”

“Peppery?” She began to laugh. “God I miss your strange ways.” A large man in a dark blue uniform walked in. I recognized him.

“Captain Franks?” I said. “How is this possible?”

“Come on, John. Get it together. Jesus.”

“He just got here, Captain. He doesn't know who you are. He has to be debriefed again.”

“Well I'm tired of this. Can we arrange for ending these wipes? I'm tired of this.”

“You think you are,” I said. “Is this dangerous and how much do I get paid?”

“That's classified,” he said with a grin. “No. Just joking. You get paid here whatever you get paid on New Earth. I'm trying to get them to station you here permanently with no luck. They say you like roaming around on that God forsaken shithole of a planet. I have no idea why.”

“I like simplicity.”

“Simplicity sucks, doesn't it!”

“No. Maybe for you Captain Kirk types but...”

“That's enough. Please go get dressed before you return to the bridge. We don't like civilians on the bridge, or people dressed like them anyway. You will be debriefed.” I just looked at him. “Go ahead. Jesus! They've wiped you again? Can you take him down and debrief him, Helena?”

“I will be glad to debrief him,” she said with a grin.

“I'm sure that you will.”

***

So apparently Sally was telling the truth. I was jumping to a totally different reality. I never joined a space force. What the hell was this? I spent my time, the time that should have been my free time, running around in space and protecting shipments of money and resources. I had to get a new job. The traveling between the sites was all I really enjoyed.

“So tell me this again, Helena,” I said. “You are saying that I have been working here since that van had it's upgrade. You're telling me that my free, relaxation time has been taken with no compensation?”

“Of course you are being paid. Don't be silly. It has been deposited to your account monthly with your other pay.”

“I haven't noticed an increase.”

“There is no increase. What you were getting before was a bonus?”

“Don't give me that.” She smiled.

“Why do we have this conversation over and over?”

“Because you keep wiping my mind, or whatever you call it.” She shrugged. “You sit there and shrug while you ruin my life!”

“Hey. You are the one who signed up for this! You should have read the small print. I'm sorry, but you can't blame me for what you do, or the Cabal did. You are the one who signed up with the Cabal. Did you think they would be nice?”

“Nobody told me this was The Cabal. I didn't know there really was a such thing.”

“How could you not know?” I just glared at her. “OK. I know how you feel,” she relented. “We'll see about not wiping you anymore. OK? But this is highly classified. It is a short trip to pay off the Tyrinians, and then we play a little and you go home.”

“And what does that play look like?” She pursed her lips and shook her head. “Oh. I know what that means.” She grinned.

“I guess you do remember some things, eh? Too bad. Maybe I'll have to stop.” She gave me a wink and headed for the door. “See you upstairs, in the Caf, John.” She walked out. I sat there. I looked around. I figured I was in my quarters. It was a small room. A small single bed with a desk and lamp in the corner over head. A small office chair and a larger stuffed one. It looked almost like a dorm room, but outside the window there was nothing but stars and galaxies standing out in the darkness of space.

“I walked over to the closet and found a strange looking black suit with an emblem of the Earth, old Earth, where the breast pocket would be and on the shoulder. It was made out of a thick, black, clingy material that resembled leather, but molded itself to the body like spandex. I stuffed myself into it and stood in front of the mirror. What a silly thing. I looked in the closet and saw a rifle and side arm in a holster hung from a hook. They looked like laser weapons. I didn't know there was any such thing. What else had Old Earth held out on us about. Now here I was with a part time job with the Earth Business Cabal.

I pulled the rifle out and placed in on the bed, and strapped the sidearm to my waste using the belt and holster it was hung from. I couldn't believe this. They said I would remember soon. I was programmed to in dreams. Supposedly, when I went to sleep I would remembered all that happened. I definitely did not remember signing up for this crap. No wonder there weren't so many security officers. They had probably been drafted into this nonsense by not reading the small print too. When they discovered this and weren't being wiped anymore they took any job they could, just as Sally had. I probably would too. I hated going into space.

Headed In That Direction--Chapter 6

I began to settle in only after a few hours. Unfortunately, I hadn't remembered anything yet, but wondered if something was going on between Helena and I. I went to the cafeteria for my first dinner. Talk about a spread. They had the best food money could buy. There were several scientists, shipmates, officers, and businessmen all there, eating the best food that I had seen in years. No wonder we had to eat the leftovers on New Earth. These fat cats were out here in space living it up.

As I entered the room I saw a table in the corner with people dressed in uniforms similar to mine. I headed in that direction. A very dark skinned woman smiled at me. She must have been the most beautiful woman I had ever seen and she was as black as coal. She had full beautiful red painted lips that matched her warm smile. She patted the seat beside her and I jumped in it. Her smile became a frown.

She sighed. “I thought you had remembered who you are by now. I'm sorry. You may think I was coming on to you or something.” She smiled brightly.

“I should be so lucky,” I said. She grinned to the point of almost laughing. “How could I have possibly forgotten someone like you?” People around the table began to grin too. “What?” I asked. “Am I that obvious. I am sorry. I just haven't ever seen anyone so—fascinating as you. What is your name?”

“Carmen. I'm hurt that you don't remember me.”

“I am too.”

“Are you going to get some food?” She asked. She snapped her finger a couple of times and someone came over with a slip of paper and a pencil. “Just check off what you want. And then you can tell me how happy you are to see me again.” Helena had come in in the mean time and had taken a seat beside me. She cleared her throat loudly. Carmen began to smile even more as did those around the table. I turned to Helena and she was just sitting there. No expression just a cold, flat look. Everyone was quiet.

“What?” I said. “What's going on?”

“You tell me, Johnnie.”

“What do you mean? Is there something...between us?”

“There used to be,” she said. Carmen burst out laughing. Everyone else was grinning.

I looked at her and then back at Carmen. “You've got to be joking,” I said. She stood and walked toward the door. I got up and ran after her. “Hold my dinner, I'm starving,” I hollered on my way out. I caught up with Helena in the hallway and grabbed her arm just below the elbow. She turned quickly as if she were going to hit me and I instinctively raised my arm to protect my face. She grinned.

“You deserve to be slapped,” she said. “Don't you be making a pass at somebody right in front of me.” I didn't say anything. “You still don't remember me do you?”

“No. I know that you're nice.”

“Jesus. We have to stop these mind wipes. We're engaged, Dummy.”

“That's impossible.”

“Am I that bad?”

“No, but you would think that I would have remembered something like that, wouldn't you?”

“Yes, I would. But your mind has been wiped.” I leaned into the wall.

“If you give me a little kiss I might remember,” I said. She frowned. She grabbed me and pressed her lips to mine.

“Go to bed so you can wake up, will you?” She turned and headed for the bridge. I went back in. All of my friends around the table, I guess anyway, started laughing and smiling. I sat down and began to eat my spaghetti and meatball dinner. It looked like real meat. I looked at Carmen.

“You still want that date?” She asked. “I didn't think so,” she said before I could answer.

“This is the strangest feeling—not knowing or remembering anyone.”

“Well we all remember you,” said the tall man, sitting in the corner. “Gus, if you don't remember. Head of the guard force.”

“Oh. I thought I would have been head of the guard force.”

“I'm sure you did, John. I'm sure you did. I think you need to just chill out until you get a good nights sleep and remember who you are. Sound good?”

“Sure, but what am I going to do in space until then, hang out with Carmen here?” She just shook her head.

“You'll find some good books in your room,” Gus said.

“I don't think that would compare to hanging out with...never mind. I'm just joking.”

“We know. We just don't think it's funny,” Brian added. He was a short stocky Black man so muscular he almost seemed to be busting out of his uniform. “We'll see you tomorrow, John, when you are yourself.” He stood up, walked over and patted my shoulder. He reached toward Carmen. She stood up and took his hand. They walked out together.”

“And why didn't anyone tell me this?”

“Because we did think it was funny,” Gus said. “I'll introduce you to the rest of the security crew tomorrow. And keep your hands off your fellow officers, unless you are married to them like Brian and Carmen.”

“Oh.”

“Yes, Oh. Finish your dinner and I'll meet you on the bridge and reorient you, OK,” Gus said.

“Sure. Thank you. That's very nice of you.”

“Just doing my job,” Johnnie,” he grinned. I haven't heard you called that in years. You do know we served together don't you?” A blank took. “We grew up together and served together in special forces.”

“Oh. Well it's good to see your doing so well.”

“Likewise,” he said, grinning. “See you upside. Take your time. You're not on duty until you know who you are...tomorrow.”

“Thank you.” The others continued to eat, looking over at me every once and a while. I didn't remember them, but obviously they knew me. How long had they been slipping me to this place. I thought it had only been a couple of times. Were they screwing with time so much that I had been spending very long times here for years, while only weeks were passing on New Earth? Maybe they had been doing in most of my life, since they could simply make me forget. I never thought such a thing was possible. I would have to find out and I would have to find out that very night.