Chapter 22 Chapter 21
The taxi turned on the north side of Western Avenue and drove onto Thales East Road, then slowed down, and finally stopped in front of a yellow house.
"Your destination has arrived," said the taxi driver.
"Can you wait for me here?" Dahl asked. "I'll be back in a few minutes."
"I have to clock," said the driver.
"No problem." Dahl said, got out of the car, followed a brick path to the front of the house and knocked on the door.
After a while, a lady came to answer the door. "Don't give me anything more!" she said.
"What?" Darl couldn't understand.
"No Book of Mormon either!" she said. "I mean, thank you. I appreciate your concern. But I'm fine."
"I do come to give you something, but it's not what you said," Dahl said, "but I want to make sure first, are you Ms. Samantha Martinez?"
"Yes," she said.
"My name is Andy Dahl," Dahl said. "Maybe we have a mutual friend." He handed her a locket.
She stood still. "What is this?" she asked.
"You'll know when you open it." Dahl suggested.
"I'm sorry, Mr. Dahl, but I can't help being suspicious of the strange man who knocked on my door Saturday morning asking for my name and handing me a mysterious package," Martinez said.
Dahl smiled. "Indeed." He said, and opened the package. Inside was a small black hemispherical object, and Dahl immediately realized that it was a holographic projector.He turned on the projector, and a hologram resembling Samantha Martinez appeared, hovering above the projector.In her wedding dress, she stands next to a clean-shaven version of Jenkins.Dahl handed her the projector to look at.
Martinez stared at the image silently for a moment, then said, "I don't understand."
"It's really complicated," Dahl admitted.
"Did you put my face on this picture?" she asked. "How did you do it?" She asked, pointing to the projected image floating in the air. "Is it a new product from Apple?"
"If you're asking me if I faked the image, the answer is no," Dahl said. "As for the projector, it's more accurately a prototype." He touched the surface of the projector and became posted another image of the duo of Jenkins and Martinez, looking very happily at each other.After a few seconds, the picture switched to the next one.
"I don't understand," Martinez reiterated.
"You're an actor," Dahl said.
"It used to be," Martinez said. "Acted for a few years without much success. Now I'm a teacher."
"When you were an actor, you had a small part in The Chronicle of the Intrepid," Dahl said. "Do you remember?"
"Yeah," Martinez said, "my character was shot, and I only showed up for about a minute in the entire episode."
"This is the character," Dahl said. "Her name is Margaret. The man in the picture is her husband." He reached out and handed the projector to Martinez, who took it this time to look at it, then Put it on a small table inside the door.She turned to Dahl and said, "Is this some kind of prank?"
"No," Dahl said, "I didn't intend to deceive you or sell anything. After today, you won't see me again. All I have to do is give you this thing."
"I don't understand," Martinez said a third time. "I don't know how you got these pictures of me with people I don't know."
"These aren't my pictures, they're his," Dahl said, approaching Martinez with the projector box in his hand. "Hold it, please. It's got his message in it. Maybe he can explain it better than I can, I think."
Martinez took the box and pulled out a folded slip of paper densely written on it. "He wrote it?" she asked.
"Yes." Dahl replied.
"Why didn't he come?" Martinez asked. "Why didn't he bring it himself?"
"It's complicated." Dahl repeated the same sentence, "but I don't think he would dare to come by himself, even if he could. And I think it would break his heart to see you."
"Because of her?" Martinez said.
"Yes," Darl said.
"He wants to meet me?" Martinez asked. "Is this how he introduces himself?"
"It's his way of introducing himself, I suppose," Dahl said, "but I'm afraid he won't be able to come see you."
"Why?" Martinez asked.
"He's elsewhere at the moment," Dahl said, "and this is the easiest way to get in touch with you. Maybe he can make it clearer in his letter."
"I'm sorry I have to rant again, but I still don't get it," Martinez said. "You came to my door and brought a picture of someone who looked like me, and said that person was me once on the TV show. A character who died within a minute of being on the show, and my husband on the show gave you the picture. Do you know how unbelievable that sounds?"
"yes."
"Then why would he do it?" Martinez said. "What's his purpose?"
"Are you asking me what I think?" Dahl asked.
"yes."
"Because he misses his wife," Dahl said. "He misses her so much that his life is completely out of order. It may be hard to say that, but you are his wife to him living well here. The continuation of life. So he sent you a picture of his wife. He hoped to share with you some bits and pieces of him and his wife."
"But why?" Martinez asked.
"Because it was his way of saying goodbye to her," Dahl said. "He gave her to you so he could let go of the past and live out the rest of his life."
"He told you this?"
"No," Dahl said, "but I think that's why he did it."
Martinez walked quickly into the room.She came back a minute later, wiping tears with a handkerchief in her hand.She looked at Dahl and smiled slightly. "This is the weirdest Saturday morning I've been in a while."
"I'm sorry to bother you," Dahl said.
"No, it's okay," Martinez said. "I still don't know what happened, but I think I'm getting your friend's wish, right?"
"I think so," Dahl said. "Thank you very much."
"I'm sorry," Martinez said, stepping out of the way, "do you need to come in and sit for a while?"
"I'd love to, but I can't," Dahl said. "My taxi is still on the meter, and there are people still waiting for me."
"Back to your mysterious complex?" Martinez asked.
"Yes," Dahl said, "that reminds me. The projector and the letter may be gone in a few days."
"Like... evaporated?" Martinez said. "Like, 'this letter will self-destruct in a few seconds' or something?"
"almost."
"Are you a spy or something?" Martinez asked with a smile.
"It's complicated," Dahl had to repeat. "In any case, I'd recommend making a backup. Maybe you can project the images onto a white wall and take a copy of them, and then you can scan that letter." .”
"I will," Martinez said. "Thanks for the advice."
"You're welcome." After Dahl finished speaking, he turned and prepared to leave.
"Wait," Martinez said. "Your friend, will you see him when you get back?"
"yes."
Martinez walked out the door and kissed him lightly on the cheek. "Pass it to him for me," she said. "Tell him I'm grateful and I'll take good care of Margaret for him."
"I will," Dahl said, "I promise."
"Thank you." She leaned over and gave Dahl a peck on the other side of the cheek. "this is for you."
Darl smiled: "Thank you."
Martinez smiled back, then turned and walked into the room.
"How about it, are you mentally prepared?" Dahl said to Hester while sitting in the shuttle boat. "Of course not." Hurst said, "If everything goes according to plan, then the moment you return to the original world, I will be transformed into Matthew, from a healthy body that is alive and kicking to a person with severe physical and mental injuries. damaged state, for which I can only hope that our cognition is correct, and that twenty-fifth century medical treatment is capable of curing me. If it doesn't go exactly according to plan, then forty-eight hours later my atoms will be scattered. Whether it is In either case, I sincerely ask you, how should I prepare?" "You're right," Dahl said. "Why did I listen to you and obediently agree to this plan?" Hurst said. "Looks like I'm pretty eloquent," Dahl said. “But I believed it when Finn asked me to keep the pills for him and said they were candy,” Hurst said. "If I remember correctly, they were candied," Dahl said. "What I'm trying to say is, I'm a gullible anyway," Hurst said. "I don't agree with that," Dahl said. "Oh, of course you say that," said Hurst, "you've already persuaded me to carry out your ridiculous plan." The two of them were looking at Matthew Paulson, who was on a stretcher surrounded by a mass of portable life support.Duvall was examining each device and the comatose patient it was connected to. "How is he?" Dahl asked. "Things are stable," Duvall said. "The instruments are running at full power, and I can use the adapter power on this shuttle, so I don't have to worry about running out of power. Just start from now until we successfully arrive." Destination, he didn't have any emergencies during the period, I think everything will be fine." "What if it happens?" Hearst asked. Duvall looked at him and said, "I'll do what I can." She leaned over and patted Hearst on the shoulder and said, "Don't worry, I won't let you down." "Guys, we've got to go," said Kerensky, who was in the pilot's seat. "We've been spotted coming out of Griffith Park, and there are at least three planes heading our way. We've got nothing left. How much time is free to relax, otherwise things will be even more out of hand." "Understood." Dahl said, turning to Hurst, "then you should be ready now." "Yes," Hurst said.They stepped out of the cabin and into the yard of Charles Paulson's home in Malibu.He and his extended family were there to meet Hearst.Hansen, who had been with them all the time, saw Dahl and returned to the team.Hearst joined the Paulson family. "When will we know the results?" Paulson asked Dahl. "We'll crank up the engine power to the black hole we used," Dahl said, "and we'll be there within today. I think we've made it when your son is back to normal." "If the plan works," Paulson said. "If the plan works," Dahl agreed, "we'll just believe it will." "Well, yes," said Hurst. "Now," Dahl said to Paulson, "we've agreed on everything." "Yeah," Paulson said, "your characters aren't going to die, and the script isn't going to randomly use extras as cannon fodder. The show is coming to an end next season, and we're not going to Create works based on a hundred years before and after your time." "And this episode?" Dahl asked, "The episode where everything we planned happened." "Nick messaged me a few minutes ago," Paulson said, "and he said he already had a rough outline. Once the script is written, we'll polish it and then go full-on production as long as...well, as long as we Know if your plan will succeed." "It will," Dahl said. "But it's going to add insult to injury to the production schedule," Paulson said. "I'm going to have to pay for this episode out of my own pocket." "It's going to be worth it," Dahl said. "I know," Paulson said, "if things go as planned, it's a tough episode for you." "Of course," Darl said.Hester gave him a blank look. "I heard the helicopter," Hansen said.The sound of the engine starting came from the cabin of the shuttle boat.Dahl looked at Hearst. "Good luck," Hurst said. "See you later." After Dahl finished speaking, he turned and walked towards the shuttle boat. They were gone before the helicopter spotted them.
"Almost there," Kerensky said as they approached the black hole. "Everyone get ready to teleport. Dahl, come and sit in the passenger seat." "I don't know how to drive a shuttle," Dahl said. "You don't need to drive it," Kerensky said. "It's just that in case that bloody writer writes a plot about an explosion and I fly out, you have to help press the button of the automatic retroactive landing device." Dahl stood up and asked Duvall, "Is Hearst okay?" "He's fine, everything's fine," Duvall said, "although he's not Hurst just yet." "Call him that anyway," Dahl said. "Maybe it will make a difference." "Listen to you," Duvall said. Dahl sat in the passenger seat and said to Kerensky, "You remember what to do?" "Aim for the gap between the accretion disk and the Schwarzschild radius, and then increase the engine power to 110 percent." Kerensky said tentatively, "I remember. Although if it comes It would be better to let me practice it myself on the way. But there is no way, you locked me in a box. I haven't put on pants yet." "I'm sorry about that," Dahl said. "It doesn't matter anyway," Kerensky said. "Don't forget that I'm your talisman, and we'll surely get back to the past." "Hopefully the next set of things goes well," Dahl said. "If this plan of yours succeeds," said Kerensky, "how shall we know?" "When we revived Hearst, and he was Hearst," Dahl said. The sirens sounded. "Ten seconds later," Kerensky said, "so we won't find out until we're back on the Intrepid." "Maybe," Dahl said. "Perhaps?" Kerensky repeated. "I guess there's a way to know," Dahl said. "In what way?" asked Kerensky. The shuttle passed through the irregular gap between the accretion disk and the Schwarzschild radius, and at the same time began to teleport. The display screen was filled with a huge image of the planet Furshan, above which dozens of ships, including the Intrepid, were engaged in fierce battles. The red light in the cabin flashed, and the alarm bell rang. The nearest ship flashed fire and fired several missiles at the shuttle. "When we return home, the welcome ceremony should be a little more lively," Dahl said. Kerensky yelled and switched the shuttle into evasive mode, and Dahl felt dizzy.
Notes:
"How about it, are you mentally prepared?" Dahl said to Hester while sitting in the shuttle boat. "Of course not." Hurst said, "If everything goes according to plan, then the moment you return to the original world, I will be transformed into Matthew, from a healthy body that is alive and kicking to a person with severe physical and mental injuries. damaged state, for which I can only hope that our cognition is correct, and that twenty-fifth century medical treatment is capable of curing me. If it doesn't go exactly according to plan, then forty-eight hours later my atoms will be scattered. Whether it is In either case, I sincerely ask you, how should I prepare?" "You're right," Dahl said. "Why did I listen to you and obediently agree to this plan?" Hurst said. "Looks like I'm pretty eloquent," Dahl said. “But I believed it when Finn asked me to keep the pills for him and said they were candy,” Hurst said. "If I remember correctly, they were candied," Dahl said. "What I'm trying to say is, I'm a gullible anyway," Hurst said. "I don't agree with that," Dahl said. "Oh, of course you say that," said Hurst, "you've already persuaded me to carry out your ridiculous plan." The two of them were looking at Matthew Paulson, who was on a stretcher surrounded by a mass of portable life support.Duvall was examining each device and the comatose patient it was connected to. "How is he?" Dahl asked. "Things are stable," Duvall said. "The instruments are running at full power, and I can use the adapter power on this shuttle, so I don't have to worry about running out of power. Just start from now until we successfully arrive." Destination, he didn't have any emergencies during the period, I think everything will be fine." "What if it happens?" Hearst asked. Duvall looked at him and said, "I'll do what I can." She leaned over and patted Hearst on the shoulder and said, "Don't worry, I won't let you down." "Guys, we've got to go," said Kerensky, who was in the pilot's seat. "We've been spotted coming out of Griffith Park, and there are at least three planes heading our way. We've got nothing left. How much time is free to relax, otherwise things will be even more out of hand." "Understood." Dahl said, turning to Hurst, "then you should be ready now." "Yes," Hurst said.They stepped out of the cabin and into the yard of Charles Paulson's home in Malibu.He and his extended family were there to meet Hearst.Hansen, who had been with them all the time, saw Dahl and returned to the team.Hearst joined the Paulson family. "When will we know the results?" Paulson asked Dahl. "We'll crank up the engine power to the black hole we used," Dahl said, "and we'll be there within today. I think we've made it when your son is back to normal." "If the plan works," Paulson said. "If the plan works," Dahl agreed, "we'll just believe it will." "Well, yes," said Hurst. "Now," Dahl said to Paulson, "we've agreed on everything." "Yeah," Paulson said, "your characters aren't going to die, and the script isn't going to randomly use extras as cannon fodder. The show is coming to an end next season, and we're not going to Create works based on a hundred years before and after your time." "And this episode?" Dahl asked, "The episode where everything we planned happened." "Nick messaged me a few minutes ago," Paulson said, "and he said he already had a rough outline. Once the script is written, we'll polish it and then go full-on production as long as...well, as long as we Know if your plan will succeed." "It will," Dahl said. "But it's going to add insult to injury to the production schedule," Paulson said. "I'm going to have to pay for this episode out of my own pocket." "It's going to be worth it," Dahl said. "I know," Paulson said, "if things go as planned, it's a tough episode for you." "Of course," Darl said.Hester gave him a blank look. "I heard the helicopter," Hansen said.The sound of the engine starting came from the cabin of the shuttle boat.Dahl looked at Hearst. "Good luck," Hurst said. "See you later." After Dahl finished speaking, he turned and walked towards the shuttle boat. They were gone before the helicopter spotted them.
"Almost there," Kerensky said as they approached the black hole. "Everyone get ready to teleport. Dahl, come and sit in the passenger seat." "I don't know how to drive a shuttle," Dahl said. "You don't need to drive it," Kerensky said. "It's just that in case that bloody writer writes a plot about an explosion and I fly out, you have to help press the button of the automatic retroactive landing device." Dahl stood up and asked Duvall, "Is Hearst okay?" "He's fine, everything's fine," Duvall said, "although he's not Hurst just yet." "Call him that anyway," Dahl said. "Maybe it will make a difference." "Listen to you," Duvall said. Dahl sat in the passenger seat and said to Kerensky, "You remember what to do?" "Aim for the gap between the accretion disk and the Schwarzschild radius, and then increase the engine power to 110 percent." Kerensky said tentatively, "I remember. Although if it comes It would be better to let me practice it myself on the way. But there is no way, you locked me in a box. I haven't put on pants yet." "I'm sorry about that," Dahl said. "It doesn't matter anyway," Kerensky said. "Don't forget that I'm your talisman, and we'll surely get back to the past." "Hopefully the next set of things goes well," Dahl said. "If this plan of yours succeeds," said Kerensky, "how shall we know?" "When we revived Hearst, and he was Hearst," Dahl said. The sirens sounded. "Ten seconds later," Kerensky said, "so we won't find out until we're back on the Intrepid." "Maybe," Dahl said. "Perhaps?" Kerensky repeated. "I guess there's a way to know," Dahl said. "In what way?" asked Kerensky. The shuttle passed through the irregular gap between the accretion disk and the Schwarzschild radius, and at the same time began to teleport. The display screen was filled with a huge image of the planet Furshan, above which dozens of ships, including the Intrepid, were engaged in fierce battles. The red light in the cabin flashed, and the alarm bell rang. The nearest ship flashed fire and fired several missiles at the shuttle. "When we return home, the welcome ceremony should be a little more lively," Dahl said. Kerensky yelled and switched the shuttle into evasive mode, and Dahl felt dizzy.
Notes: