Chapter 16 Chapter 16 The Endless Journey

Mason led him through the immigration isolation zone, where he was delayed for a while. The staff gave Rhodes some psychological and physical examinations and asked him to sign a waiver (waiver).Then Mason took him to a shower, shaved and cut his hair, and changed his clothes before finally letting him appear in front of the world.Mason only accompanied them to the gate of Kamba time and space. "I have an event tonight, and maybe some other things. The four of you can stay alone for a while. I'll finish at about nine o'clock, dear. Goodbye, Rhodes." He kissed his wife and left .

"Sister, does Dad know I'm back?" Helen hesitated for a moment. "He knows. When you were in the isolation zone with Mason, I had a video call with him." She added: "Remember, Rhodes, Dad just got out of the hospital... the time was just a few days past for him. a week." "Oh, yes, yes." Rhodes had never had much interest in Ramsbotham's space-time theory, and he felt that these things completely messed up the relationship of time-interstellar space through the space-time gate. Jumping doesn't seem to be that much of a hassle for him.In addition, he really doesn't know why, the real situation is that he has actually touched people.The Massons already knew this, but they didn't tell him so as not to make him feel worse.

They passed through a tall wood on the way home, so that Rhodes calmed down.He habitually checked his surroundings, worried if there were any dangerous animals. He was always close to the tree, and some familiar situations would always surface in his subconscious mind. He returned home cautiously.He was so happy to be home, unaware that he was intimidated by the crowds, that these non-dangerous suburban forests eased his anxiety. My father looked rosy and healthy, but he had lost a lot of weight.He hugged his son, and his mother kissed him with tears in her eyes. "We're so glad you're home, son, I know you just got back from your exams."

"It's good to be home, Dad." "I think these exams are really good for training people! I have to take a good look at you." Rhodes wanted to explain that there were actually no exams, and there was nothing to train people.That Cowbel City—Tongaloa, nothing really, but he was trying to figure out what to say when he was interrupted by the arrival of Aunt Nora Piscott—who was not really a relation of theirs, but his A childhood friend of my mother's.Also, Dad wasn't listening to him either. Mrs. Piscault was listening, and was still looking at him—her small eyes fixed on Rhodes, as if she wanted to see into his flesh. "Hmph, Roderick Walker, I knew it couldn't be your picture."

"What?" Dad suddenly asked, "What photo?" "Don't you know? The photo of the savage has Little Rhodes' name written on it. Don't you see it? There are so many posters! "Empire Time" was also published. I knew it wasn't him. Ser said: 'Hey Joseph, that's not a picture of Rod Volker - it's fake!'" "I haven't seen it yet, you know, I just..." "I sent it to you and I cut it out. I know it's a fake. It's horrible, a naked wild man with a big mouth and fangs and a grin and a javelin, The face was still painted with war paint. I said to Joseph..."

"You know, I just got back from the hospital this morning, Nora. Rhodes, there won't be a picture of you in the news media, will there?" "Well, yes, maybe. Well, maybe there will be." "I don't understand, why is there a picture of you?" "There's no reason, that guy just did it." "That is to say, is it really your photo?" "Yes." Rhodes saw Aunt Nora staring at him with wide eyes. "But that's also fake—a fake." "I still don't understand." "Please, Dad." Helen interjected, "Rod just came back and is still very tired. Can't we wait for this question?"

"Oh, of course. I just don't understand, since it's a photo, how can it be faked?" "Okay, Dad, this person painted my face with oil paint while I wasn't paying attention. I—" Rhodes stopped, and he found that this sentence sounded a bit absurd. "Then this is really your photo?" Aunt Nora was still reluctant. "I don't want to talk about it anymore." Mr. Walker blinked. "Maybe it's better this way." Aunt Nora still seemed unsatisfied. "Okay, but I guess weird things happen in that weird place. I know from the reports in the Empire Time that some weird things have happened...some of them are not good."

She looked as if she was waiting for Rhodes to deny this, but Rhodes didn't say anything.She went on: "I don't know what you were thinking, a kid doing something like that. My dad always said that if God wants us to replace spaceships with these portals, he should do it for us." Provide his own air access." Helen suddenly said: "Mrs. Piscault, then what kind of passage should the spaceship follow to be more convenient than a door?" "What are you doing? So rude? Helen Walker, I tell you, I'm always your 'Aunt Norah'. Of course I'm also 'Mrs. Piscault.'"

Helen shrugged. "Then my surname has changed to Mason, not Walker—you know that too." Mrs. Walker was suddenly very disappointed and helpless.She broke off the argument and invited Mrs. Pescott to stay to supper.Mr. Walker also said, "Yes! Nora, stay for supper?" Rhodes counted from one to ten, but Mrs. Piscault said that she knew the family wanted to be alone, they had a lot to talk about... and then the father stopped insisting. Rhodes had been very quiet during the pre-dinner ceremony.Although someone asked him to answer a few words, he immediately fell into silence again.The dinner is very rich, but the amount of each dish is very small. The earth must be in a state of strict food rationing, and everything on the earth is so rational.Everyone in the family was happy, and he became happy too.

"I'm sorry about the situation," his father told him. "I think you might have to take another semester at Pike because of this?" "On the contrary, Dad." Helen answered for him: "Mason said he would enter Central Technical College with honors." "Really? They were strict when I was around?" "Those guys would give him extra credit for something they couldn't learn in the classroom." Seeing that his father seemed to want to ask again, Rhodes changed the topic. "Sister, I suddenly remembered that I gave your name to a girl, I thought you were still in the army - she also wanted to join the army, can you still help her?"

"I can give her some advice, maybe give her some guidance on the assessment. Is this important to you, brother?" "Well, yes. She's good officer material, she's a big girl, maybe stronger than you—kind of like you, and as quick as you. She's got good quality and ideas, but sometimes she's too strong, a bit Reckless, in a hurry...she can kill people with one blow." "Roderick!" said the father, looking at the light. "Oh, sorry Dad, I was just describing her." "Very good, son... when did you start eating meat with your fingers?" Rhode threw away the sliced ​​meat and said with a blushing face, "Sorry, we don't have forks." Helen giggled. "It's all right, Rod. Daddy, it's perfectly normal. We always train girls like this, we make them ready for the end of civilized life. Fingers were invented before the fork, after all!" " "Well...that's nothing. Speaking of 'always ready,' we do have some work to do, daughter, because this family has to be reorganized again." "why?" "Well, I mean the family guardian relationship change. Now I'm fine, God forbid. I have to take responsibility for my family again." Rhode's heart was pounding.At last he understood that it was he, his guardian, that Papa was talking about.Oh...it turns out that my sister has been his guardian for a while, that's right, but it doesn't have any practical significance! Helen hesitated for a moment. "It should be like this, Dad." She looked at Rhodes and said, "If my brother wants this." "Huh? That's no problem, boy. Your husband wouldn't want to have custody of a young lad, would he? Besides, it's my duty--my prerogative." Helen looked a little helpless, and Rhodes said at this time: "I don't think it's an important thing, Dad, I'm going to college—after all, I'm about to have the right to vote." His mother was surprised: "Really? Honey!" "Yes!" Father admitted. "I'm afraid I cannot relinquish these three years of power." "Dad, I don't understand your words. I will be old in January." Mrs. Walker covered her mouth with her hand in surprise, "Jerome...we forgot the time and came back again. Oh, my poor child!" Mr Walker also looked disturbed, muttering to himself "this is hard" before staring at his plate.Suddenly, he raised his head and said, "Forgive me, Rhodes. Anyway, I will do what I have to do before you are of legal age. I don't want you to live away from home while you are in college." "God? Why not?" "Well—I think we've been separated for a while, and it's not good for us. The girl you mentioned surprised us too. Can I understand that she is yours, a... um... a What about close friends?" Rhodes felt his blushing, and tried his best to say flatly, "She is the prime minister of my government." "Your what?" "My administrator. She's Captain of the Guards, Chief of Police, call it what you want. She does everything, and she goes on the hunt, but that's just because she likes it. Caroline is...well, Carol anyway. Lin is great." "Roderick, are you dating her?" "Me? God, no! She's just a big sister of mine. Caroline always has lots of likes, one every now and then, but not for too long." "You're not really interested in her, are you? I'm glad of that. She doesn't seem like the right companion for a young lad." "Dad, do you know what you're talking about?" "Maybe not, I just want to know. Tell me another thing then! Prime Minister? What are you then?" "Me?" Rhode said proudly, "I am the mayor of Cowbell City." Father looked at him and shook his head. "I wanted to talk about it later. I think what you need is, hehe, a doctor." After speaking, he looked at Helen and said, "Tomorrow we will exchange guardianship. I think I really have a lot of things to take care of." Helen also looked at her father and said, "Unless my brother agrees." "daughter!" "Such a change cannot be unilateral, he has to agree or I won't allow it." Mr. Walker seemed very angry, and Mrs. Walker seemed very unhappy. Rhodes stood up and left the room...no one had ever done that while the peace lights were on.He heard his father calling him behind him, but he didn't turn back. He saw Mason in his room, smoking a cigarette and reading a book. "I just ate, so I was left to myself for a while," Masson explained.He noticed Rhodes' expression. "I have to tell you." He said slowly: "Things always have a lot of unsatisfactory places, forget it, child, forget it!" "I can not do it." "No, you can." In the immigration barrier, the queues of vehicles formed. They have always been like this before, and they will continue to appear again and again.The portal was not ready yet, and the pilots of the portal were still drinking coffee, joking, and relaxing their nervous nerves in the lounge under the Statue of Liberty, and their captain stayed with them.This is a tall and thin young man, his facial features are sharp and angular under the light, he talks and laughs happily, and there is a trace of tension in his laughter, but now he doesn't seem to be nervous.He laughed and sipped his coffee and let a boy play with his helmet.He was wearing a leather jacket, which was designed in imitation of an ancient style.The young man had a Bill Cody beard and long hair.His mount is a young pinto horse, which stands peacefully on the side, the reins hanging freely.A shotgun hung from the horse's hind legs, but the captain himself carried no gun, but two daggers, one on each side. The alarm sounded, and the loudspeaker in the lounge blared: "Captain Volker, door four is ready." Rhodes waved his hand towards the control room, and then shouted: "Attention everyone!" Turning to Jimmy and Jacqueline, he said, "Say sorry to Caroline for me, she can't come. I will see you soon of." "It must be faster than you think." Jimmy said with certainty: "My company dares to sign a bet contract for this." "Your firm? Where did you get that name? Did they make him a partner, Jackie?" "No." She said calmly, "but I'm sure they will, as long as he agrees to extraterritorial terms. Grant, kiss Uncle Rhodes goodbye." "No!" said the boy firmly. "Like his father," Jimmy said proudly. "Only kisses ladies, lol." All the personnel began to count down, and Rhodes was listening carefully, and he turned on the saddle. "Relax, boys." The yell reached him, and he yelled, "One!" "Get ready! Get ready!" He raised his hand while waiting, and he saw the scene in the time-space gate, which was a grassland under the snow peak.He took a deep breath. The control light turns green.His arms dropped sharply, and he yelled, "Go!" His knees caught the horse's belly, and the Pinto leaned forward, overtaking the vehicle in front, and Captain Volker led the way, stepping up again. his long journey. [-End of the full text-]