Episode Four

In spite of practically every agency in the universe searching for our word, not a shred of

“evidence has turned up that he's alive somewhere in the outside world.”

Could Marshal be involved? I hate that one of my team numbers might be a greater threat to me than the mission itself, though I hate that I don't know even more. I decided to enlist the help of the only ally I could trust. Gilles Kidd was a traveler-candidate representing the Grand Bouchy of Luxembourg, and

like me he was a spy. With gross paths on previous missions and even ended up in bed once, so far we'd scrupulously avoided each other here.

Good, now he said he had something that could help us both, a range to meeting at his

abatement. So you've got something for me? Oh, no fun at all. And a confession.

“On occasion, I sleep away from the complex for purposes recreative.”

Gilles, risking our covers just to chase some tail. With my skills, not that much of a risk, you are subprotective of your own tail exceptional that I am reduced to criminality, open the napkin, read.

We, my friend is a waitress who served the good doctor at the bar before we were all

locked in last year, yesterday she found this at a table. So, who's talking about you now? Two men sat together. My friend says they have met several times, one is Dr. Rose. I knew who's was selling out to someone.

Who's the other guy? That's the question, we. Dr. Allen would very much like to be here today, but she is in a conference of director-huxedible. For those of you who might not know him, I want to introduce Elvin the Twilight, who

has been named Gretchen's chief assistant. I also have the privilege of announcing a discovery that will change our perception of the cosmos. I know some of you think our recent mission briefings have been censored. You're correct.

I hope you will agree that our caution has been justified, because with Elvin's help, we now have clear evidence confirming Parallel Universe Theory. Quiet, please. Since the initial projection using human travellers, Dr. Allen has suspected that travellers were being projected to a Parallel Universe.

“Tell me, Leonard, do you understand the full implications?”

If our travellers go to a Parallel Universe, we are financial backers are concerned, time travel is pointless. We can't alter our past, by maintaining secrecy, though, we bought ourselves time. Now, we have a plan that may keep our backers interested. What remotely qualifies this meant to speak?

I'm smarter than you, Dr. Rose, I know that pisses you off. Listen, you might learn something. I didn't mind seeing Rose's blood pressure rise, even if Elvin went too far. Although my ego doesn't have much of an appetite, I understood that few people achieve remarkable things without self-confidence bordering on arrogance.

Once we pinpoint Elvin's squiggles of individual universes and aim our projections at a precise target, a traveler from our universe could affect a desired change to the path of another universe. While reciprocal travelers from that will affect the same change here, achieving that will

Hey, are you too okay with all this? You could use ticklesign teases. Misses said it evil. No, I mean changing other people's realities. Naomi says it'll be mutual, though change us too, when exchange, probably with lots of

“signed promises and things, it should be fine, right?”

And how long should we believe in the tooth very martial? Well, Sheila, I think that's supposed to be my line. Sorry. The whole thing is beginning to stink, it's just not right. Once the full scientific team came on board, missions became more ambitious, it didn't

take long to schedule our first real boundary-busting mission.

The time and place before they knew they would become time-travelers, before they knew each other. Imagine an elven insisted out technology was up to the task, elven pushed hard, mine was the only voice of caution. I wasn't sure the travelers passed count to parts could deal with the blast of information

how people would have clicked on them. Still, here we were, searching their past calendars for a date that all four travelers had been within reasonable proximity to each other, and within a 500 mile radius of the time projector. I was working in Phoenix, except for Labor Day, I was in Sedona that weekend.

Yeah. Sedona? Really? I went to Flagstaff that weekend.

“They put day 24 to one, as ticked new Mexico.”

Not bad.

Still, within a few hours drive of Northern Arizona.

Marshall? Um, lost cruises. I didn't travel much. Oh, wait. Labor Day.

Three years ago. A total of nine and five schedule. Phoenix. The cardinals were in town. I drove over for a couple of ball games.

Excellent. World doesn't need flagstaff as the meeting point. You'd each be within reasonable drive time. Okay. Let's sort out what you were doing.

We don't want you to integrate with your past selves if you were a skydiving or something. Do you remember any details of looks of six? Yeah, you were. We'd go murder. What?

“You think you're the only one who knows how to entertain a visitor?”

No, I didn't mean it. It came all the way from London just to go. From so far, sightseeing, shopping? No, Naomi, that is not where he went. A trumpet player.

Uh, trumpet time. Hmm. Hmm. Oh, I'll put down personal fulfillment. Sheila?

Hmm. Same. I was seeing the guy from the Maricopa County Prosecutor's Office. We did some hiking, but we'd just been dating a few weeks, so we were jumping each other's bones like every other minute.

Okay. Personal fulfillment and recreation. Pashita. Frank. Hooking up.

Oh, I got to love the college years. Yeah, but you were what? Ten years past your own? Were they at least of H? Babe, IDs are not what I asked you to see.

That's the Bauterie for Frank. What? What's that mean? Marshall. I'm sorry.

I didn't quite get that. Baseball. I told you I'm a fan. And one afternoon, I went to the zoo. The zoo?

The zoo? Yes, the zoo. Not all of us are serial fornicators. Then the cause are really magical. Personal fulfillment.

Three days later, our travellers awaited their tents. Technicians stared at computer screens. The tech assigned to the Paris curb had acquired an assistant. Elvin, wishing he hadn't gave to Martin Sheila's ban on the erection rule. I copped with my pre-emission jitters by studying the travellers routines.

Marshall was single-mindedly willing himself to remain flustered. Frank showed no sign of concern.

At first, I was impressed with his composure.

Then I realized he probably wasn't smart enough to understand the danger. Sheila was bearing her fear behind the party girl act. A facade of the tages laughter, wings and thumbs-up gestures. Finally, Martha, a quiet study in focus. She sat apart, gathering everything she saw and heard.

I had a whole list of unspiring mental imagery I was cycling through.

Then Frank settled up to Sheila.

Hey, good luck, babe. Let's put us back where we belong together, naked, must be boring spending your time around the weebs like Marshall.

“You've never seen Marshall being projected, have you, Frank?”

Hmm, he shouldn't let yourself feel intimidated. Right, like I'm going to be intimidated by, oh my god. And Frank, that body oil, I smell? Ooh, if it isn't completely organic, best case you'll come back with nasty burns.

At first case, it might fray that little weenie of yours right up.

In a quirk of extraordinary timing, future Martha integrated with past Martha at the peak of orgasm. Future Martha caught the escalating wave and enjoyed the ride. When Nigel retreated to the bathroom, and past Martha had time together herself, she realized something was a mess.

And cool, I didn't hear you.

“Oh, I got, I think he actually fucked my brains out.”

Well, what an entrance, and your brains are buying, oh sorry, I know you don't understand

but we lack, you've got two processes, what's happening to me, don't panic, you're going

to be inundated with a flood of images and here they are, time, trouble, that's right. And we have a mission to accomplish, I see, and get two Phoenix as soon as possible. Yes, well done, although given the time distribution issued as scheduled is probably flexible enough to spare another 15 minutes, I think we've just enough time for a minor scale nature.

Dr. Allen, there, did you hear that? Turn up the volume on your headphones, right after projection. I did hear something, just very faint. Okay, let me run it again. Now is that the theme song to "I Look Lousy or Not?" I, I think you're right.

Wait, it changes. The awkward files, exactly 97 seconds, it turned into the theme from the awkward files. The mother's showered and bit the reluctant farewell to Nigel. The mission profile calls for her to drive to Phoenix. Find Marshall at the baseball game and explain to him what was about to happen.

As she drove, she placed a call. Hi, this is Marshall, I can't take your call right now. Leave a message. I must speak with you concerning a matter of great urgency, I desperately need your help. I'm texting you, my number.

To say integration with my past counterpart was traumatic, we'd be an understatement. Past me was an accrowded parking lot, leaving the game when I went down as if I'd been shot. Before I could even pick myself up, I found myself staring at the world around me. This didn't seem like the plan.

What do you mean music? Elvin's making it up. No, it seems like an indicator of the specific universe traveled to. Yes, which matched the universe identification squiggles, which makes me right. I'll put it on speaker.

“Hey, I remember that show. It is the awkward files.”

It's the same as in Marta's universe, but coming from Marshall's monitor. I'm no musical expert, but that's not it anymore, is it? No, it's the just one night show. Uh-oh. Look at the universe identification squiggles, something's off.

I think Marshall's in the wrong place. Wait, what? Bring him back. Yes, we must be worried about potential mental trauma, but just a physical well-being.

Gretchen.

“So the thing is, we don't actually have an emergency return protocol.”

What?

It was the same baseball stadium that I remembered all, right?

Someone reached down to help me up, which is when I found myself looking into the eyes of a woman who looked a lot like a giant lizard, and who weirdly I found very attractive. Gilbert ex-Peef-Cis, Minz McWild, the Re-Space, Feef-O-Cis. Which my past counterpart clearly understood as? Are you all right, sir?

I'm a nurse. You seem very pale. Then my friend Bob Stoop said, "Hey, man, you only had one beer." Bob was a lizard too. He was wearing a St. Louis Cardinals jersey, one with the classic slanted bat logo on the

front.

But instead of two red birds, something like terredactals perched on either end of the bat.

“The only thing I could manage to say was, good, good, good, good, good, good little bros,”

fir fir. These being surrounding me all had some sort of human quality. They walked upright, they wore hats, shoes, trousers, skirts, they loosely represented a wide variety of cold-footed species. My hands and arms were covered with light-greenish scales.

"My God, we're lizards!" "What? Don't even think that word. Are you all big kids in the future?" "No, I'm sorry, what are we?"

"We are proud reptilian sapiens." A totus-looking creature approached us and said, "Shhh, spiggly, grippy, splut!" which I understood as, "I'm a doctor, can I be a assistants?" told him I was fine. So what is he? He's an amphibian sapien, of course.

“While the doctor focused on me, a hooking dinosaur-ish creature stuck up behind a woman accompanying him and grabbed her purse.”

She had the purse strap wrapped around her arm, and the creature gained her arm completely off. "Mabel, you all right?" "I was shocked beyond response until my past self-cold me, no big deal, she's an amphibian sapien too. Her arm will grow back in a couple of weeks."

"In all the excitement, my past counterpart hadn't had a chance to process me. When he finally did, he was just as unnerved as I was."

"Oh my good Lord, you're hideous!" "Is that hair?" "I can't be with a spoon! Oh, why do I like this human person though?" "How can you be running this program, wretched with out and emergency retrieval procedure?" "We didn't even know we could target a specific universe until like five minutes ago. Elvin!"

"I'm doing it, I'm doing it." "Elvin dialed and typed and cleaned, and we all sweat. And probably somebody prayed. Then finally, Marshal appeared on the platform, Ryan on his back. She rushed to him." "Marshal! Marshal!" "Love fox!" "Oh my God, he has brain damage!"

"Marshal focused, talked to me." "I said I'm fine." "I hope you're fine, but that is not what you said. Marshal became agitated and jumped to his feet." "Is the recording equipment running?" "Yes."

"Rim flex, this full of garblex, this, this, this, this, this, this, this. The pronunciation isn't exactly correct because reptilian sapiens have completely different vocal organs." "What I said means I'm fine, someone get me a robe and stop staring." "Reptelia, you mean they were lizards?" "Please, Dr. Rose, we don't use that word, it's offensive." "Okay, Gretchen, get me going, now."

"You mean we're still going to do this? What if we could have lizard land too?" "Marshal is already out there somewhere, she'll be expecting us to show up. I'll take my chances." "Eleven?" "Lizard land had the wrong music, some crazy percussion riff. I just have to find the right tune." "Do it."

"And Frank, you better have the balls to step up and meet us in Flagstaff. Otherwise, I know whose manhood I'm not choosing." "Far." "Here's I look lousy at 97 seconds, okay." "The awkward files."

"Martin Sheila should be in the same universe." "Do we have the emergency return protocol sequence entered into the computer?" "The one I just made up on the flag because I'm a genius, the safe martial life was zero thanks yes." "She alone was alone, hiking along the trail near us to do an app. Puzzling over her future as a television reporter when her future self arrived."

"We've got a lot to go over and not much time."

"Oh no no no a brain tumor."

“"Why would you think I've got to find a doctor? I'm not a tumor. Just sit here for a minute”

and pay attention." "The certainly is a common rational tumor. At least the voices aren't telling me to run naked through a crowded room." "Wait." "Okay. Set that aside for now."

"Focus on the part about what I'm doing here." "Wow, who is this Martial Guy?" "That evening, Sheila and Marta hosting a future counterparts walked into a bar two blocks from the Northern Arizona University campus in such a frame." "She's the dust of a level in here, can make her ears bleed."

"Oh Lord Sheila, it's a good thing I've got healthy self-esteem. Hanging with you could give me a good glance."

"How do you know they're not looking at you?"

"Oh yeah, right. Everyone ignores the cynical girl to step at the short-freeze flat just in one." "Do you see Frank?" "Hey, there he is. Back there next to the table with those two." "Oh my god, they're children." "So how do we do this?"

"I'll handle it." Sheila wore shorts and a tag top. She's the next to Frank's table and waited for the full body scan. "And I'll show them to you, all my stuff is back in the hotel room just around the, oh my goodness." "Hi Frank, we need to talk."

"Okay, sure." "For a moment, Frank puzzled over how this woman knew him. When Sheila smiled, that became a movement going."

"Girls, give me a moment before we go, see my etchings."

"Let me kiss, he did you two could be models."

“"Well, yeah." "Ma'am, GM Marta, you must be a psychic."”

"Girls, girls. Hey, where are you going? I don't know these two." "Oh, but you will, Frank." "Dots, oh, come on. Let's get these started." "Can do." "So, you have a room?"

"Just here, ladies." "I've got some wine, you'll... "Light down, Frank, and going to tie you up." "Oh, oh, not that I've got any problem with the little bondage." "Should we ease into it, though?"

"We have a drink, loosen some clothing." "Lucin' all you want?" "Don't mind Marta, Frank. She's just impatient. One would be nice." "What is it?" "I'll miss it."

"Fruity with hints of... "carasy?" "I've passed." "Why don't you lie down, Frank?" "And let us take it from here."

“"From her pocket, Marta took four legs of cord and tied his wrist to the headboard."”

"Wait, are you going to tie my legs, too?" "Oh, of course. It's such a turn on." "Well, shouldn't I take off my pants before you do my legs?" "I mean, it would be pretty difficult to... "Bang, it will few pants."

"I've only got one hand free. I need some help." "I'd love to help." "There you go." "Oh, and there you are." "Marta, get his legs. I'll tie his other wrist."

"Okay, he's not going anywhere. "Now can we cover that thing up?" "Please do." "Now what?" "We wait."

"Hey, Marta, why don't you see if you can find something on TV?" "What? Hey, what is this? I thought we came here to have a three-sum." "We know what you thought, right?" "And how do you know my name?"

"Just no point in some drawn-out explanation. If things go to where they're supposed to, you will understand soon enough." Like the slightest hint of a rising sun over dark and vacant landscape. The idea began to dawn on Frank,

that laying naked and tied up in the company of two strangers might be caused for concern. "Okay, Sheila. If Akai doesn't show up, how are we going to explain us up to this guy?

We call to be in a little bit of trouble here. "What? What trouble? What would die?" If you two aren't going to get naked right now. Frank's brain explained it into a chaotic model of impulses and images.

That elusive bit of clarity was overwhelmed by a tangled of senseless images

banging around in his skull.

“"Help me! There's someone else in my hand!"”

"What did you do to me? Please, please, let me go! I can't!" "Yes, you can, Frank. Stop panicking and pay attention. Just be still. Listen to that other voice." "Did you give me something? Did you give me something?"

"Some weird, date rape drug!"

"The stuff in your head is real, Frank. Just quit fighting it." "The... the future?" "Now, you're starting to get it."

“"I'm a time traveler. That's impossible. I have a pickup truck."”

"Okay. Now, do you understand what this means?" "It means... uh... it means... we aren't going to have a threesome?" "Destracted by Frank's whimpering, it took Sheila a moment to notice Marta Bendover, her hands on her knees, eyes closed." "Marta, what's happening?"

"I... am... having lapses." "You've been here for more than 24 hours. You're tired." "You know, just now, everything about the future went blank. I... for a minute there, my future self was gone, and if you hadn't in telling Frank about it, I'm not sure she would have let me come back.

“Even now, it's a struggle, I'll remember."”

"We have another issue. Marta's life line, it's wavering. We've never seen

that before. Emergency protocol is programmed. Let's bring 'em all back." "Come on, come on. Hang in there, Marta. You're the tough one. You have all people. Can't be the one who screws this up for me." "Oh, thank God. I was afraid I'd be that way forever." "Who are... you are that woman from... but that's crazy. Marta, don't you know me?"

"We came here from Sedona, even to find this guy, Frank. I hope you don't want to press touches." "Just let me out of here. Unless you guys still want to fool around?" "No." "I was about to head to the locker room when Elvin raised the alarm. I don't have her yet." "Marta? Wait, I was just with her. She was really struggling." "All right, you're Frank. Welcome back, Aldman. Can't wait to hear you." "I have to live, Frank. Again, with the naked Frank abuse." "We have to keep it clear for Marta."

"Now only could Marta really get lost?" "Now only wouldn't look me in the eye. Elvin just stared ahead at the platform where Marta was supposed to appear empty." Taking time is a production of Voyage Media. The series is produced by Nathman Dahl and Dan Vettemois, executive produced by Mike Murphy, Nancy Murphy. Based on Mike's novel, taking time, a tale of physics, lust, and greed available on Amazon, a link is in the show notes.

Written by Mike Murphy and Millenix, story produced by Joshua Malken, directed by Dan Vettemois, starring Ray Krasilla as Marshall, Rochelle Simpson as Sheila, Rachel Pate as Marta, Cheryl Chong as Naomi, and Sydney Shiotani as Gretchen. Additional cast credits available in the show notes, edited sound design and mixed by Joel Lippman, original music by Dahlist and Zollis. If you're enjoying the show, please leave us a five-star review

on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or anywhere you're listening, and subscribe now for future episodes.