The Prodigy: Part Sixteen

~ beetleypete

This is the sixteenth part of a fiction serial, in 726 words.

Yamada was apologetic. “Sorry to disturb your Christmas, but I have a request”. Delia invited him in, but he declined. “I would like to invite you to come with me to the lakeside house. I have the car of course, and will be happy to bring you back later. You can both come, and will learn something quite monumental. I wanted to leave it until tomorrow, but Emily was insistent”.

They both agreed, without hesitation.

In the comfort of the Rolls-Royce on the way, Delia had a question. “Tell me, how did you know that Roger was at my house? And how did you know where I live?” Yamada smiled. “That is also something that will be revealed soon. Emily made a big decision this morning, and it will change your life”.

Roger was sorry he had accepted a large glass of port after dinner, and hoped his head would stay clear. He had no real idea what was going on, but from what Yamada was saying, that seemed to confirm that Emily was definitely calling the shots.

At the house, the metal gates were already open, and as the car drove through them, they began to close. In the living room, Emily was waiting, dressed in a simple white dress and knee socks. She seemed quite calm, even serene. Delia and Roger declined an offer of drinks, then both sat opposite the girl. Yamada stood by the huge window, looking awkward. Emily turned to him. “Show them”.

He produced a device from his pocket, and walked over to show it to them. It had a screen that showed a red dot on a small map, and the map contained the street where Delia lived. “It’s called a Tracker. Emily put the transmitter under the wheelarch of your car some time ago. It shows on this receiver, tells me where your car is, and if it is moving. That’s how I knew where you were”. As he walked back to the window, Emily began speaking to them.

“I am about to tell you things. They are all true, but you will not believe me, and you might even think I am insane. You cannot take any notes, I’m afraid, and please do not interrupt me. Any questions you have will be answered in good time”. Delia wasn’t waiting to ask her question. “Why Roger? Why us? How did you choose us to reveal yourself?” Roger looked sideways at her. She seemed to undersand much more than he did.

Emily answered patiently. “I don’t have a lot of time. I needed people who were interested, intelligent, and reliable. You have been looking into my background, and I have been aware that Mr Gale was suspicious of my educational level. He involved you in his research, so I thought it only right and proper that you should be here this evening”. Delia nodded, and the girl continued.

“It is now December, 1968. Next July, the Americans will land men on The Moon. You may have read that they plan to do this, I can tell you it will be successful. In November 1989, Germany will be unified, after the Berlin Wall is taken down. In February 2022, Russia will invade Ukraine, setting in motion a war that will eventually spread across Europe, and involve America. In the winter of 2087, a high tide will engulf most of southern England, spreading as far as London, which will become uninhabitable. I could go on, but I think you get the idea”. She turned to Yamada. “Show them”.

Walking to a unit against the back wall, he reached into a cupboard and came back with what looked like a very slim book. When he opened it, a light came on, and revealed text. He handed it to Roger. “Just pass your hand over it to move to the next page”.

For the next fifteen minutes, Roger and Delia flicked through the electronic pages, most of which listed cataclysmic events as historical fact. The melting of the ice caps on both poles flooding huge populated areas, increasing temperatures burning up most forests, and crop failures that caused hundreds of millions of deaths. A world war fought over fresh water, and the end of oil and coal production when it just ran out.

They both knew it wasn’t a joke, but it was too much to take in.

48 thoughts on “The Prodigy: Part Sixteen”

  5. (1) Yamada: “I have the car of course, and can bring you back whenever you like. Delia, you might want to come back a few hundred years from now because you’d like to see your future family tree. And Roger, you might want to come back a few hundred years ago since you are so interested in history.”
    (2) Disguising a time machine as a Rolls-Royce. How clever! A DeLorean would have been mighty suspicious, but not a Rolls-Royce!
    (3) Overheard:
    Yamada: “This is a tracker. It was originally meant to track Xenomorphs, but I repurposed it.”
    Emily: “He borrowed it from Newt.”
    (4) Emily’s revelations:
    • Next July, the Americans will land men on the Moon. Astronaut A1 will attempt to do the Melbourne Shuffle. That will prove to be an epic failure due to his cumbersome spacesuit and the Moon’s weak gravity. However, Astronaut A2 will pull of an historic Moonwalk. #DancingDownTheMoon
    • In November 1989, the Berlin Wall will be torn down, thereby saving Humpty Dumpty from making a risky escape attempt.
    • In February 2022, Russia’s killer tomatoes will roll into Ukraine. However, once they cross the Mason-Dixon Line, David Miller will begin to sing “Puberty Love,” and that will end the invasion!
    • In the winter of 2087, a high tide will engulf most of southern England. Debbie Harry’s third generation clone will proclaim, “The tide is high, but I’m holding on! I’m not the kind of girl who gives up just like that! Oh, no!
    (5) Roger and Delia will be given what they need to engage in R&D. #SaveThePlanet

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