The Old Mine

12: Puzzle in Time

                     Cal waited a few moments after they left before she opened the laptop. With the help of the cube it took her only a few taps on the keyboard to find what she was looking for. Her medical records: she would start there then branch out... she suspected that there was more to her than they realized and she wanted to know what these rival jump agencies knew. According to records she was very sick when her family adopted her, doctors couldn't figure out why. She ended up having a blood transfusion, because the doctors assumed it was an infection in her blood. Her father had been the one to donate the blood that made her well. With a thought on what had really been going on she looked up the symptoms of this jump sickness. "Wow."

                    "Huh..." Recke sat up and rubbed his eyes "Wait, where'd they go?"

                    "I sent them to the mine to get things done; there is so much that needs to be done there and every time you or I get near Gambler's mine it triggers something." She scanned more information on what little they knew about whatever was making her sick as a baby "Look at this." She turned the laptop so he could see. "I had the symptoms of Jump sickness as a baby when I was found and adopted by my family."

                     "What?" Recke snatched the cube and tapped on a few things then sat it back down and leaned back "You should be fine to jump." He smiled "Good find."

                       "That's not my point," he frowned at her "Every time we think you have the item I'm there." He nodded at her "And... Every time one of the other group's attacks in an effort to stop you, I'm there... near some sort of jump technology."

                     "What are you getting at?" Recke rubbed his eyes again.

                     "I didn't want to say this around them because it seems crazy but what if I'm the item." Recke smiled at her "Yes I know we keep saying that but what if it's more complicated than then me just being the item. What if something about my past, a jump that caused jump sickness that your agency can't track. What if that is the item, something about my history.... I mean we set off the bike and message..." Cal was piecing it together in her mind.

                      "Wait... My mind is racing now... a lot makes sense, but some doesn't." He looked at her concentrating hard, "That's possible." He started messing with his hair and running through various scenarios in his mind.

                     "Now your mind is wandering, you have that look. How do we figure out if I'm right?"

                      "We complete the mission and bring you ahead with us." He smirked "And just don't tell them."

                     "You were ordered to leave me here weren't you." Cal frowned. "That's why my brother isn't the one you spoke to. It's Easton isn't it."

                     "Yes, he says you're a distraction... that you're taking over the mission and causing us to lose focus."

                     "What if the O'Horo family is causing this sudden shift to leave me here." Cal smirked at the shock on Recke's face. "If they are involved in the group behind this then they are aware they can't get to me."

                    "It wouldn't be the first time Easton was effected by a rival group to change time." He groaned.

                     "I want to talk to Tozzua Brick. Can you arrange that?" Cal slid the laptop and cube over to him.

                    Recke nodded and connected to the base ahead in time. Easton's face popped up "Back for more" He laughed.

                     "Put Brick on now...."