Borrowed Time: Saving John Lennon - A Beatles Fanfic

Chapter 26 - YOU KNOW MY NAME (LOOK UP THE NUMBER)

August 10, 2020

Holly's eyes were closed as she materialized on the small glass standing pad in the laboratory. She had closed them as soon as John was no longer in her field of vision to try and burn the image of his face into her memory. It also helped to keep the tears that were forming from falling down her cheeks.

Familiar voices filled the space around her, muffled ever so slightly by the speakers they were coming through. With a short, quick breath Holly composed herself and opened her eyes. She was greeted with the view of smiling faces. She returned the smiles, taking them as a good sign.

Agent Samuel Thomas was standing closest to Holly, still on the other side of the glass. He motioned towards the isolet suit hanging on the wall. Holly took it and carefully stepped into it. She thought back to the last time she wore that suit and just how long ago that felt. She placed her large bag into the separate isolet unit and pressed the small button, vacuum sealing the items inside.

Once she and her belongings were secured, Holly was allowed out of the locked area containing the standing pad. She went through the same procedures as when she first began this journey, only in reverse order this time. Her vitals were taken, along with a host of other tests and scans, and then she was taken to the isolation and decontamination room where she would be spending the next 48 hours.

The door clicked and locked behind her, and Holly let out a deep breath. This was the first moment she had to take a mental inventory of herself since she arrived. Well over a month had passed for her since she first jumped back in time, but here she was, right back on the exact same day that she left. To her coworkers who were monitoring her travels, only a few hours had passed.

She was fairly certain that none of her activities had been discovered. There had been no way to talk privately with Tyler, but the general vibe she had gotten from him was a good one.

Holly removed the bulky isolet suit and looked down at the clothes she was wearing - the same clothes that just hugged up against John a few hours earlier. She could still smell him. The scent of cigarettes and John still lingered in her hair.

Agent Brady's voice came through the intercom, startling Holly. "You can proceed to the bathroom area for your decontamination shower. Remove your clothing and deposit them in the isolation bin."

Holly cringed. It took every ounce of strength to force herself into the shower knowing that once she did she would effectively be washing John away. As soon as the water hit her face Holly allowed the tears she had been fighting to finally fall.

It would be 48 hour before Holly could find out anything about John. Dinner was brought to her, and as she ate, her mind wandered between the events of her last few days with John, and the thoughts of what he might be doing at this very moment.

Is he still alive? Will he be able to find me? Holly let out a sigh. There was nothing she could do to answer any of her own questions.

••••

During her two days in isolation Holly had been able to keep herself occupied during the days, but at night while she lay in bed her thoughts always returned to John. Waiting to find out whether he was even still alive was tough, but the worst part was simply missing him.

When Holly was finally released from the room she was reunited with some of her personal items, and then spent the next few hours in long meetings and debriefings. This was the first time that Holly was actually able to talk with Tyler.