Time Shift

Time Shift Part 3

Jason and Tracy went on several dates over the next two weeks, and although Jason loved every minute he spent with the beautiful Tracy, something did not seem quite right. She was very secretive about herself, including where she worked and where she lived. When Jason questioned her about her surname, she told him it was Smith.

Then about three weeks after he had first met Tracy he walked into the staff cafeteria one morning and came face to face with his new girlfriend.
He stopped and gaped at her in surprise. "Tracy, what are you doing here?" he asked.

"I'm sorry, Jason," she sighed, "I should have told you that I work here." She pushed her long dark hair aside to reveal that she was wearing a company name badge identifying her as a staff member. She let her hair fall quickly back over the badge before Jason could see it properly. He reached out and moved her hair aside.

"Dr Tracy Hammond," he read, "Not Tracy Smith? Wait a minute, are you any relation to Dr Phillip Hammond, the CEO?"

Tracy sighed again. "Let's go sit down and have a cup of coffee, and we'll talk."

Ten minutes later as they sat in a corner table of the cafeteria, Tracy explained.
"Yes, I work here, yes my father is the CEO, and that's the reason I didn't tell you. People who work here always treat me differently when they discover who my father is, except Angie. We're like sisters."

Jason put his hand on Tracy's. "I can assure you I won't treat you any differently now that I know who you are and where you work. In fact it's great that you work here. We can have lunch every day."

"That will start the gossip mill going," Tracy said, pulling her hand back from Jason's. Then she saw the disappointed look on his face. "Of course we can have lunch together, but not every day. Let's be discreet."

"Okay, sure. What section do you work in?"

"Mars Research Unit in the mornings, and the Nanotechnology Unit in the afternoons, but don't ask me what I do in Nanotech. That's one of those 'need to know' things."

Jason, who was becoming used to the highly classified nature of much of the research being done at the complex, nodded. "But since you're the CEO's daughter I suppose that means I can tell you what I'm working on?"

"See, there you go, treating me differently. Just pretend I'm another staff member like you." 

"Oh, sorry. Okay in that case my work is 'need to know' too."

"Right," Tracy agreed, then gave Jason a seductive smile, "I have an idea, instead of lunch together today, why not come around to my room in the residential section when you finish work? About six o'clock?"

"You have a room here? What number?"

"Twelve. I'll pick up some takeaway from the cafeteria." She shot him another mischievous smile, "and you can supply dessert."

Jason and Tracy became even closer from that day on. They double dated with Angela and David a few times, and because they both worked in the same building they often had romantic interludes in Tracy's room after work.  

One night she was lying in his arms on the lounge in her room. "Do you like working here, Tracy?" Jason asked her, "I suppose you're under the watchful eye of your father."

"No, he leaves me completely alone," she answered, "You know what I love about my job? It's the exploring of the unknown, breaking new ground, discovering amazing new things. I wish I could tell you about some of the discoveries our team has made on Mars, the data and samples they've sent back to us for analysis, but as you know, it's 'need to know' stuff."