Ensemble [Book 1: SEKTOR V Trilogy]

Chapter 15: Liberty

Chapter 15: Liberty

Stanley was getting impatient. Of all the rides available, I find a car with an actual driver. The fifteen-minute ride to the Liberty Bell felt like it was taking an hour. Of course, it hadn't been that long, but it sure felt like it. "Can you go any faster?"

The cabbie pointed towards the windshield. Traffic was backed up.

Stanley exhaled and asked, "How far are we right now?"

"What am I, part GPS constellation?" the driver quipped in his best wise guy Philly accent.

Stanley sighed. "Okay, let me out."

"Whatever you want, boss. That'll be forty bucks."

"What? Are you kidding me?" He balled up two twenties and tossed them on the front seat next to the driver, opened the back door, and left. He knew how far he'd gone but he was still looking at a fifteen-minute walk—less if he decided to jog.

He had to look like an idiot running in non-athletic shoes, slacks, and a buttoned-up shirt, but he had no choice in the matter. Not sure how long his virtual invitation would last, he needed to get to the Liberty Bell as fast as possible. Plus, running—which was an activity he actually enjoyed under less stressful circumstances—was helping since his mind began to clear enough for him to think.

Maybe this is nothing more than a setup. Why though, and to what end?

Perhaps it was an Underground trap to kill him. Erase any remaining details of the Jump by removing the Jumper.

Maybe his family was already dead.

At that point, Stanley began to hyperventilate and had to stop running. He bent over with hands on knees and took deep breaths until his heart rate slowed down. I can't do this to myself. There was no reason to assume the worst.

He straightened himself and surveyed his surroundings. There couldn't be much further to go. Walking allowed him to regain his senses. After another block, he saw Independence Park on his right. He crossed the street, keeping his eyes peeled for what, or who was waiting for him.

The Liberty Bell was about five hundred yards ahead on the right. He looked around in all directions. Not exactly inconspicuous, am I? But he couldn't help himself. Plus, what exactly was he supposed to do next? Would another sign pop up? Or maybe someone would approach him instead.

With no obvious clues to guide him, Stanley decided to sit on a park bench near the Bell and wait for further instructions. According to his phone, about forty minutes had passed since he'd left the crime scene. Am I too late? Does the Ministry know where I am? His anxiety grew as he sat and waited. What about the people who sent him on this trip, were they tracking him?

He jumped at a soft tap on his shoulder. He looked towards his left but no one was there. A familiar giggle had him spin to the right to meet the twinkling gaze and big smile of his eight-year-old daughter.

"Lauren!" he exclaimed. "Where did you come from?"

Grinning, Lauren shrugged her shoulders and walked around the bench as she carefully approached her father. Stopping before him, she looked at her foot and shoved a pebble on the ground. "Daddy, I missed you...a lot."

"Oh, my sweet baby." Stanley pulled her into his arms and hugged her tightly. "I am soooooooo happy to see you! Where's Mommy and everyone else?"

"Oh, they're fine. I'm fine too." She pulled back and smiled. "You didn't ask that but I am. Just so you know."

Stanley had a crazy mix of emotions going on. Ecstatic that he had his daughter in his arms, happy that his family was still together and alive, but also worried it wouldn't last. Where were these people holding his family hostage? "Sweetheart, where did you just come from, and can you take me to Mommy?"

"Sure, Dad, come with me." She grabbed his hand and skipped beside him as if she didn't have a care in the world leading the way toward a parked white van on Ranstead Street. It had no windows and otherwise looked rather nondescript.

"Are you sure this is it, honey?" he asked her.

"Yep."

When they got within twenty feet of the van, the side door slid open. Instinctively, Stanley scooped Lauren up and swung around so that his back was facing the open door.

"Dad, what are you doing?" He recognized his son Edward's voice.

Stanley spun around and lit up as he saw both Edward and Stanley Jr., his other daughter Patricia and his beautiful wife Maria all come out of the van to greet him. No one seemed upset at all. They looked very happy to see him. Within seconds, the Dials converged on Stanley and showered him with a bevy of hugs and kisses.

"Are you all OK?" Stanley finally asked.

Before they could answer, a bald man approached and answered Stanley's question. "Now that you're here, Stanley, yes, everyone is just fine."

"And you are?" Stanley asked with a furrowed brow as he tried to protectively wrap his arms around his family.

Lauren spoke before the bald man could respond. "He's Mr. Jonas, Daddy. He is nice. He gave me a lollipop today. The mystery flavor too. That's the best kind."

Mr. Jonas looked at Stanley, smiled, and shrugged. "What can I say, I'm a sucker for suckers!" Jonas turned his back on the family and began walking towards the van.

"Mr. Dial, I'm here to reunite you with your family and to get you all to a safe place. A place that's far away from the Ministry and their forces."

Stanley couldn't take that with a straight face. "Are you kidding me, Mr. Jonas, or whatever your real name is? You kidnap my family, your time-travel-obsessed colleagues almost had me killed two days ago in what turned out to be a free-for-all shootout and now you suddenly have my family's best interests at heart? Please."

Edward, his oldest, jumped in. "No, Dad, they haven't harmed us at all. Honest. They've been very nice and treated us well."

"And we all have our own rooms!" Patricia chimed in with a big smile.

Stanley frowned in disbelief. He'd been worried sick for days, pulling his hair out, while they were all happy as clams?

He met Maria's gaze as she gently nodded. "It's OK, dear, we're all fine... Really."

Standing with his back up against the van, Mr. Jonas spoke. "I don't want to break the happy mood here, but we really need to get moving. The Ministry is looking for you right now, Mr. Dial. As I'm sure you know, they have eyes everywhere. Please, everyone, it's time to get back into the van."

Stanley followed his family to the van and ended up in the front passenger seat next to Mr. Jonas. As the van got on its way, Stanley asked, "Where are you taking us?"

"Somewhere safe, Mr. Dial. Somewhere you and your family can be at ease."

After a moment or so of silent driving Stanley said, "I have a lot of questions."

"I'm sure you do. And very soon, you'll have a lot of answers."