Phillips stayed for the entire conference and found no hint of Jack. He did not pay much attention to the conference itself. If he had, he would have noticed that Libby Williams, not Woodrow Wilson was involved.
Unsure of what to do next, he spent the next several months in his home in Cardiff. The months slipped by quicker than he anticipated. He had almost made up his mind to go to Washington, D.C. to just wait for Jack to show up when he received the news that the President of the United States had been killed.
He was too late.
Two days later, he traveled to the United States. He had no basis of knowing that he had retained his ability to travel through time while others had lost that capability.
CHAPTER THIRTY ONE
Chattanooga, Tennessee – Present Day
Through the haze, he could see people shuffling about. He could barely discern voices and those voices seemed to be talking to no one in particular. Their lips moved but their words were garbled, like speaking through a sewage drain and hoping that someone across town could ascertain what was being said.
He looked at a stunning woman with red hair and was drawn to her blue eyes. She was seductive and moved with the intent of portraying sexuality. He found himself wishing she would come closer just so he could smell her. He imagined the curves of her body pressed naked against him. As if reading his thoughts, she turned and stared at him. That was when the scene changed.
She blinked and the pupils of her eyes were altered. Instead of being round, her pupils became slits and the color of her eyes transformed from clear blue to a hideous, almost pus-like yellow. Her face became scaly.
Despite the alteration, she continued to walk seductively and using one finger, motioned for him to come forward. He was afraid but at the same time was irresistibly drawn towards her and he felt his feet move. She opened her mouth slightly and slid her tongue across her bottom lip. He could feel himself becoming aroused.
Her dress slid from her shoulders onto the floor and he could see that her body was also scaly. He wanted to be horrified but he was mesmerized. The flesh colored scales that made up her breasts and stomach yearned for his mouth.
His eyes continued to flow down her unclothed body but instead of lusting over her slender legs, he saw that the lower half of her body had become a long tail that coiled around. She was a serpent. She opened her mouth and he could see her venomous fangs.
She wrapped her arms around him and her tail followed. Only a moment before he had craved her naked body against his but now that fantasy had been altered. She began to squeeze. He tried to inhale but as he did, her coils squeezed tighter. He couldn’t inhale. He was suffocating. He had just enough breathe left for one final scream…
“Noooo!” Jack screamed and sat up where he lay. Jasper looked over at him alarmed and ran to his side.
“You shouldn’t be sitting. You need to lie down! Your vitals are not stable,” Jasper said firmly.
Jack allowed himself to be laid down and Jasper looked at the monitors beside Jack’s bed. Jack’s heartbeat was elevated, which was a concern.
“Just try to breathe in and calm down,” Jasper said placing the oxygen mask over Jack’s mouth and nose.
Jack breathed deeply and felt himself relax. He looked around the room. The woman was gone. He looked up at Jasper who was monitoring his breathing.
“Much better,” Jasper said, comforted by the reducing heartrate. “How do you feel?”
Jack considered the question for a moment. In truth, he felt very little and everything seemed fuzzy. “I don’t feel much of anything.”
“How’s your head?”
Jack started to reach up and Jasper stopped him. “Don’t touch your head! I have you closed up but haven’t bandaged you yet.”
Jack put his hand down. “Stop snapping at me. You sound like my ex-wife. And since you asked, my head feels fuzzy.”
“The anesthetics are wearing off. Give it about an hour and your head will feel like the worst hangover you’ve ever had.”
“Did we restock the pain meds before we began?”
“We might have a few aspirin left,” Jasper answered.
Jack smiled weakly.
“You’re going to be fine. I put a little something extra in your IV. It should make you feel as right as rain.”
“I hate the rain,” Jack said snarky.
“Go to sleep. I’ll bandage you up. You’ll need to rest for a few days but after that, we should be ready to go.”
“Was it successful?”
“It was. You are the proud owner of a time travel implant.” Jasper looked closely at Jack. “Do you feel any different?”
“I feel like I need a drink.”
“In a few days. I’ve given you something to help your body fight rejection of the implant. I’ll watch your vital signs to make sure you remain stable. Now get some sleep.”
Jack nodded and closed his eyes. His recollection drifted back to when they had first met in Albuquerque.
They were men with similar ambitions and with the letters PhD and MD following their name. They found themselves at the same conference and next to each other at dinner. Conversation ensued and two years later, a business partnership was cemented with a handshake.
Aside from their hometowns - Jack was from Nasvhille, Tennessee and Jasper was Welsh, originally from Chepstow –
