Mark and Maddy Chapter 38: Future is Past Part 10 - Homecoming

Mark and Maddy enjoyed their tour through the Far East, and while the trip to Japan was idyllic with its truly peaceful shrines, elegant gardens that were duplicated and maintained by New Earth historians who emulated the best of Japanese society and architecture of Old Earth, they enjoyed the trip to India even better.

The people there fawned over Maddy and her original timeline Indian heritage, and she enjoyed watching the dances, trying several herself, much to her husband's delight, in a replica of the ancient bare midriff sari that set off her pregnant belly, henna tattoos, and jewelry. They especially enjoyed the curries and other succulent Indian dishes. Mark loved the chicken tikka the best. During that time she accused Mark of wanting to try every position of the kama sutra. But they enjoyed all their private time together, as they always did.

Her belly grew bigger and bigger over that time, and to her surprise she didn't have any real cravings or sickness, compared to their first baby. Mark loved her increasing roundness and motherly glow like the first time.

"You're more beautiful pregnant than you are normally, Maddy."

"You're just saying that. All because I just have bigger breasts!"

"I mean it Maddy," emphasizing with a kiss that nearly knocked her off her feet.

"Oh my! I believe you now, husband."

They were really sad to have to return back to the New Earth capital city, but they promised. They'd been there six months. They loved it here. They knew they would go back eventually, and even though they missed Aaron, they knew he was in good hands with family, and it was only just now they could even think about going back. Their 'temporal adjustment' time was fulfilled. They suspected their time here was growing short.

"I could keep exploring New Earth forever with you, Mark. All our 'children' have kept the promise of Terra Nova and done so well. It's more than I could ever imagine. Don't we make beautiful babies?"

Mark chuckled, "Well these are all the Terra Nova colonists' babies, you know. We know 20 million of the 150 million people here are ours!

"The baby pictures alone would fill a couple of hard drives," Maddy snickered. Mark just rolled his eyes.

They walked into the Council chamber, and saw Trevor and Angela, but the older couple looked really sad.

"Why so glum, guys?" Mark asked, "More morning sickness, Angela?"

"Well, yes. But more. It's time," she said barely above a whisper.

"Time for what?" asked Mark.

"Time for you to go back to Terra Nova," Angela could hardly get the words out.

Maddy caressed her pregnant belly and sat down, "Oh dear, we knew the day would come. We just didn't expect the time to go so fast. We were having such fun in your beautiful world. We're not ready to go. Even if we do miss Aaron."

Angela replied, "That is very kind of you to say so. But the longer you stay, the more you get…" her voice broke, "…attached to us here."

"Oh, Angela, I know…" Maddy's voice quivered as she hugged her distant relative, and their bellies bumped, eliciting a laugh to break the pain of their required separation.

Trevor cautioned, "We have to erase your memory of this place."

Maddy was afraid, "Trevor, no. We're both afraid you'll erase our entire memories. Does history record that?"

"Over the eons we've been telepathic, we've found our techniques will not erase those things that are indelibly etched into your very souls. Knowledge of and love of spouses, children, friends. Formative experiences and relationships. We can selectively erase memories of our people now. Usually things that are painful or traumatic."

Maddy was genuinely worried, "But we're not like you. What if you clean us completely? Our minds are much less developed than yours. Much less disciplined and compartmentalized thoughts. Your techniques could be catastrophic. Don't I have more impact on history?"

"Yes, you created several crucial technologies and continued refinement of time travel."

Maddy worried, "Then how can you wipe our minds, and take the chance I would be a vegetable the rest of my life?"

Trevor sighed, "That's the dilemma."

Mark tried to lighten the mood, "As Taylor said, time travel is a bitch."

Maddy was now in tears, "But we don't want to forget you, Trevor and Angela. You are our friends. Not just our descendents. We're having our babies together, Angela! How can we not love you as our distant grandchildren?"

Maddy was desperate, and she suggested, "We can keep secrets. We can keep all of this a secret."

Trevor warned, "You two would be walking on eggshells your entire lives. Second guessing every decision that you might worry would prevent something from happening, or prevent a descendant now from existing."

Maddy sighed, "You're right."

All four people were stymied, knowing what had to happen, but all were frightened of the risks that could ripple through history and change everything in this world with either situation – not doing anything and trying to keep secrets, as well as wipe their memories of New Earth.

But a realization and smile grew over Maddy's face, "In our time, whenever people wanted to forget things, hypnosis and the power of suggestion worked."

"We haven't practiced that ancient art in eons," said Angela.

Maddy encouraged, "But it doesn't erase memories, it only suppresses the ones you want suppressed."

"That is quite true. That would work. Dr. Lowell could do it himself. I will contact him now," Trevor replied.

Mark delayed him, "Not just yet. We need one last look at our memorial."

Both couples walked hand in hand around the quiet grounds. A few other families and couples strolled, and smiled at their ancestors. They were mostly silent, but for Maddy pointing out features of their coming child posed in the statues as a pretty teenage girl and a grown up Aaron. But then they stopped dead as they viewed the statues from behind.

Trevor and Angela smiled at each other and squeezed their hands together as Mark and Maddy saw it.

Hidden behind the main statue, peaking around Maddy's skirt, was the shy face of another child, much younger than the other two memorialized in the front.

They whirled and clutched each other, and exclaimed to Angela and Trevor, "A third baby?"

Angela grinned, "We were kind of hoping you might not notice him, but decided it would be a nice surprise for you here at the end, even if you can't take the memory with you."

"What will you name your baby?" Trevor asked, even though he already knew.

Maddy replied instantly, "Paul. After Mark's dad."

"Paul it is then, when that time comes. And that, by the way is what history records," Angela snickered.

"It will be a long time after your baby girl that you have him," Trevor noted.

"Like mother like daughter!" joked Mark that Elisabeth had three children too.

"Or perhaps a husband who enjoys his time with me just a wee bit too much!" Maddy joked.

Angela just rolled her eyes at them and stated, "Technically Paul is, as you say, an 'oops', but an 'oops' that assured our way of life continued. At least seven million people can call him 'Dad'."

Maddy's eyes teared up, "It could not be nicer to have that final surprise, even though we won't remember. We loved our time here with you and your friendship…. and tolerance… of us sometimes."

"We were glad that we were the ones who got to host you. You are very special people, Mother and Father."

"If you're gonna do all that gushy stuff, call us 'Mom' and 'Dad', please, children?" Mark kidded.

They hugged.

"Dr. Lowell is at the lab where you began your journey here. We need to go. It's time," said Trevor sadly.

Maddy replied, "I know. I wish it wasn't. We just scratched the surface of the miracle of what you all have here."

The two women held each other tearfully as they walked. It was a tender moment, and so incongruous that the two pregnant women, one much more the apparent elder, was actually the descendent. Mark knew how hard this was on Maddy, and admitted that he was very sad about it too. He was proud that the two of them had such an impact on the 'second chance' New Earth.

He muttered, "I guess this is it, huh? Do we dress in our old stuff?"

Trevor responded, "No Mark, it's been a long since time since those garments been disposed of. We'll let you keep your gowns. Maddy is supposed to make some inventions in wearable microgrid networks that eventually lead to these. Even more reason we don't want to erase your mind. Just think we're giving you an incentive by taking two back."

"That's very clever, Trevor. Are you sure that's not cheating the history books?" Maddy grinned.

"Well it's recorded that way, so it must have been meant to be."

"Time travel makes my head hurt…" complained Mark, shaking his head. They all laughed.

"So says the most prolific sojourner in time of all time," remarked Trevor.

"Really?" He asked.

"You were known to have a fearless streak 'Dad', that you always are ready to volunteer to solve Terra Nova's temporal crises."

"My brave soldier boy!" praised Maddy with a kiss.

"Or dumb soldier boy," kidded Mark, returning the kiss.

"We have to take your cerebral rings, that is too much revealed technology. There is circuitry in there that you won't see for thirty million years into Terra Nova's history," asked Trevor.

Mark made an exploding motion with his hands around his head, and Maddy snickered, but she couldn't hold back her emotions.

"An… Angela, please take care of our next grandchild millions of times removed," Maddy choked out the words, knowing they would never know the child their descendent and friend carried.

Angela held Maddy like a mother would hold a daughter, "Mark and Maddy. We loved meeting the most important of the Adam's and Eve's of our society. Fate brought you here and strengthened our resolve and our ties with our past – your present. What you did made a difference. A big one. The biggest one of all time. We are indebted to your forever."

Maddy observed, "It was more than fate, Angela. It was all according to a plan by Someone bigger than all of us. We were just chosen by Him to be part of it."

"That would be hard to refute," Angela replied.

They hugged, "Angela, I wish we could have our babies together."

"That would have been so nice Maddy. There's still time to have yours alongside Wash, the original ancestor for us."

"How totally fitting!" exclaimed Maddy as the women hugged.

There was a sad silence. It had just about all been said.

"So what happens now?" asked Maddy.

"We'll time your arrival back to be within two weeks of when you disappeared in the storm."

"Two weeks out of 85 million years. I gotta admit, you guys are good!" Mark complimented them.

"Only because Maddy and Malcolm and the scientists that come after them were pretty good too."

"The hypnotic suggestions we will give you about our friendship and affection for us will remain as a vague remembrance of nice people that you liked being with. You'll feel pleasant about this journey but not remember any details," Angela noted.

"So we'll basically send you back the way you came," Trevor said.

Maddy smiled broadly, "Except that I'm five months pregnant. That's pretty good proof that we were comfortable enough here to have a child together. We just won't remember where 'here' is."

"And completely shorn of hair," added Mark, "And Maddy, you are smoking hot as a bald Indian-American. I hope you wear it that way in Terra Nova."

"I won't remember that dear, but that's sweet."

"OK. We're ready," with one last very tearful joint hug with Trevor and Angela, who buried her red wet eyes into Trevor's shoulder, they parted.

The hypnosis began. Dr. Lowell started the process of relaxing them on virtual force field couches, with a soft and soothing tone to his voice, and watched the brain waves. They were in a semiconscious state, and susceptible.

He ordered, "You will answer my questions truthfully and obey every word."

"Yes we will do so," they said together.

"You will forget everything that happened to you - all the people, places, things, you did and saw, and interacted with. You will forget everything about your pregnancy except your daughter Melissa's name. Everything you experienced here in New Earth will be like it never happened. You will only remember that the time you spent away was pleasant with nice people."

"We will forget everything but what you said."

Trevor suppressed a grin that had Mark been conscious he would have objected to forgetting how he got Maddy pregnant. Angela sensed his thought and poked her husband playfully. They would miss Mark and Maddy's couple's humor. It was so cute and genuine. People were too serious now.

Dr. Lowell continued his session, "When I snap my fingers it will be so. Everything in your life at Terra Nova you will remember. All those you love, all your experiences, your family and friends in that time you will remember. You will remain asleep until your journey from here back to Terra Nova is complete through our time portal. Are you ready to forget only your journey here to New Earth?"

"We are."

Dr. Lowell snapped his fingers, "Do you remember anything about this place you but the name of your next child?"

"No. We have forgotten. Everything but Melissa Ann."

Angela buried her burning tearful eyes deeper into her husband's shoulders, suppressing her sobs.

"We will now send you back to Terra Nova. You will hear a hum, feel a prickly electrical feeling, and then you will be transported. You will remain asleep until someone in Terra Nova tends to you. Do you understand?"

"Yes."

"Will you obey?"

"Yes, we will."

"Good bye Mark and Maddy."

Trevor and Angela pushed the reclining sleeping pair to the time portal on their suspended force field couches. Trevor activated the virtual controls and it hovered and shimmered in the air, and he deftly worked the controls. The antennas and probes surrounded Mark and Maddy in a circle about twenty feet diameter. It quickly hummed, glowed, and a smell of ozone was created. Trevor knew that as soon as they were transported, the couches would disappear in their time. He made sure they were only inches above the ground so they and the baby would not be hurt from the fall.

The glow got brighter and brighter and it engulfed the room.

And then they were gone.

The silence was only broken by uncontrollable crying from Angela, held tenderly by Trevor.

…

Sitting at dinner at Elisabeth and Jim's home more than a week after their return, Mark and Maddy enjoyed a well cooked Indian meal. Mark and Maddy gave each other a vague look of recollection. Aaron mostly played with his lentil soup. Mark's hair was growing back to his standard military style short cut. Maddy decided to keep her head shaved, for reasons she couldn't explain, but Mark loved it that way. Also inexplicably they kept shaving their other parts, because it felt so wonderful.

Elisabeth said, "Kids, I wasn't going to bring this up as you recover from whatever experience you've been through, but I can't help but think that you might have gone to our future."

"We don't know. But likely sure seems that way. All we can recall is that we were with good people a lot like us, and we had a very good time, obviously," Maddy grinned as she patted her stomach and took Mark's hand.

That always made Jim uncomfortable thinking that another man was making love to his daughter. His little girl. Even if it was the kind and gentle warrior Mark Reynolds. And he was already a grandfather once by them.

But Jim added, "It's good you don't remember. Then none of us will screw up whatever wonders you experienced and whoever the nice people were who let you come back."

Maddy reflected, "Well, somehow we got to take one of those wonders home with us. It may take decades to figure out what those gowns are made of."

Her mother touched her expanding belly, and felt Melissa kick Maddy in the ribs and smiled the way only mothers can, "Well that's all well and good, dear, but you brought another wonder back with you. That's better than any fancy high tech gown."

Maddy put her hands on top of her mother's, and just gave Elisabeth a young mother's smile. Whatever pleasant future they'd been to was one step closer with little Melissa growing inside her.

Tomorrow she and Wash were going to talk about children. Wash had a million questions about being a mother and was happy both they were both five months pregnant.

Mark and Maddy slept entwined as always in their room. Maddy stirred for a moment, in some kind of fitful dream. On the dresser behind them her folded, thought energy-activated gown glowed for a few moments, and then went dark.

…

Author's Note: This concludes this story. I concluded it several chapters early, as it was clear from the lack of written reviews from the TN community that Mark and Maddy's trip to their future wasn't resonating with people, so no need to subject you to a story y'all are not interested in reading any further. In addition, "The TN Chronicles" are going on indefinite hiatus so I can concentrate on my other stories in other genres. So just imagine Wash and Maddy having a good time having their babies together. It's been a good run. Thank you very much for reading, enjoying, and commenting on my other TN stories.