Chapter 7, part 2

The lift doors opened to the bridge. Sunlight poured in from the three surrounding bay windows. It was much larger than the cockpit of a jet plane. You could easily fit 10 cockpits into this one. Shem was sitting at the navigational computer looking at images of a planet. He didn’t even notice that Monica and Addison were now standing next to him.

“Is that the planet we are on?” Addison asked

“Shhh” Shem waved his hand as if he was shooing them away.

“Yes, It matches the …” Monica was about to tell him what she new.

“Shhh!” Shem looked up at Monica and put his forefinger to his lips.

“Shem if you tell me what you are theorizing. Oh why do I even bother. Come on Addison, I told you he gets like this.” She put her hand on his arm as if the escort him off the bridge.

“I’m not going anywhere, am I? I’ll sit right over here until he,” He pointed his finger at the back of Shem’s head, “tells me what is going on.” Addison was stubborn to the core. He was a red headed Scot after all. Addison planted himself right in the captain’s chair where Shem had flown just a few hours previously.

After looking around the cockpit for a few minutes Addison inquired “What did you name this ship anyway?”

“Name? We didn’t name her anything.” Monica answered him.

“Oh come on, you HAD to have given it a name.” Addison was in disbelief.

“The Falcon.” Whispered Shem. He had named the ship after one of his all time favorite flying machines.

“What was that?” Addison didn’t quite hear him.

“He said Falcon. Shem you can’t name this ship that, it’s copyrighted.” Monica realized what she had said right after she said it. It didn’t matter now did it?

“I can name my ship anything I want. All that copyright crap and those laws mean nothing now. Monica, come here for a minute.” Monica approached Shem and looked over his shoulder.

“I took the last image we have from the Space Station of Earth and overlapped them with the image we have of this planet. Look there.” Shem pointed to what was Australia and the area on the new planet. Monica looked puzzled.

“Look at the geographical markers.” She still wasn’t getting it. “Okay over here, North America. If you twist this planet to the right a bit, they all line up. There is more land mass on this planet and less ocean. But the topographical areas remain the same.” Shem could see that Monica started to get it.

“Holy shit! Point of Origin! Shem how?” Monica was bewildered.

“I don’t know. This all may be wrong and this planet may just look the same as earth and not be earth. We have to do some exploration. We have landed here.” Shem pointed to an area on the new planet’s map. He then overlapped it with Earth’s old map.
“That would put us in Canada. Ontario if my calculations are correct.” Monica was stunned. By now Addison was gazing on the same maps. Shem was pointing to where Niagara Falls Canada had been on the old Earth’s map.

“Bloody hell! You mean we never really left? We had to of. This can’t be Earth. Look at it outside. Clean air.” Addison was in shock.

“Okay what we will have to do now is produce a map of the two merged images. Once we get our bearings, and settle the camp a bit, we’ll set out and explore. We’ll go here to where Toronto is supposed to be. If this is Earth, there should be some sort of landmarks.” Shem just realized what he had said. “Monica do you realize what may have happened here?”

“Time travel. Only explanation. But Shem how do we know if we went forward or backward?” Monica and Shem had danced this dance a thousand times. It made them a great team.

“Hold on one bloomin’ moment here. What do you mean time travel?” Addison had wondered what he got himself into.

“Addison, if I explained it all to you, would you truly understand it? No! I didn’t think so. Just let us do our work and you do yours.” Shem was cranky without sleep. “I think first thing tomorrow morning, we need to sort out the camp and living situation, get everyone into some sort of routine and then start picking a team to go and explore. I need some sleep.” Shem got up and went to the lift. “Are you coming?” Monica and Addison joined Shem in the lift.

After letting Monica and Shem off at Deck C, Addison decided to head outside to see where Noah was at. After adjusting his eyes to the light outside, he could see the other 97 people talking in small groups, running, jumping, staring out into the blue sky. Just before where the grass had ceased to be flattened he could see Noah running in circles with another little boy. He hadn’t noticed this boy before. He really hadn’t gotten a good look at everyone as of yet. Sofia and Dana were near by. The boys were running around and giggling. Addison’s face turned happy and he forgot about everything he had just heard inside. He hadn’t seen Noah giggle like that in the short time he had known him. Addison walked at a leisurely pace enjoying the sun on his face and the fresh air. How he missed the sea. He longed for it and it called to him. Addison was born in Crieff and grew up there until he was ten when his mother moved away to Edinburgh for work. It was there that he learned his love for the North Sea. As he walked closer, Noah noticed him and ran toward him.

“Mr. Addi, sir come meet my friend. We have to talk to each other through these. I think he speaks Spanish or something. I saw him and Miss Sofia talking without these things. They sound funny. Come on I want you to meet him.” Noah was so excited. He led Addison by the hand and Noah’s little feet were making Addison run himself.

Before Addison stood a pudgy little boy who appeared to be eight or nine. His face beaming a great big smile.

“Hello there!” Addison addressed Noah’s friend. The boy look turned confused. Noah then pressed the button on Addison’s translator. He smiled at Noah and had realized that he had forgotten to turn on his translator. “Let’s try this again, hello there. My name is Addison.”

“Hello sir, I’m Lee. I’m six. Do you know where my mom is?” Lee searched for the same answers Noah did.

“He doesn’t know where his mom is either” Noah spoke up.

“Hiya Lee. That name doesn’t sound like a Spanish name.” He questioned Lee.

“That’s because his father was a U.S. military soldier of some kind.” Addison turned around to see Sofia standing behind them. “His last name is Garrettson. All I know is that they lived in Mexico City after his father went away.”

“I see. Lee I’m glad to meet you. I don’t know where your mother is son.” Addison hated to break Lee’s heart. “Why don’t you and Noah go back to running around.” Addison stood up and looked at Sofia. They gazed upon the boys once again. Lee shrugged his shoulders and then started chasing Noah and giggling soon ensued. Giggling was a universal language.

A half hour had passed and five of them were sprawled out on the grass looking toward the beautiful sky. It had been a very long time since Dana had done this. Even before her accident, she hadn’t seen a blue sky like this since her childhood. Addison was glad to take her out of her chair and lay her on the grass. Soon the sky turned shades of pink and purple and they gazed upon the sun setting in the valley to their left. It was time to head back to the ship. Stomachs were grumbling.