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    Chapter 11

    tab "Hey, I still kinda want that explanation that you've been stalling on for the past couple hours." We're in the car, blending in with everyone else, or at least attempting to. This corvette really isn't helping much on that front.
    tab "What do you want to know?" he asks, eying me through the mirror. He asks this in an irritated fashion that almost stops me from asking altogether. But, of course, it doesn't.
    tab "First, how did you you survive that bullet to you?"
    tab "Simple," he replies with a smile. "Actually kind of surprised you haven't figured it out yet. Bullet proof vest. Didn't hurt a bit."
    tab "Didn't hurt? But...even with a vest on, you'd still get hurt, right? I mean, he was shooting you from point blank!"
    tab "Remember, Tim. I'm from the future." Oh. Right. Keep forgetting that.
    tab "Right. So, about this mission. We can't go forward in time." Tom nods through the window, but says nothing.
    tab "But we can go back in time...pretty much as much as we can. So what's all the rush? If we fail a mission, we can just go back in time again!" Tom shakes his head, and this time responds,
    tab "Everything has it's limits. These time machines have a limit of 10 jumps. We need to get the most of those jumps, so we can't afford to keep repeating the same missions over and over. Other lives are out there as well." Makes sense. Also makes me feel that much more home sick.
    tab "Must of been tough, giving up everything to do this job."
    tab "Yeah..." is his simple yet afflicted answer.
    tab "Did you have a family?" Tom nods.
    tab "Yes. A wife and two kids. Sometimes...sometimes I regret the decision...sometimes I just...want to go back to being a father, being a husband..." He gives me this hard, all serious look, and goes on,
    tab "But someone's got to do this job. Someone has to make those sacrifices. And now that I'm doing it, I wonder if anyone actually appreciates it. Wonder if anyone really...cares."
    tab "I do. I care," I encourage, trying to sound light. Tom gives a weak smile and whispers,
    tab "Thanks, Tim." His smile grows a little as he continues,
    tab "You see, appreciation is like fuel. It keeps people going. Even when the road gets rough..." The car stops, and suddenly Tom disappears. I know what this means. I put on my IME, and make myself invisible. Yeah...I'm never going to get used to that. Tom turns his head and says,
    tab "Get your sound muffler. You're going to need it...a lot." Don't have to tell me twice. I grab my muffler thing, and place in around my head like, well, like a head set. Tom does as well. We walk /struggle-to-get-the-wheelchair-and-sit-on-it-and-then-roll out the car, and, of course I can't help but to add one more question before we go off.
    tab "Uh...You want to tell me where we are?" I'm looking at this house. Average house from the looks of it. Brick on the outside. Little white shingles on the top. Windows neatly arrayed across it.
    tab "My old house. We'll sleep, eat, and evaluate the events that transpire here. This will be our home for the next week. So get familiar." He makes a dramatic turn to me tells me, dead serious,
    tab "And whatever you do, don't reveal yourself to Tom, Mary, or anyone else related to this case."
    tab "What, you afraid of a time paradox?"
    tab "I wouldn't test it." And with that happy note, we move on towards the house. My home for the next week.
    tab How the heck are we supposed survive for a week in that house without revealing ourselves?
    tab Man, could this time traveling thing get anymore annoying?