Missions of the Retrieval Team - A Kilt By Any Other Name

[davedove]

Scene 21

Secret Headquarters of the KLF

“Grant, what are you doing?” Mike asked.

“I think I’ve asked a fair question,” Grant replied. “If he is David, then he should know what David would obviously know.”

“Well?” Grant asked me.

I glanced to my associates, who both nodded.

I turned back to Grant. “I am David,” I told him, “just not the David you knew.”

“What is that supposed to mean?”

“If you would please lower your weapons, I will try to explain it to you.”

Grant thought a moment and nodded. “Fair enough,” he said, lowering his pistol. “But Greg, you stay ready by the door. If any of them try anything, kill them.”

Grant again sat down and put the pistol on the table in front of him.

“Okay,” he said, “Explain.”

“This isn’t going to be easy to explain, and you’re probably not going to believe it. I’m not the David you knew because I’m not from this world,” I said to him.

“Not from this world?” he exclaimed in disbelief. “What? Are you going to tell me you’re some sort of alien who took David’s form so you could blend in with the denizens of Earth? Give me a break. What kind of idiots do you take us for?”

“No, no,” I tried to explain. “I’m not an alien. I know this is unbelievable. Until a couple of days ago, I wouldn’t have believed it either. I am from Earth.” I gestured to my associates. “We are all from Earth, just not this one.”

“What are you talking about, not this one?”

“We come from another Earth, very similar to this one. There seem to be some significant differences though. For instance, on my Earth the Great Hall of X Marks the Scot still stands. The League of Moderators has many members, but neither you nor I are a part of it. And we are certainly not considered to be terrorists. Plus, on that world both Jamie and I are alive and well.”

Grant shook his head at me, obviously not believing anything I was telling him. “Okay, if you’re from another Earth, what are you doing here? What’s your explanation for that?”

“A scientist on our world was working on a device to transport objects and ultimately people over long distances. Instead, the machine somehow connected to this world. Three days ago, one of our people accidentally fell through the gateway, here to your world. Yesterday, we came through to try to get him back.”

Greg spoke up, “You’re not going to buy this hogwash, are you Grant? He’s obviously a plant of some sort. Maybe the feds took someone who looked similar to David and did some surgery or something to duplicate his appearance.”

Grant turned back to me. “That is a more feasible explanation. Why shouldn’t we kill you as spies right now?”

“Because I think he’s telling the truth,” came a voice from the door.

We all turned to see who had spoken. There at the door stood the Moderator David.

“David,” said Grant, “How can you buy into this nonsense?”

David started walking toward the table.

“Because,” he said, “what he says is theoretically possible; because for the last several days I have been detecting unusual energy fluctuations near the base of the mountain that only last a few seconds; because three days ago some locals reported a kilted man in the area; and because of this.”

He tossed the newspaper that he was carrying onto the table in front of us. The headline read ‘Senior Terrorist Leader Captured’ and under the headline was a picture of David.

“You’re looking for my counterpart aren’t you?” he asked me. “He’s the one who came through the gate first.”