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Alan Virdon pulled his long hair back into a ponytail and loosely tied it with a leather cord. Pete called this hairstyle of his “the Farrow” after the first person they met here. Alan knew it was a waste of time to do this. The apes would never find them now. Since he, Pete, and Galen first found this farm, abandoned, empty, and overgrown, they had carefully arranged everything to allow them to remain hidden right out in the open.
It was shortly after discovering this farm that, together, the three fugitives came to a realization...something Virdon called his “lightbulb moment,” a phrase whose meaning completely escaped Galen. That realization was simply this: after months of being on the run, it became clear that the apes were only on the lookout for a chimp and two humans.
As soon as they changed that dynamic, they became invisible to the apes.
Even more so, it became obvious that apes could not tell humans apart if they viewed them separately. In other words, even though Burke and Virdon were different ages, builds, and colorings, as long as they didn’t appear together, apes could not really tell them apart. Burke and Virdon began to act as if they were one person (jokingly referred to as Burdon) who worked for the chimpanzee administrator of this farm. From that point on, the trio never appeared anywhere together as a threesome. That’s also why they stopped calling each other by their last names. In a world where everyone had only one name (like Cher, Pete would joke), no one was looking for Alan and Pete--they were all looking for Virdon and Burke.
Galen had even gone so far as to use his own ingenuity and his father’s influence as a councilman to create false documents inventing a fictitious twin named Gaius. As a result of all their work, as far as this world was concerned, a chimpanzee named Gaius, together with a single human servant, ran a successful farm on the outskirts of settled land. The rumor persisted that his twin, Galen, had made it to the coast with his astronaut friends and was currently moving north one step ahead of Zauis and Urko, who remained in dogged pursuit. Galen was known to go to the marketplace every so often and spread some misinformation about the fugitives’ activities up north. So while Urko and Zaius were busy tracking down the three fugitives along the coast (and had been for months), Pete, Alan, and “Gaius” had started and were now running a successful farm.
Alan watched Pete cross the yard to the house, carrying two heavy wooden buckets of water. He now kept his dark curls clipped short. They both knew that they no longer needed to change their appearance but the trauma of those first few months on the run -- combined with the way they were captured, injured, sometimes tortured and escaped so many close calls -- had created a paranoia in them that ran very deep. In his head, Alan knew they were safe; in his heart, he still felt a sweaty panic immediately enveloping him every time he heard hurried hoofbeats.
He crossed the yard towards the barn and looked in as he passed. He sighed as he looked at the horses. The walk to the nearest settlement would take most of the morning in the hot sun. But he had no choice. If Alan were to be caught on horseback, he was not only committing a major crime, he would literally be a moving target. So Alan set his mind on the long walk.
Normally he and Pete, even Galen, all stayed away from the settlement and the inherent danger it presented but again, that was being paranoid and there were things they needed that could only be obtained there. He passed the entry gate, grabbed a long branch that he used as a walking stick, and continued on the dirt path.
Alan had only gone a short way up the road when a dark-haired man who looked to be in his early forties stepped out from behind a tree and approached him. Although nothing was threatening in the man’s demeanor, it was such an unusual thing to happen that Alan was immediately on guard. He looked back towards the farm; no help was in sight. Even if Pete or Galen had been in the yard, they would have been too far to help if this man was looking for trouble. Fear clouded Alan’s face. The man held his hands up in front of him and said, “I mean you no harm. I just need to know...are you Colonel Alan Virdon?”
Alan’s eyes widened at the man but he said nothing; he knew all too well how apes sometimes rewarded humans for helping them trap fugitives. As the man continued to move closer to Alan–slowly, he noticed Alan was clenching his walking stick and slowly assuming a fighting stance so he said again, “I recognized you a few weeks ago and I’ve been watching you ever since. Didn’t want to spook you in the village. So I followed you here. Listen. I am not going to hurt you or your friends. I know Major Burke is with you. I saw him. And I am guessing that Major Jones is somewhere there too.”
Silence.
“You are Colonel Alan Virdon, aren’t you?” the man asked. His face broke into a wide smile and he pointed at Virdon. “I’d recognize you anywhere. You were a hero of mine growing up.”
Alan took a deep breath before stammering, “I don’t know. You’re … I mean, I’m not…”
“It’s okay,” the man said, holding out his right hand. “I’m from your time. My name is Owen Morgan. I was a member of the Adventure IV mission.”
Ignoring the man’s outstretched hand, Alan gave the man a suspicious side look and then said, in a whisper, “There was no such mission.”
As it was clear that Alan was not going to shake the man’s hand, he smiled and put his hand down by his side. “That’s because it was formed and sent into space over a decade after you disappeared. We were sent to follow your path and,” he motioned to the world around him, “ended up here. Ten years ago.”
“Jones is dead,” Virdon said in a low voice. He was looking down at the ground.
“I’m sorry to hear that,” the man said. “My whole crew is dead.”
Alan looked up and met the man’s gaze. “Come with me,” he said as he turned back to the farm.
**********
“I don’t understand,” Galen began, his brow furrowed. “So you left fifteen years after them, younger than they are now, and landed here ten years before them so now you’re older?” He rolled his eyes and shook his head in solid confusion.
“Right,” Morgan said, addressing both Galen and the two men at the table, “When you left earth, I was a teenager. When I left, I was in my late twenties. Now, because of the different time loops we hit, I’m older than you two.” He chuckled a little. “Go figure.”
“Ain’t time travel grand,” Pete said with a grin. He elbowed Galen and winked.
Galen ignored Pete and turned back to Morgan. “I remember Zaius telling me about the strangers who had come ten years ago but he told me they were all dead.”
“They are dead,” Morgan replied. His gaze was now a thousand yards off.
“I have to ask,” Galen said. “Why are you not dead too?”
Morgan gave the chimpanzee a sad smile. “I guess Captain Owen Morgan is dead.”
When he saw the confused faces all around him, Morgan got suddenly serious. He sighed. “I am reluctant to tell you--all of you--this. I am not proud of what I did to survive.”
Burke shook his head. “Don’t worry. We’ve all done things here to stay alive that we do not like to talk about.”
Morgan took a deep breath. “Shortly after arriving, we were all captured. Me and my entire crew. We were put in prison. I got lucky. I escaped. Stole some clothes and ditched my spacesuit.”
“There’s nothing wrong with any of that,” Virdon said. “We did the same thing.”
“I’m not done,” Morgan said, a little harder than he meant to. “Some poor human bastard must have found my suit and put it on. When he was found, he was thrown in with my crew. He protested and said it was a mistake but I guess all humans look alike because they didn’t believe him.”
The room fell silent. “I sneaked back to witness the executions,” Morgan said. “That poor man was begging and pleading for his life. He was sobbing; his nose was running. It was awful.”
“Didn’t your men say he wasn’t you?” Galen asked.
“No,” Morgan said. “They must have figured out what had happened because they said nothing. They remained silent so that I could live.” Burke shook his head and Virdon sighed.
“My men and that poor human died so that I could live.”
“And there was no one at the execution to vouch for that man?” Virdon asked.
“No,” Morgan said again.
“At that point in the proceedings,” Galen said in a low voice, “to do so would amount to a death sentence too. Any human servant there would have known that. So to save their own lives, they had to remain silent and not publicly disagree with a council decision and the gorilla guards.”
“And watch that poor man get killed. They probably knew him,” Burke said. “How awful is that?”
“And because everyone in power thought I was dead, I just kind of...blended in. I was never hunted like you two and I never had to hide. I just became Owen, another human.” He shook his head a little. “I have spent the past ten years making sure that my life honors my crew. And now, I guess, Major Jones too.” Owen said quietly, “I try to be a good person on this crazy, upside-down world. I am happy to be alive but sometimes I’m consumed with guilt by my survival over theirs.”
Virdon and Burke nodded in an understanding acknowledgment. Alan said, “But you know, Owen, Jonesy wouldn’t want us to feel guilty on his behalf. And I’m sure your crew wouldn’t either. Pete and I made peace with that a long time ago.”
There was a long and heavy silence. Pete finally broke it. “So what happened after we left?”
“Well, of course, there was a long period of national mourning and all the posturing of the politicians about making space exploration safer.” Morgan turned to Alan. “And when the president formed a special task force to study the safety protocols for space flights, he asked your wife and Lara Jones to be on it.”
Virdon smiled. “But Sally was just a housewife. And a mother. She had no training, no expertise-”
Pete interrupted, “But she had the most experience living with the issue.”
Owen nodded. “Absolutely,” he said. “And there was nothing ‘just’ about her, Alan. She brought the very human implications of the committee’s work to what would have been a purely technical and scientific conversation,” he commented. Alan smiled thinking about his smart and beautiful Sally.
“I have to tell you, those two women were fierce advocates for improved safety. And they never once spoke in public without mentioning you and Major Jones by name. They kept you in the public eye as real, living, breathing people.”
Alan blinked back the tears that were just starting to come.
“Seriously,” Morgan continued. “Lara and Sally made sure that everyone remembered the human cost of space exploration. They spoke before Congress. They even sat on every talk and interview show that would have them. They became respected authorities and beloved national figures.”
Alan took a deep breath. “And Christopher?”
Morgan grinned broadly. “He followed in your footsteps, sir.” He gave Virdon a sharp salute. “He served in the Air Force as a fighter pilot before becoming ANSA’s youngest astronaut.” Alan was openly crying now. Owen continued, “I met him once or twice. He was a good man.”
Pete clapped Alan on the back and Galen said, “Like his father.”
“You know,” Morgan said, “he never did any deep space missions. He used to joke that his mother wouldn’t let him but he did set the record for the longest stay on the space station.”
“My Chris...” Alan choked.
“One more thing,” Morgan added. “After becoming a nationally recognized figure, Sally ran for Congress and won!”
“No way!” Burke interjected.
“Sally was in Congress?” Alan asked. “Come on!”
“Yes!” Morgan laughed. “She campaigned across Texas with her handsome all American astronaut son and mentioned you everywhere she went. In fact, when I left, she was on the shortlist to be one of the presidential nominees running mates!”
“Pete,” Virdon said through the tears, “when we get back, Sally might be the vice president.”
Burke rolled his eyes. “Alan,” he said slowly, “we’ve had this conversation before…” But he didn’t get to finish that thought because Galen interrupted saying, “And we are not having it again now.” He turned to Morgan. “What about Burke?”
Morgan’s face broke into a wide grin. “Now that,” he said pointing at Pete, “is a story!” He took a deep breath and paused for a moment as if deciding where to begin.
“Well,” he started, “as soon as you were declared missing, about a dozen paternity suits were filed against your estate.”
Virdon started laughing and said, “A dozen?” He nudged Burke. “Really, Pete?”
Burke blushed hard and shrugged his shoulders only saying, “And?”
Morgan said, “And they all were determined to be false claims.”
“Whoo-hoo,” Burke said, pumping the air with his fist. “Yes! Still a free man. No ties. No wife and no kids.”
“Well,” Virdon said with a laugh, “except for that one...that you know of”
Burke covered Virdon’s mouth and shushed him. “We said we’d never speak of that again,” he hissed. He rubbed the back of his head and winced. “I think I still have the bump from the experience in that facility.” Morgan looked confused and waited for an explanation but when none came, and Galen caught his eye and shook his head, he remained quiet. Burke finally said, “Go on.”
“Well, without any other family, your mother and two sisters took control of the estate, which had become sizable for both of you because of all the insurance payments and the money raised after the tragedy.”
“What did they do with all that money?” Burke asked.
“They set up a very prestigious scholarship for science students in your name.”
“Wow, Pete,” Virdon said. “Pretty impressive.”
“In fact,” Morgan continued, “the Peter Burke Memorial Scholarship put many an important scientist through school.”
Burke seemed to swell with pride.
“And more than that,” Morgan went on, “your old elementary school, PS103, in Jersey City was renamed for you.”
“Anything else?” Galen asked.
“Yes. An amazing statue of you was put in front of the statehouse in Trenton. It’s a life-size bronze of you pointing towards the heavens. It became a popular spot for tourists to take a picture.” He paused for a moment. “Those three women worked tirelessly to keep your memory alive.”
Now it was Burke’s turn to well up. “It took my mom and my sisters to make me respectable.”
Virdon chuckled, “A man who was a dog to females all his life has his reputation saved by three women. Ironic.”
Morgan broke the silence that followed by saying, “One more thing you two should know.”
“What else could there be?” Galen asked.
“Right before I left, the Air and Space Smithsonian commissioned a wall-sized mural of all the astronauts lost during the space program.” He paused for a beat. “It was incredible. You three were there plus the crews of Apollo I, the Challenger, the Columbia, and the Icarus. Others too. I was at the unveiling.” He motioned to Virdon. “So were Sally and Chris.” He turned to Burke. “Your mom and sisters were there too. So were Lara Jones and Stevie. It was the last time I saw any of them. Two weeks later we launched.”
“Well, I always wanted to be in a Smithsonian,” Burke said in an attempt to lighten the mood. “And now you, me and Jonesy are--were--with all the greats...Grissom, McAuliffe, Taylor, Brent....”
“Now I guess we all are there now,” Morgan said.
“What do you mean?” Virdon asked.
“Well, when they designed the mural, the artist left room for it to be added to. I am guessing that shortly after we disappeared, my crew and I were added to it.”
He looked out the window at the setting sun. “I should head back. The sun is going down and it’s a long walk back to the village.”
There was a long silence as each person around the table sat in his own thoughts.
“Owen,” Virdon said, breaking the silence. “Come live here. With us.” Galen and Pete nodded in agreement.
“Great idea,” Pete murmured.
“I can’t,” Morgan said. “Though I appreciate the offer. But my life is there. I have a mate named Lindi and together we have a son. Tarek. He’s almost five.”
“Why can’t you all come here?” Galen asked. “There’s plenty of room.”
“And more than enough work,” Pete added.
“I really am grateful that you would offer me that but I have to say no.” Morgan looked out the window again. “I’m happy where I am. I have spent a decade building my life here. But we’ll stay in touch. I can visit often. I can fill you in more on what happened after you left and I can help you transition to this new world.” He looked around the room.
“Though by the looks of things, you’ve got everything well in hand.” He turned to Galen. “Making friends with an ape, huh? Why didn’t I think of that?”
He stood up and after a round of hugs and handshakes, headed for the door.
“Owen,” Virdon called. Owen turned around.
“Thank you.”
“My pleasure,” he said with a wave. “See you soon, right?”
“Right,” Pete said.
As Owen disappeared into the darkness, Alan slapped his forehead and exclaimed, “We forgot to tell him that this is earth!”
“Next time,” Pete said, staring out the door. “We will next time.”