David

David and Miri wasted no time. Barely escaping the man that held them at gunpoint, a man who was David’s duplicate, they stepped into the portal. Their bodies glowed in swirls of ever-changing colors, then on the other side of the time continuum, they emerged hand in hand.

He gasped at the intensity of the illumination in the room where they stood. Once his eyes adjusted to the brightness, he focused on three heavily garbed men there to greet them. At least he thought they were men. They were covered from head to toe in white suits, faces barely showing from behind glass plates. He felt as if he had landed on Jupiter.

“Miri?” He turned toward her, not used to being so helpless.

“It’s all right, David.” She gave his hand a squeeze, beaming up at him. “We made it.”

He had no time to savor the moment. He was surrounded by laboratory-clad people who pulled his coat from him, rolled up his sleeve, and raised a piece of equipment armed with needles. He struggled and objected without much success.

Miri put her hand on his shoulder. “You need these vaccinations, David. There are diseases here to which you have no immunity. Corona, SARS, Tri-Millennia, and scads more. Plus, there were diseases that existed in your day that we have vaccines for now, including numerous strains of influenza. You need to have the protection before you can leave the research area.”

As she spoke, the men firmly guided David to what looked like a double-wide dental chair. He tried to relax when they placed the line of needles over his arm.

“Don’t move.” A muffled voice came from one of the men.

He heard a click, then sensed more than felt the needles release into his flesh. He looked down at his skin once the machine swung back, seeing only a tiny bit of redness.

“That was painless.” He blinked up at Miri, amazed.

“Microneedles.” She grinned. “It’s going to be different for you here. Lots of things are better. I’ve been studying up on your time, just to know.” She bounced and laughed. “This is so exciting, David. Like digging up a prehistoric man and bringing him into the future.”

“Thanks.” He grimaced.

One of the men in coverings stepped closer and chuckled as the others left the room. “I’m afraid he’s going to feel rather prehistoric by morning. Those vaccines may not hurt right now, but you’re going to have a good wrestle over the next few days.” The man put his gloved hand on David’s shoulder.

“David,” Miri said, “This is Arlan Enderstitch. We call him Stitch. He is one of the astrophysicists here in our location—the Great Lakes Cluster. He has worked tirelessly with everyone to keep Vida well.”

“Vida? Is that her name?”

“Yes.” Miri leaned down toward him. “I named her after you…sort of. Davida sounded silly, so I named her Vida.”

Stitch bowed closer to David. “She’s an extraordinary little girl. Very advanced and worth every minute of the work we’ve put in.”

“Thank you for what you’ve done. I’m glad to meet you.” David stuck his hand out

Stitch paused, looking at David’s proffered hand then glancing at Miri. Finally, he reached out with his gloved hand and shook David’s gingerly.

David glanced from Stitch to Miri and back again. “You don’t shake hands in the future, I suppose?”

Miri laughed. “No. It’s terribly unhygienic. They stopped that in the late 2000s, after the second pandemic.”

“Okay,” David lowered his hand, rubbed it on his thigh, then chuckled.

“It’s good to meet you, David.” Stitch nodded from behind his coverings. “And after a couple weeks’ quarantine, we’ll actually talk face-to-face.”

“A couple weeks?”

“Yes, I’m afraid you’ll be cooped up here, at the facility until it’s safe for you to go outside.”

“What about my daughter? When can I see her?” He pulled himself up in the chair.

“Not until it’s approved…for both of you.”

“David, we don’t know what germs and bacteria you might be carrying, but more likely, there are viruses she could infect you with.”

David hadn’t noticed that Miri wore skin-tight gloves until she slid her hand through his hair.

“Why don’t you have a face-covering like his?” David raised his chin toward Stitch.

“You and I have had a lot of contact, David, and I’ve been back in your time already. Before and after my travels, I was given vaccines and treatments. They made sure I wouldn’t infect your people. Plus, when I leave you, I’ll be bathed with infra-red, then take a soap and water shower. That’ll happen before I go home to Vida, just to make sure I’m safe.”

“You’re leaving me?” Suddenly David felt like a child himself.

“Not just yet,” Miri smiled down at him. “First, there is somebody you’ve got to see.” She stood up and exchanged glances with Stitch, who nodded and left the room. “Do you feel well enough to get up, David?”

“I feel fine.” He stood.

Miri grabbed his hand and drew him closer to the glass that lined the upper half of the wall by the door. As he looked out into the surrounding area, a door popped open, and a little girl came running in, curls bouncing around her shoulders. There was no doubt in his mind who she was…or whose she was.

“She’s got your mouth, David.” Miri chuckled, “Not just the way it looks, but she can be a handful with her passion and her questions…so inquisitive, with thoughts and verbal skills way past her age. And she’s got your curls.” Miri out-and-out laughed. “They’re just awful to try and comb, but I don’t have the heart to cut them.”

“Vida.” Her name caught in David’s throat and his eyes filled.