Time Camp Episode 1: Family Time (12 page)

They agreed to start recording on Tom’s signal, once they entered their Taxi which would drop them near the parade route.

As their taxi arrived, Tom sent, *OK, gang, start recording.*

*ENHANCEMENT RECORDING ON.*

The blue light confirmed recording for Tom, and the family messaged back, *Recording*.

It was 11:45 AM. America was about to lose a leader.

“Market and Main, Driver,” said Tom. All during the cab ride, the family was churning with dread, but they knew they had to put on a pleasant face for anyone who would see them. They made small talk about the weather during the short ride from the hotel to their dropoff point.

12:00 PM. Leaving the cab, the family took a moment to hug each other. Each one sent, *I Love You!* to the others, and they broke up into two teams to get into position. The crowds were already starting to form, and they wanted to make sure that they had a clear line of sight.

12:10 PM. Tom and Andy stayed close as they kept an eye out for CIA, Secret Service, and most of all, photographers. They also knew that many people would head up the grassy knoll in search of the gunman, so they stayed clear of that area.

12:20 PM On the other side of Dealy Plaza, the ladies stayed together at first, and then Liz remained in one spot and the girls wandered a bit down the street to be in front of the president’s car when it passed. There were five people, ten eyes, and a perfect triangulation.

12:25 PM. *Five minutes, people. Kids, this is going to be pretty shocking. Brace yourselves,* sent Tom.

12:27 PM. The police motorcycles roared into the plaza. *I see movement in the Book Depository window!* Sent Liz. *Girls, don’t be overt about it, just move your heads like you’re looking all over.*

*I see it too,* sent Laura.*There’s people on two floors. A group on the fifth floor and one guy above them. That’s Oswald, right?* sent Laura.

*I think so. Jenna, you and I keep eyes on the shooter. Laura, you and the boys watch the motorcade.* sent Liz.

12:29 PM. The president’s 1961 Lincoln Convertible Limo came around the corner with the President and First Lady in the back and Texas Governor John Connally and his wife Nelly in the front. The president caught Andy’s eye and raised his hand in a small wave. Andy’s eyes flashed red. Then the President lurched forward and a strange look came into his eyes. Jacqueline turned to him and the Governor turned to face back and then as he turned to front, he was hit from behind as well. Andy and Tom could hear the Governor scream, "Oh, no, no, no. My God. They're going to kill us all!"

And then the president’s head exploded from the third shot.

As Jenna and Liz watched the killer methodically fire round after round from the Depository window, Tom, Andy and Laura all saw the president’s death play out in front of them. Laura screamed and wanted to cover her eyes. Andy was nearly sick, but his biological ability quickly suppressed the nausea. Tom could only watch helplessly as Jacqueline cradled her dead husband’s body and the Secret Service piled onto them both. Within seconds, the limo raced away toward Parkland Memorial Hospital.

But the President was already dead, and there was nothing anyone could have done to stop it.

Except for five people in the crowd who knew exactly what was going to happen and when, and they didn’t do a thing about it.

Chapter 29: Aftermath

The Watsons didn’t have to do a lot of acting over the next couple of hours. As stunned and shocked as the rest of the crowd, they found each other and stood and watched as people reacted. They saw the Deputy Sheriff kicking the grass, saying “Oh, Damn, Oh Damn”. They watched as people joined in a manhunt over the grassy knoll. They saw police talking to someone who saw something at the Book Depository, and they witnessed the beginnings of the investigation that would eventually lead to Oswald’s capture and subsequent murder by Jack Ruby. And they knew that Lyndon Johnson was just sworn in as the new President, the Secretary of State was returning to US soil from an aborted trip to Japan, and the nation was about to mourn the death of a great leader. The world was about to change, and the Watsons were the cameras from the future, witnessing it all.

As the shock penetrated the nation’s psyche, the excitement at Dealy Plaza gradually waned. As the area cleared, the family decided to walk back to the hotel in silence. No one even sent thoughts to each other. Finally, as they approached the Sheraton, Tom sent, *Recorders off, team.*

Back in the hotel room, the kids broke down. Andy said between tears, “He saw me. He waved to me. I flashed red, and then he was shot.”

Laura said, “I didn’t realize it was so violent. So brutal. It was unreal…”

Jenna sobbed, “We could have stopped it. We could have run into the street and stopped it.”

Liz said to them, “Now listen to me. You couldn’t have stopped it. Do you know what happens to observers who step into a red placetime? An agent comes in before you did it and stops you. They prevent you from doing it. And then you’re done forever as an observer. So it would have been impossible for any of us to actually change that event. Please don’t feel responsible for today. We were here as cameramen and women, not as a superheroes. And remember what they told us at Time Camp: To change the past, we may destroy all of the future, including us and the entire Guild.”

It was a long night, filled with nightmares and tears. But as they arose on the 23
^rd
of November, the pain and shock was starting to fade a little, and they had at least a small sense of hope that they would recover and move on.

They chose to have their last breakfast in 1963 among other people. They ate in the lobby café, where they struck up a conversation with another family from out of town. The small talk helped root them in the moment, the year, and it cemented their position as a family of observers.

Checkout was short and sweet. Another cab ride took them to the office where TimeStation 3 was housed. Mary was once again there, and she knew to handle them carefully, following their stressful first mission. *You are all amazing,* she sent. *I could never do what you do. And you don’t know how valuable your recordings will become over the centuries.*

*Thank you Mary. We hope to see you again under better circumstances. Look us up if you ever see us active at Time Camp*

*I’ll do that. Save travels, Watson family*

And with that, they returned to Time Camp, at +1 minute from their departure.

They headed straight for Brain Dump upon arrival, and then they met Jade. She saw they were in pain, and spent some private time with each one, talking them through their stress and guilt. After everyone had spent some time reflecting and talking with Jade, Max came in to meet them.

*Tom, Liz, Laura, Andy and Jenna. You did a wonderful job on your first assignment. The recording is spectacular, and your decision to cover both the shooter and the President was brilliant. Your reactions were natural and incredibly deep. I know this hurt you and it will take some time to heal. So please relax for as long as you need, and let me know when you are ready to talk again.*

They spent nearly two weeks recovering. Some of it was in the recreation area, and other time was spent reliving their recording, studying more about the event and its impact on America and the world. But much of their time was spent together, just being a family. Midway through the second week, Tom snuck off briefly, and went back to October 1963 and planted the seeds of familiarity at the Sheraton Dallas Hotel by checking in and out several times over the course of a month. He became a regular at TimeStation 3, where they used the booth to bounce him around 1963 to establish his alibi as a fabric salesman. He returned to his family a minute later.

Finally, their recovery nearly complete, the family became restless and they decided to contact Max.

He met them in an open courtyard in one of the recreation gardens, surrounded by flowers and carefully manicured bushes.

“You look one hundred percent better, Watsons,” said Max.

“We feel that much better, thank you for allowing us time to recover,” said Liz, and the kids and Tom agreed.

“Well, before you go back to your home time, I have one more assignment for you.”

The kids immediately got a bad feeling, and began to complain. “After all of that, another mission?”

“Before you get all upset, let me tell you where and when. Where: Oklahoma City. When: March 12, 2011. And you’re going to be recording…”

“Rascal Flatts!” shouted Jenna, who jumped up and gave Max a big hug. This was one assignment that they would gladly accept!

END OF EPISODE 1.

About the Author

John Huegel is a professional photographer and author living in Erie, Pennsylvania, USA. He specializes in portraiture, including weddings, seniors, families and dance studio work. His photography website is at http://jhphotomusic.com.

John is an active member of several professional organizations and photographer gathering places. He is an ebook and article author, blogger, and offers training and consulting for amateur and professional photographers. His dedicated site for aspiring and new professional photographers is at
http://johnhuegel.com
.

John is the father of two daughters, a former “Dance Dad”, runner, heart attack survivor, musician and a certified Six Sigma Black Belt.

To explore the
Time Camp Universe
, and to offer feedback on this book, check out our Time Camp blog at
http://timecamp.blogspot.com
.