The Jovian Legacy Read Online Free Page B

eye
level, the pair looking intently at each other.
    “What
are you?” the doctor said in a very methodical voice. Jack
gazes at him innocently. “What are you?” he repeats, a
little louder. Jack peeps at the clock. Twenty minutes to go.
    “Well,”
Jack replies sweetly. “Me’s a little black boy - can’t
ya tell?”
    The
doctor quavers. Jack notices the beads of sweat that have suddenly
appeared on his forehead.
    “Young
man. How old do you think you are? I can’t believe I’m
having this conversation with a…” he says, keeping his
grip firm.
    This
time Jack wriggles his arms free and claps his hands together. “Oh,
I’m actually seventeen, but you see, I have this computer and I
asked it to take me back to my birthday so I could know what it’s
like to be born again.” The doctor awkwardly places Jack back
into his crib, turns and walks stiffly out of the neonatal unit and
into the hall. Jack then hears a noise of someone dropping to the
floor, then the running clatter of shoes. In a few minutes Jack
hears a siren and sits up in his crib, craning his neck to see out
the window. An old American police car with its flashing turret
light, draws up alongside the front doors. Jack is aware that he has
opened a can of worms.
    Time
to return to reality . He
snuggles down in his blanket, closes his eyes and pretends to be
asleep when the authorities approach his crib.

    Jack
was back at his computer again.
    “Yes!”
he said out loud, punching the air. “Phew, it was close
though,” he laughs.

A lmost
about to get up from his computer, Jack was alerted by another
message: “We wish to
continue our research. Please be aware that this exercise is
top-secret, and all instructions should be carried out in a proper
manner. It is imperative that our research program not be tampered
with in any way. Doing so can bring about serious consequences and
may alter the course of history for the operator. It is a pioneer
program, and does not rule out misadventure inadvertently instigated
by the operator. Please
do not attempt any solo journeys .
There are viral instigators from Jovian who may try to intercept
you, tempting you to undertake solo journeys, which may lead to
self-destruction. It is vital that you exercise discernment.”
    “Self-destruction!”
Jack said aloud. “Bloody hell!” He remembered the black
Volvo Estate with the number-plate JOVIAN and wondered if they had
anything to do with the ‘viral instigators’.
    They
must have hacked into my computer ,
Jack thought, now realising that a third party was watching him.
    “We
wish to continue our research. Are you in readiness to proceed?” the message went on to say.
    “Yes,”
he typed.
    “Please
apply virtual reality device and type in a date and duration of time
as 19 September 1993 - five hours.” Jack
wondered why they had requested a date this time, but typed it in
anyway, feeling somewhat hesitant about the length of time away.

    Jack
finds himself at eleven years old in a room filled with people, his
parents celebrating their fifteenth wedding anniversary. His cousin
Josh sits beside him. He immediately begins looking for his mother,
firstly recognising her outfit: a dark blue twinset she had bought
especially for the occasion. Jack is in awe of her, but once again
tells himself not to rush up and smother her with kisses. After all,
he knows that eleven-year-old boys don’t do that sort of thing.
He admires her from a distance, marvelling at her hostess skills.
Jack’s father appears by his mother’s side, placing his
hand protectively in the small of her back while they chat to another
couple. Jack becomes aware of the respect his dad has for his mum,
and hopes his own eventual marriage will be the same. He tells
himself he will see to it.
    His
mind wanders to Megan. What
if… There is a
definite mutual affection between them, but the prospect of marriage
seems too bizarre to him.
    Far
out! he says to himself,
realising something.