The Time Cop Chronicles

Half awake.

Getting on base was easy as long as you didn't drive in. I parked in a strip mall across the street next to a fast food hot dog stand. I ordered a chilli cheese dog for breakfast.

Having been stationed at McClellan AFB I recalled where the chain link fence had been cut large enough for someone to slip through. Although it faced the main road it was somewhat hidden in the shadow of a tree and overgrown bushes.

I found the spot but found the fence was NOT cut.

Twenty minutes later I returned with a small set of cable cutters to 'create' the gap I would later see as a young airman.

It was very early and I found a spot on a bench where I could observe Randy's squadron as they gathered to do their weekly PT.

I placed an audio amplifier on the bench seat next to me and tried my best to hide it under my jacket as the airman began arriving in their private vehicles. Their conversations consisted mostly around gripes and complaints about the early morning PT itself.

There was no fixed dress but everyone seemed to favor sweat pants and T-shirts in various colors. A young officer of Chinese descent came to the front of the group and had them do their basic stretching and calisthenics. Then had the group gather at the front of the gym to begin the run. A casual timed mile and a half jog that took a large loop along a paved road and ended back at the gym. It was a routine I was all too familiar with from my own days there.

You could tell who the competitive ones were. They always led the pack and treated it like it was a race. They started and finished first. Randy was among them. For the rest of them it was a just a mundane exercise that wasted the first hour of their day since they now had to change their clothes, eat and go to work.

I finished my cup of coffee having neither seen nor heard anything out of the ordinary. The only thing I got out of it was that Randy was good friends with a scruffy looking airman by the name of Rick.

I spent the morning walking about trying to watch the outside of the vehicle maintenance building where Randy was just one of the mechanics. By noon I knew I was wasting my time and decided it might be a good idea to drive back to my room for a nap.

I had just fallen asleep when the phone rang.

It was Jenny.

"Hi Mr Stone I was wondering if you had a few minutes?"

Rubbing my eyes with my palms I tried to wake up and focus.

"Of course Jenny that's why I gave this number. What's going on?"

"I've been up all night just thinking about my life and I'm not really sure how much longer I can go on like this."

"Why don't you tell me what's bothering you?"

"Well it's this up and down yo-yo relationship with Randy it's tearing me up inside. One day he's fun and loving then he doesn't return my calls for days and I hear rumors he's going out with Angela then-"

"Whoa- who's Angela? Another airman?"

"She a civilian who works in the Base Exchange. "

"I see."

"So I wasn't able to get any sleep last night and I'm a wreck. I wanted to talk to Randy but he's at work and won't return my calls."