A Second Chance

Subject: A Second Chance Wed Aug 12, 2009 11:15 pm

First topic message reminder :

Ok so before i get in and post this thing i wanted to say a few things about it.

First off it's not complete, and it wasn't written all together. I sort of go from spot to spot.

Secondly not all of it was just me. The story focuses on 2 main characters. The Female lead was primarily written by my fionce. The Male Lead was written by me but the entire thing was a joint effort as far as development.

There were alot of changes in story made and that includes the name of the female lead so if it seems odd just know that it's the same character. lol.

Some day we MIGHT finish it and i'd love to see it drawn out perhaps.

Ok so here is the idea behind the story.

...It was started by a dream i had once about what if i had been born in a different place and how things would have been altered in my life. I was raised in the woods most of my life so If I was in the inner city how would I have been different? In the same vein if i were near to my girl would she have wanted to be with me still?

Well this story looks at both ideas. It was very extensive really, Obviously it couldn't have been as simple as we went back in time and were together. When you think about it you change alot as you grow older and as kids we don't really have the same level head or logic that we do later in life.

Alex Medina the male lead is a Marine who got into a marriage that had no love. It wasn't a good idea for him to do so and things fall apart for him. He meets a girl during Fleet Week in NYC and they begin to fall for one another.

Fate doesn't pull for them at that time though and they go their ways apart. Many years later they are broght together again (By a part that hasn't been written but consists of Alex's wife leaving him and their child is murdered bringing the FBI into the fold. The FBI is where the Female lead Elise returns) Elise is wrapped in her own drama as a fionce who isn't right for her and sick and dieing family members drive her to harden herself and bury her in her job to avoid feeling for any one ever again.

Both are tested as they are brought back together during the investigation. They fall for one another again but it seems time has made things so out of reach for them. One day they come across a method that may let them travel back in time. But an emotional disagreement last moment between them sends them back in a way they hadn't anticipated.

Hurled back to the Mid 90's as teens Elise loses her memory as she finds her family still intact unscathed yet by cancer and death that had shattered it before. Alex finds himself in a completly different boat as his life had been rewritten. Now a neighbor to the girl he loved but nothing more then a memory and having to observe the now teenage Elise go through the trials of her upbringing again the story would eventually lead to show that even if life didn't give them what they wanted as they wanted it, Fate can't be denied....

Subject: Re: A Second Chance Wed Aug 12, 2009 11:49 pm

happening. He had just finished gathering his gear together when he heard foot steps. Quietly Jamie came up to him. The rays of early morning sun lit up the left side of her face.

"Alex, I'm sorry that i went off on you. It's just a case of baby blues." She managed a weak smile. Alex pulled her into a hug.

"I don't want to leave you alone Jamie. But this is my job and a lot of people depend on me to be here doing what I do. I'll call you and let you know what is happening when i get there." He kissed her on the cheek, shouldered his bags and left the house.

Jamie went to the nursery and watched the baby sleep for a few more minuets. Closing the door she went to the phone and dialed a number. "Hello? Yeah it's me. It seems like I may have some free time today after all."

Mrs. Medina was becoming more and more distant with her husband and with the other military wives on the base. A few times a month an unrecognized vehicle would make a call in the late hours of the night, and be gone before the morning light. This would not have been of concern were it not for the fact that it only happened while Alex was away. It soon became very clear to most that things were not all well with the Medina family. It was not long before the Military wives rumor mill was spinning hard over the whole situation. Some thought maybe Jamie Medina was just lonely when her husband was away. However once word circulated that she was having a mystery visitor more often now then ever the popular theory was that she was never really happy with Alex to start with. It was most often concluded that Mrs. Medina was never in love with Alex Medina, rather she was taken by the thought of being a military wife. It was observed often that she would display her military pins off the base. People would stop and talk to her, including the young men of the local town. When returning to base the pins would disappear.
Mr. Tanner was on the base visiting with his daughter in law and her children. Sally Tanner was talking to Mrs. Holmes about the situation with Jessie Medina. John Tanner listened in and was stunned. He had never thought everything was perfect with Alex’s marriage but this was more then he had ever thought was happening. Jessie had always seemed more than happy around the family. In silence he listened in to the conversation a little longer before excusing himself and firing up his old truck to head home. John had always believed in the sanctity of marriage and was not one to ever put his nose where it didn’t belong. But this situation was getting worse. Jamie was being unfaithful and not trying to hide it very hard. He could only imagine what would happen if Alex came home to find his wife in bed with another man. Alex wasn’t the violent type. He believed that aggression had it’s place but that place was never in the home. But a man faced with this type of situation may do things he wouldn’t normally do.
When John got home he went into his office without even saying hello to his wife who was in the kitchen preparing a light lunch for the two of them. Ellen looked up as her husband rushed his way in the front door and out the kitchens side door that led into his study. Concerned about the hurry she placed the loaf of bread she had been cutting on the counter and followed him. Upon entering the study she found John already had seated himself behind his desk and was shaking his mouse trying to rouse the computer from it’s slumber.
"John what is it? What is all the rushing about for?" she wiped her hands clean on the dish towel in her apron pocket and sat on the corner of his big desk.
Without looking up from the screen John told her what he had heard. "Jamie Medina is cheating on Alex, and has been doing so for some time now apparently." Mrs. Tanner’s face went blank. Mr. Tanner noticed and raised his eyebrow. "Did you know anything about this Ellen?" Mrs. Tanner did know about it. She had always made a point to keep up on the gossip chains on the base. She also knew that she couldn’t hide what she knew from her husband. He had been an intelligence officer in Vietnam and was trained in the arts of interrogation. If he smelled a lie he would relentlessly push until he had the entire truth. She looked down at her apron and unconsciously began rubbing her fingers against the rough canvas garment. She was trying to think of a way to word it so it wouldn’t sound so bad. She hated to make waves no matter what the issue was.
Finally she looked back into John’s deep probing eyes and sighed. "Yes I’ve known for a long while now." She felt very warm all of the sudden. She hated when her husband put her on the spot like this. "It’s been going on for a very long time, we aren’t even sure when it started. One of the ladies on base noticed that a black truck had been showing up at Jamie’s house at night a few times a week when Alex was out on Deployment. No one really thought a whole lot of it at first because it does happen sometimes you know." It wasn’t extremely uncommon for wives of deployed men to have family or a friend over when their spouse was gone. It was very hard to be alone with a young child like that and Mrs. Medina seemed distracted all the time of late. "We all just thought Jessie needed a hand with her son since Alex was out. Until Mrs. McConnlee ran into Jamie at the NEX and asked her if she was having issues with her son, that she would be more than happy to help her out if she needed it. Jamie didn’t know what she was talking about. She claimed she wasn’t having any problems at all with her boy." Mrs. Tanner paused hoping that she could end it there but Mr. Tanner just sat and stared at her waiting. "Well after a few months the truck began showing up more and more all the time and it turned into a daily event. Then I saw her myself just a week ago at the Gas station and I swear she didn’t have her ring on her finger. I asked her what had happened and she told me it must have slipped off." Ellen stood up and smoothed out her dress. "That is all I know John now if you don’t mind I have lunch to finish." She hurried out of the room before he could say anymore.
John stared at his computer for a few minuets. He wanted to tell Alex what was happening but his old training told him not to report until he could verify the target himself. Third hand information was not to be trusted and this was a delicate matter indeed. (although the gossip chain had proven fairly accurate on most occasions!)
Early the next day John was sitting by the Base admin buildings in the cab of his truck. From here he could see Jessie’s car without being obvious. Jessie came out of her home with her son in tow after he had waited for about 2 hours. He cautiously followed her to the Commissary and went in. The Commissary was one of the oldest buildings on the base. It was painfully obvious that it was of a 1930’s vintage. The old brick structure stood out among the green trees like a sore thumb. John pushed through the doors and went inside. The air was very cool and very dry. Although the building itself looked ancient the inside had been completely remodeled and modernized with a state of the art Central Air system. He spotted Jessie at the deli counter ordering some cold cuts. He casually walked her way stopping as though inspecting a roll of cheese. Glancing over he saw her reach over the counter to take a slice of meat the attendant was offering her. There was no ring on her left ring finger. Of more importance was the lack of the imprint on her finger that would support the lost theory. She hadn’t worn the ring in quiet awhile. John would be very surprised if she had even had it on more then a day after Alex deployed. John felt anger well up inside of him and was tempted to go over to her and give her a piece of his mind, but thought better of it. It was not his place to tell her. But he could tell Alex, he stood in silent for a moment not moving. When an attendant asked What John would like he smiled and said he was just looking and hurried home to his computer.
Alex Medina was leading his men in morning routine aboard the USS Tarawa. Every morning from 0730 to 0830 all hands worked to clean the ship as directed by the ships XO. Known as XO’s happy hour it was a routine that although at his rank Alex didn’t really need to assist, he did so anyway. Alex had just finished polishing the last "Half Moon" in his compartment when the 1MC crackled to life. "Secure from happy hour. Starboard side smoking lamp is out until 1000 for UNREP".
Alex stretched out his back as he stood up. It was another day out on the hot and humid North Arabian sea. Like his men Alex was wearing nothing but his PT gear because of the heat. The hatch at the forward end of the compartment opened and Lance Corporal Killen stuck his head through searching for someone.
"Killen, that is a Yankee fitting. You need to either come in or go out but the hatch must be closed unless you would like the call DC Central and ask permission." Alex said indicating the "Y" sticker on the door that denoted a "Yankee" fitting. The hatch was not to be open with out permission from Damage Control. It was a water tight security issue and his marines had already gotten reprimanded for lack of "hatch discipline" The ships Command Master Chief had taken great offence to having the marines not observe the proper procedures regarding the hatches. "Your Marines may be responsible for the security of this ship from invaders Staff Sergeant Medina, But I am responsible for the security of this ship from blundering nugg sailors and marines. All of your combat training isn’t gonna make this ship float if we are attacked and the water tight hatches are open during a breach!" The Chief had said in a drawn out rant.
The young Marine stepped in and closed the hatch. Alex walked over to the desk in the corner. Pictures of his wife and son were on the wall secured in place to prevent them from falling in rough seas. He moved his mouse to wake his computer up and opened his Microsoft outlook to check his mail. All night the ship’s EMCON is set so that the general population couldn’t send emails or get on the internet or even use the ship to shore phones. This helped to protect the ship at night by making it harder to zone in on the ship by the electronic emissions it sent out.
He received a few notices from his command as well as a notice that his reservations at his hotel in Perth were in order. That was to be the ships last stop before it headed to Hawaii and then to San Diego for the end of the deployment. A message from the squadron C/O informed him that he was to prepare for an interview with reporters on the new OV-22. Alex’s aircraft was selected to be used in a PR interview and The C/O was reminding everyone in the squadron about what was allowed to be said and what wasn’t.
Almost as if cued by his opening the email the phone rang. Alex picked it up and was greeted by the voice of the commanding officer for his squadron. " Sgt Medina I want you to get suited up and head to the hanger, we need to get our PR bird cleaned up for the camera’s. Did you get the email?"
"Yes sir I just got done reading it, I’ll be in the hanger in five minutes sir." Alex hung up the phone and pulled his rack up to retrieve his "dress flight suite" He had only a few sets but most service members keep a uniform aside that is cleaned and prepped for inspections.
The ocean breeze blew across the flight deck whipping Lisa’s hair around her face. She wore a helmet and a life coat covered her suit jacket.
She pulled at the straps on the helmet uncomfortably. "Is all this really necessary?" She called to an officer standing next to her. He smiled at her knowingly.
"It is if you want your story Ma’am! If you get blown off the deck it’s about 60 feet down to the water!" Lisa pulled away from him and walked over to the crate where her camera man was checking his gear.
"I hope you realize that I can’t swim Lisa!" Stew grumbled. "If I die I’m commin back to haunt you!" She was about to chastise him when she felt a tap on her shoulder. There behind her stood a Marine in full flight gear.
"Are you Alex?" she pulled her helmet down tight as the last helicopter lifted off the deck and angled away from the ship.
Once the noise had subsided Alex smiled and answered. "Yes Ma’am, I’m told your looking for an interview on my squadron?"
They walked over to the aircraft parked on the deck and Lisa began to piece together the story. From safety issues down to how the crews felt about their missions she left no stone unturned.

Subject: Re: A Second Chance Wed Aug 12, 2009 11:50 pm

Buried in the list was an email from an old family friend of his. John Tanner had served with his father. Tanner wasn’t Marine he was Army but his accomplishments were impressive even to the leather neck population. Tanner was always welcomed to the command functions the Corps put on. It was widely maintained that he was actually a Marine in an army uniform.
Alex opened the message and read what John had to say. As he got deeper into the letter he could feel his blood run cold. His wife of nearly 9 years had been cheating on him for months. Alex felt extremely warm even in the frigid cold of his ready room. How did this all happen? Alex began typing a return message with his numb fingers as best he could, demanding to know how John came about this knowledge. He sent the message off and sat back in silence for a long time.
Over the next several weeks as the ship made it’s way across the pacific, Alex tried to call home. But with each attempt he simply found the answering machine was the only one picking up the phone. Eventually the answering machine stopped picking up his calls and he got a disconnected message from the operator. He spent every cent he could find on the ship board phones in hopes of finding out what was happening to his family. The feeling of panic was not one that he had felt in a long time. Alex was a small gawky kid when he got to boot camp, and he was singled out continuously from his platoon for his size. The DI’s tried their best to break him but in the end he persevered. He had overcome personal barriers and would face combat many times over again. Known for his calmness in the heat of battle he had distinguished him self among his peers. Fear never entered his mind as he carried out his orders. But now he was in a deep pool of fear and panic.
The journey from Hawaii to San Diego only takes two weeks but to Alex it could have been another 7 months. They off loaded in San Diego at the Naval Air Station and loaded into a waiting Navy Transport. This was a 5 hr flight to Norfolk and then another 2 hours to his base. Alex never slept a wink the entire trip. Arriving on base in the late evening hours to a large crowd of family waiting to see their loved ones for the first time in 8 months Alex scanned the crowd for his wife and son hoping he would see them in the mass of American and Marine Corps flags and home made signs welcoming them home. It was an exercise in futility. He walked along the quiet streets of the base to where his family lived. His driveway was empty and the lawn hadn’t been mowed in what looked like a few weeks. Walking up to the door he put in his key and took a deep breath. The heavy wood door swung open and Alex stepped into an empty house. The dark rooms echoed each step he too with his polished dress shoes. Looking for the hat rack to hang his cover he found the pegs had been removed. A small cob web was strung across the high archway of the living room entrance. Light spots on the carpet outlined where his furniture used to sit. The walls looked very much the same with empty pegs protruding out of the walls with nothing on them. Alex silently went from room to room finding that absolutely nothing had been left. Even the fridge was empty except for a molding box of Chinese. Alex went up the stairs to the bedrooms. The master bedroom had a pile in the middle of the floor covered by a curtain. He slowly pulled the curtain aside revealing his uniforms and other Marine Corps gear. The letter from his commanding Officer had written to him recommending him to seek commissioning that he had framed was broken and the letter stained with what must have been coffee. He went down the hall way slowly and opened the door that was his son’s room. His knees gave way under him and he fell to the floor. Ever last trace of his son was gone.
Down stairs John walked in the open front door, a shiver ran up his back as he looked into the vacant home. A tingle of fear in the back of his mind told him to find Alex as soon as possible. Quickly John began calling for his friend searching from room to room hoping he wouldn’t find Alex dead. He had seen many times good strong men cracked when losing family in the way Alex had. Creaking from the top landing up the stairs caught his attention. In the deepening gloom of evening in the unlit home he could make out the form of a person at the top of the stairs. "Alex, come down here son I want to talk to you." John hoped that his friend would still listen to him. He began to worry that Alex was seriously off until the dark figure started down the stairs. The shadow moved slowly and very deliberately until it came to the bottom of the stair. A yellow ray of light from a street lamp that had just come on outside illuminated half of Alex’s face.
"I wanted to meet you at the bus stop but you had already left." John stepped forward and placed a hand on Alex’s shoulder. "Listen, we don’t have to talk right now. Ellen has made dinner for you, I would be insulted if you didn’t join me."
Alex looked around the entryway. The house may have been devoid of everything but the carpets, but in his mind it was crowded with memories that were now tearing him apart in his heart. The empty house had nothing for him, not even a chair to sit in. Without another word he went through the door to Johns waiting truck.
As they slowly made their way along the base towards the side gate neither man said very much. The cab of the truck was bathed in the green glow of the dash lights, the effect only seemed to match Alex’s mood even better. As John slowed down passing the security gate he could make out the silhouettes of the MP’s standing next to the guard house. "I’m sorry Alex, I really am. I had no idea that she had left like that." John glanced over at Alex who was sulking in his corner of the truck.
Alex was in no mood to talk. Images of his family kept running through his mind. His eyes shifted up and stared up at the stars. He silently asked his grandfather (who had died shortly after he joined the Corps) What had he done to put himself in this position? A tight feeling in his stomach announced to him that he was also not in the mood to eat as well. He brooded for a few more moments as the old pickup cruised along the Virginia country side just off the base grounds. Finally they pulled into a drive way at John’s home. It was just a small simple ranch home, but a passer-bye may have thought it to be a government building. John’s old red pickup truck shared the drive way with a black Ford Sedan and a Black Ford Explorer, both of which had US army decals carefully placed in the lower left corners of the rear windshields. The Lawn was meticulously manicured and professionally landscaped by some volunteers from the base. The crown jewel of the setup was the three flag poles in the centre of the yard now illuminated by spot lights. In the centre was the American flag who’s pole was about 3 feet taller then the other two. On the left was the US ARMY flag and on the right was the regimental colors of John’s former unit. The truck glided up the smoothly paved way silently and he guided it into the garage that had opened as soon as they had turned in the drive. They climbed out and were greeted by the sounds of thousands of midnight peepers that lived in the small pond across the road. Alex walked quietly behind John down the walkway to the front door. The door opened and Ellen greeted them with a smile.

Subject: Re: A Second Chance Wed Aug 12, 2009 11:50 pm

"Hello boys, I hope you are hungry cause I worked all day on this meal special for you my dear." She said to Alex as he stepped up to the door. She saw in his eyes that he was not well and pulled him into a hug. "I’m so sorry hun, oh I wish I had said something sooner. How are you holding up?"
Alex looked down and saw tears welling up in Ellen’s eyes. Ellen had always been close to Alex. She nearly could pass for his mother the way she could fuss about over him. She was feeling even more guilt for keeping such a secret now that she had Alex here in her home.
"I’ll be fine ma’am, thank you." He couldn’t muster up the energy to say much more. Mrs. Tanner looked at him sternly, wiping a tear away.
"Young man, I have known you since you were in diapers. You know better then to tell a lie to me." Even as she scolded him she gave him one more hug and led him into the house and closed the door.
The three of them sat down around the table in the dinning room as a radio played old Johnny Cash songs softly from a ceiling mounted speaker. They ate in silence until Alex finally spoke. "I never saw it coming. Never a single clue and now I’m with out a home and my family is gone,"
The ear splitting sound of a knife being sawed into a plate emanated from John’s steak. "It is absolutely sick what some people can do!" Ellen started the conversation.
John's expression at her very vocal opinions at the dinner table made it clear he was losing his temper. He made an attempt to subdue her but was almost ignorant of his intentions. "Damn-it, Ellen’ he turned and pointed his fork at her as a piece of steak dangled precariously from the points. "Will you please, let the boy eat in silence. We've all had enough today." John explained.
"Don't try to stifle me, John. This is important." she explained moving her gaze from John to the young quiet man. "Don’t you dare lose your head over that woman. If this is how she felt then that is that. Would have been better off is the house had burned down with her in it, then we all could have been ignorant fools lamenting her loss." Mrs. Tanner finally had enough and it showed.
John let out a slow frustrated breath as he realized his wife was not going to stop there. "That will be quiet enough Ellen!" He forced his fist onto the table swiftly, silencing any even unheard noise in the room. Alex moved his hands and arms away from his dinner and looked over at his friend.
"We all know what we think here about that young lady. It doesn't need to be played at this table like a broken record. All that's left is an innocent child here...and our good friend, whom deserved more than he got ALONG with two minutes of silence together while he eats the excellent meal you made, my dear. No more of this tonight."
The next morning Alex awoke to Mrs. Tanner going through his sea bag. Still groggy and not completely aware of his surroundings he lay in bed watching her as she gathered up the bags of his dirty civilian clothes or "civies" and loaded them into a laundry basket. As she turned to walk out she noticed his eyes were open.
"Good morning Alex. I hope you don’t mind but I was doing my laundry and thought I may as well do yours as well while I was at it." She smiled at him and proceeded out the door.
Alex pulled his sheet above his head. She may as well do my laundry, since the rest of it seems to have run off. Alex thought briefly. The pile of clothes he had brought over from his home the night before already sat either folded or hung up properly in the corner. Alex noted with a small smile that Mrs. Tanner had taken great care to iron out his uniforms. He would have no need of any of his uniforms for the next few weeks. At the end of his deployment he had put in for a month of leave. The sound of steps approaching the door caught his attention as the door swung open again, and Mr. Tanner walked in.
"Come on, get up kid. It won’t do you any good just lazing around in bed all day. I’ve got some errands to do in town and your coming with me." John turned on his heel and marched back out the door. Alex slowly rolled out of bed and sorted out one of his polo shirts and a pair of khaki pants and proceeded out to the kitchen.
The house smelled of cooking sausage and bacon as he walked into the dining room. Ellen was outside hanging sheets on the clothes line. The early morning breeze caused them to slowly billow in the sunlight like sails of a ship. John handed Alex a paper plate with scrambled eggs and a pair of sausage links on it. "We have to get down to the lumber store and then over to the bank. Eat quickly and then meet me out by the truck." John wanted to keep Alex busy. The best thing to help him come to terms and deal with his dilemma was to keep him calm. John walked out the kitchen door and left Alex to his meal.

Clouds were quickly rolling in from the north covering up the sun when Alex came out of the house. Both men climbed into the cab just as the first drops of rain began to pepper the windshield. Alex looked over at John who was counting the bills in his wallet. "Big spending day John?" John gave him a grin and quickly put the wallet away as Ellen came out to the truck.
"You boys don’t be too long. If the power goes out on me I can’t start that old generator by myself." She clutched to her umbrella tightly even though the rain was still more of a misting. John rolled his window down and leaned out to kiss her on the cheek.
"We won’t be long, but don’t worry all the same. That generator is set to come on by itself if the power drops off." He took his foot off the break and drove away from the house. "Now as I was going to say. It won’t do you any good to sulk indoors all day. I believe the best way to get over this is to be out. So I am going to be making a social call and you are going to do your best to follow my lead and do as I do got it?" John’s grin was now stretching from ear to ear.
The truck entered the city limits and picked it’s way along the winding streets as the rain started to come down a little harder. The trip ended in front of a small building just off the main drag. Alex had never been in this part of the city before. The sign on top of the building was simply named "Bar". It was a low one story structure that was definitely older then the surrounding developments. They crossed the street quickly and stepped into the dark doorway. Stepping through the door they were greeted to the old country tune of "All my X’s Live in Texas". Alex rolled his eyes, a gesture that went unseen in the dark hazy room. These older guys always went for the old fashioned dives. This place looked like it could have been in a country western music video. The room was only lit by a few over head lamps whose dim glow was made darker by the deep red glass shades on the lamps. The bar stood along one side of the room and protected the usual hoard of booze. The stools were all old and worn in and only a few patrons sat brooding over their drinks at the few old tables that had definitely seen more then a few knives. Every surface in the bar had been carved with slogans and names. Surprisingly on closer inspection all the carved tables and the bar had been glossed over, locking in the marks. John led the way over to the end of the bar near a man sitting by himself. He was turned away from them as they sat down next to him.
"Really, what kind of low lives would drink in this dump Alex?" John said. Alex with held his response both because the Barkeep was standing only feet away, he knew from experience how protective some of them could be, and because John didn’t seem to be addressing him. Instead the man on the stool set his drink down and replied dryly.
"Well you should know as your in here earlier then me most days John." The man slowly turned and faced John. Alex nearly choked. The face he saw before him, bathed in the blue light of the Power ball screen just over the bar was owned by the Command Sergeant Major. "Hello Alex Medina. Don’t look so surprised, you don’t think that just because a Marine can’t be on the lines means he stops hitting the bars do you?" He smiled and lifted his mason jar to his mouth.
"No, It just means we have even more memories to drown then when we were out there." John laughed at himself and took a beer offered by the bar tender who seemed pleased to have something to do.

"Listen Alex, I’ll have a few of my friends look into the legal side of this. You just concentrate on finding where Jamie is ok? The courts won’t stand for her keeping the kids from their father so don’t worry about it." John’s voice crackled over the phone.
It had been three weeks now since Alex had heard from Jamie and his son, she had not left a single clue as to where she went. He paced around his empty house, popping his knuckles in frustration. "I really hope so John, if she can get away with this I don’t know what I’m gonna do…" A knocking at the door interrupted him. "Hold on John some one is at the door." Alex crossed the living room and opened the door.
Outside it was sunny and warm. The clouds were few, everything looked pleasant until Alex saw two men in suits standing on his door step.
Alex looked them up and down. They each had a sports coat on and the one man was wearing sunglasses that looked like they had been stolen from Pete Mitchell in Top Gun. The man with the sun glasses stepped forward. "Mr. Alex Medina?" Alex’s eyes narrowed. These men were here for no good reason and he could smell it.
"Yeah that’s me." He replied slowly. The two men looked at each other and reached into their coats and produced badges.
"I’m detective Barret and this is detective Morrison, we are with the Norfolk City Police. May we come in please?" Alex waited for a moment. Alarms were sounding in his head, but he would not refuse entry to an officer of the law. He opened the screen door and walked back into the living room to where the phone base was.
Quietly he spoke into the phone to John. "Hey John, I need you to stay on the line for a few." He pressed the speaker phone button and muted the sound before hanging up the receiver. As he turned back to the room the two Detectives casually walked in. The man with the glasses left them on, he looked around the room not really acknowledging Alex till he had looked the entire space over. He finally

Subject: Re: A Second Chance Wed Aug 12, 2009 11:52 pm

focused on Alex and smiled.
"Would you care to have a seat Mr. Medina?" Alex remained where he was. He would not allow a stranger to walk into his house and offer him a seat in His own living room.
"What do you want Detective?" Alex crossed his arms and waited. The second Detective continued to look around the room. His short cropped hair made him look military in nature but he sported a somewhat shaggy Goatee nulling out any illusion of military background.
The man in the Glasses just stared at Alex for a moment. He could see his reflection in the lenses. The Detective stood a few inches taller then Alex did, he finally looked away seating himself on the couch. "Mr. Medina we were wondering if you could perhaps tell us where you were Friday night two weeks ago? Say around ten’ish?" He crossed his legs and leaned back, staring at Alex as he waited for a reply.
Alex Moved back and sat on the corner of his desk blocking his speaker phone’s on light as the second Detective casually made his way past him. "I was at work." He said simply. These men were after something and he wasn’t going to say a word until he knew what was their game. As the second man moved away towards the dinner room Alex caught the over powering sent of cologne. The man must have bathed in the stuff.
The man on the couch nodded pulling out a handkerchief and blowing his nose before continuing. "Can you back up your statement Mr. Medina? Where exactly do you work?" He asked as he stuffed the now soiled handkerchief back into his inside pocket.
Alex couldn’t believe what was being asked. Everyone knew that this area of town was mostly all military families. Not to mention Alex still had several pictures of him and his squadron mates on the walls all around them, or the fact that his Class A’s were hung neatly next to Alex’s desk. "I’m pretty damn sure I can back that up Sir. The Marine Corps is pretty good about keeping Muster sheets in order." Alex could feel his blood boiling and worked to bring it back down.
Detective Barret was unfazed by Alex’s statement of being a Marine. Alex took this to mean the men already knew a lot about Alex and now they were fishing.
"Could you please tell your friend to stop snooping around my house, you have yet to tell me what your purpose here is." Alex glared at the man in the kitchen who was now looking into the cupboards over his sink. "And I will not answer any more questions from a man who hides behind sunglasses. Take them off or leave, I will not be insulted in my own home."
If either man heard him or understood neither of them showed it. Barret leaned forward and clasped his hands together and looked at Alex. "We are investigating the rape and murder of a Ms Jamie Conway and the kidnapping of her son. Did you know Jamie Conway, Mr. Medina?"
The Detectives words cut straight through to Alex’s core. He felt cold suddenly at the thought of his son being kidnapped. "Yes I know her." He emphasized the KNOW her in hopes he heard him wrong "She is my wife until and the boy is my son." He could feel his eye twitch as he thought about what was being implied right now. Alex sagged back onto the desk farther trying to catch his breath that had rapidly departed from him.
"Ah, I see. Well then Mr. Medina could you tell me when the last time you saw your ex and your son was?" The bearded Detective Morrison reappeared at the entrance of the living room holding a notepad preparing to write what-ever Alex was about to say.
"I haven’t seen my ex or my son in three weeks, she left here and never told me where she went or how to contact her." Alex said.
"Mr. Medina can you tell me what kind of relationship you had with your ex before she left?" Detective Morrison drawled in a deep southern accent. Alex was somewhat surprised the second man could speak at all.
"It was non-existent, we were not really that close at all toward the end before she left." He was stepping carefully now, he was upset about what was being said but through the emotions racing through his mind there were still very clear, very loud alarms going off. These men weren’t just here to tell him that his ex had been murdered and his son kidnapped, they were here to interrogate him as a suspect. The Detectives where baiting him and he did his best to not step in the trap.
Detective Barret nodded his head. "So it was her that left you? I’d imagine you were upset?"
Alex ran looked the man in the eye. "Yes, she had left while I was out on deployment. When I came back she was gone and so was our son. I had not seen or heard from her since deployment."
"Did you make any attempt to locate her? Or did you just sit back and wait for her to contact you?" Barret pressed.
Alex shook his head in disbelief. "No it never occurred to me to try and locate my wife or my only son, of course I did! What decent parent wouldn’t try and find their children?" Alex was letting his emotions steer his actions and that was dangerous. Something he had learned in the service was that in a crisis there was never a good time to let your feelings control you.
Detective Barret stood up and looked at a picture of Alex on the wall. Alex was posing with the 30 cal at the back of an OV-22 Osprey with the rest of the aircrew, it was the same picture the TIME magazine reporter had used and as such had the clip of the article next to the photo. He continued to question Alex without taking his eyes off the photo. "So you have some experience with combat Mr. Medina? Weapons and tactics… hand to hand combat and such?" Detective Morrison just stared at Alex the whole time. "Your trained I would assume in suppressing feelings so that you can dispassionately make your kill?"
This man was pressing his buttons and Alex had just about heard enough. He slid off the desk edge and walked over to Barret. "Yes I have combat experience, Yes I am trained in hand to hand combat, Yes I tired locate my child, No me and my ex weren’t getting along but I never once even raised my voice to her. I was aboard ship the night in question over 400 miles away out to sea." Alex glared at the back of Barret’s head. "I think it is obvious that you already know all of this Detective. So unless you have anything else to add I think you should be leaving now."
Without another word the two men walked to the door. As Alex waited for them to clear the doorway Detective Barret turned to him. "Mr. Medina, We have reason to suspect the murder and the kidnapping was done by the same person and had been premeditated. Consider this a warning, you are a suspect. We will be informing your command, we will talk again soon. Have a nice day." And with that he turned and walked down across the lawn. Alex shut the door and quickly grabbed the phone before returning to a chair seated next to a window that looked out on the front lawn.
"John are you still there?" Alex hoped that John was able to hear the whole thing.
"Yeah I’m still here kid." John’s voice growled back. "I don’t like it Alex, not one bit. You have an alibi for that entire week, and it’s a damn good thing too. Those vultures are looking to hang this on someone and it looks like they are eyeing you to be the one." John swore to himself. "Looks like we are still gonna need that lawyer. I’m gonna give Sergeant Major Watts a call and see if I can get some intel." Just then another voice cut in on the line.
"Alex if you need anything please don’t hesitate to ask! I can be there in twenty minuets if you need me." Ellen’s voice was quivering with sorrow. She had obviously been crying herself.
"Ellen! What the hell are you doing on the line!" John demanded. "When did you get on?"
Ellen ignored her husband. "Alex I mean it if you need us please don’t hold it in just let us know ok?" With a final sob she hung up and left Alex at the edge of a sobbing fit of his own. Alex ran his hand over his head feeling the fine hairs that made up his regulation Hi and Tight. "Ok I’ve got to go John." Alex was seeing red now, he could feel his heart racing in his anger. He was no longer in the mood to talk. He had thought he lost his child before but now it wasn’t a thought it was reality. He felt only the slightest sorrow for Jamie, but for the time being his anger over the kidnapping was placed squarely on Jamie’s headstone.
John was silent for a moment. "Alex listen to me. The last thing we need is for you to go lose your head when you are being suspected for a crime like this. Go work out or something and let off some steam. We can beat this but you have to have a clear mind. You got me?" John’s voice had the tone of an order being issued. Alex grunted his reply and hung up the phone. In the den he had some exercise equipment. For the next couple of hours Alex vented his frustration and anger with his sweat and tears. His life was turning into a train wreck.

The phone in the living room had been ringing for nearly twenty minuets. Alex had been out mowing his lawn when he finally came inside to cool off. His squadron commander had given him special leave of duty during the murder investigation and Alex had all he could do to keep himself occupied. The answering machine picked up as he filled his glass in the kitchen and ran through it’s greeting. When it finally beeped for the message he was surprised to hear his sisters’ voice.
"Alex it’s Tracy, Are you there? Come-on I know you aren’t on duty Alex please pick up."

Subject: Re: A Second Chance Wed Aug 12, 2009 11:52 pm

Alex pulled up to the house. It was a small home, one story and was hidden behind the grass that had over-run the yard long ago. Alex got the distinct impression that visitors were not usually welcomed here. Alex put the car in park and stepped out into the chilly October air. He stood at the entrance to the yard for a moment feeling a little unsure of himself. However he had made the long trip this far and he couldn’t go away now. Picking his way along the cracked and unleveled walkway, Alex approached the front door. He knocked and waited for a reply. After a second round of knocking the sound of the locks being pulled across met his ear through the wind that was assailing his ears. The hinges creaked loudly in protest against being moved and the door was opened just enough that Alex could see in the home. A small old man peaked through at him. He was wearing an old faded jacket and matching pants. His shoes were worn out and gave the impression that the owner of the shoes did a lot of scuffling as he walked. He peered out at Alex with distrust reading very loudly in his eyes.
"What do you want?" He croaked in a thick accented voice. Alex took a deep breath.
"Dr. Higgins? May I speak with you for a moment please?" Alex’s voice did not exactly show a lot of confidence but it is hard to do that when you are standing out in the bitter freezing wind. The Doctor looked Alex up and down as if measuring him up. He opened the door a little wider and the wind started to blow his snow white hair about his head.
"What is it you want here?" He said again.
Alex saw the difference in the doctor’s mood and quickly spoke before the old man changed his mind. "Sir, I was wondering if you could tell me a few things about this book you wrote." He pulled the book out of his bag and showed it to the Dr. A look of surprise and fear came across his eyes and he immediately backpedaled into the room.
"Keep that book out of my sight, and out of my house!" He turned and hurried into his home with startling speed for such and old man. In his hurry he had left the front door open. It now swung farther into the house guided by the wind that was now stirring up dust from the small table next to the entrance and causing the wall hangings to be tossed about. Alex stood bewildered by the sudden departure of the man and the disregard for closing the front door. He stood there for a moment contemplating just leaving as the man asked but the open door seemed to set this thought out of his mind. Alex slowly walked into the house and quietly shut the door. The house was only lit by a few table lamps spaced about the rooms. Alex saw no televisions or radios or even telephones. He walked through a living room and found the Dr. at a desk in the middle of what he assumed was once a dinning room. He was furiously writing on a blank sheet of paper as Alex approached him. With out paying any regard for the fact that Alex had come in unannounced the old man spoke.
"I have nothing to say to you about that book you are wasting your time in even coming here." Alex set his bag down in front of the Dr.
"Sir, All I want to know is how this book works. Tell me, and I will leave right now and you won’t see or hear from me again." Alex was determined to get some answers now. The Dr’s reaction was very unusual and it piqued his interest further.
"That book will do nothing you want for you, and you would do well to get rid of it and go on with your life as if you had never seen it." He hunched lower over his papers covering what he was writing as if Alex may be trying to read it. Alex made no move at all.
"Is this real? Is what you wrote in this book for real or is it a hoax?" Alex leaned on the table closing the space between himself and the older man to the point of making the Dr. uncomfortable.
Finally the old man got up, and glared at Alex. "You have no idea what you are messing with! Leave it alone and drop it now!" He walked back past Alex into the living room. "I am not a hoax! I was a distinguished scientist and I will not be taken for a fake. This is not a game, this is real and it is dangerous."
"What is so dangerous about it? I need to know more." Alex followed him.
"You need to leave it alone! This" He said pointing at the book in Alex’s hands. "..is not to be fooled with like a toy. That book was the cumulative research that took 25 years to achieve. That material should never be allowed to be seen for what it is."
Alex looked confused. "So your saying that this stuff is real and can work?"
The Dr. began to gesture wildly with his hands and paced the room as he ranted. "You don’t understand a single thing do you? No one ever did! You are all greedy fools and you won’t stop until I die or go mad!" ‘A little late for that.’ Alex thought to himself as the old man went on. "That is my torment. I knew it would happen to me, I knew I would be punished. Can’t you all just leave me alone? I did all I could to prevent this, and yet here you are in my house." He stopped his rant momentarily to wipe a tear that had started its’ way down his cheek. Dr. Higgins was becoming emotional and Alex started to rethink his tough approach. He definitely didn’t think the man would be unstable.
"What are you talking about? All I wanted to know was how all this stuff works." Alex tried to reason with him.
"You can’t possibly understand. You are all ignorant! Every one of you are. I did my best to get rid of all the research and make sure no one could ever follow in what we had done. You will get no help from me!" He pointed an accusatory finger at Alex. "This is the price I pay for my pursuit of knowledge. If you had even the slightest understanding of the weight of that price you would never have come here.
This was making no sense to Alex. However the Dr’s reaction was hinting to him that there was a lot more to all of this. "Wait you tried to destroy all of the evidence of your research but you still published this book?" A wild flash of light crossed the old man’s eye as Alex said this.
"A common person never realizes the moral war that is waged in the mind of every great scientist in their quest to improve our understanding of the world we live it. The men who invented the machine gun hoped to end war with such a powerful weapon. ‘Who would be foolish enough to approach such a devastating weapon?’ Today they have killed millions of people in the wars that were STILL fought and the decedents of the machine gun are more deadly then ever. You think those men aren’t rolling in their graves? Or the men involved with the atomic bomb? It was meant to end all war yet again and yet we have the fear today of nuclear war wiping out our existence! All in the name of science and all abused by those who would gain from them! I will not have the guilt of the universe hanging over my head! I will not be responsible!" The Dr. was turning blue in the face as he went on. "I destroyed the research documents and our entire lab test so that no one would ever be able to follow in what we did! Man kind should not have this power and that is why it was forgotten for so many centuries!"
Alex was getting tired of being run into the ground and made an attempt to get some coherent answers from all this. "If you were trying to make sure no one else was going to follow in your foot steps then why did you publish this book? Don’t you think that others will read this and find a way to do it themselves?
Doc Higgins looked like he had been supremely insulted. "Because of that right there." He was pointing at the spine of the book. Alex looked down and realized that it was listed as Sci-fiction. "The damn publisher miss-labeled the book. Best mistake they ever made. No one believes in this smut anyway! Everyone except fools like yourself of course. It belongs in the fiction section! That is what it will remain for as long as I can help it!" He stared hard at Alex but could see that the young man was not going to give up.
Alex took a step back from the old man as the smell on his breath was heavy with scotch. "I am not an ignorant fool sir, and I will not be turned away by some meaningless rant. I need this, it is extremely important to me I…" The old man cut him off.
"Let me guess! Your life is awful and the only way to make things better is if you can go back in time and make things right. Oh my father died, Oh I played the wrong numbers in the lottery, Oh I can’t live with the way things are. You are all the same and a fool you will be if you keep pushing! I don’t care what your reasons are, It is life. Life is hard and unfair, and you live with it! You can’t play God and try to change it when ever it doesn’t go your way!" The old man stormed off to the front door.

Subject: Re: A Second Chance Wed Aug 12, 2009 11:52 pm

Alex pulled up to the house. It was a small home, one story and was hidden behind the grass that had over-run the yard long ago. Alex got the distinct impression that visitors were not usually welcomed here. Alex put the car in park and stepped out into the chilly October air. He stood at the entrance to the yard for a moment feeling a little unsure of himself. However he had made the long trip this far and he couldn’t go away now. Picking his way along the cracked and unleveled walkway, Alex approached the front door. He knocked and waited for a reply. After a second round of knocking the sound of the locks being pulled across met his ear through the wind that was assailing his ears. The hinges creaked loudly in protest against being moved and the door was opened just enough that Alex could see in the home. A small old man peaked through at him. He was wearing an old faded jacket and matching pants. His shoes were worn out and gave the impression that the owner of the shoes did a lot of scuffling as he walked. He peered out at Alex with distrust reading very loudly in his eyes.
"What do you want?" He croaked in a thick accented voice. Alex took a deep breath.
"Dr. Higgins? May I speak with you for a moment please?" Alex’s voice did not exactly show a lot of confidence but it is hard to do that when you are standing out in the bitter freezing wind. The Doctor looked Alex up and down as if measuring him up. He opened the door a little wider and the wind started to blow his snow white hair about his head.
"What is it you want here?" He said again.
Alex saw the difference in the doctor’s mood and quickly spoke before the old man changed his mind. "Sir, I was wondering if you could tell me a few things about this book you wrote." He pulled the book out of his bag and showed it to the Dr. A look of surprise and fear came across his eyes and he immediately backpedaled into the room.
"Keep that book out of my sight, and out of my house!" He turned and hurried into his home with startling speed for such and old man. In his hurry he had left the front door open. It now swung farther into the house guided by the wind that was now stirring up dust from the small table next to the entrance and causing the wall hangings to be tossed about. Alex stood bewildered by the sudden departure of the man and the disregard for closing the front door. He stood there for a moment contemplating just leaving as the man asked but the open door seemed to set this thought out of his mind. Alex slowly walked into the house and quietly shut the door. The house was only lit by a few table lamps spaced about the rooms. Alex saw no televisions or radios or even telephones. He walked through a living room and found the Dr. at a desk in the middle of what he assumed was once a dinning room. He was furiously writing on a blank sheet of paper as Alex approached him. With out paying any regard for the fact that Alex had come in unannounced the old man spoke.
"I have nothing to say to you about that book you are wasting your time in even coming here." Alex set his bag down in front of the Dr.
"Sir, All I want to know is how this book works. Tell me, and I will leave right now and you won’t see or hear from me again." Alex was determined to get some answers now. The Dr’s reaction was very unusual and it piqued his interest further.
"That book will do nothing you want for you, and you would do well to get rid of it and go on with your life as if you had never seen it." He hunched lower over his papers covering what he was writing as if Alex may be trying to read it. Alex made no move at all.
"Is this real? Is what you wrote in this book for real or is it a hoax?" Alex leaned on the table closing the space between himself and the older man to the point of making the Dr. uncomfortable.
Finally the old man got up, and glared at Alex. "You have no idea what you are messing with! Leave it alone and drop it now!" He walked back past Alex into the living room. "I am not a hoax! I was a distinguished scientist and I will not be taken for a fake. This is not a game, this is real and it is dangerous."
"What is so dangerous about it? I need to know more." Alex followed him.
"You need to leave it alone! This" He said pointing at the book in Alex’s hands. "..is not to be fooled with like a toy. That book was the cumulative research that took 25 years to achieve. That material should never be allowed to be seen for what it is."
Alex looked confused. "So your saying that this stuff is real and can work?"
The Dr. began to gesture wildly with his hands and paced the room as he ranted. "You don’t understand a single thing do you? No one ever did! You are all greedy fools and you won’t stop until I die or go mad!" ‘A little late for that.’ Alex thought to himself as the old man went on. "That is my torment. I knew it would happen to me, I knew I would be punished. Can’t you all just leave me alone? I did all I could to prevent this, and yet here you are in my house." He stopped his rant momentarily to wipe a tear that had started its’ way down his cheek. Dr. Higgins was becoming emotional and Alex started to rethink his tough approach. He definitely didn’t think the man would be unstable.
"What are you talking about? All I wanted to know was how all this stuff works." Alex tried to reason with him.
"You can’t possibly understand. You are all ignorant! Every one of you are. I did my best to get rid of all the research and make sure no one could ever follow in what we had done. You will get no help from me!" He pointed an accusatory finger at Alex. "This is the price I pay for my pursuit of knowledge. If you had even the slightest understanding of the weight of that price you would never have come here.
This was making no sense to Alex. However the Dr’s reaction was hinting to him that there was a lot more to all of this. "Wait you tried to destroy all of the evidence of your research but you still published this book?" A wild flash of light crossed the old man’s eye as Alex said this.
"A common person never realizes the moral war that is waged in the mind of every great scientist in their quest to improve our understanding of the world we live it. The men who invented the machine gun hoped to end war with such a powerful weapon. ‘Who would be foolish enough to approach such a devastating weapon?’ Today they have killed millions of people in the wars that were STILL fought and the decedents of the machine gun are more deadly then ever. You think those men aren’t rolling in their graves? Or the men involved with the atomic bomb? It was meant to end all war yet again and yet we have the fear today of nuclear war wiping out our existence! All in the name of science and all abused by those who would gain from them! I will not have the guilt of the universe hanging over my head! I will not be responsible!" The Dr. was turning blue in the face as he went on. "I destroyed the research documents and our entire lab test so that no one would ever be able to follow in what we did! Man kind should not have this power and that is why it was forgotten for so many centuries!"
Alex was getting tired of being run into the ground and made an attempt to get some coherent answers from all this. "If you were trying to make sure no one else was going to follow in your foot steps then why did you publish this book? Don’t you think that others will read this and find a way to do it themselves?
Doc Higgins looked like he had been supremely insulted. "Because of that right there." He was pointing at the spine of the book. Alex looked down and realized that it was listed as Sci-fiction. "The damn publisher miss-labeled the book. Best mistake they ever made. No one believes in this smut anyway! Everyone except fools like yourself of course. It belongs in the fiction section! That is what it will remain for as long as I can help it!" He stared hard at Alex but could see that the young man was not going to give up.
Alex took a step back from the old man as the smell on his breath was heavy with scotch. "I am not an ignorant fool sir, and I will not be turned away by some meaningless rant. I need this, it is extremely important to me I…" The old man cut him off.
"Let me guess! Your life is awful and the only way to make things better is if you can go back in time and make things right. Oh my father died, Oh I played the wrong numbers in the lottery, Oh I can’t live with the way things are. You are all the same and a fool you will be if you keep pushing! I don’t care what your reasons are, It is life. Life is hard and unfair, and you live with it! You can’t play God and try to change it when ever it doesn’t go your way!" The old man stormed off to the front door.

Subject: Re: A Second Chance Wed Aug 12, 2009 11:54 pm

Ok well that is teh majority of it. There is some more written i'd have to dig up. The story had changed and the next part had gone into hiding lol.