Free Coin #2 - Quantum Coin by E.C. Myers
Authors: E.C. Myers
activator bar on the microphone, and then hand it over.
Jena leaned closer to the radio, her lips almost brushing against the metal grille on the old microphone. She squeezed the bar.
“Grumps?” she asked. “I mean, Dug Kim? Is that you?” Jena's knuckles were white as she clutched the microphone. Zoe touched the back of her hand and murmured something. Jena loosened her grip.
“Try his call letters,” Zoe said.
“Oh, yeah.” Jena read off the numbers scratched into the top of the radio. “Calling WB2IXW. Come in. This is, uh, CHARON2?” She glanced at Zoe. Zoe shrugged.
The radio crackled. “Who is…” Static popped and a piercing tone sounded, then his voice faded to silence.
“What happened?” Jena said. “Get him back!”
“I don't think I can,” Zoe said.
“But we got the coordinates?”
Zoe nodded. The coin spun around once, twice, trying to lock onto something.
Jena grabbed the microphone again. “Hello? Hello?”
“Hello?” Her voice came back out of the radio.
“Just an echo,” Jena said. She threw the microphone down in frustration.
“Hey, careful with that,” Zoe said.
“Is anyone there? Over.” The staticky voice spoke again—Jena's voice.
Jena and Zoe froze, staring at each other. They looked at the microphone. Neither of them had touched it.
Ephraim swallowed a mouthful of peanut butter painfully. “That wasn't an echo,” he said. He gulped the coffee to clear his throat and winced as the hot beverage scalded its way down his throat.
“That sounded like us,” Jena said.
“That's it! We've made contact!” Zoe snatched the microphone and tilted it toward her while Jena continued to hold on to the controller. “Hello! This is CHARON2. Is someone there? Come in. Over.”
“CHARON2, this is CHARON1. Am I ever glad to hear from you. Over.” This was becoming downright surreal—Jena and Zoe were speaking to another of their analogs.
“Finally! We've been trying you all night,” Zoe said. “CHARON1, is Nathaniel there? Over.”
“His hands are full,” the voice went on. “…multiverse…flux. I could lose your frequency again at any mo…can't keep this channel open for long. We need you here ASAP. Over.”
“We tried to shift to your universe, but something blocked us. Over,” Zoe said.
“Say again?”
“We couldn't shift to your universe,” Zoe repeated slowly.
“Excellent,” the voice said.
Ephraim, Jena, and Zoe exchanged a look. Why was that a good thing?
“Who's with you?” the voice asked.
“I'm Zoe Kim. I'm here with my analog Jena. And Ephraim Scott.”
There was a prolonged silence. Zoe released the microphone.
“Did we lose her?” Ephraim asked. He reached down to adjust the frequency, but Jena shook her head. The coin was steady, the signal was as strong as it was going to get.
Finally the voice from the radio spoke. “Ephraim's there?” She sounded hopeful. Relieved. “He has the coin?” A moment later: “Of course he has it if he's in your universe.”
Ephraim put his hand on Zoe's shoulder and leaned over the microphone. He nodded, and she squeezed the activator bar.
“Yes, I have the coin,” he said. “Hi. Uh, who's this?”
“Dr. Jena Kim,” she said.
Zoe dropped her hand from the microphone. “Doctor?” she asked.
“It's the future,” Ephraim said. “She wouldn't still be in high school. Even Michael Gupal couldn't get left back twenty-five times, and you're considerably smarter than him.”
“A doctor,” Jena said. “Dad would be so proud.”
“Hmph,” Zoe said.
“Are you still there? Hello?” Dr. Kim asked. “It's, um…3:06 a.m. here.”
Zoe glanced at the time on her VCR and squeezed the microphone. “The same here,” she said.
“Then our next window will be at 3:33,” Dr. Kim said. “We have…time it for periods with less quantum…ference. You live near Greystone Park…there by then?”
Zoe released the microphone. “What do we do?”
“This is what we've been
Jena leaned closer to the radio, her lips almost brushing against the metal grille on the old microphone. She squeezed the bar.
“Grumps?” she asked. “I mean, Dug Kim? Is that you?” Jena's knuckles were white as she clutched the microphone. Zoe touched the back of her hand and murmured something. Jena loosened her grip.
“Try his call letters,” Zoe said.
“Oh, yeah.” Jena read off the numbers scratched into the top of the radio. “Calling WB2IXW. Come in. This is, uh, CHARON2?” She glanced at Zoe. Zoe shrugged.
The radio crackled. “Who is…” Static popped and a piercing tone sounded, then his voice faded to silence.
“What happened?” Jena said. “Get him back!”
“I don't think I can,” Zoe said.
“But we got the coordinates?”
Zoe nodded. The coin spun around once, twice, trying to lock onto something.
Jena grabbed the microphone again. “Hello? Hello?”
“Hello?” Her voice came back out of the radio.
“Just an echo,” Jena said. She threw the microphone down in frustration.
“Hey, careful with that,” Zoe said.
“Is anyone there? Over.” The staticky voice spoke again—Jena's voice.
Jena and Zoe froze, staring at each other. They looked at the microphone. Neither of them had touched it.
Ephraim swallowed a mouthful of peanut butter painfully. “That wasn't an echo,” he said. He gulped the coffee to clear his throat and winced as the hot beverage scalded its way down his throat.
“That sounded like us,” Jena said.
“That's it! We've made contact!” Zoe snatched the microphone and tilted it toward her while Jena continued to hold on to the controller. “Hello! This is CHARON2. Is someone there? Come in. Over.”
“CHARON2, this is CHARON1. Am I ever glad to hear from you. Over.” This was becoming downright surreal—Jena and Zoe were speaking to another of their analogs.
“Finally! We've been trying you all night,” Zoe said. “CHARON1, is Nathaniel there? Over.”
“His hands are full,” the voice went on. “…multiverse…flux. I could lose your frequency again at any mo…can't keep this channel open for long. We need you here ASAP. Over.”
“We tried to shift to your universe, but something blocked us. Over,” Zoe said.
“Say again?”
“We couldn't shift to your universe,” Zoe repeated slowly.
“Excellent,” the voice said.
Ephraim, Jena, and Zoe exchanged a look. Why was that a good thing?
“Who's with you?” the voice asked.
“I'm Zoe Kim. I'm here with my analog Jena. And Ephraim Scott.”
There was a prolonged silence. Zoe released the microphone.
“Did we lose her?” Ephraim asked. He reached down to adjust the frequency, but Jena shook her head. The coin was steady, the signal was as strong as it was going to get.
Finally the voice from the radio spoke. “Ephraim's there?” She sounded hopeful. Relieved. “He has the coin?” A moment later: “Of course he has it if he's in your universe.”
Ephraim put his hand on Zoe's shoulder and leaned over the microphone. He nodded, and she squeezed the activator bar.
“Yes, I have the coin,” he said. “Hi. Uh, who's this?”
“Dr. Jena Kim,” she said.
Zoe dropped her hand from the microphone. “Doctor?” she asked.
“It's the future,” Ephraim said. “She wouldn't still be in high school. Even Michael Gupal couldn't get left back twenty-five times, and you're considerably smarter than him.”
“A doctor,” Jena said. “Dad would be so proud.”
“Hmph,” Zoe said.
“Are you still there? Hello?” Dr. Kim asked. “It's, um…3:06 a.m. here.”
Zoe glanced at the time on her VCR and squeezed the microphone. “The same here,” she said.
“Then our next window will be at 3:33,” Dr. Kim said. “We have…time it for periods with less quantum…ference. You live near Greystone Park…there by then?”
Zoe released the microphone. “What do we do?”
“This is what we've been