Title: The Day Nate Ramsey Got Engaged

Author: David Lee Rickman II

Fandom: 7 Days

Rating: PG

Status: new, complete

Archive: Feel free to include on any web page or archive. The truth must be known!

E-mail address for feedback: frankbparker@yahoo.com

Series: 7 Days

Disclaimers: I do not own the characters. I just report what's happened at NNL lately, which Christopher Crowe can't use because he is sworn to secrecy.

Summary: After a failed attempt to destroy an asteroid that will hit the Earth and threaten human extinct, Parker backsteps with the correct missile impact information. During the backstep, Ramsey has a heart attack, and his past self can remember the other timeline.

By David Lee Rickman II

"Now Parker, it's Ramsey's birthday, so be nice."

"But Olga, what if he starts a fight?" Parker held the door of the conference room open for Olga.

"Parker, just do it for me. Just for one day," Olga pleaded.

"O.K." As they entered, Parker looked around. "Hey, where is Ramsey?"

Mentnor cleared his throat. "He called ahead. He said he'd be a little late, and to start without him."

Ten minutes after Tamlmedge began reviewing the week's global hot spots, Ramsey walked in with a big smile across his face. Parker struggled to smile back.

"Happy birthday Ramsey."

"Thanks Parker. a good day to you too."

Ballard was astonished at Ramsey's good mood. "Are you O.K. Ramsey?"

"I am engaged to be married."

"Married?," Parker, Donavan and Ballard said simultaneously.

(Scene changes to look outside of Griffith Observatory. Location: Los Angeles, CA)

"Who can tell me the name of the farthest known planet from the sun?," Dr. Irvine Hamal asked a group of elementary school students visiting Griffith for a field trip.

"Pluto,." said a young girl.

"No, Neptune is. It's been that way since 1979.," Dr. Hamal pointed to a projection on a nearby wall. "Neptune and Pluto cross orbits about once every 240 years. Today, they cross back and Pluto will once again be the furthest planet from the sun. And you'll see it on that wall projection. Any questions?"

"Will they ever crash together crossing?," one kid asked.

"You don't have to worry about that in your lifetime. Any other questions?"

Another kid raised his hand. "What's that third planet's name?"

Dr. Hamal looked at the projection and pointed. "That's Pluto. That's Neptune. And the other smaller one is...is...What is that?"

*************

As Ramsey walked toward Cindy William's apartment, he felt a hand on his shoulder. "What are you doing here Parker?"

"I hid in your car trunk. Ramsey, I don't think this is a good idea."

"About my getting married?"

"That. Plus you're quiting the project after your wedding."

"I've made my choice. I've known her for two years, and she's very special."

"I still don't know if its what you should do." "Meet her Parker. You'll see."

As Ramsey knocked on Cindy's door, a man with a towel wrapped around him answered the door. "Who are you?,"

Ramsey asked. Just then Cindy walked out of her bedroom wearing a bathrob.

"Cindy? What...What?.. Parker, we're leaving!" Ramsey slammed the front door and shoved Parker in the car.

"Ramsey, aren't you going to give her a chance to explain?"

"You were right Parker. Who am I kidding? No woman would marry me." Ramsey tossed his engagement ring out the window.

Parker and Ramsey remained silent on the rest of the way back to NNL. As they arrived, a guard informed them that Talmedge needed to see both of them A.S.A.P.

***************

As they entered the conference room, Talmedge waved them to the table. "Ramsey. Parker. I have terrible news."

"Talmedge, you look like Armaggedon is at hand."

"It is Parker."

"That sucks."

Talmedge turned on the screen with his remote control.

"Eight hours ago, an asteroid the size of Chile was discovered entering our solar system at Griffith Observatory. We have managed to deny it publically so far, but our calulations show that it will hit the Pacific ocean in about five days. Olga and Ballard are preparing a secret defense rocket from Reagan's S.T.I. program. It is the fastest in the world, but we have to wait three days for the asteroid to come into range of the rocket."

Parker looked at Talmedge and saw his fear reflected back.

"We're going to hit a bullet with a bullet?"

"Parker, we've never done this before, and we have one chance to not go the way of the dinosaurs."

It was two days before publically it couldn't be denied anymore. CZN ran news all day and night about the riots in Tokyo and Beijing. In America, martial law was set up in all the hot spots, but there weren't enough national guards to go around.

Parker had nightmares all night about fossilized humans. A global Pompeii of floods rather than lava and ash. Would anybody know society's accomplishments in a hundred million years? Could dinosaurs have backstepped to save themselves, had they a brain larger than a walnut?

************

As Parker and the rest of the Alpha team stood watching the real time screen (what they saw was really 38 minutes late because of the speed of light) a few days later, only Ballard could be heard.

"Intercept in x minus five...four...three...two...x minus one..." Two white blobs were seen as a blue and red dot hit, representing the rocket and asteroid respectively.

"It split in half! It didn't disintegrate!

"What is its new course Ballard?"

Ballard put the new information in the computer. "It will hit Japan and...southern Nevada. It's going to hit us!"

Talmedge dialed the phone to talk to the NSA panel.

"Parker, suit up. Ballard, I need to know what went wrong."

Later, as Parker walked down the hall toward the sphere, Talmedge handed him a folder. "Half of the asteroid was hollow. The nuclear shock wave resonated along the hollow side. These are Ballard and Olga's new calculations based on this new fact. God speed, Mr. Parker."

As the sphere began to energize, Olga called out the steps. "Reactor at ten percent...twenty percent..."

Ramsey suddenly put his hand against his chest and gasped. Parker could hear what was happening through his helmet's headphones. "Olga, what's happening?"

Talmedge ordered Olga to not disengage. Mentnor felt the pulse point in Ramsey's kneck. "Ramsey's having a heart attack."

"Stop the backstep!," Parker shouted.

"Olga, disengage manual override. Parker, engage. That's an order. We can't risk the sphere not working at the last minute."

"But I..."

"Engage, D--- it!"

Parker engaged, and screamed as the sphere jostled backward in time.

PART 2

Ramsey opened his eyes as he felt someone kissing him.

"Cindy,." Ramsey sighed.

"Who is Cindy?"

"Miss Vulkavich!" Ramsey started to get up. Olga forced him back down. "I don't want you to move yet until we make sure you didn't get a concussion."

"I am fine. I just had a shortness of breath as Parker backstepped."

"Uh, Ramsey...Parker hasn't backstepped in the last two weeks. You must have hit your head hard.," Olga said as she felt for bumps. "You were walking down the hall and fell over suddenly. I had to give you artificial resusitation to get you breathing again."

Talmedge came ruuning down the hall toward Olga and Ramsey. "I came as fast as I could. Is Ramsey all right?"

"I think so. He just seems a bit confused."

"D--- it Olga. Don't speak as if I weren't here."

Talmedge chuckled. "He sure sounds O.K. I hope he feels better tomorrow for his birthday. By the way, Parker hasn't..."

"Birthday tomorrow? My birthday was four days ago.

I..." Ramsey lost consciousness.

*************

Parker stumbled as he ran from the farmer with the very big shotgun. "Look, I am sorry about the barn!,"

Parker shouted as he ducked around a large rock. Let security pick up the sphere now surrounded by chickens and cattle. Parker realized he left the folder and microchip with the asteroid data in the sphere. "I better call fast to get them here.," Parker thought.

Parker took out his cell phone and cursed as he found out the cell phone was dead once again. He slid down a small hill, and tripped on a rock hidden in a patch of grass at the bottom. "What a day.," Parker thought as he felt his sprained ankle.

************

"This doesn't make sense Talmedge.," Olga said as she looked at the results of Ramsey's M.R.I. scan.

"According to Ramsey's medical records, he's never had a heart attack." Olga pointed a pale red patch on the video screen. "But this shows recent damage done to about 15% of Ramsey's heart tissue."

"Is that why he collapsed in the hall?"

"No, he just wasn't breathing. I think.."

Ramsey groaned as he started to wake up. Olga and Talmedge quickly went into the observation room.

"Ramsey, you're all right now."

"What is the date?," Ramsey inquired.

"March 14."

"No, it wasn't a while ago. I somehow came back."

"Now Ramsey..."

"Is it one o'clock in the afternoon yet?"

"In about 20 minutes."

"Talmedge, turn on CZN."

PART THREE

Ramsey pointed at the live program on CZN. "This is a live broadcast of the president at the European Union summit, right?"

Talmedge nodded his head agreeing.

"Around one o'clock, the president is going to embarrass himself by nodding off to sleep. If that happens, will that prove I somehow came four days back in time?"

"It wouldn't be the first time. The president often has a very busy schedual."

"But I am naming an exact time and situational event. D---- it!"

"O.K. Ramsey. If it happens, we'll take it under consideration."

Ramsey and Talmedge waited and watched CZN. Olga left to run a few experiments. At five minutes after one, Talmedge began to get up. "It hasn't happened yet, but if it does, I'll see it on the news tonight."

"Talmedge, wait just a few more moments." Just as Ramsey said that, the camera caught the president falling asleep. "You see that? Thank you for once you intern-hopping liberal!"

*************

Parker found a thick branch to use as a crutch. He struggled at getting used to putting his weight on his left foot, and then wobbled westward. He saw the lights of Las Vegas during re-entry, so he had to still be in Nevada.

*************

Parker had to hurry before it got dark. He walked about a mile before he heard a young voice. "Hey mister! Are you all right?"

Parker looked back to see a boy who looked about thirteen years old hurrying toward him.

"Yeah, I just sprained my ankle."

"Is there anything I can do?"

"I am looking for a phone. There's an important call I have to make."

PART FOUR

"We have a major problem," Talmedge said in his traditional way of addressing the Alpha team when Parker didn't immediately show up. "If we are to believe Ramsey, Parker has the only information about a asteroid that won't even be discovered for a few more hours."

"Why can't Ramsey provide us with any information?," Donavan inquired.

"We need specifics.," Ballard said waving a cherry lollipop. "Without accurate data, we would just break it in half again."

"And no offense Ramsey, but the N.S.A. panel isn't convinced a heart attack can send someone back in time."

"No offense taken, sir.," Ramsey said half sarcastically.

*************

"Dad! Dad!," The young boy Parker meet helped Parker up the front steps of his farm house.

A man who looked very similar to the professor from Gilligan's Island came to the door. "Chris, who is this?"

"I found him a quarter mile from here. He was limping, and he needs to make a call to get a ride back home."

"O.K., but I hope he isn't offended if I ask for I.D. first." Parker handed Chris's dad his wallet.

"Hhhmm...N.S.A. Haven't ever meet someone from that agency before. Well, come in."

********************

"Talmedge, there's a conundrum call on line two for you."

"Thank G--.," Talmedge said as he pressed the phone button. "Parker, where have you been?"

"I had a little trouble after I arrived. There's only one line in the house that I am at right now, but I have to be careful that they don't hear my side of the conversation."

"Did you backstep because of the asteroid heading toward Earth?"

"How did you know that?"

"It's hard to explain. We've traced your call, so we'll come get you. Good bye and be careful."

End of part four