Chapter No.21.

The first thing that Carl ran into that indicated that he was in a different timeline was his car. What was strange is that his key fob unlocked the car's door, but it wasn't the car that he parked in the Mission Control parking lot before he went on this latest mission.

"This is weird," he said. "I had a Chevy Equinox when I parked here to go on the mission. This is a Buick Enclave."

"Maybe it isn't yours," Janet said.

"It's in my designated parking space and my key fob opened it."

"It's part of the timeline change," Margaret said. "Lord knows what other changes we'll find."

After Janet, Margaret, Alice and Janice got in his car, he started it up and drove to his house. Fortunately, his phone app allowed him to open the gate to his property. He drove to the main garage and used the phone to open its door. So far, so good.

They entered the tunnel that led to the main house. When he entered the grand foyer, he was greeted by his sister Amy and his cousin Jane. Amy did something unexpected. She hugged and kissed him, but it wasn't a brother-sister kiss. It was a full-blown erotic breath sucking kiss.

"Glad to see you back home," she said after unlocking her lips from his. "I trust you are in good health."

"Yeah," Carl said still trying to recover from the unexpected greeting. "NASA cleared us." He turned to see Jane favoring him with a solicitous smile. He noticed that she looked more voluptuous than he had recalled. She filled her hip hugger pants and polo more curvaceously than he recalled.

She hugged him even more physically than his sister and kissed him with an equally erotic manner. "I missed you," she said with a salacious smile.

"I missed you," Carl replied, not knowing what else to say.

But that wasn't the end of the welcoming committee show. Both Amy and Jane hugged and kissed his crew with the same ferocity as they had done to him.

Another woman wearing a suit entered the foyer. Carl noted her perfectly proportioned figure and how gracefully she walked up to him. He turned to his sister with a questioning expression.

Amy's smile had a teasing element to it. "This is Felicity Wells. She's our financial administrator. She has a PhD in computer science as well as quantum physics."

Felicity stepped forward and extended her hand, which Carl took for a cordial shake. "Welcome to my . . . our home."

"I'm very happy to be part of it, Mr. Walker. Your sister has told me that you are a promotor of female scientific involvement."

"No need to be formal. My name is Carl, and I'm probably considered a pain in the ass by NASA's directors."

She laughed. "I'm sure you are. I'm surprised that your crew is female."

"That's because women pursue science degrees. Men are more interested in business degrees."

Felicity nodded.

Amy stepped forward and did something that surprised him. She smacked his butt.

"We gals will keep you entertained, brother."

They laughed.

Carl was not prepared for this unnatural welcoming. Was it because they were that lonely for attention? How much of it was the result of the timeline change? He was beginning to conclude that timeline changes were not what he thought they were. They were not physical changes at all. They were more like dreamscapes, something that was fictional but possible if it involved genetic changes to mental functions because cosmic rays alter brain chemistry.

However, these were not the only changes he would experience. The next surprise came when he entered his bedroom. It was larger and had a patio door that led to a deck with lounge chairs, a table and a hot tub. The bathroom was spacious with both a large walk-in shower and soaking tub. What really surprised him was the huge walk-in closet filled with more clothes than he had ever had. Was this something that his sister had added?

There were other changes to the mansion. He noted that the indoor pool was larger and had a more spectacular tube slide. The pool also had high dive boards, making it more like an indoor water park.

But that wasn't the end of it. He found more recreational indoor facilities, including a bowling alley, hand ball court, a full basketball court and a huge hot soak pool. Obviously in this timeline he was wealthier than he was in the previous timelines. It made him more determined than ever to figure out how timelines exist and how they change.

One good thing about this mansion full of females was that he didn't have to cook. His sister and cousin were happy to take over that job. It gave him more time to work on his project.

That's when something happened that changed everything. He was seated in the pool chamber reviewing papers on cosmic rays and neutrinos when Felicity walked up and took a seat next to him. She was attired in more formal clothing than his crew wore. She had on a below the knee skirt with a long-sleeved shirt. She was wearing high heeled shoes.

Carl turned to her with a more formal expression. "Morning."

"I understand that you're interested in how timelines work."

He blinked. "Yes, but I've had no luck understanding how they change."

"I've been working on the translation that Janet made on the alien signal and have discovered some hidden math that might help."

His eyes ballooned briefly. "Really?"

"Yes. I've added it to your project files under 'Ray Math.'"

"Do you believe in timelines?" he asked her.

"Yes. I came from a different timeline, one in which women had no rights."

"Interesting," he said, trying not to smile. "We were in that timeline before this one."

She smiled. "Well, I'm happy that you made it to this nirvana." she stood up. "I'll check back with you after you've studied my work."

He watched her provocative walk back out of the pool chamber. He was not used to her more casually professional behavior. It gave him hope that what she had done would help him understand how timelines work.