The Traveler Page 16

“You and your men aren’t accompanying us?”

  Julien’s try at a cocky smile failed on the large man. “No, uh, we are not allowed.”

  The four men watched as the large personal protector of Moira Mendelsohn and his men left for the front of the building.

  Jack didn’t have to comment on the strangeness of the three men—they just moved into the room and down the two flights of stairs.

  Jack used the first key and unlocked the large steel door at the bottom of the stairs. The hallway was lined with other, larger doors for allowing heavy equipment to be moved in. There was even a large lift that rose the three flights. They all heard the continuous dripping of water as it seeped through from the rain outside and the river and its constant assault on the old navy yard.

  Jack opened the door and the lights inside automatically flared to life.

  The sight that greeted them nearly caught them all off guard. The brightness and cleanliness of the giant space amazed them. With the exception of the two inches of water they found themselves standing in, the home of the Wellsian Doorway looked as if it popped right out of a science fiction movie. They were in a circular room that sat elevated above an amphitheater-style laboratory. Circular row upon circular row of electronic panels and technician’s stations sat empty as all stations looked down upon a round blank spot made of steel.

  “The damn thing isn’t here!” Jenks said as he angrily tossed his cigar into the water at his feet. “I should have known the old dame was nuttier than the Frenchman here.”

  Henri smiled over at the master chief.

  Jack shook his head and then moved to the main monitoring station in the center of the first console. He saw the plastic cover that was marked simply “PIT.” He took the second key and lifted the cover and inserted it. He twisted the key and suddenly the lights dimmed and an amazing sight met their astonished gaze.

  The center of the floor started twisting in a corkscrew fashion and as it did the edges slid into the wall. Fluorescent and indirect lighting started to flare to life far below them. Jack smiled as the circular floor spiraled away to nothing. The difference was that the giant room below was as clean as if it had been built yesterday. There was no water anywhere in the spaces below. That was where most of the powerful pumps were stored.

  “I’ll be damned and buggered,” the master chief exclaimed as he stepped toward the glass.

  “Okay, I think I made a little pee pee here,” Will said as all eyes fell on the machine that occupied the center of the room.

  Spotlights came on and their adjusted beams sliced through the darkness and fell upon a gleaming chromed steel and glass sphere. It was open to the air but the glass enclosure was made to reflect something back into the large, sixty-five-foot object.

  “Look, there are laser amplifiers and portals all aimed at the inside of the … the—”

  “Wellsian Doorway I believe are the words you are looking for, Master Chief,” Henri said as he too had to step forward to see the giant ball of glass and shiny steel.

  “Yeah, I guess that’s what you would call it,” Jenks mumbled as he took it all in two stories below them.

  “Look inside the sphere,” Will said as he stood next to Collins.

  “Oh, my,” Henri said as they all saw the same thing.

  “Are those?”

  Jack had to chuckle.

  “Seats. I count twenty of them.”

  The four men were actually shocked that what they had desired to see was actually there.

  “I don’t believe the old broad built the damn thing,” Jenks grumbled.

  Henri looked at Jack and they both thought the same thing at the same moment but it was Jack who faced the machine below and voiced it.

  “Yes, Master Chief, she did build it.” He faced the men in the control room. “The real question is, why did she build it?”

  Jenks, Will, and Henri all looked at the amazing piece of equipment below and the question hung in the air like a guillotine. The four men were silent as they tried to take in the ramifications of what was represented below. Jenks popped a fresh cigar in his mouth and articulated the moment with vivid verb.

  “A goddamned time machine.”

  PART TWO

  THE TIME MACHINE

  There are really four dimensions, three which we call the three planes of Space, and a fourth, Time.

  —H. G. Wells, The Time Machine

  7

  THE CONTINENT OF ANTARCTICA, 227,000 B.C.E.

  The old and shattered camp was the fifth one Everett had come across since he had found himself hundreds of thousands of years in the past. Military equipment that should not be here was strewn haphazardly around a small clearing. Vines and other vegetation had grown around and through the rusty and shattered tools of military conquest. This camp was far different from the four he had discovered in the days before. This was what he knew to be a Roman stockade. He had done his Annapolis dissertation on Roman tactics during that empire’s reign throughout history. Everywhere there were rusty and broken swords. Spears with their shafts shattered. Helmets, rotted red cloaks, and the remains of many campfires. But strangest of all was the semi-modern Japanese equipment lying about, intermingled with ancient Roman gear.

  “What the hell was this?” he asked himself as he examined the two very different sets of finds. He checked the more modern Japanese rifles and saw that none of them had ammunition, a sorrowful discovery that lessened his chances of living through this. He tossed a broken bolt-action rifle down and then looked around the eerie setting. No remains were evident as he scanned the area with his bow at the ready.

  Suddenly a memory occurred to him that had skipped his train of thought. He now remembered Sarah’s discovery during the search for the alien power plant that the Iranians had conducted experiments with the dimensional wormholes and had disrupted time to the point that they had succeeded in snatching Roman, Japanese, and even Chinese troops from their own planes of existence. These must be the remains of those lost souls. As he looked around the stockade he came to the conclusion that these differing warring entities came together for a common cause called survival. And from the looks of the stockade that mission failed and failed big time.

  His boot kicked at a small bush that had entwined itself around an object that was solid. He reached down and cleared away the undergrowth and then his eyes widened in surprise. He lifted the heavy piece and examined it with a smile, knowing that the theory about the Iranian experiments were accurate. In his hands was that proof. The large golden eagle was ornate and tinged with mold but was otherwise intact. The shaft that once attached the eagle had long since vanished but the object was as familiar to Everett as his own flag. The Roman numeral for nine, IX, marked the eagle as the standard for the famous and very much ancient Ninth Legion of the Roman Empire. The very same legion that had mysteriously vanished during the occupation of Britain.

  Carl allowed the eagle to slide from his hands as he felt the shudder of the earth beneath his feat. As he looked around at the growing darkness, the ashfall began in earnest.

  The rumble of Mount Erebus proclaimed that if the animal life in Antarctica didn’t get him, the volcano would.

  Carl Everett knew that he and the last continent on earth that wasn’t frozen over were now living on borrowed time.

  Antarctica was beginning its death throes.

  EVENT GROUP COMPLEX, NELLIS AIR FORCE BASE, NEVADA

  Jason Ryan tugged at the loose-fitting desert BDUs he was issued. Colonel Collins had issued orders that any field teams would go in the guise of Army Corps of Engineers as their cover, thus the desert BDUs with their computer-designed camouflage. He saw his reflection in the white plastic wall of the curving hallway as he made his way to the cafeteria. As well as the blue and red tattoo that seemed to make people, women especially, step a wide path around him, the new military clothing line did not meet with his approval.

  He was about to step into the large eating area when he saw something th
at made him stop at the entrance and watch. The three women moved as if they were in the midst of a prison break. He shook his head as he watched Alice Hamilton, Sarah McIntire, and Anya Korvesky turn a corner heading for the bank of air-cushioned elevators. He started to walk in for his lunch and then decided what he had seen didn’t quite look right. He turned away and followed. At the corner he saw them enter the elevator and he watched from the rounded corner as the doors closed. He watched the elevator’s annunciator as it traveled down only two levels to nine. He went to the second lift and followed.

  * * *

  The knock on the clean room door brought Xavier Morales’s head up. He closed the electronic pad he was using and then looked at Charlie. He shrugged.

  “If they don’t have clearance they will go away,” Ellenshaw said as he turned back to his own electronic pad and perused an old geology report on back-scanner results from the Antarctic.

  Suddenly the door buzzed and it slid open.

  “I guess whoever it is has the clearance,” Morales said as he watched the doorway.

  Alice Hamilton smiled as she, Anya, and Sarah walked into the clean room. They had the required antistatic clothing and hairnets, which made them look like nurses. Xavier had reinstituted clean room policy until he got the kinks worked out on the nervous breakdown, as he called it, of Europa.

  “Mrs. Hamilton, ladies, what may I help you with?” Xavier asked politely, not liking the smile on the older woman’s face.

  “Uh, Niles would be hard-pressed to know why you’re here,” Charlie said timidly.

  Alice only smiled and looked at Ellenshaw until he swallowed and turned away. Then Alice placed a hand on Charlie’s shoulder and leaned in.

  “How many field assignments did I okay with your name on them when you weren’t cleared to go?”

  Charlie looked at Xavier and half smiled.

  “A few,” Ellenshaw said.

  Alice squeezed a little on his shoulder. “Charlie, how many?”

  “Six … uh,” he said as she squeezed again, the way Garrison taught her a million years before, “Ah, ah, okay, nine, nine.”

  Alice looked at the two women with her. “Charlie’s adventures, I call them.” She turned and looked at Xavier. “Hello,” she said as she rolled a chair over and sat next to Morales’s own wheelchair.

  “Mrs. Hamilton, I can guess why you ladies are here. And I have caught up on not only these members and their personnel files, but yours also. ‘Perused’ may be a better word. But on the advice of Director Compton I spent an inordinate amount of time on your particular personnel file, Mrs. Hamilton.”

  Alice kept the smile on her face but inside she cursed Niles for his vision.

  “What you have done for this agency and her charter is nothing short of amazing. You and former Director Lee, you could field volumes of adventure novels, but what you came for today cannot happen. I can guess, from listening to other Group members, and from your file that you are here to represent these ladies and argue that they should be listed on any field team action. That, I dare say, is out of my control.”

  “We have a large stake in this mission,” Anya said, but then stopped when she saw Alice look her way and then imperceptibly shake her head. Anya got the hint. Sarah knew enough in her years at Group to let Alice handle the subversion tactics.

  “You want Europa to insert your names into the mission profile if anything is found, right?” Charlie asked, and then looked away when Alice raised her beautiful eyebrow at him. He decided to allow Xavier to try to stop the unstoppable force of the Event Group.

  “I believe both Anya and Sarah will complement any field team if and when they are a go,” Alice said as she eyed the young Morales. “There was one reason I was onboard when your name came up as a replacement for Pete, and Niles and Jack both agreed.”

  “Because I’m handsome and the best computer man in the world?” Xavier asked with a wink and a smile.

  “No, because you have a soul. You think outside of the box, as they say, as recently demonstrated by your unadvised foray into the world of worldwide drug cartels. You do what you think is right, no matter what the personal danger is to yourself.”

  Xavier felt the trap as it slowly closed.

  “And these ladies have the same right as yourself. They want to be on this mission, but Jack won’t allow it because, to tell you the truth, it’s just far too hazardous. We feel you can work your way around that stipulation somewhat.”

  Xavier produced a list from his shirt pocket and then wheeled his chair around and handed the list to Anya. She looked it over and Alice and Sarah both saw the smile start to form on the young Gypsy’s mouth.

  “What is it?” Sarah asked.

  “It’s the mission roster that Europa recommended to Niles over an hour ago.”

  Alice again raised her brows and then accepted the list from Anya. She looked down at the bottom.

  “Dr. Morales, Europa has a certain protocol in her system that is basically a countersign to warn someone if the order actually originated with the Cray system.” She held out the list and pointed to the lower right-hand corner. “If the recommendation originated with Europa, there would be a series of numbers and code right here.” She tapped the lower right-hand corner with an elegant red nail. She looked at Xavier and returned his wry wink.

  “It seems I’ve been caught,” Xavier said as he turned toward the glass and the visage of Europa beyond. “You could have said something about the code, Europa,” he said, shaking his head.

  Europa didn’t respond. It sat silent with its billions of bubbles slowly rising and falling in their elongated acrylic tanks.

  “What does that mean?” Anya asked as Charlie grimaced.

  “It means that our new friend here manually entered the mission roster,” Charlie said, knowing what Xavier had done. “If you’re caught, Niles will forego the welcoming party for you and turn it into a necktie soiree. He will hang you, Doctor.”

  For once Alice agreed that Charlie had the right call. Her plan was to seduce the young whiz and then if caught do what she always had, pull rank and then take the responsibility. She handed the mission roster back to Xavier and smiled.

  “I’ll correct this immediately,” was all he said.

  “As of this minute, if asked, you will say you were coerced into issuing the roster by me … understand, young man?”

  Xavier looked at Alice and then just nodded. Anya for her part was more of a romantic and leaned over and pecked the computer genius on the cheek. He smiled in embarrassment.

  “Yeah, you’ll fit in just fine with us Group of pirates,” Sarah said as she, Anya, and Alice left the clean room.

  “You may have gained the respect of Alice, Anya, and Sarah, but if Niles finds out you falsified a Europa recommendation, even for Alice, oh, mama!” Charlie hissed.

  “In my short years of life on this messed-up planet I have come to one resolute conclusion: never, ever allow rules to get in the way of discovery and investigation. They deserve to go.”

  Charlie looked at Xavier and had to admit that he might be the answer to the absence of Pete Golding, after all. Pete would have done it without having to be asked by Alice, just as the kid had just done.

  “Uh, you didn’t falsify my spot on the mission roster, did you?” Ellenshaw asked.

  “No, of course not. Dr. Compton specifically called for you to go.”

  Charlie smiled, feeling his worth.

  “He may just be wanting to get rid of you.” Ellenshaw lost the smile and then looked toward Europa, unnerved by the comment.

  Morales smiled at his small joke.

  * * *

  The three women had stopped just outside of the clean room when they came face-to-face with the tattooed Ryan. He saw the guilty look on Sarah’s and Anya’s faces but only a wry smile from Alice.

  “All right, what’s going on?”

  “Absolutely nothing, Mr. Ryan,” Alice said as she stepped to the side and tried to pass, bu
t Jason stepped to his right and blocked the escape, forcing Anya and Sarah to bump into her backside.

  “You’re kidding me, right?” he asked as he took a step back so he could see all three faces. “After all of these years you’re going to claim that, to me?”

  “Mr. Ryan, I assure you that—”

  “Save it. Now, what are you doing? Does this have something to do with you three being left off the duty roster?”

  “I can most assuredly say not,” Alice said as she stared Ryan down.

  “Liar, liar, culottes on fire.”

  “Okay, Mr. Ryan, I want these ladies to have a spot on that roster. They need to be there. Anya in case Carl is not found, Sarah because she knows it’s in all probability that Jack won’t be coming back. They can handle the danger.”

  “Alice,” Jason said holding his ground. “I was recruited into the Group by men who I respect above all others. If they say to keep something to a minimum, like personnel on a mission, I do it. I found out the hard way that going against the colonel’s recommended manpower structure tends to get my ass chewed on, so this is self-preservation.”

  “Jason—” Sarah started but then stopped when Ryan became angry.

  “Listen, the mission will be hazardous enough, and no matter what coercion you just used on the new kid in there, it won’t change anything. Dr. Compton will see right through it, and if for some far-out reason he doesn’t, Jack will. The answer is no.”

  “Damn,” Alice said as she turned to the two disappointed women.

  “He’s turned into a snitch for the director,” Sarah said, aghast that Ryan, a usual conspirator in crime with the rest of them, had turned his back on the two women.

  “It’s not Jason, it’s Jack.” Alice looked at them and then waved them onward. “Come on, ladies, we’ll be expected in the director’s office at anytime for our royal ass chewing.”

  “Great,” was all Sarah said, knowing Jack would be informed of her crimes against his orders.

  BROOKLYN NAVY YARD

  The three bodyguards had waited inside the outer office area. The visitors to the doorway had not taken the time to examine the equipment in the PIT, even though the gruff little man with the cigar had thrown a fit when his boss told him to wait on someone named Virginia. The large man, Julien, waited by the doors of the elevator as his cell phone chimed.