Creation- The Auditor’s Apprentice

by Frank Stonely

  'That gives us plenty of time then,' she said, walking back into the lounge, wearing only Hedrick's locket, and carrying two brandy glasses containing generous measures of cognac.

  'I should have bad days more often,' he said, as she untied his bow tie. He closed his eyes and let his head fall back against the sofa.

  'That's it, Heddy, just relax and let all that stress out,' she whispered into his ear as she unbuttoned his shirt. She combed her claws through the fur of his exposed chest recalling their days at the Academy. 'Show me that trick you used to do with your tongue,’ she said excitedly, sitting up to look down into his eyes. ‘You remember, it used to drive the females wild!' Hedrick smiled and, with his eyes still closed, slid his tongue out of the corner of his mouth, then like a pink serpent slithering though grass, it made its way up through the fur on the side of his snout, the tip passing his eye before disappearing down into his ear. She screamed with delight, her tail thrashing left and right, 'You're the only male in Creation who can do that, Heddy.'

  'And how would you know?' Hedrick said, sucking his tongue back into his mouth.

  'You'd be surprised what I know.' she said in a seductive voice, burying her muzzle deep into his reproductive pits. Hedrick gasped, as her tongue slid through the fronds concealing his engorged vesicles.

  Following his contretemps with Anubis, Tanka had kept Daniel away from the Ground Station. The village had accepted him and he now spent his days helping out at the village shop and doing handyman jobs wherever he was needed. At first Tanka had asked him to help run the pub but, with Sally constantly trying to seduce him, this only lasted a few days. One evening, Peter, a local farmer, had suggested he join the village cricket team. This became his favourite pastime, once he had got his head around the weird rules. But he could have done without Sally’s ardent support, cheering him on from the boundary as though it was a football match.

  Having explored the surrounding lanes and dales he was now travelling further afield, using the bus that visited the village each day. Anubis had been convinced that, one day, on one of these trips, he wouldn’t return. But where else was he going to go? The drone was his only hope of seeing Amy again. It had been during a visit to Ashbourne, a small town in the Derbyshire Dales, that he had purchased the journal that would change everything. He entered the high-street newsagents looking to buy a guide of the local area but, as he scanned the shelves, the artwork on the cover of a science magazine jumped out, compelling him to buy it. Over a lunch of two pints of bitter, a ham cob and a bowl of thick cut chips, he perused the journal, realising he had more to contribute than just sightseeing.

  That evening, over dinner, Daniel showed the journal to Tanka, explaining that it could be the answer to their energy problem. Tanka was sceptical, but agreed it was probably worth running past Anubis. So, the next morning, they walked up to the Ground Station and hesitantly opened the door.

  To break the ice, Tanka was now doing what Mrs. Perkins always did in a stressful situation, brewing a pot of tea. She returned to the kitchen table carrying a tray with four mugs of tea and a plate stacked with chocolate-coated biscuits. Ignoring Daniel, Anubis and the Gatekeeper, Orion, were huddled over their design notes, trying to calculate how much trihadronite would be required to implode a star the size of the Sun. Tanka snapped one of the biscuits in half and thoughtfully dunked it into her mug of tea. ‘Have you come up with a delivery mechanism yet?’ she asked.'

  ‘No, not yet.’

  ‘Well maybe Daniel has.’

  Anubis raised his head and looked at Tanka, then switched to Daniel who handed the journal to him saying, ‘I got this yesterday, I think you’ll find it interesting.’ Anubis slowly reached out and took the magazine as though it was a stick of dynamite with its fuse burning. Daniel picked up his mug and taking a sip of tea said, ‘Look at the cover! That’s how you get the trihadronite into the Sun’s core.' On the cover of the magazine was the headline, NASA To Launch Solar Explorer Probe above an artist’s impression depicting a spacecraft entering the Sun’s corona. ‘I read the article last night, the launch date gives us five years to build your temporal bomb.'

  Anubis flipped through the pages of the journal and tossing it back onto the table said, 'I told you… they haven't discovered temporal technology yet.’

  Daniel retrieved the journal and handed it back, 'Look at page sixty-seven. The Hadron apparition has already been inserted.'

  'Who’s Hadron?' Tanka asked, dunking another biscuit into her tea.

  'Not who, what. Hadron is the name given to a class of subatomic particles with a temporal constant of less than one. It’s what the planetary insertion drones use to create matter during the terraforming process. The Hadron apparition is the first step towards humans discovering temporal physics,’ Anubis said as he flipped through the pages to find the article.

  ‘It says they’re in the process of upgrading the machine they used to discover quarks,’ Daniel added, ‘it’s called the LHC, Large Hadron Collider. They’ve been using it to try and find what they call the God particle, the inter-dimensional quark.’

  ‘If only they knew where the term god came from.’ Tanka muttered.

  Anubis found page sixty-seven which carried a large photograph of a conceited-looking male wearing a white laboratory coat under the headline, LHC Super Detector Proposal. With the others sitting in silence he scanned through the article. Then Tanka spoke, ‘I don’t understand. How’s this going to help us?’

  ‘Energy!’ Anubis replied. ‘If my calculations are correct, we’ll need about fifteen kilos of the trihadronite to implode a star the size of the Sun and, if this new super detector does what they say it will, they’ll produce temperatures high enough to synthesise it.'

  Hedrick was an invigorated creationist as he returned to the audit office that night. It had been more time than he could remember since they had enjoyed such spontaneous sex, writhing around on the lounge sofa like a pair of Academy students. He had never lost his desire for his wife; for him, she was still the most alluring female in Creation. In spite of her age her body was firm and youthful, her mane without a single fleck of grey. As he relived his passionate evening, he started to giggle uncontrollably, drawing a glance of disapproval from the elderly male sitting opposite him on the levitram.

  He walked into his office to find a sheet of paper placed centrally on his desk. The hand written note was signed by Amy and read, We’re going to rescue Daniel. Come to Technician Mohammed's laboratory ASAP. Hedrick sighed as he walked to Penny's desk and, taking a pen from the caddy, crossed out Amy's signature and replaced it with his initials before placing the sheet on her keyboard.

  The plaza was dark and deserted with the only light coming from the ornate lamp standards which ran its length. Hedrick set off diagonally across the plaza towards the D&EC building. As he walked through the main entrance, the security guard sitting at the reception desk looked up. Hedrick flashed his level one pass and walked directly to the elevator station.

  As the doors opened on level six, Amy was waiting for him, clearly excited. ‘Director, Mo's convinced we can find Daniel. When Usha returns we’ll know exactly where he is.' Amy continued, as she led Hedrick towards Mo's laboratory. ‘His body’s in the Medical Centre, it’s in some sort of catatonic state. I spoke to the physician there and he said that once his essence is returned he should make a full recovery.'

  'And how are you going to recover his essence?' Hedrick asked, almost having to shout to make himself heard over the noise coming from the workshops.

  'I’ll let Mohammed explain to you.'

  Amy opened the door of the lab and let Hedrick go through first. Mo was staring into the workstation’s display, 'Just give me a minute,' he said as he started to type, 'I just need to change this piece of code.'

  Hedrick closed the door and drew two of the workbench stools up to Mo's desk. ‘So you think you can rescue Daniel?’

  ‘We can, once we’ve located him,’ Mo said, pressing th
e Activation key.

  Amy gave Mo an anxious glance then, turning to Hedrick, said, ‘Director, Mo’s looked at the modified drone and he thinks we can use it.’

  ‘I forbid it, Amy!’ Hedrick snapped.

  ‘But, Director, it’s the only way we can get him back!’

  ‘Listen! In eighteen hours the angel Haamiah will extract that universe. And if you think she is going to delay doing so, just because you and Technician Mohammed are on that planet searching for Daniel, you are mistaken!’

  ‘I’m not going anywhere!’ Mo exclaimed emphatically.

  Amy glared at him and then looked back at Hedrick, ‘So you’re just going to let Daniel die?’

  ‘Of course not! I just do not think going to the planet will achieve anything. We need help, Amy, help from other entities, entities that do not need a mechanical device to travel through space and time.’ Hedrick paused, then speaking slowly, almost to himself said, ‘I need to call in a few favours, and I think I know where to start.’

  He turned to leave the lab just as Penny opened the door. She came into the room followed by Ravi, ‘It’s worse than you thought, Director,’ she said. ‘Ravi’s been checking yesterday’s production figures. Tell him, Rav.’

  ‘Penny’s right, Director. Now I know what to look for, I’ve found signs of other universes that have been affected. Instead of looking for reduced DM production, I’ve been checking for a slowdown in the development of temporal technology. There’s a clear pattern, but the effect’s won’t show up in the audit reports for weeks yet.’

  Hedrick looked ashen, all the vitality from his visit home having drained away. He pushed past Penny and Ravi without answering and strode away.

  ‘That went well,’ Ravi said.

  Penny responded by sinking her elbow into his side, ‘Shut up, Rav!’

  ‘I don’t care what the director says; I’m going to rescue Daniel!’ Amy waited for a response from the others, but none came. ‘Mo! You’re supposed to be his pal, are you going to help me or not?’

  ‘What can I do?’

  ‘Start by making Anubis’ drone work.’

  Penny stepped forward and held Amy’s arm, ‘I think this is a big mistake, girl.’

  ‘The only mistake is standing here and letting the minutes tick by until Haamiah vaporises the planet. Now are you all with me or not!’

  Penny turned to face Mo and using her don’t mess with me voice said, ‘You heard the girl! Now go get that drone working.’

  As Hedrick walked back from Mo’s lab, he had been juggling all the feasible options around in his head. Using the angels was out of the question; Haamiah seemed intent on extracting the universe and he knew from past experience that when she was on a mission there was no stopping her. So why had Those-On-High held her back? There was something going on here he didn’t understand and from what Abraxas had told him, it somehow involved the poltergeists. That left him only one option – the ghosts.

  It had been decades since he had last called upon the Prima-Ghosta. He closed his eyes and sank back into his chair in a trance-like state, reaching out with his mind. Almost instantly the reply came, ‘And how can we help you, Director Hedrick?’ He opened his eyes to see an elderly ghost sitting in the chair on the other side of his desk, its form vague and translucent, as though seen through a dust-covered mirror.

  Hedrick sat up and leant towards the entity, ‘I need your help with a rather delicate matter.’

  ‘Might that help involve the recovery of Technician Daniel’s essence?’

  Hedrick smiled, ‘Yes, indeed it might.’

  ‘And why should we do that?’

  ‘Because it will drive the angel Haamiah wild,’ Hedrick said with a smile.

  21

  Distillation Plant

  Penny entered the workshop carrying a tray. This was the fourth time in the last hour she had made coffee for them. They had worked all night and were using the caffeine to kick-start their brains. Penny was just pleased to have something useful to do. With the others talking techno-speak, she felt completely useless. Jessian picked up a mug and leant back against the workbench, ‘I know Anubis is the lowest form of life, but you’ve got to admit he’s a brilliant engineer,’ she said between sips, ‘The essence extractor on his drone is pure genius, and that energy compression modulator, it’s brilliant!’

  Mo and Amy walked towards her. They had been sitting at a digital workstation at the far end of the workshop, trying to figure out how the modified drone software worked. Amy picked up two mugs from the tray and, handing one to Mo, said to Jessian, ‘But can you make it work?’

  ‘I don’t see why not. I’ve got a pretty good understanding of the design. As long as Mo can come up with the destination and temporal coordinates, there shouldn’t be a problem. We’ll either suffocate when the Launch Platform is evacuated, or end up somewhere in the Space Dimension.

  Mo latched onto the word we; ‘Well, I’m not going anywhere! I’ll be needed here, someone’s got to look after your bodies, you don’t want to come back to a decomposing corpse, do you?’

  ‘That’s very reassuring, Mo… knowing that you’ll be looking after my body,’ Amy said, giving Jessian a wry smile. Mo’s muzzle flushed with embarrassment and he started flipping through a software printout.

  Ravi had said nothing during their coffee break, but as he put his mug back on the tray he said to Amy, ‘Well, that leaves me then. It looks like I’m going with you.’

  At first Penny thought Ravi was joking. ‘That’s a great idea hun, let’s all go!’ she said, breaking into laughter. Then, seeing the stony faces surrounding her, the laughter tailed off. ‘Are you really serious?’ she asked.

  ‘Amy can’t go on her own! Jess is needed here to launch the drone, Mo to analyse the data, and you’ve got to keep Director Hedrick occupied, so, that leaves me.’

  Penny stood dumfounded, her eyes switching between the others. ‘But…’ was all she could say as the enormity of what they were proposing sank in. She glanced up at the wall clock; it was six-thirty, ‘Well… I’ve got to go.’ She walked up to Ravi and kissed him on his lips, ‘Look after yourself, hun,’ she whispered, then quickly turned and left the workshop.’

  As Penny walked down the central aisle of the audit office she could see Hedrick sitting at his desk with his eyes closed. She walked straight into his office carrying the cup of takeaway coffee and a croissant she had picked up from the kiosk next to the levitram station. ‘I thought you could do with some breakfast, Director,’ she said, placing them on his desk.

  Hedrick opened his eyes and looked up at her, ‘I do not think you need to do any more work towards my retirement party, Penny. I suspect it will probably be cancelled - copper keys do not warrant a celebration.’

  Ignoring the comment, she took a deep breath and said, ‘Director, there’s something I’ve got to tell you.’

  ‘I think I can guess what it is, Penny,’ Hedrick said in a voice resigned to the inevitable. Amy was so like his lost daughter; strong, intelligent, loving, but ultimately, independent. He knew that nothing he said would have stopped Amy, as it hadn’t stopped his daughter that tragic night. He reached out to pick up the coffee, ‘She is going to try and rescue him.’ The words were a statement rather than a question.

  Penny sighed, ‘Yes, Director. She’s determined.’

  ‘I know she is.’ Penny turned to leave the office, ‘Oh, Penny, do not forget our luncheon appointment today.’

  ‘I’m looking forward to it, Director.’

  The Gatekeeper was right, if Daniel was ever going to see Amy again, he had no alternative but to cooperate. The time was coming when Anubis was going to need the encryption key. It was the only reason Daniel was still alive. So, as the months went by, Daniel, Anubis and the Gatekeeper worked together to adapt the scaled down drone to interface with human physiology.

  With his knowledge of the local area, Daniel had become the forager, using Anubis’ four-by-four to visit the various engi
neering companies that populated the cities of Sheffield and Derby. He opened the back and slid out the projector arms he had collected that morning from an electroplating company. As he walked into the Ground Station, Anubis and Tanka were sitting at the kitchen table enjoying the contents of their lunch boxes. ‘Yours is on the counter,’ Tanka called out as Daniel stowed the chrome plated tubes on the storage rack.

  As he tucked into his cheese cob, Daniel listened intently as Anubis explained his audacious plan to power the new drone which, amazingly, sounded feasible. He was using the now well-thumbed journal that Daniel had purchased in Ashbourne to aid his explanation.

  Daniel brushed the crumbs from his overalls, ‘So let me get this right. You’re going to take over this super collider project and convert it into a trihadronite distillation plant?’

  ‘No! Not me, the guy in the picture, Professor Williams.’

  ‘Why’s he so important?’

  ‘He’s the head of the High Energy Physics Group at Cambridge University. He’s been pushing for a new particle detector for years. He wants to prove his theory about temporal sub-atomic particles… although I think he’s just after a Nobel Prize.’

  ‘I thought that was a pagan apparition,’ Tanka said.

  ‘No, Tanka, I said Nobel, not Noel. It’s an award they give in recognition of cultural or scientific advances. Anyway, just think about it. If we could infiltrate the detector team, I could modify things to produce trihadronite as a by-product.’

  ‘But they’re not stupid. They’re going to realise you’ve modified their design.’

  ‘Here’s the brilliant part, Daniel! These life forms are so obsessed with developing weapons, if we convince them there’s a military use for my modifications, they’ll make the whole programme top secret. We baffle a few generals with a bit of technical mumbo-jumbo, promising them a super weapon, and they’ll give us all the resources we need. It’s brilliant!’