The Corps of Discovery Trilogy Box Set: Books 1-3: A multiverse series of alternate history

by James S. Peet

  “Everyone get ready, guns out,” he said, extracting the submachine gun from its bag. Lane followed suit with his shotgun, while Matt and Jordan sat with pistols handy. Everyone’s eyes were on the station entrance as Miles pulled the truck away.

  As Bill expected, Peters came out of the station, saw the truck pulling away, and ran toward the line of taxis in front of the station. The last he saw was Peters jumping into the back seat of the first taxi in line.

  The drive out of town was uneventful, with the Explorers all keeping an eye on the following taxi.

  “Here’s what we’re gonna do,” Bill said. “As soon as we pull into the driveway, Lane, you and I are gonna jump out and hide in ambush. If he gets out there, we take him by surprise. If he drives all the way up to the house,” he nodded toward Jordan and Matt, “you guys take care of him. Try to capture him, though. No need for any more dead people.”

  “What are you thinking?” Jordan asked.

  “Nancy says they’re checking the gate every day, so we’ll be crossing over this afternoon.” Looking around at all three Explorers, he continued, “We might be compromised. I don’t want to kill him, but we can’t leave him. So, it looks like Special Agent Drew Peters is about to become an involuntary immigrant to Hayek.”

  Matt chuckled. “So, does that mean he has to pay the hundred K immigration fee?” referring to the fee Parallel, Inc. charged to anyone wanting to migrate to Hayek, if they didn’t want to work it off in servitude.

  “Naw, likely be given an Explorer slot,” Jordan quipped.

  “Actually, as tenacious as this guy is, that wouldn’t be a bad idea,” Lane piped up.

  The others looked at him as if he were crazy.

  “Think about it. This guy’s been chasing us for damn near three weeks. He found us twice. And he’s crossed multiple boundaries, both national and cultural. He just might be the type we could use in the Cultural Survey Section.”

  “Okay, fine. You convince him and the commandant,” Bill said. “After we take him down and cross over.”

  Leaning toward the driver’s side window, which was open due to the aforementioned two-forty air-conditioning from when they first crossed over, Bill yelled, “Slow down when you turn into the drive, just enough for a couple of us to jump out. We’re setting up an ambush.”

  “Will do,” came the reply.

  Miles slowed down even more than necessary when he made the turn. Fortunately for Bill and Lane, there were a couple of low-growing shrubs growing at the edge of the roadway which blocked anyone in the following taxi from seeing them roll out of the truck.

  Both men scrambled into the brush, far enough to be hidden but close enough to see, as the truck made its way up to the small cabin, throwing up a rooster-tail of dust as it did.

  As Bill and Lane waited in the dusty heat, they heard the taxi pulling up, the engine winding down as the car slowed. It had just pulled past the driveway when it stopped. Bill heard footsteps, a door being shut quietly, Probably trying not to be heard at the house, and then a man speaking. “Wait here, I’ll be back right quick.”

  As the man began walking, Bill heard the taxi rev up, then the squealing of tires and a thud as something hit the pavement.

  Drew began cursing quietly. Bill suspected that the driver decided not to hang around for whatever was going to happen. Then he saw why; Drew was slowly walking up the driveway, hunched over, shotgun in hand.

  Looking over at Lane, Bill could see that the other Explorer could see him, but probably couldn’t see the CBE agent. Bill, lying down in the prone position, moved his body slightly so the submachine gun was pointed at the agent. Out of the corner of his eye, Bill saw that Lane had picked up on it and also had his shotgun pointed in the general direction.

  Peters made a couple of more steps toward the house when Bill decided to take action. With a loud, commanding voice, he yelled, “Don’t move.” As Peters started to turn in his direction, Lane took that moment to also yell, “Move and die!” Peters stopped. He didn’t know how many there were, or how they were armed, but he did know that he was between at least two men, caught in an ambush, and would likely die if he tried anything.

  “Drop the gun,” Bill said.

  Peters complied.

  “Now, take off your coat and set it down, slowly.”

  Peters did so, exposing the revolver he carried in a shoulder holster.

  “Now, get down on your knees, cross your ankles, and put your hands on top of your head, lacing the fingers together.”

  Peters did so, awkwardly.

  “My man’s gonna relieve you of your gun. You do anything funny and I’ll blow you full of so many holes you’ll be able to drain spaghetti through them. Understand?”

  Peters nodded.

  “Lane, use a belt and tie his elbows behind his back then search him for weapons. One’s in a shoulder holster on his left side.”

  Lane, leaving his shotgun in the brush, but drawing his pistol and holding it at the ready, approached Peters and grasped the man’s interlocked hands with his, holding them tight while simultaneously putting his left foot on Drew’s crossed ankles, further pinning him down. Putting his own pistol in his holster, he removed his belt with one hand, then said, “Bring your hands behind your back, and don’t try anything.”

  Drew did as he was told. He could now see Bill hiding in the brush and the bore of his stolen submachine gun pointed right at his chest. The look on the hidden man’s face was one that Drew knew meant he wouldn’t hesitate to shoot.

  Lane then wrapped the belt around Drew’s arms, tightening it and then securing it with the belt’s buckle. The belt effectively served as field-expedient handcuffs.

  It took another couple of minutes for Lane to extract and toss the revolver aside and to search the CBE agent for any hidden weapons, finding only a small pocketknife. He even found a small handcuff key which he stashed in a pocket. The entire time Lane searched, he searched with only one hand, holding the belt with his other, keeping his foot on the agent’s ankles, and never putting himself in the line of fire between Drew and Bill.

  He finally stood erect, hand still holding onto the belt. “Clear.”

  Bill rose, then nodded in the direction of the cabin. “You wanted to follow us? Well, then, let’s go.”

  As Drew began walking up the driveway, he saw four other people come out of the cabin, a woman and three men. Two of the men he recognized; Jordan and Matt.

  Lane ducked off the road for a couple of seconds to retrieve his shotgun, then went out on the main road and picked up Drew’s bag, before joining Bill behind the CBE agent.

  As the trio approached the cabin, Bill said, “If you’re wondering about your partner, last we saw, he was alive. My guys tossed him from the train into the river.”

  In the cabin, Bill had Drew sit down at the kitchen table, the same one where, barely a month ago, Bill and the others had loaded up pistols before beginning their adventure. Lane dropped Drew’s luggage on the table and said, “Probably a handcuff or two in here.”

  “Check it out,” Bill said, sitting down across from Drew and motioning Einstein and Summer to sit, too.

  “Ah, lookee here,” Lane said after a couple of seconds, holding up a pair of handcuffs.

  “Cuff him,” Bill said. “And if there’re more handcuffs, cuff his ankles.”

  Reaching inside the bag again, Lane pulled out another pair of handcuffs. Another minute and Drew was handcuffed at both the wrists and the ankles. Lane was nice enough to remove the original belt restraint.

  Looking at Einstein and then Summer, Bill said, “Remember when I told you two that we would gladly pay to take you to our home, but it was a one-way trip and once you got there, there’d be no leaving?” The two nodded. “Well, that’s about to happen.”

  Turning to face Drew, he continued, “Agent Peters, you present a problem to us. Now, I can either let you go or kill you. Neither option is acceptable to me, because you’re about to witness something
that nobody on this planet can know. A third option is to take you with us. Where we’re going, you’ll be set free to pursue whatever life you want, but you’ll never be allowed to come back here. Your call. Should I shoot you or would you rather we take you with us?”

  Drew looked at Bill and clearly recognized the man was serious. There was no way he could escape because his spare cuff key was already taken away and he was surrounded by dangerous people. “Don’t sound like much of a choice.”

  “Death is light as a feather, duty heavier than a mountain,” Jordan said, quoting the Imperial Rescript to Soldiers and Sailors from the Meiji Empire.

  Drew looked at Jordan and finally nodded. “Reckon I’ll take duty, then, even if it’s only to myself.”

  Bill nodded. “Good, ‘cause I really didn’t want to kill anyone.”

  “Then why’d you kill those police officers?” Drew asked.

  Bill shrugged. “First one was an accident. I was just trying to stop that racist pig from beating my friend to death just because he had the effrontery to stand in a whites-only section. Second time, the guy had his gun out and was gonna shoot. Pure self-defense. Had you not gotten involved, then there would have been only one dead cop, not four, so don’t blame me for that. Anyhow, that’s past, and nothing we can do about it. I’ll be glad to explain more once we cross over.”

  Bill then told the three from this timeline about Hayek and the gates. The looks on their faces were incredulous, with Einstein’s face then taking a turn to the thoughtful. Bill would almost bet money that he’d probably be trying to figure the physics of the gate once they arrived on Hayek.

  81

  At four o’clock in the afternoon, a small portal opened in the cabin, one almost too small to see. A fiber-optic camera poked through, then was rapidly pulled back. A few seconds later, the portal grew, expanding to a gate big enough to allow a person through.

  Looking at the now-visible gate and back to the two voluntary and one involuntary migrants, Bill said, “That’s our ride. Jordan, please escort Ms. Washington and Dr. Einstein through. Matt and I’ll escort Agent Peters. Lane, you carry the rest of our gear.”

  Holding his arm out, Jordan said, “Ms. Washington, would you care to join me?”

  With a huge smile, Summer picked up her valise, wrapped her free arm around Jordan’s, and said, “Gladly.”

  Jordan looked back at Einstein. “Herr Professor Doctor Einstein?”

  The older man also picked up his small valise and said, “Warum nicht? Zögern wir nicht.”

  “Indeed, let’s not hesitate,” Jordan said, stepping through the gate with Summer, followed closely by Einstein.

  Bill handed his submachine gun to Lane, then he and Matt grabbed Drew under his armpits, lifting him off the chair and then off the ground. “Once we cross over and the gate shuts, we’ll take these cuffs off.”

  Stepping quickly through the gate, Bill was grateful to see the Cascade Mountains, snow still on the northern slopes, the small airfield named after the gate’s inventor, and more importantly, his wife and son. He also spotted his father and the Commandant, along with Nicole Andrews, who was waiting for Matt.

  A few more steps in and the two Explorers set Drew’s feet down. Bill turned to watch Lane step through the gate which was immediately shut down. Lane set the gear down and began to unlock the handcuffs around Drew’s feet while Bill was assaulted by a wife who couldn’t wait to hold him and kiss him. He reciprocated in kind.

  Letting go of his wife, he turned and found his father and Commandant Lewis standing nearby, the older Clark holding onto the youngest Clark, who was now resembling a human and less a fleshy blob.

  He took the young infant into his arms and kissed the top of his head. “Hey, miss me, little guy?”

  Little Jack just gurgled and waved his arms. He seemed to have grown so much in the month that Bill had been gone. Children under six months tended to do that.

  Finally looking back up, Bill said, “The guy in handcuffs is an involuntary migrant. I’ll be glad to explain more during debriefing, but I think Lane has an idea worth discussing.

  Drew, rubbing his wrist where the handcuff had been, looked over at Lane who looked back at him. “We’ll talk during debrief.”

  Drew then looked around, taking in the scene in wonder. A look back at where the gate and cabin were confirmed the fact that he was no longer in the Republic of California, and definitely not on his timeline. That fact was driven home when he saw a C-123 Caribou fly over and touch down on Bowman field. He had seen aeroplanes before, but nothing as big as this one.

  Bill introduced the other migrants. “Dr. Einstein here is the inventor of the adjustable electromagnetic repulsive technology, or anti-gravity device if you will. He decided coming with us was safer than staying on his planet. Seems the Germans wanted him somewhat fierce. And, this is Summer Washington. She wound up getting caught up in everything and chose to join us. They’re both going to need some housing and acclimation, and I promised them we’d help with both. I’ll discuss it more during debrief.”

  Commandant Lewis introduced himself to the three migrants and welcomed them to Hayek. “Give me an hour and I’ll have housing set up for you. In the meantime, would you be willing to be entertained by my daughter while I debrief these gentlemen?”

  Summer and Einstein agreed wholeheartedly, while Drew did so resignedly. Bill wasn’t sympathetic, nor were the others.

  A number of small jeeps were waiting for them, so everyone climbed into a jeep, and soon they were heading toward the base headquarters. Bill rode with Meri, with Little Jack on his lap, while his father rode in the back seat. Jordan and Summer shared a jeep with Matt and Nicole, while Drew and Einstein rode with Lane and Commandant Lewis.

  In short order, they all pulled up in front of headquarters. Commandant Lewis handed Einstein and Drew off to Meri, while Nicole practically dragged Summer along. The two Explorers decided to give the three new immigrants a small tour of Sacagawea Base, with a final stop at the Cave Bear Cave for drinks and light snacks.

  Meanwhile, the four Explorers grabbed their equipment and followed Lewis inside the building. Before they entered, Lewis told his daughter they wouldn’t be long and he’d call as soon as they were done.

  On entering the building, Lewis spoke briefly with his assistant, Lisa Ragnar, telling her to find housing for the new migrants. “Something temporary, but separate. At least one will likely be moving off base soon.”

  The debrief was an abbreviated one. The Commandant knew there would be a longer one later, and he didn’t want to hold the men any longer than necessary. Bill and the others handed over the rolls of film with photos of the plans on them to Lewis, while Bill gave a brief summary of what had transpired and what he had offered Einstein in return for migrating to Hayek. Lewis agreed, and said, “We’ll get him set up with some Parallel folks tomorrow.

  “One thing,” Bill said, wrapping up the debrief. “Taking Jordan was a mistake.” Nodding toward his companion, he continued, “Not that he did anything wrong, it’s just that not knowing the norms put us in a more precarious situation. Had Jordan not been along, it’s likely we never would have been involved with the police in the Confederacy.”

  “I’d have to agree,” Jordan said. “I pretty much brought the law down on us, and didn’t really serve the purpose I was sent along for. I think if we ever go back to such a place, don’t send somebody like me.”

  Lewis watched the four men closely, seeing the change that had come over them, again. After the Explorers had finished describing their adventures, Lewis asked, more toward Bill and Jordan than to Lane, “How do you feel about killing those officers?”

  Jordan said, “Not a thing. That bastard was one racist mother, and I could see murder in his eyes, so, no, killing him didn’t bother me at all. I’ve felt worse for accidentally killing a bug than I did that piece of work.”

  “And, you, Bill?” The commandant knew of Bill’s PTSD from prior incidents, so was
expecting more of it.

  Bill shrugged. “The first time, in St. Louis, was hard. I was really bothered by it, but we worked through that on the trip into the Confederacy, so I don’t feel as bad about it. I wish I hadn’t killed him, but then again, he’s the one who started it and it didn’t look like any other way out. The cop in Memphis was an accident, and that also really bothered me, but not as much. He was trying to hurt Jordan, so, in a way, he set himself up for that. The cop in Atlanta, on the other hand, he was trying to kill me. If he didn’t already have his gun pointed at me, he’d be alive today. I’m gonna put that one on Agent Peters.”

  “That makes sense. Speaking of Agent Peters, what do you suggest we do with him?”

  Lane spoke up. “Sir, I know this is going to sound kind of out there, but I’m going to suggest that we see about him becoming a CSS.”

  “Cultural Survey Specialist? You want him in the Corps? Why?”

  “First off, the man’s smart; you can tell that in how he managed to constantly find us. He used his brain. Second, he’s as tenacious as a saber-tooth hanging onto a mastodon. Look at it; that man not only tracked us down from Memphis to Atlanta, and even after Bill gave him a concussion, he still managed to track us to Charleston. And then, as if that wasn’t good enough, he managed to track us across a continent on only the barest information, and managed to find us. Hell, if he and his crews had been competent in close-quarters combat, it’s likely we’d be languishing in some prison in the Confederacy.”

  “Languishing, hell,” Jordan said. “Some of us would be dead.”

  “Exactly,” Lane said. “With your permission sir, I’d like to see if he’ll join the Corps. I know this is irregular, but I think it’s something that’ll benefit all of us.”

  Lewis looked at the other three men. “So, what do you guys think about this?”

  Matt shrugged. “Yeah, I’d agree with Lane. Give him a try.”

  Bill nodded. “I think it’s worth a try. But because he’s an agent of the Confederate Bureau of Enforcement, I think the final vote lies with the guy who had to put up with their policies the most and almost died because of them.” At that point, he looked over at Jordan.