by Steve Hertig
Fractime Sojourn (Part 2)
Steve Hertig
All characters in this book are fictitious.
Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.
All rights reserved.
Copyright 2014 Steve Hertig
ISBN 9781310123245
You can connect with other Fractime fans and the author online at Facebook: https://facebook.com/fractime
Version 2.0
This book contains mature content.
Part 2: Sojourn
"…what we know, or think we know, about the universe
of space and time is changing very quickly.
- Fred Saberhagen
Chapter 16
Planet Trua
On the top of the citadel's eastern tower as the second sun was rising, the queen watched Luinan approach. Of all her siblings, tradition only allowed an Elder Sister there at this time of day.
"Luinan, my darling!" the Family's monarch said giving her daughter a warm, but frail embrace. She acquired a slow but incurable infection during her travels throughout fractime that even the best medical AIs could not heal. "You've been away far too long," she said.
"It's wonderful to see you again, my queen."
"I'm still strong enough to pinch you for your formalities," the queen replied.
"I'm sorry Mama," Luinan said looking lovingly into her mother's violet eyes.
"Has the malignancy spread?" the queen asked referring to the ancient war.
"It still spreads," Luinan replied, "but we have made great progress; this last sector infected is well positioned to attempt a Sojourn in concurrence with the great flare."
"I hope to live to see the day when we wipe this infection from all time." The queen, sensing the concern in her daughter's eyes, strengthened her resolve. "We've been close before," she said still studying her daughter.
"The Citadel reports worsening instability and significant temporal loops associated with the TIA, which is certainly influencing Family activities," Luinan told her soberly.
"The Time Corps has just issued a level two warning regarding events surrounding that odd artifact," the queen said. "And the council fears the Liaths may be able to use the elevated chaos level to strategic advantage and break our ancient truce," she added.
The queen sighed deeply knowing time was short and then said, "Tell me what you've done child. I'll have to deal with the Time Minister sooner or later,"
"Everything?" Luinan asked with apprehension.
"Yes my darling, everything."
The queen debriefed her daughter for several hours. They discussed strategy associated with the creation of the Sojourn in Prime, but the queen left tactics to Luinan. There was no one else she trusted more.
As they finished, Luinan told the queen, "I alone will take full responsibility for all breaches of the Time Accords."
"Rules are made to be broken," the queen said thoughtfully remembering her own past digressions.
"Mama, all your old sayings," Luinan said smiling.
She grasped Luinan’s forearm firmly and then said, "If the Time Corps had given us more freedom to act, the infection would have died long ago saving countless lives from horrific deaths. Of all my children, I know you recognize best the lines to be crossed and how far."
The queen released her daughter's arm and quickly grasped the tower's rail, looking at the horizon with determination. She knew her moment with her daughter was short and sadness inundated her.
"I love you Mama," Luinan said as tears filled her eyes and she turned to leave.
Wrapping herself in the warmth from the binary suns before her, the queen called to Luinan beginning to descend the tower's stairs, "We must not fail, my love; not this time."
Plus: 9 Jun 2075
Hudson, that fucker, Jen said to herself as she gently traced a fine scar on her right cheek with her index finger's nail. She knew he was a traitor; but she just couldn't prove it. The single malt she swirled in front of her had not helped; she still couldn't figure out how get the bastard. The war was getting worse fast, sabotage was killing them, and she figured traitors and infiltrators could now outnumber the loyal.
The corporal replaced her empty glass with a full one.
At least, we have supplies, she thought looking at the scotch. She knew the enemies supply chain was entirely different and clever, consisting of thousands of transit hubs. Take down one and two others appear literally out of nowhere. And out of which, their RPAs could match the most advanced aircraft and decimate what the bugs left of the Navy fleet.
"To the submariners." She toasted the corporal's back to the seamen that had delivered the EMPs necessary to delay the upline invasion.
It also pissed her off moving what few troops remained in the brigade to the CMAFS; it was too much like hiding. Even so, the east and west coasts were almost totally in enemy hands except for the northeastern US, including what was left of DC. Outside the Appalachians and the Rockys, there were few cities still in their control.
"Colonel Scott, the corporal treating you well?" Major Timberin asked as he sat down next to her.
"A remarkable OC," she said taking a good look around the bar for the first time. "Buy you a drink?"
"How about a double, a celebratory one."
"Good news? Is there such a thing?"
He nodded at the corporal for his usual and gently placed the cylindrical object on the bar in front of her. "A working proto-type from your friend Hudson's skunk works in Maryland; not that we could prove he was involved."
"And its function?"
"Higgs calls it a UD."
"Can we dispense with military acronyms for once, Cale?"
He smiled. "UD is for universe detector. It tells if you're from Center or not."
"That is good news," she said considering the implications as she inspected the device closer. "Maybe Hudson's on the level after all. And maybe with that," she said looking at the UD, "the President will let us solicit help from downline."
"He seems overly concerned with DC's defense to re-focus on any new tech," Timberin said. "The only thing I know is this UD was manufactured over nine months ago."
Jen smiled. Keeping secret something as critical for their survival as a UD was all the evidence she needed to nail Hudson- enough for her anyway.
"Could come in handy, don't you think?" Timberin said pressing it to his forearm. The small display in its side flashed green. He then pressed it to her arm with the same result. "Green is for Center," he said and handed it to her. "We acquired two devices before the bastards blew themselves and the site into the next fractime.
Jen already knew what she needed to do, but it would take some help from someone she could trust besides the major. "Think you could cover for that pair downline TRs I got back in '72? I think they might finally come in handy."
He looked at her as she splashed water into her scotch. "I do owe you a favor, but I don't want to know any details."
"Deal," she said killing the last of her scotch.
"Okay, I'll arrange it. We'll blame it on espionage if we have to. But have a look at this." He handed her a pad. "It's a micro fly through of Hudson's residence."
"You bugged the Vice President?" she whispered.
"After acquiring UD," he said, "I thought it might be worthwhile to try to definitely pin it on him. I pulled some strings; the enemy isn't the only ones with people on the inside. Just look on the bed."
Jen froze the image of Hudson's unmade bed. "Looks like a briefcase, a pad, and a pistol."
Taking the pad back, Timberin zoomed in on the pistol and then showed her the image.
"Oh shit," she said, "it's the fuckin
g TIA, but this one looks functional."
"Interesting, don't you think?" he said with a smile and downed his double tequila.
"I'll be leaving in the morning," she said pushing her empty glass across the bar. "I should be back in a couple of days, if all goes well."
Hudson tried to roll over but couldn't. Still groggy, it took him a moment to realize someone had tied him to his bed and importantly, not in the usual way. Then he saw Scott in the chair next to him.
"Is this some kind of kinky joke?" he said with a chuckle. "It's not my birthday for another couple of months."
"Shush," she said in a whisper.
They had known each other for a long time, much of which filled with mutual hatred.
"We thought you could be coming around about now," a familiar female voice said from the Vice President's bathroom.
"This is kinky," Hudson said. And when another, slightly younger, Jennifer Scott came out of the bathroom he knew he was already dead.
He felt the sting just before giving his Synth its activation command and rolled his head over to see an expended hypo in the older Scott's hand.
"I assume you've already triggered the synthetic life form wrapped around your brain stem," she said and smiled to her younger accomplice.
"Fuck you," he muttered, wondering why he was still alive.
The younger Scott sat on the bed next to Hudson. "Fuck you back, prick. My sister here says that the slug wrapped around your brain will kill in approximately ten minutes despite the morphine and sodium pentothal cocktail. Isn't that right, Jen?"
"Ten minutes sounds about right, Jennifer," she said and then looked closely into Hudson's dilated eyes. "Don't worry Frank. We'll be done here in less," she added with a sneer.
"How long until it takes full effect?" Jennifer asked.
Hudson watched the younger Scott use her right hand to help turn her left wrist to view her sat-chron. He made a mental note of the weakness that he could exploit if he got the chance.
"We've got a minute or two," Jen said.
Ignoring Hudson completely, Jennifer asked, "You never said how Luinan knew you'd be in Prime."
"I still don't know," Jen said. "I had just finished talking to Mackinac's neighbor in Ann Arbor when she walked up to me. I thought she was some kind of university nutcase with weird GE eyes. We didn't talk long, but still, I believed her."
"At least Mackinac's safe," Jennifer said. "More than I can say for him in Minus."
Hudson tried to speak but now found it impossible.
"Or in Plus," Jen added looking at Hudson knowing Plus Mackinac was probably dead or captured.
"We need to find Jenny," Jennifer said.
"I'm afraid we'll probably have to let her find us. There's too much to do here." Jen said looking at her watch.
"I still have to return to Minus," Jennifer said, "I can't delay much longer."
"I know," Jen said and then turned to Hudson. "Shall we get started?"
Hudson was experiencing flashes of sheer panic between eerie moments of calmness.
Jen pulled out a UD from her pack and pressed it to Hudson's arm. It indicated yellow. "What a surprise," she said flatly.
"Now, mother fucker, do you have any intel that can or will be used against us," Jennifer asked.
"Yes," he replied, sweat beading on his forehead.
"And where is it?" Jen asked.
"My pad contains the intel," he said finding it impossible to remain silent.
"Any other intel besides what's on the pad?" Jen asked.
"No," he replied eyes wide.
The women looked at each other and shrugged their shoulders in unison.
"The combination to your brief case, dickhead?" Jennifer asked.
"It's bio-locked," he said as his bladder released.
"Bad boy," Jen said retrieving the locked case from the chair next to the bed. "Voice activated?" she asked.
"Thumb DNA-touch," he said trying to stave off shear panic.
Jen lifted the case up to his right hand and pressed his thumb to the small area under the handle.
The women smiled at the subtle click.
Jen opened the case to reveal the pad and the pistol Timberin had shown her as well as what looked like several power clips.
"Pad access keys?" Jennifer asked
"Retinal scan access," he replied flatly.
Jen opened his left eye wide with her fingers as Jennifer held the pad up to his face."
The pad activated.
"Any other access protocols or passwords?" Jen asked.
"No," he said now sweating profusely.
"Any misinformation?" Jennifer asked.
"Good question," Jen said.
"No," he replied.
"Better be more specific," Jen suggested.
"Any misinformation on your pad?" Jennifer asked again.
"No," he repeated trying to blink sweat from his eyes.
Jennifer set about ghosting the pad's contents to another pad. "Time?" she asked.
"Another minute or so," Jen replied. "We'd love to stay, but we have to get this to the President. And I'm sure he'll be very interested in what you've been up to," she said looking at the drugged Hudson.
"There's an app starting to interfere with the ghost," Jennifer said. "But its database is downloading. Shit. It just stopped. The pad's dead, but I think we got most of it."
Jen leaned over to Hudson's ear and asked softly, "What's stopped the download?"
Jennifer held the dead pad in front of him.
"Prophesy AI subroutine," he stammered, feeling a sharp pain in his groin.
Hudson's lingering death shaped a twisted rage within him directed not only at the two Scotts standing over him but also at the Leadership. And thanks to his captors, he recalled a trivial but interesting bit of information from his downline twin that could spell disaster for the rest of Leadership if it fell into the wrong hands.
"Find Mackinak," Hudson said as his body convulsed and then he faintly heard in the distance, "We should split up," as both Scotts' faces slowly faded into blackness.