Time's End: A Future Chron Novel (Future Chron Universe Book 34)

by D. W. Patterson

  “Hey look,” he said.

  There, coming down the street on the opposite side, was Crawley and a few others.

  “Dave!” said Pearce and then he jumped up and went outside. Crossing the street he yelled at Crawley.

  “Crawley it's me.”

  Crawley and the others stopped and stared a bit before recognizing Pearce.

  “Dr. Rawlings,” said Crawley. “How are you? Look at this stray we picked up.”

  “I know,” said Pearce as he walked up to Dave. “Dave how are you?”

  “I'm okay Pearce. Luckily I was with Crawley at the time of the attack and he and the others here helped me get away.”

  “Well why don't we all go back across the street and get breakfast?”

  “Sounds good to me,” said Dave. The others agreed.

  CHAPTER 19

  Once settled the group got together to decide what they could and would do next.

  “Crawley what do you think?”

  “Well Dave I think that after losing so many of our number and all our equipment it's definitely an uphill struggle from here.”

  “That's true Bill,” said Pearce. “But I think the question is whether we can in good conscience not do something. Anais and I have talked about how our freedoms are being more and more curtailed.”

  “Yeah, like the freedom to not be killed,” said Dave.

  “That's true,” said Pearce. “I'm not sure the powers that be are going to accept us back into society even if we don't continue our research. As Anais remarked, if the government just wanted to stop our research they could arrest us and throw away the key. But instead they are trying to kill us.”

  “You're probably right Pearce,” said Crawley. “We might as well continue the research. If we die at least it will be for a good cause, doing something useful for humanity.”

  “Freedom is that kind of cause,” said Anais.

  The remaining members of the group agreed. They were soon busy finding a place and trying to find the necessary equipment. The last was especially hard since they didn't want to give away their location.

  “I say we buy a van and have equipment delivered to different places. No two deliveries being to the same place and we make the locations as random as possible. Then we take the van to pick up the equipment. If we are careful we shouldn't raise suspicion and if we do we endanger only one or two of our number.”

  “Sounds like an interesting proposal Pearce. But I'm sure that if any of us try to use our credit accounts for such purchases we'll be caught the first time.”

  “That's true Bill but the equipment will be donated by former friends and acquaintances. We go to our old professors and thesis advisors and others and get them to donate or they get their universities or employers to donate the equipment for a good cause. Any paper trail created won't point directly to us and that indirection may be all we need.”

  “That might work. I still have enough credits on me to get a used van. And I think we should begin by getting the most important piece of equipment and probably the hardest to get donated. A spin-two generator. If we can't get it there's no use to continue.”

  “I can get one,” said Dave. “I have someone who owes me. But obviously someone other than me will have to take the van to pick it up.”

  Dave's “debt” was owed by one of his old bosses at Galactic. When Dave called, the man was reluctant to take on such a task but told Dave he would try. It was five days later that the man called to arrange delivery of a used generator.

  Meanwhile one of the group, a data engineer had taken it upon himself to secure his remote credits locally. Ordinarily such a move might be flagged and turned into the authorities. But Lawrence had figured out a way to bypass the flag. He found that small and irregularly timed movements didn't raise a flag. The key then was to know the transfer limits, which were deliberately changed from time to time, and make the transfers as random as possible.

  When he showed the group his success they all agreed to participate by giving Lawrence their credentials. With credits flowing in and donated equipment arriving the group was ready to equip its lab building, a location acquired by Anais through the diner owner/realtor for a good rental price since it had set vacant in Eaton for so long.

  It took most of a month but inside the old warehouse-like structure what looked like a state-of-the-art lab was coming together. The biggest procurement outside of the spin-two drive was enough isotopics to supply the surge of power the spin-two drive needed. They also took the longest time to set up.

  Dave was working with Pearce wiring the isotopics to a bus bar, although he was more listening because of his eyes while Pearce worked.

  “So your sight is coming back Dave?”

  “I can see light Pearce but everything is still a blur. Dr. James said it would come back slowly if at all. So I'm still hopeful.”

  “Well while you were out of commission, Anais and I pretty much finished testing. Now I think we should focus on finding a way to make a generator in a size that will allow it to be portable and with enough power to create the largest temporal bubble useful for countering the Core planets.”

  “We shouldn't have to match the size of the target bubble exactly,” said Anais who had just walked up to the pair. “Only create an opposing bubble large enough to breakup the other bubble. I calculate that a bubble half the size of the target should be sufficient. But of course we should run the tests.”

  The tests began shortly after the isotopic installation was finished. Anais was generating the temporal bubbles, Pearce was handling the chron-particle gun which would shower the bubbles with chron particles to speed time in the first bubble up and slow time in the second bubble down. A third bubble generated at just the right place would provide an impetus to the small slow-time bubble to merge with the large fast-time bubble.

  They started. The first bubble was generated, Pearce made sure time inside it would be sped up by generating chron+ particles and showering the bubble. Then the smaller bubble was created to the side of the first. It was showered with the appropriate chron- particles. The bubbles began shrinking and spinning up naturally. The third bubble was created next to the smaller bubble. The slow-time bubble was repelled by the third bubble and began to move toward the larger bubble. About a minute later they began to merge.

  At first nothing seemed to happen as the cloud-like objects intersected. Arcs of electricity began to surge across their surfaces as if an electric short was developing.

  Pearce said to the others in the control room, “Cancellation is beginning.”

  Out in the test bay the crackling of the electric sparks were being replaced by loud booming sounds as the arcs grew in intensity and size. Then suddenly the small bubble was completely absorbed by the larger as that one's surface seemed to ripple from the because of the encounter. But the ripples built until the whole bubble was wriggling like a giant soap bubble.

  “Cover your eyes,” yelled Pearce.

  Not seen by human eyes but caught on cam was the explosion of light as bright as a sunlit sky and then a black and inky darkness before a final dissipation into nothing.

  Pearce looked at the cam feed.

  “Okay everyone it's over. What's the radiation count?”

  “About three hundred dental X-rays,” said Anais quickly converting the millisieverts into something everyone could understand.

  “Well we don't want to do that every day,” said Dave.

  “Let's get some fresh air,” said Pearce.

  The first out the door, he was met by two police officers with guns drawn.

  “Stop where you are,” said one of the cops.

  “And get your hands up,” said the other.

  Two other patrol cars showed up. Pearce and some others were already in handcuffs before Anais explained to one of the officers what they were doing. It wasn't until she mentioned Toni, the diner's owner, that his grimace changed.

  “You know my mom?” said the officer.

>   “Yeah she's our real estate agent.”

  “Hold on a minute.”

  He walked over and pulled another officer over to the side and they talked for a minute. Then they both came over to Anais.

  “Hello ma'am, I'm Sargent Atkins, Darby tells me you know his mother?”

  “Yes sir, she's my real estate agent. She rented us this building.”

  “Okay ma'am I'm going to let y'all off with a warning. But you need to come to the city council and get a permit. And ma'am?”

  “Yes officer?”

  “You need to warn us next time you are going to make this much noise.”

  “Yes sir, officer.”

  “Good evening ma'am.”

  “Good evening officer.”

  Sargent Atkins walked over to the group surrounded by his officers.

  “Okay let them go boys.”

  All were released and the police left.

  Pearce walked up to Anais.

  “What happened Anais?”

  “One of the officers is Toni's son. I guess it's still who you know even in a small town.”

  Test and development continued eventually leading to a spin-two generator and chron-particle gun combination that was “portable” if a five hundred pound contraption can be called portable. Most of the weight was in isotopics which held enough energy for a dozen modest-sized bubbles to be created.

  Even better news was that Dave could see well enough now to take care of himself. He was talking with Pearce outside the lab when a police car rolled up. It was officer Darby.

  “Good day gentlemen,” said Darby.

  “Good day officer,” replied Pearce.

  “I just wanted to let y'all know the latest news. There's some stranger around town asking if anyone has seen any strangers move to town in the last month or so. I assume they mean y'all.”

  “Really Officer Darby. It could be government,” said Pearce.

  “That's what I figure. I think most people will probably not cooperate but there's always a few. So y'all should prepare.”

  “We will Officer Darby.”

  “Good day then.”

  “Good day,” said Pearce as he waved to Darby as he drove away.

  “Well Pearce it sounds like the government is close to finding us. What do you think we should do?”

  “First we need to have a meeting with everyone. Some may want to get out. Then when we see who's left we can decide what to do.”

  Pearce was right, most of the group was ready to scatter, figuring they had a better chance to stay out of the grip of the government alone than together. That left only Pearce, Anais, Dave, Crawley and the data scientist Lawrence. Those five would keep the van and after it was loaded with equipment the others left. The five planned to leave soon.

  That night they had returned to their rooms in the boarding house.

  “The year 1866 was signalised by a remarkable incident, a mysterious and puzzling phenomenon, which doubtless no one has yet forgotten. Not to mention rumours which agitated the maritime population and excited the public mind, even in the interior of continents, seafaring men were particularly excited. Merchants, common sailors, captains of vessels, skippers, both of Europe and America, naval officers of all countries, and the Governments of several States on the two continents, were deeply interested in the matter. For some time past vessels had been met by "an enormous thing," a long object, spindle-shaped, occasionally phosphorescent, and infinitely larger and more rapid in its movements than a whale. The facts relating to this apparition (entered in various log-books) agreed in most respects as to the shape of the object or creature in question, the untiring rapidity of its movements, its surprising power of locomotion, and the peculiar life with which it seemed endowed. If it was a whale, it surpassed in size all those hitherto classified in science. Taking into consideration the mean of observations made at divers times—rejecting the timid estimate of those who assigned to this object a length of two hundred feet, equally with the exaggerated opinions which set it down as a mile.”

  Pearce put down his Emmie and turned off the light.

  It was late when from the second floor a noise was heard as if a scuffle were taking place. It was coming from Pearce's room. Crawley and Dave and another boarder arrived at the door at the same time. Crawley began to knock.

  “Pearce. Pearce. Are you alright?” he called.

  Then they all heard Pearce's voice.

  “It's you. What are you doing?”

  Crawley called again, “Pearce. Pearce. Open the door.”

  The door unlocked and opened. There was Pearce standing over a man's body on the floor.

  CHAPTER 20

  “Who is this Pearce,” said Crawley, the first in the room.

  “You know Edgar our liaison with the government Crawley,” said Pearce helping the man to his feet.

  “Yes I do,” said Crawley. “But I didn't recognize him at first.”

  “What are you doing here Edgar?” said Dave.

  “I came to warn you that government agents are on your trail.”

  “By sneaking into Pearce's room?”

  “I got in town today and saw the government agents. I recognized them though I've never worked with them. Then from someone in the dinner I found out where you were staying. I came over and saw this light on so I climbed up to the window and started to raise it up enough to come in.”

  “I heard the window,” said Pearce continuing the story. “And thought it was an intruder so I turned the light off and ducked down.”

  “I started to call to him,” said Edgar, “while still climbing through the window.”

  “I guess I didn't recognize his voice so I stayed down until he came walking over.”

  “Then he knocked my legs from under me and when I fell I hit my head and was stunned for a moment.”

  “Shortly you were knocking on the door so I turned the light on and opened it, you know the rest,” said Pearce.

  Pearce realized that the other boarder was listening.

  “Thank you Mr. Johnson. We'll take care of it from here,” said Pearce escorting the man from the room.

  Closing the door he said, “Well Crawley, Dave, I guess we need to get out of town. If Edgar found us so easily it won't be long until these other agents do the same.”

  The van was more like a delivery truck than a consumer vehicle. Its tall ceiling easily held the temporal defense system, TDS, as Dave had dubbed it. Upfront there were two rows of seats that could hold as many as six grown-ups. It was early the next morning when Anais and Lawrence were informed of what had happened and all were readying to leave.

  “Pearce,” said Edgar.

  “Yes?”

  “Can I go in the van?”

  “Why do you want to do that?”

  “Well you didn't ask so I didn't tell you but I'm not with the government anymore. In fact they tried to kill me.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “After the attack they hunted me just as they are hunting you now.”

  “They didn't know who you were Edgar.”

  “They knew Pearce. I was listening to their comm chatter when I was trying to decide whether or not to show myself. They have orders to shoot me on sight. They think I helped you escape from the attack on the town.”

  “Well I'll have to ask the others.”

  “Okay.”

  It was a few minutes until Pearce came back.

  “Okay Edgar you can go. Crawley's not too thrilled with the idea so he wants to make sure you aren't armed. He's going to search for you before you get in the van.”

  “That's okay. Thanks Pearce.”

  Crawley grumbled a bit after searching Edgar for a weapon but motioned him to get in. Crawley was driving with Lawrence upfront with him. Edgar and Dave were in the second row of seats and Pearce and Anais were in the back of the van with the TDS.

  “You ready Pearce, Anais?” said Crawley through the van's comm.

  “Ready Bill,” said P
earce.

  “Here we go then.”

  They had decided to go northwest. Crawley had some contacts in the Northwest Regional Territories that he thought might help. They had about five hundred miles to travel. Then they would have to find a discreet border crossing between the regions and then another thousand miles to Crawley's contacts. The van wasn't fast and Crawley had decided to stay on secondary roads so it would take them at least a week with any luck. But it wasn't four hours later that their luck ran out.

  Crawley was getting tired and was just about ready to stop and take a rest and a meal when he saw the air vehicles. They had made it out of the hills and were traveling across rather flat and open country. That's what allowed Crawley to spot them at a distance but it also left no place to hide.

  “Pearce we have some craft overhead. Looks like military. They're banking, they're coming this way.”

  “How do they know we are in this van?” said Pearce.

  Not answering Pearce's question Crawley said, “I think they are maneuvering to come up behind us.

  “They're going to use the Infinity Weapon,” said Pearce. “Quick Anais open the doors I'll get the TDS online.”

  The van doors opened automatically when instructed through the vehicle's Emmie. They also could lock in place. Anais used her Emmie to link to the vehicle's Emmie and soon had the doors opening. The banks of isotopics could be heard joining the power buss as each time an isotopic came on line the buss bars vibrated at audio frequencies.

  Just as Pearce had thought, the first military craft formed a temporal bubble just to the rear of the van. The bubble taking the momentum of the craft that launched it was approaching the van quickly. Pearce produced a bubble just behind the van which slowly separated from it when given a small velocity opposite of the vehicles. It spun up quickly and at about a hundred yards behind the van and a slightly higher altitude it began to merge with the other temporal bubble.