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

by D. W. Patterson

  “Pearce, what do we do?” said Dave over the Emmie link.

  Pearce was silent a moment then he got it.

  “Dave, Anais use their new avoidance system against them.”

  “What do you mean?” said Dave.

  “Think, if one bubble can make them swerve off course what would a second bubble properly located do? And a third and a fourth?”

  “We could drive them into the ground,” said Dave.

  “Well, get busy.”

  Pearce still had the best shot at the incoming enemy craft so he picked one. A bubble materialized close to the craft. It swerved. Before it could come back on course another bubble materialized in the same relative location. It swerved further.

  Before he was finished the craft was in a dive towards the ground. A dive that it never pulled out of, crashing with a great explosion.

  It worked but while Pearce was focused on that craft the others had made it into range and opened fire on Captain Dodge's squadron. With every craft targeted by at least three of the attackers two of Dodge's fliers went down immediately. Now the odds were five to one.

  But Pearce was still working and Dave and Anais had joined in. This time Pearce didn't try to focus on one craft but caused havoc among several. With three spin-two generators putting up fast-time bubbles the enemy craft were swerving into each other. Four went down in a loud explosion. Two more were taken out by Dodge's remaining forces.

  The odds were three to one now in favor of the enemy. Pearce kept up his barrage. But then it stopped working. The craft swerved as before but then took off on a completely different vector and Pearce could only guess.

  “Dave, Anais they've changed tactics. We are going to have to put the bubbles on target.”

  But placing a bubble on a moving target was not easy because it took time for the bubble to form and spin up. The three spin-two operators began to anticipate the speed and direction of the attackers. Pearce was the first to get a bubble on target but it took too long for it to spin up and create a region of fast-time inside. The craft flew through the bubble with little or no damage.

  “Pearce what do we do?” called Dave again over the Emmie channel.

  “Tighten up your bubble creation and encircle the craft if possible.”

  It was much harder to use the spin-two generator in this way than if it had been a simple kinetic energy weapon firing common artillery at the enemy. But Pearce and the other two did their best until finally Pearce and then Anais each brought down one of the enemy. The Captain's men finished two more and the rest withdrew. It was over, for now.

  CHAPTER 24

  Pearce met Anais outside the vehicle. He looked for Dave.

  “Dave,” said Pearce over his Emmie. “What's up?”

  “My spin-two is overheating a bit Pearce I'm going to stay with it a little longer.”

  “Understood.”

  By this time the Captain and the other remaining craft had landed. Crawley, Cleveland and others had gathered around. The Captain strode up to Pearce as before but this time instead of punching him he offered him a handshake and a well done.

  Just as everyone was relaxing someone yelled incoming. There on the horizon were the enemy craft coming in low and fast. They all scrambled to their vehicles or craft but before any resistance could be offered the enemy was over target dropping explosive ordinance. Two of the vehicles were hit as well as one of the fliers.

  Then it was over as quick as it had started. Pearce emerged from the van and saw that Dave's truck had been destroyed. The lead vehicle with Crawley and Cleveland was a smoldering wreck. Dave and the truck drivers, Crawley and Cleveland all were dead.

  As everyone walked around the remains of the destroyed vehicles the Captain and his men returned. Walking up to Pearce he said, “We couldn't catch them. Is Dr. Reynolds gone?”

  Pearce shook his head yes.

  “I'm sorry Dr. Rawlings. We let our guard down,” was all the Captain said as he walked away.

  Regardless of the losses, the Captain didn't feel they should wait around. Though there were bridges crossing the Missouri River at Omaha Tower Complex the Captain insisted they should ferry across the river as before but farther north. An hour's drive and they were ready to cross.

  West of what used to be Modale, Iowa the convoy made its way along county roads in great need of maintenance until they neared the river. Stopping there each vehicle was prepared for ferry across the river. As before one craft lifted while the other flew support.

  Before departing the Captain said, “Gentlemen and lady we are now in what might be considered a neutral zone between the Northwest Territory and the Midwest Territory. This should mean that we will not have to worry about further attacks. But it is not a guarantee. We should still keep an eye out for any enemy craft. I hope that we will make it to our destination by evening tomorrow. Any questions?”

  Hearing none the Captain said, “Let's roll.”

  Flatland and rolling hills spread out before them as they rolled across former Nebraska and into South Dakota. They finally came to rest that evening on the outskirts of Eagle Butte, a town that the Cheyenne Indians still claimed. It wasn't much of a town but it was the most lively that they had encountered on their trip.

  Pearce saw on his Emmie that the town had a diner called “Golden Nine Steak & Bar.” Pearce thought it might be nice to take Anais there for dinner after several days of eating pre-packed food. The Captain acquiesced although urging them to get back early. They would be moving out at six AM.

  Pearce and Anais jumped in the remaining car and with Edgar and a couple of Cleveland's men headed for the town about ten minutes away.

  It wasn't long until they had pinpointed the steak place and were inside and seated. Everyone ordered a beer except Anais, she had water.

  When the beers came Pearce said, “Gentlemen and lady.” They quietly laughed at Pearce's mimic of the Captain.

  “I just want to say to my friend Dr. Dave Reynolds, you were the best and here's wishing you, wherever you are, the finest.”

  They all raised their beers and drank the toast.

  “You believe in an afterlife Dr. Rawlings?” said James, one of Cleveland's men.

  “Well James I don't know. But I like to take every opportunity to hedge my bets.”

  “Well I believe. I'm not sure any of the religions have got it right but I believe in something more than appears to the eyes.”

  “I've been of the opinion,” said Anais. “That God's the greatest physicist.”

  “Ha,” said William, the other one of Cleveland's men. “You would think that Dr. Eiffel, being a physicist yourself.”

  “I grew up in the church but after working for the government for a while, especially the intelligence services, I can't imagine there being a God,” said Edgar. “In those agencies the worst of humanity thrives while the best, like Dr. Reynolds, die.”

  They were all silent for a moment.

  “Max Cleveland believed,” said James. “Did you all know he was a preacher at one time? He said that this is not the Earth that God intended but that God's purpose had been frustrated by the lies the Devil tells mankind. And until those lies are exposed and un-believed the Earth will always be in turmoil.”

  “I loved Max but sometimes he talked crazy,” said William. “Like he was sure that the Devil was behind the present troubles.”

  “Well, someone is behind it. And the more people I talk to the more I think it's not the obvious, the governments of Earth or the Core. There are more powers involved.”

  “More powerful than tens of billions of humans Dr. Rawlings?”

  “I think so William. At one time I thought it might be the Dhalkans but Anais has been to Dhalka and she thinks not. So I'm not sure now.”

  “Really Dr. Eiffel, you've been to Dhalka?”

  “Yes William and while the Dhalkans certainly have the prowess to coerce the human governments, I don't think they have the will. And besides, there aren't more than
a couple hundred Dhalkans left.”

  “So who could it be?” asked James.

  “I don't know James but I don't think we'll figure it out tonight. Why don't we order?” said Pearce.

  Pearce lay awake reading knowing he would never see or hear his friend Dave Reynolds again in this life.

  “In that little party there was not one who would desert another; yet we were of different countries, different colours, different races, different religions--and one of us was of a different world.”

  “Goodbye Dave,” thought Pearce as he shut off his Emmie and turned out the light to sleep.

  The next morning they were a few minutes late leaving because James and William had too much to drink the night before and were slow to get going. Before he had settled into his routine Pearce got a call from Captain Dodge informing him that there were enemy craft incoming.

  Pearce informed the others and tried to catch the craft on his Emmie. Almost immediately the Emmie identified the foreign craft as Midwest Territory and counted ten in number. Still in what was the state of South Dakota and almost flat country there was no place to hide. The convoy pulled over and Pearce and Anais got the spin-two generators ready.

  The enemy was upon them and just as Pearce was ready to put up fast-time bubbles he saw on camera the Captain and his escort flying directly into the swarming enemy craft. They had to cancel their strafing run on the convoy to avoid collision with the Northwest craft. The Captain had calculated that the enemy would be surprised and confused by his tactics and he was right but only momentarily. As half the attackers peeled off to go after the Captain and his escort and the other half prepared to make another run on the convoy vehicles.

  Then just as the danger of the situation became clear Pearce's Emmie picked up another swarm of craft coming in from the north.

  End of the line, thought Pearce.

  But just as he prepared for the inevitable he saw half of the incoming craft vector to intercept the enemy chasing the Captain and the other half heading straight for those enemy craft about to strafe the convoy. They were Northwest Territory craft.

  The melee was intense but brief. The enemy craft were greatly outnumbered and were trying to retreat as much as engage. A few minutes and it was over. Captain Dodge was soon calling for the convoy to start. Some of the Northwest pilots stayed around to escort, the rest headed back to their bases.

  The day's drive went without incident. More flat to hilly country with farms. Pearce had expected to see mountains in the Montana region but he found that he was still too far east. They pulled into the base at Opheim just as the sun was setting. The sky was overcast with rain clouds but the western horizon glowed in the light of the setting sun.

  It was too late for Pearce to see the base, that would have to wait for the morrow.

  Edmund had been to his first meeting of the coalitionists. It had been somewhat disappointing. They were sure someone was behind the Core's actions but besides the usual suspects, the Dhalkans, no one was really sure. It had also been disappointing because other than mutual support there really wasn't much of an action plan.

  They kept saying to think of one's self as behind enemy lines and act accordingly. Valid advice but not enough for Edmund and some of the others who were looking for a way to return to normal. So they had their own meeting.

  “The way to normal is through abnormal action,” said Ricky, a shopkeeper a couple of streets over from Edmund's pizza place.

  “What does that mean?” said Joseph, another restaurant owner.

  “Well Joseph, what it means I'm afraid is that we are going to have to become hard men if we want our old lives back. We may have to do things that were unconscionable to us yesterday.”

  “You really think so Ricky?”

  “Yes Edmund I do. Look, this regime, whoever it is, has complete control over us as long as we allow it. Why should they ever think about allowing the old normal to return? The new normal is fine for them. They are as happy as pigs in mud. No, I'm afraid we are going to have to prod them to get their attention. Maybe then we can make our needs known. Until they are as uncomfortable with the new normal as we are we can expect our rights to continue to be trampled.”

  “But what you are talking about could lead to conflict Ricky. Are we sure we are prepared for such an eventuality?”

  “That's the real question, isn't it Edmund?”

  CHAPTER 25

  “As long as the heart beats, as long as body and soul keep together, I cannot admit that any creature endowed with a will has need to despair of life.”

  “You've obviously never been to Opheim, Montana Jules,” thought Pearce as he shut off his Emmie. The base was not as impressive as Pearce had hoped. A couple of runways for winged craft to take off and land. Several pad areas for vertical take-off and landing craft, like those that had escorted the convoy. A couple of dozen buildings including hangars, many with above-ground entrances and the remainder underground. And outside this core area were the living quarters for maybe five hundred base personnel.

  Captain Dodge was showing Pearce and Anais around.

  “It's smaller than I expected Captain.”

  “Well Dr. Rawlings the Territory has opted for smaller but more numerous bases as a defensive measure. But also remember the Northwest Territory has less population than the others.”

  “How about our work Captain Dodge? When can we get started?”

  “Immediately Dr. Eiffel. We have an underground area awaiting. Let me show you.”

  The underground area Captain Dodge had shown them that day was sufficient but not extravagant for the project which was to take Pearce's spin-two and particle generator combo, essentially a prototype, and harden them for field use. It wasn't so much physics as engineering but Pearce and Anais didn't mind because something had to be done to shift the balance of power.

  While Pearce and Anais worked on getting a smaller more robust generator engineered. Other scientists were brought in to engineer the massive amount of power that is required to operate the generator. Size, weight and reliability had to be addressed for the generator to become useful to an airborne defender.

  Edmund was on the run.

  A coalitionist meeting had been infiltrated. The robotic troops had literally walked through the walls of Ed's Deli during a meeting. Those that could ran but not before the troopers had ID'd most of them.

  Edmund may have been one of the last to be cornered. He had made it through the night but he wouldn't make it through the day without being arrested and jailed.

  He was waiting now. Preparing himself for the eventual. He had made it as far as Joseph's place for which he had a key as he helped Joseph out sometimes.

  How strange it was to be in the familiar storeroom waiting to be arrested as an enemy of the state. A land he had come to for an education and had stayed because he had come to the realization that he had come home.

  But now? No one was at home in this new environment. Whether native-born or immigrant.

  A few short years.

  Thought Edmund as he went back over his recent past. He had just come to the day he opened his restaurant when the robot dogs broke through the door and caught Edmund. One clamped down on his ankle, the other his hand. Edmund screamed before passing out.

  Two months of working continuously with other scientists and engineers found Pearce and Anais with a refined temporal defense weapon that could be manufactured in large numbers and carried in the belly of a military craft. The Territory government would take over from here manufacturing and installing as many systems as fast as possible. Pearce and Anais finally had some time off and Pearce had made a decision.

  “Anais you know I don't do much more than read and work. I don't have much to offer. I don't mind the work as long as we are doing it together. But of course I suspect you had wished for . . .”

  Anais stopped him and looked down at the kneeling Pearce.

  “Yes Pearce.”

  “You will?”
>
  “Yes.”

  “I mean marry me.”

  “Yes Pearce Rawlings I will marry you.”

  The marriage ceremony was arranged. It would be outdoors since the weather was perfect. A lot of the base personnel would be there. It was a Saturday afternoon and the nearest Judge qualified to perform the ceremony had been flown in from a hundred miles away. Pearce was surprised that Edgar wasn't there, he hadn't seen him for some time now.

  The ceremony was brief and the wedding party had moved on to the reception which was also being held outdoors when the sirens went off. Service men and women scattered to their stations. Spouses and children ran home. Pearce took Anais' hand and hurried her, still in wedding dress, to their lab underground. He quickly activated a wallscreen with a view of the base.

  On the horizon Pearce could see what looked like a swarm of locusts. Craft from the base were already scrambling to meet the hoard. Pearce assumed Captain Dodge was somewhere in those launching themselves at the enemy.

  “Quick Anais let's get the spin-two ready.”

  The skies above Opheim were darkening with the sheer number of enemy craft. When a craft of the Northwest Territory approached the enemy horde it would part in the vicinity of the incoming vehicle and then close as if swallowing. Pearce couldn't see that the Northwest pilots were causing any change to the enemy's objectives.

  While he waited to bring his spin-two into battle Pearce started to realize what was the objective of the enemy. It appeared to be the complete obliteration of the base. Starting at the far perimeter and methodically moving inward the enemy was using explosive ordnance and spin-two bubbles indiscriminately. The housing of the enlisted was as much a target as the ground-level buildings. The enemy seemed to have a clear grasp of the extent of the base because Pearce noticed that where there was no above-ground structures spin-two bubbles saturated the area. These sank into the ground and destroyed whatever they found underneath. Pearce watched in horror as the base was obliterated above and below ground.