by Jake Bible
“I’m sure that’s their biggest worry right now,” Haskins said. “Nothing like the threat of a geologist talking smack to make hardened military men and women shake in their boots.”
“Dr. Xipan? Would you care to make an official report now?” Barbara asked, turning the camera on the scientist. “I’ll document everything for you.”
“No,” Cash snapped, shutting the possibility down right away. “Save that camera for what really needs to be documented.”
“Everything Flipside needs to be documented, Tre,” Barbara said. “Keeping an honest record of what happens to all of us is just as important as anything else.”
“No, it’s not,” Cash countered. “We have no idea how long that camera will hold out. Mike said he shielded it properly, but Mike has said that about almost everything.”
“Including this speed roller,” Raff called from upfront, his voice coming through the sliding hatch in the center of the partition between the cab and the hold. “So, if this vehicle breaks down, you can document me cursing Mike’s name in the many languages I have picked up over this last year.”
“Again, no,” Cash said. “We save the camera for when we find something. We’ll need a visual record of any new time bubbles we come in contact with. That is why I agreed that you could come along.”
There was silence for a second then everyone, except for Cash and Dr. Xipan, began laughing.
“Oh, that’s a good one, Cash,” Haskins said.
“Brother, you crack me up,” Raff called back.
“Tressa asked me to join this mission,” Barbara said. “I’m here because your boss said for me to be here.”
“She’s not my boss, she’s my sister,” Cash protested.
“And your boss,” Barbara replied.
“But I didn’t have to agree,” Cash said.
“You keep telling yourself that,” Barbara said, but leaned in and kissed his cheek before he could get too pissed off.
“Whatever,” Cash grumbled.
“May I ask why Commander Bloom chose to send us to a new location instead of going after Operator Lewis?” Dr. Xipan asked. “I would think a rescue mission would be in order.”
“Lewis is a capable operator and a capable technician,” Cash replied. “Her team members are also very capable operators. If they are in trouble, then odds are Lewis can get them out of that trouble.”
“Wouldn’t your assistance be even more helpful to her and her team?” Dr. Xipan pushed.
“That would be throwing good operators after a bad situation,” Haskins said. “If the trouble is too much for Lewis then sending us after her and her team could mean losing more operators.”
“And we already have data showing the distinct possibility that a new time bubble is in her direction, so Bloom would prefer we go look for another time bubble,” Dr. Xipan stated, basically answering her own question.
“Bingo was his name-o,” Raff called from up front.
“Then why send this group?” Dr. Xipan asked, a less-than-approving look on her face. “A one-armed operator. An operator with two useless knees, and exo-braces that could short out at any second, and a news reporter.”
“You left out Raff,” Haskins said.
“Because he is the only capable member of this group,” Dr. Xipan said. “I was listing the liabilities.”
“Team,” Cash said.
“Excuse me?” Dr. Xipan asked.
“We’re a team, not a group. A group goes to the museum,” Cash stated.
“My apologies,” Dr. Xipan said, not sounding apologetic in the least. “I will use the proper terminology from now on.”
“You want to know why Bloom sent us and not a full team of operators?” Cash asked. It sounded like a rhetorical question, but he waited until Dr. Xipan finally nodded. “Because time bubbles and dinos are not our main problem Flipside.”
“Russians!” Raff bellowed from the front. “Those damn stinking Russians!”
“The Russians,” Cash said, rolling his eyes. “They had to have landed at the coast months ago.”
“Then why have they not attacked?” Dr. Xipan asked.
“No way to know for sure,” Cash explained. “They could be preparing for a full assault. They could be having the same tech issues we’re having.”
“Doubt that,” Raff said. “They developed the shielding tech that Mike is trying to copy. Lewis thought she had it, but the way our equipment keeps breaking down, all she found was a temporary fix.”
“Which could be the same for the Russians,” Barbara said.
“True that,” Raff replied.
“You are expendable,” Dr. Xipan said, sneering at everyone in the hold. “That is why Bloom agreed to send you.”
“Think what you want, Doctor, but no one is expendable,” Cash said. “Haskins survived for months without an arm before we arrived Flipside. He’s more than capable of handling himself in the field.”
“Handling,” Haskins said and chuckled as he held up his one hand.
“And you, Operator Cash?” Dr. Xipan asked. “Or is it Security Consultant Cash? Weren’t you held accountable and demoted when the first incident occurred while Flipside was still Topside?”
“Call me whatever you want, Doctor, but I used to have Ivy’s job,” Cash said. “I know Flipside and I know how to keep us alive while we’re out investigating all this shit. You listen to me, do what I say when I say it, and I’ll get you back to Flipside BOP in one piece.”
“Hopefully,” Haskins said and waved his stump.
“Will you knock that off?” Cash snapped.
“Nope,” Haskins said. “Humor is how I cope.”
“I hear that, brother!” Raff cheered.
He reached an arm back through the hatch and Haskins leaned forward to fist bump him.
“I feel so secure with you professionals,” Dr. Xipan said.
“Raff? How we looking?” Cash asked. “ETA?”
“Probably another hour?” Raff replied. “We’re guessing at the exact location, so it could be more or it could be less.”
“Fine,” Cash said and leaned his head back against the wall of the hold. He closed his eyes and settled in.
“You’re going to sleep?” Dr. Xipan exclaimed.
“Grab it when you can,” Cash said without opening his eyes. “You never know when you’ll have a chance to sleep out in the field.”
***
Lewis woke up shivering. She could feel the fever burning through her body.
“Good. You’re awake,” Wellstone said. He held out a canteen to her. “Drink.”
Lewis blinked a few times, realized they were up on top of the speed roller, then nodded at Wellstone.
“How’s Carter?” Lewis asked as she gratefully took the canteen and sipped. She didn’t dare gulp or she feared she’d vomit the precious water back up.
“Didn’t make it,” Wellstone answered. “Too much blood loss. Poor guy.”
“The body?”
“In the cab. We can move it to the hold once we have a handle on our next move and Transk wakes up.”
“And how is Transk?”
“Looking like shit,” Wellstone said. “He’s down in the hold with Nochez. She’s monitoring his condition.”
Lewis tried to sit, but only managed to prop herself up onto her elbows. She stared at the setting sun that was lowering behind the far, far-off time bubble. The sunset’s glow mixed with the glow of the fire and lava from within the time bubble to create a brilliant light show of reds and oranges.
“Where are the wingers? The teeth?” Lewis asked.
“Gone for now,” Wellstone said with a shrug. “After Carter was stabbed, and you and Transk were knocked out, I dropped a couple before they broke off their attack. Headed east. The teeth barely gave us a second look once we reached the speed roller. None of them would get within a hundred meters of us. I think they didn’t like the smell of the vehicle.”
Lewis sniffed, but her nose was stuffed
up.
“What smell?” she asked.
“Fuel cells are busted. The shielding didn’t hold,” Wellstone replied. “The roller is dead for now.”
“We have solar panels,” Lewis said and coughed. It was a wet and thick cough. She caught Wellstone’s look of worry and waved him off. “I’m fine. Just weak.”
“You think I haven’t been checking your vitals?” Wellstone asked. “If so, then you’re crazy, mate. Your fever is nearly forty degrees. Your wounds are infected.”
“Too fast for an infection to set in,” Lewis said. The cough that followed her statement did not help her cause. “Forget me, mate, what about the solar panels? Why are we up here instead of the solar panels? We can trickle power to the motor and at least—”
“I tried, Lewis,” Wellstone said. “Fuel cells fried the motor when they burst. Feedback or something. Who fucking knows? Tech don’t work right in this Hell. Never has, never will.”
“We can’t just stay here, Wellstone,” Lewis snapped. It was a weak snap, but still managed to convey the venom she’d intended. “That new bubble is too close. More wingers will come out at some point. We also have the native wingers to deal with. And native teeth.”
“Teeth I’m not so worried about,” Wellstone said and gently patted Lewis’s right shoulder. He shifted out of her way so she had a clear view of the landscape to the north. “See?”
Less than a click away, but far enough that they didn’t present any immediate threat, was a massive herd of dinosaurs. For as far as she could see in the evening’s dusk were Triceratops of all ages and sizes. Working the Australian bubble meant she’d witnessed plenty of impressive dino sightings, but nothing like the herd to the north of them at that moment.
“Christ,” Lewis said then sighed and lay back down. “How many you think is in that herd?”
“Several hundred,” Wellstone said. “I’ve been watching them closely. They’re taking a wide route away from the new bubble. Same with winger flocks. One got curious and headed our way then veered off fast. The natives don’t like the new bubble any more than we do.”
“That herd of herbivores is keeping the teeth away and the sight of the bubble is keeping the wingers away,” Lewis said. She smiled. “Nature’s on our side for once.”
“Until, like you said, more wingers or teeth come out of the new bubble,” Wellstone said. “At least the perimeter of the bubble is holding. It’s not expanding anymore. So we got that going for us, mate.”
Lewis didn’t respond. Her eyes were closed, but her breathing was steady. Wellstone let her sleep.
***
As the sun set behind the wall, Bloom stood close to the command hut, his hands on his hips, brow furrowed in concentration.
“You trying to will the sun to come back up?” Ivy asked as she stepped up next to Bloom. “Good luck with that, Commander.”
“Wondering what’s taking the Russians so goddamn long to come after us,” Bloom said after a moment’s hesitation. “They should have been here weeks ago, at the latest.”
He fell silent and glared at the purple and pink sky that was quickly turning to a dusky blue.
“Maybe something happened to them,” Ivy said. “Flipside is still Flipside even with the tech the Russians have developed. We’re all intruders here.”
“Could be,” Bloom responded. “Wouldn’t that be a lucky stroke for us? Have the Russians get taken out by nature instead of our superior fighting ability.”
“Superior fighting ability…” Ivy chuckled. “You pick strange times to sound optimistic.”
“Was that optimism? I’ve seen how this group fights. We have a shot against the Russians when they do show up,” Bloom said. “If they do show up…”
Bloom rubbed his forehead then turned to face Ivy.
“We should talk about your afternoon disappearances,” Bloom said.
Ivy opened her mouth, a look of protest on her face, then closed her mouth and nodded.
“Where?” Ivy asked.
“Walk with me,” Bloom said and headed for the perimeter wall.
They walked past busy personnel working to prep the base for the night shift. Power cables were being double checked and klieg lights slowly switched on as dusk turned quickly into night. Darkness over took Flipside fast. No outside light pollution to speak of. No reflection of man’s blasphemy off the cloud cover above. When it was night, it was night.
Bloom and Ivy reached the wall and walked along beside it. They weren’t the only members of the base that walked the perimeter. A well-worn path had been cut into the dirt. Above them, stationed every few meters, were guards on the wall’s walkway, but the guards’ attention was on what was potentially outside the wall, not what was walking within. The two operators had as much privacy as they needed.
“Every afternoon, your comm is switched off for about an hour,” Bloom asked. “Why?”
“Personal time,” Ivy stated.
“I had to assume as much. May I ask what this personal time is for and why you have never asked me for authorization to switch off your comm?”
“I’m Head of Security, commander. I do not have to ask your permission to switch off my comm for a private, personal matter.”
“I beg to differ.”
They walked in silence for a few meters, tracing the slow curve of the perimeter wall. The calls of nocturnal pterosaurs could be heard, but they were far off and none of the wall guards raised any alarms.
“Have you cleared this with Ms. Thompson?” Bloom asked after a couple minutes of walking quietly.
“Not that I need to, but, yes,” Ivy said. “She’s been aware of this for a while.”
“Hmmm,” Bloom responded. “And are you alone during this personal time?”
“I’d rather not say either way, Commander,” Ivy said.
She stopped walking and Bloom stopped as well. He turned to her, half his face lost in shadow, the other half lit up brightly by a nearby klieg light.
“What I am asking is whether or not I can rely on you, Operator Ellison,” Bloom said. “Tell me I can and I’ll believe you. No more prying unless your time off comms becomes a liability.”
“You can rely on me,” Ivy said. “And, for the record, Mike knows where I am and why. Please do not ask him to break my confidence, but if there is an emergency that I am not aware of, speak with him. He’ll take you to me.”
“I wish you would be open with me on this, Ivy,” Bloom said, his tone softening. “I’m not the hard case everyone thinks I am.”
“Oh, you are definitely the hard case everyone thinks you are, sir,” Ivy said and smiled. “But I understand what you are saying.”
There was gunfire across the base and both Bloom and Ivy gripped their sidearms. But the gunfire stopped almost as fast as it had started and the “all good” was relayed across the base.
“Couple curious wingers,” a voice said over general comms.
“Good work,” Bloom replied.
“Sir?” Ivy asked.
“Yes?”
“I’ll see if I can share more after tomorrow,” Ivy said. “But it isn’t completely up to me.”
“You understand that a statement like that piques my interest even more, right?” Bloom said.
“My apologies, Commander,” Ivy said. “But it is the best I can do.”
“Am I going to be upset by any revelations you do finally offer to me?”
“You might be. I hope not.”
Bloom studied Ivy’s shadowed face then nodded.
“Very well,” he said and held out an arm. “Care to finish the walk or do you have other plans?”
“I’ll walk until we’re in line with the mess,” Ivy said. “I’m hoping there’s some beer left.”
“There had better be or everyone on this base will really see my hard case side,” Bloom said with a laugh.
The two continued walking.
***
“This is hardly a comfortable sleeping arrangement,” Dr.
Xipan complained as she lay across the left-side seats in the speed roller’s hold. “Do we not have access to folding cots or sleeping pads we can put outside? I am a geologist and more than experienced with sleeping in the field.”
“Go for it, Doc,” Raff called from the driver’s seat up front. “You ever been this far southeast of the base before?”
“No, Operator Bellows, I have not,” Dr. Xipan replied.
“Neither have any of us,” Raff said. “So, feel free to sleep outside and be the first to say hello to all the fun fauna that come for a sniff in the night. Bet you’ll make some great friends.”
“You get used to it,” Haskins said as he laid across the right side seats.
“Do you?” Dr. Xipan asked.
“No. Not really,” Haskins admitted. “But it’s a lie we all tell ourselves so we can sleep.”
“I am not the self-delusional type, Operator Haskins,” Dr. Xipan said.
“Can you all hush down?” Barbara asked as she peeked her head in through the top hatch of the speed roller’s hold. “Doesn’t matter where we sleep if someone keeps talking.”
“Second that,” Cash’s voice called down from above as well.
“And they aren’t worried about the fauna sniffing them?” Dr. Xipan asked.
“Cash is on first watch,” Raff said. “So he better not be sleeping.”
“Trying to listen, is what I’m doing,” Cash said. “We’ll hear wingers or teeth approaching before we see them in this darkness. But I can’t hear shit while you jabber.”
“What I wouldn’t give for working NVGs,” Raff said. “Sigh.”
“NVGs?” Dr. Xipan asked.
“Night vision goggles,” Haskins answered. “Last working pair died a week ago. Scopes on our rifles are still working, so that’s nice.”
“Very nice,” Raff agreed.
“Easier to listen,” Cash called down. “If you all would shut the fuck up.”
“Trying to, buddy,” Raff said.
“Same,” Haskins said.
“Oh, well, I suppose that means I’m—” Dr. Xipan started then shut up as a loud call from outside the speed roller startled her into silence.