NEXT TIME SERIES: LOST IN TIME
First Edition
Copyright © 2019 by W.M. Wiltshire
All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system without the written permission of the publisher, except where permitted by law.
This book is a fictional dramatization based on true stories and real events and was drawn from a variety of sources, including published materials and interviews. For dramatic and narrative purposes the novel contains fictionalized scenes, composite and representative characters and dialogue, and time compression. The views and opinions expressed in this book are those of the characters only and do not necessarily reflect or represent the views and opinions held by individuals on which those characters are based. Errors, misinterpretations, and sheer liberties with the facts contained in the book are solely the responsibility of the author.
Book Cover Design and Interior Formatting by Melissa Williams Design
Edited by Hugh Willis and Susan Strecker
To my Dad, who taught me the meaning of hard work and perseverance.
As a fellow pilot I think you would have
enjoyed this book.
I miss you.
Foreword
Time is like a river or stream; while it may move at different speeds, it always moves in the same direction—relentlessly forward. From the day we are born, time moves us along a predetermined course to our finality—to our death.
But, what if we could control time? What would happen if we could change the course of that river? What if time no longer had any meaning when we refer to the past, present of future?
Time, while still poorly understood, has fascinated physicists for hundreds of years. Recently, this fascination has extended to the notion of travelling through time.
In 1843, Charles Dickens wrote a story involving time travel using spectral transportation. Some sixty years later, in 1905, Albert Einstein’s special theory of relativity proved that time travel to the future is possible.
Having accepted the possibility of travelling into the future, modern debate between physicists, mathematicians, cosmologists and philosophers began to centre on travelling into the past.
By 1915, Einstein’s general theory of relativity proved that travel to the past is also possible. Even the renowned theoretical physicist and cosmologist, Stephen Hawking, admitted that there is nothing in known physics today that actually prohibits travelling to the past. Amazingly, time travel to the past violates none of the known laws of physics.
So isn’t it unbelievable then that H. G. Wells wrote the first contemporary time travel story, based on “plausible” science in 1895? Wells’s story refers to four dimensional space-time, which theoretically, allowed for travel into the future. Wells wrote his story ten years ahead of Albert Einstein’s special theory of relativity and twenty years before Einstein’s general theory. Did Wells have some foreknowledge of time travel, maybe from a visitor from the future?
What if you could build a time machine like the one in H. G. Wells’s story and travel to the future? Just think of it! You could get next week’s winning lottery numbers, return to the present day, buy a ticket and in one week’s time become a multi-millionaire.
Or you could travel even further into the future: years, decades or centuries, but what would you find? Would you find a unified world, living in peace and harmony, as in John Lennon’s song Imagine? Wouldn’t that be wondrous? Or would you find a world where today’s known species are either extinct or have become altered mutations of their earlier selves? Would it be a result of natural evolution or due to some unknown element? Or would the pollution and toxic levels in the atmosphere be so unbearable that they threaten all life as we know it today? Or would you find a world at war, where humankind, still bent on its own self-destruction, is now getting closer to succeeding.
Then, upon your return to the present, with this foresight, what would you do? Would you alter the present to prevent or change the foreseen future?
There are endless variables associated with time travel to the future. But what about travelling to the past? Would you travel to a specific period of time where you could save a loved one from a future tragedy? Could you prevent the terrorist attacks of September 11th which put the world into a spiralling tailspin and changed our way of life forever? Could you warn the people of Sri Lanka of the 2004 Boxing Day tsunami and prevent the senseless deaths of over 250,000 people?
Would you become a part of history by changing the events of the past and altering history as we know it today? Or would you be merely an observer of the past, becoming part of the events as they unfold?
We know Einstein’s special and general theories of relativity clearly indicate that time travel is possible. So it’s now not a question of whether you can travel into the future or the past. Maybe it’s now a question of should you?
Contents
Foreword
Part I
Part II
Part III
Author’s Notes Part II
Author’s Notes Part III
Bibliography
Acknowledgments
Bonus Content: Book 2 (Part IV)
Part I
Time Began When . . .
1: Present Day
Only he could hear the soft groans from the varnished oak staircase, as his weight shifted from one step to another, during his slow descent. A tantalizing aroma pulled him toward the kitchen, relentlessly drawing him closer. He was a slave to his growling stomach, helpless to resist the pull.
He made his way quietly through the living room where the warmth radiating from the stone fireplace removed the dampness hanging in the early spring air. Soft music emanated from the surround sound system, wirelessly linked to the television mounted above the fireplace’s mantel. He crossed the hardwood floor, drawn by his persistent need to satiate his hunger.
The kitchen was a spacious, open-concept design with slate-grey granite countertops and walnut cabinetry, with two islands. One partitioned out a casual eating area with a maple table and upholstered benches. The other provided additional counter space directly behind the sink. Large windows above the counter overlooked the manicured lawn and provided a panoramic view of the water.
Daric took a spoon from the counter and quietly crept up behind the lone figure stirring the contents of a steaming pot. He reached around and quickly plunged his spoon into the homemade marinara sauce.
“Jesus, Daric, you scared the living crap out of me,” Sandra scolded, placing her left hand over her rapidly beating heart.
“Sorry, Mom,” Daric said half-heartedly, licking sauce from his spoon. He’d always been a bit of a prankster and took great delight in trying to scare his mom.
“Smells great. When’s dinner?” Daric asked, eagerly.
Sandra Delaney was putting the finishing touches on the family’s traditional Friday night spaghetti dinner. Meals nowadays aren’t as messy as they were when the kids were two years old. “Dinner will be ready in about thirty minutes. Where’s your sister?” she asked.
“I saw her down at the lake earlier, trying to teach Bear how to swim . . . again,” Daric said laughingly, as he hoisted himself up to sit on the center island. “She should give up. It’s a waste of time. Bear will never learn to swim.”
“You know your sister, she’ll never give up.” Pride resonated in her voice. “One of these days, Bear will actually like the water. Now, go do something useful,” Sandra said curtly, gent
ly shoving Daric off the counter so she could finish making the salad. She was still annoyed with his prank. “Go tell Dani to get ready for dinner. And while you’re at it, see if you can track down your dad. He’s probably in his lab, as usual.”
As an afterthought Sandra asked, “Do you remember the access code?”
“How could I forget?” he said dejectedly, walking out the kitchen door.
Sandra watched her son through the window as he made his way to the water. She noticed his slumped shoulders and his slower-than-usual gait. She couldn’t help but wonder what was plaguing his thoughts.
She also felt a great sense of pride at how well he had grown into the young man she saw before her. He stood six-foot-one; his broad shoulders and narrow waist clearly reflected a swimmer’s physique. Being raised around water, he was naturally drawn to it. He could swim before he could even walk. She had a devil of a time trying to get him out of the water back then.
Now as captain of his varsity swim team, he pushed himself harder than anyone else, determined to set an example for others. He trained harder than anyone else on the team, too. So, with all his hard work, it was no small wonder he was crushed when he failed to make the Olympic swim team last year.
But Sandra knew not qualifying for the Olympics wasn’t what was bothering her son. Even with her gentle prodding, he wasn’t ready to share it with her.
2
Daric slowly made his way to the water’s edge. His parents had already raked the yard, as they wanted the short time the kids were home on spring break spent visiting, not doing chores. With the number and the wide variety of trees on the 720-acre estate, it was difficult to keep the grounds pristine. Thank goodness most of it was left in its natural state. The peninsula was mostly forested, providing much-needed shade in the heat of the summer and additional tranquil privacy for its residents. Only the immediate area around the house opened to reveal the manicured lawns.
Daric reflected on the last time he was home from university; it was Christmas vacation. There was really no excuse for not coming home more often. He loved his family, but, at times, they made him feel like a real screw-up. He’d never been as ‘perfect’ as his sister, Dani. Lord knows he’d tried.
Just because Dani was twenty-three minutes older than he, didn’t mean she was smarter or, for that matter, in charge! She’d always told him what to do growing up, ordering him around. Even his parents seemed to give her more responsibility.
Whenever he offered a suggestion, she would quickly shoot it down saying he wasn’t thinking things through before speaking, making him feel insignificant. Even though she was right most of the time, it did nothing for his self-esteem.
And then there were his parents—how could anyone measure up to their expectations or compete with their well-established reputations?
Dr. Sandra Delaney was the head of Emergency Services at Mount Albert Hospital. She also conducted classes at the local medical college on a part-time basis, sharing her years of expertise with undergraduates.
Professor Quinn Delaney went to Princeton, then later to Harvard, getting his Ph.D. in physics. He also had a major in history. After graduating, he held a position as a physics professor at Stanford for five years and still conducted the odd lecture. He was currently on the faculty at Perimeter Institute, a cutting-edge scientific research and theoretical physics institution.
How can anyone compete with all that? Daric thought. He knew his playful nature was usually misinterpreted; probably the reason people didn’t take him seriously. He used his sense of humor to mask his insecurities.
Daric was actually keenly intelligent and quick-witted. He radiated an easygoing friendliness with everyone he met. His ripped body, piercing blue eyes, even features, framed by wavy, sandy-colored hair, drew the attention of both sexes.
Daric glanced farther down the shoreline and spotted Dani still trying to coax Bear into the water. Even he had to admit that his sister was a looker. She was five-foot-eight, with a slim athletic physique enhanced by her delicate features. Her sun-kissed skin, honey blond hair and azure eyes, in another era, she could have passed as a Greek goddess.
Daric caught a movement in his peripheral vision along the tree line, past Dani, toward the end of the peninsula. By the time he focused on that area, there was nothing to see. Probably a deer, he assumed.
Then his attention was drawn to the boat in the water, tied to the Bauhaus dock a short distance away. He quickly detoured to check on his boat; his pride and joy.
Daric painstakingly built the twenty-four-foot fiberglass speedboat from forms he had designed and manufactured himself. He also rebuilt the 150-horsepower inboard Mercury engine. His dad must have put it in the water, knowing Daric would be eager to take her out for a spin during his short visit home.
“Thanks, Dad,” Daric whispered as he caressed the boat’s polished surface.
He’d always enjoyed tinkering with anything power-driven. When he was five years old, he took the mixer from the kitchen, pulled it completely apart and then reassembled it. There were no leftover pieces, and it looked just as it did before he started; he was so proud of himself. It wasn’t until his mom went to use it that she realized someone had tampered with it. When she turned it on slow, batter flew all over the kitchen, including all over her. How she knew it was his fault, he had no idea. She made him take it apart to get it working correctly again even if it took him all night. He needed only two attempts. It was so simple once he recognized the speeds were reversed.
Ever since then, he’d loved working on engines of any kind. He has a Pratt & Whitney R-985 Wasp Junior aircraft engine from 1950; a 1948 Harley-Davidson Panhead vintage motorcycle he rebuilt and the 150 Mercury inboard engine in his boat.
He knew computers too; circuit boards, processors, microchips and programming. He even built the security system for his parents’ home.
Having decided on going for a joy-ride after dinner, he got back to the business at hand, after his stomach made it known again that it was feeding time.
3
Dani felt it was important to teach Bear how to swim, considering their home was surrounded by water. But it would seem that Bear was just as determined not to venture any deeper than past her elbows and knees.
Bear was the family pet; a four-year-old Shiba Inu. She looked more like a fox with a curly tail than a bear. When she first arrived at her new home as a puppy, her stubby black muzzle, rounded ears, and short tail made her look like a little bear cub, hence the name Bear. When she started to mature, her muzzle grew out and lightened in color, her ears perked up, and her tail bushed out and curled. Now she looked nothing at all like a bear.
Bear had never had a fondness for the water. She didn’t even like to go outside when it was raining. Now snow, that’s an entirely different story. Sometimes you’d swear she was part Husky. Except for her sesame coloring, she could pass for a miniature Husky.
Bear was a loyal, faithful, and good-natured dog. Her “country-girl beauty” was simple, yet elegant and poised. Bear had a spirited boldness, combined with a keen sense of awareness. She wouldn’t shy away from a threat; nor would she act with unwarranted aggression. She wouldn’t start a fight, but she’d be happy to finish one. And when it came to her family, Bear stood her ground to defend them.
“Come on Bear, do it for me, please?” Dani pleaded, standing in the cool water just over her knees, still trying to coax Bear to come out to her.
Upon hearing her name, Bear tilted her head to the right, but did not budge. The Westminster Dog Show introduced the Shiba Inu as a tenacious breed that constantly provided challenges to their owners. They weren’t kidding!
Bear had several ways of expressing herself. Her facial expressions were mostly defined by the positioning of her ears. In their natural forward perked position, she was alert and attentive. When her ears were lying almost against the side of her
head, she was smiling and happy to see people. When her ears were sloped sideways at a forty-five-degree angle, she was anxious. And then there was her tail: up and curled was the natural, happy position; uncurled or down meant she was restless or nervous.
“Give up Dani, it’ll never happen,” Daric jeered.
Hearing Daric’s voice, Bear raced out of the shallow water to greet him.
“Hi, Bear. Don’t like the water, eh?” Daric teased as he gave her a pat on the head in passing. Bear eagerly wagged her tail in response and then raced back to the beach where she continued to bite at the waves as they rolled onto the beach.
“Come on, even you have to admit knowing how to swim could save Bear’s life some day. What would happen if she ever fell out of the boat?” Dani asked irritably as she walked toward the beach.
“Why don’t you get her a life jacket,” Daric offered. “They make them for dogs, you know.”
“You know damn well Bear doesn’t like wearing even a collar. How am I supposed to get a life jacket on her?” Dani retorted.
“That’s your problem,” Daric said dismissively. “Mom said dinner is almost ready, so go get changed, I’m starved.”
“Then where are you going, the house is that way,” Dani said, stating the obvious while pointing in the opposite direction.
“I have to get Dad. Mom thinks he’s at the lab,” Daric replied over his shoulder as he continued toward the end of the peninsula and Professor Quinn Delaney’s laboratory.
“Hey, wait up,” Dani yelled. “We’ll come with you. It’ll give Bear and me a chance to dry off before going into the house. Come on, Bear, let’s go find Dad.”
Dani caught up and matched strides with her brother, Bear anxiously leading the way.
4
Under the veil of approaching dusk, a lone figure crept through the large estate, hiding in the shadows of the trees, slowly and quietly making his way toward the end of the peninsula.
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