Ramirez said, “It’s not too difficult to picture this. Our shields use anti-grav and magnetics to provide a defence against attack. Essentially they form a field around the ship designed to absorb attack from outside weapons. Their effectiveness is essentially limited but by creating a milder field inside the ship, we would be protected from the effects of light travel – provided we get our figures right.”
“Otherwise?”
“They will crush us,” said Lillishenger.
“How limited will our space be inside the ship?”
“If we can align them with the interior walls – not at all,” said Ramirez.
“I’d like to be useful,” said Gowan.
“Sure, sweetheart,” said Ramirez. “You could knit us some socks or something.”
“Hey, smartpants, I’m trying to help.”
“Will you two knock it off for a while?” asked the Captain. “There’s already plenty for me to get my head around. I don’t need you two fighting cat and dog.” He turned to Lillishenger. “Will it work, Professor?”
“I’ll need to study the shield generators but I can’t see why not. Most of the generation takes place onboard anyway. We may have to fabricate additional generation ports for inside.”
“Relatively easy,” said Ogden. “What materials we lack we can find in the junkyard outside.”
“That’s my junkyard,” said the Professor. “I have spent a long time accumulating all that stuff out there.”
“I can turn my hand to most things,” said Dunfield.
“And I can probably knit socks,” said Sarah, “if they’re really needed. Although I think it would be best to buy them from K-Mart.”
“I think Ramirez was just being sarcastic,” said Gowan. “He just likes to insult me.”
“That appears to be mutual,” said Sarah. “Who started it?”
Ramirez and Gowan pointed a finger at the other and Gowan sighed and tossed back her hair.
“We think they’re in love,” said the Captain. “God help the world.”
“We are not in love,” spat Gowan. “Believe me, when I fall in love it will be with a full grown man.”
“Me too,” said Ramirez. “Woman that is.”
“It’s late,” said Stiers. “Tomorrow we’ll need a plan to obtain Sarin and another to get considerable cash. We’ll also need to probe our plans for time travel and establish how well our shields can protect us. It’s a lot to do. I suggest Gowan helps me to establish a plan to raid this place in England to fetch the Sarin; Dunfield and Sarah can write out everything they know about casinos; Ogden can establish our bank accounts and get us onto the social security computer; and the Professor can test out our other plans.”
“Call me Lilly,” she said. “I have been using that.”
“Lilly?”
“It’s better than Titty,” she said emphatically.
“Right, Prof…Lilly,” said the Captain.
“I could make some hot chocolate before bed,” offered Sarah.
“That girl is an angel,” said Ramirez then glared at Gowan. “A rare thing in a woman these days.”
“Which days?” Gowan asked. “Your days or her days?”
“Both.”
“Thank your own special knack for bringing out the wrong side in any girl.”
“You have a wrong side? I would never had guessed that.”
“I’m sleeping onboard the ship again,” said Stiers in an attempt to stem the flow of vitriol. “I think better there.”
“Can we leave Ramirez behind?” Gowan asked him. “I would love to put the best part of a century between us.”
“Nobody remains here,” said Stiers. “We’re already likely to be screwing with the timeline and I don’t want to be the butterfly wing flap that sends mankind to an early grave.”
“Mankind is already heading that way,” said Ogden. “Unless we are successful in foiling that option.”
While Sarah was making their chocolate, Dunfield tried his one and only joke. “The Pope, the President of the USA, Jesse Jackson and a cub scout were flying in Air Force One when the pilot announced ‘We’ve lost all power and this plane will crash. The co-pilot and I will go down with the ship but there are three parachutes in the luggage racks so you’ll be able to jump to safety – or three of you will’.
“So the President grabs one of the chutes and says ‘I’m the most important man in the free world so I must be saved’. He straps up and jumps. Jesse Jackson takes another package, straps it on and says, ‘I am the most important black man in America so I must be saved’ and he also jumps. The Pope looks at the cub scout and says, ‘You are just a child. You strap on the parachute and jump. I will wait my fate on the plane’. The boy scout checks the packages and says, ‘We’ll both be fine, your excellency. The smartest black man in America just jumped wearing my knapsack’.”
There was silence.
“Who’s Jesse Jackson?” asked Ramirez.
“And there are black presidents in your future,” said Lillishenger.
“Ah,” said Dunfield. “I foresee difficulties in the amusement department.”
“Wear a funny hat,” said Ramirez. “That usually works when all else fails.”
CHAPTER NINE
Next day was spent sweating over their calculations while the Captain with the help of Ramirez looked at moving two generators inside. They sat unrusting in the sun and glowed dull yellow and grey. Stiers checked them over and said we could work on them here or shift them inside first. Ramirez went to one end and grunted a bit as he took hold of it, his face turning an interesting shade of purple as he lifted. “It will take more than the two of us,” he grunted breathlessly.
“I’d planned to use the forklift hoist,” said Stiers.
“What hoist?”
“The one resting over there,” pointed Stiers.
“You might have mentioned that before I burst a hernia,” said Ramirez. “Anyway, that looks in worse condition than these generators.”
“The Professor assures me it works fine.”
“I don’t see her over here helping,” grumbled Ramirez.
“These things are on a cast iron base,” said the Captain. “You’re not going to pop one under your arm and spring to the workshop with it.”
“I guess you’re right,” said the other and they spent an hour charging the batteries in the hoist and using it to move the generators inside after opening the big doors.
Ogden had spent his morning, with Dunfield’s help, in organising bank accounts with a small bank that in 1996 would be swallowed by a much larger one. Accessing their mainframe computer was easy enough and he soon had chequebooks arranged and a signature on file. The protection algorithms of the bank were simple to breach and to leave no trace of his entry.
Prior to that he had accessed the Social Security computer and issued them all with appropriate numbers for the area, then went into the DMV computer and issued them with drivers’ licences and ID cards. He logged in as a Hispanic sounding girl named Martinez and hoped the fraud would never be discovered. The order went through for the plastic cards to be issued.
“I should have been a criminal,” he muttered. “It’s so easy in this time. There is virtually no computer protection whatsoever.”
“Why are you mumbling to yourself?” asked Gowan.
“I have just succeeded in making us all quite rich and fully legal,” said Ogden. “I am now a fully fledged American.”
“You don’t sound like one.”
“I’ve listed my birthplace as Boston.”
“You still sound Australian.”
“Why do Americans always say that about the English?”
“Ignorance, I expect.”
The Captain arrived, leaving Ramirez to the generators, and grabbed Ogden, steering him towards the holos where they could study the layout of Porton Down.
“We need to sneak in, grab the goods and be out without being noticed,” he said.
�
�It’s the world’s most evil poison,” he said. “They’re unlikely to have guard dogs or guns, are they?”
“Don’t be sarcastic. This is England. They probably have just a polite notice asking people not to steal anything.”
“I believe the military guards the place,” suggested Ogden.
“Well, we’ll know after we’ve completed our research,” said Stiers. “I don’t want to make this a big event.”
“Then let us see if we can try not to save any airliners and falling stewardesses on the way,” said the Englishman. “Anyway, Porton Down now purports to deal only in cures for the common cold and so on. It’s Cold War days are over.”
“But they still have Sarin?”
“Unless they moved it secretly.”
“How can we stell the darn stuff?”
“Well,” said Ogden. “We have our first problem to overcome. England and California are eight hours apart. To arrive there at night we would have to leave here during daylight which I doubt you would wish for, Captain. So first we’ll have to find a way not to reveal ourselves for a time.”
“We can travel very fast. How long to Porton Down?”
“At, say, half maximum speed – about fifteen minutes.”
“Can they see us?”
“Not the radar, I shouldn’t think. And if the Professor’s device can keep us cloaked at those speeds we should be safe.”
“We’ll check with her. How do we gain access?”
“The place is adequately fenced but my research indicates the best route inside would be through the roof of the dangerous chemicals storage block. It will save us having to pass the guards. The alarm system in complex but one brief nuclear pulse from Challenger should close that down.”
“Won’t they have independent generators?”
“For certain they will. But they won’t survive such a pulse. I think we can knock out both frontline systems for about a half hour and maybe more.”
“That’s something. How will we locate the Sarin?”
“Once inside the storage laboratory I expect it will be in a canister marked ‘Sarin. Highly Dangerous. Do Not Touch’ or words like that.”
“Could it be that easy?”
“I would suggest we send out youngest and fastest personnel to fetch the Sarin while at least one person waits on board ship in the event of an emergency.”
“That would be Gowan and Ramirez on the away trip while I remain on board.”
“Yes, Captain. That is what I would recommend.”
“You see yourself remaining here to help construct the track and vacuum chamber?”
“I see myself being wherever you decide to place me, Captain.”
Stiers pondered for a while. “You’re likely correct,” he said. “Gowan and Ramirez are fast enough to get the job done quickly and smart enough to deal with any problems. I think that we will go with a full crew though. I may need your brain.”
“As you wish, Captain.”
“You just don’t want to leave the Professor.”
“It has been a long time since my wife died.”
“Yes. I hope you find happiness. She is an unusual woman.”
“And quite demanding for a man of my years.”
“In this day and age you are in your dotage, Number One. In our time you are barely middle aged.”
“Let us hope this period does not affect us badly.”
“You still have your own teeth, don’t you.”
“Yes.”
“Then take my advice and stay clear of sugar.”
“As you say.”
Gowan avoided Ramirez and tried to help Lillishenger and Dunfield with their plans and calculations for the track and vacuum sealed area. “We may have to reinforce these walls,” said Lillishenger, looking at the structure that contained them.
“Will you be whizzing round in there after setting off?” asked Dunfield.
“No. Once we pass light speeds we will be gone into the future. This area must remain sealed at all times. If you and Sarah have children you must keep them away from here. It will be far too dangerous.”
“I was thinking of sealing you in with cement blocks,” he said. “I’ll leave a locked door to which we’ll both have keys. That way when you surface each time you can get out.”
“Yes, it’s fortunate the doors only cover half one side,” said the Professor. “Sealing us in should be easy.”
“What about air and food?”
“To us it will just be a week or so. It will be much harder for you to deal with, only knowing roughly when we will reappear.”
“I’ll earn a living.”
“Spend the next thirty years selling 4x4s and ATVs,” said Lillishenger. “More people will wish to explore the desert. Make sure that you wind the business down soon after that time because legislation will come in protecting the desert and fuel will be very pricey indeed.”
“After that?”
“This region will have resurfaced as the place for low cost housing. People will bring modular housing here because plots are cheap and there is mains gas, electric and water. The plant will come out of a downturn and the wealth of the place will rise. Focus upon fitting kitchens, assembling furniture and offering a cleaning service. You’ll do fine. And there will be more work in years to come for your civil engineering skills. The worst time will be the years following 2008. After that it all gets better.”
“I’ll follow your advice.”
“Yes, you’ll have hindsight in advance.”
“Couldn’t you just give me the names of some winning horses?”
“Do you need the money?”
“I expect not. It wouldn’t be the right way.”
“Don’t worry. We’ll give you plenty of information to protect you.”
Gowan had been studying the plans. “How come this track won’t overheat?” she asked.
“The ship will never make contact with it,” said the Professor. “We will always hover just above and once we reach light speeds, we’ll constantly be moving to a piece of track in the future. We will not even spend a nanosecond on one piece. We will always be moving forward. As long as the track remains here we can move through time.”
“Couldn’t it be dismantled once we have gone?”
“No. If it becomes damage or is dismantled, it will also be dismantled in the future. This vacuum sealed space will be our home for the time being. It must remain undisturbed.”
“It’s a big responsibility,” said Dunfield.
“We will take care of you,” said Lillishenger. “At first I was worried something may happen to you and Sarah but now I am comfortable.”
Dunfield nodded and moved on to other work. Gowan said, “How can you be sure?”
“I used the computers to check them out so we don’t need to worry. We can’t tell them anything though.”
Gowan nodded. “I understand.”
“We have at best, you know, a one in ten chance of this all succeeding.”
“I’m surprised it’s that high.”
“Perhaps I am just being optimistic. It likely isn’t that good a chance.”
“Look at it this way, Professor. Knowing what we know, what other choice do we have?”
Sarah prepared lunch again – simple sandwiches and coffee. She was a capable girl and Ramirez, though admiring her, had yet to see her skin a rabbit. His own work on the generators that morning had gone well enough and he had managed to fire one up and getting it running smoothly. The generators would be used to backup the electricity supply in case of blackouts and he had already fabricated and wired up the first one to start automatically during a power cut.
“How’s it going?” asked Gowan.
“What? You’re my supervisor now?”
“I was trying to be friendly.”
“Don’t waste your time – it’s not in you.”
She flipped him off and spoke to Sarah instead. “Will you be comfortable living here – after we have gone?” she
asked.
“Oh yes. We’ve decided to get married and start a family. I know that isn’t the usual way round these days but my family can be quite strict.”
“Marriage isn’t as big as it used to be where we come from,” said Gowan. “No tax breaks any more I guess.”
“No Las Vegas weddings?”
“Las Vegas becomes a vacation resort like Lake Havasu. Casinos and gambling are now just a minor part of the city.”
“But it was built on gambling.”
“So? Most cities were built on their ship transport and there isn’t much of that anymore. People buy the rights to fabricate stuff at home using sophisticated printers. There isn’t much they can’t make. Ours on board are really quite special. We manufacture and recycle our own parts as required.”
“How can you prepare children for a changing world like this?” wondered Sarah.
“Don’t worry. You’ll have plenty of help and advice from us.”
“That’s good.”
“The most calamitous event was the break up of satellite communications when a meteorite broke apart one satellite which went on to destroy several others in the same plane. We overcame that though but for five years computer based technology suffered until everything was restored.”
Lunch was noisy as usual with everybody trying to get a word in. “It’s quieter in the parrot cage at San Diego Zoo,” said Ramirez.
Stiers said, “We’re going to have to prepare our missions carefully. We will have to exit the storage building to locate the Sarin, and again when we construct the track. We can go by car to Las Vegas but when we begin construction of the vacuum housing, we will be not only Earthbound but unable to leave the building at all. This, to be honest, pards, worries me.”
“Can’t we make the unit demountable?” asked Gowan.
The Captain shook his head. “I can’t see how. This will be ultra precision work. We can hardly float the damn thing on rollers.”
“The Captain is correct,” said the Professor. “Any missions on Earth will have to be completed before the lockdown.”
“So we’ll have the only spaceship in the universe that can’t fly?” said Ramirez. “Well flip my zip – our wings are clipped.”
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