Nexus of Time

by Mark Riverstone

  Dr. Black breaks into a smile. "No, I won't wreck the car. But sometimes a girl's got to drive fast. I wasn't talking about driving. I was talking about life, Tomas. You, and me, and...I just, people around me get hurt or...die. I don't want anything to happen to you, Tomas, I...love you."

  "I love you, too, Dr. Black. And trust you. You couldn't hurt me if you tried. I'm a big boy; I can take care of myself. No lack of curses and bad luck in my life, however, I made plenty of poor decisions. I'm the one responsible when something happens to me."

  "Are you?"

  "Well there is a chance fate screwed me over," smiles Tomas.

  They both laugh.

  "I miss you, Dr. Black. Purgatory sucks."

  "I miss you too, Tomas. You deserve to be in heaven."

  "At this moment, with you, I am."

  Tomas leans over and kisses Dr. Black while she drives. The road is now long and straight, and the terrain changes every few seconds. Ahead is a massive body of water, and the road ends going onto a dock. The car goes faster and faster as they kiss, not watching where they drive. Running out of road, the car races onto the dock, the wheels rumbling over the wooden planks. Driving off the end of the dock, the car jets into the air toward the water.

  Mid-flight, the car disappears. Tomas and Dr. Black continue in the air, tumbling forward, their seated positions turning into a dive as they lunge into the water. The water rushes over them, their clothing dissolves away, leaving them both naked and submerged. Their downward dive ceases, forcing them both to swim to the surface. While Tomas swims, the hair falls off his head, and his body morphs: eyes enlarging, skin graying, until he resembles a skin spawn hybrid.

  Able to talk under the water, Dr. Black stops swimming and says, "Tomas, what's happening! You're changing!"

  He swims over to her underwater and says, "You are changing me. Is it for the better?"

  Tomas leans forward to kiss her, but a glass tube surrounds Tomas, making it unable for them to touch the other. She pounds on the glass.

  "Tomas, Tomas, what is happening!"

  Tomas sinks, his body floating lifeless inside the glass tube. She dives under the water after him, pounding on the cylinder trying to break it. Tomas disappears descending into the watery darkness. Unable to hold her breath any longer, she swims to the surface, gasping for air.

  Dr. Black sits up and whips her head back and forth, clutching the arms of the chair she sits in with a death grip. She is dry, with no water around her. Dr. Black holds her chest and slows her breathing, trying to grasp clarity with her disoriented brain.

  Her confused eyes look around the small confined cockpit. The control panel power is low. An alloy cover seals the front ultrahigh-tensile windshield on the outside, preventing any sight. Two monitors show the front and back exterior views of the craft, but the lack of light outside displays only darkness on the monitors.

  Dr. Black's hair falls down the sides and front of her head, her hair bun struggling to stay together. Her face glistens from stress sweat. Joint moisture stains her two-piece crystal blue uniform, but not the silver stripes lining her arms and legs. Wiping her face on her sleeve, Dr. Black sits back in the copilot's chair, staring at nothing, trying to get a grip on this moment in reality.

  The rear cockpit door opens. Walter enters wearing the same uniform as Dr. Black. After closing the door, he moves to the pilot's chair.

  "That's it. I transmitted our messages. Now we hope they...I mean us, find the radiation signature, and receive the data packets."

  Dr. Black turns her head and looks to Walter, the banal casualness of Walter's words and movements grounds her, reminded her where she is. "Do you think what we are doing is making a difference? Make things better, not worse?"

  "God, I sure hope for the better. It sure would suck lemons to use my brilliance and expertise to screw over everyone's destiny."

  Walter looks at her with his most serious expression. Dr. Black can only stare into his unflinching gaze for a moment, before breaking into giggles.

  "Walter, how did such a brilliant man get such a sarcastic sensibility?"

  "Practice, experience and a lifetime of bloopers."

  "Well, if I was to be with anyone in this hopeless situation, I'm glad it is you, Walter. Somehow you take the inevitable in stride."

  "It helps me to be with a charming woman, the same way my handsome physique is pacifying you."

  Dr. Black breaks into giggles again, Walter joining in the joviality.

  "I'll assume you're laughing because I'm funny and not because I'm homely."

  "Walter, you are cute inside and out."

  "I'd rather you call me ruggedly handsome."

  Their chuckles and smiles fade into a calm silence.

  Dr. Black says in a soft troubled voice, "I hope this works."

  Walter sits forward and looks at gauge displays, "The Mantis has enough power for five more minutes of life support. If I turn off the interior lights, turn on the exterior bow spotlight, and open the windshield blast cover, we could at least look at the ocean while we wait. We could watch when I scuttle the transmitter and receiver tower. I should mention the deep-sea pressure could cause the windshield to fail and rupture before we run out of air."

  "I always knew I'd die from drowning. Might as well open it and see if I was right."

  "Not the response I was expecting, but an affirmative nevertheless. Opening blast cover."

  Walter taps into the console, and the blast cover opens as the exterior spotlight illuminates the deep-sea terrain and ocean floor sediment surrounding their vessel. Before them is a three-meter-tall metal tower supporting two alloy parabolas facing each other with coil rings around their openings, both mounted to the tower by a rotating support arch. Pressure against the windshield causes it to creak, but then stop.

  "The blast won't break the windshield, will it?" asks Dr. Black.

  "No, we are far enough, and the water pressure lessens the impact area. We're safe." Walter picks up a remote controller from atop the ship console, "Ok, scuttling tower heads in three, two, one...," Walter flicks the controller.

  An explosive blur fills the water around the peak of both towers, their tops bursting into pieces. The chunks lose momentum, the largest pieces dropping to the sea floor. A few small chunks float into their ship, harmlessly tapping the hall. When the water stills, only the bent-up base remains.

  Walter and Dr. Black stare out the windshield at the natural ocean bottom terrain. Dr. Black breaks the silence.

  "I'm not making much of a difference, Walter. You and your research team has been making leaps and bounds forward, getting breakthroughs from the future, and making more breakthroughs to send yourself. My research is moving at a snail's pace. I failed Ying. After two loops, I figured out what's causing his injuries and death, but lack the knowledge to prevent it. When we began this... what do we call it: research? Experiment? Project?"

  "Mission. We are on a mission."

  "Then mission. You said we advance each cycle. The future helping the past, the past leaping into the future. It sounded so magnificent. Inspirational. We didn't consider the other possibility, the one I live. Failure after failure. The future 'me' telling the past 'me' there was no success, the past 'me' making no revelations for the future. Each time, you start the next loop where the discoveries of the last loop left off, but I start at the beginning each time, and relive the same defeat over and over."

  "I understand how you feel, but you can't believe what you are saying. We cannot predict the long term or greater significance of our discoveries. The very fact we are here, now, means this journey is not complete. Despite the discoveries and progress I make, it may be the one discovery you make the final loop that releases us, and allows us to continue on, break this temporal cycle, and move to a new future."

  "You are sweet to say that, and you want me not to blame myself, but I just don't believe..."

  Dr. Black's words drop off when she spots motion within this deep, stil
l, serene environment.

  Not noticing, Walter injects, "There is only one certainty."

  "Walter?"

  "No one knows..."

  "Walter?!"

  Walter stops and looks at Dr. Black, "Are you alright?"

  "I don't think we are alone," says Dr. Black with great concern.

  "What is it?" Walter looks out the window, "Do you see something?"

  "Over there. Straight ahead to the left of the blown tower."

  They both stare at the far edge of the exterior spotlight loses illumination. The solid nose of a Grey escort craft drifts into the light.

  "It is the Greys," says Dr. Black, her eyes widening.

  "They had to be nearby and detect the shock wave when I scuttled the towers. They must have followed us."

  "What should we do?"

  Walter takes a deep breath, grabs Dr. Black's arm, and gives her an intense stare, "Listen to me. We can't let them take the ship. They'd find out what we are doing, get our messages, and all this will be for nothing."

  "I'd rather die than be dissected by a Grey."

  "If we flood the ship, electronics will short, data will delete, and this ship will be a pain to recover. They could try to salvage the ship, but they won't get any information. If we don't, they'll board us, find out everything we've done and plan to do."

  "I understand," accepts Dr. Black.

  "We good?"

  "No, but we have to do this. Do it before I reconsider."

  The nose of the ship moves closer to the tower and slows. Walter types commands into the console, but nothing happens.

  "It's not working. I can't get the hatch bay or boarding doors to open," panics Walter.

  "Why not?"

  "We drained too much energy waiting for the power to run out."

  "Let us do it manually," says Dr. Black.

  "I don't know how..."

  "I know how," interrupts Dr. Black.

  "How do you know?"

  "...I asked security head Master Sergeant Smyte after they set the autopilot. Not sure why. I felt I needed to know...doesn't matter. Follow me."

  Dr. Black hurries out of the cockpit, with Walter following close behind. They rush through the ship, stopping in the rear loading bay with a closed hatch door.

  "Ok there is a panel right...here," explains Dr. Black as she opens rectangular floor panel to the left of the door. Inside is a foot-long lever with a red handle.

  "Walter, there is another panel, same location on that side. Open it."

  Walter checks the floor and finds the panel. It also has a foot-long lever with a red handle.

  "Walter, we must pull both levers at the same time to operate. It's a safety feature. On the count of three. Ready?" says Dr. Black, gripping the lever inside her panel.

  "Wait. Dr. Black, it has been a joy to work with you. You are my friend."

  "Back at you, you kooky old man."

  The comment causes Walter to crack a smile. "Let's do it."

  Dr. Black takes a deep breath, "Ok, one, two, three!"

  They both pull the levers, and an air blast explosion unseals the door causing it to crack open in the middle, allowing water to leak through the gap. The massive water pressure forces the doors to collapse inward.

  As Dr. Black and Walter look to each other, the ship floods with water. Once submerged, the water pressure crushing their bodies into organic pulp.

  In a training room, Dr. Black shakes, awakening from a seated sleep, holding her digital tablet. She sits in front a long water tank three meters deep and ten meters long, filled to the top with water. A strong current pushed across the tank in one direction. In the middle of the surface, Agent Eighteen swims into the current. After taking in a lungful of air, Eighteen dives to the bottom of the tank, touches it, then surfaces gasping for air. He continues swimming into the current.

  Eighteen calls out, "Time? Time!"

  Dr. Black remembers where she is. Emotions and thoughts swirl in her brain, making it difficult for her to string her thoughts together.

  "Time?" calls Eighteen again.

  Dr. Black looks at her timer, "Four and a half minutes left."

  Eighteen continues to swim. Every twenty strokes, he dives, touches the bottom, then resurfaces. Dr. Black shakes off her condition, looks up to watch Eighteen do his laps, but is more fixated on the rippling water and splash bubbles than Eighteen's workout. Dr. Black calls out to a lab tech on the side of the room.

  "Ms. Cane, could you come here for me?" The lab technician walks over to Dr. Black, who holds out the digital tablet to Ms. Cane. "Could you please take this and finish up Eighteen with his training session?"

  "Of course, Doctor."

  "This is the time he started. He is on a twenty-minute cycle. Three minutes and forty...two seconds remain. I need to return to my quarters. You can reach me there if an emergency arises."

  "Understood."

  The technician takes the digital tablet from the doctor and watches Eighteen. Dr. Black rubs her forehead as she leaves the room. During a breath, Eighteen glances to the side, seeing Dr. Black exit.

  The Unspoken

  Chapter 14

  Auxiliary Office, Colorado Mountain Facility.

  Walter reviews classified video research on his computer. He is watching a Dark Projects recording of an optical laser reading data from a quartz memory tile. The massive numbers spooling on the screen are data bits read per second. A knock comes at the door, and the door opens before Walter says 'enter'. Mr. Nix steps in and closes the door behind himself.

  "I hope I'm not interrupting."

  Walter closes the video on his screen. "Please, sit. What's on your mind?"

  "Wanted to see how you are adjusting to this office. If you need equipment or supplies, notify operations and it will be here in no time."

  "I appreciate the sentiment, Nix, but I doubt that is why you are here."

  Mr. Nix notices a fresh placement outline sketch on the floor with measurement markings. "What's that for?"

  Walter's heart stops for a second as he realizes he forgot to clean up a placement sketch of how much ground space was necessary for his temporal receiver mounting.

  "I was just marking off how much space I need to move a piece of equipment in here."

  "I can set you up lab space with plenty of room for equipment. You don't have room in here for that."

  "A lab would be better...so, what brings you by?"

  "Walter, can you and I make an agreement, regarding Committee protocol?"

  "In reference to what?"

  "You are the second highest ranking Committee leader here, and you've been with the Committee longer than me. When I'm in the field, I want you in charge of this facility."

  "That's just a conversation piece. When you are in the field, you are not out of touch, and you staffed quality people. They can function for a time on their own."

  "True enough. Think of this as a contingency plan, in case I don't return from the field."

  "This is an unnecessary conversation. Nothing will happen, and if something did, I can assume control, but I recommend Burt as the official replacement."

  "Burt? Why not you?"

  "Nix, like you said. I've been here longer than you. I'm old enough I could die in my sleep. Burt has been training most of his career to take over a leadership position. And he is a few years younger than you. Your successor should have years to contribute, not someone who could die of exhaustion taking a dump."

  "I know you wouldn't mention Burt if you didn't think him capable...but he's not on top of the operations, current projects and missions, like you and me, so he can't take over seamlessly. He needs time to become familiar with our evacuation protocols, emergency communication channels, lockdown procedures..."

  "And he can, if he knows that is his duty. And as long as I'm here, I'll help Burt."

  "I guess. It makes sense. If something happens, I feel secure knowing you are..."

  "What are you getting to, Nix?"
/>
  "In the remote chance Greys capture me while I'm in the field, I want you, or Burt, ready. The Committee expects us to prepare for such events."

  "I get it. You heading out into the field soon?" asks Walter.

  "Soon. Eighteen should be ready for a mission any day now. I've had Dr. Diamond speed up his information implant training. I'll be leading Eighteen in the field. Nineteen is completing his healing recovery, and will be unbandaged and ready to train."

  "The hybrid agent training is progressing quite a bit faster than what I read on Seventeen's training. His time from operation to mission was eight months. You are looking to get these new agents out in eight weeks."

  Mr. Nix assures Walter, "These two have the benefit of Seventeen's training. Seventeen was the first. We didn't know if anyone could complete the transition, so it was wait and see as Seventeen figured it out himself. Eighteen watches recordings of Tomas' training sessions, which not only gives him an edge but also shows him Seventeen finished the training. He knows Seventeen completed his mission against the Greys. It makes Seventeen a hero and gives Eighteen the sense he can be a hero, too. Because of that, we aren't encountering the self-destruction, suicidal tendencies, despair or psychosis the candidates prior to Seventeen suffered."

  "Eighteen is aware Seventeen died right?"

  "Yes. That he went back in time and crashed in Roswell. That he left us a message in 1947 that the Greys would plan an attack. Everyone had heard of Roswell, so that moves Seventeen to the status of legend. Eighteen and Nineteen differ from Seventeen. Tomas Seventeen was recruited for his intelligence and apathy. Seventeen's lack of caring for his future meant he could deal with no longer being himself. We recruited these two successors for their deep sense of purpose, hero complexes and physical peak condition. With Seventeen setting a standard, men of the hero mentality see something to strive for and beat. It is amazing that neither of these two questioned what we are doing to them. They focus on being better than Seventeen and being the heroes of humanity. Their only concern is to be the best."