by JK Stone
You’re not supposed to be there, and if you’re seen, events won’t play out well for your earlier self, besides we still have more to do.
Terrah sighed and said, “And you don’t think Bias U’san will recognize me? That’s who just ran into me.”
He will have recognized you when you got to Area 51, but I will take care of that. Everything is playing out as I hoped so far but as I said, we still have more to do. Vellia stated assuredly.
Looking back at the door, Terrah sighed and said, “I know, so what do I need to do now?”
Take your ship three years one month and five days forward and transport down to the Palo Alto VA medical center. There’ll be a black town car parked outside building seven. That’s the Traumatic brain injury wing, you need to pick up Braydon—
“You told me he would be alright!” Terrah stated in a near shout.
Vellia could be heard sighing, then she said in a harsh tone, If all goes as planned, he’ll be far better off than he was in the other timeline, you do remember how that worked out for him right?
Terrah was taken aback, in all of her living memories Vellia had never snapped at her before. And for some reason that, more than anything calmed Terrah down. “Alright, so I pick him up, where do I take him?” she asked.
You need to take him to the San Jose Mineta airport. Make a stop along the way and purchase a lottery ticket for the following draw. I don’t know the winning numbers, but you can use your probe and once you have the ticket, try to give Braydon it. He’ll refuse it, do whatever it takes, just make sure he has the ticket when he boards his flight. But you need to transport out of here now.
Terrah agreed, then called up to Doran and transported back to the ship just as the door to the latrine was being opened.
Once onboard TDS 4 Terrah had Doran take the ship to the designated temporal location, and Terrah transported herself directly to the bedroom. Opening the wardrobe, she found an outfit that would allow her to pass as a cab driver, and once clothed she went down to the control room and found the lottery numbers, then after going over the plan with Doran Terrah headed back into Decon and called out, “Doran, I’m ready to be transported to the surface.”
*****
A moment later Terrah was standing in front of building seven. She peered around and located the car. Approaching it Terrah saw the keys were on the roof, so she picked them up and headed into the building.
Terrah went to the nurse’s station and told the woman that she was there to pick up Airman Macleod and take him to the Airport.
“It’s not Airman anymore, Just Braydon,” the man stated from behind her.
Terrah turned and found Braydon had been sitting in a wheelchair. She forced a smile and then said, “My name is Terrah. I’m here to take you to the airport, are you ready to go?”
“I was ready to go the minute I was brought here,” he said with agitation and a bit of humor in his voice.
Braydon must’ve seen her looking at his legs, because a moment later he said, “I can walk, but nurse ratchet there insists on wheeling me out personally.”
“You know you love me,” The nurse said as she approached.
To this Braydon leaned back, smiled and replied, “I don’t think I would’ve made it if you weren’t here, thanks Bev.”
The nurse bent down and kissed Braydon on the cheek and said, “It was my pleasure, but I think you give me far too much credit.”
The nurse looked at Terrah with an expression that made Terrah feel like the woman was reading her like a book, then smiling warmly she asked, “Where are you parked?”
“Just outside the door,” Terrah said, then she followed the nurse and Braydon out to the car, and while the nurse settled Braydon in the back seat, Terrah placed his duffle bag in the trunk.
A few minutes later they were off, and along the way, Terrah saw a mini mart that sold lottery tickets. Looking at Braydon through her rear-view mirror she said, “We’re running ahead of schedule, would you mind if I stopped to pick something up really quick?”
Braydon just looked happy to finally be out of the hospital and he told her to go ahead.
Terrah went into the mini-mart and purchased the lottery ticket and hopped back in the car, and looking over Terrah saw Braydon had moved to the front seat.
“I hope you don’t mind me sitting up here?” Braydon asked, then he added, “riding in the back gets me nauseous.”
Shaking her head Terrah said, “I fully understand, and I don’t mind.”
Terrah peered down at the ticket, and handed it over to Braydon saying, “I would like you to have this in appreciation for the service and sacrifice you have given for our country.”
Braydon peered down at the lottery ticket and said, “I appreciate the sentiment, but I did what I had to and there’s no need to thank me for it or give me anything for doing my sworn duty. You keep it.”
Terrah tried several more times over the rest of the trip to persuade Braydon to take the ticket, but he kept insisting he didn’t want it. With the silence getting to her, Terrah sighed and asked, “So, where are you headed?”
“Back home…Colorado Springs,” Braydon stated.
“Really? I went to the Air Force Academy there,” A moment later there was a brilliant flash from beside her and Terrah swerved out of her lane almost hitting a car in the lane next to her.
Not too much information, he almost recognized you, Vellia barked into her head.
Terrah peered over at Braydon who now had a glazed look and she wondered what the hell Vellia had done to him, but she held her tongue the rest of the trip, and when they arrived at the Delta drop off, Terrah asked for a wheelchair for Braydon.
Braydon shook his head seeming to come out of his stupor and asked, “Why do I need a wheelchair? I can walk.”
Terrah lied and said the nurse had insisted upon it. Braydon didn’t look happy about being wheeled around like an invalid, and when Braydon wasn’t looking, Terrah slipped the lottery ticket into the pouch on the outside of his duffle bag, and then she watched as the attendant wheeled Braydon into the terminal.
Alright, we’re done for now, Vellia said.
“What? aren’t you going to tell me what all of this is about?” Terrah asked.
At the moment, it’s about helping you fulfill your promise to Baelac, the rest is in their hands.
“Are you saying Krysali and Braydon are supposed to be together? Come to think of it, why am I hearing your voice in my head now and not Inola’s,” Terrah asked
There was silence filling the air as Terrah drove away from the airport, then just as she was about to pull onto the 101 freeway, Vellia spoke again.
Krysali and Braydon’s futures are in their own hands, but there are still many things that could go wrong, I may have you intervene later, we’ll have to see. As for Inola, you will find out soon enough. I have to go now, and—
Terrah cut Vellia off saying, “I know, don’t tell anyone about our conversations, even you. I can feel that there is a lot more than just keeping my promise to Baelac going on here, will you at least promise to explain all of this when you’re able to?”
There was silence a moment, then Vellia replied, I’ll try.
Chapter Nineteen
Terrah reentered her ship and once the Decon sweep completed she headed for the control room. Finding Doran sitting there looking tense, Terrah walked up behind him and began massaging his shoulders. Doran’s neck felt tight at first, and then he began to relax.
“That feels good,” Doran said a minute later.
“Why won’t you look at me?” Terrah asked.
“I am afraid I will lose control like the first time you left me,” Doran said.
Terrah could feel real fear emanating from Doran and she sat on the console in front of him and asked, “Why were you worried? I was coming back.”
Doran looked up at her and now Terrah could see the fear.
“I was monitoring the broadcasts from the planet when you
were down there. That planet and the people down there are dangerous. I was afraid something would happen to you, and I would not get to see you again. I was following your every movement, but for some reason, I was unable to speak with you, so I was prepared to transport you up in an instant if I had to,” Doran explained.
“Earth is dangerous, but I was not in danger,” Terrah had said with a sigh.
“In the short time you were down on the planet fifteen people were murdered within a hundred miles, and three of those were within five miles of you. There are too many people on that small planet, and it causes people to devalue life. I have no idea how a planet this small can support that many people. Wars, famine or disease would usually balance this kind of madness out,” Doran stated sounding confused.
Terrah nodded in full understanding, she saw it every night on television, the senseless killing and open violence. Remembering that she had not mentioned the CEMPS attack Terrah asked, “Did you wonder why I went back in time when we arrived at Earth to ascend Baelac?”
Doran shook his head and said, “I was kind of distracted by you, what was the significance of going back in time instead of forward?”
“On the summer solstice following Baelac’s ascension, there’s going to be a CEMPS launched from the ancient Imortum portal on Earth. The ensuing electromagnetic pulses are going to pretty much decimate this planet and reset the population,” Terrah said as she tried not to tear up at the thought.
Doran must have felt her emotional coaster, because he took hold of her hands and said, “That has to be quite hard on you, did you consider preventing it?”
“Jerren and Eneria were the first to discover what will happen,” Terrah stated, then she sighed and said, “Jerren wanted to go back and prevent the attack, but Inola said ‘No’,” Terrah then explained about the CEMPS destruction, and how the civilization on Earth could come out of the disaster better for it.
Doran sighed and said, “It may be hard to accept, but sometimes events like that need to occur. I was at a loss for how the planet was supporting that much life, so I performed a bio-scan of the planet while you were gone. The natural resources of the planet are being consumed at an alarming rate. And with the rate of human repopulation, I think this planet would have imploded on itself within the next twenty to forty years regardless of the CEMPS, if that makes you feel any better about it. This CEMPS event may give the planet time to recover from the damage done to it.”
Terrah had a feeling that Doran was right and she said, “I understand, and I know it’s chaotic down there, but amongst the violent and dangerous people, there are a lot of kind and caring people who will suffer and possibly not make it through this.”
“I know it will sound odd, seeing how this ship can traverse time, but there is not enough time to do anything about those people at the moment if we have to meet your brothers at Abnearu. It could take weeks to months in order to locate or create proper protective shelters to ensure their safety and select who you wish to save, but when we have the opportunity we can come back and help anyone you need to,” Doran offered.
Terrah had wondered about that and asked, “Why are we rushed for time? I still don’t understand that.”
Doran leaned back in his seat and said, “According to my first commander Ventus, the Imortum told the commanders that time runs linearly within all of these TDS ships, so any plans we make together will have to be coordinated by ship time. But despite the fact these ships can coordinate efforts, the Imortum warned against it because any ships within the same phase will not be able to return to a time they had occupied to repair any mistakes that may have been made. And because all of these ships are in the same linear time together, anything that happens to a TDS or commander cannot be altered by one of the other ships.”
Terrah thought about what Doran said and asked, “In Earth linear time where would that place these ships in linear time.”
Doran chuckled and said, “You caught on to that quick.”
Doran seemed to be thinking something over then said, “In an equivalent linear time to Earth these ships are just over three hundred and ninety thousand linear years ahead from the time the Lantins took over the running of the ships, which was almost four hundred thousand linear Earth years ago. The database from before the handover was wiped, so that is the best estimate.”
“Damn, that’s a long time. If I remember right Alise said these ships are over three million linear years old?” Terrah stated questioningly.
Doran nodded and said, “The only place Alise could have got that number is from the AI activation date. So, if we were to extrapolate from the Lantin’s usage of time travel, and assume the Imortum didn’t travel back in time at all, then the real in ship linear time could be anywhere from nearly three million eight hundred thousand years or more ahead. And that would be an absolute minimum time differential.”
Terrah yawned, and then said, “That’s a very long time, I’d wondered about that because Alise said she had been on a planet with her prior commander two hundred years from now.”
Doran nodded. “You look tired. Maybe you should get some rest,” he said. The ship took off and he added, “I set course for Abnearu.”
Terrah nodded and opened communications with her brother, “Jason, do you have a moment?”
“Yes, how are things going?” Jason asked.
“Everything went well. We’re finished for now and have set course for Abnearu,” Terrah informed him.
“Alright, we’ll be just behind you. Once our ship is within the range of our probe we will let you know and we’ll all get together to iron out a final plan,” Jason stated.
“That sounds good, I’ll speak with you later,” Terrah closed the communications and realized that Doran was right, she was tired. All of the data pouring into her mind was exhausting.
Turning to Doran Terrah said, “I think I’ll relax a bit,” and she transported the both of them to the room, less their clothes.
Doran peered down and raising a brow he asked, “I thought you needed rest?”
Terrah chuckled and said, “I find this to be very relaxing,” and she kissed Doran before leading him to bed.
*****
Terrah Just awoke, and not finding Doran in bed with her she closed her eyes and located him on the Observation level. So, she freshened up and ascended to observation to be near him.
The room was awash with a stunning array of lighting owing to the bright nebula they were traveling through. Incredible ranges of colors seemed to flash past them almost giving a rainbow appearance.
Terrah approached the recliners Doran had placed within the room and he signaled for her to have a seat.
Taking her seat, Terrah stared in wonder at the clouds in the distance. At the speed they were traveling, the closer objects had the appearance of shooting past the clouds and it almost gave the feeling of being in the middle of a meteor shower. “This is amazing,” Terrah said with a smile.
Terrah peered around the room, then to the view passing by the ship and she could feel her body absorbing the energy as they passed. She thought that the observation room would make a perfect dance floor, and the thought of dancing with Doran amongst the stars took her breath away.
Doran smiled warmly at her and said, “I would have called on you when we first entered the nebula, but I figured you needed your sleep.”
Terrah chortled and with a smirk affixed she said, “Yes you did wear me out, not that I’m complaining mind you… how much longer until we get to Abnearu?”
“A little over six hours,” he told her.
Doran eyed her up and down, and then he asked, “That is the only suit I have ever seen you in, were you unable to find any other clothing you liked? Or do you just like to match everyone else?”
Terrah just laughed and said, “It’s a special suit,” She stood up and gestured for him to as well.
As soon as he was standing, Terrah said, “It has many more features than the communications built i
nto it. Hit me in the stomach… not too hard, I wouldn’t want you to hurt yourself.”
Doran looked aghast at the mere suggestion and stated, “I would never strike you. Even the thought of it makes me ill!”
Terrah sighed and said, “I want you to hit me in the stomach. I assure you I’ll be alright.”
Doran struck Terrah, albeit reluctantly. He pushed his fist toward her barely making contact, and she wanted to laugh.
Terrah shook her head in amusement and said, “The suit is a type of armor, watch.”
Terrah extended her arms and activated it. He looked at her stunned, then she drew her weapon, and he was left glancing around in apparent astonishment as he ran his hands through the location she was standing in. Holstering her weapon a moment later, she smiled at him and said, “Alright, now hit me in the stomach.”
Doran still looked hesitant but did as she requested.
With a solid thud, Doran’s fist came into contact with Terrah’s armor and he stood there staring and shaking his hand in obvious discomfort. “Where did you get that suit? I know it has the same appearance as the ones worn by the Imortum, but I have only ever seen it in Ventus’s memories,” Doran said as he circled Terrah and ran his hands over her suit.
Terrah chuckled and said, “The suit was in the armory aboard this ship.”
Doran looked at her seemingly confused and stated, “I have inventoried everything in there and I have never seen that.”
Terrah smiled and said, “The suit was not physically in the armory, it was stored virtually using a rotating Deca-Decimal address, so it was never in the same stored location. There is a second golden suit in there as well and I believe it is yours, that’s why everyone is wearing them. Would you like to put yours on?”
Smiling in obvious excitement, Doran said, “I would love to.”
Terrah concentrated on the suits location, and then with a phased swipe of her hand, she stripped Doran of his clothing. After taking in the view a moment she waved again and he was covered the same as her, and she said, “Alright, to activate the armor, all you have to do is extend your arms like this and think ‘Oma’. It’s the Imortum word for armor.”