“My screen’s blank,” said Wendy. “He could be bluffing.”
“If he’s half as smart as the Kurgans feared, he could have weapons far more advanced than our own,” pointed out Cole.
“And after what he did to those Kurgan ships, I think I’ll take him at his word,” said Sheridan.
“What about the troops?” asked Cole.
“Tell them to stand down. I want them to leave all their weapons in the weapons’ racks and be prepared to disembark.”
“The shield is down,” reported Wendy.
Sheridan smiled at his wife. “Okay, Tarina, take us down. Nice and slow.”
Within seconds of landing, a docking arm slowly extended from one of the buildings and moved toward the ship. With a dull thud, it latched to the starboard door. Air rushed inside the passageway, pressurizing it.
Sheridan turned and faced the cramped crew compartment. “Okay, Kabat, translate what I’m about to say to your men. Folks, it would seem the opposition has the drop on us. When this door opens, I will walk across and greet whoever is on the other side of the door. No matter what happens, do not act aggressively. I fear we are outnumbered and outgunned, so any rash move on our behalf will only end in failure.”
Sheridan looked at the faces of both human and Kurgan warriors and saw a look of bitter anger and defeat. The fight was over before any of them got a shot off.
The light over the door turned green. Sheridan pressed a button on the wall and the door slid open. His heart began to race as he walked through the docking arm and over to the closed door. Just before he arrived the door opened. A Kurgan soldier stood there with a pistol aimed at Sheridan’s heart. He stopped in his tracks and raised his hands.
“Come in,” said the Kurgan, motioning with his weapon.
Sheridan walked past the soldier and into a large well-lit room. A few meters in front of him stood a Kurgan colonel, flanked by two Chosen guards.
“Good day, Mister Sheridan,” said the colonel in flawless English. “My name is Colonel Kadir. I take it Mister Cole, your wife, and Major Sullivan, are still on the ship?”
Sheridan shook his head. The Kurgan’s knowledge of who was on the mission was discomforting. “Yes, sir, you would be correct. I also have two platoons of soldiers with me.”
“They are of no consequence to me. Have them disembark and form up over against the far wall.”
Sheridan took a step forward. “Sir, can I have your word that you won’t harm my men?”
“Please, Mister Sheridan, who do you take me for? I’m not a barbarian. I give you my word that no harm will befall your soldiers. There . . . satisfied?”
“Yes, sir.” Sheridan wasn’t sure whether to trust the colonel or not. As he hadn’t much choice, he gave the order. The Marines and Kurgan warriors marched out smartly and formed up under their respective leaders. Sheridan’s friends walked inside and stood off to one side.
The air was tense. No one knew what was going to happen next.
“Escort the prisoners to building number five and lock them in there for the time being,” said Kadir to the Chosen soldiers by his side.
The Kurgan by the airlock door pointed at Tarina, Wendy, and Cole.
“No, they’re going to stay here with me,” said Kadir.
Sheridan clenched his jaw as his men were marched off under guard. Helpless to stop what was going on, Sheridan was sick to his stomach.
Kadir clapped his hands together. “Now, that’s out of the way, let’s all retire to my personal quarters where we can have a drink and toast our new-found friendship.”
Sheridan’s mind was a whirl. He had no idea why Kadir was being so polite to them, nor had he ever heard a Kurgan speak so formally in his life.
He felt Tarina slip a hand into his and squeeze it tight. “Who is this guy?” she whispered.
“Beats me,” he whispered back. “He acts as if I’m his long-lost friend.”
Kadir led the group to a large living room. There were couches and chairs spread about with several screens on the wall showing images of forests and lakes.
“Being out here in the middle of nowhere, I do miss the countryside,” said Kadir.
“I can see that,” responded Sheridan.
A Chosen soldier walked in holding a silver serving tray. On it was a tall glass beaker and five glasses. The soldier set the tray down on a table and filled the five glasses before turning and leaving.
Kadir picked up a glass and handed it to Sheridan. “Don’t worry, it’s not poison. It’s merely water.”
Sheridan accepted the glass as did his friends.
“What shall we toast to?” said Kadir.
“To freedom,” offered Cole.
Kadir chuckled. “Not today. I know; let’s drink to friendship.”
Sheridan held up his glass even more confused than before. “To friendship.”
Everyone took a sip.
“Please, I told you it wasn’t poisoned,” said Kadir.
“What the hell,” said Wendy, downing her glass in one gulp.
“That’s more like it.” Kadir placed his glass down on the table and looked over at his guests. “I suppose you’re all wondering what is going on and how I know so much about you.”
“The thought had crossed my mind,” replied Sheridan.
“Let me enlighten you.” With that, Kadir reached under the neckline of his armor and yanked off his face.
“My God,” blurted out Sheridan when he realized he was not looking at a Kurgan but a human.
Kadir tossed his rubber mask to the ground and smiled. The man looked to be in his late forties with short salt and pepper hair. He had cognac-brown eyes and a handsome face. “Forgive the amateur theatrics, but I get so few visitors out here. I took drama along with science at college. I just couldn’t resist.”
“You’re not a Chosen citizen. Who the hell are you?” asked Sheridan.
“My name is Professor Alexander Cromwell, and I must say meeting you in the flesh, General, is so different than reading about you on my computer.” He quickly removed his Kurgan armor. Underneath he wore a set of blue coveralls.
Sheridan held up a hand. “Sir, I think you may have mistaken me for someone else. I’m a major, not a general.”
“Good grief, Michael, don’t you think I know that?” Cromwell winked at Sheridan. “But you will be.”
Chapter 14
“Are you trying to tell me you can read my future?” Sheridan said to Cromwell.
“No, my dear boy, I’m from the future,” replied Cromwell, grinning.
“Bullshit.”
“Sorry, but it’s true. Seventy-seven years to be precise. I loved reading history at high school and you, General, are quite prominent in several chapters of Earth’s history.”
“What about me?” asked Cole.
“You and Ms. Sullivan are mere footnotes,” replied Cromwell. “Mrs. Pheto-Sheridan, however, is mentioned a couple of times in the postwar career of her husband.”
“My head’s spinning,” said Tarina. “I need to sit down.”
Sheridan pulled out a chair for her to sit on. Wendy joined her.
“Okay, if I were to believe you, which I’m not sure I do,” said Sheridan. “What are you doing here working for the Kurgans?”
“Let me answer the first part of your question,” said Cromwell. “I was experimenting with time travel using wormholes as a conduit to the past. I thought I was a hell of a lot smarter than I am and ended up here in this time by mistake. I had been studying a wormhole for years that came and went every month with amazing regularity. My calculations should have brought me to Earth in the medieval era. Instead, I was wrong and ended up coming out of my journey ten years ago in Kurgan space. I was found and immediately detained by Colonel Kadir who saw the possible military application of my work and I have been his prisoner ever since.”
“You don’t look or act like any prisoner I’ve ever met,” said Cole.
“He gave me free reign in
side the base. After all, where am I going to go?”
“You seem like a bright man; why haven’t you tried to escape?”
“In a word, Margarite, my wife. She was with me when we made our trip back in time. Kadir took her from me and told me if I ever wanted to see her alive again I had to help him find a way to travel into the past. She means the world to me. I can’t imagine my life without her.”
“Sir, have you spoken with your wife in the past ten years?” asked Sheridan.
Cromwell looked away. “Not for the past year, but I was told she had become ill and was being looked after by the best doctors the Kurgans had at their disposal.”
Sheridan stepped forward. “Sir, I think you need to admit to yourself that your wife is probably dead.”
“Take your hand off him!” warned a Chosen soldier who had been standing at the door.
Sheridan looked over and saw the man had his hand on his holster.
“Step back or I will be forced to use violence.”
“Kurt, he doesn’t mean me any harm,” said Cromwell to the guard.
The soldier let his hand fall to his side and took a step back into the hallway.
“Kurt, not a Chosen name I’ve heard before,” said Cole.
“He’s not a Chosen soldier. In fact, he’s not even human,” explained Cromwell.
“What do you mean ‘he’s not human’?”
“Kurt, come in here please.”
The guard marched in and stopped next to Cromwell.
“Kurt, show these people who you really are.”
The guard nodded, brought up a hand to his face, and twisted it. With a click, the guard’s face popped off. Instead of a bloody skull there was white metal for bone and tiny cameras for eyes.
“Jesus, he’s a robot,” blurted out Tarina.
“He’s more than just a robot,” countered Cromwell. “Kurt, put your face back on and look at Mister Cole.”
The guard reaffixed his face.
“Kurt, I want you to become Major Sheridan.”
The robot nodded and smiled at Cole. In the blink of an eye, he transformed into Michael Sheridan. The resemblance was perfect. He had Sheridan’s black hair, deep green eyes, and his square jaw. The scar he had suffered as a child running down the right side of his face was there as well.
“Say hello, Kurt.”
“Hey there, Alan,” said the robot, sounding just like Sheridan.
Tarina stood up and looked into the robot’s eyes and saw her image reflected in what were mirror images of her husband’s eyes. “This is creepy. Make him change back.”
“As you wish. Kurt, become yourself again.”
The robot’s original face reappeared.
“How did you do that?” asked Wendy.
“Nanotechnology,” said Cromwell. “There are literally billions and billions of nanorobots at the molecular scale built into his faceplate which can become whatever the robot wishes.”
“Did you say, ‘whatever the robot wishes?’” queried Sheridan.
“Yes, all my robots have the ability to think and act on their own in order to survive in a combat situation.”
“You’re telling us that your robots are capable of learning and reasoning in complex situations?” said Wendy.
“Yes, I find it quite amusing that you’re amazed by something as mundane as a thinking robot. You see, it’s quite common in my timeline for robots to do many of the dangerous tasks you still expect people to do in your time,” said Cromwell.
Sheridan looked over at the robot and then back at Cromwell. “How many of these robots have you made for Colonel Kadir?”
“Besides Kurt, there are six other robots here on the base.”
“What is Kadir planning to do with them?”
“I’m not entirely sure. You can ask him yourself when he gets back here.”
“When will that be?”
Cromwell checked the time. “In about two hours. Until then, I’d ask you four not to leave this room. Kurt is trained to kill and I’d rather he didn’t have to prove his skills on one of you.” With that, he walked out of the room and closed the door behind him.
Sheridan and Cole took seats next to their friends.
“Well, what are we to make of that?” said Tarina.
“If I hadn’t seen that thing change into Mike, I would never have believed a word that came out of that man’s mouth,” said Cole. “But now, I’m inclined to believe him.”
“He’s not all together there,” said Sheridan. “I think he knows his wife is dead but part of him doesn’t want to let go of her and keeps on believing that she is still alive.”
“Perhaps we can use that to our advantage,” suggested Wendy. “I’d rather not be here when this Kurgan colonel gets back.”
“I’m with Wendy,” said Tarina.
“I agree as well, but Kurt has orders to shoot to kill,” said Sheridan. “I, for one, don’t want to tempt fate by trying to see how fast he can draw his weapon. We need another way out of here.”
Wendy scrunched up her nose. “What’s that odd smell?”
Sheridan stood straight up and looked over at the air vent on the wall behind them. He swore when he saw a fine mist coming through the vents. His eyes grew heavy. Before he could sit back down, his legs buckled under him, and Sheridan tumbled to the floor. In the seconds before he blacked out, he saw Tarina slip out of her seat and slither onto the floor, fast asleep. A split second later, Sheridan’s world narrowed and turned black.
The door slid open. Kurt and three other guards walked inside and picked up the sleeping people as if they weighed as much as a small child. They carried them down the hallway until they came to two rooms. The women were gently deposited on the floor of one of the rooms, the men the other.
Alexander Cromwell watched as the doors were closed and locked. He waited until he was alone, reached into a pocket, pulled out a flat disc, and activated it. A holographic image appeared of a beautiful woman with long, flowing black hair standing in a field with a smile on her face. He smiled back and held her picture close to his face.
“Well, my dear, the time is almost here,” said Cromwell to Margarite.
He waited a moment before turning off the projection and putting the disc away. Cromwell looked both ways to make sure he wasn’t being observed and walked off whistling a tune to himself as if he didn’t have a care in the world.
Chapter 15
The pungent aroma of smelling salts assaulted Sheridan’s nostrils, jolting him awake. He opened his eyes and tried to stand, only to find he was chained to a chair. A couple of well-armed Chosen warriors stood there, glaring at him.
“Ah, you’re awake,” said Cromwell, standing behind Sheridan
“What’s with the chains?” asked Sheridan, craning his neck to see the scientist.
“I’m sorry, Colonel Kadir insisted on it. It would appear that you have a reputation among the Kurgans for violence.”
“I’m a Marine. I don’t kill without provocation.” Sheridan looked around the room. “Where are my friends?”
“They have been placed with the others. Kadir’s orders.”
“I take it I’m still out here because he wants to talk to me?”
Cromwell walked around so he could be seen. “That is correct. I’ve already signaled that you’re awake. He should be along shortly.”
A side door slid open.
Sheridan was stunned when he saw Kadir. He looked short for a Kurgan and was obese. Instead of wearing armor, his corpulent body was wrapped in white loose-fitting clothing.
“I’m led to believe that you can speak Kurgan?” said Kadir to Sheridan.
“That is correct,” he replied in Kurgan.
“Good, as my English is terrible. I tried to learn from Cromwell but gave in and made him learn the Lord Kurgan’s language.”
“Colonel, I’d feel a lot more comfortable if you were to remove these chains.”
“And I’m going to feel a hell of a lot
safer if you remain chained up. My sources say you’ve killed hundreds of my fellow Kurgans.”
Sheridan shook his head. “I doubt I have killed that many. Besides, our two species were at war until a few months ago.”
“Major, according to the reports I’ve been reading, we still are.”
“Colonel, your info may be a little out of date. Your people are actively engaged with a few rebel-held star systems, not the Terran military.”
“Major, for a man as bright as they say you are, I find you quite naive. We are now in a cold war where intelligence is the weapon both sides use to gain an advantage over the other.”
“That may be so, but that’s not why I’m here. My orders are to stop you from altering the balance of power between our two armed forces.”
Kadir pulled out a seat. He let out a huff as he sat down. “My dear boy, Cromwell thinks the world of you. When I look into your odd-colored eyes, I can’t fathom why. You’re just another foolish soldier who cannot possibly comprehend the awesome power I will soon have at my disposal.”
“Admiral Kaar thinks I’m smart. Try me.”
Kadir placed his hands on his knees. “Kaar is a fool. Did you know that he once tried to have me killed? But his people screwed up, and I escaped here to continue with my work.”
“No, sir. I was unaware of that.”
“Well, now you know.”
Something in the back of Sheridan’s mind troubled him. “Colonel, you couldn’t possibly pay for this operation out of your own pocket. My God! You’re still working clandestinely for the Kurgan High Command, aren’t you?”
“Kaar was right; you are quite perceptive. Not the High Command but an enlightened organization which sees the need to keep a qualitative edge over our foes. Although you may not be privy to it, your people are also working in the shadows to develop newer and more powerful weapons of destruction.”
“I’ll never understand black ops. You people probably create more trouble than you’re worth.”
Kadir shrugged. He looked over at a guard and snapped his fingers. “Untie him. Keep a gun in his back.”
Sheridan felt the muzzle of a pistol jammed hard into his back.
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