“Now, Major, let me show you what I have been up to.”
Sheridan walked behind Kadir down a long corridor until it came to a spacious hangar. The room was empty except for two shuttlecrafts parked against a wall.
“Behold, Mister Sheridan, the instruments of your Armageddon,” said Kadir with a flourish of his hand.
“Sorry if I don’t gasp in awe, but what am I supposed to be looking at?” said Sheridan.
“The shuttlecraft.”
“Those two ships will bring about Armageddon?”
“I only need one. But prudent military planning says if you want one, build two in case the other fails to work.”
“I’m still lost.”
“Major, I intend to send one of those shuttles back in time to change the present.”
Sheridan smiled. “Colonel, if you do succeed in sending one of those ships back in time, whatever you’re planning has already failed in the past. I’m still here, as are you, and your Empire is suing for peace as we speak.”
“You’re not one of those people who believe the timeline is fixed and cannot be altered, are you?”
“Colonel, you have the wrong person if you want to debate time travel paradoxes. Major Sullivan is far smarter than me on the subject. But I tend to agree with her. You cannot change what has already happened.”
“You’re both wrong, and I intend to prove it. Besides, who said I’m only going to alter the past when I can also change the future?”
“Okay, now you’re talking gibberish.”
“Am I? Cromwell came from your future and his arrival changed the timeline by giving me the resources to build advanced robotics and to further broaden my understanding of time travel to the point where I know it can be accomplished.”
Sheridan looked over at Cromwell. “His arrival was meant to be.”
“I disagree. Major, I spent years looking for a wormhole to the past and found what I was looking for inside the Kertyl Nebula.”
Sheridan’s eyes narrowed. “So you’re the S.O.B. who got there before me and rigged the ship for detonation?”
“Correct. I needed what was recorded on that ship’s hard drive. If you had beaten me to the vessel, you would have learned that a wormhole opened above New Terra during the fight for the planet. The Kiran, already damaged beyond repair, was swallowed by that wormhole and came out in our time inside the Kertyl Nebula. I had read reports of the ship’s loss but had never been able to prove my theory that it had inadvertently flown into a wormhole until it reappeared.”
“I take it you intend to fly one of your shuttles into another wormhole, hoping it will come out one hundred years in the past above New Terra?”
“I’m not hoping for anything; I have created the means to make an artificial wormhole anywhere I please. With the calculations worked out to the nanosecond, I can link my opening with the other tunnel opening in the past. This isn’t a dream, Major, this is reality.”
“Well, you have me there. I have no way to scientifically refute your claims other than to say I still don’t believe you can tinker with the past.”
“But I do!” Kadir waved a hand at the guards. “I’m tired. Take this man and lock him up with the others.”
“Mind if I tag along?” said Cromwell. “There’s nothing going on until we launch our shuttle first thing in the morning, and I’d like to chat with his comrades about their experiences before you dispose of them.”
Sheridan clenched his fists, turned his head, and looked around for a weapon. The guard saw his mood change, thrust his pistol into Sheridan’s side, and twisted it.
Kadir watched Sheridan wince in pain and shrugged. “Your fascination with these people is lost on me. Do as you wish, Cromwell, but be back in the lab to triple-check your computations before you go to bed.”
“Yes, Colonel.”
A second Chosen guard walked over, grabbed Sheridan’s right arm, and twisted it behind his back. White-hot pain shot from his shoulder joint. It felt as if the guard was trying to yank his arm out of its socket. A second later, he found himself manhandled out of the hangar. The soldiers pushed him along until they came to a closed door.
Cromwell stepped forward and opened the door with a pass key. “Put him in there,” said Cromwell to the guards.
The next thing he knew, Sheridan was flying through the air. He hit the floor on his right side and let out a pained moan.
“I’ll be fine,” said Cromwell to the Chosen soldiers. “Remain on guard outside the door.”
The guards hesitated.
“Do as I say!”
The Chosen soldiers nodded and took up positions on either side of the door with their hands resting on their holsters.
Sheridan rolled over and looked around the room. Marines and Kurgan warriors were packed like sardines in the small cell. He smiled when he saw Tarina’s face.
“Here, let me help you on your feet,” said Cole, picking his friend up off the floor.
Sheridan stood and shook his head. His eyes narrowed. “What are you still doing here?” he said to Cromwell. “Shouldn’t you be triple-checking your master’s computations?”
“I shall, all in due time,” replied Cromwell.
Sheridan stepped close and looked into the professor’s bloodshot eyes. “What’s to stop me from reaching over and snapping your neck so you can’t help that lunatic?”
“Nothing, other than it would be a pointless gesture leading to your premature deaths.”
“We’re all going to die anyway. So why not take you with us?”
Cromwell canted his head, smiled, and waved his fingers playfully at Tarina. “I wouldn’t be too hasty, General, you have a beautiful wife to look after. Also, please don’t be too startled when the base’s alarms sound in the morning.”
“Why would they?”
“Two and a half days ago, a strike force of special forces was observed jumping away from Illum Prime. I expect them to arrive in orbit at precisely 0547 hours tomorrow morning. Remember this, General; timing, they say, is everything.”
“What the hell are you going on about?”
Cromwell stuck his hand out. “Goodbye, Mister Sheridan.”
With trepidation, he shook Cromwell’s hand.
The scientist released his grip, turned on his heel, and walked straight out of the room, singing a song. The door slid closed behind him.
“That man’s nuts,” remarked Cole.
Sheridan turned his back to the door and opened his hand. In it was a pass key marked Armory.
“What do you think he was getting at?” asked Tarina.
“Timing!”
Chapter 16
Sheridan lay on the floor of the darkened room with his head on Tarina’s lap. He twiddled his thumbs and let out a long-suffering sigh. “Do you know what time it is?”
“It’s 0533,” replied Tarina, checking her watch. “Or, if you like, three minutes later than the last time you asked me what time it was.”
Sheridan sat up. “If Cromwell is planning something, he’s cutting it awfully fine.”
“I agree; the mood in here is awful. It feels like were a trap waiting to be sprung. What do you think he has in mind?”
“He gave me the key to the armory, so I suppose he wants us to arm ourselves and take the base by storm before our people arrive.”
“I think I hear footsteps,” whispered Cole.
Sheridan crawled over to Cole, sitting next to the door. He placed his ear against the door, closed his eyes, and listened. His hearing aid picked up the sound of two men walking down the corridor toward the cell. He tapped Cole on the arm. “Get ready. This could be it.”
Cole patted the leg of the man nearest to him and whispered, “Stand by.” The Marine hurried to pass the word.
Sheridan’s heart skipped a beat when he heard the muffled sound of a silenced pistol firing. A second later, a body crumpled to the floor.
The door slid opened, letting light flood in from the hallway.
/> Sheridan brought up a hand to block the light.
“Major Sheridan, please come with me,” said the guard.
Sheridan rushed to his feet. He grinned when he recognized the man as Kurt, Cromwell’s robotic creation.
Kurt handed Sheridan the dead guard’s weapon. “Sir, we have to get moving. We don’t have a lot of time before your strike force arrives.”
“Where is the armory?”
“It’s down the hall, the last door on the right.”
“Lead on.”
Kurt ran down the hall. At the weapons vault, Sheridan inserted the key. The door popped open. Cole waved the Kurgans and Marines inside.
Kurt reached over and gripped on Sheridan’s arm. “Sir, Mister Cromwell wanted me to tell you that things have changed.”
“How so?”
“Colonel Kadir was suspicious, so he launched the first shuttle three minutes ago. He also intends to send a second team into the past just in case the first crew fails. Mister Cromwell wants you to intercept the second team and commandeer the shuttle for yourselves to stop whatever Kadir is planning.”
“Where is Cromwell right now?”
“He’s is in the operations center. He’s quietly lowering the base’s shield so your force can land and secure the facility. He made it clear to me that he wants me to accompany you wherever you may go.”
“Lieutenant Jürgen Saar and Second Lieutenant Kabat, on me,” yelled Sheridan.
The two officers sprinted over.
“Mister Saar, I want you to divide your platoon and destroy the weapon’s systems on the eastern side of the base. As you have more men than Kabat, you will also seize the airlock and hold it until our people arrive. Kabat, you will take out the weapons on the western side of the base and stay there until Saar or I call for you as I don’t want any accidental blue on blue shootings. Questions?”
The two young leaders shook their heads.
“Move now and good luck.”
Cole handed Sheridan a compact submachine gun. “Where to now, boss?”
“The hangar,” replied Sheridan, loading his weapon.
“How do things look?” asked Kadir, sitting at his desk in the control room. He had a half-eaten plate of food in front of him.
“Everything is proceeding as planned, Colonel,” replied Cromwell. “The shuttle has left the Kenor System and is on its way to the rendezvous point with the wormhole.”
The room was nearly empty. Aside from a couple of guards, the only people there were Kadir and Cromwell. Everyone else had left to man the missile batteries.
“Order the second team to the shuttle and prepare for departure.”
“Yes, sir.” Cromwell pressed a button on his console and passed on Kadir’s order. His stomach churned up and down like a rowboat trapped in a typhoon. Cromwell rubbed his sweaty palms on his trousers. He had never been so scared in his life. He silently prayed that Kadir wouldn’t notice that he had turned off all the warning alarms on the base and lowered the shield.
At the hangar entrance, Sheridan took cover behind a stack of fuel crates. He looked over at the shuttle and saw a lone guard pacing back and forth.
“There, look,” said Cole, pointing to a door on the far wall. Eight Chosen men dressed in Terran uniforms from the last war walked toward the shuttle.
Sheridan looked at his wife. “Can you and Wendy fly that shuttle?”
She took a quick glance and winked at Sheridan. “Piece of cake.”
“Okay, here goes nothing,” said Sheridan, standing up from behind the boxes. He brought up his weapon and fired a quick burst into the unsuspecting guard’s chest, dropping him.
The sound of the submachine gun firing surprised the second shuttle crew. They stopped where they were and fumbled for their pistols. Cole and Kurt gave them no mercy. With dead aim, they moved their weapons’ sights from man to man, killing them.
Sheridan heard footsteps closing in behind him. He spun around and saw a Kurgan officer running down the corridor with a squad of Chosen soldiers. He placed his weapon on full-auto and pulled the trigger. Like a scythe, the stream of bullets cut down the officer and the three closest men to him. The rest dove for cover.
“Run!” yelled Sheridan to his comrades.
“Sir, something’s wrong,” said a Chosen soldier to Kadir.
Kadir grunted as he struggled to rise from his chair. He waddled over to a long glass window overlooking the hangar. His eyes widened when he saw his people lying in a bloody heap on the floor. Kadir gnashed his teeth the instant he spotted Sheridan running toward the shuttle. He turned around and glared at Cromwell. “You did this, didn’t you?”
There was no turning back now. Cromwell stood up and faced his adversary. A calm serenity washed over him. For the first time in years, he felt at peace. “Yes, I did, and there’s nothing you can do about it.”
“Guard, arrest that man!” snarled Kadir.
Before the soldier could move, Cromwell reached down, his finger hovering over a button on his laptop. He looked into Kadir’s seething golden eyes, smiled, and said, “Here I come, Margarite.” A split second later, he pressed down on the end of the arming device.
Cromwell’s computer was packed with more than enough unstable high explosives to take out the control center. The detonation tore the room and everyone in it to pieces.
The roar of the explosion shook the hangar. Glass and burning debris rained down onto the floor.
Sheridan looked over his shoulder as fire and smoke rushed out of a burning second-floor office. His instincts told him that Cromwell was dead. He ignored the conflagration and followed Tarina inside the shuttle. The ship’s interior was small. It reminded Sheridan of a command shuttle as there was no cockpit. The pilot and navigator chairs sat at the front of the vessel. Right behind them were two rows of seats.
The two women jumped into their seats, buckled themselves in, and activated the craft’s computers.
“Major, what do you want me to do with him?” Cole asked, looking over at Kurt.
“Before you make up your mind,” said the robot, “please keep in mind that I know the faces of the men in the first shuttle.”
“Sit down and buckle yourself in,” said Sheridan.
“Are you sure that’s wise?” Cole asked. “He could be programmed to kill us for all we know.”
“I can assure you that I am not your enemy, Mister Cole,” said Kurt. “Mister Cromwell told me to serve all of you. It was his last order before walking away to his death.”
The shuttle’s side door raised up and locked in place.
“Quit your gabbing and take a seat, boys,” said Tarina. “It looks like everything is on automatic.”
Sheridan and Cole dropped into their seats and snapped their harnesses in place.
The hangar depressurized. A set of doors in front of the shuttle opened. The craft flew out and five seconds later jumped away. Behind them, a robust strike force of ships arrived in orbit above the moon. With both shuttles gone and the command center destroyed there would be no prize for the black ops team to claim.
Chapter 17
“Anybody know where we’re going?” asked Sheridan, as he unbuckled himself from his seat.
“According to this computer, we’re heading for a white dwarf star known as KY-003,” said Wendy.
“How long until we get there?”
“Fourteen hours and thirty-one minutes.”
“Why are we flying toward a white dwarf?” asked Cole.
“Because that’s where the portal to the wormhole is located,” explained Wendy.
“Hello . . . infantry smart, astrophysics challenged,” said Cole. “What portal?”
“Wormholes are incredibly small conduits through spacetime. In order to make it large enough for us to use safely, a gravitational portal is used to enlarge it. That’s why we’re heading to a white dwarf.”
Sheridan smiled. “Wendy, you may get it, but I don’t get it either. Try again in English.”
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br /> “The portal will use the powerful gravitational field from the white dwarf to spin the wormhole, forcing it to enlarge its opening so we can safely fly through it.”
“Okay, I sorta understood that.”
“That’s not a surprise,” quipped Tarina.
“Hey, you tutored me.”
“Correction. I tried to tutor you.”
“Since this is theoretical, who’s to say we won’t be squished down into long strands of spaghetti when we enter the wormhole?” said Cole.
“The portal and this ship’s design should prevent that.”
“Okay, let’s say we survive the trip back through time, then what? I don’t want to be the one who sounds negative all the time, but we have no idea where these people are going or what their mission is.”
Sheridan looked over at the robot. “Kurt, will you be able to recognize these people?”
“I should think so,” replied Kurt. “There are five of them: two men and three women.”
“Are they robots like yourself?”
“Yes.”
“Wonderful . . . human chameleons,” quipped Cole.
“Maybe things aren’t all that bad,” said Sheridan. “Their sexes tell me that the targets they intended to seek out are both male and female. Kurt must give off a power signal of some sort. Perhaps we can use that to track the robots?”
Cole opened a box on the floor and retrieved a sensor which he ran next to Kurt. “He’s not emitting much energy, but his signal is quite peculiar. If I could get within a few meters of one of them, I’m sure I could pick them out of a crowd.”
“It’s better than nothing,” said Wendy.
“So, Mike, what do we know about New Earth during that time period?” asked Cole.
“Terra Nova, as it was called back then, was the high-water mark of the Kurgan invasion into our space during the First Kurgan War,” explained Sheridan. “The horrific casualties they suffered there convinced them the war wasn’t worth the cost in men and material. A month after the battle for Terra Nova ended, the Kurgans entered into ceasefire negations.”
Renegade (The Kurgan War Book 7) Page 9