Instinct moved his right foot to the brake. He felt the truck skid to the right so he turned the wheel into the skid. Operation of the vehicle was now only by feeling, sight was useless, the blackness enveloped everything.
The truck stopped. Jim felt waves of nausea as he leaned forward resting on the unseen steering wheel.
“Mike?”
“I feel sick,” answered a weak voice.
“Colin?”
“I think I hurt myself on the seatbelt, Dad.”
Jim reached through the blackness to find Michael sitting with his head back. Then to Colin who he found bent over, with his head almost to his knees. He lifted Colin by the shoulder.
“I’m all right, just a little sore,” Colin groaned.
Jim reached for the cab lights. Disoriented, he realized that he was reaching for the location of the switch as he would on his car. “Where’s that damn switch,” he mumbled.
Instead of searching further, he fumbled in a pocket for an old Zippo lighter. He had given up smoking over a year before but carried the lighter through force of habit. A flickering orange glow instantly filled the cab and Jim looked into two astonished, questioning faces.
“What happened? Did we fall in a hole?” Michael asked.
“I don’t know. We’ll just have to find out.”
Jim found the light switches and turned on both cab and headlights. The truck’s engine had stalled so he turned off the ignition.
All three peered through the windshield at the light as it penetrated the blackness. The only thing that the headlights revealed was a cloud of swirling dust immediately in front of the truck. It was as if they were looking off a cliff into nothing. Jim hit the high beam, again nothing. The light looked as if it illuminated for a distance, then disappeared.
“Where are we dad?” Colin asked.
“Haven’t got a clue. Wherever it is, I don’t want to take any chances. This place is too weird.” Jim turned and in turn looked both his sons in the face. “You two ok?”
“I’m fine dad,” Colin said.
“I don’t feel sick no more,” Michael replied.
Jim realized that his own nausea had gone as well. The only thing he could detect was an increased heart rate. The beat in his ears and his sons’ breathing, were the only things that could be heard in the dead silence. Jim searched his mind frantically for an explanation but none was immediately forthcoming.
“Stay here,” Jim said as he fumbled for the handle and opened the door.
Climbing out, he paused on the step to relight the Zippo. Below him, the truck appeared to be suspended in space. Jim looked under the door at the front tire. The bottom of it appeared flat, as if resting on an invisible surface.
Overcome by confusion, he remained on the step for a few moments. The predicament defied logic. Jim lowered a foot carefully until it stopped at the invisible floor. Testing with a kick, he decided it was solid. Once assured, he stood with both feet. It appeared as though he was standing in mid-air. He grabbed frantically for the truck in panic. Once steady, he took a few paces down the side of the truck, following the body with a hand.
“Ooooo. Where did Scotty beam us to?” Colin exclaimed, sticking his head out the open door.
“We’re in outer space dad!” Michael yelled from inside the cab. Their voices were strangely muffled as if there was no echo from the floor or anywhere else.
A soft glow from an unseen source slowly increased illuminating the area. A floor gradually appeared beneath his feet. Its color changed from a transparent black to a light gray. There were walls some distance away. Looking up at the ceiling far above gave Jim a mild attack of giddiness. Within seconds the light had increased to where he could see his entire surroundings.
He realized that they were in one gigantic room with a gray floor, gray walls and a gray ceiling. There were no doors visible from their location. He again looked up to see if there was a hole in the ceiling through which they may have fallen. That possibility was instantly dismissed as the distance from ceiling to floor was too great for his truck to have remained intact. Other equally illogical solutions came to mind as he searched the walls with his eyes, section by section.
“Turn off the lights and come here!” Jim called over his shoulder and hurried to the rear of the truck.
Quickly unlocking the back, he rolled up the door then reached between two boxes under a mattress. His hand came out holding a 12 gauge over and under shotgun. Back again, this time for the .22 rifle followed by two boxes of ammunition. He loaded both weapons. Birdshot went into the upper barrel of the shotgun, double aught buck into the lower. One would wound causing a great deal of pain. The other would, if necessary, blow a man’s head clean off. He switched the weapon so that it would first fire the birdshot. Arming themselves was not an immediate necessity. It was more for reassurance.
“What’re we going to do dad?” Colin asked, standing by the corner of the truck. Michael behind him was nervously looking back and forth around the room.
“Take this,” Jim said, handing Colin the .22. “We’ve got to check Ralph. Cover me while I look.”
“This place is spooky,” Colin said, looking up at the ceiling. Their voices sounded normal again.
Jim walked back to the car as Colin pivoted around scrutinizing the area. Inside, Ralph lay on the floor under the steering wheel. As the door opened, his tail thumped twice. He raised his head slightly then lowered it again. Jim quickly examined his dog, diagnosing a probable fractured shoulder. Ralph had obviously struck the dashboard when the truck came to an unexpected halt.
“Someone’s coming dad!” Colin called in a voice near panic.
Jim looked up, carefully observing the approaching figure some twenty meters away. A door had opened in the far wall behind the person.
The man was dressed from head to toe in a silvery white suit. He walked directly toward them. Facial features were evident through a transparent faceplate.
“It’s a Romulan dad,” Michael yelled, almost in tears. “Shoot him quick!”
“We won’t go shooting people ‘til we know what they want. Colin, traveling over-watch. I’m A team you’re B. Michael, stay behind me and watch our rear. Tell me if you see anyone coming from that direction.”
Jim had selected an infantry formation where one team covers the other as they move. He started to walk toward the figure, shotgun by the side. He wanted to present a casual appearance with a backup. Colin took up a position to Jim’s left, slightly to the rear with rifle at the port. Jim knew, from experience, that an eleven year old with a weapon could be more intimidating than an adult. The aura of unpredictability was unsteadying.
“Colin, finger outside the trigger guard and keep it pointed away from the man.” Jim had more confidence in Colin following orders than he had with most of his soldiers.
The separation between the group and figure closed rapidly, both coming to a halt at a distance of a couple of meters. Jim remained silent, letting the figure make the first move.
“My name’s Doctor Talin Redmond, and yours is? Oh... ah... sorry. First question should be... ah... do you speak English?” The doctor was obviously flustered by the encounter.
“Jim Young.”
“Mr. Young, I guess you’d like an... ah.... an explanation... ah... this all must be quite confusing for you.”
“I believe an explanation would be appropriate. This situation is somewhat unusual,” Jim said trying not to display emotion in his voice or facial expression.
“Dad, tell him to talk quick or you’ll blow his nuts off!” Colin shouted.
“Hold on. We should find out a few things before threatening people.” Jim folded his arms, cradling the shotgun. The doctor jumped back a pace when he saw the weapon moved.
“Must’ve been a violent people,” the doctor mumbled to himself.
Jim overheard. “Violence is a possibility; I’m waiting for the explanation first.” Jim was choosing his words carefully.
�
��Oh, yes, an explanation. It seems that you’ve been a victim of a device, possibly alien in nature that captured and held you for a period of time.”
The doctor pointed toward the rear of the truck. Jim turned briefly and spotted the black pyramid shaped object twenty meters from the rear of his car. It was surrounded by a collection of unfamiliar gadgetry. Between the pyramid and the truck lay an assortment of scattered bits. The twisted pieces of metal were obviously the result of an argument between a heavy truck and a less substantial gadget.
The doctor hesitantly continued with the explanation. “We’ve just released you and your vehicle from it...”
“Pull the other leg mister, it plays jingle bells!” Colin yelled, gripping his rifle harder.
“Colin, let me do the talking,” Jim said, then back to the doctor. “If this is true, we thank you. Now, would you kindly open a door and give us directions back to the freeway. We’re headed for San Bernardino.”
“Are you all well?” the doctor asked, obviously trying to buy time while he figured out what to say.
“We’re fine, but we have an injured dog in the car. I’d like to get him to a vet in Phoenix.”
The doctor turned and called into the air. “Levin, have you been listening?”
“Yes, doctor,” announced an amplified voice from nowhere. “The veterinarians are on their way.”
The sound of the voice changed Jim’s perception of the situation. When first mapping a course of action he had not counted on the presence of others monitoring their every move. The man in front of him had, possibly, a more threatening backup than he did. The unknown bothered Jim.
Another door opened. Two figures appeared. The men, completely enclosed in the same silvery outfits as the doctor, each carried a case. They sprinted the distance to the car. Jim looked the three men up and down in turn. Weapons were his prime concern and they didn’t seem to be carrying any.
The doctor indicated with an open hand. “Those men will take care of your dog.”
Jim watched as the two peered through the window and examined the closed door running their hands along the junction between the window and the metal.
“How do you open this?” one inquired.
“Pull on the damn handle, you moron!” Jim shouted then turned back to Redmond. “Those two idiots are doctors?” Jim was trying to control his rising anger. He didn’t want to antagonize anyone just yet.
“Yes, they’re two of the best veterinarians we have at the university. They’ve never seen a vehicle like yours before in their lives. By the way, what breed is your dog?”
“He’s a German Shepherd.”
“A German Shepherd?” the doctor exclaimed sounding excited. “Is it pure bred?”
Jim’s grip on the shotgun tightened. “The breed of my dog is none of your business. Let us out of here and point us at the freeway. We’re behind schedule as it is.”
“That, I’m afraid is not possible. The, ah.... freeway, whatever that is, does not exist any more.” Redmond fidgeted about. Folding his arms and lowering his head, he mumbled to himself. “How does one explain?” Then back to Jim. “Well I guess I should be blunt.”
“Please do, if that’ll help,” Jim said, forcefully controlling the volume of his voice.
“You’re not on Earth, you’re on Batalavia, a planet in the Pollux system. This building is part of the main University of Batalavia, department of archeology.”
“Dad!” Michael said sobbing. “We HAVE been captured by the Romulans! What’re they going to do to us?”
“Michael, Romulans are only on TV and this guy looks quite human.” Then back to Redmond. “I guess you know we’ll take quite a bit of convincing.” Jim paused and thought for a second before speaking again. “Why are you all wearing those outfits? They make you look like something from a TV sci-fi show.”
“Protection from micro-organisms. You probably carry many that we have no immunity to.”
“Well, sorry if we’re going to infect you,” Jim said in a disdainful tone of voice.
“Oh, no, no, it’s for your protection as well. In the intervening time the bacteria we carry have naturally and in many cases artificially mutated. So it’s for your protection from us, just as much as us from you.”
“Intervening time? How long has this intervening time been?”
“Ah... it’s been a little under two thousand years,” the doctor said in one breath then paused to watch Jim’s reaction to the news.
Jim staggered back a pace placing the butt of the shotgun on the floor and gripping the barrel. Something in this man’s voice made him think that he was telling the truth, no matter how hard that was to believe. “I need proof.”
“I can take you outside. We’ll have to reverse our positions, you in one of these suits, me without. I’m afraid we do not have suits in your children’s size so you’ll have to come without them.”
“No, no, dad, if you go they’ll eat us,” Michael cried.
“I have to go. We have to find out. Colin’ll take care of you.”
“Yeah, Mike, these pricks try anything funny and I’ll put a bullet between their eyes,” Colin said, raising his rifle and shaking it slightly.
“Colin, unload your rifle and put it in the back of the truck!”
“DAD?” Colin protested, gripping the rifle even harder.
“Do it now! Here, take mine too.” Jim unloaded the shotgun and handed it to Colin. “I’m sorry. My son’s not usually this bloodthirsty, he’s just nervous.”
The doctor nodded. “Quite understandable under the circumstances.”
“They’re taking Ralph away dad!” Michael said, running a few paces in the direction of the car and pointing.
Jim swung around in time to see the two men lifting Ralph on what appeared to be an extremely flimsy stretcher. “Where’re they taking my dog?”
“I’m not sure. I’ll find out.”
The doctor started out at a fast walk in the direction of the veterinarians. Jim followed close behind with the two boys. “Hold on Phil! Where’re you taking the animal?”
“To a treatment room. We have to plasticlip a fracture.” The vet turned to his partner. “Put him down Rick. We’ll have to show them.”
They lowered the stretcher carefully placing it on the ground. The second vet opened a case hanging by a strap over his shoulder and retrieved an object that looked like a hand mirror. He kneeled, turned his head in the direction of the approaching group and waited for their arrival.
“I can assure you Mr. Young that these men are extremely competent,” Redmond said, slowing his pace. “Phil, what’s the condition of the dog?”
“We’ll have him up chasing cats in a day or two,” Phil said, bending over to scratch Ralph behind the ear. “It’s just a fracture. It has to be aligned and clipped. Rick, show them.”
The object in Rick’s hand glowed a light green color. It was a small screen with a handle. He held it over Ralph’s right shoulder at an angle so that Jim could see. Redmond stepped aside to allow Jim to get closer.
“See?” Rick started to explain. “This is a sort of a picture of the... er... insides of your dog.”
Jim kneeled and extended an open hand in the direction of the device. “May I?” he asked.
Rick glanced up at Redmond now standing behind Jim. The doctor nodded and Jim took the device. The glow went out.
“How do you activate it?” Jim asked.
“Slight pressure on the handle.”
The glow returned as Jim positioned it above Ralph’s shoulder. He could clearly see the bones in the green glow of the screen. The surrounding soft tissue appeared as a shadow. A simple fracture, slightly misaligned, was clearly evident.
“It’s not magic,” Rick continued. “It’s a very useful scientific instrument.”
“How does it work?” Jim was scanning over Ralph’s side, watching the heart through the rib cage as it beat.
“Well...” Rick was obviously searching for words that J
im would understand, “it uses sound, not sound that you can hear but....”
“Damn clearest ultrasound I’ve ever seen.”
Rick’s expression changed to one of mild surprise. “Oh... you have seen an ultrasound scanner before?”
“Yes, but the ones I’ve seen weigh over fifty kilograms and have to be pushed around on wheels.” Jim looked at his own arm and hand. “They were no where near as clear as this one, just showed fuzzy blobs that had to be interpreted by a trained tech.” Jim returned the scanner. “How’re you going to set the bone?”
“We first physically align the break. The dog will not feel a thing. We use Hawkin waves...”
The upward inflection on the last two words signified that Rick was questioning to find out if Jim understood.
“What does that do, numb the area?”
“Yes, they’re radio waves set to the resonant frequency of specific nerves. The effect is temporary.” Jim raised an eyebrow as Rick continued. “We then inject a plastic monomer around the break. The dog’s own body temperature catalyzes it into a polymer ... ah... hardens it. Ah... it is a plas...” Rick glanced back at the car, obviously inspecting the plastic molding on the side. “Yes... it’s a plastic. In about a day he can use the leg.”
“Is the polymer permanent?”
“No. In about thirty days the plastic starts to break down. It’s then absorbed by the body and eliminated through urination.”
“I thought you future guys would just wave some beeping thing over it and it’d heal instantly.”
“We are not that advanced, but I’m sure that someone, somewhere, is working on the problem.”
Jim stood. The veterinarians picked up the stretcher and continued toward the door. Jim turned to Redmond. “All this looks impressive but I’m going to take a lot more convincing. Can we go outside now?”
The Time Stone (The Time Stone Trilogy Book 1) Page 4