One Minute to Midnight

by Steve Lang

  "Colonel, this thing handles like a subcompact car. Maybe even better. Let's get you up there."

  Richard followed General Pierce to the hovering metal disk. The General removed a remote control from his pocket, pressed a small blue button, and a ramp lowered from the ship, gently touching the floor of the hangar.

  "I think it goes without saying, but don't lose this remote. Inside, you'll find a captain’s chair, and a single flight stick that when moved activates the craft. There's no seat belt, because the machine creates its own gravitational field inside and out, so there are no G's, and the physics of this ship has allowed it to overcome the problem of inertia. Essentially, when you make a 45 degree turn at mach ten you won't get splattered against the wall. Upside down, sideways, doesn't matter." General Pierce said.

  "That's amazing! Well, sir, thank you for this opportunity, and I'll see you when I get back. I guess." Richard said.

  "Good luck, have fun, and safe travels, Colonel Price. Please, find Moira if you can."

  Richard walked up the ramp and sat in the comfortable leather chair. The aroma of new leather was sweet, comforting, and he felt more like he was in his study at home than in a reverse engineered mechanical wonder. His left hand took control of the flight stick. As he did, the ramp closed and his ship’s dome became translucent, and then clear as glass. The ship moved forward gently, gliding across the hangar like a hockey puck over ice.

  "So far, so good. This is kind of fun." Richard said.

  Security seemed startled by his moving ship, but they didn’t appear to be threatened. Richard hovered his way out of the hangar, and with an educated guess he pulled back on the stick. The ship shot skyward in an instant, leaving the atmosphere and entering the vacuum of space. His fear of the unknown was quickly replaced by the overwhelming excitement and enormity of the rift. The General may have been purposefully vague about the details of what he would see out here. A ring of clouds, perhaps half the size of earth had opened up, and electricity danced inside billowy gray and blue swarms, like lightning during a summer storm. In the middle of the maelstrom Richard could see shimmering stars, but as he came closer he realized something else was there: another planet with its own blue and white atmosphere and greenish brown continents orbiting a bright yellow sun. Richard gauged it as roughly the same size as earth.

  The planet began to appear larger and larger as he came closer. Richard lost control of his stick as the rift pulled him toward its massive gravitational field like a tractor beam. Perhaps Moira was somewhere on the blue planet, waiting to be rescued. The planet looked much like Earth, but the continents were larger, and were spaced differently between oceans. A sucking, whooshing sound filled his vehicle as he came within a hundred miles of the rift. Streaks of light flew by him as he accelerated. His chair began to wobble and shake from vibration, but when Richard stood up he felt nothing but stillness. He was a pilgrim, standing on a platform of pure light, and filled with excitement. It was time to go into the unknown.

  Richard crossed over into the rift, and as he did, he suddenly saw himself being born in the fetal position, and being held in his mother's arms, and growing old, and dying, and repeating the cycle. This went on for what felt like a few lifetimes, but with greater speed. Richard eventually blasted through to the other side, and when he did, he saw that he was on a collision course with the blue and white planet ahead. He saw what looked like North America, and the African continent, but in the center was another very large landmass he had never before seen on any map of Earth. Richard regained control of the ship, flew closer with mounting curiosity. This planet had a moon much like the one orbiting earth, but there was something unique about this moon. He decided to fly closer to the moon to investigate prior to landing on the planet. On the surface of the moon were entire cities covering her face, and fleets of spaceships leaving and returning. He was close enough to the moon to see that buildings had been geometrically placed on the surface, which he guessed may have been strip mining operations. Glass towers penetrated the atmosphere, miles above the surface.

  Richard wondered what kind of galaxy he had crossed into, or perhaps, what time? It was time for answers so he sped away, and his ship was like quicksilver, racing toward the blue planet in the blink of an eye. Minutes after Richard left the moon he was soaring through the air on the strange earth like planet looking for dry land. The oceans bustled with sea life below, as monstrous fish leapt from watery depths catching flocks of passing birds in black, gaping maws before disappearing once more into serene blue water. The sun was beginning to set, casting a golden shimmer on the ocean that obscured his view of the crystal blue waters. A coastline began to materialize out of the sea two miles ahead, so he pressed the stick forward and instantly he was rushing past golden beaches, where the tide rolled gently in. Some villagers casting their lines watched as his ship zipped through the sky.

  "Humans? I think those were humans." Richard said to himself.

  Richard was now flying over a vast and beautiful rain forest, dense with vegetation. As darkness lowered her evening veil, Richard saw the outlines of tall trees stretching up into the sky. His space ship had no exterior lights, but the glass dome had turned green, allowing him night vision from within, and he could see what lay outside almost as if the sun were still up. Richard continued flying until he noticed the lights from a city ahead. When he got closer, he saw high-rise buildings like those back on his Earth, and gorgeous pyramids surrounded by a living, breathing city. His amazement got the better of him, and he decided to set the craft down in a clearing just outside the perimeter of the city, hidden from view by tall trees and bushes.

  Richard was so excited by his experience that he lowered the ramp before donning his protective headgear and oxygen pack. Instead of toxic gas, he was surprised to breathe the fresh air of a planet untouched by the machinery of his home. Flora and fauna so sweet, Richard was almost stifled by the aroma. The odor was so overpowering he caught his breath the way he would sometimes have to when walking into an expensive floral shop. He smiled. The night was alive with music from cricket mating calls, as he exited the ship and looked around for native nocturnal animals or savages hiding in the forest waiting to pounce. The General had not given him a weapon before leaving home, only a survival knife, and there was not as much as a fire axe on the ship. Richard felt exposed, naked without a pistol in this strange land. When he was ten years old, Richard's parents had taken him to Egypt where he stood before the Great pyramid and felt the magic of its ancient stones beneath his small hands, and experienced a trip back in time alongside his mother and father. He felt nostalgia and the familiarity that time where he stood now.

  Richard boarded the ship and closed the ramp with his remote, and slept under the stars in his leather chair. He found a small switch on the side of his chair that would allow him to reverse the polarity of his dome and it appeared metal again. But for tonight he chose to enjoy the panorama of stars overhead, and just before he drifted off to sleep, Richard realized he could see the Leo constellation.

  "So strange..." Richard whispered. It should not have been there, he thought. Then he drifted to sleep.

  He woke up the next morning to the sun shining through palm fronds on his face. He stood up, lowered the ramp and decided to go meet the people of this new city, and on the way maybe get something to eat. He was starving. He raised the ramp behind him and began to walk toward town when the ground rumbled beneath his feet. At first it felt like a small earthquake, and then he could see the trees shake around him. He stopped, turned, and heard something very large approaching through the forest. Trees began to crack like toothpicks, and then he saw the body of a tyrannosaurus looming over him. It snorted at the odor of fresh meat, looked left, and then right, as Richard stood paralyzed with fear. His mind finally came back into focus and he began to run in the direction of the city. The beast was charging right behind him, kicking up dirt, and knocking trees over in his path as Richard ran and screamed, unconscio
us of the sounds he was making. Richard cleared the woods and saw the front gate of the city in front of him as he ran blindly forward like a sprinter heading for the finish line.

  He tripped over a rock in his path and sprawled across the ground just as he reached the wall. His nose broke with a crunch as stars of pain exploded inside his head; he struggled to get to his feet again and failed. Richard could only roll over and watch with terror in slow motion as the beast raised a foot in the air above him. As it came down a bolt of lightning struck the tyrannosaur's head and evaporated it in a bloody mist. It was over. The giant carcass keeled over and Richard cringed as the foot that had just nearly squished him came to rest an inch from his face.

  A few moments later, the city gates opened and soldiers rushed out to make sure the dinosaur was dead. A small brown boy and a taller dark brown girl stood over Richard with concern in their eyes.

  "My name is Ket." The boy said.

  "I'm Sheba. Are you hurt?" The girl asked.

  Richard sat up and brushed the dirt off his hands, as blood trickled from his broken nose.

  "No worse for wear, I guess." Richard replied, holding his nose.

  He felt like a sledge hammer had pounded him in the face, and he could barely see anything from the swelling in his eyes, but he managed a wincing smile. He hoped these people were going to be friendly, but with the ache in his head Richard was almost beyond care. He could smell the stench of the dead tyrannosaur and it made his stomach turn. His gut empty, he leaned over and dry heaved, laying his head on cool grass as Ket and Sheba looked at each other with worried expressions. Richard felt a blackout coming until he looked up and saw a pair of boots that resembled his own. His vision traveled up a white pant leg and settled into the eyes of a beautiful woman wearing a protective suit just like his.

  "Lt. Colonel Moira Suthers. I'm guessing you're the cavalry? Welcome to Earth, sir. We're about fifteen thousand years before Christ." Moira said.

  Richard took her hand as she helped him to his feet.

  "Earth? How's that possible? I just came from there." Richard said.

  "The rift took us back in time. I didn't believe it until I began to research this place, and I learned all of the history they don't teach you in school. Want to see Atlantis? It's a three minute flight from here." Moira said.

  "Once I eat something and get this damned nose fixed. I feel like I was in a train wreck." Richard said.

  "Let's go to my home. My mother is the leader of this tribe, and she's also a medicine woman." Sheba said.

  "I've been here for a year and I can tell you that when you get used to this place you're never going to want to go back home. Not that we could anyway. I think the rift was a one-way ticket." Moira said.

  Richard walked next to her as they spoke.

  "Something strange happened to me when I came through the rift, and I think my ship almost got stuck. It felt like I lived my whole life a hundred times." Richard said.

  "Yeah, me too. I'm not sure how long I was in there but it must have been a long time. Some space junk came along and dislodged my ship, sending me forward. I don't like talking about it. Nice to have someone from home here with me, though. It's tough to have a shared experience from our time with the Atlanteans, and Khemitians, especially when they're so much more advanced than us, and have never been to the Earth of their future. Their technology will embarrass you, I'm afraid, and the hospitality of these people is unmatched in our time. I've seen them care for each other in ways that I thought humanity wasn’t capable of." Moira said.

  "I'm still in a state of total shock and awe. You'll have to fill me in on what you've found here, but please, be gentle. I feel like an entire school of fish out of water." Richard said.

  They entered the city gates and Richard's mouth dropped open at the beauty of pyramids far to the north, and homes lining streets of gold constructed of glass and stone. It was awe inspiring, and their architecture was like nothing he had ever seen.

  "I think I'm going to like it here." Richard said.

  Moira turned and smiled. "Like I said. You'll never want to go back. Come on, let’s go."

  Richard, Moira, Ket, and Sheba will return in the novel Eye of Time.

  hell hath no fury

  My name is Suki Hiabashi, and until a few months ago I was an assassin for the wealthy. There is a saying that Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned, and I suppose that's why I'm writing this tale. Humanity is on the precipice of a very new world, one full of wonderful miracles, magic, and horror as we enter a new age of man, and evolve into the creatures we were meant to be. I’m leaving this for you to read and maybe you’ll understand why I had to do the things I did.

  As a little girl, my father trained me in aikido in order to protect myself against what he called 'the evils of this world'. We immigrated to America when I was three and lived in a rundown neighborhood filled with gangs, drugs, and prostitution.

  My father went to work for a man named Martin Breswell as his personal driver shortly after we arrived in the states. Martin was made quite wealthy by his various investments, and because he was compassionate, and liked my father, he got me into the same school his son and daughter attended. This school was expensive, and when my father explained that he didn't have the money, Martin just laughed and told him that as long as he was working him Martin would pay the tuition.

  I attended the best pay-to-play schools in Los Angeles but the high society life bored me, and my family was never truly accepted by the ultra-wealthy. So, after skipping my high school graduation I joined the Marines to become a scout sniper, which was strictly verboten for women until 2019. I was told that I didn't have the heart for combat because I'm a woman, and that I was weak, so I smoked the entire male platoon on the obstacle course on more than one occasion to prove my worth. In the boxing ring I decked my drill sergeant, a man twice my size and mean as a snake while our commanding officer was watching. My third application for sniper school was approved the next day.

  For eight years I killed people I didn't know for God and country, finding that I enjoyed the experience. I’d squeeze the trigger and seconds later a target’s head popped open like grape and then I moved on to the next one. When I was honorable discharged from the Marines I most missed the sweet smell of gunpowder as my bullet left the barrel. As far as I’m concerned, there is no deadlier aroma than gunpowder, and the personal relationship I developed with my rifle was almost spiritual. There was a kind of solitary peace being out in the fresh air with just my spotter, on our own stalking the enemy. At times, when I needed to clear my head, I would go by myself. Sometimes targets were foot soldiers, or computer hackers, and one time there had been a chemist, but to me it was a game of cat and mouse. Their identities were irrelevant, and my commanders labeled every one of them a terrorist or insurgent rebel.

  After my honorable discharge, I felt it was a natural next step to become a gun for hire, and besides, the pay was better. I worked for a private security firm for a few years until the economic collapse of 2032, and then the bottom fell out of normalcy. People began to loot, burn, and tear their cities apart once the lights went out, and I found myself working for Martin Breswell as his personal bodyguard, and shortly I fell in love with his son, Peter. We became very good friends as I watched over his father, and in my off hours we began to date. I was against it at first, because I knew it would be a conflict of interest, but Peter was wonderful to me, and we had been close friends ever since we were children. I loved his dark hair, and hypnotic blue eyes. I guess they were my downfall.

  Peter and I began to spend weekends together when his father and I were in town. The economy, having been propped up by fiat currency, finally collapsed in the fall of 2052 and it was a worldwide pandemic. Life became more drastic and dangerous after that, so my services were in ever greater demand. Money became worthless, but I continued to do my job to protect the father of my love, who was working to stabilize the economic disaster we were all living under. Martin o
nly needed my watchful eye when he conducted business in other cities due to the high rise in muggings and murders in metropolitan areas across the country. Travel was very dangerous now. There were highwaymen laying in wait to hijack cars and looking to kill the unsuspecting for food.

  When the grocery stores ran out of food, and industrial meat farming ground to a halt, desperate people turned to cannibalism for survival. There were also reports of raiders storming homes where doomsday preppers had been squirreling away food for years only to have it stolen by gangs with more guns and ammunition. A lot of the people who had saved food for their families ended up getting shot trying to protect it. Functional hospitals were non-existent anymore, because there was no money to pay the power bills, or to hire doctors. We were living in a real Mad Max world, and the only difference between his desert wasteland world and us was that our homes were still standing and we had not begun to drop bombs on each other. That would come later.

  Martin stopped travelling about four months after the collapse when the people in power realized that unlike the Great Depression of the 1930's, this one was not going to bounce back. There would be no road programs, no social outreach, and people would keep their homes this time because the banks had all folded up and left town. The fiat currency we had all been using since 1971 lost its confidence, and when marks were called in, debtor countries didn't have the capital to pay back what they owed.

  We were left out in the cold, on our own, and totally screwed worldwide. For their protection, I began to train Peter and Cynthia—his sister—how to shoot and fight. Our love continued to grow despite increasingly difficult circumstances. I can still smell Peter's skin and hear him call my name on the wind. So, gangs got bigger, religious hysteria grew louder, and the cauldron boiled as a world spoiled on instant gratification turned from uneasy to hostile. Soon, human life became very cheap and bodies piled up in the streets from the starving dead, left to rot if there was not enough meat on their bones for the cannibals to cart away.