Phasewave

by David Gill

  'Okay, I'll come with you, but I don't want Vance to know about this until I've confirmed it. You saw what happened last time he got angry, next time the shock might finish him off. Let's keep this to ourselves until we know for sure what's going on. After all, it does sound suspiciously like a hoax.'

  'But how could they do that? How did they travel to Vennica?'

  'I don't buy into the idea of human beings jumping into a Phasewave transceiver to hitch a lift to another planet,' said Brant. 'That's just too crazy for words. Explain something to me. You say Ellen and Carrick knew us by name, even though we've never met them, and also that they referred to there being only the three of us. Even we didn't know until the last minute that Erwin was being dropped, so how did they find out who was coming to Bouron? Since the last supply ship visited, the crew had been in total isolation knowing only that another four engineers were due to replace them at the end of their contracts, yet they appear to know all about us. The only way they could have obtained that information was by observing us after we landed.'

  'Unless they actually went to Vennica and found out about us from the Company.'

  'I'm not considering that possibility,' said Brant, 'but, if they are watching us, where are they and how have they managed to stay hidden for so long? More importantly, why would they do that? I'd like to hear their explanation. Let's go and talk.'

  Brant stood in front of the monitor and tried to take in what Ellen and Carrick were saying. In his opinion most of their story sounded highly improbable, and he remained guarded in his reaction,

  'One night there was a bad electrical storm, a really violent one,' said Carrick, 'and afterwards we found that Unit Nine had been knocked out by a lightning strike. A few weeks later I was inspecting the unit, standing exactly where you are now, when Scyros Maddoc appeared on this screen and started talking to me.'

  'Bouron is a relay station, not a terminal site,' Brant pointed out. 'How did he establish two-way contact with you?'

  'Unit Nine was knocked out of the network by the explosion,' replied Carrick. 'After it became separated from the Wave, Scyros was able to phase it to his own transceiver.'

  'Where was Scyros Maddoc at the time?' asked Jenna.

  'Here on Vennica.' Ellen waved her arms around. 'He contacted us from this very laboratory and told us that he had learnt to transmit himself through space by linking into the Intranet.'

  'What proof did he offer?'

  Ellen leant forward into the camera. 'Jenna, you have to remember that Scyros invented Phasewave. At first we didn't believe a word he said until he explained how we could modify Unit Nine to accept a human form.'

  'I find it hard to accept that concept,' said Brant. 'People don't go planet-hopping by Phasewave. The work on the machine is too complex for you to have completed, so who did it?'

  'I know what you mean, but I can vouch that we did it all,' cut in Carrick. 'Scyros sent us plans of what he wanted doing and showed us how to make the modifications. We adapted Tracker South to link with the Phasewave and then, when everything was ready, we all went, one by one, into that machine in front of you and split seconds later were standing inside the tracker. I can't begin to tell you what it felt like. After all, having worked on Phasewave for years we thought we knew a thing or two about it and were every bit as disbelieving as you are, but after that first journey we were game for anything. The next logical step was for us to transmit ourselves to Vennica to join Scyros.'

  'What about Rogan and Sewell?' said Jenna. 'Where are they?'

  'At the moment they and Scyros are putting together a deal with the Company,' said Ellen. 'This is incredible stuff. Think about it - the ability to travel anywhere in the universe, instantly, and the owners of Phasewave have total control of the monopoly. In a few years' time all other forms of transport will have been replaced by Phasewave; it's set to take off in a colossal way.'

  'Ellen's right,' said Carrick. 'The potential profits are beyond estimation, and the Company's throwing money around like crazy. '

  Brant was still not convinced. All his instincts told him that something was definitely not right with their story. 'Why are we talking over the Intranet like this, why don't you come back to Bouron?'

  'Unit Nine was badly damaged by the lightning strike,' said Carrick. 'We managed to salvage enough parts to build a transmitter, but couldn't adapt it to receive. That's why we turned Tracker South into a short range receiver; we needed to prove both ends of the system before committing to it.'

  'You can try it for yourselves,' said Ellen, 'but I'll come to that later. This is history in the making and we're offering you a chance to take part in it. We would have contacted you sooner if the legal people hadn't gagged us, but they've now agreed to let us tell you what happened. You must have been very concerned when you arrived on Bouron and couldn't find anyone, so, to show how sorry we are, we want you to share with us the fame and honour of being among the first people ever to travel through space using the Phasewave Intranet.'

  'All our lives are about to change,' said Carrick. 'These Phasewave transceivers are capable of doing things you haven't dreamt of, and you are working for the Company that makes them, you are in at the start of something sensational, the most exciting discovery since Phasewave was invented. Join our team and share the rewards. Talk to the others when they get back. You need to talk to Scyros because I know he will overcome your objections. The man must be a genius to have invented Phasewave, and now he is expanding its powers, powers you are going to experience first-hand.'

  Jenna turned to Brant excitedly. 'This is fantastic! What do you think?'

  'I don't know.' Brant turned back to the screen. 'I'm going to see Vance now. I suggest we talk again.'

  'Of course,' said Carrick. 'We don't want to rush you, but the story's about to break. If you do decide to join us don't leave it too long. Let's get together soon.'

  The screen faded and became lifeless. Brant pressed his palms against his forehead. 'This is something else,' he said. 'That crew didn't even have a systems specialist amongst them, yet, if they are to be believed, they managed to construct the most incredible machine ever invented. How could a service engineer manufacture something that the top scientists on Vennica haven't yet thought of? That's not right.'

  'Maybe they were told how to do so by Scyros Maddoc,' Jenna suggested.

  'Can you imagine instructing someone over the Intranet how to open up a plasma chamber with a thermic lance?' said Brant. 'The very thought defies the imagination, and how do they know that we've discovered the work done to Tracker South? They must be watching us.'

  'Well, somebody obviously modified the machines and something very unusual must have happened to the previous crew or they wouldn't be talking to us through Phasewave,' said Jenna. 'They've been gone for over three months, which rules out being anywhere on Bouron, so if they aren't here where are they?'

  'That's what I intend to find out,' said Brant. 'In the meantime I'll brief Vance and see if he can come up with any ideas.'

  After accompanying Jenna to their quarters, Brant spent some time alone inside his cabin. He was certain that every part of the story they had just heard was false and had decided to take another look at the work which had been carried out on the Phasewave before talking to Vance. A few minutes later he quietly left his cabin and returned to Unit Nine to confront the Phasewave again. Once inside the unit, he squatted on the floor by the machine, removed one of the buckled panels from its front section and thoroughly examined the modified wiring. There was definitely something wrong with it. The modifications, although seemingly complex, did not appear to serve any useful purpose - unless he was overlooking something very important.

  Brant was still probing around inside the unit when the monitor screen lit up and Ellen and Carrick reappeared.

  'Where are the others?' asked Ellen.

  Brant got to his feet and faced the screen. 'They're not here,' he replied.

  'Don't they want to join in the f
un?'

  Brant stared at the two faces, unimpressed. 'This isn't my idea of fun. I don't know what you two are up to, but I think you're talking pure shit.' He bent down and started to remove the remaining panels from the front of the unit. 'This has gone far enough,' he said to the screen. 'Whatever game you're playing is over, and I'm going to fix this machine to make sure no harm comes to any of us. I'm sorry if I've spoiled your "fun".'

  The faces on the screen looked grimly at each other and slowly faded from sight.

  Brant laughed out loud. 'I was right - you're nothing but a box of tricks.' He removed the last panel and found yet another set of rearranged terminals and relays, this time leading down directly into the sub-drive. Brant had never seen anything like it before; it looked like something from another world. He lay on the floor and followed the control paths back from the sub-drive to the improvised busbars, trying to work out the isolation logic. 'Some box of tricks,' he commented to himself.

  The atmosphere inside the room suddenly changed. Brant jumped to his feet and looked around. What was different? There was a moment of intense silence, then the hair rose from Brant's scalp and he immediately knew what was going to happen next. He frantically tried to hurl himself clear of the machine but, before he could escape, a massive bolt of electricity struck him in the chest and exploded his world in a searing flash of blue light. For the briefest part of time, Brant tasted the bitter odour of ozone, but the sensation died with him before his shattered body reached the floor.

  ************************************

  Jenna stood motionless with her head bowed. Declan uncomfortably put his arm around her shoulders and felt the bones of her back through the thin material of her coat. He held her clumsily, not knowing how to react, until she pulled away from him.

  'I'm sorry,' he said, removing his arm.

  Jenna looked sad but her eyes remained dry. 'It's okay; I have to get this out of my system.' She set off again along the path but kept her head down and continued to speak in a quiet voice. 'While all that was taking place I was looking for Brant but could not find him anywhere. I figured that he would eventually turn up at Unit Nine, so I told Vance that Brant had found something and sent me to bring him to the Phasewave. That's what we were doing when we found Brant's body.'

  *************************************

  A pungent smell of burning in the air was the first thing Jenna noticed when she followed Vance into the Phasewave, unpleasant and unlike any odour she had previously experienced, after which events blurred into a disjointed sequence of slow-motion snapshots, as if her mind had tried to blot out what she had seen. Vance, white with shock, wheeling round and seizing Jenna's arm to prevent her going further. Instinctively backing away from him and then looking down into Brant's sightless eyes. The unforgettable picture of Brant's blackened and contorted body and the two of them standing over him, not knowing what to do. Vance isolating the machine while she watched in dumb shock, then talking earnestly while she could only stare back, unable to understand what he was saying, and afterwards resisting his attempts to force her from the room, unable to leave but unwilling to stay.

  Inside Vance's cabin. Vance handing her a glass of something she could not taste yet noticing that his hand was shaking and thinking that at last she had discovered something they had in common. Then Vance talking again, insistently.

  'Do you know what Brant was doing in the Phasewave?'

  Vance's words echoed inside her head and the tears unexpectedly arrived, torturing Jenna further with racking heaves of her body until her chest ached and her throat seized. She started to choke but Vance held her tightly until she subsided in his arms, limp with exhaustion. Later, lying on Vance's bed knowing that she was trapped inside a nightmare but unable to wake up. Finally, the tears coming and going, releasing her into a relaxed state of dull fatigue that seemed to last forever, but in fact only held her until dawn.

  'What is it?' Jenna sat up in a daze.

  'Drink this,' said Vance.

  Jenna automatically took the cup. She held it in her hand and looked around her, trying to work out what she was doing in Vance's cabin. Bits of the nightmare returned. She quickly glanced at Vance, but the grave expression on his face confirmed her worst fears.

  'I'm sorry,' he said.

  'It's true then,' whispered Jenna. 'Brant ... he's gone?'

  A grey pallor had drained the colour from Vance's face. He slowly nodded. 'If it helps, he can't have known anything about it.'

  Jenna felt the tears trying to return and fought them back. 'What about his ... his ... ?'

  'Don't worry. I've taken care of him.'

  Jenna knew what he meant. The body bag, the chemicals, and the slow reduction of human remains into liquid. There was no choice - it was standard procedure.

  'It's my fault,' she sighed. 'I should never have listened to them.'

  'Who did you listen to?' asked Vance.

  'Carrick and Ellen. They spoke to me through the Phasewave monitor.'

  'You found them? What happened? Where are they?'

  'On Vennica, they travelled there through Phasewave.'

  Vance saw tiny points of light reflected in the dilated pupils of Jenna's eyes. 'Try to rest,' he said. 'You've been through a bad time. Let's talk about it later.'

  'No, we've got to meet them. They're expecting us.' Jenna saw Vance's expression of disbelief. 'I'm telling the truth. Brant came with me and spoke to them as well, but he didn't believe them and must have gone back for another look at the machine.'

  Vance stared at her blankly. Was she insane?

  Jenna climbed from the bed. 'Believe me. Come to the machine and see for yourself.'

  'It can wait until later,' said Vance. 'You need to get some rest.'

  'They'll be wondering where we are,' said Jenna. 'You have to meet Carrick and Ellen. Talk to them and let them convince you.'

  After spending most of the night attending to Brant's body, Vance had no energy left to keep up with Jenna's incoherent rambling. 'Can't we leave it until tomorrow?'

  'No!' said Jenna emphatically. 'It has to be now.'

  Vance took one look at the set of Jenna's determined face and knew he would get no rest until her demands had been complied with. 'Very well,' he said resignedly, 'let's go and see what you think you have found.'

  By the time Jenna returned to the Phasewave the smell of burning had faded, and the deserted room displayed no traces of what had occurred the previous day. Jenna moved towards the monitor, but Vance stopped her. 'Keep back,' he warned, 'this thing may still be live.' He cautiously approached the machine and rechecked the circuits. 'The overprotection relays have tripped; it must have been the current surge that did it.'

  Jenna felt light headed. The whole thing was unreal. Was Brant really no longer with them? 'But the machine was inoperative, so where did the current come from?'

  'The sub-drives are the only source of that kind of power.' Vance carefully restored the domestic circuits, checking for irregularities, and, shortly after he had reconnected the last supply, a nearby monitor lit up and he found himself looking at the faces of Ellen and Carrick. He took a step backwards in surprise.

  'Hi, Vance,' said Carrick. 'Nice to see you again. We've been trying to get through to you all day.'

  Vance stood with his mouth open, unable to speak.

  'There was a terrible accident,' said Jenna. 'Brant was electrocuted.'

  Ellen looked visibly shaken. 'You mean he's ...?'

  Jenna nodded. 'It looks like there was a fault on the sub-drive; Brant must have accidentally made contact with it.'

  'Oh, we're so sorry,' said Ellen. 'Look, I know this is a bad time but we need to talk to you urgently. You must have a lot of things to attend to now, so why don't we get together at mid-day?'

  'Accept our condolences,' added Carrick. 'I don't like to bring it up at a time like this but we've got something really important to discuss. I'd sure appreciate it if you could make the mid-day meeting.'r />
  Vance cleared his throat. 'No problem,' he said, 'we'll be here.' He watched the faces fade from the screen fade and slowly massaged the roles of fat around his jowls. 'Well, what do you make of that?'

  'I don't know,' said Jenna. 'They claim to be talking from Vennica, but Brant wasn't convinced.'

  'It sounds far-fetched, but they're obviously talking to us from somewhere,' said Vance. 'On the other hand we shouldn't be surprised; nothing since our arrival has been exactly straightforward.'

  Jenna bent down and examined the front of the unit. 'This is different. The last time I saw the unit there was a panel in place here.'

  Vance got down on his knees and peered inside the casing. He swore to himself. 'Unless I'm mistaken this leads straight to the sub-drive.' He pulled aside the heavy wiring harness and looked down into the sub-drive. 'The drive casing has been tampered with; this is where the current came from. Whoever is responsible for carrying out these alterations must have known exactly what they were doing, or they wouldn't have got this far alive. But I still don't understand the purpose behind it.'

  'Ellen claimed that they had altered the function of the machine and actually travelled to Vennica through the Phasewave. She said that Scyros Maddoc told them how to do the modifications.'

  Vance was even more puzzled. 'And you believed them?'

  'If you don't accept what they're saying, how do you explain the modifications to the machine and the fact that they are talking to us through that screen? If they aren't on Vennica, where are they?'

  Vance shook his head. 'I can't get my mind around this at all. You can't just jump into a Phasewave and get off at Vennica.'

  'It sounds too incredible to be true,' said Jenna. She looked over the modifications again and racked her brains, trying to piece the puzzle together, but the more she tried the more confusing it became. Then the lack of sleep caught up with her and she felt the energy suddenly drain from her body. 'Listen Vance, I need to take a shower. Let's meet up again later and you can ask Carrick to explain what happened.'