The Garden

by Craig W. Turner

  As he ran his hand across the rough sandstone, he was overcome with the idea that this building could possibly have been created by God himself. Its height, its size and its elegance put any modern skyscraper to shame. While there were no glass windows, the side of the building was lined with arches from the bottom to as high as they could see, suggesting that there might be floors throughout the tower. Robert tried to estimate how tall the building could have been based on the pitch of the walls going upwards for eternity. But the thing was so massive, there was no way to get bearings on its dimensions. The stone shimmered in the sunlight, making him wish he had sunglasses to protect his eyes.

  Underneath his feet was a smooth, rocky ground, not unlike pavement, but different. He bent down to inspect the floor and felt dusty earth with stones intermingled. It was solid, though, which it would have had to have been to sustain the weight of the mammoth building on top of it.

  Landon and Claire arrived at his side with the woman, who couldn’t have been anyone other than Eve. Landon was talking with her as they walked, and they stopped a few paces away. “What is this?” Robert asked, and the others, who had been similarly inspecting the area, gathered for the answer.

  “She said this area is where they meet the Creator,” Landon said. “Inside this building is a courtyard where she, her husband and God walk and talk.”

  “Walk and talk?” Davies said. “She said that?”

  “I thought God walked and talked with them in the Garden,” said Amy.

  Landon shrugged. “I don’t have all the answers,” he said. “This structure is still in the Garden, right? This courtyard inside this building also contains the Tree of Life and the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil, which, of course, they aren’t allowed to eat from.”

  “They’re real?” Reilly asked.

  “They are,” Landon said. “And she said she’ll take us to them.”

  Strangely, it occurred to Robert that while he had been accused of a host of heinous crimes throughout history that he didn’t do, they were now inching closer to facilitating one of the most significantly negative things that had ever happened to mankind.

  “Shall we?” Landon asked, directing the team to follow the woman.

  As they walked along the massive base of the building, Robert continued to scan upwards. He felt like a child might, seeing the SATP campus for the first time, and noticed the others staring skyward, as well. Distracted, he walked into someone, and turned to see it was Reilly.

  “This is incredible,” Reilly said without reacting to the collision.

  Robert shook his head, his thoughts returning from the clouds. “The last thing I want to do is talk to you about this mission,” he said. “You were going to kill us.”

  “No,” Reilly said. “That may have been someone else’s plan, but I would never have done it, Robert. I would never have been able to. Whether we found this place or not.”

  Robert could feel his anger rising, unsuccessfully trying to suppress it despite his surroundings. “Why are you here?” he asked, trying to keep his voice low.

  “For the mission?”

  “Andrew, you know this mission isn’t going to do anything,” he said. “The President does not care what we find here. It was pointless for you to come other than as a tourist. What are they planning?”

  Reilly sighed deeply, as if he was pained over what he was about to say. “They’ve got you, Robert,” he said. “There’s nothing you can do about it. And there’s nothing I can do about it. They have a list a mile long of things they’re going to charge you with, and they’re going to do it publicly. It’s a legal nightmare – one that will be far too costly to refute, and one that makes it so that I won’t be able to be beside you. None of us will.”

  “And all of this to accomplish what? Shut down the program? Fine. I’ll walk away. Shut the program down.” Reilly walked in silence, following the group. Robert realized he wasn’t going to get answers just waiting for him, so he pushed. “That’s not it, is it? Do you understand how absurd this all is? The President can’t-”

  Reilly held up his hands. “I don’t know what you did on those missions,” he said. “I can’t speak for-”

  Without letting him answer, Robert’s fist swung and connected with the General’s chin.

  Again.

  CHAPTER 63

  Landon was certain that Robert and Reilly thought their conversation was private, but he was also certain that everyone could hear it. He knew that he could, and while he tried not to eavesdrop at first, along the way he found some merit in hearing what they had to say.

  Though his back was to them, the sound of Robert’s fist hitting Reilly was unmistakable, and he turned in time to see the head of SATP hit the ground. He and Davies sprang into action once again to subdue Robert, who was already advancing on Reilly, while he attempted to roll away. Claire and Amy shrieked as the melee ensued.

  “What the hell is wrong with you?” Reilly screamed at Robert from the ground again, this time with blood dripping from the corner of his mouth.

  “You set us up,” Robert said, struggling to get his arms free from Davies to take another poke at Reilly. “You set me up.”

  Landon was trying to control Robert’s left arm, while Davies was yelling, “Cool it,” repeatedly in his British accent while hanging onto his right. Robert finally relaxed his body, though, and when tempers had settled, Davies asked, “Will you please fill the rest of us in on what’s going on here?”

  Robert pointed at Reilly. “He set us up,” he said. “This isn’t a mission to discover the Garden of Eden. This mission was designed to leave us here 10,000 years in the past so that we were out of the way when he returned. He was going to kill us. Or find some other way to just leave us. Since he can’t shoot us anymore. Am I right, General?”

  Landon watched as all of them turned their attention to Reilly, who started to answer. Instead, though, he jumped in himself. “Robert, I knew this all along,” he said. “I assumed you did, too.”

  Their attention turned to him. “What do you mean, you knew this all along?” Robert asked.

  He shook his head. “Well, not all along, but certainly since you and Dipin came to see me, and definitely since you discovered that the General had brought a weapon with him,” he said. “I will say that you are too ingrained in SATP. All of you are. Your body of work is being swept out from underneath you, and you haven’t been able to recognize that it’s happening. There’s only one logical conclusion to what the Attorney General and the President are doing.”

  “And what’s that?” Claire asked.

  “Well, it’s certainly not to drive SATP off American soil,” he said, “like some of you would believe is the case.” He tried not to look directly at Amy, but she knew he was talking about her. “It’s to drive everyone else off American soil and take sole ownership of the technology.”

  “That’s ridiculous,” Robert said. “They can’t usurp an international treaty.”

  “If they shut the program down, they can,” Landon said. “Shut down the political body that makes up SATP and send everyone home. You still have a perfectly good time portal sitting in Greensboro, North Carolina, that no one can make you eliminate, short of going to war over it. Think about it. In the end, how much research can we do? How many times can we go back in time and study people’s clothing and military formations? Ultimately, time travel is going to be used to right the wrongs of the past, and the committee as it currently exists will never agree on what those wrongs are. Possession is nine-tenths of the law, so the U.S. is in the driver’s seat when it comes to the technology, and for anyone who tries to stop them, they go back in time and end it before it begins. That’s what Dipin Chopra was trying to warn people about when they tried to kill him, and he disappeared. That’s what they’re trying to accomplish by framing Robert and casting doubt on the operation. And that’s why General Reilly is here.”

  There was a long pause as everyone caught up. After a moment
, Claire asked softly, “Why did they need to have us killed?”

  “Because we’re the only ones who know enough about what was going on to put a stop to it,” Davies said, shaking his head. “Unbelievable.”

  “Until Keegan was left behind,” Amy added.

  “Yes, until Keegan missed the boat,” Davies said, agreeing. “But why Eden?” He looked at Reilly. “You could’ve taken us anywhere in the past and shot us.”

  “Because we all needed to go,” Landon said. “It was the only destination that justified every one of us being a part of it.”

  He felt Robert looking at him, and turned toward him. “If you knew this, why didn’t you say something?” Robert asked.

  To this, he laughed out loud. “You were all so hell-bent on this mission, there was neither the time nor the opportunity to try to change your minds. Which I wouldn’t have been able to do anyway.” He looked around at each of their faces, finally settling on Reilly, who was still sitting on the ground massaging his chin. “I’m sure you all interpreted my behavior at SATP as being terrified about going through the time portal. Which I was, of course – I’m still terrified of going back, if we ever do get the chance to do so. But in truth I was planning. Planning for the various alternatives that I suspected might happen.”

  “And did you come up with a plan?” asked Robert.

  “I think so,” Landon said. “I had to wait for things to shake out, and now I believe we have a good picture of what is happening. The fact that General Reilly has not refuted anything that I’ve said speaks volumes.”

  “What do we do?” Claire asked, her voice timid.

  “First, Robert, take the General’s cloak,” he said. “We can’t afford to have anyone sneak off without the rest of us. Everyone’s going back together.”

  “But the cloak-” Amy said, but Landon held up his hand, cutting her off.

  “Even though the cloaks go back to the same time, if anyone left on their own, they could, in theory, make some kind of change to our present to jeopardize everyone else.” He paused. “In theory. But not something I want to test.”

  Robert nodded and reached for Reilly, who resisted at first, but gave up quickly. He pulled his pack off his shoulders and the most pressing danger they faced was at least temporarily fixed.

  “Now,” Landon said, “we need to find that Tree and-”

  A blinding light sent him sprawling to the ground. He rolled into the low brush, trying to block his eyes from the glare. Immediately, migraine-like pain invaded his head, and he dug his face deeper into the crook of his elbow, using it as a shield.

  It lasted about 30 seconds and was over. Fearfully, he rolled onto his back and cautiously tried to look around. Everyone on the team was similarly strewn, recuperating from whatever had just temporarily blinded them.

  “What was that?” he heard Reilly ask.

  He could now see everyone, which was good. At least they were safe and unharmed.

  “There’s really only one explanation,” he said quietly.

  “Oh, come on,” Claire said, heated. “We need to go back now. This is getting to be too much.”

  Robert let her finish her rant, then calmly asked, even though the answer was obvious, “What do you think that was, Landon?”

  “I think we just got our first glimpse of God,” he said. “And thank Him that we were out here and not inside.”

  “Well, I don’t know if I can take another,” Davies said, still lying on his back, rubbing his eyes.

  “It came from inside the structure,” Amy said. “I was looking right in that direction.” Landon watched as she waved her arms in front of her face. “I can’t see a thing.”

  “Really?” he asked.

  “Well, no,” she said. “I can see, but right now, it’s just a big, bright flash in my eyes. I’ll be fine in a few minutes. I hope.”

  “Everyone else okay?” Robert asked.

  Everyone seemed to nod a positive report while Landon stood. “Maybe our new friend can fill us in on what just happened,” he said, turning to look for the woman, having forgotten for a moment that she was there.

  She wasn’t. She was gone.

  They were on their own again.

  CHAPTER 64

  Keegan had correctly suspected that not only would the Attorney General and his agents not know where the entrance to the time portal was, but that their personal tour guide Dipin would be currently leading them in a circuitous route to get there. As a result, he was not surprised when he and his team of North Carolina National Guardsmen arrived, out of breath from sprinting but unhindered by the federal agents, at the main security doors to the time lab.

  He’d been attempting to run and think at the same time, but that had been too much to ask. He was far too focused on the optimal path to the time portal, and who he might run into on the way. About halfway there, he was able to confirm that the intruders didn’t know how to get into the most secure areas of the facility, which was helpful.

  He made his way through the first set of biometric scans and into the long corridor leading to the time portal. Keeping an eye on the time, he sprinted the roughly quarter-mile to the next set of doors, and engaged the entry system. The doors slid open and he faced the two ex-Seals, who’d obviously seen him the entire length of his run, their weapons drawn.

  “Dr. McIntyre? What’s going on up there?” asked one of the guards after the door slid closed behind them.

  “The AG is here with federal agents,” Keegan said. “They’re trying to shut us down.”

  “Do they know there’s a mission going on?”

  “Yes, they do,” Keegan said, nodding. “And I’m sorry I can’t answer your questions, but I have to get in there. One of the pods is open. If it stays open, they won’t be able to return. I’ve got about three minutes.”

  The guards stepped aside to let him pass, then opened the next door for him.

  “Should we be expecting company?” the closest guard asked.

  Keegan stopped and turned back to them. “I would assume so. But they’re not close yet. Keep an eye out.”

  With that, he pushed a button and the door between the time portal and the security room slammed shut, leaving his escort team in the security room with the SATP guards. He turned and instinctively looked up at the control room, where he could see Senator O’Neill and her entourage looking down at him. He gave a thumbs-up, which she returned, and headed for his open pod.

  He tapped his forearm, triggering the VitaCom display to come alive, and was amazed at how quickly he’d made the trip. From the control room to the time portal in just over seven minutes seemed astonishing, but he’d never done it in a hurry before. In retrospect, he considered that if he’d tried to make it in time for the mission, he might’ve been able to do so, but he’d let his worries about being intercepted by the FBI get the best of him. When, in the end, they’d proven to be no obstacle.

  Keegan reached the open pod and poked his head inside. He reached up to grab the door to close it, but noticed the pack containing what was supposed to be his return cloak sitting on the seat.

  He stopped.

  Dipin’s words hit him. Don’t forget to reprogram the cloaks.

  Though time was short, he stopped for a moment to consider why he would have said that. At first, he’d thought it was nonsensical – that there was no way to reprogram the cloaks because they’d already been taken to the past. But he had one here in his hand, and an open time pod. He could reprogram the cloaks if he could get back to a time after he’d programmed them initially and before they’d left. Why, though? It wasn’t immediately apparent why Dipin had offered that advice, and he didn’t have time to ponder it. But, if he could somehow take advantage of having time travel at his disposal, he might be able figure something out along the way.

  Keegan looked up at the control room again for a moment. He couldn’t make out the Senator’s facial expression, but she had to be wondering why he was hesitating.

  I
nstead of closing the pod, he turned and sat in the seat, setting the cloak next to him. He touched the panel on the inside of the pod, which linked him to the control room. “Senator?”

  Her voice came over the loudspeaker. “Yes?”

  “Do you trust me?”

  “What are you up to, Dr. McIntyre?”

  “Do you trust me?”

  She was silent for a moment, then, “Yes.”

  “Ok, put your best tech guy on the first terminal and hold on for a moment,” he said.

  Engaging his VitaCom again, he noticed he had about 60 seconds left, so this was going to take an act of superhuman focus to make it work. His fingers flew across the display as he tapped into SATP’s emergency time displacement software designed to pinpoint time and location for safety. Segregating the two halves of his brain, he spoke slowly as he worked. “On the terminal, in the upper right corner there is a mechanism to set the device. Drag that into the center of the screen.” He translated the numbers he was reading into a “map” and began to specify the correct coordinates, though there was no actual picture of a map from which to work. “You’ll see five lines for data entry. These are time and space coordinates. I’m going to read the numbers to you and I need you to enter them accurately. More accurately than you’ve ever done anything in your life.” The code on Keegan’s device centered on the SATP facility, and he envisioned the location he wanted. “Please let me know when you’re ready.”

  “I’m ready,” the Senator’s voice came back through the intercom.

  Keegan didn’t have time to ask about her choice to operate the terminal herself, so he pressed on. He zoomed in on the image as close as he could, and slid it with his hand up onto the pod’s display screen. He touched a button on his arm that read “TRANSPOSE” and a series of LED numbers appeared. “Here we go,” he said. “16708.5674. 206.78645. 1647.1809. 8475.432. 00674.2341. Got it?”

  “Got it,” O’Neill said. “I hope you know what you’re doing.”

  He sighed. “Me too.”

  A spark the size of a basketball lit up the time portal, and Keegan flinched, shielding his eyes. The machine was kicking into gear for their return. He closed the mapping software on his wrist and checked the time – 15 seconds left. Reaching up, he pulled the pod closed, then slid the harness around his torso.