by Jeff Yee
“I want to see the distant future as much as anyone,” answered Ryan. “But the further out we go, the more dangerous it becomes. That’s why I think the machines should be on alternative power sources; buried in a secret location, underground somewhere. Like nuclear missile facilities.”
Kris absorbed Ryan’s comments, puzzled by his suggestion.
Meanwhile, Sean carefully considered the proposal and then agreed, “Not a bad idea, Ryan. They were designed to withstand nuclear wars, so we could be protected against a number of scenarios.”
Kris interjected, “But how long will that take to coordinate with the government? Assuming they even approve the idea?”
Ryan shook his head. “Don’t know.”
“It’s an idea worth exploring,” said Kris, “but we need to arrive at quick decisions. I think we’re going to have to get our machines ready for travel in the next few months. Otherwise, we’re at risk of not being the first ones to travel to the distant future.”
“Like the Chinese…” nodded Sean.
“Yes, like the Chinese,” Kris answered his father. “We all know that nearly every developed nation is trying to implement a program. It’s a race to control time. The one that goes first controls the earliest point in time, which is critical.”
“And we all know that the Chinese are the most capable,” added Ryan. “They have Dr. Kui Zhao.”
Kris replied sternly, “Back to my point. We don’t have a lot of time to be playing with politics to work with the government. We need to balance the perfect long-term solution with speed-to-market.”
“But not at the sacrifice of safety!” said a concerned Ryan Graves.
“No,” replied Kris. “I didn’t say that. But I don’t know if we need to design the time machine for a millennium of travel right now either. We need a solution that keeps my father safe for twenty-four years. And we need to complete it before anyone else.”
Sean settled the argument. “As the one doing the traveling, I agree. It’s important that we’re the first ones to travel in this race. I understand the risks. Let’s try to get this done in three months – with the safest possible measures.”
Although it took nearly a half-minute of awkward silence, Sean eventually received a nod of acknowledgement from both Ryan and from his son.
Next, the three men responsible for the first successful time travel test sat in the hospital room at Sharp Memorial and meticulously planned the details of Sean’s next time travel run. It was only hours after the first time travel run, but the celebrations were over. The planning for a quarter-century time travel leap was well underway.
Chapter 56
Nearly four months to the day after Sean’s historic one-day jump through time, Stacey stood at the second checkpoint at F.E. Warren Air Force Base outside of Cheyenne, Wyoming. It was the end of winter, but it was still blustery cold. Light snow fell from the dark skies as Stacey blew warm air onto her hands to keep warm. Her guest was late to arrive and she was ill equipped to be out in the cold for too long without a hat and gloves.
At half-past two in the afternoon, the car that she had been expecting finally arrived at the checkpoint. After the guard checked the credentials of the two men in the car, Stacey introduced herself. “Afternoon, Senator. I’m Stacey Harrison. How was your trip?”
“Heck of a time getting out here,” replied Jacob Klein, “but I made it. And I’m excited to be here.”
“We’re happy to have you. Let me show you the way.” Stacey hopped into the back of the car with the senator and his driver and pointed straight down Missile Drive. “It’s the fifth silo on the right. About a mile down this road.”
Senator Klein looked around. “I’ve never had a chance to see these missile silos before. You know that this used to be the home of the Minuteman missiles, right?”
“We’ve been out here for weeks now,” Stacey answered, rolling her eyes. “I’ve learned more than I want to know about the missile program and how the missiles were dismantled.”
As they passed the first missile silo, Senator Klein remarked, “It’s amazing that we can turn these silos into something useful now. They’re perfect for our need, aren’t they?”
“Yes, I suppose so.”
“They’re underground and protected from major weather events, they have the power and backup requirements that you’ll need and best of all there’s nearly five thousand men and women on this Air Force base to protect you.”
“I agree,” said Stacey. “Although I’d rather be warm in San Diego, I do recognize the importance of this location and we do appreciate the work that you did to set this up. Thank you Senator.”
“No problem. It’s the least that I can do for Sean and your company.”
The car came to a sudden stop at the fifth silo on Missile Drive. The fifth silo was noticeably different than the previous silos. While the first four silos were bare and abandoned, the fifth silo was actively guarded and surrounded by cars and trucks. Two soldiers stood watch outside in the cold, securing the underground entrance to the silo.
“It seems a little obvious right now that this is our location,” Stacey mentioned to the senator, “but there are very few men and women on this base that know the machines are here. Those that do require a high level of security clearance.”
“That’s good. For Sean’s protection, the location of these machines will remain classified.”
Stacey and the senator were prompted to display their identification. For Senator Klein, it was his third security checkpoint in the fifteen minutes since he had entered the base after flying into the airport in Cheyenne.
One of the guards validated their identities and the other opened the hatch in the ground. “This way, Sir.” Then looking at Stacey, whom he recognized, he said with a southern accent, “Mizz Harrison.”
Stacey, who had descended through the small hole many times before, led the way. She climbed down the metal ladder into a missile silo that was built by the Air Force during the Cold War. The small opening was built for men and women to maintain the silo and its missile. There was also a larger opening, which was opened for the missiles themselves, if the Minuteman III had to be launched. It was the larger opening that had been unlocked two months prior to lower the two time machines into the silo.
When Senator Klein reached the bottom of the ladder, he noticed that the space widened into a large circular room. The two time machines codenamed Betty and Barney stood on opposite sides of the chamber; each being busily worked by scientists preparing the machines for Sean’s journey.
Stacey pointed to the machine on her right and explained to the senator, “They were both trucked from San Diego and installed here. We’ve run a few tests to make sure that they’re working here, just like they did in San Diego. Everything has been successful thus far.”
“Good,” said Senator Klein as he looked around. “Where’s Sean?”
“In that small room over there,” Stacey said motioning towards a cave dug into the side of the wall. “He’s with my family, checking on everything before we get started.”
Jacob Klein peered into the cave, ninety feet away and saw Sean rearranging clothes. “You’re certainly stockpiling for winter,” he laughed.
“We have food, water and clothing that should last for many months,” said Stacey, walking towards one of the time machines. “If for some reason, twenty-four years from now, it is not conducive for Sean to leave this silo, he has all of the necessary food and equipment to wait until the second time machine is ready to transport him back – three months after he arrives.”
“Why does he have to wait three months? Why not just start the time machine himself and go backwards immediately?”
Stacey arrived at Betty, the first time machine. With her hand on one of the Kevlar bars, she explained, “Barney, the second machine, will be in the middle of backwards time transport when Sean arrives. It is already programmed to be transporting backwards from a point in time three months after Sea
n gets there. If he stops the progress, anything inside would be lost – possibly himself. So we have preventative measures that lock the machine and it stays locked from today until twenty-four years and three months from now.”
Jacob Klein raised his eyebrows, pondering what he had just heard. He politely replied, “Got it.”
“This one is Betty,” said Stacey. “This is the one that Sean will use to get to the future.”
As he stepped forward to touch the famous time machine, Senator Klein heard his name called from behind.
“Senator,” said Sean Harrison as he approached. “Thanks for joining us today.”
“My pleasure, Sean. Wouldn’t miss it. It’s a historic day.”
“It should be,” Sean smirked. “Let’s hope that it’s good history and not bad history.”
“The President wishes you his very best and he wishes that he could be here. He’s going to be watching the transmission when you are ready.”
Sean replied with sincerity, “Senator, I cannot thank you enough for your support, and for the President’s support, to assist us with our endeavors. This facility is ideal for our needs. Thank you.”
“My pleasure, Sean.”
The two men shook hands and then Sean gestured towards the time machines. “Have you already been briefed on the expedition?”
“Yes, Stacey was just explaining it to me. This one will carry you to the future and the other one brings you back in an hour.”
“That’s correct.”
“Okay, so why an hour after you leave? Why not immediately?”
“Just in case. We could have made it a minute afterwards, but we want to make sure that we give ourselves enough time in case something does not go according to schedule with Betty. If Barney brings me back before Betty sends me off, I risk seeing myself here in the present.”
“I see,” said Senator Klein. But after thinking about it for a few seconds he questioned, “Wait… isn’t that a risk that you take anyway in the future? Twenty-four years from now, isn’t it possible that you could see an older version of yourself?”
“Yes, if I’m fortunate to have lived that long. Yes. Strange isn’t it?”
“Okay, so what’s the difference between seeing yourself then and seeing yourself today?”
Sean explained, “It’s a risk I’ll take. I’m not sure what will happen. But the difference is that I’ll be able to avoid myself, if I need to. Whereas here, if anything gets delayed with Betty, it’s inevitable that I see myself if Barney brings me back early.”
Jacob Klein’s head was whirling with scenarios as he tried to comprehend what he had just been told.
“Excuse me Senator,” said Sean as he tugged at his wife’s arm. “We’re going to begin shortly, so I’m going to say goodbye to my wife.”
Stacey followed Sean privately back to the storage room. When they were alone, she commented, “So, I guess this is it, huh?”
“Yeah. I’ve already said my goodbyes to Kris and Aly. Since we’re going to be in front of the camera next, I wanted to have alone time with you first.”
“Are you nervous?” Stacey asked.
“No,” Sean laughed. “You always ask that. You should know better by now.”
“Sean Harrison, in this case, it’s okay to be scared and nervous. I would understand.”
“No,” he said once more. “It’s an adventure. This is what we’ve been waiting for.”
“Well, are you ready? Everything set?”
“I’ve got enough money, assuming inflation doesn’t wipe out the value of our current dollar, for years. And you’ve seen the supplies we’ve stored here in the silo. We’ve got a thick layer of dirt above our heads protecting us, electricity, backup generators on diesel and a backup solar option if necessary too. I think we’ve thought of everything possible that we need to be ready.”
A tear rolled down Stacey’s cheek as Sean rambled on about the extraordinary measures that they had taken.
He stopped talking about the preparations for the trip when he saw Stacey’s eyes water. “Is that a happy tear or a sad tear?”
“A little of both. I’m very happy that we made it to this day. It’s a dream come true. But I’m also worried for you and for us.”
“Stacey, don’t worry.” Sean embraced his wife and said, “I promise you that I’ll be back soon. I promise you that it will not be any longer than an hour… and then I’ll have so many stories to tell.”
“I love you,” Stacey said as she wiped the tears from her eyes.
“I love you too,” replied Sean. Then, after giving his wife a soft kiss on her lips, he asked, “Okay, ready to do this?”
“Yes,” she said hesitatingly. Stacey took a deep breath and said, “Let’s go.”
A small crowd waited for Sean as he walked into the circular room that used to hold the Minuteman III rocket. The two time machines were fixed to the edges of the room, with monitors filling every possible gap along the wall between the two machines. Two of the monitors were used to display the activities within Betty and Barney. The remaining monitors displayed anything that could affect the time transport; everything from the weather outside the silo to news events from around the world. A camera mounted on a rotating swivel in the middle of the room had the ability to record anything within its three hundred and sixty degree span.
Sean walked over to the second time machine that was being prepared to bring him back from the future. “Ryan, how’s everything going?”
“Almost ready. Just another minute.”
Sean said teasingly, “Good. Let me know when you’re done. I’m not starting this until I know for certain that I’m going to be returned.”
At exactly three in the afternoon, Kris took a position in front of the camera. It was five o’clock on the east coast and the early news programs were positioned to pick up the broadcast. Kris grabbed one of the earpieces and then handed the second one to his sister. “Alyssa, can you give this to Dad? He needs a mic too.”
Sean was busy watching Ryan Graves and two Tace technicians when Alyssa approached him with his wireless microphone and earpiece. He watched as Barney was programmed to begin a time deceleration twenty-four years and three months into the future, and to reaccelerate to his current pace of time at four o’clock mountain time.
“Dad, we’re ready for you,” said Alyssa.
“Hold on,” said Sean, looking at Ryan. “Are we done yet?”
Ryan punched the final sequence into the computer and pressed a button. “We are now. You’ll be back in one hour from now. Good luck!”
The live broadcast had already started. Kris was in the middle of introductions with Melissa Long from CNN when Sean joined him on screen.
“And, this is my father, Sean Harrison,” said Kris.
Sean could hear Melissa’s voice over his earpiece. “Greetings from Atlanta, Sean. How are you today?”
“I’m doing great, Melissa. Ready to roll.”
“Sean, we understand the sensitivity about your location. Although our viewers must be very curious, we won’t ask you where you are right now. But tell me, the setting behind you looks very interesting. Tell us a little bit about your home for the next twenty-four years.”
“The machine behind me is called Betty. This is the time machine that will take me to the future.” Sean motioned to the technician managing the camera to rotate the swivel one hundred and eighty degrees. “And the other machine – Barney – is now prepared to bring me back from the future in exactly one hour. We will stay live with a recording until the point that I return.”
The voice in his earpiece asked, “Sean, can you tell us what you’ve been doing to prepare these last few months for your long term travel?”
“Certainly,” said Sean. “We had two challenges. First, we had to strengthen the time machines to withstand twenty-four years of unknown events. To be prepared for anything. Second, we had to supply enough provisions in my new home to last three months, which is the length of t
ime that I’ll be staying in the future. I don’t plan on living here for three months, but in the worst case scenario, if I can’t leave for whatever reason, we need to make sure that I can survive here.”
“Sean, what are you hoping to accomplish in your three months in the future?”
“Well Melissa, we will be the first ones to travel into an unknown and unpredictable time…”
Kris interrupted, “We believe we are the first ones to do long term time travel.”
“Right, good point,” said Sean. “We believe we’re the first ones. But anyway, as I was saying, I plan to research the planet’s health, political stability and catch up on twenty-four years worth of San Diego Chargers games while I’m there.”
Over the earpiece, Sean could hear Melissa chuckle.
Sean continued with the slogan his campaign had used months prior, “We will use this knowledge and we will learn from the future. The future that I see does not necessarily have to be our future. By going there and by learning from it, we can potentially correct our mistakes and make it a better future.”
“Of course, that could be one man’s opinion,” Melissa challenged. “What is a better future for one man may not be a better future for another.”
“We’ll see.” Not wanting to get into a debate with time running short, Sean quickly changed the subject. “In just a few minutes, I will step into the time machine behind me and I’ll be off to the future. First, I’d like to introduce you quickly to my family. You’ve already met my son, Kris. Behind me is my lovely wife, Stacey, and my beautiful daughter Alyssa.”
Sean didn’t hear the remainder of the conversation with Melissa. Instead, he turned to his family and gave them each a warm hug. Starting first with Alyssa, Sean held her close and whispered a goodbye into her ear. Next, he said goodbye to his son, Kris. Lastly, he held Stacey in his arms, and neglecting the fact that the world was watching him live, he gave her a long passionate kiss.
“It’s going to seem a lot longer for me than it will for you,” Sean reminded Stacey.