The Legend of Things Past (Beyond Pluto SciFi Futuristic Aventures Book 1)

by Phillip William Sheppard

  In that instant, Donovan realized where the cure was. It was so obvious he had the urge to laugh and kick himself in equal measure. How could they be this blind? They really were rats in Tobias’s race.

  There had been a spy in their midst the whole time. One of them had been right under Donovan’s nose. He knew who it was. He never would have pegged him for a traitor—never. In fact, he hardly understood how it was possible. If it were really true, it meant that Tobias had full control over the entire military.

  “Really?” Donovan asked to keep Tobias talking. He needed to think of a way to escape now that he had the answers. “That’s almost unbelievable. How many do you still have there?”

  Donovan tried to look admiring rather than disgusted and sick.

  “Oh, plenty, m’boy. Plenty,” Tobias said. Then he added with a smirk, “But only one who’s really important. Shall I tell you who it is?”

  Donovan leaned forward. “I can’t deny that I’m incredibly curious.”

  Chapter 19

  “I have learned to hate all traitors, and there is no disease that I spit on more than treachery.”

  —Aeschylus

  May 20, 2176

  Fort Belvoir, VA

  Captain Brain Umar

  The General had arrived several minutes before. He wore a deep scowl that deepened the more he listened to Tobias talk. His lip curled up in disgust when Tobias mentioned coming to the base to kill him. He took a step toward the microphone as if in challenge.

  They all looked at each other in shock—and somewhat in suspicion—at the mention of spies. Who could they be? Were they there, then, in that very room?

  “Oh, plenty, m’boy. Plenty,” Tobias said. “But only one who’s really important. Shall I tell you who it is?”

  The room took on an unnatural, tense silence. Brian could practically feel everyone holding their breath. He leaned forward in his seat, staring at the microphone, willing the information to come out of it.

  “I can’t deny that I’m incredibly curious,” Donovan said.

  “I suppose it wouldn’t…” Tobias was speaking and then he wasn’t.

  The feed had cut off. Everyone started talking all at once.

  “What happened?”

  “Can you fix it?”

  “McGregor, get that feed back up!”

  “Knight didn’t turn off his microphone, did he?”

  “Maybe he really is a traitor.”

  McGregor scrambled forward, fumbling with the speakers, sweat pouring down his face.

  Brian stared at him incredulously. The voices of the other people in the room faded into the background as his focus narrowed in. The clouds in his mind cleared again, bringing him a new epiphany. Earlier he thought he’d figured out where the cure was—in plain sight, somewhere in the army base. He had thought that perhaps the spy system was more than just a spy system—maybe, somehow, it hid the cure. He had wanted to follow the thin cords that lined the walls back to their main source. Where was the device that actually sent the information to Tobias? Maybe the cure was hidden there.

  Just then, though, something else occurred to him—once again so obvious that he wondered how they all could have missed it. Without thinking, filled with anger at being betrayed and lied to, Brian jumped from his seat and tackled Colonel McGregor to the floor.

  Before he knew what he was doing Brian had straddled the man and was punching him in the face. Rough arms seized him from behind, pulling him away.

  He stopped struggling immediately. He came back to his senses quickly, surprised at his own ferocity.

  “What the hell is the meaning of this?” the General yelled in his face. “Have you gone mad?”

  The other Colonels were helping McGregor to his feet. Brian dusted off his jacket and tugged his shirt back into position.

  He stared hard at Colonel McGregor who looked at him in alarm and confusion.

  “He’s the spy,” Brian said. “Or one of them, at least.”

  Everyone was silent at once, staring at him.

  “That’s complete nonsense!” McGregor said, looking indignant. He wiped a line of blood from his chin. “You’ve become unstable, Captain Umar. Maybe you ought to sit this one out.”

  The rest of the soldiers looked utterly baffled. The General stared at Brian regretfully.

  “Oh, come on!” Brain said. “It’s obvious isn’t it?” He was frustrated that they hadn’t realized their stupidity as quickly as he had. “McGregor is the most gifted and admired mind in the field of computer science and technology! How did he not detect the spying system in the base?”

  There were raised eyebrows all around. The soldiers were looking at each other, eyes questioning. The ones who had helped McGregor to his feet stepped away from him, as if his treachery were some disease that they could catch.

  “Tobias is a genius, sure,” Brian went on. “But in physics and biology, not computers. He couldn’t have set up the spy system without help. The only person in any position to help him outwit the strongest wireless security in the world was…”

  “You!” The General rushed toward McGregor, face red. The Colonels holding on to Brian let go and restrained the General. He let them hold him back. Spit flew from his mouth as he spoke. “Do you have anything to say in your defense?”

  There was nothing McGregor could say—his guilt was so obvious now that Brian had pointed it out. He seemed to know it. His face transformed from affronted and angry to mildly disappointed but amused.

  “Well, I suppose it was only a matter of time before I was found out.”

  “Colonel Hesekiel McGregor, you’re under arrest for treason, sedition, and conspiracy to murder. By your own admission, you have worked with Tobias, an enemy of the world, to kill the entire human race and overthrow the world’s governments.”

  One of the Colonels took out a pair of electric cuffs. McGregor didn’t try to run. He just smiled.

  “I think that’s my cue to leave.” He moved his arm to look at his watch. “Planet Lohiri,” he said into it.

  One moment he was there, the next, there was nothing but empty space.

  He was gone.

  Chapter 20

  “I enjoy the hunt much more than the ‘good life’ after the victory.”

  —Carl Icahn

  May 20, 2176

  Lohiri

  Donovan Knight

  “I suppose it wouldn’t hurt,” Tobias said. “You’ve worked with him rather closely.”

  Donovan was only waiting for Tobias to confirm his suspicion.

  “It’s Colonel Hesekiel McGregor.”

  Donovan strained to control his anger. “That makes sense,” he said. “He’s in control of the entire base’s computer systems—that includes all security. There’s no way that a brilliant mind like his, with all that access, wouldn’t have discovered your spying system.”

  “Exactly,” Tobias said.

  “There’s just one thing.” Donovan was tired of this charade. He had all the information he needed anyway. He just needed to get out of there and return to Fort Belvoir. Hopefully his blunder didn’t get them all killed. He didn’t even know if any of this information had really reached the base. He might be humanity’s only hope.

  “And that is?” Tobias said.

  “Why have you talked to me this whole time?” Donovan asked. “You know that I’m not really on your side. McGregor would have told you as soon as he found out.”

  Tobias smiled. “Yes, he did tell me. I found that it would amuse me to watch your brave attempt at sacrifice and rescue. To watch the soldiers at Fort Belvoir scramble around like an overturned beehive.”

  “What if I get away?” Donovan asked. His hands clung to the armrests. He was expecting a storm of clones to burst through the doors at any moment.

  Tobias shrugged. “I doubt that you will.” He smiled knowingly. “Even if you succeed in escape, you’ll do no injury to me. It’s like I told you all before—it doesn’t matter how much you know of
my plans. I’ve already won. There’s nothing you can do.”

  A figure appeared in the room with them.

  Tobias stood casually. Startled, Donovan jumped from his seat. Realizing who it was, his eyes narrowed.

  “Colonel McGregor,” he said. “Or should I just call you Hesekiel now? You won’t be working for the Army and Space Force anymore.”

  McGregor walked toward them nonchalantly. “Hesekiel will do just fine, thank you.”

  “Welcome back,” Tobias said. “My grandson and I were just having a nice chat.”

  “Don’t call me that,” Donovan snapped.

  Tobias smiled. “So we’ve lost all the giddy family togetherness, have we?”

  “We’ve never been family, Tobias,” Donovan said. “The man who raised me was the purest version of you. He’s my family. Not you.”

  “How absurd,” Tobias said. “Unlike the rest of the specimens here, that was the original me. The body I inhabit now is an exact clone of that one. We’re one and the same.”

  Donovan shook his head.

  “Face it, boy,” Tobias said. “You were raised by only half a man. The real thing is standing before you.”

  Overwhelmed with anger, Donovan launched himself forward.

  Before he could get his hands on Tobias, a force hit him from the side. McGregor had tackled him to the floor. Donovan tried to get up, but McGregor had him pinned firmly. With a herculean effort, Donovan pushed McGregor off him.

  McGregor flew ten feet and landed on a table that collapsed underneath him. They recovered at the same time, planting their feet on the ground within seconds of each other. They charged.

  Donovan was dimly aware of Tobias sitting back down. He had to keep an eye on Tobias in case he decided to join the fight or bring in more clones. For now he seemed content to watch them destroy his library.

  Donovan collided into McGregor’s body with an unbelievable force. Donovan had expected to send McGregor flying again, but the man didn’t budge an inch once they made contact.

  They were evenly matched. Of course. Tobias had given McGregor the formula, too.

  They fought for what seemed like hours to Donovan, each trying to gain purchase on the other’s limbs, each trying to land a solid punch or kick but neither of them succeeding.

  McGregor flawlessly blocked each strike that Donovan launched. Donovan eluded every fist that McGregor threw his way.

  The time whiled away, with Tobias watching silently from his chair.

  Then Donovan felt something begin to change. He felt slower, weaker. He just barely dodged McGregor’s punches. He was breathing fast. He was tired. So tired.

  A fist landed on his jaw, sending him flying. He crashed into a shelf and brought down an avalanche of books. He struggled to rise. His legs shook. They wouldn’t hold him. He fell back down.

  McGregor moved toward Donovan, intent on finishing him off, but Tobias raised a hand, stopping him.

  “That’ll do for the moment, Hesekiel,” Tobias said. He got up and stood over Donovan. “I knew from the beginning that you’d never come to my side. Even if Hesekiel had never told me about your plan—I would have known. You’re just like your father, you know. Naïve. Stubborn. I knew you wouldn’t change your mind.

  “So I planted a vial of formula for you. It was Hesekiel’s job to make sure you used it. He didn’t have to try very hard—you walked right into it.”

  Donovan was seething. He wanted to kill them both, but he couldn’t get his arms and legs to cooperate.

  “The version of the formula that you took is one that uses your body’s reserves of energy to fuel your actions. It doesn’t create any energy of its own, the way the real one does. The more you move, the more the virus will use up your body’s resources to sustain the actions.”

  Donovan fought the pain, the overwhelming weariness. He managed to rise to his knees. He put one foot firmly underneath himself.

  “If you continue to fight,” Tobias continued, “—and I have no doubt that you will—you will die of exhaustion.”

  With a burst of effort, Donovan stood up and charged forward. Tobias did nothing to stop him. He ran toward McGregor, who crouched in preparation.

  At the last second, Donovan dodged. He ran around McGregor, straight for the exit.

  “Follow him,” Tobias said from behind. “Destroy him.”

  Chapter 21

  “Don’t dwell on what went wrong. Instead, focus on what to do next. Spend your energies on moving forward toward finding the answer.”

  —Denis Waitley

  May 20, 2176

  Fort Belvoir, VA

  Captain Brian Umar

  They all stared at the empty space that had held McGregor’s body only moments ago.

  “He teleported!” Brian said. “There must have been something installed on his watch.”

  “But…,” one of the Colonels said. “I thought teleportation was only possible inside an enclosed space.”

  “This is Tobias we’re talking about,” Brian said. “He invented teleportation. He must have found a way.” He turned to his father. “General.”

  The General seemed to come out of a daze. “Yes, Captain?”

  “I think I know where the cure is. As soon as I find it, we need to send a message to the troops to rescue Knight.”

  The General nodded. “I’ll be awaiting your call here.”

  “Yes, sir.”

  Brian ran. He fetched some equipment from a supply closet and headed straight for Knight’s room. He uncovered one of the wires he and Jonathan had found. He pulled a signal detection device from his pocket. Brain connected it to the wire.

  After a few seconds the device beeped. It had locked in the unique signal traveling through the wire. Now all Brian had to do was follow the wires through the walls, using the machine as a guide. It would lead him back to the source.

  Brian walked up and down the halls following the beeping sound of the device. If it stopped beeping, he knew the wires were not there and that he was going the wrong way. The more it beeped, the more confident he became. When he passed a door to a stairwell the device went haywire.

  Brian turned back and stepped onto the landing. He held the device close to the walls and the beeping increased frequency. Brian pulled out a hammer and slammed it into the wall, breaking through the plaster. He pulled away the chunks, revealing a thick wad of vertical cords. He ran up the stairs to the next landing and put the device next to the same wall as the one below. The beeping slowed down almost imperceptibly. Brian ran back down two flights of stairs to check the floor below his discovery.

  The beeping grew more intense. He followed the cords down, floor after floor after floor. Sweat was pouring down his face, Brian quit his descent. He left the stairwell and waited for an elevator. He had a hunch about where the cords would lead.

  Brian rode the elevator down to the basement levels—a floor below the parking. He entered a long, bright hallway with doors lining it on either side.

  He let the device guide him. He turned several corners. He kept track of them all, not wanting to get lost down there.

  The device led him to a door that was no different from any of the others. Brian entered a room filled with beeping machines. It was dark at first, but as soon as he moved two feet inside, automatic lights flickered on.

  The room housed all of their internet connectors, all of their power sources. The machines glowed a bright blue.

  The wires led to a big machine quite like all the others. There was no difference between them that Brian could find. He looked it over, searching for some kind of opening. The machine itself wasn’t the one sending Tobias the footage. It would be much smaller.

  Brian ran his hand over the smooth metal fingers, searching around the sides that were hidden by the other machines. Finally, he felt something—a soft, round shape that gave way beneath his fingertips. It was small, like a button.

  Brian pushed it. It stretched under the force. There was something unde
rneath the rubbery material. Brain pushed harder and felt the hard point under the rubber go into the machine.

  The machine clicked and hummed. A door that had not been there before opened. Inside were two things—a black, metal cube, about three feet on every side, and a refrigerator that stood four feet over Brian’s head.

  He opened the refrigerator. There were rows upon rows of test tubes filled with clear liquid. Brian pulled one of them out. He dug into his pocket for the sample of virus. He put the virus in a petri dish, then observed it under his travelscope—a small but powerful microscope about the size of his fist. It was used primarily by scientists who worked in the field.

  Brain added the contents of one of the vials to the petri dish and kept his eye on the virus. The organisms squirmed in the liquid when the vial was added. They wriggled fiercely. The vial contained nothing alive. Brian could only guess what had been in there.

  The virus vibrated at the edges, tiny pieces of it breaking away from the main body and dissolving until they disappeared. Right before Brian’s eyes, the virus specimens vanished, leaving an empty petri dish.

  Brian called the General. “I found it.”

  Chapter 22

  “Every man has the right to risk his own life in order to preserve it. Has it ever been said that a man who throws himself out the window to escape from a fire is guilty of suicide?”

  —Jean-Jacques Rousseau

  May 20, 2176

  Lohiri

  Donovan Knight

  Donovan scrambled along the walls, using them for support. His whole body burned with fatigue. He fell a couple of times but forced himself to get back up and keep going. He wondered why he wasn’t dead yet.

  “It’s pointless,” McGregor said from a few yards behind him. “You’ll never get away from me. You’re too weak.”

  Donovan kept going. He thought he might pass out. He had to get out of there. Alive. He only knew one way to exit the building and that was through the front doors. He retraced his and Tobias’s steps.