Unparalleled

by D. S. Smith

  Chapter 67

  The third explosion had been the biggest yet. The laboratory had shaken so hard items of equipment had tumbled to the floor from shelves and benches. Glassware had shattered, chairs and tables shifted from their positions. Dr Marks was frantically examining the readouts from the bank of computers serving as the Harmoniser central processing unit. All readings were favourable suggesting no damage had been caused. She carried out a visual inspection of the booth. There were no obvious signs of damage but they would not know for sure until it was tested upon the professor’s return. “Professor.” she said out loud. How near to the explosion was he? She looked at her watch. Just ten minutes remained of the hour within which he said she should pull the plug if he did not return. The dull hum from the cabinet at the back of the room reminded her why she had stayed. She headed over to it, placing the back of her hand against the metal door. It was still hot but no worse than before. She looked at her watch again even though only thirty seconds had elapsed since the last time. She considered going to look for the professor but knew he would want her to stick to the instructions he had given her. To keep herself busy she decided to clean up all the broken glass from the floor. She had just about finished when the door to the laboratory swung open. It was one of the agents who had accompanied them earlier. He looked around the room as if assessing the damage. “Are you ok? Where is the professor? Why didn’t you follow us to the refectory?” His speech was hurried. He seemed shaken. “Yes, I am ok. We had some equipment issues. The professor has gone to get a spare laptop from his office. He should have been back by now.” She looked at her watch again. Just five minutes remaining until she was meant to pull the plug. “Where is the professor’s office?” the agent asked “It’s over by the other laboratory. Come on I’ll show you,” she offered, heading toward the door. “Shit, that’s near to where the last explosion took place.” He held his hand out to signal for her to stop. “No, you stay here. I’ll go. We don’t know if there are more bombs.” Dr Marks brushed his hand aside and walked to the door. “I’m coming with you. Now hurry up and follow me.” The agent did not protest further. He had to run to keep up with the doctor has she sped down the corridors. They knew they were getting nearer to the epicentre of the explosion by the amount of debris they saw scattered along the corridor. Broken glass crunched under their feet. Roof panels and fluorescent tubing hung loosely from the ceiling. Water gushed from under the door of one of the rooms they passed creating a muddy stream of dust and plaster. They approached the turning for the corridor that led to the professor’s office. Dr Marks noticed a laptop in the middle of the floor. She ran toward it and bent down to pick it up. From the position she was now in, she could see the crumpled figure of Professor Humphries lying motionless on the floor, face bloodied, limbs twisted. She froze at the sight of him. The agent approached the body, putting two fingers to his throat feeling for a pulse. He talked into the microphone wired to his other hand. “Control, this is Agent Wilder. Immediate medical assistance needed in the east wing corridor by room 14A on the ground floor. Medivac will be required.” He turned to Dr Marks informing her the professor was alive but his pulse was shallow. They would need to get him to a hospital immediately. She walked over and stared down at her mentor’s twisted body. She raised her hand to her mouth in shock before turning to the agent.

  “Shouldn’t we try to make him more comfortable until they arrive?” she asked.

  “No, we should avoid moving him. We have no idea of the extent of his injuries. Moving him could make things worse. The medical team shouldn’t be long,” he replied.

  Whilst they waited Dr Marks noticed the other two laptops on the floor near the professor’s body. She gathered them together, inspecting them carefully. Only one of the three appeared damaged and fortunately it was not the one programmed with the secondary sequence. She took hold of the latter and opened it with the intention of pressing the power button, but before she managed this she heard a grunt from behind her. She turned to see the professor was conscious. He tried to lift his head but the effort was too great. His brow furrowed and his eyes screwed tightly shut as he grunted in pain before laying his head back to the floor. Dr Marks moved over and knelt down beside him. “Try not to move, Professor, help is on its way.”

  The professor opened his eyes and addressed her but she struggled to hear what he was saying. She put her ear closer to his mouth and was able to make out the muffled words. “Get back to the lab and complete the transfer. You must calibrate the machine. The others can attend to me.”

  “Let me wait until the medical team get here,” she replied.

  “No,” He shouted, but immediately recoiled in pain. “No,” he continued, “you mustn’t waste any more time. Go now.”

  Agent Wilder stood by them listening to the exchange.

  “Let me contact the control room to see if I can get clearance for the others to return to the lab.” He lifted his hand to his mouth to speak into the microphone, but he stopped before speaking as his attention was drawn to the sound of footsteps and voices heading toward them. Terry appeared from around the corner joined by a man and a woman in green scrubs carrying a folded stretcher. They each had large packs strapped to their backs. They lay the stretcher on the floor and unfolded it revealing a back and neck brace. The woman approached the professor. “Hello Professor, my name Dr Monaghan. I’d like you to stay perfectly still whilst I examine you. If you feel any pain or discomfort at any stage I want you to let me know.” She started from his feet, feeling her way up his legs for protruding bones or areas of swelling. Whilst she was doing this her colleague attempted to place an oxygen mask over his face but he protested saying he needed to speak to Terry. Terry approached him advising the professor to let the medics do their job. “Please, get the team to the lab now Terry. If you don’t all of this will have been in vain.”

  “It’s ok, Professor. Agent Wilder has explained the situation. He is heading to the control room to collect the others and Dr Marks is already on her way back to the lab.”

  “Thank you, Terry, for everything.” With that the professor lay his head back down to the floor, allowing the medics to tend to him.

  Chapter 68

  When Stuart entered the laboratory for the second time that day, all the fears and emotions accompanying him previously had been shed, replaced with sense of fortitude. Dr Cooper and Catherine had accompanied him and were now busying themselves assisting Dr Marks with the preparations. The agent escorting them to the lab had briefed them on the professor’s condition on the way, highlighting he would not be able to join them. On hearing this Dr Cooper asked Catherine if she would be willing to assist. She had agreed unreservedly and was now being briefed on what she needed to do. Dr Marks had already began swapping out the faulty keypad with the laptop. In just a few moments they would be ready to start the initiation sequence again.

  When the others were informed they could head back to the laboratory Dave was not around. He had gone to find a bathroom. Rather than delay things further Agent Wilder told them to go on ahead, advising them he would wait for him and follow shortly.

  Unnerved by yet another explosion Dave sat in the cubical, leaning forward with his arms resting on his knees and his head resting in his hands. He hadn’t come to the toilet to use it, he just wanted some time on his own. He felt drained. He struggled to understand the concept of what they were trying to achieve here and how he and his brother had gotten caught up in it. But it wasn’t his brother. He didn’t even know if his brother was dead or alive. The man outside calling himself Stuart was from another universe and was getting ready to go back there. None of them had any idea who or what was going to appear in exchange for this man. He tried to keep an open mind but as the time for the transfer approached he struggled more and more to believe it was real. He’d been kidnapped, locked inside a machine, threatened with a gun several times and now it seemed someone was trying to blow him up. Who wanted to do this? Why did they want t
o do this? Is this real? Am I going mad? “Aaaaahhhhhh. Stop the world I want to get off.” He yelled out before starting to laugh hysterically. “Are you ok in there Mr Milton?” A voice from outside startled him. “Who’s that?” Dave shouted back. “It’s Agent Wilder. The others are heading back to the Lab. We should join them straight away.”

  “Ok mate, I’ll be out in a minute.” Dave stood up and stretched. He had pins and needles in his feet from sitting on the toilet for too long.

  He headed back to the control room where the agent updated him on the situation. Agent Wilder told him what had happened to the professor as they walked the corridors toward the lab. They were almost there when they rounded a corner, straight in to the path of Lin Lee. “You’ve got to be fucking kidding me,” Dave exclaimed. She had a gun in her right hand pointing straight at them. Her left arm hung limply by her side, blood dripping from her hand. She was covered in white dust and her whole body seemed to lean slightly in the direction of her injured arm. Without saying a word, she pulled the trigger, Agent Wilder crumpled to the floor. She turned the gun to Dave and growled, “Take me to the Harmoniser, Milton.”

  Chapter 69

  Stuart looked around the lab a final time before entering the Harmoniser. He had said his goodbyes to everyone in the room but Dave had not yet arrived. He suggested waiting for him but Dr Marks insisted they needed to proceed. The second goodbye to Catherine was far less passionate than the previous one. There was nothing more to say to her other than thank you again. With a nod of his head and a raising of his hand in a half wave, he climbed into the booth. As previously instructed he placed his feet on the pads marked on the floor and took hold of the stirrups hanging from the ceiling. Dr Cooper leaned in through the door way and instructed him calmly. “In a moment Stuart, the doors will close and you’ll hear humming sound coming from the resonator tubes above your head. This will be followed by a bright, white light filling the booth. When this happens just stay as still as possible and let the process take place.” He took a pair of dark glasses from his pocket and slipped them over Stuart’s eyes. Wishing him good luck, and bidding him goodbye, he stepped away from the booth and headed to his position in front of the third keypad.

  Dr Cooper gave a thumbs up to Catherine. She looked down at the laptop to ensure the cursor was in position above the word initiation. It was. She pressed enter and the familiar humming sound emanated from the metal cabinet at the back of the room. Dr Cooper watched a timer count down from thirty on the keypad display in front of her. She donned her dark glasses and noted everyone else was wearing theirs. When the timer reached zero she pressed enter. The doors to the Harmoniser closed with a hiss. Stuart likened the sensation of the doors shutting to that of switching on a set of noise cancelling headphones. All noise from outside was shut out, but as Dr Cooper had suggested the tubes above him started to hum. He sensed a metallic taste in his mouth and all the hairs on his body bristled at the same time. The booth filled with an intense bright light. Even with the dark glasses on Stuart screwed his eyes shut tightly.

  Outside in the lab the door suddenly burst open and David Milton entered followed by a small Asian woman with a handgun pointing to his head. They both immediately raised their hands to shield their eyes from the intense light. Dave knew this was his best opportunity. He pushed backwards with all his weight sending Lin Lee crashing back out of the door and into the wall of the corridor. She screamed out in pain as her injured arm made contact with the solid surface. The shock to her body caused her to lose grip on the handgun, sending it skidding along the corridor. Her legs gave way beneath her and she slid down the wall into a sitting position on the floor. She tried to focus her vision but her retinas stung from the light that had just assaulted them. Dave managed to stay on his feet but was also temporarily blinded. He staggered around by the door to the laboratory, completely disorientated. The other occupants of the lab had all spun around toward the door to see what the commotion was. Catherine was the first to react. She ran for the door seeing the Asian woman was disarmed. She managed to reach the handgun. She picked it up and pointed it at the women who was trying to get to her feet. Catherine knew exactly who she was from Dave’s account of his experience in China. “Stay right where you are,” she shouted toward the woman. Lin Lee tried to focus on the figure the voice was coming from. Her vision was starting to come back. She managed to stand up and remove a knife she had strapped to her waist. She held it in front of her and walked toward the source of the voice. “Stop right there or god help me I will shoot,” Catherine screeched at the approaching woman.

  Lin Lee heard what she was saying but the threat did not compute. She continued toward Catherine waving the knife in front of her in a slashing action. Catherine backed away from her realising the only way to stop her was to pull the trigger. She had never fired a weapon in her life but she was left with no choice. She aimed the gun and pulled the trigger. The recoil from the gun took her completely by surprise forcing the weapon up into the air. The bullet missed Lin Lee and embedded in the ceiling about twenty meters down the corridor. Still Lin Lee walked toward her slashing at her with the knife. Catherine was just about to fire again when one of her feet made contact with a solid object on the floor and sent her tumbling backwards. She dropped the handgun as she made impact with the ground. She scrambled after it trying to grab it again but the woman was on her before she had the chance. Considering she only had the use of one arm she was incredibly strong. Catherine held the wrist of the hand gripping the knife now bearing down on her. She tried holding her off with one hand while punching her with the other but she needed both hands to stop the knife. With one hand the woman was managing to overcome the strength of her two and the knife was inching ever closer to her face. She tried to struggle free but she was trapped between her thighs. She pushed back as hard as she could but still the knife drew nearer to her head. She thought she was going to lose the battle, when two loud shots rang out and the women slumped backwards and rolled to the floor. Catherine looked up to see Terry standing by the lab door, his gun pointing toward them. She looked back to the woman slumped across her legs. She pushed her to one side, stood up and headed back to the lab. Terry followed her in. The bright light from the booth had diminished. They all stared toward it. It was empty apart from a pile of white clothing on the floor.

  Chapter 70

  The next time Stuart opened his eyes he was greeted by a vision that made him want to weep with joy. He was lay on a hospital bed on top of the covers. There were wires dangling from a monitor, draped across his naked body, but not connected to him. A drip dangled from a stand at the side of the bed leaking a clear fluid that formed in a pool on the floor. There were used bandages on the pillow under his head. The room was in semi-darkness. To his right was a wooden framed armchair. Sat in the chair was his beloved Lauren, sleeping. He stared at her, enjoying the familiarity. The dark, smooth complexion, the long eyelashes, twitching as she slept. The long black, shiny hair reflecting the dim light from a lamp on the bedside cabinet. The rose red lips that he longed to kiss. He wanted to wake her and tell her everything was going to be ok. But at the same time he wanted to cherish this moment before all the questions and confusion that were sure to follow. He looked toward her belly, looking for any sign of the baby but her hands rested in her lap obscuring the view. He looked down at his own lean, naked body, deciding it would be wise to get under the covers. As he lifted the sheets back he discovered a pair of pyjamas stretched out on the mattress. He allowed himself a moment to consider what all of this meant. The disconnected monitor wires, the leaking drip, the bandages and the pyjamas. His counterpart must have survived the tiger attack after all. He must have been lying in this bed before Stuart’s arrival caused him to be whisked back to his own universe. He pictured him materialising in the booth dazed and confused. Being greeted by the people that loved him and were there to help him. He thought of Catherine and wondered whether the two of them could share what he almost did.
He smiled at the thought of this and turned his attention back to the love of his life. Her eyes were open and she was staring at him in disbelief. “Stuart, oh my god Stuart, you are awake.” She rushed over to him and wrapped her arms around him. He hugged her back tightly and did not want to let go but she pulled away as concern and confusion took over from the surprise. “What have you done?” She grabbed the dangling wires. “We need to get you connected back up. I’ll call the nurse.” She tried to walk away but he grabbed her arm gently and pulled her back. “I’m ok Lauren. Everything is going to be ok now. Trust me.” She looked him up and down, confusion growing on her face. She reached out and touched the side of his head and trailed her fingers down his cheek as if tracing an invisible line. She climbed onto the bed and cupped his face in her hands. She leaned forward and kissed him. The feel of her soft lips on his sent warmth radiating through his body, it took his breath away. She stared into his eyes and she asked.