Luke’s gut was in a knot. He looked at the rockfall and the snow and ice and figured they would never make it up to the cave entrance. What he didn’t know was that was no longer the way up.
John walked to the base of the cliff under the crevice above them. He reached behind some bushes, found the line and untied it from the rock they had secured it to. He let it run through his fingers after shaking it, allowing a rope ladder to drop from overhead.
Securing it with his weight, he turned and grinned at Luke, enjoying the little man’s terror. “I’ll go first, and then the bags, then you and Mike will follow.”
Luke could only nod. He didn’t like this at all. But he was determined to go, so he tried to swallow his fear as he watched John climb hand over hand up the ladder. Mike stood on the bottom rung which kept the ladder from swaying too much as his partner made it to the top. Once there, he threw down a rope. Mike grabbed the bags, lashing them together, then waved at John to haul them up. He nodded at Luke, “Your turn.”
Luke gulped and grabbed a rung overhead, then stepping on the first rung he slowly followed them up, wishing he could shut his eyes. He looked up the whole time as he moved toward the top. John grabbed his hand and hauled him on to the ledge.
Mike climbed up as fast as he could while the ladder swayed back and forth. Once on top, he hauled up the ladder, securing it, then tying the rope to a new rock he dropped it over the ledge, getting it out of sight.
Luke began to shake, from a mix of fear and cold. The three of them slipped into their backpacks and took off into the cave. It got warmer as they descended into the tunnel. It seemed much shorter reaching the old door this time. John opened it easily and the three of them stared into the nothingness of time. No one liked this part of the journey into the future, but the two big men only hesitated for a moment before stepping through the door. They figured Luke had to follow, which he did. He had committed to this the minute he got into the helicopter.
He landed in a heap in the now familiar passageway under the SPA. The other two were already on their feet ready to go.
“Fuck, I hate that.” He sat for a minute while he reoriented. At least this time it wasn’t dark. The other two had their flashlights on. They helped Luke to his feet and got his backpack secured. They took off down the tunnel stopping under the second grate, rather than going all the way to the outside. The small tunnel at the end was way too cramped for these two behemoths.
John put his hands together forming a step for Mike. The heavy grate proved no challenge for the big man and John heaved him through the hole where Mike disappeared long enough to get the ladder that had been left behind for them. He dropped it through the opening.
They climbed into the basement of the commander’s headquarters. It was still early enough in the day, that they knew he should be in his office.
This was the first time Luke had seen the inside of the SPA. When he’d been in this century four years earlier, he’d dismissed the huge covered compound as a hangar or maybe a big warehouse. He’d had no interest in it so he’d bypassed it.
As his new friends led him to Weatherby’s office, they passed through the main lobby. Luke saw people who seemed to be waiting for appointments. A few of them nodded at his companions, but no one spoke.
To Luke this looked like a military school because of the uniforms they wore. Not caring, he shrugged and entered the elevator getting out at the first floor. Gawking at the sparsely furnished hallway they stopped in front of a door with no handle. John punched in a code on the keypad that seemed part of the framework and the door slid back revealing a large, bright office.
John Weatherby looked up from his desk. He didn’t seem pleased.
“You’re back! What happened?” The commander demanded in his high-pitched, grating voice.
Luke found the bluntness unnerving. Maybe this wouldn’t be the piece of cake he’d thought it would be.
John, who seemed always to be in control, spoke up. “We have returned, because our mission was compromised, sir.” His pale face had flushed making his pockmarked skin look worse.
“Nothing like getting off to a bad start,” Luke thought. He could have at least made an excuse.
The little man sitting at the big glass desk, with the strange bowl-shaped haircut, glared at the three of them.
“Explain!” His mud-brown eyes flashed, under the pencil-thin eyebrows.
John told the truth. “We were not expecting them to have someone from the future guarding them, sir.”
“How do you know that he was from the future?” Weatherby’s eyes narrowed with the question.
“Because, sir, he used one of our weapons to bring me down when we were close to getting away with Harriet.” Mike Bartlett was having trouble keeping his head up to meet the commander’s glare.
“How do you know it was one of ours?” Weatherby wouldn’t let anything slide.
“Sir, they don’t have that technology in the twenty-first century.” Mike kept his answers simple, truthful, and to the point.
Weatherby seemed to accept this, nodding, deep in thought. He spun his chair to face the window, his tiny feet not quite reaching the floor.
He left them standing for the next three minutes, before he turned back.
“Who is this person you have with you?”
John explained their meetings with Luke, referring to him as Larry, his alias. “His agenda is personal, but his knowledge of this couple and others, could be useful to us, sir. He is also willing to take part in your moon project.”
That brought Luke’s head around. What the fuck! What fucking moon project? He was smart enough to keep his mouth shut. But, this was the first he’d heard of any moon stuff. Shit, I’m not going anywhere but Earth.
Weatherby looked Luke up and down, and laughed, “Hardly a prime specimen. But maybe we could use his knowledge to help us in our quest in his century.”
Luke took this as a cue to speak up. “Yes, sir, I’ll help you catch those two. They owe me. And I promised them, they wouldn’t get away with what they did to me. I’ll do anything you want… sir!”
“Hmmm, yes, okay, we will need to have a talk. The men here can take you to the Center. Matron Maureen will get you set up in a room. I’ll have one of our androids escort you around the compound to familiarize you with what we do here on a day-to-day basis. Please keep your mouth shut about being from the past. You will suffer dire consequences if it leaks out.” Weatherby’s tone told Luke, he’d better heed the warning.
“Uh, yes, sir, I will keep my mouth shut. You can trust me. You have my word. And thank you, sir.” That was about all the sucking up he had in him today.
The commander had already turned his back on them and was fiddling with something on a small table behind his chair. “Oh and get rid of those clothes you're wearing. Matron will see that you get something more suitable.”
The three men exited, with Luke the only one looking happy. He figured he had his foot in the door and would do everything he could to keep it there, even if it required wearing one of those monkey suits.
John and Mike suspected Weatherby wasn’t done with Luke yet, and just maybe he would go easier on them for their failure.
Chapter 15
A Player Exits
Two weeks after their narrow escape during the ski trip to Bentwood, Harriet woke with her body tingling and a loud banging at the door. She looked at the clock, it showed six. “Joe, are you awake?” She reached over, but he was already on his feet and reaching for his jeans and sweatshirt.
“It’s okay, Slick, I got this.” But Harriet’s curiosity wouldn’t allow her to stay behind. She headed to the bathroom, with her clothes in hand.
“Hang on, hang on!” Whoever was at the door demanded attention. Joe had a good idea it would be Brian, judging by the tingle he was experiencing.
Harriet was close behind him… she didn’t want to miss out on whatever was happening. Joe unlocked the door and threw it open to face thei
r very agitated bodyguard. Brian had a problem.
“What’s going on, man?” Joe stood back to let their friend in.
“Sorry, guys, but I couldn’t wait. I need to talk to you. I just got word from Arthur 5 that George has been in an accident and is in emergency care. It is serious and I need to be with him. I have to leave now. Arthur 5 will send a replacement to take over for me. I am so sorry to let you down like this, but you should be okay. You will recognize the signals of any more guards that the commander might send out. I have to trust you can protect yourselves, and I will leave you this as added insurance.”
He withdrew from his jacket the weapon he had used to take down the two goons from the SPA during their failed attempt to kidnap Harriet. He also gave Joe another package containing money and a letter of instruction.
Brian spent the next fifteen minutes explaining how to use the compact weapon, how it worked and its maintenance. He explained that the current setting is all they would ever need. Now set to stun, it would bring down a three-hundred-pound man. As he spoke, his agitation was palpable. The couple could see he needed to be on his way. “Read the letter. You can settle my hotel bill and look after some other stuff I left behind. Goodbye, and thank you for all your help, I have to go now. Please be careful.”
“It’s okay, man, we’ve got it. Not to worry, go and we wish you the best and your partner a speedy recovery. Send word back with the new guy on how George is doing. Good luck.” Joe shook his hand and Harriet hugged him. Brian turned and disappeared through the door.
Stunned by the sudden turn of events the couple stared after Brian as he walked to the cab that would take him to the airport. He had arranged for a private helicopter to fly to the ski resort. It would drop him in a small clearing at the bottom of the canyon where he would climb the slippery rockfall to the tunnel. This was not the ideal time of the year to be rock climbing but he knew that and what he was facing.
Dressed in his winter gear and carrying his belongings in a backpack, he had left a lot behind. So he’d given Joe his key and money with instructions to retrieve his stuff and settle his account.
“I sure hope he’ll be all right,” Harriet worried.
“He knows what he’s doing, he’ll be fine. Our job now is to stay alert.”
“I wonder how long it will be before the new guy gets in touch with us. I’ll feel better when he’s here.” Harriet was not comfortable with Brian not there to watch over them.
“Brian didn’t give us much—he just said that someone would be in touch. I’m sure that Arthur 5 has someone on the way—he won’t want to leave us on our own for long.” Joe tried to reassure her.
“God, I don’t want to live like this, looking over our shoulders for the next twenty-years.” She sounded close to tears. so Joe gathered her in his arms and held her tight.
Harriet looked at Joe, puzzled. “How did Arthur 5 get a message to Brian? Everything happened so fast, I never thought about it until just now.”
“You’re right, he didn’t say. He never mentioned that was possible.” Joe looked as puzzled as Harriet.
“Look, Slick, we can sit around wondering and shaking in our boots, or we can get on with our lives. We have our chips that’ll help us detect the bad guys and we have our rings and Brian’s stun gun. The new guy will be here at some point and we can ask him. We also have a great dinner waiting for us at Mom and Dad’s tonight, are you up for it?”
“You know I’d never turn down one of your mom’s roast beef dinners. It is roast beef I hope?”
***
Brian’s helicopter ride to Bentwood seemed like they were traveling at a snail’s pace. He hadn’t much missed the high-speed air-cars of the future, but he longed for one today. It would have cut the travel time in half and let him out right next to the cave opening… as it was… he was dreading the climb up the icy rockfall.
The pilot was getting used to making this trip and asked, “What’s so interesting in this canyon that so many people book me to fly them here?” He knew asking a personal question was against company policy, but this one had him curious.
Brian laughed, but the pilot’s question triggered a warning. “I’ve lost track, how many have you counted?” He tried to sound casual.
The pilot thought for a minute, “I dunno, I’ve lost count too. We’ve had you twice, a couple of big guys a few months ago, and then those guys again with another smaller guy. I wasn’t sure I could handle their weight with all of their luggage. Landing was dicey, there was so much snow. It should be better today… most of it has melted.”
Brian thought fast. “Uh, we have a rock climbing, hiking club, and we’ve been training for alpine climbing. This seemed like a good place to start. Some of our guys hike overland to meet up here.” The lie came easily, which surprised him.
The pilot seemed to accept his story, as it made sense to him. “To each his own, I guess.” He grinned at Brian.
“The last guys had the cliff all rigged out good. They’ve added a rope ladder just under that split in the rock wall. I saw it on an earlier trip when I was on the ground longer. Last time I had to get out of there fast, I was stirring up too much snow.”
“Ya, I know about the ladder.” Brian’s heart was beating fast. He knew nothing about the ladder, but that would make this trip so much easier. What a break!
The pilot was right, there wasn’t much snow left on the canyon floor and he set the helicopter gently down in the clearing, blowing up a turbulent cloud of debris mixed with bits of ice.
Brian hopped out with his gear and stood clear of the blades while the chopper took off again. Before approaching the canyon wall he let the aircraft get out of sight.
It didn’t take long to find the thin line anchored behind some bushes at the base of the cliff. Untying the rock, he gave the rope a tug to release the ladder. His heavy backpack tied to the bottom rung, helped to steady the sway as he climbed. Hauling himself over the ledge, his hand slipped on the icy rock he’d grabbed. He managed to hang on and lay there gasping while he calmed his nerves.
Not wasting any more time, he pulled up the ladder along with his gear. And then after retying the rock to the end of the line, he let it drop over the side. Heading for the cave, with flashlight in hand, he figured this had to be the work of Weatherby’s men.
Less than an hour later, he stood facing the old door. His worry about George made him forget his fear and taking a deep breath, he closed his eyes and stepped into the void.
Deep space was not as quiet as this, and far less frightening. The minute or two it took him to travel into the next century seemed like forever.
Landing hard, he was immediately aware of the sound of his own breathing as he lay on the damp ground under the SPA… at least he hoped that’s where he was. He retrieved his small lighting device that had dropped a few feet away. Once he picked it up, it lighted the entire space. It was at least five times brighter and more effective, than twenty-first century lights. He got to his feet, took another deep breath and moved out.
Since he was alone, he had to find his way to the exit pipe. His six-foot-four height made it painful for him during the slow trip through the section of less than six-foot high pipe. His back was screaming by the time he reached the larger exit pipe. The sunlight was welcome. There was no snow, but it was cold. It had to be about forty degrees outside today. Once back inside the SPA it would return to the normal seventy-two degrees. He wasted no time finding the right door to enter from outside.
He made his way through the basement tunnels to the building housing Arthur 5. The chances of him being in his quarters were slim so before exiting, he used his telepathy to find him.
Arthur 5 must have been close by. Welcome, Brian, I will return to my quarters now. Wait for five minutes before heading there.
It took the full five minutes to get to the android’s room, using the stairwells and avoiding others. He wasn’t ready to have to answer questions until after he spoke to Arthur 5.
/> He suppressed the urge to hug the large, bald, six-foot-seven android who let him in to his room. It was a habit he’d found endearing in the last century. He was used to the formality of life in the SPA. However, he had learned to like many habits from the last century. They’d made him feel good.
Arthur 5 pointed to one of the softer chairs in the room, “Would you like a beverage?” His gentle brown eyes seemed to sparkle under his heavy brows.
A Pepsi would be fine. It had changed little in a century. The only difference was with the container. Plastic was obsolete, glass was expensive, and cardboard was rare. Trees were too scarce to burn, to build with, or to use for containers. A new, biodegradable product that could be recycled and was cheap to produce had replaced just about every container. Its composition had nutrients that fed the earth and its inhabitants.
He handed Brian the drink and sat in the chair across from him, “I have an hour… please explain what happened while you were away.” Arthur 5 didn’t need to sit, but it made others more comfortable when he did. Sensitivity was another of his endearing human traits.
Brian recited the condensed version of what had happened finishing with the close call on the ski hill. He described the men sent by the commander and how well organized they’d been. He also pointed out that they had installed a rope ladder, which he felt meant more SPA traffic in and out of the cave.
“Thank you for that information. I know you are anxious about your partner, George. But, you will have to wait a little longer. He is doing well, and in high spirits knowing you are returning. I informed him on the way here. If you could give me the rest of my hour, I have many questions, after which, you may go directly to the clinic.”
He hesitated, as he formed his next question, “Do you think they recognized you during your encounter with them on the ski hill? If they did, you could be in grave danger.”
“They never got closer to me than about fifty feet. And I was wearing a large scarf that covered half my face. If they had known Joe and Harriet had a guardian, they may have handled the kidnapping differently. I do not think they knew about me until the ski hill chase.” Arthur 5 nodded and smiled, ending their session.
Return From the Future Page 11