“I’ve never met an actual human before.”
Savannah patted Nigel on the back of the head. “No worries. Quelver is a scientist and probably just wants to crack your skull open for study.”
Nigel pushed out of Quelver’s arms. “That’s a joke, right?”
“Well, not right now,” Quelver said with his eyes returning to Savannah. “With your permission after your natural life ends.”
“Is this how you people always greet each other?”
“Usually, except the ‘you’re the first human I’ve ever seen’ bit. That’s new.” Savannah nodded and gestured down at her body. “Quelver is the scientist that designed these bodies for us to be in.”
“Oh, I’ve news.” Quelver clasped his hands together and grinned like a guilty child.
“Tell us.” Savannah laughed at him. “Am I going to owe you a blowjob for this one?”
“If you like. Oh, wait!” Quelver wrapped Savannah in his second bear hug of the meeting. “I am so glad to see you. Both of you.”
Savannah hugged him hard. “You’ve no idea.”
Pulling back, Quelver held her shoulders and looked her over. “I see the mammaries are holding up well.”
“Yes, they’ve kept their perkiness better than most humans,” Savannah agreed. “Almost too perky. It gets a little unrealistic when they don’t sag with age.”
“Some human women do have the perkiness of them assisted by surgical means. I didn’t think that would be an issue.” Quelver glanced at Nigel. “When designing a body for espionage, it is fascinating the details that cause concern.” He reached over and pinched Savannah’s right nipple through her shirt.
“Ow!” She smacked his hand.
“Yeah, I can imagine they would. You are a friendly lot.” Nigel shook his head and chuckled.
“I only wish we were all as friendly.”
“Qulever, your news?” Savannah’s eyes narrowed.
His eyes searched Savannah’s face. “Oh yes! I had it backwards.”
“Had what backwards?” Nigel looked at them.
Quelver released Savannah’s shoulders and turned to Nigel. “In a sense, you are my father. Can I call you dad?”
Nigel blinked. “Sheila had no kids.” His eyes rolled up as he thought. “I have no kids that I’m aware of, either.”
Quelver smiled at Savannah. “The Emmi are the first clones of humans.”
“We’re the clones?” Savannah put a hand to her mouth.
“Yes. The Kettelgian were the second attempt when Master Cooper perfected the bodies.”
Savannah sat on her bunk. “I need a drink.”
“You’re clones of me?” The colour was gone from Nigel’s face. “And your man, Cooper, was the Oregon scientist Graven was sent to find?”
“Yes.” Quelver nodded a little too hard and snapped his jaw closed against his chest. “Ow! I’m still not used to this tongue thing.”
Savannah slouched on a stool and put a hand over her mouth. “How does this help us?”
Quelver grinned like a cat about to present a mouse it had been chasing to its master. “I’ve been able to reverse engineer, which I believe is the human term,” he said with a nod to Nigel, “some of Cooper’s flashing technology.”
“You mean time travel?” Savannah straightened.
“No. That still escapes me. I have been able to strengthen the process, but am yet to add temporal capabilities to it.” He pulled out a needle and, without waiting for a reaction, injected it into Savannah’s arm.
“Ow, what the fuck?”
Quelver smiled. “You need flash alone no longer, my lady.”
“Can I hit him?” Nigel asked. “Don’t be making fun of us Brits.”
Quelver’s happy face turned to confusion. “Brits? What’s a Brit? I thought you were human.”
III
Kettelgian Prime
August 2018
Cooper jogged down the corridor towards his quarters. “Of course, they could figure that out,” he mumbled breathlessly. “If I can do time travel, why can’t they do multiple…”
“Master Cooper, you’re talking to yourself again.” Tormatang floated behind Cooper.
“You know, Torm, I once parachuted from an airplane and got away.”
“You’ve told me that story.”
Rounding a corner, Cooper saw his quarters. “I know what I’m going to find in there.”
“They are your quarters, Master Cooper. I would hope you would know what’s inside.”
Cooper stopped and stepped to the side of the door. “Time for reckoning.” He slapped the hand pad, and the door slid open.
Peering in, Cooper’s eyes widened, and his mouth fell open.
Tormatang turned purple. “You!”
Chapter Four
Crash Course
I
Vacki Seventeen
“We’re all orphans.” Graven sat with his head in his hands.
“Technically, Cooper is our parent.” Savannah stood beside him and squeezed his shoulder with her right hand. “Okay, sorry, that doesn’t help. He’s a deadbeat dad, at best.”
Graven allowed himself a soft chuckle. He eyed Savannah. “We’re the only two Emmi that would get that.”
Nigel slumped on a log and glanced over. “You mean that’s only a human thing?”
Savannah nodded. “And we’re the only ones that can hurt him.”
“I’m not an orphan,” Lincoln reminded.
Ignoring Lincoln’s point, Graven asked, “How can we hurt him? He’s got so much…” He stopped speaking as his eyes widened.
Savannah squeezed again. Quelver looked through one of the shelter windows at the falling snow. “Savannah? You said that Jasper mentioned something about going backwards in her attempts to kill Gerald.”
“Yes, she said she was ordered to.”
“Why would they do that?”
Graven nodded. “There must be a reason.”
Quelver held up a finger. “Being no one other than Savannah and Zed knew Gerald had survived Earth, how was it possible that she knew he would be here?”
All remained silent.
“Zed had no opportunity to transmit further messages with your knowledge?”
“I don’t think so,” Savannah answered. “No way I’m aware of.”
“Another question that’s come up,” Graven said. “I was checking the databanks of the group sent here for this mission. Planning of this mission took more than a century.”
“What’s your point?” Nigel asked.
“How did Earth know about Kettelgians and Emmi that far back? Who told them?”
“Good questions,” Quelver agreed. “No answers, but they might help us understand what has happened here.”
“We will need a distraction,” Lincoln said.
“I know,” Savannah agreed.
“He’ll kill them all.”
“Yes, he will.”
“But we can fix this.” Graven looked up at them with tear trails on his cheeks.
Savannah brushed aside a tear. “Yes, we can. We don’t know exactly who we’re up against yet, though.”
“Cooper is holding Jasper’s strings,” Graven offered.
“I’m not so certain.” Lincoln allowed his eyes to move to each of them.
Savannah nodded.
“That is odd, indeed,” Quelver said.
“You’ve said time travel is possible for Cooper, right?” Nigel asked.
“Absolutely,” Quelver answered with a quick nod.
Graven pointed at Quelver. “Also, there is some tech in the human gear I’ve found beyond anything I thought humans were capable of.”
“What am I missing?” Nigel asked.
“It’s going to be a short fight,” Savannah turned her eyes to Graven.
“Fight? What fight?” Nigel shifted his eyes between them.
“We just need a distraction,” Graven answered.
“What kind of distraction?” Nigel loo
ked up at the falling snow.
Lincoln clapped Nigel on the shoulder. “You will be our distraction, Earthman.”
“Okay, guys, I’m just a fuckin’ DJ and you lot aren’t exactly The Rolling Stones. Would someone please fill me in?”
“Nigel? How quickly could you learn to fly?” Savannah asked.
“Why would I wanna do that?”
“Do you want to see Sheila again?”
Graven shot his eyes back to Savannah. “You’re serious?”
She nodded.
Nigel looked at each of them again and sensed how serious they were. “I assume this will be a crash course? I’ll do it in ten minutes.”
“Crash course? Absolutely.” Graven chuckled. “We’re about to start a war.”
“A war?” Nigel spat. “Us? I’m just a Nottingham shock jock.”
Graven shrugged. “Who else is going to fix this?”
Nigel opened his mouth but took a moment to find the words. “As the old man said, ain’t nobody here but us chickens. A war it is.”
All turned to Nigel and said in unison, “Chickens?”
“Oh? Just an old Earth song. Never mind. You had to have been there. I’m a DJ, remember?”
Savannah allowed a tight grin. “A war between orphans.”
“The Orphan War, is it?” Nigel stood up. His teary eyes and drifted between Savannah and Graven as he raised his drink in the air. “For Sheila.”
Quelver stood and silently lifted his glass.
Raising his glass, Lincoln added, “For mother.”
Savannah stood up. “For Gerald.”
Graven also stood. “For Mandy.”
Savannah glanced at him with a surprised blink. “Who?”
Part Four
A Temporal Epilogue
Chapter One
Airborne
I
Leaving Seattle-Tacoma Airport
7:42 pm – November 24, 1971
Carson DeBoer smiled. This had gone much easier than he anticipated, so far. The plane’s ascent pulled him deep into the cushioned seat of the Boeing 727. His black attaché case was stowed under the seat in front of him.
The case held eight red tubes, a shit load of wires, and a dead battery. Useless, in reality, as a bomb but the perfect theatrical device to convince the aircraft crew that it was one.
The airplane was in full ascent.
He had given the pilot orders to fly slow with landing gear down, wing flaps at fifteen percent, and the cabin unpressurized.
The representative on the ground from Northwest Orient Airlines had refused to let Carson leave the rear door of the aircraft down claiming it would be unsafe.
He chuckled. “Unsafe, my ass.”
In Seattle, all of the passengers had been released from the aircraft along with two of the cabin stewardesses. One remained.
Tina Mucklow sat across the aisle from Carson. Her hair had begun the day in a tight ponytail but, calmly as she had dealt with this hijacking, the hair looked disheveled. Her eyes remained straight ahead.
He preferred blondes, so had chosen her to stay. It wasn’t as though he planned on doing anything to her. He could have, and no one could stop nor catch him, but that wasn’t the plan. Glancing across at her, he leaned between the aisles and spoke in a calm, crisp voice, “Go to the cockpit, close the door, and stay there until we land in Reno.”
She turned, and her eyes studied his face. After a moment, she finally agreed, “Yes, Mr. Cooper.”
Carson almost corrected her on the name. He had given the name Dan Cooper when he bought his ticket, and that’s all they knew about him so far.
With a quick unbuckle, she was on her feet and struggling against the still climbing aircraft.
Carson grasped her wrist and handed her a folded note. “And give them this, please.”
II
8:01pm
Two parachutes, a backpack of money, and his attaché case sat on the deck at Carson’s feet.
The biggest shock in all of this was that the authorities had agreed so quickly to his demands. He, of course, could flash away at any point but wanted to do that part of the plan without causing further suspicions. Giving a hint of an alien influence would ruin his ultimate plan.
His navy suit was still in good shape though he had little doubt it clashed with his brown aviator hat and goggles.
Of course, Carson had no intention of hurting anyone. Well, not yet. If this plan worked, he could afford to begin his research that could fix the planet.
That plan could hurt people, but it would be for the greater good.
He just hoped that history would see it that way. If his calculations were correct, he was about to rewrite history.
Crouching, he lifted the backpack and slipped his arms in so that it was in front of his belly. Then he slipped his arms into the first parachute, so it was on his back. The second parachute, he would hold, and was simply a spare if the first failed. He bent down to brace himself and released the aft exit.
The staircase fell open causing the plane to jolt. It revealed the Columbia River gurgling in the darkness below, completely unaware of how historic this moment was.
The flight plan to Reno, Nevada that he had provided the FAA officials was a ruse. The cover plan was to refuel the flight in Reno and fly another leg into Mexico. The note he had given Tina had outlined a different flight plan that took them further west.
He had remained calm and composed through this entire ordeal until now. Nerves began to tweak and twist as he looked out at the dark land. He couldn’t be sure the pilot had done as instructed, but even so Carson could always flash to the meeting spot.
Taking the rail with his left hand, he stepped down the aft stairs and struggled against the coursing wind. His right hand held the attaché case.
The case had only been for the fake bomb and a safe place to hide his aviator hat and goggles. It was no longer required.
He tossed the case and quickly grabbed the other rail for more support. “Carson, my friend, this is going to work,” he said with the wind drowning out his voice. He grinned, stood, and straightened up.
With one last deep breath, he jumped.
III
9:45pm
“You made it.” Jasper crouched with her back against a tree in front of the river. She tossed a tiny stone out that was quickly lost in sound and darkness.
“It’s exactly as you said it would be,” Carson smiled at her and walked through the brush closer. His hand drifted up and massaged his left shoulder. “I could certainly use a long hot shower, though. Or, better yet, a good massage.”
She stood and wrapped her arms around his neck to pull him down for a deep kiss.
“If I’d known that was the reception I’d get, I’d have done this sooner.”
“No,” she said. “History wasn’t ready.”
“We’re rewriting history, my love.”
She smiled up at him. “Yes, we are.”
“How did the media take it? I can’t wait to see the reports.”
She laughed. “Some reporter fucked up. You’re now being called D.B. Cooper.” Pulling her arms away, she stepped back.
He shrugged. “I like that name. Cooper, hmmm. Yeah, that works.” He reached into his pocket and pulled out a wad of cash.
“What’s that for?”
He grinned. “More cover. First they think we flew miles further that way.” He pointed eastward. “Second, they find money over here. They’ll be looking up their asses for me.”
“Could take centuries.” She checked her watch. “We need to move now.”
“What’s the hurry?”
“In about ten minutes there will be two of me on this timeline.”
“Fair point. Not that we know what happens if there were.” He nodded and tossed the cash at one of the trees. “Am I correct that we’re a bit north of Portland?”
She nodded.
“I need a drink. There’s this great pub on the north side…”
She rolled her eyes.
“Oh, right. We can’t go to my usual haunts.” He thought for a moment. “Well then, I believe there is an appropriate saying for what we are about to do.”
“What’s that?”
He smiled. “Take me to your leader.”
Chapter Two
A Fresh Demon
London – A flat on Rutland Street
December 21, 1894
“You’re certain this was Lawrence’s flat?” Bram huffed, “Horrid dark place that it is.”
A thick brown blanket was used as a blind over the only window in the place. The only furniture was a bed and tall wooden dresser.
Arthur pulled the blanket off the window to allow light in. Dropping it sent a waft of dust into the air that caused both men to cover their mouths and cough. Both stood with topcoats and hats still on, neither wanting to put the coverings down for fear of the excessive dirt and dust.
“I’m certain it is his, but he never sleeps here.” First pointing at the bed with his cane, Arthur then drew the end of it across the crisply made sheets and left a trail in the dust residing on top of it.
“I’m uncertain he sleeps at all,” Bram added.
“His name isn’t Lawrence.”
Bram turned to look at Arthur.
“No, he prefers being called simply Graven.”
“True, I have seen this as well.”
The tap of rain against the window gave Bram a foreboding ache in his stomach, as though listening to the rhythm of a ticking bomb. “I still remember the look on his face when you accused him of being a vampire.” A smile broke across him lips.
The laugh Arthur produced was like one that comes from relief after a false scare. “Yes, that was priceless. It was but a ruse, I assure you, to get him to tip his hand.” Arthur took a deep breath and coughed from the dust. “And in his arrogance he tipped that easily. Imagine the look I’d get now.”
The smile vanished as Bram felt the ache strengthen in his belly. “What, you mean for accusing him of being The Ripper?”
Darwin's Sword: Savannah - Book Two Page 15