by Steve Hertig
Chapter 9
Prime: 21 May 2058
It was only a fifteen-minute walk for Jenny and John past the El Reno exit to a motel next to a small, local airport.
"We should be fine here for the night," Jenny said placing Cliff's duffel lightly on one of the double beds.
"Is Cody going to be alright?" John asked checking out the bathroom.
"Eventually, but he will have some explaining to do," Jenny said. "The FBI doesn't like to be dictated to by other offices, but it couldn't be helped." She sighed and started emptying the duffel's contents onto the bed. "I thought this looked like a mission pack. There's cash, some jerky," and then she added in disbelief, "and a TR set."
John's heart sank at the confirmation of the enemy's TR technology.
"They are a different design," Jenny said closely examining them, "but definitely TRs. I wonder if they work the same as ours; the control system looks similar. But why would Cliff Henrys, a hit-man for the Order, carry around TRs?"
"We need to figure out how to get back and inform General West," John said, but he didn't have a clue about accomplishing a return to Prime in 2068."
"I agree," Jenny said while taking their TR set out of Mikael's pack for a comparison. "These TRs didn't function properly and that doesn't make sense. They always get you back after you left, never before. It's the duration in Minus that sometimes doesn't match the mission clock in Prime."
John recalled the briefing on TR function. "I'm guessing that the explosion sent us all the way back to 2046 and got us out of sync by losing the TRs. Or, maybe it was another mass effect?"
"Obviously and you can have a good long talk about it with the wiz kids when we get back," Jenny said. "Do you have any ideas why Henrys would carry TRs?"
"I guess that would mean he was planning on a transit to Minus at some point."
"But why go to Minus?" Jenny asked.
"He's a criminal and terrorist. There's no telling what his motives were. He could have been just transporting them like the drive."
"Or maybe that Henrys was from Plus."
"Fuck. That's a big leap," John said.
"Yup. Anyway, the way to get to an active Minus rescue site after 2048 is to get to future Prime. The only way to get to future Prime is from Plus."
John realized what Jenny was inferring. "You want us to blind transit with these?" he asked looking at the strange TRs.
"If they are Prime TRs, and your mass-effect theory is correct at least they weren't affected, and statistically we have a good chance of a transit back to Minus after 2048 and get rescued."
John knew TRs, the Chronos' ones at any rate, had an unchangeable cycle that always began with a downline transit and ended with an upline return. If Henrys had used the set to come to Prime then maybe they could get to Plus. "So what happens if we land in Plus?" he asked.
"We'll try to change our location and use these TR's again to get back. If we arrive in Prime after '68, we decide if it's okay to stay, but if we arrive before '68, we'll use Mikael's backup TRs to transit to Minus. I'm not risking any more paradoxes."
John's fatigue made it difficult to process their choices but he remembered the speculation surrounding the TIA that suggested the enemy might have TRs with a longer transit distance.
"We'll sleep on it," Jenny said. "See if things are clearer in the morning."
"A hot shower would be great," John admitted.
They didn't wake until almost 0900, and John suggested the IHOP next door rather than the motel's continental breakfast.
"I was starving," Jenny said. "I never got through my omelet in Colorado Springs, which was excellent by the way." She set her fork on her empty plate with a clank.
John was already on his second coffee and almost through his tall stack of blueberry pancakes and could only nod agreement.
"We will have to risk that a safe site here has a corresponding one in Plus," Jenny said.
"Another big assumption." John said with concern.
Ignoring him, Jenny continued, "The database lists a site in Oklahoma City. It's next to the old federal building. We can catch the airport shuttle from the motel and see if we can get downtown."
The airport shuttle driver was glad to go out of his way to drop them off downtown at 5th Street and close to their destination. As the Oklahoma City skyline came in to view, the driver turned the volume down on the taxi's sat news channel. "What do you think of the equatorial light show? Pretty crazy, huh," he said referring to the breaking news.
Jenny said, "Sorry, haven't heard about it."
"Something is causing brilliant lights in the skies over Central America, Indonesia and Malaysia. It's been going on over a year now and people are freaking out. Pigeons are flying in circles." The driver laughed.
Jenny just looked out the van's window.
John remembered the strange incident from his past. "It's fairly rare to get equatorial auroras. Probably, a solar flare," he told the driver remembering the sunspot cycle was just past its maximum.
The driver just shrugged his shoulders as they slowed to a stop, arriving at their destination.
The access to the safe site was a side entrance to the building and John was relieved when the key code given on Jenny's pad worked. As they stepped inside, a motion-activated light came on, illuminating what appeared to be a utility control room.
They quickly set up the strange TRs and readied themselves for the unknown. John clutched the pack's straps, his stomach in knots again.
Jenny said, "You're first. Transit in 3, 2, 1, go!"
"You have something important to report?" Victoria asked Aashif. She did not turn around to look at him as he came through the rear, kitchen door; her security monitors already told her of his arrival.
"Zaman is dead. We've found his remains. It was impossible to tell if the Synth had been activated," he replied looking at her back. He remembered her as a tall, moderately attractive woman when he met her for the first time more than twenty years ago; now, she was a disgusting, lumbering hulk.
Still with her back to him, she dropped the coffee spoon in her cup with a loud clunk. "That fucking coward."
Aashif knew she wanted that drive. "He's burning in hell with Henrys," he said nervously.
Johnston turned to face Aashif and immediately knew there was more he wasn't telling her.
"What?" she scowled.
"There are two sets of upline transfer devices unaccounted for Commander. Zaman may have hidden them."
"Or maybe Henrys had them when he was captured or Lutzger took them after killing Zaman?" she gave him a cold look and resumed stirring her coffee.
"The Prophesy tells us the infidels have never gotten upline TRs in time to help them."
"Times change," she said. "And aren't you carrying the radical ruse a bit far? Infidels, fucking hell," Johnston said while tearing open three artificial sugar packets at once. "Do we even know where that asshole, Lutzger, is?" she asked.
Aashif felt nervous as she frantically stirred the coffee to dissolve her fake sweetener. "There's no sign of him or Henrys' upline twin," he further admitted.
"Lutzger is not the imbecile he appears to be," she said. "No matter, they will be dealt to when this planet is cleansed," she added, pouring her coffee down the sink.
Plus: 20 Nov 2075
John saw the flicker of the motion-activated light in the utility room. Jenny was behind him with an anxious look.
"Sat check?" John asked.
"20 November, 2075, 1432," Jenny reported. "Good, about seventeen years. That was lucky."
"Plus," John said relieved. "It just occurred to me, shouldn't there have been a rescue locker from Plus in the room in Prime?"
"I guess it wasn't that safe after all," Jenny said sheepishly.
John felt light-headed and tried not to think about the possible consequences of yet another blind transit.
"Let's see the similarity tests' results," Jenny said.
John handed her the pad out
of his pack.
"Sixteen to twenty-three percent," she reported. "And that's back in 2068, our last Prime datum. No results after then."
John was trying to think. "What's that mean?"
"I don't know yet," Jenny said with a worried look.
"It's kind of chilly," John said with a shiver.
"Let's get out of here," Jenny said and started to prep the captured TRs for the transit to Prime. "The return to Plus should have reset the TRs. We'll have a good chance at arriving back in Prime well after '58."
"With the low degree of similarity, maybe we should have a look around a bit," John said, "and see what's up. And shouldn't we re-locate the TRs just to be sure?" he suggested, cracking the door. "I don't see many people around. What's the day?"
"Wednesday," Jenny replied.
"It was busy when we left Prime," he said. "Hey, there are military vehicles parked next to the Federal building and troops on the steps."
"Let's have a look," she said finishing resetting the TRs.
She squeezed past John for a look across the street at the troops just as squad of military personnel with assault weapons at the ready turned the corner by the door. Jenny instinctively to put her hands on her head and they quickly pushed her face against the outside wall and bound her wrists. Inside the room, they pushed John to the floor and secured him. They separated the captives from their gear and stood them both against a wall of the utility room.
A sergeant with short blond hair spoke into her com unit, "Suspects in custody. No resistance."
"I'm Jennifer Scott; I'm with the NGA. We're here on a critical mission. I need to talk to your commander immediately."
"Just hold your water, where's your ID?"
"Like I said, we are on a mission."
"And who are you?" the sergeant asked John.
"Captain John Mackinac, United States Army."
"Kind of an old dogface," she said looking him over.
Jenny coughed trying to hide her amusement at the sergeant's remark.
"Test 'em," the sergeant ordered.
A private came forward with a cylindrical object and pressed it to John's neck.
Jenny tried to push away from the wall, but they held her tight as the private repeated the procedure on her.
"We've got downline," the private reported removing the device from Jenny neck.
"Downline?" John whispered to Jenny.
"No talking," the sergeant said flatly.
The troops escorted them across the street to a side entrance of the Federal building and then into a windowless room.
"You will be debriefed as soon as possible before transfer," the sergeant said as she removed their security straps.
"Coffee?" John asked.
The sergeant ignored him and left.
"Transfer to where, I wonder?" Jenny said and took a seat at the table.
They had been waiting for almost an hour, when a major entered the room. Jenny didn't recognize his particular uniform or patches.
"So you are Jennifer Scott," he said not taking his eyes off Jenny, "with the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency and Dr. John Mackinak."
"Actually it's Captain, and it's Mack-in-aw," John said trying not to sound annoyed.
"Captain? Interesting. Ms. Scott, do you have a rank, too?
"Good luck there," John said flaty, "and it's missus."
"And you are?" Jenny quickly asked.
"Major Cale Timberin, United States Army, on assignment to Homeland Defense."
"I didn't know Homeland had a military branch," she said.
"They do now," he said. "This is a most interesting situation Mrs. Scott and there has been a change of plans; I've delayed your debriefing. We're going to the CMAFS to meet the new President."
"The President?" Jenny asked.
"The Mountain?" John asked.
"We leave at 1630. We'll get you both a change of uniform," Timberin said while looking at John still wearing two missions worth of dirt and blood, "and food, too."
"Thank you, Major," Jenny said.
"Yes, thanks," John added.
"Our gear?" Jenny asked concerned for the two sets of TRs.
"Safe," Timberin replied after studying her face for several seconds.
They arrived at Plus Peterson in a vintage Northrop Grumman Hawkeye without incident. Timberin said they had reconditioned the turboprop after recovering it, mothballed, from the Stafford Air and Space museum. Jenny could see the base was at a state of heightened security and unusually, there was no civilian traffic in or out of the Mountain. But it felt good to be back at the Mountain, even if it was not Prime.
Major Timberin escorted them to a briefing room in an unfamiliar part of the complex and told them the President would be there soon. He suggested they make themselves as comfortable as possible before he left them alone.
"Sorry. It's my fault," John whispered to Jenny. "We should be back in Prime by now."
"Don't worry," she said, "I was curious, too, but the response was way too fast. I bet they knew we were there the second we made transit, but at least these are the good guys." But she was nervous; with the low influence ratio, there was really no telling who the good guys were.
She heard the door opening and turned to see the major had returned followed by a short woman in a suit.
"Mrs. Scott and Captain Mackinac," Timberin said. "The president of the United States."
"Clare?" Jenny said astonished, standing in unison with John at the president's arrival.
"Hello Jennifer," she said reaching forward to shake Jenny's hand. "And Captain Mackinac," she added pronouncing 'Mackinac' correctly.
"You know each other?" John asked them.
"I know a Clare Jackson, but she was never the President," Jenny said. "Madam President, all this is quite a shock."
She tried not to stare at a long, pink scar across the President's forehead.
"Please sit," Jackson said, "We have a lot of ground to cover, and it's getting late. Major, can you arrange some food, please."
As the major left, one of the guards took position inside the door.
The President looked tired. "You are not prisoners. Under the war alliance agreements, you qualify as special allied combatants in Center. You may return downline as soon as you wish. However, we need your help. Please sit," she said.
"War agreements?" John asked.
"It's difficult to know where to begin," Jackson said. "We were invaded from upline almost five years ago and were quickly overwhelmed with coordinated nano-weapon attacks against global infrastructure. Largely, conventional military strikes followed. It did not take long before both Asia and Europe fell, and we've had no word from our Pacific and South American allies for three months. The United States is under Marshall Law."
Fuck, this is it, Jenny thought as she realized the same fate was probably about to befall Prime.
The President continued, "There were a few skirmishes before the main attack; we should have suspected they were just the preliminaries. Our upline enemies are well coordinated and disciplined, no doubt owing from their vast experience."
"Excuse me Madam President," John said. "I'm not following you."
"This war has been fought one universe at a time," Jackson explained, "stepping downline and back in time with every invasion."
"Progressive knight's moves," John said solemnly but he could tell the President did not understand the metaphor. "Like in chess," he clarified.
The President nodded and continued, "The main invasion occurred here five years ago, although it's obvious it really started decades before; the enemy has patience."
"What's the present tactical situation?" Jenny asked.
"Our defenses are holding," she replied, "but they won't for much longer; six months, maybe a year, it's hard to tell."
"Why haven't you contacted us?" John asked.
"Thanks to traitors in this government," Jackson said, stress apparent in her voice, "we had safeguard
s in place thinking we were protecting the downline universes, but in reality, those safeguards isolated us from help. I only took the oath of office a few months ago and thanks to the device they used on you in Oklahoma, one of my first executive orders was the execution of those traitors."
"How many?" John said nervously.
"One hundred sixty-three," Jackson replied. "Many I had trusted completely."
Jenny gasped. She could see the burden this represented on the new commander and chief.
"Just before I took office, we intercepted critical intel," Jackson said. "It could be too late for us to use it for an advantage, but you can. It is part of their history; their invasion protocols handed downline with every conquest. It details their strategies as well as counter strategies for dealing with a multitude of defensive tactics. It's no wonder that they have been unstoppable. They call the collection the Prophesy. I wish we had more to give you."
Jenny studied the President's face.
"After the President's assassination," Jackson said, "I was the only survivor in the line of succession as the Secretary of Veterans Affairs."
"How far in the future do our enemies come from and what technologies are they deploying against you?" Jenny asked.
Jackson explained, "We think there are only a few adjacent universes involved at any one time. They use a mix of advanced and conventional weapons suggesting the maximum TR separation and the average eleven-year transit affects their supply chain," she said looking at John. "Nevertheless, there are some unusual parts of the Prophesy suggesting they are fighting a rearguard action sometime upline; we really don't know, but your TIA could be proof. It's clearly from far upline."
"They found the TIA in Plus?" Jenny asked.
"No, but we've begun to reconnoiter Prime as I suspect you do Minus, although not nearly as extensively. We only captured TR tech shortly after the main attack, but the whole downline TIA affair was disregarded."
"Understandable," John said.
"But thank God your government didn't dismiss the TIA theories, and that's given you more time to prepare, to build defenses," Jackson said shifting her weight. Uncomfortable in her seat, she winced at some hidden pain. "It's been basic survival and defense the last few months, and if it wasn't for a massive EMP retaliation the former President ordered after the initial nano attack, we'd be history. Even so, the targeted areas were devastated, and most of the country's surface water was undrinkable for over a year.
"You must be aware that there are dangerous sleeper cells in your government that are coordinated by the enemy here and father upline by what they call the Leadership." Jackson paused for a moment and then continued, "One TR set you brought with you is similar to ones used by the enemy to attack us. Now, they are building nukes and when their launch platforms are viable—"
"Madam President, we may have some critical information," Jenny said. "However, I am uneasy sharing it with anyone but my President."
"You must listen to your conscience," Jackson said. "I'll send a mission team back with you. Our experiences and the intel we have on the Prophesy could have a large impact on your upcoming war effort. We must work together immediately, and we must convince the universes downline to so the same. Your government must tear down your temporal safeguards and eliminate all the traitors in your midst, and you must do this quickly."
Major Timberin returned with a tray of drinks and sandwiches and placed them on the table.
"Thank you Major," Jackson said, "but I have other matters to deal with at the moment." She looked at Jenny and John, "If you two will excuse me; I'll see you prior to transit."
"Thank you Madam President," Jenny said pushing her chair back from the table and standing.
Taking her cue and sandwich in hand, John also stood.
"The major will aid you in preparation for your transit," Jackson said. Then from the doorway, she asked, "I assume you'll want to return as soon as possible?"
"Yes, ma'am," Jenny replied.
The President kept her gaze for few seconds then turned and left.
"Major, may I ask where my counterpart is?" Jenny asked.
"Colonel Scott is on a mission. Her exact whereabouts is unknown," Timberin replied, seemingly annoyed he could not share more details. He added, "However, I'm sure she would be interested in knowing a Captain Mackinac is here."
Jenny wondered why her twin would be interested in John as she took a sandwich from the plate.
"It's late," Timberin said. "I suggest you get some sack time. I've arranged temporary quarters. We'll have the team assembled in the morning for your transit and I'd like a couple more hours in the morning for a briefing before final selection for the transit team. I also have pads for you with an overview of the war and the Prophesy."
"Thank you Major. The data will be a big help," Jenny said pushing the sandwiches across the table to John.
The mission team ended up consisting of a linguist, weapon's specialist, two military historians and Major Timberin as the CO.
Jenny knew they would be missed in Plus.
They planned a transit by way of a safe site at Peterson. Although Jenny had suggested the site, Major Timberin insisted on several transits first by a two-person specialist team to make sure the site was unoccupied.
The team would transit to Prime, then immediately to Minus, even if they arrived after 2068. Major Timberin had convinced Jenny they needed all the time they could get and deploying after 2068 was a poor option; she agreed.
When they reached Peterson, the President was waiting for them at the transit site. "Good luck, Jenny and you too, Captain Mackinac," she said and then shook both their hands.
"Major," she called Timberin over to them.
Timberin stepped forward and stowed in the pack that Jenny was holding the same device that they had used on them to determine their downline origins.
"Hopefully that will help, too," Jackson said and then whispered a short prayer for them all.
The Plus transit chief called out, "Ready to transit, go!"
The team vanished one by one followed by the TRs.