Fractime Symmetry (Part 1)

by Steve Hertig

Chapter 14

  Prime: 4 Sept 2068

  Jenny surveyed the other members of the contact team assembled before transport to Camp David and transit to Minus. The President decided to let Homeland initiate first contact, and they had left two days ago.

  "Nice suit," Major Timberin told Jenny from behind noticing she had dressed smartly for the transit.

  "Adaptive camo is more my color," Jenny replied, turning around to find the major in his Army dress uniform. "How much have you read of the Prophesy?" she asked.

  "I guess we've got a little time," he said. "I read most of the recent English citations. It can be hard to follow and there are significant gaps. There was a big effort to catalog and cross-reference all the translated citations in Center, but they were lost in a cyber attack."

  "And it gets worse the farther upline you go," she said dejectedly. "It's hard to be confident based on what we have. I wish I trusted it more. No offense Major."

  "None taken, I feel the same way."

  "Any reports from your linguist on the far upline entries?"

  "Thanks to Prime's resources," Timberin said, "he's made some progress on several citations that seem to be related to basic physics of TR tech itself. But I'm not hopeful there will be any quick answers to our problems."

  Jenny knew even Higgs still had questions on basic TR operation.

  "Any word from John?" he asked.

  She detected tiredness in the major's voice. "I expect he's—"

  "Okay people!" the transit chief interrupted her. "Homeland has reported back, and it's a go. We're ready for Bravo group to transit. Ms. Scott, the NGA team will follow the security detail. Everyone else, line up as prearranged."

  "Don't worry," Jenny said to Cale. "Prime TRs are 100 percent effective to Minus even with upline transfers."

  "Everyone keeps saying that," the major said anxiously.

  Minus: 28 Jun 2066

  There was transport to Camp David waiting for them at the heavily guarded Minus transit destination. Jenny was glad to see tight security precautions in place as she boarded the shuttle behind Major Timberin.

  "Everyone listen up," the coordinator from Homeland said, "before we get to Camp David, there're a couple of things you all need to know. The government here, extensively the Optimum party, has ordered initial UD scans and comprehensive background checks. This will include all members of Congress, the executive branch, the Joint Chiefs, the Cabinet as well as all officers in military service over the rank of captain. As this is progressing, all cleared Minus personnel on their first-contact team will be shuttled to Camp David. They've nearly finished all their checks, and the rest should conclude sometime tomorrow."

  "Any word on the Chinese?" someone asked.

  Jenny knew there were rumors that the President would try to convince the Chinese Prime Minister to allow a representative to join the contact mission.

  "They as well as the Eastern Alliance here in Minus have again declined our offer to discuss the situation at any level claiming reasons of national security," the coordinator explained.

  Timberin leaned over to Jenny and said, "We suspect the Chinese also have captured TR tech in Center."

  "I'm not too surprised and I assume they contacted their Prime counterparts," she replied.

  "Fair bet," Timberin acknowledged.

  The homeland coordinator continued, "The President has requested that all discussions are to be open and transparent for cleared Minus personnel only. There is to be no contact with civilians outside Camp David. You have probably heard by now that their recent past is a bit different from ours. Let's not get bogged down with historical trivia and just keep things focused on the present for now. Agendas and accommodation details for each team member are on your pad. Please don't remove radiation badges and keep your ID in plain sight. Oh yeah, avoid discussions regarding their FTL drive. It's a sensitive subject. Any more questions?"

  There wasn't any.

  "What are you think about the security measures?" Jenny asked the major.

  "Seems okay, but it had to be a rush job."

  "Just what I was thinking," Jenny said looking out the shuttle's window at the spring flowers growing between burned-out hulks of vehicles littering the highway's median.

  As a back-line, tactical officer, Jenny was officially not part of most of the briefings or early planning sessions. Rather, her role called for support in key discussions about TR theory, its history in Prime as well as earlier counter-terrorism efforts. So far, she easily managed to juggle the different group's requests for her time.

  Nevertheless, she welcomed a break and stretched outside the main conference building preparing for a run through the complex when General West approached her. She noted his green Prime patch. "Hello, General. I didn't know you'd be attending."

  "I came through last night," he said. "There's a difference of opinion on where the technology efforts here in Minus will be established. The Optimum leaders are not big fans of the NGA stewarding the project at all."

  "I can't say I blame him. Given the doubts our President had at first, the evolution of TR tech in Prime charted a strange course to say the least. Is their President here?" Jenny asked.

  "No, he's in some secret command center out west. It'll probably go to the military here and maybe back home as well, but that opens up some technology transfer issues that I'm here to discuss. I'm on my way to the mess, care to join me?"

  "I'll pass," Jenny said. "I'm trying to get in a quick run in before the afternoon sessions."

  "Find me when you're finished," West said, "and I should know more by then."

  Jenny was looking forward to the solitude her run would afford. She selected one of the many trails leading away from the main complex that let dignitaries work out their issues in private or just stretch their legs. And as all the attendees had the highest security clearance, the Secret Service put emphasis on patrolling the camp's parameter rather than the trails.

  On her second pass through the grounds, she noticed another person ahead of her, a woman in a green cloak. Jenny instantly grew cautious; the person appeared to be waiting for her. Jenny stopped short when she realized the woman was not wearing an ID.

  "I'm unarmed Jennifer," the woman immediately said and put her hands together above her head and turned around. As she did so, her cloak disappeared, revealing the naked, supple body of a fit young black woman. As she faced Jenny again, the cloak re-appeared.

  "That's quite a trick," Jenny said studying the fine workmanship of the cloak. It was a delicate weave of vibrant green that subtly shimmered with sliver highlights as dappled sunbeams touched it from above through the trees overhanging the footpath.

  "It is useful and as you saw, I am unarmed. I'm Luinan." She extended her hand.

  Not feeling threatened in the least, Jenny grasped her hand. It felt usually warm. "How do you know me and how'd you get here?" she said slowly releasing Luinan's hand.

  "I'm so sorry I can't answer your questions," Luinan said earnestly looking directly at Jenny.

  Jenny immediately noticed the woman's eyes were a stunning shade of violet.

  "Your work is not here," Luinan said. "Your universe is in danger, and you must return immediately. There's only a short window of opportunity to stop the enemy's weapon."

  "You know of the war?" Jenny asked.

  "Yes, of course. We are allies."

  "Their weapon?" Jenny asked.

  "Trust yourself," she said scanning the surrounding woodland. "Your universe has a unique opportunity to stop or drastically slow the progression of the war, but the window narrows with each day here. Luinan looked nervously past Jenny to the woods and said, "You know the enemy will kill themselves upon capture."

  "We've experienced that." Jenny was getting perplexed with the conversation. "How can I trust you?" she asked.

  "Colonel, sometimes faith is all we have."

  Jenny heard a twig snap behind her.

  "I must leave, I'm in breach c
ontacting you," Luinan said. "Destroy the enemy's weapon. You must know that the enemy can be defeated."

  "But—"

  "Seek out your sisters. Together you can accomplish what you alone may think is impossible, and know the earth scientist's counsel will be invaluable. I hope we can meet again." Luinan's cloak shimmered softly just before she vanished.

  Jenny sat down cross-legged in the middle of the trail, a bit overwhelmed and needing a moment to think.

  "Are you all right?" a Secret Service agent who had just walked up behind her asked.

  "Yes, but we've had a parameter breach." Jenny extended her hand, and the agent pulled her to her feet. "Black woman, dreads, early thirties, hundred seventy-five centimeters, bright-green cloak, no shoes."

  The agent immediately initiated a lock down and sent warning back to the complex. "I'll escort you back," he said pausing to read her ID, "Ms. Scott."

  The Secret Service CO was waiting for them as they returned to the main complex.

  "Any idea where this woman came from?" he asked.

  Jenny shook her head. "She said her name was Luinan."

  "There's no sign of her on our monitors."

  "Makes sense," she said. "She disappeared right in front of me," she added guessing the green cloak to be a transit device.

  "Did she threaten you or anyone else at Camp David?" he asked.

  "No. I'm thinking she's on our side. I need to talk to General West. Is there anything else?"

  "Ma'am, if you could render a facial reconstruction at some point."

  "Of course, please excuse me." She left for the mess hoping the general was still there.

  As she entered the mess followed by the Secret Service CO, Jenny saw the general and his aide talking with another man in uniform.

  Both men looked around as she approached their table.

  "Ms. Scott, I assume you have not met my Minus counterpart."

  "Good to meet you General." She noted his ID pic had a light-blue background.

  "And you," he replied warmly and then excused himself, leaving with the Secret Service's CO.

  "Your twin has just cleared security and should be here within the hour," West said. "She is anxious to talk to you."

  "Thank you General, but that may have to wait."

  "The parameter breach? We've just heard about it." West said. "I'll be there in a moment," he said as he dismissed his aide coming up behind him. "What else do you know?" he asked.

  "I was stopped by a woman during my run. I'm betting she was from upline; name was Luinan."

  "What made you think she was from upline?" West asked.

  "I believe her cloak was a transit device far beyond our technology. She told me we needed to take the enemy's weapon out in Prime, and that we only have a short window of opportunity to do so."

  "Did she have any suggestions as how to accomplish this?"

  "Unfortunately, no. She also said I would find help in my sisters; I assume she meant my fractime twins. In addition, she hinted Captain Mackinac's counsel will be useful."

  "Do you trust her?" West asked.

  "My intuition tells me she's on our side. Kinda lean, I know."

  "Very thin," he said.

  "There's something else. She knew my rank."

  "Although you serve at the pleasure of the President," West said, "your rank is not top-secret, despite dragging your past State Department persona with you to STS."

  "But she seemed to make a point of telling me," Jenny said. "Letting me know she knew for some reason. Maybe it's nothing. Just my imagination."

  West took a long sip of his cold coffee. "Your plans?"

  She had already made the decision. "I'll have to return to Prime immediately." Jenny was conflicted by delaying the meeting with her Minus twin, but the threat to Prime took priority. "Maybe we'll get lucky with the satellite data," she added hopefully.

  "Has the nano-weapon team made their threat assessment yet?"

  "It should be ready when I return. Dutch knows how critical it is."

  "Good luck," West said with a subtle sigh. "I'll inform the President myself of your meeting with this Luinan as well as give your regrets to your twin when she shows up."

  "Thanks. Tell her I'll be back and please ask the President for Mackinac for a couple of days." She headed out of the mess to pack for the return transit.

  The general, shaking his head, called out after her, "You're lucky the President likes you."