The Temporal Key

by Adam Benson

  Ca’aury looked at the hologram and had a sudden spark of recognition. She was more than just a student and recent graduate. Seeing her projected in his office like this triggered something else in him, but he couldn’t quite place it. “This is who you’re nominating for your replacement?” he asked after a moment.

  “She’s an excellent engineer.” Fathal said. “I have every confidence in her abilities”

  “Yes, but in your own words, this is a suicide mission. Why are you sending a green cadet, especially if you have such confidence in her? What did she do to you to deserve this?” Ca’aury asked coyly.

  “It’s not like that,” Fathal said defensively. “She’s been begging me for placement opportunities. I let it slip that I was thinking about retiring and she’s been pressing me for my position.”

  Ca’aury sighed a heavy sigh. “Fathal, you didn’t?”

  “No,” he said defensively, “she’s just a dhreghed good engineer and she deserves an advanced placement.”

  “Does she know what’s at stake?” Ca’aury asked.

  “Not entirely. I told her that if she knew why I was retiring she might feel differently about requesting my position,” said Fathal. “She didn’t seem to fully appreciate what I was trying to say.”

  “If that’s what you told her, I don’t know that you really gave her the gravity of the situation.” Ca’aury said. “Which might actually be better right now.”

  “So, then you agree this is a suicide mission?” Fathal said.

  “I agree that there are grave risks and the potential for casualties on this mission, but I would not call it a suicide mission.” Ca’aury said.

  The two men sat there in silence as the sun finally dipped below the horizon and the light in the room became very dim. Ca’aury stood up first and walked over to the projection of Dr. Thalia hovering in the center of the room. “I’ll have to approve her candidacy, you know,” he finally said.

  “Yes, I know,” Fathal said. “She’s smart and she can handle it. I trust her with my colleagues.”

  “It’s good to know you’re thinking of them,” Ca’aury said. “Arrange for Dr. Thalia to come by and see me tomorrow morning. I’ll look over her profile tonight and do some base calculations on a crew member change to make sure we’re not picking up any other anomalies.”

  “Thanks Ca’” Dr. Fathal said.

  “Don’t thank me yet. If you’re retiring, I’ll be doubling your teaching schedule.” Ca’aury turned and looked down at Fathal who still sat in the seat around the hologram. “I’m sorry to see you go,” he said at last.

  “It’s time,” Fathal said. “I’m ready.” He stood up and gave a quick nod to Ca’aury.

  Ca’aury smiled and the two shook hands. With that Fathal teleported away from Ca’aury’s office, leaving him alone again to his thoughts.

  Ca’aury looked back to Dr. Thalia’s image hovering in the middle of his office. This was the first time he had seen her listed as part of a mission profile, and the familiarity of it haunted him inexplicably. With a thought, he juxtaposed the Temporal Keyhole Device with the anomaly next to Dr. Thalia’s personnel profile.

  “In the mission parameters for Chronis 4.696 gigaSines, replace Dr. Fathal’s profile with Dr. Thalia’s profile and re-run the current simulation,” he said to the computer.

  After a few chrons the multi-dimensional shape changed to represent the new change to the data. Ca’aury scoured over the shape looking for differences, and at first glance he saw none, but then something caught his eye. Glowing faintly, almost imperceptibly dim, tiny echoes of the anomaly seemed to have appeared in a fractal recursion that repeated over and over again at varying points throughout time over the last millennium.

  Ca’aury’s eyes flashed as he saw the tiny echoes. He turned away in a moment of realization and looked out onto the dusky world.

  Dr. Harb’roon, Ca’aury called out telepathically.

  Hello Ca’aury, Dr. Harb’roon replied.

  Could you come by the office? Ca’aury asked.

  Within a chron Harb’roon flashed into Ca’aury’s office. “What is it Ca’?” He asked as he walked up to Ca’aury.

  “I have a strange feeling about this anomaly,” Ca’aury said straight faced to him. “I think things have just become more complicated.”

  Harb’roon cocked his eyes seriously and then looked at the projections he had hovering in the center of the room. “How so?” he asked cautiously.

  “I can’t say for certain,” Ca’aury said as he pointed to Dr. Thalia’s profile image.

  “She’s been here for sixteen years, Ca’aury,” Harb’roon said candidly.

  “I know that, Harb” Ca’aury snapped. “But seeing her personnel profile like this, while Dr. Fathal suddenly retires, and nominates her to take his place while…”

  “Fathal retired?” Harb’roon interrupted.

  “Yes, just now,” Ca’aury said. “Dr. Thalia is who he nominated to replace him. Seeing her here, in this capacity reminds me of something else. I can’t be certain, but I think this anomaly may be something more than we thought.”

  Harb’roon looked over at Dr. Thalia’s profile picture and studied it momentarily. “Does this mean we were wrong about a Paleo-Causal Event?”

  “A causality event, maybe,” Ca’aury said excitedly. “I’m just not sure it’s the event that we think it is.”

  Harb’roon looked hard at Ca’aury. “What event do you think this is?”

  “Remember six years ago?” Ca’aury asked.

  Harb’roon nodded tightly, suddenly looking intently at the projections in the center of the room.

  “I think this may be what started all of that.” Ca’aury said. “And if I’m right, I want someone we can trust on that ship.”

  “Who do you have in mind?”

  “We put Captain Y’Conni on the team for this mission. They’ve been without a pilot since their last mission, and she seemed like the right pilot for the job,” Ca’aury told him.

  “Y’Conni is a good captain, solid leader,” Harb’roon said. “But you’re thinking of changing her out, aren’t you?”

  “I want Captain Nocta on this team. We know he can handle himself, and we know we can trust him.” Ca’aury said.

  “It’s a bit odd to replace a pilot this far into mission prep.”

  “If Dr. Fathal is retiring, then we already have to change the mission specs. Changing the pilot to better accommodate a mission won’t be the end of the world.”

  “And the new girl?” Harb’roon asked.

  “Oh, there can be no doubt. Dr. Fathal is right. She’s perfect for this assignment. She’s cunning, talented and quick on her feet. She’s dedicated, and eager for an active assignment. And I have the feeling that she was always supposed to go on this mission.” Ca’aury said.

  “And the anomaly?”

  “There’s nothing we can do at this point. If I’m right about this, then we are merely observers. There’s nothing we can do.”

  Hiding in the Desert

  It’s been over four kilos! Thalia said as they hid behind the lone mesquite tree watching the men hunt for them. There’s six of them now, and they’re getting closer. The men’s flashlights oscillated on the ground around them, moving about in meandering search patterns.

  Well, it’s looking less likely that we’ll be able to follow them back. Dayk said as he continued to look around for some escape. We still have to make it back to the ship before they take it away.

  What’s your plan?

  Not sure yet, he replied. We may have to take the long way around. Make a wide berth through the desert and get to the crash from the other side.

  That could take a while. I don’t know that my cloak will last. Mine’s at 74% already. Thalia told him. He could hear a tinge of panic in her thoughts as she spoke.

  Dayk queried his own cloaking device, activating its annoying voice in his mind. Reserve Power: 79%. Imminent Cloaking Field: 1.085 meters. Statu
s: Active.

  I think your recorder is drawing extra power from your cloak. You’re already five percent below me, he said. We can't stay here. We’ve only got one more of these cloaks a piece, and a last one that we’ll have to share.

  But we’re stuck here for at least six more days! We’ve only got enough power for a little over a day! Thalia said. How are we going to make that last?

  Right now, it's dark. Dayk said while scoping out an escape route. If we get far enough away from those men, we can probably drop the cloaks and still stay hidden. Then it's just a long trek around the desert to try and make it to the other side of the crash without being seen.

  Then we’ll only use them when we need to. We need to get further away from the search. Thalia looked around the desert through her enhanced vision. Which way are you thinking about going?

  East, south east. Dayk replied. We’ll only have to go a kilometer or two out of our way to avoid detection. The other direction crosses the road and takes us too close to the primitives. They’ve formed a perimeter around the crash, and no one’s looking for us over there. That will save us plenty of power, and it will give us easy access to the largest section of the Chronis. Once we’re in there, we can decloak until they unload it at Roswell.

  So, then what are we waiting for? Thalia said.

  Nothing, let’s go, he said as he grabbed around in the invisible until he caught hold of her sleeve. Quietly as possible they started walking away from the tree and increasing the distance between themselves and the men.

  The bright lights behind them became distant spots in the desert. They stayed within mind-shot of each other until they got nearly a half a kilometer away from the primitives. Suddenly, Dayk disengaged his cloaking device and looked back at the lights and the men meticulously searching for them in the wrong place.

  Thalia reappeared and followed Dayk’s gaze, I don’t think they’ve spotted us! There was fear and relief in her thoughts. Let's keep going. She prompted Dayk as he watched the men. I'm done being in this time, and I really want to get back home now.

  Dayk continued to watch for a moment longer. In the great distance, he saw more headlights approaching from over the horizon. There’s a caravan of vehicles approaching. He thought to her. I’m right behind you.

  The trucks pulled to a stop in a queue one behind the other along the dirt road. The engines were left running and the headlights added to the distant glow. Suddenly, an eerily familiar sound drifted across the desert: the baying of excited dogs!

  Oh, no! Thalia thought.

  If those dogs are anything like our dogs, then they probably already smell us. Dayk thought. We have to get to the ship. Our best bet is to stow away! They won’t look long for us there.

  The dogs made a continuous ruckus as they searched around the area behind them. They moved around in circles, following old trails that lead nowhere, but eventually they picked up their scent and ran out into the dark behind them.

  With a renewed energy, they moved through the desert hopping from stony surface to stony surface, leaving as few foot prints as possible toward the far side of the crash site. As they went, heavy machinery banged loud and hard in the distance, and the generator rumbled loudly across the desert. The churning of unfamiliar machines would occasionally wind up and then gradually power down as something unknown to them went on at the crash site. And through all this the unmistakable sound of human voices moved excitedly all throughout the night.

  As dawn began appearing on the horizon, they heard a loud metallic thunk from across the desert that was accompanied by the whirring of large machines. It sounded like two large heavy objects slamming together. Dayk stopped in his tracks and tried to look off toward the crash. Quickly he opened his holographic projection to see what was going on. The large section of the ship was being hoisted onto a truck by a large crane that had been brought off into the desert.

  Oh no! He thought loudly. "Oh no, oh no, oh no!" He said aloud.

  What's wrong?! Thalia asked him, feeling the panic surround him.

  They're already moving the ship. We'll never make it! He turned and showed the image to Thalia. There in his palm hung a low-resolution image of a tall, old crane that was mounted on the back of a large truck, and from it hung the largest section of the Chronis, swinging unstably from its hoist. Nearby another truck sat waiting to accept its cargo, and surrounding it was a large swath of primitive humans all moving about to secure the ship.

  There's still the other two sections! Thalia exclaimed. Certainly, we can make it to one of those.

  Dayk could see the panic in her face, and he knew that it must have mirrored his own. Perhaps she was right. It doesn’t leave us very much time, he thought. At the rate they’re moving they’ll have the whole thing loaded in the next two kiloChrons. Assuming the trucks don’t leave immediately, that only gives us three or four kilos to get there, climb up onto the trucks and hide in one of the sections. Unfortunately, the two smaller pieces are more opened. It won’t be easy to hide in there.

  You're right. She thought. Even if we make it there in time to catch the truck, it will be very difficult to get on board and stay hidden.

  In the distance, the sound of dogs was getting louder. They sounded like they had found a new trail to follow, and that it was leading directly to them.

  We have to at least try and make it. She said with desperation in her thoughts.

  Dayk nodded his agreement. The men and the dogs were a far worse outcome than simply failing to make it onto the ship, and in some ways, being closer to the crash site was probably the safest place for them to hide from the dogs, especially while their cloaking devices held a charge. Let's run as far as we can before we have to use our cloaking devices again.

  Agreed. She said, and then both started sprinting through the desert toward the ship.

  Masking their trail no longer mattered! They ran until their lungs burned and their rebreather masks fogged up with moisture. As they pushed their way through the desert they watched intently for any signs of their pursuers. They could clearly hear the barking dogs happily making their pursuit, and as the sun began to crest over the horizon, the dead giveaway of the men’s flashlights began to blink out one at a time until all that was left were silhouettes that moved quickly in the dawn light.

  Dayk began to collapse. His body was physically burnt out, and he was utterly exhausted. It had taken them almost a kiloChron to go this distance over rocks and through random bits of brush; leaping over large boulders and crawling down rocky ravines. Up and down, back and forth running and climbing hard and endlessly in the thin air. The rebreather masks were excellent for normal activity, but they proved to be far less efficient for all of this strenuous activity. It began to feel like they were trying to breathe through a straw as their heart rates rose and their breathing became more labored.

  I have to stop! Dayk finally conceded. My heart's going to explode if I keep this up! Thalia, who was slightly ahead of him stopped and turned around to find Dayk looking intensely at the back of his hand. His vital signs quickly began for form in his skin confirming what he already knew. His heart rate was dangerously elevated, his body temperature was rising far above normal, he was very dehydrated, and his mental state was heavily fatigued.

  From where they stood, they could see the top of the boom arm of the crane turning slowly from one position to the next as it did its job moving the Chronis from the debris field. It was clearly moving in to pick up a second piece of the hull. There had been a lot of racket taking place in the desert all night. The only thing that mattered now was that their window of opportunity was closing. Both of them knew there was little chance to make it there in time, but somehow it was all feeling more dire as they got closer to the crash site.

  As if on cue, the sound of the dogs picked up and suddenly several of them appeared on the top of a hill only a hundred meters away from them. Dayk looked up from his arm to see the dogs quickly running down the lee side of the hill toward t
hem. He turned and looked at Thalia just in time to see her give him an almost apologetic expression and then vanish right in front of him. Dayk looked back at the hill and saw the head of the first primitive human cresting the hill behind the dogs, and before he could blink another head came running up over the hill. He couldn't tell if any of them had seen him yet, but he wasn't about to take any more chances with it. Activate cloak. He thought to the device on his belt, and in an instantaneous flash he disappeared from his own sight, and from everyone else's.

  Thalia? He called loudly to her, hoping that she hadn't run off in her alarm.

  I'm here. She said, and then he felt her hand fumble blindly onto his shoulder. He grabbed her hand and held it tight.

  What should we do? He asked her. I’m too exhausted to think, and I’m out of ideas. If we run, we kick up dirt, make noise… they’ll hear our breathing. It ruins all the advantages of being invisible. But if we stay here, we could get cornered, and I have no idea how dogs will react to invisible people. These cloaks won’t mask our scent.

  It won’t, but I think you’re on to something. She said. If we hide out in those rocks over there, the dogs might find us, but their handlers won’t, and that might be all we need for them to pass us by.

  What about the ship? Dayk asked. Thalia looked over toward the crane to see it hoisting the second section of ship up into the air in the distance.

  We're not going to make it to the ship. She said solemnly.

  No, we're not, are we. Dayk said, defeated. We're going to need a new plan now. We have to make it to Roswell on our own.

  For the time being let’s hide here as best we can and take our chances with the dogs. She suggested.

  Agreed. Dayk said to her. His voice was very faint in her mind. Let's go. He said to her, standing up from where he had been sitting, still holding her hand. She helped him up from his seat and began leading him drearily over toward a nearby rock pile that had lots of boulders and cracks and crevices strewn all around it. Hopefully they’ll give up looking for something that they cannot see. Maybe they’ll think that the dogs are just confused, and they’ll keep pressing forward, Dayk thought.