Infinitys gateway, p.28
Infinity's Gateway, page 28
“The craft is protecting us,” she said, her voice loud, but not yelling. She just wanted to make sure they all heard her. “If there was ever a safe time to cross this stream, this is it. Hill, Logan, move out.”
With unaided, solid marine minds, the two men turned and cautiously stepped into the water. Both wore rappelling harnesses connected to ropes firmly held by the other marines. If they slipped, or if the current became too strong, this ensured that they would not be carried away. As they slowly moved across, the water became deeper and deeper, eventually coming all the way up to their shoulders. Fortunately, they were able to stay on their feet. The two men reached the other side and struggled to get up the muddy bank. They sat down to rest and smiled across the stream at their comrades. It had been a physically as well as psychologically draining event. They stood safe.
While Logan and Hill were securing the lines they’d carried across, Corporal Lee directed who would be next and who would be helping the corpsman with Lockridge. Colton could not help but notice that the corpsman’s face was extremely pale. Walking up to him, he said, “Payne, you feeling all right?”
“Yes sir,” he said. “I mean, no sir, not exactly.”
“What’s wrong?”
“Not sure I can do this, sir.”
“It’s safe, Private. Whatever bad things were in there were driven away. You watched Hill and Logan. They didn’t have any problems. You’ll make it.”
“Sir, begging your pardon, but, even though I’m navy, I really can’t swim all that well. I’ve never done well around water, I just don’t like it.”
Colton understood that this was going to take more than reassurances and a pep talk to get Payne to cross the stream. He missed the electronic Valium. “Private Diaz is going to be helping you to get Lockridge across. Tell you what. I’ll also help. You walk right behind me, and if you slip, or anything happens, you can grab onto me. Payne, you and I are the only two sailors here, and we’re not going to let these marines show us up. Okay?”
Although the whole thing was embarrassing to Payne, his fear of the water and what lived there overrode that emotion. “Thank you, sir,” said Payne. “I appreciate this. I’m just afraid I’ll slip and go under. If that happens, how will you find me?”
Reaching into his pack, Colton pulled out the rappelling rope that he carried. He then cut off about four feet of it. Using knots he’d learned from Granddad Colton, he fastened one end of it around his belt. Looking at Payne, he lowered his voice and said, “Here’s what we’ll do. When we enter the water, you wrap the end of this rope around your hand. If you keep your hand under the water, no one will know what you’re doing. When we get to the other side you can let go and no one will be the wiser.”
“That’ll be great sir, thank you,” said the young corpsman. Some of the color had started to return to his face.
Garrett and two more of her men made it across without any problems. It was now time for them to bring Lockridge across. They slowly entered the water, floating Lockridge across the surface.
Payne held firm to the rope tied to Colton’s belt and it was good that he did. Twice his feet slipped off the rocks along the bottom, and had it not been for the small rope he was holding onto, he would have gone down. Once he pulled so hard that Colton nearly lost his footing. As they got to the other side, two more of the marines stepped into the water and helped them to get Lockridge up the slippery slope. Payne was crying, but with the high humidity and the sweat pouring off each of them, Colton wasn’t sure that anyone noticed.
The rest of the marines made the crossing, followed by Corporal Lee and the rear guard. Garrett ordered one more rest stop before moving on. Their next stop, if all went well, would be on the beach. Colton nodded at Bannister and he went to work on the radio.
Suddenly the golden ball dimmed, and the stream was just a stream. The comfort stream rushed back into the Homo sapiens. Yes, thought Colton, I’m almost addicted to this. And they heal us with magic gel. Smiles returned to the men.
“Do you think they’re blocking us, or are you thinking it’s something else?” asked Garrett.
“The way I see it, there are roughly three possibilities,” said Colton. “One, our equipment simply did not hold up under the elements. That would not surprise me at all. Two, they’re blocking us, and I won’t even attempt to guess as to why they’d do that. It’s inconvenient, and I’d prefer to give our guys a heads-up, but I trust MacKay will handle the situation well.”
“And the third possibility?” asked Captain Garrett.
“The third possibility, while entirely possible, is something I’d prefer to not even talk about because that would not be good.”
Nodding her head, Garrett said, “Yeah, that’s exactly where my head went. The Eclipse, for whatever reason, has had to move on and we’re stranded here. Not a pleasant thought.”
Colton looked over at Bannister. The private returned his stare and shook his head. He had not been able to reach the ship. “Well,” said Colton, standing up, “let’s head to the beach and see what we can find.”
There was also a fourth possibility, that the Eclipse had been destroyed, not needed or wanted for the next stage of the experiment.
CHAPTER 21
The level of fear and frustration aboard the Eclipse was starting to make itself known. People’s nerves were beginning to fray along the edges, the least little thing setting them off. Everyone was short-tempered, sleepless, and worried as to what would happen to them next.
They had been attacked, some of their fellow crew members killed, by creatures long thought to be extinct. This threat of attack hung over their heads around the clock, and they knew they would be at terrible risk every time they had to go ashore.
But the final straw had been the disappearance of Colton, Garrett, and the marines that had gone ashore. Primates feel the loss of their alpha male and their alpha female. The marines’ communication back to the ship stopped.
If the crew had asked Argos what it was doing now that its data roots didn’t sink into the rich soil of the internet, they would be shocked that it was reading, fiction, Lord of the Flies, The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress. Argos was thinking, not just correlating. It was about one million simulations from learning how to worry. The adage that humans’ pets pick up their moods is also true for multiple-entangled, quantum computing-based IS.
Argos was also reading about M-theory physics. The eleven-dimensional model, which described space-time, was either grossly inadequate, or some aspects of Bell’s inequality weren’t universally holding. If it ever gets out of this place, Argos might well be up for a Nobel Prize.
For humans, the breaking point is the unknown. H.P. Lovecraft once wrote that, “The oldest and strongest emotion of mankind is fear, and the oldest and strongest kind of fear is the fear of the unknown.” The unspoken panic and despair began first with the vague sounds of battle. So faint you had to strain to hear, which meant you held your breath, which triggers all sorts of panic biologically, but it also means you hold your thoughts, which triggers Mr. Lovecraft’s fear. Then after that, something much worse came. Silence. You couldn’t talk about silence, because that showed how deeply fear had taken root. And deep fear grows when it can’t be spoken of, only seen burning in your fellow primate’s eyes.
Meinhard and his entire team had suffered greatly, not weathering the storm well at all. None of them had ever experienced such a storm while at sea. For that matter, only one of them had ever even spent much time on ship. For Meinhard, oddly enough, it was black coffee that was doing the most to help settle his stomach down.
He entered the galley to get some more of Hezekiah’s special brew and noticed three crewmen sitting together at a table against the far wall. The three men were leaning in towards each other, speaking in low tones. Their posture and furtive glances could have been the cover photo for a book on conspiracy and intrigue. Meinhard was good at reading people and knew that he couldn’t let this opportunity pass by. As he approached the table, he saw that one of the men worked on the Argos team. Perfect! They all stopped talking as soon as he got close to them.
“Sorry to interrupt,” said Meinhard, doing his best to sound sincere. “May I join you?”
“No disrespect, sir, but this is a private conversation,” said the large sailor sitting off to the right. He was broad shouldered and had thick, red hair, with scars across the left side of his face. Meinhard noticed that he was missing part of his left ear.
Meinhard ignored the man’s remark, pulled up a chair, and sat down next to them. The three sailors glared at him and Red Hair started to get up. “Look mister scientist, I said this was a . . . .”
Meinhard raised a hand, cutting him off. “I heard what you said,” Meinhard remarked, trying to keep his voice as congenial as possible. “But I’m willing to bet that you three are not too happy with how things are, am I right? Tired of the officers trying to sell you on that old line that they know as much about what’s going on as you do. It’s easy to see this in your eyes.”
The sailor who worked on the Argos team sneered at Meinhard’s remark. He wore thick glasses and had a large, protruding nose, was of average height, but was remarkably thin and pale. “Man’s a certified genius. Guess that’s why he hangs out with officers.”
“You can learn things by hanging out with officers,” said Meinhard. “Especially if you listen long enough.”
Red Hair continued to glare at Meinhard. “We don’t care much for officers, and we’re not that fond of you. I suggest you get out of here before things start to turn ugly.”
Meinhard chuckled at this, which took all three men by surprise. “You’re missing my point,” said Meinhard. He then leaned in, lowering his voice, “Yes, I am a scientist, and yes, I do spend a great deal of time with the officers. That’s why I’m in a position to know the things that are being kept from you. What if I told you that there is a way out of this mess?”
The third sailor looked at Meinhard as if he’d just suggested they should all sprout wings and fly away. He was heavyset with very round features, and his face was framed with dark, stringy hair. It was clear to see that personal hygiene was not his top priority. “I guess you got some kind of magic carpet or something?”
“Look, for the moment we have very little time to talk, so I’ll be direct with you,” said Meinhard, his voice taking on a menacing tone. “I need men to help me with this. Men who aren’t afraid to get their hands dirty. Not only is there a way back home, but there’s also a way to make a great deal of money out of what’s been going on.”
“You’re crazy,” snapped the big sailor. “How stupid do you think we are?”
“The officers have been ordered to not tell you all that they know. They’re keeping you in the dark for a purpose. The good news is that not only do I know what they know, but my team and I have devised a way out of here.”
“You’re telling us that there’s a way for us to go home and cash in on all this at the same time?” asked Red Hair.
“I’m talking millions, but as I said, now is not the time or place,” answered Meinhard. He watched all three of them. They were scared, didn’t trust the officers, and like every other low-class moron he’d ever come across, greed regularly overruled common sense.
Meinhard stood up. “We can’t talk now, but I do need an answer from you. If you’re interested in helping me, then you’ll be cut in and be given an equal share. If not, say so and we’ll pretend this little chat never happened.”
“How do we know this is on the up-and-up?” asked the sailor from the Argos team.
Once again Meinhard smiled, but there was nothing pleasant about it. “You have a choice. Stay with the ship and your beloved officers, or join me, and in the not-too-distant future, we’ll get off here. It’s you’re call.”
The three men looked at each other, then looked at Meinhard and nodded. They still didn’t like him, and they weren’t sure whether they believed him, but if he was telling the truth, they could not let this chance to survive slip away from them.
“Good,” said Meinhard. “Tonight, after dinner, I’ll be on the lower deck at the rear of the ship. Meet me there and I’ll give you the details of what we’ve found. And obviously, keep your mouths shut. Good afternoon, gentlemen.” As he turned to walk away, he smiled to himself. That was easier than I thought it would be. Meinhard would let them help him find one or two more recruits and then when the time came, he’d have all the muscle he’d need. Plus, one of them worked with Argos! His plan was coming together nicely.
For the rest of the crew, the storm they’d just passed through had been a very necessary distraction. It had taken the focus away from the problems they were facing and forced everyone to do their job to get through the violent weather.
The storm passed well before sunrise. As ordered, the ship turned and headed back to their original position. They were anxious to get there. Many held on to a slim hope that they’d be able to find the shore party. Sadly, on a more realistic note, they also believed that if they were able to find them, that not all of Colton’s team would still be alive. The underlying feeling was that more human dominoes had fallen, meaning, eventually, all would fall.
Not too long after the sun came up, Sahir and his team, along with Mr. Mercer, launched the drones, but had to recall them before they’d gotten very far. The winds were still fairly strong and proved to be more than the small drones could handle. MacKay impatiently waited until Argos gave them the green light, and once again the drones were sent off in search of Colton’s team.
“Anything on the radio?” asked MacKay.
“No sir, but I’m continuing to monitor,” answered Briggs, the petty officer manning the communications station. “All I’m getting is the same low-grade static that we’ve heard since we arrived.”
“Very well,” said MacKay. “Stay on it.”
“You were right about the mist,” said Mercer as he rejoined MacKay on the bridge. “Don’t know how long it will stay this way, but right now things look rather clear. The drones will be over the shoreline in less than twenty minutes, and then will continue towards Colton’s last reported position. We should be able to get a pretty good look at what’s over there.”
“Hindsight is always twenty-twenty,” said MacKay. “Were we wrong to send that team in without knowing more about what they might be facing?”
“No sir, I don’t think so,” said Mercer. “You could have given me all year to guess what has happened to us, and being sent back in time, for all intents and purposes, would never have made the list. I appreciate all the special talents that Sahir, his team, and Argos bring to the table, but even with some of the things I’ve seen firsthand, I’m still having trouble believing they’re right about this.”
“Careful, Sahir and Meinhard will correct you if they hear you even suggesting that we’ve traveled back through time,” said MacKay. “They’re now of the firm belief that we’ve moved into some parallel dimension, or something along those lines. Frankly, I don’t see how it makes one bit of difference. We’re still facing an impossible situation.”
“Did you ever read that Bradbury story, The Sound of Thunder? If you go back in time and change even a small thing, the whole world will be changed. We’re massively changing stuff now, which would mean our present is screwed,” said Mercer.
“I joined the navy, not the effing federation,” growled MacKay. “I don’t read sci-fi. I didn’t go to Jurassic Park. I don’t even like Jeff Goldblum.”
Mercer laughed. The captain seldom lost it. Old school. Rarely ever swore. And the topic of Jeff Goldblum was not among the things he liked to talk about in his conversational galaxy. Maybe they were in a different dimension. “On a more positive note, Dr. Chudzik believes that we can, in time, get back to our own dimension. She told me that the door, or as she calls it, the portal, should work both directions. It’s the most optimistic news I’ve heard from any of them.”
“Here’s praying she’s right,” said MacKay.
MacKay stood there deep in thought, staring out the windows at the approaching shoreline. After a couple of minutes, he said, “I’ve asked Father Ryan to meet with you, me, and the senior officers right after breakfast. Although I’m confident that Sahir’s team, the almighty Argos, and the very talented team of civilian scientists we have aboard will find a way to get us home, we do have to be prepared for all possibilities.”
It was MacKay’s way of saying that they might very well be stuck right where they were without saying it out loud. If that turned out to be the case, it was imperative to have contingency plans drawn up to deal with the situation. “Speaking of possibilities, there are many in the crew who believe there’s a good chance that we’ll find the shore party. Hopefully the drones will be able to give us some clue as to where they are,” said Mercer.
“It’s funny, I was just about to say that it’d be impossible for them to just completely disappear,” said MacKay. “But then I remembered that that’s exactly what has happened to us. I can only imagine what Admiral Fairfax is putting his team through. He has to be saying something close to what I’ve been saying, ‘How can an entire ship just disappear?’ ”
Mercer laughed at that. “Of all the things I know about the admiral, as well of what I’ve heard about his temper, guess I’m lucky to be here rather than being one of those poor people who have been tasked with finding us. Can’t really see the admiral having a great deal of patience.”
“You have no idea,” said MacKay. “I’ve been on the receiving end of his temper and it’s not something you want to experience twice.”
Mercer looked at his watch. “The drones should be approaching the shore if they’re not there already.”
