Portal

by Fred Alvrez

  The trio sat in silence for a while.

  “Casey,” Kevin said. “I’ve watched quite a bit on Discovery Channel on Martin Luther King Junior. Why did you pick going back to see the assassination, rather than something else?”

  “I went to the Civil Rights Museum as a teenager with my mum. It blew me away with the sadness of the people at that time. But I wanted to see it, and this was my chance to experience it sort of in real life. The things they show you on TV and in the books don’t give you everything.”

  Nathan looked at her in the mirror again. “What do you mean, Casey? There’s been some pretty good reenactments of the MLK assassination.”

  “Yes, there has, but I got to experience the sounds and smells of Memphis in 1968. No one can reproduce that. I got to smell the food cooking, see the people going about their daily lives, and hear exactly what the people said in his room. I went into Martin Luther King’s hotel room and listened to the conversations. It was mind blowing.”

  “Wow,” Kevin said. “I can see why you went now.”

  “I learned things, too, Kevin. I had always wondered why James Earl Ray didn’t shoot him earlier—what was he waiting for? By being there to witness it, I realized he probably would have taken the shot sooner but he couldn’t—Martin Luther King’s friends were blocking his line of sight. You don’t learn that off TV.”

  “I’m envious,” Nathan said. “I wish I could do that, too. Time travel, I mean.”

  “Hey, nothing wrong with being able to stop time, Nate. I’m pretty envious of you.”

  The SUV continued along the motorway, Nathan driving around lots more crashed trucks.

  At 9:30 p.m., they got to the harbor bridge, where Nathan had to scoot around the wreckage of more crashed taxis, trucks, and cars.

  Devonport, and home, was getting much closer.

  Brian pointed to the side of the road. “Milton, pull over so I can talk to Kahi.”

  “Yes, sir.”

  As Milton slowed the Mini, Brian cursed Nathan. Smashed vehicles, smashed laptop, missing weapons, smashed test gear, and almost worst of all, smashed radios. No way of talking to the rest of the team on the move.

  The Mini came to a halt, and the other stopped behind it.

  Sanderson, Milton, and Whitcombe got out of the tiny car, while the rest of the team exited the other Mini.

  “Sergeant Kahi, a word in private.”

  “Yes, sir.”

  Brian and Kahi moved to the side of the road, away from the team.

  “Sir?”

  “I wanted to talk before we got to Devonport. This guy Nathan, and the girl, too—you understand my orders?”

  Kahi nodded. “Yes, sir. Dispose of them.”

  “Good. I don’t like it either, but orders are orders. Not only that, look at what they did to our project. Smashing that test gear has just set us back three years, Stu. I want payment for that.”

  “Yes, sir. I understand. Will this happen in front of the men, sir?”

  Brian contemplated this. “Not if I can help it, but if it comes down to it, yes. The most likely scenario is that we’ll never see them again. They have no idea where we are going. They could be headed anywhere. Maybe they went to Raglan after all; maybe that was the truth. But we also can’t waste time looking for them. So they might get lucky.”

  Kahi didn’t answer.

  “Right, let’s hit the road. Hopefully nonstop until Devonport.”

  “Yes, sir.”

  The teams loaded up and hit the road.

  Brian tried covering his ears. The fifty-year-old Mini they were in was fast all right—he was sure someone had tweaked the engine significantly—but it was also far too noisy. Milton seemed to be having a great time driving it. Brian had to admit though, it was the perfect size for whipping around the sides of crashed traffic.

  After what felt to Brian like forever, they started up the south side of the Auckland Harbour Bridge.

  Devonport was so close Brian could feel home calling. They hadn’t seen any sign of the group again, and truth be known, he was thankful for that. He didn’t want any more problems than they had already.

  In fact, he felt glad they hadn’t seen the trio. Once the portal was turned off, they’d be stuck in this TIGER World forever, and would die here. Alone.

  Nothing would be sweeter.

  He saw Milton looking in the rearview mirror. “Uh, sir?”

  “What is it, Milton?”

  “The other Mini, sir—it’s, um, slowing down.”

  “Shit. Stop the car, soldier.”

  Milton stopped the car, and the three got out and started walking back down the harbor bridge. Brian could already see steam pouring out from under the hood, glistening in the moonlight.

  As they got to the Mini, they saw the other three soldiers with the hood open, looking into the engine bay.

  “Kahi, I’ve had enough of these breakdowns. You and I are going in the other car to Devonport. You men, either fix this or find some other wheels and meet us at the portal.”

  “Yes, sir!” the four said in unison.

  Brian and Stu started walking back up the steep rise of the bridge.

  “Sir, was that a plan to get us away so we could dispose of the pair without fuss?”

  “Sort of. Another breakdown wasn’t part of the plan, but it’s working for us. Let’s get there post haste. I have a bad feeling we’re going to meet up with those troublesome two again. Not to mention that bloody dog.”

  Sanderson and Kahi headed toward Devonport and the portal back to Base World.

  “Nate, what’s the time?” Kevin asked.

  Nate checked his watch. “10:00 p.m., buddy. Sorry.”

  Kevin frowned. “We’re nearly there, though, right?”

  “Not far now. Look over toward the North Shore—power cut, by the look of it.”

  Casey and Kevin turned their heads to the North Shore and Devonport. A power cut meant the whole peninsula was in total darkness, except for the moonlight.

  The SUV entered a roundabout and Nathan took a right turn toward the historical seaside suburb of Devonport. Another right turn took them straight towards the naval base.

  “Casey, what are we going to do when we get there? Did you get a good look at it? I’m wondering where we start to look for this thing.”

  “I was thinking the same thing, and I’m not sure. I didn’t see anything other than a bigger portal than the ones we’ve seen. That’s it. I guess all we can do is start looking.”

  Nathan rubbed the back of his neck. “But that might mean we waste hours, and then the army turns up.”

  “Yes, but what choice do we have? Kevin, thoughts?” Casey asked.

  “I don’t have any special ideas. Talking is my trick, not finding portals.”

  The trio took the sharp left turn that led directly into the naval base.

  “Shit. Gates are locked. Not even Daisy could break those.”

  The three exited the SUV and checked out the situation.

  “We can’t even climb over this—look at the height of it, and then there’s barbed wire at the top,” Nathan said. “I’m a bit lost now.”

  Casey rattled the gates. “Well, we could just ram the hell out of it with my truck.”

  “That’s an option,” Kevin chipped in, “but if the army turns up while we’re here, they’ll know we are here by the smashed gates.”

  “Do we have a choice?” Nathan said. “Casey, it’s your truck and time is not on our side.”

  “Yes, it’s my truck, but even if it’s banged up, when we get home it will still be like new. Let’s do it. No time to discuss it anymore.”

  They climbed back into the SUV. Nathan rubbed bobblehead Han for good luck, backed up forty feet, stuck it in Drive, and floored it.

  The gates didn’t stand much of a chance, spinning out of the way of the two-ton SUV. Casey saw bits of headlight get smashed, too, and it looked like both headlights were gone.

  Nathan slowed the truck
to a stop and turned off the engine.

  The front door opened and Kevin hopped out the driver’s side. Casey got out the rear door.

  The trio surveyed the surroundings in the moonlight. Single-story buildings were dotted around place, most of them looking like they were built in the 1970s.

  Nathan looked at Casey. “Well, we’re in, but where do we start? You have the most experience of this place. Do we split up?”

  “No, I’d rather we stick together. There might be some work for Daisy, though.”

  Nathan grinned and retrieved Daisy from the back of the SUV.

  “This one, good as any,” Casey said, pointing at a smaller building that had a simple wooden door and not many windows.

  Nathan smashed the door in and the three went through as quickly as they could, looking for anything that remotely resembled a portal or the way to a portal.

  With nothing found, they moved onto the next building.

  And the next.

  And the next.

  Daisy was getting a workout.

  “Sir, what are your plans for when we arrive at the portal? I’d like to be prepared.”

  “Good question, Kahi. I think it’s best we don’t go straight to the portal. Let’s take our time to make sure we’re alone. We need to wait for the rest of the team to arrive anyway, so let’s not give anything away to outsiders.”

  “Yes, sir. Roger that. Not far to go now.”

  Nathan put Daisy down. “I’m stuffed. We’ve spent nearly two hours smashing down doors and going through buildings. There’s nothing else left here to look through.”

  He saw Casey frowning in the moonlight. “But I saw Devonport Naval Base in the sergeant’s mind. I know it’s here—it has to be. It makes total sense to have the portal here.”

  “I know what you’re saying, but what else can we do? We’re running out of time and options. They’ll be here any minute, I’m sure. Maybe our next plan should be to hide and wait for them. We still have guns; they don’t. Kevin?”

  “I don’t know. There’s no easy answer and we don’t have much time, like you say.”

  Casey looked around them. “Well, let’s say we hide and they turn up. What then? Do we confront them and force them to take us to the portal?”

  “I think so. We’ll have the upper hand with my gun.”

  “But, Nate, you’ve never shot anyone before. They’ll know you’re bluffing.”

  “Um, you already told them I shot you, remember? So I can call their bluff. I’ll do whatever it takes to get us home. All of us.”

  No one spoke for thirty seconds until Casey chimed in. “Okay, well, let’s hide. How long do we give them before we give up?”

  “Thirty minutes, I reckon. They’d have to be here by then, surely.”

  Nathan backed the SUV out to the road and parked it facing the other way, out of sight. The three of them hid behind a tree not far from the smashed gates.

  “Nate?”

  “Yes, Kev?”

  Kevin wagged his tail. “That was cool smashing the gates down. Just like in the movies.”

  “I agree, buddy. I enjoyed it too.”

  Casey chimed in. “Enough of the chitchat you two—keep an ear open for motor noises.”

  The three stood there, waiting.

  Nathan checked his watch. Thirty-five minutes had passed with no sign of the army.

  “It’s been thirty-five minutes. We need to call it. I don’t want to leave, either, but we need to consider that they aren’t coming, or they’ll come in daylight. Kev, got any thoughts?”

  “Woof. Woof?”

  “No!” both Casey and Nathan said.

  Casey leaned down to his face, cupping his head in her hands. “Kevin, this better not be a joke or I’ll be kicking you in a part that will hurt you.”

  She could see the hurt in his face. It was no joke.

  Casey looked up at Nathan. It was down to two talking heads now. “Okay, I agree. Let’s assume that they won’t try anything at night. Should we just drive somewhere where we can keep an eye out for them? I think Devonport is one road in and the same road out, so at least they’d have to come past us at some point.”

  Nathan beamed. “Brilliant, I hadn’t thought about the road thing. Yup, let’s boogie and find somewhere to hole up for the rest of the night. I’ll take first watch.”

  “Nate, you’ve been driving for bloody hours. You rest, I’ll take the first watch.”

  The three got back into the SUV, with Casey driving.

  It was a bit harder with no headlights, but there was enough moonlight to drive by.

  She found a parking spot by the side of the extinct volcano that was Mount Victoria, killed the engine, and sat.

  It was time to wait for the army.

  Assuming they even showed up.

  Chapter Twenty

  Amy and Wiremu sat there, staring at the portal.

  Wiremu shook off his stunned state. “Amy! We need to move quickly! We don’t know how long it will stay there for.”

  “And you are sure that’s a portal, right? Not some other weird thing?”

  “It’s been three years, but yeah, it’s a portal all right. Grab whatever you need and let’s go in thirty seconds.”

  The pair got up quickly. Amy looked around—she didn’t actually have anything to take.

  Wiremu did the same. Amy could see him looking around his personal belongings, and she saw he didn’t have any either, although he did grab his pack of cards and put them in his pocket.

  “Come on, Disco Man, let’s do this. I’m terrified, but I want to get to Base World.”

  “Yeah, let’s move it. I want to just stare at it, since I’ve been waiting so long for it to come back. But there’s no way I want to miss it. Let’s go.”

  The pair moved over to the corner, right in front of it.

  Wiremu held out his hand to Amy, who took it. He could feel her shaking. “It’s going to be okay. Remember to close your eyes for around five seconds as we step in, okay?”

  Amy nodded.

  This was it.

  Wiremu stepped forward, and Amy with him, into the portal.

  Even with her eyes closed, she could almost see through her eyelids, the light was so bright. She counted in her head to five, and opened them. She was standing in the JET station.

  “Wiremu! We didn’t go anywhere, we’re still in the freaking JET!”

  “We aren’t—this isn’t the same JET. Look around.”

  She turned her head. He was right—her deflated mattress wasn’t there, and all the shelves were stocked with junk food.

  “So—we did it? We’re back in Base World?”

  “I don’t think so. I think we’re still in TIGER World. We could be in another JET in Australia for all I know. Come on, let’s look outside.”

  She turned away from Wiremu and went to the counter.

  “I thought we were going outside?” he asked.

  “Easier to just check something behind the counter to see where we are.”

  She spotted a map on top of the counter, under some glass. Looking closer, she saw a big X in red ink, with ‘You are here’ written next to it.

  “Wiremu?”

  “Yes?”

  Amy frowned. “We’re in Kaitaia.”

  “Shit. Okay, well, I guess that’s not too bad. It’s a four-hour drive south to Auckland from here, and then we’d need to allow for crashed vehicles to drive around, and the time difference. I think we just lost two hours? Anyway, that means Devonport around nightfall.”

  “Why Devonport?”

  “My uncle told me that’s where the next test would be, so it’s our best bet. Unless you know something I don’t know?”

  Amy shook her head.

  “Devonport it is, then. Let’s go find us some wheels.”

  The pair walked up Kaitaia’s main street. Cars were slim pickings, and every one Wiremu had tried was locked.

  “Why don’t you break in and hotwire it?” She tu
cked her tongue into her cheek. “I thought all you army boys could do that?”

  “Firstly, no, not all ‘army boys’ can hotwire a car. And it isn’t like the movies. In the movies they just rip some wires out, touch them together, and the car goes. Modern cars need the proper key that has an electronic chip in it, otherwise the car won’t start.”

  “Oh. I see.”

  Wiremu stopped walking and looked up. “Here we go, this is us!”

  “Wiremu, no, not this!”

  “Yip. Wait here—I’ll break the door, grab the keys, and open the roller door. Then we’re off.”

  Amy held her hands over her ears. She turned to see Wiremu driving with a great big grin on his face in his blue satin disco suit, his long hair blowing in the breeze from his open window. He had to turn the siren on, he had told her.

  The ambulance motored down the road out of Kaitaia, lights flashing and siren blaring. She thought about suggesting he go into one of the shops in there to get some new clothes, but the siren put her off and, actually, she liked him wearing the disco suit.

  “Is that enough of the siren?!” she called out.

  “Yeah, okay.”

  He flicked a switch on the dash, and the noise stopped. He didn’t stop grinning, though.

  “Always wanted to do that.”

  “Well, I hope you have it out of your system. I’m loving the peace and quiet.”

  Amy looked over at Wiremu again. She had to admit, she wasn’t sure she could have found someone better than him to be in TIGER World with. He seemed to have answers for everything, and was a soldier to boot. She felt safe, at least.

  But she still desperately wanted to go home.

  Amy jerked awake.

  “What happened, Wiremu?”

  “You nodded off. No problem, though. We’re still moving.”

  She looked out the window to see the Far North scenery blurring past, trees and fields where there would normally be sheep or cows grazing. She saw neither, only fields of grass, and wire fences. “How long to go now?”