Apollo Project

by Brittany E Brinegar

  “Can you at least answer how you came to be here?” Reagan asked.

  “A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away, Nottingham and I were business partners. We talked about creating a replica of the earth in another dimension to help sustain the growing population. But it was all theory. We couldn’t replicate the experiment; it was too dangerous. He became obsessed and I eventually left the program. It was my work and he didn’t understand half as much as me. Until recently, I was unaware Nottingham stole my work and continued the experiments. He’s a very dangerous man and he pushed this thing way too far.” The park ranger wheezed. “I was on my way to his lab in Alamosa, Colorado to stop him when I was swept into this world. I didn’t run across anyone until your group, Barb.”

  Reagan’s eyes narrowed. “How did you come to realize you were in the experiment?”

  “I was driving through the mountains in my truck. I am a park ranger, just not in Sabine. I live in Colorado. About five miles from the lab, I got caught in intense light. It was so bright and white I was blinded. My body felt ripped apart. It was an out of body experience because I could see all this happening to me.” His eyes sparkled. “I got it.”

  “What?”

  “I now understand why I don’t know you people, but you think I do.”

  “I look forward to hearing this one,” Kelly said.

  “Where did you people come from?” he asked.

  “Montana,” Reagan answered.

  “This world we’re in is only a section of the United States. He doesn’t have the power to clone everything. But if Nottingham duplicated a stretch from Montana to Georgia, Colorado must be missing.”

  “I don’t follow,” Reagan said.

  “Nottingham isn’t here. He wouldn’t risk it. I must have been on the outermost edge of the Apollo Zone when it was cloned. As a result, I was quite literally ripped in half.”

  Kelly frowned. “You’re losing even me, and I stuck with the plot of Haven all the way through.”

  “My working hypothesis is there are two of me.” Nate Campbell delivered the line as if he said ‘the sky is blue’.

  Reagan suppressed a laugh. “You don’t expect us to believe your nonsense. You have an evil twin?”

  “I can’t travel through wormholes,” he said. “I’ve been trying since the beginning, but no matter what I do, I never go through. I didn’t realize why until now.”

  “Because you already exist on the other side?” Barb asked.

  “Exactly. It would also explain the bullet wound. What happens to him, happens to me and vice versa. We are tethered together, but we don’t share our experiences or consciousness.”

  “This is nuts,” Kelly said.

  “Can I talk to you outside?” Barb asked.

  “We’ll be right back,” Reagan said, shutting the door to Nate Campbell.

  The women assembled outside and an onslaught of questions fired from the group. Barb put two fingers in her mouth and whistled. “Kelly will field your questions while I speak to Reagan.”

  Scotty touched Reagan’s shoulder. “Is he talking?”

  “Vince Gill is doing lots of singing in there, but I can’t say I believe him.”

  Scotty rejoined the rest of the group to hear Kelly’s synopsis.

  “Don’t tell me you believe him, Barb.”

  “Please listen to my theory before you form an opinion.” Barb flipped through her notebook. “If there are two Nate Campbells, we can cross a couple of mysteries from our growing list. Last night we discussed how both sides obtained a radio from Nate Campbell and why these radios worked. It’s because they’re the same radio. Nate Campbell was at the source when the cloning occurred. This created a copy of him.”

  “I understand your thought process but isn’t the theory farfetched? I know everything we’ve dealt with lately but Nate Campbell is a liar. A good one, but still a liar.”

  “He also said he can’t travel through the wormhole because the same object can’t occupy the same space. It explains why Travis Wayne and I were left behind. We were both carrying the radios. The duplicates kept us tethered.”

  Reagan processed the theory as she headed to the garage. “Why is your clone evil?”

  Nate Campbell considered her question for a beat. “I fear he may have gotten the darkest desires of my subconscious. I was angry while driving to the lab. Part of me wanted to kill Nottingham. Maybe that part of me was concentrated within him.”

  “Do you know how to find or use the wormholes?” Reagan crossed her arms.

  “My niece is working on a way to understand everything,” he said. “It doesn’t appear we can control where you land when you jump.”

  “Who’s your niece?” Barb asked.

  “I’d rather not say.”

  “Listen here Nate Campbell, I could go either way with this story you’re spinning. Give me a reason to believe you. Because if I don’t walk away with something concrete the next time I leave, Jasper is going to want a turn.”

  “She goes by Scarlett here,” he sighed.

  Chapter 26 – Radio Tower

  Tom

  Gathering guns and supplies, Tom readied another scout group, embarking on a journey with Robin and Travis to the radio tower intent on boosting the signal.

  The serenity of the journey bothered Tom, as he expected snowstorms, fire, birds, bees, or an encounter with hostiles. Travis Wayne possessed an internal compass and lead the way. After surveying the town from atop the lookout nest and with a couple of excursions, Travis Wayne spoke with confidence in his ability to navigate. Within an hour, the trio hiked through melting snow as the sunlight reflected off a ten-story red, silver, and white tower. The satellite dish bent to one side with dangling wires.

  As Travis Wayne used wire cutters to rip the chain-link fence, Tom surveyed the area like a hawk circling prey. Exposed, he aimed his AR-15 at the snow-packed road leading from a white clapboard building to the east. The town spilled off the highway into the valley. He searched the other direction where tall pine trees dotted the landscape. He worried a thick forest beyond might conceal attackers. “We can see into the town,” he said. “Any ambush is likely to come from the woods.”

  Robin skidded across the icy cement pad once through the open fence. “If I get to the top with my rifle, I can hold anyone off.” She scaled the narrow steps first, zig-zagging the switchback stairs. “Okay, boys, climb to this halfway point.”

  With Robin steadying her sniper rifle, Tom and Travis Wayne scooted the steps. Puffing from the chilled air and the breeze five stories high, they stopped and studied the surrounding vista.

  “Where we met Ralph Malph.” Travis Wayne pointed. “It never burned.”

  “Did you feel the heat when you were in there?” Tom kicked packed snow from his boot.

  “I did.” Robin squinted at the building as she unpacked compact binoculars. “I don’t believe there’s a drug strong enough to make me see and feel the fire.”

  Tom requested the binoculars. “Campbell walked into a tornado. My assumption is he controls a hologram generator. And we felt the wind from the tornado.” He slapped a hand against the aluminum girder. “We’ll go crazy trying to make sense of the unexplained. Let’s get up top.”

  Tom swayed in the wind as he reached the eighth of the ten-story tower. His gloved hand scraped along a rusty exposed railing as an icicle melted and dripped. His eyes followed a droplet as the breeze carried it to the ground. The height didn’t bother him in the least, unlike Reagan and her acrophobia. From his vantage point, he observed the town and a chunk of the countryside.

  Robin rotated, focusing her scope as Travis Wayne dumped his tool bag onto the grated floor and worked on the dish. Cutters stripped insulation on wires and he used yellow plastic wire nuts to connect Campbell’s radio to the antenna. “The satellite should boost the radio several hundred times. Ready?”

  Robin brushed a hand on Travis Wayne’s shoulder. “What if someone else has a radio? One of the bad
guys? Or maybe Campbell has another?”

  “We have to take a chance to reunite with Barb, Reagan, and Travis Wayne’s wife. Go ahead, Hondo.”

  “Come in, can anyone hear me?”

  Chapter 27 – One Is Light, One Is Dark

  Reagan

  “Nate Campbell claims we need to find Scarlett Williams?” Jasper asked. “Why should we trust him of all people? Or any of the Merry Men?”

  Arguments erupted from every corner of the living room. Reagan raised a hand to quite the scene. “Yes, we’ve been burned by the Merry Men, Jon Little, specifically. But based on what Kelly said about Scarlett, I think we can trust her.”

  Scotty swung his arms and clapped. “We can’t hide out here and wait to be ambushed. It’s time we play offense. Scarlett and even Campbell may be the key.”

  “We have food, water, and a gas stove to cook on. The horses are safe in the barn,” Dawn said. “This place seems like our best chance of survival.”

  “We may survive here, but for how long?” Granddad asked. “We can’t protect the farm if we’re attacked.”

  “I don’t want to stay in this bad cloned nightmare any longer than necessary,” Kelly said. “Scarlett can be our way out.”

  Jasper paced. “Based on what we know about the woman, I agree she could be an asset to understanding the science. That being said, why do we even need Nate Campbell? His knowledge is limited.”

  Barb approached the Caribou Crew. “I understand everyone’s hesitance to believe the two Nate Campbell story.”

  Jasper halted his pacing. “I say we leave him behind and forget the headache. Because at some point, he’ll try to turn on us again.”

  “Nate Campbell said his mind has been foggy since he was ripped into this world,” Reagan said. “He can’t remember all the details of his past with Nottingham or their research on wormholes.”

  “Convenient.” Kelly rolled her eyes.

  Annabeth leaned against the brick fireplace, absorbing the information. “Is it because his mind is split between the two halves?”

  “Nate Campbell is operating under the assumption,” Reagan said. “He claims if his two halves are reunited, he will regain his faculties.”

  “And the evil twin murderous nature will be squashed?” Scotty asked.

  Reagan shrugged. “So he says.”

  “How does one go about rejoining cloned park rangers?” Granddad asked. “A wormhole perhaps?”

  “He believes if he and his evil half are thrust into the wormhole at the exact same moment, the halves will be reunited.” Barb demonstrated by interlocking her fingers. “For any of this to work, we have to contact Tom on the radio.”

  Reagan paused to connect with the group. “Before we attempt communication, I want to make sure everyone’s on the same page. I realize this clone story seems impossible. And the presence of a good and evil Nate Campbell could be a crazy long con…”

  “What is your point?” Jasper snapped.

  Reagan sighed. “We will present a united front when we talk to the others. If they sense we don’t all believe in this theory, there’s no way we’ll be able to convince them. Agreed?”

  “We’re with you,” Jasper said.

  Chapter 28 – Radio Breakthrough

  Travis Wayne: Come in, can anyone hear me?

  Annabeth: Finally. How’s it going, Travis Wayne?

  Travis Wayne: We’re at a radio tower. I boosted the signal. We have time. Where are you?

  Annabeth: Hold on, I’ll get Kell and Reagan.

  Kelly: Travis Wayne?

  Travis Wayne: Are you okay?

  Kelly: Doing good. We finally caught Nate Campbell. He’s a slippery one.

  Travis Wayne: Good. He’s been buggin’ us for days. Got close to him and almost a beacon.

  Tom: This is Tom. Who all is on the horn on the other end? I’ve got Travis Wayne and Robin.

  Reagan: It’s me, Daddy. I’ve also got Barb and the rest of the group is listening. We haven’t lost anyone else. How about you; everyone okay?

  Tom: Barb, Dixie is good. I’m taking care of her. She didn’t come with us to the radio tower, though she sure wanted to.

  Barb: Thank goodness. I knew you’d take care of her, though I’m guessing she didn’t make it easy for you.

  Tom: Right. Listen, let’s figure some things out. As Hondo said, we’ve probably got some time with this boosted signal.

  Reagan: We discovered some helpful radio tips. Nate Campbell said the signal is strongest when in proximity to a wormhole.

  Tom: What else have you pried from Campbell?

  Reagan: First of all, I’ll let Kelly tell you and Travis Wayne about a run-in she had with the Merry Men. Then I’ll explain more about Nate Campbell.

  Travis Wayne: Run-in? What happened?

  Kelly: I went out on my own chasing a ghost and stumbled upon Scarlett Williams and Sunny Miller. How much do you all know about the Merry Men?

  Tom: Quite a bit. Robin Sherwood is on our side and helping. I trust her with my life.

  Robin: I’ve told everyone about the Merry Men and my take on each of them. I think we can trust Scarlett but tell me what happened.

  Kelly: We talked for a while. She says we’re in a cloned world. A cloned stretch of the United States. She doesn’t have a full map or anything, but we’re looking at a cut-out of land from Montana, maybe the Canadian border, to the Gulf. We’re currently on a farm just over the Louisiana border in Texas.

  Tom: Cloned world? Yeah, we got the same story. It’s about the seventeenth weirdest thing in the last week.

  Reagan: This is why we haven’t seen other people or many animals.

  Travis Wayne: I wondered about the animals.

  Reagan: We were all placed here as a part of Nottingham’s experiments. Scotty, Hunter, and few others are what the Merry Men are calling anomalies. They somehow found their way into the cloned world. We believe Nottingham got in touch with Jon Little and told him to eliminate the anomalies.

  Robin: You’re sure about Jon Little? He was my partner, but I never got a great feel for him.

  Reagan: He was with us for a while and we had the same feeling. But he made his allegiance clear. He tried to kill Scotty.

  Kelly: I saw Jon Little when I went to Scarlett’s camp. He appeared to be taking orders from Nottingham. Scarlett and Sunny said they were playing him and they helped me escape.

  Tom: Okay, back to Campbell. What else?

  Reagan: Nate Campbell insists Scarlett is important. He thinks she’s in danger and has some knowledge to help us.

  Travis Wayne: I don’t trust him. He killed Junior and almost killed Reagan.

  Reagan: I know this sounds unbelievable and we didn’t automatically start trusting this. But Nate Campbell told us he was heading to Nottingham’s base when he was ripped into the cloned world. He used to work with the mad scientist, but they parted ways, supposedly due to Nottingham’s power trip. He’s not in possession of his faculties. It’s part of the reason he wants Scarlett, who he claims is his niece.

  Tom: What’s wrong with him? I mean he was half a nut job. But is he saying what’s wrong with him?

  Reagan: Here’s where it gets interesting. Nate Campbell remembers being ripped from reality. He saw it happening to himself. He explains he, uh, was also cloned.

  Robin: Convenient. Is he claiming the other guy killed the kid? I don’t buy this.

  Tom: I’m skeptical as well. One thing about Campbell is he can spin a yarn.

  Reagan: I’m not asking you to trust him but trust us. Barb is the one who pieced all of this together.

  Tom: Talk to me, Barb. What’s the story?

  Barb: Nate Campbell can’t travel through the wormholes. He’s tried. This is because two objects can’t occupy one space. Travis Wayne and I experienced it firsthand when we didn’t do the switch-a-roo. The jump. We were tethered to our sides because we each carried a radio. The one our groups separately stole from Nate. That in itself helps me to believe t
here are two Nate Campbells. The cloned version, we believe, is in the mountains in Montana. The guy we captured doesn’t have such a shady relationship with the truth.

  Tom: I don’t know, Barb. He wasn’t exactly Honest Abe with us.

  Reagan: I’ve seen both versions and there is something different about this one.

  Scotty: This guy didn’t put up much of a fight when we captured him.

  Tom: Who’s talking?

  Reagan: Mayday. One of the Malone boys. You have his brother Hunter.

  Tom: That’s right. Big Game Quickdraw is with us.

  Scotty: I’m glad you were able to talk some sense into my brother’s thick skull. In our previous dealings with the park ranger, he led us into a swarm of bees and was pretty ruthless. This guy doesn’t have the same fight.

  Tom: Not saying I’m buying into this, but what do we do with the information?

  Barb: Nate Campbell says to access his full knowledge bank, he needs to be reunited with the other half. He theorizes this can happen if both versions are pushed into a wormhole at the same moment.

  Reagan: We had a beacon. It was destroyed but not before we found the location of a wormhole. To operate a beacon, you need a second device. We’ve been calling it a transponder. Basically, it looks like an old-fashioned slider phone. To activate, you wave the phone-like transponder over the beacon. A blue light will flicker on and, uh, you’ll see a map on the screen leading to the wormhole.

  Tom: Alright. A transponder. Got it.

  Reagan: Oh, and by the way, your boat captain isn’t dead.

  Tom: I’m starting to have doubts about the boat crew dying out there. Travis Wayne met red-headed Ralph Malph from our boat. He was working with Campbell.

  Reagan: The captain ambushed me and destroyed the beacon. He was hunting our Nate Campbell.

  Barb: I recognized Lucas Scarborough and briefly questioned him. He made a proclamation and I realized he was working with Nottingham all along.