An Altered Course

by R A Carter-Squire

  “Agreed, but there won’t be any spying on our part,” Michael murmured.

  “Nor on our part, I’m sure. We shall be like giants building a better world for the little people around us,” Dredger sneered happily. “I have a meeting tomorrow with a supplier and then back to Germany. When do you want to begin our collaboration, Michael?”

  “I can set up a connection with your company in a few hours, so we can communicate and transfer data.”

  “You don’t need to travel to my country?” his voice carried real disappointment.

  “Not unless something is requiring a hands-on touch. Most of the time I work online with my lab.”

  “Interesting, I hadn’t considered that possibility. Fine, I shall be in touch with you upon my return to Munich. Thank you, and I look forward to a fruitful cooperation.” He stood, and they shook hands again. Michael and Jon left the restaurant.

  “Well?” Michael asked as they drove away.

  “He was most likely here to make an attempt at kidnapping you again, but when you offered your help, he saw an opportunity to get the information he needs without getting his hands dirty. I’m surprised he thought you needed to go to Germany to help on their project.”

  “Me too, but I’m sure he’ll try to break into my computers for more information. I’d be crazy if I didn’t set up a wall to keep him out. Did you notice how slimy and cold his hand was?”

  Jon nodded, wiping his palm once more on his leg. They rode back to the house in silence. Michael jumped out of the limo and rushed inside. Paul was sitting at the table with a gun pointed at the front door. He lowered the weapon as he recognized Michael.

  “Jesus, we have to come up with a better way to do this before someone gets killed or frightened to death.” He slumped into a chair at the table with his right hand over his left chest. “Three knocks on the door or something, just so I don’t see guns pointed at me every time I come into my own house.”

  “Maybe that’d work,” Paul said dryly as he set the gun on the table. “If you just let Jon come through the door first, you wouldn’t be in any trouble.”

  Michael nodded and wondered how much longer there was going to be men with guns around. Wells trotted over and nuzzled his hand, wanting to be patted. Michael stroked the big dog’s head, but he was thinking of how to keep Dredger out of the computer.

  Heather came down the hall from the bedroom. She looked like hell, but Michael kept that to himself. There was fear in her eyes and the smile he loved had disappeared days ago. Worry lines were breaking the flawless skin on her beautiful face.

  Chapter 22

  Dawn welcomed Michael as he entered the computer room the next morning. He told her about setting up a wall to keep Dredger out of the company information. She giggled if that’s possible for a machine to do. Michael watched the monitor light up as lines of code began to appear. Dawn explained what she was doing.

  “I’ve set aside a space on our system they can access to look at data they might need and store their information. There is no connection from there to our main data banks. Our machines will still operate normally, but if we want to connect with them, we’ll be required to go through this empty space, also. Ports, Michael, you know about them right?”

  He had forgotten about using ports to close off access to the data. They were just numbers, but they told the machine where to find the doorway to the needed information. The numbers could be anything, and there was no way to determine if changing a single digit would get you next door. This was brilliant, and he smiled.

  “I’m ashamed to say that I hadn’t thought of using them first. I was prepared to build some kind of firewall to keep them out, but this is so much easier and probably more effective. Well done, Dawn.”

  “Thank you, and for my next trick, I’ll set up the connection with Dredger Electronics.” The screen filled with code.

  “No, wait, we can’t do that yet. They haven’t given us authorization to contact them.” The code stopped in mid-sentence.

  “I don’t need their permission to access their computers. The machines are wide open. They’d be like you talking to a stranger on the street.”

  “I’m not sure, Dawn. If they find out we made the connection without permission, they’ll charge us with espionage.”

  The computer chuckled again. “Do you remember the first computer you built? Compared to me, that’s what they’re using, and I am already inside...Oh look, somebody is trying to set up a firewall to keep me out.”

  “Get out now, Dawn. If they trap you inside, we’ll be in huge trouble,” Michael thumped the desktop in fear and anger.

  “I’m not in any danger, Michael. A firewall is meant to keep me out, not trap me inside. Would you like to know what they’ve been working on? I’ve downloaded all of their data; in fact, I’ve downloaded everything on their computers.”

  Michael’s jaw fell open. He knew she was fast, but that was ridiculous. Theft of another company’s work didn’t sit well with him, but a part of his mind was eager to find out what Dredger was working on.

  “Give me the synopsis,” he sighed, knowing that he’d look at the data eventually. Dawn proceeded to go through the information from the company’s current project to others they were considering or working on, but nothing seemed interesting. There was data missing as if Dredger kept only the outlines of the projects on the computers and the real records were stored elsewhere. He did much the same thing here.

  “Are there any other data-storage devices over there? This stuff isn’t worth keeping on a company computer.” He felt guilty for snooping into another business’s information, but once he started, there was no reason to stop.

  Silence permeated the room as Dawn worked to find any other places that Dredger might store information. Ten minutes of watching the lights on the mainframe blink on and off made Michael think there was nothing else to find. He stood to leave the room, but a bell dinged telling him the search had come to an end.

  “I have located another storage computer. Apparently, Tristan Dredger is a man who works at home much the same as you. After some exhaustive searching, I managed to follow the connections from his factory to the computer in his house. A very impressive device, but not even half the machine I am if you’ll allow me to gloat.”

  He could almost see the metal on the front of the computer shift into a smile and shook his head in amazement. A truly autonomous machine was more than he’d set out to construct in the beginning.

  “Do I want to know what sort of information is on that computer?”

  “There is much more detail about the current project, but there is also a great deal of information about other enterprises that he’s involved with. Most of the documents would be considered top secret by the mafia.” She chuckled again at her own sense of humor.

  He knew that the German thought he was above the law. If he kept information about his illegal activities on his home computer, the man was an idiot. Michael clenched his jaw thinking about what he should do, and what he would expect an honest person to do in his place. The moment he looked at the information, he’d be as guilty as Dredger, maybe even just as liable. The right thing to do was send everything to the police and let them decide what to do, but for now, he’d keep the data safe and see what happened.

  “What’s the short version of the current project? And until I ask, I don’t want to know anything else.”

  Dawn ran through the data from the start of the project to present. They were indeed working on a similar idea for time travel, but they hadn’t gone far enough to make their program work. Michael felt his hopes sink. This wasn’t the company forcing him to develop the program, and they sure as hell weren’t responsible for Joe disappearing. At this point, they couldn’t make a bad idea disappear.

  Unless, he thought, there was always the possibility the future Dredger Industries was making sure he’d cooperate with them, and then they’d eliminate him. However, that didn’t make sense because they could jus
t wait until he helped them and then they’d have everything anyway. Why kill him unless they wanted to dominate the transporter industry? He wasn’t going to let that happen, and Tristan probably knew that about him. The question was still there. If they had the ability to snatch Joe out of the past, then what did they need him to do?

  Chapter 23

  After two days of paperwork between both company’s lawyers, an agreement was signed to allow Eldridge Computers to work with Dredger Electronics on the defense contract for the German government. There was no additional expense, so the government was happy, and they’d be getting the best company in the world to help build their software. Dredger wouldn’t be required to share the copyright, and they’d be keeping all the profits, so they were happy. Michael was the only one in the deal who didn’t benefit, and he wasn’t certain everything would turn out all right.

  He’d spent the last couple of days going over the data with his computer. He knew how far the electronics company was from completing the program. There was no way he was going to give them everything, but he would point them in the right direction. Getting Joe back didn’t mean he had to give into all they wanted, and he didn't have to make it easy.

  An access code was delivered to the office in the valley which allowed Eldridge Computers to use the information stored in Dredger Electronics. A similar code had been sent to Germany. Both companies could now share data, and their scientists would be working on the same problem.

  “That’s odd,” Dawn said breaking Michael’s train of thought.

  “What?” He wasn’t sure if he’d really heard her speak.

  “The data I’m accessing isn’t the same as what I saw the other day. There are extra lines of code that don’t do anything.”

  “Show me,” he barked. He suspected sabotage, or worse, a program within a program designed to data mine. The odd lines appeared on the monitor. Concern pinched his face as he read the words on the screen. Separately, the lines meant nothing, but read together they told the program to seek specific information. “Shut this down and purge these lines from your system. Isolate that data here and at the office until we can eliminate that worm.”

  His fingers hammered on the keyboard, punching each letter with anger. He wrote quickly, creating a program to seek out the odd lines and eliminate them. There were bound to be more worms in more information from Dredger. Obviously, he wasn’t any more trusting than Michael was. He punched the enter key so hard his finger hurt.

  “Let me know when that cleans up the worm or whatever you want to call it.” He left the computer room and went out to the living room.

  Heather was sitting on the sofa flipping through a magazine with Wells at her feet, and Paul slumped in the big chair, for all appearances taking a nap. Michael sat next to her, pulling her close. He knew she was upset about everything that was happening. They hadn’t had a moment alone in days, and she wasn’t allowed to go anywhere by herself. Not like the romantic relationship she’d imagined a week ago. None of this was what he wanted for her, but they couldn’t expect anything better for now. She rubbed his chest and sighed.

  “We should go out someplace.” He knew when he spoke they wouldn’t be alone, but a change might do them some good. Events had forced him to ignore her for the last few days, and that had made him realize how much he needed her.

  “Where?” she whispered into his chest. “Can we risk going to the bathroom anymore without being watched?” The bitterness in her voice was like a knife to his heart.

  “We can go to a movie, to a restaurant, or we can go for a walk out back. These guys aren’t required to be right beside us, as long as we’re not out of sight. I’d like to go to a movie if you’re willing.”

  She sat up and looked at him hopefully. “Now,” she said. “That sounds great, but it’s the middle of the afternoon. What do you want to see? I don’t even know what’s playing.”

  “I don’t know either, but I’m craving popcorn,” he said breaking into her thinking. “If I have that and you, I’ll be happy watching anything.” He kissed her nose gently. She smiled at him, touched her lips to his mouth, and ran down the hall to change out of her sweatpants and torn T-shirt, which had become her regular daily attire.

  “Do I get a vote on what movie we see?” Paul asked from the chair. One eye was open, staring at Michael.

  “No, but I’ll let you buy the drinks. And, you’ve got to sit at least three rows behind us,” he grinned.

  “Why, so you can talk about me?” Paul opened his other eye and smiled back, sitting up straight. “I’m sorry we have to be around you and Heather all the time, but the closer we are the better we can protect you. Even one second could mean the difference between life and death. Until the threat is completely gone, we need to be here.”

  “Yeah, I know, but as nice as you guys are, it’s getting a little close in here.”

  They left the house and drove to a movie theater in the valley. The marquee showed four movies: The Fly, Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back, The Big Easy, and Moonstruck. Michael let Heather choose before he went to buy the tickets.

  The popcorn was great, and they laughed until their sides hurt watching Moonstruck and cried together at the end. Leaving the theater, Heather snuggled against him as they strolled along the sidewalk toward the limo parked at the corner. Otto stood beside the open rear door waiting for them. Their bodyguards maintained a discreet distance but joined them in the car. The drive back to the house was silent as they both relaxed and cuddled in the rear seat.

  For the first time in weeks, Michael felt happy. He held Heather’s hand as they waited for Paul to open the door. Otto stood in the doorway until they were given the all clear. Wells met them wagging his tail and woofing as if to say that he was glad they were home. Michael suddenly became tired, more exhausted than he’d been in months. Looking at Heather, she smiled as if sensing his thoughts. They went down the hall to their bedroom, saying goodnight to the guards.

  Chapter 24

  Randal Chesterwick hunched over the computer console at Mission Control in Florida. His eyes were focused on the monitor, but he wasn’t thinking about the Mars probe. His mind was on what might be happening to Michael.

  He let his thoughts wander back to the beginning, the start of their history. Much had changed in the last three years, with more to come, but the end was near.

  He’d been born in Chesterwick, an orphanage in London, England. At least that’s what they told him when he was old enough to understand.

  As a boy, he was always pulling things apart to find out how they worked. The orphanage radio was transformed to receive short and long-range signals. Mother Beatrice was impressed but afraid for him. She thought he might cause harm to himself or the building one day and forbade him from using the caretaker’s tools. He didn’t listen. Anything electrical was of interest; something to operate on to see if he could improve the device. By the time he turned eighteen, most of the nearby homes had radios he’d built from scrounged parts.

  He saved his money and booked passage on a steamer to America in 1968. The fascinating new world was an enormous and bustling place. The priest Mother Beatrice sent him to see had died six months before Randal arrived, but his replacement, Father Jonathan Granger, was willing to assist the young boy.

  Randal’s fingers typed in a set of commands for the probe without his mind missing a memory. He was truly able to multi-task. This ability was probably why he was considered by his co-workers to be cold and aloof.

  Father Granger helped him find housing and enroll in college. Randal managed to get his Ph.D. in Astrophysics and Electrical Engineering in six years. By then, he’d discovered his family history, and the truth about who he was and more importantly the names of his parents.

  Randal was the name the sisters gave him, and his surname came from the title of the orphanage itself. There were many Chesterwick children in England, all of them from the same residence as him. He spent many years finding out who his mothe
r was, and once he had her name, the rest of the search was easy.

  Ingrid Dredger had accompanied her husband Frederic to an electronics conference in England in 1948. The details of how she met a lover there were secret, but the result became Randal. He wasn’t interested in the how or why of their meeting, and cashing in on his lineage was of no concern. The fact that he had a brother was comforting, but he knew he’d never be able to meet him. His father’s identity wasn’t uncovered until 1980. The name came as an accident or maybe fate.

  No major corporations were willing to hire him when he graduated from college. He drifted around some of the companies building airplanes or computers, but they weren’t fulfilling. Slowly, he sank into a bottle and ended up on the streets in California.

  One morning in July of 1980, he woke up and noticed the headline on the newspaper covering his shoulders. Michael Eldridge wins Turing Award for his work on semiconductors. Randal stared at the young smiling face in the picture, but the older man standing beside Michael truly fascinated him. The hair was gray, but the features seemed familiar. Reaching inside his worn jacket, he pulled a faded picture out of the inside pocket and held it to the face in the newspaper. Mother Beatrice had given him the photo and said this was his father. Someone had torn the original picture in half, but the man was definitely a younger version of the person in the paper. The caption said he was Michael Eldridge’s father, Robert.