Over the roar of the waterfall Jack gave Doc a gentle nudge of his elbow.
“Shame on you Doc, looking at the lady’s ass like that.”
Doc looked to Jack and sputtered “I would do no such thing! Just because her shorts fit so tightly and are cut off so short…” Jack was grinning from ear to ear as Doc grinned.
“Well, ok…maybe just a little.”
Chapter 6.
After following a narrow winding trail through heavy brush, they arrived at what appeared to be a narrow crack in the cliff face that was a good seven feet high, but barely wide enough to walk through without turning sideways. Their beautiful mature guide smiled as she watched them come through one at a time.
“Keeps the raptors out, gentlemen.” and each in turn nodded with a smile…as each worried about their dilemma; where the hell were they, and what had they fallen into?
The inside was lit by what looked to be pottery filled oil lamps covered with crude glass lenses as Jan chuckled proudly…
“It’s amazing what modern humans can do in ancient times using what knowledge we have at our disposal.” A couple of others were briefly introduced and hurried out to watch the portal from afar as Jan nodded over to a large black cauldron style pot.
“Stew anyone?”
Jack was more worried about returning to the place he was born then eating.
“Jan? You said you’d tell us more about the portal thing?”
She understood his impatience and smiled.
“Of course my friends.” She sat on one of the many rock formations in the moderately sized cave.
“Try to imagine the planet like an unopened deck of cards. The box that contains the cards is our planet, the cards contained within are all the variations that our planet has gone through, each time something major happens, a new card is formed.” she smiled “So of course there are far more cards than the standard fifty-six cards.”
Pete smiled “You mean fifty-two!”
“Oh, sorry I tend to forget that you’re from the reality four…or if you’d prefer alternate Earth four.”
Doc scratched the back of his neck and slowly shook his head.
“I thought I was pretty smart, but Miss, you’ve lost me.”
“It’s like this gentlemen. Earth started out equally balanced, life formed, then perhaps some asteroid came along as life was developing and killed off all life within a certain area. From that point there now are two realities, or cards in the box. We don’t believe that a new reality would be formed for minor things like one thing happening to a human or beast.” She could see the puzzled looks on the new comer faces and sighed softly.
“It’s like this, life went along its merry way and animals killed other animals, no new card. A volcano erupts and wipes out a large newly forming species…new card.”
Ed nodded that he understood “So a meteor wipes out the dinosaurs and…”
Jan chuckled “In your reality, in mine, it was a horrible virus and mammals became the predominant life form. You see gentlemen…” she sighed softly “Let me finish about the cards.” she chuckled “So each major earthshaking event creates a new reality; each reality, a new card. So now we have a rather large deck of cards all wrapped up within our planet, the box; all existing within each other.”
“How is that possible?” Hank asked with an almost comical look on his face.
“My theory,” Jan replied “is that we all vibrate with what I call a ‘time and space vibrations’. In other words we vibrate at frequencies for the reality we live in and everything in that reality vibrates at the same frequency. Yet we all manage to exist in the same space, just like the cards in a box…but each unaware of the other cards in that box.”
Ed nodded “Ok, that I can see. So theoretically there could be millions of variations simply separated by this frequency variations…and all in the same space, completely unaware of the others, each separated by a slightly variation in frequency…interesting hypothesis.”
Jan smiled at Ed and Doc felt the slightest pang of jealousy as she continued.
“Correct! So here we all are in this deck of cards vibrating away and someone in one of these realities, discovers a way to change the frequency they’re at. Some device no doubt, and it forms that wormhole back there near the stream. Now I’m guessing that something happened, something went horribly wrong. So now that hole had been created, the question was whatever happened, it was formed and if you will try to follow me, burnt a small hole in the box. It is merely an assumption, but I believe this hole was large enough, vibration wise, to cover at least six realities…or cards. Those cards that the portal touches can pass through it to the surface of the box.”
“And we were one of those cards…er, realities?” Jack muttered softly.
“Correct Mister Porter.”
“Jack.”
“Jack…” Jan got up and began to pace “my problem is, I also believe that all past ages also have different frequencies, and the portal led us into this age of dinosaurs. Sort of like a funnel that all six realities funnel through the portal into this reality, this age, this frequency.”
“So the box is…?” Doc asked softly as if he didn’t care to hear the answer and truly looked confused.
“The outside of the box, doctor. This is what Earth would have been like without all the variations that occurred over the eons, this is Earth unspoiled by other external events. All that separates them are the frequencies of time, the portal just happened to hit this age and so the six realities that it touches funnel here.” Jan paused, stopped pacing, and sadly looked at the men.
“The sad part is that as living beings we cannot pass back through the portal. Somehow that portal spanned six of our realities and changes our frequencies to this reality. I do believe that somehow we manage to retain some of the old frequency that seems to pulse within us and that pushes us back…hmmm, like a force field. The portal can accept the creatures from this reality and pass them through into our worlds, changing them as they pass through, but those of us that still hold the remnants of the frequencies what we once were, cannot pass back through as the portal can only accept frequencies from this world.” Jan sighed, they were trying to grasp her theories, but…she sighed deeper and tried again.
“So let me add this to help clarify this frequency theory I speak of. All things are made up of atoms and even sub atomic particles and these are made from even smaller particles. All of these particles move and it is this rate of movement that effects each larger particle, this rate of movement is a frequency and all particles from the smallest to the largest move at the same rate. Somehow this portal has changed some, but not all, of our particles to the frequency that this reality functions at. So we are stuck with both frequencies…” she frowned “and I have no concept on how that would even remotely work without us disintegrating.”
Jack sighed “But the creatures in this reality can pass through because they do not have the old remnant frequencies that we do.” Everyone turned to Jack with stunned looks, he apparently had grasped the situation…at least part of it.
“That is correct Jack,” Jan chuckled “I see I haven’t lost everyone. Non-living objects seem to have been affected the same as living material.” she smiled a strange sort of defeated smile.
“Of course once we figured this out as we tried sending messages back explaining what happened to us to no avail.” She nodded toward the entrance.
“Out there we have all kinds of prehistoric animals as it seems that the portal had also merged several ages of the dinosaurs, however I think they are from this reality, just from different times as they have been able to pass through to God knows where. Then there are the birds and animals that come through the portal…and there are many as the portal spans time of each of the six realities that we all have come through.” She realized that she had lost most of the new arrivals, perhaps too much, too soon and chuckled “Forgive the massive input of information gentlemen.”
Jan w
alked over and sat next to Ed and smiled.
“It will be nice to have a man of science here to talk to. Perhaps along with the rest we might be able to improve our surroundings.” she looked sadly at the rest “We have tried to return to our home realities with no results…I am sorry.”
One of the men that was watching the cave entrance gave a faint smile and shrugged “Your men look like they can handle themselves, we can use men like that.” he winked at them “Guess you’ve figured that much out by now…we’re kinda stuck here.”
Another nodded and sighed “Yep, stuck, but we need new blood, new information to help improve our civilizations.”
Jack nodded “Ok, I can buy that, but to be honest, I’d rather work on finding some way home.”
Jan smiled “I guess we all try upon arrival, until we realize the futility of it. But we never discourage it. Presently we have six communities living on six rather large plateaus. We are all separated by the worlds that we came from,” she chuckled “we find it less confusing that way. We do however get together and marvel at the major events and how they changed reality and the subtle changes in our world they created. I should mention that Mayan’s from one of the realities came through centuries ago and are the predominant civilization and have thankfully helped many of us survive.”
A woman sharpening her lance-like weapon nodded “We take turns watching for new comers each month.” she chuckled “By now we’ve figured out which mesa you’d prefer and will be most comfortable on, you own to start out with. Already we know you are not from our reality by the things you have said during normal conversation. Please do not take me wrong, you’d be welcome on most, but to start out, you should have your own place to call home.”
Larry who had been mostly silent up to now chuckled “Like a fifty-six card deck of cards.”
Jan beamed a wide grin, she had gotten through most of her theory through to the newcomers and it appeared that they had begun to understand the gist of it.
“Exactly!” she gave them a sad look “however I should tell you that I am afraid that your mesa is mostly in disrepair.”
Another spoke “It’s a matter of good news verses bad.”
“How so?” Edward asked timidly.
“Nothing bad,” Jan added “it’s just that no one from your world has been through in…” there was a troubled look on her face. Finally she sighed deeply and shrugged “You see, time here is different…kind of…”
Edward and Doc almost simultaneously echoed “Kind of?”
Jan gave them another strange look “A day here, seems to be a day from each of our worlds. You see when we come through the portal, we all had some way of keeping time…”
It was Jack that returned Jan’s strange look “But? There seems to be ‘a but’ tangled up in there somewhere.”
Jan smiled and nodded “There is Jack. A day is a day like where we come from, but for some reason, we just don’t seem to age as we did in our ‘normal’ worlds.” She smiled as she arose and walked over to another smaller kettle and dipped a cup in it.
“On the other hand, life here isn’t too horrible.” she took a sip and smiled “This Jurassic coffee isn’t half bad…any one care for a cup?”
Circumstances aside, there was a sudden rush for the brew, perhaps with a cup of hot coffee, things would seem just a tad better. The coffee as it turned out was great…their circumstances somehow did not improve.
Chapter 7.
The night was mostly spent talking about this new world in which they had arrived, surviving in it, and listening to the sometimes ear shattering racket that pierced the night; Jan assured them that they would, in time, get used to it.
Doc and the professor spent most of the night discussing Jan and her theory. There seemed to be two things of import; the first was finding their way through this spotty civilization that they had apparently formed; the second was addressing the portal…
Ed kept going to the things Jan had laid out before them and as the men looked up, Jack sat down to join them.
“Sorry guys, but I couldn’t help but over hear you talking.”
“Sorry Jack, we tried to keep it quiet.”
Jack smiled “Just couldn’t sleep. Look, you two…and Janet, are all great minds. Me however…” he sighed “hell guys, I’m just some adventurer that refuses to take no for an answer. Look, you all say there is no way home, we can’t go back through the portal…” he shrugged “fine, while you all think that, don’t think I’m not going to be looking for a way.” Jack smiled, stood, and started back to where his sleeping bag was laid out on the cave floor. He stopped and looked back “I saw this world full of giant creatures and figure that half of those bastards want to eat us. I’d be willing to take my chances going back through that portal and winding up at random in any of the six realities Jan mentioned. Jesus, that has to be better than living each day wondering if you’re going to be some friggin’ dino hors d'oeuvre.”
“But we don’t know what those other realities are Jack, we know only of Jan’s beside our own…oh and the Mayans.”
Jack grinned and gave the men a little ‘g’night’ wave “Well it sure would have to be better than this world.”
Doc looked at his friend “He is right Edward, instead of accepting it, we…”
Ed help up his hand and smiled warmly at his longtime friend and colleague.
“I never said we’d give up trying, Doc.” he leaned back on his backpack and put his hands behind his head.
“Whatever the answer may be, it’s going to take time. Jan said something about six varying civilizations out there.”
Doc nodded “But didn’t elaborate, did she?”
“No she didn’t…” Jan sat facing the two men as her presence seemed to draw everyone else that wasn’t sleeping.
“…but as no one seems to be sleeping, I guess now is as good of a time as any.”
She looked around the gathering, smiling as she looked at each and every one as they sat.
“As I mentioned there are six of us. We all have claimed a mesas that are all about two hundred feet high and they vary in the top surface areas. As not many have some through from the six realities, the ones that had more people got the larger mesas, less the smaller ones.”
She smiled warmly “Not all the portals in the six realities are easily reachable…like the one you all have arrived from.”
“My portal was in an area in the middle of the ocean, off regular shipping lanes and near a shoal. We arrived on a ship…” she looked at the cave ceiling “uhhh, sixty years ago, I was fifty-two at the time.” she heard the gasps and chuckled “Before you all ask, what you see sitting here is a woman that is one hundred and thirteen years old this year. Those remnant vibrations I told you about seem to have slowed our aging processes, but we do age as you can see.”
“Good Lord, I’d have guessed you at maybe fifty-five…and a damned nice looking fifty-five at that.” the thirty year old Pete blurted out; and then turned a brilliant shade of red.
“Thank you Pete, you’re sweet.” she smiled at the men “So you see we do have time to try to figure this all out, but as I said we’ve tried. That being said, fresh eyes never hurts to look at something from a new perspective.”
“The other four?” Jack asked without being rude.
Well, other than our two worlds, there is world three that appeared underwater, deep underwater. You see gentlemen, I arrived on a research ship that suddenly and literally came apart. We think it was too large for the portal to accept or perhaps it hit a reef, but we’ll never know as the bridge crew never made it. People were in the water and I saw several vanish. There were seventy two of us and some of us decided that it was better than drowning…” she chuckled softly “and eventually most of us that had survived the wreck decided to come through. Yes the portal grows to accommodate most sizes that touches it.” Jan sighed as she continued, remembering back appeared to be sad for her.
“World three arrived in a la
rge bathyscaphe. They were trying to rescue a crew from a nuclear submarine that had sunk and was badly damaged by the portal. We came to the conclusion that it was the nuclear reactor that the portal would not accept and merely caused catastrophic failure. After the bathyscaphe arrived a month later an unmanned submersible arrived.” she frowned slightly “We think that the remote operated vehicle, or ROV was used on their world much sooner, but with this portal, we can only guess the time variations between our worlds and this one. Paul their leader said they had lost a ROV about a week before they went down…we believe that was it. Now why it came later we have no ideas.”
“Strange.” Edward muttered.
Doc nodded “Yes, strange to be sure. Usually nature, physics has an order to things.” he shrugged and weakly grinned “but then that damned wormhole isn’t exactly normal.”
Jan nodded in agreement as she continued “Now world number two, was primitive compared to ours. I have to go by my world’s time, they are ancient Mayan. We have no idea how long they have been here as these portals could have appeared on each of our worlds’ centuries, even ages apart. The Mayan’s have been here for many centuries going by our time, perhaps thousands of years, but even they can’t do anything but guess by this world’s time.”
“This is too confusing to me.” Hank grinned and walked over to get more coffee “You all have a great time talkin’ ‘bout those dinosaurs and natives and time and all that confusing shit. Just give me a call when you need me to do something…I’ll be over there, hanging at the coffee pot.” Sam and Pete nodded and joined him as Jan continued.
“We think the world we numbered as five was also prehistoric like this one, but it would appear that humans appeared much earlier than they did on our worlds. Both humans and dinosaurs have come through the portal. Those cavemen however, are more advanced than at least the ones of my worlds’ past. We have watched them from a distance, and the Mayan’s have records of them from ages ago. We think Cro-Magnon? The Mayan’s have accepted English as their main language now so it is easier for us to…”
Jurassic Portal Page 4
