Time Makers

by Charlie Carter

  ‘But why would Lincoln have this DataBlok?’ said the professor.

  ‘Maybe Alpha One gave it to him for safekeeping. Maybe he was being chased by security guards and had to unload it. You’d have to ask him, but there was definitely a close connection between them. I saw that the first day in the city square when Lincoln was giving his speech. Alpha One was completely gripped by the man. It was almost like he knew him.’

  Professor Perdu shook her head. ‘I don’t know, 005. To find Lincoln we’d have to go back to the Battle of Gettysburg. That’s in MetaBook 49. MetaBooks are hard to navigate, as you know, so there’s no guarantee you’ll find Lincoln. And even if you do, what if he doesn’t have the DataBlok? What if you’re wrong?’

  ‘I’m not wrong, Prof, I know I’m not. Lincoln has the Gettysburg DataBlok.’

  As Five said this, BA009 felt her hand being squeezed. She glanced down. Alpha One’s eyelids were flickering and his lips quivering as though an electric current were passing through him.

  ‘Prof,’ she yelled. ‘Look at this.’ She turned to BA005. ‘Say that again, Five.’

  ‘What?’

  ‘What you just said, about Lincoln and Gettysburg. And say it out loud. Quickly.’

  Five stepped closer and raised his voice. ‘Abraham Lincoln has the Gettysburg DataBlok.’

  The effect was immediate. Alpha One’s fingers tightened around Nine’s hand and his face flinched.

  ‘See,’ squealed Nine. ‘Five is right.’ She leaned closer to Alpha One. ‘That’s what you’re trying to tell us, isn’t it?’

  Alpha One squeezed harder this time, and then with great effort managed to raise his index finger a few centimetres. The act was frail and trembling but more than enough. There was no doubt now.

  ‘Oh dear,’ said Professor Perdu with a frown. ‘So much to do and so little time. How on earth are we going to handle this?’

  ‘Easy, Prof,’ said 005. ‘I’m the best one to hook up with Lincoln – he knows me – so I’ll go back to the Battle of Gettysburg. Four and TEX can revisit the Time Store area and see what they can dig up on this reactor thing. And if Nine watches over Alpha One, you can co-ordinate everything. What do you think, Prof?’

  ‘I think it’s ambitious, crazy and dangerous. But because you’re Omega Squad, it’s probably do-able.’

  ‘Good. Let’s get on with it, then.’

  ‘Hang on,’ said Four. ‘We haven’t really finished with Alpha One’s text yet. What about the stone? He mentions it a few times.’

  ‘I’ll leave that with you guys to figure out while I’m getting the DataBlok,’ said Five. ‘Think you can handle it?

  ‘I’ve installed a temporary maintenance block on surveillance in this area,’ said Professor Perdu as she and Five stepped into the express lift. ‘We shouldn’t trigger any security alarms at this early hour, but the cover won’t last for ever.’

  She punched a code into the wall screen and the lift plummeted to the bowels of the College for Independent Studies. Skin began transmitting mission information to 005.

  ‘You will be entering MetaBook 49. It contains most battles of the American Civil War from February 1861 to April 1865.’

  ‘That’s a heap of battles, Skin,’ said 005, adjusting his uniform of a Union soldier.

  ‘Precisely, BA005. Which means accurate navigation will be of the utmost importance.’

  ‘It certainly will,’ said Professor Perdu. ‘Your time in MB49 will be limited. We need to land you as close as possible to President Lincoln so you can collect the DataBlok – assuming he has it, of course – and exit without delay.’

  The lift stopped and its doors hummed open.

  ‘Aha, the Tome Tunnel,’ said 005 as he stepped out. ‘This brings back memories.’

  He gazed upon a ceramic tube about a metre in diameter that extended into a tunnel over a hundred metres long. Inside the tube, set on silver rails, was the TimePod, a torpedo-shaped cylinder slightly longer than 005. It was made of nano-carbon crystals; clearer than glass, stronger than diamonds.

  The TimePod was already open.

  ‘Launch tube at minus 400 Celsius,’ said Skin. ‘MetaBook 49 locked in target position. TimePod primed. Please climb aboard, BA005.’

  Five took a deep breath. He knew how dangerous this was; he’d been on MetaBook missions before. They could be nasty places, swirling with Time Ether, a soup of past particles, crammed with Battle Energy Bubbles bouncing off each other, even bursting into random chunks of energy. It could be total chaos in there, with War Storms, Time Twisters, and even NoWhen Waves – rogue Time Tsunamis that could dump him into eternity.

  ‘Let’s get moving, then,’ BA005 said, and climbed into the TimePod. Lying head first, arms stretched out in front, he gripped a control toggle in each hand and glanced up at Professor Perdu. ‘Wish me luck,’ he said and squeezed the toggles.

  As the TimePod sealed shut, Five could see the professor smiling grimly at him. The Stellarator Drive Unit hummed into action and the capsule began moving along the rails until it slotted into a narrow opening, like a bullet in the barrel of a gun.

  ‘Breech entered,’ said Skin. ‘Firing in 10, 9, 8 . . . ’

  Five focused on the MetaBook at the far end of the Tome Tunnel, locked in the TimePod’s cross-hairs, and wrenched back the control levers. Instantly, he rocketed forward so fast that he felt his brain being compressed, his eyeballs forced back into his head. A millisecond later he crashed through the MetaBook’s titanium-iridium wall and was bathed in a brilliant white light.

  ‘Entry into MetaBook 49 successful,’ Skin reported. ‘But beware. We are at HyperSpeedx20. Prepare for Non-Matter Status.’

  Five knew what to expect but it was still a shock. He watched his hands and arms vanish, along with his body, the TimePod and everything else. HyperSpeed20 was that point of Pure Velocity at which nothing was solid any more.

  But as the TimePod rapidly slowed down on entering the Time Ether, 005 could see his hands and arms again, along with the crystal casing of the TimePod and the deep blue Time Ether that filled the MetaBook.

  Almost at once, cracks began to appear in the TimePod and the ether started seeping in. The cracks quickly widened, bits of the capsule broke away and in no time at all it disintegrated. Five was now fully immersed in the Time Ether.

  He struggled to breathe, the ether all around him, pressing against his skin, up his nose, in his lungs. And yet he definitely could breathe, for the fluid was in fact liquid time, an ether aerated by past particles. And once his body had adjusted to this weird reality, he was able to relax and take in the strange ethereal world swirling around him. Battle Energy Bubbles floated by, some as small as tennis balls, others so large that he couldn’t see around them.

  ‘Target destination is MegaBubble BEB-G63,’ said Skin. ‘And Geo-Chron co-ordinates indicate that it is close by, in Sector 41C to be precise.’

  As Skin spoke, Five’s Eyescreen dropped down and zoomed in through the Time Ether, locking onto a huge Battle Energy Bubble in the distance. BEB-G63 glowed with many colours, aurora-like, its surface pulsating and flickering with sparks.

  ‘So that’s where the Battle of Gettysburg is, Skin?’

  ‘Correct, BA005, according to our best calculations. Locked on target with Grade 4 acceleration.’

  Almost instantly Five speared up through the Time Ether towards the Battle Bubble.

  ‘LaserBlade in place,’ he said, aiming straight at the BEB. When he was only metres away, he fired. A blade-shaped beam about thirty centimetres long shot from the end of his laser finger. It sliced neatly through the Battle Bubble. ‘We’re in,’ Five shouted. ‘So far so good.’

  But almost at once Skin gave a warning beep. ‘Negative. Situation not so good.’

  ‘What’s the problem? This is the right Battle Bubble, isn’t it?’

  ‘Affirmative, BA005. The town of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania lies below. But we have entered the BEB at its earliest space time. This is 3 July. We
are four months too early. To connect with President Lincoln, we should be here on 19 November. And now we are committed to landing.’

  Five looked down and groaned. They were descending rapidly. Soon they would be right in the thick of the battle.

  ‘At least we’re in Epsilon Phase,’ he said. The battle was completely still and silent, like a paused movie. Confederate soldiers were poised charging up the hill, mouths open in battle cry yet no sound coming from their lips. Union soldiers fired at them, but their bullets hung in the air, along with cannonballs, shards of shrapnel and palls of smoke. ‘Once on the ground we’ll contact Prof and request digital translocation.’

  ‘Correct, BA005, provided Epsilon Phase is of sufficient duration. MetaBook 49 is showing signs of systemic instability.’ They were less than ten metres above the ground. ‘HoverVest switched to Touchdown Mode. Reverse Boot Boosters activated with Lateral Thrust.’

  BA005 landed with a crunch among a crowd of Union soldiers posed like shop dummies, and immediately tried to contact the professor.

  ‘I can’t get through to her, Skin,’ he muttered, jabbing at his Battle Watch. ‘This is bad.’

  Correction, BA005. Contact with Professor Perdu is the least of our imminent concerns.’

  ‘What do you mean?’ Five asked.

  ‘Situational co-ordinates indicate that we have landed in the worst possible place at the worst possible time during the Battle of Gettysburg. It is 1.22 pm on Day 3 of the battle, a time of the fiercest fighting. And we are directly in the line of what is known as Pickett’s Charge, one of the most deadly artillery bombardments of the entire Civil War.’

  ‘But we’re still in Epsilon Phase? What’s the worry?’ Five kept working on his Battle Watch.

  ‘I repeat, BA005. Grave danger is imminent. I insist you take this seriously.’

  Without warning, Skin activated Automatic Body Control, forcing Five to look up. He gasped. The sky was peppered with cannonballs, explosive shells and canisters. They were all heading straight for him.

  ‘The ridge we are standing on was bombarded by as many as 170 Confederate artillery guns for almost three hours,’ said Skin. ‘The casualties were so immense that it became known as Cemetery Hill.’

  ‘Okay, Skin!’ Five screamed. ‘Got it. Just get me out of here.’

  ‘Affirmative. Activating Boot Boosters with Level 10 turbo thrust.’

  Five took off like a rocket just as the Battle Bubble leapt into Kappa Phase, unleashing the fiercest of fire-fights. As he shot upwards muskets muttered, rifles rattled all around, and big 12-Pounders rumbled and roared. Cannonballs howled, canisters of shrapnel burst, and shells exploded everywhere.

  Five gazed down upon a scene of horror. Thousands of men fighting over a death-torn mile of ground. Orchards uprooted and shredded, wheat fields broken and bomb-cratered. Men yelling, running, riding, stumbling, falling, the dead and wounded scattered like broken dolls among mangled carts and dying horses.

  ‘Thanks, Skin,’ Five whispered. ‘You just saved my life.’

  ‘That is a distinct possibility, BA005. The important thing now, however, is our next course of action.’

  Before Five could reply, an extra-powerful 12-Pounder shell exploded less than a metre away.

  It blew him right out of the sky.

  Professor Perdu massaged her brow, fears and worries playing on her mind.

  Five was her main concern. She’d lost contact with him. Communications were always difficult in a MetaBook, and it didn’t necessarily mean he was in trouble. But she would have liked to hear from him.

  TEX and Four were off the radar, too. But again that was no reason to panic, she told herself; they hadn’t been gone long. They were checking out the Time Store district once more to see if they could get a clearer idea of what was going on below the surface, and maybe even locate whatever was making that mighty rumble.

  Then there was Alpha Agent 001. He was still in a coma, drifting in and out, deeply traumatised. At least he was stable, even showing signs of improvement. And he was in good hands, with Nine keeping a close eye on him. The professor was grateful to have Nine’s help. It allowed her to focus on what their next move should be.

  And finally there was Dr Vandakrol and his henchmen. She wondered when they would turn up and kick her out of the college. There weren’t many hours left before it opened for work. They’d be here then, she felt certain. And this time they’d expel her for sure.

  They’d be out on the street, then. But they wouldn’t be out of the fight. No way. She’d made preparations: a bunker, supplies, a collection of gadgets, some of them old but all of them useful.

  The professor cracked her knuckles. Were they prepared enough for the fight that was coming?

  * * *

  Sunlight. That’s what it was, Five gradually realised. Beautiful sunlight.

  He lay on his back under a tree, gazing up at the leaf-filtered light. A breeze rippled the leaves, and the sun shone through with wonderful warmth. His body hurt all over, every bit of it. But he didn’t mind now. He was alive; the sunlight told him that much. He smiled.

  Then he raised himself up on one arm and checked his condition. He was cut and bruised, covered in soot from the explosion, his clothes torn and tattered. But otherwise he was okay.

  ‘Skin? You still with me?’

  After a pause, Skin’s nano-computers hummed briefly. They were working at maintenance level, but that was better than nothing. Moments later Skin messaged him on a thought channel.

  ‘Do not be concerned, BA005. Locked in Safety Status on Repair Mode. Fully operational soon.’

  Five sighed with relief, then stood slowly, flinching at the pain. He leaned against the tree trunk and gazed about. He was in a park, a band playing in the distance. There were people everywhere, and they all seemed to be heading in the same direction. He pushed away from the tree and joined them.

  There were so many people – strolling, talking, laughing – families, couples, groups of friends. There were women in long dresses with parasols, men in suits and uniform. And, of course, there were a great number of wounded Union soldiers, hobbling along with canes or crutches. Five felt strangely at home among these injured troopers.

  The crowd swelled, there was cheering and clapping, and Five could just catch the sound of someone giving a speech. It sent a shiver of excitement through him. He pressed on, straining to hear, trying to peer above the crowd, and eventually heard the words he knew only too well, spoken by that powerful voice. Five’s heart missed a beat. He pushed through the crowd, desperate to confirm what he was sure of already. And there he was, up on the stage, Abraham Lincoln.

  ‘And above all we resolve that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.’

  The crowd went wild at the president’s words. They clapped and cheered.

  ‘Skin,’ Five whispered excitedly as he stared up at the platform. ‘It’s him. And we’re just in time.’

  After a brief pause, his SimulSkin hummed into action, the repairs completed. ‘Correct, BA005. It is Abraham Lincoln.’

  ‘But how come? We must’ve made a quantum leap through the Battle Bubble.’

  ‘Correct again, BA005. We were blown to the very end of Battle Bubble G63, a space-time span of more than four months. That is extremely abnormal – so abnormal as to suggest serious instability in this BEB.’

  ‘But at least we’re here, where we need to be to get the DataBlok.’

  ‘Precisely, 005. But you must not delay. My Vibe Detector indicates impending high-level danger.’

  ‘Say no more, Skin.’ Five rushed for the stage, pushing through the crowd of excited people. ‘Please,’ he shouted. ‘Let me through.’

  Luckily the president saw Five and seemed to recognise him.

  ‘Make way for the young warrior,’ Lincoln demanded. ‘One of our youngest heroes.’ He strode to the edge of the stage, reached down to Five and hauled him up. ‘It is in the hand
s of his kind that the future lies,’ Lincoln told the crowd.

  The people cheered and clapped even louder than before. As they did so, Lincoln reached into his waistcoat pocket, then leaned close to Five and whispered.

  ‘I mean every word. The future lies with you and your generation,’ he said, ‘more than ever before.’ He pressed the DataBlok into Five’s hand. ‘There are those who would steal the future from you. Don’t let them. Reach out, grasp it and make it yours.’

  Five was overwhelmed. He couldn’t believe this was really happening – this mighty figure from the past giving him a mission for the future, a task of huge importance. He stared into Lincoln’s dark eyes and felt himself being swallowed by the depth of history.

  He almost missed Skin’s warning. But the long, piercing beep eventually snapped him out of the reverie. And when he looked back at Lincoln, he realised that the president was totally still, mouth half-open, hand reaching out to shake his own. Five glanced around and saw that all the people – the officials on the stage, the men, women and children in the park – everyone was still.

  ‘What’s happened, Skin?’

  ‘We appear to be caught in a TimeFrame Trap – a kind of temporal warp where everything stops.’

  ‘Like Epsilon Phase?’

  ‘Correct, except for one major difference. A Time-Frame Trap means that something catastrophic is about to follow.’

  ‘But everything is so quiet and still.’

  ‘That is the calm before the storm. Do not be deceived, 005.’

  No sooner had Skin said this than a deep rumbling started and everything began to shudder. Lincoln toppled sideways and fell over like a statue; soon many others did as well.

  ‘Is it an earthquake?’

  ‘Negative, but the analogy is apt. A NoWhen Wave is coming.’

  ‘A Time Tsunami? Oh no!’

  Cracks immediately appeared in the sky and the scenery surrounding Five. Whole chunks of the world around him fell out like bits of an ancient fresco, which were then sucked away.