"Angelica!" Lori cried.
The young woman was surprised by her reaction.
"Do you know me?"
"She just meant she's heard of you, that's all," Wilson recanted.
"That wasn't the reaction of someone who's heard of me. Have we met before, perhaps in the future?" Wilson gestured her eyes toward the camera which was in their room. Angelica skillfully slid toward the wall
nearest to the doorway, and near the camera. She found the control behind it, and froze the feed so it would loop. She also disabled the microphones. "Now we can have a little girl talk!"
"Who have you been talking to?" Wilson asked.
"Your friend Barkley. And a being called Batar."
"You've seen Jeff?"
"Jeff? He told me his name was Jack."
"It is Jack," Wilson reiterated. "She misspoke."
"I don't think so," Angelica said, putting her hand on her hip, and the other on the edge of the foot board of Lori's bed. "I think you're hiding something from me."
"Just as feisty as ever!" Wilson exclaimed. "Well, since you already know we're from the future, we might as well tell you all of it. You said you were talking to Batar. What did he tell you?"
"That it wasn't my father's fault for what happened to him, and it was really Carver and Reynolds who controlled him by sedating my aunt for thirty five years. The reason it happened in the first place was because of this gray alien named Varloo coming back from the future. He and your friend Barkley said you were here to stop my father from creating an alien hybrid race, and to stop Varloo from doing the same."
"Did Jack tell you who he really was?" Wilson asked.
"No, he said he couldn't tell me because it would change my future if I knew."
"Well," Wilson hesitated. "He's Thomas Walker's grandson, Jeff Walker."
"You're joking? My fiancé?"
"I'm telling you the truth."
"You mean he's going to be my grandson?"
"Not necessarily. In the future, you break off the marriage because Carver and your fiancé have your father committed. He marries someone else. Now that the future has been altered, he may never be born at all."
"And to think, I was actually attracted to him! No wonder I saw a resemblance."
She took a minute to soak it all in, then returned to the point on hand.
"The reason I'm here," she said. "Is because I have a message from Batar. Jack, I mean Jeff, and him have been captured by Varloo and are onboard his vessel. He gave a code to me to disable his security system, and told me to give it to you when the time is right."
"What do you mean, when the time is right? We have to get him out of there!"
"That's not the plan," Angelica said. "Batar told me we have to wait until the day before the launch to attack Varloo. I will help you escape the day before that."
"Why?" Wilson asked.
"That's when his power will be at its weakest."
"But that's too long!" Lori screamed. "He could be dead by then."
"What if I were to escape first?" Wilson asked. "I could go release Jeff and Batar."
"It will raise too much suspicion. Carver is no longer under his own control. Varloo has the power over his mind. And he's already killed Dr. Reynolds."
"We've heard of him. Although we never had the pleasure of actually meeting him."
"Believe me, you wouldn't want to. I'll be back when I'm ready to help you."
"What about Jeff?" Lori asked.
"Jeff can take care of himself," Wilson told her. "He's been in situations like this before; he'll be all right. Thank you for helping us, Angelica. I was beginning to think all was lost."
"Don't worry. I used to think my father was a brilliant scientist, but now I'm beginning to see the truth-he's just a pawn of a overzealous general and an insane alien bent on killing the human race!"
"I'm sorry you had to find out the truth the hard way," Wilson said. "If you need friends when this is all over, we'll be here. I don't think we'll make it back to where we came from anyway."
"It isn't so bad here. We may not get sunshine like we used to years ago, but at least we're safe from radiation down here, and we have food to eat. I wish I could've been able to live on Earth when my father was
young. I hear it was a beautiful place."
"I wouldn't know. I'm from Mars."
"I better get out here," Angelica said. "They'll catch on to the loop soon, and come down to see what's going on. I'll let you know when I'm ready to proceed. It was nice meeting you, and we'll talk again soon."
"Goodbye, Angelica," Lori said. "See you soon."
She walked out the door, and through the hallway. She turned down another corridor, and could see from a distance Carver walk into the wing with three security guards. She smiled in comfort, as she knew she was no longer fighting this alone. In her heart, however, she found it hard to resist the urge to pull out her Beretta pistol, and put a bullet right through his
head. From this range, it would have been an easy target for her to hit.
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
Carver approached the nursing desk, and addressed the head nurse after Angelica left the area. "Why was she here?" he asked her.
"She said you authorized her to look in on the patients you have under surveillance," the nurse answered.
"She did, heh?" Carver said, and then turned to the security guard on his right. "Search the room, make sure the patients are still there, and check to see if the cameras were tampered with."
They followed his orders while he waited at the desk. "You and Angel are pretty good friends, aren't you, Laura?" he asked.
"Yes, we are," she answered, nervous.
"You'd tell me if she does anything else out the ordinary, wouldn't you?"
"Yes, Sir."
"Good, I'm glad to here that. If she comes down here again, you're not to let her in that room, understand?"
"Yes, Sir."
The guards came back from the room, and they shook their heads.
"It was all clear, General," one said. "Nothing's been touched, and they were still in there."
"One of you better stay outside the room for now," Carver ordered. "In eight hours, we'll send you a relief. The other two come with me, we've got other work to do!"
Carver left the area, and headed toward the rocket propulsion laboratory, where Major Tom Walker was finishing the fusion reactor drive as well as the antimatter warp drive in order to propel the ship to the speed of light. He didn't have a full comprehension of how it worked, and that's why Dr. Avery was with him as well.
"Good morning, Gentleman," he said to the two of them.
"Morning General," Tom said.
"What's the progress report?"
"We're almost finished with the rocket propulsion and warp drives," Tom said. "Probably another two weeks, and we'll have it finished."
"Excellent," he said. "Dr. Avery has developed a new system which might even give the warp drive an extra kick to it."
"What kind of kick?"
"A wormhole generator," Dr. Avery answered.
"That's impossible!" Tom laughed. "It took you ten years to develop the warp drive, how can we come up with a wormhole generator in four weeks? Even you, as intelligent as you are, couldn't do that!"
"Oh yes, we can," the general said. "Your team will follow his explicit instructions without question, understand?"
"Yes, I understand, Sir, but you're asking the impossible. Unless what Angelica's saying is true?"
"You're not to mention her name in front of me again," Dr. Avery interrupted. "She's a traitor to the cause. She's betrayed me with this ridiculous venture of hers, and humiliated me in front of the whole science community."
"Dr., that's my future wife you're talking about, and your daughter."
"I don't care!"
"As I told you and her earlier, she is banned from this project," Carver said. "You can either continue to protect her, and get banned yourself, or you can shut up and
do your job, it's your choice. Do I make myself clear?"
"Very clear, Sir."
"Good. The process will take exactly one month, and will be ready by the launch date."
"How do you expect to stabilize the exotic energy once you've obtained enough of it?" Walker asked Avery.
"Let me worry about that," he said. "You guys just build what I tell you to build."
"Okay," Tom said. "I think you're both as crazy as you think Angelica is, but if you think it'll work. I'm just glad I'm not the one flying them."
"Who else do you think is going to fly one of them?" Carver asked.
"I'm an engineer, not a pilot. Just because you're angry at Angelica doesn't mean you can change my job title. I'm not trained for that. What about Jack Barkley? Have you found him yet?"
"No."
"He disappeared right after Dr. Reynolds died," Avery said. "He's under suspicion for his murder."
"I thought you said he had a massive stroke, General."
"It appears Mr. Barkley injected something in his chest which caused him to have a stroke."
"Interesting," Tom said, as he set his screwdriver down. "Why would he do that?"
"Because he was a spy sent here to infiltrate the project," Avery said. "He was an enemy of the cause."
"You keep speaking about a cause, just what exactly do you mean by that?"
"You're skating on thin ice!" Carver reminded him.
"Okay, okay. I'll get together a crew and get started after we finish the propulsion systems."
"Very well, carry on, Major," Carver told him. "Dr. Avery, may I speak to you a minute in private?"
"Of course," he said, and the two of them went to the far side of the area. When they reached the bottom, Carver turned his back to the area where Major Walker was.
"Your daughter visited the other time travelers," he said. "Varloo said the other Grey communicated through your sister."
"Interesting, this other Grey seems to be Varloo's adversary. What did he say we should do about it?"
"Nothing at the moment. He wasn't clear about what he discussed with her, only that he had. Varloo told me to put a guard on the room, and keep an eye on her."
"Where is Jeff Walker?"
"Under imprisonment on board his ship. So is the other Grey. It's amazing that he can still communicate despite the fact he's in a coma like state."
"Very well, General. Why don't you go down and keep an eye on Angelica? You know we still have to get the AI chip for Varloo before the launch. Watch her closely, because I'm sure she's hid it well. You have become a nice addition to the cause. Perhaps your cooperation with Varloo and I will compensate for your maltreatment of him, and my sister. I shall be glad of the day when Varloo and I can rule the heavens together."
"The cause is the main reason we're here," Carver said. "This is definitely better for the future of the human race, and the perfection of science."
"I think we finally understand, each other General." Carver nodded, and left the room.
In the next couple of weeks, things were about as normal as could be expected. Tom Walker's team finished the propulsion system, absent the wormhole generator, and Angelica worked in the solitude of her robotics lab. Cely was developing quite a vocabulary in his memory banks, and was definitely ready for the AI chip. She wanted to put it in earlier, but the events recently didn't allow her to do so. She smuggled the chip in with her to put it in that day. She was just about ready to do so, when General Carver showed up.
"Good morning, Ms. Avery," he said. "Are you behaving yourself down here?"
"If you say I am," she snapped. "To what pleasure do you owe me this visit?"
"I was wondering how the androids are coming?"
"I'm doing the best I can. Even with Cely's help, I've only managed to put together half of one."
"So you need more help?"
"You might say that. Do you have anyone qualified enough?"
"How about your father?"
"I thought he was needed in the propulsion lab?"
"The propulsion system will soon be completed. Once we get the last detail taken care of, he could help you finish the droids."
"There's no damn way I would even let him touch my androids."
"I need those androids before the launch!"
"What if I don't finish them? Then what?"
"Then you'll be just like your aunt! Your choice!"
"I always knew you were a monster, even if you're under alien influence!"
"I warned you about your blatant insubordination. I'll need the AI chip code to have your father place it in the other androids. Now!"
"Go to Hell!"
He pulled out his pistol, and pointed the gun at her.
"You leave me no choice, Angelica, give me the code, or I'll have to shoot you."
"You're bluffing," she stated. "You won't kill me. I know your friend
Varloo needs those codes, and as long as I'm alive, he'll try to get them from me. Tell him if he wants them, he'll have to come out in the open and face me!"
"That's not possible at the moment."
"Why? Because his power is weakening, and his time is running short?"
"Please, Ms. Avery, do what I tell you to. I have my orders to use whatever means are necessary."
"Then what are you waiting for, why don't you shoot me?"
"Do not force me to do so."
"Come on! Do it!"
He raised the pistol, and shot her in the arm, which caused a flesh wound, as she pulled her pistol as well. She screamed, and dropped her gun to the floor. Carver kicked the gun away, and again pointed the pistol at her.
"Give me the codes, Ms. Avery, or I'll have your father take your android apart and get them anyway, and kill you right here and now!"
"Very well," she said, reluctantly, and handed him a computer chip. He looked it over carefully, and handed it back to her.
"It's the wrong chip," he said. "Once again, the chip! Slowly."
She reached inside her pocket, and took out the chip, and handed it to him, as he kept the pistol pointed at her.
"I guess this means I'm barred from the robotics lab?"
"On the contrary, you'll finish your androids, after I duplicate the
chip. What is the primary code?"
She hesitated, and when she saw she had no choice, answered him. "The primary code is 5-15-35-21-37."
"Thank you, Ms. Avery," he said, and put the chip in his pocket. "As soon as your father makes the necessary changes, I'll return them to you to install in all the androids."
"Do as you wish," she said. "There doesn't seem to be any way I can stop you."
He turned away, and Angelica quickly grabbed him from behind around the neck, shaking his other arm to make him let go of the pistol. He dropped it to the ground, and she grabbed it. He turned and tried to grab it
as well, as she backhanded him with the handle. He fell to the ground, and she kicked him in the jaw, as blood dripped from his lip.
"This is for messin' with my father!" she yelled, kicking him in the stomach. "And this is for my Aunt Sarah, you bastard!"
She kicked him again in the face, which knocked him unconscious. She then grabbed the chip from his pocket, his weapon , her other weapon, and two blank cartridges.
"I'll teach you to mess with Cely," she said. "Cely, tie him up and put him in the lab. I'll need a head start on him and my father."
"Yes, Ms. Avery," the android said, and lifted the general into a chair, and tied him to it.
She opened the compartment with the Triachiline in it, and removed it, as she figured she could no longer trust anyone on the base. She then left the area, and headed toward the medical wing.
When Carver awoke, he was confronted by Varloo, who untied him. He struck him across the face.
"You fool!" he barked. "How could you let her get away with the chip? I told you to convince her to give it to her father, not take it by force! I'd kill you right now, if I didn't need you to h
elp complete the project. You will be able to do that, won't you?"
"Yes," Carver said. "The cause is the most important thing. She was more clever than I thought."
"Take some men and stop her. She's headed toward the medical wing
to release the two women prisoners. You can't let them get off of this base."
"Yes, Varloo," Carver said.
"Did you get the code at least?"
"Yes. 5-15-35-21-37."
"You're sure that's the right code?"
"Yes."
"I'll have Avery create another AI chip. In the meantime, get his daughter back, and put her down in the pysch ward under guard! If she's not down there, check her fiancé's apartment. "
"Yes, Varloo," Carver said.
"Stupid humans!" he yelled, and left the area.
Carver gained his composure, wiped off the blood from his face, and searched for his weapon; unable to find it. "That bitch!" he sneered, and headed to the wall intercom. "Attention, all security personnel, this is General Carver. Angelica Avery attacked me in the robotics lab and is now heading toward the infirmary. She is armed and considered extremely dangerous. Use any and all necessary force to capture her, but do not kill her. I repeat, do not kill her."
He shut off the intercom, and headed into the hallway, where he was greeted by Tom Walker. Walker grabbed him by the arm, and stared at his swollen face.
"General, what happened to you?"
"Your fiancé attacked me."
"General, it's about time you leveled with me. I want the truth."
"Please, Major, I really don't have the time right now."
He grabbed his arm tighter, as the general struggled to get away. "General, tell me what's going on!"
"Let go of me this instant, or I'll have you court martialed!" He released his grip, and straightened his uniform. "I have a security breach, and your fiancé is our number one suspect, so just stay out of the way! I'll let you see her after we apprehend her. Do I make myself clear, Major?"
Dimension Lapse III: Dimensional Breakdown (Dimension Lapse Series Book 3) Page 21
