"Your people will never understand my vision."
Lori tried to reach for her cryogun, but he fired his laser at the floor next to her, pushing it away."
"Why don't you just use your mind?"
"Unfortunately, your friend Batar has temporarily infected me with some form of antidote to the Triachilite. No bother though, once I get back to my own universe, I will produce more of the drug. After I kill you, first. Your husband will be joining you soon as well. As for the rest of this planet, I've planted a nuclear device within the base, which should go off in about two hours. It's powerful enough to destroy the entire planet."
"I thought you were going to slowly infect everyone?"
"I decided that was too venomous for your kind. After all, I do have some compassion, even if you don't believe it. This way, it will be quick and painless."
"It's still genocide, anyway you look at it."
"It won't matter to you," he said, and fired his laser at her. She rolled, as it singed her leg, and drew her pistol to fired four shots at him. He moved quick, and ran up the stairway. After he left, Wilson came back through the door, and headed toward the ship. She found Lori on the floor.
"Lori," she said, as she checked her leg, and helped her to her feet. "We have to get out of here now."
"He's planted a bomb on the base somewhere, set to go off in two hours. It'll blow up the whole planet. We have to let them know!"
"Get onboard, once we're out of here, we'll let him know. Even if he gets off the planet, he won't go far. I've sabotaged his warp drive."
The women climbed onboard, and strapped themselves in. Wilson pressed some buttons on the navigational panel, and the ship began to rise. "Activating reverse thrusters," she said, as the ship backed out of the hangar bay."Get on the radio, and notify the base, then call Barva. We may need his expertise to deactivate the weapon."
"Yes, Beth," she said, and opened the communication panel. "Denver base, this is Major Lori Walker in the alien space craft, do you read?"
"This is Denver base," a voice answered. "Who the hell are you?"
"Never mind, is Major Thomas Walker there?"
"Yes, I'll patch him through."
In a couple of minutes, Walker got on the radio.
"Yes, this is Major Walker. Who's this?"
"You don't know me, but I'm one of the prisoners your fiancé helped to escape. I'm Jeff Walker's wife."
"Oh yes," he said. "They've left already in the spaceships. Walker and Avery are onboard one, and Angelica and the Grey are on the other."
"Batar?"
"They must not have been able to abort the launch codes," Wilson said. "Major, there is a thermonuclear device planted by Varloo somewhere on your base. You have exactly one hour and forty minutes to find it and deactivate it. When you find it, transmit a radio message to us. We will relay a message to our friends on Mars who'll help you deactivate it. We'll remain in orbit as long as we can."
"I understand," Tom said. "I'll let you know when we find it. If we don't, then God be with us."
"Affirmative," Wilson said. "Out. Activating main thrusters."
The small craft ascended toward the edge of the atmosphere, and they caught the glimpse of a large triangular craft, which headed in front of them at great speed.
"Varloo!" Lori exclaimed in shock.
"That guy's got more lives than a cat," Wilson said. "We can't worry about him right now, we have to disarm this bomb."
"I hope Jeff and the others can stop them."
"I hope we can stop that bomb. If it detonates, not only will Jeff cease to exist, but everyone we ever knew will cease to exist."
After about an hour, Denver base called back. "Alien craft, do you read?" the voice asked.
"We read you," Lori said.
"We found the bomb, it's located just under the fusion reactor. Major Walker just went down there with a team to get ready to disarm it."
"Patch us through," Wilson said. "Lori, open a three way communication with Barva."
"Affirmative," she said, and followed the order. "Barva, do you read me, This is Lori Walker."
"Yes, Lori, I read you," he answered. "What happened? We lost communications earlier with you."
"Varloo rigged some of the systems onboard," Wilson answered. "We have a more urgent problem at the moment. He's planted a thermonuclear device next to the base's main fusion reactor. We need to disarm it. Are you familiar with Andronian hardware?"
"Yes, of course."
"Patch him through to Denver," Wilson told her. "Denver, I will turn communications over to our contact on Mars. He will instruct you on how to deactivate the bomb."
"Affirmative," Tom Walker said.
"Is the bomb an inverted triangular device with a large base?"
"Yes.
"Does it have two back panels with a series of multi colored circuits?"
"Yes, that's correct."
"Pull off the right back panel and look behind it."
"I got it off, there's a whole bunch of wires, and colored circuit boards."
"Do you see the green circuit board?"
"Yes."
"There are three main plug-in micro panels. One is red, one is blue, and other is green. You must pull the green one out, the red one, and then the blue one, in that order."
He followed his orders, and the clock began to accelerate.
"It hasn't stopped, it's speeding up."
"You must have done something wrong," Barva said. "Is there another red micro-panel next to it, or nearby?"
"Yes!"
"Pull that one." He again followed his orders.
"It worked! The clock stopped! Looks like we live to see another day!"
"And so does mankind," Barva said.
"Thanks, Barva. We'll meet you back on Mars."
"Affirmative," he answered.
"Mrs. Walker?" Tom asked.
"Yes, Major?"
"If you happen to see Angel when this is all over, and she doesn't return, will you tell her something for me? Tell her she would've made the most wonderful wife in the world, and she would've made me the happiest man in the world."
"I'll tell her."
"And tell her I love her."
"I will."
"And thank you, all of you, for everything you've done."
"Just a day's work in the life of time travel," Wilson said. "And remember, one day, your grandson will grow up to be a great man."
"He already is in my book," Tom said. "I misjudged him, and I'm sorry for that. Tell him for me, will you?"
"I will," Wilson said. "Goodbye, Major Walker, and good luck."
"I'll need it with Carver dead. There'll be a full investigation you know."
"Blame it on a terrorist."
"Will they buy it?"
"Will they buy aliens, cloned hybrids, and telekinetic powers?"
"I see your point. Goodbye, and good luck as well."
"I estimate right about the time Varloo or Avery generates the wormhole, the explosives will go off," Wilson told Lori.
"Talk about cutting it close," she said.
"Try to raise communications with Angelica and Batar."
She nodded. "Titan II, this is Scout vehicle One, do you read?"
There was an answer, but not from who they expected.
"This is Dr. Avery," the voice said. "You cannot communicate with the other craft, it is under my control. All systems are run on board by me from a remote device in this vessel. I also have your Jeff Walker on board as my prisoner. Any attempt to intercept this vessel, and I'll have one of my androids onboard kill him."
"Now what?" Lori asked, and turned to Wilson.
"Do as he says for now. We have photon weapons on board, if worse comes to worse, we'll blast him before he enters the wormhole."
"But Jeff's on board!"
"I know, I know, but you remember we all signed up for this,
especially Jeff, and he knew the risks, just as you do."
"How
can you be so cold at a time like this?"
"We have the human race to think about here, not just your husband."
"But I thought we saved them."
"Not really, there are those still infected with the Andronian virus, and we still haven't stopped the ships, or Varloo. If they get through, he'll use the hybrids to colonize the galaxy there, and send more of them to this universe to destroy mankind."
"I guess so," she said. "But I love him so much."
"We all have to make sacrifices."
"How can you say that?" She asked, and began to cry.
"Lori, there's something I have to tell you," she said, as she bowed her
head. "You asked me before if I was a lesbian, and why I don't date much. I used to love someone once, as much as you loved Jeff. I was suppose to marry him, just as you got married. About a week before we were supposed to be married, the Tolarions attacked Mars. A large piece of roofing fell onto him and killed him instantly. I told myself I would never love anyone again, for fear I would lose him do to this intergalactic war. So you see, I know how you feel."
"I'm sorry, Beth, I didn't know," Lori said. "I just wish there was a way to get him off the ship."
"Unfortunately, at this point he's on his own."
He was indeed on his own, and unless he could cut himself free, didn't stand a chance at stopping the inevitable. Lori knew, however, he was a resourceful man, and if anyone could stop the spacecrafts from completing their mission, it was him. She loved him, and didn't want to see him die, but also knew right now the rest of the world needed him more.
On the Titan II, Batar just came out of his trance, and turned to Angelica with what he learned. "There are eighteen possible combinations to unlock the panel," he said. "It should take me about twenty minutes to decipher it.
"Large craft approaching behind us," Cely said. "It appears to be Andronian in nature."
"Varloo."
"He will be passing us in ten seconds," Cely said. Within that short amount of time, they saw the large vessel pass by them, but instead of speeding up, it slowed down.
"Hello, Ms. Avery," a voice said over the communication panel. "This is your Captain Varloo speaking. Shortly, I will be in control of all three vessels, until such time that we enter the wormhole. Any attempt to override my systems will result in an implosion in the fusion drives on board both vessels. The frozen embryos will be injected into space with their own destination space paths to continue on their journey to infect the human race."
"Listen to me, you son of a bitch!" Angelica screamed into the panel.
"He can't hear you, he's cut off our transmissions," Batar said. "Not for long, because I'll soon have the proper code to override the programmed system. If he switches to his system, however, it's all over."
Another transmission came over the radio, this one intended for Avery from Varloo. "Louis, are you ready to begin the wormhole generation process?"
"Yes, Varloo, I have switched the magnetic pulse device on, and have administered the antimatter within the warp drive system, as well as the dark matter."
"Very good, in a half hour we'll be ready to create our new kingdom in my old universe."
Twenty minutes passed, which seemed like an eternity, while Batar worked fervently on deciphering the code. He then turned to Angelica. "Communications and navigational are free," he said. "For all the good it will do us."
"Batar, I have an idea," she said. "What if we ram them?"
"Surely you can't be serious. You could risk destroying both ships."
"Exactly, and we'll end it here and now."
"For such an intelligent woman, you still don't get it. If you die, mankind will never know the great discoveries you and your husband will make. They'll never experience the legacy you both leave behind in the field of physics. And if Jeff dies, Lori will become a widow, and our crew will never be able to return to where they came from. If you rupture either the warp drive or the fusion reactor, the ship will explode to bits, so that's not such a good idea."
"Captain Walker, do you read me?" Angelica asked through the communication panel.
"Angel, is that you? What are you doing on board?," a confused Dr. Avery asked.
"Father, you need to stop this. Please, Daddy, listen to me!"
He wasn't listening, however, as he sat at the panel, and made the preparations for creation of the wormhole. Jeff sat at the chair behind him, as he reached for his pocket knife, and began to cut the strap with it. He was able to cut himself loose, and started to get out of the seat.
Avery turned to the android. "Kill him," he said. The android grabbed Jeff around his neck and began to choke him, until he froze solid. Jeff worked his way loose, and grabbed a laser, which he pointed at Avery after he got up from his seat.
"Angelica put a failsafe in all of her androids," Jeff said, as he smiled.
"They won't kill humans. Now, unlock the code, and turn this ship around."
"I'm afraid I can't do that," Avery said. "Once the wormhole process has begun, it can't be reversed until we reach the other side, and the wormhole closes. So you see, you have still lost."
"You know, there's one thing, I'll never understand. How a brilliant man such as yourself would chase the same dreams as those who persecuted you; greed, power, and promises of longevity."
"Once we reach the other side you'll understand."
"You won't reach the other side, if I can't help it. Step away from the panel."
"If you stop it now, you'll kill us all!"
"That's fine with me as long as this insanity ends. Now, step away."
He moved away from the panel, and Jeff sat down, his laser still pointed at the doctor. "Angel, do you read me?" he said into the panel.
"Loud and clear," she said. "Are you all right?"
"Yes, I'm fine. I see you broke your code."
"Yes, we were successful. Batar is with me."
"Batar!" Varloo interrupted again. "Blast you, Brother! I wish you'd stayed out of this!"
"It's not going to happen in this universe or ours," Batar answered. "I can't let you kill millions of people for your own personal gain."
"Batar, I need you to hack into the mainframe of this vessel, and break the navigational code," Jeff said.
"There isn't enough time!" Angelica said. "The wormhole process is almost complete. You'll never get out in time."
"Then reverse your engines and get out of here. That's an order."
"Yes, Captain," Batar said.
"You'll never get out in time, Brother," Varloo sneered. "And Walker is as good as dead if he doesn't relinquish control."
"Seems to me I'm the one holding the gun on your doctor, Varloo," Jeff said. "Now over here, Avery, and enter the code."
"Go to hell, Walker," Avery answered. "You're as cocky and sure of yourself as your grandfather."
"Enter the damn code!" Jeff grabbed him by the neck and pushed him at the panel.
He pressed a couple of buttons into the keypad, and then pressed a blue button next to it, which read 'abort, self destruct.'
"You bastard!" Jeff yelled, as he grabbed him and threw him across the room. "Angel, Batar, get out of here as fast as you can!"
Avery proceeded to get up, and tried to grab the Berretta on the floor, but Jeff kicked him in the jaw. Jeff went to the panel to see if he could stop the countdown, but he was unsuccessful.
"Jeff, what's going on?" Batar asked.
Avery choked Jeff, and pulled him from his seat. Jeff flipped him over his shoulder, and punched him several times in the face, until he collapsed, unconscious. Jeff rushed to the panel, and tried to abort the countdown.
"Goodbye, Angelica," he said. "It's been a pleasure meeting you. Batar, you've become a good friend. Tell Lori I love her."
That was the last transmission made from the Titan I, as it exploded into a bright flash in front of them. The wormhole began to close, when Varloo's craft reopened it.
"Can we get away from it?" Angelica
asked, as the gravitational pull drew the craft closer to the wormhole.
The ship is on full thrust now. The immense power of his generator is beginning to pull us in. Scout craft One, do you read me?"
"Loud and clear," Wilson answered. "We're about 3,000,000 miles behind you. We're picking up an explosion. What happened?"
"I'm afraid we lost Captain Walker," Batar answered. "I'm sorry. I'm afraid we have another problem, however. It looks like we're going
through the wormhole ourselves. We can't stop it."
"Well, at least he stopped Avery," Lori sobbed.
"I planted an explosion device on Varloo's vessel which should go off anytime now," Wilson said.
"That should close the wormhole, but it could also destroy us. How far are we away from Varloo's ship?"
"50,000 miles," Angelica answered.
"Not far enough," Varloo interrupted one last time. "See you on the other side, Brother."
Wilson and Lori, who followed in the other ship, watched the two ships as Varloo's back part of the triangular craft exploded. The second
NASA ship was struck by debris as well, but remained mostly in tact. Both vessels were sucked into the wormhole, as it quickly closed and disappeared.
"What the hell just happened?" Lori asked. "Where did they go?"
"To the other universe, or another time. I don't know," Wilson answered.
"So where does that leave us?"
"Well, we can go back to Earth, or go back to Mars, which ever you prefer. I prefer to take my chances on Mars."
"I guess you're right, but I can't live without my Jeff," she cried, and buried her head onto Wilson's shoulder. She turned and hugged her tight.
"We'll be all right," she said. "Barva will know what to do."
They returned to Mars, and for the next few months, it was tough for them to survive. With the collected effort of the thirty or so Talokians, humans, and Zacharians they were able to build a small society underneath the lava tubes on the southern hemisphere of the planet. They decided to inhabit an area that wasn't near the Martian rovers, or the future site of the Martian Space Academy. They didn't want to interfere with the normal development of Earth, or the future of space travel.
Dimension Lapse III: Dimensional Breakdown (Dimension Lapse Series Book 3) Page 26
