by Simon Hawke
“Merciful heavens! Where in God’s name am I?” He approached the window slowly. “I could have sworn there was a wall here when I came in!”
Forrester picked up his remote ambience control from the coffee table and opaqued the window, switching to the holographic slide. Gulliver caught his breath as he suddenly found himself staring at what appeared to be a solid wall, painted a deep maroon, with paintings hanging on it. The effect was completely three dimensional.
“It’s done with this, Dr. Gulliver,” said Forrester, showing him the remote control unit. “It isn’t a real wall, you see. It’s only a projection … uh, an illusion. A sort of trick. See, I can change the color of the wall in an instant if I choose to. “
He clicked another button, on the unit and the wall became dark green.
“However, in actuality, the entire wall is really a large window,” Forrester said, cancelling the projection.
Gulliver stared out at the view, mesmerized. “I am not insane,” he mumbled. “I am not insane. I am not.”
“No, Dr. Gulliver, you’re not,” said Forrester, coming up to the man and putting his hand on his shoulder. “You have simply found yourself in a situation that taxes all your beliefs. However, I remind you of the things that you have already experienced and seen and known without a shadow of a doubt to be absolutely real. And as difficult to believe as this may seem, this too is real. You have been transported almost a thousand years into the future, to the 27th century, where the advances in our technology make your society seem as primitive as Norman England would seem to Londoners in the year 1702.”
Gulliver slowly approached the window, then recoiled with a small cry.
“Don’t worry’, it’s quite safe,” said Forrester.
Gulliver shook his head. “At first I thought that we were in a house atop some mountain, but … dear Lord, this building must be his voice trailed off in incomprehension.
“A hundred and fifty stories tall,” said Forrester. “And it’s not even a very tall building by the standards of this time.”
Gulliver continued to stare raptly out the window at the panoramic view. Delaney came up to him and offered him a glass of whiskey.
“Here, Doctor,” he said. “For medicinal purposes.”
Gulliver sniffed the glass and smiled. “Good malt whiskey,” he said, with a weak smile. “Thank God for something familiar.”
He drained the glass.
“I think I had better sit down, if I may,” he said.
“Please do,” said Forrester. “I know things have been very confusing for you since you arrived here, Dr. Gulliver. One moment, you were in 18th century London, and the next, you were somehow magically transported to a sort of prison cell and held there without explanation for twenty-four hours. In fact, it was not really a prison cell at all, but something we call a ‘secure transport co-ordinate zone.’ We maintain a number of such secure areas and one of their functions is to handle unusual cases such as yours, where it becomes necessary to transport someone from the past without adequate preparation or warning. It was necessary to hold you for that time so that we could take certain precautions.”
“I know you must have many questions,” Forrester continued. “So do we. Alexander Steiger was a soldier, a Temporal Observer… a sort of spy, if you will. Since Col. Steiger had no time to send us a complete report, he sent you, instead. Whatever it was that attacked you and killed Col. Steiger located you by means of this.”
Forrester held up a little plastic envelope containing what looked like a tiny, bright blue seed.
“By means of that little thing? What is it?” Gulliver said.
“It is a highly sophisticated signaling device,” said Forrester. “It’s been deactivated. It was implanted under your skin, behind your left ear.”
Gulliver’s hand went to the spot behind his ear. “What? But… how? There is nothing…”
“You were rendered unconscious for a time,” said Forrester. He held up his hand as Gulliver was about to speak. “Yes, I know you don’t remember. And there is no point in feeling around behind your ear, Doctor. You will find no evidence of surgery, I assure you. Not even the faintest scar. Please, try to understand, we have the ability to do things that someone from your time could not even begin to understand. It is unavoidable that you will be exposed to some of them, and I will attempt to explain whatever I can if there is time; but in many cases, the explanation itself would require a complex explanation, and it would involve a challenge to your systems of belief. I know it is difficult, but please try to bear with me and accept that what I tell you is the truth. We need your help, Dr. Gulliver. Millions of lives could be at stake. Will you help us?”
“I do not understand any of this, General,” said Gulliver, nervously, “and I must admit that I am frightened, but somewhat less frightened now than when I first arrived here. You have been most considerate. And as you have pointed out, I have already seen things that defy belief on the island of the little people and somehow I have managed to accept them and survive. There is much here that I don’t understand. I cannot comprehend how it is possible that I have been somehow transported a thousand years into the future, but I cannot deny the evidence of my senses.”
He gestured at the window. “That is unquestionably not the world I came from. Sandy. . . or Cpl. Steiger, as you call him, accepted my tale when everyone else believed me to be mad. And now, because of me, he is dead. That, General, is something I can comprehend only too well. Yes, of course, I will do whatever I can to help.”
“Good,” said Forrester. “Then if you will bear with me, I’ll attempt to answer some of your questions and explain who Sandy was and why he sent you here….”
“Excuse me, sir,” said Forrester’s orderly, interrupting them.
“Yes, Roberts, what is it?”
“Sgt. Danelli of the I.S.D. just called from the base hospital. There’s been an attempt on Col. Steiger’s life.” Delaney was out of his chair like a shot. “Is he all right?”
“He’s been wounded, sir,” said Roberts, “but I’m assured it’s only superficial. In fact, I was told he’ll be on his way up here momentarily. Unfortunately, both men on his security escort were killed. Sgt. Danelli said Col. Steiger is certain the Network was responsible. Obviously, someone knew he was going to be in that hospital morgue.”
“Hell, he only left here less than twenty minutes ago!” said Forrester.
“It’s seems likely that someone affiliated with the Network reported that his brother’s body was being brought in,” said Sgt. Roberts. “Sgt. Danelli is going to be checking with the S & R team that brought Cpl. Steiger back and working back from there to see how many people knew about it. Along the line, someone must have leaked the information and an assassin was sent to the hospital morgue on the theory that Col. Steiger would be bound to go there. I.S.D. found one of the pathologists murdered and stuffed into a supply closet. Col. Steiger felt, however, that there was another possibility.”
“That this place is bugged,” said Andre.
“What, my own quarters?” Forrester said, with disbelief.
“An I.S.D. unit is on its way to sweep for surveillance devices,” Roberts said. “However, Sgt. Danelli seemed to think it was an unlikely possibility. If they could get in here to plant a bug, then why not go ahead and plant a bomb?”
“We’d better get you out of here, sir,” said Delaney.
“Well, now where the hell am I supposed to go?” said Forrester. “You think it’s any safer out there? Forget it. I’m not going to run from these people. I’m much better off being where they can make a try for me. That’ll at least give us an opportunity to tackle them. Hiding won’t solve anything. Besides, if they wanted to, they could take out this entire building with a small guided missile.”
“I.S.D. has already anticipated that, sir,” said Roberts. “There’s been an S.D. battery emplaced upon the roof.”
Forrester stared at him. “Are you serious? Somebody i
nstalled a Strategic Defense battery on my roof! When?”
“Last week, sir,” Roberts said. “It was air lifted into place and—”
“On whose orders?”
“Col. Steiger’s, sir.”
“Well, it’s sure as hell nice of somebody to tell me!” Forrester said.
“I . . . I’m sorry, sir, I thought you knew,” said Roberts.
“Well, it’s a fine goddamn thing when the Director of Temporal Intelligence doesn’t even know there’s an autopulser battery up on his own roof! What the hell else has Col. Steiger authorized that I don’t know about?”
“I’ve ordered your personal security increased, for one thing,” Steiger said, walking in on the tail end of the conversation. He hadn’t even stopped to change his torn and bloodied shirt. “And I don’t want to hear any arguments about it, either. These people aren’t playing around.”
“Colonel, you’re insubordinate!”
“Fine, you want my damn birds, you can have ‘em anytime you want,” Steiger snapped back, ripping off his insignia and tossing them on the Floor at Forrester’s feet. “I only know one way to do my job and that’s not to take any halfass measures! You’re not out in the field facing soldiers anymore; it isn’t that straightforward. You’re up against intelligence pros who make the Timekeepers look like a small time inner city street gang. The Network wants you dead and if I was a betting man, my money’d be on them. However, since I’m one of their targets too, I’d kinda like to make it a little harder for them to score a hit. They came pretty damn close just now and I almost bought it. I’m not about to let them get that dose to you. So either let me do my job or relieve me of command!”
There was a moment of shocked silence following his outburst, then Forrester softly cleared his throat.
“Are you finished?” he said.
“Yes sir, I’m finished, sir!”
“Fine. Pick up your eagles. When and if I want them, I’ll tear them off you myself, is that understood?”
“Yes, sir.”
“I didn’t hear you.”
“Yes, sir!” said Steiger, snapping to attention.
“Oh, stand at ease, for God’s sake. Roberts, get the colonel one of my fresh shirts.
He seems to have torn his.”
“You okay?” Delaney said. Steiger was wired so tight, he seemed to be vibrating.
Steiger took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “Yeah, I guess I’ll live.” Then he seemed to notice Gulliver for the first time. He looked at him and blinked twice, taken aback at not having realized there was a stranger in the room with them. “Who the hell is that?”
Gulliver had followed the preceding conversation with incomprehension and alarm. Now he rose uncertainly to his feet and hesitantly extended his hand.
“Dr. Lemuel Gulliver, at your service, sir.”
“Col. Creed Steiger.” They shook hands.
“I perceive you have been wounded. I do not have my instruments with me, but ...”
Steiger shook his head. “Thank you, but it wasn’t very serious. I’ve already had it seen to.” He frowned. “What did you say your name was?”
“Dr. Gulliver is the man mentioned in your brother’s report,” said Forrester.
Steiger stared at him. Gulliver had been given a suit of disposable green transit fatigues to wear, so there had been nothing to mark him externally as a T.D.P., a temporally displaced person.
“Sandy was your brother?” Gulliver said. “There is a strong family resemblance. He was very kind to me.” There was a pained expression on his face. “If not for me, he might have … I … I wish … it really should have been me, instead.”
Steiger stared at him for a moment, then nodded sympathetically. “No one’s blaming you, Doctor.” He glanced at Forrester. “Sandy sent him through?”
“Yes, to tell us what he couldn’t,” said Forrester, with a tight grimace. “You saw him?”
Steiger nodded. The tension had started to go out of him, though he was still wired from the news of his brother’s death and the attempt on his life. Roberts brought him one of Forrester’s black fatigue shirts and Steiger accepted it gratefully, wincing as he removed his own torn and bloodied one.
“They homed in on him with this,” said Forrester, handing Steiger the plastic envelope containing the implant transmitter.
Steiger examined it, frowning. “It doesn’t make sense. If they had him long enough to surgically install a cybernetic implant, they had him long enough to kill him. Why fit him with an implant, let him go, and then track him down and kill him?”
“Maneuvers?” said Delaney. They all turned to look at him.
“What?” said Steiger.
“I was just thinking out loud,” Delaney said. “Maybe they installed the implant and let him go so they could practice long range assault tactics. Track the target, home in on the target’s co-ordinates, clock in, hit hard, take out the target and clock out again. Suppose you had a target area that was hard to get to, maybe you could only get one man in or you had the co-ordinates, but a full-scale assault would be impractical for whatever reason. Too well defended, not enough room to maneuver... but if you could clock in a miniaturized assault force…”
“Jesus,” Steiger said. “That could be a bloody nightmare!”
“It is a bloody nightmare,” Forrester said, grimly. “What’s more, we’re not even sure who’s responsible for it. Is this some new wrinkle from the Special Operations Group in the parallel universe or has the Network somehow managed to come up with this?”
“Either way, we’ve only got one lead,” Delaney said. He looked at Gulliver.
“You’re not going to ask me to go back there, are you?” Gulliver said, in a hollow voice.
“Our Archives Section has been unable to find any record of such an island, Dr. Gulliver,” said Forrester. “I realize you’ve already been through a great deal, but perhaps if you could help us to locate this island, or at least show us its location on a chart, then we’d require nothing further from you.”
“And what shall become of me then?” Gulliver stared at them all anxiously.
“Have no fear. You’ll be returned to your own time,” said Forrester. “And we shall arrange it so that you have no memory of this experience.”
“You could do that? You could actually take away my memory?”
“Yes,” said Forrester. “But there’s no need to be concerned. The procedure is quite safe and painless, I assure you.”
Gulliver shook his head vehemently. “No! No, absolutely not! I cannot allow that.”
“I’m afraid you have no choice in the matter, Dr. Gulliver,” said Forrester. “You have seen entirely too much.”
“And who in their right mind would believe me?” Gulliver responded. “They ridiculed me for my story of the Lilliputians, as Mr. Swift called them, can you imagine how they would react if I told them about this? They would undoubtedly put me in a madhouse. I suppose that I could not prevent your using force against me, but in that case, I would refuse to help you. I would tell you nothing.”
“Dr. Gulliver,” said Forrester, “please try to understand—”
“No, General, you try to understand. A man’s life is but the sum of his experience. How can I forget what’s happened to me? How can I forget that gallant young man who gave his life to save my own? I said that I would help you, but it must be in my own way. If I were to tell you all I know and show you the island’s location on a chart, then there would be nothing to prevent you from doing as you will with me. No, sir. If you are going back there, then much as I dread it, I fear that I must go as well.”
Forrester glanced at Gulliver, his mouth set in a tight grimace.
“Dr. Gulliver, you’re putting me in a very difficult position. We could easily get the information that we need from you, even without your consent. And yes, it would involve using a form of force, though not what you might think. You would feel no pain whatsoever. In fact, you would feel mildly euphori
c and be happy to tell us whatever we wanted to know. However, I would prefer to have your voluntary cooperation. And I’m not unsympathetic to your feelings in this matter. I’ll have to give it some thought.”
Suddenly Andre gasped and dropped her glass.
“What is it?” Steiger said.
She was staring at the window behind them. For a moment, only the briefest instant, she had seen Lucas standing in front of it, but there was nothing there now. She blinked and shook her head.
“Nothing,” she said, swallowing hard. “It was nothing. I just thought … for a moment, I thought …”
Delaney was watching her with concern… Andre, you all right?”
“You didn’t see anything?” she said. “Over there, by the window? You didn’t see?”
Delaney shook his head, frowning. “No, I was looking at Dr. Gulliver.”
“What did you see?’ said Steiger, frowning.
Andre shook her head. “Nothing,” she said, nervously. “It must have been my imagination, a trick of the light … I don’t know.”
“What do you think you saw?” Delaney said.
“Nothing! It was nothing, just drop it, all right?”
“Lieutenant?” said Forrester.
“I’m sorry, sir,” she said, sheepishly. “It wasn’t anything. I ... I guess I’m a little jumpy, what with everything that’s happened tonight.”
“Well, we’ve all been under a strain,” said Forrester. “And I’m afraid it’s going to get a lot worse before it gets much better.” He glanced at his watch. “It’s almost dawn. Why don’t you all go freshen up and grab some chow and coffee? Dr. Gulliver will stay here with me. Be back here for a briefing at oh six-hundred hours.”
As they left, Finn Delaney grabbed Andre by the arm. “You’re not the type to jump at shadows,” he said. “You want to tell me about it?”
“I’ve already told you—”
He interrupted her. “Something’s bothering you, Andre. I know you too damn well. You saw something back there or you thought you saw something. What was it?”
“Okay, you’re right, I thought I saw something. I guess I’m seeing things. That makes me a liability, right? Maybe I should go to the division shrink and get myself checked out. “
