Nigel got used to day after day travelling and was becoming accustomed to things when one day Zac pointed at a dot in the view-screen. Yellow lines could be seen converging on the dot.
“That is the power hub!” exclaimed Zac.
As they grew closer to it, the majesty of the hub became clear. It was enormous - and hundreds of vibrant beams of energy surged in and out of it. This sign of oppression was awesome to behold, thought Nigel.
“So what is the plan to get into it?” asked Nigel
“I’ve not really thought one up yet,” admitted Zac.
“Oh. Better come up with something soon.”
“I know. Very hard to get in without being captured.”
“We need something better than that,” said a concerned Nigel.
At that moment the whole ship shuddered and the view-screen changed from being of the hub to being of a cargo bay inside some kind of enormous structure. Two Bilozians, with hands raised up showing their palm beams, materialised in front of Zac and Nigel.
One of the two Bilozians spoke: “You two, come with us. The Emperor wants to see you.” With that the door of the spacecraft opened and Zac and Nigel were forced out.
They were force-marched through a long array of corridors. It was clear from the view out of the windows along the way that they were inside the hub. Nigel had the time machine stowed inside his storage diamond. If he just had a minute to get it out and activate it he could escape! But the Bilozian guards were keeping a keen eye on him and Zac.
Eventually they arrived at a huge chamber. On each side of it were spheres of glowing light that were interconnected with power beams. At the far end of the chamber sat a hugely fat and bloated Bilozian. Its head had multiple wires protruding from it leading towards a large glass container on the ground beside it. It contained something that looked like a human head. But Nigel and Zac could not yet see it clearly.
It’s definitely a human head thought Nigel. As he and Zac were forced closer, the true horror of the situation eventually became clear.
The head in the jar was that of Raymond Deville.
Chapter 12
Zac and Nigel just stood and stared. Raymond’s head was in a jar next to the Bilozian emperor. What on earth was going on? Raymond’s head looked dead - there was no facial movement but it had a set of probes inserted into it.
“Nigel Saunders” said the Bilozian emperor. “We meet again. Of course you are wondering where we met. I have in me the consciousness of Raymond Deville, who you left for dead.”
“What?” exclaimed Nigel. “It can’t be.”
“The Bilozians are a telepathic and empathic race - they sense the mood of their emperor and follow his lead. At the time of the coronation in times past the Bilozian emperor bonded with another creature - usually an animal indigenous to the Bilozian home world - to give a new direction and perspective to the Bilozian race.”
The emperor continued. “This tradition had fallen out of use and the Bilozians fell into their normal docile state, with no leadership from the emperor, free to choose their own destiny.”
“So what changed?” asked Zac.
“Oh, at the time of the coronation of this emperor, at exactly the moment when the creature bonding historically would have taken place, suddenly I appeared in a badly injured and burned state. This was seen as an omen and the emperor bonded with me, Raymond Deville.”
“But why go so aggressive, why not let mankind live in peace?” asked Nigel.
“My body was not recoverable but my brain was, so the emperor carries me around with him, so I can steer the thoughts of 40 billion Bilozians across the galaxy. With that kind of power you don’t sit and talk. You win.”
“What are you going to do with us?” asked Zac.
“Oh, I think I will have some fun with you two. Guards! Take them to the cleansing suite!” With that Zac and Nigel were dragged towards a set of booths where they were subjected to strong electro-magnetic fields designed to destroy any electrical devices on them. Both their palm blasters fell off their hands - inert and useless.
After this they were taken towards what appeared to be an ante-room adjoining a giant arena. There were assembled crowds of excited Bilozians shouting and cheering in the arena. The guards moved back and threw Zac and Nigel long spears. One spoke: “The Emperor wants you to fight to death. The winner lives!”
Suddenly, the floor tilted up making Nigel and Zac slide into the middle of the arena. Several thousand Bilozians sat screaming in anticipation of the fight. Nigel could see the Emperor and Raymond’s head amongst the spectators in the arena.
Nigel and Zac squared up. Zac, while pretending to fight spoke really quietly to Nigel -“do you still have the storage diamond?” he asked.
“Yes” said Nigel
“It’s not electrical - have you got anything inside it we can use?” Zac said as he thrust his spear towards Nigel.
“Of course!” Nigel pulled out the storage diamond and activated it - the time machine appeared as well as a bag of items he had carried from the past.
“If you can go back in the time machine then don’t worry about me!” said Zac unselfishly.
“It’s not that I am excited about. It’s this.” Nigel held up Raymond’s now very old futuristic weapon.
The Bilozian guards were rushing towards Nigel and Zac but Nigel pointed the weapon towards Raymond’s head and shot.
The dart from the gun made sure Raymond’s head was vapourised completely. Suddenly all the Bilozians went quiet as if a spell had been cast on them. The guards rushing towards Zac and Nigel suddenly stopped and looked confused.
“You’ve freed them,” an elated Zac declared.
“Well, I created this mess in the first place - me and Raymond had a clash of time machines, so in some ways it is my fault,” apologised Nigel.
“No - you are the saviour of the Bilozians and mankind,” Zac said to Nigel in an admiring tone.
Abruptly, there was a loud siren and the lights of the whole complex started flashing red. All the Bilozians started rushing for the exits. Nigel forcibly stopped one to ask what was going on.
“The Emperor, when under Raymond’s influence, set up the complex to self-destruct if he was ever destroyed. We can’t countermand it!” replied the terrified Bilozian.
Zac turned to Nigel and said “Take the time machine back in time. That’s what you came here for.”
Nigel looked sad as he had grown to really like Zac but he knew he needed to get back. He was on the wrong side of the galaxy but he still needed to go back.
“Goodbye Zac - thanks for all your help - now get to the ship and get out of here!” Nigel said.
After a parting wave Nigel stepped back onto the time machine and set it to go back 150 years. He was looking for a ride home so he didn’t want to go back too far - just before the Bilozians attacked Earth.
Time began to slow and then reverse as he travelled back in time. He now appeared to be floating in open space. This was the moment when he would see if the teleportation modification Zac had made would work. Nigel held his breath.
Chapter 13
As time began to flow in the normal direction again, Nigel was really concerned. He was still floating in space. Suddenly he felt a shudder as the teleportation device kicked in.
He found himself on the time machine on a desolate planet. It was sandy wasteland for as far as he could see. The atmosphere was breathable but was extremely dry. He looked in the sky and saw three suns - one red, one blue and one green. The heat and humidity were unbearable.
Nigel stowed the time machine in his storage diamond and looked for some kind of habitation. He cursed the fact that the teleportation device’s idea of a habitable planet was a bit more liberal than his. He needed shelter and water fairly fast or he would die.
Nigel looked around for any kind of major hill or landmark but saw nothing but never-ending desert. There weren’t even any large sand dunes - everything was pan flat. Nigel determ
ined to walk towards the red sun, to at least avoid walking in circles.
For hour after hour Nigel walked, staggering onward. He saw no sign of anything promising. He suddenly realised that he needed to take another approach. He set the time machine to go back another 50 years, hoping the climate might have been better then.
As he travelled back through time he saw great explosions as it appeared someone had blasted the entire surface of the planet with nuclear weapons. He thought he was lucky not to have travelled back to the time of the actual explosions. He went back another twenty or so years and then he emerged from the machine again.
This time the world had vegetation of a peculiar yellow colour but still no obvious water or shelter. He stowed the time machine again as he didn’t think things would get better in any other time on this planet.
In the distance he saw something that looked like a vehicle coming towards him. He started to walk towards it. However he felt his legs give way as he became more and more heat exhausted. Nigel collapsed. This was the end - he thought.
Nigel woke up inside a purple-coloured vehicle. He was attached to a drip of some kind. Looking around, he saw a disgusting sight - a horrid looking brown excrement-coloured creature with long slimy tentacles. As he looked at it a dreadful smell permeated Nigel’s nostrils and he began to feel nauseous.
The alien waddled towards Nigel. The smell was almost over-powering.
“Hello! Found you in the desert! I revived you! Me Mindoan! Hope you are all right!” the alien spoke.
“I am Nigel. Thank you. I’m fine.” Nigel fought through his naturally negative feelings towards the Mindoan, remembering what Zac had said about them.
“Good, Good! Where do you want to go?” asked the Mindoan.
“Err… do you have a city or somewhere I could stay?” asked Nigel. The smell was really making him sick.
“Yes, we go to Niana - capital of Mindoa.” The Mindoan moved away and went back to the controls of the vehicle. Nigel was relieved and then fell asleep again.
A loud screeching noise jolted Nigel awake. The Mindoan walked near to Nigel again.
“Get up! We are here! Niana!” A door on the side of the vehicle lowered down and the alien waddled out of the vehicle. Nigel, discovering his drip had been disconnected, got up and followed the Mindoan at a safe distance.
The architecture of Niana was interesting - the Mindoans seemed to like purple and blue as all the buildings were of those colours. Most of their structures were unusual shapes - several enormous dodecahedron-shaped buildings dominated the city. Nigel lost track of the friendly Mindoan he was following as the city was full of other Mindoans and they all looked the same to him.
Nigel wandered the streets of the city looking for something resembling a hotel or lodging. He had no idea if they had currency or if he would have to beg. He steered clear of most of the Mindoans but knew he would have to ask one for help eventually. He held his nose and approached one.
“Can you tell me if there is somewhere I can stay near here?” asked Nigel.
“Oh yes, friendly alien! Over there is the UberHotel - best service on Niana.”
“I don’t have any money - I am not sure I could afford it.”
“Money? Have some of mine! This should be enough.” The Mindoan handed Nigel several little tacks that Nigel presumed was their currency.
“I will pay you back when I can!” Nigel replied.
“Always glad to help a stranger in need! Good day!”
Nigel really liked the Mindoans, but struggled to get over how repulsive they looked and smelled. He walked towards the UberHotel. He found all the Mindoan staff very obliging though he tried to keep the conversation as brief as possible. They placed him in the “alien suite” which had running water and toilet-like facilities that the Mindoans themselves didn’t need.
Enjoying his stay, Nigel woke up after a good night’s sleep and wondered what to do. He needed to get back to Earth. He asked the Mindoan at reception if he knew if there was any spaceport or anything like that. The Mindoan looked confused. Nigel started explaining he wanted to get back to Earth across the galaxy. The Mindoan seemed to understand this and spoke. “You need to use the Nexus - go to Level 45 on the East Pier.”
Nigel struggled to work out the layout of Niana but eventually managed to find the East Pier. He then took an elevator to Level 45 and discovered a warren-like structure containing what looked like lots of shimmering doorways. He asked a Mindoan what it was and he identified it as the Nexus. Apparently the Mindoans had developed a gateway technology that let them travel across the universe in seconds.
Asking again, Nigel discovered there was a portal to Earth but it was not used as apparently the “Earth People” didn’t like the Mindoans using it. Nigel managed to convince the Mindoan it was fine for him to use it because he was an “Earth person”.
Nigel walked towards the portal and said goodbye to the Mindoans. Walking through the portal he felt suddenly very hot and then very cold and emerged instantly in what looked like a small room. As got his senses back he saw about fifty soldiers holding rifle-like weapons - all aimed at him.
Chapter 14
There was an uneasy stand-off between Nigel and the soldiers arrayed in front of him. All their weapons were aimed at Nigel.
Nigel spoke quickly “It’s OK - I am human!”
A well-built man who appeared to be the leader spoke to Nigel. “Who are you, and why have you come from Mindoa?”
“I crashed on Mindoa and I found my way back with their help.” Nigel tried to speak calmly.
“Bradley, Harris and Mendez take this man away for interrogation!” the leader blurted out and walked away.
Nigel was searched, his possessions confiscated and left sitting in a cold interview room with grim, grey walls. It was several hours before a man in a dark blue uniform entered the room. The uniform had the emblem of a panther on the shirt pocket and the man seemed more than a little creepy to Nigel.
“So. What is your name?” asked the man.
“Err… Nigel Saunders.”
“Why haven’t you got an identification tag?”
“I lost it.”
“Do you take me for some kind of fool!” The man banged on the table in the interview room. Seeing Nigel’s blank expression he carried on.
“They are embedded under the skin of your hand - you can’t lose it.”
“Sorry I don’t have one.”
“How is that possible? Everyone has one embedded after birth. They have for the last 4000 years.”
Nigel was feeling the heat. He decided to tell the truth though he doubted he would be believed. He recounted his time travelling story but changed one or two details. He told the man that the time machine was destroyed on Mindoa and he changed the name of the Bilozians because he knew in this age they probably were at peace with Earth. He didn’t want these guys using the time machine and he didn’t want to start an interstellar war.
After Nigel had finished his story, the interviewer sat back in his chair and thought for a moment.
“Now tell me what really happened.”
“That is what happened,” insisted Nigel.
“Well, I will get the MediLab to test your DNA and story out. You have until then to tell me what really happened.”
A man dressed in white entered and took a swab of Nigel’s DNA from his mouth. Nigel sat in the room waiting for several hours. He heard arguing outside of the room and saw the interviewer enter the room again.
“The MediLab says your DNA matches the ancestor of one of the samples we have from the twenty-second century, so I guess your story checks out.” The interviewer seemed very loathe to admit Nigel was telling the truth. However he did seem to warm slightly to Nigel.
“We have decided that we will release you conditionally. We will install a tracking device on you so we can locate you at any time. Follow me to the MediLab.”
With that the interviewer escorted Nigel to the MediLab where
a small device was held over Nigel’s hand that stapled a small receiver under his skin. It hurt like hell and Nigel showed it.
Nigel asked if he could have his items back and the interviewer grudgingly returned them, including the storage diamond containing the time machine.
The interviewer then took Nigel to the outside of the facility where he saw from the architecture of the city that he was in San Francisco. The Golden Gate Bridge and Alcatraz still existed amongst a sea of skyscrapers.
“Here is a card with 30 credits on it - that should be enough to keep you going for a week or so.” After saying this, Nigel was left alone on the streets of future San Francisco.
Nigel had visited San Francisco in the 20th century and wondered at the differences. Much of the beauty of the place then had been lost. He began looking for a place to stay as ideally he wanted to find his way back to England before time travelling back to the 21st century, as it would be difficult to explain how he had arrived in the US without a passport back then.
Timeshock - I Want My Life Back Page 5
