Timelines

by Bob Blink

  As he descended the ramp to the tunnel room, the scene on the large monitor made more sense. The four swirling masses of color were four areas around the room corresponding to tunnel entrances. Two of them had been sealed tunnels, one the area that had once lead to Carol’s home time. Two others had been exiting tunnels. Those appeared to be closed now.

  “I’m guessing,” John admitted. “But it looks like they have closed two of the older tunnels. And it appears they are opening four new ones.”

  Those of us that had passed through the tunnel room earlier already knew what John now told the assembled group. The first of the tunnels that the aliens had sealed was one we seldom used. It appeared to open into a period about eight thousand years ago. We never could correlate the tunnel location and time with any significant events. After an initial exploration, we had ignored it for years. It appeared the aliens had a similar opinion. The second tunnel they had closed, however, had a very real significance for us. They had sealed off the tunnel that Martin and his team had taken just a little more than a week before. If we were right, and the tunnel had been closed to allow the opening to a new era, then they were forever stranded in the past. They could only leave a sealed message for us at the pre-established drop point. Locations were chosen near the tunnel entrances that should survive the centuries for us to find, but the team could never come home. The likelihood weighed very heavily on my shoulders.

  John was continuing his story, and I had to shift my thoughts to bring my attention back to the present. “No, I have no idea what times the new tunnels will lead to. At this point I’m only guessing they will be tunnels into new eras. Perhaps there is some clue on the monitors that will help once we have time to study the data.”

  “Do you know where the two aliens went?” Carol asked John. I knew this was to allow him to break free of the questions that were starting once again. He had told us a bit earlier. I was wondering if Carol had considered the possibility one of the new tunnels might open back into her own time. After all, one was forming in the space where the aliens had closed off her era many years earlier. I wondered what it would mean if it did.

  “That we know, although I was surprised. I wanted to show a tape that we quickly pieced together from a couple of the hidden video cameras. You will be able to see the arrival of the aliens your selves, and see where they go.” John made a motion to someone in the back. The lights dimmed, and color video appeared on the large screen behind him.

  The film followed the sequence John had just described, although time gaps existed in the film so the key points could be shown quickly. The opening of the large sealed door, followed by two of the aliens as they made their way down the hallway. They were just as Carol had described to me so many years before. Medium height, covered with hair, with the two pairs of eyes she had detailed. The aliens wore the single garment that covered most of their body, and also the harness that held some form of equipment pack strapped to their chests. Along one side was a shortened tube, which I would guess was a weapon of some sort. I couldn’t detect the field she had described seeing around the aliens, but perhaps that was something activated after they left the complex. The two aliens continued toward the camera, passing out of sight just as they started making their way down the incline to the tunnel area. I was interested to note that one of them reached into the bin that held the keys and grabbed a couple as they passed. He handed the second key to the other alien who seemed to clip in into something he had in his harness.

  The video switched to one of the cameras in the tunnel area, and followed the aliens as they made their way down the ramp. They stopped at the storage room, each grabbing one of the small devices that Carol indicated were similar to the flying bike she had used. They came out of the room and started toward the first tunnel to their right. Finally, both aliens disappeared into the tunnel. They had selected the tunnel that went to the furthest uptime date, about 5173 years. We refer to it as tunnel 7159A based on the year and the fact it is AD rather than BC. It became too confusing to adjust the dates as the time changed in each era, and names didn’t work for many of the tunnels. This was the one where a broken and deserted earth waited. I wondered why they were interested?

  The film switched back to the upstairs hallway showing the third alien making his way down the hall. I noted that this one lacked the harness arrangement and what I assumed was a weapon that the others had carried. Interesting. So he was planning on staying put and didn’t need that gear. This part of the film was short. It showed him sitting down at the terminal, making a few hand motions and the system coming to life. Someone had pieced together sections from the tunnel room monitors. The film showed two of the tunnels seeming to collapse with an odd distortion on themselves, shrinking down to the small indentations in the wall we had seen. Then, one by one, the four sections of the wall started to glow as the swirling circles of light were activated by the alien. The final scenes of the film showed the aliens, first the two that had used the tunnels, and then the one who had stayed in the center, return down the hallway. The final scene showed the center of the circular door turning as the door locked behind them.

  The lights came back on, and John continued. “Those are just a few sections of the video we have put together quickly so you can all see what the aliens look like. The tunnel room video was examined and when they came back into the complex from the tunnel they came directly back upstairs. They didn’t visit any of the other tunnels. Whatever they did, it took them a little over an hour.” John was done for now. He motioned to me to take over. Carol had wanted me to lead the next part of the discussion.

  I could feel the weight of the many eyes that followed me as I made my way to the front of the room where John waited. “I wanted to take a minute to try and put things into perspective,” I said. In truth, I wasn’t really sure what I wanted to say. “In one sense it seems that everything has changed very suddenly. For years we have worked and wondered when we would encounter the aliens. Note the key word here is “When,” not “If”. Most of us have become complacent. Years of working in this environment has altered our perspective somewhat. We study their systems and language as if the aliens were long gone. Dead. A mystery to be solved after the fact. Now all that has changed again. Once again we realize that we are dealing with a presence that is still real. And potentially threatening.”

  “We were actually fortunate in the way our first encounter occurred. We have been given a bit of warning. We saw the alien interlopers, but as yet they don’t know we are aware of them. That gives us time to prepare.” I wondered how much time that was going to be. Probably not enough, I realized. The timing of their return was a bit unfortunate. We were finally starting to make progress, and uncover clues to their purpose. Having them show up now was premature. John, on the other hand, was excited by the fact their return visit may have given us the clues necessary to finally break open their system. If we still had the time. I continued. “Now we need to think about how to proceed. Each of us needs to re-evaluate the reasons we are part of this effort. When we started, we knew there would be risks. All indications we have are the aliens are an enemy. That means a confrontation between them and us is likely. With their visit today, that confrontation is likely to be soon.”

  I didn’t want to generate unreasonable fear, but complete honesty is something they all deserved. The team had performed well over the years. We had chosen carefully and I had to count on that now. “One of the risks was made very clear to us today. Some of you know that a team was sent off recently on a mission. That mission was to verify an account we uncovered in the translations of the alien logs found in the complex. The tunnel they used for travel was one of the two the aliens sealed off today. Coincidence I’m sure. But that doesn’t change anything. The way is closed. That means those individuals are stuck back in the 1770’s. We know of no way to bring them home.” I looked around as this sunk in. “This is a risk we all face. When the aliens return, they could easily close any of the tun
nels. That means the teams we have in the different eras, could all end up trapped. In a way, the risks are especially pertinent to all of you here who live at the base. Unlike other eras, there is no society here. Other than each other, we have seen no other people. If the tunnel leading to here were to be closed, you would end up trapped in a time and place with little to offer for survival. One of the things we need to think about over the next couple of days is whether it makes sense to remain here. Perhaps everyone should move back home, to the 21st century, or whichever era you are from. You all know the reasons why we moved here in the first place. Those reasons still apply, so consider your decision carefully. Here’s something else that must be considered as part of that decision. If the aliens are involved in adjusting our history as we suspect, even moving home does not really offer true safety. If they make a change downtime of the 21st century, our whole society could cease to exist. All of us living in that time could cease to exist. Safety only exists in removing the threat completely.”

  I stopped and let what I had said sink in. “Having made you aware of this potential danger, I personally don’t think there is any immediate danger of the tunnels being closed. Today, the aliens appear to have started four new tunnels. If they wanted more at this time, I suspect they would have started them today as well. That gives us some confidence that additional closures are not likely in the near future. Our experience with the time complex indicates they are content to leave the tunnels in place, over long periods, even if they don’t need them. Unless they need the tunnel opened in another time, it appears unlikely more closures are imminent.” I didn’t mention the closure of the tunnel to Carol’s time. I suspected that closure was prompted by the death of the alien as much as the completion of their task in that time. “While I suspect the tunnels will remain unaffected, it is likely the aliens will attempt to occupy the complex soon for some period of time. As a group we need to understand what that means to us. Do we want to allow them access, given the suspicions we have about their actions?

  There wasn’t much else to say. Everyone had too much input for now. “Okay, we will be getting together again in two days. That will allow other members of our team to review the videos of this meeting, and get here to participate in our decisions. By then we will all have had more time to review all the data gathered today. Let me remind you that now more than ever we need to jump to the tasks at hand. Maybe we will find something to help guide us. Until then, anyone that has a problem staying downtime until the meeting, see Ed and he will get you relocated back uptime temporarily.”

  Then the crowd was filing out of the room and heading back to their respective work areas. Dozens of animated conversations blended together. I could detect a sense of urgency, and concern, but was happy to see that I didn’t sense any of the fear that might have easily overwhelmed the group. As the masses thinned, Al touched me on the shoulder and pulled me aside. “I think we need to send someone to the drop Martin’s team would use,” he urged.

  I knew what he was thinking. They would learn of the gate closure and leave a message for us. I dreaded what might be in that message, but expected they would report the results of their search in addition to their own personal messages to friends and family they would never see again. That would be weeks from now. They wouldn’t have even reached their goal as yet, let alone returned to leave a message. I said as much to Al.

  He shook his head. “We should send someone today. I think you will be surprised. If they learned anything back there, it would be useful to know for the decision we have to make.”

  “But why. . . ?” I started to ask.

  “I may be wrong,” he said, “but if things work the way they should, the rules have changed for them. Let’s see if I’m right. We must have someone we can afford to spare to check?”

  I promised to take care of it, wondering what he knew, or suspected, that he wasn’t sharing.

  Chapter 28

  Roman Empire

  150 AD

  This is great I thought, as I rolled onto my back and stretched. Naked under the covers and snuggled close to an equally naked Naiya for warmth, I had slept soundly after an extended bout of passionate and satisfying love-making late the previous night. After all the drinking we engaged in at the feast the previous night, I had been pleasantly surprised we had been up to it at all. Perhaps the release from the stress caused by the unexpected appearance of the alien builders was partially responsible. I could still remember the first moments of dread when I learned of their return. The momentary fear that had gripped me when I thought I might have been forever cut off from Naiya. I could readily relate to the fears shown by the others when we reviewed the potential risks that we now faced at the brief meeting the other day. Risks that had suddenly become very real rather than merely theoretical. Tomorrow would be a decisive day. As a group we would be reviewing and deciding how the team would proceed.

  “Umphh,” muttered Naiya as she closed the gap that had opened between us, sliding her head onto my chest and snuggling up against my side. Her left leg moved up and across my body, ankle finding purchase along my thigh. Her leg tightened, pulling me closer for warmth. I slid my left arm across her shoulders as her breathing deepened, and used my right hand to smooth some of her long hair away from her face. A couple of escaping hairs tickled my nose, and I smoothed them away as well.

  Enough early morning light filtered through the closed shutters that I could begin to see around the room. The bed in which we lay was surprisingly comfortable. Previous expeditions downtime had always meant sleeping on the ground or in lumpy, overly small, and often vermin infested beds that were the norm for the era. I hadn’t been enthusiastic when Dave and Naiya had insisted I stay the night, rather than heading back to the tunnel entrance the same day. Dave and his team had managed to set themselves up with style. I didn’t know how they had managed it, because bringing a lot of comforts from uptime wasn’t allowed. The bed was large, almost a queen sized structure, and the mattress was firm and comfortable. The sheets were smooth enough, and while the blankets were bland and a uniform brown, they provided all the warmth necessary.

  All of the downtime offices were being contacted, but I had appointed myself the messenger when it came to checking on Naiya. I knew I wasn’t going to relax until she and I were together, and she was fully warned of the new problem that had dropped in on us. I felt I had left Carol to deal with everything, but I had expected to be back the same evening. She had understood, nodding her head and saying “Go” when I told her I needed to check myself.

  Our room was mostly fitted stone. The floor and walls on this upper floor carefully fit together by local craftsman. Not as smooth and uniform as the manufactured product of our own time, but well built and somehow made comfortable despite the limited and dated furnishings. A couple of chests served as dressers, and three chairs and a small wooden table made up the bulk of the furniture. The tables served for meals, rarely taken in the room and as a work area when Naiya wanted to sort through materials better not seen by the staff or other locals. A large tub sat in one corner. It had to be filled with heated water from below, but a large staff for the wealthy merchant family assured that wouldn’t be an issue. I had wondered about emptying the tub afterwards, but was surprised to find a cork plug and a corresponding opening in the floor, which allowed the dirty bath-water to drain down a stone channel out to the rear of the family house. Two windows opened in adjacent walls to let in light and air. Wooden shutters, closed now, blocked most of the light and provided protection against the cooler night and bad weather.

  A soft fist suddenly thumped me in the ribs. “Stay still,” Naiya demanded. “What’s the matter with you? Go back to sleep. It’s too early to get up.”

  I tried to settle down. We had very different sleeping styles, and with the dawn my body wanted to wake, no matter how tired I really was. Sleep became impossible. Naiya, on the other hand, found the cool early morning hours offered the best sleep of the night. Aft
er a few minutes of trying not to move at all, my leg telegraphed an undeniable demand to be flexed. I tried to bend it covertly, but she stirred again in response to my movement. Tightening her embrace, she buried her head in my neck. Slipping her mouth next to my ear, she said softly “Maybe you’re ready to go another round?” and started sliding her hand lower across my chest. But sleep won out this time, and her hand slowed with her breathing before I could even begin to react. I waited until a steady and deep breathing cycle had established itself, and carefully slipped out of the embrace and out from under the covers into the chill morning air. I knew I would keep waking her if I tried to stay, and there was too much on my mind to sleep anymore this morning.

  The stone floor was cold, as was the air in the room, and I hurriedly slipped into some clothes. Socks first, for insulation against the direct contact with the stone floor. Rugs were going to be a must here, I thought to myself. I started feeling better after buttoning my shirt and body heat started the warming of the trapped air. Finally, I pulled on my pants and then slipped quietly out the door.

  I made my way down the hallway past the doors that opened into the rooms of the rest of the team. All were closed and there was no way to tell if any were awake, or had already made their way down to the common room. As I started down the stairs I could hear the voices of some of the staff and smell the fresh bread being baked. I knew a large breakfast offering would soon be prepared as well. I wondered how anyone could think of food after the feast of the evening before. I now understood better the concept of the Roman feast, with over-eating and some guests actually purging in order to continue eating. Course after course had come from the kitchens. A honeyed lamb I found especially tasty. Another of stuffed roast boar that I hoped Naiya would get the recipe for. Several kinds of fish were served, as well as game hens of some sort. They were not the Cornish hens I was used to, but some sort of wild fowl that were tender and delicious despite the gamey flavor. Dozens of side dishes were provided along with each new offering from the kitchens. And wines. Different courses required different vintages, and the staff was always there to see that your mugs were full. Naiya and I finally dropped out, and paced ourselves with a final mug while the others feasted on.