Timelines

by Bob Blink

  They used the small electric stove to quickly boil water for coffee and to heat some of the small packages of Ramen noodles. They were quick to prepare, and warm, something that they both needed this morning. Energy bars would supplement their meager repast. The need to get back on the trail was more important than a fully nourishing breakfast. It had been cool last night, almost cold. Their current altitude was high enough that the temperature dropped quickly when the sun disappeared. Fortunately the compact, lightweight sleeping bags Carol had supplied the teams with were extremely efficient and she and Dix had been warm enough. It was chilly now, and would be until the sun started to warm the high valley they currently occupied.

  Naiya elected to stay with her day pack, filling it with items selected from the generous supplies the two men had brought with them. In addition to the lightweight sleeping bag she had used the night before, she added matches, purification tablets, bug juice, a compact pair of binoculars, half a dozen freeze dried meals, as well as a number of the power bars and a medium sized bag of trail mix. A single small aluminum pot went in for cooking. She strapped a pair of quart canteens onto her belt, as well as a smaller belt knife that she found. There were a number of jackets available, but based on the weather the previous day and the apparent time of year she decided her windbreaker would be all she required. Selections complete, she hefted the small pack. About twenty pounds she estimated. Her rifle weighed a little over nine pounds with the scope. That was going to be all she wanted to carry.

  Dix’s selections were much the same. His pack was larger; one that had belonged to one of the two campers. As she watched he grabbed a couple of cans of the stew that they had eaten the night before. He also grabbed some of the bananas, and then picked up a small bottle of freeze dried coffee. He looked through the jackets, and finally selected one of them, which followed the other items into his bag. Finally he walked back to the other side of the tent where he picked up one of the packages of explosive. Complete with radio controlled detonators, she had been surprised to find it among the supplies the two men had brought with them. Dix slipped the explosive into a side pocket of the large pack. His pack had to weigh close to fifty pounds by now. She was surprised to see him pick up a large revolver that was one of many weapons they had found in the camp. He strapped it on as she watched. The heavy Dan Wesson with its six-inch barrel was not the best choice for a packing handgun. It was far too heavy. Loaded, it had to add another three pounds to the load Dix was going to be carrying. Naiya started to say something then thought better of it. Dix was younger and stronger than she was. He also was supposed to be experienced in woodcraft. She hoped he knew what he was doing.

  The rest of the supplies they would leave. They were protected well enough inside the tent. If things went well, they would be here when they returned. Assuming they killed the alien, she knew they would return. The would come back not only to be sure the entrance remained closed, but also to gather some of the items that would be important for whatever life they might try and establish here. It was a waste of time thinking about that now. They had a task to complete. Best to focus all her brainpower in that direction.

  Niaya hoisted her pack, slipping one arm through the straps, then the other. Tightening the cinches and testing it for comfort and stability, she walked a few feet and tried bending and twisting. The balance was good. She could carry the load all day without a problem. She reached over and retrieved her rifle from where she had leaned it against the tree.

  “Are you ready?” she asked Dix, who was completing similar preparations himself. He gave her a small smile in return. The first since they had arrived here. It was an encouraging sign.

  “Let’s go,” he said simply, and they started down the valley, following along the edge of the stream where the going was easiest.

  Dix had scouted along the stream for a quarter mile the previous evening before dark. He had found several more of the footsteps where the ground was a bit softer. Dix pointed them out as they walked. Their enemy had gone this way the previous day. It wasn’t trying to hide anything and was moving quickly. She was sure the creature thought that human interference had already been eliminated. It must have a significant lead already.

  After another mile the going became significantly rougher. The stream followed its own path cut into the sides of the hills, but often they had to work their way up the side a significant distance from the water before finding a path that would allow them to continue forward. Usually they could work their way back toward the water, but soon enough another detour was required. In places the trees became so thick it was difficult to see more than a few meters ahead. Rocks and boulders, some as large as cars were half buried in the dark soil. She could see the ragged rock cliffs from where most of the large stones must have fallen. They were both aware of the myriad places the alien could hide and ambush them. Other than walk far enough apart to make it difficult to get both with a single shot, there wasn’t anything they could do. From the marks they had found it seemed to be moving steadily down the valley. For now, Naiya and Dix could only hope it didn’t know they were on the trail.

  Once they found a recent rock slide. A swath more than fifty feet across had torn a ragged scar across the side of the hill extending from the top of the hill more than five hundred feet above them, all the way to the bottom of the hill below where they now stood. The stream disappeared into the rocks that had covered its path, only to reappear at the far side of the destruction to continue unperturbed. Their own passage took considerably longer, walking, sometimes climbing over the treacherous rocks, hoping they didn’t trigger yet another movement of the unstable mass below them. Once again she thought about how exposed they were.

  After almost two hours walking, they found where their enemy had camped for the night. It wasn’t much, but rocks had been placed to form an oval enclosure, which had been padded with pine needles. The rocks were still warm, although there was no sign of a fire. Somehow the alien had heated them to help it stay warm through the night. No signs of food and no indication how long ago it had left. Assuming it had started just after light as they had, it had a good lead. The area was covered with the boot marks they had been following. A little west of the resting spot, they found a set of tracks heading further down the valley. They followed, but soon the tracks disappeared again, as the passage became more rocky.

  Several more hours passed during which time they found an occasional footprint to confirm they were still heading the same direction. At no time did they spot the alien, or catch a glimpse of it somewhere ahead of them. Besides frightening a couple of deer, they hadn’t seen anything alive other than birds and squirrels. And bugs. Mosquitoes were everywhere. The bug juice hadn’t helped much.

  Suddenly Dix pulled up and turned back towards her. “Decision time,” he said. He pointed down the valley they had been following. “We can continue down the valley following the river. That means we are going to be playing catch-up all the way. I’m concerned it might take a break and watch its back trail and see us first. Movement is the best give-away here. Also, with all the climbing we have to do, it’s difficult to make time and be quiet. If we start getting close, it might hear us.”

  “I’m guessing you want to suggest an alternate approach,” she replied. She knew that Dix had explored the area here with the initial survey team.

  Dix turned and pointed to a cut in the hill to their right. “That opens into a side canyon that continues until it intersects the river valley about five miles further down. Since it runs pretty straight, and the river valley makes a large arc, the path the alien is taking is almost twice as long.”

  “So we can maybe catch up, or even get ahead of it?”

  “I’m hoping we can get there first. In addition, the side path is on higher ground, so where it comes out we would have a view of the valley from above. There are a couple of places where the valley doesn’t have much cover so we would be able to see for some distance. There are a couple of spots wher
e the valley narrows, which would mean anything traveling down would have to come within one hundred yards of one of the ridges. Might be a good place to ambush it.”

  Naiya looked where Dix had pointed. There would be a bit of a climb at first, but she could see how it flattened out once the initial climb had been completed. It made sense to change this following game. She had felt like cross hairs were on her all morning. Besides, she was confident he was right about what they would find down the trail.

  “Let’s do it,” she agreed.

  It had taken them more than two hours to hike along the back side of the valley. All the time she worried if the alien would continue his chosen direction, and whether he would have already passed their lookout point by the time they arrived. She had realized that there wouldn’t be a good way to check. Going down into the valley would defeat the purpose of the alternate trail, possibly giving them away. No, they would have to assume they had arrived first and wait. If the alien had already passed, they wouldn’t know for hours, losing everything they had gained.

  They were settled into one of the observation points that Dix had predicted. In addition to numerous large rocks providing protection, the area was densely overgrown with pine trees, many with large branches that hung only a few feet over the ground. They were nestled under the branches of one of the larger trees. A huge rock sat directly in front of the tree, and they lay on either side of it scanning the valley below. If necessary, there was more than enough room for both to find cover behind the massive stone, which had to be at least ten feet thick from front to back. After an hour, they had seen no movement in the valley. Naiya was beginning to think the alien had moved much quicker than they had anticipated.

  She was spooning trail mix into her mouth with her hand when Dix hissed quietly, “There!”

  She dropped the bag of mix onto her pack, and rolled over, grabbing the binoculars as she wiggled back to the edge of the tree branch. “Where?” she whispered.

  “Next to the river. Where it makes the sudden jag to the right because of the rocky hill.”

  It took her a moment to locate the spot he described. Then she had it. But she could see nothing. Even through the binoculars. After a minute she lowered them and wiped her eyes. Then taking them up again, she returned to the point Dix had described. She was about to ask whether he still saw it, when suddenly movement gave away the position. It had been leaning against one of the trees. Now that it was moving she had it. Taking the lenses away from her eyes, she looked with her unaided eyes. Very small, but she could see it moving. And headed their way. Moving quickly, but not hurrying, she estimated it would pass below them in ten minutes. Raising the binoculars once again she could see the short stubby rifle hanging on its side. It didn’t have a pack, just the characteristic harness they all seemed to wear over the single piece garment.

  Now it was just a matter of waiting. They had already surveyed the field of fire. The creature could pass as close as fifty yards from them, or as much as one hundred and twenty-five. Add to that the one hundred feet of elevation advantage they had. Essentially, it was point blank range. It would be one of the easiest shots she had ever taken.

  From the concealed position underneath the tree, there was no light to reflect off the lenses of the scope. She would take the first shot. Once she fired, Dix would follow up, firing the semi-automatic. At this range, it would be an easy shot for his iron-sighted rifle as well. Between the two of them, it should go smoothly. There was still the nagging concern that Carol had raised about some kind of shield, but Naiya doubted there was anything to be concerned about.

  The cross-hairs were steady on the alien as it made its way through the narrowest part of the valley. It had passed close to the middle, giving her a perfect shot. They had agreed to wait until he reached the flat, just about ten feet in front of where he now stood, unless something necessitated an earlier attempt. It was the easiest way to coordinate when they would shoot. The alien slowed just as it reached the desired spot. Cooperative, she thought. Taking the last slow breath, she gently exhaled and then held. The pressure on the trigger gradually increased until the rifle fired. The recoil punched back at her, but not before she saw the faint glow spring up around the alien just as the shot arrived. Nothing. It wasn’t hit. Carol was right after all! A couple of shots from Dix’s semi-auto flashed into the glowing shield. Same result; nothing. Now the alien was turning in their direction, his short stubby rifle coming around as well. She slipped rapidly backwards, getting the rock between her and the alien, seeing Dix do the same. They had big trouble.

  Chapter 42

  Time Complex

  Saturday, 30 September 2006

  Mid morning, the day after the aliens had returned, we met with Jeff before sending him out to see what support he would be able to muster. Only four of us were there; Jeff, Carol, Mike and myself. Mike had spent the past two hours with Jeff showing him around the alien ship, getting him copies of videos, both of the encounter and of the time complex and ship. We also had pictures of the alien bodies, and stills of key displays from the inside of the ship. Mike had also answered as many questions as he could to fill in blanks Jeff thought he would need to know. The time he had spent at the base had taught him a lot, but he was still surprised by much that he learned this morning. We still didn’t tell him about the keys and how they triggered the entrances. Maybe he had picked up on that during his stay, but I hoped not. It was something I’d rather hold back for now.

  We were just about ready to send him out. A car was waiting for him just outside the cave, so he could make his way back to Seattle. No one was going with him. He was free to tell his superiors anything he wanted. We needed help. The question remained whether we would get it. Turning Jeff loose to tell the authorities meant the secret of the complex and the location of the entrance would become known in a few days. We would have to assume from that point on anyone coming and going would be known to the government. Fortunately almost everyone who was relocating had already done so. A few of us would be seen, but we were probably already known to them anyway. A few of Mike’s guards might be seen occasionally. I found it amusing they might try and match up a picture for one of the men Mike had hired from another time.

  “Can you think of anything else you might need?” I asked, anxious to get this concluded. There were other things clamoring for attention.

  “I might have too much,” he admitted. “You want to show them enough that they have to come and see, but we don’t want to give them so much they spend days sorting through the material.” He understood the urgency of the situation we were now facing.

  “How long?” Carol asked.

  “I don’t know,” he admitted. “This is going to be so unexpected. I have warned you before about the sensitivity toward anything regarding aliens, and visits from space. That is tame compared to what you want me to try and convince them of.” He paused a bit. “I’m not sure how my sudden reappearance is going to be received either. Last they knew I was with Williams when Kurt Morris was killed. Now I suddenly show up with what they will see as an impossible story.”

  “If what you have for back up doesn’t at least convince them to check it out. . . .” Mike interrupted.

  “I know,” agreed Jeff. “But there is another thing.” This time he hesitated and looked over at Carol and myself. “There may be some serious repercussions from all this.”

  “You mean legal issues,” I responded.

  He looked uncomfortable, but nodded his head. “A lot of what you have done isn’t going to go over very well with some people. Take me. Legally, you kidnapped me and held me against my will for weeks.” He managed a wry smile. “I admit I wanted to stay, but they still will see it as an illegal abduction.”

  Carol and I had talked about this before. Over the years we had violated countless laws, some more important than others. We had also embarrassed some people, or they would be when the situation became known. Kurt’s year-long disappearance was just one exampl
e. Not to mention the fact we had kept the time complex secret from people who would feel we had a duty to inform them. We could be looking at trouble from numerous organizations. “This is too important for them to be hung up on those kinds of issues,” I replied. “You have to make them understand that.”

  “Just be warned, whatever they say, you could find yourself being detained at some point, no matter what is promised.”

  We hoped that Jeff would be able to restrict the release of information. If he could work with his superiors in the military, chances would be better than some of the side issues would be minimized. They hadn’t been involved much to this point, and would have a more pragmatic perspective on what needed to be done. Unfortunately, they wouldn’t be able to act without approval from their civilian bosses. That meant the government, probably at all levels, was going to be drawn into this. That likely meant other government agencies as well. Well, there was no hope for it. If we couldn’t convince them of the larger issue, all was lost anyway.

  “Just make sure they understand that if all they want to do when we meet with them is arrest us, then that’s it. They might get their hands on one or both of us, but they’ll never be able to get inside the complex, even knowing where the entrance is. We are willing to cooperate with them so they can see what a serious threat we face. If they are too stupid to realize that. . .” She stopped. What else could she say. Jeff understood. All he could do is try. We were searching for alternatives, but so far nothing else had surfaced.