Earth Before Man

by Allan E Petersen

  “Did you do anything to make this happen?”

  Still nursing a numb finger, he shook his head. Then, as suddenly as it happened, the wall turned dark and started to shiver back into solid stone.

  Confused, he turned around to look at Jessika far across the floor and asked,

  “Did you do anything to open this wall?”

  She turned around and seeing only a solid wall innocently said,

  “No, I was just experimenting a little bit with these levers. Did something happen?”

  He said,

  “Whatever you did, do it again.”

  She turned back to the control panel and as before, gently pushed one of the levers. As before, the wall shimmered and turned to a clear jelly substance. As successful as that discovery was, it still did not give access to the room on the other side. Kirk took another energy reading but nothing was different. Although clear as glass, it was still an impenetrable wall. At least to Kirk, the solution was clear. He yelled over to her,

  “Push it all the way.”

  That was when the trouble started.

  Otto was the first to notice that something was wrong. He looked at his hands and saw them fluctuating as if gently waving good-bye. Like his hands, the wall also started to undulate. Confused, he looked to Kirk who was intently staring straight ahead into the cavern. Adding to his stunned state, he saw right through Kirk. Now everything was surging in waves, including them.

  Also recognizing that something was wrong, Kirk looked to Otto and saw the same thing happening to him. Realizing what was happening he snapped around to Jessika and yelled at her to turn it off. However, all that came out of his mouth sounded like a dragging muffled sound like an old record played too slow. Kirk and Otto were only seconds from being pulled into another dimension.

  At the other end of the cave, Pia was busy swabbing a cupboard handle when Kirk yelled over to Jessika asking what she had done. She then looked up from her mundane job and saw what was happening to the two men. She screamed at Jessika,

  “Turn it off. Whatever you did, turn it off.”

  Jessika snapped around and saw the dimensional rift growing larger and larger. By the time she realized what she had to do, the fluctuating bubble had encompassed her as well. Whatever was happening to the men was now happening to her. She quickly turned back to the control panel and pulled back on the lever.

  Much to her surprise and confusion, her hand floated right through the lever as if it were only an illusion. She tried again and again with the same result. Her hand just kept passing through what should have been a solid handle. She had lost the stability of this dimension and quickly pulled into another one. Frantic, she snapped back to the barely visible two men and realized what she had done. Worse, there was no way she could stop it.

  Pia recognized what was happening and knew she had to act before the dimensional bubble encompassed her and the whole cave. In a panic to do something, anything, looking around, she saw a long metallic rod on the floor. Not caring what it was or why it was there, she grabbed it and ran to the edge of the expanding bubble and the computer control panel. Knowing that she had act fast, she held the rod like a knight on horseback, aimed the lance at the control panel and charged forward. Her aim was quick and true, pushing the lever back just a second before the lethal bubble touched it.

  Only hoping that it was going to work, she stood back and observed all three victims slowly solidify back to the reality of this world. Otto had dropped to his knees convulsing as if he was going to throw up. When it was clear that firmness had returned to them and all was again right with the world, Jessika ran to Kirk and hugged him tight. Apparently, Maria’s command to keep their affection for each other a secret was now a mote point. Pia walked up to the hugging pair and said,

  “I knew it all along.”

  Because Jessika would not let go of him, Kirk looked down at Pia and sincerely said,

  “You are all right kid.”

  Otto had regained some semblance of recovery from the strange event and struggled to his feet. Still nauseous he salvaged a bit of composure and said something the others already knew,

  “That was strange.”

  As all three nodded their compliance, Otto added,

  “I have never felt anything like that before. It was a cold feeling, like a ghost passing through me.”

  As Jessika nodded her approval, Kirk added an eerie comparison that sent shivers up and down their spine.

  “It was like dying. Maybe that’s what death feels like.”

  Pia agreed, saying,

  “You all looked like ghosts. I could see right through you.”

  It was then that Otto looked back expecting to see the strange glass wall but it was gone. He waved at it but the expectant shock did not happen. He turned to Kirk and said,

  “If you two love birds are finished, take a look. I think we can walk into it now.”

  Thinking that Otto was recklessly going to test that assumption, unlocking from Jessika, Kirk held out a halting hand and said,

  “If you want to test that assumption with your life, go ahead.”

  Otto stopped dead in his tracks. Kirk then looked to Pia and indicated for her to throw the steel rod into the opening. She did and without incident it landed with a clang well inside the exposed cave.

  Chapter 28

  While Maria was skimming low across the mid-Atlantic at close to 7,000 miles an hour and nearing the mysterious GPS location of Santo’s last communication, she once again tried to contact him. However, as so many times before, there was no reply. Knowing that he had contacted Jessika, she called her but told that she was off on an expedition somewhere in Turkey. The only good news she got from headquarters was that Santo had also communicated with Dr. Marls at their Swiss lab, something about a computer glitch.

  Only three minutes from the target location, she called Switzerland and asked for Dr. Marls. Again, he was not happy being pulled away from his laboratory and indicated it in his abruptness. Not clear on who Maria was, he sneered,

  “You field people are becoming a nuisance. I am a busy man, what do you want this time?”

  Deciding this was not the time for a lesson on the House of the Nazarene hierarchy, Maria asked for clarity on his last conversation with Santo, specifically about the computer glitch. In his usual harsh manner, he abruptly related how Santo was stuck in mid-air by a jamming frequency probably from the island. Apparently, Santo was rude not to report back that the re-boot of the onboard computers had worked, just as he knew it would. His lasts words to Maria were a warning.

  “Stay away from that island. I do not have time to save you too.”

  After that terse warning, she heard a click and was on her own.

  The problem with the warning was that by this time she was already above and circling the island. Just as she was starting to explore it, she saw a fishing boat sailing away from the island. Thinking that Santo might be onboard, she steered her D-wing toward it. Hovering a few yards away and slightly above it, she asked through the external loud speakers if they had Santo on board or had at least seen him on the island.

  The fishermen, after seeing strange humanoids walking about on the island that vibrated and were only partially visible, seeing a hovering metallic flying mystery above their boat greatly added to their superstitious fear. In addition, this flying demon was chattering on about something in a language they did not understand. Fearing for their lives and in the hopes of outrunning the demon, they quickly added another sail to the mast. Although confused, Maria understood that if Santo were on board, he would have come on deck and waved at her.

  Turning the D-wing around, she was prepared to search the island with heat detecting technology when she picked up a locator beacon from Santo’s D-wing. Following it, she became worried when discovering that it was sitting off shore and underwater. Because the jamming frequency that had trapped him in mid-flight was down, thanks to Santo pulling out the Great Gray master control chi
p from the central command post, the reset signal that Dr. Marls transmitted had now reached the vehicle. It just was not in time.

  Fearing Santo was trapped in the D-wing, Maria transmitted a signal to the underwater craft and took control of it. Through a remote command, it slowly raised and broke through the water stopping about ten feet above it, next to her. She was elated to see that Santo’s body was not in the seat. The fact that the canopy was open and spilling water back to the ocean was an encouraging sign. At least to her, it meant that he survived whatever had gone wrong. Tapping into his onboard communication system, she located the last conversation he had while in it. However, there was no help about what happened to him in that conversation. All she heard was his last conversation with Dr. Marls. She decided to continue her search of the island. and programmed his D-wing to hover and wait for further commands.

  Turning her attention to the island, looking out over the land, suddenly her hopes of saving him vanished. The whole island started wavering and seemed to phase in and out of existence. She had experienced enough dimensional warping to understand that it was soon going to disappear into some dimension somewhere. She quickly sped into the middle of the island. She hoped that the heat sensors might still be able to locate him. At the very least, with any luck, he would see and somehow signal her.

  Slowly circling and looking down, she saw the bizarre tall posts dancing in the wind and de-fragmenting. Palm trees were becoming translucent and disappearing as if being erased from existence. She understood that soon there would no longer be an island here. She was frantically whispering,

  “Santo, Santo, where are you?”

  As the small mountain in the distance started to crumble by the effects of whatever was happening, she sadly understood that his survival looked bleak.

  Back on that lone mountain in the distance, Santo had listened to Niko’s warning about running. Unfortunately, he heeded a primeval instinct, when in danger, run upward. It was probably from man’s ancient association with primates, when in danger, climb a tree. In the hopes of getting a better view and extent of the island’s defragmenting, he had scampered up the lone mountainside. It was the same one that Maria saw breaking up and shattering to pieces. As that was the last of the island to disappear, she steered the D-wing in that direction.

  At the top of a cliff, watching the peak behind him crumbling and disintegrating into thin air, he unfortunately realized that he should not have obeyed primeval instinct. Looking down from his precarious precipice, approximately fifty feet below was the ocean. However, it was not a lifesaving sight. The rumbling and undulating island had created massive waves slamming into the shore. He looked behind him and to his great disappointment nothing had improved in that direction.

  He was quick to recognize his two choices. As he looked down at the roaring waves, he reasoned that maybe if he timed it just right, he could jump and maybe catch a wave on its crest and not be dashed to shreds against the rocks. He turned back to the crumbling hillside and recognized that his only other choice was to jump into the dimensional encroachment and maybe survive wherever he might end up. Once again, he opted for the more hopeful ‘maybe’ choice. He decided to choose his own fate, turn and with any luck catch a friendly wave.

  When he turned back to face the water, at first he thought it was an apparition, a sign that his whole life was about to flash before his eyes. However, after a blink and recovering from the jolt, he realized that it was not an illusion at all. Just a few feet away, Maria sat in her D-wing with the canopy open and staring at him. She did not look glad to see him. Saying nothing, she patted the passenger seat. He accepted the invitation and jumped into the seat.

  Closing the canopy, she circled the island and both saw the cliff and ledge he was standing on crumble into the ocean. Within seconds, the rest of the island shimmered and passed into wherever disappearing islands go. Santo turned his attention from the island to Maria. He wanted to give her a great hug and kiss for coming after him, indeed, saving his life. However, her angry look and cold stare dripping with icicles stopped him cold. He understood that this was not the time for love and affection. He was also quick to understand that he was in a lot of trouble.

  High above the churning ocean, Maria directed her D-wing alongside Santo’s. Both were now hovering in the calm of altitude. Santo looked down and saw the fishermen struggling to keep their shoddy boat afloat in the rough waves. Sure that they were going to be okay, he turned his attention back to Maria and his hovering D-wing just off to the side. While not exactly sure why Maria was giving him the cold shoulder he looked over to his open canopy and soaking wet interior. By her remote control of his craft, she entered a command that turned the D-wing upside down and water poured out of the cockpit. He felt her stern eyes lock onto him. His fear was that she was going to insist he jump in and bring it back to Bulgaria and their hangar. Recognizing that he would rather sit in a soaking wet seat and suffer that discomfort than her cold stare, he was prepared to do so.

  Instead of opening the canopy and insisting that he jump, Maria got busy entering communication codes. A heavy Danish accent came back,

  “Yes Professor, how can we serve you today?”

  “Greetings, Mr. Knudsen. I’m sending you ID codes to unit 17-B. Would you be so kind as to retrieve it. It has sustained severe salt water damage to some of its computers.”

  Knudsen expressed surprise.

  “Salt water? That is not good news. What happened?”

  Not in a mood to explain something that should never have happened, she was stern in her reply.

  “Please transmit the recovery code now and get back to me regarding the damage.”

  Only seconds later, the canopy closed and the wet D-wing shot north to disappear into the far horizon and toward their laboratory in Denmark.

  Still stern of face, Maria set the controls for a return to the House of the Nazarene. Once in flight, Santo could not take the cold treatment any longer. He looked to her and as apologetically as possible weakly said,

  “Thank you for coming after me.”

  A stone face continued to stare straight ahead. After a deep breath Santo reluctantly conceded,

  “Okay, you were right. I should not have gone on the mission alone.”

  Still fearing that her lover had reverted to a man craving the danger that some soldiers desire, his confession bounced off her stone facade.

  After a few more minutes of a tortuous cold shoulder and stony silence, Santo weakened, looked to her and mumbled,

  “Go ahead and say it.”

  A slow robotic head turned to him and he had to look away. After an uncomfortable moment, she snapped,

  “I told you so.”

  Hoping it was the end of it, he slowly reached for her hand. However, the request for forgiveness was denied and her hand quickly snapped away. Apparently, it was not the end of it. He heard the harsh words,

  “You owe me one buster.”

  Chapter 29

  When returning to Headquarters and putting the D-wing down in the hangar, Henrik naturally looked confused. He was expecting two D-wings but only one returned. Santo had to admit that his was in Denmark for repair. While in their bedroom taking off their field outfits, Maria looked to Santo and saw him slipping into a pair of slacks. She asked,

  “What do you think you are doing?”

  Unfortunately for him, it was in the same harsh tone as back in the D-wing. Confused, for he thought it was obvious, he replied,

  “I thought we had a meeting downstairs with Helga.”

  “Yes, well you are not going like that. You stink. Get in the shower first.”

  Belle’s tenacious harassing about a sleepover in the tree house with Robert had finally paid off. It was also Robert’s job to constantly nag his mother about the sleep over. Ss Belle had said,

  “That’s called team work.”

  Waldorf was away on a project and could not attend the meeting held in the big family room downstairs. When
all was ready, everybody present, Helga was the first to speak. Exhibiting normal motherly fears, she said,

  “I don’t see what the attraction is. Why can’t they be happy having a sleepover in the playroom? At least it’s warm and safe in there.”

  Maria agreed but added,

  “They are adventurous. Have you forgotten what it’s like to be that age? If Santo can convince me it’s safe then I vote to let them.”

  Santo looked at Helga and contributed,

  “If it will make you feel better, I’ll have one of my men install monitors inside and out so you can observe them from here.”

  With reluctance, Helga conceded defeat, nodded, and with absolutely no conviction, mumbled words of approval.

  The tree house was in a small grove of trees fifty yards from the mansion. Just to the side of the clearing stood the King Krassimir Rhymen obelisk, a ten-meter high stone spire jutting high above the trees. Currently weatherworn and rustic such was not the case when erected five hundred years ago. At that time, it was a majestic memorial to the first king of the great Rhymen royal dynasty. It now stood overgrown with clinging ivy but nobody wanted to show disrespect to the glory of what once was by removing it. As far as the ruling members of the House of the Nazarene were concerned, it was just one of many relics on the property to be respected.