Time of the Draig

by Lisa Dawn Wadler

  Two weeks earlier, Samantha had read that classified report. The obliterated town had been occupied by their own people, not the enemy. Jeff had been correct, and she told him as much.

  It was late afternoon, and they marched along a trail that headed north toward the lands held by Faolan. The men were paired as they traveled; Private Patrick Weiler took point following Faolan. Behind them were Private Steven Miller, her medic; Sergeant Brad Iduna; Corporal Roy Joven; her problem child, Corporal Roy Jensen; along with a very quiet Warrant Officer Mark Efraim. Efraim was a big man, not quite as large as Boomer, but still imposing. He only answered yes or no with little elaboration. It seemed that Efraim was having issues with the new reality.

  She and Jeff wove among the men, getting to know them and hearing their stories. Her father was correct; you can’t command a soldier if you don’t understand him. Boomer was at her side, observing and listening to everything.

  Thankfully the rest of Faolan’s men kept the herd to the rear. Kagen, Camryn, and Baine used the horses to drive the animals along. The proposed day and a half trip was going to take a lot longer with the animals slowing them down. Samantha thought that was fine as it would give them time to decide if they wanted to change their course.

  Jeff’s voice disturbed her thoughts. “According to Faolan, the cave of choice is right over the next hill. With your permission, I want to send two men for a quick check.”

  “Granted,” Samantha replied. “Take Weiler with you. I’d like observant eyes making sure the area is secure. I’ve got point until we get there.” With that said, Jeff and Weiler jogged ahead and out of sight. She and Boomer moved to the front of the men and to Faolan’s side.

  As they walked, Faolan jumped down from his horse. “You must be tired, Major Samantha. Please take my mount.” He had made the same offer repeatedly throughout the day.

  Tired was an understatement, but her philosophy was that if her men walked so did she, and she told him as much. Faolan nodded though seemed confused by the refusal. She answered his unspoken question. “It wouldn’t be right for me to ask more of my men than I am willing to do.”

  The answering smile was genuine and reached his eyes. They almost twinkled with delight. How long has it been since anyone has smiled so sincerely at me? Too long was the answer.

  “We have much in common. I also work alongside my men in all things. As their leader, I train with them and just as hard. My people need to eat, so I have no issue toiling in the fields to plant and harvest my crops.” He looked away with mock guilt as he continued, “Though I try to keep away from the livestock. I dinna care for the foul aroma.”

  There was no choice but to laugh at the comment that had been given with an incredibly boyish charm. “Even that odor is a good one. It’s real.” Samantha took a deep inhale of the clean forest air. She mused out loud. “It’s been way too long since I’ve smelled anything real.” With an elbow jab to Boomer, she finished, “Except for him.”

  Faolan glanced at Boomer. “I understand. He is your man. But I am pleased the lands are to your liking.”

  Boomer laughed and held up his hands. “I can’t do this. I’m going to run ahead and check on the captain.” He didn’t wait for a reply and took off at a slow jog.

  Samantha stuttered, “It’s not what . . . I mean, well.” She stopped long enough to gather her unusually scattered thoughts. “We’re not like that. Boomer is my friend and my guard. For a long time, it has only been us in my lab.”

  The twinkle was back in Faolan’s eye. “Then you are nay wed?”

  Samantha shook her head. “No. My people have been at war for a long time, and my work has been my sole focus.”

  “Among these lands, many have wed to make peace with their neighbors. Did your father never try?” Faolan asked.

  There was no way she was going to try to explain the world as it stood in her time. He would never understand the geo-political forces at play, those who killed for religious glory, or the brutal murder for wealth that no longer had meaning in a world without an economy. She knew she couldn’t explain those who wanted the power UNK005 held so they could destroy the world.

  As she walked beneath the canopy of budding leaves from trees that towered overhead, inhaling air that had never been sullied by pollution or radiation, she looked over at him and said, “It would have never been enough.”

  “You underestimate your worth, Major Samantha,” Faolan answered with a serious tone and a playful wink.

  Before she could reply, they had reached the top of the hill. A sigh escaped her lips at the unspoiled beauty before her. The sun rested above the tree line in the distance, casting warm shadows on the view. Rocks protruded from the forest, making for an uneven landscape mixed with greens, browns, and grays. Sounds of water gurgling made it clear the trail still followed the stream. For a moment, an unfamiliar serenity filled her being.

  One hundred yards ahead, her men waited, signaling the all clear. Samantha called to the men at her back, “Down the hill is camp for tonight. Report to Captain Harrison for duties and then it’s at ease, men.”

  She stepped to the side and made room for the men to pass. Only when they were safely at camp would she proceed.

  Before she could follow her men, Faolan lifted her chin with his finger. “By the smile in your eyes, I can see you are pleased. But tell me what pleases you most.”

  The index finger burned under her chin, and his warm eyes begged for an answer. In that single moment marked by his light touch, nothing else existed: no war, no fear, only him. Samantha choked out the reply, “It’s a beautiful view.” Her gaze no longer searched the countryside; it settled on the warm chocolate of his eyes.

  Faolan’s hand cupped her cheek, and he stared down at her. “‘Tis the finest view my eyes have ever held,” he said in a husky whisper.

  She may have spent almost five years locked in a secret lab buried beneath the desert, but she knew he was flirting with her. It has been a long time since a handsome man has flirted with me. Oh, no! When did I begin thinking of him as handsome? She thought of his bold brown eyes, light brown hair that carried streaks from the sun, chiseled features, and muscular build. From the confidence in the way he held her face, it was obvious he knew he could also be charming.

  At the sound of his name being called back on the trail, she abruptly stepped out of his reach, too disconcerted by the tingle his touch delivered. She frowned when a look of hurt crossed his features, which only made his smile reappear.

  Faolan quickly remounted his horse. “I need to see to my herd and men. Mayhap this night we could speak more.” Without waiting for a reply, he rode.

  Boomer’s voice forced her attention back to the moment. “Looks like I missed something.”

  Anger rose as she felt the blush rise to her cheeks. She scolded, “I think he’s just trying to distract me.” With a grin for Boomer, she added, “But I think he called me pretty, and we know how much I like that. It’s not like I had many compliments trapped below the desert.”

  “He distracted you big time. You never heard me coming up the hill,” Boomer said. “Enough flirting with the guy. Camps been made, and the captain wants to talk.”

  Samantha nodded and made her way down to the camp. The last interference she needed was a flirtation with a man who died almost a millennium before she was born. Her mission needed to be her goal, along with protecting her men, tingles or no tingles.

  Firewood was being gathered, and the cave had been deemed large enough and secure. She walked to Jeff and said, “Now may be a good time to talk, since the locals are dealing with the animals.”

  After her pack thumped to the ground, Jeff led her and Boomer away from the camp to the bed of the stream. He crouched down to cup some water in his hands and washed his face. “I want it all. How are we here, and why?”

&nb
sp; There was only respect for his direct approach. Samantha began, “You are here because I was unwilling to be a party to the death of eight servicemen. It was a large leap of faith to take you along. I don’t have a lot of faith anymore, but my father liked you, and I remembered you.”

  Jeff replied with a look of shock. “The only time we met you were a little kid.”

  Samantha smiled at the memory. The then Major Harrison had come to dinner at the base home in Okinawa. Mom had made her meatloaf for a casual family meal. The major had been polite and relaxed and even listened to her tirade on the tutor who had been assigned to her. At age nine, she was way beyond a traditional homeschool program and bored by the graduate program in which she was enrolled.

  Jeff asked, “How in the world do you remember that?”

  “I have what you might call a photographic memory, though it’s not enough of an explanation. If you want, I could recite the conversation that happened at the dinner table, down to your request for a second helping of Brussels sprouts. All you really need to know is that if I see, read, or experience anything, I know it.”

  Jeff’s hand ran absently over his hair. “Your father claimed you were some type of genius, but I had no idea.”

  She smiled at the echo of her father’s praise. “I hold four PhDs in a variety of physics disciplines, but all of that has little to do with how we are here.” She reached in her computer bag and pulled UNK005 out of its custom pocket. “This is the small version of UNK005, and this one is not known by the powers that be.”

  “I saw a larger version of it on your desk in the lab,” Jeff said as she placed the golf ball-sized object in his hand. “What is it?”

  “Unknown object number five, but don’t ask what one through four are. Even I couldn’t hack that information.” Samantha went on to explain how it had been found in the desert when the base was being excavated, how it had come to be her research project, and how dangerous it was because half of the world wanted it.

  “I was in Germany as part of a research group when I began making progress into tapping its potential. It may be no surprise to hear that weaponry was the goal. But while the initial testing revealed it possible and probable, any weapon made would make nuclear weapons look like rocks. On orders from my father, I sabotaged the research. But some of the scientists got wind of the findings. It’s my belief that part of the war is based on trying to capture this object. The interesting part is that to date I am the only one who has been able to communicate with it.” There was no pride in the statement, only raw fact. She asked, “Do you feel anything?”

  Jeff held the object in his hand and stared at the dark swirls within while he answered, “No.”

  “I do. When I hold it, there is always a light vibration.” She tried to decide how to best describe what she knew. “I carry multiple genetic mutations. My photographic memory is one. My green eyes are a dominant trait, and they shouldn’t be, as green eyes are the weakest of eye color genes. I’ve been told that the gene is so strong that my children, grandchildren, and beyond will have green eyes. While the field of genome study is new, I know that I have multiple other variations. This may be why UNK005 communicated with me alone.” She left out the gut feeling that maybe her father had, in part, been correct—UNK005 did appear to like her and always seemed to welcome her when she logged in.

  Jeff mulled over what she had said and just nodded. “What is it?”

  “Contained and condensed dark matter.” Seeing the confusion on his face, she clarified, “Atoms and matter as we understand them comprise less than five percent of the known universe. The other ninety-five percent is, in theory, made up of dark matter and dark energy. While there is no known way to measure dark matter, it affects visible matter, radiation, and the large-scale structure of the universe . . . in theory.” Samantha held the round sphere up to the fading rays of the day and said, “This orb and its big brother contain dark matter along with a neural-based computer database.”

  Jeff rose from his rock and began pacing. The small rocks of the streambed crackled under his boots. After a while, he said, “So you are telling me that an object of unknown origins contains something that we can’t prove exists and that it has the ability to destroy the world and open doors in time.”

  “You’re simplifying it a bit, but yes.” It could do so much more than that, she was certain. The mysteries of the universe were contained within the sphere, and she had only begun to scratch the proverbial surface.

  “You said neural based. Do you connect yourself to unknown tech?” Jeff asked.

  “I do, and to date there have been no harmful side effects,” Samantha said.

  “Bullshit, Sam,” Boomer interjected. “When you are connected with that thing, you lose touch with reality.” Looking at Jeff, he added, “It’s why she needs a guard. She’s a sitting duck when she’s connected.”

  Ignoring the outburst, she continued, “My goal was to be the one to dig UNK005 out of the desert sand first and bury it somewhere so remote and deep that no one would ever find it. The only question that remains is, can I still do that?”

  Jeff stopped pacing long enough to ask, “Is there still a risk to our world because the big one is in the lab?”

  “Yes.” The answer was simple even if the size of that risk still needed to be researched.

  “Then we need to proceed with your initial mission and find a way back. You have my full support, Major. Let’s stop this war before it even begins,” Jeff stated.

  Samantha was going to argue and tell him about the consequences of their actions. Their time may no longer exist, and moving forward seemed impossible. Plus, she would have to go back to the lab and regain possession of UNK005, the larger. Something tickled the back of her mind; there was something she had missed, and she knew it. She only said, “I agree.”

  Boomer looked over at her. “What did you leave out?”

  The man knew her too well. She said, “It’s always been my belief as I’ve researched the quantum doors that you can’t go forward as the future is unwritten. But I may be wrong. There is an idea, but it’s not complete. I need time to think about it and somewhere quiet to work.”

  Jeff crouched before her. “Then we proceed with the plan. We go home with Faolan, and you work behind his nice strong walls. I will tell the men you are working on a way to prevent the war via your research. That should make everyone happy.”

  Samantha added, “We’re messing up this timeline in the process.”

  The captain smiled and waved aside the concern. “Maybe, but we’re remote, and our impact should only affect his lands. Odds are any improvements we make on sanitation and security will have short-term impact. People are creatures of habit, and they will revert back to old patterns after we leave.”

  With hesitation, Samantha added, “You are assuming I can get us out.”

  “Yes, but if you can’t get us out, we can make this little corner of the world better and live simple lives.” He paused before he asked, “Have you considered the possibility that we were supposed to be here? Maybe all of this isn’t a mistake. Maybe this past is supposed to be our future.”

  Her eyes rolled in her head as she said, “I think you’ve watched way too much sci-fi.”

  Again Faolan found himself watching from the cover of the brush, while he listened to Major Samantha and Jeff. The pair sat on a fallen log away from their men, who enjoyed the campfire in the almost-dark evening.

  Jeff laughed as he said, “Now I know why Boomer left to join the men. Can’t you just enjoy a star-filled night? I really don’t care what kind of shift makes them look different from our night sky.”

  Samantha answered, “I said it’s called axial precession.”

  The man pointed to the sky and laughed. “Look, pretty stars.”

  Samantha’s warm laughter greeted Faolan
’s ears as she said, “Fine, it’s a lovely night.” Faolan saw her gaze shift to look at the man by her side. “Why aren’t you at least a little concerned about what happened today?”

  “Today I thought I was going to die in a bombing. Instead, I’m breathing and free for the moment. The men all feel the same way. When life gives you a gift, you take it with both hands.” As if answering an unspoken question, Jeff continued, “We’ll see what comes next. Either you find a way back and we right some very big wrongs or we learn to survive here. I know that I’ll enjoy some sleep tonight without fearing a bullet in my head at any moment.”

  When a twig snapped underfoot, Faolan whispered a curse. He had wanted to hear more of their unguarded thoughts before making his offer. Maybe the fates are pushing me forward.

  Faolan stepped from the cover of the trees. “I had hoped to find an opportunity to speak with you both. May I join you?”

  Jeff waved him forward as he cautioned, “Just be prepared for a lecture on celestial activities.” Jeff winked as Samantha jabbed her elbow into his ribs. He continued, “I had hoped you might be willing to leave the safety of the trees and join us.”

  “You kenned I was there?” Faolan asked, surprised that they had heard him.

  “It’s been my job to be constantly aware of my surroundings.” Jeff added with a nod, “Besides, I have a man posted listening to your men.”