“So it’s about what; why is he doing this?”
Bellos stopped and looked Jack in the eye.
“It’s about C.P.T., your new treatise and time travel. It’s about control, Jack; control. He is out of control. He’s obsessed. By the way; where is your son, Brian?”
Bellos turned away and began walking through the rubble, to the car again.
“Brian is at the law library, I think; then, home, until the Dave Marshall decision.”
“Oh my; Dave Marshall,” Dr. Richard said. “Has it been that long? Time passes so quickly and we forget so much; so many important things. That’s why I have always supported that ‘time travel’ should be available to the public.”
“Yes Dad, I know your views on this. Listen you two. I am sure Brock is trying to throw off my departure with the three clergy. I cannot miss that, because of the ‘Time-Trust’ parameters and Carrier treaty commitments. Dad, please stay on campus. Manage ER efforts for me; and work with the Arden Police. Jack, come with me.”
The two got into Bellos’s limo, for the brief ride back to Andrews.
“Take us to entrance five, will you, Mike?”
“Yes, Sir; by the way, something I think is important, given the immediate circumstances.”
“Yes?”
“About Mrs. Sheldon, this afternoon; I thought it strange she left from the Fargo airfield.”
“I don’t understand.”
“Dr. Jack called me. He asked me to drive her to the campus airstrip. She said, I should take her to Fargo. I thought nothing of it and cancelled the other plane reservation. Now, given the bombs; well, I just thought I would mention it. That’s all.”
Jack exploded, “Christ! You idiot,! Why didn’t you say something; call me; send up a red flag, shit!”
Bellos pushed a button, raising the window behind the driver’s front seat.
“Calm down, Jack. Take it one step at a time.”
Within ten minutes, they were in Bellos’s office, on the tenth floor of Andrews. Bellos made a Knofer call to Ever-Life Post 5, station 120, Peru, South America.
“I need surveillance, throughout the continent and Post, to trace Knofer numbers 1961 and1969.”
“Yes Sir; it may take a little time. We have to follow Carrier treaty protocols…”
“Do whatever you have to. We need to find those Knofers now!”
The GGM cut the call.
“Frankly, I’ll be glad when the C.P.T. replacements take the hologram’s places. At least we will be dealing with emotional beings…
…Abby; first, I want you to start surveillance on both Brian Sheldon, and Angie, until Jake or I release the security protocols. Take Dr. Sheldon, here, to Washington D.C. Use the plane on the main Campus runway. I know it’s all fueled. Try to trace the one Rachel Sheldon took, work with the F.A.A….”
“I did Sir. There’s no record of a flight plan.”
Bellos tapped his Knofer, “Get me Mike Warren.”
In a matter of seconds, Bellos’s Knofer clicked again.
“Yes, Sir; Mike here.”
“Mike, did you see the plane Rachel Sheldon took?”
“It was a Hushjet-36. The only noticeable marking was a yellow seagull’s silhouette, on the tail.”
Bellos looked at Abby.
“Got it,” she said.
“Thanks, Mike. Call me if you remember anything else.”
“One more thing, Sir; I found a small bug-recording device, in the limo. I just gave it to security, level 6.”
“Abby?”
“I’m on it.”
“Thanks Mike…Abby, get going with Jack here. Call me en route, with updates. Your priority is to see that these two are safely returned, back to Andrews.”
“Got it.”
“You meet Mr. Charles Ross, and investigate any possible involvement, with Rash InVoy or Brock. Alert your team, out there. Be lawful, please?”
Jack was getting more nervous, the more he listened.
“Matt, I haven’t heard from Rachel, at all-no texts, no messages, nothing…And she doesn’t answer.”
“Where are your Knofers, Jack?”
“Jesus Matt, we don’t carry that shit.”
Abby replied, “Great; another dinosaur. I’ll bet you a dime, they’re the missing ones.”
“Give Dr. Sheldon another one, right now!”
“Stick it in your pants or up your ass, Jack; but keep it on you. You understand? Where the hell are the two we gave you?”
“Home, I think; I don’t know.”
Johnson whispered under her breath, “How can someone so brilliant be so stupid.”
Jack was quick to challenge, “I heard that. I just don’t see them as a priority in my life, young lady.”
“What about now?”
“Don’t lose it, Jack. Learn it. Now get going. I have to meet with our guests, the three fathers.”
Abby gently squeezed Jack’s arm. “Let’s go, Doctor.”
Jack and Abby went to Bellos’s private elevator, stepped in, and pushed the button to floor #1.”
Bellos heard his Knofer again. As he walked, he listened.
“Sir, this is Jacque at Time Trust in Post #2, Giza. We need to know how to proceed with our new guests.”
Bellos didn’t skip a beat, “Make sure they are comfortable, but isolated and secure. Contact me if there is a problem.”
Bellos walked to the oval room and took a call from the Andrews Emergency Room.
“Hello, Bellos here.”
“Yes Sir; this is Stacey, we need you here…”
Chapter 10
Detective/ Detective
Gordon Swanson and Jake Burns finished their briefing, with the colonies’ security managers. They sat in Swanson’s office, thinking about the whirlwind of events. Jake took the moment to sort and keep issues, in perspective; but, he noticed an unusual look on Swanson’s face; something he never saw before.
“Sir…Gordon; are you all right?”
“Jake; I am just trying to put so many things together. I used to do this in less than a minute. You don’t miss being GGM, unless you need it.”
Jake shrugged and commented, “I have no idea what you mean. It’s all a puzzle; I realize that.”
“Follow me on this. The Carriers have always been the keepers of time travel; as long as I have known about it; well over 1200 years now that I know of. They have taught us the reality of time; that it is merely an abstract concept, which we humans invented and use to measure events or cycles. I accepted that premise, from the beginning, you see. Therefore, it was with much confidence that I accepted time travel could only take place within time measured. If there is no measure, there is no time to travel within. That is why we could never go into the future. No event has taken place in time; or so we were convinced to think.”
“Yes, basic ‘Time-Trust’ orientation.” Jake scratched his head. “What are you thinking?”
“First, consider the recent discovery at the particle accelerator at O.P.A.S.-Oregon Particle Acceleration Sciences. Some time ago, they discovered a new atomic sub-particle. It ‘pulses’, differently than anything else ever detected. Test results showed that it is moving from one time to another, with each pulse. They called it the ‘bridge particle’. I was supposed to have a meeting with our contact in Seattle; but, your Bering Straits conference and Mathew’s ceremony postponed our sending anyone to meet. I want you to go there. Investigate the whole thing. Write this down, or activate your Knofer on its priority calendar…
…Second, consider our immediate danger, Brock. If he has found away to travel through time; how, precisely is he doing it?”
Jake thought and offered, “Perhaps he has found a way to use the discovery at O. P. A.S.”
“Precisely; but how? I have always found the simple and obvious to be our best guide. Let us consider; Mr. Brock simply bought the technology, bought the findings.”
“Sounds like him, that’s for sure.”
“Y
es but; they wouldn’t sell that kind of thing. He must have done something else. He; he bought the man. He paid off an employee. Christ, Jake, he hired one of the scientists from O.P.A.S. to run Time Travel Inc. And then, when he was sure they discovered how to travel in time, he bought the company. By God; that is it!”
“But who?”
“Jake, contact our Post station in Seattle. See if any records show anyone at Brock’s new found treasure, who worked at O.P.A.S…Now man, do it!”
Jake tapped his Knofer and got a security station manager, under Seattle.
“Yes; this is Margret Carver; what can I do for you?”
“Yes, Carver; this is Jake Burns?”
“Yes Sir?”
“Pull up employee records for Oregon Particle Acceleration Sciences, outside Seattle. Also, pull up anything we have on Time travel Inc’s employee records. Are there any names that match?”
“Let me see, Sir; checking now; yes, just one, Sir.”
“Name, please”
“Dr. Hamil G. Stevens…Oxford, M.I.T., Randhouse Physics, Group Leader at MicroCern, before transferring to O.P.A.S. Last year he accepted the position of Chief Particle Physicist at Tim Travel Inc.”
Burns and Swanson looked wide eyed at each other.
“Thank you, Carver.”
Jake cut the call. Swanson sat shook his head. His mind was in overdrive.
“You see Jake; look for the simple. Look for the obvious. They stick out, for a reason. How soon can we find this, Mr. Stevens?”
“Consider it done.”
“Good, now next; let me think. Follow me on this one.”
Swanson triggered his Knofer, “Display fabric residue dated today, # 1035, and results labeled Morgue Cloth, # 909, last year.”
“What are you doing?”
“After all these years; I hate to even think of it, but Mathew found a piece of something, a fabric at the Fargo bombings. It disintegrated.”
The Knofer displayed two small piles of black soot
“Look at these, Jake”
The Knofer placed the holographic images next to one another, above the desk.
“Run comparative analysis: search for Carbon Tetron.
“So what?”
“Carbon Tetron is only found below 100 miles of the Earth’s surface. Look, they are almost identical.”
“So the fabric at Fargo was Carrier skin?”
“Yes Jake, look at that.”
Swanson pointed to the display.
“This is from the shootings at the morgue; and that is from the Fargo bombing.”
Swanson reached for the Carrier statue and shook it slightly. “What if there is a rogue Carrier? What if Brock has it? Even worse; what if that Carrier, voluntarily, went to Brock?”
“Why would a Carrier do that?”
Jake thought in silence for a moment; and then, he stood up; his face blushing.
“Brock was in one, remember? His clone was anyway. I smell something more rotten, than I care to believe, Mr. Secretary; and I don’t like it.”
Swanson looked puzzled.
“Really; what?”
“The Carrier that took Brock away, those months ago; we all thought Mr. Brock was gone-dead. What if, instead of the Carrier killing his clone, it had ‘a compatibility’ with him?
The real Brock has been trying to figure out ‘time travel’, and the Clone Brock already has the vehicle to travel in time. What if Clone Brock and the Carrier team up, with O.P.A.S. and the real Brock?”
“Well my boy, that would explain quite a bit; now wouldn’t it.”
“Ah…I sound like a stupid old TV soap Opera.”
“Yes, you do. Is that what you don’t like, my boy?”
Jake got a sinking feeling, in his stomach, as he found his way back to the chair.
“What is it, son; speak up?”
Jake looked around, rolling his eyes.
“Well, Sir; I know you hired me, because you knew I was a good detective; but, right now, I am not so sure I want to be.”
“Tell me, damn it!”
“You said it has been over 200 years, since the last ‘compatibility’.”
“Yes, quite so…”
“The Carrier that talked to me this morning said the same thing.”
“What are you getting at?”
“If that’s true, what are the chances of two different people having ‘a compatibility’, at the same time? There has to be a connection. It is the obvious, simple answer.”
“To what, Jake?”
“That your Mr. Brock and I are connected.”
Swanson sighed and closed his eyes a second; as if he wasn’t surprised, somehow. Jake saw it in his face, and leapt to his feet.
“You know! You knew! You have known all along!”
“Now, wait just a minute, Jake.”
“No, it was right in front of me, all the time; and I couldn’t, I wouldn’t see it.”
Jakes face got beet red. He extended his arm and pointed his finger at Swanson.
“What the hell is our connection, Mr. Secretary? Why would Brock and I both be ‘compatible’ with Carriers? Tell me; or, so help me, you will never make it to the C.P.T. make over. You won’t make it out of this room.”
Swanson stood and raised his hands, trying to diffuse Jake’s emotional outburst, “Jake, calm yourself. Everything is fine. Sit down; listen to me.”
“I will calm down, if I like what you tell me.”
“Well, you are a good detective. I don’t know of anyone who has the powers of deduction like you do, except, of course me, our GGM.”
“Spit it out, Gordon. The whole truth or I swear…!”
“Jake, sit down; you look ridiculous. I have been following Brock for years. I traced his money and banking empire from country to country, continent to continent. I needed to keep an eye on every aspect of his empire, to assure his worldwide schemes did not interfere, or invade our Ever-Life interests on the surface. Marion Brock comes from a very long lineage of Brocks. They have bought and sold fire arms and ammunitions since the mid 1960’s.”
“So; what has that got to do with me and ‘compatibilities’?”
“Jake, you just did a search, for an employee, with your station security girl, Carver; and look what you came up with, in just three lousy minutes. Can you imagine what I came up with, searching Brock’s history?”
“What the hell are you talking about?”
Swanson hesitated and then took a deep breath.
“Jake, you and Marion Brock are related…While it is a distant relation; you are related. You carry several identifiable genetic characteristics.”
“Bullshit!”
“I am afraid it is true. There is no doubt.”
Jake ran his hands through his hair.
“So; did you know this, when we met for the first time at the arms convention?”
“Yes.”
“Christ! You played me. You have been playing me, ever since. Why? For what? Did you think I was in cahoots with Brock? Do you think I am a link to his empire? Why Gordon? Why?”
Swanson walked around his desk and stood in front of Jake eye to eye.
“I don’t assume, Jake; I deduce. I was GGM for God’s sake. I knew you were a good man; but, all of Ever-Life is based on genetics. Everyone here has a genetic record. We do not have records on everyone on the surface. The Carriers insisted that I check your history. They wouldn’t say why. I never believed you were part of Brock. Now, that the cap of GGM is passed to the next man, my thinking and deductive strengths are getting weaker. With you on the job, we are going to solve this. ”
“Candy Ass Bullshit! That doesn’t excuse or explain your deception.”
“I have not deceived you, or anyone. I did my job; and, I am doing it now. Stop reacting with emotions. Stick to using your brain.”
Swanson squeezed Burns shoulders; and then, he walked back around the desk, to his chair.
“Now let’s get back at it. There is somet
hing else, regarding this, that we must consider; and you may be the only one who can do something.”
“Jesus, do what; what next?”
“What if during Brock’s ‘compatibility’; what if it shared its thoughts with Brock?”
Jake blinked and cocked his head.
“Is that even possible?”
“That’s how we found out about many things down here, in the first place; eons ago. In the beginning, ‘compatibilities’ were two way. We humans are the ones, who eventually insisted on one way transmissions. Many of us died, from the intensity of the two-way exchanges. Eventually, treaties banned two –ways, and with good reason…”
“So; you think Brock and the Carrier are having mind melds.”
“It would fit, Jake.”
“What if? It’s all speculation.”
“I think Brock learned how the Carriers move through time; and he has shared enough information with Stevens to give Time Travel Inc. the boost it needs to succeed.”
“If Brock has a Carrier, he has to keep it out of sunlight. Where would he keep it? Carriers can’t be confined…Plus, our Ever-Life posts or surface contacts would have alerted us. The Carriers would have alerted us. And if there is one, on the surface, their hive signal strength has to be too weak, for it to function.”
“Fair points; unless Brock’s ‘compatibility sustenance’ feeds the Carrier, enough to superpower it. If Brock is strong enough, then the question becomes, could the Carrier convince others of its kind to rebel against the hive, and follow him. Brock’s control could spread throughout Carriers’ sharing, and pervert the hive, turning them against the Ever-Life colonies. The combination of that, and Brock traveling in time, changing everything, would result in catastrophe. Any way you evaluate this scenario, it’s ‘bad’ for us; all of us…You have to contact your Carrier1111. You need to convince her to have a two-way exchange with you. You have to find out, if anything we have speculated is fact. Your Carrier will know something.”
“Agreed; but, when this is over, you and I are going to hash my heritage out.”
“And another thing, have her report on all the interruptions, regarding your author’s timeline. She took you before. She should have the best time travel recall; if you can get her to tell you. Tell her you want to go back to see him again. I don’t care. Be creative. Maybe she can sense Brock travelling. And don’t forget Stevens, in Seattle.”
Ever-Life the Two Book Set: The C.P.T Incident and Time Trust Page 29
