After the wedding, Jack and Rita went straight to their room. "I hope they have room service," said Jack.
"I believe I remember seeing a menu the last time we took this shuttle," said Rita. "Here it is. Don't tell me you're hungry all ready?"
"No, but you're the only person I want to see for the next 36 hours," said Jack.
"That's sweet Jack, but I doubt you can last that long," said Rita.
"If you let me get some sleep every now and then, I might surprise you," said Jack.
34 hours later. "You surprised me, Jack," said Rita. "I didn't know anyone could sleep that much."
"What are you talking about? I hardly slept at all," said Jack.
"I was kidding, Jack. You were wonderful," said Rita.
"You're not so bad yourself, Rita Weston," said Jack.
"We had better get dressed. We're almost there," said Rita.
"A quick shower and I'm ready," said Jack.
"What's your plan. Where do we begin our investigation?" Rita asked as she buckled her seat belt.
"I want to go right to where they've seen the ghosts," said Jack.
"Listen to yourself, Jack," said Rita. "What's the chance they can actually see ghosts?"
"Well, they've obviously seen something to make them believe there are ghosts," said Jack.
As they exited the shuttle, they were met by a security agent from the mine. "Do you need to go to the hotel first?" he asked.
"No, take us to the mine," said Jack. "I understand that it is shut down during the weekend. Will there be anyone there to fill us in on these ghost sightings?"
"I probably know as much as anyone. There haven't been any actual sightings, just mysterious occurrences," the agent said.
"What sort of mysterious occurrences?" asked Jack.
"Tools lost and later found, footprints in secured areas, voices when no one's around, that sort of thing," he replied.
"How do you protect the miners from the radioactivity?" asked Rita.
"Shielded suits. The miners don't actually do much manual labor. It's almost fully automated," he replied. "They don't get anywhere near the actual digging."
"Do they wear the suits during their entire shift?" Rita asked.
"Most don't wear them at all. They spend all their time in shielded rooms watching monitors and pushing buttons. It's only when something goes wrong that they need to use the suits," he replied.
"We're here. Let's go in and I'll show you the layout of the mine," the agent said. " If you're going into the tunnels, you'll need suits and you'll be on your own. Cell phones don't work, but there are land phones in the tunnels. Rules require someone to be in the control room while others are in the tunnel," he said.
"We'll definitely be going into the tunnel. Is there a time limit with these suits?" asked Jack."How long can you go without food?"
"There is water enough for a couple of days in the suits. The air is filtered and as long as you don't stir up a lot of dust, it should be good for almost a week. You can refill the water supply at a few key locations in the tunnels. There are also oxygen tanks at each of the watering stations just in case."
"How long is the tunnel?" asked Rita. "Are the suits heavy?"
"The tunnel is a little over three miles long at this time. It gets a few feet longer each day we dig. The suits weighs around twelve pounds. You have mikes and speakers in your helmets so you can communicate in close proximity to each other," he said. "Don't remove these suits under any condition until you are back in the decontamination room."
"What about lighting. Are the tunnels well lit?" asked Jack.
"There is no lighting at all in the tunnels. You'll each get a flashlight to carry and a spare one in your utiliity belts," he said. "I wouldn't suggest carrying anything else you don't absolutely have to take. You can't get lost; just follow the steel tracks till you reach the digger. There are no side tunnels. Call me on one of the land phones if there is a problem or to keep me up to date. Just pick it up and talk."
"Did the radiation levels of the ore change overnight or was it more gradual?" Jack asked.
"It changed almost overnight. We were about 1.5 miles in when it changed," he replied.
"Has anyone checked the radiation levels at the dig site?" asked Jack.
"We plan to do that the next time we have to go in to do repairs on the digger," he replied.
"How often do you have to do repairs?" asked Jack.
"It varies, but it has been quite some time since it last broke down," he replied. "You can check it yourself when you reach the digger. Your utility belt contains a monitor. Just push the button to take a reading."
"Let's get into our suits," Jack said to Rita.
"We'd better use the restroom first. The suits will make that impractical later," Rita said.
"Good point. The restrooms are down the hall," said the agent. "After you put the suits on, continue to the end of the hallway and press the button. I'll open the airlock and let you out."
"Okay. We appreciate you using your day off to help us," Jack said.
"Oh, I'm being well paid to do this, but hurry up every chance you get. I have plans for tomorrow that don't include the mine," he replied.
As Jack and Rita reached the airlock, Jack pressed the button. The airlock opened with a loud hiss. After they entered, the door closed and the opposite door opened. The first part of the tunnel was dimly lit by the light above the airlock door. Jack turned on his flashlight and directed Rita to do the same. "Can you hear me okay?" Jack asked.
"Loud and clear," Rita replied. "Can you hear me?"
"Yes, I hear you," Jack replied. "Are you ready?"
"Ready as I'll ever be. Let's go," Rita answered as she took the lead.
"Keep your eyes open for anything out of the ordinary," said Jack.
"What's ordinary? I've never been in a mine before," said Rita.
"Hopefully we'll know it if we see it," said Jack.
The tracks were identical to railroad tracks back on earth. The tunnel walls made it impractical to walk outside the tracks. "Let me take the lead," said Jack. "We'll need to walk in single file."
"I'd hate to be in here when the train is running," said Rita. "It could get awfully crowded."
"I saw the train parked back past the air lock," said Jack.
As they walked along there was complete silence except for the footsteps. "Wait a minute. I thought I saw something," said Jack as he raised his flashlight and aimed it a little ways down the track. "Look. A pair of eyes. Some sort of animal, I think."
"Seems pretty small. Probably a rat. I hate rats," said Rita.
Suddenly the eyes disappeared. As they reached the point where they had seen the eyes, Jack took a close look at the track. "The rat, if that's what it was, has been gnawing on something. This is odd. This should be solid steel," said Jack.
"What should be solid steel?" asked Rita. "Was it gnawing on the rail?"
"No, it was gnawing on this brace that connects two rails together. These braces should be solid steel," Jack said as he tapped his metal flashlight against it. "This one is plastic and coated to look like all the others."
"Why would they use plastic instead of steel?" asked Rita.
"Because it's a nonconductor," said Jack. Jack pulled a knife out of his utility belt and used the blade to fill the gap between the two rails. A small spark and then the entire tunnel glowed bright blue. "I can't see. Can you?" Jack said as he pulled away the knife.
"No. Are the flashlights on?" asked Rita.
"I think so," Jack said as he stood up. "I'm dizzy. Where are you?"
"I'm right here. I'm dizzy too. Reach out your hand. There you are. We'd better sit down for a minute," said Rita.
"That flash of blue light must have blinded us temporarily," said Jack.
"You can see now?" asked Rita.
"Not yet, but it has to be temporary. I've got to see your face again," said Jack. "I think I'm going to have to lie down, I'm getting sick at
my stomach."
"Me too. What do you think that light was?" asked Rita.
"Something to neutralize the radiation of the ore as the ore cars move pass this point. Someone doesn't want earth to have the ore in its pure form," said Jack.
"But who would want that? The ore is shared by all nations," said Rita.
"A closer look at the technology may tell us something, but I'm in no condition to check it out now," said Jack. "How far away was that last phone we passed?"
"I don't remember exactly," said Rita. "Ten feet is too far in our condition."
"I'm getting sleepy. I can't keep my eyes open. At least I think they're closed," said Jack.
"Me too. Hold me, Jack. I'm scared," said Rita.
Jack awoke on what seemed like a reclining bed. Indicators above his head seemed to be monitoring his life signs. "I've died and gone to Trekkie heaven," Jack thought. It reminded him of sick bay on Star Trek. Jack looked to his left and there was Rita lying on a similar bed. "Wake up, Rita. Are you okay?" Jack whispered loudly.
Rita opened her eyes and looked around. Seeing Jack, she smiled. "Where are we?" she asked. "Are you okay?"
"I think I'm all right, but I have no idea where we are," Jack said. "The agent must have called for help when we didn't return."
"We're not on the moon, Jack. Try to raise your arm. That's earth gravity. They have hospitals on the moon. They wouldn't have taken us back to earth," said Rita. "There's something going on here beyond the ordinary. Take a look at this technology. Have you ever seen anything like it?"
"You're right. I think we may be dealing with aliens," Jack said.
"Jack, look at the markings on the monitors. They're in English. I think we've traveled through time," Rita said.
"Very good, Miss Hopper. You're even smarter than Jack," said the stranger who just entered the room.
"That's Mrs. Weston and only in some ways," said Rita. "Jack is smart in his own way."
"Thanks, Rita. Now tell us what's going on here," Jack said to the stranger.
"You two were injured by our neutralizer beam. You would have died if we hadn't found you when we did," said the stranger. "We were investigating why the beam was triggered on a weekend."
"Why are you reducing the ore's radiation?" asked Jack.
"I guess we'll have to tell you, since we need your help," he replied. "We can't allow humanity to use the ore in its pure form."
"I guessed that, but why? Are we going to blow ourselves up or something?" Jack asked.
"Nothing that dramatic, but devastating just the same," he said.
"Get to the point," said Jack.
"They would have used the ore to develop an energy source capable of creating warp drive. They will discover another planet capable of supporting life. Half the people on Earth move to this new planet, taking most of the ore with them," he said.
"That's great, man has always dreamed of going to the stars," said Rita.
"Well, this star went supernova a few hundred years after they arrived. They had already scrapped the space ships and used the materials for other purposes since they had already used most of the fuel. When the supernova occurred, they were trapped there with no hope of survival. The gamma rays from the supernova struck Earth a few years later killing 95 percent of all remaining life."
"That's terrible," said Rita. "But what can we do?"
"We're preventing Earth from using the ore to create warp speed. We need you to convince Earth to create a power shield capable of diverting the Gamma Rays when the star goes supernova," he replied. "You can't tell them about us or what you now know about the future."
"But such interference would change the future so that your future will never occur," said Jack. "We're talking about a paradox if those Earthlings that went to the other planet remain here on Earth instead."
"If Earth doesn't come up with another way to create warp drive, we'll give them the technology. Those people have to leave. But they will have a chance this time if they can get there and still have enough fuel to leave before the supernova. Earth will be protected if a shield is developed," he said. "That's where you come in."
"Can't you just give them the technology?" asked Rita.
"We try to avoid this sort of interference in Earth's progress. We will give it to them as a last resort, but that's assuming someone who knows about this conversation is still around when the time comes," he said. "Every time we interfere, the chances of that becomes slimmer."
"The agent back at the mine must be worried about us. You've got to get us back immediately," said Jack.
"You two will need another two weeks to fully recover. When you're ready, we'll get you back two minutes before you activated the beam. Think of this as a honeymoon. Enjoy yourselves," he said.
"There's this little island in the South Pacific," said Jack. "Do you suppose ... ?"
"Say no more. If it is still there, it's yours for two weeks," he said. "It's the least we can do for the man who's going to save Earth."
RITA'S STORY
"Rita, you never told me how you are able to see ghosts. Were you born with that ability?" Jack asked.
"My grandma always claimed that she could see ghosts. Most of the family didn't believe her, including me. I always thought she was a little bit strange," said Rita.
"So you inherited the ability from her?" Jack asked.
"Well, not exactly. You see ... I have my grandma's eyes," said Rita.
"I have my father's eyes, but what does that have to do with anything?" asked Jack.
"You don't understand. Let me start from the beginning. It all started when I got the word that Rick was missing. We had only been married for a week when he shipped out, but we had been sweethearts through most of our college years," said Rita.
"You had never seen ghosts before then?" Jack asked.
"No, and I still couldn't see them at that point. Let me finish. This isn't easy for me," Rita said.
"I'm sorry. I'll try not to interrupt," Jack said.
"I was an emotional wreck. Rick and I had such wonderful plans, and we loved each other so much. It had been hard enough while he was away, but at least I could look forward to his coming home," Rita said.
"Did he write?" asked Jack.
"Every chance he got, at least once a week," said Rita. "Then the letters stopped."
"What did you do? How long before they notified you that he was missing," asked Jack.
"I talked to the recruiter, but he wasn't any help. It was over a month after the letters stopped before I got word that he was missing and supposedly dead," Rita replied. "I cried myself to sleep every night."
"And after you got the word from the army, what happened?" asked Jack.
"I went to live with my grandma. I sold our house because it reminded me of my loss," said Rita. "I still hoped Rick would return but until he did, I couldn't go on by myself in that house."
THE GHOSTLY CHRONICLES Page 12
