Comes Great Responsibility

by Chuck Kienzle

  They definitely wanted to hide what they were doing, but from who?

  When we were a hundred feet above the base I “felt” we passed through some kind of force field and I heard from my comm link,” Contact lost.”

  “That was the distortion field around the base. It blocks unauthorized communications,” Jacobs said.

  It did more than that. I was sure that, not only, did it block my “sight”, it blocked telepathic contact. They wanted whatever was going on in the base secure from the outside world.

  “We will need to be able to contact the Agency,” John said.

  “Of course, you will have access to the bases communication system,” Jacobs said.

  John, Mandisa and I unbuckled our seat belts and followed Jacobs and Torres outside the plane. It was bright and sunny as it would be almost all day in the Land of the Midnight Light. The snow caped mountains of the Brooks range rose in the distance. It was cool, but not cold. I “looked” around it seemed to be a normal military base, a central headquarters building, a mess hall, a medical center, base housing, air craft hangers, runway and a small nuclear power plant. A large half geodesic dome dominated the base. It was fifty feet high and about 170 feet across with over 5000 square feet of floor space. I pushed through the psi shield and “saw” the room dominated in the center by, what I assumed, was the portal unit. It was in the middle of a containment room, that had one transparent side, where the control consoles sat. A ten foot by one foot circle was in the unit. Beyond it was just a blank wall. Each console was manned, all by standard powered. Large electrical power lines connected the unit to the nuclear power plant.

  We followed Torres and Jacobs to the dome. We were flanked by two army guard who carried non-standard energy weapons. They were standard powered. Two army guards flanked the entrance. They were, also, standard powered, and the swarming mosquitoes did not bother them. Inside the entrance was an identity scanner similar to the ones at the Agency's headquarters' entrance.

  “The Agency sent your current bio-scans, of course, yours won't show much, Ms. Tarlock,” Jacobs said.

  We stepped through the scanners and did not set off any alarms. The dome went quiet as Doctor Torres walked to the front of the consoles. An Asian looking man handed her a large tablet computer. She tapped a few times and handed it back to him.

  “Begin the test,” she said.

  “You are not closing the inside doors?” John sad to Jacobs, who stood beside us.

  “As your Visitors confirmed, their activities locked our two timelines together, at least in the vicinity of the respective Earths. There is no need for additional protection,” Jacobs said.

  “But, there was before?” I asked.

  “Although only energy can pass through a viewing portal, there was a chance that a portal could allow dangerous levels of energy through, even for the fractions of a second that we originally opened a portal. After our first couple of tests, we realized we were locked on to the same timeline. At this location, there is no dangerous radiation,” Jacobs said.

  I could “see” the energy build up on the portal unit. There was a speck of light at the center of the circle in the unit. It expanded and then faded to reveal an image of the mountains. It was a cloudy day.

  Doctor Torres walked over to us and said,”That is the world your Visitors came from. We have detected no radio transmissions. The radiation levels are normal. We have seen no signs of human activity. Until we heard about your Visitors, we thought that world might be uninhabitable.”

  “You are sure that is the Visitors' world?” I asked.

  “They confirmed that the quantum signature of that timeline matches their own,” she said.

  “Is this the portal we would use?” John said.

  “No, we would use this to get you back. If you follow me, I will show you the other portal unit,” Jacobs said.

  Jacobs looked down and I realized I was six inches above the floor. I landed and we followed Jacobs out of the dome and were joined by our escorts. I was surprised to see a black passenger van parked outside the dome, instead of a military vehicle. The side door was open and our escorts got into the back seat. The three of us got into the middle seat and Jacobs sat in the front passenger bucket seat. A woman, dressed in black, including a black leather jacket was the driver. I could “see” the semi-automatic hand gun in her shoulder holster. She wore sunglasses. We drove away from the base to what used to be the Gerstle River Test Site. We were on a relatively new wide paved road with a set of power lines running beside it. A building that looked like a large aircraft hanger sat in the middle of the site. The entire building was, also, psi-blocked. I pushed through it and “saw' the walls and ceiling were reinforced inch thick carbon steel. Despite my best effort, I could only vaguely “see” the portal unit.

  “Whatever you have in there, you don't want anyone outside to see it,” I said.

  “The government wanted to put everything underground, but that would have delayed the project,” Jacobs said.

  “You had a deadline?” John said.

  “There is always a deadline,” Jacobs said.

  Two guards flanked the entrance door and we walked through a security scanner was we walked into the “hanger.” The portal unit was certainly more robust than the viewing portal we saw. I wished I could discuss the design with the Visitors' experts. In front of the portal unit was a military lifting body built for a crew of five on a sled. The sled was on a magnetic catapult. It had two electric turbine jet engines which could be used for forward thrust and downward thrust for vertical landing. A orbital propulsion module would be attached for independent in orbit flight.

  Jacobs pointed to the craft and said,” That is the best we could get on short notice. The suspension on the sled should protect the lifting body from damage when it hits the ground on the other side of the portal. From then on, you will have to supply the propulsion to get it to and from the Moon.”

 
  Mandisa took almost twenty seconds to “scan” the device.

  >It is similar, but more powerful>

 
  >It seemed similar to the ones I am familiar with, just a bit more primitive.>

 
  >Again, slightly more primitive, but over powered.>

  We walked up to the front of the unit. It had a twenty foot hole where the portal was generated. That seemed a bit large.

  “It seems to be a bit over powered,” I said to Jacobs.

  He seemed surprised and said,” The unit is designed to generate a more lasting portal.”

  >He may be correct, I am not an expert in the field, but I have never seen a unit so over powered.>

  ”Since I don't see any control room here, I assume that it is controlled from a remote location,” John said.

  “It is controlled from the other location on the base. It was more cost effective,” Jacobs said.

 
  >It is not uncommon for viewing portals in remote locations.>

  “Has it been tested?” I said.

  “Only as a viewing portal, of course. But, we have no reason to believe that it will not work as a transit portal,” Jacobs said.

  “It only gets one shot,” I said.

  Jacobs laughed and said,” Don't worry. It will work.”

  Chapter 15 Thursday, July 22, 3:00 PM Alaska Daylight Time

  We left the building and drove back to the base proper. We were escorted to one of the barracks. Mandisa and I were given one room with John given the one next door. Our room had two single beds, a dresser and a metal closet. My suitcase was in front of the closet.

  “You did not bring anythings?” I said.

  “I did not have anything. The closet contains clothing in both our sizes,” she said.

  “I prefer my own clothes,” I said.

  I put suitcase on my bed, opened it, got out a robe, to
iletries. There were toiletries and towels on the top of the dresser. I preferred my own soap, deodorant and hair products. I removed my uniform. Even though it was designed for comfort, it was skin tight and the lack of pressure felt good, especially for the “girls”. Mandisa averted her eyes.

  “I am sorry, but my duties involved “looking” at people in various private activities. I am embarrassed by what I saw,” she said.

  I put on my robe and said,”That is alright. I am going to use the rest room and get a shower.”

  She nodded and stood up. I “looked” outside the door and there were no one in the hall. There were security cameras. We left the room and went to the communal shower and rest room area. I “scanned” the room for cameras or listening devices and found none. Reassured, I dropped my robe and took my toiletries and towels into the shower stalls. I showered first. I stood in the hot spray and relaxed. My bio-shield would protect me from even boiling water. I washed my hair and toweled dry. I put on my robe. Mandisa had removed her uniform and wrapped a large bath towel around her. She got up from the bench outside the shower stalls and went in. As I waited for her, I gave the base a better “look.” Under the building that housed the viewing portal was a shielded area. As much as I tried, all I saw was a blur.

  When Mandisa came out of the shower stalls, I asked her if she could “see” anything in the shielded area. I pointed the direction and she turned and looked that way.

  “It is blurred,” she said.

  She narrowed he eyes and said,” It is a living space with a kitchen, dinning area, a bathing and rest room and a sleeping area, with three bunk beds. Doctor Torres and Mr. Jacobs are there with three others. From their energy signatures, the three have extra or extreme powers.”

  “You can “see” that?” I said.

  “Can not you?” she asked.

  I could tell if a person had the increased density of a standard powered and could tell when extra or extreme powers were being used, but, generally, not when they were not in use.

  “Can you tell the nature of their abilities?” I asked.

  “Not really, just that they have them,” she said.

  So, Torres and Jacobs were hiding three powered that the Agency did not know were on the base. We would have been told if the Agency knew. The Agency tended to keep close tabs on people with extra or extreme powers.

  As went back to our room, I noticed that the people in the rest of the barracks stayed out of our part of the building. I wondered if that was to give us privacy or prevent us from asking questions. When we got back to our room, Mandisa sat down on her bed and looked down.

  “Do you want to talk about it?” I said as I sat across from her on my bed.

  She looked up and said,” On my world, there is no one else who understands. No one with the range of my abilities. When I was young, “looking” at people being intimate was arousing. It became addicting. My duties required me to spy on the Northerners, verifying the loyalty of our people and keeping track of of Warriors, both rogue and trusted. I “watched” people that I was not assigned to watch. I began to seek out those who's sexual appetites were beyond the norm,” she said.

  “And your superiors knew nothing of that?” I said.

  She looked down at the floor again and said,” Sometimes. I was considered too valuable an asset to punish. More than one superior used me to spy associates and tell them what I saw. But, I stopped,” Mandisa said.

  “Why?” I asked.

  I went through a similar phase when my clairvoyance kicked in. I was mortified to “see” my parents making love. But, somehow, watching neighbors and strangers was OK, even enticing. Then I saw wife being physically abused. I wanted to stop him, but I was told I could not. What I “saw” was not admissible in court. One night, I flew over to his house when he got home late. I did not hurt him. I simply took him up to twenty thousand feet and dropped him. I safely caught him before he hit the ground. He swore he would tell the authorities, until I repeated it a few more times. I warned him not to hurt his wife or kids. I was watching. I wore a mask and this was before Artemis was announced to the world. I told my mother and she was angry with me. She was more angry with him. She contacted the wife and arranged for her to safely leave the marriage, with the kids.

  “I was assigned to watch The Destroyer soon after she appeared. She flew, apparently randomly, over what you call Central Europe. I got bored and turned my attending to a couple of teenagers having sex in a farm house. Then I “saw them being burned alive. The Destroyer had been aware of my surveillance and “saw” where my attention went. She vaporized farm house, and only the farm house, before she flew away. If I had kept my attention on her, the couple would not have died,” she said sobbing.

  I sat next to her and put my arm around her. I stayed that way as she cried most of the night.

  Chapter 16 Friday, July 23, 8:03 AM Alaska Daylight Time

  The next morning, John joined us at the base cafeteria. Our escorts stood back at the cafeteria's doors. John and I wore our uniforms. Although we were the center of attention, the tables around us were empty. Most of the base personnel tried not to stare at us. I had gotten used to my privacy, something that was not possible for Apollo and Artemis,

  John moved his scrambled eggs with his fork. He looked tired.

  “You didn't sleep well?” I said.

  “I hope I did not keep you awake,” Mandisa said.

  “No. I heard you crying, but that did not keep me awake,” he said.

  I waited for him to continue.

  John looked right and left and then said,” It is just the mission.”

  I understood that John did not want his words to be overheard. Privacy became a problem as more standard powered people were born. Their far better sense of hearing caused the non-powered to be afraid of being over heard all the time. It was not that bad, but it was still a problem for some people.

  After breakfast, we were escorted to a conference room the the base's headquarters' building. It was sunny outside. The view of the mountains to the west was beautiful.

  In the conference room, John, Mandisa and I sat on one side of a table in a conference room in the base's headquarters' building. Jacobs, Doctor Torres and the base commander, Colonel Bruce Rosenstein sat on the other side of the table. Rosenstein was a handsome non-powered, in his forties. He wore a standard uniform with a number of awards on his right breast. I noticed his West Point graduation ring. He was a ring knocker. More than once I heard a military academy graduate rap his ring on a table to show he or she was somehow better than the rest of us. I hoped the Colonel did not do that. A video conference was set up and Director Tenneth's image was on the video display. Our suit's communication access to the Agency was still blocked.

  “The Visitors' experts agree that the set up for the transit portal is workable, in fact, it is similar to a design used on their world a couple of decades ago,” Tenneth said.

  “The laws of physics are the same on both our worlds, so it makes sense they would would come up with a similar, abet, less advanced design,” Jacobs said.

  “You have reviewed our request?” Jacobs continued..

  “What request?” I said.

  “The United States government believes that the healer would be a great asset and I agree. Therefore, your mission's objective is to retrieve her,” Tenneth said.

  “And what if she says no,” I said.

  “You must convince her otherwise, or bring her back against her will,” Tenneth said.

  “You expect us to go to the Moon, convince someone who went to the Moon for her own safety to come to our world and, then, bring her back? And, kidnap her if she does not want to come with us? No way. I am not going to kidnap anyone,” I said.

  I looked down at John who sat silent.

  “Ms. Tarlock, you are under my command,” Tenneth said.

  “I resign,” I said.

  “Clarissa, you can't. The stakes are too high,” John said.

  H
e turned his head toward me and almost winked his left eye. It was a signal we worked out years ago. John told me that everything was OK and back off.

  “That is the only way they will let us use the portal,” Tenneth said.

  “Don't you understand the danger that The Destroyer represents?” I said.

  “Of course, but we can't pass up this opportunity. Besides, hopefully, she will cure both you and Apollo, so if she does not come back, you have lost nothing,” Jacobs said.

  Something smelled fishy. Once we were through the portal, there was nothing that could be done to force us to bring the healer back. So, why make the demand? Based on John's indication, he, and probably Tenneth, were saying what the Jacobs and Rosenstein wanted to hear. I sat down, seemed resigned to the decision and said, ”Looks like you have us over barrel.”

  “We need to discus this with the Agency. Ms. Tarlock will take Mandisa and I beyond the bases' jamming. This is not subject to debate,” John said.

  Rosenstein moved to object, when Jacobs said,” Of course, we understand. Take whatever time you need. The transport portal is being configured and will be ready tomorrow morning.”

  Rosenstein did not look happy, but he nodded and said,” Very well. I will alert the base security that you are authorized to leave the base.”

  The three of us left the building. I put my hands under John and Mandisa's arm, surrounded them with my tactile TK field and lifted up. Several base personnel lifted their heads and watched us rise into the air. When I reached about a thousand feet, my uniform's comm system said,” Communications re-established.”

  “Control, this is Tarlock,” I said.

  “Ms. Tarlock, this is Control,” I heard Judith's voice over my comm link.

  “The base commander allowed us to leave the base. I am heading away. I need to speak with the Director,” I said.

  “Acknowledged,” Judith said.

  I kept my altitude and headed south. Although my TK field protected Mandisa, she still needed to breath, so I limited my speed to a couple hundred miles an hour. After about about ten minutes, I spotted a stream and set us down on a bank, about thirty miles from the base. It was a nice, clear day. I could “see” lots of fish in the stream. A bald eagle circled overhead and we we attacked by lots of mosquitoes.