Times Escape : Book One in the Adventures of Bobby Regal Space Commander

by Michael Berg

  “I have sensed this of you Miss Candice. Mister Weston is right. We need you to check all is in order as we work.”

  “Then I will attend with clear application Mister Bobby. I would not want failure to be on my account.”

  “We are certain you will not fail Miss Candice aren’t we Mister Weston.”

  “Miss Candice has my full confidence Mister Regal. Now, let us tend the firebox to this engine and commence this voyage of time.”

  As steam pressure increased inside the small engine, the static charge originating from the large centre sphere began to flow outward and about the nine small spheres. Bobby and Mister Weston had taken careful consideration in shaping the various pieces for the time machine. Luckily, Mister Weston had an interest in small inventions and so had the tools at hand to fashion metals. As they had worked on this task, both men agreed there meeting in this time and place was somewhat a degree of fate. They acknowledged at how suitable they were to the immediate requirements concerning this endeavour. Both men felt confident in being able to see their intentions come true, and neither were of the type to risk their lives without careful consideration.

  Miss Candice stood by watching and waiting. She tended to those small instances and made adjustments where the energy appeared to almost fall out of alignment as it coursed over and through the metal of each sphere.

  “It is going to take us about an hour to build up the charge Mister Weston, given the rate by which it accumulates at present. Naturally as we increase power, the charge will build more quickly. As we are beginning with almost nothing it will take this time for the iron solenoid magnet to acquire sufficient energy and reach a state where it can multiply the current it stores.”

  “You are saying it is to be an exponential growth as you so put it yesterday.”

  “Precisely. The more energy applied, the more the current will grow. It is by no means a consistent rate.”

  “How are we to apply just one last thing to make this work Mister Regal?”

  “This last item of shaped metal comes into play now Mister Weston. We must align this cone with the piano so its aperture falls within the sphere of electrical charge. See this funnel branching off from the side at the tight end here,” Bobby ran his hand along the funnel he had fashioned the day before. It looped back on itself before once again taking the same outward projection of the main cone. “It will reverberate the same bass note from the piano at a rate of timing slightly after the main note. This will affect a carrier wave of sound within the circular electrical charged vortex and upon this the vortex will open for us to pass through.”

  “Sound is the main ingredient to these sequences then?”

  “It is called the cymatic effect Mister Weston. Sound has properties through which it can move matter and combined with the charge of electricity, can create a distortion in time. My residual signature will link us to our destination. I only hope my residue is strong enough to guide us to the right place.”

  “Don’t mention such things Mister Bobby,” Miss Candice interjected looking frustrated with his continuing lack of complete faith in their success. “It is our thoughts and intentions to be successful, and successful we shall be, nothing else.”

  “Thank you again Miss Candice.”

  For half an hour they tended the machine as the power grew. All proceeded as planned placing them in a position of poignant appreciation of the process unfolding. For Bobby, returning to his time was the imperative and in doing so would bring with him, his knowledge of this time machine – a new invention he was certain would be an asset to Earth’s struggle against Vindor.

  For Miss Candice and Mister Weston, they each took their individual lives and placed them in perspective, for they were about to leave all they had ever known behind and take a quantum leap into the future. They would miss those few people they valued about town, especially Mister Wills.

  People would wonder what had happened to them both and with the disappearance of Mister Weston, many would ask who would attend to lighting the street lamps each evening, until after nights of dark streets and debate on whether or not to enter his house to find the lamp lighting equipment and do it themselves, they would enter his house to find the equipment in a room next to one with curious burn markings in the floor.

  When Bobby could see the charge had built to its maximum they were going to achieve with this machine, he urged Miss Candice and Mister Weston to prepare themselves. He sent the charge of electrical current from the car battery before joining them inside the ring of charged spheres holding a long stick he had placed next to the piano.

  “Now it is time Miss Candice and Mister Weston. I hope to see you both here in about eighty years.”

  “We are of the same Mister Bobby.”

  “Indeed Miss Candice. See you in the future Mister Regal.”

  Bobby reached over with the stick to strike the bass note on the piano and thus commence the sound wave required to open the vortex. As he did, he caught sight of Beth and Valeena approaching the house. They saw what he was doing through the window and immediately broke into a run. They were too late despite firing electric charge weapons as they entered the door. When the note sounded and then less than a second later the reverberation accounted for the final stroke in opening the vortex, Bobby, Miss Candice, and Mister Weston disappeared.

  “Damn you space commander!” Valeena cried out as she fired a volley of charges at the place where the time machine had been seconds earlier. The look of angst on her face cast her into a vision of ugliness, matched by the same fury erupting within Beth and showing as a look of hate.

  “We have to go now Beth. Back to the next century.”

  “Can we catch him there? He will be ahead of us.”

  “Only momentarily and I expect it will take him and those two people he was with, some time to accommodate their change in time. You saw how Bobby was not quite with us at first when we travelled.”

  As Valeena took the sphere to maximum power choosing a course of altitude directly back to the ring of spheres time machine without regard for staying low and out of sight. No person of Jonstown bore witness to this event though – the time was nigh past midnight and all were asleep.

  The moment of time travel arrival brought them into the sparsely treed area strewn with boulders not far from the bordello during mid afternoon. The first moments were consumed as their conscious awoke to the new time feeling as if having been asleep all those eighty years. They gradually realised their place smelling the burning electric odour mixed with earth and pine. At first Miss Candice and Mister Weston entirely overlooked the fact they had taken passage through time, until at the realisation of Bobby’s machine successfully delivering them without harm, they turned to each other in a mood of anticipation and wonder.

  “Come Miss Candice, Mister Weston. We must hide ourselves. Those women will be following.”

  “They’ll have a hard time finding you at my house.”

  “Jonathon Livingston, how are you good sir?”

  “I’m great Bobby. Good to see you again.”

  “I’m very glad to see you too,” Bobby replied as he shook Jonathon’s hand. “This is Miss Candice and Mister Weston, two good friends of mine. All three of us would be so very grateful if you were to accommodate us for a short time.”

  “Then come on, we have no time to waste. I’ve been watching things around here Bobby, especially the bordello. And, nice to meet you Miss Candice and Mister Weston. Lo and behold, what timing to be here now as you arrive, but we can talk when we are out of here.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Well, a few days ago, the two women there simply disappeared at about the same time as I lost all trace of you. I came to see if you were about, but nobody was there. I couldn’t find anything.”

  “There is much to tell Jonathon, but first I must tell you those two women are going to be looking for me with intent to kill.”

  “Well, they had better be careful if they com
e anywhere near my place.”

  “They are reckless harlots and deserve whatever treatment you dish out Mister Livingston.”

  “You are a fiery one Miss Candice.”

  “Only since they threatened the good will and fortune of Mister Bobby.”

  “I think I have seen your fire side before then Miss Candice...about Jonstown.”

  “Mister Weston, surely you have not been spying on me,” Miss Candice said in an entirely humorous tone.

  “Mister Regal, it appears as if you have changed seasons. I can see nothing of snow about and the air is warm and dry as if it is late summer.”

  “It is late summer Mister Weston. Where have you been?” Jonathon remarked looking puzzled at how Mister Weston could be so out of sorts with the season.

  “I have a bit to explain Jonathon,” Bobby told him seeing his confused look.

  “Well, it can wait until we are sitting at my kitchen table. It is only five minutes more walking.”

  Valeena and Beth were hot on their heels. They arrived at the copse of trees in the year nineteen sixty two only a few minutes after the four others had sat down at the kitchen table in Jonathon Livingston’s house. Their superior officer Froend had been advised of their failure, and now demanded they continue in pursuit of Bobby in order to kill him to save some of the disgrace they would face on Vindor. Now with such confirmation of their pending destiny, their added vigour stemmed from utter contempt they held for Bobby and the people who they had seen travel through time with him.

  “You’re telling me Miss Candice and Mister Weston are from the eighteen eighties and those women sent you back through time and now you are back here,” Jonathon stated in a sense of disbelief as he strode back and forth cognising the value of what he was being told.

  “Yes and the two women from the bordello are not human. They are Vindor.”

  “I knew they were suspect even if it was a bordello they pretended to run.”

  “Harlots!”

  “They have proven to be most unendearing to the good cause Mister Livingston.”

  “I am sure they are Mister Weston. We need a plan to defend against them,” he said taking a seat and narrowing his eyes as he delved into thinking of a way they could affect a strategy.

  “Do you have any guns Jonathon?”

  “Only an old rifle and a few bullets, but nothing for a sustained effort Bobby.”

  “I have a discharge weapon so there’s two. All we need to do is enough to send them on their way.”

  “Is there anything we can do to make a defensive stand and be done with this pending battle in one swift move Mister Regal?”

  “Your mind works well indeed Mister Weston, for as Steward of Earth Defences, it is my very duty to conjure such ideas and make them reality.”

  “Then get to work. Weapons aside, you and Mister Livingston must harness whatever knowledge you have so we can cut them off at the pass so to speak.”

  “Mister Weston and I can keep a lookout Mister Bobby.”

  “Please do Miss Candice whilst Mister Livingston and I create a diversion and a trap for them.”

  “Oh splendid! You do have my eye Mister Bobby.”

  “I am sure he has cottoned on to your subtle glances and fleeting eyes by now Miss Candice.”

  “He is deserving of such admiration and of accolade Mister Weston. Without Mister Bobby, the human race would be doomed to serve those horrible Vindor people. They sound quite distasteful.”

  “And yet they consider themselves quite the opposite Miss Candice. I have battled them enough to know they...”

  “Stop dawdling Mister Bobby. Mister Livingston is becoming impatient. I can see it in his eyes and he does shuffle in his chair so.”

  “Your mannerisms are befitting of your time Miss Candice, and your observation is most prudent as we do need to make haste now if we are to prevail.”

  “Then show me the way Jonathon. Can you please assist Miss Candice Mister Weston? It would be to our advantage if you could muster up a defence here at the house in case we require a fall back to this position should our outer defences fail.”

  “Of course. Miss Candice and I do team up well and so we shall again.” Mister Weston winked at Miss Candice who feigned being taken aback at such an advance, before embracing him in a short hug as a friendly gesture.

  Jonathon and Bobby took to the shed behind the small wooden house to find materials as a barricade serving to funnel Valeena and Beth’s direction of attack. Fortune paved the way for this approach as Jonathon had left certain trees and boulders in place for this very purpose. Many people on Earth took their own leave for creating personal defence against a Vindor attack should their forces every reach this far, and Jonathon was no exception. Despite being poor at arms, he was not misplaced in his intent to keep any Vindor at bay.

  Both men worked frantically as did Miss Candice and Mister Weston. Bobby’s last words before going outside with Jonathon were of how virulent the two Vindor women would be in their pursuit of them all, and of how quickly they could potentially arrive given they had time travel at their disposal and could also scan for their whereabouts.

  Wooden beams were placed between boulders, planks were nailed to trees, and metal bars were positioned deep into hastily dug holes to form a barrier. All was done, yet to no avail, for the women had crept up on the group without any hint of giving their presence away.

  Chapter 15

  At the first phase of electric bombardment, Bobby responded with his own weapon firing shots in a direction to herd Beth and Valeena towards the funnel he and Jonathon had made. For a moment it was working, until Valeena saw the trap coming and so took to executing some surprisingly battle trained moves, thus rendering their defence futile. She let forth a volley of shots again to give Beth and her time to recover and approach from a different angle.

  Bobby had her measure though – one shot from his throb pulse pistol caught Beth on the upper arm. She let out a cry of anguish before turning to anger and responding with a rapid succession of electrical discharges. Seconds later, the effect of Bobby’s gun took hold sending her to the ground where all she could do was lie down.

  Her wound had forced them to take stock as Valeena checked its severity and then cleaned and bound it for Beth during the time she came back around. Bobby’s weapon was set to low stun – he had no reason to maim or kill.

  “He will pay Valeena.”

  “Yes he will Beth, but see how he and the other man are trying to force us into attacking according to their plans. We need to change out tactics.”

  “You are much better on tactics than I am.”

  “So just sit for a moment out of their sight while we think of what we can do.”

  “Why don’t we go back to the bordello and plan there. This is not going to go far and neither are they. Where can they go? Jonstown is a ghost town now, with another twenty miles to the next town.”

  “He has his car.”

  “Have you seen it Valeena? I don’t think he has it at all. How would he have brought it back through time? Our time device covered such a large area because we have the technology. He has mimicked what we have done.”

  “His steward’s mind quickly worked it out then. Alright, let’s leave here and return when they are not expecting us.”

  “They will be expecting us at any time. We just need a good element of surprise and what do you think of casting them all back in time again? We could try our machine one more time. It might work.”

  “It was only set for one use there and back Beth. We could try, but I don’t like our chances.”

  “At least we are planning something. He cannot get away Valeena. You know what it would mean for us back on Vindor. I am surprised Froend doesn’t already know.”

  “He does and he is giving us a chance to redeem ourselves.”

  “Then let’s plan this instead of rushing in.”

  “It was you who was rushing in and me wanting to take stock of this situation.�
�

  “Then let’s do it.”

  Valeena piloted the transport back to the bordello. It was as they had left it more than eighty years before less than an hour ago in total. Both women still struggled with the paradox, but were more intent in finding redemption – Froend’s punishment would be harsh and swift.

  He was not normally a person of malice with character traits indicating some deep sense of hatred. Froend was kind yet not gentle and if anything came against the betterment of Vindor, those responsible would know of their failure or treachery after he gave them sufficient chance of rectifying their shortcomings. This was the case now as he watched the two women travel back to the bordello. Neither of them nor did anyone else on Earth, know of his capacity for such viewing. Limited as it was to those operatives who provided this material when they were assigned to their mission, he could focus on their situation from afar in deep space using a genetic trace element time distortion faster than light signature.

  “Do you think he might come against us?”

  “He already has in more ways than perhaps you realise Beth?” Valeena replied with a mischievous look in her eyes.

  “I know your look. How can you think of him in such ways after what he has done?”

  “You should be more concerned with the injury to your arm I think. Come inside and I will dress it for you.”

  Beth looked defiant holding her arms crossed over her chest and appearing as if she did not care about the burn to her arm from Bobby’s pistol. She sniggered a few words under her breath and snorted before relinquishing to the inevitable need to have the wound dressed.

  “Come on dear. When we finish this, we can plot against him.”

  “Alright, but I don’t feel any love for Bobby like you might do Valeena. I can see behind your eyes. He is the best you have ever had isn’t he?”

  “I have a lot of experience Beth. Much more than you know of and accumulated whilst you were still a child.”

  “I’m not so young and not so green as you might think. I have some play to my name.”

  “We all have some play Beth, but what we have really done is what counts and holds in the memory of others. It is the test of our achievements. So much like Vindor culture in a general sense, you know as well as I do, individual graces are only earned through a sense of accomplished pride in how much you reside in the memory of others.”