"And why the hell didn't you bother to mention this before, Claire?"
Buddy was angry that she kept going behind his back. She had no respect for the chain of command, at all. In fact, it even seemed like she thought she was in charge.
"Insufficient data," she replied robotically. "I knew what needed to be done, but I didn't know why. There was no reason to provide you with the information until I had the answer to that question."
"I should be the judge of that. You need to provide me with information on all of these little side projects you have going on. Understand."
Claire nodded.
“Now, tell me how many of these recon units you've deployed.”
“Seven hundred and fifty-five. Enough to disperse worldwide. They were given away six months ago as part of a charity program for poor and underprivileged children all over the planet. Since that time they’ve lain dormant, disguised as normal stuffed toys. After our last meeting I sent out new programming to each unit specifying the nature of the information we need. All are equipped with interactive self-learning through artificial intelligence nearly equivalent to my own. They’ll figure out a way to uncover the information and get it to us.”
They still knew nothing about the alien invaders’ technology, how it worked or how to access it. But with these recon units now deployed and sporting nearly Claire-level AIs, he felt more confident about their chances of finding what they needed.
“Who else knows about this?”
“Just you. And we should keep it that way for now.”
Paulson frowned.
“The enemy is out there, Claire, not in here.”
“I think you are wrong there, Buddy. Which brings me to the second reason I wanted to talk with you in private. My research and calculations show that the destruction of Chronos One was orchestrated by a high-level traitor or traitors, not by the aliens.”
“Could it have been an infiltrator, someone infected with the alien nanovirus, just as Chen was?”
“That probability is less than two percent. We’ve detected no unauthorized time jumps where an infected person would’ve come back. Plus we’ve been routinely screening everyone associated with the project after sequencing the viral profile from Mattie’s blood. No, whoever blew up Chronos One, whoever tried to kill the survivors and assassinate you, is a human or group of humans working their own plan.”
“But why would anyone want to do that? Essentially they’d be wiping out any chance humanity has to survive.”
“The reason will reveal itself in time. I just hope I can figure it out soon enough to ensure that they can’t commit more acts of destruction.”
Paulson sighed again. That was all they needed. After everything they’d been through, now one of their own was betraying them. He couldn’t imagine what would bring someone to commit such an act of their own free will.
“Do you have any leads?”
“Two high-level managers at Chronos One received unauthorized data from the future over the last week, messages that went undetected until recently. Jing Wei received information on the death of her husband, which she prevented. And Howard Nichols was sending himself sports scores from the future and placing winning bets.”
Paulson rolled his eyes. “Not very sophisticated, that Nichols. Pretty stupid to risk his career and the safety of the world, and face possible treason charges all for money.”
“People do it every day. And for much less than Dr. Nichols made, I might add.”
Paulson nodded. Claire was beginning to understand human nature very well.
“Where are these two now?”
“Jing Wei is in Colonel Tedrow’s custody, en route to Chronos Two. Howard Nichols arrived just recently and was immediately taken in for questioning.”
“Do you think either of those two were responsible for the bomb?”
“The probability is low, although not low enough to rule out. The missing piece of the puzzle is the com-link that came through just before the bomb. Whoever received that data is likely the prime suspect.”
“How close are you to figuring that out?”
“Very close. The encryption is surprisingly complex. I’m employing the resources of both the Chronos One virtual AI, which was moved to a backup storage facility before the base was destroyed, and the Chronos Two mainframe. We’ll have the solution within the next twelve hours.”
“I hope that gives us enough time to stop whoever it is, because I have a feeling they’re not done yet.”
Paulson put his hand over his eyelids and rubbed. Claire’s revelations were never mundane. He decided that if there were any more shockers out there, he wanted to know it all now.
“Anything else you need to tell me? Let’s put all the cards on the table. No more secrets, Claire. No more behind-the-scenes machinations.”
Claire looked at him with those piercing blue Asian eyes, blinking at random intervals.
“I have no other plans in place at this time that you don’t already know about.”
That was a relief. But she always seemed to know more than she told.
“So do we have a chance here?”
“I am constantly speculating on the future. I can process millions of terabytes of information per second, which means I can look at millions of different variables, and out of each springs billions of possibilities. Right now nothing is firm, the future is in fluctuation. However, the probable outcomes are starting to merge into one statistically significant future.”
“Which is?”
“The complete extinction of the human race.”
Chapter 31
4:00 p.m. Local Time, January 16, 2038
Chronos Two, Hillah, Iraq
Jeff tried calling Holly again, but got no response. The special secure lines they’d set up underground were still functioning, even though the Stream and other com-lines had gone down. Perhaps she was just in transit and unable to respond. She should be nearly halfway to the base by now if they’d been able to secure a plane.
There was no point in worrying. There was nothing he could do.
And there wasn’t a lot for him to do around Chronos Two either. There was a whole different crew running things over here and quite frankly, Jeff felt marginalized and even in the way. They let him attend most of the high-level meetings because he was a senator, but he had no power over military strategy or decision making. They basically took his advice under consideration.
It was not a position he was used to. Since turning his life around all those decades ago, he’d been in charge of a vast financial empire. He’d been one of the richest people in the world for years. The titans of industry during his first timeline, like Bill Gates and Jeff Bezos, were still among the wealthiest of men, but Jeff had invested significantly in Microsoft, Amazon, and a slew of other business that he knew were going to be successful. That meant that as those men grew wealthier, so did he.
But none of that mattered now. The world economy was collapsing as the swarm spread and the invasion continued. Now Jeff was basically a refugee, just like the others at this secure base surrounding Chronos Two.
He was tired of sitting around in his tiny room, trying to get news from the outside. He needed to get out and stretch his legs. He headed down the hallway to the metro station, not sure exactly where he was going. Instinctively he felt a need to get to the surface, to get away from all the madness.
God, did he need a drink.
As he walked, he thought back over his life. How everything changed in an instant when he was randomly picked to replace Paulson as the designated survivor in the first timeline. Had he not been at Chronos One, deep underground, he would’ve been in Washington, watching the president give his speech. He would’ve died with all the other members of Congress when the virus hit. Sometimes he wondered if that would’ve been better. Someone else should’ve been in his place, someone more capable of handling the crisis before them.
What the hell did he know about fighting aliens, ab
out saving the world?
He looked up and found himself at the end of the metro line. He didn’t even remember getting on the train, he’d been so deep in thought. He mindlessly walked out and hopped on the elevator, flashing his credentials to the guards on duty. They started to give him some flack about leaving the base, but he quickly made some excuse about it being official business.
He couldn’t take any more of this. He’d seen his life twisted and turned so many times, and all his plans had been laid to waste. It had all been for nothing since the outcome was the same. Perhaps it was just inevitable. Perhaps it was humanity’s time to end.
The elevator platform emerged on the surface, and Jeff walked out of the empty airplane hangar and into the clear desert. The late afternoon sun hung low on the horizon. The heat hit him in the face like a furnace as he stepped into the desolate landscape. Where the hell was he going? There were no cars to take him anywhere. The hangar was just as empty as when he first arrived.
He felt the despair welling up inside of him as he dragged his feet through the desert sand. About ten yards out into the middle of nowhere, he dropped to his knees. His hands covered his eyes as he sobbed. He hadn’t cried in decades, but every man had his breaking point. His body ached from the stress, from the weight on his shoulders. He felt like a complete failure. Everything he'd done was for nothing. He should've just stayed out of the whole thing, let Paulson and the military deal with it. He should've just lived his life in peace with Holly on some quiet little island somewhere.
Was this the end of the world? Did each tick of the clock bring them closer to the inevitable?
Jeff screamed as loud as he could into the emptiness. Wanting to be heard. Wanting to leave his mark. Then the sharp dagger of fear struck his heart. Could the aliens hear him? Were there bots waiting to dive down from the sky right now to devour him?
He jumped as a lizard scurried away from his cries, back under the shade of the rock where it lived. Just beside the lizard’s den, Jeff saw a tiny purple flower blooming on the bottom of a spiny cactus—a bastion of color in the otherwise bleak surroundings, a ray of hope for a dark world.
And he thought of Holly.
He remembered the flowers he brought home for her just last week. He remembered her smile and how happy she’d been at the small gesture of love.
Hope slowly returned to him, just a trickle, but enough for him to get off his knees and stand once again. As long as there was a chance she was still alive, he couldn’t give up fighting. No, he’d come too far to give up now. Holly and thousands of others were depending on him.
“Bring it, bitches,” he said to the distance, wiping the tears from his cheeks.
He couldn’t see the alien ships from here, but he knew they were just over the horizon, dropping their destruction down upon the earth. They might not be able to fight them, but they still had Chronos, and with a time machine, anything was possible.
He turned his back to the warm rays of the setting sun and walked back to the platform. It was time he learned everything he could about what this base was hiding and just what Paulson had planned.
First stop, the launch training area, where they were prepping groups of time travelers for long jumps into the past. He should find some answers there.
#
After a short metro ride to the far side of the base, Jeff ran into Abe Conner, looking nervous as usual.
“Dr. Conner, out exploring as well?” Jeff smiled as he shook Conner’s hand, trying to put a bright face forward despite the weight of despair he still felt deep within.
Conner mustered up a slight smile and said, “Just checking out what they’ve got going on around here.”
Conner glanced around the hallway like a cornered mouse trying to find a way to escape. He was never the most sociable guy, but he was brilliant, and Jeff was glad to have him as part of the team. The old team. Here at Chronos Two they had their own set of nervous scientists running the show. Conner, and Chen, if he were here, would likely be pushed to the side just as Jeff was, left to perfunctory advisory roles.
“I’m heading to the launch training area—care to join me?” Jeff asked.
“What’s that?”
“It’s where they’re preparing the various groups of scientists and explorers for long time jumps.”
“Hmm. Sounds intriguing. You lead the way.”
Jeff had been interested in this area since meeting Dr. Millard Rhine, the linguistics professor from NYU, when he and Whittenhouse first arrived. Jeff had had similar plans for Chronos One, but they had yet to go looking for anyone who wanted a one-way ticket to the past.
They’d tried sending recording devices back, but those jumped more than three hundred years simply didn’t survive, no matter how sturdy and secure they designed them. Some other options were on the table just before E-Day, but now that was all pointless.
The training area was well guarded and surrounded by high walls, but Jeff had full access and, along with Conner, was allowed entry.
Once inside they found what could best be described as an ancient settlement from the days of early man. Men were practicing fighting using Bronze Age spears and leather shields. It looked like they were filming some Hollywood movie. Another group was building a wood and mud hut, while others were tending to various farm animals. A path ran along the outskirts of this area. On the other side of the path was a modern building. The side closest to them was covered in clear glass and inside was a briefing area or classroom. A dozen more people dressed in animal skins were inside, studying holos and listening to an instructor.
“Looks like this group is getting ready for a jump to the earliest days of civilization,” Jeff said.
“Thousands of years before the birth of Christ,” Conner replied.
They continued walking, passing through a gate and past a wall to the next area.
Here they found a larger settlement, with white-columned buildings and a small market. This area looked like something from early Greece. Men and women were walking around in white togas, and another group of men were training with swords and shields.
Dr. Rhine came running up wearing a toga elaborately embroidered with gold.
“Senator Madison, it’s good to see you again. Welcome to ancient Greece.”
“This is amazing,” Jeff replied. “I can't believe you're preparing to time travel back so far. Are you ready for this?”
“I've been ready for this my whole life, Senator.” Rhine had a broad grin on his face and a wild look in his eye..
“I never in my wildest dreams thought I would have a chance to travel back in time and see the ancient civilizations I’ve studied my entire life. I’ll actually be able to visit the Temple of Zeus in its great glory and all the many wonders of the ancient world.”
Rhine turned in a slow circle, smiling. “I suppose you’ve seen the other epochs?” he asked.
“Just the first one. How many are there?”
“Ten in all, stretching over five thousand years of human history. It’s truly an incredible undertaking.”
“So they’ve told you what your purpose is?”
Jeff wasn’t sure how much Dr. Rhine knew. Plans had changed. He wouldn’t be going on a field trip to study the past; he and his fellow travelers would be tasked with speeding up the technological development of the human race.
“Yes, Mr. Madison, I understand what’s at stake. In addition to my linguistic expertise, we also have experts able to set up an entire modern colony in the past. We’ll be going back with heavy machinery, robotics technology, portable manufacturing centers, and modern military equipment and personnel.”
“So why the sword fighting?” Conner asked.
“We’ll need to develop alliances with local tribes and civilizations. None of these people for our target time period will know what a gun is until it’s fired. We want to show military might, when it’s needed, in terms they will understand. I’m told all troops have to be trained using the fighting
techniques of the day, in addition to modern warfare practices.”
Jeff nodded. “Makes sense. So how many people are going back?”
“There are twenty-five or so era specialists in each of the ten groups. Then there are the generalists that will go to whatever time period is decided upon. These include doctors, engineers, builders, and business people—basically anyone that can create a modern 2038 society from scratch. Along with their families, of course. I don’t know exact numbers, but I’m guessing several hundred. Then there are the military battalions. Probably a thousand there, but I don’t know.”
Incredible. Jeff wondered how they were going to jump all those people along with all the equipment and supplies they needed. Depending on how far back they went, collecting fuel for multiple jumps would take at least several days. Unless Chronos Two was more efficient than One.
“Well, I need to run,” Dr. Rhine said. “I have a lecture in a few minutes. I’m training a group to speak ancient Greek.”
Dr. Rhine waved goodbye and headed toward the modern building. Jeff and Conner continued on their little tour. They passed through several more historical epochs, traversing ancient Rome and encountering legions and gladiators, then visiting the medieval age with knights on horses, and early modern periods with models of ships in a man-made lake and groups being taught navigation techniques. When they entered an area focused on early mass production and steel-working techniques, Vice President Paulson joined them.
“I see you guys are taking a stroll through time. What do you think so far?”
Jeff raised his eyebrows. “It’s a massive undertaking, Buddy. Training all these people, getting them ready to go back in time to live in the past and accelerate the progress of humanity, it’s . . . it’s mind-boggling.”
“It’s the only choice we have. We were lucky to have most of the experts we needed here at the base already—refugees from the Apocalypse. All we need is the final piece of the puzzle.”
“Knowing how far back to go,” Conner said.
NanoSwarm: Extermination Day Book Two Page 26
