“It is. We have confirmed it and have video and data from the senator’s timeline. We’ve been using that information all along in our preparations for the attack.”
Jeff leaned forward, drawing attention back to himself.
“I went back from the future forty-six years ago to prevent the extermination of the human race. In my timeline we didn’t make it through the first phase of the attack, the virus. Everyone I knew and loved died a horrible death, drowning in their own blood. I watched on the feeds as all of you were slaughtered in the House Chamber during the president’s State of the Union address. I saw President Diaz collapse with blood streaming from his face. I-I lost my first family . . . my two children.”
A tear slid down Jeff’s face, a rare event from the man.
Jeff slammed his hand down as he collected himself, pushing back his grief.
“And now it’s all happening again. The world is dying around us; we are being wiped out; my wife is out there. And now you’re dithering about not committing to our only hope. About taking a chance that if we fail we’ll just try it again. I’ll tell you this, distinguished ladies and gentlemen, I’ll be damned if I’ll watch the human race die a third time.”
Jeff’s gaze passed over everyone in the room, passion filling his eyes as he stared down any resistance. Diaz patted him on the shoulder.
“A vote is not necessary in this matter, but I think it’s the right thing to do,” Diaz said.
Diaz looked to his left.
“Mr. Vice President, how do you vote on the matter before us, a time jump twenty-three hundred and sixty-nine years into the past, with the mission goal of advancing civilization to the point where space flight can occur by the year thirty BC?”
“Yes,” Paulson said solemnly.
Diaz went around the table, with the final vote being much closer than Paulson would’ve expected—fourteen yes, eight no.
“It’s decided then. We’ll make final preparations to launch and should be ready within the next eight hours. Ladies and gentlemen, wish us luck.”
“So what happens after that?” Congressman Lambert asked.
The room was silent as the few scientists sitting against the wall on the outside of the table shuffled their feet and shifted nervously from side to side. None said a word.
Dr. Abe Conner cleared his throat. He’d been sitting quietly in the corner. Between his fingers he held the cross that lay around his neck. He spoke softly, not even lifting his head.
“Only God truly knows the answer to that question. Only God.”
#
One hour later
“We can’t let them do this,” Gordon said to the others.
They were in the small living room at his apartment, deep within the Chronos Two base. Small anti-surveillance pods were positioned on the four corners of the wall around them. No one could see or hear their conversation.
“What the hell can we do, Samuel? Fucking Diaz has already made his decision,” Lavar Winchell said.
“Lavar, you’re a Baptist minister; are you willing to let them prevent the birth of Jesus Christ, the man you’ve dedicated your life to?” Congresswoman Lenore Santiago asked.
Lavar looked away in frustration. “Of course not. But I have faith that God will show us the path.”
“And I have faith that God does not want man playing with his creation,” Gordon said.
Gordon had gathered this small group together after the larger joint intelligence meeting had broken up. He knew this group felt the same way he did about the operation. Going back so far in time would wipe out their entire faith, would do what Satan had been unable to do, to prevent the birth and resurrection of the Lord. He would not allow it.
“It’s blasphemy to play with time like this,” Abdallah said. “It goes against everything I believe as a Muslim.”
“We have to find a way to stop them.” Gordon balled up his fist to emphasize his point.
“There’s no way to sabotage the mission at this point, if that’s what you’re thinking,” said a man slowly and softly from the corner.
Gordon had seen him around the base, had heard him speak at the intelligence meeting, but he didn’t know his name. He was nervous about having a stranger with them; they were, after all, talking about committing treason, not just against the U.S. government but against the entire world. However, Lenore had convinced him that in order for them to further their cause, they needed someone on the inside of the Chronos team. And she said this was their man.
“And how do you know about the mission? Care to give us your name, stranger?”
“I think it’s best for everyone that I remain anonymous. If this plan fails, I’d rather keep my distance from this group so my effectiveness for a future action is not jeopardized. The less you know about me, the better.”
“Mr. X here”—Lenore jumped in to defend her confidant—“has significant knowledge about the time machine and how we can stop it.”
“We only have about six hours before they launch,” the man said, unfazed by Gordon’s distrust. “Security is absurdly tight everywhere. There’s not enough time to gather enough munitions and get them close enough to destroy the reactor for good.”
“No, a direct attack would never work,” Gordon said. “Is there a way to shut the device down? Delay it somehow?”
“Delay it for what?” Lavar asked. “They’re going to launch at some point, then it’s all over. We cease to exist, as do our religions.”
Mr. X got up from the couch and began pacing.
“Perhaps there’s another way. I have an idea . . . ”
He presented a plan that seemed plausible. Gordon thought it over, looking for holes.
“We don’t have much time,” he finally said. If we’re going to do this, we need to begin now, and it will mean the full commitment of everyone here. Your hands will get dirty.”
Gordon stared everyone in the eye as intensely as he could. Once they went down this path, there would be no turning back. He needed everyone strong.
“Are you willing to die for your beliefs, for Christ, for Muhammad, for God?”
Everyone nodded, but Gordon wanted a verbal agreement. One by one, they said yes.
“Very well then. What assets do we have to put into play?”
“I have friends working security for the base,” Lenore said. “Let me call in a few favors and get us the window of opportunity we need.”
“And I know some of the military brass who will support our cause,” Winchell added. “Several attend my church.”
“Great, thank you both—we’ll need all the help we can get to pull this off,” Gordon said. “Before we discuss the details of everyone’s role, I think we should bow our heads and say a prayer together. Raashid, you’re certainly welcome to join us.”
Senator Abdallah smiled and bowed his head in respect.
Gordon began the prayer, and the others joined in, some closing their eyes, others joining hands.
“Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name . . . ”
Chapter 36
1:00 p.m. EST, January 16, 2038
Boston Logan International Airport
Holly leaned forward in her seat and watched through the front cockpit window as the gap in the sky in front of them slowly closed. Mattie struggled with the plane’s controls, jerking them from side to side. The giant tendrils of the alien ship dropped down around them. They were throbbing white shoots or branches, with smaller vines writhing like snakes coming off the main roots.
The plane swerved.
“Hang on!” Mattie screamed.
The plane turned completely on its side, bumping the tendrils. Holly held on to her arm rests as tight as she could as the plane shook violently. A FedEx transport plane was definitely not meant for that kind of maneuver.
In front of them, the gap of blue sky slowly closed, leaving only white alien tendrils.
The plane dropped, still on its side. Down it went, faster and faster, w
ith the ground rushing up toward them.
Holly’s stomach jumped into her throat as her body went weightless.
Alarms blared from the cockpit as the plane plunged.
Mattie yanked the throttle back, and the plane began to right itself and slow its descent. Out in front, the ground spread out before them. Just above it was a slit of open sky, a narrow gap below the edge of the tendrils.
The plane shot toward the gap. With an unholy screeeeech, they clipped the end of one of the tendrils and it scraped across the roof, sounding as if it were ripping the whole thing off. Somehow they managed to stay in the air.
They’d made it!
Mattie looked back at them, his face pale and sweaty. “You all still there?”
Chen grunted, hands at throat and stomach, and Dr. Corvin simply waved his hand, his face white.
“I’ll try to avoid giant alien ships for the rest of our trip. Sit back and get some rest, everyone. We’ve got about twelve hours before we get to Baghdad.”
Holly put her head back and took a deep breath. She reached up and touched the bandage covering her eye socket. The whole area was still sore, despite all the painkillers. But she was alive. Damn it, the aliens could take her arm and her eye, but she would keep fighting them, keep fighting to live.
She touched the back of her ear, trying to bring up a com-line to Jeff, but there was nothing. The secure military line was now gone. She didn’t know what that meant, but could only hope for the best. If the second Chronos base had been compromised, there would be no safe haven, nowhere for them to go. She needed something to take her mind off her worries. Then she remembered the bear recon unit they’d risked their lives to retrieve.
“Mattie, where is the teddy bear?”
“In my pack, in the storage area behind my seat.”
Holly unbuckled her seat belt, grabbed the bag, and brought it back to her seat. As soon as she pulled the bear out, it sprang to life, scanning her face.
“Subject identified: Dr. Holly Scarborough. What can I do for you, ma’am?”
“I want to see information on the aliens. Let’s start with their home world.”
“Unable to properly link with optic nerve.”
“Holo display is fine.”
Apparently Holly’s internal optic viewing would be limited with just the one eye. A holo display was good though, as she was sure Chen and Corvin would want to see this as well.
“Displaying data.”
Laser lights flowed out of the bear’s eyes, and an image of a planet came into view, floating in front of her. The planet was similar to Earth, with its land masses and oceans, but it was tinged in green instead of blue. Orbiting it was a giant structure that looked like a space station. Several alien ships of the same design as the ones orbiting Earth were in various stages of construction around the space station.
The holo zoomed in on the planet, revealing giant tree-like structures surrounded by vast cities. Roots spread from the trees under the cities, pulsing red, like blood pumping through veins.
“What are those?” Chen asked as he watched from his seat across from her.
“Unable to interpret language and number data,” the bear said.
“We’ll need a supercomputer for that,” Darren said. “Trying to decipher an alien language is a daunting task.”
“Continue displaying data,” Holly said. “Provide interpretation if possible.”
The video zoomed in closer, revealing streets and ground as well as air transport.
“Those tree things could be power sources,” Chen said, pointing at the spreading roots.
“Or a food source,” Darren said.
“Or both,” Holly added. “Plus those tree-city things look remarkably like what just landed on our heads back there.”
“Let’s see what our invaders look like,” Chen said.
The view immediately switched from the planet to a creature. They all jumped back as soon as it appeared floating above them. Holly sat up in her chair and slid forward for a closer look.
She was surprised at the alien’s centaur-like appearance. She’d been expecting something more insectoid or reptilian. But that was just her preconceived notion of what an evil alien should look like.
“It looks strong,” Darren said.
The image rotated in front of them.
“Let’s see where else these things have spread,” Chen said.
The holo flashed back to the planet, then zoomed out again, revealing a star chart. Thousands of tiny stars and planets came into focus. Holly didn’t know what the notes on each represented; they looked like lines and scratches to her.
“Do you think that the star systems that are slightly brighter are ones that have been colonized?” Darren asked.
“Colonized or just explored maybe?” Holly said.
If that was the case, then the aliens had colonized or explored hundreds of planets.
Chen pointed to a random planet not far from the alien home world. “Zoom in on that one.”
It was immediately enlarged in the holo. This brown planet looked rocky and barren for the most part, with only small pockets of blue water.
“Zoom again.”
Down on the planet they could see tall rods reaching high into the sky and turning like a drills, processing the soil beneath them. Shooting out from their tops were plumes of smoke or gas. There were thousands all over the surface of the rocky world. Above each, a storm cloud had formed and rain was falling. Streams sprang up around each of the great rods and water flowed into small lakes all over the planet.
“Terraforming,” Darren said in awe.
“It appears so,” Chen responded. “They’re turning that barren world into one with water and an atmosphere that can support life.”
“Amazing,” Holly said, eyes wide. “Let’s look at another.”
They spent the next several hours going through and reviewing dozens of different planets. Some were lifeless rocks being terraformed; others were full of life and ready to be colonized. Still others were already covered by the Vorsh and their tree cities.
A few planets supported intelligent life. When the aliens arrived at these, they wiped out the dominant intelligent species. They used the same method each time: spray the planet with an engineered virus, killing off almost all intelligent life, then mop up the last few survivors using nanoswarms. They would invariably keep a few of the poor creatures as pets or slaves if they found them interesting enough.
Holly and the others watched future Earth from the perspective of poor little Alyssa. Humans were no exception. They would be subject to the same cruelties inflicted on the other alien species. The Vorsh would show no mercy. They wanted to expand their empire as fast and as far as they could, and humanity was not going to stand in their way.
Finally they’d all had enough; it was time to rest. They were still about five hours out from Baghdad. Holly placed her head against the window and slowly closed her eye. Just as she did so, she thought she saw something move above her, just outside the window.
Part of the plane? Perhaps the roof had been damaged when they hit that tendril.
“Uh, Mattie? Is there a way to see onto the roof of the plane?” He turned back, brow furrowed quizzically .
“Why would you want to do that?”
“It looks like some piping or something is loose. It’s hitting the top of the window.”
“There should be an in-air repair bot that comes equipped with a camera,” Mattie said.
He shuffled his hands over the control panel, and a video image of the underside of the plane showed up above the panel. The camera spun around and moved forward. A minute later Holly saw the small crab-like repair bot skitter across the front of the plane. It had tiny suction cups on its six legs, holding it firmly in place as it scurried over the surface of the plane.
The video switched to a view of the roof.
No, no, no.
Sitting on top of the plane was a huge white tentacled ma
ss. It looked like it was growing out of a scrape down the middle of the roof. It was the same root-like material that had hung from the bottom of the alien craft. The tentacles were moving like snakes as the wind from the plane whipped them back.
The repair bot got closer, and Holly could see a red glow pulsing ever so slightly, deep inside the tendrils. One tendril suddenly shot out and grabbed the bot. The camera went dark.
Mattie turned around.
“What are we going to do, Mattie? That thing looks like it’s trying to burrow its way inside.”
Mattie shrugged, apparently becoming desensitized to life threatening situations.“Got any weed killer?”
Chapter 37
2:30 a.m. Local Time, January 17, 2038
Chronos Two, Hillah, Iraq
Jeff couldn’t sleep.
He lay tossing and turning in bed, wondering what the next few hours would hold for him and the rest of the world. And still he yearned for Holly. Where was she? Had those alien creatures already killed her?
There’d been no contact with her or any of the others for hours. Even the secure military lines buried deep underground no longer worked. Perhaps those cities with roots that were landing all over the planet had burrowed so deep that they destroyed the lines.
Imagining his wife dead was tearing him up, eating away at his inside like a cancer. All those years to prepare and still they were swept away like insects by cruel creatures from the stars.
He should’ve seen it coming. The signs were all there. He should’ve known that no humans could’ve made those nanobots or the techno-organic virus. Plus the virus had come to them from space.
Jeff slapped himself on the cheek in anger.
“Idiot!”
Now they were left with a choice that would end in oblivion for him and all those left behind in this time. He wouldn’t be time jumping this trip. An old business tycoon turned politician had no place on a world-saving mission. Now he was left wondering what would happen to him, just like the warriors of old who left their fates in the hands of younger men.
He and Holly had had enough discussions about time travel and paradoxes over the years for him to have a pretty good understanding of what it all meant. With such a massive change to the historical timeline, the chances were infinitesimally small for him to still exist as he was now. If he did have a soul, perhaps that would move into another person, a woman or perhaps even an animal.
NanoSwarm: Extermination Day Book Two Page 31
