Fate, Wants and Mistakes
Page 2
Mayne reflexively brought his arm up as the image changed to an indigo moiré. He gasped and struck the keyboard to shut off the shifting computer screen pattern. Mayne had also struck the fire suppression switch that smothered the mutating, indigo aura in the lab.
His heart had pounded another constricting knot in his chest. He closed his eyes and leaned his head forward into his hands. That wasn't supposed to happen. That's not what I wanted to happen. Just a simple power failure, Mayne thought. He shivered with guilt. Mistakes.
The two lab assistants were killed and a score of spectators were injured. Even Mayne suffered second degree burns and lacerations. The lab was completely destroyed and most of the computer files were destroyed or damaged. The investigative report stated that more people would have been injured or killed if the fire suppression system had not been activated, but later three more people died; a prominent scientist, a local politician and Frederick Gallenmeadow. They were closest to the computer terminal when it blew apart. Fate.
Mayne shivered, again. Was it cold? It was early summer, late in the evening. Through the scarcely open window, the temperate breeze brought a hint of the sultry weather to come. He looked up at the computer screen. It had paused on a haunting image that gazed back at him; a dark-eyed, elfish prankster with a pixie smile. He swiveled his chair away from the image of Gallenmeadow. No one supposed to get hurt. No one supposed to die. The knot in his chest had not left him. He shivered, again.
Mayne had lost nearly everything that fateful night. He stood up and went to the open terrace door. He stepped out onto the terrace, took a deep breath and tried to relax. He looked out across the large yard and adjoining woods. The knot in his chest persisted, but it was smaller, not so constricting. The shifting night shadows looked and felt surreal and menacing. Mayne felt a chill and quickly stepped back into the den and nervously closed, then locked the terrace door.
His mind returned to this pivotal-fateful point in time. Now, after nine years of exile, Mayne had the chance to gain everything back; his work, his research, his eminence. He sat down and swiveled his chair toward the smiling image of Gallenmeadow. Mayne quailed at the memories the image brought. He quickly switched the computer to another file and scanned the information the screen presented him.
It was a simple plan. He had spent a year planning this one more carefully. Through a substantial grant, a small private academe was doing research very similar to his. Mayne planned to detain one of the students working on the research project and question her for what she knew. She won't be missed for the few hours I would have her. He might even convince her to provide access to the research project itself at the academe. No one should notice the short time he would be accessing their system.
He wanted no one to get hurt this time. He wasn't going to leave anything to fate. No mistakes, Mayne thought, just some information gathering. I'm not obtaining anything that wasn't already mine. I want to get back what was mine. Nothing more.
Mayne wondered if involving a registered nurse and securing a retired officer from the military's Special Division would be adequate - reasonable... Mayne shivered.
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"The First Discovery" - We are introduced to the a number of the main characters, a little is explained about Conar Academe and the T/d (Time/distance) warp experiments. It is the first time Yvon makes the warp device work and Cedric decides to keep this fact a secret. Yvon and Artemus are the first to venture into another time continuum. He and Artemus intervene in a covert and subversive interplanetary war in the other continuum.
"Death and Back" - Artemus is killed in another time continuum and Yvon risks getting caught in a time loop to try and stop the events that led up to Artemus' death. A considerable amount of Artemus' background is revealed in this episode. Also, Tenyeta and Eslyn are introduced in this episode.
"In Their Past" - This entire story is one long flashback. Tenyeta and Eslyn tell the story of their past and how they came to be in the situation they were in when Artemus found them.
"In Our Time" - Eslyn is kidnapped and the others try to get her back, without involving the authorities. In this episode, Cedric's past is uncovered.
"Times Collide" - While trying to gain more control over the time and distance factors of the T/d warp device, Yvon "collides" with another group of time/distance travelers. Now stranded, the travelers must cooperate with Yvon and Cedric to find their way back to their own time.
"Time Lost" - Cedric tries some new experiments with the new information from the "travelers" and is lost in another time continuum. Yvon is unable to locate him, so Yvon begins a long search for Cedric.
"Return for a Moment" - While trying to find Cedric, Yvon comes upon Tenyeta and Eslyn's continuum, but at a point numerous decades before the time they left. Yvon is not sure he can locate their time continuum later. So Tenyeta and Eslyn must decide whether they want to go back to their history or stay in this new continuum with Artemus and Yvon.
"Time Regained" - Cedric mysteriously reappears, a changed person. He vaguely explains what happened to him in the other continuum. Someone’s accidental death will change the future.
"The Journey Continues" - Artemus and Yvon graduate from the Conar Academe. Cedric decides that the T/d project should be abandoned and the equipment be dismantled. Cedric tells Tenyeta that he can get her back to her own continuum at any point along its time line and Tenyeta makes the final decision whether or not to stay.