3012: The Artifact

by John M Grier

The Mission

  After hearing the incredible story told by Jack and Paul, with Suzie and Janet chiming in where they felt it necessary, Jesse sat back and said “The Lord sure does work in mysterious ways. I have always thought of time as something not necessarily as static as scientists would have us believe. I believe that the way God sees it, time is something he created, and therefore is not affected by it. The simple fact that all of us are here together is in itself, well, amazing!”

  “Paul, you were born centuries in the future and Jack, you lived long ago in my past, yet here we all are! I know that God is unaffected by time and obviously, he can maneuver others in and out of time as he sees fit. Jack, your wonderful machine has been placed in your hands for a reason. And that reason may simply have been for Paul here to come to know the Lord. However, it may have been for something much bigger, something we don’t currently know, but rest assured, if God has a plan, and He always does, you will know when the time is right.”

  Jack said “Jesse, I hate to break this to you, but I am not exactly a Christian, never have been. I am not against Christianity, mind you, but I have never quite ‘taken the plunge’ so to speak.”

  “The Apostle Paul was not a Christian when God approached him with a mission either. But, he most certainly was before he was through! Remember, just like you can travel at will throughout time, God can see all of it too. You can visit the future, but God knows the future. There is a vast difference!”

  Jack had never met anyone quite like Jesse before and didn’t quite know how to take him. He was certainly intrigued, but still not ready to make a commitment. His life of no boundaries had an impact on his thinking processes, or so he thought. Someday certainly he would become a Christian, just not today. “Let’s just see what happens with Paul first” he thought.

  Janet had been at a loss for words for much of the time here with Jesse and Susan. She was still at odds with her innermost thoughts concerning God and Christianity, but was feeling strongly along the same lines that Paul was. This whole idea of prayer was very interesting to her. She had never imagined there was a God out there listening to what she had to say. And to thank him for the food they were about to eat was fascinating indeed! Never in her life had she encountered something like that.

  Suzie found herself bombarded with questions from Susan. Obviously, she was modeled after her. Susan said “Suzie, I believe I know what happened in order for you to be created in what is still our future, although not for long. I think the government took a sample of my memories and personality profile when I was in the military a few years ago. Apparently, they decided to use it as a basis for building you, a few years from now. Please don’t take it the wrong way, but there is no way I would have agreed to something like this. I think something must have happened to me in the intervening years.

  Suzie said “I hope you can consider me a friend. I assure you I share almost none of your memories, only the most basic of information to make me who I am.”

  “I don’t see why we can’t be friends. I would be honored to have you counted as a friend.”

  Jack spoke up and said “As would I, Susan.” He grinned and actually blushed a bit. Susan couldn’t help but notice and smiled as well. Jack found himself wondering if she was married, or if marriage had already been eliminated by this time.

  It was odd that Jack was thinking of marriage since Jesse took that moment to say “Paul, forgive me for intruding, but I notice you and Janet seem very close. Are you married?”

  Paul said “Actually, no. In our time, marriage is a concept that is totally alien. In fact, if not for Jack and his machine, we would not have ever heard of it before.” With a glance and a smile at Janet, he said “I certainly wouldn’t be opposed to the idea, however. What is involved, if I may ask?”

  Jesse said “Wow, there’s a loaded question, if ever I heard one! What is involved in marriage? Hmmmm. That question alone could take a lifetime to answer, but I suspect an abbreviated answer would suffice for the moment.

  “A man and a woman marry each other when they are in love and decide to spend the rest of their lives together. God sees them as one where two once were. It is also meant to be forever, although man has perverted that idea into something that only rarely lasts these days. Traditionally, a ceremony is involved with friends and family witnessing the event. A pastor of a church, such as I, can marry you, although the captain of a ship has been known to stand in as an authority at times as well. Does this come close to an answer for you?”

  Paul said “Yes, I believe it does.” He then turned to Janet and asked “Janet, would you marry me and share my life like Jesse here describes?”

  Janet smiled and blushed deeply and said “Yes Paul, I would like that very much!”

  Suzie said “Congratulations! I was hoping this would happen, and I am so glad to have been able to see it! You two will make a lovely couple!”

  Jack said “I’ve seen it coming as well Suzie. Paul, Janet, I agree with Suzie, congratulations! If there is anything we can do for you, just ask and it’s yours.”

  Paul said “Thanks Jack. That means a lot.”

  Just then the phone rang. Susan answered it and spoke quietly for a few moments then hung up. She turned to Jesse and said “I think the government has found our hiding place. They are only a few minutes away from here, we should go back to Canada, I think.”

  Jesse said “Okay, I agree. Hopefully, the main site there is still safe. We shall see.” He turned to Jack and Paul and said “We must go now. Please come with us and we’ll return to Canada the same way we came here.”

  They all made their way to the matter transport room, and after pressing a few buttons, Jesse had them back where they started from. They cautiously made their way back to the main room in the building and Jack had that feeling again that this didn’t look anything like the barn they found under the ice in the future.

  He was about to comment on it when the old man that had been the guard came in suddenly and said “Reverend, it looks like they’re coming again. I think they’re onto us somehow.”

  Jesse looked where the old man indicated and sure enough, there were vehicles approaching. He said “Are there other factions in the area? They may just be sizing up the opposition, and we just happen to be in the middle of it all.”

  “I’m not sure. We’ll watch them and see what happens. But, even if they are still after each other, it’s only a matter of time. Our holo-shield can’t work forever. After all, these people weren’t fooled by it at all.”

  “What ever shall we do? This is the last safe place we know of. We must truly be at our end.” Susan seemed genuinely worried, not only for her own safety, but everyone else’s as well.

  Janet said “Why don’t you come with us? The future has much fewer people and Jack can tell you that living outside of the cities is simple enough if you are resourceful.”

  “She’s right” said Jack. “I’ve done it for years and can help you, if you like.”

  Jesse said “But you don’t understand, Jack. There are thirty of us. We can’t all possibly go with you, can we?”

  He sounded firm, but Jack could see the pleading in his eyes. He said, “I don’t see why not. It’ll be a bit tight on the boat, but that part is only a few days at most. I think we can do it. How soon can you get everyone together?”

  “A matter of a few minutes at best and an hour or so at the worst, I would imagine. We’ve been on the run for so long that most of us are constantly prepared. I’ll get on it right away. By the way, how far away is your boat docked?”

  Seeing that details still needed to be worked out with the newcomers, Susan said “Reverend, I’ll go make the call…people should begin arriving in moments.”

  Paul said “Let’s not get ahead of ourselves – we’re forgetting one thing. You left us a letter and Bible but knew nothing about it when we got here. We still need to set that up, or w
e’ll never have been able to find you here. I don’t claim to understand how all this works, but I don’t think we should take the chance of not preparing it either.”

  “I agree” said Jack. “Jesse, what we found were three disks that you had recorded of yourself, along with a bible and a hologram of you. Does any of this already exist?”

  Jesse said “Yes, actually, most of it does. We had planned to leave a time capsule of sorts for someone such as you for this very reason. The only thing not ready is the letter you mentioned and we can take care of that right now.”

  Jesse sat down to write the letter while Paul and Jack sat across from him. In a matter of minutes and with no prompting, the letter was complete. Jesse laminated the letter to ensure it would last through the centuries and gathered up the disks and the treasure box as well as the two pieces of the hologram.

  Jack said “The boat is a few miles from here but those vehicles must be getting closer by now. We should leave.”

  People were already starting to arrive. The old guard said “Reverend, I would guess we have only another minute or so. It’s time to leave.”

  Jack suddenly had an idea and asked “Jesse, is there another building nearby that may be a barn or large garage or something?”

  Jesse said “Yes, in fact that is where we were going to hide the first disk anyway. It is about a mile from here, under heavy holographic camouflage.”

  Looking at the gathering crowd of people, Paul asked “How many people are we still waiting for?”

  Susan said “I’ll check, but it looks like most have arrived already.” However, before she could get very far, the building came under attack. Heavy gunfire began sounding and the building itself obviously was being targeted. One very large explosion caused the room with the matter transporter to collapse, nearly catching Susan with it. She screamed and managed to back away before the roof crushed her.

  Jack ran to her rescue and pulled her from the rubble. He picked her up, and using a fireman’s carry, brought her back to the main room. Arriving with his adrenaline pumping, he said “Jesse, how do we get out of here?”

  “We are either under attack directly, or the factions are fighting each other pretty close to us. Either way, perhaps it’s time to go.” He took off in a run and said “This way, Jack. There’s an old antique van in the back room that was donated many years ago but no one ever did anything with it. Maybe we can use it to get out of here, if it still runs.”

  The old guard, panting to get enough air and also run, said “Oh, she still runs, I assure you. I look after it and have been tinkering with it for years. She runs like a champ!”

  “Great! I assume it’s a 1984 Chevy 17 passenger van? This will be a tight fit indeed!”

  “How on earth could you possibly know that, Jack?” asked Jesse.

  “We found it parked in the barn. At first I assumed this place was that very barn, but now I know it can’t possibly be the same building. Therefore, we must travel there in that very van.”

  Reaching the room with the van, he sat Susan down on her feet and said “Suzie, could you sneak around and find us the best route to the barn?”

  She said “Yes sir, right away.” Smiling at Jesse, she raised her arms over her head and snapped her fingers, instantly changing into proper clothing for ‘sneaking around’ as Jack put it. Her face was blacked out with military war paint of some sort and she looked much like the men chasing them.

  Making eye contact with Jack, she said “How about I leave this with you?” She reached inside her shirt and pulled out the large case that she actually resided in. Several people were stunned that she was actually a hologram, but said nothing.

  Everyone else piled in the room and Jesse took a head count. He said “It seems only one of us so far has not made it. Who’s missing?”

  Someone said “What about Bob? I don’t see him anywhere.”

  “All we can do now is pray for him and hope he manages to stay hidden and keep a low profile. I seriously doubt they have all of our names and addresses.” Jesse was hoping, but knew in his heart that Bob was as good as dead.

  Jack said “Okay, this van is designed to hold only 17 people, but we can all fit if we are careful and get really close. Everybody pile in, filling the back first. Everyone will have someone sitting on their lap, so let’s not be too picky about our personal space, okay?”

  Jesse opened the back doors and placed the briefcase holding the treasure chest and other artifacts in with the tools and other debris that accumulates in such places.

  Paul and Janet sat on the floor by the engine compartment, Janet on Paul’s lap. Jesse assumed the front passenger seat and he and Jack were the only people not sharing a seat. Jack was driving. No one was comfortable, but they all fit. Jack laid Suzie’s case on the dashboard and started out. Jesse pointed the way out of the building.

  Just before they exited the building, Suzie popped back in, perched on the engine cover of all places. She quickly moved so Jack could see where he was going, drifting down into the engine compartment with just her head popping up through the dash. It was a very unnerving sight indeed, but wholly necessary.

  She guided them safely to the barn, avoiding the military that was shooting at them. As it turned out, there were two military factions fighting each other, with them in the crossfire.

  Locating the barn in short order, Jack parked the van in the same spot he found it in, eight centuries in the future. As he parked it, he said to Jesse “You know, in Paul’s time, where we are going, this van is one of the most complete vehicles of the twentieth century that still exists...outside of my warehouse.”

  Jesse said “Is that so? Amazing!”

  The elderly guard broke into a beaming smile and said “Like I said, she has many years of life left in her!”

  Susan said “Jesse, I can set up the disk and other vital pieces in the chapel below, if you can set up the disk at the lighthouse.”

  Jesse said “Okay. Jack, you may find this interesting.” They made their way down to the underground chapel. Jesse and Susan walked to the front of the chapel and stood at the podium. Smiling at Jack, he pressed the side of the podium at a place that had no obvious button and the wall behind him slid to the side.

  A passage way was revealed behind the wall. Jesse and Jack hurried down the passageway, which was obviously just a tunnel that housed the pipes and conduits that fed to the barn. After a short hike, they found themselves under the dock by the lighthouse.

  Jesse hurried and set the third and final disk, then joined Jack back in the tunnel. They made their way back to the chapel and Jesse said “I guess everything is in place, Jack. Lead us to your time vehicle, if you please.”

  Suzie took the lead, searching for the best route. She continuously went from Jack’s side to way in front, popping into and out of existence as if she was made for just such an exercise, which, being a military hologram, she probably was.

  She managed to lead them to the boat without incident, and everyone climbed aboard. It was tight, but not nearly as uncomfortable as the van was. They could easily do this in a safe manner, once they got away from year zero.

  Jack motored out to sea, but soon discovered that they had been seen after all. Apparently, they were spared because someone thought they would lead them to an even bigger prey elsewhere.

  As they made their way out to sea, they were followed by several small craft. When they got closer, they began firing. Jesse said “Jack, I think we’ve been discovered. How soon can we make the jump?”

  Jack said “I like to be away from shore, but will make an exception this time. Now is as good a time as any.” As he spoke he worked the controls and by the time he finished his sentence, they had jumped back to his time.

  He said “Paul, look around and see if anyone was too close and got caught up in our time wake.”

  Paul did as requested and after a minute or so, said “It doesn’t look lik
e anyone did, but there is a small pleasure boat that will be very confused, I’m sure. They aren’t near us, but they must have noticed us suddenly appear out of nowhere.”

  Jack said “Well, that can’t be helped now. Everyone - welcome to the year 2002. We will travel south to the Chesapeake Bay for the next leg of our journey. Once there, we will traverse to the year 3012, where you will be living. Look around now at Canada, if you have any fond memories, because in 3012 most if it is under ice. I never could find out why.”

  Janet said “Jack, some of these people look rather hungry. I’ll go see what I can fix, if you don’t mind.”

  “Sure, that’s a great idea. But, I have a better one. This is my time and here, I am very wealthy. It will take a few days to get to the Mid-Atlantic area, I propose we take our time and enjoy this as a holiday of sorts. There are restaurants all along the shore from here to there. I can most certainly afford to feed everyone, as often as necessary. Also, it will give everyone a chance to relax, perhaps for the first time in a very long time.”

  Jesse said “Jack that is the best idea I have heard yet. I don’t know how to thank you. You have literally saved our lives and now want to splurge on us in this way. I don’t know what to say.”

  Janet fixed sandwiches for the people who were hungry and Jack promised a hot meal in a few hours.

  Finally able to relax for the first time in what seemed like years, Jesse said “Jack, you wouldn’t have coffee on board would you? I could really use some about now.”