Tides of the Continuum 1: Making History (3 page)

“Keep your job. I got what I needed. Here's for your troubles.” Lincoln tossed several hundred-dollar bills onto his lap. “I suggest you save this lesson till later, get some rest, and come back tomorrow knowing you’ll see neither her nor me ever again.”

As Lincoln left the classroom, he taped a sign on the door, reading:

Class cancelled for

the rest of the day.

Be back tomorrow.

Indeed, he had found what he had come for, which meant that Lincoln would be going home soon. The dorm bed couldn't hold a candle to the one he'd been used to. As he left the science building, he caught another cold breeze. But this time he was smiling.

-MESSAGE RECEIVED FROM 'BISHOP'

-FILTERING...

-DECRYPTING...

-TRANSLATING...

-DISPLAYING MESSAGE CONTENT:

Finally! You work too

slow. Were it not for

your location, I'd have

you killed.

-COMPOSING REPLY FROM 'ROOK':

Watch yourself. Given a better

offer I'd betray you too. I only do

this for the promise of wealth

and freedom.

5

Lincoln sprinted down the hallway, his sneakers squeaking with every step. A rainstorm the night before had left puddles outside; one of which had given his shoes their musical feature. The hour break between their shared physics and English class was five minutes past due. Lincoln had chosen to spend lunch in the cafeteria, a move that had caused unpleasant consequences.

Lincoln rushed to Dr. Aikins’ English 201 course. As he opened the door, it complained on greaseless hinges and revealed 48 pairs of staring eyes, their point of focus turning red with embarrassment. Dr. Aikin
s cheerfully identified Lincoln, “It looks like we have a straggler!”

Lincoln cleared his throat as he squeezed into his seat. “I had to get some antacid from the commissary.”

Dr. Aikins chuckled, “Is the student union serving chili again? I understand. I had some of their chili last week.”

Lincoln found his seat amid giggles and grins as the lesson continued. The instructor prompted, “Marcy, please go on.”

They were reading Shakespeare today, one of Dr. Aikins’s favorite authors. Marcy continued in her shrill voice, “I have always admired Shakespeare's talent as a writer and think he must have had an enormous group of fans!”

Lincoln’s thoughts drifted as he pondered on what an interesting group of young adults were entering the world these days.

“Actually it wasn't until many years after his death that Shakespeare's work was truly appreciated.” As the semester progressed, Dr. Aikins was finding it harder to keep her students’ focus on the lesson at hand.

As the conversation continued toward the debate over the authenticity of Shakespeare’s folios, Lincoln slid a small note onto the table in front of Aurora. Before she could do anything with the tiny piece of folded paper, Dr. Aikins used her famed mind reading skills and interrupted the discussion. Though her attention was facing away from Lincoln at the time, everyone knew he was the target. “Mr. Smyth, you know better than to pass notes in class. Have we digressed to kindergarten, or is this important?”

Lincoln clenched his jaw, using every ounce of control to remain calm as the center of attention. This was absurd. He was accustomed to speaking to thousands. Why was he getting embarrassed in front of a few college students? “I didn’t learn to write until second grade, so I guess the latter is true.” Amid the giggles, Dr. Aikins watched Lincoln closely as he continued. “You might say that the note has galactic importance.”

Aurora quickly glanced at Lincoln. She felt surprised to hear such an overly exaggerated adjective about such a small note. She then looked up to the professor, who eyed her, calculatingly. After a few seconds, Dr. Aikins curtly nodded her head and gave her response. “Very well. Point taken. Now if it isn’t too much trouble, please stop interrupting my class.”

Dr. Aikins appeared pacified with another comment from Lincoln, “I’m sorry for disturbing class. I’ll take the matter up with Aurora later.”

As the lecture returned to the archaic misrepresentation of King Richard III by Shakespeare, Aurora opened the note eagerly. The contents were simple:

Meet me after school.

I'll be in The Den.

“This is galactic?” Aurora muttered to herself as she stuffed the note in her pocket and turned her attention back to the lesson, just in time to hear an assignment.

“Class, your assignment this weekend is to write an essay analyzing Shakespeare’s portrayal of historical figures and the lessons they could offer the people of the modern world. I want it four pages, double-spaced,
Times New Roman, 12 point font. Some of you try to get away with using large fonts, so you don't have to write as much.”

Aurora listened half-heartedly; she found herself distracted by this new development. The tiny note held her
concentration hostage as she wondered what was so important to Lincoln. She hoped that whatever motivated him wouldn’t hurt their new friendship.

After her last class of the day, Aurora walked over to The Den. Opening the door, the scene that met her eyes surprised her. Amidst the typica
l student patrons, a young lady wearing an old blue dress sat holding a little black dog in a woven basket. She sat at a table next to several other costumed characters. One resembled a fuzzy animal, another a robot, and the last one’s costume had trailed a grassy mess all over the tile floor. Aurora guessed that the drama department was doing their annual rendition of
The Wizard of Oz
. As she passed by their table, she overheard the young lady saying something about “her little dog, too.” Aurora spoke to a waitress, “Have you seen Lincoln Smyth lately?”

“Not since he went to the men's room a few minutes ago, Hun.” The server balanced several trays on her arms as she swaggered off.

Aurora, still anxious about the note, sat down to wait for him in a booth near the exit. She fidgeted with the salt and pepper shakers and the little sugar packets that never tasted like real sugar. Time seemed to drag as she waited for her apparently constipated friend. Thirty minutes passed. She’d ordered and eaten and considered leaving, when Lincoln finally exited the restroom. His face sported the biggest smile she'd seen in weeks, and he had a funny hop to his walk. Trying to cover her anxiety, Aurora teased, “You were making out, weren't you? I see the way Sarah Clint looks at you. Come on, tell me the good stuff.”

“Sarah Clint has nothing to do with this. I don’t even like her. She creeps me out.” Lincoln plopped down opposite her at the table, folding his arms across his chest. “I have just arranged to take you on a...field trip.”

Aurora cocked her head sideways and furled her brow. “You arranged for me to go on a field trip while in the men’s room? I don’t think that sounds like a trip for a girl like me.”

Lincoln chuckled and then answered, “I know this is going to sound weird, but yes I did orchestrate the trip in there. I mean the other people weren’t in the men’s room with me, I was just communicating with them. That was the most quiet and secluded place I could find.”

“Are you kidding? That’s a public restroom! It has to be the filthiest place in the world to talk on your cell phone.” Aurora, relieved to know that Lincoln had arranged this meeting to discuss a field trip and not something with more potential to hurt her, now enjoyed this teasing. Lincoln’s face flushed red from embarrassment.

“Well, everyone else must think that and decide not to enter because the place was immaculate, not even a spot of dried water on the counter near the sink. And unlike the opposite sex
, we don’t talk in the men’s room. It’s some kind of social taboo, making it the perfect place for a quiet conversation.”

“Anyway, you were saying something about a field trip? What kind of field trip? I haven't gone on a field trip since the fourth grade.”

Lincoln broadened his smile. “I think you’ll like it. There won't be any out-of-pocket expenses or long bus rides. And there also won't be any Dr. DeMarco looking over your shoulder. It will just be an adventure.”

Aurora sat back in her
chair. This didn't seem real, sounded too good to be true. Aurora crossed her arms and looked expectantly back at Lincoln waiting for him to say he was kidding.

Lincoln continued, “If you're willing, I can get the old bag off your back for good. I can make all those
people who make your life hard just disappear.” Aurora’s eyes narrowed, as she listened. “You see, I'm not really a student mentor; I'm not even really a student here at LFCC. I am a recruiter for a very exclusive group and it’s been challenging to find the right kind of candidate. I believe you match our profile completely.”

“What agency do you recruit for?” asked Aurora.

“It’s called Earth Protection Force. We are a very elite, highly skilled organization whose members are trained to protect the nations of Earth from destroying themselves. For the moment, and in this public place, that’s all I’m comfortable saying about EPF. But let me assure you that you’ll get more information in a more secure location.”

“Can you at least tell me how I fit into the picture?” Aurora causally checked her watch. She still wasn't certain that she was being told the truth.

“We’ve had our eye on you for a long time. Not just you, though, about fifty people here in Liberty Falls were considered for various jobs. Have you heard of the Welliss family?” Aurora shook her head no. “One of my colleagues recruited the Welliss family about two weeks ago. Mr. Welliss demonstrated an extremely high capacity in the fields of engineering and design. He wouldn’t enlist without bringing his family along on assignment. We obliged his request, and they packed their bags for adventure. I guess they haven't turned up missing yet. Give it a week before their auto payments are missed and someone finds them gone, like a shadow when the lights are turned on.”

The hair on Aurora’s neck began to stand on end. If Aurora hadn’t become such a good friend with him, she would think Lincoln had taken some kind of illicit drug. But then, something in his voice made her think his story could be true. “Is this why Jimmy calls you colonel, because you come up with all sorts of fantastic daydreams? If you ask me, I think you should stay away from those nerd conventions. Some of it has gone to your head, fellah.”

She rose from her seat. Lincoln had to make his move; it was now or never. “And if all of it’s true, would you be interested in joining? Come on, Aurora, you have nothing to lose. But if I'm right, you'll have everything to gain. Just give me one hour. You won't be sorry you did.”

Aurora felt certain she would regret her decision. “You’ve got half an hour before I have to be back to study for the math exam.”

“We have some distance to drive, if I am to prove it to you.” Lincoln negotiated.

“Then you'd better drive fast.” Aurora grabbed her bag and strode out of the diner. Lincoln’s speech hadn’t fully convinced her, but his friendship compelled her to trust him. He may have been off his noodle, but then again, she had just seen a pair of ruby slippers. Maybe a bizarre adventure with him did await her. Nonetheless she gripped the small pepper spray can in her jacket pocket, just in case.

The scenic drive from the campus to Lincoln's destination wasn't as short as Aurora had hoped. It wasn't what she had expected either. She expected Lincoln would drive her to a nondescript suburban neighborhood, stop at one of the hundreds of nearly identical houses, and then drag her into a dark basement full of nerds pounding energy drinks and playing D&D. In reality, Lincoln kept driving, passed city limits, into the hills. As the sun set, it painted a beautiful smattering of purple and orange across the western sky. “Twenty-six of your thirty minutes are gone. We'd better be there soon.”

Lincoln wasn't nervous; his goal was the next small farmhouse with a rustic barn. “Your impatience isn't appreciated. Don't make me wrong about you.”

Lincoln's small beat-up car slowly pulled into the driveway of what looked like the remains of a farmhouse. He shut off the engine and opened his door. Aurora looked blankly at the dilapidated building. “This is it? You drove me into the middle of nowhere, to this broken house, to prove that you're a secret agent. Where are the secret doors? I'm not convinced, fellah.”

“Oh, please. That kind of stuff only happens in the movies. Do you expect me to be that obvious? Any fool with mechanical skills can make a secret door.” He led her around the house to the saggy barn. As he opened the large storm door, he triumphantly smiled. “But it would take more than just any fool with mechanical skills to whip up one of these…”

Aurora's jaw dropped as Lincoln entered the barn. The yard light reflected off the shiny, metal skin of what looked like the nose of an aircraft. She stepped into the darkened barn, and peering into the shadows could distinguish a large craft with three legs, resting on the dirt floor.

Lincoln flicked on the inside light to reveal the rest of the craft. From what she remembered from space movies, Aurora guessed she faced a UFO. Not one of those cheesy, hubcap flying saucers, but one of the cool looking ones from a high-budget movie. It had a sleek design with smooth flowing contours, yet it also held a certain flare in its shape that exuded intimidation. “You nerds sure spent a lot of money on this thing. What's it made of, fiberglass?” She knocked on the skin, only to hear a flat, cement kind of sound.

From behind a partition wall, a slightly metallic voice answered, “This vessel's hull plating is a composite of several different alloys. It matches our needs for its purposes.”

The voice came from what Aurora saw as a slightly disproportionate man in metal clothes. “I saw a costume like that in The Den an hour ago, only his was better.”

“TK, assume diagnostic mode, please.”

Aurora watched parts of the metal clothes open to reveal various moving parts and small, flashing lights. She stood corrected; this was indeed a better costume than she’d seen in The Den. Lincoln reached to the back of TK's neck. With a click and a pop his head came off in Lincoln's hands. Lincoln then handed the head to the metal man who reached up to grasp it.

Aurora was befuddled. She watched as Lincoln then removed one of TK's legs at the hip joint. TK shifted his weight onto the remaining leg. Lincoln then took the head from TK's hands and set on top of the leg. There was another pop and click. The knee bent down and up again. The disembodied head then spoke, “Do you still believe that I am a man in metal clothing?”