Vortex of Evil (40 page)

The older Doug stood up and helped Peter and Gaby to do the same.  “Then what is your plan?  There is precious little time for more speeches.  If you need to start a rebellion you need to be doing it.”

“Don’t worry, our teams are moving into position.  We have Peter and Gaby to thank for that.”

The Dougs and Erin turned towards them with looks of confusion.

“The pills they gave us had defective nanobots.  They didn’t fully track our activities and could be turned off when they were inconvenient.”  Peter held up a small remote device that must have been his nanobot controller.  “They have been making arrangements for a day such as this.  The earthquake had been predicted for a three month window but nobody really thought it would happen the second day of that window.  So we just barely contacted everyone and clarified our plan.  We have two hours before the first teams move against key Yir-Lak installations.  Gaby and I are going with Dara to secure the Yir-Lak Command Headquarters.  We have two hover vehicles parked over there in the trees.”

“What are the three of us supposed to do?”  Doug felt an urge to get in on the action, but for once he realized that this truly was someone else’s fight.  His older counterpart was on the same wavelength.  “Doug, we need to get back to our world and take the children with us.  If all goes well, Dara can come get them or we can bring them back.”

“What if things don’t go well?”  Erin asked the question that most soldiers don’t like to dwell on before battle, but all mothers of soldiers agonize over.

Dara didn’t shy away from that concept.  “If we are in trouble, we will try to escape and join you.  We will take the second hover vehicle.  They both have time/space locators installed.  If things go really badly, and we can’t join you, please care for our children with love and compassion.  Can I have your commitment that you will do that?”  Dara looked at Erin and Bealma as she said that and they both nodded they would.

Erin looked over at Doug who also nodded slightly.  “Yes, of course.  Let’s get going before we all run out of time.”

“Follow me.”  Jelk motioned with his mechanical arm that they could proceed down a small trail that led into the trees.  He started off with his strange insect-like gait.

The older Doug followed, glancing nervously back towards the parking lot to see if anyone was watching.  The rest followed with Dara at the end.  She also looked around carefully to see if they were being watched.  She was troubled to see a small glint of light from a nearby hill, but she didn’t have time to investigate.  With luck, any response from the Yir-Lak would be limited by the lack of effective communication.  But if the power came on too soon, her plans were doomed.  She realized that some luck was going to be needed to pull this off.

Doug turned to Dara as they walked down the path.  “What happens after you win?  What replaces the Yir-Lak?  Do you have a plan to consolidate power if you should achieve it?”

Dara spoke softly but Doug could hear her.  “We have had a shadow government set up for about six months.  As soon as we stabilized the thoughtlink technology we began to plan our rebellion, just in case we had an opportunity.  We have a leadership council that will lead the country.  I am not a member of it.  Just a soldier.”

“If we didn’t have the earthquake, what were you planning to do?  Would you have all come with us?”

Dara looked at him intently and he stopped walking.  “Yes.  We had no choice.  Without the earthquake, we would have all come with you.”

“Are you sure that isn’t the best choice, even now?  Does your rebellion really have a chance?”

“We believe it does and we have already set things in motion.  We are committed.  If we quit now, we will doom the effort to failure and cause the deaths of hundreds of friends.”

They reached the small clearing where the two hover vehicles were parked side by side.  Olunda and the children were standing by the blue one.  The other one, the rust colored one was open but the lights were not turned on. 

Dara’s boys ran over to Erin as soon as they saw Balla.  The little dog was wagging her tail like a propeller as she licked the boy’s faces.  Julti joined in and Balla clearly knew her from past visits.  Dara stood next to Doug and watched them.  A tear ran down her cheek and Doug realized that her unbelievable tale must be true.  This woman was first of all a mother who loved her children and wanted to see them safe.  “Take care of them, Doug.  Whatever you and Erin think of me and what I have put you through.  Please take care of them.  I love them all very much.”

Doug put his hand on her shoulder.  “Don’t worry.  Take care of yourself and be sure you make it through this so you can be with them soon.”

Jelk was talking to Olunda when Erin handed Balla to the boys and walked over to Doug.  “Are you ready for this?  To believe what she is telling us?”

Doug put his arm around her.  “Yes.  Look at her face.  She isn’t faking this.  I am sure now.  We need to help her out if we can and then get the hell out of here while it is still possible.  We can’t get so wrapped up with this rebellion that we lose sight of the fact that these people brought us here as prisoners and this is our chance to escape.”

Erin always marveled at Doug’s ability to distill the essence of the issue.  “I’m ready to go.  So what’s the plan?”

“All I know is that we are going to use the hover vehicle to go back to where we came from.  One of the time/space locators is installed on this hover vehicle and it can be set to go to a specific time and place.  The vortex opens and we go through it.  If the technology works like it did when they got you and me, it should return us to about the same time we left.”

“So how much flexibility is there in the ‘if’ and ‘about’ in that statement?  A few hours or a few years?”

“I have no idea.  They seem to have come and gone easily before, so it should work as advertised.”

Erin saw his concern as he said that, but what choice did they have?

The other Doug was more on guard than any of the rest of them.  While they were absorbed with family goodbyes and discussing plans, he had kept a steady watch for any sign that they were being followed or watched.  He had noticed the same glint of light in the trees that Dara had seen earlier.  Now he leaned against a tree and looked back down the narrow path they had taken to reach the clearing.  He wished he had some form of weapon but aside from the stunpulses, he hadn’t seen any form of portable weapon in Transarctica.  He had quietly put a few egg sized rocks in his pocket in case he had to keep somebody back or distract them.  He doubted there was a David and Goliath potential in his ability to throw the rocks but they made him feel better.  He would have liked a pointed stick knife as well, but there was no opportunity to make one.

He had a sense that they were being watched ever since Erin and Doug had returned with the pup.  The fact that the two soldiers had been involved convinced him that there would likely be others watching their efforts.  That was the way this culture worked.  Everything was watched and if the electronic monitoring was cut off, he had to assume they had a manual procedure to cover that situation.

Now he was sure they were in trouble.  His senses told him that there was some unknown threat approaching.  He walked over to Jelk and grabbed his arm, making an immediate thoughtlink.  “There is something out there.  I feel it.  We need to get everyone out of here while we can.”

Jelk nodded.  “Time to go.  May you be safe until we meet again.”  He bent over and hugged Olunda and Jinnee.  Then he turned away quickly as they entered the door of the hover vehicle.  He walked quickly to Dara.  “Doug feels that there is danger coming.  I agree with him.  We need to get everyone on their way.  I am going to check the area.  I will buy you time if I need to.”

“Understood.  Ok, boys, let’s get going.  Julti.  Bealma.  All of you go with safety and love.”  Erin and Doug were waiting by the door of the hover vehicle.  Dara kissed each of the boys and the dog.  “I will see you soon my loves.”  She hugged her sister and kissed little Julti on the top of her head.

The boys were crying quietly but trying their best to be brave.  Erin took their hands and led them onto the hovercraft and into their seats.  “Be careful, Dara.  We will be waiting for you.”

“Thank you, Erin.  You travel safe.”  She quickly turned to Doug.  “Go quickly.  Don’t hesitate and don’t turn around.  No matter what happens.  No matter what you might see here in the next few minutes.”

“Keep your head down and good luck, Dara.  Come join us as soon as you can.”  He turned and nodded to Peter and Gaby.  “Good luck, my friends.”  He turned and called out to his older version, “Come on, Doug.  Time to go.”

It was at that moment that a blinding flash went off somewhere nearby, followed by a loud explosion that sent tree limbs and dirt flying in all directions.  The older Doug was knocked sideways by the blast and was motionless on the ground.  Peter, Gaby and Dara were all knocked off their feet but uninjured. 

Dara turned and screamed, “Get out of here now, Doug.  You only have a few seconds.”

Doug looked at the older Doug and hesitated.  Then he turned and ran into the hover vehicle and grabbed Erin by the shoulders.  “I have to go back for Doug and you need to leave.  We will join you as soon as we can.”

Erin stood up quickly.  “No.  You can’t leave us.  What if the time thing doesn’t work and we end up somewhere we don’t expect.  I need you to come with us.”

“I don’t have time to debate.  Save yourselves and these children.  Go.”

He kissed her quickly and ran out the door, pushing the control to close it shut on the way out.  Olunda immediately took off before Erin could protest.

“Where are we going?”

“Away from here as quickly as we can.”

“We can’t leave them here.  Please turn around.”

“Sit down, Erin.  We have to save the children first.  Then we can see about other plans.”

Erin looked at the view screen as the hover vehicle quickly rose from the scene.  She saw her Doug running quickly towards the motionless form on the far side of the clearing.  Jelk ran back into the clearing, bleeding from a gash on his shoulder above the mechanical arm.  He seemed fine otherwise.  He and the young Doug grabbed the motionless body and ran for the hover vehicle.  Dara was already at the controls and ready to take off when two hybromen she hadn’t seen before came running into the clearing.  Doug and Jelk had just reached the hover vehicle when the lead hybroman threw a stun grenade towards the open door.  Jelk turned and fired at it with his stunpulse, causing it to explode in midair.  It was the break they needed since the concussion that resulted knocked the two Dougs and Jelk violently into the hover vehicle, allowing Peter to close the door before any more grenades came their way.  It also slowed down the two rapidly approaching hybromen as they both lost their balance from the explosion and crashed to the ground. 

Dara took off quickly and rotated the hover vehicle towards the approaching attackers.  Behind the hybromen was a squad of Yir-Lak police with stunblast rifles, one of the few serious weapons they carried that Dara worried about.  Concentrated fire from them could damage the hover vehicle so she had limited choices if she wanted to escape.  She fired the hover vehicle blast beam and watched the fireball hit the ground between the approaching squad and the two hybromen who were struggling to get up from the grenade blast.  The blast beam fireball exploded with ferocity and she had no doubt that she had just saved the lives of the eight men attacking them by showering them with a blast of dirt rather than blasting them directly. They were just following orders, just like she and Jelk had to do every time they went after the temporal spawn.  But in the current situation, she wondered who was giving the orders.  If the Yir-Lak monitoring systems were down, who was giving orders?  And who was watching them?  She hoped with every ounce of her being that the other hover vehicle with the children had escaped safely.

Chapter 43

Erin was in the darkest place she could imagine.  She had been reunited with Doug when it seemed impossible and now he was again torn away from her in a sudden and unbelievable way.  And she had no idea if the older Doug was dead or not.  She saw his motionless body laying there and wondered if that was how the story was going to end for the other Erin and Doug.  She felt a despair that could not be consoled.  At least until Olunda turned and snapped her back to reality.  “Quit feeling sorry for yourself and look after the children while I try to get us out of here.  Whatever you are feeling, I can assure you it is much worse for them.”

Of course, Olunda was right.  Erin sat there shaking with anger for a second but then it passed.  She said nothing, but nodded and went back to sit with the children.  Jontu was sitting next to Jinnee, trying to reassure her.  Larn held the puppy Balla and had a faraway look on his face.   Bealma had her arm around her daughter as she comforted her.   Erin realized as she looked at them that she had been selfish to be worrying about her situation when these little children were in such a strange and threatening environment.  There was a massive hole in her heart left by this latest forced separation from Doug but she had to try to get past that and help others who needed her.

Erin knelt in front of Jinnee and took hold of her tiny hands.  “How are you doing sweetie?”

“I am scared.  Why was my mommy yelling at you?”

“She was helping me remember what I need to do.  Reminding me that I need to take care of you and the boys and little Balla so you won’t be so scared.”