Linkage: The Narrows of Time

Chapter 26

Continuity





“Wow, it must havebeen hard, not seeing your family for such a long time,” Drew said.

“Are you kidding me?”Lucas said to Drew.

“What?” Drewreplied with a surprised look on his face.

“You believe all thatshit?”

“Sure, why not?”

“I know you’reskeptical, but what I just told you is the truth,” Kleezebee said.

“Sorry, Professor,but it’s a little hard to swallow.”

“Trust me, it’s alltrue. Every word of it. Why would I make up something like that?”

Lucas shook his headand shrugged. “So, now what? Are we supposed to call you CaptainKleezebee?”

“No, I’m still thesame old professor you’ve always known. Nothing’s changed exceptnow you know where I’m from.”

Lucas didn’t respond.How could he? Everything he thought he knew about his mentor—histrusted friend—was complete fiction. His perception of reality hadbeen shaken to its very core and he needed a few minutes to reassessthe situation. It was nearly incomprehensible that his bearded,low-key, flannel-wearing advisor was really a starship captain fromanother time. But in the end, he decided that the revelation was sopreposterous, it had to be true.

“So what happenedafter the trip into Chicxulub?” Drew asked.

“We made our wayacross the Mexican desert and entered the United States. Fortunately,for us, crossing the U.S. border in Nogales was much easier backthen, and we were able to get our people and supplies into thecountry without too much hassle. We entered southern Arizona, foundjobs in Tucson, and settled into our new lives. It took a while, buteventually everyone accepted the fact that we weren’t going homeanytime soon. Some of them paired off and started new families whileothers married women from your planet. I still held out hope that wewould someday return home, so I never remarried. Instead, I enrolledin the University of Arizona, and earned my doctorates in shortorder, before being hired by the physics department. I worked my wayup from there. We’ve been trying to find a way home ever since.”

“Since you’reobviously on Earth, I take it you eventually decided that time travelwas possible?” Drew asked.

“Actually, just theopposite. It took us awhile to prove it scientifically, but we’redefinitely not from your future, or ours.”

“What?”

“When we were hurledthrough the rift, we were sent to a parallel universe, to analternate version of Earth.”

Lucas was pissed.“Inter-dimensional travel—just like what’s in my thesis thateveryone blasted to hell.”

“Yes. That’s whyyou needed to run it by me first.”

“How the hell was Isupposed to know that?”

“What paper?” Drewasked.

Lucas hesitated for amoment, then decided to come clean with Drew. “A couple of weeksago, I emailed my equations for opening a rift in space to yourfavorite online magazine. I was hoping to get published and generatesome cash for mom’s medical bills. But it totally backfired. Thateditor a*shole, Dr. Green, ripped me a new one on his blog. That’sthe real reason Larson shut us down, isn’t it Professor?”

Kleezebee nodded.

Lucas thought about thefacts, lining them up in his head. “So basically, if I hadn’tsent that paper in to Green, Larson wouldn’t have shut us down,forcing us to run the experiment a second time. And we all know whathappened after that. So it boils down to this . . . If I hadn’tclicked that f*cking send button, the end of the world never would’vehappened. It’s all my fault.”

Drew stared a Lucas fora good two minutes, but never responded to the news.

“What’s done isdone. So let it go,” Kleezebee said.

Lucas agreed, though hewas still upset—mostly with himself.

Drew turned toKleezebee and asked, “How did you prove it, Professor? Thealternate universe part.”

“Matter in eachuniverse vibrates with its own specific subatomic frequency, meaningyour universe and ours vibrate differently. Eventually, we were ableto use that fact to rule out time travel and determine what actuallyhappened to us.”

Neither Drew nor Lucassaid anything.

“Do you remember whatI taught you in my Quantum Mechanics course? That the laws of physicscan vary from one universe to the next.”

Drew and Lucas bothnodded.

“The same is true forthe flow of time. It can vary as well. Your version of Earth is fourhundred years behind ours, meaning we’re re-living your version ofhistory.”

“Wow, this story justkeeps getting better and better. What’s next? Luke Skywalker andObi-Wan Kenobi?” Lucas replied.

Kleezebee put his handson Lucas shoulders, squeezed gently, and then said in a soft, gentletone, “Look, Lucas. I know you’re upset, but you need to listento me carefully. Right now it doesn’t matter where I’m from, orhow I got here, or that you sent that thesis to Green. We can’tchange the past. All you need to be concerned with is what do we donext to stop the Krellians before they destroy your planet.”

Lucas nodded. He didn’twant to admit it, but Kleezebee was right. Billions of lives were atstake, including his mother’s, and they still had a job to do.

“So, that’s how youknew what real estate to buy and when. You used your knowledge ofEarth’s history for profit,” Drew said.

“To some extent, yes.We also earned substantial royalties from several technology patentswe own. We pooled our money and purchased old missile silos from theU.S. government to serve as our network of underground bases.”

“How many do youhave, Professor?”

“Thirty-seven. Allbut two of them have working jump pads, which is how we move ourstaff and supplies around the world.”

“Can you tell us whowill win the next five Stanley Cups? I could place some bets and be abillionaire before I’m thirty,” Lucas replied.

Kleezebee quickly shookhis head. “Sorry. There’s no guarantee that history will unfoldthe same on your version or Earth. The very nature of the multiversestipulates that there must be differences, some subtle, some not. Forexample, in our universe, Arnold Schwarzenegger became governor ofCalifornia, and Ronald Reagan became President. Also, our MichaelJackson never went through gender reassignment surgery to becomeBelle Mae Watson, the country music singer.”

“What happened to thereal Bruno?” Drew asked.

Kleezebee choked up fora moment. “He died of prostate cancer in two thousand one. We usedour BioTex to keep his memory and his spirit alive.”

“Why is all thishappening now?” Lucas asked.

“Two reasons. First,the U.S. Navy was finally able to recover the E-121 for us from ourship. We had to wait for Earth’s technology to catch up before ourship’s power core could be salvaged from the deep-sea trench. Oncethey had it, our replicas inside the Navy had it redirected into ourhands.”

“What’s the secondreason?”

“You brought theKrellians here by changing the specs on your E-121 experiment.”

“The Krellians arebehind the energy fields?”

Kleezebee nodded. “Wethink so. When you changed the experiment, NASA’s energy spike sentthe E-121 canister to our home universe, which the bugs must haveintercepted and traced back to your dimension and time. We assumethey’ve been looking for us ever since we disappeared through thatrift.”

“Why would the bugsgive a shit where you went?”

“They want ourBioTex, assuming they were able to decipher the data they downloadedfrom Trinity’s data core. It would give them a huge tacticaladvantage in the war.”

“That’s assumingthe war’s still going on after all these years,” Drew said.

“Trust me, it is. Aslong as there’s advance technology to be had, they’ll neverstop.”

“Unbelievable,”Lucas said, looking at the ground, shaking his head. “We’re inthe middle of an intergalactic war.”

“Actually, it’smore like a trans-dimensional war,” Drew replied. “I take it thatgooey stuff from the nebula was the BioTex.”

“An early version ofit. We studied that sample and eventually learned how to synthesizeit. If the Krellians get their hands on it, it would make themunstoppable. They’d be able to increase their numbers geometricallythrough endless cloning. They might even capture and replicate someof our own high-ranking officials, to infiltrate our leadership anduncover the location of our colonies. Multiple worlds and trillionsof lives are at stake.”

“Why didn’t youtell us this before, Professor?”

“We operate on astrict need-to-know basis for obvious reasons. Plus, we weren’tabsolutely sure the Krellian Empire was behind these attacks untilrecently, when we started putting all the pieces together. Rememberwhen I told you in your apartment that I had seen the black powderonce before, a long time ago?”

Lucas nodded.

“It was on ColonyThree-Five-Nine after the attack, but we didn’t know why it wasthere or what had created it. We had never seen the energy fields,either. When the domes started leaving behind the same residue, webegan to suspect the Krellians were behind the attacks. It wasn’tuntil you uncovered the source of the energy spike, that weunderstood how our enemy found us here.”

“Basically, we phonedthem and told them where you were,” Drew replied.

Kleezebee nodded. “Whenwe later analyzed the pattern of the domes, we realized they weretracking us, appearing in places our replicas had been.”

“Shit, that’s howyou knew where the Green Valley energy dome would appear. You usedBioTex to lure it there.”

“Bingo,” Kleezebeereplied.

“So tell us aboutthese bugs? Can we stop ‘em?”

“They’re a warriorrace of sadistic, malevolent creatures that can’t be reasoned with,bargained with, or dissuaded from their mission. They scavenge entireworlds without mercy, consuming its resources, its technology, andits inhabitants.”

“They’recannibals?”

“No, they don’t eattheir own, but they do think of all other species as a food source.”

Lucas remembered thepyramids of human remains left behind by the energy fields each timethey disappeared. “If they eat other species, why are their domesleaving behind the pyramid of remains when they retract to theirdimension?”

“We believe it has todo with your Earth’s most virulent contagions, like NVL andStriallis. It’s likely that the Krellians detected them in thebodies of those they returned. It’s probably the reason why yourplanet has not been consumed in mass thus far. Your flavor hasupset their palate, and your technology is of little interest tothem. They are here for my people and our technology.”

“So your version ofEarth was able to avoid these viruses?”

“Yes, those two wedid. But we had to deal with a few you avoided, like pN1 and AIDS.Trust me, it’s been no picnic in our dimension, either.”

“What do theKrellians look like?” Drew asked.

“They’renine-foot-tall crustacean-like arthropods. They have a hard outershell that acts like armor, but they’re bipedal and walk upright.The closest analogy on Earth would be a fusion of a giant beetle anda crawfish. They have a powerful set of front claws, long, suctiontentacles, a tail with a serrated-edge stinger, and they drooluncontrollably. Their appearance is revolting to say the least. Andthe smell—”

“Next, you’re goingto tell us they have acid for blood, like in the movie Aliens,”Lucas said.

Kleezebee laughed.

Lucas wasn’t tryingto be funny.

“No, but they’reruthless predators who’ll fight to the death to achieve theirgoals. They simply will not stop until every advanced civilization inevery universe has been consumed, and its technology acquired.”

“If you leave ourplanet, will they stop their attacks?” Drew asked.

“That would be alogical assumption.”

“How will they knowwhen you’re off-world?”

“In order to trackus, their energy fields must have some sort of remote sensors thatcan detect our specific bimolecular signatures. Most of the time,they haven’t been very accurate, particularly during the daylighthours. We assume that’s why their domes employ a systematic farmingpattern to cover an entire area once they’ve detected us.”

“Most of the time?”Lucas asked.

“It all has to dowith the number of active domes in the area. When there are three ormore, we think they use a hidden signal to network their sensorstogether, to perform multi-point triangulation. We try not to remainout in the open and stationary for too long, especially at night. Ourreplicas are even more vulnerable since their BioTex signature iseasier to detect among this Earth’s inhabitants.”

“When my replica wassucked up on I-19, didn’t the bugs get their hands—I meanclaws—on some of your BioTex?”

“Correct, but theydon’t have the activating enzyme. Despite their supremacy, they’renot a very intelligent species. They’re able to use third-partytechnology, but mathematics and reverse engineering are not theirforte.”

“Then it should berelatively easy to outsmart them.”

“One would think so,but they’re very cunning and can sense deception. Throughout ourhistory, we have tried to outmaneuver them numerous times, withlimited success. They learn quickly, almost instinctually.”

“Eventually, they’regoing to find the enzyme, aren’t they?” Drew asked.

“It’s only a matterof time. So far, they’ve been thinking two-dimensionally, onlyconsuming surface resources. But eventually, they’ll expand theirefforts to underground locations. Fortunately, we do have some timeto work with.”

“Well maybe youdo, but our planet is being consumed one square mile at atime,” Lucas said. “People are being eaten and soon there will benothing left of Earth.”

“Do you have a plan?”Drew asked.

“I’m hoping we canuse the Quantum Foam Generator to provide the supplemental power weneed to contact our home world. Once they know where we are, theyshould be able to open a rift to us in this universe so we canreturn.”

“Why do you have tocontact them first? Can’t you just open a rift from our side to gethome? I have to assume you know the quantum signature of your homeuniverse,” Lucas said.

“We do, but theyprobably have safeguards in place to stop unscheduled travelers fromentering their space. Then there’s the problem of time advancingdifferently in both universes. They’ll need to open the bridge fromtheir side.”

“That makes sense,”Drew replied, nodding.

“Huh?” Lucas said,suspecting that Drew was full of shit.

“Think of time asflowing like the mighty Mississippi River,” Drew replied. “Theiruniverse is in the future, or upstream, and ours is downstream, inthe past. When trying to swim across the strong current, it’s onlypossible to hit your mark if you start your swim from the upstreamside. The same thing is true with a transdimensional bridge. They’llhave to open it from their side.”

This was one of thosetimes when Drew was three steps ahead of Lucas. He had no idea howDrew knew that answer, but the explanation did help him understandthe concept. “So, what do we do next?”

“You two get back tothe silo and begin preparations. This time, be sure to follow myspecs to the letter. I’ll stay here and get the generator running.When I’m ready, I’ll call you.”

“Call us?” Lucasasked, worrying that he didn’t have the strength for yet anothertrek up the stairs with Drew on his back.

Kleezebee opened hisequipment bag and, after sifting through its contents, pulled out apair of Motorola handheld radios.

“Use this to stay incontact,” Kleezebee said, handing one of the two-way transmittersto Lucas.

“What’s the range?”

“Fifty-two miles.More than adequate. Stay on channel forty-four,” Kleezebee said,digging into his bag again.

“Will it work downhere?”

The professor pulledout two silver devices with a red toggle switch on the side. Each wasthe size of a cigarette pack with a stubby black antenna sticking outof the top.

“Place these signalboosters in the stairwell. One at the top and bottom. They’rebattery-powered and will take care of the problem.”

“Excellent,” Lucasreplied with admiration for his mentor’s ability to foresee needsand plan accordingly.

Drew unfolded his handwritten calculations and gave them toKleezebee. “Here. You’ll need these, Professor.”