PROJECT EARTH

Pathfinder Series: Book Three

Prologue: The Beginning Of The End

Planet Earth, near Qumran, approximately A.D. 27

Jesus of Nazareth continued walking slowly toward the south, taking his time to study the terrain as it grew less and less fertile with each passing mile. Rocky outcroppings were significantly more pronounced now, protruding through the dirty brown soil that was quickly thinning in favor of the golden desert sands. Occasional gusts of hot wind blew across his sweaty brow, and he reached up and stroked his bearded chin thoughtfully as he continued purposefully walking straight into the heart of the Judaean wilderness. The western shore of the mighty Jordan was far behind him now, as was John the Baptist.

It had surprised him, initially, when John so publically and boldly stepped forward to declare him to be the promised Messiah, the next King of the Jews. John had even professed to be unworthy of unlacing Jesus’ sandals. In the end, though, John had finally consented to Jesus’ request for a Baptism and plunged him deep into the mighty Jordan’s waters. Normally very critical of the many ‘sinners’ who regularly visited him, John continued to reap adulation upon Jesus, stirring up the gathered crowd until the latter had smiled softly and turned to continue on his way. Behind him, more and more people from the crowd surged into the line of sinners awaiting the Baptist’s services, more eager than ever to take their turn.

Things were all falling into place for Jesus these days. The only real remaining obstacle to clear was to win the battle between his instinct for self-preservation and his resolve. This would take some doing, which was why his current destination was the desert. He needed to challenge himself, to push his body and mind far beyond the normal limits of human endurance in order to properly prepare himself for what would come next. The Roman Empire was powerful and its leaders cruel beyond imagination, seemingly impossible to oppose. Those who managed to gather up their courage long enough to stand up against the slavery, the oppression and the tyranny were usually prepared for failure, followed by a slow and brutal death. And yet, the man from Nazareth thought silently to himself, and yet even the smallest crack in a dam holds the potential to release all of the water that would normally be so easily contained.

Jesus’ self-assigned task was to discover a way to create such a crack, something that would resonate across the known world, something that would bring an inner peace to mankind for generations to come. Peacefully he pondered the matter carefully while striding almost eagerly even farther into the desert, pausing only to take a quick sip from a leather flask that he carried within the folds of his light tan robe. Soon it would be hard to find even traces of drinkable water. It was currently the heart of summer after all, a time when the precious few water sources in the desert were toughest to locate. He would need to find at least something usable, otherwise the lack of hydration, combined with prolonged fasting, would make survival impossible.

He pushed the matter of water aside momentarily, allowing his thoughts to drift back to the more immediate task at hand. The most powerful weapon possessed by the Romans and Herod’s governing religious hierarchy was the unending fear of punishment. Rebels and dissenters weren’t simply killed off by the Emperor’s soldiers, but instead were subjected to lengthy periods of torture and imprisonment followed by the certainty of a slow, painful death. Many torture sessions and executions were held publically, to demonstrate that any and all opposition to the established authoritarian structure would be met with swift retaliation. The bodies of those put to death were often left on display for weeks, so that the rest of the Jewish people could see the rotting, diseased carcasses for themselves.

Inhaling the fresh afternoon air deeply, Jesus paused to study the world around him, painted in sunlight. The blue sky overhead was almost completely clear – only a few tiny wisps of cloud cover were visible near the distant horizon. Life could often be easy and peaceful and enjoyable, but only for the very rich, privileged and powerful. Everyone else labored long and hard, forced to pay enormous taxes to the Temple leaders and to Caesar. In the end, most everyone he knew was struggling on a daily basis simply to provide for their families. And yet time and time again, even the smallest opposition to those who ruled over Judaea was met with severe and painful punishment.

How does one man destroy that kind of power? How can one man overcome huge armies of obedient, blood thirsty soldiers?

Deep down in his subconscious, the beginning of an answer was already partially formed. He strongly suspected what would be needed, and also what was eventually going to happen to him. Obviously no one could ever hope to stand against that kind of tyranny without consequences. And yet, if one was willing to do so and suffer the penalty, he truly believed that a lasting, positive result could be achieved. All that was required of him was to find that crack in the dam of the Roman Empire. He needed to take their power of fear and punishment away from them and return it to the people. In the process, he also wanted to guarantee that all of them knew in their hearts that they would never again be alone.

Continuing to think the matter over carefully, Jesus of Nazareth continued his leisurely stroll toward the south. There, powerful challenges that no other man would ever face awaited him. 

2: I: Gifts from the Future

PROJECT EARTH

Pathfinder Series: Book Three

Chapter I: Gifts From The Future

Planet Tranquility, in the Proteus Galaxy…

(Fifteen years after the Pathfinder Project)

Adam Roh hurriedly made his way up the sidewalk toward the small, yellow-painted cottage that served as his brother’s home. His brother’s children would be over at his house by now, he mused silently. Not surprisingly, he met his sister-in-law, Kari Roh, as she was exiting through the front door. Her arms were wrapped around a laptop case and a bundle of technical manuals and she clutched them tightly to her chest while flashing him a small, mischievous smile. Pausing next to her and standing nearly a foot taller, he glanced down toward the slender, attractive brunette with a raised eyebrow. “What is going on with Thomas these days?” he inquired politely, refusing to react visibly to her obvious amusement. Often times, she was known to try and bait him just like his brother. “I haven’t seen him in a while, and his call sounded urgent.”

Shrugging her shoulders, Kari chuckled while continuing to smile through a lovely sprinkle of freckles. “He’s been experimenting with something, but he won’t tell me specifically what yet,” she replied sincerely. Although she had aged along with the rest of them since their initial voyage out of the Milky Way, she was still a very beautiful woman with a mind nearly as intelligent and sharp as Thomas’ own. Kari was an astronomer by profession, one of Earth’s best and originally hand-selected for the original Pathfinder project that had unexpectedly saved them from a devastating planetary war. “I have to get to the Science Lab before 2700. Dr. Markham is waiting to look through the latest data files that I crunched for her.” She glanced briefly back toward the small home. “He’s waiting for you inside.”

Adam’s mind briefly centered on her ‘2700’ time reference as he watched her go, waving casually in response. After living on Tranquility – a planet in a galaxy so very far from Earth’s own – for more than fifteen years now, it always seemed at first glance that all of the changes should be comfortably ‘old hat’ by now. But he still found their imperfect redefinition of the daily clock a puzzling enigma that remained, for the most part, unresolved.

Tranquility’s solar day was thirty-one hours, seven more than the standard back on Earth. Thus Kari was hurrying to reach the nearby research facility and its massive Science Lab prior to the 27^th hour of the current day. For a month or two after first arriving the Earth refugees tried to cut the day in half, with 15 hours and 30 minutes serving as the new ‘noon’. That had proven to be an unwieldy, complicated solution to the new day length, so everyone finally agreed to just keep count of the hours. Their revised clock struck zeroes at midnight and from there they just continued to add hours and minutes until they reached 30:59.

Compared to the multitude of problems they had confronted during the process of relocating more than a billion refugees from Earth, it would seem at first glance that this would be a very minor thing. And yet the matter still bothered Adam once in a while – serving as a subtle, daily reminder of just how many things had changed in their lives. Most of the folks he met and visited with barely remembered that there had once been an a.m. and a p.m. Once another fifteen years or so passed, the concept might even be relegated totally to their historical archives. Such a simple concept, its origins based in Latin, like most other things from Earth. And it was already almost forgotten.

Ante meridiem, he thought silently to himself as he stepped up to the porch to his brother’s house and knocked loudly on the front door. Before midday. Post meridiem… after midday. Such a very simple thing, and yet it bothered him that it was so easily passing into history.

Everything about Earth seemed to be.

“Come in!” he heard from somewhere deep within the house’s interior, his brother’s response to his persistent knocking. “The door should be open!”

Eager to discover what his notorious younger brother was up to, Adam eased the door open and walked into a small, brightly-colored living room. The carpet was simple, mostly white with splotches of dark brown, black and a caramel color here or there – something that immediately struck him as a good idea. Stains wouldn’t show up easily on a floor like that, and when you had kids it seemed like there were always spots to clean. His wife, Noriana Roh, constantly urged him to clean them as soon as she discovered them. It seemed sometimes as though she had radar built into her head that could detect them as soon as they appeared. In fact, these days he spent far too much of his time in the pursuit of eliminating them.

The furniture in Thomas’ home was stained a deep chestnut brown and appeared simple but decorative. As people settled into their new roles on this planet so many light years away from their former home, their confidence was slowly returning along with the pride they took in doing their work well. Woodworking, in particular, was fast becoming a popular pastime. New cities and smaller towns were sprouting up all over this, the largest most populated continent, and Adam expected the mass migration of people from other parts of the planet to continue. Many people of other ethnicities had initially chosen to live elsewhere since the planet held no shortage of workable land, but it was quickly becoming clear that President Dennis Kaufield and his advisory Council were the best leaders around. No one brought new cities and communities to life as fast as they did, and an entirely new economy had sprung into being almost overnight. It was a wonder to behold, seemingly miraculous after a mere fifteen years away from Earth.

“Where are you?” growled Adam somewhat irritably. He was a notorious, unapologetic grouch and – fortunately for both him and his family – everyone was used to it and considered his moodiness as part of his ‘charm’. Still, it bothered him that his brother hadn’t bothered to come out and greet him at the door.

“I’m in the kitchen,” Thomas replied with a sharp laugh, and the pleasing aroma of cooking food wafted out from behind a partial wall that temporarily concealed his brother, piquing Adam’s interest almost immediately. “Your meal is already on the table… go ahead and start without me. I’ll be right out.”

“Really,” responded Adam, perking up as he glanced at the dining room table and noticed the freshly baked chicken breast and potato with fresh asparagus spears neatly arranged on a plate. A huge dollop of sour cream with chives was slowly but surely melting into the potato. “You forgot the beer,” he said with a gruff smile, hesitant to compliment his brother but slowly allowing himself to be swayed by the delicious looking food. Eagerly he sat down and began to eat. “What are you doing?” he asked curiously, pausing long enough between bites to look up and ask the question.

“Cooking,” his brother’s voice floated out to him. “I’m finishing up a few things in here.”

Sighing, Adam put his fork down temporarily. “Oh c’mon Thomas,” he said, almost pleading with his brother. Under normal circumstances, this was something he would never do, and yet he found himself intensely curious about the situation. “Word at the Science Lab is that President Kaufield assigned you to work on something big… really big, for several months now. The scuttlebutt is that you’ve even reactivated your brain implant and enhanced its capabilities. Dammit, I want to know what’s going on!” He returned his attention briefly to the aromatic meal in front of him, fully appreciating the tastes of actual Earth food. “By the way, where did you get real chicken?” he asked curiously, continuing to chew on a bite from the potato. “And real sour cream… this is marvelous.”

“After several generations of embryonic breeding from the frozen materials we removed from the Pathfinder, our stock of Earth animals on this planet has increased to the point where we can begin harvesting them for food stores.” Thomas’ voice was followed by the sounds of something sizzling and then a spatula scraping something out of a pan. “If you hold on for just a moment longer, I’ll be right with you. Asparagus is easily over-cooked – it’s best when it’s still got just a hint of a crunch to it.”

Adam sighed at his brother’s usual, eccentric behavior and shook his head. “What are you doing, cooking one plate at a time?” he asked sharply. “Most people would prepare an entire meal and then serve it.”

“There is a method to my madness… you’ll see.” His brother fell quiet for another few moments, a silence broken only by the sounds of him rattling around in the kitchen as he finished up with the cooking. When he finally emerged from behind the partial wall carrying a plate that looked very similar to Adam’s own, a smiling Thomas Roh eagerly sat down across from him. He set the plate gently on the table in front of him and folded his arms, declining, for the moment, to eat. “The matter of what to do about Earth has become an issue again,” he declared finally. “As you may have guessed, Kaufield thinks it’s time we act.”

“I know,” nodded Adam sullenly. “I read the latest status reports. Recent probes that we sent to Earth have detected rising radiation levels in several areas on the planetary surface. The Brotherhood of the Dragon is still using nuclear weapons.”

“It’s an easy enough way to quell a rebellion,” shrugged Thomas helplessly. “If you have completely abandoned morality, that is. Resistance to their dictatorship is growing with each passing year… the people who stayed behind are tired of being worked to death in the labor camps. They want their planet back… they want our planet back, and so do we.”

“Well they’re not going to get what they want as long as those genetically enhanced clones are running things,” Adam concluded. “They took control of every major military establishment that survived the initial, planet-wide bombardment. Unless we help take them down, nothing will change.” His thoughts drifted back to the events of five years prior. “My assignment to the Wasteland was two-fold: I was to gather information necessary to assist the people there in ending their war, but also to field test the implant technology in preparation for a larger mission to Earth. Is Kaufield finally satisfied that we can make use of our resources here and attack the Brotherhood?”

Again his brother shrugged. “And then what?” he asked curiously. “You’ve seen the reports, the statistics and the images that our probes have recorded. The entire surface of the planet has been devastated by a nuclear holocaust. If Earth’s ecosystem ever recovers from the continental destruction and persistent radioactivity, it won’t be in our lifetime. Maybe not even for several centuries. The planet is lost, and those who chose to stay behind have been chasing hopelessness, refusing to give up on a lost cause.”

Now it was Adam who took a few seconds to fold his arms and lean back in his chair. He scrutinized Thomas’ face intently. “I know that you and Kaufield are working on something big,” he stated bluntly. “Isn’t it time to tell me what that is?”

“That’s why I invited you over here,” chuckled Thomas in response. “That’s why I’m feeding you.”

“What are you two working on?” Adam demanded with growing frustration, prompted mainly by his brother’s casual evasiveness. “Tell me!”

“It will be easier to show you,” countered Thomas with a soft, confident smile. He stood up suddenly and pointed toward Adam’s half-eaten plate of food. “Lift up your plate,” he suggested somewhat smugly, “just for a few seconds.”

Suspiciously, Adam eyed him warily. “Why?” he responded. “Why would I do that?”

“Just do it. I’m certain you’ll prefer a demonstration instead of me talking about equations for three hours.”

Already knowing from years of experience in dealing with his brother that Thomas was not going to tell him anything until he complied, Adam placed his fingers under the edges of his plate and lifted it up. Rather snidely he held it up in front of him and cast an irritated glance at his brother. “How’s this?”

“Fine, just hold it right there for a moment,” replied Thomas. He cocked his head oddly to one side and then stared at the spot on the table surface where, only seconds ago, Adam’s plate had rested. Then he shoved the second plate of food across the table, nudging it several times with his hands until he approved of its orientation. “That looks about right,” he decided enigmatically. “That’s right about where yours was.”

“What are you doing?” wondered Adam, his exasperated mood fading instantly as he realized that his brother’s strange head motions were not made without purpose. Thomas was making use of the Wasteland implant technology, a device still surgically attached to his brain, in some unknown manner.

The plate of food sitting on the table suddenly glowed with a soft, golden aura of energy. Then it faded completely out of sight and vanished completely. There was a sharp, electrical popping sound and the smell of ozone suddenly permeated the room.

Adam sat stunned for a moment, simply staring at the empty spot on the table. Then, after receiving a satisfied nod from his brother, he lowered the plate in his hands and placed it in the spot only so recently vacated. “What the devil did you just do?” he wondered inquisitively. The scientist inside him was fully alert and attentive now, and he looked at the proud grin on his brother’s face with wonder. This wasn’t the first time Thomas’ experiments had impressed him, and he was reasonably certain it wouldn’t be the last.

“I just sent my plate through a small, Point-to-Point transit wormhole. However, this time it didn’t exactly cross distance in the traditional PTP manner,” explained Thomas eagerly. “It never changed position at all, in fact. New equations that I developed have allowed me to alter the wormhole and pierce the time barrier. I used my implant to transfer the food back through time, to a point only minutes before you walked through my front door. The plate that I brought out of the kitchen, you see, is actually the very same plate you were just holding in front of you. Kari verified its successful arrival for me just prior to leaving.”

Which is why she was smiling so devilishly at me, Adam decided thoughtfully. He continued to watch his brother, utterly astonished, still trying to fully believe what he had just witnessed. “You transported a plate of food…back through time?”

“I did,” nodded Thomas. “It’s the food you’re eating right now.” He gestured toward the plate Adam still held firmly in both hands. “Please, finish your meal.”

Adam’s first instinct was to recoil backward away from the plate. As he leaned hard against the backrest of his chair, forcing it away from the table, its legs screeched awkwardly. Then he simply sat there for a minute and stared at the partially eaten platter, uncertain as to what to do next. “I’m eating time displaced food,” he repeated finally, glancing up at his brother. “These Point-to-Point equations of yours, Thomas, they’re brand new. What if there is residual radiation or the food’s molecular structure has been altered somehow? You can’t possibly know…” He shook his head fiercely. “I could be eating contaminated food…”

“No,” objected Thomas immediately, raising a reassuring hand. “We used our most sophisticated Point-to-Point hardware – the stuff we removed from the Pathfinder – to analyze our test runs. This capability may be new to us, but it works just as well as the traditional PTP transit. Trust me, the food is safe… it’s completely harmless.” He reached across the table and tore a piece off of the bun sitting on the edge of Adam’s plate and then proceeded to chew on it for emphasis.

“How often have you done this?”

“We’ve controlled the entire test process using traditional brain implants for some time now. Trust me, I’ve been sending myself all kinds of meals, just as I did with yours, every evening for over a month.” He shrugged and smiled with a chuckle. “Kari likes it because she doesn’t have to cook… we come home and have a family meal. Then, later in the evening when the kids are in bed, I make the meal, plate the food, and transit it back to a point earlier in the evening. Who knows, this kind of thing could actually revolutionize traditional meal preparation in the restaurant business.”

“How far back can you go?” wondered Adam, his thoughts racing with a variety of possibilities. “Could we hope to travel far enough into the past, perhaps fifteen years or so, and prevent the nuclear war on Earth before it ever takes place?” He took a deep breath, clearly intrigued. “You’ve given us the final piece of the puzzle. Along with our implants, we’ve got the resources now to take down the Brotherhood of the Dragon before they ever get started.”

A frown unexpectedly crossed his brother’s boyish, usually optimistic features. “The mechanism is fully electronic… using standard Controlled Artificial Singularity technology, so distance, time wise, is as irrelevant as it is would be with a traditional Pathfinder CAS-driven transit.” He shook his head negatively. “So far I’ve only done the equations to take us back several decades. As for your suggestion, that contingency was initially discussed and dismissed as too risky,” Thomas informed him. “We already exist in that timeframe, remember? We were busy working with the Pathfinder’s computer systems on Earth’s moon.”

“So?” Adam blurted out, glaring at him before thinking the matter through more thoroughly. “Ohhh…” he realized finally. “If we interfere with our departure from the moon, we could prevent ourselves from finding the Proteus galaxy.” He looked around, swallowing hard. “All of this – along with us – could theoretically disappear. Our journey to this new world would never happen.” He put a hand to his forehead and sighed heavily. “Holy cow, Thomas, I didn’t come over here expecting to discuss time travel for God’s sake! You are without a doubt the most out-of-the-box thinker I have ever known!”

“The time-displaced wormhole is one of my better accomplishments,” Thomas grinned eagerly. “Someday it might be even more important than the CAS breakthrough. Although the former capability would not be possible without the power source made available to us by the latter.”

Stubbornly, Adam stared down his brother’s mischievous smile. “Preventing the war on Earth from happening in the first place makes perfect sense – that would eliminate the continental destruction and ongoing radiation damage to the Earth. Why can’t we give it a try? We could always transit a note to ourselves detailing the precise location of this place. Couldn’t we achieve what we need to do and still end up with a human presence here in this galaxy?” Tentatively at first, he resumed eating.

Thomas watched him calmly for a moment, clearly amused. “For crying out loud Adam, you were the one who thought we were playing God when we intervened in the Wasteland. What about all of the people who have settled here, most of whom are content with all that they have built? For that matter, what about all of the work you put into liberating the people in the Wasteland?”

Silence temporarily filled the room while both of them contemplated Thomas’ words. Adam chewed softly, his analytical mind sorting through his brother’s words. “Ugh,” he grunted after a time, clearly frustrated. “You’re right. We could easily undo a lot of what already is and create a very confused mess. Mom used to tell us that ‘once you scramble Humpty Dumpty, it becomes very difficult to unscramble him’.”

“Exactly. And, trust me Adam, we’ve already given this matter a lot of thought.”

“This is positively mind-boggling… and now that you mention it, I think it’s actually an even more frightening prospect for me than when we decided to interfere in the Wasteland.” He set his fork down next to the plate and looked his brother squarely in the eyes. “So what do we do?”

Thomas sat quietly for a moment, choosing his words carefully. “Before we continue that discussion, allow me the chance to tell you a little story about just how potentially dangerous this project could be,” he continued tersely. “Before President Kaufield and I began this effort, I consulted with our alien friend Noah and some of his alien allies, people who have already experimented with time travel to some extent. I discovered that they too are cautious with the capability and traditionally use time travel extremely sparingly. Then I approached him a second time to ask additional questions after confirming the success of my initial testing. He warned me specifically not to try anything unless I could guarantee a harmless outcome. ‘Always be harmless, first and foremost’, Noah has stressed firmly to me, repeatedly and on many occasions. And yet… well, with me being me.” He held up his hands and waved them casually in front of him, smiling wanly. “Let’s just say that after a few successful tests, I’m afraid my enthusiasm and curiosity got the better of me.”

“Thomas,” Adam declared very sternly, still eyeing his brother intently. “What did you do?”

His brother actually blushed in response, his cheeks turning bright red as he looked down at the table surface and paused for a moment. When Thomas finally raised his eyes, he smiled weakly. “I did the math up front before proposing the new process to Kaufield, so I knew what was dangerous and what wasn’t,” he admitted slowly. “Even so, I got bored and allowed my curiosity to affect my judgment. Do you remember when I told you that I’ve been sending meals to myself for over a month…?” He trailed off, quite obviously still more than a little embarrassed by the recent memories of whatever he was about to confess to.

“Yes,” Adam replied warily. “What happened?”

Thomas swallowed hard and cleared his throat. “Well, sending food into the past is what I call an ‘after-the-fact’ transit,” he pointed out. “I come home from the Science Lab and there is a hot plate of food already on the table waiting for me, kind of my gift to me except that it’s technically sent from the future.” A light smile crossed his freckled face. “On the nights when I know Kari and the kids are going to be here, there are four plates – an entire meal waiting. As you know, I actually cook what we ate later in the evening and then transit it back in time to complete the cycle. So I began to wonder just what specifically might happen if I came home, ate the meal, and then decided not to send it back in time later in the evening.” He laughed somewhat nervously. “Since I’ve already eaten the meal, it dawned on me that I have the power to create a paradox of sorts by not following through. I simply choose not to complete the process.”

Mulling the concept over thoughtfully, Adam dunked the rest of his bread in a light-brown chicken gravy before devouring it. “Theoretically, and mind you I’m just spit-balling here, it seems that time should ‘auto adjust’ and shift back to a historical situation where you came home to an empty table. Since the meal then technically never happened, your memories should shift to match that experience and you shouldn’t be able to remember eating anything.” He chuckled, mildly amused. “But I’m not the expert, and since we’ve never actually done anything like that before, no one really knows what would happen.”

“I know what will happen,” Thomas told him, rubbing tired eyes with the fingers of his right hand. “I decided to try my wild idea of not making the meal ‘after-the-fact’. It was one of my initial, secondary experiments. And your theory is a solid concept if time is a completely linear process, constantly moving forward. But if it is linear, then time travel should be impossible. And your presumption isn’t what ended up happening, Adam.”

He raised an eyebrow in response. “What did?”

Laughing a bit anxiously, Thomas stood up and began to pace nervously back and forth. “It – the experiment – was almost three weeks ago now. I came home one night and there was a nice meal waiting for me,” he began slowly, vividly reliving each and every detail. “I found baked fish and potato wedges on a plate just like yours. So I sat down and ate the food like usual. Then I tidied up a bit before going into the spare bedroom that Kari and I share as an office.” He paused, frowning slightly. “I worked on research for a few additional singularity equations until it was time to make the meal…” Trailing off, his eyes shifted back to Adam. “I couldn’t resist testing my theory.”

“So you didn’t cook the fish and potatoes,” concluded Adam.

“No, I didn’t,” Thomas acknowledged apprehensively. “I waited until bedtime, without cooking any food, until Kari and the kids came home from the volunteer work they’re doing to help some of the Wasteland refugees. They had already eaten at the shelter, so we all went to bed and I just laid there next to her, waiting for my memories to shift. I thoroughly documented everything, expecting my mind to adjust just like you theorized, but a small part of me was hoping to remember the experience.” His expression changed suddenly to one of sheer disbelief. “The next morning, I could still remember eating that meal… fish and potatoes. And yet I hadn’t sent anything back through time.”

“That’s it?” Adam laughed at Thomas’ puzzled expression. “That’s all? The universe didn’t end in a huge, massive explosion of colored fireworks?”

“No, it didn’t,” said Thomas. “But deep down inside, I knew something was wrong.” He sighed heavily and sat back down in the chair across from Adam. “For the next few days, I just returned to the normal routine, coming home and eating, then sending the meals back in time later in the evening.” He studied his brother’s expression for a response. Getting none, he continued. “My apprehension continued to build as each day went by, and I’m not talking about the normal kind of anxiety Adam.” His tone was grim, eyes clearly filled with concern. “I’m referring to the same kind of non-stop, unrelenting anxiety that nearly cost me my life during the Pathfinder journey. I knew that somewhere, somehow, what I did was wrong and that it needed to be corrected. Somehow I could sense this, although I’m not sure how. Call it a ‘gut’ feeling, if anything.”

Adam could not contain his own curiosity. “So did you?” he prompted inquisitively. “Did you correct it? All that needed doing was to send a meal of fish and potato wedges back in time, to the point right before you came home and ate the night of your secondary experiment. That would still be ‘after-the-fact’. Theoretically you could do it years from now, in fact, and as long as it gets done at some point the result should be the same.”

“I was going to do just that, but I was stubborn,” Thomas sighed heavily in response. “I wanted something to happen that satisfied my scientific curiosity, something that I could study, analyze and measure. If I gave in to common sense, the experiment would be over without really completing the test. So I hesitated, not wanting to lose a learning opportunity…”

After a prolonged pause, Adam could not contain himself. “And?”

His brother just stared vacantly past his right shoulder for a moment, gathering his thoughts. “And then I decided to talk to Noah again, to ask him about what he felt I should do regarding the matter.” He smiled weakly as he spoke the words. “So I left my office with the intention of returning to the Science Lab. But there was a note on the floor… a piece of paper that I hadn’t noticed before.” Again he hesitated, but Adam waited him out this time. “I picked up the paper and discovered it to be a message from Noah. The note stated very clearly:

Remember to BE harmless Thomas. Please DON’T experiment with non-linear concepts you do not fully understand yet. There is too much danger involved. This time I have rectified the matter for you… here’s hoping you enjoyed the fish and chips. Sincerely, Noah.”

Laughing uproariously, Adam shook his head with admiration. “Noah comes through with the save! You’ve really got to admire these Proteus aliens,” he stated bluntly, holding up a forefinger and thumb barely an inch apart. “They’ll share some of their technology with us, just a little bit to keep us interested, and then micro-manage everything we do with it. He was probably monitoring you the entire time, just waiting for you to do what you know they must have already done during their own experiments. Granted it was probably centuries ago; perhaps even farther back than that!”

“They have proceeded with their efforts to educate us at a pace that I am comfortable with,” replied Thomas edgily. “When you consider the potential, catastrophic damages the use of time travel might cause, I’m perfectly comfortable having a coach.” He almost glared at his brother. “Thank you very much.”

“We never needed a ‘coach’ back on Earth’s moon,” Adam countered.

“Some might say Earth’s governments needed one,” pointed out Thomas bitterly. “The time travel concept would never even have occurred to me without their introduction of the implant technology, the Wasteland project, and everything I’ve learned since. If they’re going to ‘speed up’ our learning process and teach us about newer technologies that help us gain a greater understanding of the surrounding universe, then they have every right to make certain we don’t do something that will irreparably damage it.”

Adam threw up his hands helplessly. “Whatever… who really cares?” he exclaimed, growing suddenly irritated. “As far as I’m concerned, the politicians on both sides can debate these matters until they run out of words.” He studied the youthful face of his brother intently. “If we can’t go back and prevent the nuclear holocaust on Earth, then what good is all of this?” He waved a hand at the empty plate on the table for emphasis. “What is President Kaufield willing to do in order to help the persecuted souls living on Earth?”

There was a prolonged, deliberate pause as Thomas mulled over how much to tell his brother all at once. Adam’s explosive temper was active, and he knew from experience that his brother’s heated emotions would continue to escalate if he didn’t like what he heard. “Kaufield and Noah agree with you now,” the younger Roh said finally. “They didn’t initially but they put their heads together and discussed options, specifically what exactly was needed to address the problems that would be caused if we proceeded with the idea to go back in time and stop the Brotherhood. Now they want to send a small team of humans, three or four of us at most, back through time with implant technology at our disposal. We’ll use it to infiltrate and overthrow the Brotherhood leadership, using a strategy similar to what you used within the Wasteland and prevent the nuclear war.”

Hearing the response, Adam found himself suddenly at a loss for words. He simply stood there for a moment, thinking the matter over. Then he leaned toward his brother with an astonished expression. “What about the Pathfinder Project on Earth’s moon? The destiny of our earlier selves, along with our shipmates will undoubtedly change.”

“As I just pointed out, Noah and President Kaufield have come up with options.”

“What kind of options?”

Thomas was much more forthcoming this time around. “All of the refugees here in the Proteus galaxy, those originally from Earth and the recent evacuees from the Wasteland will be protected when we alter the timeline in the Sol system. They’ll still be here after all is said and done retaining their memories of the original experience. Noah’s people have the ability to isolate the changes to the Sol system, so there will also be duplicates of the survivors back on Earth. The duplicates will be living as the same people they originally were, this time without the war. Adam, if this works, we can bring back everyone who died.”

“That sounds incredibly risky!” The hair on the back of Adam’s neck was already standing on end as a chill ran through him. “Do you realize how stupid this sounds? What are Noah and the President thinking? Even I know better than to initiate a project with these kinds of unknowns, when we don’t fully understand how it will end. By messing around with the unpredictability of time travel, we could end up irreparably wrecking our own history and make our current situation even worse.”

Thomas’ eyes dropped uneasily to stare at the floor as he listened to his brother’s words. It was immediately clear that the sheer boldness of the plan was not lost upon him. “Noah’s people have experimented with the process of time travel much more thoroughly than I have. He and his scientific team are confident that this is the correct solution to the problem. Adam, please understand. We’re going to do this. I’ve been permitted to bring you into the loop because the decision to proceed has already been made.”

For the first time in quite a while, Adam found himself at a complete loss for words.

3: II: Left Behind

PROJECT EARTH

Pathfinder Series: Book Three

Chapter II: Left Behind

Sol System, near Earth, present day…

Admiral James Henry loosened his dress uniform collar just a bit while turning the last corner before reaching the U.S. Lexington’s primary conference room. After emerging from one final, incredibly vast transit, the Admiral’s flagship – and fighter carrier – was now officially the first United States vessel to return home in more than fifteen years. It had spent most of those years in the Proteus galaxy, orbiting the planet Tranquility while multiple work crews equipped her with CAS capabilities identical to the modified, weaponized version of the Pathfinder. President Kaufield had sacrificed the precious colony ship during the final fight to liberate the Wasteland almost five years ago, but not the knowledge and technology needed to recreate it.

The aroma of hot coffee permeated the room, although most of the cups setting in front of the room’s occupants were empty. Dennis Kaufield was already speaking when the Admiral arrived, but he was dressed in civilian attire – already prepared for the upcoming time travel mission. He paused briefly and smiled in the Admiral’s direction, but Henry waved him off with a casual flick of his wrist. Most of the people present already knew the details of the mission, but one final briefing had been called in order to fully inform the team’s newest members. Adam Roh was the most noticeable, his tall, wide-shouldered frame seated right next to his brother. Additional technical specialists, men and women who would assist the personnel assigned to Sentinel duty while also monitoring the infamous brain implants, were also receiving specifics on the mission. Many of them were taking notes, whereas Adam simply listened intently.

Thomas Roh sat to his left, and the attractive, red-haired Noriana Roh – his wife – paid close attention on his right. Across from him was the recognizable wizened figure of the friendly Proteus alien, Noah. “Although we have a pretty good idea what will happen once we make changes in the past,” noted President Kaufield steadfastly, “there will also likely be some unexpected outcomes as well. That’s why it will be critical to record all implant telemetry from the time travel team – why the three of us in fact will be taking along a portable recorder. In the unlikely event that the people who remain here have memories – and history – shift with the changes, we’ll be able to run the mission from the past using Thomas as a temporary Sentinel. After that, we can always put our heads together here and reconstruct everything once we’ve safely returned to the present.”

“You’re certain that you won’t lose your own memories?” mused Noriana thoughtfully. “Moving back through time is no guarantee that you’re going to be unaffected. If you’re still somehow linked to the present, your memories, along with those of the electronics you take with you, could be affected as well.”

“Unlikely,” interjected Thomas firmly. “We’ve run enough experiments to conclude otherwise.” She raised an eyebrow at his confident tone of voice. Usually, the rail thin scientist was more tentative and laid back.

“Everything should work out fine,” Noah added. The wrinkles at the corners of his eyes crinkled as he smiled. “My people have conducted enough time travel missions to accurately predict the results of yours.”

“Really?” Adam studied the humanoid alien closely. “You have deliberately changed your history?”

“Usually we limit ourselves to the recent past,” emphasized Noah in response, his demeanor calm while he sat completely at ease among so many Earth humans. “Since we have so many alien populations living on thousands of habitable planets in our galaxy, major wars and natural disasters take place each and every day. This is particularly true for the penal colonies, where the planetary environments are necessarily more hostile. As you know, we use the tougher living conditions in order to focus the attention of criminals – those who would normally choose evil in other societies – a little more directly on life’s… priorities. We evaluate each disaster carefully, and are generally hesitant to interfere with the will of the governing Universe. However, in the instances where we feel a major catastrophe will result in a vast, overall cultural loss to our ‘living collective’, we sometimes do send teams into the past to avert the trigger event. If it’s a natural event – like a planet quake – then we would simply evacuate the population and relocate them to a new world. This allows those who would become casualties a second chance at a life they would not otherwise have.”

“Some would call that ‘playing God’,” Adam commented.

“I guess it depends upon your perspective,” replied Noah. “We see time travel as simply another tool provided by modern society. Picking up planet-bound residents threatened by a planet quake using shuttles is remarkably similar to rescuing them before the quake occurs.”

“Our mission is designed to go back a bit farther… more than two decades earlier than today,” added Kaufield.

“Yes,” Noah acknowledged with a respectful nod. “You’re about to conduct a mission that will take place at a point much more distant in your history. If the outcome is favorable then your people will receive similar benefits… only on a much greater scale than our own. You will literally save your entire world.”

Adam’s gaze shifted first to Thomas and then to Kaufield. “Any alterations we make to the history already ‘on the record’ will cause a chain reaction that will roll forward to the present.” He exhaled sharply and shook his head. “I’ve studied the data carefully. If successful, our mission will erase everyone and everything human and human-related currently living in the Proteus galaxy, along with the liberated Wasteland. Sure, we’ll have Earth back, along with everyone who was killed off in the war and its bloody aftermath, but we’ll be losing all of the positive things that the Pathfinder’s mission initiated.” His eyes found Noah’s friendly features. “I consider you a friend and your people an ally. It would be a catastrophic loss if we never find you, which is why I strongly vote against this. It bothers me that the decision to do this was made without consulting everyone on our team first.” There was a brief pause in the room as the weight of his words was absorbed by the listeners.

“That doesn’t mean our conclusions are incorrect.” President Kaufield seemed utterly convinced.

Adam glanced for comfort toward his wife and noticed the small smirk on her face. “What?” he asked curiously, and then more forcefully. “Where am I wrong? What aren’t you guys telling me?”

Kaufield chuckled good naturedly at his reaction. “Do you remember the energy ‘bubble’ that Noah’s people generated around the Wasteland’s central star?” he asked inquisitively. “The one that temporarily contained the reaction from that system’s sun after we implemented its quashing?”

“Yes…” replied Adam cautiously. “We needed to slow its destruction so that we could harness its energy while moving the Kuth to their new star system. I don’t really see how that is relevant.”

“It is relevant,” his brother told him firmly, noticeably enthused by what they were about to do. “That kind of spherical shielding can encompass all of Earth’s solar system, once Noah’s people finalize the preparations.” He watched Adam’s reaction triumphantly as the meaning of his words dawned on the elder Roh. “If we add the correct temporal signature to that shield, all time changes on Earth will be unable to roll forward beyond it. We will protect our interests in the Proteus galaxy as well as the freedom your last mission brought to the people of the Wasteland.”

“So,” Adam replied pointedly. “We’ll have Earth back, along with everyone who died in the war. We’ll also have copies of us right back on Earth’s moon, working on the Pathfinder. Except that this time, everything from the beginning of the war, up until present day, will occur differently… hopefully more peacefully.”

“We will carefully evaluate all changes caused by our actions,” Kaufield assured him. “It’s especially important to me that we do this, because it’s a unique opportunity to get the original Pathfinder back. We can recreate the modifications that were added prior to its Wasteland mission. Our starship will survive, as a true symbol of what can happen when we do not quit.” He shrugged his shoulders. “Or we may choose to leave it as a colony ship, staff it with a new crew, and send it out into the Aether to fulfill its original mission. If a nuclear war is indeed averted on Earth, isn’t this trip worth some risk?”

“Suppose that a larger conflict breaks out after the averted one and destroys all life on Earth,” Adam ventured. “Do we intervene again? Do we assign permanent caretakers to preserve the human race each time its citizens try to destroy each other?”

“That’s a pretty cynical analysis, husband. Remember, those who survived the original war on Earth and have since moved to the Proteus galaxy will have Earth duplicates,” Noriana pointed out. “The human race has survived and will continue, regardless of what happens here. So why not try to prevent the war? Everything in this solar system will be recreated just as it would have been if the nuclear war never happened, because we will have used time travel to stop it. Since many of the original survivors, now living peacefully on Tranquility, have since married and had children, this will make for some interesting familial challenges. IF Noah’s people keep the transit gates open and continue to allow travel between Earth and Tranquility.”

“We will do so,” the alien nodded affirmatively. “Those doorways will need to be closed down for the duration of the time travel effort to avert the war, but once that mission is complete we will reopen all of them. Then we will need to bring Earth’s many governments up to date on all that has happened.”

“There will be two of me… us?”

“Yes.” The President grinned in Adam’s direction. “How complicated will that be, if one of you lives in the Proteus galaxy and the other Adam Roh stays here?” He shrugged his shoulders indifferently. “There have already been Brotherhood clones living on Earth for many decades now… this time we’ll be among the people who have duplicates, along with a large segment of Earth’s population.”

“It will be interesting to see what Earth turns into without the intervention of the Brotherhood of the Dragon, will it not?” Noah posed the question with a growing enthusiasm that matched Thomas’ own. His eyes sparkled with a kindness and compassion that Adam took careful note of. “The time has come to liberate your own people, not simply strangers from a Wasteland galaxy.”

Thomas’ older brother remained skeptical. “What about this ship… the Lexington?” he asked. “If you’re going to set up command and control here, using a standard Sentinel monitoring system, you’ll all be caught up in any time changes we trigger as soon as they occur.” He studied Noah intently. “How do we get back?”

Admiral James Henry smiled, noting that the time had come for him to speak up. “We plan to position the Lexington well outside the Sol system, beyond the outer perimeter of Noah’s protective barrier,” he replied crustily. Henry was nearly seventy – a burly, gray-haired officer who had ended up serving Earth best as a leader long after its premature demise. “Since our staff assigned to monitor you – the Sentinels – will communicate through the usual micro-wormholes that float, unseen, above your head, we simply have to give them the same temporal adjustment as the transit portal utilized to move your mission team into the past. Your wife and brother have already set all of that up for us.”

“We’ve made the micro-wormholes even smaller, believe it or not.” Thomas told him enthusiastically. “There is no longer any atmosphere leakage. So if you manage to get yourself blown out of an airlock again – like you did in the Wasteland – you’ll be able to survive indefinitely. The implant’s protective shield is still skin tight, but it can generate an independently breathable atmosphere for as long as you need one.”

Pointing a stern finger in his brother’s direction, Adam felt his defensive nature rise to life. “You of all people should know that the airlock incident in question was partially intentional,” he reminded his brother firmly. “I was toying with that Wasteland ship’s Captain by allowing him to think he killed me off.”

Thomas remained amused while Adam regarded him irritably with more than a little annoyance. Frustrated and anxious to change the subject, he held his empty cup out and glanced quizzically at the Admiral. “I’m not used to long meetings like this one without donuts… or at least baked goods, of some sort,” he pointed out. “So, respectfully, what’s the problem, sir? Along with the President, my brother and I are about to go on a very dangerous mission critical to the future of Earth. Couldn’t you at least have arranged to send us a plate of turnovers or something?”

The Admiral harrumphed loudly in response to his statement. “Ever since you returned from that Wasteland outing, work crews from Tranquility have been overhauling the Lexington,” he replied while continuing to chuckle lightly. “For five long years, your teams have worked steadily to install an internal, fully self-contained CAS drive similar to the Pathfinder’s. They also added an invisibility stealth screen to our outer hull along with an offensive laser array, and they pretty much accomplished it all by removing everything that stood in their way without giving it a second thought. Those men knocked down bulkheads all over the ship. You should see how small our galley is now… I’m surprised that they still have enough room in there to make coffee.”

“Grab an MRE pack if you’re hungry,” suggested Kaufield with amusement. “Unless anyone has anything else to discuss, I believe we’re adjourned.”

“MRE,” growled Adam as they all stood up together. “Meals Rejected by Everybody!”

*     * * *     *

Two hours later, Thomas and Adam Roh stood next to a huge airlock in the Lexington’s port hangar bay. Thomas continued to appear happy and enthused, while Adam stood next to him with a tight knot forming in the bottom of his stomach. “For the record, I don’t believe this is a very good idea,” he ventured cautiously.

“There is nothing to worry about,” Thomas stated reassuringly. He opened the inner airlock door and casually waved his brother through. “You’ve already been out in open space once without a pressure suit. And as I’ve told you before, I’ve done this many times. It’s truly an exhilarating experience to float in open space, watching all of the shining stars around you. C’mon, let’s get going. We have to finish testing system enhancements – our mission into the past officially launches in a few hours.”

Sighing heavily, Adam glanced briefly down at his civilian clothes and black leather work boots. Nervously, he tucked in the front of his shirt and tried to suppress all of the wise ass replies that were forming on the tip of his tongue. He was usually the mature one, but when his brother held the upper hand – as he certainly did in this situation – it became much more difficult for Adam to maintain his demeanor.

“How do I know for certain that my implant’s defensive shield is in place? How do I know that it will protect me… that you’re not just going to eject me into the void?”

They were very dumb questions to be certain, but Adam was simply venting his considerable anxiety by sniping a bit. Part of each brain implant’s technology accessed the optic nerve of the bearer’s right eye, using it to project a “head’s up display” – or HUD – on the inside of each bearer’s eyeball. So Adam could already “see”, just by reading the information off of his optical display, that everything was on-line and functional. His brother responded to his verbal prodding by turning around and slugging him very unexpectedly in the abdomen. Caught by surprise, Adam flinched in response even though the impact of his brother’s blow was easily dispersed by his customized electronic shielding. Immediately a bright blue electrical discharge appeared around Thomas’ fist and expanded outward across his brother’s torso.

“It looks like everything is working just fine to me,” said Thomas with a sly grin. “Let’s go.”

Adam briefly surveyed the interior of the large, rectangular-shaped airlock. It was huge and dirty, with multiple scratches and dents along its surface – normally meant to allow easy access when loading sizeable cargo and heavy equipment. “I thought you already ran tests.”

“Not live tests – only simulated versions.” Thomas was focused on the airlock controls and he eagerly began stabbing at the various buttons with an index finger. “I need to verify that the enhancements to our wrist guns will allow us to more easily adjust and define the energy bursts for more precise strikes. I think you’ll approve of the changes.”

“We needed changes,” Adam told him firmly. “I didn’t particularly enjoy having to choose between blasting opponents with harmless bursts of heated air and blowing huge holes in them.  There was a lot of ‘in between’ room that I simply couldn’t control on the last assignment.”

“The Wasteland mission was much different than this one,” pointed out Thomas. “You needed blunt force against the Kuth, and a lot of it.” He squinted while grabbing the airlock release control and smiled. “Hang on!” A loud alarm klaxon sounded in sequence with flashing red lights as the inner door behind them closed swiftly and the atmosphere began draining steadily out of the large chamber. “Just breathe normally,” Thomas stated, glancing briefly at his brother.

When the atmospheric indicator on the control console dropped to zero, Thomas pulled hard on the handle he held and opened the outer door. The black emptiness of space along with all of its brilliant, dazzling stars was revealed. For a moment, the two of them just stood there, holding onto safety handles that were clamped along the edges of the airlock, and admired the spectacular view.

Adam noticed his brother kick off first, floating gently away into the void. The image was extremely surreal, since his brother was also wearing nothing more than civilian clothing. Without the usual pressure suit, he looked even more rail thin and vulnerable than usual. But he was smiling, breathing normally, and nodding assuredly. “It works!” Thomas grinned at him. “All we did was slightly expand the concave ‘bowl’ over the facial area just a little bit, enough for the wearer to breathe normally long enough for the implant to recycle the atmosphere contained within the electronic skin shield.”

Very slowly, Adam watched Thomas continue to drift away. “You look pretty helpless out there, floating all alone in empty space.”

“If you need subconscious reassurance, just add a little distortion into the mix,” suggested Thomas. He closed his eyes and concentrated, requesting subtle changes to the skin shield that immediately produced a soft electric-blue glow around his body. “If you can actually see the protective barrier, it might be more helpful.”

“Never mind… we’re not going to be working in space for long,” his brother replied. “One of my greatest advantages in the Wasteland was that my opponents considered me to be just another ordinary human. I’d like to keep it that way when we confront those genetically enhanced Brotherhood clones!”

Seconds later, Adam also launched himself softly away from the open airlock and out into space. He did his best to match his brother’s course and velocity, making certain that they stayed within visual sight of each other. Normally uneasy in the cold vacuum of outer space even while wearing a pressure suit, Adam ignored the bottomless, helpless feeling and struggled hard to adjust to the weightlessness. Many people never could completely adapt, even with hours of experience. “It was a lot nicer when we worked on the moon,” he commented idly. “There’s something much more satisfying about having solid ground beneath your feet.”

“This won’t take long,” Thomas promised him, eyes still closed.

Instinctively Adam decided to test the thought transmission process that had worked so well to keep him linked to far away friends while serving in the Wasteland. [“Is this form of communication still working too?”] he thought idly.

[“Of course it is,”] Thomas thought transmitted back to him. [“Stand by, I’m going to test fire my wrist guns.”] He held up his hands in front of him, revealing the small, cylindrical tubes attached to each inner forearm. Then he reached out in front of him, extending both hands in Adam’s direction. Smiling confidently, Thomas flinched suddenly, pulling both of his fists back toward his elbows. Twin bright blue bursts of energy exploded out of the wrist guns and flashed past Adam in a bright burst of color.

“Hey!” he growled irritably. “Why are you shooting at me?”

“I call it ‘cause and effect’ testing,” chuckled Thomas. “Both of us have sufficient shielding in place to deflect even the most powerful of attacks. After all, this is technology that was developed by the very same people who manufactured the Proteus galaxy. So I’m going to hit you with a varying series of EM bursts and then evaluate your implant’s telemetry once we’re back aboard the Lexington.”

Adam felt his mischievous nature rising. “Why don’t you examine your own telemetry?” he asked a bit snidely, snapping his own wrists back in a motion that felt all too familiar. Mentally, his thoughts automatically accessed the implant with a request for a ten percent wrist gun pulse.

The resulting blast caught Thomas by surprise, even though the impact and energy was completely absorbed by his defensive shield and swiftly dispersed. Fresh statistical data began crawling across Thomas’ eye HUD as the implant siphoned off some of the incoming energy for its own use. Beside him loomed the blocky, metallic lines of the nearby Lexington. The warship was running with its stealth shield fully in place, but his enhanced abilities allowed him to see its general outline anyway. He ignored the large starship and flashed an annoyed glance in his brother’s direction. “Quit screwing around!” Thomas snapped at him in response to the unexpected attack. “We have a lot of work to do, Adam.” His electronically filtered voice crackled through the interior of Adam’s own shield. “Stand by while I test the adjustment criteria recently added to the programming. You’re about to get your wish.”

Over the next ten minutes, Thomas Roh repeatedly fired a varied, continuous series of wrist gun blasts directly at his brother. He adjusted the settings each time, choosing every kind of energy blast he could think of. Some of the blasts were huge, powerful energy bursts while others were trimmed down to meticulously fine-tuned, razor thin cutting beams. Adam nodded appreciatively as he watched a new set of statistical results scroll across his own eye HUD after each hit. In the Wasteland, his usual approach had been to simply submit a percentage request when firing the powerful weapons. Five percent was enough to startle a human opponent, while twenty percent would temporarily stun them. Higher settings had been necessary when confronting the murderous Kuth, who had proven to be frighteningly fast and vicious opponents even while fully equipped with the precious Proteus technology that made him the next best thing to invincible.

“You’re starting to look pretty small, little brother,” Adam observed. The physical force from each energy burst impact was instantly dispersed by his shielding, but the two of them continued to drift apart as they slowly floated away from the Lexington. Despite his best effort, their departures from the airlock had obviously not been identical.

“Not a problem,” said Thomas in response. He concentrated, using his mind to access a new program, and suddenly he was moving back toward Adam’s position, growing visibly larger with each passing second.

“How did you do that?” wondered Adam curiously.

“There are new implant enhancements that you don’t know about yet,” his brother informed him. “One of them allows me to visualize myself moving toward or away from something. Tiny pinholes are then opened in the electromagnetic barrier surrounding my body, allowing some of the atmosphere to vent. The programming calculates exactly what is needed based on my thought pattern and then produces the movement requested. In a weightless environment, a negligible loss of air is all that’s needed to move you around.”

“Does that affect the pilot’s respiration?” Adam was hesitant at first to trust such a new concept without first knowing it had been thoroughly tested.

“The new program simply requests the prompt manufacture of the extra atmosphere needed,” Thomas told him. “There’s no danger.”

“This could utterly revolutionize the process of working in outer space,” his brother concluded. “No pressure suits to damage along with a protective shield to eliminate accidental injury or death. Along with the ability to move around just by visualizing where you want to go, who wouldn’t want to do things this way?” He shook his head with disbelief. “Working out here without the need for bulky gloves alone is worth the effort. I can’t believe we’re not already using these implants on more of our population.”

“Soon,” Thomas promised him. He swiftly fired off several more energy bursts directly at Adam. Each of them exploded against him colorfully, the energy dissipating rapidly in the vacuum of space. “There are a lot of people still pissed about the war… you can understand the President’s reluctance to equip our general population with the equivalent of super powers.”

“While I was in the Wasteland, I had a full-sized medical kit strapped to my left inner thigh. I also had an electronics tool kit attached on the right. Since we can keep our add-ons fully invisible to others, I’d like to take along something similar on this trip.”

“Just tell Nori know what you need,” said Thomas. “She’ll make sure it’s ready for you. I believe Karen Simmons is on board, so she’ll have all of the medical stuff in the Infirmary.”

“When do we leave?”

Thomas glanced down at his wrist chronometer. “Three and a half hours.”

“Good,” Adam responded crisply. “As soon as you’re finished shooting at me, I’m going to lean back and take a little time to enjoy the view out here. Then it’s right back into combat for us, I guess.”

“You don’t have to go,” his brother reminded him.

“If I don’t, Nori will want to take my place,” Adam told him grimly. “Believe me, we talked extensively about this, and I’m the one who is most familiar with the equipment. I knew what I was getting into when I first entered the Wasteland… in for a penny, in for a pound. Dr. Simmons officially considers my PTSD symptoms minimal.”

“I know,” nodded Thomas. “And I’m very happy about that.”

“Then get on with your testing,” suggested Adam. “The sooner we begin this mission, the sooner that it’s over and done with.”

Zero Hour

The departure ceremony was understandably brief, taking place in the very same hangar bay that the brothers had used only minutes earlier. Adam and his wife Noriana hugged warmly right up until the final minute. He whispered soft words of comfort to her and reassured her that he would be back soon. She, in turn, reminded him that she was fully committed to participating in Sentinel duty, and thus would be with him through the entire journey. “But… after this mission, you’re done with this,” she insisted firmly as they finally broke apart. “Take down the Brotherhood of the Dragon, put the Earth back the way it was, and then come home so that we can go back to our home and family and live out a normal life.”

“I will,” he responded confidently. “We’ve conducted ten years’ worth of probe surveys and know exactly where the Triumvirate headquarters is. Dennis, Thomas and I simply have to go back a point before the war broke out and depose them. After that, we’ll gain complete access to all of their computer systems and betray their undercover agents in every country in which they’re serving. With its head cut off, the body of the Dragon’s Brotherhood will die pretty swiftly.” He studied her suspiciously. “You’re not worried?”

“Compared to what you went through in the Wasteland, this should be a cake walk by comparison,” shrugged Nori. “I’ll worry if something goes wrong. Until then, it’s just a mission. Admittedly, this is a lot easier, knowing this time around that the technology you possess works just as well as promised.”

“It will be okay,” he said, smiling warmly. “There is very little that can go wrong. The Brotherhood will never see us coming. And even if they did, there’s nothing they can do to stop us.”

“I know.” She punched him playfully on the shoulder. “The Kuth scared me, and yet we were able to rid the Wasteland almost entirely of them. Even better, you’re not going alone this time.”

A large, spherical transit portal shimmered vibrantly where it rested in a vacant corner of the hangar bay, a soft electronic humming sound emanating from its center. Swirling patterns of multi-hued golden energy rotated across its surface, thousands of them flaring briefly into life and then vanishing back into softer shades of yellow. This time, however, it wasn’t just a standard Point-to-Point gateway leading to a distant location. This particular transit portal in front of them would lead President Kaufield and the Roh brothers directly into Earth’s past. Adam studied it closely, noting that there was very little difference in its appearance when compared to all of the other wormholes he had studied over the years.

Standing there with his wife, the fingers of their hands linked together, they watched a small gray metallic orb emerge from the portal. Instantly telemetry from its memory system uploaded into the Lexington’s central computer system, delivering fresh information to anyone with an implant. President Kaufield was standing next to Noah and Admiral Henry, and he read the newly received data scrolling across his eye HUD with interest. The small electronic probe, with green and gold lights on its surface blinking softly, floated slowly across the bay until it dropped gently into Noah’s palm. Wordlessly, the Proteus alien deposited the object into a pocket of his flowing silver robe.

“It’s night time on the other end,” he stated aloud to politely keep those without access to the central computer fully informed. “According to the alignment of the stars and major constellations, we have direct access, via this Point-To-Point portal, to Friday, June the 30^th, in the year of your Earth, A.D. 2119.”

Thomas concentrated for a few seconds, transferring a new set of data to his wrist chronometer. “That’s just a month or so more than twenty years ago,” he nodded in acknowledgement. “It should be perfect for our needs.” He leaned over toward Noriana and hugged his sister-in-law tightly. “We’ll be back soon.”

“I know you will.” She moved past a row of officers standing in a line and paused next to the Admiral, her eyes sparkling with an inner fire. “Good luck to all of you, and please bring the iron fist of justice crashing down hard upon the Brotherhood of the Dragon. They’ve certainly got it coming.”

Dr. Karen Simmons, along with Glen and Mary Fredericks were also on hand to see them off. Old friends from the original Pathfinder Project, the trio waved at them and smiled. All of them were planning on assisting Nori with Sentinel duty, so the thoughts of many of their key friends and loved ones would be with them on the dangerous, critically important mission. Of their core group, only Thomas’ wife Kari had remained behind so that all of their combined children – his and Adam’s – would have at least one familiar face around during their absence. That thought dawned on Thomas as he, Adam and President Kaufield paused one final time in front of the evanescent energy portal.

“Kari isn’t looking after all of our kids, is she?” the skinny young scientist wondered suddenly. “I don’t think that I could do that even on my best day.”

“Janney Stox and Arte Kasik are going to help out,” Adam told him. “I made certain that the two of them, along with Arte’s wives and children, would be around to assist.”

Nori actually found this prospect significantly more stressful to consider than the imminent mission. “I hope those Wasteland friends of yours aren’t planning on clunking around in our house,” she hissed at him in a cautioning tone. “They’ll wreck everything we own, and I won’t even begin to comment on the fact that they never seem to bathe.” She wrinkled her nose in mock disgust at the thought of Adam’s wartime allies.

He winked back at her. “We moved everyone to temporary quarters at the Science Lab,” he told her reassuringly. “Everything will be fine. Thomas left Kari’s implant functional, so she can contact us if anything… odd… arises.”

“Nothing had better,” snapped Nori, causing Noah and the Admiral to chuckle at her reaction.

Waving one last time, the pair of Roh brothers, accompanied by President Kaufield, turned and walked directly into the center of the energy gateway. The three of them vanished inside the pulsating bright light almost instantly while everyone else stood watching the shimmering, transient energy.

“Good luck,” whispered Nori calmly, her annoyance vanishing entirely, instantly replaced with concern.

“Transport confirmed,” announced Noah with a small smile. From everyone else’s vantage point, it didn’t appear as if the Proteus alien did anything other than speak the pair of words. Nonetheless, the radiant golden PTP portal suddenly shrank down to a small dot and disappeared.

President Dennis Kaufield was still standing there helplessly with a stunned expression on his face.

“What happened?” wondered Admiral Henry, equally puzzled. “Why wasn’t the President transported too?”

Noah glanced toward Glen Fredericks with immediate concern. “I’ve just lost my implant communication signal with Thomas and Adam,” he pointed out. “The President’s comm-link, however, is still active and accessible. Not at all surprising, giving that he is still here.”

The tall, burly Glen Fredericks nodded affirmatively. “My access contacts match yours.”

Noriana Roh closed her eyes and concentrated. “I can’t communicate with Adam or Thomas either,” she informed them. “Did they arrive at their intended destination? Why is Dennis still here?”

“For now,” observed Noah, “it appears as though President Kaufield was somehow denied transit.”

One of the alien scientists nodded. “They didn’t go back twenty years,” he reported grimly. “It looks more like two thousand years, based on a preliminary analysis.”

“How… what the devil went wrong?” Nori was obviously upset by the unexpected negative outcome and growing angrier by the moment. “This technology has been tested, over and over again, for years!”

“I believe I may know something about what happened,” admitted Noah. He appeared genuinely apologetic, even though he obviously had nothing to do with the unexpected outcome. “Even before your people began experimenting with time travel, I have long suspected that there would be some kind of incident similar to this one in our dealings with Earth. The only thing I didn’t know was specifically when the event would take place.” He smiled dryly. “I’m not surprised that our technicians can find no errors. Normally, there shouldn’t be anything that could go wrong. The transport processor confirmed that all three people arrived at their intended destination, and yet two of the three implant micro-wormholes aren’t readable. For Adam and Thomas, either their wormholes were deliberately turned off…”

“Unlikely,” insisted Kaufield, moving quickly to join the rest of them. “Neither of them would do that.”

“Then I think they went somewhere else,” guessed Noah. “Or, more likely, as my scientists believe, someone intervened and redirected the transport wormhole to an alternate location. In that case, we’ve pretty much lost contact with both men unless they find a way to use their departure coordinates as a way to reestablish contact. Thomas knows where we are… he just might be able to do that.”

“What do you mean, you believe you know what happened?” demanded Nori suspiciously. “Where are my husband and brother-in-law, Noah?”

The Proteus alien smiled at her in what he hoped would be a reassuring manner. “For what it’s worth, I don’t believe they are in any immediate danger,” he replied calmly in response. “I suggest that President Kaufield call immediately for a new strategy meeting in the command and control center. There I will reveal to you everything that my people know about the possible causes of this incident. This will also allow our specialists to continue searching for the Roh brothers while I do so.”

“Why wouldn’t your people have shared this knowledge with us before?” Nori took an aggressive step forward but hesitated as soon as she noticed Kaufield hold up a cautioning hand.

“Please, we must all regroup in command and control. There, I promise to explain everything I know,” persisted Noah firmly. “We’re wasting time here.”

Wordlessly all of them stood there for a moment, wondering just what, precisely, had caused a malfunction with the normally reliable transit process.

4: III: Brothers Born for Adversity

PROJECT EARTH

Pathfinder Series: Book Three

Chapter III: Brothers Born For Adversity

Planet Earth, near Bethany, approximately A.D. 27

Seated comfortably on the edge of a well-traveled walking path, Thomas Roh did his best to ignore his brother’s impatient pacing. After the two men’s arrival at so unexpected a time and destination, they had removed a powerful laptop computer from the invisible knapsack that was strapped to Thomas’ back. Then the younger Roh had powered up the device – which originally was supposed to be their portable, recording control center – and used it in an effort to determine just what specifically had gone wrong with their transit from the Lexington. Adam was never one used to waiting for answers, so having no choice but to stand idly by for hours on end with nothing to do was taking an obvious toll on his nerves. Around them it was still night time for another half hour or so, but the first rays of an early morning sun were beginning to peek above the western horizon. Bright light from the computer screen played across his brother’s face, intermixing with odd shadowy patterns.

“How did you determine for certain that we moved back through time almost two thousand years?” Adam wondered, pausing for a moment to re-evaluate the precious few details they had managed to uncover.

Thomas smiled wanly and glanced up at him briefly, then back at the computer screen on his lap. “The first thing I did was to verify the connection of this device to our implants,” he replied after a few seconds. “Then I used a mapping function to link your implant to mine. According to the constellation and star alignment above us, we are quite literally standing on the Earth that was – almost two millennia before we were born.”

“You can be that precise?” Adam scratched his head briefly while watching his brother type. Above him, the dark moonless night was perforated only by shining stars that glittered like finely cut diamonds.

“In terms of years we traveled into the past, yes.” Thomas sighed and shook his head. “However, the calendar and date combinations from all of the various writings and artifacts of this era make it impossible to pinpoint a specific year. I would speculate that we are standing on the Earth that was, about A.D. 27.”

“Good grief,” gasped his brother in response. “This is when the modern world, as we know it, was born.”

“Exactly,” Thomas nodded back at Adam. “I assisted Noah with the final calculations for that transit portal myself. This is no accident. Someone deliberately altered the portal’s time-shift parameters so that we would end up here instead of our planned destination in the year A.D. 2119.”

Adam threw up his hands, clearly disgusted. “Who would do that?” he asked with mild outrage. “What could they hope to gain?” He resumed pacing nervously, his boots leaving fresh footprints in the soft, sandy dust of the road. Turning toward his brother thoughtfully, his eyes narrowed suspiciously. “I wasn’t even aware that someone could travel back in time this far – wasn’t it supposed to be theoretically impossible?”

Again Thomas smiled in reaction to his brother’s words. “Theoretically, transiting a starship instantly across millions of light years was once purportedly impossible too,” he noted calmly. “Whoever did this knows more than we do… that’s all. We’ve run into quite a few advanced life forms since first entering the Proteus galaxy.” The sporadic sounds of insects chirping and the occasional scurrying of small animals penetrated the cold nighttime breeze. Nervously Thomas craned his neck, briefly glancing around in all directions and carefully looking for signs of human life. “Remember, if someone from this era shows up, we need to vanish. We could inadvertently alter the future if someone gets even a glimpse of our technology. It will look like magic to them.”

“I wouldn’t worry about that,” Adam shot back at him crustily. “It’s not even five in the morning yet.”

“Are you sure?” Thomas’ face was draped mostly in shadow, but Adam caught the mischievous wink.

He crossed his arms and glared at his brother. “If you want to make me angry, you’re doing a pretty good job of it.” He laughed scornfully. “I wouldn’t worry about altering the future. We couldn’t even hold a conversation with the people of this time, not without the proper language files that would allow us to communicate with them, anyway.” He paused, thinking. “What were people speaking these days?”

“I’m not taking any chances,” countered Thomas, touching a key on the laptop with a small flourish. “I’ve made contact with Noah’s people in the Proteus galaxy and submitted a request to their central communications hub asking for databases that will allow us to speak ancient Hebrew, Aramaic, Latin and Koine Greek. There are also a couple of dozen other dialects from this period that they may or may not have available for us.”

Walking over toward his brother, curiosity fully aroused, Adam studied the small screen over his brother’s shoulder. “How can you do that? The Proteus galaxy is countless light years distant, and its people don’t even know about us yet.” He cleared his throat, mind racing. “Well, they know where Earth is and were studying its inhabitants at this time, but they don’t know about you and me.”

“They do now,” said Thomas triumphantly. “My long distance handshake has been accepted and the appropriate files are currently downloading into our implants.” Breathing a sigh of relief, he temporarily closed the laptop’s lid and rested both hands on top of it. “As long as we have the language data, everything will work for us using the same protocols that you employed in the Wasteland. The implant does most of the work. What we hear will be intercepted and auto-translated in our thought process. When we speak, the words we think in English will be encoded similarly and our mouths respond in another language. The implant controls what we end up saying, which matches the language of the person we speak to. It’s a near perfect, instantaneous universal translator.”

“Wait a minute,” protested Adam. He held up a cautious hand. “We can’t stay here, Thomas. This is two thousand years in Earth’s past! You said so yourself; if we speak with anyone we could alter Earth’s future.”

“Normally I would agree with you. The farther back in time we travel, the easier it is to alter the present.”

“Then why are you downloading language files?” Adam demanded with obvious frustration. “You said so yourself – Noah’s people were watching this planet during this time frame. You probably just freaked them out beyond belief by using micro-wormholes to communicate with their database.” He shook his head negatively. “They might even come to investigate how someone on Earth during this time period could send that kind of a message to them… certainly no one should be able to.”

“They won’t come,” replied Thomas confidently. “They will be content to observe in order to learn who sent us here.”

“And just who exactly sent us here?”

“Isn’t it obvious?” Thomas studied his brother’s expression thoughtfully. “Someone deliberately arranged for you and me to end up here… in this particular place at this specific time. There is only one sensible reason why that someone would send us to the time of Jesus Christ. They want us to approach him and talk to him. I can’t remember whether he is still a man or returned as the Holy Spirit during this year, but this is definitely his old stomping grounds. Geographically, we’re right smack dab in the middle of Judaea.”

Adam’s laughter was nervous this time. “Are you out of your mind?”

“Think about it, Adam,” Thomas insisted emphatically. “We came up with the idea of traveling back through time to a point twenty years in Earth’s past in an all-out effort to avert the nuclear war initiated by the Brotherhood of the Dragon. Instead of arriving at our planned destination, we were mysteriously rerouted here.” He pointed his right index finger toward the ground in a sharp, stabbing motion.

“You can’t be serious!” Adam stared at his brother, completely stunned. “You actually want us to go walking around this place in this time period and find Jesus Christ?”

Nodding affirmatively in response, Thomas grinned. “And then we talk to him.”

“About what, specifically?”

“I don’t know yet.” Around them, the sky on the horizon was beginning to lighten and the shadows on the younger Roh’s face were inexorably fading away. “But admittedly he is the one you’re supposed to ask when you need a miracle.”

“I can’t believe what I’m hearing,” declared Adam while watching his brother rise to his feet. Thomas held out the laptop and raised his eyebrows expectantly. Still chuckling with utter disbelief, Adam tucked the portable computer snugly back into his brother’s backpack. Once he finished zipping it closed, he slapped the blaze orange fabric lightly, just once with the tips of his fingers and watched the pack fade away from sight as its stealth screen re-engaged. As planned, he wore similar supplies that were also invisible to the eyes of anyone without the necessary detection equipment. “Why in the world would you think we have any right to do this?” He exhaled slowly. “At minimum, we should first determine who sent us here.”

“I already know who sent us here.”

The statement caught Adam by surprise. “Really?” he asked in a taunting manner. “Santa Claus perhaps?”

Ignoring his brother’s infamous sarcasm now on full display, Thomas instead looked him squarely in the eyes. “I believe the culprit was your mysterious alien visitor from the Wasteland. Remember David?”

Adam tried to keep his jaw from dropping and hoped he succeeded. “David… that old coot? What on Earth would make you believe it was him?”

Thomas studied the walking path beneath their feet for a moment, stretching east and west, before responding. When he finally did react, his expression had grown deadly serious. “Remember the silver watch that he gave you as proof of contact… the one you always carry around these days?”

“Yes,” nodded Adam. “That watch has an inscription on the inside of its cover, a map of the solar system that we ended up using as a destination for most of the Kuth population. I kept it because I’ve never met anyone like that old fellow, certainly not anyone who radiated a brilliant aura. Not even Noah’s people can pull off that trick.” He rubbed his chin thoughtfully. “At first I thought the Proteus technology was allowing me to see more about David than I would normally observe, but after we discovered that he completely shut down the implant’s recording capabilities, I realized that everything else was also probably off-line. It’s possible I was looking at him with just my own eyes… no enhanced vision.”

“You think he was God!”

Somewhat exasperated, Adam glared at his little brother. “I do not think David is God. Maybe an assistant or perhaps a Guardian Angel of some sort…”

“Then why did you keep the watch?”

“I just told you… the chain and outer casing are 99.9 percent pure silver. It’s a beautiful watch…”

“Yeah,” grinned Thomas. “A beautiful watch from God!”

“Would you… would you… seriously, please just give it a rest!” Unexpectedly, Adam suddenly began patting down the pockets on his shirt. When he didn’t find what he was looking for, he expanded the search to the pockets of his pants.

Thomas watched him curiously. “What’s the matter?” he prompted with a very mischievous, wry grin.

“I seem to have lost that watch, believe it or not,” Adam admitted reluctantly, continuing his search. “But where could it have gone? I know I had it when we left the Lexington because I wanted the good luck charm for our journey. I even asked Nori to make certain she packed it before we left Tranquility.”

“It’s not lost,” said Thomas, the comment freezing Adam in his tracks. Thomas raised his right hand and the watch dropped out of his fist, dangling on its long silver chain. “I discovered this in my backpack as soon as I removed the laptop.” Taking careful hold of it with both hands, he opened the cover. “If you’ll notice, the solar system inscribed on the inside of the outer casing has somehow been changed – now it’s inscribed with an image of Earth… specifically the Eastern Hemisphere. There is also a dot right marked on the map right where we are. When you consider everything, it really is a pretty magnificent way to send a message and provide a map at the same time… and it’s done that twice now!”

For a moment, Adam stood there, utterly stunned and bewildered. “What?” he wondered out loud, finally approaching Thomas to more closely inspect the metal object. “How did you get that Thomas? That can’t be the same watch that I had… it can’t be!”

“Don’t you get it Adam? This is another signal from your friend David,” insisted Thomas, handing the watch back to his brother. He turned and began walking slowly along the dirt road toward the developing western sunrise. “Believe what you want, but we’re here and this is the opportunity of a lifetime. So, according to my implant’s scanner, there’s a village near here and I’m going to see who’s there.” After walking several hundred feet he turned and glanced back “Are you coming?”

“Yeah,” came the eventual, expected crotchety response. “Yeah, I’m coming.”

“There is only one reason we someone would send us here at this particular point in time,” continued Thomas, although with Adam trailing behind it sounded more like he was talking to himself. “We were sent to find Jesus Christ and talk to him.”

“What, may I ask, are you going to say to him?” inquired Adam curiously.

“I don’t know yet,” Thomas concluded. “Let me think about it for a while.”

“Well, why don’t you also think about all of our loved ones, the people we left back in our present time,” suggested Adam, increasing his pace to a casual jog so that he could catch up to his sibling. “Since we know when and where they are, can’t you program the laptop to do the ‘micro-wormhole’ thing and re-establish contact? They’re going to be worried sick, and we have an obligation to let them know where we are.”

“In case you hadn’t noticed, dawn is upon us and you’re talking about several hours’ worth of work just to make the necessary programming changes.” Thomas continued following the walking path, eager to see what life was like in the distant past. “This is time travel we’re talking about, for crying out loud. We can call them thirty seconds after our departure, if we choose to.”

“That sounds reasonable.”

“By the way, until we do re-establish communications, I would suggest shutting down your personal shield and all other unnecessary functions. Use your wrist gun weaponry only if we are forcibly confronted and trapped in a situation where it’s absolutely necessary.”

This came as a complete surprise to Adam. “Why?” he asked curiously.

“Because as long as we’re disconnected from our Sentinels, the Lexington’s command and control staff will be unable to supplement the power source in our implants. That means both devices are limited to absorbing energy from the sun’s rays and anything else nearby. Since we’re in a primitive timeframe with no modern devices utilizing energy, they’re almost totally dependent upon sunlight. It would serve us best to allow the implants to charge as much as possible during the daytime.”

“If this is indeed the Middle-East, then it’s going to get really, really hot out. I prefer the controlled, cool environment inside the skin shield.”

“Fine by me, go ahead and stay cool if that’s your choice. But don’t complain about it later if you have to shoot at somebody and the request is denied due to a lack of power.”

“Okay, so maybe I’ll turn off my personal shield,” decided Adam reluctantly.

“Also place weapons functions on standby. And don’t worry – we’ll get our connection back. I’ll make the necessary additional program changes after it gets dark again. All I need is an isolated place to work. We should be grateful that we still have even a limited technological advantage… I don’t know how much history you remember, but there are a lot of really nasty people living in this time.”

Together, the two of them continued to stroll gradually westward. In front of them, the dark of night was continuing to fade away, gradually replaced by an impressive pink and orange sunrise.

Sol System, near Earth, present day…

By the time everyone picked up all of their portable equipment and made their way over to the starboard cargo bay that currently served as the Lexington’s command and control center, President Kaufield was already suffering the early symptoms of headache. Fortunately, after years of service in a wide variety of stress-filled positions, the former starship Captain was prepared for these inevitable eventualities. He was already popping a few aspirin into his mouth from a small bottle he carried with him when they reached their destination. Already, technicians on-site were reviewing the data from the unsuccessful transit attempt and studying the telemetry recorded during the incident. Several of them, dressed in the long gray robes of Noah’s people, immediately approached their counterparts from Kaufield’s group as soon as they arrived and immediately began discussing the specific details.

The bay itself was rectangular and cavernous, with an overhead ceiling nearly three stories high. Although all essential cargo containers were long since gone, much of the open space in the huge chamber was in use. Particularly at ground level, the administrators at Tranquility’s Science Lab had done their best to recreate the same type of sophisticated control center as its planet-based equivalent. The computer systems used by the Proteus aliens were huge and required considerable power in order to operate, primarily because they were almost always on and functioning when operatives with brain implants were working ‘in the field’. In fact, the massive size of the Proteus implant monitoring systems had prompted Thomas Roh to deem them “prime examples of reverse miniaturization”.

Above them, huge, heavily shielded power conduits emerged from the inner bulkhead and were securely bolted to the high ceiling. They ran midway through the massive storage bay until they finally descended – safely housed within a huge, four-sided steel pillar – to the waiting computer systems below. The conduits themselves originated in the portside cargo bay and were connected directly to the output of the Lexington’s internal, self-contained CAS-drive. This allowed them to access varying levels of power, supplying mission personnel with whatever energy was needed to protect them from the dangers they encountered. At least three dozen scientists and hardware specialists were already busy, members of rotating shifts that were always on duty at any given time each day. Kaufield noted with silent satisfaction that it was indeed quite difficult to distinguish this particular setup from the other versions located back on the planet Tranquility.

And yet something had gone wrong anyway.

The bitter taste of the hastily chewed aspirin remained in his mouth as the last of Noriana Roh’s patience faded away. She placed a firm hand on Noah’s shoulder and looked him straight in the eye. “Where did you send my husband?”

“As I have already stated, Ms. Roh, we sent them to our intended target destination, but I believe the transit was intercepted by an unknown third party and the portal redirected to an alternate location much farther in the past. The distant past,” he emphasized firmly. “Much farther than should even be possible, given the power limitations aboard the Lexington.”

“How do you know this?” wondered Glen Fredericks curiously. Mary, his attractive, dark-haired wife stood next to him, concern evident in her eyes as she silently observed the rest of them.

“At this point I suspect that my theory is in fact what transpired based on historical evidence,” continued Noah intently. His wizened expression softened a bit as he recognized Noriana’s obvious concern for her family. “I needed to reassemble everyone here in the Science Lab so that we can work to confirm it.”

President Kaufield stood there, arms folded, watching their conversation. “Back in the hangar bay, you briefly mentioned the distant past,” he reminded Noah. “Where do you think Thomas and Adam are now?”

Exhaling slowly and carefully taking the needed time to gather his thoughts, Noah shifted his eyes back and forth between the expectant faces of all of them… the original command crew from the Pathfinder. President Kaufield, Noriana Roh, Glen and Mary Fredericks, Dr. Karen Simmons, they were all waiting to hear what he was prepared to tell them about the missing two Roh brothers. “Their arrival point will almost certainly place them near the start of Earth’s common era, otherwise known in your Latin as Anno Domini or more commonly the ‘Year of our Lord’.”

Glen Fredericks was astonished by the statement. “Why would they go there?” he asked with disbelief.

“Please understand, Adam and Thomas did not go willingly,” explained Noah with his friendly, comforting smile. “They were deliberately sent there by an unknown third party, and therefore we cannot fully understand specifically why this was done unless we first know who did it.” Silence temporarily reigned among the small group. The specialists around them continued to work feverishly, analyzing recorded telemetry from the portal incident.

“David,” snapped Kaufield finally, breaking the awkward pause. “It has to be that David entity that Adam encountered in the Wasteland. No one else we’ve met could pull this off…”

“Precisely,” Noah nodded in agreement. “No one else has ever managed to override our technology the way David did when he shut down Adam’s implant connection while he was aboard the Ali Rinai. He is the guilty party, or someone with the same kind of special abilities.”

“Why would David send Thomas and Adam two thousand years into Earth’s past?”

Noah chose to respond to the President’s query with another question. “Do you remember our first lengthy conversation, Mr. President? The one we had back on Tranquility shortly after the Pathfinder landed there for the first time? If my memory is correct, I told you about an entity we once tracked on your world, someone with abilities very much like our mysterious David.”

“Of course I remember.” Kaufield had recorded the entire conversation, since it was the first of its kind between human and alien… truly an event for the history books. Over the years, he had listened to it over and over again. In his head, he heard the words from Noah’s original statement echoing in his mind and repeated them out loud for the benefit of everyone else…

“Consider this. Many thousands of years ago my people watched the early Earth inhabitants move through a progressive series of covenants with an unknown entity – one which we cannot track and had no prior knowledge of. This entity claimed it was the one true God that shaped and designed our universe. At first this God was very harsh and brutal to the violent and sinful people that lived on Earth. Over the years, as they began to mature, he made and kept additional promises to them that were both merciful and gentle. Your scientists think galactic objects like Poseidon and Proteus are a marvelous discovery… the greatest your science has ever found. Well, we created Proteus, and yet we’ve never seen anything quite like the history that took place on Earth during this time. This God sent his own Son to teach and guide them toward a path of peace and enlightenment, and that man sacrificed himself for those beliefs so that all souls born after him – regardless of their sins, might live an eternal life of peace.”

“What does all of that mean?” asked Nori, almost pleading with them for an answer.

“It means that Thomas and Adam were deliberately sent into the era of Christ, for purposes currently unknown.” Kaufield’s expression was grim. “Without the micro-wormholes their enhanced technical abilities are limited, and that is one of the most dangerous times in our history. Those two will stand out like a bloody nose.” He shook his head and rubbed perspiration from his brow. “It has to be David who did this – nothing else makes any sense.”

“A divine encounter of some kind is supposed to take place?” Mary Fredericks looked first to her husband and then to Kaufield. “What would that accomplish as far as helping Earth?”

“I don’t know for certain at this point,” Noah admitted reluctantly. “Once Thomas is able to reestablish contact with us, perhaps we’ll learn more. But for now, if we are to begin a sincere search for the Roh brothers, I strongly urge everyone to focus on the two or three decades occurring shortly after Anno Domini. That is where they are.”

Glen Fredericks was politely conversing with several of the Science Lab technicians, lurking in the background to gather new information as it became available. When the specialists completed briefing him, he turned to face the rest of his friends and shrugged his broad shoulders with obvious puzzlement. “No one on this vessel has any idea as to where the Roh brothers are,” he informed everyone. “So how can you be so certain, Noah, that your claim is true? Why do you believe that Thomas and Adam ended up two thousand years in Earth’s past? So far at least, there is absolutely no evidence to back up that claim. With the exception of President Kaufield’s link, all telemetry from the attempted transit effort in the hangar bay cuts off completely at the instant of departure.” He studied the enigmatic Proteus alien, intrigued.

“Because I have additional information at my disposal that, until now was classified by my government.”

Feeling somewhat blindsided, President Kaufield studied the elderly face of his long-time colleague closely. “Why would you withhold specifics relating to our planet or personnel?” he asked, perplexed. “It may have been fifteen years ago, but I remember us hammering out a pretty detailed shared information act.”

“My government did not want to interfere with the normal development of your planet or inadvertently give away information that might affect the Roh brothers and their mission.”

Noriana threw up her hands impatiently. “What mission? There is no mission any longer… is there?”

Rubbing fatigue out of his eyes with the fingertips of both hands, Noah sighed heavily. “What I am about to tell you is why I mentioned my long ago conversation with President Kaufield,” he began after a brief pause to collect his thoughts. “My people have been interested, for a very long time, with that particular era of Earth’s history specifically and with several millennia preceding it. We knew there was an entity of some kind, someone or something even more powerful than us, working to shape the foundations of much of the culture on which your early civilizations were built.”

“God?” Nori was watching him suspiciously, eyes narrowed.

“Many of us believe so,” Noah shrugged. “Whoever visited Earth directly interfered with our ability to observe events there, and that made us extremely curious. There were many in those days who wanted to travel to your planet immediately and discover for themselves just what specifically was taking place.”

“Apparently your government wasn’t so hesitant to interfere back then?” Kaufield smiled calmly.

“Many of us weren’t,” agreed Noah. “Our history books clearly show that at least one faction of our government was planning to launch a detailed investigation. Some wanted to approach this entity in hopes of learning more about what it was and where it came from, similar to the manner in which your people approached mine. Others were understandably concerned that the entity might manipulate your people instead of guide them, toward ends that served its needs rather than your own. Like your earlier planned mission into Earth’s recent past, we had chosen our own team of specialists and were preparing to send them to your world.”

Noah fell silent at that point, allowing them to digest his words. “And?” Nori prompted him finally.

“And then two astonishing things happened,” Noah explained thoughtfully. “First, our data records show that someone from Earth transmitted a request to the Proteus galaxy, searching for our language files. Specifically, they wanted language data currently in use by the Middle-Eastern cultures living in the Anno Domini era. By your modern calendar, this happened during A.D. 27, meaning someone on Earth during that time possessed OUR equipment. Since all protocols and most of the security codes checked out, my ancestors allowed the request to process. They were very curious, and it was blatantly obvious that it was our technology submitting the request.”

“Whoa,” said Glen Fredericks, his eyes widening slightly. “That must have come as a bit of a shocker.”

“No doubt,” continued Noah. “The second thing that happened was that the facilities preparing to launch the mission team to Earth unexpectedly lost all power for over a month.” He looked directly at Kaufield. “Mr. President, you’ve been to my world, on occasion, so you know just how long a month there lasts.”

“Indeed I do. So the scientists of that time approved the transfer of the language files, probably out of sheer curiosity, and then lost all power to their transit systems when they attempted to investigate further.”

“Yes. We could only interpret that as a message from the entity on Earth… a clear message NOT to interfere with the events transpiring there. After much additional discussion, my ancestors decided to cancel the planned mission.” He glanced down at the metal deck plating beneath their feet for a moment. “Perhaps you can see now why we are so interested in that particular time on Earth. My people have patiently waited more than two thousand years, uncertain as to when we would encounter humans from Earth but knowing that – at some point – we almost certainly would. That single transmission from your world allowed us to deduce that we would meet your people, become friends and eventually end up working together on some sort of time travel effort. That made it easy to be patient.”

“What about the security and authorization codes on those implants?” asked Mary Fredericks. “I’ve assisted Thomas with the programming on a number of occasions. Each of them has unique identification protocols built into the software and electronics. There is also an ID number physically stamped on the interior of the hardware casing.” Her head cocked slightly to one side as she watched his reaction. “Did your people know that it was Adam or Thomas who sent that signal?”

“Yes,” admitted Noah. “When we first began preparations for Adam’s outing into the Wasteland, one of our scientists noticed that Thomas’ implant codes matched the ones included in the Earth transmission from A.D. 27.” He chuckled slightly, remembering. “Her husband was a historian, eager for details about your people ever since the Pathfinder showed up in the Proteus galaxy. He suspected that the time was nearing for us to assist your people in solving that mystery from so long ago.”

“But you’re only telling us this… now,” observed Kaufield. “That could be interpreted as a violation of our shared information agreement.”

“Mr. President, to be perfectly frank, my people and yours have bonded and established a great deal of trust over the past fifteen years. We simply weren’t prepared to risk the future of your planet because of hasty actions on our part.” Noah was not even remotely defensive in his response. Indeed his confidence only seemed to be increasing now that all previously unshared information was finally ‘on the table’ for discussion. “It is unclear to me at this point whether others in my government knew about the implant identification codes when the devices were first authorized for members of your crew, but once the scientist and her historian husband pointed out the oddity it seemed reasonable to allow the process to continue. To do otherwise might interfere with the natural flow of time. But please understand, we had no idea when your people would begin experimenting with time travel or at what point events here would scoop up Thomas Roh and place him in the Anno Domini era. Now that he most likely is indeed there, you can see why my government would be a bit excited about what we may finally be able to learn from his presence there.”

“Everyone wants to touch the face of their Creator,” said Noriana Roh softly. “Everyone wants to learn about their God, to see him and talk to him.”

“And that era is precisely when Jesus the Christ was walking the Earth,” nodded Noah in response. “Don’t you see? We have been waiting for more than two millennia so that we could explore this matter more thoroughly WITH you! If Thomas and Adam are indeed there, they now possess a unique opportunity to observe… perhaps even talk to him. Wouldn’t that be another wonder for your history books?”

“What we need is proof,” growled Kaufield irritably. “They may or may not be in A.D. 27, despite the fact they probably are. We know from the Proteus history books that Thomas will end up there at some point. Is this when he visits?” He held up both hands helplessly. “It seems very likely to me, but we really do need to know for certain.”

Fortunately they didn’t have long to wait. Noah and President Kaufield continued to visit in one of the few quiet spots in the cargo bay. Glen and Mary Fredericks joined the Science Lab staff, having already worked with them on a continual basis since they boarded the Lexington. Dr. Simmons departed for other endeavors, leaving everyone else to continue their analysis of the now infamous transit that went wrong. Kaufield was noticeably impatient, knowing that once again his people were out in the field without him. This wasn’t a repeat of the Wasteland incident – without a direct connection to the Lab’s communications hub there was no way to supply the Roh brothers with the energy they would need to properly defend themselves in an emergency. True, they strongly suspected where the pair of siblings had ended up, but there was no confirmation of what Kaufield considered at this point to be mostly theory.

The wait for something more to surface was maddening.

Less than thirty minutes later one of the lab technicians uttered a triumphant cry of delight and began to jump up and down. He was tall and thin and wearing the gray robe of a Proteus alien, quickly waving Glen over to join him. The two of them studied the newest telemetry, analyzing the data carefully before announcing anything substantive. It was easy to want to give in to the emotions of the moment, but everyone working on the project was experienced enough to maintain at least some semblance of a professional demeanor even in life or death situations. Fortunately, this was turning out to be something much more positive. Given the situation, the scientist’s initial outburst was completely understandable.

“We just received an audio message from Thomas,” announced Glen finally. In the background, dozens of people took a brief break and applauded approvingly. President Kaufield and Noah were already standing behind him, waiting patiently. “That kid amazes me every single day I work with him – he’s limited to the portable setup he took with him, yet somehow managed to reprogram it to reconnect with us from a destination more than two thousand years in our history.” Fredericks nodded enthusiastically, turning to face them. “They were indeed somehow transited to the year A.D. 27. This message proves it.”

“Play the message,” suggested Noah with a relieved smile. Glen nodded in agreement and the Lab specialist touched a keypad.

“This is Thomas Roh,” crackled the familiar voice, barely audible through what sounded like the most electronic distortion Kaufield had ever heard. “Adam and I are both fine, we’re hoping the President is too. He didn’t arrive here in A.D. 27, so you should still be searching for him even if you’ve figured out our particular piece of this puzzle.” He paused, and Fredericks imagined the youthful looking scientist grinning. “Noah probably told you about our request for language files by now.”

“He certainly has,” commented Kaufield softly in response.

“I don’t have a lot of time, so please listen closely,” continued Thomas Roh. “Adam and I suspect that David is behind our alternate destination… the silver watch he gave Adam keeps behaving oddly, switching from his pocket to mine and vice versa. The image on the inside of its cover also has changed to an image of Earth. From our perspective, there’s only one reason why we ended up here in the time of Christ – obviously we’re supposed to visit with him or something similar before completing the other mission into Earth’s past. Or maybe this effort will trump the other mission completely… it’s very difficult to tell for certain when alien entities choose to communicate with us in so vague a manner. Nonetheless, we’re going to attempt contact with the Christ, satisfy our curiosity and then see what happens.”

“Tell them we think the watch is a talisman of some sort.” Adam’s voice in the distant background was immediately recognizable, and Nori perked up noticeably upon hearing it.

“It’s NOT a talisman!” responded Thomas insistently. “It’s some sort of control mechanism running an unknown program. As we reach each expected benchmark, such as time travel, preprogrammed functions are kicking in and guiding us toward the next waypoint. I’m sorry we’re only contacting you with audio only, but we have to hurry. We’re hiding in a friendly farmer’s barn near a small town called Bethany and he wants us gone by morning. But it’s important to make certain that we send you at least one message within a reasonable time after our original departure so that you won’t worry. Both of us are fine, but it’s going to take me a couple of days to complete the necessary programming and parameter changes to reconnect our implants to the Lexington’s communications hub. From this end, we need a lot of energy to do that across the span of two thousand years… it’s kind of a chicken or the egg thing. If I can connect to you even briefly, I’m considering hooking one of our implants directly to the output of the Lexington’s CAS drive. The connection is easy, but preventing the bearer’s implant from overloading isn’t. Take note… whether or not we’re connected via the communications link, most things will happen in regular time from this point on. If it takes two days on our end, it will most likely take two days on yours. Should anything go wrong or assistance is required, I’ll send you another audio message with specific details as soon as possible. We’re cautiously optimistic from this location… the thought that a higher power of some sort might be interested in helping us solve Earth’s problems is mighty reassuring. Stay safe on your end… Thomas out.”

“Thank God they’re all right,” sighed Kaufield optimistically. “And right on top of things, as usual.”

“Can we send them help?” Nori wondered curiously. “You or I could take more equipment…”

“…and what?” The President chuckled with amusement. “Even if we could time travel back that far, I wouldn’t authorize a person to go through until we conducted about a hundred stress tests. There is a reason that I was denied transit, and I believe it was a signal from our mysterious third party not to interfere.”

“You’re just guessing,” Glen Fredericks observed cautiously. “You can’t know that for certain.”

“Oh I’m pretty sure,” responded Kaufield with a much heartier laugh this time. He reached into the pocket of his white tunic and pulled out a very familiar looking silver watch and chain… astonishingly it looked exactly like the one Adam had taken with him during transit. “It would seem that this David entity is very good at letting us know what to do even when he’s not physically present… I’m taking this as a clear-cut sign to stay out of things and mind our own business.”

“I’m getting a headache,” groaned Glen. He ran his fingers through his graying hair, smiling wryly as Kaufield reached over and handed him the bottle of aspirin. “So what do we do now… wait for another message from Thomas?” He shook his head with mild dismay. “You heard him. It could be days.”

“No,” decided the President suddenly, his dark brown eyes flashing fiercely. “We’re not going to just sit here and wait. We’ve got an entire command center here aboard a powerful, highly sophisticated Earth warship with a fully active CAS drive. I think we should activate our Sentinels and initiate a new mission.”

“Shouldn’t we wait for the outcome of the Roh brothers’ mission, even if it’s been altered, before rushing ahead and implementing another?” asked Mary in her gentle, polite manner. She was a short and slender brunette, her much taller husband seeming to tower over her. And yet she was as experienced and competent a professional as the rest of them.

“That makes sense,” ventured Nori. “Their time travel mission could end up overlapping yours.”

“I’m not talking about time travel this time,” the President pointed out, hefting the watch’s weight in his left hand. “I think part of this latest message is a caution against attempting another incursion.”

“Then what are you planning to do?” All three of them looked at him expectantly.

“I’m going to Earth right here, in this time… present day,” decided Kaufield there on the spot. “We’re going to move the Lexington into close orbit, and then I’m going to go down there and dethrone the Brotherhood’s ruling Triumvirate with brute force – using the same methods that Adam employed during his effort to liberate the Wasteland. One way or another, regardless of what we choose to do in the future, the Brotherhood’s rule over planet Earth, along with their continued use of nuclear weapons, ends here and now.”

He enjoyed watching the astonished reactions in each of their expressions.

5: IV: Crossing the Jordan

PROJECT EARTH

Pathfinder Series: Book Three

Chapter IV: Crossing The Jordan

Planet Earth, Emirate of Ghuitan, present day

Valiana 001, the first clone of her line, walked along the top of the stone wall surrounding the governing Triumvirate’s primary command center in the very center of what remained of the former Emirate of Ghuitan. Ash and dark black grime coated most of the rocky barricade that reached almost ninety meters in height. Although the wall had been repaired many times, entire sections of it – especially near the main entrance gate – were beginning to crumble away and would soon require major repair. Fortunately, the majority of the Brotherhood’s fortress was concealed deep underground, parts of it nearly four stories beneath the Earth’s surface. Even so, one could not stay down there forever without getting at least somewhat claustrophobic. These days, Valiana found herself spending more time than ever above ground, even knowing the risks involved.

There was radiation to be found up top, and a lot of it. Having full access to much of the Brotherhood’s medical facilities and anti-radiation treatments, Valiana didn’t exactly care much. Even with proper medication and swift attention to her repeated exposure to the toxic levels, she estimated that her natural life expectancy was now less than seventy years. This was almost twenty years less than the expected duration present among Earth’s population prior to the war, even when taking into consideration that she was a genetically enhanced humanoid… the first female of her kind. The normal humans that the Brotherhood of the Dragon ruled over were barely surviving to age fifty, even though the majority of their lives had been lived before the war.

Ruled over.

Valiana mulled that phrase over in her mind and almost laughed acidly. Technically the new, great society that they once planned to build had never come to fruition. Most of Earth’s population lived in the Proteus galaxy now, on Tranquility or one of its sister worlds. The strange, armored aliens who guarded the Person-to-Point transit portals leading from Earth to Tranquility were not to be messed with – the Brotherhood had tested them on multiple occasions and lost every encounter. They possessed some sort of protective shielding that deflected any attack – even the highest caliber bullets and explosives failed to penetrate the Proteus defenses. For a time soon after the war, the Brotherhood tried everything they could think of – even improvised explosive devises around areas where the transit portals were known to appear.

All efforts were wasted… the aliens survived every attack and – in the cases where humans were killed – they launched counterattacks into Brotherhood-controlled territory and captured as many of the Triumvirate’s soldiers as they could find. These were whisked away, via the portals, to some kind of rumored ‘prison’ in the Proteus galaxy. Since details were unavailable, those abductions provided a truly chilling effect on the ruling Earth clones. The more they tried to fight the ‘truce’ that was meticulously enforced by the alien army, the more their numbers decreased. Faced with the inescapable realization that the Brotherhood’s numbers were steadily dwindling away, all attacks on the aliens ceased less than a year after the conclusion of the nuclear war.

For fifteen long years now, the portals remained open. At any given time, the survivors on Earth, including some of the Brotherhood’s own members, were free to leave at any time and dwell in the Proteus galaxy. The message received by the Triumvirate was non-verbal but unmistakably clear – treat those who were faithful to their home planet too poorly and they would throw up their hands and leave. Since most of the Brotherhood’s members governed rather than worked, this meant that they were reliant on what amounted to slave labor for their welfare. And the longer this went on, the less effective it was. Non-enhanced human females were almost non-existent on the planet, uprooted by the sheer desire of the conquered humans to repopulate their numbers on Tranquility. The men who stayed behind did so out of some sort of puzzling loyalty to their home world, and – the Brotherhood suspected – to make certain that spies were in place all over the globe. The ‘new Earth’ living on Tranquility wanted to monitor their home world, after all, because Valiana never doubted for an instant that someday they would want it back.

After more than a decade and a half, she strongly suspected that the time for humanity to return to its home was drawing near. There were rumors that one of Earth’s warships had returned to the Sol system, cloaked in some kind of invisibility screen. Most of the time it was completely undetectable, but some of the Brotherhood fighter pilots had spotted it on more than one occasion. Briefly it would appear in front of them, fully lit and formidable, before vanishing back behind its stealth screen. Some sort of high powered transmissions occasionally emanated from it too, disrupting some of the communication links between patrolling Brotherhood vessels. The biggest sign that something major was in the works came right after the Earth ship was first observed. Suddenly, after fifteen years of constantly active transit portals, the Proteus alien soldiers all mysteriously withdrew back to their own worlds and closed down the PTP gateways… every last one of them.

So something was definitely going to happen, and it was going to happen soon.

Less than six months after the initial nuclear bombardment, Valiana was already regretting what she and her line of clones helped the Brotherhood achieve. Once the gateways from the Proteus galaxy opened up and the vast majority of survivors understandably chose to flee to sanctuary, she secretly began to loathe the Brotherhood she had sworn her loyalty to and everything it stood for. Primarily this was true because nothing they had predicted would occur actually ended up taking place. The primary nuclear attack on the United States and its allies came primarily from smaller nations, especially the Mid-Eastern countries whose oil revenue was only a fraction of what it once was. They were the easiest to manipulate, although factions in China, India and even several former members of the Soviet Union swiftly joined in. The carefully planned attack was designed to totally annihilate the one key nation capable of rallying a resistance movement – in order for the plan to succeed, the United States of America had to be completely devastated and unlivable.

The prevailing wisdom – based primarily on Valiana’s own intelligence data since her clones were the Caucasian infiltrators – was to rely on America’s hesitancy to destroy life. For almost two hundred years the United States always chose conventional arms over nuclear, leading the Brotherhood to believe that any nuclear response against an all-out attack would initially be limited. By the time the leaders in Washington D.C. realized the attack was global, most of its known nuclear missile sites would supposedly be destroyed and out of commission. And for a brief time it appeared as though they would succeed. The Brotherhood was initially satisfied, during the first few hours of that attack, with the leaders of the Triumvirate smiling and nodding happily as everything proceeded according to plan.

Then American warheads from orbit had begun to plunge down from above, targeting virtually every site that had launched attacks against them. There weren’t supposed to be any up in space, it was against every treaty in the book. And yet the United States had been ready for such an eventuality for reasons that became immediately obvious. Chinese and Russian missiles also began to descend from orbit, in a fruitless effort to attack the allies of America. Those nations were supposed to have remained neutral, with the historical N.A.T.O. treaty now a distant memory. But America’s friends stood by her, and suddenly the European and Asian continents – areas that the Brotherhood possessed future plans to rule over – suddenly became lit up with nuclear fire similar to what the United States was enduring. Less than a day later, the conflict escalated further, with the smaller nations finally choosing sides and launching multi-pronged attacks of their own.

Most of the countries did so because they wanted to use their weapons before losing them. With a vast array of military bases and compounds already destroyed in a relentless nuclear annihilation, the leaders of those in the surviving smaller nations knew instinctively that their turn was coming. So they began invading Russia, China, India and even Pakistan. That was when American aircraft carriers and submarines began launching their missiles, effectively devastating the Middle East, what remained of Russia and China, and completely eliminating most of the oil-rich territory still heavily relied upon by nations not as advanced as the Western countries. It didn’t take long – less than a week in fact – before the nuclear fire burned everywhere on the globe except for Antarctica. Australia was one of America’s greatest allies during those first few days, and the proverbial ‘land down under’ paid a terrible price for that loyalty.

Earth became almost unlivable, with at least three fourths of its ten billion inhabitants incinerated during the nuclear attack. By any measure possible, what was supposed to be a limited, controlled nuclear devastation of the United States and its key allies escalated very quickly into an all-out third World War. A month after the first bombs fell, no one anywhere on the planet could see the sun. A year later, those who survived were almost totally reliant on anti-radiation medicines that were manufactured by the Brotherhood or transported to Earth from the Proteus galaxy. Ruling over the survivors would prove to be significantly tougher than anticipated, and then the task became even more difficult when more than HALF of the Earth’s surviving population promptly, understandably chose to make use of the Proteus gateways and escape to a distant, alien sanctuary on another world. Worse, they took the children who would populate the next series of generations with them.

What used to be the United Kingdom and Western Europe was pretty much all that was left to govern. Less than a dozen nations in Central and South America were spared the total bombardment… the amount of usable land on the planet Earth shrank down to less than ten percent of what had once been the most fruitful, prosperous planet in the galaxy. Surviving humans were provided access to needed medical treatment, but the oceans and rivers were polluted with radiation too. Plants, animals and most of the sea-faring species died off almost completely… edible food supplies were even scarcer than land. Fresh water instantly became the most precious commodity on the planet – those who possessed it hoarded the precious resource or traded away their scant extras in exchange for significant supplies of food, medication and sometimes ammunition.

In occasional, brief spurts, the war – and resistance to the Brotherhood leadership – inexplicably continued.

Drik Gyilto, the ruler of the once small nation of Ghuitan, expected his country to be spared. After the war, he planned to turn his tiny country into the center of all economic activity on Earth. Gyilto was planning to be rich, a willing proxy to the Brotherhood’s Triumvirate, and in exchange he gave them sanctuary within his borders and allowed them to build their huge, secret underground control center. In the end, someone had rained nuclear bombs down on Ghuitan too – few left alive knew specifically who it was that decided to target them and virtually no one cared to investigate the matter. From coast to coast, in every populated continent on Earth, there was nothing left of the planet’s once beautiful lands except for craters, dying or struggling ecosystems, and a thick, polluted atmosphere that was barely breathable.

And yet almost HALF of the men who were left alive refused to leave, even when given a better, viable option.

Most of those surviving men sent their families through the portals, allowing them to move on with their lives and begin to build an actual future for themselves. They stayed behind primarily to make certain that the Brotherhood knew – even though it promptly installed itself as the new, governing global body – that the clone army and its leaders remained a mere fraction of the population. The danger from the Proteus aliens was manageable; it was patently clear that they were hesitant to interfere and were limiting their actions solely to offering sanctuary and medical assistance. The only threat they posed arose in the form of counterstrikes if the Brotherhood forces chose to engage them. The more immediate danger was the angered men who remained behind, the very people that the Brotherhood now relied upon to build new farms and industries.

Unfortunately, uncontaminated, precious resources were even more difficult to locate than when multiple countries once competed for them. In trying to build up a newer, more perfect utopia, the Triumvirate first underestimated the lengths the leaders of the old world would go in order to protect themselves. Then they found themselves with the unenviable task of trying to lead an extremely angered work force – people that were no doubt passing messages about everything the Brotherhood did back through the transit portals to Earth’s former, surviving leaders now dwelling comfortably in the Proteus galaxy. The scars from the Brotherhood’s war were visible everywhere one went on the planet, with the sole exception its poles. Once great cities were now reduced primarily to ash and soot, water sources dried up or devastated, and the atmosphere contaminated. Everywhere Valiana went, the cremated towns and cities were clearly visible and the air foul. Everything smelled like ashes and death, with the once beautiful blue skies above them now a filthy shade of orange.

The sharp grinding of a boot on stone snapped Valiana back to full alertness.

Surprisingly, Hobak 001 was also out walking near the center of the outer wall, just to the eastern side of the main gate. The second member of the Brotherhood’s ruling Triumvirate almost never came above ground any more – he usually remained hidden in his personal chambers, coming out only for private meetings with Valiana and Durgon, the third member of their ruling Council. He appeared to be studying the western horizon, where a sun descending toward dusk had painted the fouled atmosphere an ominous bloody orange. Black leather robes flowed around him, almost completely concealing the dark leather boots he wore on his feet. He stirred a bit as she moved in behind him, but did not immediately acknowledge her. Instead, he stood watching the setting sun, his thoughts – at least for the moment – completely private.

“Something is going on, isn’t it?” Valiana asked him finally, studying his Asian features closely. “That’s why you’re up here.” Although slight of height and build, Hobak’s body was almost solid muscle. When they first began working together, Valiana had not considered him to be a cruel man. That first impression of him had changed in recent years.

A lot.

“I sent Durgon 001 to Havana,” he told her after a prolonged pause.

The meaning of his words sank in rather quickly. “Why?” she demanded to know almost instantly, her long dark hair floating around her shoulders in the soft evening breeze. Even so, the air smelled like hot metal. “You know full well that he sympathizes with the normals, and that’s where most of the American rebels are meeting with their European friends.”

“That’s right,” said Hobak with a dark laugh. “The Americans are there, along with their allies and a mentally unbalanced Durgon who is no longer of use to us. If everything went as planned, the nuclear missiles that I targeted there will all have detonated by now.” He brought his hands together and then flung them apart. “Poof! No more resistance movement, and no more emotionally challenged Durgon.”

Valiana didn’t realize at first whether his words shocked her more than the actual meaning behind them. “What would possibly make you think that was a good idea?” she hissed angrily. “Durgon is a founding member of the Triumvirate and our equal…”

“He was,” admitted Hobak with a sharp grin. “But he never quite recovered from the hallucinogenic pathogen that the Proteus normals laid on us.” Thinking back to the time less than a year after the nuclear war, when a mysterious probe containing the alien bug had crashed on Earth, the Asian clone laughed again. “Oh we came up with ways to treat it and nullify its harshest symptoms, but it was too late for Durgon. The man endlessly suffered from non-stop nightmares ever since, about ‘the evil one’, the ‘Prince of Darkness’ rising up from the depths of hell to steal his soul. I have simply delivered him to his final resting place.”

She launched herself unexpectedly at him, pounding on his chest repeatedly with her fists. “Durgon legitimately feels guilty about what we have done!” she exclaimed heatedly, allowing years of repressed anger to rise fully to the surface of her emotions. “You don’t have the right to execute him unilaterally… he deserves the same respect that you and I have for each other.” Most of her last statement was a lie, but she said it anyway. Words of that nature preserved the last thread of loyalty linking Hobak to her, and for now she genuinely needed it.

Hobak caught her hands by the wrist and blunted the worst of her attack. Glancing down at his wristwatch, he smiled malevolently at her. “Durgon deserved our respect,” he stated approvingly, correcting her use of tense. “By now he is only a memory and you and I now share a fledgling partnership. The Triumvirate is broken.”

Valiana turned into a virtual hell cat in response, and yet somehow Hobak was able to fight off even the harshest of her blows. Of the three of them, he was clearly the most skilled at hand-to-hand combat. “You conniving, manipulative bastard!” she screamed at him, spittle flying from her lips. “You had absolutely no right to do that without consulting me first, and you know how I feel about the use of nuclear weapons.” Her physical attacks against him were proving futile, so she retreated several steps. “Each time we detonate one of those… those things…” she glared at him with undisguised hatred. “Every time we use one this planet dies just a little bit more! And in case you haven’t checked lately, there isn’t a whole hell of a lot of it left for us to lose!”

It seemed the deed was done. Cuba, only hours ago one of the few remaining places habitable enough to visit in the west, was now lost to them as well. It had been one of the few island nations still capable of growing food year round, but Hobak had chosen to unilaterally act and reduce it to mere ashes as well. More radiation, Valiana seethed silently as she looked at the scarlet-hued horizon. The setting sun was a blood red orb barely visible through the filthy, dark clouds of pollution.

More death. More pollution pouring into the ground and up into the precious atmosphere.

This latest ‘deal’ wasn’t proving to be a partnership so far – it was more of a dictatorship. And if she wasn’t careful, then Hobak’s recent actions were an obvious signal that her time as a valued member of his ‘governing body’ was also growing short. To be fair, time was running out for everybody, not just her.

The Earth was dying. Less than six hundred million people remained alive on the planet.

“Nothing puts down a resistance faster than the sight of blooming mushroom clouds framed against the horizon,” Hobak muttered sullenly. “It won’t take long… word will spread among the other normals.”

“No, your solutions don’t end resistance, they simply postpone it,” countered Valiana indignantly. She fought hard to refrain from attempting to pound on him again. “You rule like the Roman Emperors once did, except without the prolonged periods of prosperity. Mark my words! Resistance may indeed fade for a few years, but all you did today was make everyone even more determined to oppose us!”

Hobak folded his arms imperiously and studied her intently. “Other than this most recent action, you have signed onto everything that the Triumvirate has done,” he reminded her brusquely. “Now you begin to second guess yourself… when we are so close to defeating what remains of our enemy?”

“In case you didn’t notice, we are close to defeating what remains of all life on this planet,” snarled Valiana sullenly. “Of course I have second thoughts! I will never be so vain or consider myself so enlightened that I cannot admit that past decisions were flawed.” She looked out over the top of the wall, at the scorched terrain surrounding them and shook her head with disgust. “We started out with the flawed belief that we were so enhanced, that we had grown so intelligent, that we could accurately predict the behavior of eight billion flawed, emotional beings. Fifteen years ago, we guessed wrong and started a snowball rolling downhill that rapidly became unstoppable. And those consequences of our actions have been dictating our future actions ever since. It’s time to stop making stupid decisions simply because we once made stupid decisions. I don’t know how to do that yet, but I’m going to find a way.”

She didn’t expect him to laugh derisively at her, but he did. “If you believe that life here has grown so difficult and so troublesome, then you are welcome to join everyone else who evacuated the Earth and moved to the Proteus galaxy,” Hobak retorted sharply. “I believe you will even find at least several Durgons over there, waiting for you.”

Then he turned and left her standing there, looking out upon a devastated world.

Planet Earth, south of Bethany, approximately A.D. 27

After a difficult night of intermittent dozing, Thomas Roh lazily opened one eye and stared at the first rays of sunlight poking through rotting boards on the east wall of a very dilapidated barn. It wasn’t even large enough to be a barn of the traditional sort, but more like a small, filthy shack filled with clucking chickens. Although it was not yet 5 a.m. in the morning, there was a pervasive heat surrounding them that clearly advertised the middle of the summer season. The sounds from the chickens made it difficult to sleep, but the bleating of goats from outside had made slumber all but impossible. Thanks to the kindness of a rural farmer, the Rohs had been able to seek refuge for the night in a private place where the light from their equipment would not be noticed. After hours of program changes, Thomas sent a brief message to the future letting their friends know where they were. Then he had worked until his eyes grew weary from fatigue before catching a few hours’ sleep.

The smell of the place was terrible, which was understandable given the rotting hay and enormous amount of animal feces present in the dingy shelter. Rolling into a sitting position, Thomas reopened the laptop and began working as fast as he could to continue making the additional program changes that would be needed in order to permanently reconnect them to the Lexington’s communications hub. Most of the source code was fine the way it was, but the parameters used by the software – which had previously been prepped for a brief two decade jaunt into the past – now had to be reset to cover the span of nearly two millennia. The task was monumental, since he hadn’t even begun, back home, to work on equations that could stretch that far.

“You better wake up Adam,” he whispered softly, reaching out with the toe of his left boot and nudging the extra-large lump of humanity snoring loudly next to him. “I’d bet the roosters go off any minute now.”

Next to him, Adam Roh groaned obnoxiously and rolled onto his back, yawning. “I was seriously hoping that we dreamed this whole thing,” he ventured irritably, dark stubble visible on his hard-lined face. An old, faded blanket barely covered him and he tossed the hole-ridden fabric aside. “Where are we anyway?”

“I think the farmer called this place Bethany… he said it was a small town surrounded primarily by groups of farm families.”

“What?” Adam sat there for a moment, allowing the haze of sleep to dissipate. “I thought Bethany was on the other side of the Jordan, just east of Jerusalem.”

Thomas turned and just looked at him with an expression of disdain. “That’s the village,” he stated informatively, placing particular emphasis on the last word. “This is the town of Bethany.”

“Fine. One is a village to the west; the other is a town in the east. I must confess to seeing no difference between the two.” Adam stared at the dirty ceiling above. “Aren’t you done yet?”

“This isn’t at all easy,” responded Thomas with his jaw set firmly. “I had to activate an AI – an artificial intelligence similar to the one you used on the Ali Rinai in the Wasteland – to assist me with formulas and calculations. Most of the programming is long since done, but calculating the necessary settings for a pair of stable micro-wormholes is another thing altogether. Power will be a problem too. If our implants don’t make ample use of enough sunlight today, I may only be able to use my computer for several hours after dark.”

“Just open one micro-wormhole,” suggested Adam, reaching up with the fingers of one hand to rub sleep out of his eyes. “Even if only one of us is fully up and running, that’s better than nothing.”

“If I can open one, I can open one hundred,” Thomas retorted a little too sharply, prompting Adam to fall silent and allow him at least some measure of silence in which to work. He glanced up sharply, however, upon seeing an unexpected shadow fall on the outer door. The crunching sound of feet walking on the ground reached their ears. “Adam… someone is coming.”

“Keep working,” said his brother, rising to his feet and moving toward the door. “I’ll visit with the farmer a little bit and see if he knows anything about where we should go next.”

“Ask him where the Messiah is, the great Teacher,” suggested Thomas. “That’s where we go.” He hesitated for a moment, thinking silently. “Although, if the crowds and disciples surrounding him are anywhere near as large as indicated in the Bible, we’re going to have a difficult time getting close.”

Adam opened the rickety door to their shelter and slipped through a small gap, closing it behind him. In front of him stood the farmer they had visited with the previous evening – the friendly faced, bronze-skinned old man who had offered to let them stay. He held a bundle of clothing in his arms, and Adam noticed at least one pair of sandals setting on top. “Good morning,” he said, doing his best to sound cheerful despite their circumstances. “Thank you very much for allowing us to rest here… our journey is a rather long one.”

“You’re most welcome,” replied the famer, along with a second phrase that didn’t totally translate. Adam’s implant suggested several common Hebrew alternatives, but none of them appeared accurate in context. Thomas had cautioned him that this might be the case in many situations – the two men had agreed to simply respond to the parts of the speech that they understood and ignore the rest where possible. The bald man with wisps of gray hair along the sides of his head held out the light tan garments he carried. “But your journey will likely end soon if you don’t change out of your truly odd clothing – tell me, are there no Romans where you come from?”

Chuckling at the unexpected comment, Adam grinned. “There are Romans everywhere,” he replied with a quick wink. He accepted the bundle of clothing and began to examine the robes and sandals carefully. “Even in a land as far away as the land where we hail from.” He paused, watching the man study him suspiciously. “We’ve been very careful so far, keeping off the main roads and traveling mostly by ourselves.”

The farmer continued to watch Adam with obvious interest. “I don’t believe you,” he concluded finally. “But the Romans have killed enough innocent men, and you and your brother appear to be good boys.” He jerked a thumb toward a slightly larger, equally old dwelling behind him… obviously his home. “You two could stay here for a while and work for me.” He smiled at the elder Roh. “This time of year, I could use the help.”

Shaking his head, Adam smiled cheerfully. “My brother and I are looking for someone. I believe we mentioned him to you last night.” Behind him, a rooster suddenly began crowing very loudly, joined, only seconds later, by at least two others. The sun was definitely above the western horizon now, but just barely. It was still just a third of a disk, blaze orange as it hid behind the morning cloud cover. Warm rays poked through in places, bathing the morning in sunlight. “Do you have any idea where we might go?”

Glancing down toward the dirt under his feet, the farmer said several more phrases that didn’t immediately translate. When he ended his commentary, the last bit of his speech translated to “It is very dangerous what you are attempting.”

“What?” asked Adam curiously. “What do you think is so dangerous?”

“This man you seek. Sooner or later the Romans will be after him, if not his own people.” The farmer put a friendly hand on Adam’s shoulder and leaned closer. “There is no proof he is the person you think he is. People began talking some weeks ago when the Baptist…” he paused long enough to point toward the west, “…when the Baptist immersed him in the waters of the Jordan River, baptizing him and then declared him to be the new Messiah. He claimed to have witnessed the glory of God’s Holy Spirit descend from heaven and sit on the man’s shoulder.” The farmer shrugged. “I have listened to this Baptist along with the many others who were there. He seems like a good person, genuinely interested in absolving men of their sins. But what he claims is crazy, no one else saw anything. I’m not sure I believe he can see what he claims to have seen.”

Adam’s interest piqued instantly. “This man that the Baptist heaped so much praise upon,” he stated firmly. “Where is he now? Do you know where he was going?”

“Yes,” acknowledged the farmer with a dry smile. “After being declared the new Messiah, this man, this carpenter from Nazareth crossed the Jordan to its western shore and then headed south into the desert. The supposed next leader of the Jewish people wandered off into a desert in the middle of the hot season!” He laughed sharply and then wiggled the fingertips of both hands next to his ears. “I think that the heat this time of year can get to people… make them a little silly!” Continuing to chuckle, he pointed at the shirt and slacks that Adam wore. “Like you and your small brother – who else would wear such silly looking clothes in the middle of a heat wave?”

“Well, we won’t trouble you any longer,” Adam promised him. “My brother and I would stay and work off our debt, but you asked us to leave at sunrise.”

“Unless you stay through harvest, you’re no good to me.”

“Then again… you have our thanks.” He turned to go back into the shed.

“But you cannot leave before the morning meal,” noted the farmer, moving to step in front of Adam. “My wife is preparing food, and you and your brother must join us before you resume your journey. We insist… you would insult us if you would not share at least one meal with us.”

“Then we’ll do that,” agreed Adam enthusiastically, more fully appreciating the simpler time and its customs. “Just let me check get my brother, and then we’ll come up to the house.”

*     * * *     *

An hour later, wearing the clothing given to them by the famer, Adam and Thomas moved west through the small town of Bethany. “It’s also referenced in our history books as Betharaba… this town, not the village,” commented Thomas cheerfully, shouldering a small pack that the farmer’s wife had given them. It contained half a loaf of old bread, some aged cheese and several animal skins filled with fresh water. “Those were really nice people… I think I like life in this time.”

“That’s because you haven’t seen all of it yet,” Adam grumbled in response. At first glance it appeared as though only a hundred or so people lived in Bethany, with most of the small huts and buildings circled around a central well. He studied the people who were busy setting up a local marketplace for the coming business day, while others moved back and forth as they attended to other duties. There were goats and chickens everywhere, along with an occasional cluster of sheep. Obviously, the sheep were a much pricier item for a poverty-stricken people. A gray, feral cat hissed a brief challenge at them and then ducked back into a knot of dried, sun-browned bushes.

The two of them stayed primarily on the southern edge of the small town, mostly at the farmer’s suggestion. He had pointed out to them that if there were Roman soldiers or other authorities lurking, they would deliberately rove closer to the richer people living on the farmland to the north. Many of them were used to appropriating ‘extra’ taxes from those who could spare a bribe or two for special favors. Of course, no one else in town could afford this kind of transaction and thus the soldiers primarily ignored them.

They passed several homeless vagrants, one of whom was clearly blind. Adam studied the skinny, elderly man’s eyes carefully, watching statistics roll by on his eye HUD. “We’ve come a long way with medicine,” he observed cautiously. “Simple laser surgery could help that man see in less than thirty minutes.”

“And yet we haven’t come a long way,” said Thomas wryly. “Everything in our time is devastated.”

“Not everything,” snapped Adam heatedly. “The Brotherhood didn’t get everything.” He studied the central well, surrounded by a knee-high wall of carefully placed stones. “Perhaps we should drink as much water as possible while we still have a decent source of it,” he suggested. “Once we’re in the desert, it’s going to be tough to find.”

“That won’t be a problem,” Thomas promised him confidently. “If needed, we can manufacture our own drinkable water by removing it directly from the air. It’s a standard implant function. Well, actually it’s technically an enhancement to the original function used to create a breathable atmosphere.”

“Well that’s a neat trick,” his brother admitted. “Fresh water on demand sure would have come in mighty handy during my exploits in the Wasteland.”

As promised, there was no sign of adversaries. The two men lingered for a few minutes, watching the diverse assortment of people from so early an Earth time period. Almost all of them wore soft, lightly colored robes made from carefully hand woven fabrics or animal skins, although several men were wearing dark brown despite the morning heat. There wasn’t a wide variety of color to be found, although some of the robes and tunics boasted light blue stripes. Baskets of fruits and vegetables for sale were being set out along the semi-circle comprising the market area. Stunned by the sight of everything that would appear completely out of place in modern times, Adam watched a small girl milking a goat with interest.

Finally, they noticed a Roman soldier standing near the northeast corner of town. He was fully dressed in silver-gray armor, wore a traditional helmet and carried a large broadsword and a shield strapped to his back. Although he was clearly visiting with several of the townspeople, the mere sight of him prompted the brothers to pick up their pace and peel off toward the west. There remained a firm agreement between the pair to avoid trouble wherever possible while visiting Earth’s distant past. Adam would have felt more confidence – despite the prospect of inadvertently altering history – if their implants were fully connected to the Lexington and functioning at full strength. Without their fully powered weapons to rely upon for protection, they were simply scientists struggling to conceal themselves in the midst of proven killers.

Despite their best efforts, it gradually became obvious that trouble was everywhere and perhaps unavoidable. It was only a short walk to the eastern shore of the Jordan River, but the road leading up to it contained a truly gruesome sight. Six large wooden crosses were embedded in the ground, with the desiccated, long since dead corpses of a half dozen victims dangling from the crossbeams. The smell was nauseating, and Thomas looked quickly away when he noticed bugs crawling across the sun-parched skin of the deceased. Above them, large black predatory carrion-eaters circled slowly, with sharp, orange beaks ready, their dark wings flapping just often enough to keep them hovering over their breakfast.

“This is exactly why we have to avoid any kind of confrontation,” hissed Adam softly as they passed a couple with a donkey and a large wooden wagon. A large, flea-ridden shaggy dog sitting in the wagon barked sharply in their direction. “If we defend ourselves using implant-enhanced strength, it could change the future. If we kill anybody, it will definitely change the future.” He glanced down at the dirt path and frowned. “I’m not entirely sure just why we’re here… we probably will change the future at some point, before everything is said and done.”

“If Jesus is indeed in the desert at this time, then this is the perfect time to approach him,” countered Thomas. “Before his ministry begins. Afterwards, he will be surrounded by disciples and other loyal followers. It will be almost impossible for the two of us to get any type of alone time.” Unable to contain his curiosity, he turned and took one last look at the gruesome sight of the dead men hanging from the crosses. “The Roman Empire’s most terrifying weapon,” he mumbled softly, “is about to be unexpectedly taken away from them by a humble carpenter from Nazareth.”

“I still don’t know what you plan to say to him even if we do manage to locate him,” responded a still-grumpy Adam. “Maybe I’ll ask my watch and see if it has any new messages.” He reached into the folds of his light tan robe to search for the object.

“I’m telling you, that watch has programming,” said Thomas emphatically. “Each time we hit an objective, its software kicks in to aim us toward the next one. I’m still wondering whether or not there is an artificial intelligence of some kind inside its mechanism… if I could think of a way to test that theory, maybe we could communicate with it more directly.”

Next to him, Adam sighed. “Do you have it by any chance?” he asked curiously.

Thomas stopped walking. “Have what?”

“The silver watch… it’s gone again.” Adam pondered the matter for a moment. “Now that I think about it, I don’t remember seeing it when we changed clothes back at the farm.” He threw up his hands helplessly. “So much for guidance,” he exclaimed with frustration. “I guess we’re on our own for now.”

About ten minutes later, the pair of brothers arrived at the eastern shore of the Jordan River. They had deliberately moved far enough to the southwest to avoid the large crowds that – according to their farmer friend – were still gathering each day to be baptized. They paused for a few minutes, watching the water flow steadily in a winding, southerly direction. Adam stuck one of his sandaled feet into the water, smiling slightly at the feel of the cool water on his toes. He doubted it was 8 a.m. yet and already the heat of the coming day was sweltering. “As soon as we leave all of the people behind, I’m changing back into my other clothes,” he declared sharply. “Ancient footwear doesn’t have any arch support, and my feet will be aching by tonight if we end up walking all day.”

Each of them wore backpacks cloaked in invisibility. Adam also wore a tool kit on his inner right thigh along with a medical kit attached to his left. Both of them were also equipped with the wrist guns, now covered within the arms of their robes. Taking one last look at his younger brother while he was still mostly dry, Adam stepped into the Jordan and began walking across. The shock of the cold water against his bare skin was invigorating, but he slowed noticeably upon dropping suddenly into a deeper area. Water and white froth swirled around his waist while the tall, broad-shouldered hardware specialist looked directly down at the river and then across to the shore just forty or so feet distant. “It’s too deep to walk in the middle,” he observed, studying the statistics rolling across his inner eyeball. “We’ll have to swim for at least part of the way.” Glancing up and down the river he shrugged, “Unless you want to risk going upstream.”

“Believe me, in a few hours you’re going to be wishing you were back here,” pointed out Thomas. He followed his brother into the river and the two of them carefully walked and – at times – resorted to swimming in order to reach the western shore. Once they did, the two of them climbed out of the water and simply stood there for a time, watching the river water flow relentlessly downstream.

“I wonder what this place is like in our time,” commented Thomas curiously, his expression darkening. “Check that. I wonder what it was like,” he added moodily, “before the nuclear storm.”

“Come on little brother,” said Adam with mild affection. He put a comforting arm around his brother’s shoulder. “Let’s get going… if you’re correct, we’ve got a long walk ahead of us.”

“We have to go west until we reach Qumran, then head south. The land descends from there all the way to the Dead Sea.”

“How are we going to find him in all of that? He could be anywhere.”

“I don’t know yet,” admitted Thomas with a deep frown. “Our implants have limited capacity right now – we may have to wait until I can reestablish full contact with the Lexington.”

Together the two brothers persistently continued walking toward the southwest and the waiting desert.

6: V: Brotherhood Diplomacy

PROJECT EARTH

Pathfinder Series: Book Three

Chapter V: Brotherhood Diplomacy

Planet Earth, Orbiting above the Emirate of Guitan, present day

President Dennis Kaufield stepped aboard the passenger shuttle carefully, tugging gently at the bottom folds of the taupe-colored robe wrapped around his civilian clothing. The garments were quite popular on Proteus worlds, especially during official meetings, and he continued to be amazed at the swift speed with which many Earth traditions were evolving to mimic the cultures of their new home. It’s not like we’ve had much choice except to adapt, he thought a bit cynically. Still, he considered Earth his home world, first and foremost. That was why a return to their origin planet in the Sol system had remained such a high priority over the passing years. The President was preparing to choose a random seat and strap himself in, already reaching out to do so, when he happened to catch a quick glimpse of the pilot’s profile.

“Joseph!” he exclaimed with a wide grin. “No one told me you were serving aboard the Lexington.” He practically leaped along the center walkway splitting the shuttle’s passenger section in order to reach the cockpit and his twenty-three year old son before hugging him warmly.

“We wanted it to be a surprise,” the tall, spindly Lieutenant responded pleasantly. His freckle-faced youthful vigor and enthusiasm still looked a lot like a small boy’s to Kaufield. “And since you’ve made the decision to walk into the proverbial lion’s den, I figured you would need family to watch your back.” He shrugged and continued to smile wryly. “That’s the way the Roh brothers seem to do things, anyway.”

“This could be a dangerous mission, son.” He raised an eyebrow as Joseph laughed in response.

“No, Dad,” the sharply dressed Lieutenant shot back at him. “That stuff in the Wasteland was a dangerous mission. This is a cake walk by comparison.”

The President glanced back at the seats and windows in the main cabin. “I take it this is no ordinary shuttle?” He raised a curious eyebrow. “Stealth capability, laser defensive array, electromagnetic shielding, Point-to-Point capability…”

“Pretty much all of the above,” nodded Joseph. “We’re equipped the same as the fighters now.”

Pondering the matter, Kaufield nodded agreeably. “Basically each ship receives the equivalent of a ‘brain’ implant in its communications hub.” He pointed at his skull for emphasis. “The technology is slightly newer and has a few more capabilities, but provides a fighter – or shuttle – with the same types of advantages as our growing ranks of foot soldiers.” He studied his son’s face intently. “Otherwise you wouldn’t be going along.”

“You still see that same eight year old kid from the Pathfinder mission when you look at me, don’t you?”

“Yes I do. And it’s a father’s right to do so, I might add.”

“You’d better buckle in… Dad,” suggested Joseph with a soft chuckle. “Normally I would abide by standard protocol, but the flight plan lists you as my only passenger.” He tugged lightly at the bottom of his sharp, navy-blue tunic with gold trim. Kaufield studied him carefully, noticing how much sharper and mature the lines of Joseph’s face had gotten. And yet he could still see so much of the boy’s mother in his features.

“Understood,” The President retreated back into the sizeable passenger cabin and selected a lone seat in the second row on the shuttle’s port flank.

Poking his head through the cockpit doorway, Joseph shook his head with mild dismay. “The flight plan says we’re going to the Brotherhood HQ in the Emirate of Ghuitan.” His gaze shifted from the electronic pad in his hand to Kaufield’s eyes. “Could you narrow that down for me a bit, please?”

Pulling his chosen seat’s safety harness across his torso and securing it firmly, Kaufield laughed. “Just drop us out of orbit for now and head for the border between China and India, near New Delhi,” he suggested steadfastly. “The communications console on this vessel will receive further instructions that will keep you updated as we go.” He tapped his right temple again with a curling smile. “That’s how this kind of mission works.”

“With so much of this stuff now controlled by AI,” commented Joseph dryly, “they soon won’t even need pilots. What will I do for a living?”

“We’ll always need pilots,” countered the President in response. “None of the technology gets to make any actual decisions unless you consciously request for it to do so… Proteus tech is always programmed to respond to how we interpret the telemetry it supplies us.”

Joseph nodded, brown eyes flashing. “That sounds reasonable. Stand by. We’re scheduled to disembark in five minutes. The trip down to the surface should take about fifteen minutes.” He eyed his father warily one last time. “After all of the interference we’ve run against the Brotherhood using Person-to-Point transit portals from Proteus all these years, I hope you’re not expecting a warm welcome.”

“I really don’t care any longer,” replied the President crustily. “Two members of my mission team are missing already. I’ll play this one any way they like it.” He settled into the comfortable, cushioned seat, wondering just what the Roh brothers were up to.

If only there was a way to communicate with them, he thought silently. I would be slightly less worried.

Planet Earth, the Emirate of Guitan, present day

Valiana 001 stirred slightly at the sudden electronic bleat from the intercom. Back in her underground sanctuary – or prison, depending how cynically one looked at things – she had been dosing lightly in her favorite chair. Opening her eyes and sighing deeply, she reached over to the desktop in front of her and touched a computer workstation. “This is Valiana,” she stated somewhat brusquely.

“Hobak wants you in Command immediately,” someone barked at her. After that single statement, the hiss and static from the crude, open channel faded. Whoever it was didn’t even trouble himself to wait for a response.

So, Valiana thought to herself with more than a little discomfort. It has begun.

She didn’t require any further details, as a matter of fact. Given the current, abrasive relationship that existed between her and Hobak, she wondered at times why she was even still alive. Even as she rose from her seat to comply with the request, she smiled inwardly. There’s a reason you’re still alive, she reminded herself. If he kills you, then he becomes the dictator you have regularly accused him of being. The only decision maker left in the process. And once that happens then there will be no way for him to deny that the failures are HIS. Hobak will finally have to acknowledge his own failings, and that would be too much for his massive ego to deal with.

Nevertheless, she took her sweet time making her way from one of the upper levels to the lowest. The Brotherhood’s central complex stretched almost half a mile beneath the Earth’s surface, protecting its many inhabitants from the dangers of the outside world. And essentially turning us into a race of cellar dwellars, she thought angrily as she walked to the nearest lift. She had to key in a special password in order for the elevator to grant her access to that lowest level, but she knew the ten-digit sequence by heart… even though it changed on a daily basis. There was a pattern to the shifting series of numbers, but only the three ruling members of the Triumvirate… Scratch that, she thought ruefully. Only the TWO ruling members of the Triumvirate were familiar with the tessellation.

Hobak 001 was waiting rather impatiently for her in Command, one of the cavernous rooms that lined the bottom level of the complex. To be fully honest, Valiana hated it down here… most of the caverns were natural caves that had formed from the non-stop flow of underground water over the centuries. At the beginning, the Triumvirate wanted all of the normals who chose to serve them to believe that the higher levels were all that existed. Only clones from the original three lines, Hobaks and Durgons and Valianas, were allowed this far underground. Not only could they do the necessary work much more quickly, but no one else ended up even knowing that there was a series of lower levels. Except for Drik Gyilto, the Emir of Ghuitan and one of the most snake-like men that Valiana had ever encountered. He never came here any longer, mostly because of her.

She pushed thoughts of the detestable Gyilto aside and settled her thoughtful gaze on Hobak. “Well,” she began expectantly. “Something is up… what’s going on?”

“It’s the Earth ship,” replied Hobak informatively. “There are signs that it has moved into orbit above us.”

“Signs?” She studied him with significantly less confidence than in years past.

An overhead monitor flickered and then steadied on the image of a shuttle flying across the desolated landscape beneath it. “Well, let’s take the shuttle that just dropped out of orbit, for example,” ventured Hobak much more snidely than he needed to. “Motion sensors didn’t even detect it until approximately ten minutes ago. The vessel had already entered the atmosphere by then. Intelligence experts on the upper level are predicting that the entire warship is up there somewhere… similarly cloaked in invisibility.”

Valiana thought the matter over carefully. “Can we perhaps box them in?” she wondered idly. “If they’re holding course in orbit above our hemisphere – a virtual certainty – then we might be able to flood the area with heat seeking missiles and fighters.”

Dressed completely in black, Hobak swiveled in his large, plush chair until he faced her directly. “We already tried that when they passed by the moon,” he snapped dourly. “Apparently whatever shield technology they’re using to cloak their vessel in invisibility also wards them from heat detection. The missiles found no targets and some of them inadvertently ended up locking on to our own fighters.”

“I thought we fixed that problem,” said a clearly annoyed Valiana, finding herself growing somewhat irritated herself. Flashbacks suddenly began racing through her mind, of another warship’s infamous battle with the Pathfinder from fifteen years ago. The enemy United States vessel, equipped with a brand new, state-of-the-art transit drive, had flashed through a series of PTP hops and totally confused missiles, fighters and the warship that had supposedly trapped them. After that disastrous encounter, all ordnance with targeting software was swiftly reprogrammed to ignore friendly vessels. The fact that we didn’t think of that in the first place… Again she pushed aside the troubled thoughts in order to focus on the matter at hand.

We’re using primarily Russian systems now,” pointed out Hobak. “The hardware is not nearly as reliable as the American Alliance guidance systems. There is a lot of space out there, and if you truly want to ‘box’ someone in when you can’t see them then there are definite risks involved.” He trailed off for a moment, using the precious seconds to scan through updated telemetry. “If this Earth warship has come all the way from Proteus, then there’s a good chance that it is equipped with an engine system similar to that of the colony ship that evaded us in the aftermath of the original war….”

“In which case they can sit up there and drive us crazy by bouncing back and forth between random locations,” she acknowledged with a solid nod of her head. “Have they contacted us in any way?” Shrugging in response, Hobak responded by staring darkly at her. I’m not sure I like that expression, she mused silently. I’m not sure I like it at all.

“As soon as it hit atmosphere,” he told her finally, “the shuttle’s pilot transmitted a general message stating that the vessel is an envoy conveying Dennis Kaufield as passenger, the President of the Earth Alliance in the Proteus galaxy. Apparently this President would like to speak directly to us – to the ruling Triumvirate Council – regarding the long term future of this planet.”

“I’ve got a pretty good idea what that means,” noted Valiana, her attractive features wrinkling suddenly with a deep frown. “This planet’s eco-system is spiraling steadily downhill. Your repeated use of nuclear arms to put down petty rebellions has undoubtedly prompted them to act. I expect we’re going to be asked to resign as leaders of this world, and forced out of power if we choose not to accept those terms.”

“I expect that also,” seethed Hobak bitterly, “which is why their President will never reach us alive.”

She looked at him with renewed condescension. “Have you gone insane?” she demanded to know, enjoying his shocked reaction at the new way in which she was beginning to speak to him on so regular a basis. Her dark eyes flashed with dark emotion. “Hobak, you’re not planning to fire on that shuttle just because they have chosen to offer us a convenient target, are you?”

He sat there, seething with barely contained rage. “Not only am I going to fire on them, but I’ve already ordered our Combat Air Patrol to turn it into molten slag!”

For a moment, she considered simply shooting him right there on the spot. But if she did that, all the witnesses in nearby chambers would execute her for being a traitor. She instinctively knew this to be true. Durgon’s death was more easily explained, because – as Hobak had put it – he sadly chose to visit Cuba at a tragic moment in time. No one would have expected him to know that rebellious members of a resistance group were also meeting there. Durgon was now being painted as a martyr, killed in a tragic accident to cover up his deliberate and cold-blooded assassination.

“Hobak, think this through for a moment, will you? Not only did these people originally evade us with a new, revolutionary engine system, but they have since found alien allies in a distant galaxy. Aliens who are very technologically advanced,” she practically spat the last words in his direction. “If their President is indeed on board that shuttle, then he obviously feels completely safe in approaching us in this manner and is outright daring you to provoke their government further. Don’t be a complete, egotistical idiot Hobak. For God’s sake, there isn’t much left on this planet to screw up. A ship that can make itself invisible…”

He glared daggers at her. “God has absolutely nothing to do with this!” he practically shouted at her. “If any representative of that government of traitors and refugees wants to speak with me on my planet without an invitation, then he or she is going to have to fight their way through everything we have!” He pointed toward the visual of the streamlined passenger shuttle as it cruised methodically toward them on the overhead monitor. “They’re the ones who chose to abandon their world rather than stay and fight for its survival.”

Yes, and they would have been fighting for what remained of that world with your boot on their throat, thought Valiana heatedly. Just like everyone else who stayed is currently doing. She watched the shuttle’s image curiously for a moment, wondering what secrets it held that Hobak was conveniently choosing to ignore. After years of trying to run a global government despite his constant, egotistical interference, she wasn’t even trying to visualize things from his point of view any longer. Supposedly a genetically enhanced clone with an improved intelligence that matched his physical build, there was nothing left of Hobak’s common sense… if he had ever possessed any.

In the beginning, his ambition drove most of his decision-making; this despite the fact that nothing in the universe was at all predictable. He had chosen to push for a ‘quick and easy’ limited nuclear war without understanding that there was – in reality – no such thing. The Earth and most of its inhabitants ended up paying the ultimate price for his lack of wisdom. Regrettably, Hobak’s mind was nothing more than a broken wreck of a psyche now, leaving him an angry, compulsive zealot desperate to find a way to prove, once and for all, that he had in fact been right all along. Good luck with that idea, thought Valiana cynically. We followed you unconditionally, and for that sin we have sacrificed an entire world.

She leaned toward him. “Call back the CAP patrol, Hobak,” she pleaded with him as gently as her anger would allow. “Call them back while there is still time to solve this problem without additional violence. We always seem to come out on the losing end of that, or haven’t you noticed?” The last statement came out a bit too snidely, and she bit her lower lip with regret. Too late… you’ve provoked his fragile ego yet again.

Hobak stared defiantly back at her. “No!” he stated bluntly.

*     * * *     *

“Hang on back there Dad!” shouted Joseph Kaufield from his seat in the cockpit. “We’ve got company!”

He banked the shuttle sharply to starboard, allowing Kaufield to spot at least three enemy aircraft as they flashed briefly past the windows. They were moving at high speed as opposed to the shuttle, which had been slowing in preparation for a landing. The President smiled upon hearing the urgency of his son’s tone – even when the odds were in their favor, adrenaline and the urge to survive tended to take control over the inexperienced. His son would learn an awful lot today, as a pilot, and Kaufield had worked hard with Noah and the other members of the Pathfinder team to make certain that his son learned those lessons safely.

“You know what to do,” Dennis called out sharply to his son. “We’re not here to obliterate everyone we encounter, so take it easy on them, will you please?”

“Aye sir!”

Kaufield’s stomach slid sideways as Joseph rolled the shuttle and then swooped into a steep climb. He glanced out the trio of small windows next to him and watched the ground fall rapidly below. His son kept the clumsy shuttle rocketing upward until the pursuing aircraft flashed past them again. Smoke and flame appeared briefly in the view through the windows, but the vessel’s hull didn’t even tremble. Its protective shielding was similar to the kinetic-absorbent, personal defenses worn by Kaufield’s implant team. Even air-to-air missiles couldn’t penetrate that kind of electromagnetic barrier. The shuttle slowed noticeably, leveling off at a much higher altitude. Glancing out the windows, first toward the bow and then astern, Kaufield noticed a parachute opening. “What did you do?” he shouted over the roar of the ship’s engines.

“I sliced the wings off of two of them with our laser array,” said Joseph in response. The kid sounded slightly rattled, but in control. “The other one is retreating as fast as his engines will carry him.”

“Those pilots should be grateful that you climbed higher into the atmosphere before disabling their fighters,” noted Kaufield softly to himself. “Otherwise they wouldn’t have had the time needed to eject safely.”

“There is an entire squadron entering tracking range,” his son informed him. “At least two dozen planes from a nearby airbase… they’ll be here in less than five minutes. What do you want me to do?”

Smiling with mild admiration, the President leaned out into the aisle so that there would be no chance of Joseph missing his next words. “I want you to do what we came here to do,” he replied confidently. “Land.”

*     * * *     *

Hobak was watching the compound’s motion sensor array carefully, so he noticed immediately when two of the three CAP fighters suddenly broke up into little glittering pieces that faded slowly away. The other jet fighter turned on a dime and rocketed swiftly away from the shuttle’s position. Tapping into the combat communications channel, Hobak listened carefully. “This is Zephyr Two to base. Our missiles had no effect on that shuttle. Repeat. No damage. Zero joy. I have no idea what they hit Zephyrs One and Three with, but both of them are gone. Visual on two chutes though.”

“Zephyr Two, this is home base,” a gravely, crusty voice responded calmly to the urgency of the pilot. “We believe they hit your companions with some sort of high powered laser system. Our visual from Zephyr One clearly shows that the wings of Zephyr Three were sliced off. We suspected standard rail guns, but they would have produced visible debris. You won’t be able to see the lasers… they’re invisible unless you’re in direct line of sight. Stand by… we’re sending backup. Beta squadron has launched and is on its way.”

“Based on what I saw, nothing we use is going to even shake that shuttle,” replied the Zephyr Two pilot. “It looks like they’re circling to land. Perhaps we’ll have better luck once they’re grounded.”

The rage building inside Hobak was becoming palpable. His face was reddening and sweat ran in large beaded drops from his forehead. He furiously grabbed a headset off of the tactical console and placed it on his head. Then, touching the receiver cap over his right ear, he intruded on the conversation. “Zephyr Two, this is Hobak 001 of the people’s Triumvirate,” he roared indignantly. “I have been watching the encounter with the alien shuttle, and you are currently guilty of leaving a combat operation without achieving your objective. Turn your fighter around and engage the enemy immediately.”

The pilot’s voice, even heard through an electronically enhanced transmission, sounded as though he was close to passing out from fear upon hearing Hobak’s order. “If they wanted to, those lasers of theirs can probably destroy me right now, while my own missiles remain well out of range. There is nothing that I can do, Excellency, except go back and die…”

“Then go back and DIE for the greater good of the Brotherhood!” roared Hobak fiercely. “Beta squadron is on its way. If even ONE of those fighters reaches that shuttle and engages before you do, your death at MY hands will make what they do to you look like a courtesy by comparison!”

A prolonged pause followed. Then… “Aye… your Excellency. Message acknowledged.”

Valiana pulled up a chair and seated herself comfortably, saying nothing. Having heard this kind of thing from Hobak for years now, and having argued futilely – sometimes with Durgon 001 fully backing her – she finally knew deep down that there was no reasoning with the man. This particular confrontation would have to play out under Hobak’s direction, with her content to sit on the sidelines and let him ‘make all the tough calls’, as he liked to claim. She was tired of his intractability and complete lack of perspective on important matters. All that mattered to him, in the current arena of politics and combat, was to have his way with everything. Anyone who tried to stop him was fair game. That much was clear to her, especially after the death of Durgon in Havana. But her moment was coming, and she planned to be ready when it arrived.

*     * * *     *

Three and a half minutes later, Joseph settled the shuttle’s landing struts firmly on terra firma. “That jet pilot turned around,” he hollered in warning. “He’s on his way back.” Unbuckling his safety harness, the young Lieutenant made his way hastily back to the passenger section where he found his father opening a large hatch. A solid metal walkway extended from the base of the hatch, angling down toward the ground at a level sufficient for walking comfortably. “Dad… you really shouldn’t go out there! These guys aren’t in the mood to talk.”

“At this point, neither am I.” The President approached and suddenly embraced his son warmly. “Some time, when we’re both back on Tranquility, I’m going to tell you about a little adventure that Adam and I had in a place called the Wasteland,” he said softly, enjoying the private moment with his boy. “We used this technology effectively there… I assure you there is nothing to worry about. You’ve seen how easily the shuttle deflects their attacks. The personal defenses that I have at my disposal work the same way, even if it appears as though I am unarmed.” He locked his gaze on his son’s sharp features. “Trust me.”

“All right.” Joseph pulled away and headed back to the cockpit. “Do you want me to hang around for a bit?” he asked inquisitively. “With the stealth shield in place, they can’t see me and I could create a protective umbrella over you that nothing will penetrate.” He wasn’t at all surprised to see Kaufield shake his head.

“You’ve got one more assignment to complete. Do your duty as ordered and then return to the Lexington, Lieutenant,” said the President in his most commanding tone. “I’m the President of the free human survivors, and it’s time for me to get to work.” He stepped out onto the walkway and made his way toward the ground below. “Don’t worry son, I’ll be fine no matter what happens. We’ve made certain of that.”

Once there he waited patiently until the shuttle’s hatch closed. Above, in the haze-filled, partly-cloudy skies above, he could hear the distant roar of the lone fighter returning. Golden orange sparks exploded off of his personal shield, indicating that snipers positioned somewhere nearby were already targeting him. Determined to send a deliberate message from the very beginning, Dennis Kaufield waved toward his son’s profile in the shuttle’s cockpit as the vessel lifted off in a blast of heated air. It moved past him and then climbed steadily skyward, vanishing slowly behind its restored invisibility screen even as the sound of the enemy fighter grew steadily louder. More bullets exploded against the skin-tight shield and vanished instantly around its perimeter, prompting him to activate his eye HUD. Then he turned around and studied the surrounding terrain very carefully.

His home planet was a filthy, devastated wreck of its former self, saturated with dangerous radiation.

The tactical database that had served Adam so well in the Wasteland pinpointed the enemy attackers instantly, overlaying their hidden positions in the rocky hills with green-circled crosshairs. Snapping his wrists several times, he sent sizzling electric-blue pulses flashing from his wrist guns, rocketing toward the identified enemy positions. The electromagnetic bursts instantly blew huge holes in the ground near the targeted locations. When additional bullets continued to fragment against his defenses, Kaufield upped the intensity of the blasts by sixty percent and began to pound their positions repeatedly, this time blowing huge, spiraling clouds of dirt and rock into the sunlit sky.

After the second round of much harder strikes, the sniper fire abruptly stopped.

Turning toward the south, he noticed that the Brotherhood’s compound was roughly a quarter of a mile distant. The massive gray stone walls loomed high above the terrain below, hiding the small set of buildings contained within. Kaufield knew full well from intelligence data that the vast majority of the complex lay hidden far underground. Everything about the enemy base that he needed to know was immediately accessible, so he saw no reason to delay his progress. Moving forward in a standard trot, he watched the jet fighter streak across the sky toward his position. He continued, unperturbed, even as the fighter descended and assumed an obvious attack run. Dim orange sunlight flashed across its silvery metallic fuselage as new data crawled across the President’s eye HUD. Target acquired: SU-39 MIG Super-Flanker.

Again the green-circled crosshairs appeared on his eye HUD, this time targeting the airplane before moving slightly ahead of its position and locking onto its anticipated flight path. The President didn’t need to flex his wrists this time, instead opting to allow the wrist guns to auto-fire as controlled by the software running his implant. A massive pair of energy bursts flashed skyward, connecting with the fighter and sending it spinning off toward the horizon, trailing dark smoke and debris. The two missiles launched just before his attack disabled the jet, however, sped toward him at an astonishing speed, both of them trailing bright white plumes of swirling smoke.

The entire area surrounding his immediate position suddenly lit up with a fierce and brilliant white light, followed almost instantly by a blast of heat and flame.

The first few seconds proved to be the most disorienting, as Kaufield’s personal shield auto-intensified but also turned opaque. Filters dispersed the flame, toxins and kinetic energy of the explosion as its effects blossomed around him in swirling clouds of black, orange and gray. The skin-tight electromagnetic defensive armor also nullified sound, protecting his vulnerable sight and hearing from the increased surrounding activity. It was a test of the implant’s abilities that he would normally have avoided, where necessary, but he had held few illusions about what any sort of confrontation with the Brotherhood would entail. Earlier aboard the Lexington, as the Earth carrier assumed orbit once again around its home planet, the President and his allies had stood by helplessly, watching what was left of the major population centers in Cuba burn in hellish clouds of nuclear fire.

He found the situation mildly ironic. Although his personal use of the brain implants was extensive, most of his experiences were shared ones gained via his participation in the Sentinel program. Adam Roh held most of the direct combat experience, and yet the others who had linked with him to offer support – even if from very far away – possessed shared memories. The President and the other members of the implant project had all literally seen through Adam’s eyes and participated with him during the Wasteland mission. Data scrolling by on Kaufield’s eye HUD notified him that the explosion was dying down. Time to proceed.

[“Kaufield to shuttle,”] he transmitted telepathically. [“It’s time, Joseph. Please implement attack plan Niner Niner Four.”]

Temporarily shrouded in darkness within the safety of his defensive force field, Dennis Kaufield stood where he was and waited for the remaining clouds of smoke and fire to fade away.

*     * * *     *

Hobak watched the aftermath of the fighter strike from the Command station’s rows of monitors, where an assortment of images from various angles on the battlefield allowed him to see pretty much everything. “The defenses and firepower wielded by that man are certainly impressive,” he acknowledged grudgingly. “It isn’t easy to knock one of our fighters out of the sky, and he did so using only hand weapons.” Twin balls of flame and rising plumes of dark black- and orange-filled smoke clouds completely obscured the area where President Kaufield had been standing only seconds earlier. Massive clumps of charred, smoking dirt and rock fell back to Earth around the blast site. “Any personal defenses he has can’t be as powerful as the shuttle’s,” speculated the Brotherhood leader hopefully, “although they sure managed to handle our snipers’ fire well enough.”

Next to him, Valiana completed a routine check on their remaining assets in the field. “Speaking of snipers, I have a casualty report for you. One soldier is wounded, while the other four are retreating back inside the walls,” she reported firmly. “They’re ignoring repeated orders from their commander to return and re-engage the target.” Shrugging her shoulders indifferently, she glanced over toward her colleague. “Then there’s the matter of the pilot of the SU-39 this President just downed. He ejected safely, which – by my count – makes three pilots out of three who were able to safely eject after surviving his attacks,” she stated bluntly, her eyes blazing daggers. “You order men to die even as your counterpart spares their lives.”

“Which is why he no longer lives on this planet,” Hobak growled back at her. “And I’m beginning to believe he no longer lives at all!” Chuckling with enthusiasm and amusement, he watched the residual smoke and fire from Zephyr Two’s missile attack rapidly fade away. “Perhaps we can contact their ship and…”

On the monitor, President Dennis Kaufield stood where he had been, apparently unharmed.

“I must admit, I would like to know how he managed to pull THAT off successfully,” gasped Valiana.

“It cannot BE!” Hobak thundered, clearly enraged beyond the point of normal, rational thinking. Every decision he made now resulted from blind obedience to his out of control, primal urges. Working quickly, he adjusted the visual pickups on the digital imaging systems watching over the battlefield. One of them zoomed in as closely as it could on the President, clearly showing Kaufield standing in the middle of a burning crater without a scratch on him.

He was astonishingly, completely unharmed.

Hobak studied the face of his enemy meticulously, memorizing every detail of the man’s features. While he was doing so, Kaufield’s lip curled upward in a mischievous smirk and then he turned and looked directly at the camera producing the image. Again, both remaining members of the Triumvirate were caught completely by surprise. This newest move on the President’s part seemed, at first glance, an absolutely impossible action.

“Somehow, they’ve tapped into our monitoring system,” guessed Valiana tentatively. “How else could he possibly know which of the images we’re currently using to watch him?”

“I really don’t care,” said Hobak defiantly, touching a finger to his transceiver headset. “Beta squadron, you are cleared to engage,” he boomed imperiously. “Do not allow that man to reach this compound alive. That is a direct order from the Triumvirate, and failure carries with it all kinds of dire consequences.” Valiana opened her mouth to say something, but Hobak silenced her with his expression and a raised palm. “Find out the names of the snipers who left the battlefield,” he told her furiously. “Their bad day is going to get worse.”

“As you command,” she replied compliantly, turning back to her own workstation and busying herself there. “However, don’t be at all surprised if you don’t live long enough to carry out that threat… this guy is not going to take no for an answer.”

“That’s why we’re going to obliterate him regardless of the consequences,” promised Hobak indignantly, turning just far enough to eye her warily. “Any consequences,” he told her ominously.

There was nothing else to say. Wordlessly the two of them sat there, watching President Kaufield on the monitors, as he resumed walking directly toward the outer walls of the Brotherhood complex.

7: VI: Making it Right

PROJECT EARTH

Pathfinder Series: Book Three

Chapter VI: Making It Right

Planet Earth, the Emirate of Guitan, present day

He was Hobak 001, Supreme Commander of the Triumvirate, formally cloned in a laboratory under tightly controlled conditions as a child and commissioned as an adult solely to serve the Brotherhood of the Dragon. That was his official title anyway, and as he leaned back in his chair he suddenly realized just how bad things were getting. His counterpart, Valiana 001, Supreme Governor of the Triumvirate, formally commissioned to serve the Brotherhood of the Dragon, was seated right next to him. Together, watching from the security monitors in the Command center of their central stronghold, the two of them were watching the most amazing event that either had ever witnessed. Somehow President Dennis Kaufield, a man dressed in civilian clothing partially hidden beneath a lightly-colored tan robe, continued to live. He was walking directly toward the stone wall surrounding the Brotherhood’s main headquarters, headed right toward the main gate.

Massive explosions and clouds of smoke and burning orange flame continually detonated around him, temporarily screening him from view, and yet in some inexplicable fashion this President of the so-called ‘normals’ simply ignored it all and continued, unimpeded, toward his intended destination. Us, Hobak realized with a sudden knot forming in his stomach. He’s coming after us, and our best pilots have so far been unable to stop him.

It wasn’t for lack of trying.

The roar of jet engines thundered out of the tactical console’s speaker system, drowned out only occasionally by the volatile electronic squelch generated by repeated additional detonations. There were over two dozen MIG SU-39s out there now, an entire squadron. The Super-Flanker was one of the most sophisticated warplanes ever developed by the former nation of Russia. And yet nothing they did seemed capable of stopping this lone human male. First it was missiles whose smoke trails crisscrossed in the air as they sped from their various launch points to their central target. Once all of the fighters exhausted their missile supply, pilots resorted to laser-targeting President Kaufield and promptly began dropping bombs on him. Hobak’s stomach condition had been fine up until that point.

It was only when several of the planes resorted to strafing runs, using standard regulation bullets, that he began to feel as though the situation currently facing them might indeed be hopeless and destined to fail. Watching it all unfold on the security monitors in front of him, Hobak swore softly and studied a list of additional assets available to him. “Tell the rail gunners on the main wall to target this man and open fire,” he told someone via his communications headset. Valiana studied him quietly, observing the futility of his actions, and silently wondered how someone could believe himself to be competent even when cold harsh reality instantly revealed the exact opposite. He’s not getting it, she thought with frustration. He doesn’t realize we’re finished.

“Have you considered calling for a temporary cease fire,” she suggested calmly. In response, Hobak turned and simply glared at her. “I’m serious,” she continued, determined to bring some sort of sanity back to the mayhem she was bearing witness to. “It’s plainly obvious that this Proteus technology is far superior to our own weapons. President Kaufield had a major advantage over us simply by retaining command of the Pathfinder, allowing his crew to escape and form an alliance with aliens in the first place. At the very least, even a small break in the fighting will allow our military experts to analyze his defensive systems and search for weakness.” It’s a very helpful suggestion, she thought while silently deliberating her own next move, which is why…

“All assets continue attacking target,” Hobak growled into his transceiver, completely ignoring her.

The sound of explosions, jet wash and gunfire faded away for just a moment as the Brotherhood’s attackers shifted their strategy. Seconds later, the high-pitched wail of rail guns shattered the momentary lull as weapons – confiscated from enemy warships and now mounted on the compound’s outer walls – opened fire on the intruder. Kaufield walked to within fifty yards of the main gate and then paused there for a moment as a cloud of orange and golden sparks exploded off of his protective shield. Turning unexpectedly he headed east, walking parallel to the wall at a leisurely pace. Clouds of dirt swirling in the wind almost obscured him entirely as high speed projectiles tore into the ground around him, churning up large amounts of earth. Again, it was blatantly obvious that this latest attack was completely futile. And yet…

Valiana leaned forward and adjusted one of her own monitors. The image was focused on the area around Kaufield, specifically the clods of dirt being torn out of the ground by rail gun fire. Like Hobak, she had initially assumed that the projectiles slamming into the Earth were shots that simply missed their target. It was easy to reach that conclusion since clouds of shimmering sparks appeared on the surface of the President’s image each time the shooters atop the main gates launched a new barrage of fire. The effect was very similar to the sniper fire so easily dispersed after his initial landing. Except that this time it appeared the projectiles weren’t disintegrating against the shield. Using her fingers on the touch-screen, she expanded the image, zooming in on the President to prove her conclusion that the shots were actually passing through his body and finally impacting against the earth.

“Cease fire!” she snapped suddenly, turning toward Hobak with a furious expression. “I mean it Hobak! Order our military assets to cease fire immediately!”

“Valiana, I really don’t have time for…” He glanced upward briefly, long enough to catch her dark gaze.

“For what?” she demanded. “How much ammunition do you plan to expend against a ghost… against a simple hologram?”

He stared at her blankly for a moment before his eyes shifted back to the monitor images. “A hologram?” He exhaled loudly and studied the display more carefully. “It’s not possible.”

“It is,” insisted Valiana. “The rail gun projectiles are tracers… they leave visible contrails that are clearly passing through the President, not exploding against some sort of impenetrable shield as he would have us believe. The sparks you see are a special effect for our benefit… nothing more.”

“It can’t be,” said Hobak reluctantly. “Our sniper fire hit him, not the shuttle’s hull…”

“I’m not saying that he wasn’t initially there, initially our target,” she admitted ruefully. “But what you are shooting at now is in fact a hologram of some sort. It is a diversion, a cheat to keep us busy while something else happens that we are unaware of.” She imagined the gears in his mind clicking, and for once the stars in their shared universe aligned. They were at last in agreement on SOMETHING.

“That’s why he stopped at the front gate and then began walking around the wall,” her counterpart concluded. “The image of him is just an illusion being used to buy time. But buy time for what?” He watched her nod thoughtfully in response and then touched the ear unit of his transceiver headset. “All assets cease fire immediately,” he ordered. “Put the entire installation on full alert and double the guard at all key locations. Prepare for possible intruders.”

The two of them sat there for a moment, at first unwilling to believe what they had just bore witness to. “The only thing that makes sense is for the President, or someone else, to already be inside the walls of our compound,” she reasoned out loud. For once Hobak contented himself to sit quietly and listen to her. “Why else would they work so hard to keep us shooting at a decoy image?”

“If there was someone inside this facility, we would know,” offered Hobak in response. “He would set off key alarms or run into our guards. He would…”

“I should point out that he would not do those things if he possessed an invisibility stealth screen like his shuttle,” announced a third voice unexpectedly from behind them. Both Hobak and Valiana whirled as soon as they heard the pronouncement, shocked to see their worst fears realized. In some impossible fashion President Dennis Kaufield had not only breached their supposedly impenetrable defenses, but also managed to find his way all the way to the Command and Control center on the very bottom level of the Brotherhood headquarters.  Immediately Hobak pulled a sidearm from his belt and opened fire on the President. Bullets impacted against his body and exploded in the familiar pattern of golden sparks – this time for real. “Not a good idea,” noted Kaufield with a wry smile. “Ricochets can be as deadly as direct hits. If the bullets had deflected, instead of disintegrating, you would both be dead right now.”

“What do you want?” thundered Hobak furiously, glaring at the unwanted intruder warily. “This planet is a devastated, radioactive wasteland, devoid of almost all of its former resources. What could you possibly want from us that you do not already have?” He cast a quick look in Valiana’s direction to let her know that he was buying time for her to do something… to somehow turn the tables on Kaufield.

Do what? she wondered thoughtfully. He appears to be fully capable of nullifying our entire military.

“We want our planet back, without you in charge,” stated the President bluntly. “Many of the ‘normals’, as you call them, continually rotate in from our new home in the Proteus galaxy because this is our true home. Whether they do it out of loyalty to a world that gave birth to humanity as we know it, or whether they do it out of nostalgia for their religious homelands… it makes no difference to me. I came here to depose your ruling Triumvirate from power and retake possession of this planet. Those who choose to remain here, even temporarily, will receive additional food and medication under our care, along with a much more benign government. It’s going to happen as of right now, and there’s nothing you can do to stop it.”

“With all that you have, I find it difficult to believe that you want this planet back,” noted Valiana, flipping her long dark hair over a shoulder to keep it out of her eyes. “There is nothing here but devastated land and water saturated with high levels of radioactivity. If you do force us out of power…” She ignored the look on Hobak’s face as he glared at her heatedly. “…then it would make more sense to evacuate everyone permanently to your new home. There they wouldn’t be susceptible to the hostile environment here.”

“Somehow we will heal it,” promised Kaufield steadfastly, eyes flashing with confidence. “Our first attempt to do so was stymied, but we are looking into the problem and plan to try again. One way or another, we will undo the disaster you have wrought and restore this planet to its former glory.”

Tossing aside his pistol, Hobak leaped out of his chair and charged Kaufield. His huge, well-muscled arms reached for the President’s throat and he fully intended to use his genetically enhanced strength to choke the life out of him. The Brotherhood leader was able to wrap his hands around the man’s throat, but astonishingly achieved nothing by squeezing his fingers together. It felt as though he was attempting to crush solid steel, as though no amount of energy exerted by his mortal frame would be enough to accomplish his task. Repeatedly he squeezed with all of his strength and repeatedly the President simply stood there watching him. Somehow all of the kinetic energy of his attack was absorbed and instantly disbursed.

President Kaufield reached up and physically removed Hobak’s hands from around his throat using his own heightened strength. Then he shoved the man hard in the chest and sent him flying into his chair where he landed and continued backward. Crashing into the tactical console, he fell out of the chair and landed on his hands and knees, slightly winded after his enormous effort to strangle his adversary.  “You cannot injure me,” he told them.

“The bombs and missiles and rail guns?” Valiana studied him curiously.

“They wouldn’t have worked either,” said the President with a small smile.

“How did you get in here?” she wondered inquisitively.

“The hologram you were shooting at began after the first missile hit,” Kaufield told her in response. “The shuttle I arrived on was hovering over your compound with its stealth screen in place, invisible to visual and electronic sensors while it mapped the surface buildings. As soon as the explosion died away and while I was still hidden within all of the smoke and flame, I created a Person-to-Point transit portal and used it to slip behind the wall of your compound. Since most of the people guarding the surface are stationed along this facility’s outer walls, all I had to do was activate my own stealth screen to remain hidden from your people.”

“But there are security codes… and the bottom levels of this facility are a carefully guarded secret…”

“Valiana,” said President Kaufield very deliberately, using her name in an attempt to capture at least a base level of respect, “I have at my disposal technology that allows me to read your security codes right out of the hardware they are programmed into. When I got onto your elevator, I simply used my wireless tech to hack into your system and retrieve the codes I needed.” He watched her reaction carefully, pausing to let the meaning of his words sink in. “As for how I knew about this place, do you remember a man named Patrick Warren?”

She remembered the name instantly and nodded. “He was a Durgon clone… the spy we placed on the moon base to infiltrate your Pathfinder Project.”

“Yes,” acknowledged Kaufield with a curt nod. “Patrick shared with us everything he knew about the Brotherhood, and his knowledge helped us immensely in planning the shortest, swiftest way to remove you from power. We used probes passing by the planet to monitor what was going on here, but they could only tell us so much. Patrick was the one person we knew who had actually been here. Since his original mission was to be such a deep cover operative, you naturally brought him to your inner circle so you could train him more effectively. In the end, we turned him into a friend and he shared what he knew with us.”

“How long were you listening?” she wondered. “How long have you been in this room?”

“Long enough…” replied the President coolly. “… long enough to know that Hobak remains a true believer. You, on the other hand, appear to have come to grips with your sins.” He shrugged his shoulders. “Or you are, at minimum, starting down that path. I can read people pretty well, and I can hear it in your voice.”

Hobak listened to their words and considered the betrayal of Patrick Warren – another cursed Durgon clone! It was all too much for Hobak to bear after his failed attacks on President Kaufield. Angrily he leaped to his feet and turned to face the tactical console. He opened a safety cover on a small control and pressed the red button beneath. Then he swiftly keyed in an activation sequence and triumphantly turned back to Kaufield and Valiana. “You have gained nothing by coming here,” snapped the Triumvirate clone almost hysterically. “I hope your cursed technology can save you from a nuclear blast, because that’s what you will endure in less than two minutes. We may die today, but our brothers and sisters will survive… elsewhere!”

Looking upon him with shame, Valiana shook her head slowly back and forth. “More nukes… more devastation… more radiation?” she asked him softly. “You’re beaten, Hobak. We’re beaten!”

“No!” he hissed defiantly. “We will never be beaten. The President will back down to save lives.” He turned away from her and glared at Kaufield spitefully. “Won’t you, Mr. President?”

“I’ve already saved everyone except you,” replied Kaufield somewhat sympathetically. His tone of voice enraged Hobak further, but not so much as to completely overwhelm his curiosity. “Only you can choose to save yourself. And I suspect your time to do so is running out.” He was watching Valiana out of the corner of his eye, and the look on her face could have melted steel if applied properly.

“What do you mean?” Hobak eyed his opponent warily. “The countdown has begun.”

“Nothing will detonate,” promised Kaufield confidently. “When I hacked into your system, an artificially intelligent piece of software was installed into your main computer. We’ve used it before – it’s an AI invented by a close friend of mine named Thomas.” He smiled grimly at Hobak’s reaction, continually surprised at the intensity of the man’s cruel and murderous nature despite already being familiar with the Brotherhood’s reputation. “That’s why the delay was needed; why we used the hologram to stall for time. The AI infiltrates an enemy computer system quite efficiently, studying communications traffic patterns, analyzing software and hardware functions, and then taking control of everything. You no longer have access to any of your military resources, here or globally. All of the remaining assets in play – especially the nuclear ones – are now under my control.” He winked at Hobak mischievously and then pointed toward the LCD countdown ticking off seconds on the tactical console.

It snapped back to zero, instantly aborted.

“Nothing you do will make a difference. Our brothers and sisters will never yield to you,” vowed Hobak imperiously. “We have over 500 distinct clone lines now, not the mere three that we started out with. Our clone brothers and sisters are experts, extremely adept at disguising themselves and hiding amongst the normals. We will sow dissent wherever we can, disrupt your plans to retake this planet, and do everything in our power to insure that others pay the price for your attempted comeback. Tell me Mister President, is all that worth fighting for? Is this irradiated, worthless planet worth all that to you?”

Kaufield studied Hobak with both sympathy and scorn. “There are two members of the Triumvirate still alive. If I turn one of you to my side, then all of that will be avoided,” he pointed out.

“I will never yield to you,” Hobak told him. “I swear to resist you until death takes me…” He was turning toward Valiana, seeking her support with his plans to refuse cooperation.

“Then let death take you!” she screamed furiously. She raised her own partially concealed pistol from within the folds of her dark clothing and shot him cleanly between the eyes.

*     * * *     *

President Kaufield seated himself slowly in the chair next to Valiana, watching her dark, brooding face carefully. “You didn’t have to kill him,” he pointed out to her.

“Yes I did.” She reached up and set her pistol on the tactical console, where a thin line of residual gray smoke curled out of its barrel. “He was a monster and it is truly a blessing that this planet is finally rid of him.” She raised a hand to move locks of hair out of her eyes, inadvertently revealing that her fingers were trembling.

“It’s all right,” Kaufield told her reassuringly. “After the incident in Havana, you must have known that your turn was coming. I didn’t know the full story until the AI searched through your computer databases.” He studied her tear-streaked eyes and frustrated expression with compassion. “From the start, all of this simply went wrong. Once a lawless revolution gets out of control, it quickly becomes too large to stop without a tremendous amount of effort.” He smiled knowingly. “Durgon was a friend of yours, I take it?”

“A very close friend,” she emphasized. “We both had sympathies toward the normals and we both tried hard to help them where and when we could. But Hobak has allies everywhere and they are difficult to control.” She looked up at him with a sudden, grim smile. “You remember how difficult it was to govern your country – consider how tough it is to try and maintain global control, with all modern advances only partially available.” She shook her head angrily. “There wasn’t enough left after the war to make a decent effort. All we ended up doing was trying to micro-manage the people who remained behind. It was a vicious circle. They resented it… hated having to toil for our food as well as theirs. The fifth columns form in cycles… eventually the normals rebel and Hobak’s agents destroy them. Then things would be okay for a while, only to steadily grow worse until the sequence repeats.”

“Why was Durgon so commited to helping normal humans?”

She studied him thoughtfully. “Because of you,” she said finally, causing Kaufield to raise an eyebrow in surprise. “That message you sent, along with the hallucinogenic pathogen. He was the one who initially discovered it and the infection struck him the hardest, dug deep into his darkest emotions and amplified the guilt he felt over what we had done. It took our scientists a lot of time to learn how to treat it. He was haunted by dark dreams of hell and his loss of a soul. Deep down he also knew you were coming back some day and he wanted to be ready to help. Somewhere…” she paused, trailing off from a sudden crying fit as she remembered and mourned his loss. “… Somewhere along the line I decided to join him, and that was when he deliberately began telegraphing his intentions and false loyalties to Hobak. He allowed Hobak to know that he was a sympathizer because in doing so he threw suspicion away from me.”

“And then he was killed.”

Nodding and wiping tears from her eyes, Valiana temporarily recovered her composure. “I have never personally killed anyone before, but the blood of billions is all over my hands. No matter how hard I try, no matter what I do with the rest of my life, nothing can ever change that.” Taking several deep breaths, she glanced at him with new respect. “How do you know so much if you only recently took control of our computer systems?” she wondered. “Much of the data, especially control of our nuclear missiles, is carefully encrypted and stored in a carefully guarded room with only one access point. It should be impregnable.”

“The AI installed in your computer system is very intelligent,” Kaufield informed her, tapping his right temple for emphasis. “And nothing is impervious to a sophisticated, wireless intrusion. This entire facility is now under my control using a link with our warship up in orbit. They supply me with anything I need in terms of power or information.”

She reached out impulsively and touched him on the shoulder, watching a soft blue glow instantly form around her fingertips at the point of contact. A faint electronic crackling noise reached her ears. “You have truly allied yourselves with powerful aliens,” she admitted. “Who can stand against weaponry like this?”

“It isn’t just handed out to anyone,” he told her in response. “That’s one of the major reasons why it took us fifteen years to come back. We were given the general concept, but had to take it from there and design our own hardware.” He fell silent for a moment and allowed her another moment to gain back some of her composure. “So,” he asked finally. “What are you planning on doing with the rest of your life?”

The question caught her by surprise, for obvious reasons. “I don’t know,” she mused thoughtfully. “Don’t war criminals usually end up in jail? Aren’t they tried for crimes against humanity? Executed?”

“That depends,” decided the President, mildly amused. “Are you a war criminal?”

She dropped her head into her hands and began sobbing again. “I don’t know. I don’t know what I am any longer. I used to think so, but lately I’ve been working harder against the Brotherhood than for it.”

Kaufield leaned back in his chair expectantly. “How so?”

Valiana turned finally and looked him directly in the eyes. “Helping those who are endangered by Hobak’s operatives is a full time job.” She smiled softly, finally finding something worthy to talk about. “Durgon and I organized a huge, unofficial fifth column within the Brotherhood along with ways of getting people off world as soon as they were threatened. We couldn’t reach them all, of course, because Hobak would have been even more suspicious of us than he already was.”

“Now that’s very interesting to me,” acknowledged Kaufield. “I’ve heard similar stories from our Proteus friends. The soldiers who guard the portals – when they’re open – have regularly reported that some of your people appeared to be smuggling people off planet. At times they asked specific, pointed questions, but none of your clones would ever admit to doing anything untoward.” He smiled at her. “Were I in their position, I would have remained silent too. How would you know who to trust?”

“According to the rules as established by the Proteus soldiers, people were free to come and go as they pleased,” nodded Valiana in agreement. “Hobak knew that to be true, which is why he worked hard to have his agents in place all over the globe. If information surfaced that revealed a rebellion forming or someone committing a traitorous act, he wanted to be able to eliminate that pocket of resistance as swiftly as possible. Durgon and I got pretty good at intercepting the reports from his operatives and approaching the targeted civilians first. Since the portals are usually open all over the globe, all we needed to do was guide them to the nearest one. Until recently, enough people were rotating back to Earth to keep our population relatively stable. But lately, the past few years… it’s all gone steadily downhill.”

“Yes,” said the President softly. “You would be astonished at how many people, even living in a new, virtual paradise, miss their home. Even a bombed out, irradiated, devastated home. Many of them kept volunteering to come here and help because they want to participate in the restoration process. It’s killing them inside to see additional nuclear bombs going off. That’s one of the reasons we acted now.”

“We can’t go back to the old home,” she told him somberly. “It’s gone.”

“Perhaps I can help you move to a new one.”

She stared at him with genuine astonishment. “Why would you do that?”

“Why did you help people you could have ignored?” he asked of her by way of response. “Why did Durgon give his life in the defense of mere normals? This wouldn’t be the first time that war opponents became peaceful allies once the conflict was over. I see this as a unique, healing opportunity for both of us.”

“I would like to think so,” said Valiana truthfully. “But there isn’t much I have to offer.”

“Oh yes there is.” Kaufield smiled menacingly. “There are still a lot of bad guys out there, people only you can identify.” He pointed at her sternly. “You, Valiana 001, are the last surviving member of the Triumvirate. That makes you the new, acting head of the Brotherhood, at least on a temporary basis.”

She shrugged her shoulders indifferently. “The Brotherhood has been at risk of civil war within the folds of its membership for quite some time now… Hobak’s death will only accelerate the process. His allies will kill me as soon as they learn that I shot him.” Her expression echoed her clear frustration. “He was the devious one, the one who made Durgon’s death look like an accident. I am not nearly so clever, and waited only as long as I did to shoot him because I wanted to make certain that you would succeed in your effort to defeat us. If you had been unable to complete your mission, Hobak and I would have returned to our same old game, privately stalking one another while publically pledging that we were still strong and loyal allies.” She gestured toward the dead body lying on the floor. “But I can’t explain away that.”

“Yes you can,” Kaufield told her. “I broke into this place and surprised you. Your guards out in the hallways have all been temporarily disabled. That means both you and Hobak made a heroic last stand here, and he was accidentally killed in the process as you both defended the Brotherhood from an enemy intrusion. What other explanation for his death could there be?”

There was a prolonged pause as she thought the matter over. “That explanation might work, but to what end?” Valiana stared at him with growing, genuine interest.

“I want you to continue running the Brotherhood for a while,” the President told her. “I’m asking you to do this because we need to find out which of the clones are loyal to Hobak and which favor you and Durgon.”

“There are files that I have already compiled identifying many of them,” she responded. “They are on a database hidden in my quarters. Durgon and I needed to know who they were in order to intercept their intended targets for assassination.” Her face reddened with sudden embarrassment. “Some of them are female clones from my own line… murderers just as ruthless as Hobak was.”

“Every individual makes his or her own choices,” Kaufield pointed out. “Where I come from we have many home worlds. The primary is named Tranquility, after the original Moon Base.”

“It sounds like a nice place.”

“Oh it’s beautiful,” he told her with a light laugh. “Unfortunately, not everyone who passes through those portals you’ve seen ends up on Tranquility. The Proteus aliens have a very serious attitude when it comes to law enforcement, and since we’re living as guests of their government we have to abide by their laws. Primarily we’re left to govern ourselves, and we’ve been allowed to send our own representatives to speak for our interests in their Assembly. However, those who misbehave inevitably end up imprisoned or – worst case scenario – exiled to other planets.”

“Exiled?” She spoke the word with a quizzical tone of voice. “We have heard rumors of what happens to our Brothers and Sisters captured in engagements with the Proteus aliens, but nothing more…”

“Yes. Our new world isn’t perfect,” the President explained to her. “We still have criminals, murderers and terrorists. The difference is that they don’t last very long. Those who cannot live peacefully amongst the civilized are judged, sentenced and exiled to other worlds within the Proteus galaxy. The planet they end up on is determined by the severity of their crime.” He smiled grimly. “Some are colonies in tough conditions that require the hardcore, lawless, physically aggressive personality type. Others are primitive, wild and just as dangerous as the cold-blooded killers that we exile there. For those who are cruel beyond measure, as your Hobak was, those planets are the worst type of prison… populated by dangerous plant and animal wildlife.”

“That doesn’t sound very fun,” she decided. “I would not like to end up on one of those worlds.”

The President chuckled. “It’s a way of assigning people who lack morals and common sense an entirely new set of priorities,” he continued. “Once sentenced to a penal colony, inmates either learn to fend for themselves and for their neighbors or they kill each other. It’s quite literally their choice.” He fell silent long enough to let the impact of his words sink in. “On some of the more dangerous planets, those who are exiled have even less of a choice. The absolute worst among us, imprisoned on those worlds, end up destined to work hard each and every day to find their next meal or else they end up becoming a meal for whatever already lives there.”

The first glint of optimism shone brightly in Valiana’s eyes. “Are you possibly offering hope to me and my clone brothers and sisters? Is that why you are telling me all of this?”

“To the ones who agree to help atone for the actions of the Brotherhood, yes,” agreed the President. “The others will be turned over to the Proteus government alliance for judgment and sentencing.” He held out a hand and reached toward her. “Will you assist me in bringing to justice those amongst you who still want to kill?”

“I will do so with the greatest enthusiasm,” responded Valiana confidently, shaking hands with him.

“Then I believe you have already partially atoned for your previous actions. We’ll help you make it the rest of the way.”

8: VII: Fika

PROJECT EARTH

Pathfinder Series: Book Three

Chapter VII: Fika

Planet Earth, southwest of Bethany, approximately A.D. 27

The hot afternoon sun was shining brightly overhead as Adam and Thomas Roh continued to make their way south of the Jordan River. For two grown men out walking in the desert-like conditions, that ordinarily would have presented a problem. However, their brain implants were working as intended, siphoning off enough of the heat and light from the solar rays to keep minimal, protective shielding active. Within, a cooler, breathable atmosphere circulated, allowing them to remain relatively unaffected by the changing environmental conditions that surrounded them. Trees and plant life were fast becoming a scarcity, and the ground was now more rocky and sandy than fertile.

“Do you have a particular destination in mind, or are you just roaming?” wondered Adam curiously, unable to resist pestering his brother. “For that matter, where exactly are we?”

“We’re holding position along the northern edge of the Judean desert.” Thomas paused just long enough to take a lengthy look around them. “Qumran and the western shore of the Dead Sea are that way,” he indicated, gesturing toward their left. “The village of Bethany and Jerusalem are to the right.”

They continued steadily walking south. Some sort of reptile scuttled away from their approach, vanishing behind a large rock. Adam watched it warily, unable to identify the species based on a quick glimpse. “Reptiles,” he grunted with annoyance. “I suppose there are snakes too.”

“And bats,” pointed out Thomas more enthusiastically than Adam expected. “There are lots of different species to choose from. If you get hungry, all we have to do is find a way to catch something.”

“No thanks, I’ll stick to the standard MRE packs,” his brother responded wryly. “I never thought I would prefer them to anything, but hey… I guess anything is better than eating scales and locusts.”

They continued walking for another hour, watching the landscape around them gradually transitioning into a rocky, barren desert. On the southern horizon they could see a lengthy mountain range curling gradually toward the southwest. Parts of them were obscured by the landscape closer to them, namely the rocky, scoria-colored chalk hills and deep ravines formed out of the remnants of old riverbeds long since dried up and gone. Both men had removed their sandals and put their boots back on as the ground was fast becoming very difficult to walk upon. Above them there was just the scarcest trace of wispy cloud cover. Other than that, the sky was a deep and breathtaking blue.

Several times along the way they detected life signs, blinking red dots that appeared on their eye HUD map display of the immediate area. Each time Thomas would get his hopes up, only to be disappointed when the people who appeared turned out to be travelers moving steadily toward the north. A few of them were walking west, but most appeared to be doing their best to take the shortest route out of the desert. One of the men flashed them a quick wave, but most simply changed direction as soon as they noticed the Roh brothers. Travelers in the Judean desert were primarily on their own so using it as a shortcut was always a risk. Everyone knew full well the dangers of becoming lost or running into scavengers or criminals. Adam figured that most people were avoiding them simply because of the extreme distrust strangers would naturally feel toward each other while traveling in so nefarious a location.

Several more hours passed, with the brothers moving toward each humanoid life sign as soon as they noticed one or more red dots. Each time they did so was even more disappointing for Thomas, who remained fully convinced that they were meant to speak with Jesus of Nazareth. Adam tried to point out on several occasions that their simple interaction with the farmer back at the town of Bethany might prove to be dangerous. Anything that happened differently than it was supposed to, due to their presence, could potentially snowball forward and alter the future that they had only so recently left behind. The younger Roh refused to acknowledge the possibility Adam referred to as anything worth worrying about. After all, the mysterious ‘behavior’ by the silver watch was proof enough for Thomas that they were ‘meant’ to be in the past… that they had in fact been deliberately sent here. After casual conversation threatened to turn into loud arguing on more than one occasion, the two men reluctantly decided to walk primarily in silence.

It wasn’t until early evening that things suddenly changed. Both men were still walking through the afternoon heat, the ground crunching loudly beneath their boots. Adam was curiously watching several multi-colored birds that were sitting in a scaly, leafless bony tree. The birds were also staring at him, which was more than a little annoying to someone who remained mostly convinced that he was on the proverbial wild goose chase. Suddenly, at least a dozen blinking red dots appeared on the inside of his eyeball, positioned directly to the southwest of them. As he watched the crisscrossed, green map grid shift toward that area, even more dots were detected and immediately added to the display. “This doesn’t look good,” he growled suspiciously, turning to look at his brother. “We had better find cover somewhere until we know more.”

“Worst case scenario, we activate our invisibility screens,” his brother replied tersely. “Ten minutes or so with that function in use will take our weapons off-line, but we’ll still have enough energy in reserve to last through the night. We need approximately ten percent of maximum in order to maintain a minimum shield.”

“I’d rather have weapons available as a last resort,” Adam countered dryly. “The hair on the back of my neck is standing on end. That’s never a good sign.”

His instincts proved to be right. Lying down in prone positions, they maneuvered themselves behind a large rocky outcropping and waited as the detected life signs continued to draw closer. The relative silence was unexpectedly broken by the faint, guttural sound of men speaking… lots of men. Watching from their concealed location, Adam and Thomas waited patiently until a long line of Roman soldiers appeared in the distance. First they saw flashes of sunlight reflecting off of gold and silver helmets, armor and weaponry, but it didn’t take long before the first members of the fighting unit appeared from behind a low line of rocky hills. They were marching in rows of four, tough, well-muscled men whose red cloaks were wrapped tightly around them as they moved steadily but surely through the desert heat. They were sweaty and haggard, talking and marching relatively informally so as to increase the speed with which they passed through the desert.

Adam leaned in close toward his brother and whispered, “Coming from a fight or moving toward one?” Thomas glanced back at him and shrugged his shoulders in response.

By the time all of the soldiers were visible, they numbered at least four hundred strong. Adam was watching his eye HUD tag all of them, and the count in the lower right corner of his eye indicated that there were 438 of them. “Holy crap,” he muttered softly. “That’s a lot of soldiers. What are they doing in the desert?”

“I don’t care,” Thomas hissed back at him. “Let them pass. I’m in no hurry.”

They ended up doing just that, lying perfectly still while watching the line of Roman soldiers tread swiftly past their position and on toward the northwest. It only took about fifteen minutes before the long line of them vanished in the distance, but only after the column passed less than one hundred meters from the brothers’ hiding spot. Adam exhaled softly as soon as they dwindled away against the horizon before rolling smoothly back to his feet. “Did that look intimidating to you?” he asked Thomas curiously, watching the faint sparkle of sunlight still reflecting off of the metal armor. “Because I’ve been in battle zones before, in the midst of large numbers of soldiers, and I think that looked intimidating.”

“It most certainly did,” acknowledged Thomas with a firm nod. “Not the kind of people we want to run into when we’re not at full power.” He looked at his brother, grim faced. “I think I’m going to put in some additional time on my laptop tonight. We need to get our implant connections to the Lexington back on-line in case we have to fight these jerks.”

“We’re not here to fight,” cautioned Adam. “Remember that Thomas.”

“We’re here to do what we need to do in order to save Earth’s future,” ventured Thomas rather ambitiously. His mood soured slightly after the close encounter. “If that’s even possible; at this point I’m not so sure.”

“Don’t forget the ‘not getting killed’ part,” Adam noted, slapping his brother lightly on the shoulder. “That should always be priority one.”

They continued their march south, which proved to be growing more difficult by the hour. The ground was more rugged and tougher to walk across, harder on their feet, with lots of small hills and large, rocky outcroppings. They were trying to avoid, for the most part, traveling too far to the east. Eye HUD maps clearly indicated that large, precipitous drops toward the Dead Sea awaited them there. At one point, Thomas commented idly that coming all this way only to fall off a cliff would be a sad ending for their mission. His brother laughed in response and they continued on.

Several hours later they detected additional humanoid life signs… five of them this time. The path to reach them led almost due east, a fact which was a little unsettling to both brothers. Adam surprised Thomas with a ‘well we’ve traveled this far’ look and then turned toward the new targets. Something about the arrangement of the blinking red dots appeared odd, and he found himself moving instinctively faster in response to his growing curiosity. Sweating from a great deal of exertion, the pair of brothers ascended a tall, rocky outcropping, moving steadily but surely toward its highest point. Normally they would have gone around its base, but Adam suggested that they approach the new contacts from above. They were near the peak of the large hill, composed mostly of dusty red rock, when the two men first heard the sound of voices… along with something else.

“Is that a… dog… barking?” Adam whispered cautiously to his sibling. A stiff, evening breeze was blowing and he had no idea how far their voices would carry.

“It sure sounds like it.” Both men continued moving swiftly.

Adam reached over toward Thomas and slapped the pack on his brother’s back, disengaging its invisibility field. When he turned his own body so that his brother could do the same for his, Thomas looked at him with puzzlement. “We’re far enough into the desert now,” explained Adam with a small smile. “We should look like travelers, not two out of place idiots dying of thirst.” Acknowledging the statement with a nod, Thomas slapped the pack on Adam’s back lightly. Both of them appeared to be simple traveling companions on a long journey together. Eagerly they ran the last few steps, eager to see what they would find.

It was a frightening sight that greeted them as they dropped to their knees and peeked over the hill’s summit. Below, in a large ravine that might have once been a mighty riverbed lurked four people. Three of them were Roman soldiers, dressed and armed for battle just as the others had been. These men had swords and spears ready, circling around a fourth man who was obviously their intended target. Next to them, a huge black and brown dog barked angrily at the trapped young man, who was long-haired, bearded, and wearing a simple gray robe and sandals. The dog wore a large red harness of some sort with a set of long knives attached to it, the blades alternating between pointing forward and back.

“That’s quite the attack dog,” growled Adam softly as the two of them watched the unexpected encounter. “If you try to stop him with your hands and arms, you’ll slice yourself to pieces on those knives. Not a great position to be in when you’re completely alone and unarmed and he’s going for your throat.”

Unfortunately, the robed, bearded man was clearly alone. He was backed up against the base of another rocky hill, waiting helplessly as the trio of soldiers and their dog closed in on him. The soldiers were yelling all kinds of angry things at him while the dog simply sat close enough to prevent any chance of escape while barking loudly.

The expression on the face of the trapped man was clear – he was about to die and he knew it.

“It looks like a mastiff of some kind,” said Thomas, his tone betraying his nervousness. “That trapped man appears to be the person we’re looking for. He certainly resembles all of the images we’ve seen.” He turned toward his brother eagerly. “Adam, we can’t let them kill him!”

“If we weren’t here, he would most certainly die,” Adam reminded him, finding it difficult to hold down both his anger and the sound of his voice. “We can’t change history Thomas.”

“If we weren’t meant to change history, then we wouldn’t be here,” insisted Thomas. In a sudden, unexpected move that startled Adam, he unexpectedly darted over the peak of the outcropping and began descending toward the soldiers and their prey. “Stop!” he shouted loudly as he ran, working steadily to keep his footing on the steeply inclined ground. “Leave that man alone!” His voice, along with rocks kicked up by his feet as they skittered downhill, caused all three soldiers to turn and look directly toward their position.

“Great! This is just getting wonderful!” declared an infuriated Adam as he watched the situation develop. He stood up and shook his head at his brother’s impulsiveness. “What a wonderful time to intervene in a life or death situation.” Concerned for his brother, he scrambled to follow, nearly falling in the process as his larger body proved significantly less nimble. “Thomas wait!” he called out angrily, frustrated by his inability to maintain his brother’s pace. “Those men are really, really dangerous!”

Two of the soldiers detached themselves from their partner, moving to confront the Rohs. The other one approached the bearded man, returning his attention to their original target. Still struggling to move downhill fast enough to intervene before it was too late, Thomas grew extremely frustrated watching the situation deteriorate further. He watched the huge Roman soldier raise his sword high above his head, preparing for a killing blow. Behind him, Adam was still hollering at him, ordering him to stop and wait. Realizing that he would be too late, Thomas brought his right wrist up and fired off an electromagnetic pulse from the weapon strapped to his forearm. The burst was invisible to the human eye, but sizzled across the distance between him and the third Roman, catching the unprepared soldier from behind and throwing him sideways at least ten yards. He landed hard on the rocky ground and laid still, his sword and shield clattering to the ground.

The giant mastiff, barking at his unexpected presence, felt the disturbance as the energy pulse flashed past it. Suddenly quiet, the dog backed slowly away from the helpless, bearded man and contented itself to sit for the moment. Watching the entire situation unfold from above, Adam cussed heatedly and kept a wary eye on the other two soldiers for any signs of hostility. Not surprisingly, they were staring at their fallen colleague, clearly puzzled as to what specifically had just happened to him. 

Thomas stopped in his tracks as soon as he fired, clearly intimidated by the situation and his decision to directly intervene. Adam used the time to catch up to his brother and grab him sharply by the arm. “You can’t be doing that here!” he snapped angrily at his younger brother. “We’re supposed to be simple travelers in the desert… remember? It’s possible that you just altered Earth’s future.”

“If so, it needed altering,” countered Thomas with equal hostility. “I’m not going to let those Roman butchers kill an innocent man. Especially if it turns out to be the person we’re looking for.”

“In order to successfully complete a time travel mission, you might have to do exactly that!” shouted Adam reproachfully at his brother. The pair of Romans hesitated, shifting their gaze between the arguing brothers and their fellow soldier – someone who was still not moving. Wisps of smoke were rising skyward from the burn marks on his right side. “You were never meant to be the decision maker on this mission,” Adam reminded his brother. “Kaufield and I were going to be the combatants because we have the necessary experience in the field of battle. For God’s sake, Thomas, what have you gotten us into?”

“We can handle ourselves,” muttered Thomas under his breath.

“Really? Because if your power level is as low as mine is, we’re virtually unarmed!”

The time for argument ended quickly. One of the soldiers still standing whistled sharply and the giant mastiff instantly leaped toward them, barking angrily. The bearded man and former victim of the encounter stood where he was, watching helplessly as the hopeless situation he had once faced continued to evolve. Closing the remaining distance surprisingly fast, the massive dog leaped toward Thomas’ throat with a loud, prolonged series of barks.

To his credit, Thomas held his ground in the face of such a vicious attack, wrapping both arms tightly around the beast. Under normal circumstances, his throat would have been in grave danger from razor sharp teeth and his arms sliced repeatedly by the sharp knives attached to the dog’s torso. In this case, his defensive shield flared with a bright blue glow and protected him long enough for him to enhance his strength and easily throw the animal aside. It landed on its side, whimpering suddenly as the aborted attack turned out significantly differently than it had expected.

Enraged, both of the unharmed Roman soldiers were charging now, screaming out battle cries as they raised their swords and attacked. Unwilling to leave future decisions to his brother, Adam stepped in front of Thomas and activated his own defenses. Choosing not to use his wrist guns, he would also normally be in great jeopardy. And yet he easily caught the first soldier’s descending sword against his left forearm, deflecting the attack with another brief flash of crackling blue light. Using the heel of his right hand, Adam struck the man in the chest armor so hard that he dented the metal and cracked ribs. The soldier flew backwards, landing on his back and sliding to a sudden stop on the rocky ground, groaning in obvious pain. Adam grabbed hold of the first warrior’s shield and used it against the other man, striking him hard enough to send him flying in the other direction. On his eye HUD he watched an already low battery level continue to drop precipitously farther.

The dog flashed past him before he could react, attacking Thomas again. But the younger Roh was ready for it, snapping back both wrists and sending small, low level wrist gun pulses into the beast. In the midst of its run, it suddenly began whimpering loudly, shocked and confused by the unseen attack. Pausing for a moment, it studied Thomas warily with hate-filled eyes. A low growl emanated from its throat and then it attacked again, only to find its charge stymied in a similar manner. Giving it no time to consider a third try, Thomas set another series of shocking energy pulses into the huge mastiff and drove it away. Turning, it retreated all the way back to the first fallen soldier, who was groaning softly and trying his best to sit up.

Adam waved toward the bearded man fervently. “Come on!” he urged enthusiastically, trying to shake the startled stranger out of his shocked emotional state. “We have to get out of here!” At his urging, the robed man nodded and began running briskly toward them. It was clear that he was weak from malnourishment and his progress was agonizingly slow. Picking up one of the fallen swords, Adam walked over to the first, square-jawed Roman – the one Thomas had knocked down – watching his eyes widen with fear. The dog immediately moved away from him and ran to a new position. Grimly, the elder Roh smacked the soldier hard along the side of his head with the flat center of the sword’s blade.

Then the three of them swiftly turned tail and got the hell out of there.

*     * * *     *

“Do you think they were soldiers from that column we passed earlier in the day?” Thomas asked later, after the three of them had worked hard to move as far as possible from the confrontation. Their restless hike had lasted well past sundown, and stars now twinkled brightly above their heads in a dark, moonless sky.

“It’s possible,” mused Adam thoughtfully, his back pressed against a large pile of rocks. In front of them, a small fire crackled and burned, created from the remnants of a dead tree they had happened upon. “There’s no way to know for certain.” He wouldn’t have risked it – even for the necessary warmth – under normal circumstances. However, they had a companion now, someone to look after, and their brain implants were essentially back to square one in terms of energy consumption. Everything they had gained during the day from the heat and warmth of the desert sun was lost in the battle with the three Roman soldiers. That was why only Adam was currently seated by the fire, since absorbing its energy was proving to be more efficient when they did so one at a time. Thomas had leeched from the fire earlier, replenishing some of the energy in his implant, but was currently busy making a small camp out of the precious few blankets that the Bethany farmer had shared with them.

“I still can’t believe I did what I did,” admitted Thomas sheepishly. “It was so impulsive… it felt like someone just seized control of my brain and told it what to do.” He shook his head regretfully. “I’m really sorry that this happened, Adam. It was a breakdown of discipline that is inexcusable.” He eyed his brother, clearly embarrassed. “I was really scared that those soldiers were about to kill the person we were looking for. In acting so quickly without thinking you were absolutely correct – we may have changed the future.”

“Quite possibly,” nodded Adam grimly. “At least two of those soldiers are dead unless they find help… I cracked the ribs on one of them and hit the other one hard enough with a shield to break his arm. We’re far enough into the unpopulated areas for that to be a death sentence. We should have left them some food and water, treated their injuries… something…”

“You mean while they continued trying to kill us?” Thomas asked dryly. He studied his brother’s troubled expression. “You’ve worked alongside hardened soldiers. Do you really think that they would have given up once they decided to engage us?”

“No.” Adam’s eyes shifted to the bearded man who was fast asleep by the fire. “Which brings me to our next problem… what do we do with him?”

“I don’t know. When he wakes up we’ll have to talk to him and…”

“We really shouldn’t.”

Thomas glared at his brother. “Adam we have to find out if this is the man we’re looking for!”

“He’s seen evidence of our technology. We should walk away and leave him as we found him, and hope he decides to keep what he’s seen to himself. If any of those soldiers survive, they’ll talk even if no one believes what they experienced. And if they don’t survive, then we did in fact change our future.”

“We changed the future as soon as we interacted with that farmer,” observed Thomas. “We changed the future as soon as we walked through Bethany. The only remaining question is whether or not we should actually be here, and I think the message from your friend David – in the form of his silver watch – has adequately answered that question.”

“He’s not my friend,” replied a fatigued Adam. He pointed at the sleeping man. “Neither is he.” He paused, weighing the matter carefully. “We – and by ‘we’ I mean YOU – are making decisions that could have massive consequences on the present that we came from. We could go back to family and friends who are complete strangers… if they’re still alive and if we get back.”

“Then why did you allow us to enter this desert?” wondered Thomas curiously. “I’m serious Adam… why didn’t you stop us from coming here? Should we have stayed in Bethany? Should we have waited to reestablish contact with the Lexington while hiding in that farmer’s barn?”

“Right now I’m thinking that ‘yes’ would be a really good answer to that question.”

“Then why didn’t you?” Thomas continued staring intently at his brother, gauging his reaction. “You certainly had the opportunity.” The two of them paused for a moment, with Thomas continuing to watch his brother while Adam stared uncomfortably into the flickering flames from the small fire. “It’s because you believe David sent us here just as much as I do, don’t you? It’s because you think that we were meant to be here, that by staying and trying to accomplish something meaningful we might actually end up helping Earth.”

“Deep down, Thomas, my gut tells me this is too dangerous… that we should go back to that barn and stay there until we can find a way to return to our own time.”

“How about trusting our instincts? How about using good judgment to try and find out why we were sent here and make sure that we don’t go back to the present day without something positive accomplished?”

Harrumphing loudly, Adam glanced up at his brother. “Good judgment? You mean like charging down a hill at three armed Roman soldiers like a madman… yelling ‘Hey you, quit doing that!’? Is that the kind of judgment you’re talking about?” He could see Thomas blush and then look away even through the flickering shadows of the firelight. “And about that barn thing… aren’t you supposed to be using the cover of darkness and working on a way to get our implants reconnected to the Lexington? Whatever happened to that plan?”

“I am working on a way to get us out of here, just a little more slowly than usual.”

“Really?” Adam studied his brother, who was seated near another row of rocks, with additional interest. He took particular note of the unopened orange backpack lying next to his brother’s feet. “Did you suddenly find a way to get work done more efficiently without your computer, here in the distant past?”

This time his brother’s confidence held. “Actually, I did,” Thomas insisted. “Obviously, I don’t want to use the laptop in front of him…” he pointed at the slumbering stranger for emphasis. “What if he wakes up?” Smiling, he tapped his temple several times with a forefinger. “I’m using my eye HUD to finish completion of the necessary parameter and program changes. Even if I stay up all night, I still won’t be able to complete the project by morning, but it will be close.”

“You won’t complete the project tonight,” decided Adam. He pointed at his brother for emphasis. “You need to get some sleep,” he told him firmly. “You’ve never done well when you exert yourself too much, and if you’re using your eye HUD to complete the changes that means you can also work on it at key points during the daytime without arousing suspicion. So get some sleep, and don’t worry… I’ll be up watching for any sign of the Romans.” He rose to his feet and tossed the last of their branches on the small fire, invigorating it even if only on a temporary basis. “Why don’t we change places? You used up considerably more implant energy than I did today. Let it recharge as you sleep.”

Thomas nodded and rose to obey the suggestions. “I still can’t wait to talk with him,” he said, glancing over toward the man they had earlier rescued.

“He’s really exhausted,” pointed out Adam. “I wonder what was going on before we showed up. The desert doesn’t seem to be the best place for him.”

“Did you notice his vitals?” Thomas replied wryly. “I don’t think he’s eaten much in weeks. As for water, well he probably hasn’t had much of that either. I’ll create some for him in the morning.”

“Yeah, you always were the generous, helpful one,” commented Adam dryly. He moved away from the fire and into the shadows, where it was easier for his enhanced night vision to watch the perimeter of the camp.

Then he settled down again, prepared to wait out the long night.

*     * * *     *

A soft hand on his shoulder woke Thomas from an uncomfortable sleep. The campfire was a small pile of softly glowing embers by now, generating very little in the way of usable heat. But his defenses were active, keeping a minimal defensive shield in place that allowed him to stay warm. The still slumbering stranger had most of their blankets, which seemed fine given the circumstances. There was a brief moment of confusion until Thomas remembered where he was. When he finally did he glanced up at Adam’s shadowy features, already noticing the blinking red dot on his eye HUD. Why didn’t my implant wake me? he wondered silently. Apparently it’s not operating above minimum thresholds yet.

“What is it?” he wondered quizzically, rising from his spot on the rocky ground.

“It’s not human, whatever it is,” whispered Adam softly. “I think it’s an animal of some kind… a pretty large one or it wouldn’t show up as a possible threat.”

“Look on the bright side. The more the merrier, right?”

“Yeah sure.” Adam was already easing his body in the direction of the approaching intruder, holding ready the shield and sword that he had seized from the Roman soldier. “We don’t have enough juice for a fight, and I really am not looking forward to doing this the old fashioned way.”

“It’s a possible threat,” emphasized Thomas cautiously, “probably tagged red because it is unknown.”

His brother appeared genuinely annoyed. “All of the ancient texts list the Judean desert as a ‘vast and lonely wilderness’ in which Jesus banished himself for 40 days and 40 nights,” he observed. “So far we’ve run into a number of stragglers and desert hermits, a Roman army column more than 400 strong, three soldiers fighting an unknown stranger, and now this.” He shook his head and smiled with mild amusement. “As the saying goes, Grand Central Station is undoubtedly quieter at Christmas time.”

Thomas closed his eyes for a moment, appearing to concentrate. “I think I know what’s going on.”

“Sure you do.” Adam handed his brother the shield. “Here… you’re lowest on energy, so just keep this up in front of you if whatever this thing is chooses to attack. I’ll kill it with the sword and use the wrist guns as a last resort. Hopefully we can just scare it away by yelling or something.”

“You don’t have to do that.” Thomas’ eyes remained closed and he was standing perfectly still, deep in thought. The tone of voice genuinely started to concern Adam.

“What are you doing Thomas?” he asked suspiciously, sticking the point of his sword in the ground and leaning on it as he watched his brother with growing interest. “You are doing something, aren’t you?”

“I’m learning what we need to know… by reading and translating the thoughts of our guest,” the young scientist replied, “similar to what you did with the Kuth covert operative.”

The comment caught Adam by surprise. “I thought we weren’t supposed to use that feature… in fact, I believe you were one of the people who told me not to!”

“I’ve been experimenting with that function and have added protective filters. You can’t deny the fact that you gained valuable intelligence from even a brief connection during the Wasteland mission.” He smiled suddenly, opening his eyes and looking at his brother with wonder. “It’s the dog from our encounter with the Romans,” he told his brother enthusiastically. “Apparently the soldiers didn’t want him around any longer, probably because he eats a lot of food and drinks more than his share of water. He’s lost now and doesn’t know what to do, so he’s following us while he tries to figure it out.”

“That thing with the knives strapped to his body? Are you telling me that’s what is out there, stalking us?”

“His name is Denarius, in honor of the Roman coin,” chuckled Thomas softly. “They call him Denny for short. He’s out there in the shadows, watching us and wondering if it’s okay to come and lay by our fire.” Without even discussing the matter, he suddenly called out a series of commands.

Infuriated, Adam glared at his brother. “You’re going to get both of us killed yet!” he snapped sharply.

“No,” Thomas replied with determination. “He’s scared and lonely, abandoned by the only abusive family he ever knew. I can feel it in his emotions Adam. He’s not going to hurt us if we play this right.”

Adam folded his arms together doubtfully. “So your implant allows you to speak ‘dog’ now?”

“No,” replied Thomas with another pleased smile. “However, his memories are full of the specific words that the Romans used to command him, along with his name.” As he spoke, the large Mastiff eased out of the shadows, moving toward them slowly with a low, distrustful growl in his throat. In the darkness the massive animal looked more like a silhouetted bear. “It’s okay,” Thomas said out loud, closing his eyes again as he concentrated. “We won’t hurt you, and we have food, water and at least a partial fire to share.”

“We do?” wondered Adam, caught somewhat by surprise at his brother’s generosity.

Retrieving his pack, Thomas took out a small bowl for eating and set it on the ground. Holding his right hand above it, he pointed his fingers toward the bowl. An electronic crackling sound lit up the younger Roh’s fingertips with an eerie blue light. Slowly at first, a few drops pattered into the bowl before the water falling off of his fingers turned into a small trickle. “This is the right time of the morning to do this,” grinned Thomas eagerly. “There is a lot of moisture in the air. All I need is to cool down my fingers and access a reasonable source of hydrogen.” Reaching down with his left hand he placed it firmly against the soil. The amount of water trickling off of the fingers of his right hand increased significantly, swiftly filling the bowl.

The Roman dog retreated upon witnessing the display, clearly frightened by what he was seeing and hearing.

“It’s okay,” Thomas called out, adjusting his thoughts to once again link with the beast’s mind. He verbally used the soldiers’ command for ‘come’. Then he set the bowl down on the ground and backed away to stand by his brother. It took a few minutes, but after a time the desperate animal padded forward on all fours, thirsty beyond measure. He sniffed at the bowl, studied the two men watching it for a few seconds, and then began drinking thirstily from the dish, lapping sloppily with his huge tongue.

“Denarius,” laughed Adam with a wry shake of his head. “Now I’ve seen everything.”

“That’s a little too dated for my tastes,” decided Thomas thoughtfully. “I think we should call him Fica.”

“Fica?” Adam stared at his brother, bewildered. “You want to name him after a payroll tax?”

“Isn’t that what the Romans were famous for?” asked Thomas with a knowing smile. “Didn’t they enjoy taxing the snot out of everybody?” He pondered the matter for a moment. “Okay, we’ll be really cool owners and change it up a little. How about Fika, with a ‘k’ instead of a ‘c’?” He glanced expectantly towards Adam. “What do you think of Fika?”

“How about we send Fika back into the wilderness and let him get his own food and water?”

“You said it yourself Adam. We don’t have the energy right now to use our wrist weapons on a regular basis. With a little practice, I can get this animal to obey me instead of the Romans. I already linked with him long enough to know the commands they used to control him. All we have to do is get him to trust us. He’s a dog for crying out loud… a dog that’s been regularly abused, I might remind you. It shouldn’t be too hard to convert him to our cause.”

“He’ll be unpredictable… harder to control because of the abuse. We’re not experts.”

“He can easily hold his own against at least three or four men at a time, long enough for us to deal with them,” countered Thomas, “If you have a better idea, I’m willing to listen.” He studied his brother carefully. “Perhaps you can perfect the art of sword fighting more than one opponent at a time.”

“All right, I give up. As long as you can safely control him and he stays on the edge of camp, you can keep Denarius,” Adam agreed. “Although I have the feeling I’m going to regret this later.”

“It’s Fika now.”

“I was really hoping you would give up on that name.”

“I’m not going to.”

“I didn’t think for a minute that you would.”

As soon as the huge beast was finished drinking the water, Thomas opened up a pair of MRE packs and tossed the food contents toward the dog. Fika sniffed them over several times before fear overcame him. Nervously, he hesitated for a moment before rebounding into the woods. Minutes later he returned, attracted by the scent of the food. The animal watched them for a few minutes longer before finally gobbling down the nourishment. Then he walked directly over to Thomas and lay down by his feet, pressing the side of his head affectionately against the young man’s leg.

“If we’re going to make him safe for everyday people, we’d better get those knives off of him.”

“Agreed,” nodded Adam, still naturally suspicious of his brother’s claims to have control of the animal.

Thomas pulled out a sharp knife from his backpack and slowly began cutting away at the red harness, careful to keep his fingers away from the blades along the dog’s side. “He’s been cutting himself every time he rested,” he noted with disdain. “Those damned Romans just left him like this, still strapped in his combat gear. He wouldn’t have lasted very long like this.”

“Those damned Romans, as you call them, are probably already dead,” Adam reminded him. Now our feisty little group numbers FOUR, he thought idly.

Freed from the tight harness, Fika ran around in circles for a few minutes, growling and lightly barking cheerfully, annoying Thomas to no end as he tried to get close long enough to apply a disinfectant salve to the dog’s shallow knife wounds.

Adam watched them with an amused but wary eye, noticing that the pair appeared to already be bonding. He tossed the harness remnants on the fire, allowing it to flare up again briefly. His implant chronometer informed him that it was almost 3:00 a.m. in the morning. Confident now that the dog – or his implant – would wake him should anyone else approach he allowed himself to settle down and fall asleep. He woke up several hours later, noticing that Fika was fast asleep right next to Thomas.

Inwardly, he smiled. 

The dog would prove to be an even better burglar alarm.

9: VIII: Mixed Heritage

PROJECT EARTH

Pathfinder Series: Book Three

Chapter VIII: Mixed Heritage

Planet Earth, southwest of Bethany, approximately A.D. 27

When Thomas Roh woke up the next morning, the stranger was already awake. He glanced apprehensively toward the east, where the sun was already up and shining brightly in the night sky. The morning chill was fast evaporating, so he mentally deactivated his defensive shield. Groaning at sore muscles that were rebelling against a night against the rocky ground, he sat up and rubbed the remaining sleep out of his eyes. From his backpack he pulled out the animal skin that the farmer had given to him and drank from it, having refilled both his and Adam’s containers the previous night. He couldn’t believe how much their new dog had lapped up with his huge tongue – Fika was still lying right next to him, completely exhausted.

“Good morning,” said Thomas cautiously, offering his water skin to the bearded man.

He accepted gratefully and sipped sparingly at the water, allowing Thomas a few seconds to study him more closely. The stranger was tall and thin, with a muscular build and steel gray eyes. His hair and beard were dark brown and his skin bronzed from prolonged exposure to the sun. Most of his robe was gray, but parts of it were almost completely coated in the dirt of the desert. “Thank you kind sir,” he said, handing the container back to Thomas and smiling, “for the last minute rescue and for the water.”

“Don’t you want some more?” Thomas studied him curiously. “It’s going to get hot again in a few minutes, and I’m pretty good at locating more.”

“No thank you, I am used to getting by with the bare minimum,” came the unexpected reply. “That is your water, not mine. I do not wish to impose on you and your traveling companion any more than I already have. It would not be polite.”

“You’re not imposing,” said Adam from a nearby, reclined position on the hard ground. He opened one eye warily. “My brother and I are very good at surviving in the desert… we are expert travelers.”

“I too am a traveler of sorts.”

“My name is Thomas and this is my brother Adam. What’s your name?” asked Thomas inquisitively. He studied the face of the man even more intensely, generally convinced that this might in fact be the very man they had been looking for. He could tell by the expression on Adam’s face that his brother remained extremely skeptical and fully unconvinced.

“Most people call me the Samaritan,” replied the stranger warily. “That’s who I am, and I’m a long way from my homeland on a pilgrimage to see as much of the world as I can. I don’t usually share my name with others, because I am somewhat controversial in my beliefs and don’t want any harm to come to my family.” He smiled, pausing for a moment as he watched Thomas’ reaction. “My journey into the desert is a test of courage and endurance. I am trying to make myself stronger in the hopes that I can return to my people and help lead them toward a brighter future.”

“A Samaritan?” Musing thoughtfully, Thomas rubbed dirt off of his legs. “You’re one of the people whose ancestors remained behind during the Assyrian King’s exile of Jews from their homeland?” The news partially dashed his earlier optimism, since the man he was looking for would not likely lie to him.

“Yes,” acknowledged the Samaritan with a nod. “The traditional Jews do not much care for my people.”

“Why not?” Adam inquired as he rose to his feet, also brushing dust from his clothing.

“The Samaritans stick to the Pentateuch, or first five books of the Jewish bible,” explained Thomas. “They don’t accept the additions that were made by the Jewish people who lived in exile. They believe in the same God, but built their own Temple at Mount Gerizim.”

“We tried to assist in the rebuilding of the Temple in Jerusalem, but those who were exiled and then returned ended up refusing our help,” continued the Samaritan, shrugging his shoulders. “They consider us unclean; no longer true Jews. They wanted no part of us.” He smiled wanly. “So we built our own Temple at the base of the Mountain, and have lived with the consequences of doing so ever since. That’s why I need to prepare myself – so that I can help my people survive.”

“Why would they consider you ‘unclean’?” Adam wondered, clearly puzzled. “Your people stayed in their homeland during a foreign occupation. That couldn’t have been easy.”

“It wasn’t,” agreed the Samaritan. “But people have always found reasons to dislike and persecute one another. It is always harder to learn to live peacefully with others. We did our best to live side-by-side with the foreigners during the many years of occupation. In doing so, inter-racial marriages were inevitable. That, I believe, is most likely the flaw that other Jews cannot forgive – our bloodlines are no longer pure.”

“Who gives a rat’s ass whether or not your blood is ‘pure’?” rumbled Adam irritably. “That’s so… wrong.”

The Samaritan’s expression changed to puzzlement. “Rear end of rat?” he asked.

“Sorry,” replied Adam, his demeanor improving noticeably. “That’s a local saying where I come from.”

“If I may ask, why are you two in the desert?”

Thomas started to answer and then paused long enough to glance at Adam before responding. “We’re looking for someone with a mission similar to yours,” he stated factually. “His name is Jesus and we think that he might be on the verge of becoming someone very special, someone who wants to help everyone… regardless of their racial bloodline. His stated mission is to help everyone, not just certain groups or religions.”

“I see. It is a very large desert, with mountainous terrain in many locations. It is a… difficult place in which to find one man.” The Samaritan paused, thinking the matter over carefully. “But then, I wouldn’t have expected that you could stop those Romans and this dog as easily as you did.”

“We have special training,” offered Thomas as a clumsy reply. “My people have many skills.”

“Indeed. You stopped a soldier while he was still far away and drove off the attacks of this dog without touching either of them. As if those aren’t astonishing feats in their own right, your brother blocked a sword blow with his bare arm and then overpowered two other soldiers. Is this sorcery of some sort?”

An awkward pause reigned temporarily as the Roh brothers mentally decided how to handle the situation. Finally, Thomas shook his head. “It’s not sorcery,” he insisted, “even though it may appear to be.”

“You have chosen to remain anonymous by withholding your name,” pointed out Adam finally. “Please grant us the same privacy by remaining silent about our secrets. They are ours to share or not share.”

“I shall do exactly that,” promised the Samaritan with a respectful nod.

Adam opened up an MRE pack and ate half of it, handing the rest to his sibling. Thomas in turn offered the food to the Samaritan, but the stranger held up a cautious hand and smiled politely. “Here in the desert, I have vowed to eat sparingly. The occasional locust or small reptile has kept me going this long, and it shall continue to do so. I do not mind, as it is my choice.”

“You have a lot of courage sir,” Thomas told him. “I think you will help your people build a bright future.” He scooped the remaining food out of its metal tin and heaped it into a large bowl. Then he opened his own MRE and added everything from that to the container. He glanced over at their new friend, whose nose had perked up noticeably upon smelling the food. Slowly the huge dog lumbered slowly to its feet. Then it approached the bowl and promptly consumed everything in it.

“That’s supposed to feed us if we’re here on a long term basis,” protested Adam with a disapproving shake of his head. “What the hell are we going to eat when our supplies run out?”

Chuckling lightly, Thomas eyed his brother mischievously. “When in Rome…” he said simply, continuing to laugh. “Perhaps the occasional locust or reptile will have to suffice for us as well.”

The sunlight was already beginning to recharge the brothers’ implants, allowing them to deploy a minimal shield against the growing heat. It took them a few minutes to gather together all of the blankets, most of which were with the Samaritan. Once that was completed, the subject of what to do next was inevitable. “If it’s okay, we’d like to travel with you for a while,” Adam suggested to the stranger. “We don’t totally know where we’re going yet… we just know that the person we’re looking for is probably out here in the desert.”

“I would welcome the company,” decided the Samaritan with a wry smile, eyeing Fika warily, “especially if we should unexpectedly run into additional members of the Roman military.” He winked at Thomas.

The small eclectic group of four set out shortly after, continuing in a direction that took them primarily toward the south. The Samaritan informed them that he wanted to visit the Dead Sea. Eventually, when a break in the mountains presented itself, he planned to break off toward the east and descend all the way to its western shore. Until he found such a pass he reassured the brothers once again that their company was most welcome.

The Rohs tended to walk in a straight line, for the most part, confident that they could manufacture as much water as needed. The Samaritan, by contrast, constantly weaved to the left and the right, quite literally searching for anything edible. He was also attracted to areas where the Earth was damp, indicating the possible presence of underground water. His progress, at times, was so slow that Thomas finally convinced him to drink more of his water. He pointed out that accepting help from others was a necessary attribute in any leader.

It was difficult for the two brothers to understand what the Samaritan must be enduring, because the strong sunlight provided plenty of power to maintain the minimum shielding they required in order to block out most of the excess heat. It remained unclear as to whether or not their companion even noticed that neither Roh was sweating in the slightest, because in the end he chose to say nothing. Fika maintained an alert status that impressed Thomas greatly as he watched their massive, furry friend moving across the rough terrain much more easily than his human counterparts. By mid-day they were making very good time again and had noticed no other human activity. The four of them were truly alone in the wilderness of the Judean desert.

Allowing the Samaritan to take the lead, Adam dropped back near his brother’s side and studied him carefully. “How are you doing?” he asked inquisitively, curious as to where Thomas’ thoughts were. “Are you still convinced this is the man we’re looking for?”

Thomas shook his head negatively. “No. Unless all the generally accepted historical documentation on the life of Jesus Christ is somehow massively incorrect, then this is in fact not the person we are looking for. It’s really quite disappointing.” He glanced down at his boots, slightly embarrassed.

“You revealed an awful lot about us and our purpose here,” observed Adam.

“You could have intervened and taken the lead at any time.”

“I know.” Adam smiled thinly. “This is your first field mission and I thought I’d let you practice using your own judgment. After that fiasco with the Romans, it’s quite clear you need to work on that.”

Chuckling moodily, Thomas shot his brother an annoyed glance. “Flattery will get you nowhere.”

They continued walking together, both men studying the gray-robed form of the Samaritan in front of them while heat shimmered in waves around him. This day was proving to be even hotter and deadlier than the previous one, which was great news for the Roh brothers and their energy-starved brain implants. For their companions, it was a terrible burden. Fika was roaming all around them, sometimes to their left or right and at other times in front or behind. He was always on the perimeter of their small group, waiting and watching for any signs of intruders. Adam felt much more heartened to have the big dog along for the proverbial ride, even though Thomas reassured him that he was close to reestablishing contact with the Lexington. Soon they would have full power restored to their defensive systems along with mental links to well-trained Sentinels aboard the Earth warship to watch over them.

“Have you considered the possibility that Jesus Christ may not be the reason we’re here?” Adam asked his brother after a time.

“Not really. There is very little other reason for us to have ended up in this place and time.”

“Seriously Thomas, think about this for a moment or two. If we had landed on the southwestern side of the Rubicon would you think we were supposed to find Caesar and consult with him?”

“We didn’t end up there and I really don’t think Caesar would offer any advice that would be helpful.” Thomas shot his brother another really annoyed look. “Why are you digging at me like this?”

“Because I’m trying to appeal to the scientist inside of you,” responded Adam firmly. “I agree with you that the likelihood of where and when we are is undeniable. There is a monumental probability that you are correct in your conclusions, otherwise I wouldn’t have allowed this plan to proceed.” He paused, frowning. “I also believe that you are correct about David’s silver watch. I think it’s some sort of device designed to guide us through a series of steps. The problem I have with all of this is the room for error that that kind of really vague guidance introduces. It’s easy to misread signs that aren’t specifically clear. After repeated failures prior to each of the successes on your CAS experiments; you should know that more than anybody.”

“What are you trying to say?”

“I’m asking you to try and keep an open mind that there may not be a specific, clearly defined reason why we are here.” He gestured toward the nearby figure of their companion. “Take him for example. Until he informed us that he was a Samaritan, you were almost fully convinced that he was the man we are looking for. Why? Because he happens to be a loner on a personal mission of fasting in the Judean desert at this particular time and place. You were reading into the situation exactly what you wanted to believe, not searching for factual confirmation of it. That can lead you down a very incorrect, dangerous path.”

“I guess I kind of was reading what I wanted to believe into the situation,” admitted Thomas reluctantly. Fika approached him and dropped the remnants of some sort of four legged creature at his feet, then rubbed his leg repeatedly with a low growl of fondness. “Yuk!” said Thomas as he kicked at the mostly skeletal remains. “You go ahead and eat the rest Fika… that is your catch after all. You worked hard for it.” He hugged the dog’s head warmly and petted him.

“You shared your breakfast with him,” Adam grinned. “The big dog is just trying to return the favor.”

“I think we’ve finally found the first life form in the history of the Earth to actually like the taste of MREs,” agreed Thomas. “Most dogs in the modern era would attack me if I tried to feed them that stuff.”

“How do you think the watch works?” Adam asked suddenly, out of the blue. “Do you really think it’s running software of some sort, or is it an actual artificial intelligence… sentient, non-sentient perhaps?”

Thomas thought about the questions a long time before answering. “If it’s programming,” he replied finally, “then it’s on some sort of a higher level that we can’t yet see or understand. We always think that we comprehend the laws of physics… how things work and why they work the way they do. But then… POW… out of nowhere something else always comes along and clearly demonstrates that we’re only touching the tip of the iceberg.” He paused, watching Fika head off in a westerly direction, sniffing the ground the entire way. “Remember the scientists of the early twenty-first century… Hawking and those guys?”

Adam nodded. “New devices worked but they couldn’t explain how. Scientists put out papers conclusively proving how the universe worked, or how black holes formed and functioned. Then a decade would pass and they would notice something new and suddenly be saying ‘wait, wait just a minute… let me revise that’.”

“It’s similar to what you’ve said in the past about the Bible,” added Thomas. “Those books were originally written long ago, in times like this one, when people thought the Earth was flat. From their perspective they were recording what they believed was taking place without fully understanding it. Some of them obviously embellished their stories… a lot… and some didn’t. That’s why we have to rely on good old common sense when other people reach conclusions. I’m glad we have the CAS drive now and access to Noah and the resources of his scientists on Tranquility. We can really, truly, finally start to understand how and why the universe exists the way it does.”

“In a way, I think our twenty-first century science was just as limited in its analysis and understanding of things as the people writing in this timeframe,” Adam continued. “We knew the Earth was an oblate spheroid because we could put a satellite in orbit and photograph it. Studying black holes and other galaxies was another matter entirely… something that had to be done based solely upon what we could observe from Earth using telescopes and antennae receiving dishes. Science defined a periodic table based on everything we could find… on Earth. But that isn’t all there was. We found so much more once we left the Sol system in the Pathfinder.”

“Some people claim to swear by science, as if it’s somehow impervious to error when compared to religion,” growled Thomas. “And yet so much of science is researched and defined by corrupt, imperfect people. Have those folks, I wonder, who rely solely on science ever actually fact-checked the work of a lab rat who is about to lose his grant money if he doesn’t produce a specific result?” He frowned darkly. “That’s why I liked our base on the moon. The politics pretty much stayed behind on Earth.”

Adam nodded. “And undeniably Earth is a pretty tiny speck in the grand scheme of things. Using logic and the analysis of what we could see and ‘hear’ from the study of telescope images and electromagnetic emissions could only teach us so much. It wasn’t until we built the Pathfinder that we could actually go out and truly take a closer look and find things that were otherwise undetectable.”

“I keep thinking about your encounter with David in the Wasteland,” pointed out Thomas. “Just think how far above us Noah’s people are on both the evolutionary and technological scales. They are a society that was literally able to shape its own galaxy and embed it in the center of the Poseidon gravity well. And even with all that knowledge and all of those abilities, they were still unable to keep their implant technology on-line while you were speaking with David. Somehow, that crazy old guy completely shut them down and they can’t explain how he managed that feat to this very day. That’s a pretty impressive accomplishment, in my book!”

“David,” ruminated Adam thoughtfully. If he hadn’t left that watch with me, Dr. Simmons would quite probably have diagnosed me with PTSD and pulled me off the battleground as swiftly as possible.”

“I don’t think so,” Thomas countered self-assuredly. “We discussed that and the simple fact that we were unable to maintain our Sentinel-link with your implant was proof enough that you weren’t simply hallucinating. I was at the Science Lab when that happened and they couldn’t find a malfunction of any kind, even after checking over everything. They were still in the process of double-checking, as a matter of fact, when your conversation ended and everything suddenly came back on-line again.”

Walking steadily as they continued to converse, Adam suddenly noticed two things. First, the terrain immediately surrounding them had grown suddenly stony and high. Looking first to the left and then right, he could also see cave openings along the sides of several of the rocky hills. The second thing he noticed was that Fika suddenly paused in his circular patrol around the Roh brothers and growled ominously. Bright red blips, four of them, suddenly appeared on Adam’s eye HUD and he reacted instantly, gesturing with a sharp finger motion in his brother’s direction. “Watch your back Thomas, there’s someone else here!” he called out.

A man dressed in a filthy white robe dropped onto his back from above, his long curved knife flashing in the bright sunlight. Adam’s defensive shielding flared electric-blue in response, causing the man to start cursing in his native language. Ducking forward, Adam allowed the unknown assailant to roll off of his back. The still-chattering man glared at him with hate-filled eyes as he landed in a seated position facing Adam. Three other men dressed similarly appeared out of the rocky crevices, all wielding sharp knives. They smiled at the Roh brothers malevolently with gap-toothed grins. For a moment all of them simply stood there, looking at each other. Then Fika landed on one of the men with a huge snarl and bore him to the ground. The other three ignored his screams for help and immediately attacked Thomas and Adam.

“Desert outlaws,” growled Adam. Since he was obviously the largest, two of the men separated and approached him from in front and behind. The elder Roh dealt with the thief in front of him first, catching his descending knife blade easily with the fingers of his left hand. Again electrical energy snapped and popped as he closed his hand around the weapon’s sharp edge and yanked it out of the man’s hand. Then he picked up his stunned opponent, pivoted on his left foot and tossed the attacker onto the startled man behind him. The two went down hard, grunting and groaning in obvious pain. Another wave of six attackers materialized out of the surrounding rock. Now there are ten of them, mused Adam heatedly. Wonderful, just wonderful.

Glancing briefly toward Thomas he noticed his younger brother was clearly agitated. “Stay sharp little brother,” he snapped fiercely. “Conserve energy and don’t kill anybody unless you have no alternative.”

“Are you kidding me… there are TEN of them!” Thomas shouted back at him.

“That’s okay,” replied Adam confidently. He stepped forward to challenge four more attackers in front of him and struck the lead opponent directly on the breast bone with the heel of his hand. It was a hard blow, but not nearly as solid a hit as he had used the day before on the Roman soldier. The bandit flew backward into two of his friends and again three men went down in a complex tangle of interlocked arms and legs. No cracking of ribs or breaking other bones, he thought as adrenaline surged through his bloodstream. These guys will probably simply kill their seriously injured without a second thought.

A loud snapping sound caught his attention and he turned, smiling grimly while watching Thomas drove off another pair of assailants with the same types of mini wrist gun pulses that he had deployed against Fika during their first meeting. Howling with rage and surprise, the two men fell back. Bodies continued to fly back and forth over the next few minutes, as Adam and Thomas closed in next to each other and oriented themselves back-to-back. Occasionally observing his brother while fending off the attackers in front of him, Adam noticed that Thomas was behaving much like he had during his first few days in the Wasteland. Inexperienced and unused to hand-to-hand combat, Thomas was simply letting his opponents move close enough to try and knife him. As soon as their blades crackled uselessly against his skin shield, he would seize an advantage by tossing them against a rock face or throwing them into other opponents just as Adam was doing.

Outstanding job little brother, Adam thought triumphantly.

A quick head count revealed that there were only six people left standing. Curious as to the cause he took a precious few glances behind him. Fika was tearing into three more men and it was obvious he was trained in the art of evading their knife blows. Nevertheless, one of the dog’s attackers had retreated far enough to a position where he pulled a smaller, thin-bladed throwing knife off of his belt. He was raising the weapon and preparing to kill the unsuspecting animal when Adam’s left wrist gun emitted a high energy pulse that caught him from behind. Screaming in agony, the desert thief flew forward and landed face down on the ground with a smoldering fire burning in the small of his back.

The chaotic environment of the melee was exactly the kind of thing Adam had experienced repeatedly during the Wasteland mission… images of past fights flashed through his mind as he put down first one attacker and then another. It was gradually becoming painfully obvious to the remaining outlaws that their efforts were having no success in bringing down their targets. A pair of throwing knives struck Adam in the torso, their impact velocity instantly dissipated. Their forward flight simply stopped and they dropped to the ground. Smiling rebelliously, he deployed the same type of mini-pulses that Thomas was using. The howls of pain and anger from the attacking enemies increased steadily even as their combat capable number continued to decrease. Confident that Thomas and Fika had the matter well under control, he began climbing the rock face on his left toward a nearby cave. A sixth sense he couldn’t explain urged him on.

Something about the unexpected ambush just didn’t seem right.

Four attackers remained standing. Thomas picked up the lead two – one with each hand. Then he threw them as hard as he dared into the men behind them. Bodies crashed to the dust-covered stony ground in a myriad flailing of arms and legs. Suddenly and astonishingly, silence reigned temporarily across the small battlefield. Of the ten attackers, most of them were too battered and bruised to rise and the others were bleeding from multiple wounds from Fika’s teeth and claws. Working swiftly while they were still stunned and disoriented, Thomas raced back and forth, gathering up their weapons and placing them in a pile. He turned just in time to see a filthy, hate-filled face screaming at him as one of the attackers managed to regain his feet and charge him. Adam dropped down from above, having removed the Roman shield from his back. He hit Thomas’ assailant so hard that the man somersaulted backwards and landed awkwardly, already unconscious.

“Why the hell didn’t the implants detect these bozos sooner?” Adam inquired, breathing heavily from the unexpected, prolonged exertion. “They’re supposed to be able to detect life forms even through obstructions as solid as these rocky hills.”

“The low power levels we have been experiencing means motion detection only kicks in,” said Thomas shakily, watching for more signs of attack. “Same situation as when Fika showed up at our camp. Didn’t I tell you?”

“No, you didn’t. Thanks much for that.”

Eight of their opponents were back on their feet, all except two. Three were nursing deep bleeding wounds obviously inflicted by Fika, who now stood right next to the brothers and barked ferociously at the enemy men. In an unexpected move that showed a lot of promise for Thomas’ future potential, he mentally attenuated his defensive shield, gradually adding visible light until he glowed with a bright blue aura. From the perspective of desert people living in the Anno Domini era, the effect appeared to them as though Thomas was somehow building up some sort of magical power. Howling angrily and with understandable frustration, Adam’s younger brother ran straight at their opponents. Fika ran with him, continuing to bark repeatedly.

The desert thieves shrieked in terror and then turned and ran as fast as their feet would carry them.

Laughing darkly at Thomas’ creative idea, Adam walked slowly over to the other two men, both of whom were lying perfectly still. One of them was dead, his throat obviously torn open by Fika. The dog had demonstrated a significantly less compassionate nature during battle. The other bandit was suffering from severe blood loss caused by a similar attack and was also well on his way toward entering the hereafter. Noting that there was nothing he could do for the man and that only minutes of life were left to him, Adam simply turned and left him where he was. Inside him a furious rage was building as some of the pieces of the puzzle he was trying to solve finally fell into place.

“Are you all right?” Thomas asked him curiously. “Are you injured?”

Adam cast an irritated glance at his brother in response. “It’s time we settle a few things,” he declared.

“What do you mean? What’s going on?”

Thomas watched his brother walk steadily across the rocky ground leading between the rocky hills and their caves. When he reached the Samaritan he stopped and simply glared harshly at the man. “Would you care to explain what just happened to us?” he asked, infuriated. “I would really like to know!”

“I… I don’t know,” the Samaritan stammered, appearing confused. His gaze shifted back and forth between the brothers. “Thank you for saving my life… again!”

“Right about now I’m finding myself wondering just how you managed to stay alive without us after all your time in the desert. It seems you get attacked by brutal killers on a regular basis. Why is that do you think?”

“Adam,” said Thomas softly. “What are you doing?”

The elder Roh responded by spinning around and pointing toward the hill he had climbed earlier. “If you doubt my conclusions, just climb up there and take a look,” he suggested, struggling to maintain his calm. “Those caves contain the remnants of campfires and the personal effects of those desert people. They didn’t plan out an ambush and wait for us. This ‘Samaritan’ we’ve been following led us right into the center of their home. Is that some sort of mind-blowing coincidence or was it deliberate?”

Thomas refused to leap to conclusions. “It could be.” Internally, his own doubts that he was already struggling with increased at a rapid pace. “Why rush to judgment without proof?”

Looking the Samaritan squarely in his eyes, Adam maintained his stance. “Who are you?”

“Someone you should not take lightly,” replied the Samaritan with a small smile. “If you don’t like my company you are welcome to leave. I never asked you to follow me… you and your brother wanted to.”

“Thank you for rushing in to help us defend ourselves, by the way,” Adam added, his voice dripping with sarcasm. “I’ve also noticed that when things get dangerous, you prefer to stand and watch.”

“I can’t believe I didn’t see this before,” concluded Thomas suddenly, casting a concerned gaze in his brother’s direction. “Adam, I think you may be right.”

“I am a Samaritan, traveling the desert on my own terms,” replied the gray-robed, bearded man.

“Then why do you speak Koine Greek?” asked Thomas curiously. “Shouldn’t you be speaking some offshoot of Hebrew or Aramaic? But you’re not. You’re speaking a language that isn’t regularly used around here.” Beside him, Fika settled into a sitting position but there was a low rumble building in his throat.

“Perhaps it is best if we part ways now, since your obvious distrust of me will only increase.” The Samaritan turned to leave, but Adam grabbed him firmly on the right shoulder. Blue energy crackled and sizzled around his fingers. The other man glanced down at it idly, clearly unimpressed.

“What about yesterday? Were those Roman soldiers really attacking you? Or were you in the process of luring them to their death, in the same manner that you just tried to use against us?” Adam spun him around violently and seized both his shoulders. His suspicions were confirmed seconds later as he noticed a red glow suddenly appear within the steel-gray irises of the Samaritan’s eyes as he smiled malevolently in response. Whoever this man was, he was not who he appeared to be.

“Take your hands off of me,” replied the bearded man, no longer trying to feign innocence. Next to Thomas, Fika unexpectedly emitted a low whimper and backed slowly away. “I suggest you do so right now!”

“Or what?” asked Adam curiously. “Are you going to lure more bandits…” His sentence was interrupted as the Samaritan suddenly seized both of his arms. Astonishingly, the electrical blue defensive shield that normally protected Adam from serious harm flared brightly and then faded with a loud snapping electrical pop.

“Three men and a dog were not enough to weaken you sufficiently,” continued the Samaritan, somehow overpowering Adam and spinning him around. “Ten men, however, took care of the matter very nicely.” He noticed the puzzled reaction on Thomas’ face. “Yes, I know something about who you two are and where you come from,” he added for emphasis. “Both of you thought I was sleeping last night and into the early morning, but I was listening to every word you spoke.”

“Who are you?” asked Thomas sharply. “Who the hell are you?” he screamed a moment later.

“You already know who I am,” guessed the Samaritan. “Don’t you?” He watched Thomas nod in response.

“Fika is a highly trained attack dog and yet he never comes within fifteen yards of you,” Thomas pointed out. “Yes, I think I know who you are.”

“If you and your brother simply drop this matter entirely and leave right now, I will let him go.”

“Thomas, who IS this guy?” wondered Adam, gasping for breath and struggling as hard as he could to break free of the Samaritan’s grip. The strength the man was deploying against him defied his thin, wiry stature. Elbows, kicks to the legs, even a couple of head butts failed to free him from the stranger’s grasp.

“Don’t you remember the history of this era, Adam; the story of Jesus Christ’s time in the desert?”

“Of course I know the story. To what, specifically are you referring?”

“There were two people involved,” continued Thomas as the hairs on the back of his neck stood on end. He watched the Samartian carefully, noticing that the red glow in his eyes continued to grow stronger and stronger with each passing second. “Jesus was the Tempted and the second man was the Tempter.”

“Very good,” said the Samaritan with a malevolent smile. “But I’m afraid your correct conclusion has now changed my mind on the matter of whether or not to let you two live.”

Effortlessly, he snapped Adam’s neck.

“No!” screamed Thomas Roh, watching his brother’s limp body fall slowly to the rocky ground. “Noooooo!”

But he could see the sightless glaze in his brother’s eyes and already knew that it was too late.

Adam was dead.

10: IX: The Making of a Miracle

PROJECT EARTH

Pathfinder Series: Book Three

Chapter IX: The Making Of A Miracle

Planet Earth, Orbiting above the Emirate of Guitan, present day

The sound of alarm klaxons blaring aboard the Lexington brought President Dennis Kaufield suddenly awake. He glanced first toward the desk in his small quarters, where three hard drives given to him by Valiana 001 sat waiting for additional attention. Earlier he had browsed through some of the files, although the sheer amount of data eventually drove him to push it aside temporarily in exchange for a brief chance to rest. Now, for some unexplained reason, the warship was being called to full alert. Outside he could hear the sound of feet pounding through the corridors, men and women passing by him on their way to assigned duty stations. A red light bleeped for attention on the desk’s intercom. “President Kaufield, please report immediately to the starboard cargo bay. We have an emergency situation developing.”

Isn’t it always? he thought somewhat sardonically.

Rising to his feet he declined to put on his traditional Presidential robe of office and instead walked directly out into the corridor, still fully dressed in civilian garb, picking up his feet in a manner similar to those of the officers and crew around him. They looked stern but confident, ready for action, having trained just as hard in the Proteus galaxy as they would have had they remained Earthbound. Wondering just what in the world was going on, Kaufield made his way to the nearest ladderwell and descended swiftly to the deck containing the entrances to the cargo bay. The voice of the person that paged him was Glen Fredericks, he mused thoughtfully. And the starboard cargo area is our Command and Control center for the implant project.

Is it possible that Adam and Thomas have finally made contact with us again?

He fervently hoped so – it was difficult not to worry about them during the brothers’ prolonged absence. Glen and his wife Mary were waiting for him when he finally arrived. Both of them were smiling cheerfully, lowering the President’s anxiety level a notch or two. Whatever was happening was obviously something good… a welcome relief as far as the aborted time travel mission was concerned. From the outset, nothing had seemed to go right with that particular decision and the maddening amount of unknowns he was forced to live with from day to day were really becoming a burden. It was a problem that just hung out there in front of him, unsolved and seemingly unsolvable. Hopefully he would now be able to bring his missing men home and they could all put their heads together and come up with a new, viable alternative.

It took him almost no time to cross the cavernous bay at a brisk trot. “What’s going on?” he asked calmly, although the intensity of his curiosity was off the scale.

“Thomas briefly made real-time contact with us less than five minutes ago,” Mary reported in her most professional tone of voice. He took note of the fact that her eyes looked fatigued and that she and Glen probably hadn’t slept much over the past couple of days. Well then, neither have I, he thought, immediately chiding himself for the selfish reaction. Under normal circumstances, he didn’t like having to push his people too hard… it always seemed to end badly in one way or another.

“It was only a twelve second link, just long enough for Thomas to download a full load of energy for his implant’s power cell,” added Glen bluntly. “Both of them must be down to minimal levels… he used a quick burst of what must have been everything that was left. Now he’ll recalibrate and compensate for a few initial errors so that he can send a second transmission that will hopefully restore a permanent connection.” Clearly, Thomas’ close friend and colleague of many years was very impressed. “For a first try from all the way back in A.D. 27, that was amazing,” he noted with a huge grin.

“What about Adam?” The concern in Kaufield’s expression was impossible to hide. He didn’t even try.

Glen shook his head. “Nothing so far.” He could see the worry lining the President’s features. “That means nothing sir. It makes sense that they would try this one at a time.” Everything on the control console in front of him seemed to light up at once… all green and yellow lights.

“We have another contact!” declared Mary triumphantly. “This one has linked in to the main communications hub. If nothing else is wrong we’ll have a permanent connection in another few seconds.”

But that didn’t happen.

“What’s wrong?” asked Kaufield as he watched the lights on Glen’s console go dark again. “Why wasn’t the link successful?”

“It was… is,” noted Glen with puzzlement. He was staring at the new numbers flowing onto the telemetry screen. “Thomas has done something new… he’s bypassing the normal communications link and has connected his implant directly to…” Reading the on-screen data as swiftly as possible, Fredericks’ eyes widened.

“What?” The President demanded sternly. “What’s going on?”

“Thomas is connecting himself to the main power line running into our hub from the CAS drive,” announced Glen with astonishment. “Why would he need access to that kind of power?”

The question hung in the air for a moment, unanswered. Both Glen and Mary worked feverishly to determine just what the younger Roh was up to, but they were interrupted by an urgent page from the Lexington’s command bridge. “This is Admiral James Henry. What’s going on down there?”

“We’re not exactly certain yet Admiral,” replied Kaufield uncertainly. “Thomas has somehow managed to reestablish contact with us, but for some reason he’s bypassing the normal communications link.”

“We know. He’s draining power directly from the ship’s CAS engine,” the Admiral told them. “Our stealth shield has failed and we’re visible to any Brotherhood ships in the area. I’m launching combat fighters with stealth capabilities of their own in case hostiles show up. It’s only a matter of time.” He paused, allowing just enough time for the three of them to stare at each other and shrug helplessly. “Any idea how long this odd connection will last?”

“No,” Kaufield told him. “Are there any hostiles nearby?”

“Not yet, but there will be. It won’t take long for local patrol ships to pick us up on motion sensors.”

“Will our laser array work?”

“Not reliably. That’s why I’m launching a combat patrol… they can cover for us temporarily. But if this ends up being a long-term problem we’re going to be in for a rough ride. We’re only one ship and we need the instantaneous transit capability to keep us out of harm’s way.” The Admiral fell silent momentarily. “Is there any chance that your new Brotherhood ally on Earth can call off her wolf pack?”

Considering the matter carefully, the President groaned in response. “At this point, I think that should be a last resort,” he decided with minimal hesitation. “Valiana is one of the key people who participated in the annihilation of Earth as we knew it. Though she has obviously entertained doubts about the nuclear war in its aftermath and dedicated herself to helping me, she did so while I held the upper hand.”

“I see. In other words you don’t entirely trust her yet.”

“No Admiral, I don’t. Only time will tell with this new alliance. I wouldn’t recommend putting the lives of this crew in her hands unless we have no other alternative.”

“Understood. In that event everyone should be prepared to transit to a safe location if…”

Glen and Mary cheered suddenly as the communications console once again lit up with brilliant green and yellow winking lights. “Our communications link with Thomas has now been restored Mr. President,” grinned Fredericks with a relieved sigh. “All systems powered by the CAS drive are coming back on-line… including stealth.” On the still-active intercom they could hear the Admiral issuing orders to recall all ships. Once everyone docked safely, he instructed the helmsman to move them to a new location.

Kaufield laughed unexpectedly despite the gravity of their situation, causing heads to turn. He smiled in response and turned the pockets of his pants inside out. “I think we’ve reached another waypoint for David’s master plan,” he commented idly. “I know I had it with me when I left my quarters, but somehow that damned silver watch is gone again!”

Behind them, Noriana Roh appeared suddenly from behind one of the large computer banks. She made her way through the Science staff toward them. “What’s going on?” she asked curiously, her own concern obvious by her tone and manner. “Is it them? Is it Adam and Thomas?”

“So far it’s just Thomas,” chuckled Kaufield. “We don’t totally know what he’s up to yet, but we have definitely reestablished contact with him.”

“What the devil was he doing?” Mary wondered out loud, turning to look at her husband. “Why would he need to siphon the energy from the CAS drive?”

“Why don’t we ask him?” suggested the President calmly. He closed his eyes and initiated a mental link.

 Planet Earth, southwest of Bethany, approximately A.D. 27

Immediately after the fight with the desert outlaws began, Thomas realized that he and Adam were running out of time. They were facing dangerous opponents once again; men with clear malevolence in their eyes and curved knife blades crusted with the dried blood of their victims. This new situation made the Romans and their swords look tame by comparison. He entertained few doubts that they would be offered mercy of any sort. Rather, these types of men would simply kill them and loot their belongings. But he had been working steadily over the past day and his practice using the eye HUD to make programming and parameter changes was nearly completed – all that was left was to run a computer model that would verify the accuracy of everything to within 99.9997 percent. Without interruption, it would complete its current cycle in slightly less than ninety minutes.

Unfortunately they didn’t have that much time to spare.

On impulse Thomas initiated a mental request to reopen the communications link with the Lexington. He submitted instructions for a brief contact, a connection that would last just long enough to fully charge his implant. He did so knowing full well that doing so risked blowing out his implant’s communications hardware. His reasoning was that Adam would still have his fully functional implant and if this worked then it was well worth the risk, given the circumstances. Satisfied, he rejoined his brother in battling their opponents, whose number had unexpectedly swollen from four to ten during his brief thirty second pause. We’ve got only half a day’s charge! his mind screamed at him, causing him to fight back panic.

Their protective shields could fail at any time with extremely bloody consequences.

The young scientist mimicked his older brother’s actions. He limited his attacks to mild electrical discharges from his wrist guns and basically contented himself with grabbing onto the limbs nearest him and throwing people into each other. That strategy was working very nicely for them, especially given the fact that he could see the ferocious profile of Fika picking men off one or two at a time in the background. Somewhere toward the end of the battle he received the response he had been hoping for – a twelve second connection with the Lexington that fully resupplied his implant, swiftly charging its internal power cell to full capacity. Abruptly the communication terminated, allowing him to evaluate the results and tweak the data as needed.

The urge to immediately lash out with the wrist guns at full power was tempting, but there was no way to determine, in the heat of the moment, whether or not the connection had terminated normally or because something was wrong with his parameter set. Acknowledging the reality of the situation and maintaining his composure, Thomas chose instead to transform his skin-tight defensive shield into an electrical blue aura. Eight shaken, confused opponents were still standing, battered and bruised and bloodied from the prolonged fight. Giving them no time to recover, Thomas charged at them, glowing like the proverbial sorcerer with an angry, howling Fika at his side. The bandits reacted in a predictable, horrified manner, turning and fleeing from the scene as fast as their legs would carry them. Coming to a stop, Thomas smiled despite the severity of the situation.

His implant held a full charge and the fight was over… in his eyes things couldn’t get much better for them.

Then Adam’s uncomfortable confrontation with the Samaritan began, which was not at all surprising to Thomas. Ever since they met the stranger he had been quietly entertaining his own doubts about the man’s stated background. Those doubts grew significantly after hearing the man’s claim that he was in fact a Samaritan while speaking to them in ancient Greek. The language aspect of the puzzle hadn’t dawned on him at first, since the mental translation process controlled by the brain implant was so quick and efficient. He actually needed to submit a mental request to the implant for the specifics of the actual words spoken by their supposed new friend. The mere fact that the stranger identified himself with the Samaritan people had completely blown Thomas’ faith in his ability to analyze the situation correctly. Jesus Christ would not lie to him. Thus the stranger was NOT in fact the man they were seeking… it was as simple as that.

So why in the world would he really be traveling all by himself in a freaking desert?

The stranger’s story didn’t make sense at all… any of it. The only thing that truly caught Thomas by surprise was Adam’s choice to confront the Samaritan here and now, so shortly after yet another violent fight. But he lacked the knowledge that his brother had gained while climbing the rock face, allowing him to recognize that this was in fact the desert home of the outlaws. Already suspicious of anyone in what they perceived to be ‘their’ desert and eager to rob, people walking directly into the center of their camp would only infuriate them further.

Adam is correct, Thomas nodded to himself. It was Roman soldiers yesterday and desert bandits today… someone is definitely manipulating us for reasons unknown. And everything appears to center on the Samaritan.

Watching his brother’s lifeless body drop to the ground almost finished him. His vision clouded with angry tears that burned and ran down his face in sudden bursts and his body was wracked with sobs and strong emotion. First it was denial, a powerful presence that almost caused him to give in to hopelessness. But his brother was lying on the rocky ground right there in front of him and there was no way to ignore the sight of it. A slow-burning rage began to build within him as he watched the Samaritan move away from Adam’s body and walk slowly toward him, smiling maliciously the entire time. “What are you waiting for boy? Why don’t you kill me, if you can? If you don’t, you will soon be just as dead as your brother.”

The telemetry results of Thomas’ first attempt to communicate with the Lexington scrolled across his eye HUD with only minor adjustments recommended. Mentally he submitted the necessary changes and then initiated a request for a permanent, real-time connection with his friends back in the present. Knowing the command would take a few seconds to process across so great a span of time he slowly began walking in a circular arc around the Samaritan with Fika holding close by his side. He continued moving for another few dozen steps and then stopped, his expression a mask of control that hid his true feelings almost completely. “You’re going to pay for what you did here today,” he said softly. “Dearly.” As he spoke the last word, he felt the implant’s connection with the Lexington’s command and control center take hold.

Suddenly grinning confidently, he used his thoughts to submit a third request.

Thomas’ dark but pleased expression caught the Samaritan by surprise. “What are you doing?” he asked.

“Two of those bandits are dead because of your manipulation. I’m just making sure that there’s a solid rock face behind you,” Thomas told him tersely. “I’m not a violent person. I wouldn’t want any more innocent bystanders in this desert to get killed because they happen to be in the way of this little spat of ours.”

The Samaritan’s eyes flared with a bright red glow. “You haven’t got anything left with those little tricks of yours!” he screamed furiously. “I’m going to kill you slowly boy, and leave your body to dry in the desert.”

“Maybe.”

During his experiments back aboard the Lexington, Thomas had worked hard to repeatedly test the process of connecting a brain implant directly to the output of the warship’s CAS drive. It was a dicey procedure, but one that was easily resolved now that all of the hard work to recalibrate the software for a temporal displacement of two millennia was complete. Holding both arms carefully out in front of them, he bent his elbows and rotated his fists upward, pulling them back so that the wrist guns would fire. Finely tuned, razor sharp high-intensity laser beams shot straight upward, visible to Thomas on his eye HUD but completely invisible to the Samaritan. The bearded stranger’s eyes narrowed suspiciously as he saw a new, even more suspicious smile crawl across Thomas’ face. “What are you doing?” he shouted, repeating the demand for information with sincere puzzlement clouding his features.

“This!”

In a quick, carefully pre-planned maneuver, Thomas brought his fists downward and crossed them. His right fist ended up moving beneath his left toward the opposite side of his body. His left fist mirrored the other, ending up crossing above the right and ending up in front of the right side of his waist. The lasers, still firing at maximum strength, completed a near perfect “X” across the Samaritan’s body and intersected near the lower center of his abdomen. In the process his body was sliced into half a dozen pieces of varying size. The incredulous expression on the bearded stranger’s face as he died was very satisfying to the young scientist who had, only moments before, been forced to stand by helplessly and witness the death of his brother.

The Samaritan’s arms hit the ground first, both severed slightly below the shoulders. Next were the smaller, pie-shaped wedges from the sides of his abdomen. There was no blood, and it was not immediately clear to Thomas just what the bearded man truly was. Inside his body was a strange, spongy pink substance of some sort that made an awful, slapping sound against the stony ground. The top half of his body toppled backward, with the “V”-shaped upper portion of the abdomen slowly separating from the bottom half. Watching it all transpire with a mixture of shock and relief, Thomas suddenly noticed that the lasers emitted by his wrist guns were continuing to bore into the rocky hill behind the Samaritan’s cleanly dismembered corpse. Shutting off the continual twin streams of laser fire, he uncrossed his hands.

Focusing on the task at hand, he completed the series of mental commands that disengaged his link to the Lexington’s CAS drive and restored contact with the communications hub. Only when that was done and he was certain that all enemies were gone, that everything was fine did he allow himself to fall to his knees and begin to sob helplessly over the loss of his brother. An unending flow of tears poured from his eyes and his body was wracked with convulsive fits of anger, frustration, and mourning. Thomas Roh lowered his head into his hands and cried almost hysterically, finally losing command over his demeanor as raw emotions continued to boil up from within and threatened to overwhelm him.

I’m all alone here now! he mentally howled at himself. How in the world are you going to get out of this without Adam… WITHOUT Adam?

That was when his intellect first ‘heard’ Dennis Kaufield’s mental link click solidly into place. [“Thomas,”] he heard inside his head as their minds linked. [“Thomas, what’s going on? Why did you hook your implant directly into the CAS drive without warning us? You almost got us caught in a terrible mess!”]

Trying to behave in the way Adam would have, Thomas allowed himself a few more precious seconds to properly vent his anger and regain control of his composure. Then he slowly rose to his feet and began deciding how best to report the events of the past few days. Surprisingly he was able to hold himself together; somehow he was able to force his mind back onto the reality of the situation and everything that must come next. President Kaufield needed an updated report, and Thomas was going to give it to him. And yet the loss of his brother continued to leave a massive, empty hole in his heart.

How the hell do I tell Nori?

[“Mr. President,”] Thomas began cautiously, [“we have a bit of a situation here…”]

Unexpectedly, his link with the Lexington terminated.

His mind raced, temporarily devoid of options. How… just what exactly is going on here?

Then he turned around and saw a stranger leaning over Adam’s body. The newcomer was wearing a tan robe that fit loosely over skin that had seen far too much of the desert sun. He had a neatly trimmed mustache and beard similar to the Samaritan’s, but he looked nothing like the other man.

“That’s my brother!” Thomas snapped harshly, still reeling from the suddenness of his unexpected loss. “Get away from him! He’s…” His voice trailed suddenly as he noticed the soft, pulsating white glow surrounding the man’s body. A quick eye HUD analysis was unable to identify its source or offer anything conclusive. Caught by surprise once more, Thomas decided to try a different tactic. “Who are you?” he asked simply even though he already instinctively knew. There could be no other possibility.

“I am Jesus of Nazareth, son of Joseph,” the man proclaimed. All of the anger and vitriol in Thomas’ heart suddenly, somehow transformed into pure elation and joy. “Please wait there for a moment as time is short.”

Jesus returned his attention to Adam’s prone body and his hands probed the abdominal area first and then the chest area, moving slowly up to his neck. Gently he wrapped his fingers around Adam’s throat and held them there, closing his eyes in concentration. Thomas’ eye HUD lit up as additional energy of an unknown type was detected, a bright glow that flared from within Jesus’ body and moved into Adam’s throat. Temporarily deactivating his enhanced vision, he noticed that no trace of the light was visible without it.

Over the next few minutes very little changed. Jesus continued to hold his hands wrapped around Adam’s throat and Thomas stood where he was, completely entranced. With augmented vision reactivated, he watched the soft white aura and the bright light shining from Adam’s neck with wonder and astonishment.

Could it be? he wondered silently. Is it possible that my brother could live again after receiving such a brutal death blow? He watched with a mixture of hope and awe, tears streaming almost endlessly from his eyes. When his brother suddenly coughed several times and shifted position just slightly, Thomas fell to his knees and wept openly. He’s doing it! He’s SAVING my brother’s life and bringing him back to me!

Several minutes later Adam’s eyes opened and focused on the man leaning over him. At first he said nothing, obviously noticing the same type of white radiance that he had written about in his reports detailing the events of his meetings with the mysterious entity known as David. Abruptly he sat up and looked around, shifting his gaze until it settled on Thomas and Fika. “What?” he asked with puzzlement. “What the devil just happened?”

“Exactly,” sobbed Thomas in response, laughing almost hysterically at a joke only he understood.

“Why are you crying?”

“Because,” said Thomas Roh, “you’re alive. And we’ve finally found the man we’ve been searching for.”

*     * * *     *

Whatever his brother had been through during the process of quite literally returning from the dead obviously exhausted him, so Thomas injected him with some antibiotics along with a vitamin/nutrient formula mixed with a mild sedative. Since their food and water was limited and they might have to stay in this precarious location for some time, he didn’t want to take any unnecessary chances.

Carrion-eating birds were already circling overhead, so he took a portable shovel out of his backpack while Jesus tended to Adam and buried the two dead bandits in a soft patch of dirt and sand next to the stony path. Afterward, he glanced briefly at the remnants of the Samaritan. The soft, squishy pink interior had darkened to a dull brown in the hot afternoon sun and Thomas noticed the carrion-eaters were steering clear, wanting nothing to do with it. Eager to be done with the creature, he simply left whatever it was right where it lay.

Finished with the tough job of digging in the hot desert sun, he sat down and used his body as a shield while using implant energy and the tips of his fingers to fill a large bowl with water. Opening an MRE pack he ate quickly and drank the water slowly until his fatigued body was no longer thirsty. He filled his animal skin with water too, offering it to both Adam and Jesus before pouring the rest into a bowl and setting it down so that Fika could also drink his fill. “Nice doggie,” he told the large Mastiff. “You did great!”

“I think this man is going to be all right.”

It was very uncomfortable for Thomas at first, because the legends of Jesus had built him up so highly that actually sitting near him proved to be extremely intimidating. “I am Thomas, son of Raymond,” he managed after a time. “The man you saved is Adam, also the son of Raymond. He is my brother and I’m very grateful to you for giving him back to me.”

Jesus nodded in response. “It is nice to meet you.” He turned back toward Adam, who was once again slumbering peacefully after Thomas finished feeding him a small supper and carefully moved his body into the cooler shadow of a large hill.

“I gave him a… medicine to help him rest,” offered Thomas informatively. “We’ve been moving around in the desert quite a bit and haven’t had much time to sleep as much as we should. I have no idea how much you were able to help him so it made sense to let him rest and heal for a while.”

“Yes, unfortunately you two ran into my… adversary,” said Jesus. “He approaches me every so often, but I refuse to play his games and eventually he gets bored and moves on to someone else.”

“How did you find us?” wondered Thomas curiously. “You appeared seemingly out of nowhere.”

“I live in a cave near here, up there in the rocks.” Jesus pointed toward a huge, shadowy rock face roughly half a mile distant. “I was out and about and heard the sounds of fighting and grew curious.”

Thomas felt the blood drain out of his face. “You live there… right next to a pack of desert outlaws?”

“Yes,” Jesus replied, as though it were the most sensible decision in the world. “It is easier to avoid them if I know where they are, and since I mostly meditate they do not even realize I am here.”

“May I offer you something to eat?” Thomas held out an MRE pack.

Shaking his head, Jesus smiled at him. “I accepted a personal challenge by coming out here into the desert, all alone. Scavenging for traces of water has hardened both my endurance and my determination.” He pulled open his robe so that Thomas could see his ribs, clearly outlined and visible through the skin on his breast. “I seem to have lost quite a bit of weight in the process, but no matter.” he chuckled, shifting his gaze toward Fika. “Your great big dog appears to have little difficulty locating something to eat.” The Mastiff was busily devouring yet another of the small desert lizards… the crunch of bone was clearly audible.

“The Romans left Fika to die,” said Thomas sourly. “I couldn’t let that happen.”

“Your kindness toward the animal defines you. And yet you should use the rest of the evening to search for tree wood,” suggested Jesus, flashing a friendly smile. “There are a few just south of here. I can tell you from my own experiences that – even if you move into one of the caves – it will still grow very cold during the night.

Caught somewhat by surprise, Thomas pondered the matter for a moment. Even without a real-time connection with the Lexington, he was still nursing a near-full implant charge. Once darkness fell, his plan was to transfer half of it to Adam. Due to their numerous technological advantages, he hadn’t even considered the possibility of a fire so near to the bandits’ home since it would easily give away their location. But he was as determined as his brother not to inadvertently change history and thus – since Jesus apparently had no idea who they were – he decided it best to keep up the pretense. “Will you watch my brother for a while longer?”

“Of course.”

*     * * *     *

When Thomas woke it was nearly 2 a.m. and the nightly cold was all around them. Fika was lying right next to him, his huge body positioned against Thomas’ side. Embers from a tiny fire still glowed bright orange in the darkness, allowing him to glance around and see basic shapes and outlines amidst the shadows. Usually he slept peacefully and all through the night, but on this occasion his thoughts were racing and his slumber troubled. It was only after he came fully aware that he began to realize that those thoughts were not actually his. Somehow, in an as yet unknown way, his link with the Lexington was back on-line.

Upon closer inspection of the campsite shrouded in darkness, he noticed that Jesus was gone.

[“Thomas, Thomas are you there?”] Dennis Kaufield’s thoughts were in his head, the mental link between brain implants finally restored. [“What is going on there? We need at least some basic information.”]

Where to begin? [“It’s a very LONG and complicated story,”] he transmitted in response.

[“Well you have to start somewhere and tell me,”] decided the President. [“We still can’t link to Adam.”]

[“That’s because I haven’t shared the updates to the software with him yet,”] Thomas informed him, pausing as his mind raced with a variety of alternatives. [“Okay,”] he thought, sighing. [“I’m going to upload everything in my database while I fill you in. You’ll be able to watch everything from the start. WARN Nori before she watches it, because what initially happens to Adam is very disturbing. He’s fine now, sleeping in fact, but that’s as a result of matters completely out of my control. I have no scientific explanation for what has happened here.”]

Taking his time over the next forty minutes or so, Thomas relayed thought transmissions to President Kaufield in what ended up being a lengthy status report. He didn’t care… he wanted to make certain that the people back home knew all of the details, including the fact that Jesus possessed the same ability to interfere with the micro-wormhole links as the David entity. [“Do you think he’s doing it intentionally?”] wondered Kaufield curiously. [“Adam felt that David was deliberately working to keep their conversation private.”]

[“I don’t think that’s the case with Jesus. I’m not even certain he completely understands the power that’s emanating from him in the form of that white aura. He is a simple man of this time period who is being subtly influenced somehow by a power he doesn’t totally realize he has and is using it to act on his beliefs and become something greater.”]

[“Where is he now?”]

[“He left at some point after Adam and I fell asleep, which is obviously why our link reconnected. I’m kicking myself right now because I should have kept a closer eye on him, but I was quite simply emotionally exhausted after what I witnessed yesterday.”]

[“Do you really think this Samaritan fellow was in fact Satan… the devil?”]

[“Mr. President, WATCH the telemetry feeds we recorded,”] suggested Thomas in response. [“I was there and I have very few doubts in my mind. It was him.”]

[“What are you planning next?”]

[“To complete our modified mission. We have to find Jesus.”]

[“I’d feel a lot better if I knew what you were planning to say to him.”]

[“So would I, Mr. President. So would I.”]

[“If you do find him, the link will likely go down again.”]

[“That’s okay. We’re okay. We’ll contact you again after you’ve had a chance to review our telemetry.”]

[“That sounds good. Thomas, we have at least one Sentinel on-duty at all times, even if they aren’t linked to you. If you find Jesus and decide you don’t know what to do, move far enough away from him so that you can reestablish contact and we’ll put our heads together and come up with a plan. You’re not alone.”]

[“Understood. Thomas signing off.”]

Thomas sat there for another half hour or so taking some time just to think over things, unable to immediately return to sleep. One hand repeatedly drifted to Fika’s soft fur and he stroked the sleeping dog’s furry flank lightly, enjoying the shallow rise and fall of his breathing body. While his thoughts drifted, he mentally activated the link with Adam’s implant so that he could transfer all software updates. When morning arrived, both of them would once more be linked to their friends back aboard the Lexington.

“Are you awake?” Adam’s voice floated suddenly out of the darkness.

“Yeah,” said Thomas softly. “I can’t believe you are. You were actually DEAD Adam. I saw it happen.”

“No one knows that more than me,” his brother replied dryly. “It feels like someone was standing on my neck for about an hour or two. Other than that, I’m basically okay now.”

“Good. Because Jesus left for some reason and we’re not done with him yet. We have to go out and find him so that we can talk to him some more.”

“What?” Even though Adam’s silhouette was draped completely in shadow, Thomas could imagine the familiar look of puzzlement on his brother’s expression. “He was here. We found him. He was sitting right here. Why didn’t you ask him what you wanted to ask him then?”

Thomas rubbed his face with the fingers of one hand and chuckled ironically. “Because I was tired and I fell asleep, okay?” He paused, trying to avoid getting rattled by Adam’s prodding. “Besides, there’s at least one other reason that we have to find him, and soon!”

“And that would be?”

“Because whatever he did to help you severely weakened him,” continued Thomas. “I’m transferring software changes to your implant now, but feel free to access and review my eye HUD telemetry. Jesus’ vitals before he helped you were much stronger than after. I’m not certain, but I think that aura surrounding him was deteriorating too. We have to find him and make sure that he recovers.”

“He’ll be okay. He’s survived this long in the desert, hasn’t he?”

“Adam, I’m not kidding. Look at the data. His physical body is in dire need of medical attention… now.”

His brother didn’t respond at first. “Suppose I agree with you. Suppose I’m right as rain and willing to go searching a desert in the dark. How are we supposed to find him again, now that he wandered off?”

“Because,” grinned Thomas confidently, “he told me where he lives.”

11: X: Matthew 4:1-11

PROJECT EARTH

Pathfinder Series: Book Three

Chapter X: Matthew 4:1–11

Planet Earth, southwest of Bethany, approximately A.D. 27

Jesus opened his eyes and looked around. He was lying on his back in the familiar cave that had served as his home for quite some time now. Usually his hunger was a dull ache, easily ignored after the initial urge to eat was properly suppressed with proper mental discipline. Forcing his mind to focus on more important matters also helped him to ignore his body’s request for food. By all accounts it was a successful outcome – his time in the desert was almost over and he had endured the burden of non-stop temptation well. Until I helped that stranger, he told himself silently. Everything was fine until I saved that man’s life.

Now hunger burned like a fire in his gut, urging him to eat with a raging intensity he hadn’t felt before.

He sat up, attempting to refocus his thoughts on something – anything – else in order to deal with the problem as he always had. The two travelers and their big dog are still somewhere nearby and they have food and water, the voice inside his mind suggested calmly. All you have to do in order to sate your appetite is return to their camp and ask. They are friendly and will share with you, especially after the kindness you shared with them. Studying the walls of the cave carefully, Jesus suddenly noticed that the details along the rock wall were slightly different than they were only moments before. He tried to look at the palm of one hand and failed, nodding his head as he recognized what was happening.

This is a dream, he noticed for the first time. I am asleep and the Tempter has returned to try and lead me astray. But why isn’t he approaching me in the manner that he usually does? He let that thought hang for a moment, waiting for an answer, until he remembered the dead Samaritan that one of the travelers told him about. Yes, the other voice within his mind told him – the one that suggested he go find food. I am here too. Even if my physical body was destroyed, still I am alive and still I possess a massive amount of power.

The Tempter seized control of his dream body, raising Jesus’ arm and pointing at a small pile of rocks. If you are truly the Son of God, command that these stones become loaves of bread. After listening closely to the suggestion coming from the inner voice that still seemed to be his own, Jesus replied. It is written: ‘One does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes forth from the mouth of God’.

The image of the cave vanished in a swirl of whirling light and sounds. Suddenly Jesus was standing at the very top of the Temple in Jerusalem on a bright sunny morning, looking down on the courtyards and the people walking around. His fellow citizens were everywhere, talking excitedly among themselves and pointing at all of the beautiful facets comprising the Temple. Rays of sunshine poked through the white, puffy clouds along the horizon, illuminating the walls of the Jews’ greatest place of worship in a brilliant golden light. Against the backdrop of the partially clouded sky, the view was utterly breathtaking.

If you are the Son of God, the Tempter began, once again using Jesus’ own inner voice, throw yourself down. For it is written: He will command his angels concerning you, and ‘with their hands they will support you, lest you dash your foot against a stone’.

Jesus answered him. Again it is written: ‘You shall not put the Lord, your God, to the test’.

Everything changed again, a blur of motion that accelerated away from Jerusalem and then slowed to a stop on the peak of a very high mountain. Looking down from above, the outer walls from various cities and towns were visible in the distance. Again the view was nothing less than spectacular; a prime example that summarized everything that mankind was capable of building. All these I shall give to you, the Tempter offered once more, if you will prostrate yourself and worship me. Despite his weakened condition, and despite the temptations offered to him by his Adversary, Jesus’ stance remained firm. Get away Satan! It is written: ‘The Lord your God shall you worship and him alone shall you serve’.

(Specific passages used from the Saint Joseph edition of The New American Bible)

After verifying that Fika was willing to stand watch alone at the mouth of the cave, Adam walked the short distance back to where Thomas was still working to help Jesus. The man from Nazareth was still unconscious, but all readings on Adam’s eye HUD indicated that the future prophet was doing much better. His vitals, which had dipped precipitously in the short time that he spent away from them, were now reading almost normal. Both his and Thomas’ medical kits lay beside Jesus along with their contents, which were scattered all around the two men. Further, Thomas was using a battery operated lantern to light the darkness.

Adam’s eyes narrowed. “You helped him, didn’t you?” he said in a somewhat accusatory tone of voice. “You didn’t feed him anything solid, but you definitely helped him.”

Nodding affirmatively, Thomas met his brother’s gaze without hesitation. “Saving your life is what weakened him in the first place,” he reminded Adam. “So if you’re truly serious about not wrecking our future, I had no choice. He was going to die without treatment.” Slowly Thomas began to put away the medical equipment. “He was nearly comatose when we found him, but I gave him the same kinds of nutrient-rich, vitamin injections that you received. It’s all liquids, so there should be nothing that will violate his choice to fast. I gave him just enough to restore at least some of his strength. He’s been without a decent diet for far too long, and I hope this isolation-phase of his ministry is nearly concluded.”

“I’m still struggling with the fact that we actually found him and trying to grasp the concept that he was able to heal me with a simple touch,” Adam added. “You said my neck was broken?”

“Yes,” his brother replied softly. “For almost ten minutes.”

“I’m telling you, I’ve never seen anything like the past few days… it all just boggles my mind.” Adam shook his head with mild disgust, pulling the familiar shape of the silver watch out of his pocket and showing it to his brother. “This showed up again, so we must have reached yet another waypoint on its master plan… whatever that may be.” He carefully handed the object to Thomas. “Take a look inside.”

Opening the watch cover, Thomas studied the new image there. “It’s a map of Missouri, in what used to be the United States,” he noticed with growing excitement. “Our home town of Fayette is marked with a star – I wonder what that means? If we’re supposed to go there, making that kind of journey across an ocean in this timeframe would be an extremely difficult undertaking, not to mention outright dangerous.”

“I was thinking of stopping by there anyway after we return to the present,” noted Adam thoughtfully. “I mean, there is probably nothing left of the place other than charred debris, but it would be kind of nice to lay a wreath or some flowers there… you know, to honor Mom and Dad.” He shifted his eyes to the prone form of Jesus. “Do you really think he’s going to be okay?”

“Yes, he’s simply sleeping everything off right now,” Thomas told him. “The medical database indicates that he has received enough hydration and nutrients to sustain him for another couple of days. After that…” He shrugged his shoulders. “He’s done pretty well sticking it out in the desert all by himself thus far. The only thing that came close to destroying him was our unexpected appearance.” He chuckled and his eyes dropped to stare at the dirt floor. “Even that thing disguised as the Samaritan was unable to tempt or manipulate him in the same manner that it tricked us.”

“I really wonder what’s going on at this particular time in Earth’s history,” mused Adam. “I mean, even with my defenses in a weakened state that Samaritan should not have been able to breach my defensive shield. And what Jesus did…” He put a cautious hand to his throat and swallowed hard. “I don’t even care that my throat is still sore because it means that I’m alive!”

Thomas nodded. “I know,” he said slowly. “It’s clear that the people living here recorded as much as they could about what was happening from their primitive perspective. Even if their analysis isn’t one hundred percent accurate, it’s pretty clear that something pretty astonishing is about to take place. Perhaps everything we’ve been told over the years.”

“I’m not sure I would go that far.”

“Why not Adam?” inquired Thomas curiously, pointing toward Jesus’ sleeping figure. “Even though we are biological beings and not technological, the human brain is still the most sophisticated, energy efficient computer ever designed… at least in our galaxy. It’s connected directly to the ‘hardware’ of our physical body and has an operating system that regulates circulation, neural activity, along with respiratory functions. In addition to all of that, it’s also a sentient creation that is capable of feeling all kinds of different emotions. Why is it so hard for you to believe that we were constructed by someone with a loving touch?”

Adam held up a cautious hand. “I’m not saying I don’t believe,” he responded after a brief pause. “I just like to have all of the facts in before I make a final conclusion. And many of the facts, on this matter, will probably always remain unknown to us.” He sighed heavily and studied the contours of Jesus’ slumbering face. “Besides, David didn’t exactly strike me as a God-like being. He seemed more like a powerful alien of the sort we’ve never encountered, someone whose attention we caught when we started playing around with the politics in the Wasteland. Could that kind of entity actually be what God actually is?”

“Possibly. Our technology certainly looks like magic to these people, so an alien science that transcends our own would certainly appear to be magical from our viewpoint.”

“I know you’ve always been a believer, but you’re not someone who takes the Bible literally. Correct?”

“Correct. Sure the universe is likely billions of years old and the Earth probably took a lot longer than six days to create,” ventured Thomas. “But deep down, did anyone except those who were the most desperate to believe really think that the Bible was a completely accurate historical document?”

“I concur. People of this time wrote down how they perceived the universe to be. It’s what we’re doing in our own time – we just happen to have the benefit of basing our conclusions on generations of scientific research and study. And yet, until we built the Pathfinder, we were essentially limited to what we could observe from our own solar system. When we finally got a look at the big picture, it was really some pretty mind blowing stuff.”

“I still look at the physical laws of our universe and wonder who specifically designed them,” continued Thomas. “It seems absolutely astonishing to me that time and space could somehow form randomly out of nothing, allowing matter and energy to intertwine and begin to form the precepts of the big bang. The Universe we live in is so vast that most people think life on Earth was an accident.”

Eyeing his little brother warily, Adam smiled. “What do you think?”

“I think that a planet carefully orbiting its sun in the precise habitable zone where liquid water is present and much of its surface is capable of entertaining four seasons is an amazing coincidence. Where other people might see random chance, I see clues to the birth of our race. Is it also a coincidence that our moon orbits at so precise a distance that it appears to be the same size in the sky as our sun? These are the things that have always perplexed me. Matter, energy, time and gravity… somebody or something had to establish the rules of the game even if everything that came after is random.”

“I’ve always sworn by science, for the most part.”

Thomas eyed him drily. “Science is also defined and interpreted by flawed human beings who often have a political bias,” he reminded his brother. “Or a scientist might simply want his name in the history books. Along with our emotions and imperfections comes the ability to analyze and create, but not without consequences.”

“Earlier you referred to the human brain as a biological computer with the equivalent ‘software’ of a standard operating system and the rest of our bodies as ‘hardware’.” He turned toward Thomas and smiled. “Noah’s people have built more efficient, sentient computers than a human brain. President Kaufield once shared with me some of the details about the history of their culture. The Proteus aliens have experimented a great deal with both time travel and with artificial intelligence.” Watching his brother’s reaction he added softly. “Evolution too.”

“Evolution? What does that mean?”

“It means that – at one time in their history – at least some of the Proteus aliens tried to become something better than they currently are. They experimented with the transfer of consciousness into their highly advanced computers and attempted to evolve into something greater,” continued Adam thoughtfully. “Since technology runs much faster in terms of processing speed, they figured that such a transformation would only increase their understanding of the universe exponentially once the process was fully underway.”

“And?” Thomas wondered excitedly. He had never heard about any of this before.

Holding up both hands to suppress his brother’s piqued interest, Adam smiled. “According to Noah, those experiments largely failed, and are one of the major reasons that he and others from recent generations ended up choosing to remain normal, biological beings. No matter what they tried, the Proteus scientists were unable to duplicate the vast array of emotions we regularly display as part of our personality. There was always something key missing from the transfer… something fundamental… some…”

“Some sort of soul or spark of life, perhaps?”

“Perhaps.”

Together the two of them sat there for a while, watching the sleeping man who would soon completely transform the religions of the Earth and completely rock the Roman Empire to its core. It was astonishing to be sitting so near him, a truly once in a lifetime opportunity.

“Then the devil left him and, behold, angels came and ministered to him,” commented Thomas softly.

*     * * *     *

Later, Thomas was sitting on a large rock at the mouth of the cave with Fika keeping watch next to him. Late morning was upon them and the heat was already pervasive – it was easy to see why Jesus had chosen the cave in which to spend the majority of his daytime hours. The stony interior was well insulated, keeping it at a reasonable temperature during the day, but also during the freezing cold nighttime hours as well. Adam was out and about, searching nearby for signs of the bandits but also in pursuit of wood for another fire. He had refused to take Fika with him, reassuring Thomas that he would be fine.

Although his brother didn’t say it out loud, Thomas guessed that the search for wood was just an excuse. Adam was planning to put plenty of distance between him and Jesus so that he could avoid the local interference and try to contact the Lexington. Even a brief communication would reassure their loved ones back home that everything was fine and keep them from worrying unnecessarily. Adam also wanted to let them know about the reappearance of the watch, since a new waypoint had obviously been reached. All that remained was to wait out the current situation and see what they were presented with next.

It was how they managed to get this far, after all.

Jesus emerged from the depths of the cavern and seated himself next to Thomas. Together, the two of them contented themselves with a prolonged study of the surrounding terrain and took a brief moment to admire the clear blue sky. Thomas couldn’t help but notice, once again, the shimmering white glow that surrounded the other on his eye HUD. Was it magic of some sort, or simply a science that he didn’t understand? Used to solving virtually every technical problem he was presented with almost immediately, this sort of thing was proving to be extremely frustrating for him. And much of Adam’s contact with the mysterious David entity remained a mystery to this very day. Their current situation was very similar.

“Are you feeling better?” inquired Thomas.

“I am. You and your brother are obviously searching for something. If I may ask, what would that be?”

The unexpected question, especially coming from someone who was painted so large in Earth history, caught Thomas by surprise. Ever since convincing Adam to search for Jesus one more time, he had known deep down in his heart that this kind of conversation was coming. How much should he tell? he had asked himself over and over again.  How can I ask for the assistance that I need without lying to this man?

“It’s blatantly obvious that you’re both carrying a heavy burden,” Jesus continued with a friendly smile. “There is no other reason you would be traveling out here in the desert unless it held some sort of possible solution to your problem.” He studied Thomas’ expression curiously, trying to read him.

“My brother and I are from a faraway land,” replied Thomas finally. He had decided, after much thought, that the easiest way to handle the situation was to avoid lying whenever possible. Even so, he would simply avoid specific details. “Not too long ago, it was destroyed in a great war… our entire home, obliterated completely by an enemy with devastating weapons in a few days’ time.” He hung his head as he remembered the first few hours of that time, his thoughts drifting back to the billions of people who had died over the next few days. “Our enemies…” He cleared his throat and fought back a wave of emotion, promising himself that he would not consciously reveal too much. “…our enemies used weapons that were never supposed to be used. They were a deterrent to war, but once deployed against our nations they poisoned the air, earth and water.”

“That sounds terrible. How is it that we in Judea have not heard of this?”

“Adam and I have traveled a really, really long way to get here,” Thomas repeated for emphasis. “For a while we were exiles, just a small group of survivors living by ourselves. Then we happened to find friendly allies who took us in and helped us rescue many of those who survived. Now we’re a fledgling new community in another land, building a new history.” He trailed off, kicking at several pebbles with his feet. “But deep down, we always knew that we were going to try and return one day. We knew that we were going to return to our home and try to reclaim it, to try and save it from the people who continue to misuse and poison it.”

“Are you searching for additional allies to help you do this?”

“Not really,” said Thomas grimly, struggling for words. Jesus appeared to be exactly who history painted him to be… a man who was slightly more than a man because he bore with him the incredible power of the Holy Spirit. To the people of this timeframe that power would obviously appear to be magical. From Thomas’ perspective, he was by now almost fully convinced that it was simply some kind of complex new science that humans didn’t yet understand. When he returned to his own time, he made a mental note to ask Noah more about the David encounter and quiz him about Protean science. It seemed that Noah’s people were as ‘in the dark’ as the humans were in regards to what specifically had taken place during Adam’s encounter within the Wasteland, but they had a nasty reputation for answering only direct questions posed to them. They preferred for other races to find their own solutions, especially on more important matters such as this one.

“How else can you recapture and heal your land?”

“I… we…” Thomas halted once again. The moment of truth has arrived, he thought with growing frustration. “Our studies of our homeland have determined that, without some kind of major intervention, there is simply no way to repair the damage that has been done.” He glanced up and looked Jesus directly in the eyes. “The devastation is too great and the people still living there too ravaged from the aftermath.”

“But you said that you have a new home?”

“We do,” admitted Thomas. “It is just as lush and beautiful as the old, with a few changes. But we are a nostalgic, proud people with lots of memories and loyalty to our homeland. We want to return to our traditional home, just as the Hebrews keep returning to Jerusalem regardless of who drives them out and how long they are forced to stay away.”

“That is… understandable.”

“Adam and I have made mistakes. A farmer told us about you and the Baptist, about how he put his hands on you and proclaimed you to be the new Messiah. That’s why we came out into the desert, because we were searching for you. That’s how we unexpectedly ran into the Samaritan. At first I thought he was you, but his explanation of who he was just didn’t seem to make sense. Then he killed Adam and I was utterly lost…”

“Not utterly lost,” countered Jesus with a small smile. “You defeated the Samaritan, something I have never seen anyone else do. Quite obviously you and your brother know how to take care of yourselves.” He held up a cautious hand. “But be aware… he prefers to lurk in the shadows and the hazy background of people’s thoughts. When they forget he is there, that’s when he strikes and is most successful at manipulation.”

Thomas put his head in his hands and let the emotions of the past few days rush through his system. I am so close! he thought angrily, so close to finding an answer! This is our chance to make things right, quite possibly our only chance! “When I saw you heal Adam so easily after his neck was broken…”

“…you thought that there might be some way I could journey to your homeland and heal it too.”

“Yes,” nodded Thomas in complete agreement. “That’s exactly right. I don’t know if my brother has enough faith in your miracles, even after being restored to life by one of them. But I have faith and I believe.”

“I’m sure you know I cannot come with you Thomas,” said Jesus. “I too have faith and have dedicated my life toward a mission to begin the ministry that my Father has chosen for me – a ministry that will expand his Covenant of compassion and forgiveness to everyone on this planet who wants it.” He studied Thomas carefully, clearly sympathetic. “I understand what you and your brother must have been through, but the best way to deal with it is to embrace your new home and leave behind everything which is poisoned. One day your new homeland will also be your old homeland. That’s the best advice I can give you.”

Thomas nodded, tears streaming down his face. “That’s what I figured… I just needed to hear you say it.” Jesus abruptly reached over and embraced him, hugging the younger Roh tightly to him. A rush of emotion filled the young scientist with an inexplicable euphoria that he wished could last forever. Right now he felt perfect and comfortable and safe – who wouldn’t want a feeling like that to last?

“There is a destiny and plan offered to each of us by the Holy Father,” Jesus told him. “If we pay attention in life and work toward helping others in their time of need, our own problems are often solved as a result of that compassion. Have you seen any signs of the path that the Father has chosen for you?”

Thinking of Adam’s silver pocket watch, Thomas nodded quickly. “There have been a few. But they are vague and easily misunderstood. Even worse is the possibility that I could misread them entirely and end up doing the wrong thing…”

“Thomas, don’t try and interpret those signs at all. Rather think of them as possibilities and options. What you need to do, now more than ever, is decide for yourself what is best for you and your people and then work toward that objective. Remember, we build up our own kingdom by helping others build theirs… that’s all you have to do in order to succeed. Let the Holy Father take care of the rest.”

“Yeah, well he’s kind of notorious for being absent for very long periods of time,” snapped Thomas a little too harshly. After the fact, he realized how crass the comment must have sounded and glanced down at the ground in shame, only to be surprised by Jesus’ laughter.

“Life is supposed to be difficult,” the man from Nazareth told him. “If it wasn’t, think how boring things would be! We must inspire and motivate ourselves, teach each other to help one another, and live a long life filled with appreciation for all that we have. Don’t give in to the need to covet your old home or waste time pining for people and things that may be forever lost. If you are meant to have that home back then you will find a way. But don’t allow your current life, your happiness… your zeal for life to fade away simply because you can’t have what you think you need to have in order to be happy. If you have a safe home, shelter from the elements, family, friends and enough to eat, then what more do you really need regardless of where you are?”

The subject of ‘saving home’ faded away from the forefront of Thomas thoughts. “Before I forget, I don’t know how I can possibly thank you enough for saving Adam’s life! I truly, honestly don’t know what I would do in this life without him…”

Again Jesus laughed boisterously. “Your first ‘thank you’ was gratitude enough young Thomas! I hope you didn’t come all this way to find me again only to repeat past conversations.” He leaned back, his brown eyes sharpening their gaze on the young scientist. “How did you manage to find me again, by the way? This cave is not so easy to find in the middle of so many others that are remarkably similar.”

Smiling sheepishly, Thomas jerked a thumb several times in Fika’s direction. “The dog found you,” he admitted. “You sat on one of our blankets and that’s all it took for him to sniff out your scent.” This time he studied the other intently for a moment before continuing, his mood souring slightly. “This ministry of yours… you know how it’s likely going to end… don’t you?”

“Yes I do,” admitted Jesus, his smile fading into a tight-lipped line. “In order to achieve great things, man must make great sacrifices. I will not let my Father down. He has laid out the path for me to walk, and all I have to do to save all of the Gentiles on this planet who want to be saved is to simply walk that path. A new Covenant with all of mankind will soon be formed. Who wouldn’t want to fulfill that destiny?”

“Well, the Samaritan for one,” commented Thomas idly, thinking over what he remembered of the human race and all of its great wars. “I don’t think we’ve seen the last of him.”

“He can only tempt,” Jesus countered assuredly. “Some will choose poorly and follow him. Many of those will realize what is happening and break away in time. Others will not. We would not truly be free to choose our own destiny if we couldn’t also choose incorrectly. That is the price of being exiled from Paradise and of being imperfect. The obstacles we overcome in life make us who we are… they build us up to be stronger and wiser.”

“What about the people who do choose evil?” Thomas asked curiously. “What about the people whose souls are rotting and corrupt… the ones who hurt and kill others without mercy? What becomes of them?”

Still sitting in his cross-legged position on the rocky ground overlooking the surrounding desert, Jesus folded the fingers of his hands together. “What do you think happens to them young Thomas Roh?” he inquired curiously.

There was a lengthy silence until Thomas finally settled on an answer. “My father used to talk about that issue all the time when we were kids,” he stated slowly. “He used to tell us that any God who was a true Father figure would have forgiveness for all of his children… that he would almost certainly offer peace to all souls, especially to those that are the most tortured in this life. Then he would ask me if I really, truly believed that a loving, compassionate and just God would truly choose to punish any soul – regardless of how evil it was – to an eternal damnation.”

“Your father was a wise man.” Jesus reached out and stroked Fika’s side gently, causing the big dog to lean in and lick his face thoroughly. Smiling in response, the man from Nazareth nodded gently at Thomas. “Now then, shouldn’t we go about finding that brother of yours? He’s been gone a long time, and it would be a shame if something happened to him again!”

“Okay,” nodded Thomas. “I guess, for now at least, I will try and get accustomed to my new home.”

“That which lies directly in front of us is impossible to deny and must be accepted and overcome,” said Jesus calmly. “The rest must be left up to faith and an innate trust in a higher power than our own.”

Together the three of them descended the rock face toward the small valley below and began a gradually expanding search for Adam.

*     * * *     *

After speaking briefly with Adam and wishing him well, Jesus turned away from the small group and, once again, headed off by himself. This time he was traveling in a northwesterly direction, something that pleased Thomas enormously. It was time for Jesus to return to society, a normal diet, and to begin his ministry. He felt true concern for the man’s short- and long-term health if he should choose to remain any longer in the desert. However, the unexpected rapid fire series of events caught Adam completely by surprise.

“I just told President Kaufield that we’ve made contact with Jesus the Christ as planned and are going to seek his counsel,” he explained to his brother with obvious frustration. “Now he’s just leaving?”

“Yes,” Thomas acknowledged with a swift nod. “I visited with him and thoroughly explored all options. He is a simple man from this time who has been affected, somehow, with an unknown energy source similar to that displayed by the David entity. He cannot help us any further unless we take him back with us. I don’t for a minute believe we are meant to do so, as that would almost certainly change the timeline.”

Adam placed his hands behind his neck, angling his elbows outward as he evaluated his brother’s assessment with great trepidation. “I realize you’re new to field work and all, but this is just your gut instinct speaking to you again,” he stated bluntly. “We came into the desert because you were convinced that Jesus could help us. We’ve spent a great deal of time locating him twice now, and after one brief conversation you’re willing to just up and let him go?” He stared at his brother with clear disapproval. “Thomas, you’re not basing this decision on anything other than intuition… that isn’t very scientific of you.”

Fika crouched down on the ground, his head lowered and whimpered slightly as he watched the two brothers argue. Somewhat surprisingly, Thomas held his ground. “I have made this decision based on the facts and reality of our situation,” he replied grimly. “Take another peek at that silver watch of yours if you don’t believe me… especially the new map on the inside of its front cover.”

“What? You mean the map of Missouri? What has that got to do with anything…”

Thomas turned and smiled wryly. “Missouri is our home, Adam. Whatever the hell we were supposed to accomplish here, your silver watch appears to believe that we have completed that task. Home would appear to be our next destination.” He chuckled irritably. “Unless you want to try building a boat in this time, recruit a crew and attempt to sail to America.”

“But we didn’t accomplish anything.”  Pacing slowly back and forth, Adam tried to think the matter through. What Thomas was saying made a lot of sense. “I hate receiving ambiguous instructions, especially from this stupid metal timepiece!” he snapped angrily. “I did think it wanted us to go to Missouri in this timeframe.”

“At first I did too,” admitted Thomas. “But I think you’ll admit that there is not a lot to be found there.”

Sitting down on the rocky Earth, Adam rubbed his face wearily. “I can’t believe we’re just letting him walk away,” he said. “I can’t believe we came all this way to find him, and now we’re just letting him leave.” He looked up in time to see his brother seat himself next to him.

“At first, it was difficult for me to accept too,” agreed Thomas. “Everything fits Adam… whatever objective we were sent here to achieve has been completed. The watch is clearly guiding us toward our next destination… back home. Whether we’re supposed to actually go to our home town in rural Missouri or simply return to the Lexington is up for debate, but I definitely believe that we should return to the present day timeframe as soon as possible.”

Adam thought the matter through very carefully. “Can you even do that yet?” he asked. “I know we’ve reestablished contact with home, but can you generate the necessary transit portal?”

“With the Lexington’s help, certainly,” his brother nodded. “The coordinate specifications are the same as for the micro-wormholes. The ship will have to transit to a safe location because I need to hook our implants directly into their CAS drive again. But yes, it’s doable, as soon as we decide to go home.”

“Then let’s do this,” concluded Adam reluctantly. “No more Romans, no more mysterious Samaritans. Let’s follow our extremely vague instructions from the silver watch and go home.”

As things turned out, however, the trip home took longer than expected.

12: XI: By the Dawn's Early Light

PROJECT EARTH

Pathfinder Series: Book Three

Chapter XI: By The Dawn’s Early Light

Planet Earth, southwest of Capernaum, A.D. 28

Generating the necessary energy for a transit portal proved to be a tricky process. It took Thomas almost half an hour to check in with President Kaufield to let him know that the two brothers were on their way home. He had to repeat much of his discussion with Adam in order to bring the rest of their team on board with the revised plan. Linked in with Glen, Nori and Noah along with Kaufield, he could sense the collective disappointment among them – all of them were privately hoping that more would have been accomplished than a simple history lesson. However, Nori in particular recognized the dangers that lurked in such a primitive environment, and she did not want to risk anything else happening to either man.

After verifying that the Lexington was safely away from Earth and hiding somewhere in the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter, Thomas once again established contact with the power output from the CAS drive. This time, however, he allowed his brain implant to process half of the energy needed while Adam’s handled the rest. He had felt dizzy during his confrontation with the Samaritan, a clear indication that the implants were only capable of processing a finite amount of power without harming the bearer. Working swiftly, Thomas mentally submitted the necessary data packets needed to calculate the numbers for the brief trip home and then used his implant’s processor to open a swirling, golden orb of energy directly in front of them. Wordlessly, the two brothers glanced briefly at each other one final time and then walked steadfastly into the transit portal.

Neither brother was truly surprised when they did not end up back aboard the Lexington as planned.

The coruscating gold energy faded significantly, allowing the Roh brothers to see out of the spherical energy gateway. The familiar, surrounding rocky terrain of the mountainous desert was gone, replaced by a new scene. They were somewhere else, in a place where grass grew and trees were plentiful. Off to their right, a long series of low mountains curved off toward the horizon. The sky was blue and it appeared to be mid-day, with the sun shining down through partial cloud cover. Thomas opened his mouth to swear irritably, until he noticed the massive crowd of people surrounding the base of the nearest mountain. There were thousands of them, tens of thousands Thomas estimated quickly, and they were all milling about with their collective chanting audible even across the vast distance that separated them.

“Look!” he said suddenly, pointing toward a niche in the side of the mountain face approximately forty meters above the crowd. Their enhanced vision zoomed in on the area, where they recognized the familiar face of Jesus Christ sitting in the middle of several dozen followers. “Adam, we’ve jumped ahead by a year or two,” Thomas said excitedly. “This has to be the Sermon on the Mount near Capernaum.”

“Interesting,” Adam replied brusquely, folding his arms and staring at his younger brother. “How come we’re not home like we’re supposed to be?”

Placing a hand on his brother’s shoulder, Thomas laughed with amusement. “Because someone or something intercepted our transit portal and rerouted it here,” he told Adam with a proud grin. “We were meant to see this or we would be home. It’s the beginning of Jesus’ ministry, a series of sermons that will completely revolutionize the concept of organized religion.”

Adam watched curiously. “The people around him are his disciples then?” he asked curiously. “Some of them look pretty disheveled. Others appear to be at least somewhat wealthy.”

“Some of them are,” nodded Thomas eagerly. “The wealthier ones are with him primarily because he is so popular. They haven’t yet grasped the concept of his new Covenant, one of sacrifice and repentance. They’re sticking by him because they believe that he is going to somehow overthrow the Roman Empire and the Judaean religious leadership… that he is going to be the next King of Jerusalem. Truthfully, the kingdom he is building is an entirely different sort, the kind that transforms entire cultures into something better simply by encouraging them to be better people.”

“Why doesn’t he get rid of the ambitious ones?” Adam turned to regard his brother thoughtfully.

“His death and subsequent rebirth on the third day will finally convince them. We are witnessing an astonishing piece of history… one man, without the aid of modern technology is building the foundations of a faith in compassion and a moral lifestyle that will last all the way up to the day we left. It’s incredible to behold!”

“I have to admit, I’ve never seen anyone draw that kind of crowd in our time,” admitted Adam reluctantly. “Just look at all of those people Thomas! They can’t all live around here… they must have come from all over the countryside just to hear him speak.”

“Only the people in front, no doubt, can hear him speaking. They must then pass on the message to those who stand behind them. It’s an excellent test model for what is about to happen globally.”

Working steadily with his eye HUD, Thomas submitted a series of commands to his implant, requesting that additional visible light be drained from the top hemisphere of the portal surrounding them. He wanted to access the stars in the sky for time and positional references, a task that was already difficult in such bright sunlight. Fortunately, the detection system that was a part of the technology in his head was capable of recognizing all electromagnetic emissions, not just the visible ones. Locking on to stars he could not yet see in the daytime sky, the young scientist quickly confirmed that they had jumped ahead approximately one year. Additionally, the brothers were indeed near the city of Capernaum.

“Why isn’t the portal fading?” wondered Adam suddenly. “If we’re not going home, perhaps we’re being assigned a new mission.”

“I don’t think so,” Thomas countered in response. “Check the watch cover.”

“If it’s still with me,” sighed Adam, slightly disgruntled as he reached inside the pocket of his robe. He removed the object and opened it. “Nope… no new mission, it still shows Fayette, Missouri.” As he spoke the words, the portal solidified once more with an electronic hum and a dazzling display of brilliant golden-yellow energy.

When it faded away only seconds later the two brothers were standing in the familiar, starboard cargo bay of the Lexington. Friends, and home, awaited them.

President Kaufield’s voice was the first to break the awkward silence that followed. “So gentlemen,” he said with his usual candor and good humor. “I see you decided to keep your incredibly large dog?”

Sol System, Earth orbit, present day…

Studying the faces of all his friends in the conference room, Adam shrugged his shoulders. “Is that it?” he asked curiously. “This is probably the shortest debriefing I’ve ever been through.”

“Me too,” agreed Thomas with his awkward, boyish smile.

Noriana Roh, Glen Fredericks, President Kaufield, Mary Fredericks, Noah and Dr. Karen Simmons were all seated around them. The President grinned at them in response. “We tag-teamed pretty well on the telemetry feeds that you shared with us,” he informed them. “There’s very little that happened during the times we were disconnected that we don’t already know about. The rest… didn’t take that long to fill in.”

“It is truly a shame that you couldn’t spend more time with Jesus Christ,” added Noah with a disappointed shake of his head. “That was an amazing opportunity, one my people have been waiting for centuries to investigate with you. I wish we could have gone with… I myself have so many questions…”

Adam took a healthy sip of coffee from a white foam cup before reaching into his pocket and tossing the silver watch onto the table top. The President picked it up carefully, opening its cover slowly. “You know, I had this at one time,” he pointed out. “Even after you two traveled more than two thousand years into the past, somehow this thing leaped across time and space from you to me. Truly an incredible demonstration of transit capability.”

“The image is still stuck on Fayette, Missouri,” pointed out Thomas, “even after we came back.”

“Yeah, about that,” added Adam somewhat reluctantly. “Before we head back to the Proteus galaxy, Thomas and I would really like to accept that suggestion and pay a visit to our home state.”

Nori studied him with interest. “I thought you didn’t want to ever see Earth again, since everything is so desolated and poisoned. You told me once that you would never again set foot on it.”

“Yeah well, color me just a little bit nostalgic,” replied Adam grudgingly. “I don’t know if it’s the fact that we’re here now, in Earth orbit, or that map on the watch casing that touched a chord of some sort within me. Regardless of what it is, I thought it might be nice to stroll around our old neighborhood for a while and see if there’s anything recognizable left. We might not be back here for some time.”

Dr. Simmons studied him apprehensively. “I still need to run a full medical review on you,” she told him. “If your neck was indeed broken, then whatever healed you might not have done a perfect job. I would very much like to take a few x-rays, just to be safe.”

“You’re kidding, right?” Adam chuckled at her professional demeanor, seemingly unbreakable even in the informal setting. “I would say whatever healed me did a damn efficient job… I was dead.”

“I want to take a look at your spinal column, just to be safe,” she insisted softly but firmly.

“We’ll only be an hour or two,” acknowledged Adam in response. “Then I’ll come right to your lab.”

“As luck would have it,” the gray-haired Doctor told him, “I have an opening in this morning’s schedule.” His wife laughed at the joke and playfully punched him on the shoulder, relieved to have him back.

“What’s going to happen on Earth now that you’ve taken down the Brotherhood?” inquired Thomas. “Are we going to reopen the portals to the Proteus galaxy and bring in more help? Or is another attempt at time travel in the works?”

Noah and President Kaufield exchanged uneasy glances. “That’s going to take some time to figure out,” said Noah finally. “Although the President has gained the confidence of the Brotherhood’s remaining leader, there are still a lot of hostile killers out there… on Earth and on board the warships patrolling the Sol system.”

“We’re working hard to identify them,” noted Kaufield. “Since they have genetically enhanced strength, detaining them will be a difficult task. Done incorrectly we could take severe casualties. But everyone we do end up catching will be relocated to a penal colony in the Proteus galaxy where they can spend the rest of their lives as they see fit.”

“What about Valiana 001 and the people who remain loyal to her?” asked Adam inquisitively. “Their sympathy to the Earth survivors saved a lot of lives and made things much easier for you, in the end.”

“Yes they did, which is why we might end up granting them access to some land with which to set up permanent residence on Tranquility,” the President told him. “They could have made things significantly more difficult for us, given the circumstances.” He paused, choosing his next words carefully. “As for another attempt at a short range time travel mission, we’ve kind of shelved that idea for the moment.”

Thomas’ hopes fell and his expression clearly showed it. “Why?”

“Because there is a reason for the intervention with the first attempt,” Noah pointed out. “That reason may not be immediately clear to us yet, but we have to take some time and evaluate what happened. It is possible that we may eventually discover the specific reason. Rushing into another similar mission at this point would be extremely risky and possibly provoke whoever intervened even further.”

“I don’t like not knowing the full truth,” said Glen firmly. Mary put a gentle hand on his arm and smiled.

“None of us are satisfied at this point,” Kaufield conceded with mild frustration. “That’s quite simply the way it is. We may eventually learn the truth, or we may not. A decision as to whether or not to try another time travel mission is safely off the table for discussion now, at least until we finish dismantling the remaining Brotherhood leadership. Once things on Earth have settled down, we’ll revisit the issue.” He glanced briefly at his watch, taking note of the time. “However, you’ll have to excuse me now… additional Earth warships will be transiting into the Sol system shortly and Admiral Henry will want me to be there to greet them. We may not be back here for a while, but our military will soon establish a permanent presence.”

Waving a cautious hand, Adam caught his attention as the President rose to leave. “Thomas and I would appreciate it if you could free up a shuttle for us… we really want to visit home one last time.”

Nodding with understanding, Kaufield smiled. “Then report to the port shuttle bay in ten minutes. I’ll have Joseph take you wherever you want to go.”

“Joseph?” said Adam with mild surprise. “Your kid?”

“That’s right. He’s the best pilot on the Lexington now.”

“Well how about that?” chuckled Adam, clearly impressed.

*     * * *     *

The shuttle flight to Earth was essentially quiet and laid back. Thomas and Adam both embraced Joseph Kaufield eagerly during the pre-flighting process and caught up on old times, but during the actual trip down through the atmosphere they allowed him to focus on the flight and attend to business. There was, after all, still a Brotherhood threat to be reckoned with even if the President’s new ‘treaty’ with the remaining Triumvirate leader was supposedly in place. The number of militants who were active and would not follow her leadership was a large one – a brutal fact that needed to be respected in light of everything else that had happened. Even with Kaufield’s presumptive victory, it would be some time before the danger lessened.

It was still dark out, about a half hour or so before dawn arrived in what used to be the Central Time Zone of the Midwestern United States of America. Adam and Thomas sat quietly in the shuttle’s passenger section, quietly reflecting on what they expected to see when they reached their old home in Missouri. Neither of them had been back in years, they had simply been too busy in the Proteus galaxy to even consider returning to their childhood home. And after the world exploded in nuclear fire fifteen years earlier, neither of them had ever expected to want to go back. But now, the specific markings on inside of the silver watch casing were piquing Adam’s interest with an irresistible urge to investigate. A simple map of the Earth, similar to the one that the watch had presented as its first offering, would have sufficed as a signal for them to return to the present. The fact that their hometown was specifically singled out and designated this time around seemed to hint at something more, something that felt important enough to investigate.

“I’m not planning on staying long Thomas,” Adam said suddenly, the sound of his voice breaking through the non-stop rumbling of the shuttle’s engines. “Viewing the damage in the darkness will be tough enough.”

“I understand,” his brother replied softly. “I’ve been studying our probe maps of North America and it was targeted pretty heavily.” He handed Adam a small bottle of pills. “Dr. Simmons suggested we take two of these before disembarking, and then two more for the ride back. In addition to her promise to check over your neck injury, both of us are going to have to undergo radiation treatments when we get back.”

Adam turned and just looked at him, thoroughly disgusted by the details that hinted at so much damage to their home world. I never expected it would be this bad, he thought grimly, because I did not want to look.

As the President predicted, Joseph proved to be an excellent pilot. He brought the invisibility-screened shuttle down through the atmosphere with little more than a few mild bumps and descended over what used to be the Midwestern United States, angling toward the southeast. It took another fifteen minutes of flying time before the small transport vessel’s landing gear extended and it settled firmly onto the ground. As the engines throttled down to a dull, distant rumble after being placed on standby, Joseph poked his head through the cockpit door and nodded curtly at them. “You’ve got thirty minutes,” he told them firmly. “We can stay until dawn breaks. I have to stay here and watch for signs of enemy activity. And if I signal that there’s trouble, both of you are to come back immediately.”

“Understood.” Adam nodded respectfully at the young kid, whose knowledge of the situation, confidence and self-discipline reminded him of what Thomas used to be like twenty years or so in the past.

Hesitating for one last instant the two brothers exchanged uneasy glances. Thomas gave in first, reaching out toward the wall controls and using them to open a side hatch on the shuttle. As the doors retracted, snapping left and right, a small ramp auto-extended from the base of the deck, angling down toward the ground to allow them an easier descent. Immediately the stench of the polluted air assailed their nostrils. Thomas coughed and resisted the urge to gag at the foul smells, but Adam never wavered. A combat veteran from the Wasteland battle zone, he had seen and experienced a whole lot worse than the occasional unpleasant odor or two. Mentally he evaluated the stench and gave it a description.

Ashes and death.

This is what our home smells like now… ashes and death, he told himself with a discouraging shake of his head. He simply stood there, unwilling to move at first, contenting himself to look out into the darkness and wonder what else he was going to find before their brief tour was completed. Thomas moved first, using the ramp to descend cautiously toward the ground below. Since the shuttle remained cloaked, there were no lights other than the handheld flashlights they carried. Even so, as he walked out onto the ramp his eyes drifted skyward. He could easily pick out the North Star along with a few of the major, more easily identifiable constellations. Everything else, including all of the surrounding terrain, was shrouded in an almost complete and total blackness.

Ashes and death, along with an almost total absence of light. Truly the Earth had become almost hell reimagined.

“I’m tapping into the Lexington’s global positioning system,” Thomas stated bluntly, the shape of his body barely discernible. Turning the beam of his flashlight in his brother’s direction, Adam could just barely see the glint of light reflecting off his brother’s eyes.

“We should have brought the dog,” muttered Adam sourly. “He could sniff out anything, even in this mess.”

“I don’t think he would like our Earth as compared to his,” Thomas replied with a dark chuckle. He waved his right hand at Adam. “Come on, we don’t have much time. Mom and Dad’s house is this way.”

Responding to his brother’s prompt, Adam walked down the shuttle ramp as his brother’s shadowy profile moved off toward the right. His eye HUD was active and tracking his brother’s position with pinpoint accuracy, insuring that the two of them didn’t get separated or lost while trying to move through the debris. Stopping at the base of the ramp, his flashlight illuminated the immediate area, allowing him to see a nearly endless supply of charred and broken wood, fragmented metal and shattered glass.

The entire city must have exploded and burned in an instant, he thought silently, along with everyone in it.

As soon as his feet left the ramp and touched the actual ground, something happened. Adam gasped with surprise, dropping his flashlight in the process as he felt a warm heat begin to emanate from the center of his body. He had no idea what was causing it and could think of no reason why he would suddenly become so utterly disoriented. Dizzy, he called out for Thomas and staggered forward a few steps, recognizing the familiar site of an asphalt road beneath his feet. Even so, it was a road that was so broken and pitted and cracked that it would be completely unusable if any of the nearby rusting land vehicles remained operational. He inhaled deeply in an attempt to refresh his system with oxygen.

Then he blacked out.

He woke up several seconds later, lying flat on his back. “What the hell just happened?” he asked, thoroughly confused and feeling a little bit humiliated by his reaction. Deep down he already knew what had happened, even as he opened his eyes and saw his brother’s face hovering over him. It reminded him of the day before, when Jesus’ face had been leaning over him after resurrecting him from the neck injury.

“You fainted Adam,” Thomas told him, his voice filled with concern. “I was looking right at you and your body began to glow with that same, soft white, pulsating aura that surrounded Jesus… the same kind of energy signature that you claim David possessed. It started as soon as your feet touched the Earth and then it seemed to rush downward, out of you and into the ground.”

“Yes, that’s kind of what it felt like from this end,” admitted Adam. He sat up grimly, glancing around in all directions while the two of them waited for something to happen. “Something previously dormant inside of me appeared suddenly out of nowhere and then just seemed to rush toward my feet. It felt a lot like liquid heat.” Minutes ticked by with nothing else unusual taking place. Thomas finally relented by offering Adam a hand and lifting him firmly back to a standing position.

“Your vitals appear normal,” noted Thomas with a relived sigh. “For a brief moment there, I was worried that your new lease on life was a temporary one.”

“Thanks for sharing that thought with me,” growled Adam, his old feelings of mistrust and suspicion where David was concerned instantly resurfacing. “It’s not like that would be the kind of comment most people would keep to themselves or anything.”

The two of them began moving steadily away from the shuttle, following the broken pieces of the road that led deeper toward the center of town. On the edge of the horizon, where land met sky, Thomas noticed a faint, soft orange glow slowly beginning to manifest. It was almost 4:30 a.m. and dawn was on the verge of peeking out at them. Around them, the broken profiles of shattered buildings and homes were now clearly discernible. Once again exchanging wary glances; the two brothers continued walking through the center of town until they reached a familiar street that was well-known to them even without the usual street signs in place. They turned right and walked down a side road that was in much better shape than it should have been, given the circumstances. Even so it was littered with all kinds of debris: fragments of what had once been furniture and window frames, tin cans and water bottles, the metallic frames of burnt out motor vehicles that would never again move anyone from place to place.

By the time they reached their old neighborhood it was light enough to see without the flashlights. At one time there had been a double row of houses lining each side of the side street. Now there was nothing but huge, smashed piles of charred wood and broken glass. Pretty much everything within sight was burned almost beyond recognition. The skeletal remains of humans and animals were recognizable too, incinerated to the point where it was impossible to identify even gender. These were people we used to KNOW personally, Thomas realized suddenly. And any of these people could be victims that were once FAMILY.

Adam was watching his brother and it was clear that the grief Thomas felt was growing by leaps and bounds. Thomas was a much more emotional creature than he was, and also possessed a permanent anxiety disorder that remained under treatment. Ever since the destruction of their home world, Adam and the President had worked very hard to make certain that Thomas was fully involved in helping with their ongoing scientific endeavors. But the two of them were also partially shielding him from as many of the nastier aftershocks from the war as possible. It had taken a long time to get him stabilized after his anxiety flared out of control on board the Pathfinder. Neither man wanted to chance putting the younger Roh through a second traumatic experience. Every man had his weaknesses; every man had a breaking point.

“I think we should go back,” decided Adam suddenly, doubt growing in his mind as he waved sharply at his brother. “We’re not going to find anything here except bad memories, Thomas. I really believe now that this was a stupid idea. Let’s go back.”

Glancing over at him, Thomas continued walking toward their old house on the corner at the end of the street. “I really think…” he began. The rest of his statement was suddenly cut off as the President linked in with them mentally, accessing the transceivers in their brain implants.

[“What’s going on down there?”] Kaufield asked curiously. [“What did you two just do?”]

The two brothers just stood there and looked apprehensively at one another, each reading the puzzlement in the expression of the other. [“What do you mean?”] Adam transmitted back. [“It looks like a nuclear wasteland down here, all radiation and death. There is really nothing much else to write home about.”]

[“Well something is going on!”] continued the President excitedly. His normally calm, cool and reserved manner had evaporated completely, prompting Adam to conclude that something truly out of the ordinary must be taking place. [“Can’t you see it?”] Kaufield paused, obviously checking telemetry on his tactical console. [“Of course you can’t see it yet. It’s following the path of the morning sunlight. It will reach you in a few minutes. Adam, Thomas… It’s wondrous, what is happening… it’s… it’s… absolutely BEAUTIFUL!”]

Somewhat frustrated, Adam and Thomas continued to study each other warily. They stood there helplessly for another few minutes, wondering just what in the world was going on. Dennis Kaufield was not the kind of man who made this kind of broad proclamation on a whim. If he was saying what he was saying, it was because he was seeing something major taking place. And yet, try as they might, neither Roh brother was able to discern specifically what he was talking about.

[“There’s nothing!”] Thomas told him in response. [“We can see the dawn coming up, but other than the first few rays of sunshine there’s nothing. Just a filthy, polluted orange sky to match the…”] He trailed off once again as a soft hiss from the east abruptly broke the morning stillness, growing steadily louder. [“Oh…”] he said with sudden awe. [“Oh my God! What IS that?”]

A huge, thin line of shimmering white energy curved across the horizon right where Earth met sky, bright enough to overpower the morning sunshine. It was thickening with the passage of each second, growing taller and taller as the energy rocketed toward their position at high speed, its hiss transitioning gradually into a soft, throaty roar. Within seconds, it became clear that they were looking at a huge wall of coruscating white energy, seemingly stretching upward, all the way to the top of the atmosphere. It was closing in on them steadily, chasing away the last of the twilight just as President Kaufield predicted. They could hear his voice in their minds, urging them to run for the shuttle. But it was already too late for that option; both brothers knew this to be true. So they simply stood there and watched.

At the last instant before the swirling ivory energy barrier reached them, Thomas happened to glance down at his feet, just barely, momentarily managing to tear his gaze away from the impossible, extraordinary phenomenon racing directly toward them. “Look!” he shouted, struggling to be heard above the colossal roar, pointing at the desolate ground beneath their feet. He could see small green shoots of what looked to be grass beginning to poke out of the Earth’s surface, stretching upward as they reached toward the light, appearing to respond directly to its presence. After that, he saw nothing for quite some time as the huge cloud of white energy enveloped them and sped onward toward the west without slowing. They were totally encompassed in a massive, powerful energy field that seemed to writhe and twist in the soft morning breeze. Thomas would describe it later as feeling like they were walking in a thick, viscous ocean of energy.

Adam recognized it instantly, reaching out with both hands and allowing the energy to bathe him in its radiance. He smiled, completely overwhelmed by the euphoria of the moment, by the warmth and gentle touch of the energy’s presence. Despite its extremely formidable, obviously powerful appearance, there was nothing violent about it in the slightest. Instead, it seemed to wrap itself around everything, twisting and flowing just like a liquid river across the surface of the Earth. “Thomas, this is what it was like… this is what I saw when I was dead!” Adam hollered at the top of his lungs. “Everything was white and luminous and warm, and I’ve never felt so secure in my life!” He didn’t know if his brother could hear him, so he simply whirled around and studied the constantly flowing energy currents. He held up a hand in front of his face, noticing that his fingers were literally glowing as though surrounded by a brilliant white fire.

Less than thirty seconds later the roar of the energy flow suddenly fizzled noticeably, the huge cloud of it moving off toward the western horizon at the same speed it had approached. Thomas was seated on the ground, having found himself completely overwhelmed and bewildered by a powerful, unexplained energy flow that had wholly encompassed everything around them for as far as the eye could see. Adam was still standing where he had been at the beginning, staring off toward the west where the dwindling rear wall of the barrier could be seen racing onward in a steady course that precisely matched the barrier between twilight and morning sun. This is unbelievable, his mind screamed at him. This is wondrous, monumental, miraculous! Then it suddenly dawned on him that Thomas was sitting in the center of a large patch of newly grown green grass, clover and purple and yellow wildflowers.

Looking around carefully, both men noticed that everything within their field of vision was somehow, inexplicably transformed. What had once been ashes and death was now a world reborn and filled with life.

Inhaling sharply, both men noticed that the sour smells of ash and incinerated dead things were suddenly gone, out of the blue, vanished as though they had never existed. The shattered wood and broken buildings were still there, but they were surrounded by green-leaved trees, bushes and flower petals dripping with fresh morning dew while waving in a steady, cool breeze. For once, neither Roh brother had anything to say. Thomas simply sat where he was, watching a line of ants moving toward a large, heavily fortified hole that they had apparently built at some earlier point in time.

Adam watched a lazy, buzzing bumblebee wend its way casually through the wild flowers. The familiar sounds of nature suddenly reached his ears and he glanced up toward the tops of the trees framed by a light-blue, undamaged morning sky with amazement. Are those BIRDS chirping… am I hearing correctly? The two of them stood there silently, saying nothing, just taking it all in and admiring a spectacular display of nature that neither of them had ever expected to see again.

[“Adam! Thomas! Are you down there?”] wondered a familiar presence in their minds. Kaufield! Once again, their link with him had been completely cut off as soon as the energy barrier made its brief but astonishingly transformational appearance.

[“Yes! Yes… we’re here!”] Adam responded, watching the look of astonishment on his brother’s face with a slow smile of his own. [“Can you see the visual feeds we’re sending? It’s wonderful… absolutely wonderful I tell you! Somehow, in some completely unfathomable way, we’ve been given our Earth back. This part of it, at least. Is this happening everywhere?”]

[“Yes, somehow we’ve been given back EVERYTHING!”] His wife’s presence in his mind joined Kaufield’s. [“That energy wave is gradually encompassing the entire planet – it’s healing everything that was broken, putting everything back the way it was before the war.”]

Snapping back to the true professional he was, Thomas abruptly stood up and began looking around, searching through all the new signs of life that had somehow been almost instantly restored. [“Not everything,”] he cautioned suddenly, studying the scrolling telemetry feed on his eye HUD. [“I’m not detecting any human life signs, and all of the houses and buildings are still smashed. There is debris lying everywhere around us on shattered roads, charred wood, empty food cans, broken windows...”] He paused for a few precious seconds, continuing to analyze. [“However it’s admittedly all just simple debris now… stuff that can be cleaned up. The air is fresh – almost perfect in fact – and radiation levels have dropped back to normal. Whatever that energy wave was, it selectively healed pretty much everything dangerous.”]

[“But how could this have happened?”] wondered Adam suddenly. [“Just because we came back home, THAT is supposedly the catalyst that triggered all of this? How?”]

Thomas regarded his brother thoughtfully and laughed suddenly, recognizing something that for the moment eluded a noticeably frustrated Adam. “Don’t you see?” Thomas asked curiously, smiling triumphantly at his brother. “There was more to that ‘healing’ ritual that Jesus performed on you than we at first thought. In fact, I believe it’s why he ended up so weak and powerless; almost dying from the same desert exposure that previously was unable to even slow him down. When he healed you, a great deal of additional energy was transferred into you. Since he obviously couldn’t come to the future with us, you were used as a vessel – a battery of sorts – to store what was temporarily needed in order to properly heal and restore the Earth. It activated as soon as your feet touched the surface.” Thomas suddenly began hopping up and down triumphantly. “We’ve been given our miracle Adam! We’ve got our miracle!”

Adam remained perplexed. “Who? Who’s miracle is it?” he asked curiously. “You can’t tell me that Jesus just simply knew somehow exactly what we were going to need before we even had an opportunity to explain our situation to him. I was dead… that’s the first time we encountered him. So how could he have known that we would need a miracle of this scope?”

“He didn’t, but David did,” continued Thomas enthusiastically. “Wherever David is, he obviously couldn’t be here to help us so he used that silver watch as both a guide and conduit to guide us through a series of pre-planned steps. Not only is he linked to the watch, but he is obviously linked to Jesus too.”

“You mean I was supposed to die?” Adam put an uneasy hand to his throat and swallowed hard.

“Not necessarily. I’m guessing that there was going to be some kind of a transfer of power regardless of what happened to us. When you happened to get killed, the watch’s programming somehow recognized that it had a unique opportunity to use you as a storage vessel.” He grinned sheepishly. “I still think it’s an Artificial Intelligence of some sort… and an extremely advanced one, I might add.”

[“I hate to interrupt your little debate and discussion,”] Kaufield’s presence announced unexpectedly. [“However, I would look upon it as a favor if you two would finish up whatever it is you were planning on doing and get back to the shuttle, ASAP. Matters have changed significantly, first with the fall of the Brotherhood leadership and now with the unexpected transformation of Earth. I’m going to need both of you back on the job helping to analyze everything that has happened.”]

[“Give us ten minutes,”] decided Adam as the new morning light revealed a nearby pile of burnt and broken wood that had once been his parents’ home. The lawn looked neat green while the house was framed on its west side by large pine trees and a row of blooming, flowery bushes as though nothing bad had ever happened. [“That should be time enough for us to say goodbye to our loved ones.”]

Kaufield sensed Adam’s raw emotional state. Thomas’ wasn’t in much better shape. [“Scratch that last order,”] he replied, his sympathy obvious. [“Take as long as you need.”]

Together the two brothers walked toward a house that was broken and yet still filled with countless memories.

13: XII: When Darkness Becomes Light

PROJECT EARTH

Pathfinder Series: Book Three

Chapter XII: When Darkness Becomes Light

Sol System, aboard the Lexington, present day…

President Kaufield began their last official staff meeting in the Sol system by introducing everyone to Valiana 001. “I have reviewed the databases from Earth’s computers and discovered that she and her late colleague Hobak have been working to undermine the Brotherhood of the Dragon for over a decade. A most remarkable effort, considering the danger involved has already been fatal for one of them.” The dark-haired, brown-eyed Caucasian woman was just standing there and staring at the floor, her cheeks flushed with shame. It was clear that she felt more than a little remorse regarding everything that had happened since the beginning of the war.

Finally she glanced up at him, anxiety tightening the muscles in her face. “I don’t expect any special treatment,” she told him. “All of us, all of the clones, were there at the inception. We voted unanimously to plunge the Earth into war, and it’s only through the creation of a complete miracle that some of the damage has now been undone.” She spoke hesitantly, her words tentative. “If you spare my life, I promise that my allies and I will continue to help you.”

“The miracle you speak of has reminded us once again of the importance of repentance and forgiveness,” spoke up Dr. Simmons. “You have already paid a stiff penalty in a number of ways, especially biologically.”

“How so?” Adam and Thomas had only recently returned from the surface and were not yet up to speed on everything that had taken place during the awesome energy surge. Other crew members all over the ship, however, were still eagerly discussing the phenomenal transformation of what had been Earth’s own version of the Wasteland.

Karen Simmons glanced at the brothers and smiled. “The same miracle that restored the plant and animal life on Earth and erased the radiation from the air and the poison from the water has affected the Brotherhood clones too. They have been stripped of their genetic enhancements… all of them are gone.”

“I’m just a regular human now,” shrugged Valiana, her mood still dark and grim. “My brothers and sisters as well; we deserve no less, when you take into account everything that has happened.”

“I don’t think what has happened to you was meant as a punishment, Valiana.” Walking over to where she stood shivering with fear, the President put an arm around her shoulders and offered her a chair. Then he poured her a cup of coffee as Thomas shoved a box of donuts across the table.

“Welcome to our group,” Thomas emphasized. “You’re here because we believe you have changed and trust you to assist us in making things right.”

“Don’t forget the infamous nature of the entity that has granted us this astonishing miracle,” said Kaufield with a reassuring smile. “Yes your modified genetics have been reversed, but your people’s injuries were also healed along with the rest of Earth’s refugees,” he continued. “Even the people who are still fighting to undermine our Brotherhood takeover were cured. Everyone living on Earth, in some form or another, was paying a colossal price for living on such a devastated world. The fact that your people were healed along with our own citizens tells me that compassion and understanding has been offered to all of us. Trust me, the fledgling Tranquility government is fully capable of handling the redemption process for those of you who will renounce your ways and atone for your sins.”

“Not all of us deserve such treatment,” snapped Valiana apprehensively. “Many of those who you are working to capture have committed atrocities unworthy of the human race.”

“Those people, unfortunately, have already decided their fate,” pointed out Noah. His elderly features crinkled as he flashed a reassuring smile at her. “We have a planet waiting for them in the Proteus galaxy that will… refocus… their priorities on life’s more important issues.” His eyes shifted next to Kaufield. “But then, speaking of planets, we have so much more to talk about, especially where Earth is concerned.”

“Yes. No kidding Noah. Just what in the blazes happened down there?” asked Adam curiously. “I realize that my body was used as some sort of battery to release an unknown energy, but it all felt like… it felt like…” He looked to Thomas.

“Renewal,” said Thomas. “What we witnessed down there and up here from orbit was a stunning renewal… an almost total recreation of Earth’s biological eco-systems. I only had a few minutes prior to this meeting, but the video recordings of that white energy wave clearly show it eventually passed over the entire planet. Those who died in the initial war and after are still lost to us. There are also plenty of bomb craters and debris fields to be cleaned up, but overall we couldn’t have hoped for more.”

“Agreed,” said Dr. Simmons. “Already there is already more meat, fresh fruit and vegetables to be found in what used to be the continental United States than existed yesterday on the entire planet. We witnessed a truly astonishing transformation, and I don’t know what else to say about what took place. There’s nothing currently in our known science that could have accomplished so much in so little time.”

“Nor our science,” added Noah wryly. “We produce similar results, granted, but it takes us quite a bit of time and patience. New suns and their orbiting worlds need to be created and then seeded with life, a process that takes us decades, sometimes centuries, depending upon how creative we wish to get.” He chuckled and regarded both Thomas and Adam thoughtfully. “I have to thank all of you, though. Taking part in this has been… spiritually… revitalizing for me. My people have been wondering just who or what interfered with Earth’s development for several millennia now. Now we know that much of what is written in your Holy Bible is in fact true. The only way things would have been better is if I could have gone with you and spoke with this Jesus of Nazareth personally.”

Adam threw up his hands, his expression puzzled. “We still don’t know who it was who actually ended up helping us,” he observed. “All we have are suspicions… that an unknown alien entity named David is linked somehow to Jesus the Christ.”

“Isn’t that enough?” wondered Thomas, studying his brother intently. “You’ve said many times that the silver watch David gave you, while you were in the Wasteland, is proof enough of God’s existence. Isn’t that what made a believer out of you?”

“David was an old man with a lot of vague comments and ideas,” replied Adam with frustration. “He flat out dared me to ask him if he was the Intelligent Designer. When I finally gave in and did just that, he told me ‘you don’t get to know that… yet’.” He shook his head and poured himself another steaming cup of coffee. “Things don’t get any more enigmatic than that!”

The President looked next to Dr. Karen Simmons. “What more can I add?” she asked him, waving her hands helplessly in a manner remarkably similar to Adam’s. “The rebirth of life on Earth is almost total. Forests, prairies, wooded areas, jungles and rivers, it’s all back the way it was except for the blast damage and debris. Every patient I’ve examined is completely healed.” She paused for emphasis, reaching up to brush a lock of graying hair out of her eyes. “Completely healed… it’s not just the radiation and other combat damage that’s been reversed. All other maladies and long-term problems people were suffering from are gone too… even mental retardation and those who were missing limbs. The restoration is absolutely off-the-charts incredible to behold. It’s almost as if someone had a ‘before’ template and used it to restore everything.” She chuckled lightly. “Yes the clones are no longer enhanced, but all previously permanent tissue damage has been completely healed.”

“We’re reopening the portals to the Proteus galaxy immediately after this meeting,” pointed out Noah. “Already your government on Tranquility is receiving requests from millions of people who want to return to Earth and begin the rebuilding process. News of this has already spread back home, I’m afraid.”

Valiana exhaled sharply. “The worst of my people will disguise themselves and try to sneak through your portals,” she warned him. “They’re going to have no other place to hide, unfortunately.”

Noah pointed at his wrinkled features in response. “They can change the color of their hair, grow beards, and perhaps even alter the color of their eyes. But they will not be able to beat our facial recognition capability,” he told her. “And even if they could, missing genetic enhancements or no, we can tell who they are.” He turned toward Dr. Simmons. “Correct?”

“Correct,” she stated confidently with a wide smile. 

“All of the friends and families that we lost are still gone,” commented Mary Fredericks calmly. “I must confess that I would have liked to have had them restored as well.” She turned toward her husband with a frustrated look on her face. “I really wish that our time travel effort would have been allowed to proceed… with the way things worked out we still have to deal with the tragic loss of so many innocent people.”

Glen nodded in agreement. “I keep wondering why we were so sharply elbowed into this outcome,” he mused thoughtfully. “Knowing that Noah’s people have already used time travel to the recent past in order to avoid catastrophic situations, it’s kind of perplexing that we weren’t permitted to do the same thing.”

“I think I know why,” declared Adam suddenly. “Noah has described those missions of theirs to avert massive loss of life in terms of months or occasionally a year or two.” He paused thoughtfully, mulling over the situation. “It took us years to get settled on Tranquility in the Proteus galaxy and help all of the refugees who willingly chose to come through the portals from Earth and join us. Then it took at least a decade before we were comfortable enough to begin experimenting with implant technology and run the Wasteland mission.”

“So?” Glen didn’t see his point.

“You obviously haven’t had a point in your life where you were near death,” said Thomas with a slow smile. “That’s very fortunate for you, but it means you haven’t glimpsed what lies beyond.”

“Almost six billion people lost their lives in that nuclear war and its immediate aftermath,” pointed out Adam bluntly. “And it’s taken us almost sixteen years to get to a position where we could safely go back and attempt a correction.” He looked around the room, studying their faces one by one. “It’s just a gut instinct, but I believe that those six billion souls have been peacefully at rest for almost two decades now and whoever it is that interfered with our time travel mission wants them to remain that way.”

“It makes as much sense as any explanation I can think of,” nodded Kaufield. “The ongoing loss also remains a grim reminder to us all of what happens when we allow our leaders to look the other way and avoid solving our world’s violent conflicts while they’re still reasonably small.” He looked next to the Admiral.

“We have nearly two dozen CAS-equipped, invisible warships that have moved into the Sol system,” said James Henry confidently. “The Brotherhood fleet has noticed those patrols and is slowly but surely lining up to surrender. There are a few stubborn ship commanders out there, but when they start to see parts of their ships sliced off with our laser systems, the reality of the situation begins to dawn on them.” He sighed heavily. “Retaking the entire planet will be a much more difficult, time consuming process. We’re still working to provide adequate security to the residents of Tranquility, so pulling so many of our troops back to Earth will strain our forces a bit. No matter… we’ll handle it.”

“I can assist too,” spoke up Valiana. “I’ll provide you with a list of trustworthy allies you can work with.”

“That would be appreciated, madam.”

“Yes, and now that it is clear that the remaining Brotherhood leadership is also on board with your plans, my people will not object to adding some of our own troops to assist you,” promised Noah. “They can do more than simply guard the portals now that your planetary government speaks with one unified voice.”

Admiral Henry nodded gratefully while President Kaufield looked at his friend with gratitude. “You told us at the very beginning that we would have to solve our own problems,” he said, remembering.

“But with help,” replied Noah with a wink. “You are no longer a new friend that we know very little about. Your people are a valued asset in our community and an ally.”

Holding up a brown clipboard with several sheets of paper attached to it, Kaufield smiled at the small group of people. “Before I let everyone go for the evening, there’s just one more thing,” he decided, shifting his gaze toward Adam. “I received a final, detailed report summarizing what you witnessed in the Wasteland and your time in the past early this morning. You wrote: ‘After repeated encounters with unknown entities that regularly make use of unexplained abilities clearly transcending traditional science as we know it, my conclusion is that God is some sort of omnipotent, super-powered alien who is probably older than our known universe. His kid, I’m not so sure about’.”

Shrugging indifferently, Adam smiled wryly. “That is my professional assessment,” he declared. “Sir.”

“Do you believe that David created this universe?” Kaufield prodded subtly.

“It is my opinion, but scientifically I find that to be a colossal unknown at this time, Mr. President.”

“And what do you think?” Kaufield turned to regard Thomas with more than a little amusement.

“Obviously I don’t know for certain either,” the youthful scientist admitted with mild frustration. “Whatever we would choose to call these abilities… magic, divine power, perhaps some kind of a new science we don’t yet understand…” He looked down at his own notes and regarded them thoughtfully. “Does it really matter? All of it has been directed toward teaching us about compassion, forgiveness, and the need to live with a moral center that keeps us grounded so that we can continue to evolve as a species. Look at history… every time a society has grown more and more narcissistic and its citizens less self-reliant, it eventually collapses.”

“According to the Old Testament, God was a pretty angry, vengeful being,” stated Adam candidly.

“Perhaps working with humans was new to him,” suggested Mary. “If you look at the entire Bible, it’s a record of a God that grew more and more merciful as time progressed. And as we matured as a race, things got better and better, culminating in the sending of his own Son to form the final, lasting Covenant that promised to save all the Gentiles if only they repented and chose to ask Him for forgiveness.”

“I believe we were meticulously and deliberately created as emotional beings to bring diversity into our mix,” noted Thomas. “We were meant to grow and evolve into something better over time, learning from our mistakes. But the proverbial forbidden fruit from the Tree of Knowledge comes with a price… it allows us to choose whether we want to be good or evil.”

“Maybe the life of Jesus wasn’t the final Covenant,” suggested Noriana Roh. She had been content merely to listen up until now, but looked to each of them, one by one. “Don’t you see? The Bible was written by the people of those times who were writing down what they believed was going on… what they thought they were seeing and hearing. What just happened on Earth is very similar. Perhaps it is a new Covenant, one that promises us that we will be watched over even in our greatest hour of need.”

“We’re the people living in this time,” acknowledged Glen with a wide smile. “Perhaps we get to decide what this Covenant is… to write what we believe has happened for later generations to ponder.”

“Trust me, it’s ridiculously easy to misread this David entity,” Adam countered somewhat skeptically. “What happened on Earth could easily be a mulligan, a one-time ‘do over’. It could be serving as a warning to never again let down our guard so completely. The message could just as easily be, ‘don’t ever let this happen again’.”

Kaufield laughed at Adam’s cautious manner. “Then our records of these recent events, even though they’ll be written by people from a more knowledgeable, modern civilization, will end up just as diverse. What we record should be just as full of optimism and pessimism as ancient history. Isn’t that the way it should be?”

Shortly thereafter, the meeting was adjourned.

*     * * *     *

An hour later found Thomas standing in front of the door to Adam’s quarters aboard the Lexington. Noriana answered the door and hugged him, quite obviously glad to have both of the Roh brothers back again. She had already stated that any future ‘implant missions for Kaufield’ would be handled by her. Thomas and Adam would only be serving on Sentinel duty now – they had more than earned the reprieve. She and Adam were in the process of finishing a light dinner, and they immediately invited Thomas to join them. He quickly agreed, noting that it was good to be eating real, cooked food again after almost a week of mostly MREs.

Accepting a plate of food, Thomas studied the two of them carefully.  “I gave Fika to Valiana,” he told them. “Kari and I obviously don’t have room for a dog that big back in our yard on Tranquility. Since both of them have committed violent acts – mostly against their inner nature – I thought it would be fitting to put them together. They’ve both seen the good and the bad inside themselves, and can heal each other with kindness.”

“That was a great idea Thomas,” smiled Nori appreciatively.

“You served in the U.S. military,” he mentioned to her. “I know I’m Monday-morning quarterbacking fifteen years late, but just how the hell did we permit a nuclear holocaust to occur on Earth? What did we do wrong that allows something like that Brotherhood to rise to power and destroy all of Earth?”

She smiled ruefully before responding. “How does that kind of thing ever happen?” she replied, answering his question with another question. “Sometimes evil sneaks up on you, bit by bit and you don’t see it coming. And historically it has always been inaction on our part that triggers the larger wars. There was a lot going on prior to both of the first two world wars, but most countries tried to isolate themselves from it all – America included. ‘If we intervene,’ the isolationists repeatedly told us, ‘we will suffer military casualties. Let other countries solve their own problems’. That’s always the way things are… it’s very easy to convince people to look the other way, and then the worst of the problems grow progressively worse with the passage of time. They’re like a snowball rolling downhill. By the time they’re large enough to see, it’s too late. A world war is in progress and casualties end up numbering in the millions rather than hundreds or simple thousands. It’s tougher and much harder to address problems while they’re still relatively small, but that’s the time to stop them.”

“Pearl Harbor is a great example, but the birth of the Brotherhood of the Dragon is a better one,” Adam growled as he finished his meal. “Three times now, smaller conflicts have had to escalate to the point where they affected us directly before people allowed themselves to recognize the truth. And the third time our weapons had developed to the point where even the sacrifice of billions became unavoidable.” He shook his head and pushed his plate in. “People are so damn stupid sometimes… as long as bad things are happening outside their safe borders, well, then it’s just not our problem…until it IS our problem.”

“Maybe this time people will remember,” suggested Nori thoughtfully. “There was so much death and Earth is still scarred from the war, even if animals and plant life are flourishing again.”

Adam shook his head. “I don’t think so,” he said. “Remember the 9-11 terrorist attacks? That was the beginning of modern terrorism in the twenty-first century. And yet, as soon as several new generations matured into adulthood, it was a distant memory. The seeds for what happened to us were planted right then and there. All it took was time for the rot to grow and a lot of politicians who postponed the problem, leaving it to their successors.” He looked Thomas directly in the eyes. “I wouldn’t have done any of it – this mission or the Wasteland – if it wasn’t for Kaufield. He is the only leader I’ve ever met with a focus on positive outcomes instead of a political agenda. Without him they would have had to find someone else. I trust him with my life.”

“I know,” his brother replied. “Me too.”

Adam noticed Nori begin to stack plates. “Why don’t you let us do that?” he suggested to her. “Go for a walk or something… if you don’t mind, I need to visit privately with Thomas for a while.”

“Okay,” she stated gratefully, bending over long enough to kiss him firmly on his left temple. “Mary said the logistics of trying to handle a new Earth government, in addition to our work on Tranquility, is proving to be a huge challenge for our President. Perhaps I’ll stop by the Command and Control center and take a look at their plan. I’ve got a few suggestions that should help her out.” Again she kissed him tenderly on his forehead. “Welcome back husband,” she stressed firmly. “Don’t plan on going anywhere for a long while.”

“I won’t,” he said with a huge grin. “My combat days are behind me.”

They watched her leave, with Thomas still nibbling at a small serving of beef tips and gravy over pasta. “I’m almost done,” he told his brother, reaching for another biscuit. “Then I’ll help you clean up.”

“I’ve got a better idea,” Adam proposed in response. Rising to his feet, he moved into the small adjoining bedroom and came back with a large, charred fireproof box. The two of them had found it on Earth, in the ruins of their parents’ home and brought it back with them. He set the large box on the table with a heavy clunking noise, pushing it toward Thomas. “How about I clean up the dishes while you open this? It’s all we have left of our family now, and I must confess to being very curious to see what’s in there.”

“Okay,” agreed Thomas instantly. He too stood up and activated his implant’s defensive shield around his right hand. Enhancing his normal strength, he grabbed the locking mechanism holding the box tightly sealed. It was a standard, home-sized fireproof safe, designed to preserve precious legal documentation and family heirlooms in the event of a catastrophe. Their parents had used the box ever since the Roh brothers were kids – Thomas felt a bit of exhilaration, knowing that he was about to touch at least a part of what his parents had once been… right before the end. “I’m glad we didn’t find their bodies in that house.”

“I don’t think there are any to be found,” noted Adam as he scooped up kettles, plates and silverware while moving into the room’s small kitchen. “The ones in the street were gone after the energy wave passed over us. In areas where people are still living they were all buried shortly after the war.” He shrugged his shoulders as he filled a sink full of hot soapy water. “It makes sense, given that a lot of people are going to start returning home now that all nations are livable. Having to come home to the incinerated or rotting remains of loved ones would simply force everyone to relive the pain of everything all over again.” He sighed heavily, contemplating the matter. “Whoever sent that energy wave really planned ahead.”

Using his enhanced strength, Thomas squeezed the fire-safe’s lock until the metal squealed with fatigue. He pulled the entire mechanism loose. Glancing enthusiastically toward his brother, he opened the lid and began removing all kinds of folders containing a variety of papers and legal documents. “Last will and testament,” he read from one folder’s tag. “Living will and trusts, vehicle titles, property and income taxes, insurance documents… this is all mostly legal stuff,” he said with a very disappointed frown. “I was hoping that they would put a flash drive or something in here – it would’ve been great to have additional family pictures other than the ones we took with us.”

“Keep looking,” Adam suggested. “I heard something clunking around in there.”

“That would be Dad’s coin collection,” grinned Thomas, pulling a large, heavy cloth sack out of the safe. It jingled when he set it on the table. “This will be legendary… priceless in fact. There are coins from countries all over the world in here, souvenirs from all of the places Dad traveled during his working years.” Abruptly he paused, removing the last of the folders and searching the very bottom of the deep box. “Oh… wow… Adam, take a look at this,” said the young scientist with renewed enthusiasm. He removed a small brass pocket watch and gold chain from the box. “David really did know what he was doing. He guided us back through time and then right back home to everything that was left for us… this is Dad’s watch! It’s been passed down through the family for at least four generations!”

“Let me see that,” Adam decided suddenly, leaving behind the dishes. He accepted the object from his brother and opened it up. “There is a photo of Mom and Dad in here,” he grinned cheerfully. “And it’s a recent one too. This is a wonderful find, Thomas!”

His brother didn’t respond immediately, causing him to turn toward his brother thoughtfully. “Adam, there’s also a note.” Thomas held up a carefully folded letter.

It was deadly quiet in the small room for a few precious seconds. “Read it,” Adam said finally.

Thomas opened up the paper carefully, tears appearing at the corners of his eyes. “I can’t,” he admitted, handing the letter to Adam. “I can’t Adam. Not right now.”

His brother accepted the piece of paper. “Then I will,” he said. “My dearest Adam and Thomas,” he began earnestly. “It’s in Dad’s handwriting!” He cleared his throat and continued reading.

 

“My dearest Adam and Thomas,

By now you will have heard about the war that is tearing apart our world. At first the bright flash of the bomb blasts and shockwaves was distant, restricted to the larger cities and military installations. And yet they grow closer to us with each passing day, and your mother and I know that not much time is left.

We tried to contact you on the moon but all private communications have been down for several days now. Military channels are no doubt still operating, but they have no time for us. Your mother is upstairs right now, trying to find any news channels still on the air so she can learn whether or not America can even fight back before everything ends up destroyed. We talked about putting together something special for you to remember us by, but there isn’t time. The end will arrive at any moment. It’s only a matter of time now.

You both have our love.

If any of us survive this war then it will truly be a miracle. In case one or both of you does make it home, I’m leaving my watch behind along with this note. The two of you can decide who gets it… I’m hoping that one day a grandkid or two can fight over it. Please know that my biggest regret is that we didn’t get to see you or even visit via video chat one final time. Not knowing what happened to you is the worst thing; it has torn your mother apart emotionally. You two are the brightest stars in our world, both smart as a whip and people who really could have elevated our culture to a new level. We’re so proud of both of you.

I’ve got to go comfort your mother now; and we will love and care for each other with whatever time is left to us.

May God bless you both and keep you safe,

Dad”

 

Tear streamed down Thomas’ face as he listened to his brother read the words. “It’s a message from Dad,” he said slowly, trying to wrap his mind around the astonishing, unexpected find. “It’s a fifteen year old message from our parents!”

Adam simply stood there for a moment and let his brother shed his excess emotions by crying. It was something Thomas had not always known how to do. “Well obviously I can’t take Dad’s watch,” he told his younger brother with a small smile. “I already have one.”

“You’re the oldest,” protested Thomas. “You should have it!”

“I already have one,” Adam pointed out, producing the infamous silver watch that David had given to him in the Wasteland. “The inside of the cover is blank now. Perhaps I’ll put a family picture in there.”

There was another prolonged silence as Thomas thought the matter over very carefully. “No, you should have Dad’s watch,” he insisted after fully evaluating the situation. “Let me keep the note and your silver watch in exchange for Dad’s. I want to do some experiments on that alien timepiece and see if I can figure out how it works.” He wiped away tears from his face and then scratched his head. “I’m still not sure if it’s pre-programmed with a sentient artificial intelligence of some kind or if it’s merely some kind of sophisticated transceiver.”

Adam raised an eyebrow, clearly startled. “A transceiver?” He chuckled nervously. “That’s the most disturbing thing I’ve heard yet, Thomas. The idea that David has been covertly monitoring us all this time is frightening.”

Now that he had a problem to solve, Thomas perked up noticeably. “It has to be programming of some sort,” he concluded. “Otherwise there would have to be a micro-wormhole structure of some kind, or its equivalent, in place for him to send and receive transmissions.”

“Maybe there is and it’s so remarkably new we simply don’t yet have the means to detect it,” suggested Adam with a shrug. “You keep talking about a higher level of science, something that transcends everything we traditionally understand. Maybe it is a ‘magic’ of some kind.”

“But surely Noah’s people would know something about that kind of capability?”

“Well, they’ve kept secrets from us before, now haven’t they?” He smiled reassuringly at his brother and handed over the silver watch. “Agreed… I’ll take Dad’s watch if you keep David’s along with the note. We’ll both have something to remember the family by, and you can look into discovering how that blasted thing works.” He exhaled with frustration. “I must confess I would feel a lot better we did know.”

“Why?”

“Because I’m not sure that it’s completely finished with us yet,” he growled irritably. “It took years after the Wasteland mission ended, it waited until you developed time travel capability before it got excited enough to activate. Since we’re going to continue our alliance with Noah’s people, I’m sure it will want to keep an eye on what else we figure out.”

Thomas laughed, his mood lightening noticeably. “Well, I’ll be right here keeping an eye on it, and I’m pretty good at unlocking the secrets of the universe!”

“Good.”

“Very good.”

The two of them hugged each other warmly.

 *     * * *     *

President Kaufield was on the Lexington’s command bridge, taking a night shift to allow Admiral Henry a reprieve, when Noriana arrived. “Mary is done for the night and has already gone off-shift,” he told her, “so if you came up here to work, you’re wasting your time. Why don’t you go find her and do something relaxing for a change?” He smiled at her with satisfaction. “All of our usual, toughest problems are under control for a change. I’m just passing the time with a few friends.” He waved casually at the on-duty staff, one of whom smiled wryly at him in response.

“You know me,” Adam’s dark-haired wife replied brusquely. “I wanted to work.” She folded her arms and paused next to him, looking out of the windows at the breathtaking curve of the Earth. “I never expected to see our planet whole again,” she admitted. “I really thought we blew the biggest opportunity the universe ever gave to a group of sentient life forms.”

“Earth is a mighty prize,” Kaufield agreed. He glanced at her with mild concern. “How are the Roh brothers? Are those boys going to be okay?”

“Yes,” she nodded definitively. “Dr. Simmons believes Adam suffered no ill effects from his brief… death. And Thomas has really come a long way – she was astonished at how well he handled himself, especially during the brief time Adam was unavailable to him. He finished those programming changes using only an eye HUD, hooked himself briefly to the Lexington’s CAS drive, and managed to defeat an unknown, powerful enemy with our enhanced energy source powering his wrist guns.”

The President rubbed his chin thoughtfully. “The CAS drive hookup is what impressed me,” he decided. “He knew that he was basically going to hang an entire warship and its crew out to dry, whatever our situation was, so he made certain that his connections were as brief as possible. That took cunning and precision timing. He controlled his anxiety in a tough situation and I’m really proud of him.”

Continuing to study the curving arc of the Earth’s horizon, Noriana smiled. “Adam and I are staying on Tranquility,” she told him. “Thomas and Kari probably will too. We’ve spent a lot of time building up new lives there, having kids, putting new roots in the ground.” She shook her head with dismay. “I never thought we would ever have the opportunity to safely return to Earth in my life time.”

“It’s nice to have options,” admitted Kaufield. “Especially for all of those refugees we relocated. Many of them are going to get their chance to finally come home.”

“They’ll fight over land and resources,” predicted Nori dourly. “The same old timeless battles will begin anew.”

Harrumphing loudly at her pessimism, Kaufield smiled mischievously. “If that happens, we’ll just have Noah or one of our other Proteus colleagues tap them on the shoulder and warn them,” he replied sternly. “If they can’t live peacefully in Paradise, then we’ll kick them out of the Garden of Eden and put them on one of Noah’s prison planets.” He shrugged apathetically. “It’s a simple but effective system that has worked well for them for centuries, especially where troublemakers are concerned.”

Together the two of them continued to watch the beautiful curve of a perfect, undamaged Earth.

14: Epilogue: The End of the End

PROJECT EARTH

Pathfinder Series: Book Three

Epilogue: The End Of The End

Planet Earth, Arizona, present day

“What is this place called again?” asked a curious Noah, leaning against the safety railing and looking out at the spectacular, breathtaking view beyond. President Kaufield and the Roh brothers stood right next to him, also admiring a scenic wonder they had never expected to see again. “We have many natural wonders on our worlds in the Proteus galaxy, but truly this is another classic to add to the list.”

“It’s called the Grand Canyon,” said Thomas with a pleased smile. “The Colorado river – running water – formed all of this through steady erosion along with the steady passage of time.”

The alien mentor nodded. “It is good to see your Earth is as beautiful on the surface as it looks from space,” he commented with satisfaction. “Often in the past I have thought of offering to replace this bombed out world with one of our own. We’ve done so before – moved one of our planets to the habitable zone of another sun. But for you it wouldn’t have been the same. A new planet would no longer have been Earth. It would never really truly be your…”

“…home,” Adam finished for him.

“I am glad we did not have to try anything like that. I really like this Grand Canyon,” decided Noah. “It is a remarkable natural wonder.”

The four of them continued standing there, just watching the canyon and breathing in the fresh summer air. Fresh green grass blossomed beneath their feet and birds flew freely in a renewed, partially clouded blue sky. Boots crunching on the soft ground caused them to turn as Joseph Kaufield stepped into view. “Fleet surveillance reports that the area is secure,” he stated firmly, fully uniformed and notably wearing his sidearm. “Take as long as you like, there’s no hurry. I’ll let you know if anything changes.”

“That’s good to know,” acknowledged the President. He smiled at his son who looked all military, all spit and polish.

“I’m going to return to this planet again one day and visit other places,” Noah promised, truly impressed by what he saw. “It is amazing that no bombs came near this Grand Canyon after so many were fired.”

“The Brotherhood was seeking to annihilate large population centers and military assets capable of resisting them,” noted Adam. “So areas like this one were deliberately avoided.”

“I find it astonishing how many people have requested to come home, now that the miracle of renewal is complete,” said Kaufield. “I’m going to be very busy for a while, trying to do my regular job while figuring out where to put everyone who ends up coming back. Valiana knows where all of the major cities are containing the survivors, so she’s going to try and arrange assistance for us with the logistics of all this.”

“Will her people continue to reproduce by cloning?” wondered Thomas.

“Doubtful.” Kaufield grinned at the young scientist. “You’re so deep in thought today. What are you thinking about, Thomas Roh?”

“Jesus Christ, of course,” replied Thomas with a dry smile. “Adam and I were permitted to see only the best of him – the man who single-handedly inspired huge numbers of people to believe in God and their own self-worth, abandoning the old ways of worshipping mighty Pharaohs and Caesars. His message helped create modern society as we know it, but not before he suffered greatly at the hands of his fellow humans. I’m glad we didn’t have to see the brutality he ended up suffering… it would have torn me apart emotionally.”

“Most of the people of that time had absolutely no moral compass,” concluded Kaufield. “The Hebrews did… they had their ten commandments and thrived in spite of all the persecution. Their faith has always kept them strong and helped them survive through even the worst of times.”

“I believe both of our cultures have been allowed to ascend another rung on the ladder of evolution,” suggested Noah suddenly. “Think about it… we are builders and creators ourselves now! We create worlds and cities and even artificial intelligences that could be sentient if we wish them to be. Our cultures found each other across vast distances during a tough time on your world and ended up working together to try and do something positive. And as a result of our efforts the David entity has allowed us to glimpse a few more of his secrets… but not all of them.”

“I don’t want to know all of them,” Adam responded with a chuckle. “Everything shouldn’t be perfect and predictable and under our complete control. What kind of world would that be? Everyone would behave themselves, no one would call in sick to work, and everyone would respect and help each other. There would be no possibility of wars or madmen annihilating people by the billions…”

“No elation, no compassion, no exhilaration at finally solving a problem that previously stumped you,” continued Thomas, beginning to grasp his brother’s point. “If there was only good in the world, and everyone always did the right thing, what would be the point of it all?” He shook his head. “Sure, your life would be perfect but it would grow very dull very quickly.”

“Why would you say that?” Noah inquired. “What makes you believe it would be dull, Thomas?”

Thomas cleared his throat softly before answering. “Well, most of the best memories I have in my life have involved helping others who were hurting or down on their luck. Contributing to the betterment of society also makes me feel wonderful because society always seems to need to be bettered,” he concluded with a slow smile. “Making dinner for Kari and the kids when I know she’s had a tough day, giving a couple of extra bucks to charity at Christmas time, assisting in the design and construction of a transit drive that revolutionized our concept of space travel.” He sighed heavily. “Without the ongoing battle against life’s obstacles, there would be nothing to overcome, nothing to inspire us to better ourselves.”

“Are we bettering ourselves?” asked the usually skeptical Adam.

“We found the Proteus galaxy at a time in our lives when it would have been easier to simply give up.”

“I’ll grant you that. How about God? Do you really think He made us in His image?”

Thomas studied his brother’s expression. “Yes I do, and he copied His own traits perhaps a little too perfectly, if His early behavior in our history books is any indication. Our emotions are what make life worth living. They’re what take us from being a simple automaton and really help us take advantage of our sentience… of our soul. The spark of life is itself is a wonder. When you think about it, simply making it through everything that has to happen in order to be born is a miracle of its own.” He held up a hand with his thumb and forefinger separated by a mere half inch. “If your parents had done one small thing differently in their life, any small thing at all, prior to your conception, then someone else would have been born instead of you.” He folded his arms and grinned. “I’d call that a miracle that we’re all capable of each and every day.”

Groaning audibly, Adam shook his head. “Not that poem of yours again,” he protested.

“What poem?” inquired Kaufield curiously.

Adam sighed before explaining further. “When we were kids our parents used to remind us that no one is perfect,” he told them. “They pointed out errors in judgment during their own adolescence, mistakes that affected them for the rest of their lives. It was parent speak for children they knew were going to screw up once in a while. They wanted us to know that it was all right to be imperfect, to be human. Thomas reacted as Thomas always does and wanted to make them feel better about those bad things in their past so he wrote them a poem. It was for a birthday, an anniversary, something… so long ago I don’t really remember now.”

“Let’s hear the poem,” Noah suggested. “I would very much like to hear it.”

Shaking his head Thomas looked away from them, slightly embarrassed. “Come on Thomas!” prompted Kaufield boisterously. “Let’s hear this poem that you wrote to make your parents feel better.”

“Okay,” the younger Roh decided suddenly, folding his arms together. “It goes something like this:

‘Each and every day to Mom and Dad I say… a prayer,

Thank You so much for the blessed spark of life,

Its touch warms me to this day.

 

I’m part of God’s world, thanks due to you,

Guided by your kindness.

 

Just growing up was difficult for you,

And getting by each passing day.

There must be things that bother you,

Or things that simply happened and made you wonder… why?

But remember this next time you’re feeling down,

And questioning God’s will:

 

We’ve all done things good and bad,

Or lost our way in life for a time.

But it’s your strength and courage that endure,

Along with the resolve to build a better life,

Together… for you and your children.

 

And if, during all those years that passed before you married,

Even one small thing had happened differently,

Then I would not be here.

That’s why I’m so grateful to the very both of you,

Regardless of when you met,

Or others that you knew.

 

That’s the gift God gives us,

Brothers and Sisters all,

The choices we make create new life,

And that’s part of His great plan.’”

 

A steady silence followed for a brief moment. “A child came up with all that? Thomas, it’s absolutely beautiful!” Noah applauded lightly in appreciation before studying the young scientist with interest. “You continue to mourn for this Jesus and yet his death is what offers you salvation,” observed Noah. “Why? How does that work, exactly?”

“I think his death is precisely why God sent him,” decided Thomas after thinking the matter through a bit. “According to scripture, the God of the Old Testament was fearsome and punished the enemies of the Hebrews relentlessly. Instead of a non-interference policy like your people have, He picked a side and backed them unconditionally. Think about that carefully! I believe he sent Jesus to correct that mistake, after he matured and recognized the danger of choosing sides. He sent his son to expand His Covenant to include everyone.” Thomas glanced toward Kaufield. “Remember sir? Back aboard the Pathfinder, you weren’t required to offer mercy to Patrick Warren, the Brotherhood traitor, but you did. Now here on Earth you are offering sanctuary to all Brotherhood members who will renounce their old ways. Why?”

Kaufield laughed lightly in response to the query. “I guess… because someone who lived a long time ago, possessing a great deal more wisdom than I do, taught our ancestors to treat their neighbors as they themselves would like to be treated,” he told them. “Somewhere along my way in this life, I must have picked up on that little lesson.”

“Do you ever think we’ll ever build another Pathfinder-Class colony ship?” wondered Joseph curiously. The President’s son was back again, having moved in behind them at some point during the reading of Thomas’ poem.

The President walked over to his son and put a friendly arm around him. “Right now, I’m just happy we’ve got Earth back in one piece and friends who are helping us from the Proteus galaxy.” He nodded respectfully toward Noah. “Honestly if we’ve got our loved ones around us and a safe place to live, shouldn’t we just try being happy for a while? We have lots more to learn from our alien allies, so how about we begin this next stage of our lives by contenting ourselves with a simple appreciation for all that we have?”

“I can live with that,” Joseph decided.

Together the five of them looked toward a very bright future.