Discovery

The four agreed to split into singles this time. They were confident they were the only ones wandering about the complex. If something were going to happen, it should have already shown its ugly face. So far, the only intruders that kept them on their toes were their own inner demons.

Abdul took the area around the control panel. Larry would inspect the cavernous hole in the floor. Judith would inspect the concrete walls to what was agreed was the east side, and Muki would concentrate on the west. If, after four hours the search yielded no results, they’d resume with their vacation plans. It would make for a colorful, yet unbelievable, story when they returned to civilization.

“Abdul,” the words thundered out of the dark hole, “find anything?”

“Negative, Captain. It appears the alien race, much more advanced than ours, has left no trace for a primitive society to claim artifacts for further inspection and analysis. I fear Star Fleet command will not be issuing commendations for our efforts. Have you found anything of interest in the giant cavern, Captain?”

“I believe I have. I don’t have a clue about how to operate the machine, but come on down and have a look.” Abdul obligingly left his post and started descending the vertical iron ladder.

Judith felt a chill invade her spine. “Who is it?” she called out. She turned around to find the space behind her empty. It must be my nerves. I never liked dark places and this one definitely takes the cake. A few minutes passed, and the feeling hit her again. “Dammit. Who’s there?”

The feeling of someone or something staring at her was overwhelming. It felt as if the past she’d subdued for so long, was trying to burst forth and take control of her soul. The thought sickened her stomach. How could she be related to such a vile and disgusting man? Why did her mother consider it necessary to inform her of the past? It would have been best if she knew nothing of her disgusting genealogy. The feeling of dread passed as quickly as it appeared. She kept moving along the smooth walls, sliding her hands palm down along the slick granite surface, hoping to reveal a hidden crack or crevice which wasn’t caused by Mother Nature, but rather by man.

“Aye, Captain. What treasures have you found?”

“Quiet. Did you hear that?”

Abdul glanced around the cylindrical walls. “No. What did you—”

“It’s Judith. Judith, are you alright?” It was a few seconds before a reply came.

“I’m fine.”

“Okay, be careful.” Larry turned his gaze back to Abdul.

“Look at this wall. It’s not a wall at all. It’s a garage door.”

“Yes, I believe you’re right. Only problem is, what type of vehicle requires a door this large?”

“I don’t know. Come over here. This is really interesting.” Abdul followed Larry into the center of the floor. “This is either motor oil or hydraulic fluid. Hard to tell by the viscosity, but it is from a mechanical device.”

Abdul agreed with the findings as he rubbed the liquid between his fingers. “Aye.”

Muki methodically eyed the wall. There was something different. She took a few steps back and retraced her steps forward. Yes, there is something different here, hidden, but here. She moved her small, delicate fingers over the oddity in the wall. Her father’s words filled her mind, “The obvious is always hidden before your eyes.”

Where is it? Where is it?

Her left index finger moved across a small indention in the wall. There you are. The black cover was hinged at the top. She pushed the cover inward and detected a button. Without calling out to her friends, she wanted to make sure of the discovery. She pushed the button recessed in the hidden compartment. The wall to her left silently opened, revealing a narrow hallway bathed in white florescent lights. At the end of the hall was another door. This one looked out of place. It appeared to be a normal metal door with an accessible handle.

She called out to the trio with her diminutive voice. “Judith, Larry, Abdul. Come here. I think I’ve found something.” It took the three a couple of minutes to locate Muki and her discovery.

“Muki, do you have a sixth sense or are you always this lucky?” asked Judith.

“I’d like to think it is my superior Asian intellect that guides me in the right direction.” The other three stared at her with raised eyebrows.

Abdul leaned towards Larry, “Superior Asian intellect? Who’s she kidding?”

Muki threw a deceptive smile to the boys. “My ears complement my brain, Abdul.” As Abdul regrouped himself, she flashed a quick wink and grin.

Judith bored with current sparring match. “Well, are we just going to stand here all night?” Her hands were firmly locked to her hips in a rather imposing stance. “You three can stand here. I’m going in and see what surprise awaits us.”

She moved down the gleaming white hall, approached the door, and expecting another obstacle, she firmly turned the knob. It offered no resistance and obeyed her hand’s command. She pushed the door open revealing a small ten by ten foot office. Her first impression was the very stale smell of tobacco. It permeated every sense on her body and enveloped her clothes like a dark shroud. To her left, was a nondescript metal military desk with three side drawers and one middle one. On the top, was a flat screen monitor connected to an IBM 10000 tower. The wireless mouse and keyboard sat idle, flanking the monitor. The roller chair was old and worn. The plastic trashcan to the left of the desk was overflowing with old newspapers, coffee cups and soiled Kleenexes. “God. Someone needs to clean this shithole up.”

Larry, followed by Muki and Abdul, entered the small office. “Muki, have you ever seen one of those before?” He was pointing at the IBM tower.

“I’ve never, ever, seen one, but I did hear a few guys talking about it in the electronics lab one day. They were convinced it was pure science fiction. I think one of the guys referred to it as “Colossus” from a film made back in the ‘70s. The system was designed to control the United States nuclear arsenal.”

Larry thought about that for a minute.”Okay Muki, so what’s the big deal? I could do that from my laptop with the correct codes.”

“Yes, you could, but could you also redirect satellites, direct all military moves, monitor the traffic in New York, Dallas, Los Angeles, and Miami at the same time?” The blank look on his face answered her question.

“Oh, but there’s more. It has the ability to override and invade every computer system in the world and not be detected. It has the ability not only to block hackers, but it can send out a pulse to any hacker, no matter how many routers and servers they attempt to use to hide their tracks, and fry the invading units. It’s a deadly weapon. According to the guys, the reason they didn’t think it would ever be plausible is that there isn’t a server or hardwire connection that can handle the massive amount of energy to run the system. The early tests were complete and utter failures.”

“Why? They could run the information through fiber optics.”

“They tried, but failed. The operating system is so powerful it was drawing more information than the glass lines could carry. It generated so much heat pulling the information, the lines melted without heating up.”

“Well, it looks as if someone was successful. Abdul, I believe this could actually power the Enterprise.”

Abdul could only nod his head in appreciation of the equipment.

“Okay, thank you for the history lesson. Now, let’s see if we can find anything that tells what and how all of this works.” Judith sat down and started pulling out the steel drawers.

Larry and Abdul gave the 10000 a thorough examination, hoping it would mysteriously reveal its hidden secrets.

Muki moved around the other three and started examining the bookshelves. Something was bothering her. The smell of tobacco was indeed stale. Yet, depending on how long the complex had been abandoned, the smell wouldn’t have been as strong. The odor reminded her of the brand her father smoked. She couldn’t remember the name, but she knew it was a form of pipe tobacco. Amphora, that’s the brand. Amphora (Orient). Even though his friends and fellow smokers tried to explain this was, at best, a low-end tobacco and there were other much more satisfying and aromatic brands available such as the brown or red patch blends, her father was sticking with the Oriental cut.

She directed her attention back to the task at hand while also trying to understand another more pressing issue; where were the auxiliary generators located and how were they operating? Were they hidden inside the structure she and Abdul stumbled upon last night, or were they hidden deeper underground? Wherever it was coming from was in excellent working order. If they were auxiliary (as she thought), what type of fuel was powering them? But more importantly, if they ran out of fuel, how were the tanks being filled, or even more intriguing, by whom? She let the thoughts recede into the back of her mind as she intently scanned the metal shelves for clues.

“Nothing here. The desk is empty. Only a few blank yellow legal pads and dried-up pens.” Judith spun the chair 180 degrees, clipping Larry in the thigh.

“Dammit, Judith. Look where you’re driving.” Larry reached down and started rubbing his bruised thigh.

“Shouldn’t have been standing so close, or were you trying to get a better view?” She raised her left eyebrow, pushed her prominent chest forward and displayed her girlish grin. Larry’s face instantly turned scarlet red.

“No. I was examining the computer.”

“Sure you were.” She deliberately engaged in a seated, complete body stretch filling her lungs to full capacity. As she slowly expelled the air (watching Larry’s eyes the whole time for a reaction), she threw out a question. “Muki, anything?”

Her small hand glided over the various books and three-ring binders. “I think so.” She grabbed the gold bonded one. Unlike the other material on the shelf, this one showed signs of being handled numerous times. The gold binding was worn on the top and the bottom, indicating hands were grabbing the top to remove it from the shelf and the bottom as it was pushed in place.

“Well, bring it over here so we can all see it.”

Muki placed the ten-inch-thick binder on the metal table. Judith opened the gold cover. The handwriting was scrawled and uneven, making it difficult to read.

The following material is my lifelong work.

For years, man has dreamed of the unknown.

The depth of ocean secrets: Jacques Cousteau

The Moon: Conquered in 1969

Space Travel Exploration: Voyager and Neptune

Universe Studies: Hubble Space Station

One frontier has yet to be obtained. It was fantasized

in “The Time Tunnel,” “Twilight Zone,” and the

“Philadelphia Experiment”. But it has never been

conquered. Many theories have arisen to the quest.

They failed miserably.

The first real attempt was performed in Waxahachie, Texas

in 1995 (two years after funding was cut).

We successfully reversed the flow of energy,

buffering the distribution of molecules

to a manageable disintegration rate.

The object we used was a small aluminum can.

The results were marginal.

The can disappeared for exactly five seconds.

When it reappeared, the can was whole with one oddity:

the letters were rearranged spelling KCOE.

This was encouraging yet disappointing.

We could not use it on a live subject until we

understood what happened.

Unfortunately, the amount of energy we used,

knocked out all the power in the county.

The surge was discovered along with the men

who caused the disruption. We were escorted out and

barred from further activities. FOOLS!

In 2005, this complex was founded by the US Army

in an attempt to perfect time travel. Let me be specific:

The machine is for reverse time travel, not future events.

It was agreed that “future” time travel could have dire consequences.

What if World War III erupted, or a meteor crashed into the Earth?

What landscape would the traveler be greeted with? Death?

We agreed to let the future lie in state.

The past however is well documented. We could assign

an exact place in history and revisit the past, knowing at least

we would be arriving in somewhat familiar circumstances,

and surroundings.

Judith stopped reading for a moment. “Do you think they were successful? Imagine going back in time, and if not altering events, seeing them played out first hand.”

“Aye Judith, but think of the damage one could do.”

“Or undo” added Larry. “My dad and Leroy could avoid the encounter with those thugs that night, or I could have been quicker and summoned help before they were injured.”

“Don’t be juvenile,” quipped Judith. “They didn’t design it for such trivial issues. They were looking at a larger picture.” Judith knew exactly what she would change, no matter what the cost.

“Judith, keep reading,” suggested Muki.

“Okay.”

It was agreed, if the machine worked,

we would travel back to Pearl Harbor on

December 7, 1941 and witness the

surprise attack launching America into WWII.

If the trip was successful, we would then go back two

more days armed with photos and descriptions of the

impending attack.

The envelope would be handed to a local courier for delivery

to Admiral Kimmel and General Short

in the hopes they would be better prepared for the assault.

If the initial experiment became successful, it was agreed

by all parties to correct the mistakes of the past.

We were going to insert a group of men with vehicles

and weapons to kill Ho Chi Minh and General Giap.

The next venture would be saving John Fitzgerald Kennedy.

At first, we were going to travel back to the night John took the

ill-fated PT-109 into the Iron Bottom Sound.

He chose to patrol the straights to disrupt the Tokyo

Express (destroyers and cruisers resupplying Guadalcanal).

We would attempt to warn Captain Kennedy of the

impending danger, but thought better of it.

Being a wounded veteran of WWII played into the

plans his father Joe was brewing.

We would send the same team to Dallas and take positions

at the Grassy Knoll, the Book Depository and

the bridge on I-35, watching the motorcade as it

progressed west on Elm.

Per General McCulloch, if we can’t stop the assassination,

at least we might be able to capture some of the

men responsible for the conspiracy and hopefully

put to rest who actually masterminded the act.

We (I) would make them pay for the transgression.

Unfortunately, our efforts were stopped cold.

The FOOLS. HOW DARE THEY INTERFERE!

Washington wanted this machine

and now they have it, but what do they do with it?

They scrap it with the stroke of the pen.

They must have messed themselves when

we showed them the diagrams for the Pyramids.

The insertion team returned with multiple photos

of how and who built the Pyramids. It was fascinating!

Who would ever have considered the scaffolding and pulley

systems used?

No one!

The answer was in front of us all the time, but

as normal, the academians refused to believe it was so

simple. And the transport system they developed to move

the massive stones rivaled our own interstate system.

Brilliant! Absolutely brilliant.

The Civil Engineer on staff, Mr. Roberts, stared

in disbelief at the simplicity of the construction.

He was planning on doing further research to

assist in our modern (?) building techniques.

The bastards in Washington instructed all

records to be destroyed.

Destroyed! Destroy history?

That’s why we built the damned machine.

To learn, not suppress!

History was ours to right, but no, they

deemed it too dangerous. They who

spent billions on atomic bombs, planes

and missiles, stop ME? Ludicrous.

We held the ills of the world in our hands.

We could right the wrongs. We could have stopped

Hitler in 1928 and saved millions of lives.

No, instead the operation was halted.

Why? Money? National Security?

No. Bureaucrats who cowered in the corners.

Bureaucrats who control the fate of 300 million people daily.

300 million sheep!

Most of them couldn’t pull their shoes out of a pile

of shit with written directions and diagrams.

Sheep. All of them.

Judith was working herself up into a frenzy. The thought of traveling back and killing Adolf Hitler was music to her ears. If Hitler would have been killed, her great-grandfather wouldn’t have become the monster history portrayed him as. No, history didn’t paint a rosy picture, it was dead-on. Her great-grandfather was an evil, vile human, who deserved to have been caught and hanged like the other conspirators.

Larry didn’t care for the darkness pouring out of her mouth or eyes. “Judith, take a breath. They’re just notes.”

“These aren’t just notes. These are the writings of an intelligent scientist who should have been allowed to change history. Think of everything this complex could have accomplished for the good of man instead of the evil.”

Larry wasn’t quite so sure. “Judith, what would happen—”

Muki took the lead as Larry’s words were failing. “If we went back and changed history, how would the future look?”

“I don’t care how it would look. Hitler and his henchmen should have all been strung up and killed before 1933 and saved the world from the insanity.”

“No, Judith. That’s not true. Sure, they could go back and kill Hitler, save Lincoln and Kennedy and even more important, possibly saved Jesus Christ from being crucified. But what would be the ramifications?” Judith was not swayed and kept staring at the words.

Even Abdul was agreeing. “Judith, changing events in history is a very dangerous business.”

“Why?” she yelled. “Because you saw it in a Star Trek episode, or some other bullshit program?” Her words were sharp and hard.

“No, Judith. Because our past is our future. Change the past and you roll the dice for future events. Are you willing to gamble the lives of billions of people in order to kill a few and save millions, or do we accept the past and plot for a better future?” For once, Abdul showed why he’d obtained a perfect 4.0 average his entire life.

“Damn,” said Larry, “I didn’t know you had that in you, Abdul. What other surprises are hidden?”

Abdul threw his mischievous smile towards Larry, “Captain, the universe is a vast unknown complex.”

Muki was ignoring the boys, and laid her hand gently on Judith’s right shoulder. “Judith, let me finish the notes. I think you’ve read enough.” She didn’t flinch or resist. Instead, she stood up and surrendered the seat to Muki, never taking her eyes off the notes as they swirled through her mind. Great-grandfather must die.

Muki glanced over the page looking intently for where Judith left off.

I know what the future holds.

Nothing.

I know they will never attempt to re-open

this place.

I will stay behind and finish what “I” started

with or without their help.

I will figure out how to operate it on my own.

I will avenge the ills of the past.

I will avenge the dead who can no longer speak.

I will rid the world of evil, hate and ignorant

government officials.

Her diminutive voice was rising as the hate spewed through the notes.

I shall save humanity from its failings.

I shall see to it

that those who brought destruction on others,

shall feel the fires of hell licking at their heels.

The damned will be damned, and evil will be suppressed!

I shall see to it!

Professor Leonoid Rostov Sikorsky

September 4, 2015.

“What was the date of the entry again?” Larry looked very confused.

Muki read it again. “September 4, 2015.” The words trailed through the air.

Abdul was the second to put two and two together. “If the complex closed in March of 2015, are you telling me that he has been here ever since?” The question was compelling yet eerie at the same time.

Muki was the first to make the connections. It would explain the numbers instantly appearing on the key lock screen. The serviceability of the elevator and the current source of power required to run the equipment. Yes, as he said in his notes, ‘I will stay behind and finish what “I” started with or without their help.’ “He’s still here,” she said.

She stood up, looking at Abdul, “Yes. He’s still here. He never left. It explains many things I didn’t understand.”

“Muki, are you leading us to believe that he’s been here for nine months in hopes of making the machine work?” Larry couldn’t fathom how a person could survive for that length of time.

“Yes. If there were proper provisions and fuel, I believe from what we’ve seen so far, it’s very feasible.”

Larry wasn’t convinced at all.

“Come on Muki, no way. I have a vivid imagination, but not this vivid.”

Muki stood her ground. “Larry, he’s still here.”

Judith’s thoughts were not engaged with the current debate; she was burning with the thought of her great-grandfather burning in hell. “I don’t give a shit if he is alive, dead or hibernating. All I care about is can we get the damned machine to work?” Her outburst caught the other three off guard. “We have the manual, and between the four of us, we should be able to figure out if it works or not.” She quickly glanced at the three. “Well?” The words were more of a demand than a question. “We need to figure out if it works because if it does, I have a score t...” She let the words fall off before her secret surfaced. Her friends waited for her to finish without interrupting. Her next words carried none of the recent passion. “I have a matter of interest to satisfy.”

They spent the next two hours poring over the manual to digest ten years of work in mere minutes. The task would be insurmountable for the common person, but these kids weren’t common. They could read a twelve-hundred page book in under an hour and retain ninety-five percent of the critical information with no problem. Muki had suggested they have a contest one day to see who could read the fastest and retain the most. Judith won hands down. She devoured Rise and Fall of The Third Reich in under two hours. Her three friends grilled her, question after question, for the same length of time. The only question she stumbled on was Herman Goëring’s second wife’s name. The correct answer was Emmy Sonneman. Asked why she didn’t remember, she gave a typical Judith response. “She wasn’t important. His first wife Carin von Kantzow was. He named his hunting lodge after her—Carinhall.”

“Man,” was all Larry could say. Abdul and Muki finished reading within minutes of Larry. Judith had finished thirty minutes ago, running the schematics and power start-up through her memory banks.

“Took you all long enough. I know how to start it up.”

“Judith, from what I read, are you sure we should do this?”

“What, losing your balls Larry, like you did at the diner? Damn right we should do this.” The thought of traveling back was engulfing her.

His faced turned red, not from embarrassment of his prior performance, but of Judith taunting him over his ineptitude. “No,” he declared. “I just don’t think it’s a wise move. What if we can’t turn it off?”

“Larry, now you’re being a pussy. I know how to turn it on and power it down. It’s absolute genius.” Larry wasn’t so sure about the genius part. “Muki, Abdul – remember the large structures you saw when we first arrived at night?” They nodded in agreement. “Know what they are?” They glanced at each other and shrugged their shoulders. Judith was pleased Muki’s luck failed her this time.

“Those buildings are solar/wind catching buildings. “The environmentalists and Green Groups would drop dead if they knew the US government had perfected the system five years ago. And the battery manufacturers would keel over knowing they’d been chasing the wrong path Uncle Sam was funding to increase battery life. The issue was never how to store the power; the issue was saving the power.” Her deduction made no sense to any of them.

“How are they different, Judith? Storing and saving are the same.” Muki was stating an observation and fact.

“No, they’re not. That’s the problem yet the simplicity at the same time. We’ve been trying to store the energy instead of saving it. We couldn’t see the panels or the turbines because they’re shielded under a retractable concrete dome. Obviously, on a sunny day the panels are used; windy days, the turbines. When the weather pattern is split, they use both. Follow me?”

The three nodded.

“Now comes the trick. We’ve been locked in on storing the energy for a rainy day instead of saving it. Professor Skorzenzy solved the puzzle. If the captured energy is stored in batteries, it becomes static. Think of a car battery. It has 12 volts and 600 amps. The amount of amps determines whether there’s enough power to start the car. The volts are only for running the electrical components of the vehicle. When driving, what device is running the battery?”

At first, no one spoke, thinking it over. “The alternator.” She noticed agreed nods. “The alternator keeps charging the battery while you drive. Without it, the battery would be drained in minutes, rendering your vehicle useless. Well, that’s what everyone has been trying to manufacture on a large scale with minimal luck. Electricity, like any product, will go stale if not kept in flux. The professor figured out how to make it work. The batteries which run this complex and machine, were built with internal perpetual motion diaphragms.”

“Perpetual what?” queried Abdul.

“Perpetual motion regulating diaphragms. I don’t have time to explain the science, but it’s rather simple. The batteries for the site are stored in six large buildings. Larry, remember you kept talking about large green dots on the GPS not allowing you to see the ground?”

“Yes. Why?”

“The buildings are underneath the dots.”

Larry recalled how large they were.

“Do you know how big those buildings are, Judith?”

“Yes, they’re large enough to hold all the batteries required to supply five years of continuous energy once the batteries are fully charged.”

“Okay Judith,” asked Muki. “How does it work?”

“Can’t you guys see it? It’s right in front of you.” She started laughing as she explained the secret. “It’s so obvious it’s ludicrous.” She was beaming with her newfound knowledge, which wasn’t sinking in. How could I be associated with such simpletons?

“Let me say it slower. P.e.r.p.e.t.u.a.l—”

“Knock it off Judith, and get to the point.” Larry wasn’t amused with her theatrics at all.

“Okay, once the energy starts being collected in the cells, the cells start generating hydrochloric gasses and mass. Did you ever hear anyone tell you to be careful around a hot battery?” She wasn’t concerned or interested if anyone threw out an agreement or question and continued her explanation. “The reason is, hydrochloric gasses build up inside the case, and if opened when the battery is hot, the introduction of air can cause a nasty explosion. The professor figured out how to harness the gas and force it through the diaphragms, keeping the stored energy fresh. Once the chain starts, it never stops, thus resulting in an unending amount of fresh energy. Thus, perpetual motion!” She was drained yet energized after explaining how the power was created and kept the complex alive. Sweat slid down her face and chest while she slowly calmed down.

“Any questions?”

* * *

The concealed microphone in the 10000 worked perfectly. The entire discussion was piped into a small desk speaker.

“No questions, my dear,” replied the raspy voice. “No questions.”