Chapter 22

                When Dorey ended her call with Loomis she immediately keyed in another ID number.  As she waited for the connection to go through she felt confidant that her reputation would be an important asset, and her inside informant in the Centers web of departments would be invaluable to complete her contract with Loomis.

                “Shipping department, Bella speaking.” Bella sounded tired, having worked a double shift for that lazy new guy Thompson. 

                “Hi Bella, Dorey, call me back ASAP.” Dorey broke the connection in less than five seconds.

                Bella was familiar with this scenario, she knew she had to use the personal com Dorey had furnished to her a couple of years earlier for the call back.  This particular com unit was equipped with the match to Dorey’s encryption program, allowing them to talk without fear of being traced.  She signaled her fellow employees on the packaging floor that she was going to take her afternoon break as she walked toward the back of the shipping department.  When she reached the rear hall, she turned right toward the locker room moving quickly.  Bella knew Dorey would be waiting impatiently for her call.  Pulling what she thought of as her business com out of her locker, she turned and made for the outside employee entrance.  Once outside she keyed the speed dial code for Dorey’s com.

                “OK, that took long enough, I thought briefly that you might have been discovered and of no more use to me.” Dorey was never any good at waiting. “I have a job for you.  A guy in the Center’s communications department is researching some data sent to one of your Probes.  It’s a black ops that you may or may not know about, very hush hush.  His name is Benson and he will have one or two compatriots helping him.  I need to know what he has discovered and who his helpers are.  The information that might be found cannot reach a guy named Melman.  Melman works for the Center’s Directorate Manager, Andrew Kenfer.”

                Bella spoke in her usual calm demeanor, “I’ve run into this Benson before, his first name is Corey and I also know where to look for anyone that might be helping him.  Benson’s a workaholic and doesn’t have many friends.  If he has anyone working for him, I can find out easily enough.  What kind of time frame are we working with?”

                “I have a contract to stop this information from being presented in an ongoing inquiry.” Dorey said with impatient, “My contract is nonspecific about how I accomplish this task but time is of the essence.  We will need to hurry.  I can destroy the information before it’s found, I can corrupt the information, which would be more palatable to those looking for it as accidental and therefore believable or I can eliminate those persons who are attempting to uncover it.  The last option is the least desirable but remains on the table.  With this in mind, along with the name or names of Benson’s assistants, I want their entire work schedules for the next forty eight hours.” Having used Bella on other contracts, Dorey knew the information would be in her hands before the day was over.

                “The personnel involved will be the easy part but getting into the computer records for a black ops will require bribes.  Do I have your permission to use the slush account as I have before?” Bella said evenly.

                At this point Dorey didn’t care what it took to succeed.  She wanted to be rid of Loomis with her reputation still in tact.  The outcome would go far toward increasing her fee for future work. “Yes, do whatever you need to.  I will send the new access information for the slush account to your com when we end our call.”

                Dorey explained the financial transfer codes to Bella that were required for any transactions she required, along with her standard warning regarding fiscal responsibility before she closed out the call.  She next contacted her bank to fully fund the account Bella would be using.  It contained only the funds necessary to keep the account open.  With a few brief key strokes on her com, she transferred a reasonable amount from her secret stash to cover what she believed Bella would need and a bit extra for any unforeseen expenses.

                Bella went back into the building and put the com back in her locker.  The employees had the use of a couple desk comps provided by the company in a quiet room next to the employee break room.  Sitting down at one of the terminals she logged on to the Center’s employee network with her ID and password.  Bella had several files shunted to a secure server used only to back up shipping records and only assessable to her as manager of her department.  They were encrypted with a program of her own design and safe from access by anyone without her codes.

                Bella had contacts for insider information and record access in most of the major companies involved with high level government projects but this kind of information would cost, hence the request for Dorey to release money to lubricate the wheels.  She sent a message to one of those operatives inside the Center’s funding and accounts payable office on her payroll.  Nothing can be kept secret from the people who pay the bills.  By analyzing billing records it was an easy matter to get a handle on what this Probe project was exactly and then the “what” would yield the “who”.  All information flowed through the company’s internal network and she had a better chance of getting to the black ops files first, knowing insider details. Bella also knew Dorey would not let anything stop her, including Corey Benson and his accomplices…….

 

     

                     

                 

Chapter 21

                Without realizing it Lock had fallen asleep in the Probe’s command chair.  When his stomach twisted and was followed by slight weightlessness he was dreaming peacefully.  He awoke abruptly, not able to remember what his dream was about but he felt fully rested.  As he tried to lean forward automatically to view what the various viewing screens had to offer, he realized that his body was restrained.  A restraint mechanism had deployed while he was asleep to keep him safe in the chair. 

                “Thanks for looking out for me, I must have dozed off.  I didn’t realize how tired this whole business was making me.” Lock said while manually unfastening his safety restraint.

Now that you and I are a team your safety is tied to my own.  I have a programming imperative to see that you are not harmed and you will find that this mandate functions with or without your direct request.

                “Have we arrived at the time and place I requested?  Our discussions during my training neglected the actual nuts and bolts of how a transition occurs.  As rested as I feel, we must have taken a few hours of travel time. Is this common?” Lock asked anxiously.

Remember when we escaped discovery by the hunters while you were looking for my crystal?  I explained to you that I shifted just out of the current time line, effectively causing our disappearance in relation to anyone present in the ordinary time where we were stranded.  The same principle is applied during a transition.  Once a destination and time is chosen, my technology allows for movement from any ordinary time stream that we find ourselves to any other in mere minutes.  As you know already, I monitor your biological status automatically through your key.  With this knowledge I knew you required sleep to continue effectively with our test mission.  The transition symptoms you felt just before you entered into your sleep cycle represented our initial movement out of your home time stream and into the flux between time streams.  The hours you spent sleeping were ship time that continues evenly as we discussed before.  When your biological data indicated you had experienced adequate rest, the final shift was initiated to the time and place set for the active test mission.  This second set of symptoms was what awakened you.

To rephrase simply, had you not required sleep, our transition would have taken only the time to set a destination and the time to directly shift to that location.  In actual ship time, it would have only taken a few minutes.

                “I understand.” Lock said impatiently, “Now that we are here, how does this work?”

We have arrived at the time and date you decided on.  It is protocol to enter any new time stream at altitude, where we presently are at this moment.  This is required for our safety.  We can now scan the ground for objects that could have caused damage had we materialized near ground level.  We then settle down just above the ground in a safe location for our confirmation scans and views of the area.  Adjustments are then made to our location based on whatever information is available.  If on a historical mission we use historical records both written and photographic or video to refine our location.  In this case we have your personal memories to steer our course.  Scans for obstacles are automatically done.  We are settling down toward the ground now.  Look to your observation screens and I will adjust our location in time and space based on your feedback.  Remember we are camouflaged to prevent being seen or heard.

                Lock now realized what the Probe meant by needing a meaningful experience to bring home the power of what was sure to become an important partnership.  Lock’s choice for this test exercise was based on a simple regret he had as a teenager and he had provided the Probe an address and date.  What he now saw on the screen left him speechless.  The Probes view screens wrapped around the front of the command chair and gave the effect of a panoramic view, with an additional pair both above and below his line of sight for a full perspective.  Lock was looking at the very corner store near his childhood home when he was 14 years old and he took in the view with silent awe. 

My systems require information to make the adjustments necessary for your mission.

                “I provided a date and month but can you determine what day of the week it is?

The day is Thursday and it is approximately 1PM in the afternoon.

                “We need to go forward to the next Saturday afternoon at approximately 4PM.” Lock was whispering without realizing it and staring intently at the screens.  The scene moved forward as you’d fast forward a movie.  Cars came and went sporadically, delivering the many customers that frequented the store with an occasional walk in too.  The fast forwarding stopped on Saturday in real time with live action occurring as it actually had so many years ago.  Lock asked for the action to be advanced at a medium speed.  After about five minutes ship time, equaling about two hours event time, he watched as a young man hurried up the road next to the store.

                “Stop the action and zoom in on the boys face.” Lock yelled.  The face that grew and became clear was unmistakably his own, as a mere youth.  “Can we see into the store, specifically in the North West corner, against the wall?”

Yes, the top two screens can make use of a penetrating viewer.  Observe this beginning view and then use the joystick type controller on your right chair arm to move in, out, left and right. The view will remain in focus at all times.

                As the two screens offered a view of the inside of the store, Lock took control.  Moving deeper into the store and back to the corner magazine racks was easy with the joystick controller.  They were just as he remembered them all those years ago.  On the top shelf, displayed prominently in the front of all other titles was his goal, the only comic book title destined to become a rare collector’s item and the one his younger self never purchased.  A first issue sold in almost every comic shop but later to become incredibly scarce.  Throughout the years Lock had often remembered picking up the book, thumbing through it but having to select another because his limited allowance at the time, forced him to choose only a couple comics every Saturday and he didn’t want to miss an issue of the comics he already collected.  He had no money for a new title.

                “How do I go out and talk to that boy?  I want to be in the store near the magazine racks when he enters.  One more thing, can your systems duplicate paper money appropriate to the time?” Lock was now excited.

Travel to the transit nexus stopping at the Transmutter booth.  Simply ask for what you want, the booth can create any authentic item you wish, then concentrate on our destination and walk through the barrier.  You will appear where you wish, slightly out of phase with this time stream but able to see your surroundings.  As soon as you see that no one will notice you appear, concentrate and you will solidify seamlessly in this time stream.  Be aware that you may not let your younger self know who you are.  Keep interaction to an absolute minimum.

                “Understood,” Lock said, “I only want to provide my younger self with the funds to purchase a comic book I always regretted not buying.”

                As Lock passed through the barrier he fingered the two ten dollar bills he had made with the transmutter booth.  He landed in a back isle of the store and finished his transfer unnoticed.  The smell of the store brought many memories flooding back but he wanted to accomplish his task.  Quickly he moved to the magazine rack briefly looking over the book he wanted so badly.  He watched himself enter and head for the only part of the store he cared about.  Turning back toward the isle where he had transferred he let the two ten dollar bills fall to the floor in front of the comics.  As Lock rounded the corner his younger self arrived at the comics rack.  As young Lock scanned the many titles, he noticed the money on the floor and picked it up with a huge smile.  Immediately young Lock started picking out comics.  To Lock’s great satisfaction, young Lock also picked up two of the first edition comic he still dreamed about. 

                Lock watched as his younger self headed to the cash register with his treasure and smiled as he willed himself back through the nexus transfer barrier on the Probe……

 

 

      

Chapter 20

                Melman was in his office when he heard the half hearted knock at the door.  He was deep into the Center’s network software user list, familiarizing himself with the program’s search parameters in anticipation of pulling any names that would coincide with time and date stamps his friend Benson was sure to find in the code he was sifting through.

                “Doors open,” Melman said tiredly, he had only been able to catch a couple of cat naps since this whole Probe thing popped up. “I hope this is important, I’m trying to catch up on my neglected in box.”

                Melman’s job description was not as a programmer but he knew his way around all of the Center’s internal member software with system wide access.  He hoped he would soon be able to give his boss Mr. Kenfer, the information he needed to figure this mess out once and for all.  As Melman looking up, the door slid to the side and his personal secretary stepped forward, stopping at the edge of his desk sporting a serious expression.

                “Mr. Melman,” said his secretary apologetically, “I just received an encrypted message from a Corey Benson, sent to your attention.  It seems this Benson fellow has access to your private encryption protocol and the message has the standard Emergency ID tag attached.  Do you want me to send it to your desk comp or to security for investigation?”

                Melman was elated at this news.  The last time he saw Kenfer, he was in the conference room doing his best to bluff, stall, spin and dance his way around the Elders of the most powerful and important research program in the Center’s preview.  Handing Kenfer information of value at this juncture in the investigation was sure to impress the Elders and add to Kenfer’s indebtedness to Melman.   Efficiency has its price.

                “By all means put the message into my private communiqués.  I’ll decrypt it myself when I can and let security know if need be.” He did not let on that he hoped Benson had the answers he needed.

                Melman was pulling the message up from his personal files as his office door sealed shut.  It was then a simple matter to insert his password to get the decryption started.  As the program did its job he transferred the results to an internal sequestered file on his personal comp.  He involuntarily leaned toward his comp screen and read the following:

I HAVE DELEGATED SOME OF THE INITIAL WORK RELATED TO THE CODE SEARCH TO ASSOCIATES.  THESE INDIVIDUALS HAVE ONLY PARTS OF THE PUZZLE.  NO ONE PERSON CAN LEARN WHAT THE BIGGER PICTURE WILL EVENTUALLY SHOW.  NEEDED TO USE PERSONAL COMPS NOT CONNECTED TO THE CENTER’S NETWORK.  I HAVE KEPT THE SENSITIVE SECTIONS OF THE MATERIAL FOR MY OWN HANDLING WHEN THIS FIRST GO ROUND HAS NETTED CONDENSED RESULTS I CAN USE IN PART TWO OF THE FILTERING PROCESS.  MY PROGRAM IS PERFORMING AS EXPECTED AND I ANTICIPATE AT LEAST SOME RESULTS IN APPROXIMATELY 24 HOURS.

I MUST REPORT TO YOU THAT OUR INVESTIGATION HAS BEEN DISCOVERED.  THE ASSOCIATES THAT ARE HELPING ME HAVE PROVEN MY TRUST IN THEM BY INFORMING ME OF AN INSIDE PLOT TO LOCATE THE INFORMATION WE NEED, PURGE IT AT ANY EXPENSE EVEN IF I MUST ALSO BE REMOVED. THE MESSAGE WAS DISCOVERED BECAUSE IT WAS SENT TO THE WRONG ADDRESS ON THE CENTER’S INTERNAL GRID.  MY NAME WAS PART OF THE MESSAGE ALONG WITH THE PROBE 4 IDENTIFIER.  THE MESSAGE WAS SIGNED “KL”.  I’M SURE THIS IS KYLE LOOMIS.

I AM FEARFUL THAT THE IMPORTANCE OF THE INFORMATION WE ARE AFTER CAN NOT BE OVERSTATED AND MY ASSOCIATES AND MYSELF NEED PROTECTION IF WE ARE TO SUCEED WITH OUR SEARCH.  CAN YOU DISPATCH A TEAM TO UNABSTUSIVELY GUARD US WHILE WE PROCEED WITH OUR EFFORTS?  ANY NEW INFORMATION OF VALUE WILL BE FORWARDED THE SECOND WE GET IT.  SUGGEST AT THIS LATE TIME OF THE DAY YOU ARRANGE FOR A BREAK IN THE BRIEFING OF THE ELDERS TO GIVE MR. KENFER BREATHING ROOM AND US THE TIME TO FINISH WHAT WE STARTED.

RESPECTFULLY, BENSON

                Melman keyed the following message for Kenfer’s hand comp. 

<PROBE SEARCH CLOSE TO IMPORTANT RESULTS.  SUGGEST YOU OFFER THE ELDERS A BREAK FOR THE DAY.  INFORMATION EXPECTED TO BE ASSEMBLED OVER THE NEXT 24 HOURS.  SECRECY HAS BEEN COMPROMISED.  I MUST AUTHORIZE A SECURITY ATTACHMENT FOR OUR TEAM MEMBERS.  MELMAN>

                Kenfer was stressing the last point he had in his bag of tricks to the Elders when his hand comp vibrated in its waist carrier.  He turned back to the podium and pulled it from his belt and read the screen.  Smiling he looked out at all the tired faces.  Loomis still was absent and all present were annoyed that they had waited almost an hour for Loomis to come back with an explanation but then never showed.

                “The hour is late and there has been a new development in the Probe case.  If we all break for the day, more light will be shed on our problem when we reconvene tomorrow.” Kenfer held his breath in hopes his guests would agree.

                Elder Lantz stood up.  He was next in line for Head Elder position. “I also think we all need a rest Director Kenfer and will divert to your good sense in this matter.” With a small movement of Lantz’s hand the rest of the Elders stood and filed out with Elder Lantz leading the way.  Kenfer turned as the last Elder left the conference room.  Walking to the front of the room he sat down in one of the two comfortable chairs reserved for any speakers needing to wait their turn when an ordinary lecture was in session.  He was both exhausted and grateful that he had Melman as his assistant….     

      

Chapter 19

                Dorey watched as personal and business flyers zipped by the observation platform where she took her breaks.  She enjoyed the open air and sunlight for those who ventured out on the section of the platform actually outside.  It projected over the edge of the governmental records building, in the heart of the city where she worked.  The mere height of a 38 story high building was not for the faint of heart, which usually gave her the privacy to communicate with her customers.   She loved the freedom of it and was staring out at the city skyline as she keyed in her personal com link encryption code to connect with Kyle Loomis.  Once she closed a contract she did not take additional follow up calls lightly but new she had entered into a contract and now her reputation was on the line.  Additional customer contacts were not safe for her in most cases and they seldom yielded additional worthwhile information.  Sometimes the client just got cold feet and Dorey was not up to baby sitting but she had worked for Loomis in the past and if he called it must be important.

                “You know this is against my business policy.  I explained this clearly to you the first time you contracted to employ my services.  Jeopardizing my position will now add to the price of our arrangement.” Dorey spoke with no emotion and was glad her voice was being disguised using the most sophisticated of software filters set to the voice of an older man with a fake accent.  

                Loomis was obviously under great stress as he spoke. “At this point your fee means nothing to me.  A new development has reared its ugly head and time has become a precious commodity.”

                “Your changed situation is not my concern.  You contracted me to intercept information on a particularly sensitive project and remove said information from records assessable to analysis by Central Records drones.  You said nothing of immediate pressures.” Dorey was beginning to have second thoughts about accepting another contract from Loomis.

                “I just walked out of a briefing with the Centers Directorate Manager and all of my council peers without explanation.  The whole group will be looking for an explanation for my rude behavior upon my return.  I wouldn’t have placed myself in this position, drawing unnecessary attention to myself I might add, if this wasn’t an emergency.” Loomis had raised both the pitch and volume of his voice.

                Noticing this, Dorey decided to hear him out without further references to her standard operating procedure. “My calls are limited in time to prevent traces so please come to the point quickly. My voice com’s will terminate automatically if a trace is sensed”

                Loomis continued, “Directorate Manager Kenfer has more resources than I expected and I have underestimated his abilities.  This will not happen again no matter the cost.  It seems that Kenfer has an assistant that has employed the skills of one of his friends in the communication section to successfully find, by brilliant computer analysis that an Operational Immediate Action code was sent to the very Probe whose records you were hired to clear out.  This OIA code and the data content contained therein simply must be intercepted and deleted or at least corrupted before the incriminating content is discovered.”

                Dorey knew that her position as Information Director for Government Services was the key to her successes in her moonlight job as a gun for hire or private contractor.  She would not risk her anonymity to clients or jeopardize her job even if it meant cancelling a contract.  This was made clear to every new or previous customer at the time a job was agreed to.  On occasion it was necessary to rush to complete an assigned task but when searching this type of sensitive records requiring the necessary clearances at her level of access, even she could draw unwanted attention to her activities. 

                “Mr. Loomis, I’m sure that you have not forgotten the one nonnegotiable criterion that is part of my standard operating policy.  I am extremely carful when I obtain or in your case purge information for clients.  Although I am sensitive to your dilemma, and will proceed without delay, I will not operate carelessly.” Dorey remained emotionless.  It was important to remain in control when dealing with customers under stress.

                “I have a name for you from my own Center confidential informants.” Loomis said, “The communications technician feeding critical information to Kenfer through his personal assistant and close to uncovering the whole sordid business is Corey Benson.  This guy has apparently developed a rouge search program not part of Central’s network grid.  My people have been watching for flags that would indicate Benson is using the Center data base or resource pool.  Nothing has popped up yet and it is believed that he is using private equipment linked but isolated by a powerful firewall.” Loomis was hoping that by providing all the information obtained and then verified himself, he might put his hireling at ease.

                Dorey was impressed that Loomis would go to such extremes in an attempt to expedite actions on her part but had been in this business long enough to be wary of free information.  She knew he had his position and possibly even his freedom at stake.  If not for these facts she might not have decided to pursue the lead Loomis offered and start her own research through long trusted channels.  She would locate and deal with this Benson character.  She suspected Benson would have recruited help and that these coconspirators would be the weak link to stop his interference.  Should one of his friends suffer he would get the message that his personal safety was at risk.

                “I will provide my usual professional services Mr. Loomis without fail but be advised that your information will be considered only in a supportive role until I verify the information myself.  I have your personal com ID code and you should have the translation matrix I provided you.  I will text you updates only, no more voice communications.  Understand that I am aware of your position and intend to live up to your trust in my expertise and judgment.  What I need you to do now is return to the meeting and provide a believable excuse for leaving in such a rush.  I will guarantee that your position is safe, by beginning with our Mr. Benson’s activities.” Dorey ended the call as she walked back to the observation deck lift.  She knew exactly how to ferret out Benson’s sources and his friends were the perfect leverage she would need against him……       

                                               

 

                      

Chapter 18

                Director……Lock’s thought was still fresh in his mind when his stomach told him that the Probe had moved through time.  The feeling was kindred to riding over a high crest just before a steep drop and sharp turn combination on a modern speeding roller coaster.  A kind of weightlessness and dizziness twisted together but lasting only a few seconds.  Not possible to ignore and at the same time something he probably will get used too.

                “Probe, what has happened?  You expressed to me that I needed a bit more training and our position would remain stationary until I satisfied your programming guidelines and earned your confidence.”

Our parking position outside of the local time stream but still in the immediate vicinity of your home reference point, has become unstable.  In general this is not unusual by itself, there are currents in the time stream and holding a fixed position in this stream can get bumpy.  My instruments are telling me that an event has occurred.  By definition an event consists of a change in an established thread through the stream of time.  Parked as we are, we experience an event or change in the local time stream as a wave that passes over us.  As the wave passes us, it jostles or buffets the space we occupy.  You felt it on the inside as a time shift would feel and in a real sense time did shift, as the new reality of our reference location took effect around us.

                “You’re telling me that something has occurred to change the reality of the local time line.  That when this incident happened the resulting change sent a ripple or bump through the continuum or whatever it is we are parked in, that exists between the many and varied time lines of reality.” Lock was really trying to offer this explanation as clearly as possible to give the Probe evidence of his understanding of what just occurred.  He was anxious to get on with the program.

Your clear understanding has cemented my decision to pick you as my new Director and the process has now ended.  Now that I no longer need to be concerned with my internal operations, I want you to experience a real example of what is possible when using my technology.  You need to think about something that you would like to do that involves my abilities.  It is within my discretionary programming to support you in what will be your first training mission.  Involving you directly as the subject in this training exercise will prove to you how powerful the tested combination of living Director and Artificial intelligence can be.  Upon completion of this trial, we must plan our approach to Central Base.  Protocol dictates caution after what has happened and as I have stated earlier, contact was automatically severed until stability was achieved.

                “What type of mission?  I don’t really know what would be appropriate.” Lock said while turning toward the closest barrier.  He instinctively was heading for the control room.

Just think of something in your past that you want to investigate or possibly just witness.  Our missions involve the first hand confirmation of historical information as researchers and observers.  The interference of events as recorded is not allowed but corrections necessary to repair an errant time line is possible.  The power provided to you by your Key, will be invaluable to you in accomplishing all three of our implied imperatives.  To be perfectly clear they are again, research, observation and error correction.  The error correction is sometimes referred too as a reset.  Decide well Lock, your maiden mission need be nothing more than an observation if you desire.  You may not cause a significant change but I will guide you when you advise me of your decision.  The point here is to familiarize yourself with the tools at your disposal and believe in our combined abilities before we are assigned a real mission.

                “What would you consider a change of any significance?  I’ve always wanted to kick myself when I was younger because I didn’t do something that I always regretted not doing.  Not Earth shattering in any way but I do wish that I had purchased something I wasn’t interested in at the time.  This item turned out to be rare after I became an adult and I always wished my choice had been different back then.” Lock was now in the control room as he finished his question, and stepped up to the command chair and sat down.

I don’t think attaining a mere possession will harm your thread in the time stream.  Before I instruct you how to begin with your adventure, we need to discuss one final item of business that is an added safety measure.  I can retrieve you as long as you are still in possession of your key.  Even if you are unconscious I can bring you back within my perimeter, straight to any location within such as control, the departure nexus or if need be the infirmary for a medical emergency.  As I informed you early on I can monitor your mind.  I will not interfere with your actions but if you think a thought directed to me, I will respond.  In this light you must provide me with a safe word, a word unlikely to come up in ordinary conversation.  We can begin when this safety feature is decided.

                “How about the word TRAVELER, it seems somehow appropriate to me.” Lock waited for the verdict.

Yes, the word Traveler is now set as your safe word.  We can now begin the training mission.  To begin look to your right and locate the directional controls.  You remember that each control will center in your field of vision as needed and allow you to input data.  Think of your destination and the destination control will center.  Now you must think both two dimensionally for location and three dimensionally for the time you wish to visit this location.  Many of the other controls are position controls and will be used to view and travel at the point of insertion at whatever time and place you have selected.  The screens around and above you will give you panoramic views of your destination.  The remaining controls have uses described to you as the situation of a mission warrants.  Have you set the controls to your choice?

                “I have provided my location with an approximate time.  I assume adjustments can be made in the observation aspect of an investigation before insertion.”

You are correct.  If your destination requires no more consideration, we can make the transit now.

                “Ready when you are.” Lock said and immediately his stomach informed him that they were on their way through time.                 

 

Chapter 17

                Benson watched Melman as he left the office and walked hurriedly to the employee lift.  As the doors to the lift closed, Benson was already in his cubicle entering revised search parameters into his newly created brain child.  Although elated that one of his ideas had paid off for a change, Benson had some misgivings about what he would eventually find now that he was on the right track.  He hadn’t let Melman know that he would have to bring one or two others into his confidence to deal with the multifaceted search he just initiated into the Probe’s last files.  The only way to identify and keep narrowing in on the information he sought was to watch four variants of his program, all running at the same time and then compare similarities as more and more of the raw data was analyzed. The search would automatically be self reducing after the initial data sift through but until then, there plainly wasn’t enough of him to go around.  Without even thinking, he immediately knew who he could trust for the job, the Andel brothers.  He often had lunch with them in the open courtyard arboretum on sunny days.  It had become a ritual before returning to work, to bounce ideas off one another.  It stimulated the creative juices when any of the three of them were stuck on some programming issue and after a dozen or so sessions like this, he believed he had the brothers pegged as honest friends.

                Benson keyed the interoffice com. “Karl, Benson here, are you and your brother going to be able to make it to lunch today?  I know it’s short notice but I have a favor to ask.” Benson was looking at the time icon in the corner of the com’s screen and knew he could break any time now and no one would care.

                “Benson,” Karl answered with genuine warmth, “Dean and I were just talking about you.  We happen to have a problem of our own and would welcome your opinion on a programming glitch that’s evaded our numerous attempts to solve.  How about meeting at the usual location in say, twenty minutes?”

                “Works for me, bring your tablet comp with the details and I can look at what you have while we talk.” Benson could be there in five minutes but was glad for the other fifteen.  He needed the time to download his new program with the revised search parameters to share with the Andel’s.

                The arboretum was unoccupied when Benson arrived.  It was still early in the lunch rotation and most of the Center’s employees preferred to take their lunch later in the schedule, making the remainder of their work day seem to pass more quickly.  The sun would be high in the open sky soon and Benson was thankful that the table he and the Andel brothers usually shared was shaded at this time of the day.  By the time he reached his destination the brothers were just stepping out of the lift.  Dean waived as he walked with Karl following close behind carrying both of their comps as well as what looked like a bundle of data chips.  Dean and Karl were always wagering.  On what it never mattered, Benson assumed Karl was carrying all the gear because he lost the most recent bet between them, and he couldn’t help but smile.

                “You two have been at it again haven’t you?” Benson said as he leaned back in his chair. “What was it this time?  I’m thinking it has something to do with the program issue you’ve brought me.”

                Dean looked at his brother as he sat down adjacent to Benson and said, “I win again.  I told you Benson would guess we were up to our usual games.” Dean then turned toward Benson and continued, “You spoke of a favor, so we brought our programming disaster with us as you asked, in the hopes  we could help each other with our mutual problems.”

                Benson looked over the information on Karl’s comp first and asked if they had access to the revised code compiler that was available to them from the master data base.  Karl looked unsure, as if he was speaking a foreign language.  As he picked up Dean’s comp he waited to scan the rest of the code before speaking again.

                “The tweaking this program needs to run error free, is a simple mater for the new compiler to handle.  From your silence I’m guessing you know this already and really wanted something else, what is it.  I still have my issue to discuss with you and it’s time sensitive.” Benson wondered if he was correct in his judgment of these two after all.

                Karl spoke first. “It was Dean who didn’t want to tell you straight out.”

                “Tell me what?” Benson said.

                “We stumbled on a privileged communication Benson.  It seems that you have an enemy that wishes you harm.  You know that our section’s staff is required to download requests for service from the Center Complex at large.  All the programmers in our section then sift through these requests and condense them down into solutions that can be solved by creating new programs.  Programs are then created and the reverse is true, we upload our work for use by any employee with access to the Center’s grid.  Somehow when we received our program assignment it also contained a file mislabeled as a request for service.  In reality it was actually an eyes only communiqué meant for someone in administration.  We are your friends Benson and we knew that it was not safe to talk to you about this over the Center’s internal communications.  This whole need to talk thing was a ruse to give you a heads up.”

                “What was in this message?  It might have something to do with the favor I need from you in return.  My personal comp has a program I developed to solve a problem that has occurred with one of our research Probes.  There is someone in this company with a secret agenda.  Actions have been taken with total disregard for our personnel and the very technology that supports our normal operations.  This program needs to analyze huge amounts of raw data and must be monitored.  To keep it a secret it must not run on any of the Center’s networked computers.  Therefore the task requires at least four personal comp systems running in parallel and must be monitored by myself and someone else I can trust until the analysis has reduced the data to a manageable level.  The balance of the analysis can then be done on my system.  It’ll be safer if only I finish and pass my findings to my boss.”

                “The message was a request to stop an investigation for information about P4.” Karl said while watching Benson’s reaction. “Someone with the initials KL, wants all relevant information destroyed at any cost.  We don’t know who it was supposed to be sent to but you were mentioned by name as expendable.  Whatever you need we got your back.”

                Benson heard the word expendable and realized how serious this was becoming.  He had mentioned the Probe but not that it was Probe 4 and KL had to be Kyle Loomis……….                   

                                  

                   

          

Chapter 16

                Elder Loomis exited the lift at Central Controls main floor.  He wasn’t fooled by the guileful Melman and his so accommodating escort.  After landing in his personal flyer and speaking with his newly hired employee via his private com, he saw the covert call being made by the waiting escort that Mr. Melman had sent for him.  This was an innocent act but enough to warn Loomis that his actions were not going unnoticed and that Melman was probably being informed of his every move.  Loomis still believed that Melman would be useful to his own goals and if he had to watch his own back, so be it.

                 Loomis walked quickly without hesitation, his escort in tow as he approached the conference room.  He hadn’t failed to notice that the Center’s Directorate Manager, Andrew Kenfer was just leaving a side office with Melman slinking behind.  If not a strategy meeting, then surely information for Kenfer’s ears only had been exchanged.  Loomis entered the rear conference door at the same time Kenfer entered at the front.  The doors shut simultaneously and shook the wall.

                “Elder Loomis,” Kenfer acknowledged with a professional tone. “I hope your trip was safe and uneventful.  I’ve been informed that you’ve been updated about our unusual predicament.  Is there anything you do not understand?”

                “Thank you Mr. Kenfer.” Loomis said with authority in his voice. “Your personal assistant is ever so efficient and has been kind enough to provide me with everything I have asked of him.  I would like to apologize to my fellow Elders, sometimes an old man must be allowed his eccentricities, and traveling in my own flyer is one of mine.  Because of your assistants due diligence I have been afforded all the information presented to my Honorable Colleges so far and have no questions, please proceed with your presentation.”

                Melman watched the discussion going on in the conference room between Kenfer and Loomis while on his com to tech support.  He knew a couple of the new subordinate technicians well enough to use one of them to make the call requested by Kenfer, allowing him to stall for time.  After explaining the situation quickly he ended his call and waited.  He saw Kenfer turn toward the podium at the front of the conference room as Elder Loomis was taking his seat at the other end of the table.  The conference room com could be heard through the wall as it sounded and the look of relief was evident on Kenfer’s face.  Kenfer keyed the call and started talking with genuine concern on his face.  Melman knew the call would be the fake update from communications allowing Kenfer to buy some time.  As Kenfer began talking, Melman was already turning to take the lift to talk with his friend Benson in communications.  He needed the results from Benson’s information search and he needed it fast.

                Benson saw Melman coming out of the lift and began smiling.  He stood and motioned Melman to follow him to an adjacent unoccupied office.  When Melman walked in he saw that Benson had a computer with viewing screen, set up and ready to show him what he’d found.

                “I think this is just what you’ve been looking for.” Benson said, watching Melman’s face. “My search program, the prototype I told you about, has come up with a couple of important clues that should lead us to the story behind the Probe shut down.  I’ll just need a couple more hours for a complex search of this kind but you can give what I’ve got to Mr. Kenfer now.  It might be enough to get open permission to continue using our research staff.  It would be faster with no more cloak and dagger stuff. ”

                “What sort of information?”  Melman said, as he sat in the chair next to Benson. “Make this quick.  Kenfer’s fake call will be ending any minute.”

                “I was able to pick up a program coding subtext just like I expected, behind the obvious message text in the last normal communication to your Probe #4.  By Last, I mean within the automated response that is sent from here at Central Control every time a Probe files a mission status report.  See here in the program breakdown, you can see that the standard leader that always precedes an OIA directive is clearly evident and now that I have the leader’s key coding, I can use it to find the directive’s content.  I just need the time to finish looking for the rest.”

                Melman opened a personal com line to check to see if Kenfer’s com was still active.  The line was open so he initiated a call immediately.

                “Conference room one,” Kenfer said, as if relieved to get the call.

                “Mr. Kenfer, this is Melman.  I’m in communications and the suspicion I was researching seems to have panned out.”

                “Please explain Mr. Melman.” Kenfer said loudly. “We seem to be at a stalemate in our discovery efforts and would welcome any light you can shed on our dilemma.”

                Melman knew Kenfer’s loud voice was for the benefit of his audience and could also detect his appreciation.  Melman was really racking up the favors.

                “We found a traceable code confirming the OIA message sent to Probe 4 just before it shut down and now that we have the identification leader that always precedes a message of this sort, we should have the answers we need in a couple of hours.”

                Unknown to Melman, Kenfer had placed the call on speaker as soon as he was sure good news was forthcoming.  Kenfer wanted the whole room to hear every word and was especially interested in how Elder Loomis would take the news.  Before Kenfer could say anything in answer to Melman’s statement, he noted Elder Loomis seem to visibly harden and then stand up from the table.  Without saying a word to anyone he almost ran to the rear exit door while keying his personal com.            

                   

          

 

Chapter 15

                Feeling exhausted, Lock looked for a barrier partition to transfer to his rest and relaxation area aboard the Probe.  He spotted one just to the side of the stairs that had led him down to the power matrix crystals.  As he passed through the barrier, Lock remembered that he could simply imagine what he wanted and the Probe would accommodate him, so he thought of an old west bunk house he had seen in a movie.  The room he entered was paneled in clear stained pine, comfortably warm and bright with light that seemed to be everywhere but come from nowhere.  His bed was built of rustic pine logs with a generous mattress and ample bedding.  He noticed the light in the room dim as he lay back against the large pillows and that would be the last thing he remembered for the several hours that he slept.

                Lock awoke to the sound of gentle chimes.   He stood and stretched, feeling very refreshed.  Using the barrier partition beside his bed, he passed through to visit the rest room and take a needed shower.  Donning the clean cloths he found hanging conspicuously in the dressing area, Lock was ready to continue with the training lessons required to satisfy the Probe’s programming.

I allowed you to sleep until your medical information, which is constantly being relayed to me through your Key, indicated that your body had rid itself of its substantial fatigue.  You should take in sustenance before we continue with the remaining basic instructions to function as Director.  There will be more for you to learn but nothing that you can’t pick up during regular operations.  Communications with Central Control have been shut down after first sending a brief status report when the last Director was lost.  His body is being preserved for the investigation that will be required on our return to our base of operations.

                Lock had already moved to the nearest barrier and was about to enter his version of a kitchen as the Probe began to update him.

                “I expected to speak with you sooner.” Lock said resolutely, “The sleep was just what the doctor ordered.  I had no idea that I was that whipped.  How are we going to justify the time lost while I was in R&R mode?”

One of the perks of being a time manipulating machine of sorts, is to take yourself out of the regular flow of time.  When you completed the repair to my power matrix you must have felt the shift that I advised would occur, to avoid the hunters about to discover us.

                “Yes and it was hard to miss leaving my stomach behind back there but I had no idea we weren’t advancing through time.  I thought we could just jump from one time and place to another.”

                Lock was thinking of the implications of moving through time while munching on toasted bread with jam, they were giving him a headache.

You are correct in your thinking as far as it goes but if you consider that moving from one time and place to another requires leaving that specific time, moving outside of its specific time line and then reentering a different time line at a specific point.  It should seem obvious that if you stop in this transit process you end up not moving through time at all.  This is exactly what our situation is at the moment. 

                “OK but what about the time that passes inside?  I wasn’t dreaming that I was sleeping.” Lock made a face when he realized how lame what he had just said, sounded. “No pun intended.”

Your question is a logical one. I see no humor in it at all but it does show me that I have picked an intelligent candidate that will understand what is happening with minimal training.  The time you are experiencing inside my perimeter is quite real and will be real to anyone else that may experience it with you.  Your personal time line will never be interrupted from your point of view, nor will your location relative to mine effect your personal observation of time passing.   Beings that you associate with outside my perimeter on the other hand, might think your appearance has changed.  For this reason and as an important point for you to remember, you will always be moving in time.  This movement entails forward and backward time placement, which can leave someone that has interacted with you before, remembering you as being younger or older depending on when your previous contact was made.  The point being that you will have to be constantly vigilant when you have multiple dealing with any one individual.  The automatic records kept of all our future missions will be available to you should you need a refresher on occasion.  They can be searched by using names, general content or dates.  This spontaneous conversation has been meaningful and has dealt conveniently with one of the points that were left as part of your remaining training.                  

                “How soon will we be traveling to this Central Control you have remarked on so often?  Is there any danger that what happened to the last Director might happen again?” Lock realized he was almost whispering.

My previous Director has been placed in suspended animation of a type.  I have the ability to create a space outside of time relative to ours.  This isolation means no hazards that may or may not be present from the body can in any way effect you.  I have also suspended any automatic programming actions that can possibly interfere with my current self preservation directive that I am now functioning under.  We will travel when I know you are ready and I will give you an opportunity to make any other arrangements in your home life so you are comfortable leaving for an undetermined time.  You have only a few things left to learn and to alleviate any anxiety, remember you can visit your place of origin when we have any breaks in our mission schedule.

                The reality of Lock’s situation was finally setting in.  Knowing that something was going to happen, was different than when it was about to happen at any moment.  He felt for the first time that he was earning the title, Director.   

 

Chapter 14

                Kenfer was just turning his back on the central video screen, to complete his explanation facing the seated Elders when Melman entered at the rear of the conference room.  The last of the Elders had now been present for the better part of an hour and Kenfer’s efforts to stall for Loomis were running on empty. 

                “Please excuse my interruption Mr. Kenfer and Honorable Elders,” Melman declared clearly, “but Senior Elder Loomis has just landed at the North security entrance.  I have a man ushering him here with all due speed.  Elder Loomis has requested and been supplied the introductory information packet that was distributed upon your arrival to the meeting.  He is perusing this information as he makes his way here.  Elder Loomis expressed his regrets for his tardiness and wished to be caught up to the groups understanding of this case when he arrived.  He does not wish to hold up this meetings progress by being given the information already presented as the rest of you wait.  I have been in contact with the communication department and the decrypted transcripts of the last data burst from our missing Probe should be up on your desk screens at any moment.  We are going to forgo hard copies dew to our time constraints.  Hopefully this latest information will arrive just about simultaneously with our last member.”   

                Melman was secretly hoping that Benson would confirm the OIA code he’d found by accident, before the actual transcripts were published to the individual conference screens.  Reaching the front of the room, Melman had his back to the Elders and taking advantage of his orientation he whispered to Kenfer that he needed to speak with him privately for a few moments.  Kenfer side stepped slightly so that he could be heard clearly.

                “Please excuse me for just a moment gentlemen,”Kenfer offered in a flat tone, “Mr. Melman needs me to send a personal clearance code to communications regarding the secure release, for electronic transfer, of the decrypted information he just spoke of.”

                Kenfer was thinking that what the Elders didn’t know wouldn’t hurt them as he left the conference room, shutting the door behind him.  Melman motioned Kenfer over to the closest unused office door and when Kenfer was close enough, he opened the door and they both went in.

                “I needed to let you in on an idea I had and have started to pursue,” Melman shut the door of the small office and continued, “The last data burst, the one I have advised you and the Elders would be decrypted soon, has in fact been decrypted but held up while Mr. Benson in Communications looks into what a OIA confirmation code was doing subtly mixed in with the emergency message text.”

                “OIA code, are you sure?  Are you telling me someone directed Probe 4 to do something outside of its operational program and that it had no choice?” Kenfer stared at Melman with a blank face.

                Melman explained himself slowly. “I don’t know what the directive was exactly but the simple fact that a confirmation code was returned to us, is proof that the OIA code was received, that the Probe understood the order and either enacted or complied with it.  We know that whatever happened to the Probes last Director caused the probe to halt in mid mission to regroup.  We know that it has utilized a forgotten subroutine in its original programming to choose a New Director so that it can continue operations and that apparently, this individual has accepted the job and any further communications have been terminated.  The data from the last emergency transmission, just before the Probe shut down, contained what we believe to be the statement that it would be back on line after training.”

                “When will this Benson fellow be able to tell us anything about the code?” Kenfer had lowered his brow and gotten closer to Melman. “We need to know specifically what the Probe was directed to do and why.  This could break this whole mess wide open.”

                “Benson is the best communications man I’ve ever worked with.  He seems to think he might be able to look back through past transmissions to and from the Probe and key in on any subtle coding residue that will steer him to what the original OIA code contained.” I realized I was now whispering.

                I was being a little vague, I know but I had to protect both Benson and his custom program that might save the day, not to mention be quite useful in the future.  Some secrets just had to be protected if one wanted to appear indispensible to his boss. 

                Kenfer was quiet now, paced a moment and turned to face me. “Loomis is going to be here any minute now and I have to have that information as soon as possible.  Have someone in communications call the conference room com and just say anything on the line until I end the call.  That will let me continue to stall for time.  One more thing, what is your read on Loomis?  Why does the most senior of the Elders seem not to be in much of a hurry to get to the bottom of a situation never heard of in this department before?  My understanding of his character is that of a control freak.  I think our Mr. Loomis has an alternate agenda and it’s not to bring back one of the most sophisticated machines ever created and one that must not fall into the wrong hands.”

                “The man I sent down to escort Elder Loomis as well as provide the information he asked for reported back to me that Loomis made him wait after his flyer landed.  He was standing at the front of the vehicle and could see through the driver’s rear passenger compartment divider.  Loomis was on his personal com and by his expression engaged in a serious conversation.  My man said that this call took several minutes.  I know that it had to be someone that called him after I last communicated with the Elder about his estimated arrival time at the Center Complex.” Before Kenfer could get to the door I added, “Elder Loomis was fishing for more information about the Probe.  I wasn’t sure at the time but now I think he’s searching for something not yet on our radar.  I’ll start keeping a closer eye on his actions and what kinds of information he gets his hands on.”

                As Kenfer went through the door on his way back to the conference room Melman saw Loomis step off the lift with his escort close behind.  He appeared not to be a happy man.    

                    

           

 

    

Chapter 13

                Lock cleared his mind and envisioned the location where he noticed something fall while first observing the cube or Probe as he had learned later.  Only a few hours had actually passed and he was sure of the location.  Fixing the location in his mind, he walked through the Nexus barrier.  He unconsciously closed his eyes again as he moved forward, first a couple of steps on the hard floor, then in an instant he was walking on noisy dry leaves.  His balance seemed to be an issue as he opened his eyes after the transition and he stopped moving forward momentarily to keep from falling down. 

                The woods had become very dark and he strained to see ahead of him while his eyes adjusted to the night.  To help himself get his bearings he slowly turned in a circle, hoping to recognize anything in the immediate area.  Lock noticed with surprising dread that he couldn’t see the Probe anywhere at all.  Remembering that he had a small red LED light attached to his keys, he fished in his pocket and turned on its small beam, perfect for this type of searching.  The last thing he saw when the object fell from the Probe was a group of five or six blue spruce trees, all in a tight group.  The trees would be just behind or to the South of what he knew now to be the missing crystal and there was a power pole a few yards to their West

                With these clues in mind he scanned the horizon using the Moonlight to look for the power pole.  He was sure he could spot the pole, follow it down to the ground and find the Spruce trees without too much difficulty.  So he thought….as he turned while scanning the horizon he spotted moving lights, probably flashlights coming toward him.  Instinctively he hit the ground and lay still, trying to access what was happening.  As the lights got closer he could hear two men talking back and forth.  Lock immediately thought of the hunters he suspected were the cause of his present predicament.  One of the men was angry with the other for not paying attention to where some animal, an unfortunate beast that he had apparently shot, had run off to and now they were heading back to there camp both tired and empty handed.  They would be the joke of the group’s camp for the rest of their trip and the first man was not very happy about it.  Both men had obviously been drinking and this condition certainly contributed to their combined lack of tracking skills.  Even though Lock couldn’t see the Probe he realized he had a sense of just where it was.  A benefit of his Key no doubt and the hunters were heading straight for it.

                “Ok buddy, I’ve got civilians headed straight for you and we need a diversion.  Can you move at all without giving yourself away?”

Yes I can move but debris on the ground will move and clearly give away my location.  How much time do you think remains before our guests stumble on my exterior?

                “I estimate maybe ten to fifteen minutes.  I have located the land marks that should lead me to your crystal but I’ll need more time to get there and back.  These guys will have gotten to your location by then.” The men were too engrossed in the conversation they were having, to notice they were about to pass Lock as he lay on the ground only a few feet from them.

You are still thinking in normal linear travel terms.  Simply relax, concentrate on the location you are speaking of and transfer, if necessary transfer again until you get to your goal.

                Lock had found the top of the power pole while observing the hunters.  Concentrating he found himself at its base.  He immediately looked to the East of the pole and could see the spruce trees much closer than he remembered.  Now out of ear shot by the hunters, he just ran the fifteen or twenty yards and stopped at the edge of the tree group.

                ‘What am I looking for?  It’s so dark and I don’t want to chance shinning my light around.”

The crystal is an inanimate object with no energy of its own but your Key will allow you to see it guised in a bluish aura.  It is the shape of a cylinder about three inches in diameter, eight inches long and has a pyramid looking attachment at one end, the point of the pyramid points away from the rest of the crystal.  It has a fair weight and may have settled down through the ground cover.  You may have to scuff around to find it

                Lock got down on his knees and pushed around the combination of leaves, twigs and pine needles, feeling with his hands.  He searched for three or four precious minutes before he touched something cold and smooth.  Pushing away the combination of leaves, twigs and pine needles he uncovered the blue glowing treasure.  Fair weight was an understatement Lock thought as he lifted it up and cradled it in his arms.

                “I’ve got it!” Lock said with pride, “I don’t know where I need to go but I’m transferring back to you now….steer me to the right place.”

                Lock appeared in another dimly lighted area of the Probe unknown to him.  He was at the head of a landing of sorts to a stair well leading down.  There was no where else to go so he stepped down on the landing and waited for the instructions to come.

Excellent!  At the bottom of the stairs you will see a row of drawers.  Look for the drawer that is darker than the others.  Pull it out toward you until it stops and lift up the internal cover.  The cover hinges in the rear and will rest back against the back of the drawer.  You will see three other similar crystals, all positioned down into holes with the pyramid ends the only thing you see.  The crystal you have found belongs in the hole furthest back in the drawer.  The hole is actually an opening in a force field that makes up the bottom of the drawer.  When the projectile struck our outer surface the force field partially failed in the drawer.  Compensation circuits did not react quickly enough to stop the crystal from falling out of the control matrix. 

                After following the Probes directions to the letter, Lock was poised over the hole just as it was described. 

                “I’m ready, how much time before were discovered?”

Only mere minutes remain.  When you insert the crystal it should glow like the other three.  Follow this step by lowering the cover and pushing the drawer shut.  The drawer front will then appear equal in brightness to the others on either side of it.  I will know the second the process is complete and with power restored bump us out of real time just a few seconds, just enough to remove the possibility of us being found.  We can then resume your training without any interference.

                As Lock pushed the drawer shut he felt an odd sensation that left his stomach behind somewhere.  He knew the Probe had made good on its claim and they were now out of harms way.  He smiled……