Chapter 3:
Well, the day came for the moon launch. Jessica and I, Rick, Ava, William, Amber, Brian, Mavis, and Scott all get suited up. John and Elisabeth decide this wasn't for them, so they keep their paws firmly planted on the ground. We have two scientists with us as well. One Laurel Chatham, and Betty Slyton. We did not tell Laurel who she was, just that she was our mission specialist. Amber and Scott take positions at navigation and pilot chairs. I take my seat at communications, Jessica takes a seat at operations. This includes all weapons we have built into this ship. William takes control of the engineering board. Betty takes control of the mission specialist's chair. The rest take chairs and strap themselves in.
"How's it look, engineering"? Asks Betty of William as the one-minute warning sounds. "Good to go, captain, green lights across the board." "Navigation is the course laid in"? "Yes, captain." "Pilot, move us out but wait for the end of the countdown to lift us off, one-quarter impulse." We all burst out laughing except for Laurel; he doesn't get the joke. The countdown hits zero, and Scott lifts us off slow. Were we ever surprised at the crowds! The streets around the complex were just packed for an eight-block radius. Some held out banners reading, "GO WILDE GO." Some just waved, but the cheering we could all hear that. One drone got too close to us, and Jessica shot it down. It was an excellent fireworks display; we all knew we would hear about that later. But there had been warnings about the restricted air space. Soon we were too high to be seen from the ground and turned for a rendezvous with the moon.
It takes us four hours to get to the moon, just enough time for four couples to be the first members in the twenty-five-thousand-mile-high club. Betty just laughed at us all, and Scott snickered. After that, we just took our seats as if nothing had happened. As we approach the moon, I start calling for Martin.
"Moonbase alpha here; what can I do for you"? "Hi, Martin, long time no see." "Your right no one has been here for a long time. Are you Daniel? because if you are, the voiceprint doesn't match." "I was Daniel, but I go by the name Thomas now." "Ok, so back to the original question, what can I do for you"? Well, besides we want to see you, we will need to discuss the rest with you when we see you." "Ok, I can see you on final approach, opening hangar bay doors now." Laurel, who had been looking out the front window, was shocked to see the moon's surface crack open. He made a logical conclusion. "So how long has Wilde industries had a moon base? And when was it built"? William turns to look at him. "Laurel, Wilde industries did not build this moon base; it has been here for more than four thousand years. It was rediscovered about one hundred and forty years ago." Scott was lowering us into the hanger as William said this to Laurel. Laurel stares at William in shock as the doors close above us.
Soon there is enough atmosphere in the hanger to leave the ship. We go to the airlock and cycle ourselves into the moonbase's suit hanger bay. We strip off our suits and hang them up. Laurel goes over to the much larger human space suits and examines them. As he does, Martin cycles himself into the room. He stops dead, looking at all the foxes in the room. "Thomas"? He asks. I go over and embrace him. Laurel looks him up and down, "So it is true, there is a mammal in the moon. I thought all those old nursery rhymes were false." We all burst out laughing as Martin goes red. Introductions are made, and Martin shakes everyone's paws, except for Brian and Mavis; he hugs them. He kisses the back of Betty's paw as he bows to her. Betty turns away coyly from his attention; Martin smiles as she does.
We enter the base and have a very animated conversation as we head for the cafeteria. Martin has informed us he has a special treat for us. We all get in line as the robot serves us all burgers and fries. They were a meatless kind of burger. My nose can tell they are meatless, but boy, they smell different, just like real meat to me. Those who ate meat thought they smelled divine. Once I figured out they were meatless, I got up the nerve and tried one. It was a weird flavor. I can't say I liked it, but it wasn't too bad. But dessert, oh, the desert. Strawberries and cream. Martin had figured out how to synthesize cream. The strawberries tasted different; they had a fuller flavor. We were all sitting around the table enjoying coffee, tea, and juice. Which again had slightly different flavors. We had forgotten how the food flavors had changed over time with the earth's higher background radiation count. It was about three times higher than what was considered normal before the bombs dropped.
"So everyone, why are you here"? asks Martin. I speak up, "We're here, Martin, because we would like the warp drive information. We are planning to see the galaxy sometime in the next twenty years." "Well, now, isn't that interesting. I will give you that information, but I get to go along on that mission, and you have to do something else for me." "Done, Martin. We were going to ask you if you would like to come along, but what is this other thing you want us to do for you"? "You need to check out some anomalies readings I have found about one-hundred klicks away." What did you find"? "I'm not sure, but it appears to be another base of some kind."
Laurel speaks up, "What is going on? I'm very lost at this point. Warp drive? What is a warp drive? Another base? And what about this base? Can someone please explain it all to me"? "Mavis, Brian, I believe this is your bailiwick." Right you are, Thomas; we'll take Laurel and bring him up to speed. Martin, do I have your permission to access your memory core"? "By all means, Mavis, you have been in there already; the codes have not changed." "Thanks, Martin." The three of them get up and leave the room.
"So as I was saying, I believe that there is another base. This one has some sort of cloak, like your first ship. I have had microrobots trudge over to the base; they can feel it but can't see it. Any flying robots are shot down. "Ok, so at what distance from this base do your flying drone get shot down"? About a one-mile perimeter from the base. What alerted me to the base was that a short burst transmission goes out towards earth every ten years. It bounces off a dark satilight that is still in orbit around the moon. But the satellite's orbit is decaying. It will hit the moon in about six years. I have decoded the transmission, and it appears to be a request for someone to respond about the earth's condition." "Can you show us where this request is beamed too"? "Yes, I can, but we need the screens." We all head to the command center.
Martin shows us his extrapolated data. The Message is beamed to a section of our world covered in water. "As you can see, it's beamed at the inland ocean. But in my time, this section would have been a desert on the North American continent, area fifty-one to be exact." "So what would area fifty-one have been used for"? "Area fifty-one was a high-security military facility that was believed to be home to a crashed alien space ship. Well, several, actually. The first one was found crashed at Roswell, New Mexico, in a farmer's field. Several pictures were taken before the military stepped in and covered it up. Some claimed at the time; the military shot it down." "Can you show us the pictures"? The grainy photos come up, and we see a saucer-like craft on the monitor. Jessica turns to me, and all I can think at her is, "I know, I know." "So we did bring some transport with us. We will go and check on this base." "Thank you. I hope this isn't some sort of "Lazerus project." "Lazerus project"? "What I mean is I hope that you don't find humans, especially the military ones." We can see his fear of what they could bring forward from the past.
We later separate ourselves and go check out this base. There is no ectoplasmic net covering it, so we ghost right in, and Martin has the right of it. We find one-hundred and fifty cryotubes with ten living humans, and the rest had their tubes malfunction over time. We check over the base. A basic computer runs everything with a small nuclear power plant supplying the power. They have about ten years of energy left before the fuel rods are spent. We then head for the meadow to talk to Gab.
We don't find the meadow but are drawn to the flat plain. Gab, Ockny, and Cronos are standing there waiting for us. "So, now, you've found an old truth. What are you going to do with it"? asks Gab. "Not sure, sir, this old truth has many connotations to it. The Melushions have a right to be mad with us."
"No, they don't, Thomas. They were warned about what would happen if they interfered. But they choose to ignore those warnings." Replied Cronos. "Sir, was it them who destroyed us as a human race"? He hangs his head a bit, "Yes, they had a hand in it, but it wasn't all their doing; they had poisoned the leaders of all the countries with their ideas. They wanted revenge on the whole human race, not just the ones responsible for the deaths."
"So if we bring these humans back, does the action start all over again"? "Yes, it could. Even I can't see the outcome. There are several scenarios from this point in time; I know the ones I would like to see, but I can't force any of them "free will" and all." "If we brought them back as animals, would this stop the action before it begins"? "It might, but a change in thinking would be much more preferable." "So, sir, should we change them into animals? this is not the only humans left in the universe."
"You could, but they still might have their old ideas in their heads." "Well, we will just have to see how they think." "Yes, but you have a short period. When the power levels in that base fall to a certain level, all the remaining personnel will be woken up." "How long do we have"? About two years, Thomas. I don't recommend entering that base before then. They have external defenses as well as internal ones." "If we got Mavis or Betty to hack their computer, could we enter sooner"? "Yes, you could have you told them yet"? "No, sir, we haven't; we didn't see the relevance it would have at this time." "Not much relevance to this outcome, more to how they view themself." "Maybe Gab can tell her"? "Nice try, my young padawan grasshopper, you did it; it's your responsibility." Says Gab giving us a stern look. I hang my head, "I hope they respond favorably." We then head for dreamland.
Breakfast was a pleasant affair. Laural didn't join us, and when we asked, Martin said he was in the observatory. It seems Martin got bored many years ago and built himself a radio telescope. Because of no atmosphere to look through, the images were crystal clear. It wasn't very big, just ten meters across. The receiver was based on an old earth design but used the trinary language as part of the electronics.
"I constructed the telescope about fifty years ago, and the things I have seen through it. And I believe we are not alone in the universe. I have seen what looks like ships traveling around the galaxy." "You did see ships, Martin, and we are not alone." Everyone stares at me in shock; Jessica smiles. "What do you mean, Thomas"? asks Martin. "What I mean is it would be an awful waste of space if we were the only ones in the universe. There are three species that we know of in our own backyard. The human race was the most violent, The Melushions were the most unforgiving, and the Teton were the information gatherers of the universe. There may be more, but that's what's in the general vicinity of us."
"When you speak of "General vicinity," how big an area are we talking about"? asks William. "Well, if you section off our Milkyway galaxy into four quadrants, the species we know of cover two of the closest quadrants." William lets out a long whistle. "And these are our closest neighbors"? Well, close is a relative term. So it was by fluke chance they discovered us as a human race.
One of the Melushion's ships had a failure of their wormhole drive technology, and their ship ended up badly damaged and crashed here on earth. The military had a hand in bringing it down. They sent a message to their command, but it didn't get through in time. Martin showed us an old, grainy photo of a crashed Melushion ship. The stellar wormhole drive was intact from what we could see in the image. The damage was terrible but was repairable, but we are sure that there were some survivors. They are nitrogen breathers, so our atmosphere was very intoxicating for them at the time. Unfortunately, the humans at the time probably experimented on them, trying to figure them out. I'm sure the Melushion survivors did not survive this treatment of them."
"So what do we tell the rest of the world"? "Nothing at the moment it has been handled." "What do you mean handled"? asks Martin. "What I mean is the human race fought a silent action with the Menushions, and we lost. Please don't ask me more about it; I can't tell you any more at this time." "I thought there was to be no secrets between us, brother"? "There isn't William; we will tell you later, just not at this point in time." Well, this is well over my pay grade; I think I will join Laurel in the observatory." Said Amber getting up from the table. "What pay grade"? asks William. Amber wiggles her eyebrows at William, kisses him, and heads out the door. Scott just sat back in his chair; he knew this wasn't the end of the conversation.
"Before the four of you leave, Jessica and I have something to tell you." Martin, Betty, Brian, and Mavis turn to us with expectation in their eyes. "This is kind of hard for Jessica and I; we hoped we would never have to tell you. It's not some great secret; we just hoped you three would have figured it out on your own. You all know that part of living is to have a soul? Well, the three of you do have souls"! Brian smiles at us, scoops Mavis into his arms, and holds her tight.
"How can I have a soul again, Thomas? I was a copy of a human brain." "Martin, do you remember what you told Brian that first time about yourself? How you felt like something was missing? Well, the missing part was your soul. Ockny gave you a soul shortly after transferring Brian's soul into his new body. Whether he gave you back your old soul or a new one, we don't know. Do you still feel like you are missing something"? "No, now that you mention it, I don't, but what does this mean to me"? It means that you answer to a higher power again." "Again"? "Yes, Martin, as living entities, we all answer to a higher power; think of it as God." Betty and Mavis look at us and ask at the same time, "We have souls"?
"Yes, the both of you do. But Ockny didn't give you your soul; Jessica and I did." They both look at us with a kind of stunned look. "You know Jessica and I created the bodies you now inhabit? Well, we also gave the spark of life to your bodies. We need to go back to the beginning of life, which begins with a sperm and egg. They both carry a spark of life, and when they join, a soul is created, and life forms. But if they don't meet, then the spark vanishes. In your case's we built your bodies, and as we did so, We both added a little bit of our souls to you both, so in essence, you could say we are your parents." Scott, William, Brian, and Martin burst out laughing as Betty and Mavis blush redder. "Why did you do this to us"? "You both asked for the living experience; well, you couldn't do that without a soul." So do Natale And Roxanne both have souls"? I smile at Mavis, "of course; sperm did meet egg after all." Mavis blushes hard, really hard. The rest of us laugh.
For the rest of the day, we plan to approach the other base. It was decided Jessica, Betty, and I would approach the base on stealth bikes. Mavis and Brian would monitor us from the control room. Jessica and I searched for any possible entrances to this base. Surprise, surprise, this base has a hanger as well. There is only one overland door to this facility. I guess that will have to be our way into this base. We decided to attempt entry into the base in the morning.
Come morning, we suit up, and Martin opens the hanger bay doors. I open the cargo bay doors on the Pegasus-two, and we hop onto two of the bikes. We cruise at a modest fifty kilometers an hour, just observing the surface of the moon. We stopped for several moon rock samples.
"Alright, guys, you are a proximity one-point-seven clicks out. I have several drones ahead, and they are waiting at the perimeter." "Roger Martin, reducing speed and hugging the ground with cloaks on." We slowly approach the base. We ghost right up to the base before Martin sends in the drones, one at a time. Each time a drone crosses the boundary, a short transmission burst comes from the base. After ten seconds, the drone is shot down. It's the fourth drone across the boundary when Betty gets a location on the transmitter.
She goes to it and hacks her way in. "Oh, darn, this is going to take a while. This system is even slower than the regular internet back home." "How slow is it"? "Not much faster than antiquated dial-up, around 345 k a second." "Wow, is that slow, how did they ever get anything done"? "I'm sure I don't know. This is going to take me about an hour, so sit tight." "Roger Betty, waiting by the door."
After a little over an hour of twiddling our thumbs, "got it, door code Thomas is star-nine-four-two-six-eight-hashtag-enter. Returning to you now." I punched in the code, and just like that, we were in. The door opened with a jerky motion that we could feel through the souls of our boots. Betty joined us in the airlock as the door closed behind us. The lights come on as air is cycled into the lock. "Thomas, if we don't do something in the next twenty minutes, the base computer will start waking up the cryotubes."
"Right, which way to the power plant Betty"? "Follow me." We don't have time to remove our suits, so we run, bounce, hop down the hall, take several lefts and rights and end up going through a door-marked reactor room. Betty had this door code as well. I go to the power distribution system on the wall and hook up a cold fusion reactor. The lights in the hall and this room get a bit brighter. We exit the room and head for the control room.
I lay my paw on the control panel, map out the base, and with Betty's help, we shut down the awaken protocols. This base is much bigger than ours. It has twenty-two levels down into the moon. It has four stories above the surface in a dome structure. At the dome's center, there is a giant optical telescope. The telescope has a parabolic mirror four meters across; Amber, Laurel, and Martin would love this new toy. Several lower levels have high-security doors, hiding what, we don't know. The computer running them is behind one of those doors. Betty sits down at the base computer console and, unsheathing her claws, starts to tap away at the keyboard.
Jessica and I go to look over the cryonic sleepers. The reason for so many tube failures was the poor electronics. Not sure who built the control boards, but they had been made with the cheapest materials available. While we were there looking over the tubes, one of the control boards malfunctioned. Jessica and I rushed to see if we could save him. We start the revival sequence. This is controlled by a different system than the failed control board. It mostly works, and he is decamped from the tube. Jessica and I rush him to the medical ward; he seizes all the way there.
Simon Conley wakes up with a splitting headache. He feels feverish and has a full-body ache. He looks around and realizes he's in the medical ward of the base. "What happened to me"? He thinks. As he thinks this, his heart rate monitor goes through the roof, and he starts to seize again. But just before he loses consciousness, he sees what looks like a tall fox running at him on its hind paws.
The next time he wakes up, he feels much better but still has a headache, though not as bad as the last time he woke up. He rubs his hand down his face and smacks his dry lips. He sees the water on the stand next to him and reaches his shakey hand towards it. He manages to get it to him without spilling too much. It tastes divine this cool, ice water. He drinks it all down and, putting the glass back, falls back to sleep thinking, "it worked; I wonder what the year is"?
The next time he wakes up, his headache is gone, but he feels frail and weak. "Hello? Is anyone there"? "Good morning Dr. Conley; how are you feeling"? He looks around for the person speaking but can see no one in the room with him. "The year, what's the year"? "The year Dr. Conley is Six-thousand-nine-hundred-and eighty-four; you have been in cryonic suspension for almost five thousand years." "Why so long? We were only scheduled to be there for fifty years." "The doctors are on the way to you now; please don't freak out when you see them." The door opens, and in walks some giant foxes. Simon slams up the shield in his mind; he had been taught how to make. He remembers one of them from his fever dream.
I walk over to him and look him over with power. Jessica takes his blood pressure and notes it on the chart. She then flashes a light in his eyes to check his pupil responses. "Well, Dr. Conley, it was a close thing we nearly lost you a couple of times. How are you feeling"? He gives us a puzzled look, and I switch to my transceiver and speak through the base speakers. "Sorry, Dr. Conley, I had forgotten how much the language has changed over the years. Is this better"? "What are you"? "I am a cybernetically enhanced, modified human being."
"Why were you changed and enhanced"? The whole human race was changed about four thousand years ago. If I may, I could show you this in a thought transfer." "What's a thought transfer"? "This is like me playing a movie directly into your visual cortex." "Will you be meddling in my mind"? "No, doctor, we will not. Jessica and I adhere to a very strict code of conduct. If we need to change your mind, we will do it with words, not try to rewire your brain." "I am still leary about this. Will you be looking into my memories"? "No. Doctor, we will not; you will only reveal what you want us to see and know. Your shield is excellent, by the way. I understand; this is all new to you. I know this could not have been done back in your time, and even now, we are the only two individuals we know of who can do this." "Alright, show me."
I play the story of human history from his time to ours. He cries and gets angry at most of what I show him. At the end of it, he passes out. Whoever taught him shielding was a master. I poked at his shield, and it would not budge. It had no flaws; it was perfect. I was dying to know who taught him.
The following day Simon gets up on the side of the bed and tries to stand. After a few minutes of using the bed for support. He manages to stand up. He shuffles his way to the bathroom he can see in the middle of the ward. It's good that nudity doesn't bother him, as the toilet is an open concept. He finishes his business and heads back for the bed. Just before he gets to his bed, he can feel his strength give out, and he knows he's headed for a face plant, "God, that's going to hurt," he thinks as he falls. But suddenly, his fall is arrested just before he hits the floor. Two paws are holding him up from behind. He turns his head and sees the doctor holding him up. It looks like he has a smile on his face/muzzle. The doctor gets him up. He then places himself under Simon's left arm and supports him back to bed.
"Thanks, doc, that would have hurt." "Your welcome, Dr. Conley." Simon looks at me hard. "How can I understand you now, when I couldn't before"? "I laid this ability alongside your shield. I guess your mind decided to pick it up. It makes communication with you much easier." "So you have meddled in my brain"! "No, Simon, I couldn't; your shield was taught to you by a master. Who was he"? "So you did try to meddle"! "No, Simon, I just poked at your shield. It is totally amazing. I would possibly kill you if I tried to get through it. Can you tell me who taught you"? "No, I can't. He swore me to secrecy." "Oh well, just one more mystery in my life." "So, what do I call you, doc? You have no name tag." "Sorry, Dr. Conley. My name is Thomas Lasater, and my wife and mate is Jessica." Just then, Jessica walks in. She comes over, takes his blood pressure, and checks his pupil response. Simon looks her up and down.
"You know your quite the looker, my dear." "Why thank you, but my mate might have something to say if you try anything." "I won't love; you can handle yourself." Simon just stares at them both. They look at him and start to laugh. Well, it might be laughter, sort of a barking chuckling noise. "If you're feeling up to it, we would like to start you on some physio; those muscles of yours haven't been used in a very long time." "I'll do what I can, doc."
Later Simon is exhausted. They prop him up in the shower and wash him down. Simon is a little embarrassed but knows he would fall flat on his face without their help. But the shower felt good, oh so good. Later as he's lying in bed, he laces his finger together and puts them behind his head. His fingers feel the back of his head, and he notices a bit of a lump and sore spot. He becomes scared and panicky; before he can fall out of bed, Thomas and Jessica rush into the infirmary.
"WHAT DID YOU DO TO ME"? "Calm down, Dr. Conley, or we may have to sedate you." Simon does some deep breathing exercises taught to him by his master. Soon he has himself under control. He turns to them and glares daggers at them. They smile at him. "Dr. Conley, I have placed into your brain my seizure canceling implant. I hope you will never have seizures again." Replied Jessica to his question. "You were seizing as we brought you here from your cryotube. But I couldn't figure out why you were seizing. So I ran some tests and found you had epilepsy. I had developed the implant ten years ago and have had a ninety-nine point four percent success rate at controlling seizures.
My first few patients had grand mals about once a year. But I perfected the design and gave them new ones. They have been seizure-free for eight years now. All my other patients have been seizure-free as well." "So I will never have another seizure"? "No, Dr. Conley, I can't say you will never have one again, but the chances of that happening is less than one percent." "Can you both stop calling me Dr. Conley? I would prefer you call me Simon." "We can do that only if you call us Thomas and Jessica." "It's a deal. Are you sure I will have no more seizures"? "As I said, there is a chance, but that is point-zero-zero-one of a percent. So yes, I would say from this point on, you are seizure-free." Tears come to his eyes as he sits up and hugs Jessica.
A week later, Simon is feeling good and leaves the infirmary. As we're walking down the corridor, he realizes there are no other people. "where is everyone"? "No one else is awake at the moment; your tube malfunctioned, and we had to wake you up, or you would have died." So why are you keeping everyone else in their tubes"? Sorry, Simon, things have changed over the years; the humans on this base are the only ones left on earth." "Right, you did say our appearances have been altered. So what do we look like as a race"? "The better question would be what species do we look like? Jessica and I are foxes, our mother is a rabbit, but there are lions, tigers, wolves, sheep, horses of all sorts, elephants, hippos, giraffes, and many more.
The geneticists back then made all the larger species of mammals a lot smaller. The smaller ones a lot bigger, except for giraffes; they're about the same height as they have always been. Most other species are between three feet to nine feet or one meter to three meters." "So are you going to change me into an animal, and can you"? "We could; what kind of animal would you like to be"? "I need to see other animals before I make that decision." "Fair enough, you don't need to rush that decision."
Just then, Betty comes around the corner. "Thomas, I need to talk…." She stops dead in her tracks and just stares at Simon. "Betty, I would like you to meet Simon Conley, Simon, Betty Slyton." "It's good to see you up and around, Simon," says Betty as she walks over and extends her paw to be shaken. Simon reaches out to shake her paw. There is a flash like Amber and William, and a deep bond snaps into place. Well, Scat, this complicates everything. They stand there frozen in place for a few minutes when Simon screams and, clutching his head, falls to the floor. Jessica and I scoop him up with power and run for the infirmary. As we round the corner going for the infirmary, Betty finally catches up.
Simon wakes up and can remember everything, and he starts to cry. Betty had been sitting by his side, waiting for him to wake up. She leans over and gives him a kiss on his lips and a lick on the side of his neck. "We have to tell them, you know." Simon sobs, "we can't. I hurt them so much." "Simon, look at me. We have to tell them they can handle it." "But I can't; I won't do that to them again." "You have to, Simon; we can't alter history." Betty rolls onto the bed, cuddles into his side, and continues to stroke his arm.
"Do you remember that time at your house in the woods, the one where I'm going to give myself to you for the first time? Your memory of that time was so magical to me, and we need to do it all over again." "Can't we just stay as we are? I mean…" "No, Simon, We can't alter history. I have calculated the odds as over one Trillion to one of us meeting now. If we don't go back, then things change; it has to happen, love." "I can't lose you, Betty; I love you." "Do you remember an old poem about setting love free"? "No, refresh my memory." "If you love something, set it free. If it comes back to you, it is yours. If it doesn't, it never was." "I love you, Simon, and I will be waiting here for you always." "You Promise"? "Always, my love." They just lay there stroking each other as they both fall asleep.
The next morning Jessica and I walk into the infirmary to see Betty and Simon curled up around each other. Jessica and I snicker as we wake them up. "Wake up, sleeping beauties; we have breakfast for you." Betty rolls off the side and, landing on all fours, stretches and stands up. Simon, who was watching Betty's performance, sat up. He had a tent in the sheets at waist level. Jessica and I snicker at him. Betty turned around to see what we were snickering about. She smiles at Simon and plants one right on his lips. The tent becomes more pronounced.
All through their breakfast, we see Simon is down, and Betty is giving him looks. After they finish, Simon looks up at us with tears in his eyes. "Thomas, you once asked me who had taught me shielding, and at the time, I didn't know that memory had been blocked. But yesterday, all my memories were released to me during the sharing. The answer to that question is you, Thomas; you taught me shielding. You also blocked my memories of certain events, but it's ok, I asked you to. I know you can send thoughts; can you receive them as well"? "I can." "Then I want you to read my memories of the past for your future events." Both Jessica and I raise our eyebrows; Jessica links with me, and I lay my paw alongside Simon's head. His shield is down, and we look at his memories. What we find scares us both, but we know this is the truth. Jessica and I leave them alone in the infirmary a few minutes later.
Betty and Simon stay and begin to get affectionate with each other. Finally, they break the last kiss, and as they do, Simon asks, "Can we"? "No, we can't, Simon, you know darn well I was a virgin that first night." Simon's face falls. Betty smiles at him, "But that doesn't mean we can't do other things." She goes back in for another kiss.
Jessica and I cuddle in our bed. What Simon has shown us was more than we were prepared to receive. As we cuddle, we can't help but ask why us? But we already know the answer to that question. We accept our fates, and somehow we will have to change them. We fall asleep thinking about what we can do differently.
We get up the following day and head for breakfast in the cafeteria. Betty and Simon join us shortly after we get our breakfasts. They grab their breakfasts and come sit down across from us. Unfortunately, the replicators on this base don't have a good selection of vegetable dishes. But they do have an overabundance of meat dishes. Simon looks down at his food as he eats; he can't look us in the eyes. So we all eat breakfast in silence.
After we get our dishes into the rack for the automated dishwasher, Simon just stands there, hands by his side and his head hung down. Jessica and I go over and hug him. "Simon, we know you did those things out of ignorance and duress, and we know you were ordered to do them, and we both forgive you." "How can you forgive me? I killed you." Simon, you did not kill us, though it looks like you did." "How can you know that"? "Let's just say we are tough to kill. We will tell you our story, just not at this point in time."
"Now we need to figure out how we got into the past." "Well, I was told you came through the portal." "What portal"? "The portal was brought to an ultra-high secure location. One of the tech guys there told me it would be coming with us to the moon, so, It's here on the moon base." "And how did you end up here"? "I was brought along at the last minute. I'm an exobiologist, one of the best in the world at the time.
I had to sign the paperwork in 2031 to study some remains found at a crash site in the nineteen-fifties. I was a loner, and it wasn't hard to get my security clearance for area-fifty-one. It was exciting, but my epilepsy was a bit of a problem. So the powers that be assigned me an assistant to monitor me constantly. I didn't pay much attention to my assistant as she was an old dried-up prune of a lady with a very caustic personality. But she did know her stuff, and she knew what to do when I had a fit. The remains I studied were exciting. I had never seen anything like it. The portal was found in the remains of their craft. When I figured out that they were nitrogen breathers, the work on the portal started up again. The Commodore of the base made an environment around the portal similar to their atmosphere. And things started to work for them. The portal came online several times, but nothing happened except a strange glow. It was on the last time that the three of you came through. I was given the task to study you."
"We need to see this portal, but I think I know what it is." "What is it, Thomas"? "I believe it's a wormhole stellar drive created by the Menushions. The remains you studied were them. Though I didn't know that the drive could bridge two different times in history." "How can you know all that"? "Most is conjecture at this point, but what you have told me fits with the facts we already know." "do you know where it is on this base"? "No."
"It's on sublevel 22 of this base, Thomas." "Thanks, Betty." "No problem, I found it when I searched the base computer. The control system is on sub-level 21. I have called William and Rick. The two of them are going to have a heyday over all the stuff that's here in this base." "Ok, we need to go look this portal over." "Rick and William should be here shortly." About a half-hour later, Rick and William arrive, and we all head down.
We all go to the control room. I lay my paw on the main control panel and map out the system for Rick. I show Rick and William the system. I then show them what I know of how the drive is supposed to work. Rick and William head down the stairs from the control room to the next floor. They look over the strange elliptic circle of (metal?) standing in one corner of the room. It's not very big, just over two meters across. But it is thick, just over half a meter thick. We can see the scratches on the bright (metal?) One small part of the circle has been pried up, and what we see inside is nothing like the electronics we know.
William checks out the circle and equipment. He reconnects some loose ends, and when he's satisfied, he returns to the control room. Rick comes back a few minutes later. "Betty, can we try something? I need to raise the temperature in the room. The circle is not made of any metal I know of, and I'm going to assume it's some form of memory metal. It has a smooth, soapy feel about it." "And what is the heat supposed to do"? "Well, all the memory plastic I have made can be shaped into anything you want, but as soon as you apply heat, it reverts back to its original shape. So I'm hoping this metal reacts the same way." "How high should I raise it"? "Not sure, but I have the feeling it will be relatively high." "Commencing heat ascension now."
As all electronics are here in the control room, we don't damage them. It takes about an hour. As the room reaches 800F on the control panel, The circle moves. It reforms into a perfect circle, and the flap closes. Betty brings the heat back down to room temperature. "What is this thing, Thomas"? asks Rick. "It's a stellar drive system from the Menushions, don't try to copy it, William; they have exclusive rights to it and will destroy anyone who tries to copy it." "Ok, brother, but I think you have storytime coming up regarding these Menushions. So why are we even playing with it"? "We're playing with it as we have done so before." "Not making much sense there, brother." I know William, but we will explain it all when we get back." "Get back? Where are you going"?
While speaking to William, Betty changed the atmosphere around the drive and applied power to it. Everyone's head snapped around as it started to glow. I froze time, and Jessica, Betty, and I opened the door and headed down to the floor. We lock the door so no one else can follow us. I unfreeze time, and we all turn back to the control room. Behind us, the portal starts to oscillate, then it goes wild and spits colors everywhere. William and Rick are pounding on the control room's glass, telling us to get out of there. Simon is standing in the window of the door with tears in his eyes, and we read his lips. "Come back to me, my love; I'm waiting for you." We smile at them and salute them as the portal reaches for us and sucks us in.
It was a dark and painful journey traveling this wormhole. The three of us linked our paws as we traveled. Finally, just before I pass out, we are spit out onto a floor. I can barely see as I get to shakey paws. I see Jessica stumble over to her and fall beside her. With my last bit of conscious thought, I pull her into my chest, lay my muzzle into her neck, and then surrender to the darkness.