The RG Lab was nearly deserted. Martin and Bill got through the first four manned security checks without incident. The next two were passive access limiters. After that would be two badge readers and the last would be a voice and retinal scan. It was almost amusing, because, of all the security checks, the last and most important sounding check point turned out to be the easiest to circumvent. ANGL remotely tapped into the security system and reset a counter so that even though Martin’s entry without a badge was not a violation, he no longer had to account for his presence. Since his location and movements were not tracked, the system lost any accounting for him. He was virtually invisible, as long as he stayed close to Bill, and didn’t trigger any other security alarms. In this area the video surveillance was locally recorded and secured. It might never be looked at, unless foul play was suspected.
For translation prep, they went through the standard surface viral and surface blood scans. Reference measurements of his body functions were recorded. A final surface scan was being made when a spot on Martin’s forearm was identified as something other than a freckle. It turned out to be a microchip. The chip or its function could not be identified. It could have been misapplied by the UNIS agent for tracking or even something he picked up in the environment. If however it was properly applied it might be activated at any moment.
“What do we do? What do we do?” Bill’s thoughts rolled out in the form of words.
“Where is a semi-truck when you need it?”
“What?” Bill furrowed his brow and cocked his head.
“Sorry? I seem to joke at the wrong time. I think it’s a Scandinavian thing. But back in Idaho when someone would shoot a wolf that had a radio tracking collar, the joke was that they would tape the collar to an interstate truck heading for anywhere else.”
“Oh. I guess we’ll have to pass on that option.”
ANGL: Wrap the chip in aluminum foil. That will block most RF signals.
“My resident guru says we can wrap it in aluminum foil for the time being. You can stick it on the semi later.”
“Good idea. Thanks ANGL.”
ANGL: ? ? ?
Martin finished suiting up. Most of it was to protect against cross contamination with the translation site. While he finished decontamination Bill started on the site initialization.
The site initialization amounted to sending a Reference Unit ahead. That was a device that was sent ahead to verify the site conditions. It was programmed to enter the site at a high elevation to reduce the risk of being buried in the dirt. It verified that the environment would support life. Then the unit would scan for an appropriate drop site within the descent cone, preferably not on the face of a cliff or in the middle of a lake, tree or rock. Next, it tagged the exact location of entry so that a minimum amount of destination material would be exchanged. With the updated system, the realm remains in existence the entire time of the mission. Martin would be able to enter into the destination environment site without exploding, a feature he found comforting.
That process takes about 35 milliseconds and is heralded by a crackling sound. Following the verification of the site the only thing left is to enter the chamber with a few pieces of mission gear.
“Initialization complete, we’re ready to fly.”
Martin entered the chamber and got himself seated. Within a couple minutes he completed his sensor hookups for baseline checks and then reversed the hook-up leaving him in the chamber alone.
Bill pressed he ‘Initiate Trans’ button and looked up to verify the sequence. When the standing wave was initiated, he and his gear became fully supported and levitated. The seat lowered and Martin was left suspended in midair.
He looked down at Bill “Hey, buddy! Are you sure you don’t want to come along?”
“I’m sure I do want to come. But I didn’t sleep a wink last night. I’ve thought it through, and I think I know what I’ve got to do. In any case I don’t think time will be separating us. I’m hoping we’ll be meeting again, soon.”
“God bless and keep you Bill.”
“We’ll see. Over and out.”
Martin switched his audio to the HF filter to help muffle the high frequency shrill from the standing wave generator. It would only be another forty five seconds and he would start his journey home.
The experiments planned for this machine were for archeological research. Its primary function did not appear to pose a problem. Martin explained to Bill that his only goal at present was to get back to 2012.
Ten, nine, eight, he counted in his head. He could see Bill through the chamber window. Bill leaned against the lab door arms folded, looking down as if he had just been denied a trip to the ice-cream shop. Then as Martins vision began to gray he could see a security light over Bills head flash red. He couldn’t hear the clackston at all. Then a trailing voice from within.
ANGL: Alpha recalibration complete, Beta Site acquisition complete, Mission check list 7.1.1 complete, RF link due to shut down in 30 seconds, UNIS-GPS synchronization signal FAILURE, life support monitoring to. . . . .
Martin heard the sizzling snap. He was on his way.
In the next moment the light intensity began to recover, he opened his eyes to a broad field, roofed with high cirrus clouds against a background of deep blue. He took a deep breath and scanned the horizon. Beneath him, about a hundred feet was a field of tall grass waving in the wind. A few trees graced the high plain. It looked like the Camas Prairie. He looked to the east but couldn’t make out Grangeland. He looked below where he expected the Denver cyclotron to be and again saw nothing. It occurred to him that he hadn’t asked Bill exactly where he might be entering the area. By now he had lowered to about fifty feet and much of the distant horizon and the edge plains were out of view. Just the mountains surrounding the prairie stayed in sight.
The procedure involved entering the destination site at several hundred feet elevation. The realm slowly descended to set Martin on the ground. It continued to descend until it is about one hundred feet below the soil. That’s to assure that Martin didn’t have to exit the realm in midair without a parachute. The realm will reverse the process and gather him up at the end of the mission. The only thing that the realm will support is the items with the proper mass markers which included Martin and his gear. There would be no room for samples. Certain things like oxygen and other gasses that emanate from the body are not marked so they won’t come with him. He could survive the moment it took to be translated.
At that moment it occurred to him that not only did he not see any buildings, he didn’t see the little Denver cemetery, any roads, fences, cattle or anything for that matter.
Martin; ANGL, where are we?
ANGL: No GPS signals are active. You are facing N10degW based on the present magnetic field.
Martin; More data, Hal wants more data.
ANGL: Star-Tracker is hunting for a fix. The stars are in an unfamiliar orientation. Polaris acquisition accomplished. It is off axis by 5degs; further analysis in process.
Martin; What’s going on ANGL? We’re still on planet earth; right?
ANGL: Without an international time code and accurate local time will require a momentary fix on the sun. Fix complete; the time is 10:15’30”.
Martin; What day?
ANGL: Star-Tracker interpolating star positions to determine accurate sidereal time. Base on the shift between Ursae Minoris and Rigel Kentaurus the year is 2012B.C. And the length of the day will be corrected to 24hr0m0.6s.
Martin; B.C.? That’s a problem isn’t it?
ANGL: The solution has been verified and is correct?
Martin; B.C.? Let’s try the ‘where are we’ part?
ANGL: Approximately 5deg10m W 51deg12m N.
Martin; I thought so. Toto, I don’t think we’re in Kansas.
ANGL: ? ? ?
Martin; ANGL do you see my problem here?
ANGL: This
isn’t Idaho?
Martin; Bingo! I’m just a little freaked out about the B.C. too.
ANGL: You did ask for 2012.
Martin; Well yeah and I asked for the Denver Site 116deg15m W, 46deg0m N
One of the pieces of equipment that made up the mission gear was Field Realm Synthesizer. It allows initialization and activation for the return trip. As Martin looked at the panel, he noticed the ‘∆T’ which is the years traveled and it read -13. The ‘TX’ which is this the baseline year, it read 2025. And the ‘TY’, which is the destination year, read 2038.
Martin; When I add 2025 to -13, I get 2012. Why does that display read "-2038?”
ANGL: That is a default sign. The software generates it to avoid any misinterpretations. This is an archeological tool designed to study archeological times near the great flood, B.C. By setting the ‘TX’ at 2025 and the ‘∆T’ at -13 you get a destination year of 2038B.C. Minus retards the date and a plus advances the date.
Martin; Well shit, I guess we solved that little error of 4000 years. What about the location? Where are we if we take into account the time delta corrections?
ANGL: Using the best data in the memory, and excluding other factors, the new location is in the British Isles.
Martin; Sounds like a mighty long walk to me. How could Bill have made that mistake?
ANGL: Bill’s experience was with the Alpha unit. The Beta unit, which included the arithmetic sign default revision, is an updated release.
Martin; So how do we get back to the right time and place.
ANGL: Remain here for a short time so that more accurate data can be obtained. With that we can accurately target the time and location of the new destination.
Martin; Would three or four days do it?
ANGL: Yes.
Martin; Let’s go for a hike. I’ll set up the FRG Site Beacon. We wouldn’t want to lose our way back. Let me know when you figure out more about where we are.
ANGL: Seismic sensors pick up wave action to the west as well as some coastal like atmospheric components. Within a few meters a distance delta will allow a more accurate determination. The ridge on the west side of the plain is about 5.6 miles. The terrain seems easily traversed. The wooded east slope may pose a problem. In another 3 miles, a more accurate assessment can be made. The ambient radiation level is extremely low probably near the pre-twentieth century levels.
Martin; What is an ‘ambient radiation’ level?
ANGL: Everything emanates a radiation signature over a broad high frequency range and at a very low level. Some animal life can home in on such radiations. Even in total darkness some creatures see shapes and locations and can identify composition. By the beginning of the twentieth century man started to generate synthetic RF and transient RF in the GHZ range. By the turn of the next century RF contamination and signal strengths were identified as a major interference with the life cycles of many species including man. By the time of the CME, steps were being taken to reduce the contaminations in signal strength, content and transient radiation.
Martin; Cool!
The hike to the hills took about two hours. Being in his environmental suit did not help. He couldn’t enjoy the breeze or hear the whoosh of wind in the grass. Even the sensing of the smells was absent. The environment was safe from any contamination from Martin.
There were only a few small surprises, snakes and rodents mainly. The East slope consisted of rutted tree lined rills. The open areas between the rills were spotted with trees and rock outcroppings. The summit of the facing hills revealed the presence of a hog back ridge. The far side was likely to be a challenge.
As he jostled up the slope the heat exchanger in his suit was just barely keeping up. He had to stop numerous times to keep from overheating. It took another hour and a half to get to what looked like a likely vantage point to the landscape beyond.
Martin stopped for a delightful meal, swill-in-a-tube; something rare, unidentifiable, nutritious and barely palatable. Oh, this was going to be a fun couple of days.
The last few yards to the ridge of the slope were a challenge. The suit was constructed quite durably and unlikely to be damaged by casual contact with the rocks. The impervious fabric hindered his movement.
After a bit of wedging and sidestepping he popped out at the top.
* * * * *
Chapter 25 – Salisbury Anyone
The only reason for time is so that everything doesn't happen at once.
Albert Einstein