Elevators Through Time - Book 1

Part 42: Confrontation

Part 42: Confrontation

Year: 2038

Time: 11:45am

Location: Corridor area, Stratostation, Upper Atmosphere, Earth-Space

Level: Level 2

Kepler smirked at us being so carefree, "We had a lot of trouble sneaking in here. The AI in the lift was difficult to fool too, so we had to travel outside of one of the Skylift shaft climbers."

Kate felt fear freezing her from the inside out. She was terrified that these two would harm us severely.

"What do you want?" I asked them as calmly as I could so as not to agitate them further.

"We personally want you to come with us as we affect a simple bargain with our clients. Just come quietly and we won't need to use force to ensure you're undying compliance." Deune said in the low rumbling tone he had. He patted Kate gently. It didn't help in soothing her nerves.

Deune noticed this and leant down to whisper in her ear,

"Don't worry. We only want the doctor. We will not harm you. I promise."

Kate looked up at Deune's imposing figure and said,

"'Promise?' You tried to kill us last time!"

"We only wanted to knock him out and if necessary destroy his staff because we thought it was a weapon. We were right."

"Hmph, I don't trust you," Kate huffed, looking away.

Deune looked down and sighed. "You really do look and act just like my little sister."

"What?!"

"I have a little sister who looks just like you, but her hair looks different and the look on her face is different, but you still look like her."

"That doesn't make sense."

"Well, I am being honest. That is why you can trust my promise. Hurting you is like hurting my little sister. I just can't being myself to do it."

Kate's countenance softened and she just nodded.

"Alex, they won't hurt me. I think we should just go with them."

I racked my mind trying to find a way out.

I couldn't fight them, they have Kate in their hands. Plus damage to this place could make us all burst out into space.

I can't talk then down, they seem really persistent in getting me, so their 'client' in serious too.

Ah, I have an idea! I recalled one of my Gyro-linium device's newer installations from the Que'nesians.

I remember there was some emergency jump facility that I could use but it used energy that was currently available instead of waiting for the Rolinium to rotate to optimal levels. One more problem was that due to a sudden draw in the power it would require the device to be atomically solid and also visible, so the power would flow straight to the energy sink. No alternate power routes. The inventory compartment was safe due to a separate energy buffer, so I won't worry about all our belongings spewing out.

I remember experimenting with storing a small soil compacting machine, that was still running, inside while I stopped the rotation of the spheres.

It lasted at least a year before the console warned me of material degradation. I brought it out and it was fine.

I raised my arms above my head in a mock surrender.

"Ah, finally. You know, you are a lot of trouble." Kepler smiled, part in relief and part annoyance.

I kept walking towards them with my hands still up.

"Okay, I give up," I said, then I winked to Kate.

Kepler noticed this and tensed herself up in readiness to stop me.

"He's up to something," she whispered .

I moved both my hands behind my head and triggered the energy sink in prep for the jump. I didn't care what time I would go to, but I know it was set to be at least 20 years away to a place I have been to before.

Behind me the Gyro-linium device glowed and regained it's physical solidity. It always rotated slowly, just enough to power itself, so the energy sink wouldn't damage anything as long as not in stopped it.

I started pacing towards Kate, faster and faster.

"Kate..."

"What are you up to old man?!" Deune roared and he raised his fist in the air, aiming to hit my head and knock me to the ground.

"Kate!" I yelled out to her and she somehow slipped out of Deune's arms and ran towards me.

Deune started towards me and prepared himself to punch and grab at me.

Kepler sprinted ahead and reached for Kate.

I got there first and embraced her then stopped to make Kepler overshoot us. I leaned to the right a little.

I realised too late that Deune's fist was still heading to me and I felt cold fear run through me as I heard it slam into one of the Rolinium spheres that had just rotated behind my left shoulder.

There was a brilliant flash of light as his Chobum armoured arm entered the EM field and distorted some magnetic waves, thus throwing off the preset time jump trajectory. The device compensated for the jolt of negative charge after being misaligned for a moment, then Kate and I were out of there.

We took a random jump so transit took longer than usual. Kate opened her eyes to see a tunnel of green and orange lights circling around us.

She closed her eyes and snuggled up to me, relieved that I was safe.

I was relieved too. So relieved in fact that I kept my eyes closed and just waited for my wrist console to tell me when we had landed.

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"Dammit!!" Deune slammed his fist on the ground where Kate and I once were. A faint burn mark was present. Something I would be worried about if I was there. That normally wouldn't happen.

"Ugh, I overshot 'em. I should have slowed to get them. I fell for the oldest trick in the book."

"Don't blame yourself. I aimed for the doc but when the girl got in the way I had to find a way to stop myself."

Kepler and Deune grumbled then went silent. They had to find another way to find us. Amazingly it didn't take long.

"Hey, does the Dicer Duo have their catch?" Razza called over the communicator. No one replied.

"I just want you to know that a contact of mine in a data dive has spotted something really peculiar in an old sketch of Noah's Ark that was made by a psychic. Here, take a look."

Razza sent the photo through and Kepler opened up a viewer.

Kepler quickly scanned the photo with her eyes.

"There's nothing here, Razza."

"Look carefully at the bottom right corner of the photo."

They both did and were astonished at what they saw.

On the top of the last of the tallest mountains before everything was flooded over...were a pair of people. One with a cowboy hat and something strange smoking on his back.

The other was a young woman, clutching his arm.

Deune shed a sigh of relief

"Well I'll be damned."