chapter 34
TEAM 1 & 2, YEAR: 1200
Time Remaining: 98 Days
Owen opened his eyes and immediately shielded them from the bright sun. His body sizzled with a surge of sensations. He looked down at his feet and felt a wave of relief at the sight of them. Nausea hit him like a brick wall, but it was quelled quickly by the thrill of adrenaline tearing through his body. It was one thing to hear about time travel, but it was something completely different to experience it. He heard a splash to his right. While he and Riley stood on a rocky shoreline surrounded by their supplies, Finn was treading water.
“Nice coordinates, Rile!” Finn laughed, swimming toward the shore.
She grinned at him mischievously. “That’s for blowing up my office with a desk.”
Finn tried to pull himself onto the rocky shore, but his clothes acted like anchors and his boots could not get traction on the slimy, algae-covered rocks under the water. Owen extended his hand and pulled him onto the rocky ledge as Riley, smirking, studied a manual compass. The needle wobbled on its pin and she confirmed north, despite already having an idea of its whereabouts based on the lake and their pre-planned landing point.
“According to my calculations, the camp isn’t too far southeast.” She pointed along the shore and into the forest.
Owen looked at the multitude of bags and Elevanium crates and wondered how many trips they would have to take to get all of their supplies to the camp. He wondered if his VersaTool would let them carry multiple things at once or if they would need to bind items together with something first. Before he could ask, Riley retrieved what looked like a cookie sheet from one of her bags. She set it on the rocky ground and decompressed it with her VersaTool. The rectangle grew in size until it became large enough to park a minivan on. Riley began arranging their bags on it and Owen followed suit. Lastly, he placed his metal case gingerly beside his bags. Finn finished wringing out his socks and dumped the remaining water out of his boot.
With all of the bags loaded on the platform, Riley knelt down at one of the corners and opened a small access panel. Owen saw for a brief instant, a ghostly white mesh appear over the bags, like a virtual force field. He opened his mouth to ask about it, but it had already disappeared. Riley pressed another button and the platform rose into the air and stopped at her waist height. From the door of the access panel she removed a small black disc the size of a quarter, slid it into her pocket and closed the access panel.
Riley noticed Owen watching, in awe of something simple that she took for granted. “This is a Mule. It’s a platform that carries heavy loads.” She pulled the black disc out of her pocket and tossed it to him. The platform slid effortlessly toward him and stopped just out of his reach. “This is a proximity leash. The Mule will always stay within a couple of arm lengths of it. If I keep this in my pocket, the Mule will follow me around.” She took the disc back from him, slid it into her pocket and demonstrated by taking several steps forward. The platform obediently moved through the air and stopped behind her.
“The white flash you saw was the netting force field. Keeps everything anchored to the platform. Try to pull something off.”
Owen grabbed the corner of his duffel bag and pulled, but it would not budge, like it had been glued in place. “Amazing!”
“You can disguise it, as well.” She opened the access panel again and pressed another button. All of the bags looked like they had been covered by a canvas tarp. She hit another button and the tarp disappeared, once again revealing the load. Finn joined them, his footwear wrung out but still wet, and the trio began their trek toward the camp.
Jake left Mole Control to get a fresh cup of coffee. He was pleased that the team’s lucky streak had not ended with the storm that destroyed the medical room. For nearly a month and a half, the Moles’ performance had exceeded his admittedly low expectations. Mole2 had been chewing away in the tunnel for a record amount of time with no problems and Mole1 waited, ready to be deployed should anything go wrong. Morale around the camp was at an all-time high. The team had grown close, including Clint. Although he avoided Maya, he had done away with the sexist remarks, and the group had come to appreciate his intelligence and contributions despite his complicated personality. Individual friendships also grew; Darren and Maya spent considerable time together as a result of the overlap in their responsibilities. Ben and Tyler spent most of their time together in the shed doing repairs, maintenance or organizing when things were slow. Clint split his time between Mole Control and the shed helping Ben and Tyler, though he preferred to spend most of his time in the cramped control room of the active Mole. Tyler and Clint’s relationship remained frosty—it had never fully repaired after the incident in the first few days when Clint had accidentally hit Lexi. They worked amicably together and Jake was satisfied with that arrangement. Despite their personality conflicts, they found a way to work together and that was as much as Jake knew he could ask for. Lexi and Jake spent most of their time in Mole Control. Boredom, although appreciated, had also reached an all-time high around the camp. Clint had gone on several hunting trips—most unsuccessful except for another deer and several rabbits. A well-travelled path now connected the camp to the lake; on balmy days when things went exceptionally smoothly, the team would kick off early and spend time down by the water. The team’s progress had advanced ahead of schedule and Jake ensured his team balanced work with leisure while they could afford the luxury.
As Jake carried his coffee to Mole Control, movement at of the corner of his eye caught his attention, and he saw a group of people approaching the camp.
“Riley,” he called out, as the newcomers entered the grounds. Jake knew Riley mostly by reputation. They had been deployed on several ops together over the last few years, though they had never worked side by side. While her team lived at the heart of the action, he was usually stationed at the temporary base or came in at the end to salvage what they had not destroyed. Although their relationship was little better than acquaintances, he had heard enough about her to know that she was an asset to any team.
Riley shook Jake’s hand firmly. “Good to see you.” She looked around the camp. “This place looks great.” Riley introduced Finn then Owen, their souvenir from the past. “So how’s it been going?”
“Oh, pretty good so far. I definitely can’t complain. A few hiccups here and there but we’re well ahead of schedule.”
After a brief tour, Riley, Finn and Owen were shown their living quarters. Riley left Owen with a discreet wink and walked away with Jake for a briefing. Riley was eager to be brought up to speed on Team One’s progress—how their leap back went, how long it took to get set up and the setbacks they had experienced. Likewise, Jake was equally interested in learning how they planned to neutralize the Elevanium.
With Riley and Jake in the meeting room, Maya gave Owen and Finn an orientation of the camp. Over lunch, the teams got acquainted. The members of Team One were horrified to hear about Owen’s home being intentionally blown up and the attack by the river. Maya reminded the group of the Elevanium curse and instead of dismissing it readily as they had in the past, everyone chewed in silence.
Jake and Riley emerged from the meeting room as the rest of the group finished lunch. Jake grabbed a sandwich and an apple off the counter and took Riley, Finn and Owen to the drill site. They traversed the decline, careful to give a dump bucket a wide berth as it passed. The rumbling sounds echoed up the tunnel and the vibrations beneath them became more pronounced as they approached the Mole. Jake hopped up the steps to the platform, opened the door to the control room and tapped Clint on the shoulder. Clint shut the machine down and emerged from the Mole and more introductions followed. Clint’s reception of the new team was chilly, as if he had not yet warmed up to the idea of outsiders in his territory.
Owen knew from Riley’s briefing that Clint’s expertise was in mining and excavation and looked forward to hearing about his experiences.
“How’s it been
down here?” Owen asked Clint. “Doesn’t look like you’ve had any bursts or collapses? I know this whole region is vulnerable to instability at times.” Owen turned his attention to the curved wall and he ran his hand across its surface. He read the lines in the stone, wavy from the weight above compressing it over billions of years.
Clint enjoyed talking to someone who seemed to actually know what he was talking about. Most of the people on this operation were taken from other areas and put on the team not because they were qualified but because they were willing. He shook his head in response to Owen’s question. “No, nothing yet. We’re not really going down too deep, plus we’ve got safety features for stability, so I’m expecting we’ll get through it without any problems.”
Jake gathered both teams in the main tent.
“Okay, listen up everyone,” said Jake. “As you know, we’ve been joined by Team Two, which means we have just less than 100 days until the timeshift. As you know, we’re ahead of schedule and it’s a beautiful day. Let’s take the afternoon off and have some fun. Tomorrow we’ll have a more formal meeting and recap our progress.”
While Riley would have preferred to jump right into her work, she deferred to Jake’s judgement. From what Jake had explained to her, his team got off to a rough start and he wanted to make sure the groups integrated well before putting the team under any strain.
Riley and Owen took up the rear as the group wound their way to the lake.
“Do you feel like a fish out of water?”
Owen laughed. “That’s one way of putting it.”
“I’d say that’s a reasonable feeling. You’ve been taken to the past by people from the future. It doesn’t get much weirder than that.”
“I’m not too worried about that,” laughed Owen. “What does worry me is that I don’t foresee us getting a lot of alone time while we’re here.”
The path opened up to a clearing beside the lake and people had begun to settle into their lakeside routines. Set back from the shore in the grass, Lexi lay on her stomach tanning with her bikini top undone. Maya’s book lay open on her lap, but she chatted with Darren while Ben, Tyler, Clint and Finn kicked off their shoes and stripped down to their swimming shorts at the water’s edge. The smooth, rocky shore sloped gradually into the water making access easy for a swimmer wanting to get in and out. A little way down the shore, the rocky ledge immediately rose skyward, creating a sheer vertical cliff at the water’s edge. Finn sprinted up the rocky incline, careful not to step on the hard, prickly lichen growing on the rock. He climbed up the steep slope, grabbing at small bushes for balance and steering clear of the vertical edge to his right that plunged straight into the water several storeys below.
“This place is perfect,” said Finn. He looked out over the water as he reached the top, then looked down. “How deep is the water here?”
“Right below you there’s a short ledge thirty feet down, then it drops off after that. We checked it before we jumped the first time,” said Tyler.
Finn looked down over his shoulder at Riley. “You comin’?”
“Hah!” Clint snorted. “She won’t do it.”
Riley glanced at Clint, certain she misheard, then turned to Owen. “You going?”
“Of course,” said Owen, kicking off his shoes and pulling his shirt over his head.
Riley unlaced her shoes, slid out of her pants and pulled off her t-shirt, revealing a black racer-back bikini top and boy-cut shorts.
Ben jumped as Riley neared the top and they heard the splash below. She looked over the cliff’s edge to see Ben resurface. She yelled down to him. “How’s the water?”
“Bloody cold,” His voice was an octave higher than normal.
Riley dove with perfect form into the water. When she surfaced, she swam out of the way and treaded water alongside Ben and waited for the others to jump. Owen flourished his dive with a somersault. Finn jumped next, far less gracefully; his arms and legs flailing as he plummeted toward the chilly water. Tyler followed Finn and both their heads appeared at the surface at the same time.
Only Clint remained at the top of the cliff, his nerve apparently lost. The five bobbing heads called to him, cheering him on and coaxing him to jump. He stepped forward to the cliff’s edge, looked at the water then walked backward to take a running start. He took a long step forward, then stopped abruptly. He rolled his shoulders and bounced his weight from one foot to the other, psyching himself up. He looked over the water, stood frozen for several moments and then stormed into the forest behind.
Jake relaxed on the shore fully-clothed and content to watch the glistening lake. Darren and Maya played Frisbee in the water while the others now played touch football in the grassy clearing. Had this been several months ago he would have been listening to music, but he no longer needed the crutch of white noise. His frank and open friendship with Lexi had been the tonic he needed to loosen the stranglehold of pain and survivor’s guilt he felt. The quiet no longer haunted him as it had in the past.
Jake’s thoughts were cut short when he heard someone calling his name.
“Jake, come play. We’re getting crushed here. We need an advantage.” Lexi waved for him to join them. Her blond hair was pulled into a messy ponytail and she personified summer in a string bikini top and short denim cut-offs. Used to seeing her in baggy, oversized uniforms, Jake marvelled at her tiny frame.
“Where’s Clint?” he asked.
“I don’t know,” she shrugged. “But when he shows up, we’ll take him too!”
Despite Clint’s improved behaviour, Jake feared he may revert to his old ways. He worried about the frosty reception Clint gave Team Two. It would only take a few negative comments for Clint to undo all the goodwill he had built with the others. Worse still, Riley Morgan was not a lead to test.
The football game had long since ended when Clint reappeared, surprising the group by swimming up from across the bay. He ran his hands through his wet, strawberry blond hair as he walked up the rocky incline out of the water.
“Where did you come from?” asked Riley. Riley knew from Jake’s briefing that there had been some integration problems with Clint, especially where women were concerned.
“There’s a neat cave on the other side of the bay.” He looked up at the cliff where they had jumped earlier. “I think I’m going to take another crack at that cliff.”
Riley followed Clint up the hill and looked back at Jake, her single raised eyebrow asking if he would join them. Jake shook his head and laughed as if the question itself was ludicrous.
Finn jumped up. “I’m in.” He and Owen followed Riley up the rocky hill.
Standing at the top of the cliff next to Riley, Clint hesitated before jumping in.
“Don’t think. Just jump,” she offered casually. He shot her a disdainful look, then jumped. Riley dove in immediately after Clint had surfaced. Clint swam to shore not waiting for the others.
“Well, I need to get dinner started,” said Darren. He stood up and gave his towel a shake before tossing it into his bag. He slid into his foamy clogs and brushed some grass and dirt from his shorts. A tattoo of a 1950s pin-up girl covered his right calf. She stood seductively in front of a stove wearing nothing but a skimpy apron, holding a spatula and looking like there was nothing she would rather do than fry bacon naked while wearing red stilettos.
“I’ll give you a hand,” said Maya, and she began to collect her things.
“I think I’m going to head back too. I want to get set up so we can jump right in tomorrow,” said Riley.
Finn yawned as he stood. “I’ll give you a hand.”
Clint eyed Riley icily as she tied her shoes. Finn noticed Clint appraising her. “Everything alright, Mate?”
“What’s it like having to work with Super Bitch over there?” Clint looked at Finn with an expression of camaraderie, like he was a brother who had also endured the tyranny of a female lead and understood Finn’s suffering.
Finn, confused and convinced
he had misheard, looked over at Riley as she wrung out her hair. “Riley? Oh, she’s great.”
Clint’s expression blanked. “Oh. I see. You must be doin’ her then, eh? She’s a real piece of work.”
Finn expected a punch line or something that would explain Clint’s joke, instead he stood perplexed as Clint walked away.
By the end of dinner, the group talked like old friends instead of new acquaintances. Riley noticed that whatever resentment Clint seem to harbour earlier in the day had disappeared. The group continued to laugh and converse over glasses of wine around the fire pit beside Mole Control. After quizzing Owen for nearly an hour about what it was like to live in 2016, they reminisced about what they missed most. Darren missed the sounds of the city and his friends, whereas Maya yearned for the gym and chocolate macaroons. Lexi missed her pug, Trout, and could not understand why everyone found her dog’s name so ridiculous. Ben missed his car and cruising on Sunday nights. Riley could not think of anything that she missed. Always out on ops or preparing for ops, she had no time to do something she would ever miss. In the end, she chose her grandfather for which she was booed because missing family went without saying. Finn said that he missed late night hot dog stands. Jake sat back in his usual silence, taking everything in. What Jake craved most had nothing to do with being away on an op. Owen said that he had only been gone a day, so there was nothing he missed yet, though he suspected he would soon miss his work and friends. When Tyler mentioned that he missed the Nexus and the creature comforts that came with it, like TV, email and his favourite online hangouts, everyone groaned in agreement. The group then began to lament about how at some point they had gone to their CI to find something, only to remember their most valuable tool in life was as useful as a doorstop.