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Chapter 5:
“So what you are telling me is we can’t take this craft back in time,” said Ed clearly upset.
“Correct Commander,” said Jennifer Wallace. “Every time we run the calculations they go off into infinity.”
“The problem is Edward the craft is already there,” said Reinhardt. “Apparently there is a restriction that keeps the temporal compensation circuits from jumping to a time that the craft already exists in.”
“Is it the hardware or something to do with temporal balance?”
“I suspect the latter to be the case and that presents a problem.”
“You have a talent for understatement Professor. What is the condition of the other ship?”
“Non operational sir,” said Wallace. “It was damaged when we recovered it so it became the dissection model. We were able to learn much more by having both a working and a study piece.”
“Terrific, is there any way around the temporal balance problem.”
“I’m afraid not Edward, we would have to jump to a time before June 1862.”
Straker began to pace to room thinking; The same craft yet in two different points in time just like the same craft in two different universes.
“Can we use the systems to open a temporal portal between the two craft?”
Reinhardt considered for a moment, “You’re thinking along the lines of the accident that opened the portal to the alternate universe that Virginia and you were trapped in.”
“Yes, can we accomplish the same thing with the ship at different points in the timeline?”
“I believe it will work, but it will take a few weeks to work out the calculations. We have to do a set for the trip back as well as the trip forward. How many people are you going to send?”
“I’ll be going myself, and I’ll be taking one volunteer.”
“Commander, you can’t be serious, Henderson will be livid if he finds out,” said Paul.
“He’s not going to find out; this whole operation is Omega Classified.”
“Edward, I wish you’d reconsider,” said Reinhardt. “What about your children?”
“Professor if I thought I wasn’t coming back I wouldn’t be going in the first place. This is my responsibility.”
“In that case I’d better get my affairs in order,” said Paul.
“No Paul, not you. While I’m gone SHADO is going to be your responsibility.”
“If it’s alright with you sir, I’d like to go,” said Ford.
“I had you in mind Keith. You’re pretty knowledgeable about this time period aren’t you?”
“It’s a hobby sir.”
“Well people, let’s get to work on these calculations shall we?”
July 14, 1862:
“Did you find everything you needed, Virginia?”
“I think so; I thought I might try my hand with paints, a full color painting of the ranch house maybe?”
“Yes, I think I’d love to see that. Did you remember your sketch pad and pencils?”
“Yes I did, thank you.
They rode in silence for a moment, both of them enjoying the view of the land.
“Ben, I don’t think I’ve thanked you enough for taking care of me these past few weeks, my words seem pale in comparison to the gratitude I feel in my heart.”
“It’s been my pleasure Virginia, and as you know I do have an ulterior motive.”
“Ben Cartwright, I’m shocked,” she said kiddingly, and then continued more serious, “I’ve made a decision Ben, if no one shows up looking for me or I don’t regain my memory, by the end of August, I’m going to move on with my life.”
“I see, and what plans have you decided on?”
“Ben, I made you a promise five weeks ago, I’m still bound by that promise; that is if you’ll still have me?”
“I think you already know the answer to that,” he said as he quickly kissed her.
They were not too far from the place where Virginia had been found when two men stepped out with their rifles aimed at Ben.
“Alright old man that’s far enough, stop right there!”
Ben stopped the wagon and said, “What is the meaning of this. You’re on private property.”
“Well ain’t that just too bad. Off the wagon. Both of you!”
Ben set the brake and got down. When he turned to help Virginia he was pushed aside.
“Never mind her, get behind the wagon,” said one of the men. “Hey Will, get the woman.”
“Okay Brett,” he said as he turned to Virginia. “Alright little lady come down here nicely now and nobody gets hurt.”
Virginia stepped down off the wagon and Will grabbed her inappropriately. Without thinking she spun and slapped him across the face. He staggered back, caught off guard. He pulled his pistol and held it on her.
“Oooo you’re a little wildcat aren’t you? You’re gonna wish you’d never done that. Back there with the old man.”
She glared at him as she turned and walked to the back of the wagon and stood close to Ben. He placed a protective arm around her.
“Alright what do you want?” asked Ben in anger.
“Oh we’re gonna take everything, including your lady. Hell we might even let you live long enough to watch,” said Brett.
Ben Cartwright looked at them with contempt and fury in his eyes.
“Commander the spatial coordinates have been entered and the power system intermix conversion factors have been adjusted. It’s ready sir.”
“Thank you Jen. Well Captain Ford, are you ready?”
“Yes sir.”
Straker and Ford were both dressed in period specific clothing, the only anachronism being the Glock .40’s they carried as side arms. Paul Foster forced himself to suppress a grin but not before Ed spotted it.
“You find something funny Paul?”
Foster couldn’t hold it in, “I’m sorry sir.”
“Well Paul, let’s hope we can all laugh about it when we get back.”
Paul shook hands with his CO, “Good luck, sir,” he said seriously.
“Hold down the fort Paul, we’ll be back before sunset.”
Paul watched them walk towards the alien craft looking bemused, next to him, stood Lt Colonel Wallace.
“You know Jen, I wonder if we’ll see him again.”
“We will Paul, trust me.”
Ed and Keith strapped into the couches and close the hatch. They began to run through the checklist for the time jump.
“Power system intermix?”
“Set.”
“Temporal compensation?”
“Engaged.”
“Destination target time?”
“Set.”
“Bring the primary power systems on line.”
“Standby.”
“Power systems engaged. Buildup to temporal incursion in fifteen seconds, mark.”
“Are you ready for this Keith?”
“It’s an honor sir.”
“Keith, I’ve not always been easy on you, but I’m glad to have you with me today.”
“Thank you sir, that means a lot, temporal incursion in ten… nine… eight… seven… six… five… four… three… power surge!”
“Abort!”
“Too late.”
The time portal opened and Ed and Keith were thrown back in time.
July 14, 1862:
Ben and Hoss were working near the shelter where they had found Virginia, getting ready to cover and burry the entrance. They heard voices over the ridge.
“Did you hear that Hoss?”
“Yeah, that sounded like Pa.”
“Come on.”
The two men grabbed their rifles and ran over the ridge.
They didn’t notice the flash inside the shelter.
“Temporal incursion complete, exact chronometer readings coming up.”
Straker paused while Keith checked the readouts.
“How much did the power surge throw us off?”
“We’re two hours ahead of where we should be.”
“That makes it about two thirty in the afternoon, too close. Let’s go Keith!”
Straker and Ford climbed out of their couches and exited the craft. They heard a commotion just over the ridge. Both men ran towards the sound coming over the mound.
Will Grabbed Virginia by the arm, while Brett held Ben at bay with the gun. He yelled over his shoulder, “Save some for me, will ya!”
Ben saw his opportunity and seized it. He grabbed Brett’s gun hand and the two men wrestled on the ground. While they struggled Virginia dropped to the ground flipping Will over her shoulder as she had been trained. He dropped the pistol and she scrambled for it but Will got to it first, leveling it at her.
“You know something lady; I’ve decided you’re just not worth it.”
Ben was fighting for all he was worth but Brett was much younger and stronger. Brett punched Ben and the elder man fell to the ground losing his grip on the pistol.
“Get ready to meet your maker, old man.”
The sound of two gunshots rang out over the area.
“Commander?” said Keith, concerned.
“I heard; we’ve only got seconds now.”
Brett dropped the gun from his hand and fell to the ground.
Will dropped to the ground a second later, quite dead.
“Pa, Miss Lake, are you alright?” asked Adam as he ran up to help him up. At the same time Hoss was checking on Virginia and helping her up. She ran to Ben and they embraced.
Brett was still alive but he knew he had been mortally wounded. I’m taking that old man to hell with me! He reached for the gun and slowly raised it at the old man.
Virginia looked and saw Brett with the pistol in his hand aiming at Ben.
“Look out Ben!” she yelled as she pushed him aside.
The sound of another gunshot rang across the wilderness.
Brett dropped the pistol as blood trickled down his face. He fell down face first with a hole in his forehead.
They all turned to see a blond headed man with penetrating blue eyes. He had a strange looking pistol drawn which he placed back in its holster as he spoke, “Virginia?”
Virginia looked at him and slowly walked toward him out of recognition. This is the man in my dreams, with the two children.
“Ed?” she said, remembering his name first. As she drew closer, the floodgates in her mind opened and she remembered everything.
“Ed, oh my God, ED!”
She ran into his arms holding him for dear life, her tears now flowing freely.
Behind them Ben Cartwright watched with mixed emotions. She was kissing him deeply now. It told Ben that this man was her lover, no more than that. He suddenly recognized him as the man with the two children; he was her husband. He was grateful that they had found each other again yet he grieved his own loss.
“Ed I’m so sorry, I didn’t know who I was…” she was saying through her tears.
“Virginia, it’s alright, I know all about it. It’s not your fault. I know about the amnesia.”
She looked at him pulling herself together.
“How could you have known?”
“Ben Cartwright’s journals, I know most of what happened to you over the past six weeks. At least what he wrote about you.”
“His journal survived?”
“I’ll tell you all about it later.”
“You said six weeks, my God, the children?”
“There fine, but they miss you.”
“Ed there’s something I have to tell you…”
“You were considering marrying Ben Cartwright?”
“How did you… the journal?”
“Yeah, I told you, Ben was quite expressive.”
“That must have been very difficult for you, oh Ed.”
She pulled him close again thinking just how lucky she was.
Keith walked over to join the Cartwright’s while Ed and Virginia had their reunion.
“Mr. Cartwright, I’m Keith Ford,” he said as he shook Ben’s hand.
“Ben Cartwright; this is my son Adam, and my son Hoss.”
“Gentlemen,” he said shaking each of their hands.
“You’re a friend of Miss Lake?” asked Hoss.
“That’s right, both her and her husband are my friends.”
As Keith chatted with the Cartwright’s Ed and Virginia walked over to join them. She introduced Ed to the family.
“Ben, I so sorry,” said Virginia. “I can’t even imagine how you must feel right now.”
“I’ll be alright, I’ve still got my family, and I haven’t yet thanked you for saving my life.”
“He would have killed you.”
“Ed your wife is an incredibly brave woman.”
“Ben, sometimes she’s too brave for her own good.”
“Listen to both of you talk,” she said.
“Well why don’t we get back to the ranch and I’ll show you some Ponderosa hospitality,” said Ben.
After supper Ben pulled Straker aside, “You wanted to speak with me Ed?”
“Yes Ben, is there a place where we can speak privately?”
“Let’s go into my study.”
While Ed and Ben retired to the study, Virginia and Keith worked on the calculations for the return trip. The terms, the two of them, were using were completely unknown to Adam as he listened to the conversation. One thing is sure; this lady is a hell of a lot smarter than I am.
“What are the two of you working on?” he finally asked.
“A way home,” said Virginia.
“Using mathematics?”
“Your father was a sailor was he not?”
“That’s right.”
“Didn’t he use mathematics for charting a course?”
“I suppose.”
“This is the same thing.”
Adam just shook his head in amazement.
“So you’re telling me that the shelter is a time machine?” asked Ben in disbelieve.
“In a manner of speaking, it’s actually a whole lot more but we don’t need to get into that. Ben I have a problem and I’m going to need your help to solve it. I need to make sure that the time machine as you call it is undisturbed once we leave. If it’s tampered with at all it could have an effect on future events.”
“What do you need me to do?”
“Once we leave I need you to get twenty feet of earth on that thing, enough to make sure that it’s undisturbed for the next hundred or so years. The other item is going to require mutual trust between both of us.”
“I see, well I trust Virginia, so I guess I can trust you. What is the other item?”
Ed took a vile out of his pocket and handed it to Ben. “This is called an amnesia drug. It erases to past twelve hours of a person’s memory. It’s completely safe and tasteless. I need you to give it to your three sons’ before midnight.”
“Is that necessary?”
“I’m afraid so, right now Adam is listening to Keith and Virginia working out the time travel formulas; I can’t risk him remembering any of that. Also there was no record of Keith or I ever being here, so we can’t risk our presence altering the future.”
“What about my memory?”
“This is where my test of trust comes in; I’m going to have to trust you to keep this to yourself. You can never tell anyone about what I just told you.”
“I see, and you trust me?”
“Virginia trusts you, therefore I trust you.”
“You know she is quite a lady Ed. You’re a very lucky man.”
“Thank you Ben.”
“So tell me does mankind get any better in a hundred and twenty five years?”
“There’s a lot that’s going to happen in the next century and not all of it is good.”
“You mean time travel.”
“Among other things, but I think time travel frightens me the most.”
“When I first set foot in that thing Ed, it gave me the most eerie feeling.”
“You’re not alone Ben.” Ed stood and shook Ben’s hand. “I’m glad to have met you.”
“Ed, the pleasure was mine, if you’re ever by this way or time again, you’re always welcome.”
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Distant Memories (Revised) (Read 4319 times)
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