Historian’s Note: The events depicted here take place in late 1993 about seven years after Matters of the Heart, and in middle of 2030 about fifty years after SHADO became fully operational.

This story is dedicated to the memory of our beloved feline companion “Doco” who left this world on September 25, 2010.


Prologue:

June 1, 2030:

The supreme sovereign walked down the white featureless corridor of the main planetary administration building. Being one of the last of his kind to enjoy corporeal existence, he savored the moments as he knew that they would be short lived in light of recent events. He stopped about halfway down the hall and a section of the wall dematerialized allowing him access to the chamber of knowledge.

This room was bathed in soft illumination and was furnished with a single chair. He sat in the chair thinking of how even gender had no real meaning in this sterile dying society. As he opened his mind the far wall transformed from a blank surface to a complex tactical display showing the entire planet’s space born assets, what few were left.

The mother ship had been located and destroyed in the last battle, by the inhabitants of the third planet in the Sol system through their defense organization known as SHADO. The humans had found a way to circumvent the time incursion technology and utterly defeated the invasion force sent against them.

With the destruction of the mother-ship, very few soldiers remained, and their race seemed doomed to a non corporeal existence. Without bodies to manipulate technology, they would never leave their world again.

The sovereign considered all of the humans who had held the position of SHADO Commander including the first and most dangerous. He was only now beginning to grasp the concept of fierce determination that drove these six people, Edward Straker, Paul Foster, Peter Carlin, Nina Barry, Alec Foster, and Sara Foster. It was Sara Foster’s breakthrough in temporal technology that allowed SHADO to defeat the planetary forces.

All of these humans were at one time or another, targeted by the forces and, in fifty Earth years, they had managed to eliminate only one of them. That was the problem all along, the sovereign considered. The Commanders of SHADO were too well protected and were not easy targets. It was evident that the forces needed to focus their efforts elsewhere.

The members of the knowledge commune had been debating for almost an earth minute and the sovereign joined the mind tree. As he absorbed the thoughts of the others, it was being suggested that the remaining time-ship and crew be used to eliminate Sara Foster, the current Commander of SHADO. The incursion was simulated and its results were indeterminate. Another suggestion of eliminating her parents was brought forward and that scenario was simulated. This time the results were immediate and positive, and the sovereign was convinced that they had found the answer. Order our last remaining ships to carry out the temporal incursion. The targets will be together and isolated on the Earth date October 17, 1993.

On the wall appeared two images a woman with shoulder length ash blonde hair, and a man whose short cropped dark blonde hair was speckled with grey. The names underneath were unnecessary as the sovereign knew them all too well.


June 10, 2030 17:00Z

SHADO HQ:

Seated at the command console, Colonel David Ford watched the tactical display as the OIC for the mid-watch. It had been very quiet since the last major battle, just over a month ago and the SID network had not reported so much as a sighting.

Commander Foster had told him that she was convinced the recent action was a last ditch effort by the aliens, as the mother ship had closed within the orbit of Jupiter. This action had allowed Moonbase to launch its FTL missiles and destroy the ship. The smaller craft had made kamikaze style attacks on both Moonbase and the satellites but they only lost one SID, the original one that had been parked at L5 for over fifty years.

General Barry had promised to replace the aging satellite later this year and Commander Foster was still hoping that the last battle was the turning point in the fifty year old war. SHADO had lost too many good people over the years, including Sara’s predecessor and husband, he thought.

Ford considered his CO, as she bore a striking resemblance to her mother, and at forty three she could still turn every head in the room. It was tragic that her husband Alec had been murdered by the aliens just over a year ago. But Sara Foster had proven that General Barry had chosen wisely and she carried on the work of her departed husband with the tenacity, and bloody-mindedness that had made the first SHADO Commander a legend.

The silence was broken when the SID network unexpectedly came to life, Red alert, red alert, temporal incursion, force five.

Watching the readout, Ford’s eyes went wide as he saw the time force build. He keyed his mic, “Condition red, condition red, temporal incursion, force five, activate temporal shielding, Commander Foster to control.”

Throughout the base the alert klaxon wailed capturing the attention of everyone as they rushed to their stations. Members of the security force raced down the corridors with weapons drawn. 

“Seal the base,” said Foster as she jogged into the control room. “And kill that alarm.” She hurried to the command console, “David, what the hell is going on?”

“The largest temporal incursion I’ve ever seen, Sara,” he said just above a whisper.

Commander Foster watched the readouts, as the temporal energy levels went off the scale. Whatever had been changed in the past was having a cataclysmic effect on the space-time continuum.

“Lt. Geddes, warn Moonbase,” ordered the Commander. “David, have you found the epicenter?”

Ford punched up the time data, “It looks like it originated somewhere in the White mountains of New Hampshire. The date is coming up now.”

Foster and Ford watched the time display scroll and begin to settle, October 17, 1993.


For some reason that date rang a bell but Sara could not place it. As they watched the monitors, the scene outside changed from a serine June day to an apocalyptic hell. Half of the monitors went dead and those that worked showed the studio in shambles. Foster counted at least four alien craft on one monitor.

“I want the temporal shielding placed on absolute power priority and institute immediate rationing of all consumables as of five minutes ago. I want the time team to analyze this event and I want that report on my desk in thirty minutes.”

“Yes ma’am,” said Ford.

What the hell did they just figure out? Foster asked herself as she walked back to her office.

Chapter 2:

June 10, 2030 17:30Z
Commander Sara Foster sat in her office lost in thought as she looked into the round paperweight that normally sat on her desk. This keepsake had been passed down to each person who held the position of SHADO commander. Fondly she remembered the person who originally owned the glass sphere. What would you do now, Uncle Ed?

The doors opened and Colonel Ford walked in with a report in his hand. She put down the paperweight and looked up at her executive officer.

“Is that the temporal incursion report?” she asked.

“Yes it is, Sara,” he said as he handed it to her. She took the report and opened it as Ford turned to go.

“Don’t go David,” she said as she reached over and closed the door.

Ford sat down in the corner seat next to the desk while his boss quickly thumbed through the report. She looked up finally and saw how haggard he looked.

“You look like hell. How is it out there?” she asked just above a whisper.

“It’s bad Sara,” said Ford in disbelief. “Everyone is still in shock over the loss of Moonbase. Lt. Geddes fell apart when her husband was killed in the first wave. Dr McIntyre had to give her a sedative. Those here, who have loved ones outside, are sick with grief…” he said, his voice trailing off.

“What about you David? How are you holding up?” she asked in a compassionate voice.

Ford shook his head, “The only one I have to worry about is my sister and her husband. I’m trying not to think about it. At least I don’t have to worry about Mom and Dad as they died years ago, and right now I’m glad I never married.”

Sara Foster looked at him quizzically. David Ford was a powerfully built handsome man who still maintained a youthful appearance even at fifty. “Why didn’t you ever get married? I don’t believe for a minute, that you couldn’t find someone.”

Ford looked away, embarrassed. He looked as if he was considering something. He finally met her gaze and said, “The only woman I would have married was taken.”

Sara felt her face flush by his admission. It was all of a sudden too warm in the room.

“Me?” she asked in incredulity.

David simply nodded his head in affirmation.

“How long…how long have you felt this way?” she asked still astonished by his confession.

“Do you remember Straker’s retirement party?” he asked.

“I remember,” she said, as her astonishment turned to outright shock. “That long ago?”

David simply held her gaze allowing her to continue.

“I went with Alec that day,” she recalled. “We always called it our first date. Dad was always pretty strict; he wouldn’t let me start dating until I turned sixteen. And even then I had a ten o’clock curfew. I remember Mom arguing with him about it and what was funny is Dad usually gave in. That time he stood his ground and Mom didn’t know how to handle it.”

“As I remember your mother was quite the spitfire,” he said.

“Yeah, she always was full of fire and sass and there were fireworks in the house that night. Mom and Dad didn’t argue all that often so when they did it was a big deal. In the end I was glad that Dad stood his ground. I think Mom was much more mature, at that age, than I was. Dad’s decision that day probably kept me out of trouble. But getting back to you, I never knew you felt that way about me, David.”

“I had waited for you and Alec to split up but that never happened. And it wouldn’t have been right to just come out and tell you how I felt,” he said.

“I wonder if Mom and Dad knew,” she pondered. “They had encouraged me to date other guys as Alec I didn’t get to see each other all that often. It wasn’t until he started at MIT that we saw each other on a regular basis.”

“I know that your father knew as I told him myself. I remember the first time I met him. Dad had invited a few people from work to a late summer pool party one Saturday afternoon. Your mother, she was still carrying you, and your father, were there along with Commander Straker and his future wife. The one thing I’ll never forget is how your father looked at your mother. Hell I was only six at the time and even I could see the love between them. And your father surprised the hell out of everyone that day when he scooped up your mother and jumped in the pool with her,” David said has he recalled the events of that day.

“Yeah, he was the only person in the world who could have gotten away with that,” she said as she looked back down at the report in her hand. Her mind wandered as she was thinking that would need time to go through the computer generated document and find the event that changed history and why.

“I should let you get to work on the report,” he said, seeing her distraction. He got up to leave, “I’ll be in control if you need me.”

“David?” she called and he stopped and turned back to her.

“Now that we both know, what are we going to do about it?” she asked.

“Do about what?” Ford looked puzzled as he continued, “Don’t we have bigger fish to fry right now?”

“Yeah we do, but there is no guarantee we can correct this, although you know me, I’m going to try like hell,” she said pausing for a moment. “We may all be dead tomorrow David. I’ve already decided that if the aliens breakthrough I’ll destroy the base,” she finished emphatically.

They stared at each other in silence for a moment before she stood and came around the desk to face him.

“David, I don’t know what the future holds, and I don’t know if we can repair the past. What I do know is that a few minutes ago I felt incredibly complimented,” she said as she stood very close to him.

Slowly he took her in his arms and she returned his embrace as they kissed each other in a very tender way.

When the kiss ended she looked up at him, “Don’t forget to fill out the study request.”

“I beg your pardon?” he asked in disbelief.

“It’s still the regs; we don’t know how long we’re going to be down here. We need to maintain discipline, and the only way to do that, is set the example,” she said.

“Yes ma’am,” he said with a grin.

When he left, she sat down and carefully studied the report, looking for the event that changed history.


October 15, 1993:
The sun was just beginning to peak over the horizon as Matt taxied the single engine Mooney towards the runway. Virginia and he had been up since four that morning and he still felt sorrow about having to tell Sara that they had to go away for a few days. Although she was delighted to learn that Uncle Ed and Aunt Jen would be watching her. The weather looked like it would be good for the next few days both for flying, and hiking.

As Virginia set the autopilot and nav radios she asked, “Are you sure you don’t want me to fly left seat?”

“Thanks honey, but I’ve got to keep myself busy. If I don’t I’m going to fall to pieces again,” he said as he set the brake for the run up.

While Matt accelerated the engine, his wife checked the engine gauges. She looked over and gave him a thumbs-up. He released the brake and continued to taxi to the runway. This early on a weekday they had the airport to themselves.

“Danbury traffic, Mooney four niner bravo, departing on runway three five,” Matt announced as he taxied onto the active.

He lined up the aircraft and pushed the throttle in and the single engine aircraft quickly gained speed. At sixty five knots, he pulled the yoke back and the plane leaped into the air.

“Gear up,” he called and Ginny pulled up the landing gear.

“Gear up, and locked,” she said.

Matt switched the radio from the advisory frequency to the departure channel.

“New York departure, Mooney four niner bravo with you, IFR to Boston, 1000 climbing 4000.”

“Mooney four niner bravo, New York departure, radar contact, turn right heading 010, proceed on course, climb and maintain 4000.”

“Climb and maintain 4000, proceed on course, Mooney four niner bravo.”

Matt looked out at the early fall morning admiring the Bristol blue of the sky. It was a beautiful day for flying. The couple had spent a lot of time in the air together even after Sara was born and she was at the age now where she could really enjoy it. They had already started teaching her some of the basics of aviation and it was their dream to see her solo by the time she was a teen.

“We never finished that tiebreaker last night,” said Ginny.

“Yeah, I know, and here’s the kicker, Ed had a twenty nine hand,” said Matt ruefully.

“No, you’re kidding?”

Twenty nine points was the highest hand that one could hold in the game of cribbage and seeing one was often considered a once in a lifetime event.

“He showed it to me this morning honey,” said Matt. “I told him I’d spot them the points when we do play the game but it’s not the same,” he said with a grin.

They reached their assigned altitude and Matt handed the aircraft over to the autopilot. They would arrive in Boston early enough to get breakfast before Kathy’s flight was due in. He looked over at his wife as she was scanning the horizon. To him she hadn’t aged a day in seven years and he didn’t know if that was a husband’s perception or if she was simply blessed with a perpetual youthful appearance. It didn’t matter as his love for her went well beyond the physical realm. Last night they had held each other close while they cried themselves to sleep and having someone to share the grief with was a blessing beyond comparison.


June 10, 2030 19:00Z
David Ford walked into the Commander’s office, being summoned from his post in control. From the sound of her voice she had found something…something that had greatly upset her. When she looked up, he saw her blue grey eyes drenched in tears. He reached down to close and lock the door knowing that she was a very private person.

“Sara, what’s wrong? What did you find?” he asked as he placed a hand on her shoulder in comfort.

He was still coming to terms with the recent change in the dynamics of their relationship and he felt awkward, even though they now knew each other’s feelings. She must have sensed his unease, and she stood and drew him into an embrace as she wept on his shoulder.

“They killed them David,” she said through her tears. “They butchered them like cattle.”

“Who killed who?” he asked. “Start from the beginning, Sara.”

She regained her composure and led him to the couch. They sat next to each other and she paused to collect her thoughts.

“Remember I told you that the date rang a bell?” she began.

“Yeah, I do. What does it mean?”

David handed her a handkerchief and she wiped her eyes and pushed her long ash blonde hair out of her face.

“A few nights before, Mom and Dad got a call from an old family friend, Sandy Crawford. Her husband Jack and my father had been friends for years.” She paused again as she tried to keep herself together.

“Mr. Crawford died early that evening of a heart attack. The news devastated both of my parents. Aunt Jen and Uncle Ed were staying with us that weekend and they offered to watch me while Mom and Dad flew up for the memorial service,” she finished.

David placed his arm around her shoulders and prompted her to continue, “Go on.”

“Mr. Crawford’s dying wish was to be cremated and have his ashes spread on the Crawford Path. Mrs. Crawford asked Mom and Dad to make the hike with her. My father would never refuse a dying man’s request, especially someone he cared about, and Mom was just as dedicated as he was. The report I just read states that on October 17, 1993 my mother and father, along with Sandra Crawford and her daughter Kathy, were victims of a UFO incident. Kathy Crawford was never found and Mrs. Crawford and my parents were found a few days later. They had been vivisected, all their major organs removed…” she was unable to continue.

David took her in his arms as she expelled another round of grief. “Their reproductive organs were taken as well,” she cried.

Ford considered this, as similar reports had been received in other UFO incidents over the past year. They had been fighting this war for fifty years and though they had made great strides in unraveling the alien technology, they weren’t any closer to understanding the motives of the alien invaders.

“How does killing your parents change the timeline?” asked David.

Sara pulled herself together and continued, “After my parent’s death I withdrew into myself. Uncle Ed and Aunt Jen became my legal guardians and Aunt Jen stayed home most of the time to look after me. They moved me to England with them and put me in a private school, but I didn’t do very well for the first few years. I didn’t get my head out of my ass until high school. Once my grades were back up, Aunt Jen went back into the research section, in London, and continued the work Mom and Dad had started on the temporal detection system. We lost almost five years, as no one else understood the theory behind this process.”

Ford looked at her beginning to realize what had happened, “So there was a delay in developing the incursion technology and temporal shielding?”

Sara nodded, “It took me another six years after high school to get my doctorate and by the time I was working on the project, the aliens were already using their incursion technology against us. SHADO fell about seven years ago and if it wasn’t for the temporal shielding we’d all be dead.”

“How so?” asked David, not sure that he wanted to hear the answer.

“After the aliens took over, all current and former members of SHADO were publicly executed. They didn’t want to waste the organs, so the method they chose was death by vivisection. They didn’t even use the neurotoxin. They killed those working in the studio as well even if they had no knowledge of SHADO…” she said as her voice trailed off.

Ford shook his head in disgust as he pictured the macabre scene in his mind. What monsters, he thought to himself.

“What about the rest of the population?” he asked.

“The aliens set up a puppet government according to region. Order is kept by the use of mass executions, as punishment, for even the smallest of uprisings. The masses were divided into three groups, forced labor, organ donors, and breeding stock. The alien caretakers are openly brutal. All of this because of my failure as a person.”

“Now wait a minute Sara, you can’t blame yourself for this…”

“Can’t I David? If I hadn’t been such a pain in the ass brat to my Aunt Jen, she could have continued my parent’s research. I should have worked harder to finish school early and started college at sixteen like my mother did. I let my parents down, I let my aunt and uncle down, I let the whole damned planet down!” she said as her hurt turned to anger.

David took her by the shoulders and looked deep into her eyes as he said; “Now you listen to me Sara. It’s not fair for you to beat yourself up over this. I knew your parents well and they wouldn’t hear of you belittling yourself over this. It isn’t your fault; it must have been hell for you, knowing how close you were to them.”

Sara Foster retuned his gaze as she considered his words, “I remember when my parents died, before the timeline was altered. I was twenty eight and they were both in their early seventies. They still looked like they were in their fifties and they should have lived another fifteen years. Their plane went down in a freak thunderstorm. It killed me then and I was grown married woman. Dad told me once that his greatest fear was losing Mom, or her losing him while they were apart. The only consolation for me, was Mom and Dad died together doing something they both loved to do.”

Foster suddenly stood and pulled herself into command mode, “David, I need you to get the time-craft ready for launch. It’s only a matter of time before those green skinned devils find their way in here. I want to be gone before then.”

“You’re going yourself, Commander you can’t…”

“David, these are my parent’s. I have the best chance of convincing them without risking too much contamination of the timeline. If I send someone else, they may not believe them.”

“What makes you think they’ll believe you?” asked Ford now clearly exasperated with his boss, and his new love.

“David, look at me. Mom and Dad will know right away who I am. And I know things that only the three of us know,” she said. “It’s my decision, it’s made, and it’s final.”

Ford knew that tone. He always thought that she had inherited that trait from the legendary first Commander of SHADO.

“Yes ma’am,” he said acquiescently.

Chapter 4:

October 15, 1993 13:00 EDT
Virginia sat in the front row next to her husband at the local funeral home comforting him through another round of grief. Seeing him in pain tasked her greatly, but she knew he would fare better in the long run by allowing his sorrow to surface.

The Crawford’s stood in the receiving line and to Ginny’s surprise; her friend Sandy was holding the line as a beacon of strength for the rest of the family. She and Kathy had shared a long moment of anguish at the airport but having her family and friends close by had given her the resolve to weather the storm.

“Matt are you alright?” asked Ginny.

“Right now I’m grieving for John. I’ve been where he is, and I know what he’s feeling,” said Matt, his voice shaky as he spoke.

John Crawford had broken down as soon as they had arrived, just as Matt had said he would and his brother and sister were doing their best to support him. Virginia could tell that Matt was reliving a painful moment in his life.

“Do you need to talk about it honey?” she asked.

Matt took her in his arms and she could feel him breaking inside as he allowed a torrent of emotion to burst forward. When he had regained his composure, he held her shoulders as he spoke.

“Jack and John were always at odds with each other. You know Jack; he was a rough and ready woodsman and hiking guide. He made his living on these mountains. He loved the land and he loved the life,” said Matt. “John marched to the beat of a different drummer. Unlike his brother Jeff, who followed his father’s way of life, John is more like his sister. He’s working his way through college and he starts pre med this year.”

“John wants to be a doctor?” she asked.

“Yeah, and if he’s anything like his father, and I’m damn sure he is, he’ll be one of the best. You see Gin, because they were at odds over his choice of careers the two of them left a lot unsaid. And I know firsthand how that can hurt because my father and I did the same damn thing,” said Matt through tears. “My father and I never said I love you, to each other, nearly enough. And then one day he was gone, and all those opportunities were lost forever.”

“Is that why you shower Sara and me with loads of affection?” she asked with a smile.

Matt nodded as he answered, “I don’t want their ever to be any doubt in your minds how I feel about either one of you. You remember the day we were flying to London on…”

“Vividly,” she said interrupting him. “I swore that I would never let that kind of a rift come between us again. I went through pure hell that week Matt. I was sure you were dead and the thought of you dying, and you not knowing how much I loved you and that I had forgiven you, was more than I could bear. I should have just come right out and told you in Ed’s office.”

“You were a bit more reserved back then,” said Matt with a slight grin.

Virginia had long since shed her reputation as the “ice princess” and was now considered one of the warmest people in the organization.

“I wouldn’t think twice about saying it now. Life is too damn short. How many times have we been in peril over the years?” she asked.

“More than I would like to remember. I still think the closest we came was that time on Moonbase. That was the day I had found out that you were pregnant with Sara and I had to fight with the doctor to get you released,” said Matt recalling the moment. “When the aliens took out the last particle weapon, I figured that was it. The only consolation I had was that I had you in my arms. For better or worse we were going to die together.”

“You always were a romantic. That’s probably why I fell in love with you,” she added.

“And I thought it was because I was handsome, he said lightening the mood.

“Well, that did hurt either.” Ginny paused and looked over at the Crawford’s. “Matt you really should talk to John. I think you’re the only one that understands what he’s going through. Knowing that someone else has been in the same place might help him.”

“Yeah, you’re right. I’ll drag him out for breath of fresh air. Don’t go away, I might need moral support when I get back,” he said.

“Sandy looks like she needs a break anyway, ask her if she would like to come sit with me for a bit if you would, please,” said Virginia.

Matt nodded and gave her a quick kiss as he stood. She watched him walk to the receiving line to speak with Sandy. In a few moments he was walking out the door with John in tow and Sandy came to sit with her.

“Thanks Ginny, I was looking for an excuse to come talk with you for a while,” she said as she wiped her eyes.

“Are you okay?” asked Ginny as she embraced her friend.

“Yes, I’m just a bit misty right now. I can’t believe that Jack and I had this many friends,” said Sandy.

The funeral home was standing room only for a while as Jack and Sandy were very well known throughout the area. Jack had made friends all over the country and some of the mourners had traveled from as far as the west coast.

“I don’t know how you’re doing it Sandy. If I lost Matt I’d be a blubbering mess,” said Ginny.

“You and Matt have only been married seven years. Jack and I had almost forty wonderful years together. He was a good father to our kids and a great husband. We both knew that this day would come and we prepared for it by living each day like it was our last,” Sandy said.

“Seven years,” said Ginny. “It seems like only yesterday.”

“Time flies when you’re having fun, by the way, why does Matt call you Gin?”

Virginia smiled fondly as she answered, “He’s the only one I let call me that. You heard the story how Matt and I met when we were children?”

“Yeah, It still sends chills up my spine, it’s so romantic,” she said.

“When we first met I was only eight and a half but I thought I was grown up. Virginia was a mouthful and Ginny struck me as childish, so I insisted that I be called Gin. I went back to Ginny when I hit my teens. When Matt realized who I was he called me Gin out of habit and the moment left me so starry-eyed that he continued the practice. He never calls me Ginny; it’s either Virginia or Gin.”

“Sara must be getting big now?” asked Sandy.

“She sure is. No more piggyback ride up the stairs for her. She’s her mother’s angel but she’s also Daddy’s little girl. Lord, help the man she marries,” Virginia said with a wry grin.


Matt and John stood outside the funeral home with their backs to the wind. It was a brisk fall day and most of the leaves were starting to fall from the trees.

“Uncle Matt, thanks for getting me out of there, I can’t believe I fell apart like that,” said John.

“It’s nothing to be ashamed of John; I’d have been more concerned if you hadn’t shown any grief at all. We all deal with loss in our own way. I was just like you when I lost my father.”

“How so?” asked the young man.

“As the oldest in the family, I felt it was my responsibility to be the rock for Mom and my two siblings. It didn’t work out that way. I held it all in and completely lost it at the wake. I was a mess. My brother Patrick ended up being the steadying presence. I felt like an utter failure for a while,” Matt said as he swallowed a lump in his throat.

“That’s exactly how I feel. I should be in there supporting Mom, Kathy and Jeff. It’s my responsibility,” John said.

“Why, because you were born a few minutes ahead of your brother? That doesn’t make any sense when you think about it,” Matt said kindly. “John, let me give you some advice. Let Jeff stand in the gap for you. Allow yourself to mourn. The rest of your family has already started the healing process and that is something you can’t do until you let yourself have your time.”

“How are you and Aunt Ginny dealing with it? You both seemed to be so together,” asked John with a sob.

“John, right now you’re so caught up in your own sorrow that you haven’t seen the rest of us have our moments of anguish. Your Aunt Ginny and I, had company when we got the call from your mother. We excused ourselves and went into the study and we both cried in each other’s arms for a good ten minutes, and last night we cried ourselves to sleep. Just before we came out here I had another round with it, but the last round was more for you than your father,” said Matt pausing. “John, I’ve been where you are and right now you’re not going to believe this but trust me, it will get better.”

“Dad and I had so much that we left unsaid. And now he’s gone and these things will be forever left unsaid…” his voice trailed off as he fought another round of grief.

“John, your father knew how you felt about him, and I’m going to tell you something else, he was very, very proud of you,” Matt said emphatically.

“Dad wanted me to take over the family business, and I let him down…”

“Now you listen to me,” Matt interrupted. “Your father had accepted the choice you made and he told me himself how proud he was of you. He was a close friend and I believed him when he said it. Now he may not be able to tell you now, but I can tell you for him.”

John Crawford seemed to consider this as he took a deep breath and let out a sigh.

“I guess we should get back inside,” he said.

“Yup, I suppose…”

“Uncle Matt?” asked John.

“Yeah?”

“Thanks.”

Matt slapped him on the shoulder, “You bet.”


October 15, 1993 18:00Z
“It’s gone now sir,” said Geoff Blake as he looked up at his boss.

Colonel Paul Foster stood next to the command console in HQ where Colonel Blake was seated. He looked at the modern tactical display showing the brief path of the intruder.

“Do we want to send up Sky 5?” asked Blake.

Foster considered this as each of these ghosts had turned out to be false alarms. But Foster remembered something the Commander had told him years ago. I knew an old police captain once Paul. He used to get a hundred crank letters a week. The one he ignored was the one that killed him. It was a lesson he had taken to heart.

“Yes. Have Major Ellis expand her search out another fifty miles in all directions,” he ordered.

While Blake dispatched Sky 5, Foster walked down to the communications station where Major Ford was working. His dark hair had just started to find some grey.

“Keith, try to raise the Commander on his cell phone.”

“Yes sir,” answered Ford.


Sara Hewett was glued to the glass of the Giant Ocean tank at the New England Aquarium as the huge sea turtle swam by.

“Oh wow, did you see that Auntie Jen?”

“Yeah, I did. Look she’s coming around again,” said Jen.

Quietly Ed Straker watched his wife and his niece marvel over the giant gentle sea creature all the while thinking about the subject of raising a family. He had considered himself past that age and he had thought his wife felt the same way but seeing her with Sara convinced him otherwise.

Ed was distracted by the pocket pager as it alerted him to an incoming call.

“Excuse me for a moment, I have to take a phone call,” he said to his wife as he walked to the Harbor Room across from the tank exhibit. The room was unoccupied at the time so he walked to the window and checked his phone. Seeing the call was from HQ he quickly dialed the number. When the automated system at the studio answered he dialed in the direct line to the control room along with the security access code.

“Major Ford,” said the voice on the other end.

“It’s Straker,” said Ed purposely avoiding using his rank.

“Hold on Commander, I have Colonel Foster for you,” said Ford.

Straker heard the shuffling of the phone being passed and a few seconds later Colonel Foster’s voice came over the line.

“Ed where are you?” he asked somewhat concerned.

“I’m in Boston Paul, what do you have?”

“We picked up another sensor ghost about ten minutes ago. It’s the same pattern as before. I’ve got Major Ellis searching the area now,” said Foster.

“Where is it this time?” asked Straker as he looked out over the harbor.

“It was picked up over the Maine coast heading west. I told Gay to expand her search by fifty miles in each direction.”

Ed considered this, there was so little they could do without a solid contact.

“Alright that’s all we can do for now. Call me if you find anything unusual,” said Straker.

“Will you be staying in the Boston area, Ed?” Foster asked.

“No I don’t think so Paul. We should be heading back to Colonel Hewett’s residence in a few hours.”

Ed ended the call and walked back out to onto the ramp leading to the tank.


When Foster hung up the phone he walked back to the command console.

“Geoff, punch up the course data for all of these sightings,” he said.

Colonel Blake correlated the data and brought it up on the tactical display. Although not perfect the course indications matched up to form a continuous line.

“Well that’s very interesting,” said Foster. “Have this data fed into the computer course, time, speed, everything. I want a detailed analysis of this flight path.”

“Yes sir.”

Paul had discussed this with Colonel Hewett earlier in the week and Matt had said that he was sure they were missing something. Foster hoped he was wrong.


The alien craft settled in an area just below the tree line just northeast of the summit of Mount Munroe having seemingly avoided detection by the sophisticated tracking network established by the inhabitants of Sol 3. A barely visible glow surrounded the craft as it maintained stealth by employing temporal shielding.

Inside the craft, the alien occupants prepared themselves for the mission at hand knowing that their survival as a space fairing race was in jeopardy. Their targets would be in the area in two planetary rotation cycles. The two primary targets would be nearby and have to be lured into a snare by using an emotional response. The aliens had no analogue in their culture for the concepts of love, caring, anger or hate as they were beings of pure analytical thought. Their understanding of these theories was almost nonexistent until quite recently as they expended resources to study these concepts. Although they had no understanding of the emotions themselves, the behavior of the humans was quite predictable when these perceptions were considered.
For now, all they had to do was watch and wait.

Chapter 6:

The aliens had finished the task of harvesting the useful organs of the young human male, but upon examining the female they found her to be very recently impregnated. This was considered a rare find and they were careful to avoid harming her. They placed her in a suspension tube for the journey home. The researchers on their planet will have use for her.

One of them prepared to disable the local mobile communications network, using a brief but intense high energy pulse that would destroy the front ends of the receivers at the tower sites. When they were in agreement, the alien activated the device and the signal was transmitted.


On nearby Mount Washington, the cellular receptors picked up a signal and sent it down to the front end of the receiver. Although protected from overload the designers had never intended the unit to be exposed to a signal of this magnitude. The preamplifiers in the receiver sections shorted out, effectively killing the sensitivity of the site. The transmitters, being made of sterner stuff, were unaffected.


The group of hikers reached the tree line by noontime and they stopped to rest, and to pay respect to the memory of a friend. As Virginia spread the ashes from the urn she had carried, her husband read aloud the twenty-third, one of his and Jack’s favorite verses.

After the small service Virginia sat down to admire the view of the snow covered mountainside. Sandy and Kathy were sharing another minute of sorrow and she did not want to disturb their moment.

“Penny for your thoughts?” asked Matt as he sat down next to her.

She looked at him and laid her head on his shoulder, “I was just thinking about my reaction the first time I saw this place.”

“I believe your exact words were; My God, it’s so beautiful!” said Matt.

Virginia smiled knowing he was right, remembering the events of that life changing day.

“We shared our first long kiss right here,” she said.

“I remember,” said Matt as he shifted to face her. “I was going to tell you that I…”

Like she did seven years earlier, she pulled him in for a long deep kiss not allowing him to finish his sentence.

When the kiss ended she looked deep into his eyes and said, “I knew what you were going to say then, just like I knew now, and the words simply weren’t enough to convey how I felt, or how I still feel about you Matt.”

“In that case…” he said as he pulled her to him for another long kiss.


Kathy Crawford nudged her mother, “Do you see this Mom?”

Sandy looked over at Matt and Ginny and smiled, “They fell in love on this mountain, just like your father and I did. It’s nice to see good things happen to people with all the hurt in today’s world.”

“They don’t look like they ever fight Mom.”

Sandy laughed at that, “You just don’t hear about it, Kathy. Your Aunt Ginny and Uncle Matt, have had some real whoppers in their day, but what couples don’t?”

“They remind me of you and Dad. How did you get so lucky anyway?” asked Kathy clearly frustrated with the idea of relationships.

“You’re still upset about Scott, aren’t you?” asked her mother.

“Wouldn’t you be? We dated for a year and then I find out he has two other girls on the side,” she said with anger.

“I’m sorry Kathy, I wish I could tell you I know how you feel, but the truth is I never had to go through that,” said her mother.

“I know, you met Dad a year out of high school, you were engaged a few weeks later, and married within a year. You and Dad had thirty eight wonderful years together and you still loved him like you did on your wedding day.”

“I loved him more than the day we were married,” said her mother.

“Gee thanks Mom, rub it in,” Kathy said, pausing. “I’m sorry; I didn’t mean that the way it sounded.”

“I know sweetheart,” said Sandy. “Trust me; you’re not going to end up as an old maid. Your Aunt Ginny was forty one when she met Mr. Right. Ask her what happens when you rush into things. She knows exactly what you’re going through.”

“Maybe I should talk to her,” she said as she watched as Matt helped Virginia get her pack on. When he finished he walked over to Kathy and Sandy while Ginny checked her phone.

“Do you ladies need a hand?” he asked.

“Uncle Matt, you’re such a gentleman,” said Kathy as he helped both her and her mother with their packs.

A minute later Virginia joined them and the group continued on the trail.

“Did you get through Gin?” asked Matt.

“No, I kept getting a call failed error,” she answered.

She handed him the phone and he looked at it. The signal meter read full strength and the message indicator was lit.

“There’s plenty of signal, and the battery is okay. It looks like the transmitters are working. Perhaps they have network problems,” he said.

Matt looked at her seeing concern in her eyes, “What’s wrong?”

“It’s just a feeling Matt. I’ve had it all day and I can’t seem to shake it. I’d feel better if I knew what the message was.”

“Yeah I know, I’ve been getting the same vibes as well. It’s unsettling. But if something was up with Sara; you know Ed would find a way to let us know. He’s a smart guy,” Matt said with a grin.

“That’s an understatement,” said Ginny, grinning back at him as they started up the trail.


In a deeply wooded area, half a mile removed from the trail, the SHADO time-craft explosively reentered the space-time continuum at the preprogrammed coordinates. Outfitted with special shielding, its arrival went unnoticed to all the sensing equipment of the period. The ship looked like it had been impaled by several trees, due to the temporal shielding, allowing it to exist out of phase of normal space-time. In essence, the craft could occupy the same space as existing objects.

Inside the cockpit, of the futuristic craft, Commander Sara Foster checked her chronometer and navigational readings, making sure that she was in fact, where and when she was supposed to be. She unstrapped herself from the couch and gathered her gear. She paused for a moment, realizing that she now existed as two people. This is probably why my father was so concerned about time travel.

Sara had hiked these trails with her parents, as a teenager, and she knew the Crawford Path well. Her father had taught her all the subtle nuances and she had expertly prepared for the hike. Quickly she donned her cold weather hiking gear and her pack. The extra weight would slow her down but she knew better than to go unprepared. The mission was too important to leave to chance. Once she was ready she opened the hatch and stepped out into the woods of the White Mountains. She walked a short distance from the ship and pushed a button on the remote control. The hatch closed and the ship shimmered as it became invisible. She checked the locator function to make sure she would be able to find the camouflaged craft when the mission was over.

Sara set out towards the trail with grim determination to foil the alien plot. She knew that even if she were successful, it would be a bittersweet resolution, as her parents were still destined to die in a plane crash twenty two years from now. As she reached the trail, the emotional stress hit her full force, and she began to cry.


“Were you able to get through Ed?” his wife asked as he hung up the phone.

Straker shook his head as he answered, “No, the call went right through to voicemail. They should be in range of the tower by now.”

“It’s not like Ginny to leave her mobile off. Do you think they’re alright?” asked Jen.

“There’s one way to find out,” said Ed as he dialed another number.

Ed waited on the phone as the call went through, “It’s ringing.”

“Crawford Notch AMC Station, George Lewis speaking,” said the voice on the other end.

“Mr. Lewis, my name is Ed Straker. I’d like to check on the status of a pair of hikers, Matt and Virginia Hewett.”

“Ah yes, they checked in about nine this morning and they are due at the Lake of the Clouds hut by six this evening. Do you want me to pass a message Mr. Straker?”

“Yes please, could you have them call home as soon as they arrive?"

“There isn’t any phone service at the hut, although we can do a radio patch in an emergency,” said Lewis.

“That won’t be necessary Mr. Lewis they have a mobile. Just have them call in please.”

“I’ll pass the message along but mobile coverage has been out in the mountain area all morning long.”

“I see,” said Ed realizing the implications. “Can you call us when they check in at the lake?”

“Sure, give me the number.”

Ed read off the phone number and thanked him.

“What’s going on Ed?” asked Jen.

“It looks like they have a cellular outage going on this morning. That’s probably why we haven’t heard from them,” he said in a subdued voice.

“I hope so,” said Jen.

“Where’s Sara?” he asked.

“She’s in the kitchen setting up the Chinese checkers set. We promised to play a few games with her, remember?” Jen asked grinning at him.

“How could I forget, she’s just as stubborn as her mother,” he said with a grin. “I really need to teach her how to play chess.”

“She’s a smart girl, you should try. She might even beat you,” Jen said as they walked out of the study.


By five thirty in the afternoon, the four hikers had made it to the Lake of the Clouds. The ground was covered with several inches of new snow. The temperature was a few degrees below freezing and the group was glad to get indoors. While the ladies warned up near the fire Matt went to the desk to check-in.

“How’s it going Jim?” he said as he filled out the log sheet.

“I’m well. It’s nice to see you again Matt. Are you and Ginny going to sit in with the jam session tonight?” he asked.

“That sounds like it could be fun, do we have enough people?”

“Yeah, we got us a couple guitar players, a bassist, a piano player, a mandolin and fiddle player, a banjo player, and of course I’ll be on drums,” he said.

“We could play some bluegrass with a lineup like that,” said Matt.

“By the way Matt, you got a message from an Ed Straker. He wanted you to call home as soon as you arrived.”

Matt suddenly grew serious, “Did he say what for?”

“George offered a radio patch but Mr. Straker said it wasn’t an emergency,” said Jim.

Matt felt himself relax, “I tried to call on the way up here but I couldn’t get through.”

Jim nodded knowingly and said, “There’s some kind of problem up on the mountain. The cell company has been up there all afternoon working on it. They seem to think they got a bad batch of spares. They replaced a bunch of modules and got it working again but it died ten minutes later. I talked to our man at the summit and he said they were going to be back out here tomorrow.”

“Has everyone checked in Jim?” Matt asked.

“We’re waiting on two couples. One is coming up the northeast approach to Munroe, and the other is coming down from the Washington summit.”

“I see,” said Matt, pausing to think. “Could you radio down to the base camp and have George call Ed Straker back and let him know we arrived safely?”

“Sure thing Matt.”


Sara Foster looked at her watch and figured she had about an hour or so of daylight left and she was still about four hours from the hut. It looks like the night vision equipment is going to come in handy, she thought to herself. She had no intention of stopping after dark, a move that would be foolhardy if not for the night vision goggles.

This part of the trail was snow covered and she had to watch her footing. It was cold out but with her heated undergarments she didn’t feel the cold.

Sara had to mentally prepare herself to meet her parents as Dr. McIntyre had told her it would be psychologically stressful. It’s not every day that you get to meet dead relatives.

She was worried about David as well, an irrational fear, as from her perspective SHADO doesn’t fall for another thirty years. And she would only be gone for five minutes by his reckoning.

Paradoxes and conundrums, I hate time travel!


The hut ‘croo’ had prepared a special beef stew for the evening meal. Over dinner Jim Burns told Matt, Virginia and Sandy that the AMC had decided to shorten the season for the Lake of the Clouds. As of next year the hut would close on the second full week in September. It would be locked up as the Club was moving to discourage winter assents.

“It’s a liability issue now,” said Jim. “Just like all the new safety features on modern power equipment, or the warnings on hot beverages. Common sense ain’t all that common anymore.”

“I couldn’t agree more Jim,” said Matt. “It’s pretty bad when people expect their own government to step in and protect them from their own ignorance. Seat belt laws are a prime example. My wife and I are both pilots and we wouldn’t think about flying or driving, without strapping in. It’s even on the checklist which we both still use, by the way. Many weekend pilots don’t and then they wonder why they run into trouble.”

“You did it now Jim,” said Ginny, grinning. “Matt’s gone off on a rant.”

“Alright I’ll shut up,” Matt said, embarrassed.

“You don’t agree with him Ginny?” asked Jim.

“I actually do, but Matt will get wound up tighter than an eight day clock and go on for hours about this stuff,” she said innocently smiling at her husband.

“Yeah, Jack was the same way,” interjected Sandy. “He used to get a real burr under his saddle about certain things. I think that’s why the two of them got along so well.”

“I am really going to miss that ornery son of a gun,” said Jim in a wistful voice.

Jim Burns had known the Crawford family all his life and Matt could see that he was on the verge of breaking down and that was making him misty. It had suddenly become quiet at the table.

Changing the subject Matt asked, “Jim did that last pair of hikers check-in yet?”

“No, they didn’t. That reminds me, I need to radio over to Madison Spring and see if they checked in over there. Excuse me a moment,” he said as he got up from the table.

Virginia leaned over her husband and quietly said, “You handled that really smooth Matt.”

“I didn’t want to see the poor man break down here at the table. I’d have joined him,” said Matt as he struggled to maintain his own composure.

Virginia leaned her head on his shoulder has he placed his arm around her, grateful to have her support.

“Have I told you today how much I love you?” he asked.

“You tried, but I kissed you before you could get the words out,” she answered.

Not for the first time that day, Matt said a silent prayer of thanks.

Chapter 8:

Sara broke away from her parents and looked at both of them. Although she had arrived in time to stop them, she knew her biggest battle lay before her.

“Mom, Dad, listen to me,” she began. “In about twenty minutes the two of you, along with Sandy Crawford go off in search of Kathy. A few days from today the three of you will be found as victims of a UFO incident. I don’t need to go into the details do I?”

“How do you know about this? And how did you get here?” asked Virginia, still in shock.

“In my time period, we have managed to decipher and reverse engineer the alien temporal technology. In fact our system works better than theirs,” she said exuding a bit of pride. “In the year 2030, the aliens launched an all out attack on Earth. We found out that Commander Straker’s suspicions of a larger mother-ship that launched smaller craft to Earth was indeed factual. That’s why they always seemed to know what we were doing.”

Her parents looked stunned, so she continued her story.

“The ship stayed parked outside the orbit of Neptune and it was discovered by an astronomer about twenty years from now. As a result SHADO started changing its encryption algorithms more frequently. During the last assault the aliens brought the mother-ship within the orbit of Jupiter and within the range of our FTL missiles. We destroyed it and served the aliens a fatal blow. That was just over a month ago by my perspective.”

She paused to let the information sink in. “On June 10, 2030 the aliens launched a temporal attack against us. One ship came back through time and murdered the two of you. The effect altered the space-time continuum and had it not been for the temporal shielding, everyone at HQ would have been killed.”

“I don’t understand,” said her father. “How does killing us alter the future?”

“Two ways,” said Sara. “The basis for the temporal detection system was derived from yours and Mom’s work. With the two of you gone that work doesn’t get finished for another twenty years.”

Sara paused, hesitant to share the rest with her parents.

“You said there were two ways?” her mother pressed.

“The second problem was me,” she said, embarrassed. “When you and Dad died, I took it hard, very hard. Uncle Ed and Aunt Jen moved me to England and set me up in private school but I lost all interest in education. In short I became a real brat. Aunt Jen had to stay home with me most of the time and I didn’t start doing better until I was in high school. Because of that, I was in my mid twenties before I graduated from college. My work was delayed and the aliens invaded thirty years from now.”

“So you’re telling us that the aliens came back and altered the time line?” asked her father.

“Yes, the two of you were not supposed to die tomorrow.” Sara said, getting misty again.

“That makes sense,” said Virginia. “The sensor ghost that we have been tracking could have been the UFO coming forward in the time continuum. It must have overshot the date and had to correct. If they did it on the fly, it’s possible that it would breach our continuum during the correction maneuver.”

“It was heading in this general direction,” Matt added. He turned to Sara. “Did you bring any amnesia drug with you?”

“Thirty doses,” she said. “I assumed that you and Mom each have five in your packs.”

“It’s enough. Let’s get inside,” Matt said to them. “Gary is going to need the antitoxin, and I have an idea.”

As the three of them walked back into the hut, Sara considered her father’s reaction. She knew that once he had made up his mind on a subject it was next to impossible to dissuade him.


Inside the hut, Virginia treated Gary Martin with the antitoxin, while Jim, Sandy, Sara and Matt discussed the situation.

“Dad, you and Mom can’t go. It’s as simple as that…” Sara was saying when her father cut her off.

“Now you listen to me young lady. Kathy Crawford is a close family friend, and I’ll be damned if I’m going to sit by and let those green-skinned devils use her as a lab experiment,” Matt said with fierce determination. “You told us that her body was never found. That means that they probably took her whole, and she is still alive.”

“Dad, I hate to do this, but I’m pulling rank on you. As SHADO Commander, I’m ordering you and Mom to stay here,” she said as Virginia joined them.

“What did I miss,” asked Ginny, hearing the end of the conversation.

“Well honey, it seems that our dear daughter is trying to pull rank on us,” Matt said. He turned back to Sara and said, “You may be Commander in 2030, but in 1993, I’m the senior line officer. The decision is mine, it’s made, and it’s final.”

Sara looked at her mother clearly frustrated, “Mom, you outrank him. Do something!”

“I’m sorry honey, I’m in research. Your father is a line officer. He outranks me now, and I wouldn’t countermand him anyway. He’s right you know.”

“Mom!” Sara exclaimed.

“I’m coming too,” said Sandy. “She’s my daughter, and I know these trails as well as my husband did. Besides, I’ve known about these creatures for years.”

Matt spun around in surprise and Sara and Virginia followed suit.

“What do you know about them Sandy?” he asked very quietly.

“Jack knew about them too,” she began. “Six months after you and Ginny got married he began having nightmares. He couldn’t remember them at first. One morning I found him out on the porch looking up at the sky. He remembered everything, the bodies, carrying you and Ginny down the mountain, all of it. He told me never to tell anyone and we rarely talked about it amongst ourselves.”

Virginia looked at her husband with concern in her eyes, “Matt if security finds out…”

“They’re not going to find out. Sara, was there any indication of a security breach in reference to the Crawford’s?” asked Matt.

Sara shook her head, “I checked those records before I left. Aunt Sandy apparently never said a word.”

“That’s good enough for me,” said Matt as he waved Jim over to the table. “Jim, how many weapons do you have in the gun cabinet?”

“Five thirty-aught-sixes and a pump action twelve-gauge,” answered Jim.

“I’ll take the twelve-gauge,” said Sandy. “What do you have for ammo?”

“Double-aught buck,” said Jim.

“I’ll need five volunteers Jim,” Matt said. “Tell them it will be a dangerous search.”

“Correction, four. I’m coming with you,” said Jim.

“Make that three,” said a voice from the hallway.

Matt turned to see Gary Martin walk out and sit down at the table.

“There were two of them Mr. Hewett,” said Gary. “I got a good look at them before I passed out. They were wearing what could only be a spacesuit.”

Matt simply nodded, “Are you sure you’re okay? That neurotoxin is pretty wicked stuff.”

“Kathy was in my care and I let her down. I’m coming.”

Matt had to admire the young man’s determination. It was a trait that he looked for in new recruits.

“Alright let’s get everyone ready. We move out in ten minutes. We’ll carry two packs. The rest of us will go lightly loaded. Jim, I need you to get a radio message down to base camp. I need George to pass along a one word message to Ed Straker, Delphi.”

As the group got ready to leave Virginia spoke quietly to Matt, “Maybe one of us should stay behind Matt. There is a lot at risk here and Sara shouldn’t have to lose both her parents.”

“You’re welcome to stay here if you’d like. I’d feel better if I knew you were safe,” he said.

“You know I’m going, I thought I might convince you to stay behind,” she said.

“You’ve got two chances of that, none, and less,” said Matt.

“It was just a thought; I know how much you’re looking forward to walking her down the aisle. She married Alec you know.”

“You’re kidding!”

“She followed in our footsteps, in more ways than one,” said Virginia. “At least we did right by her. I always worried about that Matt.”

Matt took her in his arms thinking, I’m not going to let them destroy my family, or my world.


At the Hewett residence, Ed Straker hung up the phone. The mobiles were on their way to Pease from New York. They would be in position by morning. A SHADAIR Learjet was being flown to Danbury Airport to bring him to Pease, as well. From there he would board an Albatross 25 and be flown directly to the Lake of the Clouds.

“Ed maybe you should let Paul handle this,” said Jen.

“You heard the codeword Matt used, Delphi, a confirmed temporal incident. No this is my responsibility. I need to be there,” he said.

“Do you need me to drive you to the airport?” she asked.

“No, I don’t want to wake Sara up. I’ll take Ginny’s car and leave the SUV with you,” he said as he took her in his arms.

“Ed, be careful. We’ve got a family to start when you get back.”

Straker held his wife closely, comforting both of them.


“Dad, I’m going to take point,” said Sara, with her mother’s stubbornness.

“It makes sense, you’ve got the night vision,” Matt replied. “The rest of you, fan-out. Jim, take up the rear. Sandy, you and Ginny, stay with me.”

“Matt, just the very fact that Sara is here changes the timeline. At least now we are forewarned,” said Ginny.

“Maybe, and it could be that nothing we do can change the fate that lies before us,” he said contemplating the future.

“Predestination? I didn’t think you believed in that,” she said.

“I don’t. Picture this,” he began. “Time is like a river, with eddies and currents. In order to change our final destination, we need to swim against the current. If you get caught in an eddy, you may not be able to swim out of it.”

“I thought you were an optimist,” she said with a wry grin.

“I am,” he said, in a matter of fact way.

The group of nine followed the tracks left by the aliens and Matt felt the adrenalin pumping through his system as the group headed for a now uncertain future. One thing was for sure; they were not going down without a fight.


The aliens rendezvoused with the second pair, waiting in a clearing along the path. The young female was bound to a tree on the far edge of the field. One of the aliens checked her vital signs. She would be useful after the operation was completed and they were careful to avoid damaging her. When he was satisfied that she was not yet in danger he gave her an injection to counteract the effect of the neurotoxin. They quickly moved out of sight into the nearby woods to wait for their quarry to arrive.


The SHADAIR Learjet took off from Danbury Airport just after eleven o’clock. In the passenger cabin Commander Straker reviewed the Delphi Directive. More than just an Omega incident, this procedure outlined the contingency plans for dealing with SHADO personnel from the future. A temporal war, Ed thought as the aircraft reached altitude. Straker knew that the very fate of the planet could be decided by what happens in the next few hours.


Matt called a halt to the advance to give everyone a chance to rest. While they were stopped Sara scanned the surrounding area looking for movement. Her father walked up to her and asked, “You see anything?”

“No Dad, but I didn’t expect to,” she said. “The three of you were found in a clearing below the tree line about an hour from here. It’s my guess that the aliens will be laying in wait.”

Matt had reached the same conclusion, and he said, “That’s about what I figured. You said that the alien mother-ship was located by an astronomer. What was his name?”

“Her name was Kathy Martin, she was one of the team leaders on the Hubble Two,” answered Sara.

It couldn’t be, thought Matt. “Was she married?”

“I think she was, why?”

“What was her maiden name?” he asked.

“I don’t remember, I do know she studied at Cal-Tech,” answered Sara. “Why is this so important?”

“Kathy Crawford is majoring in astronomy at Cal-Tech. And the young man off to the left, his name is Gary Martin. He might just be her future husband,” he said.

Sara seemed to consider this. She finally answered, “That’s a long shot Dad.”

“Is it? I don’t think we can afford to ignore it,” said Matt.
He paused for a moment and spoke again. “Your mother and I aren’t alive in 2030 are we?”

She spun to face him and he could tell he was right by the look on her face. Her response was guarded. “Whatever gave you that idea?”

“You may be forty three years old but I’m still your father. I know my daughter and I could tell by the way you held us that you hadn’t seen us in a very long time,” Matt said, looking her straight in the eye.

Sara couldn’t hold back her tears, and Matt took her in his arms.

“You and Mom were killed in a plane crash fifteen years ago,” she sobbed.

“That’s twenty two years from now by our reckoning,” he said. “Hell, I’ll be seventy two and your mother would be seventy. That’s not a bad run.”

“You don’t understand Dad. You and Mom aged very gracefully. The only thing that gave away your age was your white hair and mustache. Mom only looked a few years older than she does now. You both should have lived another twenty years,” she said sadly. “I wasn’t supposed to tell you this.”

“Were we flying commercial?”

Sara shook her head as she answered, “The two of you were flying over the Rockies, in the Mooney, when you ran into a freak thunderstorm. You couldn’t go over it and you couldn’t fly around it. Your plane was found on the side of a mountain a few days later.”

“At least we went together,” Matt said remembering his greatest fear. “Tell me something honey, did we ever start to get on each other’s nerves?”

Sara smiled, “No Dad. You and Mom loved each other just as much as you do now, maybe more. I think it’s what kept the two of you so young.”

“How about you, I understand from your mother that you married Alec, he said. “How is he?”

Sara looked away, and Matt knew that something had happened to him.

“I haven’t told Mom this yet. Alec was killed by the aliens just over a year ago. I took over as Commander,” she said.

“I’m very sorry honey…” Matt’s voice drifted off, unable to find the words. He was still trying to come to grips with meeting his suddenly grownup daughter.

“We should get moving again Dad.”

“Alright,” he said as he signaled for the group to proceed.
Matt waited for his wife to catch up and he fell into step with her.

“Did you enjoy your chat with your daughter?” she asked.

“It was…interesting,” he said evasively.

“Oh?”

“I think Kathy makes a major contribution to the cause.”

“How so?” asked Ginny.

“Sara told me that an astronomer discovered the mother-ship,” said Matt

“Oh my God, Kathy?”

“Kathy Martin,” he said, knowing that Virginia would make the connection.

“They get married?”

“It’s quite possible. I’ll tell you the rest after,” he said, not wanting to burden her with some of the things he had just learned.


Aboard the Albatross 25, Straker communicated with HQ.

“It looks like you were right Paul. We have a UFO hiding out somewhere in the White Mountains.”

“Do you want to start an aerial search?” asked Foster.

“No, at least not until I speak to Colonel Hewett. Let’s keep our aerial assets on standby and have the US based aeroceptor squadron relocate to the closest military field to the search area. And have Major Ellis bring Skydiver in as close to the coast as she can get,” said Straker.

“Skydiver is already heading inland, and I’ll get the aeroceptors moved now. Foster out.”

Paul Foster will make a good Commander one day, Ed thought to himself.


An hour later the aircraft with Straker aboard landed in the clearing next to the hut. Ed walked into the hut with security while the second aircraft landed with reinforcements.

All of the remaining staff and guests at the Lake of the clouds were evacuated to the base camp and given the amnesia drug. They would be quite surprised to wake up at the five-star Mount Washington Hotel.

Straker set up the portable command post. He established a link with HQ through the satellite and called Colonel Hewett on the radio.


Virginia heard the radio beep with an incoming call. She took it out of her pocket and extended the antenna.

“This is Colonel Lake,” she answered.

“Virginia, where are you?” asked the Commander.

“We’re about two hours from the hut. The aliens have Sandy’s daughter Ed. We have an armed party of nine tracking them now,” she said.

“How many aliens are we dealing with?

“At least two, but we have reason to believe there are more,” she said.

“Are we dealing with an operative from the future?” asked Ed.

“Yes, we are, and you know her well.”

Chapter 10:

Matt Hewett found himself in a strange place, almost as if he were inside a cloud. Everywhere he looked it was milky white and bright. Although he didn’t know where he was, he felt no fear or sorrow. He looked at his clothing and saw that it too was white.

Well I guess that’s it then. I’m dead and this must be heaven, he thought.

A familiar laugh echoed through his head, and he turned to see a white clad figure approaching him.

No Matt, this isn’t heaven, think of this as a weigh station between worlds, said the familiar voice. Even though he was still a ways away, Matt could hear him clearly.

Jack? Is that really you?

Jack Crawford came close enough that Matt could now see him through the mist.

Yeah Matt, it’s really me. I look pretty good for a dead person, don’t you think?

Even in death, his friend had not lost his quick wit, and Matt was forced to smile.

So I am dead, I assume I get to meet the Almighty and He tells me where I will spend eternity. That’s how it works, right?

Believe it or not, you’re not dead, yet. The Boss is still talking with some people about that decision. I don’t think he’s decided.

The Boss? I don’t think I’ve ever heard Him referred to in quite that way, said Matt.

Jack Crawford shrugged his shoulders. It works, I don’t question it, he said. Anyway one of the people He is talking with is your wife.

The Boss is talking with Virginia? Matt asked not yet understanding.

Yeah, take a look.

Matt looked to where Jack was pointing and the white mist had separated and he could see himself still on the gurney. Next to him, Virginia was kneeling at his bedside apparently deep in prayer. Suddenly it became quite clear to him as he began to feel her love, sorrow and grief.

So He does listen, said Matt.

Of course He does! You know better than to question that, said Jack. Right now he is also listening to your daughter.

The image shifted to young Sara Hewett kneeling at her bedside, having been awakened by a sudden need to pray for her father. It shifted to the older version as she sat in the back seat of the SHADO rescue plane.

The big advantage here is time has no meaning, otherwise things like time travel could get confusing, said Jack.

So why am I being shown this Jack? Matt asked.

I’ve learned not to question the Boss, Matt. He has a reason for everything he does. Besides, there is someone else here that wants to say hello. I think you two have some unfinished business to settle. I’ll be back in a bit.

Before Matt could say another word, his friend faded away and he heard another familiar voice.

Hello son, I’ve missed you.

Matt spun around and was shocked to see his thoughts confirmed.

Dad?

Yeah, it’s me, said the man.

Matt could not hold back the tears as he embraced his father, all the years of regret of things unsaid rising to the surface with a vengeance.


On the SHADO rescue plane, Sara Foster sat in silence as she prayed for her father, knowing that he needed a miracle to save his life. The alien neurotoxin from the future was often fatal even with the antidote of the same time period.

She hoped that by saving at least one of her parents, she had altered the timeline enough to prevent the apocalyptic hell she had left behind.

Next to her, the Commander prepared the harness that would lower the two of them down to her time-craft. They would use the futuristic ship to track down and destroy the alien invaders from another time.

“Are you okay Sara?” asked Ed.

She looked at him and smiled wanly, as she nodded.

“I’ve been praying for my parents, Uncle Ed. Mom is going through hell right now, and the chances of Dad pulling through, are not good. The mortality rate of the new alien neurotoxin is near ninety eight percent when delivered by a laced bullet. My husband was killed by the same type of weapon.”

“I had assumed that you married Paul’s son. Was he your second?” asked Ed.

Sara grinned, “I was his. Alec was the fifth person to hold the position of commander.”

The intercom came to life, “We’re approaching the designated area now, Commander.”

“Very well, bring us into a hover over the designated coordinates. Once we’re on the ground, return to the hut,” ordered the Commander.

“Understood sir, commencing hovering now.”

The pilot skillfully brought the Albatross 25 into a hover just above the tree-line and the Commander opened the side door.

“You first Sara,” he said.

Straker helped her slip the horse collar on and he connected it to the winch. Sara stepped to the edge as Ed took up the slack in the winch.

“Don’t forget to cross your arms Sara,” said Ed as she stepped into the air.

He lowered her down to the ground slowly as the pilot held the aircraft in place. A few minutes later she touched down and she released the collar. Straker quickly brought up the winch and he pulled in the collar. He donned it, and stepped into the air and lowered himself to the ground.

Once on the ground he disconnected the collar and activated the auto-return function. The line was retrieved and the winch pulled into the hovering craft.


At the controls, the pilot saw the green light and he remotely closed the door, as he turned back to the AMC hut.


Once the aircraft was out of sight Sara Foster retrieved the remote control for the camouflage system and deactivated the screen. A few yards away, in a thicket of trees, the SHADO time-craft shimmered into being. Straker was amazed how far the technology had progressed in forty years.

“It uses light-bending technology coupled with temporal displacement,” said Sara, explaining the principle of operation.

“You mean it exists outside of normal space-time,” said Straker.

“That’s correct,” she said. “Some of the technology is based on a thesis that you wrote a few years ago.”

Sara opened the door remotely and they both entered the time-craft.


Dad I missed you, Matt said through tears.

Me too son, you don’t know how proud I am of you Matt. I’ve always been proud of you. I didn’t tell you, nearly enough and I’m very sorry for that.

Matt broke the embrace so he could look at his father. You must know that I got married. Virginia and I have a six year old daughter.

Ray Hewett smiled, I do indeed. I couldn’t have asked for a better daughter-in-law. Virginia is a lovely lady Matt and the two of you have done a great job with my granddaughter.

I’ve always felt like I let you down Dad. I made so many mistakes before I met Gin again, said Matt.

Now you listen to me son, Ray Hewett said in a very stern yet kind voice. Life is about chances, choices, and mistakes. It wouldn’t be worthwhile otherwise. You’ve always done your best to uphold the family name, and you’ve tried to do what’s right. A father couldn’t ask anymore of his son. I love you Matt, I never said that enough. It’s not very often that you get to correct a mistake like that and I’m not going to waste it.

Dad, I love you too, and I know I didn’t say it enough.

Matt, I’ve got to go, Jack will be back in a minute, but I want to say one thing. You learned from our mistake. I’ve noticed how you shower your wife and daughter with love, the Boss has seen it too. You take care of yourself and I’ll see you when I see you.

Goodbye Dad, Matt said as he saw his father fade into the mist.


Virginia was fighting sleep as she sat in the chair next to her husband. Jim Burns walked in just in time to see her nodding off again.

“Ginny why don’t you go get some sleep, I can sit with him if you’d like,” he said.

“Thanks, Jim. I don’t want to leave him, whatever the outcome, I want to be here.”

She was still holding his hand and she looked for the clock.

“What time is it?” she asked.

“It’s about four thirty,” said Jim. “Can I get you some coffee? I just made a fresh pot.”

Virginia smiled and nodded her head, “That would be great Jim, thank you.”

Burns walked out into the main room and soon came back with two steaming cups of coffee. He handed one to Ginny.

“Thanks,” she said.

Burns looked at her, “I could set a cot up next to him if you’d like.”

Virginia shook her head, “I’ll be okay Jim, really.”

“Alright, I’ll be out in the lobby if you need me.”

She smiled wanly and nodded turning her attention back to her husband.

Please wake up Matt, she thought to herself.


The SHADO time-craft took off from the secluded area of the woods. At the controls, Sara Foster expertly guided the futuristic craft onto a northerly heading.

“Transitioning to normal space,” said Foster as the craft shimmered and it no longer existed outside normal space-time.

“In order for the weapons to work, we need to be in the same continuum,” she added.

“I see,” said Straker.

In the copilot’s seat Straker marveled over the complex yet intuitive arrangement of the instruments. He was reasonably sure he could fly it with a minimal level of instruction.

“The conventional propulsion system is an antigravity drive system,” said Foster. “This craft is extremely maneuverable and due to the principles of the drive system you don’t pull any G forces. The controls are very sensitive, all you have to do is think about it and the craft will respond.”

He had been watching her carefully, noticing the minute control forces needed to maneuver the craft.

“I’d like to try it,” said Straker.

Sara engaged the autopilot and turned to him, “The red thumb button, on the side of the joystick, will disengage the auto pilot. If the craft gets away from you just hit that button and the craft will right itself to a straight and level course.”

Straker disengaged the autopilot and took control of the futuristic craft. In a few minutes he was comfortable with the way the craft handled.

“I could get used to one of these,” said Ed.


Well Matt, it looks like the Boss has made a decision, said Jack as he reappeared.

How long have you been gone Jack? Matt asked.

An hour, a day, a year, I told you, time has no meaning here. By the way, I have a message for your boss. Tell Ed that Tony and Charlene miss him very much.

You mean I’m going to live? Matt asked.

Yeah, the Boss decided that he still has work for you to do. Virginia and Sara must have done some serious praying, as he usually doesn’t change his mind about these things. When you get back, tell Sandy I love her and I’ll see her when I see her. See ya’ buddy.

Take care, Jack…


The mist faded away and Matt slowly opened his eyes and the image of his wife came into focus. She was sleeping in the chair next to his bed still holding his hand. He squeezed her hand gently and she opened her eyes.

“Matt...Matt!” she exclaimed as she leaned over and held him tight. “I didn’t expect you to wake up.”

“I had the strangest dream Virginia,” he said. “I saw Jack, and my father. And I saw you down on your knees praying at my bedside.”

Ginny was surprised, “Matt, I was doing just, that about an hour ago.”

“Really?” he said. “That’s so uncanny. Jack told me to tell Sandy that he loves her.”

She nodded as she considered this, “That could have been a dream. You know how much they loved each other.”

Matt paused for a moment considering. “I guess you’re right,” he said.

He laid there trying to remember everything he had seen. It had seemed so real to him. He suddenly remembered about the message for the Commander.

“I’m also supposed to tell Ed, that Tony and Charlene miss him,” said Matt. “Do you have any idea who they are?”

He watched as her face went ashen, “Virginia? Gin? Are you alright?”

“Anthony and Charlene are his parents, I’m sure I never told you their names, and there is no way you could have known that otherwise,” she said.

They looked at each other in amazement.


The sun was just coming over the horizon as the SHADO time-craft zeroed in on the downed UFO. At the controls Ed prepared to make a strafing run as Sara powered up the weapons systems.

“One good hit will disable the time jump drive,” said Sara.

“I’m going to bring her in right over the trees,” said Straker as he banked the ship in a tight turn.

An alarm on the sensor display drew their attention and Sara quickly checked the display.

“It’s lifting off Uncle Ed,” she said. “If it clears the trees, it will jump.”

Straker pushed the ship while Foster targeted the UFO, firing a shot just as it cleared the trees. Her aim was true and the alien craft exploded in mid air, showering the forest with debris.

“Good shot Commander Foster,” said Straker as he nodded his approval.

“Thank you sir,” she said. “Commander, take a look at this.”

On the scanner was one piece of wreckage that looked remarkably familiar and Ed was sure he had seen this before.

“Is that what I think it is?” asked Ed.

“A body container,” said Sara. “We’ve dealt with them before. And this one looks intact. Can you hover over it? I’ll get the grappling beam on it.”

Ed expertly brought the craft over the object and held his position just over the trees. Sara activated the anti-gravity beam and drew the object off the ground.

“Got it,” she said.

Ed pulled the craft up and set course for the hut.


Ten minutes later, Straker set the time-craft down next to the hut, after lowering the recovered capsule to the ground. When they both stepped out of the ship, the security team was already bringing the alien container into the hut to be opened. Ed and Sara walked into the hut and went to see Matt, having been told that he was awake.

Sara ran into her father’s arms crying, “Dad!”

“I guess I should thank you for your prayers,” said Matt in a weak voice.

Matt told Ed, Sara, and Sandy about his dream. Of the three people, Ed was the most surprised. He pulled Virginia aside and asked, “Did you ever mention my parent’s names to Matt?”

“Ed, that’s the strange part. Matt couldn’t have known that, and trust me, I never told him,” she said.

“What do you think Doctor Jackson? Was he hallucinating?” asked Ed.

Jackson seemed to be in his own private reverie. He finally answered, “Perhaps, it’s hard to say Commander. The universe is a stranger place than we can imagine. The question becomes, what do you believe.”

“Well I have no doubt where he was,” said Sandy, her voice showing not even a trace of misgiving.

The group cleared out giving Matt and Virginia a moment of privacy.

“What do you think happened, Matt?” she asked.

“You heard Sara earlier. The mortality rate of the alien drug was almost ninety-eight percent. By rights I should be dead.” He paused for a moment, “I was given a priceless gift, Virginia. I was able to say the things to my father that had been left unsaid, and I got to say farewell to Jack. And I got a second lease on life. I have no intention of wasting it.” He took her in his arms and held her close.

“Good,” she replied. “At least you won’t be going off to play Captain Nemo, on that new submarine next week.”

“No, Colonel Carlin will just reschedule the sea trials,” he said.

“Like hell he will,” she said adamantly. “I’ll find someone to take the boat out while you’re recovering.”

“You know, I believe you would.”

“Count on it,” said Ginny as she kissed him deeply.