Beneath Unknown Skies 75

 

"Maybe we should just shut these Gates down." 

Jack was having a cigarette while Yvette lounged in bed with a holo. She looked at him, rolling her eyes. 

"A bit late for that, don't you think?" she asked in a droll tone. 

"You know it's gotten out of hand. When we came here the Scholars offered us a new beginning, a chance to fix things. Or avert bad things. An opportunity to short circuit years of chaos, to bring the benefits of 25th century society to the 21st. A good thing, right?" He took a drag. 

"In theory," Yvette replied. "It's always in theory," she said more quietly. 

"When did it all go wrong?" Jack asked, returning to bed. 

"From the beginning. When Joon- 352 found that tech on that ship in the Triassic. The genie out of the bottle." 

"Do we know where he is?"

"He's gone missing."

"Your people can't find him?"

"No," she replied. 

Jack wasn't sure he believed her. 

"Do you think he ran... with prime Joon?"

"No. Cameras picked them up on the run... it was just him and his security bitch."

"Has he turned against us?"

"Who can say? He probably saw the attempt on Joon and saw the writing on the wall, no?"

"I wouldn't hurt him. Do you think it was the Scholars?"

"Or someone closer to home."

*******

Trish was silent across the fire, lost in thought. Joon ate sparingly, listening to the pop of the flames and the dripping of water. They were deep underground, well below Sanctuary. Sloshing through water, rats, ducking into pitch black tunnels. He was sore all over, covered with cuts. The dog they'd killed had savaged both him and Hillier terribly, but Trish had given them painkillers and medical salve. They'd survive. 

Hillier was keeping an eye on the entry passage, talking quietly with one of Trish's people. Hillier. She was beautiful even when bloodied and beaten, but in that cold, austere way. Nothing like Maia. Still, in another time, another place... he could see being with her. Another time... he laughed inwardly at that. 

Trish looked up, as if aware of his mood changing. She smiled warily. 

"Will they accept us... the Refuge?" Joon asked. 

"I hope so. I don't think they'll turn you away, but they're careful. They need to be."

Hillier came over and sat down next to Joon. 

"Why did you come here?" Trish asked. 

"I'm not sure," Joon admitted. "Joon- the other me- left a beacon, and I followed it. When another you leaves a clue like that, don't you follow it?"

"I don't know," she said. "Depends on if you trust the other you."

Joon took a bite. 

"How are things back home?"

"Iffy. We had issues with another faction almost taking over. Stella wants to close the Gate but doesn't want to leave anyone behind."

"I don't think the Gate can be closed. We have to live with it. That's what Jack and Yvette are trying to do. Them I might trust- but not the Scholars." 

"Who are these Scholars?"

"The erudite-  the ones entrusted with maintaining the old knowledge- our heritage. The tech that has almost been lost. They have the technology, the AI."

"How did Yvette get so tight with them?"

"She has that way. Adaptable. She saw what they were offering- a way to interpret, to understand the time travel tech Joon found- the other you- and they saw a team that could help them escape this place. To find something better, where it's not all wrecked."

"Where do they want to go?"

"Anywhere. But they want to understand, too. So they send teams out to investigate possibilities, while at the same time averting tragedies, trying to prevent... this." She waved her hands. 

"Who decides if it's right to kill someone... to save millions?"

"The virus?" 

"Yes, Jack told me. Or maybe Yvette." He rubbed his face. 

"They've decided. But who elects them?"

*******

Reports were coming in all over. People acting strangely. Fights, behavioral problems. Personnel leaving their posts. Chaos. Stella was fielding  a dozen calls, demands for status updates. Her and Mallory were working overtime to keep things going, but security was breaking down. She had called in her personal detail, moved to a secure location. 

Where was Maia? She needed to secure her also. 

As she went through her list she realized some areas had not checked in. Most were not of concern, but... the tadpole chamber. Why weren't they replying?