The Fabric Of Reality (10 page)

He strolled to the control room set the revolver on the desk beside his workstation and took a seat. Too many gaps had opened in the above-ground portion of the Barrier Sphere. A shot could find one of them at any second, and it would be over. All his efforts making repairs hadn’t bought him enough time. Alesia’s task was an impossible one anyway. He should have insisted that she wait with him until the end, instead of letting her set off on a fool’s mission that could only end in tragedy for her. She was so determined and optimistic, he had almost let himself believe that she had a chance of success.

Gil pulled up the Barrier Sphere control application. One last option remained that would buy more time. He had kept it in reserve for as long as possible, because once done, his demise would be assured. Gil tapped the keyboard. The configuration screen popped up, displaying all the available options. He navigated to the subterranean menu and inverted the output direction of the Emitters, effectively turning the protective energy shield from a sphere, into a dome. While the compound would be protected from orbital bombardment, it would be a simple matter for the Brotherhood to tunnel down the mere six feet the Barrier extended into the soil. The only question was how long would it take for them to discover what he had done?

Troops were already amassed outside, awaiting the inevitable failure of the protective system. He hadn’t checked their numbers in a while, not that it mattered. One lone soldier would be all that was necessary to either arrest him or put an end to him. Gil pulled up the security cameras feeds on his workstation. In the distance, earth-moving equipment was rolling down the road toward the front gate.

They’ve already figured out what I did? Oh, that’s brilliant. Perhaps they’re not complete imbeciles after all.

He began typing.

Day 394 Gil Thorn’s technical log.

This will be my final entry. Perhaps my words will survive somehow, even if it’s only to prove that no one can resist the mighty Brotherhood.

I’ve made a decision not to be taken alive, but before I go I have a story to tell. I met a being from another Reality, an angel who came to fill my final hours with joy. Her outward beauty was matched by nothing I have ever seen but paled in comparison to the beauty of her inner spirit. We talked and touched and danced the night away in each other’s arms. How she knew that I was here in such desperate circumstances is beyond my comprehension. Perhaps angels simply know when and where they’re needed most. Thanks to her, I am at peace now. She forbade me from giving up hope, but the time for miracles has passed. I’ve accepted my fate and will do what is necessary in a few short moments.

Gil sat gazing in dismay at the security camera feed on his monitor. The troops moved aside, making way for the earth-moving equipment to approach the fortress’s protective shield.
It’s ironic how quickly a culture that is opposed to technology has adopted it to further their goals.

The backhoe operator maneuvered to the gap between the ends of the Barrier Emitter Housing Facility that aligned with the outer wall’s main gate and began digging. It only took moments for a large chunk of ground inside the Barrier collapse into a sinkhole. Once the final scoops of loose soil were cleared away, the digger backed off, and troops hurried through the tunnel. They approach the compound wall, displaying deliberate caution as if expecting resistance. Two men attached a small device to the middle of the main gate and hurried away.

Probably explosives. This should be interesting.

A muffled
bang
sounded, and the gate swung open.

That was anticlimactic. I had expected to see it flying off the hinges.

The camera feed faded to black.

“Well, damn!”

A series of thuds came from the castle’s front door, followed shortly by a somewhat louder
bang
. The sound of boots hitting the floor echoed down the corridor outside the control room.

I suppose the only thing left is to decide whether to sit or stand for my death.
Gil stood and gazed at the door to the control room. “Good-bye, Alesia,” he said, reaching for the revolver.

***

Rattling of the door lock roused Alesia from her slumber. She got to her feet and watched the door swing slowly open. Baron Volga stood holding an oil lamp in his hand and wearing a wicked grin on his lips. “Hello, my little lovely. I’ll bring the priest to make an honest woman out of you tomorrow, but for tonight, you’ll be my harlot.”

Alesia squinted at the flickering light. “Baron, please let me go. I don’t love you.”

The baron let out a hardy belly laugh. “Oh, you silly girl. I don’t require your love, only your body. If you fight, I’ll pull your chains tightly to the wall and leave you like that. Bear in mind that you’re not the first woman to occupy this room. Did you notice the position of the rings? I had them placed just so, to give me unimpeded access when the chains are drawn tight. Do you understand the position you’re in? I’m allowing you to choose how you want to spend the next few years. If you cooperate, I’ll bring you a cot and blankets. It gets quite chilly at night. If you do not, your stay will be most unpleasant. Either way, you will be here until I am ready for you to leave. Don’t think that bearing a son will get you released. The village-wide search for you cost me five times your original debt. You’ll have to bear many sons to repay that.” Baron Volga hung the oil lamp on a hook and unfastened his belt. His trousers dropped to the floor, and he kicked them off. “You’re such a lovely thing, I’m so very eager to get started.”

He waddled over to Alesia, his lips trembling as ravenous desire spread across his sweaty face. The foul stench of his breath filled her nostrils, forcing her to turn away and gasp for air. He chuckled nervously, grasped the hem of her dress, and raised it toward her waist. A loud
thwack
echoed through the room. The baron’s eyes rolled back in his head as if he were no longer in control of them. He wavered slightly from side to side and collapsed to the floor with a thud. Alesia blinked hard to make certain the sight before her was real. Bonnie was standing a few steps from the baron’s crumpled body, holding a thick board and grinning from ear to ear.

Alesia flipped her chained hands palms up. “What are you doing here? They’ll hang you if they catch you.”

Bonnie put her finger vertically to her lips. “Quiet. No one knows I’m here, and I’d like to keep it that way.” She grabbed the keys from the baron’s belt and unlocked Alesia’s chains. They closed and locked the door, then hurried to the back entrance. Bonnie grabbed Alesia’s hand to keep her inside. “You’re on your own from here. I can’t risk getting caught. Marco and Elwyn are still on duty at the gate. If you can make it there, they’ll let you pass.”

Alesia breathed a sigh of relief. “Marco told you I was here?”

“Elwyn, actually. He fancies me. The baron came around eying me after you left, so I’m doing like you, Alesia, taking my fate into my own hands.”

Alesia gazed disapprovingly at her. “Bonnie, Elwyn is married. He has children.”

Bonnie turned up her nose. “I’d rather share a good man than have a monster like the baron all to myself.”

“I doubt that Elwyn’s wife would feel the same.”

“Elwyn says the Elders are considering allowing men to take multiple wives. He says he’d like me for his second. I suppose his first wife will just have to deal with me. I don’t want to share, but I can’t see that I have a better choice.”

Alesia shook her head, glaring at her friend. “How will Elwyn afford your debt?”

“Councilman Bolivar stopped me in the street. He said he plans to introduce a petition requiring the village to purchase the debts of orphan girls as they come of age. If it passes, I’ll be free to marry Elwyn.”

“That’s wonderful and terrible all at the same time.” Alesia let her shoulders slump and hung her head. “Do you think the baron is dead?”

“I don’t know, Alesia, but if he is, they’ll blame you. When you leave this time, you can never come back.”

Alesia grasped Bonnie and hugged her. “If I return, I won’t be alone.”

“What?”

A low moan came from the locked room. Alesia and Bonnie stepped out into the early twilight. Bonnie ran over, scaled the short stone wall, and disappeared from sight. Alesia crept around to the front of the baron’s abode. No one was inside the yard. She strolled down the path and into the street, right past two guards who had been leaning against the wall outside the gate.

They jerked into action and charged after her. With everything to lose if she got caught, Alesia picked up her pace. A sudden surge of energy flowed through her as she sprinted flat out toward the perimeter wall’s main gate. A dark silhouette stood in the entranceway, sword drawn like he intended to intercept her. As she closed the gap, she realized it was Elwyn. Marco was nowhere to be seen.

The guards chasing her began shouting for Elwyn to close the gate. He stood his ground until Alesia was almost on top of him, then rushed over and cut the rope, allowing the gate to slam to the ground an instant after she passed through. As she ran toward the forest, she could hear the other guards cursing him and demanding that he open the gate.

She passed a big oak and someone grabbed her, stopping her cold.

“Marco! Let me go!” she squealed.

He held her firmly. “Wait, calm down. I only wanted to speak to you.”

She jerked and strained to get free of his grip. “What do you want? Let me go!”

He slowly released her, and she backed away. “I wanted to tell you I’m sorry for not choosing you.”

“I forgive you, now good-bye.” Alesia turned to go.

“Wait.” He stepped over to the oak and picked up a pail. “You look terrible. Take my dinner. I don’t know where you’re going or how you’ll survive, but I’ll help you. I’ll bring you food when I go out on hunting trips, and a bow. You’ll need winter clothes eventually.”

Alesia took the pail, grabbed a biscuit from it, and shoved it into her mouth. “Thank you for the food. I’m still quite hungry,” she said while trying to chew. “Now I must be going. I won’t need your help, but perhaps one day I can help all the people in our village.” She took an apple, set the pail on the ground, and ran on her way.

“Alesia, how will you do that?” Marco called after her.

She waved to him without looking back.

***

Alesia dashed through the main entrance of the castle and rushed to the corridor outside the dorm rooms, calling for Gil. She searched for the exact spot where the tear had been but couldn’t locate it.

She hurried up to the control room and slotted the black box into the stone, but nothing happened.
Why aren’t you working?
She pulled it out and examined every bit of it, searching for some clue as to the proper orientation to insert it, but it contained no markings of any sort. She reinserted it, making sure to push until it was firmly seated, but again nothing changed.

After trying every possible orientation with no luck, she pulled it out and searched for another slot in the wall, but there was none. She gazed down at the piece of black material in her hand.
You’re not the black box, are you? Councilman Bolivar was right, you’re just a solid block of nothing. I’ve failed. Gil is gone forever, and I’m back to where I started. The guard tower is still there waiting for me. It’s time I accepted my fate.

She tossed the block onto the floor and started away. A gentle thrumming sensation washed over her, like the vibrations of music, except with no sound. She rushed back over and grabbed it off the floor. The sensation resonated through her hand, clearly coming from the black box. She glared at the little thing making her hand tingle.

“So, you’ve decided to work now? If I put you back in and nothing happens, I’m tossing you out the window before I jump.”

Alesia slotted the black box into the stone, gave it a push, and a multitude of electronic equipment shimmered into existence. She spun around to take it all in. Gil stood directly in front of her, solid and real, his eyes wide with shock. She flung her arms around him, pulling him tight.

He held her close in total silence for a moment, then took a deep breath and kissed the top of her head. “Well, Alesia, a woman
can
be a hero. Soldiers had stormed the compound. Another moment and I’d have been gone.” Gil kissed her cheek and whispered in her ear, “I thought I had lost you forever.”

People wearing odd black and gray uniforms were scattered around the room, chattering among themselves. Alesia raised her head from Gil’s chest and glanced at them. Long, desk-height consoles with lighted panels displaying varying images lined the walls. People sat in chairs, glancing back and forth between the panels while tapping buttons and manipulating devices attached to the consoles. Alesia recognized the electronics from descriptions she had read in history books as some sort of computing equipment, although she had no idea of their purpose. Other people scurried about, gazing intently at small, hand-sized blocks that resembled the black box, apparently oblivious to everything going on around them.

“Gil, are these your colleagues?”

He shook his head. “I have no idea who these people are.”

Someone holding a thin, rectangular device roughly the size of a book approached them. He waved it up and down in front of them and tapped his fingers across it. “What are you doing in the control room, and where are your identity badges? Who are you? You’re not in the database. Security! Someone get security in here. We have stowaways. Please tell me you’re not protesters.”

Gil spoke up. “We’re not protesters.”

The man threw up his hands. “Why have you stowed away? Are you thrill seekers?”

Alesia shook her head. “What are you talking about? I slipped a black box into that slot in the wall, and you people appeared inside the castle with us.”

Another man strolled over and spoke to the first. “Armin, we have a problem. I have three different real-time chronometer logs in the system. Two of them indicate that our elapsed time in transit was more than a million years. The transit ship appears to have been split between three universes for all that time.” He waved a device similar to Armin’s in front of Alesia and Gil and shook his head. “I’d say your stowaways are hitchhikers. Their universe signatures don’t match ours. In fact, they don’t match each other, but each one corresponds to one universe where the ship was stuck. They may be responsible for getting us unstuck.”