Send Simon Savage #1 (10 page)

‘Isn’t that where you live?’ Danice whispered. ‘On the coast?’

Simon nodded. For a moment, he wondered what would happen to his own home. Would Bondi simply disappear under the sea? It didn’t bear thinking about.

‘And if we direct our attention to the Pacific Ocean, most of the islands are not there any more,’ Creele said.

‘What about the place you call America, ma’am?’ Danice asked.

‘I’ll get to that in a minute,’ Creele said, turning to the screen. ‘The world of the twenty-fourth century is one of contrasts. There are huge areas of desert on some continents, huge areas of steamy swamps on others. In fact, it is similar to the Cretaceous swamps during the last age of the dinosaurs. There are also similar levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere as there were then.

‘This has had a catastrophic effect on food crops, and as a result, Earth’s population in 2321 is maybe two billion people, probably fewer. That’s less than one-third of today’s population.’

‘Two out of three people have died,’ Danice murmured.

‘Is this because of food shortages, ma’am?’ Simon asked. ‘Because of the climate changing and the storms—things like that? How could so many people just … die?’

‘All of those factors played a part,’ Creele replied. ‘But this has not all happened at once. Over a three hundred year period, populations have perished through other causes, too. Wars have been fought over water resources, and there have been huge plagues of malaria and dengue fever.’

Creele swung the red pointer towards the United States. ‘Danice, you asked about America. Big earthquakes hit California in the late twenty-first century. You can see that a section of the pre-earthquake coastline has now disappeared. There is no Los Angeles, no San Francisco.’

‘
Phew!
’ Simon said. ‘So are there any cities left?’

‘There are pockets of advanced civilisation in Europe, South Africa, India, China, Japan, Australia and the eastern USA. But cities like ours today are gone,’ Creele said. ‘In most countries, there are isolated populations living in conditions similar to the few hunter–gatherer societies left here in the twenty-first century. Some oil-based fuel is still used, but the age of oil is mostly over. Wind, solar and nuclear power is used extensively. International travel is rare. Those who travel go by airship and boat, not by plane.’

Simon and Danice sat in stunned silence. Simon, because he couldn’t believe what was going to happen. Danice, because she couldn’t believe what had already happened.

‘Over the past few months, we have sent hundreds of Time Positioning Satellites to view the Earth and map it every year between now and 2321.’ Creele glanced at McPhee, who nodded, and then at Simon. ‘You already know that we have discovered a time-travel system operating somewhere in 2321.’

Simon nodded, ‘I saw the timelines on the Operations Screen.’

Creele hit another key and brought up a high-altitude aerial picture of a massive forest. She turned to Danice. ‘I think this is what you call Big Forest.’

‘That’s where we live,’ Danice confirmed. ‘But it’s never looked like that to me.’

‘These pictures were taken a few days ago, in Danice’s time, in the year 2321,’ Creele said. ‘The redwood forests have expanded greatly in three hundred years. Due to a warm, wet and foggy climate, they now cover large areas of what we call northern California, Oregon and Washington State.’

‘If this is a photo of my home, does this mean you’ve been spying on us?’

‘They do that a lot,’ Simon whispered.

Cutler cleared his throat behind them. ‘Only since we became aware that time travellers were being sent from this timezone,’ he said. ‘Travellers like you, Danice.’

Danice nodded. ‘The Chieftain sends us.’

‘There are now all sorts of wild animals living in this forest,’ Creele said. ‘Feral boars, dogs, lions, tigers, even elephants.’

‘What—in North America?’ Simon turned to Danice. ‘Is this true?’

‘You bet.’

‘This is a different North America,’ McPhee said, scratching his beard with his long fingers. ‘The ancestors of these creatures probably escaped from zoos during the water wars, then bred and spread into the forests.’

‘That’s why we live high in the trees,’ Danice added.

Creele changed the screen to a close-up image. It showed a section of the forest, as well as a rocky escarpment and what looked like a walled city. Three large buildings in the centre were surrounded by roads, laneways and thousands of smaller structures.

‘That’s what you call Old City,’ Cutler said to Danice. ‘Naturally, you’ve never seen it from this angle, but if you look closely, you might recognise some landmarks.’

Danice stood up and stepped closer to the screen. She pointed at the larger buildings. ‘These towers are where the Tribunes live.’

‘Who are they, exactly?’ McPhee asked. ‘We know very little of the political situation.’

‘They’re our … rulers,’ Danice replied. ‘Not very nice people. But we have to do what they say.’

‘What do you mean?’ McPhee asked. ‘Do they use force? Fear?’

Danice bit her lips, nervous about being the centre of attention. She glanced from the screen, to McPhee, to Cutler and back to the screen again.

‘There are only three Tribunes,’ she explained. ‘But they have soldiers and guards. If you ignore their orders, or refuse to work for them, or pinch food from the stores, then they send you to the Prison Farms. Or make you a slave in the factories.’ She took a shaky breath. ‘They took my father and made him a slave because he was trying to help people escape from the city. And he was trying to set up a school.’

‘A school in the forest?’ Simon asked.

Danice nodded. ‘Though people get punished for a lot less than that. My dad was a teacher for a while, that’s why I can read and write. A bit, anyway. The Tribunes have special teachers for their own kids, and for the kids of their friends. But, mostly, no one can read or write.’

‘Tell us about this Chieftain that you mentioned,’ McPhee said.

‘We work for him.’ Danice pointed to the screen. ‘His fortress is just there, south of the city.’

Creele hit a key and the screen changed to an image of a walled compound on the cliff edge, with a few stone buildings and a couple of visible cave entrances.

‘That looks like it,’ Danice said. ‘You see? Those two big gates are in the wall around the caves where he lives.’ She moved even closer to the screen. ‘The gate in the north wall is for the road to the city, and the one on the western wall is where we come and go from the forest.’

‘Are you saying this Chieftain lives in a cave?’ Simon asked.

‘Yeah, the cave entrance is there.’ Danice pointed to a dark patch on the escarpment, about a hundred metres from the northern gate. ‘But it’s well set up inside. A room with a big throne, lots of furniture. Kind of …’

‘Luxurious,’ McPhee suggested.

‘Yes,’ Danice replied. ‘He gives us special food. Not Syn-food, but real food, fresh meat and vegetables. He’s not short of anything.’

‘Do you go on your time-trips from these caves?’ Simon asked.

‘Yeah, but from deep underground,’ Danice replied. ‘There’s this big tunnel and a Time Accelerator, just like the one here.’

‘So now we’re narrowing things down!’ exclaimed McPhee. ‘Perhaps we could have the next picture, Sandra?’

‘Right. Further inland, on the eastern side of Old City, there’s this structure,’ Creele said, showing an image of a big square building with a colossal domed structure to one side. ‘It’s a nuclear power station, a few kilometres from the centre of the city, but still within the city walls. It’s over a hundred years old. However, it’s been rebuilt several times and it’s well maintained.’

‘I’ve seen it from a distance,’ Danice said. ‘But no one I know has ever been in there.’

‘We believe it might provide the power for this Chieftain’s time-travel missions,’ Cutler said.

McPhee stood up and joined Danice by the screen. He put a hand on her shoulder. ‘Thank you for explaining these things to us,’ he said. ‘This is the reason we brought you here. I apologise for the way it happened, but if we had made ourselves known to you, instead of taking you by surprise, your brother would have pushed you into your own timeline and we would have lost you.’ He paused. ‘And we need you because of your intimate knowledge of your home.’

That’s why the Time Bureau needs Danice, Simon thought. But what’s in it for her? She seemed to have taken her kidnapping amazingly well. But maybe she had no choice. Simon knew from his experience that the Bureau were good at getting people to do what they wanted.

‘So, sir, why do you need me?’ he asked. ‘I don’t know anything about Danice’s time at all.’

‘All you need to know is that your role is important,’ McPhee replied.

‘You’re the two fittest and the best qualified for the job,’ Cutler explained. ‘Danice, because of your knowledge, and Simon because of your energy and your nerve. You’ll need each other.’

Simon and Danice exchanged a quick glance.

‘Your mission has three objectives,’ Cutler continued. ‘The first is to enter Old City, and to observe the current situation there. We want you to see how much control the Tribunes and their forces have over the local people.’

Simon nodded.

‘We want you to do this quickly while on the way to checking out the power station. Your second objective is to assess the security there, then attempt to enter the facility and find out if it’s definitely the source of the power for this Chieftain’s time-travel system.’

‘It’s important that we have this basic information,’ McPhee added.

‘Your third and most important objective is to learn more about this Chieftain,’ Cutler said. ‘Such as, who he is, exactly, where he keeps his Time Accelerator, and what are his immediate plans. And any other information you can find.’

‘We’re giving you forty-eight hours,’ McPhee added. ‘Understood?’

‘Yes, sir!’ they both replied.

Simon frowned. ‘I have one question about this Chieftain guy. Do we know why he’s using time travel?’

‘Danice?’ McPhee lifted a questioning eyebrow. ‘Would you like to tell him?’

‘The Chieftain’s after gold,’ Danice said.

‘But we don’t know why,’ McPhee added. ‘It seems easier for him to steal it from the treasure houses of history than to mine it for himself.’

‘Maybe there’s no gold left in the ground in the twenty-fourth century,’ Simon said.

‘Whatever the reason, it is something we’re planning to stop,’ McPhee said. ‘We can’t allow future citizens to steal the world’s reserves of gold. It could wreck the economies of both past and present nations.’ He paused and gazed almost kindly at Simon and Danice. ‘So, are you ready for this mission?’

‘It would be a good idea to read your brief thoroughly, Savage,’ Cutler said. ‘This is Danice’s home, but for you it is the future. It is a very different world.’

‘I’ll be ready, don’t worry, sir,’ Simon replied.

His nerves tingled, though he couldn’t tell if it was excitement or terror. He would be the first temponaut to travel into the future. But it was dangerous. A leap into the unknown. Would he survive the experience? If he didn’t, there would be no one left to find out the truth behind his father’s death.

‘Hi, Harry,’ Simon said an hour later, and sat down at the command console in front of the Timeline Operations Screen. ‘I’m here for my Time Control and Mission Tracking System session.’

‘You’re on a mission first thing tomorrow,’ Harry replied. ‘We can do this when you get back, if you like.’

‘It’s okay, I’m too nervous to relax.’ Simon looked up at the range of clocks across the timezones and ages. It was after nine o’clock Present Time but he didn’t want to miss any opportunity of seeing how Time Control worked. ‘Is it all go for tomorrow?’

Harry toggled a few keys and a blue Future Mission Line appeared to the year 2321.

‘All systems are ready. The Spin Box is already charging up and your TPS is on standby.’ He grinned at Simon. ‘The future, eh? S’pose you know you’re making history.’

‘So they reckon,’ Simon said. ‘But Danice is going to the future, too, except she’s kind of going back there.’

‘Still, they’ll probably put up your picture in the entrance foyer one day.’

Simon laughed. ‘Oh, sure. So who can look at it? No one ever comes to Mayfield and no one knows what we do.’

‘Yep, it’s tough. We don’t get rich, we don’t get famous and we still have to work the late shift.’ Harry grinned. ‘So, what shall we do tonight?’

I’ve been thinking about this for weeks, Simon thought. I want to work out how to get back to where Dad disappeared. Only I don’t want to let Harry know that’s what I’m doing.

‘I’ll be getting plenty of the future tomorrow,’ Simon said. ‘So how about you show me how to send a TPS somewhere in the past?’

‘Sure, why not? We’ve got another satellite on standby, we can play around with that one,’ Harry said. ‘You know the protocols for establishing a timeline?’

Simon tried to recall the exact procedure. ‘Um, access code, handprint, get clearance …’

‘Okay, take it one at a time. Put in your code.’

Simon punched his six-number security code onto the keypad. The words:
ACTIVATE PRINT CLEARANCE
appeared.