The Time Sphere (25 page)

Dr. Thorn threw back his head and let out a loud hoot.  “Well, as much as I enjoy both of your company, I have to get back to the Brain Room and discuss some data with Richard.  He offered himself as the first test subject, so I like to keep him in the loop.  Anyway, Herald will finish the tour.  Let’s go through here, it’s a short cut,” he said, gesturing to a nearby exit.

Billy and Jeanie left the Formula room and entered the vast open space which held the unfinished structure that Billy only had time to glance at as he was rushing by.

“What is this place?” asked Jeanie.

“Sorry
, kids, this is one project I can’t discuss with anyone.  Yet.” he said with a secretive smile.  “But don’t worry; you two will be the first to know.”

Chapter 37

While Billy’s father was busy working around the station, the dweeb was given the privilege of showing him and Jeanie around the main lab. He rolled his eyes and pursed his lips at the task.  Billy and Jeanie, on the other hand, loved that he felt inconvenienced by it and enjoyed provoking him.  They still hadn’t totally forgiven him for their treatment when they first arrived. 

One time, they transformed a latex glove into a Whoopi cushion and decided to test it on the dweeb.  They felt that using it on him during dinner in the mess hall would have the most effect.  He didn’t speak to them for three days.

“Now this,” the dweeb said in his snooty tone, “is a microwave scope.”  He held up an object that looked like a staple gun.

“Why?  You just have to look through the window on the door if you want to watch your food cook,” Billy stated with as much of a look of innocence that he could muster.

The dweeb put his finger on his temple and closed his eyes.  “I have much better things to do then babysit a couple of witless children,” he said to himself.  He glared at Billy and Jeanie.  “This,” he said slowly, so they would understand, “is a device which enables one to look through walls by the manipulation of microwaves.”   He then let out a huff, as he stomped away shaking his head.

“Oh, come on
, Herald, we’re just kidding around!” laughed Billy, as he followed the irritated man across the room.  (The dweeb’s name was actually Herald.)

Jeanie
bit her lip, trying not to laugh.  “Ya, Herald, we really are interested.”

Herald
just narrowed his eyes and crossed his arms.  “If you don’t stop wasting my valuable time, I’ll tell Dr. Thorn that I’m done playing babysitter!”

“Ok, ok, we’ll be good, we promise,” pleaded Jeanie. 

A tour by the dweeb was better than nothing at all.

Hera
ld let out a deep breath.  “Fine, but no more antics,” he said, as he pointed his finger at the children with an expression that meant business.  “Alright, now over here…”

The man’s voice began to fade away as Billy noticed the large black circular structure in the middle of the room, which had caught his eye when they first arrived.

“What’s this?” he asked.

“Billy, I told you if you’
re not going to listen, then-”

“Sorry, Herald,” Billy stated absently, still intently staring at the large black chamber. “But, what is it?”

“That is top secret and none of your concern,” Herald replied as he attempted to guide Billy away by the arm. 

However, his intense curiosity concerning the object was not abating.  “Can’t
you tell us something?  Come on, Herald, you know everything that goes on around here,” Billy cajoled, trying to bait Herald into spilling.

Herald just stood a little straighter and said with a tight smile, “You’re right of course, but that’s because I know how to shut my mouth!”

Billy stared at the structure and just knew that it had something to do with the Device.  “Does it have anything to do with
time
?” he casually asked, not taking his eyes away.

Herald
sputtered behind him.  “How do you know-” he said before he could stop himself.

Billy turned around to see Herald covering his mouth with his hand.  Very
nonchalantly he removed it, wiped it on his lab coat and cleared his throat before adding; “As I said, that is top secret business which I cannot discuss.”  He then turned around and primly walked away.

Billy was not to be daunted and quickly followed him.  “Come on, Herald, it has to do with the Device, doesn’t it?”

Herald whirled around and glared at Billy.  “How do you know that?  You’ve been snooping, haven’t you?  I knew having children here would be trouble, but would Dr. Thorn listen to me, noooo,” he said in a very immature voice.

Billy stood his ground, folded his arms and gazed at the dweeb with hooded eyes.  “Ya, I know about it, but I don’t snoop.  So, how’s it connected to the Device?”

Herald put his hands on his hips and smirked.  “Well, since your father likes to tell you sensitive information, it’s a door to be precise.”

A door!  This must be the door Dickens talked about.  “But it’s so small,” Billy said, more to himself than Herald.

“What are you talking about?  The Device could only transport a hand full of people.  Dr. Thorn has finally managed to connect the Device technology to a larger apparatus, enabling more people to travel.”  Heralds’ eyes began to glow.  “In fact, we’re on the verge of creating a door so large, multitudes can enter.” 

“Wait, are you saying it’s the Device itself with the power, not the door?”

“Of course!  The door is just the portal; it is the Device that empowers it!” The dweeb stared incredulously at the children’s expressionless faces. “Do you simpletons even know what this means?  It means we’ll be capable of colonizing other planets.  The food and space shortages that plague Earth will no longer be relevant.  Your father is about to change human history!”

Billy had thought that it was the door he had come to stop from being opened, but it was the Device the whole time.  It was the Device that was imprinted with his genetic code, not the door.

The unfinished structure in that room!  It must be the larger door Herald was talking about!  Billy’s mind returned to the frightening knowledge that his father was about to open a gateway into the unknown realms of space, and only he knew what was out there. 

Billy tried to swallow, but his throat felt dry.  His father was on the verge of unleashing something that would destroy the Earth, not help it.  He had been putting off confronting his father for weeks now and he still didn’t know how he was going to go about doing it. 

My dad is not about to change history, Billy thought.  He’s about to end it.

The days
turned into weeks.  Billy decided to enjoy this peaceful time as long as he could because he knew that once he spoke to his father, everything would change. 

That
evening, he and Jeanie were gazing out into the ocean, which she never tired of doing. 

“I think I saw this long worm like creature before it swam away yesterday.  You know what?  I think I’m going to become a marine biologist,” she said in a dreamy voice.  Her chin was in her hand, as she leaned against the railing.

“Why?  You haven’t actually seen any marine life down here,” Billy laughed.

“Well, I think that’s why I’m so intrigued,” she giggled. “And I don’t know, I think my experience as a fish has given me a new perspective.” Jeanie stopped to stare intently at Billy, her smile disappearing.

“What?”

“You’re different.  You’ve changed since we’ve come here.”

“So, is that a bad thing?” he replied, feeling a little defensive.

Jeanie shook her head.  “No, not at all, I like this new Billy, but…”

“But what?”

She looked up at him with poignant eyes.  “I wonder if I’m going to see him
again once I leave here.”

Billy couldn’t meet her eyes; he just looked out into the deep. 

Jeanie bit her lip and said in a quiet voice, “Ya, I didn’t think so.”

“Hey, I figure I’ll do what I came here to do; tell my dad to stop his work.  I know he’
ll believe me and then, you know, I’ll just stay here with him.” 

Jeanie didn’t reply, but continued to look out in the barren ocean.

“What?  I know you want to say something!”  His tone sounding irritated.

“It’s just that, what Dickens said, one day you’re going to meet yourself.  I just don’t see how that’s going to happen if you stay here.”

“Jeanie, this is my life!  I don’t care what Dickens says!  I’m going to do what makes me happy!  As long as there’s a future here, I want to stay.”

Jeanie turned her head to look at Billy and with a sad smile, she said, “Ok, Billy.”

Chapter 38

Preston was showing Billy the inside of an atom’s nucleus.  “And there was a time when this mystified scientists.  The atom was just the beginning.  When I present the Time Sphere to the world, it’s going to change everything,” he said, as he smiled into the microscope.

Billy knew he had to talk to his father.  Although he completely dreaded it, he knew the time was now.  He’ll just get it over with and then he can start his new life, he thought. 

The ball of anxiety that had taken up residence in his gut since learning about the chamber was beginning to be all that he could think about.  He knew that speaking to his father was the only way to get rid of it.

“Um, Dad?”

“Yes?”  His father turned to look at him with that smile that permeated his eyes.

Billy started to move around in his seat, feeling uncomfortable about the coming conversation.  “We need to talk about something.”

“What’s that?” he asked.  He turned to face Billy, giving him his undivided attention.

“You know what Dickens told you, right?”

“Oh
, Billy, don’t let that old fool bother you.  Don’t worry about the Sphere.  It’s going to fix everything,” he replied.  He ruffled Billy’s hair and then resumed looking through his microscope.

Billy just stared at his father’s profile.  “It doesn’t, I’ve seen it,” he said quietly.

His father’s smile began to falter as he looked back at his son.  “What are you talking about?”

“Just before Dickens brought me into the Sphere, I was almost killed.” His father coul
d only stare as he continued, “by these beings, with huge green lasers or something.”

“You must have been mistaken, Billy,” he said with a small shake of his head and an expression of fear on his face.

“No, I’ve seen them,” Billy pressed.

Preston sat back in his chair, a frown creasing his brow.  “But only I can control it and I would never allow it to be misused,” he said in a distant voice.

“Well, maybe if you need that kind of control, it’s not something safe to begin with.”

Preston looked at his son and smiled fondly.  “You are wise for one so young, Billy.  But I think that you need to have a little more faith in me,” he laughed softly.

“But this isn’t about you.  It’s about something that’s going to happen in the future.”

Preston let out a long breath and gave his son what could only be described a patronizing smile.  “I don’t think that you understand what the Sphere is going to accomplish, Billy.  Nor do you understand
what’s going on up there.  We’re on the brink of a World War.  Why else is this laboratory on the bottom of the ocean?  The truth is, the Earth is in anarchy.  People are dying by the thousands daily from starvation and war.  The Earth can’t sustain its population and even if it could, we don’t have the resources anymore.  The Sphere is not a science project Billy.  It’s about the survival of the human race.”

“But all of that doesn’t mean anything if everything will be destroyed anyway,” Billy persisted.

“What you’re asking is impossible.”

Billy began to feel that familiar frustration bubble up inside him.  “The human race won’t survive if you finish that gate.  Forget the gate!  You have to get rid of the Device!  Why aren’t you listening to me?”  Billy said, as his volume began to rise.

“I am.  But I can’t worry about something that’s going to happen in the future and may not even happen.  Besides, I can’t destroy the Device.”

“
Why not?  Then you’ll know it’ll never be misused!”

“Billy, I can’t destroy it.” Billy just stared at his father, not understanding, “The Device is tapped into the temporal plane.   Destroying it would cause a ripple effect and I couldn’t possibly calculate the disastrous outcome.  The safest plan would be to keep it protected.”

Billy stood up from his seat.  “That’s not good enough!  I’ve told you what happened to me and what’s going to happen in the future!”

“No, the old man told you!” replied his father, whose tone was becoming more and more heated.

“I’ve seen them!” Billy cried at a near shout.

Preston stood u
p and gazed down at his son.  He then placed a hand on Billy’s shoulder.  “You’re young, Billy.  I think that you need to trust the adults in your life to know what’s best for you,” he said in a calm voice.

Billy couldn’t believe what his father was saying.  He couldn’t help but feel hurt that he was sounding like every other adult in his life
who made him feel like his opinion didn’t matter. 

“You know what!  You sound like everyone that’s been in my life, always telling me what to do and what to think!  I know what I saw!  Just because you’re some scientist doesn’t mean that you know everything!”

Preston’s expression darkened.  “If you had lived here with me as my son, you wouldn’t be talking this way!” he replied sharply.

“But I didn’t,
did I!  And you know why?  Because you built that stupid machine, that’s why!  So sorry, I’m not the son you’ve always wanted!” Billy yelled.

Preston closed his eyes and placed his hand on his forehead.  “Billy, that’s not what I meant-”

“I’ve had to live my whole life alone and without a family!  Do you know what it’s like?  People not accepting you!  Always wishing you were somebody else!  And Why?  So I could come here and tell you what’s going to happen!  I hate it, but I kinda get it!  I need you to believe me!”

“I’
ve dedicated my whole to life to the completion of this project.  Everything!  Finally after years of work, we’re almost there.  I’ll make sure that this won’t happen, I promise you.  You need to trust me, Billy.”

Billy just shook his head.  “You need to trust me.”

“That means trusting the old man, I don’t think so.”

“I am telling you what I saw!”

Preston turned to his desk and began tidying the papers spread across the table top.  “You’re a young man with a lively imagination.  I’m sure you believe it,” he said brusquely.

Billy threw his hands in the air.  “That’s it!  You’re blowing me off!  The fact that I’m here proves what the Sphere is capable of!”

Preston whipped his head around. “Exactly!  It’s going to fix everything.  Why can’t you understand that?”

Billy closed his eyes and took a deep breath.  He didn’t want to yell at his father anymore.  “Just because you won’t abuse it, Dad, doesn’t mean that others won’t,” he said in a controlled voice.

Preston looked at his son with sad eyes and then sat down at his desk.  “I’m sorry that you don’t understand.  I wish I could do this for you.  The Sphere is beyond just me, there’re others involved.  You’re asking me to do something I can’t,” he said, his voice tinged with regret as he bent over to resume his work.

Billy just stood there staring at his father’s back.  The conversation was over.  Billy felt the ball of fear grow in the pit of his stomach.  He had seen the beings and knew what they could do.  Billy hadn’t succeeded
, after all and he had no idea what to do about it.