Sam exhaled the breath he had been holding after Lars and he completed the translation. He trusted Lars, but having someone else input his TD's coordinates was still unsettling.
Sam looked around the unkempt, unconventional laboratory then out a transparent wall of the lab at a steaming volcano in the distance.
"Beautiful view," he remarked looking out over the Hauraki Gulf.
A nearby white board with equations scrawled in several clusters drew his attention away from the smooth, blue water covered with a multitude of sails. In one cluster, Sam recognized a temporal, dark matter transformation. Another had parts of the dark energy and quantum gravity, super-fluid balance theory, but he was not positive. His understanding of advanced mathematics was superb but much on the board remained a mystery.
"Interesting stuff," Sam quipped.
"Oh yeah?" Lars replied looking up from searching a desk drawer for the timepiece. "Doesn’t your nonlinear TD trans-warp a temporal vacuity within the dark-energy anti-field?" he asked.
"Tye would know," Sam replied. "She has expertise in physics besides horology," Sam added with a smirk. He sensed the equations could represent an alternative translation technology. The Family's living, temporal cloaks, their derivative linear and nonlinear TDs as well as the secret Time Corps' TDs and their ship's temporal drives were the only others.
Freelancers used stolen TC devices that thankfully appeared too complex to reverse engineer.
"I'll have to have a chat with her some day," Lars said.
"Miri's work?" Sam asked still staring at the equations.
"His baby was the Higgs' field integration and calibration with dark-quanta charges and spins," Lars replied.
"Getting physical separation was incredibly difficult," he said. "A temporal delta was much easier," he added with a sigh.
"So how come you don’t have this new TD in the field?" Sam asked.
"A minor problem in the temporal, initiator modulator," Lars replied.
"Just sticks somehow with no moving parts. Miri thinks the trouble is sunspots. But it's easy to reset, just takes time," he added with a chuckle.
"I bet the TC would love to get their temporal hands on one of your timepieces," Sam said looking back to the distant smoldering volcano.
"Got it," Lars said picking out the golden watch from a small basket on the nearest workbench. "I better explain its basic functions, just in case," he added handing the watch to Sam.
"Shoot," Sam said flipping up the watches cover to reveal its simple controls below a small display.
"The three input controls entered in sequence from left to right set the time-space coordinates," Lars explained, "but pressing them in certain other sequences or combinations activates higher-level functions. You shouldn’t need to worry about those. Depressing the stem begins the translation."
"A follow function?" Sam asked noticing the timepiece was heavier than he expected.
"Unlike the last version," Lars said, "there is no separate follow button but a unique activation sequence of the three controls- part of the programming that still needs coding. To have that activated during its trials would have been a real pain so I left it to last. There's also an emergency return to any one of numerous stored locations and several alarm codes for various proximal space-time events. I need to set links between the alarms and pre-set translations and set a few threshold criteria," he added rapidly thumbing the watch's controls.
The sophistication of the simple mechanism impressed Sam.
"Let's rendezvous at the Breeze just after we left. Just in case," Lars said entering more inputs on his TD. "Finished," Lars added with a sigh.
"Guns?" he asked.
"Usually not my thing for Laiths," Sam said. "But help yourself," he added taking stock of the impressive contents of a nearby weapon cabinet.
Lars selected a hand disrupter already in a hip holster. "Ready?" he asked fitting the weapon's belt around his slim waist.
"Yup," Sam replied rechecking the coordinates Drac had sent to his TD, "but for what?"
RefPlane, Planet TarTuras
The blackness took Sam by surprise. "Get down," he whispered to Lars as his fingers sunk several centimeters into warm mud and his knees confirmed the same.
"Roger that," Lars replied similarly from behind him.
Sam brushed his TD's two-dimensional display to scan the area for any nearby temporal signatures.
"Nice touch," Lars whispered over Sam's shoulder looking at the TD's graphics. "Anything?"
"Good choice of temporal reference," Sam said noting Drac's choice to continue their conjoined timeline fixed at the Breeze many light-years distant. "Five hundred meters that way," he added, his face lit only by the TD's display.
"I'll follow you," Lars added with a nod. "I always imagined Hell as a hot, arid place," he added as they struggled through the dark mudflats,
"but bright in its inherent red glow. I might have been wrong."
"At least the tide appears out," Sam said.
"Does this planet even have tides?" Lars asked.
"Hold up," Sam whispered after several meters, and then listened to the darkness. "I don't hear anything," he added a few seconds later.
"Not hearing anything is good," Lars replied catching his breath.
"There's no way to run in this muck. By the way, I wanted to ask you—
"Shoot," Sam said standing up.
"Why do you think fractimes surrounding your reference plane are so much different to upline and downline?" Lars asked.
Sam shook his head in the near darkness. "The Family factors in there somewhere as well as a few influential freelancers," he said turning to look at his old friend. "And the RP is the only plane where the Time Corps exist," he added. "I blame them whenever possible," he said adding a chuckle.
"Yeah, my guess, too," Lars said. "It’s like a wall has been constructed somehow out of the universes probability matrix in front of the Universal War."
"If you mean the RP may have won the multiverse lotto, I agree,"
Sam said. "But the coming war still scares the shit out of me," he added.
"I can see the complexities of keeping some kind of balance must be exhausting," Lars said.
"The resources of the citadel have saved the RP more than once. It was a wise move by our first queen to fund its development," Sam said.
"So what’s it like to be so old?" Lars asked with a chuckle while shaking mud from his hands. "I mean the mental side if it. It's obvious you're in good shape; you're hardly winded."
Sam chuckled. "Most of the first hundred and fifty felt like being endlessly forty," he replied as they continued their slog. "I fell in love with Sara and the war was still distant, even to the Family.
"The next hundred and fifty brought the war closer downline and life began to revolve around our evolving strategy, centered on analyses of similarity data to pin point enemy infiltrations.
"But, even with a lot of time spent in the very interesting late-twentieth century, finding yourself bored on your two hundred-fiftieth birthday is not good. However, life has a way of dealing with those whom become bored; it's called parenthood."
"Ces must be a great kid," Lars said as Sam stopped to check the TD's display.
"The best and as far as being in shape, I can’t take much credit; med nanos and beatha treatments are Family standard," Sam said.
"Must be nice," Lars said after several deep breaths. "I think it's getting firmer underfoot," he said still struggling through the thinning mud.
"I agree and brighter," Sam said turning off the TD's display to view a dim ridgeline ahead backlit buy a small moon rising. "Not far now," he added encouragingly.
The slight burn in Sam's leg muscles lessened as the mud gradually gave way to fine-grained sand surrounding a few large boulders draped by long strands of a damp, kelp-like plant.
"Maybe the tide is out," he muttered studying several nearby, large pockmarks interspersed between the boulders.
He could just make out a cliff face looming before them as the sky above brightened from the small moon, now almost overhead.
The number of boulders and landslide debris increased as they neared the cliff, restricting them from easily reaching the rock face.
"The coordinates are just over this cliff," Sam said while making a minor adjustment to his TD.
"There," Lars said pointing to their left. "It looks like a way up."
They both were puffing after a hard scramble up the scree before finally climbing over a last boulder to leave behind the cliff's edge.
Sam surveyed a featureless plateau that stretched into the distance before them; only a small cairn disrupted the plain several meters before them.
"That must be it," Sam said as he checked his TD's display then pointed to the low-lying pile of rocks.
"Not the entrance to the underworld I was expecting," Lars said as he kicked one of the stones from the pile. "What's this," he added, kneeling down to examine a corner of a metallic plaque he had uncovered.
"Old Calma tech script," Sam said after helping Lars uncover the rest of the plaque.
"I am familiar with some Calma temporal jargon and equations,"
Lars said inspecting the plaque. "But most of these symbols have little meaning to me. May be some kind of warning, I think. Probably telling us not to uncover the portal below," he added looking cautiously at Sam.
"Help me with this," Sam said grasping one edge of the plaque.
"It's heavy," Lars said thru clenched teeth as they dragged it off to one side of the underlying stones.
Tossing the remaining rocks aside to form a small pile, they soon uncovered a flat, oval stone roughly two meters long and a meter wide set seamlessly into the plateau's bedrock. An intricately carved tree, its branches intertwined, covered roughly half the stone while its trees roots filled the other half. Centered within the tree's trunk was a concave, half-spherical recess above a hand-shaped recess, obviously carved to fit a five-digit humanoid.
"That could fit the Timestone," Lars said pointing at the circular recess.
"And this has no effected," Sam added dejectedly after pressing his right hand into the matching depression.
"That would be too easy," Lars quipped.
"I guess that leaves the only other option," Sam said taking the Timestone from his pack.
Lars removed the disrupter from its holster and made a quick adjustment to its controls then nodded to Sam.
"If there's any trouble," Sam said, "we'll meet back at the Breeze.
You have the coordinates?"
Lars nodded as he checked his TD.
Sam studied the details of the semi-circular recess then gently laid the Timestone into its niche.
"Fuck," Lars said while quickly kneeling to regain his balance as the ground shook launching numerous rockfalls from the cliff's edge as the oval slab slowly rose.
As the slab stopped almost a decimeter high, the quake subsided.
"What now," Lars asked peering under the slab into darkness below.
Sam shrugged his shoulders and then gently tried pushing the slab. It slowly glided to one side.
"Good idea," Lars said reaching toward the pitch-black opening.
"That's not a hole," Sam said grabbing Lars hand before it could breach the boundary. Sam picked up a rock from the pile and tossed it onto the blackness.
It hit the boundary then rebounded upward several centimeters only to fall back in a series of dying bounces until it finally settled on top of the blackness.
"Look," Lars said cautiously as the stone began slowly to sink through the boundary and the ground began to reverberate again. "I've got a bad feeling about this," he added aiming his weapon at the blackness as the ground shook harder.
As Sam watched the last of the stone disappear, a brilliant flash filled his senses. He heard the definitive sound of Lars' disrupter fire and as his sight recovered, he saw two grotesque dogs had Lars by the legs and were trying to drag him into the blackness. Lars' weapon lay at Sam's feet.
As Sam snatched the disruptor and then tried to aim at the closest creature, a third easily knocked him down from behind taking advantage of the continuing tremors.
Hideous snarls met the barrel of the disrupter as Sam struggled to fix aim on the fetid canine now advancing on him. A single burst dissolved it into a putrid heliotrope vapor.
Sam rolled over and fired at the beast attached to Lars right leg, hitting it in its left flank. The hound released Lars and then let loose a chilling howl as it turned on Sam. Sam fired again vaporizing the cur as the other continued to pull Lars to the precipice of the blackness by his left leg.
Sam held fire in fear of vaporizing Lars as well.
Holding his golden watch in his right hand while unfastening his belt, Lars nodded to Sam.
Sam grabbed the Timestone from the oval slab then tossed it to Lars.
Lars caught the orb with his left hand then said, "Shoot this thing!"
He vanished, leaving only his pants in the hound's mouth above the blackness. The beast was an easy target and Sam did not hesitate.
As its last vapor dispersed above the blackness, the ground beneath Sam came still. "Three dogs, how cliché," he muttered kicking a small stone onto the blackness just before more chilling growls and howls became apparent from below the nearby cliff's edge.
Sam ran over to the edge only to see various assorted demonic creatures crawling out of countless pockmarks below and then scrambling over one another in an attempt to climb the cliff face.
Sam thought heard a faint voice behind him.
"Is anyone there!" he shouted after running back to the abyss while watching the cliff edge.
"Dad?" Ces replied faintly. "Hold on. I think you're over there."
"Ces?" he shouted hopefully.
"Dad! I'm here," Ces said clearly. "Where are you?"
"I'm at a portal on TarTarus."
"TarTarus? Are you sure it's not TarTuras?"
Sam looked around. "Who knows? Are you alright?"
"I'm fine. Kind of bored that's all."
"Is your mother close by?"
"Nobody's here. Not anymore. Did you throw a big and little stone through that portal?"
"Yes. Do you see them?"
"Dad!"
"Sorry, dumb question. However, that means you can probably cross the boundary."
"Just get me out of here! Bur, Cer and Rus may come back."
"Three drooling canine Laiths?"
"That's them. Bad puppies."
"They won't be back," Sam said as the first demon crawled up and over the cliff. "Hold on I've got a problem up here," he added.
He fired and the creature vanished leaving behind a cloud of violet vapor from which several more creatures emerged.
"Great, the old wizard's apprentice trick," he mumbled as he set the disruptor to widest dispersion and crouched behind the low pile of stones.
More demons crawled over the cliff's edge to join the ones already within smelling distance. Sam fired a salvo of dispersed beams in a sweeping pattern from left to right, dissolving the creatures into clouds of swirling purple mist, but that resulted in creating only more targets.
Another sweep at the line of advancing demons resulted in dramatically adding to their numbers.
"I may have to return with reinforcements," he shouted into the blackness feeling for the TD in his pocket.
"No need," Tye said from behind him holding a heavy disrupting rifle. "Lars said you might need some backup."
"Is that disrupter fire?" Ces asked from below.
"Not just now niece," Tye yelled into the abyss as she blasted the growing front line of advancing demons. Their numbers multiplying by a factor of at least ten.
"They multiply with every shot," Sam said moving behind Tye.
"Variable modulation to the disruption field should stop that," Tye said adjusting her rifle and then swept a wide arc of fire before them.
"Good thinking," Sam said as no new spawns appeared out the putrid vapor now almost enveloping them.
Tye continued to fire broad, sweeping arcs for several minutes until no more demons appeared over the cliff's edge.
"Is everyone okay?" Ces asked cautiously.
"We're fine," Sam reassured her. "We'll see if we can get you out."
Tye handed him a rope from her mission pack and then he fed it into the darkness after tying it quickly around his waist.
"I see a rope coming down through the ceiling," Ces said. "I knew this place had to be an oubliette," she added as Sam felt a tug on the line.
"What's your reference date?" she asked calmly.
"Tie it around you," he said, desperately wanting her out of the void.
"Ready," she yelled.
As Sam and Tye slowly pulled on the rope, he realized Ces seemed too heavy. He tried to keep constant tension on the line and as Ces, in a plain brown robe, slowly appeared from the blackness; she was different-much taller and older.
They all collapsed together after a final pull to free Ces from the boundary.
She hugged Tye then her father tightly. "I knew you’d come," she said crying.
Looking back down at the portal then to Ces, Sam said, "How long?"
"I'm thirteen now," she said wiping away tears. "Just had a birthday."
"I'm so sorry," he said with violet tears running down his cheeks then embraced her again. "I'm referenced to the same day you were taken.
It's been only a few days."
"Damn," Tye muttered looking down into the abyss.
"What was down there?" she asked.
"I think it was some kind of monastic sanctuary," she replied, "but it's been long abandoned and taken over by crazy Laiths to use as a dungeon. Thank Agrona I got the AI upgraded; I would have gone crazy.
And I have learned so much—
"Have you seen your mother?" Sam interrupted her cautiously.
"Only in dreams," she replied studying her father's face. "I keep seeing her fumbling with a silver pocket watch. What’s happened to Mom?"
Sam sighed. "She's missing. I thought she would be with you."
It now seemed unlikely the beast had abducted Sara and Ces but rather his partner had tried in vain to follow the demon with Lars' TD.
"Was anyone else down there?" he asked.
"There used to be, now there's just lots of bones; the whole lower level is filled with bones," she replied solemnly. "What’s happened?" she asked.
"It's getting to be a long story," Sam said. "I'll fill you in after we get you to safety on Trua."
Ces asked. "Did uncle Drac come?"
Sam nodded fighting back tears for the lost time with his daughter.
Ces sighed. "I could die for a big bowl of Lucky Charms," she said wistfully.
Sam smiled at her, dark curls framing her face. "You're so beautiful," he said, "but now you need to go to Trua with Tye. Elder Sister will no doubt want to debrief you."
"But Dad, I've got to tell—
"Not now," Sam said with a nod to Tye. "I'll see you soon. Promise.
Your mom and Mick are still missing."
"Dad, it's real important," Ces persisted.
Sam took a breath and looked at Ces. "Not now," Sam repeated sternly.
Tye dropped her mission pack from her shoulder and handed Sam the disrupter rifle. "Good luck," she told him.
"Tell Drac and Miri to meet us back at the Breeze," Sam told his sister before she translated with Ces.
Sam untied the rope from his waist and then began to tie it around the floating portal stone.
"Shit. Am I late?" Lars asked appearing next to Sam. "The damn modulator hiccuped again. Did Tye make it?"
"Yes and yes," Sam said. "We got Ces out. She's safe."
"Very good news," Lars said. "And Sara?"
Sam looked his old friend in the eyes and shook his head. "Let’s see if there any clues down there," he said handing the disrupter back to Lars before repelling into the blackness.