[Sticks]

Chapter 13

From one death trap to another

Philip heard a noise come from down stairs, someone was coming up. Had the marines discovered where they were? The chronon Accelerator was still powered up, since Steve had just vanished a minute ago, it was building up a new charge, just like the old flash guns on the ancient single lens reflex cameras of the twentieth century.

Philip switched off the Chronon accelerator, it was too risky having a gateway to the past. If only Philip knew how to convert this Steve Gryson's device, back to its normal operation. The footsteps were getting closer. Philip went over to the shattered window of the old television room. The snow was coming down very heavily; it was difficult to see down to the ground. He could not see if the marines had found them or not. He looked around for a weapon of some kind, nothing, not even a stick. It was useless, he would have to surrender, and that was if they were taking prisoners. He had just heard two gunshots in the distance from a marine’s weapon; it did not seem like a normal gun fight, more like the single shots of an execution. Perhaps his mother was right after all, meddling with Steve Gryson only meant death.

"Mr Philip Smith" came a Scottish sounding voice. This could not be a marine surely; they were all American or Canadian.
"Who's asking?" Philip asked, hiding behind the door to the old television room.
"I'm Gerald Gray of Stronach's and Gray's solicitors" said the voice.
Philip slowly crept out of the room, holding the chronon accelerator in his right hand as a make shift club. The man looked like he was in his sixties; he was dressed up in a dark brown arctic survival coat. He was carrying a parcel inside a plastic bag in one hand, and a letter and a clip board in the other.
"What do you want?" Philip asked cautiously.
"To be frank Mr Smith, none of us expected you to be here. You see for the last twenty years our firm has been holding on to a letter and this parcel containing a ladies coat. We had instructions to deliver it to a Mr Philip Smith so he could pass it on to a gentleman going by the code name of Lone Stranger, on this date, at this time. You are Mr Smith I presume"
"Yes" replied Philip, "do I need to sign anything?”
"Yes" replied the solicitor and handed him the electronic clip board and pen.
Philip signed it and the solicitor gave him the bag and the letter.
"There were further instructions, Mr Smith, you are to go at once to the pick up point and await the arrival, give the coat to the girl with the blanket. Whatever it means I don't know, we have been trying to work it out for twenty years."
"I know what it means" said Philip, "I have to go somewhere and wait for some body"
"That's all very well, Mr Smith, but watch out for the marines and the militias" the solicitor replied as he turned and left. Philip was left alone again on the top floor of the old student union.

"So Steve has succeeded" Philip said to himself. He felt the van keys in his pocket and went down the stairs.

When he reached outside, the snow was about four inches deep, no problem for a hover-car, but quite something for an old rusting van like his. He opened the door to his van, put the parcel on the front passenger seat and got in. He tried the key. The van groaned and did nothing. He pushed the button to electrically heat the fuel for about a minute, and then tried again. It moaned again, but this time it coughed and spluttered into life. He pulled out onto Schoolhill, turned right and drove up to the roundabout at the top of Blackfriars street and drove along Blackfriars street until St Andrew Street. He then drove along Charlotte Street to get to the back of the ruins of the RGIT St Andrew Street building. He stopped as near as he could to the hole in the fence. All he could do now was go and wait at the re-entry point, he had five minutes to go. He heard the sound of a hover-car flying overhead. He switched off the engine, now he could listen to it, to hear what it was doing. It seemed like it was circling, the old student union building a couple of times, and then it flew off towards the east. Philip got out of the van into the blizzard; he took the parcel containing the coat with him. He trudged through the snow to the hole and clambered through it. He made his way to the west corridor, the stone steps still existed on this side of the building, and he climbed them as fast as he could. He looked at his watch, one minute to arrival time that was if he succeeded in bringing them back. He reached the ruins of the first floor and started picking his way to where Steve had told him the lab used to be.

It looked even more fascinating as Steve gazed upon the multicoloured void from the space time bubble. He looked around at the others floating free with him, they were equally awed. Neel tried to say something, but his words were not carrying. Steve remembered how he felt when he landed the first time, so he grabbed at the bars of mint cake from his kit bag. As he brought one out, another floated free, Steve tried to catch it, but it floated towards the edge of the sphere of the bubble. Steve unwrapped the other bar and took a bite of it. Suddenly the first bar of mint cake exploded in a flash of multicoloured light as it passed through the bubble. Steve looked around. Neel and David had seen it happen as well, then Neel pointed at Trevor, he was starting to drift towards the edge of the bubble. Both Neel and Steve swam over and grabbed him and pulled him in.
"What the hell is this?" Trevor mouthed.
Steve patted him on the shoulder and gave a thumb’s up sign. He turned around and swam over to Sam and Patricia; they seemed to be stable in the bubble. David grabbed Mike’s hand and then Neel's hand. Steve went to check on Patricia, he brushed the hair from her eyes with his hand, and he could see a slight bruise forming on the side of her head. "Great" he thought, she was almost a soul mate, and he had hurt her when he had to push her into the lab." Sorry" he mouthed at her.
Patricia's eyes flickered open, "I'm ok" she mouthed, she touched the side of her head, "am I dead?" she mouthed.

Steve shook his head. Suddenly the multicoloured void started to turn white around them, underneath it turned black. The white came in and started stinging them. Then for all of them except Steve, they lost consciousness. Steve felt really drained; it was all he could do to take another bite of the mint cake.

Philip was very surprised that the floor was still holding here, but then again, most of the missiles were not directed here. Suddenly he saw bolt of lightening hit the floor in front of him. It seemed strange as it did not seem to come from the clouds, he heard the crack of thunder a split second later. He continued to pick his way across the rubble strewn floor, through the snow he could see six figures lying amongst the rubble and one figure sitting up. The snow in the area where the people had just appeared had been blasted away. Philip took a minute to get to them. The sound of masonry falling was almost muffled by the sound of the snow.

Philip looked at one of the men, he recognised him from a photograph his mother had kept, it was his father. He ran over and checked his pulse, he was alive. The sound of more masonry crashing down underneath could be heard.
"Philip" called Steve as he struggled to get up, "I don't think this floor will hold much longer, we need to get off".

Patricia Nealson tried to get up, and then collapsed. Her head was still throbbing from hitting her head and the strange experience she had been through.
"How come we never got that effect at the Wear-Rabbit binges" Groaned Neel as he tried to sit up.
Trevor opened his eyes, turned to look around, then wished he hadn't as something akin to a runaway bullet train ran through his cranium. David and Mike suffered in a similar way. Sam got up, and then promptly collapsed in a heap. "What have they put in that Newcastle Brown?" he wondered.
"We haven't got time for this" Philip shouted, "the floor is giving way".
Steve stumbled to his feet, "Help me with Patricia" he shouted to Philip, "she's got concussion"
Philip walked over and took out the coat from the parcel. "put this on her" he told Steve.
"No time, everybody up, the floor is moving." Steve yelled.

David and Neel helped each other up, the cold wind was helping them clear their heads. Mike and Trevor managed to pick themselves up and then lifted up Sam, he was out cold. Steve and Philip helped Patricia to her feet, even with the blanket, she was shivering madly. Slowly the eight of them picked their way towards the west stair case. Behind them they heard the floor cracking.

"You sure know how to pick a good landing sight" Neel yelled above the sound of falling masonry. David and Neel reached the steps first and sat down exhausted. Suddenly Trevor stumbled, Philip and Steve came up from behind with Patricia, and Philip caught Trevor to steady him. The floor, where they had moments before landed, caved in with a deafening thud. They had only just made it to the safety of the stair case.
"Put that coat on her now" Steve instructed as he sat down in the snow on the steps.
Philip took the coat and shook it out, it seemed to have aged quite well. "Are you ok miss" he asked her.
"I just want to go to bed" she complained, as she reached for the coat. It seemed strange, one minute she was sweltering in a heat wave, the next it seemed like she was at the North Pole. She slowly put the coat on, she seemed ever so tired and her head was throbbing. As soon as she put the coat on, she could feel the warmth beginning to return. Then the darkness overcame her as she feinted. Philip caught her to stop her banging her head on the stone stair case.

"Reach in my bag Philip, there are some Kendal mint cakes, pass them around" Steve told him. Steve found his strength was returning, so he took over from holding Patricia while Philip handed out the mint cakes. Steve gently brushed the snow from Patricia's face, "don't die on me now Pat" he whispered. He gently kissed her on the cheek. Her eyes flickered open as she regained consciousness. "I'm no China doll you know" said weakly, "where am I"

Philip came over with a bar of mint cake and handed it to Patricia, "we need to get to the van, to get out of this weather" he told the pair of them.
Patricia took the bar with both hands and started eat her way through it, she felt ever so cold, hungry and exhausted.

They waited for a minute before they all got up, Sam had been brought round and managed to walk unaided. Patricia insisted on getting up on her own, but as she walked down the steps she seemed unstable to Steve, so he put her arm over his shoulder. Patricia still felt light headed, she was glad of someone to help her, but angry that she had become so vulnerable. The others had no problems coming down the steps on their own.
"Who are you?" David asked Philip as they clambered out of the hole in the fence, "you look familiar somehow"
"I'm you son dad, I'm Philip"
"You're what?" he said in disbelief. David stopped, he was dumbstruck, and the full reality of the sudden trip to the future hit him in the face.
"Come on dad, we need to get in the van"

David continued, still shaking his head in disbelief, trying to take this all in. He had missed his son growing into a man, would Priscilla have him back after twenty years. He was glad to have escaped being blown to pieces, but what had he escaped to?

They located the white van, and Philip opened up the back. Patricia went to climb in.
"Uh oh" intoned Steve, "with a head wound like that you can sit up front with me"
"I don't need wrapping in cotton wool, whoever you are" she objected and climbed in the back. Steve got in the back and sat down opposite her. Neel, Mike and Trevor climbed in as well.
"You sit up front Dad" Philip told his father as he closed the back of the van.
David went to the front passenger street and climbed in. It seemed like heaven to get in out of the snow storm. Philip climbed into the driver's side. "Back to my place then" he said.
"Too risky" replied Steve, "I have a bad feeling; somehow, they may know I'm still alive, in which case they may be waiting for us there."
"Where can we go then Steve" asked Neel.
Steve thought for a moment, "how about the union"
"No good" answered Philip, "someone has been buzzing it in a hover-car"
"A what?" said Mike?
"How about trying Neel's place" Steve suggested.
"Where's that?" asked Philip
"Its ok, I know the way" David chipped in.
"By the way Steve, a man gave me a letter to give to you" Philip said as he passed the envelope back to Steve. Steve lifted his arm up and took the envelope.

"Who are you" Patricia asked, "what is going on, what was that thing we went through and when can I go home"
"Firstly, you used to know me as Steve Gryson, the one who used to preach to you down at the student union".
"You can't be I just spoke to Steve a few minutes ago" She said.
"That was my younger self you spoke to. You have just been isolated in a time bubble which was separated from the rest of the space time continuum. We have all travelled twenty years into your future, but my present"
"But why?”
"Because if we didn't, then we would all have been blown up by an American air attack"
"What?" she asked in disbelief.
"They used my PhD work as a justification to destroy the St Andrew Street building, but I know that was a lie. Every one of us, except you Patricia, has had their name blackened, so the Americans could escape the blame. But the thing they were trying to hide, is being started up again"
"And when its all over?" she asked hesitantly.
"I'm sorry everyone, but as history says we all died, we can't go back" Steve said apologetically.
"Oh" she said and dropped her head. As she thought of all the friends she had lost, her pet dog and her parents, it seemed that now she would be all alone in the world. She wiped a tear from her eye, she was a big girl now, big girls don't cry. She lifted her head up and rested it against the side of the van. "As you keep on saying Steve, if anything can go wrong" she said, trying her best not to show any sign of emotion as other tears ran down her cheek.
"It happens to me" Steve finished

"Shall we get going now?" Philip asked, trying to break the stunned silence.
"Yeah" David replied, "if we can't use Neel's flat, we can try Mike's place".
Philip tried the key in the van's ignition. It coughed, spluttered and complained, but started up. He shifted the gears, they crunched for a bit, but Philip coaxed the van along the road.

Steve looked at the envelope he had been given, it looked old, but he could still recognise the writing, it was Timothy's. He opened the envelope and took out the letter and read through it.

"Dear Steve" it began, "You were right and its all hell to pay, so far they haven't come after us. We managed to get everyone out of the library in time. You were worried about Jennifer Bruce, well according to Mandy, her meeting with a police woman and the councillor was videotaped. Jennifer broke down a lot so I heard. Apparently her stepfather had prior convictions for minor indecent assaults, which neither Jennifer or her mother knew about. When he was confronted with the accusation, at first he denied it. But when he heard of the tape, he confessed, but said she had led him on. A month ago in our time, he was sentenced to ten years; the judge rejected his argument about being led on by Jennifer. Jennifer's mother was horrified and has started divorce proceedings. You may be glad to know that Jennifer has been reunited with her mother, and she has been granted compassionate leave from the college. By the way Mandy is going to succeed me as president, rather her than me. I told her that it was going to be snowing when you landed, as she had seen Patricia the morning you left, she donated the coat, we just hope the moths don't get it. Say hello from us. It's a pity we can't help any further, just get the b*****ds for us. Yours Faithfully Timothy Green"

Steve folded up the letter and placed it in his inside pocket.
"Who was that from?" Neel asked.
"The president of the union, a personal matter" Steve replied, "oh Patricia, Tim says hi and its Mandy you have to thank for the coat, apparently she made president"
"That was nice of him to think of him. Mandy was a good Woman's Welfare officer, she would have made a good president" Patricia sighed and then sniffed.
Neel put an arm around Patricia's shoulders and gave a slight hug, "Hang in there kid, you're not alone in this" he said quietly, "now how many fingers am I holding up?" he added waving three fingers.
"Three, I'm not completely gaga"
"Pity, you could have joined our group"
"You guys are something else" she said trying to force a smile.

* * * * * * * * * * * * *

The military policeman finished bashing on the door. "There's no answer sir" the MP shouted down the stairs.
"Break it down" replied Samson.
The MP threw his shoulder at the door, its rotten lock broke easily and the door swung inwards. The MP rushed in brandishing his machine pistol and started to search through the flat. After five minutes the MP came out, "No one here sir" he reported to the two officers.
"Ok soldier" replied General Reynolds, "maintain a guard on this place in case they come back. Shoot to kill on sight"
"And make it MP'S, not marines" added Samson.
"Yes Sir" responded the MP and went over to the hover-truck carrying the other MP's and started giving orders.
"What now?" Samson asked Reynolds.
"It's only a matter of time Samson, he has to slip up sometime, and then we will have him. He can't get out of the area; the satellites will pick up any vehicles trying to leave."
"And if we still can't locate him?”
"Then, one of our special MP's can arrange an accident with a few tactical nukes, after we recover fresh-start"
Samson nodded, "in one way sir, it will be a public service, who knows what undesirables can be cleansed, it would be a pity to loose Stonehaven, but hey, that's war"
"Maybe we could go back to Uncle Sam's for the time being" suggested the general, "We could do strip searches on all the waitresses"
"I would rather not sir, I want to check up on Clean-wipe"
"As you wish commander"
With that Samson restarted the hover-car and took off into the snow storm

* * * * * * * * * * * * *

The set of flats looked deserted, not even squatters seemed evident, as the group walked down to the basement flat. The window had been boarded up a long time ago. Neel tried his key in the lock, it did not fit any more and he did not expect that it would. Neel took out his skeleton key set, and picked the lock.
"I thought those were illegal" Patricia commented.
"No one really cares now Patricia" Steve replied.
The door creaked open and the smell of damp was quite overpowering. Neel took his small torch and switched it on. The whole flat had long been cleared. "Where's it all gone" he shouted, "my videos, my equipment"
Steve came up behind him, "I'm Sorry Neel. At least your computer and discs were saved."
"It was a council flat after all" chipped in Mike, "if we were all dead, they would have had every right"
Neel nodded, "I suppose so, but it doesn't make it any better"
"At least it’s a shelter from the snow" Mike replied, "mind you they never did cure that damp problem"

Neel walked through his empty flat; he tried the tap in the kitchen. It spluttered for a bit, and then threw out a flow of muddy coloured water. After a few minutes the water was running clear, it seemed strange that they had not cut the water off. Perhaps no one cared anymore.
"In you come" he yelled, "I'm afraid I can't offer you any coffee"
The rest of them entered the basement flat, and closed the door.
Trevor was first to speak, "Well Mr Gryson, what now?”
"I brought back this" Steve said as he produced the backup tape, "or brought it forwards, depends on your view point"
"What is it?" asked Philip.
"It’s a Honeywell backup tape" Explained Steve, "It has the contents of everything the Honeywell computer in St Andrews Street had.
"If you observe Steve, there is no Honeywell computer here" Mike insisted.
"But there's still a Honeywell computer in the university, all we have to do is get you and Neel to load it up and hack into it. You can still do that can't you?"
"Sure Steve" Neel put in, "Hey Mike remember that time we managed to register ourselves as engineers"
"Yeah Neel, but that was just a lucky break"
"But if we could do it again, it would be something"
"Good" Said Steve, "Neel, Mike, and I will go along to the university and try and access a particular account"
"How are we going to get to the University?" Asked Neel, "there are marines every where?”
"They seem to be ignoring us, being a white van in a snow storm does seem to help" explained Steve, "If all else fails, there is still enough charge left in the chronon accelerator for us to get out of trouble"
"What about me" said Trevor?
"And me" Said Sam
"And me as well, we have all suffered because of what happened" David added.
"Ok you guys, I suppose you deserve to know what this is all about. Philip, you stay here with Patricia. It’s not your fight"
"Sure thing" said Philip, "I'd only get in the way"
"No way" Patricia came out with, "I've lost everyone I know, it’s my fight too, I want to be in on the action"
Steve was taken back with this, "No" he said quietly.
"Why not?" demanded Patricia, "I can take care of myself"
"I need these guys Pat, they possess skills we need to beat this thing, I don't want to have to go through again the pain I felt when I believed I was responsible for your death, it almost killed me"
"If you don't take me with you, I'll walk there."
"But the concussion you sustained"
"I've suffered worse Steve, remember Jareel, the deputy we had to go against, how his thugs tried to put me in hospital"
"let her come" said Neel" we might need the services of a pharmacist"
Steve thought of the notes in the operation blackout file, "You may have a point." He took the file out and showed it to Patricia, "What do you make of these"

Patricia looked through the notes, "It looks like the stuff they took to the Gulf war a few years back"
"You mean several years back now" Trevor added.
"Thanks for reminding me" Patricia said curtly, "It was taken in case chemical weapons were used. I would need to see more"
"If you're all going then" said Philip, "you will need a driver; my van is a bit temperamental"

They were driving up King Street, when Philip noticed a ground car was following them." I think we have trouble" He said.
"Just keep driving" Steve replied from the back. He loaded another battery pack into his stun bolt gun, then opened the panel on his chronon accelerator, and programmed the device. He switched it on. To everyone's else’s surprise, the snow flakes in the distance seemed to be suspended in mid air.
"What's that Steve" asked Patricia, now sitting beside him in the back.
"It just slows time down outside this van, we have five minutes to get the university before it exhausts its charge" Steve explained, not looking up from the device." I also used it to go back and rescue you"

Philip sped the van up and turned off of King Street to get to the university. The sight of the few people that were there, frozen in time, also seemed unnerving to the others. The chronon accelerator exhausted its charge as the van parked out side the entrance to the computer department. As they piled out, they were confronted by an MP with an M-16 rifle. The MP looked at them with glazed eyes as he chewed on a piece of gum. He levelled the rifle at them, then collapsed as Steve fired off the torch like stun bolt gun. The chewing gum fell from the MP's mouth on to the ground. The colouration looked odd to Steve, so he picked it up and smelled it. It had at first an unfamiliar smell, then he recognised it from a description, Klexon three seven, now a banned CIA mind control drug.

"We've got problems" said Steve
"What else is new?" Neel replied.
"We have to assume that all the MP's have been subjected to a CIA loyalty inducing mind control drug."
"What!" exclaimed Patricia, "when did that come in"
"Five years after we left St Andrew Street, but it went out three years after that" explained Steve." any one affected by it would cheerfully slice up their own wife and children to show loyalty. I suspect the marines are unaffected because they come from Stonehaven, not Edzell, but they could still be deadly" he added.
"Hadn't we better be getting inside" Suggested Mike as he pointed to the main door of the university administration centre.
"I'll take the van somewhere, so it doesn't attract attention" Suggested Philip.
"Ok son" replied David, "just take care out there"
As they walked towards the building, they did not notice Philip picking up the chewing gum. "I wonder" he said to himself, and then got in the van and started it up again.

In walked the seven to the University administration building. In here was the computer that was to unlock the secret of Blackout and possibly Clean-wipe. The instructions on where to find the various departments was faded with age, but eventually they found their way through the building, to the University's main computer room. It held an ancient Honeywell computer. The machine had been put in way back in 1987 so was about to be replaced by a Lumellatron super computer at the end of the year. Even though it was old, it could still read the Honeywell backup tape, at least that was what Steve hoped. In the computer room were three operators, Steve checked his stun bolt gun, there was only enough charge left in it for one more shot. After thirty seconds considering this Sam set the fire alarm off.

Every one in the corridor suddenly felt liked throttling him, when the corridor sprinkler system activated. Through the glass they observed the operators rush to the air-lock from the computer room. Steve fired the last charge at the first operator that came through the door, and then pointed the gun at the other two.
"Any of you move and you Join your friend" Steve growled.
The frightened operators backed into the computer room. "There's nothing of value here" said one of them.
"Take the roll of twine out of my bag and tie them up" he ordered.

David and Trevor saw to tying the two up whilst Steve pointed the stun bolt gun at the operators.
Neel loaded the RGIT backup tape onto the computer, "just like old times" he said to Mike.
"Ok let’s do it" responded Mike.
"With this alarm, Steve, how long before the authorities get here?" Asked Patricia.
"Beats me" he replied.

It took fifteen long minutes before Mike and Neel could break through into a list of users. As they skimmed the list one name familiar to Patricia flashed by.
"That's Andrew Drafaus, he was some sort of American research biochemist, he died in a mysterious car crash three months ago" She shouted out.
"Three months and twenty years ago you mean" Sam cut in.
"Ok I heard about that Patricia, any ideas what he was working on?" Steve asked
"Only that it was sponsored by the American defence department according to rumours" Patricia continued.
"I remember now" added Steve, "Some Russian delegation wanted to inspect RGIT because they claimed some treaty was being violated. The Principal was livid about that, and that RGIT might have been mixed up in anything that was considerably dodgy. I had written to them with a latest copy of my research notes, so it wasn't my work the Russians objected to"
"Got him" said Mike as he managed to hack into the Drafaus account
"Ok let’s list his files" suggested Neel.

One of the files was named "Biovac" . Neel listed it. The file contained a list of formulae and notes. Mike dumped the file to a printer, then handed the print out to Patricia. "What do you make of that"
"I'm not sure" she said as she glanced at it" It seems to go way above me, its talking about genetic carriers or something" she added as she studied it more closely.

Neel dumped another file called "Biokill to the printer, Steve looked at it. The word kill on the file name seemed to be a dead giveaway.
"This part seems to be some sort of biological weapon" he stated.
"Then this part looks like." Patricia started but never finished
Suddenly the glass window dissolved as a hail of bullets streamed through, totally destroying the Honeywell computer. Everyone in the room dropped to the floor. Steve looked up at where the window used to be. There was General Reynolds and two MP's. Steve looked across the room to the others, to his horror there was Patricia lying on her side in a pool of blood against the printer remains. Neel and Mike we also in a similar condition. He couldn't see David, Trevor and Sam from where he was lying. He heard the sound of reloading and the taking off of safety catches on the MP's Machine pistols.
This was horrendous, Steve was thinking as he stared up at the guns trained on them He had lead his friends from one death trap to another, and this one seemed to have done the job.

"Nice of you to come and tell us where you were, so we could come and finish you off once and for all. And of course, your friends can be finished off as well, after all, we can't have witnesses around can we" said the General with a grin, "Have you, as the old cliché says got any last words Mr Steve Gryson I presume?”