TEMPUS CHAPTER TWENTY SEVEN
And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire
Revelations 20:14
Lorelei snuggled into position and went to sleep on his chest.
Soon Cristian was also asleep.
“Cristian we have arrived.”
As he looked out he could see all the land was burned, it looked like the surface of Mars or the moon except there were ruins and burnt trees. There was no vegetation left.
“Where are we Watcher?”
“Kamloops Cristian.”
“What happened here?”
“It appears to have been a war, a war that was lost. The surface of the entire planet has been scorched.”
“What about the cave?”
“Still there, it seems to have survived M1 is communicating with me.”
“Lorelei put on your armour. I am going to do the same.” After checking their handguns they each reached for other weapons.
“Watcher, what is the air outside like?”
“Toxic and almost non-existent Cristian. It is very cold outside. Inside the cave the atmosphere is breathable.”
“Are you ready wife?”
“Ready to rock Husband.”
“Watcher take us in.”
Inside the cave, they exited with weapons hot. There were a couple of men that came out to meet them. M1 stood beside them still looking like Alfred.
“The weapons are not necessary Cristian.”
“Father?”
“Lorelei thank God you are safe.”
“Cristian my name is Paul O’Rourke. I am one of the scientists involved in the hybrid program. Your mother is here.”
“Alive.”
“Yes, would you like to meet her?”
“Watcher any sign of deception?”
“I am not sure Cristian. Something is interfering with my sensors.”
“M1 how are you?”
“I am well.”
“Who do you serve?”
“I serve the Keeper, you Cristian and the Alliance.”
“Have you been altered since I last saw you?”
“Yes, Cristian.”
“Yes, I would like to meet my mother Paul.”
He kissed Lorelei and asked her to keep her vest on in a whisper. Something didn’t smell right. She answered okay trusting him.
“Lorelei I am just going to grab my jacket I am feeling a little cold.”
“That sounds like a great idea Husband I would like mine as well.”
“Watcher, how many Elders are in the cave?”
“I am unsure if there are any Cristian. I am working on bypassing the interference. I have it there are four heavily armed Elders. Two in the next room. Two in the cafeteria.”
“I have the images, make sure Lorelei has them.”
“Watcher can you disable M1.”
“Yes, Cristian and I can initiate a shutdown sequence.”
“Do it now” M1 Slumped against the wall and fell sitting upright on the floor.
“Paul stand to the side.”
“They are holding hostages in the cafeteria.”
“I know.”
“Lorelei ready to kick some ass?”
“Yes Husband my headgear and shades are on.”
“You look good in an assault rifle wife, the clown face you have painted on your mask is very scary. Everyone is afraid of clowns.”
“Thanks, Husband that is a pretty shotgun, especially with the short swords mounted and I love the happy face painted on your mask.”
“My shotgun ain’t pretty woman, it’s manly.”
“Right manly, can we kill the bad Aliens now?”
The two warriors walked in side by side and dropped the first two Elders before they had a chance to lift their weapons.
The other two were stupid enough to run out of the cafeteria when they heard the shots. Cristian was waiting near the door. He thrust his bayonets deep inside the throat of the first one through the door and then fired a shot that sent the body flying. With a lightning-quick movement, the other Lizard met a similar fate with a shot to the gut.
“Is that all of them Watcher?”
“Yes, Cristian the one on the left is still alive.”
“Good.”
“Do you want to die quickly or one square inch at a time? Your skin would make a nice pair of boots Lizard.”
“What do you want to know?” He said gurgling a little.
“When did you leave for here and where is your home base?”
“June 1964 Dulce Level 7.”
“How many?”
“20 there are twenty of us left. You will need my right hand to access the level. The pain, now kill me.”
“One more question where is your ship?”
“In your warehouse.” green blood now came out of his mouth and he screamed.
“Cristian pushed the bayonets up through his chin and into his brain slowly, he pulled the trigger sending the top of his skull and brain matter across the room. Then he cut off its hand.
“Did you get what you needed Cristian?”
“Yes Lorelei, if you wouldn’t mind, check on the survivors.”
“On my way Husband, nice fighting, very hot. Three for you, one for me.”
“Watcher check M1.”
“He is wired with M112, four bricks, you may know it as C4. If we were to start him everything in the cave would be destroyed.”
“Thanks, send me the instructions for disarming him” Cristian removed the blasting caps and severed the connections to M1. He kept the explosives and put them under his jacket. “We may need this later.”
“Watcher what about his programming?”
“I have an older backup of his firmware we can revert him on boot up, once that is done I can update him.”
“Let’s get it done.” Within ten minutes M1 was back to himself.
“Thank you Cristian,” said the mechanical.
“How did they access you M1?”
“They had the command codes.”
“Watcher change them and yours.”
“Done Cristian.”
“No problem M1 good to have you back. Head to the cafeteria and help them if it’s needed. Is the elevator functioning?”
“Yes.”
“Watcher let’s go find their ship.”
“Cristian you will need the re-breather and bring the Lizard hand with you” He walked over to the Ascalon and reached inside.
At the elevator, he walked by the blast doors that were destroyed.
“Watcher get M1 to seal off this doorway from the toxic air.”
“He is on his way” Cristian put on the re-breather and went up the elevator. His office looked like a scene in one of those post-apocalyptic worlds that he had seen in many movies because it was. “Watcher, can you find the ship?”
“Yes, Cristian it is close to where the Camaro used to be parked.”
“Take the hand and touch the ship. I am cracking it now. Their software is nowhere near what ours is. I will be in a few seconds. Cristian we have control.”
“How do we fly this thing Watcher?”
“You will have to fly it manually until we can make some changes. Let’s get it to the cave.”
“I am guessing these two handles are the flight controls. This ship is a lot bigger than the Ascalon. I think you could carry eight people if you crowded them a little.”
After a little trial and error, Cristian managed to get the ship into the cave.
“Cristian I think you scraped the paint on that wall.”
“OOPS, man it stinks in here.”
“Reptilian skin, the Lizards seem to be shapeshifters they shed their skin when they change.”
With the ship parked beside the Ascalon, Cristian went into the cafeteria there were only a half dozen survivors left. They were distraught but alive.
“Lorelei, how is everyone?”
“Those Lizard bastards waited here for a month, they were killing survivors for sport. Cristian they ate them while everyone left was forced to watch.”
“Fuckers. How did they know we were coming?”
“I don’t know Cristian.”
“Paul any ideas?”
“I think you were betrayed.”
“Not possible no one knew we were coming?”
“They did.”
“Cristian.” A woman’s voice called from behind him.
“Yes”
“My name is Mary, Mary Wolf.”
“How is that possible? I was switched.”
“You were switched with an ancestor.”
“Well, mother where do we go from here?”
“You need to eliminate those reptilian bastards before they leave to scorch the earth.”
“That is what I have planned.”
“Son I am so pleased with what you have accomplished. Lorelei explained what you have done?”
“I got the earth scorched with Billions dead.”
“Lorelei tells me that she is to have a baby. I am very pleased”
“That your breeding program worked.”
“No son that I will be a grandmother.” Cristian smiled a little.
“Where are the Makers?”
“Dead. The reptilians killed them first. Including the one that donated the DNA you are carrying.”
“Where is Lorelei?”
“Cooking.”
“That is something she does love to do.”
“How did she get back to the past?”
“In your ship, your ship is the only one capable of travelling through the Kerr hole that we have.”
“Nikola dropped her off to find you.”
“Who dropped off Nikola?”
The man that took him was named Jensen. He was obsessed with horses and cowboys.”
“We didn’t know what happened to him. We found a picture of Ezra Miner holding Watcher in the archives.”
“Jensen fell off a horse and hit his head on a rock Ezra found him rotting in the wilderness and took Watcher,” said Cristian.
“How do you keep up with all of this son?”
“Alien DNA mother.”
“That must be it.”
“Watcher, what is the status of the second ship?”
“M1 is converting it to fly by thought. It should be ready in a few hours.”
“I wonder if food is ready I am getting a little hungry?”
The reptile bodies were gone and the green blood was cleaned up. The bodies were piled by the door ready to be taken outside.”
“Mother is the lab still functional?”
“Yes, son.”
“We have a few hours, can we look for any weakness in the Lizards that might help me kill them. I mean besides a close-range shotgun blast to the face.”
“Paul give me a hand with this stinking reptile” She yelled across the room.
“Be right there Mary just having some powdered eggs and beans.”
“Son, why do you need two ships?”
“I am taking all of you back to the past. Our child will need a Grandmother. Then I am planning to fly right into their base with their ship loaded with explosives. I saw it in a movie once.”
The Ascalon will follow me there so I can get out.”
“You named your ship the Ascalon?”
“It seemed right.”
“Yes, there is something you need to see.”
He followed her into one of the rooms originally built for the first members of the Alliance.
“This was Einstein and Hawking’s room.”
“You put them in the same room, that must have been interesting.”
“It was, they became the best of friends.”
His mother pulled a man’s necklace out of a drawer there was a silver medal with St. George slaying a reptile.
“This belonged to one of our ancestors and was passed down son to son. It belonged to my Husband. He was killed before you were implanted. I think it’s time you took it.”
“In all the other depictions this was a dragon. This is clearly a lizard.”
“They have been here on Earth for years.”
“So our ancestors have been fighting them all along,” said Cristian.
“Some of them yes. The story is the reptiles destroyed the Maker’s world. A couple of them escaped in the ship you call the Ascalon. They followed the reptiles here. They hid in the future so they could help get us ready for the battle. You are the result son a warrior that could defeat them.”
“So I was created as a weapon.”
“The Makers physiology was almost identical to ours. They looked like us. The two that were left were two males with blond hair. They looked like Scandinavians only taller and stronger. They helped choose the traits in their DNA that would produce what you are. They also helped Nikola create Watcher and the mechanical. They gave us everything including the Ascalon.”
“What about Hawking and Einstein?”
“Hawking was created for his intelligence. Einstein is not part of our program. He is an anomaly.”
“We were shocked when we saw pictures of Hawking in his chair in the archives. That shouldn’t have happened.”
“Watcher thinks the Lizards altered him.”
“We think they were responsible for some horrible things, abductions, mutilations, and experimentation. The Makers told us the stories of what they did on their world.”
“What about Lorelei?”
“Female warrior. She carries DNA from the other Maker and her father. It was hoped she would be able to procreate. She doesn’t know she is a Hybrid. I guess you are the new Makers.”
“I think she knows Mother, she is extremely intelligent. Any of them out there my brothers or sisters?”
“Half maybe, I only carried you.”
“Mom, let’s go have some food before the autopsy.”
“Cristian I have collected the reptile weapons for you to look at.”
“Thanks, Paul. Let’s have M1 look at them. I am going to have a bite.”
“Husband I have put together a meal for you, exquisite powdered eggs, beans, pan bread and coffee with powdered milk. It is from the stores of food you assembled 500 years ago. Fucking Lizards destroyed my greenhouse.”
“I have never heard you use that language, Lorelei.”
“I am angry Cristian they will pay for what they did.”
“Yes, they will Wife. I promise.”
“How are your 500-year-old eggs?”
“Excellent as always sweetie. Wife, there is something you need to know.”
“Yes, Cristian.”
“We are both Hybrids.”
“I know and our baby is as well.”
“Just sharing what I found out sweetie.”
“I appreciate that Husband.”
“Cristian your mother has started the autopsy did want to attend?”
“No Paul I need some more eggs.”
“Coming right up Husband.”
“Paul tell your people to pack lightly I am taking you to the past.”
“Yes, Cristian.”
“Watcher status?”
“At least an hour Cristian.”
Breakfast was eaten and Cristian moved two tables away from one of the walls in the cafeteria.
“Watcher?”
Two wall segments moved to reveal the Gun wall there was a slight hiss when the wall opened. “Good the seal wasn’t broken.”
“Load up Lorelei we will need some of these.”
“Husband you sure know how to impress a girl. Ooh, shiny Uzi’s.”
“We need to pack the second ship with explosives and leave enough room to carry everyone including M1. We can always use two of them.”
“Cristian.”
“Mother what did you find?”
“The kill zones neck, head and crotch. I don’t think their hearing can handle loud noise. 25 db would be enough to disable them for a second louder could incapacitate them. One more thing their brains are small compared to ours. They may be vicious killers but don’t expect much of a conversation.
“Soldiers, they must be someone’s muscle. That will help.”
“Son I have something else for you. It belonged to the Maker you would consider your DNA Donor.”
“A sword?”
“More than a sword it will cut through steel, and it has a shield that will protect you from energy weapons fire. Try the weight, away from people.”
“Cristian felt the sword vibrate slightly as he pulled it from its scabbard. It was three feet long and seemed to glow blue.”
As he was brandishing the word he heard the blast from one of the reptilian guns. The energy was completely absorbed by the sword. It formed a shield around his body.
“MOM, it’s not nice to shoot at your son.”
“I needed to demonstrate son.”
“Impressive I’ll take it; do you have one in pink for your daughter-in-law?”
“Husband always thinking of me that’s nice.”
“There is a second sword. The swords will only function for a Maker. I wasn’t sure if you carried enough DNA to activate it.”
“Mom don’t you think we should have tested that before you shot.”
Mary just shrugged her shoulders and walked off.
“Your mother is way cool Cristian.”
“I like her too Lorelei. She shot an Alien gun at me.”
“Husband we match. I like the sword .”
“Mom put the pistol down don’t shoot the baby maker.”
She fired anyway. The sword protected Lorelei.
“See it’s okay Cristian, your mom shot at me too.”
“Cristian the ship is ready we just need a test.”
“On my way Watcher.”
“M1 your designation has changed you are now M2. You will need a new face.”
Cristian arrived at the ship where he was met by John Wayne.
“M2 that is almost sacrilegious if you could choose someone a little different.”
“Go ahead Lizard, make my day.”
“Great Dirty Harry fights the Lizards perfect. I like it.”
He thought the ship up and turned it around.
“Seems to function Watcher.”
“M2 let’s get everyone loaded in and fill the remaining space with guns, ammo and explosives for the fight. We also want to destroy the cave, if they come back we want them to think we are all dead.”
“I can rig the power plant to blow Cristian.”
“Have it remote trigger M2.”
Cristian went back to the cafeteria and rounded everyone up. He noticed that everyone was armed, each carrying a small bag of Ammo. “It’s time to travel.”
“Lorelei let’s bring the 50 Cal, for fun. We can each have one that way.”
“Sweetie my own 50 Cal with a scope. You are so thoughtful.”
“Most girls want diamonds my girl wants more guns and ammo. You gotta love her just for that.”
He walked up and kissed her. “Let’s go back to feed the cats and then go kill some Lizard people.”
“Sounds good to me Husband.”
“M2 grabbed a Smith & Wesson 44 Magnum and shoulder holster, to complete his Dirty Harry ensemble.”
The six survivors, M2 and a shit load of explosives, guns, and ammo were packed in the second ship. Lorelei and Cristian got into the Ascalon and they headed out. The planet was dark there were no lights anywhere.
“Now Watcher blow it up.” They could see the flash from space the explosion was massive. “Watcher do you have control of both of the ships?”
“Yes, Cristian.”
“Great I am going to spend some time with my wife.”
“I understand Cristian.”
Lorelei was wiggling around in the tight cabin of the Ascalon.
“What’s up, sweetie?”
“My armour is a little uncomfortable I am taking it off.”
“What are you wearing underneath it?”
“My smile Husband.”
“A man’s work is never done. Good work too, if you can get it.”
“Cristian Wolf, are you complaining? Never mind I see the answer.”
“He pulled off his jeans and armour as fast as he could in the cramped quarters.”
No one could hear all the noise they made in space.
“I not hurting you or the baby am I?”
“Not any more than usual Husband.”
By the time the ship arrived at the Kerr hole they were dressed and in each other’s arms.
“Cristian will we always be, like this?”
“As long as we both draw breath Lorelei that I promise.”
“Good answer. Do think our Alien DNA is why we are so, um affectionate?”
“Nope.”
“Another good answer.”
“Watcher are you in contact with the people in the other ship?”
“Yes, Cristian they are all well.”
“Let them know where we are. Are their shields functioning? Can you put them to sleep?”
“Done yes and yes and done.”
“Then let’s go through.”
“See you at the cave. Cristian.”