All Out of Time (Ethereal & Jake G.)

30 November, 2018

Sergean First Class Aaron RaderSergeant First Class Aaron Rader arrived at the non-descript building located in a faraway corner of the Los Alamos National Laboratory.
Aaron had been with Project Pegasus for 2 years now.

He had been recruited by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency into the project which was classified Cosmic Top Secret following his leading some extremely dangerous black operations in Iran, Afghanistan and Pakistan as a member of the Combat Applications Group, also known as Delta Force.

When he was made aware of the tasks that Project Pegasus he was stunned silent for over an hour. But there was going to be no way he did not accept the offer.

Aaron had learned that in the late 1960’s the government had created a teleportation device that allowed for human beings to travel through time.

They had put Aaron through 8 months of training on how the system worked. It was difficult material to learn. Aaron had majored in criminal justice at Texas A&M. The material he was directed to learn was stuff like quantum mechanics.

The basis for the ability to travel in time rely on the works of Nicola Tesla. Tesla found a way to derive a certain kind of energy from the quantum plenum. This was energy that Tesla called “Radiant Energy” and demonstrated that this energy is pervasive and latent throughout the Universe.

This energy has as one of its properties, the instructors taught, the capacity to bend the fabric of time-space.

In the 2 years since coming onto the project Aaron had witnessed Lord Cornwallis surrender his army to the Continentals at the Battle of Yorktown. Aaron had been on the grassy knoll in Dealy Plaza in Dallas on November 22, 1963 and was one of the few people alive who knew the facts about the second gunman.

At the start of the project the technology was used to gather strategic intelligence from the future, to give the government an advantage in foreign policy.

Then came Grozda Sokoloff.

The former Bulgarian secret police soldier, who took part in the torture and murder of antigovernment dissidents in Bulgaria who had suddenly become a billionaire financier managed to either bribe or threaten some of the physicists who worked on the project and had them build him one. They had discovered that Sokoloff and his crew were teleporting back in time trying to bring about his utopian ideal world, as well as make themselves wealthy beyond all comprehension. Aaron and his team now spent most of their time teleporting and preventing it.

So now Aaron and his team mate, Mike Randolph were getting briefed on their current deployment.

They were to be teleported to Egypt, 2569 B. C. The electro optics were indicating that someone from the future had teleported to that period and was removing large amounts of gold from the recently completed Great Pyramid of Giza. That had to be Sokoloff.

If he got the shot, Aaron was going to put a bullet through the man’s face.

They strapped into the containment vessel, which was located in the plasma containment room. The subjects being moved through time had to remain totally motionless or bad things would happen.

Once strapped down the switch was thrown and the blue haze illuminated, which was followed by blackness.

When Aaron opened his eyes, he allowed the nausea of time travel to dissipate.
Mike was already up and collecting his gear. The technicians had put them down on a hill 100 meters west of the pyramid at night. They had no idea how long they had before the sun rose so the set to work.

Aaron and Mike wore their digital dessert camouflage uniforms and armour plates.

They quickly established there hide site and found their target. A period Bedouin tent near the entrance to the pyramid.

Aaron was behind the 6 X 48 scope attached to M1A.
Aaron was watching the tent for less than half an hour when he saw movement coming from the tent. The first subject was very dark skinned and dressed in local garb. The next subject was wearing a long flowing white robe. Zooming in on the face, Aaron saw it was a Caucasian male.

“Do you have eyes on the White face?” Mike whispered softly.
“Yeah, he is out of place…just a little.” Aaron flicked the switch, from SAFE to FIRE.

More subjects came out. Only 3 were Caucasian looking. They were dead men walking.

Aaron got a good sight picture and relayed to Mike the target he was prosecuting. He let out a breath, centered the cross hairs right between the eyes, then at the bottom of the exhale, Aaron squeezed the trigger.

The head exploded.

The local Egyptians, who were living their lives 2000 years before the birth of Christ had no idea what had just happened. The White men did.

They began scrambling for cover.

Aaron called out his second target and Mike replied immediately with range to target.

The trigger was squeezed and another Time Violator was extinguished.

The third target thought he had cover but he was incorrect. The 7.62x39 round easily went through the wood and killed him.

Just as Aaron was going to punch Mike in the bicep for a job well done, Mike hissed, “New target…20 meters just right of that wagon...”

Aaron quickly scanned and saw him

He was dressed as an Egyptian noble, but it was him.

Grozda Sokoloff.

Aaron was sighting in and he saw that the socialist billionaire was not even trying to get to cover. Aaron thought Sokoloff was going to make it easy for him.
Then Aaron saw he held a device in his right hand. Sokoloff held it up over his head.

Then he appeared to squeeze it.

A black circle, surrounded by a signal blue haze formed and began moving at high speed toward them.

“Mike! Don’t fuckin move!” Aaron screamed as he grasped his rifle and the case with computers and other equipment.

The black orb moved over him. The screeching sound of time travel filled his head. Then blackness…

Aaron came to.

He was lying in a forest. The only sound he heard was Mike screaming.

Mike’s molecules had merged and become superimposed with a large oak tree.
Aaron staggered to his feet and walked over to the molecular mess that was still living...in a sense.

Mikes right ankle and foot was 4 feet above the left side of his face. Mike’s left eye showed crazed fear and pain.

Aaron pulled his Glock .40 pistol.

“I’m sorry Mike.” Aaron said over the screaming.

He placed the barrel of the pistol on Mike’s left temple, just below the tree bark his face had merged with and pulled the trigger.

The screaming stopped.

Nausea passed over Aaron. He threw up then managed about 7 steps before he passed out into the grass

24 May, 1546

"How long will you be gone?" Amelia asked, a slight hint of hesitation in her voice as she peered over at her husband, who was skillfully avoiding eye contact with her as he gathered a variety of papers from his desk that she was perched upon, stuffing them into his satchel.

"I don't know, Amelia." Henry responded after a moment, his tone conveying his irritation. "A day to travel there, three to four days in the city, a day to travel back. A week at most, likely less."

Amelia pondered his words, though she didn't say anything in response.

"Is that alright with you?" Henry retorted when she said nothing to him, his words laced with thick sarcasm as his eyes locked onto her face. He was expectantly waiting for an answer, and though Amelia had nothing to say, she knew that if she didn't muster something, his anger would only increase.

"I never said it wasn't." she replied quietly, her eyes staring down at her hands as they nervously picked at her dress.

Before marrying Henry, she had been a bright, outspoken girl. She'd been happy, cheerful, talkative. Since living with him, he had backed her further and further into a corner in which she remained silent, scared, and altogether unhappy.

The truth was, she'd tried to love him. And there were times that he was pleasant enough. They were simply two different people, and Henry wasn't in it for love. He had his mistress for that, and he would surely see her while he was away in London. He'd married Amelia after his first wife died, and while he had seemed like a charming man, he proved to be everything but. Amelia had tried to get to know him, tried to love him in a way that she assumed a wife would love her husband, but he wouldn't let her. Perhaps, she would never live up to his first wife, but from what she had been told, he hadn't treated her any better.

She had only been 17 when she married Henry, nearly three years prior. His decision was a rash one at that, marrying a common girl he'd met through his travels, rather than one of the many noblewomen that would have happily lined up to take his side.

When he met her, he was different than he was now. He had seduced her, made her feel special. He made her believe that he loved her, and sometimes, she believed he did. He could be caring, and he could be kind, but mostly, he was just a selfish man.

Amelia, though she was of a far lower status than he, had been exactly what he wanted after his first wife died. He wanted a young, beautiful woman that could bear him more children, only having one surviving son from his first wife.

He swept Amelia off her feet, taking her away from the small town that had been the only place she'd known, away from her friends and family. It didn't take her long to see that he was not the man he had portrayed himself as though, quickly learning his brutish ways after having moved into his home in Surrey.

And now there they were, three years later. Amelia was broken, and Henry was angered that in all that time, she had not yet given him a child. That simple fact strained their relationship even further, though it didn't stop Amelia from trying.

"Glad to hear it, Lady Amelia approves." he spoke with a fake tone of happiness, his words pulling her away from her thoughts.

There was a bitter smile on his lips as he stood from his desk, grabbing his satchel before leaning in and pressing a kiss to her forehead.

"See you next week. Don't have too much fun without me, darling." he spoke as he began to walk towards the door.

"I'd like to say the same to you.." Amelia responded quietly, though she hadn't necessarily intended for him to hear the words.

Henry froze in the doorway, drawing in a deep breath as though to cool his rage before turning back to face Amelia. He would know what she was referring to, fully aware of the fact that his young wife knew of his mistress in London. It was something the girl couldn't seem to accept, though it was a common practice, especially among the noblemen.

In an eerily calm manner, Henry turned back around and walked over to his wife, who was still perched upon his desk. Without warning, his hand came flying towards her, striking her on the side of her face as he kept his cool demeanor.

Amelia cried out, her hand flying to the spot where he had slapped her, her skin stinging as a bit of blood appeared on her lip. It wasn't the first time he had hit her, and certainly, it wouldn't be the last.

Without saying another word, Henry turned back around, exiting the room and making his way out to the horse that was being prepared for him.

For the longest time, Amelia simply sat there, tears in her eyes as she stared blankly off into the room. Finally, she stood, wandering off to the washroom within her bedchambers to clean herself up. She wiped the tears from her face, and the blood from her lip, though a bruise was beginning to form where his hand had come into contact with her cheek.

In that moment, all she wanted to do was disappear, to escape the life she lived in. As she had so many other times, she found herself wandering outside of the large home, the girl not bothering to tell anywhere where she was going as she walked further past the estate and in through the trees that laid behind it.

Henry had told her time and time again not to wander into the woods, speaking to her like she was a child rather than his wife. But he wasn't there right now, and she needed to get away.

The woods reminded her of home, the small town she'd grown up in having been surrounded by large forests.

When she walked through the trees, along the stream that traveled through them, she was able to catch a glimpse of the person she used to be.

For a moment, she almost felt happy, though her tranquil thoughts quickly dissipated as she heard screaming, followed by something that sounded like...a gun?

That was the only thing she could think of, recalling the way Henry's musket had sounded when she'd watched him shoot targets.

The sound was loud, echoing through the trees, and despite the voice in Amelia's head telling her to turn and run home, she found herself walking towards where the sound had come from, her eyes widening as she stepped through the trees.

The first thing she was was a man...or the remnants of one, bloodied and scattered within a tree. It didn't make sense, the ways his limbs were arranged, as though he was a part of the tree himself.

For a moment, she felt as though she was going to be sick, though as she tore her eyes away from the nauseating sight, her eyes glanced over something else. No, someone else.

Again ignoring the voice in her head that was now shouting at her to run, she continued to hesitantly step forward, moving faster towards the man on the ground as she realized that he wasn't mangled and bloody as the other had been.

Running to his side, she dropped down beside him, her eyes wide as she tried to figure out what to do.

At that point, she hadn't noticed his foreign clothing, or the strangeness of the metal device that laid next to him. She was primarily concerned about his well being, the girl leaning down and pressing her ear to his chest, as though she was trying to determine whether his heart was still beating.

Aaron stirred slightly.

He had the feeling that someone was there. He did not open his eyes even though he was conscious.

Then he felt pressure on his tactical vest and armor plate.

In one movement he grabbed the person by the throat with his left hand at the same time as flexed his hips and rotated his body so that now he was on top. He ripped the Tanto Cold Steel combat knife from its sheath on his tactical vest and held it at the persons throat, prepared to quickly and silently finish them.

An instant later he saw it was girl or young woman who was squirming underneath him.

Aaron held back with the killing motion he was a breath away from making.
He allowed his right hand and the knife in it to come away from her throat.
She was still squirming under him.

Aaron then brought the index finger on his right hand up to his lips and gave the universal signal to be quiet.

“Ssshhh” he hissed.

The young woman seemed to settle down, still staring up at him with…beautiful eyes. The eyes did hold fear in them though.
Aaron rocked back on his knees and then noticed the creamy white flesh of her legs.

“Do you speak English?” Aaron whispered

She nodded in the affirmative.

“I am going to let you up. If you scream, or make any noise…if you try to run or attack me…I will kill you. Do you understand?”

When she acknowledged him, he stood up to his full 6 feet, 2 inch height.

He stared at her for a minute.

Aaron saw a very beautiful young woman staring back at him.

Aaron shook it off then looked around. He found the metal pack which house the computer system. It had been preprogrammed to communicate with the ops center. Also in the case was his own portable device to send him back to his timeline.
He glanced over at the young woman who was watching, fear still on her face but remaining calm.
He knew the policy about utilizing the equipment and one of the rules he wasn’t supposed to use it in front of people from different times. The fear was simply using it could cause a disruption in the time line.

Aaron could just let the girl go. But most assuredly, she would run to tell someone and then he might have to deal with that problem which could cause even more disruptions.

Aaron decided that this was exigent circumstances.

Aaron withdrew the laptop computer and powered it up. The computer ran on a secret battery system created by DARPA that would run for 3 months before even beginning to lose power.

He immediately saw a message indicator and it was flashing red. That meant it was a serious, urgent message.
Checking it he saw that the ops center had sent a message which read, “OPS CENTER COMPROMISED. TERRORIST ATTACK. UNABLE TO LOCK IN ON YOUR POSITION. USE PORT A TO RETURN IMMEDIATELY. THIS IS ALPHA 2 KILO PRIORITY.”

“Holy shit…” Aaron said out loud. The ops center had been attacked and they had no idea where he was and, in addition to not being able to retrieve him, they had no idea what time he now existed in. That meant he could not get any assistance from the history techs on any information about the time period.

Again he looked up at the young woman whose face had lost the look of fear and gained the look of curiosity.

Aaron still typed out a reply stating that he copied the message and would comply with the directive. knowing they would not be able to read it.

Aaron then looked at the young woman and asked, “The year. What year is it?”

She looked very puzzled then managed to say, “Sir, it is the year of our Lord, 1546.”

“Damn…” Aaron said.

Pulling out the portable plasma containment unit and inspected it. He powered it up then got several failure indicators as the internal computer of the device ran a systems check.

“You have got to be fuckin kidding me. Fuck me.” Aaron said out loud.

Aaron was not going anywhere for a while.

Everything happened so fast, one moment checking the see if the man was alive, the next finding herself pinned beneath him.

A scream formed in Amelia's throat, though the sound had no time to escape her as the man's hand gripped her throat, her eyes widening upon the knife that he brought down towards her. It was unlike any knife she'd seen before, though that wasn't a thought she lingered on as she stared helplessly up at the man who'd she intended to try and help.

A shaky breath left her lips as he motioned for her to be quiet, the girl silent as she trembled beneath him.

She nodded quickly as he told her he would let her up, drawing in an unsteady gasp as he released her and stood above where she now laid on the ground.

With a look of hesitation in her eyes, she scrambled up into a sitting position.

It was only then that she realized how her dress had ridden up, a blush coming to her pale cheeks as she hurriedly smoothed the fabric down. For a moment, she couldn't bring herself to stare back up at the man, though she could feel that his eyes were upon her.

It was only when he stepped away from her that she allowed her gaze to follow, her look of fear turning to one of curiosity as he began tampering with...whatever it was.

Her eyes watched intently, moving between the man and the device that he held.

She found herself leaning closer towards him, as though to get a better look, though she hadn't yet stood from where she remained sitting on the ground.

When he glanced back over to her, she quickly looked away, and it was only when he spoke to her again that she found her eyes lifting to meet his.

Her tone was quiet, meek as she answered his question, her curiosity sparked further by his reaction to her answer.

Why wouldn't he know what year it was? And why would he seem to react in such a way upon learning the time he seemingly hadn't known?

She was silent as he cursed, and she found herself wondering just what it was he was upset with. The year, or the device he held?

If he were to look at her again, he would see the way her lips were parted slightly, as though she intended to speak.

And she wanted to, but what was she to say to a man that had nearly killed her? The thought made her realize that perhaps, she should have been frightened. Maybe she should have run, tried to make it back home, yet her curiosity kept her there sitting before him.

There were so many questions she wanted to ask, and in each moment that passed, more and more of them seemed to form in her mind.

What had happened to him?

Why had he nearly attacked her when she tried to help him?

What happened to the man in the tree?

Why was he dressed so strangely, and where was he from?

What was the device that he fuddled with, and why did he seem so upset?

Was he in trouble?

Why didn't he know the year?

She wanted to ask all of these things, to try and figure out just what was happening, yet she could only manage to muster three, simple words.

"Are..you alright?" she spoke hesitantly, asking the one question that wouldn't reveal much about him, yet it was the one thing she seemed to care most about.

She had always been the kind of person to look out for the wellbeing of others, even those she didn't know. Things were no different with this man, and despite the oddities that seemed to come along with him, it was obvious for her to see that he was in some sort of distress.

Of course, she owed nothing to him, and yet again, she found herself knowing that her best option would be to leave. Whatever was going on with this man, it wasn't good.

Yet, she remained where she was, patiently waiting for his answer.

Aaron had never felt so lost.

This was something they never trained for and he was at a total loss for how to proceed next.

As he was feeling so helpless and doomed, the young woman spoke.

"Are..you alright?" she asked softly, her accent was very British.

Aaron turned and looked at her, his face losing the stern look of an operator.
Now, he looked like a lost soul.

The thought that this young woman was incredibly beautiful popped into his head and he looked away from her.

The policy was there was to be no communication with people of a different time period. Aaron knew that this situation was unplanned in every way so the policy and procedures manual was out the window.

He turned back to look at her beautiful face, filled with curiosity.

The slightest hint of a smile appeared on face.

“No…I am not alright.”

Aaron began packing his equipment back in the carrying case. As he was breaking things down and stowing them he began thinking. This was something that had never been even considered as a possibility. This was unknown territory for the time jumpers.

The special forces solider in him began coming forward.

He knew he was going to have to make this up as he went.

The highest priority would be to limit the time disruptions as much as possible. To Aaron, it would be damn near impossible to not have any kind of disruption under these conditions so he would have to limit them.

As he finished he glanced over at the woman…she was probably closer to a girl.

He realized it might be advantageous to have an ally right now.

She could fill in some answers as they came up.

He also knew, that somewhere, very nearby, Skolov was in this world also and he would have no problem manipulating the people of this time.
Aaron was still on his mission. He would find and terminate Skolov at the first chance he got. To do that he would definitely need help.

Still looking at the young woman, Aaron said, “My name is Aaron. Do you know of some place where I can sleep, maybe get something to eat?”