Tick Tock

[Tachyon 0]

The list was infuriating short, and even more inaccurate. Frustrated, he crumpled it up and threw it into the waste bin.

 

Rawel had spent the last hour trying to figure out who he could trust. The answer was: no one. But that still didn't solve his problem. His sister had more people working on this project than he did! He was outnumbered.

 

Only three of his original lab technicians were left. Patricia O'Carey, Sam Flennett, and Morris Clark. He didn't know if they could be trusted, but they were his only hope. Reluctantly, he reached paged them across the Net and asked them to meet him at his home tomorrow afternoon. It was of the utmost importance.

 

--------------------------------

 

"My brother still suspects nothing," Robin reported. Everything so far was going to plan--but that still didn't mean that something could go wrong.

 

"Excellent. It is of the utmost importance that this project is completed, but only on our terms. If you fail, then you will have doomed humanity."

 

"I understand. Our place is not out amongst the stars. We brought the Andorians' wrath down upon us, we should stay on Earth where we belong. It's not like we don't have enough space anymore, we don't need to venture into space."

 

Her superior's obscured head inclined slightly. "This is so. We were too late to stop colonizing the solar system, but we must not let the government take us beyond. It would endanger everyone's lives."

 

Robin turned to leave. But before she passed through the doorway, she remarked, "It's a shame . . ."

 

He was startled. Robin was not the one to feel remorse in that manner. "What's a shame?"

 

Instead of replying, Robin silently left, leaving him to sulk and meditate on her remark. What was such a shame?

 

---------------------------------

 

They were all here. Rawel and his three colleagues. They sat in his living room, supposedly informal, but the atmosphere was full of tension. All of them knew that something was afoot.

 

"What I am about to say," said Rawel, "does not leave this room, under any circumstances. I trust you three enough not to betray me." He added a silent, "hopefully" to that message.

 

The three nodded, and Rawel continued in a slow, unsure voice. "I have discovered that . . . the extent of the sabotage to this project . . . was worse than we thought.

 

"The new lab technicians are not from Starberg. They are actually rebels who are rewriting the Challenger computer so that it will cause the destruction of the ship."

 

He waited for this news to sink in. Each and every pair of eyes had widened slightly, and even a small gasp escaped Patricia's mouth. Morris blurted out, "But that's insane!"

 

Rawel shook his head. "Not from the rebel point of view. The Challenger is everything the stand against: expansion into the rest of the universe. But it's our job to see this through." He looked around. "We have to finish this project, and we have a little over a month to do so. Not only do we have to undo the damage that's been done, but we have to prevent further sabotage and make sure that these technicians don't know what's going on.

 

"I can't do this by myself, I haven't the time nor the energy. We have to work together, or else when they install the computer next month, something will go seriously wrong. I am asking you three to help me."

 

They sat in silence for what seemed like a millennium. Then Sam's voice spoke up. "Okay."

 

Rawel lifted his head from where he had been cradling it in his hands. "What?"

 

"Okay," Sam repeated. He shrugged, and looked around at his coworkers. "C'mon, how often is it that you get a chance to save the world?" He grinned, and the grin was infectious. Even the withdrawn and stoic Morris gave a brief chuckle before the mood in the room turned more serious.

 

Rawel said, "Okay then, it is agreed. This is it. The clock is ticking, my friends. So here the gloves come off."