A.R.: Beyond the Universe

Alex wakes to the sounds of MacGuyver’s barking. The little Shetland sheepdog is getting up in years and needs to go out and do his business for the morning. Alex reaches over, turns off the alarm on the clock, and crawls out of bed. It is 5:29 in the morning, one minute before the alarm is set to sound. No use waking Sara. Frankly, he never understood how she could sleep through the dog’s barking but wakes in an instant when the alarm sounds.

“It’s Saturday morning. Might as well let her sleep,” he says in a quiet voice to the dog. He knows the elderly dog’s poor hearing prevents him from hearing to anything he says when he speaks that low, but the dog always seems to appreciate it when he is given any attention.

Alex heads for the bathroom, does his business, and slips on some sweat pants and a tee shirt. Out of curiosity, he checks the weather outside. It’s a cold, wintry day. With the blizzard that rolled in yesterday, the snow must be 3 feet thick by now. “Good thing I don’t have to go out in that mess,” he thinks to himself.

He puts on some socks and sneakers, heads for the living room, and grabs the leash. The dog knows this means he’ll get to go out. Alex bends down and hooks the leash onto the dog’s collar, grabs his and the dog’s IDs and heads for the door. As he approaches the front door, the system operating the door recognizes him, and the door slides open automatically.

“You know, MacGuyver, I still love not having to deal with locks and door knobs,” he says to the little dog. But the dog’s attention is now on how fast they can get to the park.

Alex looks left down the corridor and then right. It’s a pleasant 72 degrees in the Complex, as usual.

After living in the Complex for over six months, you’d think he would be used to it by now. Living this far underground has its advantages: the constant temperature, no bad weather, no traffic jams, and no noisy jets taking off or landing at the airport, pushing their loud sounds into his house. Even now, every time he leaves his new home it still feels a bit off to him. Back at his house, he had been so used to going out his front door and seeing his yard and the houses in the neighborhood, but now he is far from that life.

As he leaves his suite, he looks up to see a dark sky with stars twinkling overhead.

“Hey, they installed some of the overhead displays last night.”

When he first moved to the Complex, the ceilings in the corridors were covered with suspended ceiling tiles. After the explosions that destroyed the Level One Complex, most of the ceiling tiles fell. They decided to take them all down for safety. After that, they had to look at the cracked ceiling slab for a while until they had them patched. But now it looks very nice. They lined the entire corridor ceiling with a single, continuous digital HD display to create the effect of walking outside. Now it shows a night sky. After all, it is still night outside. He wonders if the display will change when the sun comes up on the mountains almost 25 miles above him. Looking down the corridor towards the chute tells him the answer. There, the dark sky above him is fading fast as a rising sun starts to illuminate the ceiling next to the chute.

Fully awake with his dog by his side, Alex is in a very good mood – he loves sun rises. They walk down the long, well-lit corridor and head for the park a few doors down.

It is a quick walk to get to the indoor park. As they see the sign for the park on the wall, MacGuyver begins to pick up his pace. He recognizes the location and knows the park is there. Before the dog can get to the door, the system operating the door recognizes him and opens the door for him. Alex follows the dog into the park, bends down, and removes the leash. He knows they will be the only ones here at this time of morning and it is safe to let the dog run loose. The Complex never shuts down. There are people working during all times of the day. While this park is one of many are in the underground Complex, he, Sara, and MacGuyver are the only ones who live on this level and use it on a regular basis. Everyone else uses parks on the upper levels where they live. After the explosions, this level was almost deserted, along with the level above them. They had moved up many levels to get away from the damaged areas.

Level One was unusable. It had been filled one-third with lava when the explosions occurred and for several weeks afterwards had dangerous gasses in the air. After Alex, Sara, and her sister, Kate sealed the cracks, they had to wait until experienced technicians could come in to extract any usable equipment. The problem is that this equipment had been made and installed by beings long before man walked on the earth. It had been there for millions of years, buried beneath the Himalayan Mountains; waiting until the time it would be needed or used.

Now that its job of defending this reality has been completed, the Complex is no longer required to act as a massive storage unit for the energy needed to create the barrier. As such, the loss of one of the damaged deep-core power rods is of no consequence in the operations of the Complex. It does not need the missing power rod to continue providing enough power to its occupants. It has many more subterranean power rods located in other places. In fact, because the energy needs of the current inhabitants are so small compared to that the amount necessary for storing energy as a defensive weapon, it can easily manage on just one of the power rods.

However, that did not lessen the damage created on the lowest levels or the loss of lives that day. It took most of the last six months just to try to get critical circuits back online and bypass others. It would still be several more months before anyone could work down there again on a full-time basis. Part of Level 1 had received some very nasty amounts of radiation from equipment damaged by the explosions. Those areas had to be permanently sealed off, trapping forever the remains of several dozen dead technicians, engineers, and scientists. The rest of Level 1 had been cleaned up, but the hard part was still to come. They had cleaned and repaired what they could see. Then it was time to start working on buried or damaged circuits, equipment, wiring, etc.

A small army of technicians, engineers, and scientists were assigned to this task. One of the leaders was Dale, a tall, hefty man and a master at working with anything computer related. He is one of the few people who can usually succeed in figuring out how to fix something made or installed by the original builders. His mind works differently than others. His line of thinking is well beyond that of most of the more brilliant minds on the face of the earth. As such, he usually works several 18-hours shifts before someone forces him to slack off a little and get some rest.

It is a stretched Dale a very happy MacGuyver funds on the cool grass of the park and starts licking his unprotected face. The dog knows the man, and knows him well. When Alex and Sara went on their honeymoon 6 months ago, the care of MacGuyver fell to two people: Lilly, a pet sitting teenager who watches him most of the time and Dale, who cares for the dog for the rest of the time.

The dog is always glad to see either one of them. When Alex ran to see what had caught MacGuyver’s attention this morning, he had to start laughing when he saw the large man doing his best to keep the dog away from his face.

“Alex, can’t you two see that I’m trying to get a little shuteye here?” Dale asks them.

He looks at the furry dog that now almost has a look of disappointment on his face. Dale shakes his head back and forth and grins.

“Oh, alright, get over here,” he says and pats his leg, a sign for MacGuyver to come. The little dog’s face brightens up. His bushy tail swishes back and forth and he does his best to show his appreciation by trying, once again, to lick Dale on the face.

When at last the dog is finally satisfied that Dale is no longer mad at him, he settles down and walks off to do his morning business.

“Alex, its Saturday. Don’t you know that? You’re supposed to in bed with your wife, sleeping, or whatever it is that you married couples do on a Saturday morning.”

“Yes, it’s Saturday. I know it. You know it. The world knows it. But that little dog doesn’t. He used to get me up at 6:30 in the morning. Then he changed it to 6:00. Then it became 5:30. He woke me up this morning just before the alarm was about to go off. The older he gets, the less sleep I seem to get.”

“Yeah, every time you’re away and I watch him, I get the same feeling. But I still love the little fur ball anyway.”

Dale looks to see MacGuyver standing at the base of a tree, looking up into it and barking his little heart out. “Looks like he’s cornered a chipmunk,” Dale says.

“How are things on Level 1 looking?” Alex asks.

“It’s going to be a long time before we can start using the place again. I’m almost ready to declare it a disaster zone and call it quits down there. We can easily use another Level 1 control room at another deep-core pile. We’ve spent the last six months trying to get this one back in order. But with part of it sealed off permanently, it’s been a nightmare. Any chance you can use some of that magic of yours and help us out?”

“Sorry, but you know as well as I do, I have to keep word of what I am and what I can do from getting out. Only a select few know this information. If the world ever found out that someone living here is part alien, who knows what would happen,” Alex tells Dale.

“Remember what happened at my house the day I left? Remember what happened just moments after I left? What do you suppose that those people would try to do if they found out about me?”

“Yeah, I know, state secret and all that,” Dale says. “You two still coming over for dinner tonight? Kate’s cooking and I have no idea what she’s making. I’m almost suspecting that she’ll put on an act just to get you to do the cooking again. You’re a wonder out in space, but get you in the kitchen and no one ever goes hungry.”

Alex grins. Even he admits: get him in a kitchen and he really can cook. It’s one of the few things he loves to do.

“I can make a pot of chili and bring it, if you want me to,” Alex says.

“I’ll check with Kate, but sounds good to me” Dale says.

“Now, as for Level 1, what’s your real assessment of it?” Alex asks.

“I really am wondering if we’re wasting our time down there. I vote we move the equipment that’s still working or repairable to another Level 1 location and abandon this one completely. Any idea what Sara wants to do with the mess still left down there?” Dale asks him.

“She hasn’t said anything to me. I’ll see if I can get a feel for her take on it at breakfast,” Alex tells him. “In the mean time, if you want to finish catching some Z’s, we’ll head home so you can have a little peace and quiet. Sorry for the interruption. Come on, MacGuyver, let’s go get some breakfast.”

“Alex, we found something yesterday when we were taking apart a piece of equipment down there” Dale tells him. Alex has no problems in seeing a more serious look on Dale’s face.

“We found something that is not part of that piece of equipment. The only reason we know is because one of my techs designed it. He is the one who pointed it out” Dale says.

“Any ideas as to what it is” Alex asks.

“Yeah, it’s a remotely operated detonator that has not been set off.”

“You mean an explosive?”

“Yes. We started looking a little harder at the areas where explosions had occurred. We found two areas we can attribute to planted explosive devices. Ever since the explosions, I never did have a good feeling as to what exploded and when. I just never put it together until now. Looks like they set them off just after the first major explosion occurred when the power rod ruptured.”

“Were they remotely controlled or set off by someone in the room?” Alex asks.

“Looks like remote, but that isn’t what made them do off,” Dale tells him. “From the remains of one of the devices we found, probably a device that normally operates about 100 yards away. However, with the material that these walls are made of, I’d say no more than 25 or 30 feet. These walls tend to block a lot of transmissions. This means either they were on this level and pushed the button or on the next level up, right above the main control room. However, when we checked out the unexploded device, we found that the detonators were susceptible to the type of radiation that we found on Level One. The radiation broke down the type of explosive used and made it very susceptible to moving. When Level One shook hard from the main explosion, it detonated the hidden explosives in the room. Funny thing is…these things are not very powerful. They would not cause a lot of damage.”

“But if exploded, they would force an evacuation of the rooms affected. That might leave time for someone to get in and out quickly and take what they could”.

“Espionage?”

“Probably. We know the ones who tried to kill you have been trying to get a bead on this place for a long time. They’ve killed and tortured to get any information they could.”

“Do you think they are still here?”

“I’d like to say no, but with these people, we don’t know,” Dale tells him.

“Can you set the system to look for the type of explosive used?” Alex asks.

“Yeah, not a problem. Oh, I see…let the sensors look to see if it finds any more of the devices.”

“I’ll let Sara know what you found. She’s in charge of the Complex and will want to know firsthand what you find when you do a scan of the place. Hopefully, if those who placed them handled the devices enough there will be residue on either them or their clothing. Keep us informed.”

“Will do. Tell Sara I said Hi”, Dale says as he stretches back out to continue his nap.

The little dog had long since done his business and had been patiently sitting off to the side, waiting to hear that one magic word: breakfast. Many years ago, MacGuyver had learned several key words. He caught on the quickest with words having to do with food and eating. Even with his advanced years, his enthusiasm is very easy to spot. His eyes seem to get a little brighter, his ears stand up, his energy level goes up, and his bushy, fox-like tail quickly wags side to side.

“I see someone’s ready to eat,” Dale says, looking at the dog. MacGuyver is indeed ready to eat, but not before walking over to Dale to get a friendly pat on the head or a hug around his neck. On this morning, he gets both. Since Dale and Kate had moved in together, if Alex and Sara come to their place, they know it is more than OK to bring MacGuyver. It did not take long before the dog had developed an attachment to Dale and Kate, and vice versa. Both Dale and Kate had grown fond of the little dog and they try to help with his care when needed.

Alex heads for the door out of the park and picks the leash up from the ground. He then turns to MacGuyver and pats his leg, a sign for the dog to come. Satisfied with his visit to the park, MacGuyver trots over to his master and waits for the leash to be snapped onto his collar. With that done, the two make the short walk back to their place and enter through the sliding front door. The smell of coffee greets them as they enter the living room.

“You two have a nice walk?”

Sara is standing in the kitchen, getting stuff out of the fridge to make breakfast. She reaches over and takes a sip of coffee.

“Want some?” she asks him.

Alex gives her a kiss and finishes her cup of coffee.

“Hey, that was mine. Now I’ll have to make some more. While I’m doing that, you, kind sir, can make us something to eat. I’m starved,” Sara tells him.

Alex grins, kisses her again, and surveys the supplies to make breakfast with.

“Hmmm…no steaks. I vote for going out for some steak and eggs, hash browns, the works. Sound OK?”

“YOU want to go out for breakfast? Mr. ‘cooks everything at home’ wants to go out? What brought this on?” she asks him with a very surprised look on her face.

“Just thought it would be a nice change to start the weekend. How soon can you get dressed?” he asks her.

With a smile, she replies, “Give me 5 minutes.”

Alex is getting to know his wife. She is not like most women. She, unlike Kate, does not have to spend an hour to get ready to go somewhere. In a few minutes, she is dressed, hair brushed, looking as if she had just spent the last hour getting ready.

Alex is the holdup this morning. Unlike his wife, his hair looks like he had just put his finger in a light socket--the hairs on his head seem to go in every direction. It happens every morning. The only remedy is either a quick shower or a baseball cap. Alex’s showers take about as long as Kate’s getting ready, unless she joins him in the shower. He opts for the shower while she is getting ready.

It is 15 minutes before they are ready to leave. After feeding the dog, the two head out the front door and down the corridor to the chute.

The trip from Level 3 where they live to Level 89 is a quick one. Before Sara had met Alex, there was a little restaurant where she always liked to eat breakfast. It is still the only place that makes the omelet she likes: loaded with several kinds of cheese, fresh diced tomatoes, sliced honey glazed ham, and sautéed green onions and red peppers. They would never tell her what spices they used in it, but it always made for a great meal.

After leaving the chute, Alex already knew where they were going. It was a given they were going to Bill’s Kitchen, the small café where she likes to eat breakfast.

Unknown to Sara, Alex had already called ahead to the cafe. As they walk in the front door, a table is already set up just for them.

“Good morning, Sara. Hi, Alex. Your table is waiting,” Bill announces.

“Did everyone know about breakfast but me?” she asks.

“Well, I did.”

Sara turns around to see Kate walking in. She walks over and takes a seat at their table.

“Morning, you two. Sleep well?”

“Kate, what are you doing here?” she asks and then looks at Alex.

“Alex gave me a call,” Kate says, “and asked if I wanted to join you two for breakfast. It’s such a rare thing to hear him say that you’re going out that I just couldn’t resist. Now, I’m hungry. What’s for breakfast?”

Breakfast was superb that morning. Alex had his steak and eggs, Sara had her omelet, and Kate had thick-sliced French toast. Then Alex clears his throat and announces that he needs to say something.

“I think we all need to go for a walk. This concerns not only the three of you, but the rest of the Complex as well,” Alex tells them. There is a slight look of concern on his face.

“Three of you? Who’s the other one? And why are you starting to sound so serious?” Kate asks him.

“Hi, everyone. Too late for food?” Dale asks as he walks to their table. “Good morning, gorgeous,” he says as he bends down and kisses Kate.

“Dale, did Alex call you too?” Kate asks him.

“Yep. But he wouldn’t say why he wanted me here, though,” Dale says.

“OK, Alex, I give. What’s up?” Sara asks him.

As Dale eats breakfast, Alex has him tell the women about the explosive devices found.

“Have you had a chance to do a scan?” Sara asks.

“My people are working on the settings now” Dale tells her.

When Dale has finished eating, Alex stands up, a sign for the others to follow him, and they all head out the door for a walk.

“Any of you remember what happened that brought me here?” he asks them

“Sure,” Sara says. “You had that dream about the Void.”

“Yes, but I also dreamt about something else,” Alex says.

A look appears on Sara’s face as though she is thinking hard.

“Beat’s me,” Dale says.

“No idea here,” Kate adds.

“Wait a minute, there was the boy you saw. The one in the dream that made you feel like your head was going to explode when you looked at him,” Sara says.

“You had a dream about a boy?” Kate asks.

“Dude…” Dale says with a grin on his face.

“Yes,” Alex tells them. He recounts the first of many dreams about flying through outer space, about how he ended up on a strange looking planet with very odd-looking buildings on it. He tells them about the little boy who was doing strange things to a couple of floating balls that kept changing shapes and then seemed to merge together. Then the boy turned and looked at him. There was a lot of pain in his head and then he woke up in his bed, back in his house.

“Yes, I remember. We all suspected that somehow your DNA had been changed at about the same time you had that dream. But what has that got to do with us?” Sara asks him.

“I had another dream last night,” answers Alex.

“Oh, great! And you didn’t tell me! What was this one about?” asks Sara.

“In my previous dreams,” Alex says, “I was in space and saw the Void. I was seeing the present and that it was here in our universe. This time, however, I think what I saw in my dream may be future events.”

“What makes you say that?” Sara asks him.

“Just like the dream that showed me what happened out there with the Void, I saw Sara and Kate beside me, establishing a barrier.”

“Maybe you just dreamed about what had already happened. What makes you think it was the future that you saw?” Kate asks.

“Kate,” Alex asks her, “did you ever tell Dale about the ancient Collector that was found and used to help keep the Void at bay until the barrier had formed?”

“Yes, a little. Why?”

“Yeah, why are you asking about that thing? Exactly what is it?” Dale asks him.

“The Collector is a machine designed to collect energies from other realities to help start energy cycles going in a new reality. They are also used to power up the defense units when placed in a new reality. Whoever or whatever created the defense units left it there after this reality was up and going. It’s a single, massive piece of equipment about the size of a large planet.”

“And what does that have to do with me?” Dale asks Alex.

“You asked why I thought I was seeing the future and not the past. In the dream, I saw Sara, Kate, and I creating a barrier to stop the Void from going any further into a reality. But I also saw Dale at the controls of the Collector.”