Time Immemorial

By J. A. Schultz

They said that time travel was risky but it had been done before.
They said that there was no risk of paradox.
They said history couldn’t be changed.
They said the past, present, and future were safe.

They were wrong.

Now the survivors of a doomed expedition through time must find a way to survive in a world 370,000 years ago they know nothing of. A world that shouldn’t exist. But the question remains: who changed history? And why?

• Language: English
• Publisher: J. A. Schultz
• Release date: Oct 6, 2015
• ISBN: 9781311919113

J. A. Schultz

I was born then I started writing.

Book preview

PART 1

CHAPTER 1

It would have been nice if he could have felt the air hit his face. The day was perfectly lovely with billowing clouds, a slight breeze that swayed the fernlike leaves of the acacia. The sky was a deep blue, in fact far bluer than it ever was where James had come from. The deep shadows of the clouds roamed the savanna subduing some details of the landscape while bright patches of sunlight highlighted others.

A perfectly beautiful day.

Too bad James couldn’t really enjoy it.

All he felt on his face at the moment was the soft hiss of air from his sterile-suit’s ventilation system. Cool, antiseptic, and wholly artificial. In fact this was the same air he came out into this world with. His own breath, purified, scrubbed, cooled, and re-circulated. The only time the suit would take air from the outside would be in the event of an emergency.

And even then it would be purified and scrubbed.

A beautiful virtually untouched world existed beyond James’s visor and he would never be allowed to touch it. Even the samples he was allowed to collect here would be kept isolated and quarantined until they returned to base. Experts would be taking charge of those to be examined, dissected, and thoroughly analyzed. The only thing James had over them was the fact that he was here.

The largest handicap for James’s work was the lack of smell, though many of his colleagues thought it would be a blessing. He had been following the prints he assumed belonged to a Megalotragus for half an hour. The prints looked fresh, though with no heavy winds or recent rain it wasn’t easy to tell. But most of the scat he had come across was old, desiccated, or already being confiscated by dung beetles. Old scat he already had, which would be fine for discovering the diet of the animal in question. And he had those taken by the dung beetles- along with one of the beetles themselves. But he needed the fresh dung for the DNA and it would have been nice if he could actually smell whether it was fresh or not rather than prodding it with a tool.

If only the folks back home could see me now, James thought as he came across another pile. Billions of dollars spent to send people back in time to collect animal poop.

Well this would be one of the less glamorous jobs of the expedition. The public would be more excited by the images of extinct and exotic fauna they’d return with, though much of what they’d seen so far didn’t seem all that special. At least to the layman. The herd of the Megalotragus was about the most exciting thing seen so far on this stop. The Barbary Lions, though quite large and technically extinct, didn’t look that different than what could be seen in a zoo. The leopards and cheetah could still be found in wildlife preserves. Even the Atlas Bear sighted at their last stop differed little from living brown bears.

It probably wouldn’t matter that they had discovered sixteen previously unknown types of insect, four new lizards, and a type of long nosed rodent not found in the fossil record as of yet. One of his colleagues on this expedition, Linda Yonami, did find tracks of an elephant a few days ago, though whether it was from a species of Mammuthus or a local variety of Loxodonta or Elephas couldn’t be determined.

James coughed.

"Is that you coughing, MacAlister?" Commander Kulaska’s voice immediately burst through the speakers in his helmet.

Yes, mom, James replied as he started collecting a sample from the fresh scat. The scarabs hadn’t even found this one yet.

"Don’t be a smart-ass, James. I just want to know why you coughed."

Now that you mention it, my air supply seems to be getting a bit dry.

Sounds like your humidifiers are down. I’ll have that sister of yours look at it. Did you hear that, Denise?

"Yes, mom," his sister replied in the same tone he had used.

James could hear Kulaska sigh. "Are all MacAlisters in the world wise-crackers?"

In this world I can officially say: Yes,

There was a crackle of static that might have been Denise snickering. Whatever it was Kulaska chose to ignore it.

"Well, when you’re done get back here and have that suit looked at."

On my way, James replied, sealing the container closed and packing it away. He was getting rather hungry anyway considering he’d left base camp before sunrise. To partially placate his empty stomach he tried to take a sip from the hydration tube in his helmet.

It was dry too.

Dr. Greenberg had been stirring his coffee for the last five minutes and it was starting to get on Elizabeth Kulaska’s nerves. It wasn’t just today, or the previous day. Or the day before that.

It was everyday.

Twice a day.

Elizabeth was fairly sure he wasn’t doing it just to annoy her, though with Louis one could never be too sure. But the galley’s dispensers did make the hot drinks a little too hot and even Elizabeth had to stir her morning tea for an extended length of time. No, she was sure it was the simple fact that the crew had been cooped up together for a month now.

The N2M was spacious enough for a crew of seven, their equipment, collected samples, and supplies. And of course they had the entire Pleistocene outside essentially to themselves. Their companion module, the N1M, had settled well to the northeast of their location. Close enough to be of assistance, but not overly neighborly. But whereas their research teams got to go outside, Kulaska- the Mission Commander and acting medic- had to stay with the module. Even her two engineers, Cheryl Johnson and Denise MacAlister, could go outside for maintenance.

That usually left Elizabeth alone with the expedition’s Temporal Mathematician, Dr. Louis Greenberg. He was one of the most important members of her team and he of course knew it. After their initial lift-off from Wells Facility in southern Spain, he was the one who guided the N2M to their target. And he worked tirelessly calculating the all-important Temporal Tolerance Index. The research crew could hardly take a step without Greenberg calculating the impact on their TTI.

Elizabeth and the rest of the crew had, of course, heard the horror stories about TTI. In the early days of Chrononautics a partial answer to the age-old question of temporal paradoxes had been found.

It couldn’t happen.

Paradoxes had been a staple of science fiction stories and almost universally the results were dire. Whole timelines were erased, with the inexplicable exception of the story’s protagonists of course, or worse the entire Universe would be threatened with destruction.

But when researchers sent a subatomic particle back in time to collide with itself, the offending particle simply vanished. Further experiments confirmed the result. Any particle, object, or probe sent back to change the past would disappear.

History was safe.

Debate continued to rage on what exactly happened to the objects in question. Some had suggested that another sci-fi staple, a parallel universe, was created with a new history. But with the rising and falling fortunes of scientific theories, the idea fell on hard times with physicists invoking new understandings of thermodynamics. Where would the energy and matter for the new universe come from?

I wouldn’t, Greenberg replied to a question that Elizabeth hadn’t heard come in and she chided herself for letting herself drift like that. Just content yourself with pictures.

Repeat message, Kulaska ordered, hoping whoever had called wouldn’t notice that she didn’t call them by name.

"I found a cache of spear points in Grid 12 and I’d like to take one for study," Dr. Ikram’s voice replied.

Elizabeth looked over at Greenberg, who simply shook his head. Comply with Dr. Greenberg. It’s too risky. Stick with pictures.

"I conferred with Dr. Rabin and neither of us can recall weapon caches being this old."

I understand, Michael. But we have our TTI to look out for. All the discoveries in the world won’t matter if he don’t get home.

"I’ll get some good shots of it," Dr. Ikram replied.

She caught Louis out of the corner of her eye looking at her briefly, no doubt wondering why she had bothered just to repeat what he had just said. What is our current TTI anyway? she asked him.

Louis swung his chair to his display screen. 94% at the moment. Could be better.

A 94% chance of getting home, Elizabeth thought. Louis may have thought it could be better but she was comfortable with it.

It had taken years for temporal physicists and mathematicians to develop the Temporal Tolerance Index. Years of trial and error in the laboratory with time traveling particles to see what would make them disappear and what wouldn’t. As with everything else in the world there were few absolutes. Occasionally particles or probes with a TTI of only 12% could be retrieved while others with a 96% rating would vanish. But those instances were rare and the Index usually gave good odds on the chances of success.

It was impossible to know what Sarah Rawles’s TTI had been when she vanished.

Elizabeth stood from her command chair and strode to the galley, hoping she hadn’t already depleted her daily ration of coffee. Sarah wasn’t something she wanted to think about right now.

Luckily she had one more serving of coffee in her daily allotment, a French vanilla flavor she’d chosen for the expedition. A pop-hiss from the port equipment locker coincided with the piping hot liquid hitting her cup. Even before Elizabeth picked up her cup and started stirring, Denise MacAlister had crossed the room and was looking off in the direction her brother had gone in.

We’re under T-minus seven hours, Denise, Elizabeth said as she retook her seat. did you and Cheryl get that panel strapped down?

First thing this morning, Denise replied without taking her eyes off the African vista. We’ve actually been spending the last few hours going over the landing struts. Cheryl’s been nervous since we hit that rock at the first waypoint.

She fell silent after that still looking off in the distance.

Watching won’t bring him back any quicker, Elizabeth said.

Denise sighed and turned away from the port. The similarities between the siblings was quite obvious, even more so now than when Elizabeth had first met them. Back then Denise had been a light blond much like Kulaska’s had been. But since hair dye wouldn’t be allowed on the expedition due to its chemical makeup, her hair had grown out into the same light mousy brown color as her brother’s.

The hair dye was something Elizabeth missed. Her own hair had gone from blond to a salt and pepper that made her cringe every time she saw her reflection.

I just haven’t been happy with his sterile suit since the first waypoint, Denise said. I’d like to have time to give it a good once over before he goes gallivanting off again.

Well, he’s going to have to secure all those samples he collected before liftoff, Elizabeth said. That should give you some time. She paused to share a conspiratorial smirk with Denise. If only she was a little older… By the way Cheryl’s been awful quiet… She moved to hit the talk button on her headset.

She’s been going over Winchester since we finished with the landing struts, Denise said instead. She wants to get all the telemetry downloaded before we put it into hibernation.

I thought Dr. Weigand was keeping that data on the N1M?

He needed more space for redundant files.

Dr. Radha says that Mrs. Weigand has been filling their files full of Mars images from her telescope, Louis said from this station. She thinks it looks green in this time period.

Elizabeth felt herself bristle a little. It was probably the cabin fever she was pondering earlier, but it also sounded like every word Greenberg spoke was condescending. Susan Weigand on the N1M had double duty on the expedition as engineer and astronomer. Astronomy wasn’t going to be a large part of the mission but it was important nonetheless. Her career dovetailed nicely with her husband, Dr. Hubert Weigand’s climatologic research, which was why both were on the expedition. However Louis seemed sure there was another more nepotistic reason for Susan to be on the crew of the N1M.

At least that was the impression Elizabeth, and most of the crew of the N2M, was getting.

There he is, Denise said as she had glanced out the port. A moment later she had crossed the room and the pop-hiss of the hatch heralded her departure.

Cheryl was still at her station when Denise slid back down into the N2M’s Veranda and she was so intent on her work she didn’t even take note of her return. Denise knew better though.

But she was going to disturb her in any event. Denise immediately went to the nearest workbench and started to bring out the tools she’d need to fix James’s suit, including the distilled and sterile water she’d need to refill his reservoirs.

When and if she could find where he was losing the water in the first place.

She checked the N2M’s total reserve and found that they were doing fairly good, even better than the N1M. She’d mentioned that to Cheryl when she was done. The engineering teams of the two modules had been keeping a low-key competition during the expedition. During the months they had spent in preparation for the mission, both Jaime Rodriguez and Susan Weigand insisted that the N1M would do better due to superior experience of their crew.

Both Denise and Cheryl Johnson vowed that they’d eat those words when they returned to the 21st century.

And so far they were doing well. Their water reserves were better off, though Jaime was already blaming a malfunction of the N1M’s water recycling pumps. Food supplies were also well off, though both Denise and Cheryl had both quietly skipped a meal or two to insure that. That was technically against regulations, but no one was going to complain about extra rations.

There was a faint vibration in the decking that told Denise that James was now in the outer airlock. It would only be moments now as his suit was being automatically cleaned and sterilized.

Their expedition in time looked to Denise more like a mission to Mars.

The inner airlock gave the customary pop-hiss and James stepped through already trying to get his helmet off.

Easy! Easy! Denise warned as she rushed to help her twin brother.

Water? was the first thing he said the moment the dome came off his head.

Cheryl was there quickly with a water bottle as Denise worked to get the rest of the suit off. Not so fast, she warned as James gulped.

I was half-tempted to get a drink out of that little stream on the way here, James said, handing the bottle back to Cheryl as Denise pulled the top part of the suit off. She quickly deposited the top along with the helmet on the workbench and came back for the bottom, which James had already slipped a leg out of. How much time do we have left?

Cheryl handed the water back to him and went back to her workstation. We’re at T-minus six hours and thirty-eight minutes. You’re not thinking on going back out already, are you?

If Linda can get the rover over here I wanted a look at the site Alyssa and Mike found. You know, that cache they found?

Mike called while you were out, Denise said, tossing the sterile suit bottom onto the table. Dr. Greenberg said he could only take pictures of the cache. She then looked at James’s helmet. You should have heard that, she said, looking at the radio.

I might have, James said. but all I was really thinking of was water at that point. He then looked down at his specimen case and realized that he should get them secured.

The specimen locker was just off the Veranda and was already half-full from their previous waypoints. Much of it was from the much easier to collect flora of Pleistocene Africa; seed pods, leaves, flowers, and pollen. Insects accounted for another large representation, including the sixteen new species. Then there were the lizards and other small animals. Large fauna was only represented by things like hair, blood, and mostly scat. But at their first waypoint James did manage to obtain a long bone from one of the Barbary Lions. As he entered the locker he could see the case:

MIS-11 WP2. Panthera leo leo. Femur. J. MacAlister.

Beside it were cases marked Ursus arctos crowtheri, Bos primigenius mauretanicus, and Xenocyon lycaonoides.

If I don’t find something from Mammuthus before we get home, I’m going to be crucified, he thought as he started cataloging what he had just found.

The DNA the biologists back home might be able to pull out of the Megalotragus scat was about the most exciting thing from this waypoint. Most people probably wouldn’t even know what a Megalotragus was. Even the term giant hartebeest would leave many scratching their heads.

It was all a far cry from that first mission through time. The one that excited the world and brought back images of prehistoric animals of the most exotic sort. Mammoths, giant sloth, and saber-tooth cats that were surprisingly spotted instead the flat dun-color often depicted. Saber-Toothed Tiger didn’t really fit anymore.

It was a silly name anyway since they weren’t really tigers to begin with.

But James understood that that first mission in time was more of a proof-of-concept expedition than a scientific one. Much like the first moon landing. More publicity stunt than science. As was the second mission.

The one that ended in the disappearance and presumed death of Sarah Rawles.

So as a result this expedition was more scientifically oriented and far more cautious. That had partially dictated where and when they went. Ancient Europe was out of the question due to all the paleontological digs conducted over the centuries. Mission planners didn’t want to risk inadvertently contaminating an existing dig that would affect their TTI. Large areas of Asia were dismissed for the same reason. Climate played a role as to their destination as well. The period of the Quaternary known as Marine Isotopic Stage 11 was chosen due to the presumed similarity with the environment of the modern world. But some access to ancient humanity was wanted and during MIS-11 that left out the Americas and Australia.

So by process of elimination that brought them to northwestern Africa.

Not that they had encountered many humans during the expedition, though they’d found plenty of evidence of their presence. The cache doctors Ikram and Rabin had found being the latest.

The people in this period were likely nomadic, Alyssa Rabin had told them during one of the pre-flight briefings. In all reality we will be lucky to see them.

They had seen them however and at their first waypoint, though the small band was a considerable distance away. Too far away to gain any useful information. Since then they had found abandoned campsites, stone tools leftover at hunting sites, footprints, and one extremely desiccated set of remains which were now in the sample locker of the N1M.

"James, you back yet?" Commander Kulaska’s voice shot from his earpiece.

I’m in the specimen locker. What’s up?

"Linda’s on her way here with the rover. Wants to know if you’re up to going to Rabin’s dig site."

James started making quick work cataloging his findings. I’ll be ready when she gets here, he said, slapping the last label on.

"What about your sterile suit?" Kulaska asked.

Damn, James thought realizing that he had forgot about that. I’ll check one of the reserves out.

"Remember, we’re at T-minus six hours now."

Yes, mom.

There was some static that might have been the mission commander grumbling.

When he strode back onto the Veranda, Denise looked up from her work on his regular suit. You didn’t tell her you were dehydrated, did you?

I’m not dehydrated.

Are too.

Am not.

"Children! Cheryl barked from her workstation. If you two don’t settle down, I’m going to turn this time machine right around."

Denise responded to the threat by sticking her tongue out at the senior engineer.

The rover had been specially built for the expedition. Like the two modules it was made primarily of corn-based biodegradable plastics with the bare minimum of modern materials. Even the batteries that provided power to its motors were organically based, the first of their kind. The wheels, wide and only partially inflated, were designed not to unnecessarily crush vegetation or errant small animals. Certainly not power efficient, but it kept their TTI up.

It was Denise’s turn to give the rover a quick visual inspection, though that only meant that she looked at it from one of the ports as Linda Yonami pulled up next to the N2M to pick James up. It certainly wasn’t an aesthetically pleasing vehicle, being even less impressive than the lunar rovers used by the Apollo missions. In fact it bore more of a resemblance to a slightly oversized golf cart than a scientific instrument.

Denise cringed slightly as Linda made a far too tight of a turn as she and James left. Linda should have known better considering she’d been there when Mission Commander Jacob Briscoe had rolled an identical rover in the mock-up chamber. That had resulted in two broken legs and Briscoe being replaced at the last minute by Elizabeth Kulaska.

A roll bar had been hastily added to the rover since then.

The rover didn’t leave a trail of dust to follow so it disappeared from sight quite quickly and the smell of food brought Denise back.

Cheryl was already at the small dining table that also doubled for a meeting table and occasional poker table. Dr. Greenberg was also there trying to engage Cheryl in conversation as the senior engineer pulled the lid off her prefab meal. The lid was labeled Yankee Pot-Roast though it certainly didn’t look like it. Louis had something that smelled of green pepper and southwestern spices. Whatever it was Denise couldn’t find anything in the dwindling selection that resembled it. Instead she selected a beef stroganoff- or at least it was marked beef stroganoff. Whether it would actually taste like it would be another matter.

…that would likely drop our TTI to zero, Louis was saying as Denise sat beside Cheryl. She wondered what the engineer had said this time to set Dr. Greenberg off on the subject of TTI.

Somebody step on a butterfly again? Denise asked as she pulled the lid off the self-heating meal and was immediately accosted by the smell inside.

"Dr. Greenberg was just describing what would happen if we accidentally landed near a camp of Homo heidelbergensis," Cheryl replied.

I don’t know, Denise said. we had that pride of lions crawling all over the Module at the second waypoint. That didn’t seem to affect us much.

For your information, miss MacAlister, our TTI dropped 2.67% because of that, Louis said, shaking his spoon at her disapprovingly. Contacting natives would be far worse.

What would be the difference? Denise asked.

Louis put his spoon down. "Just seeing us could alter their behavior. Could change their religious beliefs. Cause sudden innovation…"

I imagine that they’ve already saw us, Cheryl said. And wouldn’t the lions seeing us change anything?

Dr. Greenberg sighed. It’s like what Dr. Radha and I tried to explain before launch. He paused as if trying to find the right words. "Picture time as a road map between cities. The modern world is one city and where we’re at now is another. Now imagine history as following one particular road from this city and our city. If you don’t know the map you will just follow the natural course, taking wrong turns occasionally. But if you know the map you can avoid the wrong turns and even find shortcuts. Louis paused briefly to sneak a bite of his meal. That is how it is with history…"

Yes, yes, Cheryl said, sounding a little exasperated. "You have to know history in order to change it. I do remember the briefing, doctor."

Can’t lions change history? Denise asked with her mouth full. That and the coveralls she was wearing gave her a tomboyish aspect at that moment.

"Yes, which is why Dr. Radha and I dropped our TTI, but the lions here are extinct and we ultimately don’t know the path they took. We do know the path the natives took. And their path leads to us. We have to be careful that we aren’t introducing new ideas to these people."

What do you think would happen? Denise asked again and again her mouth was full. "Would we just fade away like in those old Back to the Future movies?"

Or we could wind up in another time stream, Cheryl suggested.

Impossible, Louis declared. We can’t have whole universes splitting off every time we’ve lost something in the past.

They have to go somewhere. How would something just… vanish?

Louis shrugged. There are several theories. Molecular dissolution…

Then we’d melt like in the remake, Denise added, but Dr. Greenberg continued without comment.

…and there’s an interesting argument that the offending object wouldn’t arrive in the past at all and remain in Temporal Null space.

Then since we’re here, we don’t have to worry about TTI, Cheryl said.

But we still have to go into Temporal Null to get home.

That’s what I like about having meals with you, doctor, Denise said between mouthfuls. You’re always so cheery.

They had been in the valley for several days now. The hunters had been the first to see them while trailing the Long Horns through the valley. Strange huts had seemingly appeared out of nowhere and odd bulbous people prowled the woods. When word of the intruders reached The People debate raged among the community and the Elders.

Were the Northern Savages back?

No, these beings were far different.

Perhaps the Fire Apes of the old days?

Possible, but who still living among The People had seen a Fire Ape? They were more legend than anything.

Attack them? Drive them from the valley? But the hunters didn’t learn how many of them there were or what weapons they might have. And perhaps they would not stay in the valley. Game was scarce this time of year. They could move on. Why risk the men of The People against an unknown enemy that might seek out better pastures?

In the end the Elders said to wait. The Silly Round Things might leave on their own or maybe prove to be of no threat. And if the Northern Savages did return they would encounter the strange creatures before entering The People’s lands.

But others, mostly the young, were inspired by the imposing huts the Silly Round Things built. Perhaps in time they could do the same.

CHAPTER 2

Despite himself James found that he’d stopped thinking of Linda Yonami as the slim and attractive woman he’d met during training. In fact he couldn’t quite remember when he’d actually seen Linda. All he knew of her now was a sterile suit marked with the words Number 1 Module and L. Yonami. Occasionally, if the light was right, he’d see hints of a pretty face behind the visor; a petite nose and eyes that were nearly black yet still shimmered with the light of enthusiasm.

And it was all particularly odd since he and Linda were colleagues with the same job. Both Modules were to have a naturalist on board whose primary job was to collect samples. Linda had been assigned the N1M and James the N2M. And they worked together quite often in the field and compared notes on a daily bases.

Yet all he saw of her was a space suit.

Do you remember the last time we breathed fresh air? James asked as Linda guided the rover between the trees and shrubs.

Do I! she declared as she artfully dodged between a very large boulder and a tree. Dad flew in from Washington and threw a huge barbeque on the top of his apartment building in Queens. Half the building showed up. I didn’t even know most of them. Why do you ask?

James shrugged, though he was sure Linda wouldn’t be able to see the gesture. I don’t know. We’ve been breathing sanitized air for so long I think I forgot was real air tastes like.

Well, it hasn’t been that long. It’s been like what? Two…?

Three months, I think.

Linda was silent a moment. That long?

Two months in training and quarantine and a month in the field. And James was nearly shaken out of his seat as Linda hit a small gully.

Funny, she commented casually. That wasn’t there in the last waypoint.

Are you sure you weren’t driving when Jake broke his leg? James asked.

Shut up.

The clouds that had built up earlier in the morning were clearing out now, bathing the African landscape in bright sunlight and raising the temperature. If it weren’t for the sterile suits cooling systems, James was sure he’d be sweating. And not just from Linda’s driving. He did take note of a group of birds off to the east that were circling. Vultures perhaps and he wondered if they had seen anything interesting. Unfortunately with only six hours left till launch he’d likely never know.

By the way, he then asked. what’s so important at Dr. Rabin’s dig that we were invited?

"Well, not invited exactly. But Alyssa did find some possible elephant bones at the site…"

Still looking for mammoths?

James felt for sure that she glanced over at him a moment. Aren’t we all?

But they did tell us that we’d likely not find any.

That doesn’t make any sense, Linda declared. There are mammoths to the north and mammoths to the south, why not here? And we have at least two types of elephants here now.

"Well, we haven’t seen any Elephas recki since the second waypoint."

Third actually, Linda corrected. I saw a small herd at the edge of some forest. But I’m sure there’re mammoths here.

Anything else other than elephant parts?

"Dr. Ikram said there were some Sivatherium remains plus various antelope including what might be Megalotragus antler."

Tools?

Maybe.

Dr. Michael Ikram had been studying the possibility of the old Osteodontokeratic culture concept pioneered by Raymond Dart over a century ago. Dart had originally applied the concept to Australopithecines- something they were certain not to encounter on this expedition- but Ikram had been theorizing what uses early Homo might have been using the bones, teeth, and horns of hunted animals for. During the pre-flight briefings Ikram had even given a long lecture mentioning a mammoth bone hut from Mezhirich, Russia and another in Pushkari that incorporated bones. Both sites were made by modern humans but Ikram said that it was likely that earlier humans, such as Homo heidelbergensis, did the same. Though so far they hadn’t seen much evidence of it.

I wonder if they’re out there? James thought as the scenery flew by.

The lack of native sightings was a little unnerving, though few on the N2M were mentioning it out loud. The senior engineer, Cheryl, had voiced the opinion that they had already seen the Modules and were staying away. And as they went from temporal waypoint to temporal waypoint with only uninformative glimpses of Homo heidelbergensis, James began to wonder if she was right. In fact there was no guarantee that there weren’t native scouts behind every tree out there, like Native Americans stalking a wagon train.

You’ve seen too many bad Westerns, James rebuked himself.

But the situation did have him on edge and it didn’t help that Dr. Greenberg threatened to drop their TTI every time the subject came up. Perhaps it would have been better to have gone to the Americas or Australia.

Here we are, Linda announced drawing James from his gloomy revelries.

For a moment James couldn’t see what here was. But then he saw someone in a sterile suit step from behind a rock outcropping. The markings on the suit told him it was Daniel Martin, the N2M’s geologist. He waved at them then stepped from sight again.

The cave they had found was amazingly well hidden among the rocks and James wasn’t sure how they’d even found it in the first place. It wasn’t a particularly large cave, almost being little more than a grotto. Inside doctors Ikram and Rabin seemed to be having trouble working without bumping into each other. When Ikram saw them enter he gestured to them to approach.

We have some animal remains we need you to collect, he said a little authoritatively.

Aye, aye, commander! James heard Linda reply.

Relax, guys, this from Alyssa Rabin. we’re racing the clock here. Yonami, MacAlister, here are the elephant remains you’ve been looking for.

Sure enough there was a lower jawbone of a pachyderm along with fragments that may or may not have come from an elephant. The jawbone wasn’t fossilized but it was far from fresh being quite desiccated. Before he knew it, both he and Linda were seated as out-of-the-way as possible oblivious to everything but the bone.

"It has to be Loxodonta adaurora," Linda said.

But look at the teeth, James replied, running his gloved fingers over the dentures. "it looks far more like cyclotis."

But it’s too old for that, isn’t it? Linda replied.

James could only shake his head. "I don’t know. Do you think it’s possible? That this could be the first of the species? The point where Loxodonta adaurora evolved into Loxodonta cyclotis?" James found that he was sweating again and took a long swig of water. He didn’t need to go into heat exhaustion at a time like this.

Leave it for the experts, you two, Dr. Ikram said. Just bag it and tag it. We have to wrap it up here.

Bag it and tag it? James could hear someone muttering questioningly. It sounded like it might have been Daniel. "What are we? On Dragnet?"

"Actually I think it’s more like CSI," James added, but Linda did start to collect and tag the remains. If he was right about these, pachyderm experts back home will practically climax when they saw them.

T-minus five hours, people, Dr. Rabin reminded them. And we all have to be home by T-minus two hours.

As James was packing the sample he saw Linda make a slashing motion across her neck and she touched helmets with him. Following the prompt he shut his radio off.

Is it just me, or is Michael sounding more like Dr. Hayward every day? he heard her voice resonate between them.

You mean you didn’t hear the rumors? James asked. About Lucy and Micky?

And there had been rumors since the paleontologist met the geologist during training. Dr. Lucille Hayward had been the N2M’s slated geologist, but she had spent most of her time in the mock-up chamber hanging around with Dr. Ikram. It seemed professional enough and understandable that a paleontologist would frequently consult a geologist. But a redheaded Lucy and the swarthy Micky couldn’t help but generate jokes and rumors.

About forty days into the mock-up chamber however, Dr. Hayward left the program suddenly due to a reported family emergency and was replaced by Daniel Martin. James and Denise preferred it that way as they had been friends with Dan for some time and Dr. Hayward- despite her comic value- had been an academic snob of the worse kind. The kind anti-intellectuals usually held up for derision. Unfortunately Dr. Micky Ikram seemed to have picked up some of her bad habits.

What are you two conspiring about? James could hear Alyssa Rabin yell through her helmet at them.

James turned his radio back on. Just conferring about the specimens.

Even through her helmet, James could feel the paleoanthropologist glaring at them.

Say, what about that cache of tools someone was mentioning? James asked, trying to steer the subject back to something that always made Dr. Rabin happy: prehistoric hominids.

Over here, she said and James stood. I was just about to bury them again.

At first sight it didn’t seem like anything to get excited about. A layman would likely see only a collection of small rocks in a hole. With the briefings James and the others received he was able to tell they were tools, most likely Acheulean.

This is the oldest tool cache ever found to my knowledge, Alyssa said sounding about as excited as James had felt with his Loxodonta teeth. "No dig has ever found evidence like this in our world. This means that Homo heidelbergensis was more than capable of forethought and planning. There are more than a few noses I can rub this in when we get home."

You need any more terapixels? James asked, feeling for his camera.

It’s alright, Alyssa waved him away. I got all the shots we needed. I just wish Greenberg or Radha would have let us take one of them. I swear one of them looks more Middle Paleolithic than Acheulean. And with that Dr. Rabin started carefully reburying the cache.

Maybe if they’re still here at the next waypoint they’ll let you take one, James suggested hopefully.

Alyssa finished the job and sat back in thought. Possible. It should be desert here by that point. And if the tools are still here that will mean no one ever came back to get them. Good thinking, MacAlister.

It’s a shame, James thought as he glanced out of the cavern and into the countryside beyond. At the next waypoint the forest, grass, and lakes of this world would be diminished or gone and replaced by the Sahara. Or more precisely replaced by the Sahara again. The desert was here at their first waypoint, though not as harsh and desolate as the modern Sahara. The first waypoint had been at the start of the MIS-11 period and the desert was just receding. The rest of the time periods they had visited seemed to be roughly similar to their current waypoint. The Sahara, at least in this region, was a green land populated with all the wonders of African wildlife.

James would be sorry to leave it.

We’re not going anywhere till we get those numbers, doctor, Cheryl barked from her station.

Just a moment, Ms. Johnson, Louis replied in the usual offhanded manner he did when working. This isn’t like driving to the market or flying to Acapulco for the weekend…

Yeah, like I do that all the time…

… if I don’t get these calculations precisely right…

We’ll all die an agonizing death, Denise finished while she worked on the air supply valves on the main deck.

Louie will talk us to death? Cheryl asked.

Most likely.

There was a sound from Greenberg’s station and Denise thought it sounded suspiciously like a fist encountering the tabletop. When she looked up she could see Louis’s jaw-line set tightly.

"Everyone just keep their mind on their work… Cheryl," Kulaska said firmly, but she also cast an un-approving eye towards Denise.

Denise sighed and returned to the talk of cleaning the ventilation exhaust. Perhaps they had been a little rough on Greenberg and not particularly fair ganging up on him. But he could be irritating at times. Flying to Acapulco indeed!

I really do need to set the engines, Dr. Greenberg, Cheryl continued, though her voice lacked the heat of earlier.

You’ll have the numbers in a moment, Ms. Johnson, the mathematician replied flatly.

In her imagination Denise could concoct a plethora of reasons why Greenberg behaved the way he did. Perhaps he was sexist and upset about having two women as engineers for the expedition. Maybe, like the departed Dr. Hayward, he was a collegiate snob who looked down on anyone who didn’t have his expertise. Or…

Or perhaps it was just cabin fever overtaking them all, Denise thought as she snapped the access panel back into place. Small idiosyncrasies becoming escalated through months of close contact. There were days that even James and Cheryl would do things that annoyed the living hell out of her.

But the next waypoint, their fifth, would be their last then they could go home. They she could eat real food, breath real air, and just maybe take Louis up on his suggestion and fly to Acapulco.

The sigh that came out of Commander Michael Johansson was as outsized as his frame. He was over six feet, though how much over no one had asked yet. And for the most part the women of the N1M were in agreement that he was rather easy on the eyes. Susan was a little too married to make that point too obvious but Dr. no first name Radha wasn’t shy about it though. But for his part Commander Johansson seemed oblivious to it all.

He’d been gazing out of the port at the Pleistocene landscape for the last several minutes while Radha worked on her temporal calculations and Susan worked on the air circulation systems. Most of the crew were still out in the field. Rabin and Yonami were at that cave with some of the crew from the N2M. Senior engineer Jaime Rodriguez was outside of the N1M working on the main thruster. And Susan’s husband, Hubert Weigand, was packing up the small climate station he had set up on a nearby ridge.

It almost makes you want to stay and make a home, Commander Johansson mused as he sipped at his Darjeeling tea.

If any other had said that Dr. Radha would have been crawling down their throats. Poor Jaime had made mention of a perfect site for a cabin along side one of the green Sahara’s mega lakes and didn’t hesitate to harangue him for it for hours. Susan swore that if she had to sit through another lecture on TTI she was going to defect to the N2M.

But Michael Johansson was the closest thing the expedition had to a celebrity and even if his looks weren’t a good lubricant none would lecture the world’s First Chrononaut on the dangers of TTI.

Finally Commander Johansson turned from the port. What time do you have, Dr. Radha?

T-minus 3 hours and 53 minutes, the mathematician dutifully replied.

Johansson strode back to his station in two long strides, sat, and flipped the radio on. N1M to N2M. Do you copy? Commander Kulaska?

"N2M to N1M. We read you," Elizabeth’s voice crackled over the speakers.

Have your people returned yet?

"The Rover just dropped them off. Your people should be arriving there shortly."

Good to hear. Dr. Radha is now finishing her temporal calculations for launch. She’ll send them to you for confirmation from Dr. Greenberg.

"Actually Louis just finished his calculations and he’ll be sending them to you momentarily." Susan could almost hear Elizabeth smirking at that. Five waypoint calculations and Dr. Greenberg had finished his calculations before Radha in four of them.

Johansson glanced over to Dr. Radha who only sneered at the news. We’ll be eagerly awaiting them, Michael replied cheerfully.

Radha simply held up her right middle finger in reply.

"Well contact you again at T-minus 30 minutes for final confirmations," Kulaska continued. N2M, over and out.

N1M, over and out, Johansson replied and shut the radio off. He then picked up his tea and stood to gaze out the windows. I still say this would be a nice place to settle.

Actually it does look a little green.

Data was still pouring in to the N2M’s secure drives and it seemed, at least to Denise and Cheryl that more was coming in this time than going out. All of the information would be stored in the protected archives of the module where it would be safe from accidents or the stray solar flare. But it was still a bit of a chore to catalogue and store the drives into the protected vaults.

What? Cheryl asked as she slid a drive into its designated slot and clicked the hatch shut.

Mars, Denise replied. The shots from Susan’s telescope? It really does look pretty green.

Any sign of canals?

Denise shook her head and shut the screen off. How much more room do we have in the Vault?

Cheryl clicked another slot closed. Well if these guys make any major discoveries at the next waypoint, we might have some trouble. Was that the last one?

Denise glanced around but saw only empty drives and the data stream from the N1M had finally ceased. "I think so… wait. James! she called loudly in the direction of the specimen locker. Do you still have pictures in your camera?"

Hold on, came a reply. A moment later. Yeah, a few.

Well get them into a drive so we can finished up here.

Another moment passed before James exited the locker with camera in hand. Denise quickly took the device and plugged it into the designated niche.

That should do it, she then declared.

Cheryl checked her watch. With T-minus two hours to spare.

Now we can relax? James asked.

"No, you can relax, Cheryl stated. We have to make sure this biodegradable hulk can make it to the next waypoint."

A moment after James had climbed the access ladder to the upper deck and Cheryl was sure the heard the pop-hiss of the hatch there she turned to Denise. Have you heard anything from Jaime yet?

Just before you got back from checking the engines, she replied while she was double checking Winchester’s status. It was asleep as it should have been. He thinks the power drop-off with the N1M’s engine was minor injector malfunction. Did you find anything?

Cheryl shook her head and proceeded to the maintenance screen for the Temporal Displacement Drive. No. Just that little blip after launch. I’m sure it didn’t have anything to do with the conventional engines.

The TD Drive then?

The senior engineer shrugged. Maybe.

What’s Commander Johansson saying about all this? If the Drive goes out…

"Jaime doesn’t think it’s that bad, Cheryl assured her. And neither do I."

Yeah, but you know what will happen to our TTI if we have to abandon a Module?

Now you’re starting to sound like Louis.

Denise took a breath. He does get to you after a while.

Yeah, Cheryl said. Let’s just hope he doesn’t start believing his own scare stories.

It was going to be bad this time. James could feel it already. The unnatural throbbing that coursed through the entire Module, his bones, and even the air itself. It had started at T-minus one hour with only a minor quiver. Faint and only noticeable if one was sitting still, but it was still there. And as the minutes passed it grew in strength and intensity until even standing and walking James could feel it pulsing through him.

Time travel wasn’t a natural movement, at least as far as the human body was concerned. Regular motion sickness would sometimes strike people when they were on a boat or a plane or even some cars. Temporal motion sickness struck everyone to some extent. The pills that Elizabeth handed out before each jump helped a little but it never seemed to be enough. And to make matters worse, unlike air or space travel, there were no time travel simulators so there was