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The Stepping Stone
Chapter Ten: Heading Home
Scott A. Gese
Chapter 10
Heading Home
It was 5:30. Quest, Marcus, Dawson, and Darcy were in the garden room waiting for John. “We can always postpone this until tomorrow,” suggested Marcus.
“He'll be here. We have time. Waiting until the sun goes down might be a better idea anyway,” replied Dawson.
“No,” Marcus countered. “Curfew is at 6:00 p.m. If we're still on the road after six, security will see us.”
“Speaking of security, how do we get past the cameras?”
“I can take them offline. Security will want to check the cameras, and it will take them a few minutes to arrive. That should give you all enough time to get through the gate.”
“How are you going to make it back without being seen?”
“We'll need to lay low until morning,” Quest replied. “It's not a problem. We've done it before.”
They waited a few more minutes, and then John walked into the garden room with Cara. He approached Quest. “If it's okay with you, I'd like to stay here.”
Darcy interjected, “Stay here? Are you kidding? You have a life back home. There's nothing for you here.”
“You're wrong, Darcy. I can build a life here with Cara. We've talked it over. If it's okay with Quest, I'd like to stay.”
Quest was as surprised as everyone else. “I don't think that would be advisable. The political climate is heating up here, and there are dangerous times ahead. If things don't go well for us, they won't go well for you either. I strongly suggest you return with the others. Your time needs to understand what the future holds unless they wake up. The three of you need to be part of that awakening process. You're a writer. Go back and document it.”
Cara spoke up. “I know you may see me as a child, but I’ve grown up. I’m no longer a child; I’m an adult capable of making my own decisions. If you won’t let John stay, then I plan to go back with him.”
“No, you won't. There will be no ultimatums here. You'll abide by my rules for a while longer. John goes back, and you stay here. That’s final! Say your goodbyes, and let's get moving.”
Cara knew better than to argue. She took John's hand and walked him away from the others. They exchanged goodbyes and wiped away each other's tears. “I don’t want to abandon you here. If I can find a way back, I’ll see you again.”
“I believe you’ll try. Remember me. I’ll remember you,” Cara said, giving John a kiss and rubbing his beard. Then she turned and ran out of the garden, disappearing from sight.
John was unhappy, but he knew he didn’t have a choice. He walked back to the others, his voice cracking as he spoke. “Okay, let’s go.”
Marcus, Quest, Alex, and the three travelers crammed into one car. They avoided main roads, snaking their way toward the path close to Leeson’s house. They waited until six o'clock. Marcus took down the cameras in the area and they quickly headed down the path to the park and the gate that would take them home.
Marcus pulled a handheld computer from his pocket and activated the key. It worked perfectly. “There’s not much time.”
A quick round of last-minute goodbyes and thank-yous were exchanged. Darcy and John stepped through and disappeared. Dawson followed. Just before the gate closed, Marcus looked at Quest and quickly stated, “You have everything you need.” Without hesitation, he stepped through. The gate closed behind him, leaving Quest and Alex standing alone. “What??? That little son of a—” was all Quest could manage. He and Alex headed for a safe spot to hunker down until morning.
The following day, the two returned to the bunker. Quest went straight for his office. Along the way, he met the technician in charge of monitoring Marcus. The technician handed Quest a laptop along with a note he had found on Marcus's desk after they had left the evening before.
“Quest, Sorry to leave you so suddenly. Let’s face it: we don’t trust each other. How could it be otherwise? Ducking out at the last second seemed like the only logical way to break free. The laptop has everything you need to take over the Elite's mainframe. From there, you can achieve your goal of freedom for all. It’s not out of the realm of possibilities for me to eventually be able to open the gate again sometime in the future. Maybe we’ll see each other again someday under better circumstances.
Until then.
Marcus.”
Quest and his team wasted no time reviewing the information Marcus had left him. It was indeed everything he needed.
The gate had closed. Marcus stood at the top of the stairs with the others. They were shocked to see he had stepped through.
“What are you doing?” questioned Dawson.
“Quest and I would have never trusted each other. This was for the best. I left him everything he needed to achieve his goals. He'll be fine.”
Darcy interjected, “Dad.” She motioned toward the bottom of the steps. Dawson was so busy talking with Marcus that he hadn’t noticed the men standing at the bottom of the staircase.
Marcus slipped his computer into his pocket. “Is this a bad thing?” he asked.
Dawson studied the situation. “I'm not sure yet.”
There were three men in uniform, rifles trained on the group. A fourth man, out of uniform, seemed to be in charge.
“Dawson, nice of you to come back. I was hoping my wait here wouldn't be in vain. You didn't disappoint me. Who are your friends?”
Dawson whispered to Marcus under his breath, “Don't say a word.”
He replied to the man below, “Well, if it isn't my old friend Milo Jeffreys. This is my daughter Darcy, her friend John, and this is Marcus, my brother.”
Milo knew better but kept it to himself. “So your little travel excursion was a family affair. A little exotic vacation time? Most people would have gone to the Islands. Where exactly did you go?”
“I don't need to tell you a thing, Milo. I really expected to see more military presence here, not you and your goons.”
“Sorry to disappoint you, Dawson. One lone member of military intelligence is all you get. Oh, and let's not forget your escort,” Milo pointed toward the men in uniform.
“I'm surprised you're not trusting me, considering how much work I've done for you and the military.”
“It will be a simple debriefing. Our trust in you can be easily restored once we've determined the extent of your little excursion and how you managed to put this portal into service. We'd like to check out the destination for ourselves someday. Shall we go?”
The four travelers descended the stairs. Dawson assured the others they would be alright and that he had some pull when it came to military intelligence.
As they walked along the trail toward the road, Marcus didn't know what to expect. He peppered Dawson with questions. Dawson did his best to answer and assure him that he would be fine.
Milo overheard the low chatter. “What are you two talking about?”
“Nothing you need to concern yourself with. When we get to your office, we'll talk with your boss,” replied Dawson.
“Colonel Anderson may be my boss, but I do the interrogating.”
“I thought you said this was a debriefing? So what is it, a debriefing or an interrogation?”
“That will be left up to you. Let's see how forthcoming you are with the information we want to know.” Milo chuckled to himself as he turned his attention to Marcus.
“I don't recall Dawson having a brother?”
Dawson interrupted, “I told you we would talk to Anderson when we got back to town. I suggest you call ahead to ensure he's there. Not a word will come out of any of our mouths until we see Anderson in your office.”
Realizing Dawson had the upper hand, Milo turned his focus to getting back into town. When they reached the main road, John noticed his car was gone. A van was waiting.
It was late when the dark van pulled up in front of Milo's office. Dawson and the others were escorted into the building and placed in a sparsely furnished room with one table and a half dozen chairs.
“Where's Colonel Anderson?” asked Dawson.
“Oh, he's on his way. In the meantime, why don’t we all have a little conversation?” replied Milo.
Dawson refused to engage. “Not one word until Anderson is here.”
Milo despised Dawson, and his expression showed it. “Fine, have it your way.” He turned and left the room. Dawson advised everyone to watch what they said, as the room was probably bugged. About fifteen minutes later, Colonel Anderson walked through the door.
Dawson greeted him.
Anderson replied, “I hear you've been on a little vacation?”
“I don't trust this room,” Dawson said. “Is there somewhere we can go to talk privately? It's a matter of national security.”
“Yes, there's a SCIF in the basement. We can go there.”
As Anderson and Dawson left the room, the others began to follow. Anderson turned to them. “This will be a private conversation between Dawson and me. The rest of you will remain here until we return.”
Dawson looked at the others. “Not a word until I get back.”
As soon as they left, Milo entered the room. “Now that the leader of this little band of rebels is gone, let me ask you a few questions. Let's start with you, Mr. Marcus. Just who the hell are you?”
Darcy spoke up. “You won't get a word out of any of us until my father returns.”
“Well now, you're as cocky as your father. We'll see about that.”
Milo ordered two of his men to take Marcus to a separate room. Before they could, Milo's phone rang. It was Colonel Anderson.
“You know as well as I do that room is bugged. Did you think I wouldn't be monitoring it? You touch that man, and you'll be answering to me. Now get the hell out of that room until I get back. Do I make myself clear?”
“Yes, sir,” replied Milo. Marcus was released, and he and the other two left the room.
“What was that all about?” asked Marcus.
“Proof that we're in good hands,” replied Darcy.
The three sat in silence as they waited for Dawson to return.
As Colonel Anderson and Dawson reached the SCIF, Anderson ordered one of his men to guard the door where the others were being held, with instructions not to let anyone in or out until they returned. The two entered the room alone.
“So what the hell is going on here, Dawson? Milo tells me you and two others passed through an active portal, but four of you came back. Where were you? What were you doing, and who's the fourth man?”
Dawson took his time to explain and answer all of Colonel Anderson's questions in detail: how the portal was inter-dimensional, what the dimension he found himself in was like, who controlled it, and how it was controlled. He explained who the 'Unknowns' were, the political situation, who Marcus was, how he was part of the security detail for the Elites, and how he ended up stepping through the portal with them.
What he left out was that Marcus was actually the head of security for the Elites and had an extensive background in quantum computing. If that ever came to light, Marcus would be taken and pumped for every bit of information they could get from him. Dawson felt obligated to keep him as safe as possible. Plus, Marcus was his ace in the hole if he ever needed to use it. Given the developing political situation, any advantage was a plus.
The meeting lasted over two hours. They agreed to release everyone in exchange for all the information Dawson had gathered concerning the quantum computer program he had been working on. The information would be invaluable to several security projects Colonel Anderson was overseeing. Dawson promised to make him look good, and if things went well, Anderson could envision a possible promotion coming out of it. He trusted Dawson's explanation that Marcus was of little value to him and no security risk.
When the meeting ended, they agreed that in exchange for their release, Dawson would begin working on a couple of security projects involving some quantum computing issues Anderson's team was struggling with.
They walked back to where the others were being held. Milo stood outside the door waiting. Colonel Anderson entered the room. “You are all free to go.”
Milo couldn't believe what he was hearing. “You're turning them all loose? What about this Marcus guy?”
“I said all of them. Do you have a problem with that, Milo?”
Milo bit his lip. “No, sir, not at all.”
“Good. Make sure these people get where they need to go.”
Milo arranged a car and driver. Dawson had the driver take them all to his place.
It was late, and he had the room to keep them for the night.
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