Escaping the Cradle

by Karen Page

Part 8

---

Part 8
DATE:FC+7

"Nothing has changed," Becky reassured her daughter. "I will still take you to school and either myself or Miss Thompson will collect you. Mrs Poop will make her own way to school and back."

"Yes Ma."

"Good girl."

"Are you going to do one of the tests in the ship?" she asked.

"No, I'd just be in the way. I'll either be on the console, or in discussion about communications. I'm sure Mr Poop will be making sure all is okay with me."

"Too right," said Luke. "Don't worry about your Ma. You need to concentrate on your schoolwork. You missed a few days."

"I'm not going to be in trouble, am I?"

"No. You were away due to a family emergency. I didn't outline the emergency. As long as you don't say where you were, then all is good."

"It was an emergency," agreed Jenny.

"The word is paltering," said Luke. "It's still the truth but shaped to fit the boundary of what they asked. It isn't lying; it was a family emergency. You just aren't telling them the nature of the emergency. It isn't likely they would ask."

Jenny frowned. "Isn't it still deceit?"

"It's restraint. You aren't lying. You are answering their question with the truth. It is just giving them enough information that they will be happy with."

"Ma isn't going to be happy with you," said Jenny, climbing into the car. It was still complaining about the lack of a sim card. It obviously hadn't been put back together.

"I know," said Luke, glancing at the fuming Becky. "I'm not asking you to lie. I'm just suggesting you limit how much you tell them. Becky, when someone asks you what you do, what do you tell them?"

Becky sighed, knowing where Luke was going. He wasn't wrong but she hated to admit it, especially in front of Jenny. "I tell them I work on designing computer systems for control electronics."

"Which is the truth," said Luke. "Why didn't you tell them exactly what you're working on."

"Because they didn't need to know. To protect the project and the people in it." Becky looked out of the window and said almost to herself. "How long have I thought like this?"

"You still told them the truth," said Jenny, looking at her Ma. "You didn't lie."

Ashleigh, who was sat at the front next to Luke, reached across and stroked Becky's leg.

When they got to the school, Jenny grabbed her bag and jumped out, eager to be back. Ashleigh got in the back with Becky.

"Have I lost my moral compass?"

"No. You only think you have," said Ashleigh. "I remember when we knew each other when younger, you hid certain things then. You can only try to make Jenny better than we are, but she has to live in the real world."

"And what type of world is that?"

"One that she can reach her full potential. You have instilled such goodness into her."

"And you have too," said Becky. "She knows she can always go to you, and you'll help her. She told me off last night for not spending more time with you."

"We do spend time together," protested Ashleigh.

"I'll tell you later," she said, indicating Luke, who had been very quiet throughout the conversation.

When they got to the factory, Luke turned to them. "Go and have a walk and discuss things. You two aren't talking and letting each other know how you feel. You get confusion when that happens. When I did that at school, Tina and I got a rather large telling off from Dr Ruiz. You either are in a relationship, or not. Don't let it drift."

Before the two women could respond, Luke got out of the car and left them to it.

"I–" started Ashleigh and Becky at the same time.

They both paused to let the other person speak. The silence was replaced by nervous giggles. They then started to talk again at the same time, which caused even more laughter.

Becky, her upbringing still engrained, indicated that Ashleigh should talk.

"I'm worried," said Ashleigh nervously. "I worry if things don't work between us, it could cause issues at work. I worry you aren't ready for a relationship. I worry if I'm the right person for you."

There was silence for far too long, and Ashleigh looked across at Becky and whispered, "I love you."

"I know," said Becky with a rueful smile. "I worry I'm not good enough for you. You are full of spirit. Full of adventure. I'm just a computer nerd who has got this project. I have feelings for you, but I still have all these other emotions regarding Hilda, and then what Tina mentioned about the prophecy. I just don't know if I can go much further until I get my head around it."

"You want to break up?" asked Ashleigh, forgetting to breathe.

"No!" exclaimed Becky and Ashleigh started to breathe again. "I want to keep dating, but I don't think I'm ready to sleep with you. Not yet. I think you wanted me to sleep with you while we were on the run. Sorry."

Ashleigh thought about it and nodded. She thought a bit of humour might help. "We're going to slow down, and when you're comfortable, that's when it's going to happen."

To her credit, Becky got the film reference and gave a smile. "I don't think my legs can compete with Annette Bennings."

"Becky, to me you can. Anyway, what is here." Ashleigh placed her hand on Becky's heart. "And here." She moved her hand to Becky's head. "Is far more important. I love you for you."

Becky looked at Ashliegh in disbelief.

Ashleigh continued, "I've been in a few relationships over the years, but there has always been something that stopped them going forward. I just didn't feel the same as the one when I first knew you. It wasn't the love I felt then. And now that feeling is back. I now understand why. There may have been a spark with them, but it was never the flame I have with you. You are my soul mate. You are the one I want to be with forever and I will wait until eternity to wake up beside you."

This was too much for Becky, who started to cry. She hadn't heard words like that. Ever. She'd loved Hilda and she knew Hilda had loved her, but this was confusing. She didn't know why, but she leaned across just as Ashleigh leaned across and their lips gently touched. And like adding fuel to a fire, their embrace ignited into something more primeval. They were all tongues, and hands.

Slowly, they parted. Both panting to drawn in oxygen into their deprived lungs. They'd kissed before. They'd made out before. But it had always been slow and tender. This was something new. Something raw. It hadn't been initiated by just one of them, but it was a desire that had exploded in both of them at the same time.

"Wow," uttered Becky, trying to catch her breath

"Wow indeed," responded Ashleigh, wiping a tear from her eye.

The moment was disturbed by Becky's phone ringing. It was Evan.

"Hi," panted Becky.

"Hey Becky," he said, with a tinge of humour in his voice. "I just wondered if you were going to give us a hand with the test planning, or going to make out with Ashleigh all day?"

Becky blushed. They must have noticed. Luke said to take a walk, but they were still sat in the factory car park. Other cars had arrived. They must have been seen.

"We're on our way," Becky replied, and finished the call.

"Work calls?" asked Ashleigh as they got out of the car.

"This is going to be so embarrassing."

They stepped into the lobby and conversation stuttered. A few grins, a couple of thumbs-up. Becky flushed.

"Right," she said, grateful for the bullet holes as a distraction. "Let's get the glass booked and the rubble out."

Evan coughed, trying to hide his laughter.

"If we get the front glass replaced, and the holes repaired, we might be okay for the rest of the office staff to return," thought Ashleigh aloud. "I'll organise that today."

"I can fill the holes," offered Jessica. "That way it won't look too bad for the decorators. I can't do painting. I think the rest of you are going to be pretty busy with other things."

"We can help," said the two Italian investigators at the same time. Luca continued, "If you get the glazier here tomorrow, they won't see anything amiss."

"Luca did an investigation as a decorator," said Alberto. "It will look real nice."

"Thank you," said Becky. "I believe it will. So, Ashleigh, the rest of the staff can return tomorrow. See if you can find a company that can remove the rubble that's outside. The rest of us, let's go see the plan that Evan created last night."

"Who blabbed?" Evan pretended to be mad.

"Just an educated guess," laughed Becky and Evan joined in.

Ashleigh went off to deal with the logistics, while the scientist and ship crew crammed into a meeting room. Evan pulled up the list of tests onto the large screen.

"It looks quite comprehensive. How long do you expect it to take?"

"We've no idea, as longer jumps may take a long time."

"I've got a question I've been mulling over," said Sam. "How's this going to be impacted by time dilation. Does the tunnel connect to a point in space, or a point in spacetime. Say it takes us an hour to travel a light year. When we jump back it will have taken us two hours. But will it be two hours on Earth, or two years?"

"This is a big unknown. Hopefully we will find out today. Our longest test is to Pluto. The worst-case scenario would be a ten-hour gap for you."

"So, if it is the worst-case scenario, then the trip to the council could mean you would be gone one hundred and fifty years?" asked Henry.

"Three hundred years," corrected Evan. "One hundred and fifty each way."

"We'd be long dead," pointed out Becky.

"If that is the case, then I'll go," said Henry. "It wouldn't be fair on Sam and Jessica."

"Let's not jump to any conclusions," said Evan. "We are scientists. We work on facts."

"Let's unload the ship and make sure we have everything we might need," said Sam.

"And do a comms check to make sure all is good before we start these tests," added James.

"Becky, if you work on the coordinates for the first three tests, this will give us chance to do the unloading," said Liam.

When they left the room, Ashleigh was coming down the corridor. "What's up?" she asked Becky. "You all looked very grim coming out of there."

"Come to the control room, and I'll explain. I've got to work out the coordinates for the first jumps. They are going to prep the ship."

"Okay."

When they got there, Ashleigh closed the door behind them. If there was some bad news, she didn't want it spreading. She then remembered there was hardly anybody there.

"Sam asked a question that a lot of us have been avoiding asking. You sort of touched on it back at The Anchor. How would time change over a jump."

"Yes, when you did the test there wasn't any noticeable difference. I remember getting a stopwatch."

"We don't know what will happen over longer distances. Basically, Einstein's theory of relativity comes into it. Speed makes time slow down compared to a person not moving. We don't know if this is going to have an impact on us or not. Is the jump really quick for the people in the ship but takes years for those on Earth. Henry offered to go instead of Sam. Sam didn't object."

"That's heavy."

"Actually, gravity can also distort time, too."

"So, Becky, what is your thoughts?"

"The idea I had was a connection over space, not spacetime. Yet it is all theory. Today we will know the answer."

Ashleigh got up and gave her a hug. She felt the tension in Becky.

"Is there anything I can get you?"

"No. Will you be in here when the tests are run?"

"Of course," replied Ashleigh. She would have been anyway. These were her friends, and she wanted to know immediately if there was an issue. "Oh, the glazier for the front door will be here at 8am tomorrow and someone to collect the rubble this afternoon."

"As efficient as ever."

"You're biased."

"Not when it comes to work. When we are working, I leave personal stuff behind."

"No, you don't. Sam is the much better ship engineer. Henry is much better in the lab. Yet you made no intervention when Henry suggested taking Sam's place."

"It wouldn't be fair on Jessica."

"I know. But it shows you have a good heart, as does Henry."

"It might all be academic. We don't know if there is an issue with time dilation. Heck, we don't even have the coordinates yet."

Ashleigh turned on the large monitor, so they could watch the activity in the basement. Becky started work on the calculations. The first was easy. A short hop 350km away, replicating the first space test.

"Laura called me this morning," remarked Becky as she worked away.

"Oh?"

"She's glad we're back safely. She had no idea where we were. I thought she'd paid for those cottages, but perhaps not."

"Anything else?"

"Yes, when these tests are done, she wants Henry and me to visit somewhere. She sounded very mysterious about it."

"Am I sacked yet? If the project is finished, will I be needed?"

"We've the communications to work on. I don't what you need to do ending soon. It will change, which is what I suspect Laura wants to talk about."

An hour later, all was ready for the first test. The ships clock was synchronized. James, Sam and Evan had suited up. This was a flight into space. Luke was stationed by the entrance to the stairs to the basement. His job was to make sure nobody went down during the test. The front door was locked, and the guards at the gate were instructed that during the tests nobody was permitted onto the site.

"Take a seat," said Becky to Alberto and Luca, pointing to the guest chairs. "I thought you'd like to see what is going on here. There are headphones on each chair, so you can listen in to what's being said."

The visitor headsets had no microphone. Ashleigh noticed that hers and Jessica's now did.

"Thanks. How do you get the ship out of there?" asked Luca, taking his headphones before sitting down.

"You'll see," responded Liam, a knowing grin on his face. It was a question that most asked the first time. Well, if they did a landing and launch in public, then that would stop the same question. It was Liam's first time watching the ship disappear. The previous times it had gone from here he'd either been in it or safely hidden in Wales.

"Aurora," called Becky over the radio. "Are you ready?"

"Affirmative. Coordinates are entered and she is shipshape."

"Ships clocks are synchronised with base," confirmed Henry.

"The board is clear here. Go when ready."

"Mamma Mia!" exclaimed Alberto as the ship disappeared.

"Base, we're at coordinates," said James.

"Confirmed," said Liam. "Tracking has you exactly where you should be. How's the ship?"

"No issues with the ship," responded James. "Give us a minute to confirm everything, and we'll return."

"Where are they?" Alberto asked Jessica.

"350km in space. That's about the same altitude as the Space Station, though it is doubtful they will cross orbits. They are trying to stay hidden at the moment."

"350km?! But rockets take about eight minutes to reach space and then longer to get to the space station. You were there in seconds."

"In less than a second, but it took time for tracking to confirm and for the radio to connect to one of the satellites."

"All systems are showing green on telemetry," said Henry.

"Acknowledged," responded James calmly. "We are just giving time for some acclimatisation."

"Understood," responded Liam.

He changed to a private channel and updated Henry and Becky with what was happening.

Ashleigh suddenly heard a lower beep on her headset before she heard Liam speak. "This is a private channel. Can you order some paper bags. Like they have on aeroplanes."

"Oh," responded Ashleigh, now understanding the issue on the ship. "They are on the shelf in the stores. Sam asked me to get them after the first test flight. James put some in Aurora this morning."

"Great," responded Liam. "Thank you."

After a few minutes silence, James spoke again. "Sam has concluded testing the new restraints. They appear to do the trick. Ready to return."

Becky glanced at the monitor to double check the basement was clear. If was unnecessary, is if someone had got past Luke then the door opening would have triggered an alarm.

"We are ready to receive you when you're ready," responded Becky.

The ship blinked back on the monitors. "Status?" asked Becky immediately.

"Ship and crew are all good," came the response. "The clocks are still in sync. We are ready for test two."

The coordinates were given. "Do a radio check when there, but I think this will be beyond the limit."

"We'll try. We will spend ninety seconds there and then transition back. Is that an acceptable wait time?"

"Sure. Make the wait time whatever you're comfortable with. Just let us know before each jump. That way we have expectations."

"Okay, coordinates are dialled in. We will jump, take several pictures over a ninety second period and jump back. We can repeat for each jump going forward."

"Agreed. Jump, ninety seconds and jump. Clear to go when you are ready."

When the ship jumped, a countdown clock started on the screen counting from the time it left. The second jump was fifteen hundred kilometres.

"Thank you for letting us see this?" said Luca, as the ship returned ninety seconds later. "We will get on with the work downstairs."

Luca paused and then asked. "Is this a connection in space or spacetime?"

"A good question. You've obviously been thinking about the science," said Liam. He was no longer surprised by the investigators. He knew they'd all been schooled well.

"And?" asked Jessica, suddenly realising the implications of what Luca had asked.

"We think space," replied Becky. "But we will know as today's tests go further. We are checking clock synchronisation between jumps. The small jumps might have shown something small, but it hasn't. As the jumps become longer, we will see if that shows drift. If there is a large drift, Henry offered to go instead of Sam. If there is too much difference in time, then it wouldn't be practical for Friday's jump."

"Sorry if I seem selfish," said Jessica, feeling slightly ashamed.

"No, not selfish. You're used to Sam being away at times, but not where he might have aged one day, and you thirty years. That isn't acceptable to anybody here. I wouldn't allow it."

Becky turned and went to her console. "How has it been so far?"

James responded. "All systems appear to be working as expected. Ship is still airtight. Do we need to still use spacesuits?"

"Let's keep using them for now. Are you ready for a longer jump? Say to Mars?"

There was quiet for a second, and then, "Yes."

Becky fed them the coordinates, and they disappeared once again.

"This will tell us a lot," she responded. "Mars is not in a good position relative to Earth. It is fifteen light minutes away. So that is a half hour there and back at the speed of light. It won't take them that long. But it might seem that way to us."

Ninety seconds later, the ship reappeared.

"YES!" screamed Liam and Becky, jumping up and high fiving each other.

"Aurora. Can you confirm you went to Mars?"

"Yes. It was an instantaneous jump. We waited ninety seconds and returned. How long were we gone?"

"Ninety seconds."

"Really?" they heard Evan in the background.

"Yes. We are quite relieved over here," said Liam.

"Have you ever wanted to see Saturn?" asked Becky.

"Sure, but not too close to the rings," said James. "I heard they are beautiful, but you get the best view from afar."

Liam looked over the location Becky suggested, and he nodded. "That's great."

"Aurora. This should be more towards the moon Enceladus. Any photos of that as well as Saturn would be great."

"You keep getting further away," remarked Jessica when the ship had disappeared. "How far is this?"

"Just under ninety light minutes. So yes, this is another large leap."

After ninety seconds, there was no ship. Ashleigh's heart picked up speed. This was the first time today that the ship hadn't returned after ninety seconds.

When it reached the two-minute mark, Ashleigh got up to stand looking directly at the large monitor of the ship room. It didn't alter the situation. There was still no ship.

Liam, Henry and Becky were silent. They had screens up trying to pick up the ship telemetry. Just in case the ship had come back to the wrong place. Nothing. The screens showed no connection.

Jessica sat where she'd sat since the tests had begun that morning. She was as calm as ever. She sat with her legs not crossed, and her hands in her lap. She was watching the screen intently.

Ashleigh stood, gazing at the screen. Willing herself to not blink. In a blink the ship might appear, and she didn't want to miss it. The first trip into space, a few weeks ago, had a delayed return while a problem with the electronics was fixed. The crew of the ship had the advice and expertise of the control room. This time they were alone. There was nobody to help. There was nobody to talk with.

They could be in trouble. They could have been destroyed. They could have been kidnapped by evil alien creatures in much larger ships. No matter how any of them willed, the ship room stayed empty.

At almost three minutes, the ship reappeared. Ashleigh looked across at the others in the room to make sure it wasn't just her seeing it.

"Aurora," said Becky. "What's your status."

"Sorry about the delayed return. The clocks are still in sync."

"Roger that Aurora. We'll stop testing for a bit if you want to disembark. We need to assess the readings."

"Understood."

Becky removed her headset. "Jessica, shall we go down and berate them together? Since the clocks are still in sync, the issue of their delayed return wasn't the science. They stayed 176 seconds instead of 90."

At the door, beyond which there were the stairs leading down to the basement, stood Luke. "Thanks Luke," said Becky. "We're stopping for a little bit."

"How did the tests go?"

"We've done four tests. It looks like Friday is a go. Do you want to let your contact know? We don't have the coordinates yet. We need to know the pickup point."

"I'll let you know," said Luke standing aside.

Jessica and Becky went into the ship room, as the team were disembarking. There was excited chatter.

"What happened," said Becky with a tinge of anger. "You knew we would be worried. What caused you to delay?"

"We were visited by an alien and provided the coordinates for Friday," said James smoothly. "It ... distracted us."

With that all the anger dissolved out of Becky's body.

"Do we know that it is the right alien race? Could it have been the one that's tried to kill us?" asked Jessica

"It is something that they said," said Sam. "It was an Alphonian."

"Great news. It looks like everything is set for Friday. Sam, based on the results so far today, are you happy to do the larger jump of 150 light years?"

Sam glanced across at Jessica. "Sure. As long as the tests we do later today give the same results, then I'd be honoured to be part of that crew. It does prove one thing though. The aliens must be able to track the jumps. If it is all jumps or just larger ones, I don't know, but we were there over thirty seconds before they appeared."