A Collision In Time

∇⋅D=ρ - first equation

May 15, 2289, Near Sandon, Texas Federation, Northern District (formerly British Columbia, Canada)

A glow of energy reflected on the surface of the still lake, cast in early morning shadows. It frightened a nearby chipmunk, who turned its head at the unusual spectacle. The flash disappeared, replaced by two humans and two holographic robots as the rodent scurried away.

Cara stood wide-eyed as she processed the instantaneous journey. “That’s it? I felt absolutely nothing.” She studied the new surroundings, absorbing the change. “Am I dreaming? Someone please pinch me.”

Uriel smirked. “This is it, indeed. This is very real.” He pinched Cara. “See?”

“Ow.” Cara chuckled. “I guess this is real.” She stretched her arms high, rotating them in a full circle. “Such gorgeous mountain air. I must admit, Dov, I was skeptical that this would work.”

The time travelers found themselves in the middle of a paved two-lane highway surrounded by slate and granite cliffs. The road cut through a valley next to a small green mountain lake surrounded by pine trees. The remains of morning frost covered a grassy meadow, still shaded.

“I wouldn’t have been surprised if we were still in the hotel room in Boston,” Cara continued. “I kept waiting for the punchline, some excuse why it didn’t work. I have many questions, Dov.”

“I can’t wait, but first I suppose we should orient ourselves.” Dov walked to a patch of red mountain flowers glowing in the sunrise. “These are amazing. It’s so beautiful here, so unlike both Boston and Sarajevo.” Dov knelt to smell the flower. “Does this remind you of anywhere, Uriel?”

“Indeed it does. I also miss home.”

“Red Paintbrush,” said Cara. “We must be in the Rocky Mountains.” She plucked a stem and snaked it through Dov’s hair. “There you go, Dov, you are now an honorary citizen. It matches your hair.”

“You’re right, Cara, “said Ariel. “We are on the edges of the Canadian Rocky Mountains.” He grabbed a box of equipment and hiked in the direction of the lake. “We need to move the luggage away from the middle of the road and properly hide it. I would hate to have to explain ourselves. Let’s move it all there.” Ariel nodded toward a patch of trees near a clearing beside a small beach.

They all picked up baggage and worked as a team, as efficiently as if they had done this before. Cara paused when they finished and whispered to Dov, “I need to rest, if you don’t mind. I’m a bit disoriented.”

“Of course,” said Dov. She shivered. “Good idea; I could use a break myself. Let’s find somewhere comfortable to sit, maybe by the lake. First I need more clothing.”

Dov and Cara retrieved their sweaters and followed a trail around the periphery of the lake. They settled next to each other underneath a large spruce tree with a view of the serene water.

“So specifically when and where are we?” Cara asked. “Sorry; you may have told me.”

Dov moved closer. “First, let’s make sure you’ve adjusted. Are you dizzy, nauseous, suffering a little bit of vertigo?”

“I think I’m doing fine. Again, ‘surreal’ would be a good word, I suppose. Stunned is a better term, on the other hand.” Cara leaned back against a tree trunk. “A lot happened back in Boston. I feel I am still dealing with that, and then we leapt through time. Sort of dizzying, in a way.”

Dov nodded. “A lot did happen. People react to time jumps differently. It hasn’t bothered me so far, and this is my third jump. Surreal is a perfect description. In my time there is plenty of research that suggests time travel is challenging for even the most seasoned traveler. Anthropologists studied human behavioral reactions, but traveling through time is still a new field of study and not a lot of people have experienced what we did. Our scientists don’t understand if the disorientation is due to sudden changes in biological context or if the reactions happen at the quantum level. Your feelings are normal, and of course, as you said, you are dealing with what happened at MIT as well, just to complicate the analysis.”

Dov plucked a yellow daisy-like wildflower and wove it through Cara’s hair before she continued. “So let me answer the easiest questions first. When. The next disturbance is scheduled in the year 2289, in mid-May, so if the time jump algorithms performed, we arrived then.” Dov swatted a fly away from Cara’s face. “We jumped near a small town called Sandon, which is located in a western province in Canada whose name has slipped my mind. Sorry, post-climate geography in North America is not my area of expertise.”

“Probably Alberta or British Columbia if we’re in Canada,” said Cara. “Now tell me how. Like, it felt instantaneous.”

“From your perspective it was physically instantaneous, though in reality, the process borrowed a chunk of virtual time.” Dov snapped off a twig and sketched formulas on the ground. “We figured out how to reprogram space-time properties, first for a single particle, a neutrino I think, then for an atom, a molecule, and eventually for organic matter, and then living creatures. We figured out how to wrap or enclose those into a single packet or envelope of energy and move them together to a new space-time location—”

Cara interrupted. “So let me get this straight. You reprogram the space-time position of a bundle of particles and then eventually the space-time location of an entire person?”

Dov nodded. “Technically, decades ago, scientists figured out how to package information or matter for time travel. For example to time-jump software, robots, and even bio-organisms, it was a complex amount of data and the undertaking took weeks of quantum computer processing. My contribution to the physics involved figuring out how to wrap matter into a single set of energy and compress the processing time to seconds for repositioning. The four of us arrived enclosed in an energy envelope, reprogrammed with new space-time vector coordinates based on the absolute time-wave dimensions that span the universe.”

“I am impressed,” Cara said. “You are a smart one, aren’t you?”

Dov smiled. “It all started with your work, Cara, when you identified time-waves.”

Cara repositioned herself to absorb the rays of the sun. “The warmth feels amazing.” She removed her sweater. “Okay, so my next question. Do…or will…or did…” Cara smiled. “I’m not sure which tense to use, since my question is technically about a description of events that happened in your past, but it’s really a question about the future. Let me start the sentence again. Will people in your future use time travel to vacation to new lands or new times?”

Dov swatted away a mosquito away that had started to bite her. “No. Because of the complexities of time travel, it’s still an infrequent occurrence and heavily regulated. Very few people today are given permission.” She shrugged.

“Today?” Cara said.

“What?” Dov did not follow Cara’s question.

“You said a few people today.”

Dov smiled. “Of course, I was meaning today like what my todays used to be—you know. The today I know may no longer be.” Dov paused, “I agree that tense is tricky, it’s like the English language never anticipated time travel.”

“So who travels then?”

“We travel for academic purposes mostly. To learn and better our society. At my university, historians partner with mathematicians to clarify human history by observing the past. We send thousands of software bots to record moments and events, even pre-human, then use artificial intelligence to create a holistic picture of what happened. The issue is stitching together different perspectives to arrive at truth and probability.”

“An objective history book. Cool. So amazing, I wouldn’t believe this if I wasn’t sitting here right now. Thank you for including me, Dov. I realize I complicated your mission. I promise to always honor you for that. I get why it’s important. People have been debating time paradoxes for so long.”

“Yeah, I think philosophers have pondered this for millennia. In Pachamama, this issue is always raised by the Heretics.”

“The who?” Cara asked.

“The Heretics. A growing political movement in Pachamama that hates the idea of time travel. They nearly prevented me from being here. They vehemently oppose human progress or our place in nature. They wish humans could literally unevolve.”

“Like literally devolving away from being homo sapiens?”

“More like toward a species better integrated with nature and the animal kingdom.”

Cara shook her head. “Seems more like a natural evolution. Sounds strange to create a movement that nature has already figured out.”

“I think my parents may have been involved.”

“They were Heretics?”

“I think so. Their conversations always sounded as though they plotted and schemed. Mind you, I was young.”

Dov sighed, yawned, and leaned in to Cara. “You tired, Cara?”

“Tired and overwhelmed. Why don’t we go lie in the sunshine by the lake? I could use a nap, and I am sure Uriel and Ariel will keep an eye out for us.”

Using their sweaters as pillows, they stretched out on the grass and closed their eyes.

Ninety minutes later, they both woke up hungry. Fortunately, Uriel had packed a large amount of food in Boston. Dov and Cara selected hotel turkey sandwiches, chips, and two cans of beer and ate picnic-style, enjoying the warmth of the late morning and the sun-heated boulders on the shore.

After they ate, Cara took her shoes off and stepped into the shallow lake. “Oh my god,” she said, “this is truly cold.” She rolled up her jeans and waded into the frigid water. “I hate to dwell on this, but I don’t even know if Nick lived. He may have, I don’t know. It’s weird and disturbing to think the explosion happened two hundred years ago as far as this world is concerned. But who knows, maybe he survived. The physics building is well built.”

Dov nodded, unsure what to say. She wished she was better at helpful words when situations like this presented themselves. Her mind seemed to freeze and blank out, no matter how much she wanted to help and provide comfort.

* * *

Dov struggled to keep up with her mom. What was Mom doing here anyway?

“Mom, slow down,” Dov yelled and ran after her on the trail.

“Why? You should easily be able to maintain this pace. You are almost my size, practically an adult.”

“I’m thirteen, Mom. But of course you wouldn’t even know that, would you? You haven’t visited me in months—but I stopped counting.”

Dov’s mom ignored the comment and veered onto the left fork of the path. The trees thinned and the terrain grew less manicured. They walked onto the pebble beach along the lake, its water still in the calm, windless afternoon.

“Have a seat, Dov.” Her mom directed them onto a tree limb that had been dragged onto the beach. “I want to ask you about your studies in the lesser college. How can you enjoy it? Have you considered other interests?”

“I’m loving it. For the first time in my life I feel a calling.”

“It’s artificial, Dov.”

Dov’s mother stood and started removing her outer clothes. “Come, let’s discuss after a swim.”

“I didn’t bring a swimsuit, Mother, and I’d rather not see you without one, if you don’t mind.”

“Nonsense. You must embrace the feel of water on your body. You see? That’s what I mean—your lessons blind you to the optimal relationship between nature and humans.”

“You sound like one of those crazy Heretics, Mom. And there is nothing more fundamental than math and physics to enlighten a person on how nature works.”

“Your dad would be furious if he heard you speak that way. You are lost, my child.” Dov’s mom dove into the lake.

* * *

“On the other hand,” Cara was saying, “they may never find his body. The explosion was massive.”

Dov refocused and sighed. “I am so sorry, Cara.”

“Thank you, Dov. I appreciate it.”

Dov studied her blurred reflection in the water. She decided to offer uncomplicated comfort. “You are welcome. And of course, you have my support.” She recalled Elder Brumion’s words of wisdom suggesting something similar.

Cara wandered deeper into the water and scooped a flat rock from under the surface. She flung it toward deeper water. It skipped across five times, creating multiple sets of ripples that radiated outward, distorting the reflection of the trees that surrounded the lake. Standing knee-deep in the water, Cara watched it. “I have a thought. I realized I made zero contact with anyone after the explosion other than you, Uriel, and Ariel. I was about to call my ex-boyfriend when we had to leave quickly. You know what that means, eh?”

“I think so,” said Dov. “ Everyone will assume you perished in the bombing.”

“Exactly. I suppose my friends and family will be devastated. But…” Cara paused. “This means a fresh start for me and I can’t say I’m unhappy about it. I can reinvent myself. I’m in a whole new world here. But poor Nick. I hope it was quick.”

“What was quick?” Dov asked, confused.

“His death,” she said matter-of-factly. “Anyway, enough about Nick. I have a lot of thoughts…” Cara didn’t finish. She wandered a few more steps into the water. “Join me, Dov. The water is amazing, rehabilitating, in fact.”

Dov finished her beer and removed her shoes. “That is a lot to absorb, isn’t it?”

“It is. But” —Cara glanced at the sky and raised her arms— “I jumped through time and I will consider the feat a significant accomplishment.”

Dov smiled as she waded into the lake. She gasped. “This is cold!” She splashed Cara.

The drops of frigid water hit Cara’s skin and she recoiled and screamed, “Oh my god, Dov!

“That settles it, I’m going in.” Cara ran back to the beach and stripped out of her remaining clothes. She ran back into the water and dove into the lake in an elegant shallow dive. She swam toward the lake’s center and stopped, treading water. “Can you swim?”

“Yes, but the water is freezing,” Dov argued.

“It’s amazing and clean. Come on, don’t be afraid. You get used to it right away.”

Dov returned to the beach, removed her clothing, then ran back into the water, crying out in surprise at the shock. She took a deep breath and followed Cara’s lead with a shallow dive. She swam out to join Cara.

“That was fantastic,” said Cara as she dressed later on. “I love it here. Can we please stay forever, and forget our troubles? We can fish and live off the land.”

Dov smiled. “If only I wasn’t so responsible. But we could pretend for a—”

Uriel appeared through the trees. “Eat up, time to get a move on. We should head to Sandon.”

“Were you spying on us?” Cara asked.

Uriel managed a dull smile. “Ariel is back and has deployed the nano-drones. We’ve confirmed where we are, and where to go next.”

Highway 31A resembled a typical mountain highway: narrow, hilly, and winding, with mature popular and pine trees crowding its edges. The road would be dangerous for pedestrians, had there been vehicle traffic to avoid. During the first hour of the walk, however, not a single vehicle passed.

“We may end up walking all the way,” said Ariel.

“Sandon is only a few more kilometers,” said Uriel. “An hour or two won’t change our success probabilities.”

Not long thereafter, a transport truck snuck up behind them and slowed down. It pulled over to a stop thirty meters ahead. “You need a ride? Where are you heading?” the driver called out.

“To Sandon,” Uriel yelled.

“Jump in the back, the latch is open. I can take you to the Three Forks Corner.”

Twenty minutes later they met the security detail, and not long after, Emerson’s van approached.

“What an adorable place this is,” said Cara, later that afternoon at the Tea House.

They sat at a corner table surrounded by antiquity and original furnishings. The hardwood floor creaked as the restaurant staff walked it, providing more evidence of the originality of the building. They ordered English tea along with a selection of scones and crustless sandwiches, which came promptly.

“It’s been forever since I’ve had black tea,” Cara said. She poured the tea into a china cup and prepared her scones with a layer of heavy cream. “Dov, you are going to love this.” Cara took a sip of tea and smiled. “This tastes exactly how I remember.” She poured the tea into Dov’s cup, followed by a teaspoon of sugar and a touch of cream. “Enjoy.”

Ariel entered the Tea House to join them. He positively glowed.

“Mission accomplished?” Dov asked. She put strawberry jam on her scone, imitating Cara.

“Yes, we have a perimeter established. I planted nano-cams around town. The Sandon security is still relatively unsophisticated, so I doubt they will detect the cams, though I did notice a couple of old-style drones patrolling the area. Uriel and I will be able to collect and analyze the image data, but it would help if we could set up our equipment and establish the network, otherwise our alert system won’t be as robust. We should probably find a hotel and a ride to collect our equipment. Perhaps we can convince Emerson to help us. Speaking of him, he is late. I hope he didn’t forget.”

“He is not how I pictured him,” said Cara. “He’s shorter than I imagined. Didn’t appear important.”

“Napoleon,” said Uriel. “Alexander the Great, Martin Luther King, Stephen GreatSpeaker. Shall I continue? All short and successful.”

“Okay, maybe I’m biased,” Cara said. She took another sip of tea.

“He’s charismatic, though. I can sense it,” Dov added. “But where is he?”

* * *

Emerson glanced at his watch as he rushed up the hill toward the Tea House—10,562 steps and 4:21 p.m., right on time. He was curious who the newcomers were, and why they were here. He wondered if the new strangers had any relationship with Asmodi and Elinda. He recalled one of the men mentioning to Jeannie something about a dishonorable man. Was this a reference to Asmodi?

Then he saw her.

She was leaning against a corner of the Tea House, wearing the same summer dress he had fantasized about while in the transport vehicle on the way back from this morning’s meeting. How was this possible? The sun reflected off her hair as she brushed it away from her face. She smiled at him.

Emerson approached her. “Elinda? Hi. What brings you here?” Emerson maintained his composure, despite his racing heart, a growing lump in his throat, and a pit forming in his stomach. Sweat beaded on his forehead and his palms became clammy.

She didn’t answer. Instead, she stared straight into his eyes. “Care to go for a walk with me, Emerson?” she finally said.

Instead of saying, “No, I really can’t. I am supposed to be meeting people in the Tea House now and they’re waiting for me,” his mouth said, “Yeah, I would like that.” He took her hand. “Where should we go?” He felt unable to speak in anything but simple phrases.

“The creek. I want to dip my toes in the creek.”

* * *

“More tea, anyone?” The waitress hovered over the table with a pot of hot water.

“I’m not sure,’’ said Dov. “The person who was going to join us is late. Ariel, can you see him on your cams?”

“I suppose I should look.” Ariel reviewed the live feeds from the nano-cams. “No, he’s not in view. Hang on, let me check the photo history.”

The waitress continued to linger, waiting for direction. “Tea?” she repeated.

“I think we’re fine, thanks,” said Cara. “Miss, can you tell me why there are so many Texas flags on all the buildings? is there a celebration or something?

She regarded Cara strangely. “Because we are in Texas, of course. Where do you think you are, honey?”

“Oh, of course; I meant…never mind.” Cara intentionally cut the conversation short but stared at Dov with wide eyes. She whispered in Dov’s ear, “Texas? I thought you said Canada.”

Dov stared at Ariel in a panic. “Ariel? Texas?”

All eyes focused on Ariel.

“First, geographically, we are exactly where the disturbance is due to happen. Politically, there may be changes.” Ariel’s expression changed as he focused elsewhere. He peered straight ahead as he examined the data that flowed through his system. “Strange. I see Emerson approaching the Tea House twenty-five minutes ago. Very peculiar,” Ariel glanced around to ensure nobody could view them, then he discreetly projected a hand-sized holograph. “This is from twenty-five minutes ago. You can see Emerson here, about to enter the Tea House, but now he’s distracted by something. See? Watch this—he’s talking to someone, but they are out of sight.”

“Who’s he talking to, can you hear?” Dov asked.

“There doesn’t appear to be anyone there, or whoever it is is hidden from the camera. Uriel, I need your help. Use the tracing algorithm to figure out the path he took from the Tea House.”

“Got it,” said Uriel. He focused. “I found his trail.” Uriel projected the images. “He was with a woman beside the creek, and then they walked to a vehicle.” He reviewed the data. “Twelve minutes later, I lost him. The vehicle he was in must have left the network.”

“Fuck,” said Cara, “this can’t be good.”

“Is everything okay?” a voice intruded on them. “Y’all seem intense.” Jeannie stood over them.

She frowned. “My apologies, I am being intrusive. Have you seen Emerson? I’m supposed to meet him at five.”

“We may have a problem,” said Dov. “He seems to have skipped out.”

“He never skips out,” said Jeannie. “Not Em. He is as punctual as they come, that boy.”

“Well,” said Cara, “shall we show her?”

Ariel directed the holographic for Jeannie to see. Her expression changed from disbelief to worry.

“You will have to sell us your technology,” she said, then watched the video. “Being late for two appointments is not the Emerson I know. He had an unusual encounter this morning at our meeting. I guess I should’ve paid more attention to his strange behavior. I took it as only young stupid male hormones misbehaving.”

“What sort of behavior?” Uriel inquired.

“He was distracted after our meeting. About a woman, of course.”

“Are there drones patrolling the area?” Uriel asked. “We can help find him, but could use your assistance so we can set up surveillance. We have sophisticated gear that will support the effort, but we also need assistance retrieving the equipment from where we stored it, near where you picked us up, about fifteen kilometers from here. I promise to explain everything, but we don’t have time now.”

“Who are you guys?” demanded Jeannie. She looked at them suspiciously. “Never mind, y’all tell me later. Will a small truck work to collect your gear?”

“Yes, it will,” Ariel said. They stood up to leave.

“Put their bill on my tab,” Jeannie called out to the waitress as they left.

They split up. Ariel and Uriel, accompanied by two soldiers hastily arranged by Jeannie, raced to collect their luggage and equipment, check into the local hotel, and then deploy their monitoring drones. The goal was to configure the equipment and begin conducting intelligence gathering before sunset.

At the same time, Jeannie, Dov, and Cara jumped into Jeannie’s EV and followed the suspect vehicle’s trail that had been captured by Sandon’s security drones. The trace directed them onto narrow Highway 31A toward New Denver. Jeannie drove aggressively, having driven the road many times. Dov and Cara hung on as the car hugged the precarious road, cliffs on one side, rock walls on the other. The setting sun cast long shadows from the trees, pinstriping the pavement—sun, shadow, sun, shadow. Dov sensed the pulsing sunbeam on her eyes like a visual rat-a-tat drumbeat.

Jeannie broke the rhythmic trance. “My instincts are telling me this has everything to do with a man called Asmodi we met today.”

“Who’s Asmodi?” Cara asked.

“A horrible, arrogant man. He showed up unexpectedly today at our council meeting. I’d never seen him before. He claimed he had traveled from Salt Lake City. One of his female companions shamelessly flirted with Emerson, and now as I think about it, Asmodi seemed overly curious about Em as well.”

“Wait, you said he’s new in town?” Dov reflected on their newly discovered nemesis in Boston. “Is he tall, handsome, kind of mysterious?” It made perfect sense to Dov. The same man responsible for the first two disturbances would also be found here.

“Yes, sounds right. As I said, I’ve never met him before today.”

Dov reached into her pack and pulled out her holographic device. It powered up instantly and displayed a holographic photo album. “One sec,” said Dov. She directed the holographic image so Jeannie could see it as she drove.

“Y’all have sophisticated tech.” Jeannie again sounded suspicious.

“Are you sure you want to show Jeannie the picture now?” asked Cara. “I mean, she should keep her eyes on the road, shouldn’t she?”

“It’s okay, I know this road like the back of my hand,” Jeannie said. “Not that I remember what the back of my hand looks like.” She giggled at her joke, then became serious again. “Show me, please.”

“This guy?” Dov displayed the photo of the man captured by Ariel at the Holy Trinity Church in Boston.

“Damn, that’s him,” Jeannie said.

“He’s becoming a pain in my ass,” said Cara. “This Asmodi guy needs to be held to account.”

The route led them past New Denver and onward to Silverton. Since the drones had not spotted the wanted vehicle also leaving Silverton, they assumed it had stopped there.

“It shouldn’t take us long to sweep the town,” Jeannie said.

“Uriel,” Dov subvocalized, “we could use some nano-drone support here. Any way to pick up on the trail?”

“Indeed; the images are being uploaded into the system,” Uriel said.

“Uriel, please hurry, okay?”

Dov addressed Jeannie. “The drones will launch in minutes. We are just figuring out how to tap into their network. Five more minutes, I promise you.”

Jeannie pulled the electric vehicle onto a side street within a complex of industrial buildings on the outskirts of Silverton. She stopped the engine and glanced at Dov and Cara. “I don’t know who y’all are, and I don’t know where Emerson is, and I don’t like knowing you know about Asmodi, and I don’t understand all of the magic and technology I witnessed today. I hate not knowing so much, so while we wait for the drones, maybe y’all can fill me in on a few things so I can know something. Who wants to start, and quickly, because if that drone of yours finds something, we will get real busy real fast.”

Dov and Cara glanced at each other, unsure where to start.

“My success is not due to my charm, but my instinct, and it’s on red alert,” Jeannie added. “Who wants to begin? Who are y’all, really?”

Cara began. “I am Cara Zitkala-Sa; I live in Boston, attending MIT.”

“I thought Boston was gone, underwater.”

Cara was caught off guard. “Well, not from where I’m from, from…” Cara hesitated, unsure where to go from there. “Like near there, I mean,” she said weakly.

“Okay, and…” Jeannie pushed, clearly frustrated and suspicious.

“Well…” Dov had grown tired of trying to explain her situation, and of either lying or explaining a half version of the truth. At the same time, she knew her story remained complex and inherently unbelievable. It required a leap of faith, something Cara had taken, but even with Cara, the truth of Dov’s story took time. She sensed there was no chance of Jeannie taking the same leap. She decided to improvise, not lying, but leaving out facts.

“Well, my name is Dov Sabastien, and I am a mathematical and physics scientist. I study social-historical patterns over time. That’s how Cara and I met.” Dov had no idea where to take the introduction from there, except to add, “Can you trust us when we say we have Emerson and your town’s best interests at heart? We seek no harm, only to protect and preserve things, especially from this Asmodi character.”

“But why are you interested in Em? What did he do?” Jeannie probed.

“Let me try,” said Cara. “So, Jeannie—”

“Okay, we found his trail,” Uriel interrupted. His voice amplified through Dov’s device.

“You explain later.” Jeannie glared at Dov and Cara. “You’ve only been saved by the bell.”

She shouted at Dov’s device, “Where to?”

“We are calculating now; one second,” Uriel said. “His car pulled into a garage beside a house, roughly 130 meters from where you are. Dov, I sent you the coordinates.”

Jeannie moved the car close to where Uriel indicated. She stopped and turned off the engine. They remained in the car. “Well, what do you think we should do now?” she asked. “I didn’t bring any weapons, did y’all?”

They hadn’t.

“Ariel?” Dov subvocalized so she couldn’t be heard by Jeannie. “Is there appropriate network coverage for you to shift into observe mode and join me here?”

“That’s a clever idea,” Ariel replied. “The net coverage is pervasive. I will have Uriel hack into it and send me your way. I should be there in a few moments.”

“Ping me when you arrive.” Dov looked over at Jeannie. “Jeannie, we need to gather more information about what’s inside the house. We are deploying some spy technology and should have better information shortly. I think we need to hang tight till we understand the situation, then make decisions from there.”

Jeannie considered. “I think I will go look for myself. Be right back.” She left the car before an objection could be raised. They watched her sneak toward the house, then hide behind a large bush ten meters from the corner of the house.

“She’s a stubborn one, Dov,” Cara said. “So…what sort of spy technology?”

“Well, the AIs, as holographs, can manifest as invisible information packets, as a dense network of sensory software, and conduct themselves in a compressed, semi-physical form through an information network. We call that ‘observe mode.’ You will see Ariel as a small pinprick of light, like a small firefly. They can collect sensory data and store it, as well as transmit information to me. You should see Ariel as soon as he can move through the network.”

“Sorta like a small reddish glowing light, like what arrived outside?” Cara asked.

“I’m here, Dov.” Ariel subvocalized. “I’m going to head to the house, where Emerson should be.”

“Yeah, exactly,” Dov said. “Like that.” She motioned for Cara to come closer. Dov peeled a tiny chip from her holographic device, then reached out to Cara. “Here, let me put a subvocalization receiver on you. You will be able to listen in on our chatter. Later we will set you up so you can subvocalize yourself, but for now, just whisper.” Cara placed the undetectable microchip just inside Cara’s ear. She touched Cara on her ear. “Ariel, Uriel, you can subvocalize to Cara now, as well.”

“Interesting. Thank you. Now, I wonder what Jeannie is up to?” Cara whispered, looking out the car window.

Cara and Dov exited the car and skulked toward Jeannie, still hidden behind the bush. Cara winked at Dov. “I have to admit I am enjoying myself.”

“Be careful what you wish for, Cara. I can’t say the same.”

Cara crawled up behind Jeannie. “Hey, Jeannie,” she whispered.

Jeannie jumped. “Damn, you scared me.”

“Nice to see you too.” Dov joined them. “Listen, we received some intel. We know that Emerson is upstairs and tied up in a bedroom. There are two other women in the house—”

“I know all about them,” Jeannie said. She spat in disgust.

“No one else is around,” Ariel announced.

“So what’s the plan?” asked Jeannie.