The Time War Ch. 32

Chapter 32: The Unexpected Sinking of the Titanic

The Temporal Social Justice Warriors:

"No Dana, it's too dangerous," Craig hissed, as Dana started to work his shirt off.

Craig's reluctance only made Dana Slotkin more excited. Somehow the idea of having sex with such a beta-male, of taking charge and making him her own, caused her vagina to ooze with sexual perspiration.

And of course, there was the thrill of taking a gigantic risk.

If Maria discovered them having sex, Dana would be disciplined. At the very least. But Craig? The risk was exponentially bigger for him. Even though he was a white male, Craig had been admitted to the Community on the grounds that while he was white and male, he belonged to a distinct minority, inanimasexuals, those who only had sex with inanimate objects. Craig could have been content to spend the rest of his life having sex with a slit in a small, tight pillow greased with lubricant.

But then Dana started flirting with him, and rubbing her body against him like a cat. At first Craig didn't really understand it. Dana knew his sexual orientation. And he knew that Dana, as one of Maria's favorites, was getting plenty of intercourse with him. And yet Dana seemed to yearn for more. She maneuvered work assignments so they were alone together, and flirted shamelessly with him, and one thing led to another, and before long they were hugging and kissing, and now Dana wanted to go all the way.

"Dana, we shouldn't," said Craig, as Dana pulled down his underwear. She lifted his erect organ. "This says we should," she announced triumphantly. "Don't you want me, Craig?" She pulled off her top, revealing her large breasts. "Don't you want to touch these?" She lifted his hands and put them on her breasts. "Don't they feel better than that pillow you beat off to?"

They did feel better than that pillow he beat off to. Truth be told, the pillow was getting a bit sticky and grimy, and he was having a hard time keeping the slit he had cut into it clean and hygienic. But Dana's breasts were warm and tender.

And so, when they were both nude, Craig didn't resist when Dana pulled him on top of her, and inserted him into her. He started thrusting like a rabbit in heat almost immediately.

"That's my boy," said Dana, playing with his hair.

"But... what if Maria finds out?" Craig gasped, as he moved rapidly and out of her.

"Maria is busy with his latest pet project," said Dana. "He'll never even notice."

********

Dana was right. Maria was busy with his latest pet project.

And his pet project's name was Joy Montana.

Maria, emboldened by his success with Hillary Ashanti, decided to conquer new territory: Joy Montana.

After seeing Keith's humiliation in front of the group, Pablo Guzman knew what was expected of her. And of him. He was to sit idly by while Maria made love to his wife.

Well, perhaps Keith could tolerate that, somehow. But not Pablo. Pablo Guzman was a hot blooded Latin man and he would rather die before he would let another man make love to his wife.

Pablo's vow was about to be tested to the limit.

Four evenings after the one where Maria took Hillary and broke her relationship with Keith forever, Maria had his eye on his new conquest. As dessert was being served, Maria gestured for Joy Montana to come and sit on his lap. "Joy... come here, my darling."

Joy tittered and cast a glance at Pablo, who was furious. Maria knew how opposed Pablo was. Perhaps it would be just like a last time, a little kissing, a little fondling through her shirt, just to let everyone know who was in charge.

She forced a smile on her lips and got up and went over to sit in Maria's lap. He smiled happily as she sat down on it, arching her head upwards to accept a kiss.

Pablo was livid.

Maria was all smiles. "Tomorrow we are going to announce a dramatic new mission. One which will change the course of history."

"Why not tell us now, Maria?" Alyssa Goldenfrau asked.

Maria gave a wolf like smile. "Because tonight is the time to party!" And he gave Joy a passionate kiss in front of everyone.

Pablo half rose from his chair. Elijah Ellison, who was sitting next to him, pushed him down and gave him a warning look, shaking his head.

Maria got up, taking Joy by the hand. "Come, my lovely, let us go and celebrate the morrow!" And he started to take her to his private quarters.

"No!" said Pablo, jumping up from his chair.

"No?" said Maria, turning with a smile. "Pablo has an objection. What is it that you are objecting to, Pablo?"

"You will not have your way with my wife," said Pablo.

"Pablo, please," Joy cried.

"You see, Pablo, she wants it," said Maria.

"She does not!" said Pablo. "I will not let you."

"What did you say? What did you say? You will not let me?" Maria's eyes grew wide. "Those are resistance words, Pablo! You will take them back immediately, or suffer the consequences."

Pablo folded his arms in front of him. "I will not. I will not let you take my wife. I am not some cuckold like others here," he glanced dismissively at Keith Ashanti, who had a retarded grin on his face.

Maria nodded for a moment. Then he said, "Take him. Take him to the Shaft."

"No!" Joy screamed, as Red Bull and Ahmed Ahmad grabbed Pablo by the arms. Pablo tried to resist, but Ahmed Ahmad punched him in the face, leaving him dazed. They dragged him to the Time Shaft, and were waiting there like obedient pets as Maria casually strolled into the control room.

Maria started to manipulate the controls. "I didn't want to do this, Pablo." Suddenly, the Time Shaft went dead. "Bind him to it," said Maria.

Joy screamed as Pablo, still struggling, was tied to the deactivated Time Shaft. Then they stepped back.

"I didn't want to do this, Pablo, but you made me," said Maria. He pressed a button, and the protective force field around the shaft reactivated. Then he said, "Tell me Pablo, did you know that we can activate parts of the Time Shaft selectively? We can, you know. You know, in situations like this, it's always best to give a demonstration. It explains things so clearly."

"No!" Joy cried.

The Time Shaft pulsed, in the area around Pablo's belly that made his stomach lurch. "For a moment, time accelerated around your stomach. Did you feel that, Pablo? And that was only a factor of three! Now see what happens when we accelerate that... by a factor of 50."

He started working on the controls again. Suddenly a part of the Time Shaft became active, in the area around Pablo's lower right arm. Pablo screamed in agony, even as the Shaft deactivated again.

Pablo looked down at his right hand. His nails were incredibly long.

"And that was only a two second pulse," said Maria. "Of course, speeding up time is not the only tool in our little arsenal." A few seconds later, the Time Shaft pulsed around the area of Pablo's chest. He gasped. Maria did not stop the effect. Instead he said, "It may feel like you're gasping for air and having a heart attack, but you aren't. We have simply slowed down time a modest fifty percent for your heart and lungs. How do you like them apples, Pablo?"

Pablo gasped for air. His heart felt like it was going to burst.

"Please, stop!" Joy cried. "I'll do anything, anything you want!"

"Yes, my dear, you will," said Maria. He pressed a button, and the Time Shaft deactivated again. He turned to Pablo. "Well, Pablo, what do you have to say?"

"I... I...."

"Are you willing to redistribute your sexual wealth with the rest of your Community family?"

"I...." Pablo was in terrible pain and terror. "Yes... yes....."

"That's good. That's really good," said Maria. "But I realize that this isn't a fair question. You may feel under duress. I don't think you're going to be able to give me a candid answer in a situation like this."

"He means it!" Joy cried. "Let him go, please!"

"Let's take a poll," said Maria. "John, do you think Pablo is being sincere when he invites me to use Joy for my own sexual pleasure?"

"No," said John Cummings, stone faced.

"What about you, Elijah?"

"No," said Elijah.

One by one they were prompted to answer, even the girls. They all said no, knowing the answer that Maria wanted.

Maria made a tisk-tisk sound with his tongue when it was done. "I'm sorry Pablo. I believe you, but the Community doesn't. I'm afraid we're going to have to take this to the next level." He started working at the controls again. The Time Shaft came alive, this time around the area of Pablo's head.

"NO!" Joy screamed, as Red Bull held her back.

Pablo screamed as his head withered and grew old and grey rapidly. And then his scream rapidly cut off, and the flesh on his head melted and turned into a skull. Joy cried out in pain and anguish.

Maria smiled as he turned off the Time Shaft. He went and took a weeping Joy into his arms. "He didn't feel a thing, dear, truly. Time was moving at 5000 times faster than normal for him."

Joy wept in his embrace. "Come... come.... I will comfort and console you," said Maria. He smiled at the others with a broad grin as he led Joy to his sleeping quarters.

The two were not seen again until the following morning.

********

The next morning, Maria had recovered from the ordeal, and was all smiles, and Joy, if not happy, seemed calmer at least. She was most attentive to Maria, looking fearfully at him and smiling nervously whenever he looked at her.

Joy had been much too upset to properly please Maria during their sexual intercourse the previous night. Still Maria tried to make the best of things, gagging her while he took his pleasure. He slept well that night, happy that justice had been done. Maria decided he would give Joy a few days to adjust. If she didn't, he would find other ways to improve her mood.

"My friends, the time has come to strike at the rich elite," said Maria. Maria, of course, was quite wealthy himself, but never counted himself as a member of the rich elite; Maria was a woman of the people.

"We are going to eliminate 38 of the richest industrialists of the early 20th century, in one fell swoop!"

"How?" Red Bull asked.

"By sinking the Titanic."

"The what?" said Elijah Ellison.

********

There was a luxury liner in the early 20th century called the Titanic. On its maiden voyage it made a cruise into the North Atlantic, carrying some of the richest people in America. It returned without incident, two weeks later.

"But we are going to change all that," said Maria. "We are going to make sure the Titanic sinks."

"How?"

"By hitting an iceberg."

********

Maria was pleased when he took Joy to bed the following night. This time she was much more responsive to his needs. She didn't just lie there and cry, but actually participated, fucking him back as much as he fucked her, crying out as he sucked on her heavy tits, and kissing him furiously as he pounded into her, finally releasing, filling Joy with his feminine goodness.

The reason for her improved mood could be found earlier in the day, when Dana Slotkin had had a talk with Joy in the kitchen when the two were alone.

"Joy, how are you coping?" Dana had asked.

Joy, doing the dishes, said nothing.

"Joy, it's very important that you present a happy face."

"Why? Why must I be happy?" Joy asked, letting a dish drop with a clank.

"Because if you're not, Maria will do the same thing to you he did to Pablo."

Joy's jaw dropped.

"He wants you to be happy, Joy. But he wants you to be happy so he can be happy, if you get my meaning," said Dana. "And if you're not happy, and Maria isn't happy, you're going to be even more unhappy."

"But... but... he killed Pablo," Joy whispered, looking around as if the walls had ears.

"Yes, he did," said Dana. "But Pablo would want you to live on. And the only way you can do that is to be pleasing to Maria."

"I... I don't know if I can do it."

"You can, Joy," said Dana, embracing her. "Do it, Joy. Do it for the Community."

And so Joy found the strength somewhere inside herself to fuck Maria as intensely as he fucked her. Joy found the action of participating enthusiastically created the feeling of enthusiasm inside of her. The memory of Pablo still pained her, but was a receding wound.

Afterwards, as they lay together, Joy asked, "Maria? May I ask you a question?"

Maria chuckled. "After a performance like that, Joy, you can even ask me two."

Joy smiled, glad that she had pleased Maria. "You're going to sink the Titanic to kill these 37 rich industrialists, right?'

"38. Correct."

"Well... won't a lot of other people die too? I did some research, and discovered that the Titanic had over 3000 passengers and crew-" she broke off, worried that she had said too much.

Maria nodded. "There are a lot of other people on board. Even poor people, among the crew. But Joy, think about what they are sacrificing for! These ordinary people are sacrificing their lives to liquidate 38 of the richest men in the world. These 38 people make as much money as a hundred thousand ordinary workers! Don't you think the poor people on the ship, knowing that, would be happy to give their lives for such a virtuous cause?"

"I... I suppose.... But... can't we just go on board and eliminate those 38?" Joy asked.

Maria shook his head. "It would corrupt the timeline too much if a team of righteous justice warriors suddenly appeared, killed some old white men, and vanished. No, the world would accept it more easily if the ship struck an iceberg. Even I could believe that," Maria laughed.

********

Sabotaging the Titanic was embarrassingly easy. All Maria had to do was gate aboard, sneak to the bridge in an officer's uniform, and put a magnet under the ship's compass. It was that simple. The ship made an unexpected turn to the north... and towards icebergs...

It was a warm night in July, and John Rockefeller was chatting with Cornelius Vanderbilt and Edward Harriman out under the stars on the forward deck. One might think that men of such wealth would be immensely content; but if one really thought that, then one would be wrong.

"I have such trouble sleeping," Rockefeller confessed.

"Me too," said Vanderbilt.

"I just make so much more money than the average worker," said Rockefeller. "I calculated it out--I make 200 times what my lowest wage worker does."

"I make 300 times!" said Edward Harriman. "I feel incredibly, incredibly guilty."

"I know," said Cornelius Vanderbilt. "And what bothers me the most is that it's all just random luck. Any one of my line workers, any one of them, could have achieved what I had if he had had the same luck I had."

The others vigorously nodded in agreement.

"Anyone could have done it," said Rockefeller. "It didn't require brains, or hard work."

"Just luck, and being born to wealth," said Vanderbilt. "God, I feel so guilty!" he moaned.

"I feel the guilt too," said Rockefeller. "Sometimes, when I look at my factory, I have to be wondering if we aren't causing harm. Maybe we're making the weather hotter in the summer. Have you noticed how hot it is in the summer lately?"

"I was thinking the same thing!" said Harriman.

"Not only that, but winters are colder too," said Vanderbilt. "And the rains! Sometimes when it rains, it pours! That's not natural. I feel so much guilt over all the money I have made over the backs of my workers... I must be doing something to destroy the Earth. I can just feel it!"

"If only the government could find out the harm we are doing, and punish us with higher taxes and more regulation," said Rockefeller.

"That would help me sleep so much better at night!" said Vanderbilt.

********

Sleeping was also on the mind of Titanic Captain Ed Smith. He had a number of young ladies dining at the Captain's table, most daughters of wealthy industrialists, and he was thinking who he could romance into coming back to his cabin to see his collection of anchors. Maybe Miss Winters? Or perhaps Miss Augustine, the blonde with the big-

Suddenly there was a jolt, and Smith was thrown off his feet. "What happened!" he cried, standing up slowly.

"We struck an iceberg, sir!" said his first officer.

"Oh my God!" An iceberg! The ship could sink! "Damage report!"

"Checking...." Then the first officer said, "No damage."

"No damage?" said Captain Smith. "Are you sure?" Somehow he felt almost cheated.

"None, sir. When a metal hull hits ice, the ice breaks, not the metal. No damage."

"Not even a leak, even a small one?"

"Sorry, sir."

"All right, then." In the back of his mind Captain Smith wondered how they had hit an iceberg this far south. There weren't supposed to be any here. He went back to thinking about young luscious girls again when suddenly the ship was rocked again.

"Iceberg!" the first mate cried.

This was it. This would be the big one. "Damage?" Smith cried.

The First Mate checked. "Some paint scraped off the outer hull, sir."

Oh.

They ran into three more icebergs that night. When they returned to port, the bow of the ship would need a thorough repainting.

********

"It didn't sink?" said Maria, staring at the holoscreens.

"No sir," said Marsha Kalinsky.

"Marsha, if you're lying to me...."

"I'm not, sir! Read it yourself," she said, pointing to a holoscreen.

Sure enough, the Titanic returned unbowed from its maiden voyage. The Captain was so pleased by his fine navigation that-

Maria stopped reading and ground his teeth together. His plan had been so perfect!

"Maybe we should consider a different time period to get involved in," Chloe Weatherly suggested.

"No!" said Maria. "We are going to sink the Titanic."

*********

Maria went to Bremerhaven, in the year 1918. He bought a surplus U boat for scrap metal prices. He was sure he could figure out how to pilot it. Now all he needed to do was to move it back in time six years.

"I can't do it," said Marsha, trembling with fright. "It's simply not possible."

"Can't," said Maria slowly. "Not possible. These are all resistance words, Marsha. Do you really want to go back into your closet?"

"No! Please, no!" Marsha cried.

"Perhaps you've forgotten about your lovely necklace," said Maria, touching the silver circlet around her neck. "Perhaps you've forgotten about the four grams of ardentite I've placed inside of it."

"I haven't," Marsha whispered.

Maria walked around her, slowly a circle. "I've done everything in my power to make you feel like a member of the Community, Marsha. Although I have many women to please, I always make time for you. Isn't that so?"

"Yes," said Marsha.

"The last time we were together, did you like it?"

"Yes," Marsha said, her head down. "Very much."

Maria put a gentle hand under Marsha's chin, and raised it. "So did I." Their eyes met for a long moment. "I tell everyone you're trying to fit into the Community. But when you come to me with war words, words like 'I can't' and 'impossible', the Community doesn't like it. There are those in the Community who think you'll never fit in here, Marsha. They think we should get rid of you. I tell them that you truly love being a part of us, but now we have episodes like this, episodes full of 'can't' and 'impossible'." Maria slapped his hands against his thighs in frustration. "If I tell them you refuse to do this, I don't know how the Community will react."

Marsha looked down again. Her lips were quivering. Finally she said, "I'll... I'll figure out a way."

Maria slowly smiled. "I knew you could do it! Kiss?"

Marsha, still visibly trembling, reached up and kissed Maria on the lips. Maria hugged Marsha tightly, and turned it into something much more memorable.

********

Twelve subjective days later, Maria smiled. He looked incredibly sharp in his white sailor's uniform. So did the rest of his crew. They had followed the Titanic to the North Atlantic, and the time to strike was now.

"Tubes loaded, sir," said Keith Ashanti gleefully.

Maria looked at the girls. They didn't look entirely happy, even in their new sailor outfits. But they would be, he knew.

Maria looked in his periscope. The target was not more than 500 feet away, and moving slowly. A sitting duck.

"Fire one!" he said. He heard a vibration, and a whooshing sound as John Cummings said, "Torpedo awaaaay!"

Everyone clapped.

They had five more torpedoes, just in case.

But they shouldn't really be needed.

The first shot hit the Titanic amid ships, and exploded. Before their very eyes, the ship started to sink.

Maria watched the ship start to sink under the waves, very, very slowly. The Titanic was taking on water, but it was a big ship. In the meantime people were scurrying like rats to the lifeboats. Too many of them.

"Fire two!" Maria commanded.

"Torpedo away!"

The second torpedo hit closer to the stern, and the ship started to take water on more quickly. But Maria was impatient, firing a third which hit it closer to the bow. Perfect.

In twenty minutes, the Titanic was almost under the waves. Only the top of its smokestacks could be seen. Wonderful.

But there were lifeboats on the rough ocean seas. A lot of them.

Not so wonderful.

Dana Slotkin tugged at Maria's shirtsleeve. "Can't we do something about the survivors?" she asked.

"Of course," said Maria. "John, bring us up, please."

"Surface!" cried John Cummings. "Surface, surface, surface!"

The U-241 broke the surface of the water a moment later, just a few hundred feet from the small cluster of lifeboats.

"Girls," said Maria. "Get on deck and call out to the survivors. Tell them we offer them food and dry clothing."

"Yes, Maria," said Dana, with a smile on her face.

Maria turned and gave a look to Red Bull. Red Bull nodded. That was all that was needed.

********

"Over here! Over here!" Chloe Weatherly shouted at the top of her lungs, waving a lantern in the dark North Sea night. The survivors saw her, or heard her, and started rowing for the sub.

"It's so nice of you to do this," said Dana, smiling at Maria.

"I know," said Maria, smiling back.

When the first lifeboat came along side the sub, and the others were not far behind, Maria nodded to Red Bull. Red Bull removed a tarp off the forward deck, revealing a twenty caliber machine gun. He started firing.

The family in the lifeboats closest to the sub were literally blown to pieces before they had a chance to scream. Red Bull kept cranking the machine gun, even as screams were heard from the other boats. They tried to row away, but it was too late. Soon the sea was filled with drifting lifeboats filled with bodies riddled with holes.

"I think you missed one over there," said Maria, pointing to one drifting boat.

"I got them," said Red Bull.

"Do it again, just to make sure," said Maria.

Red Bull sprayed the boat, and the screams of children were heard. "You were right," said Red Bull admiringly.

Dana looked up at Maria with surprise and shock on her face. "Why, Maria?"

"Did you forget why we came here, little one?" Maria asked, grabbing Dana by the shoulder so tightly she almost cried out. "To liquidate the capitalists. It made no sense to sink the ship they were on and then let them escape in lifeboats. Did it? DID IT?"

"No," said Dana, in a choked sob.

"Good. I hoped that clarifies things for you," he said, releasing her with a little push. A shadow fell over Maria's face. "You worry me sometimes, Dana."

********

"Come in, Sarah," said Commander Strayker.

As Sarah entered the Colonel's office, she smiled at Ayesha, who was just on the way out, her large buttocks swaying as she smiled back at Sarah.

"How is Captain Calle doing?"

Sarah swallowed. "I wouldn't know, sir."

"That's the problem, isn't it?" said Strayker, puffing on his nuclear cigarette. "You were sleeping with him, weren't you?" She didn't respond. "But not any more. Why?"

"John was... very upset about the Scunathorpe mission."

Strayker rolled his eyes and blew a smoke ring. "I wish we all had the luxury of being upset when it suited us." He paused. "But Captain Calle is a Special Talent, so we give him some latitude. We want to keep him happy. I was pleased to learn when you had taken on that role. But no more, it seems."

"So it seems, sir."

Strayker paused. "We still want him to be happy. Do you know anyone else who might fill that role?"

"Sir?"

"Lieutenant Green? Lieutenant Kildaire? Ayesha? Maybe that nurse in medical, the one whose name I forgot, Jenny, I think, the one with the big-"

"No, no sir, John is not attracted to any of them," Sarah said, a little too quickly.

Strayker's eyes narrowed as he puffed and stared at her. "Is there any chance you might rekindle what you had?"

"There's always a chance, sir," said Sarah, staring at the wall behind Strayker.

Strayker stared at her for a long moment, as he puffed some more. "Give it a try, Sarah. He's a good man. We want to keep him that way."

Sarah nodded, and got up to leave.

********

"You wanted to see me?" said Calle, entering the control room.

"Yes, John," said Sarah. "How are you?"

Calle's eyes narrowed. "Fine. What is this about?"

"Nothing. I just wanted to say hello."

"Hello," said Calle, his eyes narrowing. He turned to go.

"John, wait!"

He turned around.

"John, I didn't plant that nova bomb on the Scunathorpe. I didn't even make the decision to do it."

"No, you didn't," said Calle. "You're just another cog in the machine, another part of all this." He waved his hands dismissively at the room around them. "And to be honest, I'm not so sure if I want to be part of all this anymore."

That was dangerous talk.

"Was there anything else?" Calle asked.

"No," said Sarah.

Calle turned to go.

"Yes," said Sarah.

Calle turned around to face her.

"John... I miss you," said Sarah. "Sometimes."

Calle gave a sad smile. "I miss you too... sometimes."

"Then... why don't we miss each other... together... at my place?" she said, looking away as she spoke, like a teenager asking someone out on a date.

"I... I just want to be alone right now. I hope you understand, Sarah."

"Of course," she said, her voice becoming frosty, as she turned away.

But as Calle walked out of the control room, she set one of her holomonitors to follow him.

*********

"It seems the GNP of the United States has shrunk by a third," said Colonel Strayker. "Certain industries collapsed, and never recovered. Many jobs were lost." Strayker glared at them all. He was wearing a severe looking beige suit with high collars. His rough blonde hair looked especially uncombed today.

"What happened?" Major Reynolds asked.

"Sarah... has traced it back to the sinking of a luxury liner called the Titanic. It struck an iceberg in 1912 and sank, killing approximately 40 very important industrialists," said Strayker.

"So?" said Reynolds.

"In our timeline, the Titanic was never sunk. It returned safely to port," said Sarah.

"An SOS distress call was received from the Titanic at 3:54 AM on June 14, 1912," said Strayker. He turned to Calle. "Your job is to go back in time and find out why the Titanic sank. This is a reconnaissance mission only. I think Sarah's expertise may help here. Take her with you."

"Yes, sir," said Calle.

********

Sarah and Calle stood at the ramp to the Binochi Corridor.

"How do I look?" Sarah asked.

She was dressed like a 1920's socialite, a little ahead of the time, but still fashionable for the period they were entering, wearing a frilly white dress that gave her the illusion of a bosom. She had even styled her hair to look like a 1920's flapper.

"You... you look fine," said Calle, who was dressed in a suit of the period.

"Fine?" Sarah frowned at him. "You know, if you don't want me on this mission, I'm sure you could take Ayesha instead."

"What use would Ayesha be on this mission?" Calle asked.

"I don't know, John, perhaps you could find one for her," said Sarah.

"Let's go," said Calle.

He and Sarah stepped through the gateway into the Binochi Corridor.

Calle sometimes saw visions in the swirling mists, things that had already happened or were going to happen. This time he had a vision of Sarah making love to him, but something was wrong. He was lying in bed with a dreamy look on his face, as if he had one of those parasites on his back. He was wide eyed and his mouth was open, as if he were hypnotized.

Calle looked at Sarah. She obviously didn't see what he saw.

Did that mean he would get back together with Sarah?

Calle liked Sarah, and was quite fond of her. Maybe he was even beginning to fall in love with her. But Sarah was part of the Continuity Service, and he wasn't feeling so good about the Continuity Service right now, right after they had killed 74 innocent people on the Scunathorpe. Strayker had said that was the only way to save the Earth from those parasites. Calle thought that that was the only easy way to do it, perhaps.

They emerged in a dark corridor on the USS Titanic. It was after midnight, and it was difficult to see the ocean. But Calle did smell the salty ocean air.

"What now?" Sarah asked.

"Let's find out where we are," said Calle. He looked around to make sure no one was around, and took out his Pad and pressed a few buttons. "We're a good hundred miles north of where we should be. No wonder the ship hit an iceberg. Let's get to the bridge."

The third mate was on duty during the night watch. He started to tell them that passengers weren't allowed on the bridge, until Sarah touched his arm and asked him how he liked his job. That left Calle free to snoop around, within reason. He quickly found the ship's compass, and scanned it, and found exactly what he expected. A magnetic resonance on one side of it. In essence, part of the compass had been magnetized so it would show a false north.

He nodded to Sarah, who made a few more pleasantries with the third mate and followed him out. "So?" she asked.

"Someone sabotaged the compass."

"So what do we do, try to convince the Captain he's off course?"

"He'll never believe us," said Calle. "And...."

"And what, John?"

"It doesn't feel right," said Calle.

"What doesn't feel right?"

"The compass. It's not the focal point. It's not the key issue here," said Calle.

"More of your Special Talent?" Calle couldn't see her smile in the dark night.

"Yes," said Calle. "This is a reconnaissance mission, right? Let's wait here and see exactly what happens."

And so they stood by the railing, just spending time together, for more than two hours, when all of a sudden there was an explosion that sent them off their feet onto the deck.

Calle helped Sarah up as a klaxon sounded.

"That was no iceberg," said Sarah.

"No, it wasn't," said Calle.

A few moments later, there was a second explosion.

"This ship's been torpedoed!" said Sarah.

"Yes," said Calle.

Everyone started screaming and running for the lifeboats, even as a third torpedo rocked the Titanic.

Calle and Sarah got to their feet. They were the only semi-calm people on the ship, which made sense since they were the only ones who could leave at any time. They watched as crowds fought over the lifeboats.

"History says there were no survivors. But on a ship this size, there should be some," said Sarah.

"Unless the survivors were killed first. Look!" In the dim light they could see something, surfacing in the water. "A U boat. There wouldn't be any survivors if the U boat finished them off," said Calle.

"Oh my God," said Sarah.

People were running around them and screaming in panic now as the deck was shifting at an angle precipitously.

"We've got to get out of here," said Sarah. "Let's look for a private place-" the deck started to tilt even more, and they grabbed a railing.

"No time," said Calle, activating the recall device. A gateway appeared, below them on the tilted deck, and they slid into it.

*********

"Torpedoed? How is that possible?" Strayker demanded.

"They have a submarine," said Calle.

"But they can't have a submarine in 1912," said Strayker. "Where would they get it from?"

"The future, perhaps?" said Calle.

Strayker shook his head. "There's no way you can get a submarine through the Binochi Corridor."

"Colonel, is there really anything beyond these fanatics' capabilities?" said Calle. "The fact is, they did it."

"So how do we counter it?" He turned to Doctor Vladek. "Can we bring a submarine into the year 1912?"

Vladek shook his head vigorously. "No. Totally infeasible. Not unless we could carry it in pieces-"

"No," said Strayker. "We need another answer. Think, people!" he commanded, as he paced back and forth, his blue eyes blazing.

No one spoke for several minutes. Every time Strayker glared at someone, they lowered their head in shame.

And then, finally, Strayker nodded. "All right. It's not the ideal solution, but I think I have an idea."

"What is it, sir?" Major Reynolds asked.

"We'll gate aboard the Titanic, and evacuate the 40 prominent industrialists and their families."

Calle shook his head. "We'll loop ourselves, remember? We're already there."

"You arrived at, what, one AM?" said Strayker. "We'll arrive at 10 PM. That's plenty of time to evacuate these people."

"And how exactly will we do that, sir?" Erica Green asked.

"We'll stun them with concussion pistols," said Strayker. "We will bring them back here, and then transport them once again back to 1912, this time on a Norwegian fishing vessel, one actually crewed by CS operatives. We'll tell them they survived a terrible accident at sea. They'll have no memory of it, of course, but they should be grateful to be alive."

"And how do you propose to drag 40 bodies, plus their families, across the ship to an assembly point to gate them out?" Daniel asked.

"We won't drag them anywhere. There are excellent records from that era. We'll find out what cabins our targets are in, shoot them there, and open recall points within each cabin."

Sarah gave a nervous smile. "Sir... you're talking about establishing at least 40 recall points in a tight geographic area. That's never been done before. There could be... complications."

"Then you'd better be prepared to handle them, Sarah," said Strayker.

"What about the other three thousand people on the ship?" Calle asked.

"They will have to go down with the ship, I'm afraid," said Strayker.

"Won't the death of nearly 3000 people affect the timeline?" Calle asked.

Strayker glared at Calle. "I told you it wasn't a perfect solution, Captain. But the fact remains that those 40 lives are exponentially more important than those 3000 lives. We do what we can to restore continuity to the timeline, but there are times when we can't get it perfectly the way it was."

"Just like with the Scunathorpe."

Strayker stepped forward towards Calle, his eyes blazing. "Yes, exactly like the Scunathorpe. In the Survey Service they take a similar oath to ours, you know, to give their lives to protect Earth, and a gallant crew of Survey Service officers did just that."

"They just didn't know they were doing it," said Calle.

Strayker ignored him. He turned to Reynolds. "Major, I'm putting you in charge of this operation. Use whatever resources you need."

"Yes sir," said Reynolds.

Strayker was putting Reynolds in charge. Not him, Calle reflected. That was because Reynolds didn't have the same moral qualms that Calle did about leaving innocents behind.

********

This was to be a big operation, the biggest Calle had been on, with more than twenty operatives. Before Reynolds stepped through the Binochi Corridor, Calle saw Colonel Strayker talking to him. It seemed that Strayker and Reynolds looked at Calle while they talked. After they were done, Strayker walked by Calle briskly. "Good luck, Captain."

"Thank you, sir."

Calle went up to Major Reynolds. Everyone was in two man teams. "What team am I on, Major?"

Reynolds looked at him. "Mine."

********

Reynolds didn't actually perform any of the extractions. He just coordinated the work of the nine other teams that were, monitoring their progress over the hidden earpieces they all were given for this mission.

"Team two. We have sedated our first target. Transportation commencing."

"Roger that," said Reynolds, as he and Calle stood in a long corridor of passenger quarters. "Return immediately for your secondary targets once you get them across."

"Affirmative."

At first, the news was all good. One by one, they were taking the industrialists and their families back to CS Headquarters, where they would then be reshipped back to a Norwegian fishing boat in 1912 the CS had taken control of.

"Major?" said Calle.

"Yes," said Reynolds.

"Everything seems to be going on schedule," said Calle. "I was wondering, if there's time, after we rescue all the assigned targets, perhaps we could also rescue some of the others-"

"That's not in our mission profile, Captain," said Reynolds.

"Reynolds, there are women and children aboard this ship!"

Reynolds blinked. "Women have no special right to life over men. We're all equal, remember? As for the children, well, that's regrettable."

Regrettable.

"Major-"

"I have my orders, John," said Reynolds. "And I have orders regarding you too," he added, his hand on his compression pistol. "Don't make me follow them, please."

Calle bit his lip and took a step backwards. There was nothing he could do.

*********

Problems started to develop on the 14th extraction. "Major, some artifacts appeared around us as soon as we opened the gateway."

"Does it hinder your egress?" Reynolds asked.

"No, but-"

"Then proceed."

"Artifacts?" said Calle, his eyes narrowing.

Reynolds made no answer.

They received more and more reports like this, until finally the team conducting the 34th extraction called for help.

They arrived to find the team, and their unconscious targets, surrounded by a web of tiny black lines. It sealed them off from the active gateway, and prevented them from leaving the cabin. Reynolds and Calle couldn't even get inside the cabin, not unless they touched the small black lines. Calle held up his hand to touch one but Reynolds pulled it away. "Are you crazy?" he said.

"Help us," said one of the two temporal operatives, who Calle recognized as Lieutenant George McGovern.

Reynolds looked around. It wasn't possible to get around the black lines. "Can you get out from under them?"

"I'm not sure," said Lieutenant McGovern.

"Try," said Reynolds.

"We won't be able to bring our targets with us."

"Forget them," said Reynolds. "Move."

Lieutenant McGovern and his partner, Lieutenant James Carter, tried to wiggle under the field. But they couldn't get low enough. McGovern screamed and fell to the ground as his head struck a black line, and the same thing happened to Carter when his body crossed two other black lines. As they watched, the number of black lines started to expand.

"Get out of here," said Reynolds, pulling Calle out of the room. Suddenly, his earpiece crackled. "Major Reynolds, come in?'

"Yes, this is Reynolds."

"Major Castleman, sir. I've just arrived from HQ. New orders from the Commander. You are to abort the mission.

"Abort? But we've only recovered 33 of the targets."

"I'm told we have all we need, except for John Rockefeller," said Castleman. "You are to retrieve Rockefeller, and get off this ship now."

"Roger that."

Reynolds started for Rockefeller's cabin at a run. Calle followed. Major Castleman and his two man team met them at Rockefeller's cabin. When they arrived, Reynolds knocked quickly on the door. A woman answered. Reynolds didn't have time to parley. He shot her with his concussion pistol, and she fell to the ground. He entered the cabin.

But John Rockefeller was not there.

"Where is he?" Reynolds thundered.

"Excuse me sir," said a new voice.

They turned and saw a young man in a steward's uniform, perhaps 16 years old. "And you are?" Reynolds said, hiding his pistol.

"Leonardo Dicapristrano," said the young man. He had blonde hair, his face seemed set into a permanent leer, but he seemed friendly enough. "I see Mrs. Rockefeller has fainted. Should I get a doctor?"

"No... we need to find her husband," said Reynolds. "Do you know where he is?"

Leonardo Dicapristrano nodded. "I just saw him a few minutes ago in the C deck lounge. Maybe-"

"Take us."

Major Castleman literally lifted Mrs. Rockefeller and carried her on his shoulders. The sight of her unconscious body being carried in the hallways generated all the unwanted attention they feared. But they dare not activate more than one more gateway. By now, all the teams had left the ship except Castleman's and Reynolds'. There were just four CS operatives left on the Titanic.

They went into the lounge, and saw several older men sitting there, reading newspapers.

"Mr. Rockefeller-" Leonardo began.

"Is that him?" Reynolds asked, pointing to the older man in a blue jacket.

"Yes," said Leonardo.

"Good," said Reynolds.

"What is this all about?" John Rockefeller asked. He saw his wife being carried on Castleman's shoulders. "What happened to Mimi?"

"Perhaps this will clarify things," said Reynolds. He pulled his concussion pistol out and shot him. The people in the lounge gasped.

But Reynolds didn't care. Rockefeller was his last target, and soon everyone who had witnessed this abduction would be on the bottom of the North Atlantic. He activated his recall device.

A gateway formed in the lounge... and all around them, rips in the fabric of space and time.

But these rips were different. They weren't black, like the others. They had bright light gleaming through them, as if they were a thin sheet with holes in it, held up in front of the sun. The brightly lit lines started to suck in air. Passengers and CS operatives alike started to be pulled into the holes.

"Grab on to something!" Reynolds shouted. Calle grabbed onto a vertical pillar. Reynolds grabbed on to a sofa. But one of the passengers, an elderly lady, wasn't so lucky, and she got sucked into the rips, and her body was torn into pieces as it was sucked apart.

The bright cracks started to grow in size. Calle felt his grip on the pillar waning.

And then, all of a sudden, one of the elderly men in the lounge stood up, raised his arms over his head, and clapped his hands together. There was a sound like a thunderclap as his body started to morph and change. His arms became very thick and muscular, like a bodybuilder. So did his legs. The man started to glow orange as his clothes and skin became transparent. Suddenly Calle could see the organs of his body, clearly backlit by some orange light. He could see the man's enormous arm and leg muscles, like giant red fibers tightly wrapped together.

And the man's face... now the man was wearing clunky goggles, with glowing orange eyes inside, and he was wearing a mask over his mouth, with a small tube coming out of it.

The Bioman had returned.

Time seemed to freeze, and it was as if the room filled with water, or some kind of liquid. Once again Calle could see what looked like small air bubbles coming out of the side of the Bioman's mask, and whenever the Bioman walked he saw small vibrations in the air.

The Bioman looked around the room for a moment, and seemed to stare at Calle for a moment longer than necessary. Then he went over to the bright lines in the air. And then... most astoundingly.... He plucked at one of them! He plucked at one of them, and something like a bright shiny gem came out of it, and the Bioman put the gem into a pouch on his waist.

One by one, the Bioman plucked the shiny gems from the rips in the air around them, until, one by one each one faded slightly and turned black. When he had collected all of them again, he turned and looked at Major Reynolds for a moment. Then he turned and looked at John Calle for an even longer moment. He felt those glowing orange eyes boring into his own. And then the Bioman pressed something in his hand, his body glowed... and he was gone.

Time seemed to suddenly return to normal.

The suction was gone.

The rips in space/time were still there, but they were small and black, and weren't sucking in air.

Reynolds picked up John Rockefeller's body. "Come on!" He yelled, running around the tiny rips, to the gateway.

Major Castleman and his partner, Lieutenant Dahlquist, reached the gateway first, carrying Mrs. Rockefeller's body, and disappeared into it. Reynolds and Calle were just behind.

"Wait!" cried Leonardo Dicapristrano. "Take me with you!"

Calle looked at Reynolds and opened his mouth, but Reynolds grabbed Calle's hand and gave it a mighty tug, pulling him forward. Suddenly, they were both in the Binochi Corridor.

********

"34 out of 40," said Colonel Strayker, nodding. "And you saved the Rockefellers and the Vanderbilts. Not perfect... but sufficient."

"Thank you sir," said Reynolds.

"Are they all on that Norwegian fishing boat?"

"They are, sir," said Reynolds.

"Sarah?" said Strayker.

"The timeline seems to be restored," said Sarah. "The industries and GNP of the United States are what they were before."

"But what about those 3000 lives, and their children, and their children's children?" Calle asked.

"We did the best we could, Captain," said Strayker, giving him a warning glance. Turning away, he marched at a rapid pace back to his office.

Calle turned to look at Sarah. She bit her lip and turned away.