Chapter 47: One of Our Time Machines is Missing
“We’re stuck here, aren’t we?” asked Kara, dejected.
“Oh, honey,” said Mom, giving her a one-armed hug. “I know things look bad, but we’ve been in worse scrapes than this.”
“Really?”
“Really. The last time we fought Tempus your father got sucked into a time window and trapped inside a moment of time. I almost lost him, but Mr. Wells and I were able to rescue him. We’ll get out of this.”
“The problem is,” said Dad, “I can build another time machine, but just the kind that can travel in time and space. I can’t reconstruct the device that allowed us to travel between realities. Mr. Wells never described how it works. I’m not sure even he knows.”
Just then the front door opened, and Mrs. Tong walked in, closing it quietly behind her.
“Did you find out anything?” asked Mom.
She nodded as she came into the living room. “Yes. It happened this morning, while I was out running errands. My neighbor says a truck was here. The men said they were here to replace the water heater in the garage. The truck looked legitimate and the men had a garage door opener, so she didn’t think anything of it.” She smiled faintly. “There was nothing wrong with our water heater, but they actually replaced it.”
“For cover,” said Mom. “It
has to be the government. This smells like an intelligence operation to me.”
Dad considered that. “You’re probably right. The question is, who ordered it? And how do we get our time machine back?”
Caitlin observed, “We’re not even in Metropolis yet and it already sounds like we’re living in a comic book.”
“People who live in children’s novels shouldn’t throw stones,” teased Mom.
Dad held his hands up. “Guys, does it really matter whose world comes from a more mature story?”
Mom and Caitlin looked at each other. “Sorry,” they said at the same time.
“So,” said Dad, “Who are the suspects?”
“The President,” said Mom. “He wanted us to stay. Why else would someone steal the machine but to strand us here?”
“I agree,” said Dad. “Whoever did this wants us to stay. But it wasn’t necessarily the President. The people behind the SMPA also have a motive.”
“Could a bunch of whiny politicians order up a covert operation like this?”
“There might be sympathizers inside the agencies. They don’t always follow orders. Remember Trask?”
“How could I forget?”
“What happened?” asked Emily, curious.
“Jason Trask was a nut case who headed a rogue government agency, and was convinced Superman was the advance man for an alien invasion. He was the first one to use Kryptonite on Clark. He almost killed him.”
Everyone was quiet for a moment. “Anyway,” Dad eventually continued, “we’ve had other run-ins as well, so we know first hand that government agents don’t always follow the party line. Yes, this could easily be without the President’s knowledge.”
“Can’t you just go ask Mr. Douglas or the President to help you get it back?” asked Kara.
Mom shook her head. “I don’t trust any of them.”
Kara was surprised. She thought they both seemed like nice people.
“We may not have a choice, honey,” said Dad.
“True,” admitted Mom, “but I think we should play it close for now. If we disappear as if we went home, whoever did it may expose themselves trying to figure out what went wrong. If we make a big noise about being stuck here, they’ll know they succeeded.”
Dad smiled. “Have I told you recently how brilliant you are?”
“Not recently enough, no.”
“You’re brilliant.”
Mom smiled back, and patted Dad on the cheek. “Nice of you to notice.”
Kara didn’t know what was going to happen, but her parents’ joking convinced her they weren’t too worried. She relaxed.
Caitlin asked tentatively, “If you build a new time machine, can’t you go back and get the thingy that’ll take us to Metropolis
before the bad guys take it?”
Dad thought for a moment, then shook his head. “That would cause a paradox, I think. The time machine wouldn’t be there for them to take, and we know
we didn’t take it, so someone else must have.” He closed his eyes and rubbed them. “I think. Assuming that made any sense whatsoever.”
“No, not the time machine. The… the… whatchamacallit you need. How would the bad guys know it was supposed to be there if they’d never seen a time machine before? You could steal it before they did and they’d never know. Or at least, you could go back and
see who stole it.”
Mom and Dad exchanged a look. Mom turned to Caitlin. “You’re pretty smart yourself, Caitlin. I take back the crack about children’s novels.” She turned back to Dad. “Honey?”
Dad was nodding slowly. “I think that might work, though it’s possible they’ve already destroyed the time machine; that’s what I would do. In which case knowing who took it is sort of moot. Still, we might be able to steal the three-axis device before they do.” He stood up. “So, I think building a new time machine is the first order of business.”
“No,” said Mom. “The
first order of business is for the five of us to disappear. Whoever stole the time machine
must be watching this house.”
• • •
“OK, sweetheart, you know what to do, right?”
Kara rolled her eyes. “Yes, Dad, you told me like
four times. Keep the stones warm, but not too warm, and keep Mom, Emily, and Caitlin safe. I can do it.”
Clark smiled from the seat of the time machine he’d built anew. “I’m sure you can. I should only be gone a few moments from your point of view, anyway. I’ll come right back to this time and place.”
He looked to Lois, and she nodded slightly. She knew what to do if Clark didn’t return. They hadn’t shared that with Kara, not wanting to worry her.
The time machine sat in a clearing in the Milford Neck Wildlife Area — not the same one they’d arrived in. They’d considered checking into a motel in disguise, but given how well-known they all were thought that was unlikely to work. So Clark had set up a small campsite, with logs for seating and stones heated with his vision to keep them warm, all hidden from aerial surveillance under the tree canopy. With any luck they wouldn’t be here long.
Clark activated the machine, and the others were obscured by a glow, which shortly faded to reveal the same clearing a few hours earlier that day.
He carefully hid the machine as he had when they’d first arrived. He wondered if their old machine would’ve been safer here all along. It certainly hadn’t been in the Tongs’ garage.
Moments later he was hovering 15 miles above Milford, focusing his vision on that same garage. His vision peeled back the tarp, revealing their original time machine; it was still there.
What was not there was the three-axis device. Someone else had taken it before the time machine had been stolen.
• • •
Clark turned his vision away; he’d seen enough.
He’d waited patiently for the men in the disguised van to arrive and steal the time machine. He’d listened in on their conversation, but it had been guarded and unilluminating. It was obvious they were government agents, but he couldn’t tell who they were working for.
He’d followed the truck all the way to Wilmington, where the entire vehicle had been loaded onto a cargo ship that soon set off downriver. The men had dispersed in ones and twos, in separate cars, and he’d realized he could either follow the ship or them; he’d chosen to follow the ship.
Shortly after its departure, he’d seen other men inside the ship take sledgehammers to the time machine, reducing it to wreckage. Clark had no doubt they’d take the remains out to sea and dump it. He’d used his vision to search the entire ship, but it, too, was maddeningly free of identifying information other than the mundane sort. He suspected whoever had planned this had had his abilities in mind.
He was sure that he and Lois could eventually dig up who was behind this, but like any of their investigations it might take days or weeks; the forces trying to keep them here had covered their tracks well. And if they conducted that investigation, it gave the other side more time to find more ways to trap them here. Their first priority
had to be to get Kara home safely.
He could follow the ship and see where it went, but that would take days as well. It could only move so far in the few hours between now and the time he’d left — there was no need to stay and watch it. He headed back to the new time machine to see if he could figure out who had taken the three-axis device. He’d have to hop back further into the past, possibly multiple times.
• • •
Kara had just finished heating up the stones again when she noticed a glowing dot appear in the clearing. It grew rapidly in size, then faded to reveal her dad sitting in the new time machine. They all blinked at his expression: he looked amused.
“What is it?” asked Lois, excited. “Did you see who took it?” She frowned. “Where’s the inter-reality gizmo?”
“I know where it is, so don’t worry about that. It’s well-hidden and safe. As for our time machine, I wasn’t able to figure out anything about the guys who stole it; they’re pros. There was no identifying documentation at all, and they never said anything incriminating. I think they were expecting that I’d try to find and identify them.”
“So what happened to it, Clark?” asked Emily.
“It was loaded onto a freighter in Wilmington, and they smashed it to bits. I’m sure they’re taking it out to sea to dump the remains.”
“But we have this one, right? Can we go home?” asked Kara.
“Yes we can, and I think the sooner the better. It’s obvious we’re up against an extremely determined, well-organized force trying to keep us here. I think you’re right, Lois; it has to be one or more of the intelligence agencies, and they’re going all out on this.
“This time we really lucked out. I don’t want to count on us being so lucky in the future. The longer we stay here, the more time we give them to come up with ways to trap us. If we come back to this world we’re going to have to be very careful.” He got out of the time machine.
“Dad?”
“What, sweetheart?”
“Are we going to be able to say goodbye to my friends?”
Clark smiled. “Oh, I think so.”
• • •
Emily and Caitlin started at a noise in the brush. “Who is it?” asked Caitlin. “Who’s coming?”
“It’s OK,” said Kara, peeking over her glasses. “It’s Dad with my friends.”
Clark ushered Bailey, Megan, Kevin, and Alice into the clearing. He was also carrying the three-axis device.
“We have a little time,” said Clark. “I tried my best to be stealthy, but two cars followed Kara’s friends when they came this way. I blew out their tires with my heat vision, but that’s only going to hold them for so long. I don’t want any of us to still be here when they arrive, because I don’t want them to try using someone to make us stay. We need to leave as soon as I get this hooked up. It’s a good thing Mr. Wells showed me how.” He set about doing just that; the time machine was already loaded with their belongings.
“Where was it?” asked Lois.
Clark smiled and looked at Kevin, who scratched the back of his head. “That was kinda my fault.”
“What happened?” asked Kara, surprised. “Did you steal it to keep us here?”
“No!” said Kevin forcefully. “It was a mistake. I didn’t even know what it was!”
Alice added, “It’s partly my fault, too. I was working on a project and asked Kevin to get my sewing machine out of the garage…”
“…and it looks like a sewing machine,” finished Lois. “But didn’t you notice it wasn’t?” She frowned. “Don’t tell me it really works as a sewing machine, too.”
“I didn’t get that far,” said Alice. “I didn’t even look at it. Right after he brought it to me, someone called on the phone. I got distracted, and I haven’t had time to get back to my project.” She shrugged, embarrassed. “It’s been sitting by my crafts table ever since.”
“Don’t apologize,” said Clark. “If that hadn’t happened it might be sitting in pieces at the bottom of Delaware Bay right now, and we’d be stuck here unless we could figure out how to get another one or Mr. Wells tried to rescue us.” He stood up, finished with his work on the time machine. “So it turned out to be a stroke of luck for us.”
Suddenly both Clark and Kara got a look on their faces, one Lois was intimately familiar with. “What?” she asked.
“Something’s coming…” said Kara.
Just as they heard a buzzing noise in the middle distance, Clark lowered his glasses; a second later, there was a noisy explosion in mid-air a few hundred feet away. They all flinched involuntarily.
Clark was grim. “That was some kind of remotely piloted mini-helicopter. I was just trying to disable its cameras, but it had a missile on board with an explosive payload. They’re trying to find and destroy our time machine.”
He looked around in a circle. “There’s three others at varying distances, and they all just turned in this direction; they know we’re here now. We have a few minutes but we need to go.” He turned to Kara. “Honey, it’s time to say goodbye.”
• • •
Kara stared at her friends. She’d known this moment was coming, but hadn’t wanted to think too hard about it. Now, it was finally here. She knew she might not ever see or talk to them again, and they knew it too.
She ran to Bailey and Megan, and the three of them hugged. “I love you guys,” said Kara through her tears. “I’ll never, ever forget you.”
“I love you too, Kara,” whispered Bailey hoarsely.
“Oh, Kara…” began Megan, but she couldn’t finish. The three of them cried together.
Dad waited for a while, but finally said, “Sweetheart, they need to go too. They need to get back to their car and leave. It’s dangerous for them to stay here.”
Kara broke the hug. She looked to her parents and the Jordans, already seated in the time machine, then back at her friends.
“Dad…” she asked uncertainly, “will they be OK after we leave?”
“President Hunter promised me he’d make sure they’re OK. And as long as we’re
all gone before those drones get here, there’s no reason to harm them. If we’re already gone, your friends can’t be used against us.”
Kara nodded, and looked to Kevin, who’d been standing on his own watching the group hug. She didn’t know what possessed her, but she dashed over to him, stood on tiptoe, threw her arms around him, and kissed him on the cheek. “Thank you, Kevin,” she said. “Thank you for everything.” She hugged him briefly.
She ran to the time machine to hop in next to her mother, who put an arm around her. Her parents shared a brief look.
Kevin touched his cheek gingerly and whispered, “Wow.”
She had a moment to share one last look with her friends through her tear-flecked glasses. Their eyes met, but there was nothing more to say. Her father did something to the controls, and a glowing bubble formed around them, partly obscuring their surroundings.
Then the world turned inside out.
• • •
