FB3-97 "Hum Returns"

A Chapter by dw817

Hum added, "YOU would have ceased to exist, EVERYTHING would have ceased to exist. Your entire future would be rewritten from the time 1-million years in the past. And then there would be no future."

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F U T U R E B A R R I E R
( The 3rd Novel )
Secret Technology, Unrequited Love, Absolute Vengeance

© April 2019 - Written by David Wicker
Please do not reprint without permission

CHAPTER 97 - "Hum Returns"
[ CHOOSE A DIFFERENT CHAPTER TO READ ]

* * *

This chapter is Rated: TEEN

Dad was now ready to go. Our neighbor and detective, Jim, was now knocking at the door. My Dad answered it.

Jim was not only dressed but sported a badge, his pistol, and a small box stuck to the other side of his belt, likely a portable taser.

"Ready to go ?" he asked.

Dad nodded. He locked the door and they both left for the hospital.

As they went, Jim mused along the way.

"We may have to do some investigating outside the hospital itself." he said.

"What do you mean ?" my Dad asked.

Jim replied, "I suspect this is not the first time this hospital has had visitors 'vanish.' So there may be little to no actual evidence in the hospital itself. We may have to go driving - if you think you can point out the way your wife would've left the hospital - what road she would take - that would help."

Dad nodded, "Yeah, I think so."

Jim turned back to face the road, "Good. Let's see what we can find out from the hospital itself first."

He had just pulled into the parking lot and noticed there was absolutely no-one outside. No-one. That was odd indeed.

Jim instinctively tapped the holster of his pistol. He craned his neck left and right but there really wasn't anyone outside at all. Not visitors, not people arriving, leaving, nobody in wheelchairs, and no staff either.

"It's too quiet." he murmured. Then to my Dad, "Be on your guard, Harry."

Dad nodded and both entered the main door of the hospital.

. . .

Back one-million years in the future. The spaceship to slingshot orbit around the Sun, its calculations was just about complete. Murphy was going over the final figures when a shimmering figure appeared behind him.

At once he called security as it didn't match the standard pattern of their own teleportation systems. Stepping from the sparkly mass of integration was Hum himself !

Murphy reached out his hand to shake it, "Good to see you, Hum ! Good to see you !" He then canceled the security call.

Hum rolled his yellow eyes slightly. "Always a pleasure to work with humans." he said with a degree of sarcasm. but did return the greeting nonetheless. Then he was terse, "I'm here to make sure you don't make any mistakes."

He then quickly looked over the screen. "Slingshot orbit, ey ? Classic. Do you mind ?" and he stepped forward to sit in the seat.

Murphy held out an expansive hand, "Please. Be my guest."

Hum, now familiar with the controls tapped a button for service, "Yes ?" A voice answered.

"Fixings for lemonade. Raw lemons, colander to juice, water, ice, sugar. Tall glass to drink it in. Console Room 23. Now."

"Yessir." the reply was and the channel was closed.

With that he then sat down to look over the figures. He grumbled to himself, muttering something about human brain inadequacy to handle basic 4th dimensional trigonometry. Finally he turned to Murphy, "May I ?"

Murphy had already pulled up a chair to watch this tall alien in action. "Please do." he responded.

Hum then wiped ALL the calculations of Murphy. Murphy twisted uncomfortably in his chair. It would take weeks to get that all back !

But then Hum started typing, faster than any human could, and fortunately computers then could easily keep up. He rewrote an entirely new equation, one based on his strong background and knowledge into correct time travel.

Hum then stood up suddenly and half-heartedly flung his fingers at the screen. "I think you'll find these more satisfactory."

"May I ?" Murphy asked as he could not see the calculations from where he was.

* * *

"Please." Hum said and moved back.

Murphy leaned in to look. Not only did Hum unnecessarily rewrite most of the equation that was erased, but he added something else. The edges of the formula added a very precise and speedy rotation to the craft as it approached the sun.

"I - don't understand this." he finally said at last and hoped Hum would explain.

Hum smirked slightly. "That's not too surprising. While you have indeed accounted for the temperature of the sun and the added gravity it would pose with the slingshot, you have nothing at all to protect the pilot from the gravimetric pull and time distortion."

"I - don't understand." Murphy said, shrugging his shoulders. "I thought the incredible speed alone would be enough to shield the pilot from any problems."

Hum looked at him intensely, "No, it will not. In any case, the added rotational approach will place a protective bubble around the ship as it approaches and successfully slingshots around the sun. Without the bubble your pilot would age with the time travel, and since you are going back 1-million years in the past, he would have ceased to exist."

Murphy didn't say anything.

Hum added, "YOU would have ceased to exist, EVERYTHING would have ceased to exist. Your entire future would be rewritten from the time of 1-million years in the past. And likely then as the plugin is destined to change the future, there would BE no future !"

Murphy was now confused, "I don't understand."

Hum held out a finger, "Here I hold my finger. But it is not alone. There is a hand attached to it. That is not alone. There is my body. But THAT is also not alone, there is the air around me, the floor I weigh on. The planet I reside on. The galaxy that planet resides in. And even anyone or anything observing me, has also become part of me. Do you understand now ?"

Murphy leaned back heavily in his chair trying to fathom all this.

Finally he spoke, "So our slingshot would've destroyed - well - everything."

Hum nodded, "Yes. And not just you. Us as well. This is why we monitor time travel so very closely. And to punish for it too if it is used without extremely good reason." He held his hand out to the screen. "You are trying once again to retrieve this plugin device. This device will definitely cause ripples throughout the following centuries - so - yes - your cause is a good one."

Just then the door dinged. It slid open sideways and there was a man wheeling in a tray. On it was a glass, a jug of water, a colander, sharp at the top, with scattered lemons, a bucket of ice, and a small bowl of sugar with silverware and utensils for mixing and preparing.

Hum smiled, "Thank you."

The servant nodded, "Anything else, sir ?"

Hum met his eyes, "Repeat this exact order every 15-minutes until I say otherwise. More lemons, more ice, everything."

The servant lowered his eyes respectfully, "Yessir. I'll renew this order every 15-minutes." With that he left.

Murphy smirked counting 12-lemons on the tray, "Isn't that too sour, even for you ?"

Hum shook his head, "I'm - still - trying to recover from the last ordeal where my atoms were blasted away by Darceon. Citric acid, at least for me, is the very best cure for atomic reintegration."

Murphy then went back to the calculations. He scratched his chin, finally, "Okay. So what you are saying is, by adding this spin on the ship it will create a protective bubble, a bubble that will prevent the pilot from also aging."

Hum nodded, "Yes. I think you have it."

Murphy asked, "Anything else ?"

Hum looked back at the calculations. He had them all in super-small text so the entire formula would fill the screen in one page. He continued to look for a few seconds, finally, he pulled away.

Hum spoke, "No. That is it. And don't fudge with the figures. They're perfect. Begin construction with THIS."

With that Hum sat in a corner, cutting open the lemons and grinding out their juice and pulp to prepare his lemonade.

. . .

The wheelchair I was bound in was wheeled past several doors, two elevators, and all the while I could tell that I was going DOWN. If my Mom was still left where she was, there was no way she could ever find me now.

Suddenly the wheelchair came to an abrupt halt and were I not tied into it, I would surely have been thrown.

Then a voice I thought I would never hear again, Dempsey ! "I'll take it from here. Cafeteria for the 'freaks' right ?"

Divan's smaller more timid voice answered, "Ah, you're the new help, yes ?"

"Yes." was all Dempsey said.

Divan pulled away, distracted. "Sure. Take him there. Introduce him to the others. I have other more important things to do, anyways." and with that, he started walking away in the opposite direction.

Dempsey then stepped in front to get a good look at me.

"Dev." he said quietly, with no surprise at all in his voice.

"You - you were expecting me ?" I asked.

Dempsey chuckled deep in his throat, "It's a small planet. I figured I would run into you again." He paused for a moment to look around, "Where's Tyr ?"

I knew he wouldn't be satisfied with silence so I answered, "She's in the desert right now."

"Desert ?" Dempsey asked.

"Other side of the planet." I said simply enough.

Strangely, Dempsey seemed to believe me. "Is that a fact ?"

I was silent now but nodded. He got behind me and started wheeling the wheelchair. "Alright, shrimp, let's get you to the cafeteria to meet the others."

END OF CHAPTER 97