A Tale of Three Interns (The Directorate Book 2) Read online

  A Tale of Three Interns

  Pam Uphoff

  Genetic engineering lifted psychic powers above the random background of coincidence. Backlash and prejudice against 'Magic' and 'Satanism' resulted in the exile of all genetically engineered people to dangerous worlds; not-quite-parallel earths they weren't expected to survive.

  Fourteen centuries of turbulent Earth history later the exiled magicians have been forgotten, rediscovered, clashed with . . .

  The Empire of the One grew from the accidental stranding of an early cross dimensional exploration party of the genetically engineered, two years before the Exile. They arrived in the middle of a war, where the three great powers, China, the Islamic Union, and Greater Argentina vied for possession of the no-longer-radioactive ruins of Europe and North America. The marooned explorers used their special talents, and a lot of flimflam and fast talk to place themselves on the top of the Islamic Union as the New Prophets of the One True God.

  Fourteen hundred years later, their descendants are still the elite of a united world with twelve cross-dimensional colonies.

  After several deadly clashes between Dimension Age civilizations, the newly fledged Department of Interdimensional Security and Cooperation is attempting, with fair success, to keep the peace among the growing number of worlds exploring the Multiverse.

  So a group of youngsters in the Empire of the One can concentrate on college, and training for the teams who explore new worlds. A bright future . . . if they survive their summer internship.

  Copyright © 2016 Pamela Uphoff

  All Rights Reserved

  ISBN

  978-1-939746-22-1

  This is a work of fiction.

  All characters and events portrayed in this book are fictional.

  Any resemblance to real people or events is purely coincidental.

  Table of Contents

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Excerpt from an upcoming book

  Chapter One

  12 Rajab 1403 yp

  Directorate School, University of the Empire, New York, North America, One World

  Ebsa Clostuone eyed the closed door of the Counselor's office with trepidation. Summer internship. I've got so many negative marks there's no telling what shit job they'll find for me to do. And I can practically guarantee Ra'd will get a worse one. At least Paer should be safe from anything dangerous . . . right?

  The door snapped open and Ra'd stomped out. He glanced Ebsa's direction. "Plant species survey. Yay! Algae! At least I won't have to worry about my temper."

  Ebsa snorted, and stood up at the summoning wave from the counselor.

  "Well, so a Clostuone with a rebellious streak. I'm sending you with your co-conspirator to a team making population surveys of various plant species on Empty Worlds. A nice long ten week internship. So low priority that they've put some Clostuone in charge, not that that will bother you, but I understand they'll be sending Precious Princess Paer along as well. I shall dream of fireworks." He handed over two chips. "Report to Info Leader Ajha Clostuone, Warehouse 329 B, Gate City. In twelve hours."

  Ebsa thanked the man politely, took the chips and kept the grin under control until he was out of the room. Ra'd and Paer had their heads together out in the quad. He trotted over to them.

  "Yes! We're going Across! We'll be with a Team!"

  They both tried to glare and ended up grinning.

  "You would find something to be happy about." Paer shook her head. "They couldn't possibly let me do anything dangerous. So count on boring."

  "I'm going Across! And he said empty worlds, not algae worlds. So there's some hope. But it'll be outside. No classrooms, no lectures, no tests. And even algae worlds will have beaches, right? Algae. Water. Has to be water in there somewhere."

  "Ebsa the Optimist." But they were both looking happier.

  Ra'd shrugged. "So . . . do algae worlds tend to be warm or cold? What shall I pack?"

  "Everything but your tux." Ebsa grinned. "What? All those button down dress shirts and you don't have a tux?"

  ***

  Warehouse 329 B was half of an otherwise indistinguishable building among the many other warehouses. The equipment bay doors were rolled all the way up. Someone had somehow managed to cram in three all-terrain vehicles. Size large. Three axles, balloon tires, the undercarriage curved up all around as if it were amphibious . . . The overhead curved to fit through the gate. Standard crawlers. Pity we only got a half hour of experience driving them. On a nice smooth surface.

  "Damn. Now those are what I call commuter vehicles." Ra'd looked impressed.

  Paer snickered. "Just roll over the idiots? They'd better not let you drive."

  "I am not the person with thirty-nine tickets."

  "They were dismissed. My record is clear."

  Ebsa snickered. "And we all got paid for temporary duty with the Presidential Directorate. So it was an official vehicle, being driven by a directorate agent."

  "Even if we were hired retroactively." Ra'd looked around. "Hello?"

  A head poked out of the open door of the furthest crawler. Thinning greying brown hair, receding hairline, features unremarkable. "Ah, yes. The subdirector said he was sending me some interns to dispose of. Don't let his sense of humor bother you, I haven't lost anyone yet."

  He hopped down. Middle-aged, tall, like a Oner, but otherwise unimpressive. "I'm Team Leader Ajha. Did you get a brief from your Counselor?" He glanced Paer's direction and paused. "Umm, we're doing a study of how the plant populations vary according to what's eating them. So, we'll be identifying plants, calculating rough percentages of the biome, and identifying and counting the herbivores . . . and avoiding the carnivores. Twelve days on each of four worlds, trying to get to the same place on each world. The four were chosen because they all have beacons in the north central part of North America." His eyes drifted back to the daughter of the President of the Empire. "Umm, Paer, right? And you two are?"

  "I'm Ebsa, he's Ra'd. He's better at chemistry, I'm better at biology. If it makes a difference."

  "Ebsa and Paer are both better with people than I am." Ra'd shrugged.

  Ebsa grinned. "And I recommend Paer for dealing with any sizable animals. Well, unless you want them killed instead of ridden. If you want them killed, Ra'd's the marksman."

  "Excellent. The labs are in the third rover, so only two bunks over there. The Fiend has claimed it for females only, so Paer, you bunk there. The electronics are here, not that we'll be needing them this time, but the computer geek and I will sleep here. The second rover is the bunkhouse. It has something that pretends to be a kitchen and is where the rest of you will bunk, so haul your stuff there. Leave a low bunk open for the professor. The rest will go to his grad students." He eyed their single case and backpack each with approval. "We're out of here in three hours."

  A truck of the ordinary variety pulled up to the doors, and three people leaped out and started throwing bags and boxes out of the back.

  "And here's the rest of the gang. Fean, generally referred to as Fiend; Obhi, usually called Hob; and Enda, aka Dan. Guys, our interns have arrived. Be nice."

  The woman—drop dead gorgeous, with glowing golden tan skin and silky deep brown hair—looked them over. "So . . . What did you do to deserve us?"

  Ebsa paused. "Umm, are you sure you haven't got that the wrong way around? We, umm, err . . . "

  Hob snickered. "I recognize that one." He pointed at Ra'd. "That's the guy that exposed that jud
icial murder, well, attempted murder, in New York."

  Blank looks.

  Paer looked around in disbelief. "Where have you been for the last six months?"

  "Across. Except Hob, who got stuck in an office for a year. Well, we've been doing some of the most boring research ever invented." Dan shrugged. "Judicial murder? I'm delighted to hear they've backed off from out and out assassination."

  Ra'd snorted. "Well they were exposed, and we didn't flunk out. So far."

  The Fiend woman eyed them, then shook her head, and looked past them at Ajha. "Where's this Professor and his students?"

  "Lunching with the Director. They should be showing up with just enough time to demonstrate their importance, and surety that we'd have waited for them."

  Ebsa snorted. "If this is their project, would you have?"

  "No. It's in the contract, if they aren't here and loaded half an hour before gate time, we cancel the gate reservation to avoid the penalties, and reschedule. At their expense." Ajha shrugged. "The Directorate picks up a lot of the expenses and sends teams to support these academic research projects, because we benefit from the research. And this way we maintain control over access. We're the hosts, not hirelings. However, while our jobs will involve some assistance to the scholars, your main job will be to keep them alive. And yourselves."

  Ebsa and Ra'd swapped glances.

  "Where exactly are we going? I think perhaps a bit more detailed brief might, umm, make us better assistant guards." Ebsa hoped he didn't sound too bossy.

  Ajha just grinned. "Right. Well, you know that when worlds split, it is usually some major astronomical event, like the asteroid that killed the dinosaurs?" He paused for nods. "When worlds split, the rate at which time passes in each is often not equal, pretty much randomly. So by hunting around, we can discover worlds where the time differential was extreme. We can, in one sense, time travel. Those are the worlds we'll be researching. We're going to spot check the Carboniferous, Permian, Triassic, and Cretaceous."

  "Whoa." Paer's eyes were wide, and the corners of her mouth were starting to turn up as her eyes brightened. "I thought I'd be classifying algae."

  "Those must be extreme outliers in the time differential." Ebsa boggled a bit. "The Carboniferous? That's . . . three hundred million years ago!"

  Ajha nodded. "Yep. Should be interesting."

  "And, and, Triassic and Cretaceous? That's . . . " Ebsa boggled.

  Ra'd grinned. "Dinosaurs."

  "Early and late assemblages. Now, let's unload the groceries."

  Everything fit into the middle crawler. Barely.

  Otherwise known as "the Bunkhouse," the driver's seat was on a raised deck, a meter above the main storage and half the tiny kitchen fabricator. The large middle section had tables that sank into the floor when not in use and eight bunks that folded out of the way. At the back, shower, toilet, and two sinks.

  "I guess the engine is under the floor?" Ra'd looked down dubiously.

  "These new ones have six electric motors, one for each wheel. And lots of deep draw batteries, and a small multi-fuel generator, in case we need more than sunshine." Dan shoved on the last cupboard door to get the latch to close. "We won't be traveling far or fast, by and large."

  Hob handed up an insulated box. "Dinner tonight. Tomorrow we'll start cooking." He looked hopefully at Paer. "I don't suppose you cook?"

  "Err, sort of? I mean, I had to take this class in high school . . . "

  Dan shook his head. "Wimmin these days. The Fiend probably could whip up a dozen deadly poisons from our groceries. Cook real food? Not a hope."

  "Don't listen to him." A feminine voice from outside. "Food poisoning doesn't count. Anyone could have done it. And I quit Princess School before we got much into poisons."

  Hob nodded. "Much."

  Ebsa opened his mouth . . . shut it. I'm not going to volunteer to be the camp cook. I'm going to be an Exploration Teamer.

  Dan waved at the bunks "I figured we'd take starboard and the students port. Ajha said the Professor could bunk wherever he wanted. From his voice tones, I think he fears the Professor will want to be in the comm crawler with him."

  Hob nodded. "I'm driving number one, but I'm packed up, and I'll be sleeping wherever. The Prof gets his choice of here or there."

  ***

  The Professor and students showed up with five minutes to spare.

  Ajha whistled up his troops and they swooped down on the vehicle they arrived in—a long white limo—and removed all the luggage. Ebsa pitched in and did whatever the others were doing.

  "Don't worry about where it goes, now. We'll sort it all out at the first stop." Ajha advanced on the older man. "Professor Ecco? I'm Exploration Team Leader Ajha. Too bad the director kept you so long. May I show you the communications center? Most of your first-look data processing can be done while we're in the field . . . "

  The professor stiffened, but was none-the-less swept away and into the first crawler.

  Fiend waved the students toward the second crawler. "You'll be bunking here." She turned back, swept the area with a glance. Nothing left behind. "Dan, you're driving? Ra'd, ride in the first crawler in case Ajha needs something done. Ebsa, second, keep the students aboard, we're underway in about two minutes. Paer, come with me. I'll start showing you the controls."

  Ebsa took a last look around, climbed aboard and hauled the door shut. Minimal electronic conveniences, especially in the exterior. Fewer things to break in the field. He threw the heavy bolt and secured the lever end with the strap. Two hours training and I'm an expert. Quick head count, yes, all four grad students were aboard.

  He swayed as the crawler eased forward. Our temporary leader isn't wasting any time. "There are three more seats up above, if you want a good view of the gate."

  Three of the grad students, all in their early twenties, crowded up the narrow steps.

  Drat. I wanted one.

  The fourth man shrugged. "I've seen it all before." Bored languid tones, superior expression. A pretty blonde fellow, probably had women falling all over him. "I'm Irgo Withione Cape Cod."

  Might as well get it over with. "Ebsa Clostuone Montevideo, pleased ta meetcha." He used his most casual tones and ignored Irgo's stiffened offense. Ebsa tried to look casual as he climbed the steps and stood one down to look over Dan's shoulder.

  The staging plaza was wide open, with people wielding colored wands to direct them to the right spots. They were directed into the third lane, as the first line of vehicles moved out.

  "This is Gate Two." Dan called over his shoulder. "Gate One is all trains."

  Beside him, one of the students snorted. "I was hoping we could use some of the new gates, and have repeated access to the worlds we're studying."

  Ebsa blinked. "I don't think they'd allow a permanent gate to a dinosaur world. Let alone two, and whatever else we'll be seeing. The Permian had some pretty impressive amphibians."

  "The early insects of the Cambrian period are my personal specialty."

  The irritating drawl from close behind made his nerves twitch. Ebsa sidled behind the driver's seat to the scant space between there and the navigator's seat.

  The man in the seat behind and offset to the outside of the navigator's seat tossed him an irritated glance. And a superior snort. "Team full of Clostuone losers."

  Dan's hands paused between controls.

  "Time to go." Hob's voice, tinny, from the speaker.

  Dan shifted all wheels to drive, and eased forward, following the lead vehicle.

  Ebsa could only see a slice of walls to the side of a bit of sky above the very close rear of the lead crawler, and suddenly a gleaming ring of metal coming at them, so close to the lead crawler it nearly scraped. Dan drove straight into it without the faintest kiss of metal on metal. A flash of white, a twisting wrench that made him want to puke . . . and a vivid green as the lead crawler peeled off to the left around a tree and Dan dodged right and down a slope to a watery stop.

  Ch
apter Two

  Carboniferous

  World EP0284

  "Welcome to the Carboniferous. Before us you see a typical coal forming swamp." Ajha's voice was cheerful, even distorted over the radio. "Or in your case, Dan, all around you."

  "Beats being rear ended by Fean . . . One! That's a big damn dragonfly."

  "Meganeura." Ebsa and Irgo spoke together, and exchanged surprised glances before looking back at the wildlife they'd disturbed.

  Dan reversed out of the swamp, the balloon tires finding enough traction on the shallow bottom to move them. "This is why Ajha wanted the crawlers. Between swamps and inland seas, we may need to get wet feet to get to the study site."

  The third crawler had also veered left. Ebsa spotted the women both grinning as they parked beside it.

  Ajha's voice came over the radio. "All right. Let's take a look around while we get a precise location, then we'll head for the study area. Team? Weapons issue."

  "Weapons! There's nothing here but insects!"

  "Just a standard precaution." Ebsa shrugged. "I believe the Team Leader is trying to establish good habits." Heh. I sound like an old hand . . . I hope.

  "Exactly." Dan climbed out of the driver's seat and followed Irgo down the steps.

  Ebsa started to follow, paused and pinned the student in the navigator's seat with what he hoped was a chilly stare as the man reached across toward the driver's controls. "I'm Ebsa. Didn't catch your names."

  The young man snickered, and didn't answer.

  "Oh, that's Whti, who isn't, really." Irgo's drawl stretched it out to Raaahhlllly.

  The slender man to the left shrugged, "Uff Lee. Please do not call me You Fly."

  Snickers from Whti and the man who'd made the comment about infestations of Clostuones. "Almo. Sometimes Alamo, which is a pre-Arrival battle site in North America."