He handed Ethan one of the tablets for inspection. It didn’t look like something from the future, but he took Wallace’s word all the same. It was similar in shape and appearance to a Tylenol, but a distinctive ‘I’ was etched on the surface.
Ben retrieved the pill and put it back in one of the containers. “It is imperative that you take one pill every twenty-four hours for the first five days and then every two weeks until you have finished.” He shook the bottles and the pills jangled together inside. It sounded like a lot of them.
“Sounds easy enough for me to forget.”
Wallace directed Ethan’s attention to a large, well-used and dated duffel bag sitting on the platform. It would fit in perfectly with the 1940s. “There are other essentials that will be sent back with you in that travel case, including some syringes with a specially formulated pain medication from my time. Be wise in deciding when to use them.
“And this is your most important tool,” he went on, holding up an object. “Your watch.” It looked the same as the one found in Uncle Tobias’s safe — if not the same one. “You must not lose it — this cannot be found by anyone. Just as I mentioned before, the dangers of bringing things from the future to the past are extreme; that should be self-explanatory by now. Make a conscious effort to always wear long sleeves to keep it covered. The 1940s are very different from today; something like this sticks out, and as always your goal is to blend.”
Ethan nodded, but felt the sudden urge to crawl back into that small bed he’d stumbled out of less than an hour before. The weight of this undertaking now felt unbearably heavy.
“Just going back will change small things. So I must stress to you that it is of utmost importance you stay as low profile as possible. Try not to interact much with anyone — or intervene in anything — except when dealing with the Sons of Stalin.”
“I have a question.”
“I’m certain you have many, but please — we must make it quick.”
The look on Wallace’s face made Ethan want to yell with frustration — to lash out by reminding Wallace that he didn’t have to do this. But deep down Ethan understood time was dwindling. “So, if I’m going to be sent back in a few moments, and let’s say that — for theoretical and God protect my life purposes — it works. Would that mean that I’ve already made it there as we speak?”
Wallace studied him for a long moment as if trying to decide how much to reveal. Then he inclined his head. “For the sake of argument, yes. Time is a strange thing, you must understand. What is done can seemingly never be undone. In the here and now things are what they were and always will be, but beyond this is what is changeable.”
What the hell am I getting myself into? Rather than voice his concerns Ethan just nodded again.
Wallace tilted his head, waiting for another question that would never come. “Either you are satisfied with my answer or more confused.”
“Both.”
He gave a thin smile. “Alright then. Now, we’ve made as many safeguards as possible. Along with the various items in your travel case, we’re sending a specialized gun back with you. If you lose the weapon at any point, turn this dial here on the face of the watch and then press this prong.”
Wallace mimed a demonstration of the act. “It will detonate a small explosive in your gun, destroying it to prevent examination or discovery by others. The explosive is implanted inside the wall of the pistol grip and synced to the watch.” He extended the timepiece toward Ethan and pointed to the watch face. “If you would, put your thumb here until you hear the beep.”
Ethan did as he was ordered and a bright blue line traced a path down from the top of the screen to the bottom. A soft beep sounded, and he removed his thumb. The display now read ‘UNLOCKED’, which pissed him off and amazed him at the same time. Hours had been spent trying to force his way into the strange contraption, and the action he’d just performed would have never crossed his mind. Why would it?
“This is another safeguard as well,” Wallace said. “No one else will be able to use the device except you.”
“What if I’m killed and my fingers are chopped off?”
“Try not to let that happen.” He motioned to Ethan, “Give me your wrist.”
Ethan complied. Wallace slid the timepiece over his hand and down his wrist.
“This might sting a bit,” he said, and pressed another prong. The spring loaded hooks shot out, clamping onto Ethan’s skin.
I knew it! Ethan remembered his earlier reservations about the claw hooks when he’d first examined Tobias’s watch. He grunted as the claws pierced his flesh and locked into place. “That was more than a sting.” He looked down at the watch and saw a graphic of words run across the screen: ‘ANALYZING DNA SEQUENCE’.
Wallace smiled again. “Now, if you will please look to the left and focus on that generator.”
Ethan was getting tired of that superficial grin on Wallace’s face; nevertheless, he obeyed the directive. Then he gasped in shock and pain. What had felt like a snake sinking three inch fangs into his forearm shot through him with a jolt.
“What the fuck!” Ethan snapped his head around, gaping at his sore arm. A dot of blood was oozing from the wound. When Ethan glared up at Wallace, the man hid an object resembling a nail gun behind his back.
Wallace addressed the Indian man. “Thanks so much, Dr. Parikh. You may go.”
The doctor gave a slight bow, and left with the nail gun look-a-like.
“What the fuck did you just do to me?” Ethan snapped. “That hurt like hell! Was it some kind of typhoid or malaria shot?”
“No, we have situated a tracking device in your arm.”
Ethan blanched. “I thought the watch was a tracking device.”
“It is, but only when activated. The node we injected you with is always active. Inside the deep muscle tissue, it detects your biometric heart rhythm. As long as you are alive, it will transmit. If at any point your heart stops pumping, the signal dies. Our computers here can tell us if the transmission stops. No sense in trailing dead agents.”
A thought came to Ethan. “Why couldn’t you find my uncle if he had one?”
“When he was sent back we didn’t have access to these devices yet; otherwise we would have given him one as well.”
“Whether he wanted it or not, huh?
Again the phony smile. “This is why I misdirected you a moment ago; I didn’t want to fight your verbal objections if we simply asked permission. Time is short.”
“Not that it would have mattered; I have a feeling my opinions are very low on any totem pole here. Has anyone ever told you you’re a devious bastard?”
Wallace ignored the insult and said, “Please follow me.”
“Now you ask for my permission — how thoughtful.” Ethan had the urge to punch Wallace. The presence of the commandos held him back.
He followed with reluctance as Wallace led him to one of the computers against the far wall that displayed a digital map of the world map. “You see that blip?”
Ethan saw a few dots were peppered on the screen but he zeroed in on the one Ben was pointing to. “Yeah.”
“That is you, Mr. Tannor. Each node has a specific frequency, but as I said we can only track it as long as you are breathing. This morning we sent back several satellites. By our count today, they’ve been in orbit only a few hours, but in reality they’ve been circling the Earth now for close to forty years. And they’re still active, sending and receiving transmissions as we speak.”