PART V CEST AND CINDY TRAVEL BACK

For the next six months, Cindy Taylor worked extensively with Dr. Betler in the underground laboratory. Using the exotic material supplied by Shang Ho, various computer simulations were tried. In order to get maximum computer power, Cindy used her radio show and started an online club, coordinated with her computer orientated website. To join the club, members were required to install a software and leave their computers connected to the Internet. This gave Dr. Betler access to millions of processors to calculate the properties of the rock under certain conditions. Taking Sidney Bekon sixteen years to develop time travel, this vast network of computers could come up with the solution in a fraction of the time.

"Hello Mike from Mountain View", Cindy orated into the studio microphone. "This is Cindy and you can ask me anything about computers."

"Yeah, hi Cindy", the caller replied. "So I join your club. What do we gain out of this?"

"I'm glad you asked, Mike. What do you do for a living?"

"I'm a graphic artist and host a website to promote my paintings and computer artwork."

"You join my club", Cindy continued, "and you can switch your domain to our servers for free with a gigabyte of storage space and 100 gigabits of data transfer per month."

"Cindy, I think I just fell in love", Mike sighed.

"Oh, by the way Mike. What are you running?" Cindy curiously asked.

"It's a 56K modem, Cindy. I qualify for DSL, but I can't afford the rates!"

"I'm in a good mood today, Mike. I'll put you on hold and my producer will arrange to have your free DSL service installed."

Many people signed up, which the government picked up the tab. Cindy's promotion of the free service eventually brought millions of computers online.

After months of intensive processing, Dr. Betler came up with a model to alter the rock's properties that would surround the material with a shield, theoretically transferring subjects within its boundaries into an altered time period.

"This sounds very sci-fi, Doctor", Penny said as she and Cindy spoke to Dr. Betler by video conference. "If you were to put us in your module, Cindy and I would feel a lot better with more substantial data."

Unfortunately", Dr. Betler answered, "the only way to put it to real test is to send a person through."

"What is the worse case scenario, Dr. Betler?" Cindy asked.

"We will be sending the transport vehicle through the ten mile tunnel at 800 mph, slightly faster then the speed of sound. The rock will be heated at a temperature of 500 degrees Fahrenheit. At the end of the journey, the vehicle will slow to a stop. If all goes well, you will be at the time of the tunnel's completion, June 1957." Dr. Betler paused. "If all doesn't go as predicted, several things may occur, including a mutation of your molecular structure or complete vaporization of everything within the field."

"That's nice to know", Penny said as she shook her head. "So we get to the end of the tunnel and we are in June of 1957- what then?"

"You may be fortunate enough to arrive at the same time as Sidney Bekon", Betler continued, "thwarting his evil plans. My guess, however, is that he will have already had a chance to hide his vehicle at the time you arrive. You will then take an elevator up to ground level and enter the guard shack."

"What will we say?" Cindy asked. "Wont they wonder what we're doing there?"

"You will ask for me, of course a much younger man. When I arrive, I will be quite skeptical of your travels, so you will need to authenticate yourselves."

"How can we possibly do that?" Cindy laughed.

"When I was a young boy", Betler embarrassingly answered, "there was a girl who lived across the street who I had an extreme crush on. I sort of snuck into her house and hid under her bed as she slept."

Penny giggled.

"Ah, that's so cute!" Cindy replied.

"I've never told anyone of this", he said with a blush. "If you tell this to me, I will believe you - that is after I recover from sheer embarrassment."

"The Fifty thousand dollar question", Penny asked. 'How do we get back?"

Dr. Betler walked over to the console.

"That's a tough one", he replied."We haven't been able to figure that out yet."

Cindy shook her head as Penny gulped.

"However, we believe that Sidney Bekon will have the answer?"

"And what makes you so sure of that?" Cindy asked.

"Simple", the doctor smugly replied. "Why would he hold the world at ransom at a time he would no longer have access to?"

Time to launch

Three weeks later, all systems were go. Penny Cest and Cindy Taylor sat strapped in the transport vehicle. This was such a tight liped operation that only a hand full of people were aware of the it. Wearing space suits supplied by NASA normally used for Space Shuttle launches, the two women were well aware of their risks. A radio linked the module to Dr. Betler at the control center.

"Stand by for for material heat", Doctor Betler announced over the two way system.

"Roger material heat", Cindy replied into her head set.

Dr. Betler activated the on board heater that would bring the material 1260XB to 500 degrees Fahrenheit. A thermometer at Dr. Betler's computer readout gradually rose as the rock reached the proper temperature.

"Material at operating temperature", Dr. Betler stated.

Like a mirage, the module appeared to distort like a reflection in water.

"Activating thrust engine", he continued.

"Roger thrust engine", Cindy replied.

A red glow in back of the vehicle got brighter as the jet engine was pushed to the limit.

"Ten", the doctor began to count down, "Nine, Eight..."

Penny and Cindy reached out and to grab each other's hand.

"This may be it Cindy", Penny whispered with her eyes closed in utter terror.

"It's going to be okay, Penny", Cindy replied in a soft reassuring tone, squeezing Penny's hand.

"Three, two - god be with you!" Dr. Betler shouted out, immediately pushing a large red button on top of the panel.

Brakes released, the vehicle lunged forward and proceeded down its ten mile, -45 year journey.

"Five Gs and holding", Cindy relayed as she felt the extreme force on her body.

"Roger Cindy", Dr. Betler replied. "Stand by for maximum thrust."

This was the most crucial part for Penny and Cindy needed to get up to 800 mph in as little as three seconds. It would push the G force to a factor of 10, multiplying their body weight and environment 10 times. Dr. Betler pulled the lever all the way up. Meanwhile, Penny and Cindy were pinned to their seats, almost losing breath by the force from the thrust.

"Your respiration has been accelerated to..." Dr. Betler said as his voice immediately dropped.

All the sudden, it felt like the vehicle was dropping. Everything began to float as gravitational pull went from a factor of 10 to 0.

"We have reached zero gravity", Cindy announced.

There wasn't a reply. The reason communications to the control center had dropped was because they had passed from the time frame.

As the module finally came to a stop, the two women just looked at each other.

"How do you feel, Penny?" asked Cindy.

"Like I've been ran over by a Mac truck", Penny replied as she held her head.

The doors for the vehicle opened. They slowly emerged out into the dark tunnel. Penny pulled a flashlight from her purse. For a moment it seemed that there was no way out until the light pointed an elevator door.

"That must be the door that Dr. Betler was referring to", Penny said.

As they traveled up the elevator, the door opened to an outdoor area with small barracks type buildings

"Hold it", a voice hollered out from the left, as they heard the sound of a rifle being cocked. "You are in a restricted area".

They turned around and saw several men with uniforms.

"Excuse me, sir", Penny replied, "I need to speak with Dr. Betler.

The two men looked at each other as if they didn't know who she was talking about. Was it possible they had entered a time that Dr. Betler didn't exist? Or is it possible they had not traveled back at all, but may be in a parallel dimension? Penny and Cest were lead to one of the barracks in a small room. In the center was a large table with several wooden chairs. A chalk board was against one of the walls with some writing and figures written on it.

"This is a big mistake, Cindy", Penny said. "We haven't traveled back at all."

"Do not be so quick to make assumptions, Penny", Cindy said as she walked over to the corner of the room behind them. Against the wall sat a picture of Dwight D. Eisenhower.

About an hour later the two guards walked in with a man in his mid-twenties.

"I'm Dr. Betler", the young man said, "The question is: who are you two and how did you come up with my name?"

Penny and Cindy gasped. This young man had little resemblance to the older more distinguishing man they knew. But his voice sounded just like him with a slightly higher pitch.

Cindy got up and walked Dr. Betler over to a far corner in the room, whispering something in his ear. The two guards looked at each other then Penny who put her hands in the air.

Dr. Betler walked to the center of the room with a blushed face.

"You two can go now", Dr. Betler instructed the guards.

"But Dr. Betler...", one of the guards began to ask.

"Get out of here!" the doctor barked back.

As the guards made a quick exit, Dr. Betler began to pace the floor.

"There is no way that you would have prior knowledge of this very personal childhood experience unless I told you myself", Dr. Betler declared. "Who the hell are you?"

"My name is Penny Cest", Penny answered, "and this is my technical assistant, Cindy Taylor."

Cindy pulled a photograph from her purse and handed it to Dr. Betler.

"This looks kind of like my grandfather", he said.

His eyes then opened wide in disbelief. Some small detail in the image lead him to the conclusion that it was he at a much older time in his life. Cindy ran over to Dr. Betler, holding him as he began to shake.

"It's okay", Cindy whispered softly.

"What's wrong with him?" Penny asked as the doctor buried his head in Cindy's arms, crying like a small toddler.

"Dr. Betler just saw himself as an old man," Cindy said as she gently stroked his head, "a very unnatural emotional experience for anyone."

Several hours later, Dr. Betler began to calm down. He drove Penny to his trailer at the edge of the facility. Penny explained the scenario as instructed by the older Br. Betler.

"First thing we need to do is get you two some decent clothes and a car", Dr. Betler said.

"We need to set up shop in the Santa Clara Valley", Penny said. "You instructed me to ask you about an emergency fund your department set up this year just for this type of occurrence.

"One million dollars", Dr. Betler answered. "But I'm going to have really jump and jive to get it."

Dr. Betler looked out and began to think.

"When your assignment is over" he continued, "I must remember nothing of this. My knowledge of your travels could create a paradox that would have much more disastrous results than your evil electronics friend could produce.

NEXT: PART VI CEST AND CINDY TRAVEL BACK TO SANTA CLARA VALLEY