Chapter 28

"Nick? Which one is the parallel? Us ... or them?" Ed was perplexed.

"What do you mean? It has to be them." Now it was Professor Andropolis.

"Why would you say that?" Now Ed was worried.

"Because we've always been here." This was definitely Andropolis, the physics professor now.

Ed was stricken ... and looked it.

"Ed ... Mr. Huntly ... what's the matter?"

"In 2018, the world as I know it will come to an end."

"As you know it?" Nickolas, meaning in Greek, victory of the people, Andropolis, became very still ... very formal. "You're not from here, are you, Ed." That absolutely was NOT a question.

"No, sir ... I am not."

"Persephone?"

"No."

"Missy?"

"No."

"There's more?"

"Take my hand ... no ... wait." He took the sweep broom and thumped the handle on the rafters of the boat house.

"What do you need Nick?" shouted Persephone.

"It's Ed..."

"You need something, sweetie?"

"Is Missy up there?"

"Hi Ed."

"Would you please come down to the boat?" Ed asked. "Both of you." Ed motioned Nick, "We need to be on the boat for this."

"On the boat?"

"Yeah."

A clattering on the stairs, a head stuck in the second floor loft, "What's up? Hi Nick."

"Meet us on the boat ... you need warm clothes. Nick ... dress warm. Missy? Bring some winter clothes for me." Ed was all business now. Like when he took over preparing the town before the storm.

"Shopping?" Missy was grinning.

"Sure ... what the hell."

"Nick going too?" Now Missy was inquisitive.

"Yeah ... I think. Nick?" This might not work but Ed wasn't going to kidnap him.

"A physics experiment? Sure." They would have to beat him off with a stick to keep him from going.

"Nick ... if I worked for the government ... this would be above top secret. This is something the American government would love to have. Knowledge of this ... not use ... just knowing this ... works ... and telling the government ... with proof? You, yourself, would never see the light of day again. Any person or persons we have EVER had contact with ... even as little as shaking hands in church ... they would disappear. This whole town ... every inhabitant ... would end up in some secret prison ... the government would send in an entire town of agents to try and catch whoever showed up next." Ed looked Nick in the eyes. "Professor Andropolis? Still want to know?"

"That important?"

"This would destroy physics as we know it."

"This I gotta see. I'm in."

"Missy? Bring the book, ok?"

Missy took off to the house.

Twenty minutes later they were motoring away from their pier. They were the only boat on the water. The entire town as repairing storm damage. Anderson Salvage was raising sunk boats with a crane and barge and they were on the east end of the lake.

"We'll go to the hole. I hope the kids aren't there ... otherwise, we'll have to wait for nightfall." Ed was itching to show the boat.

"Missy? You have the conn."

"Nick ... come below."

Persephone was watching the sidescan sonar and the radar. They weren't something people from the twenties knew about.

"Hi Nick ... look here ... that's the hull of a schooner that sank in the lake 4 years ago. It was heavy enough to stay put when the water pulse went through and scoured the bottom of debris. Pentwater lake is really deep ... for a glacial melt lake. 293 feet. What I'm watching for is semi-submerged logs ... some of the logs were borderline light."

"What is this boat made of?"

"Fiberglass. It's is a fiber reinforced polymer made of a plastic matrix reinforced by fine fibers of glass. Fiberglass is a lightweight, extremely strong, and robust material. Its bulk strength and weight properties are also very favorable when compared to metals, and it can be easily formed using molding processes. This plastic matrix is epoxy. The process will be discovered in 1930 but it won't be until the 1960's that fiberglass comes into it's own.

"Would you believe it ... the Navy has ships made of this stuff. They're lighter than wood or metal, non magnetic and comparatively easy to repair. Grind back the gelcoat ... that's the shiny outside ... slap resin laden glass mats in the hole ... the resin bonds the patch to her hull ... spray or brush gelcoat and let it dry. It has to be done in a reasonable hurry though. Once the resin hardens that's it. They even make a resin that hardens underwater."

"When was this boat built?"

"2006."

"Can you prove it?"

"Pretty much ... the serial number and date of manufacture are stamped into the glass while it's setting up. Wanna see?"

The Baltic had an engine room ... more than a crawlspace ... but not much for headroom. Persephone asked Ed to watch for logs and she lifted the engine hatch. It says a lot for the construction that the engine noise was minimal until the hatch came off. Diesels are noisy, and work best at higher RPM's. The propeller was geared down to reduce the revolutions.

"The date and serial number are right in front of the Perkins."

"Perkins?"

"The engine."

Nick had a look. 2006 ... Baltic Yachts Boslund Finland ... amazing. Finland was struggling against Communist Russia. They must have won.

Missy stamped on the cockpit sole. It's how she got their attention. Seph replaced the hatch and locked it down. She threw the carpet back in place and went up to see what Missy wanted.

"STOP! REVERSE!" shouted Ed. Missy did ... in front of the bow a huge trunk surfaced.

"That must be first growth ... that's huge. Easy six feet across."

Seph said, "That would have sunk us if we'd hit it."

"When are we going?"

"Scotland ... I'm running out of booze. Nick? Want some Ouzo? We can go to Cyprus."

"While I'm dreaming ... Naxos makes the best of the opium based ouzo."

"What time period?"

"1890?"

"Ladies? Program please. Naxos, Greece 1890."

"How safe will we be?"

"Not very but I'll make it quick ... what ever you do ... don't tie up. Anchor in the offing and I'll call for a delivery."

"Missy? Weather check ... summer Naxos island 1890."

"They'll take gold?"

"You have gold?

"How much do you need?"

"Four or five silver kuruş or one gold lira will buy enough Ouzo to sink this boat ... Less than half an ounce will be plenty."

At the 'sink this boat' everybody laughed. Missy and Seph had their heads together with the manual and watch. Meanwhile Ed hauled out the heavy weapons, two Barrett's with day/nights and three M-4's with the 40 mm grenade launchers. One Barrett went on the cabin top and the M-4's went under the cockpit seats.

"Ed, we're ready."

"When?"

"1888, Naxos Harbor ... the weather will be great. Very calm with a decent breeze. The canon at the fort are all either broken or spiked. Five man Turkish guard. We programmed in 5 lira. Ed, put the watch on and take the wheel. Three second delay. Instantaneous jump to 1926 when we're ready ... the bay at Burghead ... four hundred Scots pounds. We all ready?"

The response was affirmative.

To Nick, there was a momentary disorientation, enough so he closed his eyes and shook his head.

The disorientation was replaced by a smooth large body movement and the faintly remembered smell of the Aegean Sea. He opened his eyes ... to the port side was the spiny head of Paros south of Molo ... to the starboard was the headland of Naxos west of Strelida. Both were far enough to be just visible. He burst into tears.

"What a thing to do to an old man," he sobbed. "Such an evil trick. My Greece ... my Greece." He looked around. Missy was holding up a portrait of himself as a young man of 20 or so ... where ever did they find that? ... he gasped in shock. It wasn't a portrait ... it was a mirror. Ed was behind him to catch as he fell.

"Great watch, huh, Nick?" Seph asked Nick when he regained some control.

"Miraculous."

"Take the wheel, Nick," as they rounded the Naxos Mole. "Steers just like a trehandiri. Look sharp now."

A 30 foot or so double ended fishing boat was approaching. Soon Nick was shouting in Greek. They pulled off a bit and a young man stripped and dove over the side of the fishing boat. He swam to the side of the Baltic and was directed to the stern.

The girls were both armed and paid no attention to the boy ... let Nick and Ed deal with him.