Anthony DeCosmo - Parallels

Trevor moved to another subject, "What about kids? Families? Civilians? How do they live around here?"

"There are no civilians, not like you think. A civilian for us is someone who doesn’t fight in the front lines; techs, support people. You see, everyone fights or supports the fight. If you’re not a front line soldier, you’re working a couple of different shit jobs. If you don’t contribute, you don’t eat. Get it?"

Johnny jumped in, "But there are men and women here. Surely there are children."

"Yes, but not many. No one wants children."

Stone’s fatherly instincts shuddered at the thought. "If you’re going to survive you have to have kids. They are the future."

"Trevor, we don’t have a future. No one wants to give birth to a kid today when tomorrow we could all be slaughtered. Would you bring a child into the world when you know that at any moment your people could be wiped out?"

He thought for a moment and then asked, "Did I…do I have a son here?"

Nina’s head tilted as if hearing a strange sound. "No. Why, do you have one back home?"

"Yes."

His answer seemed to surprise her. She said nothing the rest of the trip.

The car came to a stop in front of a wide, long building. Several tall transmission towers sprouted from the roof. A number of armored vehicles parked in a lot next to the complex. Sandbags and a gun turret complimented the sentries at the front door.

"This is the Ops-Operations-Center. We’ll find The Committee here."

They exited the vehicle and approached a big iron door. Nina spoke with the guards who then allowed entry.

Dull gray halls lined the interior with heavy metal beams crisscrossing the ceiling and soffit lights providing patches of illumination although half of them appeared burnt out.

Unlike the rest of Thebes, he saw plenty of people in the Ops Center including guards, couriers, and technicians while a public address system called out messages such as, "Tactical analysis team report to discussion chamber four," "Major Davis contact communications center," and "Northern perimeter Sector G-4 reports scanner malfunction."

Despite the number of people, Trevor noticed a relaxed atmosphere. He saw guards wearing poorly kempt uniforms, couriers stopping to chat, and technicians wandering about with no purpose. The announcements from the P.A. system droned on, but no one appeared to care.

Nina directed them up a short flight of metal stairs and through a set of double doors leading to a large control room with a high ceiling.

Desks and consoles swept across the room on descending half-circle tiers, all facing toward one massive wall with two huge monitors and several smaller ones. Those monitors presented pictures of the perimeter and gates of the city. Doors-probably offices-surrounded the chamber.

"Stay here," Major Forest said and she moved around the room.

As they waited, Trevor overhead conversations as well as radio communications.

"Ah, yeah, Gino you guys are on watch until twenty-two hundred hours so you are going to miss all the fun."

"Shit man, that sucks. I got an extra hundred credits I was going to blow on the table."

"This is G-4 we’ve got a problem with our monitoring equipment here. I’ve been waiting on a tech team for four hours. What is their status?"

"I dunno, G-4. I just got off my break. What’s the problem again?"

Nina returned and summoned, "This way, boys."

She led them across the control room to a set of big double doors guarded by a pair of heavily armed, serious-looking sentries. Trevor appreciated seeing at least a couple of grim faces in the place. From what he observed so far, the attitude of the humans on this world more resembled students in a campus dormitory than a people on the verge of extinction.

The doors opened to a large, oppressive room. On one end stood a raised platform where three men sat at a long table overlooking the chamber like a judge’s bench. Trevor felt the presence of at least three more persons in the room standing in dark corners.

The doors closed behind the newcomers, shutting out the noise from the Ops Center.

Trevor and Johnny followed Nina as she circumvented an oval table to approach the platform and the overlords sitting there.

To his surprise, Trevor did not see an Evan Godfrey doppelganger on The Committee. Instead, he found three middle aged men who in dress and Anglo appearance resembled stereotype Republicans from a bad Hollywood movie.

Major Forest spoke to them. Trevor thought he sensed contempt in her voice.

"If it so honors The Committee, may I introduce Trevor Stone and his associate, the Reverend Johnny."

The first Committeeman stared down and said: "This is Trevor Stone of the alternate world?"

The second: "He looks identical."

The third: "The theories on parallel development have been proven. I suggest we invest additional resources in further studying the applications of this discovery."

"No one has yet proposed any tactical advantages to be gained by this knowledge," spoke the first.

"True. We no longer have access to the assets necessary for traveling to another alternate reality. This operation has been self-terminating," spoke the second.

"Your analysis is correct. We should halt outward bound cross-dimensional research until such time as additional assets are made available," spoke the third.

Major Forest addressed them again. "The operation achieved its objective. Standing before you is Trevor Stone. On his Earth, humanity thrives. He has forged a vast Empire and defeated numerous enemies."

The first Committeeman sounded contrite. "Yes. Your operation was successful and a Trevor Stone stands before us. Despite our position on the matter, Major Forest has succeeded."

The second Committeeman sounded skeptical. "However, Major Forest acted without direct authorization from The Committee. One could construe her actions as insubordination."

The third Committeeman sounded direct. "Agreed. Major Forest’s actions resulted in the death of six members of the Third Legion and two support personnel, not to mention expending vast quantities of fuel and ammunition."

A voice from one of the corners joined the discussion. "Major Forest acted with my approval. I was not aware The Committee forbade the project. Had that been so, the operation never would have proceeded."

That voice moved out of the shadow and into the light; a short man with scruff on his cheeks and a head on the verge of complete baldness. Trevor thought him to be mid-forties, but his eyes seemed somewhat sharper than the rest of the people he had met thus far.

He wore a gray uniform with several colorful emblems on the collar yet his disposition struck Trevor as more a business man than a soldier. Something in the way he walked; a little too rigid, a little too forced, as if he tried to play the role of an officer but was not quite comfortable in the boots.

"Director Snowe," Nina nodded toward the man and he returned the gesture before turning his attention to Trevor. Snowe's eyes studied him as if searching for something. Perhaps Snowe wondered if he had been worth the effort.

Nina spoke to The Committee again, "We have an opportunity to change our situation. If The Committee does not object, I would have Trevor Stone address you directly."

"Only officers of proper rank may address The Committee."

"This man is not even a member of our military hierarchy."

"For him to speak before The Committee would be most improper."

After all he survived, after all he built from the ruins of Armageddon, Trevor Stone did not appreciate a trio of arrogant administrators dismissing him.

To the shock of every one in the room, he interrupted, "Well someone needs to address this Committee because the way I see it you’re all going to be ShellSquid bait by summer."