Torn Fabric...

DeletedUser28032

Eric sorted his way through the clothes that had been handed to him, it was a lieutenants navy uniform he was also given a wallet with an American ID and US Dollars he was also handed a Colt 1911 which was quickly handed back to quarter master "I have my own sidearm" he said motioning to the Mauser pistol on his belt the Quarter master raised an eyebrow as if to raise comment but said no more on the matter.
Eric quickly transferred his journal, compass and pocket watch to the uniforms webbing the rest of his things he haded over to the quarter master who placed the items into a samsonite case for safe keeping.
Eric dressed quickly in one of the cubicles taking the time to check his ID. Although it made no lie of his German birthplace he was glad to see it listed him as an American citizen however what did suprise him were the words "Intelligence Officer" stamped across the top this must be a mistake surely?
Leaving the cubicle he handed the ID over to the quarter master "Is this right? I mean about the intelligence officer bit?" the quarter master studied the ID briefly before handing it back "Yeah its right it was the only thing we could think of to explain why a German would be on an American base, If anyone asks, you translate German radio messages" Eric nodded his head glad that someone had given some thought to his predicament.
Pocketing his ID Eric walked into the jump room wearing his pristine navy uniform to join Dr. Chance, only four minutes to go.
 
Last edited by a moderator:

DeletedUser13682

Just as the meeting was about to end, a Frenchman entered the room, complaining about how he wasn't told about the meeting, and how it was everybody else's fault for him being late. John was about to do something radical to the French, when the management interrupted him, thankfully. He would have to work security with this guy, it would be a near-impossible task, drawing upon all his strength as an Anglo-Saxon of the mid 20th century, but John felt that he could do it, and in the end he would be a better person, and maybe even have a new appreciation for the French. No pushing it, he already had to do the impossible.

After the meeting ended, John went to the equipment room, and received his new gear. The only thing that changed for him was his ID and uniform, that of a British Naval Intelligence Officer, assigned to the U.S. Naval Academy, Annapolis. After receiving his new ID and weapons, John looked up the Thomas B. Schall. It was a 55 ton schooner, built in 1882, home port Annapolis, Maryland, crew of three. Old thing, wooden, maybe that's why the crate was in there, unsuspecting vessel, perfect for hiding the valuable. John got ready for the jump, making sure his Webley was loaded, it was never 100% guaranteed you would land where you wanted to. And John had heard some scary things about the end of the universe.
 

DeletedUser25825

The jump station, the only above-ground building at the facility, was housed within a large warehouse. The building's outside was touted as a radioactive waste dump, which explained its obscure locale, and heavy private security army guarding it. Though the exterior may appear dilapidated, the interior was anything but. The entire warehouse housed next-age technology and banks of computer systems, all of which was designed by top minds in the various technology fields. Staff, in the proverbial white lab coats of all the sci-fi movies, scurried from machine to machine to check data readouts, while others sat at various consoles to monitor components that all jumbled together to make time travel possible.

All of the Chrononauts, as anybody who "jumped" were labeled, knew time travel only worked backward. There were several failed attempts to move forward in the beginning of the project, however none of the pioneers of those projects succeeded. Time travel forward was abandoned before both monetary and personnel costs became too exorbitant.

"The Pad", as it was affectionately known, was centered in the jump station. It appeared to be a circular platform approximately a hundred feet in diameter. Enormous power cables traveled into and out of the base of the platform, and constant cooling of the mechanisms within, caused condensing steam to regularly flow out of several exhaust ports inter-spaced around the platform. There were several access points to the pad in the form of lowered convex ramps, which would raise prior to a jump being initiated, and form a protective shell of titanium alloy around the Chrononauts. In the beginning of the project, Chrononauts would simply stand on the pad to be transported to wherever they were being sent, however, after several were lost due to unknown changes in topography over time, poor planning, or just general bad luck, a craft was designed by Mr. Thomas Andrews to provide a modicum of protection to the Chrononauts. Now, though there were still occasional mishaps, things rarely ended as messily as they had.

The jump craft was a sleekly contoured disk, or more aptly saucer, which appeared very much like the UFO's that people claimed were sighted throughout history ironically enough. The craft operated through a mish-mash of hover technology and gyroscopes, and was piloted by staff specifically trained for the vehicle. After the successful jump and the Chrononauts had disembarked, the craft and pilot would be recalled through another time portal that would be opened. The whole process operated within a very small window of time, since there was little in the way of tracking Chrononauts in the past in known time. All Chrononauts were briefed in this time frame of operation, and trained extensively using mock-ups and trainers until the whole process was second nature and thoughtless.

Jessica sat on a bench, seemingly staring forward at everything and nothing at the same time. She was obviously lost within thoughts once again, as staff hurried amongst their consoles and banks of computers for last checks. The digitized readout on the walls switched to a dual reading of both current time, and a clock that was set at three minutes and counting backward. A disembodied female computer generated voice announced, "Chrononauts are to board jump craft." Jessica blinked and looked up at the time as she stood and gathered her purse. She walked up one of the ramps and entered the craft. She ignored the pilot's greeting as she chose a plush, leather bound chair and belted herself in. She rested her head back and watched the pilot shrug and return to pre-jump checks of the craft's systems.
 

DeletedUser26409

"A violin player in the Navy Band?" Jo-Jo looked at the quartermaster in frank wonder. The quartermaster replied with a wide grin: "Yup. Here's your sidearm." The quartermaster put a Colt 1911 on the table. "Here's the Fairbairn-Sykes dagger you requested." The quartermaster put one on the table and his grin widened even more when he put a violin case next to it: "And here's your violin." "This violin is a little bit on the heavy side, non?" said Jo-Jo (who was quite confused) and opened the case. He found a Tommy gun with a some extra drum magazines inside and immediately bursted laughing: "This kind of violin Jo-Jo Duval can play indeed, non." Once he had finished he made his way towards the jump station.

Arriving at The Pad Jo-Jo noticed that they were almost ready to go. He took a quick look around only to see the familiar computers, cables, jump craft and so on. As Jo-Jo heard the computerised voice say: "Chrononauts are to board jump craft," a shiver went through his body. The psychiatrist had said that this was anxiety. Like a racehorse before a race. Or something like that. Jo-Jo himself still thought it was fear. He didn't think fear was shameful. No. The lack of ability to overcome fear was. Everyone feels fear. Bravery is just overcoming it. That was it. Another shiver went through him as he took the first step towards the craft. He was on boards moments later. He nodded to the pilot as he was greeted and as he strapped himself in the third shiver went through him.
 

Deleted User - 819397

Xenon arrived at the jump station just as the order for him to board came. Checking that his sidearm (which had come with the uniform) was still in place, Xenon adjusted his glasses and stepped into the craft that was on the Pad. Dr. Chance was already inside, along with the Frenchman. The latter of these two was trying to appear calm, but it was obvious he was freaking out to an extent...not panic, but definitely not calm. Xenon gave his curt nod to the pilot, Dr. Chance, and Joseph, then sat down in a seat chosen specifically to make it so that conversation would again not be started by him, but make it comfortable should one start. His hand started to creep toward his locket again, but this time Xenon caught himself before it became obvious. Xenon half smiled for a short second, but there was no warmth in the smile; it was time to go.
 

DeletedUser28032

Eric Climbed aboard the craft with mild wonderment, he'd never flown before in his life so the closest he could describe the interior of the craft was to that of a first class train carriage.
Taking one of the unoccupied seats Eric strapped himself in like the others had done although he could see no reason for this, after all he reasoned if they were to fall out of the sky then the little belt would do little to save them but then again what did he know about planes?
 

DeletedUser

James walked out of the dressing room in his new uniform rotating his shoulders to loosen it up."Now tell me again why i'm the only one with a Army uniform" he said to the quarter master. "Thats easy sir, it was the only one we had in your size and besides it makes more sense hauling this around." was his reply as he handed James an M1 Garand. "Works for me" as he went through the box set before him. Inside the box was a 1940s shoulder holster which he was glad to see was set up for left hand draw, a standard issue Army belt with a holster for right hand draw, Army issue Leather officer's jacket, IDs, and two Colt 1911 pistols with extra ammo for all three guns, and finally a standard issue day pack (more like a small duffel bag). After taking stock of the gear he quickly put it on and opened the pack and looked in side, he noted he had the maps of the areas and schematics on the boat, paper, pencil, and a compass,some papers he didn't look at and he added the ammo. Handing his personal gear to the quartermaster "I need two favors real quick" "Sure" "Take care of these and guard them as your life depends on it, because it does" he said in a joking manner but the quartermaster knew he wasn't "and I need a colt 1903 and a small belt and holster to fit with three magazines" with a quizzical look the man went and retrieved the items and James put them in the bag and left for the jump ship.
He made it into the bay just as the "Chrononauts are to board jump craft" call went out as he stepped on the ship returning the greeting from the pilot he took his seat putting the bag between his feet and buckled up.
 
Last edited by a moderator:

DeletedUser25825

Dr. Chance closed her eyes as the computerized voice announced, "Thirty seconds, personnel clear the jump area." The vessel thrummed to life, and servos whined as the ramps surrounding "the pad" raised to encase the vessel. The pilot began announcing systems checks and the vessel hummed to life, as the female voice began a ten second countdown. Dr. Chance took a deep cleansing breath as she listened to the monotonous voice say, "three... two... one".

She shut her eyes more tightly as a brilliant blue flash enveloped the exterior of the craft and bled in through the thick plexiglass ports. A weightless sensation enveloped the entire crew for several seconds before the light dissipated. The vessel momentarily canted in a severe forty-five degree downward position, before the pilot corrected the move and leveled out. He announced, "Ok folks, we're headed for our space. Disembark in one minute." The vessel smoothly descended and stopped short of the ground. The pilot announced, "Off ya go then. Good luck." He punched a large red button and locks of the exit ramp disengaged.

Dr. Chance unbuckled the restraints, grabbed her gear, and walked down the ramp. She set her gear on the ground and moved to the starboard side of the vessel and unlatched one of the cargo pods. She waited for one of the other crew to unlatch the other side. She opened the lid and began pulling out several containers which contained equipment thought useful by the outfitting staff. Most all of the equipment was marine gear, as this was technically a water based mission. She backed away from the vessel as the ramp was raised. Several loud bangs, which reminded Jessica of thunder, announced the opening of another portal a short distance away. She shielded her eyes as again the brilliant light convalesced into a ball of energy before it imploded on itself creating a swirling vortex of crackling energy that smelled like ozone.

The vessel lifted off soundlessly, headed directly for the portal, and disappeared into it. The vortex snapped shut with a final clap of noise, and all was still. Jessica looked around at the dense foliage of the forest that surrounded the clearing they'd entered. She closed her eyes and said, "Drop off was five miles from the town that we should be able to procure a boat from. The base is ten miles further down the coast. We should be able to conceal these containers, until we get a better feeling for what we'll need." She opened her eyes and frowned. She picked her purse up, dug her watch out, flipped the cover open to read the time, and secured it in a pocket of her uniform.
 

DeletedUser28032

If that was flying then Eric wanted no more to do with, pulling one of the cigarettes (thoughtfully provided by outfitting) from his pocket he proceeded to light it with a trembling hand.
Inhaling deeply he surveyed the clearing within which they had landed, he could hear tropical birds disturbed by the ships arrival singing in the tree's it reminded him strongly of South America and his trip down the Amazon in search of lost temples.
Walking over to one of the containers Eric preceeded to sort through its contents removing a navy issue duffel bag containing his spare clothes among other things. "We should look at burying the containers we can always dig them up again closer to the required time"
Taking his compass from out of the uniforms webbing he turned slowly on the spot until he found himself on a south-west heading, snapping the lid of the compass closed, Eric hefted his duffel bag over his shoulder and started walking "I am going to see if I can find the road into town, I should be back shortly" and with that Eric headed into the forest.
 

Deleted User - 819397

Xenon disembarked, looking around. His scowl became more pronounced as Eric wandered off. Amazing lack of discipline. Shaking his head, he determined there was nothing for it. Management had yet again left him entirely in the dark on the area they were in, so he couldn't do much. Xenon pushed back his frustration. There was no clear leader, so he would simply avoid taking orders...giving them, fine. Taking, no.
 

DeletedUser28032

The forest was peaceful and completly devoid of human life, Eric followed an animal trail that seemed to be going in the right direction, pausing now and again to check his compass. Within a few minutes he found himself at the edge of the forest, the road directly ahead of him.
Looking along the roads length Eric could see the town in the distance framed by the azure blue of the sea. Behind him however he could hear a noise, in fact it sounded an awful lot like an engine. Turning to look behind him he could see the distant plume of dust being kicked up by a jeep as it headed rapidly towards him, the silhouette of a .30 Cal machine gun mounted on the back. Swearing loudly Eric dived back into the tree line hoping that he hadn't been spotted, he'd be hard pushed to explain why he was so far from town on his own and without transport.
From behind a group of ferns Eric anxiously watched as the Jeep tore past him, completly oblivious to his presence. Letting out a loud sigh of relief Eric stood back up and headed towards the clearing to fetch the others.
 
Last edited by a moderator:

DeletedUser13682

John Smith walked to the vessel they would take, John privately christened it the Mars, for its resemblance to a U.F.O. He got on, carrying his gear with him, and stowed it in one of the crates before buckling himself into one of the seats. A minute later, the weightless feeling was experienced by all, a minute later, they were in a forest near Annapolis. Time to disembark and unload. As the Mars left through another portal, John took stock of the situation. They were in a forest near Annapolis, how far, he didn't know. According to his fob watch, they had about two days before the Schall left for the Caribbean. Hopefully it was more than enough time to get to the port.

One of the members of the team, the Kessler guy, supposed to help out with the girl, ran off to find the road. "Hey! Get back here! You need to stay with your partner!" But it was too late, he was already gone. "Well, I guess somebody ought to find him. I'll go get him, back in a few." John grabbed a Lee-Enfield, and followed the path that Kessler took. Nearby, he ran into a road, and just got into the bushes lining the road as a GP passed by. When he got up, he found Kessler heading back the way he came. "Kessler!" John yelled at him. "Stay with the other scientist, and don't leave the group without security. You get lost, the mission might fail. We can't have that now can we?"
 

Deleted User - 819397

Xenon watched John run off after his partner. Scowling even more fiercely he turned to Dr. Chance. "It appears that this team is comprised of idiots and intellectuals. You, as the head scientist, are obviously the latter, as am I. I suggest we assert ourselves as the two heads of the mission, since it's always a good idea to have the intellects on top." Xenon hoped that Chance would say yes...it was actually easier to manipulate intelligent people, compared to the strong-armed crowd. If they struck up a "partnership" Xenon would be running the show in no time.
 

DeletedUser25825

Jessica observed Xenon for a few moments, and then looked out at the wooded surroundings. She said, "I don't think I am qualified to lead anybody, nor do I care for the responsibility of others' lives. I also believe there are several facets of this mission, in which others will be more suited for telling others what to do. For example, I would think the security personnel would be more suited with what should be accomplished at the moment." She frowned and looked around the clearing.

__________________________________

Another sound of an engine broke the silence of the pre-dawn. This time it was in the form of a half-track towing a quad-fifty anti-aircraft gun. It rattled slowly along a path Kessler and Smith knew led to the clearing.
 

DeletedUser28032

"Lost?" Eric Scoffed as John came running up behind him "...My dear boy before the war I was an explorer I made a career out of getting lost, so I don't need some boy in a uniform to tell me where I am" They were the same age...Technically... but he'd irritated him and unlike Dr. Chance he felt no obligation to apologise to John.
Behind them came the deep rumbling of a diesel engine preceded by chopping of machetes as a team of engineers made the path wide enough for a half-track and flak gun to enter the clearing.
"We can't let them enter clearing if they see us around those pods they'll think us Falschschrimjäger..." the engineers were now close enough to see there were people up ahead in the clearing but thankfully not close enough to see what they were doing.
Eric Eyed Johns uniform in a thoughfull manner, they did look very convincing...
"John how do fancy a little bit of acting? follow my lead" he enquired quietly before stepping out into the path of the half-track waving his arms and shouting "Stop you idiots your in the wrong place!"
 

DeletedUser13682

Well, the response John recieved from Kessler wasn't exactly what he was expecting. And he wasn't a boy, had he seen Vietnam and what it does to you? "I'm not a boy. Have you seen Vietnam, and what it does to you?" John asked. "Horrible place, much more horrible than your Ardennes and your Crete." But the time for arguing was over now, as the sound of a diesel engine and chopping men approached. "We'll talk later. We need, wait, fallschirmjäger? We're dressed as allies, you an American interpretor, and me a British intelligence officer, oh, you want to act? Well, let's act."

John waited a moment while Eric stopped the truck, now it was his turn to speak. "Leftenant John Smith, Royal Navy. I don't care that your .50 quad is needed on some east coast base, and this is the most direct route. You cannot pass! We're conducting an investigation. We found the cover of a Jerry submariner in the area, and we've got to seal it off. The perimiter extends for a few miles. Turn around for about a mile, head northeast for a few miles, then continue to your base." John smiled at the men. "Don't worry, we'll have them caught within the day. We've got our own resident German, a natural born Hitler hater. Want's to kill the big man himself! If he's lucky, he just might get the chance to!"
 

DeletedUser28032

The engineer's looked at each other in confusion, this wasn't part of their orders "We weren't informed of no investigation by whose authority?" the sergeant enquired, balancing the Machete over his shoulder, his eyes were glued to the left side of Erics face.
"What do you mean you weren't informed? damn bloody radio operators!..." Eric bellowed furiously, if it was one thing he had learnt as a staff officer it was that when confronted with an irrate officer most people will do as he is told and also never underestimate the effectivness of a map and pencil. "...do you have a map sergeant? you do excellent your gun is to be repositioned at this location" using the half-tracks bonnet as a table Eric circled an area of tree's two miles down the road, the sergeant nodded in agreement all thoughts of who'd order the investigation were forgotten "Turn it around boys we're in the wrong place, Damn left hand doesn't know what the right is doing as usual!"
The half-track slowly started reversing back down the track aided by the squad of grumbling engineers. It seemed they'd convinced them for now as for how long Eric decided it was best not to hang around and find out.
Grinding the stub of cigarette out on a tree Eric turned his attention back to John hoping to pick up the conversation where they'd left off "Where the hell is Vietnam?... Your gonna have to fill me in sometime all I know for sure is that North Africa was no picnic" he replied tapping the side of his face. He'd have to read up on his history when he got back he was curious to find out about this Vietnam place.
Turning back down the track he began heading towards the clearing they'd have to get clear of the area in case the engineers were ordered back "Ae you seriously telling me you've never heard of a werewolf unit? because thats what we look like" Eric asked a little suprised his hand already searching for another cigarette pausing in mid stride "In fact...I think we are one"
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Top