Birth of the Alliance (13 page)

“Victor can detect the truth?” Charles snorted. “Anyone with basic Energy training can do
that
.”

Will shook his head. “Not like him. Any other Aliomenti could send deceptive thoughts or feelings, and you could be tricked. Any human could so deceive themselves to the truth, or fall victim to a strong suggestion like the one I just gave, that they’d believe the truth is something other than the reality. Victor's gift is that none of those techniques deceive him. It's a gift that could be used to great benefit, but he chooses to use it solely to ferret out guilt.”

“You can Track Energy too, right? We all can detect it in others.”

Will nodded, but frowned. “It’s not really the same thing. Sebastian’s ability is a step beyond what anyone else does. I can tell there’s Energy near me right now—put your Shield back up, by the way—but I would struggle to tell you who was producing it, or notice it if it was more than say, a mile away. Sebastian would find us both from an extreme distance, and he’d know that I was in Boston and you were in Philadelphia. If anything leaks out, he can find it.”

They'd left the city limits and entered a forest outside town, which provided the privacy they’d need to depart, putting miles between themselves and the Aliomenti trio. The challenge, though, was that the submarine was in the ocean to the east, and they’d need to walk right past where the Aliomenti would be stationed in order to get there. Will recognized he’d need to use the nanos to get them away safely, and without detection.

“Cover up,” Will told Charles.

Both men donned scutarium-based clothing, hoods, gloves, and goggles, ensuring no Energy could escape for Tracking by Sebastian. Will grasped Charles' arm and pulled the man along as he flew them high into the air, using the nanos surrounding both of them to soar above the clouds. Once they’d achieved sufficient height to be outside visual range, he changed course and headed east, out over the waters of the Atlantic. He scanned the horizon for ships; finding none, he plunged them toward the water.

Charles panicked.
Will, what are you doing?

Hold your breath; it will be over in a minute.

They both held their breaths as they plunged into the water, leaving behind the sunlight and the roar of the ever-crashing waves as the entered a dark, soundless void. The nanos protected their bodies from the impact, from the blinding effects of the salt and water, from the pressure that would damage their ears as the pressure grew. Seconds before they would crash into its hull, Will teleported both of them aboard the Nautilus and recalled all of the nanos.

“We have to get back and warn the others,” Charles said.

“And share with them the successful test results as well,” Will said. “We can’t forget about
that
. In the long run, that will be of far greater importance. We knew they’d get there eventually.”

“Yeah, I know,” Charles replied. “It doesn’t seem like quite such a victory now though, does it?”

Will nodded as the
Nautilus
set off for the Cavern, where they’d deliver the sobering message. The Aliomenti had finally arrived in the Colonies… and knew the Alliance operated there.

Everyone would need to operate with even greater caution on the Outside than before.

VIII

Revolution

1787 A.D.

The discovery of scutarium and the development of the process to create it in unlimited quantities had been a huge step forward in the history of the Alliance. The substance enabled the Alliance to seal their primary headquarters—the Cavern—from discovery by the Aliomenti. As Will had suspected, they’d figured out techniques to spray the interior of their homes on the Outside with scutarium, giving them safe houses in which to rest, sleep, and develop during their efforts to make the lives of their human brethren even better.

Still, they’d been limited in their effectiveness because their sole safe means to travel had been under the water. The self-piloting submarines were of critical importance, for a single Alliance member could travel Outside without worrying about falling asleep and crashing the vessel, or navigating off course. But the travel was relatively slow; they’d occasionally uncover conditions allowing the craft to travel at a peak of around seventy miles per hour. At those rates, reaching many of the more popular Outside destinations could take several days, or even a week. They’d lost two people that way; they’d gotten back to the submarine after suffering a grievous injury, only to perish in transit back to the Cavern for medical treatment.

The discovery of the technique to render a surface invisible was a critical turning point.

They plated the exterior of all of their submarines, which enabled them to travel up shallower rivers without detection. But the true breakthrough came with the development of anti-gravity engines and the associated creation of flying craft back in the mid-1770s.

One such craft floated down to the ground ten miles outside Philadelphia. Once the occupants confirmed that there were no human or Aliomenti eyes in the vicinity, they teleported a few feet to the ground outside. Both held small remotes that would cause the craft to either glow for a few seconds or sound a low tone, enabling them to move as close as possible before teleporting inside. In an emergency, they’d teleport directly inside the craft, the scutarium plating shielding them from discovery, but they preferred to keep their teleportation departure points a mystery as well, if possible.

Peter looked around. He was one of the Firsts, the original group that joined Will to start the Alliance, and the last of the six to make his first journey Outside. Like all those traveling Outside, he wore clothing made of scutarium-based fibers. He was one of the first to wear one of the new bracelets. The transparent device consistently monitored seeping Energy levels, and warmed against the skin if those levels exceeded thresholds that were traceable. It was a physical reminder to maintain a constant Energy Shield, and a device Will wished he’d been supplied with during his stint with the Alliance in the future. The exterior side of the bracelet changed color based upon the greatest Energy expenditure the wearer had demonstrated, a technology built into the clothing of those in the camp Will had called home in the twenty-third century. Peter’s bracelet was worn on his upper arm, hidden from view by his shirt and coat.

Will glanced around as well, wary of any potential Aliomenti traps. They’d little doubt that the Aliomenti had developed a strong presence in the newly minted United States of America in the twenty-seven years since Will and Charles had their encounter with Sebastian, Victor, and Tacitus. Travelers to the Outside heading for the former Colonies would need to be as wary of Aliomenti influence as those traveling to Europe. Training and testing for Shielding intensified; those in the Alliance needed to be prepared for potential encounters anywhere in the world at this point.

Peter had chosen Philadelphia in part because Hope was stationed in the city. Her version of the diary from the future noted potential trouble for Will’s ancestors over the final four decades of the nineteenth century, during the war and the periodic instability which followed. It wasn’t uncommon for inexperienced Outsiders to make their homes in cities populated by other Alliance members, and Peter could choose no one better to have nearby than the woman he knew as the Shadow. The two men set out for Philadelphia on foot, wary and on alert for any sign of the Aliomenti. He also wanted to see what his city of origin looked like nearly eighty years after he’d departed.

“I’m in shock,” Peter told Will as they walked. “How many people live here now?”

“Around forty thousand,” Will replied.

Peter let out a long whistle. “And you say that this revolution started here?”

“I wouldn’t say it started here,” Will replied. “The first battles of the war happened elsewhere. But this is the city where the document that articulated the reasons for those battles was written.”

Peter wiped an imaginary tear from his eye. “I’ve not been here in eight decades and they’ve been doing things to make me proud.”

Will chuckled. “Think of what they’ll be able to do now that you’re back.”

Peter grinned. “Can’t wait.” He stopped and held out his hand as they neared the city limits. “Thanks, Will. For everything. Good luck with your latest project. I’ll see you in a few decades.”

Will nodded, shaking Peter’s hand. The two men separated, each on their own paths.

Will was once again in Philadelphia to act as an eyewitness to history, a history he'd played his part in creating. He'd been born in the United States and, while he'd not paid enough attention to world history in general, he had been fascinated by the young country's founding century and the women and men who'd helped in its creation. With his knowledge of history, the ability to travel far more quickly than the humans of the era, and the unique ability to protect himself from harm, he intended to be present for every critical event possible. That motivation had grown even stronger now that he had the means to record such events for posterity.

He’d spent time in and around Boston, recording the battles at Lexington and Concord and Bunker Hill. He’d recorded Patrick Henry’s speech, where the man had requested liberty or death. He’d purchased a copy of
Common Sense,
located the author, and chatted with Thomas Paine for two hours. Paine had no way to know that the conversation was recorded for future history.

He’d also set cameras and microphones in a building in Philadelphia where delegates crafted a document known as the Declaration of Independence, and had a passing conversation with a young man named Thomas Jefferson. Will managed to work the word “inalienable” into the dialogue, which seemed to make an impression on the future President.

The diary, quiet for centuries, was active once more. It repeated stories of rumored statements made about George Washington, a man who would lead the ragtag Colonists against the professional, well-supplied British troops. Myths of “prophecies” that the man would never be hurt in battle, no matter how disastrous the circumstances. Will recalled stories of horses being shot from underneath Washington, of bullets missing his head by inches, and wondered why the diary felt the need to remind him of the prophecy.

Then he understood.

Will stalked Washington during the entirety of the war, ensuring that nothing harmed the commander-in-chief. Legends said that there were several near misses; Will knew, as he watched Cornwallis’ troops surrender at Yorktown, that there hadn’t been any
near
misses. Washington survived, as he was meant to survive, and retired to his home in Mount Vernon until his next call to serve arrived less than a decade later.

The experience highlighted to Will the curse of his skills and knowledge. He spent the winter of 1777-1778 hiding near the American camp at Valley Forge, Pennsylvania. He’d known that the winter had been rough, but until he experienced it firsthand, he’d not had the appreciation of the literal sacrifices made during that winter. Their clothing was meager at best, many went without shoes, and blankets were scarce. Will knew all of that would happen. Knew that it was
meant
to happen. And yet he had the money to properly outfit the troops, provide them with the supplies they need to survive the winter and win their war. He could easily generate the Energy required to warm the troops, eliminate the fatal illnesses they’d contract, but could do nothing lest he attract the attention of the Aliomenti, who’d eliminate the troops with far more effectiveness than the weather or their British counterparts.

The suffering continued, and Will wondered why he must be so cursed with knowledge of the future. If he survived until 2030 in this form, he was eager to remember once more what it might be like to live his life without any true knowledge of what the future would bring; what it would be like to live his life in the wonder of the unknown.

There was nothing he could do about it now, though.

He was in Philadelphia in the late spring of 1787, here to watch Washington, his old friend Benjamin Franklin, John Adams, and others in action. The men had been sent to Philadelphia to revise the Articles of Confederation, almost a treaty among the several states to provide mutual protection against outside attack. Trade between states, though, had become a mess, and the delegates were charged with finding ways to amend the Articles to resolve those disputes. Will intended to record the months of meetings that would result.

The delegates wouldn’t arrive for another few weeks, and so Will planned to plant his cameras and microphones, and then scout for potential new Alliance recruits. Once the delegates arrived, he intended to observe each, learn about them, and record independent video and audio prior to the actual sessions and meetings. Once the Convention ended in a few months, he'd leave and return to the Cavern, check in on the progress of several projects, and return to the Colonies for follow-up visits on potential recruits in Boston and New York.

Will headed in the direction of the Philadelphia State House. It had served as the meeting room for delegates debating and approving the Declaration of Independence, and was becoming better known as Independence Hall.

Will, along with a few members of the Virginia delegation, were the only ones who knew something far more monumental would take place in this building than the drafting of a few amendments. The windows and doors of the meeting room would be locked despite the sweltering heat. Attendees were sworn to secrecy about the debates, positions, memorable lines, compromises, and votes. What was known of the proceedings in Will's time was based upon the few secret journals kept by attendees. Will wanted the full truth of the proceedings known, wanted to see how an assembled convention of delegates agreed to ignore their stated purpose and instead draft a new Constitution, and how they'd managed to overcome incredibly divisive topics to craft such a document.