Lost in time Chapter 4

[Ed Man]

Setting Up Shop
Chapter 4

Several days had passed since Josh and Mensch sleep on the floor. Mensch had been using the car so much Josh had bought a small extra electric van for the shop and garage. Dan had found them a used recovery glider to pick up gliders in need of repair and was delivering it to them later.
Josh had bought a glider delivery van from Dan and had been loading it up every night with supplies flying off like he had went to pick them up some where before returning in case someone was watching.
Mensch had hired two men to work in the parts store to help unload the van and restock the shelf’s.

Josh was delivering a load to the garage today and Mensch was ready and waiting as the van landed.
[Mensch] “How was your flight Josh?”
[Josh] “It was fine but the ride was a little bumpy the van has quite a load in it. Have you heard from Dan?”
[Mensch] “He called and said he would be by to eat dinner with us and is bringing the recovery vehicle over with him.”
Josh helped unload the van so he could move it closer to the house and the drones could transport another load into the van. Josh went into the house and fixed himself some lunch while the van was being loading and asked. “Sarah how is the command center coming?”
[Sarah] “The large constructer is finished all the smaller areas are complete and have 10% of the large bay finished.”
Josh took his lunch and went down to the shelter and transported down to the complex to have a view of the progress. It had taken them a few days of testing to come up with the right compound to make the large structure out of. The amount of energy produced from the structure would not be able to power everything Josh wanted but it could supply fresh air, water and lights while staying at a constant 74 degrees with sufficient power to run a medium size constructor constantly.
The whole structure was in a sense a living material in was a self sufficient material that would feed of the heat of the planet. It was as strong as steel and would take a hit and reform and if a peace was somehow chipped away it would grow back. The material did have a life span and the testing revealed it would survive for a thousand years give or take a hundred years. When the structure expires no more air, water and lights or energy nothing but the structure would remain as hard as steel and stable. Josh was inspecting the finished work on the complex when he asked. “Sarah do you think this structure will still be intact when we returned to our own time?”
[Sarah] “If it remains undamaged it should still be there.” [Josh] “Did your scans of the planet show anything in this area?”
[Sarah] “No signs of power or life and the scans only go so deep and the structure is over 1000 ft. underground. Seismic testing would have to be done for the structure to show up.”
[Josh] “Well I guess I’ll have to wait and see. Dan is coming over tonight so prepare his favorite pot-roast meal for us to eat. Go ahead and transport me back up to the shelter I need finish the second delivery.”

Josh went to the van and took of on his scenic flight of the skies and neighboring cities killing time so it looked like he had make a normal pickup from a freight depot and returning with a full load.
Josh landed and helped the men unload the van for the next pickup. Josh parked the van outside the house in its assigned parking place for the next mornings run. The men and Mensch would stay busy placing the last delivery on the shelves till Josh returned with the first delivery. The stock was already stacking up quicker than the three could place it on the shelves as the boxes of supplies were laying everywhere behind the counter and in the customer shopping area in front.

Josh asked as they went in the house. “Mensch don’t you think its time to hire some more help?” [Mensch] “Yes but I don’t how good I’ll be at selecting people for the jobs.”
[Josh] “I’ll have Sarah compile a list of qualified personnel looking for work then pick the best out and contact them for an interview. I’ll but a scanner in the office with you so Sarah can monitor the applicants to see if they answer the questions truthfully or not.”

[Mensch] “You can do that?”
[Josh] “Yes Sarah can do that. Wear your ear phone unit and listen to Sarah for help and tips and ask the questions that Sarah will put on your laptops monitor then review the results later then make a decision and call the ones you want to hire. And don’t get drawn into any ones personal long stories or sad songs its an interview cut them off and get them back on track and if you have to move on to someone else.”
[Mensch] “I don’t want to be cruel to anyone.”
[Josh] “I didn’t say be mean be in charge of the interview. Just nicely ask them to return to the waiting room and move on to someone else. An employee that won’t listen to you won’t listen to a customer.
They may have a real problem just don’t make it your problem. Just be nice and move on. Pick one of your helpers to assist you with the interview and give him a pager so you can call him privately. Use the parts store and its office set up some dividers in the front with chairs for a waiting room and do your best.”

[Mensch] “I think we should do some advertisements and send out discount coupons to bring in some business maybe have a grand opening with door prizes to get the people to come and check us out.”
[Josh] “That sounds like good ideals to me Mensch put some of your ideas down on paper so you won’t forget them when we do it. And Mensch hire the secretaries and book keeper first you’ll need them.”

They could here Dan landing with the recovery vehicle as they went outside to examine the transport.
Dan had parked the large craft down on the big landing pad near the garage.
[Dan] “I thought this would be the best place for me to park I knew this pad was made for these big birds or do you want it up by the house?”
[Josh] “Let me move the delivery van away from the house and park it in its place.”
[Mensch] “I’ll ride with you Dan.” As Mensch climbed into the transport while Josh moved the van.
[Dan replied] “I take it you’re going to put some of your special upgrades on the big bird.” As he climbed out of the ship.
[Josh] “That was the plan. Help me cover it up with these tarps so it can be worked on.”
A few minutes later the ship was covered and the three were at the table eating and talking.
After dinner and some shop talk Dan asked Josh to give him a ride home while Mensch went over a list of applicants with Sarah.
As they were landing Dan asked Josh to come inside so they could talk.
[Dan] “Josh I see you have put Mensch out in the front position when you are the most qualified. What are you going to be doing while he’s running things and please just tell the truth.”
[Josh] “I’m going to find a way home.”
[Dan] “How far are you willing to go to get what you want.”
[Josh] “Do you mean am I willing to sacrifice innocent lives to get what I want? No I’m not.”
[Dan] “Are you going into space?”
[Josh] “I’m going to transport a satellite the size of your hand that looks like an rock into a orbit around the planet first to do some recon before I do anything.”
A long silence fell as Dan just looked at Josh.
[Dan] “And then what?”
[Josh] “If there’s no danger I’ll transport a bigger and better disguised satellite into space and then if I don’t see anything I’ll put one on your moon and one more near the Gate.”
[Dan] “Do you mean the Gates you told us about that let you go between solar systems?”
[Josh] “Yes the space Gates. I think there is a team or at least one here on the planet that keeps watch. I’m sending out small packages that will scan for a hidden base and advanced power generators.”
[Dan] “Do you think our government leaders anything?”
[Josh] “As a whole no but you can bet some of them do.”
[Dan] “I’ll tell you what I know just don’t tell Mensch anything do you give your word?” [Josh] “Yes.”

[Dan] “A few years back Mensch called me telling his brother had been killed in one of the early attacks. Two mounts later he showed up at my house alive and well telling me how he had been kidnapped with several others and put on a spaceship that took them up to a larger ship where they stayed for what he said felt like two or three days till the cells they were in were full on people. He guessed they were at least fifty people mainly women.
Then they flew for at least a week slowing down and then filling like you were there but not there and then speeding back up. He said that happened at least 15 to 20 times till they reached a place where they were taken off the ship and placed the men together in rooms taking them one by one off for a day then bringing them back drugged up and asleep. He said the guards were big and not human maybe robots. He said they would shock anyone that tried to help or got in there way. He told me they took him twice and before he got to the room they shot him in the arm with something that knocked him out and would wake up in the cell with the others.
One of the men had came too while he was in the room and seen some of the women on that they were taking something out of them. He seen one of the women struggling as the guards but her on a table and but something over her face putting her to sleep. The last thing the man seen was them uncovering her opening her up and pulling out what looked like a strangely deformed premature baby. After that he started struggling and was quickly drugged and woke up in the cell with the others and told them what he had seen a few minutes later he was taken away and they never seen him again.
A few days after that there was an explosion and some what he thought was weapons fire and then a big blast and he was out cold. He woke up on a ship headed back to here. That’s when he met the group that helped rescue and recruited him into there cause.”

[Josh] “Does Mensch know all this?”
[Dan] “No his brother only told me he tried to protect Mensch from that piece of information. He was worried that Mensch would try and do something on his own to stop them in a peacefull way and get caught, killed or made to talk. You know Mensch is opposed to all violence so he told Mensch he was working for one of the Ancients which was the truth just not the whole truth.”

[Josh] “So did the armband come from an Ancient?” [Dan] “Yes.”
[Josh] “Can you contact them?” [Dan] “No and everyone thanks their dead.”
[Josh] “The armband is to valuable to chance it falling into the wrong hands I can lure them to me.”
[Dan] “How these people are good you could get killed.”
[Josh] “I don’t want to stop them I want to find out who they are and make contact they may can help me get home.”
[Dan] “I wanted to tell you earlier but I was worried about telling you everything I promised not to tell anyone but I thing you need to know everything I know. I trust you not to tell Mensch this secret. His brother and I have known him our whole lives please trust our decision to keep it from Mensch.”
[Josh] “I’ll abide by his brothers decision and keep it from him. Dan I want you to keep a secret between the two of us can you?”
[Dan] “Yes I can tell me.”
[Josh] “I was the one they sent in to explore this sector when it opened up to our uneverse again 100,000 thousand years in the future. Dan all signs of this civilization and people were gone just the structure remained and it was under several feet of dirt and rock and looked like a normal mound of dirt and rock if it hadn’t been for the armband showing up on my advanced scanner I received from an Ancient I would have never found it.”
[Dan] “So you had dealings with the Ancients too. Where did the people all move to what are they like?”
[Josh] “I’m trying to tell you there are no people nothing no one everything and everybody gets wiped out.
The planet showed signs of a large asteroid hitting. One the size of what we call a planet killer. And what life survived the impact was killed off by as the planet froze and remained in darkness from the dust that enclosed the planet for several years. By the time all the dust and gases settled the planet was covered in a thick sheet of ice. The ice covered the planet for a thousand years more or less before it slowly melted away and plant life slowly started showing up and recovered the planet again.”

Dan held his head down with such a dreadful look on his face after hearing the horrible outcome to fall on his people and planet. After a few minutes Dan looked up and said. “It makes since now I under stand why the Ancients forbid us from space travel. They wanted us to die on this planet when they were done using us for there experiments.” Anger enveloped Dan’s face while tears filled his eyes.


[Josh] “Not all the Ancients are bad the one I talked to said they were constantly in disagreement with each other and some were killed because of the fighting. These are flesh and blood people just like you and me and can die like you and me. He said that some of them started thinking they were gods and made whatever races that were under them worship them like a god. And like all false gods they felled in every way.”
[Dan] “Where did we come from if we are people like the Ancients.”
[Josh] “I don’t know Dan I know that they made all kinds of different life forms using anamal and human hybrids. And that it went on for thousands of years till they stopped for some reason.”
[Dan] “They stopped because we get killed of!”
[Josh] “That may be one of the reasons but I think there is more to it than that why not just move you somewhere else.”
[Dan] “How long do we have?”
[Josh] “I don’t know Dan it could happen tomorrow or a thousand years from now.”
[Dan] “I knew you was sent here for something big you have to help us.
[Josh] “I know I need to do something. You was in the Military the first thing you do is secure your area then make a base of operations and build up and gather information. That’s where I’m at right now. Come back to the house with me I got something to show you.”

As they went in the house Mensch asked. “Did you forget something?”
[Josh] “Mensch I’m going to show Dan the shelter.” [Mensch] “Good I was wondering when you was going to do that. When you get done with Dan I have a few more questions for him before you leave again.”

Josh took Dan down and into the shelter. Dan looked around and said. “I like it Josh how many people will it hold?”
[Josh] “It will hold about three families. Come over here and stand on this pad with me.”
Dan moved onto the pad as Josh replied. “Sarah transport us to the complex.”

[Dan] “What just happened and where are we?” [Josh] “You were just transported into my main complex let me show you some of it.” Josh walked into the main bay with Dan.
[Dan] “Where are we this place is huge and those things are still adding onto the other end.”
[Josh] “This is the ship construction and hanger bay. The living quarters are over there and the working section of the complex is on this side. We are about a thousand feet underground.”
[Dan] “That thing you used to get us here is it safe? I don‘t want my head on backwards or a arm or leg to disappear.”
[Josh] “Yes it’s safe. It doesn’t work like that. It transports you as you are it moves point A to point B like the Gates.”
[Dan] “Are you a Ancient Josh?” [Josh] “No I’m not an Ancient.”
[Dan] “What’s next Josh?” [Josh] “I need people and you’re the first one I hope.”
[Dan] “Do I get to go into outerspace?” [Josh] “If you want to I’ll take you up there.”
[Dan] “I’m in. You know I would have said yes anyway.”
Josh laughed at the remark as they transported back up to the shelter. Dan went to help Mensch before Josh took him home for the second time. This time Dan was a little more confident about the future and he was going to be a part of the change in their future.

[parameter]

Nice! Building a secret underground bunker that can survive with its contents till he can get back to it in his own time.
I hope you get to writing more soon!

[Ed Man]

The base is just the start I hope you like the rest you'll have to wait and read it Josh always lands on his feet he is the Hero
But this time our Hero has landed in a real mess and has to decide to help or try and get back to his own time But like all good heros he'll do the right thing

[parameter]

Can't wait!

[collins50]

Good one Ed,
Josh is fastly progressing How will he help,
maby saving a fey friends?

I will be watching