Free The Legend of Things Past (Beyond Pluto SciFi Futuristic Aventures Book 1) by Phillip William Sheppard

purpose at the time, but it couldn’t be anything good
considering the message from the future. The option of revealing our
investigation to Tobias and interrogating him was lost due to his illness. So
we had to go on what we had.
    We
confiscated everything from Tobias’s old lab and began studying the materials.
Someone came up with the idea of putting the old virus into an isolated time
machine. It doesn’t actually send anything through time but speeds up or slows
down time only within the space of the machine. When the virus had experienced
a simulation of thirty years, it began destroying human cells.
    We
don’t know why Tobias did this—we can’t question him now—but he has attacked
the entire human race. He is now facing charges of treason and conspiracy. It
won’t do much good—he won’t even know that he’s been caught.
    There
is, as yet, no cure for his invention. Everyone on the planet may very well die
if a solution isn’t found.
    Brigadier
General Knight, you were selected for this mission because you know your grandfather
better than anyone. The two of you were very close before he became sick. We’re
hoping that you will have an edge, will have insights into the way his mind
works. We sent you back to find Tobias in his right state of mind.
    If he
has already created the virus, then you are to interrogate him and discover the
potential whereabouts of a cure, or, failing that, you are to stop him from
creating it in the first place—at all costs.
    Succeeding
at this, you will return to your proper time period.
    I know
this will be hard for you, Donovan. This is the reason I made you accept the mission
before telling you about it—I was afraid that you would not agree. I would have
gone myself, but I already exist in the year 2180—in fact, I should be a Colonel
in the A.S.F. I can’t risk running into myself.
    You’re
the best we’ve got. This is for the sake of the world—don’t forget that.
    Find a
cure, Donovan, or the human race will become extinct.

Chapter 5
    “ Quis custodiet ipsos custodes? ”
    “Who will guard the guards themselves?”
    —Juvenal
     
    May 4, 2176
    Fort Belvoir, VA
    Donovan Knight
     
    With shaking hands, Donovan hit the stop button to prevent
the brief from playing all over again. His insides had turned to mush. He felt
like he was going to vomit.
    How could this be happening?
    There was no way this could be real. It had to be a setup.
There had to be a reasonable explanation. The Tobias he knew was strict, maybe
even ruthless at times, but this was ridiculous. To say he was a psychopath out
to destroy the human race was just… crazy. The grandfather he knew wanted to
help the human race, not destroy it. Maybe the whole thing had been an
accident. Maybe the virus was meant to help people but had gone wrong.
    Donovan stared into his lap.
    Breathe. Stay calm. Don’t panic. Think objectively .
    After a few long minutes of complete silence in which General
Umar just looked at him, Donovan spoke.
    “I’ll agree to investigate my grandfather,” he said. “But
I’m not going to hurt him. He’s going to tell me the truth. Then this whole
charade will be over.”
    General Umar didn’t respond to his words. His face said that
he thought it would do him no good.
    “I’ll have you escorted to your quarters now. You can review
the laws of time travel and get some rest. If your mind will let you. We’ll
reassemble tomorrow and decide what to do.”
    General Umar pushed a button on his desk. A voice came
through some hidden speaker.
    “Yes, General Umar?”
    “Will you please escort Brigadier General Knight to his
quarters?”
    “Yes, sir.”
    The speaker turned off with a click. “He doesn’t know where
you’re really from. No one does except me. Everyone here has been led to
believe that you’re an Army Specialist from this time period brought in to help
on a special case. They don’t know what the case is about, but they know it’s
important enough that