Free The Didymus Contingency by Jeremy Robinson Page A

find Tom, he’ll track him down.”
    David nodded like he agreed with this assessment, though he knew better.
    “So what you’re saying is if we choose not to come back, Roberts is the permanent solution.”
    “It’s not my call,” Sally said. “George is taking over. You’re lucky he’s letting you go at all. This was put in motion years ago without my knowledge. Just stay away from him. If he finds you, come back without Tom.”
    “Why?”
    “Just do it,” Sally said, “Now go. The sooner you leave the longer you’ll have to find Tom before Roberts follows.”
    “I think Roberts might have a harder time tracking us down than he thinks,” David said with a smile.
    “What do you mean?” Sally asked.
    “Just that time is on my side.”
    David watched as George, Jake and Roberts enter the back of the control room. “Time to go.”
    Sally glanced toward the control room.
    “Better leave the room,” Sally heard David say behind her.
    She turned around and looked at the bright light flashing between them. “Be careful,” she said and quickly left the room.
    WhumWhumWhumWhumBoom!
    David disappeared in a flash, leaving only glowing particles in his stead. It was a sight the LightTech staff would never grow used to.

    Sally watched through the wall of glass as the little blue flakes settled to the floor. She wondered if she’d ever see David again.
    “We’ll give him one minute before I go back and finish the job,” said Captain Roberts, standing behind Sally.
    Sally pivoted toward the man. “Try and bring them back alive, Captain Roberts. We’ve invested a lot of money in these two men and no one knows more about this technology then they do.”
    “I’ll try,” Roberts said, “but if your boys give me any trouble I’m going to have only two choices...”
    Roberts pulled a military knife from inside his ancient robe, “rare...”
    Roberts drew his silencer-laden handgun “...or well done.”
    Sally glared at Roberts and he chuckled. Only a man trained like him could find this funny.

    *   *   *   *   *

    The room Tom found himself in was unfamiliar. The walls were scarcely decorated and constructed from some kind of clay and straw bricks. Tom sat up; he was still a bit nauseous, but his headache had subsided. He stood from the bed, which was cushioned by straw and covered by a thick handmade blanket. Tom stumbled as he took his first step. He was more dazed then he thought. But he wouldn’t let that stop him. He had to get his bearings. He had to find out where he was and how he was going to find Jesus.
    Tom remembered why he had come back, and while it was true he would have never done it had he been sober, he was here. The least he could do was prove to David that it wasn’t complete buffoonery on his part. His pride demanded it. He could picture David now, storming around in the future; fearing the end of the world was near. It brought a smile to his face.
    After throwing on a tattered robe that hung on the wall, Tom managed to walk his way through the humble home and out the front door. A small, but bustling town greeted him. The streets were dirt and the buildings were all made from the same pale bricks, but what struck Tom were the architecture and the layout of the town. It was beautiful. Tom wandered out into the busy street looking around in awe, listening to the ancient dialects, smelling the pungent odor of cooking lamb and the sweet scent of flowers. The colors were brighter then he had ever imagined as a child. People were dressed in colorful robes, buildings were decorated with flowing sheets and the flowers…the flowers grew everywhere.
    Dizziness spun over Tom and he raised his hand to his head. He surmised the effects of time travel had taken its toll on his body. Before Tom could take action to prevent falling down or passing out, he careened into a passersby. The man yelled at him in Aramaic, “Watch where you’re going, swine!” But he could not understand the