Michael Thaler was on Chrono-shift lockdown when eight hundred years of peace was destroyed.
Michael kept his eye on the wavelength checker. It was displaying a slow wave which moved across the screen.
He stood up from his hologram display. The 3-D display was still on a flat plane with small distortions. The waves went from left to right as they flowed and ebbed along with the magnetic flows around the earth and solar system.
The room was large and cluttered. Half of it was taken up with air tanks and the other half was filled with large magnetic rings and laser emitters and detectors.
The thin corridor that went between the tanks and magnets allowed him to waddle along the ten meters to the coffee machine. The machine was still heating the half congealed concentrate he used to keep awake during the night.
He pressed the button to add more water and give out a sample of coffee .The small box gave off a small buzz as it started and he walked over to the beds.
Lying on the bed was Nathan. Michael said, "My shift is over; get your ass to it. I've got some coffee with triple caffy being put into your cup."
Nathan gave off a low growl, "Damn it, I hate this. Watching a bloody wave pattern for five hours long."
Michael tapped his head this time. Nathan's hand swept over his hair, brushing Michael's finger away. Michael said, "You know the drill, you can bitch all your want but you've still got work to do, even if it's excruciatingly boring work."
Nathan sat up, draped in his cover still. He yawned and said, "Only an asshole like you would use words that big to wake someone up."
The two undertook the same conversations three times a day, as their shifts ended. The full sleep preferable to the half sleep one had when watching the screens.
A tone sounded from the coffee machine. Michael said, "You know one day you'll have some student you can abuse, too. But until that day, I wake you up, okay? Now go get your caffeine hit and start watching that the screen. Come on, it's only a few hours!"
Nathan got up, rubbing his eyes and scratching his face. He waddled past Michael to the coffee machine, picking up the cup and walking through the jumble to the other side of the room with the readout equipment.
He sat down and placed the cup of coffee down by the hologram display. He yawned and took a sip and focused on the half meter wide circle. He almost choked and blew the coffee all over the hologram, creating small dots through it.
Jamming his hand to the right he pressed the alert button. The lights changed from white to a flashing red. He grabbed the pair of control gloves next to the hologram and pulled them on.
Michael turned around and ran through the room, hitting his leg on one of the air canisters. Wincing in pain, he increased his speed, jumping over a pile of canisters rather than go around.
He ran up and saw the hologram. Nathan was turning it and pressing on the screens to the side. In the center of the hologram, just off the side, was a massive spike.
Michael said, "Computer command, initiate high end recording. This is Michael Thaler, chrono-shift detection unit, station: Earth. The date is April 14th 3081 AD. Trainee student Nathan Johnson beginning duty shift when large end chrono-shift was detected. Johnson currently attempting to lock down signal. Computer tracking systems are running at high end chaos detection."
He kept his eyes on the hologram. It was massive, almost a foot high. It stayed constant and contrasted hugely from the other centimeter-tall waves moving across the system.
Nathan kept rotating it by pushing his hands through areas of the hologram. He pushed buttons on the screens surrounding the hologram.
The computers female voice announced, "Trace achieved, location locked down, sector, Earth, subsection Africa, subsection, Sahara, subsection, south Sahara…."
The computer stopped talking and they looked at the screen. It was now in its normal position, showing small randomized waves flowing across the mostly flat circular plane.
They let out a sigh of relief. The computer said, "Signal lost, no chrono-shift detected, no chrono-shift detected."
Michael calmed and said, "Secondary hologram, show location of chrono-shift attempt dated April 14th 3081."
A second hologram appeared to the right of the main one. A small map of earth appeared, floating in space. The sight started to move closer and closer to Africa, and then zoomed in to the Sahara. When it was showing the upper two thirds of Africa, it stopped.
Michael said, "Computer command, indicate on map location of chrono-shi...."
He stopped when his sight got to the main hologram. Another, smaller spike had appeared in the center of the display. Michael was about to speak when Nathan said, "Computer command, lock down location using base Chrono-shift dated April 14th 3081."
The display with the map began moving again. The computer said, "Deviation from base chrono-shift attempt. Zero point zero zero three seven percent. Power reduced forty one percent."
The map of Africa zoomed in further; two dots appeared in the middle of the desert. The first was about two kilometers west of the other; the altitude showed that each was about two meters off the ground.
The second disappeared and reappeared. It had also been shut off. Michael said, "Computer command, ascertain whether any chrono-shift is detected. Ascertain whether any chrono opening detected."
The computer responded, "Zero chrono-shifts detected. No opening detected. Fully stable chrono distortion detected. Non-natural event."
Nathan asked him." If they can make it stable, why wouldn't they open it?"
Michael said nothing, thinking while another was detected. Nathan said, "Computer command, from date April 14th to present, base incoming chrono-shifts on base composite of previous events on that date."
The map display was updated again; the new attempt a short distance from the second one. It stayed there for just over a second, and then disappeared. Another appeared immediately after it, about a kilometer away. It also disappeared immediately and was replaced by another.
Michael spoke. "The first two or three were just to get our attention, now that we're looking and using the earlier attempts as bases, we can locate them instantly."
Nathan said, "But you're not allowed to do that. It would cause a massive chrono-shift, because any info we get sent would be recorded and we would use it to change the course of events."
A tear went down Michael cheek. He said, "I'd just like to say you're a hard worker, you're a good man and it's a shame it happened this way."
Nathan asked him, "What?"
Michael said, "Look, there is no chrono-shift. This is not going to affect the future. They're sending us a short message. But it's only for us."
The display was now showing a few hundred dots in a line halfway across Africa Michael said, "Computer command, using distance as a base, convert to binary locations of chrono attempts dated April 14th 3081."
The bottom half of the map disappeared as letters began to appear on the screen. They spelt out three words, with a forth one being created as new attempts were coming in, giving off binary when translated.
They said. "It's going to be…."
New letters appeared on the screen, quickly but slowing down as fewer and fewer chrono holes were created. The final word finished and the computer said, "Final count of chrono-shift attempts, one hundred seventy six. Average time of shift: point zero seven seconds. Average time between shifts: point zero zero nine eight seconds."
Nathan said, "They let us out of lockdown in three hours. Why give us this info now? We've been trapped from the outside world in this can for a month."
Michael said, "This is just to make us more accepting. Because for there to be no timeline shift this info can't get out."
Nathan looked at the main info monitor. It read at the bottom of the screen, "Zero chrono-shift detected."
Nathan said, "I understand, for there to be no change in timeline we can't survive to tell them."
Michael said, "Yeah. I'm guessing a war."
Nathan asked." When do you think it'll happen?"
Michael said nothing, still staring at the short sentence. A blinding flash filled the room, the west wall disappearing, a huge hole in the six-meter-thick steel encasing the room. Michael stared at the screen as the dust obscured his vision. Nathan looked out to the hole.
Another flash came in and destroyed the room and occupants. Michael's last thought was of the message:
"It's going to be better."