The Temporal Knights Read Online Free

Whatever else happens you must get through, otherwise this is all for not.”
    “That is not entirely true, Sir,” Robertson corrected, “Dr. Rice and I both feel with the contingent we’ve gathered, and with the technology we’ll take back with us, we have a real chance to advance the course of history.”
    Commander Joe Wilder grunted, unconvinced. He was a stocky, bulldog of a man, with dark piercing eyes, completely no nonsense. “And you Brigadier General Peebles...” Wilder began and surprised them all by holding out a set of stars to his friend and right hand man, “will be going through directly after the ship.”
    Peebles stood stunned for a moment but quickly gathered his wits. “It should be you going through first…” he began, but Wilder shook his head.
    “No…I’ll not leave any men behind if the Door does not hold,” he explained. “It’ll be up to you if I don’t make it. If that’s the case, I believe you’ll have your work cut out for you, history may be a bit more stubborn than either Robertson or Rice imagine.
    No one said anything for long moment.
    “Murphy says I’m stubborn too,” Eve said solemnly, catching the mood of the grown-ups around her.
    Everyone broke out laughing, and though Eve was confused at first, she finally laughed with them.
    “Get your team ready,” Commander Wilder said to Matt, both men still smiling. It was good to laugh despite it all.
    Matt nodded. “Yes Sir,” he said and left the room then immediately went to a hall phone and dialed up his co-pilot and good friend. Captain Murphy Giles answered on the first ring.
    “Get our flight plan together, and meet me at conference room 10b near my quarters in one hour,” Matt said simply.
     
     
     
    §
     
     
     
    The flight team met exactly one hour later as planned. To survive in the current world everyone had to be efficient, exact, and demanding. At this point, humanity’s survival required fortitude, discipline and a great deal of luck. Those still alive were the toughest, most tenacious and disciplined people the world had ever seen. Until the very end they survived...they were the fittest of the fit.
    Such thoughts glided through Matt’s mind as he surveyed his team members. They were tough men, all of them, no matter what their beginnings; the hot fires of war and death had forged them into the hard, deadly soldiers they were. Robertson and the rest were convinced that the men defending Cheyenne Mountain were the very last of mankind, that they were all that stood between continued existence and extinction.  Deep down however, Matt prayed that other human beings somewhere were hiding and biding their time…surviving. He was not concerned with who or where, whether it be the Afghans hiding in their rugged mountains, or the Russians deep in Siberia, or perhaps a few thousand Chinese, the tenacious Vietnamese in their jungles...he truly did not care. He just hoped and prayed that somewhere, humans were clinging to life, hiding or fighting, so that humanity would not be fully erased from this world.
    Matt blinked and noticed that everyone was staring at him expectantly.
    “Al l right,” he said stalling and looking once more at each of his team members. To his right was Captain Murphy Giles, a tall fit man with wildly curly hair when it grew long. Murphy was quick to laugh and smile, and was Matt’s co-pilot and second in command during the flight. Also on the team were Lieutenant Harold Wells, technician and paramedic, and finally Lieutenant Gary Turnbull, nuclear specialist and supply officer. A small team, just the four of them...commanded to seek humanity’s revenge and destroy its enemies.
    “As an overview I’d like Murphy to run down the actual flight plan.”
    Murphy smiled. “All thirty-two light years,” he quipped then cleared his throat and became very serious. “We’ll take off almost immediately after passing through the Door. The trip to the Skawp’s home planet is already