Shattered Time

Book summary

Daniel and Lea's time-traveling adventures lead to unintended consequences, drastically altering human history. Their well-meaning interventions bring unforeseen chaos, with powerful new figures emerging and global wars devastating the planet. Meanwhile, genetically modified time travelers from the future are dispatched to correct their reckless changes, but a powerful nation now stands in their way.

SHATTERED TIME is a gripping science fiction novel that explores the perilous consequences of meddling with the past.

Excerpt from Shattered Time

14th Century England

The large black horse, its mane shining in the sun, pulled the royal carriage along a well-worn path through the thick English forest on a summer afternoon. With long, powerful strides, the animal moved along at a steady pace.

The rhythmic clop of the horse's hooves against the packed dirt and the constant creaking of the carriage’s wheels blocked out all other sounds to the vehicle's two passengers.

Charles, Aide to the king, was a tall and distinguished man with a no-nonsense demeanor and a streak of grey in his dark hair. He’d faithfully served the royal family for twenty-five years, and today, he sat in the back of the carriage with his attendant, feeling the excitement of this secret mission.

He felt pride that the king trusted him to conduct this follow-up meeting on his own.

The instructions from King Edward III were clear, and if things transpired as hoped, the kingdom would be stronger and better able to resist the coming challenges.

After several minutes, they spotted four soldiers standing by a clearing. The king had sent these men ahead to ensure no one else was in the area. The soldiers carried swords and spears and watched the forest, ensuring no one approached.

The carriage stopped, and the officer in charge of the detachment approached the king's aide and said, "My Lord, there's no one around."

Nodding, Charles replied, "Good. Spread out and ensure you can stop anyone approaching before they can get close. This secret is too critical for people to know about. Take my driver to help you. I don't want anyone other than my attendant with me for the meeting."

Nodding, the officer replied, “Yes, my lord.” He then left to carry out his orders.

Before leaving with the soldier, the driver tied the horse to a nearby oak tree.

"What do we do now, My Lord?" the attendant asked.

"We wait. It won't be long."

Two minutes later, two identical objects suddenly appeared in the clearing between a pair of silver birch trees. One moment, they weren't there, then they were. There was no sound or flash of light to announce their arrival. They resembled small pillars, which stood about eight feet tall. Each consisted of a solid body about two feet square, which came to a point at the top.

The devices stood on four legs, one at each corner of their wide bases. The objects had no lights or markings, were entirely black, and sat precisely twelve feet apart.

As soon as they arrived, the legs moved automatically to level their bodies on the uneven ground. Then, the space between them lit up.

For a brief moment, inside the light, Charles saw a spacious room with only a man and a wooden crate inside. Then the light vanished, but the man and the crate remained in the clearing.

In the background, Charles was aware of a commotion. He heard the whinny from the horse as it jumped back, hooves dancing nervously on the ground as it was startled by the strange happenings.

The man from the light was in his late thirties, Caucasian, and of medium height and build. He had blond hair and a friendly expression. He wore blue jeans and a hooded sweatshirt with a meaningless logo. Garments like these didn’t exist here in 14th-century England and wouldn’t for over 700 years.

On the man's left wrist, he wore a silver-colored gauntlet with blinking lights and several recessed buttons. It covered his wrist, and a narrow strip extended over the hand and encased two of his fingers.

From his neck hung a camera with a long, sturdy black strap that wrapped around his body, holding it in place. It was similar to the ones worn by police officers in the future.

"Hello, Charles," the man said.

"Daniel. Thank you for coming back. My king sends his greetings and is excited to see what you've brought for him."

"I too, am excited to carry out our trade," the man from 21st century Pennsylvania said.

Charles glanced at his attendant and nodded. The servant went back to the chariot and returned with a burlap sack. He set it on the top of the crate.

The man called Daniel emptied it into a heap on the crate, and seeing a large handful of gold coins, he briefly examined them. On the top of the pile was a pair of matching gold candlesticks, a ceremonial dagger, and lastly, a jeweled ornamental gold cup.

Daniel smiled; his eyes lit up, and he nodded, pleased with the treasure. Returning the items to the sack, he set it next to the crate.

Daniel opened the crate and said, "I brought some things the king will find interesting. First, here are some treats he should consider a gift."

Digging in, he brought out two 2-liter plastic bottles. The bottles had labels, the wording of which didn't mean anything to the man born in the year 1312.

Charles took the bottles and examined them. One bottle was clear with brown liquid, and the other green. The bottles were transparent but not glass.

"These are beverages from my time. I hope your king enjoys them."

"Ahh, strong drink to make the king drunk," Charles laughed.

"No. There’s no alcohol in them."

Confused, Charles returned to his examination of the bottles.

"What are these made of? They’re bendable, not glass," he asked as he squeezed and slightly compressed the green bottle.

Daniel hadn't thought about it but now realized the plastic soda bottles may be more interesting than their contents.

Without answering, he dug out the next item and handed it over. It was a shiny brown bag about twice the size of a fist. Like the bottles, it had strange markings that meant nothing to Charles.

He handed it to the king’s aide, who shook it gently, hearing many small things inside.

"Tell your king to rip open the bag and eat a few of what's inside. I think he'll be pleased."

Confused, Charles set the one-pound bag of M&Ms to the side and looked at the following two items: bottles of Ibuprofen.

Daniel spent several minutes explaining the value of the contents of the bottles, stopping short of instructing about how to work the child-proof cap. Smiling inwardly, he decided to let the king figure that out for himself.

"Now, here are the things of most value." He handed over four twin packs of disposable lighters. He demonstrated to Charles how to work the small objects. The aide stared in awe at the magical fire-starting device.

The next item from the box was a set of white clothing, "These are good for keeping someone warm in the cold winter you have approaching. Tell the king to wear them under his normal clothes."

Nodding, Charles took the thermal underwear, and Daniel added, "Here, I brought you a set, too."

The servant's eyes widened as he accepted the gift, "Thank you, sir. This is most kind of you."

"Now, this item is something I know your king will appreciate. He removed four pairs of various sized black sneakers from the crate. “I don’t know the size of the king’s feet. Have him pick the ones that fit best. They’ll make walking easier.”

Charles took one sneaker and turned it over in his hands, curious about its construction, then held it to his nose. He’d never experienced the smell of new sneakers and found it interesting.

Daniel next removed several detailed topographical maps of Europe from the crate and a world map, which he spent some time explaining. Charles found the existence of North and South America fascinating, and Daniel thought the king would as well.

Along with the maps were photos of the Earth taken from space, clearly showing the planet as a sphere, not flat.

The following three items from the crate were books on various subjects, including medicine, disease prevention, and, most importantly, one titled ‘The Black Death.’ It was a three-ring binder outlying the cause of the pandemic and the steps needed to protect the kingdom against the deadly Bubonic Plague, which would soon wipe out two-thirds of Europe.

News of the plague in France had already reached London, and concern was building. As a bargaining chip, Daniel had informed the king on his previous visit that two of his immediate family would perish from the disease. He didn't specify that it would be the king's soon-to-be-born infant son, Thomas, and young daughter, Joan, who’d fall victim to the deadly bacterial infection that moved from rats to humans by way of fleas.

"I don't see the book the king requested here,” Charles noted.

"I didn't bring it. We discussed it, and our superiors decided that providing detailed historical information about his kingdom and time in power wasn’t a good idea."

Charles didn't need to know that there were no superiors overseeing the meeting. This journey into the past was unsanctioned. The decision not to tell King Edward III about his time in power rested on Daniel alone.

A .45 caliber Smith and Wesson revolver with a single box of ammunition came out of the crate next.

Charles picked up the unloaded weapon with a smile on his face.

"This is what my king wanted you to bring."

Daniel nodded, knowing this was the item that generated King Edward’s interest in trading with the man from the future.

"I have been authorized to negotiate additional trading with you. The king wants more of these, many more. Also, more of these," Charles said as he tapped the barrel of the revolver against the box of ammunition.

"I understand. I know weaponry is important. And I might be able to get you a few more, but weapons are hard for my people to obtain. They aren't readily available to everyone. But I want to offer you something far more valuable."

"More valuable than weapons?" Charles asked disbelievingly.

With a smile, Daniel replied, "Much more. It's called electricity."