'Nine-Tenths' Excerpt – Part 1

Leonard Tramer’s time machine takes him nowhere near the past, but meddling with time destroys his future. When he steps out of the defective machine, he enters a totalitarian state which resembles East Germany more than the free world he left behind.

Impassive and appearing to have all the time in the world, Carlyle merely stared, making Leonard more uncomfortable by the minute. Eventually, Leonard concluded that silence was just another game – a game of intimidation. Focusing on the absurdity of the strategy, he resolved to wait it out and remain aloof. If Carlyle wants to play, let’s play, he thought as he adjusted his posture to mirror the commander’s – arms folded, left foot on the right knee. Leonard hardened his face and glared.

After several minutes, Carlyle smirked. He tipped his head to one side and regarded Leonard with a hint of amusement. “Kind of cocky for a son-of-a-bitch who’s locked in a room with the most powerful man at this base.”

Speaking as dispassionately as possible, Leonard replied, “You summoned me. I presume you have something you wish to discuss?”

“I do.”

“Then please, go ahead. I can’t read your mind.”

The commander stood and took a step forward. Leonard craned his neck to maintain eye contact while projecting a sense of detachment. Unable to rile Leonard, Carlyle commenced pacing slowly and confidently.

“People are concerned, Leonard.”

“Are they?” Leonard said, a thinly veiled mockery in his voice.

“Shouldn’t they be?”

“You tell me.”

Carlyle laughed. He ceased pacing and leaned against his desk. “My, my, my. You are going to make this so–very–easy.”

Leonard’s heart skipped a beat. He cleared his throat, hoping his voice would not betray his fear. “What is that, Chris?”

Carlyle glowered. “Let’s stick with commander, shall we, Tramer?”

Leonard nodded meekly. For the first time since he resolved to stare Carlyle down he glanced away. Clearly the faux friendship between them had deteriorated. Furthermore, it was evident that Carlyle was on to something.

“You seem a little shook up there, Tramer. Feeling okay?”

Regaining his composure, Leonard replied, “Of course.”

Carlyle nodded. “So why don’t you tell me what’s going on?”

Leonard turned his palms upward, indicating confusion.

“What are you two planning?” Carlyle barked.

“Us two?”

“You and Alina. What are you up to? You took a walk last night, very late.” Carlyle put two fingers over his lips and smiled. “Visited the Guilder Project. Very odd for someone who has barely touched his wife in years.”

This remark sent Leonard over the edge. They actually kept track of how many times he had sex with his wife? He leapt out of his chair, fists clenched. “What the hell are you talking about?”

Carlyle laughed. “Relax, relax. The Watchers don’t waste time with that.” He cleared his throat. “At least, they have the decency not to log such details on their reports. I was just testing you. Nice reaction. I kind of made the presumption since you haven’t had a nice thing to say about her since I’ve met you.”

Leonard sat down.

“Except yesterday,” the commander said. “When I spoke to you, you kind of defended her, didn’t you?”

“I don’t hate my wife.”

“Of course. Of course.” He frowned. “As a matter of fact, I think you like her very much.”

“Is that a crime now?”

“It is if you intend to betray us.”

“How?” Leonard pressed, hoping to discern what it was they suspected. “Has Alina ever been accused of traitorous activity? If she has, it’s news to me.”

Carlyle examined Leonard’s face as if considering the possibility that his subordinate was being sincere. “We have our reasons.”

With nothing left to do but bluff, Leonard sighed, a look of utter defeat and frustration on his face. “I have no idea what you are talking about.”

“Really?” Carlyle responded, a hint of amusement in his voice. “You were just out taking a walk with your wife?”

“Yes, we took a walk. We needed to talk and didn’t want Natalia listening in on our conversation.”

“What did you talk about?”

“It’s really none of your business, sir.”

“I say it is.”

Grimacing, Leonard prattled on. He feigned embarrassment, hoping to distract and mislead the commander. “It has something to do with what you said before. . . you know, about me not touching my wife in years. We have some issues we need to work out.”

“I see. What about your little visit in the Guilder Project?”

How should I play this? “She needed to drop something off to a friend.”

“Did she tell you what it was?”

“No. Frankly, I didn’t want to interrogate her. Our conversation was already on shaky ground.”

Carlyle settled on the edge of his desk again. Leonard tried to maintain the face of an exasperated man – a man who believed he was being unfairly accused.

“Did you get a glimpse of what Alina passed to her friend?”

“An envelope.” What are you doing, Leonard? A wave of shame threatened to break his concentration. Was he setting up Alina to save himself? What kind of man does such a thing?

“Interesting,” Carlyle whispered, his eyes alight with glee.

Leonard stared at the ground, unable to look the commander in the eye.

“Have you let anything slip?”

“Nothing, sir.”

“Now’s the time to fess up. I’m willing to overlook a transgression if we nip this in the bud.” His face reddened and his tone intensified. “These counterrevolutionaries are like a disease, Leonard. You have no idea how much damage they have done.”

You can purchase Meira Pentermann’s “Nine-Tenths” at Amazon.com