The ELI Event B007R5LTNS

deftly worked the console, adjusting the scanning parameters and range settings. Sazar watched the scope for disturbance patterns.
    “There. Is that a displacement signature?”
    “Yes,” she said flatly, “a powerful one, but it’s right downtown, almost on us. Surely they aren’t that close.”
    “No, surely not. What are the exact coordinates?”
    She punched a few buttons and pointed to a readout on the panel. “San Pedro at Lado de Loma,” she said. “Ministry of Science.”
    “Obviously that’s not our group of malcontents,” Sazar said, “but it could explain the Vice Governor’s absence.”
    “What do you mean?” The animosity in her voice faded a bit.
    “Every time I try to report in, Lokus’s office tells me he’s unavailable. This displacement signature means he’s probably used the Science Ministry’s relocator, which of course is highly restricted.”
    “Okay, so he’s abusing his power. What else is new?”
    “Well, if Lokus himself used the relocator, it means this thing is bigger than I thought. With his historical knowledge and penchant for plastiskin disguises, he could go anywhere, be anyone, operate with impunity in any time period.”
    She raised her eyebrows and sat up. “Go on.”
    “And if he did go upstream, it was almost certainly to follow—or more likely precede—the dissident scientists. So if they went upstream first, there will be another displacement signature, earlier than the one Lokus generated.”
    “Right.” She set to work again. “Uh-oh.”
    “What?”
    “You’re right, there is a second signature, and it did occur several hours earlier than the one that came from the Ministry.”
    “So?”
    “So, because Lokus’ temporal relocation was stronger, closer, and more recent, its displacement pattern has all but wiped out the first one. I can tell there was another one, perhaps two, but all I’m getting is a faint echo.”
    “Come on, Jalin, you’ve got to home in on that first signature.”
    “I know. It’s not much, but it’s our only lead.”
    “Oh, our only lead?” Sazar asked, surprised. “Am I not the enemy any longer?”
    Jalin sighed. “I can’t bring Valik back, but perhaps I can help avenge him.”
    Sazar was about to smile at her when an indicator on the console flashed. She whipped around and examined the scope.
    “Wait, look at this—a new signature!” She pointed to the data flashing across the panel.
    “A new one? You mean from a third relocator?”
    Her fingers flashed over the controls. “Doesn’t look like it. I think it’s the first unit being activated again. The pattern is different from the one at the Science Ministry and… hold on… yes! It matches the faint signatures I was getting earlier. It’s them, all right, and they’re doing a displacement right now.”
    “Don’t lose it, Jalin. If you can pinpoint that signal, we’ve got them!”
    “All right, all right, I’m—damn!” She frantically punched buttons and twisted dials.
    “What? What’s wrong?”
    “No, no, it can’t be. Come on, come on back. No, come back! Damn, damn!” She slammed the console with her palms. “Damn!”
    He knew what had happened.
    She shook her head. “It—it was there, Sazar, it was right there, and then… it was just gone. It’s like they did an emergency shutdown.”
    “In the middle of a relocation?”
    “Or right after one, to avoid detection. There’s no way to know. If they shut down for any reason during a displacement procedure, then they’ve got big trouble, I can tell you that.”
    Sazar snorted. “I’ll show them big trouble. Jalin, is there any way you can get that signal back? If they’re using their temporal relocator, we’ll find them, take them in, and shut down their facility once and for all.”
    “And any travelers they’ve sent upstream will be lost for good, stranded wherever—whenever—they are.”
    “Exactly.”
    She looked at him, then away, then back into his eyes. “Maybe,” she said slowly, “maybe if I replay both signature captures and compare the displacement patterns, I can get a rough fix on the point of origin. Probably won’t be accurate, though, unless I can filter out the signature from the Science Ministry at the same time. But I’ve never done a correlation that complex before.”
    Sazar shrugged. “You’re not going to learn any younger.”
    “Right. Pull up a chair and let’s get to work.”

    * * *

    Aurora watched with interest as Arty’s