A Long Time Until Now Read Online Free PDF

seemed reasonably together; he’d dug the latrine and neatened his gear. Devereaux kept sorting through his med pack, laying stuff out and putting it back.
    “I’m going to suggest everyone neaten your gear up, and find cold- and wet-weather gear. It was a bit cool last night, and we don’t want to get rained on.”
    It took a while, but everyone did comply. He didn’t blame them for being slow. He saw that all the time in the field. This was worse than any bivouac he’d ever done.
    Alexander had some kind of flat panel laid out. Battery charger. Good. He used rechargeables in his flashlights, so that would help them if this turned out long-term.
    He didn’t see any way it wasn’t long-term, and another mild panic attack rushed through him. They couldn’t get home. Whatever sent them here appeared random and unplanned.
    He tried thinking about that. No aliens or future people showed up demanding or requesting information or help. They weren’t facing any particular threat. There were no real resources. Sticking them here wasn’t accomplishing anything for anyone. They were just here.
    He could think of no way to get home.

CHAPTER 3
    Armand Devereaux watched with trepidation and interest as the sun set and the stars came out. There was the Dipper. He saw Hercules but not Cassiopeia. Damn. He sighed deeply.
    Barker had the fire built up again. He’d scavenged a lot of small twigs and sticks in the area, from various scrub. It might be enough to last all night. Otherwise, they were going to be dark and scared. And knowing what he’d seen, the stars weren’t friendly at all.
    It was bright enough. God, it was clear, with no pollution or city lights at all.
    They all gathered around, for the little heat, and the more comfort.
    Barker said, “Sure is bright and clear. You know if it gets cloudy, it’ll be darker than a bag of coal.”
    Ortiz asked, “But how long until now? Our now?”
    He said, “A long time.”
    Oglesby asked, “When did wooly rhinos become extinct?”
    Spencer said, “I’m guessing about twenty thousand years ago, though other types of rhinos survived later. I may not be exact.”
    Dalton looked irritated, and muttered a barely heard, “Ten thousand.”
    Elliott said, “What was that, Dalton?”
    Dalton looked around nervously and said, “The Earth is no more than ten thousand years old. All that other stuff was disproven in the nineteen fifties.”
    Yes, it figured a Creationist would have some specific troubles. Armand had no idea how anyone could take Genesis literally. No one took every verse literally, even the most literal. It just wasn’t possible. So why obsess over that part?
    Elliott said, “Well, with respect to your faith, I have to use what information fits my training and viewpoint to make the best decisions I can. It’s how I think. You’re welcome to your opinions for your own calculations.”
    Dalton shrugged. He looked annoyed, but he wasn’t going to fight.
    Armand nodded slowly. The LT was a bit tighter now, and obviously had dealt with Creationists before.
    Elliott said, “So, ten thousand years or more. But less than a million, because the stars would look very different. Probably less than a hundred thousand. I recognize the Big Dipper at least.”
    Good. The man was tracking a bit. Armand had been worried he was completely gone.
    He spoke up, “I do some astronomy in school, and it’s a hobby. The Earth’s axis wobbles like a spinning top. Polaris is a bit off, but Vega is still well over there, and Deneb there, bracketing the axis. Precession of the Earth’s axis would put Vega as the pole star in about fifty thousand years, so assuming the same is true in reverse, we’re looking at fifteen or thirty, more or less.”
    “Then let’s go with twenty to twenty-five.”
    Alexander broke down in outright weeping at that point. He couldn’t think of anything to offer to her, so he didn’t.
    He said, “It would be one or the other. It doesn’t