Authors: J.E. Moncrieff
“This is a lot to take in,” he said
quietly. “Do you know if it’s safe?”
“No human has been through
it yet.”
Derek raised his hands to qui
eten John as his face threatened an outburst, and nodded for Rich to continue.
“It was considered too big a risk to try human life unless it was for the good of the operation, such as
when you go through. But we have sent many inanimate objects through; and a dog.”
“A dog?”
“Yes. We decided that we would wait a week and then send her back to when we were planning the test. We opened the door right then and there she was, inside the booth at the time we decided that we were going to set it for. Of course, once we decided she’d arrive at noon on the Sunday, she did arrive. In the week after that before we sent her back we already knew it had worked, so we conducted a number of tests and put her back through to arrive the moment we sent her. It’s all very confusing, the old ‘what happened first debate’ always is.”
“It’s a head-fuck is what it is,” Derek added, grimacing.
“In any case it’s been three months and she shows no sign of ill health at all.”
“Who else knows about this?”
John asked.
“Just us five men here,” Derek
spoke up again, “as well as the Commissioner, the Prime Minister and soon the rest of your team.”
“What about the head of your agency
, Stypes?” John asked with a glint of anger at the cocky nature of the older man sitting cross-legged in his cream suit before him.
“I
am
the head of my agency, Inspector.”
John smiled.
“I thought so. Right, so who’s in my team then, Del?”
“I will control from this end,” said Derek. “Tho
ugh you will arrive back instantaneously in our time so there will be nothing from this end while you are there. With you, you will have David.” John and David nodded to each other. “He’s an expert on the period and you need him to get you through it. You also need a technician; from the video-forensic team we have a young lad called Chris Deacon who can fill the spot. He’s barely twenty three but he’s a genius. He’s spent the last six months training to operate your equipment, though so far he has no idea why. Next is Charlotte Birch; a thirty two year old surveillance officer. She’s one of the best in her field and her understanding of technical surveillance equipment is more than suitable. She’ll be a true asset for what you need to do. Finally, you have a home office agent, Jake Fletcher. He’s twenty eight and Peter tells me he’s the best he has in infiltration. Plus, he’s hard as nails, which helps. You’ve all been intrusively re-vetted without your knowledge and are considered safe to us.”
“Oh, thanks,” John said, nodding as he made a mental note of the details. A historian, a technical geek, a surveillance trained female, a tough secret agent, and himself. He’d never heard of anything like it, let alone being stranded with such a team over five hundred years ago amongst god knows what. “Right,” he said, still not sure he believed them. “I suppose it’s the best we can hope for. A good team of experts and I take it a decent briefing with direct instructions?”
“You’ll be briefed before you go.”
“Got it, so what’s next and when?”
“You must get started quickly; we have three months before the attack and less to hit our deadlines with Courtridge. You’ll have three days to wrap up stuff at work and at home, and then you’ll need to get down to the site. I’ll get you the exact address, but it’s a farm in Essex outside the village of Bradwell. You know the area?”
“I know the direction. Bradwell on the fourth, ok,” John said, nervously.
“Yes, the fourth. That’s where you’ll be briefed, see the portal, meet the team and start three weeks training. It’s residential, but there’s a gym and a chef,” Derek added smiling, knowing his friend. “I suggest you get going and make as much time as you can. And John,” he continued quietly. “Thanks for doing this. I know it sounds like bullshit and is going to put you through hell. But you’re all I know who can do it and it absolutely has to be done.”
“I know,” John said, standing up and laying his hand on his shoulder. “I’ll see you at the farm then, Gentlemen?”
“Not me, you won’t,” Stypes said as he stood. “You’ll likely never see me again, but the others will be there. Good luck, Bridge”
They shook hands as John nodded to the others and finally walked out. He tried to retrace his steps to find his way out of the building and began to process the information he had been given. He had three days before his world turned on its head and as he crossed the warm, dry and busy street into St. James’ Park Station, he decided to head back to his office to clear his work for the last time. Then, he knew, he’d have to face the job of returning home to Chalkwell Beach, Essex to break the news to his wife Sophie and his two children. He’d say goodbye, then his life would change forever; which probably wasn’t for very long.
Three
June 3
rd
2014
As he pulled up outside his old, white-washed town house, John looked nervously at the front door he knew so well. The feel of the sun on his back and the sound of the seagulls of the Thames estuary squawking behind him made him wonder nervously if the world and its weather would feel the same in the fifteenth century. He hated the idea of being killed, alone, in a world he neither liked nor understood and for the two days since his meeting, he’d been able to think of nothing else. He took a deep breath and stepped up towards the wooden door, jumping back in surprise as a face appeared in the glass and it opened before he knocked. Seeing his wife, Sophie, standing in the doorway gave him the familiar blow to his chest that made him feel like she’d asked him to leave all over again. It had been two years since she told him she couldn’t handle his extra-work any longer and that he’d left her no choice but to ask him to leave. She still loved him, she said, but she knew he wouldn’t be himself if she asked him to change and she couldn’t bring herself to do that. John had never given up hope that she’d change her mind and had remained faithful even after living elsewhere for a full eighteen months. More recently, though, she had met Steve the banker. John couldn’t deny he was a nice bloke with a good career, and that he was even good for his kids. But still he resented the man for taking his family from him and every time they met he considered throwing the skinny marathon runner into the sea just fifty metres away.
“Hi Soph,” he managed to say, as he looked up at the tall, elegant frame of his ex-wife. Wearing a navy and white polka-dot summer dress, she looked as beautiful as ever with her circular, brown eyes and the chestnut, brown fringe that always fell over them and onwards, down to her shoulders.
“What brings you here, John?” She asked merrily, dazzling him as always with her light mood and smile.
“We need to talk, are the kids in?”
“Not for another half an hour. School is only just finishing, what is it?”
“Steve?”
“No, Work. What is it, John? I’ve seen that look before,” she said, stepping back to allow him into the house.
Saying nothing, he walked in with his glum expression and headed straight through to the kitchen through their open archway. Nothing had changed in his old house, and sitting at the oak table to the rear of the room, he felt as though he could’ve been sitting down for a drink with their friends as he had for such a large part of his life.
“I’m going on another deployment,” he said, holding his breath.
“I knew it!” Sophie shouted, looking more upset than angry. “How can you do that? What about the kids? How can they go without seeing you again for months on end and not even know if you’ll be coming back alive?”
“They don’t know I’m doing anything dangerous.”
“Are you?”
John sat still, choosing an obvious silence over a lie.
“Well then. They know you’re going away on work for months and can’t even call them. And they haven’t forgotten you being shot, John. That tore them apart. It tore all of us apart,” she added as her eyes began to well up.
John absently touched the scar at the top-left of his chest and felt his own emotions stir at the sight of his wife’s tears.
“Sophie, please listen to me,” he pleaded. “This is a matter of National Security and there are no other options. It must be me, and it must be now. The alternative doesn’t bear thinking about. Not for me, our kids, or this country. Without this we are all in danger and I really have no choice.
We
have no choice.”
She sat quietly and watched him.
“It’s not actually that bad,” he continued. “I’m on a three week training course close by and can call the kids, and then when I’m away it’s only for the day anyway.”
“One day? Then why come round looking like that?”
“Because it’s the most dangerous assignment I’ve ever done and it’s never been attempted before. I just really don’t know how it’s going to pan out. I’m going to be trained and I’m confident in my abilities, of course; but this, well, it’s something else. As I said, there’s no choice, so there is no point me worrying about it and quite frankly I need your support.”
“How can you ask me that?”
“I just need to know you understand why. If anything happens to me, I need you to tell the kids why. I need to be sure that you know I wouldn’t take these risks for nothing.”
“Or that you chose your assignments over living long enough to see them married with your grandchildren?”
“No, that if I didn’t do it, then we could all die anyway and there would probably never be any weddings, grandchildren or even another Christmas, ok? I have no choice.”
Nodding quietly, Sophie turned away to pour tea and John saw her wipe her eyes. They drank and talked for a while until the front door flew open and a loud burst of noise filled the space around them. John smiled at the familiar racket.
“I can’t believe you said that, you little brat!” came the high pitched shout of his fifteen year old daughter, Holly.
She stormed into the kitchen with her hands on her head not even noticing her father in her rage.
“What’s happened?” asked Sophie.
“I told her boyfriend that she sings about him in the shower,” answered his son proudly as he walked into the kitchen smiling. Taller than average for his age with floppy blonde hair, John’s thirteen year old son Danny was as mischievous as he looked. “Oh, hi Dad,” he said grinning.
Holly’s head whipped around as she saw her father and she smiled.
“Dad!” she said. “What are you doing here?”
“Oh I just popped in. What boyfriend is this, Hol?”
“Robbie,” she said quietly, turning red.
“Is he in your class?”
“No, Dad, he’s left school,” she said rolling her eyes, making John smile.
“Left school?” he asked.
“Only just, John,” Sophie added. “He’s sitting his GCSE’s. Anyway, he’s a nice boy.”
“Mum, he’s gorgeous,” Holly said, walking out the door.
“Hol, wait, Daniel?” John said, gathering them in. “I need to speak to you please.”
The three of them walked outside to the garden leaving Sophie sitting still in the kitchen with a nervous look on her face. As he went through the back door to their patio, John looked back and caught a reassuring smile from her. He smiled back thankfully. She approved. The one person whose approval he had always required, and she did, of a job that shook him with fear. Feeling better, he sat the kids down and started.
“I just wanted to talk to you before I go away. I’ve been sent on a work job and will be away for a little bit. Not for long though!” he added quickly as he saw their faces drop. “And not like before either, I promise. It’s just a short one. I’m on a training course not far away, and I’ll be in touch and able to visit throughout that. But it’s when I’m away afterwards that I wanted to talk to you about. It’s only for the day but a lot can happen in a day. And this job, well it’s particularly difficult, particularly dangerous. I just want you both to know I love you very much and you’re the most important things in the whole world to me. You two and your mum.”