Authors: David Evans

TS01 Time Station London (26 page)

Brian read on, then added, “If that’s not enough, there are some other rogues who are believed to be involved in a white slave ring that kidnaps children who, according to history, died in the Blitz, and are being taken forward in time to provide for the hunger of pedophiles in other eras.”

That caught Dianna off balance. It also greatly angered her. “We should get on this right away. The bomb thing doesn’t bother me as much as what is happening to those poor children.”

“I agree. Something just occurred to me. Perhaps this time, MI-5 will assist the Warden Corps instead of the other way around. There were some files I saw the other day, while I was worrying about Coventry, that need a better going-over. I’m off to my office. Watch the store, love.” So saying, Brian stepped close and gave Dianna a brief, platonic kiss.

After his departure, Dianna stood, wondering to herself if for all time Brian’s kiss would lack its usual fire.

Time: 0950 GMT, November 1, 1940

Place: M-43 Highway, Coventry to London, England

Samantha Trillby started out for London at ten minutes to ten that morning. She was well into the country when the air raid sirens went off in Coventry. She puckered her mouth in a grim moue a bit later when she saw the black blossoms of antiaircraft fire through the rearview mirror.

They were coming a lot closer to Coventry this time, she thought. A squadron of Spitfires snarled by low overhead, followed by two of Hurricanes. Abruptly they climbed steeply to engage the advance columns of the enemy. Samantha drove a little faster. With the window down, she could hear the machine-gun fire. A chill clutched her spine. They were going to
Coventry
this time.

What for? There was nothing there worth bombing. Another question burned through her. Had there been enough warning? Who would survive? Nervously she began to chew her lower lip. Far above her and some distance behind, another flight of bombers, this time Ju 88-A’s, ran into the furious resistance that had plagued Col. Ruperle’s squadron.

Unseen by Samantha, one of the Junkers, shot to hell, struggled furiously to escape the deadly circus that spun around them. One engine was afire, thick smoke trailed behind. Following regulations, in the same manner as Col. Ruperle, the pilot gave the order to lighten his craft by dumping his bombs.

During the time it took him to reach this decision, he had turned completely to the south and flew over the road to London. This time, when the bombardier salvoed the stick, the safety wires had been attached to their tethers. As the bombs fell free they armed themselves.

Wobbling through the air, the 4,960 pounds of explosives dropped in irregular lines down toward the highway.

Before the first bombs detonated, a shimmering formed beside the car. Samantha looked over to see Brian Moore in a Morris Minor, racing alongside.

“Pull over,” he shouted. “Pull to the side.”

She did and Brian braked furiously. He ran to the driver’s side and yanked open the door of Samantha’s car. Dragging her by the arm he hauled her from the seat and hurtled toward the Morris. They tumbled inside, and the shimmering happened again. Before the first two erupted, the Morris Minor disappeared. Then the proximity fuses fired and the bombs erupted in a blinding, searing flash, totally disintegrating Samantha Trillby’s empty car.

Time: 1350 Warden Central Time

Place: Temporal Warden Central

“Welcome to the future, darling,” Brian Moore murmured in the ear of Samantha Trillby. “This is the secret behind two of me rescuing you from those Nazi agents.”

Samantha looked around her to see a fantastic world far removed in style and time from London in 1940. She gasped and recoiled from the strangeness.

“Easy, easy, Sam. You’ll learn to love it. I did.”

Grinning in relief and elation, Brian Moore/Steven Whitefeather lifted Samantha Trillby to her feet and kissed her soundly. In the background, Arkady Gallubin applauded softly.