The Time Hunters and the Box of Eternity (6 page)

‘
He said he didn
’
t want to be
disturbed,
’
Becky said.

Bruce
’
s expression turned grave.
‘
Oh, he
’
ll be fine bein
’
disturbed by what I gotta tell him. You see,
yesterday I was swilling grog in a pirate bar in eighteenth century Tortuga,
and who should mosey in, surrounded by his bullyboys, but an old sparring
partner of his. And from what I heard, you may know the douche-bag, too?
’

‘
Us?
’
Becky asked,
confused.

‘
Sure. The name Otto
Kruger mean anything to you?
’

Chapter 7

A Fistful of Doubloons

Becky
’
s blood turned cold. Otto Kruger was Emerson Drake
’
s enforcer, Adolf
Hitler
’
s
ex bodyguard and one of the most cold-hearted killers in history.
‘
What was he doing
there?
’
she asked faintly.

‘
That, little lady, is
a mighty long story,
’
Bruce replied.
‘
And one I don
’
t have all the answers to. However, let
’
s go and see that
uncle of yours. Maybe, together, we
’
ll find us some…
’
Bruce mounted the bike and gestured for Becky and Joe to climb
aboard.

Ordinarily, Becky would have been thrilled to ride on a motorbike, the
breeze whipping her hair, fields blurring as they passed, but memories of Otto
Kruger crashed into her head, leaving an ugly knot in her stomach.

Bruce steered Sweet Sue to the side of the Hall, where they stopped
before a windowless outbuilding. Although she had only visited the uppermost
floor, The Time Room, Becky knew that beneath it lay a multi-levelled complex
where Uncle Percy kept his time machines (he admitted to having five), and who
knew what else? She jumped off the bike, moved to the thickset steel door and
gave it a shove. It didn
’
t budge.
‘
Locked!
’
she said, before rapping three times. She looked at Joe.
‘
And if he
’
s working in the Lower
Levels he
’
ll
never hear us, even if we use your head as a battering ram.
’

Just as the words left her mouth, a shrill bleep sounded and a
small, very ordinary looking brick morphed into a screen. The screen flicked on
and Uncle Percy appeared at its center, wearing a pair of thick-rimmed glasses
that magnified his eyes to the size of apples.
‘
Hello, Becky. What can I do for you?
’

Bruce stepped forward.
‘
You can get your butt out here and give some lovin
’
to the Arizonian
wildman.
’

Uncle Percy looked surprised.
‘
Bruce?
’

‘
In all my beautiful
glory, old buddy.
’
His tone grew serious.
‘
And we got ourselves some business to attend to, my friend.
’

‘
Have we?
’
Uncle Percy replied.
‘
Very well. If you
would just wait there a jiffy, I
’
ll send my latest project out to collect you.
’
His face shone with
excitement.
‘
I
’
ve literally only just finished her.
’

Becky and Joe exchanged intrigued glances.
Her?

A few moments later, Becky saw the circular pad to the right of the
door flash green and she heard the jarring crunch of a hundred bolts twisting
free. As the door inched open, Becky had the surprise of her life. A metallic
figure stood there, gleaming beneath the strip lights. Barely meeting Becky
’
s waist, it had a
distinctly feminine quality about it with soft, rounded features, a friendly
oval face and a large pink bow fixed to the side of its head.

‘
It
’
s a robot!
’
Joe blurted out.

‘
Good morning, Master
Joseph. I am, indeed, a robot, although I prefer the term Electroic Cognivated
Gynoid.
’
The robot gave a little bow.
‘
If Miss Rebecca, Master Joseph and Mr Westbrook would kindly follow
me.
’
And
the robot swivelled round, and with short, jerky movements stepped away from
the door.

Becky, Joe and Bruce trailed the robot to the far end of the Time
Room, where a translucent door slid open on their approach. Entering a tiny box
room with a handrail on all sides, they lined up behind the robot as she said,
‘
Floor minus 6, Room
1A. The Knick-Knack Room. Oh, and Mr Halifax suggests you hold onto something.
’

As Becky seized the handrail, the floor vibrated and
–
whoosh
–
the lift plummeted down at a dizzying speed. Becky
’
s stomach lurched.
Bruce and Joe took it in turns to see who could give the loudest whoop. Then
with a sudden jolt, the lift stopped, before speeding sidewards, room after
room blurring before their very eyes. Then it shot upwards and stopped again
for a moment or two, before another sheer drop and a crashing halt, which threw
Becky roughly against the door. Rubbing her shoulder, her groans were drowned
out by Joe and Bruce high-fiving each other.

Disorientated, Becky looked out to see Uncle Percy standing beside a
circular table in a large room filled with high shelves, stuffed with various
objects.
‘
Welcome,
’
he said, his arms
outstretched.

The lift door slid open and they all stumbled out.

‘
That was ace,
’
Joe said.
‘
Can we do it again?
’

‘
I thought you might
appreciate that, Joe. The Ectolift has an ultra-booster very similar to the one
fitted to the Silver Ghost. I don
’
t normally use it myself but I thought you might enjoy a little
ride.
’

Bruce
’
s enthusiasm equalled Joe
’
s.
‘
You wanna get that sold to Disneyland.
’

Uncle Percy chuckled.
‘
I don
’
t think so, Bruce.
’

Becky couldn
’
t quite see the funny side.
‘
You could have warned us.
’
She growled,
smoothing down her hair, which now resembled a disheveled hedge.

‘
And where would the
fun in that be?
’
Uncle Percy replied.

‘
Fun is not having a
broken neck,
’
Becky shot back.

Joe looked around.
‘
This place is massive, Uncle Percy.
’

‘
It is certainly
sizeable, Joe,
’
Uncle Percy agreed.
‘
I forgot you
’
d not been down here. There are six floors and forty-two rooms in
total. There
’
s even a swimming pool somewhere, but I haven
’
t used it in a decade.
You should bring your costumes one time and we
’
ll all go for a dip sometime. That reminds me …
’
He stared at the robot.
‘
Barbie,
if you could clean the pool for me when you have the chance. I think it
’
s on floor minus
three.
’

The little robot gave a jerky nod.
‘
Certainly, sir.
’

Becky laughed with disbelief.
‘
Barbie? You
’
ve named her Barbie?
’

‘
After the doll?
’
Joe spluttered.

Uncle Percy looked genuinely baffled.
‘
The doll? What on earth do you mean? She
’
s named after Barbara
McClintock.
’
Becky and Joe looked at him, puzzled.
‘
You know,
The
Barbara McClintock who won the Nobel Prize for Physiology and Medicine in 1983?
’
He tutted loudly.
‘
What on earth do they
teach you in schools, nowadays?
’

Bruce
’
s face crumpled.
‘
You can
’
t expect the kids to be as nerdy as you, good buddy. Now come for
some big man lovin
’
you freaky brainpot.
’
He walked over and gave Uncle Percy a hug.

‘
Great to see you
again, Bruce,
’
Uncle Percy replied.
‘
Anyway, to what do I owe the pleasure?
’

Bruce face turned grave.
‘
You got any bourbon?
’

It
’
s a little early in the day for me but
 
–
’

‘
If it
’
s daytime, it ain
’
t too early,
’
Bruce replied with a wave
of his hand.

‘
Barbie, would you get
Mr Westbrook a glass of -
’

Bruce gave a dissatisfied grunt.

‘
–
A
bottle
of bourbon …
’
Uncle Percy continued.
‘
And a jug of lemonade
for the rest of us. Thank you, my dear.
’

‘
Of course, sir.
’

Becky watched as Barbie stomped through a door on the left.
‘
Where did she come
from?
’

‘
I
’
ve been planning her
for some time. She really helps me down here, fetching and carrying, cleaning,
working on the time machines; she
’
s proving to be very useful, and in time I
’
ll bring her into the
Hall. She can even bake a Lemon Meringue that would rival Maria
’
s, not that I
’
d ever let Maria know
that.
’

‘
You
’
d better not let Maria
know about her full stop,
’
Becky added.
‘
She
’
d kill you. I mean really, literally, actually kill you.
’

Uncle Percy shuffled uncomfortably.
‘
That would be her first thought, yes. However,
Maria
’
s
part of the reason I
’
ve built her in the first place: whether she likes it or not, both
she and Jacob are getting older. We all are. And, in due course, Barbie will be
an asset around the Hall with the more manual jobs, the jobs Maria may not be
physically capable of doing. I think Maria will be fine with it in a couple of
-
’

‘
Decades,
’
Joe cut in.

‘
I was about to say
days
.
’

Becky looked unconvinced.

Just then, Barbie reappeared carrying a tray of drinks, which she
promptly placed on the table.

‘
So can she do any cool
stuff?
’
Joe asked.

Uncle Percy grinned.
‘
Cool stuff? Isn
’
t it cool that she responds and interacts independently, that there
is cognitive reasoning. She isn
’
t just one of Emerson Drake
’
s Cyrobots, you know. Barbie is perhaps the
first true example in the world of Strong Artificial Intelligence. She can
plan, learn, problem solve and she
’
s self-aware. In a nutshell, Barbie is very
cool
indeed.
’

Joe shrugged.
‘
That sounds great, but can she turn herself into a car like a
Transformer?
’

Uncle Percy looked utterly baffled.
‘
Why would she want to turn herself into a car?
That sounds rather silly. However, although she may not be able to do that, she
can do plenty of other
‘
cool
’
stuff, can
’
t you, Barbie?
’

‘
I hope so, sir,
’
Barbie replied.