Sand Glass (29 page)

‘Another time
perhaps.’ He looked at his watch, ‘I think we will have visitors
soon.’

‘Really?’ I
said, ‘Could it be the noises in the tunnel?’

‘You know that
I never miss anything like that.’ Jared said.

‘That’s true.’
said Janey and rubbed her forehead.

‘How’s the
head?’ I said to Jared.

‘Better. We’ve
got enough time before the others appear to have a tea break, and
get the gear back in the packs.’ He started to make another fresh
brew.

‘Janey? Are you
doing alright?’ I asked.

‘Pretty fair.
She popped the valves on the nearest airbed, ‘Now it’s time to
think about the rate of reversal of the reality switch.’

‘Pardon?’

‘We’re not out
of the woods yet, as it were. As it get nearer to the end of this
particular cycle things will start to unravel faster and faster.’
She started to squash the air out, ‘I really want to go home.
Marcia should be arriving any minute.’

‘What makes you
think she’s here?’

‘I know her
very well. And there is something that I’ve learned from all these
expeditions. That’s how to listen in tunnels really, really
well.’

At that moment
Jared looked up from the camping stove. ‘Hello! Identify
yourself!’

‘Well, well,’
came a man’s voice, ‘If it isn’t the old goat himself!’

‘Oliver!’ Janey
jumped to her feet.

‘Good God
Reece! How many did you bring?’ said Jared.

‘Nice to see
you too Arden; you’re looking great for a dead guy!’ Oliver moved
to one side. We were joined also by Adam, Joe and Curly Pete.

‘Janey…’ Adam
said in a shocked kind of voice, ‘You’re back….’ He looked at
Jared, ‘You’re both back.’

I rubbed my
chest as Adam came up to me, ‘I think I have a few more issues to
report on,’ he said, ‘I think I can finally say that I see dead men
walking.’

‘Welcome to the
expedition.’ I said to Adam.

‘I think they
are Real!’ He laughed, and smacked his hand against the side of my
arm, which made me tense, as it still stung rather badly, ‘Er,
sorry. Joe! Do have a look at this one too!’

Joe looked up
from examining Jared, ‘Just making sure that we can believe our
eyes Shepard. Yes; it is Jared alright…. And Janey my dear! I
just….’

‘Okay Doc,’ she
hugged him.

‘Let me see if
you are really You first, please.’ He sounded miffed.

‘Hello Boss.’
said Curly, ‘So what are the orders?’

‘Get
home….without disappearing into a loop of time. Or falling down a
hole in the floor.’ Janey raised an eye brow.

Curly looked
thoughtful, ‘Righto.’ Was all he said.

Joe finished
and seemed satisfied, he nodded to Oliver, who stood resolute. ‘We
understood what Marcia asked us to do; but there has been a little
complication. It’s erm…’ he looked annoyed at being unable to
explain the thing.

Curly
explained, ‘Jules has reset the Modulator as requested. But the
problem is that there are now two of the things at work. It is as
if there are two of everything. Two locks, two keys. Two….well it
means something else other than what you may suppose. There is a
reversal in the normal sense of the word. While it is ALSO like an
opposite that doesn’t look like an opposite. You will just have to
take my word for it. You can let Janey translate, when I’ve filled
her in. Jules gave me a small gadget with shielding so that Janey
would know what we know and be able to work out how much time is
left on this side of the borderline.’

‘How much
Time?’ Jared stared hard at Curly, ‘let Janey take a good look at
the tablet….by the way: where is Marcia?’

‘We made the
meet with Rimmington, but he didn’t show,’ said Oliver, ‘So we have
met up with Elland and his Men. Marcia is waiting with them. I
understand that you don’t know about the other arrangement?’

‘What other
arrangement?’ Jared said darkly then shrugged, ‘sorry, force of
habit. So tell me.’

Oliver was
smiling. ‘Another Person accounted for; we have Aiden. And his team
are just past the stone bridge.’

‘Stone bridge?’
Jared looked at me.

‘I don’t know
either.’ I said.

‘Okay. So let’s
decide what to do.’ Jared was business like again. ‘We have two
teams; and an as yet unspecified amount of time. And one person
still unaccounted for.’

‘Hanson.’ said
Joe

‘Is he not with
anyone else?’ Janey looked puzzled, ‘they let him go. That is what
Aiden thought last time we spoke.’

‘Well you can
ask him about that.’ said Joe, ‘But he wasn’t at Base and he wasn’t
anywhere else either.’ He looked towards Jared then expecting some
reaction; he was however preoccupied with something else.

Oliver stood
facing Jared. ‘Well then old friend. What times have you had? Was
it worth it? Perhaps it’s time to go home now.’

‘Yes it is.
Time…. It’s run out on me. I suppose it was always there waiting.
Do we know what happens to all this when we leave?’ Jared was as
deeply serious as I had ever seen him.

‘We just
leave,’ said Oliver, ‘And then the beach is wiped learn again.’

‘Ah!’ Jared’s
look was faraway, then quite suddenly, ‘It is time we found Marcia.
We mustn’t keep the lady waiting.’

‘She’s alright
with Elland and his Men.’ said Oliver, ‘I think she is keeping them
under control. I think there is some discussion to be concluded
about what to do about finding Hanson.’

‘Ah! Mr Hanson;
Elland; Marcia.’ Jared’s tone was ominous, ‘It sounds like a point
in time to intervene. Marcia will want go after Alexander you
know.’

‘Yes. That’s
what I thought.’ Oliver concurred, ‘We will go back there. And then
there is hopefully enough time left for some of us to find Aiden’s
missing team member.’

‘What
the….?’

‘Time to get
going?’ I asked.

‘Who?’ Janey
blinked and then her expression became concerned, ‘I see. Could be
tricky.’

‘Ellen.’ said
Jared.

‘How did you
know?’ Joe asked.

‘He would
already have left. Aiden wouldn’t wait. He’d get his people out.’
Jared pulled a strap tight on his pack, ‘Time to get going
girls.’

They all looked
at me. I just held out my hands in a “don’t know” gesture. Oliver
was grinning. We filed out of the small cave at began the two mile
walk up the narrow corridor.

‘She wouldn’t
leave,’ said Aiden, ‘even when I begged her to go. We were
separated when the soldiers came.’

‘That would be
Ellen?’ I said.

‘Yes.’ He
looked at me in a way that said, “Please don’t say anything about
it”.

‘Do you want to
return now?’ I asked him.

‘You mean,
right now. I would love to. But Ellen….’ He came and stood right
next to me, ‘there are lyrics in a song that say it.’

‘About being
way out of my league?’ I asked him.

‘Not exactly.
She can’t talk because in this reality she cannot put the letters
in order. But in the original, she’s a very chatty girl.’

‘This place
hasn’t changed her for the worse I hope.’ I said soothingly ‘She
seemed very capable.’

Aiden looked
worried; ‘I need to find her. Then I’ll leave.’

Joe came over
to him: ‘So what have you done to yourself since I last saw
you?’

‘Not anything
that hasn’t been fixed Doc!’ he tried to sound cheery.

Joe and I
exchanged glances. ‘You’re a really bad liar.’ said Joe, ‘I know
what happened to you.’

‘Yes,’ Aiden
sighed,

Jared joined
us. The others were drinking coffee with Elland’s men. Joe went to
them.

Aiden and Jared
eyed each other uncertainly.

‘Not a good
time to say I told you so.’ Aiden joked.

‘We’ve got out
of worse than this before.’ Jared replied.

‘Have you?’ I
said, ‘It’s different this time, isn’t it?’

Aiden touched
me very lightly, and brushed open the neck of my shirt with one
finger. He looked at it thoughtfully.

‘Ah, So it’s
true!’ he said softly, ‘You are quite the Lazarus are you not?’

The whole lot
gathered. And in came Aiden’s team. All looking the worse for wear.
Elland’s Men got them sat down and supplied them with cups of
strong hot coffee. It seemed to be the only drink round here.

‘You listen to
me.’ said Elland, ‘We need your help. And you need ours. Do you
have the drugs?’

‘We do.’ I said
firmly, ‘but what can you do for us?’

Oliver looked
like he was about to say something. But Jared put a hand on his
arm.

‘Smart move,’
said Elland, and smiled in amusement, ‘you needed me to fulfil a
task. As you see, I did half of it.’

‘I think if we
count the team it is as being more than done.’ I indicated Kay,
Ruben and the others. Kay rolled her eyes at me and seemed ready
for action.

‘It’s true,’
she said, ‘he took out the group who were pursuing us. we travelled
through the tunnels making for the entrance. And Elland….erm dealt
with six of them.’

‘Five.’ said
Elland, ‘let us be accurate.’

‘I saw six.’
She said.

‘Well we will
have company and no mistake. The girl is telling the truth.’ Elland
regarded her solidly. At that moment one of Elland’s men came over
to him and whispered.

‘Ah! It seems
we have stirred up the sleeping dragon,’ he seemed pleased, ‘there
will be time for your scientific analysis later Ms Arden.’ He
nodded to Janey, ‘but now we will have to formulate a simple plan.
I have it in mind to help you. And fulfil my agreement with the
wild cat, and the skinny kid.’

Much as I
didn’t like being referred to as a kid, I appreciated the
acknowledgement of my part in this. But Marcia seemed sour. ‘We
have to get everyone out,’ she said, ‘and Mr Hanson is definitely
our problem now.’

‘As for the
little nurse? She is still out there. I have an idea that the
dragon has her,’ Elland gestured widely with both hands, ‘But on
finding she has no voice, he may dispose of the female down one of
these water chimneys.’

I saw Aiden’s
expression, and then he looked away. Our little group gathered
round him as he sat down unstrung.

‘May I speak?’
said Jared. We all turned to him as that softly authoritative voice
carried an icy tone that set a shiver in everyone’s gut. I saw the
girl Sarah look up from her cup in an expression that was clawing
for recognition of the long forgotten past.

Elland nodded.
And Jared stepped between us all and moved around the group.

‘We have to
defeat this dragon. It may not be the once and for all. But we must
try. Elland has offered his help. I will take it. But all his men
and all Aiden's people must go home straight away. We will give the
time drugs to Elland’s Men, and we have some medicine for Aiden’s
people also. Joe? Will you see to that?’

Joe stood up
immediately and began the task.

‘We will take
two teams,’ he was loud and firm, ‘Those who are willing only of
the ones that remain, of which I count ten of us. One team will set
charges on every corridor and exit. The delay timed for midnight
tonight; that is corresponding to Base Time. Adam will give you the
synchronisation. The other team is to find Ellen and Hanson and
then leave.’ He looked round for Oliver, ‘that means we have
another.... twelve hours?’

Oliver
nodded.

‘This is going
to be interesting.’ said Adam, as he came near to me and showed me
his watch. I reset mine, then looked for further instructions. Kay
was helping to give the shots to the group. She seemed in better
shape than the rest of them.

The group of us
who were going to do the deed gathered round. Joe joined us a
moment later.

Marcia was
looking annoyed. The others were chattering.

‘Okay! Listen
now!’ Oliver said firmly. We all fell silent. Jared glanced at me.
I rolled my eyes at him. What had he told Marcia?

‘We are going
to divide into two teams,’ said Oliver, ‘Jared, Davey, and Janey
will be with me. Marcia will join Joe, Adam and Pete.’

Curly Pete
stuck his hand up, ‘What about Hanson?’

‘As far as we
know,’ said Oliver, ‘Elland has found the probable location of
Hanson. Marcia briefed Elland’s men. They can help get the
transmitter set up with George at the other end. We have the
portable transmitter that will get proximity on Hanson if he’s
still wearing the tag.’

‘What about
Alexander?’ asked Jared.

‘No news as
yet; we made the meet, but as you know he didn’t show.’ Oliver
frowned.

‘Bastard!’
Jared seethed ‘Why didn’t he take the bait? This feels very wrong
indeed.’

‘You didn’t
expect him to come when summoned, did you?’ Aiden stepped forward,
‘Your plan is simple now. But I have to remind you that Alexander
is clever and subtle. He can’t stop us leaving but he can change
the outcome of what we find when we get back.’ Aiden paused, ‘we
are all so sick of this going on and on. But the only way to end it
is to send Alexander back. He is the head, and without it the body
will wither.’

‘So tell them
Oliver,’ said Jared, ‘what you have in mind for each team.’

‘We have
brought explosives. And we aim to cut off his retreat. The soldiers
are easy to eliminate. Any direct hit will disconnect them from
this version. They have been given a vat of drugs, and cannot dodge
to any other time frame.’ Oliver took out a list. ‘We have
discovered six overlapping frames of time in this mountain. George
has been very busy cross-referencing all the data that Davey passed
on to him. Marcia confirmed a lot of this from the central
information she has err…. memorised. Jules has taken the precaution
of changing the codes to the transmitting frequency for the
modulator. So they cannot be reset at Base again.’