Max felt a strange twinge as she watched Linden speak to the girl.
‘This is my daughter Ella,’ smiled Valerie. ‘And this is Max and Linden from Australia. They know Ben, Eleanor and Francis.’
‘Australia? How cool. I’ve always wanted to go to Australia,’ said Ella.
Linden’s smile reached so far up his face it nearly crashed into his ears.
‘Yeah, me too.’
He blushed as red as raspberry cordial.
‘I mean, yeah, it’s a really cool place.’
Max was going to be sick. Since when did Linden say ‘cool’?
‘We’d better get going,’ said Valerie, grabbing her bag. ‘I know where Francis used to live just a few months ago. We can try there and talk on the way.’
Walking to the car, Max couldn’t help feeling a little weird when she saw Linden and Ella together. Linden was laughing like Ella was telling the funniest jokes in the world. Valerie had given them all some fruit from her bag and they were sharing theirs as they walked. Max ate hers in silence.
In the car, Valerie told them the story of how Francis and Ben fell out.
‘Ben and Francis were working on a top-secret project for the Government, which was being supervised by me. They were going to make a Time and Space Machine like Ben told you. They were close too, until Mr Blue came on the scene.’
Max frowned.
‘Who’s Mr Blue?’ she asked.
‘A very suave man the Government hired to be in charge of that project and others Ben and Francis were working on. He was supposed to sell the machine overseas and make sure England was the first country to succeed in creating it because there were other countries working on it too.’
Linden leant forward from the back seat.
‘What happened?’ he asked.
‘It turns out Mr Blue didn’t have the best interests of the country at heart. He told Ben and Francis that the machine and the money they made from it would be used to help people in England and in other countries less fortunate than ours, but he really wanted the money to go into his own private funds and some dubious nuclear projects.’
‘Not only that,’ Ella added, ‘Mr Blue was making lots of money for himself from selling Government secrets all over the world and was planning to sell the secret of the Time and Space Machine when it was finished.’
‘Does he still work for the Government?’ Linden asked.
‘He has one of the highest positions in the country next to the Prime Minister,’ Ella explained.
‘He is also very clever at covering his tracks,’ said Valerie. ‘We’ve been trying to expose him for years, but he’s not only clever at planning evil schemes, he’s also brilliant at hiding any evidence that they exist. But when Ben found out about Mr Blue’s lies, he quit and asked Francis to come with him.’
‘And Francis didn’t go?’ Max guessed.
‘Francis is a scientist and wanted more than anything to continue working on the Time and Space Machine. He didn’t want to believe Mr Blue had lied to them and thought Ben was overreacting.’
‘That was when Ben and Eleanor came to Australia?’ Linden asked.
‘They left as soon as they could,’ Valerie added with sadness in her voice.
‘And Francis stayed?’ asked Max.
‘Not for long. He discovered Mr Blue had lied and he confronted him. Mr Blue told Francis that if he refused to work with him, he’d make sure he never worked in the field of science again. Francis was shocked. He thought what he was doing was good but instead he was just part of Mr Blue’s terrible plan. By then he was far away from the two people he loved most, Ben and Eleanor.’
‘And that’s when he disappeared,’ Ella added. ‘Without a word.’
‘With the help of a few men in suits,’ said Linden to Max, remembering what the old lady had told them.
Max and Linden felt sad about the story of Francis and Ben’s split. Max really wanted to find Francis now so she could tell him how much Ben and Eleanor wanted to see him.
‘And what about you?’ Linden asked.
Valerie sighed like it was really hard for her to tell them.
‘Soon after Francis left I found out everything. I resigned and told Mr Blue I was going to tell the whole world about what he was doing, but before I could, he ruined my career and credibility. He had drawn up some scientific results that were full of flawed work and told the papers and the TV that I was misusing Government money and science for my own advantage. He invented a whole lot of evidence against me. He then called me a disgrace to the scientific community and they believed him. After that, no one would listen to anything I had to say.’
Ella looked sad as her mum told the story and Linden took her hand. Ella smiled and blinked a tear from her eye.
‘I was kicked out of the department,’ Valerie said, ‘and stripped of my credentials. Nobody believed me when I tried to tell the truth. Mr Blue was very thorough and the only job I could get was as a lab assistant at Hartfield School.’
Max looked at her.
‘Well, we believe you and we’re going to make sure the world knows the truth about Mr Blue,’ she said.
Valerie smiled as she parked the car.
‘Here we are,’ she said.
Max and Linden looked out the window and stared in surprise at the scene around them. The street was full of potholes and lined on either side were grey, crumbling apartment buildings surrounded by broken brick fences overgrown with weeds and bins overflowing with rubbish.
‘It looks a little more run down than when I saw it last,’ said Valerie.
Max and Linden looked at the building she pointed to. It stood among the others like a tired old man, worn out with the effort of trying to stand up.
‘Let’s go in and see if we can find Francis,’ said Valerie, trying to fill her voice with a positive note.
As they got out of the car, a black BMW pulled up in silence nearby. Behind its heavily tinted windows sat two men wearing dark glasses and black jackets. One of the men whispered into his mobile phone.
‘We’ve found them, boss. It won’t be long now until you have what you want.’
Max stepped into the building where they hoped to find Francis and she turned around to see Linden holding the door open for Ella.
‘Thanks Linden, that’s sweet,’ Ella said.
Sweet? That’s worth throwing up on, thought Max.
Valerie led them to the elevator but standing in front of it was like standing in front of a giant bear in hibernation. There were no lights working and not a single crank of steal or cables to be heard.
‘Looks like we have to do the five floors on foot,’ she said.
Max cringed with the thought that Linden would probably offer to carry Ella up.
On the stairs, Linden and Ella were talking quietly.
‘When do you have to go back to Australia?’ Ella asked.
‘We have to leave in a few hours,’ said Linden.
Ella was disappointed.
‘Can I give you this?’
She handed Linden a small white machine.
‘What is it?’ he asked.
‘It’s a communication, tracking and recording device,’ Ella said proudly. ‘Mum made it so she and I can always be in contact with each other. Just press this button here and a communication signal will go directly to us.’
‘That’s great! Will it work all the way from Australia?’ Linden asked.
‘Mum says it could work from the moon. So we can talk to each other every day.’
Big deal, thought Max, who was listening in to what they were saying.
Linden beamed and for a second Max thought he was actually going to give Ella a kiss.
She couldn’t stand it any more.
‘Linden, can I talk to you?’ she asked.
Ella knew something was wrong and stepped past Max to walk with her mum.
‘Linden, if we’re going to find Francis, you’re going to have to keep your mind on the job a
nd not go all gooey-eyed over some girl.’
‘I wasn’t all gooey-eyed. She gave me this,’ he said, holding out Ella’s present. ‘It’s a communication, tracking and …’
‘I saw what was happening. You can chase girls when we get back to Australia. For now we’ve got an important mission to complete, or have you forgotten that?’ Max snapped and walked on ahead.
Linden muttered to himself, ‘Maybe if you were a little less stressed out we could finish the mission and have a good time.’
Max swung around.
‘What did you say?’ she asked.
‘I said it’s a shame the elevator isn’t working because it’s a hard climb,’ Linden said, smiling.
Max was sceptical but spun around on her heel and walked on.
On level five, Valerie found the room she was looking for. The corridor was dark and there was a strong musty smell, like no one had bothered to open any windows for years.
‘This is it,’ she said, looking dubiously around at the papers and rubbish littering the floor.
She knocked on the door.
They waited but heard nothing.
Valerie knocked again and this time they heard the crash of crockery followed by an angry snarl and mumbled complaining.
‘Stupid, half-witted, ridiculous …’
Valerie pulled Linden, Ella and Max behind her.
They jumped as they heard footsteps clumping towards them. Then there was a thump against the door and a gruff voice shouted, ‘What do you want?’
‘Francis? Is that you?’ Valerie was shocked. It sounded like Francis, only older and very angry.
The voice yelled back, ‘Who wants to know?’
‘It’s Valerie Liebstrom, and I’ve brought some people to see you.’
There was a pause before the angry voice yelled again.
‘Well I don’t want to see anybody, so why don’t you all just turn around and go back to where you came from?’
The hall went quiet and Max looked at Valerie.
‘Maybe if he knows Ben’s my uncle, he’ll listen to me,’ she said.
Max stepped closer to the door.
‘Mr Williams, my name is Max and I’ve come all the way from Australia …’
Before she could finish, Francis shouted again.
‘Are you still there? I thought I told you to go away?’
Valerie put her hand on Max’s shoulder.
‘Maybe we should leave,’ she said.
But something in Max fired up and she suddenly lost her patience for this rude man and wanted him to know it. She and Linden had come too far and done too much to find Francis and now they were here, she wasn’t sure he was even worth it. If this was how their mission was going to end, she was at least going to tell him what she thought.
‘Now you listen here. You may be sick of the world, but there are some people who’d like to talk to you. If it was up to me I’d have nothing to do with you because you sound like a mean and cranky old man, but Ben and Eleanor do care. But if that’s the way you want to treat …’
‘Ben and Eleanor?’ the voice barked, but this time less loudly.
Max and Valerie looked at each other.
‘They’re my uncle and aunt and I just wanted …’ Max began.
‘Well why didn’t you say Ben was your uncle instead of just raving on?’ Francis interrupted.
Ella, Linden, Valerie and Max stared at the door as the hall echoed with the sound of bolts being drawn. They had no idea what to expect and stood back apprehensively, waiting to see what this man looked like. When the final bolt was released, the door opened with a tired creak and the shadow of a man appeared from the darkness of the flat.
‘Well don’t just stand there,’ he said. ‘Come in.’
They filed in slowly and when Francis flicked on a small lamp, the whole place took on a dim, blurry focus. The flat was just one small room which was the kitchen, bedroom and lounge room all in one. On the floor near the lamp was a broken tea cup, which Francis stepped over as he lowered himself into a large, dusty-looking lounge chair. There were piles of yellowing newspapers everywhere and frayed curtains covering the windows. The fireplace was filled with soot and ashes below a mantelpiece strewn with cups, papers, unopened mail and apple cores. In the corner was a small, unmade bed, scattered with twisted blankets and discarded clothes. In the kitchen area, the table was covered with sauce bottles, cups, plates, salt and pepper shakers and gooey leftovers from breakfast. Dishes piled in the sink like a crooked tower about to topple over. There was a small fridge with a broken handle and next to this, garbage bags sat like obedient pets, waiting to be taken out.
Max and Linden stared with open mouths. They’d never seen such a mess.
‘You might as well sit down,’ offered Francis gruffly.
When Valerie and Ella sat on the two-seater lounge, a small cloud of dust ballooned around them. Linden perched on the armrest next to Ella and sneezed.
‘Bless you,’ she said, smiling up at him.
Max rolled her eyes and moved away from them to sit on a wobbly kitchen chair near Francis. She studied his face as he stared at the floor. In the photos he was young, handsome and smiling, but in person he was a small, bony man who looked more like a ghost. Everything about him was grey. Grey hair, grey skin, even his eyes were grey. He looked like someone whose hard times had sunk into his skin and stayed there.
Valerie was the most shocked.
‘How have you been, Francis?’ she asked, trying to make her voice sound calm.
‘I’ve been better,’ Francis hurrumphed.
He played with a piece of wool dangling from his frayed jumper and his trousers hung around him like they were from a past when he was a much bigger man. He kept his head down as he spoke to Max.
‘So what did Ben have to say?’ he asked softly.
‘That he misses you and is sad you don’t talk any more.’
Francis kept looking down.
‘He said that, did he?’
‘He also said you were close to inventing a Time and Space Machine,’ said Max.
Francis looked up.
‘That’s all in the past now,’ he said sharply.
Linden moved forward on the armrest. ‘Ben has created a Matter Transporter and that’s how Max and I got here.’
‘He did?’ Francis asked, unable to hide his increasing curiosity.
‘And we thought you’d like to come back to Australia and finish the Time and Space Machine with him,’ said Max.
Francis looked down at his hands.
‘I’m finished with science,’ he said curtly.
Max looked at Valerie. How were they going to convince him to come with them?
‘Francis, you love science,’ Valerie said. ‘And your brother needs you.’
There was a pause before Francis spoke again.
‘When we were kids, Ben and I were very poor. Our dad ran out on us when we were young. Some nights we were so cold we slept in the same bed to keep warm. It was on one of those cold nights that Ben and I made a pact that we would always stick together and we would make something of ourselves so we’d never be poor again.’
Francis wrung his hands in front of him like he was trying to keep them warm.
‘Mr Blue offered us money we’d only ever dreamt of and a chance to save lots of kids from ever having to be cold or hungry. I thought we had it all. We had money, we were helping the world and we were together. But the money made me blind to what was really going on. When Ben told me the truth about Mr Blue, I didn’t want to believe it. If I did, I’d have to give up everything.’
Francis sighed. ‘I took someone else’s word over my own brother’s,’ he said sadly. ‘That’s something you can never forget.’
‘But Ben has forgotten it,’ Max almost shouted in excitement. ‘He really wants to see you again.’
Francis smiled.
‘We were very close to making the machine work.’
‘Great, let’s go,’
yelled Max, standing up.
‘There’s only one thing,’ Francis interrupted. ‘There’s one vital part of the machine we need. The Time and Space Retractor Meter.’
Max and Linden frowned.
‘When I left the Department of Science and New Technologies, I destroyed all the files and components of the machine except for that.’
Francis smiled like he was savouring his favourite dessert.
‘Mr Blue has been after it for years. He’s offered me everything he could think of, but there’s nothing that would make me work with him again, ever.’
‘Where is it?’ Max asked.
‘It’s in a locker at Victoria Station.’
Ella and Linden jumped up.
‘Let’s go and get it,’ they said.
They all stared at Francis as he made up his mind. Max gulped hard, hoping he’d agree to come with them.
‘As long as all the windows in the car are wound down. I get carsick,’ explained Francis.
‘All right!’ shouted Ella and Linden.
Francis picked up a crumpled coat that was draped on the back of his lounge chair as the others made their way out to the corridor. He turned to Max, trying to find the courage to ask what was bothering him.
‘You’re sure Ben wants to see me?’ he asked nervously.
‘He said it eats him up that you two parted so badly,’ said Max.
Francis smiled and looked like he was going to cry. Max hated to see people cry. It was just too much emotion for her to bear. She said quickly, ‘We better get going.’
Max walked with Francis down the five flights of stairs.
‘Aren’t you afraid Mr Blue is still after you?’
Francis laughed as he pulled his coat around him against the cold.
‘Mr Blue has long finished thinking about me,’ he said.
‘How can you be sure?’ asked Max.
‘He has spent years having people follow me. He had my every move watched to make sure I didn’t tell the world about him and to find out if I was still working on the Time and Space Machine.’
‘But why didn’t you ever go to the police about him?’
‘When it came down to it, it was just his word against ours and because he moved in some pretty important circles, people were never going to believe us against him.’
In Search of the Time and Space Mach Page 8
