by Alexia James
Jeremy fought to keep his laughter from spilling over into his eyes. “Is that what she thought, that I would keep her there forever? Then she misunderstood the situation she found herself in. I never expected her to believe that I would not take her home, or that she would be so reticent to show me the location of the time rip. Besides, I don’t know why you are so worried, she has twice outsmarted me, my reputation is in tatters from her endeavours.”
Greg chuckled softly and glanced up from his laptop. “Face it, Jeremy, you’re not as good as we’ve all been led to believe. I mean, she can’t be more than five and a half foot, probably under eight stone, and she’s got the better of you twice.” Greg shook his head sadly.
A smile twisted Jeremy’s mouth at this, “That’s all right, Jones. I’ll be happy to demonstrate my lack of ability any time you’d like to drop by.”
Janet sighed and looked across at Greg. “You said you’d get me a coffee and doughnuts if I was good. Well I’ve been good for two hours now.”
Greg rolled his eyes, “High maintenance. You women are all the same.” He got to his feet and waded through the mess to the door. As soon as it clicked shut behind him, Jeremy turned to Janet with raised brows.
She perched on the edge of Greg’s desk and swung one bare foot while she thought.
Jeremy suppressed his laughter at her lack of attire. Obviously, Greg was having much better luck than he.
She narrowed her eyes and glanced up at him. “How can Freya hold onto any independence in a relationship if she is reliant on you to bring her between time zones? It’s not as if she could get a bus home if you have an argument.”
Jeremy let out a breath between his teeth. This was always going to be the sticking point. “I cannot allow her to have access to a time device, Janet. It would be far too dangerous.”
“And she can’t continue to use the time doorway because…” Janet looked at him pointedly.
“Do you know whether the farmhouse is occupied in this era?”
“No,” Janet said slowly. “You’re worried someone else may stumble on the doorway.”
He shrugged. “It’s already happened, but even were the house available, there would be problems in setting someone up. It is possible one of my brothers could be persuaded to live there in order to keep an eye on the thing, but whoever took on the house would need much support before they could live in this era without causing suspicion.
“We generally train for around six months before undertaking a job. To put someone in there who knows nothing of this age and expect them to blend in seamlessly is rather naïve. So even if one of my brothers were willing to do this, who would train him? As a company, we do not have endless resources. I am based in 1908. I cannot spend my time here in 2008. As it is I have to inform my colleague every time I leave. There are also a set number of times per month that one is allowed to travel, for continuity reasons. It takes twenty minutes out of my day every time I leave 1908, and all those minutes add up.”
Janet bit her lip and then looked up at him, her face set with determination. “Okay, take us across to the farmhouse now and we’ll see if it’s occupied. Freya said it’s empty, but I’d just as soon check first. If it is, I’ll find out who owns it and get the paperwork started. You persuade your brother to buy the house, I presume it won’t be too large an expenditure if inflation over the next hundred years is anything like the last, and if you want, I will go over there every day to train him up on 2008 and help him settle in. Who better for him to learn from than someone who was brought up in this era?”
“It may take months for a conveyance to go through, even if the property is empty. Do you understand what you are proposing? It might mean a complete disruption of your life for the next year.”
Janet shook her head. “I’d do anything to help out Freya. It’s not a problem for me.” She gave him a challenging look.
Jeremy nodded once, pulled his time device from his pocket, and held out a hand. “It is necessary to have skin contact in order to take another through space and time. Janet eyed him a moment and he grinned. “Don’t you trust me?”
Janet shook her head on a slight laugh, reaching out to take his hand. “No, but I trust Greg.”
There was a blinding flash, a feeling of falling and they were standing at the edge of the field looking onto the farmhouse.
Jeremy viewed the dilapidated property dispassionately. Janet stepped forwards to get a better look and he glanced down at her. “Don’t wander off, and watch where you are treading.”
They made a rough circuit of the house. The glass on the back door was already broken, the boarding missing, so Jeremy carefully put his hand through and opened the door.
He held up his time device and shone a bright light around the empty room. The floor immediately in front of them was littered with shards of glass, and dust lay thick all around, but the rest looked in surprisingly good shape.
Janet shuddered suddenly. “D’you think there’ll be rats?”
“I thought you said you would do anything for Freya?”
“How gentlemanly of you to remind me.”
“Come here. I’ll lift you past the glass and we can see what the rest of the place is like.”
They explored the dark building quietly, Janet making the odd threat about what she would do to Jeremy if she happened to step on a spider in her bare feet. The boards across the windows let in very little light and Janet clutched Jeremy’s arm, making him laugh again.
“Quit laughing at me, you rat, this place is freaking me out.”
“You are the one who suggested we come here now,” he said, “Since you may be visiting one of my brothers here, you may as well get used to it.”
“Yeah, but it’s not gonna be in freaking darkness. Why do we have to look round all the rooms anyway?” Janet winged, “It’s obvious it’s uninhabited, let’s just go, huh?”
Jeremy shook his head. “Wait until I tell Greg what a chicken you have been.”
Janet merely snorted. “That’s not gonna work. I’m a girl: we’re supposed to be scared of creepy places.”
“This from the woman who broke into Greg’s office at three in the morning.”
“Hey, it was dark, but it wasn’t creepy.”
They reached the top of the stairs and began to look around. “I’m getting a real bad feeling here.” Janet whispered, curling her hand involuntarily around his arm. A slight shuffling noise in the next room had her gasping and digging her fingers into him, “Jeremy!” she whispered in a squeak.
She felt his laugher as he made for the door. He shook his arm free and gripped her by the hand, forcing her behind him. He turned slightly to whisper back to her, “Stay close to me, Janet, and don’t make a sound. If there’s trouble, I will flash us back to the office.”
He turned off the light on his time device and waited a moment for his eyes to adjust; then walked casually out to the upper landing and entered the next room as if he were merely out for a stroll. He could feel Janet’s anxiety as he surveyed the room. Suddenly he laughed and pulled her forwards. “It’s a cat. Look, it has kittens here.”
He held up his time device as he spoke, turning on the light so she could see for herself the scrawny tabby surrounded by kittens. The cat mewed and looked up at them, light reflecting off its eyes.
Janet gave a shaky laugh and said, “Can we go back now? I think I peed my pants.” She felt his laughter and there was another flash of light.
Greg was sitting behind his desk, several takeaway cups in front of him along with a bulging paper bag. Janet rushed to his side and cast herself upon his lap saying: “I think I’m going to just stay here for the rest of the day now.”
“How about a doughnut?” Greg said.
She sat up, instantly revived, and reached eagerly for the bag, “Doughnuts. Now I’m okay.”
Greg looked up at Jeremy enquiringly.
“Janet suggested we take a look at the farmhouse in this era to see if it is occupied.
It was boarded up and we had a bit of an adventure which turned out to be a cat upstairs.”
“Ah, baby, are you okay?” Greg asked, looking almost sincere.”
She rolled her eyes at him. “Girls are supposed to be scared of dark, creepy places. You’ve been watching those wonder woman reruns again. And you,” she looked up at Jeremy as she spoke, “I can’t believe you kept me there while you went on your little superhero crusade. Obviously, chivalry is dead where you come from. Poor Freya must need her head examined to have fallen in love with you.”
Jeremy laughed and said, “Janet, I would never have allowed you to be harmed, Greg would have had my head, and what do you mean that Freya is in love with me?”
Janet sighed in exasperation, “Of course she is in love with you, why do think she runs a mile every time you are too nice to her. Knowing Freya, she is probably running like mad from the thought of commitment. God forbid she comes to depend on someone. It might mean she has to face the fact that life is uncertain.”
“Oooh, you really did get a scare didn’t you,” Greg interrupted, “I’ve only ever seen you this acidic when you’re covering your fear.”
She shook her head at him. “You’ve got to stop believing all those movies you watch.”
Jeremy reached for his coffee and took one of the others. “I’m going to see Brett. I may need the coffee as a bribe. Janet, I trust you will make enquires about the house? Greg will give you the address. I believe we should purchase the property regardless. See if you can find out how much of the surrounding land is up for sale as well.”
Brett walked with Jeremy into the dark silent kitchen. He listened with half an ear as Jeremy talked of the advantages of living in 2008. The coffee, the better weather, the economy. He could hear the note of desperation buried in Jeremy’s smooth voice.
He considered his little brother as he looked around the empty kitchen. Jeremy might not have realised yet how deep his feelings for Freya ran, but to Brett it was obvious.
He pictured the kitchen as it could be, sunny and warm. A place of peace. Then there was this woman, Janet, who was willing to come over here to teach him the ways of this era. She lived in Reading, a good distance from here, and she worked in London. Jeremy had told him she was Freya’s friend and it said a lot that she was willing to disrupt her life to such an extent.
They walked around the rest of the house. Jeremy doing the social bit while Brett made enough enquires to keep him going. He wanted to live in the twenty first century and Jeremy was giving him the ideal opportunity.
Peeking into one of the upstairs rooms, Brett saw a tabby cat stretched out in one corner and surrounded by kittens. He tuned back into the conversation.
“—here. I don’t think Janet was too impressed with me. Nonetheless, we can get the animals removed easily enough. Janet tells me the auction is for tomorrow. We were lucky that it had not already happened.”
Brett approached the cat, who mewed pathetically. He crouched down, putting out a hand cautiously before gently scratching the animal behind her ears.
Jeremy watched his brother with affection. Of course Brett would stroke the cat, he loved animals; seemed to have an affinity with them. He would likely keep the cat as a pet.
Brett stroked his hands over the thin furry body. The kittens were fluffy balls, curled up sleeping. “We need to get her some food,” he said glancing up. He noticed Jeremy’s smile and returned it with one of his own. “Are you laughing at me?”
Jeremy looked down, still smiling, and shook his head. “I’ll tell Janet to buy some cat food and a basket. We’ll come back.”
Brett gave the cat a last gentle rub and stood up, following Jeremy from the room.
“Here, let’s see if the water is still connected.” Jeremy was standing just inside the doorway of what looked like a small bathroom. He turned the tap on the sink, but nothing happened. He shrugged, “Hardly surprising. We’ll have a look for the well, afterwards. See if it’s still useable. I’m sure your furry friend in there would appreciate a drink.”
They wandered back through the house and out into the sun-drenched field. Jeremy stood side by side with Brett as they viewed the farmhouse. Brett, hands on hips, allowed his gaze to wander over the weeds and long grass; the house with its boarded up windows.
He let out a breath between his teeth, “Lot of work here.”
Jeremy glanced at his brother, “Janet is going to sort out the auction and we aim to complete as soon as possible after that.”
“What about Greg, is he okay about Janet coming over here every day? If they’re just starting a relationship he may resent her spending all her time down here.”
“I am not sure how serious they are about each other. You know Greg. He wants Janet on board, says her software skills are first class for this era. As for their personal relationship…” Jeremy shrugged.
Brett looked again at the weeds and boarded up windows. He shook his head slightly, “I must be mad to even consider it. And you say there’s a time rip here somewhere that comes out in 1908.”
“Yes, although Freya has still not revealed the exact location.”
“Do we know when it opened up?”
“Kitter believes it would only have happened once they began to monitor the kitchen of the farmhouse in 1908. He tells me it will be within a quarter mile radius of that point and may close up again if they stop monitoring.”
“That’s close.”
“Precisely.”
“So, why me? You’re not gonna tell me Kitter couldn’t spare someone else for this job. What about your man in the field, working alongside Greg?”
“I need someone I can trust implicitly. The W1 office will be there as back up for you, and Janet will give you the information you need to settle here and help you blend in.”
“You think Freya will give you the location?”
“I cannot imagine why not, once I have explained to her that she can come and go as she pleases. What would stop her?”
Brett shrugged. “You’re serious about this girl, aren’t you?”
Jeremy sighed. “The first few times I saw her I thought she was a sweet little girl, fairly typical of 1908, a girl who needed looking after.” Jeremy paused but Brett didn’t speak.
“I started to get serious about her when she was hurt running from a guy who was pestering her. She just seemed to run from one catastrophe to the next and I wanted to keep her safe.”
Brett grinned inwardly and pretended an interest in his feet while Jeremy spoke.
“But that’s not all, by any means. She has this undercurrent of steel running through her. I think she’s an incredibly strong person, someone who’s going to be a force to be reckoned with in a few years time. Right now, she’s this chaotic mixture of confidence and uncertainty. I just hope she still wants me around in a few years.”
“Why would you think that she’d not?”
Jeremy shrugged. “I know she has emotional issues to deal with. Janet told me Freya lost her elder brother when she was just a kid. I think there is friction with her family, possibly over his death, but I haven’t gone there.” Jeremy shuffled his feet. “She wants to meet you, all you lot, in fact. I thought I was going to cry when she asked me. Knowing about time travel, how much strength of character does it take to ask to meet our family and yet never mention her loss?”
Brett nodded somewhat absently. He wondered how deep Freya’s feelings ran for Jeremy. He had never seen his little brother display such interest in a girl. All Jeremy’s previous relationships had been care free and short-lived. He hoped Jeremy didn’t get his heart broken. It was interesting too that Freya had requested to meet him and his other brothers, and that she had tried to steal a time device. That certainly showed backbone, and might be about her brother.
Jeremy wanted him to keep an eye on the time rip to make sure no one else discovered it, but Brett was uneasy with the fact of its existence at all, so close to where he was expected to live. Jeremy had p
resumed Freya would be happy to give up the location once he had assured her that she could still use it, but Brett was not so sure it would be resolved so easily.
“Jeremy,” Brett said, his voice low and smooth like his brother’s, “I’ll take it on. It would suit me to live here. I do have a couple of conditions though.”
“Of course, what is it that you wish?”
Brett grinned and shook his head. “I never get used to that 1908 speak. It sounds so formal, so wrong.”
“So polite,” Jeremy interrupted with a grin, “All right, I’ll ask you in the 2112 manner. He paused for effect and then said, “Wa ya want?”
Brett snorted a laugh out, “Uh huh, that’s more like it.” His smile faded as he surveyed the boarded up house once more.
“I want to know the location of the rip when you manage to find it. I also want training on the use of a time device.” He held up his hand before Jeremy could interrupt him, “I’m not asking for a device, but it occurs to me that if a felon were to escape your clutches and somehow make it through the time doorway, or others like Greg are to visit me, then I at least need to know what I’m dealing with.”
Jeremy nodded slowly, “That’s not unreasonable.”
“As well as that, I want to be kept in the loop about any suspected felons from our time in this era, as well as those from 1908, and also any personnel such as Jones from our time.”
“Done,” Jeremy nodded again.
Brett smiled slowly, “So. When are you going to introduce me to Freya?”
Janet huffed as she parked her small hatchback down Merrywether Lane. Jeremy had called her with directions, instructing her to meet Brett at the house. Greg had promised to join her later on but had work to do in the meantime, and Jeremy had said he needed to get back to 1908.
