The Time Thieves

by Charlie Carter

  But there wasn’t anyone; the only voice was his own. His SimulSkin had shut down all non-essential, non-emergency apps, focusing on landing survival and nothing else. Even Info-Streams had been terminated. Four was utterly alone, and becoming painfully aware of how lonely that was.

  He braced himself as he skimmed over the thousands of scowling faces, the fear growing in his stomach like a nasty ache. The soldiers were working themselves into a battle-crazed fury, shaking their spears and swords at him, their pikes and battleaxes. His SimulSkin still had minimal ShieldField capacity and he activated it so that he at least had some protection. But for how long?

  ‘Look out!’ 004 yelled as he clipped the first row of soldiers. ‘Give me some space. Out of the way.’

  He bounced across the top of them, arms flailing, legs twisting. He slammed into the next row, ricocheting off them and hitting the ground with a solid thud. He skidded along for at least twenty metres, scaring horses and knocking soldiers over like bowling pins, before eventually grinding to a stop.

  Four groaned, dazed and shaken. No bones were broken and his internal organs were fine according to an auto-body check run by his SimulSkin. But he was aching and bruised from head to toe.

  He picked himself up and staggered a few steps. But that was as far as he got. In a matter of seconds he was surrounded by soldiers, every one of them pressing a weapon against his body. And beyond them were more soldiers, an endless sea of Anglo-Saxon faces, all of them snarling.

  Four’s heart dropped. These were battle-hardened warriors, here to kill or be killed. He searched their eyes, but saw only the same mix of hate, anger, loathing and bloodlust.

  They’ll hack me to pieces without a second thought, and my failing SimulSkin won’t be much use at all. Four’s mind kicked into survival mode. Stay alive. Must stay alive. Those words flashed in his head like a street sign.

  You owe it to yourself to stay alive. More than that, he thought, you owe it to your mother. She’ll never forgive you if you go and get killed. So pull yourself together.

  ‘He’s a demon,’ shouted a Housecarl who seemed to be in charge. ‘Kill him.’

  The soldier swung his sword, but Four’s weakening ShieldField had just enough force to repel the blow. The sword was knocked out of the warrior’s hand. The Anglo-Saxons stood back for a moment, muttering about special powers, wizardry and the like. Four knew that his ShieldField would not save him a second time. He had to make the most of this small advantage.

  ‘I’m not a demon,’ he yelled, relieved that at least his Auto-Translator was working so his words were immediately turned into Anglo-Saxon. ‘I’m a special envoy from the gods, here with a message for your glorious master, Harold Godwinson, King Harold the Second of England, long may he rule. Take me to him at once. At once, I say.’

  ‘You don’t fool me,’ the Housecarl hissed. ‘But I’ll let King Harold himself cut you to pieces. He’ll enjoy that. Seize him.’

  Before he could utter another word, Four was grabbed and dragged away.

  * * *

  Five, Nine and TEX leapt out of the limousine. They stood in the laneway gazing up at walls of pure concrete.

  ‘Could you stay with the limousine, please?’ Five asked Bernard. ‘We might need to get away in a hurry. And keep an eye out for anything suspicious.’

  ‘There’s already something odd about this place,’ said TEX. ‘Can you hear that deep rumbling? And feel it? It’s under us, but right through this whole area.’

  Five and Nine looked around them and listened carefully.

  ‘Sorry,’ Five replied. ‘Your super-sensitive hearing is detecting something we can’t pick up. But we can’t worry about that now. It’s Four we’re after.’

  He pointed the G-C Scanner down the lane and set off at a fast pace. Nine and TEX followed, the scanner reading stronger at every step. After about thirty metres the instrument peaked.

  ‘This is it.’ Five pointed at the building. ‘He’s in there.’

  ‘How do we get in?’ said Nine, staring at the blank grey wall. ‘There’s no door.’

  ‘Yes, there is,’ TEX replied.

  He stepped up to the grey wall and ran his finger around the virtually invisible outline of a doorway. Then he pointed to an almost undetectable button that sat flush with the wall.

  ‘I get the feeling they don’t want visitors,’ Nine said.

  Skin gave a warning beep and sent a general Info-Stream message to everyone:

  Surveillance camera at 12 o’clock. Also indications of an unwelcoming committee within the building. Exact location uncertain.

  ‘Let’s introduce ourselves, then,’ said Five, and promptly pressed the button.

  A door slid open to reveal a lift.

  ‘Be careful, Omega Squad,’ Professor Perdu warned over their Battle Watches. ‘I’m getting a clear picture of where you are at present. But that may change at any moment. If we lose contact, you must apply extreme caution at every step.’

  ‘Gotcha, Prof,’ Five replied, and they stepped into the lift. The door shut and the lift ascended. Skin messaged the agents again:

  Unwelcoming committee is waiting at the lift exit. It consists of seven security guards, all Base Level androids in max-aggression mode.

  The squad members nodded to each other and prepared for the hostile reception.

  Only five androids were waiting when the lift opened, not seven. But they were all aiming StenVoid 320s – serious meat mincers – at the visitors.

  ‘Don’t shoot,’ Nine shouted, and the Time Troopers threw their hands in the air. ‘We surrender.’

  But the androids were not programmed for mercy. They opened fire and kept blasting until all their ammunition was used. Only when the smoke cleared did they realise that the Time Troopers hadn’t been minced at all.

  ‘Ah, the benefits of a combined ShieldField,’ said Five, deactivating it.

  He and Nine buzzed the droids with Force 7 Electro-Mag Rays, scrambling their circuits and frying their chips. With a mix of smoke, sparks, flames and electronic screams, the mangled security guards slumped to the floor in a sizzling heap.

  The other two androids were hiding at the side of the lift. TEX took out one with a karate chop that snapped its central circuit cord, and grabbed the other android by the neck.

  ‘Take us to your leader,’ TEX said, lifting the android off the ground and shaking it about.

  The android pointed to a door. TEX kicked it open and the squad stepped into a long, wide corridor.

  Then the super soldier stopped. ‘There it is again,’ he said. ‘That rumbling, deep and low, spreading through the floor, the walls, the whole building. Can’t you hear it?’

  Nine and Five focused, but they couldn’t hear the sound. Skin, however, could.

  ‘Affirmative, Uber Trooper Experiment One,’ Skin reported. ‘Sounds and vibrations detected and recorded. Uploading now to Operations HQ for further analysis.’

  ‘Thanks, Skin,’ TEX replied. ‘I thought for a minute I was hearing things in my head.’

  ‘I’ll analyse the data ASAP,’ Professor Perdu said over Five’s Battle Watch as the Time Troopers walked deeper into the building.

  The corridor was lined on both sides by darkened windows. The rooms behind the windows were filled with large cone-shaped structures, machines covered in switches, levers, dials and buttons. The machines made a high-pitched squeal, like kettles on the boil.

  ‘Record some images of that room,’ the professor instructed as they passed. ‘I’ll need a more detailed analysis. If those cone-shaped cylinders are what I think they are, we have really stumbled upon something quite extraordinary.’

  At the end of the corridor they came to a large door. On it was a sign:

  H. Horologe

  Time Broker

  Your time is my business$

  The professor groaned. ‘Oh, no. I don’t believe it.’

  TEN

  The squad members stared at each other. ‘Do you know H
. Horologe, Prof?’ said Five.

  ‘Horace Horologe,’ she said. ‘Physicist; brilliant but bad to the core; always dabbling on the dark side of science. And hopelessly in love with the Almighty Dollar; Horace will do anything for money. Anything, believe me. I had thought he’d done the decent thing and died. Go ahead, TEX; knock the door down. It’s the only language he understands.’

  TEX tossed the android aside, took a few steps back and charged. But as he reached the door it hummed open and he barged straight through. Nine and Five followed.

  The room was circular and huge, with thick carpet and plush furniture. But the circular wall was the dazzling feature. It was filled with constantly changing scenes, images of historical times, figures and places. The whole show wrapped around the viewers, making them feel as if they were inside an enormous movie about the past.

  ‘Can I be of some assistance?’

  At the far end of the room, a small round man sat in a throne-like chair at an extremely large desk, leaning back, feet up, arms folded.

  ‘Yes,’ said Five. ‘We’re here on a mission from Professor Perdu.’

  ‘Oh, the gorgeous Juanita. What a pity she didn’t come herself.’

  ‘So your thugs could eliminate her?’ said Nine. ‘Like they almost eliminated us?’

  ‘Overzealous, were they? I do apologise. That’s the problem with Base Level droids – no finesse, no je ne sais quoi, no —’

  ‘Enough, Horace.’ Professor Perdu interrupted via the Battle Watch.

  Five cranked up the volume on his Battle Watch so the professor came out loud and clear.

  ‘Sorry, Omega Squad,’ she said, ‘but I know him; he’ll talk his way out of anything if you let him.’

  ‘Oh, you are there, Juanita. I knew you couldn’t keep away. Why only the other day I was —’

  ‘I said enough, Horace. And kill the home movies.’

  ‘But it’s my latest venture, Juanita: visit the Past, for old time’s sake. It’s the future of travel and a whole new slant on timeshare. It’ll be huge. Bigger than Ben Hur. Ancient Egypt is already booked out, Rome likewise. But I could get you into Mesopotamia. They say that Babylon —’

  ‘I said turn it off! Or my agents will do it for you. And they might accidentally break something.’

  The Time Broker flicked his hand dismissively and the wall was suddenly blank. ‘You are in a bad mood.’

  ‘You’re dead right,’ said the professor. ‘But I’ll get a lot madder if you don’t give us what we want.’

  ‘And what might that be?’

  ‘You’ve got one of my Battle Agents.’

  ‘Don’t be ridiculous. I deal in time, not bodies.’

  ‘Someone has hacked into my operation and stolen a chunk of Battle Energy.’

  ‘Well, it’s not me, Juanita. I haven’t hacked for ages, not since we were in college together.’

  ‘Listen, Horace, we know you’ve got that energy ball.’

  ‘Oh?’

  ‘My Battle Agent is in it, and his signal is coming from this very building.’

  ‘Oh, I see.’

  ‘And I want him back.’

  Horace frowned. ‘I’m afraid that might be rather difficult.’

  ‘What!’

  Nine and Five shouted this together, slamming their fists down on Horologe’s desk. At the same time, TEX leaned across the desk looking his most threatening.

  ‘It’s okay, Omega Squad,’ said the professor. ‘I’ll handle this.’ She spoke in a low voice. ‘Now listen, Horace. I’ll tell you what I’ve worked out about your little operation there, and you fill in the gaps. Co-operate totally, or I let my team loose on you. Agreed?’

  ‘How can I refuse, Juanita, when you put it that way?’

  ‘You’re running a kind of storehouse here. Correct?’

  ‘Yes. It’s called a Time Store.’

  ‘One in which Time and Energy Bundles are kept. Correct?’

  ‘Yes again. But there’s more than one storehouse, actually.’

  ‘You mean all those cement buildings out there?’

  ‘A number of them, yes.’

  The professor gasped. ‘But where are you getting the T&E bundles from?’

  ‘Come now, Juanita. Surely you don’t expect me to reveal my sources.’

  ‘You’ll reveal a whole lot more if we have to bust you.’

  ‘Well it’s not a great secret. You know you’re not the only person experimenting with Time and Energy capture. You’ve always kept your work under wraps. But others are less careful. And there’s been a lot of leakage lately. In fact, the field has opened right up in the last six months. There are quite a few operators out there now – official, unofficial, freelance, backyard, amateur, you name it. I don’t ask questions about where the bundles of Time and Energy come from. I just store them and take my fee. It’s a good little money earner.’

  ‘I can imagine. But why are you storing them?’

  ‘Because I’m paid a handsome sum for the service to begin with. But also because there’s a massive potential market on which I am already taking orders. The rich are always looking for new diversions, and Battle Energy Bundles can provide live entertainment at its best. With hologram software you can have a battle in your very own sitting room, a real battle. Magnificent, yes? Then there’s my time-travel business; everyone wants to visit the past – experience history up close and personal. And of course there’s genetics; imagine injecting genes from Julius Caesar into your bloodline, or Joan of Arc, Alexander the Great, Queen Boudicca. What parent wouldn’t like to create the next world leader? The possibilities are vast – especially the financial ones – and we’re only just scratching the surface.’

  ‘That may be, but it’s dabbling with disaster. The risks are enormous.’

  ‘I’m a business man. I’m used to taking risks.’

  ‘I’m not talking about financial risk, Horace. The forces in those Battle Energy Bundles, even small ones, are huge. And with so many stored so close together like that, even if only one went off it could trigger a chain reaction that could … that would have global ramifications.’

  ‘Oh really, Juanita. I understand your concern, but —’

  ‘I assume the bundles are stored properly.’

  ‘Absolutely.’

  ‘Each in its own capsule?’

  ‘Yes.’

  ‘Safe and secure?’

  ‘Safe and secure.’

  ‘Good. In that case you’ll be able to take us straight to the capsule where our Battle Energy Bundle is stored and hand it over.’

  ‘Um, er, you mean now, this very moment?’

  ‘That’s exactly what I mean. Just pull out the capsule and give it to my team. What could be easier? We’ll even walk away and leave you alone, at least for now. How’s that for a deal?’

  Horace Horologe shifted uneasily in his chair. Professor Perdu continued, suspicion growing in her voice.

  ‘You are using actual capsules to store the bundles, aren’t you?’ She sounded as if she knew the answer but hoped she was wrong. ‘Actual titanium-iridium capsules. Solid metal ones. Tell me you are, please.’

  Horace fidgeted some more. ‘Not exactly. We’re using a great new virtual version; the bundles are sealed inside electro-magnetic capsules.’

  ‘Virtual capsules?’ The professor almost shrieked.

  ‘Yes. They’re guaranteed every bit as good as titani —’

  ‘You fool!’

  ‘They’re safe, Juanita, I assure you.’

  ‘Rubbish. I know exactly what it will be like inside your so-called Time Store. The virtual capsules will leak, not all of them, and not all the time, but enough to make it a swamp of time pools in there, all mixing and mingling into a deadly brew. There’ll be soldiers from all sorts of periods wandering around like ghosts, lost souls separated from their battles, confused and possibly very dangerous. Worse still, there’ll be rogue packets of time and energy floating about, bumping and jostling each other, build
ing into Time Storms, Time Twisters, even NoWhen Waves and Time Tsunamis.’

  The professor gave a long sigh and spoke to the Time Troopers.

  ‘I’m sorry, Omega Squad, but this is far worse than I could have imagined. Far worse.’

  ‘What are you saying, Prof?’ Five asked with a sense of dread.

  ‘We can’t go after Four. It could be utter chaos in there.’

  ‘But we have to,’ Nine cut in. ‘We can’t leave him.’

  ‘We won’t leave him,’ TEX added.

  ‘I’m sorry, but there could be so much unstable energy swirling around in there that you’d be swallowed up. I could lose all of you. I can’t risk that.’

  ‘There must be a way, Prof,’ Five insisted.

  There was a long silence while the professor thought.

  ‘How long have you been using this particular Time Store?’ she asked Horace eventually. ‘I mean the one where our bundle is lodged.’

  ‘Not long. It’s our newest store.’

  ‘How long?’

  ‘Let me see.’ Horace brought up a data screen and flipped through it. ‘Here we are. The first bundles of time and energy went in exactly four days ago. But it is filling fast.’

  The professor brightened a little at this. ‘That’s good. Not much chance of cross-contamination.’

  ‘Does that mean we’re going in, Prof?’ Five asked.

  ‘There will still be considerable risk. But at least the danger is less, and there’s a chance of success, albeit slim.’

  ‘That’s enough for me,’ Five said, knowing that he spoke for the others. ‘Let’s do it.’

  ELEVEN

  The three Omega Squad members were in the Pre-Chamber of Horace Horologe’s Time Store, adjusting to the conditions they would find inside the Time Store itself. They were also doing last minute checks on their gear – especially their Boot Boosters and HoverVests. Professor Perdu insisted that they’d have to fly in.

  ‘This will need to be a speedy operation,’ she told them over Five’s Battle Watch. ‘I’ve decelerated the mad activity inside the Time Store as much as I can using electro-magnetic retardants via a satellite link. Everything in there will be slower than normal, but it can still turn wild at any time. So your mission objective is simple: Get in. Get Four. Get out.’