by Jason Ayres
“And it’s hard to imagine a place less classy than the real Mayfair than this dump,” said Josh.
“I’m smoking a Mayfair, does that help?” said the heavily made-up woman, taking their £2 coins and dropping them into an empty ice cream tub. She didn’t seem remotely bothered by Josh’s blatant insult of her place of employment, but then she probably agreed. She wasn’t exactly oozing happiness from every pore.
“It’s a pretty tenuous connection but it’ll do,” said Charlie.
There were few people inside, enough to count on one hand, but that was par for the course for this time of night. It may have been quiet in terms of customers, but in terms of noise it certainly wasn’t, as there was hardcore drum ’n’ bass music pounding out.
The dance floor area at the back of the pub was a kaleidoscope of flashing red, blue and green disco lights. In the booth behind, an enthusiastic, dreadlocked young DJ wearing headphones he never used was pretending to scratch over a pair of non-existent decks which were in reality a laptop.
Quite who he thought he was impressing was anyone’s guess as he had no audience. This would all change in a couple of hours when the dirty and cracked wooden dance floor would be crowded with revellers who would dance to anything in their inebriated state.
The five survivors of the Monopoly board challenge would be long gone by then. They had just had one pint to go after which they could all go home. It was now only twenty-five minutes to midnight which was when Josh was scheduled to return to his own time.
All he had to do was finish this last pint, even though his body was telling him he didn’t want it. This body was going to have a terrible hangover in the morning but luckily, he wouldn’t be around to suffer it.
Finishing his last pint was about to become the least of his worries. Still standing at the bar with the others as the barmaid pulled their pints, he was suddenly almost knocked over by someone barging into him from behind. Was Dan trying to knock him over again? He really wanted to swing for that idiot.
But he soon realised it wasn’t Dan, but a new problem. Before he could turn around, his vision was impaired by a pair of sweaty hands that had been unceremoniously clamped over his eyes.
“Guess who?” came a familiar voice from behind.
“Lauren,” he replied, wondering what sort of mischief she had in mind, as if he couldn’t guess.
“Right first time,” she said, removing her hands, enabling him to turn around to see her cheeky grin, framed as ever by her cute bob of black hair. She had a flirtatious and lustful look in her eye, one he knew only too well.
Next to him Kaylee had flung her arms around Charlie and was kissing him. He wasn’t going to get any help distracting Lauren from those two, the way they were engrossed in each other.
Although Josh felt uncomfortable in Lauren’s proximity, he was able to derive a degree of further satisfaction from the miserable look on Dan’s face. He had hated it when Josh and Charlie had got together with Lauren and Kaylee, and had been intensely jealous ever since.
The youthful Lauren before him twirled her hair playfully between her fingers, leaned forwards and said brazenly, “I’m feeling so hot right now. How about you take me into the toilets and bang me senseless?”
Josh wasn’t shocked by this at all: it was par for the course where Lauren was concerned. He had fond memories of various encounters with her when they were young in risqué public places. However, he had no desire to relive one of them now. He would have to try and stall her.
“There’s plenty of time for that,” he said. “How about a drink first?”
“I’m horny now,” she insisted. “Come on.” She grabbed his hand and began trying to lead him away from the bar. He glanced up at the clock over the bar to see it was still well over ten minutes until midnight.
“Hey, where do you think you’re going?” protested Dan. “I told you I wanted to see you finish every pint.”
Remarkably, it looked as if Josh’s arch nemesis may have come to his rescue, but Lauren wasn’t to be dissuaded.
“He’s coming to give me one in the toilets,” retorted Lauren. “Got a problem with that?”
“Actually, Lauren,” said Josh, desperate to fend off her attentions, “I had better finish this pint first. We all agreed that we had to finish by midnight. Can’t you hang on until then?”
“You’ve got more than enough time,” said Lauren, glancing up at the clock. “This isn’t going to take long – not the way I’m feeling. You’ll be back here with time to spare.”
She simply wasn’t taking no for an answer, so Josh tried another tack.
“Look, I’m sorry, Lauren, but I’ve had way too much to drink and I’m not sure I’m going to be able to get it up.”
He had hoped the others wouldn’t hear this above the pounding music. Unfortunately, despite the image he portrayed, the DJ was relatively inexperienced and even using the cross-fade on his laptop managed to mess up fading out one track and starting the next.
Josh’s last sentence coincided exactly with this brief moment of dead air, leading to peals of laughter from Dan, Ryan and Ben.
“Loser,” commented Dan.
“Oh, don’t you worry about that, I’ll get you going,” said Lauren, pouting her red lipstick-coated lips suggestively towards him.
“Seriously, Lauren, I think I’m about to be sick.”
He knew from long experience how quickly Lauren’s mood could switch, and now she lost patience and snapped as the lust in her eyes was swiftly replaced by anger.
“What the hell is wrong with you? You know, you’re getting so bloody boring these days.”
“If he’s not up to it, maybe I could fill in for him,” suggested Dan, who had been watching Josh’s discomfort with increasing glee.
“In your dreams!” exclaimed Lauren. No matter how angry she was with Josh, that could never override how much she despised Dan. “I doubt whether you’d even know what to do.”
“Just let me finish this pint,” said Josh, “then I’ll get some water down me and I’m sure I’ll be fine. Midnight, on the dot, I promise.”
“You’d better,” said Lauren, with a threatening look in her eyes. She turned towards the bar and barked out, “Double vodka please – straight!” at the young barmaid.
It had been stressful going out with Lauren, reflected Josh. Whatever the outcome of tonight he knew that she would dump him a few weeks after this anyway, saying she needed her freedom.
At the time he had been almost relieved. He may have had some of the best sexual experiences of his life when he was with Lauren, but she was just too volatile for any sort of serious relationship. Alice had been a much better long-term choice.
“Right, I’m off outside for a smoke,” announced Lauren, turning back from the bar, vodka in hand. “You had better finish that up and get your act together if you know what’s good for you.”
She stomped off outside, clearly still in a mood. Through the window Josh could see that she had made a beeline straight for a group of fit young lads whom he recognised as local squaddies. He could see them casting appreciative glances at her short, red skirt and her legs, and she wasn’t doing anything to discourage them. Yes, this relationship had definitely run its course.
“Reckon she’s going to dump you soon, mate,” said Dan, mockingly.
Josh looked at the clock. He had less than ten minutes to go. He turned to Dan, lifted the remaining three-quarters of his pint to his lips and drained the lot, right in front of him. It made him feel quite queasy and he was quite sure he really would end up being sick now, but hopefully it wouldn’t be in the next ten minutes.
No matter, what was important was that he had finished, but before he went, he couldn’t resist having a go at Dan.
“Maybe she will, mate, but at least I know what sex with a real woman feels like and don’t spend every night wiping down my laptop screen. I also think you’ll find that’s my eight pints finished, and before you as well. By my reckon
ing, that makes me the winner. And now, if you don’t mind, I’m off outside to give my girlfriend one. See you around, loser.”
Leaving Dan speechless, he turned on his heel and headed out onto the small terrace to the front of the pub to get Lauren.
Why he was bothering, he didn’t know, because he was due to depart in a few minutes and it really didn’t matter whether he went out there or not. It was probably just down to a combination of alcohol and not wanting to lose face. He didn’t have to do anything with her: he would be away before they got down to it, but he still didn’t want her thinking he was a loser.
Ignoring the gaggle of men around her, he strode confidently up to her, mentally batting away the thought that if Alice could see him now she would haul him up by the knackers.
“How about we kick this place into touch and go up to the park like we did the other weekend?” he asked, remembering how much she loved doing it outdoors in the summer.
“Feeling better, are we?” she asked. “Alright, you’re on. Sorry, lads, maybe another time. I’ve got to go.”
There were disappointed mutterings from the squaddies but Josh knew they’d get their chance further down the line. There had been a rumour going around not long after he and Lauren had split up about her being smuggled into the barracks one night and taking part in a gang-bang.
He had never asked her about it, but had no reason to disbelieve it. It was the sort of thing she’d have no qualms about participating in.
The two of them left via a small alley that led out through the car park towards the park beyond.
Josh was starting to worry that they might have got the timings wrong because it felt to him as if midnight must have passed by now. If he didn’t jump back to the future within the next five minutes he was going to be in serious hot water. Not only that, the fresh air wasn’t doing anything to stop him feeling sick, and he couldn’t imagine Lauren would be impressed if he threw up all over her.
Thankfully his calculations had been correct; he had just lost track of time. Just as Lauren opened the squeaky metal gate that led towards their favourite spot behind the cricket pavilion, he was whisked away back to the couch in the lab.
Chapter Ten
May 2058
Although he was safely back in the 2050s, Josh couldn’t help feeling guilty about the whole Lauren thing, even though nothing had happened.
Despite that, he shouldn’t have put himself in a situation where he could potentially have fallen prey to Lauren’s predatory advances. It had been a mistake, but not one he intended to compound by inviting Alice’s wrath, so when he related the tale of what had gone on during the pub crawl, he conveniently neglected to mention Lauren’s appearance.
There were lessons to be learned, in particular not to assume anything. No matter how much homework he did about the period he was visiting, he could still be surprised by unanticipated events. He couldn’t rely on his memory or anyone else’s.
Kaylee had said that they had stayed in Oxford all night, but her recollection couldn’t be taken as gospel nearly forty years down the line. Memories tended to become selective over time, as he had discovered on more than one occasion.
Eager to try the technology out for themselves, Alice and Vanessa also took trips back into their past over the following few days, as did Henry who was keen to take a lengthier trip than his original foray. Before they left, Josh ensured that they were suitably forewarned to keep their wits about them and not to take anything for granted.
Henry revisited his east coast road trip from his youth where he reacquainted himself with his long-lost girlfriend. Married he may have been, but given the increasingly hostile state of affairs between him and Vanessa, he had no qualms about what he was doing.
He even told her where he was going, something that didn’t bother her in the slightest, because she had her sights set on reliving a certain night with a certain someone back at her university graduation party, and even tried to taunt him about it when she got back. But he was long past caring, too, so she was wasting her breath.
Alice opted to go back and relive her wedding day, something it was fair to say would be Henry and Vanessa’s worst nightmare. However, all four of them agreed that if they ever opened up the technology to a wider audience, this would be a popular choice.
This led Vanessa to once again flag up the commercial potential of what they were doing. She felt that offering what she had termed “time travel tourism” could be enormously lucrative. She soon found herself at loggerheads with the others who all disagreed.
Alice was vehemently opposed, citing the moral and legal issues that Hannah had previously highlighted. Henry agreed that the potential for misuse was too great, whilst Josh’s concern was the same as it had always been – that they would become the target of higher powers, keen to utilise the technology for their own ends.
Outnumbered for the time being, Vanessa had backed down, but Alice felt they hadn’t heard the last of it. She didn’t trust Vanessa one iota and had made her feelings clear on this to Josh several times.
He, too, had frequently felt uncomfortable in Vanessa’s presence, ever since she had made that pass at him on that afternoon before they went to the barbecue. However, he had no intention of severing their working relationship because of it.
This wasn’t for particularly honourable reasons. It was largely down to the funding she was supplying that was enabling them to work on this project in the first place.
Presumably it was the same reason Henry stayed with her so long, too. It was either that or abandon the project which sat uncomfortably with Josh. There were times he felt almost if Vanessa had bought both of them.
She continued to flirt with Josh whenever she got an opportunity. This was something else he had been keeping from Alice who would have certainly called a halt to the project if she had known. It just seemed to be one secret after another he was being forced to keep by his obsessive compulsion to time travel, and he knew one day it would very likely all catch up with him.
In the case of Vanessa, he dealt with the situation as best as he could by avoiding all scenarios where they might be left alone together.
Putting their differences aside, the four of them continued over the next few months, experimenting, refining and developing the technology further. They continued to run further tests and take further trips back in time, many of which proved invaluable as they identified more potential issues as they explored various situations.
Over dinner one evening, Henry made the point that, although the four of them had made several successful forays into the past, it wasn’t a fair representation of what the average person might do.
They were experienced at what they were doing but what about your average woman or man on the street who wouldn’t know what to expect? They needed a control group of people to send back cold to see how they would cope.
The technology could now be operated remotely, leaving them no longer confined to the lab. They could now transfer a consciousness from anyone’s body between past and future whenever and wherever they liked, returning them home in plenty of time for tea.
Henry had concentrated his time into mapping and understanding the multiverse. His work on this meant that the ability to move minds from one universe to another as well as through time was now simplistic. This delighted Josh as it gave him the opportunity to fulfil a long-standing promise to someone he had left behind, in another universe and another time.
Armed with the latest tachyometer, with all the new technology built in, Josh was able to travel back to another world in 1992 to rescue the mind of Amy, an adult woman from the twenty-first century that he had unwittingly marooned there in her own childhood body.
This had happened during his early exploration of the multiverse when he hadn’t fully grasped the consequences of what he was doing. He had felt guilty about what had happened to Amy ever since and now he had a chance to put things right.
Capturing her mind in that other 199
2, he left the six-year-old girl there to grow up naturally in her own world and time. Meanwhile he returned Amy’s adult mind to its correct place and time of Oxford in 2025.
Buoyed by this success, he conducted further experiments over the next few months, sending random people back into time to see what they would do, travelling back himself to observe from afar what they did.
Pretty soon, he didn’t even have to do that, as yet another development that Henry and Vanessa had been working on meant that they could monitor everything a person did while they were in the past. It was possible to view their experiences on a screen exactly as they would as if they were seeing what was happening through their own eyes.
They didn’t just stick to people from their own time, travelling back to the twentieth century and beyond, sending people back and then comparing the two resulting universes to see what changes had occurred.
The whole thing was a historian’s dream and both Henry and Josh became quite addicted to what they were doing. It was just so fascinating to sit in the lab every day, dreaming up “what if?” scenarios. Then they would go off and find suitable candidates to act them out.
Sometimes things turned out badly, such as one candidate who had claimed to be visiting his grandmother in Berlin in the 1920s but had actually gone there to assassinate Hitler. This resulted in the whole world being conquered by an even worse dictator fifty years later. Josh and Henry tried to justify this by saying that it was another universe that wouldn’t have existed in the first place if they hadn’t created it.
It was a flimsy argument and Josh knew it. Alice strongly disapproved of them meddling in major world events, even if they were in duplicate universes and for supposedly good causes.
She insisted they put a stop to it, saying that people’s lives in randomly created universes were as valuable as lives in their own. She was, of course, right, and Josh and Henry agreed to stop such large-scale tinkering, not wanting to be responsible for the deaths of millions due to some well-intentioned idea that had unexpected consequences.