The Next Together

by Lauren James

  > ALERT: Subject allocation “MATTHEW” in time-landscape 1854 in critical danger

  > Time out of subject imminent

  > Intervention recommended

  >> Intervention denied

  Then there were arms around her, pulling with her. It was Lord Somerset. At last, the pole jolted free and he guided it to the ground while Matthew scrambled to his knees, smacking his clothes to dash out the flames.

  Disorientated, Katy looked around for the exit. Everything was smoke. It stung her eyes and throat and nothing else mattered but getting out, into clean air and cool wind.

  “This way!” she shouted to Somerset and Matthew, before covering her mouth with her sleeve. Matthew crawled behind her. She didn’t look back, but forced herself to move, even though her limbs were heavy and stiff. And then they were outside in the light and fresh air.

  She fell to the ground, taking a deep gasping breath of the cool air. Matthew collapsed beside her. He was black with ash and his eyes were running from the smoke – but he was alive. They’d made it. Katy closed her eyes, tears of relief sliding down her cheeks.

  And then there was another crash, following by an agonized cry.

  “Help!” Lord Somerset called. He was trapped inside the tent.

  Katy didn’t even hesitate. He had helped her to save Matthew. Ignoring Matthew’s protests and the weak, panicked grasp of his hand on her arm, she ran back into the tent.

  Lord Somerset was just inside the entrance, a tent pole across his chest. She pushed against it, straining to free him with everything she had. This was about more than just returning a favour. Lord Somerset couldn’t die here. He was the Commander-in-Chief of the British Army. Who knew what would happen if he died? Who knew how that would impact the war? She had to save him.

  The pole lifted up and then Lord Somerset was crawling free – but her grip slipped. She groaned as she pushed harder. Finally she managed to force it aside. But it must have dislodged the fragile tent, because another pole rose upwards. She tried to throw herself out of the way, but she wasn’t quick enough. The pole swung towards her, pushing her backwards and sinking into her stomach.

  > ALERT: Subject allocation “KATY” in critical condition

  > Please advise on actions

  > … waiting …

  She gasped. For a moment she couldn’t feel anything except for the sting of smoke in her lungs, and then the pain came. It filled every corner of her mind, until she couldn’t remember how to breathe or think or do anything except close her eyes and push at the pain to try to stop it from overwhelming her.

  Then Matthew was there, cupping her head.

  “Katy!” he cried.

  MatthewMatthewMatthew.

  “Katy…” His voice was soft, agonized. How could she do this to him? They’d been so happy and they hadn’t had enough time. Just like the last time.

  “I love you,” she tried to say, but the words wouldn’t come and instead she just blinked up at him, with wonder and love. She knew exactly why he was brought back to her again and again. It was because he was perfect.

  “I love you,” he said over and over as she stared at him. He pressed kisses against her hair and ran his hands down her cheeks and lips. They came away blood red. “You’ll be fine, you’re fine, you’re going to be fine.”

  “Matthew…” she mouthed. “It’s all right.”

  “No! No – we can fix this.”

  > Situation cannot be fixed without adverse side effects

  > Please advise on actions

  > … waiting …

  His tears dropped onto her face and mixed with her blood as he cradled her against his chest. She loved him so much. She had been so lucky to have him. Then she closed her eyes, flashes of Matthew smiling at her dancing across her vision, and she let herself stop breathing.

  > ALERT: Subject allocation “KATY” timed out in time-landscape 1854

  > Mission incomplete

  > Permission requested to reboot system

  >> Permission granted

  Folios/v8/Time-landscape-2039/MS-2

  ST ANDREWS, SCOTLAND, 2039

  The video connection was fuzzy, but Nancy and Flo’s worried expressions were still clearly visible. Kate and Tom were at Matt and Tom’s parents’ house. It had been three days since Matt’s arrest.

  “Kate, what on earth happened?” Flo exclaimed. “We let you into the loft and the next thing we know you’re a fugitive from the law, hiding in Scotland, and your boyfriend has been arrested for terrorism offences!”

  Kate scratched her head, embarrassed. “Yeah. It’s been a hectic few days.”

  “Your parents are furious. They didn’t even know you had a boyfriend.”

  Katherine sighed. “I know. I spoke to them.” That hadn’t been a fun conversation. “Sorry I took so long to call you. We’ve been tied up in continuous interviews since the press conference.”

  “Why are you risking this call? Couldn’t MI5 trace it and find you?”

  “Oh, they know exactly where we are. We’re not even in hiding. We’re staying with Matt’s parents. They just can’t do anything about it.”

  “Why?” Nancy asked, leaning forward and nudging Flo out of the way.

  “England can’t force Scotland to hand over criminals, especially not political ones.”

  “Kate, are you all right?” Nancy asked. “You don’t have to joke about this, you know. This must be very scary for you.”

  “Nana, to be honest, if I stopped joking around I’m pretty sure I’d go to bed and never get up again. I’m only barely holding on to my sanity right now through a series of poorly thought-out puns.”

  “Well, you deal with this however you have to. But we’re all here for you.”

  “Thanks, Nana.” Kate wished her grandparents were here so that she could be held tightly and comforted. She swallowed, trying not to cry.

  “So, you’re staying with Matt’s parents?” Flo said. “What are they like?”

  “They’re lovely. They’ve taken all of this completely in their stride, amazingly. I think they were expecting it to happen eventually – they knew about Tom’s hacking. The fact that it was Matt who was arrested surprised them the most, actually.”

  “Have you heard from Matt?”

  Kate sighed. She was calling from Matt’s childhood bedroom. She looked around it now, pulling his pillow onto her lap. “No. Not yet. Matt’s parents keep trying to get in touch with him, but he’s still in questioning and he’s not allowed phone calls.”

  “Hopefully when it’s proven that you’re telling the truth they’ll let him out. They can’t keep him in there when it’s clear you aren’t terrorists.”

  “If it ever gets proven. The English government are still refusing to discuss it. They say they ‘don’t acknowledge the claims of terrorists’. It’s total crap.”

  “What? That’s bullshit!” Nancy swore, outraged. Kate missed her so much. “They can’t do that – you have evidence!”

  “I know. But apparently the video could easily be faked,” Kate said with a frustrated sigh. “We need the bacteria, but Matt had it. Even if the police didn’t find it in his pocket, the bacteria might be long dead by now, since it’s not being stored in a freezer. It’s lost.”

  “Can you not get another sample?”

  Kate paused. “Maybe. I don’t know how, though. It’s not like they’ll just let us wander back into CSL.”

  Kate scrubbed her hands over her face. She was so tired. She couldn’t sleep for worrying. She’d thought that once people knew what was happening, someone else would take over and uncover the truth, but nothing had changed. And who knew what would happen if war with Europe was declared? The government might even decide to use the bacteria in warfare. The bacteria would spread across the globe, just because Kate and Matt couldn’t prove their claims. If only they could get another sample, this would all be so easy to stop. She kept picturing what would happen – what the world would look like if the bacteria wa
s released. Everything would almost certainly be destroyed and turned to dust.

  The only thing that was reassuring was that Matthew and Katherine’s video from 2019 was out there, for people to see. If the bacteria did get released, there was a chance someone would remember their claims and look it up. They might even be able to recreate the vaccine and stop the bacteria spreading – if it wasn’t too late by then.

  Her tablet beeped. Another call was coming in. The Times hadn’t stopped calling for an interview all day. Tom had been busy for hours fielding questions – in between making sure that the website they’d set up to host the videos didn’t crash under the constant flood of views.

  “I have to go, Nana, Gran. I’ll call you in a few days, when everything’s calmed down a bit, OK? I love you.”

  “All right, sweet pea. We’re thinking of you. We’re so proud of what you’re doing. It’s wonderful for us, Kate. I can’t express just how much it means to us that you’re trying to clear our daughter’s name.”

  Kate ended the call and answered the one from the newspaper. They had a long list of questions, which she answered slowly as she tried to find the strength to carry on fighting without Matt.

  Kate put down her cup of tea and ran to the bathroom, where she was sick again. She couldn’t keep going on like this – the worry was making her ill. And the news this morning had just made everything much worse. She sat down on the edge of the bath as the conversation she’d had with Tom earlier came back to her. He’d been sitting at the kitchen table. When he saw her, he had pushed a newspaper towards her.

  “Matt went on trial yesterday morning – a rush court order,” he had said.

  She’d scanned her eyes down past the headline to the picture of Matt, his head bowed, his hands cuffed. He’d looked small and defeated.

  “They held the trial in secret for reasons of ‘national security’,” Tom went on. “He was found guilty of terrorist acts. He got life imprisonment.”

  Kate closed her eyes now and took in a deep breath, but none of the air seemed to reach her lungs. After three months, the story had died down. No one had taken the time to prove their accusations, and the newspapers had forgotten about them, and now Matt had been charged and put in prison for life. She didn’t know what to do.

  She could break into prison and rescue Matt – assuming she could get into England without being captured herself. She could break back into the lab for another sample – assuming the vials hadn’t been moved to a different location. Every plan she came up with seemed ludicrous. She couldn’t do anything, not without Matt. She couldn’t.

  It looked like she was stuck in Scotland with Matt’s family, waking up each day, waiting and hoping for news that the bacteria had been discovered and destroyed and dreading the news that it had been released and was spreading across Europe.

  She swilled out her mouth and spat in the sink. Worry was sending her gut into a twist of nerves almost every morning. She’d even stopped having her period, with the strain of it all. She felt so ill. There must be something seriously wrong with her, or… She stared at her pale face in the mirror, and it suddenly clicked. How hadn’t she realized before?

  She was pregnant.

  She tentatively pressed her hands against her stomach. She was pregnant?

  Kate made a noise: a cut-off animal sound of pain. She thought she was going to cry, and then she found herself laughing hysterically.

  She was having a baby. Matt’s baby. Finally.

  They’d gone through so many different incarnations – and this time she was pregnant; this time they were both still alive; this time they had survived everything, even if they weren’t together. This had to be the time they were happy, at peace. This had to be the time that they escaped alive.

  Suddenly Kate knew what she was going to do. She couldn’t just sit around and wait for someone else to fix this – not now. She had to make sure the world was safe from the bacteria, for her baby, and she had to get Matt out of prison.

  Kate began planning. As her belly grew bigger, her rescue plan came together.

  She did some research into their other lives, trying to work out where each memory fitted in their long series of lifetimes. She found Matthew’s newspaper articles about the Crimean War: dense, narrow articles in the back issues of The Times. She spent an afternoon crying over his words and the proud byline “Our Own Correspondent”.

  Obscure wars of long ago that she hadn’t thought about in this life suddenly became the most important moments in history. Together with Matt, she had stopped the world from collapsing six times before, and only now did she realize just what a difference they had made. They had helped end the Jacobite rebellion and made sure Scotland wasn’t ravaged by famine. A century later they had saved the generals in the Crimea to make sure England and France didn’t lose the war. And now they had to make sure the entire world wasn’t completely destroyed by the bacteria.

  After all the effort they’d put into protecting the world, she couldn’t give up, because apparently humanity couldn’t survive without them. Why else did they keep being brought back?

  She wrote letters to the baby, just in case she failed in her rescue attempt and never came back. She wanted their child to know that it was loved, that neither of its parents had abandoned it easily. She was going to come back. She just had to find its father and finish saving the world first.

  CHAPTER 33

  Folios/v7/Time-landscape-2019/MS-166

  ST ANDREWS, SCOTLAND, 2039

  Kate felt like she was about to explode. She was fighting her own body, pushing against the tightness of her skin, desperate to just get this finished, finally, after hours of pain and pulsing tightness and straining focus.

  She was exhausted, but she couldn’t stop pushing. She squeezed tight onto the rails of the bed, wishing it was Matt’s hand that gripped hers, trying to convey the endless pressure that was pulling her in all directions. Finally the relentless, unyielding power she was pushing against stopped, and in a slither of release, she gave birth.

  She dropped her head back and closed her eyes. “I am never doing that again,” she stated, for the record. “I don’t care if Matt comes back and demands ten more children. It’s not happening.” Everybody ignored her, just like they had for the last nine hours every time she’d screamed for somebody to bring her some more of those drugs, right now I swear to God.

  She stared at the pink light filtering through her eyelids, trying not to think about the messy wetness she could feel covering the lower half of her body. No one had told her that childbirth was so disgusting.

  She was drifting in a sea of adrenalin, when a small weight was pressed into her arms. She opened her eyes and looked down at the tiny bundle. Her breath caught in her throat. She was exquisite. Kate had hoped she would be able to look at her and see Matt, but for now she was just a round, chubby-cheeked baby. She smiled down wonderingly, touched her tiny fingers and stroked the long length of her eyelashes.

  Kate wondered why she’d never done this before. She could have felt this joy so many times, in every life, but somehow it had never happened for them. How had they never managed to make a baby together before, in all those lives? How strange it would have been, if she had given birth in Carlisle, at the very beginning. Their baby would have been grown up when they were reborn in their next lives. She could have met her. She would have been younger than her own daughter. She could have followed her own descendants through history. But they’d missed out on children until now. They’d never managed to conceive before their time ran out.

  The baby’s eyes flickered open, blinking against the bright light of the outside world, and everything clicked into place for Kate. The answer unfurled undramatically like it had been there all along, just waiting for her to pay attention. She – this baby – was why it had happened. They kept coming back, endlessly, trying and failing to create this person, this little girl. And now she was here.

  Kate settled back on fresh pillows, a
nd felt success tingle on her tongue and in her fingertips. It was done. Kate and Matt had made the baby they had always needed to make, finally, after all this time. Now their baby could go ahead and live her life – do whatever it was that was so important that they kept being brought back to make her.

  Finally, they could stop living again and again. She smiled down at her sleeping daughter, knowing that this was it. She didn’t have any more idea of who had manipulated time than she’d had in the eighteenth century, but at least now she knew why. She wouldn’t be back for another life. It was time to let her baby girl take over. Hopefully she and Matt would be around to see some of her story, if everything went according to plan. Hopefully.

  The only thing left was to choose a name. She liked the sound of Clove.

  Three days later, she gave her baby to Tom and her ecstatic new grandparents. She was leaving their daughter in safe, loving hands. Kate was ready to finish their story.

  > Objective achieved

  > Mission complete

  > Assignment “CLOVE” in operation

  EPILOGUE

  Folios/v8/Time-landscape-2040/MS-3

  Folios/v8/Time-landscape-2040/MS-4

  Matthew and Katherine Galloway

  From the Free Encyclopedia

  Katherine Galloway (née Finchley) and Matthew Galloway were the parents of the infamous Clove Sutcliffe. They are well known in their own right for their Repeated Lives, a system of History Control in which they played a vital role in the aversion of multiple possible historical catastrophes.

  Their Repeated Lives spread from the 18th century to 21st century AD, and are discussed in great detail in the Personal Lives section. Most famous of their actions is the crucial role they played in both the creation and discovery of the Bacteria Conspiracy, but other notable achievements include preventing such events as the Jacobite Independence Treaty of 1745, the Scottish famine of 1765, and the Russian invasion of London. They were also instrumental in bringing about British success at the Battle of Sebastopol and in arresting The Bletchley Park Murderer, resulting in the subsequent WWII victory due to the cracking of the Enigma code.