Changing Yesterday

by Sean McMullen

  ‘But why bother with me?’ asked Daniel, turning to look at her at last, his face haunted but puzzled. ‘I’m just a schoolboy, and in two days you will never see me again.’

  ‘Because I may be able to save you. Remember the hotel manager who let me wash dishes and sleep in a broom cupboard instead of throwing me out into the street? I can be that person for you.’

  ‘But if Muriel found out –’

  ‘Then it serves her right for leaving a lovely boy like you!’ said Julia, stamping her foot in exasperation. ‘Come on, Daniel. People will talk if we’re alone together for too long. Besides, it’s getting cold out here and the band needs us.’

  Aboard the Millennium, Sir Bernard was conducting his investigations slowly but thoroughly. The supposed Lionheart cadets did nothing at all that seemed suspicious. They asked no questions about the ship or Lionheart plans, and a search of their cabin uncovered nothing that they would not be expected to have. The days passed, and he reported to Lady Conrad every morning, yet there was never anything significant to mention.

  The cadets trained openly in the ship’s gymnasium, although they always wore heavy jumpers, even when the ship entered the tropics. It was clear that Kingsley was by far the superior fighter, and much of their time in the gymnasium was spent teaching Perkins to throw knives, fence and wrestle.

  For a military cadet, Perkins was even more of a problem than Kingsley. His service in the saloon was perfect for a steward, in fact Kingsley looked clumsy by comparison. Perkins knew everything about laying out the service for meals, never spilled a drop or crumb when serving, and could balance an astonishing amount of crockery on his arm when clearing away. Stewards liked to draw attention to their good service, to flaunt the skills that they were so proud of, but Perkins was as discreet and selfeffacing as . . . a waitress!

  Eleven days after Liore had impaled the orange held by the master-at-arms, Sir Bernard had finally uncovered something significant. Perkins was a girl in the clothes and role of a boy. All the clues came together: the small hands, the shape of the throat, and a voice that was rather high for a boy of that age. Kingsley was a youth who was well trained as a fighter, but Perkins was a girl who had a lot of experience serving in saloons and restaurants. Together, they distracted the observer from each other’s shortcomings. Kingsley was deadly with a knife, so everyone assumed that Perkins was, too. Perkins was a very accomplished saloon steward, and so the diners paid less attention to Kingsley.

  The question of how and why they were aboard the Millennium remained. Two women had been reported boarding the vessel just before it left Adelaide. Sir Bernard wondered if this was significant. He asked the master-at-arms for his journal.

  ‘Is there a problem?’ asked the master-at-arms as Sir Bernard turned to the entry for the twentyseventh of July.

  ‘No, no, just checking some facts,’ replied Sir Bernard.

  Ten minutes before embarkation Barnsley reports that he allowed two women aboard in search of lost property, he read. Barnsley should have known better. The ship had been idle for several weeks, and had not carried paying passengers on the voyage out. Barnsley said that Perkins and Kingsley had seen them leave just before the ship cast off. They were carrying three bottles of spirits . . .

  ‘Thank you, that is all I needed,’ said Sir Bernard, handing the journal back.

  Now he knew the truth. Kingsley and Perkins had not seen the women leave, Kingsley and Perkins were the women. The real Kingsley and Perkins had probably been killed and dumped over the side twelve days ago.

  Sir Bernard knew that the pair did some deck patrols together and some alone. Because he had been watching them for eleven days, he knew their movements as well as they did. He also knew precisely which shadowed recess on the poop deck to stand within. Perkins always paused on the poop deck and leaned on the railing to gaze back the way they had come, as if already missing Australia. The distant rumble of the engines and the rushing of the air were enough to smother Sir Bernard’s footsteps as he walked forward.

  Sir Bernard wrapped his arms around Madeline and pinned her against the railing with his body. Although a little past his prime as an active soldier, he was a big man and very strong. Caught by surprise, Madeline screamed.

  ‘Cadet Perkins, you scream like a girl!’ said Sir Bernard. ‘Anyone would think you were a girl.’

  ‘Let me go, or I’ll report you!’ gasped Madeline as she struggled in his grip.

  ‘Oh, but I’ll report you first. I can hardly believe I took so long to see through your disguise, but better late than never. You’re coming to my cabin, where we are going to –’

  Five talons slashed down Sir Bernard’s back, laying his coat, shirt and skin open all the way down to his buttocks. He turned more out of surprise than pain, lashing out backhand with his left fist, but his blow was deftly deflected upwards as the fingers of the taloned hand slashed across his ear, eye, cheek and throat. Luckily for Madeline’s sanity, it was too dark to see what Liore did for the next two minutes.

  ‘By your leave, speaking courtly,’ panted Liore in the shadows.

  ‘Liore?’

  ‘Come with me, down the steps to third class. We must go the long way to get to our cabins unseen.’

  ‘But there are no lights in steerage.’

  ‘I can see in the dark. When we get to the cabin, I am going to strip off and wash. Take my clothes and throw them over the side, there is too much blood to wash off. After that, continue your deck patrol to the bow.’

  They reached their cabin without incident, but Madeline made the mistake of switching the light on before Liore could tell her to close her eyes. Madeline was confronted with a creature with halfinch talons protruding from beneath her fingernails, and pupils twice as large as those that should have been in human eyes. She was also drenched in blood.

  ‘You’re hurt,’ Madeline managed in a whisper.

  ‘Do not insult me,’ said Liore as she unbuttoned her shirt. ‘His guards were easy, they were dead before they even knew I was among them. When I saw that he was bending you over the rail I thought the worst and – and I do feel very protective toward you. I broke into vasder mode before I could stop myself.’

  ‘Vasder mode?’

  ‘Vascular Dilation Mode, a type of near-mindless berserker fighting frenzy. Some doctors have been experimenting with improvements to the human body: different blood, better muscles, retractable talons, night vision, a taste for raw flesh, and a lot more. My mind was also changed in ways that would give you very bad dreams, but the result is that I am the perfect officer for leading a squad of humans. They know that I am superior to them, so I am never challenged. I was one of the prototypes, but they made one big mistake. I was configured for independent thought on missions.’

  ‘Who are these doctors? They sound terrible.’

  ‘You would not believe me if I told you. Now take my clothes and pitch them over the side. I’ll try to wash and change before someone raises the alarm.’

  As she accepted the reeking bundle of clothes, Madeline put a hand behind Liore’s head and kissed her on the forehead.

  ‘Thank you for caring for me,’ she said as she stuffed the clothes into a pillowcase. ‘You are my guardian angel. A very frightening guardian angel, but an angel nonetheless.’

  The bodies were discovered ten minutes later. Four of Sir Bernard’s guards had died of snapped necks or slashed throats. Two others were missing, presumed overboard. Most of Sir Bernard was found on the poop deck.

  The immediate conclusion was that some deadly animal had been turned loose aboard the Millennium. The crew was ordered to go about in groups no smaller than three, and the lights were left on day and night for the rest of the voyage. All passengers and off-duty crew were to lock themselves in their cabins. The strategy seemed to work – almost. When the ship reached Colombo, the cadets Kingsley and Perkins were found to have vanished, but so too had the creature. A thorough search of the Millennium by the Lionhearts and members of
the harbour police failed to find any trace of it, but even so it took a lot of persuasion and the promise of a bonus to convince the crew to return aboard.

  The next morning Daniel rose from his bed too late for breakfast, and was two hours late for collecting Barry. The air was warm and humid, for the equator was very near. He threw back the bedsheet, and remembered that he had slept naked for the first time in his life because of the heat. Mortified, he bounded out of bed and pulled on his trousers.

  On the dressing table was a note that read, NEVER LET GO UNTIL TOMORROW. Julia had written it for him the night before, and told him to keep it where he could see it first thing every day. Daniel smiled down at the note, nodding, then he locked his cabin and set off to collect Barry from the brig.

  ‘Bit late today,’ commented Barry, who was used to Daniel being absolutely punctual.

  ‘The fancy dress ball went rather late,’ replied Daniel.

  ‘So how was it last night?’

  ‘No worse than the previous ball. How was the brig?’

  ‘Ha ha ha, but not so bad. The cove wot’s supposed to be guardin’ the door come in and we had a chat about ships and things.’

  ‘That was nice of him.’

  ‘He said three hundred ships hit icebugs in the last twenty years.’

  ‘I think he probably said icebergs.’

  ‘Yeah, an’ thirty of ’em sank. Wot if we hits one?’

  ‘Barry, we are at the equator, there are no icebergs for thousands of miles. They’re made of ice. They melt when they reach warmer waters.’

  ‘Yeah? Well wot about near England? It’s colder there.’

  ‘It’s colder in Melbourne, too. Have you ever seen

  an iceberg in Port Phillip Bay?’

  ‘Er, no.’

  ‘Well then, don’t worry about hitting an iceberg.’

  ‘Look, wot if we did hit one that didn’t melt proper? I mean, I can’t swim.’

  ‘The Arizona hit an iceberg in 1879. Its bow was crushed, but it didn’t sink.’

  ‘Yeah? Why not?’

  ‘Because big, modern ships have things called collision bulkheads. That’s a watertight wall just behind the bow of the ship. If the ship hits something, only that compartment gets water in it.’

  ‘So a ship’s unsinkable if it’s got one?’

  ‘I suppose so, yes.’

  ‘Does this ship have one?’

  ‘All big ships have them, I read about them in a book.’

  ‘So is the Andromeda a big ship?’

  ‘Yes!’ shouted Daniel, growing exasperated. ‘Trust me, Barry, there are no icebergs within thousands of miles, and even if there were, they can’t sink a ship as big as ten thousand tons.’

  Suddenly a very unexpected sight confronted them.

  ‘Oi!’ exclaimed Barry in astonishment, pointing in front of them. ‘There’s three coves in grass skirts. One’s got a pitchfork.’

  Daniel gazed calmly at the approaching men.

  ‘It’s a trident, Barry. The master-at-arms is dressed up as King Neptune. I imagine the other two are Davey Jones and Capricorn.’

  The three men encircled Daniel and Barry.

  ‘Good afternoon, young fellows,’ said King Neptune. ‘Do you know who I am?’

  ‘You are King Neptune, your majesty,’ said Daniel politely.

  ‘Do you know why I am here?’

  ‘You are in search of pollywogs who have never crossed the equator before.’

  ‘Well then, you know what is to come.’

  ‘With respect, your majesty, not for me,’ said Daniel, drawing a scroll out of his coat pocket.

  Davey Jones read the scroll, then showed it to King Neptune.

  ‘Two years old, but you definitely crossed the equator,’ said King Neptune, nodding and smiling. ‘What about your little friend?’

  ‘This is his first time out of Australia.’

  ‘Oh, splendid. Seize him!’

  Davey Jones and Capricorn immediately took Barry by the arms and lifted him from the deck.

  ‘Oi, wot’s all this then?’ cried Barry as they bore him away.

  Daniel and several hundred other passengers from all three classes watched as those who had admitted to never crossing the equator before were subjected to equatorial initiation by King Neptune and his courtiers. The girls and women had their cheeks smeared with wet flour, and sugar was sprinkled in their hair. The men were stripped to their trousers, sprayed with seawater from a hose, and then pelted with little packets of flour. Finally it was Barry’s turn. Orders had been given that he was to receive special treatment.

  Daniel watched in great amusement as Barry was doused with buckets of bilge water, made to eat a raw egg whole, and dangled upside down over the side by a rope tied to his ankles. After having chutney poured down his shorts and being sprayed with seawater, Barry was set free. He ran straight back to the brig and refused to come out or see anyone, including Daniel.

  Daniel met Julia as he returned from knocking on the door of the brig.

  ‘So you are still alive this morning,’ she said as they paused to look out over the water. ‘How do you feel after our little talk last night?’

  ‘Um . . . peculiar. As if I’ve done something bad but not been caught.’

  Julia slipped something into his coat pocket.

  ‘Happy birthday.’

  ‘Thank you.’

  ‘Don’t take it out until you are in your cabin.’

  ‘Why not?’

  ‘Just don’t. Are you going down to the engine hall today?’

  ‘Yes. It keeps my mind off things I should not think about.’

  ‘Then you should stay in the engine hall after I leave at Colombo. I’m working as a saloon stewardess for the rest of the day, but there’s a rehearsal with the band between five and seven. Do you want to come along and help? Being able to play in hotels and bars is good for earning a bit of money anywhere in the world.’

  ‘You mean if I run away from school?’

  ‘I mean if you don’t even bother going to that English school. I’m almost tempted to take you to China, Daniel, but you have to learn to do things alone.’

  ‘Thank you, I’m touched. I’d like to go to China, but I have something important to do. Something very dangerous.’

  ‘Like jumping overboard?’

  ‘No, I promised not to. Remember?’

  ‘Then what?’

  ‘I have to deliver something important.’

  ‘Well then, back to getting you through today. Will you come to the rehearsal and play while I sing tonight?’

  ‘Thank you, I’d love to.’

  The following morning Barry was still quite nervous about leaving the brig. Daniel gave him a bread roll that he had taken from the saloon after breakfast.

  ‘I been molested, humiliated, an’ subjected to inhuman practices,’ muttered Barry as he attempted to fish out a fragment of eggshell that was still stuck between his teeth.

  ‘Life at sea can be very hard,’ said Daniel.

  ‘Yeah, but I’m a first-class passenger.’

  ‘To King Neptune, all men are equal.’

  ‘Yeah, an’ I been thinkin’ about that, Danny boy. I thought ya was born in Melbourne.’

  ‘I was indeed.’

  ‘An’ ya never been to England?’

  ‘No.’

  ‘Then how come ya crossed the equator? I mean England’s on the other side.’

  ‘My father told me about the King Neptune business years ago. I forged that scroll.’

  ‘Wot? Why didn’t ya do one for me?’

  ‘It must have slipped my mind.’

  ‘I’m tellin’ that Neptune cove!’

  ‘I’ll say you are lying, and it’s your word against mine. Who do you think he will believe?’

  Barry muttered something about hoity snobs looking after each other as he stared out over the sea. Presently, he pointed to the horizon.

  ‘Is that England?’ he asked.

&n
bsp; ‘It’s Ceylon, Barry. We’re not even halfway to England.’

  ‘Oh. Bleedin’ stupid ship, I’m sick of it. Why’d they pick on me yesterday?’

  ‘Because since you have been in the brig nobody in first or second class has had a pocket picked or a cabin robbed, neither has anything been stolen from the first-class saloon.’

  Barry had no answer for that. ‘So we’re not even halfway there?’ he said instead.

  ‘About three more weeks.’

  ‘Bleedin’ hell! With trains ya get from Melbourne to Adelaide in one night.’

  ‘England is a lot further away than Adelaide.’

  ‘Stupid ship,’ muttered Barry again. ‘Why can’t it go faster? That ship over there’s goin’ faster.’

  Barry pointed to a ship that was slowly overhauling the Andromeda. Daniel raised his telescope and drew it out to its full length.

  ‘The Millennium,’ said Daniel, reading the name on its bow. ‘Yes, it certainly is faster, judging by the way it’s passing us. I remember the Millennium being in Adelaide harbour when we sailed. It must have steamed really fast to catch up with us.’

  Liore! thought Barry as he experienced a spasm of pure terror and jumped to the worst possible conclusion. Liore’s taken over a whole bleedin’ ship and come after me. Sure as the king’s got a bum for sittin’ on his throne, she’s on that ship. She’s gonna take her weapon back an’ burn me so friggin’ bad with it that even a bleedin’ cannibal wouldn’t bother takin’ a bite.

  Daniel lowered his telescope and turned to Barry. Barry’s face had gone chalk white, and his mouth was hanging open.

  ‘Er, when d’ya reckon we dock, Danny boy?’ he asked in an unsteady voice.

  ‘Another two hours, according to the notice board, but I think it will be earlier than that.’

  ‘Er, yeah, thanks. Well, I orta go get cleaned up in the brig.’

  ‘Barry!’ Daniel called after him.

  ‘Yeah?’

  ‘Don’t bother trying to hide. Liore knows where we are.’

  ‘Wot!’ exclaimed Barry. ‘That is, like, wot ya mean? Liore’s back in Melbourne, studyin’ to be a doctor.’

  Daniel drew the radiocomm from his pocket and held it up.

  ‘You are not the only thief aboard the Andromeda, Barry. I burgled your bag on the second night and switched on this radiocomm. Liore knows where we are, and she is almost certainly aboard the Millennium.’