Changing Yesterday

by Sean McMullen

  ‘Why do I get some of my best inspirations when I am talking to you?’ Daniel asked Barry as they descended the steps to the engine hall.

  ‘I got good ideas?’ suggested Barry.

  ‘It’s more likely that I have to simplify things so much before you can understand them that it strips away all the confusing and irrelevant details.’

  Barry paused to think through the sentence, and concluded that it might be insulting. On the other hand he was not entirely sure why it was insulting, so he decided to say nothing. Because they were handcuffed together, it was not possible for either Daniel or Barry to do any actual work in the engine hall, but by now this was no longer the point for Daniel.

  ‘So, how ya been goin’ with Liore and Madeline?’ Barry asked presently.

  ‘We have a very good relationship. I avoid them and they avoid me.’

  ‘So that Liore really did set me up to steal her bleedin’ weapon?’

  ‘She admitted as much, yes.’

  ‘Bleedin’ hell! Now that’s a real bad bit of deviantness.’

  ‘The word is deviousness, Barry, but you are right.’

  ‘Enough to put me off wimmen.’

  ‘Since when have you ever shown any interest in women – I mean real ones, not your French postcard pictures?’

  ‘Er, well, if I’d been plannin’ to go courtin’ I’d never do it now.’

  ‘Oh, it can be enjoyable, as long as you don’t give your heart away.’

  ‘So are ya still helpin’ to stop that war wot’s not started?’

  ‘No, and I think Liore is still lying to us all. The part about the weapon and the time loop may be true, but there is still a flaw in her logic. Destroy the weapon and the time loop breaks. The trouble is that the Lionhearts will still be around, and would be free to come up with some new idea to start a war. Why not get the Lionhearts together on a ship, with the weapon, then blow up the weapon?’

  ‘But that’s wot’s happened.’

  ‘Yes, so perhaps this is her plan. She’s a clever girl. If Madeline stays loyal to her, they might blow up the Millennium when it attacks Wilhelmshaven.’

  ‘Gonna have to be a pretty big bang to blow up a bleedin’ ship.’

  ‘Oh yes, it would be. Remember those little radiocomms? They each have the explosive power of a shell with two or three times your weight in explosives.’

  ‘Yeah? An’ the PR-17 thing has more?’

  ‘Apparently. Liore said it was ten orders of magnitude more.’

  ‘How much is that?’

  ‘Let’s work it out. Twice two hundred and fifty pounds of explosive is five hundred pounds. There’s four and a half of those in a ton. Make that four times for simplicity, so the two radiocomms are equal to a quarter of a ton of explosive.’

  ‘Er, and that’s lots?’

  ‘Lots and lots. Now, ten orders of magnitude times a quarter ton is . . .’

  Daniel did the calculation. The figure did not make sense. He thought through it again. He got the same result. He fished a pencil out of one pocket and a notebook page with Elizabeth’s address in London out of the other, then wrote out the calculation. The result remained the same.

  ‘No, that can’t be right,’ said Daniel as the bottom dropped out of his stomach. ‘It comes to two and a half thousand million tons of explosive! That’s ten thousand million shells.’

  ‘Would that sink a ship?’ asked Barry.

  ‘Barry, that would sink Tasmania! That’s more explosive than has been set off in all of history.’

  ‘Er, so best to stand well clear?’

  ‘Well clear? No wonder she said her disruptor device has to be fired when the Millennium is on the horizon. That’s why she didn’t tell anyone about what her real plan was. Anyone close enough to fire at the Millennium would probably be killed by the explosion.’

  ‘Crikey. Lucky we won’t be near that Willy’s Haven place, then.’

  ‘Wilhelmshaven, and . . . I really ought to warn Madeline. I mean she should be told that Liore’s plan means almost certain death –’

  Daniel was cut short by a massive explosion not far from the ship. It was as if some giant had struck the ship with a huge sledgehammer. The entire structure reverberated, and every man in the engine hall froze in terror for a moment, although the engines continued to turn steadily.

  ‘Friggin’ hell!’ exclaimed Barry. ‘Are we somewhere near that Willy place?’

  ‘It’s the Millennium!’ Daniel concluded. ‘Come on, make for the stairs!’

  Daniel had reacted before the engineering crew had thought to send someone up to see what was happening, so they had the iron steps to themselves.

  ‘I thought the Millennium only shot at Germans?’ said Barry as they climbed.

  ‘I think they’ve decided to test the weapon on us first,’ said Daniel. ‘They know that people who don’t like the Lionhearts are aboard the Andromeda, so why not sink it to get a feel for the weapon and get rid of us, too?’

  Another explosion rattled the ship, very nearly pitching Daniel and Barry off the stairs.

  ‘Lucky they’re such bleedin’ lousy shots,’ said Barry as they began climbing again.

  ‘With cannons you have to allow for wind drift and the parabolic path of the shell. As Liore explained it, the PR-17’s shots travel in an absolutely straight line. The people on the Millennium have not yet worked out that the weapon does not act like a cannon.’

  ‘Jeez, then I hope they’re pretty thick and take a long time,’ said Barry as they emerged into the sunlight. ‘Where’s the lifeboats?’

  ‘Forget the lifeboats, follow me.’

  ‘Haven’t got much bleedin’ choice with these friggin’ handcuffs on, have I?’

  Daniel made for the cabin that Liore and Madeline shared. As he suspected, they had left, and in such a hurry that the door was unlocked. The disruptor and its batteries were gone. Daniel dragged Barry across to Madeline’s bed and felt under the pillow. He drew out her Webley 32.

  ‘Bleedin’ hell, how’d ya know that were there?’ gasped Barry.

  ‘Because I’ve been in bed with her!’ snapped Daniel, who was by now beyond polite and discreet ways of explaining things.

  ‘Ya wot? Jeez, and ya got the cheek to call me a dirty little man?’

  ‘Come on!’ shouted Daniel, dragging Barry back into the corridor.

  ‘Please tell me we’re goin’ to the lifeboats now.’

  ‘No, we’re going to the forward promenade deck and I’m going to put a bullet through Liore’s disruptor device before she and Madeline take a shot at the Millennium.’

  ‘Wot? The buggers shoot at us but ya don’t wanna shoot back?’

  ‘Barry, if they destroy the PR-17, the explosion will be like dropping Mount Everest into the water from a great height. It won’t matter whether you’re in the ship or a lifeboat when the wave arrives.’

  Their progress was slow, because the decks were crowded with people making for the lifeboats, putting on life jackets, trying to take photographs, screaming at the stewards, or running for their cabins. The water on the starboard side of the ship suddenly erupted skywards, showering everyone with hot, salty spray and knocking nearly everyone off their feet. The sound and shockwave was like a physical blow.

  ‘They’re gettin’ better with that friggin’ weapon!’ called Barry. ‘Next shot’s gonna hit us.’

  ‘All they want to do is sink this ship, then vanish before any other ship sees that they were nearby. There may even be time to launch the lifeboats once they blow a hole in us.’

  ‘Well why aren’t we goin’ for the lifeboats?’

  ‘Shut up and follow me!’

  ‘Slow down, me wrist is bleedin’ from the handcuff.’

  Not far away, Madeline was setting up the disruptor under Liore’s instructions. They were on the part of the promenade deck directly below the bridge, and could just see the smudge of smoke on the horizon that marked the Millennium.

  ‘Battery cable
one, there,’ said Liore, pointing. ‘Cable two, there. Cable three, there.’

  ‘The radiocomm screens have both lit up,’ said Madeline.

  ‘Madeline, switches,’ continued Liore. ‘One up. Two, three, four, down. Five up. Six down. Inductance meter, monitor.’

  ‘The needle is moving,’ said Madeline. ‘It’s reading five, six, seven, eight, slowing down . . . nine.’

  ‘Lockdown target,’ said Liore. ‘Dials, myself monitoring. Switch seven, place thumb, at the ready. Feedback meter, redline, I call.’

  It was at that moment that Daniel and Barry arrived from the starboard side. Daniel drew his gun and pointed it at the disruptor.

  ‘Daniel, what do you think you are doing?’ cried Madeline, crouching over with the disruptor held against her body.

  ‘Get away from that thing, it will destroy us all!’ Daniel shouted.

  ‘It’s our only chance to stop the Millennium!’ cried Madeline. ‘The disruptor will make Liore’s weapon explode like the biggest of bombs.’

  ‘Tell her what sort of bomb, Liore!’ shouted Daniel at the translucent figure. ‘One from 1901, or one from 2011?’

  For the first time since Daniel had met her, Liore looked truly cornered and frightened.

  ‘Liore, what is he talking about?’ asked Madeline.

  ‘1901 or 2011?’ shouted Daniel. ‘Tell her!’

  ‘Large bomb, as from, 2011,’ Liore finally conceded.

  ‘That means about two and a half thousand million tons of explosive!’ explained Daniel. ‘You set that off and the Andromeda will sink, too, even fifteen miles away.’

  ‘But if the Andromeda is sunk today and the Millennium takes that weapon to Wilhelmshaven, the Lionhearts will start the Century War,’ replied Madeline. ‘This is our only chance to stop the war.’

  ‘We’ve tried twice, this try will fail, too,’ said Daniel. ‘Put the disruptor on the deck so I can smash it.’

  ‘No!’ shouted Madeline.

  This was not the only drama being played out on the deck. Baroness Featherington had been seventeen during the Indian Mutiny of 1858. Her father had been in the army, and like Madeline’s father, he believed in women being self-reliant when their men folk were not in the area and educated her accordingly. She had organised fifteen girls and women to dress as native women, then led them to safety at a British garrison. On the way she had shot two sepoys who got too inquisitive about the group.

  Now the Baroness was again under fire and surrounded by civilians, and she was determined to take over and save the day. When a steward had tried to tell her that everything was under control and that she should go to her cabin, she had demanded to know who was organising a passengers’ militia. Upon being told that no such militia was planned, she had taken charge.

  ‘Just what do you young people think you are doing out here!’ she shouted as she bore down on Daniel, Madeline and Liore. ‘Get back inside at once and wait for orders in the saloon!’

  Daniel turned, the gun still in his hand. Baroness Featherington and the steward stopped at the sight of the gun.

  ‘The ship is under attack,’ called the steward. ‘You can’t stay out here.’

  ‘Daniel, please!’ pleaded Liore. ‘Hate me as much as you like, but please, please help us destroy the Lionhearts.’

  ‘Danny, wot about a nice lifeboat?’ suggested Barry.

  ‘I’m willing to die to save the future, Daniel,’ said Madeline. ‘Are you?’

  Daniel was not aware of deciding to change his mind, but at that very moment he decided to save the world from the Century War, even though it meant near-certain death. Thinking back on it several days later, he also realised that he had not liked the idea of being ordered around by Baroness Featherington because she spoke and acted like his sister. One domineering woman too many had tried to order him about, and Baroness Featherington just happened to be the one who pushed him over the edge. On the other hand, Liore was helpless, and had said please rather than trying to order him about.

  While not a very logical reason to side with Liore, it was nevertheless Daniel’s reason. I don’t hate you, Liore, he thought. You’re like Barry, you can’t help being what you are and you can’t change. Unlike Barry, you’re trying to do something good, so . . .

  ‘Stay where you are, don’t try to interfere!’ he shouted at Baroness Featherington and the steward.

  The steward raised his hands and began to back away, but Baroness Featherington now advanced on Daniel.

  ‘Don’t you try to intimidate me, you – you middleclass boy!’ she said. ‘I know you would not shoot a –’

  Daniel’s shot passed through Baroness Featherington’s hat, blowing it from her head, hatpin and all. She stopped, not quite comprehending that the youth had actually shot at her.

  ‘Just you turn around and run, you ugly old bat!’ shouted Daniel, who then fired another shot into the deck at her feet.

  ‘Mr Hammond, do something!’ shrieked Baroness Featherington as she backed away, but the steward was already out of sight. Finding herself without support, she turned and fled as well.

  ‘Target lockdown!’ called Madeline. ‘I’m pressing switch seven. Liore, call redline.’

  The soft click of the switch was perhaps the most unsettling sound Daniel had ever heard.

  ‘Fire!’ called Liore.

  Madeline squeezed the trigger stud. There was a loud bang and the disruptor jerked as six gunpowder charges went off, propelling six magnets through tubes wound with coils of wire, and sending a surge of electricity through the circuit.

  ‘Nothing happened,’ said Madeline.

  ‘Daniel, Madeline, over side, throw disruptor!’ shouted Liore.

  A whining sound came from the disruptor, and it rapidly rose in pitch. A corona of electrical discharge danced between the two radiocomms, and smoke curled up from the coils and tubes. Without another word Madeline detached the batteries while Daniel held the disruptor. The moment that the last connection was free, Daniel carried the device to the starboard side, dragging the terrified Barry behind him. With only his right arm, Daniel heaved the disruptor into the water.

  ‘Close eyes, with hands, cover!’ shouted Liore.

  Abruptly the entire world turned into pure white light for several seconds. Daniel felt as if there should have been some terrible sound, but there was only the distant rumble of the Andromeda’s engines, and a few cries of alarm from others who were nearby. The blaze of light passed, and Daniel opened his eyes. On the western horizon, where the Millennium had been only moments before, was an enormous, glowing mushroom cloud rapidly reaching skywards.

  ‘Bleedin’, friggin’ crikey, did I have that in me bag?’ cried Barry.

  ‘Liore?’ called Daniel. ‘Madeline, where’s Liore?’

  In another sea, in another world, the armed merchant sloop Entropia reversed its wind tower engines and began to slow. A steam-powered compression boat was lowered, even before the vessel had stopped, and the deck provost pointed.

  ‘It was a floating body, in some sort of uniform,’ he called above the engine as they set off. ‘It must be a dead officer. I saw a double row of buttons through my peep glass.’

  ‘What’s another dead body?’ asked the marshal of marines.

  ‘Officers have papers, orders of the day and such. Veldarian papers might be worth a lot in Gallacia – there! I see him.’

  Moments later they had secured the body with a boathook, and were hauling it aboard.

  ‘He’s alive!’ cried the marshal of marines in surprise.

  ‘Out here, in mid-sea?’ exclaimed the deck provost.

  ‘He just coughed and shook his head. The dead ones don’t do that.’

  ‘Then all the better. The Gallacians will pay even more for a Veldarian officer to torture for a few secrets.’

  Target destroyed, but wherever this is, I still exist, thought Liore.

  She opened her eyes and slowly sat up. She was not only alive, but was in a steam-powered boat
with a dozen armed men. The odds were definitely in her favour, yet the boat was headed for a small ship with six spinning rotor towers instead of masts or funnels. Nothing like that existed in the time streams that she knew.

  ‘I am a battle commander of the British Empire,’ said Liore.

  ‘You speak Angelterrian?’ said one of the men.

  ‘Angelterrian?’

  ‘Yes, Angelterrian. And what is this British Empire nonsense?’

  I am free, Liore realised. Wherever this is, there is no British Empire. I am free to do whatever I wish. This world is mine.

  In another reality, the Andromeda’s problems were worsening exponentially. After travelling for one minute at the speed of sound, the shock wave from the explosion had hit the Andromeda so hard that every window pointing west had shattered, and Madeline, Daniel and Barry had been flung against a wall.They had been lucky, for many others were knocked overboard.

  ‘There’s something wrong with the horizon!’ cried Madeline, pointing west.

  ‘What happened to Liore?’ shouted Daniel, his ears still ringing from the blast of the shockwave.

  ‘Danny boy, will ya check that bleedin’ horizon?’ cried Barry. ‘It’s not meant to be getting’ bigger, is it?’

  Daniel looked up at the cloud that marked where the Millennium had been.

  ‘Not the cloud, the horizon itself,’ said Madeline. ‘It’s getting higher.’

  ‘A wave,’ exclaimed Daniel, finally comprehending what he was seeing. ‘An enormous wave from the weapon blowing up. Madeline, strap on a life jacket, then run to the cabin. Barry, kneel on the deck.’

  ‘Wot, ya want me to pray?’

  ‘Kneel!’ shouted Daniel, pulling him down. ‘Now put your wrist with the handcuff on the deck.’

  Daniel pressed the barrel of the Webley against the handcuff chain, pressed down hard, then pulled the trigger. The shot separated him from Barry.

  ‘Wot now?’ asked Barry.

  ‘We find a couple of life jackets, then run to the cabin and hang on.’

  The Andromeda was saved by the fact that it was facing into the wave from the Millennium’s annihilation. It began to rise as the wave approached, and far more alarmingly, it started to tilt. Ragged turbulence on the mountain of seawater crashed over the decks, and those on the bridge who had not been blinded by the explosion watched in horror as the bow became submerged. Foaming white water thundered over the decks, then burst through windows and even tore some of the lifeboats away.