The Time Thieves

by Charlie Carter

  ‘What about Horologe?’ Nine asked. ‘Can we trust him not to betray us while we’re in there?’

  ‘Oh, yes. He knows that if anything happens to you, his life won’t be worth living.’

  A green light flashed above the hatch into the Time Store proper. The squad lined up in single file – TEX first, Five last.

  ‘Oh and another thing,’ the professor added. ‘It looks as if I won’t have contact with you. I’ll try, but it’s not likely; the interference in there will be too great. So you will be on your own.’

  A siren beeped in sync with the flashing green light. A second later the hatch opened.

  ‘Good luck, Omega Squad. You’re on.’

  The noise was deafening; they could barely hear the professor. But it was the suction that was overwhelming. The squad members were dragged off their feet and sucked head-first into the Time Store. It happened so quickly they didn’t even have time to cry out.

  The hatch slammed behind them like a prison door. They stopped almost immediately, weightless, floating in a strange twilight world where nothing was quite visible – shifting shadows, swirling patterns of light and dark, hazy figures looming in and out – a world that wasn’t quite solid or real. It took nearly a minute for the squad to set bearings and

  co-ordinates, and adjust to their surroundings.

  ‘As you know, time is not on our side,’ Five said when they were ready. ‘So let’s get on with it.’

  They synchronised their Geo-Chron Locators, locked in Four’s co-ordinates and set their course. They activated their Boot Boosters and headed off with HoverVests in auto-mode.

  They travelled in silence at first, each with an uneasy feeling about this place. They’d all been in the thickest Time Ether, the sort that could swallow you like quicksand. And they’d all struggled through the heaviest Mists of Time, past particles bombarding their skin, threatening to make them history at any moment. But this was different. This was creepy.

  The squad members were disoriented as they glided through the ghostly fog, sometimes wispy thin, sometimes as thick as stew. They were flying blind in a multi-dimensional world that was part real, part virtual and part something else they didn’t know, never sure which part they were operating in at any time.

  And through it all there was a disturbing eeriness, intensely quiet but not quite silent. A faint hum wrapped around them, deep and throaty, like monks chanting in a faraway monastery.

  ‘Bear 1.2 degrees on the Z axis,’ Nine said, navigating for them all. ‘The signal from Four is weak but it’s still there.’

  ‘Hang tight, Four,’ BA005 called into his Battle Watch, sending out his message on the strongest beam he could ramp up, hoping it would get through. ‘We’re coming. Repeat: We’re coming.’

  * * *

  What was that?

  Four felt his Battle Watch vibrate. Up until now the watch had seemed next to useless. But it had definitely just vibrated. He was being dragged across the field to King Harold, soldiers jeering and cursing loudly. He glanced down at his watch. The screen was filled with static but he was sure that actual words had just flickered across it. One of his eyes was so swollen he couldn’t even open it, and he could only squint through the other. But he was sure that he saw words.

  ‘Hang … coming … Rep … .ing’

  His Battle Watch vibrated again. This time the screen remained blank, but it didn’t matter to Four. That had been a message, he told himself. It had definitely been a message from the others.

  They’re looking for me.

  A wave of relief washed over Four and new hope surged through him as he was hauled in front of Harold’s pavilion. Its bright colours shone in the morning sun, gold, blue and white, while royal banners fluttered importantly in the breeze.

  King Harold himself stood in front of the pavilion, a gathering of nobles and knights at his side. Four couldn’t help thinking what a strikingly tall figure the king was, head and shoulders above those around him, with muscular arms and huge powerful hands.

  Four suddenly had a thought. Is that why King Harold was shot in the eye by an arrow? Because he stood so high above everyone else? If he’d been a smaller man he wouldn’t have been killed, the Battle of Hasting wouldn’t have been won by William, and English history would have been totally different.

  Four was shaken from his thoughts as he was flung to the ground in front of the king, and given a few hard kicks by the Housecarl.

  ‘What, pray tell, have we here?’ Harold’s voice had a deep tone of authority.

  BA004 squinted up at the king and tried to stand. But the Housecarl shoved him down again.

  ‘He claims to be a messenger from the gods,

  Your Grace,’ the soldier said with a derisive laugh. ‘And that he carries a message for you – one of grave importance for today’s battle. But I can just cut his head off, if you so desire.’

  The king laughed as well. ‘I’ll amuse myself with him for a little. Then you can behead him.’ Harold sneered down at Four. ‘From the gods, eh? A likely tale. You’re nought but a filthy vagabond.’

  Four knew that he had to impress King Harold if he was to survive. Act like a vagabond and he’ll treat me like one. I must be his equal.

  The Time Trooper made himself get to his feet. It hurt. Once up, he stood straight and dignified despite his aching limbs, and looked directly at the king with his one good eye.

  ‘Only a fool is deceived by appearances, Your Grace,’ he said.

  The words had barely left Four’s lips when the Housecarl sprang forwards and struck him across the face with the back of his hand. ‘How dare you address my king like that,’ he yelled.

  Four stumbled and fell to his knees, almost knocked out by the blow.

  The king stepped forwards, towering over the Time Trooper. ‘What was that you said?’ Harold asked with a smirk on his face, daring Four to repeat his words.

  You don’t beat me that easily, Four thought, forcing himself to keep calm. He struggled to his feet once more, his limbs in agony, and stared defiantly back at the king, unblinking, unswerving.

  ‘I said only a fool is deceived by appearances, Your Grace.’

  The blood rushed to King Harold’s face and his hand gripped the hilt of his sword.

  ‘But I see that you are not one of those,’ Four added just in time to stop Harold drawing his weapon. ‘I see that you are a true king indeed, one who deserves to hear my message.’

  ‘Flattery will get you nowhere,’ said Harold.

  Perhaps not, Four thought. But it will get me time. And time is what I need more than anything right now.

  ‘’Tis not flattery to speak the truth,’ said BA004. ‘I bring with me truths that you should know before you launch into this momentous battle. Knowledge is power, Your Grace.’

  King Harold narrowed his eyes and let go of his sword. But in the same movement he grabbed Four by the jaw with his massive hand.

  ‘Messenger from the gods?’ the king growled, his snarling face as close as it could possibly get to Four’s. ‘I think not.’

  Harold squeezed so hard that Four wanted to cry out. But he made himself smile instead.

  ‘Then you will go down in history as the loser of today’s great contest.’

  Four pressed the emergency button on his Battle Watch. He pressed it hard and held it down.

  * * *

  Nine, Five and TEX were edging their way through the Time Store fog when all their Geo-Chron Locators beeped and flashed at the same time.

  ‘That’s Four,’ Nine said. ‘Strongest signal yet. He must be close.’

  The Time Troopers looked in all directions, scanning the grey horizon of this twilight world with their Eyescreens in MacroVision.

  ‘What’s that?’ Five shouted after a while. ‘That huge grey cloud in the distance. Sector M14.’

  The others locked in on the cloud and zoomed closer. Four’s signal became even stronger.

  ‘He must be in that cloud.’

/>   ‘Correct,’ Skin replied. ‘That so-called cloud is in fact the virtual capsule around the Battle Energy Bundle in which Four is encased. It is an electro-magnetic force field designed to keep the BEB secure from other Time and Energy Bundle.

  ‘And to keep anyone out, I bet,’ Five added. ‘Like us.’

  ‘Correct again. The cloud contains a layer of severe electro-magnetic turbulence designed to cause the atomic disintegration of intruders.’

  ‘So how do we get in, Skin?’

  ‘Speed and ShieldField multiplication. You will need to combine forces. Your three ShieldFields working together should provide sufficient protection from deadly E-M rays, while triple Boot Booster power should get you through the turbulence if you can reach Hyper-Speed 20. Anything less will prove problematic.’

  ‘What are we waiting for, then?’ said Five. ‘Let’s do it.’

  TWELVE

  ‘We have Hyper-Speed 20,’ Five shouted as the three Time Troopers sped towards the big electro-magnetic cloud, locked together in the one ShieldField. ‘Hyper-Speed 21. 22!’

  A milli-second later they hit the cloud. The impact was like slamming into a brick wall. Even though their joint ShieldField was at triple strength, it beta-buckled with medium level cohesion stress and they were thrown forwards, decelerating by a factor of five.

  They all knew this was not good; the longer they stayed in this zone, the more chance of real harm they faced. For there was no mistaking the deadly nature of this E-M cloud.

  From outside everything was black and churning, like a mere storm cloud. But inside there was a light show of terrifying power – sparks, flashes of lightning, searing comet-like balls of fire, sudden solar flares and blinding explosions of white-hot light – all mixed with a constant hissing, crackling and ear-piercing static. They needed to get through as quickly as possible.

  ‘Maintain critical momentum,’ Nine shouted. ‘Give it all you’ve got.’

  They each dug deep into their power reserves, dragging as much energy as they could from their Nuke-Belts, mixing and multiplying for maximum effect. There was a slight turbo lag, but then their Boot Boosters responded and they surged forward with new power.

  ‘That’s better,’ Five yelled. ‘Hyper-Speed 25.’

  In less than 30 seconds they were through the cloud and inside the virtual capsule. They would have been scorched to the bone without their body armour.

  Their point of entry was high above the battlefield of Hastings. They identified the two armies – the Anglo-Saxons lined up on Senlac Hill, the Normans still pouring ashore in boats.

  ‘Any sign of Four?’ Nine called out.

  Nano-computers whirred and hummed against Five’s body as Skin scanned the scene below, reporting: ‘Positive identification confirmed. Battle Agent 004 located in Sector R41.’

  A grid-patterned Eyescreen appeared in their combined ShieldField, and they zoomed in on Four.

  ‘Looks like he’s in trouble,’ Nine said. ‘Big trouble.’

  ‘Yes,’ TEX replied. ‘I have a feeling we’re too late.’

  * * *

  ‘Enough!’ roared King Harold, his face taut with fury.

  BA004 was forced to his knees, his hands bound behind his back. One guard grabbed his hair and yanked his head up to stretch his neck for the chop. Another drew his sword and swung it over his shoulder. The king raised his arm to give the signal for execution.

  Four suddenly grasped the full horror of what was about to happen. Harold really was going to give the order for his execution. His head would be hacked off.

  ‘You’re making a mistake,’ he shouted, terrified to the core. No SimulSkin to save him, no body armour, no fancy gadgets, nothing to get him out of this. Fear, real fear, reared up inside him like a howling beast.

  ‘I have a battle to win today,’ the king shouted. ‘I, Harold Godwinson, King of England, have a battle to win. How dare you waste my time, you insect. Off with his head.’

  He brought down his arm, and the executioner swung his sword with all his might.

  Battle Agent 004 clenched his eyes shut and screamed at the top of his lungs.

  ‘Omega Squad! Where are you?’

  The three Time Troopers acted instantly. They had to; there was no margin for error, no time to discuss tactics, or even utter a single word. With the ShieldField deactivated they rocketed out of the sky in a three-pronged attack, somehow knowing what each had to do. As they plunged earthwards they saw the king drop his arm. They saw the soldier draw back and put all his strength into that deadly swing. They saw the sword slice through the air. They heard Four howl for help. And in that moment they struck.

  The Anglo-Saxons didn’t know what hit them. The Time Troopers hurtled out of nowhere, screaming like Valkyries. Nine slammed into the executioner just as his sword was about to strike Four’s neck, sending both warrior and weapon flying. Five took out the soldier who was clutching Four by the hair. TEX swooped down, clutched Four in his huge hands and hauled him away.

  A few Anglo-Saxons hurled spears at the escapees, but to no effect. Omega Squad was surging up and away with maximum thrust.

  BA004 was stunned. It was a miracle. Seconds ago he was screaming for his life. Now he was being whisked to safety.

  ‘YES!’ he yelled, and laughed with a mixture of joy and relief, his face beaming as TEX lifted him higher. ‘I’m alive. Alive!’

  Eventually he broke out of his euphoria and turned to the other squad members.

  ‘Thank you,’ he blubbered and gasped, reaching out and touching each one. ‘You saved my life.’

  They were high above the battlefield now, TEX still holding on tight to Four. Five and Nine locked their HoverVests into Float Mode and activated a joint ShieldField. Only then did the super soldier release his hold. Four eased back in the clear bubble of the force field, and let waves of happiness wash over him.

  ‘For the information of Omega Squad members,’ Five’s Simulation Skin said after a while. ‘The Battle of Hastings is about to begin. Data collection through closer inspection is highly recommended.’

  ‘Forget it, Skin,’ Five replied. ‘I think we’ve had enough excitement for one day. Wouldn’t you agree, Four?’

  ‘Oh, yeah,’ BA004 whispered through tears of joy. ‘I want to go home.’

  * * *

  ‘Mission accomplished.’

  Professor Perdu’s smiling face was now up on the wall in Horace Horologe’s office. She’d hacked into his system while the squad was in the Time Store and taken charge of its central processing unit, locking herself in on a temporary control link.

  ‘I am so relieved to have you out of that Time Store,’ the professor said. ‘I know it was tough for you in there, but it was agony for me not knowing where you were, how you were doing, whether I’d even see you again.’

  ‘Oh, really, Juanita,’ said Horace Horologe. ‘I was watching over them all the time.’

  ‘I know, Horace. That’s what worried me most.’

  The Time Troopers were touched by the professor’s words. She hardly ever showed a soft side.

  ‘I’ve no idea how you pulled it off – navigating your way through that minefield, finding 004, and then escaping without any major dramas.’

  ‘I can tell you how we did it,’ said Nine. ‘Simple. One word – teamwork.’

  ‘Isn’t that two words?’

  ‘Not where Omega Squad is involved, Prof.’

  ‘I see. Well now you really can call yourselves a true squad. Congratulations.’

  Horace Horologe clapped his hands. ‘I do so love a happy ending. It gives me a warm inner glow.’

  The professor stared at him with disdain. ‘What are you talking about?’

  ‘All’s well that ends well – that’s what I’m saying.’ He grinned and edged towards the door. ‘And since this little episode has ended so well, I’d best be pushing off. Show yourselves out, er, Omega kids.’

  ‘Oh no, Horologe,’ said 005. ‘You’re going nowhere.�
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  ‘Why you impudent —’

  ‘You heard him.’ TEX blocked the Time Broker’s exit. ‘Nowhere means nowhere.’

  ‘We want answers,’ Nine added, stepping in his path as well.

  Four joined her. ‘Honest answers.’

  ‘Call them off, Juanita,’ Horace muttered. ‘It’s no good asking me anything. I told you, I’m just the caretaker around here, a small cog in a very big machine, believe me. It’s the larger fish you want.’

  ‘Yes and you’ll be able to help us catch them,’ said the professor.

  ‘Not a chance. Those fish swim in the darkest depths. They’re way out of my league.’

  ‘We don’t think so,’ Five insisted. ‘In fact we’re sure you know a lot more than you’re telling.’

  ‘Like who’s really behind these attacks on Operation Battle Book,’ said Four. ‘And what’s their real purpose?’

  ‘And what are those cone-shaped cylinders in the room next door?’ Nine continued.

  ‘And the deep rumbling,’ said TEX. ‘Explain that.’

  Horace’s face dropped as the squad members closed in around him. It turned a paler shade of white when Five added: ‘That’s why we think we’ll take you back with us right now for some serious interrogation.’

  The Time Broker looked very frightened. He turned to Professor Perdu’s face on the wall.

  ‘Don’t let them do that, Juanita. Please. My life wouldn’t be worth living if they thought I’d helped you in any way.’

  ‘They?’ said Nine, prodding Horace in the chest. ‘So you do know someone?’

  ‘Well, yes, of course. And no. I mean I don’t actually know them. Never met them. You don’t meet their sort; they work from the shadows. They’re faceless. But I can tell you this for sure. They’re big, B-I-G big.’

  Beads of sweat had formed on Horace’s brow, and his hands were trembling.

  ‘They’re important people, the sort that don’t like being crossed; the sort that never forget, the sort that squash you like an insect if they feel so inclined. That’s why I’m asking you – no, begging you – not to take me in. Can’t we just leave it all here for now?’