The Timepiece and the Girl Who Went Astray: A thrilling new time travel adventure

by O. R. Simmonds

‘Different? Everything is different!’

  ‘I need you to think fourth-dimensionally, specifically, about the terrain. Are there any new buildings, trees, walls, roads? Anything that might help us, but anything that might harm us also. We don’t want to reappear in 1984 in the middle of a busy road. However, were our new friends here to find themselves in that situation, then that could be most welcome.’

  ‘I’m not sure. I don’t know this area that well. This was the first time I’ve been arrested, and I was in the back of a police car when they brought me here. It was also dark out, so…’

  ‘There must be something. Please, I need you to think.’

  Frenz peered over the top of the low wall, back towards the building they had just fled. Through the mist he could barely make out one of the gunmen standing in the courtyard some ten metres away. He had his gun drawn and was scanning the area, looking for them. The second gunman, it seemed, had found his weapon and was clambering through the opening in the boarded-up door. His once immaculate tweed suit was now soaked through and dripping wet with foul-smelling, putrid water.

  Frenz stooped back behind the wall. ‘William, I don’t mean to worry you,’ he said, ‘but they are both right behind us. Both armed. You need to come up with something. This wall won’t offer much cover once they start firing.’

  ‘That’s it!’ Will whispered excitedly.

  ‘What is?’

  ‘The wall! Right there,’ Will said, pointing to a grassy verge on the far edge of the courtyard. ‘In 1984, this courtyard is smaller. There’s a large brick wall and a solid metal gate. It’s a security gate so there’s a good chance it’ll be closed.’

  ‘How certain are you of its position?’

  ‘Pretty certain. As much as I can be, under the circumstances.’

  ‘How far out?’ Frenz asked.

  ‘Maybe fifteen yards that way.’

  Frenz scanned the area and performed a quick calculation in his head. ‘Okay, this is what we’re going to do,’ he said. ‘On the count of three, we’re going to make a run for it. I need you to run like never before, my friend. Once we cross that verge, I need you to deactivate the Timepiece. Not before, not during. After, understood? Doing so will immediately return us to your origin time in 1984.’

  ‘Okay, got it. Wait, how do you deactivate the Timepiece? I must have missed that part of the instructions.’

  ‘Turn the crown on the Timepiece counterclockwise until you feel a click. Do that now,’ Frenz whispered.

  Will did as instructed. ‘Okay, done.’

  ‘To complete the deactivation, push the crown inwards, just like you did to activate it. Do that once we pass the verge. Is that clear?’

  ‘Yeah, clear.’

  ‘One other thing. The only way we will both travel back is if we are in physical contact with each other. I suggest we hold hands as we run.’

  ‘You’re kidding, right? You really want us to run away from men with guns holding hands?’

  ‘That is an accurate description of what I just said, yes,’ Frenz said as he retied the laces on each of his shoes in preparation for the vital sprint to safety. ‘We should interlock our fingers, that way we will have a firm hold of each other. It will reduce the chance of us losing contact as we transit.’

  Will turned to Frenz with flabbergasted acquiescence and said, ‘Okay, fine. Just understand that for me, personally, holding hands is a very intimate thing. I mean, I didn’t hold hands with Abigayle for the first time until our third date.’

  ‘Think of her as we run. It will drive you to run faster, I’m sure. Are you ready?’

  Will nodded frantically.

  ‘On three. One, two, three!’

  The two of them leapt from their crouched position behind the wall and began running away from the building and their attackers.

  Fortunately, the two gunmen hadn’t been looking in their direction when they rose from their temporary cover. This cost them a few precious seconds of reaction time as their quarry made their move.

  By the time the gunmen had raised their weapons and prepared to fire, Frenz and Will had already passed from view into the thick fog and within a few paces they had reached the verge. Frenz shouted, ‘Now, Will!’ as the gunmen fired their weapons blindly into the gloom. Two bullets sailed through the air, both directed squarely at the centre of Will’s back. Frenz could hear the dull impact of the bullets as both he and Will lunged forwards through the air. Their elbows scraped, and their bodies tumbled as both men crashed into the stone floor.

  CHAPTER FOURTEEN

  May 15th, 1984, 02:06

  Frenz let out an anguished sigh as he lay face down on the cold pavement. The rectangular slabs of the footpath beneath him were damp and spotted with discarded chewing gum, each one pressed flat into the stone. He rolled onto his back and looked at the three-metre-high wall that now stood between them and their pursuers. He turned to his right to find Will still lying face down and motionless beside him. Frenz propped himself up on his elbows and said, ‘William, it worked.’

  When there was no response, he said, ‘William, are you okay?’

  Still no response. Frenz reached over and pulled Will onto his back and to his relief Will let out a guttural wheeze of breath. His face was flushed a bright pink colour. Frenz asked again, ‘Are you hurt? Can you move?’

  Will let out another wheezy breath, looking back at the tall wall that had materialised five or so metres behind where they lay. He then looked at Frenz and in a laboured, croaky voice, said, ‘Why did you make us dive through the air like that?’

  ‘What do you mean?’

  ‘Look how far we are from that wall. I mean, it might have looked pretty cool if we were running from an explosion or if we weren’t holding hands, but we could’ve just kept on running and I wouldn’t feel like I’ve cracked a half-dozen ribs. This isn’t the A-Team, you know.’

  ‘The what?’

  ‘It’s that new TV show… look, it doesn’t matter. I’m just in quite a lot of pain right now, that’s all,’ Will took in another wheezing breath and laid his head gently back onto the pavement.

  ‘You’re just winded, but you had me worried for a moment there. I thought you had been shot. I heard gunshots, but the bullets must have struck the inside of the wall,’ Frenz said. ‘We should be going. Can you get up?’

  ‘Yeah, I can get up.’

  Frenz helped Will to his feet. As they hurried away from the police station, they could hear the growing sounds of commotion and multiple rushing footsteps coming from behind the wall. There were numerous raised and panicked voices, and moments later an alarm was sounded. The police, for obvious reasons, didn’t take too kindly to two gunmen suddenly appearing inside police grounds. Especially when they were armed and firing shots into the police compound wall. It was an unenviable situation to be in, and they would surely be tied up for the foreseeable future at least.

  It was now the early hours of the morning, so the streets were mostly deserted. Londoners were notoriously early risers, so it wouldn’t be long before the streets would be flooded with commuters. Frenz was eager to interact with as few people as possible, given that he was a visitor in this strange period of time. He suggested that they stay out of sight and find a quiet place to lay low and formulate some kind of plan.

  Will didn’t know many areas of London better than Holland Park, where he and Abigayle lived, but returning to Abigayle’s flat was out of the question. There was a high probability that it was now a police crime scene. With Will now adding fugitive to his growing list of alleged crimes, keeping clear of the authorities was even more of a necessity. And it wouldn’t be long before the police discovered that he had mysteriously disappeared from his cell without a trace.

  That’s one crime I’m actually guilty of at least, he thought.

  Despite Will’s reticence to go anywhere near Abigayle’s flat, Frenz insisted that moving to an area that was familiar would give them a tactical advantage should they encounter
more resistance.

  * * *

  Reluctantly, Will agreed and cautiously navigated the two miles back to Holland Park on foot. The journey seemed to take an age, with the two men ducking out of sight whenever the sound of an approaching car was heard. Will had decided upon a specific location that he deemed to be safe enough, leading Frenz to Norland Square Garden, one of the dozen or so communal gardens in the area.

  Many of the gardens were private and were intended solely for the residents living in the neighbouring houses. The gates to these gardens would be locked and unlocked by the local residents themselves and they were the only people entitled to a key. Even so, Will and Abigayle would often sneak into this particular garden after dark, when they could be sure not to run into any residents. They would share night-time picnics and make love under the stars.

  When Will and Frenz reached the garden, they found that it was encircled with high iron fences, painted black and topped with spikes that had worn smooth with age. Running along the majority of the perimeter were tall, perfectly trimmed hedges that, at certain points, engulfed the fences completely. As a result, most areas of the garden provided complete privacy from the houses that surrounded it, perfect for staying clear of prying eyes. Inside the garden, rising above the hedges were a number of tall, pristinely maintained trees.

  Will and Frenz approached a section of fence and looked up to examine the challenge ahead of them. Frenz shot Will a dubious look. To their right was one of the many gates that led into the garden. The gate was closed and flanked with two low brick pillars. Thick rectangular metal posts were embedded inside the pillars, supporting the large gate between them.

  Will approached the gate, stood next to the brick pillar and pressed his back against it. He bent his knees, interlinked his fingers and lowered his hands between his knees. He looked up at Frenz and said, ‘Okay, come on, I’ll give you a boost.’

  ‘Are you sure about this, William?’

  ‘Sure, I’m sure. Now come on.’

  Frenz glanced around, checking that the coast was clear, then nodded at Will and bounced on his heels in preparation.

  ‘Ready? One, two, three!’

  On the count of three, Frenz began a short run up, then placed his left foot in Will’s hands and his own hands on Will’s shoulders. Will lifted him high enough so that Frenz could place his right foot on one of the brick pillars. This was, however, the easy part of the manoeuvre. From here, Frenz needed to haul himself up using only his arms, lifting his body high to avoid the blunted spikes at the top of the gate. As he reached the top, he wedged his ankle between two of the metal spikes, grimacing as he forced it free. Lactic acid was building up in the muscles of his arms, but he eventually managed to shift his weight to the other side. With his hands gripping the base of two of the blunt spikes, he lowered himself as far as he could before letting go. He kicked his body away from the gate as he dropped to avoid the rock-strewn ground directly below.

  Frenz landed into a roll to break his fall. He got to his feet, then bent over and rested his hands on his knees, panting furiously. Beads of sweat covered his brow, which he wiped away with the back of his hand. He then stood, placed his hands on his hips and arched his back with a groan.

  ‘Oh my, that was a lot tougher than I expected,’ Frenz said.

  ‘Yeah, well that wasn’t bad for a guy your age.’

  Frenz suddenly straightened his back as a thought occurred to him. ‘But, William, how will you get over here without a boost? Why didn’t we think of that before that whole ordeal? And how on earth will we get back out?’

  ‘Don’t worry,’ Will said calmly. ‘I told you, Abby and I came here all the time. I’m an expert at getting into this place.’

  Will took a step back from the gate and strode towards it purposefully, gripping the cool metal with two hands. He pushed firmly, and the rusted metal hinges scraped and squealed. The heavy gate surrendered and swung inwards. Once inside the garden Will spun around, closing the gate behind him. He turned to Frenz, whose face was a picture of anger and confusion.

  ‘William! What the bloody hell?’ Frenz said, incredulous.

  ‘What?’

  ‘You knew the gate was open all along?’

  ‘Like I said, Abby and I came here a lot. The main reason being that the lock on this particular gate is seized open.’

  ‘Kindly explain why you would put me through all the effort of climbing. I could have impaled myself on the top or fallen and broken my dammed leg!’

  ‘That was for almost getting me blown up,’ Will said, counting his fingers, ‘almost getting me shot. For making me dive through the air onto a granite stone pavement for no reason whatsoever. And for giving me this damned thing on my wrist, which somehow caused my fiancée to vanish into thin air.’ He smirked and walked deeper into the garden.

  Frenz followed and found Will standing at the base of an old, twisted tree. According to the metal plaque pressed into the dirt, the tree had been planted in 1878 and was apparently a rare, protected species. Almost all of the trees in the garden were rare or protected in some way. Scattered around the park on slender wooden poles were numerous red and white plastic signs stating that climbing any of them was strictly prohibited. Will had many fond memories from his childhood when his mother would take him, his siblings and their scruffy dog for long walks through the woods. On every one Will had found a decent tree to climb. For this reason, Will found this to be an unnecessary restriction.

  Frenz walked past Will and slumped down on a wooden bench beside the ancient tree, its limbs faded and grey with age. The adrenaline had been gradually leaving his system over the past hour and the feeling of exhaustion seemed to hit Frenz suddenly. He leaned forwards, resting his arms on his knees and letting out another heavy sigh.

  Will took half a step forwards, positioning himself across from his new friend, and folded his arms expectantly. He prodded his head towards him. ‘Okay, Frenz, now that our lives are no longer in immediate danger,’ he said, ‘it’s time for some answers.’

  Frenz glanced up at Will lethargically, blinking slowly, and offered only an uncertain look.

  Will continued unperturbed, pulling back the sleeve of his jacket to reveal the Timepiece on his wrist. ‘For a start, what the hell is this thing?’ With the same arm, he pointed back towards the way they had come. ‘And who the hell are those guys?’

  Frenz leaned backwards, resting against the firm wooden slats of the bench. His features softened slightly as he spoke. ‘This situation you’ve gotten yourself into is far more dangerous and complicated than you can possibly imagine. The more you know, the more danger you’re in. Are you sure you want to know?’

  ‘You’re damn right I do! I did what you asked. I broke you out of jail and now it’s your turn to hold up your end of the deal.’

  Frenz considered this for a moment. There were so many reasons not to tell Will the truth and under normal circumstances he wouldn’t have, but he had given this man his word. He was an old-fashioned sort, and without his word, what kind of man was he? He nodded lightly, then gestured to the Timepiece on Will’s wrist and spoke his next words slowly and deliberately. ‘I think you already know what that thing is and what it can do, but in simple terms: When the wearer of that watch sets the time – any time – they are able to visit that period of time. We like to say that it’s the only watch in the world that really tells time,’ Frenz said, allowing himself a slight chuckle. ‘The instant that it’s deactivated, the wearer is returned to their time of origin. Or, to be precise, their time of origin plus whatever time has passed since they left. Are you following so far?’

  ‘I need to sit down.’ Will took a few paces forwards and settled down on the bench next to Frenz.

  Frenz continued, ‘It’s fairly straightforward. For example, if you left your time of origin at midday, travelled ten years into the past and spent two hours there, you would return to your origin time at 2 p.m. This is something you’ll have experienced already
, of course.’

  Will said, ‘To be honest with you, this whole evening has been so insane that I’ve completely lost track of time. Who the hell made this thing? The government? Aliens? I guess it’s not a Rolex or an Omega?’

  ‘Unfortunately, its maker remains unknown. Exactly where it came from is still a subject of much conjecture. We call it, simply, the Timepiece.’

  ‘I read as much in that little book I found in my cell.’ Will said, patting his back pocket. He looked down, studying the miraculous life-altering device strapped to his wrist, and then looked up at Frenz. ‘You know, that’s the second time you’ve phrased it that way?’

  ‘What?’

  ‘You said we. Who’s we? Those guys that were after us?’

  ‘In part, yes.’

  ‘And who are they?’

  ‘They’re very dangerous men. They belong to an organisation that controls the use of the Timepiece. They decide who uses it, when and for what purpose. At least they used to.’

  ‘Is this organisation called The Office of Time Dissemination, by any chance?’

  Frenz nodded. ‘That is its official name. It is an extremely secretive organisation. As far as anyone is concerned, we’re part of The International Bureau of Weights and Measures, responsible for setting the time internationally, defining the precise length of a second, calculating leap-seconds, that sort of thing. At its height it had just under three hundred operatives working worldwide. It has operated for centuries and has remained a secret from all but a select few. Not even people in the highest levels of government are aware of the agency’s true purpose. Congratulations, you’ve just become a member of an extremely exclusive group. Not even the Queen knows about it. At least she didn’t where I come from.’

  ‘All things considered, I think I would have preferred to remain ignorant of the whole thing.’ Will sighed wearily. ‘How could this thing have been kept a secret this whole time? With such a big organisation?’

  ‘Not everyone in the agency actually knew what we really did. Most were able to work without ever really knowing what they were doing or why. That was essential.’