by Jason Ayres
With that, the door was slammed firmly in his face, leaving Josh to ponder the little exchange that had just taken place.
Something had clearly deviated seriously off-track here. Had something bad happened to him in this timeline? That would certainly explain why his father had been so upset. It hadn’t helped matters that he had accidentally called him “Dad”. It was something that had just come naturally to him, without even thinking about it.
Despite this little faux pas, his father hadn’t recognised him, but then why would he? What reason would he have for expecting a middle-aged version of his youthful son to turn up on his doorstep? Josh was used to this sort of thing, it was an invariable consequence of time-travelling, but it was beyond the experience of the vast majority of people.
It was only as he turned and walked away from the house that he saw something that added some perspective to the conversation. On the back of his father’s van was a missing person poster which read:
Have you seen this man – missing since June 2024.
Phone 01869 734825 with any information.
The photo was inevitably of Josh’s younger self. For whatever reason, he had gone missing in this universe. Now he needed to find out why. Was it something to do with time travel? It would seem the most likely explanation and there were precedents.
He couldn’t try and get any more information from his father after the earlier conversation, but there was someone else in the town that might be able to shed some light on the situation.
Ten minutes later, he was standing at the front door of Charlie’s childhood home. This would have been a couple of years before he and Kaylee had got married. They had been living together in Charlie’s mother’s house at the time, trying to save the money for a deposit on a house.
When the door opened, Josh was relieved to see a perfectly normal and youthful-looking Charlie standing right in front of him. Perhaps he would have more luck here.
“Alright, Charlie?” he said confidently. “Guess who?”
Unlike Josh’s father, Charlie realised who he was right away.
“Josh! Oh my God, you did find a way back, then. But look at you! You’re an old man!”
Josh didn’t know where Charlie thought he had been, but clearly there were two different stories going on here, an inevitable consequence of getting your universes mixed up, it seemed.
“Can I come in?” he asked. “And put some coffee on, I could really do with one.”
Charlie led the way through to the kitchen. There didn’t seem to be anyone else about.
“Are we alone?” asked Josh.
“Yes, Kaylee and Mum have gone Christmas shopping,” replied Charlie.
“That’s handy,” replied Josh. “It gives us a chance to talk – and we’ve got a lot to talk about.”
“We certainly have,” said Charlie. “How did you get back? And why did it take you so long?”
“I think this is going to be a very long explanation,” replied Josh. “And possibly not the one you were expecting.”
Over the next half-hour, Josh summarised everything that had happened, right back to their original adventures with the time bubble.
“So that’s how I ended up here,” he concluded.
“Fascinating,” said Charlie, “absolutely fascinating. There are so many parallels between our worlds, yet so many differences, too.”
It was time for Charlie to tell the story from his perspective. He explained how, at first, things had followed the same path here as they had in Josh’s universe. The two of them had discovered the time bubble back in October 2018, just as Josh remembered, but in this timeline, events had played out differently.
The first point of difference they could find in their own timelines revolved around Andy Green. He had been one of the first people to fall into the original bubble, but here that hadn’t happened. He no longer lived in the town in 2018, as he was busy finding fame and fortune elsewhere on the planet.
“The rockstar lifestyle didn’t do him any good, did it?” remarked Charlie. “Dead because of drink and drugs like so many others.”
“Well, he didn’t exactly take it easy on the booze in my universe either,” replied Josh. “Nor did he last much longer. In just a few years from now he’ll fall over drunk in the snow and freeze to death.”
As they continued to compare notes, they examined how the timeline had changed more and more from that point onwards. The Time Bubble Team still existed, albeit in a reduced capacity. Kaylee had not gone missing in this timeline and consequently the police had never become involved. Charlie had never had any dealings with Hannah who consequently had never met Peter. Charlie confirmed the inevitable consequences of this, which was that Peter had died of leukaemia during their final year of A Levels.
The time bubble had, however, proved troublesome in other ways, leading the reduced team to conclude that it had to be shut down. This had resulted in Josh deciding to enter the bubble in June 2024, with the aim of travelling to the future to find a way to disable it.
He had by that time begun working with Professor Hamilton who had agreed to help. Charlie didn’t know all the technical details, but between them, they had seemed confident of success. If all had gone well, Josh would have returned to this time, the same age as when he left, leaving nobody any the wiser.
“That’s why I asked why you had been gone so long,” said Charlie. “I assumed you’d become stuck in the future and not been able to make it back for decades, hence why you now look so older. But since you aren’t him and after all you’ve told me, I’m starting to wonder if the other you will make it back at all. Is it possible if he did try to come back from the future that he ended up in the wrong universe?”
“Virtually anything’s possible judging by my experiences over the last few days,” replied Josh. “So when I failed to reappear, did you say anything to my family? I saw my dad earlier – he’s in a pretty bad way.”
“What could we say?” asked Charlie. “At first we thought you might be back in a few days, but the longer it went on, the harder it got. And you know what your dad’s like. What would he have said if we’d rolled up and told him all this? I know it’s hard for them, but at least now we know it didn’t work, we can stop him jumping again, assuming he comes out safe and sound in January 2030.”
“Yeah, I wouldn’t count on that,” said Josh, recalling that, in January 2030, the tunnel would be under several metres of snow. He was almost certain the Black Winter would still happen whatever other changes had occurred to the timeline. It fell into the category of events on a cosmic scale that no amount of tinkering down here on the surface of the planet could change.
“So, what are you going to do now?” asked Charlie.
“Well, I thought about going to see Professor Hamilton to see if he could help, but he’s not going to be around for a few weeks yet. He always used to go back to Scotland for Christmas and Hogmanay. I’m not sure he’ll be able to help me anyway. He retired long before I started having any success with the time travel experiments, so it’s not like he’s going to have the solution. I think I’m going to have to make another jump and hope next time I can find my other self.”
“I’m sorry I can’t be more help,” said Charlie.
“There is something you could do for me, actually,” said Josh. “When your Josh does eventually reappear, can you tell him everything I’ve told you? Even if I’m not in this time or this universe, if I can spread the word around the multiverse, then maybe rescue might be forthcoming at some point. Have you got a scanner on your phone?”
“Of course,” replied Charlie.
“OK, then can you take a copy of all of these notes and pass them on to him?”
He produced his notebooks, detailing all his trips in time and the different universes he had visited.
“There’s a lot here,” remarked Charlie.
“I know, but it could prove vital. I know it’s a long shot, but I’ve got to explore every possible
way of getting home.”
“Do you want to stick around for a while?” asked Charlie. “Kaylee and Mum will be back soon.”
“It’s probably best I don’t,” said Josh. “Obviously I’d love to see Kaylee again, but how would we explain my presence to your mum? I assume she’s in the dark about the time bubble, just as in my universe?”
“She is,” said Charlie. “Yes, I can see how that could cause some awkward questions.”
Josh had enjoyed chatting with Charlie and wasn’t in any great rush to leap on to the next universe. There would be no harm spending another night here with so much uncertainty ahead.
“Tell you what,” he said. “I’m staying at a small hotel in Oxford and have booked in for tonight already. How about I delay my next jump until tomorrow morning? Then you, Kaylee and I can meet up for a bite to eat tonight. It’ll give me a chance to tell you about some more of my adventures. I’m also fascinated by some of the other differences I’ve noticed between your universe and mine – Ed Miliband being PM for a start. Maybe we can figure out how they came about.”
“Sounds like a plan,” said Charlie. “Where and when?”
“Is that little French restaurant down George Street still there? You know, where we went to celebrate you and Kaylee getting engaged? I used to love that place.”
“It certainly is,” replied Charlie, picking his phone up from the table to look it up.
“There, it’s booked,” he said, a couple of taps on the screen later.
“Fantastic,” said Josh.
After the feeling of despair that had engulfed him the previous evening, Josh was now starting to feel a lot better. Whatever his next trip held, at least he was safe among friends for the moment.
Chapter Twelve
December 2024
The following morning, Josh returned to his usual spot in Christ Church Meadow feeling optimistic about his next jump back in time. It was the 22nd of December, so if the pattern continued as expected, he ought to arrive on the morning of Friday 6th December.
Although things hadn’t worked out on this jump, he had really enjoyed the previous evening with Charlie and Kaylee. She had been delighted to see him again, eagerly lapping up his stories of time travel and other universes.
They weren’t technically the same Charlie and Kaylee he had grown up with, but that didn’t make any difference. Quintessentially, they were still the same people and they got on just as well as they ever had.
Discussing the differences between their home universes was one of the main topics of conversation. Between them, they attempted to trace the timeline back to the point of divergence. It seemed that the whole of history was identical up until the early 21st century. The earliest event they could find that differed was Andy’s talent show win. In Josh’s universe, Andy had drunkenly fallen off the stage, becoming a laughing stock. That hadn’t happened here.
Quite how that seemingly minor event had led to Labour returning to power in 2015 wasn’t clear. Ed Miliband had claimed to have been inspired by Andy’s music. It was hard to see how that could affect the result of a general election, but somehow it had. Something seemingly as trivial as who did or didn’t win a TV talent show in the early noughties had produced enough ripples to create that change.
Josh found it absolutely intriguing. There was a mystery here to be figured out that doubtless he could solve, given time. In other circumstances he would have hung around to play detective, but he had more important things to worry about at the moment. It was time to move on.
Checking there was no one around, he stepped behind his favourite tree, and held out the tachyometer. The light was growing green again, which meant he was good to go. It had once again taken just over twelve hours to recharge this time which seemed to be pretty consistent with before.
He didn’t experience any sudden changes in the weather this time. It had been sunny when he left and it was still sunny now, but he knew the jump had taken place because there were puddles on the gravel path beside the tree where there were none before.
To make sure he was where he expected to be, he once again headed into town to check the date on the newspapers in the Covered Market. It was exactly as expected, so there could be no doubt now. His jumps back in time were definitely doubling in length.
He bought a copy of The Times and headed for his favourite café in the market. Scanning every column inch over his coffee, he was relieved to find that every story seemed consistent with what he remembered from his original universe, including the identity of the prime minister.
Could it be that he had made it home? It might not be the right time, but if it was the right universe, he was halfway there. All he needed to do now was track down his younger self and enlist his help.
Young Josh shouldn’t be too difficult to find. The university would not have finished for Christmas yet, so the college would be the best place to start. He would make for Professor Hamilton’s lab first and look for him there. Even if he wasn’t, the Professor almost certainly would be. Apart from around four hours of lectures a week, he rarely went anywhere else. It would be good to see his former mentor again.
Leaving the café, he headed north into St Giles’ and towards the college. Since he had no official status in this time, he resorted to buying a ticket to enter the grounds, along with all the other tourists.
Once inside, slipping into the building and making his way to the lab was easy. It had not changed at all in the last thirty years. Opening the door he was pleased to see his aging former tutor at his bench, just as he had expected.
“Professor Hamilton!” he exclaimed. “It’s so good to see you again.”
The Professor looked up from where he was sitting at the bench, poring over his tachyonics equipment. He was a small, thin man with wire-framed glasses and a head that was almost completely bald apart from a few wisps of hair behind the ears. Josh knew he was in his sixties by this time, but he could see from his eyes that he was still lively and full of the energy which drove him on in his research.
“I’ve never seen you before,” he said in his light Scottish accent, tempered by four decades of living in Oxford.
“Don’t you recognise me, Professor? It’s me, Josh – your student!”
“Josh?” replied the Professor, peering at him through his glasses. “I don’t think I have a Josh.”
He’s just being absent-minded, thought Josh. He hadn’t recognised him, but neither had his own father, so it was nothing to worry about. He would just have to explain further.
“Yes, you do. Look closely – I was one of your students – Josh Gardner, and I used to help you with your time travel experiments. You must remember?”
The Professor just looked back at him with a blank look on his face. Josh kept going, hoping the penny would drop.
“The truth is, I’ve come here from thirty years in the future to tell you that we’ve cracked it! Or I have, anyway. You really want to move on from that tachyonics stuff, you know, that is so last century.”
The Professor looked him up and down closely, but there was no sign of recognition.
“I’m telling you I’ve never clapped eyes on you before in my life,” he said. “This isn’t some sort of wind-up, is it? I wouldn’t put it past Garfunkel to send one of his cronies over to try and wheedle my secrets out of me. Is that it?”
“Of course not,” replied Josh, remembering the Professor’s arch rivalry with his equivalent number from Cambridge. “This is nothing to do with Garfunkel, and before you say it, this is not a student prank either, just to get that question out of the way, too.”
“So, who are you then?”
“I told you I’m Josh. Josh Gardner. Here, I’ll prove it to you. Take a look at this.”
He pulled the tachyometer out of the bag and presented it to Hamilton.
“This,” he said reverently, “is the tachyometer. It’s how I got here, through time. I am actually from the year 2055.”
Although the Pro
fessor still looked sceptical, Josh had clearly grabbed his attention.
“The tachyometer, you say? So tachyonics does work?”
“Actually, no, it doesn’t,” said Josh. “We sort of named it that as a joke.”
“At my expense no doubt,” said the Professor grumpily.
“Of course not,” replied Josh, remembering how irascible the Professor could be at times. “It was more of a tribute, really.”
“Why, am I dead in 2055?” asked Hamilton.
“No man should know his own future,” replied Josh. He wasn’t actually sure if Hamilton was dead or not. He hadn’t seen him since he had retired back to Scotland.
“Well, I bloody hope I am,” said the Professor. “I’ll be almost a hundred by then and I really don’t fancy ending up as some gibbering old wreck in a nursing home. My lungs are bad enough now.”
Almost on cue, the older man began coughing. Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out some tablets. “As you’re here, you may as well make yourself useful. Pass me a glass of water, will you?”
Josh obliged and watched as he knocked back a pill. Turning his attention to the tachyometer, the Professor looked it up and down, examining it in detail.
“How exactly does this work, then?”
“It doesn’t at the moment,” replied Josh glumly, “at least not properly. That’s why I’m here. I need your help.”
He then explained everything that had happened up to this point, just as he had with Charlie before. By the time he had finished, Hamilton had relaxed his guard, seemingly accepting Josh’s story and taking a keen interest in the tachyometer.
“Have you attempted to repair it?” asked the Professor.
“Quite honestly, I don’t think I would be able to in this time period. I don’t have access to the technology that I used to build it in the first place. What I need is right in this very room, in my universe, but thirty years in the future – which is a trifle inconvenient to say the least.”
“Are you sure it’s not just something simple – a loose connection or something?” asked the Professor, attempting to be helpful. “I’ve got a soldering iron over there. We could open it up and take a look?”