Collision

  She pointed to the chair on the opposite side of the table.

  “You know this is not the easiest of places to have a confidential discussion.”

  “I know, but it suits me,” she said.

  “All right, if that’s what you want. First, you need to understand I didn’t sanction what happened to JB. It was the government’s man who acted on the spur of the moment. Jason just wouldn’t give up the project to the government. He didn’t understand the strategic importance to national security.”

  “But who was the Project Director and who tipped off the government; and who stood to gain if the government took over. It was you,” she said.

  “You might not like me, but hear me out. We both want to fix the vehicles we came in; don’t we? So why can’t we work together — you, me and Ben Turner. We might even be able to fix what happened in thirty-five years’ time.”

  “I don’t trust you.”

  “You don’t have to. I’ll give you access to all my research so far — an act of good faith. I’ve been working on the problem now for six years, and I’m almost there.”

  “So why did you follow me?”

  “I could see from the history archives, you made it to 2011. All the press about your landing here, it was difficult not to miss it. I thought the second craft must therefore work and followed you. I didn’t know you had screwed up the temporal control. I was lucky to end up in 2005.”

  “So what do you want from me?”

  He smiled at her. It made her even more uncomfortable than she felt already.

  “More than anything else now, I don’t want you to draw attention to the university. I want you to disappear; at least for a while until the security services finish their investigation. Here…” He passed her an envelope. Inside was a wad of notes. “There’s ten-thousand pounds there, more than enough for you to go away and enjoy yourself with, for a few weeks. Have a holiday. Just be discrete about it.”

  Elle looked inside the envelope. There was indeed a large wad of notes.

  “I don’t want your money,” she said, pushing back the envelope to him.

  “Don’t be too quick to reject the money. You might need it. Don’t you know that MI6 and the CIA are here looking for you on this very campus. They spoke to me. Don’t worry, I didn’t give you away. I don’t want them around here anymore than you do. They showed me your photograph on the beach in that ridiculous catsuit. They’re not stupid. If you remain here, they will most likely find you. Take the money and leave today.”

  “Where’s this money come from?”

  “It’s all legal and it’s mine. It’s the benefit of being a time traveller.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “I came prepared with the sports and investment data for the first thirty-five years of this century. I’ve made a small fortune.”

  “So you made this money from gambling?”

  “…and stocks. For sports and equity investment, it works most of the time, but not always. For some reason, pure games of chance don’t seem to work at all.”

  “So the future doesn’t always turn out as expected?”

  He smiled at her. “Haven’t you worked that out yet? Everything you do here has consequences for the future. The world you left has already changed.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “We’re here in 2011. This is ‘now’, and this is the real world as far as we are concerned. The future you came from is just one of millions of our possible futures. Nothing is predetermined now.”

  “What?” said Elle trying to take it in. Does this mean she can never get back to her world?

  “Hi,” said Jane, interrupting them.

  Elle turned to her and smiled. Rescued at last.

  “I have to go,” said Elle, getting up from the table.

  “You will think about what I have said, won’t you? You have until noon tomorrow to take up my offer; or there will be consequences,” said Rider.

  Elle thought for a second, “I’ll think about it,” she said and started to leave. Then she stopped and turned. “I’ve thought about it,” she said. “I’m not going anywhere, and you don’t scare me.”

  She turned and left with Jane. As they both went out of the bar Jane said, “I thought you didn’t like that guy.”

  “Not like him?” said Elle. “I despise him.”

  Ben went into his office to pick up his notes for his class. He had ten minutes before the next class and wanted the time to scan through them.

  “Hi Ben,” said a voice.

  Ben looked up and saw Professor Rider. He was the last person Ben wanted to talk to.

  “What do you want?” said Ben. It was difficult to hide his mood.

  “Look, I’m sorry about the funding. The Treasurer had to make cuts, and we had to make some difficult decisions.”

  “You didn’t abandon any of the other projects.”

  “Look, you’re a young unknown physicist working on your own in a highly contentious area. What did you expect the University to do? You need to work as part of a team with a renowned name in the field heading the project.”

  “You mean like you.”

  “Well yes. I offered to co-sponsor the project with you and you threw it in my face. How do you expect me to support you in those circumstances?”

  “I already have a sponsor.”

  “Professor Campbell?”

  “Yes.”

  “Well, Professor Campbell is undoubtedly a good physicist. But he is not part of this university. If you’re serious about working with him, perhaps you should go to his university.”

  “I just might do that.”

  “Now don’t rush into anything. I’m still offering to find the budget for you if we can find a way of working together. I could review and critique your papers for you. I know what it’s like to work on these projects: I’ve been there. You need to consult with colleagues to get the flow of ideas running and to test out the robustness of your analysis.”

  “No hard feelings, but I already have Professor Campbell to do that for me.”

  “Okay suit yourself… Was that a new girlfriend I saw you with the other day?”

  “You mean Cindy the redhead…”

  “No, I meant the blonde. My, my you do have a very active sex life.”

  “No she’s just my new flatmate. I share a flat with her.”

  “It’s just that I thought I recognised her from somewhere. Name is Elle...…”

  “Elle Masters,” said Ben.

  “Now I remember. It’s been such a long time.”

  “She’s just here to learn a bit more about Tachyon theory.”

  “Pretty little thing, but she was never much of a student. Just make sure she’s not after your research. She may be pretty, but she’s also extremely ambitious and determined to get her way. You don’t want to give anything away, or else you’ll end up seeing it in the Journal of Science, but under her name rather than yours.”

  “I think you’re confusing her with someone else. She’s not like that at all.”

  “Well you can’t say I didn’t try to warn you.”

  “I’ve got to go.”

  “Okay, but if you change your mind about working together give me a call.”

  Ben hurried off to his next class. Why was Professor Rider so keen to get involved in his project and why was he so spiteful about Elle? He couldn’t be more wrong about her if he tried.

  It was gone midnight, and Elle was woken from her sleep. She had gone to bed early to avoid Ben and Cindy who came back to the flat that evening. She was woken by a noise: a squeaking noise that seemed to be getting louder. Then the groans and moans started. It didn’t take Elle long to work out what was happening in the bedroom next door. As Jane had said, the walls were paper thin, and it would seem that Ben and Cindy were making up for lost time.

  Elle tried to cover her ears burying her head under her pillow, but the noise was getting louder. Then the she heard Cindy cry out, “Yes, yes, ye
s…” It seemed to go on forever. Couldn’t she orgasm quietly, Elle thought.

  In other circumstances, she might have found the performance funny, or even hilarious. But she knew it meant that almost certainly her trip to Scotland would be cancelled. Why on earth would he want to take her to Scotland now, when he could have all the sex he wanted here with his long-lost love, Cindy?

  The noise subsided to a groan. Elle decided if she could not sleep, then she might as well take a comfort break. She padded bare foot out of her room and towards the toilet.

  She heard the toilet flush, and the door to the bathroom opened. Elle squinted as the light from the bathroom hit her. She saw the outline of a woman.

  “Jane?” she asked.

  “Elle?” she replied, “Couldn’t you sleep?”

  “Hardly,” she said rolling her eyes.

  “Shall I make a coffee?”

  “Yes please.”

  When Elle came out of the toilet, the kettle was boiling. Jane made the coffee and brought the mugs over to her.

  “How can they go on so long?” said Jane. “It’s unnatural.”

  They both giggled together.

  “We shouldn’t laugh,” said Jane, trying to hold in her laughter pangs.

  Then Ben’s door opened and out came Cindy. Elle tried to keep quiet by biting her bottom lip. She could see that Jane was straining to stop herself from laughing. Cindy smiled at them briefly and then disappeared into the toilet. Two minutes later she reappeared and went back into Ben’s room. As soon as she closed the door, they looked at each other. Elle was straining to stop herself from laughing and so was Jane. Slowly, the laughter pangs subsided, and they were able to speak again.

  “We can’t stay here all night talking,” said Jane.

  “You’re right,” said Elle, “we’ll have to go to bed.”

  “Are you okay, Elle?” said Jane.

  The question came out of the blue. Elle didn’t know how to answer. Everything was not okay; everything had fallen apart. Ben was the only one that might have helped her. Now she felt alone again.

  “I’ll be fine,” she said and forced out a smile. She got up and headed back to her room.

  With the trip to Scotland off, she had run out of options. A feeling of desperation ran through her body, but she refused to cry. She would just have to work that much harder.

  CHAPTER FOURTEEN

  Elle stayed in bed in the morning, waiting until everyone in the flat had left, before getting up. She didn’t feel in the mood to face anyone, particularly Ben and his girlfriend. She made herself a coffee, slurped it down, and then headed off to the university library. If she was to find a solution to the physics problem, she would have to do it herself.

  She sat in her booth in the library trying to concentrate on Tachyons, but she could feel the anger inside her churning in her gut. He was going to help her; then that stupid red-headed bimbo had to turn up and spoil things. He was, after all, no different to all the other males she had met: arrogant, egotistic, shallow and only after one thing… Dam him! She thought he had liked her; that he wanted to help her; that they shared an interest in Tachyons, but all along he was only interested in sex. And when bimbo came back, he just ignored her — not even had the decency to tell her he wasn’t taking her to Scotland. Dam him!

  Calm down, she told herself. She had to concentrate on Tachyons, not Ben. She tried to go over the equations one by one again. She searched every reference to Tachyons in the library, but there was no new material she had not already reviewed at least once. It got to mid-day, and her brain was spinning.

  “What are you doing here,” said a familiar voice behind her.

  She turned and saw Ben standing there.

  “Have you forgotten we’re going to Scotland today?”

  “But I thought… you had changed your plans because of Cindy.”

  Ben laughed. “Cindy hates fishing; and Scotland is the last place on Earth she would want to go to.”

  “So she’s okay with this?”

  “Cindy doesn’t mind at all. I made you a promise, and I’m going to keep it. So you need to get back to the flat and get packed; and I’ll pick you up in half an hour.”

  “Okay,” she said still confused. Should she ask him the obvious question ‘Why?’ Perhaps it was better not to ask. She stood up and kissed him on the cheek.

  “Thanks,” she said, beaming a smile at him.

  Then she noticed the disapproving looks from the students around her and realised she was still in the library. “Oops,” she said and hurried off to the flat.

  When Elle got back to the flat, Jane was listening to the news on the television.

  “And now we bring you a special interview with Professor Saunders on the likelihood of extra-terrestrial life. Professor what do you think of the increasing incidence of UFO sightings? Could it be that we are in the process of making first contact with an extra-terrestrial life?”

  “Is that stuff still on the news?” said Elle.

  “They’ve been talking about it all week,” said Jane.

  “I’m just so fed up with it. It’s as if Rick and his friends have taken over the BBC. It’s getting me down.”

  “I’ll turn it off,” said Jane, switching off the television.

  Elle gave her a big smile. “The good news is that Ben is taking me to Scotland,” she said.

  “I told you he would. In that case, you’ll need to wear the right gear,” she said, getting up and walking towards her bedroom.

  “What do you mean?” said Elle.

  Jane disappeared into her bedroom and returned with a motorbike rider’s leather suit.

  “Here,” she said, “you’re about my size. Try this on for size.”

  “We’re going on a motorbike?” said Elle.

  “It’s the best way to get there.”

  Elle unzipped her jeans and climbed out of them, and Jane helped her climb into the leathers.

  “But I’ve never been on the back of a motorbike before. What do I do?”

  “Just hang on to Ben and don’t let go… Now all you need is to pack a change of clothes for three days,” said Jane.

  “I don’t know what to take?”

  “It’s Scotland — it’s bound to be wet and cold. I’ll give you a hand to pack.”

  Jane strode off into Elle’s bedroom.

  “Wait,” said Elle, trying to catch up with her.

  Jane was already opening her drawers. “My god, you don’t have much at all… What’s this?” she said pulling out the black catsuit from the drawer.

  “Oh no,” said Elle, sitting down on the bed and holding her head in her hands.

  “It’s a catsuit like …”

  “Yes, like Rick’s picture,” said Elle.

  “So what’s going on, Elle,” said Jane.

  “It’s complicated, it’s really complicated. If I tell you, you’ll need to keep it secret.”

  Just then Elle heard the front door opening.

  “Elle, are you ready yet?” Ben called out.

  Jane paused for a moment. “We haven’t got time. You can tell me when you get back.”

  Ten minutes later Elle waived good-bye to Jane. Elle was on her way to Scotland at last, terrified and clinging to Ben’s waist as the motorbike roared to life.

  By the time they got to Scotland it was dark. Stuart Campbell’s house was in the west highlands of Scotland and in the middle of nowhere. The road up to his house was over twenty-five miles of single-lane road where the only passing points were at half-mile intervals. Ben was fortunate not to meet any traffic coming in the opposite direction.

  When they finally arrived, Ben and Elle got off the motorbike. The building was a large old hunting lodge with white walls and Tudor elevations.

  “So what have you told Stuart about me,” said Elle.

  “Nothing much just that you were my girlfriend and… that we were sharing a flat together,” said Ben.

  “So he thinks we’re …”
/>   “Yes he did jump to that conclusion, and I didn’t correct him. I could hardly say we’ve only just met.”

  “It doesn’t matter. I can play the doting girlfriend or the hot bimbo. What do you prefer?” she said.

  “Just be yourself. Also, please don’t quiz him on physics tonight, right. I’ll find an opportunity to talk to him about it later.”

  “Anything else I should know about them?”

  “Well… his wife is called Olga. They met while he was at Helsinki University. And he has a teenage daughter, Kirsty, who is about to go to Art College. She’s a nice girl, loves art and is a bit of free spirit. I’m sure you will get on with them. I’ve known Stuart and his family since my undergraduate days. He’s one of my oldest friends. Just remember this is a social occasion.”

  “Don’t worry. I won’t let you down,” said Elle.

  The door opened before Ben could reply.

  “Ben, and this must be the delightful Elle; pleased to meet you at last,” said Stuart, kissing her on the cheek. Stuart was red haired and stocky, in his late thirties with a red beard and a friendly face. “Ben said you were a beautiful young lady I can see why he has fallen head over heels for you.” Was this just Stuart’s charm or had Ben said something to him about her?

  “Oh Ben, you’re such a romantic,” said Elle, squeezing Ben’s arm and giving him a knowing stare.

  “And this is my wife Olga,” said Stuart.

  Olga welcomed her and also kissed her on the cheek. Olga was short and blonde with a warm and homely smile.

  Olga led them into the lounge. It looked and felt warm and inviting with a log fire burning, and side lights that gave a pleasing orange tone to the light.

  “It’s lovely and warm in here,” said Elle, “but I need to change, or I’ll boil in these leathers.”

  “Of course, dear. You’ll be both staying in the cabin tonight down by the Loch. But it’s quite a trek down there, so you can change in the study,” said Olga.

  “The cabin?” said Elle.

  “Yes, as you’re living together we thought you would prefer staying together rather than having separate rooms,” said Stuart. “That is all right, isn’t it?” said Stuart.