Collision

  Ben looked into her eyes. They were streaming with tears.

  “I do have feelings for you, you big oaf,” she said.

  “I know,” he said, “let’s get you cleaned up and get out of here.”

  The trip to Scotland exhausted both of them. It had taken them twice as long to get there largely because Ben went out of their way to avoid the motorways. The back roads were less likely to be monitored by traffic cams. They managed to stop a couple of times for a rest and break the monotony and pick up toiletries.

  It was almost midnight when they finally arrived and the motorbike’s engine came to a stop. Elle dismounted first, she felt hot and sweaty in the leathers and she was grateful for the opportunity to stretch her back. She took off her helmet and shook her head to let her hair fall about her shoulders. She watched him take off his helmet and walk over to the door, and knock on it.

  A few minutes later she heard the bolts unlock and the door inch open, still on the safety chain.

  “Ben?” said Stuart. And then the door closed, while the chain was removed. Stuart opened the door again.

  “What are you doing here? We weren’t expecting you,” said Stuart.

  “I’m sorry; it’s a bit of an emergency. Can we use your cabin for a couple of days or so?”

  “Yes, of course.”

  “Before you answer, you need to know there might be some bad people searching for us: from the government, army or even police.”

  “Have you murdered, or robbed anyone?”

  “No, we haven’t done anything wrong. But it’s complicated.”

  “Then I don’t need to know, and it’s probably better if I didn’t. Come on I’ll take you down to the cabin. The women are already in bed. We don’t need to disturb them tonight.”

  Elle walked up to the door.

  “So nice to see you again,” said Stuart, as he kissed her on the cheek.

  Stuart led Elle down the path while Ben brought the bike down after them.

  “There’s a small problem,” said Stuart. ”The electricity is off in the cabin, but I’ll sort it out in the morning. Don’t worry, there’s a flashlight and candles; you should be all right for the night.”

  “I’m sure we’ll be okay,” said Ben.

  Stuart opened the cabin door and lit one of the candles for them.

  “There are more candles in the drawer,” said Stuart.

  Elle opened the drawer, took out three other candles and lit them. They gave the room a warm welcoming glow and filled the room with the scent of vanilla. Probably Kirsty’s influence, she thought.

  Ben thanked Stuart as he left them alone in the candle light.

  Elle unzipped her leathers, and wriggled out of them. She stood in her underwear, looking out of the window into the inky darkness. They had hardly said a word since the service station and she didn’t know what else to say to him. She heard him behind her removing his leathers. He came up behind her and put his arms around her waist.

  “Back there, I was an ass, I’m sorry,” he said.

  She leaned back and rested her head on his chest. “No, you weren’t. I should have told you earlier.”

  There was a long pause.

  “You said you had feelings for me,” he said.

  She turned to face him and slipped her arms around his waist. “You’ve got me there...”

  “Why didn’t you say anything?”

  She shrugged her shoulders. “I wanted to; but you seemed happy with Cindy.”

  There was another pause. “I have feelings for you too,” he said and he kissed her on her forehead.

  She turned her head up to look into his eyes.

  “We need to talk,” said Ben.

  “I’ve got a much better idea,” she said.

  She slipped her hand behind his head and drew him to her. Their lips brushed briefly together for a second before engulfing each other. She pushed her tongue deep into his mouth exploring it for the first time; tasting him. Her heart was pounding against his as he held her firmly against him. And the kiss was almost over.

  “No don’t stop,” she said, as he started to pull away. “I want you to make love to me.” Elle could not believe she had said what she was thinking. It just came out. But it was out now; she wanted him. She could not conceal it any longer.

  For a second he paused as the words sank in.

  “Are you sure?”

  Was she sure of anything anymore? By the morning she might be captured and never see him again. And if not, she had to go back to 2046 anyway. The thought of not seeing him again was so painful. Yes, they should make the best of their time together.

  She reached behind her, released the clasp of her bra, and pushed the straps away, letting her bra fall to the floor.

  “Yes, I’m sure…”

  She put her hands around his waist and kissed him softly on the lips. His hand found the small of her back and pulled her tightly against him; her naked breasts met his flesh for the first time. She was on fire.

  “Mmm, more please,” she said.

  He kissed her again. There was a hunger in the way he kissed her, as he moved from her lips to her earlobe, and then to her neck and shoulders.

  She stopped for a second and pulled him over to the bed; and they lay down together. For a moment they looked into each other’s eyes, before the hunger for love took over. He kissed her passionately on the lips, and then showered her neck and shoulders with tiny kisses as she ran her fingers through his hair. She was in heaven.

  “More, more, please,” she murmured as his lips moved down her body, pausing only to tease her nipple before continuing down her body. As his lips reached her belly button, her tummy filled with butterflies and she could not help but giggle and squirm.

  She wanted to kiss him again. She pulled his head back towards hers. Their lips joined together again. She pushed her tongue deep into his mouth again, exploring him, tasting him. His hand cupped her beast, holding her tight for a second, before gliding down her body, past her belly button, and finding the crutch of her pantie briefs. She could hardly move as his fingers touched her through the thin cotton of her briefs. But she didn’t want him to stop.

  Soon her briefs were gone. She was kissing him again passionately, while he touched her lovingly, intimately. Don’t stop, don’t stop she wanted to say. Her hand ran down his muscular back and slipped into the back of his shorts.

  She felt the heat gathering between her legs. Suddenly she couldn’t help herself; she clung onto him as tightly as she could as her whole body shuddered. She was speechless.

  Oh my, I’ve been and gone. And we haven’t even started.

  She moved her hand to the front of his shorts and touched him. “I want you now.”

  He looked rather sheepishly at her. “I don’t have any condoms.”

  “And now you tell me,” she tried to say in a serious tone. She smiled at him. “Don’t worry we do contraception differently in 2046.”

  She watched him as he removed his shorts. She had seen him naked before, but never like this — so aroused. She closed her eyes as he settled between her legs. She wondered if it would hurt; she had never had sex before without some pain or discomfort. As flesh touched flesh, it sent a wave of excitement and expectation through her body. She felt his lips brush hers again; and as they kissed he gently slipped inside her.

  It felt so good. She wanted to cry tears of joy.

  She wrapped her legs around him and pushed her pelvis hard against him.

  “I’m not going to let you go,” she said laughing. Tomorrow didn’t matter any anymore. Tonight she wanted love; she wanted his love.

  They made love for what seemed like hours to her, but were perhaps only minutes; until she came again. But he was still not finished with her yet. His hips continued to move, now more urgently, as he drove her towards another peak of ecstasy. Finally, when she thought she could take no more he came.

  She had never had sex quite like this before. As the candle light flicke
red, she saw their shadow on the wall; two bodies locked together in a passionate embrace. She thought of all those silly women’s novels she had read where the heroine always had multiple orgasms when making love. She had thought it was just fiction. It had never happened to her; never at all, until now.

  She turned her head back to look into his eyes. “I love you,” she said.

  “I know. I love you too,” he said.

  She turned onto her side, and he snuggled up behind her cocooning her with his arms. She had never been so happy, so content and soon she drifted off to sleep.

  Then as the dawn light pierced through the sides of the curtain, they both stirred. Still sleepy, but eager for love, they found the energy to make love again. Time was running out for them, and she wanted every second to count.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

  The morning after, Ben lay in bed listening to the rain tapping against the cabin windows. Elle was still asleep, nestled in his arms with her back to him, her legs intertwined with his. He felt the warmth of her body radiating against him and felt happy and at peace. He had had a wonderful night. If only life could stay this way.

  For a moment he thought he heard something else: someone was tapping at the door. He slid his arm from underneath her and slipped out of the bed, pulled on his shorts, and went to the door. For a moment he paused. If it were the security services they wouldn’t be tapping on the door; they would be breaking it down. Ben inched the door open.

  “Hi Uncle Ben, dad said you were back and I wondered if you want breakfast,” said Kirsty.

  Ben heard Elle get out of bed and turned around. She was naked and heading into the bathroom. He turned back to Kirsty.

  “Guess you had a busy night,” she said, smiling at him.

  He felt embarrassed and smiled back at her.

  “You were saying about breakfast?” said Ben.

  “It will be ready in half an hour.”

  “Okay, we’ll see you at the house shortly,” said Ben, closing the door.

  Thirty minutes later Kirsty, Ben and Elle were having breakfast together. In the background Ben listened to the news on the television.

  “The UFO hysteria in East Yorkshire seems to have died down, as no further sightings have been made of the UFO. When asked by the local MP, John Dere, the Defence Secretary said the public hysteria over the accident involving a military aircraft was unwarranted. Although it was unfortunate the aircraft was carrying nuclear tipped battlefield weapons, no one was ever put at risk. The Minister confirmed that Ministry of Defence would be reviewing its safety procedures for moving such weapons in future.”

  As they finished breakfast, Kirsty cleared away the plates and took them to the kitchen.

  The broadcast continued:

  “Three days after a mysterious fire broke out at the research facilities of Infinity Flight Technology, Jason Brannan, the billionaire businessman and recluse philanthropist, was killed in a car accident on the A11, when his Tesla sports car collided with a lorry. Jason Brannan made his fortune in high technology flight simulators. Staff at his private company, Infinity Flight Technology, now worry about the future of their jobs. A spokesperson for the Cambridge police said the events were tragic, but unrelated.”

  “Oh my god. It can’t be,” said Elle, staring at the screen open mouthed.

  “What’s the matter,” said Ben.

  “I met Jason Brannan in 2046. I saw Professor Rider murder him in 2046. I warned Jason Brannan about Ryder on Monday. Now he’s dead. How can he be dead in 2011?” There was a look of panic in her eyes. “The timeline must be fractured. Oh my god, what else has changed?”

  Ben didn’t know what to say to comfort her. Just then Kirsty came back into the room.

  “Is there something wrong?” said Kirsty.

  Elle paused to think. “No,” she said.

  “She’s just a little upset,” said Ben. “Someone on the news she had met recently died in an accident.”

  “Oh, I’m sorry,” said Kirsty.

  “I didn’t really know him well,” said Elle. “It was just a shock.”

  There was a long pause.

  “I’m really pleased you’re both back. Will you be staying long?” said Kirsty

  “I don’t know,” said Ben. “We’re kind of hiding here.”

  “You’re in trouble?”

  “We’re trying to keep away from some people, who are trying to find Elle,” said Ben.

  “Oh,” said Kirsty, “don’t worry I won’t say a word to anyone.”

  Kirsty paused for a moment. “Ben, would it be safe to borrow Elle for a few hours today?”

  Ben was puzzled.

  “I just want to sketch her,” said Kirsty. “We’ll only be in my studio upstairs.”

  Elle smiled. “It should be all right, shouldn’t it, Ben?”

  Ben thought for a moment. “Yeah, why not,” said Ben. It might take her mind off things and he had some things to do.

  “So, we’ll see you in a few hours,” said Kirsty. “Come on Elle.”

  He watched them disappear up the staircase; then he wandered into the kitchen. The smell of freshly baked bread filled the kitchen and Olga was busy unloading the oven.

  “Oh hi Ben, Stuart’s had to go to Edinburgh again for a university function tonight. I don’t expect him back until late tonight.”

  “I thought I might do some work in the study, if you don’t mind.”

  “No problem. There are some newspapers in the study if you want to read them and the television if you’re bored.”

  “Thanks, could I use your phone?”

  “Go ahead.”

  Ben went into the study and made a call to the university Medical Centre.

  “Could you put me through to Doctor Turner please.... Jane it’s me.”

  “What are you doing calling me here? I thought we agreed not to speak.”

  “I couldn’t call the flat. This seemed the safest place to call you. How’s Richard?”

  “He’s fine; back to his usual self. He said the flat is being watched by some spook types who have been asking questions around the university. Best to keep away for the time being if you can. Is Elle okay?”

  “She’s fine.”

  “Have you seen the papers?”

  “No why?”

  Ben glanced down onto the table in the study where a copy of the Times was open. On the front page in the right hand column, he saw a picture of himself and Elle. The caption below read: ‘Police seek Terrorist Couple in High Security Alert’.

  “I think I have seen it.”

  “Be careful, Ben; be really careful.”

  Ben put the phone down and started to read the article. Although the pictures were quite clearly of them, the names attributed to them were different. Oh hell, if they can resort to this to find them, what else are they capable of? Was he being stupid in thinking they could hide from the security services? But something inside him told him he had to try.

  He went outside and hid the motorbike behind some bushes. Then he headed back to the house.

  Kirsty took Elle into her studio.

  “So how does this work?” said Elle.

  “You pose and I sketch, pretty simple really. Just sit on the stool and make yourself comfortable and I’ll start.”

  “Is this okay?” Elle sat down on a stool in front of the easel.

  Kirsty nodded as she started to sketch away with her charcoal.

  “So you’re more than just-friends with Uncle Ben now?” said Kirsty.

  Elle didn’t know what to say.

  “Elle I wasn’t born yesterday. You were in bed with him, naked. You weren’t playing monopoly.”

  “I forgot to bring my PJs… Okay, we’ve slept together. No big deal.”

  “At last. I couldn’t understand how you guys managed to keep your hands off each other for so long. You seemed to be so into each other.”

  “Well, we are now, in a literal sense.”

  Kirsty chuckled, “So love
eventually found a way; that’s nice.”

  “I wish it was that simple… I have to go away and I won’t see him again. I don’t know what to say to him.”

  “If you’re some kind of illegal immigrant you could always get married.”

  “Unfortunately, it’s more complicated than that.”

  “Do you want to talk about it?”

  “I haven’t told anyone other than Ben.”

  “I like secrets. You can tell me anything.”

  “You’ll think I’m crazy.”

  “A lot of people think I’m crazy running around the woods naked. I’m the crazy girl; you can’t surprise me.”

  Elle told Kirsty her story of how she escaped from 2046 in a time machine, and why the security services were now trying to find her.

  “Wow, you weren’t kidding,” said Kirsty. “Can’t you just destroy the craft and stay here?”

  “It’s not quite that simple. There’s all the knowledge in my head. I helped design and build the craft. I know every circuit of the craft and how it works. What lengths would they go to get that information — I don’t know. And if they look at my DNA they might see something more.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “My DNA is slightly different from yours; it’s been engineered to eliminate illnesses like cancer and optimise physical and mental performance. My parents were geneticists. It’s common for the rich in 2046 to have designer babies. I was conceived in a petri dish.”

  “You mean you don’t have sex to make babies in 2046?”

  “Sex is more a kind of recreational activity,” said Elle.

  “You mean like jogging,” said Kirsty laughing.

  Kirsty continued to sketch.

  “Kirsty, if they find out about my DNA I could end up as some kind of government lab rat.”

  “They wouldn’t do that, would they?”