by D. S. Smith
Lin Lee watched the car pull away. She had just stared straight into the face of David Milton. She would need to be more cautious. All it would take is one more encounter like this in Oxford and he would blow their cover. She did not see dealing with him as too big a challenge but it would have to be sooner rather than later. Having successfully navigated airport security in both Beijing and London her confidence was starting to rise. She and Bruce had travelled from China as Mr and Mrs Campbell. Bruce was an oil worker and she was the devoted wife he had met while working in Houston, Texas. Having grown up there with a family that adopted her, she had become more curious about her true origins and had been travelling around Beijing to try to find her real parents. Unfortunately, their trip had been unsuccessful so as compensation her husband was treating her to a vacation in England. She had always wanted to visit the colleges of Oxford University so that is where they were heading first. They did not yet have a fully formulated plan for the real purpose of their visit. She had not stopped to think much about the implications for what they were about to destroy. From what she understood the technology was designed to allow people to travel across vast distances of space. She had also learned the process of this travel could somehow cure illnesses. For a moment she considered the value such a machine would have to the survival of the human race. She compared this to the value to herself for destroying it as requested by the Chairman. Altruism was not an emotion she entertained so she pushed it aside and returned her thoughts to David Milton. Seeing him gave her a sense of urgency to get the task done. But first they needed a plan and they needed it quickly.
Chapter 38
The conversation with Catherine in the library left Stuart feeling empty inside, but all the more determined to get home. In explaining his motives to her for wanting to get back to his normal life, he had convinced himself beyond all doubt that he had to take the only chance available to him to return to Lauren. They were due to meet with the professor and his team in the refectory for an update on the previous day’s tests. If all had gone well his departure would be imminent. He felt there were a few loose ends he needed to tie up before he left. He thought about Dave and Adam and the effect his departure would have on them. There was a very strong chance they were about to lose someone they had been close to all of their lives. From what he had witnessed in the tiger enclosure, the Stuart they had known would almost certainly not be returning. They would have to deal with the reality of that. He felt sure Dave would have an idea of what was going on by now. He may have already considered what the implications were for his brother. For Adam, any revelation relating to the truth was going to be a big shock to him. He deserved an explanation and Stuart did not want to leave it up to Dave to tell him. He had enough to deal with. He decided to call Adam and inform him he was going away for some time. He did not want to lie to the man but it seemed a better option than burdening him with the incredible truth as to what had happened to his friend. He took out his phone to call him but the battery was almost dead. He had just about enough power left to look up Adam’s number in his address book before it died. Repeating the numbers in his head so as not to forget them, he picked up the receiver of the landline at the side of his bed and dialled. The phone rang a few times before diverting to an answer machine. “Hi Adam, Stuart here. Give me a call when you can. There’s something I need to tell you. Thanks.”
Finished with the phone he looked at his watch. He had about an hour to kill before he was due to meet the others in the refectory, so he decided to take a shower. The water was icy cold but he enjoyed the sensation it had on his body. His muscles tensed as the cold water vailed him causing him to gasp for air in short breaths. After a few moments his body temperature adjusted and he relaxed. The old pipes making up the college plumbing system rattled and groaned. It reminded him of the showers he used to take at school after PE. He pictured the scene in his head. The shouting, the laughing, the whipping of towels and the rattling of pipes. One boy in particular sprung to mind. He could see him clearly. Bigger and hairier than the rest of them and by far louder. And his nickname − it was Chunky. They all called him Chunky. Just like the guy in the pictures that Adam had shown him, the guy in Amsterdam that led them all astray, the same guy from the pub who joined them on the last night out they had before meeting the professor. Was it the same person? He had no recollection of him before so why now. He thought back to Catherine telling him how strong sensations can evoke powerful memories. Is that what this is or am I truly going mad? Before he could contemplate this further, the phone rang and snapped him back to reality. Grabbing a towel he ran for the phone leaving a trail of wet footprints on the floor. It was Adam. “Hiya Mate, sorry I missed your call. Is everything ok?” Adam asked. Stuart could hear the concern in his friend’s voice. Everything wasn’t ok but where to begin? “Yes, things are working themselves out fine,” he lied. “I was just calling to say goodbye.” Even as he said it he felt a deep sadness for the man’s loss. “Goodbye, why? Where are you off to?” He asked, the sound of concern in his voice turning to one of confusion.
“I’m going to be away for a while.” Stuart pulled the phone tightly into his chest in frustration at the lack of words he could come up with to help Adam understand. “I’m sorry mate, there’s so much more I wish I could tell you but to be honest I wouldn’t know where to start.”
“Well you could start by telling me where you are now?” his friend replied sounding frustrated. Stuart told him he was in Oxford but would not elaborate further. Adam tried to question him on what he meant by this but Stuart said he had to go and he would call him again before his departure. He hung up the phone before his friend could protest further. The call added to the depth of sadness he was feeling, not only for those he was about to leave behind but also for those he already had, the people in his world!
Having dried off and dressed he headed over to the refectory. On his way across the forecourt, he met up with Catherine. She wore a long coat with the collar turned up and a pair of high leather boots that disappeared below the coat. Her hair was tied up on top apart from two strands hanging down at the front framing her face. She looked incredible and he considered again what might have been. “Evening Catherine, you look like you’re dressed for a night out.” He commented.
“I wish I was. Terry sent someone to get some of my clothes so I thought I’d make an effort for dinner tonight.”
“Well you look great.” He said. “I told him not to worry about my stuff. Hardly seemed worth it.”
“No I guess not.” She said sensing he was still struggling with what lay ahead of him. “How are you feeling tonight anyway?”
“Difficult to describe really Catherine,” he replied, “I guess the best way to put it would be a kind of calmness fuelled by melancholy! I just want to get on with it now. It’s like the feeling you get at the end of a holiday when you have hours to kill before your departure. You’re sad to leave but you just want to get the journey over with.”
“Well, a bit understated, but I think I know what you mean. Come on; let’s see what they have in store for us in the refectory tonight?” She surprised him by linking her arm under his as they walked to the refectory. He went with it not knowing what else to do.
Catherine was feeling good about herself. Doing her hair and dressing up made her feel like a women again. Not just the resident psychiatrist. She felt the way she had the night Stuart kissed her. She knew men found her attractive but most of the time they felt intimidated by her profession and she did nothing to allay that. But tonight she was Catherine, not Stuart’s psychiatrist, not his lover, but his friend.
As they entered the hall, a rich smell of herbs and garlic greeted them. The rest of the team had already taken their usual seats around the table. Terry stood up to direct them to theirs. “Make yourselves comfortable and dinner will follow shortly,” he offered with a little bow for effect.
Following another culinary delight, the professor updated them on the progr
ess they had made. He informed them that the animal tests had been successful and confirmed the subjects had passed through the Harmoniser and returned without suffering any harm. He was less positive when he talked about the time it was taking the subjects to complete the round trip. The timing had become erratic, out of line with the predictive calculations the team had performed. He said they were not yet able to establish if this was the result of an incorrect calibration of the machine, or if there was a shift in the behaviour of the undulations between the two universes. “Either way,” the professor announced, “it means we will have to delay Stuart’s departure by at least another forty-eight hours.” Everyone looked to Stuart for his reaction. He was clearly disappointed by the announcement but the professor’s next statement made it clear they could not risk sending him through prematurely. “If we send you through too soon Stuart, we can’t guarantee you will arrive back in your own universe.” He paused to let this sink in before adding, “You could end up in an even worse predicament than the one you have already experienced.”
“Obviously I’m disappointed,” Stuart replied. “I feel like every moment that passes with me away from my wife makes it more difficult to go back.” Then don’t, Catherine found herself thinking but immediately suppressed the thought and turned her attention back to Stuart. “But it’s better to get there late than not at all so whenever you are ready so am I.” The group acknowledged his patience and courage with nods of approval and half smiles. Terry patted him on the shoulder and took the opportunity to update them with more news regarding David Milton. “Your brother is back in Blighty, safe and sound Stuart,” he declared cheerfully. “Hopefully he’ll be joining us here tomorrow but I was wondering, Dr Carson, if you wouldn’t mind coming with me to meet him and see how he’s coping?”
“Of course I will,” she offered, adding, “and it’s Catherine.”
“Well thank you kindly Catherine,” he replied. Then his persona became sombre as he shared with them the latest information from the Chinese Security Services − that the woman who had kidnapped David, and was thought to be responsible for the death of their colleague, had been killed in a car accident trying to escape the authorities. This revelation was greeted with mixed emotions ranging from satisfaction to sadness. The latter being the result of a reminder of the tragic demise of Jim McGonagall.
After a few moments of silent reflection for some and mumbled regrets by others, the professor changed the mood by making an announcement. He looked around the group preparing himself for what he was about to reveal. He cleared his throat and addressed them. “Now, Terry here informs me there has been some speculation as to my motives for pushing this research along.” He looked toward the big security agent who nodded back confirming his statement. Dr Marks squirmed a little in her seat and the professor immediately noticed this.
“First of all I want to apologise for not revealing what I am about to share with you sooner.” He leaned back in his chair and opened his arms to show his apology was aimed at all of them.
“I’m not sure why I didn’t tell you this before, it just didn’t seem necessary, almost like if I kept it to myself it wouldn’t be real.”
He paused for a moment as if lost in his own thoughts. But then he was back with them and came straight out with what he had to say. “My wife his sick, very sick. She has an incurable stomach cancer and the treatment she is undergoing is not helping. There is little more we can do other than wait for the inevitable.”
“I’m so sorry to hear that John.” Catherine offered.
“Yes, sorry, that’s terrible,” Stuart added. The others nodded and muttered in agreement. Dr Marks had tears welling in her eyes.
“Thank you for your kind concerns,” he said brushing his hair back. “It has been difficult at times seeing her deteriorate so quickly. For much of my life she has been my rock. Always there to encourage me when I faltered with my research. I owe her so much, more than you can imagine.” He opened his arms to them again. “What we are doing here is of value to the whole of humanity, it will get Stuart home to the people he loves, and yes, I am hoping it will give me the opportunity to pay back my wonderful wife for all she has done for me.” He turned to Stuart pleadingly with arms stretched out toward him and his hands cupped in a gesture of begging.
“But I can only help her if you are willing to do something for me when you arrive back in your own universe.”
“Of course John, whatever I can do to help,” he offered without hesitation. “What I ask of you is quite simple Stuart. I need you to carry the information about the Harmoniser to the right person in your universe.” These words resonated with Stuart. He had already considered and dismissed the practicalities of how to approach this. It was going to be traumatic enough trying to explain where he had been for the past month. To try to convince people he had travelled from a parallel universe with the instructions on how to build a link between two different universes, would undoubtedly lead to further psychiatric scrutiny. But how could he turn down the professor after such an emotional plea? As if reading his mind, Catherine intervened to highlight the dilemma.
“Professor, I fully understand your motives for asking Stuart to do this, but have you considered the implications? We have no idea what kind of reception he will receive when he returns home. Trying to convince anyone it is possible to build a link between two parallel universes will, with all probability, land him straight back into a predicament similar to the one he’s been in here for the past few weeks.” Her tone was sympathetic but direct. She was concerned she may upset the professor but Stuart’s welfare was still her primary concern. The professor seemed unfazed by her doubts and answered her question calmly. “Of course I have considered the implications Catherine. Stuart here has been through so much already. To burden him with another difficult task on top of this does seem unreasonable. Hear me out though. When we explain how we propose to have the information relayed, you may feel less concerned.” With this he turned to his colleague. “Dr Cooper, would you mind outlining the plan we discussed please?” The young doctor nodded in agreement at the professor before clearing his throat to address the table.
“We are able to insert a binary code into your DNA Stuart, that when deciphered will show instructions on how to build the Harmoniser. The marker will become part of your DNA so it will not be erased when you transfer.” He shrugged gesturing the simplicity of the plan. “All you have to do once back in your own universe is to seek out the professor’s counterpart and explain what is to be expected of him,” he concluded.
“The way I suggest you do this Stuart,” the professor added, “is to post a note to him along with a phone number you can be contacted on. The number should be non-traceable so you can gauge the man’s reaction before revealing yourself to him.”
Stuart considered this for a moment before responding. The plan seemed reasonable but they were making a number of assumptions. “Ok, I can see how it might work in principle, but how can you be sure your counterpart in my universe will understand what to do with the instructions. What if the John Humphries there is not a physicist like you? What if I can’t find him? What if he dismisses the whole thing? What if he’s dead? Forgive me for saying this but even if the answers to all of those questions are favourable will there be enough time for him to build a Harmoniser to save your wife?” With his arms folded in front of him the professor leaned forward towards Stuart and smiled at him across the table. The sadness in his eyes was no longer evident, replaced by the familiar glint that Stuart saw as something between genius and madness. “I haven’t been completely honest with you Stuart, or with any of you,” he addressed the rest of the group. “Before I explain why, let me tell you a little about my childhood.” He composed himself before continuing. “When I was eleven years old, my father died. He was a physicist just like me. I worshipped him, thought he was the most interesting and clever man on the planet. Losing him at such a young age was devastating. But, like you,” he said noddin
g toward Stuart, “I had a younger brother and my mother needed me to be the man of the house. Therefore, I put on a show of strength for them and dealt with my own pain privately.” He paused for a moment letting the information sink in before continuing. “As the process of grief ran its course, I sought ways to distract myself. I began to read my father’s books and papers. I didn’t understand too much of it at first but as time progressed so did my understanding. By the time I was thirteen years old I was testing, even challenging some of my father’s hypotheses. He paused again asking Dr Marks to push over a jug of water she had in front of her. He filled a glass, took a sip and continued. “The teachers at school recognised my advanced talent for physics and suggested to my mother she should consider putting me forward for early entry into university. This seemed to invigorate my mother, giving her sense of purpose she had not felt since father died. For several weeks, dressed in my Sunday best, I was marched from college to college, meeting with professors, taking tests and writing admission papers. To her credit my mother’s tenacity paid off and when my fourteenth birthday came, I had my pick of several offers from the best universities in England. As at it happens, I chose the very college we are sat in now.” After a few awes, wows and nodding of heads he continued. “By this time my younger brother was old enough to look after himself and my mother was strong enough to run the household herself, so I found I had a lot more spare time. Much of this time was taken up with my studies of course but occasionally I managed to escape into the countryside to exercise another hobby I had inherited from my father; bird watching. I was on one such outing when something happened to me that turned my world upside down.”