‘I can take it then that you won’t be giving me access to the codes?’ he asked in a soft, almost sad voice.
‘I won’t,’ she replied, defiantly.
‘Then you’ll die right here, knowing that your mission has failed. The Event has failed. You won’t have nearly enough Higgs Storm to bring about the destruction of the rest of the planet.’
‘Maybe not, but we’ve still made our stance against greed and corruption.’
‘Greed, corruption, and religious hatred were eliminated years ago. All the ruling countries work together now, for the common good.’
‘You missed your own point there though, didn’t you? All the ruling countries. The people did not have a say. The people didn’t get what they wanted.’
‘Did you consult the people when you killed almost four billion of them? Did those people want to die? Did they vote for it? No. You took it upon yourselves and grasped that little bit of power that was there for the taking. You’re worse than anything that has ever come before you. You’re the real terrorists, you’re the real scum. You deserve to die like the filth you are!’ The gentleman took a moment to step back and look at Liz. He shook his head slowly. ‘Of all of them, of all the women who are dead, you’re the only one who has made me feel sick. Yet, unlike you, I’m a civilized human being, and I’ll give you the chance to live. Will you give me the codes?’
Liz stood her ground, only her eyes gave away the terror that coursed through her as he produced a metallic sphere from inside his cloak. He activated it, and her body was suddenly immersed in a dull green light. Within the green was one small flashing purple spot.
On activation, the purple light darted around her body. Liz wanted to wriggle free, but the binding beam held her tight. She was unable to move anything below her neck. She opened her mouth to scream was rewarded with silence.
The man produced another device and activated a red beam. He touched it to her neck, and instantly an agonising, searing burn took his in its embrace, as it pierced her flesh.
Suddenly, a noise filled the yard as the heavy, wooden gate opposite them began to wobble.
Someone was opening it.
The gentleman whipped his head around just in time to see the latch draw back. ‘Fuck…’ Liz heard him mumble.
A horse’s whinny and a hooved clip-clop on the pavement outside the yard disturbed the proceedings. Liz would have relaxed every muscle in her body if she hadn’t been trapped in the binding field. Oh, reprieve at the last sec…
She never finished that thought.
~~~~
Liz’s assailant angled the red beam and sliced her throat, deeply, from left to right. He stood back and watched as dark blood gushed from her fatal wound. Once satisfied she was dead, he turned off the sphere and the green glow instantly disappeared, dropping her lifeless body onto the cold ground.
As she fell, he noticed something was in her hand, but he didn’t have time to see what it might have been. The gate swung open, and he only just made it into the shadows, avoiding detection.
The horse, however, knew that he was there, and it reared up on its hind legs, startled by what was in the shadows.
‘Easy there, old girl,’ the man walking her in offered, trying to sooth the panicked beast. ‘It’s OK, there’s no one here.’ The horse reared again. ‘Whoa, Jess, what is it, girl? Are you spooked?’
The killer watched as the nervous beast was placated. Once she was under control, the man looked around the yard. The killer held his breath as the man’s eyes came to rest on the body of Elizabeth Stride, lying at his feet. The old man rummaged in his pocket for something, and the assassin took this chance to wriggle a little further into the shadows of the yard. The man struck a match, illuminating the scene. The hidden assassin watched as the man’s eyes widened at the sight of the dark pool of blood expanding around the woman’s, still warm, body. He dropped the match onto the floor, turned, and ran from the yard towards Commercial Street.
‘Murder… Murder, I tell you. Oh, holy murder!’ he yelled.
The man in the shadows took his reprieve and slipped out of the yard and into the shadows of Fairclough Street, towards Back Church Lane. From there, he disappeared into the night.
~~~~
Once again, Aaron Kosminski witnessed most of what had happened. It had been him in the yard whispering to Long Liz, but he’d had no intentions of hurting her, not yet anyway. He wanted to play Abberline’s game out to the end, so he’d followed the mystery man since leaving the eatery.
He lifted his wrist to his mouth. ‘Abberline, are you there?’ He had become deft at using this device.
‘Yes, I’m here. What do you have to report?’
‘He’s done it again. I think Long Liz is done for.’
Abberline tutted. ‘I’m not at my console, where are you right now?’
‘Dutfield’s Yard, just off Berner Street. Do you know it?’
‘Yes, I know it. Tail the murderer if you can and report his movements back to me. I’ll be there shortly.’
He slunk out of the shadows before the man with the horse could return with a crowd. He headed off towards Back Church Lane, following the movements of the killer.
50.
Orbital Platform One. 2288
‘OK, VINCENT, YOU have the test run tomorrow. You’re going back one-hundred years. You’re going to watch the Olympics in Cardiff. I had a relative who worked on the Olympic committee on that one, maybe you could look him up.’ Youssef looked at Vincent with a lopsided grin. It took about ten seconds before Vincent realised that he was joking. ‘You’ll have to keep yourself to yourself. You’ll be living in the past for one week. You’re not to make any friends, just nodding acquaintances to the natives. You are not to stand out in the crowd in any way, do you hear me? This mission is about stealth. Jacqueline will be monitoring you all the way; she’ll be relieved by either myself or by Kevin. Under no circumstances are you to take direction from anyone other than us three. Understood?’
‘What about Dr Hausen?’ Vincent asked.
‘He’s still in France trying to stop them dismissing the EA in favour of The Quest. If he takes over, you’ll be given a special code, it’ll be your security code. If you don’t receive this code and you hear anyone other than us three, assume the mission is a failure and you are to make a life for yourself in that time. Understood?’
Vincent nodded.
‘If that happens, you cannot, under any circumstances, attempt to make a family. The paradoxical laws would probably prevent that anyway, but no relationships.’
Vincent spared a swift glance over to Jacqueline, who blushed as their eyes met.
‘Understood, sir. What time do we commence?’
‘We’ll begin at ten-fifteen. I’ll need you kitted up and ready for briefing by eight-thirty. Go and get a good night’s sleep, soldier.’
Youssef watched the furtive glances between the pair. ‘Jacqueline,’ he added almost dismissively. ‘I’m going to need you in tip-top condition for tomorrow too. I want you to take the rest of the day. I need complete relaxation. Understood?’
They both snapped to attention. ‘Understood, sir,’ they replied in unison.
He smiled a sad smile as he watched them both leave the room.
~~~~
‘How the hell did this happen?’ Jacqueline sighed as she lay back on Vincent’s bed, both of them a little out of breath.
‘I don’t know, but it’s always the same. I get nothing for ages, and just before I have to go back a hundred years, I meet someone.’ Vincent smiled as he stretched and put his hands under his head.
She smiled too, before wrapping her arms around him and snuggling in closer. ‘Do you think anyone knows about us?’ she asked.
Vincent snorted a laugh—it made him sound a little like a pig. ‘Are you kidding? We’ve been about as subtle as The Quest!’
She gave him a playful little slap on the arm. ‘That’s a terrible thing to say. I thought we’d been
totally discrete.’
‘Well, Youssef knows! I’ve seen him watching us. I don’t think he approves, probably because we’re not married, or because of the difficult mission we’re about to embark on, but he knows. He hasn’t said anything about it yet, and I deploy tomorrow.’
‘I wish you weren’t going. I’ve got a bad feeling about the mission.’
‘I have a bad feeling about every mission. It’s just jitters. Everyone from the beginning of time has had jitters before a mission. You’re by no means the first.’
‘I know, but what if I mess this up or something? What if I don’t see something and you’re hurt, or worse, killed?’
‘Jacq, you were fantastic when we were in the castle; you’ve got nothing to worry about. Come here.’ He pulled her closer and kissed her mouth. She responded in kind.
51.
London. 1888
THE MAN REMAINED in the shadows; it was something he seemed to be very good at. Kosminski had been doing his best to keep up with him, and not be noticed, in the dark of the night. He’d followed him onto Back Church Lane and again onto Hooper Street. There were still a few stragglers hanging about, obviously going from one of the many pubs in that area back to someone’s lodgings for a party of sorts. Nothing was further from his mind than following them and joining in. As he watched, the man crossed from Hooper Street onto Prescot Street. He noticed a woman walking alone in the opposite direction to the revellers. He guessed she was scared by the way she dived into the shadows as the mystery man made his way past her.
There was something about her, something he thought he should know, but didn’t. This troubled him. He almost forgot about the man he was following in his musings about this woman.
Then the penny dropped.
‘Kelly…’ he whispered in the dark, ‘It’s Kelly from the Isle of Man.’ His heart began to beat a little harder as he watched her approach. She would pass so close that he would be able to reach out and grab her. He thought that might cause a fuss, so instead, he stepped out of the shadows, revealing his presence to her.
~~~~
Catherine Eddowes reeled as the large man loomed out at her, seemingly from nowhere.
‘Hello, Kelly,’ he said, ‘Fancy meeting you here.’
The woman held her hand up to her chest in shock at the man accosting her. ‘I’m sorry, sir, you startled me, and no mistake. I’m thinking you’ve mistaken me for someone else. My name’s not Kelly, that’s for certain.’
Kosminski pulled a mock hurt face. ‘I’m sorry, love. You just reminded me of someone I used to know, that’s all. Sorry to have bothered you.’
Catherine Eddowes was not someone who scared easily. She may have only stood five foot exactly, but most of her frame was muscle. She was one of the lead scientists for The Quest and had been one of the main vocal advocates for The Event. She was also a mean fighter and could look after herself when push came to shove.
After the initial shock, she took a good look at the man. Instantly, she summed him up, and by instinct, she knew what his physical vulnerabilities would be. He was large, but top heavy. She could see a paunch in his stomach beneath his cape. This would mean weak legs. She could see he had thick arms, but they looked slow, and she could smell alcohol on his breath. If he was to come at me, a swift kick into his kneecaps would topple him over. I’d just need to dodge his slow arms. That cane he’s using; it’ll probably have a blade in it. I could have that off him before he knew what’s happening, she’d thought all of this within the few seconds of seeing him, even before he’d called her Kelly.
‘So, who’s this Kelly one you’re harping on about?’ she asked saucily. ‘I could do with a few extra bob tonight, especially after they sent me to work in the other bakery; no tips, you see.’ She forgot all about meeting Liz, as she was supposed to do after work.
She disliked Liz.
She scared too easily and jumped at every noise. Liz’ll be fine, she thought. I’ll go back and get her right after I’ve rolled this drunken old letch. She smiled at this thought but passed it off as a smile towards the man.
‘So, do you know this Kelly one well?’ she asked him salaciously. To Catherine, he looked like he was about to wet his pants, he was that excited.
‘Well, a little. I’d like to know you better than I know her,’ he replied.
She noticed a small line of drool drip from his mouth as he replied. It turned her stomach, but then, there was no way that she was going to let him anywhere near her anyway. ‘Well, let’s see how much you really want to get to know me, if you know what I mean.’
‘I’ve got money on me, not much, but I own a barber shop off George Yard, a mere stroll from here. A girl like you could make a good night’s wage in my shop, if you know what I mean.’ He winked before offering her his arm.
She chuckled. ‘I ‘ain’t going to be taking no arm, now, but I might just venture to this shop of yours.’
‘Well, let’s go then.’
Kosminski had forgotten all about the man he was chasing for Abberline. Tonight, he wanted to do a little ripping himself.
~~~~
Carrie was pacing around her lodgings. She had not slept for several days. She was grieving for the three girls they had lost, most of all Annie. She was glad that Mary, her second in command and the only one she trusted to be able to second guess her actions and orders, was still around. She was worried about Emily. She had been missing now for over two weeks with no sign of her or even a body to say that she had been the fourth victim. She was beginning to think this whole idea had been a bad one. Maybe we’d been greedy, wanting to finish off the job. But then, if the terraforming of Earth back to its origins is going to work, all of this is necessary.’
Thoughts like this had been running through her head constantly. For how long? She couldn’t remember. She had been attempting to calculate if they had enough displaced mass to create the right amount of Higgs Storm to complete the job on their return. She seriously doubted it, but then she wasn’t the mathematician in the group.
Mary was.
She paced back and forth. She knew that she was losing control—of her thoughts, and of the mission. She desperately wanted to get in touch with the castle and get them to recall the rest of the group prematurely. The problem with this was that there was no one monitoring the system except for at nominated times, which would not be for over another month. She could only hope that someone would disobey her direct orders and pick up her message.
She lifted her head towards the dirty white ceiling of her lodgings. The discoloured damp spots up there depressed her just as much as this situation had. ‘Oh, Emily,’ she sobbed. ‘Where are you right now?’ she cried. A tear welled in her eye before trickling down her cheek.
She removed a small black box from the chest that she kept beneath her bed and carefully put it down on the desk in the corner of the room. Slowly and cautiously, she opened the lid.
The portal lit up. Flashing red and green lights blinked at her. She smiled a sad smile. How odd to be nostalgic for the future, she thought. She typed in a password on the small keyboard, and the portal screen illuminated, bathing her face and reflecting the tears in her eyes.
She selected the application that would send a communication back to the castle in Inverness, piggy backing on the quantum signal from her slug. The message read quite simply:
Mission compromised. Members expired in unforeseen circumstances.
Require emergency recall as soon as possible.
Carrie.
She clicked send.
52.
Inverness Castle. 2288
THE LIGHTS ON one of the consoles in the castle began to flash, and an alarmingly loud klaxon broke the silence of the large room. The guards, who had been playing cards, looked at each other before reacting. They didn’t know what was happening.
They watched as more consoles began to flash around them. The urgency of what was occurring was not lost on them. As they read the report on th
e consoles, they looked at each other, smiles emerging on their faces.
‘Contact Youssef Haseem on OP-One. Tell him we’ve received communications from eighteen-eighty-eight. We should now be able to follow those bitch’s quantum signals.’
53.
London. 1888
KOSMINSKI WAS ATTEMPTING to make small talk with the witch as he led her through the back streets of London towards his shop. He felt more than a little sickened by her saucy talk, but he humoured her with hints of payment for sexual encounters. Once again, he tried to take her arm, but she dodged him.
‘I’m sorry, squire, but I’ll not link arms with any man, except my husband. You don’t want to be my husband, do you?’ she laughed as she pushed him away.
‘No, not me. I’ve had enough of being the husband. For now, I want to stay single and fancy free.’
Catherine forced a giggle at this statement as they continued through the deserted back streets of the East End. She was careful to keep him in sight, and at arm’s reach. The thought had crossed her mind that he might have been the killer. If it’s him, then it means he must be from the future. She shook her head as she regarded him. This is a nineteen-hundreds man if I ever saw one, she thought.
They turned onto India Street just off The Minories, and he suddenly stopped dead in his tracks. Catherine walked on a few steps before she noticed. He was staring straight ahead of him through wide eyes. The sweat on his forehead was reflecting the dim streetlights.
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