Jay, Lizzie and the Tale of the Stairs

  Chapter 40

  Masterplan

  It was obvious that the Junction Sphere was some kind of time-travelling device. Yet why was it here? Now? And under Lizzie’s house? What was its purpose?

  I was about to ask. I needn’t have bothered. Lizzie beat me to it.

  “What’s it doing under our house?”

  I realised that the people sat around the widened area of the old shelter had noticed us for the first time. I even saw several of them look long and hard at me and my drum-skin colour then turn away with shocked expressions. They turned away and whispered behind hands to the person next to them. Conversation dribbled away then stopped.

  Dr Meen suddenly had an audience. He threw his cigarette away and turned to the side so as to address both us and the people waiting patiently at the tables.

  “Our time here is over,” he began slowly, with hands held behind his back. “It is now important that we establish a new order, a new beginning, in a new era. This ‘new’ era is far more liberal. It is an era of huge technological advances, advances far beyond the simple imaginations gathered here.” Dr Meen smiled at his little joke and there was a small splash of laughter. “The Fathers, in their wisdom, have given us the Junction Sphere, a device not only wondrous to look at, but infinite in its uses. Look at how it moves and pulses, its energy ready to be tamed and used by the 20th centuries’ greatest men and greatest movements.” Then the doctor’s long hand stretched out to rest on Lizzie’s shoulder before pulling her forward to stand beside him. Together they faced the interested crowd. “But forgive me. Let me introduce you to one of our many helpers in this quest.” Dr Meen stepped away from her. “Let me introduce Miss Elizabeth Raynor.”

  There was a polite ripple of applause and Lizzie looked at me, completely befuddled, then at Dr Meen.

  “It’s Raynor with an ‘O,” she told him quietly.

  For a moment Dr Meen was slightly put out. But he chose to ignore her. “Yes, of course,” he blurted. Then he held up an arm to signal silence and the applause died away.

  “Of course, Elizabeth is, to a certain extent, unaware of her abilities, certainly her abilities to help us all on our journey to fulfil our goals and ambitions. It would be fair to say that Lizzie has, like many of you gathered here today, special powers, powers that will be captured, tamed and used, by us, for the greater good.”

  I didn’t like the way this was going. It seemed that Dr Meen had known about our abilities all along, only waiting for right time to use us.

  Because that’s what he intended to do. To use us.

  Then he turned to me and smiled that alligator smile. He beckoned me forward. I did as I was told.

  “Now,” he continued, “let me introduce you to someone dear to me. Don’t be put off by his colour. What we had always believed was the colour of ghosts is merely a symptom of time-travel. The privileged among us who will travel in the J-Sphere will ultimately exist in beautiful grey.” There was more murmuring from the crowd. “Nevertheless, ladies and gentlemen, let me introduce to you a young man fresh from the gleaming future of the 21st century – Master Jay Webber.”

  There was enthusiastic applause and even Dr Meen stepped back and clapped his long hands together. After a while the doctor held up his hands for silence.

  “Ladies and gentlemen, you don’t need me to tell you that, with these two young people delivered safely into our hands, our time is now near.” At that Dr Meen stood bolt upright, clicked his heels and bowed his head slightly.

  “To the Fathers and the Fuhrer!”

  I was surprised to see the whole assembly rise, raise glasses and echo Dr Meen. Although one or two were out of time, most repeated the words as one and the same.

  “To the Fathers and the Fuhrer!”

  Those three words echoed around the shelter eerily then the assembly returned to their seats and a bubble of excited conversation was sparked.

  Dr Meen turned to us and spread his arms. “You see, they love you!” he exclaimed with a wicked smile. “You are celebrities!”

  “But I still don’t understand,” Lizzie said again. “Just who is going to travel to Jay’s time? And why?”

  Dr Meen moved close to us, still smiling, and spoke quietly. As if passing on a secret.

  “Oh, it’s jolly simple, young lady,” he said. “We’re going to travel into the 21st century and rule the world.” He paused for effect, picked a cigarette from a packet found in his coat pocket. “Then we’ll travel back here to 1946 – and rewrite history.”