1. MOSCOW; 3rd November,
1958.
The big black car slid a few times on the ice and snow; but the roads were in
quite good condition considering the amount of snow that had fallen in the last few days. The
driver slapped the wheel a couple of times and really wanted to cuss - loud and
frequently - but held his tongue and his temper in check. He glanced into the
mirror and watched District Commander Leon Nebcheski, sitting back and reading
his little red notebook. He was the Police Commander of this
affluent suburb of Moscow.
The other two passenger were unknown to him; but he knew the pretty young woman
was also a Police Officer, he had caught her name; Tatiana Obski, a
detective from the same District office. The other man, a tall thin and very
unpleasant looking individual; he didn't know, but guessed he was from the KGB.
They all seemed to wear the same cheap black suits and hats. Some fucking
undercover outfit he thought.
He pulled up at the address he had been given and jumped from the car, opening
the door for the Commander, who stepped out and pulled his coat around himself.
The KGB man followed and then did Tatiana. They stood on the icy street
and stared up at the apartment block. The doorman was waiting to open the
building doors, brushing snow from his face and gloved hands. The Commander
walked up and nodded; the doorman pulled open the door and saluted like the old
soldier he was. Leon just grunted and they made their way to the top
floor.
The two young uniformed police officer heard the lift arriving and quickly
threw their cigarettes through the slightly open window and adjusted their
jackets and ties. They knew who would be stepping out. The pair came to
attention and pushed open the apartment's door for him and his two
colleagues. They said nothing. The Commander stared at the younger one and
asked; "Is the building empty?" The young man straightened
himself, saluted and said; "Yes Comrade Commander; all the residents
have been taken for interview at the station Sir." He saluted again. The
Commander just grunted again and pushed into the spacious apartment.
The KGB officer wrote down their badge numbers in his notebook and
followed the Commander. Tatiana smiled at the pair and also entered.
The place was a small palace, the furniture was mostly antique and
the rooms were well heated. She sighed; how the other fucking half lived,
whatever happened to the revolution? But she kept those very dangerous thoughts
to herself. The missing tenant had some pretty powerful relations in the party.
If she hadn't, then a District Commander would certainly not be assigned to her
case.
The KGB man gestured to one of the rooms; "It's in here Comrade Commander.
It's quite unbelievable, almost like a shrine to the incident." They
pushed into the room and Tatiana switched the light on. Leon chuckled; "I
know she was a student of history, but why all this, for an
Imperialist dog?" They looked about the room; the walls were covered
with maps, pictures, drawings, anything relating to the assassination of
Archduke Franz Ferdinand in Sarajevo, in 1914.
There was even a full itinerary of his visit, detailed, almost minute by
minute. His murderer; 19-year-old Gavrilo Princip, took up one whole wall.
The tables and even the chairs were covered with books, newspapers and
magazines on the assassination. Leon stared at the photograph of the
Archduke; basically his death had started the glorious revolution of 1917.
Tatiana stood with her notebook open, but
didn't speak until the Commander gestured her to do so. "She was last
seen on Monday afternoon, carrying a large canvas bag into her apartment.
Several people saw her enter the building and two cleaners working on this
floor actually saw her go into the apartment at about three o'clock. That is
the very last time anyone saw her alive, not that she may be dead, Comrade
Commander." She didn't smile and closed her notebook. Then added;
"She has now been missing for five days. Nothing. No one has seen her and
all shifts of the doormen have been questioned closely. They are all good
party men and swear that she never left the building. Nothing appears to have
been taken from the apartment including money and clothes. Her
cousin confirms this Sir."
The Commander pulled a silver cigarette case from his pocket and lit a smelly
yellow cigarette, he smoked slowly; "Any known lovers or really good
friends?" He asked Tatiana. She shook her head; "All the students at
the university that knew her have been questioned. Apparently, she kept herself to
herself. Quite unusual for a young woman at University Sir."
The Commander nodded and stared at the covered walls. He already knew that this
'disappearance' wasn't the usual running off by some love obsessed young
woman. There was far more to this and the clues were all over the walls. He
had been privy to a very confidential KGB file on the girl and her frequent
visits to her University professor, who taught history. The old man also had
several reports about straying from official party doctrine; yet no action had
been taken against him. Leon guessed that the old professor had very powerful
friends in the party elite, as well.
He picked up a silver framed photograph and grunted; young Kaerina Potoski
with her mother and her Uncle. He smiled to himself. Her uncle was known to
have quite a passion for young girls. He replaced the picture and walked to the
door. The KGB man asked nervously; "Do I have anything to report...to
update the Bureau on this matter Comrade Commander?" The Commander stared
at him and almost smiled; "Yes Comrade. That I'm on the case." They
headed for the lift in silence.
The two young officers’s sighed and relaxed, lighting up more cigarettes. One leaned
against the wall and stared out the window. He watched as the big black car
pulled away into fresh falling snow. "Do you think the stories are true
about her, the uncle and mother?" The taller one asked and turned back to
his colleague who shrugged his shoulders; "Who knows, but he really is a
kinky bastard." He spat the words out and pushed his cap up;
"Anything perverted said about him could be true." He added and
blew smoke into the air.
The other one chuckled softly and went back to staring out the window; he
would be glad when their shift finished. That's when he heard some noises from
the sealed room; he slapped his colleagues arm and threw his half smoked
cigarette down and pushed open the door. His comrade had already pulled out his
service revolver and the pair entered the apartment slowly.
Tatiana sat in her drab grey office and shifted in her chair. She had pulled
her boots off and sat with her bare feet on the thin carpet. She
picked up a couple of pictures that had been spread across her desk. The
investigation into Katrina Potoski disappearance had drawn a large blank. No
one had seen her leave the apartment; yet she had simply vanished. The grey
canvas bag she hauled into her home on that faithful day; what the hell was in
it? Her uncle wanted answers and there were - apparently - none to give.
Why the total obsession with the Arch Duke and his wife, who were
assassinated in Sarajevo, the capital of the Austro-Hungarian
province of Bosnia and Herzegovina, back in 1914? She [Katrina] had
covered the bloody day, almost minute by minute; but for what purpose, it was
just history now?
Tatiana sighed and picked up the
photograph of Gavrilo Princip - the young assassin - sitting on a bench
with two other men, outside a big house. There were two well dressed women,
with parasols, standing some yards behind them. Tatiana fumbled in her top
drawer and produced her large round magnifying glass and held it over the
picture.
She stared good and hard for a few minutes and then slowly placed the big
magnifying glass down on her desk. That's when she realised her hand was
shaking a little. She clasped her hands together and took a couple of deep
breaths. She picked up the glass and again studied the women in the picture.
She lowered the glass and stared hard at the small, curtain less window;
the snow was coming down heavily now. She rubbed her face a little and her
mouth was dry; if it wasn't fucking impossible, the younger woman in the
picture looked a dead ringer for missing Katrina Potoski!
2. WALKING ON THIN ICE.
Jericho stared at the file for some minutes
before closing it and replacing the brown folder on the coffee table. He leaned
back in his well worn, but very comfortable armchair and folded his arms. The
contents of the file had made uncomfortable reading; anything that may change
the historical events of 1914 was considered dangerous to the current human
time line.
That year changed human history and culture forever and apparently not for
the best. The rise of Nazi Germany and the horrors that inflicted upon the
world came directly from that year and the disastrous world war that followed.
The outcome of that war started in 1914 had been the rise of Hitler to power.
All the rest of human history now followed those
two titanic events; the First World War and Adolf Hitler.
There had been other attempts to change that faithful year, but this one was
different for one reason; Jericho knew that a History Professor teaching
at Moscow University at the time, was none other than his old adversary;
Wolfgang Leitcher. See episodes; 'The man who died in the
future to save his past' and 'The
Dunmore Witch trials' That simple
fact made this mission dangerous and complicated. The assassination of
Archduke Ferdinand had been a major success for the 'Dark Side'. Why would they
wish to change that outcome; now?
He sighed loudly and picked up his coffee cup.
Then replaced it and heaved himself from the armchair, snatching back up the
file. The coffee would have to wait and headed for the dining room; the dinner
would have to wait as well. Jericho knew that Team 74 would be walking on
very thin ice with this new assignment.
Radovan the handyman watched from the dining
room window - he had been cleaning the ceiling lights since the villa had
electricity - as the two cars swept into the drive of Villa Teodora, which had
been rented to a mixed party of American & English journalists for two
weeks; no doubt here to cover the Archdukes visit. Jana the house keeper stuck
her head around the door and shouted; "Their here! You best get downstairs
and collect the bags. Hurry up please!" Radovan nodded and wiped his face
and neck; "I'm coming woman." He muttered, straightening his shirt
and waistcoat. It was too warm for a damn jacket. He made his way downstairs
and into the courtyard.
The young woman stepping from the first big car made he stop in his stride; she
was utterly stunning. He removed his greasy hat and bowed a little. Jana was
immediately behind him and whispered; "By blessed St. Mary, that is a real
beauty." Radovan nodded; he couldn't take his eyes off her, especially
when she smiled directly at him. He grabbed her bags with some relish. "I
will show you to your suite Ma'am." But Jana slapped his arm - quite hard
- and said; "Take the bags upstairs and I will show the lady her rooms;
see to the men."Alex followed the middle-aged woman up the big
staircase and into her rooms. Radovan dropped the bags inside the door and
bowed; again. Alex gave him some Krone as a tip and he was most happy with
that. But Jana was not happy about it; "You do not have to tip household
staff Ma'am. That is for waiters and hotels. Radovan will only spend it on
drink." She smiled and
offered to help unpack Alex's two cases. But
Alex declined; saying her maid Ruth would see to that. She removed her hat and stared through the French door to the
little balcony, which overlooked the beautifully kept rear gardens.
"Some tea would be most welcome." She told Jana, who hurried away,
back to her kitchens.
Ruth appeared in the doorway carrying her own bag and dropped it by the small
table and chairs. "Bloody typical, he didn't rush to collect my bags. Owen
carried them up." But she grinned and dropped into a chair and gently
dabbed her face and neck, adding; "It's bloody hot!" Alex chuckled
and joined her at the table. "I don't think we need to unpack much. I
believe Jericho won't hang around this time and place too long."
Jericho was standing in the doorway - discretely consulting his mirror - and
said quietly; "You've got that right Alexandra. We're here until the
assassination and then we're off." He looked about and saw Wilson and Owen
at the top of the stairs; Radovan just behind with their bags. Owen stood
in the doorway and grinned; "The Housekeeper said you ordered tea, which
will be served in the Morning Room apparently." Jericho nodded, his mirror
now out of sight, and gestured to the other doors on the small landing;
"Take your pick, there's three other bedrooms up here. We have one each;
sheer luxury. It's nice to be back when the world was actually civilized."
Radovan couldn't take his eyes of the graceful Alex and stared through the
door; wiping his face. He saw Wilson smiling at him and he nodded; "That
Sir, is real beauty. You could mistake her for a Hapsburg Princess or one of
those American actresses." He grinned and walked away. Wilson just sighed
and spoke to Jericho; "Do all the staff speak good English?" Jericho
nodded; "That's why Operations booked the place." He picked up his
suitcase and pushed open a bedroom door and just threw his case in. "Now
for a bloody lovely cup of tea." He said and headed down the stairs.
Wilson did the same with his bag and followed him.
They assembled in the 'Morning Room' and Jana served tea and dainty little
sandwiches. She bowed and left them to it; after announcing that dinner would
be at seven. Alex had told Jana to ensure that her 'maid' Ruth received tea and
sandwiches too. She was preparing the rooms and unpacking her 'Ladies' bags.
Jana nodded and smiled to herself; the visitor was clearly a great lady and
like true 'great ladies' she looked after her personal Maid. The conversation
in the kitchens was all about the great lady.
After tea, everyone retired to their rooms - mainly to rest from the heat and
change for dinner - Alex enjoyed a warm bath and the admiring servants would
have been a little shocked to find that the 'great lady' shared her bath with
her maid; to save time and precious hot water! If she hadn't, poor Ruth would
have suffered a lukewarm bath. When Owen found out, he actually groaned at the
thought of the pair, naked and splashing about in the same bath. Wilson and
Jericho just sighed and muttered; "Bloody Monastery."
They were just about to sit for dinner, when Jana appeared - not with the soup
- but a message. The woman looked quite concerned; there was a Captain of
Police at the door and several police officers on horseback accompanied him.
Jericho just smiled; "It's all just routine Madame Jana. He's here to
check our papers." But Jana shook her head; "You are suppose to
report to them. They don't come to you." Jericho shrugged his shoulders
and told Jana to show the officer in.
Captain Advija Kovac strode in the room and stopped. He stared at Alex -
standing by the fireplace - waving a silk fan across her face - and slowly
started to smile. The young Police Captain simply had not seen a more beautiful
woman in his entire life. He stood for a good few seconds before realizing
everyone was waiting for him to speak. He politely coughed and smiled; "My
English is said to be good. So I will know what you speak about and what I
speak about." He finally managed to say; still looking at Alex. She was
wearing a formal dinner dress that would not be out of place in London or Paris
or the court of the Hapsburgs. She smiled at him and his heart leapt about his
chest. His mouth went dry and he quickly removed his hat.
He didn't hear Wilson whisper to Owen; "Another bloody moth." Jericho
offered the young captain a drink and he accepted quietly. Jana poured him cold
lemonade; she knew the Captain was a Muslim and certainly wouldn't offer him
any form of alcohol. She smiled to herself, as she watched him continuously
glancing at the 'great lady' - despite speaking with Jericho - she would wait
outside until called and left the room quietly.
Soon as she heard the laughter; she smiled and
relaxed. Very few people would laugh before being arrested
and dragged away to prison and torture.
The captain quickly accepted Jericho's offer to
join them at dinner. He sent word - via his sergeant, who stood in the doorway
- staring at Alex - for his men to stand down. Jericho told Jana to give the
men some tea. The Captain relaxed in his chair and smiled at Alex. Jericho had
quite deliberately placed him opposite her. She was the best distraction for
any young man. Captain Advija sipped his lemonade and made everyone chuckle as
he explained - in quite good English - about the report of desperate looking
strangers in the Villa Teodora, who had not reported their presence to the
local Police, which was to him, in fact.
Jericho had shown him their passports and journalist credentials. He was really
interested when Jericho explained that Alexandra Cappanni was the court
reporter for several French and English newspapers; here to cover the Imperial
visit. He was both surprised and amazed and just came out with it. "Why
would such a beautiful and clearly educated young woman bother to earn a living?
She could have her pick of any rich or royal man, who would be more than happy
to keep such a wife." And he meant it. Alex just smiled and kept her
thoughts to herself on that matter; they would not have been pleasant, out in
the open!
The impromptu dinner party broke up and the Captain lingered over saying
goodnight to Alex; he kissed her hand farewell; twice. The team enjoyed some
brandy in the evening sitting room and played cards. But Jericho was concerned;
who had informed the police about their arrival? Who would even know that the
team was here? He sipped his brandy and didn't smile as one name popped into
his head; Wolfgang Leitcher.
3. SARAJEVO; FRIDAY 26th
JUNE 1914.
Jericho - chuckling to himself - finally had to swap with Alex and take over
the driving. The sight of a well dressed young woman driving a big car around
the streets of Sarajevo had generated far too much interest in the team. Crowds
actually blocked their progress on several occasions, simply by standing around
the car and staring at Alex behind the wheel.
A couple of times, the crowd turned a little
ugly and several rough looking men shouted at the cars; about
the 'abomination against God' by a woman driving a car. Alex would normally
have complained - loudly - about being replaced for such a sexist reason - but seeing the mob mentality growing
right before her eyes, she kept her own thoughts and stayed silent.
Owen was in the first car with Wilson - who was
driving - and discretely read, the little map of the Arch Duke's route on the
tragic day, which would be the day after tomorrow. The team were familiarizing themselves
with the streets and the place of the assassination. They stopped in the
ill-fated road and watched as several carts passed them, pulled by brown
and white bullocks. Several men on the various carts all raised their hats to
Alex. A couple shouted some dubious 'compliments' and laughed amongst
themselves.
Jericho jumped from the car and strode to the
corner, followed by Wilson; Owen and Alex remained with the cars, parked
outside a small bakery called Schiller's
delicatessen. The smell of fresh bread and cakes was far
too much for Owen and he was in the shop in an instant. Alex sighed and
stretched her legs by walking between the two cars. Jericho and Wilson returned
and Owen emerged from the bakery with a box of assorted cakes. They gathered
around the cars and Jericho spoke quietly - in French - about what
happened on the dreadful day.
"The bloody driver took the wrong turn and drove right past Gavrilo Princip.
He should have taken the other road [Jericho gestured to the other
turning] but he turned down here. Had he not taken the wrong turn, Princip
would have simply walked home; disappointed and that would have been that.
Princip shot the Duke and his wife, just about there." Everyone started at
the most important piece of roadway in world history.
"Are there any explanation recorded, as to
why the driver turned down here?" Alex asked and nibbled at her little
chocolate cake; which was quite delicious. Jericho shook his head. "The
official record states that the man simply got confused with the streets and
Princip got very lucky; very lucky." Wilson grunted; "Lucky is not
the word I would use; If I was the Arch Duke." and ate his little pastry
in one hit.
They finished eating their little treats and
Owen discretely tapped his mirror; he looked a little amazed. "Do you know
that someone threw a bloody bomb before the actual assassination and blew up
the following bloody car! And they just carried on after that! I mean, you
would have thought that the Arch Duke would have said 'fuck this for a game
of darts; let's get the fuck out of here!' But they didn't and just
carried on. Now that's fucking nuts." The amazement was clear in his
voice. "Bloody nutters." He added and jumped in the car with Wilson
who chuckled; "Which nutters are you talking about? There were plenty
around on that day; on both sides."
Jericho and Alex climbed back into their motor
car and the team headed back to Villa Teodora. They were stopped by a
crowd of men, some carrying the Serbian Flag. The cars halted and Jericho said
quietly; "Let me do the talking and keep calm people." One young man,
tall with a small black beard approached Jericho and Alex's car. He stared at
Alex, but spoke to Jericho; firstly in Serbian and when Jericho shrugged his
shoulder and replied in English, that he didn't understand the young man [which
of course he did] Dragon switched effortlessly to good English; he was clearly
an educated man; probably a student. He asked politely what the English party
was doing in Sarajevo. Jericho told him their cover story and smiled a little.
Dragon nodded and gestured to Alex; "The
dress and coat she wears would feed a starving Serb village for months my
friend. That is what you should be reporting about our Austrian allies, who are
de-facto our rulers."
Jericho nodded again and explained they were
only here to cover the Arch-Duke's visit. But would seriously consider writing
about the situation of the people. Dragon rubbed his bearded chin and slowly
smiled; "If you really wish to report the truth to your people then allow
me to show you the truth." He turned and spoke to his men, who all
muttered and nodded. He stepped on to the running plate and another man; a big
burly fellow with bad teeth, jumped on the running board next to Alex and
grinned at her. He reeked of sweat and strangely enough; horses.
Alex just smiled and held a hankie to her nose,
pretending to wipe it. Two other fellows, equally rough looking joined Owen’s
and Wilson's car.
Jericho followed his directions and found
themselves outside the city at a small ramshackle village, filled with equally
poor looking people. Alex immediately noticed the sad looking children and couldn't help herself; "Some of those children
are malnourished and some need medical care." She said to Jericho. The
look Jericho gave her was priceless. Dragon nodded
and jumped from the running board; "The beautiful woman
does notice the truth. I hope she has the courage to write about it."
The villagers crowded around the car and stared
at the 'foreigners'. He told the team, he would 'show' them around. Jericho
slowly eased from the car and walked around to open the door for Alex, but the
big man had already pulled it open and took hold of her arm. Alex pulled away,
but he dragged back. Typical of Alex, she slapped his face hard. He just
smiled.
Jericho turned to protest and found young
Dragon had a very old looking pistol in his hand, he smiled; "You can
immediately help the impoverished people of Serbia by donating something to our
cause, like your money, watches and cars and of the course, the beautiful lady.
She will buy many guns, when sold in turkey; many guns."
The two men on Wilson's and Owens’s car had
also produced pistols, Jericho shouted for them to remain calm and sit still.
He turned to Dragon and shook his head; "An incident like this will show
your people in a very bad light. You will gain no sympathy or help by doing
this." Dragon sighed and nodded; "But it will fill many empty bellies
with real food and not empty promises." He told the big man with bad teeth
to take the woman. That's when a deep voice boomed across the village centre
and everyone turned.
There was a strapping young man in boots and
sheepskin coat. He had a black beret on and a 'Lee Enfield' rifle in his hand.
Alex noted that he was ruggedly handsome with a body to match. He smiled
broadly and shook his head; "No Dragon. What the English says is true.
This will do the cause no good. I'm sure they will donate something to our
cause. But it will not be their cars - they can be easily traced and the taking
of the beautiful woman would appear as headlines all over Europe and do our
cause much harm."
Dragon just stared at him. It was clear by his
face that he wouldn't go against the big man. He lowered the pistol, then
chuckling, pushed it back into his trousers. "I accept your advice Zoran;
on this occasion."
Zoran smiled and slung the rife over his
shoulder and smiled at Alex, now released by the big smelly man. He
bowed a little and said; "Please forgive us beautiful lady,
but desperate people do desperate things." He waved to the men and said
quietly; "Let the English strangers help us as best they can." The
men all laughed at that; except Dragon, who just stood with his arms folded,
unsmiling.
4. THE RENDEZVOUS;
SATURDAY 27th JUNE 1914.
The cars pulled into the driveway of Villa
Teodora and the engines were switched off. Radovan stared from an upstairs
window and just laughed out loud; "Welcome to Serbia!" He said loudly
to himself and headed downstairs; he wouldn't miss this for a fucking gold bed.
He stopped and scratched his head; "Well maybe a gold bed." He forced
the grin from his face and walked slowly down the stairs.
Jericho sat in his underpants and folded his
arms. At least he still had his mirror; the Serbian rebels could find no use or
value for that. He turned to Alex, wrapped in a dirty piece of canvas and said
quietly; "You did good there. If you had opened your trap, as you usually
do, it may have been much worse." Alex just stared at him;
"Worse?" She said, then added; "They left me just my bloody
panties and bodice. I had to give them my bloody silk stockings and boots.
Never mind that gorgeous hat. I loved that hat."
Jericho sighed and eased from the car. He was
joined by Owen and Wilson; also in their underpants. Alex glanced at the bulge
in Wilson's 'long John's' and that made her smile. A big man in every respect,
she thought and stepped from the car, clutching the canvas around her.
They walked to the doors and Owen just had to
say it; "That went bloody well didn't it? Welcome to bloody Serbia!"
That made Jericho chuckle and the rest laughed too, even Alex; despite losing
that bloody gorgeous hat.
Jana rushed out, more upset than they were. She
fussed over Alex, but also stared at Wilson; she wasn't looking at his face.
They made for their rooms to acquire some clothes and Jana helped Alex dress, apologizing
profusely about the Serbian rebels. Alex waved her apologies away with a smile
and asked about Zoran. Jana sighed, buttoning up Alex's
dress; "He's the only one with any brains. There is a huge
reward for him and yet he walks about untouched. The people love him;
they know he's their only hope for freedom from the damn Austrians."
Alex found out that Zoran had managed to keep
the Serbian rebel underground together, despite the in-fighting and bitter
factions between the groups that made the organization up. Jana was clearly a
great admirer of the man. The team ate dinner - which was excellent - and
laughed about what had befallen them.
Jana interrupted the meal and whispered
into Alex's ear with a big grin. Alex just nodded and Jana disappeared,
returning a few moments later with a huge basket of fruit and flowers. On top
was Alex's 'gorgeous' hat! Everyone gathered around and Alex unfolded the note
that accompanied the basket. It was blank except a large, capital 'Z'.
Wilson sighed and said to Owen; "Chalk up
another bloody moth." Owen shrugged; "Well he did get to see her in
just her bloody underwear. That alone must be worth some fruit and
flowers." The pair laughed and took an apple each.
Jericho stood rubbing his chin; this contact
could prove interesting and was potentially useful. He needed to find out more
about the man simply known as 'Zoran'. He smiled at Alex and knew the very
person who could do that. Alex saw Jericho smiling at her and just sighed; she
knew Jericho well and how he thought.
Jana just smiled at Alex's request, as they
sipped morning tea together in the music room. You wouldn't be the first woman
to fall for his looks and charm. She thought and placed her cup down and nodded
at her request. Jana insisted that the meeting should take place somewhere safe
for Alex - from the other rebel men, of course - Zoran could be trusted around
women. Well, as much as a decent man could be!
Alex had told Jana that she wanted to write
about the man and have it published in the European papers; a rebel's view of
the Austrians rule of his occupied country. Now that did strike a chord with
Jana and sounded excellent for the cause. She agreed to arrange it. Jericho was
happy, but Owen and Wilson were not.
They insisted that Alex had company when the
meeting took place. Jericho finally agreed, but Zoran
probably wouldn't appear if they [the men] were there.
It was Alex that solved that one. Her idea was
greeted with muted approval. But it was the only solution that they could see.
That early afternoon, Alex dressed in a lovely dress and coat, with her
gorgeous hat of course. Jana was impressed with her. But she was overwhelmed by
the appearance of her companion. She spoke with real disbelief in her voice;
"I cannot believe it is the same person. Utterly gorgeous, stunning
even." She shook her head in amazement and the two women waited for Alex's
new friend to appear.
Alex actually grinned and shook her head too.
Owen looked absolutely stunning. He was dressed in a similar fashion to her,
including a wonderful hat and white parasol. He actually looked beautiful. Alex
still couldn't believe what a stunning young lady Owen made. He smiled at both
and did a little twirl and curtsied. "Will this do?" He asked in a
soft and very feminine voice. Jana clasped her hands and just smiled in
wonderment. "Stunning." She said simply and Alex had to agree.
Ruth stood in the doorway and smiled too; she
was well pleased with her efforts to dress Owen as a lady. Jericho had been
really firm about not allowing young Ruth to accompany Alex on her mission.
Owen would have to become his female 'alter ego' - Jacqueline - for this
particular job.
As Alex put it; "He could fool his own
bloody mother!" No one disagreed with her. The two ladies pulled away in
one of the cars; Alex driving. They took a quiet road out of the city - mainly
to avoid the crowds that would gather around the car - and headed for the
rendezvous point. Owen - sorry Jackie - checked her mirror; "Just a few
miles down this road is a shepherds hut. It’s built of brick with a straw roof.
The local shepherds use it in winter." Alex nodded; she loved driving and
wasn't really listening.
Alex pulled the big car up and the girls sat
waiting. The place looked totally deserted. "You sure we're in the right
place?" She asked Jackie after a couple of minutes. Jackie nodded.
"We certainly are I'm great at map reading." She adjusted the wing
mirror and checked her makeup and hair. The car had an open top and both
'ladies' had tied their lovely hats down with scarfs.
Jackie gently tapped Alex's arm; "I don't
want to alarm anyone but there are several men in uniform with guns
coming up behind us. I think it’s the bloody coppers!" Alex
glanced into her wing mirror and saw them; Jackie was right, it was the police.
Alex sighed; "I think we've been set up or betrayed."
Several policemen stood around the car -
pointing their rifles at the girls - Alex just smiled and slowly opened the
door and eased out. Jackie did the same. She asked - in perfect Serbian - if
the ladies could assist them. The police all looked at each other and the
skinny sergeant walked up to Jackie and grinned. "So you speak our
language woman. I understood that none of the journalists spoke Serbian."
Jackie smiled and gestured to Alex; "I'm not with the journalist party.
I'm Mademoiselle Alexandra's friend. I'm here to translate." The sergeant
scratched his beard, thinking, finally he grinned; "Never mind that. You
are all under arrest for helping terrorists and bandits!"
That's when the first bullets struck the ground
around the policemen and the car windscreen shattered. Alex and Jackie dived
under the car as the policeman scattered, firing their rifles at the
surrounding hills. Alex looked out from under the car and tapped Jackie.
"There's loads of bullets flying around and not one policeman has been
hit. Odd that?" Jackie nodded, keeping a firm grip on her hat. That's when
she saw the knelling figure by the door of the shepherds hut; it was Zoran. He
was gesturing to them, rifle in hand.
Alex sighed; "Come on. Let's hope the
bloody coppers are rotten shooters too." They scrambled from the car and
dived through the door of the hut followed by Zoran, who was laughing loudly.
"They have no stomach to face real men. They run away. We don't shoot
rabbits except for the pot!"
He leaned against the wall, beneath the window
and smiled at the girls; "I told my men not to harm any of the pathetic
creatures. That would just bring hundreds more and they would be made of
sterner stuff than these. Captain Kovac is a different matter in a
real fight. He is brave and intelligent; quite a formidable foe." He
slapped Alex on the bum and gestured to the open back door; "Come on,
before they return with more men and some may have the stomach to fight."
5. REBELS, BANDITS OR
TRAITORS?
The little group made its way up the mountain
pass in single file Zoran’s men were impressed by the stamina of
the two ladies. They seemed to take the hard mountain path in their stride.
Franz – Zoran’s number 2 – kept a close eye on the young dark haired beauty and
smiled. “Now that is a woman for a mountain man and dedicated traitor to the
Austrians. I have never considered marriage, but I think she could change my
mind on that.”
Zoran nodded his agreement with that; both the
women were special. They hadn’t moaned once about the hard climb through the
ravines and gully’s of the mountain. Darkness was coming down when they stopped
at the abandoned villa. Jackie stared at the place; “It must have been
magnificent in its heyday. How could anyone just abandon such a place?” She
asked Alex who shrugged her shoulders; she didn’t know.
It Franz that answered her question; “The
family who lived here were all Serbian patriots, Jan who owned the house was
known to hate Austria and its influence; he spoke out against them.” He
gestured towards the ruined stables and grunted; “The Austrian Secret Police
came one night. They lined them up against the wall there and shot them; two
old men, four women and three children. One of the children – a girl – survived
the bullets and so they ran a pitch-fork through her. Then the murdering dogs
crept away in the dark. They wanted to leave a message for other Serbians who
spoke out.” He wiped his face and headed
for the villa’s big doors, followed by a very subdued Jackie who wished she
really hadn’t asked.
Zoran turned to Alex unsmiling; “This was his
father’s house and the little girl was his young sister; she was nine. He hates
the Austrians with a passion. This you can understand; Yes?” Alex nodded; she
understood all right. Zoran sighed; “Our own people cowering down in fear;
frightened of upsetting the Austrians. To some we are nothing but bandits. To
others – many others – we are freedom fighters.”
The group settled in for the night and Zoran
gestured to a room with the door hanging off; “There are good chairs in there
and I have this for our little interview.” He held up a bottle of brandy and that
really did catch the girl’s attention!
They sat around a small struggling fire and
drank brandy from china cups. Zoran made it clear that he would
only discuss the struggle for freedom; he would make no comments
about himself except to say that he was Serbian patriot. That puzzled both Alex
and Jackie; normally such men would wax lyrical about their lives and
adventures. Alex wondered why the big man was so reticent about himself.
But they did discover one very important thing;
there was a young Russian woman called ‘Katina’ assisting the rebels; with money and documents – apparently stolen from
the Austrians – that showed the Austrians wanted to crush the upstart Serbians
underfoot. Zoran explained that the Tsar and the Russian Empire was considered
a ‘protector’ of all Slav people. He smiled; “The little father [the Tsar] will
not stand ideally by why Slav’s are butchered. He will come to our aid.” Zoran
grunted and refilled the cups and lit his pipe. The smell was gorgeous. Jackie
took a couple of deep breaths and suddenly realized that she had smelt the
strange sweet aroma before.
But when and where? Jackie complimented Zoran
on his delicious smelling pipe tobacco and asked where he obtained it. He just
shrugged his big shoulders; “I was given a few good kilo’s by an old friend. I
think it’s American.” Jackie nodded and continued to write into her notebook as
Zoran spoke about the struggle for his people’s freedom.
Alex asked Zoiran about the group of patriots
called the ‘Black Hand’. He laughed with undisguised contempt. “Students,
teachers, men of books; not a real fighter amongst them; they do not seem to
understand the big picture and I feel their amateur plotting will only bring
disaster to the cause.”
Alex and Jackie cast a knowing glance at each
other, the little group of ‘amateurs’ will certainly do that; Gavrilo Princip
was a member of that group and his assassination of the Arch-Duke would be the
spark that caused a terrible World war.
Franz appeared in the broken doorway and smiled
a little – especially at Jackie – He pulled off his rough hat and spoke to
Zoran; “Katina is here with donkeys. She has brought food and more ammunition.
She has brought several more men and there’s some information about our guests
friends.” Alex interrupted the pair; “What news about our friends?” She asked
with some trepidation.
Franz clutched his hat with both hands;
“Captain Kovac has taken them into custody, he’s questioning them about you
[indicating Alex] and your dealings with us. He is a clever man and believes
there is more to you journalists than meets the eye.” Alex sighed; the captain
was right about that!
Zoran jumped to his feet and gestured towards
the doorway; “Come on ladies and meet another woman of courage and dedication.”
Franz stepped forward and offered his arm to Jackie as she rose from the straw covered floor.
Jackie gripped it slowly and smiled a little. She caught the big smile on
Alex’s face despite the news about Jericho and Wilson.
‘Katina’ was a small blond woman in her late
teens, wrapped in fur against the cold of the mountain night. She gripped a mug
with both hands and sipped black coffee laced with brandy. She pushed back her
dark fur hat and stared at the two strangers. Zoran introduced them to Katina
who just nodded; both girls noticed the thick leather belt and holster slung
about her hips. She looked like she knew how to use the damn pistol.
The men left the women alone and checked the
supplies and equipment on the donkeys. Katina lowered her cup and jerked a
thumb towards Zoran; “He’s a good man in a fight. But lousy in a ballroom.”
Alex wrapped her coat about herself and smiled; “I detect a Russian accent,
probably Moscow. Am I right?” Katina stepped forward and poured the dregs of
her coffee cup at Alex’s feet and didn’t smile; “I detect an English accent
with a slight Italian twist, probably Cappanni. Am I right?” She grinned and walked away.
“Fuck.” Was all Jackie said. Alex straightened
her hat and tapped Jackie’s arm; “Come on. Let’s find a quiet place and contact
Jericho; he needs to know about this little revelation. She [Katina] knows who
we are.” Jackie sighed; “This mission is
turning shitty by the minute.” Alex could only nod her agreement with that.
They walked to the derelict stables and found some old chairs by a broken
window. Jackie stood watch; keeping an eye on the small camp.
Alex operated her mirror and called Jericho;
there was no answer even though her mirror indicated that Jericho’s device was
‘online’. “He must be unable to answer.” She muttered to herself and sent a
message. She tried Wilson’s with the same result.
Alex searched human records for ‘Katina’ and
‘Zoran’. Just as she expected; Katina was Katrina Potoski; the missing soul
from 1958. But a check on Zoran shocked her; there was no trace in human
records, which she knew was nearly impossible! “Now that’s a bloody turn up for
the books.” She muttered. Then heard Jackie hiss a little and whisper; “You’ll
never guess who just rode into camp, bold as brass perched upon a bloody
donkey?”
“Well, I bet it’s not bloody Jesus Christ.” Alex
whispered and joined her by the window and stared at the figure being welcomed
by the little group; it was Jana! She was wrapped in furs and carrying a rifle
slung over her shoulder. Jana slipped from the donkey and pulled her rifle from
her back. She was speaking to Zoran and waving an arm about. “I don’t like the
look of this.” Jackie spoke quietly, gripping her mirror.
They watched as Franz gestured to the old
stables and several men grabbed up their rifles. “Time to go.” Alex said and
the pair operated their mirrors as the group approached the stables; rifles at
the ready.
The villa was in darkness and Alex slowly
pulled the curtains aside and stared down into the courtyard. There was a
single motor car parked there and she could see the glow of a cigarette as the
occupant smoked. She then saw the other figure standing by the ornate gates; a
police officer with his rifle cradled in his arms. She wondered where the hell was Jericho and
Wilson?
Jackie crept back into the room and spoke in a
low voice; “The place is deserted apart from those coppers guarding the gates.
All our bedrooms are a total mess; they even tore open our coats and dresses.
What they were looking for is anyone’s guess.” Alex eased herself down on the
bed; “There is still no answer from Jericho or Wilson.” She stared at her
mirror and called up the Duty Time Controller – it was Janet; Jericho’s lady
friend – and spoke with her briefly. Finally Alex smiled a little; “According
to Operations, their mirrors are located at Villa Opao just outside the city.
That’s where we’re headed.” Both girls operated their mirrors and found
themselves in woods, overlooking an impressive three story house, standing in
its own grounds.
Alex sighed loudly; the place was lit up like
Blackpool Tower and there were several vehicles parked in the courtyard and on
the road leading up to the villa. Two armed policemen stood by the gates. They watched from the trees as yet
another motor car entered the gates with police inside. “Bleeding busy little
place ain’t it.” Jackie whispered.
“Well, we need to get Jericho and Wilson out of
there and recover their mirrors. Time – for once – is not on our side. The
bloody shooting is tomorrow; Sunday and we still don’t know what Katrina has
planned.” Alex spoke quietly and pulled her coat around; the summer night was
quite cold. She heard Jackie chuckle and turned back to the roadway and saw – about
a kilometer away – a small black car, jacked up with a lone policeman changing
a tyre. “I think I’m about his size, don’t you agree?” Jackie said with a small
grin.
The girls disappeared back into the woods;
heading for the policeman who was just finishing his task. He looked up and
actually smiled at the two young women as they approached his car. Alex
operated her mirror and he fell silently to the kerbside; she had stunned him.
They hid the young policeman – still smiling – in some bushes. Both girls
noticed he smelt of alcohol. “The bugger’s pissed!” Alex muttered and they
stripped his uniform off and it did indeed; just fit Jackie.
Owen managed to remove most of his makeup and
gloves covered the nail polish he couldn’t remove. He chuckled; “I bet I’m not
the only copper wearing stockings tonight.” Alex just sighed and pulled the
boot open. She wasn’t happy; she just squeezed into the small boot and Owen
started the car. He headed for the gates.
6. SURPRISES AT VILLA OPAO.
Owen pulled his cap down and didn’t smile; the
gates were approaching. The little car
reached the gates and the wheel fell off. He just managed to avoid the two
shocked guards on the gate and stop several meters inside. “Never trust a piss
head.” He cussed and jumped out; the two gate guards were laughing and slapping
each other. The big sergeant who appeared from a nearby doorway wasn’t
laughing. He threw down his cigarette and booted Owen up the arse. “Get the
bloody thing fixed you moron. I bet your from Cavljak; their all bloody useless
bastards from that station.” Owen rubbed his backside and nodded.
The sergeant called over two big men who were
smoking and told them to help push the damn heap to the stables
[which were used as a garage] he sighed and shouted for them to hurry up; they
were going to move the prisoners to Sarajevo. He chuckled; “They will find that
our Austrian allies don’t ask questions as politely as we do.” The two big men
nodded and told Owen to steer the damn thing while they pushed.
They managed to get the car inside the garage
and walked off; cursing Owen for being an idiot from Cavljak. He checked the
garage and found one other car inside; sitting on four bricks with no wheels.
He pulled open the boot and a relieved Alex slipped out. She also kicked him up
the arse; “You idiot, I thought I was going to bloody die again!”
A disgruntled Owen rubbed his backside – again
– and told Alex about the prisoners being moved into the city. Alex brushed
herself down and checked her mirror. “A body check tells me, they’re on the top
floor in a back room.” She grunted and almost smiled; “Just one guard sitting
on a stool outside. The mirrors are downstairs in a room off the ballroom.”
The pair slipped into the kitchens which were
strangely deserted and cold. Alex tapped the big stove and whispered; “That’s
strange Owen; the oven’s are not on and there doesn’t appear to be any kitchen
staff about. With so many men to feed the place should be packed with cooks and
staff.” Owen nodded and pulled open a
door; it was the entrance to the back stairs.
“I’ll deal with the guard.” Alex muttered –
unsmiling – and they reached the top. Owen suddenly gripped her arm and
gestured through the dirty small window that allowed a little light onto the
dark staircase. He said softly; “That bloke talking with those two coppers;
isn’t it that Dragon fellow who wanted to sell you to some bloody Turks?” Alex
peered over his shoulder and grunted; “Whose side is that bastard really on?”
They heard movement around the corner and Alex
lifted her mirror – ready to strike – when Wilson appeared; grinning. “I could
hear you two dumbo’s from a mile away. At least you’ve turned up.” Jericho
appeared at his shoulder and smiled; “The bastards jumped us at the villa. They
strip searched us and took everything including our…..”
He didn’t finish because Alex interrupted him.
“They’re in a room downstairs, but all the
bloody soldiers and police appear to be down there.” She said quietly and
Jericho nodded and held out his hand. “I’ll enter my Inspector code into yours [her
mirror] and stop time; then we’ll get the bloody things back.”
Alex smiled and handed over her mirror. Owen
asked the big man about the guard outside their door. Wilson just grinned and
held up a big fist; “You don’t need a mirror sometimes when you have one of
these. I told the idiot I needed a crap and when he opened the door; bang!”
Owen chuckled at that. He also told Jericho about seeing ‘Dragon’ – the
supposed patriot – talking with the police. Jericho operated Alex’s mirror and
the team ran down the stairs and into the grand hallway of the villa.
Everyone was still; caught in stopped time.
Owen – using his mirror – pointed to a small door of the hallway and Wilson
pulled it open. It was a small room covered with shelves, hooks and glass
cabinets – all empty – and Alex pointed to the small centre table, where an old
canvas bag lay. “They must be in there. This was probably the bloody gun room
of the villa. Used to store and maintain the shotguns for shooting parties.”
Owen grabbed the back and pulled out the missing mirrors, handing them to
Wilson and Jericho.
“You need to bring us [Wilson and him] up to
date with our rebel friends and their plans.” Jericho spoke whilst checking his
mirror. He had several messages outstanding. Owen – who was rummaging in the
old sack – suddenly held up a wad of banknotes held in a silver note pin. “Are
there any other prisoners here?” He asked and then held up a little necklace; a
snake and circle of gold. Everyone knew that meant a follower of the ‘Dark
Prince’.
He emptied the bag onto the table and picked up
a small black notebook and flicked through the pages; “Sweet Jesus! It’s a
complete timetable of the assassination, with times, positions of the cars and
even the bloody times! It’s written in old hieratic script so that no-one in
this era could understand it; well, except a bloody expert Historian I
suppose.”
Jericho took the book and read a couple of
pages; he almost smiled. “Some bugger from the dark side is here. I wonder if
they’re here to ensure the assassination goes ahead. It was a great day for them; the First World War created
Hitler and the Nazi’s.” He checked his fob watch and cursed quietly; “Come on;
we only have ten minutes left before time restarts itself.” The team headed out
of the villa and walked to the gates. That’s when Owens’s sharp eyes spotted
the figure crouched low in the bushes.
He pulled back the foliage and everyone was
surprised to see Zoran staring back at them. “How the hell did he get here so
bloody quickly?” Alex said loudly what the others were all thinking. Owen
lifted up his mirror and told Jericho that ‘Zoran’ had no file in Human records
– which was almost impossible – so who the hell was he?
Jericho rubbed his chin; “Well, with have no
time to find out and time is about to re-start. Let’s go.” He operated his
mirror and the team walked back to the lighthouse. They had been seriously
compromised on this mission and Jericho would need to bring the angel up to
date on what had happened. Wilson sighed; “How the hell do we return and ensure
the assassination is not stopped; everyone back there now knows that we’re up
to something.”
“Now that’s a bloody good question big man.”
Muttered Owen, who was wondering what Mrs. Harris had prepared for dinner.
Jericho sighed and held up both hands; “People, we’ll be back there after a
good dinner and some brandies.” He lowered his arms and headed for the big
doors of the lighthouse. “How the hell can we return without being spotted?” A
puzzled Owen asked Alex, who just shrugged her shoulders.
Wilson couldn’t stop laughing; every few
minutes he would turn around and just stare at the three nuns sitting in the
rear of his car. Sister Geraldine
[Jericho] adjusted his wimple and gestured forwards; “Please keep your eyes on
the damn road Father.” That made Wilson chuckle; he was dressed as a Catholic
priest from the Ottoman Empire; strangely enough a black Catholic priest wasn’t
that unusual! Serbia had once been part of the vast Ottoman Empire and so the
locals were used to seeing priests of all colours about the place.
Sister Alex just sighed, but had to smile at
Sister ‘Geraldine’; Jericho did make a good nun – a big ugly nun – but she
looked the part, as did Sister Olive [Owen]. The car parked in a quiet side road and Sister Geraldine gave a final
briefing before they would join the crowds gathering along the route
that the ill-fated Arch-Duke and his wife would traverse this morning.
“Keep an eye out for Katrina; she’s not here
for sightseeing and we still don’t know what the hell the character ‘Zoran’ is
or what’s he’s up too.” Sister Geraldine discretely checked her mirror.
“Everything is currently running as previous happened and the royal couple is
due to enter the killing zone in about twenty minutes.” She added and sat back;
staring at the passing crowds of people.
“Come on people; let’s mingle.” Sister
Geraldine pulled open the door and the team decamped onto the buy pavement.
Some passerby’s lifted their hats to the nuns and Sister’s Alex and Olive made
for the pavement opposite. In the distance they heard a sharp explosion and Sister
Olive pointed to some dark grey smoke rising behind a large office building;
“The bomb’s been thrown at the car following the Arch-duke!” She spoke quietly,
clutching Sister Alex’s arm.
Some of the crowd was running towards the noise
and smoke from the explosion. Alex nodded; “They will restart the bloody visit
and come back along Appel Quay and the first three cars will turn down the
wrong bloody street and Gavrilo will be standing right in front of them. We’ve
about twenty minutes before he shoots.”
The pair headed for the street corner that
would host one of the most important assassinations in human history. The
crowds were milling about; talking and shouting amongst themselves. Sister
Olive consulted her little fob watch; “We’re just minutes away now.” She
whispered to Sister Alex who wondered where Jericho and Wilson had disappeared
too. Several police officers rushed pushed dragging two rough looking peasants,
held firmly between them.
Sister Olive stared at one of them and turned
away quickly; it was old Radovan from the Villa! They watched the old man dragged away and
bundled into a big black police car. Sister Olive also recognized the sergeant
driving the car; it was the same one who had kicked him up at the arse at Villa
Opao.
“Sweet Jesus! Did you see who that was?” Sister
Olive asked Sister Alex who wasn’t looking at the arrests.
She had seen their quarry; Katrina Potoski and
the man standing with her; it was Dragon Milenković. The pair was staring down a small street. Alex
followed their gaze and saw why; it was the young assassin Gavrilo Princip.
7. THE KILLINGS; SUNDAY 28th JUNE, 1914.
“He’s walking away; he thinks he’s missed the
bloody car. But he’s walking down the very road that the couple’s driver will
turn down in error.” Sister Alex said quietly and the two nuns’ quickly re-crossed
the road. They watched as Katrina and Dragon started to follow Gavrilo. “I
think they’ll try and take him out before he gets to the kerbside as the car
passes.” Sister Olive whispered and the pair of nuns speeded up to a fast walk;
well, fast for nuns!
Sister Olive could see the remaining cars of
the Imperial entourage turning into the roadway ahead. “Come on; their bloody
here!” she said and they quickly came up behind Katrina and Dragon who were
both reaching under their coats. The nuns operated their mirrors and the pair
collapsed on the pavement. A small crowd gathered about the two and watched – a
little amazed – as the two nuns dragged the unconscious pair down a side alley.
The pair were placed against a dirty wall and
the good sisters pulled the two pistols from their coats. “Jesus, you could
kill an elephant with these buggers.” Sister Olive muttered, hiding the guns in
her big handbag. That’s when the nuns heard the shots ringing out. “And twenty
million dead later.” Was all Alex said.
But the shooting drew the crowds away from the
nuns and their casualties. Sister Alex slapped her friend on the arm; “Come on,
let’s get this daft bitch back to her own time. We need to find her time
controlling device so she can’t slip back.” Sister Olive nodded; “We can leave
dragon here. He won’t have a clue what the hell happened to him or
Katerina.” They checked the entrance to
the alley – again – and disappeared, leaving Dragon to awake alone and somewhat
confused.
They dumped Katrina on her large bed and stared
about the apartment; “How the other half live, some bloody revolution for the
poor.” Owen muttered as Alex searched the young woman. She carefully pulled a
small Icon of Christ from the deep pockets of her coat. “Got it. A bloody time portal.”
Alex pushed the fragile little painting into her habit’s pocket and sat on the
bed as Katrina woke. She sat slowly up and stared at the two nuns.
“You stupid bastards! Do you realize what
you’ve done?” She collapsed back on the pillows and sobbed. “Yeah, we know. The
bloody Arch Duke is dead and so will some twenty million other poor sods will
die. But that’s how human history played out and you had no right to change
it.” Alex replied and Katrina shook her head and wiped tears away with both
hands.
“No you dumb, stupid bastards; following orders
you never even questioned; you’re worse than the fucking Gestapo or the guards
on the Concentration camps. We were sent to RESTORE the fucking real current
human time line. That little shit Gavrilo missed the Arch-Duke originally and
walked home. There was NO assassination and no great war that changed
everything and allowed fucking Hitler to seize power!” She collapsed back on
the pillows and sobbed some more.
Alex just stared at her; “What do you mean; you
were sent back and how the hell do you know what the original time line was supposed
to be?” Katerina sat back up and wiped her face. “Zoran is from the bloody
alternative future; the one that was supposed to have existed. He was part of a
time travel experiment in the year 2061. He was supposed to go back to 1905 and
interview Einstein, but something went wrong and he realized that the past and
the future had changed. That change was someone telling Gavrilo to wait at the
crossroads on Appel Quay for a few minutes more. Those extra few minutes
changed the entire history of the human race and you two idiots have allowed it
to happen all over again.”
Owen and Alex stared at each other; little
wonder Zoran didn’t show up on Human Records; it only covered the current
humanity that existed in the current human time line. Owen headed for the large
ornate drinks cabinet and pulled out a decent bottle of brandy and some
glasses. Katrina accepted her half filled glass and had calmed a little. She
sipped her brandy and shook her head; “Now millions upon millions will die in
wars, humans will use atomic weapons and people will live daily in fear from
their fascist controlling governments; all thanks to you two stupid
unquestioning buggers.”
She placed her glass upon the bedside cabinet
and rummaged in her pockets. “Where the fuck is my time device?” She shouted
and Alex tapped her dress; “Sorry, but we need to take that.” Katrina slumped
back and picked up her glass; she actually smiled; “I bet you didn’t even
bother to look at the painting of our sweet savior; No, you just grab it and
carry on following your stupid evil orders. You pair of dumb fucking
imbeciles.”
Owen held out his hand and Alex slowly pulled
the little Icon out and both stared at the painting; they recognized the face
immediately. It was Prince John. “Oh fucking shit!” was all Owen could manage
to say. Alex slowly pushed the Icon back into her pocket as the sheer enormity
of what Katrina had said, swept over her. John had been the ‘Messiah’ all along
in the original time line; little wonder he had become a recluse and lived on
Jericho’s island. She also realized why Prince Jesus was the way he was, with his
father and the holy family. He had been the ‘changeling’ for their plans.
Alex took a big gulp of her brandy and coughed
a little. “That’s why Zoran didn’t register on our mirrors; he shouldn’t
exist.”
Owen nodded; “I wonder what differences there
are with his time line?” Katrina pulled herself up and slapped the glass down
on the bedside cabinet. “Everything. Everything is different. There was no
poverty, no hungry nations and very few wars; one world government that
actually served the people and not just themselves.” She stood and laughed,
hands on hips; “All gone thanks to you fucking stupid pair of idiots. I hope
you sleep well at night now. I’m going to take a shower.”
She strode to the bathroom and turned at the
doorway; “You can show yourselves out. Best run back to the big puppet master;
Mister Jericho fucking Tibbs. He likes to keep his brainless little lap dogs on
a tight leash.” She disappeared into the bathroom and the somewhat subdued pair
operated their mirrors and was gone.
The apartment door creaked open and the two
police officer’s crept in; their service revolvers in their hands. They could
hear the shower running and burst through the door to find a naked Katrina
standing in front of them. She sighed and grabbed up a towel. “Here we go
again.” was all she said.
They walked back to the lighthouse in silence
and both headed for the drinks tray in Jericho’s study. Owen poured a couple of
large brandies and Alex slumped into her favourite armchair and accepted her
glass with a quiet thank you. Owen sprawled on the sofa and sipped his drink
slowly. “Do you think there was any truth in what she said?” he finally asked
and Alex shrugged her shoulders; “We’re tasked to protect the current human
time line as designed by the BOSS. That’s the bottom line really.”
Owen nodded and sighed; “What the hell will
happen to Zoran’s soul; he can’t be collected in our existence and he can’t
travel back to his own time because it no longer exists. He’s lost.” Alex eased
in her chair and stared at the fireplace; “Maybe Jericho’s worked something
out.” She said quietly. That’s when they heard voices in the hallway; Mr.
Harris was talking to Jericho and Wilson.
Wilson pushed through the door and smiled.
“That went well; did you get that troublesome lady back to where she belongs?”
Alex nodded and held up the small icon and tossed it to him. “That was her time
portal; except it’s not from our version of existence.” Wilson caught the
object and studied it carefully; “It’s our John.” he muttered; the surprise in
his voice evident. He poured himself a brandy and dropped on the sofa next to
Owen. He shook his head and almost smiled; “Sweet Jesus, Jericho was right –
yet again – about this job.”
Owen sat up; “What did he say about this job?”
he asked and rolled the glass around in his hands. Wilson laid the Icon down on
the coffee table and sipped his drink. “He said that that there was more to
Zoran than meets the eye. Especially his involvement with Katrina; you guessed
that the pair was related. She was some sort of distant ancestor of his.
Jericho believes it was him that influenced her to jump back in time. He
probably gave her the Icon. The time portal it contained would work in our
existence, but couldn’t take him back to his; that existence was gone with the shooting
of the Arch-Duke and the time line that created.”
Wilson looked up at the door and said quietly;
“Jericho told me that in the original time line Gravilo walked away, thinking
he had missed the royal procession, and that was that. No First or second world
wars, no atomic bombs and no revolutions. We all thought that it hinged on
Gravilo but it bloody didn’t. He didn’t actually change the time line; someone else did
that by exercising human free will in an instant, less than a second.”
Both Owen and Alex sat forward; intrigued.
Jericho wandered in and clapped his hands together; “Well, that went off all
right and curry is on the menu tonight!” He smiled at his team and then just
chuckled. “Wilson told you about the big unexpected twist in all this?”
Jericho walked to the drinks tray and poured
himself a large one. He spoke quietly, almost amused. “Everyone thought it was
Gavrilo that changed everything using human free will in an instant. But the
bugger responsible remains lost and unknown to history. But he changed the
world completely in less than a second by pure chance.”
Owen actually laughed and shook his head; “The
fucking driver of course!” Alex sat back and sipped her drink. The driver in a
split second – when he decided which road to take – had changed the course of
human history. In the original time line he always turned left. But with the
gift of free will; he had simply changed his mind at the last moment and drove
right past Gravilo. It was as simple as that.
“No bloody wonder the Dark Prince wants to
remove free will from humans. It even fucks up divine will and plans.” Alex
said softly and finished her drink. Jericho sighed; “I have reported Zoran’s
situation to angel Margret. His fate is out of our hands.”
Wilson hung back as Jericho headed for the
dining room. He gestured for Owen and Alex to do the same. The three waited
until Jericho disappeared from the room and Wilson turned to them; unsmiling.
“It wasn’t quite that simple, Gravilo was about to walk away when a nun stopped
him for a few seconds. He turned back and the rest is history as we know it.”
Alex ran a hand over her face; “You mean
Jericho changed history and not the bloody car driver?” she whispered; a little
shocked. Wilson nodded and said softly; “It must have been a terrible decision
for him. He always says that real civilization ended in 1914 and that end
started with this assassination. But he knew what his duty was and carried it
out regardless; you have to respect the man for that, his loyalty to the
Temporal Department came before everything he believed in.”
The three walked slowly to the dining room;
each with a real respect for their Inspector.
Jericho sat at the table sipping his wine as
his team took their seats. He placed his glass down and pulled open a brown
paper file; “Let’s enjoy this dinner.” He said, adding: “We’re jumping to
England in 1977 tomorrow. We really need to look at the strange case of that
woman bricked up in Canterbury Cathedral back in medieval times.”
Everyone nodded and set about the soup; they
all saw their Inspector in a very different light now.
“All that bloody horror, war and death because
someone followed their ordained duty to protect the current time line.” Owen
whispered to Alex who just shrugged her shoulders; “The BOSS may have plans,
but humans will always throw a spanner into them and sometimes it takes a very
brave human to correct things.”
Owen nodded his agreement with that. Owen
grinned and held up his glass to her and muttered; “Amen to that.”
EPILOGUE:
“A mission – if a failure – that could have changed
everything. But Jericho and Team 74 succeeded in keeping the human time line on
track. The driver of the Arch-Dukes car was Leopold Lojka, but it was a certain Mayor Fehim Efendi
Curčić who was actually guiding the convoy at the time. It appears that Lojka
simply followed him; so the error may have been someone else’s change of ‘free
will’? But Jericho stood by his oath and loyalty to the temporal department
regardless of his own feelings; little wonder he is highly regarded and trusted
within the Department.
W.A.S.
CHARACTERS:
Katrina Potoski wasn’t able to travel back to
1914 again; her time portal had been taken from her. She graduated from the
University and taught History for several years. She married a high ranking member of the Communist party in
1963 and had three children. She died in 2001 and her soul
was collected and processed. It received no quarantine for her little time
travelling escapade.
Gavrilo Princip was arrested at the scene
following the murders. Three weeks too young for the death penalty, Princip was
given a 20-year sentence, but contracted tuberculosis and died in jail in April
1918, at the age of just 23. His soul was collected and processed. It was quarantined
for half a human century for the two murders.
Detective Tatiana Obski remained in the
Moscow Police Service until 1966. That year she – with several friends – took a
ski and hiking holiday in the Urals. She had a terrible accident and was
seriously injured. She lingered for several months in a Moscow hospital, but
died of her injuries. Her soul was collected and processed.
Radovan Berković was charged with various acts of ‘treason’ in autumn 1914 and
sentenced to 15 years in jail. He was released in 1919 and simply disappeared.
He died in Constantinople in 1924. His soul was collected and processed.
Jana Jacimović was a police informer and had to flee Serbia at the end of the
war; she had picked the wrong side and ended up working on a farm in
Bulgaria. She died in 1929 and her soul was collected and processed.
Captain Advija Kovac was killed in 1915
fighting for Austro-Hungary. He had never married nor had children. His soul
was collected and processed.
Dragon Milenković
was killed in 1916 fighting for the Serbian cause against the Austrians. He had
been a ‘Double Agent’ but his true loyalty lay with Serbia. His soul was
collected and processed.
Zoran ? – This mysterious character’s whereabouts or fate
remains unknown to Human Records. But Owen was later to realize where he had
smelt the man’s strange pipe tobacco before; the elusive McIves smoked the same
stuff! That would answer the question about how Katerina knew about the
temporal detectives; if McIves was somehow involved in all this. Jericho never
– for whatever reason – didn’t report McIves suspected involvement in this
particular mission.
Franz Vukomanović
survived the war – he fought on the Serbian side – and moved from his beloved
Serbia in 1921. Nothing is known about his fate until his soul was collected
and processed in 1931. The Collector reported that he had been shot several
times and dumped in an alley; in New York City! He made no comments to the Collector,
at the time, about his murder. His soul was quarantined for a full human
century for three murders he had committed. It appears he had joined a gang of
Prohibition ‘bootleggers’.
Comrade Commander Leon Nebcheski, remained the Police
Commander of the affluent Moscow District until he was found dead in his
private car, in a quite Moscow street in the winter of 1964. He had been shot
through the back of the head – execution style – and it was believed he had
uncovered something big on his current assignment; the brutal rape and murder
of two young schoolgirls. His soul was collected and processed. He worked as a
collector for a short time before being transferred to the Temporal Detectives
Department. He is now a sergeant on Team 49 and is headed for promotion; he is
quickly becoming an asset to the department.
Wolfgang Lietcher - Jericho’s old enemy - was believed to
have been concerned in this, but no link was actually found. He remains a thorn
in the side of Jericho and Team 74.
