Episode 2

“That must surely be a fake.”

The professor shook his head.

“This is the reason I became interested in fixed points in time.
Believe it or not, I found this when I was a lad of ten.”

Ben scrutinised the terrifying page.

“It states that those deaths are in Canada. As well as the ensuing pandemic.”

“A little further on it mentions thirty million worldwide.”
Ben was truly shocked.

“You must have thought about this for ages.”

“Ever since this came into my possession,” he replied.

The professor placed it reverently inside the cabinet and said, “You see, that event is not yet a fixed point which means the future can be altered.”

“Without consequences?”

“I believe so. The problem is trying to determine the cause of that disaster. Patient zero if you like.”

Ben started trawling through his memory for facts.

“We know that smallpox has a twelve day incubation period. We also know samples are kept by Russia and the US. So could this be the result of an accident?”

“That was my first thought, until I realised other samples were sent to their allies.”

“So you are thinking terrorists?”

“Precisely.”

“So the suicide of that young man was due to...?”

The professor placed a firm hand upon his shoulder.

“Panic, that’s all. He probably thought I was talking crap until it suddenly dawned upon him. Suicide would be expected.”

“Here was I hoping to link him to some plot.”

“That would be a fruitless exercise. Something else worries me.”

“What might that be?” Ben asked.

“Why so many deaths here, if the disease came from outside?”

“I see what you mean. It may have begun here.”

“My thoughts entirely. That event is only three months away, which leads me to conclude the start cannot be that far off.”

“Would you be willing to speak to a friend of mine?”

“If it stops this horror why not. Though I warn you now, we will not be believed.”

Detective Harris had sat within the interview room listening to the professor’s outlandish story with mounting frustration. As a hardheaded officer, he dealt with the real world. Not some warped view of it.

“Are you done?”

When the gent nodded Ben asked, “What do you make of it?”

“Garbage of course. We don’t have bio terrorists in Canada.”

“So you do not reject the concept,” the professor commented.

“Of future time?”

“Is there any other?” Ben asked.

“There must be a future; otherwise I’d be out of a job.”

“Point taken,” the professor said.

“What about stopping this event though?” the reporter asked anxiously.

“I need some hard facts to go on. A list of suspects would be fine.”

“We don’t have any,” the professor answered.

“What did you find at the suicides?” Ben asked.

“No last note,” Harris replied. “That is quite unusual. Apart from that nothing.”

Ben stared at him hard.

“Mind if we take a look?”

The detective thought this over.

“I would have to go with you.”

“Then let us do it now,” the professor muttered. “If only to rule him out completely.”

The detective nodded and led them to his official vehicle. After a rather lonely drive, they entered the apartment on Trinity Street once more. The corpse had since been removed and the professor headed straight for the kitchen. As he opened the fridge, Harris asked, “Looking for a burger?”

“A deadly one sir. You see, smallpox samples have to be kept cold.”

He gazed inside and suddenly winced.

“It would appear that we have found our man after all.”

They watched in horror as the gent carefully withdrew a sealed Petri dish.

“Is that what I think it is?” Ben asked nervously.

“It certainly is young man.”

Harris reached for his radio and called in the bio team.

“He must have been out of his tiny mind.”

“Most terrorists are,” the old gent reminded them.

As he replaced the offending weapon, Ben wandered into the lounge like some bloodhound.

“There must be evidence here.”

As he began checking the contents of that room, the two companions entered.

“What are you looking for?” Harris asked.

“Just making sure he was working alone. Hello, what’s this?”

He had pulled a newspaper from the table and spotted something underneath. As he picked it up, he read the headline.

‘Donashey balloon club.’

He handed it over to the curious detective.

“Perhaps we should check this.”

The detective noted the date.

“There is a meeting tomorrow morning. Is that significant?”

The professor quickly cut in.

“Bio toxins are lethal if dispersed by air detective. At least check them out.”

Harris needed no second request.

“This is Harris. I’m on my way to Gracie field. Armed backup and the bio squad needed at location.”

As he dashed for the door, Barry and the professor followed.

“Where do you think you are going?”

“I’m a reporter remember. This will be one hell of a story.”

Harris shrugged his shoulders and led the way out as the first bio team duly arrived.

“Why are we needed?” the commander asked.

“Just look inside the fridge,” the professor suggested. “It contains smallpox.”

As they climbed inside the waiting car, the bemused team set to work.

Gracie field was located to the south of the sleepy hamlet. As they approached at high speed, other vehicles were responding to the alert.

“I just hope you two are wrong,” Harris muttered as they drew to a halt.

Just beyond sat the field, now littered with twelve balloons. Each one tied down and ready for launch.

“I’ll handle this,” the detective said stepping out.

As he did so however, a single shot smashed into the bumper.

“Come on Xentoph,” Ben yelled. “We have to get out of here.”

As they scrambled out of the passenger door, further shots smashed around them.

“This is a fine place to die,” Harris muttered as the sirens of reinforcements drifted across the afternoon air.

“Can’t you at least reply?” Ben asked.

Harris drew his weapon and scanned the area. To the left of a large hanger sat a large dull coloured drum, and Harris pointed his weapon
at it. As he fired, it went up in flames.

Moments later a screaming man staggered out like a Roman candle before crashing to the ground. The detective let off a dozen shots as he broke cover. Ben watched him race toward the closed doors before slamming against them.

“He had better be alright,” Ben whispered.

The backup arrived and six officers leapt from their vehicles as Harris remained panting.

“Just one more lap my boy.”

He pulled open a section and fired into the interior. A gunshot rang out that he was lucky to avoid.

“Surrender right now!”

“Go to blazes!”

The officers arrived and waited for the detective’s signal. As he counted three, they burst in together. Shots rang out as the four gang members dived for cover.

Harris found himself pinned behind a wooden pallet with bullets smashing into it. He poked his head above the parapet and fired twice. A yell told him someone had been hit, as another gunshot rang out.

“We give up!”

Harris waited a few moments before stepping clear. By this time, the suspects lay upon the ground. One of them fatally wounded. The bio squad quickly entered, and found samples of the disease ready for use in a rear cooling area.

As Harris watched the gang being led outside, Ben and the plucky professor joined him.

“We seem to have changed future history,” the old gent commented.

“So much for your theory of fixed time,” Ben said smiling.

The old man shook his head vigorously.

“I’ve already proven that my boy.”

As they walked away, Ben turned back towards the detective.

“Fancy giving us a lift?”

After being dropped off at the station, Ben collected his car and took the professor home before returning to his paper. After typing for an hour, he handed his piece over to his hardnosed editor.

“How I prevented doomsday?”

“It’s all true sir. You can check with Harris if you like.”

The editor shook his head.

“That won’t be necessary on this occasion. Get your arse home eh?”

Ben grinned as he left his boss to it. Heading for his car and home.

As he drove at last along Sudock Avenue, his wandering mind forgot to register the dark clad figure stepping from behind a parked vehicle.

“Oh hell!”

Ben slammed the brakes hard, slewing the vehicle sideways. The figure impacted with a sickening crunch, and rolled across the dark paved road.

As Ben leapt out, he stared in utter shock.

“What the hell?”

The road outside his apartment was quite empty. Whomever he had hit, they were gone now.

To be continued...