did indeed say “of the future”. Good to know the language hasn’t deteriorated along with the manners.’
‘Where are you from?’
‘I was born in another time. Another world.’
The Professor snorted. ‘Nonsense. You are one of us. You look like us, you sound like us.’
Bernice shrugged. ‘I was born in the twenty-sixth century.’
Kik the Assassin gave Jaanson a glance. ‘I think she’s telling the truth.’
Jaanson was apoplectic – his life, his dreams were being tarnished right in front of him. ‘I have spent my life searching for the answer to free movement in time and space. I don’t expect to find it solved in this junkyard of a planet. Just kill her.’
‘Kill me,’ Bernice said quietly, with just an added dash of threat and a sprinkle of menace, ‘and you’ll remain trapped here, footprints in a time portal where you were not supposed to have walked.’
Professor Jaanson shrugged. ‘What proof have you got to your claims?’
Bernice produced the shard of Glamour.
‘And?’
Bernice shrugged. ‘I don’t know. I think it might gain us entry to the pyramid.’ She pointed at the monolithicstructure nearby. ‘Fancy finding out?’
‘This is nonsense,’ Professor Jaanson said.
Cyrrus Globb clearly didn’t have much patience. He snatched the rock out of Bernice’s hand and marched over to the huge door in the pyramid. ‘Now what?’ he asked.
‘No idea,’ Bernice said truthfully. She smiled sweetly at Kik the Assassin. ‘Thank you so much for dragging me into all this.’
Kik the Assassin smiled back. ‘Don’t worry, I trust you about as much as the human professor does. But not for the same reasons.’
‘Oh?’
‘Yeah, I think you’re up to something. I think you probably can get us inside that Pyramid. I’m just not sure why.’
‘Thanks for the vote of confidence.’ Bernice then glanced at Globb. ‘He really is a fool, isn’t he?’
Kik the Assassin shook her head. ‘Actually he’s a very successful conman. I imagine he knows exactly what he’s doing, but doesn’t want you or the Professor to know that.’
‘So why tell me?’
‘Because,’ the blue woman said with a little laugh that reminded Bernice of gargling with glass, ‘I don’t care what happens. We get in, get what the Headless Monks wanted and get out again. That way, we’re free.’
Bernice thought about this. ‘I see. And Jaanson?’
‘Never heard of him before an hour ago. I reckon he’s surplus to requirements.’
‘And me?’
‘We’ll see. I’m not sure you’re quite what you appear. That…intrigues me.’
‘I like being intriguing. Usually means I’m going to stay alive a bit longer.’
Bernice focused on Globb. So he was a conman. And he needed the actual rock, this Glamour, which that shard came from, to get his freedom. Which meant it was a bargaining chip. Trouble was, she also needed the Glamour to free her future self, so it was rather important Globb didn’t get it. Not so much a bargaining chip after all, more a hostage to fortune. Hmmm.
And then she walked forward, took the shard back out of his hand and held it against the doorway.
With a speed that surprised even Bernice, the door just melted away, revealing a huge dark cavern within.
Equally quickly, Globb retrieved the shard from her and pocketed it.
Deciding confidence was needed as much as a confidence trick, Bernice stepped into the darkness. Globb followed as did Kik the Assassin.
Professor Jaanson however stood on the threshold, unsure.
‘You wanted to see if the time portal created by the Ancients of the Universe is home, Horace,’ Bernice called out. ‘Don’t be chicken.’
And Professor Jaanson stepped into the gloom.
—
A moment later, Peter, Jack and Ruth entered through the same door, keeping quiet. Peter shifted his backpackslightly, instinctively checking just by the way it weighed that it still contained everything he suspected he might need for this mission. Ruth was checking
‘Where are you from?’
‘I was born in another time. Another world.’
The Professor snorted. ‘Nonsense. You are one of us. You look like us, you sound like us.’
Bernice shrugged. ‘I was born in the twenty-sixth century.’
Kik the Assassin gave Jaanson a glance. ‘I think she’s telling the truth.’
Jaanson was apoplectic – his life, his dreams were being tarnished right in front of him. ‘I have spent my life searching for the answer to free movement in time and space. I don’t expect to find it solved in this junkyard of a planet. Just kill her.’
‘Kill me,’ Bernice said quietly, with just an added dash of threat and a sprinkle of menace, ‘and you’ll remain trapped here, footprints in a time portal where you were not supposed to have walked.’
Professor Jaanson shrugged. ‘What proof have you got to your claims?’
Bernice produced the shard of Glamour.
‘And?’
Bernice shrugged. ‘I don’t know. I think it might gain us entry to the pyramid.’ She pointed at the monolithicstructure nearby. ‘Fancy finding out?’
‘This is nonsense,’ Professor Jaanson said.
Cyrrus Globb clearly didn’t have much patience. He snatched the rock out of Bernice’s hand and marched over to the huge door in the pyramid. ‘Now what?’ he asked.
‘No idea,’ Bernice said truthfully. She smiled sweetly at Kik the Assassin. ‘Thank you so much for dragging me into all this.’
Kik the Assassin smiled back. ‘Don’t worry, I trust you about as much as the human professor does. But not for the same reasons.’
‘Oh?’
‘Yeah, I think you’re up to something. I think you probably can get us inside that Pyramid. I’m just not sure why.’
‘Thanks for the vote of confidence.’ Bernice then glanced at Globb. ‘He really is a fool, isn’t he?’
Kik the Assassin shook her head. ‘Actually he’s a very successful conman. I imagine he knows exactly what he’s doing, but doesn’t want you or the Professor to know that.’
‘So why tell me?’
‘Because,’ the blue woman said with a little laugh that reminded Bernice of gargling with glass, ‘I don’t care what happens. We get in, get what the Headless Monks wanted and get out again. That way, we’re free.’
Bernice thought about this. ‘I see. And Jaanson?’
‘Never heard of him before an hour ago. I reckon he’s surplus to requirements.’
‘And me?’
‘We’ll see. I’m not sure you’re quite what you appear. That…intrigues me.’
‘I like being intriguing. Usually means I’m going to stay alive a bit longer.’
Bernice focused on Globb. So he was a conman. And he needed the actual rock, this Glamour, which that shard came from, to get his freedom. Which meant it was a bargaining chip. Trouble was, she also needed the Glamour to free her future self, so it was rather important Globb didn’t get it. Not so much a bargaining chip after all, more a hostage to fortune. Hmmm.
And then she walked forward, took the shard back out of his hand and held it against the doorway.
With a speed that surprised even Bernice, the door just melted away, revealing a huge dark cavern within.
Equally quickly, Globb retrieved the shard from her and pocketed it.
Deciding confidence was needed as much as a confidence trick, Bernice stepped into the darkness. Globb followed as did Kik the Assassin.
Professor Jaanson however stood on the threshold, unsure.
‘You wanted to see if the time portal created by the Ancients of the Universe is home, Horace,’ Bernice called out. ‘Don’t be chicken.’
And Professor Jaanson stepped into the gloom.
—
A moment later, Peter, Jack and Ruth entered through the same door, keeping quiet. Peter shifted his backpackslightly, instinctively checking just by the way it weighed that it still contained everything he suspected he might need for this mission. Ruth was checking
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