CHAPTER FIVE

TRANSMAT OR TIME CORRIDOR?

Transmat 12
Gorbachev Complex
Moscow, Russia
November 2620

Technician Barnes had only just finished his rundown of events when the transmat systems came to life on their own. He gave a low groan, looking at the readings in despair. Beside him, Prince Jason had a different reaction. His eyes flashed over the readings and then to the monitor atop the control desk. “That’s not an anomaly,” he announced. “It’s a time corridor.”

“Time corridor?” Barnes replied. “How’s that possible?”

“I’ve no idea.” Jason’s fingers were already clattering on the keyboard. “It’s fluctuating all over the place. Moving forward and backward in time. The transmat must pick it up whenever it moves into this time zone.”

The Technician glanced over to his equally bewildered co-workers. When he had insisted on sending for a temporal engineer, his superiors had simply scoffed at him, something he feared the Prince would also do. He was greatly relieved that this was not the case, and equally relieved that his decision to send for the Prince had not been in vain.

“Um, sir? What can we do about this?”

Jason looked up, a puzzled expression on his face. “Do?”

“To shut it down?”

“Ah!” Jason grinned. “Nothing, I’m afraid. It has to be shut down at the source, wherever—whenever—that is.”

Barnes groaned and closed his eyes. “Great.”

“Don’t despair, Mr. Barnes. I’ve a friend who’s an expert in these matters. He’ll be able to deal with the source.”

“A temporal engineer?”

“Better.”

“Better? What’s better than a temporal engineer?

Jason looked the technician in the eye, his smile widening. “A Time Lord.”

* * *

The Lubyanka
Moscow, Soviet Union
August 1987

The sound of voices coming from the hallway brought a knowing smile to Borodin’s face. “Now we’ll see why you’re really here, Major,” he said cryptically.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” came the confused reply.

A split second later, the door behind the officer opened. “My colleague is just in here,” came Ivanov’s voice.

The Major’s eyes widened when a very familiar English voice replied, “This isn’t exactly the type of storage facility I was expecting.”

The Earl entered and stopped dead as he took in the room. Then his eyes fell on the equally astonished Klaus. “Major!” he gasped, not quite able to take it in. He looked around himself, become more frightened and confused by the second.

“What is this?” Eroica demanded, turning to Ivanov. “Where have you brought me?”

“You idiot, this is KGB Headquarters,” the Major snapped.

Eroica blanched visibly. “What?”

“This is my colleague, Comrade Alexei Borodin,” Ivanov informed, holding a hand out in the scientist’s direction.

Before the Earl could think of a reply, he found himself being pulled away from the door by one of the two Soviet Army men who had been part of his “escort” into the building. He was roughly shoved over to where the Major stood glaring at him. He fell back against the officer and turned quickly to face him, a startled expression on his face. He looked the Major in the eye, his eyes flashing down to where he gun was and back up again.

The Major’s eyes flickered in response. Obviously, the Earl had felt the gun when he collided into him. Moreover, he was smart enough to keep this information to himself. Or so Klaus thought. Suddenly, the idiot was hugging him!

“Oh, Major, I’m so glad you’re here to protect me,” Eroica cooed.

“He’s got a gun!” someone gasped as the Major’s jacket was pushed open far enough to reveal his shoulder holster.

“You—!”

“Trust me, Major,” Eroica said quietly before the admonition could get any further.

Klaus growled and continued to glare at the thief as he was searched. The man searching him was surprised to find the officer unarmed. As was the Major, who suddenly realized that Eroica had taken his weapon when he was making a show of hugging him.

“Really, Major,” Eroica chided. “Must you always wear that thing? Even when you’re not allowed to carry a gun?”

“You never know when you might find one,” the Major replied aridly, giving the armed guards at the door a knowing look.

“Search the Earl, too,” Ivanov ordered.

The Major rolled his eyes. “That will make his day.”

Eroica gave him a bright smile. “Jealous, Major?” he said archly.

“I wouldn’t waste my time searching you for a gun. You’re a lousy shot. Completely useless with firearms.”

“Oh, that hurt!” Eroica moaned. He grabbed the Major’s lapel and gave him a quick shake. “I demand an apology!”

Klaus was momentarily thrown. “You what?”

“I demand an apology,” the Earl repeated firmly.

This time, the Major was fully aware of his weapon being returned as the Earl made a point of running a hand over his chest when he withdrew it.

“You’ll get a fat lip if you don’t take your hands off me,” Klaus growled threateningly.

“Enough!” Ivanov roared. He waved a hand and the pair were roughly separated.

“What the hell did you bring this bloody bugger to Moscow for?” the Major demanded.

“According to our records, Major Eberbach, there’s a long standing relationship established between the two of you,” Ivanov informed smugly.

“Christ, you idiots can’t get anything right! How many times must I tell you I want nothing to do with this bloody nuisance!”

“What do you expect, Major?” Eroica said dismissively. “They can’t even get your name right.”

The Major gave a disgusted snort in reply.

“I think it’s lack of breeding myself,” Eroica went on coolly.

The Major’s eyes narrowed. Although he could not deny being amused when the Earl went on to say, “First there’s the obvious lack of manners on Comrade Ivanov’s part. No formal introductions on my arrival. And we don’t even get Comrade Borodin’s patronymic.”

“Perhaps the bastard doesn’t have one.”

Eroica’s eyes widened in surprise. Was the Major actually going along with this frivolity? Then again, he would go along with anything that came at the expense of the KGB. “I do believe you may be right,” he drawled, looking Borodin up and down.

“Enough!” Ivanov thundered again before addressing the Major once more. “Do you deny the Earl’s involvement in your mission just this spring in Austria, Major?”*
* Emperor Waltz

“Yes, God dammit!” Klaus said vehemently. “He wasn’t involved, he was in my bloody way. Again. Fucking the whole thing up, just like he does every time he shows up.”

While Ivanov had been struggling to regain control of the situation, Borodin was activating the equipment. The plastic “telephone booth” started to hum. A moment later, the interior seemed to distort, gaining the attention of the Major and Eroica.

“So it wouldn’t matter to you if we used Lord Gloria to test our equipment, would it?” Borodin asked calmly.

The Major waved a hand in the air. “You can carve him up for Christmas dinner for all I care.”

“Major, that’s not funny,” Eroica said nervously. “Anyway, Communists don’t celebrate Christmas.”

“Then you’re safe from being turned into Christmas dinner, aren’t you?”

“Maybe I should ask to watch when they take you into an interrogation room and torture you,” Eroica fired back angrily.

“Yes, you’d like that, wouldn’t you?”

As with all the other KGB agents before him, Ivanov was completely thrown by the pair’s by-play. The reports couldn’t have gotten it that wrong. He waved a hand and one of the guards took hold of the Earl.

“Major, you’re not really going to let them throw me in there, are you?” Eroica demanded fearfully.

The Major did not reply directly, turning instead to Borodin. “Since this is a demonstration,” he said in a bored tone, “it might help if I knew what was being demonstrated.”

Borodin grinned. “Are you familiar with the theory of matter transmission?”

“You mean as in, ‘Beam me up, Scotty?’” the Major said in a mocking tone.

“A transporter!” Eroica gasped. “Like on Professor X?”

Everyone in the room gave him a blank look. “Oh, really,” Eroica moaned. “Professor X. On the BBC! The mysterious traveler who roams the universe in his pillar box fighting evil.”*
* This is a parody of Doctor Who within Doctor Who itself.

“Sounds like the kind of drivel you’d enjoy,” the Major snorted dismissively.

Ivanov sighed heavily. If there was a relationship between this pair, it was mutual disdain as far as he could see.

“We’re wasting time,” Borodin injected.

“Quite right,” Ivanov replied. He waved a hand at the guard. “Throw him in.”

“What! No!” Eroica exclaimed. The Lieutenant who had been following the Major came over to help the man already holding him. He struck the struggling Earl hard across the face before taking him by the arm.

“Major, do something!”

The Major stood in a stunned silence as the horrified Earl was thrust into the box, and then vanished completely.

“You idiots!” Ivanov thundered. “Your orders were to let him struggle! All that time and effort, wasted!”

“I take it I was supposed to stop that happening,” Klaus said blandly. He received an angry glare in reply. “Where’s he gone to?”

“No idea,” Borodin replied dismissively. “We’ve never been able to get anything to rematerialize properly.”

“What?” The Major turned a disbelieving gaze back at the booth. “Are you saying he’s dead?”

“He will be when he materializes at the other end, wherever that may be,” Borodin replied coldly.

“And if you don’t want to be next,” Ivanov rejoined, “you’ll tell us what your mission is.”

The Major blinked. “My mission?”

“Don’t play dumb, Major. It doesn’t suit you.”

“My mission was to deliver Siberian Shadow and return to Germany.”

Ivanov gave him a dark look. “And…?”

“And nothing. What do you morons think I’m doing here?”

Ivanov waved a hand. “I think, rather than waste the power for Comrade Borodin’s device, we should try…other means.”

“I don’t think so,” the Major replied. There’s no way the KGB, or anyone else, is gonna take Iron Klaus alive. He pulled his Magnum and pointed it at the Lieutenant just as he was reaching for him, stopping the man in his tracks.

“Don’t just stand there! Get him!” Ivanov screamed.

No one moved.

The Major’s eyes flickered. “Your men have more sense than you do.”

Ivanov pulled a gun and was shot down for his trouble.

Klaus took advantage of the diversion, decking the Lieutenant. “I’m the only one who hits that bugger,” he stated coldly. He stepped into the booth, a smug expression coming to his face. He turned and gave a small salute. “Do svidunia, Comrades,” he said as he vanished.

* * *

Transmat 12
Gorbachev Complex
Moscow, Russia
November 2620

Jason was checking over the newest readings when someone across the room said, “Mr. Barnes, there’s something in there again.”

Jason looked up sharply. “Again?”

“Yes, sir,” Barnes replied. “We’ve noticed…er, I don’t know. Debris, I suppose. In the anomaly.”

The Prince returned his attention to the monitor, his fingers flying over the controls. After a few seconds, his eyes grew wide. “That’s not debris! There’s someone in there!” he exclaimed. He waved a hand at the transmat booth. “Somebody close that door. Quickly. I might be able to retrieve them.”

“What?” This was Barnes, who came over to see what the Alterran was looking at.

Jason did not even look up, his attention glued to the controls. “Got ‘em!” he said happily and finally looked up, seeing a form slowly materializing within the booth.

Everyone in the room seemed to be holding their breath as the crumpled form solidified, the individual’s long blond hair covering their face.

“Goddess, it’s a woman!” someone exclaimed.

“Barnes, keep an eye on the readings,” Jason ordered as he crossed the room. He pulled the door open and knelt down, carefully turning the unconscious arrival onto her—his!—back. Jason felt his heart miss a beat when he saw the familiar face, his eyes growing wide. “My God, Dorian…” he breathed, his fingers going to the unconscious man’s neck where, to his relief, he found a weak pulse.

It had been more than a century and a half since Jason and Eroica had crossed paths; long before the Alterran would learn he was to the Crown Prince of his home world. The last time Jason had seen the Earl was in the Earth year 1983 during an adventure in Iceland when he was still traveling with the Doctor.*
* My story – Espionage On Ice

Jason quickly checked the unconscious Eroica over. He didn’t appear much older than the last time the Alterran had seen him, so he must have entered the time corridor more or less in the same decade as the events in Iceland. The thief had a bruise forming on his face as well as a few others on his arms. Someone had been slapping him around.

Jason looked up as another thought struck him. He could think of at least one person who would not hesitate to strike the Earl. This thought had scarcely passed through the Prince’s mind when Barnes called, “Sir, there’s…someone else in the corridor.”

“I can probably guess who,” Jason said softly. He lifted Dorian into his arms and carried him from the booth, placing him gently on the floor. “Somebody call for medical help,” he ordered as he rose to his feet. He returned to the controls, his eyes flashing over the readings again. “Now… let’s see if I’m right.”

Less then a minute later, the Major’s unconscious form was materializing within the transmat, bringing a knowing smile to Jason’s face. “Bingo,” he said happily. “Somebody get him out of there,” he then ordered. “Then I can shut this thing down.”

Barnes gave him a stunned look. “I thought you said you couldn’t shut it down.”

“Ah. Yes, well…no. But I can throw it off-line for a while.”

Jason looked up, watching impatiently as the Major was removed from the booth. The moment the door was closed, he sent an energy pulse along the corridor. To his delight, his plan worked and the time corridor vanished. An alarm sounded at the same time and he quickly silenced it. I thought I took care of that, he thought as he reset the controls.

“Sir, that alarm means…”

“I am well aware of what it means, Mr. Barnes,” Jason snapped impatiently. “I’ve already taken care of it.”

The technician’s eyes narrowed. The alarm meant that whoever had just materialized had been carrying a weapon, which the transmat would have removed. How, he wondered, had the Prince “taken care of it?”

Before Barnes could enquire further, Jason was turning his attention to the men he had just plucked out of thin air. The time vortex was not a place to be without adequate protection. They would’ve suffered severe cellular damage, even in the short time they were inside the time corridor. Medical assistance arrived just as the Prince was making his way across the room.

It was all too obvious that no one knew the first thing about treating the injuries caused by the temporal vortex. The Alterran Healer took charge of the situation. He knew that if his friends did not receive the proper treatment, and fast, they would die. It was as simple as that. And they were the only ones who could tell him the location of the entrance to the temporal corridor.

* * *

The Lubyanka
Moscow, Soviet Union
August 1987

Borodin’s mouth hung open as he stood staring at the booth where the Major had been only seconds before. Suddenly the console in front of him started to throw out sparks. He looked down at it in shock, turning to look at the dials covering the back wall.

Before the man could come to any conclusions, several circuits blew up, throwing the entire system offline and shutting down the power flowing to the booth.

“Damn, damn, damn!” Borodin screamed, thumping his fist on the console several times. He looked over at the guards, who were staring down at Ivanov’s body. “Don’t just stand there,” he thundered. “Get that carcass out of here.”

The guards looked at him and recoiled at the man’s sudden, manic behavior. He always seemed to get this way when someone…disappeared in the transmat room. Just how many enemies of the State had entered over the decades never to been seen again? Many of the hardliners of the Communist Party were extremely unhappy with the “softening” of the party line. Just how many more people would disappear?

“Er, Comrade Borodin?” the Lieutenant said hesitantly. “How are we to explain this?”

Borodin looked over at the booth, a low growl rising in his throat. It would have been so simple to dispose of the body with the system online. Now they would have to take more conventional means. “I’ll take care of the questions.” He glared at the men, adding, “I’m sure I can rely on you all to keep what just happened to yourselves.”

This obvious threat sent a collective shiver down everyone’s spines.

“I fear the Comrade Director will be distressed,” the Lieutenant said calmly, “when he learns how Comrade Ivanov misunderstood the purpose of your demonstration to our honored guest.”

Borodin smiled approvingly. “Yes. He’ll be most distressed. As will the General Secretary.” I, on the other hand, am delighted. Damn fool got what was coming to him.

* * *