Killing Time by Jodi Taylor

Author:Jodi Taylor [Taylor, Jodi]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2024-06-06T00:00:00+00:00

20

With hindsight, as the Map Master later admitted, it might not have been such a good idea to let young Farrell go wandering off on his own. Although to be fair, she very much had her hands full at the time as she and her team struggled to stabilise the Time Map. And it wasn’t as if he didn’t know where MedCen was – he’d been there often enough. And any officer encountered during Farrell’s wanderings would immediately see he needed treatment and probably escort him there personally. And at that moment another section of the Map had flickered prior to shutting down and Officer Farrell went right out of her head.

Matthew found himself wandering down a corridor. He wasn’t entirely sure which one. Each Time Police corridor is designed to look like all the other Time Police corridors. The thinking is probably that any potential invaders would become so disoriented they’d quietly lay down their weapons and give up. It is possible that, in the entire universe, Time Police optimism is only surpassed by that of those loonies at St Mary’s.

Instinct took him to the lift, sent him downwards and then deserted him completely.

It was unfortunate that no one had been able to accompany him. They could certainly have made themselves useful translating the floor numbers which, for some reason, had suddenly reassembled themselves in cuneiform. Nor did the numbers appear to be in the right order. Clever thinking – that would certainly confuse the enemy. Which enemy, he had no idea. Any enemy. An enemy. Anemone. Anenemone. Amenome.

He was still muttering when he found himself outside the Pod Bay doors. He halted uncertainly. Why was he here? What was . . . ?

He heard a familiar voice. That sounded like Mikey. Ah – that must be why he was here. To see Mikey. See – nothing wrong with him at all. Everything was fabsolutely ine. Pushing the door open, he entered the Pod Bay.

Something very exciting was happening here as well. There was certainly a lot going on in TPHQ today. Ah . . . yes . . . they were rebuilding the corridor outside Mikey’s Bat Cave. Why, he had no idea, but, on the other hand, why not?

‘Out the way, mate,’ said a mech, edging past him with a length of battening.

‘Sorry.’ Matthew stepped aside.

‘Out the way, mate,’ said another mech, edging past him with a giant roll of polythene over his shoulder. Or possibly a roll of giant polythene. Or even – because it was that sort of day – a roll of polythene over his giant shoulder. Matthew endeavoured to convey this to someone standing next to him. Who turned out to be Mikey, staring at him with a look of great concern.

She took his hand. ‘Matthew? Why are you here? What’s happened? You look . . . a bit odd.’

Since looking a bit odd was his default state, Matthew could only conclude that, for some reason, he looked even odder than usual.

She was asking him a question.

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