The Time Traveller's Ball (The Erik Midgard Case Files Volume 1)

Chapter 6

VI

“Well, at least this explains how the teleport pads are powered up,” said Zachary Midnight.

            “Let me make sure I understand this,” said Karl Yahweh to Christopher Venus. “He, Sergeant Midgard, looks identical – identical twin identical – to Edward Minkwood, who gave you the business card before the shooting?”

            It was ten minutes of shouting, screaming, puzzled questions and tangled explanations later. But at last, we had a lead. Even it was in the last form I could have wanted.

            “No. He doesn’t look like him. He is him!” said Chris Venus, pointing at me. “Right down to that weird mole on his left ear. Can you please arrest him now, Sergeant Arjuna?”

            “For the third time, forget it.”

            In that time, we had also moved through to the lobby, and Mirabi, with assistance from Metatron and Mammon, was linking her wristcom into the south east teleport pad; modifying it to handle a backstep.

            “Is this the colour Minkwood was wearing,” I asked as I shrugged off my tunic. It was reflective black on the outside; to increase the partial protection it gave against laser fire, but the inside was a pale enamel shade of blue.

            “What? ...Yes. Yes, that’s it,” said Venus. “But… you are Minkwood!”

            “Indeed,” I said, “So help me get this right.”

            The explanation was actually quite simple. There was no Edward Minkwood. Venus had seen me in the past and Edward Minkwood was the name I had given him, along with the business card. For this to happen, I now had to backstep and retrace – or perform – “Edward Minkwood’s” movements as I now knew them. If I didn’t, they wouldn’t happen. There would be a break in the time stream, and no one wanted one of those.

            The prospect – and the circumstances – still made me sick to my stomach.

            “A self-contained, solution-providing time loop,” said Colonel Thor, shaking his head. “Beautiful. I never dreamed I’d actually see one.”

            “We’re happy for you,” said Mirabi, who was now programming my wristcom with the route I would need to take across the lobby floor to avoid the eyecams, as Helmcom had worked it out from the security footage. “Ready.” She handed it back to me, then in a low voice. “You sure you want to do this.”

            “Not a lot of choice.” I clamped it back onto my forearm and checked my inside-out tunic sleeve covered it. It did. I unclipped my utility belt and handed it to Mirabi, who set it aside with my helmet, shockstick and Unigun. I checked my appearance by looking at my reflection in the nearest window. In blue and black, I would blend in reasonably well. My heavy combat boots and inbuilt armoured kneepads were out of place, but as nobody had mentioned noticing them, there was a good chance no one was going to.