The Time Bubble Box Set 2, стр. 47
Locating the garage where Alice had disappeared hadn’t beendifficult, using the advanced GPS of the 2050s. This could pinpoint anylocation on Earth within a fraction of a millimetre and provide live,high-definition pictures from the incredibly powerful cameras on satellitesthat were constantly scanning every inch of the planet’s surface.
The building was no longer a petrol station, but anautomated charging point for the older models of electric cars that couldn’tgenerate all of their own energy from renewable sources.
Where the pumps had once stood were pairs of saucer-shapedscanners, similar to the old satellite dishes people used to put on the sidesof their houses. To charge a car, it just needed to be paused between thesedishes for less than two minutes while the electricity flowed wirelessly into thecar. After that it was good to go for another thousand miles or more, a usefulrange in a continent so vast.
Two minutes allowed just enough time for the occupants ofthe cars to stock up on overpriced drinks, sandwiches and snacks in the shop,one thing that hadn’t changed in filling stations over the years.
Hannah and Peter didn’t need to charge up the car. They weregoing no further. They instructed their car to pull into the small car park tothe side of the station and prepared for what lay ahead.
The car park was dusty and dry, their arrival throwing upsmall clouds of copper-coloured dust behind the wheels. The sun was beatingdown and it looked like it hadn’t rained for months.
They got out of the car and were immediately hit by thesearing heat away from the air-conditioned environment they had been enjoyingon the journey from the town further south from where they had hired the car.
“Are you ready?” asked Peter.
“As ready as I’ll ever be,” replied Hannah. “You knowthere’s no other choice. I wouldn’t have brought this if there had been anyother way.”
She patted the small clutch bag she was carrying whichcontained the small handgun she planned to use on Vanessa. She had obtained itlocally by calling in an old favour from a former colleague who had emigratedout to Australia.
“I still can’t believe Aston came up trumps with that,” saidPeter. “Or that he didn’t ask too many questions about why you wanted it.”
“He and I go back a long way,” said Hannah. “He knows Iwouldn’t ask unless there was a very good reason.”
“I guess this is it, then,” said Peter.
“I guess it is,” she replied. “If I’m successful youshouldn’t have to wait too long. I’ll set the return journey to come back in aminute or two. Now we just need to find a suitable place to make the jump.Remember what Josh told us – it’s vital to reappear in an open space, not wherea building or something used to be.”
“How about over here, next to this tree?” suggested Peter,leading the way towards a large, mature eucalyptus tree. “This must have beenhere thirty-four years ago. It looks ancient.”
“Yes, this will do nicely. I’ve set the tachyometer for halfan hour before Alice was seen on the CCTV footage. That will give me time tostake out the place and be ready for Vanessa when she arrives.”
“Are you really going to shoot her?” asked Peter.
“If it comes to that,” said Hannah. “But I won’t do it incold blood. I’ve got to give her a chance. If she’s willing to hand over thetachyometer I can hardly shoot her then, can I?”
“That’s the honourable thing to do, I suppose,” repliedPeter. “But ask yourself this – would she give you the same chance?”
“Probably not,” said Hannah. “But if I stoop to her level,then I’m as bad as her.”
“Good luck,” said Peter. “Stay safe and hurry back.”
He leaned forward and kissed her like it was the last time.She swiftly picked up on his body language and pulled away, saying, “Hey – thatfelt like a goodbye. You don’t think I’m coming back, do you?”
“Just in case,” Peter said. “I want to make sure if this isour last moment together it’s a precious one.”
“I’ll be back,” she replied with more confidence than shefelt. “See you soon.” She stepped back, created the bubble and stepped through.
Remarkably, the area she emerged into had hardly changed. Tobegin with, she wondered if she had even travelled through time at all.
The eucalyptus tree looked exactly the same as it didthirty-four years in the future and she idly wondered exactly how long it hadbeen there. It was only when she turned around to look at the station that theevidence of her journey became apparent. The electric saucers were gone,replaced by the old-style petrol pumps she had expected to see in this era.
It was baking hot, possibly even hotter than the day she hadcome from, and she felt a sweat starting to break out on her brow. Was it justdown to the heat, or also down to fear at the danger that lay ahead?
She walked carefully towards the whitewashed walls at theback of the station, looking for a suitable vantage point to stake out thescene. She had about half an hour, by her calculations, until Alice wouldarrive.
There were several plastic wheelie bins along the side ofthe building which would provide the perfect cover to monitor the entrance fromthe road. However, as she approached, she recoiled at the smell of the rottingrubbish that had been festering in the heat. It smelt rank, and to make mattersworse, some of the flies that were circling around now decided to make abeeline for her.
The flies in Australia were a pain in the arse. She hadnoticed that they couldn’t just be batted away like the ones back home but wereremarkably persistent. Talk about not taking no for an answer, the pesky thingswould pester her continually now.
The only way to get away would be to go inside the shop, andthat could blow her cover as there was no way of being sure exactly what timeVanessa would arrive.
Unfortunately for Hannah, she already had.
“Looking for someone?” came a familiar voice from behindher,