Monday's Child – Dystopia
Part Three - Dystopia
The concept of the Tomorrow People and the characters persisting from the original series are the intellectual property of Roger Damon Price.
Chapter 1
"What's going on here?" asked Richard, as the Tomorrow People, joined with Haleh, crowded round the telepathy table, hands touching.
"They're concentrating" said Janice.
"Looks like they're completely out of it" said Clive. "Are they okay?"
"They're fine" said Ed.
"Oh, you've seen them like this before, have you?" said Richard.
"Once or twice" said Ed, "though maybe not quite so out of it before."
"Richard, will you just please leave them? They need to concentrate" said Janice, nursing Dmitri, who was lying on a bed.
"Concentrate? What on? They don't look like they're doing much to me?" said Clive.
"They're trying to get in touch with Dmitri's friends, to let them know he's here" said Janice.
"How?" asked Richard.
"Mind reading" said Janice. "Just trust me on this one."
Just then, the telepathic circle was broken by John. "Well, that was a complete waste of time."
"Don't worry, Dror has to come back to take me home" said Haleh.
"It's not so much that as what to do about Dmitri" said Rachel. "How's the patient?"
"Hard to say" said Janice. "His temperature's raised and his pulse is very slow, but that might be normal for him."
"Poor kid" said Clive. "His parents must be worried sick about him."
"They'll probably never know he's been missing" said Haleh. "They'll just drop him off when he set off." Haleh walked around the Lab, looking up at TIM. "I've been thinking, your friend, Dr Pargeter, communicated using the biotronic in my time and this biotronic."
"Dr Pargeter?" asked Anthony.
"Carol" replied Haleh.
John looked despondent. "It can't be the same Carol. Her name isn't Pargeter" said John.
"But Grandma's maiden name was" said Richard. "She could be using Grandma's maiden name for some reason."
"Then it could be Carol?" asked Rachel hopefully.
"It sounds like a racing cert" said John. "Too much of a coincidence."
"Then it must be the same soul core" said Haleh.
"Soul core?" asked Ed.
"Think of it as a biotronic processor" said John.
"If these messages are from Dr Pargeter – Carol" said Haleh, "then it looks like she's been able to prove Redman's Hypothesis."
"Redman's Hypothesis? What's that?" asked Rachel.
"About ten years ago – I mean ten years ago from my perspective, Dr Robert Redman theorised that it would be possible to set up a temporal standing wave within the soul core a of a biotronic computer, which could be used to carry very basic communication patterns through time to earlier versions of itself" said Haleh. "So far, nobody's been able to prove it, because soul cores have been obsolete for about two hundred years. Nobody has one . . . except for the one I found last year."
"And what did you do with it?" asked John.
"I loaned it to Dr Pargeter. She said she was trying to get an old biotronic – little more than a fossil really - back in working order. The thing is, if she's using it to communicate with you in this time, then it must be the same soul core as in this biotronic" said Haleh.
"And where did you find this soul core?" asked John.
"Home" said Haleh. "Well to be exact, at an excavation site just outside Victoria."
"On Vancouver Island?" asked Anthony.
"On Vancouver Island" replied Haleh.
"Okay," said John "we have to make a pact amongst ourselves. I know it's not a very pleasant thing to think about, but even if there's only one of us left around when the time comes, we must make sure that when TIM reaches the end of his useful life, we personally see to it that his soul core is buried on Vancouver Island so that Haleh can find it. It's the only way we can ensure that Carol can get in touch with us."
"So don't you think you should jaunt over there now so Haleh can actually show you where she found it?" suggested Ed.
"It might not look the same in your time" said Haleh.
"It's the only chance we have" said John. "But not right now. We can't possibly jaunt without TIM on line."
Just then, Dmitri began to come round.
"Okay, dear" said Janice comforting. "Take it easy.
Dmitri looked dazed. "Janice?" he said.
"You remember me?" asked Janice. "That's got to be a good sign. How do you feel?"
"Dizzy" said Dmitri, "but I should feel better soon."
"Thought you said your name was James" said Rachel.
"James?" said Dmitri. "I've been calling myself James? That's my middle name."
"Like Rosita" said Anthony. Janice shot Anthony a deathly stare.
"Dmitri, we might need your help" said John. "One of our friends is trapped in the future. She's managed to get a message to us."
"The future's a big place" said Dmitri. "How did she do that?"
"She used the biotronic" said Haleh.
"She proved the Redman Hypothesis?" asked Dmitri.
"Yes" said Haleh.
"So she must have got an old biotronic working" said Dmitri.
"Yes" said Haleh. "We met in my time. Your friends Dror and Susia were here earlier. Two of these people have gone with Susia back to my time to bring her back."
"To your time?" asked Dror. "I'm working with amateurs!" said Dmitri getting up.
"What's wrong?" asked Haleh.
"You know artefacts like early biotronics are expensive in your time, don't you?" said Dmitri.
"Yes, I know that" said Haleh, feeling she was being told off.
"Think it through" said Dmitri. "How long would it take to save if you wanted to buy an ancient biotronic with a soul core?"
"Five, maybe ten years" said Haleh.
"Well you could do it in five if all you ever ate was sandwiches" said Dmitri. "I take it your friend has a job?"
"Yes" said Haleh. "A very good job"
"So we're looking at five years then" said Dmitri. "And Susia has gone to meet up with your friend after she's been in that time zone for five years? Wouldn't it have been better to bring her back shortly after she arrived?"
Dmitri approached Haleh and placed his right hand on her forhead. Haleh began to tremble.
"Hey! What do you think you're doing! Leave her alone!" protested Anthony. Dmitri removed his hand, and Haleh recoiled slightly.
"I needed to have a sense of where she had come from. Now I only have to subtract a few years – we'll start with ten. Once we have found your friend, we will have to find Susia and bring your other friends back."