Hi there people! Well, I'm not exactly new to ff.net – I've read loads of fanfiction here before and I love it. So I thought it was about time I contributed some work. I wanted to try something a bit different here but I'm sticking to the time travel thing, 'cause I like it! I know it's been done countless times before but it doesn't stop me liking the idea! So there! Please be gently, this is my first fic ever.
Before I get started I'd just like to state for the record that, unfortunately, I own NOTHING! (Well, apart from my own characters and I think it's pretty obvious who they are).
On with the show!
It had been three years. Three long, hard years and I had resisted this course of action for all of them. Of course, I'd adapted – I was strong and definitely not stupid (If I do say so myself), so I had learned how to survive – how to use my skills in this new world. It took a long time to come to terms with. I didn't believe it for the longest time and I suppose I acted as any other human being in my situation would have.
Let me start at the beginning. My 18th birthday party was in full swing. Music, cake, wine – the whole lot. My Dad even got up and made a speech, which ended with him letting me cut the huge chocolate cake with one of his ornamental swords. It was perfect. My best friends in the whole world were there, my family, even my cat – but I was about to loose all of that – was about to be swallowed up by time. I had no idea that I was just hours away from being ripped away from everyone I cared about.
"Allie, be careful with that!" My mum scolded playfully as I brandished the cake-cutting sword. It was actually a band boy's sword – never used for fighting but a sword nonetheless. It was quite short – about two and a half feet, slightly dented and definitely not shiny – I liked that; it showed its history and authenticity. I'd always been interested in those sorts of things. My best friend was in the fencing team at her university and had shown me a thing or two about swords. Being a bit of a tomboy, this was right up my alley! I made sure no one was in the way and swung the weapon through the air. It wasn't exactly heavy but it wasn't a foil if you know what I mean. I giggled slightly – why were stupid things like swinging a piece of metal around so much fun?
"Don't worry mum, I'm practically an expert at this – you know Jackie's been teaching me some stuff. Watch".
I lunged and managed to step slightly off balance, allowing the sharp metal to connect slightly with the kitchen table. A minor scratch appeared on the wooden surface, but it looked quite at home with the other scars the table had acquired over the years – mainly from my various escapades.
"Sorry". I murmured sheepishly, rubbing the back of my neck with one hand.
"An expert hey?" Mum asked, raising one eyebrow. "Well, Zoro, come through here, there's one last present for you."
My ears perked up at this and I followed closely at my mum's heals, holding the sword carefully in my hands. It's a family tradition that we get all of our gifts in the morning, first thing, as we wake up, so I was surprised that there was a present left unopened at this late hour. All of the other guests had gone home but as I entered I saw my brother and sister seated side by side on the sofa, with a delicately wrapped package in-between them. I ran over to my siblings who beamed at me.
"Here you go sis," my sister said as she picked up the package and handed it to me, "Happy 18th." I beamed at her and, since this was my last present of the day, decided to take my time unwrapping it. Carefully I pulled at the blue ribbon encircling it. The package was about as big as a large briefcase and covered in tasteful blue paper. Running my hand over the smooth parcel, I gently placed my fingers between the folds of paper and pulled. It ripped easily, with a satisfying tear, so I tugged a little more to reveal … a box. Good, this was good. Suspense is good – it makes the gift more exciting. I couldn't stand it any longer; I ripped the lid of the mysterious parcel and gasped at what lay inside.
It was beautiful and I know it's a cliché but it's just what I'd always wanted. A proper art set. Of course, I had pencils and crayons for college but nothing like this! It had everything I could possibly need and must have cost a fortune. You see, I was an art student. Well, I was at that time. I was having a gap year before university and wanted to do something a little less stressful than my A Levels had been – art seemed perfect. Despite my love of art, I was determined to be a student of the law at uni – I was a straight A student and had already been accepted at one of the top unis in England. I was happy. Things were looking good. One of the perks of studying art for a year, was that instead of having to work in some seedy bar, I could just sell my work! Like I said, perfect.
"Wow, guys!" I exclaimed, my eyes lighting up. "This is amazing! I can't believe it. I'm gonna do so many great things with this stuff."
Running a hand over the materials the box contained, I looked up at the family which surrounded me – smiling and bright, happy that they had made me happy. It was an amazing day but a tiring one and soon, everyone was on their way up to bed. I had college the next day and had to be up early, so I packed my bag and slipped in-between the soft sheets – glad to be able to stretch out and relax completely. Reaching out, I turned off my bedside lamp. I closed my eyes, sighing contentedly, little realising that that would be the last time I would see my normal life.
* * *
My eyes flickered softly open. I was still lying in my bed, still warm and still peaceful but things were different. The familiar surroundings of my bedroom had disappeared and were instead replaced with a pure white, octagonal room. It seemed as if the walls were glowing. I sat up, feeling not frightened or shocked, only perplexed. I still had that warm, content, sleepy feeling inside.
On one of the walls, a tiny crack was visible. I stared intently at it, as if something was drawing me to it and as I watched, the fracture seemed to grow, like a plant growing up the wall. It expanded lengthways and width ways until it was about four metres in height and one in width. Behind it lay utter blackness – like a hole to nowhere. Despite my strange surroundings, I was only curious and even when a long, slender arm shot through the gap in the wall, I only looked on more intently. The arm was quickly followed by the form of a tall, thin man. As his eyes locked upon mine, they widened considerably, matching his grin.
"It is so good to finally meet you Miss Jennings!" The man exclaimed excitedly moving over to my bedside.
"A pleasure to meet you too." I responded, without wondering once how this strange man knew my name. He was about six feet in height and had a shock of red hair. Dressed in a Victorian suit, he seemed to have stepped straight from the past. "Who exactly are you though?"
The man chuckled. "My name is Peter Jacobs. You're probably wondering what is going on." I nodded silently. "Well, this is most exciting news for you – you have been chosen!"
My blank stare gave away the fact that I had no clue as to what he meant. "I am part of a group which deals with time and dimensions. Now please listen carefully because this may be a little hard for you to take in. It has taken a team of us years to complete our research and the result is … you! There are an infinite number of dimensions, each one slightly different from the others."
I had some vague idea of this theory, having studied Physics at GCSE level. "Our research spans these dimensions. We have incomprehensible amounts of data. And all of this work, all of this effort, put in by so many thousands of dedicated workers, was all to find you!" The man's hands were clenched and pulled in close to his chest in excitement, joy evident on his friendly features.
"You see," he continued with glee, "in the second half of the nineteenth century, something went drastically wrong. The world was changed forever – for the worse. Things could hardly have deteriorated faster after 'the incident'."
I looked intently at him, wondering what on earth he was talking about. "I'm sorry," I began, "but the world seems perfectly fine to me".
At this his smile miraculously grew, something which up until a moment ago I had thought impossible. "Ah yes! Your world is perfectly fine. It is, however, a different world of which I speak. A different reality."
Now, if this had been any other time, I would have laughed out loud. Or run away very quickly. Not sure which. The point is, I didn't do either of these things. It was like I was in some sort of trance. I nodded towards the strange man.
The brilliant smile faded from his face and the light in his green eyes seemed to vanish as he embarked upon the next part of his explanation. "Their reality was damaged so terribly. It is unimaginable. The most foul minds of your world could not even begin to comprehend the suffering in their world."
"They?" I asked after a seconds thought.
"Yes, they. You will understand soon enough. Our calculations have led us to you. They need you. You are the only one in all of these worlds who has the correct combination of features, qualities, and brain patterns, to help them. I work for a section of our government which deals with these other dimensions and their times. We have developed a set of moral rules governing our conduct concerning these dimensions and our usual practice is simply to observe and to learn. Very rarely is any interference necessary."
"Kinda like in Star Trek?" I asked innocently.
He cocked an eyebrow at me. "Ummmmm, yes. I suppose, a little like in your Star Trek." A hint of his former smile returned. "However, after many years of studying the case and debating the course of action in our courts of law, we have decided that interference is utterly necessary. And now, we have decided that you must be sent to do the interfering directly! To change their history!"
I was now very aware that something very big was about to happen.
"How long will I need to be there for?" I asked, sensibly.
"As long as you are needed. Now, my team of experts is exactly that – expert, but despite their best efforts, they still cannot predict exactly when you should be sent to, however when the time comes you will know. It is regrettable that we can offer you no training for such an important mission but it is crucial that you must not be tampered with on our part – they need you. As you are now. If we alter the way you think, we alter the way you will act and that would not do, I am sure."
"Nice." I stated simply. He smiled reassuringly again, sighing slightly.
"I do wish I could tell you more but I am afraid that it would be quite impossible." Again he sighed. "Good luck". With one long, pale finger, he pointed to another position on the wall before my eyes another small crack appeared before me, growing just like the previous one had. "All you have to do, is walk through".
Without hesitation, I swung myself out of bed, padded calmly across the warm floor, still bare foot and in my pyjamas, and stood before the mighty fissure - a rip in time and reality. Without looking back once, I took the ultimate step and was swiftly engulfed by blackness. I had left everything behind but I hadn't even given a thought to that at the time. All I know is that I did it. And I would do it again knowing what I know now. I was about to change a world I knew nothing about, or so I though, for when I arrived there, things seemed strangely familiar.
Well, there ya go! Chapter one – done and dusted! Sorry about the lack of Sherlock and co. but I promise that they're coming. Just wanted to set the scene first. Anyway, what do you think? Should I keep going, or should I abandon this and try something completely different? Constructive criticism is always welcome.