Chapter 14

Lyndon sat by the telepathy table, lost in thought. In front of him was a yellow tennis ball, which he continually made rise and fall using telekinesis. Up and down and back again. Elizabeth sat on the sofa, her foot still bound by the supportive boot, but off crutches at last.

"Would you like a drink, Lyndon?" asked Elizabeth, trying once again to coax a response from Lyndon.

"No, thanks, I'm alright" replied Lyndon. A response at last.

"Anthony was asking about you" said Elizabeth after a minute.

"Was he?" replied Lyndon.

"Yes" replied Elizabeth. "He's just joined Derby County. That's good isn't it?"

"Suppose" replied Lyndon, without taking his eyes off his levitating tennis ball.

"Elizabeth, I am just about to bring Ed into the Lab" said TIM.

"Thanks, TIM" replied Elizabeth. "Perhaps he'll know how to cheer Lyndon up."

"I can hear you, you know" said Lyndon.

"Elizabeth is just showing her concern" said TIM. "We're all having to come to terms with not having your mum and Aunt Carol around anymore."

"It's not Liz's mum who's missing, is it?" replied Lyndon coldly, still watching his tennis ball.

"That's no reason to be rude" said TIM.

"It's okay TIM" said Elizabeth. "He's very upset."

"But he's not deaf!" said Lyndon as Ed appeared on the jaunting pad. He looked towards Lyndon first before approaching Elizabeth and greeting her with a kiss.

"How's the boy?" asked Ed in a whisper. Elizabeth shook her head with an expression that said not good. Ed walked across to join Lyndon. "You'll have to teach me to do that one day" said Ed referring to Lyndon's telekinesis.

"You can't do it, you're just a sap" said Lyndon.

"Listen, Anthony was asking after you" said Ed.

"I already told him" said Elizabeth.

"He's playing for Derby County now" said Ed.

"I know" replied Lyndon.

"Listen, why don't we go up there one Saturday when they're playing at home, just the two of us? Give Anthony a surprise?" said Ed. "Might even get to meet the players, you'd like that, wouldn't you?"

"No. I'm a Forest fan" said Lyndon as John appeared on the jaunting pad.

*How is he?* 'pathed John.

"I can hear your thoughts" said Lyndon.

"Poor kid" said Ed approaching John. "I remember when I lost my mum. Course it was different for me. I was a lot older and I had our Tara and Paul. We supported each other"

"It's not quite the same for Lyndon" said John. "Janice and Carol are trapped in the past, not dead."

"Technically, they are dead since the time period they went to live in is over a hundred years ago" said TIM. "They couldn't possibly survive until this time."

"TIM, please!" said John. John sat next to Lyndon and spoke to him. "You know why your mum and your Auntie Carol have had to go don't you?" Lyndon didn't respond. "If they hadn't have gone then none of this would have happened. No Lab, no TIM, no Liz, no Anthony, no me or you. In fact there wouldn't be any Tomorrow People at all." Lyndon continued to levitate his tennis ball. "Look, we were all very fond of your mum and your Auntie Carol."

"Were?" said Lyndon at last.

"What?" asked John.

"You said "were" just then" replied Lyndon.

"We are very fond of them" said Elizabeth. "And if we could get them back, we would."

"Is that what Peter said?" asked Lyndon.

"Well, not in so many words" said Elizabeth.

"Then why don't you ask him properly?" said Lyndon.

"John, Clive is at the door" said TIM.

"Let him in please, TIM" said John. The main door slid open and Clive entered, exchanging greeting with the group. He looked tired and drained.

"How're you doing" said Ed.

"Coping" said Clive.

"We're not coping" said Lyndon.

"Listen, Lyndon, there are certain things . . . "said Clive.

"I'm fed up of certain things!" said Lyndon, getting out of his chair, making his way to the jaunting pad. "I'm going home!" And with that, he jaunted away. Clive looked at the others.

"He'll be alright" said Clive, not confident of his words. "Listen, can you get hold of this Peter chap? I've had a thought."

"We can get a message to him" said TIM, "but the last we heard of him he was having difficulty with his time capsule. Since it was damaged, he hasn't been able to make it back to his own time."

"But you can still contact him?" asked Clive.

"Yes we can contact him" said John, "but we can't guarantee when he'd get the message."

"As long as he can get the message" said Clive, sitting at the telepathy table. "I've got something I need to run past him. You know Janice has been investigating her family tree?"

"Yes" said John. "We know all too well of her interests."

"One thing I've picked up is that everybody has a date of birth, and for those who lived significantly long enough ago, also a date of death." The others looked blankly. "Well, Janice and Carol have been marooned over a hundred years, right?"

"Right?" confirmed John.

"Well, I've got access to every record source that Janice used, and I can't find any record of their deaths" said Clive. The others still looked blankly. "Don't you see? If they were trapped there, then they'd be dead by now, wouldn't they?"

"So the fact that you can't find any records would suggest that they didn't stay in the past!" said Elizabeth. "They must have returned at some point!"

"Exactly!" said Clive. "That's why I must speak to Peter."

"Wait a minute, though" said John. "We've already established that there is a causal link between Janice and Carol's presence in the past that ultimately led to the creation of the Tomorrow People. We can't afford the risk of bringing them back."

"But the evidence is there that they did come back" said Ed. "I think it's worth asking the question."

"I know I said I was coping" said Clive. "I only said that for the boy's benefit. The fact is, I'm not. It's the only time in nearly twenty years I've faced the prospect of being without Jan. I remember the first time we met. I'd just come down here to university and hooked up with this French lad called Cedric. Cedric said he knew this good pub near the hospital and suggested we should go down there and chat up a few of the student nurses. So we went down there, and that's where I first clapped eyes on her, and I was hooked from that moment. She reminded me of a young Diane Cilento in 'Rattle of a Simple Man'. Do you know that film?"

"Yeah, I know that film" said Ed. "Old black and white film with Steptoe in it. What's his name? Harry H. Corbett. I saw it on telly a few years ago"

"That's right. She was absolutely gorgeous and confident – Janice I mean. She was with her friend, a little French girl called Anne. We spent the evening chatting them up and buying them drinks, and eventually we all went our separate ways, agreeing to meet up next evening. I thought Cedric would hook up with Anne, with then both being French, but when I got to the pub the following night, Anne was on her own. When I asked where Janice was, she said that Janice had gone off to the pictures with Cedric! At the time I just thought she must've fell for his Gallic charm, and me, just a shy kid from Nottingham - I just felt like poor old Harry H. So the next day I was ready for a showdown with Cedric. I told him what I thought of him, that I had my eye on Janice and he should have backed off. What he told me then surprised me. He said she told him that she wasn't interested in him and much preferred his friend with the specs. And just to prove it, he promised to set up a date for me with Janice the next night. He was good to his word, and as for me and Janice, we've been together ever since. Eventually, Cedric ended up with Anne and went back to France with her. We're still in touch, best of friends ever since. I have no idea at all how I'm going to explain this to Anne." Clive then went silent, a tear beginning to well up in his eye. Elizabeth limped towards him and hugged him.

"That's a beautiful story" said Elizabeth. "TIM, do you think we could contact Peter to see if there's anything we can do?"

"Peter has just contacted us and is about to arrive" said TIM, as Peter's time capsule appeared on the jaunting pad.

"That's good timing" said John. "We were just about to contact you."

"I know, said Peter."I'm just responding to that call now. Difficult to explain." Peter descended and shook hands with Clive. "You must be Clive. My name's Peter. I'm so sorry about what has happened."

"Clive has an idea he wants to put to you" said Elizabeth.

"Yes" said Clive. "I understand you can travel through time?"

"Yes, it's my job" said Peter.

"And you took Janice and Carol into the past?" asked Clive.

"Yes" said Peter.

"Then you can bring them back?" asked Clive.

"In theory, yes, but we've already demonstrated that to do that would create dangerous anomalies" said Peter. "I'm really sorry."

"Then why are there no records of their deaths?" asked Clive. Peter looked puzzled.

"The point Clive is making is that logically everyone who lived in that period would be dead by now" said Ed. "Including Janice and Carol. Everybody's death would be recorded, but Clive can't find any records for Janice or Carol, therefore they didn't die in that time period."

Peter thought for a moment, then suddenly moved towards his time capsule. "Of course! Why didn't I think of this before!"

"Think of what?" asked John.

"Sorry, I can't explain. I've just remembered something" said Peter. "It'd be giving you a glimpse of your own future, and that's strictly forbidden. Clive you are absolutely right!" With these words, Peter, together with his time capsule, dematerialised.

"What do you make of that?" asked Ed.

"I'm not sure" said John. "It sounds promising. We learned a long time ago to trust Peter's judgement on such things."