Hey, hey=)
I am really happy to share this with you now and for Becker and Jess's sake, I won't cut their scene in two, but post two chapters at once tonight.=)
It turned out that nothing had gone wrong. They had managed to get in as Ethan and most of his men went on another search party. Marc had gone with Ethan, but just before they had started he had nicked the anomaly device out of his pocket and put it back onto his table. While they were gone Jared had sneaked in to get the device, if someone had spotted him he would have just told them that he was to get Ethan's device, but luckily no one had noticed him, so he had the perfect alibi.
"Do you know how to use this?" Max asked as he handed Becker the device.
The soldier turned the device over and over in his hands, shaking his head, but never the less his eyes held a spark of happiness in them.
"I'll figure out how it works." He held it into his hands like it was the most precious thing in the world. His lifeline, after all it was his ticket home. "Thank you so much!" Becker said quietly.
Max shrugged: "If you can save the future and stop Ethan it was worth it."
Becker saluted: "I will."
"Becker, can't I come with you?" Sally asked.
He looked at her. "I don't think my time would be the right place for you."
"I want to see it! Please!"
Becker stared at her and sighed. "No, sorry."
"Please!" Sally begged.
"Sally, let him alone!" The woman who had scolded her earlier said.
Sally pouted. "But…"
"It is no place for a girl like you!" Jared said, "Believe me!", and Becker agreed:
"It really isn't. It's better if you stay here!" He turned around to say goodbye to everyone, and also because he didn't want to see Sally like that, how defiant she looked at him with her arms crossed over her chest.
"Here I think you might need this." Marc said and handed him a small wooden box.
Becker stared at it first and then at the soldier. He could hardly believe it and just managed to mumble a small: "Thanks."
Marc just nodded before he walked away. Becker quickly put the small box into his pocket and turned the device on with shaking hands. It had to work!
A display flashed on and he pressed a few buttons to figure out what to do.
"Wow." Sally mouthed and despite her sad expression earlier the curiosity took hold of her again.
He frowned at the display, when he suddenly noticed an engraving at the bottom of it:
C. Temple
Smirking, he shook his head.
He pressed some buttons until he had to type in some coordinates. He wasn't sure where the anomaly would spit him out, but he was sure that it would be somewhere in England. Then the date: April 2013.
"Okay, this should do the trick. I hope."
Becker's heart beat pounded loudly in his ears. It was like everyone held their breaths waiting for something to happen.
Captain Becker pressed a button and as before a red laser appeared and formed an anomaly.
"Yes!" Becker rejoiced, forgetting the people around him.
The pulsing golden light grew and grew, until it had the right size.
Everyone stared at it, some with fear, some with curiosity.
Full of anticipation Becker stepped through it.
It was raining cats and dogs.
The man stepped into a landscape of bushes and rocks. It looked wild and Becker's heart fell.
Oh no!
The rain was heavy and cold.
Worriedly he looked around. It was twilight but still bright enough for him to see that there was nothing there but a wild uninhabited landscape.
Pain pounded in Becker's leg that he tried to ignore.
It sounded almost like a hiss as the anomaly disappeared, but maybe he had just imagined that.
"Are we in the right time?"
Becker jumped, because he hadn't noticed Sally appearing next to him: "What the hell!? Sally! How did you…"
"Please, don't be mad! I secretly followed you."
"You can't stay here! I told you that!" He squinted through the rain.
"But why? Please let me stay!"
"Sally!"
"The anomaly is gone anyway!"
Becker was angry at her. With clenched teeth he started fiddling around with the device again to open another anomaly and send the girl back again, but it just made a beeping sound and displayed the icon of a low battery.
"Damn!" He cursed. A 16 year old girl with her background. She would have to go to school, get to know all the technologies, what about friends at her age? No one was allowed to know of their work and who was to take care of her?
Suddenly Sally shrieked and everything inside Becker went on alert. The rain was too loud to let them hear anything else, but there were two lights coming closer and rushing past about 500 m from them.
Relief washed over Becker and he relaxed rubbing his hands threw his wet hair.
"We are definitely in the right century!" He stated with a grin.
"How do you know?"
"You've just seen your first car, built in 2010."
"That was a car?" Her eyes were wide as she tried to watch out for it even though it had already disappeared around the next corner.
"Yep." Becker looked at the device again and tried to open another anomaly despite the low battery.
Sally noticed what he was trying to do: "No! Please Becker! I want to stay!"
Becker sighed as the device died completely. He knew he would regret this, but then again he could always send her back later.
"You must have a lucky star tonight. Come on!"
Smilingly Sally followed him to the spot where the car had driven past.
Becker tried not to put too much pressure onto his bad leg while they followed the road into the direction in which the car had driven. It was his only hope.
Both of them were shivering in the cold icy rain.
"How long do we have to walk?" Sally asked after a while
"I don't know. I don't even know where we are!" Becker snapped frustrated. He was in pain, he was cold and all he wanted was to get home. He didn't even know if it was the right year!
After every corner he lost a little more hope. At least Sally was quiet. She had noticed that it was better not to bother him. This time was after all much less magical than she had imagined.
But suddenly after another turn lights came into sight. A village!
Becker took the girl's hand and dragged her faster, besides his now numb leg. "Come on!"
Sally's eyes widened as she saw the lights and houses.
She tightened her grasp on Becker's hand.
"No need to be afraid. "He said.
The place name sign on one side of the road placed a grin on his face. Cornwall! Thank god!
After a quick orientation he headed straight for a Pub.
The local people watched them curiously and Becker sighed.
Great, small town people were always suspicious.
"Excuse me?" He went for the bartender, an old grumpy looking man who cleaned some glasses. Every eye was on them and followed every move they made.
The strange dirty man with the scared looking girl. Becker knew how this must look like, so he tried to be extra polite and as talk active as he could:
"Sorry, my sister and I had a car accident further down the road and my mobile died, so we had to walk here and I wondered if I could please call a relative who'd pick us up?"
The man screwed his eyes shut and pursed his lips while his look wandered from Becker to the girl. Becker tried to make an innocent face patiently waiting for an answer.
An old lady who had heard this, probably his wife walked up to him.
"Of course, that's no problem! Follow me." She led them through a door and into the kitchen of the pub. "Poor girl, she is drenched! What is your name darling?"
"Sally." She whispered.
"Sally, would you like a hot chocolate?" Sally was too shocked to answer and despite this she didn't even know what the woman was talking about.
Becker quickly reacted. "You must excuse her she's still a little shocked and very tired. It has been a long day for us."
"Then she has to get some chocolate and a tea for you I guess? Where did you say you were from?"
And here we go, Becker thought. "Well, we live in London and we came down here for the holidays."
"Oh yes, of course. The phone is over there." She pointed to a door that led to a short hallway. Becker motioned for Sally to stay there on a stool.
"Thank you." The closer he came to the receiver the louder his heart beat. His hands trembled slightly as he took the receiver and checked the display.
His heart leaped.
02.04.2013.
Yes!
He knew the numbers of his colleagues by heart which came in very handy now.
Beep. He just wanted to hear her voice.
Beep. Come on pick up.
Beep. His heart pounded faster.
Beep. "This is Jess, I am currently not available please leave a message after the…"
He hung up again, because he didn't want to leave a message.
Becker dialled again.
"Anderson."
"Matt! It's Becker!"
"Becker? What the…You're back!?"
"Yeah, I need someone to pick me up!"
"Where the hell are you?"
"Cornwall. Just check the last anomaly feed, I am in the local pub in the village near there, but make sure you have an extra seat, because I brought a friend."
"Well, I'll send the helicopter." Matt answered. He just watched Jess walking past. "Hey, do you want to surprise her or should I just hand the phone over?"
"Is she there? Give her the phone!" He couldn't wait to talk to her again.
"All right. Talk to you later! –Jess! Wait!" She stopped to turn around. Matt jogged after her and handed her his phone: "There is someone who would like to talk to you." He winked which made Jess frown, but she still took the phone and answered:
"Hello?"
"Jess!" There was silence before her small voice asked: "Becker?"
"Yes, Jess! I am back!"
She could hardly believe it and needed some seconds to let the message sink in before she practically yelled: "Oh my god! Becker you are back! Where are you? Are you okay? Are you hurt?"
"I am somewhere in Cornwall. Don't worry I am fine!" He noticed the old woman looking round the corner. From his position he could see Sally sitting at a table trying to smile as the Inn-keeper handed her a steaming mug.
"Listen, I have to go, but I'll see you in a few hours, okay?"
Jess wiped a tear away: "Yes! Yes, I'll see you then!"
Becker smiled. "Bye."
He walked back into the kitchen.
"A colleague is going to pick us up."
About two hours later the bartender came into the kitchen where Becker had tried to keep the conversation with the inn keeper going. He had made up lots of stories about his life and apparently that of his assumed little sister Sally. It took all his ability of eloquent speaking to manage, but the woman didn't suspect a thing and Sally was very impressed.
"There is someone looking for you." The bartender stuck his head through the door.
Becker stood up immediately and followed him back into the front room.
He saw the black soldier first and then Matt.
"Matt!" He called out with a smile in his voice.
"Becker! It's really go to see you, mate!"
"It's good to be home!" Matt grabbed Becker's hand and patted his shoulder.
The other people watched them confused, probably because to them the strange words of these strange men didn't make any sense.
"Any injuries?"
Becker shook his head. "Nothing that can't wait." He noticed Matt glancing over his shoulder so he turned around and saw Sally standing a mere metre behind him.
"Oh, right. Matt this is Sally. Sally, my friend Matt!"
"It's nice to meet you!" Matt said and Sally just smiled coyly.
They thanked the inn keeper and left the pub.
Outside Matt held Becker back: "Geez, Becker, how old is she?" He whispered. "Why is she here?"
"Can we talk about that later?" Becker growled.
The chopper wasn't far away for it was a rather remote area this village had been the only one near the last anomaly feed. As they reached it Becker said: "Sally, I guess this is your big day, because we're going to fly home."
"Fly!?" Her eyes lit up. "Really!? Oh my goodness!"
"So, did I miss much?" Becker asked Matt as they waited for the helicopter to take off.
It was pitch black outside by now but still raining cats and dogs outside.
"Well…I'll tell you later!" Matt answered and shot Becker a look. The soldier raised his eyebrows.
The rotor blades started spinning and it became too loud to talk anyway.
The flight felt like an eternity to Becker.
The team at the ARC waited for the helicopter to return to bring their lost member home.
Jess paced impatiently in front of the windows of the landing place.
"Jess, sit down! They won't be here any sooner with or without you pacing!" Danny complained.
"I know." Jess nibbled at her bottom lip starring into the sky.
"There, there, there!" Connor suddenly yelled causing everyone to rush over to the window.
And indeed.
Lights appeared on the grey horizon.
Jess's heart sped up and she walked to the door that would open automatically open after the pilot had landed.
The helicopter came down gently.
The skid touched ground and the rotor blades slowed down.
Its doors opened at the same time as the glass door in front of Jess.
Ignoring the rain, she started running towards the helicopter.
Guys, thank you so much for reading, I never thought someone would actually stay with me and keep reading.=)
At some point I thought this wasn't that good, but I guess some of you do like it after all, so thanks!