Egads, dreaded writer's block. Wasn't happy with this chapter so it ended up being completely rewritten, but I was having huge trouble doing the rewriting. Still, it's done now.
Thanks to Dr. Capleton for pointing out "proposition" to me, and also to SamCyberCat for being, well, awesome. Seriously, go read her fics. They're amazing. And thanks to everyone else reading/reviewing/favouriting etc. I hope the wait hasn't put too many people off!
Chapter notes: Stratford is the location of the Olympic park for the London 2012 Olympics. Small inside joke on my part. :)
Chapter 7: A Boy Named Luke
Luke had wanted to meet his future self for a good while, but now that he was face to face with himself, he wasn't quite sure how to act, because his older self looked so different to what he had been expecting. With the goggles over his forehead, the thick boots and the matted overalls in various shades of blue and brown, the overall effect was some kind of cross between an electrician, an army soldier and a pilot. It made one wonder just what the heck he had been up to in the last ten years, especially since moments earlier he had been wearing a face that looked as though he had a huge vendetta against the world, and woe betide anybody that tried to stop him from exacting bloody vengeance.
Could this cold, angry man really be him?
Aware that he was staring, Luke finally managed to say, "You're... the future me?"
Future Luke crossed his arms and a cheeky smile appeared, his eyes sparkling with a mischievous amusement. He tilted his head a little. "Yes. It's good to finally meet you both."
Layton tipped his hat. "Pleased to meet you. I have many questions for you..."
"I'd be surprised if you didn't," said Future Luke. "Not least of which, I'm sure you're doubting whether or not I am, in fact, the real Luke Triton. I wasn't really sure of the best way to prove it to you. It took me a while, but eventually I came up with a way."
"Indeed...?" said Layton.
Future Luke nodded, and took a few paces in front of them, before turning back round to face them again. "Do you remember the very first puzzle you gave me, Professor?"
Layton looked thoughtful for a moment. "I believe so. But that's going quite a way back... You still remember it, do you?"
"Of course. It involved a Sunday roast," said Future Luke, smiling again.
The action brought a smile to Layton's own face, and suddenly Luke felt compelled to defend himself, as well as... himself.
"There's nothing wrong with liking a Sunday roast," he said.
In his view, this was an opinion worth opining. There really was nothing like a well-cooked Sunday roast. The taste of juicy, tender beef; the succulent, tasty potatoes; the crunchy and yet soft, puffy feel of a Yorkshire pudding...
"Um, Professor?"
"Yes, Luke?"
"I'm getting hungry."
Future Luke laughed. "How long have you been out walking?"
Layton looked at his watch, and then seemed to realise something. "Oh, of course. Hmm. Well, according to my watch, we've only been out for about two hours. I suppose if we were back in our own time it would be lunch-time right now."
"Not to worry," said Future Luke. "There's plenty of food at the base. Let's walk inside the park, and I'll tell you how I intend to prove my identity to you both."
They followed him through the park gates, onto a pebbled path. The inside of Russell Square Gardens was wide-open and spacious, with many trees spread out across the grounds, and the trees far enough apart and tall enough so that you could see from one end of the square to the other. Since the sun was going down, there were only a couple of people around right now, and though it was a gorgeous park, it also felt somewhat lonely in its emptiness, particularly with the heavily mechanised buildings surrounding the park in the background.
Not too far inside, a heli-blimp was parked next to an impressively sized tree. The airship was much like Dimitri's one-manned ship except that it was larger, with more doors and with enough space to carry several passengers. Future Luke walked over to it, pulling out a device from one of his many pockets. He then pushed a button, and the aircraft made a bleeping noise, whirring into life.
Turning back round to face them both, he said, "So... your puzzle, Professor. I've devised a variation of it - huh?"
A flutter of wings had distracted Future Luke, and he looked down at the pebbled path, where Polly was hobbling beside his left leg.
"Oh, no... It's that bloody parrot again."
"THAT BLOODY PARROT, THAT BLOODY PARROT," Polly mimicked irritably. "GIVE ME A BREAK, BIG LUKE SHOULD."
He peered up at Future Luke and added in a series of squawks: "You're the elder Animal Speaker, right? Well, I have a name, thank you very much. And this has been a nightmare for me as well, I'll have you know. You think I want to go flying about all over time and space?"
"Oh, er, sorry," Future Luke squawked back, now looking a little flustered. "Didn't realise you spoke English. Some birds can mimic human words, but they don't actually understand what it is they're saying."
Layton and Luke exchanged glances. The ability to speak to animals wasn't a common occurrence amongst humans in the slightest. It didn't matter how adept at wearing disguises you were; you couldn't fake something like that. It'd be like Don Paolo suddenly knowing how to speak Dolphin... probably not entirely impossible, given the man's scientific credentials, but not very likely either.
"Not me, sonny Jim," Polly replied, puffing his chest feathers out proudly. "I'm a bird of many talents, me."
"I can see that," said Future Luke.
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"Nothing, nothing... It's just - well, you kinda messed our time machine up. You're generating this huge magnetic field and it's interfered with our operation to bring the professor here to our time."
"That wasn't me, that's the voice in my head," said Polly. "He's all garbled up, but I think he's trying to reach the Top Hat human as well. Guess you interfered with each other, eh? Even though you wanted the same thing."
Future Luke raised an eyebrow. "I didn't know parrots could have hallucinations."
"You dingbat, he's not in my mind, he's in my body. He keeps borrowing my body and making me go all across space-time and stuff. If anyone can get rid of the blighter, they'll be my best friend for life. Actually, I'm also hoping Top Hat here might be able to help. He's good at solving mysteries, isn't he?"
"Well, I'm convinced!" said Luke, in English. "There aren't many people who can have a fluent conversation in Parrot."
As one, both Future Luke and Polly turned to face Luke; clearly they'd both forgotten about the other two people present. "Oh, right," Future Luke said, in English. "Heh, sorry 'bout that."
"I must admit that, after seeing you just now, I'm convinced as well," said Layton.
"Really?" said Future Luke. "Now I am surprised. That didn't take as much work as I thought it would."
"Thanks to the person inhabiting our parrot friend here," said Layton, "we've been jumping across various points in time and space, and, to be honest, after experiencing the, uh, lawless state of our previous locations, it's just as likely that you are Luke Triton. Perhaps more so."
Future Luke looked as though someone had popped a hole in his blimp and caused it to deflate.
"Oh," he said. "And after I went to all that trouble to come up with the most fiendish puzzle I could think of, too... Well, in that case, if the parrot's going to be hanging around with us..."
"POLLY," said Polly, in his squawky version of English. "POLLY'S NAME IS POLLY."
"Right, Polly," said Future Luke, also in English, apparently so that the professor could understand as well. He reached into one of many pockets and bent down, holding out a small ring towards Polly. "Here, you should put this on."
"ANOTHER ONE?" said Polly. "ALREADY PUT RING ON POLLY'S LEG, SCIENTIST DID. LOOK. SEE?"
"Hmm... That looks like a gyroscope, which stabilises your signature... This one hides your signature." He clipped the new ring around Polly's free leg, and then stood up. "Your magnetic field is broadcasting like a beacon. I bet the guys at Dimitri's lab have noticed you by now."
"Dimitri can suck my feathered arse," Polly squawked.
Future Luke laughed again. "I like your attitude," he said. "But we'd better keep an eye on you all the same."
"AGREE WITH YOU, POLLY DOES," said Polly. He flittered up, and perched himself on Luke's shoulder. "TRAVEL WITH YOU, POLLY WILL."
"Good, that's the spirit," said Future Luke.
He ushered Luke and Layton into his aircraft, through a side door. The ship was like a minibus; there was a lot of space on the inside where seats could have gone, which was occupied instead by bits of machinery and screens, firmly attached to the walls of the vehicle. Luke guessed they were perhaps used in some kind of monitoring, like radar.
"Wow," he said, eyes widening at the thought of owning his very own airship. "Would you look at all this?" He couldn't help but look up at his future self in admiration. "And you can fly this?"
Future Luke nodded, smiling warmly. "Gosh, this brings me back," he said, as Luke eagerly took a seat beside the window just by the door. "I've forgotten how easily excited I used to get." He asked Luke to put on a helmet, and then gave Layton a wry, knowing look. "There's no point in me asking you to take off your hat in the interest of aviation safety, is there, Professor?"
"Well, a gentleman can't very well go flying over the streets of London without his hat on, can he?"
"Yes, that's what I thought," Future Luke said, smiling again. "Make sure your seatbelts are on tight, at any rate."
He slammed the door shut and walked round to the front, and then he climbed inside and sat in the pilot seat, flicking a few switches on the front panel. He called back: "Do you hear that rumbling noise?"
Luke cocked his head, squinting his eyes a little in concentration. There was a whirring noise from somewhere above, a constant hum, different to the sounds of the Airbuses, and always increasing in volume.
"Yes..." said Layton.
"What does it mean?" said Luke.
"Trouble, most likely," said Future Luke, pulling his goggles over his eyes. "Still... stiff upper lip, and all that. Got to keep going. Stare adversity in the face."
"Erm," said Luke, now feeling like a deflated blimp himself. "Is that supposed to be reassuring?"
"Not at all," said his future self. "It's supposed to brace you all for danger."
"Hmm..." said Layton.
Luke was inclined to agree with the concerned sounding Hmm. This didn't bode well. Just what was his future self up to? Maybe they shouldn't have been so quick to trust him after all.
The rotors on the sides of the wings whirred, and the airship rose vertically. Aside from the initial jolt, the ascent was surprisingly gentle; the vehicle was more or less gliding upwards. Luke looked out of the window, watching the trees getting gradually smaller - just as several more car-heli-blimps arrived together in a group, in the centre of the park near the fountain, some thirty feet away.
"The Met, eh?" said Future Luke. "Good, just as I planned..."
Those are police ships, then? thought Luke. His older self sounded like he was looking forward to a skirmish, and not just casually interested in seeing several police cars suddenly appear as if arriving at the scene of a crime.
This didn't bode well at all.
There was a static noise from the front panel, and Future Luke pressed a button, which allowed a voice to come through on the radio.
"Hey! You up there! This is the police! You're under arrest!"
Luke recognised the voice: it was Barton.
"Okay," Future Luke said, talking into a transceiver, "hold on, don't shoot, I give up..." He pushed a few buttons and pulled on a lever, and lowered the airship.
"Er, right..." said Barton, over the radio. He sounded as though he'd been expecting Future Luke to put up a fight. Luke was wondering what on earth his future self would do next. Were they just going to give up? But maybe the police officers would all think the professor was the prime minister again. Was that Future Luke's plan?
"Um, no funny business, Triton. Our orders are to shoot first, but I'd really rather not..."
"Understood, Inspector," said Future Luke, landing the ship where he had parked it earlier, next to the grand tree.
Ah, so he's Inspector Barton now, thought Luke. I wonder where Chelmey's ended up?
"Er... Luke," said Layton, still sounding a little anxious, and understandably so.
"Yes, Professor?" said Luke.
"No, I mean the elder Luke. Big Luke."
"What is it, Professor?" said Future Luke.
"You're, er, not partaking in any illegal activities, are you, Luke?"
Even though they were looking at the back of his head, the tone of voice indicated that he was amused by the question. "If by illegal you mean 'saving London from Dimitri's diabolical plan', then yes. Yes I am."
"Oh dear," said Layton.
"It gets even better," said Future Luke, now sounding rather more serious, "but I'll explain everything once we're safe." He flicked another switch. "Hold on tight to Polly back there, this could be a rough ride."
"Right..." said Luke, taking Polly in both hands.
"Oh dear..." said Layton again.
Future Luke waited for the police blimps to land right next to his airship, before suddenly causing the ship to shoot upwards, like a rocket - and this time the ascent was a good deal more bumpy. He accelerated forwards, leaving the park boundaries and turning left, to the west, and then he followed the road round in its square.
The police ships activated their sirens and gave chase. Future Luke continued to speed down the square, racing south before making two lefts in quick succession and heading north. Luke felt his heart leap into his throat when his future self swerved sharply to the right, the inertia forcing him to lean to the left; and he desperately clung onto Polly, who was frantically flapping his wings and squawking in fright. Soon after entering the new road, and now travelling east, Future Luke weaved the ship downwards to avoid an oncoming collision with another airship, nearly clipping the London Underground sign from Russell Square tube station in the process.
"BLOODY NORA! TRYING TO KILL US, ANIMAL SPEAKER IS!" said Polly.
"There is a method to my madness," said Future Luke, still merrily speeding away.
"Or, there is a madness in the method," said Layton, whose hat had, by some miracle, actually managed to stay on his head. Surely there was some physics law-breaking going on there, Luke couldn't help but think.
Still flying east, Future Luke charged onwards, skimming the boundary of a new, larger park called Coram's Fields. It was getting darker now, and though the area was well lit by street lamps, the city of the future took on a rather different identity without natural light. Now the streets' machines held an almost sinister air about them; it reminded Luke of Folsense.
Directly ahead there seemed to be some sort of shimmer in the sky, as though they were about to fly through sparkling water. Future Luke entered the glowing air and braked sharply. All of a sudden, there was another ship next to them, which immediately departed at the same as their airship came to a stop, and the new ship shot through the glistening wall of air.
Future Luke slowly directed their ship down to the ground, just as Luke heard the buzzing whirr of the police ships shooting past above them, in hot pursuit of the second ship. The police continued east, and the buzzing eventually died away.
"Heh," said Future Luke. "By the time they catch up with that decoy ship, it'll self-destruct, and we'll be long gone."
"But why did they simply pass by us?" said Layton.
Future Luke turned round in his seat to smirk at them. "Cloaking device," he said.
"Wow!" said Luke, sitting up straight in excitement. "Did you hear that, Professor?"
"Yes. Quite remarkable," said Layton. "This technology is very advanced indeed..."
Still in Luke's arms, Polly tilted his head quizzically. "CLOAKING... DEVICE?"
"Well, we like to call it that," said Future Luke. "It rolls off the tongue better than 'Photon Refractor'."
"A PHOTON REFRACTOR, WHAT IS?" said Polly. Luke was glad he'd asked, because he was wondering the same thing.
"It renders the ship invisible," said Future Luke, "by bending light around the ship to create the illusion that the ship has disappeared."
"DISAPPEARED SHIP...? LIKE RINGS, IT IS. MAKE POLLY DISAPPEAR, THEY DO."
"Yes, exactly. It's just like the rings you're wearing. The problem is that we can't move very fast at all while it's active, so it's best used as a surprise move. We can only use it on very small ships, too. Works great for non-moving objects, though."
Future Luke faced the front again, and Luke couldn't help but stare at the back of his head in awe. It was strange, seeing himself like this... So confident. So... in control. He'd obviously planned this escape from the beginning. But why was he even on the run from the police in the first place? It wasn't making any sense...
I wonder if this is as weird for him as it is for me? he thought. Maybe he already knows what's going to happen because he's been through this before. One of those time loop things.
Future Luke set off again, turning to the north and flying over the park. It was to Luke's relief that their pilot was going at a much more calmer pace. As well as the physical limitations of the cloaking device, flying an invisible airship obviously carried a high risk of collision in a busy metropolis like London.
They reached the main road and Future Luke turned to the right, where they could see St Pancras station on the left, and the Town Hall on the right. King's Cross station was further along the road on the left, opposite a post office and a large bank. Both stations were lit up by lots of tiny night lights, and, unlike Russell Square, there was a buzz of activity as commuters walked on the pavement. Airships like Future Luke's flew just slightly above them, and scooters on the ground driving underneath them. Airbuses landed and departed from a landing bay just to the north of King's Cross.
There was an immense humming noise that, somehow, drowned out the sound of everything else, like an airplane landing very close. Future Luke slowed down and came to a halt, hovering just above the green roof which was in front of the clock tower on King's Cross station. They were near the entrance, and people continued to walk underneath them, all none the wiser.
"Something the matter, Luke?" said Layton. "You've picked an odd place to stop."
"Maybe. I was expecting something of the sort, to be honest..."
As the humming noise grew louder, a few people in the street stopped and pointed up to the sky, and Luke turned his gaze upwards. The roof was blocking his view; he couldn't quite see what the passers-by were getting so excited about.
"Is it okay to open the window?" he asked.
"Yes," said Future Luke, "but everyone needs to be quiet. We're invisible and I've dampened the engine noise, but people will still be able to hear us talk if they get close enough."
"Right," said Luke. He wound the window down and put his head out. He could just about see...
And there it was. The aircraft was huge.
Roughly about half the length of the hotel of St Pancras, the airship was a shiny metallic blue, sleek; and with sharp fins, it looked like a mechanised shark, if sharks had long wings and could fly.
And it was fast! So fast! Luke had barely even registered its shape, before it had swept across them - only to be followed by a second ship, and then a third, both flying slightly behind and at either side of the first. Luke counted at least six more, the last two of which slowed down and came to a stop right above the post office; and then there was a different ship, about a quarter of the size, and with helicopter rotors as wings. This one had a brown, rustic coating, and was very rectangular, like a floating horizontal fridge.
Layton said, as quietly as he could given the current noise, "They can't track us, I hope?"
Future Luke nodded. "No, but..." He growled softly. "What's he doing...?"
He? thought Luke.
Suddenly, the radio made a hissing sound.
"I know you're here somewhere, Luke."
"Son of a... quick, close the window," said Future Luke.
Luke nodded and complied.
Polly made a hiss of his own, indicating severe displeasure. "DIMITRI, IT IS." He tried to move out of Luke's hands, and sensing his restlessness, Luke let him go. He flapped his wings and flew upwards, landing on Luke's shoulder.
"I knew he was still in the area," said Future Luke. He pulled his goggles back up on top of his forehead, and turned back to face them all again, locking eyes with Luke. "Did you see a brown ship when you were looking out the window?"
"Yeah," said Luke. "It was a lot smaller than the other ones. It looked like a floating fridge."
"That's the Antares. It belongs to Dimitri. The bigger ships are military airships. But what's he doing here so far afield? And so close to the launch date of his prized project, as well."
"So... he's not looking for you, specifically?" said Layton.
"Even if he was, it's still highly irregular. It's not like Dimitri to be out in person, in full force like this. He conducts his research far in east London, and that's generally where he stays. Normally it's the Family - or the police - that I have to watch out for. Not Dimitri himself."
"Really?" said Luke. "He seemed perfectly happy to meet and greet us at the professor's uni."
"Hmm, we were wondering what he was doing at Gressenheller..." said Future Luke. "It still doesn't make sense. He shouldn't have been able to track you. That's why I gave you those rings in the letter. Otherwise, I would have tried to meet with you a lot sooner. If I had known he was still going to be here in central London this evening I would have come with more forces myself."
"AFTER POLLY, DIMITRI IS," Polly said. "TO EXPERIMENT ON POLLY, DIMITRI WANTS. TOLD LITTLE ANIMAL SPEAKER THIS, POLLY DID."
"Ah," said Layton, who sounded as though he had figured something out, "that's why you didn't trust Dimitri when we met him, Luke. Little Luke, I mean."
Luke nodded. "Yup!"
"Ah...!" said Future Luke. "I see. So Polly's magnetic field did draw him here after all. Certainly didn't waste any time, did he?"
"Speaking of which," said Luke, "can't you teleport us out of trouble, Polly? Like you did before?"
"WITHOUT VOICE SPIRIT? AWK. MYSTERY GHOST COMES AND GOES, HE DOES. CONTROL, POLLY CANNOT."
"I think... he might have run out of power trying to communicate with us," said Layton.
"PROBABLY," said Polly.
"Figures," said Future Luke.
"Shame," said Luke. "We could really use his ability right now."
"I have another question for you, Big Luke," said Layton. "Who - or what - is the Family?"
"That's the name of the huge criminal syndicate operating in London," Future Luke replied. "They take part in torture, murder, intimidation, and all behind closed doors. The police - at least those officers who haven't been corrupted or bribed - aren't even aware of the Family's existence, for the most part, but the syndicate has ties with Dimitri, to the extent that you could call them a form of secret police."
"So..." said Luke. "Not only is Dimitri a bigwig scientist with military backing, but he's also got criminals working for him?"
Future Luke sighed gently through his nose, suddenly looking very tired. "That's the gist of it, yes. The public thinks Dimitri is a respectable scientist dedicated to the betterment of mankind, but nothing could be further from the truth."
"Gosh, how awful!" said Luke.
"Yes... well... I do hope you're beginning to see why I brought you here. Dimitri's goal is to gain control over time. I must stop him, and I'm going to need your help to do it."
"But what about Descole?" said Luke. "What's he got to do with all this?"
"Descole?" said Future Luke, raising an eyebrow. "How on earth did you find out about him?"
"All the animals at London Zoo were fitted with control devices identical to the ones that Descole used to employ," said Layton. "We've suspected his involvement ever since."
"Hmm, well, he had built a working time machine," said Future Luke. "But we managed to commandeer it. That's how we brought you both here."
"Is that why you're on the run? Because you stole a time machine?" said Luke.
"Sort of."
Layton had a hand on his chin. He said, "I fear there is more to this... that the situation is a great deal more complex than it would first appear..."
Future Luke said, "I had a feeling you might have already figured most of it out, Professor. I can give you more details once we're safe. For now... I'll have to ask you all to remain quiet. I'm about to question the good doctor out there, and it wouldn't do for him to know about your presence on my ship."
Layton and Luke both nodded, and Polly said, "SEALED, POLLY'S BEAK IS."
Future Luke turned back round, picked up the transceiver and pushed a button.
"What ho, Doctor Allen!"
There was an almost startled pause from the other end; and then Dimitri's voice came through on the radio again.
"Goodness gracious! How bold of you, Luke! I thought you had already left for pastures new."
"Nope. Just saying hello. See how you are. That sort of thing."
"Were you bold enough to come all the way here on your own? That would be a foolish move, although not beyond the realm of possibility."
"Why don't you try your luck and see?" said Future Luke. Luke was surprised by the bright, teasing tone in both their voices. It was as if they were playing a board game, and Future Luke was asking Dimitri to take a chance and roll the die. "My ships aren't impervious to your ships' machine guns, you know."
The next pause had a careful air, as though Dimitri was considering his options.
"...I'm hardly going to have the army fire indiscriminately upon the general public on the off-chance that there might be one of your ships in front of me. On the other hand, if you had any chance of launching a successful attack, you would not have given up the element of surprise, would you? That leads me to surmise that you are alone - or at least, here in too few number to try."
"You have no idea where we are, Doc. In the sewer, or along any of the King's Cross Underground platforms... or are we in the sky?"
"It would appear that, once again, we are at an impasse," said Dimitri. "You'll get away again, I'm forced to admit."
"Always a pleasure outwitting you, Doc," said Future Luke. "After all, you have no way to find us, do you? Apart from me staying on the line for too long. Heh."
"Indeed..." said Dimitri, sounding rather like the cat that had strolled into the aviary. "But I'm rather more interested in why you're here. Luke Triton himself, making an appearance in the middle of central London? Have you located Hershel's past self, I wonder?"
"I could ask you the exact same thing. Haven't you got other places to be?"
Luke got the impression Dimitri was grinning. "You know... I almost feel sorry for you."
"Do tell," said Future Luke.
"You are familiar with chess terms, I believe."
"Yes, and...?"
The grin that no one could see but everyone knew was there grew larger.
"Check, Mr Triton."
Future Luke was unmoved. "Say what you want," he said, "but you don't have any idea of what I've got planned."
"Oh?" said Dimitri, with a nasty chuckle. "There's nothing you can do to stop me, not when you have an entire country pitted against you. Allow me remind to you of a very important fact: your parents are still in my custody. I merely need to say the word and..." Dimitri made a crrrk! sound.
Future Luke snorted, but gone was the playful air. In a flash, it had been replaced with an aura of blazing anger.
"You arrogant little snot," he snarled. "If I ever get my hands on you, I'll make you pay for everything you've done, I swear."
"Oh, my! Such aggression from our intelligent resistance leader! And here I was about to give you a nice little clue to help you along."
"Keep your damned clue," said Future Luke, and he clicked the radio off. "Right, we're off," he said to his passengers, pulling his goggles back over his eyes.
"Luke..." said Layton.
Future Luke said nothing. Slowly, he edged the ship out from underneath the roof.
"Mum and Dad... he has them prisoner?" said Luke quietly.
"Yeah, he has them both." He seemed to be trying hard to keep his emotions under control, because some anger, though strained, had leaked through there; and now Luke understood why he had had that dark, revenge-filled air when they had first met...
Mum... thought Luke. Dad... He clenched his fists, and the sudden movement forced Polly, who had been perched on his shoulder, to shift positions. The bird took off and landed on his lap, peering up at him.
"PAIN IN THE ARSE, DIMITRI IS," he said.
"We need to stop him," said Luke.
"OF COURSE," said Polly. "HELP YOU, POLLY WILL. WORRY, ANIMAL SPEAKER MUST NOT."
They were moving higher, away from King's Cross, and north towards Camden Town. Luke tried his best to look backwards out of the window, and was very relieved to see that Dimitri's fleet was not following them; the large ships appeared to be heading east, towards the Angel.
"Is he really going to just let us go?" said Layton, frowning.
"There's nothing he can do," said Future Luke. "It's like he said, we're at an impasse. He has no way to find me, but there's no way I can beat him head on. It'd be crazy for me to attempt a full-on frontal assault. He knows that..."
"But what about your parents?" said Layton.
"I'm not worried about them. I'm more worried about what he's got planned. He's got a huge project that's scheduled to start tomorrow."
"The Infinity Project?" said Layton.
"You've certainly been doing your homework, Professor. Not that I expected anything less."
"But if you were to try anything, he may harm your parents," said Layton. "Isn't that what he was implying?"
"He doesn't have the guts," said Future Luke shortly. "He's all talk. He's just trying to needle me."
It seems to have worked... thought Luke.
[ - Hidden Memory #? - ]
\searching\
\searching\
\searching\
\time-error found\
\location: London Bridge\
\energy source: Stratford\
Descole looked up, glancing at the computer attached to his giant time-machine, in response to the beeping that indicated its task had been completed. A "time-error" - a punch through the dimensional walls - had been created. Infinity had been breached along the timeline, in eleven years' time, according to the readout.
Dimitri's underground research facility was in Stratford... So Dimitri had succeeded in finding a way through, after all.
He punched in letters on typewriter-like buttons: is Project RL still running at time-error point?
The gears of the machine hissed for a moment.
\checking\
\checking\
\affirmative\
\project RL exists along all points of time-axis up to time-error\
He typed: possible to control RL remotely from here?
\affirmative\
Now, thought Descole. Now I will enter Infinity. And Dimitri will help me do it. Ha!
[ - ? - ]
The doors to Layton's office were both imposing and impressive, much like the man himself. Ward walked through them, to see his boss sitting behind the desk with the smallest of smirks adorning his face.
"You summoned me, sir?" he said.
Layton nodded, and gestured for him to sit down. Immediately a Family thug appeared beside them, pouring a cup of tea from a teapot for them both. Ward wasn't particularly thirsty, but refusing a cup of tea with Layton was a big faux-pas.
Funny; it had only been a month since the wormhole incident at Piccadilly Circus, and here he was having a cup of tea with the most powerful man in Britain. Strange how things worked out.
"Tomorrow Dimitri's module will go online," said Layton. "In preparation for this gargartuan event, I would like you to accompany me on board the Baryonyx this evening."
Ward raised an eyebrow. "Any particular reason? Not that I have any qualms, but what exactly did you have in mind for me?"
"Dimitri... tires of my presence rather easily, unfortunately. I have no doubts about his loyalty, but I believe he would rather receive instructions from someone other than myself. You will act as our liaison and relay my plans to him so that we may co-ordinate our efforts."
"Understood. And the rebels?"
"The rebels," said Layton, "will fall."