First Freddie was aware that he was wet. Then that he was cold. Lastly, that he was naked.

Opening his eyes he could only tell he was on a stone floor string at a stone ceiling. The last thing he could remember was taking the old man's hand….

Oh no. The man had been a German spy! All German spies spoke good English, he should have known! Now they were going to torture him for information!

…

"Are you sure they'll fit?" Freya asked Amado.
"I'm sure" He replied.
"And, where did you say we were again?" She asked casually. Tom shook his head. Freya kept on trying to fool him, to get him to answer her questions. She'd throw in a sneaky one every now and then. Tom appreciated her perseverance but it was getting old.
Amado opened the stiff door again, but instead of the empty room they were expecting, the boy sat on one of the beds, with a duvet wrapped around him. He stood up went they entered.
"You're the spy! The German spy!" He yelled, obviously distressed. He backed away and Tom averted his eyes. Freya took pity.
"No, we're English, see? I know all four verses to 'God Save the King'" She began to sing, but the boy nodded hurriedly, clearly not wanting to spend the next five minutes listening to her praising the monarch. Tom gave Freya an odd look.
"Don't you mean 'God Save the Queen'?"
"No…The Queen died a good few years back, may she rest in peace et cetera. It's King William now. How hard did you hit your head when Amado dumped you here?"
"Aha." Amado said, ending the conversation. I think now is the perfect time to explain. Come with me, we have a kitchen down the corridor. I'll make some tea."

…

"So. Let me explain. You have all been recruited to work for the agency. This agency is slightly…abnormal. We fix time when things go wrong, because time travel should never have existed, but it does. The first machine was built by a Roald Waldstein, but he saw straight away it would destroy mankind." Amado cleared his throat. "Have you all been introduced to each other?"
"Tômas Rodriquez Valdez-Hellström" Tom said distractedly. He was doing the math in his head, trying to figure out if time travel really was possible. If he could just figure this out he'd have beaten Mia, Sophie and Kylie for life!
"I'm Freya Daly" Freya said, thinking about all those times her book-crazy cousin had jabbered on to her about science-fiction. What was that one she really liked? She'd explained the entire storyline to her, something about some boy on the Titanic. She'd never bothered to listen.
"My name is Frederick Christopher Rory Baker" Freddie answered, shaking his head and wondering when he was going to wake up, but still grateful for the first dream not filled with death he'd had in ages. He put out a hand for them to shake. Freya's arm twitched uncomfortably, but no one took it.
"Your job is to fix time when it goes wrong, because some people want to change history. But it'll rip the fabric of the universe apart. Mankind isn't ready for this kind of technology and it's your job to make sure history stays the way it should be." Amado paused to let it sink in. They were all looking at him with various degrees of disbelief painted on their faces.
"So now, to where we all are" Amado said, instantly catching the attention of all three. "Maybe I should show you."

Amado led them back along the corridor then up some broken escalators. "I don't normally use this route; but it opens up closer the city centre though so it's more convenient this time. Remind me to show you the normal way in and out later" Freya shook her head.
"How about showing us all around?"
"That too" They reached a boarded up entrance, and Amado sighed. "All the entrances are blocked, but the ones I use more often open I built doors into. I'm afraid we're going to have to go under this one though," Amado smiled apologetically, but none of them responded.
Once outside, Freya could see that they were in a city or outside of one anyway. Amado led them this way and that whilst all of them looked about, confused. Almost every minute Freddie opened his mouth and begun a question, but Amado waved it aside with, 'You'll find out in a second'.
Upon first seeing the giant structure they all gasped.
"We're in London?" Freya asked, hands over her mouth.
"We only went to London? After all that time travel build-up?" Tom said, his arms crossed and quite annoyed.
"What?" Freddie yelled. "What is happening? How are we in London? How long was I unconscious?" Amado smiled privately whilst Freya, Freddie and Tom gave him strange looks.
"Freya," He said, looking at Freddie and Tom. "is from 2025. Tom is from 2015 and Freddie here," He put a hand on Freddie's shoulder. "is from 1916. I just picked him out of the Battle of Somme. And you are all now, quite right, in London. The year now is 2039" All their faces were the same, full of amazement and wonder. A thousand questions each. Then Tom breathed out.
"Freya, ah, uh, tell me! Have you got a cure for cancer? Flying cars? Oh, do you know how Alistair's project's going with his electricity?" Freya folded her arms crossly.
"No cure for cancer, sorry. Although I imagine the medicine is better. And flying cars? I thought you were clever! You've been trying to convince me of that for the best part of the hour I've known you. I mean really? That's just plain silly. And how do you expect me to know every last one of your friends?" Tom sighed.
"You have to think, the technological advancement in computers from 2000 to 2010. That's the same amount of time separating where-no, when we're from." An awkward silence caused them to look at Freddie, who was still gaping around.
"Uh…" Freya began, putting a hand on Freddie's shoulder, looking for a response. "Frederick?" She asked.
"Freddie" He mumbled. He pointed to Big Ben, which they could just see over the buildings. "I can't believe it's still here! When did you say we were, sir?" Freddie asked Amado. Amado grinned.
"I've been waiting for this. You are all, not just in London, but in 2039. Does Big Ben seem any smaller to you? It's sinking into the Thames, along with the Houses of Parliament." Freya squinted at the clock tower.
"2039?" Freya was stunned into silence for a moment, still squinting, but it was becoming just another thing to add to the list of incredible things that were happening that day. "And Big Ben? Really? It doesn't seem any smaller. Then again, I can only see the very top. Not to mention I don't go to London very often"
"Can we look around?" Tom asked. "To, uh, get to know the place? I only really know my way from Marylebone to the Thames and around the Underground. Um, are we going to be here long?" Amado smiled once more, sadly. Freya was getting tired of his teeth and Tom was wondering how he kept them so white. Freddie had made up his mind that they were definitely false.
"You're going to be here for the rest of your lives, I'm afraid. And as for looking around, go ahead. I'm sure it's quite changed from when you last saw it, Freddie"
"I only came here once. I'm not very accustomed to city life."
"Um, Mr Amado?" Freya asked nervously. "What if we don't want to be here? What if we want to walk away?"
"Then I'm afraid it's back to those alleyways for you. Back to the experiment room for Tom, and back to war for Freddie. It's fine if you don't want to stay, but-"
"No, no! I'm not going back, I don't want to die!" Freya assured him.

Amado led them away from the centre after they'd had their share of sightseeing. They wanted to go on the London eye, but the queue was too long. Tom laughed to himself when he saw that. No different from the last time he'd visited the city.
"Our 'field office', so to speak, is the underground station, 'Hyde Park Corner'" Amado stated. "Any of you ever been there?" Tom shrugged.
"Might've been. I don't remember every station I stop at when I'm here" Tom said. Freya shrugged and stuck her bottom lip out to say 'I don't know'
"What about you Freddie? Was this station here last time you were in London?" Freya asked so as to include him in the conversation.
"I suppose it could have been. I'm no expert. And I've never been on it anyhow."
"Wait, but what about Hyde Park? That's like, a giant tourist attraction! And isn't it right by Buckingham Palace?" Freya asked suddenly realising why the name was so familiar, stopping Amado in his tracks.
"Yes, but a lot happened in a few years. You'll already know that by your time, Freya, London was shrinking at a dramatic pace, people moving to the country for the fresh air and such. And, there was a fire. It burnt the whole of Hyde Park away, along with several houses around this area and a good chunk of Buckingham Palace. And lots of equipment at the station was damaged and the entire area was pretty much abandoned. The King had plenty of other houses and the royal family just never bothered to come back. So no one notices us in our little station."
"A fire? That burnt away all that? How big was it?" Freya demanded to know.
"Devastatingly big. But it was wiped from history. All but forgotten about because nobody was killed, not even harmed." There was silence as Amado walked up to some planks of wood boarding up an entrance. He reached underneath and it opened, like a door.
"This is the normal way we go through. Remember that. Now, Freddie, if you just go over there, there should be a load of switches. Just click them all down for me, will you?" Freddie walked into the gloom uncertainly.
"Is this it?" He called. Freya walked over to check.
"Yup. Just press them down." She encouraged and the lights burst on.

Amado led them back to the platform with the monitors on and Tom sent them a longing glance.
"Later, Tom, later" Amado chuckled. "Now, just another moment. There's a final teammate you need to meet"
"What time are they from?" Freya asked.
"You'll just have to wait and see" Amado said cryptically.