Alex Scarrow - Time Riders

‘If you take my hand,’ he said, offering it to her,‘you’ll live. And in return I’ll ask for your help. Or you can stay. You getto choose, Madelaine.’

Maddy realized there were tears of panic rolling down her cheeks. The man seemed sane. Seemedcalm. Seemed deadly serious. And yet… how could anyone betaken off this plane mid-flight?

‘I know you don’t believe in God,’ he said. ‘I’ve read yourfile. I know you’re an atheist. So I won’t try to tell you I’m an angel. Iknow you have a fear of heights, that you’re not great on planes either. I know yourfavourite drink is Dr Pepper, I know you have a recurring nightmare about falling from ayellow-painted tree house… I know so many more things about you.’

She frowned. ‘How… how do you know th-that?’

He looked down at his watch. ‘You have thirty seconds left.’

A stewardess was now striding down the aisle towards them, her eyes widened with concern.

‘I know you’re an avid reader of science fiction, Madelaine, so perhapsit’ll be easier for you to understand if I tell you I’m from thefuture.’

Her mouth opened and closed. ‘But… but that’s impossible!’

‘Time travel will become possible in about forty years’ time.’ His handextended towards her. She looked down at it uncertainly.

‘Twenty seconds, Madelaine. Take my hand.’

She looked up at his lined face. ‘Why? Why — ?’

‘Why you ?’

She nodded.

‘You fit the skill profile exactly.’

She swallowed nervously, felt her breathing becoming laboured and erratic. Confused,panic-stricken, unable to think of a useful next question.

‘We need you,’ he said, looking at his watch. ‘Fifteenseconds. It’s time to decide.’

‘Wh-who are y-you?’

‘I… or I should say we … are the people who fixbroken things. Now, take my hand, Madelaine. Take it now!’

Instinctively, she stretched out towards him.

A stewardess pulled up a few feet short of them. ‘Excuse me,’ she cut in,‘someone has reported the pair of you loudly using the “B” word… bomb. ’ She whispered the word quietly. ‘I’m sorrybut you just can’t use language like that on a passenger plane.’

The old man looked up at her and smiled sadly. ‘No… I’m the one who’s sorry, ma’am. I truly am.’

Maddy looked at him. ‘This is for real?’

He nodded. ‘And we have to leave right now.’

‘OK,’ she uttered, grasping his extended hand tightly.

The stewardess tipped her head on one side curiously, her forehead furrowed, her lips pursed.She was about to ask how they planned to leave the plane exactly.

Then the world suddenly was a blinding white and Maddy snapped her eyes shut.

2001, New York

She was screaming, at least that’s what she thought the sound was. It mighthave been her. It might have been the sound of a wing tearing itself from the plane.

It might even have been the stewardess; she wasn’t sure.

A terrifying dropping sensation, dropping away into darkness.

‘No-o-o-o-o!’ she found herself crying with a voice that sounded like the raggeddeath-squeal of a slaughtered pig.

She lurched suddenly and violently.

‘Oh Jay-zus-Christ-Almighty!’ a male voice beside her gasped.

Maddy’s eyes opened wide and locked on to a flickering light bulb dangling from a brickceiling, then on to the rusty springs of a grubby bunk bed directly above her. Finally, to herright, her eyes drifted to the smooth face of a young man sitting on a scruffy metal-framedbed across from her, dressed in what looked like a waiter’s uniform.

‘Jay-zus-Christ-Almighty, you made me jump there,’ he uttered. ‘One secondyou were sleeping all peaceful, the next you’re up like a screamin’banshee.’

Maddy felt her breath rattling like a startled moth caught in a wire cage. Wheezing, shelooked down and saw she was still clasping her inhaler, just as she had been a moment agoaboard the plane. She took a long pull on it and then managed to find enough air in her lungsto sit up slowly.

‘I’m dead. I must be dead.’

The young man managed a weak and awkward smile. ‘Me too… I think.’

They looked at each other for a moment. ‘I wonder,’ he said, ‘do you think-?’

‘That this is heaven?’ she finished his question. ‘No such thing. If thereis… then it looks a bit rubbish to me.’ The bunk bed in which she was lyingcreaked with movement from above. Maddy looked up at the springs and mattress.

‘Is there somebody else up there?’

Liam nodded. ‘Yeah, a young dark-skinned girl. She’s asleep.’

‘Her name’s Saleena,’ a voice called out of the darkness.

They both jerked round to look out into the gloom beyond the light thrown down from the barebulb.

They heard footsteps on the hard concrete floor, and then, faintly at first, they saw a manemerge from the darkness, carrying a tray.

‘Coffee?’ asked the old man.

‘Oh my God!’ gasped Maddy, recognizing the face.

Liam’s jaw dropped. ‘You! You’re the man on deck E.’

‘That’s right,’ he replied calmly. ‘My name’sFoster.’

He joined them, setting the tray of chipped mugs and a carton of doughnuts on the floorbetween the beds. He sat on the bed next to Liam.

‘And you’re Madelaine Carter, and you’re Liam O’Connor.’ Henodded towards the top bunk. ‘The girl up there’s Sal Vikram. She’s onlyyoung, thirteen. The poor girl will be terrified when she comes to. Here.’ He handedLiam and Maddy a mug of coffee. ‘You could both probably do with a littlepick-me-up.’

‘Mr Foster, is it?’ asked Liam.

He smiled. ‘Foster… Mr Foster, I’m not fussed.’

‘Mr Foster, where are we?’

Maddy nodded. ‘I should be dead. There’s no way youcould’ve got me off that plane. No way.’

Foster turned to her. ‘Time travel, remember?’

She narrowed her eyes. ‘But that’s impossible.’

‘No, it’s not — ’ he shook his head — ‘unfortunately.’

‘What’s time travel ?’ asked Liam.

Maddy cocked her head at him. ‘You’re kidding me, right?’

‘Go easy on the lad,’ said Foster. ‘He’s from 1912. They didn’thave much in the way of sci-fi shows and comics back then.’

She turned back to Liam, looking more closely at his clothes: not a waiter, but aship’s steward. She spotted White Star Lines stitched on abreast pocket.

‘1912? You’re serious?’

‘Very,’ added Foster. ‘Liam here was aboard the Titanic .’

Her mouth flopped open.

‘What?’ Liam looked confused. ‘Why’re you staring at me likethat?’ he asked her.

‘Because, Liam,’ said Foster, ‘you’re from Ireland a hundred yearsago.’ The old man laughed. ‘And she’s from New York, the year2010.’

Liam’s dark eyebrows lifted in unison.

‘And Saleena Vikram, up there on the top bunk, she’s from Mumbai, India, theyear… 2026.’ Foster offered a grin that made his old face crinkle like greaseproofpaper. ‘And as for me, well — ’ he smiled — ‘let’s say Icome from Never-neverland.’

Maddy leaned forward. ‘Oh my God, come on, when? The twenty-second century? Furtheron?’

His smile told her nothing.

‘Do they have spaceships in your time? Has mankind colonized the solar system? Has warpdrive been invented yet — ?’

He held a hand up to shush her. ‘Another time, perhaps. Right now there are moreimportant things to attend to.’

Before either of them could reply, they heard a stirring from the bunk bedabove them.

‘She’s coming round,’ said Foster. ‘She’ll be even moredisorientated, more frightened, than either of you.’