Dan Abnett - Border Princes

Mr Dine thought for a moment. ‘Rift? Is that what you call it?’

Jack nodded.

‘That’s nice. That’s a better name than ours.’

‘What do you call it, then?’

‘The word we use literally translates as “the Stumble” or the “the Misstep”. We usually refer to it as “the Border”.’

‘OK. The Border’s been here a long time.’

‘For as long as we can remember. The First Senior is dedicated to guarding it.’

‘First Senior?’ asked Jack.

‘Us.’

‘Uh-huh. Torchwood is dedicated to guarding it too, from this side.’

‘I know. That is why the Principal was inserted amongst you. You are the most interesting and compelling thing on this part of the border.’

‘Yeah, what does inserted mean?’

‘We have intercourse with you. Sometimes aggressive intercourse.’

‘I’m sure you do. Not tonight though, baby. I’m not in the mood.’

Mr Dine considered Jack’s remark and laughed. ‘That is a sexual joke. It contains intentional ambiguity that makes it funnier.’

‘Hey, I’m here all week,’ said Jack, ‘don’t forget your waitress.’

Mr Dine frowned. ‘Do you mean Shiznay?’

‘I don’t know who Shiznay is,’ said Jack.

Mr Dine smiled and shook his head. ‘In that case, you have lost me. You have made a cultural reference that is outside my investment data-archive. I’m sure it was funny, though.’

‘Not really. So tell me about James,’ Jack said.

Gwen walked into the Hub. Her face was pale and drawn. She had been crying a lot for quite a while.

‘Where is he?’ she asked. ‘I want to see him.’

‘Just hold on,’ said Jack.

‘No, Jack. I bloody won’t just hold on. I want to see him. I need to.’

Behind Jack, Toshiko and Owen sat at their stations, watching Gwen. They both looked shaken too.

‘Gwen,’ said Jack.

‘I forgot him, Jack,’ she said quietly. ‘I just forgot him. Everything about him and about us just went out of my mind and left a horrible gap. It’s as if he was never really there.’

‘That’s kind of the point, I think,’ said Jack.

‘How could I just forget him?’ she moaned.

‘As I understand it, there’s a certain range involved. The camouflage effect, the ability to blend in, it only works up to a certain distance. A hundred or so miles. A hundred miles from wherever James is. You went out of range, Gwen.’

‘And he just slipped my mind? That’s mad.’

‘But you know it’s true, right?’ asked Jack.

Gwen nodded. ‘I know that, once I’d forgotten him, it broke the spell. As I came back, the memories, the feelings, they all returned too, but they weren’t the same. I could see them for what they were. I could see they were lies.’ She looked at Jack, fiercely. ‘I don’t like lying.’

‘If it’s worth anything, he didn’t know he was lying,’ said Jack.

‘What is he?’ Gwen asked.

Jack smiled sadly. ‘That’s the worst thing, you know? The worst thing of all. He’s James. He is James. Except there is no James Mayer.’

James rose off a chair and stood facing them as Jack and Gwen entered the Boardroom.

He went to hold Gwen, but she backed away sharply.

‘Gwen?’ James asked.

‘We have to talk, James,’ Jack said. ‘We have to talk about stuff, and it’s not going to be an easy talk. But I want you to hear it from me.’

‘I don’t… I don’t get any of this…’ James said.

‘Well, you will. You don’t get it because you’ve been hurt. Damaged, I suppose I should say. The bit of you that should switch on in an emergency, and tell you all the secrets you need to know, well, that’s broken.’

James stared at them. Gwen swallowed when she saw his eyes. One brown, one blue.

‘You make me sound like a machine,’ said James.

‘You are, kinda,’ said Jack.

‘He’s not,’ said Gwen emphatically.

‘OK, he’s flesh and blood. That’s a real human body you’ve got there, James. Accept no imitations. I meant machine as in something that was built.’

James shook his head. He looked desperately at Gwen. She couldn’t meet his eyes.

‘Let’s sit,’ said Jack.

James sat down slowly. They took chairs on the other side of the table.

Jack cleared his throat. ‘This is how I understand it. I had it explained to me very patiently, and I still have trouble getting my head around it. Here goes…’

He looked at Gwen and then at James. ‘Cardiff isn’t the only place that rubs against the Rift. There are other places out there, other places, other worlds. We all share a common border. In one of those places, they’ve known about this Border for ever. The people there understand the Border as a fact of life. They see it as their duty to watch it, to police it, to patrol the things and people that go back and forth.’

‘The way Torchwood does,’ said James.

‘On a much bigger scale,’ said Jack. ‘The guy in charge, he’s a Border Prince. It’s his duty and his calling, and they live long lives and take their duties very seriously. They hand the responsibility down, father to son. The sons — and daughters too, I guess — the heirs anyway, they grow up learning the skills they need to take on the duty when their turns come. It’s a long, formal training, an apprenticeship. As part of it, they’re sent out, from time to time, to live in other places and immerse themselves in the other places that share the common border.’

‘Like a cultural exchange?’ scoffed James.

‘I’m not joking,’ said Jack. ‘They are given a form that perfectly matches the locals, and they’re given the ability — the innate ability — to blend in seamlessly. While they’re abroad, they don’t know what they are. I guess that’s so they don’t give anything away. Only when they’re called home, do they remember who they really are.’

James shook his head. ‘You really fell for this, Jack? I thought you were the sceptical type. This is just nonsense.’

‘I don’t…’ Gwen began. ‘I don’t think it is. It makes me want to throw up to think about it, but it’s real.’

James looked at her. He looked frightened.

‘What are you saying? Jack, what are you telling me? You think that’s what I am? Are you telling me you think that’s what I am? One of these things? Come on!’

‘You’re a real person,’ replied Jack, ‘a real human being, right down to every last atom of you. Perfect in every detail. There’d be no point in the exercise if you weren’t.’

‘No,’ murmured James.

‘But James Mayer is just an identity, built for you to wear.’

‘Shut up!’ said James.

‘There is no real James Mayer.’

‘Shut up!’

‘You know how hard this is for us?’ Jack snapped. ‘We know you! You’re part of us! Right in the heart of everything we are! You’re the best friend we never actually had, and it’s going to kill us to lose you!’

James swallowed. ‘Lose me? What do you mean?’

‘You have to go home, James. You have to go be yourself again.’

‘This is just a pack of lies,’ James exploded. He got up, shoving his chair back. ‘You’ve been duped!’

‘Yeah, we have,’ said Jack. ‘You too. Sit down.’

James glowered at them for a second. Slowly, he returned to his seat.

‘This is what they told me. You can’t stay any more. The spell’s broken. They sent a guy here with you, a minder to look after you, to watch your back. You’re the heir to the throne, after all. It’s the minder’s job to keep you safe, and pull you right out if things go wrong. If you’re hurt, or you get sick, he’s there to take you home.’

‘And you got hurt,’ said Gwen.

James stared at them.