Tovey gave her a knowing look, for he knew there were still things unsaid between them that had not been covered in the briefing given by Director Kamenski. After seeing Admiral Volsky off, he found himself in the relative quiet of the Fairchild executive suite, politely removing his hat and taking the seat offered.
“Well,” he began. “You have been looking at me like I was a long lost uncle ever since we met. What is it, Miss Fairchild?”
She looked at him again, eyes full of uncertainty, then took the same tack that Director Kamenski had used in his briefing and just came out with it.”
“Admiral… There was no nuclear detonation anywhere near my ship, and yet here we are, displaced to this time as Kirov was. We stated that in general terms during the briefing, but the devil is in the details. I must tell you now that the agent of our displacement is a peculiar device aboard my ship-one that I was led to by a direct order from my superiors. In fact, I did not expect to find what I did. Director Kamenski has told you how large detonations had a secondary effect of fracturing the time continuum. What he has not told you is that the Russians are capable of initiating a similar effect by utilizing the nuclear reactors aboard their ship. Yet Argos Fire is not so equipped. We have a pair of two Rolls-Royce gas turbines and diesel driven generators providing what we call integrated electric propulsion-not nuclear propulsion. So you might wonder how my ship came to be here.”
“You tell me this device you mention has something to do with it,” said Tovey. “You say you were led to the discovery by your superiors?”
“Yes sir, by the G1 Watchstander at that time. His name isn’t important, but I receive my orders on a secure communications link on the other side of that bulkhead.” She pointed to her hidden office now. “I must tell you that when I heard your voice in that first communication with the Russians, I was quite relieved and surprised. Things might have gone badly otherwise, but it was more than that. You see, I am a member of the group I believe you have just begun to form here sir-a group known as the Watch by its members. The odd thing about it, was that this dated from 1942 in the history I know. This business about all this being an alternate history is quite daunting. So what was familiar and well known to you, that Russia was fragmented into three states, was a great surprise to me, and I have only just learned about it.”
“There was something in the tea for all of us, or so it seems,” said Tovey by way of comforting her. “Admiral Cunningham got the bitter dregs, no sugar and double lemon.”
“Yes sir, and he also became a member of the Watch in the history I knew, as did the other man you mentioned, Admiral Fraser. And you haven’t mentioned him, but I know about Alan Turing. All Watchstanders are given the whole history when they are inducted.”
“A fascinating fellow,” said Tovey. “Yes, Turing and I have been thick as thieves.”
“Well now… There is something else I must tell you about this device I mention.” She reached into her pocket now, and produced what looked like a typewritten page, handing it slowly to the Admiral. “I found this note in a compartment within the device itself.”
Tovey took the note and scanned the page quietly: “Should you read this your mission will have concluded as planned. Keep this device within a secure room aboard Argos Fire at all times and it will serve to hold you in a safe nexus. As of this moment, you are now Watchstander G1. Godspeed.” His eye lingered on the typewritten signature, his own name plain to see.
“Curious,” said Tovey. “I have no recollection of ever writing this note, but seeing these words now gives me an odd feeling that I did write this, odd as that may sound.”
“Admiral, there’s more to all this than I was able to share in our full meeting. This device I was led to. I believe it did not originate in our own time. In fact, I believe it was brought here from the future.”
“The future? By whom?”
“I haven’t determined that, but your name was on the list, as you can see by the presence of that note there in the device itself.”
“Well,” said Tovey. “I might also share something odd with you, Miss Fairchild. It concerns our Mister Turing. It seems this isn’t the only piece of paper my name has been put to. He told me he had come across something most unusual in the archive at Bletchley Park.”
Most unusual indeed, he thought. And he told her about the box of files, reports and photographs, intelligence gathered in years he had not yet even lived-in 1941 and 1942, and yet his name, his signature, was right there on them all, and to his great amazement.
