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"I love you, Mouse," I whispered.
A small sound slipped out, and then she whispered, "I love you too, Jack."
We were in trouble, and Mimi knew it. As much as I wanted nothing more than to show her how much I loved her right then, we simply did not have the time. If it were possible to make more time for us, I would. But that's not how it works. The more time we wasted on unnecessary — although desirable — things, the more time would be lost forever.
Right then, I vowed, if there was a way to find more time, I would do it. But I am also not a fanciful man. Duty called, and I would answer.
"Alright," I said, squeezing her hand briefly. "Do you have a plan? Because as much as I would like to suggest something stunningly appropriate, I've spent the past day or so under the weather and only now seem to be venturing out from under those particular storm clouds."
"I'm not so sure I have a plan, but I do have this." Mimi pulled her tablet computer out from a thigh pocket on her flight suit.
I stared at it for a moment, and then my battered and bruised mind kicked into gear.
"Perfect," I said, reaching for the device. "I've been locked out of everything, but where there is a will, there is a way. And," I held the tablet computer up, "with this, there is also much more."
"A plan?" she asked.
"Not yet, but we're getting closer." I used Mimi's sign-in to get into the system and then used a back door only Clive and I knew about, gaining access to absolutely everything. I took the time to hide my tracks, thereby not implicating Mimi; she was in enough danger as it was being in my room. Then I handed her tablet computer back and transferred myself to the desk, using the now activated and improved console to bring myself up to date on the state of play at RATS.
It wasn't good. I confirmed all the information Mimi had already told me. Bryan was reinstated. Mimi was an Intern, her legitimate degrees and hard work listed, her Ph.D accredited. An accreditation I believed well deserved. In theory, there was nothing there that Anderson or the PM could argue against, but they probably would. Clive had done his best. And then I found the trail of what had been done to my old friend and felt a swell of anger and fury consume me.
He'd been stripped of his title, his position, his pension, and his life in the 23rd century. Clive Crawford was back with his family in his own time according to what I read, but even that could have been a false trail to cover their duplicitous arses.
And through it all, not a hint of the danger Sergei Ivanov could cause us, nor the fractures and slips in Time that his most recent success had created. They were blinkered and belligerent in their denials. The reports sent to Parliament had been scathing of RATS' staff and skills and lacking in any real substance or warnings.
Anderson was either deliberately misleading the Prime Minister, or appallingly stupid in his understanding of Time.
"This is not good," I said.
"Is there a way to fight them?" Mimi asked.
We were up against powerful people who had the law behind them, even if that law was being used in a most heinous fashion. Their one and only goal was making money for Parliament; justifying the expenditure of RATS. One option mentioned was disbanding RATS completely, dismantling it for its parts, and starting all over again with a new venture entirely. A venture that would place commercialisation first.
Thankfully, that particular option, while tabled, had been pushed to the back-burner for now as costs were associated with even doing that. The most favoured option at present was putting out to public bid the rights to commercialise RATS as it stands. There was a note that said the training side of the Academy was not necessarily an important factor, but those bids that could commercialise RATSandinclude some form of ongoing training — in the interests of future expansion, of course — would be considered first and foremost.
At least, the Prime Minister understood the value of not limiting time travel to those few who at present knew how to do it.
But I didn't hold out hope for RATS to be RATS after the bidding war was completed.
"Jack," Mimi pressed.
"Hmmm?" I murmured, still reading, my mind spinning at what I saw.
"Is there a way to fight them?"
I shook my head and let out a long breath of air. "I'm not sure," I said.
"It doesn't look good, does it?"
"No, it doesn't, my love."
"What are we going to do?"
I turned to look at her. "You're going to return to Bryan's room before anyone checks either there or here."
"And you?"
I stared off into the distance. "I might have an idea."
