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18
Stand Down, Dr Evans
Jack
Theemergencyalarmwasclanging. Rafe and I were in Orion 0, running diagnostics and checking the wiring. There'd been a faulty sensor on the main console that had been bugging me, so we'd decided to take some time to run a thorough check of all systems, and rewire some dubious-looking components.
Parliament had given us the go-ahead to start a Temporal Tourism arm of RATS, and Anderson had agreed to a full diagnostic of the Orion before commencing flying with civilians. He had customers lined up already, which was an excellent indication of what Anderson was actually good at. I wondered if that was why the PM had placed him in charge of overseeing us and then I remembered thinking that Anderson was being set up as the fall guy for something.
I couldn't work out what that might be, but I didn't trust Parliament. For now, though, we'd dodged a bullet, and even been given enough time to upgrade Clive's Orion, bringing the ancient machine more in line with RATS' standards. How Clive had managed to maintain it at all over the years had been a mystery.
I guessed the faulty sensor was an indication of how well that had been going.
The alarm, however, halted all work inside the Vehicle. I wasn't as much in the know as I used to be, but I had managed to get Amanda back into Dispatch, so I activated the comms on the console and waited for her to pick up on her end.
It took her a few moments, so whatever was happening had to have been worrisome. Outside Orion 0 — now conveniently located in the hangar with our limited stable of Orions — Technicians were hurrying to and fro, making a space around the plinths, in case the alarm progressed to an Emergency Return.
The communication system activated at Dispatch's end.
"Dr Evans," Amanda's calm and steady voice intoned over the module's speakers. "Something has gone awry in 1966."
That was Mimi's flight. Both Orions were out at present, so it would be us who would perform any rescue mission. I hadn't discussed that with Anderson yet, and I realised right then that it wasn't a given. Knowing the Chief Overseer as I did now, I thought perhaps he'd deny us that option. Any rescue would have to wait for the second Orion's return.
I glanced out of the Vehicle at the number of empty plinths in the hangar and cursed Sergei Ivanov all over again.
"Any idea what has gone awry, Miss Cockburn?" I asked.
"Nothing solid to go on as yet, sir, but the sine wave has fractured. Whatever is happening, it's big."
"Who are you talking to, Dispatcher?" I heard Anderson warble in the background. Amanda, bless her heart, left the comm line open so I could hear their conversation.
"Dr Evans, sir," she said in exactly the same tone of voice she used with everyone. Amanda was very good at hiding her thoughts.
"Why ishedisturbing Dispatch?"
"I contacted him, sir," Amanda said, the lie sounding plausible because she made it sound plausible. "Heiscurrently the Chief Surgeon at RATS."
"That's a title that is now obsolete, Dispatcher! I am in charge of RATS."
"I don't have anything to inform you of, sir," Amanda said equably.
"Well, don't waste time with him. He's got his own job to do. Do yours and sort out this alarm."
I heard the rustling of material over the line, as if Amanda was doing something on her console, but the communication remained open. I thought perhaps she'd pretended to end the call.
Smart woman, that.
Rafe and I shared a glance and then leaned forward to hear what was happening.
"Whatever has happened," Amanda was saying, "they're correcting it."
"Who? Who's correcting it?" Anderson demanded.
"Well, Orion 2b, of course."
"Stop adding the letter. It's Orion 2. This 2b nonsense just confuses things." Something I thought was relatively easy to do with Anderson.
"Of course, sir," Amanda replied smoothly. "It appears the rip has been mended and whatever consequent event that happened in 1966 is also being corrected as we speak."
