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Rafe had been through so much over the past year. Skipping Time's waves in a malfunctioning Orion, then trapped in an alternate universe with me. Groves — Sally, I corrected — had been through just as much in the past two months, but in a different way; having fallen in love with our Bryan and lost him to Sergei's machinations. And Dean Thomas, Cathcart's most promising Technician. Vital to keeping RATS functioning if what Cathcart had told me about the man was true and I had no reason to disbelieve him.
I couldn't in good conscience harm any of them and what I knew I had to do would be risky, dangerous, possibly life-threatening, but more importantly, it would ostracise me from the Academy and Anderson. What I had planned was a one-way ticket out of RATS and RATS needed these people. Right now, the Royal Academy of Time Surgeons needed as much help as it could get.
"Thank you," I told Dean. I told them all. "I appreciate your support."
"But you don't intend to use us," Rafe finished for me.
I shook my head, my expression grim. "We're in trouble," I said. "RATS is in trouble. And I can't ask any one of you to do what I know has to be done."
"Don't be so bloody stupid, Jack," Rafe snapped. "We're all adults here. We're all capable of choosing what we do and don't do. And if we want to go with you, you can't stop us."
"Go where?" Sally asked.
"We've got every right to fight for RATS, too, Dr Evans," Dean added.
"I know," I said. "You do. But you need to do it here. For me, there's no choice in this. I have to leave. I don't know what Time will do to me — to us — when I succeed. But something, some part of me, maybe it's my heart, like Dean said, maybe not. But something powerful is telling me I have to go get her. It's like I'm tied to her with a rope and it's tugging incessantly. It's more than just love, although that's part of it, too, I should think. And it's got nothing to do with PDR withdrawal. Sally was right, Mouse is in our universe. I can still feel her." I shook my head. Thrust a hand through my hair. Wrapped a palm around the back of my neck and stared at nothing. "I don't know how to explain this to you. I can't even explain it to myself. But I have to go back for Mimi or Sergei wins and Clive was right."
"Clive?" Rafe pressed. "What's Crawford got to do with any of this?"
"Clive had a dream," I said, finally relaxing enough to lean against an abandoned desk. I wasn't relaxed in the sense that I could rest or eat, but I was more relaxed than I had been when I first stumbled in here.
Having made the decision to go back for Mimi, my body and mind and heart had unclenched enough for me to breathe.
"His dream was of Mimi's sister, Carolyn," I went on. "She came to him in the dream and asked him to allow Mimi to stay at RATS. I don't know the particulars, but I believe she may have even asked him to appoint her as an Intern. I do know the dream was realised at some stage. Carolyn Wylde actually visited Clive Crawford and told him that Mimi was needed at RATS and that he was, too. Without either of them, both of them, RATS would fall and Sergei would win."
"Ivanov's dead, though," Dean said.
"But RATS isn't safe, is it?"
"This isn't over," Rafe said, sounding stunned. "Are you going back for Crawford, too?"
"I'll visit him first. Bring him back here and then go for Mimi."
"Anderson won't just let the Chief Surgeon waltz back in here, Jack."
"No, but Clive, back in this time, means something to Time itself. Clive will do the rest. Just be ready to help him."
"We can do that," Sally promised.
"Don't get caught, either," I said.
"Some of the guys were in the city, off duty, when Anderson threw his hissy fit," Dean said. "They think Sal and I were, too. Sal got into the system and doctored the rosters to look like we'd scored downtime together. As far as Anderson knows, Sal and me are visiting her parents in Kent."
I smiled, my gaze alighting on Sally. "Well done, Miss Groves."
She blushed, lowering her eyes slightly. "I would have done something for Dr Hoffman, too, but unfortunately, Anderson is looking for him directly."
"They think I stole Orion 0."
"You did, didn't you?" I pressed.
"Well, yes. But they don't know that."
I let out a chuckle, which surprised us all, I think.
"I need to get going," I said into the stunned silence.
"You can literally make Time, Jack," Rafe pointed out to me.
