Aurora

by Karen Page

Part 1

Ashleigh is thrust into a remote, enigmatic scientific project shrouded in secrecy. As she navigates a team of brilliant but eccentric scientists, she discovers that her role goes beyond logistics—she must keep the team grounded while unravelling their ambitious, mysterious work. Amidst power struggles, old connections reignited, and the discovery of chilling secrets hidden in the shadows of the old Anchor pub, Ashleigh finds herself drawn into a world where the line between innovation and danger blurs. Will she rise to the challenge, or will the weight of past and present threaten to unravel everything?

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Part 1

The smell of the water had changed. The river had changed direction, and the sea water was pushing upstream leaving a salty scent in the air. For those not from the area, this might have seemed wrong. It wasn't, it was just one of the only tidal rivers in the country.

It was a Monday morning. The start of a new working week and for Ashleigh, the start of a new life.

"I love this time of day," smiled Evan as Ashleigh came out and joined him looking at the river.

"Why?" asked Ashleigh.

"The sea smell. It reminds me of my youth. My grandparents lived on the coast, and I used to spend some of my summer holidays there."

"I've been here a few hours now, but I've not seen anybody working. You're sat out here, looking across the river. Liam was playing the piano and I certainly don't want to guess what Henry was doing – it looked strange. I was told important work went on here but none of you seem to be doing anything."

"Just because we're scientists doesn't mean we spend all day in the lab. We need time to contemplate things and mull things over. I do that best looking out at the river. Henry does it while listening to 1970's punk rock."

"He was in some sort of harness hanging almost upside down inspecting some electronics. So why do you need me here? The admin isn't that complex, and Julie seems to have most of that under control."

"Henry is always in that harness. Nothing strange about that unless he's listening to Bach Toccata and Fugue. Then worry. We need you as you are the best person for purchasing. Some things we will need aren't easy to come by, and you have a reputation of not only sourcing the impossible but getting it quickly."

"Is there anybody else here?"

"Only Rebecca. She is the chief architect of the vehicle and chief coder for some of the systems. The rest of the team are at the factory about fifteen miles away."

"I thought you were the boss. Or that's what Laura said."

"Sort of. I was lumbered with that title. I'm the chief scientist, which doesn't mean much as we're planning on breaking new ground. How did you get the job?"

"It came out of the blue. I'd been working for Trinton Solutions for several years when Laura Taylor suddenly turns up at my house. She said she'd heard of my reputation. I'd no idea I had one. We chatted and she offered me this job. I was reluctant, but—"

Evan laughed. "She made you an offer you couldn't refuse?"

"Something like that. So, where's Rebecca?"

"Becky dropped her daughter off at school and went to the factory to check on things. She'll be back soon. You'll then have met all the important people on this project."

"It's certainly different here. I'm not sure what I expected, but it wasn't this. I've lived my life in towns and cities. Here, we're in the middle of nowhere."

"True, though there are some locals around. You'll probably meet them at some stage."

"When I drove through last night, I don't think I saw more than a dozen houses. There wasn't a school, a shop or even a pub."

"This used to be the pub. There is a primary school in the next village. We all live near here."

"What else do you want me to do other than order things? Laura hinted there was something else."

"We need you to keep us alive," said Evan simply as if he'd said the sun rose each morning.

That wasn't something Ashleigh had expected. "Huh?" she eventually managed to utter, slightly surprised by his candour.

"Sometimes the problems we encounter are too interesting. We get so focused on a problem that it's all we do."

"And?"

Evan looked embarrassed. "It's all we focus on. We forget to eat. We forget to sleep. Miss Taylor said you would understand. Do you?"

"Yes," Ashleigh muttered, anger flaring suddenly. "Yes, I understand and yes, I can help."

"You seem angry?"

"Yes. I don't know how she knew. What happened was supposed to be confidential. I'm angry that someone blabbed."

"It wasn't me," he reassured.

The anger dissipated as quickly as it had surfaced. She laughed. "No, it wouldn't have been. Sorry about that."

"Manipulation," pondered Evan, suddenly lost in thought. "I wonder."

Ashleigh, having seen this behaviour at Trinton, wasn't concerned. She watched in fascination as an idea took shape and he contemplated its meaning. He wasn't upset. He wasn't in danger or a danger to anyone else.

A red car came into the car park, but they were too far away to see much more than that. About thirty minutes later, Evan jumped up and rushed into the old pub. He didn't notice Ashleigh at all. She just chuckled to herself and went back inside to continue her work.

Ashleigh was in the same office as Julie on the top floor of the building. She'd just unlocked her laptop to investigate the project more, when the raised voices filtered through.

"They get a bit noisy when they get excited," explained Julie. Then a bit more contemplative, "Or when they're frustrated."

"What deliveries come here?"

"None really. Unless it's something ordered for them. Post and other things get delivered directly to the factory. I might be moved there now you're here."

"Would you prefer it there?"

"I've no idea. It's kinda nice here. I don't get people banging on my door complaining."

"Just them discussing things."

"It's only occasionally. But it's good to know they're alive. Have you met them all now?"

"I've not met Rebecca yet."

"Oh yes, Becky was out this morning. You'll like her and Jenny, that's her daughter."

"Just the two of them?"

"Yes," said Julie sadly. "Becky's wife and their youngest Ryan died a few months ago."

"Oh, no."

"Ryan died a day after Hilda. So sad. When you go into their discussion room, look out for a Pudsey Bear on one of the shelves. It was Ryan's and Becky keeps it there as a remembrance."

The lights dimmed and the monitors went off.

"What the—" started Ashleigh and then caught herself.

"Oh, that's the other issue they have. Their power draw is a little high at times and causes other equipment to switch off."

"Is that being upgraded?"

Julie laughed. "Someone came out a while ago, but it seems the cables aren't up to it. They put in some balancer, so they get what they need, but our circuit gets reduced."

"Why on Earth are they here then? Why didn't they choose a different place?"

"Because it's one of the only places that gives them what they need. And before you ask, I've no idea what that is. The people at that small industrial unit at the other side of the road left when they couldn't get more electricity. I hear that the company sponsoring this project snapped it up."

"When did they move out?"

"Two weeks ago. Why?"

"Ring up the electric company. They should be able to take that feed and divert it to here."

"That'll take months to happen."

"Perhaps, but at least it's booked."

"Isn't that your job now?" Julie enquired. She went to one of the filing cabinets and having removed a file passed it to Ashleigh

"You're right. Why isn't this online?"

"It is, but I keep a paper file. We have no idea when the power will go off."

"I'm going to see about getting a small UPS for each of us. That way we can stay working."

"You can do that?" Julie asked with surprise.

Ashleigh didn't want to say how much autonomy she'd been given for purchases. If it was justified for the project, she'd been told to spend it. When she'd been told her upper spend limit, she'd almost choked on her drink. "If we don't ask, we don't get. Now, let me see what I can do about the power line."

Her time spent at previous companies wasn't wasted. She started making calls and talking with the electric distribution company. After finding someone helpful, this led to names in other companies that could assist. Julie looked across a few times but left her to it.

When the excited chatter had not been heard for a bit, Ashleigh made her way to the main discussion room. It was like some sort of disaster had taken place. The ordered room that she'd seen that morning was covered in papers. The whiteboard was full of scrawl and many smudges. She spotted the bear Julie had mentioned. It was on a shelf out of harm's way, but always visible. It had a big shipping tag on it saying "Ryan".

"Hi," said Ashleigh as she walked tentatively in. She knew scientists didn't like to be disturbed, but sometimes there was never a good time.

Four pairs of eyes moved to look at her. It was then that Ashleigh spotted Rebecca, and a look of mutual recognition passed between them.

"Yes?" asked Evan.

"I'm trying to get the electrical feed increased. With the last tenant moving out from the industrial unit, they might be able to feed across. I'm also trying to get an industrial battery pack. Would that be best placed over the road to not cause interference?"

"Yes," mused Evan. "Good thinking. Though make sure it's a small rent on the battery pack. I think we've made progress, so we might not need it after six months."

"Okay. Good to see you again, Becky."

"Likewise," said Rebecca cautiously. "It's a surprise to see you here. How are you? How is your family?"

"Tina's working as some type of investigator. She's married. Caroline is still into hockey. She's one of the coaches on the England squad."

"And your parents?"

"Retired. And they've chilled a lot since you knew them. They are very accepting about Tina, if that's what you're referring to."

Rebecca looked a bit hurt. Ashleigh felt a bit sorry for being bitchy before reminding herself that it was Rebecca that cut all ties.

"I've got a team of electricians coming in the morning. Besides this room and the lab, is there anywhere else off limits?"

"We'll be here and make sure they are shown what they need to see," said Evan.

"Okay," said Ashleigh and walked out.

As she was out of sight, she heard Henry ask, "How do you know her?"

"She was my first love. She is the one that named me Becky."

"Wow. What happened?"

"I was terrified to transition. I was frightened my parents wouldn't love me. I didn't want Ashleigh to have to make a choice between me or her parents. I think about that time a lot and in a lot of ways I wish I'd not made the choice I did. Yet then I wouldn't have met Hilda and had Jenny and Ryan. I wouldn't have been in this project."

"You can't live in regret," reassured Liam.

Ashleigh couldn't take more and quietly made her way back to the office. It was obvious that her three colleagues knew that Becky was trans and didn't care. Also, Becky remembered her. After all those years, she did remember.

* * *

"So, what's coming?" asked Evan the next morning.

They'd all arrived early, and a slight mist hung over the river. They all lived in houses within a short walk, so an early start wasn't a hardship. Even Jenny was there, sat on the wall looking out at the river flowing down towards the estuary.

"You might have noticed, but a lot of the electricity here comes from the low powered overhead lines. They go into the back of the industrial unit from across the field. Today, a team of electrical engineers are going to assess The Anchor and make sure things are rated for the new feeds. They will prepare for a new circuit for your labs.

"Tomorrow, a shipping container will be arriving. This one was used at a service station to provide a 2MWh battery for EV charging before the circuit got upgraded. This will be placed in the industrial unit and connected to the electric feed. If they can go overhead, they should be connecting The Anchor on Thursday. If it must go underground, then I'm told it will probably be early next week, depending on how quickly the council signs off the street works. I should know more later."

"That's a huge amount of electricity," stated Henry in awe.

"Yes, so don't use it all at once," said Evan. "It will take a while to charge those batteries."

"It should be arriving fully charged. Finally, I've ordered some new magnetic wipe boards for your discussion area. The walls are mostly bare, so they can be fitted along them. There is also a fancy glass one with a stand. So, it should look almost like a sci-fi film. Hopefully you're capable of fitting them yourselves. It should clean easier than the old board you have."

"But we'll be out of the lab?" moaned Evan. "We were just getting somewhere."

"You are all wearing the same clothes as yesterday," stated Ashleigh, waving her hand dramatically. "You worked all night on this. Now you have chance for a breather. I will take Jenny to school."

They stood there for a few seconds, stunned. Henry departed first with Evan and Liam following.

"If they are running electric cables between the two sites, will this be our conduit or the electric companies?" asked Rebecca.

"Ours I think, though I'll know more later."

"If it is, see if they can run some computer cables between the two sites. Then if we need to expand operations there, we can do. For instance, we could put the server in there that records the data. Then if something happens with a test, the data isn't next to it."

"I'll see what I can do," promised Ashleigh. "Now go get some rest."

"Jenny normally goes to the school breakfast club," informed Rebecca.

"Which starts?"

"Sorry?"

Ashleigh thought she'd been clear, but perhaps a lack of sleep was impacting her ex. "What time does the breakfast club start?"

"Oh, quarter to eight."

"Then we better get going."

"I don't think I fed her last night," Rebecca said shamefully.

"Jenny," called Ashleigh in a loud authoritative voice.

Jenny got off the wall and trotted across.

"What did you eat last night?" Ashleigh asked.

"Fishfingers, peas, carrots and a jacket potato."

"Where did you sleep last night?"

"In the special bedroom Mummy had set up above the lab."

"Good girl," said Ashleigh. "They all stayed up working hard last night, so are you okay me taking you to school?"

"Is that okay Ma?" she asked Rebecca.

"Of course. I've known Miss Thompson since we were little. She can be trusted."

"Where's your backpack? At home or here?"

"Here. Upstairs."

"Then go grab it. We'll be leaving in five minutes."

When Jenny left, Ashleigh said to Rebecca. "At five, you were still in deep discussions. Jenny was looking around the small kitchen upstairs. I presume it used to be a family area when it was a pub. I offered to cook, but she said that her Mum had been teaching her for a year. I kept an eye on her, and we talked while she cooked."

"But she's only seven," said Rebecca feeling bewildered.

"Yes, she is, but it seems Hilda knew she wasn't well, and made sure that Jenny could do some things herself."

"I didn't know."

"I suspected that, based on the way Jenny said what she did last night. I just don't know how I was brought on board."

Rebecca thought for a moment and asked, "Do you have a photo of Tina?"

"Sure," said Ashleigh, surprised. She got out her phone and showed Rebecca.

"Ah. She knew Hilda. Several young adults about Tina's age came and visited several times including just before she died. Tina was one of them."

"I've been stitched up by my own sister?" gasped Ashleigh.

"It seems so. Jenny's here. When you get back, I'll have a small nap before the electricians turn up."

"Okay Jenny. Let's get you to school. You can tell me all about it on the way."

"It isn't that far," she groused.

"Yes, but we have to walk to my car too."

"Is it that nice blue one?"

"How did you know that?"

"I saw it outside the house that had been empty. I thought it must be you."

'Observant', thought Ashleigh as they wandered to the car.

"So, what are you doing at school today?" she asked.

"The usual," sighed Jenny. "English. Maths. At least it's Tuesday, so we have a bit of French."

"You get bored?"

"Sometimes, though I have my Sudoku book if I have to wait too long."

"Who teaches you at home?"

"Mummy used to. Ma does too. Evan is a wiz though at teaching me how to make maths interesting. I like to watch them in the lab sometimes. If I hear something new, I look it up on the internet. I then get one of them to explain more based on that knowledge. They always seemed pleased that I ask."

"What about friends from school?"

"Kelly's my bestist friend. She lives at Willow Cottage, so it isn't far. I sometimes go there to play. She's so much better than me on the Xbox though."

"I don't think bestist is a word."

"Well, it should be," Jenny retorted. "Language evolves. It isn't stuck in an ivory tower hung with expensive works of art."

Ashleigh pulled into the school car park, feeling shocked what Jenny had just said. "Did you read the book that quote came from? Or did you get that quote from elsewhere?"

"I skipped the sexy bits. I found it in Mummy's pile of books."

"Relationships aren't like that book," Ashleigh thought she had to say.

"Well duh!"

"Time for some boundaries. I know your ma is super intelligent. I didn't know your mummy, but I bet she was too. So, it isn't a surprise that you are. But I don't like people being cheeky to me. Adults nor children."

"Yes, Miss Thompson."

In a gentler voice, Ashleigh asked, "Do you need collecting?"

"Mrs Brown drops me off. That's Kelly's mummy."

"Good, now run along and have a great day."

Jenny picked up her backpack from the foot well and ran to the building.

When Ashleigh got back, the four team members were sat outside at one of the picnic tables that remained from the time it was a pub. So much for them getting some rest. She went to the kitchen upstairs and after finding a pack of sausages, prepared four sausage sandwiches and four mugs of tea. Not knowing how they liked their tea, she added a jug of milk and cup of sugar to the tray.

"I can't make you sleep," Ashleigh said as she put the tray onto the picnic table. "But I can make sure you eat. Enjoy."

A phone call just before lunch disturbed her. The electrical engineers had been checking the feeds at both sites, and this had been keeping her and Julia busy. The team were still outside, continuing their discussions, oblivious to the work going on around them.

"Please hold for Laura Taylor," came a female voice.

A few seconds later, they were connected.

"Ashleigh. Laura Taylor. How's things going?"

"This is one heck of a job," Ashleigh responded. "You sure omitted a lot from the job spec."

"The job is what you make it. What do you think you should be doing?"

"It's not just ordering the impossible. It's an assistant to the team, and making sure that when, not if, they fall down the rabbit hole, they come out alive."

"Anything else?"

"Jenny is probably going to be part of my job too. Though I'll have to see how that one goes. I've no parenting skills but Becky won't always be there for her."

"Is it too much for you?"

"I'll let you know. Today we have electrical engineers surveying the industrial unit and The Anchor. I'm seeing if we can get the electrics routed across. I've also got a large battery pack arriving tomorrow, to cope with the extreme load they sometimes need."

"It seems your reputation wasn't overblown. Is there anything we can help with?"

"Do you have anybody that can handle the internal electrical work for the lab? Becky wants a computer line installed between the two sites. She wants to put the data recording server across the road in the old industrial unit. Just in case the experiment causes issues that destroys local data. That building is going to need to be made as secure as the project building."

"Let me make some calls. We have a team. Hopefully they will be there tomorrow."

"Fantastic. Let me know how many later and their names and I'll get them booked into a hotel for a few nights."

"Anything else?"

"Just one thing. Does my sister Tina work for you?"

"Yes, but a totally different division than you are in. Is that an issue?"

"No. I was just trying to work out where knowledge of me came from."

"Tina just confirmed what I'd heard from two other sources."

"Two?"

"Some CEOs like to brag about their staff. If there was any doubt about you, you wouldn't have been given the position you have. When I saw you the other week, I stressed how important this job was. You know there is more to the role than I stated, and I trust you will adapt it to what is needed for the team to get the job done. You have my direct dial, and I trust you know when to use it."

Ashleigh thought about that conversation and then realised that Laura had only mentioned one of the two people who'd mentioned her. The CEO was one, but who was the other?

The rest of the afternoon didn't go as well. There was a repeat of the morning's discussion on the location of the battery container and street works would be needed due to the amount of electricity being piped between the two sites.

Ashleigh was with the senior engineer, just outside the electrical cupboard, when the fuse for the Lab tripped. "Mmm, I think you need an electrical upgrade."

"The electricians doing the inside work will be arriving tomorrow. I hope you will be able to work well together."

"We normally do. I suggest whatever the load they are pulling is too much. I really think they should wait until it's upgraded."

When he'd gone, Ashleigh made her way to the lab. There was excited chatter. They'd had some type of success and were discussing what changes should be made for their next test.

"Hold it!" Ashleigh called.

The four team members stopped and looked at her in astonishment.

"No more tests until the electrics are upgraded," she said. "I was outside the electrical cabinet, and it didn't look good. Have you increased the load?"

"A little," said Henry sheepishly.

"You're the electrical expert. The circuit for the lab tripped."

"Shit."

"But you had success?"

All four of them started chatting excitedly.

"Good," she said loudly enough that they stopped. "Now here is the thing. You did an all-nighter last night. You have now had a success. I've seen you all contemplating the issues not rushing. You need to all go home. You can think about it in peace. Tomorrow morning, you can come back and each of you can say what you think worked well, what didn't go as expected. You then can see where you agree."

"But—" started Rebecca.

"And you need to see your daughter. She will be back from school in ten minutes."

"But—"

"In five minutes, I'm switching off all the circuits and taking the key with me. I will switch on the electrics at half-six tomorrow morning. Now move. I know you all have building keys, so I trust you to do this. I will see you early tomorrow."

She went out but hovered close by. It was Evan that broke the silence. "I think we should do as she said. She's worked hard on getting us the upgrades that nobody else seemed to be able to get."

"I'm just so pumped that we got a result," said Liam.

"So am I, "said Rebecca. "But I don't know what it means yet. It's a result but is it the correct result? Let's think about it and I will see you about seven tomorrow morning."

* * *

On Wednesday, when Ashleigh got to The Anchor, she half expected to see it unlocked and the team working. Instead, there was a group of four waiting that she didn't recognise.

"And you are?" she asked.

"Didn't you get the email?"

"No. Who are you?"

"I'm Stacy. We were sent to keep an eye out with all the extra people onsite. Two more are due in a minute."

She was true to her word, and a minute later another car pulled into the car park. Ashleigh recognised her sister, Tina, and rushed to give her a hug.

"Hi," Ashleigh said, as she put her sister down. "Do you vouch for these four?"

"Yes. The lady over there is Luke's sister. We are all expected."

Ashleigh went across to where the original four were waiting patiently. "I think Tina's word is good enough for me. I know who she works for."

She unlocked and switched off the alarm, before going to switch on the electrics, apart from the Lab circuit. She was pleased to see the alarm came up with the set time when she'd armed it the previous afternoon.

"This is Stacy, Andy, Helen and David," introduced Tina. "This is Ashleigh. One of my older sisters."

"Can you show us around?" asked Stacy.

"Sure. Do any of you want a drink?"

"After you've shown us around."

"Downstairs we have four main areas. The Lab, the discussion room, a few toilets and the attached outbuilding is used as a workshop. Upstairs is the office that Julie and I work in. A kitchenette, bathroom and two bedrooms. I think our office used to be an additional bedroom."

The physical tour didn't take long, and as they finished, the project team started to arrive. They looked refreshed and the men were clean shaven. Rebecca came into view, with Jenny skipping alongside.

"So, who are you?" asked Evan.

"We've been sent by the parent company to make sure only the internal electrical people come inside."

"You don't look like bouncers," laughed Liam.

Helen made sure that Jenny, who hadn't reached the building yet, would have her view blocked by Andy and Stacy. She then put Liam on the floor.

"Sorry," said Liam getting up and brushing himself down. "I shouldn't judge a book and all that."

Helen smiled and said sweetly, "Are you okay Dr Mann?"

"Yes, and here I'm Liam."

"Can you do that too, Tina?" asked Ashleigh, her eyes wide with a mixture of shock and excitement.

"Of course."

"Do what?" came the small voice of Jenny.

"Speak Dutch."

"Wow, you speak Dutch? I can only speak French," said Jenny.

"Wrong," said Rebecca. "You also speak English."

"Oh yeah," responded Jenny.

"Well, something that resembles English," said Evan.

Jenny's bewildered face made them all laugh.

David, turned to Jenny and asked in French, "À quelle heure allez-vous à l'école?"

"Dans une demi-heure," she responded without thinking.

"Well done," praised Becky.

"That's not a beginner's reaction," said David. "Have you been practicing your French outside school?"

"Mummy used to talk to me in French. I can't read it very good yet."

"That's, 'not very well', not 'not very good'," pointed out her ma.

"We'll leave you to it," said Stacy. "We'll be around."

"You might want to move the cars," suggested Ashleigh. "With the digging later, you might not get out."

"I'll move mine later," said Helen. "I'll be Rebecca's driver today. So that includes taking them both to school."

"What's happened?" demanded Rebecca, pulling Jenny protectively to her side.

"With?"

"It sounds like protection. What's happened to cause this?"

"Miss T has contacts in unsavoury places. The word is that there had been some significant progress with some requests to find out what it was. Miss T thought some extra resources should be here."

"I'm not going to stay with Auntie Donna," said Jenny firmly.

Ashleigh almost raised her eyebrows on that comment. It sounded like there was an emergency plan for Jenny and that Jenny was fully aware of it. She thought it wasn't right for a seven-year-old, no matter how intelligent, to have that in their head.

"It's not got to that," reassured Stacy. "People are just being extra cautious, as there will be a lot of people around that we don't know."

"Where's the entrance to the basement?" asked Luke.

"What?"

"The cellar? This was an old-style pub. Wasn't the beer kept in the cellar?"

"I've never seen any stairs down," said Evan.

"Nor an entrance in the car park for deliveries of barrels," added Liam.

"If there is a cellar, it would be great for the electrical cable," said Henry.

"Okay, I'm going to take Jenny to school," said Rebecca. "Evan, Henry and Liam, since it's going to be noisy, why don't we meet at Evan's house. It's the furthest away from the noise. We can discuss last night there. Ashleigh, will you be staying here co-ordinating things?"

"That's the plan."

"Then when Julie arrives, get her to go to the factory for the next few days. She will get more work done there."

With that, they all started to move. Helen saddled up next to Rebecca and with Jenny they went towards one of the cars. Tina trotted behind. Luke went with the men towards Evan's. This left Ashleigh alone with Stacy, Andy and David.

"This is my third day working here," said Ashleigh. "I was told this was important, but nobody said it could get violent."

"What do you think you saw?" asked Stacy.

"I have a lot of thoughts but nothing solid."

"Try. I'm told you're quite observant."

"I'm thinking that Tina is staying at the school, just in case someone is trying to kidnap Jenny. Helen is there to protect Rebecca. Luke just went to Evan's, so I presume that's his job. What about you three?"

"It will be four when Helen has brought Becky back. We are here just in case. We aren't security but investigators. We will see what's happening. We don't know that there is any danger. But Miss T is cautious and wants to see if there is an issue before setting up landmines, barbwire fences and patrolling tanks."

Ashleigh knew Stacy was teasing. Well, she hoped she was.

"Aren't you being paranoid?"

"I was nearly shot at aged twelve, and was actually kidnapped when I was thirteen," said David. "I wouldn't wish that for anybody."

"I'll keep watch for the electricians," said Stacy to David and Andy. "Go make sure things are tidy, and then find it."

"Tidy up?" asked Ashleigh, her mind still trying to process why someone would want to shoot at or kidnap a child. And what were they to find.

"Making sure documents and papers are put in a secure box. That way things don't go missing in the work."

"But I thought they were internal electricians."

"They are. I'm not talking deliberate. Just if a window is open, paper might blow about."

"Oh."

"What happened last night? They ran the test and what? Where were you?"

"I was near the electric panel. The lights dimmed, which isn't unusual, but it tripped the fuse."

"Did the electrician leave?"

"Yes, before I went to see the team. The only other person here was Julie. She is normally in the office upstairs, but I can't confirm it."

"Great."

"I also can't confirm if the team discussed the findings from home. Are you thinking a bug?"

"It is something we're checking. Can Tina and Luke stop at your house? I believe it has a guest room."

"Sure," Ashleigh agreed. "I would love to have them stay."

Andy and David came running out. "We need to call the police. In the cellar there are human remains inside a large chest freezer."

"You have to be kidding!" cried Ashleigh.

"We don't kid about things like that," said David.

"I'll make the call," sighed Ashleigh, calming down. "This isn't going to help the timeline for getting the electrics in."

"At least the outside work can be done. Well, most of it," said David. "And the cellar looks a great place to put the feed. Its dry and will be out of the way."

"Andy. David," said Stacy, authoritatively. "You know the drill."

Silently, they took out their phones and handed them to Stacy. They then moved apart and stood still, not communicating with anybody.

Stacy took out her phone and made a call. "I've got a code 62. Both witnesses are separated, and the police will be called. Andy and David." She waited, listening to something at the other side before thanking them and terminating the call.

The sound of the workman digging up the road disturbed the peace, as Ashleigh made the call to the police.

Aurora

by Karen Page

Part 2

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Part 2

For two days, the police had the building cordoned off. Fortunately, the forensic team quickly ascertained that the bodies had been there for several years. Probably just after the pub had closed and become derelict. This meant the questioning of the project team stopped.

The police's final act on site was to remove the huge freezer. The police inspector insisted they took it, just in case there was extra evidence. Ashleigh was glad to see the back of it and put up no objections. She even encouraged them to take it when the forensics team complained.

It was that night that Tina and Ashleigh were sat in the garden of the old Anchor pub. Luke was watching some match with Evan, Henry and Liam.

"This is kind of nosy, but what's the relationship with the other four in your group. I've seen wedding rings on their fingers, but I can't work out who is married to who. Over the last few days, I've seen them work in different pairs, threes or even all together. I've never seen a group that seemed so in tune with each other. I also can't work out which of them is in charge. For some things it's Stacy, other things, Helen or David or Andy."

"Technically, Stacy is in charge, but that's rarely a thing for them. They listen to each other and know each other's strengths and needs. Decisions between them are almost innate. As for relationships, I know they won't mind me saying as David had already noticed you were puzzling over them. They might be in two legal marriages, but just as they operate as a single unit, all their hearts beat in unison."

"I guess that makes a lot of sense."

"Are you okay with it?"

"Why wouldn't I be. Love is love. Some love people of a different sex. Some love the same sex. Some love everyone, and some love no one. In some ways I feel sorry for those without love or are incapable of love."

"Oh Ash," cried Tina, putting her arms around her sister. "That is one of the nicest things I've ever heard."

Tina was probably the only one that Ashleigh permitted to call her Ash. When she left university, it was like something changed in her. She felt grown up and wanted something different. She thought Ashleigh sounded more grown up than Ash.

"Are you still going to be around on Sunday?" enquired Ashleigh.

"Probably. Why?"

"Since we aren't too far from our parents, I was thinking about seeing if they want to go out for Sunday lunch. I didn't know if you and Luke wanted to come?"

"Sounds fun. It all depends on what's happening here. At the weekend Jenny won't be at school, but does she have any activities she does, such as swimming or church?"

"She sometimes goes to play with her friend, but no idea if there is a schedule or if it's ad hoc. I believe the external electrical work will finish on Friday about lunchtime. The internal work is a lot easier with the feed coming in at the basement. They hope to be finished in time for testing and certification early Friday afternoon. Both teams are willing to work late Thursday, to get it live Friday, therefore not having to work into the weekend."

Tina got out her phone and sent a message. She laughed at the almost instant response.

"I'm good as long as we haven't been reassigned. Investigations can turn up quickly and sometimes they can't be delayed. I will confirm with Luke later."

"Did they find the leak? Was there a bug?"

"Yes, one was found today. With the police gone, a more thorough search was made. I won't go into the technicalities, but the way it was activated was quite novel. It wasn't normally on, so wasn't discovered during normal checks."

"Normal checks?"

"Becky has a scanner. She checks her house and the Anchor every week or after any visitors. Are you inviting Becky to the meal on Sunday?"

Ashleigh looked stricken. "I've only known Becky for a week. It's silly to even think about that. Heck, she only lost her wife a few months ago."

Tina said gently, "You still love her, don't you?"

"There hasn't been time to even think about things like that. Finding human remains tends to make you think about other things. What was Hilda like? How did you know her?"

"She was a psychiatrist at the school I went to. She wasn't mine, but I saw her when Rachel wasn't available. She was an amazing woman, and you would really have liked her. She left a year before I finished there. Do you remember the Middle East peace talks in London?"

"Sure, who could forget that. How the lead negotiator kept it together after what happened, I'll never know."

"Hilda got a call and was collected by an ETV from Cheltenham."

"I saw that video. That was Hilda they got?"

"Yes. She'd just met someone she was really interested in, and next thing she was being escorted out by the military. Hilda didn't have his number. Yet fate brought them together again. Becky had a dream and Hilda knew Laura. They made this possible. And during all of that, they had two children, and she transitioned."

"Wow. I knew Becky was strong and resilient, but that's way beyond when I knew her."

"I knew Hilda, during her time at school and after. I only know Becky by reputation and the last few days. I do remember her a little when we were children. I remember her coming to see our parents when they banned her. She made a really solid case. She came to speak with Mum and Dad to clear your name, not with any real expectation that they would let her see you again."

"Let's see how it goes. Please don't say anything."

"I'm here if you need me," reassured Tina. "Oh, here's Luke."

Luke came up and gave Tina a kiss. Ashleigh smiled. It was great how her youngest sister had such an easy and happy relationship.

"Ashleigh asked about us meeting up for Sunday lunch with my parents, since we are close by. Stacy has no issues unless we get re-tasked. Do you want to come?"

"Of course. I've not seen your parents for a while. Ashleigh, are you going to ask Becky?"

"Not you as well. No, I'm not. We are just colleagues. And don't you mention her during the meal on Sunday either!"

"Where do you suggest we go?"

"There are a few possibilities where we went when younger. But not The Ship, it's too close to here."

Tina looked directly at Ashleigh. "Yes, a definite too close. I'm glad that you understand this project is need to know and certainly don't want people just popping by."

"Laura stressed that. I know there is a lot more that you've not told me."

"I know little more than you. Need to know."

"That doesn't sound much of a life," said Ashleigh sadly.

"It's a life I love. It's a life where I'm doing something good. I could leave if I wanted. Do something different. There's no hold over me or any of us. I can hand in my thirty-day notice, and I'd be put on gardening leave for those days. We do this because we can, and we want to."

"Even if you have to give your life protecting us?"

"I hope it doesn't come to that, but yes."

"There's two people who've had virtually constant protection since you arrived. Rebecca and Jenny."

"Miss T said you were observant," said Luke. "But you missed one."

Ashleigh thought about it and went through the last few days in her mind. She couldn't see it and shrugged. She'd think more on that. "How different is this to your normal work?"

"A lot. We aren't a security or protection team, though we have some training. However, we are more subtle, which was what was required. At Jenny's school I was a temporary classroom assistant. That meant I could be close without raising any alarm."

"You're like chameleons. You go where needed and blend in."

"See, she gets it," said Luke to Tina.

"I get what you've told me. I know there is a lot more you aren't telling me and I'm not going to ask. I might be curious, but I don't think I need to know."

"You're right," said Tina to Luke. "She does get it."

"It's also a bit unusual for us," said Tina. "We normally don't use our real names. However, we aren't interacting with anybody, apart from me at the school. But since you might have talked about family already, it was the safest action."

"This is totally rhetorical. What have you got me involved in?"

Tina leaned forward and looked her sister directly in the eye. "You had the interview. You accepted the job. This is all down to you."

"I remember when you were young and used to just play your instrument. You wouldn't say boo to a goose. I loved you then and I love this feistier you, too."

"Can we see the bore from here?" asked Luke.

"A little. The river is still too wide for the inbound waves to look impressive. Go a few miles upstream and you'll get a great view, though the best ones only come a few times a year."

The sun began to set beyond the far bank. It was a tranquil evening where Ashleigh, her sister and brother-in-law seemed to relax.

Tina and Luke suddenly jumped up and pressing their finger against their ear barked, "Acknowledged."

"Becky's house, NOW!" ordered Tina.

Ashleigh froze. The change in attitude was a shock.

Tina and Luke didn't hesitate. They took a side each and hauled Ashleigh to her feet.

"I'm coming," she said, and they ran towards Rebecca's.

As they approached, the door was opened by Helen.

"Where's the rest of the project team?" asked Ashleigh, as she was ushered inside.

"They were at their houses," said Helen. "They've been told and are sheltering there. There is eight minutes until potential action. You've done well. Follow me."

Ashleigh followed Helen towards the back of the house. They went through a door. There, was the entrance to a panic room. Ashleigh went in, and Becky who was already in there with Jenny, shut the door.

"Hi Miss Thompson," said Jenny cheerfully.

"Nice PJ's," Ashleigh responded.

"Ma got me them a few weeks ago. They are my favourite set."

"Your Ma has good taste."

"Ma, the other day you said you knew Miss Thompson when you were little. How old were you? How did you meet?"

"I was fifteen. I saw a hockey match being played on a local playing field. Miss Thompson was watching it as her sister was playing."

"Tina?"

"No. She has another sister called Caroline. She did something very special."

"Oh?"

"She was the first person to call me Becky."

"What!? The first in the whole wide world?"

"Yes."

Jenny thought for a moment and then looked at Ashleigh. "You named my Ma?"

"I gave her a name to use when she was ready. Your Ma did all the hard work herself with the support and love of your mummy."

Jenny snuggled up to Rebecca, seemingly content and not at all concerned that they were in a panic room. Rebecca, on the surface, also seemed fine. However, Ashleigh noticed little things, like she did when they first met. Like how anxious she was when she first went to Ashleigh's house.

"Do you have any games in here?" Ashleigh asked Jenny.

"No. There is a pack of cards, but I don't know how to play them."

"Then we will do a simple game. All three of us," said Ashleigh. "You get the cards. We can all sit on the floor and play. Ma can shuffle them."

"I don't know if this game has a name. My granddad taught me. The rules are simple. The aim is to win all the cards. The dealer, which is Ma. She will deal out the cards to each of us. We go clockwise, starting with you Jenny since you are the one after the dealer. No jokers."

"Now you say," huffed Becky, trying to supress a smile. "I've just shuffled all the jokers in."

Jenny didn't react to that, but just watched Becky go through the cards to remove the jokers and start to shuffle again.

"The honour cards are The Jack, The Queen, The King and The Ace. Cards two to ten are payment cards. All our cards are face down. We take it in turn to put down a card from the top of our pile.

"If a player puts down one of the honour cards, which is a Jack, Queen, King or Ace, they have the chance to get the pot. The next player puts down the payment. For a Jack it is one card, Queen two, King three and Ace four cards. If they just put down the numbers two to ten, they keep paying but if they put down a Jack, Queen King or Ace, they take over control.

"Say I put down a Queen. The next player, which is Ma, puts down a card. If it isn't one of the honour ones, she puts down another. Again, if it isn't an honour one, I win the pile. However, if she puts down an honour one, it is then your turn to put payment. Do you follow?"

"I think so. Let's try it."

"It goes clockwise. Since Ma is the dealer, you Jenny are the first."

And so, they spent time playing cards. As Becky and Jenny got used to the rules, the game got faster and there were squeals of laughter from Becky and Ashleigh. There was no skill and no thought. It was purely the luck of the draw.

Becky's phone ringing made them all jump. "What is the password?" she enquired. It must have been valid, as she unlocked the panic room.

On the other side was Stacy. She spotted the deck of cards on the floor and said to Jenny, "Did you have fun playing cards?"

"Yes," Jenny responded. "Do you know any card games?"

"I do. But that's for another time. Just so you all know, everybody is fine."

Ashleigh let out the breath she hadn't realised she'd been holding.

"I'm tired," said Jenny. "Can I go to bed now?"

"Up you go," said Rebecca fondly. "I'll be up in five minutes to tuck you in."

With Jenny gone, Rebecca asked. "What happened?"

"It looks like they came to investigate your project. With the electrical work, the security doors into the Lab and into the discussion area were left open. They entered the building but found nothing apart from a building undergoing renovation. They made no attempt to go to any of the houses. Hopefully they will report that back. They didn't notice the tracker that got added to their vehicle, or the tracker dots that somehow got onto their jackets without them noticing. I love working in an area with no streetlights. Makes my life so much easier."

"The lab was clear?" Ashleigh asked, surprised.

"Of course," said Stacy. "We wanted it to be easier for the electricians."

Becky and Ashleigh laughed. The tension and worry of the last hour, gone. Though it did nag a bit to Ashleigh how they knew the work was happening, and how they knew about the security doors.

* * *

The noise hadn't been as bad as the first few days of the street work. The big excavation work had been completed, and the cables between the two sites laid. There had been more mess in the old pub. The internal electricians decided not to just fix the lab but add extra sockets in her office.

When the electrics were tested on the Friday afternoon, all seemed as it should. The device the four project members had been working on, reappeared and they ran a load test. The large battery pack located within the car park in the industrial unit handled the demand and they were even able to increase the power from the previous test.

"This gives us so many options," said Henry jovially shaking each electrician's hand. "Thank you."

They were a bit bemused but took his thanks with the sincerity that it was given.

When they were gone, Evan turned to Ashleigh. "We've been hashing out the changes from the last test we did. That quick test we did at higher power just confirmed what we'd worked out. We need some specialist fabrication."

"And?" she asked, waiting for them to give her the bad news.

"Well, there are two difficult bits. One is the alloy, and the other is the precision. I've just sent you an email."

She looked and laughed. "The alloy isn't an issue. I know a specialist company that can ship that next day or in an emergency, same day. Getting it machined to those parameters though using that metal isn't easy. How quick do you need them, and how many?"

"A half dozen should do, just in case we need to switch them out. We can't run any more tests until we have them."

"Let me ring around. You might have to do some hand collections. You lot like to keep me on my toes."

Two hours later, she came into the Lab carrying three envelopes. "Since this is so complex, I've farmed this work to three different machinists. Each claim they can handle this. I've dealt with each of them before, and I trust them. Each will produce six of them. This gives a better chance if there is some manufacturing defect, it won't impact all of them. One of the manufactures is in Leeds, so a bit of a journey. Pick an envelope. The card inside will tell you where you're going."

The three men grabbed an envelope before Rebecca stood a chance.

"Yay, road trip!" yelled Liam happy to be going to Leeds. "I've not done a journey like this in months."

"Okay, that is unexpected," commented Ashleigh, surprised how happy Liam was going on a long journey. "The metal is being shipped to them overnight. You will take the specs with you for the part. That way it isn't held in an email store somewhere."

"How do you find these places?" asked Henry. "Or get them to turn around things at a moment's notice?"

"It's just my charming personality," Ashleigh responded.

That caused a lot of heckling and teasing.

"I dealt with a wide range of bespoke parts where I used to work. I therefore have contacts where those parts were manufactured. I have a good enough relationship that if they can't make it, they might know someone who can."

"Okay, while we can't work on the drive, let's get back to the vehicle power source," suggested Rebecca.

Ashleigh went up to her office. Julie would be back Monday, so would be a bit more crowded. Though the six investigators would probably be gone. They'd been fun and unexpectedly needed. She didn't know how they knew people were on the way, but she was glad things had worked out. It would be hard to tighten security as they were just off a public road.

"Did I hear you say that Liam, Evan and Henry would be out tomorrow?" asked David.

"Yes. I don't expect them back before two at the earliest. Liam won't be back until very late."

David gave an impish grin and went to find Stacy.

"Hi," came a small voice.

Ashleigh didn't have to look up to know who it was, but she did all the same.

"Hi Jenny. How's things going?"

"I've finished school. That's it now until September."

"School holidays. What'll you do with yourself with all those free hours?"

"I'm going to learn an instrument. Did you know that Mr and Mrs Haynes, Mr and Mrs Grant and Mr and Mrs Poop all play instruments?"

"What instrument do you want to learn?"

"I don't know."

"Do you know what they sound like and how big or small they are?"

"Not really."

"Okay, grab Julie's chair and sit next to me. We will watch a video of something called The Young Persons Guide to the Orchestra. The tune is rubbish, but you get a good sense what the orchestral instruments look and sound like."

They watched it together and Ashleigh pointed out different instruments. As they listened, Tina and Luke stood in the doorway, watching.

"There's so many," sighed Jenny. "Did you play an instrument Miss Thompson?"

"No. It wasn't something that interested me. I did other things."

"There are other instruments too," said Tina from the door. "Look at the groups you sometimes listen to. They all have instruments. There are guitars, keyboards and drums. And the most important is the singer. The voice can be used to make music. Did you see the man waving his arms at the front of the orchestra?"

"He looked funny," said Jenny.

"He is called the conductor. He keeps all the players together, so it sounds like one orchestra rather than a hundred individuals. The conductor keeps the timing, but in practice which they call rehearsals, the conductor tells players how the piece should be played."

"You know so much," sighed Jenny. "I'll never get to know as much as you."

"You know how to speak French," reminded Ashleigh. "You know more about maths than me. You know more about the science they're doing downstairs. Why do you suddenly want to learn an instrument?"

"Mummy used to work at a music school. I thought it would be nice to go there and be where mummy used to be."

"You don't apply to that school," said Tina. "You get chosen. In a few years you will do a test at school. All the pupils at school take it when they reach a certain age. Based on those results, they choose twelve students from across the country who best fit together. Not all play an instrument, but those that don't, learn one while there."

"I nearly didn't get to go," said Luke coming into the room. "They were going to ask someone else, but they died. Just because my sister went, didn't make it any easier for me to go. I didn't know she went there and only found out when I was in my third year."

"Ignore what your mummy did, or your ma does," said Ashleigh. "What do you want to do when you're older? What do you like doing?"

"I'm not into coding like Ma is. I like science and maths."

"Then do that. Have a go at an instrument and see if you like it. You might not use it as a career but look at Liam; he plays to relax. If you don't like it, then concentrate on what you love doing. You won't cover some subjects until you are older. You haven't probably done chemistry or biology."

"Do you still play your instruments?" asked Jenny looking at Luke and Tina.

"Yes. It's sometimes difficult when we are doing an investigation, but when we're home, we still play. Or sometimes if we are on a longer project, we might find a local orchestra or band we can play with. We might not play as part of our jobs, but it is still part of our souls."

"Your souls?"

"Part of what makes us who we are. What we do because we want or need to, not because we have to."

"This has got very deep," said Ashleigh.

Tina approached Jenny and crouched so she was at the same height. "Jenny, there is a lot more to your mummy than what she did while she was at the school. Did you know she stopped a criminal the day before she joined the school?"

"She did?"

"Oh yes. And she did it in such a way that the police and all the people watching thought it was an accident. Then when she left the school, she wrote a book and helped even more people with her work. She was so good that the government asked for her help."

"I miss her," sighed Jenny. "I'm going downstairs to see what Ma is doing and then sit out back."

* * *

Saturday arrived and Ashleigh lay there enjoying the Saturday feel. Two days without work. She then sat up with a bit of a start. She had house guests, and she thought she better not be too tardy.

After showering and dressing, she made her way downstairs. She heard hushed voices coming from the kitchen and the smell of cooking invaded her nostrils. Nobody had cooked for her in a long time.

She wasn't expecting the view she got when she entered the kitchen. Slaving away was a young man and woman, just the wrong way round.

"Morning," said Ashleigh, trying to sound calm and normal.

"See," said the young man. "I said she'd be okay with this."

The young man looked like her dad did when she was younger. She knew it was Tina dressed as a male. It was something she never thought she would see again.

"Why?" asked Ashleigh.

"It's good practice," said the lady. "By the way, I use the name Lisa. Sometimes we've had to go to investigations as two females or two males. When David said that there were less people around today, Tony and I decided to have a fun day."

"This is fun?"

"To us it is. Let's see how long it takes Jenny to work us out."

"That's not valid," said Ashleigh, taking a seat to have breakfast. "If she sees you with me, then she will know."

"She's right."

"Anyway, it's a Saturday."

"Becky is spending some of the morning working, and Jenny is going with her to the office. We will go somewhere fun later."

"This is really nice," said Ashleigh, tucking into the plate of food put in front of her. "Where did you learn to cook like that?"

"School. I think if we'd left without knowing how to cook, Justin would have been affronted."

"Justin?"

"He was the head chef at the school."

"The other four are cross dressing too, aren't they?"

"I believe so," grinned Lisa. "I'll have a brother today."

"And it doesn't upset any of you?"

"No," Lisa and Tony responded in unison, and then looked at each other with goofy smiles.

"We know who we are," said Tony. "In my heart I'm Tina and always will be. I will be back as Tina for tomorrow. I don't want to cause our parents to have heart failure."

Ashleigh gasped. She hadn't thought about her parent's reaction. She laughed now, as her mind played out the confusion.

"You've not asked who's trans out of the six of us," said Tina as they continued eating. "I mean, apart from me; you know my history."

Ashleigh shrugged. "It's none of my business and to be honest, I don't really care. I doubt if any of them were, then they wouldn't be doing it for shocks. They are who they are and are helping protect us. I'm eternally grateful you got me to safety the other night."

Once finished they made the short journey to The Anchor. It was unlocked, and Ashleigh found it was the other four investigators standing just inside the door.

"Morning," said Ashleigh cheerfully. "Lisa, do you want to introduce me to your brother? Based on heights, have they changed things around in more ways than one?"

"Nice spot on their heights. We have Marcus and Jayne. Brenda and Christopher."

"Do you know when Becky will be in?" asked Jayne.

"No. This is my first weekend here. I've no idea if she takes Jenny anywhere for Saturday morning activities."

"Oh, here they come," said Lisa who'd been looking out of the window.

Jenny came skipping in and ground to a halt when she saw them. "Have they sent a new team?" she asked Ashleigh.

Ashleigh didn't know how to answer that one and looked questioningly at Tony.

Rebecca who had just caught up with her daughter, looked over at them and said, "A Mix-Up Monday on a Saturday?"

"A mix-up what?" asked Jenny, not understanding.

"We're the same guests you've seen the last few days," said Tony. "We're just dressed differently for the day."

"Oh! So, what do I call you today?"

"The same as the last few days will do. You've been very polite and referred to us as Mr and Mrs all week. Just swap the titles."

"Okay," she said, not having any issue with that. "So, what's happening?"

"Well, your ma said she had some work to do. If she's finished later, why don't we all have a trip out?" suggested Marcus.

"Okay Mr Haynes."

"Ah, Becky," said Jayne. "I've got a confession. I've added a branch to your code repository with some useful security libraries."

"A separate branch?"

"Of course."

"You should have just asked. It would have saved you time hacking in. How long did it take?"

"I had to be onsite. Your airgap is good security, but don't let it be your only line of defence."

"Okay, come to the lab, and you can explain. It's good to get an additional pair of eyes on it. I presume one of you can prepare a security report. Please send a secure copy to Ashleigh and me."

"You seem pretty laid back about it?" said Marcus.

"We are a small team to keep what we are doing secret. We don't have the infrastructure that larger teams would have. So, if there are things we can do better, tell us. I'm grateful and Ashleigh will be organising whatever we need to do."

"More work for me," Ashleigh said in a theatrical manner. Jenny giggled.

Just as Rebecca was about to go towards the Lab, she stopped and turned back to them. "Why cross-dress today?"

"Two reasons. First, if something happens and we get sent again, we can't guarantee how we'll be. You know now basically how we look. Second, for us it is a bit of fun and reminiscence. Obviously, Hilda must have mentioned certain school things to you, otherwise you wouldn't have known the name."

"She told me about it when I was struggling as I came out. I was worried how people would react to me and if I would be able to pass. She didn't mention any names, and very little about the running of the school. But when she did mention it, it was always with fondness and happiness."

Jayne followed Rebecca into the Lab, leaving the others.

"How long did it take last night?" asked Ashleigh.

"Ten minutes to get into the lab and it didn't take Jayne long to do her work. The front door was easy as we 'borrowed' Evan's key. I saw the alarm code being entered the other day."

"You're being very open in front of me," said Jenny. "Aren't you worried I might blab. I'm only seven."

"Yes, I'm worried, but Miss T stated that we shouldn't hide things from you," said Marcus. "You know what your ma is doing and there have been no restrictions on you listening to what the project team discuss. It's good that your ma doesn't have to hide things from you. You have gone through enough without thinking you are being lied to. I'd rather you kept things secret, and you know that. But you are seven and you might make a mistake. If you do, we'll live with it."

"Is everyone at the school you went to trans and spies?"

"None of us are spies and only a few are trans," said Christopher. "It's a music school which has enhanced teaching methods. Some pupils are trans and are given the freedom to choose to be their real selves. Because the pupils are talented, the school encourages them to learn about jobs they want to go for. The six of us decided we wanted to help the way we are. The pupils from my year have different jobs. One plays in an orchestra, one does travel arrangements, two work on a farm, one is an accountant, one a politician, one a travel writer, and one a professional billiards player. Then Jayne and I are investigators."

"But that's only ten of you. I was told yesterday that the school accepts twelve a year."

"They do now. When I went, it was ten. Why this sudden desire to go there?"

She thought for a few seconds and then said, "I need to know more about Mummy. It's one of the places she spent time. I need to know—"

Jenny stopped and turned to go.

"What do you need to know?" asked Ashleigh, taking Jenny into her arms.

"I need to know why Auntie blames Ryan for Mummy's death."

This was quite a surprise for Ashleigh. She wondered if Jenny had it wrong, but Jenny seemed earnest, and Ashleigh didn't think now was a time to debate the matter. She didn't know anything about Hilda's sister.

"And you think you'll find that at the school?"

She muttered, "I don't know. I have to start somewhere."

"Have you spoken to anybody about your mummy dying?" asked Brenda all serious.

"Not really. My doctor wanted to talk to me about it, but I didn't want him asking awkward questions."

"Like mother, like daughter," said Ashleigh to herself.

"I also didn't want to talk to anybody. They just wouldn't understand."

There was an awkward silence. Nobody knew what to say to that. They knew that Jenny had issues over her mother's death, but none of them had a clue what to do about it.

"So where do you want to go this afternoon?" asked Brenda, trying to change the subject.

"Ooh, can we go to Slimbridge?"

"The wildfowl nature reserve about ten miles away?"

"Yes," confirmed Jenny.

"Sounds fun. What birds do they have there?"

"Geese, and pink ducks and swans," responded Jenny.

"Pink ducks?" asked Lisa, wondering what she meant by that.

"Flabingos?" tried Jenny.

"Oh, Flamingos."

"Yes, pink ducks."

Aurora

by Karen Page

Part 3

---

Part 3

It was quiet. Perhaps quiet wasn't the right word. It had become routine. It had been a week since the six investigators had gone, and Ashleigh missed her sister more than she thought. They'd spent almost a week together. They hadn't been in the same room all the time. Most of the day her sister had been pretending to be a teaching assistant, watching over Becky's daughter Jenny. But during the evenings she'd revelled in sitting out and talking with her and Luke.

How her sister had grown over the years. There'd always been emails and messages while Tony was at school. Then there were the dark years. Ashleigh had hoped they could meetup when Tony had finished school, but it never happened. The messages became sporadic. There might be a few messages per week and then nothing for a month or so.

Now she realised why there had been periods of silence. There were times where messages couldn't be sent. How things now made sense.

Ashleigh had known that Tony was trans, but after he'd gone to the music school, he'd never mentioned it in any emails or letters. Ashleigh had wondered if it had been a phase, but then about four years after Tony had finished school, Ashleigh had received an email from Tina. It wasn't just announcing the name change but wanting a reunion.

This week had been the first time they'd spent more than a few days together. They'd meet up for a meal, or go to a family event, but not since the day Tony had gone to music school had they just spent time together. Ashleigh now felt alone. The first time she'd felt like that in years.

"What's up?" asked Jenny coming into her office.

"Oh nothing."

"You look a bit sad."

"I'm missing Tina."

"She was really nice," said Jenny. "I liked all six of them. Will they come back?"

"They have their jobs to do, and we have ours. They came to keep us safe. It isn't their usual job, but they were available and were a lot more discrete than armed guards."

"What do you mean?"

"Take Mrs Poop going to your school. She was undercover there as a teaching assistant. I take it nobody knew that she was there to protect you?"

"No. She was a great assistant to the teachers. They really loved having her there."

"If it was a security team, then the teachers would have known you were being protected. Or they might have asked you to not go to school for that week."

"Not go to school?" Jenny sounded aghast.

"To stay protected."

She thought for a minute and then said. "It's good that Mrs Poop came then. Though a few in the class found her name a bit funny."

"It is a bit funny," said Ashleigh giving a little wink. "Don't you think?"

"Yes," smiled Jenny.

"So, what are you doing up in my lair?"

"Lair?"

"A lair traditionally is a secret place for an animal to live. It's sometimes used in films to describe the secret place baddies hide to plot their evil plans."

"Don't be silly, you aren't a baddy making evil plans," chastised Jenny.

"No, I'm not," agreed Ashleigh, solemnly. "So, what brings you to my office?"

"They're in thinking mode downstairs, and I got bored."

"Oh, so I'm your second choice? When you get bored downstairs, you come up to see me?"

"Yes."

That honest answer surprised Ashleigh. She filed it away in her mind to think about later. "Well, I'm glad you've come to see me. Since Julie decided she preferred it at the factory, it has been a little lonely up here."

"How do you make cups of tea?" blurted out Jenny.

"Let's go to the kitchen and do it together. As they would say when I was at school. A practical lesson."

"I like practicals."

They walked to the kitchen. "I know you can do some basic cooking, so let's treat it like that, and I will try to impart a bit of science in it too. It won't be much as I'm not very good at science, but I did some at school. The first thing. Safety. You must only do this under supervision. Agreed?"

"Yes."

"Good. And if I find you cooking or making hot drinks on your own, I will be upset."

"I promise."

"Good. Now what do we need to make a cup of tea?"

"Tea," said Jenny confidently. "Water?"

"Great. Anything else?"

"Milk and sugar?"

"Perhaps. Some people like their tea without milk and sugar. Let's put that down as extras. Do we need anything else?"

Jenny thought hard but shook her head. "I don't think so."

"You need a cup to put the tea in and you need something to boil the water."

"The kettle!"

"Well done. Tea leaves don't melt in the hot water and people don't like tea leaves in their drinks. So, we will use a teabag to keep the tea leaves in something easily removed. Some people prefer what's called 'loose leaf', so the tea isn't contained. They then might use a strainer to remove the leaves. A bit like a sieve. Now the water. We are making traditional tea, so we boil the water. If you are making green tea or a fruit tea, it doesn't need to be as hot."

"When does water boil?"

"Let's get sciency."

"There's no such word as sciency."

"True, but I think you told me the other day that language evolves. Water has three states. It can be solid, which we call ice. It can be liquid which is what comes out of the tap, and it can be a gas which is steam. When the kettle boils, watch for steam coming from the kettle. That is some of the water changing state. The melting point and boiling point of water is different at different pressures. So here, at sea level, it freezes at zero Celsius, and boils at one hundred Celsius. If you climbed a really tall mountain, the higher you go, the less pressure there is and the lower the boiling point."

"Okay. Do all things freeze at the same temperature?"

"No. It depends on the substance. They sometimes call it Matter. So, we covered water. The metal Iron is solid at room temperature. If I remember correctly it needs to be just over 1500 Celsius to start turning to a liquid. I've no idea what its boiling point is, but it will be a lot higher. Oxygen is at the other end of the scale. It is a gas at room temperature and has to be very cold to turn to a liquid."

"I suppose that make sense, otherwise we'd all be trying to walk on liquid."

"Exactly. Now, do you remember how everybody likes their tea?"

"That's a trick question," said Jenny. "Henry doesn't like tea."

"You're kidding?! I've been making him tea."

"I think he drinks it because you made it," she replied.

"What does he drink? Coffee?"

"Yes."

"Okay, so let's make him a coffee and the rest a tea. We will take it down and let them know you made it. These drinks are very very hot. If you spill boiling water, it will hurt you and could scar you for life. Your reflex would be to drop the cup or kettle and that could mean more boiling water on you. So, at the moment, you should only make it under supervision, and I will carry the tray for you. Understood?"

"I understand," Jenny sighed. "I already promised."

"I know. I was just making sure."

Jenny took her time, and followed the instructions as Ashleigh relayed them to her. Then when it was time to take them downstairs, Jenny rushed ahead, making sure the doors were open for Ashleigh.

"Thank you, Jenny," praised Ashleigh as they went into the discussion room. "That was really helpful of you."

The four project members looked up as Ashleigh placed the tray on the side unit against the far wall. "Jenny asked if I'd teach her how to make drinks," explained Ashleigh. "So, she made these under supervision."

Work was abandoned and they all took their cups.

"Thank you, Jenny," said Rebecca. "Very nicely done."

"And a coffee," said Henry happily. He then turned to look at Ashleigh and blushed. "Though I've begun to appreciate tea every so often."

Appreciative noises were voiced from the others too. Jenny simply nodded at the praise and sat at her usual place, trying to avoid their attention.

Ashleigh scooted back upstairs to continue her work, and to ponder on Jenny's strange reaction. That evening, as she finished, she went into the discussion area and found it was just Rebecca. That was strange, as they all often worked late.

"I'm off," said Ashleigh.

"Do you have a few minutes?" asked Rebecca.

"Sure," replied Ashleigh, stepping into the room.

"You've been here nearly two weeks. How are you finding the job?"

"It's a lot more than I expected, which is great. I was worried I'd struggle not being in a town, but I seem to have settled into the countryside without issue. Though I think the wind must have been in a different direction as I'm sure I heard the sound of cows mooing this morning."

Rebecca shrugged her shoulders. "I'm sure there must be some farms locally that have cows. I can't say I've seen any. So, do you plan on staying?"

"I'm not planning on looking for a different job."

"Good. I want to tell you about what we're doing. Before I explain the project, I need to explain a few things to make sure what I tell you makes sense."

"Before you start," said Ashleigh. "Do you need to sort out Jenny?"

"No, she is at Evan's. He offered to feed her, so we could have this chat."

"Okay."

"Have a look at the map of the world on the wall. Does it look like the map you saw in school when you did geography?"

"Yes. I hated geography."

"Okay, this is what's called a Mercator projection. Which is bigger, Africa or Greenland?

"Difficult to tell. Africa possibly?"

"Greenland is about 2.2 million square kilometres. Africa is 30 million square kilometres."

"Really? They look the same on the map."

"Indeed. Here is a copy of the map on paper. An aeroplane is going to travel from London to Anchorage, Alaska. I've marked the two locations on the map to make things easier. Draw the shortest route."

Rebecca handed her a pencil and ruler. Ashleigh had a feeling there was some type of trick, but couldn't see what, so drew a straight line between the two cities.

"Rather like a conjurer, you did what I wanted you to."

Rebecca lifted a globe from the floor and placed it on the table. She gave Ashleigh a piece of string and said, "Do it again and compare the two."

"It's totally different. Using the globe the shortest distance is nearly over the north pole."

"Yes. Earth is not flat, though there are still some out there that would disagree. The shortest distance on the surface is called the Great Circle."

"Are you saying the map is lying?"

"Yes, but it has no choice. It is a two-dimensional representation of a three-dimensional object. There are different maps that represent our planet; all of them different. You should see what it looks like with Australia in the centre. Did you ever see the film Total Recall?"

"The one starring Arnold Schwarzenegger?"

"No, the remake starring Colin Farrell. They travelled from Australia to England via a ship that went through the centre of the planet. It was the shortest route."

"The shortest route from London to Anchorage would be via a tunnel, not on the surface," concluded Ashleigh.

"Exactly. There are shortcuts that only become apparent if you look at things differently. In this case, the three-dimensional journey is different from the two-dimensional. Now onto the next bit which is closer to the subject. Space travel."

"I knew outer space was going to come into this sooner or later."

"Star Trek quotes aren't allowed! The problem is that space is huge. It takes a long time to get anywhere. Take the probe Voyager 1. It was launched in 1977. It reached Jupiter in 1979. Saturn in 1980 and left the solar system in 2012. It only managed to reach those speeds because it wasn't stopping. It just flew through those systems at a speed that would be fast enough to leave the solar system. It also went at a specific time when the planets were aligned. Take the journey to Mars. At its closest it can be about 56 million kilometres away. But when Mars is at the other side of the Sun, we can be 400 million kilometres apart. When things are being sent to Mars, they try to send them when they are the closest. They call it the Mars Transit Window. Depending how quickly the vehicle is travelling, depends how long it takes. It can be as quick as 150 days but often might be more like 250 to 300 days."

"Okay, let me see if I get this. Things take a long time to travel in space, and you can only do it at the right time."

"Yes," Rebecca beamed, pleased that Ashleigh understood. "There is then the issue of humans travelling to Mars. On Earth, we are protected from space radiation because of the magnetic field. When you are in space, the craft needs shielding to try to minimise that radiation. That makes space craft heavier. You don't want the journey to be too long. The longer you're in space the higher the radiation threat."

"So why don't they just go faster?"

"Two things. One, the amount of fuel needed to go faster. And then if you are going faster, you need to slow down more. Finally, the human body doesn't like to accelerate too quickly."

"So, it comes down to either astronauts being squished or radiated?"

"I hope not. And what we've just discussed is the journey to Mars. What about to Jupiter or other star systems. If we travel at the speed of light, the journey to the nearest star would take four years. Physics tells us we can't accelerate from below the speed of light to above the speed of light. Even then, the amount of energy to reach that speed would be more than we could produce."

"Oh," said Ashleigh feeling these issues were insurmountable. "Lots of issues. So, what are you working on?"

"What if we're looking at the journey like a two-dimensional map. If we look carefully there might be a way to shorten the journey."

"Warp drive?"

"I know I said no Star Trek but let's go with that concept. The idea of a warp drive, or as the 1994 paper became known as the Alcubierre Drive, is to make the path shorter by contracting space in front of them and expanding it behind. The craft would sit inside a bubble, and this bubble would move, rather than the craft. Think of it as space moving rather than the ship."

"Is that what you're trying to create?"

"No. We are looking at something like the difference between a two and three-dimensional map. In space we think there are other dimensions that allow us to create a shortcut. We are trying to create the link that will allow us to pass through."

"Like a wormhole?"

"I think you are thinking about what is called an Einstein-Rosen Bridge. Conceptually it is very similar. Mathematically, very different."

"How do you know this is even possible?"

"We've long debated how, and now we are trying to see if our theories hold water. Our test just before the power went out seemed to indicate we are on the right path. It appears that travelling a larger distance is easier than a very short distance. I suppose it's like folding a piece of paper. To an extent, a really small fold is harder than a large one."

"Thank you for telling me. I've no idea why I'm involved though."

"Because you are fantastic at what you do. We needed someone to do this, and you seem to be doing great. Now you know what we are doing we don't have to tiptoe around you."

"Does Julie know?"

"No, she was never told. Her job is just an administrator. You aren't just here to order things—"

"No, I'm here to keep an eye on you all, and if the worst happens, get you out of the rabbit hole when you get obsessed or frustrated. Hopefully I can stop you going into it, but I know that sometimes you have to work on the edge."

Rebecca looked slightly ashamed. "Yes. I see Laura was right when she said you would get it. I presume you had a similar situation in your previous job?"

"Yes. Did Hilda help monitor you all too?"

Rebecca sighed. "Yes."

This wasn't anything that Ashleigh hadn't worked out for herself and that is probably why she didn't go off in a rage. "I'm here to support the project, but I'm not ever going to be a replacement for Hilda. She was your wife. I'm not. She was Jenny's mother. I'm not. Parenting is still your responsibility, but I know there will be times where you are in the middle of an experiment and can't be there for her."

"But I should be."

"You just said you were looking at creating a shortcut through space via other dimensions. Let me call it an interdimensional drive. The tests you have been running show that you are starting to experiment with that now. Can you really say it would be safe to be distracted if you were in the middle of an experiment like that?"

"No, but—"

"No buts. It isn't safe and Jenny knows that. She isn't stupid. Far from it. I'm not in there with you so she can always come to see me. In some ways you are like a family. You don't just work together, but you seem to do other things together too. You also support each other and all support Jenny. It isn't a blood family, but it seems to act like one. I'm happy to be part of that and will help not just Jenny, but all of you."

"Thank you. You seem to be very open. You had no issues with me having changed gender."

"It is what you needed to do. It seems you weren't ready to accept that part of you when we were young. I saw who you were when you were younger. I have no issues with Tina either."

"And you aren't angry that I got married?"

"Love is love. I actually said something similar to Tina last week. You fell in love. I can't blame you for that. I can still be upset though that you broke off all communication."

"When we were still at school, I didn't want you sneaking behind your parents back. When we went to university, I didn't want you to be estranged. I'd made my decision and didn't know how to deal with that conflict. I was worried about my parents and if they would be as upset as yours were with Tony."

"I get that," said Ashleigh. "It still doesn't stop me being upset about it though."

"Did you ever find love?"

"I dated but never found the right one. Some relationships lasted a few months, but things never seemed to work out."

"I hope you find it one day."

"Well, I'm not interested in hooking up with anyone on this project. That is a sure way to cause issues. Who was in the house I'm in before me?"

"Why?"

"They just had great taste. The style is so me."

"Nobody. It's stood empty since it was refurbished eighteen months ago. It was the last one finished."

"Who organised it?"

"Hilda," Rebecca responded.

"Tell me about her," prompted Ashleigh. She wasn't trying to be unkind. She was genuinely interested and thought it might help Rebecca think of their time together rather than her death.

Rebecca looked a bit uncomfortable. "What do you want to know?"

"I've no idea. I was just trying to get a feel for her. She is a large part of you. Tina said she used to work at a music school, but how did you meet?"

That seemed safe ground. "I was going to a talk at a literature festival in Cheltenham. I was early and sat in her talk. Somehow, we got talking after and we went for a drink. I missed the event I'd been going to see. She got a work call and when she'd gone, I didn't think I'd see her again."

Ashleigh almost laughed at that. She'd heard that bit from Tina, but Becky was glossing things over and making it sound so normal. An ETV was rarely used and the video she'd watched after Tina had mentioned it, an armed ETV. The first and the last time there'd been the armed version in operation.

"So how did you meet again?"

"Chance. I'd been to see my GP about a few issues, and he sent me to see a specialist in London. She worked in the same building, and we bumped into each other. Literally. I hadn't been watching where I was going. She'd just finished seeing her last client for the day, and we went out for a drink."

Rebecca then said, "This seems a rather surreal conversation. Talking to you about Hilda. It seems wrong."

"No, it isn't wrong. I wouldn't have asked if I didn't want to know. I'm sure Hilda asked you about your past. I'm sure you told her about me."

"Yes, I suppose. Though I've no idea if that was her trying to find out from a psychiatric perspective, or if she was personally interested."

"Does it really matter? She loved you and you loved her."

"Yes," smiled Rebecca. "We did."

"How did she die?"

"The doctors don't know. They put it down to organ failure."

"What about Ryan?"

Rebecca shoulders sagged even more, and she looked away from Ashleigh to gaze at the stuffed bear on the shelf.

"That was the second blow. He'd been very ill after he'd been born. I was devastated and thought about stopping my anti-androgens just in case Hilda wanted another child. She said my transition was important for me and I shouldn't stop. Ryan got better and seemed to be doing well. Yet when they did an autopsy, they found signs he'd had an incurable disease from birth. He shouldn't have survived more than a few months, but he lived for five wonderful years with no sign of it. He brought so much joy to all three of us."

Ashleigh wanted to go and comfort Rebecca, but she knew she shouldn't. She needed to keep their relationship purely work related. It would be so easy to go comfort her first love, but she felt it would be taking advantage of Rebecca while fragile. She didn't want that.

"Sometimes the brightest stars dim the fastest," said Ashleigh gently. "It sounds like you were a really close family. How are you coping?"

"I have good days, and I have bad days. It's often the little things that suddenly catch you out. I wake up in the night and reach out and find Hilda not there. I might watch a film and exclaim 'Oh, no Hilda' when something tense is happening. I get up to take Ryan swimming on a Saturday before remembering he isn't there."

"Does Jenny swim?"

"Yes, though swimming lessons finished two weeks ago. They won't start again until September. Too many people on holiday for it to be worth their while."

"What's your plans for your interdimensional drive?" asked Ashleigh, trying to bring the conversation back to work topics.

"The small tests we've done match our expectations. We're constructing a slightly larger unit and I'm coding the software that will handle it. If that works well, we want to see if we can open a path to send something small through it. However, we are still debating those parameters. We should have a plan soon, and then it is the hard work in preparing."

"Is it safe?"

"The small trials we've done indicates it should be. The infrastructure should be good for that test, but we will need to build some type of containment when we send something a lot further. But that's something for another day."

"Some notice would be nice. I'd prefer not to have to cajole everybody."

"You should see the factory. That is well thought out and that equipment was ordered well in advance. It's just the research here is a lot more dynamic."

"I'm sure I'll get to see the factory at some stage, but I don't think I need that distraction at the moment. This is where I'm needed. So, how far have you got with this tunnel you're creating?"

"We've managed to open something. The sensor readings prove that. We just don't know if we are targeting the destination properly. In some respects, we won't know that until we send something through."

"Hang on, you're opening a tunnel via another dimension, and you don't know if you are going to the right place?"

Rebecca smiled, amused at the look of concern on Ashleigh's face. "That about covers it."

"Are you mad?" spluttered Ashleigh. "What if you open a connection to the middle of a star?"

"Space is big. The chance of that is very small."

Ashleigh eventually noticed Rebecca's grin. "Are you pulling my leg? That's not fair."

"Life is never fair. What we are opening is minuscule and lasts microseconds. Our aim is to open just at the other side of the river, but it's very close and is much harder than something a larger distance away. We will want to put it in a vacuum chamber before we try to go outside of the atmosphere as we don't know how that would work."

"Do you need line of sight?"

"No. We thought so at first and was quite surprised when the maths said the opposite. That took six months of debate, argument and a few bizarre tests to prove that."

"By the sounds of things, most of your tests are bizarre."

Rebecca put her hand over her heart. "You wound me!"

They both burst out laughing.

Aurora

by Karen Page

Part 4

---

Part 4

"We're recording," shouted Jenny into a walkie talkie.

She was with Ashleigh at the upstairs window filming the river just outside the old pub. This wasn't something they expected to be doing on a Saturday, but the scientists were eager to run the tests. Jenny and Ashleigh were unexpected assistants.

"We're finished," came the voice of Liam a few minutes later. "Did you get anything."

Ashleigh shook her head.

"No," relayed Jenny.

"Keep recording towards that big post on the other side of the riverbank. We will try again."

Instead, the smoke detector started beeping. All the detectors in the building were linked, so it didn't mean there was smoke there, but somewhere. A few seconds later the fire alarm started.

"Out, now!" shouted Ashleigh to Jenny, and they both made their way quickly out of the building.

Liam, Henry and Rebecca were just outside the door when Jenny and Ashleigh came out.

"Where's Evan?" croaked Ashleigh, panic gripping her throat.

"I'm here," he said coming outside. "The fire is out."

"What happened?" enquired Ashleigh.

"We aren't sure yet. We need to pull the unit. It looked like some type of feedback.

"Feedback?" asked Henry. "There shouldn't have been any feedback. The unit has enough shielding."

"Unless," pondered Rebecca. "No—"

Rebecca went to go back inside, but Evan blocked her. "Let the air clear first."

"I want to see the playback."

"Playback?" Ashleigh asked.

"We have several high-speed videos and sensors recording the experiment."

"And yet you didn't ask for a camera in the back garden to do the video there. You had Jenny and me recording on our phones."

"Yeah, sorry about that," said Evan. "Change of plan. We thought it would be a safer first opening attempt than where we originally planned. Becky, it turns out your idea of storing the recordings away from the equipment wasn't so paranoid after all."

"You moved the server?" enquired Ashleigh.

"It was one of the last things David helped me with," said Rebecca. "It's in the old server room in one of the old industrial units."

"Then instead of going in the lab to look at the data, why don't you go there? I can monitor the situation in the lab."

"The server is there but the software to view the data is here."

"Becky, you acted like you knew the issue," pointed out Henry. "Do you care to tell the rest of us?"

Rebecca hesitated to answer. "I had a silly idea. I don't want to say more without looking at the data. I know Evan and Liam will want to go through this methodically. If I say something, it might sway their thoughts."

Evan nodded at that.

The wait felt unbearable for the scientists, but as soon as it was deemed safe to enter, they all did. Ashleigh and Jenny followed them into the lab. There was a smell of burnt electronics, but nothing seemed damaged apart from the test machine.

Two viewings of the video, even at slower speeds, didn't show any clues which everybody found frustrating.

"So, what now?" asked Henry.

"You take the machine to bits. Carefully. Very carefully." said Becky. "I'm going to start looking through the data with Liam. The trouble is we have no base model to say what data is correct, so we can't find what's wrong at a touch of a button. It's going to take a while to wade through it all."

"Can I help?" asked Jenny.

"Yes," said Becky, without hesitation. "You've seen where the data dumps are. Start opening each sensor log and finding the start of the test on each log file. Do you know what to do?"

"Yes," she replied, going to the PC next to Becky's. She'd spent enough time watching her Ma. She couldn't understand the data but knew how to access it and how to find the start of the test.

The afternoon dragged. The smell gradually disappeared, or the project staff had got used to it. At first, Ashleigh felt a little left out, but then she remembered what her task was. It was to make sure the project ran smoothly. She didn't want to leave the building, so went upstairs and found a delivery company to bring assorted sandwiches. If they went on too late, she'd order in pizza. Nothing symbolised a late-night project better than pizza.

"Look at that," exclaimed Evan, as Henry managed to remove the secondary inner cover. It had taken a lot of time to gently pry it off without disturbing what was underneath. Where there had been a tidy run of cables, there was a large scorch running at an angle across them with a few severed. Henry turned over the cover and saw a 5mm circular burn mark.

Rebecca turned around and saw the unit with the damage on full display. "No!" she exclaimed and turned around to pour over the data. "Jenny, please find the data for sensor R4."

Jenny found what had been requested and her Ma looked it over. "There it is. We opened up our path, but our destination was wrong. We opened it inside the unit, just behind the focal beam."

Jenny jumped off her chair and went to Ashleigh who had been hovering near the door.

"It's getting late. Can we cook soon?"

"I've ordered pizza. Is that okay?"

"That's great."

"How did we open it in the wrong place?" asked Henry, looking over the damage, trying to work out what he would need to replace.

"Is our–" started Becky.

"Don't say it," interrupted Evan.

"Is our SFR wrong?" piped up Liam.

"NOO!!!" groaned Evan.

"What's that?" Ashleigh asked Jenny, so not to disturb the scientists.

"Standard Frame of Reference. It means how they pick a spot to describe what is happening and positions. If I was the reference point, Ma is two meters away and moving at a sixty-degree angle."

"Okay, so why did it fail?"

Jenny shrugged. "That is what they're going to argue about for the next few days."

"Pizza is on the way," said Ashleigh so the whole room would hear. "My translator here" Ashleigh pointed at Jenny. "Thinks that this technical discussion is going to take some time. So go to the toilet now and gather your thoughts and data. You can then start this probable all-nighter without further distractions."

Ashleigh then turned to Jenny. "Since your Ma will probably be here all night, where would you prefer to sleep? Upstairs here or at my house?"

"Here," said Jenny giving no thought at all.

"No problem," said Ashleigh, a slight pang of disappointment which surprised her.

Since the first night, Ashleigh had become aware that Jenny sometimes used one of the bedrooms if Becky was working late or all night. She made sure it was always ready. It wasn't part of her work duties, but something she just did because a seven year old needed a place near her one surviving parent.

"Evan, as the chief scientist why don't you start with where we are?" suggested Rebecca, before taking a mouthful of pizza.

"I still think that title is a poison chalice," said Evan. "The tunnel appears to have opened successfully. What wasn't successful was where it opened. The question is why. Liam is questioning the SFR. Perhaps he can explain why?"

"It's something I've been thinking about a bit. We've been setting the destination based on Mikowski. Things changed when physics moved from three to four dimensions. Our path is based on another dimension. Our answer might be wrong because we're not taking that into account."

There was silence for a few seconds and then the room erupted in chatter. Abuse and praise were being batted around. Ashleigh and Jenny left them trying to determine if Liam was mad, or a genius or both.

"Are you sure you'll be able to sleep with that discussion?" asked Ashleigh as they made their way up the stairs.

"Oh yes. I've gone to sleep with much bigger discussions."

"Okay. Do you need anything from your house?"

"No. I have a spare set of PJs here and you know I have a toothbrush and toothpaste."

"Okay, get yourself ready, and into bed. I'll pop in to say goodnight in ten minutes or so."

"Thanks Miss Thompson."

Ashleigh went to her office, to give Jenny space to get ready. Her office PC had gone into standby. She hadn't been in there for hours. She put it back on and consulted her email while waiting. There was one from Tina informing her she was going to be out of touch for a bit, but Luke would be still around for another few days. She sent a quick response saying 'I love you' without knowing if her sister would see it before going wherever she was going.

"If you need one of us, your Ma is downstairs and I'm but a phone call away, " said Ashleigh when she checked on Jenny.

"I know, Miss Thompson. I'm good. Good night."

"Sleep tight."

Ashleigh closed the door and went downstairs. The debate was still flowing. The boards were starting to be populated with strange diagrams, and formula using symbols she'd never seen before. Becky looked across at Ashleigh, who beckoned her childhood acquaintance across.

"Jenny has just gone to bed upstairs," explained Ashleigh.

"Thank you. I'll steal away to say goodnight."

The rest of the team looked surprised when Becky disappeared.

"She's just saying goodnight to Jenny who's in bed upstairs," Ashleigh explained. "I'm sure she won't be long. How's the analysis going?"

"It's torture," said Evan. "At this rate Henry will have rebuilt the test unit before we've concluded what's wrong."

"Won't the unit need to change based on what you discover?"

"I hope not," grumbled Henry. "The angle of the beam, the frequency of the beam and any modulation and pulsing is all software controlled. Hardware would only need changing if there was a more radical change."

"Does anyone need anything else tonight?" asked Ashleigh.

Nobody did, and when Becky appeared, nor did she. Therefore, Ashleigh left them with a farewell.

Even though the next day was a Sunday, Ashleigh went to the old pub to make sure everything was fine. To her astonishment it was empty, and the alarm was set. She double checked her watch, and found it wasn't late. She pulled out her phone and sent a message to Becky. Her response was quick.

"We stopped at 2am. Henry had finished his work, and the discussion wasn't getting anywhere. We decided to rest and continue Monday. Enjoy your Sunday."

A follow-up message arrived a few seconds later. "On Monday I will be going to the factory after dropping Jenny off at her friend's house. Henry is going to prepare some cameras in the large warehouse in the industrial unit. It will be just Evan and Liam in the office as they hash out the science."

That was unexpected, thought Ashleigh to herself. She went back to her house, jumped in her car and set off to do a little retail therapy. She'd spent so much time with the project, it was nice to do something just for herself.

On Monday, she knew it was going to be a quiet day. Only half the people in the building, and they would be busy working on the science. A quiet day to catch up on the paperwork and file the report to Laura she'd missed the previous week.

She almost skipped along to the office. The previous day she'd spent time relaxing, and after a bit of a trip to browse through Ikea, she'd surprised her parents with a visit. She knew the project would get busier the more successful they were, so she decided the days like that were to be enjoyed as much as possible.

When she opened the front door, the alarm was off. That was unusual, but sometimes one of them got an early start. She popped into the discussion room to say good morning. Her heart picked up as she took in the situation in front of her. Both Evan and Liam were sat on the floor. Neither of them looked up when she went in. Evan said something, and Liam responded, but they both didn't seem there.

Not again, she thought to herself. Memories of what happened at Trinton flashed through her mind. She rushed to them. They were both wearing the same clothes as Saturday. She knelt before them and pulled out her water bottle from the bag she carried.

"Here, drink some of this," said Ashleigh gently offering it to Liam as he looked worse. "Take a few sips."

He did and she passed it to Evan. "We have an angel flying in to help us," Liam said, sounding delirious. "We've nearly worked it out."

He pointed to the boards, covered with equations. Some were neat and legible, but there were others that looked no more than scribble.

"I'm sure you have," reassured Ashleigh, "but now you need to rest."

"Later, we need to run some tests."

"Henry and Becky aren't here, so why don't you have a sleep until they arrive."

She took out her phone and rang Henry first. "Henry," she said as soon as he answered. "I have an emergency at the office."

"Coming," was his brief answer, before he hung up.

Next, she rang Rebecca. "Hi Ashleigh."

"Once you've dropped Jenny off, come to the office."

"I can come now," Becky offered. "We aren't setting off for ten minutes."

"NO," said Ashleigh. "Jenny mustn't come in. Evan and Liam don't look like they've slept since Saturday. They're exhausted. I'm going to get Henry to help get them upstairs, and into bed."

Becky swore, and Ashleigh heard Jenny in the background say "Language!".

"I'll be there," said Becky and hung up.

"More sips," said Ashleigh, passing the bottle between the two exhausted scientists. "Henry's coming to help us."

Liam tried to get up, but he staggered back to the floor.

"No," said Ashleigh.

A minute later Henry burst through the door. He was puffing, out of breath having ran all the way from his house.

"What the–" was the only words he could get out when he saw them all on the floor.

"Get your breath. I need help taking them upstairs and each into the two bedrooms. We'll take Evan first and then Liam."

"What happened?" he asked, never having seen anything like it before.

"Later. Let's get Liam upstairs to the room with the double bed."

"Why not put them both in Jenny's room. There's two single beds in there."

"No. They need to be separate, or they'll excite each other."

"It sounds like you've done this before," said Henry as they gathered Liam up, and between them they made their way to the stairs.

Ashleigh didn't say anything but helped to the stairs. From there, Henry did most of the heavy lifting of getting Liam up them. While that happened, she went back to Evan.

He sat there, rocking slightly, his eyes open, but not focused. "I'm sorry," he mumbled over and over. "I'm sorry."

Ashleigh wanted to berate him, but she couldn't. That would come later. She knew he would berate himself when he was better.

Five minutes later, Henry came down and they repeated the task of getting a scientist upstairs. While Henry got Evan into bed, she popped her head around to check on Liam. Henry had undressed him and had him under the duvet. Liam was fast asleep.

They heard the front door, and in a moment, Becky came rushing up the stairs. "What happened?"

"Jenny's not here, is she?" asked Ashleigh.

"No. I dropped her off at Willow Cottage. What happened?"

"They over did it," said Ashleigh. "I don't know the whole story, but I'm assuming when they left on Saturday night, Liam and Evan went to one of the houses and continued the discussion. At some stage, it ended up back here which is where I found them. Exhausted and dehydrated. They are now in bed and mustn't do anything until Friday. Two nights of missed sleep requires four days of recovery."

"How do you know so much about this?" asked Henry.

"This happened at my previous company. I failed. It's part of my job to make sure this didn't happen."

"You can't be responsible for everything we do," protested Rebecca. "We live in a free country where we are allowed to mess up. This is a project which is breaking new ground. It will happen that we get excited or frustrated or something like that and end up overworking."

"Yes, and now they need to recover, and time will be lost."

"Do they need to go to hospital?" asked Henry.

"They drank some water, and they weren't sick. If they couldn't take liquid, I'd have rung for an ambulance. I suspect they must have drunk something, or they would be much worse. I have a job for one of you. Go to the shop and get two drink bottles. Ones with a sip cap if possible. Then go to a pharmacy. They will have rehydration solutions which we can make up for them. When they wake, they need to have a drink before going back to sleep."

Over the next few days they took it in turns, monitoring the two scientists. Becky was only around periodically. Most of the time she was home with Jenny, who was most indignant that she couldn't come to the office.

After a day in bed, the two patients were wanting to get back downstairs, but Ashleigh was firm. As they recovered, they ate and pottered around upstairs, but no work. On the Thursday, they were both allowed home but told no working. They were also instructed not to contact each other until they came into work on Friday, which should be no earlier than 8am.

"This is ridiculous," Liam had said on the Tuesday.

"What you did was ridiculous," retorted Ashleigh. "You were both exhausted and a little dehydrated. I'm glad you actually got some liquid in you while you nearly worked yourself to death."

"Listen to her," said Henry. "When I got there, you couldn't even stand on your own."

"We over did it," Evan said to the younger scientist. "It's Ashleigh's job to look after the project and therefore us. We made her job a lot harder."

On the Friday, Liam was the first scientist who turned up. It was a few minutes after the earliest he was allowed back at work. He carried a box of chocolates for Ashleigh.

"Thanks for looking after me," he said, handing the chocolates to Ashleigh. "Sorry I was a bit grumpy."

"I've had worse patients," she laughed.

Liam smiled in relief. Then Evan arrived. He carried a bouquet of flowers and a box with a vase to hold them.

"I've not been looked after like that in years," said Evan reflectively. "I might have to do it again."

"Don't you dare," laughed Ashleigh, hoping that Evan was joking. And then said very seriously. "Next time I'll have to get the boss down from London."

They all looked a bit stunned at that. With that she flounced out of the room, taking the flowers and chocolates up to her office. It was a few hours later that she came down with fresh drinks for them. There was a different atmosphere in the room. The stress of Saturday night was gone. They were more productive.

"How's it going?" she asked as she placed the drinks on the sideboard.

"A few days rest has cleared my mind," said Evan. "We have some new theories."

"There were a series of books written by Robert Ludlum. In it, one of the characters said, 'Rest is a weapon'."

"An interesting thought," said Evan. "Anyway, be aware we will be running some small tests this afternoon. It shouldn't impact you, but you should know."

"Do I need to record the river again?"

"No. This is a more basic test. See if Liam's mad idea on Saturday is valid. That is what we were hashing out all Sunday

After the day trip Jenny had with her friend she turned up at the office. It had been the first time she'd been allowed in since the incident. She rushed into the lab, and on seeing Evan and Liam at the whiteboard, rushed across to see them

"Are you okay?" Jenny asked breathlessly.

"We are now," said Liam.

Jenny through her arms around Liam's waist and gave him a hug. She then did the same to a bemused Evan.

"What was wrong? Ma just said that here was off-limits until you were better."

"We were unwell," said Evan, looking ashamed. "You know the problem we had on Saturday; well Liam and I didn't stop working until Monday. Miss Thompson found us very ill as we hadn't slept for days. She got Henry to help us upstairs where she made sure we rested and did no work until we were better. This is the first day back."

"How unwell were you? Could you have died?"

"If Miss Thompson had found us hours later, then we might have ended up in hospital. If we'd continued like that for even longer then yes, we could have died."

Jenny stood there for a few seconds; her bottom lip trembled. Then she did something nobody expected. She pounded on Evan's chest with all her seven-year-old might. "Don't ever do that again," she yelled. "I've lost Ryan and Mummy. Nobody else I love should die especially when it's because they're STUPID!"

The young girl then ran outside the back of the building, standing by the river wall as she stared out at the river. Becky gave her a minute and followed.

"I now feel like the biggest shit on Earth," said Liam, shocked at what Jenny just said to him and Evan.

"Amen," agreed Evan.

After ten long minutes Jenny came in, followed by Becky. She went straight to Evan.

"I'm sorry I hit you," she said, her eyes bright with honesty. "Hitting someone is never okay."

This wasn't what Evan had expected Jenny to say, but half the time she confounded him. He looked across at Liam who shrugged.

"I accept your apology, " responded Evan formally. "I'm also very sorry I brought up bad memories for you. You are bright and I think it's important you know why we worked ourselves too hard. That way there is hope that you never get in the trap that Liam and I fell into."

"Do you think I might?" asked Jenny, her curiosity peaked.

"I don't know, but if you are warned, it won't do any harm, will it?"

Liam and Evan put on a coat and followed Jenny and Becky to sit on the wall and discuss things, while watching the river flow by.

"Has Jenny always been so grown-up?" Ashleigh asked Henry, now the room just had the two of them in it.

"She has always been super bright. That's why it's never been an issue having her sit in here. She doesn't interrupt but listens and learns. When she does ask something, it's never in the middle of something, but when we're quiet. And what she asks is very pertinent. Since Hilda and Ryan died, it's like she has grown-up too early. She does some things herself which you'd not expect a child to do."

"Is that just how she was raised?"

"I suppose so. Neither Becky nor Hilda treated her like a child. Sure, they set boundaries and guided her, but she was never excluded from what happened here. Probably more so over the last six months."

"She's a bit of a mystery to me," said Ashleigh. "Sometimes she's so unemotional. She seems to have some type of barrier. Yet today she was so filled with rage.

"I don't think it was rage," replied Henry. "I thought it was more panic."

"How did the tests go this afternoon?"

"Slowly. They are going back to fundamentals. They have a long checklist of things to verify. They made some assumptions, and they are trying to find out which were wrong. Hopefully they will then get back on track. I'm spending time setting up equipment on the fly. It's great."

Aurora

by Karen Page

Part 5

---

Part 5

A week's staycation in November wasn't what some people would have regarded as exciting, but Tina had come to stay. It wasn't for security reasons, but she'd finished a project and was on her own. Luke was still away and would be for a while. Tina knew she could get sent away at short notice, but decided she might as well spend that time with her sister than on her own.

"What do you want to do?" asked Ashleigh. It was early Tuesday morning, and her sister had just arrived. She must have set off early to get there just before 9am.

"I'd like to do some walks in the area. It doesn't sound exciting, but it's something I've not been able to do while away."

"No problem. Where? Locally or further afield?"

"Locally if that's okay. You know, walks along the canal, up to some of the beacons. That kind of thing."

"Sure. Last time you stayed here you used to go for runs in the morning and evening. I'm not as fit as you."

"I'm not after hikes and pushing limits."

"Great, then dump your things in the spare room and get into your walking shoes and let's go. It's going to rain, but I've no issue with that. I have waterproofs you can borrow."

They decided on a walk along the canal. As with canals, it was flat and therefore would be easy. Evan dropped them off at Rea Bridge, so they had many options on how far they went. They'd come back on foot. It took them twenty minutes to walk from Rea Bridge to The Pilot, which was the next bridge along the canal. It had been a brisk walk, to warm themselves up, and it had been mostly in silence.

"Onto the next bridge?" Ashleigh asked, wondering if Tina was going to say what was playing on her mind.

"Sure," responded Tina, looking at some ducks swimming near the bridge. There were a few smaller ducklings following an adult.

As they walked on, Ashleigh said, "You're with me. You're not on a mission now, so no need to hide."

"Hide?"

"I don't need specifics, but you seem to be a million miles away. Something's eating at you."

"You don't need that in your head," responded Tina.

"I'm your sister. You listened to some of my issues. We work for the same person. We might be doing different things, but it doesn't mean I can't be there for you. I've had situations before in my old company that were pretty messed up."

"I'm okay. I've already talked with someone at work. When we come back from an investigation, we always have to have several chats with a psychiatrist."

"Good, but I'm still here if you need me. I'm sure Luke is someone you can be open with, but he is still away. Is this the first time you've been apart?"

"No. We sometimes have solo investigations and sometimes team ones. I've even been on a few without Luke but other people." Tina paused before saying, "It is the first time he's not been there after a shitty one."

Ashleigh hadn't heard Tina talk with loathing when she said shitty. Whatever had happened must have been bad. In some ways it wasn't a surprise. She knew they went undercover and the type of places that would be investigated were probably not ones to have tea and cake on a Friday.

Ashleigh gently slipped her hand into her sisters as they continued to walk towards the marina at Saul. She whispered to her sister, "I love you."

Tina didn't say anything but didn't remove her hand. Ashleigh had no idea what her sister had been through, and in some respects it didn't matter. Her sister was in pain and needed to be with her. That's all that counted.

They kept walking along the canal footpath for five miles until they got to Saul Junction. This was where two canals met and in such an important area there was a marina for narrowboats to moor. It was a cold November day. The rain had stopped, but it was still murky. There wasn't the public milling around admiring the narrowboats, but there was still activity. For some, the narrowboat was something they took out at the weekend or during the summer. For others, it was where they lived and there were always people around.

The canal wasn't generally used for shipping goods anymore, but there were still larger boats making their way towards Gloucester and beyond. Boats didn't navigate the Severn between Sharpness and Gloucester due to the bends and silt. They used this canal instead. Even the tall-ships made their way to Gloucester via the canal for the tall ship festival.

"You want to stop for a bite to eat?" Ashleigh enquired.

"An all-day breakfast?" Tina responded instantly, letting go of Ashleigh's hand. "That's if The Stables Café is still here."

"It is. Though can we sit inside?"

"I asked to sit outside in the cold once, and you never let me forget it."

"Of course not. There was snow on the ground, and you wanted to sit outside."

"I was eight. I can't even remember why I wanted to. I just remember the event because you and Caroline keep mentioning it."

"You tease Caroline and me too. It goes both ways."

It was quiet inside. During the summer, it was packed with visitors. They ordered their food and sat at a small table overlooking the canal.

"Have you spoken to Caroline recently?" Ashleigh asked her sister.

"Not since my last trip. Why?"

"She has some news for you."

"What? Is she pregnant?"

For the last year this was the main topic of conversation with Caroline. She'd so wanted a baby, but it never seemed to happen. Tina knew she couldn't carry a baby herself and with the job she did she didn't even contemplate adoption. That would be when they moved on from their current employment.

"Yes."

"That's great news," said Tina with some awe. "I'll have to go see her before I go away again. Wow, my biggest sister is pregnant. We're going to be aunties."

The meal arrived and they set about tackling the food. The contents on both plates disappeared rapidly. A rainy walk on a cold and dank day always made them hungry. Well, any walk made them hungry. The hot chocolate helped with the cold and dank bit.

"Do you want to carry on along the canal or head on home?"

"Home," said Tina and they went on their way out of the café.

"You think of where you live as home?" asked Tina as they made their way along the narrow lane.

"For now. I like the place."

"I was surprised how you it was. You seem to fit there perfectly."

"I didn't decorate it. It came like that. Hilda organized it as part of the refurbishment that happened on all the houses used for the project. It's almost—"

"Almost?"

Ashleigh was silent for a few seconds as she processed her thoughts. She didn't feel comfortable with the conclusion but what could she do?

"It's almost as if Hilda had me in mind when she did the work. I don't think Becky knows though. She was shocked when she saw me when I started. Was Hilda the third person who recommended me?"

"That's—" Tina trailed off. She didn't know what to say. Then a spark of inspiration. "You didn't have to accept the job, did you?"

"No. But it wasn't really a job I could turn down. I suppose I could have, but the way it was described made it so appealing."

"And has the job met what Miss T said it was?"

"Yes, and more. It is such an exciting job and so fulfilling. To be honest, I'm not sure what I'll do when the project finishes?"

"So, what are you worried about?"

"Did Hilda set me up as a replacement wife for Becky?"

"If she did recommend you, then it seems she brought you together. But anything that happened since you arrived is purely between you. When I was at music school, we were paired with another pupil. They were called our Study Partner. We were put together because we would be on the same wavelength. Some things at the school were stressful and our study partners were someone they knew we would be able to be open with. Someone they thought we would be able to trust. Someone who could hold us to drive away the fear. Not all Study Partners fell in love, but the majority did. We weren't forced together but we were highly compatible."

"So, it was like a dating app?"

"Not really. It was a lot more effective than that. But it wasn't there for romance, it was there for support and help. That we fell in love seemed to be a happy side effect. When I got to the school, I was worried that nobody would like me. Yet we all had a common thread, the music and a desire to learn. It became home."

Tina added almost contemplatively, "It was a family."

"I wish I could see the school."

"That's not going to happen," said Tina firmly.

"I know. I don't need to know. Just so you know, Jenny is still thoughtful about it. She is trying to find out more about her mum's past. I'm not aware she's found much. A few stories about concerts and how wonderful the orchestra is. That's about it. She knows the bits that Becky's been able to impart. But the bits before they met is a closed book."

Ashleigh suspected that Tina had transitioned at the school. She'd thought this since the Mix Up Monday comment. If they all cross dressed at the school, then it sounded like a way for other students to understand what the trans students were going through. There was no sign of an Adams Apple on her, nor any scar from surgery. It all pointed to Tina not having gone through a male puberty. From what she'd read, that was against all the rules the NHS had.

"I only know what I saw as a student. I didn't really know anything about her. The only people I would suggest is Miss T or Dr Rachel Ruiz at the school. She was my support contact there. I think she was the closest friend she had there. This was four months ago that Jenny told you about her aunt. Why are you asking now?"

"I hoped she would stop looking, but she hasn't. It has become a passion. I'm just nervous that she finds something she doesn't like."

Tina shrugged. "The Hilda I knew was compassionate and dedicated to her job. If there are skeletons, I doubt they would be big ones. But you never know how far someone will go in helping others."

The journey wasn't as pleasant back as the walk along the canal. Apart from the two villages they went through, most of the journey was on country lanes with no pavements. Both women were on constant watch to step into the verge out of the way of oncoming vehicles. The rain might have cleared, but the sodden earth made stepping off the road a muddy affair.

By the time they got back to Ashleigh's house, they were glad to be there. At the door they got out of their muddy boots and shed their coats. The cosy house made them feel glad to be back.

"Why don't you go grab a shower," suggested Ashleigh. "I'm going to put on some soup. Will tomato be good for you?"

"Sounds great," agreed Tina. "I won't be long."

Their afternoon relaxing was disturbed by the front doorbell ringing. Ashleigh wasn't expecting anybody and went to the door to investigate.

"Hi Jenny," said Ashleigh when she'd opened the door to discover the seven-year-old. "Do you want to come in?"

"Thanks," she replied entering the house. "I heard that Mrs Poop is here."

"I am," said Tina from the door to the lounge. "It's nice to see you again."

"Are you going to work at my school again?" ask Jenny, not bothering with any niceties.

"Not this time. I'm not here to work. I'm on holiday and visiting Ashleigh."

"Jenny," said Ashleigh gravely. "Remember what I'd mentioned about expected social behaviour."

"Oh yes. Hi Mrs Poop, how are you?"

Tina tried not to smile and responded, "I'm well thank you. I had a nice walk along the canal with Miss Thompson. How was school?"

"It was good. I'm in the next year now, and they are teaching us new things. We've been doing work on coastal erosion."

"Do you want some squash?" asked Ashleigh as they went into the lounge.

"Please," responded Jenny and Tina at the same time.

Ashleigh laughed and headed into the kitchen. Whilst there, she rang Rebecca to make sure she was aware where her daughter was.

"Thanks for ringing," said Rebecca. "But I knew where she was. When she got back from school, I mentioned Tina was visiting. She was out the door like a shot."

"I can feed her if you want?"

"That's great. We're in the middle of some delicate calculations, so we might be at it for another few hours."

"Come round when you're finished."

Ashleigh gathered the drinks and went into the lounge. Tina and Jenny were chatting away in French, but stopped and looked up as she came in. Ashleigh smiled; it was good practice for Jenny.

"Jenny, I asked your ma if you could stay for dinner. She said yes. Are you okay with that?"

"Yes. They are busy in the lab. I think they are trying for a big test on Friday."

"Are things going well then?" asked Tina.

"They are now," said Ashleigh. "There were a few issues. Thankfully there was only one fire."

"A fire?!" croaked Tina, aghast.

Jenny nodded solemnly. "Not a big one."

"It was more smoke than flame," said Ashleigh. "Anyway, they worked out what went wrong, and tests have been going well. Sorry, but we can't say much more than that."

"I'm not asking," laughed Tina.

"Anyway, why don't we all cook, and then we can have a nice game while we wait for your ma?"

"What're we going to make?" asked Jenny.

"How about something simple and quick? We have some mince in, so how about a cottage pie?"

"What's that?" asked Jenny.

"It's mince in a stock gravy with mash potatoes on top."

"I've never done mash before."

"That's 'never made mash before'. Not 'done mash before'," corrected Ashleigh.

"I'm up for cottage pie," said Tina to Ashleigh, then turned to Jenny. "Then an opportunity to learn, if you want."

"Yes please."

"Then cooking we will do. Let's go and wash our hands and make ourselves a delicious meal."

Jenny had a passion for learning and lapped it up, just like she did when she was listening in the lab.

"We have another big thing to do," said Ashleigh when they'd finished eating.

"What's that?" asked Jenny.

"We have to wash the dishes."

"I'll dry," said Tina quickly. "Jenny, do you want to wash or put away?"

"Put away."

There wasn't that much to do. Most went into the dishwasher. It was just the two pans and that didn't take them long. They then all settled down for some games. Tina seemed to have stopped brooding and Ashleigh hoped that things were working out.

* * *

The scream in the middle of the night woke Ashleigh. She'd lived on her own most of her life, and something like that was something she'd never encountered. On the few occasions she'd had guests in the spare room, they'd never disturbed her sleep.

"Tina," she thought and rushed out of bed to make sure her younger sister was okay.

The house was dark. This was the first time that she'd tried wandering around the house at night. She'd been used to streetlights causing some glow, but out in rural Gloucestershire there were no lights. She switched on her bedroom light and left her bedroom door open so she would be able to see her sister's room. Ashleigh tried to open the door quietly, but Tina looked around when she popped her head around the door.

"Are you okay?" asked Ashleigh. She then berated herself. Her sister wasn't okay. What as stupid question to ask someone who'd just woken up with a nightmare.

"Sorry I disturbed you," mumbled Tina, making no attempt to pretend she was okay.

Ashleigh came into her sister's room and perched on the side of the bed. "Do you want to talk about it?"

"Gah, no. That's the last thing I want to do."

Ashleigh moved across to be next to her sister. She thought for a few seconds about what to say. She hated seeing her sister like this. "Was it just a bad dream, or were you reliving what happened?"

There was no sound from Tina apart from the occasional sniffle. She eventually said, "A mixture. It was a bit of reliving what happened and the dreams about what I presume must have been happening."

"So how was this one different from your normal investigations?"

"It just was. I know you want to help, but I can't say more. Can you accept that?"

"Okay. Get back into bed. Do you mind if I keep you company? See if someone with you keeps the nightmares away?"

"You'd do that?"

"What are sisters for?"

The next morning, they woke to the sun streaming through the window. Ashleigh woke first, confused that there was someone snuggled in her arms. It wasn't long before Tina was waking up, caused by Ashleigh trying to ease away without waking her sister.

"Thank you," said Tina. "That really helped."

"Really?"

"Yes. I'm so glad I've come to stay. I would have hated being on my own at a time like this."

"Okay, so what do you want to do today?"

"What about Haresfield Beacon? I love the view from there. I'll buy us lunch at The Beacon Inn."

"It's not a long walk, unless we walk up from Haresfield."

"No way. It's too steep. Perhaps we can walk a bit more along The Cotswold Way?"

"Okay. Perhaps I can get Jenny to try it one day."

"I remember you conning Caroline to do that walk once. I've no idea how you walk up that hill so easily. She was supposed to be the fit one with all her sports, yet you seemed to waltz up it and everybody else just puffs along."

"I thought you were fitter now!"

"I am, but torture is illegal. Okay, I'm getting up before this conversation gets worse. Are you okay if I go for a run before breakfast?"

"Have fun!"

While Tina was exercising, Ashleigh knew she had time to find out what was happening. She decided to ring the one person she knew would be able to give answers. This was a call to their personal mobile, not their office.

"Ashleigh?" answered Laura Taylor.

"Hi. Sorry for ringing you, but I'm worried about Tina."

"How bad is she?" asked Laura, sounding concerned.

That was confirmation enough that what Tina had gone through was bad, but it sounded that Laura understood what was going on. She was also relieved that Laura hadn't tried pretending that there shouldn't be anything amiss.

"It's hard to know. She's brooding and cried out from a nightmare. She won't tell me what's happened. I presume you know. With Luke away, she came to stay with me. Yet I don't know how to help her as I don't know what's playing on her mind."

"Tina did everything right. She just encountered an issue she wasn't trained to deal with. Nobody on the investigation team is trained for what she had to deal with. Yet she didn't give up and managed to not only complete what she went out for but expose what else she found. From what we could tell, she didn't start getting issues until she was back. She saw the psychiatrist for several sessions, but he said it was going to be difficult for her to come to terms with what she encountered."

"Is she benched?"

"In theory, no. In practice, I've been advised she isn't ready for another investigation. I'm glad you let me know she was suffering. I'm going to come down this afternoon to see how the project is going. Is it okay if I come with a friend this evening for a meal?"

"Okay. Are there any dietary requirements?"

"Yes, she must make her stroganoff. She got the recipe from one of the pupils at the school and its rather special. I've yet to work out what her secret ingredient is."

"If she's up to it."

"It's the quiet time that gets her, not when she's busy."

Ashleigh felt a bit bewildered. "Okay, see you tonight."

She was sorting out a cooked breakfast when Tina came back. "Do I have time for a shower?"

"It will be ten minutes."

Tina pulled off her footwear and scarpered upstairs, leaving Ashleigh to continue making breakfast. Making a full English breakfast wasn't something she did often, but she had the ingredients in, and knew if they were hiking, they needed sustenance.

Tina didn't dawdle with her shower and was soon back, just in time to get out the cutlery.

"You seem less worried," said Tina as they ate their first meal of the day.

"Am I?" stalled Ashleigh, unsure if Tina was going to be angry.

"Yes. What did you do?" asked Tina, her eyes narrowing.

"We have two guests tonight. The only request was that you make stroganoff. Something about a secret ingredient."

"You rang Miss T." That wasn't a question, but an undeniable fact. "How could you?"

"You aren't authorised to tell me what's going on. You are suffering. She can tell me. I don't know who is coming with her."

Tina finished mopping up the remains of the egg yolk with the toast and went into the kitchen. She started looking in cupboards.

"What are you doing?" asked Ashleigh when Tina closed the third cupboard and opened the fridge.

"Checking what you've got in. What we need to purchase on the way back from our walk. You, interfering sister of mine, are going to make a Bakewell tart for dessert. We better make it for at least five people. I'm sure Jenny will want to eat with us. Should we do it for everybody?"

"We don't have the room! I'm sure it would be nice for Jenny to be here, but I think there might be things discussed that she really shouldn't hear. You seem to get on well with Jenny."

"As do you! Jenny has her own issues but seeing someone young like that keeps my feet on the ground. It reminds me no matter the things I come against; it is keeping them safer than they were."

They put the dishes to soak and grabbed their things for the days walk. At least the day would be dry, but certainly not warm. There had been some ground frost overnight, but it was gone by the time they ventured out.

"You know when you did that stint as a Teaching Assistant at Jenny's school? Were you really qualified for that?" asked Ashleigh. They'd just gone past Jenny's school, and it reminded her that thought she'd had since Tina had last visited.

"Of course," responded Tina indignantly. "I did the qualification course and passed with flying colours. I then spent two months at a school making sure I had the practical experience. This was two years ago."

"Why?"

"Why what?"

"Why did you do it then?"

"When we aren't investigating, we don't just sit on our backside waiting for the next assignment. We train so if we need to be in a certain situation we can blend in. You can only do something seamlessly if you are good enough at it. If you aren't you would look suspicious. At best, you'd get sacked from where you're investigating, or worse, if they're really bad, you could be killed."

"I suppose," mused Ashleigh out loud. "I'd never thought about it. What you do seems so alien to me."

"And working on a top-secret science project is beyond what I would be able to handle. Yet you seem to have fitted right in and got the scientists eating out of your hand."

"Be glad you weren't here several weeks ago. You would have a totally different opinion of my skill."

"Oh?"

"Evan and Liam had a nice trip down the rabbit hole. They worked for days without sleep or proper food. It was my job to make sure that didn't happen."

"I hope you aren't too angry with me," stated Ashleigh, afraid to look at her sister.

"I'm not angry. I'm nervous and scared. You did what you thought was right. I'm grateful you came and held me last night. It really helped."

"That's what sisters do for each other. Family. I'm sure that you and Luke give each other support."

"Yes."

"How long will he be away?"

"At least another few months."

"You're welcome to have Christmas here, if you like. I don't want you on your own."

"Thanks," Tina beamed. "I'll let you know. I might be on another investigation, or there might be someone else alone. We like to be there for each other for holidays."

"I don't have more room," said Ashleigh with a slight tinge of regret.

They were glad that they'd brought a change of footwear with them. The ground from the carpark to the beacon was soft with all the rain the previous day. The ground around the first style was beyond soft, it was a pool of mud. This didn't stop Ashleigh or Tina. They pressed on and were soon at the stone structure that was Haresfield Beacon. With the clearer weather, the view was just as they both remembered. They could see right down the valley where the River Severn flowed towards Sharpness.

"This is one of the best views in the area," stated Tina. "I love seeing it."

"Only the best in the area?"

Tina shrugged. "I've seen so many different views in this country and abroad. You can't really compare them. Something different catches my eye in each one. Mountain views, coastal views, even some cities can be spectacular, though I prefer the natural landscape."

"For me it's being on a boundary. We are looking over the valley, but if we turn, all we've got are hills. The wind in our hair, and the clean smell of the trees from the woods below. I've always lived in the city. When I lived with our parents, we were in the outskirts but still in a built-up area. Coming out to the country was always a break, but the clubs and shops were always a bigger pull. I've been where I am now for three months, and it's grown on me. I've not missed living in the city like I thought I would."

"I suppose having someone you're partial to is nothing to do with it."

"I don't know what you mean," retorted Ashleigh, blushing.

"Right," responded Tina sarcastically.

"We are colleagues. I don't want to do anything to interrupt the project. Anyway, her wife hasn't been dead long. She needs time."

"At least you aren't denying things. Life can be short. Don't let things just drift."

"Great, I'm getting relationship advice from someone who married their school friend."

"And I wouldn't have it any other way."

"Do you still want to have lunch out or get back to prepare for later."

"What time are they due?"

"Laura is visiting the project first. I've no idea when the other person's arriving, or who they are."

"Then let's go get the food we need, and we can start preparing. Mine doesn't take that long, but I know you will want to make the pastry for the tart yourself, rather than a shop bought one."

"Too right," said Ashleigh as they made their way back to the car. "Making your own pastry doesn't take long to do, and it tastes so much better."

Having called at a supermarket for the missing ingredients and a few extra days of provisions, they went back to Ashleigh's. As they turned into the driveway, they spotted a different car in the old pub's carpark.

"It looks like Miss T is there," said Tina as she grabbed one of the shopping bags.

"Why do you call her that?" asked Ashleigh unlocking the front door.

"No idea, we all do. We called her mum Mrs T. I suppose it is something a bit different, but also respectful."

"Do you think she minds that I call her Laura?" asked Ashleigh, a bit concerned.

"I doubt it. She cares more about results. I presume she introduced herself as Laura to you?"

"Yes."

"Then to you she's Laura. Look, why don't you go see how the project update is going. I can see to the shopping."

"Are you sure?"

"I think I can manage. It's night times which seem to get me. I survived on my own before I came to stay with you."

Ashleigh paused and looked her sister over. Tina wasn't her cheerful self, but there didn't appear to be any large warning signs. "Okay, but if you need me, you know where I am."

"Do you want me to do the pastry?"

"If I'm not back in an hour."

* * *

"Aren't you supposed to be on holiday," remarked Laura Taylor as Ashleigh tried to sneak into the discussion room. The bodyguard stationed outside knew who she was and just let her through.

"I'm just seeing if all was okay."

"I've had an impressive demonstration and look forward to seeing how Friday's bigger test goes. They've been doing some very impressive work. If Friday's test goes to plan, then I will be back next week to discuss with them how they want to progress with the next phase. Now, let's go up to your office and discuss what you've been doing."

Laura led the way with Ashleigh following behind. As Ashleigh was about to leave the room, she turned round and saw the four other project members watching. Ashleigh gave two thumbs up and mouthed, 'Good job'. She was rewarded by big smiles.

When they got to Ashleigh's office, Laura stepped to one side so Ashleigh could go in first. Laura followed Ashleigh inside and shut the door behind them.

"How's Tina?" Laura asked, taking the visitor seat. Ashleigh had long stopped thinking of it as Julie's. They talked often via the phone or instant messenger, but she rarely visited anymore.

"Broody. She is worse at night. Can you tell me what happened? Is there anything I can do to help her?"

"You're doing it. You're giving her love and kindness. For now, that is all we can do. She didn't do anything wrong. She just came into a situation she wasn't prepared for. I'm not sure anybody could be prepared for it. How quickly did it take her to realise you'd called me?"

"As soon as she came back from her run. I've no idea how, but she seemed to sense I wasn't as stressed as earlier. As soon as I mentioned about her cooking a stroganoff, she knew I'd called you."

"Smart girl," smiled Laura. "Was she upset?"

"She didn't seem to be. I think she's relieved or resigned. I take it Luke can't come back at the moment?"

"We'll discuss that option later, when we're with Tina. I don't want her to think we've been going behind her back. Now, let's discuss this project."

The discussion didn't take long. Laura didn't seem to have any issues with the work Ashleigh was doing, and she had frequent reports anyway. It was just finding out what hadn't been said rather than the day-to-day.

"What's the next stage?" asked Ashleigh as Laura had finished her questions.

"The power for the ship. Henry now has a good idea on the power requirements. They've come a long way with it already, but it needs finalising. Since you are now using the technology to power this site, I'm hoping that part won't take too long."

"I ordered the parts for the power source. They're in storage across the road, in one of the old industrial units."

"Great, that tallies with what Evan said."

"Are you going to commercialise the power work?"

Laura smiled. "Of course. It's good that you're thinking on those lines. However, that is secondary to the project."

"What happened to the people that broke into the lab? I heard trackers were put on them, but then nothing."

"A group got excited about this project. It seems the people they work for wasn't pleased they broke in. For some reason, they want this project to succeed. Its concerning that they want that, but until we find out why, there isn't anything you should worry about. It just means you won't need to have security upgraded more than it currently is."

"Are you watching us?"

"No, but we are keeping an eye on the perimeter, and I have people listening out just in case you get attention you don't want. You have my number if there is anything else untoward. Now, why don't you get back to your break, while I have some more fun in the lab."

"Am I needed for Friday's test?"

"No, you are on holiday. There isn't anything you need to do. Relax. You will be very busy post test."

Aurora

by Karen Page

Part 6

---

Part 6

"How did it go?" asked Tina as Ashleigh hung up her coat. She'd just got back from seeing Laura at the lab.

"Laura seems happy with the way things are going. She confirmed about the big test on Friday."

"Do you need to work?"

"No. I asked but was told I'm on holiday. I'm to relax as I'll be very busy post test."

"Very busy?"

"I've not been warned that for a while. Last time was at my previous company and I ended up working eight hours on, eight hours off for two weeks. I alternated with a colleague. All we did was eat, sleep and work. What a great fortnight that was. I earnt so much overtime."

"All my food is prepared," said Tina. "You want help with your dessert?"

"I should be fine, but we can chat as I bake."

Tina put on some quiet music and got things out for Ashleigh as she started work on the pastry. "Did you discuss me?"

"Laura asked how you were, but that was it," responded Ashleigh. "She didn't want to discuss any more without you being there. She didn't say who the guest was."

"We'll find out soon enough."

Time dragged as they waited. They'd finished preparing the meal and were sat chatting in the lounge when they heard a car. Together they went to the door and saw someone walking towards the house. It was dark outside, so it wasn't until they were closer that they saw them.

"Rachel!" cried out Tina.

"Ah, so that's who I'm meeting," said Rachel as she ambled up. "It's starting to get a bit cold in the evenings, isn't it?"

"Come in," said Ashleigh. "Tina, do you want to introduce us?"

"Sorry," said Tina as Ashleigh shut the door behind them. "Rachel, this is my sister Ashleigh. Ashleigh this is Rachel Ruiz. She was my psychiatrist when I was at school. She is now headmistress there."

"Good to meet you. Laura will probably be along shortly," said Ashleigh as she guided Rachel to the lounge. "Do you want a drink?"

"Coffee, white no sugar," said Rachel. She then turned to Tina. "Miss Taylor said you were cooking?"

"Yes, beef stroganoff," replied Tina.

"Jill's recipe?"

"Of course."

"Can I help?" Rachel Ruiz asked excitedly.

Tina gave a small smile. "No. I promised to keep it secret. You can relax while I slave over the meal. How's Sue?"

"Having a quiet evening without me," laughed Rachel. "Well, I hope it's quiet for her. The infirmary is empty at the moment."

Tina disappeared towards the kitchen but before Ashleigh could get Rachel's drink, the doorbell went. It was Laura.

"Sorry I'm later than expected. A few calls from the office. Let's talk shop after the meal," said Laura.

"Good, because Tina is already cooking. It will be about fifteen minutes."

After eating, which everybody agreed was one of the best beef stroganoffs they'd eaten, they all settled down in the lounge. Ashleigh sat next to her sister, just in case her sister needed a hug.

"Okay, so why was I asked here?" enquired Rachel.

"I want a second opinion," said Laura bluntly. "Tina was investigating a company in Turkey being used to channel money and drugs. During that investigation, she found they were holding children and using them as sex slaves. To stop the whole chain, she got herself promoted in the company she was investigating, to cover that part too. She was able to find out the kidnappers, how the children were being trafficked to this company, and who they were selling the services to."

During that explanation Ashleigh put her arm around her sister. Tina leaned in but didn't say anything.

"Europol worked with the Turkish police to raid but two children died before the police could get involved. Some walked away and weren't mentioned in the police investigations. Three government officials were involved. One it seems was disowned and was arrested."

Rachel maintained her gaze on Tina while Laura detailed the situation. After a brief pause, during which Laura remained silent, Rachel inquired, "Where is Luke?"

"On an investigation. We got a coded message that he was accepted, and he won't be making contact for a while."

"Don't you dare get him out," said Tina vehemently. "There is too much at stake for that."

"Tina, do you want your sister to stay with you while we have a chat?"

Tina shook her head. "No. Sorry Ash, but you know more than I wanted you to. You don't want the rest."

"Don't tell me what I want and don't want," retorted Ashleigh.

"Okay, I don't want you to know the rest. There are some things in the world that you don't need exposing to."

"What was different about this one?" asked Ashleigh, while gently stroking her sister's arm. "Did you kill someone?"

"No!" cried Tina. "I didn't, but I so wish I had."

"Oh," was all Ashleigh could say. Tina's last statement totally threw her. "If you can't talk to me, you will at least talk to Rachel?"

"I'd rather not tell anybody, but I need help. The last few days have shown that. You've helped me see that. It was drilled into me that asking for help isn't a weakness. Rachel, are you okay helping me with this?"

"Of course. And you don't have to hold back the details with me. I've helped in this type of therapy before. Ashleigh and Laura, are you okay to leave us to it?"

"We'll pay a visit to Becky," said Laura. "Ring one of us when you've finished."

Ashleigh grabbed a torch she kept by the front door and followed Laura out, the front door slamming behind them. "Thank you for organizing this."

"The investigation team is crucial. What they do can be challenging. If one of them needs something, they just need to ask, and I try to make it happen."

"There's a lot more that you're not telling me, isn't there?"

"Yes, and I'm not going to tell you. Not yet. It isn't that I don't trust you, but there are very few that know the whole picture. What you're doing here is important and needs your whole attention. Once this has concluded, there is another job I have in mind. You won't be lacking for work."

"That is good to know, but not really a worry at the moment. There is something you need to know before we get to Becky's. Jenny has been trying to find out more about Hilda. She has been enquiring about Hayfield but has found very little. When I found out who Rachel was, I wanted to mention it to her, but didn't think it was wise with Tina's issue."

"What brought on her search?"

"Not long after I started, Jenny was worried about the added security. She was worried she might have to stay with her aunt. Jenny is under the impression that her aunt thinks Ryan was to blame for Hilda's death. Jenny wants to know why and thinks digging into her mother's background will find the answer."

"Shit," swore Laura, coming to a halt.

It took a second for Ashleigh to register her boss wasn't still walking and stepped back. Laura's reaction wasn't what she'd been expecting. She'd thought Laura might have laughed, but the way she was behaving there might be more to it than expected.

"Okay, if Jenny brings it up, I will explain why her Aunt Donna is wrong. You might hear some things that don't make sense. Try not to dwell on it. When the project reaches a certain point, you will then understand."

"You like keeping information compartmented, don't you?"

"I don't like it. It makes life complicated and tiresome. However, sometimes it's needed to keep people safe. Hilda knew what was going on, but she won't have told Rebecca. Just in case you need to reach out, David and Helen know. I'm mentioning this now because I may have to mention some history if Jenny asks."

They carried on to Becky's house. It was still before Jenny's bedtime, and it was her who opened the door.

Jenny looked like she was going to say something, but then she moved her head slightly, and changed track. She gave a small smile and said, "Will you come in. Ma is just finishing off something upstairs."

"Thank you," said Laura. "That was very polite of you."

"Where's Tina?" blurted out Jenny as they went into the house, shrugging off their coats as they went. It was what she'd wanted to say when she'd seen who was at the door.

"She's been having trouble since her last investigation, so is having a chat with a friend."

"A psychiatrist?" she asked, uncertain if she'd got the word right.

"Yes. She was someone your mummy worked with at Hayfield."

"Hello," said Becky, coming into the lounge. "What do I owe this pleasure?"

"Just a friendly visit," replied Laura. "Someone Tina knew from her time at school is giving her some help. We are keeping out of the way."

"I forgot you knew Hayfield," said Jenny, all the tiredness gone from her eyes. "Can you tell me about mummy's time there?"

"What exactly do you want to know? That school is private."

"I'm trying to find out more about Mummy. She worked there for a while. I'm hoping there are clues to why Aunt Donna thinks Ryan killed Mummy."

Becky gasped. "She what?!"

"Ryan wasn't responsible for your mummy's death," insisted Laura.

"But Aunt Donna said he was."

"Your aunt was talking out of pain at losing her sister. Let me use an example. Sometimes a mother dies giving birth to a child. Thankfully it is extremely rare these days, but it does happen. Would you say that child is to blame for the death?"

"Like the film Jack & Sarah? But mummy didn't die giving birth," said Jenny slightly frustrated.

"No, she didn't, but it is a similar example," finished Laura.

Ashleigh had her phone out searching for the film Jenny had mentioned. She'd never heard of it. When she read the description her mind went to a single conclusion, but she needed to confirm it. "Did you watch that film with your mummy?"

"Yes, a few times over the last few years. She said it was a very important film. Why?"

"I'm just amazed at how much your mummy taught you," said Ashleigh, passing her phone to Laura so she could read the films synopsis. "Important living things, not just educational things. Since she said it was an important film, perhaps you can show it to me sometime."

Once Laura had finished, she went to pass the phone to Becky, but she refused. "I've seen it. So, mummy taught you to cook, and this. What else did she teach you?"

"French," responded Jenny. "This wasn't teaching. It was just a film. Anyway, Miss Taylor was saying something about why Aunt Donna was wrong."

Laura sighed. "A lot of this is from before I was involved. Some of it even predates my mother's involvement. Your mother was gifted. She spent the early part of her life helping others. She trained as a psychiatrist, and she helped a lot of people. This bit you probably know. However, it is the nature of her gifts that you might not know. There was two parts to her gift. First, she had an ability to sense people's issues and therefore she could help them easier. The second part was much more dangerous; she could give part of herself to aid the ill."

"That's—" started Becky before trailing off.

"Crazy?" suggested Ashleigh.

"That's a naughty word," scolded Jenny. "Mummy said people were never crazy, they just weren't understood."

"She was warned not to use that last gift. I only know of two people she ever helped with the healing gift. A young pupil at Hayfield who had a stroke. She helped him until medical assistance could intervene. He had a bleed on the brain. However the surgeons discovered he had more areas that could bleed, and they put in a plan to help. However, he died before anything else could be done. Hilda was devastated. The second was Ryan."

Becky closed her eyes, horrified. "Ryan shouldn't have survived."

"What do you mean?" asked Jenny, not understanding what her ma was saying.

"Ryan was born with a serious illness. When he died the doctors said he shouldn't have lived as long as he did. I thought we were just lucky, but based on what Miss Taylor just said—"

"Ryan did kill mummy?" wailed Jenny.

It was the first time that Ashleigh had ever seen Jenny cry and moved to be next to the young girl. Becky just sat there stunned.

"Your mummy made the choice to help Ryan. Ryan didn't force your mummy. He couldn't, as he was still a baby. She made the choice she did. We might not like that she died, but she made the choice knowing the consequences."

"Why didn't she tell me?" asked Becky, more to herself than anybody in the room.

"Would you have believed her if she had?" asked Laura.

"That's not the point."

"We all have our secrets," said Laura. "I knew one of my parents was transgendered. I didn't know which. I had my suspicions, but it didn't matter. I only knew one of my parents, and she brought me up. When mum died, I did some digging. My guess was wrong. I was upset that it was a secret, until I realised that I was upset over something that was really none of my concern."

"Unless you plan to build a time machine, you can't do anything about it," pointed out Ashleigh.

"Are you going to build a time machine?" asked Jenny, looking at her ma hopefully.

"No," said Becky with a wry smile. "Messing with time is a bad idea. I wouldn't want to change the wonderful time that we had with mummy and Ryan. Would you want to lose the time you had with your brother?"

"I didn't like the smelly poos he left in his nappy."

"I don't think anybody liked them," agreed Becky. "But I wouldn't change having that experience."

"Now you know why your aunt said what she did, will you stop digging into Hayfield?" asked Laura. "That school is off limits."

"Okay," sighed Jenny. "But I'd still like to go there."

"I took the test, just like others did," said Laura. "I didn't get to go there even though my mother was chair of the governors. I didn't know any more details about the school than anybody in the country. Heck, I didn't even know my mother was a school governor. In hindsight, I'm glad my mother didn't get me in behind the scenes. It would have meant someone who needed to go wouldn't have gone."

"I hadn't thought about that," admitted Jenny. "I don't want to be selfish."

"I wouldn't say you were selfish. You just hadn't thought through the ramifications," said Laura. Then to change the subject asked the young girl, "Now, tell me all about how you are doing."

There was a small move as Jenny moved to sit next to Laura. This left Ashleigh next to Rebecca.

"Are you sure you don't need me for Friday?"

"No, we're good. You'll know when the test has happened."

"How?"

"You'll know. It won't be until Friday evening. And don't worry about Jenny. She is going to be helping us in the lab."

"You're such a tease."

"Not really. Just giving you time with your sister. How is she?"

"Hopefully getting the help she needs. I've no idea how long she'll be staying. How are you doing with all those revelations about Hilda?"

Becky shrugged. "I've no idea. It makes no sense, and yet it makes total sense. I don't know what I'm supposed to do with what I've just learnt."

"I've no idea. I mean it doesn't impact how Hilda loved you or how you loved Hilda. She kept a part of herself secret. A part she would have had great difficulty explaining."

"I think there is a lot more to this," sighed Rebecca. "I mean, how did Laura know about it? Was she born with this gift? Apparently, she was warned not to use it, so how did someone find out about it?"

"Ask Laura?"

"No. Not yet anyway. I think I need to come to terms with what we've just been told. To be honest, I don't think we'd have been told this if it wasn't for Jenny."

Ashleigh's phone rang. It was Tina letting them know she had finished.

"Thank you for letting us camp out at your house," said Ashleigh, as she grabbed her coat.

"It was illuminating," replied Rebecca. "Jenny, say goodnight and go get ready for bed. You have school in the morning."

"Bye," called out Jenny as she ran up the stairs.

"I know that was unexpected," said Laura to Rebecca. "Are you okay?"

"I think so. I've lots to think about. Anyway, have a safe journey home. I'll update you tomorrow on the finalisation for Friday's test."

"Do that."

"It gets really dark without streetlights," observed Laura as they went towards Ashleigh's house.

"I purchased a torch soon after arriving. It was probably the biggest difference from city living. That and the quietness. That was a lot to lay on Becky and Jenny."

"It was, but they both needed it. I know Becky will think there is still more to be said. There is, but I don't want to overwhelm her."

"Talking of revelations. You said three people had mentioned me. The CEO and Tina were two. Was Hilda the third?"

"Yes."

"I'm not a replacement wife."

"I never said you were. Hilda never said you were."

"Then why did she discuss me?"

"Because her cousin was Gregory Hawkes. One of the people you saved at Trinton."

"You're kidding?!"

"However, based on the way I saw you and Becky looking at each other, I worry there might be feelings you are both suppressing."

"This isn't the time for things like that. She is still getting to grips with Hilda's death. Yes, I like Becky. I doubt it is love though. Too much time has passed."

"If you say so."

They got to the house and found Tina and Rachel discussing the best places to see in Iceland.

"You seem relaxed," said Ashleigh as she sat down next to Tina. "What's the conclusion?"

"The basic conclusion is the same. However, Rachel was able to give me a better treatment plan."

"Only because I know her slightly better," said Rachel.

"Which is?" asked Laura.

"She should stay here with her sister and do a week or two as a teaching assistant, if she can find somewhere locally."

"I'd rather it not be the school Jenny goes to," said Laura. "But one close by will help with Tina's local legend."

"I'll look tomorrow to see what is available," said Tina.

"Ashleigh, one last thing," said Rachel. "Last night you heard Tina in distress, and you stayed with her. This is something Tina is used to. When a pupil is in distress, their study partner stays with them. However, I don't want her to become dependent on that. So have her stay with you tonight but then go back to sleeping in separate rooms. She will get the love by being with you while she stays. I know she will get nightmares, but they need to occur. Tina needs to process what she went through. She didn't do anything wrong, but she is thinking about what the children went through."

The conversation moved onto nicer things. There was no talk about any of their work, but just a nice easy flowing conversation. Rachel Ruiz was the eldest of them all, but that didn't cause any issues, and they all seemed to fit nicely. At first, Ashleigh was surprised at how much Rachel seemed to know about her and the family, but then she realised that Tina must have had many sessions with Dr Ruiz where her background would have come up.

"I'm going to need to go soon," said Laura, "But before that, there is one thing I need to bring up."

"Is it that time already?" mused Rachel. "The time has flown. Well, good conversation will do that."

"You know that Hilda had a daughter?" asked Laura.

"Of course. How's Jenny coping with her mum's death?"

They all looked at Ashleigh. "When I first arrived, she seemed to supress her emotions, but I've no idea if that's just how she is, or from her mum's death. Day to day she seems fine but did get a bit of an obsession about finding out about Hayfield, because that's where her mum worked. She even went as far as starting to learn a musical instrument."

"What instrument did she choose?" asked Rachel.

That wasn't the response Ashleigh had expected. "She decided on the piano. There's an old upright one in the building I work in. Liam's been teaching her, and she hasn't given up."

"An interesting choice of instrument," laughed Rachel.

"I found out tonight," added Laura. "I told her the school was off limits and that just because her mum used to work there, doesn't mean she had any better chance at getting in. She said she didn't want to be selfish and take someone else's slot."

"It sounds like sensible back peddling. There are a few years before she takes the test. Ashleigh, can I ask if she starts to falter with the piano, can you encourage her. It will be a good way for her to channel her emotions."

Tina sat up and looked at her old psychiatrist. "Like Sarah Smith?"

"Exactly."

"Someone you knew from school?" enquired Ashleigh, wondering where this conversation was going.

"No, she never went to Hayfield," said Tina. "She was someone Luke knew at his original school. She used to play the violin."

"Oh," said Ashleigh, slightly lost. She was sure there was some hidden conversation going on between Tina and Rachel, but she was totally at a loss to what it was. "You don't seem as worried about Jenny as I thought you would be."

"Oh, I'm concerned, but I'm sure that Laura's talk will have stopped the worst. Jenny also now knows there isn't much information out there. If she mentions about it again, let me know via Laura."

When Laura and Rachel were gone, Ashleigh turned to her sister. "Are you okay?"

"Surprisingly, yes. Thank you for reaching out like that to Laura. She does care about what happens to us."

"I'd gathered that. So does Rachel, or she wouldn't have come, even if summoned by Laura. She didn't know it was you she was helping until she got here."

"All the support staff at school really cared for those they looked after. That included Rachel and Hilda. I was privileged to go there."

* * *

Friday came and it seemed to be just an ordinary day. The activity in the area was no different from any other Friday. There was a mist that hung over the river for most of the morning, but there was nothing extraordinary about that.

"I have a job interview at three this afternoon," stated Tina, having just taken a call.

"Well done. Which school?"

"The Crypt."

"That's a secondary school," pointed out Ashleigh, thinking but not saying that it was the school that Tony had gone to. Back then it had been a boy's grammar school. Now it took both boys and girls.

"Yes. I'm qualified for both primary and secondary. They need a teaching assistant in their languages department."

"I hope you don't get too frustrated at their beginner levels," joked Ashleigh

"I'm good," stated Tina with a twinkle in her eyes, "I take the frustration out on the permanent teachers by speaking with a southern French accent. They think everything should sound like they come from Paris."

They both laughed. When Tina returned after the interview, she rushed in.

"You'll never guess what we've forgotten."

"Why don't you tell me. And did you get the job?"

"Yes, I'm there for two weeks starting on Monday. Today is Children in Need Day. There was a collection going on at the school."

"Well, that's this evening's viewing sorted," said Ashleigh. "If that's okay with you? It won't give you bad memories?"

"Not at all. I'm upset about what they'd gone through, and I did everything I could to make sure they were saved. You weren't dissimilar. I heard about what you did for a kid call Simon. Nobody should be treated like that. I'm glad you contacted the authorities."

"How did you hear about that?"

"When I'm away for a longer time, the company collects information about what's happened with my family. Just in case they need to let me know. When I get back, there is a briefing report to get be caught up."

"Geesh, do I have no privacy?"

"You do. This was public record. They don't spy on you or your email."

"Just checking. Pizza?" offered Ashleigh

"Perfect," smiled Tina, rubbing her hands gleefully. "Do they deliver this far?"

"Yes, though I have to pay for delivery."

They opened the app on Ashleigh's tablet, and they browsed through the options.

"Silly question time," said Ashleigh as Tina added extra onion. "Do you drink alcohol? If so, what do you want?"

"I do. A glass of red wine if you have it. I don't drink anything if I think I might be called out. Last time I was here, I was not here socially."

"I feel a bit sad that there is so much I don't know about you."

"You can't know everything about me. Just as I don't know everything about you. But what I do know, I like. We each have parts of our lives that are secret. Your time at university is a total blank to me and I've no idea what you're doing here."

"Sometimes I've no idea what's going on here! I got about a tenth of the story before accepting the job. I got another sliver after a week, when they knew I was happy with the job. I know there is more that I haven't been told. Laura admitted that the other day."

The pizza arrived, and with a bottle of wine on the coffee table, they settled down to watch Children in Need. They'd watched it together when they were younger. It was one of the big annual events that their parents had watched without fail.

It was about fifteen minutes into it, when Ryan Hanson, the presenter of the show said, "It seems even NASA is supporting Children in Need."

A video was shown, where an astronaut was being interviewed on the space station and a Pudsey Bear floated into view. It had a large tag with the name Becky on it. Tina watched in shock as her sister jumped up, and without putting on her coat flew out of the front door. It slammed shut behind her as she ran towards the old Anchor pub.

---

Notes:
It seems some of my writing needs a bit of clarification for readers not from the UK:

Children in Need is an annual charity event hosted by the BBC. See link. The mascot is Pudsey Bear.

For anybody confused about Hilda's "gift" please see Survival and A New Style of Education Year 5 - Part 10

For Sarah Smith. I refer you to A New Style of Education - Part 59 and A New Style of Education Year 5 - Part 4. As for the meaning - I will leave that for you the reader to speculate.

Aurora

by Karen Page

Part 7

---

Part 7

"No coat?" enquired Evan as Ashleigh stormed into the discussion room.

Ashleigh looked up and saw that Ryan's bear was still were it always was.

"We'd never have sent that one," said Becky, seeing Ashleigh's gaze.

"How was the calculation?"

"The orbit of the space station wasn't an issue. Calculating exactly where to send it and giving it just the right push so it floated into view, without the exit of the dimensional corridor being visible, took more effort."

"You're mad," said Ashleigh, calming down slightly.

"That's a naughty word," said Jenny firmly, having been taught that by her mummy.

"Yes, sorry," said Ashleigh genuinely contrite. She knew it was a subject close to Jenny's heart. "That was a bad phrase to use. Let me phrase my question again. Why did you send a teddy bear to space?"

"It was a way to prove we could send something a longer distance. Just as we had the local tests on camera, we found a camera further away."

"Whose idea was that?"

"Laura's," said Becky. "We were racking our brains how to do a long-range test, and she came up with this. I think it was a fantastic idea and if it gets more money raised, so much the better."

"How much chaos do you think is going on at NASA?" posed Ashleigh. "They'll be trying to find how a plush bear was smuggled on board. Even when Mark Kelly sent a gorilla suit to his brother Scott at the ISS, NASA knew about it. It was cleaned before being sent. Ever since John Young smuggled a sandwich into space, NASA has stipulated that anybody smuggling items will be fired."

"Oops."

"It isn't likely we can ring NASA and tell them we sent it via an interdimensional drive. They wouldn't believe us. And if they did, we would be surrounded with press when we have the larger work to do. They will understand when the ship is working. Perhaps we can take the ship outside the space station. Unfurl a sign saying 'Sorry for the bear. It was us.'. I'm sure that will help!"

"That won't work in space," said Jenny. The adults smiled and listened as Jenny explained the issue in detail.

"I'm glad you've been taking in your science lessons," said Evan. "Well done."

"I presume the next step is the power and then ship?" asked Ashleigh

"Sounds about right," said Rebecca. "While we've been running these tests, Henry has been finalising things for that. Most of the next tranche of work will be across the road where the items you ordered are."

Rebecca's phone ringing disturbed the discussion. She saw who it was and answered. A few seconds later, she gathered everybody around, and put it on speaker phone.

"This is Laura Taylor. I just wanted to congratulate you on a stunning test. What you did would be described by some as magic. This will revolutionise the world. My meeting tomorrow has been cancelled. Would it be an inconvenience if I come to see you tomorrow about the next steps?"

"I'm good," said Evan and others mumbled their consent.

"Excellent. I'll see you all tomorrow. Becky, can you take me off speaker."

Laura must have said something unexpected as Becky moved into the lab. Ashleigh couldn't hear what was being said but saw her ex more animated. The extra private conversation didn't last long before she hung up and came back into the discussion room. "Okay guys. See you all here at 9am tomorrow."

"Jenny, do you want to go swimming tomorrow? I can see if Mrs Brown will take you. Sorry, I need to be here."

"I want to be here too," she said.

Ashleigh was following Evan, Henry and Liam out of the door when Rebecca asked, "Ashleigh, do you mind staying upstairs with Jenny for a bit."

"Sure, no problem. I can take her back to mine if you want. Tina will be glad to see her."

The three men had gone, and the front door again closed and secured.

"Tina's on the way here. I've been asked to bring her up to speed."

"Why?"

"Laura didn't say. But from what else she said, I get the impression that she wants to speed things up."

"She said I was going to be very busy after this test. Perhaps that's all of us," said Ashleigh. "I think an extra test needs to happen. We haven't sent anything alive through. Can we send a mouse in a large container through. Just to make sure it survives."

"It's already on the list of tests that we need to perform. I'm going to be on the test ship, so I want to make sure it is as safe as possible."

"Do you have a list you can send me. That way I can start planning."

Becky pressed a few buttons on her phone. "You should have my thoughts in your inbox. I was going to discuss with Evan next week. I will discuss it with him before 9am tomorrow."

"I'll keep it to myself, but at least I can plan."

Tina arrived and Jenny let her in. "What's up? Miss T said I should come across. Ash, I brought your coat. I couldn't believe you ran off like that."

"All will become clear," said Rebecca. "Have a seat. Miss T, as you call her, asked me to explain what was happening."

"I'll be upstairs," said Ashleigh. "Come on Jenny. You can help me plan next week."

"I've no idea how to do that," said Jenny as they made their way upstairs. "Will you show me?"

"Of course."

It was two hours before Becky and Tina entered the office. It was past Jenny's bedtime, but being a Friday night, there wasn't as much urgency.

"That was longer than expected," said Ashleigh as they packed up to leave.

"Your sister asked some very insightful questions. She said she didn't study science at university but learnt it at school. I was never taught the things she asked when I was at school."

"See Ma," said Jenny. "I said it was a good school."

"With your mummy having been there, I've never had any doubts about that."

"There goes a relaxing weekend," said Tina after they'd moved in a different direction to Rebeccas and her daughter.

When they got to Ashleigh's, Tina put her fingers to her lips, and said, "We missed the rest of the program."

"Let me see if there is a repeat of it," said Ashleigh.

Tina rushed upstairs and when she came down, she had some equipment in her hands. She methodically went through the downstairs and then made her way up. When she returned, she wasn't empty handed but had a mini metal disc.

"We now can talk in peace," said Tina. "I checked your house the other day, but I wanted to be sure before we had this conversation."

"A wise idea. Do we need to put the radio on with the volume turned up?"

"Why would we do that?" asked Tina, confused.

Ashleigh looked around, as if looking to see if there was anybody there. She then said in a hushed voice. "Just in case there is something you missed, and someone is listening."

"Oh. That's what this does," said Tina, pointing to the little disc she'd placed on the coffee table. She looked at the bottle of wine and the two full glasses. "Do you want more?"

"I only got a few sips before I saw the NASA thing. Thank goodness we got the pizza eaten. I think the wine will have gone off now. Anyway, tomorrow is going to be busy, so probably not. You?"

"No. Even though I'm not on duty, what I've been told makes me want to be alert. Wine doesn't help with that."

Ashleigh got up, and moved the two glasses to the kitchen, and emptied the contents into the sink. She then got the bottle of wine and repeated the process.

"Any idea why Laura suddenly wanted you to know about the project?" enquired Ashleigh when she was sat back down.

"Because I was here," said Tina simply. "I saw Children in Need and understood where the bear was from. I didn't know how it was done, but by your reaction I knew this was to do with the project. Last time the project made a significant step forward, there were certain people who got interested. This test probably won't be on their radar, but I'm here. I'm still to do my two weeks experience, so there isn't too much worry. At least not yet."

"The full test is closer than you probably think. We have all the remaining hardware for the new ship in storage. The shell is already constructed."

"So, what's the connection between what I do, and what's going on here?"

"I've no idea," said Ashleigh. "There might not be. This could just be an additional part of her portfolio. You know, research something that she will be able to make lots of money from. Heck, just think about the impact of what we demonstrated today. The world is shrunk. You need to get emergency aid to somewhere, you can deliver it in seconds. No need for planes to ship things."

"Yes, just think of how it will appeal to tyrants. They will be able to deliver a bomb as easily as delivery of a food parcel."

Ashleigh was aghast at the thought. "That's a very glass half empty attitude."

"Someone has to think of the issues as well as the benefits," retorted Tina. "I suppose I have to look at things from both sides."

"The good news, they would need a vast amount of electricity to do it. We couldn't have pulled off the smaller tests they'd been doing in ping pong balls with the 2MWh battery, let alone the test we did today."

"How did you do the test then? I didn't think you could get a bigger supply in?"

"Ah, something that Becky didn't explain. There is two parts to the project. The other part is a new power core. Don't ask me how it works, as I've no idea. It produces a large quantity of electricity for the vehicle. We use it at the site as a test. We've not needed electricity from the grid for weeks."

"How? There's no such thing as a free lunch. You can't just magic something from nothing."

"I don't think magic is involved, but you never know. Wasn't there a quote somewhere about modern science being indistinguishable from magic?"

"I think you're thinking of Arthur C Clarke. He said, 'Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic'."

"That's it. I knew I'd read it somewhere."

"Blimey, I didn't know you read science fiction."

"I went out with someone who had lots of it. At first, I thought it was a bit abstract, but as I read more, there is a lot of commentary to society as it was. Sure, some early sci-fi books are dated in where they thought humanity was going, but there is a lot of fascinating ideas which haven't yet materialised but are even more relevant now."

"Wow, I've learnt something about my sister tonight," said Tina, happy to see her sister so animated. "You are implying this project is drawing to a close. What for you then?"

"I don't know. Laura mentioned she had something else for me. What that is, I've no idea."

"She doesn't like to let talent go to waste. How big is the power equipment for the ship?"

"Why?"

"I'm just wondering how you're going to get it to where the ship has been built."

"Oh, I'm with you. That was one of the things I've got on my list to bring up tomorrow. I presume we will ship it to the factory and then assemble it into the ship."

"Why not use your machine to send the parts there?"

Ashleigh laughed. "I wish we could. We have the power, but the machine here isn't big enough. They could probably build something to do that, but it would be quicker to get some vans."

"Would a lorry work on one trip?"

"Sure; but hiring one of those is a lot harder. I can get a few large vans quite easily."

Tina took out her phone and made a call. "Availability of three-alpha-seven."

Ashleigh raised her eyebrows at that. Tina ignored this and listened to the response.

"Request message relay. Mobile before Monday or secure message then on. Add warning that I'm insecure. Send."

When Tina had hung up, Ashleigh said, "Now that sounded so spy."

"We don't call each other or send each other secure messages. Not unless it is a life or death situation. We don't know where they are or if they could be compromised by a call. There is an automated message relay system."

"Would Sunday or Monday work for you to get the things to the factory?"

"Yes, but how?"

"I know someone who can do that. Well, I know two people, but I know one isn't available. The other, the automated system said they were around. I've no idea how long it will before they ring me back."

Ashleigh was explaining about the test she wanted run when Tina's phone warbled.

She answered, "Hey. I'm at the location I was in September." Tina laughed at something that had been said. "No, still no movement there. Are you available to drive a lorry between here and a location about fifteen to twenty miles away?... Yes secure."

Tina turned to her sister. "Are the items on pallets, or are they all loose?"

"Most are on pallets with shrink-wrap around them."

"Did you hear that? Okay, see you then. At the old Industrial Park across the road."

Tina hung up. "There will be a lorry here on Sunday morning. They will organise the lorry and forklift."

"How?"

"A colleague of mine. Before you have kittens, they are fully qualified to drive both class 1 and class 2 lorries. They know somewhere where they can hire a vehicle that you require. They are organizing it, so it isn't linked to here."

"But how? Why are they willing to do that at your request?"

"Life can be complex. We help each other out when we ask."

"You just organised something with no real consultation. You've asked someone I've no clue about to come and drive some lorry from who knows where. I know you're trying to be helpful, but that doesn't mean you need to just takeover."

"I've seen you bossing the project staff."

"No, I don't boss them around. When I see them frustrated, or getting bogged down with the job, I might suggest a break or restart the next day. I suggest. They have found that it normally helps. When Liam and Evan didn't, they nearly ended up in hospital. I do it for their health. Not trying to prove myself."

"I wasn't trying to show off," said Tina defensively. "I was just trying to help. You want...no need to securely transport items to the factory. You could have got someone to do it, but I provided someone that there isn't going to be a paper trail if someone is watching. In July you caught the attention of some unsavoury people. Heck, it was even before that based on the bug found. Not only did Miss T think it was important enough that she diverted six investigators, but the three most valuable people ended up in a secure room."

"Evan wasn't in the secure room," said Ashleigh.

"No, the most important people are Becky, Jenny and you. During our time here, you weren't out of sight either. Becky is key to the project. She gets the ideas, and the scientists work things out, but without her ideas there would be no project. Jenny is important as if anything happened to her, Becky wouldn't be able to function. And you. You keep the project running. You keep everybody sane. You make sure things happen and most importantly, you have given Becky hope."

"That's cr–" Ashleigh paused. She wanted to get out of the habit of saying crazy. The whole project was crazy, but it caused issues for Jenny. "That's unbelievable. Anyway, that's beside the point."

"What was the point?" smirked Tina.

"I've no idea. We will probably have a long day tomorrow, so I'm going to bed now. This is going to majorly screw with my dreams."

* * *

The sisters were up early and while Ashleigh prepared a mixture of sausage sandwiches and bacon rolls, Tina went off to the local supermarket to get muffins and cakes. They took them across to the old pub to find that Evan was already there.

"This looks superb," he said, slightly surprised at what was being brought in. "I thought it was a simple meeting to discuss next steps."

"Yes, this is the plan for next steps," agreed Ashleigh. "It's the plan to finish the ship and perform a test flight."

"But–"

"Let's wait until the others arrive to discuss things," said Ashleigh.

"Why's Tina here?" he asked.

"Because Miss T asked me to be," responded Tina. A simple answer which she knew nobody would question.

"Are you armed?"

"No. This is England, not America. I'm here to assist, not as protection. But I can do that if needed. Then it will be to make sure you are all safe. If there is gunfire, then I've failed."

"Is that food I smell?" asked Henry, walking in. The others weren't far behind, and everybody was soon tucking in.

Becky had a shopping bag with her and came across to Ashleigh. "For that additional test, I have what you asked for. "

"Additional test?" asked Henry, his mouth full of a bacon roll.

"Ashleigh thought it was a good idea to send something living through before we try it on the main ship. I put a humane trap down in our back garden and we got a mouse."

"Good thinking," said Liam.

Henry wasn't happy though and was backing away. Tina noticed and said, "Henry, can you show me something on the main fuse board."

He raced out the door towards the fuse board. Nobody laughed, but Evan did comment, "That was unexpected."

"Okay, let's do this quickly, " said Becky, taking the glass container out of the shopping bag. There was a scruffy mouse obviously upset at being trapped. "I'm sending it to the garden near the bins."

She placed it inside the test unit, and on the controller set the destination. There was no coding needed as it was one of the standard destinations they'd used in the initial test cycle. The team raced to the window to watch.

"Sending," stated Becky.

The team watched as in the blink of an eye the container was there. Evan and Ashleigh rushed out to check the container. The mouse was in it, still alive, none the wiser for being the first animal to pass through an interdimensional corridor.

Evan bent down and opened the container. The mouse rushed away, just as any mouse would after being trapped against its will.

"This reminds me of the film Back to the Future," said Evan as they went into the lab. "They sent the dog through the time machine and the clocks were one minute out. He'd jumped a minute."

"Are you suggesting we send a stopwatch through?" asked Becky.

"It would make sure there isn't a timing issue. The mouse wasn't dead, so it didn't take years. We see the transition as instant, but is it actually instant, or is there passage of time."

"A worthy test, but we don't have one."

"I do," said Ashleigh. "I got one to give my other sister for Christmas. It's at the house."

She rushed as quick as she could and got back before there was any sign of Laura. With the mouse gone, Henry was back inside the room. Evan took out his phone and after a few fiddly attempts, they had the stopwatch in sync. The two devices were filmed side by side at highspeed. It was the only way to see the milliseconds.

"It's a go," confirmed Becky.

They placed it into the device and pressed the button. It vanished as if it had slipped out of existence. When the stopwatch disappeared, they rushed outside to collect it. Filming it again showed they were still in sync.

"This is a great test," said Evan. "When we do the test with the ship, I'd like to have a stopwatch running inside the ship and one left at the factory. When we return, we can compare to see if there is any time difference between the two on longer jumps."

The team was enthused. The test they'd done the previous day had lit a fire within them. They were no longer just thinking if they could make it work. They knew now it could. It was now all about safety and how what they'd done fitted in with reality.

Ashleigh let the conversation flow while she helped herself to a croissant. As she finished it, she called a halt. "These are great ideas. Log them as we will be running these. Do any need to be done before the big test?"

"Big test?" asked Liam. "Didn't we just do the big test?"

"The ship?!" reminded Evan.

"Oh, that big test. The things I suggested could be done afterwards."

"Excellent. Then after this meeting, make sure you create a list of tests you'd like to perform. You then can discuss them later and put them into a sensible order. I'm sure some activities will tick off multiple tests."

Ashleigh went to the glass board. It was clear as all tests had been done. "So, let's work out what needs to be done for the ship test. Are all the parts for the power system across the road?"

"Most," said Henry. "Some of the framing is already down at the factory."

Ashleigh wrote, 'Transport of power parts to factory' on the board.

"We need time to break some of the boxes down so we can fit them inside some vans," said Henry.

"Would a large lorry work?" asked Ashleigh.

"Oh, that would be better, but none of us can drive a lorry."

"Thanks to Tina, a lorry will be here tomorrow morning," said Ashleigh. "Why don't you get to the factory for 9am on Sunday to organise things at that side. What about the device? Do you need to break this one down?"

"No," said Henry. "We have one designed for this ship. It's in the cupboard where Evan is sat."

"So, once we are there it needs validation?"

"Always. However, we have proved it already," said Becky. "The device we normally use here focuses the item to move. The one in the cupboard has a slightly different layout to encompass the ship. If the item is stationary, then it stays stationary at the other side. We tested having movement with the ping-pong balls and we had some on the teddy bear test. It needed to float towards the camera."

"Oh, and it certainly did that. I'm sure it shocked the poor astronaut. No more shocking astronauts."

"Roger that," said Evan, trying to keep a straight face. "No more shocking astronauts."

"Once all the parts are down there, how long will it take to assemble?"

"With the construction crew already down there, a month," said Becky.

Ashleigh wrote six weeks on the board.

"I said a month," protested Becky.

Ashleigh rubbed what she'd put on the board and put eight weeks. "You need to do it right, not quick. There is also Christmas during this time. This gives you some contingency. Once you've assembled how long to test and verify?"

"That was part of my month. The ship itself has been extensively tested inside a vacuum chamber. The gas thrusters have been checked and now there aren't any leaks. Three people lived inside the ship while it was inside the vacuum chamber for five days. This was the best test we can do on planet. We haven't been able to test in space where the lack of gravity will change things, but that isn't going to change things for the hop test."

"How did you test without the power system?" asked Tina.

"While at the factory, it is connected to the site power. That's disconnected before launch."

"Okay. I'll keep it as eight weeks for now. Does the ship have communications? If there is trouble, can you communicate?"

"Some. We have a link to orbiting communication satellites. Most are pointing towards Earth, so there is only a few we can use. We've got authorisation for three types, so we should be okay. Our test flight is within Earth orbit."

"What about communicating when you go further afield?"

"Not yet," said Becky. "We've had some ideas, but it hasn't been a priority."

"You mean you've been mulling it over, but not got us working out how to achieve it yet," retorted Evan.

"I didn't want to confuse matters," responded Becky, slightly abash.

"So, now we just wait for Laura," said Liam. "Any idea when she's getting here?"

"If this were a film, she would turn up right now," laughed Ashleigh.

They all went to look out of the front window. There was no sign, so they all used the opportunity to grab another cake. Before they finished, the sound of traffic was heard, and Laura Taylor pulled into the car park.

"What a fantastic test," she crowed, shaking hands with each team member, including Jenny.

"Help yourself to what remains of breakfast," offered Ashleigh.

"I'll have to come more often," responded Laura grabbing a cold sausage sandwich. "I see you've been having a discussion on future steps. Have you any other tests to perform before this?"

"We performed two this morning," informed Rebecca. "We did a test sending a live mouse. We also did a timing test to make sure there wasn't anything unexpected with that."

"Great. There are two spare houses, each with four bedrooms close to the factory. I'm sure you'll want to spend time here, but if things get late, those are open for all of you."

"What about me and school?" asked Jenny.

"I'll still take you," said Becky.

"And one of us will collect you," said Ashleigh. "If your ma can't get away, I will be there."

"Thank you," said Jenny, happy that she wasn't having to move school.

"On to the tricky bit. As part of the work at the factory, you need to train the test pilot and test engineer."

"WHAT!" screeched the people in the room.

"You are all too valuable to go on the first flight."

There was more grumbling.

"You've not been told you can't go on any flight. Just not the first flight," pointed out Ashleigh. "I know it's your ship. You have given birth to it. But the first flight you have described as just a hop. Prove the technology."

Laura added, "However, there is certain knowledge that can't be taught and that is what is in Evan's and Liam's head. So, one of them will go."

Jenny turned to her ma. "When you go on your flight, can I come with you?"

"Why?"

"Because if you die, I don't want to be alone."

Aurora

by Karen Page

Part 8

---

Part 8

It was 2am when the lorry drew up at the entrance to the small industrial unit. Tina had been waiting at the unlocked gate and pointed the driver to the relevant building. A minibus that was just behind, followed the truck into the deserted parking lot.

Tina jogged to join her sister at the building. A team, with faces covered, jumped out of the minibus and started assessing the items. The truck reversed to the entrance and one of the people lowered the tailgate.

Loading was done in almost silence. There were a few hushed commands, but they worked efficiently in emptying the warehouse. With everything strapped and secured, and the driver happy that everything was legal, the convoy left for the factory.

"They're like ninjas," said Ashleigh as she set off after locking the front gate. "They were well coordinated and obviously knew what they were doing."

"You have your contacts, and I have mine," Tina answered back.

The lorry had turned right out of the warehouse to avoid going through the next village where there was a narrow portion between two buildings and lots of parked cars. Ashleigh had no issues going left, and knew she would get to the factory before the lorry.

The factory wasn't a factory in the traditional British sense of a large building where they churned out goods. But it was where the ship was being assembled, so factory fitted as it was a place of creation. From the outside, it looked like a large warehouse, with panelled walls that slotted in quickly. Inside though, it was nothing like a warehouse.

It was divided into distinct areas. The offices were to the right of the warehouse, which stored the parts for the ship. However, the actual ship, and the testing was below ground. On the surface the factory looked like a medium sized business. But below ground the excavated space was huge. It didn't just contain where the ship had been built, but also the acoustic and vacuum testing areas.

Ashleigh drew up to the shut gates. The guard on duty was surprised to find someone arriving in the middle of the night.

"Hi Jim," said Ashleigh, when she saw the guard. "An early start for me today."

"What are you doing here at this ungodly hour?" he asked.

"A delivery is coming in."

"Ten minutes," called Tina from the car.

"Nobody said nothing," he muttered, looking at his clipboard.

"Of course not. This is a special delivery. I want you to open the gates, and in ten minutes a lorry and a minibus is going to arrive. The minibus has a team to unload the special equipment. Please get the inner guard to unlock the goods entrance. They then should come up to the gatehouse."

"Yes, Ma'am," he responded.

He grabbed the guard radio and informed the inner guard that a delivery was coming in. "George, please undo the goods door and then come up to the gatehouse."

"You what?" came the response.

Ashleigh signalled for him to pass the radio to her. "George. This is Ashleigh Thompson. I don't want to stand around all night."

"Right miss," he responded, slightly surprised at the terse manner of the normally pleasant woman. "Sorry. Will be wide open in two minutes."

"Thanks George. You need to be up here asap."

"On it."

Jim had opened the gate, and Ashleigh passed the radio back to him. He then complained, "The video has gone down."

"I'll check on that after," calmly responded Ashleigh, not surprised.

A light shone at the side of the warehouse where George was opening the door. Tina sprinted across to make sure everything was ready for the goods to arrive.

The lorry drove in, and the minibus hung back as the lorry reversed into position. The minibus then went and pulled up next to the lorry. From the guardhouse they could only see the silhouettes of people emptying the lorry.

George, a much younger guard went to get out his phone to record the sight unfolding. "Put it away," said Ashleigh firmly. "This isn't to be filmed."

"Sorry," muttered George, aware how much of a gaff he'd just made.

"I know it's exciting. This is the special parts. We don't want anybody to know about it so it will be a surprise when it is ready. Becky and the whole team will be down later today."

The guards only patrolled outside and in the warehouse area. The underground facility where the ship was, had restricted access. Only the construction team were allowed inside the inner sanctum.

"It's so sad what happened to Becky's wife and son," said Jim. "Becky was always showing pictures when she visited. Mighty proud of both her children she was."

"I never got to meet Hilda," said Ashleigh sadly. "I hear she was a really nice lady."

"That she was, miss," said Jim. "She always talked to everyone, just like you do. A lot of people just come in and out. Never stop and say hello."

"Sorry. I know you and George do a fine job. I heard you both were personally picked for here?"

"Yes," peeped up George. "I was working out yonder guarding the old power station. I've no idea how, but Becky's boss came to my house and offered the job. I've no idea how she knew about me."

"I had the same treatment," said Ashleigh. "It was rather a surprise."

"I used to work at a company she ran, and her mum before her in London," said Jim. "When I handed in my notice because I wanted to move out here to be nearer my grandkids, she came to see me the next day. Said she'd heard I was leaving and moving out here. It was like the answer to everything."

"What was Miss Taylors mother like?"

"Very driven and very compassionate. I heard stories about how ruthless she was with her business dealings. Yet with the staff, you couldn't find someone better. She was so committed to helping them and making sure the working environment was the best. If people were working late, she would want to know why the job needed that and if more people were needed. She wanted people to be with families at night. Everybody was devastated when she was killed. Thankfully she brought her daughter up with the same goodness and business skills."

The lorry and minibus made their way out of the entrance, returning from wherever they'd come from. The light from the goods entrance winked out as Tina shut it and in a few moments Ashleigh's youngest sister appeared out of the darkness.

"All done and stored in the secure room," she said.

"Well done. Shall we go home, or do you want to stay for the construction team?"

"Let's stay. Didn't you say there are a few comfortable couches upstairs in the office area?"

"I'll go and lock up," said George.

"Already done Mr Barker," said Tina. "But it would be good for you to make sure I did it right."

"I see your video surveillance has come back," said Ashleigh to Jim. "What time does your shift end?"

"Six."

"Okay, can you leave a note that we are in the office area. That way the daytime guard doesn't get a nasty shock."

"Will do."

Ashleigh and Tina sauntered across to the entrance. When they'd gone, Jim turned to George. "I'd forget what you saw this evening. If anybody asks, just say a truck made a delivery."

* * *

Ashleigh was awoken by a gentle tap. She opened her eyes to see Jenny looking at her.

"What time is it?" asked Ashleigh.

"Half seven. How long have you been asleep?"

"Three hours. At least I got some before the madness of last night."

"What were you doing here at half four this morning?" asked Jenny aghast. "You should have been in bed at that time."

"I agree, but Mrs Poop arranged for a special delivery of the power equipment. It was collected at two this morning."

"Wow. I've never been up at that time."

Rebecca came in. "Everything is here already. It isn't cold, so must have been here at least an hour."

"Special delivery," repeated Jenny, not understanding what that meant. Rebecca had some inkling, and her eyes narrowed, but she didn't say anything.

"Remember, it was Tina who arranged it, not me," said Ashleigh.

"She's so helpful," said Jenny. "Where is she?"

"I've no idea. You just woke me up. I thought she was having a nap too." Ashleigh spied another Pudsey Bear in Jenny's arms. "How many of those bears do you have?"

"We had one each. Though we've lost ma's now."

"Perhaps NASA will give it you back when they realise. Why is yours here?"

"I want it to be transported too. I thought it could go in the ship."

"Everything's here," said Henry happily as he walked into the room. "And all in the right places for stripping down and assembling."

Ashleigh threw off the blanket and got up. "Talk to me in a few minutes, I'm going to the ladies."

When she returned, Tina was there looking as if she'd had a good eight-hours sleep. She had a box containing food for Ashleigh.

"You're a miracle worker," said Ashleigh, eying the food and shooed everybody out so she could eat in peace.

* * *

The word spread to the construction workers who lived locally. If it was one of the security guards, or if one of them came in for something else, the word spread. There was soon six people looking at the organised boxes.

"This is the schedule," said Henry, pointing to the large sheet of paper on the wall. "We take our time and do each step and confirm everything is correct. Three people are going to be in this vehicle. Their lives depend on that. You each have your activity sheets. Whatever you do, you log. Even if it's a half degree turn of a nut."

There were a few mumbles, that this was what they'd all been doing anyway.

"Am I clear?"

"Yes, Sir," they responded.

"Good. If there are any queries on the build, I'm your contact. If there is anything else you need, talk with Ashleigh."

Ashleigh spoke up, "If you've not seen me, I'm Ashleigh. I've been based at the research building. During this build, I will be here. Part of my job is employee welfare. I know you are excited about completing the ship, but working every hour of the day is unsafe. Unless there is a job you can't put down, which I'm told there aren't many, you will not work more than four hours without taking a break. You will not work more than eight hours a day. You will not pull all-nighters."

There were surprised murmurs, even though she was only giving more detail to what Henry had said.

"You were recruited because you are the best at what you do. You've proved that by creating the ship and the tests you've done. This is just the final stages. The power and the drive.

"For the test, there will be two people you haven't met. A test pilot and emergency engineer. They will be arriving tomorrow. I will introduce you to them. Please be open with them and show them anything they request. Anything. Safety on the test is dependent on them not having any surprises. The systems are unique, and they won't understand them. So please understand and not laugh."

That got a few chuckles.

"Now, today is Sunday. It's great you heard that things had arrived, and I know you are eager to start, but today is a rest day. The build starts at nine tomorrow morning. Not seven. Not eight. Fine if you want to arrive early and get yourself in your overalls, but you won't start work early. So go home and rest. Play a game or watch the football on television."

As they disappeared, Henry came to see her. "You can't restrict them that much."

"I know, but I want them at least to know what's expected. Set some ground rules. There are a lot of parts for the ship power system. Is it going to fit?"

"Nope. Only part is for the ship. The rest is for this building," said Henry.

"I know she wants to commercialise it at some point."

"I know, but the paperwork is a nightmare. It isn't as simple as build and connect. There must be operators monitoring and on standby. There must be procedures to balance the grid. And on it goes. Then when we do connect, how big do we want the generation to be. Our method is so efficient we could easily create several scaled up versions and dot them around the country and generate all the UK needs. All it needs is salt water and the result is almost free electricity."

"That sounds great."

"It does, until you then ask what would happen to all the existing generators? What about the companies that have spent millions on solar and wind, and it is wiped out virtually overnight."

"Oh."

"Or we try to miniaturise it. For a normal household, say the size of a battery that lasts a year. Then you don't need a grid. Imagine putting them in every car. Now you don't need the thousands of EV chargers that companies have installed. Most people will benefit. Others, not so much. I know Miss Taylor has a plan to introduce it gradually, so not to cause chaos."

"The ship will cause enough chaos," remarked Ashleigh.

"Well, it's not really the ship that's important. A dozen countries around the world build ships to go to space. The real bits of development that change things is the power and the drive. It will change the world. You can get goods from one place to another almost instantly. You can get people from one place to another. What does that do for migration, borders and trade relationships."

"Someone could just transport a bomb," said Ashleigh remembering the conversation she'd had with Tina.

"They could. The technology isn't evil, but someone could easily do evil with it. Just look at what can be done with nuclear technology. It was used for good in medications and energy. The same technology was used for bombs of horrendous power."

"I better get back to Becky. She was expecting the dossiers on the two testers."

"I'm gutted I'm not going, but I understand why."

"Perhaps you will be the first one to go to a different planet. There have been nearly a thousand that have flown into orbit. Only a few have been to the moon. But nobody has been to another planet."

"You're right," said Henry chirping up. "I'd not thought of that."

Smiling at another good deed, Ashleigh went to find Rebecca. She was in the offices. Her laptop out, looking at her emails.

"Have they come in?" asked Ashleigh as she wandered in.

"Yes. Have a look. They are both open. The one on the screen is for the pilot."

Ashleigh sat down and perused them. James Partridge. Was with the RAF and ended up at the European Space Agency in their astronaut corps and did two stints in space as pilot for the first, and commander for the second. Fluent in English, French, German and Russian.

Wow.

Next was Sam Hood. British, but schooled in America and American citizenship. Two degrees in Electronical and Mechanical Engineering and a doctorate in Electronical Engineering. Service in US Navy classified. Fluent in English, French, Spanish, Russian, Mandarin, Japanese, Farsi, Arabic, Portuguese and Dutch.

Impressive. Both were very impressive.

"On paper they seem to fit the bill," said Ashleigh to Becky. "What do you think?"

"Yes. They're impressive. I've asked the gate to notify me if they see them checking the place over."

"Okay, but I don't think I'm going to hang around too long. I had a rather disturbed night last night."

"There seemed to have been an interruption to the CCTV when the collection and delivery were made."

"Not my doing."

"I know. I wasn't saying so. I just thought you should know. Based on the length of the outage, they were very efficient. Henry says nothing was broken and things were left in a logical way for him to work with."

"Then let it drop. It was done professionally and with no disruption. I know you don't like clandestine stuff, but we are both bordering on that reality. We aren't part of that world, but it's nice that they help when needed."

"I think we're actually inside that reality," said Rebecca sadly. "I don't think Laura would be investing the sums of money she has unless she is getting something out of it."

"I don't think there is anything nefarious. From what I've heard about Hilda, she was a good person. I doubt she would have introduced you if there was anything untoward."

"That's true," perked up Rebecca. "Thank you."

"Do you know where everybody else is?"

"Tina and Jenny were getting a guided tour of the testing facilities by Evan and Liam. When were you last down?"

"A month ago. Why?"

"Come with me."

Rebecca led her down the corridor and into what Ashleigh had known was going to be the control centre. It was laid out, but there was no equipment. When she went in, she gasped. There were six terminals, all configured to monitor the ship and talk to them."

"This looks fantastic. Is it everything you needed?"

"I hope so. This is new to us. Perhaps James Partridge will be able to give us guidance on what he expects."

"Since he's been in space, he'll probably tell us off for the bear prank."

"It wasn't a prank. It was a science experiment."

"Ahh, that makes it okay then. Just don't hold up any steam trains."

They both laughed at the film reference. On their way downstairs, Rebecca got a call on her phone. It was the gate. Sam Hood was there. Ashleigh got out her phone and rung her sister. "We have the test engineer coming in. I thought from a security perspective, since you are here."

"I'll see you at the entrance," responded Tina, in a tone that Ashleigh knew she'd made the right decision.

Rebecca, Ashleigh and Tina watched as the car moved slowly towards the parking area.

"Do you have a name?" asked Tina.

"Sam Hood. No gender on the resume. I've no idea if it is a Samuel or a Samantha, not that it matters. Born in UK, grew up in America. Degree in Electrical Engineering and another in Mechanical Engineering. Worked in US Navy. Speaks about a hundred languages."

"Such as?"

"French, Spanish, Dutch, Portuguese, Japanese, Mandarin. Probably a few I've forgotten."

Sam walked up and Becky opened the door.

"A welcoming committee," said Sam with a smile. "I'm Sam. I believe you were expecting me tomorrow. I thought I'd just make sure where the place was, and the guard said I should come and meet you."

"I'm Becky Head," said Rebecca holding out her hand. "This project is based off my idea."

"I'm Ashleigh. I deal with purchasing and look after employee welfare."

"I'm Tina." Tina then switched languages and said something that only Sam would understand. Sam was shocked and after a few more words from Tina burst out laughing.

"Do you want a tour now?" asked Becky, not liking the secret conversation going on. "I'm not sure how much you know. Are you tired from your trip?"

"I'm fine," said Sam smoothly back in English. "I flew in yesterday and spent the day with my folks in Cheltenham. I was told this was some type of new ship and have a test pilot coming in. You need someone to act as emergency engineer just in case something goes wrong."

"That sums it up," agreed Rebecca.

"Okay. Just so there is no confusion. I joined Hayfield two years before Tina. I moved in my first year to a sister school. Tina knew of me but not the other way around. I'm told you know of Hayfield, but the others don't, so please don't mention it."

"The only other that knows is Jenny," mentioned Ashleigh.

"Hilda, my wife, was a psychiatrist at Hayfield for just over six years," said Rebecca. "That's the only reason I know of it."

"If you were two years older than Tina, you would know David and Helen?" asked Ashleigh.

"Oh yes, I know that pair. Interesting that you do though."

"Okay, introductions are out of the way. Let's do this tour," said Ashleigh.

They made their way through the security doors and down the steps. After what seemed like sixty steps, the entered the factory where the ship was positioned in the middle of the floor. At the front right, built into the frame was the text 'Made in the United Kingdom' with the Union Jack proudly embossed.

Sam's eyes open wide in surprise at the sight of the ship. "What type of ship is this?"

"A spaceship with a unique drive and energy system. When we find Henry, I'll introduce you. He's the person who'll be teaching you every wire in the ship."

"How unique?"

"It's one of a kind. I'll explain more tomorrow when the pilot arrives. He's ex RAF and ex European Space Agency astronaut."

"Does she, the ship that is, have a name?"

"Not yet.

The door to the ship opened, and out came Henry, Evan, Liam and Jenny.

"Ah, perfect. Let me introduce you."

Rebecca didn't have to call them across. Jenny spotted someone new and rushed down the steps.

"You must be Jenny," said Sam.

Jenny nodded, not phased to see someone new. She'd grown up around adults all her life. She was never pushed away and never told she was too small to hear something.

"Are you the pilot or engineer?" she asked.

"Engineer. I've got to work with someone called Henry."

"Oh, that's him there in the black polo shirt. The other two are Evan and Liam."

"What do they do?"

"Evan is chief scientist and Liam fills in between all of them."

"What do you do?" asked Sam jokingly.

"I learn," she replied solemnly.

"Hold on," said Rebecca, putting her phone away. "We have James at the gate."

"I'll go and greet him," said Tina and disappeared.

"So, what does Tina do on this project?" Sam asked Ashleigh.

"She doesn't. She's my sister and staying with me. Well, there was an incident several months ago were there was a threat to the project. Six investigators were deployed to keep an eye on things."

"Ahh."

Tina wasn't long and she came in with a tall man in his late forties. His dark hair was neat and looked almost like a model.

"This is Captain James Partridge," said Tina introducing the gentleman. "Firstly, we have Lieutenant Commander Sam Hood of the US Navy. Sam is going to be the ship engineer on the test flight. Sam arrived about twenty minutes ago. We then have the project team."

Tina introduced everybody, their name and job title.

"And this is your ship," said Rebecca, like a proud mother.

James looked at it and did a slow walk around. The rest just watched on. "Can I go in?" he asked.

"Sure, but the power plant and drive have yet to be fitted," said Becky.

Sam followed him inside, and the others grouped at the bottom of the stairs. When they came out, they were both silent.

"I hope you have big concerns with what you just saw," said Becky.

"Too right. The design says this is for space. Yet I'm not seeing anything to get it to space. If you have a standard booster, I'd be killed with that type of seat. And if it was a HOTOL system, there isn't the thrust engines."

"A fair assessment," said Becky. "Come upstairs. I have a video of the test we did on Friday."

They went to the office, and Becky pulled up the video. It showed the lab, and Becky putting the plush bear into the test container. On the screen next to it, there was a feed from the NASA space station where an interview was being conducted. The bear was given a slight push and the machine switched on. It disappeared and it was shown appearing on the NASA broadcast.

"That is an interdimensional drive," said Evan.

James turned around. "I've got a friend up there at the moment. NASA are giving them hell because nobody will admit smuggling that teddy onboard. It did great for Children in Need. The donations went through the roof."

"You mean that wasn't staged?" asked Sam.

"Not likely," said James. "Not with the level of investigation going on in Houston."

"We did think about sending up an apology letter, but we thought that might make things worse," said Liam.

"I now understand why your ship is like it is. You aren't going to have the acceleration. One minute you're in this building. The next you're in space."

They hadn't paused the video, and it went on to show the mouse being transported and happily running away when the contained was opened.

"How much power does it need?" asked Sam.

"Friday's test took 5MW. The ship is larger and will take more power to jump."

"You said there was a unique power system," said Sam. "Can you explain it?"

"We can, but not today," said Rebecca. "You don't start until tomorrow and it is going to take a long time for Henry to go through it. We have files with every test we've done and every component in the ship, the power and the drive. It is all open for you to look through. You need to understand what you're testing."

"When I looked inside the ship, I was almost ready to walk out the door. You've told me enough so that doesn't happen."

"I do hope you walk out the door," said Ashleigh. "You aren't sleeping here."

James laughed.

"The build and verification will take weeks to complete. This gives you time to learn what you need to learn," said Becky.

"The build will start tomorrow," said Ashleigh. "We have two people on the project who nearly hospitalised themselves by overworking. This has to be done safely, and that can't happen if people are tired."

"One last question," said Sam. "What do you plan for the first test."

"You go to space. We initially thought to prove, just outside the space station, but we didn't want panic with people thinking aliens have arrived. So, we still go to a position about 350km into space, but not near the space station. That way if there is a problem the chance of a rescue is higher. You spend about ten minutes there, making sure the systems are good, and you come home. The coordinates will already be in the system, but when it is instigated will be under your control. The next test won't occur until the data has been analysed and everybody is happy."

Aurora

by Karen Page

Part 9

---

Part 9

Evan and Becky poured over the documents. Each test came back as expected. No issues outside expected tolerances. For ten days the tests had been run, and each test had the results analysed. Anything outside expected tolerances flagged an investigation. The root cause for every anomaly was chased down and once every test had worked, they did them all again.

"Is this it?" asked Becky, not believing her eyes. "Are we there?"

"It looks like it," said Evan. "I don't know how other space companies do this. There are so many checks."

"Yes, but since we aren't going through normal airspace, we don't have to involve the CAA. Imagine that paperwork."

Ashleigh knocked and peeped into the office. "How many failures?"

"None. We passed every test. Nothing even close to breaking limits."

"That's fantastic news. When do we go?"

"I want James, Sam and Liam to sign off. Then I need to tell Laura. I'll let you know."

"Sam's other half, Jessica has arrived. Sam was asking if Jessica could watch the test."

Becky and Evan looked at each other and Becky whispered, "Do you have any objections?"

"None at all."

"No problem," said Becky to Ashleigh. "A good idea. Why don't we get the office staff in to watch too."

"When we have a launch time, I'll arrange something in the back office for the staff. I'll sit with Jessica and make sure she is okay. Is it okay if we sit at the back of the Launch Control room?"

"Yes. Make sure there are chairs just in case Laura is coming too. Can you get the three of them in here with their tablets. I will ask them if there is anybody they want for the launch and will let you know."

Ashleigh left, shutting the door behind her.

"Do you have anybody you want to watch?" asked Rebecca

"I could ask my ex-wife," replied Evan. "However, I think she might pray that the ship blows up with me in it. What about you?"

"It's just me and Jenny. If she insists on going on a launch, I'm not sure if I will go. I'd hate to risk her. Nobody under the age of eighteen has been in space. Would it be safe for her undeveloped body to be weightless? Would the fluid issue be worse for a child? Could it give her problems seeing?"

"One of the tests I'd like to do is to try going to Australia with it. Perhaps she would be okay on that test. No weightlessness, and therefore that will not be an issue."

"Sounds a plan. Jenny gets to go on a trip, but not something that will hurt her."

The three crew members arrived, and Evan took charge of this chat. "We have a decision to make. Becky and I have reviewed the test results. Everything was as expected. I'd like you three to review too. You are going in the ship, and I want to make sure you're happy. Then if you are, we need to know what you're going to call the ship."

"We decided on the name 'Aurora'. She is the goddess of the dawn. It signals the start of something new. Hopefully the ship will bring the human race beyond the cradle of Earth."

After an hour James said, "I'm good. What about you two?"

"I'm on the last one," said Sam. "Give me a few minutes."

"The two tests I was nervous about seem to now be sorted without impact," said Liam. "I'm good."

"And I'm good too," said Sam.

"Sam, I believe Jessica has arrived. Ashleigh mentioned your request and she can watch. James and Liam, do you have anybody you wish to invite?"

Neither did.

Rebecca got out her phone and dialled Laura's secretary, who transferred the call immediately. "Hi Laura, it's Becky."

It was quite unnecessary to say that. It would have shown on her phone, and her secretary would have announced her.

"Becky. What can I do for you? How are the tests going?"

"We have finished. Evan and I agree that we are good to go. The crew of 'Aurora' have also signed things off."

"That's great."

"Would you like to be here?"

Becky heard a muffled sound and then "Lucy. Change of plan. Can you take me to The Factory."

"We were on the way to Bristol. I should be there in less than an hour."

"We'll be at least two hours before departure, so don't break any speed limits."

With the call terminated, Becky said "Okay, crew of Aurora. Go get to the toilet and get yourself ready. I'll get Julie to fetch Jessica."

Becky went out to see the security guard. When Julie and Jessica got back, the place was on lockdown. The only people allowed in were going to be Laura and her security.

Ten minutes later, Julie came in, with Jessica in tow. "Thanks Julie," said Ashleigh. "Are you ready to watch?"

"Oh yes. We know testing has been happening, but we've no idea what we'll see."

"Can I ask you make sure that nobody records it on their phones or speaks about it. There are lots of tests before it's reported."

"We won't, but I'll make sure."

When Julie went, it was just Ashleigh and Jessica. "Hi, I'm Ashleigh. I'll be looking after you today. I've no idea how much Sam has told you."

"Just there is a test flight and Sam has been doing lots of preparation. No more than that. It's unusual, as Sam's mostly on submarines."

"This is even more unusual. Let's go into Launch Control. There is a large screen showing the launch site."

They went in, and there was a buzz of activity as they were constantly checking the ship values. The ship would automatically signal if there was an issue, but it was good to know how things were.

"This is the ship Sam's in," said Ashleigh, pointing to the 103-inch screen.

"I've never seen anything like that before."

"That's because there hasn't been a ship like it. It is a revolutionary design. The three crew have reviewed everything and are happy to fly. Sam thought you would like to watch."

"Yes, thank you. Oh, they're going in. Is it long to them setting off? How is it going to launch while inside?"

"There are checks they have to make, such as communications. They won't be going yet."

The door opened and in came Laura with Tina followed by her main bodyguard. "The building is locked," said Tina to Ashleigh. "Miss T has two guards outside here, and two guarding the entrance to the ship room."

Laura didn't say anything but took her seat and put on the headphones that were on them. She didn't get out her phone but sat watching everything occur. Tina sat next to her and Jenny joined them, both donning their headphones.

After twenty minutes, Becky said, "All checks done. Go when you're ready."

"Destination dialled in," came the voice of Sam.

"All systems go," said Liam.

The voice of Captain James Partridge came through the speaker. "Leaving in three ... two ... one."

One second the ship was there, the next it was gone. In the blink of an eye, it had vanished.

Jessica swore and then apologised. "Where did it go?"

"It should be about 350 kilometres in space."

"You're shitting me?"

Ashleigh wanted to laugh. "No. Keep listening."

"Launch Control, this is Aurora. We have arrived."

"Confirmation," said Evan. "Tracking has you and telemetry is coming in via Low Earth satellite network. Well done. Confirm all systems are green and bring her home."

"We have a power conduit issue," said Sam calmly. "Standby."

"What's happening?" asked Jessica

"Sounds like Sam has spotted an issue and is dealing with it."

Evan and Henry were in a frantic discussion when Becky said, "We've lost communication and some telemetry."

"Yes," said Evan. "There is redundant communication. We still have the telemetry from the power side."

"This is Aurora, can you read me?" came the voice of James Partridge.

"We hear you," responded Becky. "What's your situation."

"I'm calling on the emergency connection. It has about an hour's battery. Sam has doffed their spacesuit to make it easier to work. We will keep you informed."

"Doffed?" asked Jessica.

"Taken off. They are confident the ship is airtight, so Sam has taken off the spacesuit."

"I so wish we'd got married," sighed Jessica.

"Why didn't you."

"Sam. You might have realised that Sam likes to live without a gender. You have heterosexual marriage and gay marriage. But you always have to specify a gender. You can't get married without that."

"And what's between your ears is far more important than what's between your legs," said Ashleigh.

"Exactly. You can't change your brain, but you can change other things."

"My sister over there is Tina. She is two years younger than you but went to the same music school in the UK. And before you panic, she hasn't told me anything about the school. What was the sister school like?"

"Very similar. The same support. The same love for each other. The same excellent education. We kept in touch during and after school. I feel just as happy in America as in the UK."

"And probably have no issues travelling in most of the world."

"Exactly."

"You seem very relaxed about Sam being in space with an issue."

Jessica shrugged. "What good would panicking do? Sam is good at this type of work. It isn't the first test job, but it is the first I've got to watch."

There was silence as data was checked. There were hundreds of sensors on a ship that wasn't too large. Millions of data points. It was finding the issue.

"Sensor Bravo-Delta-Six-One-Niner and Bravo-Delta-Five-Two-Six showed a spike," said Becky. "That's floor panel five-three."

"Floor panel five-three," read back Sam.

More silence. There was still checking of data, but it was less frantic than before.

Ashleigh looked across at Laura. She was still sat in the same position as at the start of the test. Jenny was less happy, but still had on her headset, wanting to hear the next bit of information. Tina was holding Jenny's hand and was occasionally saying something.

Silence. Waiting. Seconds seemed like minutes. Minutes seemed like hours.

A photograph appeared on the main screen. It was something Sam had sent through. There was a disconnect. It looked like something had burnt through the thick cable."

"I'm going to isolate at panel four-three," said Sam. "I can then replace. I'd like to check to see what caused that before we power up. Can I suggest some hand or feet holds in future upgrades. Trying to remove floor panels is a real pain without something to brace myself on."

Becky looked at Henry who was nodding. "Confirmed. Isolate at panel four-three and replace with spare cable. I'll make a note of your upgrade suggestions."

Ten minutes later, more pictures came through. More floor panels had been opened exposing the length of cable. Only one section had issues.

Liam came on. "Control. Do you remember the first test. The gash looks like that."

"Sam. Please check the holding connector. Is it the same material as the others?" asked Evan.

Silence.

"It appears to be. But it looks like there is some slight discoloration. Perhaps caused by arcing."

"Confirmed on the discoloration. You have a spare cable to replace the damaged one?"

"Yes, but it will take time to replace. We can run a longer cable down channel four. This will bypass the issue and make sure the cable doesn't go near that connector."

More waiting.

"So, what do you do?" Ashleigh asked Jessica.

"I work on satellite communications for a startup. I used to work for a large conglomerate but decided a smaller company would use more of my talent. But since Sam left the Navy, we have more opportunities to do things wherever."

"How is it working out?"

"I'm busy, hence why I've only got here this week. I have two weeks, so was glad it coincided."

"Perhaps we could use your satellites in the future," said Ashleigh.

"Won't work. Our antennas point towards Earth. With you being so far out, it won't pick up. How far will this ship go?"

"There is no distance. Part of the issue is we don't have good coordinates elsewhere. We could easily do The Moon or Mars, but if there was an issue, we wanted to be close to home."

"And does your ship communicate across the void of space?"

"Not yet. Becky says she has some ideas."

"Good to know. It sounds like there are new possibilities."

"I hope you don't have stocks in them. I wouldn't want you in trouble for insider dealing."

Eventually the voice of James came over the system, breaking the tense wait. "Sam has the cable connected and Liam has verified the run. Are we go to test?"

"Are all the panels back in place."

"Yes."

"Then go."

Silence. "We have full telemetry," remarked Evan.

"Roger. We are back on the main communications," came back James. "We are donning our gear and should depart in ten minutes."

"Confirmed. Donning suits and departing in ten minutes. Let us know when you are ready."

The ship blinked back into the room. One second it was empty, the next the ship was there.

"Please stay seated. The doctor will be with you in a few minutes," said Becky.

"Congratulations," said Laura loudly as she got up from her seat. This was the first thing she'd said during the whole test. "Not only did you successfully prove the technology, but you also proved that you could handle an issue with calm minds. Find the issue and make sure it doesn't happen again. I hate people dying unnecessarily."

The radiation levels were clear, and the ship door was opened. After some checks, the doctor pronounced them well enough to depart the ship but move to the makeshift medical bay for more checks.

"Let me take you to see Sam," Ashleigh said to Jessica.

"I think Sam has found a new home after the Navy. I'll have to see if there is a telecoms startup in this country. If not, I'll have to start one."

Jenny spoke for the first time since the test. "Ma. Now the ship is back, can someone take a photograph of me and you in front of it."

"I'll take it when I get back," said Ashleigh and then hurried to take Jessica to see her partner.

When she got back, it was just Rebecca and Jenny. Ashleigh took the photograph, not realising how important that picture was.

"Miss Thompson," said Jenny, rushing up to Ashleigh. "I've got a favour to ask."

"Oh?"

Jenny looked around and saw her Ma was still near the ship. She asked quietly, "Will you ask my Ma out for a coffee? She is scared to ask you."

Ashleigh was stunned and didn't know what to say.

"You do like her, don't you?" asked Jenny, suddenly worried.

"Yes, but what about your mummy?"

"My mummy is dead, but you aren't."

That wasn't a response Ashleigh had expected, but on reflection it was Jenny. It was what she would say.

Ashleigh gave the young girl a wink and went to Rebecca. "Becky, do you want to go to the cinema next week?"

Becky spun round in shock. "But. But."

"Say yes," said Jenny.

"I'd love to," said Rebecca, turning a bright shade of red. "That would be really nice."