Touching The Ton

[toddyboy]

Hi fellow TDMers. Apologies for the hiatus. I figured I'd better tell you what happened next.


 

<p style="font-family:Helvetica;color:rgb(40,40,40);"><b>Chapter 6:</b>


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<p style="text-align:justify;font-size:11px;font-family:'Trebuchet MS';color:rgb(0,0,0);">After filling up with fuel at a petrol station a mile or so down the road, which only cost ten shillings (approx 50 pence in modern money) we decided to head for the Busy Bee cafe.


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<p style="text-align:justify;font-size:11px;font-family:'Trebuchet MS';color:rgb(0,0,0);">As we pulled up several of the young rockers flocked around us. As with the night before they began scrutinising the TDM excitedly.<span> 
</span>

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<p style="text-align:justify;font-size:11px;font-family:'Trebuchet MS';color:rgb(0,0,0);">Tina went to check on her bike and I went inside and ordered a couple of teas. <span> 
</span>

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<p style="text-align:justify;font-size:11px;font-family:'Trebuchet MS';color:rgb(0,0,0);">There was an old radio sitting on the counter. It was an old wooden thing with dials and a mesh grille on the front, like something my Nan would have had in her sitting room. <i>What was it that the caller had said, something about being able to connect with my phone through the VHF wavelength I think.</i> I reached over, turned it round so I could see the back and read the label. It was a VHF radio! That was interesting. <i>I wonder?<span> 
</i></span>

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<p style="text-align:justify;font-size:11px;font-family:'Trebuchet MS';color:rgb(0,0,0);">I turned it on and fiddled with the dial. I couldn’t tune in anything much, a few classical music stations here and there and the news. As I sat there listening to it I heard something else. Then my heart skipped a beat. It was my phone’s ring-tone! <i>They were calling me again.</i> I pulled the phone out of my pocket and as before, there was no number showing. I pressed the red circle and held the phone to my ear. My throat felt dry


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<p style="text-align:justify;font-size:11px;font-family:'Trebuchet MS';color:rgb(0,0,0);">“Hello!” I croaked


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<p style="text-align:justify;font-size:11px;font-family:'Trebuchet MS';color:rgb(0,0,0);">“Mr Todd, make sure you …. device stays charged and fu…ctioning and you <i>must</i> be near a radio that’s turned on or w… can’t reach you.”


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<p style="text-align:justify;font-size:11px;font-family:'Trebuchet MS';color:rgb(0,0,0);">I was confused. “Why a radio?” I asked.


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<p style="text-align:justify;font-size:11px;font-family:'Trebuchet MS';color:rgb(0,0,0);">Amidst the fluctuating background interference the mysterious caller managed to explain that my smartphone could pick up VHF frequencies if it was near enough to a functioning and turned on radio. I couldn’t be totally sure that was the totality of what he said but I got the general gist of it. The interference was blocking out some of his words.<span> 
</span>

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<p style="text-align:justify;font-size:11px;font-family:'Trebuchet MS';color:rgb(0,0,0);"><i>A radio! </i>- VHF (that stood for Very High Frequency) How the hell that could possibly work I had no idea but to be honest I didn’t care. Whoever it was that was talking to me knew I was here and by some miracle they knew how to contact me. Maybe they could help me get back to the real world - <i>my</i> world!


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<p style="text-align:justify;font-size:11px;font-family:'Trebuchet MS';color:rgb(0,0,0);">“Who are you?” I demanded to know.


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<p style="text-align:justify;font-size:11px;font-family:'Trebuchet MS';color:rgb(0,0,0);">The reply was spattered with background noise and interference that was getting worse:


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<p style="text-align:justify;font-size:11px;font-family:'Trebuchet MS';color:rgb(0,0,0);">“My ..ame is ..obbs. Maj….<span> 
…obbs. You must …et to the MoD station near Hendo………………………….”<span> </span></span>

<p style="text-align:justify;font-size:11px;font-family:'Trebuchet MS';color:rgb(0,0,0);"> 

<p style="text-align:justify;font-size:11px;font-family:'Trebuchet MS';color:rgb(0,0,0);">The dialogue ended in a buzzing whine of electrical interference. My phone hadn’t died like the last time. It had simply cut off while the caller was mid sentence. <i>Goddammit!<span> 
</i></span>

<p style="text-align:justify;font-size:11px;font-family:'Trebuchet MS';color:rgb(0,0,0);"> 

<p style="text-align:justify;font-size:11px;font-family:'Trebuchet MS';color:rgb(0,0,0);">What was that he’d said his name was? <i>Maj Obbs.</i> What the hell kind of name was that? The signal was really bad so I’d probably missed part of it. He’d said something that sounded like<span> 
I must get to the MoD station near Hend.. then it cut off.<span> </span></span>

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<p style="text-align:justify;font-size:11px;font-family:'Trebuchet MS';color:rgb(0,0,0);"><i>Hend…. - Hend…. - Hendon! That must be it.</i> There <i>was </i>an old MoD station near Hendon. I remembered now. It had been used heavily during the war but had closed down back in the eighties though if I recall it had been recommissioned by the military again around 2018, though not much was known about why that was or what it was being used for.<span> 
</span>

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<p style="text-align:justify;font-size:11px;font-family:'Trebuchet MS';color:rgb(0,0,0);">There was something else too; I recalled the local rag, the Hendon Observer, had printed an article about it. Something about locals reporting strange noises coming from there and frequent electrical blackouts occurring in the areas surrounding it. There had even been reports of missing persons that had only started happening after the place had been recommissioned. The paper had touted it as London’s ‘very own Bermuda Triangle.’ I never really gave it any thought at the time. But now, now I started to put two and two together. What if that place had something to do with what had happened to me? It was a long shot but it somehow made sense.


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<p style="text-align:justify;font-size:11px;font-family:'Trebuchet MS';color:rgb(0,0,0);">The two cups of tea were almost cold when Tina rocked up. I told her to get ready. We were going for a ride.


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<p style="text-align:justify;font-size:11px;font-family:'Trebuchet MS';color:rgb(0,0,0);">I set off towards the old MoD station near Hendon. I had no idea if this was the right place to go but I didn’t exactly have much else to go on and we weren’t anywhere near a switched on radio.<span> 
</span>

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<p style="text-align:justify;font-size:11px;font-family:'Trebuchet MS';color:rgb(0,0,0);">Ten minutes later we were outside the barbed wired gates of the MoD station near Hendon. There was one armed guard in a sentry box inside the gate who came out and confronted us.


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<p style="text-align:justify;font-size:11px;font-family:'Trebuchet MS';color:rgb(0,0,0);">I didn’t know what to say or do. What if this wasn’t the correct destination?<span> 
</span>

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<p style="text-align:justify;font-size:11px;font-family:'Trebuchet MS';color:rgb(0,0,0);">The guard was eyeing up the TDM, obviously slightly confused.


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<p style="text-align:justify;font-size:11px;font-family:'Trebuchet MS';color:rgb(0,0,0);">“I’m here to see Mr Obbs’” I said.


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<p style="text-align:justify;font-size:11px;font-family:'Trebuchet MS';color:rgb(0,0,0);">The guard furrowed his eyebrows. He was obviously thinking about something. “You mean Major Hobbs?” he replied.


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<p style="text-align:justify;font-size:11px;font-family:'Trebuchet MS';color:rgb(0,0,0);">I nodded. Sounded close enough though I didn’t really know.


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<p style="text-align:justify;font-size:11px;font-family:'Trebuchet MS';color:rgb(0,0,0);">The guard went back to his hut and spoke on the phone.<span> 
</span>

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<p style="text-align:justify;font-size:11px;font-family:'Trebuchet MS';color:rgb(0,0,0);">It was a tense minute or so that we waited there, not knowing what was going to happen next, then in the distance I saw two vehicles heading our way at a fair lick. The lead vehicle, a Land Rover, skidded to a halt and a man in Officers army uniform and sporting a wide moustache jumped out, immediately followed by two armed squaddies. He motioned to the sentry who immediately saluted and opened the gates.


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<p style="text-align:justify;font-size:11px;font-family:'Trebuchet MS';color:rgb(0,0,0);">“Major Hobbs,” he announced, holding out his hand to me, which I shook. “And you must be the chap I was talking to earlier. Interesting machine you have there,” he remarked, eyeing up the TDM with more than a little curiosity. Then he spoke to Tina. “And you are, Miss?”<span> 
</span>

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<p style="text-align:justify;font-size:11px;font-family:'Trebuchet MS';color:rgb(0,0,0);">“Tina,” she replied.


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<p style="text-align:justify;font-size:11px;font-family:'Trebuchet MS';color:rgb(0,0,0);">The man looked pensively at Tina, then at me. “I wasn’t expecting two of you. Very well, would you follow me please,” he said. It wasn’t really a request. More a<span> 
polite command. Then he jumped back into the Land Rover and we followed it along the driveway with the other vehicle immediately behind us. A strange convoy heading towards a mysterious building.</span>

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<p style="text-align:justify;font-size:11px;font-family:'Trebuchet MS';color:rgb(0,0,0);">As we rode, Tina leaned forward and asked “Where we going Tod. Who are these people?”


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<p style="text-align:justify;font-size:11px;font-family:'Trebuchet MS';color:rgb(0,0,0);">All I could think of as a response was that they were the people I was supposed to meet.


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<p style="text-align:justify;font-size:11px;font-family:'Trebuchet MS';color:rgb(0,0,0);">I was directed to park the TDM in a hangar which I did and the two of us were then ushered into this Major Dobb’s office. Tina asked if she could use the bathroom and was escorted away by a female army officer.


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<p style="text-align:justify;font-size:11px;font-family:'Trebuchet MS';color:rgb(0,0,0);">Alone with Dobbs in his office he got right to the point. “Well young man, I expect you’re wondering what you’re doing here!” he said.


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<p style="text-align:justify;font-size:11px;font-family:'Trebuchet MS';color:rgb(0,0,0);"> 

<p style="text-align:justify;font-size:11px;font-family:'Trebuchet MS';color:rgb(0,0,0);">“It had crossed my mind, yes,” I replied.


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<p style="text-align:justify;font-size:11px;font-family:'Trebuchet MS';color:rgb(0,0,0);">“Alright. I’ll get right down to the point,” Dobbs began. “You have been an unwitting guinea pig in a time travel episode.”


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<p style="text-align:justify;font-size:11px;font-family:'Trebuchet MS';color:rgb(0,0,0);">It sounded completely bonkers but somehow it was a relief to hear someone actually say it. This definitely wasn’t a bad dream after all. It was the real deal.


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<p style="text-align:justify;font-size:11px;font-family:'Trebuchet MS';color:rgb(0,0,0);">“And before you ask,” he continued, “we’re going to attempt to send you back to where you came from.”


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<p style="text-align:justify;font-size:11px;font-family:'Trebuchet MS';color:rgb(0,0,0);">“Really - How?” I asked, now very animated.


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<p style="text-align:justify;font-size:11px;font-family:'Trebuchet MS';color:rgb(0,0,0);">“By replicating your exact movements just prior to you ending up here in 1954 and reverse engineering the experiment that made it occur,” he said.


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<p style="text-align:justify;font-size:11px;font-family:'Trebuchet MS';color:rgb(0,0,0);">“Time travel machine,” I answered blankly.


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<p style="text-align:justify;font-size:11px;font-family:'Trebuchet MS';color:rgb(0,0,0);">“Correct,” Dobbs said. “An honest to goodness time travel machine. Quite something, don’t you think?<span> 
We’ve been experimenting with it for some time and now it appears it works, as evidenced by the fact that here you are!”</span>

<p style="text-align:justify;font-size:11px;font-family:'Trebuchet MS';color:rgb(0,0,0);"> 

<p style="text-align:justify;font-size:11px;font-family:'Trebuchet MS';color:rgb(0,0,0);">I was trying to figure out in my mind how this was all going to work but Dobbs pre-empted that.


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<p style="text-align:justify;font-size:11px;font-family:'Trebuchet MS';color:rgb(0,0,0);">“In case you wondered, we are in touch with our counterparts from the future. Fortunately this device is still a well kept secret in your time. We intend to keep it that way. Which brings me to the question of that young lady you brought here with you. Does she know anything about this?” he asked, his tone hardening as he spoke.


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<p style="text-align:justify;font-size:11px;font-family:'Trebuchet MS';color:rgb(0,0,0);">I hesitated for a moment. There was no point lying. These people weren’t fools. They’d find out soon enough. I explained how I’d met Tina and that she’d given me succour when I really needed it. I admitted I had actually told her I was from the future but that she didn’t believe me and thought I was using it as a chat up line. Major Dobbs suppressed a chuckle and seemed to relax a little.


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<p style="text-align:justify;font-size:11px;font-family:'Trebuchet MS';color:rgb(0,0,0);">“Women are strange creatures,” he said. They only hear what they want to hear. It is a rather implausible explanation anyway. And no disrespect young man, not a very good chat up line either! Very good. In that case, we’ll keep it that way. We’ll send her home and if we don’t make anything more of it she will most likely never be any the wiser. You on the other hand will be required to sign the official secrets act upon your return and be bound over to never speak of this matter to anyone - ever. If you do, I’m afraid you’ll be in for some severe trouble. Is that quite clear?”


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<p style="text-align:justify;font-size:11px;font-family:'Trebuchet MS';color:rgb(0,0,0);">I nodded.


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<p style="text-align:justify;font-size:11px;font-family:'Trebuchet MS';color:rgb(0,0,0);">Dobbs then got up and motioned towards the door. “I’d like you to say goodbye to your young lady<span> 
friend now. We need to get you back home too,” Dobbs said.</span>

<p style="text-align:justify;font-size:11px;font-family:'Trebuchet MS';color:rgb(0,0,0);"> 

<p style="text-align:justify;font-size:11px;font-family:'Trebuchet MS';color:rgb(0,0,0);">We found Tina in another room where she’d been kept occupied by the lady officer who’d shown her to the bathroom. They were both looking at some pictures in a book and smiling and laughing.


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<p style="text-align:justify;font-size:11px;font-family:'Trebuchet MS';color:rgb(0,0,0);">“Tod, look, they’ve got pictures of my Dad in here,” she announced excitedly. “Never seen em before.” She pointed out a few pictures of men standing in front of some desert tanks. “That’s ‘im there she said, pointing to one of the men. “I don’t have any pictures of him except an old grainy one of when he married Mum!” She was obviously really happy to see them.<span> 
</span>

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<p style="text-align:justify;font-size:11px;font-family:'Trebuchet MS';color:rgb(0,0,0);">Major Hobbs said she could have them which pleased her no end. He then looked across at me and I knew it was time to say goodbye.<span> 
</span>

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<p style="text-align:justify;font-size:11px;font-family:'Trebuchet MS';color:rgb(0,0,0);">I took Tina outside. “I have to go now Tina,” I said. “Major Hobbs will have someone drive you home.”<span> 
</span>

<p style="text-align:justify;font-size:11px;font-family:'Trebuchet MS';color:rgb(0,0,0);"> 

<p style="text-align:justify;font-size:11px;font-family:'Trebuchet MS';color:rgb(0,0,0);">“Where you going?” she asked.


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<p style="text-align:justify;font-size:11px;font-family:'Trebuchet MS';color:rgb(0,0,0);">“I’ve done what I came to do. Time for me to go home too,” I replied.


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<p style="text-align:justify;font-size:11px;font-family:'Trebuchet MS';color:rgb(0,0,0);">“Will I ever see you again?” she asked.


<p style="text-align:justify;font-size:11px;font-family:'Trebuchet MS';color:rgb(0,0,0);"> 

<p style="text-align:justify;font-size:11px;font-family:'Trebuchet MS';color:rgb(0,0,0);">“Maybe,” I said. “It’s a small world these days.” Then I gave her the key fob to my bike. It had a nice black and gold enamelled Yamaha logo on it, the three tuning forks. We had one last hug then I waved goodbye as she was driven off by the woman officer in an army car.


<p style="text-align:justify;font-size:11px;font-family:'Trebuchet MS';color:rgb(0,0,0);"> 

<p style="text-align:justify;font-size:11px;font-family:'Trebuchet MS';color:rgb(0,0,0);">I watched as the car disappeared through the entrance gates then looked round to find Dobbs standing just behind me. “Well, I suppose you want to see what all the fuss is about then,” he said, and beckoned me back into the building. We walked down some steps and into a large warehouse like area in the centre of which was a large machine that looked something like a cross between a tank and a spaceship.<span> 
</span>

<p style="text-align:justify;font-size:11px;font-family:'Trebuchet MS';color:rgb(0,0,0);"> 

<p style="text-align:justify;font-size:11px;font-family:'Trebuchet MS';color:rgb(0,0,0);">“We’ve had a fair bit of argy-bargy with the Americans over this contraption,” he began. “They were none too happy that we managed to capture it just after the war ended and ship it back to Blighty before they got their hands on it. Once they did find out about it they began kicking up an almighty fuss with our Government and wanted unlimited access to the technology. So far they haven’t been successful. The truth is we were and still are indebted to them for their help during the war but they really were a greedy bunch of sods, whisking away the top German Scientists back to America with their ‘project paperclip.’ Many of those Scientists were War criminals and were never brought to justice for the atrocities they committed. We protested of course but you know how it is, the one with the biggest stick gets the lions share of the meal.”


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<p style="text-align:justify;font-size:11px;font-family:'Trebuchet MS';color:rgb(0,0,0);">I was fascinated. Not just by the fact that a time travel device existed, but from where it emanated. Then a thought crossed my mind.


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<p style="text-align:justify;font-size:11px;font-family:'Trebuchet MS';color:rgb(0,0,0);">“So, those characters pretending to be cops; who were <i>they</i> exactly?” I asked. Based on what Dobbs had already told me I kind of had an inkling now, but nothing could have prepared me for what I was about to hear.


<p style="text-align:justify;font-size:11px;font-family:'Trebuchet MS';color:rgb(0,0,0);"> 

<p style="text-align:justify;font-size:11px;font-family:'Trebuchet MS';color:rgb(0,0,0);">“Nothing to do with us, old boy. We believe they were Nazi’s,” he replied.<span> 
</span>

<p style="text-align:justify;font-size:11px;font-family:'Trebuchet MS';color:rgb(0,0,0);"> 

<p style="text-align:justify;font-size:11px;font-family:'Trebuchet MS';color:rgb(0,0,0);"><span>To be continued ............................
</span>

This post was last modified: 12-03-2020, 11:03 AM by toddyboy.