The Man From U.N.D.E.A.D.'s Christmas Carol by Darren Humphries Read Free Book Online

creation, ” Kirov amended. “ The future has not happened. You cannot visit it. ”
    “ I was really hoping to avoid a lecture on time mechanics, ” I said plaintively.
    “ We can assume that the demon here will come after you then? ” the scientist continued.
    “ I ’ m surprised it hasn ’ t already, ” I said honestly, “ and I ’ m kind of fed up of reacting to this situation. I want to take the offensive for a change. ”
    “ Being offensive always was one of your talents, ” Veronika quipped and I noted that she seemed to have accepted me for who I was.
    “ If you ’ re around when this thing comes after me then you ’ ll all be in danger, so you want me as far away from you as you can get. I ’ ve been put here to go up against this demon, so that ’ s what I ’ m going to do. All you have to do is point the way. ”
    “ You ’ d never get close, ” Kirov informed me with certainty. “ The Horned One has a base set up in a quarry in Hertfordshire. There are hundreds of lesser demons defending it. An army couldn ’ t take it. T rust me, we know. One man would not stand a chance. ”
    “ If I understand things correctly, in your world view we are all just constructs from your mind and if you lose then we will all be wiped out when you die , ” Veronika pointed out. “ Correct? ”
    “ Yes, ” I admitted.
    “ And if you win then the demon is killed and this universe, along with all of us, ceases to exist, ” she continued. “ Correct? ”
    “ Yes, ” I admitted again, rather more uncomfortably.
    “ That is not much of a choice, ” she pointed out.
    “ I ’ m sorry, but I didn ’ t make the rules here. The only other option is to lock me up somewhere and keep hiding in this hole until the demon descends on you and ... ”
    “ Kills us all, ” she finished the sentence for me. “ There seems to be a recurring motif. ”
    “ That it sucks to be you? Yes, I noticed that. The only comfort I can offer is that when it ’ s over either way this world and this suffering will be finished and I can prev ent it from ever happening , ” I offered. It wasn ’ t much, but I didn ’ t have anything else to go with. “ And hey, if I ’ m wrong then all you ’ ve lost is one nutter who happened to look like your husband. ”
    “ For this to work you will need our help. We all go or none of us go es , ” Veronika said, looking into my eyes, searching for some sign to help her make the right decision. “ Do you have some sort of crazy suicidal plan? ”
    “ That does seem to be my modus operandi doesn ’ t it? ” I agreed. “ That depends on what this quarry is like and what you have lying around in here. ”
    What they had was a jetpack; a n honest to goodness ( and actually works without burning your legs off ) jetpack. It came with a protective helmet and an instruction manual that started with the words ‘ If in doubt, do not use ’ . Hardly the most encouraging opening line.
    “ Are you sure about that? ” Veronika asked, pointing to the other package that I had selected out of the stores.
    “ Not one little bit, ” I told her. We were momentarily alone in the command tent with the plans of the Horned One ’ s compound in Hertfordshire laid out on the table in front of us. The other commanders had been sent off to organise the forces left to the Resistance for one last operation. “ Tell me about this David. ”
    The request surprised her and even in the low light I could see her eyes soften and shine a bit more as they moistened. She did not let a tear fall, though. This version of Veronika was older and her innate toughness had been tempered into an iron-willed control. She was, though, unmistakeably my Veronika.
    “ I ’ m not sure that I should, ” she said. “ This is your future after all. ”
    “ If Mikhail was here I ’ m sure that he would point out that it is only one possible future , although it would take him a great many more words and probably a few