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Anomaly Seven - "Reality Edits" By Emma Smith All characters and organisations in this story are fictitious. No reference to any real people or events is intended or should be inferred. Cast Richard / Ruth Slater Schoolchild, Norfolk David Slater Parent of Richard Rebecca Slater Parent of Richard Fred Styles Friend of Richard Jane / Jack Styles Friend of Richard Colonel Brian Jones UK Army, SSID Commander Captain Roy Blake UK Army, SSID Sergeant Tom Williams UK Army, SSID Dr. Ellen Thomas Scientist, SSID John Stevens Ministry of Defence Official All stars stand close in summer air And tremble, and look mild as amber; When wicks are lighted in the chamber You might say stars were settling there. -- L?onie Adams. Memo - To SSID Commander from MOD Liaison Warning The contents of this memo are classified and are to be considered a matter of National Security. Unauthorised communication of this information will incur liability to prosecution under the Official Secrets Act or to a military tribunal on charges of treason. The maximum civilian penalty is imprisonment for fifteen years. Document Header From: John Stevens, MOD Liaison Officer To: Colonel Jones, Commander - Special Scientific Investigation Division Subject: Briefing and New Orders Priority: Highest Classification: Most Secret, Gamma References and Status File reference: Anomaly Seven Full Incident Report SSID/223332 File markers: Unexplained Phenomenon, Geo Magnetic Anomaly, Security, and "Reality Edits" File status: Open (Unexplained) Briefing At approximately 0437Z on July 16th 2007 an unexplained and unprecedented event occurred in UK territory. The event was detected by secret magnetic field equipment at a Government research lab. Further details are classified and unavailable without Prime Ministerial approval. The event was centred on a farming area in Norfolk, an area of low population density, and appears to have affected approximately 25 square miles. The pattern and boundary of the effect is somewhat uncertain at present. Within this area various effects and changes occurred, which seem to contradict known physical laws. One scientist has described them as "reality edits". This seems to be a useful and reasonable description of what took place. The changes seem to be purposefully directed and to have been at least partially related to the states of mind of those caught within the area. Some effects of the anomaly were benign. Others were not; there were at least two deaths in the affected area that morning. From contact with other Governments we know this is only the latest of several such incidents, though the first in this country. Therefore this particular incident has been officially designated as "Anomaly Seven" as per the file reference above. We have promised to co-operate with other affected nations in determining what has occurred. Your report will be submitted to the UN Command responsible, once the Ministry has vetted it. Operational Response So far all the incidents have been in relatively remote areas with low population. Should one occur in a major population centre the Government believes that mass panic could result. The combination of the anomaly induced changes and the panic could result in many deaths. Therefore a special Cabinet committee has resolved that: * An investigation by the Special Scientific Investigation Division is to begin at once. * D-notices will be served. There will be no press reporting of this matter. * All overseas assets will search for evidence that this is the act of a hostile power. * This will be the top priority assignment for all UK military research and science centres with immediate effect. Theories Despite the fear within military circles that this could be enemy action it would imply that someone has managed to obtain technology that we can barely conceive of. We have not ruled this out but it seems unlikely at this time. The anomalies have also manifested in six different countries. At least two of these are unfriendly to the UK and would not use such a weapon against their own people. Other working hypotheses that are being considered are by scientists are: * The influence of or contact with an advanced civilisation, possibly Extra Terrestrial. There is no evidence for this at present. See file references on SETI and "First Contact". * A dimensional instability or breakthrough has occurred. See file references on "M Theory" and "Many Worlds" Theory of Quantum Mechanics. * Fundamental changes to physical laws are taking place. No scientist has yet backed this theory because of the extremely localised nature of the effects. * The simulation argument, that what we think of as reality is data and is being edited. See file references on "Reality Edits", The Simulation Argument and The Omega Point Theory. * Divine intervention e.g. a miracle. No suitable references exist for this at present. None of these are very palatable to old-fashioned civil servants, such as myself, but the nature of the incident completely rules out most, less exotic, causes. Orders This matter must be treated with the utmost seriousness and urgency. Our world has been changed, and as yet we do not know how, why or by whom. It might happen again. All other non-essential activities are hereby cancelled. Anything less important than A-1 priority is now classed as non-essential. Make this the top of your priority list and get some results quickly. In the famous words I require "Action this day". Start your investigation immediately. John Stevens Ministry of Defence. Chapter 1 Hill Farm, Norfolk I woke that morning and came round slowly, savouring the delicious feeling of another day in the summer holidays. Another day I could spend how I liked, seven weeks of the year with no boring studies or getting up early. On a farm it was natural to get up early though and I couldn't always help it. For a moment as I opened my eyes I had the feeling that I was somewhere different. I laughed as I remembered how I used to see monsters in the shadows when I was little. Just a trick of the light, it's not frightening to me any more. Then I opened my eyes fully and found I was somewhere different. This wasn't my bedroom. This was a girl's bedroom! I looked around at the posters on the walls. They were of smiling boys, the dressing table with lots of little trinkets on it and some toys. This didn't make sense at all. At first I couldn't think what might be happening. I didn't have a sister so I can't be in her room. I don't have a girlfriend, not stuck out here in the middle of nowheresville, so that's not it. I didn't stay over at Fred's so this can't be Jane's room. I put out my hand to throw back the bed covers and saw immediately that it wasn't mine. It was more slender and paler. I felt incredibly strange and disoriented. I looked away and looked back at it again. It was the same. Unsteadily I stood up and looked around more closely. I walked over to the wardrobe and saw my reflection in the mirror. I was blonde and definitely a female. I checked myself out properly. I looked quite good, I thought. Inside the wardrobe the clothes matched the new me. I had a nice selection in there and I spent a couple of minutes just looking at them in wonder. Then I grabbed some underwear a pair of jeans and a jumper and sat down at the dressing table. Then I realised I'd dressed without thinking about it. I was obviously used to this somehow. Everything felt right. Was this normal? What about yesterday when I was someone else I think? Which of them was I? I stared at myself again. It was so strange to see someone different to what I expected. I smiled and she smiled back, prettily. I found I'd picked up a brush and started to sort out my long hair without thinking about it. The way it felt was amazing. It was only then I fully realised that I had got my wish. I would have run downstairs but I felt slightly different when I moved. I didn't want to take any risks just yet. I was gaining confidence quickly though and was feeling fine. My parents were at the table already, eating breakfast. I wondered what to say. It was going to be pretty difficult. "Look at me!" "Yes, very nice dear. Now sit down and eat your breakfast." "Mum, don't you notice anything different?" "For once you've bothered to brush your hair properly? Or is that a new bracelet you have on?" I sat down and started to butter some toast. 'So they hadn't noticed anything strange. Who was I?' I thought. Half way through the meal Dad stared to open the morning post. He got to the third letter and his face went a strange colour. "What's up?" "Don't talk with your mouth full Ruth." said Mum. "Let me see that letter. Oh it's from our solicitors. They say that we've just been left quite a large amount of money. A relative overseas has just died." 'So my name is Ruth,' I thought. I tried it out. I liked it a lot. It definitely suited me. My father interrupted my thoughts. "We were thinking we'd have to sell up, the farm has been doing very badly lately with all the food scares and everything. Now we've got some money we can do what we want. I think we'll stay." I could see a weight of depression had been lifted from both of them as I watched them embrace with that embarrassed feeling we get when our parents show affection to each other. They didn't want to be city dwellers, though I wouldn't mind giving it a try. The farm was everything to them; they were the third generation of our family here. Maybe someone else had got his wish too. After breakfast I went up to my room again and took out my secret diary, that had been locked away in a metal box at the back of my wardrobe. I'd had so few places I could keep things private but I'd just had to have somewhere. As I read through the recent entries I found that they had become duplicated somehow. One strand told of a boy called Richard, the other was the about a girl called Ruth. The two lives were similar but it was clear that Ruth was having more fun. The last entry, made the previous day was the one I remembered writing. I'd been into town with my parents and suffered being dragged around to buy clothes. I hated it, nothing ever fit me properly and they didn't look anywhere as good as the things girls could have. The entry had closed with the thought that I might be a much better person as a girl and the heartfelt wish that I could find out for sure. I read the entry for Ruth yesterday. She had been into town with Mum and got a great top from River Island and she wished she'd decided to buy that skirt. She went on a bit about a boy she'd met while left on her own for a few minutes. I checked the wardrobe, and there was the top hanging, looking all new and inviting. I needed to find out what was going on and I also decided I wouldn't talk about this to anybody. It might spoil the magic, or whatever it was that was doing it. I didn't want it to all suddenly disappear. I didn't want to wake up. I picked up a hair clip from the dressing table to secure my hair against the wind and headed out of the house to my bike. I thought I should find out if anyone else had noticed anything strange. I had to talk to Fred; he's my best friend. SSID, London Colonel Jones threw the memo down on the table. It sounded completely insane. "They want the Men in Black, not the British Army." he thought. It couldn't even be a joke; the orders had been authenticated and confirmed by his commanding officer. "Captain Blake, have you read the orders?" "Yes sir! The team is getting ready sir. We'll be on the move shortly sir." "It's damn strange, one thing in particular bothers me." "What?" "This memo contains precise information on the location and time of the incident, but nobody has investigated it yet." "I see sir, maybe they had a tip off." "Ha! Well I don't like it. We'll move carefully on this one." "The scientist is here sir, Dr. Thomas." "Oh her, great." "You know her already sir?" "I worked with her before. She is, as they say, a bit of a character. Well it starts with a 'c'." "Ah, right sir!" "Captain." "Yes sir!" "Don't tell her I said that will you?" "No sir!" River Farm, Norfolk I parked my bike against the porch and knocked loudly on the door. Mrs. Styles opened it. "Hello Ruth. Come on in, the boys are upstairs." As I climbed the stairs I wondered why she'd said boys. Freddie had a sister after all; maybe it was just a joke and Jane could be a bit of a tomboy sometimes. When I went into the bedroom I saw straight away what she'd meant. There were two boys sitting there. One of them was sitting on the bed crying, being comforted by the other. I remembered my resolve not to talk and thought it might be better to forget it. Fred looked at me, rather oddly as though he wasn't quite sure what he was seeing. Then I knew that we shared some special knowledge of the changes that seemed to be happening today. Maybe it was just children who knew. "Richard?" He looked quite shocked. "Well, I think I was yesterday but today everyone thinks I'm Ruth. I prefer this to be honest." "I would say you've totally cracked, but this is Jane, or she was yesterday." "And you're still yourself?" "Yes. I don't know what's going on." "Has she told you anything?" "She's really upset. She got sent to bed early last night for saying she wouldn't wear her new dress to the party next Saturday. I guess she went to sleep wishing she didn't have to. Now it's happened. She's a tomboy, not a girl who really wanted to be a boy. She's taking it badly." I helped him to calm her down. "Look, we're going to find out what's happened. You have to go along with it for now or they'll think you've gone mad and they'll take you away." She stopped crying. "Richard, is that you? You look so pretty." "That's right, and I want you to be brave about this. We need your help." Her brother hugged her. "You can be one of the boys until we get this sorted out. We'll call you Jack and while you're my brother I'll look after you. I won't let anybody take you away. We can play soldiers later on if you like. You can climb every tree on the farm now as well and nobody will mind." "Fred, did you wish for anything yesterday? Or think about anything really hard?" "Only that the holiday wasn't nearly over." I had a strange feeling. "Then I'm going over to the school to check, see you later." When I got there I could see something had happened. There were two fire engines and some other vehicles parked there. The small building had been completely flooded out and would take a good deal of work to fix up. "Another wish granted, but where's the magic lamp?" I asked nobody in particular. Chapter 2 ` SSID Field HQ, Norfolk We had secured the use of an old building just on the edge of the area that had been affected and the men were currently setting up all the equipment. My Captain was watching them to make sure all the delicate gear made it off the truck in one piece. "Dr Thomas!" I called out. "Yes Colonel." she replied. "We'll have the equipment ready soon. I think the power supply here will handle it, I'll get the men to unload the spare generator just in case." "How many people have we got to interview?" "Probably about a hundred max. This is a quiet place." "Get some of your men to ask the initial dumb questions. I'll look over the results and sort out who gets the second grilling." "I thought you'd be doing that." "My people are far too busy. Can you start bringing them in, in small groups and can you please be discreet? We don't want the whole county being marched in here double quick time and stood against a wall." "I think we can manage that Doctor. I am aware of the need for security." "Excellent. I'll let you get on with it then." Her manner could be very annoying but I had to admit she was a good scientist and we probably needed someone like that. I would need to volunteer several of my men to do the first round of questioning. Hill Farm That night I had some trouble getting to sleep. I couldn't work out why very few people had noticed anything. As far as I could tell several miracles had happened today and all the adults just carried on like it was nothing. I was slightly torn, I had no complaints about what had happened to me but other people had been hurt. Jane was really unhappy and she was my friend. I didn't know what I could do to help her yet though. I also knew that people had died. One was a hit and run accident with someone tearing though a village way too fast. The man had panicked and driven off, hitting a tree about a mile later. I sadly wondered if he'd wished that he'd never be caught. Wishing really seemed to be part of it, but why had it suddenly started working now? I'd wished for many things in my life before and not got them. I'd given up on wishes a long time ago. Fred had phoned me earlier and told me about the soldiers, they've set up a base near here. They say there's a Civil Defence exercise or something, and they want to interview local people as part of it. I bet they do. Only a loser would believe a story like that. We'd had an official note pushed through the door; the whole family has to report there tomorrow. SSID HQ The place looked more like a laboratory than an army camp. I had no idea what some of the equipment was for, though it reminded me of things I'd seen on TV. Unfortunately some of the things had been pretty scary and it didn't make me feel any more relaxed. They took Dad in for questioning first, while I ran through what I could and should say. He was in there about an hour, then Mum went in for a similar time, then it was my turn. I walked into the little room. The man wore no uniform and he was obviously trying his best to appear friendly. "Well miss, we just have some simple questions to ask you." "Alright." I said nervously, noticing how it had affected my voice. Maybe I can charm him, or is he too old? I wondered. I asked for some water to give me a minute to collect my thoughts. "Your father has told me about getting the money unexpectedly yesterday. Can you tell me about that?" If that was all they knew about I could still keep my secret, and I fully intended to. I told them everything I could think of about the letter and the money and the trouble my parents had been having running the farm. At times my questioner nodded sympathetically, but he looked bored really. "Okay, I think that's all for now. There's just the medical?" "Medical?" "It's part of the exercise, we're training doctors and everything." "Oh." He handed me over to an unsmiling woman who gave me a thorough going over. They also used one of their strange devices on me, running it over my body. It was plugged into a large console and I had no idea what it did. I asked. "It's just a scanner, it looks right inside your body for nasty things." 'What a patronising dolt.' I thought. "NMR or CAT?" I asked, mentally thanking Dad for those science books he was always buying me. She looked at me with a frown. "Neither, it's something new." "Oh, sorry." After about another five minutes they were done with me and I was reunited with my parents. Dad didn't look too happy as we drove home. He started to complain about it. "I don't like it Becky. All that poking and prying. Why can't they leave us alone?" "I know love. It's annoying." He was nearly shouting. "Asking me all those damn questions about how I got the money. Is it my fault? Maybe they think I did him in for it? I've never heard of him before yesterday. I didn't know he even existed." "Don't be angry dear, you'll upset Ruth." She soothed him with her touch. "Sorry darling, I shouldn't take it out on you guys. What did they ask you Ruth? I hope they were civil about it." "Just stuff about the money, then they used this weird scanner thing on me. Said they were training. I don't believe them." "I don't believe them either. There's something going on." River Farm From the privacy of his bedroom Fred used his mobile phone. "Can I speak to Ruth please Mr Slater, it's Fred." "Hello?" "Hi, I thought you should know there are soldiers out on the fields with what looks like metal detectors." "How very interesting. Wonder if they're after treasure?" "I've got Jack watching them, he's hiding up a tree. They've been there for three hours. They seem to be covering the whole place." "I wonder why? Can you go out there later? Play the innocent kid a bit and see if you can get a look at them. Ask a few silly questions. Make some notes." "Great. This is just like one of those stories!" "God no, I hope not! The bloody Secret Seven couldn't even go to the toilet without stumbling into an international conspiracy." "Right. I'll do it." "How is your brother?" "Feeling better, but not entirely happy. And you?" "I feel so incredibly guilty saying this knowing about Jane but I've never felt this good before." Chapter 3 SSID HQ "Well, we have the results of the interviews and our research." "Very good Doctor, and your conclusions?" "It's too early for that but there certainly have been some amazing events here recently. There was that hit and run accident for example." "What's odd about that? He hit a tree when he drove off scared." "According to the locals there shouldn't have been a tree there. It didn't exist before yesterday." "Just like the weeds in my garden then. Spring up out of nowhere." "Then there was the girl who just left her village to try and start a career as an actress." "It does happen." "Medical records from Norwich University Hospital. She suffered severe scarring in an accident when she was seven. Now look at these medical records from the General Practice. You'll notice that's inside the affected area. No mention of any accident or subsequent treatment, or referral to any hospital." "Are we sure it's the same girl?" "Positive. Case number three, the mysterious flooding of a local school when the water was totally shut off for repairs to the mains. It couldn't have happened. There was no water within a hundred yards of the place." "Go on." "Case four, the lottery winner. Case five the unexpected overseas legacy - we've got two of those, in fact, on the same day. Case six the mysterious restoration of the vandalised war memorial, and that's not even the spooky bit." "Okay, I'll bite. What is the spooky bit?" "One of the lists on it was one name shorter, Able Seaman Lowell. According to MOD records he was killed in action on the Atlantic convoys in 1941 when his ship hit a mine. According to our records we interviewed him yesterday." "Did you use one of those board things with the glass?" "It's not at all funny Colonel! His wife is in her seventies but she kept looking at him like a teenager. They both swore blind it had been a mix up with paperwork and he was rescued." "Okay. I'm starting to see what you mean." "So far we've got twenty seven inexplicable events. All within a 24 hour period." Then a woman in a white coat walked in and handed a report to the Doctor. She scanned it quickly. "Make that twenty eight." "What is it this time? The bloody second coming?" "Two of the people we scanned, both children. The results don't make any sense at all, they can't possibly be right." He gave a sigh. "I'll have them brought in." Hill Farm We heard the Land Rover pull up near the house and the door slammed. My mother answered the door. I ran upstairs and wanted desperately to hide. I knew that it was no good. They'd got me. "Mrs. Slater?" "Yes?" "We need to talk to your daughter. It's about the medical scan we did. We don't want to alarm you but there may be a problem." "Oh no! Is it serious?" "I don't think so, this is just a precaution. Will you fetch her please." "Yes, of course." I let myself be brought out of my room and driven away back to the army base. If this is a medical matter why have they got guns? I wondered. I could see my mother had wondered that too. River Farm I waited for Jack to come back to the house. He'd picked up quite a bit of dirt hiding out in the trees and fields and I knew he wasn't going to be popular. "I saw you go down there to talk to them. I bet they didn't see me." "Ruth said to do it. She wanted to know what they were doing." "Searching?" "No I think they were measuring things. They definitely weren't metal detectors like mine. I don't know what they were but I wrote down a few things I saw labelled on their equipment." "Good work! We're like proper detectives!" "Ruth is really into science; she might know what a Flux Sensor is. I'll call her." He picked up the phone and dialled. He got some bad news. "Not there you say? Taken away for more tests. I'm sorry to hear that. I hope she's all right. Goodbye." He hung up. "That doesn't sound good, the army have taken her away. I think we know why and you're going to be next." "What shall we do?" "I think you need to get sick today." "But this is the holidays? There's no point pretending." "Look, they won't take you then. Dad won't let them if you're ill." "I'm not sure." "Come on, it will be fun. I'm going to ride over to the base and try and find Ruth. Let me have the binoculars. Hide those dirty clothes in my wardrobe. We don't want any questions about them right now." "Right." I sped out of the farm gate on my bike, heading towards where they were keeping Ruth. I didn't think I could do much but I wanted to make sure she wasn't in any trouble. I stashed the bike nearby and tried to get near the building. It was being guarded and I couldn't see how to get in without being seen. I hung around for a while trying to decide what to do. Chapter 4 SSID HQ The woman who was questioning me looked even less friendly than the one who'd done the medical before. "Now love, we'll have some better answers from you than yesterday. You can't help it with that stuff in you." They had given me some drug, claiming I wouldn't be able to lie. They'd wired me up to some sort of machine. I guessed it was a lie detector. With this lot it might be an electric shock machine or anything. "What is your name?" "Ruth Elizabeth Slater. I live at Hill Farm with my parents. I haven't done anything. Let me go, please!" So that wasn't a lie, or maybe the drug didn't work after all. "I'll ask you again. What is your name?" "Ruth, my name is Ruth. What else would it be?" She dropped a pile of charts and scanned photos on the table that looked like X-rays. "And these all say that you're lying." "Well your machine doesn't. And that drug isn't much use then either is it?" "Don't be insolent child. Now tell me the truth or you will be in serious trouble." "Let me go!" "Now, I'll ask you once again." "I'm Ruth Slater, I am! I am!" She looked at the man monitoring the machine. He nodded. "Very interesting. When I saw these results I didn't know what to make of them. It was like we were picking up an echo. It was more like there were two people being scanned. But that couldn't be possible could it? Who were you before yesterday?" "I don't know what you mean." "What is your other name?" "I haven't got another name. I'm me." I started to recite in a dull monotone. "My name is Ruth Slater. I live at Hill Farm. You are an evil old Frankenstein witch." In my normal voice "Ask your stupid machine if that was a lie you old bag!" She raised her hand and slapped me hard, then she backed off a bit. My head was ringing from the blow but I didn't cry out. "This is getting very tiresome. We're going to bring in the other one, then we might have to start getting a bit more serious with both of you." At that point a soldier came in and whispered to the woman. I strained to hear them but I couldn't make it out. It didn't matter because she cut him off at full volume. "Oh Sergeant. I ask you to bring in one small child with an armed squad of five men. God help us if there's ever another war!" "But his father won't let him be moved. Says he's ill in bed." "You idiot, it's perfect! Tell them that we have this one here with suspected meningitis. The boy is to be quarantined here immediately. Get the paperwork signed. Give both families and all contacts the appropriate antibiotic shots. Make it look real. Get moving man! Now!" "Yes doctor!" He ran out of the room and she turned to me again. "You stay right there while we get your little friend." They brought him in an hour later and put him in a bed next to mine. I tried to reach out and grab his hand but we were too far apart. "Jack, are you alright?" I got no reply. I guess they'd used drugs to keep him quiet for the journey. Best to let him sleep it off. I wondered about Fred, he's still my best friend after the change. It's nice to have friends. I made another attempt to reach the boy next to me but couldn't do it and I allowed myself to drift off to sleep. Outside SSID HQ I was becoming fretful, not knowing what had happened to Ruth. Then I saw a car bringing in someone else and I had a horrible feeling I knew who it was, though I couldn't see clearly through the windows. I decided to carry on waiting though it was starting to get a little late. I didn't want to leave them. My best friend and my brother deserved better. The binoculars were starting to weigh heavily on me so I took them off and went back to the bike to stow them away. Then I went back to my position, as close to the building as I dared to get. SSID HQ "I'm glad you're both back with us. Now we'll have a little chat. I hope you're going to co-operate now." "I don't think much of this hotel. I want to check out!" "I think you need another dose. It's a bit risky but I think it will be worth it." I could see her getting needles ready for us. I didn't want her to pressure Jack. I knew he wasn't feeling very strong. He might give in to her and tell her everything. She turned to me first. "An extra strong one for you, I don't think it worked properly before." When I'd watched films I'd always wondered how very small girls managed to make so much noise when they screamed. Now I found out. I'd had enough of all this and I let out the most tremendous noise containing all my frustration and fear. The woman staggered back a bit, then recovered and gave me the injection. "Quiet!" Outside SSID HQ I heard an incredible scream from inside the building and acted without thinking. I knew it was Ruth and I had to do something, anything to help her. I just ran straight out of my hiding place and into the base, flying past the amazed looking guard and down a corridor. At the end of it I crashed through a door, took in the scene in a couple of seconds and went racing back out to find whoever was in charge. It only took me a couple of minutes, because they caught me and marched me in to see him. The man looked very stern and he was clearly the boss. "Well son, you're in a restricted area. That means trouble. Let's hear your story." "Please mister, that mad woman is experimenting on my friend and my brother. You've got to stop her!" "No son, she's a doctor. She's helping them." "What about the scream?" "I'm sure she knows what she's doing." "Don't let her hurt them. Please!" I grabbed his sleeve and pleaded some more and he agreed to take a look at what was going on. I think he was a bit surprised to see her leaning over the boy with a needle. "Dr Thomas! What is this?" "I am just questioning these people. Don't interrupt me." "With truth drugs? These are children, not enemy soldiers." He looked at me, wired to the machine. "This is also an official military investigation, not a holiday camp for mad scientists." "They weren't being very helpful." "You've gone too far this time. I am going to report this and I'll press for you to be sacked. Now come away from the boy and put the needle down. Sergeant, take her to her quarters while I decide what to do." She was escorted out, she didn't look happy. "You won't ever find out what's going on without me you know." "Maybe, but I shall sleep better at night." He turned to Ruth and checked her pulse and eyes. "You've been drugged haven't you?" "Yes Mister, she was asking me all sorts of questions. Kept telling me I was somebody else and asking me who I really was. I was so scared. Can I go home? Is my friend all right?" "It's alright now. He's fine and I won't let her hurt you any more." SSID HQ After all the commotion I laid back in bed. They'd moved us closer together and I was now able to grab the hand of the boy in the next bed. I gave it a gentle squeeze. The Colonel had said we'd both be sent home in the morning. I hadn't said much in reply. I was feeling very strange from all the drugs. I thought about what Fred had done, it was about the bravest thing I'd ever seen. It was definitely not the smartest but nobody could fault him in the courage stakes. And he'd done it for the two us in here. I don't think anyone had ever risked himself for me like that before. I thought about it some more. Then I thought about the last forty-eight hours. Some of the things that had happened were good; some of them had brought misfortune to people. I fell asleep, partly as a result of the drugs and drifted into a very deep sleep. While I slept I didn't know anything of the commotion at the other end of the base. "All warning lights are on. Disturbance detected." "Calibrating. It's a big one." "Colonel. The readings are incredible and building." "What did you say man?" "Magnetic anomaly. The flux meters are going crazy! I've never seen anything like it." "Did you say anomaly?" "Yes sir! It's completely off the scale. I'll have to close down or the gear will be damaged." Chapter 5 Between Worlds and Outside Time While I was sleeping I dreamt that I was being questioned again. At least I think it was a dream. I didn't see what else it could be. There was only one question being asked over and over again. I couldn't see who was asking it, I just had a feeling of peace and stillness somehow. It wasn't the frightening experience I'd had earlier with the drugs and the pain. It felt somehow like it did when my Dad asked me what I wanted for my birthday. I was sitting in a small room, with white walls and no furniture except a chair. I couldn't see who was speaking. His voice had a strange quality to it, but it was a dream and the strange surroundings didn't bother me somehow. "Do you consent?" "What?" "I must receive an answer. Have we your consent?" "Who are you, where am I?" "No suitable explanation possible. Do you accept?" "I don't know what you mean." "The gift. Do you accept it?" "I can't understand you. Tell me." "Sister, will you accept our gift?" A flash of insight ran through me. For a brief instant I caught a glimpse of the vastness of the entity. It had squeezed itself into our three small dimensions to talk to those who had been caught up in all this. For a second I knew much more than I ever had before, or would again. "Yes. I accept with joy brother." "Then we offer it with our love. Go in peace." I felt a sensation of warmth and felt myself receding from the room into darkness. I returned to a deep and natural sleep. Hill Farm When I came round I found Jane in the bed next to me instead of Jack. I was still Ruth, of course. It was what I'd asked for. Jane had obviously chosen to go back, which made sense from what Fred had told me. I talked to her about it later and she told me that she'd heard a gentle voice telling her not to worry and that she would be 'renormalised' and to 'go peacefully with the light'. The doctors gave us another scan with the strange equipment, which came out entirely normal. The previous odd results were put down to an equipment malfunction and they let us go. We ran out of the place to be met by our parents, who were very pleased to see us. I was very pleased to see them too. When I got home I checked my diary; there was only one set of entries in it now, mine. Because I am and have always been Ruth and I am very happy. Only two people know any different and they're the ones I trust most in the whole world. The events of the previous few days were still the major topic of conversation in the local villages. When I listened to people talk though I found they were talking about them on a surface level. It seemed that almost nobody knew the truth. Those that did weren't talking. Some of the things that happened had been undone, mostly the bad ones. Only those of us that had been affected knew of them. The accident had been rewritten, for example. Both people now survived but were badly injured and still faced a hard struggle. I talked Jane into going to the party the following Saturday and very nice we both looked, in our new dresses. Fred got to escort both of us and I think many boys were jealous of the attention we paid him. It's always good to be kind to your friends and we didn't mind. Years Later - Time and the Stars About six months after my impossible experience I was out in the fields at night lying looking at the stars when the stars seemed to be looking back at me. I felt a familiar sensation of warmth and comfort and for a minute thought that something was maybe checking up on me. The moment passed very quickly, but while it lasted everything looked and felt different, the universe made sense and all was at peace. Then it was gone, like something floating away from me. I never regretted the choice I'd made. Fred went from being my best friend to being my first real boyfriend. I always kept in touch with him and was a bridesmaid at his wedding. He never left the area and he and his wife are very happy. Jane grew up into a fine woman, caring and also strong- willed. She married a local man and they are now farmers themselves, on her parent's farm. My parents had another child, a brother for me, who seems set to take on the farm when he grows up. There will be a fourth generation of us at Hill Farm, and probably more than that to come. I continued to study science, though I carried within me the knowledge that the universe wasn't quite as cold and empty as we often think. Obviously I didn't tell anyone about it. I didn't have to. Lots of scientists had been caught up in the anomalies. I knew some of them were doing some interesting research. Still nobody knows what happened, not the people involved or the scientists who studied the events, or the journalists who wrote torrents of speculation when the news broke. It seems there were twelve incidents in total. The Governments tried very hard to keep it quiet. The last one was in a city though and that blew the lid right off the cover up. My theory is that some kind of very advanced life briefly touched our Earth. Maybe we were an experiment for them, though I don't know if that's right. Maybe they tried to intervene to help us but didn't always get it quite right. I wondered where they were now. Maybe they were still here, just watching and waiting for us to grow up a bit more. Being human it's hard to know what a compassionate and moral race might feel if they looked at us. Playing God isn't easy. If we had that kind of power what a mess we'd make of things now. When I left the farm it was to go to University and study Physics, my parents were very proud of me and always supported me. A year later I switched courses to Astronomy. I married a little late and I'm now working on my first child. I think that it will be a boy and I will teach him about science and the joy of finding things out. I feel so relaxed watching the night sky and I have done so ever since, through some of the biggest telescopes and from my back garden. I can still watch the stars in wonder, and with quiet expectation. The End Authors Note: I mention the 'simulation argument' and the Omega Point Theory in the briefing document that introduces this story.