The Last Beginning Read online

  And they all looked identical to her birth parents. But they couldn’t possibly be the same people!

  Clove scrolled through the records that Spart had filed with the pictures, the largest of which was a diary about a war, containing densely written entries detailing the administration of an army. There were notes in the margins. Clove twisted in her chair and grabbed one of the letters her mother had written sixteen years ago, which was still lying on her desk. When she compared the two, she found that the handwriting was exactly the same on the letter as on this two-hundred-year-old document.

  Clove felt dizzy. She blinked hard, trying to clear her head. She had the sudden urge to get out her knitting. “Spart, run a handwriting comparison for all the records you’ve found.”

  There was a pause of almost three seconds.

  > There is a 99.8% match in handwriting between all of the documents in the Folios. In many cases the same phrases are used.

  > The linguistic style contains several differences allowing for changes in speech patterns over the centuries. However, there is still a high comparative match for the prose style of both of your parents MATTHEW GALLOWAY and KATHERINE FINCHLEY.

  “But − what – how?” Clove took a deep breath. “How is this possible?”

  Spart was silent.

  Clove didn’t know how she felt about Spart’s conclusions, but for the sake of argument, she would agree for a minute that her parents appearing throughout history was actually a legitimate possibility. “So, say it is them. Say my parents keep being born, and meeting each other. Why? Why is that happening?”

  Spart was quiet.

  “What? No ideas? Mr Chatty is silent?” She let out a heavy sigh. “You can’t throw this kind of bombshell on me and then just peace out.”

  > I am unable to offer any suggestions. I have searched for similar cases, but this process has been unsuccessful. There is no past experience to guide my operating behaviour in this scenario.

  > As I previously stated, the chances of DNA lines producing identical offspring repeatedly over such a long time period is—

  “Nearly impossible,” Clove interrupted. “I heard you the first time. I just … don’t understand.” She paused to think about it, rubbing the back of her neck, then picked up her needles and knitted a row, and then another.

  “OK,” she said eventually, looking down at the extra six centimetres she’d added to her scarf. “Someone must have forged all these records and photos. Someone wanted to make it look like my parents were alive in all these places. Not just any places but important ones, it seems.”

  She bit her lip, and knitted another row. “Or … it’s real. They must have been brought back to life, or cloned somehow.” Clove grimaced. She couldn’t believe she’d just said that. “Never mind,” she said in a rush. “That’s stupid. It isn’t real − why would it be real? Who would do that? It’s fake.”

  > If you believe that the images and documents in the Folios are forgeries, then we are required to substantiate your claims before making any further decisions.

  “Do you think … do you think someone is doing this as a trap? To try and catch Tom and draw him out of hiding somehow?” It must have taken so much time to fake something so huge. Whoever did it must have a plan. What if that plan involved hurting her or Tom or Jen – or even Kate and Matt, wherever they were?

  > This is all conjecture. We have no evidence to suggest that the Folios contain forged documentation.

  > We need to determine a way of confirming whether KATHERINE and MATTHEW actually existed in each time by finding something a forger couldn’t fake.

  “Well, how are we going to do that?” she asked, exasperated. “It’s not like we can travel back in time and check!”

  Clove was about to carry on talking when she stopped, rewinding what she’d just said. She’d only suggested time travel as a joke, but—

  But—

  She did know how to use the time machine now. More than that, it was easy.

  And that meant she could check 1745 or 1854 or 2019, and see if Katherine Finchley and Matthew Galloway had ever really existed in those times, like the Folios said – and if they had, whether they were related to her parents, or whether they were her actual parents somehow. She could test their DNA or something.

  And if she was using the time machine, then maybe she could go back to 2040, to the moment Kate helped Matt escape from jail…

  If she had the password for the time machine, of course. Which she didn’t.

  It was a mad idea, anyway. Completely insane.

  “No offence, but … you didn’t do this, did you?” Clove asked Spart. “As some kind of … robot practical joke?”

  Spart let out something akin to a splutter.

  > I would never! I may not have human emotions, but I do possess some sensitivity. Behaving as you suggest would be inexcusable.

  “Shame,” she said. “That would have been a lot simpler.”

  She found that she didn’t really mean it. There was a fizz of excitement in her chest, which was a small distraction from the disaster with Meg.

  > I agree that the only way to conclusively determine whether these historical anomalies are genetically identical to your birth parents is to “travel back in time and check”, as you suggested.

  > Time travel is the easiest viable solution with the highest chance of success.

  “I suggested time travel as a joke! I thought I’d taught you about sarcasm?”

  > “Sarcasm: a sharply ironical taunt; sneering or cutting remark.” Yes, that describes you very well.

  Clove laughed. “Very funny. OK, well. Time travel is not going to happen. At all. So let’s start by cross-referencing all of the Folios we have so far. We might find some more information, at the very least.”

  CHAPTER 10

  File note: Messages between CLOVE SUTCLIFFE and ELENORE WALKER, received on 10 August 2058

  ST ANDREWS, SCOTLAND, 2056

  Clove couldn’t sleep. All she could think about was this unbelievable mystery surrounding her birth parents. There must be a reason that the evidence seemed to show they kept reappearing at different points in time. She wanted to get to the truth … and she kept coming back to the time machine.

  It was a ridiculous idea, but there was still something tempting about it. Wasn’t it everyone’s dream to explore the past?

  She would be the first person to ever, ever travel back in time. She could explore all the exciting moments in history that were in the pictures Spart had found − the suffragette movement, the cracking of the Enigma code in the Second World War, the Napoleonic Wars, the shooting of JFK.

  She couldn’t really be thinking about this, could she? She couldn’t actually believe this nonsense enough that she’d consider time travel? The time machine didn’t even have any safety permits yet. But Jen had said it was safe … so technically there was no real reason why she needed the safety permits. Right?

  Clove caught herself. What was she thinking? This was crazy. She was delusional to even entertain the idea. Besides, she would need the password to use the time machine, and that was never going to happen. Today had been the last day of her work experience. After midnight tonight, she wouldn’t have access to the lab, even if she wanted to use the machine.

  She was going to put the idea out of her mind. If she tried to time travel, it was sure to end in the same way that everything in her life had recently: in disaster. Everyone hated her. She’d messed up things with Meg, and she had been so horrible to her parents that they wanted to send her to a shrink! Her search for her birth parents had got her nowhere.

  She sat up in bed. Was it really so stupid to go back in time? It wasn’t like she had anything to lose any more. The more she thought about it, the better the idea seemed. She knew exactly how to use the time machine now – and why waste this perfect opportunity while she had access to the lab?

  Why shouldn’t she go back in time? Really, actually go back in time.

 
; “Let’s do it,” she shouted at Spart before she could talk herself out of the idea. She could feel herself shaking.

  > I find it most agreeable that you have changed your mind. Time travel makes the most logical sense. You can track down KATHERINE FINCHLEY and MATTHEW GALLOWAY and run a DNA comparison test to confirm whether there is a genetic match between the historical versions and your biological parents.

  > I would recommend investigating 1745, which is the earliest appearance of them that I have been able to locate. That should be the most effective trip.

  Go to 1745, see what was happening there. Easy. She could do that.

  > According to a recent progress report, the machine should have received the proper safety certificates by the end of the month. That gives us plenty of time to make adequate preparations.

  “I need to go tonight,” Clove said. “It’s my last day of work experience. The key card won’t let me into the physics building after midnight.”

  > I don’t know how I can make that happen. There’s no guarantee it would be safe at this stage. The machine hasn’t been approved for use, and—

  “We’re going to do it anyway,” she said. “We have to. We’re going to break in.” She loved the rush of recklessness that accompanied the words. She was going to travel back in time.

  Spart was silent.

  “Please, Spart. I really need your help on this.”

  > I can’t approve this behaviour.

  “Why not?!” she said, frustrated. She was aware that she sounded hysterical, but it seemed like an appropriate time for it. “You’re being stupid!”

  > You are letting emotions compromise your common sense. It is you who is acting stupidly at this time.

  Sometimes Clove hated computers. They were so … logical. “Urgh! I wish I’d never installed you.”

  There was another silence.

  “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean that. That was completely out of line.”

  The quiet stretched on, long and empty in a way only a wounded computer program could sustain.

  Clove tapped her foot on the floor anxiously. “Spart. I’m sorry. I need your help. I can’t do this on my own. Please?”

  > I am unable to help you unless I receive a direct order from my primary administrator.

  She sighed, dropping her head onto the desk.

  > Which, for this version of my OS, is you.

  Clove jolted upright. “Really? Spart, I order you to help me break into the university research lab and use their technology to travel back in time.”

  > Very well, CLOVE.

  “… We’re actually doing this. Wow.”

  Clove sat in stunned silence for a moment. “What do you even pack for the past?”

  CHAPTER 11

  LuckyClover 17:34:12 so what do I need to pack to come and stay at your parents’ house next week?

  Ella-is-swell 17:36:37 clothes? programming textbooks? sexy lingerie?

  LuckyClover 17:37:48 Well … apart from that: what am I dressing for? hot/cold/frozen in a never-ending winter?

  Ella-is-swell 17:38:02 all of the above

  LuckyClover 17:38:14 useful. thanks.

  Ella-is-swell 17:38:27 I miss you

  LuckyClover 17:38:33 I miss you too.

  Ella-is-swell 17:38:57 What in particular?

  LuckyClover 17:39:02 Do I miss?

  Ella-is-swell 17:39:11 Yeah

  LuckyClover 17:39:24 Hmmm. I’m drawing a blank

  Ella-is-swell 17:40:03 Rude

  LuckyClover 17:40:56 I like it when you’re trying to tell me a story, but you can’t stop laughing long enough to get the words out.

  LuckyClover 17:41:35 I like how much of a snob you are about food and coffee and how annoyed you get when I eat crisps or cheese on toast for dinner.

  LuckyClover 17:42:01 I like how easily you fall asleep anywhere, especially when it’s on my shoulder when you’re forcing me to watch a regency cyborg romance marathon with you and Spart.

  Ella-is-swell 17:42:45 That was lovely. Now I miss you even more, thanks a LOT

  Ella-is-swell 17:42:50 but for the record………………….

  Ella-is-swell 17:43:05 it’s not cheese on toast I have a problem with, it’s your blasé recipe. No beer? At ALL? Then why even call it a welsh rarebit?!

  LuckyClover 17:43:07 Well … I’m going to go and pack now….

  Ella-is-swell 17:43:11 and another thing!

  Ella-is-swell 17:43:13 oh, you’re gone.

  File note: Chat log, dated 29 October 2058

  ST ANDREWS, SCOTLAND, 2056

  It was easy enough for Clove to declare that she was going to travel back in time, but actually doing it was a lot harder. Firstly, she made a list of things she absolutely had to take with her. In the end, it was six-pages long. Secondly, she had to get the password for the time machine. She could get into the physics building using her work experience key card, but she couldn’t get the time machine working without the password. She’d figure something out − she had to. She was doing this tonight, before her temporary key card stopped working. It was ten p.m., so she only had two hours before midnight.

  “Spart, maybe this is all a mistake. There’s no way I’m just going to be able to guess the password for the time machine.”

  > I believe that I may be able to bypass the password altogether. If you can help me hack into the computer, I can control the time machine manually.

  Clove wasn’t convinced by Spart’s confidence. She’d seen the program – it was very complicated. “Are you sure?”

  > There is a 60% possibility this plan will be successful. However, it is more probable that you will be able to predict the password based on your personal knowledge.

  “That … doesn’t sound like great odds.”

  > If you prefer, we can wake JENNIFER and ask her for the password.

  “No!” Clove said hurriedly. “That’s OK. We should definitely keep this between us. We’ll try your way. I guess it’s worth a shot.”

  Clove transferred Spart’s software over to a memory card, so that she could plug it into the back of the time machine’s computer and let him control it.

  While the software was transferring, she started packing a rucksack with everything on her list, including toiletries and a first-aid kit from the bathroom. She even managed to find a DNA testing kit in Jen’s office. Jen never threw anything out, and she’d picked up lots of random things at conferences over the years. Clove was always borrowing things to experiment with.

  She needed a few more things, like clothes, but luckily their 3D printer was better than any shopping centre. She could make clothes to blend into any period of history without leaving the house.

  Clothes printed in 3D were a bit plastic-y, but it was worth it for the latest fashion trends. Plus, if you pirated the template, you only had to pay for the materials, which was what a lot of people did. Buying them was really expensive.

  Clove started looking online for a template of a dress from 1745, and found a cosplay of a video game character that she thought might work. She torrented it, then set the dress printing in Jen’s office, hoping the loud noise of plastic being woven into fabric wouldn’t wake Tom and Jen.

  When it was finished, she tried it on. Once she’d clipped her hair back under a cap, she barely recognized herself. She looked like someone from a black-and-white film.

  Clove did one final check that she had everything. At the last minute she threw her knitting in too. Even if she didn’t have anyone to give the scarf to any more, now that Meg wasn’t talking to her, knitting helped her to stay calm. She couldn’t imagine a time when she’d need to stay calm more than on a trip to 1745.

  She was ready.

  CHAPTER 12

  Things to take to the past, a hopefully comprehensive list:

  =========================================

  • Paracetamol & general first-aid kit stuff − penicillin?

  • Water purifiers

  • Swiss army knife (tak
e Dad’s)

  • Sanitary towels

  • Toothpaste tablets

  • DNA testing kit

  • Period-accurate currency (find template for 3D printer)

  • Period-accurate dress (download & print)

  • Umbrella

  • THE PASSWORD

  File note: Data file written by CLOVE SUTCLIFFE on 21 July 2056

  UNIVERSITY OF ST ANDREWS CAMPUS, SCOTLAND, 2056

  Clove walked to the university as fast as she could. It was almost eleven at night, and she had never been out this late on her own before. Luckily, it was only a ten-minute walk and the roads were quiet. The campus was packed, though, with students pre-lashing the first parties of the weekend. She walked to the physics building with her head down, hoping none of them would try and talk to her.

  When she got there, she held her key card up to the lock at the main entrance. It flashed green: her access hadn’t been revoked yet. Clove went inside quickly, before the doors could change their mind.

  Heading across the ground floor to the staircase, she tried hard not to break into a run. She was certain that someone was going to appear any second and arrest her. But nobody did, even when she was going down the stairs to the basement.

  When she arrived at the lab, she ignored the metal plaque on the door that read AUTHORIZED PERSONNEL ONLY and waved her key card at the scanner. The light above the lock turned from red to amber. But to her horror, the message changed from LOCKED to SCAN PRINT.

  She had forgotten that the lab had a fingerprint scanner too. This was hopeless. There was no way she’d be able to fake Jen’s fingerprint. Clove resigned herself to having to go home a failure.

  When she explained the problem to Spart, he replied instantly.

  > If there’s an electrical circuit box, I may be able to access the building’s security system and unlock the door. You will have to use the memory card to get me into the system.

  “Spart, you genius!” For once Clove was glad that she’d put him in talk mode.