The Curse Conduit
Chapter 24

Derek’s head was pounding and when he tried to open his eyes shafts of pain attacked his brain. With eyes closed and hands on his head he tried to listen to the sounds around him, nothing sounded familiar, nothing sounded right. He was trying to remember what had happened when he heard a groan. He listened a little more intently. “Uriah is that you?”

There was another groan and Uriah said something. Derek had no idea what it was he was just glad to hear it. He tried to open his eyes again but the pain was too much. “Uriah I can’t see.”

There was no answer.

“Uriah are you there?”

Uriah’s voice was strained. “Yes.” He coughed and sucked in air as his ribs told him they were not happy with the treatment they had just received. Like Derek his head hurt but his eyes were not affected as much.

“Uriah, what happened? It doesn’t feel right, where are we?”

Gingerly Uriah stood, holding his side. Looking around his surroundings Uriah was finding it hard to take it in when he saw Elizabeth. She was in the corner, looking like a discarded rag doll.

“Elizabeth.”

Hearing her name Derek moved his head and tried to open his eyes. Where is she Uriah? Is she alright?” Derek could hear Uriah moving around. “Uriah!”

Uriah lent next to her, checked her pulse and let out a sigh. He allowed a small smile to cover his face when she moaned. “She’s got a nasty bump on her head but I think she is okay.”

Derek was about to say something when they heard Elizabeth. “I’m not okay. God my head hurts.” She began to sit up. Uriah tried to help but he winced as his ribs bit into him.

Elizabeth looked into his eyes as she touched his side. “You’re hurt.”

Uriah took her hand and guided her over to Derek without answering. “He can’t see.”

Derek could hear how close they were but still could not see them. “Lizzie you okay?”

She knelt beside him and put her hands on his shoulders. “Head hurts but I am okay. Can you see anything?”

Derek tried to open his eyes again but grimaced. “It’s like I am looking right at the sun. It’s so bright. Where are we?”

Elizabeth looked around then looked at Uriah who shrugged his shoulders. “Well we’re not in Kansas anymore Toto.”

Derek shuddered a little. “What do you mean Lizzie?”

It was Uriah’s voice he heard. “We’re not in the hotel room anymore that is for sure.”

They all fell silent until Derek realised he had not heard the others. “Casta, Simian…”

Uriah cut him off. “They’re not here, neither is Kimberly.”

“And where is here exactly?”

They all looked up as they heard the roar of several planes passing over head.

Uriah went to look out the only door he could see. “We’re in some sort of storage facility.”

Derek and Elizabeth answered at the same time. “What?!”

Uriah was not sure how he was going to tell the others what he could see. He could hardly believe it himself. Spread out before him was a runway, several runways. Parked on the side of one were several old war planes. He looked up seeing the planes they had heard a few moments before. They too were old war planes. He watched as they came into land one after the other. While he watched he told the others what he could see. Elizabeth came to stand with him. She had a sick feeling in the pit of her stomach as she pointed to one of the planes that taxied passed them. “I know that plane.”

Uriah just stared at the plane. He knew it to.

They both watched as the planes came to rest and their occupants disembarked.

Elizabeth squeezed Uriah’s hand. “Danny.”

Behind Danny walked Urian.

Uriah squeezed her hand back as he watched Danny and Urian walk across the runway with other pilots.

Derek was frustrated that he could not see anything and they had stopped talking. “Uriah what the hell is going on out there? Where are we?”

In a voice that was too calm Uriah answered him. “We’ve joined the war effort, the Second World War. Danny and Urian have just gotten out of a plane.”

Derek struggled to his feet and groped his way towards them until Elizabeth realised what he was trying to do and went to help. Holding him around the middle she guided him to the door. “Can you see any better?”

“A little, things are still blurry but not as bright. My headache is easing as well.”

Derek tried to strain his eyes to see something, anything but it was useless. Not being able to see his ears and nose felt like they had gone into overdrive. “It all smells so different, it sounds all wrong. We’re not in London anymore are we?”

Uriah sighed. “We’re not in our own time anymore.”

Derek rested his back to the wall and slid to a sitting position. “I don’t get it. If we are supposed to stop the curse then way didn’t we go all the way back to Declan and Uri’s time?”

Uriah and Elizabeth looked at each other. How could they answer him? Why, was a very big question none of them could answer? Sensing his friend’s apprehension Derek continued. “Besides isn’t there some scientific formula that says that the same body cannot occupy the same space and time. Some quirk that keeps the universe in order.”

Uriah looked at his friend. “Well if there was I think we just disproved it. We are here and so are Danny and Urian.”

Uriah looked back out the door to see the pilots disappear into a building at the other side of the runways before looking back at Derek. “No matter where we are, we can’t go anywhere else until you can see properly. How’s your head?”

Derek blinked hard a few times and then opened his eyes letting them roam around the room before they rested on Elizabeth. “Still blurry but better. I can actually see you.”

Elizabeth smiled a little but Derek still couldn’t see it.

Uriah shut the door to the store room. “I guess we stay here for a while and then figure out how to get off this Base.”

Elizabeth shot him a look. “Get off the Base, how about getting home? And why did the others get left behind?”

Without knowing Uriah had been tumbling his thoughts around in his mind so the words he spoke came naturally and again his calm delivery unnerved the others. It was as if he was already resigned to the fact that they would not be getting back to their own time before they fixed whatever it was they were supposed to fix. “The others didn’t come as they are not part of this. They did not dream. This is for us and us alone to deal with.” He paused for a little. “And we shall deal with it.”

He looked from Elizabeth to Derek. Neither spoke.

The three waited for another hour before Derek’s sight fully returned and they could put a plan into place to see what their new world had in store for them.

Having taken another look outside it was decided to keep as close to the buildings as they could until they made it out of the Base. Good plan in theory. In practise it unravelled rather quickly. Just as they could see what they thought was the exit to the Base they were confronted by a man in uniform as he came out of one of the buildings almost running into Derek. He looked straight at Derek, looked him up and down as the others waited to see what happened. “What the hell do you think you are playing at solider!?”

Derek went to say something but never got the chance as this man continued to berate him. “Pulling a bloody stunt like this just to get Bethie on the Base. How many times do you have to be told? I have a good mind to pull your wings. And don’t think dressing in such, such….inappropriate clothes is going to help you.” He looked from Derek to Uriah. “I am disappointed into Ian. You have always managed to keep this larrikin out of trouble but this time he has dragged you with him.” His eyes focused on Elizabeth. “Miss Beth. I would be grateful if you would not dress in such a manner when visiting this Base.”

Elizabeth rubbed her hands down her clothes self-consciously.

Once again the man turned his attention back to Derek. Derek could feel his breath on his face as he shouted his orders at them. “Now your three get off my Base before I have you all charged. Bloody three musketeers alright. I’ve never know three people to give me so much grief.”

The three friends just stood still not sure what to do.

“For God’s sake go. But you two men better get back here for duty by five am.”

Uriah, Derek and Elizabeth just headed for the gate of the Base. Outside they all sighed with relief.

Derek was a little excited. “He thought I was Danny.”

Elizabeth gave him a slap across the arm. “You think! And he called me Beth. So why did he call Uriah Ian? And who was he?”

“By the looks of those little shinny bits on his uniform I am guessing he is a colonel.”

Derek was shocked that Uriah would know. “How do you know what rank he is?”

To be honest Uriah wasn’t sure he was right. “Doesn’t really matter does it. He made his point and I get the impression he’s in charge don’t you?”

As the Colonel walked into the Base mess hall and straight into Danny and Urian. “How the hell did you two get back here so fast and where is Miss Beth and those clothes?”

The men looked at each other and in unison said “Sir.”

The Colonel was a little flustered. “Danny if this is one of your silly games.”

Danny cut him off. “Sir I have no idea what you are talking about. We’ve been here since we got back from the run. I haven’t seen Bethie since last night.”

“I just saw you three outside……” He trailed off and looked at Urian.

“Ian. You swear that you have not set foot outside since you returned.”

Urian stood a little straighter as if to make his point. “I swear Sir. We went to debriefing, to the showers and then here. We were just about to eat before heading out.”

The Colonel looked at both of them. “I don’t know how you did it Danny but I will find out.” And he walked off shaking his head.

Urian looked at his friend. “Like to let me on in whatever it is you have cooked up this time to send his blood pressure through the roof?”

Danny gave him his usually big cheeky grin. “I swear, I would gladly take credit for it but it wasn’t me. I really have no idea what he is going on about. Hey and how come he always asks you for the truth and not me?”

Urian slapped his friend on the back. “Because he never knows when you are telling the truth Danny. You do realise that one of these days you are going to go too far and he really will pull you out of the sky.”

Danny laughed. “Never. I’m too damn good of a pilot and he knows it.”

Urian shook his head and replied sarcastically. “You are, are you?”

Both men laughed as they made their way to an empty table.

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