Phillips knew Jack’s plan would work. Phillips also knew this was his chance to make his stand against Jack. The lives of billions depended on it.
He reviewed his own plan and it was solid. He would finally kill Jack the Ripper. Then, he could go back to his quiet life in Cardiff full time. To many men, the ability to move through time would be too great an authority to give up. Other weaker men would crumble under the pressure of this moment. But not Phillips. What was driving him was the desire to enjoy a true retirement with his wife. He lacked the greed and apathy to back down.
Everything was planned and would work.
Phillips saw Jack fifty feet away at the Menin Gate Memorial. He moved towards him and was only feet away when a man in the crowd backed into him. By chance and complete accident, the man bumped Phillips’ head and the device triggered the time slip. The man that bumped into Phillips was Vincent Shakespeare.
As Vincent was sucked into the time slip, he found himself living in two times. His body and mind couldn’t handle what was happening, so as a safety mechanism to protect itself, Vincent’s mind put his body into a coma.
Then, shots went off and Phillips knew the careful planning had gone wrong. Jack had started one war and now another had just gone full-scale.
But Libby was not killed. It was only slight but because of Phillips near proximity to Jack, the time slip momentarily affected Jack’s device as well. His shots went wild (with the exception of one). Libby was shot but would survive for a short period of time. In the hospital, the doctors would fix her wound but they would miss a very small sliver of the bullet and she would develop blood poisoning. She would die soon after being released from the hospital. Phillips knew all of this from his time spent in the future.
At the hospital, in order to save her life, Phillips slipped into the hospital and used the time slip device on Libby. He knew it would put her in a coma. That would give the doctors a reason to examine her further. They would find the bullet sliver and save her life.
What Phillips didn’t know was that due to the untested nature of the device, the time slip device would place both Vincent and Libby in the lives of others temporarily. Phillips had no explanation as to why it happened.
That state of being in two places at once would come to a close as Vincent created a new timeline by shooting Adolf Hitler.
All the while, the man in the background smiled.
CHAPTER THIRTY
Chepstow, Wales – in the Near Future
Phillips knocked on the door. He was apprehensive as he stood back, waiting for the knock to be answered. The man who lived here may or may not be a friend.
The knock went unanswered and he knocked again. He went for a third knock when the door opened.
Standing before him was a girl about the age of ten. “Hullo. Can I help you, sir?” She had dark hair and big, matching eyes that looked up at him in curiosity.
“Hello to you, young lady. I was wondering if your father was about?”
She nodded. “I’ll fetch him for you, if you’ll please wait outside.”
“Of course, I…”
Her shout interrupted him. “Tad!” she called out as loud as she could.
Phillips was startled but he smiled and chuckled to himself as he waited patiently. He heard footsteps approaching across the hardwood floors of the home and a familiar face appeared in the doorway. Phillips had never met the man but he had seen his face in many scientific journals.
“Yes, sir. Can I help you?” the man asked.
“Are you Jasper?” Phillips asked.
“I am. What can I do for you?”
Phillips extended his hand. “I am Dr. Phillips. I work for Scotland Yard.”
“Oh? And what is Scotland Yard doing on my doorstep in Chepstow?”
Phillips looked down at Jasper’s daughter. “Perhaps we can talk somewhere private?”
Jasper looked curiously at Phillips. “Of course, we can speak in my office. Darling, would you please take Dr. Phillips’ coat and close the door?”
“Yes, Tad.” She smiled at Phillips and he could have sworn she stuck out her tongue at him as he was turning to follow Jasper.
Both inside of Jasper’s office, Jasper closed the door. “Can I offer you some tea? It’s no trouble to put some on.”
“Tea sounds lovely but perhaps some other time,” Phillips answered.
“Very well. Now what can I help Scotland Yard with today?”
Phillips looked at Jasper seriously. “I’m looking for an old friend of yours. I have been on his trail for quite some time. In fact, it has taken me many years to land here in your office.”
“And this friend is?” Jasper asked, already knowing the answer.
“Jack.”
Jasper swallowed and nodded. “I haven’t seen Jack in years.”
“I’m aware of that.”
“You are? How much do you know about Jack?”
“I know he’s a brilliant scientist who disappeared years ago and hasn’t been heard from since. How does a man so used to the spotlight just disappear without so much as a comment to a local newspaper?”
“I’m unsure how you think I could answer that,” Jasper replied, not sure where the conversation was heading.
Phillips reached behind his ear and removed the device. He held it out for
