Portals in Time 2 Read online

  The Adventures of Kat in Hell

  PORTALS IN TIME:

  PART two

  By Michael Beals

  Copyright © 2020

  All rights reserved.

  Book cover

  By Michael Beals

  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either used fictitiously or are the fevered products of the author’s twisted imagination.

  If you like my book covers and would like to see more of my art, take a look at https://www.deviantart.com/mpbeals

  Table of Contents

  1860 New York City Map

  1866 New York City

  Central Park

  Inspector Cabot

  CHAPTER ONE

  CHAPTER TWO

  CHAPTER THREE

  CHAPTER FOUR

  CHAPTER FIVE

  CHAPTER SIX

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  CHAPTER NINE

  CHAPTER TEN

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  CHAPTER TWELVE

  Slaughter in the Desert

  Part II

  Outskirts of Benghazi, Libya

  Central Benghazi

  Afrika Korps Auxiliary Command Center

  Freedom Square

  Jalo Oasis

  1860 New York City Map

  1866 New York City

  Central Park

  Inspector Cabot

  CHAPTER ONE

  D ore wouldn’t leave it alone and badgered Kat all the way back to the Chrysler Building. Why did she have to make the field trip to Earth on her own? She was traveling back to 1875. If she was only going to look around, what was the point? What if Harper was right? What if the mysterious Henry Grantham had an assassin waiting for her? What if the artifact stopped working for some reason? She’d be stuck in New York City in 1875 on her own.

  “Jock, for God’s sake, it’s not like I haven’t been to New York City before. It’s not exactly a war zone.”

  “You were there in the Twentieth Century when there were modern taxis, regular people, and hotels with central heating. What if you accidentally hit the wrong button and arrive at night, or in the middle of a snowstorm?”

  “Jock, I’m not stupid. If I make a mistake, I’ll simply come back and try again.”

  But Dore wasn’t convinced and was still talking about it when they entered the elevator. She didn’t blame him. He’d been watching her six since they met in North Africa during World War 2. He’d nearly lost her when they were in Italy and vowed that would never happen again. But now they were in Hell. Their lives had been transformed, and he didn’t know what to do.

  “Would it make you happier if I ask Pernass if you can come with me?”

  “Aye, it bloody well would. He can dock it out of my wages for all I care, just as long as I’m with you.”

  She snorted a laugh. “You haven’t been paid any wages yet… I wonder if they’ll accept an IOU.”

  Pernass was on the phone when they entered his office, and waved them into seats. He was dressed in his NAZI Oberführer uniform that he’d worn during the war. Her stepfather always loved to impress people, and she had to admit, he did look impressive.

  Slamming the phone down, he glared at her. “You’re a pain in the ass, Kat. I had Persephone on the phone this morning. Talk about demanding. Is she always this dictatorial?”

  “You were Hitler’s right-hand man for over ten years; I would have thought you were used to it.”

  “Be serious. Persephone said I’m supposed to give you anything you want.”

  She smiled at him demurely. “I want a horsey.”

  “Very funny. What happened at Gypsy headquarters?”

  Relating their conversations with Harper, she told him about the artifact, and then about Grantham. “Harper hasn’t seen him in years. Harper thinks he went into the future to develop and manufacture his artifacts.”

  “What, and shipping them back to Hell?”

  “It makes sense. What doesn’t make sense is what the woman on the plane told me. She said she found the artifact under her seat on the plane. I don’t know why, but I think she lied to me. If Grantham’s making the artifacts, it would make more sense if they were stored at the ranch.”

  Pernass stared at her for a moment. “What are you suggesting, that McInnes is teaching the escapees how to use Grantham’s artifacts?”

  “It would explain why he’s so rich. If Grantham made the artifacts in the future, they won’t be like your regular artifact. As it is, you must learn how to use them, which may mean that McInnes travels back to Earth quite frequently. Perhaps McInnes is the quartermaster. He’s certainly in the right place, and he’s not short of manpower.”

  “There’s something else,” Giselle said, running a hand through her long, blonde hair. “It didn’t occur to me before, but now that I think about it, McInnes was very generous towards us. He lent us a Jeep and even let us use his helicopter. That may not seem unusual, but it is. We were visiting film producers from a little-known studio. Any normal mining Boss would refuse us permission to film there. Opencast mining is quite dangerous. Yet he welcomed us with open arms and didn’t even say much when we got in a gunfight with his security police. He just complained about the mess.”

  “That doesn’t sound so unusual,” Pernass said, lighting another cigar.

  “Have you ever heard of the phrase, keep your friends close, and your enemies closer?” Giselle retorted. “I think that’s what McInnes was doing, which means he probably knew who we were, which means that either Grantham has spies in the Elites, or Jonathon Steel is not to be trusted. Either way, we should keep knowledge of Kat’s trip inside these office walls.”

  “It might be a bit late for that,” Kat said. “Half the people at Gypsy headquarters probably know by now. We’ll have to ask Harper to keep quiet about it when we pick up the artifacts.”

  “Don’t you mean artifact?” Pernass said, exhaling a plume of smoke. “You’re going to Earth on your own.”

  “You’re not supposed to inhale cigar smoke,” she countered. “It can give you cancer.”

  “Not if I’m already dead… You are going on your own, Kat.”

  “But Harper thinks I’ll be in danger. He thinks Grantham could have assassins waiting for me.”

  “Oh, for God’s sake. We’re all getting paranoid about this Grantham character. Anyone would think he had an army.”

  Quite unexpectedly, Dore put his hand up. It was unusual for Dore. He usually kept very quiet. “Can I say something?”

  Pernass gazed at him, but Dore remained annoyingly silent. “Go on then,” he said in an exasperated tone. “What d’you want to say?”

  “I think he might have an army. How long has this been going on? A few years. Let’s say three. In three years, how many people have escaped? Hundreds? Thousands? We were aware of twenty escapees while we were at West Fork. Hades is certainly worried about it. If all that’s true, Grantham would need a factory to create all those artifacts, plus all the security personnel to stop it leaking out.”

  A tense silence descended on the room. Kat could even hear the wall clock ticking behind Pernass’s desk. As usual, for all his tendency to keep quiet during discussions, Dore had released a bombshell.

  “So what are you suggesting we do about that?” Pernass said, finally.

  “I think I should go with Kat, to keep her safe.” He cocked his head. “I’m sure Persephone would agree.”

  “I’m sure she would,” Pernass shot back. “But I’m responsible for this little circus, and there’s no way you’re going with Kat. The two of you would just disappear, and that would be that.”

  “You don’t care if I get murdered?” Kat teased.
<
br />   “I’m sorry, Kat, but he’s not going. He’s the only guarantee that you’ll ever come back. For all I know, you’ll befriend Grantham and disappear into the future. And even Hades can’t go there.”

  She glanced at Dore and shrugged. Pernass was digging his heels in, and he wasn’t going to change his mind. “Fine. I’ll go on my own. So can you please write a requisition for Harper? I’ll collect the artifact tomorrow morning.”

  Opening a desk drawer, he extracted an elaborate looking document and slammed it on the desk. “Is Harper giving you era money?”

  “And clothes,” Kat answered.

  “I suppose that makes sense. When are you going?”

  “Tomorrow… afternoon, I guess. Do you have a phone number for Persephone?”

  In the process of inhaling a lungful of smoke, Pernass went into a paroxysm of uncontrollable coughing. “You’re going to call Persephone?” he spluttered, stubbing out the cigar. “What on earth for?”

  She grinned. “Girl talk.”

  “Bullshit,” he growled. “What are you going to talk about?”

  Kat glowered at him. “I want her to know that I’m on the case. Hades put his trust in me. I want Persephone to know that I’m honoring that trust.”

  “But she already knows,” he persisted.

  “I also want her to know what happened in West Fork. The demon I shot was Rostock, a Federal cop, and he’s in hospital right now. When Rostock comes out, I could become a target. If I do, I might need Persephone’s help.”

  “No problem. When Rostock’s out of hospital, I’ll just decommission him.”

  “Which means nothing. Rostock will just become another of Grantham’s spies.”

  Pernass peered at her. “So what do you suggest I do?”

  She shrugged. “That’s exactly what I’m going to ask Persephone. Besides, she asked me to stay in touch.”

  Within the hour, Kat was on her way to Gypsy headquarters with Dore. She hadn’t needed to take him. He would probably have preferred to spend the time with Giselle, but she wanted to talk to him, and it wasn’t going to be easy.

  “I need you to listen to me, Jock. You know me, I never play by the rules, but this is different. We’re not on Earth anymore.”

  Dore squinted at her. “Why, what are you planning?”

  She sucked air through her teeth. Even Dore might disagree with what she was about to suggest. “When I go back to Earth, I want you to come with me. But we can’t tell anyone, which is tricky. We can’t tell Harper because it might get back, and we certainly can’t tell Pernass.”

  “But… you’re only requisitioning one artifact. I can’t come with you.”

  “Yes, you can. Harper said that two people could travel together if they’re physically close. All you have to do is hold me.”

  “And you’re not going to tell Pernass I’m coming with you?”

  “Absolutely not. I’m not even going to leave when I said I would, just in case Grantham’s spies discovered our plans.” Turning to look at him, she studied his eyes. “We’re going to be in my apartment when we travel, and I wouldn’t mind betting I have callers tomorrow afternoon.” She smiled. “So we’re going in the morning.”

  “Wait a minute, Kat. You’re worried about spies, and you want to take me with you? Without permission?”

  “It won’t be totally without permission.”

  “And how’s that?”

  “I’m going to tell Persephone.”

  Dore took a deep breath and gazed out at the forests that were drifting by beneath them, and the late afternoon sun was glittering on a passing lake. Soon they would be at the Gypsy headquarters, with its salty breeze and wheeling seagulls.

  “Kat, are you sure you want to drag Persephone into this? I’ve never met the woman, so I don’t know, but you could be compromising her. What if she decides not to tell Hades? You know what you women are like, with all your secrets. If he finds out and is angry, we’ll get it in the neck.”

  “No, we won’t. I’m doing all this for Hades, and he’s the one who mentioned that I might need to travel in time back on Earth. He asked me to join the Elites. I’m not taking you with me because I want to cheat anyone. I’m afraid of being killed. If Grantham can make artifacts, he might be capable of making those special guns that kill dead people.”

  “Holy crap. We could both die.”

  She laughed. “Then we’ll die together, Jock.”

  Dore chuckled, “Aye. It’s becoming old hat.”

  She found herself daydreaming about going back in time. New York City would have horses and carriages. Women would be wearing long dresses and hats. Central Park and the streets would look different. The whole idea of it was exciting, and she couldn’t wait to be there.

  The helicopter banked around over the sea, and would soon be landing at Gypsy headquarters, with its sea breeze and windblown grass. She wondered whether Pernass had warned Harper that they were coming, whether he’d meet them at the helipad again. They would have to be very careful with Harper. He’d seemed friendly enough and certainly hadn’t held back about Grantham, but Kat was planning something unauthorized. She also wanted to know how safe it would be to take Dore with her, yet she couldn’t ask him. Possibly she could find a roundabout way of finding out, without raising his suspicions.

  The helicopter began to descend, its rotors chopping the air. Kat could see the building now and was comforted to see smoke coming from Harper’s living room chimney. It would be nice not to have to go into the laboratory again, all those curious Gypsy scientists listening to every word they said. It wouldn’t surprise her if Grantham had spies at Gypsy headquarters.

  The helicopter touched down, lifted off again, and then finally settled. Climbing out, Kat looked around for Harper, and sure enough, he was walking towards them, clutching the collar of his coat in the gusting wind.

  “Thought I might see you again,” he called, “but I didn’t think it would be this soon. Come inside. It’s a bit blustery this afternoon.” They followed him into the building and then into his cozy living room, with its log fire and upholstered chairs. “I took the liberty of signing your artifact out of the laboratory.” He glanced at Dore. “It is only the one you want?”

  “Absolutely,” Kat said, wondering if Harper was testing her. “It’s only me traveling, although I am curious. You told me that more than one person could travel on a single artifact if they cling to each other.”

  Plumping into a chair, Harper adjusted his glasses. “Yes, but we don’t recommend it. An artifact has an effective operating radius of an open arm span, but it gets smaller when you come back… so it can be a bit of a squeeze.”

  Kat peered at the Artifact she’d studied in the laboratory the day before, but now she noticed all its beautiful details. Five inches in length and with what looked like a small screen at one end. It reminded her of a large photographic light meter. “What happens if say, someone’s arm is outside that radius?”

  “You will be gone… your arm will remain. Any part outside the sphere of the artifact will not follow you. Which is why we recommend one artifact per person.”

  “Sounds awful. I’ll try to remember to keep all my parts close to the artifact.” Kat said by the gruesome information.

  She glanced at Dore. He had a strange look on his face, and it wasn’t hard to imagine why. She’d talked him into this, as she did on several other near misses during the war. Now she was doing it again.

  “So can you take me through the operating procedure?”

  “It’s not difficult,” he said, picking up the artifact and switching it on. “The tricky bit is navigation. If you’re staying within the confines of Manhattan, I’d recommend choosing Central Park as an arrival point. It was fairly quiet in 1875, so you’re unlikely to scare the shit out of someone by suddenly popping-up from nowhere. If I’m going back in time, I usually go to the pond area. It’s fairly quiet there, and not far from places like 5th Avenue. If you arrive at an unfortunate
time, or in the middle of winter, hit the Return button and start again.”

  “What does it feel like when you time travel? Does it really feel like jumping off a mountain top?”

  Harper wrinkled his eyes. “Kind of. There’s a weird rushing sensation, as if you’re standing in the middle of a hurricane. Your destination seems to rush up at you, as if you’re landing by parachute, but it all happens very quickly.”

  “What happens if you hit the Return button when you’re still arriving?”

  Harper exclaimed. “It’s horrible. It’s like being caught up in a whirlwind. I really wouldn’t recommend it.”

  Kat listened as Harper went through the tutorial for the second time, explaining what all the artifact’s keys did. Harper suggested they should switch it off once they’d arrived at their destination, because if they didn’t, and if the Return button got accidentally pressed, they’d end up in Hell when they hadn’t expected to.

  “Which is why we usually use the laboratory. It’s a safe place to return to. If you’re living in an apartment, you might want to clear a space and stand in the middle of the living room.”

  Promising not to forget, they followed Harper down a network of corridors to a large room at the opposite end of the building. Kat had never been in a props and wardrobe department and was intrigued by the variety of clothes on display. They ranged from men’s tunic and dresses that required hoops, to jackets and dresses that would have been worn in the seventeenth century, but it was when Harper opened a large safe and withdrew wads of paper money that she became excited.

  “My God!” Kat exclaimed. “What did you do, rob a bank?”

  Harper smirked. “We have an engraving department and master engravers creating all the currency in any denomination, for any year and any country, that we want.”

  “So how much can I take?”

  “How much do you need? You’re only going there for a look around, and a dollar could buy a lot in those days.”