Chapter 41

Doctor Frobisher had thought a lot about his conversation with Daniel Ellis. He still thought about the mobile phone which he had seen and handled. It was an item from another world. An earth where things were very different because they had not had a meteor strike. He really wanted to talk to his old patient again and learn more about his previous life.

When Dan got a call from the doctor he was pleased. This was the only person who knew about his claim to be from a parallel universe and it would give him the opportunity to discuss his old life. He invited the doctor to his home for a meal and told Phyllis to get some steak. He was pretty sure that Frobisher would be a steak man.

The moustachioed man in the tweed, three-piece suit burst into the house.

"Daniel, good to see you, young man."

Phyllis was smiling as she took his overcoat. She instantly like the doctor.

"Hello Doctor Frobisher, how are you?" Dan was on the other end of a vigorous handshake.

"I'm very well and its Derek."

Grace and Alex called their guest Dr Derek. He examined Grace's teddy bear for her and gave it a clean bill of health. Alex showed him his latest injury, a grazed knee, and he was pronounced fit as well. The kids went to bed reluctantly leaving Dan and Derek to enjoy their meal.

"Steak, my favourite." The doctor declared.

As they sipped port Dan told the doctor how he had been utterly confused by his meal in the hospital. He described lukewarm portions of rice and unidentifiable meat which would be served on a plastic tray in his world. That had been one of the many signs that he was in the wrong place.

"I've got something to show you." Dan said and he disappeared from the room.

On his return Dan produced the mobile phone which he had got working. Derek inspected each of the stored photographs carefully. He was particularly fascinated by the pictures of Sam and Grace who were the same, but different. The clothes that they were wearing and the places they were pictured confirmed that they were from another world.

Derek looked at images of cars and buildings. He saw crowds of people at a music festival. He saw Dan and his family on holiday. He saw Dan with his best friend Ryan.

"Tell me again about the place you came from." He wanted an explanation for what he was seeing. He listened intently to the description of the life his friend had once lived.

What the doctor wanted to know was whether his old world was better than his new one. There were many things which made life easier in the other world. Technology had provided time and, labour saving, devices and knowledge was literally at one's fingertips. The progress that had been achieved however had come at a price. Pollution and deforestation were just two of the thousands of problems that existed.

"I mentioned the problems in our previous conversation, but I barely scratched the surface on all the issues that exist."

Dan spoke about how he had gradually learned about the OWG.

"I see what they were trying to do and was initially impressed by their ideals and aims. When I looked closer the cracks began to appear. There are many examples throughout history, even to this day, of the abuse of power by those in charge. The rich become richer and the poor suffer and are repressed. Life will never be fair, I know that, but I think it could be a whole lot fairer than it is now."

He had expressed his views about the OWG without pausing to think about the consequences. He was sure that Derek would have the same ideas as him on the subject. He was right.

Their talk inevitably turned to what could be done to change the present system. They both thought that the aims of the OWG were admirable. The bureaucracy which had been put in place to ensure that the people were fed and catered for was impressive. There were people on the margins of society and women who were treated very unfairly.

Derek spoke about his attempts to help those who had mental problems. To a certain extent that is why he had become Dan's doctor. A head injury often led to amnesia or brain damage which caused a variety of symptoms. He had been brought in to assess Dan as he began to recover from his accident.

"I can tell you that I thought you might be a bit of a nutcase at first. In light of what I now know it all makes sense."

The doctor heard about Dan's job with the army and how he had found that his best friend from before. Ryan, was the colonel in charge at the base. He described Ryan as a reasonable man which translated as him being an advocate for change too. Derek was pleased to hear that some members of the armed forces were in favour of reform.

Neither of them had met Nicholas Salter, but they were aware of him and his influence on the government. Any time that one man had a great deal of power it could be dangerous. It would be necessary to remove him and his closest allies before things would get better in the world. There would have to be a plan.

Derek left at the end of a long, but enjoyable evening. They would stay in touch more regularly and they would both think about the things they had discussed. Next time they met up they would trade ideas and see if they could start to put together a strategy which would help them achieve their goal.

The conversation had been good and Dan wished that he could actually do something about the OWG rather than just talk about it. They could come up with all kinds of plots, but what could they really do. He would not be defeatist. He didn't know too many people in this world, but those he did know could be useful.

~~~

Serena had been met with a variety of reactions when she went back to her home near Marlborough. Her family were delighted to have her back. Friends were pleased too. There was gossip about her relationship with Bertie and talk of her being involved with shady dealings. Her boss at the clothes shop was unimpressed.

The letter absolving her from punishment or sanction for being absent from her job was deeply irritating to Mr Grant. Serena had been a good enough employee, but he was aware of the rumours circulating about her private life. This note meant that he had no choice about letting her come back to work.

The best thing to do was keep her head down and work hard. Serena stayed at home of an evening and was conscientious when she was serving in the shop. Mr Grant had given her the silent treatment for a few weeks, but he was finally beginning to thaw. Her life was getting easier, but she could not settle.

Her headstrong nature and sense of injustice had led her into a frightening situation. Serena woke at night convinced that she could hear the sound of gunfire. The bullets that had whistled over her head on the dock had left her terrified. The other recurring nightmare was that Bertie had come back. In her dreams he was usually soaking wet and draped in sea weed like a monster from the deep.

The only good thoughts that entered her mind were that she was thankful to still be alive and Dan. When she had looked up on the dock and seen him it had been like a miracle. He was strong and determined, but also thoughtful and kind. The exact person she wanted to see in those circumstances.

Getting involved with the rebels had led her all over the country and put her life in danger. Despite this she had not altered her view on the OWG. It had also not deterred her from wanting to be a part of the movement to bring them down. The violence which had been employed by Bertie was not the answer. She needed to find some other way to work towards their demise.

She had hovered by the telephone many times since her return. Dan had given her his number and left it up to her to get in contact. His wife had died recently and he was a member of the leadership class. These were very good reasons why she should forget about him and get on with her life. She had never been conventional and these facts were not going to stand in her way.

It was almost an unconscious act when she made the call. The phone was in her hand and she was dialling the number which she had memorised before she had really thought about it. A woman answered and Serena hesitated for a second before asking for Dan. A few moments later and she heard his voice.

"It's Serena."

His "Hello" was a little shaky and her nerves evaporated as she realised how happy they were to be talking to each other. They started slowly swapping stories about how they had settled back into their ordinary lives. The polite conversation stopped when Dan asked when he was going to see her.

Serena found herself answering "As soon as possible."