Chapter 3: The Preparation

"Well how did you two spend your day, are you still convinced there are other time warps," asked Marjory over dinner.

"I think Charlie may be right Marjorie, there are some strange happening at these places." Carol answered.

"Well what are you going to do about it Charlie?"

"Well firstly I'm going to go and see if I can see any shimmering, and maybe I'll go and try to bring these people back, that's if they are still alive."

"You are going back, how do you know it will be to the same time as we were there."

"I don't Marjorie, but I think it will be in England, so I am going to brush up on my Gaelic just in case it is that period, but first I want to check if it is the shimmering."

"If I do go back I want you two to stay here. I will do as before, if I find anything interesting, I'll bury it then you and your friends can organise a dig. I'm also going to really prepare as I can't carry a large load, and I hope to be in only the 92 days."

"I have had several experience of expeditions, and I will help you just to carry enough to, survive for the three months."

"Great Marjorie, but we still have plenty of time. The one thing I do want is a good rifle like the one I used to carry, do you think any of your friends can help it was a 7.62 Parker Hale M-85 I still have my scope."

"I don't think that will be a problem at all, my gunsmith is a bit of a shady character, and I am sure he will help."

True to her word she started organising, for as she called it a short field trip. She talked me into taking the Range Rover and a trailer, saying I could hide it. The Range Rover would allow me to bring the others back if I found them, considering the short period the warp opened.

The day before I estimated the shimmering would appear Carol and I drove up to the first location. Parking the Range Rover in the car park near the rail bridge and got ourselves into the sleeping-bag. I set the alarm for four o'clock and we snuggled up. This was the first time Carol and I had slept together, just the two of us for over four months, and I noticed that she was beginning to show her pregnancy.

At four we got up and got to the spot where Jamie Gilbert had watched Shanna vanish. We drank the warm coffee out of the flask we had brought with us, but our eyes never left the tunnel. It wasn't until 6:10 just as I was going to give up that we saw the telltale shimmering which lasted a full two minutes then just disappeared.

"You were right Charlie, there is another time warp, and do you think the others are the same?"

"I am certain of it and I'm going to cross over at the next location in ten days."

"Must you Charlie?"

"Yes, I want to be back for our daughter's birth."

"Don't you want another son?"

"Not this time, I would like a daughter, someone who will keep young Charlie in check." I said with a laugh.

We were back home by seven o'clock, and Marjorie was waiting for us in the dining room." Well did it appear?"

"Yes at 6:10 and lasted for two minutes dead, I'm going to cross through next week, so I must get things together quickly. I want to be back before Carol gives birth."

"I will pick up your rifle, my gunsmith got one but there is no serial no on it, so don't get caught with it this side of the warp. I have 250 mixed rounds also coming, but I have 100 here if you want to zero your rifle in when I get it."

Two days later I went to Marjorie's Clay Pigeon range which had a clear four hundred yard range. I set targets every one hundred yards and set about finding the idiosyncrasies of the rifle Marjorie had bought for me. I fired two rounds at one hundred yards and the rifle was firing high and right. So with the correct adjustments I slowly brought it in. Firing two rounds at the next targets after making the correct adjustment on the backsights showed it was firing true. I then fitted my scope and I made the correct adjustments so the scope was sighted properly. I placed the gun in its carrying case to take back in to clean.