Doppelganger

Lee Kendrick

Detective Sergeant Inspector Cummings of Scotland Yard was assigned to follow the man fifty yards in front of him. The man wearing a grey Macintosh raincoat with a brown fedora hat was known to Interpol as a master criminal. But why he was in bombed-out East London puzzled both Interpol and Scotland Yard.

The man crossed the road walking towards the ruins of what used to be a pub and some shops. He seemed to be in a hurry. He then climbed on the rubble of the bomb site. Fifty-five-year-old Cummings followed, climbing breathlessly onto some masonry. Just then he spotted the mysterious man enter the derelict pub.

“Where the blazes is he?” Said Detective Cummings as he peeked inside. 

The man had somehow vanished in broad daylight!

Sergeant Cummings hurried to the nearest red phone box and phoned his superintendent to tell him he'd lost the mystery man. Suddenly, it began to rain heavily as Cummings put the phone down; 

Looking through the glass he noticed the man now coming out of the derelict pub, crossing the road. He pulled up his raincoat collar and rushed out of, continuing to to to follow the man.

The man stopped by a newspaper stand and bought a newspaper. He took shelter under its roof and opened the paper. Moments later, Cummings observed something strange. The man seemed to be talking whilst holding something to his ear. Then he jumped on a number 6 bus. Inspector Cummings ran to hop on the bus but it had just pulled away.  

Frustrated and annoyed with himself for not being quick enough; Inspector Cummings phoned his superior and told him what had occurred.

The following morning, he waited inpatiently outside the small hotel, The Standard for the man to leave. He thought it odd that his Superintendent didn't mention the mystery man's strange behaviour–holding an odd object to his ear and talking.

Moments later, the man came out of the building walking towards Bethnal Green. Just before entering the subway; the man pulled out the same object from his raincoat as before pressing it to his ear, seemingly talking. He then proceeded to the underground. The inspector followed closely behind him, tailing him on the train. After a few stops the man got off the train and out of the station into the City where he walked down Threadneedle Street and abruptly stopped outside the bank of England.

Again, the man started speaking in a black box, as if communicating with someone, as he stood by the bank. Seconds later, Cummings witnessed an extraordinary sight: the whole street changed in a blink of an eye. Instead of red double decker buses and motor cars there were early century trams and old fashioned vehicles with people in old clothing, with ladies wearing bonnets and long dresses, holding parafoils. Cummings rubbed his eyes in disbelief at what he was witnessing. 

Moments later, the street reverted back to the present time. The detective wondered if he had just imagined the spectacle. But to him it was so real!

Looking across to the Bank of England he found that the mysterious man wasn't there anymore. Finally, he traveled by bus to Scotland Yard to tell Superintendent Langley what had happened.

The following morning inspector Cummings went to the Yard for a meeting with Interpol, and other men from different police departments. However, to his surprise Mi5, Mi6, Special Branch and even the military had attended the meeting. As he sat down in the room the window blinds were closed to darken the room now a projector started beaming its light onto a screen. Suddenly, an elderly man stood up and introduced himself: 

“Gentleman, gute Morgen I am Professor Kurtman, a former student scientist of the famous scientist– Nikola Tesla. What you are about to see here on this film may shock you, and must be kept secret. Tell no one, not even your own family must know about this!”

 Finally, the film began: “Lights out bitter Asked the Professor.”

Finally, the film began:

Cummings' face paled as he saw the same man who he had followed yesterday, standing outside the Bank of England; speaking on a small, dark rectangular device. 

Seconds later out of nowhere a big black van appeared and six men in black jumped out walking with large trolleys into the bank. Suddenly all the people, red buses and cars froze– as if stuck in some kind of timeslip!

Members in the meeting watched open mouthed, including inspector Cummings. Ten minutes passed when the six men came out of the bank pushing gold bars in their trolleys, full to the brim. Shortly after, all the men pushed the trolleys into the van and it just vanished into a strange, blue electrical vortex. Seconds after, everything unfroze, the people, buses all carried on none the wiser.

 “Lights please!” said Professor Kurtman standing from his chair.There was utter silence in the room. 

“There you have it, as you saw gentleman, this is an unbelievable occurrence. But what is more troubling is these same men did the exact same thing stealing the gold from Fort Knox; banks in Switzerland, France, etc, in just three days. In two weeks they cleared every country's gold reserves. It's thanks to Interpol's intelligence and a very brave undercover Interpol agent that we are able to see this remarkable footage. Sadly, after sending us the film there has been no trace of him. We expect the worst!”

Interpol has some very disturbing news. Their intelligence gathering tells them that any day now those who are behind this astonishing crime will have the whole world to ransom. In effect they can blackmail the world to do their bidding.

“But sir what is this strange weapon they are using, is it some kind of nerve gas?”Asked the head of MI5.

“Nien sir, it's not a weapon at all, it's far worse than that! They have somehow mastered time itself and are able to freeze time in the past, present and future at will.” They have the ability to change history!”

“But how is this possible?" asked the army general?

“I believe that only one of only two people could control time, a former student of Dr. Tesla and once a friend of mine until he became a Nazi, Dr. Wilhelm Schaffer.”

“But you said only two people could do such a thing, who is this other person, Professor Kurtman?” Asked the head of MI6. 

“ I am the other person, gentleman.” Said Dr. Kurtman modestly.

“Schaffer must've constructed a quantum time apparatus that can lock on to any time, so precisely his men can enter a portal and at any given time they can be in the right place and can squash time to freeze it so they can do their crimes without hindrance. No police,military nor anyone could stop them! Explained Kurtman– "Until now!”

I have gathered a small team of elite men and women, mainly scientists, to make some devices for me so that we can track where their quantum machine is and know where the criminals will be at any given time. The man you saw outside the bank is— Dr.Wilhelm Schaffer, the mastermind behind all this. If we can catch him we can locate where the machine is and their main base.”

“Professor, I followed this man yesterday in the East London area. He went into a derelict pub. When I looked inside soon after he'd vanished. He could only come out the way he went in.” Explained Inspector Cummings. 

"Wunderbar, das ist gut. Inspector, this is the break we need! We have found their portal.” Shouted the professor momentarily speaking in German because of his excitement.

“Inspector Cummings, you will be an addition to my elite team, tomorrow we must take a look at this derelict pub,Yah?”

The following morning the inspector met up with the professor and his team of five men and a woman across the road from the pub. 

“So that's the pub over there yah?” 

“Yes professor,” Answered Cummings.

“Wait, it's that man he's walking towards the pub now!” Shouted the inspector.

“Let him get into the building then all of us must rush over there.” Said the professor, excitedly. 

After the man went into the building everyone raced across the road and crept into the derelict building. 

“Right team get to work, you know what to do.” The professor said.

The Inspector looked dumbfounded as he stared at the team members, each carrying pieces of equipment making various electronic beeps and alarms going off as each man and woman held a scanner,swaying it from side to side, inside the building hunting for the portal.

“Here professor, it’s down here in the cellar.!” screamed one of the scientists.

“Quickly everyone downstairs! Shouted the professor. Right, target the quantum inducer. Inspector, there is nothing like this machine, it is the only one of its type in the world!”

Two of the men connected a large tube,similar to a telescope onto a tripod. Slowly moving it a screeching sound suddenly echoed through the basement forcing everyone to cover their ears.

“All right, everyone get behind the instrument.” Said the professor 

“What does that thing do Professor?” Asked the inspector. 

“ Be prepared to be astounded, inspector!”

“Ready men, on my count to three fire the inducer – one, two, three, fire!” There was a blinding blue flash, then just a few yards away a swirling light appeared enlarging by a doorway. Seconds later it was as large as a bus; a whirlpool of sparkling white light with electrical discharges.

“That's fantastic, professor!” shouted the inspector as his eyes widened in awe.

“Yah, but when you see this spectacle as many times as I have you get used to it!” He said.

“ Right, switch it off Johnson!” 

“But professor aren't we going in?” Asked inspector Cummings. 

“Oh no inspector, we need to be prepared. Those Nazis will probably shoot us as soon as they see us come through. I have a much better plan!”

“What professor?” Asked inspector Cummings.

“Now we know exactly the coordinates of the portal. Interpol will let every government know exactly when and where our operation will occur.Then all at once the British army and police will surprise and arrest all of them or kill them and get the gold back.”

“Tomorrow we will be back here at 0900 hrs with masses of men at the ready.”

“But do we know just exactly where their headquarters are in the world professor”?

“Yah, after the Nazis realised they were going to lose the war, all their top scientists and military personnel escaped in dozens of submarines to their secret bases in Antarctica. They plan on a fourth Reich to dominate the world. The beginning of their plan starts with stealing this gold. Secondly, to force the world to bow before them, now that they have lost their wealth they can blackmail every nation on this Earth!”

Back at Scotland Yard the next morning the professor had an important message at another meeting to tell all the police, intelligence agencies and military leaders:

“Good morning gentleman, Interpol has informed me that the Nazis now possess all the gold in the world. Every country is now financially bankrupt!” 

“What now professor, how can we possibly win against these evil people?” Asked the police commissioner. 

“Well, it is up to us now. at 0800 hrs London will be full of army personnel and police. Thousands of men will take part in the biggest operation ever mounted against criminals!”Said the professor.

“Hope your soldiers are going to be warm enough General Swinbourne, Antarctica is very cold?” Shouted the Professor as the portal reappeared in the pub cold cellar.

“They are all in their Arctic uniforms today, Professor.”

With that, thousands of soldiers entered the portal. Seconds later, the sounds of machine gun fire and explosions could be heard. Then the professor, his team and inspector Cummings watched as the portal vanished.

“It's a shame there is only one Quantum inverter machine, Professor!” 

“Why's that inspector?” Asked the Professor.

“Because in a moment the small bomb I planted on it is set to go off in two minutes. I've set the portal to appear thirty-seconds from now then I will jump into it, back to Antarctica.”

“So you are with the Nazis, inspector Cummings?” 

“Afraid so, " Cummings said, laughing as he pointed his Lugar at the professor and his scientist team,hands up. Yes I've been a Nazi since my Hitler Youth days, Professor.”

Suddenly the portal reappeared and Cummings dived into it. 

“Quickly, everyone out!” Screamed the professor. With seconds to spare they all rushed outside the building and fell to the ground. Moments after a loud explosion ripped through the building, completely demolishing it.

“ Right, call Scotland Yard and tell them to hurry to bring our other Quantum inverter here – snell! snell! We need to set it up where the pub was to get the General and his men back –If we can locate the vortex again!” Said the professor, despondently.

After an hour the police brought the Quantum inverter and blocked off the area with barriers and policemen to prevent the public from interfering.

Now team, I want you all to scan for the vortex. As an educated guess I think you'll find it within fifty feet radius, from where I'm standing. 

Some fifteen minutes later one of the scientists scanners beeped off. 

“Professor, I think I've found the portal! It's behind that rubble there!” the woman scientist shouted, pointing to some Six feet high pile of stones, mixed with a half wooden door.

“Wundervoll! Exclaimed professor Kurtmann. Quickly bring the Quantum inducer!”

“It's ready sir!” Shouted one of the scientists.

“After my count of three: one, two, three fire!” 

Seconds later, there was a loud noise then a blue spinning vortex with bolts of electricity Materialised.

“Now I want three volunteers to come with me; the other three guard the Inducer with your lives. Keep the machine on for one hour if we're not back, assume the worst. Dr. Macy, you will take charge if we fail to return.” 

 “Okay Professor.” Answered the only woman in the team. 

“Cover up gentleman, we're going to Antarctica. "Auf Wiedersehen!” 

With that all the scientists entered the vortex. 

A moment later, they heard a raging battle going on. Shells were exploding everywhere and the scientists could see many dead and wounded soldiers lying on the ice.

“Snell! snell! Behind this rock!” Whispered professor Kurtman. Just then they observed four men walk towards the blue vortex. 

“ Oh no, this cannot be!” screamed the professor. 

“What is happening professor? Those men 

look exactly like us.”

“Yes, they are us, but from an alternate universe and there's nothing we can do. We are trapped here in another reality!”

Just then the four men turned to the professor and his men with an evil smile, laughing as they dived into the spinning, now orange vortex which then dematerialised. 

“Dr. Macy, the vortex changed its colour to orange!” Said the startled scientist. The professor and the others are coming through. We've won!”

“Hello, Dr. Macy, sorry but your men lost the battle!”

“Oh no!” Run men! Run!

Ends