Free Chasing Stars by Helen Douglas Page A

rest my head in my hands. A part of my brain warned me that I should be plotting my next move, my testimony, something. But my eyelids fluttered shut and my mind was pulled deeper and deeper towards sleep until I was gone.
    It felt like I had slept for several hours when the hard clank of metal scraping metal woke me. I sat up to see the guard unlocking my cell. A tall man in a charcoal uniform came in and stood before me, his arms crossed in front of him.
    I pushed myself up, embarrassed to have been caught sleeping.
    ‘So,’ said the uniformed man, running his eyes the length of my body and finally resting on my face. ‘You’re what this is all about.’
    ‘I’m not sure what you mean, sir?’ I said, rubbing my sleep-bleary eyes.
    ‘You’re the reason my son broke the Temporal Laws, stole a ship and ruined his family’s reputation.’
    ‘You’re Mr Westland?’
    ‘Admiral Westland.’
    He looked me over again and I was reminded of the fact that I’d spent last night sleeping in my clothes, I hadn’t had a shower for two days and my hair was a tangled mess. Not the sort of first impression I’d hoped to make with Ryan’s family.
    Admiral Westland shook his head and looked away. ‘What was he thinking?’
    I swallowed. ‘I guess there’s no accounting for taste.’
    He looked up sharply. ‘That’s not what I . . .’ he began. ‘Never mind.’
    ‘Have you seen him? Is he OK?’
    ‘He’s in a lot of trouble.’ He sighed. ‘And all for nothing.’
    I stood up. ‘It wasn’t for nothing. He saved my life. That might mean nothing to you, but it’s pretty damn important to me.’
    Admiral Westland raised an eyebrow in a way that reminded me of his son. ‘What do you mean?’
    ‘I was dead.’
    The admiral sat on the edge of the bunk. ‘Tell me everything.’
    I wasn’t sure how much I should say. ‘Ryan and his team were sent back to stop something from happening,’ I said, choosing to be vague with the details.
    ‘Miss Anfield,’ he said, interrupting me, ‘I am one of the five Guardians of Time. Every time mission has a Guardian to oversee it. I was the Guardian for the mission known as “The Eden Mission”. I put together the team – including my son – who travelled to the past to work on it. I know what the mission set out to do. You don’t have to be concerned about what you say.’
    ‘They didn’t stop it happening,’ I said. ‘Connor was about to discover something he shouldn’t.’
    ‘A planet,’ said the admiral. ‘I know about the planet.’
    ‘I stopped Connor discovering it. And then, after Ryan left, the mission’s cleaner killed me. When Ryan found out, he came back to save my life.’
    A distant smile crossed his face. ‘That changes everything. It wasn’t merely an impulsive love trip. It wasn’t just a selfish whim.’
    I shook my head. ‘It wasn’t selfish at all. He gave up every­thing he has here in his own time – and everyone – to travel back and save me.’
    Admiral Westland touched my arm. ‘I need you to say all this in your statement. Make sure they understand why Orion did what he did. There is an old protocol that we might be able to use in Orion’s defence.’
    I nodded.
    ‘Another Guardian is waiting to debrief you. Come along with me.’
    ‘Do I need a lawyer?’ I asked.
    ‘No. You’re not in any trouble. He will just want to ask you a few questions.’
    Admiral Westland escorted me a short distance to a conference room. A tall man with grey hair and a full grey beard met us at the door.
    ‘Thank you, Admiral Westland,’ he said. ‘I’ll take it from here.’
    Westland nodded at me, turned and strode back down the corridor.
    An oblong table sat in the centre of the conference room, with about twenty chairs arranged around it. Lauren was sitting in one of the chairs, her back ramrod straight, her hair and make-up polished and professional. She caught my eye but didn’t smile.
    ‘I hope you haven’t experienced too much