The Kidnapping King

A FUTURE PAST

BOMBAY, INDIA - 1879 

 Bunko walked to where the telescope sat in the wooden chair and picked it up, "1917, you say?" He looked at Jack,

"Yes, that's right," Jack replied and watched as the man held the scope close to his face and squinted, twisting the two ends back and forth, then turning to Jack again, "I don't suppose you happen to know what time of year in 1917? It would be nice if we could narrow that time frame down a bit," he shared a long, meaningful look with Lydia, then waited for Jack to respond.

Jack lifted his hand to his mouth, tapping his lips, then shook his head back and forth, "Not really...I do know it was cold. There were coals glowing in the fireplace. And grandpa seemed to be wearing some kind of heavy, floor-length coat. But he was sleeping on the couch, at the time, so it could have been a bathrobe or something."

Bunko glanced again at Lydia who pressed her lips together in a tight line. "Can't be sure, but winter seems like a good bet. Central heating was common place in England for close to one hundred years by then," she raised her brows and nodded her head.

"Ok, let's just shoot for the winter months...well before March of that year...and hope we get it close enough," Bunko raised his eyebrows at Lydia, then turned and resumed his work on the telescope. Standing erect, he turned to face the far corner of the room. Behind his desk and to the right stood a large, multi-colored globe in a wooden stand. Locating a magnifying glass and compass on his desk-top, he walked over and spun it, bending over to get a closer look. "I can get him to London, but I don't know how close he'll arrive to Buckingham Palace," he scratched his head, "are you really sure you want to send him there, at that time?" he tipped his head to the side in Lydia's direction.

"Well, we're not exactly shooting for the palace, itself, anyhow. It's going to be tricky getting him inside, Joe," Lydia walked across the room to stand next to him, "we're going to have to be strategic about this," she turned to look at Jack, "Fortunately, there are underground tunnels leading from the palace to both Clarence House...the royal residence... and the House of Parliament. The safest route in will be using those tunnels."

Jack's face darkened, "Wait a minute, that sounds dangerous, and you didn't say anything about danger," he objected, knitting his eyebrows together.

"I'm sorry, Jack, but there's really no way around it. This IS the Royal Palace we're talking about. So, of course, there will be guards," her eyes were open wide and she dipped her chin at him, "and there is something else you should know about going to London in 1917," she paused, looking at her grandson.

Jack scratched his head and opened his eyes wide, "Oh, yeah? What's that?"

Lydia and Bunko looked at one another again, "Well, Jack," she continued, "that happens to be right at the height of World War 1. There was quite a lot of bombing going on in London at that time," she stared at him.

"Bombing?!" Jack shook his head and jutted his chin out.

"Yes, but the good news is, I visited Edward at his office many times using the route I'm going to share with you, and you should spend most of your time in London under ground, in the tunnels and basement of the palace. So, if Bunko can get the coordinates set close enough...there shouldn't be much risk for you."

"What in the?" Jack shifted from one foot to the other, running his fingers through his hair, "Why in the world did Grandpa choose to hide out in London of that year? I mean...of all times and places!" Jack rolled his lips together then licked them, "I mean, 1917?" he cocked his head to the side, "that's before Grandpa Edward was even born, isn't it? So, how could he have an office in Buckingham Palace at that time, anyhow?"

Lydia nodded and the corners of her mouth turned up in a small grin, "it was his father's office before him, so he knew it well, before he inherited the space, when he took over as the Royal Hat Maker," she paused, then, eyes bright, "you may even get to meet your great grandfather! But let's not get ahead of ourselves." Turning back to Bunko Kelly, Lydia continued, "Edward's office is in the basement of Buckingham Palace, accessible by the tunnels. Jack will need to enter from the back side of Clarence House, which is close by, but not physically attached to the palace."

Bunko looked back at the telescope and began twisting the ends this way and that while Lydia walked to his desk and picked up a sheet of parchment paper and dipped a quill in the ink pot sitting there. "Come here, Jack, I'll draw you a rough map and directions."

Once all preparations were made, Lydia blew on the paper to dry the ink, then folded it and handed it to Jack, who tucked it into his back jeans pocket.

Bunko stepped away from the globe and handed the scope to Lydia, then bent down and pulled open a desk drawer, retrieving a pair of leather gloves. "Here," he held them out to Jack, "you're going to want these," Jack reached out to accept the gift. "Remember, the telescope is only activated when it comes into direct contact with your skin. You can handle it, without any problem, if you're wearing gloves, or keep some other barrier between you and the scope's surface." Jack looked himself over to determine where to tuck them. "Oh my gosh! I wish I'd known that little bit of information before now!" He laughed, "uh, I have no place..." Bunko raised his index finger in the air and strode across the cabin to a peg rack on the wall next to the door and retrieved a time-worn, camel-colored wool jacket with toggle closures. Lifting it, he handed the coat to Jack, "It's a little big for you, but you're going to want something to cover those clothes of yours, anyhow, and it's bound to be cold in London at that time of year. Plus," he pulled on one of two large side pockets, "it's got plenty of built-in storage space."

"Nice!" Jack exclaimed, pushing his right arm into the sleeve then stuffing the gloves into the pocket before pulling it the rest of the way on.

Bunko nodded his head, "and you're going to need some cash, just in case," Bunko walked back to his desk, opening the top side drawer, and withdrew a small wooden chest, placing it on the desktop. Opening the lid, he pulled out a handful of paper banknotes and handed them to Jack, who folded them in half, tucking them into his front pants pocket. "And," Bunko thrust his index finger in the air then walked back to the peg-rack and grabbed a gray wool hat with long ear flaps and shoved it in Jack's direction, "this...trust me, you're going to want it.

"Thanks," Jack said, pulling his mouth to the side in a comical smirk. Reaching up he slipped it over his head and shoved his bangs out of his eyes, then they both turned to face Lydia, who was holding the telescope out, expectantly.

"Remember that, should anything go wrong, you can always twist the ends of the telescope, like before, but this time with the gloves on, of course, then touch the scope with your bare hands to return safely back here to me. I hope you won't need to do that until after you've had a chance to visit with your grandfather and can come back with a teleportation hat for me...but that's always a safeguard for you, Jack. Don't feel like you are ever trapped there."

She turned to glance at Sam, who had been standing quietly, next to her chair, observing. The girl stepped forward and placed a hand on Jack's shoulder, "You be safe now, ok? We have a date with destiny, after all!" She giggled and tiptoed, leaning in to peck him on the cheek. Jack scrunched his brows together and pulled his mouth to the side, wiping his cheek with the back of his sleeve. "Ya, whatever," he blurted, rolling his eyes and turning to his grandmother.

"Are you ready, Jack?" She opened her left arm wide and her grandson stepped in and wrapped his arms around her, tightly. It was a long moment before he stepped back, wiping tears from the corners of his eyes with both hands. "I'm so glad I finally got to meet you, Grandma. I'm going to do whatever it takes to get to Grandpa Edward and come back here with that hat for you, as soon as possible!"

Lydia placed her hands on both sides of his head, and looked into his chocolate-brown eyes. "I love you, my sweet boy. I know this sounds scary, but I trust you'll be just fine and back here, to get me, in no time!" She sniffled and blinked rapidly.

"The coordinates I entered will get you to London, Jack, "Bunko quickly added, "but you may have to walk some distance or hail a cab or bus to get you to Clarence House. Jack nodded, "I'm used to taking public transportation in Portland...I'll figure it out," he turned to Lydia once again.

"Ok!" She smiled, standing a little taller, "Off with you now!"

Jack gazed at the three of them, then hesitantly placed his hand on the golden telescope and vanished from their sight.