Riples and Waves

Dead Man Walking

Walking into Tommy Shelby's silent mansion unannounced and uninvited is one of those unthinkable things that only didn't result in her ultimate demise because of the pitiful state in which she found the manor's lord.

Laying on the ground of his office, passed out at midday and surrounded by half-empty glasses of all kinds of whiskey, the view and the odor of the head of the Peaky Blinders didn't really fill Anna's heart with confidence in the man.

The 21st century boots she should not have brought to 1927 echoed in the room, but what really seemed to start to breathe life into the man lying before her was the immediate assault of light hitting his face when Anna opened the window.

"Hm..." Tommy Shelby mumbled, but made no other move to rise.

"Oh for fuck's sake!" Anna said and proceeded to dump the contents of one of the whiskey boodles on the man's chest. Not his face. She was feeling gracious that fine Sunday morning.

The brown liquid had it's effect and in a fast, albeit unsteady move, Tommy Shelby was up and pointing a gun at her face.

"Who the fuck are you?" to his credit, his words didn't slur, but his eyes still had the glazed look of desperation bathed in alcohol.

"Anna Strauss" She said with a smirk, her hands slowly raising in surrender. "It is nice to meet you too Mr. Shelby."

A entire minute went by in silence while the steely blue gaze she had only read about in the Academy's reports took in every inch of her figure. She was really glad it was cold enough that she could wear kevlar under her thick blouse without notice, because the gun did not move from it's position in his hands.

"Do you have a death wish Ms. Strauss?" Tommy said in a tone which surprised her in its quietness.

Anna pointedly looked around the mess of the room and the mess of a man and chuckled: "I believe that would be you Mr. Shelby... I could even find you some easier ways to dispose of yourself, if my mission here wasn't to offer you my assistance."

"Your assistance." It wasn't a question. It sounded like the confirmation of a fact. He took a step forward and pressed the barrel of the gun to her forehead. "And what kind of assistance do you intend to offer, Ms. Strauss?", the sound of the safety being taken off echoed through Anna's adrenaline filled brain, but she was ready for this.

"I intend to stop your son from fighting in the same kind of war his father had to, Mr. Shelby." Her eyes stopped dead on his, and another minute of tense consideration went between them. His eyes straighten ever so slightly.

"Is that a threat?"

"I really wish it was." She really needed this to work.

In a second that took forever, the safety was back on his gun, and it was now pointed to the sofa behind her.

"Sit!" he said, and when she did, he put the gun back in its holster, lit a cigarette and took the place in front of her. "Now, talk."

"Almost 10 years ago, in 1919, a man called Adolf Hitler started to get very important in a German politic group who will be known as the Nazi Party. In 1939, that man will start the second great world war by invading Poland." She started to recite the speech that every Time Keeper before her also knew by heart. "I represent a group of people who's intent is to stop that from ever happening, and you are in a very good position to help us achieve that." She paused, to let him digest that first. The Academy stood firm on the belief that honesty was the best policy when recruiting help from natives of the past. It still felt wrong.

"A group of people who know this how exactly?" His voice was neutral, but the intelligence in his eyes dared her to say what they were both thinking.

"Time travel"

"Time travel?" he sounded almost casual in his mocking tone.

"Yes." Anna answered. Her brain working on overdrive to react to moves he still hadn't made.

"Shouldn't you be contacting H.G. Wells for that kind of endeavor Ms. Strauss?" The memory of a smile flew by his expression.

She didn't smile back.

"I understand you are a betting man Mr. Shelby?" Anna said, opening her purse and pulling a roll of money out.

"You could say that."

She threw the 8 thousand pounds on the coffee table between them. "In a week, you will hear of the victory of the Newcastle United, even as George Camsell earns the record for 59 goals in a Football League. Bet on them, and when you win, meet me at The Garrison for a chat." Anna rose from her seat ans started to walk out.

"Anyone can be right once about a football match Ms. Strauss. That means nothing." He said, still looking at where she was seated a moment ago. Anna paused in her path towards the door, turning around to face him.

"A year after the war begins, in 1940, Hitler and the King will get into a dick measuring contest for 57 days. During those days London will be bombed systematically nonstop. The British government will be aware of every attack, before it happens, but will not stop many of them because it will be strategically advantageous to them if Germany doesn't know that they have cracked their code. Around 43 thousand civilians will be killed during that time, and the war is going to continue for 5 more fucking years after that." The tears were dry in her eyes, but made her voice sound wet. She paused waiting for his gaze to rest on her face again and see the horror of what she was saying before she could continue.

"I understand you don't care about your life anymore, Tommy; But how many of Charlie's years are you willing to bet in the hope that I am wrong?"

He didn't answer, and she left the manor almost as silent as she had found it.