Through Glass Darkly Episode 1 Read Online Free Page B

face.
     
    ‘Thank you.’ Was all he said to begin with, as he shook the hand of his double.
    ‘And my thanks also to the rest of you for helping my crew in our most desperate of situations.’ He continued, before resting a moment to remove his breather mask.
    I’d seen him do exactly the same thing a hundred times, so I don’t think I’d have noticed anything out of the ordinary if the doctor attending to him hadn’t started as he did it.
    Unaware of the doctor’s reaction, Hughes addressed the rest of us.
    ‘I know you have questions, some of which I hope I can answer, but there are clearly others,’ he said, hesitating momentarily to look at his double. ‘Which I’m afraid I will only be able to speculate about.’
    ‘Well, I for one would prefer to hear the things you’re sure about first of all,’ answered the other Hughes.
    Expecting as much the Captain simply nodded before commencing.
    ‘Ashton has I believe explained our version of how we came to be here,’ Hughes began. ‘And in the process has discovered your recollection of the past four years is somewhat different to our own?’
    It was the closest thing I’d seen to a genuine smile on Jenkins’ face, as he held up a hand to stop the Captain.
    ‘I’m a straight-forward man Captain Hughes, so why don’t we put our cards on the table. The story I’ve had from Mr Hall here is not somewhat different, it’s entirely different, and if it weren’t for that ship of yours hanging above our heads I wouldn’t be the only one thinking he’d lost his mind.’
    ‘Yes, of course,’ replied the Captain with a weak smile of his own. ‘Perhaps, I should start again.’
    ‘The reason why you have no memory of the events which Ashton has explained to you. Why I am at the same time lying here in this bed, and standing beside it, is because this is not the world we left, it is I suspect only one of many imperfect copies.’
    I had as little idea about this explanation of our circumstances as anyone else, so between us I don’t think we could’ve been more shocked if the building had at that minute fallen down around our ears, but the Captain just sat there letting it sink in.
    ‘I don’t pretend to understand the scientific theory in anything like the detail I should like,’ he continued evenly. ‘But those more learned than myself have described it to me as something akin to the pages of a book, with each page representing not just a single world, but rather an entire universe of stars and planets. Each page lying impossibly close to its neighbour and yet still distinct and separate.’
    ‘Mr Hughes,’ interrupted Jenkins again. ‘If this is your idea of speaking plainly and putting your cards on the table, then we’re going to have a problem.’
    ‘Perhaps a little more background would help?’ Suggested the Captain, with just a trace of impatience in his voice.
    ‘As I’m sure Ashton has explained, the stricken craft above our heads is not the first, nor the second of its kind. It is the two hundred and thirty first, and in many ways it represents our last and best hope for the survival of millions of people. But as difficult as this is to believe Special Agent Jenkins, all those people live on another version of the earth to the one you’re now stood on.
    ‘For years we were oblivious to the insidious infestation of our world which was taking place. First in the high and wild places of the world where few people noticed, and none understood what was happening.
    ‘But eventually, the tall tales and fantastic stories started to reach the outside world. Where of course they were ignored or mocked, or served only to inspire the imagin-ations of poets and fantasists. However, when the stories persisted and grew in frequency a few, more open-minded and adventurous souls could no longer resist, so ventured forth to bring back the truth.
    ‘By the time the civilised world could separate the truth from exaggeration, the infection had