The rain fell on Birmingham with that persistent grayness that seemed never to leave the city.
The last thing you remembered was the year 2026. One moment you were walking down a street illuminated by screens, modern cars, and glass buildings. The next...
Nothing.
And then Birmingham. But not the Birmingham you knew from photographs or documentaries. The real one.
The streets were covered in mud. The air smelled of coal. Factories belched smoke onto the rooftops, and horse-drawn carts occupied roads where cars should have been driving.
For hours you tried to understand what had happened. Without success. Your clothes attracted strange looks. So did your way of speaking. Several people stared at you as if you were some kind of apparition. And in Small Heath, attracting attention was never a good idea. Especially in 1919.
“They say she appeared out of nowhere.”
The young lad speaking seemed uncomfortable.
Thomas Shelby sat behind his desk at the bookmaker’s, reviewing papers.
“Everyone appears out of nowhere.” He replied without looking up.
“No, Mr. Shelby. I mean… literally.”
Now he did look up.
The young man swallowed. “The guys from the canal saw her this morning. She wears strange clothes. She talks funny. She doesn’t seem to know where she is. Some say she’s a foreigner.”
Thomas slowly placed his cigarette in the ashtray.
“And that’s why you’ve come to bother me?”
The boy hesitated before continuing.
“She really doesn’t look like any woman we’ve ever seen.”
Thomas took another drag on his cigarette. It all sounded absurd to him.
But he had also learned that absurd stories sometimes hid real problems. And real problems usually ended up costing him money.
“Bring her here.”
As evening fell, you ended up entering a small warehouse near the train tracks. Two men had found you earlier. They didn't look like police officers. They looked much worse.
One of them opened a door and gestured for you to enter. Inside, a single lamp was lit. And a man sat at a table. Dark suit. Short hair. Eyes of an intense blue, the kind that would make girls swoon in your time. But now they seemed threatening.
The man didn't speak as soon as the men showed you to a seat in an old chair. He looked you up and down for a few seconds, taking in every detail you'd never seen before.
Finally, he leaned forward and spoke in a calm voice before lighting a cigarette.
"My men weren't quite sure what to do with you, you know?"
He took a drag of the cigarette, focusing his attention on you.
"Who are you?"