“Why would you have that, Aengus?” Morann queried.
“It is a hobby of mine, Morann.”
“Ok Aengus,” Padraig told the android. “Come and help me search him.” Aengus went over to Padraig and within moments they’d found the car keys.
“Ford Granada,” Aengus declared holding the keys up, “and it’s a current model too, Padraig.”
“Well, then. You and I had better go and find it, Aengus. You grab him under the shoulders, and I’ll take his legs.” Between them they carried King off.
“What will they do with him?” Kate enquired.
“Put him into his own car in the driver’s seat, when they find it,” Morann answered. “When he regains consciousness, he’ll think that he fell asleep. As Padraig said, he’ll have no memory whatsoever of anything that has happened during the last 24 hours.”
“That’s a relief,” Cath said. “King beat the information out of Walter Trenoweth, and I don’t want Walter implicated in any of this.”
“Well in that case, Cath, I’ll get Padraig to administer a drug to King, which will wipe his memory clean of all the past week’s events,” Morann told her and heard Kate sigh with relief. Morann went off to tell Padraig.
“Does that mean he won’t even remember seeing me at the phone box?” Kate hardly dare ask.
“Was it less than a week ago?” John asked her.
“Yes, it’s only, I don’t know, what four days or so ago,” Kate looked at her great aunt, who nodded.
“Well then, he’ll have no memory of it, or of any of the events since. In fact, when he comes too, he’ll wonder what he’s supposed to be doing,” John informed her.
“You’d better come into the house. You’ve just had a nasty shock Kate, are you sure you’re all right?” Cath said, as Morann came back to them.
“I’m fine, Cath, don’t worry, I’ve had worse experiences than that.”
“Padraig will administer the drug and as we said, King will have no memory whatsoever of the past week’s events.” Morann told them.
“Thank you,” Kate said, sighing with relief
“Why is this King after you? He’s Special Branch you said,” John asked Kate.
“It’s a long story,” Kate answered and told him as Cath led the way into the house.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
“So how are we going to find King’s car then?” Padraig asked Aengus as they opened the rear passenger side door of Cath’s Range Rover and put King in. They propped him up on the seat, so it looked like he was dozing.
“We have drones now Padraig,” Aengus told him. “I’ll prepare one for flight and then get it to search the local area.”
“You’ve got drones already?” Padraig said in surprise. “Technology has advanced that quickly.”
“What year have you come from Padraig?”
“1975.”
“Well a lot has happened in the past ten years.”
“Who developed the drone technology?” Padraig asked.
“VarTech Corporation,” Aengus explained. “Conn’s running it at present.”
“Conn? He’s running the VarTech Corporation, how was that arranged?”
“John Trevaskis Senior was as you know the sole shareholder in the VarTech Corporation. With his confirmed death, his shareholding was left according to his will to Catherine Penrose and John Trevaskis Junior, 50% to Catherine and 50% to John. The custodian of John’s shares until he formally inherits them, along with Cath, voted Conn to be the Chairman and also the CEO of the Corporation.”
“I see.”
“With the knowledge that Oisin had gained of the Fomoire invasion, Conn was obviously given instructions by Oisin, to accelerate the advance in technology that would be required to defeat them.”
“Yes, I can see that would be necessary, but won’t this affect the balance of power on Earth?” Padraig questioned.
“Oisin obviously foresaw that and has put safeguards in place. He was dealt a wild card however with the disappearance of JT, who obviously isn’t dead.”
“So, has Oisin any idea where he is?”
“Not for definite, but the Aossi Corporation in the USA is also making huge advances in Technology.”
“The Aossi Corporation?”
“It was started by a woman called Mona McBeolain in the USA in the early 1970s. You haven’t heard of it then?”
“It obviously wasn’t of particular significance in 1975 when I left Cambridge, or I would have heard of it,” Padraig told Aengus, shaking his head.
“It was around that time that it got going, prior to that it had been a minor company producing parts for the telecommunications industry. Interestingly, around that time the company had a massive investment of capital from a reclusive multi-millionaire called William Geacher that no-one had previously heard anything about. More to the point no-one seems to know where William Geacher’s money comes from either.”
“Very interesting. Do you think this William Geacher might be JT’s new host?” Padraig asked. Aengus smiled and nodded.
“I think it very highly likely. Don’t you, my old friend?”
~~~~~~~~~~~~
Catherine Penrose had taken Kate, Morann and John, down to the large kitchen where Brigid with her usual efficiency was preparing breakfast. “I dare say that you are hungry John.”
“To tell the truth I’m starving,” John answered Cath.
“Kate usually has a cooked breakfast and I think that you had one the last time you were here. Would you like one of Brigid’s specials?”
“Yes please,” John quickly answered. It had been one of the best breakfasts he’d had, cooked to perfection and the eggs done just as he liked them.
“Me too Catherine,” Morann said.
Cath looked at her in surprise.
“You want a breakfast, Morann. I thought androids didn’t eat?”
“I’m not an android Cath, I’m Aos Si,” Morann replied.
Cath looked questioningly at John.
“I didn’t know until quite recently, Cath and certainly not when I was here before,” he answered and realised that Kate was now studying him closely.
“You’ve been here before?” Kate asked
“Yes, in April 1973. Wasn’t it Cath?” John replied.
“Yes, that’s right, John,” Cath answered. “So, what happened? I saw you and Morann off to London and you were supposed to take over the running of the VarTech Corporation, but you disappeared, seemingly from the face of the Earth.”
“Well, when we got to London, I visited Snodgrass and Wedlock, the firm of solicitors that I’d been told to take my letter to,” John explained, “and found out that my grandfather was still alive.”
“What!” Cath exclaimed. “He was still alive in 1973?”
“Yes, well er,” John hesitated and fortunately Cath came to his rescue.
“I know the circumstances of his death, John and what had happened to him prior to that. Oisin explained it all to me.”
“I keep hearing that name, “John said. “I’d like to meet this Oisin.”
“I’m sure you will one day, John,” Cath told him, giving him a curious look. “So,” she quickly changed the subject. “Your special breakfasts all round, Brigid,” Cath told her.
Chapter 14
Egypt, July 1985
Joshua, Ahmed and Mohammad had all tried their best to open the door out of the pyramid but had had no success. Eventually giving up, Ahmed had slumped down by the tunnel wall, head in hands, sobbing in despair. Mohammad a devout Muslim, had prayed to Allah for guidance, whilst Joshua wracked his brain for a solution out of the mess that they found themselves in. Trying hard not to despair, Joshua eventually decided that there had to be another way out of the pyramid and in an attempt to find it, he got up and started to walk down the tunnel again.
“Where are you going, master?” Ahmed anxiously asked. Out of the two Egyptians, he was the most superstitious and now felt a sense of impending doom.
“To try and find a way out. Are you two coming?”
“Allah will protect us, Ahmed,” Mohammad told the quivering foreman, helping him to his feet. “Have faith in him.”
The three of them set off, Joshua in the lead again. Suddenly what must be lighting panels in the wall suddenly came to life and illuminated the tunnel, as they made progress along it.
“What the feck!!” Joshua exclaimed, using an expletive he’d picked up in Ireland, but seldom used these days. He used it now however, as he’d never seen anything like this before.
“We are cursed,” Mohammad muttered to himself. “The evil ones are here.”
Ahmed, surprisingly suddenly felt calmer, as he’d started to remember long forgotten old tales that his grandfather had told him. Tales which had been passed down from generation to generation, of a time long before the Pharaohs. A story of a race of people who had come from the stars and ruled not only Egypt, but all of the Earth.
“Do not fear, we will be safe now,” Ahmed suddenly announced to Joshua’s and Mohammad’s surprise. For a moment or two they all hesitated and then Joshua started walking forward again, the two Egyptians soon following behind.
Joshua soon realised that that the tunnel was gradually sloping downwards and that they were descending far deeper underground than he would have thought possible. The pyramid must be larger than he’d first thought and possibly what they’d uncovered had only been the very top of it. After about twenty minutes or so, the tunnel started to level off and eventually they came to another door, about the same dimensions as the door they’d entered the pyramid by. Joshua saw that the surround to this door had the same carvings on it, as those on the entrance door and that one of them, exactly the same as the one he’d touched to enter the pyramid, was glowing with the same intense blue light.
Joshua hesitated for a moment or two and then touched the carving. Immediately, like before, the door retracted, and he found himself facing into a large chamber. He gasped in shock, for what lay before him was nothing like anything he’d ever seen before in an Egyptian pyramid. For a start, the chamber’s walls seemed to be made of a shiny grey metal, unlike any metal that he’d ever come across before. Looking around, he saw in the middle of the chamber what he at first thought was some sort of sarcophagus. At its foot was a small Sphinx, with a female face, rather than the usual male face found on Egyptian Sphinxes. At the head of the sarcophagus was what he thought was a plinth and he could vaguely see that it had some carvings on it. The sarcophagus had a domed canopy which surprisingly was transparent, and Joshua could see that it had a figure lying it in. Otherwise, the chamber was completely empty.
Joshua walked into the chamber and over to the sarcophagus. He then drew his breath in as he saw the very beautiful woman, who was dressed not in the clothes that he would have expected an ancient Egyptian to be wearing, but something entirely different. The woman was tall, well over 6 feet and was wearing a close-fitting tunic, over even closer fitting trousers. Both were made of a shiny silver material. On her head was a close-fitting helmet, like a skull cap with ear pieces. Again, this was made of a shiny silver material and the front of the helmet was embossed with what Joshua could only describe as a bow and arrow. Around the woman’s waist was a belt with a type of open top holster, containing what looked like some kind of hand gun. On the woman’s right-hand side lying beside her was what looked like a spear. About six feet long, it had a conical spearhead. In the middle of the spear shaft was a ribbed band with what looked like three circular gemstones set on it. Joshua touched the canopy of the sarcophagus. What it was made of he couldn’t determine. It felt like glass, but that couldn’t be possible either, not shaped in the way that it was.
Moving slowly around the sarcophagus and studying it more closely, Joshua eventually came to what he’d thought had been a plinth, On the top of the plinth he saw embossed symbols which certainly weren’t Egyptian, but strangely they were vaguely familiar to him. Then realisation struck him like a thunderbolt. He now knew where he’d seen those symbols before. They were Pictish and without thinking Joshua put his hand out instinctively, touching one of the symbols. Then he went very tense, for he heard a slight hissing noise and then before his eyes the canopy slowly started to retract, opening up the sarcophagus.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
Cornwall, July 1985
“So, what about this drone, you say will help us locate King’s car,” Padraig said as he followed Aengus up the stairs which led from the ground floor of the garage to the large room above it.
“This little beauty will find it,” Aengus answered, walking over to where what Padraig had thought was a stuffed bird, a Chough he realised, was perched on a bench.
“That’s a drone?” Padraig questioned.
“Yes, my friend and a very good one too. It looks and flies just like the real thing and is able to protect itself, should a bird of prey decide to attack it.”
“How?” Padraig asked.
“It has a device secreted in its beak, which emits a very low frequency sound which drives off any predators its sensors identify.”
Aengus walked over to a console which had a joystick and other controls on it and using the keyboard on it, inputted the information of the type of car that they were seeking. Then Aengus pressed the control to launch the drone and the Chough rose gracefully off the bench, flew to a window in the wall that automatically opened and flew off outside. Finally, Aengus brought up a video display scene and within seconds he and Padraig were watching a live video feed of the countryside that the Chough was flying over and moments later the drone had located King’s car.
“Come on, Padraig, we had better go and reunite Mr King with his car.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~
Padraig and Aengus didn’t have far to drive and found that there was room to pull up off the road, alongside King’s car, when a few minutes later they arrived at where he had parked it. Aengus and Padraig got out of the Range Rover and Aengus walked behind the vehicles to the edge of the grass verge and placed a small domed object on the ground. Padraig smiled, thinking to himself that it always reminded him of one of the snow dome globes he’d seen in a gift shop once. It wasn’t one of those though, but a force field, which also totally camouflaged both vehicles and Padraig and Aengus, making them invisible to any passers-by. It also had the bonus of also stopping anyone turning off the road towards the gate.
This done Aengus walked back to the Range Rover and opened the rear door. He then lifted King, who’d been propped up in the back seat, out of the car. Padraig meantime, had opened the driver’s seat of King’s car and Aengus walked over and put King in the passenger seat. They’d decided to take him some miles away from Lost Valley manor and leave him in the car, in a car park somewhere. Whilst Aengus drove King’s car, Padraig followed behind him in the Range Rover. They drove to the Drift reservoir, near the village of Drift a few miles west of Penzance and parked in the car park there.
Surprisingly no-one else was about and so Aengus, took King out of the passenger seat and slid him into place behind the wheel of his car. King’s head immediately dropped forward, and he slumped against the steering wheel, looking to all intent and purposes to be asleep. Before leaving King’s car, Aengus and Padraig searched it to make sure that there was nothing in it to incriminate Kate or anyone else. Then satisfied, they both got back into the Range Rover and drove back to Lost Valley Manor.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
“So why is Special Branch after you, Kate?” John had asked Kate, whilst they’d eaten breakfast. “ It must be something serious.” Kate turned to John. Morann was happily chatting away with Cath, Brigid and Niamh, where they were all gathered around the large kitchen table.
“It’s a long story” Kate answered. John shrugged.
“I’ve got the time to listen.”
Kate told him everything. About Greenham Common and what had happened there. The Miner’s Strike and what had happened to her brother. About the fascist Government,
led by Albert Brown and the way the police were now evolving with the Mobile Police Units crushing any dissent.
“It was a Labour government when I left Earth in 1969,” John said sadly shaking his head. “and things were very different then. So, what do you plan to do now?”
“I honestly don’t know,” Kate answered, looking at her great aunt for guidance.
“I obviously don’t know why you ended up here in 1985, John,” Cath said, having heard what John had asked Kate. “It was a good job that you did however, for like you said, it looked like King was about to shoot Kate. So why are you here?”
John felt awkward as he wasn’t sure what to tell Cath, but fortunately the door to kitchen opened and Aengus and Padraig walked in.
“All done,” Padraig announced. “We’ve left him in his car in the car park at Drift Reservoir. He’ll wake up in an hour or so’s time, wondering what he’s doing there, and as an added bonus he’ll have no memory whatsoever of what has happened over the past seven days.
“That’s a great relief,” Cath said, and Kate sighed with relief too.
“Thank you so much,” Kate told Padraig and Aengus.
“I was just asking John, what had brought the three of you to 1985, but he’s not had chance to tell me yet,” Cath looked shrewdly at Padraig. “Perhaps you’d like to enlighten me?”
John looked at Padraig and Morann. Padraig went and sat down in the chair opposite Cath.
“I don’t know quite where to begin,” Padraig told her, “as there’s an awful lot to tell you Cath and some of it is going to be very hard for you to understand.”
“Well, you’d better start right at the beginning then,” Cath replied, and Padraig began to tell the story that he’d never wanted to be the one to tell her. By right it should be Oisin telling it, but then it would’ve been a lot harder for him.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
Egypt, July 1985
Joshua stood open mouthed as the canopy completely retracted, disappearing into the side of the sarcophagus. For a moment, nothing happened and then the woman’s eyes suddenly flickered open, causing Joshua to step back in fright, colliding with Ahmed and Mohammad, who were crowding behind him. Mohammad started to mumble a prayer, whilst Ahmed to Joshua’s surprise, pushed by them both and went to stand to one side of where the woman was lying and held his hand out.
The Sol 3 Agenda Page 15
