by A K Lambert
Halfway there, she was overtaken by a young man. She called to him, ‘Is this the way to the Gearagh, please?’
The lad turned. It was the boy Rob from the public house. ‘About another half mile and you’ll be there,’ he said and smiled broadly.
Janet tried to keep up with him, but his pace, though appearing casual, was relentlessly fast.
He had gained a lead of a couple of hundred feet before the road veered left and she lost him for a short time. When she turned the corner, there was no sign of him. She spoke into her imaginary dictaphone. ‘Now, where has he gone?’ The road ahead was straight for about a quarter of a mile. The reservoir was on her left, the wood was on the right, with no visible tracks into it. She checked behind. Nothing. Strange, she thought.
This part of the road was close to the water’s edge, and Janet was captivated by the strange beauty of the lake. Ageless oak sentries broke the surface of the mirror smooth water, guarding any treasures that might lie beneath. One of the few remaining European oak forests had been partially cut down sixty years ago when the valley was flooded to supply hydroelectricity to the city of Cork. The remaining trees still stood, defiantly shouting out against this ecological disaster.
Janet’s enjoyment of the view was interrupted by a rustling in the bushes behind her. A woman emerged, fully dressed in apparel more suited to an office than the woods. She stopped and stared at Janet, eyes piercing straight through her. ‘Good afternoon,’ Janet offered.
The woman ignored her and walked straight to the water’s edge, pondering for a moment before turning and walking back around the bend in the road.
What a strange woman. She gave her a minute, then followed her around the bend. Gone. Again. ‘Strange. People keep disappearing.’ There was another rustle in the bushes on her right, near the way back to the lake, followed by a gentle splash of water.
Janet waited. Then she walked up and down the road looking at the spring flowers sprouting under the bushes, but all was quiet—no further sign of life.
Janet returned to the hotel, showered and got ready for dinner. Downstairs, the reception was deserted, and that gave her opportunity to flick through the guest book and note the details of the guests from the previous day.
Chapter 27
Zander’s Family Escape
Preenasette - Trun Rizontella - 2011
* * *
The twins moved on, putting more distance between themselves and Santraneed. Both were deep in thought.
Eventually, Grantham broke the silence. ‘We need to risk contacting the Supreme Commander or uncle Anton. We cannot afford this delay.’
‘I’ve been thinking. I could contact Uncle Anton though our FamilyChat. Attach a data message, with an embedded surprise fun type icon. It would seem very innocuous, even if anyone were monitoring it, and I could integrate the message into the image. He’d be sure to scour for something under the circumstances. Easy.’ Bess smiled and added, ‘And we need to tell them about the CUV. That may be useful to the Supreme Commander. Providing he heeds the advice in the message, he needs to vanish, and they will be watching him carefully.’ She was on a roll now. ‘And we should join him—unite with the Resistance. That’s where the real fight is going to be. We—well mostly you—are marked now. Our loyalty is known and that may not bode well for us. And the resistance sounds like it could be fun.’ She beamed. The girl that earlier needed comfort had disappeared.
Grantham looked up towards the sky, bemused. Only Bess could compare this predicament to fun. He looked back at her, knowing she would comment about his sombre face, then broke into a smile himself. ‘Start preparing the message, and I’ll put together some commentary to go with it. And for the record, I think it’s a good idea. Especially coming from you, little sister.’
‘Two minutes, big brother. Just two minutes.’ And she pulled out her tablet and began composing.
Pilz heard, rather than saw, the message pop up on his hand tablet. From his niece. Hopefully, a hint as to why they weren’t on the scheduled Mag train.
* * *
Uncle Anton.
The girls and I are having a lovely time down on the coast. The pre-wed girly celebrations are going swimmingly. Windsurfing today and a visit to Cliffhanger Caves tomorrow (and the tiniest amount of eating and drinking).
I’ll let you know what train I’ll be getting back the day after tomorrow when I know. In the meantime, press on the icon below to see what I think of my favourite uncle.
Bessendra.
* * *
He pressed the icon and a cartoon image of Bess popped up shouting, ‘I love you!’ on a three-second loop.
He smiled to himself. The message was there. Hidden in the Ether had been one of their favourite games when she was younger. Concealing data, photos, anything—in the gaps between the binary digits of computer software. They had stopped playing it after Bess had gotten too good for him and it became completely one sided. He hoped she hadn’t made this too hard.
Three hours later, and he’d found it. He thought at one stage that he wouldn’t, that there wasn’t anything to find, but he persisted, knowing it must be there. He opened it and began reading.
A few minutes later he was on to Zander, requesting an audience. He had an update from Major Tang regarding manning levels in Western Trun. Manning Levels was the phrase that triggered the urgency, and they hastily arranged a meeting.
Meeting with RG compromised. They reported someone might have tampered with the message. We thought to differ, and with Major Tang’s help, we escaped with the Envogram.
To avoid capture of the message we opened it, memorised and destroyed it. Sorry if this was an incorrect action. I accept any reprimand.
* * *
Message reads:
* * *
‘Zander my friend. I fear for your safety.
It has come to my attention that Sestapol is going to discredit you. Financial irregularities, all cleverly fabricated, of course.
Somebody wants you gone. The worst case scenario, as we discussed, and I fully expect that I will be next. They will lock us up and throw away the key, or worse.
You must get out, your family too. Go to Ferenger and see my cousin Benja Jacob. He is setting up a Headquarters for our Resistance Movement. You need to become its leader, and I’ll follow.
We hoped it would not come to this, but it has, and you must move quickly. I’ve no time frame to give you, but it could be mere days.
Hurry, Zander.’
* * *
We are heading back to Allacrom Central Command at full speed in a stealth CUV, which is at your disposal. We fear we have been compromised and would request consideration for the Resistance Movement, should you opt for that course of action.
* * *
Uncle, B hopes you didn’t find the game too hard.
* * *
Supreme Commander Domantry Zander put the message down and looked at Pilz. He put his hand on his chin and thought carefully. This course of action had always been a possibility, but he still wasn’t ready for what he had to do next.
Pilz waited a moment then said, ‘They’ll be watching you, of that you can be sure. The Sestapol are getting more audacious by the day. The CUV might be very useful, and the twins can help. Maybe send them to get your family. They’re a very resourceful duo.’
‘I agree. They’re chalk and cheese but dovetail very effectively. Anton, we need to find somewhere we can plan in peace. We’ve got to be quick and very resourceful. There are many things to consider over and above mine and my family’s safety. The future of Trun is at stake.’
Pilz only half caught the latter part of his boss’s statement, he was still dumbstruck by the fact he had called him by his first name.
Grantham and Bess parked the CUV a half mile from the military apartments of the Allacrom Central Command Centre, still in full stealth mode. They disembarked via the rear door into the evening darkness. The first of Preenasette’s moons—Little Stanfort—
would appear soon, adding a small amount of light to that of the distant stars. It would be two hours before Big Stanfort appeared. In its full quarterly phase it lit up the sky. They would want to be done well before that happened.
Grantham wore his Sub Commander uniform and Bess her nurse’s outfit. Underneath her uniform, Bess was dressed in a black skin suit from neck to toe. A balaclava with only a slit for her eyes would complete the costume later. Only up close could the array of weapons strapped to her be seen. Grantham, not for the first time, was pleased she was on his side. Sometimes she frightened him. Today, her weapons were for incapacitation only, civil war hadn’t started yet. Very soon they would disappear into the throng of military personnel swarming around the apartment buildings at this time of the evening.
They slipped into the periphery of the massive apartment compound and started making their way to the Supreme Commander’s apartment, deep in the heart of the facility. Commander Block 250 H. Twenty minutes later, they arrived.
Grantham stood by as Bess peeled off down a side street and stripped out of her uniform, putting it in a small bag attached to her waist. Pulling on her balaclava, she began climbing into the darkness like a jet black Tambo lizard. Grantham would give her ten minutes to assess the level of surveillance around Zander’s apartment.
He waited impatiently.
“Sorry, Brother. It’s taken me longer—interest is intense, to say the least.”
“What are we up against, Sister?”
“Two rooftop guards and three pairs of men at each of the street intersections. One up here is guarding a camka sensor. Everything happening in or around the building is being monitored elsewhere in real time.”
“You must take him out last. We will also need a diversion.”
“I’ve something in mind.”
“Are you going to tell me?”
“Ha, ha, you’ll know. In the meantime, you need to get near the pair watching the south exit. I’ll remove a bit of the debris up here. If they don’t respond to the diversion, you’ll have to take them out. No chatting for a bit, I need to concentrate. Bye, Brother.”
He hated it when he wasn’t in charge of planning, but he needed time to evaluate strategies. He liked to consider every detail. Off the cuff stuff like this was right up his sister’s street, though. He just had to go with the flow, stay alert and hope for the best.
Bess was in her element.
She slipped back down to street level, put her nurse’s uniform on and strolled casually to the busy restaurant on the corner of the southern intersection. Grantham was just approaching the men positioned there, but she could tell he hadn’t seen her. She walked the length of the restaurant window on the east face waving frantically to a fictitious person inside. Families seated by the window turned inwards, trying to see who responded to the crazy woman outside. Bess’s sleight of hand hid her real intent: the setting of some tiny canisters attached magnetically to the window frame.
Moments later, with her uniform back in her bag, she was scaling the building again, this time counting the windows. Up, then across. When she found the window she wanted, she produced a small laser stitch cutter and made a large circle on the glass pane. It remained in place—just. She continued up three more floors to the roof and secured a drop line back down.
The second of the guards was on this side of the roof. She was an unseen ripple in the darkness of night and was soon behind him. An arm around his head and her thumb deftly pressed into his neck caused him to go limp almost instantly. She held him up and dragged him into the shadows and laid him down.
Timing was critical.
On the other side of the roof, she downed the second guard with her laser, changed settings and destroyed the camka sensor. She pressed a button on a small keypad and discarded it. The canisters on the restaurant window started billowing smoke—hopefully, the diversion Grantham needed. Going back to the drop line, she abseiled down to the window, gave it a sharp blow with the flat of her hand and caught the circular glass with the other before it dropped into the room. Moments later she was in the bedroom and face-to-face with a shocked Roseanne putting Christiana to bed.
Bess removed her balaclava and nodded formally to Roseanne. ‘Junior Sub Commander Bessendra Lea here on the orders of Supreme Commander Zander. We must leave immediately.’ She removed the nurse’s uniform from her bag, ‘Put this on, please.’
Roseanne looked at the uniform then back at Bess. ‘My husband told me to expect something today. But I didn’t think it would involve dressing up.’
‘Please put it on quickly,’ Bess repeated, her voice emphasising the urgency.
‘What is the plan?’ Roseanne asked she began putting on the uniform.
‘Go downstairs and straight out of the door. Cross the road and my brother—Sub Commander Lea—will be waiting for you. You’ve met him before; you know him. He will take you out of the compound to a waiting vehicle.’
‘What about Christiana?’ Roseanne demanded, looking at a now wide awake two-year-old.
‘They’ll be on the lookout for a woman with a child. Your daughter will come with me.’ Bess produced a black cloth and started wrapping it around the little girl. ‘Do you like rides?’ Bess asked Christiana in a friendly manner.
She smiled and nodded excitedly.
‘But where are you going?’ Roseanne was aghast, she stopped dressing and watched Bess spin the black cloth around and around her daughter.
‘Your little girl and I are taking the scenic route.’ She swung what now looked like a black caterpillar with girl’s head onto her back and attached two pairs of straps. Opening the window with the hole in it, she turned back to Roseanne and promised, ‘Don’t worry. She’ll be all right.’
She perched on the window ledge. ‘Finish getting dressed and go, please. Now!’ and she was gone.
Roseanne stared at the open window for a couple of seconds before the reality of the situation sunk in. She finished dressing, and ran down the stairs.
What had Bess done?
For the entire journey to the southernmost edge of the apartments, Grantham had been receiving a severe grilling off the Supreme Commander’s wife about of his sister’s actions.
‘Is she some secret weapon the military created? Was my husband party to this plan? Did he know our daughter was going to be whisked away into the night by a madwoman?’
They were outside the compound, heading into the darkness towards the CUV, conscious that Big Stanfort would rise very soon. He prayed Bess arrived safely with the Supreme Commander’s daughter soon.
His CUV signature detector led them to the stealth vehicle and he opened the rear door.
They stepped in to find Zander on one side of the van and Bess and Christiana on the other.
‘Get in quickly and shut the door,’ Pilz said from the driver’s seat, and put the CUV into drive.
Christiana reached for her mother. They hugged. The little girl turned back to Bess and said, ‘Auntie Bess.’
‘My sincere apologies,’ Bess said before Roseanne could react. ‘We needed to move extremely quickly. It was the only solution I could come up with, and I didn’t have time to debate it with you.’
Roseanne took a deep breath. Looked at her husband, then back at Bess. ‘Should I be asking exactly how you did get here?’
‘Probably not,’ Bess replied, ‘but your daughter loved it.’
Chapter 28
The Day Trip
Earth - Cork, The Republic of Ireland - 2011
* * *
Anna, Nigel and Ken were in the university bar putting the final touches on plans for their day out the coming Saturday. They were going to Fota Wildlife Park, just a few miles to the east of Cork. Anna, a total animal lover, had been badgering them for some time to arrange a visit.
‘I’ve booked the tickets, and the weather should be perfect,’ Anna exclaimed.
‘And have you got some bread to feed the ducks?’ Ken asked. ‘And a spare arm to feed the ti
gers?’ As usual, Ken couldn’t resist playing Anna up. It was how he treated everyone, but with Anna, it was becoming an increasingly important part of his daily life.
‘That’s why I’ve invited you, Ken, the Lions need feeding as well,’ Anna replied without missing a beat. ‘And Grace has finally confirmed she can come, she managed to get out of whatever she does back at her dad’s house every weekend.’
‘What about Jon?’ asked Nigel. ‘Is he still racing this weekend?’
‘Yes,’ said Ken, ‘he’s over in Kent. His sponsor wants him there, so that’s where he has to be. Good news though, Mandy may be able to make it. Her dad’s considering a visit to Cork this weekend, and she’s hoping tag along on a freebie.’
‘Well, that’s good news,’ Anna said happily. ‘Look, Grace is here.’
They turned in the direction Anna was facing to see Grace coming from the far side of the room, weaving her way through the tables in the crowded bar. To a man, they all marvelled at the effortless way she moved. It was more like gliding than walking. She was looking at them but navigating tables and other students as if some inner radar was at work. Anna envied her hair that seemed, as usual, to move about as if was a windy day. Was the air conditioning system following her? She wished her own hair moved like that.
‘Hi, hi, hi.’ Grace sat down, appearing flustered. ‘How is everyone?’
‘We’re fine, Grace,’ Nigel said. ‘Well I am, and the other two are bickering, so they must be fine as well.’ Nigel’s straight-faced commentary always made the others grin.
