Dystopia

by Jason Chapman

  ‘Ok, do you want to tell me what that was all about?’ Tyler asked as Alan started the car. ‘Why the did you play along with him, calling you George?’

  ‘Because my grandfather was called George Rayman. He worked for the Examiner until the mid seventies. It’s more than a coincidence that he recognised me.’ Alan thought for a moment. ‘Last night I covered Mayflower’s press conference in Downing Street. I encountered a man I had never seen before. He gave me information regarding Trojan Horse. He also knew my Grandfather.’

  ‘You’re right, this isn’t a coincidence. There’s more going on here than meets the eye.’

  ‘Thing is, I have searched for my grandfather in the archives of the Examiner and cannot find anything on him. I’m not sure he was a journalist. I’m guessing he was a filing clerk or something.’

  ‘Have you ever asked your editor about him?’

  ‘Once or twice but Tony always says he didn’t know him.’

  ‘What did you make of the old man back there?’ Tyler asked.

  ‘His memory is fragmented. Little wonder considering his age. However, there were things he said that made me think. I don’t know anyone called Dorothy. He also said that someone called Susan said that I would be visiting him.’

  ‘Where do we go from here?’

  ‘I have no idea. I can’t do a write up and say the London attackers had a chip implanted in them and were controlled by a mad scientist.’

  ‘What was the name of the German man Walker mentioned?’

  Alan thought for a moment. ‘Herbert Fritz.’

  Tyler produced his smartphone and typed in the name. After about a minute a smile appeared on his face. ‘You’re not going to believe this.’

  ‘What?’

  ‘Doctor Herbert Fritz was a notorious concentration camp doctor. He specialized in cutting victims heads open and performing brain surgery on them when they were still alive.’

  ‘How did he end up over here?’

  Tyler thought for a moment. ‘I take it you have never heard of Operation Matchbox.’

  ‘No.’

  ‘In the closing stages of the war the allies rounded up all of Germany’s top scientists. It was a scramble to get some of these men out of Germany. As the war ended Russia was seen as the new enemy. America implemented a project known as Paperclip. They got their hands on Germany’s many rocket scientists including Wernher Von Braun. He was the scientist behind the V2 rocket and later went on to design the Saturn 5 which took men to the moon.’ Tyler paused looking at his smartphone. ‘Operation Matchbox was the British version of Paperclip. It says here that a number of German scientists were given new identities and moved out to Australia to work on Britain’s Atomic bomb program. Doctor Herbert Fritz was reported missing at the end of the war. He was on the most wanted list of Nazi doctors, along with Josef Mengele.’

  ‘What is Rudloe Manor?’ Alan asked. ‘Angus mentioned it when you asked him a question.’

  ‘Rudloe Manor is where the government is supposed to be hiding its most secret projects and information. UFO investigators have been claiming for years that the government have been hiding secrets regarding aliens and close encounters.’

  ‘I take it you believe all this.’

  Tyler nodded. ‘I know a lot of people say that it’s all crap and made up shit. But there is a growing belief in life beyond our planet. They reckon that over half the population of this planet now believe in aliens. The media is constantly running stories about new planets found that could contain life. The media is saturated with information on life beyond Earth. They reckon it’s only a matter of time before they announce that life exists elsewhere.’

  ‘What about this group he mentioned, the forth Reich?’

  ‘There are countless conspiracy theories about them. People have written whole books. I subscribe to a newsletter called conspiracy theory update. It’s run by a Cambridge lecturer, Rebecca Glean.’

  Alan vaguely recalled the name being mentioned by Malcolm Cook the day before.

  ‘She claims that prominent Nazi officials hatched a master plan in the event that Germany lost the war. Billions in stolen money and other artefacts were moved out of Europe and placed in deposit boxes around the world. For the last seventy years they have been investing their stolen money and property back into the system. Gaining more and more power. This is why the whole Brexit issue has been a nightmare for the government. We haven’t left Europe. Britain will be tied to certain obligations. We have been forced to incorporate every law into our legal system. It does make you wonder. Germany is now the economic power house of Europe. When most people think of the war, they simply think Germany lost and we won. It’s a lot more complicated than that. After the war Germany was sliced up between east and west. So many things happened which people are unaware. We now live in an age where no one cares about history.’

  Alan started the car. ‘We better head back to London.’

  Tyler stared at his phone. ‘That’s if there’s a city left. Riots are breaking out all over the place. Dystopia have us by the balls. The news media is in meltdown.’

  As the car pulled away, the nurse who had greeted Alan and Tyler stood at a window silently watching. She picked up a telephone receiver and dialled a number scribbled on a scrap of paper. ‘Hello, I’m sorry to bother you but you told me to call if anyone else came looking for Mr Walker.’

  A voice on the other end started to talk.

  The nurse looked down at the registrar Alan and Tyler signed. ‘Alan Manning and Reece Tyler.’

  The voice on the other end thanked her before hanging up.

  Chapter 52

  Sky News Breaking news – 10:36am

  ‘Good morning you are watching Sky News. Dystopia have brought chaos to the city of London. They have not only frozen the financial holdings of everyone across the city but they have now shut off all retail cash registers. Millions are now unable to make simple transactions. Rioting has broken out all over the city. The government has just issued a statement calling everyone to remain calm. Labour Leader George Hardy has urged the Prime Minister to put a curfew in place to maintain stability. In his daily Twitter blog Hardy described Dystopia’s actions as tempting an apocalyptic situation. The army and police have been fighting pitch battles in key areas of the city. A number of far right groups have called on its members to rise up against what they are calling an oppressive government. There are have been a number of demonstrations planned for later this afternoon in different parts of the country. We go live now to David Winner who is near Westfield shopping centre in London where violence erupted earlier today. David What’s happening where you are?’

  ‘Tim the police have moved the press back to a safe position. As you can see behind me Westfield Shopping centre is on fire. We are not sure if the fire brigade are inside tackling the blaze. What I can tell you is that just over an hour ago when Dystopia released their message threatening to freeze the financial holdings of everyone who lives in London people began to pour into this shopping centre. One witness wrote on Sky News’ twitter feed saying that people were panic buying as if the world was about to end. Violence then erupted in this shopping centre as gangs of youths took advantage of the chaos that Dystopia are causing. I have seen people running from the shopping centre carrying all manner of items from large TVs to trolleys packed with everyday items. The police have issued a statement urging all members of the public to steer clear of this area. They have also stated that anyone found looting will be arrested and charged. As you can see behind me Tim it would seem as if the police are being ignored. The scene behind me at the moment is typical of scenes all across London. Emergency services have been stretched to breaking point as they try to bring the chaos under control. At the moment it seems that Dystopia has got the country within its grasp and with every hour it’s choking the city of London, back to you in the studio.’

  Lymm Poplar services – Lancashire – 10:43am

  Sam took a swig from the
bottle of water she had just brought from a retailer in the service station. Although Dystopia had shut down all the petrol pumps there were still people daring to travel. Sam stared at a large flat screen TV on the wall. The BBC were showing news footage of a shopping centre in London. Smoke rose from the building as people ran from the entrance with shopping trolleys packed with items they had looted.

  Other people in the café watched the news talking quietly about the events unfolding in London.

  ‘I shouldn’t be here.’ Sam said as she continued to watch the news. ‘I should be back in London.’

  Teller glanced up at the TV. ‘What would you do if you were in London?’

  Sam looked at him. ‘A lot more than I am doing here. London is about to go up in flames.’

  ‘London is always about to go up in flames.’ Teller argued. ‘I’m surprised this hasn’t happened sooner. There are so many people packed into a small area. It’s a wonder people have got air to breathe.’

  ‘London is a great city.’ Sam said defensively.

  Teller smiled. ‘Sam, London is a complete shithole. A den of corruption and defecation. People shitting on the lower classes. The criminally rich running the city, running the government.’

  Sam took another swig from her bottle. ‘Sounds like you agree with what Parker’s doing.’

  ‘It’s not about what James is doing. Take a good look at what’s going on.’ Teller gestured to other people sat in the café. ‘How many of them are glued to their mobile phones? These people don’t know how to communicate with each other anymore. We used to live in a world where people sat down and talked. Now we are just stumbling blindly through the digital age. Social media claims to give you a voice but it just drowns you. The age of Dystopia is upon us Sam. Society has lost its way. People are constantly on the edge. London is on the edge. You only have to look at the Grenfell Tower disaster as an example. The poorest of the poor living streets away from the richest of the rich.’

  ‘So how would you solve the world’s problems?’

  ‘I wouldn’t know where to begin. There are too many people at the top who don’t want things to change. If we got rid of those who don’t give a shit then we might be able to move forward.’

  ‘I take it you mean the people in government.’

  ‘Not just the people in government but the super wealthy who have stupid amounts of money, but do nothing to help the poor. The criminally rich who make so many lives a misery. Have you seen that BBC drama McMafia? It’s not far from the bloody truth. And what has the government done to stop it, nothing that’s what. In 1997 Tony Blair was seen as a breath of fresh air. What people didn’t know was that he was planning to open the floodgates for these dicks that are now controlling the streets. People are fed up of it Sam. I’m fed up of it. I want something different from the status quo.’

  ‘The police are always making arrests and punishing those who abuse others and the law.’

  ‘The police wouldn’t know how to make a decent arrest even if they wanted to. There are so many loopholes in the law allowing criminal dicks to walk free. Let me ask you this, is it fair that a foreigner can commit murder and be able to stay in this country because they have a right to a family life. Who the fuck made up that stupid law? Probably some twat in the European Union.’

  ‘Do you have a problem with foreigners?’

  ‘I’m not against foreigners coming over here and working for a living. What I have a problem with is the criminal gangs controlling our streets. Trafficking drugs and people and god knows what else. It has to stop.’

  Sam looked about the café. She admitted to herself how right Teller was. Over half of the people sat in the café were staring at a smartphone, while others watched the TV.

  ‘Look at them Sam. They don’t even realise they are trapped in a digital nightmare. Did you know the government passed a law last year to make fast broadband a basic right? Yet when my parent’s water supply needed maintenance they had to pay through the nose to fix it. Water is more of a basic need than fucking YouTube.’

  Sam glanced at the laptop Teller was working on. She looked at a clock on the wall. ‘You’ve been on that thing for over twenty minutes. Have you made any progress?’

  ‘I think I know where James is.’

  ‘Where?’

  ‘He’s on the Welsh coast at a place called Anelog.’

  ‘What’s so special about that place?’

  ‘We were there about eight months ago. We rented a cottage which is close by. There is an old ministry of defence facility there. It’s an old cold war bunker. It’s still owned by the government.’

  ‘What would Parker want with an old Cold War bunker?’

  ‘The bunker is located over a central information network.’

  ‘English please.’ Sam sighed.

  ‘It’s one of the key access points where cables come in from the Atlantic. This bunker has major internet cables running under it. Information piped in from the United States and beyond. The cables carry millions of gigabytes of data every hour. Every time you google something the information you request will come through this cable in an instant. There are several of these cables up and down the west coast of the UK. When James and I rented a cottage he showed me the bunker. I think that is where he is. If you wanted to link yourself up to the internet then this is one of the places to do it. You could control information being piped in to all the other key points on the coast.’ Teller turned his laptop around to show Sam. ‘This is where he is.’ Teller pointed to a red marker on a map.

  ‘Are you sure?’

  ‘James said that if he wanted to control the internet, it would be from this central hub.’

  ‘Won’t places like this be guarded?’

  Teller nodded. ‘That’s where I came in. I showed him how he could get inside this facility. To your average hacker it would be near impossible to gain entry to this building. It has a keypad access pad at the main entrance with trillions of different possible combinations. It doesn’t need manned security because it’s one of the most secure facilities in the UK. It’s linked up to GCHQ and other intelligence services. If someone were to try and gain entry they would set off all kinds of alarms.’ Teller paused. ‘I showed James how he could beat it’s security. Now that he has shut down GCHQ James should have had no problem breaking in. No one will be watching this bunker.’

  Sam stood picking up her bottle. ‘If he is there then we need to get to him as soon as possible. How confident that you can talk him down?’

  Teller mulled over Sam’s question. ‘I think I can get to him.’

  Sam produced the smartphone she had taken from the farm.

  ‘Wait, if you call for back up there’s no telling what James might do.’

  ‘Mathew we can’t go in alone.’

  ‘We have to Sam. Think about what James has done already.’ Teller indicated to the TV on the wall. ‘There is no telling what he might do. He replicated thousands of those nanochips. If he sees a threat coming then he could activate them all at once. It would make Monday’s attacks look like a pub brawl. Think about it, thousands of people going on the rampage all at once.’

  Sam put the phone way and picked up her bottle of water. ‘I hope you are right Mathew. I am putting everything on the line for you.’

  Teller smiled. ‘I know.’

  Sam and Teller made their way out of the service station. They walked across a large car park towards the vehicle they had taken from the farm.

  ‘It will take over two hours to get where he is. I hope he doesn’t do anything in between. We’ll monitor all the news networks.’

  ‘What’s his next likely move?’ Sam asked.

  ‘Well, he’s shut off all the petrol pumps, bank accounts and anything with a cash register across London. I suppose his next move would be to target the electricity grid. I am surprised he hasn’t done it already.’

  Sam reached into her pocket for the car keys. She glanced towards the other side of the
car park. She grabbed Teller by the arm and ducked behind the 4x4. ‘Get down!’

  Gunfire erupted from across the carpark peppering the car with bullet holes. Screams filled the air as terrified people ran for cover.

  Sam had already drawn her weapon.

  The gunfire stopped as suddenly as it had begun.

  ‘How the fuck did they know we were here?’ Sam questioned.

  ‘This car must have a bloody tracker.’ Teller replied. ‘Which means we need another vehicle.’

  Sam lay flat on the floor looking out from under the vehicle. The smell of petrol invaded her nostrils as fuel spewed from a fractured fuel line under the car. She spotted three men walking in their direction. ‘Fuck, we need a way out.’

  ‘I’m open to suggestions.’ Teller panted.

  Sam lined her gun up aiming at the foot of one of the men who approached. She fired a single round hitting the man in the ankle.

  The man dropped to the floor letting go of his weapon. He writhed around on the floor screaming. Sam knew the life and death situation she was in. She fired another round hitting the man in the upper chest.

  The other two men scattered.

  Sam seized the opportunity. She jumped out from behind the 4x4 spotting one of the gunman running towards a group of parked cars. A mother with a pushchair stood close by. Sam aimed her gun and fired two rounds. The bullets drove into the upper and lower back of the gunman sending him sprawling to the ground.

  The woman with the pushchair screamed as the man fell just in front of her.

  A feeling of dread started to well up as Sam realised she had lost sight of the other gunman. Gunfire echoed around the carpark. Sam felt a searing pain as a bullet found its mark. Tearing through her jacket into her upper arm. She retreated back behind the vehicle, wincing in pain. ‘Fuck!’

  ‘Take off your jacket.’ Teller ordered rummaging through his rucksack pulling out a first aid kit.

  ‘There’s no time.’ Sam winced in pain. ‘That twat is closing in on our position.’

  ‘Sam, I need you in one peace now take off your jacket.’