by A. D. Winch
“I’m in,” smiled Keiko.
No one else said anything. The silence was unsettling. Arjuna returned to the range, Kim-Ly looked at the table, and Captain Wang played with her mobile.
“We’ve had a difficult night,” Alexander said. “How about we all rest and then discuss this later?”
There was general agreement around the table, and the crew got up to leave the room.
As they left Captain Wang’s mobile phone rang to indicate an SMS had arrived. She opened it and read the contents.
“I will have to insist that you don’t reply to that,” Andrea told her.
“I won’t. I think I can safely assume that it’s for you anyway,” and Captain Wang handed her the phone.
The SMS read, ‘I remember THEY never could catch you, For no one could match you. Times change.’
Alexander and Andrea studied the message and discussed what to do next.
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***
Chapter 29 – Captivity
Ursula did not get out of bed for two days. During this time, the crew of the Orca agreed to remain in the cottage for as long as was necessary. In the end, it was an argument from Alexander that won them all over.
“It’s just like being out at sea together for a number of weeks but in a house… and without the unrelenting sea-sickness,” he had said with a smile
When Ursula finally got out of bed, Alexander took her for a tour. The cottage was a lot bigger that Ursula had imagined when she had seen it that fateful day. There were four bedrooms, including her own. Kim-Ly and Keiko had claimed the master bedroom and the four-poster bed. Arjuna and Alexander were on short beds in a children’s room, and Captain Wang was by herself. Andrea chose not to have a room and claimed that she preferred to rest in the lounge. The house was the perfect size for her. All the rooms were low or had low beams, which the taller adults had to duck to avoid.
Downstairs, attached to the kitchen, was a large parlour which contained an old red motorbike. In addition to these rooms and the vast lounge, there were two other rooms downstairs. One was an equipped study, and the other was a children’s play room. The crew of the Orca had taken over both of these. They had moved the toys and games out of the playroom, and replaced them with various tables and chairs they had found around the cottage.
As promised, Andrea had organised the immediate delivery of computers and other hardware. All the data needed was sent down the phone line over the internet. By the time Ursula looked in on the crew, they had already started working. The rooms were snug and comfortable, and the crew looked reasonably contented. They were delighted to see Ursula on her feet and Keiko in particular fussed over her.
Over the following days, Andrea organised more online deliveries of food, clothes and shoes. She also got everybody to put in requests for creature comforts, to make the cottage more of a home for them all.
Everyone was happy, and Ursula almost felt like she was on holiday. The only downside for everyone, especially Ursula, Alexander and Andrea was wondering what had happened to Eric. It felt wrong to laugh or joke or just relax on the sofa, when they had no idea what he was going through.
After what Eric had done for her, Ursula was determined to help him. She vowed to make herself stronger, fitter, faster and to develop the skills that she already had. In this regard, she bugged all the crew and made them tell her about their lives and their own strengths.
Captain Wang was proud to tell Ursula about her time as a gymnast and then as a circus performer before ‘retiring’ at the age of the fifteen. She happily agreed to teach Ursula the moves she had learnt as a child, but was not hopeful that Ursula could achieve them.
Arjuna reluctantly opened up to Ursula about yoga, the third eye and the power of positive thinking. When he told her that he thought she was too young to achieve these states of mind she asked him if this was, in fact, negative thinking. He laughed and shook her hand.
Kim-Ly felt she had nothing to offer. She found it hard to talk to Ursula and admitted that she found computers easier to work with than people. Ursula replied that this was great and that Kim-Ly could teach her about computers. At this point, Kim-Ly became quite excited by the idea and began straight away, much to Ursula’s surprise.
Keiko was the most eager to help. She had been a reservist in the Japanese Self-Defence Forces but was keen to teach Ursula all that she had learned. She could see the danger Ursula was in and wanted to assist in any way she could. She began by teaching Ursula basic mechanics, and they repaired the motorbike in the parlour together. Once it was working, Keiko taught Ursula to ride it.
Despite being busy, Ursula spent regular periods of time in her room trying to connect with Eric. She focused on him as she had done on previous occasions, but no thoughts entered her mind. All she could sense was that something was wrong. It made her want to help him even more.
She spoke to Alexander about this. He tried to be upbeat and philosophical about the situation.
“At the moment there is nothing we can do except stay strong and work out if we can help him. If we mope or give in now, the OSS have won. We cannot afford to do this.”
Andrea was continuing to keep track of Eric. He was still at RAF Welford in England. She acquired as much as information as she could about where Eric was being held. Before they planned anything fully, she wanted to be sure he would not be moved every few days to a different location.
One evening, a week later, the dot on Andrea’s phone started to move. Eric was leaving.
At RAF Welford, Eric’s lifeless body had been carried into a temporary medical room. It was usually a storeroom full of food that the American GIs could not get in England, but most of these items had now been cleared out. They had been replaced with a hospital bed, drip stand, bedpan, heart monitor and chair.
Eric was dumped on the bed by two agents and a field Doctor entered. He was accompanied by Agent Metis, who closed the door behind them.
“This boy is of great national importance and has just suffered an intense trauma,” said Agent Metis. “We have orders that he must remain sedated until a suitable facility is found to cope with his condition. We have also been told that he must remain untouched. We are not to change his clothes, wash his hair or even brush his teeth.
The Doctor looked at Eric.
“May I examine him before I sedate him?”
The three agents exchanged glances before agreeing.
The Doctor began by pulling up Eric’s pyjama shirt and checking for the source of the blood on his chest. It was a small puncture wound which, after much consultation with the agents, he was allowed to dry and dress. He then did an all over body check including Eric’s pulse, heart, breathing, eye movement and major organs.
“This kid is A.o.k. but unless you change him out of these wet PJs and sneakers he is in danger of hypothermia.”
“We can’t do that,” replied Agent Carpo.
“In that case, I suggest you find a quick way to dry him out.”
By the time the Doctor had finished connecting Eric to the IV drip, the two agents had found a solution. Two hairdryers had been requested, and they were being used to blow hot air over Eric’s clothes.
“I’ll come back regularly to check that everything is fine. I’ll bring more IV drips as well and show you how to change them.”
He looked up at the two agents ‘drying’ Eric and smiled.
Trained killers, he laughed to himself and left.
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***
Chapter 30 – Szymany Airport, Poland
Magda left home just before midnight. She was wearing a pressed dark suit with a crisp white shirt. On the jacket, she had attached her name tag – Magda Szymanska, Air Traffic Control.
Light rain had been falling all day as it had done for the past week. It was not usual weather, but her umbrella kept her dry and she tried to look on the bright side – it was good for the soil. She reached her old car and opened the rusty Lada�
��s door. Her husband had been pressing her to buy a new car for years, but she loved the reliability. It didn’t matter if the weather was hot, cold, snowy or rainy - her car always started. This was a good thing given the unpredictability of the climate over recent years. She turned the key. The engine barked into life and off she drove.
The journey to work took her through dense forest along winding country lanes. Trees with white painted trunks lined the narrow roads, and long branches met above the tarmac to make tunnels. There were no street lamps and the black was pierced by her car headlights. There were no other cars on the quiet roads, and all she had to worry about was avoiding potholes and animals. As she drove she startled two foxes, a deer and some wild boar but hit nothing. The wildlife was not unusual; she always saw more animals than people whether she worked during the day or at night.
After twenty minutes, she arrived at the entrance to Szymany airport. Piotr was on duty. He smiled at her as he let the Lada through the gate. He didn’t bother looking at Magda’s security pass when she held it up at the window.
Magda parked under the crumbling control tower. A few minutes later she was up in the tower and starting her shift. She first checked if there were any aircraft in her airspace then found the most up-to-date weather information.
Szymany airport was a sleepy place. A skeleton crew manned it, and their main job was to keep it open in case of emergencies. For a few years, it had been used by German and Polish tourists who were keen to visit the lakes in the region but it was rare now to get tourist flights. Most of the planes that landed were bringing resources for the Stare Kiejkuty Military Intelligence Base nearby or were local flight enthusiasts in single propeller craft. Occasionally private planes would land and as long as they paid the correct fee, and followed the airport regulations, they were free to come and go as they pleased. This did not sit comfortably with Magda.
There were times when she felt that the control tower was being controlled rather than being in control. When she brought this up with the owners of the airport, she had been told to keep quiet and to be grateful that there was money coming in paying her salary. From this point onwards, she kept her thoughts to herself when these flights arrived.
The planes were always preceded by the same unannounced and nameless Polish man. He was scrawny, with a pointed face like a rat, and spoke using the least amount of words he could manage. His visits were as short as his speech and involved him giving her three times the stated fee before vanishing. An hour or so later a jet would land, a vehicle would meet it, and packages of varying sizes would be exchanged. This always happened at the end of the runway, behind the plane and further than her binoculars could clearly make out. When the ‘shipments’ had finished, the vehicle would drive off in the direction of the military base. Shortly after, the plane would request clearance for immediate take-off. Each time it happened Magda felt her stomach sink, especially when she knew the planes were coming from or going to Afghanistan, Iraq or Guantanamo Bay.
Magda shook the thoughts from her head and got ready for another peaceful night. She checked again if there were any aircraft in her airspace. There were none, which did not surprise her. She continued by checking to see if any flight plans meant that she would be needed later. There were none.
After completing these checks, she picked up her binoculars and did a quick sweep of the surroundings. The drooping fences and barbed wire that ringed the airport were still standing much to her continual amazement. Behind it, the forest looked pitch black, and the scene looked no different from every other time she had checked. The occasional hare ran on the grass near to the empty runway, and the hangars were closed. Beyond these buildings, a movement caught her eye. Out on the road leading to the airport was a vehicle. From her viewpoint, it was impossible to make it out but from the way the main beam sliced through the forest, she could tell it was moving fast.
Not again, she thought and felt butterflies in her stomach as the vehicle came closer.
A while later, Piotr showed a woman in a business suit and the ratty man into the control tower.
“There will be a flight arriving from the UK in the next two hours,” she spoke fast and in English but with an American accent. “On board is a wounded soldier whose life is very valuable to us. He will be unloaded quickly into another of our vehicles. We require you to grant us access to the runway and your usual professional discretion, Mrs Szymanska.”
This was the first time Magda had ever been addressed by name, and it worried her.
“We will also appreciate it if we can wait here until the plane arrives. Mr Nowak, your superior I understand, has already agreed to this, but I feel it is polite to ask you.”
On all previous occasions, the ratty man had never asked to stay. He had simply paid the money and gone. This change of routine worried her even more. Before she could reply, the woman spoke again.
“It is wet and miserable outside, honey. We would appreciate being in a warm, comfortable room rather than a car.
Magda knew when she was being lied to. The control tower was many things but warm and comfortable it was not.
“If Mr Nowak has already agreed and you have the correct fee then I cannot say no,” Magda replied nervously.
The ratty man opened a backpack and removed a large pile of notes. He handed them to Magda without saying a word.
“You will find that is five times more than usual. This is due to the lateness of the hour, your cooperation and your hospitality. We’d like to show you our appreciation.”
The woman smiled, and Magda wanted to slap her. There was nothing she could do except her job, so Magda did just that. After counting the money, and depositing it into a small safe, she went back to the control desk and tried to ignore her ‘guests.’ They both stood behind her, and she could feel them watching her every move.
The rain was falling harder when the Gulfstream jet made its approach. She informed the jet’s captain, who thanked her, and then assisted in their safe landing. Water splashed across the tarmac when the wheels touched down, and the plane skidded slightly as it came to a standstill at the other end of the runway.
A military van accelerated past the control tower to meet the jet. Magda watched it go but was unable to use her binoculars. The American lady had already taken them and was watching proceedings intently. Even so Magda could still make out the Gulfstream’s door opening and a staircase dropping towards the tarmac. Two soldiers ran on-board and reappeared soon after with what looked like a stretcher. She only saw them briefly as they ran behind the wing to the van. Moments later the van sped away.
“Thank you for your assistance this evening, Mrs Szymanska,” said the lady and smiled once again.
The ratty man placed an envelope on the control desk and said, “For you.”
Before Magda could say anything, they had left.
She picked up her binoculars and followed the headlights of both vehicles until they disappeared into the forest. Unsurprisingly, they were heading for the Military Base. Magda knew the base was famous, or infamous, for many things. However, she had never heard of it being used as a hospital for seriously wounded soldiers.
The Gulfstream’s Captain requested clearance for take-off and his return to England. Magda wondered for a second what he would do if she denied him, but decided it was safer to follow procedure and allow him to leave. The Gulfstream engines roared into life the moment she said ‘yes’ and the plane was soon in the air. It rose to its cruising altitude and headed in a south-westerly direction. Magda tracked it until the jet had left her airspace.
She sat back in her chair, breathed a huge sigh of relief and thought about finding another job.
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Chapter 31 – Eyes opened
The drips in Eric’s arms were pulled out from his veins. Only the heart monitor remained in place, to ensure that his condition remained stable. He was then left with a nurse who removed his clothes and placed them neatly in
a bedside cabinet. She gave him a bed bath, remade his bed, dressed him in an orange boiler suit and waited for White King to show signs of waking.
Gradually, Eric started to come around. His eyes flickered open, and he saw the rotors of a helicopter above him turning around and around. The image sent him back to sleep. When he awoke again, he looked across at the nurse through drowsy eyes. It was Andrea in a white uniform. The image relaxed him, and he fell back to sleep again. When he opened his eyes for the third time, he was still groggy but he was starting to get a grip on reality.
He was in a room with a high ceiling and white tiled walls. Sunlight shone through a window near the ceiling behind his head. The rays reflected off a metal toilet. A blond-haired nurse sat nearby and observed him with interest. When she was convinced that he was fully awake, she stood up and walked to the door that had no visible handle. She knocked twice and waited. A panel slid open, and she spoke quietly through it. The panel closed, and Eric saw that there was a letterbox with a ledge underneath it.
Eric tried to sit up. Blood rushed to his head, the room spun, he saw white spots in front of his eyes, and he collapsed back onto the bed. He closed his eyes and breathed deeply. When he opened them again, the nurse was standing above him. Her face was thin and gaunt.
Without any sign of emotion, she took a full glass from the bedside cabinet, lifted Eric’s head and put the water to his lips. Eric winced as he drank the first few sips. His throat was so dry that it hurt to swallow. The nurse’s response was to raise the glass higher and pour more water down his throat. Eric shook his head when he had drunk enough, and the nurse placed his head back on the pillow.
“Where am I?” Eric croaked.
The nurse ignored him so he tried again but this time she walked away from him. He didn’t have the energy to ask her a third time. He was still drowsy but as he lay on the bed, his memories came back in patches. He had been on a beach with Ursula. He had left her. He had been taken out of a helicopter. He had been in a small room. He had been put in a plane. Apart from being with Ursula, none of his memories seemed real. They were only snapshots. Some were with sound, and others were with feelings but that was all. By putting them together, and looking at the cell he was in, he was able to make one solid conclusion – the OSS had captured him.