“But you’re here now on this base.”
“We are John, but we have not visited Sol 3, apart from Morann of course and other androids. You also assumed that I was an Imperial rather than a Varn. I am in fact neither, I serve the Aos Si Confederation. We are a republic now. At the end of the Civil War the Triumvirate were deposed and imprisoned for war crimes. Now I expect you’re wondering why we’ve brought you to our base and what our intentions are regarding you,” Medb said looking closely at John.
“Yes, I would like to know.”
“When Morann and the other androids started to visit your planet, we found that humanity had technology far more advanced than it should have, even considering the input that the Aos Si descendants would have made to Earth science. We therefore need to know whether another alien race is somehow involved,” Medb explained. “To accomplish that, someone needs to go to Sol 3 and investigate the matter. It needs to be someone from the planet, but preferably with Aos Si ancestry, as some of the technology that will be used to aid the investigation can only be used by someone with Aos Si genetic coding.”
“I see, so what makes you think that I fit the bill?”
“That is a phrase we do not understand, John,” Morann advised him. Medb he noticed, seemed like she’d been about to say something, but now seemed almost frozen and unable to speak.
“What’s the matter with Medb?” John turned to look at Morann, who he saw looked very uncomfortable.
“We do not understand the phrase,” Morann repeated.
“What, fit the bill?”
“Yes, that phrase.”
Suddenly the door to the room they were in opened and another android, the one with purple hair, John had seen earlier in the refectory walked in.
“I said this wouldn’t work, Morann, the communication link is too unstable,” the other android said. “Look it’s starting to break down!”
John turned back to look at Medb and saw that her body had become transparent and that he could see straight through her.
“What the!” John almost said the F word again, but managed to stop himself, he didn’t like swearing in front of a woman, or at least what he had thought Medb to be. Before his eyes however she was rapidly disappearing. First, her body vanished leaving her head appearing to float above the top of the chair she’d been sitting in.
“Oh dear,” John heard Morann say.
“Oh, dear in-bloody-deed! What’s going on!” John demanded to know. Then realisation struck him like a hammer blow. Medb hadn’t shook his hand or made any physical contact with him, but John hadn’t thought anything of this, knowing some people didn’t like physical contact. “Was Medb, er what do you call it? Holographic?” He finally asked.
“In a way she was John, she was holding a holographic communication link with you,” Morann confirmed. “She was communicating with you from Tír na nÓg, the Aos Si home world in the Orion Constellation.”
“What’s going on?” John repeated, looking first at Morann and then the other android.
“You need to tell him Morann. He’s far too intelligent to be duped any further.”
“Thank you. Well, Morann, could you please explain,” John turned back to face Morann, who walked to the chair that Medb had occupied and sat down.
“It’s a long story John.”
“I’ve got all the time in the world,” John answered wearily.
Chapter 4
Cornwall, June 1985
Kate was a fit young woman and did a five-mile run each morning. She also had the advantage of knowing the terrain. Glancing quickly backwards, Kate saw that she was already leaving her pursuers well behind. There appeared to be only two of them, the man who had got out of the car and the driver. Neither appeared to be very fit and she guessed that they were policemen, possibly even Special Branch. She decided to take a gamble and head to her caravan. There she had a rucksack ready packed with all that she needed, if she was ever forced to go on the run again. Fortunately, Kate kept her money on her at all times, not that it amounted to much, just what she’d saved from her wages from the pub. She did have other savings in the bank, but hadn’t drawn on them in case MI5 were keeping a watch on her bank accounts and it gave away where she was living.
Fortunately, the sun had gone down, and it was now starting to get dark. With luck Kate thought, she’d get to her caravan without being caught. The problem was, where was she to go then. She couldn’t stop in this area any longer but didn’t want to leave Cornwall. Something she couldn’t describe was making her stay here which was strange, as she’d originally felt compelled to come to Cornwall when she’d first had to go on the run and in particular, to the west of the county. Suddenly a plan came into her mind and she smiled to herself thinking that it could work. Then she smiled again as she heard a curse and glancing back again, saw that one of her pursuers had tripped and fallen down. By the noise the man was making it sounded like he’d broken something. Good, Kate thought, that should give her more time to make her escape.
Kate ran on and glancing back again a minute or so later, saw that there was now no sign of her pursuers. She headed straight for the caravan site, guessing that they didn’t know that she was living there. Kate also calculated that if they had known that she was, then they would have waited for her there. All the same, when Kate finally arrived at the caravan site, she had a good scout around before cautiously approaching her caravan. No-one was around and so she went inside, grabbed her rucksack and quickly checked it to ensure that she’d packed everything she required. Then she left the caravan and headed for the South West Coastal Path.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
Kate walked through the night arriving in Penzance an hour before dawn and managed to snatch a few hours’ sleep in a shelter on the Promenade, before the sea gulls woke her up. She looked at her wristwatch and saw that if she hurried, she’d get the train from Penzance to London. Arriving at the railway station with a good ten minutes to spare, Kate put the first part of her plan into action and went to a nearby telephone box and dialled home. It rang out a few times, before Steve breathlessly answered.
“Steve, its Kate, I can’t talk long, the cops are after me.”
“Sis, I was worried to death after you had to cut off your call. Dad’s not long phoned. Dave came through his operation ok, but it’s not looking good for him long term. He could end up in a wheelchair.”
“Oh god, poor Dave.”
“It could have been far worse, sis. There’s been six killed and another nine badly injured like Dave. Loads more injured too. They’re saying no-one was killed and three slightly injured on the radio and telly, but they’re lying Kate. At least Dave’s alive. What are you going to do now sis?”
“I’m going to head for London. Going to get the train and so I’ll need to go now. I’ll ring home when I can. Bye Steve and give my love to Dave and Mum and Dad.”
“Bye sis and look after for yourself.”
Kate had no intentions of going to London. She took her baseball hat and cagoule off and put them in her rucksack, somewhere where she could easily get them out again and then walked into the railway station and straight to the ticket office.
“What time is the next train to London?”, Kate asked at the ticket office.
“There’s one leaving in a few minutes,” the ticket clerk told her.
“How long does it take?”
“About five and a half hours all being well.”
“Does it stop at Exeter?”
“Yes.”
“What about Bristol, does it stop there?”
“Yes. Look, young lady, I don’t want to be rude,” the ticket office clerk said very firmly, “but there are passengers behind you waiting to buy tickets and the London train leaves in 5 minutes. Now do you want a ticket.”
“No thank you, I’ve got a return ticket.” Kate hadn’t got a ticket, but then she’d no intention of travelling on the train. It had all been part of her plan to lay a false trail. She was sure
that the ticket clerk would remember her now, if anyone came asking about someone matching her description. Someone with her dark auburn hair colouring and green eyes was bound to be memorable, especially as she was also very attractive. Well, that’s what people said about her and not just members of her own family.
Kate walked to the platform the London train was on and got onto it, near to the front of the train. Instead of finding a seat however, Kate walked down the train to the last carriage at the back. She went to the carriage door and looked out. Most activity was at the front or middle of the train with people seeing passengers off. Others arriving late at the train were hurriedly getting onto it. Pulling the cagoule out of the rucksack she put it on again and also the oversize baseball hat. She made sure to tuck her hair well inside it so that none of it showed. Kate’s mum had cried the last time Kate had gone home, when she saw that Kate had had her hair cut short.
“Why ever did you do that my girl? You look like a lad now,” she’d said. Kate was slimly built and not at all busty and knew that with the baseball hat pulled down over her hair and the far too big cagoule on, she could well pass for a boy.
Kate looked out of the carriage window again and satisfied that it was safe to do so got off the train and walked quickly up the platform. Mingling then with a crowd of people who had just disembarked from the Liverpool train, she walked out of the station and into the street.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
Detective Sergeant Marcus King was not a happy man when he walked out of the accident and emergency department at Truro Hospital early that morning. Gregson, the idiot he’d been partnered with, had caught his foot in a rabbit hole whilst they’d been chasing Kate Penrose and had broken his ankle. Consequently, she had got clean away. King wasn’t looking forward now to contacting his superior, Detective Inspector Hardgrave, to report that the girl had once more got away. Even less so however, King wasn’t looking forward to having to report her escape to his contact in the Rectifiers, the secret organisation that he was a member of.
Some, and they were the very few who even knew of the Rectifiers existence, said that the organisation was only like the Masons, but King knew far better than that. Yes, he thought shuddering, the Masons didn’t order hits on its political enemies, but the Rectifiers certainly did. King knew that for a fact, for he’d been ordered to carry out a hit once and he would have, for failure to do so would have meant his own death. Fortunately, the order was cancelled at the last moment and he didn’t have to go through with the hit.
King didn’t know who was really behind the Rectifiers, but thought that the organisation was backed financially by the billionaire businessmen and media owners who now secretly ran the country, with Albert Brown as their puppet, but King was wrong, so very wrong. The Rectifiers was far, far worse than that. King went to a telephone kiosk in the hospital and first phoned not Hardgrave his guv’nor, but his Rectifiers contact. His call was answered on the first ring.
“You have something to report King?” an icy cold voice demanded to know, before King had even had chance to speak. How did it know it was him, he wondered, but there was no time to speculate? “I’m waiting.”
“The girl got away.”
“You’re telling me Kate Penrose escaped capture yet again.”
“Yes, it was dark, and she ran off into the night. Gregson and I pursued her, but Gregson, the idiot, fell and broke his ankle.”
“So?”
“I couldn’t just leave him there. Anyway, she was well away by then.”
“Excuses King, always excuses. The Rectifiers don’t want excuses, they want results. You will search for her King. Find her and kill her. You are armed I assume.”
“Yes, our unit of Special Branch has been armed these past two weeks.”
“Good. You will kill her when you find her. Is that understood?”
“Yes, but I might be recalled to London. I haven’t phoned Hardgrave yet, so I don’t know.”
“Hardgrave will not recall you. He has had his instructions.”
“What? Hardgrave’s a member of the Rectifiers too?”
“No, but he has had instructions from his superior that you are to remain with the task you’ve been given. Do not fail us again, King, the outcome would be very unsatisfactory for you if you do.” The line went dead.
“Hello, hello,” King said, but he knew full well that that was the end of the conversation. It always ended like that. So, he thought, I’d better start searching for Kate Penrose again and this time I’d better not fail, or I’ll end up dead.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
Kate was starving after she’d left the railway station and so went to a greasy spoon cafe near to the harbour. She knew it served a good breakfast and ordered the largest one that she could eat. Afterwards Kate set off to find out where the buses to St Just ran from. Her paternal grandfather had come from St Just and it had been a place she’d promised herself that she would visit one day. Inexplicably she now felt a compulsion to visit there today and being a person who always trusted her instincts, she decided that she should follow them.
Leaving the café, Kate soon found where the bus to St Just ran from and got onto the one which was waiting to go out. She paid her fare and took a seat at the back of the bus. Kate knew there was a camp site just outside St Just and as she had her one-person tent strapped to her rucksack, decided to camp there, until she decided what to do next. Kate must have drifted off to sleep, as the next thing she knew someone was shaking her arm gently.
“The bus terminates here, dear. Were you getting off at St Just?” a kindly voice enquired. Opening her eyes and looking up, Kate saw an elderly lady looking down at her.
“Yes, I am. I must have dropped off to sleep.” Kate grabbed her rucksack and followed the old lady off the bus. They were the last passengers to disembark. Kate looked around her.
“This is the Market Square, dear. Were you looking for anywhere in particular?” The old lady asked her.
“Just somewhere to camp. I heard that there’s a campsite not far from the town.”
“There is, but it doesn’t open until the summer holidays.”
“Oh, I didn’t realise that,” Kate replied and noticed that the old lady was looking at her closely.
“You seem very familiar dear,” the old lady said. Oh, god Kate thought, they’ve surely not already put my photo out on the telly. “Yes, you have the look of a Penrose about you. I’m a Penrose too, my dear,” the old lady quickly reassured Kate, seeing the look of alarm that had crossed the girl’s face, “but you’re not from around here, are you?” Kate shook her head. “Well, my eldest brother David left here after the first world war. I can barely remember him; I was only six years old at the time. He went to mine coal up north, Doncaster way I think. He wrote home for a while and then the letters stopped. Mind you, that’s men for you and David was never a great letter writer, mam said. Look my legs are weary, let’s go and sit on that bench over there.”
Kate walked with the old lady to the bench and both of them sat down.
“So young lady, are you a Penrose?”
“Yes, I am,” Kate answered, having decided to trust the old lady. Kate had been looking closely at her and saw that although it was now fading and had some flecks of grey in it, the old lady’s hair was the same colour as her own. She had similar features to Kate too.
“Well you’re too young to be David’s daughter, so who are you?”
“His granddaughter, Kate, well Catherine really, but I prefer to be called Kate.”
“So, he did have a son. We heard that he had, but I’ve never met him. I could never travel up north, not, mind you, that we ever had an invitation to.”
“I never knew my grandfather,” Kate told the old lady. “He died before I was born. A mining accident.”
“Well, my name’s also Catherine and I’m your great aunt, but you can call me Cath. Now then you’d better stay with me. Can’t have you camping out.”
“I couldn’t, it�
��d be an imposition,” Kate protested.
“No girl, I insist. I want to get to know my great niece.”
“All right then,” Kate said secretly relieved. She’d not been looking forward to camping out. She’d had enough of that at Greenham Common and besides it always brought back very bad memories of what had happened there.
“Now then, where’s that useless Aengus got to? He should be here by now. Ah there he is.” Kate looked around and saw that a red Range Rover, this year’s model, had just driven into the square and was heading towards them. It stopped by where they were sitting and a tall, well-built, young man with short jet-black hair, leapt out of the driver’s seat.
“I’m very sorry I’m late Catherine,” he announced, with an Irish brogue, hurrying up to them. “A little bit of a problem, but all is well again.”
“Anything that I should know about, Aengus?” Kate’s great aunt enquired, with a quizzical look in her eye.
“All is under control, Catherine, nothing at all for you to worry about,” Aengus assured her.
“Well then, that’s good news. Oh, this is my great niece Kate, Aengus, she’ll be stopping with me for a while.” Aengus turned to look at Kate and she saw that he had the deepest blue eyes, she’d ever seen. He looked at her very closely, uncomfortably so, to tell the truth, but Kate didn’t mind as she quite liked the look of him. Then he nodded.
“I can see the family resemblance, Catherine.”
“Anyway, I’m hungry,” Catherine declared. “We’d better get back to the house, I’m sure Brigid will have lunch ready very soon and we don’t want to be late.”
The Sol 3 Agenda Page 4