Baker’s father shook his head. ‘There’s no one, Tom and Alan have been arrested for fraud. If Freeman doesn’t get to us first, then the feds will. I’ll be slung into jail, you and Jack will be heading for the soup kitchens in Brooklyn.’
‘I’ll call dad, he’ll know what to do.’ Janet said walking over to the phone.
Charles Baker laughed. ‘Your dad won’t touch me with a barge pole, he’ll be too busy bailing his own boat out before it sinks. Besides he never liked or trusted me.’ He walked over to a chest of drawers opening the top drawer looking inside. He reached in and picked up a thirty eight revolver.
Janet started to dial.
Jack climbed out of bed and opened his bedroom door. Slowly he inched along the apartment hallway. He could hear his mother talking on the phone, she had her back to her husband. Through the narrow gap of the door his father’s outstretched arm could be seen gripping the gun. A single gunshot rang out, reverberating throughout the Central Park apartment. Janet Baker’s lifeless body fell forwards onto the floor face down. The young boy reached the living room door and pushed it open. His father stood over his mother’s body sobbing. Jack stood staring down at his dead mother. Charles Baker looked at his son, pointing the revolver directly at his head. ‘I’m sorry’ he sobbed.
Jack stared into his father’s eyes, who pointed the gun away, putting the barrel into his mouth and pulling the trigger.
Jack Baker was flung back to the present, tears welled up in his eyes, and he began to sob.
‘Your life will end abruptly Agent Baker, and you will give it willingly.’ Janus then focused his attention on Dr Lloyd. ‘Tell me doctor, how long can you deny the truth. How long can you keep your secret from Mary?’
Lloyd started to shake as Janus’ words hit home.
‘Even now I can see the cancer ravaging your body, time to face the truth doctor, your end is closer than you think.’
Finally Janus turned to Frederick. ‘Professor Ralph Frederick, your thoughts are as clear as day, I can see why he chose you, such a rare gift in a young species.’
An image of Rothschild suddenly appeared in Frederick’s mind.
‘So many happy memories with Elizabeth and Susan, but it won’t last. The path you are on will lead to great loss. Tell me Professor, are you prepared for what’s ahead?’
Frederick suddenly found himself in a church or cathedral. He could hear his daughter Susan crying. Slowly he turned to face the little girl who looked slightly older than she was now. She was on her knees next to a hunched figure. ‘Susan.’ He called out.
‘Your colleagues will abandon you Professor.’ Janus continued.
Frederick suddenly found himself in front of a group of people. Royal Society members Norman Hinshelwood, and Chester Osborne sat at a long table. Looking towards another man seated alone in the middle of a large room.
‘And you will lose those whom you hold most dear.’ Janus continued.
Frederick’s mind was thrust back into the Cathedral; he looked down at his sobbing daughter and then the other figure who was himself, cradling the dead body of Elizabeth in his arms.
‘This is your future Professor.’ Janus said.
Frederick closed his eyes desperately trying to scrub the image from his mind. He opened them again and walked forward past Cones who was still kneeling. Picking up the shotgun he pointed it at Janus.
‘You cannot kill me Professor.’ Janus boasted. ‘I am never ending, I am your past, your present, and I am the future.’ A short intense burst of brilliant light lit up the surrounding countryside, before the darkness descended.
Frederick looked into the clear night sky and watched a light streak away; he took a deep breath and looked down at Cones. ‘Is everybody ok?’
Cones got to his feet, feeling disoriented he switched on his torch. ‘What the hell just happened?’
‘I’m not sure.’ Frederick answered.
Lloyd looked about. ‘Where are all the villagers?’
All four men scanned the field but everyone had vanished along with Janus. ‘They’re all gone.’ Baker said.
‘Mr Cones, Mr Cones!’ A voice shouted from the field entrance. Jimmy ran up to the American. ‘It’s Mr Andrews, come quickly.’
Dr Lloyd knelt as close as he could to the body of the pub landlord. Blood continued to bleed out of his eyes and ears. ‘It’s similar to the two Royal air force personnel last year.’ He looked a Frederick. ‘We have to call Malcolm, this village needs to be cordoned off.’
‘We’d love to stay around and help out fellas but we cannot be here when the cavalry arrives.’ Cones said.
Frederick looked at the American. ‘What did he mean when he said you have encountered him many times before?’
‘How the hell should I know.’ Cones shrugged.
‘No offense Agent Cones but Janus seemed to be very familiar with you.’
‘I’m telling you, that’s the first time I’ve encountered that guy.’
Fair enough if you’re going to continue with this charade, when you get the chance to speak with your superiors tell them the British government will not tolerate rogue US intelligence agents sneaking around rural England.’
Cones and Baker left without saying goodbye.
Chapter 47
Quarantine
Stoke Lacy – Herefordshire – 1:23pm
Wednesday 21st January 1953
Malcolm Chambers, Ian Morgan, Morris Stanford and Professor Wilks sat around the large kitchen table in the guesthouse. Frederick and Lloyd spent the last hour relaying the events of the last few days.
‘The big question is, who this Janus fellow is.’ Chambers said.
‘Or what he is.’ Professor Wilks added. The other committee members looked at him. ‘Well it’s obvious from what both Ralph and Arthur have told us this Janus fellow wasn’t human.’
‘Despite his appearance.’ Lloyd said. ‘He looked perfectly human to me Richard.’
‘Maybe so, but his ability to not only read your minds but also to project images directly into them suggests otherwise.’
‘What do you suppose this Janus chap wanted with all the villagers?’ Ian Morgan said.
‘They were obviously part of whatever plan he was hatching.’ Replied Wilks.
‘An invasion.’ Stanford suggested.
‘If so where are their invading armies?’ Chambers questioned. ‘These creatures are obviously more advanced than us why not just send a fleet of spaceships.’
‘Janus also made another claim about Agent Cones. He referred to him as hero of kings of old and that he had met Agent Cones on many occasions.’ Frederick revealed. ‘He also mentioned something about the future that awaits this Agent Cones.’
‘Do you suppose that the Americans may know about this Janus fellow?’ Chambers asked.
‘Agent Cones claimed that he had never met Janus before.’ Frederick said.
Chambers inhaled. ‘There are many pieces to this particular puzzle.’
‘What happens now?’ Frederick asked turning to Chambers.
‘This village will be quarantined for the time being. A cover story is being prepared for the press.’
‘What about Jimmy?’
‘The young man will be transferred to a secure facility. He obviously has some kind of mental illness and will be well cared for. The body of the landlord to the guesthouse will be taken away for analysis.’ Chambers looked at Frederick and Lloyd. ‘How are you two holding up after your experience?’
Lloyd took a deep breath thinking about the night before and what Janus had told him. ‘It is true I do have cancer.’ He revealed.
The others looked on.
‘Too much passion for the good stuff I’m afraid.’ He said staring at the glass of whiskey in front of him.
‘How long do you have?’ Morgan asked.
‘Four months, maybe more.’ Sighed Lloyd. ‘Funny, I was planning to tell Mary this weekend.’
Chambers looked at Frederick. ‘H
ow about you Ralph, what did you make of what you saw?’
Frederick hesitated before speaking. ‘He claimed to have shown me my future. I saw myself holding Elizabeth in my arms with Susan beside me.’ Frederick analysed the image in his head. ‘It’s impossible to say where I am. I’m familiar with many of the cathedrals in England. There was something vaguely familiar about the surrounding but I cannot put my finger on it.’
Chambers nodded. ‘Well I’m sure you’ll want to get back to your families. Why don’t you both take a few weeks out and carry on with your normal working lives.’
Both Frederick and Lloyd nodded.
‘We’ll track down information regarding our American friends, it shouldn’t be too difficult now that we have their names. We’ll also look into their claims about that doctor in Ripley you encountered last year.’ Morris Stanford said.
Emneth – Norfolk
9:04pm
Frederick walked up to Elizabeth sweeping her up in his arms and kissing her.
‘What’s got into you?’ She asked smiling back at her husband.
The image that Janus had projected into Frederick’s mind burned. He smiled back at his wife. ‘Nothing, I just thought you deserved a bit of attention.’ Holding Liz in his arms, the image started to fade a little.
Hyde Park – London – 11:56am
Friday 23rd January 1953
Bill Mirren glanced at his watch before wrapping his coat tightly around him. A man approached and sat down next to him.
‘You late.’ Mirren grumbled.
‘I know.’ The man replied. ‘I am rather busy you know.’
‘So what is it this time?’
The man passed Mirren a folder. ‘An incident that occurred recently in the Herefordshire area.’
Mirren opened the case file.
‘The military has cordoned off the village and issued a statement about a smallpox outbreak.’
‘Smallpox.’ Mirren.
‘It’s the best they could come up with at short notice.’
Mirren studied the casefile in front of him. ‘Any idea who this Janus fellow is?’
‘No, but I can tell you he is not of this earth.’
‘I see.’
The man got to his feet. ‘I have to go.’ He said walking away.
‘What do you want me to do about this?’
The man turned. ‘You’re the editor of the London Evening Examiner Mr Mirren, I’ll leave it for you to decide.’
Whitehall – London – 9:34am
Saturday 24th January – 1953
Morris Stanford marched into Chambers’ office and slammed a newspaper down onto the desk. ‘We have a bloody leak!’
Chambers looked at the article for a few moments. ‘I’d hardly call this a leak Morris. From here it looks like the Examiner is reaching.’
Stanford pointed at the newspaper. ‘They’re questioning the whereabouts of the villagers.’ He started to pace up and down.
Chambers read the article in full. ‘It doesn’t say anything here that resembled what happened.’
‘But it does mention a number of UFO sightings in the area.’
‘Probably to make the story sound more interesting than it already is.’ Chambers handed the newspaper back to Stanford. ‘You know what the press is like they like to blow everything out of proportion. There was an article in the Hereford Times about a number of UFO sightings. That’s why we sent Ralph and Arthur out there remember.’
Stanford eventually nodded.
‘No one will pay any attention to this Morris.’
Stanford took a deep breath. ‘I wish I had your confidence.’
Chapter 48
The Order of Galileo
St James Park – London – 9:38am
Thursday 29th January 1953
Rothschild approached Frederick, flanked by two other men whom he was familiar with. Frederick stood and looked at all three men, slightly confused if not a little annoyed that Rothschild had brought company. As instructed by the doctor a few weeks earlier Frederick placed a twelve year old bottle of brandy in his office window as a sign that he wanted to talk to Rothschild.
‘Professor Frederick good to see you.’ Rothschild offered his hand, noting the look on his face. ‘You needn’t worry Professor you are in good company. I know you are familiar with my colleagues.’
Nathan Rosen and Werner Heisenberg who were well known and highly respected physicists shook Frederick’s hand.
‘I needed to speak with you concerning an incident a few weeks ago.’ Frederick said.
Rothschild nodded. ‘The incident in Stoke Lacy, I’m sure it was an experience that left you with a lot of questions.’
Frederick ignored Rothschild’s knowledge of the encounter. ‘Something tells me that you’re familiar with this Janus.’
Rothschild nodded. ‘Our paths have crossed many times. The Order has records of him stretching back hundreds of years.’
‘Who is he, or rather what is he?’
‘We do not know.’ Rothschild replied. ‘We do know that he’s been spotted more regularly, infiltrating society and taking people at random.’
Frederick’s thoughts focused on what Janus had shown him. ‘Does he have the power to show me the future?’
‘Perhaps, but nothing is written in stone Professor.’ Rothschild said. ‘You as a physicist should know this. Janus’ plan was to scare you into not making decisions that might upset his agenda.’
Frederick nodded sensing that Rothschild wasn’t being completely honest with him. He stared at all three men. ‘You mentioned something called The Order, what is that?’
Nathan Rosen began to speak. ‘The Order of Galileo is a group of scientists and engineers who operate outside the boundaries of governing bodies.’
‘Our group.’ Heisenberg continued. ‘Was founded in 1600 by Galileo Galilei, who rumour has it was given knowledge by a much older organisation which stretched all the way back to the third century BC. Dr Rothschild has probably told you about our goal, which is to learn as much as we can from the observable universe around us to further scientific knowledge, understanding and advancement.’
Rothschild took over. ‘The twentieth century has been a leap forward in scientific understanding. Now that we have certain technology we can accelerate our knowledge. We own land on the outskirts of Geneva and several European governments are collaborating in setting up a nuclear physics research laboratory. Our goal is to persuade them to use the land we own, in order to establish this research facility.’
‘We are on a threshold Professor Frederick.’ Rosen said. ‘To unlocking the very secrets that bind our universe. We believe that the creatures that pilot these UFOs have harnessed an incredible energy source. If we can understand and harness that energy ourselves then we can pave the way for the human race.’
‘In what way?’ Frederick asked.
‘There are nearly three billion people on this planet Professor Frederick.’ Rothschild lectured. ‘And with the development of modern medicines the population is starting to rise at an alarming rate. The Order predicts that by the end of the twentieth century there could well be six billion plus, if the population stays on its current rate of growth. Our statistics show that the natural resources we utilize will not be able to sustain us beyond the year 2040. In short we have less than one hundred years before mankind faces its greatest threat, extinction. Once all the natural resources are used up society will descend into chaos. War will ravage this planet, war unlike any other we have experienced, and with a lack of natural resources mankind will be thrown back to the stone age, forced to scavenge for survival.’
‘The Order is working to prevent this.’ Heisenberg said. ‘As we progress new technologies will be invented easing the burden on our natural resources, but unfortunately this will not solve the problem of population growth.’
‘Which is why we are interested in flying saucers.’ Rothschild said. ‘These creatures possess the technology to not only tra
vel between star systems, but entire galaxies. That Professor Frederick is the holy grail of science, to be able to travel to another planet. But we cannot do this alone which is why we have prominent scientists like yourself, Heisenberg and Rosen placed around the world influencing governments to push the boundaries of discovery. There are more planets in the heavens than we can count Professor; if the human race has any hope of surviving then it’s out there among the stars.’
‘It’s an inspiring speech doctor Rothschild but you know as well as I do that politicians call the shots at the end of the day. It doesn’t matter if you’re in the United Kingdom, USA or the Soviet Union, our leaders will always have the upper hand.’
‘Something that we are working on, I can assure you Professor.’ Rothschild smiled.
‘What about the mainstream scientific community you still have to contend with them. Many scientists are unwilling to embrace the notion that we are not alone. We have yet to develop the technology to build telescopes capable of seeing other planets.’
‘In time Professor Frederick We will achieve things only science fiction can imagine.’ Rosen said.
Frederick nodded, his thoughts returned to why he had requested a meeting. ‘How much of a threat is this Janus?’
‘We’re not sure, if you’re fearful of an invasion rest assured he doesn’t seem to be interested in anything like that. Janus is an enigma which has been around for a long time. Your encounter with him a few weeks back won’t be the last I fear. If he has accessed your thoughts then he has something in mind.’ A gentle breezed carried the distant chimes of Big Ben. ‘I suggest we part company for now Professor, my time is more limited because of Comrade Stalin’s paranoia, his security services keep a watchful eye on the border. Many of us will be very grateful when he meets his maker.’
‘Choice words for someone so dedicating in proving things that will unravel religion.’ Commented Frederick.
Rothschild smiled. ‘There are many kinds of faiths Professor.’ He said tipping his hat and walking off towards Buckingham Palace with the two other men.
Codename Angel (The Angel Chronicles Book 1) Page 14