Frederick studied the glowing map in front of him. ‘One of these red dots is flashing.’ He pointed to a region in the north of England.’
The other men looked at the map.
Frederick reached out and tapped on the flashing dot. The map enlarged itself and focused on the area where the red flashing dot was. Frederick shook his head slowly. ‘I don’t think these are landing sites, more like markers.’
‘Markers for what Professor?’ Bush asked.
‘People.’ Frederick answered.
‘People?’ Bush said bemused.
‘Where is that?’ Canning asked.
Frederick took a deep breath. ‘If this map is accurate, It’s Ripley, North Yorkshire the place where Edith Jones lived.’
‘Sorry, but who is Edith Jones?’ Bushed asked.
Frederick glanced at Norman Canning who nodded. ‘A woman we investigated last year regarding a flying saucer kidnapping.’
Bush studied the flashing marker swallowing hard. Bates noted the look on his face.
‘Something bothering you Doctor Bush?’
The American nodded and tapped on the bottom symbol again. The view changed and a map of the continental Unites states appeared. ‘If what you say is true Professor then we have a serious problem on our hands.’ The four of them stared at the map which was covered with thousands of red and green markers.
Canning looked at Frederick. ‘You must go to North Yorkshire to the place where that marker represents.’
Frederick nodded, but said nothing.
Chapter 63
The Dead will Rise
All Saints Church – Ripley - North Yorkshire – 11:12am
Thursday 5th June 1953
Professor Frederick, Vannevar Bush and Dr Lloyd were flown up to RAF Yeadon on the Orders of Sir Malcolm Chambers and CIA director Hillenkotter to investigate the information shown on the Roswell device.
‘Are you sure you’re up for this Arthur.’ Frederick asked, looking over at the frail man.
Lloyd nodded. ‘There’s no need to fuss Ralph, I’m fine.’ He coughed.
Vannevar Bush held the device over the grave of Edith Jones, the red dot flashed ominously. ‘We exhume the body.’ He suggested.
‘I’ll go and get the local vicar he should be able to locate a grave digger.’
4:03pm
Frederick looked around the doctor’s surgery which had been the setting for the previous year’s events. Two men had been assigned to dig the grave, and the coffin of Mrs Jones had been wheeled into the surgery on a makeshift trolley.
Vannevar Bush nodded giving the signal for the two grave diggers to prise the coffin lid open, which came up quite easily. ‘That will be all gentlemen.’ He said placing one hand on the lid.
Frederick and Bush stood at each end of the coffin. ‘I should warn you gentlemen, this isn’t going to be pretty.’ Dr Lloyd said.
‘On three Professor.’ Bush instructed. ‘One, two, three.’ Both men lifted the lid and put it on the floor.
All three men stared at the body inside. ‘This is incredible!’ Lloyd remarked. ‘It’s what, nearly a year since this woman died, yet her body is perfectly intact.’ He prodded the dead woman’s cheek bone. ‘It’s almost as if she’s asleep, there is no sign of decay or rigor mortis or any deterioration of the body.’ He put his stethoscope on her chest shaking his head. ‘She still has a heartbeat.’
‘How the hell is that possible?’ Frederick asked.
‘I have absolutely no idea.’ Lloyd replied.
Bush took the device out of a small satchel and held it up in front of the coffin. Tapping on it once a symbol appeared on the surface.
‘What is that?’ Frederick asked.
‘I have no idea.’ Bush replied. ‘But there’s only one way to find out.’ He tapped the symbol and the room filled with sounds while the device displayed all kind of images. ‘This is incredible.’ Bush stated.
‘What’s it doing?’ Lloyd asked having to raise his voice over the noise.
‘It’s somehow collecting information.’ Bush studied the images on the device. ‘Every memory this woman has had is being collected.’
The device seemed to be displaying images of the woman’s childhood seen through her eyes. Her parents playing with her and other children running around a school playground. Bush tapped the object and the images speeded up. For several minutes the three men watched the entire life of Edith Jones unfold. Frederick looked on as moving images of the incident which had brought him to Ripley a year earlier played. He saw himself visiting the Jones’ months before and then the device stopped suddenly.’
Another symbol appeared on the screen.
Frederick recognised the symbol. He searched his memory and remembered it was etched on the door of Sir William Ingles’ castle door. ‘I don’t believe it!’
‘What?’ Bush said looking at Frederick.
‘I’ve encountered this symbol before.’
‘When?’
‘Last year, it was carved onto an oak door at Ripley Castle.’
‘How can that be?’ Lloyd asked.
‘I have no idea but it’s definitely the same symbol.’
Bush hesitated before tapping the symbol. All three men jumped back from the coffin as Edith Jones opened her eyes and sat up right.
‘What the hell is going on?’ Frederick said.
The woman slowly looked around, before lifting herself out of the coffin and standing up right. She seemed totally unaware of anyone else’s presence. The device Bush had in his hand displayed dozens of symbols which shifted diagonally and vertically around the screen. Edith Jones located the door and walked towards it. The two grave diggers outside the room backed against the wall as the dead woman walked past them. Frederick, Bush and Lloyd gave chase. Edith Jones walked out of the front door of the building and onto the street. She then started to run down the road and was soon out of sight.
Bush looked at the device shaking his head. ‘She no longer shows up.’
Frederick looked over his shoulder. The screen on the device was now blank.
After an hour of searching the three men decided to give up and return to the hotel which they were staying at. Bush had ordered the startled grave diggers to return the coffin to the grave and bury it.
‘Where do you think she is?’ Frederick asked.
Bush studied the device looking for clues as to where she might have gone. ‘I can’t even find the images it displayed earlier it’s like they were there and now they’re gone.’
Dr Lloyd entered the guest room and closed the door behind him. ‘Just been speaking to the local bobby, one of the villagers reported their car missing about twenty minutes ago. Claims he swore that he saw Edith Jones getting in and driving off.’
‘We need to close the road in and out of this village.’ Frederick suggested.
‘You know that’s only going to alert Sir Ingles.’ Replied Lloyd.
‘A pointless gesture anyway.’ Bush remarked. ‘She’s now mobile, she’ll be twenty miles away by now.’ Bush held up the device. ‘And this thing isn’t giving us any clues as to her whereabouts.’
Frederick looked across at Lloyd who sat down on the bed, clutching his chest. ‘Arthur, what’s the matter?’
Doctor Lloyd groaned in pain, before falling off the edge of the bed. Frederick rushed to his side.
Chapter 64
New Alliances
Whitehall – London – 2:45pm
Monday 9th June 1953
Agent Frank Cones sat opposite Professor Frederick smiling at him. Hillenkotter, Bush and Menzel were also present as well as Morris Stanford and Ian Morgan. The door to the meeting room opened and Sir Malcolm Chambers marched in.
‘How is he?’ Frederick asked.
Chambers shook his head. ‘Not good, his doctors say the cancer has totally ravaged his body. It’s only a matter of time now before he succumbs to it.’ He sat down at the head of the table. ‘I have just received some disturbing new
s concerning the two air force pilots that were taken late last year. Both their families have reported that their graves have been disturbed and the bodies gone.’
‘What do you suppose is going on with these people?’ Ian Morgan directed his question towards Dr Menzel.
‘They obviously serve a purpose.’ He shook his head. ‘But what that is, we have no idea.’
‘I’d say we were under some form of attack, it’s obvious whatever’s controlling these people is using them to infiltrate the general population.’ Hillenkotter said.
‘We have no defence against this.’ Ian Morgan stated.
‘No we don’t.’ Hillenkotter admitted.
‘Given the information your device has shown us there could be hundreds of people living amongst us who are under the control of these creatures.’ Morgan added.
Chambers looked at Vannevar Bush. ‘Before you return to America Doctor I want you to get as much information on those markers which show up on the device. I want to know where they are so that we can identify who’s been in contact with these creatures.’
Bush nodded. ‘I’ll get started immediately.’
‘Professor Wilks will assist you. I want a map of where these people are.’
‘In the meantime.’ Hillenkotter said. ‘I’m loaning you Agent Cones. He will work closely with you in tracking down some of these people. It will be a temporary measure until we assign a more permanent team to investigate these people.’
‘Good idea.’ Replied Chambers. ‘The more men we can get on this the better chance we have of combating the situation.’
‘What about the symbol on the device that brought Edith Jones back from the dead. It can’t be a coincidence that it’s etched onto the door of a Castle in Ripley.’ Frederick pointed out.
‘You think Sir Ingles maybe holding something back?’ Chambers said.
‘He could be, there’s only one way to find out. I could speak to him see if he knows anything else about what happened to her.’
Chambers nodded.
Chapter 65
Myth and legend
Ripley Castle – North Yorkshire
Wednesday 11th June 1953
Frederick walked across the courtyard towards the large oak door. He took a few minutes to study the symbol etched into the oak panelling. It was definitely the same symbol that appeared on the Roswell device.
The sound of approaching horses grew louder. Frederick turned to see Sir Ingles on horseback. A woman on another horse accompanied him.
‘Professor Frederick, I would have thought concerning recent events you would not be bold enough to show your face around here.’
Frederick remained silent.
‘You think events like a woman rising from the dead could be kept a secret in these parts? My family founded this village Professor nothing escapes my attention.’ Ingles dismounted.
Frederick pointed at the symbol on the door. ‘Then perhaps you might like to tell me what that means.’
Ingles looked at the symbol for several seconds before looking up at the woman on horseback smiling. ‘Would you excuse me Lady Amber.’
The woman turned her horse which trotted out of the courtyard.
‘What is it you wish to know?’
‘What this symbol means.’
‘I told you the first time you were here, it was used by my ancestors to ward off evil spirits.’
‘Is that it?’
‘Yes that’s it!’
Ingles led his horse away to the adjoining stables. ‘If there’s nothing else please leave.’
Frederick glanced at the door before walking after Ingles. ‘How many others are there Sir Ingles?’
Ingles stopped. ‘Others?’
‘I think you know what I mean. How many other people are there like Edith Jones in this village?’
Ingles turned to face Frederick. ‘I don’t know.’
‘Or just don’t want to tell me.’
A stable hand walked up to Ingles and led his horse away.
‘I’m not lying Professor I swear!’ Ingles inhaled. ‘My ancestors settled in the Village nearly eight hundred years ago.’ He pointed at the oak door. ‘That symbol you are so interested in was brought back from Jerusalem.’
‘Jerusalem.’
Ingles nodded closing his eyes for a few moments. ‘Come with me Professor.’
Frederick was led through to the sitting room. Ingles looked up at a large portrait of one of his ancestors. ‘The man who carved that symbol was this fellow, Sir Thomas Ingles.’
Frederick stared at the white vest the man was wearing. It bared the symbol a red St George’s Cross. A shield was also present in the portrait.
‘He was a member of the knights Templar, sworn to protect the holy land from Turks. He accompanied Richard the Lionheart on his crusade.’
‘And survived.’ Frederick said.
‘Barely.’ Ingles replied. ‘It is said that on his return he carved out the symbol in the door. The crusade had changed him. The servants said that he would wake up in the middle of the night, screaming about unearthly creatures attacking the holy city of Jerusalem, led by what he called The Dark Ones.’
‘The Dark Ones.’ Frederick stated.
Ingles nodded. ‘His wife tried her best to comfort him but he slowly began to lose his mind. One morning a servant entered the bed chambers and found sir Ingles huddled in the corner. His wife lay dead on their marital bed, with her throat slit and her eyes gouged out.’
Frederick found himself transfixed as Sir Ingles told the story.
‘Sir Thomas was hanged a few days later. The local clergy said that the devil had possessed him. Before his death Sir Ingles told his son about his time in Jerusalem. At the height of King Richard’s crusade a disease swept through the holy city. People were overcome by what became known as the maddening death. He said that these Dark Ones were responsible for the maddening death. Richard and his knights barricaded themselves into a small church and prayed to god to save them from this maddening death.’
‘Obviously it worked.’ Frederick said. ‘I know enough about history to know that Richard returned.’
Ingles nodded. ‘Sir Thomas claimed that a mysterious stranger appeared out of a heavenly light. A great battle occurred between Richard and his knights and those inflicted by the disease. This stranger along with a beautiful woman helped King Richard and his knights defeat the maddening death. I know how the story sounds, talk of heavenly lights and beautiful women.’
‘A bit fanciful.’
Ingles nodded. ‘Yes.’
‘What has all this got to do with Edith Jones?’
‘When sir Thomas returned from the crusades the dreams began almost immediately.’
‘Dreams?’
‘Sir Thomas claimed that demons would descend and take him. They would violate his body before retuning him. Poor fellow eventually went mad, the rest I have already told you. Since then there have been sightings of these demons for centuries. People locally have nicknamed them the Grey.’
‘And Edith Jones claimed to have seen these creatures?’
Ingles nodded. ‘She was just one of many women down the years who have had encounters with the Grey. A while back Edith disappeared for a few days. After she was returned she came to see me. She told me about her pregnancy before she told her husband. She said that her relationship with Brian was starting to break down. They were unable to have children before she was taken.’
Frederick reminisced about what Jones had said to him a year earlier. ‘And when she returned she was expecting.’
‘Yes, I advised her to keep the child and stick with Brian. He was her best chance of a normal life. This is the first time that this has happened, the Grey returning to reclaim a child. Over the centuries many women in the village have given birth to children because they have come into contact with these creatures. The children were either taken away and killed by the local clergy or died at birth often taking with them their mothers.’
>
Frederick nodded. ‘It still doesn’t explain why they visit this area in particular.’
‘There is a legend relating to a standing stone which is located just on farmland at the back of the castle. It is said that god had placed it there as a signpost for his angels.’
‘Can you show me?’
Ingles hesitated before nodding.
Several minutes Frederick found himself staring up at a stone monolith which stood alone in a field. Approximately fifteen foot in height and four foot across the stone was covered with strange etchings. Five circles in a straight line with another line pointing up from the forth circle to a series of dots near the top of the stone.
‘This field is part of my estate.’ Ingles revealed. ‘Although it’s never used.’
‘Why?’ Frederick asked looking around.
‘None of my cattle will graze here, I have never seen a bird fly overhead or seen a rabbit or fox.’
Frederick looked back at the stone. ‘You think it has something to do with this?’
Ingles nodded. ‘When a child was born belonging to a woman who had been taken by the Grey, this is where the children were taken to be killed. The clergy believed that this stone would ferry their souls to heaven. It’s none locally as the dead stone.’
Frederick felt an icy cold shiver race down his back.
Ingles inhaled. ‘And that concludes your history lesson and tour of my family’s past Professor.’ Ingles looked at Frederick. ‘When you return to London Professor tell your superiors that you will never stop them. They will keep on coming, they will keep taking women from this village long after you and I have gone.’
Frederick nodded. ‘Thank you Sir Ingles.’
‘Professor Frederick!’ Ingles called out as Frederick started to walk away. ‘Once you have knowledge of what has transpired here you will be drawn back time and time again. This village will call you back.’
Frederick nodded, turned away and carried on walking.
Chapter 66
The Dark Angel
Codename Angel (The Angel Chronicles Book 1) Page 22