He lets a smile slip onto his face as he notices two things. Firstly is that whatever has happened to O, does not appear to have had an effect on this system. Secondly there is not a full house of green lights. There are only three red lights, but that is three more than there normally are. He goes over and sits down and starts searching for the specific information regarding these lights. Ah, actually he can now see that there are four red lights and not just the three. He knows he should be looking at the three lights closer together, but it is the fourth light that really interests him. This is the light from planet Earth. This is where he finds the approach he has taken a little more interesting.
There is definitely a threat of a major proportion, which is more than he had dared to expect as early as this. Saying that, he has put some players in place to make sure everything gets started a little easier for his warriors. Surprisingly it is Ricardo who looks to have done a very effective job of stirring things up. From the information he has, The Grand Master can see that Ricardo has managed to keep himself away from the heart of the action, so that he can join up, hopefully, with the other two main warriors he has placed on the planet.
It looks like the sleepers are still more or less still sleeping, as there is little sign of action with them. There does seem to be some change to the dynamics of this pairing which he finds a little odd, but there must be a reason for it. It isn’t an exact science he is using here; there is a lot of room for error and for individuals to put their own mark on something. The only thing he can be pretty sure of is that the direction they all take will be towards disruption.
He has seen enough of that for now, so turns his attention onto the other three. One is definitely being more effective than the other two. One is being too destructive, but that may not be entirely his fault. He needs the balance to change and not to be removed entirely, if he is going to reap the full benefits of being The Grand Master. It is a slow beginning, but he is aware it is early days. Soon the red lights will start to multiply and then he will know that his dream is about to come to fruition. Once the ball is really rolling it will be increasingly hard for anyone or anything to stop him, not that there will be any person out there who has the capability to do anything effective.
That swings his mind to The Keeper. He is wondering if he still has a purpose. He knows that he has no power, but how long will it take for the peoples of the Universe to work that one out. Maybe he ought to start considering disposing of The Keeper now, before anyone realises that he has had to do very little to take over the Universe.
CHAPTER 76 THE BADDIES
Posdon surveys the destruction he has wreaked on Zalofa 7. In as much as he can do, he has totally destroyed the planet. He suspects that even though he has nullified all the defences, he has also destroyed any way there existed for the production of food. All he can hope for is that there will be some resources on Zalofa 7B for its own survival. Failing that this will be a total disaster, other than the fact that he has recorded the action here. It may serve him well to use as a warning to other planets who might be fooled by how little he appears to have to back up his threat.
Posdon checks the state of everything on Zalofa 7 before moving off to Zalofa 7B. When he arrives there he sends three androids onto the planet to investigate the full situation on the ground. There is no resistance whatsoever. In fact he finds the opposite. It would appear that the people on Zalofa 7B welcome a new regime, even if that appears to be in the form of androids. The work force has been badly treated by their seniors on Zalofa 7. Posdon finds that they have sufficient capacity for growing food in sheltered units, but that water is the one resource seriously in short supply. They do have transporters which they bring it in on from Zalofa 7 and these are still undamaged, as they are in their hangers.
The workers set up a committee and Posdon goes to meet them to tell them what he expects them to produce and pay over to him. His demands are not excessive, partly as he feels it is he who lost control of the original situation. He takes three of the workers back to the other planet to see what can be salvaged. They discover there are pockets of survivors and as some of the facilities are underground, that the destruction has not been as total as at first thought. He has no difficulty putting his new committee in charge. Only when he is satisfied that the situation is stable and is going to be of use to him, does he depart for his next target; the planet Zenfa 2.
Grillech has taken the Cotons with him as he launches his next assault. They spend some time building transporter trailers before he leaves Minelgea. These are now the temporary home to about 10,000 Cotons. Those left behind have total control of the planet. Those who have gone with Grillech are the hungry ones, those who think they will be able to make a big mark on the Universe. The arrival of Grillech has allowed them the opportunity to go on a crusade; to hopefully in time get space vehicles of their own and do as he is doing. What would be better still would be to get access to the androids. They are the most formidable foe that they can imagine. That in itself is enough to keep their own ambitions in check. If Grillech decides to use the androids against them, then they would have no chance of survival. At least this way they are part of the invading force. Grillech has promised them a fair share of whatever they take and what they will get as payment.
As they close in on Pardea 22B the reception is far less hostile than it had been on Minelgea. As it turns out they are a peaceful loving people who have managed, up until this point in their history, to remain totally out of the spotlight of everyone else in the Universe. This has been achieved by the invention of huge manufactured clouds that sit over the surface of the planet. The temperature gauges that can be read as you approach are totally false in their readings. They have also been distorted by the inhabitants. To the casual observer and even those who try to take a closer look, Pardea 22B appears to be nothing more than a ball of hissing gas, totally uninhabitable. This is also enhanced by the structures they have made that sit above the surface of the planet. They are held in place by a force field. This allows the inhabitants to use the surface of the planet without any use being disclosed to prying eyes, if there were ever any. It also serves to hold in the heat as Pardea 22B is on the cold side for most of the time.
With the majority of their existence taking place beneath the surface of the planet, the population is extremely limited in numbers. The planet just can’t sustain a population much larger than the current one of 20,000 souls. Fossil fuels are in plentiful supply, as is a seemingly endless supply of underground reservoirs and springs. Food supply proves to be the most challenging aspect of their lives, having to force-grow pretty much everything they need. It is a shame that they cannot eat the two most abundant minerals on the planet, as then obesity would be their biggest problem. But that would only be the case if you could eat Gold and Silver. You only have to scratch the surface to find gold nuggets so large that each one would make you a wealthy person on any other planet in the Universe.
When they realise that Grillech and the Colons are going to be easily satisfied with a haul of their stored treasures and a not too big a target of future mining and gathering, there is agreement to work under them. The lack of food alone is the only factor, so they move on quickly but leaving three androids and 100 Colons to manage their colony.
That leaves them free to seek out their next planets of Monsh, Nitll and Nolta.
CHAPTER 77 RICARDO
Ricardo warily makes his way to the airport. He would have chosen the tube, once he had managed to make his way back to London. He can’t take the tube because it is shut down tight. He leaves the railway station to find the streets strewn with bits of debris. Bricks, bottles, furniture, pieces of metal and a whole assortment of other items litter the place. Even as he stands there, he sees a group of men in the distance goading some police on horseback. He sees a cab drop a passenger off at the entrance to the station, so he runs over to try to hire the cab to take him to the airport. The guy is reluctant at first, but because Ricar
do has an American accent and a handful of dollars he is persuaded to take him. Ricardo guesses he has paid way over the odds for the journey, but that doesn’t matter as long as he can get out of here and back home.
The cab has to take a wide berth route to get there. Several times their way is blocked by streets closed off. Even the motorway is closed at one point to try to stop more people getting into the capital to protest.
They eventually make it there unscathed. Ricardo decamps quickly and the driver speeds off before he gets another fare to take him back to the war zone. Once inside the terminal, Ricardo manages to get a seat on an early flight, paying in cash as he pretends he has been robbed of his cards earlier in the day. He doesn’t know where his original ticket is. It is fair to say the airport is a little nervous. Extra armed police patrols are evident. Ricardo has an inward warm smile to himself; that this is something he has managed to start. He isn’t going to let them know that though.
He has a few iffy moments at immigration in the USA when he gets there, as the systems are all down. The queues for non USA passengers are horrendous. Because he has his passport and the picture certainly looks like him, he is quickly ushered through the home channel.
Customs are more interested in the overseas visitors, so Ricardo quickly gets out into the terminal. He has to wait a few minutes for a cab to take him into Manhattan. There isn’t the buzz that had been around in London, but it is clear to Ricardo that something has kicked off this side of the pond too.
It is too much to expect his parcel to have arrived at the hotel already and in that he isn’t disappointed. He has paid for the fastest service available. There is no way he would have managed to get the gun through security and on the plane, particularly as things stand at the moment. He takes a shower and goes out for some food. He doesn’t stray far and soon he is back in his room, flicking through the channels on the TV. Here and there are outbreaks of unrest. They have been dealt with on a harsher scale here than in England, but the momentum is still growing. Whatever story the reporter is trying to put across that everything is well under control, falls well short of the mark. There is a hint of fear showing in his eyes that belies the story he tells.
New York isn’t the quietest of cities at the best of times. No matter how hard Ricardo tries to sleep, he keeps waking up at the extra noises going on in the street. It is the constant sirens in the distance that tell him things are getting worse.
He gets up for an early breakfast feeling bright and breezy. He asks what time the mail usually arrives at. His type of parcel comes about lunchtime, if it is going to be today. Ricardo really hopes it will be. He wants the security and power of having that weapon back in his possession again. He also needs to get himself a car to drive. The first few places he calls are right out of vehicles. There seems to be a general exodus from the city. Ricardo goes down to the reception to see what they can do. They struggle as much as he has done.
One of the bellhops comes over to him as he is sitting waiting for things to drop into
place. He says he knows where he can get Ricardo a car to rent, but it will have to be cash. Ricardo makes sure the car is legal. The last thing he needs is to be pulled over with him carrying that sort of weapon. They agree a price, before going into the bathrooms to exchange the cash. It isn’t cheap, but again that is the least of Ricardo’s worries. An hour later he is led out of the back doors to see his ‘rental’. The bellhop has taken a note of his license and address. He tells Ricardo that if he wants it any longer than his week’s stay, then he needs to renegotiate that. Ricardo tells him that won’t be happening. His need for the rental will be over by then. The bellhop takes this in the way Ricardo intends him to; Ricardo is thinking of things in a completely different way.
Just as he is returning from viewing his new transport, the USPS van driver is delivering parcels to the desk. Ricardo walks over to see if his parcel has arrived. He can see it has, but he doesn’t want to alert them that he has posted the parcel to himself. He collects the parcel and returns to his room. Now he is complete again, he can sit down and plan what he is going to do next and where. Something inside of him tells him he should get out of the city. It is not a good place to get trapped, particularly when you don’t know it that well.
CHAPTER 78 THE WATCHER
The Watcher goes out of the room along with the others. They lead him to an impressive research room absolutely crammed with electronic equipment. There are several people already sitting in front of screens monitoring things that The Watcher cannot even guess at. Not surprisingly Baram, Melde and Sinca are reluctant to disclose much to them. They lead The Watcher to an enclosed area in one corner. The sides are clear and at first glance it would appear the area is completely empty. They ask The Watcher to go in. He asks if it is necessary that he take off his hat and cloak before he goes in. They tell him that is not necessary. They ask him to stand in the middle of the area and then they close the door. Once that has happened they ask him to stand still.
Several of the technicians then turn away from their screens and face The Watcher. In their hands they have hand held devices which they start to fire in his direction. A plethora of shafts of light are guided towards The Watcher. Every colour imaginable make up the hundreds of rays of light. When each ray strikes him they then bounce off him. Depending on the angle each one strikes it is sent to a side wall, the floor or the ceiling. When the ray strikes that part, it bounces off once more and so the process repeats. After only a few seconds, all that can be seen in the area is a mass of coloured light, fusing into even more colours as they cross and combine.
Inside there, The Watcher can only stand and watch. He is not perturbed by the fact he cannot now see anything other than the dazzle of light in front of his eyes. He has seen something similar to this before, although not on this scale.
When he is totally obscured from the technicians, another technician turns and starts to press some buttons on his hand held device. A distant humming sound starts, slowly getting louder. There is also a vibration in the air inside the room. Humming and the vibration seem to be on a collision course and in fact they are. Just at the point when you feel the vibration is going to start disturbing the objects lying on the work desks and the humming sound is going to hurt the ears, there is an electric crack. In the middle of the room is where it occurs and the instant it does, the humming and vibration cease. In their place a vortex appears, coloured blue. It is maybe only a few inches long and an inch or so wide. The technicians firing the rays of light stop firing them. There is no more colour being added in the area now, but what colour is there already, remains. The technician who has started the humming noise and the vibration now concentrates on the vortex. He seems to be guiding it towards the door of the case where The Watcher is. The door does not open, however, but the vortex slips seamlessly through the wall and into the colours. As soon as it is in there it starts drawing the colours into it, sucking them effortlessly in and dissolving them. In a matter of less than a minute the colours have gone. The Watcher is standing there, stock still and unperturbed by what is going on around him.
The vortex then starts bouncing round the room. It bounces off the walls, floor and ceiling; almost as though it is following the individual paths of the lights it has swallowed. This action goes on for at least fifteen minutes before the vortex stops once again. It then starts to hover in front of The Watcher, moving a few inches at a time. It then stays still for a few seconds before moving on again. It appears to be mapping him in some way. It does this to his front before moving behind him to do his back. His head it leaves until last.
When it comes to the head, it suddenly springs up and hovers immediately in front of his nose and eyes. Little dots of light fly out of the sides of the vortex and immerse into his skin, until his face is bathed and immersed in a kaleidoscope of little dots of light. The vortex stops throwing out the dots of light and moves away from him a fraction. The lights in his face start to pop and disappear. It s
tarts with one or two doing so, but rises to a crescendo of little light dots popping, until in a dazzling burst they have all gone.
The vortex starts moving again this time starting at his feet. It circles him slowly to start with, but starts to pick up speed as it rises up his body. When it reaches his shoulders it starts to go back down again. Round and round it goes and picking up speed all the while. Most of the technicians have turned back to their screens now. Only Baram, Melde and Sinca, along with the technician controlling the vortex are left watching the vortex. Round and round, up and down, all the while picking up speed until the time comes that it is all a bit of a blur. It is going so fast now it is impossible to tell exactly where it is in relation to his body. It is still getting faster though and it has now started going up higher than the top of his head. Next thing, it seems to drag its blur up from the feet going up. It pulls it all up and then without warning the vortex stops directly over The Watcher’s head.
It swells at one end before quickly sucking The Watcher into the vortex completely. The technician drops his hand held at this point.
CHAPTER 79 VEE & BAR
Vee needs to be further away from the mound if possible. She takes the time to organise the pieces she has retrieved, so that she can carry them more easily. The temptation is to leave the stuff here for now and go to make sure the craft is still ok. But to do that would mean having to risk coming back later. Once they have organised themselves after reporting in spotting them both out of the mound, there will be more soldiers and others joining the search for them. What she needs to do now is make for the craft as quickly as she can and hope that Bar has managed to escape and circle round to the craft by the time she gets there.
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