‘That’s what it’s all about, everything that’s happened to me. Nuttall is trying to save this world in my dream state by keeping me here. Why aren’t you on Nuttall’s side – making me stay?’
‘Simply because… I love you more than life itself. Barton loves you as a daughter. We only want the best for you.’
‘Which is?’
‘To get better and return as Poppy in the real world,’ said Adam truthfully.
Madeline could no longer hold the tears back.
‘I don’t want to leave, I want to stay here with you!’ cried Madeline.
‘No you don’t. The real Adam is waiting for the real you. He’s waiting by your bedside, calling you. You have to go to him.’
‘No, I want to stay with you… I love you!’
‘I know you do but you love Adam in the real world too, you have to go back.’
‘You’re… going to help me then?’
‘That’s why I’m here… Remember when you first met me?’ asked Adam.
‘Of course, we met at Jade’s wedding, five years ago,’ said Madeline.
‘No, I mean me, not the other Adam. I came bounding down those stairs. Jenny let you in, I think she fancied you.’
‘Yes you had that awful goatee beard,’ Madeline smiled.
‘We are the same Adam but we are also two different Adam’s, we’ve diverged
– became separate and different. Remember when you said you used to be a Foreign News correspondent?’
‘Yes, you said you remembered me telling you, a strange answer.’
‘No, it wasn’t, I’ve never knew you as a Foreign News correspondent – before my time.’
Madeline was a little thrown with this fact. It meant that there were four years of their romance missing with this particular Adam. But it made no difference, she still loved him.
‘The other Adam loves Poppy and I love you, Madeline,’ clarified Adam.
‘But I am Poppy!’ Madeline protested.
‘To me, in this world, you are far more Madeline than Poppy.’
He was right, she knew he was. Adam hadn’t had a lot to do with Poppy in this world. Yes, he saw her as a burnt husk for a few minutes at the beginning but that was it. It should have been good enough for Adam to love Madeline exclusively but she classed that as half love. She reassured herself that it is the soul of someone that is loved and essentially, Poppy and Madeline had the same. It was time to change the subject.
‘Priority right now, is to stop myself becoming a mobile ultrasound projector - I hate not being able to talk. As long as it keeps happening, I can’t do anything. I will never be able to get home… to my other world.’
‘You need a bit of non invasive surgery,’ suggested Adam.
‘And where are we going to get that sort of thing done around here?’
‘Not in Guaranda, that’s a fact,’ said Adam.
Chapter 40: The operation
As Nuttall had the means to hamper Madeline’s life style at the press of a button or the turn of a switch, she advised Adam to keep his ear devices well and truly pressed into his ears. Madeline could cope with everyone else being hostile to her but not Adam.
The drive back to Quito passed too quickly. There was never any doubt that both deeply loved each other despite their recent discussion. In reality, however, this was inner love, an imaginary love in Poppy’s subconscious. This didn’t mean to say either experienced it as an inferior love, just a stop gap love. But… there was an imminent destination, a journey that Madeline had to take regardless of any contentment.
Her first port of call was Quito’s clothes shops. Her present outfit was puce and puce – tight fitting thermals loosely covered in a flight suit. She was a diamond in the rough and no doubt, one day the look would catch on but Madeline craved once again, for the feminine seductive look.
There was only one exception to Adam loving Madeline’s company and that was when she was clothes shopping. It wasn’t particularly the boredom factor, which was quite appreciable - it was the sheer time it took. For Madeline, the time flew by like a faulty watch, for Adam it dragged like 40 grit sand paper on sponge.
Finally the colours of the day were carnation pink and white, feminine indeed.
Adam was so pleased to be back in the car, it had been a hard old day - again. He had developed an intense migraine and was patiently waiting for the aspirins to work.
They followed the appropriate road signs and parked up outside a large modern hospital. The inside’s of the hospital was like any other – pastel coloured walls, lino floors and harsh fluorescent lighting. Familiar coloured signs hung from the ceiling for necessary navigation to various departments. The signs were mainly in Spanish but if you changed the ‘io’ or ‘ia’ at the end of the words to ‘e’, everything seemed pretty familiar. Eventually they found the sign: ‘Gastroscopio dept.’
Nuttall had left it long enough, Madeline’s mouth opened wide and her whole body began to gently vibrate with the power drain. Everyone in the hospital apart from Adam suddenly wanted to irrationally attack, jump on, stab, lash out and spit at anyone dressed in pink and white. If Madeline had realised this was the trigger she simply would have stripped off. Unfortunately instead she had to use her laser finger many, many times. By the time they had turned left, then right, then right again and then left and then up a flight of stairs, along a corridor, then left, through three double doors, then right and reached the endoscopia unit, they had littered the corridors with most of the hospital staff. In the endoscopia room, a doctor and a nurse also had to be lasered. Madeline ensured them that it wouldn’t hurt but in their own language they replied, ‘How the fuck do you know?’
Adam found an endoscope ready for use, freshly disinfected. He turned the monitor on and familiarised himself with the workings of the bendy, tubey, choppy tool.
‘Okay, Madam, lie on the table… open wide… this won’t hurt,’ said Adam.
Madeline wanted to say, you’re loving this, aren’t you? But because Nuttall still had her emitting an ultrasound message out of her mouth, all that came out was,
‘Or uving is are oo.’
Madeline climbed on the trolley table and lay on her side. Adam wasted no time and within seconds the endoscope was half way down her throat.
‘ee air-ul, ownt am-ige air-ee-ing,’ said Madeline.
The monitor displayed a typical android throat – like inside a drain pipe. Half way down, her voice box could clearly be seen – a neat circular cluster of small loud speakers. Adam pushed the endoscope as far down her throat as he could. Right at the bottom, what was clearly the ultrasound emitter finally came into view. A ten centimetre diameter circular device with several radiating veins pointing upwards.
‘Oory u!’ said Madeline.
The ultrasound was noticeably interfering with the display. Adam had to act quickly. The light of the end of the endoscope suddenly illuminated a small loop of thick red wire.
‘There you are, you little beauty. Steady… keep still… nearly there…’
Adam operated the cutting tool on the endoscope – snip! The wire was too thick to cut in one go. Again Adam operated the cutting tool – snip!
‘One more snip should do it!’ he yelled.
Another cut and that was it, the ultrasound immediately stopped and her mouth closed.
The operation was successful. Adam withdrew the endoscope and for no apparent reason, rinsed it under the tap.
‘Thank god for that!’ said Madeline.
‘Your operation went smoothly and without incident Madam. We anticipate a full recovery within the next couple of seconds,’ said Adam professionally.
‘Nothing to say… Nuttall?’ said Madeline.
‘I suppose the ultrasound emitter has already served its purpose. It’s too late now, you’ve missed your passage home,’ said Nuttall through her audio circuits.
On the way back through the corridors, the staff, visitors and patients who had tried to attack Madeline were now rousing.
It was all very puzzling to them – How could they possibly harm a hair on her head? Madeline was actually a lovely, lovely girl. She had every right in stunning them with what ever it was that came out of her finger.
‘What now?’ Adam asked.
‘We have to get high up,’ said Madeline.
‘How about the C N Tower?’ Adam suggested.
‘About seventeen times higher than that.’
‘You’re talking Everest then?’
The Vixen News channel was still tuned in on the TV in the now, unoccupied nondescript motel room.
‘Good evening, this is Carol Star keeping you in touch with the latest news from around the globe. Reports are coming through of an incident in Quito municipal hospital in Ecuador. Late this afternoon, over forty people including Doctors, Nurses and patients collapsed - fainted – we don’t really know. Let’s go live, to the hospital where Berny Carp takes up the story.’
‘Yes, Carol. By the way, you’re looking radiant today... another strange event, this time in Ecuador. No one has, as yet come up with an explanation for this passing out en masse.’ said Berny.
‘Could it have been a virus by any chance?’ asked Carol.
‘I don’t think so but we have just received CCTV footage inside the hospital at the time… and you’ll never guess who has been captured on the cameras?’
‘No, you’re kidding!? Not our Madeline again?’
‘Afraid so! The one and only, as you can see on the playback footage,’ said Berny.
‘Hmm, pink and white, carnation pink I believe. I don’t know… Barby dollish don’t you think? The green beam of light coming out of her finger definitely clashes. Err… what exactly is that beam of light?’ asked Carol.
‘They believe it’s just interference. Does look like a laser beam though, doesn’t it?’
‘Just listen to ourselves. We’ll be believing in Martians next!’ Carol chuckled.
‘Perhaps that’s it! Madeline is a Martian!’ suggested Berny.
‘Well, we certainly love Martians then,’ said Carol.
‘We certainly do,’ said Berny.
‘Thanks Berny… Only Vixen News keeps you informed. Stay tuned for more important updates on Madeline’s ever changing fashion. Moving on to other news… Reports are coming in from the middle east of a cataclysmic event. The Dead Sea has apparently flooded. Over to our correspondent in Jericho... Hello Ed, what can you tell us about this freak event?’
‘Hi Carol, carnation pink and white eh? I’m sure it’ll catch on… Yes well the Dead Sea has indeed flooded. Scientists have apportioned blame to the recent controversial Antarctica explosion. Apparently there’s a fault line in the Earth’s crust that runs all the way from Antarctica, across the Pacific, up the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aqaba, northwards up to the Red Sea. They say the shock wave travelled up the fault line and opened up a rift between Aqaba and the north end of the Dead Sea,’ explained Ed.
‘And water flooded in I suppose,’ said Carol.
‘Exactly right - like a tsunami - literally flooded the area in minutes.’
‘Any casualties?’ asked Carol indifferently.
‘Well this is the strange part, normally there wouldn’t have been hardly any but recently a group of some five hundred people have settled there. They apparently named the place the village of COLEY for some reason.’
‘Sea not dead anymore then?’ suggested Carol.
‘Indeed not!’ said Ed.
Chapter 41: Passport control freak
Everest was indeed seventeen times higher than the CN tower. It was also on the other side of the world – ten thousand miles away. However this aside, there was a more immediate problem, Madeline didn’t have a passport. There was a reason for this, up until now, she hadn’t required one. All her recent worldwide travel had been by privileged jet fighter transport. Regardless, they decided to try and get through passport control without this essential little paper book. Of course this was impossible despite the fact that most people now loved the feisty, possibly Martian, fashion icon Madeline Bull who had saved the world many, many times. Passport control had to be firm, rules were rules no matter who you were. At first Madeline used her skills but her temporary enlarged boobs didn’t work on the female member of staff. She tried the dippy approach but she was too well known for that to work. Eventually she stamped the ground with her designer leather boots, protested vigorously and made a scene; this attracted much attention – which conveniently included Vixen News.
‘Breaking news, reports are coming in of our Madeline causing a stir at Quito airport. Berny is on the scene… So, Berny, what’s the latest?’
‘Hi Carol, yes, apparently our beloved Madeline Bull tried to take a flight without a passport. She’s claiming that someone stole it whilst she was in the queue.’
‘Can’t they turn a blind eye, after all it is Madeline Bull?’
‘You’d think so but rules are rules,’ said Berny.
‘I notice that she’s still in the Barbie doll colours – definitely growing on me.’
‘Yes, me too! Believe it or not, shops are selling out of carnation pink clothes.’
Yes, it was an embarrassing and frustrating time for Madeline. She had an arsenal of high tech weaponry about her person but none could circumnavigate this problem. If she farted and everyone in passport control went to sleep it wouldn’t really achieve anything. Similarly her laser would only irritate the officials. Adam tried to calm her down but she was steadily becoming more and more irritated and upset.
‘Please… I just want to go home!’ she cried. It’s my dream, why can’t things happen the way I want them to.’
Adam continued with his attempt to console her but this was such a silly, silly thing stopping her. She had recently been frozen to death and almost nuked in Antarctica and then frozen to death again at the top of Mount Chimborazo. However, these set backs were minor compared to the problem she was now facing with a jobs-worth passport control officer.
‘Is the nothing I can do?’ she pleaded.
‘You will have to apply for a new passport Madam - which could take up to two months,’ replied a youthful overweight uniformed girl with loops of shiny metal in various parts of her formerly pretty face.
It was about to become a no win situation when her internal mobile phone rang – she answered it.
‘Madeline? It’s Zol, Zol Pidem.’
‘Yes, what do you want and how’ve you got my number?’ said Madeline angrily. She was not in the mood to talk to one of Nuttall’s friends.
‘I’ll take you to Lukla,’ said Zol.
‘Lukla? Where the hell’s that?’ asked Madeline.
‘Mount Everest base camp.’
Another voice now joined in on her internal audio system.
‘What the hell are you doing, Pidem?’ raged Nuttall.
‘For god’s sake man, face reason, she needs to go home. I’ve poured half a billion dollars into your hair brained scheme and all it’s done is give us a bit more time. Just give in, she wants to go home,’ said Zol.
‘Have you kept your ear devices in? You fucking idiot, you haven’t, have you? I warned you about the effects. You’ve gone and got yourself emotionally attached. Come to your senses, if she gets to Everest and wakes up, we’ll all die – everyone will die – cease to exist,’ raged Nuttall.
‘We won’t die, we will still be in her memories,’ said Zol calmly.
‘What, a couple of minutes every now and then? I want more life than that!’ said Nuttall.
‘I’m taking her and that’s that. She gave us life. We have to be grateful for what we’ve had,’ said Zol.
‘Not good enough!! I’ll stop you!’ threatened Nuttall.
‘Thank you… Mr Pidem. I’ll accept you kind offer,’ said a grateful Madeline.
Madeline’s inner conversations were always a little disconcerting for Adam. One side of the conversation rarely gave the full picture of what was going on. When there were two inner voices i
nside her head and not particularly talking to the head they were in, all Adam had to go on were her limited facial expressions.
‘What’s going on?’ asked Adam.
‘Pidem’s taking us!’
‘Oh, we’re trusting him now, are we?’
Madeline couldn’t give a reply. She just shrugged her shoulders and gave him a look that basically meant, what choice do I have.
Zol Pidem was the man who had funded the whole MI 7 charade and paid for the base in Antarctica. It was his money that had been used to set the world at each others throats and conditionally program every human on the planet. He had funded the alterations to Madeline’s body to make her a mobile ultrasound emitter and whilst they were at, indestructible. It has to be said though; he owned an awful lot of gold. After the Fort Knox heist and subsequent eradication of the gold, the precious metal had dramatically increased in value. This conveniently resulted in him having a net gain in his wealth despite all his outgoing.
Zol Pidem was fundamental to all Madeline’s problems in this world and now… he was offering to help her. What could she think? What option did she have?
No one could possibly say that saving the world from extinction was a bad thing – no one could blame Nuttall or Pidem for what they had done. It was purely self preservation, a natural instinct. Madeline decided that sometimes you just have to trust people – no matter how rich they are.
Chapter 42: Marmite on toast
For a small nine seater Learjet, Quito, (Ecuador) to Lukla, (Nepal) was an epic journey – these places were almost the antipodes of each other. It would take four hops, resting and refuelling in between. The stops ideally would be somewhere in Florida, Alaska, Russia and Mongolia. It would be hugely challenging for the pilot with at least twenty four hours flying time, over some of the remotest, desolate parts of the Earth.
Return to Wardate Page 21