Collision

by John Williamson

  Elle shrugged her shoulders.

  “So you have to go. I can see that now. Couldn’t you take Ben with you?”

  Elle had already thought about the idea. She was prepared to take the risk going back; but why should she put him in danger? “No,” she said.

  They continued to chat as Kirsty sketched away for another hour.

  “Do you want to see them?” said Kirsty, passing over her sketchbook to Elle.

  Elle looked at the sketches: a head-and-shoulders sketch, a full-body sketch of her sitting on the stool and a sketch of just her hands.

  “They’re brilliant,” said Elle.

  “They’re just practice sketches,” said Kirsty.

  “Can I look at the rest of your book?” said Elle.

  Kirsty nodded.

  Elle flicked through the drawings: they were all sketches of people. She recognised various studies of Stuart and Olga. Then she noticed some portrait sketches of Ben.

  “These are really good,” said Elle, turning the page.

  On the following page she found a series of studies of the nude male torso from different angles. She stared at them.

  “Are these who I think they are?” said Elle.

  “You mean Ben, yes.”

  “Oh.”

  “Is there something wrong?”

  “No I guess not. I’m just a little surprised Ben posed for you?”

  “So was I. It was on my seventeenth birthday and, over dinner, I asked him to sit for me. My dad joked that what I really wanted him to do was a life class for me. Ben stunned us by saying if that’s what I wanted he didn’t mind at all. We all laughed; but he was serious. He said he had helped Jane in her anatomy classes when she was a student doctor. He said it couldn’t be any more difficult than standing naked in front of a mixed group of doctors. Well, I wasn’t going to say no. So we went ahead. You don’t mind, do you?”

  “Why should I mind; they’re amazing sketches,” said Elle. So that’s why Ben was so casual about undressing in front of Kirsty in the sauna. He had done it before.

  “He was my first and only life model.”

  “They are beautiful sketches.”

  Elle turned the page and saw some further sketches of different body parts: arms, legs, hands and male genitalia.

  “Oh my, you have an eye for detail,” said Elle.

  Kirsty just shrugged her shoulders. “It’s just art.”

  “Oh really.”

  “It’s just art!” said Kirsty, as her cheeks flushed red.

  Elle laughed as she continued to look through the book.

  “There are no sketches of any female nudes. Do you only have to study the male?”

  “No, I tried using photographs of myself and the mirror, but I couldn’t get the lighting right for sketching.”

  “Why didn’t you ask me, today?”

  “I didn’t want to embarrass you. I know you’re shy about those things.”

  “But I don’t mind at all.”

  “Are you sure?”

  If Ben could do it, so could she. “Absolutely. Just one thing; don’t make me look fat.”

  Elle started to undress and a few minutes later she was standing in the middle of the studio stark naked. “How’s this,” said Elle. Elle would never have contemplated doing such a thing before coming to Scotland. But what was she worried about? There was only Kirsty to see her.

  “Perfect,” said Kirsty, scribbling away with her charcoal.

  Ten minutes later, Elle heard someone coming up the stairs and she turned to look.

  “Don’t move,” said Kirsty. “You’ll mess up the sketch…”

  Elle stood still and waited until whoever had come up the stairs was standing behind her.

  “It’s Ben isn’t it?” she said, sucking in her tummy.

  “No dear, it’s me,” said Olga. “Would you like your tea and biscuits now?”

  “That will be fine, mum.”

  She put down the tray.

  “Don’t catch a chill, dear,” said Olga. Then she turned and left the room.

  Elle couldn’t help herself; she had a fit of the giggles.

  It was 11:30 p.m. when Stuart returned home. Stuart sat down at his desk in his study. Seeing Ben and Elle again had reminded him about the equations, and he felt guilty that he had not made progress. He pulled out the papers from his drawer, and set them out across his table so he could see all the equations. He liked to work at night: the solitude helped him concentrate, and much of his best thinking occurred in the early hours of the morning. He smiled as he followed each equation in turn and its derivation. They had a kind of aesthetic beauty to them that he enjoyed.

  On a blank pad, he started to scribble. I can replace this factor with this matrix, he mumbled internally to himself; and this with this. For a moment he looked up and saw his old grandfather clock sitting in the corner of his study. He loved the old clock. The slow tick-tock had a calming effect on him and allowed his to focus totally on the work in hand. Only twelve o’ clock, he thought, I can finish this tonight.

  At 01.05 a.m. he wandered out of this study to return with a coffee and some oatcakes. He continued to work until he thought he had the answer. A wave of exhilaration came over him; he had really done it. At least he had done what Ben and Elle wanted. The work for the Nobel Laureate would have to wait.

  He looked again at the clock. It was 01:35 a.m. and time for bed.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

  If Kirsty had looked at the clock before going downstairs for a glass of milk, she would have seen it was 04:00 a.m. precisely. She liked to sleep in the nude and, as her parents were the only ones in the house, she didn’t bother to put on her dressing gown. She padded down the stairs in her bare feet. The night air felt refreshing against her naked skin.

  As she poured the milk from the carton, she heard the sound of footsteps on gravel outside the house. She turned the kitchen light off and hid behind the cellar door. Nervously, she listened as the front door creaked open. She could hear people moving around in the house. She was torn between shouting to warn her parents and running for help. Her heart was pounding with fear; but all she could do was listen. She peaked through the cellar door, and could see the kitchen door was still open. Behind it she could see flashes from the torch beams as the intruders crept through the house. In the doorway to the kitchen, she caught sight of a soldier in fatigues with a blackened face and night vision goggles, carrying some kind of gun. She held her breath until he disappeared from her sight.

  They must be after Ben and Elle, she thought. They probably didn’t know that they were in the cabin. She had to warn them. It would be difficult; she had to get down the cellar stairs. She knew it would be tricky in the dark. She moved one step at a time until she reached the bottom. Quickly she moved over to the cellar door and slid the bolts back, hoping no one would hear her. She listened again before opening the door and walking out into the night air. By now her eyes had got used to the dark, and a half moon gave enough light for her to walk down the path. There was a chill in the night air that brought goose bumps to her skin. She knew she would have to go some fifty metres before the trees shielded her view from the house; until she got there, she would be in danger. Step by step she moved down the path until she was clear. Then she ran towards the cabin.

  She knocked on the cabin door. There was no answer for what seemed like minutes. Then Ben answered the door wearing a robe.

  “Kirsty, what’s happening? You must be freezing.”

  “Turn off the light,” she said, as she pushed her way into the cabin.

  Ben did as he was told.

  Kirsty rubbed her arms to warm them.

  “Someone’s breaking into the house,” she said. “I think they are military — they have guns.”

  “Oh my god. I’m sorry; I shouldn’t have got you and your family into this. Elle, get ready, we have to leave quickly,” said Ben.

  Kirsty watched out of the window as Elle and Ben started to get dr
essed. When she turned back, they were dressed and ready to go.

  Kirsty kissed them both on the cheek.

  “I’ll buy you some time if I can,” said Kirsty.

  “Please don’t do anything silly,” said Elle.

  “I won’t,” said Kirsty.

  Kirsty gave Elle one last hug and then watched them both leave. She saw them dart towards the trail she had shown Elle on their previous visit, and then they disappeared into the darkness.

  Kirsty climbed into bed to wait. She knew she was much younger than Elle, but she was the same size and had the same colour hair. In the dark, she might be able to confuse them. She didn’t have to wait long. The door burst open as two men walked in. She couldn’t see their faces, as the beam from their torches flashed in her face. She sat up in bed.

  “Masters?” a voice demanded.

  Kirsty tried to see what was going on, but was blinded by the light.

  “Yes,” she said.

  A feeling of panic ran through her body, as she heard a muffled sound and felt a searing pain in her chest. A second later she lost consciousness.

  “This way,” said Elle, as she headed towards some bushes. Elle slipped between the bushes, and momentarily he lost her. As he climbed through, he saw her again. She smiled at him briefly, “Come on,” she said. They raced down the track together as fast as they could in the dark. The trees on both sides of the trail cut out most of the natural light from the moon, and the trail was covered by a low-lying mist. After two hundred metres, they stopped to listen. Ben could hear noises at the cabin and saw flashes of light behind them. The soldiers had found the cabin. Ben felt mortified that he had put Stuart and his family at risk.

  “Where does this go to?” said Ben.

  “Don’t worry I’ve been down here before,” said Elle. “Just follow me.”

  They continued to run, looking over their shoulders periodically to see if anyone was following. Ben could see the flash of lights from torch beams in the distance, and heard the sound of a helicopter starting up. They were almost a mile along the track when they heard a helicopter passing over them. Ben had already pulled Elle down into the brush and lay on top of her. They lay in the ferns as the helicopter moved slowly across the treetops over them. He wondered if the helicopter had infrared vision. If so, there was little he could do. They lay still looking into each other’s eyes. He could see the spots of mud caught in her tangled hair, but she still looked as beautiful as ever to him. The helicopter passed over them and moved away.

  Two minutes later, they were up and running again. Elle was running ahead of Ben and looking like she could sprint all night. Ben was keeping up with her, but was beginning to struggle for breath. Elle stopped for a moment, and Ben bent over panting.

  “Come on we’ve got to keep going,” said Elle.

  “I’ll get my second wind soon; let’s sprint and jog in short bursts.”

  After half an hour Elle stopped him.

  “I think this is it,” she said, as she took his arm and pulled him through the undergrowth. He followed her. Then Ben saw it: a hide, almost concealed by the dense undergrowth. Elle pushed her way through the door and clambered in. Ben followed and pulled the door closed. Elle opened the viewing flap, which gave them sight of the trail and Loch. In the dark, it was difficult to see anything, but Ben could feel the heat from Elle who had cuddled up close to him. For minutes they sat in silence, listening to the noises of the night forest. But no one came up the trail.

  “I think we might be safe for the time being,” said Ben.

  “But what about Kirsty, they found the cabin,” said Elle. “We shouldn’t have left her there.”

  “They’re not after her; it’s you they want.”

  “But it’s all my fault; I shouldn’t have let you bring me here. That man, the Major you talked about, perhaps we should contact him.”

  “He’s probably the one who sent those soldiers in.”

  “But he didn’t do you any harm when they took you to the army base.”

  “I think that’s only because they were concocting a cover story for the incident. He might react rather differently if he knew you were the pilot of the craft.”

  “I’m just worried about Kirsty. She’s just a young girl. You don’t think they would hurt her, would they?”

  “I don’t think so, but in the morning I’ll leave you here and go back to the house to see for myself. I think we should stay here tonight,” said Ben.

  They cuddled up together and got as comfortable as they could on the bench. After about half an hour, Ben noticed Elle had drifted off to sleep. He tried to keep awake as long as he could, just in case someone came along the trail. But finally he drifted asleep.

  At the time of the raid, the Major was at RAF Leeming in North Yorkshire. For the last hour, he had been monitoring the progress of the raid. He had scrambled two Typhoons, from RAF Cottesmore, to intercept the US helicopters.

  “Major I have a visual; two helicopters heading South East. Await instructions,” called the pilot from the Typhoon.

  “Force them to land at RAF Leeming,” said the Major.

  The Typhoon pilot left his com open as he spoke to the helicopters.

  “This is Bravo Alfa Foxtrot, 951. You are in violation of UK airspace; you are to follow us and land at RAF Leeming.”

  “This is Charlie, Delta one and two, of the US Navy we are on a medical emergency mission to US Eisenhower; request permission to continue.”

  “Negative Charlie, Delta one and two; you will follow as instructed.”

  “Bravo Alfa Foxtrot, 951, we repeat, we have a medical emergency on board; request permission to continue,” came an agitated response.

  “Negative Charlie Delta one and two. If you require medical assistance, it will be available at RAF Leeming. You will follow as directed, or you will be fired upon.”

  The com went silent for a minute as the Major waited for a response.

  “Affirmative, Bravo Alfa Foxtrot 951.”

  The Major smiled, he had called their bluff and won. It took a further thirty minutes before the helicopters came into view, escorted by the Typhoons. During that time the Major ignored all incoming calls on his Blackberry, and had warned Carla to do the same. The last thing he wanted was for the US to put pressure on him through his boss. He was determined to bring down the helicopters.

  “Major, the helicopters are landing as instructed.”

  “Thank you Bravo Alfa Foxtrot 951, we will have a reception waiting for them. Roger and out.”

  Soon after the helicopters were on the ground at RAF Leeming, circled by two dozen troops. One by one the passengers of the helicopter emerged; the first was Jean Daniels.

  The Major saw her grimace as she recognised him standing there.

  “So you found me?” she said.

  “Just in time, by all accounts,” said the Major, “Have you lost your senses completely?”

  The Major walked over to the lead helicopter and looked inside. There was a body bag only partly zipped. Inside was a young girl unconscious. He leant over and felt for her carotid artery.

  “Well, at least you haven’t killed anyone yet,” he said, “Take her away.”

  One of the soldiers moved forwards and placed handcuffs on Daniels.

  “I have diplomatic immunity,” she said.

  “Bullshit. Get her out of my sight.”

  He turned to the captain of the helicopter. “You can refuel and go. She won’t be re-joining you.”

  He knew he couldn’t hold her indefinitely. But if she wanted to leave, he would make sure she was thrown out of the country. So if she wanted to stay, she would have to play along with him.

  He turned to Carla, who stood next to him. “Can you make sure the young woman gets medical attention? I’ll speak to her once she comes around. I can’t believe the CIA could be so stupid. They didn’t even get the right woman.”

  CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

  Elle didn’t want to leave Ben; bu
t she had no choice. Elle had left Ben asleep in the hide and taken his mobile and the Major’s card. Once away from the hide she called the house and found Kirsty had been taken. There was only one thing left for her to do. She called the Major and then headed back to the house to wait for him.

  Less than half an hour after making the call, Elle could see the helicopter coming across the treetops. She watched it as it landed next to cabin. Standing next to her was Stuart and Olga. She was resigned to whatever fate was facing her; but her spirit improved when she saw that one of the helicopter passengers had long blonde hair. As the door opened a large man, presumably the Major, climbed out of the helicopter followed by Kirsty.

  They walked towards her. As they got closer, Kirsty ran towards Elle and threw her arms around her.

  “Ms Masters, I said we would bring her back and I have. She’s come to no harm and neither will you, but you must come with us now and answer some questions,” said the Major.

  Elle nodded and let go of Kirsty. “Tell Ben, I’m sorry,” she said to Kirsty. “Tell him to look after CAI. I have to go.”

  “Who’s CAI?” said Kirsty.

  “Tell him she’s in the bag,” said Elle.

  She walked towards the Major, who then led her to the helicopter. She strapped herself into the seat and the helicopter was soon airborne. She watched the view as it flew over the treetops. “Bye Ben,” she murmured to herself. Her mind drifted to what might be waiting for her. So they want to interrogate her; how bad can it be? Really bad. A feeling of nausea came over her.

  It must have been about an hour, when Elle first noticed the helicopter was beginning to descend. It looked like an old airfield with military hangers; but it looked no longer operational. The runway was broken and crumbling in places.

  The helicopter landed and Elle and the Major climbed out. They were met by a woman in a white coat.

  “Ms Masters, I’m Major Jones, the Medical Officer here. I understand you were on the beach when we had the UFO incident. I have been instructed to give you a thorough medical examination.”