by Paul Rice
“Yeah, it’s a dump for sure, why do people live in slums like this?” Mike said as he looked back from the litter strewn streets and followed the blue arrow with his finger tip. The trio sat in silence as they drove through the town. In the distance they could see the flashing reflection of blue emergency lights, their glow flaring up the walls on some houses two streets away, the display making the area seem even more menacing that it had before. “OK, take the next left...” He said and pointed at the screen; Jane nodded and then obeyed the Navigator’s directions. They cruised past O’Hara’s house, which sat in darkness with only a faint glimmer of a TV flickering in one of the back rooms hinting at the presence of someone within.
“No way can we pick him off the street here, you can be seen by about fifty houses, plus there’s a camera on the big pole over there?” Ken pointed and sure enough, there at the end of the street stood a thick black pole standing about fifty feet tall. Mounted at the top of it were at least three cameras. He laughed. ‘I tell you what – let’s use the Shrink-Down here, that’ll give those camera operators something to think about, won’t it?” Jane shook her head in amusement and drove them off the housing estate. Mike tapped the controls and set her a new course to follow. Crossing the new flyover, she headed down into the large industrial estate. It was mostly derelict with boarded-up windows and ‘For Sale’ signs littering almost every corner. Turning off the main thoroughfare, she led them down a small road, which led to a dead end. ‘Destination reached’. The Navigators message blinked once. Pulling the Spear in a tight U-turn, Jane slowed to a halt whilst Ken had a good look at the deserted warehouse.
Opening the door, he stepped out and said, “Two minutes, I just want to check this out quickly, hit the horn if anyone comes…” His tall figure glided through the shadows as he crossed the concrete parking space in front of the large prefabricated building. After a good look around, he decided it was about as good as it was going to get. Ken had a bad feeling in his gut about this one, but felt slightly reassured by the fact George had said they only had to drop their target at the warehouse and then sit back and watch. He walked back over to the Spear, climbed into the rear and asked Jane to take them to where they would be able to watch the building from a distance. “We’ll use the Scanner so that we don’t have to be too close – over there, look…” He pointed at a small parking place that lay about two hundred yards away. It was ideal and lay behind the cover of some overgrown bushes that had a large amount of rubbish and old wood stacked up against them.
Jane reversed the vehicle into the spot and Mike flicked the Scanner on. Its cold blue gaze peered into the warehouse with ease. “Perfect spot people… perfect!” He said. Ken asked him if there was anything else they needed. Mike’s reply was immediate. “Just one thing: I ain’t happy about trying to get O’Hara into the back of this car, it’s too flash for one thing, and secondly, it could turn into a right nightmare if he kicks off?” Mike had obviously been thinking about this since their near disaster in the underpass earlier on.
The point had been bothering Ken, too. The fact that their man was known to be violent was a minor problem, but there wasn’t a lot they could do as there was only had a limited choice of places where they would be able to lure him into a trap. To Ken there was only one logical solution: “We need another vehicle, a van or something… one that’s a bit battered and with plenty of room inside.” They agreed and decided to sort that problem out when they were back in the Lodge. Checking the Scanner, Mike suggested that now would be a good time for them to get back as there was no one on the horizon and dawn would shortly be upon them. Hearing their agreement, he set a course for home and did his work with the buttons on the control panel.
Once back at the Lodge they disembarked from the Spear and waited whilst Mike prepared the vehicle for its hidden resting place. Gathering their gear and the suitcase, they headed for the house. Once back inside, they had a drink and then discussed the results of their practice run. Ken agreed with Mike when it came to the Spear – they needed another vehicle for sure. Mike sent a message to George stating their problems, and then the three of them sat and discussed Ken’s plan. He had been thinking about it for a while and, providing they used another car, he reckoned they could pull a deception on their target. Ken asked them what they thought about using Jane as bait. Mike and Jane thought it was a probably a good idea, but with some provisos. “Just as long as I don’t have to kill anyone, I don’t think I would be up for that, to be honest…” She said, looking worriedly between the two men.
Ken shook his head and said, “No, that shouldn’t be necessary, you just get his attention and then as soon as he’s off-guard, you spray him with the aerosol.” He grinned. “It’s an old trick: a nice looking woman gets the target distracted and then he gets whacked, it works every time. So, all we need now is a nice looking woman…” Ken howled as Jane gave his upper arm a cruel pinch. The moment of light relief was a welcome one and after a further discussion it was agreed to give it a go. Ken also decided on some extra practice with the spray cans for Jane. “We’ll do it in the morning, I mean… George might not be able to help us and then we’ll need a new plan. So, let’s just see what happens overnight, shall we?” He said, before standing and making his way towards the kettle. Over another hot drink they sat and discussed their plans some more and then Ken made sure all the notes were burnt in the sitting room hearth. It looked as though they wouldn’t be hearing from George just yet, so, after a while longer they decided to call it a day. It had been a long night and Ken still had the feeling of unease in his stomach. There were too many loose ends at the moment and he really hoped that George would be able to help them. Grabbing his mug of tea he killed the lights and headed upstairs to be with Jane.
It was over a late breakfast the next morning when they received a reply from George; it was a simple message: ‘Send information on the type of vehicle required.’ Ken connected to the internet and found some pictures of various vans he thought would be suitable. He gave the printed pictures to Mike. As he handed them over, Mike looked at him and smiled. “Nah, all we need is the web address, they’ll get the information from up there – just give me a few places for them to look?” He laughed at the stupid look Ken gave him and said, “Come on buddy, keep up!” It wasn’t long before the communicator flashed again and Mike called the other two over. “Here we go, I reckon this type of thing will probably do, yeah?” George had sent them some pictures and information on the type of van in question. After a quick browse through the specifications, they selected a fairly old Volkswagen with sliding side doors and a few knocks and dents visible on the red paintwork.
“Yeah, that looks perfect, how do we get it and what’s it gonna cost?” Ken said, with a questioning look upon his face.
He wasn’t expecting the reply, which Mike gave him.
“George will supply it, all I have to do is to plug one of the zappers into this machine and he will do the rest.” He looked up at them and could see by their reaction he was going to have to explain further. He also knew that a demonstration would be better. “Right, just give me five minutes and I’ll show you what I mean?”
Jane turned to Ken with a baffled look. “Sometimes I feel like a complete dummy, you know?” She said.
Her husband laughed and agreed. “That makes at least two of us, my love!” They grinned at each other – after all, even being in a gang of two tended to make a person feel better. A very short time later, whilst standing in the old barn, they had what could only be described as another, rather surreal experience.
Mike, who had placed one of the Spears on the floor, unplugged the zapper from his communicator, gave the little fob to Jane and instructed her to: “Zap away!” After a slight pause, during which she wondered what came next, Jane hit the big arrow. The normal routine occurred, swirling green energy and that strange sound, arrived as per usual. Only this time, once the show had ended, there stood before them a totally innocent looking VW va
n. Even the dents and scratches were in the right places, just as they had been on the advert Ken had chosen.
“Jesus H Christ! How in the hell have they done that?” Ken had to blink – some things around here would never cease to blow his mind!
Mike explained that the van was, for all intents and purposes, just a ‘normal’ Spear. Only this one was in disguise… They spent a few moments getting used to the layout, whilst Jane sat behind the wheel and checked out the controls. The men looked at the doors and into the rear of the van. It was able to carry three people on the long front seat and was in every aspect, identical to a normal van. The two rear windows were darkened and the scanner worked as per usual with its blue haze glowing in the cab. After ten minutes they decided that George had done them proud. Ken went over the plan again and Jane had quick bit of revision with the aerosol spray: they all stood and watched again as the tiny flecks of electricity flickered across the barn floor, like miniature napalm bombs, it was an awful sight, awful but entrancing.
Once they had finished, Mike zapped the van, Ken picked up their gear, and together made their way back across the drive to the Lodge. George contacted them later in the evening with the details of the job he wanted them to do against O’Hara. He sent them the final instructions along with the timings and wished them luck. He also asked them a strange question. “Would you mind terribly if we asked you to do another job, only this time you will be abroad for a while?” They all agreed but without spending too much time thinking about the reasons of his question – Steven O’Hara was too busy occupying their thoughts at that precise moment. Seeing their rushed answer, George bade them farewell and left them with a parting comment: “Be careful, all of you. Jane, you will be fine, my dear. We will all take care of you!” They didn’t see the strange look, which crossed his face as the screen faded into itself.
It was the next afternoon when they were parked up by the entrance to the disused underpass. Ken and Mike were hidden in the rear of the van and Jane was outside and standing by the side door. They had slid the door half open and placed a map on the floor. The Scanner warned them of the impending arrival of their target, he was less than one-hundred yards away and heading away from them.
“Shit! He’s heading the wrong way! No, wait… he’s turned. Jane, get ready, he’s about ten seconds away?” Mike lowered his voice, “Just stay calm and spray him as soon as he looks at you!”
She looked at them through the open door, Ken noticed how composed she was and said, “Don’t worry Mikey, it looks as though it’s us whose gonna need to stay calm, mate!” He turned back and watched his wife.
“Ssshhh… he’s here!” Jane said, and turned her back towards the direction O’Hara was approaching from. She bent forward as if to study the map. They never heard him reach her but the blue flashing ‘Target Approaching’ icon was now right on them.
“Are you lost, love?” O’Hara’s voice filtered into the half open door. Ken tensed in readiness to lean forward and grab the man; he knew that once Jane pushed him into the back of the van they would have to act quickly. Jane looked up and turned towards the man outside the van. They heard her say something to him and then, after a slight pause, the strong smell of the aerosol oozed into their nostrils. There was the noise of a scuffle followed by a muffled ‘crack’ outside the van. O’Hara cried out and then toppled into the vehicle with Jane clinging to him like a demented limpet. As his shins hit the door sill, he and Jane tipped over and fell headfirst into Ken and Mike’s waiting arms. Jane was holding on for dear life – gasping sharply as she and O’Hara crashed into the rear of the van together.
“Good girl, well done, love!” Ken said as he grabbed O’Hara and tried to lever him from his wife’s grasp. “Let him go, we’ve got him now!” She looked up at him and he saw the fear in her eyes. “Jane! What’s the matter?”
Mike grabbed O’Hara and dragged him from under her. “We need to get out of here, I’ll drive, you sort Jane out – c’mon lets move!” He clambered over the half bulkhead and fell into the driver’s seat. Ken reached outside and grabbed O’Hara’s bag before he slid the side door closed and snapped the lock downwards. As the van began to move he turned back to Jane.
She had sat up against the small bulkhead and was clasping her side. “What’s happened, did he hit you or something, where does it hurt?” Ken prised her fingers away and then looked in horror as he saw the blood seeping down his wife’s hip.
“He shot me… Ken, I think I’ve been shot!” Her face was a horrible white and it made her green eyes stand out against its ashen background. The blood was spreading across the lower half of her white blouse – it looked like a flower, a bright red poppy.
His experience took over automatically. “Right, sit up straight and bring your knees up. OK… gently does it, don’t worry about a thing, baby, just let me take a little look?” He rolled her top upwards and tried to pull the flight suit apart with his fingers so he could look at the wound. The material had a tiny hole in it but would not tear. Ken spent about five seconds trying and then said, “We gotta get this top off you, hold on, stay calm, you’re gonna be fine.” He undressed her top half and rolled the suit down from her shoulders before draping the blouse back over them. Jane was already starting to shiver with shock as Ken explored her wound. There was a small hole above her left hip and it was seeping bright red blood onto her waistband. Running his hand around her side, Ken could feel the small flower of torn flesh where the bullet had exited her back – it lay about half an inch to the outside of her spine. “OK. I’ve found it, don’t worry, it’s only a little hole,” he lied to her, trying to keep his voce reassuringly calm. “Mike, we need to get some help, I don’t have my kit with me.” It wasn’t something they had even thought about. George hadn’t mentioned anything about getting shot, Ken had never considered that he may need a medic pack; he cursed himself and his own complete lack of foresight.
The scanner suddenly made a loud buzzing noise and then went blank for a second. Suddenly, George appeared and the picture was so clear that the hairs on his ears could be seen. Without wasting any time, he said, “Take the vehicle to this place,” he pointed at an arrow that had appeared on the screen. “Follow that immediately please! Kenneth, I need you to gather your equipment, and make sure that you have the second Spear ready.
Ken looked at the screen and then back to Jane. “Then what, Jane’s hurt we need to…” George cut him short before he could finish.
“Yes, we know, take this vehicle to the destination as shown. Get yourselves, O’Hara, and all of your equipment out. Leave Jane in the van and continue with your mission in the second Spear. We will take care of your wife. Please ensure that you put her suit back on.”
His manner denied any argument and Ken immediately turned back to Jane, she was conscious, but only just. “It’s going to be all right, love… George and the gang are gonna fix you right up. Don’t worry!” She grasped his hand and closed her eyes. Ken kissed her hand and then looked down at her wound again, the bright blood had stopped flowing and it was now leaking a darker coloured fluid. He didn’t pause to think about it as there was nothing he could have done anyway. Ken rolled Jane’s suit back over her shoulders, and after jiggling the sleeves over her arms he draped the blouse back over her shoulders and then wedged her into the corner between the seats, making sure that she stayed in the sitting position. Steadying himself against the motion of the swaying van, he reached for the case and began doing as George had ordered. Fortunately he didn’t have a lot to do as within three minutes the van came to a halt.
“Right we’re here – I’ll come round the back and help you!” Mike left the diver’s seat and ran around to the side door. He banged on it and the noise jarred Ken into reaching across and undoing the lock. As he looked out, he saw that they were in some kind of park. Tall beech trees overhung the van and he could see the corner of an old wooden hut in the distance. Ken handed Mike the second Spear and its zapper, Mike ran a short distan
ce before placing the vehicle on the grass, fumbling with the fob before he managed to zap it. With the Spear doing its magic act behind him, he turned back to help Ken again. They lifted O’Hara out of the van and dumped him across the back seats of the new Spear. His eyes were wide open and a tiny fleck of green saliva stuck to his bottom lip. There was a slight damp patch in his crotch, just at the top of his left thigh. Ken felt like beating his face in. They placed his bag on the floor next to him and then transferred their own gear into the rear of the vehicle. Ken ran back to the van and sat with Jane who was now unconscious. Mike did a quick check to make sure he had everything. Nearly forgetting, he leant into the front of the van and ejected the information disc. As he did so the scanner flashed: ‘Standby incoming personnel – wait!’ Just as Mike turned to warn Ken, the air suddenly began to thicken, Ken shouted from the rear: “What the fuck is going on, I need to move her now, Mike!” His voice cracked.
Mike said, “Wait, they’re sending someone, wait Kenny!” The air in the van suddenly wobbled, they could see it distort and then shimmer, Ken remembered looking into one of those strange mirrors at the fairground, as they watched in amazement, the men heard a familiar ripping sound. Out of nowhere a man appeared, he simply plopped into the back of the van, it was like watching ice-cream drip from the bottom of a soggy cone just before it collapses altogether and drops the whole lot into your lap. The man dripped into their world and then, with a rush, was suddenly there amongst them.