Rule Britannia

Chapter 7

Chapter Seven


Wrapped in a wool blanket, Clive sat on the floor of what appeared to be a repair truck.  The vehicle hadn't been started in some time, and it was quite chilly inside.  Tom had nearly finished a much-interrupted explanation about the operation, and was winding up the bit about the fog.  He apologized once more for the paralysing drug.

"It's a curare-based compound formulated against the weight of the intended victim--sorry!--plus or minus five pounds.  The slightest puncture near an artery or vein with the coated needle, and paralysis is instantaneous.  Again, sorry, but it simply wouldn't have done to have you start shouting.  The effect wears off fairly quickly, but it gave me enough time to get you down the hole and into the tunnel, before the fog disappeared."

"I quite understand; please, don't give it another thought," Clive said.  "What happened to the men I was with?"

"They'll be followed--we wanted to keep things as normal-looking as possible here--and arrested, once the Crown Prosecution Service works out a few things.  Most likely, the ringleaders will be charged under applicable provisions of the various anti-terrorism Acts.  There was a small vial of plague virus inside the scabbard; drawing the sword would have released the virus.  It turns out, the leaders are Celtic extremists who were hoping to change their defeat at Arthur's hands into a victory.  Heaven only knows, how different things might have been."

"I see.  Well, that was a great trick with that humming sound and those flashes of light, too, Tom," Clive finally said.  "Really made it look like I'd actually disappeared."

Tom looked very uncomfortable for a moment then, in the sternest possible tones, said, "Remember that you can be charged under the Official Secrets Act for revealing any of this to anyone not specially cleared."  Leaning forward, he put his mouth next to Clive's ear and whispered, "The sound- and light-shows weren't ours!"

***

Epilogue

Clive gave the spanner another twist, until the handle on the C-clamp wouldn't turn any more.  He'd used the few nails he'd had in his toolbox, but wasn't certain they would keep the old bookshelf together.  He had no doubt the clamp would hold, until he could pick up another shelf at the used furniture store.  He put the spanner back in the toolbox and returned to his computer, the interruption caused by the bookshelf's imminent collapse now over.

His right forefinger hovered over the Enter key as he stared at SchoolmatesForever.com's InstaMessage screen.  He'd decided to search his old College's alumni listing and found a couple of possibilities.  The College's site had recommended a free membership in SchoolmatesForever, so he'd joined.  Browsing the profiles he'd decided that the profile he'd just viewed was most likely her, but he still felt a bit uneasy about attempting to contact Wanda after all these years.  He didn't know how she would react; indeed, he didn't know how he would react, if this Wanda was 'his' Wanda.

Well, nothing ventured...  He tapped the key and opened a whole new future.

***


Chapter 7 word count = 515
Grand total word count = 6065