The Adventures of Tintin

Chapter 1

Down a peaceful country lane a whistling melody could be heard. It was Captain Haddock on one of his morning strolls. As he was coming back to Marlinspike hall, the home he had inherited from his ancestors, he came across Cuthbert Calculus an old scientist friend of his who was currently involved in another hare-brained idea of his. He was a rather peculiar man who had a rather odd dress sense but he was extremely smart.
"Good morning Cuthbert."
"Evening? Don't you mean good morning Captain?"
Calculus was deaf and rarely understood exactly what was said to him.
The project he was currently working on was for the government helping them to find traces of illegal drugs and explosives and therefore catch those who illegally sell them. But the good thing about this project Cuthbert was making is that it has a long range signal. It could detect any drug, including alcohol.
"Have you been drinking whisky Captain? My machine seems to detect a strong presence of alcohol in your body."
"Not at all, it's probably some fault in that stupid machine of yours."
"Ahhh I thought so, I'll have to tell Tintin."
"Blistering barnacles you fool I SAID I HAVEN'T BEEN DRINKING!"
"Really! I'd better tell Tintin immediately."
By now he had enough he decided to turn away muttering under his breath some unpleasantries about deaf people.
As he passed where Tintin was washing while listening to the morning's news on the radio he called out a greeting but Tintin held a finger over his mouth signalling the Captain to be quiet. He was intently listening to a news report of an incidence where some unknown people got into the GCSB and tried to set fire to the building which had all the plans and the prototype of the project Professor Calculus was working on.
"My goodness Tintin and Haddock here in the newspaper it says that the GCSB building was burned down last", said Calculus as he came running up the stairs.
"So we just heard on the radio" said Captain Haddock.
"It's a disaster all my plans were in that building."
"Are you sure all of them were there?" asked Tintin.
"Now that I think about it I might have some copies that I put in my laboratory."
Calculus' permanent residence was at Marlinspike hall in a building separate to the main building. He had in current years setup a laboratory there.
So the trio went to find the plans.

"The plans are hidden away somewhere, the problem is I don't have the slightest idea where they are."
"Are you sure they are even here?"
"We should start looking over here" answered Calculus totally misinterpreting Tintin's question
So they started searching Calculus' laboratory from top to bottom with no results.
"I think he's a little crazy with his plans, they're not here at all," the Captain said to Tintin in a corner

"Ahhh, over here Tintin this is where the plans where I remember exactly now but it looks like something has happened to them because there is only old newspapers here!"exclaimed Calculus from the other side of the room.
"Maybe someone stole them at the same time they set the GCSB building on fire!"
"No that's impossible because they were locked away in this cupboard and there are no signs of someone breaking in."
The Captain, who had so far stayed out of this yelled
"Blistering barnacles you blithering idiot are these perhaps the plans you were looking for, I found them in the waste paper basket."
"Well I never I…Why so they are! But how could I? I terribly sorry Captain in a moment of absent-mindedness I must have chucked the plans in the bin and locked up the newspapers in the cupboard. Thank you thank you Captain you have saved hours and hours of research!"
"Well I'm glad that's over" the Captain muttered to Tintin.
"Me to Captain, we should have lunch now, it's later than I thought."

"This still doesn't explain who and why the GCSB building was set on fire last night," said Tintin the ever inquisitive journalist.
"I agree, but it's not really any of my business," replied the Captain
Calculus had gone to the GCSB to report to his boss that he still had a blueprint of what he was working on. While he was there Tintin and the Captain were having a chance to talk to each other without having the professor there to interrupt them.
"I still want to find out more about this whole thing."
"Well I suppose I can't really stop you from your inquisitiveness and your job as a reporter," responded the Captain
"Ok I think I will go to the burnt out GSCB building tonight and see if I can find anything."

Just as Tintin was about to pull up to the GCSB building that night he saw movement on the left side of the building, which was unusual as nobody should have been there at this time of night especially after it had burnt down. Something in his head told him to pull over further down the street and walk back to the building and be as inconspicuous as possible. So he pulled over in a side street a little further down the road, leaving snowy in the car as he would only make more noise. He walked back the way he had come to the GCSB building. When he was nearly at the building he heard people talking.
"You got the plans?"
" Yeah they're right over here."
"Good work."
"Nah it was that brilliant idea of the bosses to get an inside man to hide the plans in a place where the fire wouldn't get them and then burn the building to make it look like there are no more plans and then we collect them."
"Yeah, we better get out of here though before someone comes and finds us out."
Tintin listened no more, he had heard enough. Now that he looked around the building he spotted the criminals car. He knew he must delay them and the only way he could think of doing that was by slashing the car's tires. He sneaked quietly away from the criminals and to their car. Luckily the criminals were facing away from him so he got to the car with no difficulty. The he got his trusty knife that he always carried with him and slashed the tires as quietly as he could, not wanted to attract any of the criminal's attention. But making noise was inevitable. When he was on the last tire there was an extra loud hiss when he slashed the tire.
"Hey what was that," exclaimed one of the criminals.
"What?"
"I heard a noise, it sounded like a tire being slashed."
"You must be jittery, I heard nothing."
"No I'm certain that I heard something, and it came from the direction of the car."
"Ok we'll have a look then just to satisfy your curiosity and then quickly finish the job" replied the criminal grumpily."
While the criminals had been talking Tintin had been quietly creeping away but he was still in a dangerous position, stuck with the wall on one side and the car on the other. The criminals were
30 metres away and walking towards him. He would never make it without being seen. The only option was to hide under the car and hope the criminals didn't see him.
"Look at that, the car tires have been slashed."
"Well, don't just stare at them look around and see if you can find who did it."
While one of the criminals went away searching the other knelt by the car looking at the slashed tire and cursing under his breath. Tintin was holding his breath and trying to stifle a sneeze trying not to make a noise. Luckily for Tintin the criminal went away searching the grounds around the car.
Then Tintin just couldn't resist it anymore.
Acchhhhhooooo!
The criminal spun around looking for the source of the noise. He saw Tintin running out from the bottom of the car and started sprinting.
Tintin risked a look behind him and saw the crook draw his gun, his giving him more speed. He was starting to draw away from the other criminal when he saw the other criminal come out of the bushes in front of him, attracted by the noise. The criminal swung the butt of his gun at Tintin. Tintin tried to dodge it but he was too close and going too fast.
Thwack!
Tintin was knocked senseless!