When I felt the tug of Earth's gravity, I noticed that we appeared to be in the same room. I noticed the front wall was intact, indicating that we were in another world.
"We're probably trespassing," said Dr. Maximilian Arturo. "We'd better leave before someone spots us."
So we did. All of us were able to sneak out before any employees who worked in the warehouse could spot us. The neighborhood was the same; we were still in Southhampton. It was late afternoon, and the sun was setting.
"We shouldn't stick around here," said Jonathan Reed. "We don't have local currency, nor even a place to stay."
"We'd better go back home," said Wesley.
"The last trip exhausted me," said Arturo. "Especially since I had to bring four other people along. I'll need to rest before I can bring us home."
"I can do it," I said.
"You haven't fully mastered self-translocation," said Dr. Arturo. "Even if you can bring us to another world, it won't be my world."
"Maybe you can guide me. Can you do that?"
"I'll try."
We all went to an alley and joined hands. I breathed in and out slowly. I let go of my conscious self. I let go of the dimensional bonds between me and the universe. I let Dr. Arturo show me the way.
I felt a brief period of weightlessness. I continued my meditation.
"Wake up!" shouted Arturo. I opened my eyes.
We had certainly moved through space. For one thing, we were indoors. I could see a couch, and a coffee table, and a Sony color television. I felt pretty exhasuted, so I sat on the couch and lay my head back.
"What's this place?" asked Wesley.
"The flat of one of our spies," said Dr. Arturo. "I knew him from Oxford; he is loyal to the cause."
"I hope he has his flat shielded from remote viewing," said Reed.
"He'd have disappeared if he did," said Arturo.
"We'd better check to see if we are in the right world," I said. "I mean, we could be arrested for burglary."
I used a remote control to turn on the television. there was a news broadcast. It did confirm that we were in the right world.
"We've just received word that Prime Minister Farrington has been murdered," said a BBC reporter. "The prime minister was kidnapped by terrorists when he was giving a speech in Oxofrd University earlier that day. Military intelligence tracked the terrorists to a warehouse in Southhampton, and an Army counter-terrorist squad was sent to rescue him. The terrorists had already murdered the prime minister by the time the Army got there."
"That's not true!" I shouted. "I saw that robot shoot the prime minister down!"
"We might be in the wrong world," suggested Wesley.
"No," said Dr. Arturo. "I checked the place out; this is definitely our world."
"We now go to a conference in Buckingham Palace," said the reporter.
The image showed a press room where a man stood at a podium. He wore a purple suit, and had a gold crown on his head. a caption identified him as King Edward of Britain.
"My subjects," said the king. "I regret to inform you that Prime Minister Farrington has been killed. Earlier today, he was giving a speech at Oxford University when terrorists attacked and kidnapped him. Military intelligence tracked him to a warehouse in Southhampton. The terrorists who kidnapped him were all killed in a firefight, but iut was too late. They had already murdered the prime minister.
"Military intelligence has revealed that the goal of these terrorists is to overthrow this government to establish a Communist state. Yes, my loyal subjects, Communists still seek to overcome our kingdom sixty years after they were defeated in the Great War."
"We're not Communists," muttered Reed.
"This attack on our government must not go unpunished," said King Edward. "It is clear that our government can not function under this Communist threat. Therefore, by my powers vested by the Crown, I hereby declare a state of martial law in the Kingdom of Britain. The British Royal Army shall rule over this land. My first order to the commanders of our forces is that thery devote their resources to destroying the terrorist threat. Now I welcome your questions."
"Your Majesty," asked a reporter. "How long will this situation last?"
"The military has informed me that there are about two hundred people in this terrorist organization. They are confident this crisis will be over in three weeks."
"Sire, whom have you considered to appoint as the new prime minister?" asked another reporter.
"Currently, the military is in charge. I will meet with members of the House of Lords and the House of Commons tomorrow morning to discuss an appointment of the new prime minister upon restoration of civilian government. For security purposes, I will not reveal my decision until I know that this threat is over."
"What of the House of Lords and the House of Commons?" asked another reporter.
"They are currently meeting in a secure location for the time being; the House of Parliament is no longer safe. I am in contact with the leadership of the Lords and Commons."
"Great," said Reed. "Now we have the Army after us."
"You shouldn't lose faith," I said. "We'll find a way out."
"The military has psychics scanning the minds of everyone in the world," said Arturo. "We will surely be caught if we step outside, and we left the headbands back in the warehouse in Southhampton."
I heard the door unlock for a moment I wondered if it was the Army or Scotland Yard.
Dr. Arturo opened the door. "Rollie!" he exclaimed.
"Max," said Rollie. "How did you get into my flat?"
"It was he who got us in here," replied Dr. Arturo. "I just guided him here."
"I hope you have your place shielded from remote viewing," said Reed.
"I wouldn't still be free if I were careless," replied Rollie.
"Listen," said Reed. "We'll be needing some headband shields. We'd be spotted as soon as we leave your flat."
"Did you hear about the king declaring martial law?" asked Rollie. "I heard there are troops in London now."
"We saw it on TV," I said.
"This is Colin Mallory," said Dr. Arturo. "He'll be assisting us."
I shook hands with Rollie.
"Can you trust him?" asked Rollie. "he could be a spy from Scotland Yard or the military."
"He's not of this world," said Dr. Arturo. "He is only helping us in exchange for me helping him."
"I can get the parts needed to make the headbands," said Rollie. "there is an electronic parts store just down the street from here."
"I should be able to make the headbands," said Dr. Arturo.
"We'd also like forty blank CD's," said Reed. "I'll want to burn encrypted messages into them so I can notify the other cells."
And so Rollie left the flat.
"What is our next move?" asked Wesley.
"We make it to King Harold's estate in the Scottish countryside," said Reed. "We'll stay there until we can set up a new base of operations in the London metropolitan area."
"I was wondering, what is the deal with this Harold person?" I asked.
"Harold is the rightful heir to the British throne," said Reed. "His whole family was killed in a purge after Edward's coronation. Edward was a lot worse than his father was. The top leaders of his father's government were executed, and Edward installed his own prime minister and cabinet and made sure that people loyal to him filled the ranks of the House of Lords and the House of Commons. He began the policy of rule through terror, purging his government every few years or so. I think Farrington would have been exeucted in one of those purges even if we had not intervened. Anyway, he was the one who established genetic engineering labs where people like Wesley here were created. It is sad to say that many in the resistance were caught and executed-along with those who were simply victims of the system. We were fortunate to hide Harold and rebuild the resistance. it was a stroke of good luck that the king of Beruth decided to fund us."
We stayed there four a couple of hours. I was hungry so I had a few slices of white bread. Then i heard the door open and Rollie came in with some boxes.
"Good," said Dr. Arturo. "I can finally go about making the headbands."
"I'll be working on a message for the other cells," said Reed. "I hope you have encryption programs."
"Yes," said Rollie.
I saw Reed operating the Toshiba personal computer sitting on a desk in the corner of the living room. Wesley looked at him.
"Anything on your mind?" I asked the humagg.
"I was wondering about the psychic network," said Wesley. "There must be a way to shut it down."
"Well, you can kill the psychics," I said.
"They work in heavily guarded buildings. But they must rely on equipment to boost the range of their mental powers, if they have the capability of scanning the minds of every person in Britain, let alone the globe."
I sat down on the couch and turned on the television. Predictably, the stations are still reporting on the murder of Prime Minister Farrington. The flat was quiet; Jonathan Reed was working the computer, while Dr. Arturo was assembling the electronic components while sitting at the dining table.
Then the scene shifted to the press room in Buckingham Palace. King Edward appeared at the podium.
"My loyal subjects," he said. "We have captured the leader of the terrorists responsible for the murder of Prime Minister Farrington."
"What?" asked Jonathan Reed, who immediately leaped out of the chair and raced to the television.
"The leader of the terrorists is none other than Duke Harold," said the king. "He was a member of the royal family who had plotted against my father but was never captured until now. A special anti-terrorist team from the Royal Army captured the duke who was living in a country estate thirty miles from Edinburgh.
"While this crisis is not over, I believe we have dealt the terrorists seeking to undermine my kingdom a crippling blow. The duke is now being held in the Tower of London. His execution is scheduled for high noon tomorrow. I shall attend the execution, along with members of the Lords and Commons and the chiefs of my forces. Now I shall take your questions."
"That's a little over fourteen hours from now," said Reed.
"We've got to go and rescue him," said Wesley.
"How? The Tower of London has a reputation of being a very secure place. The whole place will probably be surrounded by Army mecha!"
"There has to be a way," I said.
"This is not your fight, Mr. Mallory," said Dr. Arturo. "You go on with your quest; this is our problem."
"I made a deal, so it's my problem too," I said.
"I need to make a phone call," said Reed.
As he made his phone call, I decided to use Rollie's computer. I wanted to do an Internet search to learn all I can about the Tower of London.
I clicked on the firsdt link, which was the British Ministry of Defence's web site on the Tower.
The Tower of London was a complex of buildings dating back centuries. It is the home of the headquarters of the British military, as well as a maximum-security prison reserved for war criminals. Only people sentenced to death are held in the prison.
Like King Harold.
It was an hour later when Jonathan Reed spoke to all of us. "They're expecting us below," he said.
We all put on the headbands that Dr. Arturo assembled and then went down from the flat onto the street. Parked on the street was a black van. the driver came out and shouted something.
Reed said something back, in a language I could not understand.
I could see the figure clearly from the headlights; he was a kromagg.
"Let's go," said Reed. So we all went in the van.
It took a couple of hours before the van reached London. There were only a few soldiers on patrol; I guess security was concentrated in the Tower and its surrounding area. I looked out through the van and I saw it pull into a gate.
"We're here," said Reed. "We're in the Beruthese embassy. I don't thing King Edward's forces will try to take us."
We all stepped out. The embassy was a tall building, like an office tower. I noticed signage, both in English and whatever language the people of Beruth speak.
"Keep your headbands on," said Reed.
We went inside the embassy lobby. The floor was made of shiny marble tile, and there were plastic couches around the room. I saw a rack of magazines, printed in a script I could not comprehend.
An elevator door opened, and I saw Ambassador Rakakot. "Hello, Mr. Reed," he said. "We must talk in a more secure location."
We met with the ambassador and his aides in a conference room; Rakakot mentioned that the room is shielded from both the British psychic network as well as kromaggs from the Arizothan embassy across the street. We all had to take off our headbands.
"I take it you heard the news of Harold's capture," said Reed.
"My staff and I have been monitoring the situation since it was revealed your prime minister was murdered," said Rakakot. "I've been on the phone with my king at least six times today."
"We had no intention of murdering the prime minister. He was to be a bargaining chip in negototiations with the Crown."
"I believe you did not, but perhaps one of your followers went too far."
"I saw that robot open fire on the prime minister," I said. "I think the king and the Army had him killed."
Rakakot looked around, facing his aides. I could feel a small presence in my mind.
"I believe you saw what you said you saw," said the kromagg. "Whether or not the British king had ordered the prime minister's murder, the situation did play well into his hands. He now has this country under martial law. Parliament was unwilling to go that far."
"What of the people?" asked Rollie.
"We too scan the minds of Britons," said the ambassador. "As you might have gussed, there is no loyalty to King Edward and his Parliament; only fear."
"Can you get your king to authorize a raid of the Tower of London to rescue King Harold?" asked Reed.
"And initiate hostilities with a nation of the humans' Axis?" asked Rakakot. "No, he is prepared to do something different. We have British spies under our custody. We can trade them for Harold."
"Your king has authorized this?" I asked.
"He gave me full authority," replied the ambassador. "I am not about to sacrifice an ally."
"What of the people?" asked Reed. "Edward will still be in power; the people will still live undcer his terrorist rule. And do not forget the reason for your regime change; you fear that the Axis will start a war with you."
"You were willing to stop with Harold being installed king of Ireland, if I remember correctly."
"Well, we learned the hard way that conflict is inevitable. It's all or nothing."
"I hope you reslize that rescuing Harold is a fools' errand," said the ambassador. "You won't be able to get close without alerting the psychics. It woukd be better if you decided to free prisoners from the rehab camps; the government's attention will be focused on Harold."
"Maybe there is a way to disable the psychics," said Wesley. "I mean, they must use hardware to enhance their powers. If I could access their computers and hack into their mainframes, I could shut down the enhancing hardware. Will you help us?"
"Yes," said Rakakot. "Kromagg genetic material was used to create them; it is only fitting we provide the equipment to disable them."
"Well, it won't be enough," said Reed. "We'd better have a plan.
And so we sat in the conference room, plotting the rescue of King Harold. We discussed the situation for a few hours.
"I hope this will be enough," said Jonathan Reed. "Well, I'd better gather the troops."
And he left. He had sent an e-mail to the members of the militia asking them to gather. Diplomatic vehicles from Beruth would then pick them up and bring them here to the embassy. While he was doing that, Wesley was operating a computer, hacking into the supporting mainframe for the British psychics in order to disable the supporting hardware.
I rembered the sad look on Reed's face. he wanted to avoid having to fight his own countrymen in a civil war, shedding the blood of Britons. That was the reason for yesterday's kidnapping of the prime minister and the attempted negotiations. But there was no choice now. War was imminent.
Dr. Arturo approached me. "I'd better be going now," he said.
and then he disappeared before my eyes.
I looked at the clock. there was only eight hours before the execution. I decided to catch some sleep, right there in the conference room.
The next morning, I woke up. It was about six A.M. There were only six hours before King Harold's execution. I looked out the window and can see the Thames River. I noticed military helicopters flying in the skies above London, due to the pending execution.
I left the conference room, hoping to eat whatever kromaggs usually eat for breakfast. I hoped it was not human eyes. I went into another room, where Jonthan Reed was, along with some militiamen.
"good to see you are awake," said Reed. "Well, we'd better get to position."
"Here," said one of the militiamen, handing me a Sten submachinegun.
We all went to the parking garage where there were diplomatic transport vans. we were to use these cans to get to the Tower of London unmolested, and then we would burst out and strike!
"We could have done this days ago," said a militia officer.
"I was hoping to negotiate," said Reed. "But war will be necessary."
The van pulled out of the parking garage and headed towards the gate. But the gate was blocked with an armored personnel carrier, and two British soldiers stood in front with automatic rifles.
"What is going on?" asked a militiaman.
Jonathan Reed stepped out and spoke with tyhe kromagg guard on the inside of the gate. He then returned to the van.
"The king ordered the Army to sequester the embassy," he said. "If anyone tries to leave, they'll be shot!"
I looked above and saw a Royal Army helicopter above; it looked like an attack helicopter. It was shouting something in the language of the people of Beruth.
We both went inside. Ambassador Rakakot was waiting for us there.
"I see there's a little trouble," he said. "The Foreign Minister informed me that the embassy will be sequestered for today due to security reasons."
"I wonder why," said Reed.
"is there any way to leave?" I asked.
"I could call the Foreign Minister and ask for transport to my country, but that's about it. there is another way."
The other way was a secret escape route, the entrance which was in a broom closet. Rakakot informed me this was built two centuries ago, and then forgotten by the British.
"Officially, I'm not involved," said Rakakot.
We went through the long-forgotten, dark tunnel, which did not even have electric lights. After walking many, many steps, we emerged on the bank of the Thames River, just below London Bridge.
"We'd better be going," said Reed.
"We don't have a car," said a militia officer.
"We'll get one."
And so we did. There was a bus garage nearby, and we borrowed one of the red double decker buses. Jonathan Reed drove through the sdtreets towards the Tower of London.
After a fewmminutews, we reached the place. There was no mistaking it, for the area around the Tower was blockaded by military vehicles. I could see giant robots which Reed referred to as mecha walking the streets near the tower.
then I heard a ring tone of a cell phone. Reed answered it. "Yes?" he asked. "Thank you."
"What?" I asked.
"the psychic network is facing a few technical difficulties," he said.
Crowds have gathered to watch the execution. There were huge television screens powered by portable generators so the crowds on the streets can watch.
"I am pleased to announce His Majesty King Edward," said an announcer.
King Edward stepped up to the speaker's podium within the walls of the complex. He was flanked by two generals and an admiral. "Members of the House of Lords, members of the House of Commons, my loyal warriors, and my loyal subjects," he said. "Today we are here to witness the execution of the leader of the terrorists who murdered Prime Minister Nolan Farrington. He shall be executed by a firing squad selected from the best to serve under my military. Each of them has an automatic rifle. Only one rifle is loaded with the lethal rounds that will kill the pretender. Our qwuest for justice for the prime minister will not end; we must still destroy every last remnant of the terrorist organization. But it starts now. Now, bring out the condemned!"
I saw an image of King Harold, dressed in a jumpsuit, led by guards. A priest was escroting him.
the camera zoomed in for a closer look, and the priest was none other than Dr. Maximilian Arturo!
"Do you have any last words?" asked the king.
"I die free," said Harold.
Then the soldiers picked for the firing squad showed up, rifles in hand.
"Excellent," said Kign Edward. He turned toward Dr. Arturo. "you must finish your cobnversation with your pentitent."
"I've one last thing to say, sire," said Arturo. He put his hand on Harold's forehead, started to chant.
and then disappeared.
King Edward went to the spoit where Harold disappeared, as did the soldiers in the firing squad.
"It starts now," said Jonathan Reed.
Everyone in the Tower of London was bewildered by the disappearacne of Harold and his pastor.
Until they heard a whistling sound.
I heard tremdnous explosions as cruise missiles fired from rebel subs in the English Channel struck the British mecha as well as the towers along the wall. The huge television screens where the execution was supposed to be shown showed snow instead. More cruise missiles arrived to strike the Tower of London.
Then I saw helicopters approach. Reed looked at them through binoculars.
"They're ours!" he shouted. "Let's move in!"
A huge section of the wall surrounding the tower had collapsed because of the cruise missile strike; we took cover and opened fire on the British soldiers inside. I myself took cover behind a red Mercedes. I saw one of the militiamen firing rocket-propelled grenades, blowing up the enemy.
Some of the helicopters descended to the ground; they had the same emblem as the one I wore on the right shoulder of my militia uniform. Resistance soldiers came out from some of the helicopters. other helicopters underwent a metamorphosis, revealing arms and legs that had been folded up. Now in mecha mode, they battled the British Army mecha.
The defense of the tower of London was confused; it certainly helped that our kromagg friends in the embassy were using their mental pwoers to create confusion among the British Royal Army soldiers.
Reed, the militiamen, and I moved into the grounds of the Tower to take control of the Tower courtyard. the inside was utter chaos; there were bullets and rocket-propelled grenades flying everywhere! I heard a plink, and I realized that a bullet had just bounced off my helmet!
I could see my fellow militiamen being shot down. then I saw a soldier on the tower. He was a sniper! One of them had dropped an RPG launcher. I grabbed the launcher and then zig-zagged across the courtyard, hoping the sniper did not get me. I then fired the RPG up to the top of the tower, and I heard an explosion. there was smoke coming from the tower; the sniper was not there.
I then saw King Edward being led to a limousine, flanked by his guards. His guards were firing their submachineguns to provide cover. I opened fire at the limo, but the bullets bounced off. The limo then drove off towards an opening.
Not far away, a Royal Army mecha was fighting with a Resistance mecha. The Resistance mecha was hit by a few missiles, and its smouldering remains fell down. The king';s limousine just happened to be at the spot where it fell, and it was crushed.
I took cover, firing at the British soldiers whenever I could. Bullet whiized close to me a couple of times.
and then I saw the British soldiers raise their hands and get on their knees. They were surrendering!
The militiamen then confiscated the firearms and other weapons of the British soldiers. This battle had been won.
The British soldiers who surrendered were quickly detained in the Tower of London's prison. I met up with Jonathan Reed and the commanders of the Resistance militia.
"It was just like the fall of Babylon," said the militia commander.
"What?" I asked.
"Back in 520 B.C., the Persian Army invaded Babylon. Minutes after the attack, the city's defenders surrendered and thus the Babylonian Empire ended. So now in A.D. 2000, we attacked the Tower of London and won after only minutes of fighting."
"Amazing that they surrendered so easily."
"They feared the king," said Edward. "There was no true loyalty. when they saw their king crushed by the mecha, they had no reasion to fight further."
I looked at my watch, it was only 12:30. I wonder what the Britons would think. They were expecting an execution an hour ago. Now they had freedom.
I hoped.
Then I saw the air simmer, and then Dr. Maximilian Arturo appeared, along with Harold.
Reed and the militiamen bowed down.
"Your Majesty," said the militia commander, "I am pleased to inform you the Tower of London is secure."
"You have done well, General," replied Harold.
"We are honored, my lord."
"Well, sire," said Reed. "this will be the beginning."
Hours later, we were in Buckingham Palace. It was a grand, luxurious place, with all sorts of fine furniture and carpets and stuff. Dr. Arturo mentioned to me this had been the Crown's residence for centuries. Ambassador Rakakot was there, watching with one of his aides.
Harold appeared in the press room; a bishop was with him.
"Put your right hand on the Bible and say the oath," said the bishop.
"I, Harold of Wessex, do hereby swear to God Almighty that I shall serve as the King of the Britons, that I will defend the Britons and their territory, uphold the laws of Parliament, and shall put the interests of God Almighty and the interests of my subjects before my own personal interests."
Then the bishop put a gold crown upon Harold's head.
King Harold now spoke into the microphone and faced his subjects, who were watching this event all over Britain.
"My loyal subjects," he said. "today we witnessed the end of the tyranny of King Edward and his government and usher in an era of freedom and justice. I will work diligently to restore civilian government, but a government that will rule by law, rather than the whims of its officials.
"First of all, I will seek no reprisals against the heirs of King Edward, nor the chiefs of his forces nor the ministers of his government nor the members of the House of Lords or House of Commons. To heal as a nation, we must forgive. The general and flag officers of his forces and the ministers of his government are hereby retired. I shall appoint a new prime minister and other ministers and military officers. My government will work to hold special elections to fill the seats of the Parliament. These shall be truly free elections.
"But we must not forget the horrors of the rehabilitation camps nor those of Scotland Yard. Therefore, the wardens of the camps and the top officials of Scotland Yard shall be arrested and proesecuted. They will receive fair trials; trials which they denied their victims. The Lord God Almighty demands justice for these crimes. May he have mercy on their souls.
"To get thins started, as my first act, I do hereby appoint Maximilian Arturo as interim prime minister."
Dr. Arturo went up on the stage and knelt before his liege.
"I am honored, sire," he said. "I shall do my best to assist you in these matters."
I felt optimistic. I was sure Harold would be no tyrant.
I lived in Buckingham Palace for the next three days. It was not that bad. Dr. Arturo took the time to teach me more about self-sliding. When I was not practiving self-sliding, I was either watching television, browsing the Internet, or exercising in the palace gym.
But then I got a message from Marc LeBeau.
"It is time," he said.
"Time for what?" I asked.
"You must go home."
"You mean where my birth parents live?"
"Yes."
It was time. For over two years this was my goal. I never gave up that goal.
I summoned Dr. Arturo, who summoned Jonathan Reed and Wesley and King Harold.
"I'll be leaving now," I said.
"Where shall you be going?" asked King Harold.
"Home."
"Goodbye," said Wesley.
"So long, chap," said Jonathan Reed.
"I will miss you, Colin," said Dr. Maximilian Arturo.
"Goodbye you all," I said. "Good luck to you."
I breathed in and out slowly. My focus was now on my parents. I was letting go of this world. I reached out across the dimensions
I could feel the presence of mty parents. I could feel the slidecage which kept me out the first time I tried to go there.
I was locked on to someone who shared my flesh and blood.
I felt weightless. I was going home at last.
"We're probably trespassing," said Dr. Maximilian Arturo. "We'd better leave before someone spots us."
So we did. All of us were able to sneak out before any employees who worked in the warehouse could spot us. The neighborhood was the same; we were still in Southhampton. It was late afternoon, and the sun was setting.
"We shouldn't stick around here," said Jonathan Reed. "We don't have local currency, nor even a place to stay."
"We'd better go back home," said Wesley.
"The last trip exhausted me," said Arturo. "Especially since I had to bring four other people along. I'll need to rest before I can bring us home."
"I can do it," I said.
"You haven't fully mastered self-translocation," said Dr. Arturo. "Even if you can bring us to another world, it won't be my world."
"Maybe you can guide me. Can you do that?"
"I'll try."
We all went to an alley and joined hands. I breathed in and out slowly. I let go of my conscious self. I let go of the dimensional bonds between me and the universe. I let Dr. Arturo show me the way.
I felt a brief period of weightlessness. I continued my meditation.
"Wake up!" shouted Arturo. I opened my eyes.
We had certainly moved through space. For one thing, we were indoors. I could see a couch, and a coffee table, and a Sony color television. I felt pretty exhasuted, so I sat on the couch and lay my head back.
"What's this place?" asked Wesley.
"The flat of one of our spies," said Dr. Arturo. "I knew him from Oxford; he is loyal to the cause."
"I hope he has his flat shielded from remote viewing," said Reed.
"He'd have disappeared if he did," said Arturo.
"We'd better check to see if we are in the right world," I said. "I mean, we could be arrested for burglary."
I used a remote control to turn on the television. there was a news broadcast. It did confirm that we were in the right world.
"We've just received word that Prime Minister Farrington has been murdered," said a BBC reporter. "The prime minister was kidnapped by terrorists when he was giving a speech in Oxofrd University earlier that day. Military intelligence tracked the terrorists to a warehouse in Southhampton, and an Army counter-terrorist squad was sent to rescue him. The terrorists had already murdered the prime minister by the time the Army got there."
"That's not true!" I shouted. "I saw that robot shoot the prime minister down!"
"We might be in the wrong world," suggested Wesley.
"No," said Dr. Arturo. "I checked the place out; this is definitely our world."
"We now go to a conference in Buckingham Palace," said the reporter.
The image showed a press room where a man stood at a podium. He wore a purple suit, and had a gold crown on his head. a caption identified him as King Edward of Britain.
"My subjects," said the king. "I regret to inform you that Prime Minister Farrington has been killed. Earlier today, he was giving a speech at Oxford University when terrorists attacked and kidnapped him. Military intelligence tracked him to a warehouse in Southhampton. The terrorists who kidnapped him were all killed in a firefight, but iut was too late. They had already murdered the prime minister.
"Military intelligence has revealed that the goal of these terrorists is to overthrow this government to establish a Communist state. Yes, my loyal subjects, Communists still seek to overcome our kingdom sixty years after they were defeated in the Great War."
"We're not Communists," muttered Reed.
"This attack on our government must not go unpunished," said King Edward. "It is clear that our government can not function under this Communist threat. Therefore, by my powers vested by the Crown, I hereby declare a state of martial law in the Kingdom of Britain. The British Royal Army shall rule over this land. My first order to the commanders of our forces is that thery devote their resources to destroying the terrorist threat. Now I welcome your questions."
"Your Majesty," asked a reporter. "How long will this situation last?"
"The military has informed me that there are about two hundred people in this terrorist organization. They are confident this crisis will be over in three weeks."
"Sire, whom have you considered to appoint as the new prime minister?" asked another reporter.
"Currently, the military is in charge. I will meet with members of the House of Lords and the House of Commons tomorrow morning to discuss an appointment of the new prime minister upon restoration of civilian government. For security purposes, I will not reveal my decision until I know that this threat is over."
"What of the House of Lords and the House of Commons?" asked another reporter.
"They are currently meeting in a secure location for the time being; the House of Parliament is no longer safe. I am in contact with the leadership of the Lords and Commons."
"Great," said Reed. "Now we have the Army after us."
"You shouldn't lose faith," I said. "We'll find a way out."
"The military has psychics scanning the minds of everyone in the world," said Arturo. "We will surely be caught if we step outside, and we left the headbands back in the warehouse in Southhampton."
I heard the door unlock for a moment I wondered if it was the Army or Scotland Yard.
Dr. Arturo opened the door. "Rollie!" he exclaimed.
"Max," said Rollie. "How did you get into my flat?"
"It was he who got us in here," replied Dr. Arturo. "I just guided him here."
"I hope you have your place shielded from remote viewing," said Reed.
"I wouldn't still be free if I were careless," replied Rollie.
"Listen," said Reed. "We'll be needing some headband shields. We'd be spotted as soon as we leave your flat."
"Did you hear about the king declaring martial law?" asked Rollie. "I heard there are troops in London now."
"We saw it on TV," I said.
"This is Colin Mallory," said Dr. Arturo. "He'll be assisting us."
I shook hands with Rollie.
"Can you trust him?" asked Rollie. "he could be a spy from Scotland Yard or the military."
"He's not of this world," said Dr. Arturo. "He is only helping us in exchange for me helping him."
"I can get the parts needed to make the headbands," said Rollie. "there is an electronic parts store just down the street from here."
"I should be able to make the headbands," said Dr. Arturo.
"We'd also like forty blank CD's," said Reed. "I'll want to burn encrypted messages into them so I can notify the other cells."
And so Rollie left the flat.
"What is our next move?" asked Wesley.
"We make it to King Harold's estate in the Scottish countryside," said Reed. "We'll stay there until we can set up a new base of operations in the London metropolitan area."
"I was wondering, what is the deal with this Harold person?" I asked.
"Harold is the rightful heir to the British throne," said Reed. "His whole family was killed in a purge after Edward's coronation. Edward was a lot worse than his father was. The top leaders of his father's government were executed, and Edward installed his own prime minister and cabinet and made sure that people loyal to him filled the ranks of the House of Lords and the House of Commons. He began the policy of rule through terror, purging his government every few years or so. I think Farrington would have been exeucted in one of those purges even if we had not intervened. Anyway, he was the one who established genetic engineering labs where people like Wesley here were created. It is sad to say that many in the resistance were caught and executed-along with those who were simply victims of the system. We were fortunate to hide Harold and rebuild the resistance. it was a stroke of good luck that the king of Beruth decided to fund us."
We stayed there four a couple of hours. I was hungry so I had a few slices of white bread. Then i heard the door open and Rollie came in with some boxes.
"Good," said Dr. Arturo. "I can finally go about making the headbands."
"I'll be working on a message for the other cells," said Reed. "I hope you have encryption programs."
"Yes," said Rollie.
I saw Reed operating the Toshiba personal computer sitting on a desk in the corner of the living room. Wesley looked at him.
"Anything on your mind?" I asked the humagg.
"I was wondering about the psychic network," said Wesley. "There must be a way to shut it down."
"Well, you can kill the psychics," I said.
"They work in heavily guarded buildings. But they must rely on equipment to boost the range of their mental powers, if they have the capability of scanning the minds of every person in Britain, let alone the globe."
I sat down on the couch and turned on the television. Predictably, the stations are still reporting on the murder of Prime Minister Farrington. The flat was quiet; Jonathan Reed was working the computer, while Dr. Arturo was assembling the electronic components while sitting at the dining table.
Then the scene shifted to the press room in Buckingham Palace. King Edward appeared at the podium.
"My loyal subjects," he said. "We have captured the leader of the terrorists responsible for the murder of Prime Minister Farrington."
"What?" asked Jonathan Reed, who immediately leaped out of the chair and raced to the television.
"The leader of the terrorists is none other than Duke Harold," said the king. "He was a member of the royal family who had plotted against my father but was never captured until now. A special anti-terrorist team from the Royal Army captured the duke who was living in a country estate thirty miles from Edinburgh.
"While this crisis is not over, I believe we have dealt the terrorists seeking to undermine my kingdom a crippling blow. The duke is now being held in the Tower of London. His execution is scheduled for high noon tomorrow. I shall attend the execution, along with members of the Lords and Commons and the chiefs of my forces. Now I shall take your questions."
"That's a little over fourteen hours from now," said Reed.
"We've got to go and rescue him," said Wesley.
"How? The Tower of London has a reputation of being a very secure place. The whole place will probably be surrounded by Army mecha!"
"There has to be a way," I said.
"This is not your fight, Mr. Mallory," said Dr. Arturo. "You go on with your quest; this is our problem."
"I made a deal, so it's my problem too," I said.
"I need to make a phone call," said Reed.
As he made his phone call, I decided to use Rollie's computer. I wanted to do an Internet search to learn all I can about the Tower of London.
I clicked on the firsdt link, which was the British Ministry of Defence's web site on the Tower.
The Tower of London was a complex of buildings dating back centuries. It is the home of the headquarters of the British military, as well as a maximum-security prison reserved for war criminals. Only people sentenced to death are held in the prison.
Like King Harold.
It was an hour later when Jonathan Reed spoke to all of us. "They're expecting us below," he said.
We all put on the headbands that Dr. Arturo assembled and then went down from the flat onto the street. Parked on the street was a black van. the driver came out and shouted something.
Reed said something back, in a language I could not understand.
I could see the figure clearly from the headlights; he was a kromagg.
"Let's go," said Reed. So we all went in the van.
It took a couple of hours before the van reached London. There were only a few soldiers on patrol; I guess security was concentrated in the Tower and its surrounding area. I looked out through the van and I saw it pull into a gate.
"We're here," said Reed. "We're in the Beruthese embassy. I don't thing King Edward's forces will try to take us."
We all stepped out. The embassy was a tall building, like an office tower. I noticed signage, both in English and whatever language the people of Beruth speak.
"Keep your headbands on," said Reed.
We went inside the embassy lobby. The floor was made of shiny marble tile, and there were plastic couches around the room. I saw a rack of magazines, printed in a script I could not comprehend.
An elevator door opened, and I saw Ambassador Rakakot. "Hello, Mr. Reed," he said. "We must talk in a more secure location."
We met with the ambassador and his aides in a conference room; Rakakot mentioned that the room is shielded from both the British psychic network as well as kromaggs from the Arizothan embassy across the street. We all had to take off our headbands.
"I take it you heard the news of Harold's capture," said Reed.
"My staff and I have been monitoring the situation since it was revealed your prime minister was murdered," said Rakakot. "I've been on the phone with my king at least six times today."
"We had no intention of murdering the prime minister. He was to be a bargaining chip in negototiations with the Crown."
"I believe you did not, but perhaps one of your followers went too far."
"I saw that robot open fire on the prime minister," I said. "I think the king and the Army had him killed."
Rakakot looked around, facing his aides. I could feel a small presence in my mind.
"I believe you saw what you said you saw," said the kromagg. "Whether or not the British king had ordered the prime minister's murder, the situation did play well into his hands. He now has this country under martial law. Parliament was unwilling to go that far."
"What of the people?" asked Rollie.
"We too scan the minds of Britons," said the ambassador. "As you might have gussed, there is no loyalty to King Edward and his Parliament; only fear."
"Can you get your king to authorize a raid of the Tower of London to rescue King Harold?" asked Reed.
"And initiate hostilities with a nation of the humans' Axis?" asked Rakakot. "No, he is prepared to do something different. We have British spies under our custody. We can trade them for Harold."
"Your king has authorized this?" I asked.
"He gave me full authority," replied the ambassador. "I am not about to sacrifice an ally."
"What of the people?" asked Reed. "Edward will still be in power; the people will still live undcer his terrorist rule. And do not forget the reason for your regime change; you fear that the Axis will start a war with you."
"You were willing to stop with Harold being installed king of Ireland, if I remember correctly."
"Well, we learned the hard way that conflict is inevitable. It's all or nothing."
"I hope you reslize that rescuing Harold is a fools' errand," said the ambassador. "You won't be able to get close without alerting the psychics. It woukd be better if you decided to free prisoners from the rehab camps; the government's attention will be focused on Harold."
"Maybe there is a way to disable the psychics," said Wesley. "I mean, they must use hardware to enhance their powers. If I could access their computers and hack into their mainframes, I could shut down the enhancing hardware. Will you help us?"
"Yes," said Rakakot. "Kromagg genetic material was used to create them; it is only fitting we provide the equipment to disable them."
"Well, it won't be enough," said Reed. "We'd better have a plan.
And so we sat in the conference room, plotting the rescue of King Harold. We discussed the situation for a few hours.
"I hope this will be enough," said Jonathan Reed. "Well, I'd better gather the troops."
And he left. He had sent an e-mail to the members of the militia asking them to gather. Diplomatic vehicles from Beruth would then pick them up and bring them here to the embassy. While he was doing that, Wesley was operating a computer, hacking into the supporting mainframe for the British psychics in order to disable the supporting hardware.
I rembered the sad look on Reed's face. he wanted to avoid having to fight his own countrymen in a civil war, shedding the blood of Britons. That was the reason for yesterday's kidnapping of the prime minister and the attempted negotiations. But there was no choice now. War was imminent.
Dr. Arturo approached me. "I'd better be going now," he said.
and then he disappeared before my eyes.
I looked at the clock. there was only eight hours before the execution. I decided to catch some sleep, right there in the conference room.
The next morning, I woke up. It was about six A.M. There were only six hours before King Harold's execution. I looked out the window and can see the Thames River. I noticed military helicopters flying in the skies above London, due to the pending execution.
I left the conference room, hoping to eat whatever kromaggs usually eat for breakfast. I hoped it was not human eyes. I went into another room, where Jonthan Reed was, along with some militiamen.
"good to see you are awake," said Reed. "Well, we'd better get to position."
"Here," said one of the militiamen, handing me a Sten submachinegun.
We all went to the parking garage where there were diplomatic transport vans. we were to use these cans to get to the Tower of London unmolested, and then we would burst out and strike!
"We could have done this days ago," said a militia officer.
"I was hoping to negotiate," said Reed. "But war will be necessary."
The van pulled out of the parking garage and headed towards the gate. But the gate was blocked with an armored personnel carrier, and two British soldiers stood in front with automatic rifles.
"What is going on?" asked a militiaman.
Jonathan Reed stepped out and spoke with tyhe kromagg guard on the inside of the gate. He then returned to the van.
"The king ordered the Army to sequester the embassy," he said. "If anyone tries to leave, they'll be shot!"
I looked above and saw a Royal Army helicopter above; it looked like an attack helicopter. It was shouting something in the language of the people of Beruth.
We both went inside. Ambassador Rakakot was waiting for us there.
"I see there's a little trouble," he said. "The Foreign Minister informed me that the embassy will be sequestered for today due to security reasons."
"I wonder why," said Reed.
"is there any way to leave?" I asked.
"I could call the Foreign Minister and ask for transport to my country, but that's about it. there is another way."
The other way was a secret escape route, the entrance which was in a broom closet. Rakakot informed me this was built two centuries ago, and then forgotten by the British.
"Officially, I'm not involved," said Rakakot.
We went through the long-forgotten, dark tunnel, which did not even have electric lights. After walking many, many steps, we emerged on the bank of the Thames River, just below London Bridge.
"We'd better be going," said Reed.
"We don't have a car," said a militia officer.
"We'll get one."
And so we did. There was a bus garage nearby, and we borrowed one of the red double decker buses. Jonathan Reed drove through the sdtreets towards the Tower of London.
After a fewmminutews, we reached the place. There was no mistaking it, for the area around the Tower was blockaded by military vehicles. I could see giant robots which Reed referred to as mecha walking the streets near the tower.
then I heard a ring tone of a cell phone. Reed answered it. "Yes?" he asked. "Thank you."
"What?" I asked.
"the psychic network is facing a few technical difficulties," he said.
Crowds have gathered to watch the execution. There were huge television screens powered by portable generators so the crowds on the streets can watch.
"I am pleased to announce His Majesty King Edward," said an announcer.
King Edward stepped up to the speaker's podium within the walls of the complex. He was flanked by two generals and an admiral. "Members of the House of Lords, members of the House of Commons, my loyal warriors, and my loyal subjects," he said. "Today we are here to witness the execution of the leader of the terrorists who murdered Prime Minister Nolan Farrington. He shall be executed by a firing squad selected from the best to serve under my military. Each of them has an automatic rifle. Only one rifle is loaded with the lethal rounds that will kill the pretender. Our qwuest for justice for the prime minister will not end; we must still destroy every last remnant of the terrorist organization. But it starts now. Now, bring out the condemned!"
I saw an image of King Harold, dressed in a jumpsuit, led by guards. A priest was escroting him.
the camera zoomed in for a closer look, and the priest was none other than Dr. Maximilian Arturo!
"Do you have any last words?" asked the king.
"I die free," said Harold.
Then the soldiers picked for the firing squad showed up, rifles in hand.
"Excellent," said Kign Edward. He turned toward Dr. Arturo. "you must finish your cobnversation with your pentitent."
"I've one last thing to say, sire," said Arturo. He put his hand on Harold's forehead, started to chant.
and then disappeared.
King Edward went to the spoit where Harold disappeared, as did the soldiers in the firing squad.
"It starts now," said Jonathan Reed.
Everyone in the Tower of London was bewildered by the disappearacne of Harold and his pastor.
Until they heard a whistling sound.
I heard tremdnous explosions as cruise missiles fired from rebel subs in the English Channel struck the British mecha as well as the towers along the wall. The huge television screens where the execution was supposed to be shown showed snow instead. More cruise missiles arrived to strike the Tower of London.
Then I saw helicopters approach. Reed looked at them through binoculars.
"They're ours!" he shouted. "Let's move in!"
A huge section of the wall surrounding the tower had collapsed because of the cruise missile strike; we took cover and opened fire on the British soldiers inside. I myself took cover behind a red Mercedes. I saw one of the militiamen firing rocket-propelled grenades, blowing up the enemy.
Some of the helicopters descended to the ground; they had the same emblem as the one I wore on the right shoulder of my militia uniform. Resistance soldiers came out from some of the helicopters. other helicopters underwent a metamorphosis, revealing arms and legs that had been folded up. Now in mecha mode, they battled the British Army mecha.
The defense of the tower of London was confused; it certainly helped that our kromagg friends in the embassy were using their mental pwoers to create confusion among the British Royal Army soldiers.
Reed, the militiamen, and I moved into the grounds of the Tower to take control of the Tower courtyard. the inside was utter chaos; there were bullets and rocket-propelled grenades flying everywhere! I heard a plink, and I realized that a bullet had just bounced off my helmet!
I could see my fellow militiamen being shot down. then I saw a soldier on the tower. He was a sniper! One of them had dropped an RPG launcher. I grabbed the launcher and then zig-zagged across the courtyard, hoping the sniper did not get me. I then fired the RPG up to the top of the tower, and I heard an explosion. there was smoke coming from the tower; the sniper was not there.
I then saw King Edward being led to a limousine, flanked by his guards. His guards were firing their submachineguns to provide cover. I opened fire at the limo, but the bullets bounced off. The limo then drove off towards an opening.
Not far away, a Royal Army mecha was fighting with a Resistance mecha. The Resistance mecha was hit by a few missiles, and its smouldering remains fell down. The king';s limousine just happened to be at the spot where it fell, and it was crushed.
I took cover, firing at the British soldiers whenever I could. Bullet whiized close to me a couple of times.
and then I saw the British soldiers raise their hands and get on their knees. They were surrendering!
The militiamen then confiscated the firearms and other weapons of the British soldiers. This battle had been won.
The British soldiers who surrendered were quickly detained in the Tower of London's prison. I met up with Jonathan Reed and the commanders of the Resistance militia.
"It was just like the fall of Babylon," said the militia commander.
"What?" I asked.
"Back in 520 B.C., the Persian Army invaded Babylon. Minutes after the attack, the city's defenders surrendered and thus the Babylonian Empire ended. So now in A.D. 2000, we attacked the Tower of London and won after only minutes of fighting."
"Amazing that they surrendered so easily."
"They feared the king," said Edward. "There was no true loyalty. when they saw their king crushed by the mecha, they had no reasion to fight further."
I looked at my watch, it was only 12:30. I wonder what the Britons would think. They were expecting an execution an hour ago. Now they had freedom.
I hoped.
Then I saw the air simmer, and then Dr. Maximilian Arturo appeared, along with Harold.
Reed and the militiamen bowed down.
"Your Majesty," said the militia commander, "I am pleased to inform you the Tower of London is secure."
"You have done well, General," replied Harold.
"We are honored, my lord."
"Well, sire," said Reed. "this will be the beginning."
Hours later, we were in Buckingham Palace. It was a grand, luxurious place, with all sorts of fine furniture and carpets and stuff. Dr. Arturo mentioned to me this had been the Crown's residence for centuries. Ambassador Rakakot was there, watching with one of his aides.
Harold appeared in the press room; a bishop was with him.
"Put your right hand on the Bible and say the oath," said the bishop.
"I, Harold of Wessex, do hereby swear to God Almighty that I shall serve as the King of the Britons, that I will defend the Britons and their territory, uphold the laws of Parliament, and shall put the interests of God Almighty and the interests of my subjects before my own personal interests."
Then the bishop put a gold crown upon Harold's head.
King Harold now spoke into the microphone and faced his subjects, who were watching this event all over Britain.
"My loyal subjects," he said. "today we witnessed the end of the tyranny of King Edward and his government and usher in an era of freedom and justice. I will work diligently to restore civilian government, but a government that will rule by law, rather than the whims of its officials.
"First of all, I will seek no reprisals against the heirs of King Edward, nor the chiefs of his forces nor the ministers of his government nor the members of the House of Lords or House of Commons. To heal as a nation, we must forgive. The general and flag officers of his forces and the ministers of his government are hereby retired. I shall appoint a new prime minister and other ministers and military officers. My government will work to hold special elections to fill the seats of the Parliament. These shall be truly free elections.
"But we must not forget the horrors of the rehabilitation camps nor those of Scotland Yard. Therefore, the wardens of the camps and the top officials of Scotland Yard shall be arrested and proesecuted. They will receive fair trials; trials which they denied their victims. The Lord God Almighty demands justice for these crimes. May he have mercy on their souls.
"To get thins started, as my first act, I do hereby appoint Maximilian Arturo as interim prime minister."
Dr. Arturo went up on the stage and knelt before his liege.
"I am honored, sire," he said. "I shall do my best to assist you in these matters."
I felt optimistic. I was sure Harold would be no tyrant.
I lived in Buckingham Palace for the next three days. It was not that bad. Dr. Arturo took the time to teach me more about self-sliding. When I was not practiving self-sliding, I was either watching television, browsing the Internet, or exercising in the palace gym.
But then I got a message from Marc LeBeau.
"It is time," he said.
"Time for what?" I asked.
"You must go home."
"You mean where my birth parents live?"
"Yes."
It was time. For over two years this was my goal. I never gave up that goal.
I summoned Dr. Arturo, who summoned Jonathan Reed and Wesley and King Harold.
"I'll be leaving now," I said.
"Where shall you be going?" asked King Harold.
"Home."
"Goodbye," said Wesley.
"So long, chap," said Jonathan Reed.
"I will miss you, Colin," said Dr. Maximilian Arturo.
"Goodbye you all," I said. "Good luck to you."
I breathed in and out slowly. My focus was now on my parents. I was letting go of this world. I reached out across the dimensions
I could feel the presence of mty parents. I could feel the slidecage which kept me out the first time I tried to go there.
I was locked on to someone who shared my flesh and blood.
I felt weightless. I was going home at last.
