(Frank's POV)
By the time we reach Crescent Cove, MI9 agents are there waiting at the marina. Zeke lands BABS in the car park and we all manage to squeeze out of the car – with me leaving the unconscious Grandmistress in the front seat – and stretch our poor cramped bodies.
A small crowd of agents rush around us, asking if we need medical attention, but we shake our heads and say no.
"All we need you to do is to cuff the Grandmistress and take her to MI9's holding facility," I say, pointing to the two-faced woman.
Handcuffs are placed on the Grandmistress' wrists and she is carried out of BABS and into an unmarked black car. We watch as the car takes off – and me, Mummy, Oscar, Carrie, Rose and Zeke huddle together for a group hug. And then we let go and hug each other for a few moments, and it's such a scene that you would have thought we haven't seen each other in fifteen years. I'm exhilarated, nearly lightheaded with happiness.
But that comes to an end when I pull away… and see Stark kiss the ground!
"Oh, thank God!" (Mwah.) "I'm back on dry land." (Mwah.) "I've –" (Mwah.) – "never –" (Mwah.) – "been –" (Mwah.) – "so happy –" (Mwah.) – "to have solid ground –" (Mwah.) – "beneath my feet." (Mwah, mwah, mwah.)
Everyone stares at Stark, shocked, disgusted, and very weirded out. We take a step backward, then another. Carrie shakes her head at us, rotating her finger into the side of her head.
"Melodramatic, much?" she says.
"He's completely lost the plot," says Oscar, and Rose nods.
"I know we had a lucky escape, but I'm not molesting the ground to show how lucky I am to be alive!" says Zeke.
"I think we should leave him to it," Mummy suggests, and we all turn our backs to him – just in time to see Percy running through the crowd and stopping in front of us.
"Hey, guys. Welcome back," he says.
"It's good to be back," I reply. "And thanks for saving us from the brainwashed townspeople. That was a smart move using high-frequency waves to interfere with the mind control."
"Actually, Frank, it was future wife who came up with the idea."
I raise my eyebrows. "Jenny?"
"She came in seconds after you left as she followed us from the B&B – in camo mode. We spent over an hour typing at the consoles trying to reverse the subliminal transmissions. We were about to give up when she suggested that we hijack every communications satellite orbiting Earth so we can use high-decibel sounds to disrupt the Grandmistress' control of the town."
"With a little help from yours truly," Zeke asserts. "Not only did she do that, but she was the one who suggested sending a message to the Grandmistress and other villainous individuals and groups. It was broadcast live across the globe."
"Wow," I murmur, impressed. "Jen did all that?"
Percy nods. "Brains as well as beauty. You're a lucky man, Frank."
I feel a flush creeping over my face – but it's a flush of pride. I truly am lucky to have Jen in my life, and I cannot wait to marry her.
"So what happens now?" Rose enquires, breaking into my thoughts.
"The agents are waiting for the Royal Navy to return with the townspeople," Percy replies. "They're gonna check on them – see if they're OK, if they need help. Once that's done, the townspeople will have to sign the Official Secrets Acts so they can't blab to anyone. Then they can go home."
"What about us? Do we have to stay and help?" Oscar asks.
Percy shakes his head. "Nope. I called Director Fairchild as you guys were coming in. She told me that we can go home and get some rest."
"Thank God for that." Carrie yawns and stretches her arms. "Because I am way too tired – I am absolutely knackered, right down to the bone.
"You and me both," I say. "I feel like I can sleep for a week."
"Me too, dear. Me too," Mummy says, agreeing. She turns to Rose and Carrie. "Come on, girls. Let's head back to the B&B."
"I'll get someone to take you there."
"And what about us?" says Stark, coming up to us. "I don't think any one of us is up for driving. Not unless you enjoy falling asleep behind the wheel and causing an accident."
"Then it's just as well I installed an auto cruise system in BABS," Zeke declares. "She'll be in control of the car and drive us home while the rest of us sleep."
"Are you sure that's a good idea, Zeke? Because people will be in for a surprise and they see you sleeping at the wheel," says Oscar.
"Not when I activate the tintable windows they won't. No-one will ever know."
"Super, smashing, great, whatever. Can we please just leave already?" Stark says impatiently.
"All right, Moody Blues, chill out! But first, don't you want to say bye to your girlfriend?" At Stark's questioning look, Zeke adds, "The tarmac from the car park you were snogging?"
A deep blush spreads from Stark's head to his neck as everyone splutter and giggle. He stalks over to BABS in a huff, enters the car and slamming it shut, and sulks in the front seat.
When we calm down, Percy pats Zeke on the shoulder. "Thanks, Zeke – I really needed that," he says.
"We all did," Zeke replies. He yawns. "Now what I need is sleep. We better get going."
I call an agent over and ask for him to take my mother and the girls back to the B&B, which he obliges. As he goes to bring the car around, I give Mummy a kiss and a hug.
"See you later. I'll call you later, OK?" I say.
"OK," says Mummy.
And, er, tell Jen how grateful I am, er, we all are for what she did."
"I will – and I'll tell her how much you love her and miss her and how you cannot wait to marry her."
There's no getting past my mother. She's like mind-reader.
I give a small smile and nod. "That, too." I turn to Rose and Carrie. "I'll see you two on Monday."
"See you, Frank," says Carrie. "And thanks for coming out for us."
"Yes, thank you, Frank – and Oscar and Zeke and Percy," says Rose. Then she shouts, "Thank you, Chief Agent Stark!"
But Stark doesn't respond. I thought he was still sulking – turns out he's fallen asleep.
"It's no problem," says Oscar.
"Yeah – think nothing of it," says Percy. "And I'm sure if Stark was awake, he'd be flattered."
"By grunting in response rather than using words," Zeke adds. "If only he knew how to take a joke or two."
He's not wrong there.
A black car pulls up. The agent I talked to is in the driver's seat.
"Your ride is say," I say to Mummy.
"Thank you, dear," she says. She turns to Rose and Carrie. "Come along, girls."
The three get into the car – Rose and Carrie get in the back and Mummy sits in the front. The windows go down and the three wave as the car drives off.
"Bye! And thanks!" they say.
"Bye!" we say, waving.
I watch as the car is in the distance and turns a corner.
"Right, then!" says Zeke, clapping his hands together. "It's time for us to hit the road. Let's go, let's go, let's go, go, go!"
I stifle a yawn and get into the cat. Once we're all settled in, Zeke sets up the satnav and enter our destination for London. Next he activates the tintable windows and the windshield and windows turn opaque. Finally, he starts up BABS and activates the auto cruise system.
"Right, that's everything," says Zeke. "Now we can all sit back and relax…"
But I don't hear the end of the sentence. I feel so sleepy. I close my eyes and slowly drift off as BABS begins her journey back to London.
(Jenny's POV)
"Wakey, wakey! Rise and shine, Jen!"
I hear the curtains pull back. I wake to see the sun streaming through a chink in the curtains. I blink in the sudden dazzling daylight and try to pull the duvet over my head.
"No, Jen, you're getting up. Come on, up and at 'em!" says Livi.
"Just five more minutes…" I groan.
Then I hear a loud mewing right outside the window. I jump up and pull back the curtains. Two seagulls are balancing boldly on the window ledge, tapping their beaks on the glass in a jaunty fashion.
"Piss off!" I yell, banging the glass.
They fly off. I am so not in the mood. It was around five o'clock or so by the time I had got back to my room and I am still tired.
I'm about to crawl back to bed when Livi blocks my path.
"Jenny – it's ten o'clock. We need to be out of here before eleven and at the Ritz by one for afternoon tea," says Livi. "Now get your butt in that bathroom!"
I have a good mind to thump her over the head – but I resist. So I jump to it and I go into the bathroom, closing the door behind me.
"You have fifteen minutes!" Livi tells me. Then I hear her leave the room and head downstairs.
"Good grief," I grumble, rubbing my eyes. I splash cold water on my face before jumping in the cubicle to wash my hair and shower.
I've got a good mind to march back into the bedroom, pull the duvet over my head, and hide in bed all day. But I'm sure Livi would come back up here and hurl a bucket of ice-cold water over me to wake me up. There's no way I can hide.
After I have my shower and brush my teeth, I pull on long black socks, struggling with them, still half-asleep. Then I find a dark grey sweater dress to go over them. Tall brown boots and sunglasses to hide my exhausted eye bags complete the look.
I might as well wear grey, black and brown. It suits my mood perfectly.
I go downstairs to the breakfast room. The walking couple are there, with one couple digging into their veggie sausage breakfast and the other having bacon and egg and black pudding. The family with the two little boys are there too, enjoying baked beans on toast and boiled eggs. My bridal party are sitting at the table too. Mum is having scrambled egg on toast, Livi is having porridge and Emmeline is having a bacon sandwich. Rose, Carrie and Martha on the other hand, are sitting in silence, with a cup of coffee in front of them. And like me, the three are wearing sunglasses.
Mum is the first to see me. "You're finally up, I see?" she says.
"Morning," I mumble. I take my seat at the table. I notice a cup of black coffee in front of me.
"Martha got that for you," Mum tells me. "She thought you'd want that after pulling an all-nighter."
I turn to Martha.
"We stayed up all night playing poker, rummy and bridge," she says. "Remember?"
I catch on quickly. "Yeah, no, yeah, I remember," I say. "You totally wiped the floor with us in bridge."
"Not so much as you did in poker."
"But Rose and I both kicked your butts in rummy," Carrie interjects, with Rose nodding.
"Well, while you lot were playing cards, I managed to get the best sleep of my life in a long time," says Emmeline.
"Me too," says Livi. "I slept so peacefully like a baby. I feel so bright and bubbly. I feel I've got enough energy to keep going for days!"
"I feel like I can sleep for days," Rose mutters.
"It seems we're not the only ones who had a good night's sleep," says Mum. "Everyone in the B&B is looks so lively. They're all in such high spirits."
"I know, right? They look completely different people than yesterday," says Livi. "I wonder what happened for them to be that way."
I shrug my shoulders. "Sadly, we'll never know," I say. "Let's be grateful that they're all back to their active and outgoing selves."
"Amen to that," Carrie murmurs, sipping her cup.
The walkers and the family have all finished, while me and the bridal party stay at the table and talk for fifteen minutes. Then we go upstairs and pack.
Five minutes later we head downstairs with our bags, where we meet with the B&B host who introduces himself as Harry.
"I hope everything was to your satisfaction," he says.
"Yes, it was, thank you," says Martha.
"I must say, you're looking bright-eyed and bushy-tailed. As opposed to yesterday, when you were lifeless and apathetic," says Livi.
"Livi!" I hiss, nudging her. Then Emmeline slaps the back of Livi's head.
"Ouch!" she yelps, rubbing her head whilst glaring at Emmeline.
"No, no, it's quite all right," says Harry. "There's a reason for why I and everybody else was like that. Apparently for the past few weeks, a colourless and odourless gas drifted across the Channel from France to here."
I glance at Martha, Rose and Carrie. It seems that this is the story MI9 have told the townspeople to tell us and any other people who come to Crescent Cove.
"But you don't have to worry about that anymore. The problem has been taken care of," Harry adds.
"Thank goodness for that," says Mum. "Anyway, thank you for having us. How much do we owe you?"
"Just for you lovely ladies, I'm charging you at half the rate."
"Really?" Mum, Livi and Emmeline say, astounded.
"Really?" Me, Martha, Rose and Carrie echo.
"Call it a wedding present," says Harry.
I look blank. Harry points at my hand. "Your ring, dear. And the fact that you and your group came in here yesterday in your hen do get-up. The gas might have made me look slow, but it didn't affect my memory."
"Oh," I say. "Well, thank you, Harry. That's very kind of you."
He smiles in response.
Mum and Martha pay Harry for our rooms, and we say our goodbyes to him.
It's s a beautiful, warm Sunday morning, and Crescent Cove is alive and kicking. Cyclists in skimpy summer outfits ride by. Music is blaring. People are going in and out of shops, pubs, cafés and other business establishment. Kites are flying. There's chatter, laughter, drinking, and running around.
Yep – everything is back to normal.
"Well, that's just great!" says Livi. "Just when we're about to leave, everyone in Crescent Cove is full of energy and enthusiasm."
"You must admit, this is rather strange," says Mum. "Wasn't it less than twenty-four hours ago, everyone was looking tiresome?"
"Like Harry said, it was that gas that made them like that," says Rose.
"Hm, I supposed."
"Well, I'm just glad none of us got caught up in it," says Emmeline.
"Lucky you," Carrie mutters, earning a nudge from Rose.
"What was that?"
"She said lucky us," Rose says quickly. "It really was lucky none of us got caught up in it."
Out of everyone in Crescent Cove, I was the only one not caught up in the brainwashing scheme – along with Mum, Livi, Emmeline, Frank, Zeke, Oscar, Percy and Stark.
"Yeah – lucky us," I say. "Anyway, what are we doing standing around? We're having tea at the Ritz, aren't we? Let's go – let's get a move on!"
We head to the car park, towards the van. This time, Mum is the one driving as Martha is still too tired. The rest of us climb into the back of the van. Me, Rose and Carrie settle in our seats while Livi and Emmeline pick out a selection of tracks to listen to.
Moments later, the van purrs smoothly out of the car park – just as the music starts to play on the iPod. Within seconds of driving, I hear soft snoring… and see that Rose and Carrie are fast asleep.
I can't say I blame them. We've been out all night and that mission really took it out of them – me and Martha, too. But at the same time, I'm glad we came to Crescent Cove. Had I not suggested we come here, the Grandmistress would have executed her plan – and the townspeople. We could have gone to Blackpool having the time of our lives, none of us any wiser about what SKUM was up to. I don't know if it was my spying instincts that made me choose Crescent Cove, but I'm glad I chose it – even if it costed me the last few hours of sleep.
I turn and look out of the window, and we're approaching the beach. I see the same artist from yesterday finishing up on his painting – which looks a lot better than a single blue line across a canvas.
I catch a glance of his artwork. It's very bright, the sky and sea a dazzling cobalt blue, the sand bright ochre yellow. I wonder if that's the way he really sees the soft grey-blue and pale primrose cove. He has painted the children paddling, the families chatting, and right in the middle of his canvas, there's a lovely blonde woman lying on her beach towel, sunbathing.
I'm sure that everyone in Crescent Cove is grateful for being saved from the nightmare that they endured. From the children building sandcastles down on the damp sand near the sea, to the artist admiring this artwork, to Harry the B&B host, and the rest of the townspeople.
And while we didn't get to have fun and enjoy ourselves, next time we can come back. Maybe as a birthday treat. I just hope that the next time, the town doesn't get taken over by a supervillain or criminal mastermind.
As we drive out of Crescent Cove, I find myself feeling sleepy, so I sit back and close my eyes. And before I know it, I relax and drift off into sleep while Mum takes us back to London where we'll carry on with the hen party.