h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

My plan is this:

Arthur and co., are captured by generic guards. Arthur and X escape, but Ody and Jamilla are still in custody and are locked into a cell. Arthur and X make their way back to the hanger where they first entered and leave. This is far too easy. Watching from above on the gantry platform, are Mary, Sreka and Daltmooreby. She's letting them go. Mary then orders Daltmoorby and Sreka to the 'rear door' I mentioned in my last post (that Arthur sees Daltmooreby standing in) she meanwhile follows them outside.

There then follows the scene I wrote where Arthur and X call back to Guy (signalling the offical end of ST2) and Arthur and X are captured.

They are taken and locked in cells opposite Ody and Jamilla. I figured then on a switch. Ody and Jamilla pick the lock and get out, but Arthur and X are still locked in.

With Arthur and co., in jail, Ody and jamilla get a small outing and if we like we can parody Temple of Doom.

Bit more fuzzy here: but since Ody and Jamilla can't board the shuttle with Årthur and X but must somehow survive the launch and laser in order to re-appear in the epilogue and find *THE* Turqoise Moon it is necessary to seperate them from Arthur and X.

I figure they fnd a way of opening the cells but are discovered and run.

Arthur and X meanwhile make for the shuttle intending to get on board.

Daltmooreby has taken the diamond on already and is joined by Grobsvaugn who will pilot the shuttle. Arthur and X are ambushed by Sreka (the roman numeral coutndown gag) , who fails to stop them getting on board. He limps off but encounters Ody and Jamilla tryign to escape and either flees with or follows them - I think this works becasue Sreka seems to good a character to kill off.

Arthur and X clamber into space suits and enter the airlock of the shuttle, as it launches, through the cone of the volcano, and up into the sky buffeted by the ribbons of the energy surrounding the pole.

Once out in space we find the space laser (perhaps an attachment to The Hubble Telescope?) and Arthur tries to stop Daltmooreby.

-----------

That more-or-less sums up what I've been thinking about. I was just rather stuck before-hand trying to writer about how Arthur and co., were captured and hadn't worked out what I was doing with them.

I've now got in mind the idea of the 'easy' escape - (why Mary said 'we should play this one smart.') and how to split up both pairs of characters so they can each have their own endings.

I should add, when Arthur and X escape Sreka 'chases' them but looses them. We only see that he was hearding them in the direction of the man door, and that this is actually an elaborate trap, when Sreka, Daltmooreby and Mary are seen on the gangway watching Arthur and X attempt to lever open the door in the suspiciously deserted hanger.....

exam is out of the way and I've an evening free so let's see if I can't get something written at long last.....

Jamilla crouched low behing a crate and covered her head with her hands. Suddenly she felt a hand grasping her collar and dragging her upwards protesting.

"Got you!" cackled the generic guard.

Ody shot up - "Let her go!" he started to say but was tackled to the ground by another guard who came charging onto the balcony

Arthur and X were about to get involved when three more guards arrived and pointed a couple of serious looking rifles at them.

"You will come with us. Don't bother resisting," said one guard, who appeared to be in command.

Arthur, X, Ody and jamilla were led away down the corrioders from whcih they ahd come the guards at their rear.

Arthur and X communictaed silently through a series on unseen facial ticks and blinks. Just as they werte comign to a crossroads of intersecting corridors, the two spies suddenly halted, elbowed their guards in the ribs and dove down an adjacent corridor and made a run for it. Leaving Ody and Jamilla in the clutches of the Cult.

"Get after them!" screamed the head gaoler, and at this order two of the cult guards run after Arthur and X.

"It seems you friends have abandonned you." the gaoler crooned at Jamila.

"So it seems," she said casting her eyes downward.

---------------

Arthur and X ran on,

"What about Ody...and...Jamila?" X huffed.

"We'll do them no good being marched to our deaths. We'll go back for them." Arthur tried to reassure his partner.

Now I - " and Arthur underwent a rather sudden deceleration, come close to garroting himself on his meticulously done up shirt buttons and X grasped him by the collar and yanked him backwards just as they emerged onto another corssroads of intersectign corridors.

"gak?" Arthur asked looking at his partner in what he hoped was a wounded manner.

"It's Sreka. I saw him.

"ogk. kay." Arthur nodded rubbing his neck.

"We'll have to try to sneak by, those guards wont be far behind." X said, glancing over his shoulder down the corridor through whcih they had just come.

Sticking close to the walls they advanced as quietrly as they dare but they weren't quite quiet enough.

Sreka turned from his reverie, and seeing them, exploded with krakatoan-like rage and began charging down towards them.

Arhut and X ran for it. Fear of Sreka's terrible rage made them fast and they soon lost Sreak amid the corridors before realising that, in their haste, they too had become irrevocably lost.

"This is not good." X observed.

Arthur hated to admit it, but he agreed.

But then something about this particular corridor looked familar, "hang on." He advised X, and peered round the corridor.

He could see the hanger area where they had first entered Alpha base on horseback. It was dingy and seemingly deserted, the great press of cultists presumably off on their own secret projects concernign The Shuttle.

The Shuttle! Arthur realised he had to get word to Guy to warn the world of what the Cult were planning. They had the radios - if they could just get outside, away from the rock of the hollow volcano fortress.

"What is it?" X asked.

"It's okay" We're near the hanger, we can make a break for it and radio Guy.

"Home?" X asked sounding delighted.

"Yeah look see if we can open the hanger door. Quietly. Follow me." And Arthur and X snuck out into the dark bay amid the tarpaulin covered paellets, and boxes of artic stores.

Despite appearences - the pair were not alone. High above them, from the gantry platform on the far side of the hanger, and in the gloom of the night, two figures were stood silently, wreathed in shadow. Mary and Daltmooreby watched Arthur and X's progress intently.

"You were right Sean." Mary whispered encouringly.

"This is the only way in and out they know of - they had to come back this way."

A third figure emerged from the blackness and joined the group at Mary's right hand side.

"Andrei," she said turning. "They didn;t give you too much trouble?"

"Niet. It was difficult staying seen - it goes against my usual habits. It was the least I could to finally make them think they had met me by accident and then lost me again.

A solid sounding clunk from benath them confired to Mary that the two agents wwere nearly done opening the door to the outside.

"Get your coats you two. Circle around and meet them coming in the other direction."

"What will you do?" Daltmooreby asked.

"I'll heard them towards you. go."

"Robinsosn's mine." Daltmooreby hissed as he left.

"I won't forget."

----------

With the door wedged open, Arthur and X broke cover and ran out into the driving wind. Arthur was nearly blown backwards by the strength of it but X grabbed his arm and pulled him along.

"We've not got long. Find some shelter!" Arthur shouted to make himself heard.

"Right. How about behind those crates?" X said pointing to some abandoned boxes that had been stacked aginst the cliff-face by the storm.

"Wimbledon! Strawberries and Cream calling Wimbledon. Call back. Over."

There was an agonising pause, during which the wind appeared to creep up a few extra knotts.

Suddenly a cheerful voice perked up on the other end "Service on Centre court!"

"Strawberries and Cream!" hissed Arthur.

"We've been expecting you two to get in touch. Transferring..."

There was a hiss of static - the storm was interrupting the signal. Arthur shook the handset in frusration, his hands already vibrating from the cold.

Suddenly a familiar voice eeked it's way through the static.

"Strawberries and cream, Strawberries and cream are you receiving? Over."

There was a loud noise followed by some more static.

"X" go check over there - see if they are still following us!"

X skulked off and was quickly hidden from sight by the blizzard.

"STRAW BERRIES AND CREAM ARE YOU - " the satelite receiver buzzed loudly.

"We're....here..Guy." Arthur said, struggling to catch his breath as the wind tore it away from him. He was feeling his age for certain, running away from Sreka had taken it's toll.

The wind picked up one of the tarpaulins and it flapped about madly - the crates underneath it shifted and several crashed onto the ice with a splintering thud.

"Is it safe?" Guy's voice asked.

"Not for long."

"Fine get yourselves out of there and we'll re-establish communications in 48 hours."

"I think we are being tracked so that might be a little tricky but we'll see what we can do."

"Did you find it?" Guy asked. "The Turqoise Moon?"

"Oh we found something all right. A whole lot of something!"

-------

A way from Arthur, X scanned the open cargo dock where they had ridden in on horse back only hours ago.

X saw Mary, dressed thick protective clothing, emerge from the open door holding a pistol and scanning the white-out for them. She saw the barest trace of footprints and began to head in X's direction.

X shouted to Arthur as loud as he could "They're coming!"

Arthur heard his partner's desperate cry against the wind, He started to shout into the handset "They've got a rocket!" but he was seized from behind by Andrei Sreka, who gripped him by his already sore throat, choking his words. Sreka yanked him backwards and and pulling him in close whispered menacingly, "Got you." Sreka did not see it, but the handset fell useless onto the floor and was quickly covered by snow.

Sreka hauled Arthur upright and spun him around. Arthur started disbelievingly and saw that there was a second door into the complex open behind him, light pouring out and someone was stood in the doorway.

As snow collected on his brow and caked into his eyes, Arthur struggled to wipe it away.

Daltmooreby, folded his arms and watched his nemesis's distress from the doorway with great satisfaction and smiled.

Mary appeared alongside Sreka holding X at gun point. "I've had enough of running around in the snow. Let's get them inside!"

Mary looked down at Arthur who had been forced to his knees by Sreka; and addressing him with a callous concern said, "You should have stayed on the train."

-------------

Jamilla was led by the elbow into a grimy cage with dark stone walls. The gaoler shoved Ody inside with a contemptful push to the shoulder.

The Cage door was snaped close with a metallic clang.

The Gaoler twirled the keys on his finger and cackled merrily as he left to attend to other duties.

Ody turned to Jamilla with a face of calm resignation.

"Do you still have it?" he asked, cryptically just within earshot of any lurkign eavesdroppers, had there been any.

"I never go anywhere with out it." Jamila replied, both hads going automatically up to her hair that was kept ina tight bob, and she carefully extracted a long but bent a somehwat hobbled pin.

Ody shuffled out of the way exposing the wrought iron door, bars and crucially, the lock.

"Do you still think you've got the knack?" He asked.

"Don't doubt it it for a second." Jamilla said boastfully. Granted it's been a while since we snuck into the Smitsonian Institute to get those magical thugee stones.

"I know I said I'd put them back - I never foresaw the business with the aligators,", Ody said managing to sound like a wounded 12 year old boy in trouble for breaking his mother's windows.

"Yes well less said of that the better." her words spoken in a stacatto fashion through the intense concentration of tryign to visualise the chambers and barrls inside the lock, sliding hte pin into each and turning experimentally.

A clunk signalled succeess. "Still got it." Jamila said beaming.and gave the door an experiemntal push were it swung idly open.

"Close it!" hissed Ody agitatedly.

An approaching sound of protest was just outside the door, Jamila, on her knees reached out grabed at the bars of the door and gently pulling the door to as silently as possible and trying to look as innocent as hell.

The door through which the gaoler had left burst open, and Mary , Daltmooreby and Sreaka stode in looking triumphant and a damp, half frozen and bedraggled Arthru and X tossed shivvering into the centre of the room.

The gaoler reappeared with a falanx of generic gaurds and Sreka hearded a dejected Arthur and X into a cage opposite, the door was slammed home with the same sould-destroying iron clang and the key in the lock snapped closed.

The cult left laughing, Daltmooreby, seemed in particularly high spirits at seeing Arthur brought so low.

"We failed." Arthur moped. "I failed." Anna. The Agency. The Whole World, The Cult are going to win. It's hopeless."

"Erm. Ahoy!" Ody waved with an uncharacteristic cheerfulness.

"Now isn't really a good" - X started to say as Jamilla touched lightly on her cell door that swung easily open - "time." he finsihed lamely.

Jamilla and Ody walked out into the bare room and approached the opposite cage. X gripped onto the bars like a badly behaved ape at a zoo.

Jamilla bent down and spoek through the bars.

"Look we'll do the special agent thing for a bit. You guys have done enough for now.

"I'll get Arthur back to himself." X agreed. He's had a rough few days."

"We'll be right back" Ody said as he and Jamila, in a curious reversal of fortunes, snuck out of the gaol leaving Arthur and X to their fate.

I've re-written parts of my last two posts ("you should have stayed on the train" & the above scene in gaol with Ody and Jamila) and I will post the changes in full here once I am finished.

Clive

Jamila was led by the elbow into a grimy cage with dark stone walls. The gaoler shoved Ody inside with a contemptuous push to the shoulder.

The Cage door was snapped close with a solid-sounding, metallic clang.

The Gaoler twirled the keys on his finger and cackled merrily as he left to attend to other duties.

Ody turned to Jamila with a face of calm resignation.

"Do you still have it?" he asked cryptically.

"I never go anywhere without it," Jamila replied, both hands going automatically up to her hair that was kept in a tight bob, and she carefully extracted a long, but bent, and somewhat hobbled pin.

Ody shuffled out of the way exposing the wrought iron door, bars and crucially, the lock.

"Do you still think you've got the knack?" He asked.

"Don't doubt it it for a second." Jamila said boastfully. Granted it's been a while since we snuck into the Smitsonian Institute to get those magical Thugee stones.

"I know I said I'd put them back - I never foresaw the business with the alligators," Ody said contriving to sound like a emotionally wounded 12 year old boy in trouble for breaking his mother's windows.

"Yes - well - the - less - said - of - that - the - better." Her words spoken in a staccato fashion through the intense concentration of trying to visualise the chambers and barrls inside the lock, sliding the pin into each and turning experimentally.

A clunk signalled succeess. "Still got it." Jamila said beaming.and gave the door an experimental push were it swung idly open.

Suddenly, the door through with the gaoler had only moments ago left burst open, as if kicked from the other side.

"Close it!" hissed Ody agitatedly.

Mary, Daltmooreby and Sreka stode in looking triumphant and a damp, half-frozen and bedraggled Arthur and X were tossed shivering into the centre of the room. With their backs turned to them, and amidst the general hubub, no-one seemed to have noticed that Ody and Jamila's cage was open.

Cautiously, Jamila reached out and perched on her knees, grabbed at the bars of the door and gently pulling the door to as silently as possible, letting it rest on the catch.

The gaoler reappeared with a phalanx of generic gaurds and Ody watched as Sreka herded X and a dejected-looking Arthur into a cage opposite. The door was slammed home with the same soul-destroying iron clang and the key in the lock snapped closed.

The cult left laughing. Daltmooreby seemed in particularly high spirits at seeing Arthur brought so low.

When they had left, and the noise of their celebration had quietened, Jamila became aware of Arthur's plaintive voice.

"We failed X." Arthur moped. "I failed. Anna. The Agency. The Whole World, The Cult are going to win. It's hopeless."

"Erm. Ahoy!" Ody waved with an uncharacteristic cheerfulness.

"Now isn't really a good" - X started to say as Jamila touched lightly on her cell door that swung easily open - "time." he finished the shock draining the impetus of his sentence.

Jamilla and Ody walked out into the bare room and approached the opposite cage. X gripped onto the bars like a badly behaved ape at a zoo.

Jamila bent down and spoke through the bars. Behind her, Ody stepped out of the way of a duct in the ceiling through which warm and vaguely sulphurous air was being pumped.

"How?" X asked.

"I picked the lock with this." Jamila said holding up two ends of the pin, which had finally broken in two.

"Damn." X said.

"Look we'll find another way out and come and get you.

"We didn't abandon you you know." X said trying to muster an apology. "We radioed base, at least arthur did - we were captured soon afterwards, I don't know what happened to the radio."

"I know." Jamila said.

"Listen, we can't stay here," Ody said distantly.

"He's right." X said, sitting back down on his haunches. "Get as far away as you can. The Cult have the upper hand and that Shuttle will be launched soon - and then, well; if they are planning what I think they are planning..."
During all of this, Ody hadn't moved much, X noticed this and followed his eyes which were gazing intently at Arthur. X pondered the young man's intentions.

"Let's go." Ody said, taking Jamilla by the arm.

"We'll be right back" Jamila said as the pair turned to leave and in a curious reversal of fortunes they escaped from the gaol, leaving Arthur and X to their fate.
Ody opened the door and peered out, the corridor was deserted, not sure which way to go: they headed left.

-------

Mary, Sreka and Daltmooreby were in high spirits.

"Did you see Robinson?" Daltmooreby breyed.
Sreka was about to reply when something caught his eye and he stopped suddenly. It was Annabell Smittington: The Grand Master of The Cult of The Dying Pilchard.

"So The Agents are in custody then, Cossak?"

"Er Yes. Yes Grand Master."

"Excellent." and then she slapped him across the jowl with a thunderous crack.
Mary and Daltmooreby winced.
Sreka turned back to her slowly.

"That was for letting the Agency come this close to disrupting The Cult's plans."
Sreka, slowly rubbing his jaw with one huge hand, the short stubbly bristles on his chin making a light krriitch sound, said nothing

"You were supposed to guard the door." The Grand Master said icly.
She turned to look straight on at Daltmooreby. "And you must be the traitorous spy - am I correct?"

"Indeed you are, Madam." Daltmooreby replied with a polite yet cautious lowering of his head.

"And do you have the Turqoise Moon?"

"I have caried it with me since I left Egypt. It has not left my possession once."

From under his jacket, he prduce a small leather satchel and inside wrapped in linseed cloth was a large roundish object approximately the size of a small watermelon.

Daltmooreby lifted it gingerly out of the bag and held it outstretched in his palm of his hand, and using his free hand, reverentially removed the cloth from around the diamond; he held it up to the light for them all to see.

In the corridor the four of them were bathed in a soft, bluish light,

Mary was quite lost for words. "It's..... it's so..."

Annabel regained her compsure first. "Daltmooreby - "

The spy returned the diamond orb to the satchel and turned to face The Grand Master

"Your clan is one of the most venerated amongst our number. Take the Turqoise Moon to The Launch Pad."

Daltmooreby smiled thinly and took a step forward past Annabell.

Annabel halted him, clearly ruminating over some decision, and after a moment's thought added, "Take the Cossak with you."

Sreka drew level with her.

"Don't screw up this time."

Daltmooreby carried on down the corridor, Sreka twisted his head to one side and his neck gave an unhealthy snap. With a sneer he took after the Englishman and said. "I won't"

Am trying to think about how to pick up the story from Ody and Jamilla's poitn of view - had an idea that Ody could post the photo of his mother and father down the chute along with the jail key retrieved from the gaoler, into the cells near where X can grab it. A message to Arthur he hasn't forgiven him for killing Yelena; this can then be the impetus for X to insist his partner go into hiding as part of his retirement in the finalé.

Am suspicious I'm coming down with a cold as I type this so may let my thoughts dwell on this idea a bit longer.....

In the immortal words of spike Milligan: "I told you I was sick"

Have had some further thoughts on this scene but am struggling to actually write it. Bugger. Will be back when inspiration strikes.

The thumbsup of approval. This is encouraging.

I figured that since the last person to reply to this thread was back in the last year, that it was my duty as a not-really-here-person, to post...

Well met sir!

Yes been a bit lonely, only talking to me, myself and I

Legion's knocking about but busy.

ST3 is getting finished in modest increments. So close to the end now I can see it all in my head the way to finish it I just need to get out of the images-inside-my-head stage and into the writing thereof.

Aha. Breakthrough on how Ody gets the key.... writing now.

This is going well... I stuck on my Indiana Jones score Cd and it helped get me into the mood for writing Ody. Can't imagine why.

One last bit to do for Jamila and then I'll post it here.

oooh this took some effort - but I'm really pleased with it.

I've set up hopefully the emotional resonance between Arthur and Daltmooreby which can reach it's denoument later on board the space laser.

I've also set Arthur and X on a course for the launch pad and separated them from Ody and Jamilla who are know trying to escape Alpha Complex.

---------------

Chapter 60.


Ody peered round the corner and assessed the situation, his eyes flicked back and forth as he took

in the details.

"Is he there?" Jamilla asked.

"Yup." said Ody clucking his gums. "Him and about three other guards."

He turned his head again and looked back at the hurdle of cultists, discussing some unheard joke,

for they simultaneously all threw their heads back and roared with laughter.

On the gaoler's belt, the keys on a metal loop on his belt jostled and jangled as his paunch

wobbled back and forth while he chuckled to himself.

Ody looked back at Jamila. "Are you sure about this?"

"Yes. We owe them."

Ody looked a little wounded and tried to say something but the words wouldn't come, so he bit his

lip and hugn his head. Looking back up he just said. "Let's do this."

Jamilla peered round the corner herself and urgently whispered to Ody, "the other's are leaving."

"Stay here." Ody said taking Jamila by both shoulders.

"But.."

"No buts. And I mean stay *HERE*"

Picking himself up he dusted his knees and took one final look around the corner the gaoler was on

his own...this would be...

The gaoler left and headed down an adjacent corriodr.

...not easy.

"I mean it." he said to Jamilla and left following the gaoler.

The man wandered it seemed aimlessly, this way and that, greetings from fellow cultists as he

passed them by; finally he entered a long corridor where there was no-one else about.

Ody reached out.

"Excuse me," he said tapping the gaoler on the shoulder and reachign for the keys on the belt...

The gaoler turned. "you!" and he bolted down the corridor, the keys jangling as they tumbled from

Ody's fingers.

"Damnit!" and Ody ran after him.

The man ran left, through a door and down a long a corridor and through another larger door. Ody

followed him into the next room.

"A-ha...ah."

It was the caferteria, and the room was full of Cultists eating dinner.

"Get him!" huffed the Gaoler.

"It's the Infidels!" cried one.

"Grab them" screamed another.

"Arrrgghhh!" cried Ody as he turned about, ran back out of the caferteria, pursued by a significant

slice of the population of Alpha Complex.

He decided to lead them away from Jamila so he came out of the cafetria and headed right, deeper

into the maze of tunels that made up The Cult's domain.

He was making good distance on his pursuers when the thought of what he'd came for hit him like a

brick.

"The key!" he cried as he skidded to a halt.

He was in a narrow corridor border on either side by a series of dark-coloured pipes marked "hot"

and "cold".

He'd make his fight here. A steam valve hissed melodramaticaly.

The throng of cultists appeared at the doorway. The space was tight. They couldn't all fit through.

There was a movement, bodies were pressed awkwardly aside, space was made, and then amongst them

emerged the gaoler pushing his way to the front and emerged grinning, bearing a conventional gold

canine tooth in a sick grin.

The gaoler cracked the nuckles on boths fists and said "How did a heretic such as yourself escape

my gaol?"

Ody took in the Gaoler's size, he was broader and more solid looking than he had a first suspected.

He realised belatedly that this wasn't going to end well. "Now you can just give me the key and me

and my friends will just go." He'd try diplomacy first.

As the assembled cultists all broke out in laughter, Ody narrowed his eyes.

"He wants me to give him the key." The gaoler played to the crowd with a gesture and took two

unguarded steps forward. "He can come and get it." and turned back to face Ody.

Ody was nimble and quick over short distances. He'd already closed the gap and came at the gaoler

with fist clenched. He charged the gaoler and struck him on the jaw turning his face sideways; a

swift left to the ribs; a knuckling right to the kidneys.

The gaoler caught Ody next punch brushing it aside and then got both hands on the back of Ody's

neck and pulled him downwards, where he met the gaoler's knee coming up. Ody staggered backwards,

shook off the double vision and raised his fists.

The gaoler caught him with a nasty hook from the left, and he staggered like a marionette; the

gaoler sensing victory, drew up along side Ody and snapped jabs at him.

Ody rocked back and forth his head snapping with each jab. He was loosing at he knew it.

Another jab, and Ody careened bckwards onto the pipes.

His back rested on the 'hot' pipe and the pain was incredible as the heat burnt it's way through to

his shoulder blades, it brought Ody back to his senses with a roar of anguish.

There was no art to the punch; he came off the pipes electrified, a maniac glint in his eyes and

throwing all his weight behind it, caught the gaoler off guard with a terrific smashmouth southpaw.

The gaoler wobbled and pitched backwards.

Ody picked himself off of the floor and on one knee, removed the bullwhip from his belt. he snapped it at the gaoler, where it caught above his head around the pipes.

The gaoler lowered his head from looking at where the whip had snagged above him.

"Heh..heh...missed." he said and smiled, missing the golden tooth.

"No." said Ody and pulled on the whip, the valve came off the a 'ping' and hot steam cascaded out

in a burst, the gaoler screamed and disappeard in the cloud.

The cultists watching at the door all tried at the same time to come and help resulting in the most terrible crush.

The steam reached a rusty water sprinkler in the roof and after a pregant second filled with pause

the sprinklers that ran the length of the corridor began to gush forth water that fell in arcing

and cinematicly slow spirals all around Ody and all down the corridor.

The Gaoler emerged from the steam cloud clutching his face mumbling incoherently, Ody came at him

again a strike to the jaw that turned the man almost around; another to the nose gave way to a wail

of agony; Ody reared back and delivered one final blow to the reeling cultist who finally staggered

and collided with the wall.

The gaoler shook his head, sending drops of water and blood flying and raised his arms weakly to

come at Ody one last time.

It wasn't exaclty Judo, but Ody caught the mans arm and rolled him over his hip in a sort of

catestrophic tumble onto the hard floor. Ody ended up on top and the gaoler gave a small sigh of

unconsciousness.

Ody took a moment to stand upright and regain his sensibilities. The soft patter of falling water

helped. He glanced at the doorway where some of the cultists were still trying to extract

themselves from the crush there were some plaintive cries for aid.

Looking back at his fallen foe,he wiped his own blood off his nose and gave the man a hard and contemputuous kick. The keys flew into the air and Ody caught the ringlet and looking satisfied he made for the exit at the far end of the corridor.

--------------

Jamilla, meanwhile, was gazing through a grating above the gaol. It was a simple vent allowing air

to circulate around the underground base, she could just make out the cell where Arthur and X were

being kept.

"psst." she hissed.

"psst!"

X looked up her from below.

"Ody's gone to get the key." she whispered. "We'll come down in a second. Wait there's someone

coming..." - and she dissappered from view.

X still with his face pressed to the bars, sank back.

He looked across at his partner. Arthur was sat with his knees tucked into his chest, arms folded

across his knees, head down with his face buried into his elbow creases.

"Anna, I failed you. I'm sorry" he mumbled.

"Still thinking about that Anna women?" said X, reading his agitated state with uncanny accuracy.

Arthur shot him a look that would have vivisected puppies.

Regaining some composure he stuttered gutturally: "Her name ...was Anna....and yes."

"Listen. I'm not sure what the best way to say this is so I'll just go ahead and say it as bluntly

as I can."

"Go on."

"Snap out of it!"

"What?"

"There...are larger things at stake... I learnt that from you."

"Learnt what from me?" Arthur said with a sniff.

"That," X started and looked expectantly up at the grate in the ceiling, "sometimes we have to

sacrifice what we care about for the greater good."

"Sacrifice." Arthur murmered, rolling the word around in his mouth.

"I can't live like this any more X." I can't choose...to let people die anymore." "Anna didn't

deserve to die at Sreka's whim."

"That's why *we* - me and you - have to stop people like that." X pleaded. "There is only us that

stands between them, a underworld of people like Sreka...and worse. I know you know this."

"But for how much longer X?"

"Look enough of this!" he finally snapped. "Think of England Arthur. Think of the Agency.

Complete our mission! That is what we were trained for! This is what we do! Any second now, Ody and Jamilla are going to arrive with the key and we'll be free and I need you

to *focus* - so get it together or we'll not be able to stop Sreka or The Cult. *I* need *you*

*here*, *now*!"

He turned back to the bars and looked up at the ceiling vent. Tough love was hard and he didn't

enjoy it one bit.

----------------

Upsatirs Ody came round the corner wiping the sweat, mingled with water, off his brow.

Jamila stepped out from her hiding spot. "Oh it's you."

"You waited. Good." he said

"Your face!" she said horrified. Are you all right?

"I'll live." he said brushing aside her agitated inspection of his swollen eye.

"sorry"

"Look, I spoke to the Agents through a grill over there" and she indicated with a point. "Did you

get the key?" she asked.

"Yes." Ody said and produced the ringlet he'd aquired from the gaoler.

"Good. Now we can..." and Jamila went to take the brass ringlet from ody's grasp, but he instead

held on tight.

"Are you sure about this?" he asked. The keys jangling between them

"About what?" she asked, taken aback.

"About them." he said nodding to where Jamila had indicated the grill to be.

"er...yes - what are you talking about?"

"I...er....my father."

"Your father? The one who attacked us at the dig site?"

"Yes him. He said... He said....the older one killed my mother."

"and you believed him?"

"Well..ye..n -... he didn't deny it."

She frowned scepticaly.

"I can't do this any more J." he said wearily. "I am not my father."

"So we should abandon them - is that way you are saying?" she said horrified and enraged in equal

measure.

Ody paused. "No..."

It wasn't convincing.

a moments pause and he replied "We should get out now...while we still can. They aren't going to be leaving. They are going to go looking for him....and right now...I don't know who I'd want to win."

"and what shall we do about them - now we have the key?"

"Leave that to me." Ody said aproaching the grate.

He detatched the cell door key from the ring and went to post it through the grill to the gaol

below.

"Wait." she said.

"The key might bounce. Angle it towards them."

"With what?" he asked then he had an idea.

He reached into his pocket and retrieved the photgraph of his mother Yelena and his father Sean, in

happier times.

Fitting this between then grills of the grate it formed a crude slide for the key to go down, aiming it towards the cell where X was waiting patiently with arms outstretched.

"Here it comes." Ody whispered tipping the large key onto the photograph and down through the

grate. The key arced and came down with a clanging thud on the stone floor of the gaol. It bounced

and landed within a finger-tips stretch of X leaning through the bars. His questing fingers brushed

it once, twice, just enough to bring it forward and slowly it came within reach. Grasping it firm.

X lifted it up and presented the key to Arthur who barely reacted.

X turned back up to look at Ody.

But the archologist was no longer there. A single square of white paper was fluttering down. X

inserted the key, and opened the cell door, reached up and grabbed it out of mid-flight.

It was a photograph of Sean and Yelena Daltmooreby. 'If Arthur sees this in his fragile state...'

the thought trailed off. He pocketed the photo and turned to face his partner.

"Come along Arthur. We've not got long to stop Sreka and Daltmooreby from using that diamond. Are

you ready?"

Arthur stood up, adjust his lapels and without saying a word walked out of the cell and with his

partner X at his side, wearing a look of grim determination.

--------------

In the corridor above Ody and Jamilla were running in an inconspicuous way as they could manage.

Jamilla huffed... "but...the photograph.."

They rounded a corner together.

"This may sound odd...coming from me... but for once I'm going to bury the past and hope it stays

buried."

"where are we going?" Jamilla asked.

"Well we were coming in on a train, I'm guessing there will be a station here where it would have

arrived, there may be a way back there. Come on..."

hmm...apologies the formatting has gone a bit awry in copy> pasting it from notepad.

I GuideML'd it for easier reading...

A19745120

Need to do some more to this soon....I'll shall peer into my magic eight ball of narrative construction and see if I can't come up with what happened next.

I went back and looked over the chapter when Sreka makes his peace with Daltmooreby (LV)

I realised with them both now on their way to the shuttle it will be the perfect place to resume their frosty difference towards each other, but also to start playing on Daltmooreby's two-faced treachery.


I've loosely plotted out what I plan to write - It's a bit late to begin the actuall writing now so I let it all perculate until tomorrow.

At the moment It's very loose still; little more than snatches of images and a line of dialogue or two from the depths of my imagination.

If anyone is reading this - thoughts, comments or opinions are well received....

----------
ST3 Chapter LXI


Sreak and Daltmooreby in corrior to Shuttle - resume discussion about old debts.

Start with Robinson: Daltmooreby says "ALL IS FORGIVEN" Sreka has proven himself in apprehanding Robinson. But He seemed to be cowed over the grand master. (the slap) A mind game.

Sreka is embaressed: "speak to me of this no more - I am helpless around women."

"Aren't we all?" Daltmoore says with a smile.
----------

Daltmooreby meets Grobsvaughn - "I will be your pilot" - they don space suits and collect their helmets.

---------
Control room - Annabell initiates countdown.

The Shuttle is illuminated, the assembled hordes of Cult Society begin to assemble in the ante chamber over-looking the launch pad.

She descends down to the VIP platform and prepares to speak. (next chapter her speech is to be interrupted by the fight between Sreka, X and Arthur)

Daltmooreby ascends the scaffold first - following Grobsvaughn.

"Sreka" he says turning "I LIED."

He kicks Sreka who looses his grip and falls from the shuttle, and lands hard on the lattice of the launch scaffold with a clang.

"Curse you filthy Englishman!!!"

----------

A gush of steam - Arthur emerges out of it. "I heard that."

Sakre kolyama - What will it take for you to just give up?

More than you've got.

And your lady friend? The one I killed in Cario. It was love was it not? taunting

Yeah about that - Arthur reveals, concealed - a large, steel spanner and brings it down hard on Sreka's arm, fracturing his wrist.

Arrrgh! and falls to his knees.

Arthur raises it for another strike, Sreka raises his other arm grabs Arthur by the lapels and pulls him in hard for a headbutt.

Arthur drops the spanner, and staggers backwatd the spanner slips through a gap in the grid of the gantry and falls the length of the way to the space underneath the rocket.

Srekas arm is tingling in agony.... Sreka spits out a clot of blood from his mouth and stands upright towering over Arthur. "Okay - I break my arm and there's two of you. Now we fight fair...."

The fight begins....