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

L: Well... I had asked him about his plans... And he said...

*Remembers who he's talking to*

L: I'm sorry, but I'm afraid I can't tell you about his plans... He said he was doing all this for his daughter...

*E looks at Liebe*

So what's going to happen to me now...?

L: Well... All I can tell you is that you'll be treated very well... You see, you're kept in a lounge, and I'd rather not know where Bond is...

*Realizes too late that perhaps he shouldn't have mentioned Bond... Tries to cover it...*

L: I'd not worry about my future if I were you... Nothing bad will happen...

Do you know where Bond is...?

How can you be so sure that nothing bad will happen?

L: I can't tell you where Bond is... I don't know, and if I did, I wouldn't tell you... And I know nothing bad will happen because Seriy is no evil person...

*The last part doesn't sound very convincing...*

What am I going to do...? I can't just sit here and wait...

*E looks at Liebe & half thinks...can I?*

L: Well, sitting here and waitint is exactly what you're supposed to do... Seriy wanted to talk to you here... I wonder where he is... He should be in any moment...

[Hint, hint, Gary...]

*Volk enters the room, looking harried. He looks around and notices E and Liebe deep in conversation and walks over to them.*

Good, good. I see you are getting along. You are the two people who mean the most to me in the world, so it is gratifying to see you taking an interest in each other. I can only stay a moment as there are still intruders to round up.

*E looks up at Volk, hope can be seen in her eyes... If there were still intruders, then either Bond had escaped, or Bluebottle was still out there somewhere...*

*Iwan rushes in and runs over to Volk.*

Boss, the prisoners have escaped.

*Volk looks angry and slightly worried.*

Sound the alarms and have them recaptured. Seal all exits to the building.

* Five minutes later, Iwan rushes in again. *

They are in the control room. Guards are engaging them from the main entrance, but it will take 5 minutes to work other guards around to the service corridor at the back. They may still escape.

*Volk looks concerned and somewhat resigned*

I suspect that this may not go our way, Iwan. Prepare the escape pod, just in case.

*Volk turns to E and Liebe.*

We may have leave in a hurry. You will both be safe with me.

*E sees that she has no choice but to leave with Volk & Liebe... However, she at least knows that Bond will be able to track her down again thanks to the homing device on her shoe...*

*Iwan rushes in again*

The escape pod is ready, Boss, and an explosive charge has been detected somewhere in the building, but we don't know where.

*Volk smiles sadly*

Well, this looks like a major setback, Iwan. We are forced to take the pod. Follow me.

*Volk leads the group through several twisting corridors to a large steel door. He presses a button and an iris scanner checks his iris. The door splits in an "X" shape and the 4 parts hiss into the walls. Inside is a metal framework surrounding a small metal bulbous shaped vehicle. Volk leads the group up a ladder, then down a hatch into the vehicle. Iwan closes the hatch and spins the wheel on its underside. Volk sits in a seat facing a large array of switches, dials, screens and instruments. He flips a few switches and the instrument panel comes to life. One screen shows the room outside, another shows various shots of the inside of the factory - black-clad figures running about yelling, Bond and his group diving through the doughnut conveyor hole, the empty lounge. Volk presses a button and the screen showing the room outside shows the floor opening. He presses another button and the room camera shows the bulbous vehicle dropping out of site through the floor. An outdoor camera shows the vehicle dropping from under the wharf to the water below.*

*E looks about in amazement... She didn't have a clue where she was being taken, but she still looked around in amazement...*

* Volk fiddles with more switches and levers and the vehicle submerges. A low hum slowly increases in pitch as the submarine makes its way ouf from under the wharf and heads out of San Francisco Bay into the Pacifc. He hands the controls over to Iwan and swivels in his seat to face E and Liebe.*

Well, Liebe, its back home again for a while, eh?

*He turns to E*

After the accident, I lived for a time with Liebe's father. He had helped plan the accident and he and his wife looked after me while I recovered. Liebe was just a small boy then, and we got on famously. About a year after the accident, Liebe's parents were killed in an avalanche while skiing. Liebe had no brothers or sisters and no known relatives. Their wills left most of their vast fortune to Liebe and the rest, which was an incredible amount of money, to me. With the money, I was able to build ... well, you will see what I built. I raised Liebe myself, which was a small compensation for having to leave my only daughter. Little by little I became obsessed with laying the world at my daughter's feet. Liebe, as he got older, proved to be an immense help to my plans. We have had a large setback today, but the important thing is that the 3 of us can be together.

*E didn't know what to say... After all, she hadn't seen her father for a long time...then suddenly he turns up... Not only does he suddenly turns up, but he just happens to be the evil genius that Bond was trying to stop...*

*E sat there for a moment & wondered what the world had come to...*

I suppose that explains a bit...

*They continue on their journey, discussing the past and future, until Iwan says:*

We are approaching the vent, Boss.

*Volk takes the controls. Through the front viewscreen can be seen weird life forms surrounding a hot thermal vent. Volk steers the submarine for the vent opening.*

This is a little tricky - we must hit at just the right angle or we will be blown out again.

*The submarine angles into the vent. The viewscreen is temporarily filled with small bubbles, but then clears, showing a circular tunnel through which the submarine is fighting its way. The tunnel branches and Volk steers the submarine for the smaller branch. The going immediately becomes easier. They travel for a short time longer, until Volk announces that they have arrived. The submarine surfaces and they find themselves drifting slowly along a high-ceilinged tunnel. Volk turns and grins at the others.*

Well, here we are:

http://www.h2g2.com/forumframe.cgi?forum=32636&thread=41905

I hang my head in shame, having not noticed the story that was taking place right under my nose

Well, if you wanted to, you could always have a look at http://www.h2g2.com/A257294 All the scenes from TDANE are there... Well, OK, the latest ones aren't, but they're all linked from inside the forums...

An impressively confusing array of stories, I must say........