tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-82218817564331573622024-03-13T06:46:29.970-07:00sparacussetting the standards &
telling it like it isUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger413125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8221881756433157362.post-36622438835536437282020-12-27T11:10:00.008-08:002021-01-03T11:32:15.845-08:00The Ben Chatham Xmas 2020 Special: "The Golden Crystal of Valedor"<p> Ok folks, here is this year's much awaited Christmas and New
Year special:</p><p class="MsoNormal">
<br />
<b>"The Golden Crystal of Valedor'<br />
<br />
Part 1</b><br />
<br />
A mysterious fire at the Blue Angel Jazz cafe had roused Ben from a languid
afternoon listening to Debussy and eating rum truffles. He arrived in time to
see the fire brigade still dousing the smoldering ruins of the back kitchens.
Ben strode up to the young barman, Kian Crawford:<br />
"I got your text Kian. Oh dear, it looks like your kitchens are somewhat
wrecked. What happened, did you leave a frying pan on?"<br />
Kian looked hurt:<br />
"It was not my fault Ben. That's why I texted you. I saw a thing, a
creature like. It was like glowing blue and white. It pointed and flames just
started. Then it faded away. I ran out here.'<br />
Ben sighed:<br />
'Kian you look as alluring as ever, but are you sure that you haven't been
indulging in too much of the Blue Angel's high quality absinthe?"<br />
"No I have not. I'm like cooking today. I saw it Ben".<br />
As he spoke a large car drew up and a man got out wearing an expensive smoking
jacket, a cigar in his hand.<br />
"Oh my God. What on earth has happened. Oh this is terrible," he
exclaimed. Kian turned to Ben:<br />
"On no, the boss is here. Ben you need to back me up. Tell him it wasn't
my fault like."<br />
"Ok Kian, But I shall expect rewarding later".<br />
Ben approached the man with the cigar:<br />
"I'm Ben Chatham from Operation Delta. Who are you?"<br />
The man frowned:<br />
"My dear boy, I find your manner very forward. I am Sir Vernon Holmes,
owner of the Blue Angel. I have no idea what Operation Delta is. However I
forgive you as you are most delightful to the eye."<br />
Ben smiled gently:<br />
"Thank you Mr Holmes. I can see that you are a man of impeccable taste. If
I am not mistaken, that is a Cuban Del Vivolde cigar, one of the finest in the
world. I just want to emphasise that the fire was not started by any of your
staff leaving a pan of fat unattended. I have every reason to suspect arson,
and I lead a government investigation team.<br />
Holmes stroked Ben's hair:<br />
"Let us investigate together."<br />
<br />
Some time later, Ben was walking round the water -sodden ruins of the kitchens
as a team of workmen hired by Holmes were removing burnt items and loading them
onto a truck. One of the workmen lifted a large piece of fallen ceiling and
shouted out:<br />
"Hey guv, part of the floor has gone in. There's a huge hole".<br />
Holmes sighed:<br />
"More expense no doubt. This is most exasperating."<br />
He, Ben and Kian approached and saw a large sink-hole in what was the floor,
looking into it, Ben could just about see something golden, half-buried.<br />
"Hey have any of you workmen got a torch?"<br />
One of them fetched a torch from the truck and shone it down. A large, golden
crystal shaped object was sticking out of the soil. Ben turned to Holmes:<br />
"Ok Mr Holmes. From now on this is an official Operation Delta
investigation and I am in charge. I'd like you to order in some food for me and
my team, since you cannot cook it yourselves, as this could be a long
night."<br />
<br />
Later, Ben, Julian, Kyle and Martha were sat in the largely undamaged bar of Blue
Angel, finishing dinner. Martha frowned:<br />
"Shouldn't we be helping to excavate that thing rather than just sitting
here?"<br />
Ben sighed:<br />
"Martha, as I explained earlier, we would just be getting in the way.
Enjoy your dry martini."<br />
"Typical lazy attitude", Martha retorted. Julian glared at her:<br />
"Look Ben only invited you here because he doesn't want you working for
that bitch Katie Ryan. Why else would he put up with your sour face."<br />
Ben gave him an exasperated look as Kyle stood up:<br />
"'Ere if we're just gonna bicker then I'm off to see how the lads are
getting on."<br />
Kyle went out the back, and was soon joined by the others. The large, golden
object has been lifted out of the hole and was being hosed down. They were
stunned to see that it was crystal shaped, resembling a giant cut diamond, Yet
golden."<br />
Kian emerged from the bar and grimaced in horror:<br />
"Hey guys, come away from it like. It's dangerous, I can feel it's
power....."<br />
He collapsed and Ben rushed over to him:<br />
"Someone fetch this boy some brandy."<br />
As Ben spoke, the crystal began to glow and a strange, high-piched sound
emanated from it. Then a beam of light shot out of it and straight at Ben's
head. Ben felt that he was floating in time and space, strangely calm and
untroubled. He saw several blue and white figures surrounding him, but
unfocused. Then he heard the voice:<br />
"We can give you infinite possibilities, The dimensions can be yours to
choose Ben Chathem. Your ambitions and dreams fulfilled. You must release us.
Help us to be free......."<br />
<br />
...........to be continued.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><p class="MsoNormal">Ok here is the second part of this festive adventure:<br />
<br />
<b>Part 2</b><br />
<br />
Ben collapsed on the floor as the beam of light emanating from the crystal
ceased. Kyle and Julian ran to help him as he mumbled deliriously.<br />
"Ere let's get him inside out of this cold", Kyle shouted.<br />
They lifted Ben into the bar and then fetched Kian as well, who was in a
similar delirious and semi-conscious state. Kyle fetched a bottle of brandy
from behind the bar and some glasses.<br />
"You are not going to pour brandy down them. That is irresponsible and the
last thing they need", Martha said sternly.<br />
"Well 'ave you got any better ideas?" Kyle retorted. Martha shrugged:<br />
"All you men think about is drink. My father was never happy unless he had
a whisky glass in his hand. To think of all the money he wasted."<br />
Kyle put the brandy glass to Ben's lips:<br />
"Ere you drink this Ben. It'll soon warm you back to life." Ben
opened his eyes and began to mumble:<br />
"I saw them.... the figures... they showed me pictures. Must return the
crystal to the base. Free the lost ones....." Julian held his hand:<br />
"Ben, please be ok. Try not to tire yourself by talking now." Martha
frowned:<br />
"Don't tell him that, we need to know what that crystal did to him. *To
Ben*. Well? Come on and tell us."<br />
Ben slowly sat up:<br />
"I saw them bring the crystal... centuries ago in their long ships.The
vikings. Brought the crystal from the fyords.... cold in the North Sea....
brought it down through the Danelaw to here... buried it...."<br />
Ben sank back into unconsciousness. Martha shook him:<br />
"What do you mean, vikings? This is clearly alien technology. Come on,
wake up!" Julian glared at her:<br />
"Ben is too tired and in shock to be questioned further by you. Let's get
him home."<br />
<br />
Julian and Kyle took Ben back to his apartment and lay him on his luxury sofa,
his head resting on a silk cushion. Julian brought a blanket from upstairs and
put Bowie's 'Station To Station' CD on.<br />
"You relax there Ben. Get your strength back", he said, stroking
Ben's hair. Meanwhile Martha was still sat in the bar of the Blue Angel,
writing up her notes on her ipad. Vernon Holmes had turned up and was grumbling
to the workmen:<br />
"When can that thing be moved from out of my kitchens? I've got the
builders coming tomorrow to give me a quote and I do not expect them to face
that object when they arrive."<br />
A workman shrugged:<br />
"Search me squire. It's all up to that Operation Delta lot according to
the coppers."<br />
Holmes turned to Martha:<br />
"Excuse me madam, but when are you people going to move that object? I
need to get the builders going as soon as possible. It is bad enough that my
jazz cafe has had to shut because of Covid without this as well. The stress is
too much,"<br />
Martha frowned:<br />
"Well you will just have to wait, there are more important things to
consider than your sordid little bar, which seems to have a problem with
non-male visitors. That object is most likely to be of alien origin. Has it not
crossed your mind to think of the implications of that?"<br />
As she spoke, Kian, who was slumped across the bar, started to moan. Martha
went over to him:<br />
"Do you remember what happened? Come on, wake up!"<br />
Kian lifted his head:<br />
"... it was like I was drifting out of time and space.... very calm...
looking down like. Saw these men carrying the crystal thing. Vikings like.
Somehow knew where from.... saw them in the long ships then burying it
here."<br />
He slumped down again but Martha yanked his head up by the hair:<br />
"Where did they bring it from? Come on tell me".<br />
"From Norway. Beyond the fyords. Near Honningsvag...... We must return it
to the base. We must return it to the world of ice and light....."<br />
Kian slumped down again and Holmes approached:<br />
"Miss whoever you are, I'd thank you to stop interrogating my staff like
this?" Martha glared at him:<br />
"I am Martha Jones. I do not think much of your establishment or your
staff. This bar boy has information and it is my job to extract it. Have you or
your staff ever been to Norway? Specifically to Honningsvag?" Holmes
looked puzzled:<br />
"No, why do you think I would have visited there? I prefer to take my
breaks in Amsterdam or Barcelona."<br />
"Yes you look the type", Martha retorted dryly.<br />
As she spoke, the door of the bar opened and in came Shakey Jake, with Keith
Smith:<br />
"Hey chick, how you hanging out? We've come to pick up the groovy object
and take it to the lab", Jake said. Martha was not impressed:<br />
"Please to not again ever call me 'chick'. It is out in the burned out
kitchens at the back. Please remove it carefully and place it into the van. We
may be taking it on a holiday to the arctic soon."<br />
Jake grinned:<br />
"Yeah cool. Would you like a piece of my special Christmas flapjack,
babe?"<br />
<br />
Meanwhile, back in Ben's flat, Ben was sitting up on the sofa and sipping a
fine cognac while David Bowie's "Wild is the Wind" played softly in
the background. Julian approached him:<br />
"Hey Ben, are you feeling ok now".<br />
"Yes I feel much better Julian. I love this song, it has an ability to
calm me even in my most stressed out moments."<br />
The song finished and Ben laid back his head on the cushion. As he did so he
felt a jolt of energy run through him and saw a vision of the blue and white
beings in his head. They whispered to him:<br />
"Bring the crystal back beyond the fyords. Set us free and we will give
you infinite power..... it can all be yours Ben Chatham....."<br />
<br />
.............to be continued<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal">Ok folks, here is part 3 of this exciting special:<br />
<br />
<b>Part 3</b><br />
<br />
Julian had put on Bowie's 'Low' album for Ben and then gone to the bedroom to
relax and to read some Kafka. He heard the CD finish and decided to go and see
how Ben was, nonchalantly casting the book to one side. However Ben was no
longer on the sofa and the blanket had been thrown on the floor. As Julian
picked it up, Luigi entered the room:<br />
"Mr Chatham has gone out again. He said not to disturb you."<br />
Julian was annoyed:<br />
"What and you just let him go? Could you not see that he was unwell?"<br />
"It was not my place to stop him. I am only an employee here", Luigi
said, languidly.<br />
"Yes and a rather stupid one", Julian retorted. He texted Kyle and
then set off to see if Ben had returned to the Blue Angel. Arriving at the
cafe, they found the door open and the bar deserted. Kyle looked around the
burned out kitchen then shouted:<br />
" Is anyone still 'ere like? Ben are you 'ere?"<br />
They heard muffled shouts coming from downstairs so hurried down then, through
the underground gin bar and to a thick door leading to the cellar, where
frantic knocking was coming from. They saw the keys on a table and Kyle
eventually found the right one. Opening the door they saw an angry Martha, along
with Vernon Holmes, Jake and Keith.<br />
"What happened to you?" Julian asked. Martha glared at him:<br />
"We were locked in the cellar, what the hell do you think happened? It was
Ben. After the workmen had loaded that crystal thing into Jake's van and gone
home Ben turned up. He said that his phone scanner had revealed traces of an
alien presence in the cellar and that we all needed to take a look. Then he
locked us all in, apart from that slippery Kian."<br />
Vernon Holmes (played by Simon Callow) was most annoyed:<br />
"I must say that I am most unhappy about this. I do not expect to be
locked in the cellar when I have the need to take a comfort break".<br />
Kyle looked concerned:<br />
"'Ere I didn't see any van outside when we arrived just now".<br />
"Hey cats, this means that Ben must have taken it. Like really heavy
man", Jake replied.<br />
Martha frowned:<br />
"This is completely irresponsible of him. He has clearly gone rouge.
Typical man, changing with the wind."<br />
Julian was irked:<br />
"That is unfair Martha. Ben was attacked in some way by that crystal
thing, as was the barman. Their minds may be possessed by some unknown
force."<br />
"Don't make excuses", Martha snapped back.<br />
<br />
Kyle and Julian attempted to ring Ben, but there was no reply. Then Julian
remembered:<br />
"Hey, I've just recalled something. When Ben was resting on the sofa after
listening to 'Station to Station' he began muttering something. Something about
fyords and taking the crystal to the base".<br />
Martha scowled:<br />
"That creepy barman said something similar and named the town of
Honningsvag. My guess is that they are going there and taking that crystal
thing with them. Have any of you ever been to Norway?"<br />
Julian shook his head:<br />
"I certainly haven't. I've always wanted to go to see the northern lights
though."<br />
<br />
Some time later, Ben and Kian arrived in Norway by special ferry and they
loaded the crate containing the crystal into the back of a truck, which Ben had
hired using a mobile app. The driver, Erik, stared at them.<br />
"So explain again please how you were allowed to come here by special
ferry despite the Covid rules."<br />
"Because I am Ben Chatham and my organisation is exempt from all Covid
rules as we investigate alien attacks."<br />
Erik looked confused:<br />
"This is just so far fetched. Two Englanders come here claiming that they
investigate aliens? It is, how you say, preposterous."<br />
Ben showed Erik his official documentation on his phone again:<br />
"Look unless you want to get in trouble with the Norwegian authorities I
suggest that you drive us to Honningsveg and stop asking questions", Ben
replied.<br />
Erik stared at Ben. He was around 25 and tall and blonde, with high cheekbones
and classic Norwegian features. He looked and Ben and felt an instant
attraction.<br />
"Ok I will drive you. Ben I find you a very attractive guy. It is lonely
here in the fyords. "<br />
However Ben's eyes were strangely cold and his mind and free will buried
beneath the power that controlled him. All he could see was the crystal.<br />
"You will drive us now".<br />
<br />
They drove through the snow covered Norwegian road , past mountains and wooden
shacks. Erik wore only a check shirt, despite the cold, his muscular body used
to the northern wind. Eventually they came to a small town and as they drove
towards it, they found the road blocked by a land rover type vehicle. Ben
shouted from the car:<br />
"Get that thing out of our way".<br />
The land rover doors opened and out of the vehicle stepped Katie Ryan, Adam
Wooten, Nathan and Asha. Katie smiled:<br />
"Hi Ben. We have been expecting you....."<br />
<br />
......to be continued.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal">Ok folks, here is part 4 of this classic Xmas adventure:<br />
<br />
<b>Part 4</b><br />
<br />
Ben got out of the truck and stared at Katie, however all he could hear was the
voice inside his head telling him to return the crystal to the base and then
infinite possibilities would be his. Katie stood in the middle of the road,
legs astride and hands on hips:<br />
"Ben we know that your mind is possessed by an alien force. You are in
grave danger as is the whole planet. It is too complicated to explain now, just
hand over the crystal before it is too late."<br />
Ben felt compelled by the voice inside his mind to respond:<br />
"You have no jurisdiction here. This is an Operation Delta case. You no
longer work for Operation Delta. Therefore you have no jurisdiction."<br />
Katie stood form:<br />
"Just listen to yourself Ben. You sound robotic because they are
controlling you. Use your will to break through it. Oh and for your information
me and my new team are going to outrun Operation Delta. I have the gorgeous
Adam on my team. And unless you hadn't noticed Nathan and Asha are from
non-white backgrounds so you can tell that smarmy bitch Corinne not to accuse
me of being discriminatory."<br />
Erik was concerned:<br />
"Who is this woman?"<br />
Ben got back into the truck:<br />
"You don't need to know. She is unhinged. Turn this vehicle round and
drive. Fast."<br />
Erik did a rapid three point turn and sped off back in the direction of the
harbour. After a short time they drove up to a wooden shack as a blizzard
started up.<br />
"This is my home. Would you like to come inside while I call the police
and report those people blocking the road?"<br />
Ben smiled:<br />
"Do not call the police. But I'd love to come inside with you. We'll try
to get to Honningsveg after an hour or so."<br />
Ben and Kian went inside with Eric who lit a large wood-burner and handed them
a Norwegian beer each.<br />
"This blizzard will get worse. You may need to spend the night with me
here. It gets lonely here in Norway with only snow and wind for company."<br />
Ben smiled:<br />
"I can think of worse fates than spending the night with a hunky blonde
Norwegian with rippling muscles. And Kian as well. But tell me, have you ever
heard of Valador?"<br />
Erik dropped his bottle opener in shock and stared at Ben, horrified:<br />
"How do you know that name? How do you know of that place?"<br />
"It is a name that just keeps appearing in my mind".<br />
"Mine too", Kian added. "Valedor, Valedor...."<br />
"Stop saying that!" Erik shouted. "It is a bad place, a place of
evil. It is beyond Honningsveg near the glass mountain. Legend tells that many
centuries ago my ancestor Erik Bloodaxe, a viking warrior, took the stone of
evil away from Valedor and sailed beyond the fyords and across the whale road
to the land of the Saxons with it."<br />
Kian laughed:<br />
"Yes well we've brought it back. Right now it is in the back of your
truck".<br />
Erik glared at them in horror:<br />
"What have you done.......?"<br />
<br />
Meanwhile Katie, Adam and the others were following the tyre tracks made in the
snow by Erik's truck. Katie was talking:<br />
".... so we know for sure that Ben is possessed by the psychic force of the
Valedorians and probably the other two as well. One of the most powerful and
deadly alien species in the galaxy. Thanks to me still having access to the
Torchwood archive, as that cow Corinne forgot to invalidate my pass code, we
know that they were encased in a dimensional prison cube and buried somewhere
on earth. Well we now know that this is the place that the vikings called
Valedor."<br />
"But what about this crystal thing? When Martha messaged you with all this
information, did she say what it was for?" Asha asked.<br />
Katie frowned:<br />
"No. Martha didn't know but my guess is that it is some kind of key. We
must stop Ben returning it to Valedor. This is our opportunity guys. If we can
stop Ben, get hold of the crystal and destroy it then we will get all the credit
for saving the earth from the aliens while Operation Delta will be branded as
collaborators. They their funding will be transferred to us".<br />
Nathan was concerned:<br />
"Look Katie, I'm a bit concerned about all of this. Surely we should all
be working together with them not trying to shaft them."<br />
Katie laughed sardonically:<br />
"Don't be wet. It's dog eat dog in this game. Wise up!"<br />
<br />
Meanwhile back in Erik's shack a roasting wood fire was blazing as Ben, Kian
and Erik lay in Erik's bed, drinking beer. Ben placed one arm around Erik's
shoulder and one around Kian's.<br />
"I think I'm in heaven guys", he said with a grin.<br />
Suddenly the door burst open and in strode Katie, with a shotgun in her hand:<br />
"Drop your beer, Katie is here!" she said with a grin.....<br />
<br />
.........to be continued.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><b>Part 5 (conclusion)</b><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">Katie stood before them, hands on
hips:<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">"So where is the golden
crystal? I know you are possessed by an alien force but even alien forces don't
like being blasted by a shotgun".<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">Ben sighed:<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">"Put the gun down Katie, you
have arrived too late. We are free of the psychic mind control of the
Valadorians. As soon as he knew that we had the crystal Erik here went outside
and took an axe to it, the one he uses to chop logs for this fire. He's a man
of action in every sense *strokes Erik's hair*"<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">Katie glared at Ben:<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">"So where is it then? The
Smashed crystal?"<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">Ben laughed:<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">"It went on the fire".<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">Katie went over to the roaring
log fire and poked about in it with the iron poker. She could see burned bits
of smashed crystal among the embers.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">"That was utterly stupid
burning it like that. It should have been analysed in a lab", she said,
bemused. Ben sighed:<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">"Katie that thing was far
too dangerous to keep, even in bits. It was the key to unlocking Valador. While
that thing was controlling myself and Kian here it implanted in our minds the
knowledge that the Valadorians were imprisoned on this planet long ago by a
galactic alliance which no longer exists. They were an aggressive, warlike race
who committed many atrocities and destroyed whole planets. The crystal key was
buried near to the place of confinement which was known only to the alliance.
They wanted the option of freeing the Valadorians eventually. However the key
was moved by the vikings to England, to Cambridge".<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">"Why Cambridge?" Katie
snapped.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">"Because that was near the
southern border of the Danelaw, the area of England controlled by the vikings.
The Valadorians have psychic powers and Valador had gained an evil reputation
among the vikings", Ben replied.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">"Presumably very thick
vikings", Katie retorted. Erik was annoyed:<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">"Please do not insult my
ancestors. They are heroes in Valhalla!"<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">Katie laughed:<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">"Oh come on. I must say
though that you're a fine looking young man. How about showing me your axe
*shakes hips". <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">A short time later, Ben, Kian,
Katie and her team were driving through the snow to the place called Valador.
It was a large, rocky outcrop at the side of a mountain and covered with snow.
They got out of the cars and stared at the formation:<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">"This place does feel like
really weird and eerie", Kian remarked.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">"Yes it does. We may decide
to return some time and excavate it, however for now we can let sleeping dogs
lie. The Valadorians are entombed in there and there is no key to release them.
Which is no bad thing", Ben stated.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">Meanwhile back at Erik's shack,
Kyle, Julian and Martha arrived having caught the ferry from England. Erik say
them arriving through the frosted window and opened up:<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">"Are you looking for
Ben?"<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">Kyle trudged up the path:<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">"Ere yes, a fella at the
docks said he'd hired you".<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">"You are too late my
friends. Ben has solved the mystery and the evil crystal it smashed and
burned."<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">He invited them in and offered
them a glass of hot grog to warm them up. Erik stared at Julian and felt an
instant attraction:<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">"Talking quietly* Hey how
about you stay here for a few days. It is very lonely here in Norway with only
snow and ice for company". <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">Julian stroked his arm:<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">"I'd love to, you are hot as
hell. However I am in a relationship with Ben so I must decline
unfortunately".<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">A short time later, Ben and the
others all arrived back at Erik's shack and he offered them glasses of hot grog
before fetching a guitar to sing them Norwegian folk songs in front of the
fire. Ben was chatting quietly to Katie:<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">"Look Katie, why don't you
come back to Operation Delta. You were never officially sacked or anything. I
need you back."<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">Katie scowled:<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">"I have no desire to attend
any more woke courses on the orders of Corinne. Plus you only want me back
because you're sick of sour face Martha. You do realise that she was passing
info to me don't you?"<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">Ben sighed:<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">"Yes I had worked that out.
Look come back. Bring Adam and your team with you. Let me deal with
Corinne".<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">"I'll consider it",
Martha replied, stroking Ben's arm.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">Erik finished a song and got up
to fetch more grog. Ben followed him into the kitchen:<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">"Hi Erik. Look I'd
appreciate some discretion as regards our bit of fun earlier. My boyfriend
Julian is not as worldly wise as myself."<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">Erik smiled:<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">"Of course Ben. He's cute
your Julian. He said I was hot as hell earlier".<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">Ben looked shocked:<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">"He said that to you? He was
hitting on you? I'm shocked and upset by this, I thought he was completely
loyal."<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">Later, after the sun had set,
Erik stood up and went to the door:<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">"Hey, come outside for a
minute guys. I have something you might want to see."<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">They stepped outside and were
amazed to see the northern lights undulating in the Norwegian sky.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">"Hey this is like fantastic.
I've always wanted to see the northern lights" Yaz exclaimed.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">Martha was unimpressed:<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">"Boring. Only one colour and
its a dull greenish."<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">Julian proposed a toast to Ben
for saving the earth from the Valadorians and they all raised their glasses of
grog.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">THE END<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">Ben will return soon.<o:p></o:p></p><p></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8221881756433157362.post-63204575851945584852020-01-05T10:12:00.004-08:002020-04-08T10:55:21.810-07:00The Ben Chatham Xmas 2019 Special: ‘The Ghosts of Cragmore Castle’ <strong>Part 1</strong><br />
<br />
Ben Chatham drove through the narrow, mud strewn lanes at high speed, the wind blowing through his lush hair. The sound of the choir of King’s College Cambridge emanated from the car stereo and the air was cold and damp with the wintery smell of rotting leaves and churned mud. Ben turned to Julian and smiled:<br />
‘Not long now. A few more miles and we’ll be there. Christmas in a castle, rather fitting for us wouldn’t you say?’.<br />
Julian laughed:<br />
‘Oh certainly. Far away from all the chavs crowding the streets with their bags full of Aldi tat and screaming kids. What a great idea to have Christmas away from it all in a castle on Cornwall, turned luxury hotel.’<br />
Ben smiled:<br />
‘And more importantly away from the depressing ritual of family gatherings. My father is away in France spending Christmas with Madame Camboux and I know that mother would be hopelessly clingy as a result. Fortunately I’ve fobbed my nephew Craig and his snowflake girlfriend off onto her so we have time to ourselves’.<br />
Julian laughed and stroked Ben’s leg:<br />
‘So how did you find out about this castle?’<br />
‘Oh a friend from Cambridge, Adam, said he stays here regularly. It’s extremely remote and extremely expensive, which makes it perfect for our needs. Spend and God will send, as King James I used to say.’<br />
They drove on through the lanes until they saw a large pool of filthy brown water covering the lane in front. Ben frowned:<br />
‘Oh for pity’s sake, looks like we’ve hit the floods. Crikey this looks bad, the river must have burst its banks or something.’<br />
‘Can’t we turn around and find another route?’ Julian asked.<br />
Ben consulted his smartphone:<br />
‘Map says no. This is the only route to Cragmore. Oh well we’ll just have to leave the car here and pay someone to move it later.’<br />
Ben parked the car on the damp verge and they got out. Julian scowled:<br />
‘Christ it’s muddy. We can’t walk in this and what about the floodwater?’<br />
Ben consulted his phone:<br />
‘We can bypass it by climbing that ridge over there by the spinney. Cragmore Castle should be just the other side.<br />
<br />
Darkness was falling as Ben and Julian climbed the ridge. The Earth was damp and their shoes were covered in thick mud. The wind blew drizzle in their faces.<br />
‘My shoes are ruined. And what is that awful smell, it’s like something has died ?’ Julian complained. Ben gave him a hug:<br />
‘Remember Julian that neshness in the face of country living is a lower-class urban trait. The true gentleman is used to wind, rain and mud. Think of grouse shooting in all weathers and riding through the mud-drenched fields.’<br />
Julian laughed:<br />
‘Ah when you put it like that my whinging seems horribly plebeian’.<br />
They laughed and kissed. As they did so the sound of a man screaming with pain came from the dark spinney. They turned around and Ben shouted:<br />
‘Hello? Who’s that? Are you hurt?’<br />
There was silence. Ben frowned:<br />
‘I’m not going searching through those trees , we’ll report it when we get to the castle. Come on.’<br />
They trudged further on until they reached the top of the ridge and saw the castle ahead of them. It loomed ominously above the fog-drenched moorland, it’s grey walls cold and grim. There were no cars outside’.<br />
Julian frowned: <br />
‘Now that is one creepy looking hotel.’<br />
As he spoke a dark figure dressed in a cloak stepped out of the spinney a good distance to the right of them. Ben happened to glimpse it and turned round:<br />
‘Hello? Are you the guy who cried out? You ok?’<br />
The figure pulled down its hood to reveal the head of a skeleton......<br />
<br />
........to be continued.<br />
<br />
<strong>Ok folks, here is the spooky part 2 of this creepy tale:<br /><br /> Part 2</strong><br />
<br />
Ben stared at the figure and called out:<br />
‘Seriously unfunny. Just take that stupid mask off and stop being an idiot’.<br />
The figure slowly faded away. Julian grasped Ben’s arm:<br />
‘I think we should run Ben. As much as one craves cynicism at this moment, I cannot get past the fact that the grim reaper thing just faded before our eyes’.<br />
Ben frowned:<br />
‘Come on’.<br />
They ran to the castle drawbridge and ran along it to the entrance doors, one of which was open. In the entrance area was a large reception area and a middle aged woman stood behind it dressed in old fashioned 1930s clothes. She had permed hair and a cold look in her eyes. Ben and Julian approached her:<br />
‘Good evening madam, we’ve come to check in. I’m Ben Chatham and this is my friend Julian. This hotel was recommended to me by my old college friend Adam Willis, who I believe is also spending Christmas here.’<br />
The woman put the signing in book in front of him and Ben was surprised to see that in the column marked ‘Date’ , the last residents had signed in six years ago.<br />
‘I think you’ve given us the old book’ Ben queried. The woman smiled coldly:<br />
‘If you are not satisfied then you can always leave’.<br />
Ben frowned:<br />
‘Is this how you address all your new guests? I am Ben Chatham, archaeologist and head of Operation Delta, a major sub-branch of the civil service. Is the manager here?’<br />
The woman smiled again:<br />
‘He died. Since they built the new bypass near Cranness we’ve become a bit of a backwater I’m afraid. Here are your keys’.<br />
She handed Ben and Julian keys to rooms 10 and 11. Ben was annoyed:<br />
‘Er I specifically booked a double room.’<br />
The woman smiled:<br />
‘These are both double rooms. For your comfort gentlemen’.<br />
Ben was bemused:<br />
‘Come on Julian, we’ll sleep in my room, *emphasising* together.’<br />
<br />
After wandering around the dimly lit corridors on the first floor they found room ten and entered it. Ben was shocked to see that rather than the stylish, modern decor he had expected, the room was furnished in a Victorian style with lush red carpets and rugs, old fashioned furniture and gaslights. There was a bottle of red wine unopened next to the bed with glasses and a corkscrew’.<br />
‘Oh for pity’s sake this is just awful. I’m going to ring Adam and give him both barrels. It even smells fusty in here as well and they’re still using wretched gaslights’, Ben exclaimed. Julian gazed around and picked up an old looking black and white photograph from the dressing table of a young man:<br />
‘Oh come on Ben this is deliciously eccentric and exclusive. I like it. And the guy in this old photo is a dish. Rest assured our stay will be chav free here. Let’s drink the wine’.<br />
Ben grinned:<br />
‘You do know how to cheer me up you delightful boy’.<br />
Ben walked over and kissed Julian and they fell onto the bed.<br />
<br />
Hours later, the bottle of wine empty, Ben and Julian were asleep in each other’s arms when Ben was drawn out of his slumber by a crying sound <br />
coming from the far corner of the room, which was pitch dark. He shook Julian who mumbled and opened his eyes. The sobbing sound continued and Ben reached for his phone on the side table and switched it on to create light and shone it in the direction of the sound. He sat bolt upright, shocked as he saw a young man in an old fashioned grey suit, who resembled the figure in the photograph. He was crouched in the corner of the room, crying to himself. Suddenly he lifted up his head, then his arm which held a long, vintage razor and slashed his throat open.......’<br />
<br />
To be continued<br />
<br />
Ok folks, here is the chilling third part of this mystery:<br />
<br />
<b>The Ghosts of Cragmore Castle<br /> Part 3</b><br />
<br />
The figure of the young man, blood spurting from his neck, vanished into thin air before their eyes. Julian, who had been woken by the light, held Ben close:<br />
"What the hell was that? I'm not stopping here, this place is haunted."<br />
Ben sat upright and looked around the room:<br />
"I think we should try to keep calm. I'm sceptical about this situation and it could be someone's idea of a joke or tourist draw. Lets have a look for hidden projector devices."<br />
He began searching around the room as Julian quickly pulled on his clothes:<br />
"Well I'm not staying here in this ghastly room one minute longer. I'm going to find that receptionist woman to complain about this awful place. Then I want you to take me somewhere nice Ben."<br />
Ben frowned:<br />
"But we're in the middle of nowhere Julian and this is a castle after all."<br />
"I don't care. This place is horrible and I'm special", Julian retorted, before flouncing out of the room.<br />
<br />
Julian strode downstairs and found the reception area, but the woman was nowhere to be found. There was a gold coloured bell on the desk which Julian rang, but no one answered it. <br />
"Look can I have some damn service here?" he shouted. There was no response so he began to ascend the stairs again when a female figure walked across the landing above him and started to descend the stairs. She wore a long flowing dress and old fashioned bonnet and her head was looking down. As the figure neared Julian it lifted its head to reveal a horrifying vision of rotting flesh and empty eye-sockets. Julian gave out a scream and ran downstairs and through a darkened corridor. At the end of the corridor he found a door which when opened revealed a kitchen area which he could just about ascertain in the moonlight. As he searched around for a light-switch, a hand was placed on his shoulder.......<br />
<br />
Ben, having failed to find a hidden projector, got dressed and began to pack his and Julian's things. He began to google-search for other hotels in the area on his extremely expensive top range android smartphone with untra-mega-pixel camera, however the phone suddenly went blank. Ben was puzzled as he had charged it up before going to bed. Having filled their cases he picked them up and left the room, descending the stairs. <br />
"Hey Julian, are you there? Did you find that sour-faced woman on reception?" he shouted down. As he was about halfway down he felt a hand push him from behind. Ben tumbled head first down the winding stairway and all was darkness....<br />
<br />
Meanwhile Julian turned with a start to see a young man standing before him in the moonlight. The figure had dark hair and thin, well groomed dark facial stubble.<br />
"Hi, I'm Adam. Adam Willis. You must be Ben's friend."<br />
The figure reached up and switched on the kitchen light. Julian was shaking:<br />
"This place, its full of spectres and zombie things. There was a woman on the stairs."<br />
Adam smiled:<br />
"You sure you're not sleepwalking?"<br />
Julian was annoyed:<br />
"Look do not smirk at me, I have just been accosted on the stairs by something with no eyes and rotting flesh. Why the hell did you recommend this place to Ben?"<br />
Adam put his hand on Julian's shoulder again:<br />
"Try to calm down. Whatever you saw is not here now. Lets find Ben and have a drink and a chat."<br />
He led Julian out of the kitchen and back to the reception area. There Julian saw to his horror the twisted figure of Ben lying at the bottom of the stairs, blood oozing from his mouth......<br />
<br />
<br />
............to be continued<br />
<br />
<br />
Ok here is part 4 folks:<br />
<br />
<b>The Ghosts of Cragmore Castle<br /> Part 4</b><br />
<br />
Julian rushed over to Ben and cradled his head in his hands:<br />
"Ben, Ben you ok? Ben......"<br />
Ben opened his eyes and looked around, startled:<br />
"Someone..... someone pushed me. I think I've grazed my lip but I'm ok."<br />
Julian was in tears:<br />
"Oh Ben, I thought I'd lost you. Your beautiful lip is damaged. But at least you're not dead".<br />
Ben sat up:<br />
"No thanks to whoever attacked me. Come on, we're leaving before either of us get really hurt. As yet these entities have not killed anyone, as far as we know, and I do not intend us to be the first."<br />
Julian looked around the room:<br />
"Hey your friend Adam Willis was here a minute ago. But he seems to have gone."<br />
Ben stood up and frowned:<br />
"Right. Before we leave I'm going to find him and give him both barrels about recommending this awful place. Come on."<br />
They headed off towards the kitchen.<br />
<br />
Meanwhile outside it was dark as a grey van drew up near to the entrance. Stepping out of the van was Kevin McNally, a scruffy, middle-aged man in jeans and a battered leather jacket along with Craig 'Gobber' Harris, a youth of about twenty with a skinhead haircut, The older man grinned:<br />
"This should be a sinch. Place is hardly staffed as far as I've seen casing the joint. We go up to reception, ask for a room then you whip out the crowbar and threaten the bird on reception to hand over whatever cash they have on site."<br />
The young man eyed the building:<br />
"Ere it looks deserted like. Weird lookin' gaff."<br />
McNally scowled:<br />
"Yeah easy pickings Gobber. Stick with me and I'll make you a proper career criminal not just some cheap occasional mugger. You've got the looks and the aggression to go far. Come on."<br />
They entered the building and strode up to reception. McNally rang the bell on the desk:<br />
"Come on, lets 'ave some service. Let's be 'avin ya".<br />
No one came however there was a strange murmuring sound from behind the desk. Suddenly an image took shape and formed of a young girl, dressed in white with blood on her dress. She grinned and pulled a meat cleaver from behind her back, burying it into McNally's head. Harris let out a yelp of fear and ran from the hideous vision. As he mounted the stairs the ghastly spectral girl ran after him with blood dripping from the cleaver......<br />
<br />
Ben and Julian were searching the kitchen when they heard the yelp coming from the reception area:<br />
"What the hell was that?" Julian asked, startled. Ben was concerned:<br />
"I really don't want to find out but I suppose we should. Come on."<br />
They headed back to the reception area and say the corpse of McNally lying in front of the desk. His head was split and the blood had shot out in a fountain all over the reception desk and then across the floor. Julian felt sick:<br />
"Oh Christ, that's disgusting. What the hell is going on here?"<br />
Ben held him for a moment:<br />
"It seems that these things have now killed. I spoke too soon. Julian we are leaving."<br />
As they went towards the door, Ben felt in his pocket:<br />
"Oh hell, I've gone and left my phone upstairs in our room. Wait here and I'll go and get it."<br />
Julian scowled:<br />
"I'm not staying down here alone. I'm young attractive and far too rich to neglect."<br />
Ben smiled:<br />
"You make me laugh at the worst of times. Come on."<br />
<br />
They went upstairs and as they approached the closed door of their room they heard a shuffling sound.<br />
"Hey there's something in there. Stay here Julian, I must retrieve my phone. It cost an awful lot of money."<br />
Ben opened the door slowly and saw only darkness and vague shapes. He walked slowly in and switched on the light but as he did so something grabbed him by the throat from behind......<br />
<br />
..... to be continued.<br />
<br />
Ok, here is part 5 of this creepy winter tale:<br />
<br />
<b>The Ghosts of Cragmore Castle : Part 5</b><br />
<br />
Ben struggled with the assailant who had his hands gripped around Ben's throat. He managed to shove the attacker off him and onto the bed and saw it was a young skinhead in a green 'bomber' jacket and dock martin boots.<br />
"Ere let me outta here or I'll slash ya!" the assailant shouted. He desperately fumbled in his pockets trying to find his knife. Julian grinned:<br />
"Are you looking for this *holding up flick knife then slipping it elegantly into his pocket* ? I found it on the stairs, looks like you dropped it chavboy."<br />
"Ere gimme that."<br />
"No. And I'd like to know what you are doing here and why you murdered that man downstairs", Ben said sternly. <br />
"Ere I ain't murdered him. 'Es my mate. I'm Craig 'arris, 'Gobber' to me mates. Ok I'll fess up, we came 'ere to burgle the gaff. Then this psycho girl wacked 'im wiv a cleaver she did."<br />
Ben frowned:<br />
"I'm not convinced by your story. However you do seem too thick and lowlife to be behind the weird happenings here. I have a nephew called Craig, I always thought it was an inappropriate name. "<br />
Julian glared at Craig:<br />
"Pray elucidate to us any other strange or unnatural things you have witnessed in this place since your arrival."<br />
Craig looked puzzled:<br />
"Dunno what you mean pal. Ere you mean them lights?"<br />
"What lights?"<br />
"Them weird lights in the sky above the castle. Kev didn't notice 'em but I did. Orange they were an circling the gaff."<br />
Ben looked thoughtful:<br />
"Hmm. This is starting to make sense. Clearly there are alien forces at work here. I wonder if this place has a cellar or a crypt?<br />
Craig scowled:<br />
"Ere I ain't stayin' to find out. You tossers can keep me knife, I'm leggin'it."<br />
Ben gave him a firm stare:<br />
"No you are not. We may need some muscle and in the absence of Kyle, you fit the bill. You will work with us and we'll pay you , the alternative is we give your name *grabbing phone and taking Craig's picture* and picture to the police.<br />
<br />
A short time later, Ben, Julian and Craig were descanting a flight of cold, damp stone stairs found under a trapdoor in the kitchen. <br />
"Ere why don't ya just phone the old bill after leggin' it?" Craig whined. Ben frowned:<br />
"We are Operation Delta and I am Ben Chatham. We will see this through. Here, try one of these."<br />
Ben offered Craig a Fox's glacier mint. Craig scowled aggressively then popped the mint into his mouth. He felt strangely becalmed as if he was floating on pink clouds above a purple sea with cascading colours all around him.<br />
They reached the bottom of the stairs and found a padlocked door.<br />
"Get that open", Ben instructed. Craig pulled a skeleton key from his jacket pocked and fumbled for a time before picking the lock.<br />
"Well done. One can always rely on a skinhead criminal for jobs like this", Ben said with a grin. <br />
They opened the door and found themselves in a long corridor with strangely modern lighting and grey walls which seemed to be lagged with some kind of plastic.<br />
"Hardly medieval. We are now getting somewhere", Ben announced.<br />
They walked along the corridor and heard a strange pulsing sound coming from way in front of them. Suddenly they saw a light and two figures standing in front of it, holding what seemed to be guns.<br />
"You will remain still", a cold voice stated...............<br />
<br />
<br />
................to be continued.<br />
<br />
Ok people: here is the much anticipated sixth part of this tale:<br />
<br />
<b>Part Six</b><br />
<br />
Ben stared at the dark shadows in the distance:<br />
‘Who are you and what exactly has been going on here?’, he asked, a thin strand of fear in his voice. The figures stepped forward into the light and Ben saw that they were humanoid, yet their skin was green and they had eyes like those of a cat. They wore grey uniform-like suits.<br />
‘You will come with us. You have made most interesting study specimens.’<br />
Craig grimaced:<br />
‘Ere I ain’t goin’ wiv then things , I’m leggin’ it.’<br />
He started to run but one of the creatures fired a laser like beam into him and he collapsed. The alien stared at Ben:<br />
‘Do not look concerned. He is stunned only. We need him for further tests.’<br />
Ben held Julian’s hand as they were led by the aliens down the long passageway and into a series of white-panelled rooms. <br />
<br />
A short time later they were sat in a strange office with tables laden with dead creatures that looked like prawns crossed with lugworms and cups of strange green liquid. One of the humanoids was sat behind a metal desk sipping the liquid. He smiled icily:<br />
‘I am Commander Syron. Relax, you have all been most interesting to study, *lifting a bowl of the prawn-like things*, would you like a creton?’<br />
Ben lifted one, sniffed it and winced, then threw it back down:<br />
‘I don’t want your disgusting food, I want an explanation. Who are you and why have you been killing people in the castle?’<br />
Syron laughed:<br />
‘We are the Kar People from Karthanon. But that will not mean anything to you. We are getting to know the people of this world, gathering data if you like. This is a fear-station. We are very interested in the extent to which your minds can rationalise or tolerate fear. It is an experiment shall we say. Part of a spectrum of emotion research. We find your emotions most strange and need as much data as possible if we are to exploit your weaknesses later’. <br />
As he spoke the door flew open and Craig Harris was thrown in onto a white couch.<br />
‘Aw I feel rank’ he moaned. Ben frowned:<br />
‘What have you been doing to this youth?’<br />
Syron grinned:<br />
‘Reviving him. I must say that he is a rather violent example of your species, he bit several of my function team.’<br />
‘¤¤¤* off’ Craig’s spat out.<br />
Ben frowned:<br />
‘Forgive his use of foul language, however I am not happy about any of this. We are not your specimens to experiment on. And we are not going to just sit here and let you gather ‘data’ on humanity so that you can exploit our fears in some future conquest operation’.<br />
Syron frowned:<br />
‘But that is exactly what you are for. This is to be our new colony. You have amused me for five minutes but now we will continue to gather data on you’.<br />
<br />
A short time late, Ben, Julian and Craig were chained by their hands and wrists to a wall while one of the aliens was heating up what looked like metal pincers in a fire. Syron held a pair of what looked like pliers:<br />
‘Your culture and history has a long tradition of torture but we need to know how much the average human can withstand’.<br />
Ben glared at him:<br />
‘How dare you refer to me as an average human. I am Ben Chatham’.<br />
Syron moved closer to Ben and held up the pliers:<br />
‘I am aware that human beings fear dentistry however I’m wondering how many teeth it is possible to extract without crushing the spirit of resistance.’<br />
He nodded and another alien grabbed Ben’s jaw and held it open. Syron moves in with the pliers....<br />
<br />
To be continued<br />
Ok people, here is the classic final part of this story:<br />
[b]"The Ghosts of Cragmore Castle" Part 7[/b]<br />
Commander Syron of the Kar people moved towards Ben with the pliers. Rapidly Ben lifted both of his legs and gripped Syron by the neck between his muscular inner thighs. He twisted his legs and Syron groaned and dropped the pliers. Ben shouted at the other Kar in the room:<br />"Ok release us from these chains or I'll snap his neck".<br />Julian smiled at Ben:<br />"Your inner thighs are both alluring and highly practical". Ben blushed.<br />The Kar moved menacingly towards them and so Ben twisted his legs again causing Syron to groan with pain. The Kar reluctantly freed Ben, Julian and Craig's hands from the chains. Craig punched one of the Kar hard so that it fell backwards and cracked its head on the wall. He grabbed a knife from a pile of Kar torture implements and held it to Syron's throat.<br />"Shall I do 'im?, he shouted. Ben frowned:<br />"No, we are not in East London now Craig. *To Syron* We are going back to the hotel and then we are leaving. You will show us the way out of here. Any attempt to stop us from your people and I'll let Craig here slash you with the knife. He's an experienced young criminal with presumably no moral compass and a penchant for ultra-violence, fed by an addiction to violent films. I suggest you comply".<br />Commander Syron scowled:<br />"You will pay for this. I am a senior commander with research division 251." Craig moved the knife closer:<br />"An' I'm Gobber 'Arris of McNally an 'Arris breakin' an enterin' division one. Now do as 'e says cuntface".<br />
Syron led Ben and the others out of the underground complex and back up the stairs to the hotel kitchen. The walked into the foyer area where McNally's corpse still lay by the blood-spattered reception desk. Craig twisted Syron's arm tight behind his back so that he gasped with pain:<br />"'E were my mate. 'E were a right cunt sometimes but the best Irish safebreaker in the business. Like a dad to me 'e were. We worked on the fairgrounds we did and burgled every town we passed through. I should do you now."<br />Ben put his hand firmly on Craig's shoulder:<br />"No. He is needed for questioning and as leverage to get his people to leave. Remember Craig that it is up to me whether you go to prison or not. Let's just leave."<br />"Shouldn't we look for Adam Willis first?" Julian asked.<br />"Oh I'd forgotten him. I suppose we should since we are friends", Ben responded. They left Craig guarding Syron and searched through the hotel but found no trace of Adam in any of the rooms. Returning, Ben sighed nonchalantly:<br />"Oh well he must have run off to get help. I presume everyone else we encountered, the strange receptionist lady, the young guy with the razor, the skeleton in the cloak, the girl with the cleaver and the ghoul on the stairs were all your creations?", Ben stated, staring at Syron. Syron looked puzzled and bemused:<br />"I know nothing of any receptionist or young guy. The others yes, we have studied your horror entertainment genre and use ideas inspired by that for our experiments."<br />
Later, Ben and Julian were discussing the case with the rest of the team in the Mermaid Wine Bar:<br />".... and so Syron is now safely locked up in our holding facility until we can be sure that his people have gone. The government has that hotel surrounded with troops and it will be pounded with bombs unless they go. But the Kar people are clearly a new threat that we will need to keep vigilant about. I wish we still had UNIT and Torchwood to help, but in their current absence the responsibility all falls on us."<br />Corinne sipped her Martini:<br />"One thing puzzles me Ben. I don't know how to tell you this but during our follow up investigations we discovered that the Adam Willis that you knew at Cambridge died two years ago in a car accident on the A12. I've been nervous about telling you."<br />Julian went cold and felt a chill run through him:<br />"But then who was the guy I spoke to at the hotel?" <br />Corinne said nothing, just sipped her Martini again. Ben frowned:<br />"But he can't have, it must be another Adam Willis".<br />Corinne took a photocopied newspaper report from her leather case and put it in front of Ben. The face on the article was that of Adam. Ben went cold:<br />"Well it must have been the Kar people's work." Paul Farraday interjected:<br />"There is something else Ben. Apparently the house has been empty for years and there have been successive owners who have complained about ghosts. It hasn't been used as a hotel since the 1930s, when the son of the lady who ran it slit his throat in one of the rooms."<br />Ben went cold:<br />"Well, look the Kar must have been based there for some time. Surely?" <br />Kyle interjected:<br />"'Ere what 'appened to the lad like who 'elped with all this?"<br />Ben frowned:<br />"You mean the skinhead criminal Craig Harris. He reminded me of you a few years back, same social milieu. Don't worry Kyle, I haven't reported him to the police. I've offered him a break in life by getting him a job behind the bar at the Blue Angel Jazz Café. I'm not some completely heartless snob, although I know some people think that of me."<br />They laughed and Corinne proposed a toast to Ben for saving the day once again.<br />
The End<br />
[b][b]Ben Chatham will return soon in "The Armageddon Children".[/b][/b]<br />
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8221881756433157362.post-42992892697874158522020-01-05T10:10:00.001-08:002020-01-05T10:10:05.459-08:00The Ben Chatham Halloween 2019 Special: 'The Dinner Party' <strong>THE DINNER PARTY<br /></strong> Ben Chatham sat alone in the Mermaid Wine Bar, Cambridge, sipping a double gin and tonic, exclusive Welsh botanical gin. He was lost in his thoughts as the sound of Chet Baker playing 'I Get Along Without You Very Well' on a mournful trumpet emanated from the speakers behind the bar. As he gazed into his glass, Kyle Scott entered the bar and approached him.<br /> "Ere Ben, there you are. I've been tryin' to call your phone like for ages. Paul Farraday has been trying to contact you about some documents you need to sign".<br /> Ben looked up, a sullen, weary look in his dark eyes:<br /> "Not now Kyle. I can't face work. I can't face life".<br /> Kyle sat down:<br /> "What's up?"<br /> "Everything Kyle. Me and Julian have had our first row. I've been invited to a dinner party by Sir Alex Prentice and his wife Catherine, friends of my father. They're tediously boring; he runs a computer software company and she's a former opera singer. However he has offered a large donation to Operation Delta that we really need given the woefully inadequate funding we get from central government. They said I could bring my partner".<br /> Kyle looked puzzled:<br /> "So does Julian not want to go like?"<br /> Ben sighed languidly:<br /> "If only. He wanted to go but I said no. The Prentices are not the most liberal of people so all I said was it would be better if I took Katie and said we were together. She'll look good on my arm. Not unreasonable in the circumstances."<br /> Kyle shook his head:<br /> "Cam on Ben that's just daft. If they don't like who you're goin' out with tell em to go shove it. Anyway, ain't Katie suspended?"<br /> Ben gulped the gin:<br /> "That's another problem that I don't need. Frankly I'm furious with both Katie and Corinne. True Katie was wrong to use the term w** in a case meeting however Corinne should have dealt with it there and then rather than suspending her. I gave her the job of Equality and Diversity Officer because we need one to get our government funding however I do not expect her to create a mountain of hassle for me. I don't need this right now."<br /> Kyle beckoned over Barry Tuck and ordered a beer:<br /> "Hey where's the birds tonight?' Tuck asked.<br /> "Ere not now, Ben's feelin' delicate", Kyle replied.<br /> Tuck laughed:<br /> "I wouldn't mind feelin' something delicate which is why I was askin' where the birds are", Tuck replied with a laugh.<br /><br /> Later Ben called round to see Katie at her flat. Katie invited him in and flounced over to her stereo, switching off the Rhianna CD.<br /> "So Ben have you demoted that bitch yet and lifted my suspension? I'm not having this."<br /> Ben wiped the tears from his eyes and sat down, deflated.<br /> "Not now Katie, just not now. Me and Julian have had our first row over the dinner party. I just don't have the energy to discuss work right now. Can we just go to Wiltshire please. You'll have to drive, I've been drinking expensive gin to ease my inner torment."<br /> Katie sat down next to him and stroked his hair:<br /> "Poor Ben. He'll never understand you as well as I do. This couple who have invited us, what are they like? Are there any topics of conversation off limits?"<br /> Ben sighed:<br /> "Apart from Julian, not really. Feel free to talk politics if you must, they're both members of the Conservative Party so you're on safe ground with your views. I'd rather you converse with them as I find them tediously boring and excruciatingly vapid. However they have offered a donation to Operation Delta."<br /><br /> Later, Ben and Katie arrived at the Prentices' 17th century thatched cottage in Wiltshire. They knocked on the door and heard loud footsteps approaching. The door creaked open and Sir Alex Prentice stood in the doorway. He was a gaunt man in his late 60s:<br /> "Oh how nice of you to turn up Benjamin. And your lovely girlfriend. Do come in."<br /> They entered the elegant old house and saw a woman lounging on the sofa knocking back a glass of brandy:<br /> "Welcome Ben. Boring Alex will show you round our boring house before dinner" she slurred. Alex shot her a tired look:<br /> "Oh do shut up Catherine, you're drunk. I'm so sorry Ben but my wife is a ghastly drunken creature these days. My own fault I suppose for marrying a woman twenty years my junior."<br /> Catherine stood up:<br /> "Ignore my obsolete fool of a husband Ben. I've invited local businessman Richard Trenlow and his wife to join us as well tonight. Richard has made millions in the city and is more of a man than Alex will ever be. What would you like to drink?"<br /> Ben sighed under his breath:<br /> "Do you have absinthe?"<br /> Catherine laughed:<br /> "Of course we have absinthe. Your father tipped us off. Come into the dining room".<br /> Katie nudged Ben:<br /> "* whispering* these two are hideous bores. Can't we make our excuses and go?"<br /> Ben sighed again with a painful look in his eyes and gestured to Katie to follow Catherine into the dining room. As they entered they saw a range of meat dishes laid out on the table with vegetables and multiple wines and spirits. There was a knock on the door and soon Alex was ushering a younger couple into the room. Both looked as pale as a sheet, with strange, sunken eyes:<br /> "Benjamin, this is Richard and Diana Trenlow". Richard Trenlow shook Ben's hand however Trenlow's hand was ice cold.<br /> "Pleased to meet you Ben. I'm hoping to seduce Catherine tonight as my wife Diana here is the most boring woman you'll ever meet, but rich."<br /> Diana stepped forward:<br /> "Forgive my husband. He's a bully and a thoroughly vile man who despises humanity. But what can I do".<br /><br /> Later, as the meal began, Alex Prentice seemed to drift into a trance. He stared at the ceiling:<br /> "We are all going to die tonight. I see blood, I see death..."<br /> Catherine stroked Ben's hand:<br /> "Please forgive my husband. He's prone to these melodramatic lapses".<br /> Richard Trenlow laughed sardonically:<br /> "The old fool represents all that is obsolete in England. The new spirit is one of violence and competition. Don't you agree Katie?"<br /> Katie frowned:<br /> "Personally I think you're the strangest bunch of oddballs I've ever encountered".<br /> Diana laughed:<br /> "Oh how effervescent. But tell me dear, can I drink your blood please......."<br /><br /> ...........to be continued.<br />
<br />
Ok folks, here is Part Two of this Halloween special:<br /><b><br /> "THE DINNER PARTY": Part 2</b><br /><br /> Diana Trenlow opened her mouth revealing fangs and went to bite Katie, however the latter threw a glass of wine in Diana's face and leapt to her feet just in time:<br /> "What the ¤¤¤¤ are you doing? Are you a nest of vampires or something?" Katie exclaimed angrily.<br /> Richard Trenlow laughed and grinned, also revealing fangs:<br /> "Oh come on, it really isn't that unpleasant. One bite and you will be like us. I could certainly do with some more acceptable company, I'm sick of these tedious bores."<br /> Alex Prentice glared at him:<br /> "We are sick of you and your insufferable lack of empathy. *To Ben* Don't be alarmed Ben, we mean you no harm. We just need new blood in our circle, if you forgive the pun. Catherine is a drunken slattern and Trenlow here was a psychopathic bastard even before he became like us. Do you have any idea what it is like being tied for all eternity to a bunch of people you despise. Let me bite you."<br /> Ben stood up and gave them an angry stare:<br /> "You have brought me here under false pretences. Come on Katie, we are leaving."<br /> Ben and Katie rushed for the door and when Trenlow tried to block their path, Katie head-butted him . They ran out of the 17th century cottage into the damp, dank autumn night.<br /><br /> To their horror they found that Ben's car had vanished, so they ran down a mud covered country lane. Katie kept stumbling due to her high heels:<br /> "Oh slow down Ben, these damn heels are not suited to this god-awful lane. What the hell were those things? Surely vampires are a myth?" Ben frowned:<br /> "A myth grounded in reality. Keith Smith has been researching vampire legends and reports and he believes that there is a real alien virus responsible and that biting the neck can pass on the condition. He has researched methods of combatting those infected. Extra terrestrial in origin." Katie scowled:<br /> "Keith Smith is a nerd and a geek. I don't know why you keep him on the team."<br /> As Katie spoke, Ben saw a church in the distance with light coming from inside.<br /> "Oh come on Katie, lets get inside the church and then phone for backup."<br /> They ran up to the ancient church door and pushed the creaking thing open. Ben and Katie were shocked to see a black mass going on with a tall man in a dark rube chanting:<br /> "Hail Lucifer, Prince of Darkness and Lord of Death".<br /> The entire group turned to look at Ben and Katie, grinning to reveal large fangs.<br /> "Oh ¤¤¤¤ Ben, the whole damn village are vampires", Katie shouted. <br /><br /> They ran from the church as fast as they could and Ben phoned Paul Farraday asking for backup. They ran down another lane and spotted Ben's car abandoned in a ditch. They started trying to push it out of the ditch, however hearing voices behind them they turned to see the villagers approaching in the distance carrying fiery torches.<br /> "Come on Katie, push harder or we're finished," Ben shouted. Katie shot him an icy stare:<br /> "Do not shout at me Ben. Ok?"<br /> The villagers were getting closer and closer, but just in time Ben freed the car and they sped off into the dark, forbidding night.<br /><br /> Later Ben was enjoying a drink in the Mermaid Wine Bar and discussing the case with Paul Farraday and Corinne Shaw.<br /> "I am very disappointed that no trace of any of the villagers or of the dinner party guests could be found when you arrived. It means that this menace is still out there," Ben stated. Paul sipped his glass of merlot:<br /> "We think that because the Prentice group knew who you were, they alerted the others to vanish. Keith Smith even had us searching the local graveyards and cemeteries, but to no avail. He insists that this is an extra terrestrial phenomena."<br /> Ben frowned:<br /> "Well I won't be meeting any more rich donors any time soon, I'll leave that to you."<br /> Ben sipped his absinthe and picked at his greek salad before turning to Corinne:<br /> "Look Corinne, this business with Katie. Can't we draw a line under it. I mean the reason she isn't here now is because she knew you were coming. She is after all a very senior member of the team."<br /> Corinne sipped her wine:<br /> "Ben this has to go to formal investigation, I'm sorry. I've received formal complaints from Chiara Smith and Keith Smith. It is a very serious matter, she described a black witness to a UFO sighting as an ' unreliable w**' according to the complaints. Everyone present in the meeting has to be interviewed, this is standard."<br /> Ben sighed and swirled his absinthe around and around. As he did so, the door of the bar opened and Julian LeFarge walked in. Ben stood up and walked over to him:<br /> "Hi Julian. Let me get you a drink, we need to talk."<br /> Julian turned away from Ben, tears welling up in his eyes:<br /> "I had to spend Halloween on my own. I'm beautiful, extremely intelligent and very, very rich. I should not have to do that."<br /> Ben took his hand:<br /> "It won't happen again Julian. I have no desire to be attacked by vampires again when I could be with you."<br /><br /> THE ENDUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8221881756433157362.post-61012301792572867252019-06-30T12:33:00.002-07:002019-07-30T14:41:14.500-07:00The Ben Chatham Adventures 2019 BBC TV Series PitchOK, given that Doctor Who will be absent from TV during 2019, it seems that a gap exists which the BBC could fill with an alternative sci-fi themed show. Here is my pitch for a 10 episode series of 'The Ben Chatham Adventures' for 2019. Given that the series is largely earth based and does not rely on expensive special effects, filming would be quicker.<br />
<br />
<b><u>THE BEN CHATHAM ADVENTURES</u></b><br />
<br />
<b>REGULAR CAST:</b><br />
<br />
<b>Ben Chatham - </b>Ryan Hawley<br />
<b>Katie Ryan - </b>Kate Ryan<br />
<b>Kyle Scott - </b>To be confirmed<br />
<b>Julian LeFarge - </b>To be confirmed<br />
<b>Shakey Jake Reynolds - </b>Phil Harding<br />
<b>Corinne Shaw- </b>Michelle Collins<br />
<b>Paul F</b>A<b>arraday - </b>Michael French<br />
<br />
<b>SUPPORTING CAST:</b><br />
<br />
<b>Alastair Chatham - </b>Anthony Head<br />
<b>James Bartlett - </b>To be confirmed<br />
<b>Madame Camboux- </b>To be confirmed<br />
<b>Adam Wooten - </b>To be confirmed<br />
<b>Chiara Smith - </b> To be confirmed<br />
<b>Keith Smith - </b>To be confirmed<br />
<b>Barry Tuck - </b>Johnny Vegas<br />
<b>Luigi Marinoni - </b>To be confirmed<br />
<b>Craig Chatham - </b>To be confirmed<br />
<b>Isobel - </b>Hannah Murray<br />
<br />
<br />
<b><u>EPISODE ONE : FIRESTARTER</u></b><br />
<br />
A series of unexplained fires have rocked the city of London with offices and government buildings the target. No apparent cause of the fires can be found so the government calls in Operation Delta to investigate. Ben and his team face resistance from the security services who object to the possibility of alien involvement, classing the fires as terrorist related. Ben has a heated argument with the head of MI5, Sir John Fellowes, which leads to a violent altercation between Kyle Scott and a member of Fellowes' staff. The following day Fellowes disappears and Kyle is arrested. With the Operation Delta team under suspicion, more random fires begin, this time targeted at schools and colleges. There are multiple fatalities in a London Academy and as an atmosphere of panic grips the city, curfews and a form of martial law are declared. Ben suspects that a conspiracy in high places is behind the incidents and his suspicions are confirmed when Corinne and Paul infiltrate a meeting in the back room of a London pub between Fellowes and several Cabinet Members, all of whom reveal themselves to be shape-shifting aliens, allied to a mysterious alien leader called 'The Exalted Creath', whom Ben has encountered before. Ben and his team rescues Kyle from prison in an action packed shoot out, using guns lent by his father Alastair, who belongs to a shooting club. Then Ben convinces the Prime Minister of the plot and loyal troops are brought into London. However the aliens vanish before they can be captured. Ben warns that the threat is not over and will return.<br />
<br />
<b><u>EPISODE TWO: THE BEAST OF LOCHRANZA</u></b><br />
<br />
Ben and Julian are staying on the Isle of Arran, where Julian's father owns a holiday home. Strange lights are seen in the sky and there are reports of mutilated sheep being found all over the island. Ben visits the whisky distillery to sample its award winning single malt however he finds it strangely closed and deserted. The islanders are frightened and clam up when questioned. One of them punches Ben and warns of worse to come as the island is cursed. Ben calls Operation Delta HQ for back-up as bodies begin appearing by the roadside of the locals, horribly mutilated. Julian witnesses a reptilian creature emerging from the sea and he and Ben take up refuge in Brodick Castle. Ben spends some time admiring William Beckford's art collection within the castle before the rest of the team arrive. Kyle and Katie have discovered large animal prints in mud by the side of the road from the ferry dock and later Ben witnesses a UFO land from an upstairs window in the castle. Ben and the team follow the lights from the craft and confront three ethereal silver aliens who are loading the reptilian creature into the craft. The aliens explain that the creature was left behind by mistake on an earlier visit to earth. They explain that they have been watching humanity and are repulsed by the violent nature of human history. Ben tells them to either help humanity or stop visiting. The aliens leave.<br />
<br />
<b><u>EPISODE THREE: THE GHOSTS OF CABLE STREET</u></b><br />
<br />
Shakey Jake Reynolds, Operation Delta's lead science researcher, has discovered a mathematical equation which unlocks and renders operational <i>the three rings of alcenon, </i>a set of three strange alien bracelets found at a UFO crash site in the Arizona desert in the 1960s. Shakey Jake reveals that the rings enable the wearers to jump back in time when worn and touched together, but only for a temporary period and the date cannot be controlled. Ben, Katie and Kyle experiment with the rings and find themselves back in 1930s London. They see a crowd of men marching to a blackshirt rally and decide out of curiosity to follow along. Sir Oswald Mosley is making a rousing speech and Katie expresses admiration for his charismatic delivery and rhetoric. Kyle however is angered when a group of blackshirts start beating up a Jewish heckler and intervenes. Ben, Kyle and Katie are chased out of the meeting and Kyle and Katie have a heated political row. The following day, Katie flounces off to attend a blackshirt march through Cable Street in London. Kyle angrily states that he is going to attend the counter-demonstration led by communists and other left-wingers. Ben in left alone in cheap 1930s hotel, exasperated by his friends and worried that his team will by split by political divisions. He drinks more than he should at the hotel bar and pours out his frustration to the attractive barman ,Jack, who reveals that he was once a blackshirt until he became disillusioned by the anti-Semitism of the movement. Ben asks Jack to help him save his friends from themselves and they rush to Cable Street. Ben confronts Mosley and asks him to call off the march as his friends may be hurt. Mosley is mesmerised by Ben's charisma and orders his supporters to stop beating up the communists and to pull back. Ben makes a speech about the threat from Nazi Germany then implores Katie and Kyle to shake hands and make up. They do and then they touch the three rings together and return to current time.<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>to be continued</b><br />
<strong></strong><br />
Ok folks, here is the next part of this pitch. Lets make it happen:<br />
<br />
<b><u>EPISODE 4: MENACE IN VENICE</u></b><br />
<br />
Ben and Julian are holidaying in Venice, with Ben's manservant Luigi Marinoni acting as translator. They visit the Basilica of San Marco and the Palazzo Ducale before taking a gondola around the waterways of Venice with Luigi punting. In the gondola they listen to the adagietto from Mahler's Fifth Symphony on a CD player while Ben feeds Julian strawberries and cream. Suddenly Ben sees a corpse floating to the top of the water, its flesh glowing bright red. They report the body to the Venetian police and are shocked when the officer in charge, Piedro Gonzales, states that the victim died from a cholera outbreak that has struck in the slum areas of the city. Ben goes to the British consulate, arguing that cholera victims seldom glow bright red, however he is fobbed off with vague promises to look into it. Back in their hotel, Ben is approached by a youth called Tadzio who has overheard Ben and Julian discussing the case. Tadzio speaks good English and explains that his uncle works at the local mortuary and more bodies have been brought there with the same red glow. Ben, Julian, Luigi and Tadzio break into the mortuary and discover the glowing red bodies. However armed security guards arrive and the team only just manage to escape in a gondola before being fired upon. As they punt away, Julian notices patches of red slime floating in the water. Tadzio explains that a new company, Farinacci Enterprises, has taken over the management of Venice's waterways and promised to clear them of algae. Ben and the others visit the offices of Farinacci Enterprises, however they are surprised to see Gonzales there in conversation with the manager, Carlos Farinacci. Black shirted guards chase Ben off the premises, however they return at night, break in and discover documents that prove that Farinacci has been experimenting with a powerful new herbicide designed to kill the algae but it has reacted with minerals in the water to create the deadly red slime. Ben and the team expose the scandal and leave Venice.<br />
<br />
<b><u>EPISODE 6: THE CHILDREN OF AVEBURY</u></b><br />
<br />
Ben is contacted by a former Cambridge Archaeology Professor, Sir Leonard Mattingley, whom taught Ben at university. Mattingley explains that his daughter, Eleanor, has joined a neo-pagan group called the children of Avebury and subsequently disappeared. Ben is reluctant to help as he never liked Mattingley's lectures and felt that they meandered all around a topic while never reaching a point. Ben explains this to Mattingley on the phone and informs him that he lacked flair as an archaeologist. However later Ben has a change of heart when Keith Smith informs him that there have been a spate of UFO sightings near Avebury stone circle in Wiltshire. Ben, Kyle and Katie travel to Avebury and learn from a group of new age travellers camped near the village that the children of Avebury meet in the field next to West Kennet Long Barrow and carry out rituals. Ben and the others visit the field at night and find nothing, however Kyle spots a bonfire glowing on the nearby Silbury Hill and figures chanting. They walk towards the hill however they are attacked by a group of pagan teenage youths and outnumbered they flee. Hiding in West Kennet Long Barrow they suddenly feel icy cold and see a strange glowing light coming from the entrance. Emerging outside they encounter the same ethereal silver aliens from 'The Beast of Lochranza'. The aliens explain that they are repulsed by the violence and ecological damage being caused by humanity and are 'rescuing' certain specially chosen teenagers who will be taken to their home planet and educated in peaceful values. The children of Avebury cult is a front for this. Katie explains that they have no right to do this and punches one of the aliens. The aliens are horrified by this act of violence and state that humanity is beyond saving and that they will leave the planet. On Silbury Hill, the teenagers see the UFO rise from nearby woods and fly off. Devastated they collapse to the ground crying. Katie makes a speech to them calling them a bunch of snowflakes and insisting that they need to build some resilience if the earth is to resist alien threats.<br />
<br />
<b><u>EPISODE 6: MOSQUE OF DEATH</u></b><br />
<br />
A spate of terrorist attacks across the UK have been linked to the Henbury Park Mosque in Luton and the radical preacher Abu Daarbu. Operation Delta are asked to investigate since police forensic scientists are unable to identify the chemicals used to make a bomb which has blown up an Aldi store in Newcastle, fortunately at night when it was empty. Ben sends samples to the Operation Delta lab, where Shakey Jake and Keith Smith identify the chemicals as being of alien origin. Ben and Kyle decide to visit the mosque, posing as BBC staff researching a Panorama special on British muslims. They find the worshippers to be a benign group, sitting around listening to Cat Stevens albums before going to pray. However when Ben suggests that they install a bar in the mosque, they are escorted out at knifepoint by Abu Daarbu, who proceeds to preach a fiery sermon outside to a crowd of muslim youths, calling for jihad. One of the youths, Zayn Ahmed, approaches Ben and explains that strange things have been happening within the mosque at night, with futuristic technology being stored inside.<br />
Back at Operation Delta HQ, Corinne Shaw has been researching Daarbu's background. When Ben arrives, Corinne shows him pictures of Daarbu in the middle east prior to his arrival in the UK. Ben is puzzled to see that in these pictures Daarbu has hooks instead of hands, yet when Ben met him a few hours earlier his hands were flesh and blood. Ben and Kyle return to the mosque at night with Zayn and break in. They hear voices coming from a cellar underneath the building. Descending the stairs they see Daarbu and two bearded men making explosive devices using alien technology. A fight ensues and Kyle hits one of the men with a lump of metal, ripping skin off the man's face to reveal wires and electronics. Daarbu and his men are cyborgs! Daarbu explains that they now serve the Exalted Creath who is using them to undermine race relations in the UK with a view to weakening the British state from within prior to invasion. Fortunately Ben, Kyle and Zayn escape and alert the security services but before they can arrive, the mosque explodes destroying all evidence. Ben warns that the Exalted Creath is a threat that may return, while Ben also states that he has secured funding for the site of the former mosque is to be turned into a community centre for disaffected youth as a reward to Zayn.<br />
<br />
<b>to be continued</b><br />
<strong></strong><br />
<strong><u>EPISODE 7: THE BELLS OF TEWKESBURY</u></strong> Ben, Kyle and Katie decide to test the <i>three rings of alcenon</i> again. Clicking them they find themselves transported back to medieval London. Questioning a peasant girl selling vegatables they discover that it is spring 1471. The Wars of the Roses are raging and the insane King Henry VI has been restored to the throne by forces led by Queen Margaret of Anjou and her ally Warwick the Kingmaker, a former Yorkist who has swapped sides. Ben is disgusted by the smell of the city, the open sewers and the filthy, bedraggled beggars who line the streets. They enter a tavern with straw on the floor and Ben is shocked to find that the tavern owner , Silas, has never heard of absinthe and only serves ale. Questioning the customers, Ben receives a hostile and suspicious reception. One of them slinks off and reports him to a Lancastrian soldier. A group of armed Lancastrians arrive and mistake Ben, Kyle and Katie for supporters of the Yorkist alternative King Edward IV. They are arrested and taken to the Tower of London, where Warwick the Kingmaker arrives to question them. Warwick, a ruggedly handsome man, is deeply attracted to Katie who feels the same towards him. She decides to play on this to ensure the safety of the team and enjoys a night of passion with Warwick in his room in the Tower. The next day they are brought before the King and Queen. Henry babbles incoherently and Katie, over exuberant after the night before, calls him a 'retarded cretin'. Ben gives her a stern talking to about use of inappropriate language before the stern and angry Margaret of Anjou intervenes, accusing them of being Yorkist spies. Katie calls her an 'ugly old bat' and the Queen fiercely orders their executions. Warwick, intervening to save them, says he will take them to his northern castle and deal with them there. On the way up north, Warwick's army encounters the Yorkists and the Battle of Barnet takes place. Warwick is killed and they are captured by the Yorkists. They are taken to Edward IV who is a deeply attractive young man with an eye for the ladies. Katie, devastated by Warwick's death and looking for comfort, is seduced by Edward IV in the royal tent. Edward tells her that he plans to intercept the remainder of the Lancastrians at Tewkesbury and massacre them in the Church. Later she informs Ben and Kyle of this. Ben is torn as to whether to try to escape and warn the Lancastrians or to let history take its course. He decides on the latter however Kyle supports warning them and they argue. Arriving at Tewkesbury, the Battle of Tewkesbury starts and Ben and Kyle escape from the Yorkists. Kyle tries to warn Queen Margaret of the Yorkist plot however she arrogantly refuses to listen. He escapes again and rejoins Ben and they are powerless to intervene as the Lancastrians are massacred in the church as the bells ring. Katie wants to stay with Edward IV in 1471 however she catches him in a passionate liaison with another woman and angrily changes her mind. They click rings and return to current time. In the Mermaid Wine Bar Katie drowns her sorrows and reflects on the untrustworthy nature of men.<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>to be continued</b><br />
<strong></strong><br />
Ok folks, this major pitch continues:<br />
<br />
<b><u>EPISODE 8: THE POISONED AIR</u></b><br />
<br />
A new type of cheap vehicle fuel called petroplastic has been developed by the world leading UK chemicals company IBC, made from recycled plastic waste. Politicians of all major parties have pushed subsidies IBC's way as a means to drastically cut fuel prices and to tick the environment box due to public concern about plastic waste in the oceans. Across the cities of the UK, petrol stations have switched to petroplastic and the number of vehicles on the roads is increasing. <br />
Meanwhile Ben and the Operation Delta team are called in to investigate a series of mysterious deaths in London, with victims mauled to death by some kind of animal. Ben visits a mortuary in Dagenham to view the corpses and the pathologist expresses bafflement as to what kind of animal could have caused such wounds. Ben is disconcerted by having had to view the corpses and pays a visit to a bar in Old Compton Street to calm down by enjoying a few drinks with Julian. Here he encounters a drunken middle-aged gay man who claims to have been attacked by a giant rat in a back alley in Soho. Ben tells him to go away and stop leering at Julian however the man shows Ben a wound on his arm which is similar to the wounds on the corpses. Meanwhile news reports begin of a strange and sudden increase in the number of deaths from asthma attacks, with poor NHS treatment getting the blame from the tabloids.<br />
Ben sends Paul Farraday and Corinne Shaw to visit IBC's main plant in Surrey, posing as civil servants. Paul and Corinne are suspicious of IBC's Chairman, Sir Alan Derring, and while they are being shown around a worker pulls Paul to onside and hands him a note. The note reveals that IBC have been using alien technology to synthesise the petroplastic from the waste, the alien chemicals being from a crashed UFO and provided to IBC by the corrupt Minister of the Environment Boris Rees-Fox. Corinne manages to steal a sample of petroplastic and sends it to the Operation Delta Lab for investigation. Shakey Jake reveals that the petroplastic is highly toxic and gives off lethal fumes which can cause asthma attacks in humans but also change rodent DNA.<br />
In London, Ben and Julian hear screaming and discover a woman being mauled to death in a back alley near some bins by a group of rats the size of dogs. The rats chase after Ben and Julian but turn into a MacDonalds, mauling the customers. All over the UK reports of rat attacks start coming in. Ben and Julian drive to 10 Downing Street and insist on an emergency meeting with the Prime Minister, presenting her with Shakey Jake's lab report. Production of petroplastic is suspended and Derring & Rees-Fox pensioned off.<br />
<br />
<b><u>EPISODE 9: THE CREEPER OF LISLE STREET</u></b><br />
<br />
Ben, Katie and Kyle use <i>the three rings of alcenon </i>to take another trip back in time. They arrive in Victorian London where Ben meets Oscar Wilde and Lord Alfred Douglas. They take tea with Oscar in the Café Royal, however Katie upsets him by calling him a fat old poof jokingly. Ben apologises for Katie and orders more absinthe. Oscar explains that the whole of London is talking about The Creeper, a mysterious serial killer who has been slitting the throats of young men. Oscar is worried about some of the young men he has been socialising with, which he describes as 'feasting with panthers', becoming the next victims. Ben is informed by Lord Alfred Douglas that there is a 'special house', number 16 Lisle Street, which some of the victims had been known to frequent. Ben, Katie and Kyle visit the house and discover that it is a male house of ill repute, run by a man named Symonds and staffed by youths who also work for the post office delivering telegrams. Ben and Kyle pretend to be clients in order to interview two of the youths, William and Ernest. They reveal that one of the regular visitors to the house is a member of the Russian royal family, Grand Duke Dmitri Romanov, and that he has violent fits of temper. Meanwhile Katie has a chat with the cook, Nellie, who reveals that the politician Lord Dewsbury also visits the house and is being blackmailed by Symonds. <br />
Ben and Kyle visit the Russian Embassy and Ben confronts Grand Duke Dmitri. He feels an instant mutual attraction between them however Kyle manages to talk him out of spending the night at the Embassy, convincing Ben that it will destroy his relationship with Julian. Ben is convinced that Grand Duke Dmitri is not the Creeper. Meanwhile Katie visits Lord Dewsbury's office and is shocked to find Oscar Wilde there. Wilde is astounded when Katie asks Dewsbury if he is the creeper and reminds Katie that a cynic knows the price of everything and the value of nothing. Katie accuses him of using pretentious phrases and quotes and implies that Wilde might soon find himself in prison. Dewsbury pleads his innocence and states that Symonds is blackmailing him.<br />
Katie meets up with Ben and Katie and Ben reveals that Grand Duke Dmitri has also confessed to being blackmailed by Symonds. Ben works out a plan and gets William and Ernest to go to tell Symonds that they will go to the police unless they get a cut of his blackmailing profits. Then he has them lurk around in a back alley where previous victims of the Creeper have been found. A masked man appears with a knife and attacks William, however Kyle overpowers him and rips off the mask to reveal Symonds, who has been killing anyone who has discovered his blackmailing scam. Ben & Kyle take him to the police. They then return to present time with the rings, having secured William & Ernest jobs working for Oscar Wilde in the Albemarle Club.<br />
<b><br /> to be continued</b><br />
<strong></strong><br />
Ok, here is the season finale:<br />
<br />
<b><u>EPISODE TEN: THE DAY OF THE CREATH</u></b><br />
<br />
The UK has undergone a military coup with the army and MI5 seizing control and closing down Parliament. The BBC and ITV are broadcasting statements by the coup leader, General McGillery, explaining that this was a necessary step to save 'the British way on life' from chaos and takeover by Russia. He explains that Russian security services were in control of all major political parties and had been fermenting deliberate chaos in order to destroy both the UK and the EU. However , he explains, the army and security services have stepped in to rescue the country.<br />
Operation Delta has been closed down, however Ben and the team are in hiding and working underground from a secret location, Framwell Grange, a country house owned by the United Nations and once used to train UNIT officers. UNIT has been secretly revived to resist the coup and Ben is working closely with Kate Lethbridge-Stewart.<br />
Large numbers of people are being rounded up and interned in prison camps, having been accused of being Russian sympathisers, racist extremists and Marxists. Ben and Kyle learn from a young escapee from one of the camps, Joe, that strange medical experiments are taking place within them with organs being removed from the inmates. Ben urges Kate Lethbridge-Stewart to launch a full UNIT attack of the forces holding London, however she refuses arguing that they lack the manpower. Ben decides that they must infiltrate the security services to find out what is going on. Kyle leads a team of UNIT troops who hijack a car carrying Will Brown, a Tory MP who supports the coup, and Ben takes his place, reasoning that Brown is not well known and the coup leaders won't know his appearance. Kyle poses as his driver. They arrive at MI5 HQ and finds that McGillery has gathered together a group of sympathetic MPs for a speech. Ben is shocked when McGillery , flanked by armed men, reveals that he is an alien and that the UK is now under alien control. 'It was necessary to disguise our intentions until order was assured'. A female MP starts to argue with McGillery and she is dragged out of the meeting and shot. McGillery reveals that the great leader, The Exalted Creath, is coming and that humans are needed to provide spare organs for the aliens in order to prolong their lifespans. 'Let the harvest begin' he says with a grin.<br />
Kyle and UNIT troops burst in and shoot McGillery, rescuing Ben and the MPs. Meanwhile an alien landing vessel touches down in the grounds of Buckingham Palace. The Royals are being kept under arrest at Sandringham and out of the landing vessel emerges The Exalted Creath. He is a tall, oriental man with a beard and the clothing and appearance of the fictional criminal Fu Manchu. Later , in a BBC Broadcast to the nation, The Exalted Creath explains that he is now the anointed King of the world and all must obey him. 'You may call me King Chang I', he says with a grin. He adds that it is everyone's duty to donate body parts and give up their lives for the aliens. Failure to do so will lead to prolonged agonising torture in the concentration camps, he adds menacingly.<br />
Back at Framwell Grange, Katie Ryan has had enough of Kate Lethbridge-Stewart's prevaricating and in an angry showdown she persuades the other UNIT officers to support an armed assault on London. Lethbridge-Stewart is forced to agree and Katie Ryan organises the attack. Ben and Kyle manage to flee from the aliens and meet up with a gang of East End youths who are part of the YOU - Youth Organised Underground, a resistance group made up of East End lads, gangs from Brixton and other working class groups. Ben is reluctant to work with them, arguing that they are uncouth yobs who could never achieve success. However Kyle persuades him that UNIT need support from multiple angles. <br />
Ben and Katie organise a joint attack by phone and in a series of exiting battles, the aliens are routed. Ben confronts The Exalted Creath, otherwise known as the intergalactic criminal Chang, and Katie threatens to shoot him if he doesn't open the camps and free the prisoners. Reluctantly he gives the order, threatening to rape Katie and then gouge her eyes out. Katie slaps him feistily and orders UNIT troops to arrest him. However before they can do so, Chang presses the automatic beamer concealed on his wrist and is beamed up to his escape ship in space.<br />
Later Ben is invited to a royal gala party at Sandringham to celebrate the defeat of the aliens. He and Julian are dressed in three piece suits and the Queen ruffles Ben's hair, remarking to Prince Charles that one is delighted to be in the presence of such a fine young man.<br />
<b><br /> THE END</b><br />
<strong></strong><br />
OK folks, in summary this pitch consists of a 10 episode series of, 'The Ben Chatham Adventures' to replace Doctor Who this year. Also the series will be released on DVD & Blu-ray box sets. The episodes are:<br />
<br />
<b>1) Firestarter<br /> 2) The Beast of Lochranza<br /> 3) The Ghosts of Cable Street<br /> 4) Menace in Venice<br /> 5) The Children of Avebury<br /> 6) Mosque of Death<br /> 7) The Bells of Tewkesbury<br /> 8) The Poisoned Air<br /> 9) The Creeper of Lisle Street<br /> 10) The Day of the Creath</b><br />
<br />
The series has something for everyone, science fiction, historical adventures, murder mystery and ecological threats. <br />
<br />
The New Year Special will follow shortly.<br />
<br />
Ok folks, here is the New Year Special to finish off this pitch for a series of 'The Ben Chatham Adventures'.<br />
<br />
<b>NEW YEAR SPECIAL:<br /><br /> "WORLD HARVEST'</b><br />
<br />
Ben and Julian were attending a New Years Eve party at 'The Curve Bar', an exclusive venue near to Operation Delta's London HQ. The party had been conceived as a team building exercise by Paul Farraday and Corinne Shaw who had hired the venue just for Operation Delta staff. Barry Tuck was already drunk and was guffawing loudly, belching and shouting across to the barman:<br />
"Hey pal, its as dull as a nun's knickers in here. When are the birds gonna arrive?"<br />
Ben sipped his absinthe and turned to Julian: "We had to come and show our face. We'll just have this one drink and I'll circulate a bit to show willing then we'll get out of here and go somewhere better. I know a very exclusive cocktail bar I want to take you to." Julian laughed: "Good. I don't think I can stand to see you forcing yourself to be nice to your dreary team Ben". Ben laughed as well. As he spoke, Katie Ryan flounced over in an angry mood:<br />
"Ben I hope you aren't going to piss off early before the speeches. Corinne has just told me that I'll have to substitute if you aren't around to make your speech and I've really nothing to say to this lot." Ben gave her a smirk:<br />
"Oh I'm sure you'll think of something Katie. You're never usually short of words."<br />
"Yes earn your keep please", Julian added.<br />
Katie flashed Julian and angry look and proceeded to pour her pina colada into his lap. Julian leapt up angrily and Ben was furious:<br />
"Oh for pity's sake Katie, that is really pathetic and childish."<br />
Katie laughed sardonically:<br />
"If the boy can't take it the boy should not dish it out". She spilled the last few drops over Julian's head then strutted off. Julian was angry:<br />
"This has ruined my evening. These little people are staring at me. " Ben comforted him and suggested that they go back to Ben's London apartment for a change of clothes. They left the Curve Bar and walked out into the silent London street. There were no cars to be seen and everywhere was silent apart from the noise from the bar:<br />
"I expect everyone is partying away in the bars" ben mused. Julian was still upset and moodily stared at the ground.<br />
"You should sack her Ben. She has no class and she talks to you like she's in charge half the time." Ben stroked Julian's face:<br />
"I can handle Katie. I've known her for years and I can manage her foibles. Lets just concentrate on having a great evening."<br />
<br />
They arrived at the tube station and descended the stairs into it. There was no one else there. Descending the escalator they found the platforms deserted and the signs indicating that the trains were approaching were blank. Ben frowned:<br />
"This is odd. The trains should still be running even though its New Years Eve. He pulled out his mobile, however the screen was dead.<br />
"Oh for pity's sake. I charged this before we came out. Battery must be dead". Julian pulled out his phone which was also dead. Julian was upset:<br />
"Mine as well. What about me, I'm covered in pina colada, its sticky and it stinks." Ben frowned:<br />
"Some things that are sticky and stink have a most alluring appeal. However don't worry Julian, we'll get a taxi."<br />
They left the station and crossed the deserted road to where the taxi rank was, however a row of empty taxis stood there with no drivers or anyone else around. Ben was concerned:<br />
"Ok something is not right. There's a MacDonalds over there. Much as I despise the places, we need to go in and ask if they know what is going on. Hold your nose Julian".<br />
They crossed the road and went into the MacDonalds however that was also deserted. Half eaten big macs and other meals were strewn across the tables. Ben was concerned:<br />
"This isn't right at all. But if this is something to do with terrorism then where are the police? Come on, lets get back to the Curve Bar".<br />
They ran back through the cold, deserted streets to the Curve Bar, where they could hear the sound of the party still underway".<br />
"At least the team are unaffected by what is going on. "<br />
<br />
Back in the Curve Bar, Ben ran behind the bar and banged a glass on the surface, calling for silence. Shakey Jake Reynolds shouted over to him:<br />
"Hey man, the speeches aren't till later. What's with the heavy shouting."<br />
Ben stared at him angrily:<br />
"Listen everyone. Something is very wrong in London tonight. I want you to check your phones."<br />
Several of the team fetched out their phones and checked them. Corinne Shaw looked up:<br />
"Mine's out of juice",<br />
"Mine as well", Paul Farraday added.<br />
As everyone discovered that their phones were not working then began to get angry. Barry Tuck downed the rest of his pint and shouted out:<br />
"Who gives a ¤¤¤¤ if our phones are shafted. When are the birds arriving?"<br />
Ben glared at him:<br />
"Shut up Tuck, this is serious. The streets out there are deserted and no transport seems to be moving. Something is happening here and I don't know what it is......"<br />
<br />
...........to be continued.<br />
<br />
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Ok folks, here is the second part of the 'World Harvest' story synopsis:</div>
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<br /></div>
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<strong>'WORLD HARVEST'</strong></div>
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<strong><br /></strong></div>
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<strong>Part 2</strong></div>
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<br /></div>
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Ben and the team send out Adam Wooten and Chiara Smith to drive around London and report back on the situation. They arrive back at 'The Curve Bar' and inform the team that the streets, bars and shops are deserted and that everyone seems to have disappeared. Some of the team start to panic, however Katie sips her Martini and sighs:</div>
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"Look are Londoners really any great loss? Most of them are foreigners anyway and with them gone we can avoid all the traffic congestion problems. We still have the rest of the country's population." Ben is annoyed with her:</div>
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"Look Katie this is no time for petty flippancy and how do we know that this is just confined to London."</div>
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Kyle rounds on Katie:</div>
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"'Ere my family cam from Landon. This ain't a joke."</div>
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Katie adds a fresh layer of lipstick:</div>
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"Oh stop whining, chavboy. You never liked your family anyway apart from your druggie mother." Ben intervenes:</div>
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"Oh just stop this Katie. *addressing the team* we must stay calm. Finish your drinks and then we'll drive to Cambridge to see if everything is OK outside of London'.</div>
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<br /></div>
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While driving to Cambridge they encounter a small group of UNIT troops in army vehicles being driven into London. Kate Lethbridge-Stewart informs Ben that the rest of the UK is fine but all communication with London has been lost. However there have been reports of strange lights in the sky and mysterious radio signals coming from Romford. Ben and the team agree to join the UNIT troops in driving to Romford to investigate but on the way they are attacked by unknown soldiers wearing black uniforms. They are soon overpowered, several UNIT troops having been killed, and they are escorted into Romford to a large warehouse. Once inside they are shocked to see fascist-style symbols emblazoned on the walls and thugs wearing black shirts carrying baseball bats. </div>
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"Looks like we've been invaded by Germans Ben", Julian exclaims. However the fascists speak with Essex accents:</div>
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"Awight mate, welcome Ben Chatham. The leader is expecting you. Cam this way."</div>
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"What is going on here? Why have you kidnapped us and what has happened to the people in London?" Ben demands.</div>
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"Ere mate, don't get a cob on. Cam and meet the leader."</div>
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The fascists escort Ben, Julian, Katie and Kyle up some steps and along a makeshift corridor towards a large door. One of them knocks the door."</div>
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A woman's voice sternly shouts "Enter". Walking in they see a stern, frosty faced forty-something woman sat at a large oak desk. She has dark hair, piercing eyes and above her desk, fixed to the wall, is a horsewhip.</div>
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"Ah Ben, I have been expecting you. I am Sylvia Hepton-Blake and I welcome you to the new order."</div>
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Kyle is unimpressed:</div>
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"Ere look 'ere missis 'Epton-whatever, I wanna know what you've done with all the Landoners."</div>
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Hepton-Blake stared at him icily:</div>
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"I can see Ben that your boy here could do with some discipline. I find that these East London boys can be quite agreeable company, once they've been broken in."</div>
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Ben frowned:</div>
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"We would all like to know why we are here and what exactly is going on. That is all."</div>
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<br /></div>
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Sylvia Hepton-Blake stood up and walked over to Ben, stroking his cheek:</div>
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"Hmmm, such firm cheekbones. Such attractive blond hair. Let me explain. Myself and my group, Britain Awake, are now the new British government. We have watched this country slide downhill, a mass of weak values, liberal snowflakery and decline. Worst of all was London. However we discovered some allies who were in desperate need for food to sustain themselves on a very long journey. We agreed to a smart little deal. They get to take certain human resources as food, which this country will be well rid of, and then we take over and rebuild Britain, creating a new order based on strength, honour and discipline."</div>
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Kyle frowned:</div>
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"'Ere I get it. You've sold out the people on Landon so you can take over and create some fascist state. Who the hell are these flamin' 'allies' then."</div>
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Hepton-Blake shot Kyle an angry look:</div>
<div data-xf-p="1">
"I shall enjoy breaking you in later. Now Ben, I spared you and your organisation because I'm sure we will see eye to eye. I've heard particularly good things about Miss Ryan here. There is a place at the top of my organisation for her if she wants it."</div>
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Katie scowled:</div>
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"Why would I want to work for you?"</div>
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Hepton-Blake laughed:</div>
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"Oh come on. We strong women should stick together. A mess is made for a woman to clean up after all. The new order needs strong women at the top to rid this country of the weakness and decay of the last half-century."</div>
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Ben is bemused:</div>
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"Look I am not at all interested in your bizarre ideas and you have ruined our new years eve party. So please get to the point. Answer Kyle's question: who are your allies."</div>
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Hepton-Blake smiled frostily:</div>
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"Come into my side office, their ambassador is resting in there."</div>
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<br /></div>
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Ben and the others follow Hepton-Blake into a side office and are horrified to see an alien creature slumped backwards in an armchair. Its face was canine in appearance, except it had four eyes and scales instead of skin. Suddenly all four eyes opened and stared at Ben....</div>
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<br /></div>
<div data-xf-p="1">
.........to be continued.<br />
<br />
Ok, this New Year special continues:<br />
<br />
<strong>"WORLD HARVEST" Part 3</strong><br />
<br />
The alien identified itself as Karnoth, ambassador of the Dogonar.<br />
"It has been very pleasing to do business with your people. We are a proud and business-like species."<br />
Julian flicked his hair to one side:<br />
"You are extremely ugly and look like a cross between a wolf and a salamander. Utterly repugnant and very uncouth."<br />
Karnoth fixed its four eyes on him:<br />
"I have an overwhelming desire to eat you, however this may be undiplomatic and create tension between your people and mine. So I will desist."<br />
Julian flicked his hair back again:<br />
"Does anyone have a bone I can toss it?"<br />
Ben gave him a hug:<br />
"I don't think it has a sense of humour Julian." *To Karnoth : "What have you done with the people of London and what is this 'business deal' that you've concocted with this fascist group, who do not represent the British government?"<br />
Karnoth grunted and saliva dripped from his mouth:<br />
"We are travelling to our new colony. Our planet is dying, the atmosphere around it is irreparably disintegrating and soon it will be uninhabitable. We need fresh supplies of food for the long journey. Your species is a most agreeable source of sustenance; meat that is packed with protein and lots of fat, which is a fine delicacy to us."<br />
Ben was angry:<br />
"You cannot just come here and harvest human beings for food. This is despicable".<br />
Katie gave Ben a sharp nudge:<br />
"It already has, no point in trying to reason with this animal. From the sound of it at least it won't be interested in us, only fat bastards. Best not to let it see Barry Tuck."<br />
Ben frowned at her:<br />
"This is no laughing matter Katie. These traitors have sold people for food supplies to these creatures in return for power."<br />
Sylvia Hepton-Blake interjected:<br />
"We are not traitors Ben. We are simply using this once in a lifetime opportunity to turn this country around. Let us continue this conversation back in my office, you have annoyed our guest for long enough."<br />
<br />
Back in Hepton-Blake's office, Ben rounds on her:<br />
"What you are doing is quite unacceptable. Striking a trade deal with these creatures and a trade deal involving people as food is monstrous. You'll pay a heavy price for this, doll."<br />
Hepton-Blake shot him a frosty stare:<br />
"Do not refer to me as 'doll'."<br />
Kyle interjected:<br />
"Ere some of them you've sold for friggin' meat are my mates and family. You ain't gettin' away with this."<br />
Hepton-Blake glared at Kyle:<br />
"Oh there is something very challenging about rough London boys. I'll enjoy breaking you, bending you to my will and I'm already getting excited thinking about it. However for now you can all go to our holding room as I have work to do."<br />
She clicked her fingers and two large fascists who resembled nightclub bouncers appeared in the doorway and escorted Ben and the team to a brick building at the side of the warehouse and threw them in.<br />
<br />
Kate Lethbridge-Stewart was there with several UNIT troops. One of the UNIT soldiers was shaking and having a panic attack. Katie Ryan was bemused:<br />
"Oh for pity's sake. Looks like UNIT are recruiting complete wusses into their ranks now."<br />
Ben sighed wearily:<br />
"Just leave it Katie will you. We need to think of a way out of here and a strategy for dealing with this ghastly conspiracy."<br />
Kyle stood on the wooden bench where the UNIT troops were sitting and fiddled with the iron grill over the window:<br />
"Ere this ¤¤¤¤er is loose. Cam and give us a hand".<br />
Julian gazed at it:<br />
"I am not touching that thing, its rusty."<br />
Ben glared at the UNIT troops:<br />
"Get up there and help Kyle".<br />
Kate Lethbridge-Stewart was annoyed:<br />
"Ben please don't order my soldiers around, they are not under your command. As you can see, Private Flynn here is unwell."<br />
She gestured to the other soldier who assisted Kyle in removing the grill. Kyle then broke the glass with his shoe and cleared the shards:<br />
"Right, cam on lets get outta here".<br />
<br />
Eventually they all clambered out the hole, last out was Private Flynn, assisted by his UNIT colleagues. Katie Ryan frowned:<br />
"What a pathetic sight. No wonder the aliens are running us ragged with specimens like that in the armed forces."<br />
Ben turned to the others:<br />
"Right, we need to run for those woods and get under cover. There may be a pathway to the other side."<br />
They ran to the woods and scrambled through the undergrowth. Julian became tangled in some brambles and shouted out in pain. Ben came to his rescue and gently removed the brambles from around Julian's trousers:<br />
"I'm really sorry Julian that you have had to have your legs scratched by undergrowth."<br />
Julian hugged Ben.<br />
They found a pathway through the woods, however the sun was setting and the thick oak and sycamore trees cast dark shadows. Private Flynn was still shaking and weeping loudly. Katie Ryan shouted out:<br />
"Oh please just shut him up will you."<br />
Kate Lethbridge-Stewart went over to her:<br />
"Look Miss Ryan, Private Flynn has this afternoon seen two of his closest friends killed before his eyes. Have some respect please."<br />
Katie glared at her:<br />
"Do not tell me to have respect. Especially not when your hair looks like that."<br />
"What is wrong with my hair?" Kate retorts.<br />
"Well, how shall I put this delicately. Please don't take offence but its a complete mess and you're certainly looking your age."<br />
Ben frowns:<br />
"I do not need this bickering. We need to work out a plan for....."<br />
<br />
Ben was interrupted by the sound of howling in the distance.<br />
"Hey that sounded like wolves".<br />
"Or them aliens", Kyle added.<br />
The howling came again only louder this time:<br />
"Ere they're camin' for us..." Kyle exclaimed.<br />
<br />
......to be continued.<br />
<br />
Ok folks, here is the final part of this New Year Special episode pitch:<br /><br /><b>"WORLD HARVEST" Part 4</b><br /><br /> Deep in the woods, the creatures closed in on Ben and his team. They could see three of them scrambling through the undergrowth their yellow eyes glowing and saliva dripping from their teeth. <br /> "Looks like we're ¤¤¤¤ed", Katie angrily exclaimed. Suddenly a figure emerged from behind some trees and Ben gasped. It was tall and humanoid in appearance yet had cloven hooves and antlers sprouting out of its head. <br /> "It can't be surely", Ben exclaimed.<br /> "Can't be what? What the hell is that creature?" Katie shouted.<br /> "It looks like the archetype of the horned god, the spirit of the forest, Herne the Hunter.... Ben said in awe of the figure. <br /> Katie laughed sardonically:<br /> "What crap Ben, you've been reading too much lefty New Age rubbish. Not like you at all. Its another alien obviously. <br /> The figure moved towards the three Dogonar and lifted up its hand.<br /> "Warriors of the Dogonar step back. You have transgressed. Return the creatures of this world and leave this place. You know my power. Leave or face my wrath."<br /> Kate Lethbridge-Stewart grabbed hold of Ben's arm:<br /> "You could Be right Ben. Maybe the earth is protected and in time of danger the spirit of the forest rises to defend us."<br /> Katie grimaced:<br /> "Oh for pity's sake. Its an alien you flaky cow. Is even UNIT full of this new age nonsense now?"<br /> Ben intervened:<br /> "Shut up Katie. Look..."<br /> The Dogonar slunk back through the trees and vanished out of sight. Ben stepped forward to speak to the antlered figure however it seemed to fade into the shadows and vanish.<br /><br /> Later, Ben and the team were enjoying drinks and food on New Years Day evening in 'The Curve Bar'. Julian was picking at the avocado salad and falaefel:<br /> "The food in this place is atrocious Ben. Not at all in the same league as The Mermaid Wine Bar back in Cambridge.<br /> Ben turned to Paul and Corinne:<br /> "I have to agree with Julian's assessment. This is quite tasteless salad and the lasagne is clearly not made in house but bought in. If I closed my eyes I could well be in a Weatherspoons". <br /> Paul laughed:<br /> "Oh come on Ben, its not that bad. And surely the main thing is that the team are all here enjoying themselves and bonding."<br /> Ben sipped his wine and grimaced:<br /> "If you say so."<br /> "Ere the main thing is that all the Landaners are back like and their memories seem to 'ave been wiped so they don't know they were ever away. So what do you think that thing was like?" Kyle asked.<br /> "Well it wasn't some ridiculous spirit of the forest that's for sure. It was another alien and obviously one with the power and authority to police those dog things" Katie exclaimed. She sipped her wine:<br /> "Shame about Sylvia Hepton-Blake and her colleagues though. In UNIT custody and awaiting trial and all they did was go a bit off piste."<br /> Kyle glared at her:<br /> "Oh cam on. She was a fascist and gonna sell out the whole of friggin' Landon just to get power. She's lookin' at a long spell of jail time."<br /> Katie fixed him with an icy stare:<br /> "Yes well who needs your opinion chavboy".<br /> Ben intervened:<br /> "Look stop bickering. Lets just make our excuses and leave. I have an exclusive restaurant that I want to take Julian to."<br /><br /> Outside, Ben and Julian walked through the cold London streets:<br /> "I don't think I could have stood much more of their company Julian. I feel an inner hollowness caused by my forced association with work colleagues. My will to do anything is being dragged into a void by their utter banality and the staleness of routine".<br /> Julian laughed:<br /> "Then why not take me on a holiday. Somewhere expensive, exclusive and exotic. Away from them."<br /> Ben smiled:<br /> "That is a most charming idea Julian."<br /><br /> THE END.<br />
<br />
</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8221881756433157362.post-30089934317871523782019-01-21T11:20:00.002-08:002019-01-21T11:20:40.983-08:00 The Ben Chatham Xmas 2018 Special ‘Ben Chatham’s Christmas Present’ <strong>Part One</strong><br /><br /> Ben and Julian lay in bed on Christmas morning, sipping champagne and opening their presents. Ben had received a gold watch from Julian while Ben had given Julian a sports car. Julian jumped up and gazed from the window of the apartment down into the street where the car was wrapped in exclusive tinsel from Harrods. Julian grinned with delight:<br />‘Ben it is absolutely stunning. Can we go for a drive later?’<br />Ben laughed:<br />‘Of course. I’ve booked us into an exclusive hotel on the Cornish coast. Finally I’ve managed to avoid spending Christmas with my tiresome parents and I intend for us to enjoy it. They seemed to accept my story that I was unable to get away due to being involved in a complex case.’<br />Julian grinned:<br />‘At this very moment all across the country the plebs are waking up and opening their dreary supermarket presents before preparing for their pathetic family dinners with screaming kids and unbearable geriatric relatives.’<br />Ben laughed:<br />‘But we are above all that Julian. Let us dine!’<br />Ben rang the bell next to his bed and his Italian servant Luigi appeared in the doorway with a silver tray. He served Ben and Julian with Colombian Blue Ridge coffee, quails’ eggs and caviar. <br />‘Is that all Mr Chatham?’<br /> ‘Yes Luigi. Now run along and prepare us a nice hot bath’.<br />As he spoke the door buzzer of the apartment rang.<br />‘Answer that first please Luigi’, Ben instructed.<br /><br /> A short time later Luigi returned:<br />‘You bath is ready Mr Chatham. There was no one at the door but they have left a large wooden crate. It says ‘For the attention of Ben Chatham’ on it. Very strange’.<br />Ben yawned and smiled:<br />‘A surprise Christmas present. It must be from my parents. Something boring no doubt. It can’t be worse than the awful jacket that Katie Ryan bought me. Women have no taste when it comes to men’s fashion’. He and Julian laughed. Later, after their bath, Ben and Julian came running downstairs, hugging each other:<br />‘More champagne Luigi, we are dangerously close to being sober on Christmas Day!’<br />Ben saw the large wooden crate:<br />‘Let’s open my surprise present. I suspect it’s a musical instrument. My father cannot seem to accept that I do not share his talent for practical musicality.’<br />Luigi handed Ben a screwdriver and Ben began to prize open the crate. He pulled out one of the sides and saw a large object covered in silver cloth. Lifting the cloth he saw a large, mechanical dog:<br />‘What is that strange contraption’, Julian asked , sipping his champagne. Ben laughed:<br />‘This Julian is a present from my old friend the Doctor. It’s a K9........’<br /><br /><strong>to be continued.</strong><br />
<strong></strong><br />
Ok folks, here is part two of this festive adventure which compensated for the lack of a Doctor Who Christmas special: <br /><br /> <strong>Part 2</strong><br /><br /> Ben smiled with refined pleasure as K9 lifted its head: <br />‘Affirmative Master’ it said.<br /> Julian looked puzzled:<br />‘Ben I’m not getting this. Is this some piece of tat from one of your old uni friends?’<br />Ben grinned knowingly:<br />‘Despite appearances Julian, K9 is no piece of tat. He is a piece of advanced technology from a time travelling alien.’<br />Julian clapped his hands:<br />‘How wonderfully exclusive’.<br />Ben gave him a kiss:<br />‘Exactly. Now let’s get going to Cornwall. Luigi can drive us in your new sports car while we drink more champagne. We’ll take K9 with us’.<br /><br />A short time later Ben & Julian were being driven at speed through the winter countryside, the sound of Philip Glass’ ‘Low Symphony’ coming from the sports’ car stereo. They were drinking champagne and feeding each other fresh strawberries. Ben tapped Luigi on the shoulder:<br />‘Come on drive faster. We need speed’.<br />‘Yes come on, don’t you Italians know how to drive like lightening?’ Julian added, laughing. Luigi shrugged and put his foot down on the accelerator. <br /> Ben whispered to Julian:<br />‘He’s just annoyed because he wanted to go back to Italy and spend Christmas with his brother Luciano. I said he was staying here or getting sacked. I’m not doing without staff at Christmas, there is too much washing up generated’.<br /><br />They arrived in Cornwall as the sun was setting. Driving through the grounds of the hotel they arrived outside an ornate Georgian building. The sound of the sea crashing onto rocks could be heard coming from behind the hotel. Ben jumped out of the car and opened the door for Julian:<br />‘Here we are. I trust it meets your approval young man’, he laughed.<br /> Julian looked at the building:<br />‘Hmm. It will do I suppose’. Then he laughed and kissed Ben. They ran up to the entrance and to the reception. A middle aged woman with long hair dyed black and a low cut dress approached them:<br />‘Well hello. You must be Ben and Julian. Welcome to the Grange. I must say you are everything I imagined from the sound of your voices on the telephone. Such nice, smooth boys. I hope everything here will satisfy you’.<br />She stroked Ben’s face and he went red:<br />‘Ahem madam, we are here to check in. Double room for us and single room for my manservant Luigi.’<br />The woman grinned:<br />‘Oh there is no need to be so uptight. You are here to unwind. Here are your keys. I’ll be happy to give you the very best service later.....’<br /><br />Ben and Julian went up to their room on the fourth floor while Luigi brought up the luggage and K9. Julian laughed:<br />‘Hey she was coming on to you, that old trout’. Ben frowned:<br />‘I have that effect on older women. They want to mother me then rip my clothes off. Can’t help themselves’.<br />‘I can see why’ Julian added, stroking Ben’s hair. As they entered the room, they were hit by a strange, mouldy smell. Ben was annoyed:<br />‘Oh God what the hell is this. Smells like someone has died in here’. He ran to the window and opened it wide. As he did so he saw that below the window on the gravel was a twisted corpse, it’s eyes wide open and mouth twisted .......<br /><br /> <strong>To be continued</strong><br />
<strong></strong><br />
<strong></strong><br />
<strong>Part 3</strong><br /><br /> Ben and Julian rushed downstairs and ran out of the Grange and round the side. There lay the body of a young man, his face contorted in an expression of pure terror with his dead eyes wide open. Ben frowned:<br />‘This is very concerning. It is unlikely to have been a suicide as he is lying on his back. He appears also to have been a young man of some wealth. That jacket retails for around £4000 alone. I nearly bought one for you Julian’. <br />Julian examined the jacket:<br />‘It does look rather cool. Do you think anyone would notice if we whip<br /> it off him, after all he won’t be needing it now’.<br />Ben frowned:<br />‘It May have got blood on it Julian. I’ll buy you one when we get back to Cambridge’.<br />As Ben spoke there was a piercing scream from within the Grange. They ran back inside to find the woman at reception lying across the desk with her throat freshly cut. Blood had shot out in a fountain all over the floor:<br />‘What the hell is going on here?’ Julian shouted. As he did so, Luigi came running downstairs in a panic:<br />‘Mr Chatham, there’s a man in the bathroom upstairs, he looks like he’s been stabbed’.<br />Ben turned to the others:<br />‘Right, I suggest that we get out of here and call the police. There seems to be a maniac on the loose in there’.<br />As Ben turned towards the car, he saw three men approaching, the first of whom was armed with a gun.<br />‘Ok Chatham, get walking back into the hotel. Now’.<br /><br />Ben, Julian and Luigi were led back into the Grange and into the downstairs drawing room. The man with the gun went over to the drinks cabinet and poured himself a large glass of scotch. He grinned:<br />‘It was very fortunate for me that you booked into this hotel. You and your group of investigators have a degree of fame which will lend my little scheme some extra spice. Crime should always be exciting, don’t you think?’<br />Ben glared at him:<br />‘What the hell do you mean? Release us immediately. Why are you murdering the guests here? Are you a complete madman or is there some rational criminal purpose behind your actions?’<br />The man drank the scotch and scowled:<br />‘Oh I assure you that there is always method behind my actions. Upstairs, along with a whole group of murdered guests, lies the body of Sir Graham Nott, the owner of the Grange. A single man, no kids. Preferred the company of young men, an attribute that I’m sure you will understand Chatham. It was his idea to turn this house into a hotel. Always one with an eye for making money was Graham. He was worth millions.’<br />Ben stared at him in fury:<br />‘Just get to the point. Why are you doing this?’<br /> ‘Calm down Chatham. No need to get hysterical. Your sort lack the stiff upper lip in a crisis’.<br />‘You vulgar thug’, Julian shouted. The man laughed:<br />‘I am Martin Nott, Graham’s younger brother. With him dead, I will inherit his money and this house. What better way to disguise a murder than to hide it within a mass murder. The plan was to hire a couple of East European killers, Ivan and Dmitri here, bump off the guests and my brother and set it up to look like a drugs hit on one of the guests that got out of hand. But when you booked in it dawned on me that a narrative could be constructed where this was the assassination of Ben Chatham by persons unknown, probably aliens. I’m so looking forward to turning this back into a family home again. Now Chatham , prepare to die.’<br />Ben frowned:<br />‘Please do not refer to me as Chatham. Use of the last name only is common and uncouth. This is not an episode of Eastenders.’<br /> ‘Ok Ben Chatham, prepare to die’.<br />He raised the gun and pointed it at Ben’s head.........<br /><br /><strong> .........to be continued.</strong><br />
<strong></strong><br />
<br />
Ok people, here’s the final part of this festive Ben Chatham adventure:<br /><br /> <strong>Part 4</strong><br /><br /> Martin Nott pointed the gun at Ben’s head. Ben bravely raised his hand:<br />‘Not so fast Nott. Do you really want the drawing room of your precious Grange to be covered in our blood. Shoot us in the head and it will spurt out like a fountain.’<br />Nott was bemused:<br />‘If you think I care about a bit of gore and grue you misjudge me Chatham.’<br />Ben was not deterred:<br />‘I’m not suggesting that you are squeamish Nott, but you do have a knotty problem here. I know that however once blood soaks through the carpet onto the floorboards you’ll never get the stains out. There was a man in Leicester who bludgeoned his wife with a hammer and the blood splashed out all over the walls. Every subsequent resident of the house was plagued with bloodstained walls. Even repapering the walls made no difference, the stains still seeped back through’.<br />Nott frowned:<br />‘Ok Ivan , Dmitri, take these tossers outside and full stop them there. Here’s the gun’.<br /><br />Nott handed the gun to Dmitri who gestured to Ben and the others to walk outside. Ben, Julian and Luigi were led round the side of the house and across the large garden, over a stile and on to a patch of waste ground. Dmitri lifted the gun.......<br /><br /> ...... and handed it to Ben.<br />‘I’m sorry Mr Chatham. Me and Ivan do not want to kill you. We follow your adventures when we were back in Russia. If we had known that Nott was planning to kill you we would never have got involved in this’.<br />Ben took the gun and grinned.<br />‘Good man. I was unaware that Operation Delta is known of in Russia.’<br /> ‘Oh yes. We follow your adventures on internet. Me and Ivan dreamed of working for you but never thought it possible’.<br />Ben put his arm round Dmitri’s shoulders:<br />‘Oh I’m sure we can find you some work. There are manual tasks we need doing at our HQs in London and Cambridge and......’<br />Ben was cut short by a large explosion which ripped through the Grange. Even at a distance it blew Ben and the others to the ground.<br /><br /> Later Ben, Julian, Luigi, Katie Ryan and Kyle were enjoying Christmas dinner in the Blue Angel Jazz Cafe and discussing the case. Ben was explaining:<br />‘... so it seems that there was another plot to murder me and unlike Nott’s this one was planned long term. UNIT investigators found forensic evidence that the K9 was a fake and was in fact a bomb. The technology was alien in origin. Whatever was behind it clearly wanted to remove Operation Delta as a potential obstacle to invasion. Thankfully they merely blew up the murderer Nott and his Grange. The land has now been gifted to Operation Delta and I intend to rebuild the house as a research lab.’<br />Katie Ryan laughed:<br />‘Onwards and upwards Ben’.<br />As she spoke Dmitri and Ivan appeared, dressed as waiters, serving the wine and cheese afters. Julian grinned:<br />‘I’m pleased that those two also got part time jobs here as well as working for us. They scrub up well these Russians’.<br />Ben laughed:<br />‘Don’t they just. Anyway, before we move on to the Mermaid Wine Bar, I propose a toast to the new year ahead. Happy New Year team!’<br />They all raised their glasses:<br />‘Happy New Year Ben’ they all exclaimed as Julian stroked Ben’s hair.<br /><br /> <strong>The end.</strong><br />
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8221881756433157362.post-65046110945938376992018-09-23T13:39:00.000-07:002018-11-13T12:58:52.399-08:00The Ben Chatham Halloween 2018 Special "CURSE OF MONKS WOOD"<b>Part One</b><br />
<br />
The rain poured down through the trees and soaked the damp, dank ground benieth. The thick mist filled the open spaces in the wood as the sickly smell of rotting leaves hung around like death in a plague. The water ran down the walls of the ruined abbey and seeped down into fox holes and rabbit warrens. The girl ran through the dense foliage, her legs torn and ripped by brambles. She cried out with pain but struggled on as she stumbled through the driving rain. She heard a scream and then a dull, extended cry of pain. Then a gunshot rang out and she fell backwards into the endless night.<br />
Sir Richard Henson sat in the armchair in the library of the Grange and gulped down another glass of brandy. The room was in darkness, apart from the log fire burning fiercely in the grate. The rain poured down like silver on the window and mirrored the tears pouring down Sir Richard's face. He thought of the long and wasted years, of the dullness of routine and the sad monotony of a life lived for others. Suddenly he threw his glass at the fire and the glass splintered in the grate.<br />
<br />
Ben Chatham sat back in his chair in his office in the new Operation Delta HQ in Cambridge and stared coldly at the clergyman sitting in front of him. The office was modern and fresh, with an original painting of the standing stones of Callinish on one wall and a painting of some cornish cliffs on the other. There was a state of the art coffee mnachine, offering a range of twelve different coffee beans, and a brand new vinyl record player for when Ben needed to relax between meetings.<br />
"I'm sorry, but I really don't see what I can do to help you, Reverend Ashton. We are an organisation that investigates paranormal or suspected alien activity. Nothing which you have just described really fits that remit. Indeed it seems to me that you'd be better off continuing to address your concerns to the police".<br />
Reverand Maurice Ashton, a cold, sharp-faced man in his early fifties, glared angrily at Ben.<br />
"Have you not listened to a word I've just said? Four of my parishoners have gone missing and all you can do is shrug and try to pass the buck? Look Mr Chatham, if I still had any faith that the police were taking this seriously I would hardly be sitting here talking to the head of some minor investigative quango. However they aren't and furthermore I'd say that the lights in the wood, the evil that lurks within it and the unsolved murders committed to conjure up whatever abomination stalks that place fully count as paranormal activity. Your father assured me that you would provide some assistance. Frankly your manner is disappointing."<br />
Ben gave the Reverand Ashton a look of hurt and anguish, however he could see instantly that his target was not the sort of man whose heart could be melted by human beauty. A feeling of dread had been creeping over him since the Reverand had arrived and stated that he was a friend of Alastair Chatham, Ben's father. Ben knew that he was in the last chance saloon as far as his relationship with his father was concerned and he did not want to take any chances. Yet he had loathed this odious hard-faced clergyman from the moment he strode into the office. Ben sighed:<br />
"I'm sorry Reverand Ashton, please forgive me, it's been a long day. I'll discuss this with my team immediately and we'll come down to Woolton Abbas as soon as is possible to investigate. This is a top priority case."<br />
The Reverand stood up:<br />
"Thankyou Mr Chatham. I'll inform your father that you ave agreed to help me. Myself and my wife Margaret had dinner with Alastair and Giselle only last week. In ordinary circumstances I would not of course take dinner with an unmarried couple however your father is a repentent sinner and has been most generous in his funding of the Church for many years".<br />
Ben felt a pang of nausea at the mention of his father's relationship with his French mistress, Madame Giselle Camboux, however he took a sip of water from the glass on his desk and smiled:<br />
"I'll do my best to help get to the bottom of all this."<br />
<br />
After the Reverand Ashton had departed, Ben got up, strode to the record player and put on Mahler's Fifth Symphony. He sat down on the leather sofa at the side of the office and picked up his phone:<br />
"Chiara, could you ask Katie Ryan to come to my office please, if she is still in the building".<br />
A short time later, Chiara Smith, now acting as Ben's Cambridge Secretary, showed Katie Ryan into the office. Katie scowled at Chiara as she passed her and strode past Ben, perching herself on the corner of Ben's desk. She smiled sardonically:<br />
"Ben you really took me by surprise getting a female secretary. Especially that boring little piece. I'd have thought that a lithe young man was more to your taste. There is hope for you yet."<br />
Ben frowned:<br />
"Katie this is a work environment. Also my relationship with Julian really feels like it is going somewhere. I have no intention of damaging it by mixing work with pleasure. I've turned a corner in my life."<br />
Katie laughed:<br />
"Oh come on Ben, I was only joking. I'm pleased that you're happy, especially after your disasterous marriage. I just feel that there's something not right about Julian. He's too good to be true isn't he? Come on Ben you must have had your doubts. I know you."<br />
Ben stood up:<br />
"Look Katie we've already had this conversation and I have no desire to repeat it. You're views on Julian are absurd and spiteful. I suggest you find a love interest yourself instead of worrying about mine."<br />
Katie flicked her hair back and threw her head to one side:<br />
"Ok, Ben but don't come crying to me when it all goes wrong again. That pompous little ponce is either after your money or playing some game and you Ben are wasting your life and heading for another crisis. But you won't listen to me so I'm saying no more on the subject. Why did you want to see me?"<br />
Ben walked behind his desk and sat down:<br />
"I thought that when we expanded the organisation and set up this new office in Cambridge that I'd have been stared dealing with the more mundane or pointless cases. My aim was to devolve all of the peripheral nonsense to London while I concentrate only on the major work. However it seems that the Reverand Ashton is a friend of my father's and therefore I am obliged to at least put on a show of investigating his bonkers theories."<br />
What exactly are those theories? Katie asked.<br />
"It seems that he believes that four of his parishoners, two couples, have gone missing near Monks Wood in Wiltshire. The same place that the little girl was found dismembered around ten years ago. You know, the case that was all over the papers... Lucy something."<br />
Katie frowned:<br />
"Lucy Grainger. Yeah I remember it. A big story because it was rumoured that she was killed in some satanic ritual . They never cought anyone did they?"<br />
"No and it seems that the Reverand believes that not only satanists but ghostly monks and even the devil himself may reside in those woods. In other words he's a nutter and a religious fanatic. Not the kind of case that we should be involved in. However I have no choice as my father is a friend of his."<br />
"Poor Ben. Let me have the file and I'll organise a team for tomorrow."<br />
Katie smiled and flounced out of the office. Ben sat back in his chair and sighed.<br />
<br />
............to be continued.<br />
<br />
<strong>THE CURSE OF MONK'S WOOD: Part 2</strong> The next morning Ben and Julian arrived at the Operation Delta office after having a continental breakfast at the Mermaid Wine Bar. Ben immediately went up to Katie's office, the door of which was ajar.<br />
"Hi Katie, is everything set for the trip? Team in place?"<br />
Katie stopped painting her nails and looked up sharply:<br />
"Yes, I've told Kyle and Adam Wooten to be ready in half an hour. Team of four seems adequate for a small case like this. Especially since it probably won't amount to anything."<br />
Ben looked puzzled:<br />
"So are you not planning to come with us?"<br />
"Er yes Ben, Team of four, you, me Adam and Kyle", Katie replied.<br />
Ben frowned and paced up to Katie:<br />
"No Katie. Julian will be coming with us. I think it best if you drop Adam from the team as well. I find him extremely attractive and Julian will pick up on that."<br />
Katie flicked back her blonde hair and fixed Ben with an icy stare:<br />
"You are really unbelievable sometimes. We are supposed to be a professional organisation yet here you are proposing to bring your male lover along who is not a member of the organisation and drop an experienced team member in case diddums gets jealous. Has he been CRB checked, given that we may encounter vulnerable adult witnesses?"<br />
Ben was bemused:<br />
"Oh get over yourself Katie. Since when did you care about CRB checks or any of that ? You are the least politically correct person I know and are just being awkward for the sake of it. Julian is coming and that's that."<br />
Julian, who had been listening in the doorway, grinned and approached Ben, leaning on his shoulder:<br />
"I think you should remember that Ben is in charge and you are merely an employee, as exchangeable as a lawnmower part."<br />
Katie glared at him:<br />
"In which case I am the blade. I'd remember that if I were you."<br />
<br />
Later Ben, Katie, Kyle and Julian arrived in Woolton Abbas, the village near Monk's Wood. They drove to the Vicarage to meet with the Reverend Ashton, however as they approached, they saw Ashton having a violent altercation with another man. Ashton punched him in the face and started kicking him, as several women tried to intervene. Ben and Kyle jumped out of the car and went running over:<br />
"Reverend Ashton stop this now. Look at yourself. You're a man of the cloth not a common street yob", Ben shouted.<br />
Ashton glared at him:<br />
"This man is a fraud and a disciple of Satan. He is corrupting the morals of my parishioners. Thou shalt not suffer a witch to live."<br />
The other man stood up:<br />
"You all witnessed this idiot assault me. *turning to Ben* My name is Denholm Jopeson, psychic and white witch."<br />
Ben frowned:<br />
"I'm Ben Chatham and myself and my team are here to investigate the disappearances that have happened here. Before you offer, we have no need for any help from psychics and similar crackpots. However I can only apologise for the appalling behaviour of the Reverend Ashton here."<br />
A woman stepped forward:<br />
"Denholm is not a crackpot young man. I asked him here to help."<br />
"And you are?" Ben asked.<br />
"Lucinda Allcock. I keep the post office. One of the missing people is my sister Alison."<br />
Katie Ryan stepped forward:<br />
"We will probably need to interview you later. Is there a pub or a café near here as I could do with a drink?"<br />
"Yes, there is the Green Man just round the corner."<br />
"Good, then I suggest that we all go there now and discuss things in a calm and rational manner", Ben stated.<br />
<br />
Later, in the pub, Ben, Julian and Katie were discussing the case with the Reverend Ashton while Kyle chatted to Denholm Jopeson and Lucinda on another table. Lucinda was explaining the chain of events:<br />
"It was Wednesday morning when the doorbell went. It was Jason, the postman. He said that he'd just been round Alison and Rob's house to deliver a parcel but the door was open and the house was empty. Same with Lisa and Emily next door. All four have just vanished, leaving their front doors wide open."<br />
Kyle sipped his beer:<br />
"So what were they like? The missing people I mean."<br />
"Well Alison and Rob are just an ordinary couple in their early thirties. They've had a difficult patch what with the IVF not working and Alison desperate to have a kid. But they're working through it. Lisa and Emily are just a quiet young couple. We were all surprised when they moved in here, you know them being lesbians and all that, but at least they keep themselves to themselves and don't flaunt it."<br />
"Ere you don't sound very accepting like. Its that how others feel?" Kyle asked.<br />
Lucinda frowned:<br />
"Mr Scott, we are a Christian village. We are not London."<br />
Kyle took another swig of beer:<br />
"Yet you call in a white witch to help. Hardly very Christian if you ask me, no offence like."<br />
Denholm Jopeson interceded:<br />
"Mr Scott, there is no binary conflict between Christianity and a benign interest in magic. Dear me, you sound as ignorant as that bigoted old preacher of hellfire over there."<br />
He shouted the last part of the sentence and the Reverend Ashton stood up:<br />
"Satanist!" he screamed at Jopeson, holding up his gold cross.<br />
<br />
Before Jopeson could respond, the landlord, George Morrison, banged a pint glass repeatedly on the bar and called for attention:<br />
"Folks, I've just had the police on the phone. Three bodies have been found buried in the woods. Horribly mutilated."<br />
Lucinda screamed and collapsed over the table sobbing. Ben gestured to Katie to comfort her then stood up:<br />
"My name is Ben Chatham and I head the organisation that is investigating this matter alongside the police. If anyone has any information ........"<br />
Ben's words were cut short by a scream from the kitchen behind the bar area. Ben rushed through with Morrison to see Morrison's wife Glenda sobbing, shaking and staring out of the window. Looking out of the kitchen window Ben saw the wall of the adjacent pub meeting room, illuminated by an outside light. On the whitewashed wall, painted in what looked like blood, was the image of a raven with a spike through its side........<br />
<br />
...............to be continued.<br />
<br />
Ok, here is part three of this sinister Halloween adventure:<br />
<br />
<b>THE CURSE OF MONK'S WOOD: Part 3</b><br />
<br />
A short time later, Ben and his team, along with a crowd of locals, were in Monk's Wood chatting to the police. The area where the three bodies were found was cordoned off and the site was lit by police floodlighting. Ben was ushered to one side by the officer in charge, Detective Inspector Jones:<br />
"Ok Mr Chatham, here are the basics. The three bodies we have found have been shot, that much is obvious. All have serious shotgun wounds. Obviously forensics will need to confirm this but I think we can jump the gun. According to PC Cole, who knows the village well, they are Bob Gannon and his wife Doris, along with Jenny Smith. All worked at the local abattoir and the Gannons owned the business. There is still one missing person, Smith's boyfriend Jake Dearing. My bet is that he killed them all in some kind of jealous rage, but this is pure speculation at this stage."<br />
Ben frowned:<br />
"Thank you Inspector Jones. I assure you that the information you have given me will remain confidential. Myself and my organisation are purely here to help the Reverend Ashton. He believed that you were not taking the disappearances seriously. He also spoke about lights in the wood and abominations being conjured up. Personally I believe him to be a religious crackpot and I don't see this as an Operation Delta case, however he is a friend of my father's."<br />
Inspector Jones laughed and put his arm on Ben's shoulder:<br />
"You are dead right there. He drives us all up the wall with his nonsense about Satanists in Monk's Wood and so forth. The man is a nuisance, however I assure you that we will do everything in our power to catch the person responsible for these deaths, who I'm sure will be Jake Dearing."<br />
<br />
Ben left the Inspector with a smile and walked over to where Katie and Kyle were chatting with the Reverend Ashton and Lucinda Allcock:<br />
"I'm really not convinced that there is much to investigate here. The Inspector believes that the three victims were shot by the man still missing, a Jake Dearing. Some kind of domestic. Clearly a police matter and nothing to do with us."<br />
The Reverend Ashton interjected:<br />
"Nonsense. I know Jake Dearing and he wouldn't hurt a fly. Harmless young man and a bit simple, backward. Worked at the abattoir with the others. I tell you this is the work of the devil. The police are in on it. There are dark forces in these woods and they are being conjured up by the purveyors of filth and sacrilege. "<br />
Ben sighed:<br />
"Reverend Ashton, just listen to yourself. Seriously. You sound like someone who is not fully rational. What do you mean by 'dark forces'?"<br />
The Reverend Ashton gripped Ben by the shoulders and recounted a strange, chilling tale.:<br />
"During the middle ages, these woods were part of the grounds of Woolton Abbey, one of the largest Benedictine Abbeys in the country. It was rich with gold objects and expensive books. It is said that Saint Thomas Becket visited the Abbey frequently and gifted it a piece of Christ's cross, one of the most sacred relics in Christendom. However by the time of King Henry VIII, dark forces had taken hold in the Abbey. The monks had turned to pagan beliefs and had burned the holy relic on a huge bonfire. They practiced sodomy and withheld taxes from the king. So Henry VIII's men came to dissolve the Abbey in 1538. They drove the monks out of the Abbey and into the woods, where they massacred them with swords and knives. It is said that the Abbot, just before he died, put a curse on the woods and on anyone who bought the former Abbey or its grounds. It is also said that the ghosts of the monks haunt these woods searching for vengeance."<br />
Katie Ryan laughed sardonically:<br />
"What a load of old nonsense. You mean to say that you believe this crap? Good grief."<br />
Ben cut in:<br />
"Katie please . Reverend, who does now own the former Abbey?"<br />
"The Abbey site is where the Grange now stands, owned by Sir Richard Henson, owner of Hensons, the brewery and distillery firm. Not a lucky family I'm afraid. Both of Sir Richard's parents burned to death in the garage of the house in an unexplained fire. He himself lives up there on his own. Can't say I like or trust the man. He never attends church . Typical irreligious, modern business type."<br />
Ben frowned:<br />
"Ok team. We'll pay this Sir Richard a visit but then, if nothing else surfaces, I say we abandon this case. Sorry reverend but it is a police matter."<br />
As Ben spoke, Inspector Jones came running up:<br />
"I'm sorry Mr Chatham but before you leave there is something you should know. According to the police pathologist, who has just arrived, the three bodies have had their hearts cut out."<br />
The Reverend Ashton stared at Ben:<br />
"The work of the devil. Those hearts have been burned in a cauldron of charcoal, a well known ritual of the black mass."<br />
<br />
Later, Ben, Julian, Katie and Kyle were sitting in the drawing room of the Grange, enjoying a glass of fine whisky as the log fire burned in the large fireplace. Sir Richard Henson, a weathered looking man in his late fifties, stared sadly at them:<br />
"Yes I'm sorry to hear about the murders in the woods. This is an unlucky place it really is. But I could never ever leave it. What would be the point?"<br />
Ben sipped the whisky:<br />
"Mr Henson, your single malt is absolutely superb."<br />
"Thank you young man. I tend to do very little with the business these days. I've delegated to others. I just reached a point where I couldn't face going into work anymore. My life is a hollow, empty existence. I feel completely alone, even when in a room full of people."<br />
Julian put his arm around Ben:<br />
"Ben used to feel like that until he met me."<br />
Ben looked embarrassed:<br />
"Julian, please......"<br />
Henson smiled sadly:<br />
"Oh I can see how you would brighten up a chap's life. Sadly I am too old now for love."<br />
Katie knocked back her whisky and stared at Henson:<br />
"Well yes, you're right there you old fruit. Pull yourself together, you have a successful business and lots of money. Now tell us if you know anything about these deaths and if you've seen or heard of any Satanists gathering in the woods."<br />
Henson rose up angrily:<br />
"How dare you use that tone with me, young lady. And in my own home as well...."<br />
Ben interjected:<br />
"I apologise for my colleague Sir Richard *angrily staring at Katie*. But please tell us if you know anything. The police think that the murders were committed by a chap called Jake Dearing".<br />
Sir Richard became suddenly very agitated and emotional. He started to shout hysterically:<br />
"Nonsense , nonsense. He would never hurt anyone. Get out of my house, all of you. Get out, liars, liars......"<br />
<br />
Shortly they were all walking back through the woods towards the village.<br />
"Ere that were dead weird behaviour but I don't see him as a killer", Kyle remarked.<br />
"Yeah, stupid old fruit probably fancied this Dearing character", Katie added.<br />
Suddenly they heard the sound of strange chanting noises coming from some distance away. Then a slow, moaning sound.<br />
"What the hell is that?" Katie exclaimed.<br />
As she spoke the moaning sound got louder and they saw a large figure walking towards them from the trees. It had horns, red glowing eyes and a face that resembled the devil......."<br />
<br />
..........to be continued.<br />
<br />
<strong>"THE CURSE OF MONK'S WOOD": PART 4<br /><br /></strong>They stared at the satanic figure as it strode through the trees towards them, its red eyes glowing. Julian grabbed Ben's arm:<br />"I think this is the point where you shout run," he said softly. Kyle frowned:<br />"Ere, that's just a fella dressed up. Let 'im get a bit closer and I'll lamp 'im one".<br />The creature strode closer and approached a young ash tree that was in its way. It knocked down the tree with a karate-like chop of the hand and breathed fire at it. <br />"Ere, on second thoughts Ben, maybe Julian 'ad the right advice", Kyle exclaimed. <br />"RUN", ben shouted.<br /><br /><br />Later, the team were sat in the Green Man pub with the Reverend Ashton.<br />"You saw the devil himself walking the earth. We are all damned unless we strike it down and all of its disciples with the fiery sword of truth. Smite out its eyes ...." the Reverend Ashton ranted. Ben sipped his brandy:<br />"Please calm yourself Reverend. Whatever that creature was, it is unlikely to have been the devil. I have encountered much alien life as part of my work and I find that reason rather than blind faith is the best option."<br />As Ben spoke, Denholm Jopeson walked in, accompanied by Lucinda Allcock from the post office and Detective Inspector Jones. Ashton stood up and pointed at Jopeson:<br />"Get this disciple of Satan out of here. This blaspheming liar is responsible for all of this. He's conjured up the devil!"<br />Ben pulled Ashton back down into his seat:<br />"Try to calm down. You are showing all the signs of religious mania. This is highly negative and is embarrassing frankly."<br />Julian smiled at Ben:<br />"Well said Ben. The man is a joke and very tiresome. I may use him as a basis for a character in the novel I am thinking of writing."<br />Katie laughed:<br />"You write a novel? Oh come off it. You student types haven't got the work ethic to actually write anything like a novel." <br />Julian glared at her:<br />"I have already written two novels while studying for my degree. I have the time as I don't have to work due to my impeccable breeding and extremely wealthy parents."<br />Ben smiled:<br />"You have to understand Katie that quality gravitates naturally towards quality".<br />Meanwhile Denholm Jopeson had walked towards them:<br />"Can I give you people a piece of advice. Stay out of Monk's Wood. There are restless spirits in there from the time of the Reformation. A grave injustice was done to them and they cannot pass over to the other side. They seek vengeance and justice."<br />"Satanist", shouted Ashton. Katie glared at Jopeson:<br />"Look Jopeson, you are as batty as this idiot Ashton here. Both of you talk nothing but religious nonsense. We have no time for this."<br />Jopeson looked hurt:<br />"My dear, there are forces of which you know nothing. Please do not close your mind to the energies of the earth and the ancient power of the old gods and the unseen."<br />"Bollocks", Katie exclaimed, flicking back her golden hair and sipping her dry martini. <br />Ben interjected:<br />"Look, I think we need to check out this abattoir where the three dead people worked. Lets get to it." <br /><br /><br />A short time later Ben drove up to the abattoir gates. They got out of the car and approached the security guard on the entrance:<br />"Hi, I'm Ben Chatham of Operation Delta. Here is my I.D card. We are here to investigate the recent deaths."<br />The security guard was young, dark haired and had high cheek bones. He felt immediately attracted to Ben and let the team in without question. They walked into the building and asked at reception to see the manager. They could hear the sound of frightened animals and mechanical saws in the distance. There was a strong smell of offal and faeces. They were led upstairs towards a large office, where an obese man sat behind a desk, smoking a cigar.<br />"Should you really be smoking inside this building?" Julian asked the man. He looked up bemused.<br />"I'm the boss and I can do as I like. Who the bloody hell are you?" He spoke with a Yorkshire accent. Ben stood forward:<br />"I'm Ben Chatham of Operation Delta and these are some of my team. We are here to investigate the recent murders of three of your staff. The man huffed:<br />"I'm Jim Haddon the manager. You're not the bloody police so who let you in?"<br />"One of the security guards, the good looking one", Ben stated. Haddon frowned:<br />"You sound like a bloody poof. I don't know anything and neither do my staff. We run a legitimate business here and our meat goes all over Europe. Now piss off, I've got work to do."<br />Julian sat on the edge of Haddon's desk:<br />"You really are a rude, fat and horribly crude little man aren't you", he stated. Haddon puffed his cigar:<br />"And you're a poof, now piss off."<br /><br /><br />Ben got up to leave:<br />"You can rest assured that I will be reporting your homophobic comments as a hate crime....." he stated but as he spoke the lights went out.<br />"What the bloody hell, get these ****ing lights back on.." Haddon bellowed as a figure appeared in the doorway and could just be discerned in the near darkness:<br />"Mr Haddon Sir, someone is attacking the abattoir. Men in masks. We are under attack!"<br /><br /><b><br />.................to be continued.</b>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8221881756433157362.post-63270768905076796852018-09-18T14:01:00.002-07:002018-09-18T14:01:42.719-07:00The Ben Chatham Christmas 2017 Special: 'DARK SACRIFICE'<strong>"DARK SACRIFICE"<br /></strong> Ben gazed down at the rows of pupils as they cheered and clapped him with enthusiasm. He picked up his lecture notes and put them into his leather briefcase and held up his hand. The pupils politely stopped clapping. Ben smiled elegantly:<br /> "Thank you very much. Your show of apprecitiation really does express more than words can the superiority of the private school system over the state sector. Had I been delivering this lecture to an audience of state school flotsam and jetsam, they would have been on their phones, talking over me and guffawing after a couple of minutes. I thank you again and thank your school for inviting me to address you.Merry Christmas all of you"<br /> The pupils cheered again as Ben stepped down from the platform. He had accepted the offer to deliver a lecture on archaeological dating techniques to Grandford School for Boys partly as a means of avoiding having to travel down to Wiltshire to see his parents over Christmas. It was Christmas Eve and the school had put on a special program of lectures to occupy the minds of those boarders whose parents were wealthy enough to bung the school an extra wad of cash to keep their boys at school over Christmas and out of their hair. Ben found this rather strange however he admired the school's emphasis on learning as opposed to trivial entertainment pursuits. The headmaster, Mr Metcalfe, approached Ben:<br /> "That was delightful. Truely splendid. Can I offer you a glass of sherry back in my office before you leave us?"<br /> Ben was looking forward to the short drive back to Cambridge and the quiet, romantic Christmas for two which he had planned. However he thought he'd better humour the head, given the size of the fee he was demanding.<br /><br /> A short time later, Ben was sitting in Mr Metcalfe's study enjoying a glass of fine sherry and chatting about Viking artefacts. He admired the oak pannelled room with its extensive book collection and log fire.<br /> "You know I really like your school. It is completely devoid of the kind of course, functional modernism which pervades most educational establishments these days."<br /> Two sixth formers, Stephen and Charles, served them their sherry and offered them cakes. Mr Metcalfe smiled:<br /> "Here at Grandford we pride ourselves on our rejection of the vulgar, the commonplace and the modern. Our boys are schooled to be special, to be an elite. I realise that these values may seem antiquarian to you Mr Chatham, however nonetheless they are my values".<br /> Metcalfe stared up at a painting of an old man on the wall:<br /> "That is a painting of my great grandfather, Josiah Metcalfe. He founded this school with the aim of maintaining the traditional values he saw being eroded away from our society by the vulgarity of popular culture and relativism".<br /> Ben stood up:<br /> "Mr Metcalfe it has been a delight to meet you and I admire your school and its ethos very much. However I must be going". <br /> Metcalfe smiled:<br /> "Oh come now Mr Chatham. Please sit down and have another glass of sherry. I want to offer you a permanent position at this school as a master. I believe that you have the kind of values that we are looking for. My research suggested this. In a year you could be a housemaster."<br /> Ben frowned:<br /> "Please don't be offended Mr Metcalfe however I don't want to be a teacher. It's a loser's job and I generally despise children, although your boys are polite. I hope you understand".<br /> Metcalfe shook his head sadly:<br /> "Oh dear what a pity. You are such an attractive young man. However you can still serve the school on another way". <br /> Metcalfe gestured to Stephen and Charles who grabbed Ben and frogmarched him out of the study.<br /> "Hey take your hands off me, what the hell are you doing", Ben shouted angrily. Stephen smiled sadly:<br /> "Please don't make a fuss sir. We enjoyed your lecture and Charles and I have a bit of a crush on you. However by refusing the job you have chosen to become this year's Yuletide sacrifice."<br /> "What the hell do you mean, sacrifice? Are you two on drugs?" Ben yelled back.<br /> "We do not take drugs here at Grandford. We are a traditional school and we need to ensure that our school continues to prosper and achieve strong success rates. It is our custom to offer up a Yuletide sacrifice every year to empower the gods to bring us that success and ensure that all Grandford alumni find good jobs after leaving."<br /> Ben pulled himself free of them and ran down the oak pannelled corridor. However as he turned a corner he was confronted by a large, menacing dog which growled exposing vicious teeth.<br /> "Good work Aloysious", Stephen said to the dog, before whacking Ben over the head with a copy of the complete works of Samuel Taylor Coleridge.<br /> "Hope that didn't hurt too much sir", he commented in a tone of genuine affection.<br /><br /> When Ben woke he was outside in the school grounds tied to the trunk of the huge Christmas tree that the school had exclusively purchased from a Norwegian supplier. He saw that the boys were all dressed up as vikings and the masters also. Mr Metcalfe stepped forward:<br /> "Try not to panic Mr Chatham. It will all be over very quickly. The sixth formers from the shooting club are all very good shots and have practiced the art of the clean kill. We are gifting you a great honour. You are following in the footsteps of Odin when he hung upside down from the tree of life in order to gain the runes. You will be in Valhalla tonight."<br /> Ben was concerned:<br /> "You're all raving mad. I suppose it is too late to accept the teaching post instead".<br /> "I'm afraid so Mr Chatham", Metcalfe responded.<br /> "Then please grant me one final request. You are a civilised English school after all. I would like a fox's glacier mint before you shoot me. There is a packet in my leather briefcase unopened."<br /> Metcalfe gestured to a fifth former to fetch the briefcase. The boy soon returned and Metcalfe took out the packet of mints:<br /> "Ok Benjamin, I hope you don't mind me calling you Benjamin. I will open the mints and<br /> Charles here will put it into your mouth."<br /> Metcalfe opened the packet of mints and a strange, blue vapour came out of the packet and enveloped all of the masters and boys. They fell to the floor in a strange stupor and rolled around in a psychedelic state. All except one small fourth former who seemed to have a bad cold and kept coughing and spluttering.<br /> "Hey you boy, what's your name?" Ben shouted.<br /> "Jeremy sir"<br /> "Well Jeremy the gods have clearly spoken and they want you to untie me now".<br /> Jeremy meekly untied Ben , coughing as he did so. Ben grinned:<br /> "Clearly your blocked nose has saved you from the effects of the gas. It was a good idea of mine to keep a fake packet of mints in my briefcase for just such an occasion as this. However I have a real packet here in my pocket. Would you like one?"<br /> "Yes please sir".<br /> Ben handed Jeremy a Fox's Glacier Mint and had one himself. He felt the world<br /> undulate around him and saw strange colours pulsating in his mind. He then phoned the police.<br /> "Jeremy I think you may be the only one left on this school shortly. I therefore name you the new headmaster".<br /> "Thank you sir. Any chance of another mint?"<br /><br /> THE ENDUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8221881756433157362.post-47886352785342759142017-10-22T13:57:00.001-07:002017-10-22T13:57:06.598-07:00Artwork for "A GHOST FOR EMILY"<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-zcM3HcFc8gs/We0GDvynPDI/AAAAAAAABbA/Cixb8KMk_AoO_couC9l5cg7ZepEShgZlQCLcBGAs/s1600/Ghost%2BFor%2BEmily.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="534" data-original-width="800" height="213" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-zcM3HcFc8gs/We0GDvynPDI/AAAAAAAABbA/Cixb8KMk_AoO_couC9l5cg7ZepEShgZlQCLcBGAs/s320/Ghost%2BFor%2BEmily.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8221881756433157362.post-573443293431490132017-10-22T13:20:00.002-07:002017-10-31T14:03:14.221-07:00The Ben Chatham Halloween 2017 Special: "A GHOST FOR EMILY"Ok people, here is the 2017 Ben Chatham Halloween story:<br />
<br />
[B]"A Ghost For Emily" Part One[/B]<br />
<br />
Ben laughed uncontrollably as the cool autumn air blew through his golden hair. He was driving at speed through the narrow country lanes with Julian by his side. The sky was blue, the sun was blazing down and Ben was happy.<br />
"This will be our first proper break together Julian, away from Operation Delta and anyone associated with work. God I need it."<br />
Julian smiled and stroked Ben's leg:<br />
"You work too hard Ben. You have a team so let them deal with the hassle. "<br />
Ben reached down to the stereo and turned up the music, which was David Bowie's 'The Next Day' CD. It was two months since he had belatedly found out about Bowie's death and he had been devastated by the news. However Julian had helped him through the pain by being close and making him nutri-bullets. Ben laughed again as the car sped on towards the isolated cottage that they had rented for the Halloween week:<br />
"Hopefully we will see no one else for the whole week. I've had all of our food exclusively delivered by Feltham & Porter, the finest delicatessen I know, and the owner of the cottage has ensured me that we won't be disturbed. I need to be away from people", Ben stated emphatically. Julian smiled and replied:<br />
"It is dreadful how the more people are around you the more lonely you can feel. They intrude on your life with their petty demands, their pointless concerns and their incessant talking about trivial things. And that is the relatively well educated ones."<br />
Ben gave Julian a hug:<br />
"We are saving each other from mediocrity Julian".<br />
They laughed.<br />
The car sped round a corner and into the driveway of a large six bedroom 17th century cottage called 'Courtsworth Cottage" Ben slammed on the brakes and the car skidded to a halt on the gravel. knocking over several plant pots. Ben laughed:<br />
"I've always wanted to do that. If anyone complains about the damaged pots I'll just toss them a wad of notes. I feel like being free and irresponsible for once."<br />
They leapt of the car and up to the door, Ben opening it with the keys that he had been sent. The cottage was clean but cold, however there was a large fireplace with plenty of logs. Going into the kitchen they found it well stocked with food, six bottles of wine , exclusive Welsh gin and a bottle of imported Slovenian absinthe. <br />
Later when the fire was roaring and darkness had fallen outside, Ben and Julian lay on the soft rug by the fireplace feeding each other strawberries and sipping white wine.<br />
"Do you think you will stay running Operation Delta forever Ben?" Julian asked.<br />
"I don't think so. I'm tired of the same old routine and same old people. But they need me to function and......"<br />
Ben was interrupted by the sound of movement upstairs. <br />
"What the hell was that?" he exclaimed.<br />
"Didn't the owner expressly state that we would be the only tenants in the cottage?" Julian replied.<br />
"Yes. If they've let one of the rooms to someone else they have broken the agreement and I will raise hell".<br />
Ben got up to go upstairs as the wind howled outside. They heard more creaking floorboards from upstairs.<br />
"I don't like this Ben. I've gone cold suddenly" Julian exclaimed.<br />
"It's okay Julian. We'll go up together."<br />
Slowly they ascended the stairs until they came to the landing. As they did so a young girl of about 12 years old came out of one of the rooms:<br />
"Did mummy send you? I'm frightened" the girl exclaimed, tears flowing down her face. Ben was bemused:<br />
"No, your mother did not send us. Why are you staying in this cottage? Where are the adults, I want a word with them?"<br />
"Mummy and Daddy have gone away. They said they'd send someone but it has been days. I'm frightened. Don't like it here. I've seen things."<br />
Ben frowned:<br />
"It is a damned disgrace that your parents have left you alone here. Are you from an estate? And didn't the owner of the cottage see you when he sorted out our food delivery? What it your name?"<br />
The girl was sobbing now:<br />
"I'm Emily ....don't understand.... frightened of this place. Not alone here......"<br />
Julian went up to the girl:<br />
"It will be all right we will sort this out. What do you mean though that we are not alone here?<br />
"The ghosts. The ghosts come at night....."<br />
Suddenly the lights went out and the house was in darkness...........<br />
..............to be continued.<br />
<br />
OK folks, here is part 2 of this spooky Halloween tale:<br />
<br />
[B]"A Ghost For Emily" Part 2[/B]<br />
<br />
The house was plunged into darkness and Ben could hear Emily screaming with fear. Suddenly there was another voice, a male voice, deep and animalistic:<br />
"We will be avenged... we have come...." <br />
Ben grabbed hold of Julian:<br />
"It's ok Julian, lets get downstairs slowly, the front room should still have some light from the fire".<br />
Julian was shaking:<br />
"What was that voice?" he said in a panicked state.<br />
"Try not to think about it. Come on, one step at a time."<br />
They slowly descended the stairs in total darkness. Suddenly Ben thought he felt an icy hand sweep across his face and he lost his footing sending himself and Julian tumbling down the stairs. They both stumbled to their feet, bruised and in pain. However as they did so the lights flickered back on.<br />
"Ahh, I think I've twisted my ankle. I can hardly walk", Julian shouted.<br />
"Come on, I'll help you to the sofa and then we'll crack open a bottle of red wine. That will dull the pain a little. " Ben replied.<br />
"I'd rather you just drove me home Ben. I'm not staying in this house. There is something from beyond the grave here" Julian shouted as Ben helped him to the sofa.<br />
"Ok Julian, I'll get the car ready and we can leave if you want. However if this house really is haunted and we can evidence that fact by recording phenomena on our phones then at the very least there could be a bestselling book in this. There is a very large market for true life ghost stories".<br />
Julian looked up and his expression changed into a grin:<br />
"Oh well if you put it like that. Of course I'm filthy rich already but I wouldn't say no to more. You were saying something about cracking open the wine?"<br />
Ben laughed, kissed Julian and then went to fetch the wine from the kitchen. As he returned with the bottle and two glasses, Julian flicked back his hair languidly:<br />
"I was just thinking, shouldn't we check that the girl is all right?"<br />
Ben frowned:<br />
"Oh god, I'd forgotten her. You stay here, I'll go and bring her down. I'm really annoyed about this. Some irresponsible people have left their child here alone and unless they come back for her it could ruin out first night here."<br />
Slowly Ben ascended the stairs again. He had taken the precaution of lighting a candle from one of the kitchen cupboards in case the lights went out again.<br />
"Emily, come here. It's ok, it is only me, Ben. Come on, I need to find out about your parents so we can get rid of you and have the place to ourselves." <br />
Ben searched the first few rooms however there was nothing. Then he heard the faint sound of a girl or woman whimpering. <br />
"Emily, come on, it's ok. Don't cry, come out and we'll sort all of this out".<br />
Emily didn't appear however the crying got louder and it was coming from the furthest room down the landing. Ben suddenly felt very cold, chilled to the bone and there was a strange smell, like that of rotten fish. He reached the furthest room then turned the door handle. As he looked into the room he was horrified to see a woman standing before him with empty eye sockets save for gouging wounds. Her skin was grey and putrefied and she lunged towards Ben who ran down the corridor, clutching the candle. Ben bolted downstairs to find Julian sitting by the fire playing draughts with Emily:<br />
"There was this thing... upstairs.. with no eyes."<br />
Julian looked up and grinned:<br />
"I suppose you've no eye-dea what it was".<br />
They laughed and Ben slumped down on the sofa:<br />
"You know we'll have to go up there with our phone cameras on the ready as soon as your foot it a bit better. *To Emily* All that hassle just looking for you and you were down her badgering Julian to play draughts with you."<br />
Emily looked up:<br />
"I'm winning. Julian is rubbish."<br />
Ben stuck his tongue out at her:<br />
"I don't care. What I want to know is why your parents left you here on your own. Then I'm going to phone the police. Unless you call your parents sharpish on your phone and tell them to come and get you immediately. "<br />
Emily went on playing draughts:<br />
"I don't know what you mean. I'm happy playing games with you. I have a chess set as well. I like Julian, he's nicer than you are."<br />
Ben sighed:<br />
"Yes well I like Julian as well and three's a crowd, especially if the third person happens to be a rude child."<br />
As Ben spoke there was a strange tapping on the front window.<br />
"What the hell was that?" Julian exclaimed. The tapping came again.<br />
"Sounds like someone knocking. Why don't they use the door?" Ben angrily stated, getting up and going to the window.<br />
"Don't go, it's them" Emily shouted.<br />
"What do you mean...them?" Ben asked.<br />
"Them. The ghosts" Emily replied. <br />
Ben went to the window and pulled back the curtain. To his horror he saw a figure standing before him with half of its face eaten away by maggots leaving the skull showing........<br />
.............. to be continued.<br />
<br />
OK folks it's HALLOWEEN. As the witching hour approaches, here is the chilling final part of this classic Ben Chatham adventure:<br />
<br />
[B]"A Ghost For Emily" Part 3[/B]<br />
<br />
Ben pulled the curtain back over the window and turned to the others:<br />"Something is not right here. It is completely irrational to accept that ghosts and zombies could possibly exist. Yet this is what my senses are telling me. I do not like the fact that the irrational is encroaching on my empirical approach to these cases." <br />Julian gazed at Ben sympathetically:<br />"I understand Ben. Come and have a glass of wine."<br />Ben sat down next to Julian who hugged Ben and handed him the wine. Emily stared at them:<br />"Can I have a glass of wine too?" <br />Julian laughed:<br />"No. This is extremely expensive wine because I am an extremely rich Cambridge student and I have the best of taste. We do not have any bottles of cheap plonk suitable for letting children have a swig."<br />Emily pulled a face at him and he and Ben laughed. Ben sipped his wine:<br />"Look I really think we need to leave. Let's take Emily to the nearest police station and then go and book into a nice hotel."<br />
As he spoke there was a scream from upstairs. Ben and Julian stared at each other.<br />"We'd better take a look I suppose", Ben stated. <br />He slowly ascended the stairs, followed by Julian, and as they got to the landing they saw a flickering light coming from one of the bedrooms. They nervously walked along the landing towards the bedroom door, which was ajar, and pushed it open. To their horror they saw a woman in 1920s clothes sprawled across the bed with her eyes gouged out. On the bed next to her was a blood-soaked screwdriver.<br />"Oh my God! "Julian exclaimed. They ran out of the room but as they ran back across the landing, Emily appeared at the top of the stairs and in her hands was a blood soaked axe. There was a strange, unnatural grin on her face.<br />"What the hell are you doing with that?" Ben shouted at her. Emily laughed:<br />"Ha, ha, fooled you. You two are so silly. You thought that they were the only ghosts in this house. Don't you see? This is my house. I hated my mummy and daddy. All they cared about was their stupid rows. So I killed them both. I gouged mummy's eyes out with a screwdriver, it was so funny the squelching noises that it made. They put me in a madhouse so I hanged myself so that I could come back here and haunt it forever. Please let me kill you now, it will be fun."<br />Ben and Julian gazed at her in horror:<br />"You vicious little tatar", Julian exclaimed.<br />"What a vile, nastly little girl you must have been" Ben shouted.<br />
Emily raised the axe and took a swing, just missing Ben and Julian who ran up the landing and into the far bedroom. They ran to the window and pushed it open. It was a 20ft drop to the ground put they could hear the ghostly footsteps of Emily approaching:<br />"We'll have to jump. Better a broken ankle than being killed by that spectral abomination", Ben shouted. He and Julian stood on the window ledge and then they jumped.......................<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
Slowly Ben awoke. He was lying on the grass outside of the cottage. It was a cold, autumn morning and he felt cold and bruised. The sun was shining brightly in the clear, blue sky. Nearby Julian was also waking up, cold and moaning. Surrounding them on the grass were six empty wine bottles, an empty bottle of welsh gin and an empty bottle of Slovenian absinthe.........<br />
<br />THE END<br />
HAPPY HALLOWEEN TO ALL MY READERS!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8221881756433157362.post-24739164996295541182017-07-16T13:50:00.002-07:002017-07-16T13:50:32.823-07:00The New Ben Chatham Series: TRILOGY[B]TRILOGY Prequel: THE DISEMBODIED ARM[/B]<br />
<br />
Ben Chatham woke up in his Cambridge apartment to the sound of starlings chirping outside the open window of his bedroom. A warm, sultry morning breeze blew through the window and the sun blazed through like a welcoming hand. Ben smiled as he gazed down at Julian, asleep beside him whose arm rested on Ben's smooth chest. Ben was happy. He and Julian Le Farge had been together for two weeks now and life was good. He had taken indefinite leave from his role as head of Operation Delta, telling Katie Ryan, Kyle Scott and the team that he had to put his new relationship first for the sake of his sanity. <br />Julian woke up and kissed Ben slowly on the lips:<br />"Morning Ben. You know I can't believe how perfect it is to wake up next to you." Ben smiled:<br />"Same here Julian. Two weeks ago I thought my life was in an inescapable rut. But now that endless night has turned into bright morning. Let's have some Vivaldi". <br />Ben reached over for the stereo handset on the side table and switched on the CD player. Vivaldi's 'Four Seasons" started playing.<br />A short time later, after a shower, Ben and Julian were enjoying a continental breakfast while lounged across Ben's expensive sofa. Kyle had moved out to give them some space and Ben had set him up in his own apartment, paid for out of Operation Delta funds before handing over the running of the organisation to him and Katie jointly. Ben sipped his glass of chilled white wine and smiled:<br />"I think we should visit the Fitzwilliam this morning followed by lunch at the Mermaid....."<br />He was interrupted by the door buzzer and Luigi, Ben's house servant, went to answer. Katie Ryan flounced in angrily and slapped a wad of papers down on Ben's exclusive glass coffee table:<br />"Ben, I really need you to go through this stuff with me. It is all cases that you were working on yourself and we really need to complete the reports for funding purposes. Corinne is tearing her hair out as she needs to submit them to the Ministry."<br />Ben gazed at her languidly:<br />"Katie I asked you not to bother me with any of this. I'm on indefinite leave."<br />"To be with me", Julian added, smiling. <br />Katie scowled:<br />"This is none of your business, twink boy, I was talking to Ben."<br />Katie placed her hands on her shapely hips and fixed Ben with an icy stare:<br />"You have responsibilities to the organisation Ben. And exactly why did Kyle get given a new apartment and not me?"<br />Ben sighed :<br />"Look doll there is no need for irrational female jealousy. Kyle has never had his own apartment before, however you have. Furthermore I am no longer in charge of Operation Delta, you are. If you feel that you are not up to it then say so and hand the role over to Corinne or Paul Farraday. I will however take a brief glance at these papers if I must. Meet us in the Mermaid at 1.30."<br />Julian glared at Katie:<br />"I think that Ben would like you to leave now. And I think you might find that calling me twink boy does not endear yourself to him. Oh and I'd like to emphasise that I am richer than you."<br />Ben and Julian broke out into spontaneous laughter. Katie flounced out, slamming the door.<br />
Later, Katie was sat in the Mermaid wine bar sipping a cappuccino when Ben and Julian walked in laughing. She looked up at them icily:<br />"I see that you two have been enjoying yourselves. I give it another two weeks before it all goes wrong as usual."<br />Ben went up to the bar to order food and drinks. Julian sat down opposite Katie and grinned:<br />"I'm young, I'm beautiful, I'm cultured and I'm rich. But most of all I am male. Ben prefers me to you. "<br />Katie gave him a knowing look:<br />"You are very young and very foolish. I will still be here for Ben when you have gone the same way as all of Ben's previous follies. You will let him down."<br />Ben arrived and sat down next to Julian, laughing. <br />"I haven't looked at your paperwork Katie. I couldn't be bothered. Please don't be angry." As he spoke, Barry Tuck, the waiter arrived with the drinks:<br />"Hey up , here's yer booze. And another borin' coffee for Miss Ryan, she of the gorgeous jugs. One day you'll let me have a squeeze won't yer love."<br />"Just serve the drinks and go Tuck or you get my stiletto in your eye" Katie snapped.<br />"Ok love, only banter, only banter", Tuck replied, sloping off. <br />
After a tense meal, Ben, Katie and Julian left the bar however as they stepped outside they were shocked to see that it had gone dark:<br />"What the hell? It's only 3pm and it's pitch dark. What the fuck is going on?" Katie shouted. They turned to go back into the Mermaid however they found that the place was deserted. Only a candle flickered in the corner for light and there were cobwebs hanging down from the ceiling. Ben was concerned:<br />"This is disconcerting. We seem to have gone through some kind of time shift".<br />Suddenly a strange, translucent, disembodied arm floated through a wall. It glowed with an unnatural silvery-white light and moved slowly towards them. They rushed to go out of the door but it slammed in their faces and Ben turned in horror as the arm flow down and touched him........<br />
Ben awoke lying on the ground, cold and damp and in pain. He saw Katie and Julian waking up beside him and groaning. They were lying in a filth-strewn alleyway, littered with assorted rubbish and wooden barrels.....<br />
TO BE CONTINUEDUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8221881756433157362.post-85410545735339493522017-01-01T14:24:00.002-08:002017-01-01T14:24:39.205-08:00The Ben Chatham 2017 New Year Special: "DEATH AND ROMANCE"<hr size="1" style="background-color: #d1d1e1; color: #d1d1e1;" />
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OK folks, here is the New Year
special:<br /><br /><b>DEATH AND ROMANCE</b><br /><br />It was New Years Day in
Cambridge and the fog hang heavy like a dulling wine. Ben Chatham gazed
languidly out of the window of the Blue Angel Jazz Café at the distant spires of
King's College chapel. He sipped his absinthe and sighed:<br />"Another year gone,
another year closer to death". He gave a sad smile as the small jazz ensemble in
the corner played 'Melancholy Mood'. Kian, the waiter, approached Ben's
table:<br />"Happy New Year Mr Chatham. Can I get you anything else?"<br />"No. I
don't feel like eating today and please don't wish me a happy new year. How can
it be a happy new year when A level Archaeology has been dropped by the
examination board," Ben replied sadly. Kian stroked Ben's shoulder:<br />"I'm
sorry to hear that Mr Chatham...." His reply was cut short by the sound of
screaming coming from outside in the street. Ben looked out of the window and
saw a young woman covered in blood running down the cobbled street waving her
arms and screaming. She ran into a student who was carrying a large pile of
books, which went flying as both of them fell to the ground. Ben rushed out of
the café and went over, comforting the student and helping him to his
feet:<br />"Hi, I'm Ben Chatham. Are you ok?"<br />" Well I was until this person
just knocked me off of my feet. Just look at my books, they've got mud off the
street on them now. This is a first edition of E.M Forster's 'A Passage To
India'. Thanks anyway, my name is Julian. Julian LeFarge." The student held out
his hand and Ben shook it. <br />"Pleased to meet you Julian, although this is
hardly an auspicious start to our acquaintance", Ben replied and they laughed.
The young woman meanwhile had staggered to her feet, a middle aged lady having
gone over to assist her. Suddenly the young woman launched herself at the other
woman, biting deep into her face. The crazed woman then started laughing in an
hysterical way before collapsing onto the ground. Ben rushed over and examined
her closely as other passers by tended to the injured older lady. Julian went
over to Ben:<br />"What on earth is wrong with that person? he asked.<br />"I'm
afraid that she's dead Julian. And I have a good idea why as well. I need to act
quickly. I run an Organisation called Operation Delta which investigates all
kinds of paranormal and alien activity. I am the head of the organisation, I
emphasise. You are a very attractive young man, how would you like to join this
investigation?"<br />Julian smiled: <br />"I'd love to, it should be a hoot. Oh and
I'm also a highly intelligent and wealthy scholar of literature Ben. I may as
well emphasise my range of positive qualities."<br />They laughed as Ben flagged
down a taxi:<br />"Take me to number 18, Rygate Street. There is a man there whom
I need to see about a fish."<br />The obese taxi driver looked puzzled and
huffed:<br />"...mumble mumble.. get all ¤¤¤¤ing sorts on New Years Day... mumble
mumble..."<br /><br />The taxi arrived at number 18 and Ben and Julian leapt out,
Julian tossing the driver a wad of notes:<br />"Keep the change, I'm rich" he
shouted.<br />"Like the style" Ben stated, laughing. They hammered on the door of
the house and an elderly man answered it:<br />"Who's that I say. I'm busy.... Oh
It's you Ben. How jolly nice to see you, come in."<br />"Hello Professor Briggs.
This is Julian by the way, he's clever, rich and gorgeous. There's no time to
lose Professor. The fish, do you still have the fish?"<br />"The fish? Of course I
still have it. As if I'd ever part with such a present Ben. Come and
see?"<br />They went into the Professor's study, where a large aquarium took pride
of place at the far end of the room. The Professor suddenly gasped:<br />"I say
it's gone! Oh my. Oh by golly. And there's water all down here as well and on
the carpet."<br />Ben helped the Professor to a chair and gazed at the puzzled
Julian:<br />"Some time ago Professor Briggs helped me on a very difficult case.
He is the UK's leading zoologist. As a present I let him keep on loan an
Osiarian Zanterfish which had been brought to earth in a crashed Osiarian craft.
The fish have certain curious properties, they can live forever, barring
physical injury, and their skin if eaten produces bleeding from every orifice
followed by a frenzied desire to kill and eat anything in sight. I am well aware
how bizarre all of this sounds Julian," Ben explained. <br />Julian
laughed:<br />"One should never fear the weird, just the mundane". The Professor
nudged Ben:<br />"I say, he's a philosopher this one". <br />"Professor, what could
have done this? Do you have a cat or a dog?" Ben asked.<br />"No, but I've been
looking after a stray cat for the past few weeks. Tom I call him. Big grey
thing. He just comes in, has a nibble of food and then goes out again. Quite the
vagabond. He was here earlier..... Oh dear, Come to think of it, I did leave him
alone in here while I made a pot of tea..."<br />Ben sighed:<br />"That was very
stupid. However I like you and you are an eminent Professor so I'll refrain from
making further truthful observations on your failings."<br />"Thank you Ben, would
you and your friend like some tea and lemon cake?"<br />"No, sorry Professor, we
must fly like the wind. I suspect that the cat ate the fish and then went to
some other house in the street where it scratched or bit a woman who was
infected. We must find that cat before it infects anyone else."<br />Ben and
Julian ran down the street banging on doors and fetching out the
neighbours:<br />"Have you seen a stray grey cat? It's dangerous and infected with
a deadly disease", Ben shouted. Suddenly there was a crazed scream coming from
one of the back gardens. Ben and Julian ran down the side passage and saw a
crazed man covered in blood hacking a woman's corpse with an axe. His children
were screaming as the axe came down on their mother's neck. In the corner of the
back garden a savage looking cat sat drooling at the mouth. Ben ran from the
garden and back out into the street, followed by Julian. He pulled out his
mobile and phoned for back up.<br />Some time later, the Operation Delta team were
loading the man's corpse into a van and Paul Farraday and Corinne Shaw had
managed to trap the crazed cat using a neck grabber and an RSPCA animal cage.
They loaded it into the van also.<br />"This will do our image with the police no
favours at all", Paul tersely stated as several police cars started arriving.
<br />"You had best let me deal with the police Ben. I have built up some good
networking connections with senior officers", Corinne stated.<br />Ben
sighed:<br />"Do your best Corinne. I can't face them myself right now, I find
officialdom so tiresome. Please try your best to save the cat and to avoid
having to put it down."<br /><br />Later Ben and Julian were enjoying a drink in the
Blue Angel. Ben was telling Julian about his life:<br />... and so my family now
view me as an embarrassment and I have an ex-wife who still thinks that I owe
her something even though she gained a property at my expense. I'm entombed in
my life. Look I'm sorry for unloading this baggage and boring you Julian. Julian
laughed and grabbed Ben's hand:<br />"You don't need to apologise to me Ben. I
think that everyone has a dark basement where they keep all of their demons. One
wants to share them, but one is afraid of rejection if one does. I want to let
you into mine but I'm afraid".<br />Ben stroked Julian's chin:<br />"You are
strangely deep for such a young man. Let's go back to my apartment and start
2017 properly......"<br /><br />THE END </div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8221881756433157362.post-6683248834360376622016-12-22T09:34:00.000-08:002016-12-22T09:34:01.352-08:00"The Monsters Within" Part 4Ok people: here is the final part of this challenging tale:<br />
<br />
<strong>"THE MONSTERS WITHIN" : Part 4</strong><br />
<br />
As the Professor issued his warning several of his assistants, wearing lab coats and carrying guns, entered the room. Ben was led out into the hall and down a flight of stairs to the underground laboratory while Kyle and Katie remained in the drawing room with Professor Garson, who held a gun in one hand and a cognac in the other. Ben saw, on entering the lab, a much larger apparatus than the other machine.<br />"You will sit in that chair and let me strap you down", one of Garson's assistants, who physically resembled the actor Boris Karloff, instructed. Ben frowned:<br />"I am not in the habit of being strapped down by strange men I'll have you understand", Ben wryly stated. The assistant laughed coldly:<br />"That will disappoint the Professor I'm sure. However enough of this nonsense, we are here to test this machine. The professor is certain that your unconscious mind will be of great experimental use."<br />The other assistant pushed Ben violently down into the chair.<br />
Meanwhile, back in the drawing room, Garson sipped his cognac and smiled sinisterly at Kyle and Katie:<br />"You must surely admit that it will be fascinating to see what monsters Ben's unconscious mind will dredge up this time. I should draw back the curtains so that we have a good view of the action." Katie gave him an icy stare:<br />"What you mean to repeat that horror we witnessed earlier when those wolf things killed that farmer? You really are a piece of shit."<br />"Oh no MIss Ryan. That was an accident, this will be a real experiment. My assistants are right now guarding a group of children from the local care home down the road. We bunged the manager ten grand to let us have them and they're unlikely to be missed."<br />"Ere, you mean your gonna let them things loose on a bunch of bleedin' kids?" Kyle exclaimed. Garson chuckled and went over to the curtains, drawing them back to reveal a group of children being led out into the garden and given rounders bats and a ball to play with.<br />"There is no need to be emotional about this. There have always been sacrifices in the name of science." As Garson spoke the electric side light dimmed a little then came back on:<br />"Ah, I see my assistants downstairs have flicked the switch so to speak. Ben is now creating from the depths of his unconscious mind."<br />Kyle leapt up from the sofa with such rapidity that the Professor had no time to raise his gun before Kyle punched him in the teeth, before grabbing the gun:<br />"Katie you try an' 'elp Ben, I'm gonna get to those kids."<br />Katie ran out into the hall, grabbing a large poker from the fireplace first. She saw the staircase leading down to the lab and strode feistily down it. As she entered the lab, one of the assistants went for his gun, however Katie jabbed the poker into his left eye and he fell to the floor, writhing in agony. She grabbed the gun and pointed it at the other assistant:<br />"Turn off that machine and take that headset off Ben now". <br />"It is too late, once the process has begun, to halt it early could be fatal", the assistant stammered.<br />
Out in the garden, the children were screaming as a large creature, like a cross between a wold and a bear came out of the bushes. It had already caught a rabbit and it bit the head off before tossing the carcass aside. It growled and went for one of the children. Kyle shot it three times in the head and it collapsed to the ground. He herded the screaming kids into a conservatory and shut the door. More creatures appeared out of the woods and they started sniffing around the carcass of the dead animal. Kyle gestured to the children to crouch down low, however the creatures' attention had been grabbed by the sight of Professor Garson staggering to his feet within the house. The frenzied animals ran towards the house and the first one launched itself at the large window of the drawing room, the glass shattering and shards flying everywhere. The creature grabbed Garson's throat in its jaws and bit into it, blood spurting out in a fountain. The other creatures clawed and ripped the room apart before bounding into the rest of the house. Kyle turned to the terrified kids:<br />"Right' I've gotta leave you 'ere ok. Them things could be about to kill everyone in the house."<br />
In the lab, Katie heard the sound of banging and animalistic howling from upstairs. She scowled:<br />"Ok shitface you need to hut down that machine now, whatever ben is conjuring up is in the house. Just do it."<br />"But he could die". Katie paused for a moment in reflection then held up the gun:<br />"Ben will not die. Ben is resilient. Do it." The assistant flicked down the switches and pulled the headset off Ben's head. Ben gave a scream of agony and slumped down into the chair, limp and cold. Katie grabbed his arm and tested for a pulse:<br />"Come on Ben, don't give up on me now. You can make it through this Ben, come on."<br />"I'd give up if I were you miss", the assistant stated.<br />
Upstairs the creatures faded and vanished. Kyle glanced round at the dismembered pieces of Professor Garson that were strewn around the room then went into the hall and down into the lab. He found a distraught Katie whose usual hard composure had melted in the face of her concern for Ben. She shook his limp body, tears welling up in her eyes:<br />"Come on Ben, don't give up *to the assistant* fucking do something, don't just stand there."<br />The assistant gave Ben an adrenalin injection:<br />"This might help."<br />Kyle rushed down and lifted Ben's arm:<br />"Ere I can feel a pulse. Cam on Ben...."<br />Slowly Ben lifted his eyes open. He looked at Katie and Kyle and sighed listlessly:<br />"Oh well, this vale of tears called life has dragged me back into it." <br />
Later, Ben, Katie and Kyle were discussing recent events in the Mermaid Wine Bar in Cambridge:<br />"So how come those creatures like vanished so bleedin' quick?" Kyle asked.<br />"Clearly because the process wasn't complete unlike the first time. Katie was quite right to stop the experiment even though it risked my life. Thankfully I'm completely fine now and not some dribbling, brain-damaged cabbage. Unfortunately this just gives people yet another excuse to tell me that I should count my blessings or be optimistic about myself or some such nonsense." The others laughed:<br />"Oh Ben, how could we exist without you. Don't ever change will you", Katie said with a laugh, hugging Ben.<br />
The End.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8221881756433157362.post-41491253424687612182016-12-04T07:27:00.001-08:002016-12-04T07:28:26.320-08:00The Monsters Within: Part 3OK people: Here is part three of this dark story:<br />
<br />
<b>"THE MONSTERS
WITHIN": Part 3</b><br />
<br />
Ben writhed in agony as Professor Mike Garson held a
gun at Kyle and Katie:<br />
"Ere stop this you nutter!" Kyle shouted. The
Professor remained calm:<br />
"There is no need for hysterics young man. Anyway,
as you can see the process is near completion."<br />
They looked down as the
humming noise subsided and Ben lapsed into quiet unconsciousness.<br />
"Look you
piece of ¤¤¤¤, I want an explanation for what just happened to Ben," Katie
demanded, hand on hip, throwing her blonde hair to one side and fixing Professor
Garson with an icy glare. Garson lowered the gun and smiled politely:<br />
"Now
look Miss Ryan, I'm sorry I had to resort to a course use of firearm threat.
However it was essential that we test the machine. I assure you that Ben here
will be perfectly fine again after a short sleep. Anyway, shall we look to see
what he has created?"<br />
"I'll give you a bleedin' knuckle sandwich in a minute
mate if yer don't....." Kyle stopped his angry tirade short as he glanced at the
glass box and saw within it an elaborate gold crown, encrusted with sapphires,
rubies, pearls and emeralds:<br />
"Ere it's a friggin crown".<br />
"Oh yes, and you
will find that it is as real and authentic as any crown in any museum", the
Professor stated, lifting the object from the box.<br />
<br />
Later, a recovering
Ben was resting on the Professor's sofa in the drawing room as Katie and Kyle
sat round the large wood fire. Katie sipped her brandy and frowned:<br />
"We need
to get out of here as soon as Ben is fit to walk. Probably a case for UNIT I'd
say." Ben lifted his head languidly and sighed, his eyes tired and sad:<br />
"No.
We have no evidence yet that this is a UNIT related case. Given how bureaucratic
they are we'd get no help from them. So Garson has designed some futuristic
technology and used a gun on us to ensure I acted as guinea pig. More a matter
for the regular police really. We need to stay and find out more. Anyway, on a
more important note, where is my crown?"<br />
Kyle lifted the crown out of a
plastic bag near his side and handed it to Ben:<br />
"Trust you to think of
creatin' a bleedin' crown for yerrself Ben" he said, laughingly throwing the
crown to Ben.<br />
"And trust you to put a priceless gold crown in a Tesco plastic
bag Kyle", Ben replied. They both laughed. Ben examined the crown
carefully:<br />
"I've always wanted to wear a real crown. I need to be surrounded
by beautiful, expensive objects. They act as compensation for all of the loss,
hurt and loneliness that I have suffered in my life. I deserve this."<br />
"You
will always be a true Prince Ben", Katie remarked and they all laughed. Suddenly
they heard a frightful howling from outside the house, like a pack of wolves .
It was accompanied by a frightful screaming sound. Kyle rushed to the window and
they were horrified to see a man being torn apart in the grounds of the house by
several huge wolf-like animals. One of them had ripped his throat out and was
gorging itself on the exposed flesh. <br />
"Jeez what the hell are those things?
If it ain't a case for UNIT now then what is?" Kyle shouted. As he did so, the
Professor entered the room with Payanda, the latter carrying a tray of
food.<br />
"Oh come and sit back down by the fire. The entertainment will be
better enjoyed in the warm."<br />
"Entertainment? You call that sight
entertainment?", Ben exclaimed. The Professor smiled:<br />
"There is no need to be
frenetic about this. Now come and sit down, shocks are much better absorbed with
the knees bent you know".<br />
<br />
Ben and the others returned to the sofa and Ben
glared angrily at the Professor:<br />
"Look I demand that you explain immediately
and fully exactly what the hell is going on here Garson". The Professor poured
Ben a brandy:<br />
"You know you are a most attractive young man when you are
angry Ben. Here, have some brandy. It's a curative you know. I do apologise for
the experiment earlier being a little demanding however I hope that you will see
the bigger picture."<br />
Katie fixed him with a cool stare:<br />
"Cut the genial
crap Garson and get to the point."<br />
"The point, Miss Ryan, is that those
creatures out there, and isn't it delightful to see wild nature in action, those
creatures are the product of Ben's subconscious. My machine has the power to
create not just objects projected by the conscious mind, such as Kyle's gold
chain and Ben's crown, but also manifestations from the inner mind. The monsters
within so to speak. Earlier I let Ben thumb through my library and pick up a
book on werewolf cults by Montague Hesketh. That planted the seed of an idea in
Ben's mind. And my machine watered that seed. Ben here is a natural sensitive,
he has a most superior mind, both conscious and unconscious. Kyle here with his
courser, more primitively evolved mind could only manage to conjure up a few
supernatural manifestations. But Ben created those creatures out there. Don't
worry about the dead man, he was only a local farmer who comes here to supply us
with logs for the fire."<br />
"Ere, he was a person with a life. And look dude
you'd better cut the primitive mind crap or I'll conjure up a manifestation of
my fist hitting your teeth", Kyle shouted. The Professor smiled:<br />
"You know
some of my friends at Cambridge would find the combination of your aggressive
realness and good looks very exciting, in a bit of rough kind of way. However
let us focus on the big picture. I want to see exactly how far I can go with
this. To test this technology to the limits. I have designed a larger and more
powerful version of the machine which you have seen. And I want Ben to test it."
Ben swallowed his brandy and glared at Garson:<br />
"I am not your guinea pig.
That last session created those creatures out there and has led to a man's
death. More importantly, it rendered me unconscious. I am not prepared to risk
harm or either death to myself in order to further your monstrous schemes", Ben
firmly stated. Professor Garson frowned:<br />
"Oh that is sad, it really is. I was
hoping force would not be necessary. You will do as I say Ben or die. Your
choice......."<br />
<br />
<br />
..............to be continued. Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8221881756433157362.post-35940677182684740752016-10-30T12:12:00.002-07:002016-10-30T12:12:34.261-07:00"The Monsters Within": Part 2[B]"THE MONSTERS WITHIN: Part 2[/B]<br />
Ben was intrigued:<br />"Hmmm. I have heard that scientists are working on this kind of technology and that a new industrial revolution is supposedly about to change everything. If this device does what you are claiming it can do then it will indeed revolutionise society."<br />"If? You doubt it Ben? But surely you saw with your own eyes how your friend here made this gold chain", Professor Garson replied bemusedly. <br />"I have learned to treat grandiose claims with a healthy pinch of sceptical salt Professor. However I must admit that your demonstration seemed convincing and......"<br />Ben's response was cut short by the sound of a woman shrieking from upstairs:<br />"Ahhh , screeeeeeeem, screeeeeeech..."<br />"What the hell was that?" Katie exclaimed. The Professor gave them a forlorn glance:<br />"I apologise. That was my mother. She has dementia and gets completely hysterical when the nurse goes in. She was such a sweet lady, but she is in her 90s so won't have much longer to endure the condition."<br />"Can't you just shove her into a home or something?" Katie asked. Ben frowned:<br />"Please excuse Katie's blunt manner Professor."<br />As Ben spoke, the lights suddenly went out, plunging the room into darkness.<br />"This must be some kind of power failure. Try and locate the door out of the lab Kyle", Ben wisely instructed. Kyle fumbled for the door, however as he did so, Ben felt something touch the side of his face. A hand. A hairy hand.<br />"Quick Kyle, I think that there is something in here with us. Something non-human...."<br />
Suddenly the lights came back on but dimly and flickering. The Professor was nowhere to be seen. Ben looked at the others:<br />"I don't like this. Something definitely stroked by face just then. Something animal. I suggest that we explore the house."<br />They left the lab and wandered out into the old house with its wood panelled walls and paintings of the Professor's family. Ben led the way upstairs, the wooden stairs creaking under their feet. As they walked along the dark landing a strange yellow glow in front of them slowly transformed into the figure of a young boy glowing with a strange yellow light and dressed in urban street wear with a baseball cap turned the wrong way round. Instead of eyes, he had empty black sockets. He pointed at Ben.<br />"What the hell is that thing?" Katie shouted.<br />"I fear that it is what is known as a radiant boy Katie. The spirit of a child murdered by its parents and a harbinger of death. The eminent 19th century politician Viscount Castlereagh saw one before he committed suicide by slitting his own throat", Ben explained. Suddenly the ghostly image vanished and the strange, eerie female shrieking started up again. A door flew open on the landing and an extremely elderly lady dressed in black staggered out , carrying a meat cleaver, and lunged at Ben, trying to hack his skull. However Kyle managed to grab her hand and wrench the cleaver off her. The old woman broke free and ran screeching down the stairs.<br />"Ere this place is a friggin' loony bin Ben. I say we leg it."<br />Ben scratched his handsome head and sighed:<br />"I think you are right Kyle. Come on, let us depart."<br />However as they walked downstairs to the hall, the Professor appeared from the study with an apologetic demeanour:<br />"I'm so sorry, please forgive me. It was just a minor power cut. This machinery soaks up a lot of electricity. And don't mind mother, she just gets a little confused."<br />"A little confused? That old woman is murderously insane," Ben responded.<br />"Again, I do apologise Ben. Surely a boy of your refinement and taste can understand the need for a family of standing to avoid the scandal of having a relative in the care of a mental health institution. Come now, why don't we all have a drop of brandy."<br />
Later they all sat in the Professor's sitting room as the servant Payanda served them brandy and soul cakes. Ben examined the Professor's extensive book collection and took down a book:<br />"I see you have a first edition of "Journeys into the Occult" by Montague Hesketh. Wasn't he a believer in an esoteric cult of wolf worshippers?" The Professor smiled:<br />"He was indeed young Ben. And a believer in the existence of a sacred lineage of werewolves. And who can blame him. I mean who would not want to worship a man who can transform into a powerful wolf at night?"<br />Katie nudged Ben and whispered:<br />"I wouldn't mind a man like that between the sheets." <br />The Professor continued:<br />"Anyway, Ben I have a proposal. Why don't you have a go with the machine. Try to create something. That way you will know for sure that I wasn't hoaxing you. <br />
Later, back in the lab, Ben was sat in the chair of the machine, with the headset on.<br />"Ok, I'm not going to reveal in advance what I intend to create. I want no tricks, just to see for sure that this works."<br />"Fine by me Ben", the Professor said. He activated the machine and Ben started to concentrate. However a strange humming sound began and Ben threw back his head, writhing in obvious agony. Kyle and Katie watched in horror:<br />"Ere something's wrong here. Stop that thing, It'll kill Ben," Kyle exclaimed. However the Professor pulled out a gun:<br />"Nether of you move", he coldly stated.......<br />
<br />............. to be continued.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8221881756433157362.post-86483594973780472862016-10-25T14:08:00.000-07:002016-10-25T14:08:06.146-07:00The Ben Chatham 2016 Halloween Special: "The Monsters Within"[B]THE MONSTERS WITHIN: Part One[/B]<br />
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<br />
Ben Chatham drifted in and out of sleep as the morning sunlight shot through a narrow gap in the curtains, seeming to flaunt its rude intrusion into the cold comfort of Ben's dreams. He groaned as he buried his handsome head deep into the pillow . He did not want to face another day on the treadmill of work while the space beside him in the bed remained empty and bereft. As Ben tried to drift back into sleep, his mobile phone started ringing, the ringtone being David Bowie's "Sense of Doubt". Ben tried to ignore it, however whoever was ringing was persistent. Eventually he flung the bed sheets back, his smooth skin gleaming in the morning light, and he reached for the phone:<br />"Hello. Look now is not a good time." The voice on the end of the phone was vaguely familiar:<br />"Oh hello Ben. It's Professor Garson, Mike Garson. From Cambridge." Ben rubbed his eyes:<br />"Oh, yes I remember. You taught the science module of my Archaeology degree. I couldn't understand what you were talking about most of the time, you were a terrible lecturer. Unprepared and incapable of holding an audience. Anyway, what do you want?"<br />"Er, I'm sorry Ben if I've caught you at a bad time. Look I've followed your career as an investigator of the paranormal and so on. Look I've been working on a project that I think will interest you greatly...."<br />
Later, Ben, Katie Ryan and Kyle were driving through the Cambridgeshire countryside towards Professor Garson's house with its inbuilt laboratory.<br />"So why are we bothering with this Ben? You never liked the guy and it's not as if he explained what this damn project is", Katie snapped, applying a fresh later of lipstick and pouting firmly. <br />"We've got nothing better to do Katie. Which is my life now isn't it?" Ben tersely replied.<br />"Ben you really need to pull yourself out of this dark mood you're in. It's affecting everyone in the team. We need you", Katie said sharply.<br />"Yeah right. Lets just get there and humour the old goat for half an hour and then drive to somewhere nice for lunch."<br />
They arrived at Garson's 17th century house and met the professor, who was dressed in a casual brown suit and resembled the actor Peter Cushing. He showed them into a large sitting room with oak-panelled walls and an extensive library on the occult. <br />"Hey this is like summat out of Harry Potter", Kyle remarked.<br />"You'll have to excuse my colleague's lowbrow cultural references Professor Garson. Anyway, what is it you want to show us?"<br />"Oh come now Ben, wouldn't you like a drink and some lunch first. It's so good to see you again. You were one of my brightest and most attractive students you know. I'll ring Payanda."<br />The Professor rang a gold bell and a tall Indian woman entered the room with a dinner trolley laden with extensive meat dishes, salads and Indian falafel. She gave Ben and the others a cold look and then strode out of the room.<br />"Funny woman", Katie remarked.<br />"Oh don't mind Payanda. It's just her way. Her family have served mine for generations. Now Ben, please help yourself."<br />Ben and the others started to choose their dishes and Kyle grinned as he tasted the curry:<br />"Hmm, hey this is a good 'un Ben. What Barry would call a real ringstinger."<br />"I'd rather you didn't remind me of him right now Kyle. Or any time for that matter...." As Ben spoke, they heard the sound of a woman screaming from upstairs:<br />"Ere what the hell is that?" Kyle exclaimed.<br />"Oh don't worry. It was only my mother. She's.... well she's suffering from an acute form of dementia. She won't be here much longer poor soul. Payanda will see to her. Now eat please", the Professor said firmly.<br />As Ben ate, the Professor stared intensely at him:<br />"You are such a handsome young man Ben. Most delicious". Ben felt unnerved.<br />
Later, after Ben had sampled the Professor's excellent French brandy, they were showed into the laboratory. In the corner was a piece of extensive, futuristic machinery with a seat in the middle. Nearby was a glass box on a table. <br />"So hear it is Ben. The culmination of a lifetime of research. This is a greater technological leap than the industrial revolution. Now I need a volunteer. How about young Kyle here", the Professor said smiling. Kyle grimaced:<br />"Yeah like what exactly are you gonna do to me?"<br />"Oh really young man there is nothing to be afraid of. Now go and sit in that chair and put the headset on. It's perfectly safe."<br />Kyle grudgingly went and sat in the seat:<br />"Look I ain't sure I like this...."<br />"Oh stop whining Kyle. It's so chavvy", Katie snapped. <br />Kyle put the headset on and a strange humming sound began. The Professor turned to the others:<br />"This is the device that will create the greatest revolution in production capacity that mankind has ever seen. *To Kyle* Now young man. I want you to visualise an object. Any object. As expensive as you like."<br />"Yeah ok. I'm thinkin' of some solid gold bling...." As Kyle spoke his head suddenly shot back and the humming sound became intense. Inside the glass box appeared a solid gold chain. The humming subsided. The Professor opened the glass box, took out the chain and handed it to Kyle:<br />"It is yours. You see, with this device, anything can be made with the power of the mind. There will be no factories, no inequality and no poverty anymore. This machine can make anything......."Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8221881756433157362.post-64715699721566466892016-10-08T14:20:00.001-07:002016-10-08T14:20:04.793-07:00"The Two Bens" Part TenOK people, here is the classic final part of this classic anniversary
story.<br /><br /><b>EPISODE TEN: APOCALYPSE</b><br /><br /><br />Reality started to
implode in on itself as everything became distorted and unreal. Through the
misty recesses of his distorted mind Ben could see shapes and colours that he
did not recognise. A whole kaleidoscope whirled round inside his head at a
fantastic speed as he could hear the colours and see the sounds. His whole life
passed before his eyes in an instant and he collapsed to his knees, weeping for
the lost opportunities and false dawns. Suddenly the strange sensations began to
lift and he saw the alternate Ben was himself distraught and shaking. Ben
managed to crawl across to him and hug him:<br />"It's ok .... that was close but
it wasn't the end."<br />"But next time we won't be so fortunate. We have one more
chance that's all", the alternate Ben replied. Kyle dragged himself to his feet
as a car pulled up beside them. Corinne Shaw lent out of the window:<br />"Hey
guys, that was too darn close for comfort. I only just managed to slow the car
down in time. Come on!"<br />She flung the car door open and they all jumped
in.<br /><br />A short time later, in London, UNIT forces led by Kate
Lethbridge-Stewart were mounting their assault on Buckingham Palace as Corinne,
Ben, Ben and Kyle arrived. The car zoomed up to the soldiers and skidded to a
hault, throwing up dust. Corinne threw the car door open and strode out,
brushing the dust off the shoulders of her power suit. The two Bens and Kyle got
out of the car as Kate approached them:<br />"What is occurring?" Ben asked
her.<br />"We don't seem to be getting anywhere here. They seem to have an endless
supply of fresh troops in there."<br />"Can't you fire off friggin' bazookas into
the place or bomb it from the air?" Kyle asked her. Kate frowned at him
sternly:<br />"Young man, that is Buckingham Palace. Her majesty's main royal
residence. It is bad enough that we are putting bullet holes into it."
<br />Corinne rounded on her:<br />"What? You mean to say that you are holding back
on those grounds when two universes are at stake? <br />Kate held her
ground:<br />"Miss Shaw, the fact that we do not let our standards down in moments
of crisis is what makes us a great nation."<br />As she spoke, Shakey Jake's van
arrived carrying most of the rest of the Operation Delta team. They all jumped
out, including Katie Ryan and Barry Tuck who were both armed with huge
futuristic looking guns which were strapped to them with leather belts.
<br />"Where did you acquire those?" Ben asked curiously.<br />"We raided the old
Torchwood warehouse", Katie replied.<br />"Yeah they're the dog's bollocks these
are pal. More friggin' power than a vindaloo fart", Barry Tuck said with a grin.
Ben grimaced:<br />"Please moderate your language Tuck."<br />Kate Lethbridge
Stewart turned angrily to Ben:<br />"You are not using those things to assault the
palace."<br />Katie Ryan strode in front of her and stared firmly at her, her hand
on her hip:<br />"Shut up or ship out", she firmly stated. They she and Tuck ran
towards the palace letting rip with the guns. Futuristic rays shot out and
blasted huge holes in the palace walls as a series of huge explosions rang out
from inside.<br /><br />Within the palace, Richard IX sat elegantly on his throne, a
slight hint of worry in his demeanour:<br />"We do not like the sound of these
explosions. What is your status report?" He asked his courtiers, who were
staring at their futuristic IPhones:<br />"Not good your majesty. The enemy are
using technology beyond their capabilities to blast their way inside", one of
then replied.<br />"Really? Then we will deploy our ultimate defence tactic. Bring
me the communicator."<br /><br />Outside, the two Bens watched as Barry and Katie
Ryan blasted their way into the palace, followed by scores of UNIT troops. Ben
looked at Kate Lethbridge Stewart with a sense of pride:<br />"My team may be a
disparate bunch but when it comes to achievement and professionalism, you need
us."<br />"Well said Ben", the alternate Ben stated, flicking his golden hair out
of his eyes. <br />Suddenly an audio/visual image appeared in the sky of Richard
IX. He began to speak:<br />"Citizens of London. We are offended by your
impertinence. Therefore unless you desist from your attack on us, we will order
the immediate execution of your former Queen".<br />Suddenly the picture changed
to the horrifying image of the Queen standing in front of a firing squad on
tower green. Everyone went silent with complete shock. As they did so a car sped
up and halted. Out got Paul Farraday with Richard IX's brother Giles. <br />"Ben,
we have to get this guy inside the palace. He's the brother of that madman in
there and the only one capable of talking some sense into his
followers."<br />Quickly the two Bens ran up to Giles, shook his hand and then ran
with him into the burning building , followed by the rest of the team. On seeing
Giles, the King's men began to drop their weapons and kneel before him. They
walked through the corridors and into the main hall, where Richard IX sat with
his councillors. Giles and the two Bens strode forward:<br />"What is the meaning
of this? Did you not hear our message?" Richard IX asked.<br />Ben stared at
him:<br />"I am horrified and very disappointed that you should threaten our
Queen. You are clearly a monarch of refined tastes and elegance however your
behaviour is reprehensible."<br />Giles also spoke:<br />"Councillors, please
listen. Our brother is ill. You must have realised this by now. We stand on the
brink of the apocalypse, of total universe collapse. We have over reached
ourselves coming here. This world is better on its own. We cannot flood it with
our people . Moreover we will destroy both it and ourselves. That is why, for
the sake of our brother's mental health, we are assuming the
throne."<br />"Treason, TREASON!" Richard IX shouted. However one by one the
councillors kneeled before Giles and a group of soldiers gently seized
Richard.<br /><br />Later, the two Bens were discussing the case in the Blue Angel
Jazz Café, while enjoying a celebratory meal. The Bens had ordered the vegan
falafel option, which the waiter Kian duly arrived with.<br />"Thank you Kian.
Your service is impeccable as always", Ben stated, stroking Kian's arm. Katie
Ryan grimaced with distain.<br />"... and so we have both decided that for
multiple ethical reasons, we are both becoming vegetarians, " Ben stated. Chiara
Smith, who now ran the Operation Delta office, gazed proudly at Ben:<br />"I'm so
proud of you for doing this Ben, *to the others* I've been trying to persuade
him to go vegan for months. This is the first step."<br />Barry Tuck took a large
gulp of beer and belched loudly:<br />"You can say what you like love but I ain't
goin' veggie, I likes my bacon sarnies and there ain't no beatin' a few beers
an' a real ringstinger curry. Mind you I'd be tempted for a nice feel of them
jugs of yours *winks at Chiara* *canned audience laughter*"<br />Corinne Shaw
stared at him icily:<br />"Do you always have to be so crude Tuck?"<br />"Only
banter love, only banter", Tuck replied, biting into a burger.<br />Paul Farraday
seized the chance to change the subject:<br />"I propose a toast. Not to one Ben
but to both Bens. For saving the universes. TO BEN! AND BEN!"<br />They all stood
up and clinked their glasses, toasting Ben.<br /><br />Shortly afterwards the two
Bens slipped away from the meal and into a quiet part of the club. A lone
trumpet player was softly playing, "I'm a Fool To Want You". <br />"So this is it
then. Goodbye. It's been great meeting you Ben and I'm delighted to know that
there is another version of me that I can feel really proud of," the alternate
Ben stated, tears welling up in his eyes. Ben gave him a hug:<br />"I'll really
miss you Ben. I hope you find the inner strength to keep going, as I have. You
know that you're the only person who really understands me and that gives me a
sense of real solidity knowing that somewhere out there you, or rather I exist.
Brave heart Ben!"<br />"Brave heart Ben", the alternate Ben stated, wiping away
tears as he left the club.<br /><b><br />THE END</b> Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8221881756433157362.post-53070110494751211412016-08-28T10:02:00.002-07:002016-08-28T10:02:25.556-07:00"The Two Bens" Episode 9<hr size="1" style="background-color: #d1d1e1; color: #d1d1e1;" />
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OK people. Here is the penultimate episode of this
classic story:<br /><br /><br /><strong>EPISODE NINE: BENS UNITED</strong><br /><br />The strange
shuddering subsided and the two Bens, who had fallen to the ground, staggered to
their feet. They looked at each other.<br />"Yes I know. That was a close one.
Each time the displacement will get worse until eventually it passes the point
of no return and we get total universe collapse. We've got to stop this mad king
of yours", Ben exclaimed. <br />"Of mine? Hardly Ben", the alternate Ben said with
a sad smile. Ben gave him a hug and the two Ben's and Kyle walked to the
perimeter fence and sat down on the grass.<br />"Ok I've just had a text from Paul
Farraday. He's sending a car to pick us up and UNIT are also on their way here.
Another UNIT force is about to mount an assault on Buckingham Palace", Ben
stated.<br /><br />Ben lay back in the grass and let the sunlight warm his
face:<br />"You know Ben, I've reached a point in my life where I just don't think
anything is ever going to change. This is it, the last station reached, the
final destination. I'm alone and bored and that's how my life will now be as far
as I can see. That awful marriage experience was the last straw, it's knocked
the wind out of my sails. I scrape bits of enjoyment wherever I can find
it."<br />The alternate Ben gazed down at Ben and patted his arm:<br />"Tell me
about it. Every guy I've ever been out with has let my down and my life is in a
complete rut." The alternate Ben flicked his golden hair out of his sad eyes.
Kyle frowned:<br />"Ere you two are a right barrel of laughs when together, I
don't think." Ben looked up at him:<br />"Did we ask for your opinion Kyle. No.
Life must be so easy for people like you. Ordinary, undemanding, lumpen people
who drift along easily through life because they don't want much and have no
real passions or desires." Kyle shot Ben an angry look:<br />"Yeah right. Because
I'm such a boring lumpen drone that I ain't capable of passions or feelings
right?"<br />"Well you said it", the alternate Ben said tersely. Kyle felt a
sudden desire to hit him however he quickly suppressed it and walked towards the
road.<br /><br />Meanwhile in Buckingham Palace, Richard IX was enjoying roast quail
with roasted vegatables and a glass of champagne. <br />"I think we will take
afternoon tea in the gardens later before the meeting starts to initiate formal
preparations for our coronation as King in this world."<br />One of the King's
advisors leant towards him:<br />"Sire, what do you desire we do with the former
Queen and her family?"<br />Richard looked up and elegantly wiped his lips with a
napkin:<br />"Oh Thomas must we discuss that now?"<br />"Well I was just thinking
your majesty may wish to have that matter dealt with before the coronation takes
place", Thomas replied. King Richard moved his head slightly to the
side:<br />"Yes Thomas you are right. It has to be dealt with. Arrange for the
former Queen to, how shall I put it, pass away in the night of 'natural causes'
and her heirs to , as it were, disappear within the tower. The people will soon
forget them as the masses have short memories in these matters."<br />The King's
brother Giles interjected:<br />"Look this is madness Richard. The people here
will never easily accept you as their ruler, especially if you bump off their
royal family. More to the point, are you just going to ignore what happened
earlier? Are you? The time displacement? You were warned it would happen. You're
risking complete universe collapse. Stop this madness now Richard. And you
cannot flood this universe and this England with our people. There isn't room
for them here."<br />King Richard IX threw down his napkin in a rare display of
anger:<br />"You forget once again Giles that you are addressing your King as
opposed to just your brother. We have reached the end of our patience with you.
We have forgiven every past misdemeanour and slight of yours however you are
incorrigable. We are deepy saddened that our brother should treat us with such
disrespect. Free movement between our universe and this will enrich this world
with our more refined and cultured values."<br />Richard clicked his fingers and a
group of armed guards approached:<br />"Kindly escort our brother Giles to the
Tower of London. Thomas, kindly prepare the necessary papers charging our
brother Giles with high treason."<br />Giles was violently grabbed by the
guards:<br />"This is an outrage. Richard, for God's sake see sense".<br /><br />Back
at the barracks, the Two Bens were lying in the grass discussing medieval
history. The alternate Ben was describing the alternate universe royal family
line of succession so that Ben could acertain the lineage of Richard IX.<br />"I
think I see now where the break with our history happened. You state that King
Edward IV was succeeded by King Edward V, who died young of probable consumption
and was succeeded by his brother King Richard III. He reigned until 1522 when he
was succeeded by his son Edward VI and so on. No Tudors". Ben stated. The
alternate Ben looked puzzled:<br />"Tudors?"<br />"Exactly. You avoided them. In
this universe Edward V and your Richard III became the Princes in the Tower and
their uncle, the Duke of Gloucester, took the throne from them and made himself
Richard III. He was defeated in the Battle of Bosworth by Henry Tudor."<br />The
alternate Ben looked puzzled:<br />"How strange. I seem to recall now that Henry
Tudor was a minor exiled nobleman, the Earl of Richmond I think. He never
amounted to anything. As for Richard Duke of Gloucester, he was killed by a
stray arrow fighting in Scotland the year before Kind Edward IV died".<br />Ben
stood up and grinned:<br />"And that is the break. Ha! You and I make a great team
Ben. *Grinning* poor Kyle doesn't understand a word we've been talking about
does he?"<br />Both Ben's laughed and hugged each other. Suddenly however the
shuddering began again and the two Bens and Kyle fell to the floor:<br />"It's
ha.... happen...ing ag....ain. Wo.........rse this time....."<br /><br />In London,
the car carrying Giles to the Tower of London crashed into a wall as the
shuddering and time displacement began. Giles managed to crawl from the wreckage
as the universe neared total collapse..............<br /><br /><br />...........to be
continued. </div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8221881756433157362.post-34191898984024949392016-07-31T07:26:00.002-07:002016-07-31T07:26:45.498-07:00"The Two Bens" Episode 8<span lang="">EPISODE 8 : UNIVERSE COLLAPSE<br />
<br />
<br />
</span><span style="font-size: small;">Ben, Kyle and the rest of the team ran through the corridors as the pursuing soldiers fired shots at them. They found an exit which was guarded by a young soldier armed with an AK47. The soldier raised the gun:</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;">
<br />
"Hey, you can't leave through here....."<br />
<br />
The inexperienced soldier's warning was cut short by Kyle who smacked him one in the teeth and decked him. Ben and the team ran outside:<br />
<br />
"Nice work Kyle. Shame though, he was pretty", Ben shouted with a grin. They ran through the grounds of the barracks and into some woods, eventually finding the perimeter fence which was topped with barbed wire. Beyond it was a road.<br />
<br />
"How the hell do we get over that?" Katie exclaimed. Shakey Jake grinned:<br />
<br />
"Hey babe, we don't need to." He rummaged through his hair and pulled out a homing device concealed within it.<br />
<br />
"I kept this groovy thing hidden and activated it in the cell. Far out ain't it?" Ben grinned:<br />
<br />
"Jake, you are an asset to the team. I should tell you that more often" he stated.<br />
<br />
"You should tell us all that more often Ben", Katie added with a barbed look. As she spoke, a car sped up and out jumped Corinne Shaw and Paul Farraday. They quickly used wire cutters on the fence and soon the whole team were speeding away from the base.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
As they drove along a deserted road, Paul briefed Ben and the team:<br />
<br />
"Ben we have discovered that there is an underground resistance movement already in operation, led by UNIT operatives who the invaders have failed to apprehend. We're heading to their HQ now, which is in a disused nuclear bunker in Kelvedon Hatch, Essex." Kyle scowled:<br />
<br />
"Ere 'ang on mate. There are injured soldiers and the alternate Ben back there who need our help like."<br />
<br />
"I have to agree with Kyle on this Paul. We cannot just leave my alternate self back there", Ben added.<br />
<br />
Paul pulled the car to the side of the road and stopped.<br />
<br />
"Ok so what do we do? Just go back in there and get ourselves captured?" he asked. Ben thought carefully:<br />
<br />
"No. You drive to Kelvedon Hatch and persuade those UNIT resistance fighters to mount an all out assault on that barracks. Meanwhile Kyle and myself will sneak back in there and rescue my other self. I'm a very altruistic guy.<br />
<br />
Corinne jumped out of the car and opened the boot, lifting out a bag.<br />
<br />
"Ok Ben but take these with you", she stated, handing Ben the bag of guns and grenades."<br />
<br />
Meanwhile the alternate Ben was thrown back into the cell with the injured soldiers. Fortunately the bullet had only slightly grazed the side of his head. However he was tired and slumped down in a corner, holding his head in his hands. <br />
<br />
"Hey, you ok?" one of the soldiers asked him.<br />
<br />
"Do I look ok? I'm suffering from extreme stress and trauma", the alternate Ben shouted. He lay down and slept for a while until the sound of explosions and shooting woke him up.<br />
<br />
"What... what's happening?", he asked. The cell door flew open and Ben and Kyle rushed in:<br />
<br />
"Whoooh, the dynamic duo to the rescure dudes" Kyle shouted laughing. Ben frowned:<br />
<br />
"Excuse Kyle's plebian cultural references. Come on, we need to get out fast. <br />
<br />
They all ran through the corridors and out of the base , the two soldiers helping their seriously injured comrade. As they ran through the grounds however a strange shuddering began. It was as if the whole earth was shaking not just the ground and Ben felt a strange sense of out of body displacement.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
In London, Richard IX sat elegantly on his golden throne as his Privy Councillors knelt before him. One of them stood up:<br />
<br />
"Sire, our forces have secured virtually the whole of the UK. So far there have been no issues with the cross dimensional transfer operation." The King looked up elegantly:<br />
<br />
"We assured you that there wouldn't be. Our science committee were unanimous that the inter-dimensional interface rationaliser would work once the minor difficulties had been ironed out." <br />
<br />
*whispering* Yes because you purged them, " a senior councillor whispered to a colleague. Unfortunately the King overheard:<br />
<br />
"Giles, step forward", the King firmly stated. The councillor stood up and moved forward.<br />
<br />
"Giles, were you not our brother we would have lost patience with you a long time ago. We focus your attention on the fact that we are your sovereign liege lord as well as your brother." Giles looked at the other councillors and then at King Richard:<br />
<br />
"Brother.... sire, you must understand the dangers we are all in. I have seem the evidence presented by the scientists whom you got rid of. There is a real risk that the interface rationaliser can only produce a temporary tranference corridor. The mathematical equations suggest that sooner or later the universes will close it. However the greater dangewr is that this process will trigger a chain reaction leading to the total collapse of both universes." <br />
<br />
King Richard reached for his pet monkey, which was sat on a low perch, and stroked it:<br />
<br />
"Giles, we are saddened by your jealousy of us and your coverting of our throne. We see now that you must be restrained......"<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
As the King spoke a strange shuddering began. Everone felt a sense of bodily displacement:<br />
<br />
"You see? You see now? Its starting", Giles shouted................<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
................to be continued.</span><br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8221881756433157362.post-46005380253114076902016-07-27T06:51:00.002-07:002016-07-27T07:21:40.888-07:00"The Two Bens" Episode 7<strong>EPISODE 7: MY POWER IS ABSOLUTE</strong>The two Ben's glared angrily at
the regal presence in front of them. The King was sitting elegantly on a golden
throne and dressed in elaborate robes of fine silk and gold thread. He lifted
his head slightly:<br />
"You must accept the new reality of our rule. That we,
King Richard IX, have brought the benefits of wise and prudent service to this
troubled England of this dimension. Soon we hope to extend this to your world as
a whole". <br />
The King gave a slight, though not ostentatious, smile and
adjusted one of his golden rings. The alternate Ben flicked his hair out of his
eyes and strode forward:<br />
"How dare you risk the existence of two whole
universes because of your crazy lust for more power. The technology that you are
using is unstable, even the Time Lords have never perfected an inter-dimensional
interface rationaliser. If it fails we get total universe collapse."<br />
Two
guards moved forward and grabbed the alternate Ben, dragging him back from the
throne. The King lifted his hand:<br />
"We feel that we should remind you that
crude displays of emotion and shouting are most churlish and emblematic of the
lower orders".<br />
Tears filled the alternate Ben's eyes and Ben put his hand on
his shoulder to comfort him. He stared at the King:<br />
"How dare you. Ben here
is an alternate version of me and we both come from very good backgrounds. My
parents have land and property in Wiltshire and my father is a well respected
classical musician. In no way are we lower class and I am disgusted that you
could stoop so low as to suggest it. I am also shocked and appalled that you
have imprisoned her majesty the Queen in the Tower of London of all places. Plus
you are threatening the existence of two universes as well."<br />
The King
remained calm and serene:<br />
"We see that there is some spirit about you Ben
that is most attractive to us. However you must realise that our power is
absolute and will remain absolute. One gesture from our hand to our household
guards and you can be dead within the hour, along with all of your companions.
We have taken such disciplinary measures against whole peoples' in our universe
for less than your displays of rudeness. However you engage our
interest."<br />
<br />
Katie Ryan and Kyle looked on in anger and Katie strode
forward feistily:<br />
"Look I'm fed up of this. Who the hell do you think you
are? This is England in 2016 not the middle bloody ages. You look ridiculous and
you're clearly a complete fruitcake and I don't know about your England but in
this one we have something called mental health services and they might be able
to do something for you."<br />
The King raised a hand and several guards grabbed
Katie, one of them trying to kiss and grope her. Kyle rushed up and punched the
guard, decking him, however was soon overpowered by others.<br />
"Gerrof me, (to
the King) hey mate, call off these goons ..." Kyle shouted. The King gave a
slight smile:<br />
"Ah, the diction of the common artisan and the coarseness of
Miss Ryan. We are disappointed Ben that your choice of companions is no more
discerning in this world than ours".<br />
"¤¤¤¤ off...." Katie shouted. The King
nodded to his guards:<br />
"Take them to one of our new military centres. We will
decide their fate in due course."<br />
<br />
The two Bens and the others were driven
some distance in a prison van before they arrived at a barracks, now in the
hands of the invaders, and were thrown in a holding room. Several soldiers were
already in the cell, one of them bleeding profusely on the floor and near death.
Katie and Kyle tried to help him, however Katie shook her head:<br />
"This guy
needs proper medical attention or he's dead. Mind you I think he's had it in any
case."<br />
The other two soldiers had been beaten up but were still awake and
lucid. Ben approached them:<br />
"I guess that these invaders overran this place
and took you prisoner."<br />
One of the soldiers spoke:<br />
"No. We were part of
the invasion force. We are not from your universe. We tried to sabotage their
attack on this base and failed. We're part of the underground resistance
movement."<br />
The alternate Ben approached Ben:<br />
"Not everyone agrees with the
King and his insane plans. My organisation Operation Alpha is part of the
resistance movement, and the resistance as a whole has agents within the army
and the scientific community . There is much opposition to the King and his
plans."<br />
Meanwhile Kyle was banging on the door of the cell:<br />
"Ere, there's
a fella in here dyin'. Came on, he needs help....."<br />
"You're wasting your time
Kyle. They clearly have no conscience these people", Ben observed. Jake fiddled
with his long, greying hair and pulled out a skeleton key, hidden in the hair
and fixed with an elastic band:<br />
"Hey dudes, you need this man. They never
think to search in the hair."<br />
Ben grinned:<br />
"I never thought I've have
cause to praise your scruffy hippy hair Jake. Kyle, you know what to
do."<br />
<br />
Kyle picked the lock and they all ran outside the room. <br />
"We need
to get some help like for that injured soldier fella", Kyle shouted. The Bens
looked at each other and shook their heads:<br />
"Pointless Kyle. It will just
result in us being re-apprehended. No one here is likely to be on our side, "
Ben stated, thinking practically. As he spoke, a series of armed men appeared
from round a corridor:<br />
"Hey, you lot, stay where you are!" The Bens and the
others started to run. A shot rang out and the alternate Ben fell to the
ground.........<br />
<br />
<br />
.............. to be continued. Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8221881756433157362.post-91159123403880332762016-06-05T05:24:00.002-07:002016-06-05T05:24:45.088-07:00"The Two Bens" Episode 6<hr size="1" style="background-color: #d1d1e1; color: #d1d1e1;" />
<!-- / icon and title --><!-- message -->
<br />
<div id="post_message_9673785">
Ok, here is the next part of this ground-breaking
story:<br /><br /><br /><b>EPISODE 6: THE HOLLOW CROWN</b><br /><br />The sound of Bowie's
"Blackstar" filled the car:<br /><br /><i>"In the villa of Ormen, in the villa of
Ormen<br />Stands a solitary candle, <br />Ah-ah, ah-ah<br />In the centre of it all,
in the centre of it all...."</i><br /><br />The alternate Ben looked up and smiled
glowingly:<br />"I see you share my taste in music. What a terrific album this is,
one of David Jones' best. Looking forward to seeing the live shows, he's looking
so great for his age. Why did you call him Bowie?"<br />Kyle, Katie and Jake
breathed sighs of relief as Bowie was clearly still alive in the alternate
universe. Ben frowned at the alternate Ben:<br />"I take it that Bowie didn't
change his name in your universe. That isn't right. Jones didn't suit him as a
name, it is too commonplace with shades of the banal. Bowie is a more fitting
name as it is both unusual and at the same time, with its Bowie-knife
connotations, symbolic of the cutting-edge nature of his art."<br />The alternate
Ben flicked his golden hair out of his eyes and stared angrily:<br />"David Jones
is a genius and does not need a silly stage name to make him so. Your attitude
here is rather Cambridge, elevating the superficial."<br />Katie Ryan slid her
hand over the alternate Ben's inner thigh:<br />"I'm finding it very refreshing to
be surrounded by two Bens rather than one, *whispering into the alternate Ben's
ear*, I hope that some other things are different in your universe... if you
catch my drift...."<br />A tense silence followed as they drove on towards London.
Kyle broke the silence:<br />"Ok we're on the outskirts of London like. So what
are we gonna do? Why are we here?"<br />Ben looked up:<br />"We are here to see the
King Kyle. The alternate universe King is using an unstable inter-dimensional
interface rationaliser to attempt inter-dimensional conquest. I realise that
I've used big words there that you won't understand but basically their mad King
is in danger of blowing up both universes by using dodgy unstable
technology."<br />Kyle scowled:<br />"You really can be a condescending bastard
sometimes Ben. I ain't that thick that I can't get what you mean. So what's the
plan?"<br />"We confront him Kyle", Ben replied.<br /><br />They drove quickly through
the streets of central London as there was little traffic. People were too
nervous to leave their homes. Occasionally they saw groups of armed alternate
universe soldiers on patrol, however the soldiers ignored them as they drove
through a near empty Trafalgar Square.<br />"London is almost tolerable in this
deserted state, unlike the usual overcrowded mess we're used to", Ben commented.
<br />"So where are we heading to specifically?" Katie asked.<br />"To Buckingham
Palace of course. I recognised the desk and the room that this fake King was
speaking from when I saw him on the television. I know what the rooms of
Buckingham palace look like, unlike most people", Ben proudly stated.<br />They
drove down the Mall however were stopped at the end by a road block and armed
soldiers:<br />"Halt. Please turn around and leave. This area is out of bounds", a
young dark-haired soldier stated. Ben leaned out of the car window and held up
his Operation Delta ID card:<br />"I am Ben Chatham and I have come here to see
your King." The soldier's dark eyes met Ben's and there was an instant
attraction.<br />"I...I'm really sorry but this card means nothing to me", the
soldier stated.<br />The alternate Ben leant out of another window and held out
his Operation Alpha card:<br />"I apologise for my brother, he was just being
flippant. I am Ben Chatham, as you can see." The soldier stared at the card and
at the two Bens:<br />"Ok, I'm sorry. We are under clear instructions from the
King that if Ben Chatham should show up, we are to let you in."<br />The alternate
Ben smiled at the soldier:<br />"Thank you. I'm pleased to meet such a good
looking member of the King's guard". The soldier blushed before ordering his
colleagues to let them through.<br /><br />They arrived outside the palace and were
escorted inside by a group of alternate police officers in dark uniforms with
gold dragon badges on their lapels. They were shown into a large drawing room
and offered glasses of wine by a footman. After a short wait a door opened and
in walked the man they had seen on the television (to be played by Ben
Whishaw).<br />"Greetings Ben. And this must be the other Ben and his companions.
We have been expecting you. We are sure that you will come to realise that the
new reality is the best way forward *looks at Ben* We are pleased to see that
the other Ben is as attractive to the eye as our Ben."<br />Ben stood up
angrily:<br />"Where is the real Queen? Our Queen? What have you done with her?"
The alternate King smiled:<br />"Oh come now, you must know that it is a breach of
protocol to fire questions at us. However we have no desire to antagonise you.
Your former Queen and her family are in a fitting place where they are being
well cared for. The Tower of London........"<br /><br />.....to be continued. </div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8221881756433157362.post-56346944579420077162016-03-20T08:10:00.004-07:002016-03-20T08:10:49.204-07:00"The Two Bens" : Episode 5<span lang="">EPI<strong>SODE FIVE : WORLDS ON THE BRINK</strong><br />
</span><span style="font-size: small;">Ben froze and stared at the familiar figure before him:</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">"Who the hell are you? Why are you impersonating me and using my name?" The alternate Ben flicked his golden hair back and stared sadly at Ben:<br />
"I'm sorry Ben, I think I've underestimated how much of a shock this will be for you. I should have known. After all, I know you Ben. I am you Ben.<br />
Ben sank down onto the bed and held his head in his hands for a while. Eventually he looked up:<br />
"Ok, lets see if I've got this right; you are me in another dimension.... or rather from another dimension. You're an alternate me who has come through with this invasion force and that madman claiming to be the king. You're helping him. How the hell have you done this?"<br />
The alternate Ben sighed:<br />
"You're partly right. I am not helping him, quite the opposite. I've been trying to damn well stop him with my organisation Operation Alpha. Its a long story Ben, but the king has this vision for inter-dimensional conquest. He's using technology stolen from the Time Lords by the Cybermen and hidden away on earth."<br />
Ben looked up:<br />
"This is so depressing and disconcerting. Looking at you is making me question my self-worth. You are so good looking."<br />
"What and you don't think I feel the same Ben? Your face is so handsome and well proportioned. I feel diminished in your presence. However I had to come to this dimension because what the king is doing is so dangerous that it risks the very fabric of multiple universes. He has built an unstable inter-dimensional interface rationaliser", the alternate Ben replied. <br />
"What the hell is that? This must be what Clara Oswald was warning me about?" <br />
The alternate Ben smiled:<br />
"You have a Clara here too? I hope she's not as irritating as the version we have to endure. Anyway, the point is that this technology is not stable. It risks an interdimensional collapse and explosion."<br />
Ben sighed:<br />
"What are these creatures that have been appearing here and killing people? Anything to do with your crazy king?"<br />
"Oh yes. They are the victims of his initial experiments testing the interface rationaliser. He removed people from your universe to our then sent them back. They should have been fine but the glitches in the system scrambled their DNA. They have now fixed that problem but the whole technology remains unstable as it was only ever built to use in short bursts. The king plans for permanent conquest", the alternate Ben replied. He also sank onto the bed and buried his face in his hands:<br />
"You have no idea how stressful this has been. I could cope more easily with this job if I wasn't so alone."<br />
Ben went over to him and put his hand on the alternate Ben's shoulder:<br />
"Look Ben, I'm sorry to hear that. I'd have hoped that any alternate version of me had found happiness, not been continually let down and stabbed in the back by others, as I have. However you've got me now Ben."<br />
<br />
Meanwhile Kyle and Shakey Jake were downstairs in the Blue Angel, waiting in the bar area. Kyle was enjoying a pint and chatting to Kian at the bar while Jake rolled a large cigarette.<br />
"Ere Ben's takin' his time up there. We'd better see what's up", Kyle observed. Kian smiled:<br />
"I'd give him a bit longer if I were you mate. Mr Chatham and his brother are probably enjoying our extra services and wouldn't take kindly to you barging in."<br />
"His brother? Ben ain't got no brother".<br />
"Oh? I just assumed that this was the cause of all the confusion."<br />
"Nah , I'm goin' up. Cam on Jake, hurry up."<br />
Kyle strode towards the stairs, followed by a grumbling Jake and puzzled Kian. As he climbed the stairs, he was shocked to see the two Bens appear in front of them.<br />
"Kyle, Jake, there is no time now to explain. This is Ben. He is me. Just deal with it. We need to drive to London immediately. Kyle mouthed 'what the fuck' silently while Kyle shook his head:<br />
"Hey man, this is really heavy shit man, " he mumbled. <br />
<br />
Jake drove his van, the Love Mobile, as fast as he could through the driving rain heading for London. As they drove, Ben did give them a fuller explanation of why there were now two Bens. "So if there is an alternate you like then why ain't there an alternate me an' Jake?" Kyle asked. The alternate Ben sighed wearily:<br />
"There are. However they have stayed behind as they are not as important as me and they have work to do at that end. There is also an alternate Katie Ryan, Joe Dyser and the rest. I presume you have them here?"<br />
Ben looked up:<br />
"There is no Joe Dyser in my team. Clearly some people only exist in one universe due to alternate histories. Which reminds me, why the hell are you ruled by a king? What about parliament? Queen Elizabeth II? " <br />
The alternate Ben looked confused:<br />
"We've never had a monarch called Elizabeth. The last Queen Elizabeth was Elizabeth Woodville, wife of King Edward IV and she was only a consort. I have a History and Archaeology degree, first class from Oxford."<br />
Ben sighed:<br />
"Oh no. Oxford's History and Archaeology departments pale beside those of Cambridge where I took my degree. Moreover, mine was pure Archaeology and therefore superior in terms of my chosen vocation as an archaeologist." <br />
There was an uneasy silence before Ben asked Jake to put David Bowie's 'Blackstar' album on the stereo. Kyle and Jake looked at each other and both instantly saw the danger; what if the alternate Ben had found out about Bowie's death and told Ben all about it? Then again, had Bowie even died in the alternate universe? Ben's fragile state might not be able to cope with two huge shocks in one day. Jake placed the 'Blackstar' CD into the car stereo. He pressed the play button. They held their breath......<br />
<br />
.......... to be continued.</span><br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8221881756433157362.post-17355234558746904132016-02-07T14:44:00.002-08:002016-02-07T14:44:37.540-08:00"The Two Bens" Episode 4<span lang=""><strong>EPISODE FOUR: HI BEN, I'M BEN</strong><br />
</span><span style="font-size: small;">Ben and his team crowded around the television screen at the sight of soldiers rounding people up on the streets of London and chaos breaking out. Suddenly the screen went blank for a few seconds before the image of a young man appeared (played by Ben Whishaw). He was sat behind an expensive looking desk and was dressed in a smart suit and tie. He was softly, but firmly spoken and attractive, with a short, dark beard. He began to speak:</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;">
<br />
"<i>People of England. This is your King speaking. Do not be alarmed and stay within your homes. Do not attempt to go out onto the streets until order and tranquility have been restored. During the period of transition you may feel disorientated, confused and concerned. We will endeavor to minimise any disruption to your lives and assure you that normality, within certain parameters, will soon be restored. I will speak to you all again later to clarify with you the new reality and address the concerns which you may be feeling. Warm blessings."</i><br />
<i>
</i><br />
The image on the screen faded and was replaced with the image of a blue flag with a yellow crown within it, blowing in the breeze.<br />
<br />
Kyle turned to the others:<br />
<br />
"Ere what did he mean, "This is your King.." , who the hell is that nut job? And what did he mean, "the new reality?"<br />
<br />
Ben frowned:<br />
<br />
"Well I presume that the guy is behind what has been happening. We are under inter-dimensional attack, of that much I am certain."<br />
<br />
"But ain't that s'pposed to be impossible?"<br />
<br />
"Yes Kyle it is. But has happened before with both the Cybermen and the Daleks and it is happening now."<br />
<br />
"So what the hell do we do about it", Katie interjected angrily. Ben thought for a moment, knocking back his martini.<br />
<br />
"We need to get to Jake's place. We need his equipment. Kyle, Katie, Jake and myself will go. The rest of you need to stay put here and await my instructions."<br />
<br />
Outside in the street, they piled quickly into Shakey Jake's van, the Love Mobile, as the sound of gunfire could be heard in the distance. As they drove through Cambridge they passed the Blue Angel Jazz Cafe and Ben saw a youth having an altercation with two police officers, which was turning violent. <br />
<br />
"Jake stop the van a moment, that was Lewis, one of the bar staff at the Blue Angel being attacked by two of these invaders."<br />
<br />
Jake stopped and reversed back as Lewis thumped one of the policemen on the jaw. Ben and Kyle jumped out of the van:<br />
<br />
"Leave Lewis alone. Kyle here is handy with his fists . Where the hell are you from and who was that madman on the TV?"<br />
<br />
One of the policemen answered him angrily:<br />
<br />
"Look Sir, we are nothing to do with these enemy soldiers. This lad is drunk and has been attempting to use the situation to loot. We are taking him back to the station. We've all been recalled." Ben showed the officer his Operation Delta ID card.<br />
<br />
"I'm Ben Chatham. I'll take charge of Lewis. You two get back to the station as ordered."<br />
<br />
"OK Ben. Pleased to meet you", the officer replied before leaving. Ben turned to Lewis:<br />
<br />
"Do you realise that the country is being invaded? Looting?" Lewis glared back drunkenly:<br />
<br />
"I weren't lootin', just takin' some fags from the offy as the bloke weren't there. I got lucky earlier, a punter gave me £300 plus a £50 tip. Hey, he had the same name as you, Ben Chatham, ain't that weird. Looked a bit like you an all. Floppier hair though. He were a real gent. Made me feel like I was....."<br />
<br />
"Where did you meet this man?" Ben interrupted angrily.<br />
<br />
"In there, in the Blue Angel. We went to one of the guest rooms upstairs. Hey, he wanted a room for the night....."<br />
<br />
Meanwhile the streets of the UK's major cities were overwhelmed with soldiers. People were ordered to go home and stay there or face summary execution if found on the streets after dark. Meanwhile battles were taking place around every major barracks in the UK as hoards of fresh soldiers appeared out of the void and tried to storm the buildings, throwing grenades. Groups of police officers were rounded up and marched away. Those who tried to resist were overpowered, forced to kneel down and shot in the back of the head. <br />
<br />
Ben and Kyle rushed into the Blue Angel Jazz Cafe. Kian was at the bar:<br />
<br />
"Hello Mr Chatham. Can I get you guys a drink?" He winked at Ben and smiled.<br />
<br />
"There is a guy staying here who was with Lewis earlier. What room?" Ben sharply asked. Kian looked puzzled:<br />
<br />
"Er I'm not sure, I wasn't on shift with Lewis. Hang on a mo." He looked at the guest book.<br />
<br />
"That's odd. It says Ben Chatham is staying in Room 4." Ben and Kyle rushed upstairs, past the large function room where a drag act was performing and down the landing to the guest rooms. They found Room 4. <br />
<br />
"Kick it in Kyle!" Ben said angrily. Kyle kicked the door in and they saw a young man with blond hair and his back to them pouring a drink. The man span round and flicked his hair out of his dark eyes:<br />
<br />
"Hi Ben. I was wondering when you'd get here. I'm Ben."<br />
<br />
Ben Chatham (played by Adam Rickitt) held out his hand to Ben Chatham (played by Ryan Hawley).......<br />
<br />
.............to be continued.</span><br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8221881756433157362.post-70180085387993729522016-01-26T15:19:00.002-08:002016-01-26T15:19:55.210-08:00"The Two Bens" Supplementary Scene<strong>The Two Bens: Supplementary Scene<br /></strong>Kyle Scott lay half asleep in
bed in the early hours of the morning. He briefly opened his eyes to see two
empty beer cans on his side table before dozing off again. Suddenly he heard a
violent hammering on the door. He pulled the pillow round his head to muffle the
sound of Luigi answering the door of the apartment. In what seemed like a split
second, the door to his room flew open and Katie Ryan strode in, tossing her
hair to one side feistily. She pulled Kyle's duvet off him:<br />"Wake up Kyle,
its serious. I take it you haven't heard the news" , she whispered
loudly.<br />"Ere what the 'ell you doin'. You after a piece or summat?" Kyle
mumbled angrily.<br />"Kyle I do not do chavs, as you well know. Although I am
rather impressed. However this is serious; its all over the news *whispering*
Bowie's dead", Katie exclaimed. <br />As she spoke, they heard Ben shouting from
his room:<br />"Luigi who the hell was that hammering on the door at this
unearthly hour?" <br />Katie ran to the door of Kyle's room and shouted:<br />"Its
OK Ben, its just me. I need to speak to Kyle about a professional matter", she
shouted.<br />"This is completely unfair Katie. I need my sleep", Ben tersely
replied. Katie went back to Kyle's bedside:<br />"Ok, there is no way that we can
let Ben find out what's happened. The shock will devastate him, especially
coming so soon after that dull bitch nearly caused him to have a complete
breakdown by dragging him through the courts. Therefore here's what we'll do:
you Kyle will text all of the team right now instructing them not to tell Ben
anything about Bowie and to keep him away from all newsagents and ensuring that
he's kept too busy on the case to watch TV. I'll give him ten minutes to go back
to sleep then I have work to do in his room."<br /><br />Katie waited ten minutes,
then she snuck into Ben's room and quietly removed Ben's radio-clock alarm and
his smartphone. She had a word with Luigi about the situation, then she went
outside the apartment into the exclusive foyer and used the phone to ring the
Doctor. After a short while the phone was answered:<br />"Och, och, who's
that?"<br />"Hi Doctor, this is Katie Ryan."<br />"Katie Ryan?"<br />"Yes, Katie Ryan.
You know. Ben Chatham's attractive partner in leading Operation Delta."<br />"Och,
oh that Katie Ryan. How did you get my number?"<br />"I've borrowed Ben's phone.
Now listen Doctor, this is serious. David Bowie has died. We are very worried
about Ben. We can't let him find out suddenly like this, not in his state. You
must know what a wuss he is. Myself I believe in the pull yourself together
school of counselling but we are on an important case. I don't want Ben going
into meltdown over this. Get it Doctor?"<br />"Och I see, yes. Poor Ben. I feel
for the laddie, I really do. I met Bowie once, indeed it was me who gave him the
idea for 'Space Oddity'. Och you see Major Tom was....."<br />"*Interrupting*
Doctor, I'm not interested in a dreary anecdote, what I want you to do is to
block all info about Bowie's demise from reaching Ben's phone. Do it now
please".<br />"Och alright lassie, there's no need to be rude. I'll just get onto
it now. Poor David. And poor Ben. Please give him my regards."<br />"I will
Doctor. Oh by the way, Ben says that he was visited by your old companion Clara.
In a toilet."<br />"Clara in a toilet? Lurking after men? Och dear".<br />"No she
gave us a warning. But that's our business. Ben will ring you if he needs your
help. But don't say we had this conversation."<br />"Och do you think I'm stupid
lassie? Of course I won't. Poor David. And poor Ben."<br />"Goodbye then Doctor". Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8221881756433157362.post-14157003768009357802016-01-24T10:01:00.002-08:002016-01-24T10:01:56.187-08:00"The Two Bens" Episode Three: "MUTATIONS"<br />
<span lang="">
<br />
<b><br />
EPISODE THREE: MUTATIONS<br />
</b>Ben sortly arrived at Shakey Jake's new laboratory, accompanied by Kyle, Katie and Corinne. Jake had bought a run down farm in rural Cabridgeshire and converted one of the barns into a lab. They walked in to find Jake sat behind a sophisticated computer screen, surrounded by technology. The laboratory was full of equipment, there were psychedelic posters on the walls and towards the far end of the room, rather incongruously, an old vinyl turntable was playing a vinyl copy of Jimi Hendrix's "Electric Ladyland". Jake looked up:<br />
<br />
"Hey cats, like you won't believe what I've found out. Come and look at this."<br />
<br />
They crowded round the computer screen which featured a map of Cambridge with a series of red and blue glowing dots and complex annotations.<br />
<br />
"So what are we looking at Jake?" Ben asked.<br />
<br />
"Hey man, like the red dots are where there is residual void displacement following someone recently being taken by the void. The blue indicate residual void displacement after someone has been returned by the void. Note that they are in the same place virtually, almost joined. Crazy man."<br />
<br />
Ben looked bemused:<br />
<br />
"I don't get it Jake."<br />
<br />
"Man, the void like never returnes people in the exact same locations not when its like natural void activity. Its always like random. This is weird man, far out. I reckon something's co-ordinating all of this. Wow."<br />
<br />
Ben was about to reply when Corinne Shaw held up her smartphone:<br />
<br />
"Ok, its looks like there's just been another incident. One of these mutations has just attacked a group of schoolkids the other side of town. Its all over the internet. The music teacher fought it off but was killed in the process, it wrenched her head and broke her neck. According to this it then went into the nearby Tescos and made off with a load of liver from the fresh meat counter."<br />
<br />
Ben was concerned:<br />
<br />
"These things clearly crave blood and offal for some reason, based o the injuries we've heard are inflicted on the victims. Eyeballs too for some reason. Not pleasant and rather unsavoury. We must stop this one before it attacks any more children. Any ideas?"<br />
<br />
"Like yeah man, I know just the guy. Come on", Jake exclaimed. <br />
<br />
A short time later Ben and the others were following Jake's van in their car. Jake owned an old Volkswagen van which was painted in psychedelic colours. He called it the <i>Love Mobile</i>. Eventually the Love Mobile turned down an old farm track and after hald a mile they came to a dilapidated farm house. They stopped by some rusty farm equipment as an old farmer hobbled towards them:<br />
<br />
"How do young Jake. What brings ye all to these 'ere parts?" he exclaimed.<br />
<br />
"Like hi Len, great to see you man. Hey cats, this is my buddy Len. He's groovy" Jake enthused. Katie Ryan frowned:<br />
<br />
"He must be going senile or need glasses if he calls you "young Jake" she tersely stated.<br />
<br />
"Hey babe, Len's 89 years old. Like respect babe, respect".<br />
<br />
Ben stepped forward:<br />
<br />
"Can we cut to the chase please Jake. Why have you brought us to this dump?" he asked.<br />
<br />
"Hey cats, Len here has a huge jar of strychnine in his shed. He used to use it to kill rabbits and foxes. Bad vibes all round. I turned him onto a new way, growing organic herbs for enhancing the positive mansions of the mind. Its a groovy project of mine to help small farmers turn away from destuctive methods to new more profitable ventures."<br />
<br />
Ben frowned:<br />
<br />
"Much as I admire your altruism Jake, exactly where is this leading?" he asked. Len prodded Ben with his finger:<br />
<br />
"Now look 'ere young 'un. I recon Jake 'ere wants me jar of Strychnine. I still keeps it in me shed in case I needs it for me woife an meself if we goes senile. I ain't goin' in no home."<br />
<br />
Later, having visited a butchers on the way back from the farm, Kyle helped Jake to tip some of the strychnine into buckets of offal, then stir it in. <br />
<br />
"OK, we'll leave these buckets in strategic places around Cambridge after dark. The police are imposing a curfew for us. This will deal with the immediate problem of the mutations. However we still have the bigger issue to wrestle with; namely what is causing these people to be taken by the void and to return in this state."<br />
<br />
They drove around Cambridge in the Love Mobile, leaving the buckets of offal on the pavements and in darkened alleys. Then they returned to Ben's apartment for a business meeting. Paul Farraday had prepared some bagels and salad and poured himself and Ben a large Martini each.<br />
<br />
"While you've been away Ben, we've discovered something rather alarming. Adam here *gestures to Adam Wooten* has just returned from examining the bodies of that couple found by the milkman. He tested them with the void residue amogrifier. There is no doubt about it. Those corpses have not just been in the void. They've been in another dimension."<br />
<br />
Ben swirled his glass of Martini round and round, deep in thought. Suddenly he sprang up:<br />
<br />
"This is impossible. There must be an error*flashing Adam a look of desire* not by Adam I emphasise. Adam always makes the right moves. I mean with the equipment."<br />
<br />
As Ben speaks, Corinne rushes in from the kitchen holding her smartphone:<br />
<br />
"Ben turn on the television now. You won't believe what's happening".<br />
<br />
Ben picks up the handset and turns on his large, high definition plasma smart-tv. He sees images of soldiers appearing out of nowhere and people running and screaming. Accross the screen is written, "BREAKING NEWS: UK UNDER ATTACK" . <br />
<br />
Ben is concerned:<br />
<br />
"This is serious guys. Those soldiers are just materialising there. I suspect that we are being invaded by forces from another dimension...."<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
.............. to be continued.</span><br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8221881756433157362.post-91195065486683109892016-01-09T12:39:00.002-08:002016-01-09T12:39:52.568-08:00"THE TWO BENS" Episode Two "Deadly Dangerous Now"<span lang="">EPISODE TWO: DEADLY DANGEROUS NOW<br />
</span><span style="font-size: small;">It was a milkman on his early morning rounds who found the bodies. As his milk float glided down the dark Cambridge street, he saw two figures slumped in a shop doorway. Initially he thought that it was a couple of down-and-outs until he caught sight of the young man's mutilated face and held his mouth in a vain attempt to avoid vomiting. The couples' eyes had been gouged out and their faces and hands clawed to ribbons.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;">
<br />
Ben Chatham was enjoying his continental breakfast of croissants, organic jam and Columbian Blue Ridge coffee while lounging on his leather sofa wearing his exclusive Harrods dressing gown. The digital radio was tuned into Radio Cambridge which was playing an excerpt from Faure's Requiem. Then the local news came on and Ben sat up sharply:<br />
<br />
<i><br />
"Police are investigating the discovery of two bodies in the doorway of Lasson's Art Dealers in Long Wyre Street. Unconfirmed reports suggest that a young couple have been the victims of a vicious fatal attack."<br />
</i>Ben looked across at Kyle who was munching a bacon sandwich:<br />
<br />
"Am I right in my recollection that there was a similar incident only a few days ago Kyle, a young couple killed in a frenzied attack with no obvious motive?" Ben asked.<br />
<br />
"Yeah. It was in the Cambridge Echo like. Katie was bangin' on about it." <br />
<br />
Ben sipped his coffee:<br />
<br />
"I suppose it could be a coincidence. Anyway, we need to pay a visit to Shakey Jake this morning as he indicated at the end of last night's meeting that he may be able to trace the source of all this void activity."<br />
<br />
As Ben spoke his mobile rang. He picked it up and heard the distinctive voice of Barry Tuck, waiter at the Mermaid Wine Bar (played by Johnny Vegas):<br />
<br />
<i><br />
"Ay its me, Barry. Ere I hope your sober and not pissed up as its all kickin' off round 'ere and you lot will wanna see what's in our back yard. The coppers are here."<br />
</i>
<br />
In a short while Ben and Kyle were outside the Mermaid Wine Bar, joined by Katie Ryan and Corinne Shaw, whom Ben had texted. A row of police vehicles were outside and a cordon, however Ben showed the police his Operation Delta card.<br />
<br />
"What's occuring officer?" he asked.<br />
<br />
"We've got some kind of creature cornered in the yard behind there. Deformed."<br />
<br />
Ben and the others ran down the side alley and saw a group of policemen standing by some old beer barrels. In the corner of the yard was a monstrous distorted man or creature which looked like a cross between the elephant man and Quasimodo. It snarled and clawed at the air like a dog, huge slivers of saliva dripping from its twisted mouth. It wore jeans and a tee-shirt, which were ripped and bloodstained. Ben gazed at the figure:<br />
<br />
"Ok, that is certainly a man there, or once was", he shouted.<br />
<br />
"Bloody hell, that thing is a man? Its more like a friggin' ape" the police officer replied.<br />
<br />
Ben approached the snarling figure:<br />
<br />
"I'm Ben Chatham. We are not here to harm you. Please try to calm down."<br />
<br />
The creature made a gurgling sound and stood to its feet. It made a lunge for Ben, however the policeman pulled out a taser and fired. The creature fell to the floor with a shrieking sound and a group of officers fell upon it, holding it down. Barry Tuck approached Ben:<br />
<br />
"Ay I told you you'd wanna see that fucker. Horrible innit. *Noticing Corinne* Hey up love, I ain't seen you 'ere for a bit. Hows about we go for a drink later, you've got a crackin' arse and that skirt shows it off well an' proper. Hows about a quick feel."<br />
<br />
Corinne shot him an icy stare:<br />
<br />
"Mr Tuck. Please feel free to drop dead. *To Ben* Ben I assume that you've reached the same conclusion that I have."<br />
<br />
Ben looked up, concerned:<br />
<br />
"Oh yes. That unfortunate guy looks like a void mutation."<br />
<br />
On the way to Shakey Jake's, Ben explained to Kyle what a void mutation is:<br />
<br />
"Occasionally when the void sucks in someone it deposits them somewhere dangerous, such as a burning planet or a war zone riddled with chemical weapons. Then at some point the victim is returned but deformed or injured. The problem with that guy however is that the deformities looked beyond normal burns or war wounds. His eyes were literally in the wrong place, his hands were animal claws."<br />
<br />
"So like what do you think did that to 'im?" Kyle asked.<br />
<br />
"I'm not sure. Its worrying me Kyle."<br />
<br />
The other side of Cambridge, the children were arriving at Riverside Primary School, where the Headmistress, Anita Dobson, was ferrying them into the main hall for assembly. Miss Ethersley, the music teacher, was playing the tune of "Michael Row the Boat Ashore" on the old school piano. Once the children were inside the hall, Mrs Dobson strode to the front, clapping her hands:<br />
<br />
"Children, please be silent. We will now all say the Lord's Prayer together *pointing* John Hodges, kindly refrain from punching Tommy or you will be made to stand in the bin in the corner for two hours. Now, after me children:<br />
<br />
<i><br />
"Our father, who art in heaven,<br />
<br />
Hallowed be thy name....."<br />
</i>Suddenly the door to the hall flew open and a grotesque, deformed wreck of a man staggered in, making unnatural grunting sounds, it lunged at the children with its claws.........<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
.......to be continued. </span><br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2