Monthly Archives: April 2021

©GeraldineBanks2020

Epilogue

Allenby’s career was in shreds, once his methods entered the Public Domain.. He was indicted for murder in at least 30 Countries. The legal cases alone would keep him occupied for a lifetime. The Court of Human Rights in the Hague would deal with the High Level Health Officials from many Countries who had also been involved in aiding and abetting Allenby.

It was an immense task, but the evidence and the stories of those affected were prolific and all were united against Allenby’s Eugenic Policy. Most of the Professor’s staff turned against him as they were unaware of his torture and denaturing policy, they had been convinced that the Professor was saving the World.

Meanwhile, in the UK , due to Sandy’s Documentary and the outrage it generated. There was a rapid change in the Archaic Eugenics Laws that had been introduced and within three weeks , Alex was able to be home with his family. Alex is now back with his family and growing up to be a strong and confident little boy.

Gerry and Millie consulted with Dr King and decided to try for a baby. A few years down the line they had a girl and a boy. Dr King’s research was helpful in making their decision and he continued his Medical Career as he always intended, to cure and help people.

The End

©GeraldineBanks2020

The film began on the big screen the audience were keen to see what the fuss was all about. The picture images of Allenby’s Establishment outside Washington filled the screen and were impressive. Sandy was the presenter and looked so much healthier in the film than she had when she collected her award. She began to talk about her experience and said that it was her second visit to Allenby’s Institute and they were taking the opportunity to follow up on some of the events that she had seen on her first visit and that she hoped to gather the evidence that would portray her experience and the Research that was being pursued by Allenby and his team.

Gerry, Allenby and Millie were all seated in the front row together as the film started. As it continued, Gerry sensed Allenby’s unease, he was becoming more and more agitated. It was not the film that Allenby imagined. After the initial introduction, the aims, objectives and most importantly the methods employed by Allenby became obvious and increasingly morbid and dark. The body toll mounted and the footage was unforgiving. The images of interrogation and torture that had been secretly filmed were upsetting , the audience were repulsed and some of them were in obvious distress.

Dr King’s role was explained in detail and the operation to help him escape was described. At this point Allenby tried to get up and leave, but a nearby Security Guard persuaded him to sit back down again.

Allenby turned to Gerry ” You’ll pay for this Gerry, I assure you. I have very powerful friends.”

Millie looked quizzically at Gerry as the Security Guard glared at Allenby and held his hand on his shoulder.

” Get off me.” He muttered and sheepishly sat down. The audience noted the confrontation and recognised the Professor as one of the protagonists in the torture scenes. Allenby’s entourage were scattered among the auditorium and could not assist him, some indeed were learning for the first time the type of man that they were working for.

Dr King’s worn face appeared on the screen. Sandy had not seen this footage as it had been filmed in Japan. Sandy and Martin were watching from the Green Room.

” I was held prisoner in Professor Allenby’s establishment. I was not there under my own free will. I was captured and kidnapped from where I was working with children I had in my care . They are probably dead now, we will never know what happened to most of them. The Professor and his like have decided that they were an inconvenience and all trace of them must be eradicated from the planet because their D.N.A. does not match the profile for the future envisaged by people like Allenby. I am a doctor, I treat illness and am an expert geneticist, I do not destroy because I cannot cure.

Dr King continued speaking

” Professor Allenby is acting like God. There is no such thing as perfection in Humanity. Genetics the good and the bad are part of us and of our future. I have friends and colleagues who have been tortured and killed by Professor Allenby and his associates for beliefs that I don’t understand. He’s killed healthy people who disagreed with him. He and what he stands for is the real danger. I am very lucky to have got out alive.

We tried to save as many children as we could , but we were mercilessly hunted down, pursued. Fortunately , we have our backers too, and thanks to them we have been able to save some children. Without those good people, this young man would not be alive today. Say hello Alex.”

Alex climbed onto Dr King’s lap. He smiled and waved at the camera.

The audience gasped and some began to cry.

Alex has a genetically inherited disease passed on through one of his parents. At the moment there is no known cure. I was making good progress with his treatment, which was interrupted when I was captured , but we’re back on course now. You’re feeling a lot better , aren’t you Alex?”

” Yes, thank you , I do feel a lot better.” Alex looked up at Dr King.

” Alex’s mother is Sandy , the journalist who bravely investigated and made this film. Alex was taken from her as a baby and would have been “denatured” had our Organisation not stepped him and saved him. Our actions are not illegal or a danger to the future of this planet. We are behaving as Human Beings should.”

Alex tugged at Dr King’s arm and said.

” Can I say hello to mummy and daddy now. Dr King”.

“Yes of course you can.”

Alex , waved and blew a kiss to the camera.

” Hello Mummy and Daddy, I’m looking forward to seeing you soon.”

Some of the audience had tears running down their faces and Gerry realised that Professor Allenby could be in danger from the crowd. Meanwhile Sandy and Martin were hugging each other in the Green Room having seen Alex appear on the screen.

“Martin , he’s safe with Dr King , we couldn’t hope for better!” Sandy cried.

Suddenly Gerry walked into the Green Room.

“Sandy , Alex is safe now and Allenby’s question and answer session has been cancelled. Professor Allenby has left the building. The crowd were very angry, there’s a lot of influential people out there. They don’t like child killers.” Gerry put his arms around Sandy and Martin.

Millie had followed Gerry, she had tears in her eyes. She stood quietly and looked at the group silently and moved gently forward towards Sandy. Sandy looked at her and unfolded herself , she gently touched Martin’s face and wiped her eyes with her fingers and turned to Millie to talk to her.

” Sandy that was an amazing, a brilliant piece. I didn’t know about any of it, Gerry told me nothing. I don’t suppose he could have. It wouldn’t have been safe for you or your little boy. “

“No , Mills, you’re right.”

” Allenby told me that Gerry was the carrier.” The tears ran down her eyes.

“What?” Sandy didn’t know what to say.

” Alex is his son.”

” Yes. Millie , you’ve guessed right, but what happened was way before you and Gerry , remember Alex is almost five now.” Sandy thought it best to be forthright.

” Oh I know what an alley cat Gerry was . I’m glad something good has come out of his antics. He did have a dreadful reputation. ” She laughed.” I only got him because he was getting old and tired.”

Gerry overheard her and looked around, he took his arm off of Martin’s shoulder, unsure what was going to happen next. He had been neglecting Millie recently.

“Mills, what are you saying ? I’m a burnt out old man?”

Millie looked across at him and smiled. “Bit singed maybe?”

“Thanks.” Gerry looked deflated as he began to explain.

“I’m sorry I had to keep it all under wraps, the less people who knew, the better chance I had of pulling it off. Sandy didn’t even know the whole story , you just weren’t well enough.” He looked at Sandy.

“No I wasn’t , Gerry, you have done a wonderful job and I’m grateful.”

” There’s going to be a lot more work to do now, I don’t think you’ll be able to do all the travelling involved Sandy. Perhaps Millie could take it on now.”

Sandy nodded her head in agreement and said ” Yes, Gerry , that’s a good idea, but it’s always the same with you, work, work , work. What I want to know is when I can have Alex back in my arms again. I think he’s just found himself a new Auntie, Auntie Millie.”

Millie looked at Sandy.

” I’d love that , you read my mind Sandy!. It will be great practice for when we have our own. Allenby told me that you are a carrier Gerry , and as the Law stands we can’t have children. That has got to change.”

” You saw the audience Gerry , there was a lot of anger there about what has been happening.” She looked Gerry straight in the eye and said . “Nobody is going to say I can’t have a baby with you.”

Gerry could not filibuster his way out of this as he normally would and just rush off to another meeting.

Despite her frailty, Sandy rallied and gently took them aside and spoke to them about Dr King and how wonderful he was.

After they had listened to Sandy , Gerry realised Sandy was extremely tired and said to Martin that perhaps it was a good time to take her home. They went to get their things.

Gerry and Millie later discussed what they needed to do.

” I’ll set up a meeting with Dr King, but we have to have a change in the Law before we can get him and Alex over here. I need you to keep the momentum going on this Millie. There’s going to be some fallout. Allenby will be in touch with his powerful friends and will now be working on destroying our story. I need my little Miss Dynamite out there.”

Millie noticed that Sandy and Martin were just leaving , she put her hand on Sandy’s thin shoulder.

” Yes , I’ll follow through on your work, we’ll nail those bastards to the wall.”

Gerry looked appreciatively at Millie, he had always admired her feistiness.

The four of them said goodnight and Martin and Sandy went out to the chauffer car that Gerry had organised to take them home.

©GeraldineBanks2020

Gerry in his Senior Management role has been doing the rounds at the Awards Ceremony, keeping everyone sweet and networking with people he knew in the Industry. This included keeping Millie’s parents happy too. They were very pleased with him as a son-in-law, he had made Millie very happy and that was the only thing that their money could not buy. He was about to leave them after some small talk , when Millie appeared beside him.

“Hey Babe” He put his arm around her waist.” You’re doing a great job I don’t know what I’d do without you Mills.” He looked at Millie lovingly.

Millie nodded to her parents and pulled Gerry away.

“Gerry , these people are so boring , I feel like my head is going to explode. I hope you’ve got time for me tonight. I’ve been missing you.”

Millie was almost pleading, she wanted children and she had been hinting for a long time.

Gerry winked.

“Tonight might just be your lucky night , my little Minx.”

Millie smiled wickedly. She knew he meant it.

They both winked at each other and parted company. Gerry turned to head back to the green room.

Millie disappeared into the crowd. Gerry just caught her voice saying to a tall dark man with a beard.

“Raymond, so when are you doing a casting for your new project?”

Gerry lost sight of Millie in the crowd.

When Gerry reached the Green Room, they were just making the announcement for the Winner of The Documentary Category. As expected Sandy had won.

And the Winner is “Sunshine Media’s Gene Power”

Sandy and Martin had moved out of the Green Room and were waiting in the wings, so Martin took Sandy’s hand and they both walked on stage. Martin wasn’t really supposed to be there but with Sandy being so frail he had decided it was best. When they reached the presenter of the Award they both smiled and as the presenter handed it over to Sandy, she felt the weight of it in her hand and her arm fell towards the ground. Martin just managed to grab her wrist and lift it back up and they both lifted it to eye level with the audience. There was a murmur of concern from the audience , but a sense of relief when they saw that disaster had been averted. Those of them who knew Sandy wondered at her frailty .

“Sandy would you like to say a few words?” It was expected and Sandy with the little energy she could muster, moved unsteadily towards the microphone. She raised the award slightly and said “Thank You” and smiled at the audience and then turned and kissed Martin, the audience erupted in cheers and clapping. As Sandy and Martin left the stage, the Presenter announced that there would be a full screening of “Gene Power shortly and that Professor Allenby would be available for a short question and answer session afterwards.

Gerry who was now standing with Allenby in the wings said.

” I hope you like it, I’m sure it’s going to generate a lot of Global Interest, we’ll be syndicating it.” He motioned to Gerry to move out of the way as Sandy and Martin passed by.

“That’s good news , we need to keep the Public behind us. Keep the trouble makers quiet.”

©GeraldineBanks2020

The tension in the Green Room was palpable. Sandy’s thoughts were however focused on coming face to face with Allenby again. Sandy didn’t care who received the Awards. Martin would be by her side and he had no intention of letting Allenby near her. However, Sandy knew that would be impossible and that Allenby would approach her. She had to stay calm and appear as normal as possible. It would be difficult.

There were a lot of people gathered in the Green Room. There was enough food and drink to feed them all five times over. Fortunately , as time passed and the various Prizes were announced and the Awards distributed the crowd thinned and Martin and Sandy were able to make their way to the delicious buffet. Martin was ravenous, so he helped himself to a plate and made his choice. Sandy held her plate in her hand and tentatively chose a couple of hors de oeuvres which she began to nibble.

She laughed as Martin began to shovel food into his mouth. “Stop it Martin, slow down.” she chided.

However, Martin stopped eating altogether and put his plate down.

“What’s up?” Sandy whispered in his ear.

“It’s him, he’s here.”

“Pick that plate up now, we ‘ve got to pretend there’s nothing wrong.” Sandy picked up Martin’s plate and handed it back to him.

Martin held the plate of food in his hand as he watched Gerry and Allenby enter the Green Room , they were followed by Allenby’s entourage . The room was full to the brim again.

“Help yourself to our meagre fayre”. Gerry announced. Plenty for everyone. I’m just going to check on a few details at the front, so relax and enjoy, we’ve got a tight programme and I don’t expect we’ll hear anything for about half an hour and we may over run depending on the speeches.

Gerry left the room and Martin watched as Allenby moved towards one of the drinks table accompanied by a tall young man in a blue suit. Martin placed a vol-au-vent to his lips, it felt dry and crumbly in his mouth, he had suddenly lost his appetite, but he popped it in his mouth and with his free hand he touched Sandy’s shoulder to reassure her. She was beginning to tense up and she put her plate down on the table. She had ate nothing.

Martin watched as Allenby poured himself some water and spoke firmly to the man in the blue suit who rapidly left the green room, nodding and gesturing that whatever Allenby wanted would be done.

Martin looked at Sandy and caught her attention momentarily, she looked away when she heard Allenby’s voice and she froze. Martin took her hand in his.

“It’s alright Martin, I’m fine.” Sandy said.

A sound of raucous, loud applause coming from the main stage area reverberated through the room. It was the announcement of one of the Acting Awards, it garnered quite a few people’s attention in the Green Room, so much so that with the milling and cooing of the crowd Martin didn’t notice Allenby making his way behind Sandy and suddenly touching her shoulder.

” Hello Sandy, such a long time since we’ve seen each other, have you been out of circulation? I’ve tried calling you, but all your numbers have changed.”

Sandy didn’t flinch , but she twisted gently and moved so that the Professor’s hand was left mid air and she turned to face him.

“Oh we do that quite regularly, it’s and Industry Standard, otherwise I’d get pestered night and day, particularly as it looks like our Documentary is going to win the top spot. ” Sandy said matter-of-factly.

” Yes, Gerry seems very confident. I saw some exerts in the editing suite, I would have like to have seen a preview, unfortunately we ran out of time and Gerry said it was bad luck anyway. How have you been keeping?”

Sandy wanted to scream at Allenby, but she kept her cool.

” Oh I’m fine , took a while to get over the virus. Funny, Gerry comes out with all sorts of things, bad luck nonsense, it’s really because our Industry has so much loose talk, it’s hard to keep anything secret. It looks like we’re on to a winner with your facility and it’s work. You will join us on stage won’t you. I’ve just got to make a quick phone call to my baby sitter, so we’ll catch up later.

She took Martin by the arm.

” Come on, just want to remind the twins to watch us on T.V. , I promised them they could stay up and watch.” She looked at Martin and both of them moved quickly away from Allenby. Martin smiled as he left Allenby standing. Allenby was briefly distracted by the sound on an overhead screen, he watched and listened as a young actor made an earnest thank you speech. Allenby turned and looked at the food on the table, he brusquely turned his back and took out his mobile phone and begun to make a call. He ended the call abruptly and turned again to look up at the screen. He kept watching the Award proceedings for a few moments, until his Mobile phone bleeped, he looked at it .

” I thought as much!” He muttered to himself.

©GeraldineBanks2020

On the Night of The Award Ceremony , Sandy looked stunning , she had been given the best advice that money could buy. The make-up people had known she had been ill and had lost a lot of weight , so they helped her pick an outfit as well as doing her hair and make-up. The dress was simple with some very discrete padding to enhance her almost skeletal figure. Sandy was relieved that they had given her skin tone a lift and the drawn look on her face had disappeared without her looking like she was caked in concealer. The whole process had lightened her mood and renewed her confidence, perhaps she could face Allenby after all.

Gerry true to his word, was keeping the Professor busy. Allenby had been whisked away along with his entourage to a tour of Sunshine Media’s editing suite. He had told Sandy and Martin that the probable meeting place for everyone would be the Green Room at the Awards Ceremony Theatre , but until that moment he had plenty to show Allenby. Once they were all in the Green Room Allenby’s fate would be sealed as the Documentary would be shown in all it’s glory.

Meanwhile Gerry sat with Allenby in the editing suite giving him a preview of the Documentary. They were looking up at a large screen which showed the picture and was linked to a console which Gerry was operating.

“This is a good cut , have a look”

“Allenby’s face appeared, a talking head, and in the background one of his impressive laboratories.

” Our facility has made leaps and bounds on counteracting the forces that will damage the future of our planet and our children.”

Gerry pressed a button on the console and looked across at Allenby.

” We are going to win tonight , Professor thanks to you.”

“But enough of that , let me show you what this suite can really do . Let’s have some fun.”

The Professor looked puzzled, but Gerry continued.

Gerry produced a still of the handsome Professor Allenby and began to manipulate the image. One of the technical boffins had set it up for him and so all he needed to do was press some buttons in a specific order.

“Ever wonder what you’d look like when you are ninety Professor?”. Gerry looked up at the Professor.

The image on the screen began to change slowly. The skin began to age, developing wrinkles and age spots, and the well cut hair grew long and thinned out until eventually the Professor was bald and what was left of his receded hair had turned from grey to white.

“Still a handsome old goat ? Aren’t I?” He laughed and looked at Gerry.

“If you say so Professor, no comment. How do you fancy being a super hero? ” Gerry pressed more buttons on the console.

“Professor Nojomouse ……”

The Professor appeared with large whiskers , mouse ears and two prominent front teeth. He was also purple.” There was a titter in the background from one of Allenby’s entourage.

“Aaah, Nojomouse! So popular with the children, the little mouse who is continually trying to save the World from the Evil Dr Flerhaus.”

“You are a fan , Professor Nojomouse is very big globally, a big earner for us.”

” My younger sister has three children under five, that little mouse is her Saviour. I wore a Dr Flerhaus costume at Christmas last year, a big mistake, it didn’t go down well. I believe the children had nightmares and didn’t settle that night.”

Gerry fiddled with the console and the Professor’s image , mimicked what he had just said in the voice of Nojomouse in an animated form.

Again one of the Professor’s assistant’s laughed at the animation on the screen and the squeaky voice of the Professor and the Professor turned coldly and looked at him.

“Perhaps this is more your style Professor. The Evil Dr Flerhaus!”

Again the features on the screen changed .The whole entourage stood in silence and waited to see the Professor’s reaction.

“The Evil Dr Flerhaus!” There we are. Your alter ego. A man wo tries to destroy the World as opposed to a Great One who is saving it.

“Enough! We must get ready and make our way to the Award Ceremony, the Cars are waiting.”It’s only ten minutes away”.

Gerry reached over as he spoke and took a sip of water from a paper cup that was sitting on the console, when he finished he threw the cup in the bin beside him. As he got up from his seat he turned to Allenby and patted him on the back.

” We’ll go in my car , it’s just outside.”

Allenby smiled. Like best friends they walked out of the double doors followed by Allenby’s entourage. No one noticed one of Allenby’s assistants discretely take the paper cup that Gerry had disposed of in the bin and put it in a plastic bag, which he then carried out of the room.

©GeraldineBanks 2020

Sandy was able to recuperate at home after leaving hospital. The Doctor’s in the UK were shocked by what had happened to her. They had not seen Female Genital Mutilation performed on an adult woman and were unsure why it had occurred. The road to recovery would be a long one and would involve a number of reconstructive operations.

Her flight and escape from Allenby’s clutches were a distant memory and at Gerry’s behest she returned to work. Sandy had agreed despite the fact she was extremely tired, she did however stipulate that she could work mornings only as her sleep was being interrupted by terrible nightmares. She had flashbacks which left her screaming in the middle of the night. Martin would do his best to comfort her but it was no use, the twins were shipped back to their grandparents. The screaming and crying was too upsetting for them.

Gerry had had access to Sandy’s Medical Records in order to arrange the Insurance for the Med-Evac from Washington. He knew what Allenby had did and he was fired up to complete Sandy’s project and to get Alex and now Sandy the treatment they needed. Dr King was in Japan and was safe. Gerry was an absolute genius when it came to organising and editing Sandy’s material. He also appointed a top team to organise the News Awards Ceremony where the final part of Sandy’s Documentary on Allenby would be shown. Allenby and his retinue would be attending in anticipation of gaining more funding and global acceptance for the work they were doing.

Gerry had arranged for Sandy’s work telephone number, email and passwords to be changed. Gerry knew that Allenby would try to contact Sandy and as her nerves were frail, it could be very harmful. One morning as Sandy and Gerry sat drinking coffee in the shared social area, Gerry’s mobile rang. It was Allenby. Sandy sensed who it was and Gerry signalled to her that he would take the call elsewhere. Sandy sighed with relief.

When Gerry returned, Sandy had almost finished her coffee.

” So what did he say?” Sandy asked Gerry.

” Took the bait, hook line and sinker, he’s coming on the 29th , he’ll be staying in London a few days.”

“What am I going to do , I cannot face seeing that man.” She looked pleadingly at Gerry.

“We’ll see what we do closer to the time. As far as he’s concerned you are still getting treatment. I can handle him, I can give him a busy time. Keep him away from you, but I assure you when he falls he’s going to fall hard, so you’ll want to be around to see it.”

Sandy looked at her empty coffee cup.

“We’ll see, Gerry, I’m very tired , can I go a bit early today.”

“Of course, look if you need a few days, I’ve got everything done our side. Maybe see you Monday?” Gerry could see that the call from Allenby had upset Sandy.

” Yes that would be good thanks. My head just isn’t right. Allenby is such a cruel man, I have such weird thoughts. It’s like Allenby’s won, subdued me by his will.”

Gerry surprised her by leaning over her and giving her a big gentle bear hug.

” Allenby hasn’t won and isn’t winning, and by facing up to him you have given our son the best chance he has. You’ve done the best job ever. Don’t be hard on yourself. I’d pay for a psychologist , but I know you Sandy, you’ll rationalise all this yourself, remember who you are hasn’t changed. It was the cruellest thing imaginable to have happened, which I’ve no doubt Allenby intended, but the man and his friends need to be stopped, the lid is going to be blown on this in a very public way.

Sandy was taken aback by the gentleness of his hug and the encouraging words.

” Our son Alex, has two daddys, Martin and you.” She began to sob.

“Yes, you , Martin and I are definitely a Nuclear Family and what could be better than that. Get some rest.”

They both embraced each other as someone passed by.

” Final cuts” Gerry said out loud” Gets you like that and winked at the passer by.

Sandy drove home, she still was not mobile enough to look after the twins and this frustrated her. She missed not picking them up from school. Sandy could be tearful one moment and the next she could feel a surge of anger which was so powerful it would make her heart race. As her car pulled into the driveway she used her voice to turn the engine off .She knew it would be painful getting out of the car. Some scarring had got infected and she desperately wanted to go to the toilet. She opened the car door and struggled to her front door. Once safely inside, she made her way to the restroom in the hall.

©GeraldineBanks2020

Martin received a telephone message from Gerry to say that Allenby’s office had been in touch and that both Sandy and Angela had contracted a virus and weren’t able to travel. Sandy was recovering in a hospital in Washington, but unfortunately for Angela the virus had proved fatal and he was making arrangements to get her body home. Sandy would be travelling as soon as Gerry could get the Med-Evac organised , but in the meantime she was in the best of hands.

Martin was relieved when he got a telephone call from Sandy. As he listened to her on the telephone , she sounded very weak, and it was a real effort for her to speak but it was the old Sandy.

” Martin, I’m so looking forward to getting home, this virus has just been awful. How are the twins?” She was being careful , she didn’t want to say to much for fear of her conversation being monitored.

“The children are just fine, missing you an awful lot. My parents send their love, they’ve enjoyed their baby sitting stint, but would be grateful if you would hurry up and get home.” Martin tried to be jovial but could feel the tears welling up in his eyes.

Sandy smiled , but any movement would cause her pain, she was talking on audio phone which worked from the bedside table.

” I’ll be home as soon as I can, I think Gerry is working on it.”

“How’s Professor Allenby? Was he pleased with your work?”

“Oh yes, he’s very pleased with himself and everything. Gerry’s handling everything now. We’ve got some great footage. Really shows the place off.”

” That’s good, Gerry’s kept me in the loop, we were both very worried about you. You sound so weak.”

“Yes, I’ve spoken to Gerry, he’s doing everything to get me back home as soon as possible. The only thing that’s keeping me sane at the moment is the thought of getting home. I can’t think any further than that at the moment. The doctor’s are beginning to say I can travel in the next few days. “

” I hope so.” Martin wiped the tears from his eyes, partially out of relief that Sandy was still alive, but also worried that he didn’t know what she had been through.

” I think , they’ll be organising special transport, I’m not very mobile. I can’t walk, the pain is too intense. I don’t want to take too many painkillers , they make me feel like a zombie.”

” Maybe for the flight back, take what they give you, you can go into rehab and detox you when you get back. You don’t even like taking Aspirin .”

” I know, maybe you’re right. I’m so tired now, I think I’ll have a sleep. This has changed me .” Sandy’s voice got weaker.

” Let’s talk when you’re stronger , get some rest.” Martin held the phone to his ear, and he heard Sandy’s shallow breathing.

“OK Martin, love you.” Sandy drifted off to sleep.

Martin put the phone down and looked at the twins asleep on the bed beside him.

©GeraldineBanks2020

Allenby’s plane was late and Joss arranged for the chauffeur to pick up Martin and Sandy and take them to the airport. They had packed everything and were both about to get into the waiting car when Sandy’s phone beeped, it was Allenby.

“I’ve arranged another car , I’d like to see you , you can catch a later flight.”

Sandy really wanted to get in the car with Martin and get out of there, but something told her she was not going to be allowed to. Another car appeared in front of them and the driver signalled to Sandy to come with him.

“Oh,Oh” Martin said.

“I’ll be fine, I’ll let you know how I get on. Don’t make a fuss . Kiss me , you’ve got the film . Sandy’s pupils were dilated with fear.”

Martin gazed helplessly as Sandy got into the other car and was whisked away, there was the driver and another man in the front passenger seat. Martin continued through security and the small electronic device that held all the footage that Allenby would not want anyone to see remained undetected.

Martin sighed as the car drove out onto the highway and he hoped Sandy would also be on her way shortly. The filmed evidence would protect her, but he knew she was in a precarious situation. He wanted to go back and get her, but it was impossible. The anti-dote for some of the truth drugs that Allenby could use was on a small crown at the back of her mouth, all she needed to do was bite on it half an hour before the drug was administered. Hard to judge though, he thought ,and suppose it didn’t work. What would Allenby do if he found out what they had done?

Meanwhile when Sandy arrived at one of the interrogation buildings, she immediately sensed something was wrong. The car stopped abruptly and the driver and the other man in the front of the car jumped out and opened Sandy’s door. She was manhandled out of the vehicle with each man taking one of her arms and frog-marching her in through the entrance. There was none of the usual security , everything opened automatically and she realised she was in an “interrogation area” she had never seen.

They came to a reception area and she was literally thrown at one of the chairs. A few minutes later Angela, the make-up artist was wheeled by semi-conscious in a wheel chair. Angela lifted her head to look at Sandy but there was no recognition.

” Angela” Sandy stood up and shouted. ” What have you done to her , she should be on the plane, what the hell is going on?”

Sandy was roughly thrown back and made to sit down by another Security Guard who unbeknown to Sandy had been directly behind her.

“As Angela was wheeled by, Sandy watched as the limp body in the wheelchair almost tipped forward, the orderly who was pushing her frantically grabbed at her and Angela gave a slight whimper .

“You people will pay for this!” Sandy shouted.

The Security Guard hit her viciously in the face. Sandy thought he had broken her jaw, the pain was so intense.

Angela was wheeled through some double doors and disappeared. Sandy was stunned and then Allenby appeared.

“Oh my , my not so rough! ”

Sandy knew that Allenby had been watching all the time and thought perhaps this had all been staged. She wondered what had happened to Martin , was he at the airport, would he make the arranged flights. If he did then the film that he had would be enough to stop Allenby in his tracks. The pain in Sandy’s mouth was intense and she knew her mouth was bleeding.

“My dear Sandy, that is certainly not a good look” Allenby walked up to her and put his hand on her chin and held it up to his gaze….. damaged goods eh?”

“Nurse, clean her up”. A Nurse appeared and wiped the blood from Sandy’s face. Sandy’s lips were beginning to swell.

“You’re a Mad Man Allenby, what the hell is going on , is this how you get your kicks. You pervert””

Sandy’s mouth hurt like hell , but she got her words out. She felt at the back of her mouth for the gel capsule that contained the anti-dote to the truth drug and bit into it. She felt the fluid dissipate and swallowed.

” You won’t kill me Allenby , I’m the Star Presenter, you can’t explain away me disappearing, you need me just as much as I need you.”

” You think so , I’m not so sure . There are worse things than death you know, as your colleague Angela has just found out. She’ll never be the same . Accidents happen , a viral infection , loss of all motor function. We will say we did the best for her that we could . We can say the same for you. It’s awful isn’t it?” Allenby smiled and continued.

“Nothing is ever how it seems, Angela told us everything, I just want you to collaborate her story. This will help.”

The nurse reappeared with the paraphernalia to administer the truth drug, the Security Guard moved to hold Sandy down.

Sandy wanted to delay the drug a bit longer. She jumped out of the chair and ran towards the door and turned directly to look at Allenby.

” Allenby you are mad, do what you want ! You are a mad control freak. Ever think that you might not be the genius you think you are? That you are wrong and everyone else is right!”

Allenby looked as Sandy moved around the room. He signalled to the Security Guard to leave her alone.

“How admirable a journalist to the very end, still asking difficult questions. Well perhaps not really that difficult. According to my peers , I am no genius, but that matters little now. They are nobodies, some have died , some have retired, but look at me , look at my reputation, my honours, my awards , this place. Funny none of my peers thought my work of any value, none of them would work for me. Now , I force people to work for me. It’s not pleasant and I’m not happy about losing Dr King Sit down Sandy.”

” No I will not sit down!” Sandy remonstrated and gesticulated at Allenby, she moved closer to him, even though the movement caused a throbbing pain in her jaw.

Allenby shouted “Guards”

The Guards grabbed Sandy and made her sit down on one of the reception chairs.

Allenby moved towards the now seated Sandy.

” Losing Dr King has very much upset me.”

“Where did he go? He wanted to retire , he said he was looking to complete the project and get the hell out of here. Let’s face it you are running a prison camp here.” Sandy looked up at Allenby.

“Don’t play the innocent with me young lady” Allenby raised his fist and hit Sandy on her right breast. The pain Sandy felt was horrendous and she was severely winded.

” I don’t want to mark that pretty face anymore, I still find it most attractive. ” Allenby held Sandy’s chin in his hand and raised her head to look directly into his eyes. Sandy’s eyes filled with tears. She tried to talk , but all she could do was mumble a few words which were incomprehensible.

“Creep!” was all Allenby heard.

He hit her again , this time on the other breast.

Sandy felt the pain go right through her body, she was very frightened but still wanted to give herself more time. The truth anti-dote had to work, it was her only chance.

“I want Martin!” She cried.

“Martin is on the way to the Airport, he can’t help you!”

“This is crazy, what is it you want? Call him back please?

“What for? The man is an idiot. A useless dolt. Nurses ! ” Allenby raised his voice and the Nurses with a gurney and a trolley with the paraphernalia to inject Sandy arrived . Sandy kicked at the trolley and caused one of the silver kidney dishes containing a syringe to fall on the floor. One of the Nurses , hurriedly left the reception area and came back with a replacement.

” That was stupid Sandy!” Allenby , moved back and the Security Guards held Sandy while the Nurses gave her the first injection.

Within a few minutes Sandy’s body went limp and she was aware that she was lifted onto the gurney trolley and strapped onto it and wheeled into another room. More drugs were administered and the room that she was brought to was brightly lit. Sandy heard an instruction given by Allenby to strip her.

Sandy could no longer struggle but was totally aware of what was said and done to her. After the interrogation which she kept to the story that Ian and Angela were additions to the crew she knew nothing about and that Dr King was chosen because Martin had said , he was an expert in genetics. Sandy did not know who he was.

She remembered, that Allenby had calmed down as she had answered his questions . Sandy remembered that after the initial interrogation Allenby had instructed the other people who were there to leave them alone. Sandy was helpless.

When Sandy regained consciousness, the ties that held her down had been removed , she was still in the interrogation room and Allenby sat in a chair opposite watching her. Sandy was very groggy and all she could feel was the moistness and stickiness between her legs, she could hardly keep her eyes open.

” Ah, Sandy , you are awake. Well it seems that what you were saying was true.”

The sound of Allenby’s voice caused her irritation and gave her the strength to reply.”

“What are you talking about , you Madman?”

” You knew nothing about Dr King’s escape?”

” I don’t understand, what gave you the idea that I did? What have you done?”

“It was just too convenient, you arrive with the crew and Dr King disappears. Your set up was infiltrated.”

“Look , you’ve dragged me into this, where’s Martin, get me Martin. I want nothing to do with you. You’re a dangerous Madman.”

“Oh yes, you’re right, I’m dangerous, but you needn’t worry, we’ll make you all better and we’ll continue with our work.”

” Fuck you” Sandy screamed, she began to feel the pain that was shooting through her body.

” Oh don’t be angry, perhaps I’ll give you some more pain relief. Like a good doctor , I will look after you, I’ll take you to the recovery room , you will need to rest, and I must dispose of this. “

Allenby held up a sample dish. Sandy looked at it , there was blood and bits of tissue in it. Sandy could barely register what he was showing her.

“Yes Sandy, I am the last man to enjoy you and pleasure you. No one else will ever be able to do that now. I’ve taken away all your external genitalia. I just couldn’t help myself. “

Sandy fainted.

Allenby continued talking and rubbed her forehead.

” I shall look after you myself the next few days, my sweet girl. You will be in pain when the anaesthetic wears off and the stiches will take some time to heal. We’ll telephone your office and say you’ve caught a virus and won’t be able to fly for a couple of weeks. Angela unfortunately will not make it as we discussed . I’m sure you understand that this is for the best .

Allenby wheeled the unconscious Sandy into the recovery room.

©GeraldineBanks2020

The next week passed in a furore of set pieces and filming. Joss , was always on hand when Sandy needed assistance always professional and helpful. The crew were given access to all areas of the site and Joss was very frank when answering questions about the role of the site.

Sandy located Dr King within days, thankfully he was in a good state of health and was working in one of the Prison Laboratories. Sandy made a request to Joss for an interview with Dr King, Joss so no problem and arranged for the meeting the following Friday which would be there last day of filming.

Martin and Sandy sat down with Ian and Angela and discussed their plan to help Dr King escape. Ian as a sound expert managed to block any listening devices which meant they had more time for discussion than the device Martin had used. Sandy explained that the interview arrangements were simple, she would go alone , with just Ian as the sound man.

” Are you sure ?” said Martin.

” Yes, I didn’t mention anything about the Aztec’s, I just said I wanted to interview someone who was “captive” and that Dr King seemed a good candidate. So Joss accepted that. Once we get him out of the Prison building , that will be where we need to move quickly. The plan is that he goes to Japan. All the flights are booked and he will be part of the crew leaving for Japan. We need to get him to the make up room quickly and without any fuss.”

Ian interjected. “Hold on , are there guards in the Prison building? How can we just walk out with him? How do we get him out?”

” That’s why you need the Aztec thing, we need to get him out of the Prison and somewhere I can sit down and have a proper Scientific discussion. That way we won’t have any need to force our way out. We need to meet him outside of the Prison and not too far away from the Condo that Angela is in.” Martin said.

” Perhaps, you are right, we need to squirrel him away, I’ll have to speak to Joss again, get her to agree that we meet Dr King for lunch in one of the annexes.”

Joss dutifully agreed and seemed to accept the need for Martin to be involved in the interview. So on their last day of filming on Friday, Martin and Dr King were sitting at a table in a meeting room . There was a security guard outside. Martin had his laptop and some old skulls which were not at all relevant to any scientific discussion.

Dr King was at first very puzzled, but played along with the situation, he was glad to be out of the Prison Facility . Martin began discussing basic skull anatomy. Dr King held the skull in his hand and pointed to a small projection on the base of it. Martin looked down with interest at what Dr King was pointing at and then moved his hand slightly.

Dr King saw the sticker on the bottom of the skull which said “Escape”. Dr King and Martin had a heated debate about genetics and archaeology ,they examined data on Martin’s laptop and played with the skulls. Eventually Martin said that he was hungry and he’d call for a bite to eat. He rang the number on his mobile that he’d been given and a small buffet appeared in about ten minutes.

“Pass the fruit bowl, for some reason we don’t get any fruit around here, they must keep it for the VIP’s like you.”

Martin passed the fruit bowl and Dr King took a few pieces and put them in the pockets of his white lab coat.

“You make it sound like a prison, is it?”

Dr King laughed. “Oh , no , not really , only of the mind , a self-imposed prison , once I’ve cracked the data that they’ve given me I’m told I can go. Hopefully I can retire from the scene. I hope I’ve been of some help to you. History or Archaeology can prevent us from making the same mistakes again and again. It’s amazing how our global gene pool has remain unaltered since the world began and even more amazing that we seek to control it. I’m at the forefront of a science that will advance human kind, you’d think they’d be more generous with their fruit.” Dr King smiled at Martin , but Martin could see he was getting concerned about how he was going to escape.

The plan was that Martin would finish talking with Dr King by 3.30pm and when the guard came to escort Dr King back to the Prison Facility then Ian , the sound man would “neutralise” him by injecting him with a drug which caused symptoms similar to a heart attack. Martin would call for medical aid and while the Medical Emergency continued Ian would take Dr King to the make up room , where Angela would be ready to disguise him as one of the catering staff that left the site every evening. The plan worked like clockwork, by 9.00pm that night, Dr King was on an executive jet to Japan and a secret location and the PR machine of Allenby’s Research Institute remained quiet, trying to ascertain what had happened. Ian the sound man had disappeared and was thought to be the culprit. The Allenby organisation had been compromised.

Joss was at her wits end when Sandy finally spoke to her. The Security Guard who had had the heart attack was in hospital and she hadn’t had a chance to talk to him about what had happened. Martin had briefed Sandy that the “need to know” was what she had to think about. Sandy and Martin knew nothing, they did not know Dr King and Ian was as far as they were concerned their sound man. Sandy had not picked him , he was some sort of specialist. Martin was confident that once they’d showed their footage to Joss and Allenby that they would leave the next day without any problem.

Joss took a call from Allenby while Sandy was talking to her. He was coming back tomorrow . Early in the morning, before the T.V. crew had left and he wanted to see Sandy. Joss was very uneasy. Allenby was very angry.

©GeraldineBanks2020

Sandy’s film crew had been hand picked by her except for two additions who were specialist contractors that Gerry had arranged. A sound specialist called Ian and a make up girl called Angela. After everyone had unpacked it was decided they would they would all meet up and have dinner together at one of the on site restaurants which Joss had recommended.

Over dinner there was a heated discussion as to what was going on at the site .Joss had supplied a detailed map which included areas marked as “detention centres” and “interrogation rooms”. Sandy reassured everyone that this was her second visit and she had been to those areas and they were not as bad as they sounded. Sandy said there that there was a “containment” element to the buildings and the facility but that it was not by any means intimidating.

The breath of opinion expressed by her crew and the discussion over dinner surprised her. Some were very vociferous about defending freedom and their rights and Sandy couldn’t help but think it was more about noise than practical experience. Those with the bad experiences never said much, it was their way of coping. She noticed that Martin, Ian and Angela spent a lot of time talking quietly among themselves at the end of the table while the noise continued among the rest of the crew.

Later back at their Condo , with the signal blocker on , Martin told Sandy about the plan to find and help Dr King escape once they had located him. There was going to be a room in a Condo set aside for dressing and make up which Angela would be taking care of. Sandy needed to persuade Joss that Martin needed to “interview” Dr King for a piece about the South American Genetic discovery , a layman’s piece about genetic coding and Ancient Aztec Civilisations. Ian would be the “Sound Recordist and Camera man” and would help Martin get Dr King to the “make up room” and get him to change into one of the cleaners uniforms and use make up to disguise him. He could then leave like some of the contractors do each day. Martin suggested that Sandy set up a lunch meeting with Joss the next day , and go through the filming itinerary and the interviews that were needed.

The next day , at lunch Joss and Sandy sat down and agreed an itinerary, they would be on site for two weeks, as there has been a change of plan and some of the crew would be flying to Japan for another assignment. Thus it had cut short the actual filming time. Sandy outlined her plan and asked Joss to suggest interviewees that could cover the key subjects Sandy wanted to include.

Later that day , Joss confirmed the interview attendee’s and much to Sandy’s relief , Dr King was on the list. He was still alive and perhaps like Gregor was being forced to work for Allenby’s organisation. Sandy dutifully filled in the details on her computer and set up a team meeting so that everyone would know what was required of them . It would be a busy couple of weeks.

One subject that Joss had been unsure about covering was the use of truth drugs in the interrogation centre. Sandy had assured her though that it would be all handled extremely sensitively. They agreed that there would be specific named members of crew allowed in those areas along with Sandy herself. All filmed material would have to be approved by Allenby himself. Sandy was happy to do that , she was sure that the Professor would be delighted with what she produced.