©GeraldineBanksFebruary2025
Monday morning arrived like a sledgehammer to Sandy and Martin heads. They both went their separate ways, Martin as always handling the child care and Sandy setting off for the office. Just as Sandy stepped into the lift from the Car Park at Sunshine Media , a man rushed in behind her as the doors were about to close. It was one of the young production runners, an ex- County Rugby Player. As he turned around to check what floor he was going to , his lap top bumped against Sandy’s thigh. It was still tender and she squealed.
” Oops sorry , are you OK?” The young man turned around and looked at Sandy.
” Fine thanks, I’m a bit bruised, Kick Boxing Class at the weekend, I need to learn to defend better.”
” Apologies, I’m a clumsy oaf. Really sorry.” He apologised in his accomplished Public Schoolboy accent.
Sandy reached the floor, where she normally gave her expenses to Gerry’s secretary. She moved awkwardly out of the lift. To her surprise Gerry was standing opposite the lift door and greeted her as she got out. He looked tanned and relaxed.
“Sandy, so good to see you!” He made a show of hugging her , not realising why she moved away reluctant to be bumped again.
“Sorry Gerry, I’m a bit tender, I fell down in the garden , I ‘m pretty badly bruised.” She drew away from him and looked at him sceptically.
” You look well, where have you been?” Sandy enquired, noticing Gerry’s concerned look.
“Oh I see, dangerous places garden’s .” Gerry moved backwards away from her. ” Oh the Caribbean , Mills likes it , I was bored as hell, but we combined a bit of work too. New travel programme possibly.”
“Nice.” Sandy began to make her way to where Gerry’s Secretary sat, ready to leave her expenses on her desk. Gerry continued talking to her.
” I need a debrief on your Allenby trip, I’m curious to know what you thought about his facility.”
” Sure Gerry, will we use my office downstairs? It was really interesting stuff. The place is amazing. I’m buzzing with ideas. There’s a hell of a lot going on there.”
“OK, I’ll see you in half an hour, we won’t be interrupted.”
“OK Gerry”. Sandy put her paperwork on the Secretary’s desk and made her way out of the open plan office down to her basement office.
Gerry meanwhile headed to the coffee machine and flattered one of the young Production Assistants who was just getting herself a coffee. As usual his banter worked wonders for the new girl and she left the coffee machine on a high, impressed that one of the “Management Team” had taken the time to speak to her. She felt she had made a good impression. As Gerry pressed the buttons to get his coffee, all he could think about was the welfare of his son. Sandy had not looked at all well.
Half an hour later Gerry and Sandy both sat opposite each other in her basement office. Sandy who had no photographs or even many notes told Gerry what she had seen.
“It’s worse than I even thought….” Sandy looked up at Gerry, she wasn’t sure if she could trust him.
“How do you mean?”
“It’s a Death Camp Gerry. That facility is used to torture people and kill them when they are no longer needed. It’s all very dangerous and very scary. Allenby wants a good PR Job done on it, no accidental leaks apparently there is some sort of Global Agreement that means the people who are captured are basically fair game, he can do what he wants with them. Officially they no longer exist.”
” I cannot believe it has come to this” Gerry looked dismayed, the relaxed demeanour disappeared and a look of despair replaced it.
“Believe it Gerry. Allenby wants to make his actions look that it’s for the benefit of mankind and that what he is doing is to protect our future.” Sandy noticed Gerry looked dismayed.
The man is a monster of the worst kind.” Gerry shook his head.
“Yes, that’s true, but he has a lot of important backers, who supply a massive budget to provide the kind of place he has near Washington. It’s acres, an amazing self-contained Science Park. Allenby’s aim is to close down any sites throughout the World that protect and care for children like Alex. I got very close to him, but he didn’t let his guard down. I did get the most fantastic tour of the place. ” Warts and All” as he liked to say. Gregor is a captive there.
“Gregor? The chap from Norway?”
“Iceland, yes he’s now a convert to the Professor’s beliefs. He’s a statistical genius and he’s now helping Allenby’s team solve the Big Problem of keeping the World Gene Pool clean. Pristine. No more inherited defects, no unpleasant , incurable conditions.”
“No deviants”.
“None of any sort, someone wants perfection, no gentle fall out anymore. The only way to do it is to shut down any Global Resistance, by whatever means possible. I think he is going to “screen” everyone.
“It was bound to happen.”
“Anyone who has the potential to produce progeny”
“Inevitable really , cause and effect. We want perfect humanity , we need to make it perfect.”
“At what cost though? Our own humanity.”
“It’s going to be very difficult , I need time to think things through. Allenby has come very far, he has a very powerful lobby, things are going in the wrong direction very quickly. I can see where this is leading. “
Sandy looked at Gerry and said ” I think he can be broken. I’m sure he can.”
“It’s no good breaking him, there’ll just be another Allenby to replace him.” Gerry replied rapidly.
” I need to think” Gerry continued.” I just don’t know enough about what he is trying to destroy. How many facilities are there like the one Alex was in? Can they be replaced when they are discovered? The people that run them and finance them who are they? they seem to have no profile. You’d think they’ be jumping off the roof tops saying these people are trying to kill us and our children.”
” It’s been going on for years” Sandy said.” Perhaps we are immune to the threat. I wouldn’t know anything about this if it wasn’t for Alex. If he’d been healthy I wouldn’t even be involved. I would be saying the whole thing sounds fantastical. It began with monitoring, then separating and finally killing. Wiping out all traces of deviance from all of Societies throughout the World. The people who are fighting only know because they have been the target, or have been found out because they have passed a defect on.”
“…. and being blackmailed.” Gerry interjected.
” I’m not sorry about that, I’ve changed and I’ve become very hard over the last few months. I don’t trust you Gerry, I need your money that’s true but I’ve no intention of telling you everything I know. Let me know what comes of your thinking and we’ll talk it through. Meanwhile I’m going to hash up a Media Project that put’s Allenby’s Facility in a good light, it’s what he wants Publicity, but Publicity of the right kind.”
Gerry looked Sandy right in the eye, there was no doubt Sandy had changed, she never would have spoken to him like that before. He knew at the moment it was impossible to convince Sandy that he could be trusted, so he nodded.
” I understand, I’ll get in touch when I’ve got some ideas. When Allenby gets in contact with me, which I’ve no doubt he will. I’ll tell him that you’re on the case.”
” You can believe everything that bastard tells you. I played my part to get what I want and I’ve got the bruises to prove it. He strikes me as the type that likes to talk “boys talk”. Tag him along .Vanity might be his downfall. Whatever you do don’t accept any invitation’s from him, he’ll sample you and I have no idea where that would lead.”
Gerry stood up and left the office , he knew Sandy was right to keep mum about what she knew. He was disappointed he couldn’t arrange a visit for himself to see Alex, but that was impossible now. They had nothing else to say to each other for the moment. Gerry closed Sandy’s office door behind him and went back upstairs to his own office where he could think and plan and wait for a call from Allenby.
thenotsomightyom 