First in a series of vignettes. He signed his name, a neat squiggle at the bottom of the final page. His initials were enough for the rest of the documents, but they insisted on a full signature to complete the transaction. Done. The woman held out her hand as if to shake his, but the man, busy folding the papers and putting them in his briefcase, was oblivious to the…
Chapter 4 Rebecca had woken late for once, and had lain there, wondering what to do with the day that stretched out ahead of her, aimless and barren. No Christmas shopping to do; she’d done most of it online and anyway there were not that many people to buy for. Not now. Sara, of course, and she was always hard to buy for, but this year Rebecca had found the…
3 ‘Colonel Freeman.’ ‘Nina. Any news?’ ‘Still searching Colonel. It’s only been two hours and we haven’t covered all the sectors yet. There’s a lot of space out there.’ Nina leaned closer to look into the monitor. ‘Give us time Alec. Right now everything I have available is out there looking. But with that satellite out of operation we’re left with a blind spot that can’t be scanned by sensors….
Prologue ‘Mr Freeman?’ Alec nodded, ‘Yes Miss Ealand, Dr Harper. She’s going below with me.’ One second of hesitation, in fact even less than that, before Miss Ealand smiled a welcome and opened the door to the inner office. Alec waved Sara inside. ‘Okay,’ he looked at her, ‘ready for this? Sara lifted an eyebrow. ‘As ready as I’ll ever be I suppose. What do I have to do now?…
Miss Baxter put the phone down in blank and distressed silence before she walked through to the living room and looked at the pile of exercise books on her desk. The television was blaring in the background, some reality programme about ice skaters and low-level celebrities. She never really bothered with early evening telly, preferring the grittier US dramas even though they were far-fetched. She sat down and clasped her…
‘One UFO, Commander. Travelling slowly.’ ‘Exactly how slowly Lieutenant?’ Straker’s hand rubbed the bristles on his jaw. The sixth incursion in twenty-four hours. He wondered if it would end the same way as the other five. In failure. Different approach patterns, different speeds, different directions. There was no consistency to any of the attacks. ‘Speed S.O.L. zero decimal five.’ There was a pause, ‘It’s increased speed ..,’ Another pause, longer…
Chapter 12 ‘He was a clone wasn’t he?’ The question in her voice was unmistakeable, the repugnance in her eyes palpable. ‘A replica. I should have seen it earlier. How the hell did you do it? You must have started this what… more than forty years ago? That’s impossible. Alec….’ she turned to him, ‘are you part of this? Please, tell me the truth.’ Jackson stepped forward, one hand reaching…
Chapter 9 Commander Freeman stood in the corridor listening to the sounds from his control room, and smiled. It was no longer his control room, he would be handing it back to Straker soon, but there were things that needed to be done first. Not that he was unhappy in his role, far from it, but it was Ed’s place and Alec was happy to step aside. He had learned…
‘So, which cheese do you use to hide a horse?’ Freeman’s voice was rough and grating but Straker could hear the note of amusement. He stopped paddling and twisted round, taking care not to unsettle the boat. ‘It’s hot. I am getting sunburnt. And all you can think about is telling jokes?’ ‘Better than sitting here moaning. And anyway you need to lighten up Ed. It’s not that serious.’ Alec…
